Disguises ~A Jiper AU~

It was the first day of spring. Every year on this day, the kindhearted of the kingdom held a festival in celebration of the season. People from all around the kingdom would gather in the capitol for the happy get together of dancing, singing, and all sorts of activities.
This year was like any other year, except this year a young woman by the name of Piper Mclean would be attending for the first time.
Her father Tristan Mclean was a famous actor that nearly everyone on the continent knew of and fawned over. Her family was small, but they were happy and could afford most things others couldn't. Tristan would often spoil his daughter, but she didn't act spoiled. Though, because Piper's dad was an actor, he was often away on set, leaving her alone. That's why she never went to the kingdom's spring festival. But this year was different. Her father would be home this year and he had already made plans to go.
Piper learned the news a week ago when her father arrived home. He had just finished filming a new movie, " The Life of Octavius", and had two weeks off before he went to go shoot a few more scenes for a different movie. Needless to say, Piper was ecstatic about the news. She got to attend the festival and her dad would be there with her. She couldn't ask for anything better in life.
The day after she got the news, Piper called her best friend Leo Valdez. To come shopping with her. She needed a new dress and Leo needed a nice outfit to wear. Almost all his clothes were stained with grease and oil, as well any other mess mechanics make. Leo Valdez, a small elfish spanish boy with crude and sometimes annoying humor; Leo was also very flirtatious, but to Piper, he was a protective brother. When Piper picked him up, he, being the boy he is, checked out the car. It was a MBW.
"Awe, Pipes, I might just steal this thing one day," he warned when Piper finally convinced him to get into the vehicle.
Piper rolled her eyes. He said that every time he saw her or her dad's car. "Alright, so I was thinking of getting you a nice white shirt-- Oh, wait no! A cream colored one? Yes, that'd look nice on you."
Leo rolled his eyes, though Piper already knew the famous " Valdez eye roll" was coming. She acted as though she didn't see it. She rambled on for a few more minutes about what Leo should wear and buy before Leo asked her what she was buying for herself.
Her eyebrows frowned when she thought about it. She had been so excited about going to the festival and seeing her dad that she hadn't thought about her appearance too much.
"I don't know," she thought out loud. Leo let out an exasperated sigh, throwing his hands up in the air. Piper whacked his arm. "Don't blame me; there's been a lot going on."
"Well, do you have any ideas?" he asked.
She paused. "A dress. A pretty one that isn't too fancy though-" Leo gave her the " No Shit Sherlock" look but she ignored it and continued. "-I didn't want to attract more attention than needed. And, if my dad does stick to his word, we won't want any extra attention."
Her dad would often make plans with her and then cancel at the last minute. It hurt her, but she knew her father was busy with his job; she just wished he were around more often.
Then there's the few times when their plans did happen, and they'd have to cancel or end them sooner than expected because of the paparazzi and crazed fans. Somehow, one of the two always figured out where they'd be going for the day. When that happened, which was nearly every time; they'd go home and watch movies for the day. Piper loved those days and waited for them to come.
They pulled up into the mall parking lot. Piper parked the car in a spot relatively close to the entrance, reaching into the back seat for her hat, scarf, and purse. She already had sunglasses on. Leo waited patiently as she checked her reflection in the mirror before they both exited the car and locked it behind them. On the way into the mall, they both noticed a magazine with her father on it. Piper pulled the hat lower over her face.
"No one's going to recognize you right away," Leo whispered.
"You'd be surprised," she mumbled. Leo heard, thinking back on the stories his friend had told him There was one time where she had walked into Starbucks and was recognized within two minutes. Before she could even get her coffee, half the people in the building her asking for pictures, autographs, and asking about her father's work.
Without another word, they slipped into a random store, and like always, went to the men's section for Leo first. It took about an hour to find an outfit for the small boy, which was nearly half the time Piper would spend.
Piper went to find the shirt she had in mind for him while Leo went to search for a pair of pants. They met back up fifteen minutes later in front of the dressing room. Piper pushed Leo into one of the changing rooms, waiting for him to put on the first outfit. Luckily for him, Piper was satisfied with the third outfit and decided all it needed to top it off was a jacket. She allowed him to pick it out as long as it matched. Leo settled for a simple leather jacket. It took a few minutes to negotiate, but Piper eventually agreed.
They then headed over to the women's section for Piper's dress. She looked through each rack, trying to find her size and color, but wasn't having much luck. Leo was helping, despite the odd looks he was getting.
"Anything you're looking for in particular?"
Piper sighed, slightly defeated. She stepped away and found a place to sit down. "I don't know. I mean, I have dresses at home, but they're all... stand out. I just need a simple one that looks nice, but makes me blend in."
"Alright," Leo mumbled under his breath, scribbling it down in his note pad. Piper had just now noticed it and wondered where it had come from.
"Where'd you--"
"Don't worry 'bout it," he cut off. "Now, what color and size?"
"Uh, blue, I guess, and medium. Why?"
"Stay here."
And then he got up and left. Piper did, as she was told and waiting, thought running through her mind. What was that Repair Boy up to?
Leo returned ten minutes later holding a dress. It was a dark shade of blue, strapless, and simple. Piper's mouth fell open and she checked the size. It was exactly what she had been looking for.
"Leo... how? Where?"
"I have my ways," Leo said, a smile on his face. "Now, go try it on."
Piper took the dress into the dressing room and tried it on. She admired it in the mirror. After examining it from every possible angle, she did a little twirl, a smile bright on her face. Leo called her out, wanting a peak of the beautiful girl in her new dress.
Piper stepped out, happy as ever. She was in love with the dress.
"You look nice," Leo complemented.
"Thank you," she thanked. Leo held out his hand.
Piper took it, earning a little twirl from the boy. They both laughed before she went to go change back. Once they had everything, they went to pay and grab something to eat at the food court.
Leo watched as Piper put her hat back on before they exited the store and back into the mall. He wished at they could just go out like any other kid could. Well, he knew he could, but was happy to put up with it if it meant Pipes could be happy.
They bought pretzels before heading out into the parking lot. On the way to the car, they passed a group of paparazzi. Piper tensed up a bit, but tried to remain calm. If she looked natural, they wouldn't pay any attention to her, right?
No. Wrong.
One member of the group cam toward her and Leo. Piper looked down at her phone in hopes that they wouldn't see her face. Even though she was wearing sunglasses, a scarf, and a hat, she knew her disguise wouldn't last long.
"Hey you two!" the man shouted, jogging toward them. He stopped in front of them, catching his breath. "We heard from an anonymous source that Tristan McLean's daughter was here at this mall. Have you seen her?"
Leo did the talking for her. "Sorry, senor. Haven't seen that lady at all today." Then he looked around as if checking to make sure no one would hear then leaned over. "Though, if I were you, I'd check Macey's."
The man's eyes widened and he called over to his buddies. They thanked Leo before running into the mall and to the store Leo had picked. Macey's was at the other end of the mall, giving them enough time to get away.
"Thank you," Piper breathed once the group was out of sight. "That could have been a disaster."
"No need to thank me... though that'll be ten dollars," he joked. " Come on; let's just get out of here." He put an arm around her shoulder, protecting her from anyone else who might recognize her.
They successfully made it back to the car without getting caught. Piper, not realizing how she had been holding her breath, let out a sigh of relief. Leo was used to this, knowing that she feared the publicity that she would have gotten, had he not interfered.
She started the car, pulling out of the parking lot and onto the road. Leo turned on the radio, blaring 'Sucker For Pain'. Both of them sang along and off key like most would, both started nearly screaming their voices raw during Imagine Dragons' corus. It took thirty minutes to get back to Piper's place, but it was worth it. Leo normally spent most his time there when he wasn't at work, so he was already used to the place. Heck, he was there so often, he was considered a son to Tristan.
After parking the car into the garage, they grabbed their bags and went inside. Leo was complaining he was hungry even though they just ate. Piper rolled her eyes, used to this comment.
"You can make tacos then, kay?" Piper told him.
"Kay."
They opened the door that lead into the living room. Tristan was sitting on the couch, watching something on the flat screen TV. He muted it when the two walked in.
"So, how was shopping?"
"Okay," Leo replied. "Beauty Queen over here had some hard time picking out a dress, so I did it for her."
"Oh," Tristan said, smiling. "May I see my lovely daughter in this dress?"
Piper smiled back, deciding that he'd have to wait. Leo tried to convince her to let her dad see, but she refused every time. In the end, he gave up and went to make tacos. Piper went to her room and hid the dress in her closet.
Her room was somewhat fancy and not as girly as most. The walls were painted pale pink with pictures of her and her dad and Black Vinyl roses on the wall. A few of the pictures of her and her dad even had Leo in them. A few other things hung up against the wall, like old movie posters her dad would bring back from set. And various bands like, Imagine Dragons, Fallout Boy, and artists like Adele or Pink. Also, a photo of a young looking Tristan with his arm over her mother's shoulders. They are standing in front of an old 68' black impala. This is the only photo she has over mother. Though whenever she looks at it. She smells faint perfume , Chanel # 5, and the picture changes slightly, like the color of her mother's eyes or the tint of her hair. Yet every time, she brushes it off as imagination. Though it is strange, Piper doesn't even own Chanel.
Her bed was up against the middle of the wall. The sheets were a light pink and sky blue color with white pillows. There was also a dove plushie resting against the smaller pillow on her bed. At the foot of her bed was a little chest with more blankets, pillows, and plushies. Beside her bed, a small rug laid with a pair of bunny slippers on top.
Near the window on the far side of the room was a vanity with make up, hair products and all other sorts of stuff. She didn't use any of it, but her father insisted she have it for movie premieres and such. Other things littering the top were loose change and old candy wrappers.
Beside the vanity was a door that led to her own bathroom. Around the tops of her walls, Christmas lights were pinned making her room lit up with a white glow.
The closet was to the door. She slide open the door and entered her walk in closet. Shoes lined the walls, dresses and shirts hung from hangers, and all her pants, leggings, shorts, and such were folded on a shelf against the back next to a full-length mirror. She took her dress and hung it up in the middle of the other ones before exiting.
Piper came back into the living room, only to find it empty. Behind the closed kitchen door, she heard two people laughing. She knew it was her dad laughing at some cheesy joke Leo had made. When she opened the door, she found her dad sitting at the little island table and Leo cooking taco meat on the stove.
She took a seat beside her dad, trying to catch on to what they were talking about. Luckily, she didn't have to because the subject changed.
"So, Leo," Tristan started, "been working on any projects lately?"
He let out a sad sigh. "Sadly, not as many as I'd like. But," he sounded more positive now, "the king himself asked me to craft two crowns for the festival."
"What!" both the McLean's shouted.
"When was this?" Piper asked.
"Why didn't you say anything about it?" her dad asked.
Leo smirked. "It was supposed to be a surprise, but cat's outta the bag now."
Piper and her dad shouted multiple questions, none of them answered. All Leo did was laugh and tell them to wait till the festival.
"You'll know it when you see it," he hinted, letting the subject drop.
By now the food was done. All the toppings were already cut and ready to be put on. Piper had gotten up to get the crunchy taco shells while her did heated up some soft shells. The meal was quite with an occasional comment or question. After the three of them finished, they put their glasses and plates into the sink.
"Well," Leo looked at the clock on the wall, "I've gotta go. See ya tomorrow."
"You're not staying the night?" Tristan asked. Leo normally spent the majority of his weeknights here and often stayed the night.
"Nah. I've got to be down at the forge by eight and my place is closer. It also has my work clothes I need."
"Alright," both him and Piper replied, understanding the situation. "See ya, later."
Leo waved as he left, walking out the door and to the nearest bus stop. Tristan used to offer him a ride or to call an Uber, but Leo always decline. Eventually, he gave up, letting the small elfish boy alone.
Piper and her dad went into the living room once again and turned on the TV. Tristan put on the news, Piper cuddling up against him. The news cut to a commercial, but before it cut it said, "When we come back in a few minutes, while be talking about the latest news about our own beloved Prince Jason Grace rumored to be dating his childhood friend Lady Reyna Ramirez-Arellano."
Piper sighed, taking the remote and turning the TV set off. She wasn't interested in the latest gossip about who was dating who. Especially if it was about the royals. Her dad, on the other hand, was and put it back on before they said anything about it. With nothing else interesting her, Piper went back to her room.
She had a few different options. Netflix was a common answer to her boredom, as well as taking a long, hot bath. She also thought about checking all her social media accounts, but that would require her to log into her undercover accounts. In the end, she chose Netflix, seeing that they had just added the movie Zootopia. She had wanted to see the movie while it was in theaters, but knew it would never happen.
Ten minutes into the movie, her dad knocked on the door, telling her he was heading to bed. She bid him good night and resumed her movie. By the time she had finished the movie, it was 11:54, so she decided to get ready to sleep.
She threw on an oversized sweater and a pair of gray sweat pants before crawling up under her covers. The dove plushie was clenched to her chest and the all the lights were off. She was out by the stroke of midnight.

Notes

So that's the first chapter. I hope you enjoy. I have no idea when the next chapter will be out. Hopefully soon though :)
And here's Leo's outfit