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kyber-crystal · 5 months ago

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10 things i hate about you || f.w.

summary: rumor has it that you and fred weasley are going out. being the instigators you two are, you decide to play into said rumors. but just how far could you go before you lose sight of the line between fiction and reality?

words: ~7.9k LMFAO I REALLY WENT OVERBOARD HERE

warnings: cheesiness, cliche 10 things i hate about you vibes, both y/n and fred being oblivious idiots. what’s more to love

a/n: you thought i’d avoid writing another fake dating fic? with fred? NEVER. ik there r some fake dating fred fics out there but i swear we need MORE bc this is the best trope ever idc. also made up a name for the school paper cs i forgot if it was a thing in the books/movies lol. reader is an implied gryffindor/ravenclaw but can technically be in whatever house you’d like : )

add yourself to my hp taglist here!

The problem with Hogwarts was that rumors spread through its halls like fiendfyre.

It all started during the Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw. Harry had narrowly caught the Snitch after a Dementor false alarm and carried the team to victory, causing the stadium to explode into ground-shaking cheers. Waves of deep crimson and gold were pouring onto the field and you almost got trampled in the midst of it until someone pulled you into the center.

“There you are—I was looking all over for you,” Fred beamed. “You were watching, right?”

“I was sitting front row��you literally saw me, Fred,” you stated plainly.

“I know, but I wanted to make sure,” he winked at you, sidelining you into a hug. “You look very pretty, by the way. I think my hat looks better on you than me.”

“Anddd there’s the woman of the hour! He couldn’t stop staring at you—almost crashed into the teachers’ section ‘cause of that,” Lee came over and clasped your shoulder.

“That’s what that was all about? Freddie, you need to get it together!”

“Can’t help when you’re as alluring as a Veela,” the compliment rolled effortlessly off his tongue. He then tilted his chin down to kiss your forehead, and you didn’t bother pushing him away despite the fact that he was all sweaty after being up in the air.

A bright flash of light pulled you out of Fred’s embrace, and you blinked to see Colin standing there with a wide grin on his face, camera in hand.

“Just capturing the moment,” the younger Gryffindor said excitedly. “This is gonna be a good one!”

You thought nothing of it until you went down to the Great Hall for breakfast the following morning. You went over to find your Ravenclaw friends, who seemed to be huddled around something, staring at it intensely.

“Oh, hey Y/N!” Cho beamed brightly at you, moving over to make room for you to sit next to her. “Have you seen the latest school newsletter?”

You filled your plate and took a copy of the Hogwarts Daily Digest that Padma gave you. “No…what’s it all about?”

“Check page 3,” she told you. You took a bite of your toast first, pausing as you scanned over the page. At the front and center was a moving picture of you and Fred embracing, him pressing a kiss to your temple, smiles of pure bliss on both your faces. You had to admit that Colin had a way with pictures; so much so that you almost would’ve believed you and Fred were a true couple just by looking at the article.

“So we’re going out, apparently,” you said, taking another bite of your food, “...Interesting.”

“Several students were interviewed about it, and they’re wondering if you guys are,” Cho explained. “With the way he kept looking over at you during the game, and how he was searching for you after it ended.”

“I—I’ve ought to talk to Fred himself, see what he thinks about this—” you spluttered, feeling hot all of a sudden. “I just—we’re not even—”

“But you would be very cute together,” your best friend added. “I mean, you have known each other for how long now? It wouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone if you were.”

At the end of the day, you went to the library to squeeze in some quiet alone time for reading, curling up on one of the plushy sofas near the bookshelves. You were deep into a mythical book that Hermione recommended, fully zoned in for what felt like forever until the cushion sank a bit, indicating that someone had sat down next to you.

“What do you want, Fred,” you sighed without even looking up from your book. “Come to bother me again?”

He took the book from your hands in response and closed it.

“Hey, I was reading that—” you began.

“I wanted to ask you about the article,” he stated, “don’t you think Creevey’s quite the photographer?”

You scoffed. “If this is about us being a couple, you know we’re not.”

“I was going to suggest something else.”

“And what is that?”

“Given that half the school is talking about us already,” he referred to the whispers in the halls that followed you from class to class, “why not play into the rumors a bit?”

“So you’re suggesting that, what?”

“That we say we’re a couple.”

“...you want to pretend that we’re going out?”

“Why not?”

“That’s insane,” you shot him a glare. “What do either of us get out of it?”

“Practice, of course,” Fred had a proud look on, “but also, why not have some fun with it?”

You stopped and thought about it for a second. He was right—who were you to not want to have a bit of fun? After all, it was just Fred; it couldn’t be that hard to fake-date someone, especially when you had no real feelings for them.

“Fine, but only on one condition.”

“What’s that, love?”

“Promise not to fall in love with me?” You stuck your hand out towards him.

Fred took it and gave it a firm shake, his signature mischievous grin making its appearance. “As long as you don’t fall for me either.”

“Dream on.”

He leans forward, voice dropping to a low whisper. “10 galleons says you’ll fall in love with me first.”

“Oh, please. 20 says you won’t even last half as long.”

“You’re on.”

So it began—settling into the whole routine was surprisingly easy. But of course, it was probably easier since you had money on the line; asides from George, you and Fred were the most competitive people in the entire school. You’d do anything for extra money, glory, and infinite bragging rights.

Making it a point to one-up each other, you began to brainstorm ways to really play up the whole “fake girlfriend” thing.

i. the pda competition, part 1

Monday afternoon’s Potions lesson proceeded as always, with Snape’s annoying, drawling voice instructing you on what to do.

Today’s class was boring but ended early, the only downside being that you were assigned a hefty load of homework.

“By the beginning of Wednesday’s class, you shall turn in to me two feet of parchment on the history of Strengthening Solution and its’ properties…” Snape ordered, “...for now, follow the instructions on the board. Ingredients are in the back. I expect the utmost perfection and accuracy…those who fail shall not be tolerated.”

Groaning internally, you headed to the back of the classroom towards the supply cabinets, Fred following close behind. Either Snape was out to get you both or it was sheer luck that had you paired together for this assignment.

“Wait, you forgot something,” Fred called out as you were about to walk away.

You turned around, a snarky reply ready. “What is—”

You didn’t even have the chance to finish your sentence when he grabbed you by the wrist and tugged you into his chest, kissing you square on the lips. You were completely taken by surprise and had no time to react whatsoever.

Low wolf-whistles and “ooohs” reverbrated throughout the entire classroom as you broke apart.

“What was that for?” you hissed.

There was a devilish grin on his face, and you so desperately wanted to wipe it right off him. “Just trying to be a good fake boyfriend, of course,” he whispered into your ear.

“Touch me again without warning and I’ll break your nose,” you said in a low tone, ignoring the heat rising up your cheeks.

“Miss Y/L/N…Mr. Weasley…” Snape said lowly, “...back to your seats, both of you. This is a classroom, not a bedroom. Get to work.”

Several students giggled at this and you huffed, heading back to your seat. You didn’t speak more than a few sentences to Fred for the remainder of the lesson, face still flushed from the sudden incident. He kept stealing glances at you as you worked in silence, adding the ingredients into your bubbling cauldron with careful, precise movements.

“That’s 1-0 to me,” he reminded you. “Better hurry and catch up, or I’m winning those Galleons.”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself,” you muttered, uncapping the bottle in front of you and pouring some of the liquid in.

ii. the pda competition, part 2

After Fred had kissed you in the middle of a packed classroom, you were determined to get back at him, racking your brain for ideas.

You sat under a sprawling tree by the Great Lake with Cedric, Cho, Padma, Ernie, and several other Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw students. Somehow, you got lucky and all had matching free periods today, taking the opportunity to have a picnic by the water together.

“A little birdie told me that you and a special someone were going out,” Cedric pointed a finger at you, the other arm slung around Cho’s shoulders. “Now what’s going on?”

“They’ve always been mad about each other, only took them a million years to see it,” Ernie butted in. “Isn’t it obvious? One would think they’re already married at this point, though.”

“Who’s married to who?” you heard someone ask from behind you.

“Speak of the devil,” Ernie said, “there he is!”

“Was going to check on you—see you at supper?” Fred lightly touched your cheek. You nodded blindly, the skin of his hand hot on your face.

“Okay, I’ll meet you there.”

You turned back around to see everyone smirking at you knowingly.

“What?” you questioned, adjusting the collar of your shirt as if nothing had happened.

“Aren’t you two the cutest,” Cho laughed breathily, “Ernie was right. It’s like you’re married.”

“Oh shut up, we’re still much too young for that.”

“Not for long!”

Of course the only empty seat at the Gryffindor table that evening was next to Fred, and he made sure that you were sitting as close to him as humanly possible. All it would take was an extra few inches and you’d fully be sitting on his lap. You shook off the embarrassment and snapped back into it, determined to win the bet.

“I missed you all day, you know,” he admitted, placing a dinner roll onto your plate for you. “Where have you been?”

“By the lakes,” you said matter-of-factly. “Where else would I be?”

“With me, obviously.”

“I’d rather be anywhere else.”

“Well that hurt,” he pretended to look hurt. “I thought I was your favorite.”

“Second to last,” you joked. “Hey, wait—there’s something on your mouth.”

“Where?” he tried motioning around with his fingers but to no avail.

“Right…here…” you murmured, gently grasping his chin and pressing a lingering kiss to the corner of his lip, tasting a hint of the sweet cranberry sauce he’d been eating on the tip of your tongue. Loud gasps erupted through the Great Hall at the sudden private but public display.

Fred inhaled sharply—he knew you were bold, but like this? For once, the jokester had nothing sarcastic to counter you with and was at a loss for words.

When you pulled away, both yours and his faces were a shade of deep scarlet.

“Cat got your tongue?” you smirked, discreetly slipping a sheet of paper into his back pocket. “That’s 1-1 now, Fred.”

Again, Fred was left speechless.

“I feel like I’m interrupting something very…” Ron coughed, damn near choking on his chicken leg. “Intimate. Scandalous. Very—”

“Shut it, Ronald,” you cut him off. “Can’t a girl snog her boyfriend when she wants?”

More jaws dropped at your reply, and you simply continued eating, a victorious grin on your face. Fred looked down and fished the note out of his pocket, unfolding the smooth parchment to reveal your tidy penmanship.

Now who’s the flustered one? you know where to find me if you need me xx

You were so going to win.

iii. the serenade

You found yourself sitting on the bench watching the Gryffindor Quidditch team practice—it was Fred’s idea to show up to as many of them as possible to really sell the whole “fake dating” thing. You didn’t mind all that much, as you got bored easily and liked to have a change of scenery every so often while you were studying.

A loud, abrupt screech caused you to look up from your textbook and you winced, covering your ears.

“You’re just too good to be true…can’t take my eyes off of you…” a melodic voice began flowing across the stadium. Confused, you set your book down and stood up, looking around for the source of the noise.

“You’d be like Heaven to touch, I wanna hold you so much…at long last love has arrived…”

Fred suddenly appeared from the commentator’s box, holding a microphone. He casually leaned against the pole before sliding down and hitting the bleachers, gracefully making his way down the steps.

“...And I thank God I’m alive…” his eyes remained focused on you, blazing gold and green. “You’re just too good to be true…”

“What the—”

He spun around and pointed at you, the corners of his lips quirking up in a childish grin, “...Can’t take my eyes off of you.”

“HIT IT, WOOD!” you heard someone (was that Lee?) yell, and music began blasting from the speakers.

Your friends were eyeing you with delight, fully entertained by the fact that you had absolutely no clue what was happening. Fred continued singing while he sauntered down the bleachers with a grace that you had never seen.

“I love you, baby, and if it's quite alright

I need you, baby, to warm the lonely night

I love you, baby, trust in me when I say

Oh, pretty baby, don't bring me down, I pray

Oh, pretty baby, now that I found you, stay

And let me love you, baby, let me love you”

A blush coated your cheeks as he finally approached you, taking one of your hands in his and twirling you around. He held your gaze the entire time, eyes alight with what looked like genuine joy and passion. The rest of your classmates joined in as they crowded around you, joining together in one voice.

It was impossible to hold back the smile creeping up your face as Fred continued to sing—he was undeniably charming, and you had to admit, this was well worth suffering a brief loss for.

“Oh pretty baby, trust in me when I say…” the final lyrics left his mouth and everyone burst into applause. He made a show of bowing dramatically and kissing your hand in an exaggerated motion.

You rolled your eyes at the overly extravagant gesture. But deep down, you had enjoyed every second of the impromptu serenade.

Within minutes after it ended, Fred’s musical spectacle was the talk of the school. Students nudged each other in the corridors as you passed by, whispering words of encouragement, saying how they wished for a relationship like yours, and wondering where they could possibly find someone like Fred.

You felt him slip something into your robe’s pocket. Fred had sidled up next to you as you headed up the stairs to the common room, still grinning widely.

“2-1,” he reminded you, kissing your cheek before turning to the Fat Lady and uttering the password. He stepped through the portrait hole and turned back to wait for you, then walked all the way inside. “Better continue that game of catch up, I might just steal the title of ‘best fake partner ever’ from you.”

There’s that beautiful smile, the note read. Keep it on for me, will you?

iv. the nightmare

Your body seemed to have a mind of its own, because it was 3:27 a.m. and you were wide awake after barely squeezing in a few hours of sleep.

Nothing you did worked; even the Potion for Dreamless Sleep had failed to keep the nightmares at bay. You didn’t last long before jolting awake, beads of sweat forming at your forehead and chest heaving with raggedy, jagged breaths.

After several minutes of tossing and turning you gave up, quietly tiptoeing down the stairs to the common room. The fireplace was on, indicating that someone was already there—

“Y/N?” Fred turned around from his spot on the couch to look at you. “What’re you doing up at this hour?”

You yawned, “I could ask you the same thing.”

“Finishing an assignment,” he sighed, rubbing his forehead. Sheets of parchment, a vial of ink, and several books were spread out on the coffee table. “You?”

“Nothing,” you lied, sitting down next to him. “Couldn’t sleep.”

He didn’t miss the hoarse tone in your voice nor your tear-stained face, stopping what he was doing to fully focus on you. “Now I know that’s not true. What’s bothering you, really?”

“I said I’m fine, just can’t sleep.” You let out a shuddering sigh and attempted to will the tears away, but your vision began to blur. “Go finish your work—”

“Hey.” Fred’s voice was soft. “Come here.”

His arms gingerly wrapped around your trembling frame to envelop you into a tight hug. He reached one hand up to smooth out your hair as you shook with silent sobs, your hands curling into the fabric of his robes as if holding onto him would keep you from slipping away and losing yourself again.

Fred was never one to be patient, but he knew that you just needed this moment free of chaos. So he waited, laying there with you as he continued murmuring soothing words into your ear, gently rubbing your back; he’d wait for as long as he’d need to.

You didn’t know how much time passed until the tears ran themselves dry and your throat felt like it had been scraped raw.

“Want to tell me what happened?” he suggested. “But only if you’re comfortable, that is.”

You hesitated, wondering if it was a good idea to tell him. Maybe he’d think you were strange…but seeing how he looked so genuine in that moment changed your mind.

“I lost you…I lost everyone. I watched you die, Fred.” Your voice was cracked and raw, which sent a pang through his chest. The image of Fred’s lifeless body trapped between the rubble flashed across your vision, feeling as if it was wrapping its cold fingers around your throat. “I watched you all die and I couldn’t save you.”

“But I’m alive and well right now, aren’t I?” he assured you calmly, “I’ll be here for as long as you want me around. You’ll have to fight to the death to get rid of me.”

Managing a broken laugh, you looked up at him. “Really?”

“Really. What are fake boyfriends for, anyway?” His hand found its place against your cheek, fingers gently skimming across your skin. You leaned into his touch and let out a sigh, lips just barely brushing over his palm.

“No one’s here, Fred…you don’t need to pretend.”

“I know I don’t.” Any and all traces of half-witted sarcasm were gone; wiped clean off his face. Instead, his eyes were glossed over with concern as they raked over yours. “Figured I could keep you company? Since I didn’t want you to be alone in your head like this.”

“I’d like that.”

He then passed a familiar folded square to you, and you opened it with a smile.

I’m here, whenever you need - F.W

v. the hospital wing run-in

“For Godric’s sake, how many more times will I have to see you in here?” Madam Pomfrey demanded as she hurried around, setting a metal tray by your bedside. “This is the third time this month.”

“Sorry,” you winced as you shifted your injured leg onto the pillow she’d set out.

“What is it this time?”

“I broke my ankle.”

“Doing what, exactly?”

Pursing your lips, you elected to tell her the modified version of the story, which was the one where you had tripped while going down the stairs, not the one that included running down the Astronomy Tower after sneaking up there for a dare (the twins’ doing).

She shook her head in disbelief, glancing over the cuts on your face and fixing the bandages around your foot. “You’ll be in here for a few days. We’ll have to regrow the bones in your foot and ankle…my, how someone can break this many bones just from missing a step, I can’t seem to understand…what are all of you doing here?”

You followed her gaze to where Hermione, Ginny, Cho, and Fred were standing by the hospital wing’s entrance, alight with excitement upon seeing that you were awake.

“Guys—”

“Miss Granger, Miss Weasley, and Mr. Weasley, need I remind you that no visitors are allowed at this time! I advise that you all head back,” Madam Pomfrey ordered sharply.

“But we haven’t seen her all last night and this morning! Can we just stay for a minute,” Hermione begged. “Please?”

The older woman sighed as she scanned your friends (and fake? boyfriend’s) desperate, pleading faces. “...Alright, then. Don’t stay too long and for Godric’s sake, let her breathe.”

They immediately crowded around your bed and Fred walked over to your side, crouching down so that you were eye level with him.

“There’s my princess,” his charming persona was back in full force, and he smoothly brushed a few stray hairs out of your face. For what felt like the eleventh time, he was swooping in to kiss your cheek. Not that you were counting. “How’re you feeling?”

“Better now that you’re here,” you winked as you attempted to prop yourself into an upright position, but failed, giving up and flopping back down. “Ow. My foot.”

Ginny pretended to throw up on Hermione, who then elbowed her in the stomach. “Ow!” she yelped. “What was that for?”

“Let’s leave the happy couple alone,” she hissed, and they slowly backed away to give you some space.

Fred pulled up a chair next to your bedside, propping his chin in his hand to stare at you. “I’m sorry, really. I didn’t mean for you to end up with five broken bones.”

“And a concussion, a killer headache, and not to mention dozens of sore muscles,” you grimaced, but felt a slight ache in your chest when you realized he looked genuinely guilty. “I don’t blame you, really. I mean, I was just as stupid and reckless. I definitely could’ve been more careful but I wasn’t.”

“I’m supposed to mess up your lipstick,” he groaned, “not your bones.”

“Someone took ‘public displays of affection’ the wrong way,” you said sarcastically, and then there was a brief moment of silence before you both burst into laughter.

“Damn right he di—OW, Hermione!”

“Gin, let’s go!” With that, the two girls left the hospital wing, leaving the two of you alone.

“Why are you here, anyway? Hermione and Ginny are because they’re my friends, and you’re my—”

“—lovely, charming, undeniably handsome boyfriend, of course. Why wouldn’t I be here?” Fred finished your sentence for you.

“Right,” your voice was dripping with sarcasm, “I just can’t seem to get rid of you, can I? It seems like you’re always around.”

“And yet, you don’t push me away,” a smile tugged at his lips. “Which clearly means that I’m just that irresistible. I don’t need a charm or some silly love potion to reel you in.”

“Don’t think that because I’m incapacitated, this game is over,” you warned him. “I will beat your arse to a pulp, and you’ll be twenty Galleons lighter. I bet you’re madly in love with me already.”

“Believe what you want, my darling,” he sing-songed, twirling his wand between his fingers. “But we all know I’ve already won this game.”

“Yeah, right. We’re tied now, by the way. That’s for getting me injured.”

“Oi! You can’t just—”

“Shh…don’t come crying to me ‘till you lose.”

He ended up staying overnight.

You didn’t protest at all.

Neither did Madam Pomfrey later that evening after seeing him slumped over on your bed, fast asleep, one hand clutching yours like you were the only thing he had left to lose.

vi. the howler

For once you managed to get to the Great Hall before Fred did. The bloke was always criminally late or ridiculously early to everything; it was almost laughable how there was no in between for him.

He finally showed up just ten minutes before breakfast was supposed to end, breathing hard with his hair all messed up.

“What’d I miss?” he asked you.

“Nothing,” you responded. “Just another ordinary day…”

A gust of wind suddenly swept through the hallway causing the napkins to flutter in the air. A giant grey owl came swooping down onto the table and landed straight in front of Fred, clutching an envelope in its curved talons.

“What’s Errol doing here? We’re not supposed to get our daily mail til’ tomorrow,” Ron gawked, “surprised that he’s here given the number of times he’s collapsed mid-delivery—oh blimey Fred, you must be in trouble! You’ve got a Howler!”

Several Gryffindors around you giggled at this.

With a slight look of confusion and fear, Fred carefully removed the seal on the bright red envelope. Molly Weasley’s booming voice immediately came bursting from the pages.

“FRED WEASLEY, HOW COULD YOU NOT TELL ME THAT YOU WERE DATING MY FUTURE DAUGHTER-IN-LAW! I AM DISAPPOINTED IN YOU—Y/N dear, if you’re hearing this, I’m very happy for you and hope to see you at the Burrow soon, I’ll make sure to whip up some homemade custard for you—YOU OUGHT TO TREAT HER RIGHT, BOY, OR ELSE! I BROUGHT YOU INTO THIS WORLD AND I SURE AS MERLIN CAN TAKE YOU RIGHT OUT!”

A silence fell over the entire Great Hall and Fred sat there, in shock. The red envelope folded itself up and then burst into flames, its ashes crumbling to the floor.

“I’ve never seen him turn that red,” George sniggered. “You’re bloody brilliant, Y/N.”

“Y-you did this?” Fred spluttered.

“Can’t say I didn’t,” you hummed, patting his head affectionately. “Your mum was bound to find out, one way or another.”

“And you thought this was the best idea?”

“Aww, is little Freddie all embarrassed?” you teased. “Never thought I’d live to see that day.”

“Quit gloating,” the redhead grumbled. “You haven’t won yet. Better sleep with one eye open tonight.”

vii. the pda competition, part ∞

As it turned out, continuing to slip into your fake relationship only became more fun as the days and weeks dragged on. And being competitive only added to the fun, as you were scrambling to one-up each other.

You often opted to hold his hand when walking from place to place, which wasn’t difficult given that you were almost always with him now and had to sell the idea that you really were together. His hands were rough and calloused from all those hours working on joke shop prototypes, but they were still surprisingly comforting. A way to keep you grounded when your head got stuck in the clouds.

Fred’s signature move was, of course, dropping random kisses on your cheek when you didn’t expect it. Sometimes, when he was feeling bolder than usual, that would change to the tender spot between your ear and jaw, your shoulder, or your nose. And each of those times he made sure they were extra drawn-out and that you were in a crowded area so others would see it. The courtyard. The Quidditch pitch. The classroom (two of those incidents were in Potions, much to Snape’s dismay. He didn’t even bother taking points off due to being too disgusted).

“I have a massive exam today,” he declared loudly to you as you stood in front of his upcoming class together. “I think I’m going to need a kiss.”

“Why?” you scoffed. “What do you need that for?”

“For good luck,” Fred said, “it’s kind of a tradition, isn’t it?”

“You…want a kiss for good luck?” you started.

“I’m waiting…” he sang, face turned slightly in an invitation. You sighed and went up on your tiptoes, doing as he asked. “Thank you. But you have terrible aim…you missed.”

“I fear you’re having way too much fun with this,” you muttered. “Don’t make excuses. My lips are not going near yours unless they absolutely need to now.”

“Oh come on, you know you’re having loads of fun too,” he called out as he walked into the classroom. “Catch you later, sweetheart!”

viii. the butterbeer (alt: the pda competition, part ∞)

It was the day of another Hogsmeade outing and you were hand-in-hand with Fred as you walked down the cobblestone streets together. You had planned to spend the day alone for the most part and join Cho for a meal, but Fred had cornered you at breakfast and insisted you go on a date with him.

“To keep up the façade,” he insisted. “Wouldn’t people find it odd if the castle’s favorite couple wasn’t together?”

You nodded and didn’t protest further; you had no energy to do so anyway. It was far too cold for your taste; you had been dragged out without having time to grab your gloves, blowing hot hair into your hands that were steadily growing numb.

“Love,” he called for you as he took your hands in his, “oh, your fingers feel like ice.”

“No…shit…” your teeth chattered as you attempted to respond steadily. “Might lose ‘em if we don’t hurry up and get inside—”

“Wait one second,” Fred said as you two stopped right outside the Three Broomsticks, wasting no more time in taking his gloves off and handing them to you to put on, while he wrapped his house scarf around your neck. “There. Let’s head in.”

“But—”

“Boyfriend duties, remember?” he winked at you as he pushed the door open, holding it for you to step inside first. “Come on. I think a butterbeer or two’ll warm you up.”

Fred’s hand remained on the small of your back, pressing in gently to lead you to a cozy booth in the back. The added warmth felt quite nice, you thought, but you also wondered how he managed to stay like a human furnace when it the weather outside was so dreadfully cold.

It was hard not to stare at him; catching his gaze every so often while sipping your drink. His hair was all tousled from the frigid winds; you took notice of the way it slightly curled out at the ends, glowing under the hazy yellow bar lights. It was annoyingly endearing how he could look so flawless without any effort and even more so that you didn’t have anything snarky to say.

“Fred, I think we’re being followed…” you whispered as you scanned the near vicinity, fingers brushing against the rim of your mug. There in the far opposite corner sat Padma, Ernie, Cedric, and Cho, attempting to look nonchalant as if they weren’t half-stalking you but they were doing a rather terrible job at it. You quickly looked away.

“So? Isn’t that what we want—for people to see us?” he countered with a tone of confidence. His voice dropped low as he continued to speak to you. “Why don’t we give them a show? No need to be so private.”

Your face burned. “What do you—”

“Not like that,” he chuckled lowly, “what did you think I meant?”

“I…”

Fred paused, then raised his hand and brushed something off your cheek with his thumb. “You’ve got something on your face.”

“Oh, so we’re playing that game now, are we?”

“Indeed, my lady.”

You scoffed quietly and imitated his motion, reaching up to smooth out the crease that had formed between his brows. “Put a smile on your face, why don’t you? You look better that way.”

“I always look good, though.”

“I look better than your greasy arse.”

“Oh, shut up.”

“Oh yeah?” you challenged. “I’d like to see you tr—”

Before you could say anything else and before he could stop himself from what he was doing, Fred placed a hand on the nape of you neck and pulled you in, kissing you without another word. All protests left behind flew right out the window (along with your morals, too, you thought) and for a split second, it almost didn’t feel like you were pretending at all.

When you broke apart eventually, breaths a little heavy, neither of you needed to look over to see that your friends were gaping in shock, mouths dropped wide open. Sure, Fred was confident and cocky and you were equally so, but both of you would be lying if you said this didn’t take you by surprise.

“You still keeping track?” His voice still had that low, almost husky tone to it. He was cupping your cheek now, and you let him keep doing so. “There can only be one victor, right?”

“Wouldn’t forget it,” you exhaled. “You think we look convincing enough right now?”

“Without a shadow of a doubt.”

ix. the thunderstorm

The day’s exciting Care of Magical Creatures lesson was cut thirty minutes short due to the heavy downpour that had suddenly came crashing down, bringing with it a booming thunderstorm and soaking all your clothes within minutes.

“Well, that’s it fer today, everyone,” Hagrid announced, “now let’s head back inside, don’ want yeh to catch a cold, we’ll continue when the weather lets up…”

You wrapped your cloak tighter around yourself and flipped the hood on over your head, eyes narrowing as you stared up at the suddenly stormy grey sky. It just had to be on the one day you got to go outside and do something exciting, damn it….

It was freezing, nearly as horrible as that one day in Hogsmeade, and you wanted nothing more in that moment than to simply curl up by the fireplace with Hermione, the Patil twins, and Cho, and talk all evening long. If you could even make it back to the castle in one, unfrozen piece, maybe you’d at least get your hands on some hot chocolate from the kitchens…

A warm hand found yours amidst the strong winds, and all of a sudden you didn’t feel so cold anymore.

As if he had read your mind, Fred said, “how about we sneak into the kitchens and grab something to drink? Hot chocolate, perhaps?”

“Sounds perfect,” you smiled and he draped an arm over your shoulders, bringing you into his side. It felt so natural now, like this wasn’t part of some long-standing bet to fool the whole school; as if you were just two best friends trying to keep warm in subpar temperatures. And it was almost too easy to get used to it.

“Oblivious idiots. I told them for years that they’d be perfect together and it’s only this year that they start going out,” George exclaimed from several yards behind, walking side-by-side with Lee Jordan. “Dunno why it took them so long.”

“Love takes time, obviously,” said Lee as he watched Fred lean into your ear and say something, and you giggled lightly in response, “and now, what matters is that I finally have an excuse to make fun of them during Quidditch matches.”

“Oh—good point.”

“And you’ve noticed that he stopped pranking her? Unlike him, isn’t it?”

“Wait…” George paused as he took in Lee’s questions. His mouth formed an ‘o’ in realization. “He’s utterly whipped, that git.”

“What happens when boyfriend duties overcome prankster duties…this is perfect. Professor Flitwick owes me 2 galleons. I called it that he’d fall first!”

“You bet on them?” George squawked. “With Flitwick?”

“Don’t tell me you didn’t either,” Lee laughed, “I know you did too.”

The expression on George’s face shifted into one of defeat. “I lost,” he muttered, “I owe McGonagall 3 galleons.”

x. verum exeat (let the truth come out)

The Gryffindor common room was alight with chatter once again. After a long, grueling week of exam revisions, Quidditch practice, and a brutal match to be remembered, Lee and the twins decided that a small celebration was in order. They had originally planned on inviting half the damn school but after arguing with Hermione, had to shrink the party down to just their smaller, usual friend group (they swore up and down that they’d clean up and not get detention like last time, but she wouldn’t buy it).

But you knew that if things had the Weasley twins’ names pasted next to them, they’d be far from peaceful; as far as you could possibly get—no matter how big or small.

“Oh, there you are,” you heard someone say from behind, and turned around to see that it was Hermione.

“Not drinking?”

“Someone’s got to take care of the boys after they go wild, right?” she explained. “Besides…I can’t stand the taste of firewhisky. It burns.”

You offered a tired half-smile and agreed. “Yeah. You’re right.”

Hermione seemed to be deep in thought for a moment until she told you, “You’re very lucky, you know.”

“What are you talking about?”

“To have Fred, that is. To find someone who’s that in love with you, it’s quite rare.”

“Oh, please,” you tried to suppress a laugh, “I told you why we’re doing what we’re doing.”

“And?” Hermione raised an eyebrow at you, “feelings change. Bet or no bet, he cares about you and anyone would be crazy not to see that. Ronald is half-blind and he can tell, too. You can’t possibly tell me that everything you’ve done up to this point has been a lie.”

“It’s meant nothing to me,” you said bitterly. “I hate him.”

“You don’t mean that.”

“I do. And it doesn’t help that he’s everywhere,” you stopped to take a swig of firewhisky, “and I can’t stand it!”

“Do you not, really?”

“I do, but I—”

“You what?”

“I just hate him!”

“What do you mean?”

“What do you think? I hate everything about him!” you exclaimed, exasperated. “I hate the way he always tries to compete with me, I hate the way he doesn’t take things seriously, I hate that stupid, annoying little smirk he has on his face half the time I see him—”

You inhaled quickly; it felt like you’d just drank an entire vital of Veritaserum with the way that words were tumbling out of your mouth. Hermione gave you a look that seemed to say ‘Go on,’ so you did, “—I hate the way he walks down to the Great Hall every morning with his annoyingly perfect messy hair, I hate the way he risks freezing his arse off to give me his favorite gloves so that I don’t get hypothermia, I hate the way it’s so easy for him to kiss—borderline snog me like it’s nothing, I hate how this is all just supposed to be a game of pretend, and—and most of all, I hate the way he made me fall in love with him without even trying. I hate the way I don't actually hate him. Not even close, not even a little bit…not even at all…”

“You…really mean that?”

You whirled around to see that Fred was standing right behind you with his hands behind his back, eyes hopeful, and you felt your heart drop down to your stomach. “Fred—”

“Y/N, I—”

Suddenly it seemed like the walls were closing in on you from all sides, the room spinning; and then, everything around you jumbled into one chaotic mess of noise and color. Without looking to see either his or Hermione’s reactions, without caring that half the room had stopped to see what was going on, you pushed past your friends and quickly clambered out of the portrait hole.

“What was that about?” Ron’s nose crinkled in confusion. “So much for being a cute couple. Now this is just sad.”

“Will you shut it, Ronald,” Hermione whacked him on the shoulder.

“OW—”

“Stop being so dramatic! Don’t let me catch you drinking even one more shot or I will drag your arse back to bed,” she snapped.

“Pleeeease do, I would lov—ow, ow, OW! OKAY!” Ron exclaimed as she pinched his ear and began dragging him away. “Okay! I’ll leave them alone, I’ll stop…”

Chest heaving and vision blurring with tears, you rushed outside, desperate for a breath of fresh air. It was quiet in the courtyard asides from the faint trickling of water but that did little to calm you down; it was still too loud, too chaotic, too much. Sitting down at the marbled edge of one of the fountains, you tried to catch your breath and balance, but the world still kept spinning…it felt like it wouldn’t stop spinning; for Merlin’s sake. All you wanted to do was crawl into a hole and disappear forever, or jump off the Astronomy tower and fly off to a distant land. You didn’t want to have to worry about how you poured your entire damn heart out in the middle of the common room about your fake boyfriend.

Your fake boyfriend that you realized, with horror, you had begun to develop not-fake feelings for.

A chill ran through you at that moment and you shivered.

Then the feeling of something warm—a thick coat—being draped over your shoulders shook you out of your trance. You instinctively slid it tighter around yourself.

“Thought I might find you out here,” said Fred. You opened your mouth, ready to ask how in Godric’s name he knew where you were at all times when he didn’t even have the Maurader’s Map anymore, but stopped. This was Fred Weasley, and you had spent an unhealthy amount of time around each other over the past several months that he had to have picked up on your little habits. He was more observant than he let on.

“What are you doing out here?” You couldn’t bring yourself to look up at him.

“I couldn’t leave you alone outside to freeze, could I?” he asked, sitting down next to you. “What kind of boyfriend would that make me?”

“Please, just…” you inhaled sharply, “I can’t do this. You won. I lost. The game’s over, Weasley.”

“On a last-name basis now, are we? Ouch,” he said jokingly, but dropped the teasing lilt in his voice when he noticed your eyes starting to water. “Talk to me, Y/N.”

“It just isn’t fair,” you whispered, looking down at your feet.

“What do you mean?”

“It’s not fair,’” your voice faltered, “you’re not supposed to do that. To do this.”

“Do what?”

“To sabotage the bet. To make me lose track of the scores.”

“Well, I stopped counting, you know,” Fred admitted, tucking a hair behind your hair. “There’s no need to keep track anymore, I think we’ve done enough convincing, don’t you think?”

“But that’s the problem!” your voice cracked as you finally turned to look at him. “It isn’t that I’m probably going to be dozens of Galleons poorer after this. It’s that I’m feeling something I shouldn’t, that…that you made me fall in love with you—”

“Y/N—”

“—I hate the way I care about you far more than I should,” you continued on, “and I hate myself even more for even wishing what we had was real. Because it was all fake, Fred, and you know it. We were faking it, and—”

“Y/N,” he repeated more sternly this time, causing you to stop mid sentence. “Look, I already told you I stopped keeping track. After that night in the common room….that’s when I realized I couldn’t. Lee damn near had to hit me over the head and force-feed me Veritaserum to admit that I was in deep. Galleons and glory be damned, I didn’t care about any of that anymore; it was easy for me to pretend when I was already in love with you.”

“But we weren’t supposed to fall in love, that was the rule,” you sniffed, wiping a tear from your cheek, “I thought we were supposed to follow the rules.”

Fred’s lips twitched into a smirk. “Well, I think some rules are made to be broken.”

And then, he was closing the gap and connecting your lips in a deep kiss. The gentle motion cut through the chilly evening air, washing over you in a blazing heat that had you melting into a haze of firewhisky, adrenaline, and something that smelled distinctly like a crackling log fire and cinnamon.

You had kissed him multiple times before this, but this one felt different than all the rest. It didn’t feel like you were doing it for show in the slightest; it felt genuine and warm and so real.

And the biggest difference was that you never wanted it to come to an end.

“So?” The grin on his face was palpable; contagious, as you broke apart, “What do you say, we stop faking it?”

“Are you fake breaking up with me?” you gasped and pretended to look surprised. “Way to ruin the moment.”

“I’m asking to real-date you, darling,” he said.

“There’s no money on the line this time?”

“No,” he hummed as he leaned forward to kiss you a second time and pretended to think for a second, “but there might be something else on the line instead.”

“And what is that ‘something else?’”

“You’ll have to wait a few years and see.”

xi. the promise

—FOUR YEARS LATER—

Fred was a great planner, of course. “Brilliant,” Harry would say, “absolutely brilliant.” He might’ve been a jokester, but he was a very organized jokester. He always knew what he was going to do and when.

So when it came to you, he thought he had a plan. He thought he had it planned for years; he was thinking fireworks, extravagant displays in the sky, taking you on a sunset ride across Romania on one of Charlie’s dragons. Something to match your free and daring spirit.

But, the moment ended up presenting itself on its own.

It was an ordinary night with yours and Hermione’s families joining the Weasleys for a quiet weekend at the Burrow. Mr. Weasley was listening intently as Mr. Granger and Harry explained the function of rubber ducks and the Internet in great detail, and the rest of you chatted with your parents, Mrs. Weasley, and Mrs. Granger by the kitchen counter about post-graduation plans.

Mrs. Granger had made an off-hand, passing comment about how lovely your silver bracelet—the one with charms of yours’ and Fred’s initials and Patronuses dangling from it—looked on your wrist. And then Fred was saying, “I know something else that would look great on her,” and taking a small box out of his pocket and flipping it open, revealing a blinding bright, silvery diamond ring.

Even as shouts of realization and cheers of joy rose up from around the kitchen, the world seemed to fade away into complete silence when he put the ring on your finger and encircled his arms around your torso, kissing your cheek and whispering into your ear,

“I told you there was something else, didn’t I?”

tags: @xhanthexzoria @arkofblake @fictionalsimp449 @polar-myst @katelikeslaughs @lmllsl @schlattandcompany

#fred weasley #fred weasley x reader #fred weasley x y/n #fred weasley x you #fred weasley imagine #fred weasley fluff #harry potter fanfiction #harry potter #hp fanfic #hp imagine #fred weasley fic #hogwarts

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tiredofthehumanlife · 4 months ago

Text

Is he mine? Fucking obviously.

also btw I color code my titles I don't pick them like this for the aesthetics of it

Barbie dolls: Touya Todoroki x gn! reader

Word: 6.5k

Summary: Touya almost died on national television and disappears from from the public's eyes with no way to contact him you decide to keep your pregnancy a secret from him

Warning: You get pregnant! idc of its m!preg or abo or magic or just bareback fucking that got you there I'm just telling you you got pregnant, you keep the baby btw, your son is named Kaito (which according to name berry means sea so there), your son refers to you by Ren and Rena which is a gender neutral term for parent it's like mom and dad essentially, you fuck dabi at one point it's not smut it's just mentioned, Touya goes to rehab and so if he's ooc then it's rehabs fault not mine, I am kidding but he is definitely not exactly dabi core dykwim, you grieve Touya even tho technically he's alive it'll make sense when you read it but you cry a couple times just fyi, idk man, mentioned once that you wanted children before w Touya, 'crotch goblin' used I j feel like that's some shit dabi would say but I digress, Elmo reference tell me if you find it, possible allusions to Kaito being autistic but like boo fucking hoo idk, mention of blunts, SIDs mentioned once, also mentioned that you may or may not have anxiety especially over your son, yeah okay lmk if you any blue words I didn't do that on purpose

part two

Before the war, you knew Dabi. You knew Touya, as well. When he was watching over you from the shadows during the day, he was Dabi. When he was buried in your arms hiding under your sheets, he was Touya. You kept him close to you, there wasn’t another way you’d like to live. You hated to say it but you needed his eyes and hands on you. You didn’t care what he did during the day or even at night as long as he wandered back to you through your door. You didn’t care if you both sat on the couch and stared at the TV or if you ripped his clothes off with greedy hands, as long as you could feel the abnormal heat of his body on yours. Maybe that made you morally questionable, you didn’t care. You knew who you were and you knew who he was. You knew your lungs would collapse if you couldn’t see those blue eyes again.

After the war that all changed. Watching your lover almost kill himself on live television made you feel sick to your stomach. You had to leave the building entirely, only to find it broadcasted all over the screens of passersby’s phones, billboards, and the small television behind the counter of every convenience store. You hid under your sheets, hoping when you woke up they would smell like him because he was lying next to you.

You heard of his whereabouts through coworkers' gossip, news articles, and murmurs from the public. None of whom knew you had kissed him goodbye the morning before, having no idea what was to come. You read every article you saw. You eavesdropped on every conversation. You bought every magazine that even slightly mentioned the Todoroki family. You knew the only way you’d know if he was okay was through the third-person retelling by a reporter.

He was in severe recovery. He was in one piece, technically. His father was paying for his bills. He was likely to be alright.

Really that’s all you needed, yet somehow it still wasn’t enough. You needed to see him and hold him. You wondered if he was eating solids or if he was on a tube. You wondered if he needed you to add another row of staples. You hated when he asked that of you, you couldn’t turn him down when he looked up at you with his pleading eyes. It made you feel sick to your stomach but you were the only one, besides himself, he trusted to do it. What you would give up now to groan and complain about having to replace his staples.

Slowly as time pulled along, Touya made the news less and less. You took fewer magazines from their rack, his face didn’t make it to the television, and you felt his image slipping away from you.

Your sheet smelled more like you than they did him. His clothes had been through the wash multiple times now. You kept tossing them into the dirty hamper straight from the dryer because you couldn’t bear to throw them away or hide them in a closet. Your stack of newspapers and magazines stayed stacked at the corner of your desk. You cried when you had to sweep up the dirt from his boots by the front door. Then you cried for crying over that.

You felt pathetic the way you started to hate him for all this. You wanted to slap him and jab your finger in his face. You wanted to call him a selfish bastard. You cried in your kitchen when you realized you accidentally bought his favorite foods as second nature. You couldn’t wrap your head around the fact that he had just slipped from your life like that.

He was alive, yes but alive in the same way a relative across the world was. You knew they were out there but it’d be a cold day in hell before they were in your living room.

You slowly pieced yourself back together. His clothes were folded and put away on the shelf of your closet. You stopped looking at them when you started to get ready for the day as time went on. You stopped buying his food. You threw out most of the newspapers, only keeping the pages that really mattered. You folded them all up and shoved them into a drawer in your desk. You stop seeing him everywhere in your home. You stopped seeing him in your mind.

Just as you were getting back on your feet, the world played a sick trick on you. You found out you were pregnant. After some thinking and a lot of it, you made your decision. You were keeping it. Yes sure it came out of nowhere. Yes sure your baby would be raised in a single-parent household. You always wanted this. You thought of asking Touya about it sometimes but you always chickened out. Now you wouldn’t be doing it with Touya, but you could have the life you wanted. A child. You were ready, you felt it in your bones.

You had the baby. For months before the due date, you had scoured for name ideas. You wrote down names you heard over conversations in cafes. You read every article. You considered naming your baby after Touya. You scratched that idea after realizing you’d like to have his consent for that. You thought of him on your couch over seven months ago. He would’ve said ‘Hell no. Don’t name one of those crotch goblins after me.’ You bought books on the very subject. You slapped post-it notes to your fridge when you found one you liked. Yet all that came crashing down when you finally had your baby in your arms.

You were fucking worn out. Your hands felt like they were going to cramp from all the squeezing you did to the handrails and your poor nurse. Your hair was sticking to your face. You felt like you stinked. Your lungs felt heavy and your ribs felt tight. With your little ‘crotch goblin’ in your arms you felt a smile grow on your face.

His face was scrunched up in a cry, a tiny fist pressed against his cheek. You gently rubbed the side of his face with your finger, trying to calm him down. His cry settled as he pushed his face toward you. You whispered a hello. You were fully encapsulated by him, your son, you paid no attention to the doctor still between your legs. Your baby let out a coo as he opened his eyes, staring up at you.

You knew babies could really see at this age, he was probably just looking in the direction of your voice. Whether or not he could see you had no effect on the color of his eyes. You knew them. They were the same ones who would stare at you from across your room as you got ready for bed. The same ones that would plead you for new staples. The same ones that sat across from you during dinner. The same ones that reminded you of the cold and freezing sea.

“Kaito.” You muttered, earning a coo from him. You nodded. “Yeah? Do you like that name?” he huffed and pushed his nose towards your arm. You hummed. “Kaito it is, then.”

A year and a half went by before you ever heard from Touya again. You were doing some cleaning while Kaito was at daycare, hurrying so you could still have time for relaxation before you had to go pick him up.

You loved him dearly but a toddler was a lot to handle. Especially alone. You found a daycare nearby that you trusted, and your mental health picked up drastically. A few hours of silence on the weekends and time to work from home without a toddler trying to lick a socket was all that you seemed to need to feel whole. As you were throwing his toys back into the large basket on the other side of the living room, you heard a knock. You paused before throwing the toy truck. You moved to the front door, peeking through the peep hole.

A woman with white hair and streaks of red, glasses, and a blue sweater was waiting at your door. You pulled away from the door, unlocking it and swinging it open. She smiled at you once she saw you.

“Hi, can I help you?” You asked, smiling but feeling terribly awkward about the whole thing. She nodded.

“Hi, I’m Fuyumi. My brother, Touya, was finally released from his mess of operations and hospitals. And he-“ Your smile fell when you finally registered the name. Yes, you heard it but you just didn’t think you’d ever hear that name again. It had just floated over your head. You realize this was his sister standing in front of you. You closed the door so you were squeezed between it and the frame, smiling like it was a perfectly normal thing to do. You couldn’t let her see the tiny rain boots, light-up sneakers, and brightly colored toys on your floor. Fuyumi glanced at you over the frame of her glasses, a slightly confused look passing over her face before she schooled it. She pulled her bag from her shoulder, rummaging her hand through it.

“-is finally in rehab. They’re letting him have pencils now after strings being pulled by our father. Anyway, he-um- gave me these letters. He told me I needed to find you. He said he wouldn’t trust anyone else to give these to you. He considered our mom, but he said-“

“Letters?” You repeated, watching her hands as they dug through her bag. She nodded, looking up at you for a brief second.

“Yes. here they are, finally.” She pulled a stack of three letters from her bag, sticking them out to you. You quickly took them from her, taking the top one. You shoved the other two into your back pocket, tearing open the envelope. You yanked the folded paper from the envelope, unfolding it as fast as possible. You skimmed over the words, trying to move your eyes along the lines faster than you could.

‘Love -don’t care- I haven’t stopped thinking of you- wish you could come to see me-I need to see home- your bed- do you think of me-I’m not sure how much longer-I can’t add you to my visitation-I miss you.’ You paused, staring at his signature at the bottom. ‘Yours, Touya’ was simple but he didn’t talk of his feelings. Ever.

You were lucky if you found out he liked dinner. You traced over his name with the tip of your finger. You stopped, looking up at the woman in front of you. She was watching you intently like every move was being cataloged. You slowly straightened your shoulders up and pushed the letter back into the envelope like you didn’t care at all. You put the envelope with the other two in your pocket, pretending you weren’t itching to read the other two. You cleared your throat, staring at Fuyumi like a child caught misbehaving.

“He tried to get your name on the visitation list but they wouldn’t allow it. You had to be family.” Fuyumi said, giving you a soft smile. You nodded, feeling Kaito’s finger painting on the fridge staring holes into the side of your face.

“Might’ve been for the best. I don’t know I’m really the same person he…liked before.” You said, squeezing the door a little closer to you. Fuyumi shook her head.

“I’m not sure if that’s true. He’s told our entire family about you. I don’t think the change would keep him from you. However, I don’t really know you, do I?” Fuyumi said, clasping her hands together in front of her. You nodded. It’s a bit weird knowing that she had a nephew a few blocks away and she didn’t even know if you and her brother were really dating at all. Well, you weren’t now but were you ever? You snorted and shrugged.

“It’s a lot of change.” You said, watching her closely. She hummed, pulling her bag closer too pher.

“Well I have to go, I have lunch with Shoto soon. Just, think of sending him back a letter. I think it would be good for him to hear from you.” Fuyumi said before walking away from your door and heading for the sidewalk. You watched her go for a moment, feeling stuck in your place. You felt like you were watching Touya walking away again. You sighed before going back inside to finish reading the letters.

You read the letters over and over again for a month. You read them so much you didn’t need to see the paper to think through his words. You spent your free time staring at the handwriting. You dissected the word choice, punctuation, and tone. You need to know every thought that went through his head. Kaito asked you what they were, in the words and format of a 1 ½-year-old would. You redirected him to his toys and started reading them only at night when you were alone in your room. You sat up in bed most nights, staring at his clothes on the shelf of your closet and picking at your nails.

You thought through your two options.

You could break his heart and tell him you couldn’t be with him. You had changed, you were someone new. You couldn’t see a future. You moved on. You had a new partner, one that didn’t have their face on the news. Whatever it would take to get him to move on. He needed someone else, someone not like you. Someone without a kid.

Your second option was to tell him. Everything. He had already been through what a year or so of medical operations? That’s what Fuyumi said, wasn’t it? Now he was stuck in rehab, they just gave him access to pencils. He was slowly rebuilding himself. He was obviously making progress in the right direction, communicating. That was a big word for Touya. It was over paper but still. He used the word love eight times in those letters. Kaito would have to get adjusted to his family growing up. Change is hard for young children. Change is hard for you. You‘d be forcing this responsibility onto Touya. He’d either support Kaito or not. Either way, he’d have that thought in the back of his mind. Touya was barely standing on his own two feet right now. Most likely figuratively and literally. You couldn’t add a new stressor to his life. He’d throw a table or something and get his pencil rights taken away again.

You made the mature decision to break his heart instead. You wrote it out carefully and edited it. You made sure it came off the right way. You sealed the envelope and addressed it using the information from the back of his letters. Maybe it wasn’t something that would make you liked by any of the Todoroki family, but it was better for them. You knew it. You told him it was the change. You had changed too much. You listed all the ways you weren’t the person he thought you were anymore. Of course, you jumped over the child-sized elephant in the room.

You couldn’t bear to think of him crying over your letter. You wondered if his tears were still bloody. Most likely, that didn’t seem like something that was healable. You ignored the ache in your heart, pulling your son closer to you in a tight hug. You couldn’t think of Touya stuck in a sterile rehabilitation center. You couldn’t think of him reading your letter more than once. You couldn’t think of Touya at all, so you focused on Kaito instead.

You didn’t get a letter back. You didn’t get any of his siblings at your door. Instead, you took Kaito to daycare, worked, took Kaito home, and went to bed ready to repeat. You and Kaito went on little adventures on the weekends, going to the park, play dates, swimming lessons, zoos, and museums. You couldn’t love your son and life more.

He was getting bigger. He was developing his own personality now, such a sweet boy he gave you cavities. Kaito was so bright. He was the smartest kid you knew and you weren’t biased at all in saying that. He was so beautiful and tiny. You wanted to wrap him up in a blanket and keep him in your pocket forever. Some days he would run through the living room like a plane and all you could remember was when he fit in the crook of your arm. He was so curious he asked you about the world every day. Some days he came home from daycare with a fun fact you never knew.

The day he manifested his quirk was on the weekend in the backyard. You were on the back porch, watching him run back and forth through the oscillating sprinkler. You sipped your tea slowly, easing your anxiety about him slipping.

Kaito flung his hero doll through the water. It thunked in the grass, face first. Kaito yelled that he was coming to save the hero. He pressed his wrists together, jutting his hands out like a stream of power would rush through them. He jumped up, pushing his hands out again and giving himself a sound effect.

As he passed through the water you saw sparks and flames envelop his hands and fly straight to the ground toasting the ground next to his doll to ash. Kaito landed in the burnt grass, freezing and staring down at his hands. You jolted up onto your feet, setting your tea down and rushing towards him.

Kaito slowly turned around towards you, a scared look on his face. You scooped him up, wrapping him in a hug. Kaito pressed his nose into your shoulder, holding onto your neck tightly. It’s a bit scary to see fire shoot out of your hands as a three-year-old. You stared at the ring of burnt grass, thinking back on the fire around his fingertips.

It wasn’t blue like his father’s, it was red like a campfire. A part of you was happy, he wouldn’t have to struggle to control a quirk as hot as his father’s. Another part of you was sad, you kinda liked the idea of your son growing up to be a hero and showing the world his blue flame was still hero material. Maybe Touya could find it out that way. You didn’t even know if Kaito wanted to be a hero. Maybe he’d do something simple. A third part was scared, fire is easily destructive. Kaito was new to it, he didn’t know how to control it. Your house could be in ashes in days.

Touya would’ve been worried if he had been on the porch with you. Hellfire, like his father. Like the father he tried so hard to destroy and landed himself in the hospital and rehab. What made his father like that? A father like Enji fathering Enji? That’s how it works isn’t it, like passing sand from hands to hands, the trauma follows you in a terrible circle.

Well, your son would have less sand, he’d love who he is. You pulled Kaito away from your neck, leaning your head back to get a full look at his face. His eyes were glistening and he was pressing his fist to his cheek. The image of him as a newborn in your arms passed over you. You wiped at the tears on his cheeks, kissing them afterward.

“You got your quirk, Kaito. Isn’t that so exciting?” You said, smiling widely to settle his anxiety. Kaito pulled his hands from his face, looking at you confused. You bounced him on your hip and started spinning around, squealing about his quirk. You rested your hands on his back, dipping him down so he hung upside down just a little. You passed his head through the sprinkler, making him laugh loudly. You pulled him back up, dancing away from the sprinkler and the burnt grass. Kaito shook his wet white mop of hair out, drizzling you with water.

Two and half years pass before Kaito starts school. He’s settled into the routine. He knows the time you give him breakfast, the time he gets dressed, the time he brushes his teeth, and the time you leave. Kaito would rather burn all his toys than be late for school. He’s made plenty of friends there. He’s already been invited to two birthday parties in the few months he’s been there. You wonder if daycare was that beneficial to him.

Kaito walks his clean plate to the sink, standing on his tiptoes to gently set it in the bottom. You praise him before finishing your own. Kaito heads towards his room, ignoring your words entirely. Every morning he was on a mission to get to school at exactly the right time. Once he tried to get you to force him to go to school while he was sick. He whined about his perfect attendance before you told him he could watch TV. He dropped the subject after that. A knock sounds at your door. You look over your shoulder before concluding it was the mail. Sometimes they needed your signature.

“Kaito, you better not forget your jacket! It's cold out!” You shouted so he could hear you through his door. You stared at his face peeking through his door as you swung open the front door. You pointed at him sternly, earning an eye roll. Damn you, Touya. You turned to face the mailman, face falling at the man in front of you.

His hair had grown out and the dye had long been gone. Touya’s scars looked… healthier. Healed a little, paler and a little more moisturized. His staples were removed. You assumed they had been replaced with stitches that had healed over a million moons ago. Half his piercings were gone, a stud in his nose and two in each ear were all that he had left. Or at least was wearing today. His clothes were more put together, relaxed but not in the scrambled way they were a few years ago. Touya stood bolder now like he found something inside himself during rehab that made his chest puff out. His eyes were all the same. You thought if you ever saw him again, you'd only see Kaito in his eyes. You only saw Touya.

“I finished rehab.” Touya finally said. Your silence stood in the air, like a confession of everything. You realized he could see into your home, slowly moving towards the door frame and holding the door tightly against you. Touya watched you with a look you'd only seen once before. In the middle of the night in your dimly lit living room, a movie in the background as the two of you kissed for the first time without sexual intent behind it.

“Evidently. You look good by the way, rounded, healthy. Um, what exactly are you doing here, though?” You asked, leaning back inside to look at the clock. Three minutes before Kaito left his room. Five if he was having wardrobe malfunctions. You leaned forward again, pretending you weren't on a time crunch.

“I know you sent me a letter. I know you said you didn't think I'd still care for you because you've changed so much but I think it's pretty obvious I've changed too. I just wanted to ask if you could give us a second shot we could try again as the new versions of ourselves. Every day I was in there I've been thinking about you. I haven't been able to-” You leaned back again, one minute, three with malfunctions. You put your attention back on Touya, nodding to signify him to continue. He paused, pulling his hand from his coat pocket. “-Am I interrupting something?” He asked.

You froze, dragging your eyes away from the clock. You met Touya's eyes, staring at him with wide eyes. You weren't getting out of this, you wouldn't be able to. You sighed, pinching your brow.

“No, I'm sorry Touya. It's very sweet and genuine of you to ask this but I really think there's just a big-” you waved your hands between the two of you. “-hurdle between us that we'd have to get through. I just think you should find someone else to love and cherish or whatever it is people say.” You threw your hands down, looking at his face again. He looked cold, he looked like the man who would show up at your door almost six years ago with blood staining his clothes. Touya shook his head, a new look meeting his features. He furrowed his brows. He stared at the step in front of him.

“I just don't understand. I feel like this came out of nowhere before the letters, everything was fine, and then all of a sudden you were too different-” Touya said. Your heart dropped to your stomach when you heard Kaito’s door open.

“Rena! Can you help me button my pants? The button is hard.” You could hear the pout in Kaito's voice. It reached Touya’s ears. You know it did. He froze, eyes glued to the ground. You didn’t bother trying to hide the wreck of a child’s home behind you anymore. The cat was out of the bag. You kicked the front door back, revealing all the toys and children’s books thrown across your living room. Kaito ran up to you, holding his pants up with both hands. You squatted down, pulling his pants together. As you slipped the button through the hole, Kaito greeted Touya.

“Hi! I’m Kaito. Do you have a quirk?” Ever the extrovert, Kaito wanted to be friends with everyone he met. You zipped Kaito’s pants up. You turned back, pulling his sneakers from the shoe rack. You might as well while you’re already on the floor. You glanced up at Touya to see him staring open-mouthed at Kaito. Kaito was unaccustomed with this reaction, gripping onto your shoulder.

“Touya. My son asked you a question.” You said, pulling Touya from the depths of his mind. Touya dropped down to his knees, getting on eye level with Kaito. You pulled Kaito’s sneakers on, tying the laces and pulling over the Velcro strap. Usually, he put his own shoes on but with the new friend, you thought you should do it.

“Hi. My name is Touya. Yes, I do have a quirk.” Touya responded slowly. Kaito was his, there was no way Touya hadn't realized that. It wasn’t frequent that you ran into someone with those eyes, that hair, and that smile.

You looked at Touya as you pulled Kaito’s other shoe on. Touya moved his focus from Kaito to you. His mouth was still a little agape, staring at Kaito with eyes that only you could understand. Kaito squealed, he loved showing off his quirk. You pulled back, leaning away from him, watching his hands. A whoosh came with the balls of fire enveloping his hands. Sparks flew around the edges. He grinned down at his ablaze hands like a crazy person. You smiled at his excitement, looking over to Touya. He stared at Kaito’s hands, face unreadable.

“Okay, Kaito. That’s enough. No quirk in the house, you know that.” You said, wafting his hands with air. It never put the flame out but it made Kaito laugh. He put his fire down, a few disgruntled sparks flying after. After an unfortunate incident involving your arm and his quirk, you both learned that Kaito needed a few minutes to cool off before he touched something again. The scar was still on your upper arm, a tiny handprint the size of a three-year-old. You didn’t mind it as much as you thought it would. It only reminded you of your son.

“Hands up.” Kaito held his arms above his head as you pulled on his laces. You looked at Touya as you tied them. Touya leaned forward and held his hand up, all fingers down except for his pinkie. Almost like a pinkie promise. You and Kaito both stared at his hand as his pinkie caught aflame. It looked like a little blue birthday candle. Kaito’s eyes lit up like his hands, a giant grin pulling at his cherub cheeks.

”Woah! Do you have fire too? It’s blue! That’s so cool!” Kaito said, his little hand reaching out for Touya’s. Touya and you both moved faster than light. Touya shot his hand away, the fire extinguishing, and his arm held far away from curious hands. You pushed Kaito’s hand away, sending it back to his side. Kaito looked confused, facing you.

“His fire is very very hot, Kaito. It’ll hurt if you touch it.” You explained, pulling the Velcro strap of his shoe over the top of his foot. Kaito hummed, fiddling with his hands over his stomach. You stood up, Touya following. Kaito looked over your shoulder at the clock and then down at the graph you had under it with a picture of the hands and what step in your routine it meant. Kaito gasped, rushing away from you for his bedroom. You smiled awkwardly towards Touya.

“Is he mine?” Touya whispered, his tone unsure if he was ready for the answer. You watched Kaito pull his jacket on before slinging his backpack on. His coat was just a little too big for him. It kissed the tips of his knees and every time you saw it you thought of Touya and his jacket hanging on your coat rack.

“Yeah, he's yours.” you wanted it to come out with strong conviction.

‘Yes, Touya he's yours what are you going to do about it.’

‘No Touya he's mine but he's genetically related to you, yes.’

‘What do you want from this information, Touya'?

‘Get off my property Touya. Kaito isn't your problem’

All those months you spent planning how you'd beat him to pulp when you finally saw him again fell apart the second you looked into his eyes. Maybe that was Kaito's effect on you or maybe it was just the effect Touya always had on you.

Touya nodded like he was accepting his fate, watching Kaito run up to you with your shoes. Usually, you didn't have your baby daddy standing on your front porch and you could get your own shoes. You pulled your shoes on quickly, keeping an eye on Kaito as he ran out the door towards the car.

“Why didn't you tell me?” Touya asked, following after you as you locked your door and joined Kaito at the side of the car.

“Not right now, I have to get Kaito to school so he can keep his perfect attendance.” You said, reaching over to pinch Kaito's cheek. He groaned and pushed you away, throwing his backpack into the backseat. Kaito pulled himself into his booster seat and buckled his seatbelt. You smiled at him, pecking his cheek and muttering praises to him.

Touya stood behind you, watching the whole ordeal and wishing he hadn't lost the first five years of his son's life. He didn't get to watch Kaito grow from a carrier that locked into the base to a car seat with a back to a booster seat. He didn't even know Kaito's favorite color. He didn't know anything about him. So with all that stirring in his mind, he whispered the one full sentence he could piece together.

“Can I come too?” You pulled away from Kaito, looking back at Touya. He looked scolded. His shoulders were slumped and he was clasping his hands together at his stomach. He stared at you with wide eyes. You remembered when you grounded Kaito for trying to sneak out of the house at night. He wanted to go to the park, you had to explain that the park was something you visited during the day. He was sad at being grounded.

“Yes! Rena, can he come? He can tell me at his fire! And his scars, they're so cool!” Kaito kicked his feet, thumping them against the back of the passenger seat. Your heart stalled at the mention of Touya's scars.

“Kaito. Don't say-” you scolded only to pause when a warm hand rested on your shoulder. You had forgotten how warm Touya was. You missed not needing to pull your space heater from storage. You stared at Touya, eyes wild with concern. He shook his head, lips pressed in a tight line.

“It's fine.” He muttered. You looked back over to Kaito who looked more than joyous to bring his new friend to school. You sighed, shrugging and moving for the front seat.

“Get in.” You said, sliding into the driver's side. Touya quickly shut Kaito's door and slid in on the other side of the back seat.

The entire drive you felt strange. You didn't like having your back to their interaction. A part of you worried Touya was teaching Kaito how to roll a blunt. Or maybe how to set your fire in your sleep. Maybe he was still bitter from the letter and all this was an act.

The moment Kaito laughed so hard he started wheezing you took back all the negative thoughts you had about Touya. Kaito leaned over into Touya's lap, patting his leg as he wheezed. Touya chuckled with him, a relaxed smile on his face. He gently patted Kaito's back, turning his pat into a rub. Kaito sucked in a gasp of air before it quickly danced behind his teeth and transformed into another laugh. Touya panicked, a new worry that he was doing this all wrong, already turning into his father. His eyes shot to yours in the rearview mirror. You didn't catch them, focused on the road. He saw your smile and small laugh and felt his shoulders relax.

Kaito had a hard time saying goodbye to his new friend in the school parking lot. Kaito complained and quickly latched onto Touya's arm, pressing his cheek into his scarred flesh. Touya patted his mop of white hair and wished him a good day. Kaito seemed to accept that, launching himself into the front seat to hug you goodbye with his arms around your neck. Kaito glanced over at the clock on the screen in the center of the dashboard. He muttered something and rushed out of the car, jogging towards the crosswalk. You and Touya watched as he was walked to the door by one of his teachers.

You both sat in silence and stare at the door even after Kaito is long gone. Touya left the back seat and plopped himself into the passenger side next to you. You wanted to pull yourself out of your head and face him, but your eyes were glued to the door.

It's been a long time since he was a baby. The first few months were hell on Earth. Everything sent you into an anxious spiral, his breaths were one second too long apart. You worried he was getting too much tummy time. You worried he wasn't getting enough tummy time. You worried about his diet. You worried about the sound of his cries. You worried about his number of cries. You worried about the cradle cap. You worried about SIDs. You worried sick over your son.

To make matters worse, you worried sick over his father. The first year and then some you wracked your brain thinking about him. Where was he? What was he doing? How was he feeling? What state was his body in? Could he still feel? What was he feeling about you? Had he already moved on, found a cute doctor, or something? Was he too far gone and close to death that he didn't even have the time to consider things like that? Why hadn't he said something to you yet? Would he even like you still? Would he even like your son? Would he even want to know if he has a son or would ignorance be bliss for him?

By the time you had finally settled your anxieties over your son's father, Kaito taking up all your capacity for worries, his letter arrived at your door.

You stared at the door to his school, the brightly painted sidewalk making you feel warm. Touya was next to you now, staring at the same school. You knew where he was, what he looked like, the state of his body, his thoughts on you, and what he was doing. You could hear his breathing in your silent car. You knew it all and yet, you still worried for him. You wanted him to touch you again. His hand on your shoulder sparked something that went dormant after five years.

“He is so…” Touya's voice fell like he wasn't sure the word to choose. You knew how the man from five years ago would respond.

Annoying.

Gross.

Snotty.

Clingy.

Sticky.

Have you had him tested yet? for anything because that child is just-

“beautiful.” Touya finished. You felt the air in your car slip out the window. You dragged your eyes from the school door, looking at him. He wasn't looking at you, staring at the school. You furrowed your eyebrows. That word you had not expected at all. You thought you'd have to drive Touya home in silence and fully cut contact this time.

“What?” you said, staring at the side of his face. Touya looked at you, finally meeting your eyes. Your shoulders sank. He unfortunately always had this affect on you.

“Your son is so beautiful. He’s just like you. I look at him and all I see is you. Kaito is just…” His eyes traveled back to the door Kaito had disappeared through. You wouldn't see him again for a good six hours.

“I can't explain it but he's just so perfect. I just don't understand how such a sweet person could have anything to do with me. Which is how I felt about you all those years ago. He is a carbon copy of you, you know that?” Touya said, a small smile playing on his lips. He sighed and stared at you, watching your face.

“He is beautiful.” You paused, keeping your eyes on Touya. You stared at Kaito some nights when he was asleep in your bed from a nightmare and only saw a chubbier and less scarred version of Touya's face staring at you.

“He looks like you,” you muttered, starting your car again. Touya sat back in the passenger seat, pulling the seat belt down.

“I have photo albums at home. Would you like to see?” you asked as you pulled out the school driveway back towards your home. Touya rubbed at his face. He quickly nodded.

“Yes, I would,” Touya whispered, looking out the window.

part two

#bnha touya #mha touya #touya x reader #touya todoroki #touya todoroki x reader #touya todoroki x you #touya x you #bnha dabi #mha dabi #dabi x reader #dabi #mha x reader #mha #bnha x reader #bnha #sorry its so long #there probably will be a second part ngl

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justbelievinginmagic · 2 months ago

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when worlds collide - part 2: aniteez on duty!

pairing(s): ATEEZ OT8 x Fem!Reader

series summary: What if Aniteez appeared on Ateez's ship, Twilight, after being sent through a Cromer wormhole? How would the two crews work and live in harmony when worlds collide?

warnings/tags: slice of life pirate au! silly times. this is the closest to a crack fic ive ever written but its also done in earnest lol. this is pure fluff for the most part. technically theyre in ateez lore timeline but make it more fantasy au!. chaotic aniteez, polyateez x reader, m x m, m x f, play fighting, slapstick humor, mentions of food/eating/possible food insecurity, cursing, sandeoki is a cutie but a girlboss who gaslights and gatekeeps lol, sandeoki is canonically a girl idc shes a princess, let me know if there is anything else that needs tagging.

word count: ~5.2k

first chapter <- -> next chapter

series masterlist

During the first week aboard, Ateez learned a lot about the creatures now a part of their crew.

Firstly, they were loud.

They bickered. Constantly.

Jjongbear and Hetmongi yelled up to each other no matter where they were, babbling instructions or teasings. Meanwhile, the little kitties loved to chit-chat to one another, babbling and giggling and leaning on another playfully during any instruction. (Occasionally, it led to cat-fights – little spats of playfulness turned sour before turning sweet again when one of them remembered how much they loved one another. It’d either by Wooyonyang who would snuggle up to Sandeoki with a pout, their tails intertwining sweetly, or Sandeoki who would plop beside the black cat with a poutful expression. How could someone stay angry at someone so cute, Sandeoki thought?)

It was frequent that Ddeongbyeoli, who seemed to be the second-in-command of the little creature crew, separated them, standing in between the two. But, that just led to them yapping and tickling and teasing the bunny! He too often fell to their mischievous ways and would begin to talk, too! More than once, YN had seen Jjoongrami huff out at them in frustration (as if he was any better with not talk, talk, talking.)

In fact, Jjoongrami was the worst culprit for being a talkative crew member. They learned that the first night.

On the first night with their new crew members, Hongjoong remained awake for as long as he could while YN grew sleepier and sleepier. Their day-and-night shift routine had effectively been ruined the moment YN awoke to the chaos on deck. The helmswoman typically took the wheel in the evenings – when the sun set and the stars were hung in the sky – and slept most of the morning away ‘til she was kissed awake by her loves for lunch. But today, she remained awake the rest of the day, sleepily blinking her eyes as the entire crew acquainted their fuzzy companions with the ship’s systems and decks.

The tour was long; they explained each deck and its purpose. Main deck was where they mostly stayed but the middle deck housed the sleeping quarters and common areas. The creatures claimed their makeshift bunks – stringing up hammocks in the common area and squeaking out that this one was theirs! YN passed by her own cabin longingly.

The galley was a quick visit; Wooyoung spoke briefly about their set up, the chef ever thoughtful about his space. Mingi piped up and pointed to his corner, a healer’s apothecary cabinet carefully organized.

As they went further into the Twilight, YN helped one of the creatures – Jjongbear – waddle down the stairs. The belly of the ship held storage, crates and barrels, and extra cannons. It was quick overview; Seonghwa mentioned that he maintained order down here before they began to trek back upstairs. Hongjoong eyed her carefully, watching as she helped Bbyongming up some stairs. The chick creature warbled out a thankful chirp.

“You okay?” he asked.

“Sleepy,” she replied.

“Take a rest in my quarters.” He insisted.

It was often she’d nap in his Captain’s Quarters. She’d be nearby, in case he needed her to take over – only a shout away, he always said. YN shook her head defiantly.

But even as they prepared for dinner, setting out their table and utensils under the purpling sunset skies, she couldn’t help nearly falling asleep. First, as she held a door open for Wooyoung to carry out the steaming hot pot of stew-soup. And later, during dinner, her face dipped close to her soup bowl as she fell asleep upright (thankfully, Jongho who was ever aware, grabbed her before she could fall completely.)

“Jagi,” he hummed out, concernedly. Calculating eyes meeting hers, a gentle hand brushing a strand of hair aside.

“Sorry.”

Her apology was almost inaudible by the way the creatures were devouring their meals – a bit animalistic. There was a splatter of stew across the wooden table; half-eaten Star-Apples rolled to other furry companions. Loud chewing could be heard from too many of them to figure out who was the loudest. Yeosang laughed at the sight.

“At least, you like our food,” Wooyoung crowed out.

The chef of the group was always pleased his recipes were appreciated. And the creatures ate every last morsel; most even raised the bowls to their mouths or beaks to slurp up any extra.

“Aniteez…” Yunho teased, giving the creatures a nickname. “Animal-Ateez.”

The crews burst into giggles until there was a clattering of utensils. YN had fallen asleep again; her head slouched onto Jongho’s shoulder.

“I’ll take her to the Captain’s Quarters – she’ll hate knowing she wasn’t nearby if the Captain needs her,” Yeosang commented, arms opening for Jongho to help shift their only lady (well, only human lady) into his arms. His lithe muscles flexed as he lifted her into his arms with little trouble. Soft snores tumbled from her mouth.

“Thanks, Sangie,” Hongjoong thanked from nearby – his bowl of soup sitting on the nearby banister (someone had to man the helm even at dinner time.)

Dinner time was followed by the lovingly nicknamed Aniteez helping clean up the deck. The table was returned to its corner; the pots and pans and whatnot were carried downstairs (Seonghwa wiped up any mess the Aniteez spilled along the way begrudgingly.) The bowls and cutlery were washed and returned to their cabinets decks below – with only minimal tomfoolery by Hetmongi and Jjongbear. Bubbles were in Yunho’s hair when he passed by the Captain at the helm, but he didn’t look too angry so Hongjoong assumed it was just the chaos that the creatures brought with them.

As night crept in, their brave bold sky pirate captain began yawning too, shaking his head to try to keep himself awake. Balancing on the nearby banister, the littlest squirrel captain warbled, saying something that none of the humans could quite decipher. Over and over. He poked at his own chest, pointing to the wheel.

“Huh?”

He repeated the action, becoming more and more intense. As if that would help the language barrier.

“Captain,” San said, glancing from his spot perched on a crate. “I think he wants to take watch.”

“YAH!” It was a boisterous agreement sound that tumbled from the squirrel. His paws went out excitedly, tail wiggling.

San smiled fondly; he was easily won over by cute things.

Memories of the squirrel’s steering earlier only made Hongjoong worry about the state of his beloved ship. Dipping and weaving through the clouds so haphazardly – Hongjoong would never put the ship through that like Jjoongrami. He’d just have to stay awake and man the wheel.

“Uh—” Hongjoong paused, glancing at Jjoongrami doubtfully. “I’m not sure, Sannie.”

Immediately, there was a gasp from the squirrel. Of betrayal. Of disgust. Of offense. He crossed his little arms. Hongjoong offered the creature a crooked smile, a smidge bashful and a lot tired.

Hongjoong didn’t want to even think of the next few hours, awaiting YN’s waking. His eyes already felt heavy as stone and dry as the desert. Swaggering up the steps, Seonghwa took in the dark circles forming under Hongjoong’s magnetic eyes. There was a pause before he spoke up.

“I’ll watch him, Hongjoongie,” Seonghwa commented.

The first-mate had finished his own chores – making sure all the sails were rigged securely for the night sailing. Sleep was tempting, but Seonghwa cared for his crew carefully. He wasn’t all that tired, and, besides, he loved star-gazing. He could survive a night awake.

“Hwa—” Hongjoong began, sighfully. There were rules and roles for a reason. He was the Captain; he should take this burden on.

Seonghwa tutted, shaking his head. “Nope, I won’t hear it. You’re tired; I’m not – I’ll manage. If not, I’ll wake Sangie.”

“I don’t want anyone being woken up unless it’s me,” Hongjoong scolded, leveling Seonghwa with a serious look. His brow cocked challengingly at his elder.

But, the taller preened, because that wasn’t a ‘no’. In fact, it was very opposite to a ‘no.’ Seonghwa threw him a smirk, a curl of his lip. Fond as it was slightly begrudging.

“Aye, Captain. Go sleep and, if I’m exhausted by early morn, I’ll wake you.”

The careful seriousness melted in Hongjoong’s eyes and instead was replaced with a gleaming appreciation, fondness, and, most of all, love. As he passed, Seonghwa swooped in to press a kiss to his cheek, quick and fond.

“Good night. Sleep well.”

It was a rare moment when YN and Hongjoong could share a bunk; after all, the helmswoman and the captain often shifted off with one another to man the wheel – but, with the littlest furry captain available and Seonghwa’s watchful gaze, the pair stole the moment gleefully. Other members often snuck into each other’s cabins and snuggled close. So, when he crept into the Captain’s Quarters and saw the helmswoman asleep in his bunk, clinging to his pillow, he was quick to replace the fluffy thing with himself.

The Captain shed articles of clothing – his long coat, his jeweled rings, his shirt – to the floor

“Joongie?” she mumbled dazed, head raising from the pillow to look around.

“Hi baby-babe,” he cooed, adjusting his hair back and sliding his pirate hat back on after slipping his bandana off. He climbed into bed, sweeping her into his embrace easily. “Let’s sleep.”

Sleepy-minded, YN accepted his cuddles and fell back into the blissful in-between of awake and asleep. In their warm embrace, they thought sleep would find them quick. But there was little solace (despite their heads sharing the same fluffy Aurora-imported pillow) because the Aniteez were loud.

HA-HA-HA-HA!

Tonight, they woke to the giggling of Jjoongrami during his night shift; his babbling to Seonghwa was nonstop. YN groaned into Hongjoong’s chest.

“You wanted them to stay,” Hongjoong mumbled, the pirate-esque hat shading his eyes from the low glow of the caught fallen starlight that Seonghwa had captured from a recent star-shower.

His warm arm didn’t shift from form as YN tossed and turned in his embrace, nuzzling her ear into the crook of his neck. She’d much rather hear his thrumming heart than the babbling of a squirrel.

“I know,” she replied drowsily as she sighed. “I just thought they’d be quieter.”

Hongjoong rumbled a low laugh as his hand rose to draw figures of clouds and waves over her arm.

“Mhm, they seemed like such docile creatures, no chaos at all.” He joked.

Without opening her sleepy eyes, she slapped his bare chest playfully, and he let out a crow of a laugh. Peering down, his free hand rose to tilt his hat up to look at his helmswoman, defiant as she was sleepy. He smiled fondly.

A tentative knock came to the intricate stain-glassed Captain’s Quarters doors (the handy work of Wooyoung – he was good with fire after all.) YN groaned into Hongjoong’s skin at another interruption. Would sleep ever grace them?

“What is it?” Hongjoong called out, not moving from his bunk. He flung an arm behind his head, tugging YN closer to his chest ‘til she was half on top of him.

“Captain?” The voice was a familiar one, deep and masculine and tentative.

“Mingi,” he greeted.

“I-uh,” Mingi doesn’t open the door, but Hongjoong could see his tall form pressed against the windows’ glass closer. “Is there-“

There were the loud babbles of JJoongrami and the deeper tone of Tyudeongi’s laughs. Neither YN or Hongjoong could hear Mingi.

“Just come in,” he instructed, sighing. He doubted they were gonna get much rest.

Opening the door, Jjoongrami’s giggles tumbled through the open door. Mingi slid inside quick before relatching the door, lightning fast. YN opened a singular eye to peer over at her other lover. In soft linens, one of the tallest of the crew looked gentle, especially with his freshly washed hair dripping and curling faintly at the ends. His cheeks were still warm-rosy from his bath.

“What’s up?” Hongjoong said, his hand going to remove the hat from his head lazily. Tossing it aside, it landed on the nearby desk full of maps, treasures, and leather-bound notebooks.

“Can I join you?” Mingi managed to get out. His lips pouted, cutely. Trying to appeal to his hyung.

Hongjoong’s smile grew, curled and playful. Even if their bunks were small, he’d do anything for his crew – including sleeping on the edge of the bed. Still, if only to tease the princess of the Ateez crew, Hongjoong queried. “I don’t know it’s cramped, baby.”

Mingi’s brows upturned innocently and sweet.

“Please, hyung,” he pleaded. “The Aniteez keep waking me up; they’re shouting from their hammocks to each other. You know their set up is right next to my cabin.”

“You won’t find peace here, babe.” YN laughed. “We can hear the squirrel babbling on, too.”

As if on cue, there was a screeching from the squirrel that made the fine muscles in Hongjoong freeze up, as if waiting to hear an alarm be raised, before there were once again giggles pouring from Jjoongrami. Mingi flinched a bit at the sound before his shoulders sagged, realizing there truly was no escape. He dragged his feet forward towards the bunk regardless.

“Hyung,” he whined.

Hongjoong let out a chuckle again before shifting YN to rest upon his chest fully. “C’mon,” he encouraged Mingi to join. “You all wanted them to stay, now look.” It was a jest, soft and soothing rather than harsh and biting.

Mingi was quick to sling his long limbs over the duo and wiggle closer to the wall. YN settled in between the pair, unaware of Hongjoong’s hip dipping close to the edge of the mattress. Mingi hummed, pleased, slinging an arm to rest around both of them. He squeezed Hongjoong’s hip.

“Thank you, babes,” he murmured into YN’s shoulder, nuzzling into her.

“It’s still loud,” she giggled lowly. “We aren’t promising he’ll stop.”

“But I’m with you two now,” Mingi argued softly. “We’ll suffer together.”

Hongjoong muffled his guffaw. “Great.” Sarcasm dripped from his lips.

Jjoongrami made a ‘woah!’ sound loudly and, when the trio peered over at the door, they could see the silhouette of the squirrel spinning on the wheel until Seonghwa stopped it with a strong hand.

“They are cute,” Mingi mumbled.

“Debatable,” Hongjoong commented, pushing closer into YN, pressing the throuple closer into an embrace. He adjusted their sheets and duvets. “Let’s try to sleep.”

They didn’t get much as Jjoongrami was soon joined by Wooyonyang.

The next thing they had noticed of their guests was that they were eager to help. Only a handful of the creatures were lazy. And in most cases, it wasn’t quite laziness but a greed for food! If food was there, their attention was on it.

They all were quite food-motivated. Every breakfast they gobbled up everything quickly and if there were any scraps left, they’d look up with their biggest puppy dog eyes for them. At first, Yeosang even questioned if they were food-insecure in their world. But no… they were just passionate for food. They thought it was delicious.

The moment food was involved Tyudeongi and Bbyongming became one track minded. On kitchen duty, they often snuck rations from Wooyonyang instead of cooking the rations. Wooyoung had to quickly shift things to higher shelves to make sure that they wouldn’t get into it without supervision!

But, the Aniteez were clever. More than once, Wooyoung had found a crate empty of Star Apples or Mini-Melons in the kitchen.

“We aren’t making stops any time soon!” he argued to them, insistently. “There is a schedule to follow for food. You have to follow it.”

He slapped a hand on the paper list pinned on the galley’s wood wall (probably a bit too high for the Aniteez now that he thought of it); each row on the grid listed the rations by type by days by months by years – probably the handiwork of Mingi or maybe Seonghwa.

Wooyonyang and Wooyoung had decidedly not gotten along since the beginning of the voyage. After fighting, they always butted heads. The black cat’s tail whipped side to side, bratty, as Wooyoung continued to scold and yap at him. Wooyonyang even rolled his grey eyes at him.

“Yah! Did you just roll your eyes?”

Wooyoung’s hands went to his hips defiantly, a very serious look on his unserious face. With the language barrier, they often communicated through body language and YN had spotted these two stuck in a sass-off often.

Meanwhile, the others had become more acquainted with the creatures as the Aniteez followed them about, wanting to be helpful.

Hongjoong and JJoongrami were seen together often, overlooking their individual crews while YN manned the helm. Every now and then the orange squirrel would wobble and walk along the nearby banister, his tail flicking this way and that to maintain his balance. His strangely powerful gaze would flicker over to the helm, longingly. But, after the first night watch where he babbled on and on, it was a fact that he was too short to properly control the helm if a strong wind hit them. He was just too itty bitty. YN offered him a soft smile in apology.

Instead of steering the ship, he became glued to Hongjoong’s side, babbling about this and that. He was actually quite knowledgeable about ships; Jjoongrami was quick to climb up the sails’ ropework to tighten a loose knot. It was something that Hongjoong occasionally did and it made a zing of foreign pride climb up his back. Which was quickly dampened later on when Jjoongrami stole his maps from a nearby table, scattering gold coins and dark masks onto the ground. (He was after all a pirate.)

Jjoongrami ran to a nearby table, giggling manically and calling out to Tyudeongi who was sitting with Yunho. Yunho spoke softly to the other; efficiently taking him under his wing and sharing knowledge of their past adventures.

“Tyu!! Tyu!” the squirrel cried.

Tyudeongi was quick to jump into action, tugging at his own rolled maps. Together, the creatures spread out the maps side by side. Hongjoong and Yunho swaggered up to the opposite side of the table. Watching carefully. (After all, Hongjoong had just been pickpocketed essentially.) He raised a brow at the two Aniteez.

The dog creature was cute, cuter than the squirrel Hongjoong thought. He looked between the two maps with care. His little brow furrowed, but his little tail wagged as he pointed between the maps.

“Are they similar?” Yunho asked, hand going to his hip as he leaned onto the nearby table. The large map that Jjoongrami had ‘stolen’ curled at the edges. The squirrel fiddled with it, over and over, trying to press it flat before Yunho’s large palm pressed into it for them.

Tyudeongi nodded, pointing this isle and that island. There was a squee before the puppy called out.

“Hetmongi!”

A small noise came from high above. The long-eared puppy looked over the crow’s nest, his ears dangled over the wooden structure. Yeosang was quick to turn and call down as well. The man shaded his eyes from the sunshine, peering down at the crew below.

Yeosang and Hetmongi became friends quickly, but that was probably due to their close quarters. Hetmongi loved maintaining watch (but maybe he just liked being tall) and he took to the highest crow’s nest like a fish in water. The first time Yeosang stumbled upon him there it was frightening because how did a little puppy-dog manage to climb all the way here he thought? But together, they maintained watch, searching for land, searching for enemies, and enjoying the ever-tantalizing horizon.

Tyudeongi babbled loudly up to the other. It seemed intense, quick paced.

Hongjoong watched the interaction carefully. Was there some island they should be aware of?

There was a laugh that tumbled out of Hetmongi high above them, happily. His ears flopped in the wind as he turned away to continue maintaining watch.

“What’s so funny?” Yeosang asked.

All Hetmongi did was babble in reply… Yeosang wished he was fluent in this Aniteez language; itd be much easier. Yunho did too and crouched down to Tyudeongi’s itty bitty height (after all the puppy dog was the smallest of the Aniteez) and whispered. “Can you show me what you’re saying?”

Tyudeongi nodded and began to scribble doodles down, trying his best to translate with symbols and drawings.

Jjongbear scared Jongho on many occasions. And while he was the youngest of the crew, Jongho was certainly no scaredy-cat. He was their gunner, their strength (next to San who had only recently focused on his muscles; there had been a whole crew-wide conversation about the amount of protein they needed to buy at port to sustain not one but two muscular men a few months ago). He was used to moving heavy crates, shifting large loads, and breaking his fair share of Star-Apples by hand for the crew to munch upon. He was used to having his partners rush up to him for aid – he liked it. He liked helping, being seen, and protecting.

“Hey, can you shift that cannon?” Seonghwa asked in passing to Jongho and Jjongbear who sat on said cannon casually.

Jongho was already nodding, turning to begin the task when he spotted Jjongbear, itty bitty fuzzy wuzzy soft baby bear Jjongbear with a fairy-tale leaf sprout on his head stand beside the cannon. The sweet bear HEAVED the cannon over his head. Jongho’s mouth fell open and he (alongside Seonghwa) rushed towards the Aniteez creature. Both humans choking out an exclamation in worry.

“Hm?” Jjongbear hummed as he held the cannon high above him, his little arms flexing with barely visible struggle. He tilted his head, cutely, confused, as if to say ‘what’s wrong?’

“Are—you got that?” Jongho questioned. His hand rose to grasp the knotted rope atop the cannon – just in case.

The squeal of agreement that tumbled from the bear was light hearted. A smile came to his little face as he nodded and began to shuffle along, toting this gigantic cannon in the air. A soft melody was whistle out casually.

Seonghwa and Jongho glanced at one another, surprise written over their face.

“Strong bear,” Seonghwa said before walking off with a raised brow.

“I’m stronger though, right?”

San was quick to take care of Sandeoki. He’d give her extra rations which she wasn’t silly enough to deny and if she needed help he was there. His eye was always on her, making sure she was alright. Once upon a time, he did the same for all of his members, carefully caring for them ata distance and sweeping in to help when he could.

The kitty whined out from her spot atop a barrel, her head thrown back in woe.

“Oh, Sandeoki, Sandeoki! Do you need help?” San called out, rushing towards her.

The muscular man scooped up the princess kitty in one swoop – Sandeoki squealing happily as she was saved from Wooyonyang’s stink eye. (After all, she was avoiding doing some cleaning as directed by Ddeongbyoli. Sandeoki even was the one to climb up to the barrel she supposedly was stuck on.)

“You can’t fight her battles for her!” Wooyoung argued nearby, siding with Ddeongbyeoli who scolded the lavender cat from the floor.

Cowering, she pointed to the mop nearby, recently modified to be Aniteez-sized thanks to Seonghwa’s fabrication skills (who knew making building-block figures would pay off!). San cooed sweetly, holding her closer to him soothingly.

“Or do her chores!” YN laughed from across the deck, watching as she manned the wheel; she leaned to peer down at the collection of Aniteez scolding Sandeoki – Ddeongbyeoli, Wooyonyang, and even Tyudeongi were crossing their arms at their favorite purple kitty.

“She’s – why can’t I?” San exclaimed, brows jumping up his forehead in a purse.

“She needs to figure out things on her own, you big baby.” Wooyoung teased.

“I’m—I’m a gentleman,” San spluttered, cradling the cat against his chest. She rested her head there daintily, little ears tickling his bare skin. “It’s only right to help a lady.”

“You never do my chores,” YN teased.

“You’re different,” Wooyoung called back, winking. “You’re not his baby.”

“YN, you are my baby,” San exclaimed, glancing over his shoulder at her. Sandeoki purred for attention and attention she got as San immediately focused on her. “Just she’s an itty bitty baby.”

It made everyone chuckle.

Wooyonyang jumped with an audible huff, trying to tug on Sandeoki’s tail. If only these humans knew! He thought. Sandeoki may look cute but she was just as capable as any of the Aniteez. She got San wrapped around her finger---paw?

At the tug of her tail, she let out a yowl before glaring at her kitty friend. She hissed. Ohhh, a kitty does have some claws.

But all San saw was a baby in need of saving.

When the dark-blue velvet of night fell over the skies, Seonghwa and Ddeongbyeoli had discovered something they both loved – catching stars! The little pink bunny and Seonghwa looked like utter opposites. Their first-mate was a brooding character; his long dark hair framed his angular face sharply. His typical sneer was one of protective charm. Serious as he was caring, he was no-nonsense. His dramatic flair revealed itself in his clothing – from corsets to flowy top to heeled boots that could stomp a face in easily; he was intimidating.

Ddeongbyeoli was anything but that. Floppy sweet ears and a pretty pink fur, one could compare him to a marshmallow.

Yet perhaps Ddeongbyeoli and Seonghwa shared the same soul, YN couldn’t help but ponder as she watched Seonghwa, dressed for bedtime in his softest pajamas and his hair tugged back into a half pony tail, and Ddeongbyeol sit on the banister of the ship with their fishing nets. Clouds tickled their feet as they enjoyed the quiet together.

A random falling star would eventually catch – whoever snatched it fast enough would giggle and cheer softly. A container full of fallen-stars glowed intermittently nearby, like a jar of lightning bugs would. Baby blues and soft yellows gleamed in the darkness as the two bonded in gentle nightfall.

“Be careful with the bubbles!” Hongjoong warned as he walked past the very soap-scented bathroom.

Bath day was an ordeal. While the big clawfoot bathtub that San had found and refurbished was lovely for the humans, it was a bit too big and deep for the Aniteez. Jongho had gotten bath duty, watching over the little furry creatures swim about and blow bubbles at one another in the large tub. Water sloshed onto the floor; bubbles overflowed.

“We will, hyung!” Jongho called back, smirking mischievously at the Aniteez who added more and more soap.

He was okay with the trouble he’d get into later; right now, it was funny to see the creatures shape stars and shapes and giggle as they got all clean.

Bbyongming looked like a wet rat. His little flip-flops of his feet were soggy as he walked along the main deck. A trail of bubbles followed after him as he shook and trembled. Tugging the oversized towel around himself, he continued to waddle about. Shivering.

“Oh, honey,” YN spotted the chick shuffling past. “Do you need help?”

A warble of what sounded like ‘help’ escaped him. His arms rose up for her. Chuckling softly, YN scooped the chickling up into her arms. Wiping away the water, she squeezed him tightly with the towel, fluffing his fur dry. When she moved the towel aside, his fur was fuzzy, standing up on his arms and head in spikes.

A warble of a cluck escaped him; his big baby eyes met her in despair. He glanced over himself with a squawk.

YN laughed before flattening the hair to lie smoother and fluffing the little hairstyle he liked to have his hair in. “There,” she chimed. “All better and all clean!”

Bbyongming smiled wide at her before hugging the human. “Aw, no biggie, bud.”

“WAH?” It was a familiar loud-mouthed tone; YN turned her head to see Jjoongrami was there now. A white towel over his head and a dripping wet soggy tail behindhim. His eyes widened dramatically sweet towards her as if to ask ‘me too?’ as he crept forward with pleas.

YN huffed a bit before reaching out a hand to the squirrel who ‘Yippee’ed!’ It was always a pain to style his tail into the perfect curl after getting it wet, but YN had perfected Bbyongming’s curls so his tail would be easy peasy.

It took 30 minutes to tame the squirrel’s fluffy tail post-bath and three hairbrushes.

Mingi and Bbyongming bonded over mixing up healing antidotes. Bbyongming was obedient, wobbling to and fro. He’d grab all the ingredients needed for sleeping potions or healing ointments. The chick was often vocal – shaking his head when it came to adding certain ingredients. With such a language barrier, Mingi was left confused.

“He’s refusing to add this, hyung,” Mingi complained to Yunho, frowning as this furry creature placed his hands on his hips. Shaking his head and warbling out.

Yunho eyed the pair, glancing to his own mini-shadow, Tyudeongi, who stood beside him. Yunho in a short amount of time had gotten good at deciphering the doggy’s words. Perhaps because Tyudeongi was quick to scribble symbols on the corners of their shared maps – and Yunho has always been good at picture games.

The doggy nodded and babbled to Bbyongming who warbled back his concerns. A sort of pout came over his plump beak. Tyudeongi nodded ferociously and scribbled at his notebook before shoving it towards Mingi and Yunho.

“It makes Jjoongrami sick?” Mingi deciphered. A poorly drawn Jjoongrami with his tongue sticking out was what he had to go off of.

Bbyongming nodded.

“Is it poisonous to Aniteez?” the plump-lipped healer pondered, glancing at Yunho doubtfully.

“Maybe?” Yunho shrugged. “He was trying to help after all.”

Bbyongming chirped in pleased tones at the praise, blushing a cute pink before he went back to dumping this and that into the healer’s cauldron – purposely avoiding the Hala-berries that Mingi had wanted to add.

The Aniteez had fallen into their ship roles quite nicely, Hongjoong had to admit. The extra hands were helpful. The extra mouths and their unlimited appetite was a bit of a strain. But, when he gazed out over the clouds, his signature grin curled at his lips.

“Land-ho! Land spotted, Captain!” Yeosang cried from the crow’s nest, a tiny bark of a call following suit from Hetmongi.

Rolling mountain peaks of lush green pushed through the cotton-candy clouds; Hongjoong easily navigated through the obstacles with a careful sway of the ship. The hint of purple sparkling sand glimmered in the sunlight far below. The waters lapped at the shoreline and revealed a bustling make-shift town on the edge of the ocean, gleaming in a porcelain soft light like it was a half-moon glowing. While the Twilight wasn’t unsuspicious (after all their reputation followed them anywhere they went), the small port of Crescent Cove was always a reliable stop for them – and they needed to restock.

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