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dannydanoninoo · 2 months

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A very quiet evening from the Merpepito AU

Read here on Ao3

Ever since leaving the Reef, Pepito has tried to stop thinking about Pepito's parents. Pirates don't have parents. Bad Pepitos don't deserve parents. So Pepito doesn't have parents, mostly because Pepito knows that all of Pepito's parents have a new Pepito now, so Pepito really doesn't have any parents.

But now Apa Roier is on the ship, and Pepito can't stop thinking about him. He's Apa Roier, he's Pepito's hero! But he hates Pepito, Pepito just knows it!

So Pepito does what Pepito does best: Pepito eats candy.

After deciding that Apa Roier isn't a Bad Guy, Captain Celbi made Misters Pacandmike go back and get the groceries they left behind, and he told them to get extra candy as a punishment for leaving the groceries behind to begin with.

It's been a couple of hours since then, and the candy jar is now hidden in a cupboard in the galley behind a big bag of lemons and oranges. Nobody knows it's there except for Captain Celbi and Pepito, and he'd winked at Pepito when he'd hidden it, so it's probably fine that Pepito is sneaking it before dinner.

Pepito crawls into the cupboard and closes it behind him. He's small enough to be able to fit between the bag of fruit and the back of the cupboard, so that's where he sits.

He pulls the candy jar into his lap, and he tries to open it, fails, smacks the jar with the palm of his hand, still can't open it, fights the urge to cry, sticks his nails under the lid of the jar and pushes until the lid pops off. He yelps as the lid smacks his nose. Ouch!!

Pepito's glasses are still broken. Miss Mouse said she'd fix them using Demon Magic, whatever that is, so she has them now, leaving Pepito blinder than ever. But that's fine, Pepito doesn't need glasses to eat candy!

Sadly, and definitely not while thinking about how much Apa Roier hates him, Pepito pops a candy into his mouth. He rolls it around with his tongue; it tastes like Yellow. Yum!!

Pepito loves candy. Pepito especially loves the hard candy that Sky Pepitos make. It lasts longer and it has more flavor and it makes Pepito's mouth tingly after too long and that's so cool. It's like eating bubbles!

Dinner isn't gonna be for another hour, so Pepito is preeeeetty sure that nobody will catch him with the candy. But, really, it'll be fine because pirates are evil, and nothing is more evil than eating candy before dinner.

But then the galley's door slams open and two pairs of heavy footsteps stomp into the room.

"I'm not talking about it," Captain Celbi says, sounding very frustrated. Uh-oh... "Don't you have a child to be looking for?"

"Eh, he's fine, he's a big boy," Apa Roier says, sounding not at all concerned about how angry the big scary pirate captain in front of him is. "But- come on, it's been years! What happened?"

"Nothing."

A cupboard opens. Something is moved around, scratch-scratching against the floor. Captain Celbi sighs, and the cupboard is closed.

There's a creak and another scratch, this one more drawn-out. It sounds like one of the benches at the galley's long table has been moved.

Apa Roier groans, "Whatever. Your chairs suck, by the way. What, did Bad steal all your good ones?"

Oh, so he's at the table. Why? Dinner isn't for a while, and Mister Pac doesn't like there being anybody in his kitchen when he's cooking. He gets distracted, and then the food gets ruined, and then everybody's sad, especially Mister Pac.

Honestly, Pepito hasn't seen Apa Roier since he and Captain Celbi were wrestling on the deck. As soon as Pepito realized that Apa Roier was actually staying, Pepito ran off to give his glasses to Miss Mouse, and Pepito has been hiding since.

Another cupboard opens.

"Maybe," Captain Celbi says. "We aren't exactly a Navy ship, you know. We don't have the money for fancy stuff like furniture."

"Wait, you're broke?" Apa Roier gasps. "No mames, man, aren't you a pirate?"

Something metallic slams against wood.

"No," Captain Celbi tensely says. A pause, and then: "Sorry, sorry, I-"

"No, I get it," Apa Roier says. He sounds like he's smiling- he always sounds like he's smiling. "It's fine."

"Yeah," Captain Celbi breathes. "It's... it's fine."

(What does Captain Celbi mean he isn't a pirate? Is he trying to trick Apa Roier? Because that won't work, Apa Roier is a genius!!)

"So you aren't a pirate, no big deal. But even regular guys have decent furniture. What the fuck is this, wood?"

Three knocks against wood. Probably Apa Roier.

Captain Celbi laughs. "I'm sorry? I don't know what mermaids do, but-"

"Mer-people, Cellbit. Don't be sexist."

"Oops."

"What the fuck do you mean, 'whoops'?"

More scuffing of wood, and then Captain Celbi is shouting and laughing and audibly stumbling into a cabinet as Apa Roier swears at him.

"Get off of me, what the fuck?" Captain Celbi shouts. Now he sounds like he's smiling, wow. Pepito keeps forgeting he can do that, he does it so rarely when there are people around. "Don't you know who I am?"

"Mm, yes, you're Captain Cellbit, a super scary not-pirate. And you're sexist."

"I'm not sexist!"

"Then say it right!"

Pepito covers Pepito's mouth with the palm of Pepito's hand to keep himself from laughing at the shocked little noises Captain Celbi makes. Apa Roier is super good at arguing. He's good at everything!

Pepito's smile falls. Right. Apa Roier is good at everything. He deserves a better Pepito, a Pepito that didn't do the Very Bad Thing.

"Fine," Captain Celbi dramatically sighs. "I don't know what merpeople do-"

"Much better."

"You're welcome. But we make our furniture out of wood. You guys probably use, like, coral and stuff, right?"

"Wow, and you're racist, too?"

"Shut up!" Captain Celbi groans.

Apa Roier laughs, and Pepito fights the urge to laugh with him. But he can't know that Pepito is here. Pepito is doing a crime. Apa Roier doesn't need to be more disappointed than he already is.

There's a long pause. The familiar rustling of Captain Celbi's coat, the swishing of Apa Roier's sleeves against his shirt as he moves his arms.

Quietly, Pepito pulls another candy from the jar. He puts it in his mouth, and he is silent.

"Still got muscles, I see," Apa Roier comments.

"Not as many as I did then," Captain Celbi replies. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"Years, yeah. Crazy, right?"

Apa Roier laughs. Captain Celbi doesn't.

Instead, Captain Celbi says, "I'm still not going to talk about it. Not yet. But... I missed you."

"Aww! You didn't even know me!"

"I knew your face."

"I do have a very good face."

"You do. I'm very happy to be seeing it again."

"Just my face?"

"No- of course not! I'm happy to be seeing all of you. For the first time. Because you were... different."

Quiet for a moment.

Pepito listens intently. He doesn't know what this conversation is, but he thinks he likes it. It's a lot nicer than half of the conversations Apa Roier had back at the Reef. Less shouting. More smiling, even through Apa Roier's words.

Then, Apa Roier says, "You were different, too. But it's fine, you know? Just means we get to be different with each other now."

There's a wet noise, and Pepito has known Apa Roier long enough to know how he gives face kisses. Every time he gives one of Pepito's other parents a kiss on the cheek or the forehead, it's always loud and exaggerated and real funny, especially when Apa Mariana starts fake crying and runs out of the room because it wasn't Tía Melissa or Tío Slime.

This sounds no different, but it is followed up by something that sounds a lot like Apa Roier moaning, and that makes Captain Celbi laugh... and it makes Pepito fumble and drop the jar of candy off his lap and onto the floor of the cupboard out of shock.

Both Apa Roier and Captain Celbi go quiet.

Pepito sucks in a breath and covers his mouth with both hands. He is quiet.

But then there are footsteps, and then the cupboard is being opened, and then the bag is being moved, and then there's Apa Roier looking at Pepito with wide eyes and a red face.

"Is it him?" Captain Celbi asks.

Pepito's mind races. He doesn't wanna get in trouble! Apa Roier already hates him, and- and-

"Pinche Pepito," Apa Roier sighs in the Language of the Sea. "Come here..."

He reaches into the cupboard, and he scoops Pepito up and pulls him out into the galley.

Instinctively, Pepito's arms latch around Apa Roier's shoulders. It's almost like it was back when Pepito was a Good Pepito, but it isn't, is it?

Captain Celbi steps closer. His face is blurry, because Pepito isn't wearing his glasses, but Pepito does notice that Captain Celbi's coat is gone and his shirt sleeves are rolled up past his elbows.

"Are your glasses still broken, Pepito?" he asks.

Pepito nods. He can't look at Apa Roier, but Apa Roier is probably disappointed...

"Ay, that's fine," Apa Roier says. He bounces Pepito in his arms. "You and I can both be blind now."

It takes a moment for Pepito's brain to catch up with Apa Roier's statement, but, when it does, Pepito immediately panics, because where are Apa Roier's bottom two eyes? Apa Roier is half spider crab and half fish and half Ocean Pepito, where are his bottom two eyes?

No wonder Apa Roier ran into that post on the dock, he's missing two eyes!

Pepito sniffs and hides his face in Apa Roier's neck so he doesn't have to see the Sea Witch's curse.

For whatever reason, Captain Celbi quietly awwws; Apa Roier just sighs and raises a hand to gently rake through Pepito's hair.

"I"m sorry," Pepito silently says, but he wishes the Sea Witch gave him a different curse so he could actually apologize to Apa Roier because Apa Roier has to hate him now, Pepito knows it! Apa Roier loves his four eyes! He thinks they're cool! He always shows them off! And now he's missing two!

Pepito's body starts to shake from fear and frustration. Stupid Sea Witch! Pepito's gonna beat him up like a pirate would! Because Pepito is a pirate, and the Sea Witch hurt Pepito's Dad (even if Pepito's Dad isn't Pepito's Dad anymore.)

"Pepito?" Captain Celbi asks.

"Oh, Pepito, it's fine," Apa Roier sighs. "I'm not actually blind. What, is all this pirate stink killing your Pepito Brain?"

"Hey!" Captain Celbi protests. "We don't stink!"

"He's lying, Pepito, I could smell him from underwater. That's how I found you guys. Yuck!"

Apa Roier makes a horn-like sound, and a small laugh escapes from Pepito. It's hoarse and quiet and all he can manage without his voice, but it's enough to make him stop almost-crying.

Pepito misses his parents. They're funny and they always know how to keep him from crying.

"Your father is a bully," Captain Celbi tells Pepito. "He hurt my feelings, so I deserve a candy."

Pepito's head perks up at the mention of candy. He looks at Captain Celbi with a splotchy red face and with pink, tear-filled eyes, and Captain Celbi just smiles back with sharp teeth.

"And I think you deserve a candy, too," Captain Celbi continues. "After all, it must be very scary to not be able to see as well as you usually can."

"And what about me?" Apa Roier demands.

Captain Celbi rolls his eyes. "You, too. Don't worry, guapito, I didn't forget about you."

He freezes, halfway turned towards the cupboard with the candy.

"Well, gatinho," Apa Roier says, a slight teasing hint to his voice even with the red tint to the tips of his ears, "just get me the biggest candy you have, okay? To make it up to me?"

Captain Celbi's smile only grows wider.

"Of course," he says. "Whatever you say."

Pepito doesn't really understand what a "gatinho" means, but it's enough to make Captain Celbi happy, so it has to be a good thing.

It's apparently a good enough thing that Apa Roier gets to spend the night with Captain Celbi in his cabin. They're having a sleepover, lucky.

Pepito misses having friends to have sleepovers with. He misses Sunny and Empi and Leo.

Maybe Pomme would want to do a sleepover.

That would be nice.

A/N:

If you read this, please leave a comment or a reblog or an ask either here on on the Ao3 page just to let me know that you read it! I love hearing from you, and interactions keep me writing!!

#i love this fic with my life #it's so fluffy I could literally die #merpepito au

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