#completely self inserting but alé & reader would hate elbows on the dinner table i think

[bisayawa]

pearl of the orient sea ; alejandro vargas/filo! reader

― fluff

desc: filo! reader headcanons (moreso on scenarios bc i'm not a pro at this headcanon thing but shh)

note: something self-indulgent for me & the peenoise out there, but just to clear, i am from cebu so bisaya/cebuano comes more naturally to me. (if you're feeling particularly left out, don't be afraid to comment some of your own hcs of your province!!)

first & foremost, before everything else i think he'd be interested in the language, most especially the words. he'd catch one or two in the middle of the sentence so he'd only have the faintest idea of the conversation but hey, that's better than nothing.

he knew it was at the start of your relationship where he noticed that your native tongue & his overlapped in some ways. upon closer inspection, he can pinpoint it somewhere in the fourth date.

your phone was ringing & despite numrous attempts to quiet it down & go on with the conversation, the phone won. you needed to take this call.

you excused yourself as courteously as you could, distancing yourself away. you gave him a sorry smile & asked for forgiveness (he'd forgive you, cariño, don't worry) but even still, alejandro heard bits & pieces of the conversation ― turns out it was with your mother.

he was all wide eyes & stares when you answered the phone with harsh vowels & tough tones. he heard similar words ― silla, aparador, toalla, zapatos, medias.

the vowels were open, the consonants were clipped ― almost strict in your pronunciation. he doesn't recall you ever talking to anyone like this, so curt & quick.

he wasn't paying to the conversation, just the sound of your voice, the rise & fall of tempo.

when you finished, he had to collect himself before attempting conversation again.

"what was that language you were speaking?" he chuckles. "you sounded angry."

you laughed with him. there was a dimple on your cheek & another near the corner of your lips. he could look at you forever.

"that was cebuano, my native language. well ―" you looked up, trying to recollect some faraway knowledge. "philippines ― the official language is filipino but they really mean to say tagalog & it's mostly spoken on the northern islands and... you know what, this needs a visual aid, hold on."

and so the date went, with an enthusiastic lesson about your homeland, the differences of each island & region, the multitude of languages all inside one country.

at times he just stared. you were so energetic about this, so excited to share information possibly stewing inside you, most especially when you take into account that you've had to move to las almas, a different country with different cultures.

he learned much from that day with you and, funnily enough, recalls the numerous times your spelling got a bit finicky whenever you texted.

manzanas became mansanas, azucar became asukar (or hell, asukal), zapatos were sapatos, prutas, kutsilyo, baso, even baño was misspelled... & now he finally knew why.

some afternoons were spent with that topic in mind.

your head was on his chest. hands mindlessly wandering the expanse of his torso, the sides of his stomach, the veins on his forearm.

"cariño," he asks. "what's your word for monday?"

"lunes."

hardly paying attention to your words, you see bones in his wrist. you want to hold it.

he chuckles & you feel it under your cheek.

"so they match? how about sunday?"

"domingo." the vein looks blue on his skin.

"¿viernes?"

"uh, biyernes." another match.

"¿jueves?"

"huwebes." match

"hmm, let's see." one of his hands is in your hair. you grow sleepy. "zapatos, sombrero, regalo ―"

"bumbero, basura, libro, sabado," you list with him.

he laughs at that ― a big hearty one, with his teeth bared & the smile reaching his eyes. he had a freckle on one side of his jaw. you crane up to kiss it.

in turn, he cranes to kiss your forehead.

"hmm," he says. "what's your word for january?"

some weekends were spent running around las almas, trying to find local ingredients for food. (cue several questions/arguments happening)

"i could make tortang talong?"

"talong?"

"talong means eggplant, langga."

"torta...? eggplant sandwich?"

"wh ―"

― - -

"what do you mean torta means omelet?!"

"eggplant sandwich?!"

― ― ―

"we have something called, uh, puto?"

"...excuse me?"

― ― ―

"amor, you also have menudo in the philippines?"

"yEAH ―"

some days are spent pinching his cheek & cooing like a lola :)

you squinch his cheek.

"sus, ikaw ba, ikaw ba! ka gwapoooo sa akong palangga."

guapo, his mind helpfully supplies. he preens under the praise.

"ang karnero nga gamay, ka kulot sa iyang buhok!"

"hey, what does that mean?"

"it means i like you & i like your face."

you kiss the squinched cheek.

langga/palangga = darling

sus, ikaw ba. ka gwapo sa akong palangga = oh, you! my darling is so handsome

ang karnero nga gamay, ka kulot sa iyang buhok = the little sheep, how curly is his hair

note: this was a bit short! i'll make more if/when something sparks me, bye