CW: Couply Antics
Fred was thrilled when Mikayla presented her Valentine's activity as painting as he had put it as his answer on the thirty second question of their couple questionnaire, where it asked for a hobby he'd like them to try together. He wanted to find something artistic for them to do that they both loved, Mikayla has her music and he has his inventions, but those creative expressions rarely crossed paths. Painting, Fred had hoped, would be something they would find joy doing together while also motivating them to explore the vast plains of their imaginative nature, a less lonely escape from reality. Mikayla could help but get wrapped up in Fred's infectious excitement to paint together, allowing him to somewhat take the lead of the activity by electing a theme; Love in the Sunrise.
Mikayla turned on the Muggle radio onto a music station that was playing strictly love songs for today's occasion, as the couple mostly worked in comfortable silence. They would seek advice from each other whenever they were unsure how to achieve the design they wanted, working together to discover the solutions of any problems or mistakes made. Mikayla's perfectionist side came out when they were both sketching out silhouettes for their paintings, Fred was able to steer Mikayla away from fixing tiny mistakes. He would point out that they aren't meant to be trying to make professionally perfect paintings, they're meant to be creating something that was uniquely theirs.
As Mikayla was trying to squeeze more magenta pink paint onto her palette, the paint spluttered and sprayed across Fred's arm. Mikayla tries to wipe away the paint with a tissue while apologising for getting paint on him in the first place. Fred chuckles at her actions, sneakily swiping his finger through the blue paint on his palette before smearing it across Mikayla's cheek. A gasp escaped her lips from the surprise of the cold sensation and the shock that Fred had just purposefully covered her cheek in paint. They both froze, Fred was waiting for Mikayla to make the next move, curious of how she'll react to him intentionally smudging paint on her.
Mikayla made an act of reaching for more tissue, before dunking her hand in the yellow paint tub and wiping it down Fred's neck onto his shirt. With that singular action, chaos ensued as the couple began playfully painting each other with whatever they could get their hands on. Their objective was to cover their opponents in as much colourful paints as possible before someone put an end to their benign battle. Laughter echoed through the manor the more covered and competitive the couple became, unable to restrain the exuberance of their momentary immaturity.
Mikayla breathlessly called the paint war to an end, as her whole body ached from hysterical laughter. Joyful tears welled in her eyes, falling as she tried to catch her breath and blink them away. Both of their faces were red with warmth, in utter disbelief of how absolutely ridiculous they looked. The young couple were completely covered from head to toe in multicoloured paint, only their eyes and mouths seemed to be left untouched by paint. Fred grabbed a hold of Mikayla's face, taking in the bizarre mural they created on it, before capturing her lips in a hungry kiss. Mikayla found her hands getting lost in Fred's hair as she pulled him closer to deepen the kiss, swiping her tongue across his lips.
Without hesitation, Fred's lips parted and his tongue slipped into Mikayla's open mouth. Whenever their tongues crossed paths, the taste of hot chocolate would caress their taste buds as their heads became flooded with arousing thoughts. Their bodies were pressed so tightly together that they could feel each other's heartbeat in between the thunderous thuds of their own. A throat is cleared from behind them, making the couple jump apart while simultaneously raising their wands towards the intruder. Their surprised visitor happened to be none other than Charlie Weasley, who's face wore a look of pure disgust of what he had just witnessed.
"Don't look at us like that, you're the one who just showed up without warning on Valentine's Day. You're lucky all you walked in on was a kiss." Fred told his brother, not even trying to hide his disappointment and displeasure of being interrupted. "Well you knew I would be staying here for Kingsley's wedding, so why wouldn't I show up early to get settled before." Mikayla couldn't deny that what Charlie said made complete sense, it was an oversight on their part, but that doesn't mean she isn't frustrated. Why couldn't he have shown up in half an hour, when the deed was done and the showers had begun. "You still could've given us a heads-up, Char." Mikayla pointed out before closing the distance and giving Charlie a hug hello, to make him feel more welcome.
"I'll hug you later, but it's good to see you." Fred voices, squeezing his brother's shoulder affectionately while taking Charlie's luggage from him. Mikayla had to swallow the laugh that desperately wanted to escape when Charlie realised why Fred wouldn't hug him immediately. Charlie's eyes scanned the room, searching for anything to change the top when his eyes landed on the paintings. "I didn't know either of you painted." Charlie voices while stepping towards the finished paintings to examine them better. "Oh, we usually don't. This was something new for us to try together as a date activity." Mikayla explains while following Charlie, she was quite proud of the pieces they made.
"Well in that case, maybe you both should start painting. These are pretty good." Fred thanks his brother for his praise before dismissing himself to put Charlie's belongings in the guest bedroom three doors down from their room. "I'm sorry if I ruined your date." Charlie whispers to Mikayla, "you didn't ruin anything, Char. Plus, Fred and I are well used to being cockblocked from you redheaded feckers." Charlie chuckled at Mikayla's words, feeling somewhat relieved that he wasn't alone in witnessing Fred and Mikayla making out. Although, he did silently curse himself for not sending a warning for his arrival or not leaving it another hour before showing up.
"How's the Sanctuary doing? It's hatching season right, are there many baby dragons on the way?" Mikayla questions, wanting to diffuse the awkward tension by giving Charlie the opportunity to gush about work with her. "We're expecting to have at 30 chicks this year. 3 Ukrainian Ironbellies, 5 Romanian Longhorns, 4 Swedish Short-Snouts, 3 Hungarian Horntails, 4 Chinese Fireballs, 3 Hebridean Blacks, 5 Common Welsh Greens, and 3 Norwegian Ridgebacks. You'll be excited to know that it was Norberta that mothered this year's Ridgeback chicks." Charlie was correct with his assumption, Mikayla lighting up at the news. "Oh, you'll have to tell Hagrid, he always loves hearing about her. I'm sure he'll be delighted to hear that he's going to be a grandfather to three baby dragons."
Mikayla almost wanted to be the one who told him just to see that proud smile, even though their time together was fleeting, Hagrid often thought of Norberta and still considered his dragon baby. Charlie agreed to her suggestion, claiming that he was looking forward to sharing the information with Hagrid. As Charlie was well aware of their mutual love for the majestic creatures, as Hagrid asks about his work whenever they cross paths. Fred reappears making his way over to the pair, specifically Charlie, to properly greet his brother with a hug. "Did you get any breakfast before you came here?" Fred questions his brother after the three of them heard the rumble of his starving stomach.
"No, I was too stressed out making sure I packed everything and gave myself enough time to get ready." Charlie admits, and Fred declares that simply will not do it. "What would you like to eat, Char?" Mikayla queries as she and Fred begin leading him towards, "I'll just have some toast, I don't want to cause you too much hassle." Mikayla dismisses the idea that Charlie could ever be a hassle to them, "how about some scrambled eggs with that toast? It's more filling and requires very little effort." Charlie accepted Mikayla's suggestion, delighted that instead of pushing him to pick something else, she met him in the middle. She couldn't allow him to have just toast for breakfast, but she knew if she suggested anything that required a whole lot of effort that Charlie would refuse it. Mikayla found a compromise that suited the both of them, she'd be happy because he's having a proper meal, and he's happy that it doesn't inconvenience her.
Fred grabs his brother a bottle of Pumpkin juice, while directing him to sit on an island stool. Charlie asks Fred about how his business is holding up during the current climate, which Fred was more than happy to delve into the highs and lows of the delivery orders since Christmas. Fred countered the question, asking how the Sanctuary has been doing and wondering if Charlie took time to have fun in between his responsibilities. "I still have fun, I've been teaching the ropes to most of the women that the Avery Carra Foundation has supported in their Dragonology training program. After work, I show them all the local hotspots and we'll have the odd pint in the nearby Muggle pub together." Mikayla chimes in, stating that she's glad to hear that Charlie is making new friends and creating a healthy work life balance.
"Yeah, it's really important to set up boundaries for yourself to separate from getting wrapped up in work or expectations and just be allowed to enjoy life." Mikayla and Fred outwardly agreed with Charlie's words, but the pair of them knew that they couldn't claim to practise having boundaries. They live and breathe the Order, from creating strategies to dissecting past and potential future attacks. Although, they do steal moments to just enjoy life, however fleeting they may be, and that has been enough for them up until this point. If they kept it up, they were condemning themselves to becoming burnout and miserable which will lead to drastic consequences. Mikayla mentally put a pin in that thought, wanting to come back to it soon and discuss with Fred what boundaries they needed to set to still be able to enjoy life and not get consumed completely by war.