"Harry, why am I doing this?"
"I told ye, darlin'. It's a surprise."
"Can I open my eyes yet?"
"No!" Harry quickly hissed, rushing to her side to make sure her eyes remained shut. Had Uma been in a less tolerant mood, she would have chewed Harry out for snapping at her. However, she remembered how incredibly excited Harry looked when he came knocking on the door of her Auradon Prep dorm room, keeping one hand behind his back. She'd been doing classwork for Remedial Goodness originally, and she was desperate for an excuse to stop.
As apart of his antics, Harry had cautiously requested that she changed into a black long-sleeve T-shirt (while he waited outside, of course) and then close her eyes. With the eager gleam in his whimsical, blue orbs, and the threat of having to go back to homework, Uma couldn't find it in herself to say no.
Uma sighed and kept herself in the dark. She felt Harry's hand leave her shoulder before she heard his footsteps move away a few paces. There was a ruffling noise where Harry stood followed by footsteps leading him to stand right behind her. "Okay, lift yer arms over yer head," he instructed.
"Harry…" Uma warned.
"Please?"
After the temporarily slipped order of command was fixed, Uma obliged and lifted her arms up. She felt a brush of cotton around her wrists as Harry slid something over her hands and down her arms. Once the garment reached her head, Uma realized it was a t-shirt. Keeping her vision sealed off, she helped Harry pull the shirt over her head and onto her shoulders. Uma smoothed it down the rest of the way while Harry carefully removed her braids from within the collar. Uma had no idea what a shirt had to do with a surprise, but she'd be lying if she said she wasn't at least a little intrigued.
Harry stepped away again, and Uma heard him unzip his jacket and drop it on the bed. Once he was behind her again, he placed his hands on her shoulders and gently guided her a few steps around her room. When he stopped pushing her, he took a deep breath, and said in his husky brogue, "Ye can open 'em now."
Uma's eyes blinked open before snapping wide as saucers, a small gasp emitting from her mouth. She stood in front of her mirror, and in her reflection was a teal T-shirt with the word 'CAPTAIN' written in bold, black text and her emblem, a skull with tentacles and a trident and sword crossed behind it, underneath of it. Uma stepped closer to the mirror to admire the sheer craftsmanship of a simple cotton tee. With the sleeves of her oversized black tee–she was almost positive it was one of Harry's–pulled over her hands, she covered her mouth in shock as it hung open. It was a beautifully uncomplicated gift.
Harry watched her reaction with a satisfied smirk, which continued to grow the more Uma continued to fascinate over the shirt. He looked down at his own red shirt, customized with his own emblem of a hook with a compass in the hilt, the words 'FIRST MATE' in white text above it. It had been a while since anyone had used those formal titles with them, but it would always be a part of him because it would always be a part of her.
Uma turned around, instantly stunned all over again by Harry's own branded tee. She hadn't seen it in the reflection, but it only made the surprise all the more special. Her shock melted into an impressed smile, and she couldn't help but reach out and run her fingers delicately across the fabric. Harry sucked in a breath when she inadvertently and very nonchalantly touched his abdomen, but the absolutely ecstatic look on her face was enough to make him relax.
"These are amazing, Harry," Uma praised, her fingers still tracing the hook design. She narrowed her eyes. "And high quality, too. Where did you ever–"
She cut herself off. There was only one person who would make custom clothes for a villain kid.
"Evie," the pair said in unison.
"Yeah, it's rather funny to think of," Harry acknowledged with a half-hearted laugh. "Despite our best friends being childhood enemies, she and I figured out how to work together on this…" He trailed off, looking to the side. "…for a price."
"Uh oh," Uma smirked with knowing inflection. "How'd you pay for it?"
"I may have had a few…" His words failed again as he looked up at the ceiling to think of the best description. "…outside donations that contributed to the cause."
"Harry," Uma chastised, though her jovial smile refused to leave her face and betrayed her attempt to sound stern.
"What, it isn't like these kids will miss a few bucks," Harry put out defensively, and Uma rolled her eyes. She knew adjusting to Auradon was difficult for everyone, and clearly, Harry hadn't totally accepted their morals yet. Still, she chose to put it off for the sake of his wonderful surprise. Harry scratched the back of his neck and added sheepishly, "Besides, I really wanted to give this to ye today."
"Why is that?" Uma quirked her brow, racking her brain for the occasion.
"It's our anniversary," he replied all-too-gaily.
Uma used her thumb and forefinger to rub her eyes with a deep sigh. When she looked up at Harry, her face turned grave. "I've told you," she said as though this was the hundredth reiteration. "Just because you tricked me into jumping over a broomstick with you a couple months ago, that does not mean that we are actually married."
"No, not that anniversary," Harry scoffed like it was obvious with a shake of his head. "That one's not until next September."
Uma rolled her eyes again. Her boy was special.
"What I'm talking about is something else," Harry went on, taking up a more serious but still very warm tone, one that the off-kilter pirate only reserved for his dear captain. "On this day, one year ago, ye won that boat race, and we became the captain and first mate of the Lost Revenge."
Uma's expression softened, and her heart seemed to beat like a hummingbird's wings. She knew that Harry struggled with time and numbers in general, but he put in the effort to remember the exact date Uma became a captain when she had let the date leave her memory.
"I know that our titles didn't carry when we came to Auradon," Harry retold with a solemn undertone, understanding the subject was a sensitive one. He cracked a small smile at her. "And I know that yer too prideful to admit just how much it bothered ye that the fish bait on the council refused to acknowledge ye as a captain."
Special indeed, Uma thought to herself as she looked down at her feet. She couldn't deny it, for he was spot on. Everyone knew she wasn't very fond of Auradon's political system, but nobody knew of the straw that broke the camel's back. They denied her title, no matter how much she insisted that she was actually a captain in every part of the word. Even though she didn't utter a word of complaint to anyone, Harry clearly figured it out.
"I got these shirts made so that the council can't have the power to take it away," Harry finished his explanation, making Uma look up at him by reaching forward and enveloping her small hands in his bigger ones. His blue eyes sparkled with a tender adoration mixed with a fierce determination. "No matter where we are, people will know the name ye made for yerself."
Uma paused, her mouth hanging agape and curling into a grin at the same time. Not knowing how to express how grateful she was for his extensive consideration and exclusive thoughtfulness, she leaned forward, pulled her hands from his, and wrapped her arms around his torso, pressing her face right where the space between 'FIRST' and 'MATE' was. Had this been on the Isle, she may have shown more hesitation in embracing him, but she had the luxury to let that habit go now. Harry never had any reservations about it, so his response to hug her back and rest his chin atop her head was almost instantaneous.
"I take it you like it then?" Harry chuckled, and Uma nodded her head against him.
"Yeah," she mumbled, her reply muffled by Harry's brand new shirt. The cotton smelled fresh and was softer than any of the trashed clothes found on the Isle. Combine that with the radiant warmth and soothing rhythm of Harry's heart and she could have fallen asleep right there, using Harry as her personal teddy bear. She looked up at him, her chin flush against his sternum and a blissful mix of delight and fatigue evident in her smile. "Thanks, Harry"
"Of course, Captain," Harry whispered back, his face hovering dangerously close to hers, not that either of them minded. "Happy Anniversary."
Getting caught in the moment and deciding to take a chance on non-Isle etiquette, Uma pushed herself onto her toes and planted a quick kiss on his cheek.
"Happy Anniversary," she said back to his smiling face, which was only spreading into a greater grin after Uma's small but meaningful show of affection. She took a step back and tugged him by the hand in the direction of the door. "You up for dinner in the caf?"
"We already ate," Harry reminded her, still smiling like an idiot and following her regardless.
"I know," Uma said innocently as she opened the door and shrugged. The looked down at her shirt and played with the hem. "I just wanna show off."
Harry smirked slyly. "The shirts or me?"
Uma bit her lip, her gaze flicking between Harry's shirt and his face before whipping around so fast that most of her braids flew over her shoulder. She then proceeded out the door, a little skip in her step and still keeping Harry in tow. The young man couldn't help the mischievous snicker when his eyes landed on her back. She had yet to see it, but both of their shirts had a little extra on the back, Harry's personal touch and his favorite part. He was sure she'd see them eventually, but he wasn't going to say anything just yet.
Her shirt had his hook on it, and his shirt had her octo-skull on it, but the more evocative part was the words above the images.
Harry's read I'M HERS.
Uma's read HE'S MINE.
This cute little one-shot was based on a cute little blurb on Tumblr by a super fun user, ishiphumasohard. I hope you guys enjoyed this small hit of fluff. I'm still working on my longer projects like Ladies of the Court and On The Rocks, but school is becoming busy, so it will still be a while. Lemme know what y'all thought about this bit in the reviews! Best of love! -JoJo, who has her own custom shirt with a hook and a tentacle in the shape of a heart, the word CODFISH written above 3
