Disclaimer: I do not own or have rights to Yu-Gi-Oh! or it's characters.
Summary: In order to get attention, Weevil and Rex try something different: dating.
Random Talk: While not my normal ship, I have thought about this one in the past. I loved Weevil and Rex as characters back in high school, but not as much as the Kaiba brothers (including Noah). It wasn't until I came across viviraptor_art on Instagram that I even came up with an idea for them!
I would like to note that while I do use the dub names (which is weird for me), I do have it that they are in Japan. I couldn't decide if I was going to use sub or dub names, so I wrote with dub names for the time being. When I finished, I just liked how the dub names worked here and just kept it.
Warning: This fic contains BL romances with a brief mention of GL.
Dedication: To vivi, who not only got me to actually type this ship, but helped me figure out the finer details of the ship. Without you, this fic wouldn't exist!
Let's Pretend to be in Love
It was early one morning that Rex Raptor walked into the living room just to be hit in the head by a newspaper. He yawned as he bent down to pick up the paper to see what could have caused his roommate to throw it. Right on the first page was an answer that he would have never expected. Rex sighed and looked at Weevil Underwood who was now clutching some tabloid magazine.
"You know, I'm actually shocked that they ended up together," Rex said after sitting on the couch next to the insect duelist. Reading the article closely, he could see how big the news would be in the dueling circuit. "How did Wheeler and Kaiba even hook up?"
"How should I know?" Weevil growled. "Last I checked, he was still chasing after Valentine!"
"Nah, she got with that one duelist. What was her name? Vivian? I'm still surprised Mai ended up with a chick..."
Rex placed the paper on the coffee table and got up to head to the nearby kitchen. He could hear Weevil rant while he made a cup of coffee. After all these months, Rex still didn't get why there was a fresh pot of coffee when he woke up when Weevil was a tea drinker. As he sipped his cup, Weevil went through the list of romances that had sprung up among various duelists.
Yugi Muto was the first to be taken off the market when the tabloids managed to snap a shot of him kissing that girl he was always with. Mai Valentine shocked the world when she came out with her relationship with Vivian Wong. Who would have thought two of the most sought out female duelists would end up together, especially when they had a habit of flirting with guys? There were a few other hook-ups in the background that still shook the dueling world, like Duke Devlin somehow getting with that other guy in their group. There were even rumors that Seto Kaiba and Joey Wheeler's siblings were dating, seeing as they were always seen together. Turns out that it was probably because Kaiba and Wheeler were the ones dating.
"How can you be so calm?" Weevil yelled in a huff. "If this keeps up, no one is going to even remember us! There has to be a way to get attention..."
"I mean, we could say we are dating," Rex sighed while leaning on the doorway with a bored expression. "I remember there were a few rumors when we took out the lease, but they died out fast thanks to Valentine's announcement." The face Weevil made at that gave Rex the chills. If there was one thing he learned after all these years, that expression usually spelled trouble for him.
Weevil stared at the building in front of him, he could feel his eye twitching. Of course Rex would take him here for their "first date". A museum of natural history where there would be so many dinosaurs that Rex would be in heaven. He guessed that was what he got for saying the other could pick out something since he had no clue what would be a good date place. The bug specialist glared at the smiling dino boy.
"Really, you pick your favorite thing for our first date?" Weevil asked out loud to make sure people would hear. His voice lowered to grill the other. "You couldn't pick something that makes it look we're going out? This screams friends going out!"
"Well, I thought it was a good idea," Rex muttered. "Besides, they have a special exhibit with luna moths I thought you would like. They are just coming out of the cocoon."
"Luna... Moths?" Weevil asked with his eyes widened. "How did you know?"
"Know what?" Rex responded as he grabbed Weevil's hand to lead him into the museum.
"Luna moths are my favorite," Weevil said with a slight blush. "They're not that rare, but aren't native to Japan. I always wanted to see one in person."
"Well, it's a good thing I found out about it then!" Rex grinned widely looking back at Weevil when they got to the ticket counter.
After paying for the tickets, they were told that the special event for the luna moths wouldn't happen for a few more hours. Setting an alarm to remind them, the two debated on where to explore first. Rex of course wanted to see the dinosaurs while Weevil wanted to see the plants since the luna moths were near the insects. In the end, Rex won and they headed to the dinosaurs hand in hand.
As they walked to their destination, they could hear the occasional whispers, faintly hearing their names. Weevil couldn't help but mentally laugh at how his plan seems to be working. Rex meanwhile was blushing at the attention they were getting. While both agreed they had to do something to get back into the spotlight, it was a tricky option. They had to look like they were dating without looking like they were trying to show off. Despite Weevil's original thoughts, this would be the perfect place as the museum had both of their special interests. It would be as natural to find them there as if it were something related to Duel Monsters. Holding hands would be the perfect hint for people that there was something there without going all out.
When they reached the dinosaurs, Rex let go of Weevil's hand to run to the closest skeleton. Weevil stared at his empty hand thinking it felt weird all of a sudden, as if it was missing something. Shaking his head, he walked closer to Rex as he excitedly talked about the dinosaur in front of them. The big smile on his face made Weevil smile slightly. He had to admit, Rex was adorable when he talked enthusiastically about something.
Rex would pull Weevil from dinosaur to dinosaur, sharing all the exciting facts he knew about each one. At first, Weevil was only half listening since he never found the subject interesting. Around the fourth dinosaur Weevil was actively listening as Rex was actually making it interesting for once. By the sixth one, the bug duelist started to ask questions to clarify things. Before they knew it, the alarm they set went off. Rex looked at Weevil to see the other the most excited he had ever seen. With a grin, he grabbed the insect enthusiast so they could make their way to the moths. They arrived just as the one running the exhibit was about to explain it.
"Welcome all!" a cheerful woman said with a big smile. Her outfit showed that she was from a nearby indoor garden that was known for hosting various live insects. "I'm here from Domino Insect Pavilion as partnership with Domino Natural Museum. Each day we will be displaying a different type of insect that will be part of our new North America room. Today our insect is the luna moth. While not super rare in North America, they are rare to see as they tend to only fly at night. We have brought a few cocoons that are ready to emerge to show them up close. Due to the nature of the moths being not native to Japan, there are a few rules we must follow."
As the woman went over the rules, Rex's eyes went to study Weevil. While he had seen determination on Weevil's face before, this was different. There was a hint of joy and excitement underlying it. If anything, it was making Rex feel excited even if it was just to see Weevil's eyes light up. This thought made Rex shake his head to clear his mind. He had to remember the reason they were "dating" was to get back into the eyes of the public.
Back to the present, the woman led them to a sealed room where she explained how everything was climate controlled. Once inside they could see a worker sitting at a table with a few cocoons near him, examining one in front. Rex could see a few tools near the guy and got curious what they were for. As if the guy could read his thoughts, he spoke up once he heard the group stop.
"Normally we like to let them come out by themselves, but the ones we brought have been having a hard time," the guy said as he picked up something. "It is possible to help open the cocoon but we have to be careful with it. They are all ready to come out so no harm will be done to them."
Weevil watched in anticipation as the worker slowly helped the luna moth out of the cocoon. Once it was fully out, it slowly flapped its wings to open it out completely. It was probably the most amazing thing he had ever seen. He never noticed how close the woman from the garden was until she placed her hand on his shoulder. Startled, he looked up at her smiling face.
Rex was watching the moth in amazement when he caught Weevil and the woman in the corner of his eye. The woman led the bug duelist to the worker who carefully transferred the moth to Weevil's hands. The pure joy that lit up his face was unusual, but nice. Rex couldn't help but blush and think it actually suited the other. He would even go as far as to say Weevil looked cute at that moment.
Rex thought the woman was feeling brave as she leaned over to whisper something to Weevil. If the blush was anything on her face, someone had a crush on his "date". While normally it wouldn't bother him, the idea of someone trying to hit on Weevil made him mad. The shocked expression Weevil had followed by the blush was the only thing needed to confirm Rex's thoughts. In response, Weevil shook his head and pointed to Rex. His next words made Rex smirk at the woman.
"Actually, I'm taken."
Weevil smirked as he scrolled through various fan forums to read about the latest gossip. He had been going out on "dates" with Rex for two months now with at least one a week. Since the first one, there had been a steadily increase in posts about the two. Most of them were about the different sightings of the two along with debates of if they were together or not. There were a few that actually said that they knew for a fact they were an item. It sucked that they had started this plan because the woman who asked him out at the museum was kinda cute and loved bugs as much as he did, which was pretty rare.
Thankfully Rex took lead on the date ideas since it was obvious that he knew what he was doing if the first one was any indication. He was actually having fun, not to mention Rex was pretty cool when he really got to know him. They originally became roommates to save money as they had some sort of friendship already. Now that Weevil was really getting to know Rex personally, things felt different.
Today's date was actually Weevil's idea and he wanted to surprise Rex for once. Rex had mentioned the night before that he had something to do before the date and would meet Weevil at the location. While his plans might have felt like a stereotypical date idea, Weevil thought it would be nice once he saw an ad for it. Judging by Rex's confused face when Weevil mentioned where to go, the dino fan hadn't seen anything about it. A little payback for surprising him with the luna moths.
"So what's your great idea this time?" Weevil jumped when he suddenly heard Rex's voice from behind him. The bug fan turned to glare at his "boyfriend" who was just smirking at the reaction. He also noticed Rex was trying to hide a bag behind his back, but thought nothing of it. Instead, he coughed and fixed his glasses.
"Well, I figured we still haven't done the typical movie date," Weevil stated. "I saw they were having a special screening of this one movie I thought you would like. Something about an anniversary for it..." Rex blinked in confusion as he followed Weevil to the ticket counter. It was then that he saw what was probably the movie they were going to see. Weevil turned around to see the biggest grin on Rex's face. He swore he also sparkles around Rex as well.
"We're seeing Jurassic Park?" Rex asked trying to contain his excitement. "For real? I loved watching that movie as a kid! It's the whole reason I love dinosaurs!"
Weevil smirked as he grabbed the tickets and snickered, "Why am I not surprised?" He blinked as Rex grabbed his hands and ran inside. Just watching Rex act in such a way turned his smirk into a genuine smile. If he had to guess, Rex probably acted that way when he was a little kid when he first saw the same movie. First stop was the concessions to get the typical popcorn, soda, and red licorice. By the time they got to their seats, Weevil could see the wide grin on Rex's face along with faint giggling.
"So, what's the big deal about this movie? I've never seen it before," Weevil asked as he tossed a popcorn into his mouth. Turns out that was the wrong thing to say by the shocked look he saw on his date's face.
"You bring me to my favorite movie and you know nothing about it?" Rex basically yelled. This got the attention of everyone in the theater. "It's about a park full of dinosaurs! What is there not to like? Besides, there is something in it for you as well."
"To be fair, I just saw the logo and thought you would like it," Weevil muttered. "I'm not really a movie person, to be honest. This should be interesting to say the least, though I don't see what I would even appeal to me."
Rex just smirked as he settled in just as the lights started to dim. He didn't want to ruin the surprise for the bug fanatic. It didn't take long for him to spy Weevil's expression to change to joy when he saw the amber. For Weevil to pick the perfect movie in Rex's opinion, it had to be pure luck if he had no previous knowledge of the plot.
While Rex was enthralled with all the dinosaurs, Weevil was actually impressed with the visuals, but thought the plot wasn't the best. There were so many things that weren't realistic. He did enjoy that it was one of his precious insects that helped cause the whole story to happen. Though, he couldn't wait for the movie to finish just so he could take it apart with Rex. Sure, it might be Rex's favorite movie, but Weevil always enjoyed their debates for some reason and to have a new topic was just bonus points.
Once the movie was over, Rex couldn't hold back any more and started to go on about all the dinosaurs that were featured. Weevil just smiled as he listened to Rex talk about how they would look different now with what they suspected how they looked. At the same time, the bug duelist could hear a girl nearby going on a similar rant.
"And don't get me started on the Velociraptors!" Weevil blinked as he heard that line in surround sound. It turns out Rex noticed it as well and turned towards the newcomer who looked back at him. They had similar expressions of wonder upon meeting someone who had similar ideas. Weevil shivered knowing what was coming next.
"You have issues about the Velociraptors also?" Rex asked, Weevil noticing the sparkles were back.
"Yeah! I mean, they were only two meters tall at best!" the girl responded with the same enthusiasm. "To be fair, having something so small that is supposed to be feared wouldn't look good on film. There are others in the raptor family that were that size, though."
"You do have to admit, Utahraptor just doesn't have the same kick as Velociraptor," Rex laughed. Weevil sighed knowing he was a third wheel in this situation, especially since the girl's friends seemed to have left her behind. The only thought that kept running in his mind was how he didn't like how close this strange girl was getting.
"True, but they were already in development for the movie when Utahraptor was discovered," the girl said smirking, making Weevil want to punch her smug face. "It was based off Deinonychus, which are related to Velociraptors!"
Weevil couldn't let this continue on any longer. How dare this girl flirt with his date. To remind the two that they weren't alone, Weevil coughed to try and get their attention. Somehow that didn't work so he went to plan B: wrapping his arm around Rex and giving the girl a glare. All conversation was halted as the two dino fans looked at Weevil.
"Aw, is that your boyfriend?" the girl asked with a huge smile. "You two are so cute!"
"Er, thanks," Rex said with a blush. It was that moment when he remembered something. "Oh, I almost forgot! Here, this for you. Happy birthday."
Weevil blinked as Rex held up the bag from earlier to his face. If he was honest, he actually forgot it was his birthday today. He let go of Rex's arm to take the bag and grabbed what was inside. In his hands was a plushie of a luna moth that was a bit cartoonish. It was something you would see with all the cute animals. Weevil could feel his cheeks get hot as tears formed in the corner of his eyes.
"Th-thank you," Weevil stuttered as he hugged the plushie. Rex just smiled at the sight. It was at that moment they both thought the same thing.
"I think I'm actually falling for him."
Things had been awkward in the month following the movie date. They still went on dates, but they acted like they had a crush and not as if they had been dating for months. There was speculation about why there was a sudden change in how they acted, but the popular opinion was that they were becoming more aware of their growing popularity. While this made Weevil happy that their plan was working, he still had to struggle with how he'd actually developed feeling for the other. Meanwhile Rex had come to terms with his feelings and hoped Weevil wouldn't "break up" now that they'd gotten attention again.
It was on a pleasant August day that they found themselves at Kaiba Land. They received tickets in the mail the day before with only a note saying that they should enjoy themselves, no indication of who it was from. Not ones to turn down free stuff, they decided to go. Worse thing that could happen was that the tickets were fake. It was a good thing that they did go as not only were the tickets real, but were VIP tickets. They didn't know who would even send something like that, but they figured they might as well take advantage of it. With VIP wristbands on, the two looked over their park map to figure out what to do first.
"I want to try the games," Weevil stated. "I bet I can beat them."
"No way!" Rex yelled. "I want to go on the roller coaster! We need to go on the popular rides before they get busy! Besides, I don't want to figure out how to secure anything we win when we go on them."
Weevil froze at the suggestion. He never really like thrill rides, and the thought the feeling was mutual. But the excited look on Rex made Weevil accept his fate and agree with the dino duelist. With a wide grin, Rex grabbed Weevil's hand and pulled him to the ride in question. The bug duelist felt his stomach drop as the roller coaster grew closer.
"Ah, excuse me!" the two heard when they were about to go on the line. They saw a staff member near the entrance to the ride with a wide smile. "I see you have VIP bands. I don't know if they told you at the entrance, but you have head of the line privileges. If you will follow me, I can take you to the loading area."
The two blinked only for identical wide grins appear on their faces. They had actually forgotten the perks of the VIP tickets. Not only did they get to cut in front of everyone, but free food, drink, and games. Whoever sent the tickets to them must really like them and were well off.
When they got to the front, Weevil's apprehension came back. He was tempted to tell Rex, but just couldn't bring himself to ruin the other's excitement. The feeling got worse when Rex pulled him to the very front seat. There was no turning back once they were in the vehicle. It wasn't until the ride finished that Rex finally figured out something was off.
"Hey, are you alright?" Rex asked, his voice full of concern as he watched Weevil walk slowly with his hand over his mouth. Weevil glared before his eyes widened and ran for the nearby trash can. Rushing after him, Rex started to freak out as he watched Weevil heave.
"I... HATE... roller coasters," Weevil managed to growl between heaves. His glare lessened as he felt someone rub his back. He looked towards Rex who had a look of concern and apology.
"I didn't know," Rex whispered. "I'm sorry."
"O-of course you didn't know! I never told you!" Weevil yelled as a blush started spread all over his face. The two blinked at each other before turning away, both of their faces completely red. "Whatever... Where to next?"
From there, they went from ride to ride, Rex making sure Weevil would be okay with each one. They took advantage of the free stuff that came with being VIP by getting as much as they wanted to eat and drink throughout the day. They were enjoying themselves so much that neither noticed how they were holding hands as much as possible.
As they were leaving the haunted house ride, they noticed the line of game booths set up. Rex's eyes widened at the sight of the nearest game to them. While most of the prizes in the park leaned towards cards Kaiba was fond of, this one was dedicated to the Red Eyes Black Dragon. Weevil snickered thinking it was probably for Wheeler as it was the first thing you saw leaving the "scary" ride. Especially since it was one of those games that you throw a baseball at a pyramid of bottles to knock them down. The two walked up to the game, Rex being in so much of a daze that he didn't notice they were at the counter.
"Hey, I want to play," Weevil stated to the worker with a smirk. The guy blinked at the sight of Weevil and had to do everything to not laugh. Weevil didn't look like the type who could even hit a single bottle. He didn't say anything seeing as they had the special wristbands that showed they were special guests. If he valued his life, he had to treat them super nice.
"Alright," the attendant said with a sly smirk. "You have two balls and you need to knock down all three bottles. How well you do will determine what you get. Good luck." Weevil could feel a twitch in his eye at the guy's tone, but let it pass. He just smiled sweetly and looked at his target to do some quick calculations. To say the least, the satisfying feeling Weevil got when he saw the attendant's expression drop when he got all three bottles down in one hit was exhilarating.
"I believe I won," Weevil said with an evil smile, one that Rex matched as the attendant handed him the huge Red Eyes plushie. Rex stared at the dragon in his arms with pure joy. His mind raced trying to figure out how to thank his date. There was only one idea that kept coming up and sounded like a great idea to the dino duelist. With nothing to lose, Rex acted.
Rex leaned over and kissed Weevil right on his lips.
Time seemed to slow down for the two as they realized what exactly was happening. They slowly parted a bit and just stared at one another. Neither was brave enough to speak, but the blush dusting their cheeks spoke volumes.
"Uh... Thanks..." Rex was the first to speak. His eyes shifted away as the blush spread. "I-I know we started going out for... reasons, but I can't help it. I kinda... like-like you..." He was afraid to look at Weevil with his confession. Now that they were popular again, there was no reason for them to go out anymore. This was probably his last chance to say it before Weevil called it quits.
Weevil in turn blinked at Rex's words. While he understood his feelings about their arrangement, he couldn't figure out Rex's. Now that he had the full picture he could actually act on them. He coughed and straightened his glasses.
"I guess we will have to continue to go out then," Weevil said. "I seem to have grown fond of you as well..." Rex blinked and whipped his head to face Weevil. The bug duelist had a slight smirk, but not like his usual one. Little did either know that they were being watched by a certain couple.
"Huh, the brat was right about them," the two heard a particular blond duelist say. "Good thing that those tickets he sent actually worked."
"You do remember that 'the brat' is the reason we're together," a second voice sighed. "Mokuba always had a knack for matchmaking because he has a good judge of character."
Rex and Weevil turned their heads to see Kaiba and Joey walking towards them, hand in hand. Kaiba had a smirk that spoke of pride as he talked about his brother. Meanwhile Joey grinned at the sight of the couple's blush getting stronger.
"Wait, Mokuba sent us the tickets?" Weevil and Rex yelled at the same time.
"Who else could send you VIP tickets? They are not easily available," Kaiba stated. "He has a habit of looking into rumors and meddle in other's love lives when he gets bored."
"Looks like Tristan owes me money since I won the bet," Joey snickered. At the confused looks he got from Rex and Weevil, he went on to explain. "Oh, all of us knew you two were dating to get attention at first. I said you two were pretty much on your way to actually be a real couple. Tristan said you two wouldn't last the year."
While they should be more upset about the bet, Weevil and Rex couldn't help but be embarrassed that they were figured out by the ones that they were trying to compete with. At least one thing good came out of this.
They didn't have to play pretend any more.
End
Random talk: This fic was a bit of a challenge to work on. Not only was it a ship I'm not used to (yet still adored), but I had never written something so fluffy with no angst. Just thinking about giving them angst didn't feel right to me. Those two were just way too cute that I had to stop every so often because I was getting hyper just from typing this up. I still had to sneak in my usual ship in though. I wouldn't mind doing more of these two!
I hope you all enjoyed reading!