pairing: fred weasley x reader
summary: someone asks how you can always tell the twins apart; you don't realize that your method won't work for anyone else
It's not that one's always on your right and the other is always on your left. It's not that one's hair curls towards the nape of his neck at the ends and one's doesn't. It's not that one uses musky cologne and the other spiced. It's their eyes- you've always been able to tell Fred and George apart by their eyes.
"It's easy!" You've always insisted, and the people you're talking to give you a skeptical glance before nodding placatingly. Even Ron messes up sometimes, calling Fred 'George', and you'd been the only one to laugh until he'd realized his mistake.
"Looks like we've got to break out the initial sweaters again, Georgie," Fred laments dramatically, tossing a balled-up piece of parchment at Ron who swats it away.
"Blimey," He scoffs, glaring suspiciously at you, "Do you stick a nametag on their asses or something? How are you always the only one that knows which is which? They're my bloody brothers."
"No, it's easy," You repeat giddily, and both twins grin at you until you continue, "It's in their eyes, Ron."
"Their eyes?" Hermione arches a brow, her hair spilling over her shoulders as she turns to watch you curiously, "What do you mean their eyes?"
"We've got the same color," George blinks owlishly, displaying the color of his irises for all to see as Fred does the same. But it's not the color that gives it away- it's their natural expression.
"George usually looks at you like he's waiting for you to crack a joke," You explain, "It's very guarded, very amused, very suave," You tease the brother on the right, and he snickers at your assessment, "But Fred's- I dunno, it's a bit softer." You wave a lazy hand over your eyes, "It's a little bit bigger and rounder and shinier. Always noticed it," You shrug loosely, and the room tapers into a stiff silence, "That's how I can tell."
After a brief moment of suffocating nothingness, Ginny demands, "Boys: look at me."
They turn, Fred's cheek sucked between his teeth. She studies them, and the corner of Harry's mouth twitches slightly as he peers into their eyes as well.
"Nothing." She decides, and Ron and Hermione follow suit clamoring across their classmates to get a good look at the twins' gazes. You scoff as they all come up empty, narrowed, scrutinous glares thrown your way.
"They look exactly the same to us," Hermione hedges, "Or i suppose I should say they look at us exactly the same."
"We look at everyone the same," Fred starts, his voice rough until he clears his throat, but you won't have it. You shake your head, both hands shooting out to straighten their faces towards you, your fingers slipping off of George's chin to wrangle Fred with both palms.
"Aagh-! Unhand me, woman!" He gripes, but you cradle his face until he stills it like George had, unphased by his squirming and tugging. Finally he settles, and you glance back and forth between the boys with rapt attention.
It happens again: George has that smooth, almost bored look in his eyes, though there's a spark of mischief alight there that you pray never leaves him. And Fred- his eyes melt like chocolate you've held in your hand for too long, pupils dilating like a full moon, a reverent sheen sliding over them.
"I'm telling you," You declare, Fred's face still cupped in your hands, his skin unnaturally warm beneath your touch, "Fred's eyes go all soft."
"Yeah, not for me, mate." Harry snickers, and you drop Fred's face to frown confusedly at the pack of hyenas your friends have become, smothering giggles behind their palms as they shoot each other conspiratorial glances, "Right now he's kind of looking at me like he's going to blow a firework up my ass."
You whip your gaze back to Fred, whose eyes go all gooey again.
"You're crazy," You decide, shaking your head slightly and wondering if all of your friends need a trip to the eye doctor, "You guys might be bad at looking for it but it works! It's how I tell them apart every time."
"It works for you, love," George amends gently, shooting you a sneaky smile with a glimmer of giddiness in his eyes, "We'll keep wearing the sweaters for everyone else."
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