[Vinnie, however, didn't take his eyes off Char for a second.
He couldn't fault Bulba for having faith in the Charizard, but there was no way he could feel the same. He could see that tail fire in his peripheral vision - every inch of him felt the tension. To the Venusaur, it felt as though if his focus wavered for a second, it'd be the kind of slip-up that would leave Char open to claim first blood. Maybe it was just the nature of their relationship that made the pressure in the air so easy to interpret as that of a fight, but it's what Vinnie was most used to.
At least in battle, he knew what to expect from Char. Everywhere else, the Fire Type was complex dance that the Venusaur didn't know half the steps to. It wasn't as though they were actually friends, so that wasn't at risk, exactly - but for once it felt like he had something to lose. Maybe being a Charizard had rubbed off on Vinnie, or maybe it was that peek he had into Char's psyche. He wasn't sure what it was he had.
It was obviously nothing compared to the bond between brothers, though. Even if words had barely been exchanged, Vinnie distinctly felt like an outsider here - this was a dance Bulba had probably done before. And it was the very first time that the wild Saur had been the one under scrutiny by an older brother.
If this was how it felt like, no wonder everyone in Red team hesitated to tell him about their dating prospects. That being the case... well, this had to be karma of some kind.
It was true, he didn't have a place in their family. That Bulba chose him at all was a privilege, and not a station he could hold above what the rest of the team already meant to him. Char's acceptance, similarly, wasn't something Vinnie could demand simply by virtue of being the boyfriend - even if his blood wanted desperately to be able to fight for it.
The Venusaur grit his teeth and bowed his head, echoing a similar gesture Char once did to him, for Bulba's sake. The meaning had escaped him then, but not anymore.
Eyes still focused on the Charizard - his flame now, since his face was out of view, Vinnie could only lamely say:] ...Hi.
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He couldn't fault Bulba for having faith in the Charizard, but there was no way he could feel the same. He could see that tail fire in his peripheral vision - every inch of him felt the tension. To the Venusaur, it felt as though if his focus wavered for a second, it'd be the kind of slip-up that would leave Char open to claim first blood. Maybe it was just the nature of their relationship that made the pressure in the air so easy to interpret as that of a fight, but it's what Vinnie was most used to.
At least in battle, he knew what to expect from Char. Everywhere else, the Fire Type was complex dance that the Venusaur didn't know half the steps to. It wasn't as though they were actually friends, so that wasn't at risk, exactly - but for once it felt like he had something to lose. Maybe being a Charizard had rubbed off on Vinnie, or maybe it was that peek he had into Char's psyche. He wasn't sure what it was he had.
It was obviously nothing compared to the bond between brothers, though. Even if words had barely been exchanged, Vinnie distinctly felt like an outsider here - this was a dance Bulba had probably done before. And it was the very first time that the wild Saur had been the one under scrutiny by an older brother.
If this was how it felt like, no wonder everyone in Red team hesitated to tell him about their dating prospects. That being the case... well, this had to be karma of some kind.
It was true, he didn't have a place in their family. That Bulba chose him at all was a privilege, and not a station he could hold above what the rest of the team already meant to him. Char's acceptance, similarly, wasn't something Vinnie could demand simply by virtue of being the boyfriend - even if his blood wanted desperately to be able to fight for it.
The Venusaur grit his teeth and bowed his head, echoing a similar gesture Char once did to him, for Bulba's sake. The meaning had escaped him then, but not anymore.
Eyes still focused on the Charizard - his flame now, since his face was out of view, Vinnie could only lamely say:] ...Hi.