[Char was still a little shy about accepting affection -- he wouldn't feel like it was necessary to hide this from sight otherwise -- but it was hard for him to deny how much those words meant. For a lonely-natured Pokemon, one who had stumbled for so long in trying to be the kind of brother Bulba deserved, nothing was more important. There was an element of embarrassment to the sheer sappiness of the situation, but for a greater part of him, those whispered little words felt like sharing soul-flames. For just a moment, the tension left his tail, the spitfire on its tip calming down to a smooth, even lantern-flame.]

C'mon, kid. You didn't mess up nothing.

[He shifted his hand up in a quick gesture that was equal parts mussing up Bulba's hair and giving his ears a swift little bit of attention. Char was not the kind of person who smiled very often, at least not sincerely, but a shy little smile might just have worked its way onto his face.]

Don't go gettin' all sappy on me now, alright? You're gonna make your boyfriend jealous.

[Not Vinnie but "your boyfriend," but at least it was a step above shutting him out entirely via strategic wing placement, right?]