Bulba [Green's Venusaur] (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
rivalsolarbeam) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
smashacademy2013-12-15 11:37 pm
rivalsolarbeam) wrote in smashacademy2013-12-15 11:37 pm
Entry tags:
- !action post,
- bulba/venusaur (pokemon),
- jolt/jolteon (pokemon),
- kerosene/charizard (pokemon),
- kumatora (mother),
- marie/wartortle (pokemon),
- max (advance wars),
- nyx/gengar (pokemon),
- sasha/charizard (pokemon),
- skull kid (zelda),
- sonny moe/snorlax (pokemon),
- vinnie/venusaur (pokemon),
- voile/gardevoir (pokemon),
- zelda (zelda; ocarina of time)
So Many Text Messages: "Come hang out with us" in a nutshell.
[Long before the rest of these posts were ever conceived: AN TEXT MESSAGE TO DARGON, FROM ONE YELLOW FLOWER BUTT.]
Hey! … Listen, I don't want to tip toe around this or anything. There's a guy I like a lot, and fairly recently we decided we wanted to try giving going out a shot. If you'd be up for it, I'd really ilke you to meet him? (You already know him though.) Maybe we could meet up some time…?
[And then eventually, after dargon business went down, a series of other private network text posts were made from both of Bulba's and Vinnie's accounts. Wow. Gosh.]
[Dear Nyx and Jolt, from Bulba:]
So…! I recently kind of started seeing someone, though uh… maybe you'd already heard. Anyway I'd really like to introduce him to you, even though you actually already know him. Do you think we could hang out some time?
---
[Dear Red Team, from Vinnie:]
So uh. It felt like I should give you guys the heads up, cuz I just started seeing someone. If you wanted your karmic payback for whatever, then y'know... I deserve it.
I'll just fuckin' spare you from wondering. It's Bulba.
Okay, that's all.
---
[Dear Voile. Dear Max. Courtesy of Saurs.]
Hey do you mind if we hung out sometime? We wanna tell you something.
---
[Note written to Skull Kid:]
Hey Skid, if another flower smellin' guy with blond hair's around more often, uh, do you mind?
We're dating, so try not to prank him too bad. It'd mean a lot t'me.
He made some cookies for you. They're double chocolate chip, you can have the whole plate.
[It is a whole plate of cookies. There is a little hand written note with the cookies that reads Hi, these are from Bulba (that's me). I hope we can get along. What kind of cookies are your favourite? ❀]
---
[DEAR ROOMIE LADIES from Bulba:]
Hi...! Uh! I just wanted to let you guys know that there might be another guy hanging out here sometimes now. Do either of you know Vinnie? He's got green hair and piercings, and he's a Venusaur like me.
We're going out now so... yeah, you'll probably see him around? He's really nice and we won't be a bother to anybody, promise! I just wanted to give you a heads up.
ps.
Pancakes on Wednesday??
---
[HELLO You can jump straight into action threads if you want to handwave setting things up. We can assume they planned to meet [SOMEWHERE!] at [SOMETIME!]. If you would also like to just text reply or handwave things, that is also super cool :>]
[OH FUCK]
[Hi, Char.]
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oh
WAIT...
You could almost hear the gears churning in Char's head once he stepped into the room and saw exactly who the mysterious secret boyfriend was. The telltale intensity of his tail flame was probably screaming every last emotion squirming through his stomach, but his face remained unnervingly unreadable -- no matter how honest the burning end of him might have been, the other end had plenty of experience with closing himself off.
His first thought was just how little he'd known about Bulba and Vinnie's friendship. How hush-hush it had been when it came to him -- had it only been him? So much of his insecurity and fear about being replaced as a big brother had stemmed from his not knowing. From the wild speculations and assumptions he had made, really. If only he'd known that there was nothing brotherly going on at all.
Exactly how long had that seed been growing...? His memory was quick to dart back over the past few years. Vinnie's hand in nurturing the garden that Char had wanted to give his little brother, and the things he said about Gardens with a captial G being so central to a saur. Vinnie's condescending dad lecture -- not so much about what was going on with Char, but out of concern for Bulba. Vinnie letting Bulba know about his poisoned brother after the fight that had given Marie his scars, and how the moment of bonding it had brought the two of them had been turned bitter under the weight of whatever conversation had taken place between Bulba and Vinnie while Char had slept off the Toxic. The surreal moment of sitting in a Driver's Ed car with Vinnie, allowing him a glimpse into the deepest and most personal wound that he had, because a trust he'd never really noticed had started to seep in through the cracks.
All in the space of a few seconds, all those moments were very quickly redefining themselves.
During that time, Char was very, very silent. Almost frighteningly silent.]
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With the uproar came a certain amount of peace.
It had been a long time since then- nearly three years. Things had changed for all of them in that time in ways they probably couldn't have anticipated. Some good, some bad. Between the brothers, at least, Bulba believed it had been mostly good. Very good. The kind of good that came from someone so hellbent against physical affection to let in hugs and give away ear rubs. The kind that let a fuck off huge dragon set aside his pride and let his little brother carry him in his arms.
So even though the quiet was unnerving, and the honest flame on the end of his brother's tail was blazing so brightly, Bulba held his head up as he moved to place himself somewhat between the two of them. Even if it was hammering in his chest, deep in his heart he believed he didn't have to be scared.
This wasn't going to be a mistake. He believed that too.
Briefly, Bulba gave Vinnie a little look- just enough to see how he was doing -and then turned it back to Char, patiently waiting through those initial seconds to give Char a chance to get a start on working it through his brain.
Then he spoke softly, making sure that this time the silence was something eased out of.]
... This is Vinnie. He's rough around the edges, and he gets into fights sometimes, but he means well. I asked him out because I like him very much. But you already know him.
It's... new. We wanted people to know before we called it anything.
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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.
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Well, that wasn't entirely true. A few words were important. The way Bulba had thanked him for actually coming, for example, spoke just as loudly to Char as the way he moved protectively between Vinnie and Char. He wasn't sure that there was a single gesture that either of them could have made that would make a point quite as profoundly as the way Vinnie lowered his head.
From the very start, Char had been convinced of one thing: Bulba was putting his faith in him, and that was unspeakably important. He knew perfectly well how dangerous he was. He was sure that their friendship hadn't just been a secret because it was some kind of Saurs Only Club -- it was a secret because of what he might do if he knew. Three years might have been more than enough time to allow a bruise to fade, but Char never allowed himself to forget that he was the one who'd left it.
It would be a lie to say that rivalry had ever stopped mattering to him, though. Even now, his fingers were itching to curl themselves into fists, utterly unsatisfied that this show of submissiveness was for Bulba, not for anything Char had done to earn it. It suddenly felt like an alarming amount of their rivalry had been the same, coloured more by Vinnie's feelings toward Bulba than anything else, and the thought brought anger with it. Vinnie couldn't be blamed for feeling like he was on the verge of a fight: Char was protective of his little brother to begin with, but it took an extra bit of effort to swallow the urge to haul Vinnie's head back upright by both his ears. The lonely-natured part of him tended to hate change, especially when it meant letting go.
But that's how it had to be, wasn't it? The fact that Char was Char and Vinnie was Vinnie absolutely could not be allowed to matter here. He would not harm a single hair on Bulba's boyfriend's head, full stop. No matter how much their rivalry meant, no matter how stubbornly he had poked and prodded and breathed on its embers over the years, nothing took greater priority than making sure that for once, Bulba's trust in him had not been ill-placed. If this was what made his little brother happy, then that was what his little brother would have.
He put his hands in his pockets, so they wouldn't cross or tense into fists or do anything else uninviting. Char couldn't look either one in the eye, so he looked off to the side, his mouth offering a strange, quivering little quirk that... might have been a smile? It was a faint, halfhearted affair that lent more support to the idea that Char had forgotten what a real smile was than to the idea that he was delighted to welcome Vinnie into the fold, but it was there nonetheless.]
If you like him, that's all I need.
[The words felt stiff and artificial. The idea of Vinnie fooling around with Char's baby brother did more to hinder than to help, but Char had not liked Vinnie before this. He wanted desperately to not be the problem. He would have tossed anything away in a heartbeat if Bulba's happiness was hanging in the balance. That faith that Bulba offered him never should have had so much nervousness behind it, and it was Char's fault entirely that it did. The fact that it was still offered so wholeheartedly in spite of that, however, just made him want all the more to be able to lift away all that uncertainty and fear.
But he couldn't welcome Vinnie in and mean it sincerely. He wanted to. He absolutely did not have the right to make this hard. The attempt he did give was a little hollow-feeling, but nobody had been lit on fire, right? At the very least, he was trying.]
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That was all Bulba needed, too. He'd already known it wasn't going to be something Char was happy about, heaven's no. Begrudging tolerance, however, was good. If something a bit more accepting came along later, great. But he saw the way he held himself despite the way his flame flickered, and he had a good idea of what it meant when Vinnie lowered his head.]
Thank you. That's all I could ever ask from you.
[Both of them had things that they did not want to lose. Both of them had already told him they didn't want to, or they were worried about it. The fact that they were both trying so hard for his sake meant a lot to him. Bulba moved a bit, just so he was sure he could meet Char's avoidant look in the eye.]
I trust you, okay?
I know you won't go too far. You can punch still him, since he's your rival. I fully expect him to punch you back, because he's still Vinnie and you're still his too.
[He smirked a tiny bit.]
Just don't do it in my room.
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Wrong.
Vinnie couldn't help but raise his head a little bit in surprise, just enough to look Char in the face with an utterly stunned expression. It wasn't the fact that the Charizard managed to swallow his obvious confliction in order to support Bulba, it was just how... hollow it sounded in his own ears.
Every time Vinnie had been introduced to the idea of his siblings' significant others, he'd been stern, but understanding. And only occasionally threatening. Hearing the half-heartedness in Char's voice though, it was clear that it didn't matter who the boyfriend was. He hadn't earned anything.
There was acceptance and then there was approval. Or hell, forget approval - there was just acknowledging Vinnie as an individual. The absence of even a threat in the air just made him eerily uncomfortable. How often could the Venusaur say he just desperately wanted to hear Char hurl an insult at him?
Still, Vinnie said nothing. There was just a mix of bafflement and betrayal in his eyes as he stared, waiting for his response.]
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Bulba's reply was reassuring, too, but harder to believe wholeheartedly. What Jolt had with Vinnie was very much not what Char had with Vinnie, nor was it anything Char could say he especially wanted. Friendly spars and going out for smoothies did not enter into his concept of rivalry. His concept involved passing out in the hallway, stomach aching from the force of Toxic-induced dry heaves. That had also meant his brother worriedly patching up the damage Vinnie had done. That had also meant his brother looking small and sad next to him because of whatever Vinnie'd thought about Char's actions.
When he'd supposed that Bulba and Vinnie were probably maybe some degree of friend in secret I guess, he could at least presume that Bulba did not have to be too deeply cut by being caught in the middle. Knowing exactly how much closer Bulba and Vinnie were, though, the word hung in the air whether it was invited or not.
The look Vinnie was giving him was lost on Char; Bulba was the only one who met his gaze, and that was thanks only to him chasing after Char's evasive stare. One hand left his pocket, rubbing uneasily at the back of his neck.]
...M'not gonna get used to it right away, but I will get used to it. Just lemme have time, okay?
[Still not necessarily straight answers, and still a little bit forced in nature, but treading carefully was the only real way Char knew how to handle this without it going about as badly as it'd gone three years ago.]
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[It was all he could really say. Was this a success? It might have been some sort of success. It was definitely some sort of success in some way, it was just... very simple. It reached beyond trying very hard to potentially trying too hard, but it was nothing Bulba knew how to begrudge.
He turned to look at Vinnie, slightly unsure and growing more so when he saw the look on his face. Asides from telling Char that it was fine, there was really only so much Bulba could do about what was between the other two pokemon. Time was probably needed for that, too.]
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His bold nature was desperate to say something, though - anything so that he wasn't a near silent wallflower - but it was still a moment between brothers. He didn't have a right to intrude on that and turn it into something about himself and the Charizard.
Despite this, though, Vinnie's mouth opened up anyway and he started saying,] Char...
[...Only for him to realize he hadn't actually thought out the rest of that sentence. There was an awkward beat as his brain awkwardly scrambled for something, anything, to tell him - but his feelings were just too mixed. All he wanted was to say something that would get a response of some sort, a small, throwaway token of what Char thought of him.
Eventually, the only thing he could manage was a lukewarm,] ...Thanks?
[Except he really didn't want to thank him for this. Vinnie's heart wasn't in it at all.
But he was on tetherhooks to have it thrown back at him, whether it was a I don't need your thanks, or even a tepid Whatever. Anything would've been better than nothing.]
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Thanks? The Vinnie he knew wasn't in the habit of saying things he didn't mean, but it felt just as insubstantial as Char's responses had been. Was that what he was being thanked for? Was Vinnie saying something by playing along with it? Or was this on Bulba's behalf too? His tail twitched, as if considering whether Char could slap the pointless word out of the air, but it stopped there, held stiff and tense in place.]
You're welcome.
[That was all he offered before he stepped closer to Bulba. His wings went up, bowing around his brother -- not just the almost-hug they sometimes gave, but something to shield the act of affection from being seen. One hand reached Bulba's hair, and he cradled the back of his little brother's head, leaning up so he could be forehead to forehead with Bulba for a moment. His voice dropped to a whisper.]
Won't impose on your time together, just... look, kid. Nothin' you could do'd make me love you any less, alright? Thanks for trustin' me.
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That was maybe going to end up frustrating.
But there wasn't much time to think about that at the moment. It was a little surprise when Char lifted his wings, but his intentions were soon realized. However uncertain he was on Vinnie's behalf, it did nothing to dampen the warm happiness that settled in him with Char's words. Things did not always need to be spelled out, but that did not make actually hearing them any less special. Bulba's expression softened, and he smiled fondly down at him. Why his eyes stung a little were a mystery.]
You're not imposing on anything...
[He nuzzled his forehead against Char's, closing his eyes so that maybe the few drops of happy tears would have no where to go. Navigating his wings was momentarily tricky, but Bulba still managed to wrap his arms around his brother in a hug, dipping his head to whisper back to him.]
Of course. I know I messed up before but...
[Squeeze.]
Thanks for being my brother. I love you so much.
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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?]
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When the word 'boyfriend' caught his ear, he glanced over out of the corner of his eye - but his expression remained the same. It's fine, he told himself. He had to be happy for Bulba - that's just how it was.]
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I regret to inform you that sap's my lifeblood.
[Which was true enough. The title hadn't gone unnoticed however, and Bulba's smile softened. As happy as he was, he knew that this might be a problem, even if it was for his benefit. A few words weren't going to change it, but they still bore reminding:]
He's still Vinnie, you know.
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It wasn't like Char was oblivious to what Bulba had been trying to lay out as bluntly as he could. He'd have to be deaf to miss Bulba's insistence that no, it's cool, nothing's changed, it's cool if you can't stand Vinnie. The problem was in believing that. He knew full well the self-sacrificing tendency he'd begun to associate with saurs, and he knew how many times his self-motivated impulses had hurt Bulba. Enough times that his brother had become afraid of trusting him. Enough times that Bulba buried everything under a reassuring layer of "I'm fine, really" and "it wasn't important."
A lot of things had happened over the years, but Char still didn't know the difference between a genuine "I don't mind" and the suffering in secret kind of "I don't mind." Given how much of a threat he'd been before, though, it was hard to completely believe Bulba wouldn't be bothered if Vinnie showed up with his shit kicked in. If someone was going to have to make some sacrifices for this whole boyfriends thing, then Char was adamant that his little brother wasn't gonna hafta give things up on his behalf again. The wing that was facing Vinnie retracted, folding away neatly on his back, and the remaining one gave Bulba a little pat, ushering him toward his boyfriend.]
Same difference, kid. Still gonna make him jealous if you keep ignorin' him.