"Race ya to the TV!" Vinnie's voice bounces off the walls of the pet shop, and Sunil grins before chasing after him. A few feet behind, Russell smiles and shakes his head. He brings a hand up to brush back a stray spine, sighing slightly. The smile never fades.
They're too much.
Laughing like the pair of idiots they are, Vinnie and Sunil reach the TV. Sunil caught up with Vinnie all too soon, and now the gecko is few paces behind. In one last attempt to win the race, he lunges forward, slamming into Sunil. They land on a pile of pillows (which they had set up in front of the TV over an hour ago) in a mess of green scales and blue fur. A silent moment passes by, and then the two of them are laughing heartily, clutching each other's sides.
From the other side of the day camp area, Russell looks on in approval, and continues to watch as they playfully shove each other away and giggle some more as they decide what movie to watch. He clenches one hand into a tight fist, trying to get the bubbly, tingling feeling in the pit of his stomach to subside.
They are too much.
They've always been like this—at least for as long as Russell has known them. Since the day he's met them, they've been watching monster movies, clinging to each other for comfort; playing pranks and leaning on each other when they couldn't breathe from laughing too hard; dancing, putting on magic acts, and otherwise being total show-offs; speaking to each other in hushed whispers, their faces just a little too close to each other's…
And Russell is through with it. He's absolutely done. He won't stand for it anymore.
I mean, how much longer are they going to stay like this? Every day it's the same with them. They grow closer and closer, and yet nothing ever changes. They watch their monster movies, they play their pranks, and that's it. And it drives Russell crazy, because they're so close, and yet so far. It's like they're teasing him; waving the idea in front of his face before snatching it away again.
And they don't even know they're doing it. Here Russell is, pulling his spines out because of them, and they're just sitting there, laughing and chatting like it's any old normal day (which it is, because nothing ever changes between them). Completely blind to his dilemma, as usual.
Vinnie whispers something to Sunil and then there's more giggling. Russell can't decide whether to smile or claw his own eyes out. Just a little closer, just a little closer, that's all they needed to be, and then…! But Vinnie and Sunil stay put. They do not move closer, no matter how intensely Russell stares at them. Unforgivable.
Well no more. This time Russell's not stopping until Vinnie and Sunil are watching that movie in each other's arms. Or any movie. Hell, Russell doesn't care what they're doing, so long as they're a couple.
It makes so much sense; pairing Vinnie's laid-back, sunny disposition with Sunil's panicky, often negative way of thinking. They aren't polar opposites, but they balance each other out rather nicely. They're already close—close enough to be comfortable with touching each other, in fact—so who's to say they couldn't take it to the next level?
They can, and they will—that is, if Russell has anything to say about it. He can't spend another day sitting around, hoping something will happen; especially when he spends most of his time with the pair. He can't watch them do this anymore. It made him happy once, but now it's just… too much. He needs them to be together.
Russell massages the space between his eyes, soothing his headache. He's thinking too hard about this. It's simple, really. Just… nudge them in the right direction. That's all there is to it. One of them will get it eventually. He just needs to be persistent, clever, and subtle. It'll all go smoothly, so long as he sticks to the plan.
He takes a peek at his clipboard, which he clutches to his side as if his life depends on it. No one has to know. He'll throw a few hints out, they'll realize how perfect they'd be, and no one will ever know Russell had anything to do with it.
At least, that's the plan.
AN- Ooh, yes! This is a fanfiction I've been wanting to write since I first entered the LPS fandom! My desire to write it only got worse as my shipper!Russell headcanon spread. ^-^;; But now I've started! It's here!
I don't know how often updates will be- I've got this, my videos, and an upcoming comic to worry about. Not to mention play practice (which is nearly done, though) and school (which should be starting in about a month or so).