Disclaimer: The Vocaloids featured in this story obviously do not belong to me. They belong to their rightful owners which includes Voctro Labs and Zero-G.
Notes/Comment: Another BrunoTonio story, though this is a one-shot from a story prompt list I was doing (sunshockk's 100 Writing Prompts on Deviantart).
...you know, I've written so many LeonTonio and BrunoTonio things...people might assume that's all I write. Oh dear.
Prompt #30: First Crush
It was Saturday morning in the middle of January in the year 2013 when Bruno stepped outside with a glass of white wine, wearing a cozy blue sweater instead of his usual button-up shirt for the chilly weather. He had his hat on his head since it was far too cold not to wear it for his head's sake. As usual, the Spanish Vocaloid saw Tonio sitting at a table while sipping away at his ever-precious martini as he looked over at his rose garden to the left of the backyard.
Bruno made sure he didn't make a sound as he began his track to the opera Vocaloid. He noticed how absentminded Tonio seemed to be as he continued to drink and stare at the roses he worked hard to grow. His green eyes were almost shimmering thanks to the bright sun's presence. He never came to the realization of how bright Tonio's eyes were before now, honestly.
"..." Tonio sighed through his nose before he turned his gaze away from his roses and took a small sip of the martini in his left hand. He decided to let his eyes rest for a moment, out of impulse. He felt his back press against the chair he sat in, followed by the cool surface of the bare head. He couldn't sleep much these past few days. Why? He wasn't so sure. All he knew was that he felt like shit...again.
Bruno pulled out the seat next to him and plopped down, grinning at the small, annoyed look Tonio had on his face. Guess he was thinking to himself again. Looking at the older Vocaloid a bit more made Bruno notice how Tonio's hair was starting to grow since the entire back of his neck was covered up by his straight locks.
Hm, Tonio didn't seem to realize that someone was at the table with him. Who knows? He was probably dozing off. Bruno could hear him breathing; it was soft and short, but he was able to still hear it. His blue eyes glanced to Tonio's covered neck once again. "Heh..." An idea came into his mind as he looked at Tonio, who still didn't open his eyes or even acknowledge that Bruno was sitting beside him.
Bruno placed his glass of white wine on the table with the mischievous plot playing over and over in his head. He carefully reached over to brush up the back of Tonio's black hair until his neck was exposed, then he used his other hand to press against the bare skin.
This weather was perfect for chilly hands.
Tonio's eyes shot open as he yelped in shock when he felt something ice cold touching his neck. "Merda...!" he cursed.
"Pffffbt..." Bruno tried his best not to laugh hard at the overreaction of the opera Vocaloid, biting the side of his lip. "Hey there, elder. Did you have a nice nap?"
That was when Tonio finally realized Bruno was sitting with him at the table with that stupid, toothy grin and a glass of white wine. He noticed how Bruno's hand was stretched out to him...that very same damned thing that was touching his neck! "Why aren't your hands covered?! They're cold!"
"Come on, my hands aren't that cold," Bruno said, pulling his hand off Tonio's neck which caused the back of his hair to fall back in place. "So, what are you doing?"
"I was relaxing..."
"I don't think so. You had your eyes closed for a while. Sleepy?"
Tonio sighed and ran a hand through his hair, replying, "Sort of, yes. I haven't had much sleep these past few days."
"Aw, poor you." Bruno's grin stayed on his face, even when Tonio shot a glare at him for the mock pity he was given. "Sorry," he apoligised.
"...that's fine," he muttered before he lifted up his martini and gulped down the rest instead of sipping from the glass. Once he felt the bitter drink slide down his throat, he let another quiet sigh come out. "I'm surprised you're awake."
"I went to bed early."
"Ah."
"So, hey," the Spanish Vocaloid spoke up, changing the subject in an instant, "can I hang out with you for a while?"
"Are you sure you want to do that?" Tonio raised a brow at the request. "I'm only going to sit here for a while."
With a smile replacing the grin, Bruno answered truthfully, "Yeah, I'm sure."
"All right..."
"Thanks, elder."
Tonio made a small hum as a response, running a hand through his hair again. It was some sort of habit he had whenever he was bored, after all. He had been doing this action for as long as he could remember.
"So, anyway, I think I have a crush on someone."
"Pardon?" Tonio glanced over at Bruno in confusion. "Is this what you wanted to talk about?"
"Sort of," Bruno answered him with a shrug to accompany it. "I...I don't know. This person I sort of have a thing for...I was respecting them; kinda admiring them at the same time."
"So you've all ready liked them a lot, then?"
"Yeah."
"..." the older of the two Vocaloids shifted in his seat when he felt his body becoming stiff from sitting too long. "I have a question about this 'crush' of yours. Is it someone here, or is it somebody, perhaps, online or someone who is a...'celebrity', so to say?"
"What?" he blinked with a brow raised. "They're not a 'celebrity', but they're a Vocaloid."
"...one of us?"
"Yep. In fact, one of you guys here in this house*."
(*The Engloids and Spanish Vocaloids live in a house together; the others live in a mansion across from them.)
Tonio fell silent upon hearing that.
Bruno grinned to himself as he grabbed his wine and took a much needed gulp due to his throat drying up. Who knew he could get a tad nervous about this idea of his? Confessing that to Tonio was a bit quick and swift, and he was pretty sure Tonio would figure out whom he was talking about. It was so obvious, after all. He mentioned that it was someone he admired, right? Tonio knew how much he was admired by him, right?
...ah, who knew? Tonio isn't the best when it comes to reading emotions, or catching a hint.
"Clara?"
"Pffbt-!" Bruno had to try not to laugh at the confused answer he was given from Tonio.
...yep. Tonio couldn't catch the hint, not at all.
"No no." The Spanish Vocaloid shook his head with a smile, then he chuckled out, "I think she has a thing for someone else, Tony."
"Would you mind telling me whom you're actually talking about, then?"
"Well...I'd kind of like to see you guess some more."
"What?"
In a playful manner, Bruno spelt out loud, "G-u-e-s-s...s-o-m-e...m-o-r-e. Guess some more~..."
Tonio simply groaned. Why couldn't this child tell him who it was? Was he nervous about saying their name? Bruno said it was someone he "admired"; but to what extent? Admire like a person with their role-model? 'Admire' as in what, Bruno? You need to drop a hint, at least a small one! One which would help in this guessing game you've wished to play!
"It's a guy, if that will help you."
Well, that certainly helped.
"A man?" Tonio questioned, raising a brow at him. He was rather surprised. He could've sworn Bruno was more of a 'ladies-man', so to say...then again, he could never tell sometimes when he was just being nice with some of the women here or flirting with them.
Then again, Bruno is nice to everybody.
"Yeah, a guy," Bruno admitted with a shrug, then he took another sip of his drink. "That should narrow it down for you, elder."
Oh boy, here it goes. Tonio was starting to put the pieces together. This should be far too easy now since - besides Bruno, himself - there were four other male Vocaloids in the house. Oliver was easily eliminated from the could-be-crush list. Leon was more like a "brother" or something along the line, so he was marked off the mental list of choices. All that was left was Al and Tonio. He - Bruno - and Big Al were close, though Bruno really couldn't say if there could be anything else between the two of them in the "romantic interest" category; so, Al is marked off that "mental list" as well...
Come on, calm down. You're only admitting that you have a crush on Tonio. A crush wasn't considered serious to some, but to you, Bruno...he is your first crush.
Clara just had to point out that your admiration was probably more than a simple "person adoring their idol" admiration. All right, so maybe she lead on to something when she pointed out how you enjoyed hanging out with the older Vocaloid...a lot. So, perhaps she also managed to point out how you would actually blush at the sight of the semi-rare smiles he would make. She pinpointed about how you would talk about him out of nowhere.
...darn her.
Well, she did say that he might as well confess about his crush...even if it was a crush. It wasn't as though this could develop into something more, right?
...maybe.
Bruno looked away from his wine and then over at Tonio to see if he had realized that he was the Vocaloid he had a crush on. Ah-ha! That concentrated look on his face was beginning to drain away ever so slowly!
Yep, he finally figured out whom the crush was.
Bruno lifted his glass back to his lips and gulped down the last amount of his wine without hesitating. "So, Tony," he asked with a grin, "did you figure out who my crush is?"
"..." Tonio's face turned red from embarrassment as he sat silently in his seat. He slowly slouched back and almost sunk into the chair, muttering, "You have a crush on me? Out of everyone in this household, why me?"
There we go. "Well," he chuckled out, "you're a pretty nice guy to be around with. You can be sarcastic, but once in a while you show there's more to you than that. You're talented, too."
"That doesn't answer the question as to why you chose me as your crush."
"Well-"
"And...and..." the Zero-G Vocaloid sat back up suddenly, almost surprising Bruno in the process. "I know that this is merely a 'crush', but...you're acting rather calm about the fact that you're telling me that I am the one you have a 'crush' on!"
Bruno stared at him for a moment before he tipped the front of his hat down until his eyes weren't showing, smiling while he did that. "Yeah, I know. It's kinda funny considering you're my first crush."
"...oh. I see..."
"Heh heh~..."
"...I'm...going to get another martini. Would you like for me to get you another glass of wine for you?"
"Sure, I guess," the Spanish Vocaloid answered with a shrug. "...you know," he spoke up while Tonio got out of his seat, grabbing his martini glass and Bruno's glass, "you're right. It's only a crush. It's not like I might fall in love with you...I think. It could just be a phase or something. You know how a crush can come and gone, right? I, uh, really wouldn't know about that, though."
The way he said it made those words seem so - what's the best word for this...? - lifeless. Tonio, at least, noticed that in an instant. "..." Poor guy. If he was his first crush, he really had no idea what to do about it. He sounded, somewhat, sad when he mentioned that the crush on him could "just be a phase" and it might just "come and gone".
...where the hell did he ever get an idea like that? A television show of some sort?
Tonio still questioned why Bruno had a crush on him. He could've chosen someone a hundred times better than he was, but no. He was his first crush.
"...I can assure you, that it doesn't always end like that, Bruno."
As soon as Tonio walked back inside the house to get their drinks, Bruno felt the back of his neck heat up by Tonio's words. Why? He honestly haven't a clue. Was it because he actually said his name instead of a nickname? Maybe, but...
"...'it doesn't always end like that', eh?" Bruno mumbled curiously.
Could it be that he wasn't the only one with a crush? For all you know, the one you have a crush on might feel the same for you. Bruno wasn't the only Vocaloid that day who had a crush.
end
