Here is another short one-shot. This time it is MaruchoxRuno.
Disclaimer: Cocoacharm15 does not, has not, and probably will never own Bakugan.
Mustache
The lights inside the restaurant bathed the sidewalk outside with their fluorescent wonder. From my vantage point, this Saturday night was going to be just like any other. I could see the rest of the Brawlers sitting inside the diner, laughing and setting up their usual tournament.
"Are we gonna go in sometime?" I asked Marucho, who was sweating buckets and twiddling his thumbs.
"Perhaps we can call in sick and skip tonight," he suggested nervously.
I was in his face in an instant. "No way, kiddo! You've been waiting ages to talk to her. This is one of the easiest places to make conversation with her, Marucho."
His bright blue eyes never strayed from the girl making round trips from the kitchen to the dining area. Her blue hair only shifted slightly through every trip, though her facial expression was constantly changing. Her mouth opened and I was sure she'd be spouting something haughty off to whoever was willing to listen.
"I can't do it, Preyas." Marucho announced dejectedly. "She doesn't notice me, anyway."
I scoffed. "So what if she's a little cooler than you, and she's busy paying attention to everyone else? Standing out here won't attract her attention either!"
"But it's Runo."
I winced before I prayed to all the Bakugan gods that he didn't catch it. I didn't want to crush the boy's dreams. She strutted toward the back again, carrying an assortment of dishes in her arms. I turned back to Marucho only to see his eyes glazed over.
"Here we go again," I sighed.
"When she walks, it seems as if the wind blows around her, highlighting her beauty, and–"
"The angels sing, yeah, yeah," I interrupted. "Marucho, how about you stop telling me these things and start telling her?"
My human partner heaved a sigh before pulling open the door to the restaurant and slowly walking in.
As much as Marucho hates to say he told me so...he totally told me so. She didn't pay one iota of attention to him throughout the entire night. She was far too busy upholding her title as Supreme Arm Wrestling Champion against the boys, not including Muchacho. Yep, she showed 'em all what a tough girl she was, but my poor Marucho walked away heavy-hearted and empty-handed. There was one moment where I perked up. She was actually looking at him! As it turned out, she was staring past him.
He failed miserably without even trying. Dan, who wasn't even competing for her devotion, was higher on her list than my boy.
"That Dan! What am I doing wrong, Preyas?" he cried to the heavens, once we were safely outside of his eatery.
"Um, being invisible?"
His eyes focused on me for a second–large, naive, hopeless–before turning away with a frown.
"Doesn't she realize I'm the best she'll never have?" he asked quietly.
She didn't, that's for sure.
But he did.
With all the agility of a cheetah, Marucho stormed back into the restaurant while I clung helplessly to his jacket. His boyish features made the determined expression on his face seem less driven than it actually was. He stomped right up to her.
"Runo, I'm done," he announced while she stared at him in confusion.
Her emerald eyes drifted behind him again, but this time he commanded her undivided attention with his words alone.
"I'm tired of waiting around for you to notice me! I can't grow a mustache, like you want. I'm not a body builder, and I can't win an arm wrestling match to save my life. I'm trying to be a tough guy for you, but...I can't!" he shouted, breathing heavily by the end of his rant and unaware of the bewildered looks he was getting from the few remaining Brawlers.
"I can't," he breathed.
She closed her eyes while he hung on rope or bated breath, and then Runo spoke to him for the first time that evening.
"I know."
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