- More than just a pretty face- (DualRivalShipping)
Requested by: Luvena.

"Hurry up, Romeo. Juliet awaits."
"Will you stop calling me that?"
"Dude. Tonight's your lucky night! What else can I call you?" Cheren gave an exasperated sigh and stared long and hard at his best male friend, who sat on the floor with a smile on his face.
His only best friend if this went wrong, he thought glumly. He wasn't the romantic type; couldn't be if he tried. He simply wasn't able to show affection like that to the extent of someone like Bianca.

Bianca… there was attraction between the two of them, always had been. They managed to fit together perfectly despite their many differences. He sighed again and got to his feet, thinking of how he could possibly pull this impossible mission off.
He could defeat trainers with a flat stare…
But Cheren couldn't tell one of his best friends that he loved her.

He found nearly everything about her to be appealing, from her warm smiles to her clumsiness. He'd never admit it aloud but he found that clumsiness to be cute.
Cute. It was such an overused, cliché word… but it was one that fit the blond perfectly.

There was only one thing that he disliked about her, one that exasperated him to the point of no return: her insecurities. He didn't know what she had to be insecure about- she was perfect! She was beautiful, sweet and genuine. Everything that she did was done with her best efforts. She spent nights studying alongside him, struggling to learn everything she could about the world of Pokémon. She was, he thought with a smile, destined to be an amazing professor one day. Her eagerness to learn amazed him, as did her determination to prove everyone wrong.
"I'm not a pretty face. I'm me," she'd said one day, raising her chin bravely. "I'm not an airhead or a freak. I'm gonna be the very best I can be!"

Her tantrums were reducing in numbers, as were her tears whenever she got something wrong. He'd always been as patient as he could be during these episodes, awkwardly consoling her as she wailed about her 'stupidity'.
Could tonight be the night that everything changed?

"Aaand she's here. Showtime, Romeo!" his heart flew at those words and tumbled over itself as he stood up. "Just do what I suggested and you'll be alright. She likes that song," Black added with a shudder. "I don't know how or why, but it's your best bet."
"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" Cheren asked incredulously, smoothing his hair and shooting the hero of Unova a glare. He laughed at that and, despite Cheren's protests, shoved him towards the door.

"Someone has to do it. Everyone knows, man. It's pretty much expected, you know?" Black asked, shrugging his shoulders. "You two are gonna go out and get married, and- stop blushing, you know it's true!"
"I'm not blushing," Cheren argued, even though he very much was. "I'm-"
"-hot for her? Duh. She lights up your world like-"
"-shut up." the bespectacled boy swatted his laughing friend's shoulder and squared his after a sigh. "Alright."
"You can do this. It's worth it, too," Black encouraged, opening the door and straightening his jacket.
"Let's hope so."

His jaw nearly dropped at the sight of her. She looked… stunning. She was dressed in a modest orange dress; all made up for whatever Black had planned.
But, he saw, she was extremely nervous. While White chattered away to a friend about everything under the sun, she stood against a wall, fidgeting. She looked up, blond curls bouncing as she did so, and locked eyes with him.

How did she know he was there? He never knew that answer, but he would always remember how he felt as her face lit up as they stared at each other. He felt a smile tug on his lips as she ran towards him, handbag left in the moment. He reached for her as she jumped onto him, squealing his name in joy.
It felt right to hold her and laugh as she continued to squeal.

"What did you want to talk to me about?" she asked as they stood in his backyard. They'd soon tired of the chatter and loud music, finally getting an excuse to leave when Bianca claimed that she needed fresh air because she was claustrophobic.

It was a silly excuse, but one that had worked. Before he'd left, Black had caught his eye and had given him a wink.
Go for gold, he'd mouthed before turning back to whatever White had been saying.

"Well…." He sighed and turned to face her, swallowing back a lump in his throat. She looked absolutely beautiful tonight, even more so with a shy look on her face. A blush mantled her cheeks as he took her hands and said as clearly as he could:

"You're insecure… don't know what for." (The wording in that sentence had nearly choked him) "You turn heads when you walk through the door. Don't need make up to cover up… being the way that you are is enough. Everyone else in the room can see it… everyone else but…" he swallowed as unmistakable tears began to fill her eyes.
I stuffed it up, he groaned internally, placing a hand awkwardly on her shoulder. "Bianca…"
"Is that really about me?" she whispered, looking up at him pathetically.

"Of course, silly. Who else would I be singing about?" he asked, looking into her eyes and smiling slightly. "You're beautiful, Bianca. You light up my world like nobody else. There's no one I'd rather care about than you." She smiled at him then, allowing the tears to fall down her cheeks. "I… well, I love you," he added uncertainly as she flung her arms around him again. "I love you, Bianca," he tried again, murmuring it into her sweet smelling hair.
"I love you too," she sobbed against his jacket, pulling back to look at him again. "I really, really do."

"I know…" he placed a finger underneath her chin and, as she let out a breath, kissed her. Her lips were wet and a tear fell onto his nose, but he didn't care. As they broke apart, she was looking at him in a way he'd imagined for a long time. "You're beautiful. No matter what."
"So are you," she whispered as he wiped away her tears. "You're a pretty person, Ren. Was that okay?" she asked anxiously as he grimaced. "I'm sorry…"

"No, it's fine," he replied hastily, kissing her again. "I'm… pretty."
Suck it up, Black's voice echoed in his mind. You know how she is, man…
"You are," she agreed, obviously relieved as she kissed him again. "You're perfect."