Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Bakugan Battle Brawlers
Now that I've finally had a chance to rewrite this chapter (After a good nights sleep I saw how bad the original was). Please enjoy this rewrite.
Please note: There are themes of bullying and discrimination hinted in this chapter
"Ah, um…I-I have to go! See you soon!"
Each of the brawlers and their bakugan sweat-dropped as their red headed friend hastily cried out her goodbyes and exited the chat room, not even giving them a chance to speak
…
"That was weird, right?" asked Dan, fidgeting when the silence started to get a bit stifling
"Oh yeah" "Definitely" "Was it just me, or did she seem a lit pale" "Now that you mention it…"
Julie was the first to break out of the strange stupor, the silverette's eyes widened as she checked the time on her computer
"Gosh! Is that the time already. Sorry guys I've got to go too. I have school in the
morning, and the commute is NOT fun when you live in the outskirts"
Dan had to scrunch his nose as a slight sour smell of coffee beans hit him, he flicked his eyes over to the source. He watched as Runo's forehead crease as she read the time on the jumbo screen
"What are you talking about Julie? It's only 3 o'clock" argued the bluette,
Julie looked at her friend with a straight face, internally sighing. And they call me dense…. she thought before speaking up, slowly. "Runo. Did you forget again that I live in Australia. We are two hours ahead of your guys, remember"
Runo's body froze. Dan chewed on the inside of his cheeks to try and stifle his laugh as he watched as her cheeks started turning pink, Marucho at least had the decency to act more interested in his Baku pod, even though he was only looking down to hide his own smile
Turning her head away in an attempt to hide her embarrassment Runo hastily stammered out a response "Oh-Oh yeah! I knew that I was just making sure you knew that" her hands interlocking behind her back as she swayed her body slightly
Julie narrowed her eyes at her, sounding out a dismissive hum, not believing her in the slightest. "Right…. Well, catch you all later, see ya" giving them a final wave before signing off
Thinking it was safe, the bluette relaxed, exhaling out a sigh of relief. That was short lived once she side-eyed the teasing cat-like grin on Dan's face as he quirked his head at her.
Runo's eyes narrowed, lips pressing together tightly. Before he could say anything the bluette quickly pivoted on her heels to turn away from him
The boy's shoulder's drooped slightly, his cheshire-cat grin turning into a pout as he realised that the tsundere girl wasn't going to rise to the bait. He quickly shrugged off the disappointment and turned to Marucho instead, leaning towards him as they engaged in conversation
The blond being much more amicable then the former, they both talking excitingly about their earlier brawl with the JJ Dolls
Hearing the conversation her friends were having without her, Runo quickly jumped in, moving closer to the boys. She was asking question after question, wanting to know what happened during the battle that she missed
With the children preoccupied the bakugan shortly followed into their own conversation
"So, Preyas. Forgive my curiosity, but what were you planning to do with those jewels you were carrying when we bumped into you earlier
The Aquos bakugan stiffened, red creeping up his face as he gulped. Sheepishly, mumbling as he answered Tigrerra "I had hoped everyone would have forgotten about that"
Drago let out a soft chuckle, making the others turn to face him. One in questioning, the other….in dread
"What we witnessed back there Tigrerra was a natural habit of Preyas' kind" he said with a gleam in his eye
Intrigued, Tigrerra curiously shuffled a little closer to Drago, ignoring Preyas' erratic flapping in the background "Habit?" "Hold on! Habit is such a strong word…It's more of a quirk really"
Completely oblivious to Preyas' pleading in the background the Pyrus bakugan fully faced Tigrerra, more than happy to explain further. "From my knowledge of the species, they are attracted towards decorative objects such as rocks or shells. They help them to build their nests and impress potential mates. From what I've heard they can become quite hyper focused in this, its like a desire that they cannot control"
Preyas' jaw dropped as a cold chill spread through him, he internally screamed in horror MY SECRETS!
The other two bakugan were completely oblivious to his indignation as they continued to discus his species' dirty (secrets) customs. "I see. I believe I've seen that behavior on Runo's television, many bird species mimic that behavior"
At the last part Drago straightened, he let out a contemplative hmm before turning around to look at Preyas
The blue bakugan was so caught off guard by the action that he froze like a deer in the headlights. The Pyrus predator's stare become increasingly uncomfortable by each millisecond, he was grateful when the dragonoid turned away
"Now that you mention it I do see the resemblance"
WHAAAAT!?
Horror is now anger
Preyas' lips curled as he snarled at the two
"Okay now I am drawing the line here! I am NOTHING like those feathered creatures, those hollowed brained inferiors cannot compare the great intellectual MOI! I am the humblest, peace loving, extremely handsome, friendly neighbourhood salamander"
Oh dear. It seems we that we may have brought up some lingering trauma…thought Tigrerra as she and Drago watched the Aquos bakugan pace back and forth, ranting to himself.
At least she had the ability to look sheepish, Drago on the other hand just gave Preyas an insufferable look.
"Well then 'oh great Preyas' what were you doing with that jewellery" (interrogated) queried Drago, sarcasm dripping as he spoke the salamander's 'title'
"…Well…you know…they were just, lying around. Anybody could have taken them…..I was just, they were just…just….."
Preyas mumbled unintelligibly under his breath, Drago had to strain his neck just to try and hear him. When that didn't work he repeated his earlier question "They were what?"
"SHINY! Alright! Sheesh"
The sudden shout made both Tigrerra and Drago step back in surprise. The tigress quickly glanced toward the children, concerned that the sudden noise might have disturbed them.
Thankfully, they were fully engaged in their own conversation. Dan waving his hands excitedly as he mimicked the moves from the battle, Marucho showed Runo some videos of what he managed to record, the girl watching them intently
"They were just so sparkly! So shiny! Sitting there calling to me, tempting me. I couldn't help myself, when the ray of light hits them at just the right angle. Ohhhh the rainbow!
The array of colour spectrum they create, the beautiful aurora.
The lustre that makes them glitter, like sunlight hitting the ocean, so glittery, so sparkly…so…so…sooo shiny…."
The Aquos bakugan trailed off, a dazed look to his face as he stared enraptured…. not really looking at anything. Completely ignoring the worried looks of the other bakugan standing right in front of him
"Shiny…" quietly mumbled Preyas, stuck in his trance. "So, so shiny….my preciousss…ssshiny…. Preciousss" the salamander's tongue flickering out as he hissed
Alarming shivers went down their spines as Drago and Tigrerra slowly backed away from the blue bakugan
"Umm…Preyas? Are you alright there" nervously asked Tigrerra. Receiving a blank stare and a snake-like hiss in return. Discreetly, she shoved Drago in between her and the (possibly) feral salamander
"Hey! What's the meaning of this!" alarmed the red dragon, as he flapped his wings to put some distance between himself and Preyas
The white tiger growled warningly behind him, her tail lashing behind her "You broke him. You fix him"
Reluctantly, the dragonoid slumped in defeat. Okay, maybe I was pushing it a little he thought remorse. But even a bakugan like Drago has to have a little fun every now and then?
Drago started calling out to the possessed bakugan "Preyas, earth to Preyas"
Receiving no response, the Pyrus bakugan shouted at him "PREYAS! WAKE UP!"
That managed to shake the salamander out of his trance, spluttering as he flittered about "Shi-! Huh? Wha—what was I?"
At seeing Preyas back to normal, the other two bakugan let out identical sighs of relief
Drago was the first to interrupt the flailing bakugan "Just a…quirk?, was it" he drawled
"This proves nothing. Besides, you're one to talk!" vehemently growled the Aquos bakugan as he glared at Drago
"! Excuse me!" demanded Drago, blood boiling at the accusation
Preyas marched back and forth in front of the dragonoid. Tigrerra held herself back watching the two, torn. Part of her knowing she should break this up before it escalated…..
…But she was becoming invested in this. If she was in her true form her tail would be swishing back in forth in amusement at the drama unfolding before her eyes
"That's right!" preached Preyas as he puffed out his chest. A broad smirk displayed on his face
"I know about your skeletons in the closets"
Drago huffed This; I've got to hear. The bakugan stopped his companion in his tracks by walking right up to him
"And what exactly are my 'skeletons in my closet' Preyas" he demanded
Preyas jumped at the sudden closeness of the (scary) dragon. But that did not deter him as he jumped angrily on the spot "You know what I'm talking about! Your hordes of gold!"
Intrigued, Tigrerra turned towards the Pyrus bakugan, curiosity in her voice "Hoards of gold?" she asked, tilting her head to the side
Drago let out an irritated exhale, having heard this spiel in his hatchling years. "The joys of being one of 'rarer' species of bakugan, the folklore" he replied warily. Resigning to his fate he gestured for Preyas to continue, who was happy to
"Dragonoids are one of the oldest species of bakugan, but also one of the most secretive, tending to stick amongst yourselves. You live in large nests in the mountainous regions of each attribute.
Inside those nests you keep large mountains of valuable treasures, such as gold, sleeping on top of them. You don't like to share them either, therefore guarding your treasure ferociously from bakugan gold-diggers. I've heard tales of dragonoids going into a volatile frenzy if someone tries to take it"
Preyas took a large breath as he finished his account, both Tigrerra and him leaned closer to Drago, giving him their rapt attention, eagerly awaiting his response
Begrudgingly, the Pyrus bakugan had to admit it. It seemed the salamander had more intellect in him then he let on. He grimaced slightly before responding back. His words slow
"You're correct about my kind being one of the oldest, and where we normally habitat" the dragonoid's tone then grew sharp "However, we do not have mountains of gold! That is just a myth, a baseless rumor"
…..
…... Although…
A childhood memory surfaced within Drago….
A baby hatchling the size of a pony, carrying a tree that was three times its own size, its little wings struggling.
My tiniest sibling did love to collect sticks for some reason…but she certainly never got ferocious over them. If anything, ever happened to them…. erm, well….
Another memory was brought forth
The baby hatchling crying large bubbly tears as it sat in front of a pile of ash. Whilst an even younger Drago tried to console her
"Wait seriously?"
The sound of Preyas brought Drago out of memory lane, to find the Aquos bakugan rolling back in forth in dismay
"You don't have mountains of gold, man~~ That is so disappointing"
The blue bakugan did a sudden stop next to Tigrerra, unfolding himself as he smiled innocently at the tigress.
"What say you Kit-Kat" he said gleefully
Tigrerra stumbled back quickly, her previous amusement dissipating as Preyas continued, his red eyes sparkling
"We've had our share of secrets, but you have yet to add to the par~ty"
"Oh! Uh! Well, you see…" she glanced behind Preyas to Drago, hoping for some aid. The dragonoid tilted his head slightly, before shrugging and gesturing the Haos bakugan to take the stage. All yours
Tigrerra glanced back to Preyas, he was only growing more eager by the second. "H-Honestly there's no secrets all" "Oh really~"
Knock-Knock
Oh, thank goodness!
All conversations stopped as the door opened, a woman with long blonde curls and soft blue eyes poked her head through
Shouko's smiled as she laid eyes on her son. A sweet smell of lilies filling the room as she made her way over to the children
"There you are Marucho, I trust you and friends are enjoying yourselves" she crooned
The blond boy smiled as he turned his chair to her, behind him Dan and Runo gave her hesitant waves. Runo tried to smooth out her skirt, and Dan twisted his hands together, both unsure how to act around the socialite
Noticing their hesitance, Marucho subtly released his scent more. Their timidness eased as they started smelling the crisp pear scent from their friend. The comforting smell was reassuring
None of them noticed Shouko covering her mouth with her hand, in an attempt to hide her growing smile. She was secretly elated to finally meet the friends of her son, Marucho absolutely adored them.
It was rare that the Marukura family get the free time within their busy lives to spend the time together. But when they do, bakugan was all their son passionately talked about. And along with bakugan, came his friends
First it was Dan, alongside another boy, then came the girls.
In the beginning, her and Kyosuke were a little worried. What with the risks of meeting people online, and the concern of their son falling behind in his education
However, it seems that their concerns were for nought
The corners of her eyes crinkled fondly as she remembered Kyosuke's joy on the day when Marucho came to them about creating those Baku pods. He was overflowing with tears in the privacy of their bedroom, overwhelmed with pride for his only child
And now she got to finally meet the ones responsible for encouraging her little boy to shine. Warmth filled her as she removed her hand to gently caress the top of her son's head, before loosely wrapping her arms over the back of his chair to hug him
At the sudden attention, Marucho pressed back, a short low trill coming from the back of his throat as he looked up to blink at his mother. The action making her internally squeal
Hearing the sound made Preyas twitch from where he and the other bakugan stood still atop the desk
"Hi mom! We're having a great time. How's the party downstairs? I've sent the surveillance check to the security teams like I promised"
Shouko affectionately nuzzled her son's hair "It's starting to die down now; your friends are welcome to stay a bit longer if they wish"
Suddenly, she turned to Dan, eyes crinkling at the corners as she gave him a warm smile "Your mother left not long-ago Daniel. She's very lovely"
Blush dusted Dan's cheeks as he stammered at the sudden address "Oh uh, thank you. Yeah, my m-mom is really nice". How does she know my mom?
The socialite let out an airy chuckle before down to her son "Well, I should get back to your father. I'll leave you children be"
She gave her son a quick kiss on the forehead, with Marucho purring in response
As she left, Runo let out a dreamy sigh, causing Marucho and Dan to look quizzingly at her
The Haos brawler stood with her eyes closed, her posture relaxed as she leant against the desk, she was purring as she smelled the lingering flower smell in the room
"Oh, wow Marucho! Your mom's scent is just amazing, its like a meadow" she said dreamily
"Yeah" agreed Dan as he turned to the smaller boy. "I don't think I've ever smelled that kind of scent from any beta. Especially as one as rich as hers….?"
The boy trailed off as Marucho started giggling
Befuddled, he glanced questioningly to Runo. The girl stood with her mouth gaping as she stared, upon seeing Dan's look she shrugged her shoulders. Both turned to watch as their friend regain his composure
"Sorry" he said, a little mirth in his eyes as he smiled to them "Mom would be pleased though, that means her perfume is working"
Runo and Dan blinked at him, not sure if they heard him right. "Ugh? Perfume?" uttered Dan
Marucho nodded, puffing out his chest a little "It's part of her new scent blocker line" he said proudly
"As you know my parents like to work with multiple charities, my mom likes to work with organisations that aim to promote protection and welfare of human rights.
Some of the ones she is working with are aimed at protecting young omegas at risk. This scent blocker line is one of her products that is currently on a trial period before we can release it. The perfume has been designed to mask or reduce an individual's scent"
Dan rubbed his cheek. "So, if the perfume is supposed to hide a person's scent…and your mom is wearing it. Does mean she's not a beta?" he asked That actually explains the scent
The blond let out a pleasant chirp, pleased with how quickly his friend caught on. "Yep! She's really an alpha, and my dad is a beta"
Runo gasped at this as she quickly pushed herself off the desk, eyes widening as she spluttered "Serious! That's totally not what I expected, I thought your mom was a beta"
Marucho chuckled, his legs kicking back and forth lightly making the chair rock a little as he started explaining
"Many people assume so, some even think that she could be an omega. And majority believe that my dad is an alpha, solely just because he owns the company.
It happens so often that my parents have turned it into a kind of game, they wait to see who could guess right or how long it takes for them to figure it out"
Dan turned his head towards his blond friend and asked, "So am I right in guessing that you're a beta?"
"Correct" chirped Marucho
"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!"
Preyas leaped from the desk and right in the middle of the three, his back facing Marucho as he started yelling at the older kids
"Enough with the accusations!"
Accusations?
"I won't hear any more of your slanders What even is a 'beta' anyway? Six months on this planet and those 'alpha' and 'omega' slurs are all I ever hear, left, right and centre. You humans keep calling each other that"
As the blue bakugan continued to rant angrily, Tigrerra and Drago tried to get his attention away from their partners. Runo and Dan had to lean back from the worked up bakugan, giving each other and Marucho confused glances, which he returned back
"Well, they're not nice! And I appreciate if you didn't call my friend that either, I refuse to let him be bullied. What the heck are they supposed to mean anyway!"
'Bullied' mouthed Marucho, his eyes lit up as he realised what was going on, he couldn't stop himself from smiling a little, a warm feeling building up inside him. He better put a stop to it before any more misunderstandings could commence
"Hold on Preyas! Alpha, beta and omega are not slurs" he hurried
The bakugan stilled in his rage, "…..They're not….." he murmured
He then twirled to face Marucho "So, what do they mean?" he said in a much calmer voice. Those behind him face planted at the bakugan's quick change in attitude
"They're our genders" said the blond
A blank expression fell on the blue bakugan's face, not quite understanding what his brawler was getting at. "Genders? But you're a boy"
Drago flew up to the Aquos bakugan
"You're telling us that you've been on earth for six months, and you never figured out what those terms meant" he said in disbelief
Preyas nodded "Nope" he replied popping the 'p'
Drago loudly sighed in exasperation, growling lowly under his breath as he slowly shook his head
Tigrerra floated up between the two, separating them…just in case. The Haos bakugan then addressed Marucho
"I'm quite curious myself in this subject, I've only just begun to grasp your…second genders I believe, myself. When I first arrived on your planet I was under the same impression as Preyas, that you only had male or female genders. However, I realised that was not quite the case"
The tigress turned then turned to Runo "My lady, I had wanted to discuss this topic beforehand with you in private. However,…" the bakugan then nodded her head to Preyas.
"Perhaps, it may be best to have this discussion now. So that us bakugan can have a better understanding of our partners, and of humans in general.
Especially, if we are to be staying here in the long run"
Runo wrapped her arms around her as she thought back to her and her bakugan's recent time together. "Huh…Now that I think about it, you're right Tigrerra" the girl shrugged her shoulders
Marucho nodded his head as well, fingers thrumming on his desk. "I never really considered it myself. It's our own biological structure that it becomes so natural for us, that we never really needed to think about how strange our 'Second Genders' may seem to someone else"
The two then expectantly faced their resident Pyrus brawler
"Wha? Why are you looking at me like that?" sputtered Dan, taking a small step back as he was suddenly thrown on the spot
"Aren't you going to say anything about this?" questioned Runo, one eyebrow lifting up expectantly
"Yeah Dan, you and Drago both. Your both very calm about this" agreed Marucho
Preyas tried to poke the dragonoid, whilst keeping behind Tigrerra. "Yeah! What's the big deal Drago? You're not confused by all this second gender stuff?"
Drago moved further away from blue bakugan, ignoring the growing urge to bite him. He landed back onto the desk before rolling up closer to Dan's side. He unfurled, answering for both him and his boy
"We already talked about this. You humans and my species are not dissimilar to each other. With an exception from a few sub-species of dragonoids, we have a similar social structure to you human" he explained
A small crease appeared on Dan's forehead as he looked down at the dragonoid questioningly
"However, it should be noted that there are multiple species of bakugan, including sub-species" Drago finished
Marucho hummed, realising what the bakugan was meaning "That explains why Preyas was confused. His species doesn't have that social structure, or biological one either"
The blond turned to both Preyas and Tigrerra "I take it that means you just have a basic gender structure of male and female then?"
The two nodded their confirmation.
"So, uh? How are we going to explain this to them?" asked Runo unsurely, as she gave the boys questioning looks
The Aquos brawler swivelled his chair around to sit properly at his computer and started to type away.
"Easy! We could just use this education program video; most schools have started using this approach to teach a lot of younger children, before they go into junior high"
As this was going on Dan leaned over to Drago, using one hand to muffle the sound as he whispered to him "How come, you never mentioned the similarities. You could have saved me some face"
Drago twitched, thanking the core that he was a Pyrus attribute, that way his partner couldn't see his own embarrassment
"I…We had a lot going on that day, it honestly never crossed my mind" Dan narrowed his eyes at him as he huffed, standing back straight. The boy let out a slight hiss as his back ached, reminding him that apart from Marucho and the bakugan, him and Runo have been standing on their feet most of the time
As if sensing his line of thought, Runo spoke up "Hey Marucho. That's a 10-minute video, you wouldn't happen to have anymore chairs to rest on would you"
Marucho made a confused blink, then his face heated up and he started bowing his head at the two, making apologies for being a bad host. Dan and Runo were quickly waving their hands, trying to reassure them
Once calmer Marucho directed Dan to some spare chairs for himself and Runo. The bakugan settled themselves to watch the video on the jumbo screen.
~ Ten Minutes Later ~
"Sheesh! You humans are a complicated bunch aren't you" bemoaned Preyas, his head dizzy from taken in all the information "And I thought my family was bad"
"On the contrary, I found it quite fascinating" disputed Tigrerra as she returned to Runo's side, jumping onto her lap. Runo quickly putting her phone away to catch the Haos bakugan, cupping Tigrerra between her hands
Preyas shrugged, he then somersaulted on top Marucho's head, causing the boy to jump and his glasses to slip down his nose. Giving the rambunctious bakugan an annoyed look as he the fixed them
"I guess it does explain your actions. But ma~an that is a lot to take in, makes me glad I skipped out on my own before my family gave me the talk" cheered Preyas
As the bakugan's words sunk in, Marucho's eyes lit up "Preyas?" he called promptly
The blue bakugan peered to look down the blond's head curiously "Yes Muchacho?"
"You mentioned your family. What are they like?" Marucho asked eagerly making as much eye contact as he could, given the two's positions. Wishing to know more about the bakugan
Preyas beamed, more than happy to answer "Oh we're a big group. There were my parents, multiple siblings, my parent's siblings and their children. Oh! and other kinds of Aquos bakugan too! We lived at a watering hole, had a great waterfall too, it was like hakuna matata there"
The salamander was enjoying the happy look on the boy's face, he started doing somersaults in the air, being mindful to land lightly this time on his newfound charge's head
"A lot of my family liked being close, but not all my species does, we're quite diverse and adaptable you see. It's a personal preference.
Some like a community with different bakugan where they can benefit from one another, some of my cousins branched out to start their own families"
This time he only did a small jump, puffing up in pride. "And then there's salamanders like me! It was getting too crowded, so…I left. Becoming the free spirited me that I am, traveling the Aquos dimension to see the sights"
As the Aquos duo continued to talk, her curiosity grew. Licking her lips slightly, Runo lifted Tigrerra so she could speak more levelled with her
"What about you Tigrerra? Have you got a family too?" approached the girl
Tigrerra flipped around and nodded to her "I do, not quite as big as Preyas, however. You can liken my species to your world's tigers. Although we're normally quite solitary creatures, we can form strong family bonds.
My mother raised my sister and I until we were old enough to travel on our own. We travelled together for a little while, she soon found herself a mate and decided to stay with them instead"
Runo perked at the mention of Tigress' sister "Your sister! Is she on earth too, and the mate another Tigrus bakugan?"
"Her mate was a leopard type bakugan. And I believe my sister and her family are still on Vestroia. Last I saw of them they were doing quite well"
Whilst the four were busy, Drago gravitated back to Daniel's side. The boy seemed to have relaxed quite a bit, content in reading the messages on his phone whilst his friends talked amongst themselves, he watched as the boy used his free hand to cover up a yawn
Dan hardly reacted when Drago landed in the crook of his neck and shoulder, he did give the bakugan an acknowledgement by tilt his head a little in the Pyrus' direction
His head was a little fuzzy as everyone's scents mixing, but it wasn't an unpleasant feeling. On the contrary, it was a bit like being wrapped in a soft cocoon of blankets
He really wanted to take a nap, barely restraining the urge to start purring in front of everyone. In need of a distraction, he side-eyed his bakugan and started to whisper again, not wanting to interrupt everyone else
"Do you have any family Drago? You said before that you have packs, were you apart of one?"
Drago pondered for a moment on what to tell the boy, the dragon not being used to others asking about him…apart from certain exceptions
Whilst not being a rare species, dragonoids were very conservative, interacting mainly with their own species.
Contact with other bakugan was rare. If there was, it normally led to dispute of some kind. Henceforth, how the so-called myths came about….
…. there may have been a little bit of truth towards Preyas' claims of them being volatile
Some dragonoids…. have a bit of a …. temper
…
…. Drago being one of them
His fight with Dan had made him realise some truths about himself. Perhaps it wouldn't hurt to open a little more with others
"I…left my nest as soon as I could. I was a single egg in my own clutch, and when it was time for me to leave, the sibling that I did bond with were still very young" he said slowly. "And although I had multiple offers to join a pack, I turned them down, I wasn't interested at the time"
"So, you were on your own mostly then" Dan then flashed the bakugan a grin "No girlfriends?" he teased, eyes glinting
Drago rolled into a ball and gently ran into a sensitive spot on the boy's neck, making Dan shiver slightly.
The bakugan went backwards to Dan's shoulder "Nice try. But that is a story for another time". Drago chuckled as the brawler slumped his shoulder's a little
"Okay! Let's get this straight!" announced Preyas as he continued to jump excitedly on Marucho's head. The boy grimaced as his glasses started to slip again, he reached out to gently grab the Aquos bakugan
"HEY WHAT HAPPENED TO THE LIGHTS!"
Marucho opened his fist more allowing the salamander's head to peek out and start looking around "Oh? There they are"
As soon as Marucho set him down on his desk the bakugan started talking
"So Marucho is a beta. Am I right?"
At the boy's nod he turned to Runo and Dan, "And you two? You also betas, or alpha? You don't seem like the last one" he asked
Before Dan could get the chance to answer, Runo spoke up "Both betas" she said leaning back against her chair, shrugging her shoulders in a dismissive manner "Are parents are betas so why wouldn't we be. Beta's breed betas"
Dan felt his mouth go dry, stomach twisting a little at the girl's answer. He didn't know why, but the girl's answer just felt a little…. wrong to him
The way she said it was like his teacher…. Presumptuous
Unfortunately, the others started speaking before he could correct the bluette. The boy sighed heavily, and just slouched in to his own chair, not noticing his bakugan giving him a look
"Okay, and what about your gal pals? Little miss red and lady silver?"
At the nicknames both Drago and Tigrerra rounded on Preyas making him jump
He shrank in on himself as they both started to chastise him "Preyas!" "Start showing some respect!"
Unable to take it anymore he started bowing to them
"Eeep! I'm sorry, okays! I meant to say Alice and Julie!"
Marucho tried to think back to any conversations he's had with the two, he could recall any of them bringing up their gender. He jumped when a familiar voice spoke up…. It was a little quiet though
"Julie's a beta"
Turning to Dan, the five members of their group looked at him quizzingly. "And you know that how?" demanded Runo, cocking her head
Dan half shrugged from his slumped posture in his chair, his arms wrapped around his stomach
Thinking back to his own conversations with the Aussie, despite her fangirl crush on him, she was actually kind of cool. The two have them having spent long conversations with each other on their favourite shows or what's been happening in their lives lately, that's not bakugan related
Keeping his face was stoic as he replied nonchalantly
"She told me a while ago back, she also mentioned that her parents are betas, but her sister Daisy I think is an alpha"
Before anyone could question the boy's sudden change in demeanour, Preyas changed the subject "And Alice?"
Runo moved Tigrerra to her lap, interlocking her hands and stretching them out in front of her. "She's an alpha. She told me herself, during one of our private chats"
This information surprised the bakugan and Marucho, blinking their eyes as they processed the information
"Seriously? She doesn't seem like the dominant, confident alpha type. I thought she was an omega" exclaimed Preyas
"I believe that's called stereotyping Preyas" told Drago, "Appearances are not always what they appear to be"
Marucho nodded "That's true, we can't control what we our second gender can present as. Everyone has as much chance to present as either of the genders, no matter what your parents may be"
Runo let out a confused chirp "That's not what my aunt told me" She muttered."She always says that you marry into the same gender, and you give birth to the same, that's how the cycle goes"
The boys frowned at her. Dan pursed his lips as he looked at her a little concerned "That's a really outdated view Runo, your aunt sounds a little…uh?"
"Like at a stuck-up" finished the bluette nodding her head
"Runo!" admonished Tigrerra, not expecting her brawler to say such things about her own family
The girl just shrugged as she flapped her hand dismissively "Well she is. Dad hates it when she comes over, she's always criticising the restaurant…."
Everyone sweat dropped as she continued to rant. Tigrerra started calling out to her brawler. "Runo? Runo!"
The girl gave a slight jump, before looking down at her bakugan "Uh? What is it Tigrerra? Something wrong?"
The sweat drops got bigger, some of the group's faces shadowed slightly as a unanimous thought was unspoken amongst them
You have got to be kidding?!
In an attempt to clear the atmosphere Preyas cleared his throat, attracting everyone's attention
"Okay. Can we get back to the 'whose who?' conversation now"
"I think we got it pretty much all summed up, Preyas" replied Marucho
"Really?" asked the bakugan to his partner, at the blonde's nod the bakugan spoke again
"Alright! So, we've got a beta and alpha abroad, and three betas in the room.
"…Two betas actually"
Four pairs of eyes turned to Dan as he spoke up. Suddenly feeling a little self-conscious, the boy averted his eyes, absently rubbing his fingertips over the fabric of his gloves.
Drago pressed a little into Dan's neck, trying to give the boy a little assurance
"You've got two actually…I'm not a beta"
Preyas flapped his wings. "So, you're an alpha? Cause you seem more the type, really giving the vibes"
Dan shook his head "Nu-uh" he said. Taking a deep breath and then letting it out, the boy told the truth. "I haven't presented yet" he murmered, giving the others a half shrug
"Wait! Serious?" loudly exclaimed Runo as she stared incredulous at him, next to her Marucho flinched a little at the sharp tone of the girl's voice
Dan lightly gritted his teeth as he replied stiffly to her, "Yes. Runo I am"
"Kinda late to present isn't it?" she questioned curiously
Even though he knew the girl wasn't meaning anything by the question, Dan couldn't stop the slight eye twitch, his shoulder's tensing again. It's like the beginning of the school year all over again
"So! it's normal to be late. Nothing wrong with that" he said tersely, a low growl threatening from his throat. His grip tightening on his elbows as he glared at the Haos brawler slightly
Wincing at the harsh tone, the bluette started to sense that maybe she said something she shouldn't have. She Tilting her head back a little to bare her neck her scent softening to a light coffee smell. Raising her hands up at upset boy sitting in front of her, "No, no, you're right. Totes normal" she backtracked
Upon her display of submission, the brunet eased off the girl. He then awkwardly glanced over to his over friend. Marucho hadn't said a word during the whole exchange, he didn't think he was…biased. But then, that's what he thought about his classmates at first at school
That explains why his scent is a little weak, it just not developed fully yet thought the blond as he thrummed his finger on the chair's armrest. He then noticed the uneased look Dan was given him
Feeling a little sheepish, he completely forgot about everyone else in the room. He smiled reassuringly at the elder boy
"I wouldn't worry about it too much Dan. It's happens to a lot of people"
The Pyrus brawler's face felt his cheeks heat up as he stammered quickly at the boy "W-Who said I was w-worried. I'm not worried"
Runo cooed, as she flashed Dan a teasing grin
"Aww, look at you" the girl brought her hands to her cheeks as smiled doing a wee happy dance whilst seated in the chair
"Were you scared? Did think we'd longer be friends or something" she teased, her smile replicating Dan's earlier cheshire grin
"W-What No!" exclaimed Dan
The Aquos brawler quirked his lips down briefly, something about Runo's words unsettled him slightly. He chewed on his lip slightly before grinning
The boy then pushed against his desk letting his chair roll over towards Dan, who jumped at the sudden invasion of his personal space. The shorter boy then flicked his finger against the brunet's forehead
Dan jumped, bringing a hand up to rub at his forehead "What the heck Marucho!"
"That's for being an idiot Dan" the blond chuffed as he rolled his chair back, his eyes crinkling
Feeling quite pleased with the other two's actions, Drago jumped closer to his boy's ear
"Guess not all humans are so bad" he whispered low enough that only Dan could hear
With his hand and arm still covering his face, Dan finally let out a smile of his own. A barely noticeable tremble in his voice as he whispered back
"Yeah…I guess not"
Some personnel head-cannons that went through my head as I wrote this chapter:
Dan is a little self-concious over the fact he hasn't presented yet. He and Julie are online besties
Marucho has very loving parents
Bakugan are portrayed similar to real life animals. Preyas is a mix of Salamander/Lizard/Bird. He also hates birds :P
Drago has some personality issues of his own
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