"Hey Marble?" Blossom looked over to her friend haphazardly from the other side of the room. The Marowak looked up from the club he was polishing back to her with a quizzical expression. He was used to random questions from his rosy friend, so the prompting wasn't to out of the ordinary.
"Yeah? What's up?" He nonchalantly replied, setting down the rag he was using to clean his club as to give Blossom full attention. When he saw her however, it struck him that she wasn't as composed and suave as she usually was. There wasn't even a hint of her usual flirty nature. "Is everything okay?" To this, Blossom's head perked up, the milky white petals on her head bobbing slightly. Marble always found that a bit cute, but he wouldn't dare say it out loud.
"I'm just fine, thank you dearie." The Roserade assures him, the last word putting a slight tinge of red of her partner's skull. She puts a flowery hand to her chin and seems to ponder something for a bit. "I'm curious though, what exactly scares you?"
The question catches Marble a bit off, but he soon recovers. He puts a hand to his cheek and his eyes drift to the sky, as I he was trying to look through his brain. After a small while, he responds.
"Well, a lot of things. You kinda know most of them." He said with a hint of humor in his voice. He holds one of his hands in front of him as to count without any actual fingers. "I'm scared of water, abandoned houses, dark caves, all that stuff. Heck, I've scared myself looking in a mirror at night." The last comment got a chuckle out of Blossom, which only made Marble smile underneath his skull.
"Well I do certainly remember those~" She mused. Blossom composed herself once again, that serious face once again showing itself. They sat in silence for a while. Finally, Marble spoke up again as to break the tension that was settling back in.
"Well, what about you? What are you scared of?"
The question seems to be one Blossom was dreading, as she slightly shudders and stays quiet. The silence was killing Marble, and he worried that the question was a sensitive topic for her.
"S-sorry if that's a ba-"
"You." Blossom blurts out. Her bright magenta eyes focusing intently on her feet. The answer surprised Marble, only to quickly turn to concern.
"M-me?! I-is it because I'm a fire type? Or does the burn mark on my skull freak you out? I'm really sorry if it does I'll try to cover it u-"
"What?! No no no! It's nothing like that!" Blossom exclaimed, waving her hands towards him and feeling sorry for making Marble upset. She takes a deep breath, then continues her train of thought. "It's nothing like that. It's just, well..."
"Well what...?"
"I'm scared that you'll look in the mirror one day and see yourself the way I see you." Her eyes started to water and her breathing became shaky. "You'll realize how great a person you are, and see that you deserve so much better than me..."
To this, Marble stood up with a deeply panicked look. He walked over to Blossom, her tears falling to the carpet below where she was sitting. He kneeled in front of her, and with little hesitation put a hand to one of her bouquets. She looked up to him with sorrow filled eyes. Marble gently wipes a tear from her face before speaking up.
"Blossom...what do you mean by that?" He worriedly asked her, keeping his hands on hers.
"I'm...terrified you'll leave me..." She choked out, only to sob more. Seeing not only his contest partner, but his dear friend like this tore him up inside. He wanted to cry, but held the tears back as to not make the situation worse. Suddenly, he pulled her into a warm embrace. The act left a surprised look on Blossoms face and she turned to look at Marble. "Marble, wha-"
"Please, don't say things like that." Marble gently told her, tightening his grip. "Who did I meet in the forest as a little Cubone?"
"M-me..."
"And who did I help get a shiny stone for so we could evolve at the same time?"
"Me."
"And who did I win my first contest with?"
"Me!"
Marble holds her hands up with his, a fierce look of resolve in his eyes. It was an expression he rarely ever wore, but when he did you knew he was serious.
"Then promise me you won't act like none of that ever happened." Marble asked her, his expression softening. Upon hearing this, Blossom gives him a grateful smile.
"I...I promise you. Thank you Marble." She kindly replied, putting his forehead to his. "Now, shall we meet up with the others?"
"Yes, we shall" he said with a nod.
Suddenly, a sly grin creeps along Blossom's face. "Oh, one more thing dearie?"
Marble looks up at her, and before he can even say a word, she pecks him on the cheek of his skull. Blossom then stands up and walks out, leaving an extremely flustered Marble on the ground.
