Somewhere in the back of her mind, Videl heard her best friend's voice ringing in her head, telling her to bring a sweater. She wished she had listened to her. It was too cold in the bank, for one thing. Satan City was well-known for its early winters, a fact that she always seemed to forget.
There was also the fact that she was sitting on the chilly marble floor, legs curled under her for support, with her wrists roughly tied in front of her. Videl had an inkling that the protective layer of a full-sleeved sweater would have reduced the intensity of the red marks forming on her skin. She made a mental note to start incorporating more layers than a T-shirt into her wardrobe.
Videl wouldn't normally let tied up wrists stop her from beating up your run of the mill bank robbers, particularly late at night when the bank was empty and there were no hostages to worry about. Her trainers always told her that her strength was in her legs, after all. The robbers had apparently figured the same thing; that was probably why they had tied her ankles together as well. Thankfully, she had chosen to wear yoga pants, the same black as her T-shirt, so she was spared of excessive chafing there.
The whole team of robbers seemed amateur enough. Five men, ski masks over their face, holding guns in the uncomfortable manner of someone who doesn't normally use guns in their day to day life. The police hadn't even called her; she had been walking home from Erasa's house, and saw them breaking into the bank from the shadows. She had handled bank robberies dozens of times before. How was she to have known that Lady Luck would choose tonight of all nights to abandon her.
Truth be told, it was embarrassing that she had been captured at all. She barely got captured twice a year, and not at all since that Saiyaman character had shown up on the scene.
As the thought crossed her mind, Videl's eyes rolled of their own accord. Oh, he would love this. The past four months, she was lucky if she handled a police situation without him. Maybe that was why she had rushed to save the bank first. It was with a sinking feeling in her heart that she realized they hadn't yet tripped the alarm, and she hadn't bothered to call the police for back-up. Fuck. She'd have kicked herself for that, if her ankles weren't tied together.
All things considered, she felt relatively safe. The robbers were ignoring her for the most part, save for the one holding a gun to her head. The rest of them were busy breaking into the safes, and carrying over the money into their duffel bags. Even the man watching over her kept looking over his shoulder at the gathering wealth. Videl guessed he'd be the first to suggest swimming in fresh bills, if the robbery was successful. Too bad she wouldn't let it be.
Slowly, very deliberately, she had been moving her legs under her, feet flexed and ready to spring her at her temporary bodyguard. Now, she just had to wait for the right moment to strike. When the man turned his head towards his companions for the umpteenth time, Videl steeled herself and launched herself full-force.
She hit her mark- her head and shoulder collided with her captor and knocked the gun out of his hand. It hit the ground with a clatter a few feet away. The others heard the commotion and with a cry or so of "Hey, stop that!" they ran over to her. She then jumped onto his foot and elbowed him away, propelling herself to where the gun had landed. No sooner had she knelt down to pick it up, was she surrounded again, this time by four of them (the fifth was still doubled over by her elbowing, much to her satisfaction). She very slowly rose to her feet, gun cradled in her tied up arms.
"Drop the gun, bitch," one of them ordered. Videl stared at him.
"Well, I just got this gun, so why would I put it down," she punctuated every word with mock confusion, "How would you feel if I told you to put your money back?"
"I ain't playing, you little cunt," his raspy voice was probably fabricated to disguise himself. Videl wondered if she should tell him not to bother- she had a horrible memory for faces and voices.
"No, you're robbing, and you should get back to it." She nodded to the duffel bags, "Just pretend I'm not here, I won't even make a sound. Give or take a few gunshots."
The guy practically growled at that. "Hold her down." he said. Two of the men in the group moved towards her. Videl backed away in small hops, swallowing. She was holding the gun, sure, but with wrists tightly tied, she wasn't able to aim, much less fire. They reached her soon enough, each one grabbed her by the shoulder to prevent further movement. Fuck. Fuckfuckfuck. Her heart was hammering in her chest. She focused on steady breaths to calm herself down as the raspy-voiced man closed the distance between them. The ski mask covered his face, but Videl imagined he was smirking underneath.
He stopped a few inches away from her and eyed her appreciatively, "Well, shit, I don't know whether to punch you or kiss you." He let out a derisive laugh, "Heh, maybe I'll do both, right, guys?" He was close enough for her to smell his stale breath. Videl was partly grateful she was held so tightly- it hid any trembling she may or may not be doing. Her eyes darted around, looking for anything she could use as a weapon.
"Maybe you'll be dead before you do either."
The robbers all glanced around the dark interior of the bank, the only light coming from the solitary fluorescent lantern they'd brought. Videl quickly searched the perimeter of the bank that was visible to her from her stationary position. He must be in the shadows. As the robbers let her go, to get a better hold on their guns, Videl wanted to sink to her knees. Saiyaman was watching, however, so really she had no choice but to stand in place on weak knees.
Oh, wait, he can fly. She and the bank robber had the same idea. They looked up simultaneously, and there he was. Floating up near the ceiling, arms at his sides. The colors still seemed too bright to her, even in the dimness. He lowered down slowly.
"Hi," she called to him, "It's been, what, a week? Must be a record for you."
"No need to worry, Miss," One day she'd tell him his fake deep voice was overkill, "You're safe now."
It was irony that the man she had attacked had been sneaking behind her, and chose that moment to grab her upper arm, holding the gun against her head. He yanked her backwards, knocking off her balance and being supported only by the robber. Perfect, being a prop in my own fight. Videl's mood was turning decidedly sour.
"Yeah, I feel really safe right now," She'd slow-clap her hands if she could.
"I'm asking for one day you don't exercise sarcasm while your life is in potential danger, Miss," He sounded irritated. Good.
Some days she wondered why she disliked him so much. Probably the notion that he thought she needed saving every single time the police called her. A month ago, when he had saved her from a burning building, the police had offered him a communicative watch of his own. Videl had felt bile rise in her throat, she almost threw up on the spot; she had been nothing but cold to Saiyaman ever since.
"Shut up!" The man with a gun to her head was panicking- Videl could feel him shake as he held on to her. She worried for a second that she may actually get shot. She'd been shot at before, but at this range she may not quite survive.
Saiyaman jumped into a fighting stance, and jumped into thin air. Her hijacker was looking around frantically. Videl had seen this before, so it was no surprise that when he resurfaced, a foot away from them, the other four burglars fell over, passed out from the super speed blows Saiyaman had just dealt.
"Okay, I'm going to make this easy for you." He stated. His voice was seething with anger. He went practically rigid. God, she thought, does he even need to be this angry. "You let her go. And I don't break all your bones. You don't, and I do break all of your bones. Got it?"
"Y-you think I don't know a bluff when I see one?" The burglar's voice had gone high pitched and raspy. Clearly, he didn't know a bluff when he saw one. Videl, once again, felt a little twinge of anger. If she'd ever say that, it would be met with laughter and condescending darlings and sweethearts.
Saiyaman took a step towards them and the robber balked. "I'm letting her go! I'm letting her go- okay, buddy?" He pushed her back to her upright stance (considerate of him), backed away from her and inched towards the gate, "Just-uh, untie her and I'll disappear and you'll never see m-" he let out a sickening groan as Saiyaman transported behind him and lightly chopped the back of his neck, sending him to the ground.
Videl was sad to see him go. That left her alone with Saiyaman. Despite a dead mother and absent father, Videl got a prickling in the back of her neck that signaled an incoming lecture.
He moved over to her and knelt down to untie her legs. "Where are the police, Videl?" his voice was flat. His head was bent over, hiding the exposed part of his face.
"Using my first name, wow," She tried a weakly to lighten the mood, "I must be in trouble." When he looked up at her, she flashed him a small smile, only a tiny bit sarcastic. He didn't smile back. His mouth was a hard line, jaw clenched. Oh, she thought. She didn't want him mad at her. She wanted to be mad at him, for barging into her life and ruining any fear or respect she had gained.
"Where are they?" Same tone, same face. Videl switched tactics to a more honest approach.
"I, uh, didn't call them," She tried not sounding guilty; not that she had anything to feel sorry for, anyway. Gohan opened his mouth, either in shock or to respond. She cut him off, "Look, this was supposed to be easy. I've done this before."
"Yes, look how well you've handled it," he was still frowning, but Videl preferred sarcasm to passive-aggressive lack of expression.
"I am alive and relatively uninjured, okay?" after being aimed at with a gun for the past twenty minutes, she didn't care for a goddamn superhero questioning her ability.
"And if I hadn't arrived when I did, what do you think would have happened?" The rope snapped. She figured he stopped trying to untie it, and just tore it apart. He stayed where he was, undoing the tight loops wound around her ankles. As the pressure slackened, pins and needles crept up her legs.
"I would have thought of something. You don't need superpowers to think." She flipped her bangs away from her face with a shake of her head.
"Stop being so goddamn defensive for a second." He rose to full height, forcing her to lean away and crane her neck to maintain eye contact. Are we even making eye contact? With the reflective visor, in front of his eyes, it was difficult to tell. "I can't believe you need me to spell it out. You could've gotten hurt. You could've died."
"I understand the consequences of my actions. I'm not some child." She snapped, "It's precisely because I take action despite the consequences that I've been able to help people and save lives at all."
"Don't turn this into some kind of principle." He took her wrists in his gloved hands, starting to untie the knots binding her, "You could have prevented this robbery and taken ten seconds to call the police."
"Don't you mean call you?" The words were out of her mouth before she could think. Saiyaman froze, hands on the ropes around her wrists. He didn't say anything.
Videl really could have kicked herself then. She had definitely thought about this before- it was hard not to. Every tabloid wondered about the affair they were supposedly having, and it was rather telling he'd only ever intercept crimes she was already involved in. She had just never planned on bringing it up. Shit.
"Call whoever you want, so long as you don't end up dead on the street." He said quietly. He turned his attention back to the knots.
"Whether or not I end up dead on the street is none of your business, just by the way!" She stamped her foot, not caring how childish it was, "I can't fucking cross the street anymore without you making a huge show stopping an eighteen wheeler with a single hand."
"I get it, I get it, okay?" he hissed, "I've made your life so much harder, by stopping you from getting run over. God, I hope I don't get sent to hell." The ropes fell away from her arms.
Videl felt an uneasy pain settle into her chest. She didn't mean to sound so accusatory. Sure, he was annoying, but he'd just been helping. Never made a move, never been even remotely creepy about what he did. Even so, she had issues building up in her over the past few months, and now seemed as good a time as any to bring them up.
She rubbed her reddened wrists absently, "Look it's just. I don't need you to save me. I can do just fine on my own. You should focus on the crimes and people that need you, you know? The cases I'm not there for, the victims that have never thrown a punch."
Saiyaman nodded stiffly. Videl stared at him, trying to figure out what he was thinking. A few moments later, she realized how close they were standing and decided this was as good a time as any to make her exit. She took a hasty step backwards, only to get her foot caught in the loosened loops around her legs. She tipped backwards, squeezing her eyes shut as she rapidly approached the floor.
She eventually re-opened her eyes when, instead of crashing into hard marble, she stopped halfway to the ground with an arm wrapped around her waist. He'd had to lean over her to catch her, his face looming over hers. His mouth was twitching- he seemed to be trying not to smile. She wrapped her arms around his neck instinctively, narrowing her eyes.
"Well, are you gonna let me go anytime soon, or…?" if he smirked, she was going to slap him.
"Oh, yes, absolutely going to let you go," he said cheerfully, not moving a muscle, "Just wondering if you wanted to add anything to your little speech earlier. About you not needing any saving from the likes of me."
She felt her cheeks burn, feeling the blood coarse through her ears. She fought the urge to squirm in his warm grasp, trying to think of a response. As the seconds raced by, her mind stayed blank. She could only stare at the slow spreading smirk on his face. The lack of blood and feeling in her arms indicated that slapping him wouldn't be as effective as she wanted.
He finally pulled her upright with a chuckle. "I'm a little too invested at this point to watch you get run over by a truck in the name of agency. Sorry, Miss."
"You don't sound even remotely sorry." She hated the way her voice wobbled slightly.
"No, no, I am extremely remorseful, trust me."
Videl couldn't spend another minute feeling so stupid. She had to gain equal ground fast. Noticing he still had his arm around her, she realized she was in the perfect position to unmask this smug piece of garbage. She just had to distract him.
She unfurrowed her brow and tried her best to look vulnerable, "Look, it's just hard, okay? One day you're the one helping everybody, and the next," Videl dropped her gaze to his ridiculous, green tunic-coated chest, "The next, there's this guy who can do impossible things, and everyone starts seeing you as just a girl again." She slowly moved her hands towards his jaw.
Saiyaman, predictably, jumped to console her.
"Just a girl who can jump onto building from moving helicopters and doge bullets, sure." He placed his free hand under her chin, tilting her gaze upwards, "Videl, my lending a hand occasionally in no way negates how incredibly brave and capable you are."
Videl felt lightheaded hearing that. This was a bonafide superhero that lifted buses with a single hand, calling her incredible. On auto-pilot, her hands slowly slid the strap of his helmet off his chin, one millimeter at a time, "You're using the word occasionally very loosely, here."
He moved his head closer to her. "Is it so hard to have me looking out for you?" he whispered.
"Is it so hard to trust me when I say I'll be fine?" If he had super-hearing, he could probably hear her hammering heartbeat loud and clear.
"A little," He was inches away from her. At that moment, the strap slid off, and she immediately grabbed his helmet to yank it off in one swift motion. And that is exactly what she would have done, had Saiyaman not chosen at that moment to disappear.
Videl cried out as sudden friction stung her hands. Heat radiated from her palms as they glowed pink. She moved them up and down to cool off in the chilly air as she looked around the bank. He was gone. Shit. She waited a few more minutes, then rang the fire alarm and walked out.
As she stepped out into the street, she tried not thinking about how cold she was without his body heat. He hadn't really been about to kiss her, had he? What was he expecting? For one thing, that stupid bloody helmet would get in the way, so he'd have to remove it regardless. She kicked a lying can out into the road. There was hardly anyone else around; it must be near one in the morning, at this point, and Satan City's mandatory midnight curfew had cleared the streets an hour ago. She wondered how awkward this fiasco would make her working life.
And a few days later, she realized, not so much. Saiyaman seemed content to never bring it up again. With the CCTV at the bank disabled by the thieves, there was no record or indication of their encounter. Save for the helmet he had traded in for a turban and shades.