Hey guys! Wow, I haven't written a oneshot in a while, so this feels nice! Now that I'm in the groove of things, and I'm not in such a rush anymore, I feel pretty content with this one! ^_^ Although, Pan is kind of a tsundere, but that's fine. ^^ Dedicated to TeeLee123, this is a request oneshot. ^^
Disclaimer: I don't own Dragon Ball. Or any other anime, for that record. *cries*
Ages:
Pan—21
Bulla—21
Goten—25
Trunks—25
Trunks wasn't sure why, but he felt like today was going to be different. Today, he was going to have fun, for once. Always locked up in his office at Capsule Corps, always signing papers…it was annoying.
Today would be a relaxing day. He would take the day off and have some much needed "Me" time. He deserved it, especially after how his business had hit the market so well last month. He had nothing to worry about at this point.
Yes, he needed to relax.
His eyes closed, putting his arms behind his head, the epitome of relaxed. Today was just one of those days where staying in bed seemed the most appealing. All he had to do was call his secretary, Amy, and let her know that he wasn't going to come into work.
The woman picked up the phone on the first ring. "Hello, Capsule Corps, this is Amy speaking."
"Hey Amy. This is Trunks."
"Oh!" she sounded flustered. "Hello, sir!"
"I won't be coming in today. Just wanted to let you know."
"O-Okay," the woman stammered. "Have a nice day, sir!"
"You, too." And with that, Trunks ended the call on his cellphone, smacking it shut with an audible snap. A content smile spread across his face. Today was his to do as he pleased, and he felt giddy. He so deserved this.
But how to spend it?
Go off to the mall and shop with his sister and Goten, her boyfriend? (He still hadn't gotten over that; the fact that his best friend was dating his sister still grossed him out).
Go spar with his father? (But then again, his dad would certainly wind up getting too competitive and damage his internal organs…no. Just no. Trunks was definitely not going to do this).
Help his mother with one of her inventions?
Trunks hesitated. He had always been good at fixing things. Not necessarily good at inventing, like his mother—he wasn't as smart as she was—but he was certainly good at fixing things. In fact, whenever he was working on something mechanical, it usually managed to make him feel calmer.
Helping his mother it was, then.
After getting dressed in a simple blue T-shirt and jeans, he powered up his Ki and flew off towards his family's residence.
Two minutes later, and he found himself at the doorstep of his house. Without bothering to knock he pulled out one of the spare keys he always had and opened the door. Bulla, who was sitting on the nearby sofa watching TV, jumped up as soon as she saw him and embraced him, a wide smile on her face.
"Hey, Trunks!" she greeted. And then she pouted, putting her hands on her hips. "You haven't called or visited us in ages! Way to be a stranger, Bro!"
Trunks laughed at her dramatics. Some things never changed. "Sorry about that. I've been really busy. But I'm taking today off."
"Nice," said Bulla, grinning at him. "Friday, huh? Now you get a three-day weekend."
Trunks raised an eyebrow at her. "You're right. It is Friday today. Tell me, why are you not at school right now? Shouldn't you be in class?"
"Oh, that," said Bulla, waving a hand. "I can't go today. I'm taking care of Pan."
Trunks blinked. "Pan? Is something wrong with her?"
"She's sick," said Bulla. "It's really bad, too. She keeps throwing up. Can't hold any food down at all. Her parents are out of town, and she didn't want to be alone, so she called me and had me get her and bring her here. Mom and Dad didn't mind, so she's currently taking your old room."
As if on cue, a cough emitted from upstairs.
"See?" said Bulla, shaking her head sadly. "Poor thing. I'm probably going to have to check up on her soon."
It surprised Trunks that Pan hadn't called him to tell him that she was sick. He lived closer towards her, after all, and the two of them were just as close as she was with Bulla, if not closer. It was shocking that she hadn't called him for help when she was sick—offensive, almost. Did she really not trust him as much?
A frown formed on his face. He hadn't talked to Pan in…what, two months? What had happened? Usually she texted him and he would reply, and vice versa. They would always keep in touch. What happened the last few months that she wouldn't try to talk to him anymore?
A horrible thought occurred to Trunks. What if Pan had a boyfriend, and was too distracted to even think of Trunks now?
"Anyway," said Bulla, snapping Trunks out of his reverie, "what brings you here, besides being on your day off? I highly doubt you came just to chat."
"I wanted to help Mom with her inventions," Trunks replied, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "I figured she might need some help. I wanted to do something productive, and I figured coming here would be the best solution."
"Mm."
Upstairs another cough was heard, and a weak, "Bulla….water…please…" emitted from the second floor. If it wasn't for the Saiyan heritage the two siblings shared, neither of them would have heard it.
"If you want, I can go bring it to her," said Trunks, noticing how tired his sister looked. "How long has she been staying here, anyway?"
"About…two days," Bulla said, nodding her head. She fell back against the couch and let out a sigh of relief. "Please do. Although I love Pan, being a caretaker for her is really hard. I was kept awake all night last night by her coughing and retching." She shook her head. "I hope we don't catch it."
Trunks headed off into the kitchen and went to the cabinets, searching until he found a clear glass that he quickly filled with water. He all but dashed up the stairs and barged into Pan's room just as she was having another coughing fit.
The sight of his Pan looking so weak made him fill up with worry. She was ashen, sweat plastering her hair to her forehead. She was coughing into her hand so violently that it was shaking her whole body, and there was a little molehill of tissues beside her. When she was done coughing, she glanced over at him.
Immediately, her eyes widened with horror.
"No!" she cried, her voice raspy. "Don't look at me! I look awful!"
Trunks cracked a smile at that. Leave it to her to worry about how she looks rather than how she's feeling. Must be a girl thing.
"Here's your water, Pan," he said, handing her the cup, which she grabbed thankfully. "I hear you're not feeling so good. Why didn't you call me? I would've gone to your house and just take care of you there. You know I would've."
Pan took a small sip of water, wincing slightly. Her throat must have been hurting.
"I didn't want to bother you," she finally said. "You never returned my calls, so I didn't bother. I got the message, Trunks. I was pestering you too much." She coughed two powerful coughs that shook her body, and she groaned as she put an arm over her forehead, covering her eyes. "I would've called you for help, if I had been certain that you would've actually deigned to pick up the phone."
Trunks winced. Ouch.
Even though she was sick, and her words bitter, it was her defeated, sick tone that made him feel the worst.
"I would've answered. I would've." Trunks frowned. "And you never call me anymore, Pan." In fact, he didn't know what she was talking about. His phone never received any calls from her...
Pan stiffened at that before she sighed. "You wouldn't have answered. I knew that. That's why I don't call anymore." Another fit of coughs overcame her, and she winced. "I think…I'm going to need Bulla's help…I'm going to throw up," she managed to get out. She gulped, swallowing thickly. "I don't…want you to see. Please hurry and get Bulla."
Trunks wanted to roll his eyes at her. He didn't care if he saw her throwing up. Didn't she know that he cared about her?
He scowled. He cared about her more than he wanted to admit, and yet she never noticed. Perhaps it was because she was four years his junior that she didn't see what he—end everyone else, including Goten—deemed to be incredibly obvious.
"And while you're at it…please get Bee. He makes me feel better," Pan managed.
Trunks frowned. Bee? As in, Bee the Dog? What's he doing here?
Pan suddenly turned whiter, and Trunks bolted for Bulla when Pan shot him a warning glare that promised she'd kill him later if he caught her in such an unflattering state.
Bulla must've heard Pan's weak voice request for her, for she was already at the foot of the stairs, about to make her way up.
"She looks like death, doesn't she?" Bulla remarked.
"Why is Bee here?" Trunks asked.
"Oh, Bee?" Bulla looked around. "Hmm, I wonder where that mutt went off too…. Yeah, that's Pan's. She adopted him, so now Bee is her dog."
Trunks groaned. He had never been a big fan of dogs.
"B-Bulla…" whimpered Pan's weak voice.
"Coming!" Bulla walked past Trunks. "Can you go get Bee for me, Trunks?" And without waiting for another reply, she hurried into Pan's room.
Trunks sighed. So much for a relaxing day.
He hoped Pan felt better soon. He hated seeing her in any kind of pain, from emotional to physical. And he especially hated knowing that she was sick, and there was nothing he could do but wait for time to run its course.
He fanned out his energy, trying to sense for the lowest Ki possible. Besides Pan's low Ki—which worried him greatly; this sickness must be taking its toll on her greatly—there was another emitting from the basement, where Bulma worked her magic on machines.
Trunks headed down the hallway, opening the door and walking down the stairs that led into their basement. The room was filled with bright lights as always, and many machines, in-progress and complete, lining up the room.
It was at the very back of the room where he found his mother, Bulma, and Bee.
"Hey, Mom," Trunks greeted.
At hearing her eldest child's voice Bulma stopped examining the strange laser-gun-looking device on the countertop and spun around to look at him, her eyes wide in delighted surprise.
"Trunks!" she exclaimed. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at work?"
"I took the day off," said Trunks with a shrug of his shoulders. "I came here at first to help you out with your inventions, but it seems like I'll be trying to help Pan feel better instead. Bulla looks like she could really use a break."
Bulma nodded, concern on her features. "Oh, yes. Pan. Poor dear, she's very sick right now, and her parents won't be back home for a few days. Let me guess: Pan wanted to see Bee?" She gestured at the dog that was at her side, his head reaching the top of her hips. He wagged his tail happily as he stared up at Trunks, and Bulma smiled as she reached down and scratched his ears. "It seems that Bee calms Pan's coughing fits somehow. She told me a while back that Bee is like a new best friend to her, and that she feels safe around him. Ironic, isn't it? Considering how she is much more powerful than him." She let out a tinkling laugh.
Trunks nodded his head, looking down at the dog oddly. A strange sensation swelled within him. Was he actually feeling jealousy towards the dog?
Hmph. So, it seemed as if Bee had replaced Trunks within Pan's heart.
He would have to change that soon.
As the glorious rivalry between her son and the dog was born, Bulma turned her attention back to her strange gun, picking it up. "Hmm…this is so…I wonder…" she glanced slyly at Trunks.
Catching his mother's gaze and not at all appreciating the coy look on her face, he narrowed his eyes at her. "What?" he said gruffly, sore from the realization that he was jealous of a mere dog.
"Trunksie…please forgive me, but I want to see if this works." And with that, Bulma shot the gun at Trunks.
At once everything went black.
When Trunks opened his eyes, he felt extremely disoriented. He shook his head, groaning. Why did his head hurt so bad? He tried to reach a hand up to touch his forehead, but instead something that was definitely not his hand touched his nose instead.
Trunks frowned. Why couldn't he touch his forehead?
"Yes!" a voice cheered. "It works!"
His mother towered over him, smiling down at him with a sweet smile that made his stomach feel sour.
And that was when Trunks realized that he was much shorter than his mother, instead of being taller than her like he usually was.
"Mother, what the heck happened to me?" he asked. "Did you get taller?"
But then he realized that he had no voice. Nothing but a small little bark had emitted from his mouth. Nothing else.
"As you can see," said Bulma proudly, "my invention worked swimmingly. You and Bee have swapped bodies! Isn't that cool?"
Trunks snapped his head to the left and felt his jaw drop. Sure enough, Bee—in his body, no less—was on all fours, smiling up at Bulma with Trunks' face and wagging his butt as if he had a tail.
Oh no. Oh no. This can't be happening. This can't be happening.
All Trunks had wanted was a day to relax. A simple day with simple things to do. And what does he get for making such a simple wish?
A crazy mother swapping his body with a dog.
"Don't worry," said Bulma. "I can change you back. Just stay still…"
"MOM!" a panicked voice suddenly shouted, and Bulla stormed through, tackling her mother and grabbing her by the shoulders, unknowingly knocking the Swapping Gun out of her hands. "Mom, Pan—Pan is in terrible pain! She's screaming, and I don't know what to do!"
The Swapping Gun lay in pieces on the ground, red and green wires sticking out and sparking with electricity. Trunks was not paying attention to it, though. All he had on his mind was Pan, and he bolted up the stairs, tripping slightly as he got adjusted to his new legs.
After managing to get through the living room and up another flight of stairs to the second floor, he all but dashed into Pan's room after hearing her whimpers and screams.
I'm here, Pan, he thought, jumping onto her bed at her side. What's wrong? What's hurting?
"B-Bee," Pan said, gulping thickly. "I'm so glad you're here…" And then she let out another piercing scream, her hands holding onto her stomach. "Why does it hurt so much? Why?"
Bulma burst into the room, Bulla right at her heels, and the two women hurried over to Pan's side.
"Trunks—I mean, Bee, get off the bed. I need more room," Bulma ordered, rolling her sleeves up. As Trunks did as he was told, she placed a hand on Pan's forehead and immediately jerked it back. "Whoa! You are burning up—practically sizzling! What happened, Bulla? Weren't you monitoring her?"
"It was so sudden—she was fine beforehand! She threw up one time, but afterwards we were smiling and talking and—and now she's in pain!" Tears of frustration and concern for her friend prickled at Bulla's eyes. "I don't know what to do!"
"Relax," said Bulma, hurrying over to the bathroom within the bedroom. "It's a good thing I had thought ahead and put a bunch of painkillers and medication in here."
"Do you know what she has?" asked Bulla as Bulma returned from the bathroom, going back over to Pan's side.
"A long time ago, Pan's grandpa had something similar to this. Goku was extremely sick…it was when he was a young boy, mind you, but it was still pretty bad. I think Pan's got it worse, to be honest."
"What's it called?" Bulla asked as Pan began coughing.
"It doesn't have a name, but it is a hybrid of the flu…a flu that is specifically horrible for Saiyans." Bulma pulled out a large white pill and handed it to Pan. "Swallow this, dear. It will help."
But Pan shook her head fearfully. "I…can't swallow pills," she admitted, tears leaking out of her eyes nonstop.
Bulma looked at Pan in surprise and glanced at Bulla. "She can't swallow pills?"
"I didn't know that, either," said Bulla.
But Trunks knew that. He'd always known.
Swallowing pills was hard for Pan. She was just one of those few people that could not do it. Even simple things that were as small as a mint were hard for Pan to swallow. She had once confided to him that she would either let the pill dissolve in her mouth or she would chew on it—something he disapproved of, since he knew the taste would be bitter.
Not only that, but chewing pills could be dangerous. There were certain pills that, if chewed, would release the medicine all at once rather than at a slow pace. This could lead to overdose, and although usually not severe, it could have dire consequences.
Pan was only scared of two things in her life: the dark, needles, and pills. She would attack without hesitation any sort of alien that could kill her in a heartbeat, but hand her any type of medication that needed to be swallowed whole and she would feel like passing out.
Literally.
Pan winced and groaned as she clutched her stomach, shying away from the pill.
"She will need to chew it, then," said Bulma after a pregnant pause. "Bulla, go find some bread…and put a lot of sugar on it. Lots and lots of sugar."
As Bulla hurried out of the door, Trunks put his paws up on his mother's knees and whined, feeling Pan's pain along with her. She doesn't like pills. Don't make her do anything that'll hurt her.
"Don't worry," Bulma said reassuringly, offering a small smile. "Pan will feel better soon after she takes this medicine. She will have to take it for the next few days until she will feel better. By tomorrow morning she will be feeling a heck of a lot better than now."
I hope so. Trunks jumped back up onto the bed and, not knowing what to do in this sort of situation, he curled up into Pan's side. She weakly patted him on the head.
"Good boy," she whispered. "You're always there for me, huh?" And another groan escaped her.
Bulla returned, holding a plate in her hands. There were two slices of bread, both with a lot of cinnamon on them.
"We didn't have sugar," she explained. "So I made cinnamon toast, only it isn't toasted. Is that all right?"
"It'll do," Bulma said, nodding her head. "Thank you, Bulla. Now, Pan. Go ahead and nibble on a few bites, and then take the pill with it. Go ahead and chew it and swallow it as quickly as possible. By now I'm sure you know how bitter a pill can be; this pill in particular, though, will make your taste buds feel like sandpaper if you let it stay in there too long. I don't know how long your tongue would hurt, but I think it would be best if you quickly chewed and swallow. Okay?"
"Okay," Pan managed to say, looking at the pill warily. Trunks watched, his heart hammering in his chest as she took a few small bites of the bread. From what he had heard, she hadn't been able to stomach anything. He hoped fervently that she would manage to keep this down.
"I'm ready for the…the pill," Pan said tiredly. She held out her hand, and her expression was suddenly very accepting. She reminded Trunks of those who looked accepting of their death with that peaceful expression on their face, and the thought discomforted him.
He whined lowly as she let out a small breath and then placed a larger piece of the cinnamon-laced bread on her mouth before placing the pill on it. She took a slow, hesitant bite.
Instantly her hand flew over her mouth as she made a retching noise in her throat, struggling to keep it down.
"Swallow it, Pan, swallow it!" Bulma said, her voice sounding high with stress.
Trunks was on all fours, placing his two front paws on Pan's legs as he looked down at her, concerned. Her eyes were even more watery from the taste she was enduring, and she was clearly struggling. Finally, though, it appeared that she managed to swallow the rest of it, and she fell back against her pillow, groaning.
"W-Water," she pleaded weakly.
At once Bulla held her cup out to her, and Pan grabbed it, her hands shaking slightly with effort before she managed to take a few small sips. Then her eyes slipped closed. Her breathing deepened.
She was asleep.
"Phew," said Bulma. "That was…that was very stressful. Hopefully it will be better next time."
Next time?!
"Next time?" said Bulla, looking at Pan's unconscious form with an unsure expression. "Are you sure that's a good idea, Mom?"
"Don't worry. Pan will be fine. She's a strong girl—she's the granddaughter of Goku, after all," Bulma said with a smile. She glanced down at Trunks. "Will you take care of Pan while Bulla and I go downstairs and rest for a while, Bee?"
Trunks nodded his head.
"Whoa!" Bulla exclaimed. "Bee understands us? I didn't know he could answer us."
Bulma opened her mouth, looking like she was about to explain the situation to Bulla, but Trunks let out a small growl that clearly said, Don't you dare tell her what has happened to me. I'll never live it down.
Bulma closed her mouth before her lips spread into a small smile. "Hmm. Well, Bee is a smart dog, I suppose."
As Bulla walked out of the room, his mother paused in the doorway and turned to look at Trunks. "The Swapping Gun will be fixed back either by tomorrow or the day after. In the meantime, watch over Pan closely, and run and get me if she starts having those awful pains again."
If Trunks could have grimaced, he would have. Great. Now he was going to spend his weekend as a dog.
Lovely.
He glanced over at Pan, who was sleeping peacefully, and he sighed, deciding that he would at least get to watch over Pan in the meantime.
The next day, Trunks awoke to the sound of another coughing fit of Pan's, only this time it wasn't shaking her poor frail body as hard as it had yesterday.
The color had returned to her skin, thankfully, and her eyes seemed to have gotten their fiery spark back, much to Trunks' relief. She was looking around the room, looking quite dazed before her gaze landed on him.
"Oh, hey, Bee," she greeted, weakly lifting her hand and scratching his ears. "Did you stay with me all night?"
Trunks nodded, staring her deeply in the eyes. How are you feeling?
If only he had his real body back. Then he could have asked her that for real.
But instead, he merely leaned into her palm. Even in her weak state like this she was trying to show affection, and it touched his heartstrings.
No wonder why he was in love with her.
At that thought, he stopped shortly. In love with Pan? While he wasn't quite sure if he was in love with her, he was positive that he cared about her much more than a normal friend would.
It was decided. Even though he was four years older than her and she was twenty-one, he was going to ask her out on a date as soon as he got his body back and when she was better. He had always been worried that the slight age gap between them would make her never consider him, but, as he watched over her now, something told him that he had a good chance.
Trunks yawned and stretched, releasing a small breath of relief as he felt one of his bones crack. It felt good.
"Is Trunks still here?" Pan asked.
Trunks hesitated before he shook his head. He did not want her to somehow go off and look for him. The thought of her stumbling upon his real body with Bee inside it made Trunks feel sick; how embarrassing that would be!
"He's not? Oh. That's too bad." Pan's voice sounded low, and another cough escaped her. When she got her breath back, she wheezed, "I was so short with him yesterday. He was trying to help, and I ended up acting bitter towards him. No wonder why he doesn't want to hang around me anymore. I'm such a burden." Another cough. "I can't even get my own water and he had to do that for me. I can't remember if I even thanked him. I'm such a jerk of a friend."
She raised her hand to her mouth and coughed into it violently, shaking her body greatly for a full minute before she stopped. When her coughing fit ended, she was completely out of breath.
Without thinking Trunks trotted up closer towards her face and put his nose onto her forehead in an effort to feel for a fever.
It didn't feel like she had one yet, but she was kind of warm. A low-grade fever, perhaps?
Pan, you didn't hurt my feelings. As if you could. I grew up with Vegeta, remember? That's what Trunks wanted to say, but he couldn't. Even now, when you're sick you're worrying about how I'm feeling. You're such a dope, Pan.
"You should probably go and eat," Pan said weakly. "I'm sure you haven't since yesterday if you were by me all day yesterday. Go ahead. I'll be fine."
But Trunks merely stared at her before curling up into a ball beside her once more. No, he didn't feel hungry. Clearly Bee ate a lot more than he let on, because Trunks did not feel even an ounce of hunger.
And then Trunks suddenly jumped back to his feet. What about his real body? His good-looking, super-human body? No telling what Bee was doing. What if he escaped and made Trunks look like a fool? Then what?
Trunks bolted towards the door before he came to a sudden halt, turning his head around to send a guilty look at Pan. She had propped up the pillows so that she was sitting up at a slight angle. Her black hair fanned around the pillows, making her look like a sick, battered princess.
She smiled at him weakly in understanding. "Go do what you have to do, Bee," she whispered, her eyes closing.
I'll be back quickly, Trunks thought, and he spun around and hurried down towards the basement.
To his relief, the first thing he saw in the basement was his mother working on fixing her invention. At least she was seriously working on it and trying to fix the problem.
His body was currently sitting in the corner, a scowl on its face as it sat down in a dog-like fashion, its hands crossed over one another and chin resting on it. When Bee saw Trunks, he raised his head, tongue sticking out as a smile spread on his face.
There was a large collar around Bee, keeping him in place. Trunks was glad that Bee hadn't realized just how strong he was at the moment; at least he was being obedient and staying in place, even though he didn't look too happy about it.
Trunks let out a sharp bark to let Bulma know of his presence.
"Hey, Trunks," Bulma greeted without looking away from the irritating invention. "Is Pan okay?"
Since Bulma wasn't looking at him, Trunks let out a small whine. At that, Bulma turned her head. "She's not feeling good still?"
Trunks nodded.
"Does she need another pill right now?"
At that Trunks growled, shaking his head. No. Absolutely not. He didn't want Pan to endure that horrible pill again, even though he knew that sooner or later she was going to have to take it again sometime throughout the day.
"Ah…so she's just really weak right now?" Bulma turned her attention back onto the invention. "I'll have this done soon, possibly in a few hours, and then you and Bee will be back in your real bodies. So just be patient, okay?"
Trunks let out a resigned-sounding bark before he trotted back up the stairs, heading towards Pan. He came to a stop in the living room, however, when he saw Goten with Bulla on the couch, the two of them watching TV and talking.
"Poor Pan," said Goten sadly. "I hope she feels better soon. Where's my big bro at?"
"Pan's parents are out on a cruise. I didn't tell them that she's sick, though. Gohan would leave without hesitation to come here, and I know that would make Pan feel guilty if she thought that she had ruined their trip."
Goten sighed, nodding his head. "It's just like Pan to worry about something like that. She never worries about herself. Is Trunks helping you take care of Pan?"
"He was," said Bulla, a smile on her face, "and I had been hoping that maybe the two of them would get some more alone time and bond more. I've been wanting them to be together for ages. But Mom said that Trunks got hit by one of her inventions down in the basement, and now he is really sick with something like chicken pox. I'm not allowed to go down there in the basement, and neither is Dad. So there goes my plan for getting the two of them together."
"Trunks is sick now, too?" asked Goten in disbelief. "Wow. I'm definitely not going down there, then. Your mom is pretty brave to help take care of two sick people."
"Yeah," said Bulla. "I just hope Trunks feels better soon. What kind of inventions is Mom making, anyway?"
Ah, thought Trunks. So that was why his sister hadn't been pestering for him. His mother had told them that he'd gotten sick as well.
Hmm. A machine that gave the chicken pox. Not a bad idea. Trunks would have to ask his mom if she would ever build a laser-gun like that later.
Just as he was starting up the stairs, he heard Goten ask, "So, has Pan officially moved on from Trunks? Last I heard, that Jordan guy still likes her."
Biting back a growl, Trunks turned his head and waited for his sister's answer intently.
"Oh, Jordan? Ha! Like he stands a chance against Trunks at winning Pan's heart," said Bulla with a small smile. Content with her answer, and feeling male pride swelling, Trunks was once again about to start going up the stairs when Bulla added, "But I'm worried that Pan might be thinking about dating Jordan regardless."
"What?" Goten said in horror. "You can't be serious!"
"Mm. I think she's getting tired of waiting for Trunks. Also, she…she told me that Trunks' girlfriend had lashed out on the phone with her last time she tried to contact Trunks. She hasn't tried to talk to him ever since."
"What do you mean?"
Bulla sighed, a look of concern on her face as she thought about her friend. "Pan told me that she had called Trunks on his cellphone one day while he was at work, just to check in with him as usual, when a woman's voice answered the phone."
"Who was it?" Goten asked, his eyebrows furrowed. "Trunks doesn't have a girlfriend to my knowledge…"
"Yeah, well, this woman claimed to be his girlfriend," Bulla said. "I don't believe it, either. About her being his girlfriend. But what the woman said to Pan clearly affected her, because Pan never tried to call him again, nor would she try to answer Trunks' calls."
"What did she say that would make Pan, our fearless warrior, avoid Trunks?" asked Goten in confusion.
"She didn't tell me many details, but the woman had some…colorful words to say to Pan. Basically, the woman told Pan to back off and had chewed her out. She claimed that Trunks was extremely annoyed with Pan's constant calling, and that he would never be interested in a little girl. But worst of all was when the woman mentioned how great a kisser Trunks was. I think that was what killed Pan the most." Bulla sighed. "And now, thanks to her mini-depression, Pan's immune system weakened, and now she's sick. Wonderful, isn't it?"
Rage flooded Trunks' veins, and it took all of his control to keep in the growl that was threatening to escape his lips. Someone had picked up his phone, his call, and had chewed out his girl. Not to mention, whoever had answered the phone had completely lied. Trunks hadn't kissed a girl since he was eighteen. That was years ago.
Someone was going to get fired when he came back, and he had a hunch that he knew who it was.
Hoping that he would be able to explain things more thoroughly to Pan later, he trotted up the stairs and entered the room, jumping back onto the bed. Pan was wide awake again, and she smiled as he put his paws on her knees, staring at her pleadingly.
"What's wrong, boy?" she asked. "You okay?"
He let out a small snort. Worry about yourself.
Pan chuckled, scratching his ears before enveloping him in a hug, holding him against her chest. "I'm so tired, boy. And not because of this sickness."
She didn't get into any more detail than that, but her expression looked so defeated and tired.
Trunks promised himself that once everything was back to normal, he would make sure that she never looked that way again.
Comfortable being held like this despite being such a big dog, he leaned his head against her and sighed before he fell into a short nap.
He was awoken, possibly ten minutes later, when Pan struggled to sit up more. "I'm sorry," she apologized when he looked at her. "I have to go to the bathroom."
At hearing that he quickly leaped off of the bed and stared up at her, watching her cautiously as she slowly swung her legs over the bed. She weakly got onto her feet, swaying slightly before she managed to get to the bathroom. She closed the door behind her, and Trunks waited patiently before she emerged, looking drained from the walk she had endured to get across the room. She all but fell on the mattress, laying on her stomach.
"I'm so tired. I've never been so sick before." She groaned. "Last time I was sick like this, Trunks took care of me along with my dad. My mom had been out of town…I had felt so lonely without her, but Trunks had managed to make me feel better." She smiled weakly into the mattress. "He always made me feel better. But I won't have him forever, will I?"
Trunks jumped up next to her and whimpered lowly, curling into her side. Was he so bad that she couldn't even tell that he adored her?
"I shouldn't have snapped at him," Pan continued, looking as if she was in low-spirits. "Do you think he'll forgive me?"
Trunks nodded once. There's nothing to forgive, stupid.
Pan sighed before having yet another coughing fit that lasted a good ten seconds without giving her time to breathe. Her cheeks were flushed, and sweat began to build up on her forehead. She definitely was beginning to feel more unwell again.
Though Trunks didn't like it, he knew that Pan was going to have to take that horrendous pill again. Geez, what was in it, anyway?
"When I get better, I will apologize to him," said Pan, her voice weak but the resolve in her eyes firm. And then she seemed to get smaller as she added sullenly, "If he even comes back. I'm certain he doesn't like me now as it already is, and I just had to be rude to him."
She was beating herself up, and it made Trunks feel bad. He sighed and shook his head at her before he jumped back on the bed and curled into a ball by her feet, leaning against her lower legs.
"I miss him so much," Pan whispered. "I hope I didn't screw everything up."
Pan did not talk more after that; rather, she took a few sips of water here and there and closed her eyes, resting. Judging from the way she was breathing she never fell asleep, but at least she was getting the proper rest she deserved.
Trunks raised his head and glared at the close door warily when he head footsteps approaching. Being in this dog state he could no longer sense Ki, so it was slightly uncomfortable. When the door opened, Trunks stiffened before he caught the familiar scent of his best friend. He relaxed when Goten waltzed into the room, approaching his niece.
"Protecting Pan for us, eh, Bee?" said Goten softly, patting his head. "You're such a good boy."
Trunks couldn't help it; he leaned into Goten's hand, enjoying the scratching he was receiving. Goten sighed and looked over at Pan. "Are you feeling better?" he asked her.
Her eyes cracked open and she stared up at Goten, a weak smile playing on her lips. "Hey, Uncle Goten," she murmured. "I've felt better. But I can tell that that medicine Bulma gave me is working. I can talk more."
"That's good." Goten smiled. "I miss being pestered by you. Your parents will return in a few days, so at least they'll get to see you in much better condition than this."
"They don't know that I'm sick, right?" asked Pan, her eyes flashing in worry.
Instantly she relaxed back into her pillows as Goten said, "Nope. They don't know anything about you being sick, so don't worry."
"They'll start calling," she whispered. "They'll wonder why I'm not answering."
"We'll just say that they have horrible time when it comes to calling you. No big deal. We'll say you're in the shower or something like that."
Deciding that now would be a good time to go back into the basement and check on Bulma's progress—for he was feeling impatient at this point, wanting to explain things to Pan more than ever—Trunks stretched before he leaped off the bed and hurried down the stairs, rushing past Bulla who was talking to Vegeta.
Trunks managed to go into the basement, thankful that the door had been left open, and he walked over to where his mother was.
Bulma glanced over at him. "Oh, hey, Trunks. Came back to check up on the Swapper, huh? I'm surprised that I managed to fix it so quickly." A proud smile lit up her face. "One hour, and already I'm positive it will work. Are you ready to try it?"
Trunks nodded and hurried over to sit beside his real body. Bee lifted up his head, glancing over at Bulma and smiling hugely, his tongue sticking out. It disgusted Trunks to see drool dripping over his chin.
"Okay! Ready! Hana, dool, set…" And with that, (for some reason she chose to count in Korean, much to Trunks' bewilderment), there was a flash of light and once again, Trunks was enveloped in darkness.
When he opened his eyes, he immediately sat up and glanced at himself. A smile spread across his face. Yes! He was back in his normal body again!
Silently cheering, he took in his surroundings, only to feel shock. It was seven o'clock in the morning, meaning that it was Sunday. How long had he been unconscious? He supposed that transferring back into his body had taken a lot of his energy. No wonder why he had fallen unconscious for so long.
"You're finally awake," a voice said softly. "Good. I was really worried when your mom and Goten came in, carrying you and dumping you over here."
To his surprise, he had been placed on the long couch within his room. Pan was sitting up in her bed, looking a lot better than he'd seen yesterday. She had probably taken another one of those awful pills, and he felt bad that he hadn't been there with her to support her.
Pills were evil, of that he was certain.
"What had happened to you?" she asked.
Trunks' face heated up at the thought of telling her that he had been her dog for a good 24 hours. "Eh…I'd rather not talk about it," he said, waving his hand to brush away the topic. "It's a long story. What about you? Are you feeling better now?"
Pan's eyes twinkled. "Mm! A lot better. Although Bulma's medicine absolutely sucks, it does work wonders." And then her face fell, her gaze lowering to her hands that were folded neatly in her lap. "I apologize for snapping at you the other day, Trunks. I had been so short with you. I'm sorry." She glanced up at him shyly. "I shouldn't have talked to you like that, sick or not."
"There's nothing to be sorry about," Trunks said. "You didn't do anything wrong. In fact, I heard that there was a little misunderstanding, and I know I need to clear that up."
"A misunderstanding?" Pan looked confused. "What do you mean?"
Trunks walked over to her and sat on the edge of her bed.
"I heard," he said quietly, "that someone had answered my cellphone instead of me. That it had been a woman."
"O-Oh," said Pan, stuttering. "That."
"Yes. That." When she said nothing more, Trunks continued. "Whoever it was had lied to you. I don't have a girlfriend, Pan. At least, not yet." He looked at her deeply, and she fidgeted underneath his gaze. "And to me, you are not a little girl. That woman must have been jealous, and I can assure you, she will be dealt with tomorrow when I go back to work."
"Th-That's not necessary," said Pan, looking up at him nervously. "You don't need to fire someone for me. I'm fine."
"Yeah, right," Trunks scoffed. "But it will be done. She crossed the line when she answered my personal cellphone. By any chance did the woman tell you her name?" Not that he needed it. He already knew who it was. There was only one woman who was close enough to his office to have heard his cellphone go off and answer it.
Amy.
Pan shook her head. "Sorry, but I don't know." She coughed once. "It's all good. Don't worry."
Trunks hesitated. He was so tired of skirting around the edges with her.
"Pan, I've missed you. A lot."
Pan looked at him, tilting her head to the side. "I've missed you too. Is something wrong? You're getting all sentimental on me." Her lips quirked upwards. "Don't tell me that you've been watching Bulla's TV dramas again."
Ignoring her, Trunks mustered up all his courage and said quickly: "Pan, will you go on a date with me this coming Saturday?"
Pan's laugh came to a sudden stop, and her eyes widened, as big as saucers. It reminded Trunks of how, as children, she would look so guilty whenever she would be reprimanded by Gohan, her father.
"Eh, what was that?" she asked, rubbing at her ears. "I don't…I don't think I heard correctly."
Trunks gritted his teeth. This woman! Was she seriously making him repeat it? Slower this time, he said, "Pan, will you go on a date with me?"
Pan blinked. And then her face became dusted with pink as she began to feel small underneath his intense stare. "A—a date?" she squeaked. "Like a boyfriend/girlfriend date?"
"Yes," said Trunks. "Exactly. Be my girlfriend, Pan."
"This is so sudden," said Pan, her eyes wide. "I—I often wondered if you liked me, and now…"
"So is that a yes?" said Trunks, unable to keep in suspense. Just say yes or no! But…please say yes, he thought, feeling a bit insecure.
Pan smiled up at him. "Heck yeah!" she said, throwing her small fist in the air. "I've been waiting for this for a looooong time, you know!"
Trunks felt a smirk spread on his face before he was suddenly thrown into a hug, Pan holding onto him tightly.
"I've missed being with you, too," she said. "More than you know."
Trunks' smirk softened into a smile of contentment as he wrapped his arms around her tightly, protectively. "I think I have an idea."
And then he pulled away from her, earning a slightly confused expression from her, before he lowered his head and kissed her gently on the lips. Her eyes widened before they fluttered shut, and she reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck.
When they pulled apart, her blush had deepened. "T-Trunks, you're going to get sick now," she admonished.
"If I do, I do," said Trunks, smirking. "I really can't bring myself to care. I only care about you, Pan."
"Oh, geez," said Pan, still blushing darkly. "Why do you have to say stuff like that?"
Anything else she was about to say was firmly cut off by another kiss, and she instantly returned it. Trunks couldn't help it; he smiled into the kiss.
The End.
Since Christmas is coming up soon, I might as well say it: Merry Christmas, everyone!