Shades of Gray
She was never that great at estimating time. That was his sort of thing.
Clear blue eyes floated to the ceiling from where they had previously rested beneath dark eyelashes as she finally caught her breath.
Two minutes since either of them had spoken. No, at least three. Four. Damn it. Gohan was better at this stuff.
She rolled on her side, propping herself upright before him by her elbow.
He smiled lightly. She was wonderful. She looked wonderful. Even in the timid gray beams of peeping dawn he could still see the edges of her shoulder length dark hair curl delicately away from the dip in between her defined collarbone.
Videl frowned. "What?" She quickly snatched loose sheets in sudden desperation to cover her exposed breasts, "Don't look at me like that!"
His eyebrows raised. "Like what?"
She laughed lightly at his boyish facial expression before proceeding to roll over so that she was playfully straddling his waist. "Nevermind."
There she went again, another good bout of relentless teasing. He reached up and guided her chin to his own and pressed her lips to his own slightly, allowing her the initiative for the rest.
After a year of marriage, Gohan had learned the same lesson as his father before him. Marriage wasn't so hard. It was in fact, ridiculous. Given that Videl didn't require nearly as much "maintenance" as most young women her age, there were still the early morning tempers, along with his share of day to day situations that were just downright uncomfortable.
But there were the times such as tonight when he realized how much he truly needed her. Videl was an unusual woman, and he loved it. He loved her.
Now resting his left hand on her lower back, he guided his right down the length of her spine slowly, fingertips riding each bump gingerly. Videl sighed. Sometimes when his hands roamed her body she would flinch slightly as he approached the areas with a tender bruise, sore limbs or freshly healing scratches from where he'd gripped too tightly.
He lifted his head slightly, kissing her chastely on the lips before lowering it back down. Here was a man with the power to destroy worlds, a man descended from a race bred for the purpose of killing.
Yet he could emanate such compassion, enough to make her throw her arms around his neck and curl into him. She felt safe. And it was those times she expressed that to him that he really didn't know what to say.
"Good thing it's the weekend."
She snorted at his sly remark, knowing where this was heading.
"Gohan, I'm tired."
His only response was the increasing urgency in his hands and the contact of his lips along her jaw line. She inhaled sharply, gripping his muscled sides. She hated it when he manipulated her like this.
They made eye contact as he rolled them over softly. Her pupils dilated and her lips parted slightly, and he grinned.
It had been a year, she knew at least that much. A long, stressful, wonderful year.