EDITED - 05/01/2014
…
Hey, guys!
Just FYI: the legal age for drinking in my country is 18 years-old. Just keep that in mind. I write profanity and smut (later on), not illegal activities. xD
Enjoy!
He hated to see them cry.
The image haunted his mind ever since he'd left that morning, almost two hours ago, but the day had finally came. The one where his life would begin, as Bulma had so dramatically put it.
His back hurt since he'd woken up, but fortunately he'd found a comfortable posture on the otherwise uncomfortable bus seat, and could actually relax for a bit. After thinking about the practical aspects of this new stage of his life for the whole prior week, he had made the decision to take the bus to and from his house while he lived on campus. If he was going to try and be "normal", it would have to come with the goods and the bads, boringly-long bus rides included.
Gohan let out a sweet little smile, thinking back at the cause of his aching spine. The little guys had clutched onto him like hungry limpets while they sat on the sofa after dinner the night before, watching some movie on TV. They'd all fallen asleep not too long after, and when he woke up the next morning, he was still lying on the couch, Goten's head gently floating up and down along with his chest's natural movements while spread-eagling on top of his big brother. Mia had also slept by his side, resting her head on his shoulder while her thin arm dangled in a lazy hug on top of Goten.
The turned-off television and the warm blanket on top of them still made him smile deeper right now, hours afterwards, as he took it as his mother's addition to their little bundle. He'd made sure to hug her extra tightly for that before he'd left, knowing full well it was bittersweet for her, this new path; it was for him too. He just hoped his smile and his words had helped ease her worries and go on getting better.
It'd been really hard for him to wake them up from their cozy slumbers, but he had to. Although it was Sunday, he wanted to get to campus before lunch so he could get settled and take care of things before starting fresh the next day. Goten had been more clingy than usual, taking his big brother's departure harder and even attempting to join him while he took a quick shower to freshen up. Mom had luckily stepped in with a sweet smile and a calming back rub, reassuring the little Saiyan that Gohan would be back in no time.
Their tears were merciless, fueling all his doubts and fears when the time to leave had finally arrived, but he fought those images back. He'd wanted to cry too but his own tears never came, as they never would. It made him feel like shit that he couldn't reciprocate that feeling, that he couldn't reassure them he was just as devastated to leave them behind, but he was kind of used to it by now. Maybe his tears had just dried up, or maybe it'd been his heart.
He went away, however, assured that their tears were not of sorrow but of true happiness for his new journey, with just a pinch of melancholy due to his impending absence. At least that's what they'd tried to make him see with their encouraging words, though it still felt like abandonment...
"You should give them more credit." A sigh escaped him.
The bus arrived at the terminal in the city. He picked up his backpack and black military-style duffle bag and exited, wishing the chubby bus driver a good day while wondering if it would always be the same person every time he were to go home and back. Probably, probably not.
Checking his cellphone for the hour, he concluded to have twelve minutes before the red-line bus arrived to take him directly to campus, so he took the time to arrange for his student pass on the automated terminal and withdraw some cash from the ATM in case he needed it later.
Moving outside, he sat down at the bus stop, waiting, bank card still in hand. It had been burning a hole in his wallet and he just studied it now, blue and green and with his name on it. Bulma had secretly given it to him last week when they went back to OSPU for some final arrangements.
All his basic expenses would be taken care of by the university, but she'd insisted he'd have some extra "please-please-please-have-fun money", as she'd called it. The account was programmed to be restored to full every month, and Bulma had insisted he'd take it down to zero before that were to happen, but he wasn't even sure he knew how to spend that much money in just thirty days. Three hundred zeni was simply too much just for extras and fun. And she'd even told him to give her a call if he ever needed more… What was she, crazy?
The bus arrived and he stepped in, showing the driver his brand-new pass before strolling further inside. Since it was a rather small ride of just a few minutes, he decided to stand against one of the metal posts instead of sitting down; it'd hurt his back a little less that way.
His headphones went to his ears as he reached for his cellphone again, this time for some music which he'd downloaded from his new laptop. Bulma had responded to his "are you crazy" face with the argument that it was just some old thing she had laying around the office, but it still had the damn screen protector on, not to mention a free wireless internet connection. He knew it had cost her next to nothing, but even so, he had inherited his bloated sense of pride from both his mother and his alien blood-line - not necessarily his father - making the whole thing a little harder to swallow. It would come in handy, for sure, but still. In the end he just thanked her and hugged her really tightly. For a hug-aholic like her, it was the best type of currency.
Arriving at his destination, he stepped down for the last time in front of the now familiar surroundings of what would be his home, work, and leisure for the next years. It seemed really grey in comparison to his home - meadow green and mountain brown, prickled with color all over - but the overcast might not have been helping, he guessed. He made nothing of it, either way.
Reaching for his wallet and the piece of paper from the university's office clerk, he proceeded for the very first white building to his right. "'A' thirty-four," he read mentally, remembering the clerk's explanation: building A, third floor, room four. Apparently, the first four floors were for male students while the last four were for female students, which was somewhat standard procedure in these kinds of housing, if he wasn't mistaken. But he did wonder why each floor had a need for its own recreational room and laundry facilities, considering there were only six rooms in each one, meaning twelve people. Seemed like overkill, but what did he know?
He exited on the third floor to a long hallway, a floor-to-ceiling window on the far right, a double-sided door on the far left, which should be the rec room considering all the assorted stickers decorating it. To his immediate right there was a door with the fire-safety sign for stairwells, and to the left an unlabeled door which he assumed to be the laundry. The rooms were all stretched across the whole corridor opposite to the elevator and he spotted number thirty-four nearly in front of him, slightly to the right.
Approaching the door, he spotted a yellow post-it. "Welcome!" it read, making him blink a few times just staring at it. Was that meant for him? From his roommate, logically.
He'd wondered how the guy looked like, this past week, mainly wishing he slept like a rock just like Goten, given his nighttime… "complications", but didn't dwell on it too much. It had been a pretty long time since he'd had a room just for himself, so he had no problems with sharing, and even though he was basically socially-challenged, he'd never had too many issues dealing with new people if he really had to.
The keys were still in his hand from opening the building's main door, so he went ahead and unlocked the room, knocking before entering and leaving the door open behind him.
"Hello?" he called softly, but there was only silence. He dropped his things on what he assumed to be his empty bed, directly in front of the door, and sat on its edge, studying the rest of the quarters.
There was a large built-in closet with sliding doors just to the right as he entered, and a wooden desk that connected to the foot of his bed, a small window above its headboard bringing in the light-gray diffused ambiance into the room.
His roommate's bed was placed parallel to his, also with a window above it - though it was now covered - and a long, hip-high cubic shelving-unit between them. To his right, around the corner from the closet and entry area, was another shelving unit exactly like the other one but this had what appeared to be a mini-fridge occupying one of the nooks. A big flat-screen TV was mounted on the wall above it, and a Playstation console with a bunch of games sat just below, immediately igniting a twinkle in his eye.
Playing a good game with the kids was probably one of his favourite pass-times, nowadays, since it demanded more concentration than push-ups or running or punching mountains back home. Only a good and proper spar would top the rank in that regard, but he hadn't had one of those in ages, considering the kids were still too young to keep up with him, and the rest of the warriors he knew… Well, if he'd have to tone his power down that much for them to have a fighting chance, why bother, in the end? He needed a challenge, not just a fight; he could get one of those anywhere.
Losing himself in a video game meant he wouldn't think of anything else - at least for its duration - which was a relief on those darker days.
His roommate's considerably cluttered desk finished up the ensemble, standing next to the shelving unit, the door to their bathroom between it and the foot of his bed. He liked the room. It felt... cozy.
"Hey, Bro! You must be my new roommate!"
Gohan's stomach jerked with the startle but just for a moment, automatically standing up and grabbing the guy's extended hand for a handshake. "Hey," he said back.
The young man had long blond hair that came down to his shoulders, brown eyes, and was pretty fit as far as Gohan could tell, but what impressed him the most was his height. Dad had always looked like a giant when he was a kid, but he ended up being just as tall as him, more or less, once his growth had stabilized. Yamcha and Piccolo were the only people he knew who surpassed him until now. Oh, and Tien too.
"I was wondering when you were coming. They only told me it was today," the guy went on to say. "Name's Sharpner, but my friends call me Sharp."
"I'm Gohan. Nice to meet you."
"Right back at ya. Did you see my note? I've been dying for a roommate since my old one dropped out! I'm so stoked!"
Gohan chuckled at his enthusiasm. "Yeah, I saw it. Thank you."
"No sweat." He waved off a discarding hand. "You're just in time. Ya hungry?"
Just starving to death a bit. "Yeah, I could eat."
"Awesome. I'll show you the cafeteria and we can get to know each other over some grub. How 'bout it?"
"Sure."
Stepping outside, he silently thanked the enlightened architects who'd decided to place the cafeteria somewhat close to the student housing, since a few minutes sufficed for the two of them to sit down to a substantially-sized meal. It was a mere snack to him, but he was glad to see that Sharpner seemed to be just as much of a food black-hole as himself - or as he would be if it wasn't for the Saiyan blood in his veins - and so he could go by a bit more unnoticed than if he'd been inhaling his share alone.
For the past week, he had mentally prepared himself not to decrease his food intake but to spread it throughout the day, increasing the number of meals he would consume instead, but if he'd haul Sharpner around with him, maybe he could get away with having seconds, or even thirds! He suddenly realized just how he would be able to use up those three hundred zeni, after all.
"Holy shit, Hombre! You eat just as much as me!" the guy boomed from across the small table.
Well, I'm trying, yes. It's hard to eat so little. "Yeah, I guess so."
"I'm on the ice-hockey team, so the coach told me I had to eat up as much as I could to keep my muscle mass or whatever," he explained, shrugging a shoulder. Ice-hockey was one of the most strenuous team-sports out there, if he wasn't mistaken; the endurance needed, the speed, the analytic aptitude. Wholesome meals made sense, filled with a good portion of all the food groups, but the saturated fats of his massive cheeseburger wouldn't be the first thing he'd recommend. "How about you? Do you play any sports?"
Well… not really. He'd long mastered martial arts, of course, but it'd never been a sport to him. Not like it'd been to his dad, at least, who used to participate in tournaments. Maybe he was just being too nitpicky with the word, though. "I'm kind of thinking of joining the football team," he decided to go with.
"Oh, cool! I know a bunch of people that play for the Tigers." The Tigers? Oh, yeah, Bulma had mentioned the team's name earlier. Sharpner took a bite on his mammoth burger, not waiting to swallow the thing before continuing to say, "Clear your schedule, G. You're going out with me next Thursday. That's when they rally over at Pancakes."
Gohan's amused left brow stood up. "Pancakes?"
"Yeah, that's the name of this joint downtown," the blond explained. "It's where me and my peeps meet up."
A joint? An actual place people go to… Called "Pancakes"... Okay. "Do they actually serve pancakes?" Gohan asked.
Sharpner chuckled. "I don't think they serve food at all, but then again, it's not really why people go there." Yeah, it made sense. Sharp made it sound like a bar or something, a sort of place he wouldn't recognize if not for some shows he'd seen on TV, so they probably didn't even have peanuts, let alone pancakes. "I'll show you around town, afterwards," Sharp added. "It's gonna be legendary!"
The absolute amusement was making Gohan's food disappear at an abnormally slow - meaning human - pace, but this guy was just too much. He was so incredibly upbeat and energetic that it was kind of rubbing off on him. "So, how long have you been attending OSPU?" he found himself asking.
"Just a year. I'm taking Sports Communications," Sharp responded. "How 'bout you? What brings you down to this specific part of hell?"
Gohan smiled at the joke. "Biomechanical Engineering and Applied Physics."
The guy stopped eating entirely, looking up at him in awe. A half-eaten slice of tomato slithered down into a splat on his plate. "Wow, Dude... How smart are you, anyway?"
It made him snicker. "Smart" was much better than Vegeta's "nerd", that's for sure. "Pretty smart, I guess."
"Show me your schedule," the blond almost ordered.
His schedule? Gohan furrowed his brow in confusion for a second, but the guy seemed completely serious. Slowly, he reached for his pocket and produced the piece of paper. "Why do you want...?"
Sharpner had reached for his own schedule, taking both documents and comparing them side by side. "I have to see if we have any classes together. Gotta put those brains to good use."
The young Saiyan was stunned but ended up laughing quietly.
Guess I could've ended up with worse.
After a while, they returned to their "crib" - Sharpner's word - and talked about anything and everything over some intense Lego Star Wars, from their families to their interests to some random stuff they saw on TV the other day. Sharpner took him on a tour of their floor and loudly banged on the doors to introduce him to their "neighbors", as he'd called them, every single one of them. He explained how stuff worked in the laundry room, and that the whole building had an understanding in which each floor would be the one to organize a kick-ass party on their own rec room each Friday night - excluding finals week and a few other exceptions. The first floor's had been the day before yesterday.
Furthermore, and most importantly, he informed him of the magnanimous power of the pink rubber awareness-bracelet that read, "You go, girl!" and the importance of honoring it and just walk away if it is hanging on the doorknob when you're about to enter the room. "It's the code, Bro. Respect it."
He was actually... having fun. Not that he didn't have it before, now and then, but this one was different somehow; it lightened him. Talking to people his own age just gave him a sense of normality he craved for... well... ever. His social awkwardness was still reigning supreme, but that would be from his lack of experience, he supposed.
Later at night, lights out and lying in bed, his eyes drifted to his roommate, snoring not too loudly to his side. He'd never consider himself anti-social, but in the dark of the night, looking at this person he'd barely met, it dawned on him that he'd never had a friend of his own.
All his "friends" - at least he called them that - were initially only his father's, and ever since seven years ago… Well, he didn't really knew what to call them now. They probably didn't see him as a friend anymore, so it would be one-sided if he kept hoping they were. A long list of "friends" and friendly acquaintances began constructing itself in his head, but none had really came through his efforts alone, had they? Maybe Lime, but seeing a person only once for an hour or so during one's entire life didn't really constitute a relationship, did it?
No friends. None that he'd made by himself.
Wow... And here I thought I was just "mildly" messed up.
He'd always felt divided, his whole life. Mom and his studies versus Dad and his training. Having both had always been his dream, but he'd never found a way to attain it. He was either fighting because there was a threat, or he was studying because there wasn't. His parents had never really tried a middle term, anyway, apart from the "at peace" routine that included a short morning training his father would call "just exercise" before the rest of the day were to be spent studying.
Balance had never come for him, and he just now realized how much his Saiyan side had really robbed him of his human one. A thing as simple as a friend was so complicated for him to have that he had to go through his entire childhood without a real one. He didn't want not to be strong, of course, since protecting his family was his primary concern and responsibility, but it sure would be easier on him if he could just... tone it down. Just a little bit.
But now, still as strong as before, still as abnormal as he'd ever been, he had Sharpner, and at least a dozen other guys his roommate had introduced him to that he could try to get to know a bit better. Hopefully he'd manage to at least come across as friendly. It'd make the days go by a little easier if he had people around to distract him, to take his mind off of his family.
Everything was fine back at home, even though he'd heard the sadness in his family's voices through the phone, but a smile came to him when he was told of what would be for dinner: Mom's famous pot-roast. Without a doubt a much better meal than the one he'd had, but even more precious since he realized she'd made the little guys' favorite dish so they wouldn't be so sad. They would be alright, after all; he was sure of it now.
His left arm came up from under the blankets to rest on his forehead, but the cuff caught his attention before it did. It'd had no side effects so far, and the second batch of tests they'd executed the day before came back just the same as a week prior.
Could it actually be helping? It would only be logical that his Saiyan side would at least try to overpower his human one, considering what they knew of both his heritages, although the true extents of that assumption would be indeterminable, of course. If the cuff was able to subdue his Saiyan power, would it manage an equilibrium?
A glint of hope contracted his chest just for a second. If they blended he could feel... whole. Maybe he could feel, period.
He denied it for now. It was agreed with Bulma that in a month, if nothing changed, he would remove the bracelet just to be sure it wasn't having a toxic effect on his body and on his power level. It was a waiting game now, but until that day were to come, he was going to make the most of the new experience.
Left to see what "the most" actually was…
Gohan sighed in defeat, cursing lazily under his breath.
Standing just outside the dorm building's door, under the shelter of the "outside lobby" - what the hell was that called, anyway? A porch? It didn't seem like a porch. - the heavy drops crashing onto the drenched cement floor in front of him were all he could see. It'd been raining for over an hour now.
His first day had went on without a hitch, and he'd kind of wondered if the teachers treated everyone this caringly or just the ones who had "brilliant minds", as his improved hearing caught up on when he'd walked by the faculty room. The dean's promise to keep an eye on him was now clearly evident.
One of his teachers, however, had scheduled what had been referred to as a "previous knowledge evaluation test", a sort of standard procedure for some teachers on the first weeks, as Sharpner had later explained. He'd also told him not to be fooled when they'd say it didn't count towards the final grade, because it did.
The test was scheduled for Thursday afternoon and, although he knew more than enough about Microbiology, he might as well review some of the subjects, he figured, and that meant he needed "the bible". He kicked himself mentally for not bringing his own paperback volume from home and sighed again. He really didn't feel like getting wet, but he didn't even own an umbrella, so... he sucked it up, slid his gray sweater's hood over his head and started walking towards the library. Why the hell would he run? With the cuff on, no way would he be fast enough to dodge the drops of water. Not that he'd ever tried that even without the cuff… It wouldn't be possible either way, he concluded; they were too many and scattered all around.
Oh, and he could only imagine the looks of random people he'd pass by if he were to use a Ki shield. A weak one would be invisible to the eye, but the fact that he was walking around dry under the heavy shower would certainly not.
Some minutes later, he was passing by the wide open field just beside his destination, cursing continuously about the stupid weather with its stupid rain and such, when some movement caught his eye. There hadn't been a soul in sight his entire trip - maybe he could've used the shield after all - but here was this girl, soaking wet just like he was, but she was singing some song he didn't recognize and... doing cartwheels? He forced a blink or two, just to make sure his brain hadn't fallen asleep on the job or something and simply stared at her.
There was actually a girl with shoulder-length black hair doing cartwheels in the rain and singing something about calling her maybe. What the hell?
Finals' week was a well-known nightmare, even for a newbie like himself, and he'd heard that some people would get borderline demented during that particular stage of the school year, but this was the first fucking day! And she seemed kind of... happy, almost child-like, in such a pure, simple way that made his eyes riveted on her every move.
An then, a memory he had repressed long ago popped back into his mind. He must have been around three or four years-old, sitting by his father at the margin of their lake in silent relaxation, two reasonably-sized fish stacked up beside them when it started to rain. His little self had ran for cover then, under a tree, but when he'd looked back, Dad was still on the same spot, his head up to the clouds, eyes closed, and that smile... He remembered it so perfectly. Delicate, content, like he was enjoying a gift from nature.
"Don't be scared, Son. It's just water."
He'd walked back to him, now laying on the grass, and got down as well, supporting his head on his father's stomach. Dad's hand had caressed his drenched hair, his forehead, softly pushing back his thin bangs with hard, calloused fingers though they felt so soft. The warm water had been magical against his skin and his father's touch, soothing. A blessing he still now wished had never ended.
Gohan snapped out of his trance, blinking and shaking his head before focusing his gaze on the girl again. She was doing exactly the same thing, but he now saw her with whole new eyes. A warm feeling started to grow inside his chest, like his heart was now pumping energy instead of blood. He was hypnotized.
In the back of his mind he knew he was staring blankly at this girl like some freaking pervert, but he couldn't bring himself to look away. The girl herself wasn't even there, but he couldn't bring himself to let go of the way she was making him feel.
Was it ... joy? No, nothing that significant. But whatever it was, he hadn't felt it in so long it was like a strange illness was taking over his entire body. His worn-out expression slowly but steadily relaxed and he smiled. He was feeling it all over again. The warm water on his face and the peacefulness. He closed his eyes and lifted his head up, just like his father had done that day.
The world zoned-out on him for what seemed to be forever but couldn't have been more than a couple of minutes. The rain thinned down and eventually stopped, making him open his eyes again.
The girl was gone. Soon enough, so would the feeling, surely. It was too good to last forever.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Honey! I'm just calling to check up on ya. How was your first day yesterday?" Bulma asked, excited as always.
"It was okay," Gohan responded. "I'm watching the Tigers now." On the almost empty bleachers, eyeing the emerald field and the dark uniforms that were running around in it.
She gasped. "You are? Oh, Gohan, that's so cool! How are they doing? Are they playing?"
"Still warming up," he told her. "I have a test on Thursday, so I figured I would brush up on my Microbiology here and take a look."
"Oh, they still do those annoying 'test your knowledge' crap, huh? Overachieving pricks…"
Gohan chuckled softly. That's Bulma for ya...
"How's your roommate?" she continued to ask. "Is he uber amazing? Is he cute?"
He chuckled again. "I wouldn't know about that, but he's pretty cool. Showed me around and introduced me to some of his friends."
"That's so awesome… You got one of the good ones, huh?" She giggled. "Okay, then, I won't take anymore of your time. I just wanted to see if you were doing well. I worry, you know?"
"I am, thank you. I'll tell you all about it next Saturday."
"I'm gonna hold you up to that," she was quick to say. "Every sordid detail, ya hear?"
Sordid… Like college would ever be that exciting. At least for him. "I'm sure you will." He'd never doubt it.
They paused for a moment. "I love you, Honey. Have fun."
"Love you too," he told her back automatically. "Bye."
Gohan returned the cellphone to his jacket pocket and surveyed his surroundings for a moment, looking around from his seat halfway up the bleachers. The sky had finally cleared up after a couple of sad cloudy days, and the sun was shining through the last white puffy remainders. The lengthy bleachers were mostly empty apart from a couple of specks of life here and there, which told him that Bulma had had it right after all: This was indeed a pretty peaceful place to study.
The Tigers were still running around the field in their all-black outfits with golden trims, minus the helmets. Evidently, the coach thought they should be warming up with the full weight of their uniforms, and he would have to agree, though it crossed his mind how, if it'd been Piccolo down there, they would've been running twice as fast, carrying the biggest boulder he could find on their backs. He smirked absentmindedly.
A loud grunt came from behind him, suddenly, and the next thing he knew, a freaking book was loudly crashing on the stairs to his very right, missing him by an inch. What the…? He stood to pick it up. The principles of Economics?
"Oh, God, I'm so sorry!" A series of metal-clanking footsteps brought the concerned voice of a girl from the very top of the stand.
He looked up at her in a mixture of amusement and unbelieving calmness at what'd just happened, but as soon as she stopped a step above him, her blue eyes shocked him with their anxiousness through thin black bangs. "Oh, shit. I'm sorry. Did I hit you?"
"No, it didn't even touch me," he assured her. "Don't worry."
It made her sigh, relieved. "I'm really sorry."
"It's okay." He looked down at the battered, slightly soiled book in his hand. "Your book, on the other hand, has seen better days, I think." He uselessly cleaned it a bit and handed it to her.
The girl smiled and sighed again, now in explicit frustration, mumbling something about "damn previous knowledge" or whatever. "You don't happen to know anything about this invisible hand shit do you?" she asked defeated, lazily flicking the pages.
The failure in her voice was evident and he kind of felt sorry for her. He'd never been too keen on Economics, but that didn't mean he didn't know about it more than the average person would. And the "invisible hand shit", as she'd put it, he did understand.
He took the book back from her hands and purposely sat back down, analyzing its contents. Checking the first pages for the index - oh, it was on the last ones - he rapidly surmised where that particular subject would be within the tome and flipped the pages to number twenty-two.
"Seriously?" he heard her say just before she passed him slowly to take the seat to his left. "You actually know about it?"
"More or less," he responded. It was "more" rather than "less", but what he knew didn't matter if he couldn't manage to transfer that knowledge to her. Swiftly, he read the section that addressed the topic, reviewing some of the concepts to trigger the corresponding memories, and started trying to explain things to her as elementary as he could conceive them, going through every statement in her book, since understanding what she was reading would create better results than later trying to remember what he was saying right now, he figured.
A few minutes in, they heard a scream coming from the field. "Hey!" They looked up and saw a player shouting up to them, a small golden "thirteen" printed over the black jersey on the left side of his chest. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"
"Shit," the girl said in a sort of lazy exhale, redirecting her gaze back to Gohan. "I'll be right back." She got up and walked down the stairs to the player who was now standing just by the bleachers. They talked for a few seconds in what appeared to be a contained argument - though clearly heated - including some finger pointing back at where Gohan was sitting, which kind of puzzled him, he had to admit. Were they talking about him?
After a moment, the girl harshly turned her back on the guy and started coming up the stairs again, rolling her eyes as she did. She crouched next to Gohan. "I'm sorry, my pain-in-the-ass boyfriend doesn't want me sitting next to you," she said sarcastically, picking up her book from his lap. Didn't want…? Why? Gohan furrowed his brow in absolute confusion, which she picked up on, adding, "He's always like this, don't worry."
"Was it something I did?" he asked in all simplicity. Undoubtedly, he was the first one to admit he didn't know how to operate around girls, mainly because he didn't really know anybesides his little sister - oh, and Krillin's daughter, Marron, but they were both children, and he managed well around those. It'd never crossed his mind that he was doing something inappropriate back there.
Instead of responding, the girl simply stared back at him, her eyebrows contorting into somewhat surprised, to suspicious, to unbelieving. It was making him feel uncomfortable. Finally, she smiled softly, saying, "No, not at all. You were the perfect gentleman." Oh, thank goodness. The first girl his age he'd met in a while... At least it wasn't the "Lime situation" all over again, with him unknowingly grabbing her breasts.
"He just doesn't trust me around other guys for some reason," she added. "Thank you for your help, anyway." And with that, she got up the bleachers to her previous seat, getting back down after a bit with her things in hand, and taking a seat on the first row under the watchful eye of player thirteen himself.
For the next few moments, Gohan tried to make sense of what had just happened but eventually gave up. The expression "trust issues" wasn't foreign to him, since Bulma had thrown it around plenty, first when referring to her relationship with Yamcha, and then when talking about Vegeta, at least in the early days of their lives together - "together" being loosely utilized, of course. Apart from making a son he ended up not even knowing about and attending some special occasions with her, Vegeta's days would be channeled to his training and nothing more.
But it wasn't something he'd ever experienced personally, those issues. No one in his life would ever strike him as untrustworthy - not even Vegeta - so the concept wasn't easy for him to grasp. Not in a non-battle situation, at least; he'd never trust anything but his instincts and his comrades during those. He just couldn't wrap his head around what'd just happened, so he shrugged it off for now. Maybe later he would ask Sharpner for his two cents on the matter.
Nevertheless, he hated to leave things unfinished. He grabbed his notebook and started scribbling a few things.
Half an hour had passed when he rallied his stuff and got up. His stomach was purring so it'd be best to grab a pre-dinner snack before it'd turn into a loud growl. He was feeling ham and cheese sandwiches or something of the like. The strap of his backpack was thrown up to his shoulder, and he walked down the stairs, four loose notebook sheets in his hand.
The black-haired girl shot up at him, slightly startled when he stopped right in front of her. He extended her the rolled up pieces of paper, and she grabbed them hesitantly, throwing an inquisitive look into the mix. He'd explain what they contained, but he didn't want her to get in more trouble with her boyfriend if his presence alone had been the one to do so in the first place. "Good luck on your test," was all that left his mouth.
He continued on his path to the cafeteria, now feeling a little more in the mood for chips, for some reason, a corner of his lips tilting up when he heard her behind him, reading out loud what he'd written. "What you need to know regarding the invisible hand principle is that…"
Sandwiches or chips… Sandwiches or chips… Meh, make it both.
His roommate went on inside, but Gohan couldn't resist one last look at that neon sign, staring at it for a moment by the entrance. "'Pancakes'… Why the hell 'Pancakes'?" He shook his head and got in.
It was now Thursday evening, and as promised, Sharpner's astounding forty-five minutes of getting ready led up this place. Pancakes… As he drove them downtown on his navy-blue hatchback, the blond had pointed out that, since a lot of people who live far away would go home for the weekend on Friday afternoon - Gohan included - Thursday night was when all the "real action would take place", whatever that meant.
First impressions aside, the place wasn't as bad as he'd thought, he had to admit. It stood right next to the beach, and the music was comfortably filling the room instead of forcing itself on you and raping your eardrums. He considered if that was the practical difference between a "bar" and a "club".
That being said, the sheer amount of people made it not only crowded but kind of loud on his sensitive hearing. Luckily, after a few excited greetings here and there, Sharpner navigated away from what he now perceived to be the main bar area and towards the back room, where he spotted a couple of pool tables and other assorted bar games.
Right next those, a smaller L-shaped bar surrounded by about a dozen bar stools served a smaller, almost cozy little dance floor with one long sofa-type seating covering the entire back wall. He silently appreciated Sharpner's decision location-wise and unknowingly reached for the green bottle he was extending him. Its cold surface woke him up. "What's this?"
"It's a beer, Man! What the hell would it be?"
Gohan inspected the bottle in his hand with an inquisitive brow lift, slightly wrinkling his nose as the alcohol evaporated towards his super-sensitive nostrils. Holy crap! If it smelled like this...
Sharpner chuckled. "Oh, shit! I forgot you're a freakin' mountain boy," he said a little too cheerfully. "Well, ya can't be a virgin forever. Try it, Man! You'll love it!"
Gohan hesitated for a moment but took a really small sip, grimacing immediately after. He didn't love it - at all! - and he was kind of taken aback by how many people around him were drinking what his survival training would tell him to be poisonous, given its bitterness. Sharpner just laughed it off and patted his back. "You're one of us now, G! Come on, I'll introduce you to some guys on the football team." He pointed back at one of the pool tables. If anything, Sharpner kept his promises, he thought.
He met two incredibly huge, incredibly nice guys who turned out to be linemen. They talked to him about the Tigers in between their turns around the pool table, and apparently it was not easy business getting on the team, but if you worked hard enough, it was really rewarding.
Eventually, one of the guys gave him a sheet of paper, all crinkled up from being in his pocket, and printed with information regarding what he'd need for the upcoming tryouts. Maybe Bulma would know where he could buy some cleats, since he didn't really want to ask the guys, and his shop-aholic aunt would certainly point him in the right direction. They gathered around in conversation for a good half an hour before Gohan excused himself and went to sit at the bar, further away from all the commotion.
He lazily looked around at the people, some drunker than others, when he spotted a familiar face on the sofa across the small dance floor. Well, two, actually: The girl from the other day and player thirteen of the Tigers. She looked bored out of her mind, crossed legs and arms as her boyfriend sat beside her, extremely committed to the conversation he was having with some other guy, his back rudely cutting her off.
Not too long after, a short-haired blonde girl appeared from behind the young Saiyan and stood a couple of steps to his side, searching for someone who turned out to be the very same person he'd been looking at. "Finally, girl!" he made out beneath the music as the dark-haired girl got up to meet the other. "I was dying over there. Let's go dance!" She took the other's hand and lead them both a couple steps away to the dance floor, as the excited blonde cheered loudly for no apparent reason.
They seemed to be quite good friends, he thought, but after a while, his gaze ignored them and returned down to the bottle in his hand, which he had valiantly managed to almost empty out. His wandering mind started analyzing the label. Alcohol content, five point four percent. Brewed with natural ingredients. He couldn't help but notice that cyanide could also be considered a "natural ingredient". Why in the world would people drink this shit?
Suddenly, another blonde girl harshly leaned against the bar right next to him, startling him a bit. "Hey," she said casually, playfully rolling her waist-long hair around a finger, but what grabbed his attention the most was the way she was chewing her gum, so loud and with her mouth so wide open he even managed to make out it was blue.
"Hey," he responded.
"How're ya doin'?"
"I'm okay." Though he couldn't stop looking at her gum, like the damn thing was hypnotizing him or calling his name in some weird, uncomfortable way. His gentleman lessons were long gone back in the past, but he'd been conditioned well enough to know that, depression or no depression, Mom would have his head if she'd ever caught him doing that. Not to mention the noise was just nasty.
"What's your name?" the girl continued to ask, though he wondered if she really wanted to know the answer, considering how she was looking around to anywhere but him. He also wondered if she was leaning his way like that on purpose, her arms pressing her breasts together into an even deeper cleavage than the one she had before. He tried not to look, though; it'd be disrespectful.
It had been one thing he'd never even considered before all the college issue had first came up. Sure he was expecting to have new experiences, meet new people with all sorts of personalities and backgrounds, but it didn't even cross his mind that some of those people would actually be girls, for some reason. Girls and the respective parts of their anatomies.
It was definitely something he wasn't prepared for, because not even a whole week in and he'd already had to catch himself plenty of times just to keep his eyes from lingering too much. Maybe that curiosity was comprehensible, he guessed, considering he hadn't even met any girls old enough to have full… body parts, but it didn't make matters any easier.
Of course he'd never look at his mother's or Bulma's bodies with the same interest, but he remembered peering at Eighteen once or twice during their scarce get-togethers back when his hormones were a little wilder. His early teens had been the worst, but in his defense, he'd been a royal mess for the first couple of years after his father had died, feeling things he couldn't explain and having his body do stuff he didn't order yet couldn't control either.
Talk about adding insult to injury… It'd just made him miss Dad that much more.
It was different now, though. The wonder was still the same, but he didn't feel his insides getting hotter or his cheeks to fire up like when he was younger. Now it was just… numb fascination. Something he'd discard entirely if it wasn't for the fact that everywhere he went there was boobs and asses. Even at school.
Super revealing tops, super tight jeans, and even shorter skirts. How could a guy not look? He just hoped Mia would be a lot more modest with her outfits when she got to his age.
God… he didn't even want to think about it. Not his Pumpkin.
"It's Gohan," he told her, rooting his eyes on the gum in her mouth so they wouldn't steer away.
"Mindy," was her sole answer.
"Nice to meet you."
Immediately, Mindy leaned closer to him, so much so he actually had to heel away a bit in his seat. Her attention was now redirected exclusively to him, her index finger lazily hooking the collar of his t-shirt. "Wanna go to the bathroom?" she asked, her tone deepening a notch.
The…? "Huh…" What an odd question. Was it standard procedure to ask such a thing, nowadays? Like a way to be polite and make the other person comfortable? Because it wasn't working. "Not… really, no."
"Are you sure?"
"Positive," he responded very slowly, nodding a little.
The girl backed up harshly, snapping at him like she'd been offended. "Are you gay?"
Wait, what? Gohan opened his mouth but he simply had no words so he closed it up again. Where in the world did that come from?
She stormed off without anything else, leaving him blinking and completely perplexed. First asking about his bowel movements and then his sexual orientation? What the fuck had just happened? Was this a normal conversation for kids his age to have and he simply wasn't aware?
Goddammit, how many other social norms was he behind on?
Should he ask Sharpner about it? The guy already knew of his lack of both knowledge and experience when it came to any kind of interaction that involved other people - particularly people their age and of the opposite gender - so maybe he wouldn't make fun of him too badly.
He took a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair, shrugging it off for now. His foot would inescapably be finding its way to his mouth many more times in the future, no doubt, so might as well get used to it and try to learn this stuff empirically. Trial and error was a scientist's livelihood, after all, so it'd hopefully work for this too.
Note to self: Avoid bathrooms.
Trying to forget what'd just happened, his hand slid down to his pocket, taking out and straightening open the folded paper that read "Tryouts". His beer had to be finished so might as well do so over some literature. Next Thursday, then.
Not even half the way down the leaflet, bottle to his lips for another gulp at the disgusting liquid, someone plopped abruptly on the high-bench next to his. "Hey, you!"
Gohan interrupted the swig he was taking and looked over to his left, a hand cleaning his mouth from the drops he wasn't able to keep in the bottle. It was the Economics girl from the other day. "Hey," he responded, surprised.
She giggled. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bother you or anything." It wasn't a bother, just unexpected. "I just wanted to thank you for your help the other day. Your notes were a life-saver."
"Don't mention it." Some simple scribbles, nothing fancy. And the subject was pretty straightforward, so there was really no need for gratitude. Even more so considering he'd somehow gotten her in trouble with her boyfriend in the process.
"I'm Videl, by the way." She extended her hand.
Now there's a social conduct he recognized. Apparently handshakes were still acceptable, thank God. He took the cue and did his part, giving it a single polite shake. "Gohan."
"Nice to meet you, Gohan."
"You too."
Videl crossed her arms atop the polished wood counter, leaning onto it and crossing her leg. For a second he felt grateful that her shiny top didn't carry a V-shaped neckline but rather a wide ample one that showed her collarbones instead of her cleavage. But then, just as she looked away while rearranging her posture, his eyes went discreetly down for half a second anyway, despite himself.
Goddammit, Mindy...
"Why are you here all by yourself?" she asked then, smiling. "Did you come alone?"
"No, I'm with my roommate. This is his idea of showing me around town."
She chuckled. "So you're not from around here, then?"
"No, from the four thirty-nine area." Wait, would she even know where that was? It was pretty far away, so probably not. "In the mountains," he added to specify.
"Near Mt. Paozu? Wow, that's really far away." Oh, so she did know her geography. "Is it your first time in the city?"
"It's my first time anywhere," he absentmindedly responded, regretting it almost immediately. He'd seen with his own eyes before how alcohol could make a person much more willing to share information and personal details they normally never would, but this was his first damn beer! How low was his tolerance, anyway? How many more before he'd spill the beans on the half-alien bit?
Another note to self: Refrain from telling the world you're an alien.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
He shrugged a shoulder. "I was homeschooled, so…"
"Oh." She seemed surprised for a second but smiled anyway. "So you're not familiar with this whole bar scene, I take it?"
That's one way to put it. Another one was the fact that he'd been on a different planet, chased around mercilessly and beaten to a pulp, yet he'd been more comfortable there than here."Not really," he decided to go with.
"What do you make of it so far?"
"It's loud, and crowded, and I can't understand how people like this stuff," he responded without delay, eyeing his empty beer bottle.
Videl giggled. "Yeah, it takes a little getting used to. How many have you had so far?"
"First one."
"Well, that's your problem right there," she said matter-of-factly. "You have to drink at least four before you begin to appreciate it."
Gohan looked at her for a moment. Was that a fact? Admittedly, he'd never cared to look up the details before, but… for some reason, for the way she was unnoticeably pressing her lips together, he didn't really buy it, slowly asking, "Did you just make that up?"
"Possibly."
He smiled shyly and looked back down as she laughed.
"But still, trust me on this," she added, a hand touching his shoulder. "Let me get you another one." She turned to the bartender. "Hey, Nicky! A couple of these for me and my friend." Shit, another one? In his head he was shouting how he was good with just the one, but the bartender pretended not to hear his thoughts - the bastard - and still brought over two more beers.
"Thank you," Videl told the guy and then motioned for a toast. He followed her lead and grabbed his drink. "To meeting new people and trying new things."
The neck of their bottles produced a crystalline clink before they each took a sip, and as expected, the second one was just as terrible as the first. That rule was clearly made up; no way would it taste any better after number four.
At that moment, Videl's blonde friend from earlier came over behind her, silently tapping her shoulder, and of course her breasts had to be even bigger and more prominent than the others'."Oh, this is my friend Erasa," Videl said. "She's my roommate. E, this is Gohan."
Erasa smiled and twinkled her fingers in a girly salutation. "Hi, Gohan."
"Hi," he told her. "Nice to meet you."
A second later, he felt someone grabbing his shoulders from behind, and looked over to see it was Sharpner. "Alright, Bro! Made yourself some new friends," he said. "And they're hot, too!"
The girls giggled and greeted in unison. "Hi, Sharpie." Oh, so they knew each other already.
"You girls stay away from my roommate," Sharpner told them. "I'm here to hook him up." Hook him up? He couldn't be serious...
"Your roommate, huh?" Videl asked suspiciously, and then leaned closer to Gohan, whispering, "I'd change rooms, if I were you."
"Hey!" Sharpner interjected, making the girls giggle again.
"That won't be a problem, Sharpie," Erasa said then, a sly smirk on her face. "Hooking him up, I mean. I saw him talking to Mindy earlier."
His roommate gasped. "Dude, Mindy? For real?"
"Oooo, Mindy," Videl mocked. "I wonder what she wanted."
"She asked me if I wanted to go to the bathroom," Gohan responded, trying to hide the fact that he had no trace of an idea as to why she did so in the first place. Well, Sharpner already knew he was socially impaired, and he'd already told Videl that she was basically talking to a homeschooled mountain-boy, so she should be able to connect the dots by herself eventually, he guessed.
The three of them looked amused, eyeing each other with open mouths. Videl was the one to slowly ask, "What did you say?"
"I said 'not really'. Didn't need to go."
They started to laugh, but Videl rapidly interrupted. "Stop it, you guys. He's not from the city, he doesn't know." Gohan furrowed his brow in confusion. "You see, there are some people that come to these places not only to have fun with their friends but to... 'have fun' in other ways too." She air-quoted the words.
Other ways? Like what, playing board-games? Dancing? Because you could that with your friends too, couldn't you? Thankfully, she clarified. "The kind of fun best done by a couple in the privacy of a dirty bathroom."
A… dirty bathroom? It took him a moment, but when he got it, his eyes widened just a tiny bit. "Oh…"
"Yeah," Videl said, nodding.
Holy crap, was that what she meant? The girl had barely learned his name and already she was aiming for sex? Goodness… He knew what "one night stands" were, but still it weirded him out how such a private, personal act could be so straightforward and casual. Sex shouldn't be this trivial, should it? "I'm glad I said no then," he simply stated, causing a general chuckle.
Erasa took a step towards Sharpener then, touching his chest and tracing a path down his abdomen with her index finger. "You know… the bathroom seems pretty good right now."
His hands went to her hips as he smirked. "Yeah? Will you take care of me?"
Erasa's only response was biting her lip. "Ewww, you guys…" Videl complained, wrinkling her nose in disgust.
With no further words, they chuckled before Sharpner patted Gohan on the shoulder, and then went away. Well, apparently it was that trivial.
"That's them for ya," Videl continued to say, taking a sip of her beer.
"Are they dating?" Gohan found himself asking. It wasn't a topic that had come up on the conversations he'd shared with his roommate the past week.
"Not officially, but they like each other. I think it's only a matter of time."
Gohan nodded in approval. Erasa seemed nice enough.
"So... Sharpner's roommate," she teased. "What are you studying back at OSPU?"
"Biomechanical Engineering and Applied Physics."
Videl almost choked on her beer. "For real?"
He nodded. Why did everyone find that so surprising?
She paused for a moment, lips gapped, just staring his way. "Then how the hell did you know so much about Economics?" Her tone changed from surprised to jokingly interrogative, an amused smirk thrown into the mix. "Are you a geek?"
Gohan chuckled slightly. "Yeah, kind of." Either that or a nerd, but he didn't quite know the difference between the two.
"Funny, you don't look like a geek."
"How do geeks look like?"
"Not like you," she answered, matter-of-factly. Well, if you put it that way... "And they certainly don't tryout for the football team." She picked up and took a moment to analyze the paper he had laid down in front of him. "Was that why you were on the bleachers the other day?"
"That and because it's a quiet place to study."
"Yeah, I hear ya. At least when you're not being hit with some crazy chick's book."
He smiled. The principles of Economics, he'd never forget.
"So, have you decided? Are you going to tryout for the Tigers?"
"I think so, yes." No harm in trying, right? He'd probably not even make it past Thursday's tryouts anyway, if they were supposed to be that difficult.
"That's cool," she said, giving him back the paper. "The guys are really nice. You're gonna fit right in."
"Thanks."
Her eyes widened a bit then, as she spotted something behind his shoulder. "That was quick," she stated, just as Erasa arrived to their side, followed closely by a droopy-eyed Sharpener.
"I'm that good," Erasa gloated.
"E! That's disgusting!"
Erasa giggled at her friend's discomfort. "Anyway, I have to go. Want a ride?"
"Sure," Videl responded before turning to the bartender. "Hey, Nicky, my friends here are on me tonight, okay?" The guy nodded in agreement. "Well, see you around. Bye, guys."
"Bye," the other three said in chorus, waving their farewells. Erasa winked at Sharpner and he smirked in response before both girls walked away.
Gohan looked at his friend as he planted himself on Videl's former seat. "So... you and Erasa, huh?" the demi-Saiyan shyly coerced out of his mouth. He was never one to pry, but this friendship thing involved a great deal of sharing, if he wasn't mistaken, so he'd at least try to play his part. The trigger was forced but the conversation intended and welcome.
Sharpner smiled in more calmness than Gohan had ever seen in him, and it crossed his mind how Erasa must've really been that good, as she'd put it. Sure he wasn't so naive as to think they went to that bathroom solely to wash their hands, but even if he wasn't exactly sure how, in fact, she'd "taken care of him" back there, the nature of their "business" was now pretty obvious and self-evident.
"Yeah, it happens from time to time," the blond responded.
"Are you two dating?" he asked for the second time tonight, trying to get his side of the story.
He sighed and said, "No…" dragging the word, and Gohan managed to notice a hint of disappointment. Reading people had always been so easy for him. Dad would always praise him for that, saying he'd always managed to make out what going through his father's head without any real effort. Like when he realized why Dad had seemed… "off" when fighting Android Nineteen, or back at the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, when Dad was holding back because he didn't want to hurt him.
Where was that insight before the Games, he wondered? If he'd know his father's "masterplan" to have him be the one fighting Cell… maybe he'd be more ready for it.
And maybe he wouldn't have screwed it up.
"Why not?" the young Saiyan asked, his voice way deeper than intended while trying to push those thoughts aside.
Sharpner shrugged. "She doesn't want to."
Gohan was surprised. "Really?" Sharpner nodded. "How come?"
"Something about me not being boyfriend material," he explained, looking away from his roommate just before getting back up, almost in a jump, a spark back in his eye. "Wanna go play some foosball? I can teach you." Without waiting for an answer, he started walking back towards the game area.
Gohan took this as an obvious attempt to change the subject and respected his friend's unspoken wishes. "Sure." He got up and followed suit, trying not to think about that tiny bit of hurt he'd seen taking over his friend's happy-go-lucky features just before the mask was back on. He knew the feeling, and they were going to address it later if the opportunity should arise, but he sure wasn't going to force it out of him. Treat others like you would want to be treated, he remembered from his mother's gentleman lessons.
Nevertheless, he had his friend's back. It was her loss.
I've basically grown tired of reading fanfic after fanfic where Gohan and Videl meet and almost instantly are attracted to each other, and in some cases even fall in love. I'm not saying I dislike those stories, but I'm trying to write one that although includes Saiyans, afterlife, and green men from outer space, I want to be as real-world believable as I can make it. Of course a story about real life would be kind of boring, so I'll have to sprinkle some magic on it, but still. :)
In my book, Gohan and Videl fall in love but not right away. Their relationship matures from friends, to "it's complicated", to boyfriend and girlfriend, as most relationships do. There is nothing in the series that suggest a love-at-first-sight kind of scenario, and it's not a "Saiyan thing" because it doesn't happen immediately for Goku, even though it kind of does for Chi-Chi (but that can be the girly romance in her), and it certainly doesn't happen with Vegeta and Bulma, that's for sure (and no, the fact that in the Ocean dub he says she's gorgeous when they're on Namek is not an argument). Nevertheless, I did want Videl to have some kind of first impact on Gohan, but since my version of him is much more of a mess than Mr. Toriyama made him out to be, he doesn't grasp the effects of it until later on.
Anyway, forgive my ramblings. Please review!