Trunks pulled his arm out of Goten's grasp and charged him. Pan laughed as Trunks goofily toyed with Goten as they fought, their sparring had begun shortly after Bulma had prepared a late breakfast and early lunch, after everyone else had decided to sleep in. He would slip out of his grasp every time, then bend over backwards to escape Goten once more. They look like a couple that was awkwardly trying to dance. Pan smiled at the boys. Sparring. She always enjoyed sparring and fighting with the men of her family.
She took to the skies as her grandfather floated into the scene and as she met with him she playfully threw a punch to him. He smiled, caught her hand easily and merely pulled her in to crumple her into his arms. Goku caught her under her torso and threw her up over his shoulder, Pan squealed with delight. He smiled, her squeal of laughter was one that was signature to her. When she was a child he would tease and tickle her until her heard her rolling with laughter. And although his sons were his pride, Pan was his joy. She reminded him about the joy that life could bring. Always hopeful and always smiling, she was the one who had helped him enjoy his life as a grandfather. He gently pulled her off of his shoulder and cradled her into his arms, hugging her against his chest. He felt her arms curl around his neck and she admitted, "I was very scared." He hugged her tighter as they floated in the air, "I know Panny."
"I think you should take a break from sparring for a bit," he reasoned with her and she said, "I wanted to show you how strong I am." Goku felt his heart break, but he reassured her. "I know how strong you are. And you are far stronger than I am." Her tears burnt her eyes and she held onto him. "Grandpa G," she murmured. He smiled for her and threw her up from his arms, until he caught her once more. "Yes Panny?" She let out a gasp of surprise and suddenly his fingers rubbed into her sides and she exploded into a fit of laughter.
Trunks stiffened. His eyes rose and she distracted him, Goten got a good punch to his face. "Oh shit, man!" Goten exclaimed while Trunks winced painfully and caught his face. "Ah!" But his attention was still on the sound of Pan's laughter. He cupped his face and said, "It's all good Goten. I'll be fine." Goten eased in close and rubbed Trunks face, "Sorry man." Trunks shook his head, "I'm good." Goten arched a joking brow before he too heard Pan's laughter. His head rose and his eyes widened seeing Goku tickling Pan senseless. "Ah, ah, ah, ha! Gran-grandpa pl-please!" she giggled, "Please sto-sto-stop!" Goku chuckled and finally paused and held her up. Tears had fallen from her eyes and he smiled for her, "Better?" he asked. She merely chuckled and hugged him before she pulled away. "Yes."
"What happened man? She's distracting you," Goten asked. Trunks looked up at her and said softly, "I hurt her." And his mother's voice cut through. "Well, since everyone is already here, why don't we make it a week-long event?" Trunks and Goten looked at her and she clapped. "I'm going to have a catering company come in tonight, as I know our men here eat a lot…" she added.
Goku kept Pan in his arms and floated them over to a nearby balcony to people watch. And again, their evening came along as any normal evening would with the friends and families intermingling. Chichi nagged and Bulma and Vegeta bickered all the while Gohan and Videl merely laughed on. Krillin was a nervous nelly as 18 and Marron nagged at him and Pan felt a smile curl her lips. She was happy that everything was normal. Goku looked at her and caught her hand in his. "Do you need to talk about it?" he asked lowly. Pan's eyes widened for a moment. "Eh, it would be embarrassing, but I'm okay," she reasoned. "Thank you grandpa G."
She noted he was fidgety and she eyed him. "You heard the doorbell ring for the caterer didn't you?" she accused and he smiled at her. "Go," she laughed. He zipped away from her and Pan jumped out of her skin when another hand touched her shoulder. She whipped around and her heart pounded out of her chest. "Bulma! Goodness you scared me!" she exclaimed. Bulma slowly smiled and offered, "Would you like to walk downstairs with me?" Pan saw a sincere look in her eyes and knew that Bulma knew that Pan could easily fly down just as her grandfather had. Pan smiled and nodded, "Yes." And with that Pan and Bulma walked through the office space that the balcony was connected to and as they neared the room door Bulma smiled back at her. She reached out to Pan, and Pan slowly grasped Bulma's hand.
Bulma pulled it under her arm and said, "Your mother is a wonderful mother, I cannot think of any other better woman to raise such a lovely young woman like you." Pan felt emotion grasp her heart, "With that said I understand that many of us must keep secrets from our parents that would they know, the secret would tarnish them. And make your mother believe she failed you in some way. And bless my daughter, but she is a pretty princess and you know that." Another tight squeeze gagged Pan with a lump of emotions in her throat, even though a smile cracked her lips. "Bulma," she squeaked. Bulma nodded, "If you ever need a woman to talk to, just woman to woman, I am here."
Pan felt a slow tear fall from her eyes as they reached the stairs leading down to the patio and gardens, she bowed her head. Bulma turned to her and rubbed her hands on Pan's shoulders. "But it will take time, you can only keep it inside for so long. Sometimes you will need to tell someone, even if that is him." Pan's head snapped up to look at Bulma and Bulma cupped her face and wiped away that single tear. "He is not sleeping well, and he is suffering from whatever guilt is tormenting him. Do not forget that he too is in pain." Bulma smiled for her and just then Pan saw tears in the woman's eyes. Pan caught her arm and stopped her. "Bulma," she whispered and Bulma said nothing. She tapped Pan's hand and smiled, "We have all suffered, remember you are not alone." And with that Bulma pulled away once more and walked away.
Pan followed slowly after her. Wondering if Trunks had told her, but she shook her head. He couldn't have, she couldn't imagine him telling his mother of all people. And with that she walked out to the gardens once more for dinner time. And she eased into the scene with a slightly forced smile. Bura greeted her and she felt the saiyan princess touch her arm to hers and she squeezed her hand. "You okay?" Bura pondered and Pan saw it in her eyes that Bura had seen Pan follow in closely after her mother. She nodded. "Yes, I'm quite alright," she reasoned. Bura eyed her for a moment before she nodded and pulled Pan with her to sit beside her. And it wasn't until Pan sat down that a shoulder brushed hers and she felt herself stiffen at the energy she felt. She peered over rather meekly and found Trunks sitting beside her, laughing with Goten while Marron eased to sit across from him.
"Alright!" Bulma shouted, "Let's eat!" And with those words, food went flying. Hands went out and Pan merely sat there watching everyone before she finally dug into food. She ate quietly and then a hand touched her. She stiffened feeling a warm hand graze her thigh before it squeezed her knee. And her eyes slowly looked over at Trunks. His touch left her and his head tilted to the side, "You okay?" She gulped down her food and dumbly nodded. "Yes, I'm just, well, I'm tired is all," she reasoned. "Okay," he said and then he went back to eating and laughing. But after that, every time her shoulder would brush him, or any time his hand would accidentally skim hers she would almost jump away from her. And she would stiffen up and awkwardly move away from him with a gentle laugh.
"What's up with you Pan?" Goten's voice chimed up and she looked at him with a confused look. "What?"
"I asked what's up? You're quiet," he said. And she shrugged, "Nothing." Goten eyed her and pressed on, "Well, you've graduated college, what are you going to do when summer comes?" Pan blinked and said, "Hopefully have a job." Bulma chimed in, "You have a job with the company, I need someone like you." Pan's brow furrowed, "You do?"
"Well, your degree was international business, I don't have anyone trained in that field as of right now," Bulma said. "Please think about it." Pan nodded, "I will." Goten asked then, a question that caused her to blush, "Do you have a boyfriend yet? I remember my brother scared off that last one." She stammered and Gohan defended himself. "Hey, if he can't handle that a part of our family are aliens he doesn't deserve to be with you." Pan laughed. And Trunks heard her giggles trickle past her lips as she laughed out, "Bura did you have these troubles too?" Bura eyed her. "What do you mean?"
"Having everyone's opinion?" Pan said. And Trunks lifted himself from the table, and left the table. He slipped away unnoticed. Bura giggled and turned to Vegeta with a smile. "The only opinion that matters is daddy's," she said and Vegeta smiled triumphantly, until Bura added, "Just kidding!"
And then Marron took her turn to be snarky. "What would a twenty-something virgin know anything about men?" Pan blushed embarrassingly and tried laughing. She picked up her drink and took a long hard gulp. Before she gulped back more and the rest down. Her mouth fizzed and her eyes went wide as she saw she'd drank some of Bulma's homemade hard lemonade. It fizzed with carbonation, but suddenly the alcohol hit her head. She sat there and Marron asked, "Do you have any experience with men?" Pan felt the alcohol give her a bit of liquid courage and she said with a smile, "Surely not as much as you do, but I've had plenty." Goten howled with laughter and coughed on his food. And Pan decided to escape Marron's hateful gaze then.
"Bura, I'm going to help with the dishes again," Pan murmured as she lifted herself away from the table and walked away. Pan felt her chest was tight, her hands were shaking and she shook them vigorously to get them to stop shaking. She then escaped into the house and into the kitchen.
And she nearly jumped out of her skin when she opened the kitchen door and Trunks was standing right in front of her. "AH!" His eyes went wide and she panted for a good breath. "Pan? Are you okay?" She nodded, "Yeah, yeah, I'm good, I'm fine." Pan walked further into the kitchen and up to the stack of dishes in the sink and Trunks was pouring himself a drink. She walked over to the sink and set the dishes in and the water automatically heated up and began pouring from the faucet. She hummed quietly and Trunks watched her as she washed the dishes by hand. He knew, she knew there was a dishwasher, hell, there was even a robot that could easily do what she was doing just now.
But he noted she carefully cleaned the dishes and as she finished through the stack she dried them, all, by hand. She craned her neck a she did this and he thoughtfully kept watching her. As she finished she wiped her hands down her jeans and he knew then she was not a materialistic girl. But she was no longer a girl. Once again she stood before him as a grown woman. He sipped at his drink and eased over to peer out of the window near him. He watched their families mingle and laugh. He felt eyes on him then. And he directed his attention back to Pan. She was watching him, as he watched their families with a small smile, at her lips. He set his drink aside as she walked over to him. "They seem happy," she said. And before she passed him, he leaned into her height and stole a kiss from her. His eyes met hers for a moment and he watched as she blushed all too beautifully. "You've been drinking," he noted, he could taste the lemonade upon her lips.
"Trunks," she began, until the kitchen door burst open and they scrambled away from one another. Pan stood before the sink, scrubbing quickly at the dishes she had already cleaned. He tried sipping at his drink once more before his sister's voice said. "You guys don't have to be so distant because of me." Pan groaned and asked, "Are we that obvious?" She faced Bura and her eyes begged her. Bura playfully winced, "Painfully obvious." Pan eyed Trunks and he merely shrugged at her. "At least Bura knows?" Pan rolled her eyes and threw her towel into the sink. "This has to stop," Pan said firmly. "You said you were with Marron," she stated and Bura's eyes widened at Pan's bluntness. Trunks smiled and set his coffee aside, "I never said I was," he commented and Pan corrected, "She said that you two were together." Trunks looked around, "I didn't think her opinion mattered to you." Pan admitted then, "Trunks I'm still a woman." His eyes widened. Of course. Her words were so simple, but revealed to him that Marron still made her feel insecure.
"Bura, watch the door please," Trunks said and Pan's brow furrowed and suddenly he walked up to her and kissed her. One hand cupped her waist the other cupped the nape of her neck. And she protested, for a moment before she pulled back. "Trunks," she whispered. And he said, "I want to kiss you." Pan's eyes widened for a moment before she looked at his lips and leaned up to him. He smiled just before he kissed her once more. And time seemed to go so slowly, until it ended too quickly when Bura said, "Marron's walking up to the house!" Trunks growled out a low tone and sighed. He saw Pan's lips looked swollen from his kisses and he turned away. "I'm going to my room," he snapped off as he left the kitchen and Pan stood there confused. Bura wheeled herself away from the door and over to Pan.
She caught Pan and pulled her towards the sink, "Clean, just clean them."And they did, Pan scrubbed, Bura rinsed and the door opened. Marron eased inside and peered around before asking, "Have you guys seen Trunks?" Bura replied quickly, "Nope. Haven't seen him." Marron made a small huff and then left the kitchen. Pan looked at Bura, "What just happened?" Bura said, "Clearly you've never had drama with Marron. She's quite aggressive and relentless, and sadly when she and Trunks were together I learned to just stay out of it." Pan nodded, but then said, "No, that's not what I meant, Trunks just kissed me and walked away. I'm so confused…"
She shook her head and felt feverish. Bura looked at her and saw her face flushed and could hear her heart pounding. Bura walked to her and said, "Go take a shower, go cool off." Pan felt her face and nodded. "Okay." And she numbly walked to her guest room and into the bathroom. She looked at herself in the reflection of the mirror and sighed. She looked crazed. Her eyes were tired, her cheeks still flushed from drinking and her embarrassment and frustration. She walked to the shower and threw on the water. And as she eased out of her clothes she could still feel her body was burning up. She let the cool water shower over herself and she couldn't cool off. When just moments before Trunks had kissed her. That kiss had lit a wick inside of her as if she were a candle. And she felt as if her body had been set on fire. She groaned and rested her head against the tile.
