Chi-Chi lost count over how many ways she started and stopped a text to Goku the next couple of days. She wanted to explain that Lapis was just joking… but it became muddled the more angles she tried to tackle. Chi-Chi began to wonder why she felt the need to explain anything at all.

She had done nothing wrong. She was not Goku's, any more than she was Lapis' girlfriend. She and Lapis had gone on one date, a rather innocent one in fact. There really wasn't much to say!

Still, the urge to talk to Goku to talk about recent events, especially with each other, was strong.

She was still incredibly unsure about what it all meant, especially since he was seeing Launch… right? But Goku made it abundantly clear that he was still interested in her… at least physically. She wasn't sure if he actually wanted to pursue a relationship again.

And even if he was interested in something more, she wasn't sure whether it would be smart of her to pursue. There was too much history, plus all the potential fall out scared the living daylight out of her. They'd already gone through a divorce, and she'd barely survived that.

Dating friends and strangers were one thing. Dating the father of her children while unsure she wanted a full reconciliation could destroy her kids.

And your heart, all over again, her mind whispered.

The reality was, anything with Goku could never be done casually.

Or was she just an old-fashioned girl who had no idea how modern dating worked? Was she overthinking things? It was incredibly frustrating conundrum so in the end, she lost all nerve and decided not to say anything.

Besides, Goku hadn't brought anything up either, so… maybe he didn't care? Maybe it wasn't a big deal?

It was Friday, as she was prepping to take the kids to their father's, when she received this text:

Too much? —Lapis

Chi-Chi's brows knit in confusion.

What's too much? —Chi-Chi

You didn't get back to me about the weekend. —Lapis

Oh. He was talking about his joke. Chi-Chi sighed and shook her head. Honestly, she thought it was rather harmless, as she already was used to his off-colour antics. It was just poor timing.

Sorry, was busy that day. Then I forgot to reply. —Chi-Chi

Normally women can't get me out of their mind. :-p —Lapis

She bit her lip and then:

Sure, let's hang out this weekend. —Chi-Chi

Low key maybe? I could give you a tour of the park. —Lapis

At that, Chi-Chi genuinely got excited. She loved the outdoors and any excuse to mingle with nature was a welcome one. She was much more comfortable amongst the trees and hiking boots than she was in concrete and heels.

Sounds fun! —Chi-Chi

Make sure to bring protection. —Lapis

Sun-block, I mean. ;-) —Lapis

Too easy. —Chi-Chi

I wish you were. —Lapis

Chi-Chi's lips twitched.

No you don't. —Chi-Chi

Lapis sent her a kissy face emoji.

"Mom?"

Chi-Chi started. She realized that she'd just been standing at the foyer, literally twiddling her thumbs to text, while her children waited for them to all go. She flushed.

"Sorry, I was just..." Chi-Chi trailed off and decided to just drop it. She waved her kids out the door without another word and set off to drop them at her ex's house.

She had no idea how nervous she was until Goku opened the door with a wide smile on his face, looking predictably attractive, adorable as always in a casual t-shirt and sweatpants. She felt a rush of relief as she saw no trace of that anger when he'd handed back her phone on Wednesday. The kids ran into the house without much preamble.

"Hey!" he said cheerfully, then glanced down at the cooler in her hands. "What do you have there?"

"Leftovers, like I promised," Chi-Chi said. "Can I come in?"

"Of course! I'm the last person to say no to good food," Goku said, taking the cooler from her hands as she followed him into his kitchen.

"Since the shoot was on Wednesday, not everything survived. Wouldn't really be good now," Chi-Chi explained, as she helped him unpack the cooler. "But there were a couple frozen things, and I had some leftovers from today's gig to make up for it."

"Aw, that's sweet, Cheech. You didn't have to do that," Goku said, leaning over as he did so to draw her into a side-hug.

Goku was always physically affectionate, so a hug was not really a big issue between them, especially in recent years. Chi-Chi could have easily dismissed it if his hand hadn't lingered on the side of her waist just a little longer than was necessary.

As he drew back, did he just brush his palm against the curve of her butt?!

Did he just surreptitiously cop a feel?!

She glanced at him in shock, but his happy-go-lucky expression didn't change as he inspected the neatly packed containers, curiously reading the names to determine what she'd brought him to eat.

Was she just imagining things? Was she now just reading too much into the smallest gesture?

She blinked rapidly as she helped him pack a few things into his fridge and freezer.

"There you go, you should be set for the week!" Chi-Chi said.

"Couple days, max, maybe. Especially since the kids'll eat half of it, too," Goku said.

"You owe me," Chi-Chi said jokingly.

"I do," Goku said nodding as they made their way to the exit.

She opened her mouth to send a final good-bye for the evening, when he leaned against the door jam and said, "Let me take you out as thanks."

Chi-Chi's lips parted. His brows raised expectantly.

Did her ex just ask her out for a date?

"Oh, uh, you don't have to," Chi-Chi blurted out and barely stemmed herself from cringing at her own squeaky tone of voice.

"I insist. There must be something I can do," he said lightly, and suddenly she was very aware at how close they were both standing at the threshold. It would be so very easy to close that gap…

Chi-Chi took a flustered step back, her face red as she laughed nervously. "Really, you don't have to do anything. You know how much I like to cook and I don't want good food to go to waste."

He gave her an unreadable, considering look, before bobbing his head shortly. She made a move to leave when he suddenly asked, "Any plans for the weekend?"

This was longest she'd ever hovered over his door after dropping off the children. It was almost like he was loathe to see her go.

"Um, maybe hiking?" Chi-Chi said, turning back slightly toward him. That was true at least.

"Fun! It's been forever since the boys and I went outside this house, let alone the neighborhood, for the weekend. We might have to steal your idea."

They stared at each other for a couple more beats. The air felt charged with words unsaid, but neither were willing to broach anything at the moment.

She broke their unspoken game of chicken first.

"Well, um… have a great rest of your weekend. I'll see you on Sunday!"

Goku inclined his head. "You, too! Enjoy your hike."

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Lapis was dressed head to toe in black, with a black leather jacket and a pitch-black shirt over jeans. The only spot of color was in the red bandana around his neck. He kinda looked like an outlaw, especially leaning against his motorbike.

"A rebel without a cause," Chi-Chi drawled as she walked down her driveway.

"I take any comparison to James Dean as a compliment, so thank you," Lapis said. He gave her an appreciative once over, like she had just walked out runway-ready instead of a jean jacket over a plain red tank top, cargo pants and sensible sneakers. She flushed at the blatant scrutiny. She wasn't used to being ogled. It wasn't entirely unpleasant, though.

"Hop on," he said, extending his hands to lend her his spare helmet. Chi-Chi hesitated. She had nothing against motorbikes, it had just been a long time since she'd been on one and her motherly side had a few safety concerns.

She tamped it down as she placed the protective gear over her head and hopped behind Lapis.

"Feel free to grab whatever you want," Lapis said cheekily, as she secured her arms behind him.

Then they were off.

Chi-Chi felt a little exhilarated being transported this way. It was a far cry for the usual SUV drive and it reminded her of when she and Goku were teenagers, traipsing across the mountains and valleys with just their motorbike and their backpacks and their wits.

Goku had sold the bike shortly after Gohan was born.

She frowned and tried to simply enjoy the ride. It was hard not to dwell on the fact that while she was on a date with another man, she couldn't help but compare the experience with ones she had with her ex.

As they entered the state park and made their way to the parking area, she saw a flash of something very familiar…

… oh my god, was that Goku?! And their kids?

Lapis parked and Chi-Chi disengaged so quickly, she almost tripped over herself. Lapis took off his helmet and immediately turned to her with a curious look.

"I thought it was just going to be us?" Lapis said he hooked the helmet beneath his harm.

So she hadn't been seeing things! Chi-Chi combed her hair with her fingers after she took her own helmet off.

"It was, I didn't expect them here," Chi-Chi said, confused.

"What a coincidence," Lapis said sarcastically, but looked mildly amused. He gave her a sidelong glance, an eyebrow quirked. "Does Goku know we're seeing each other?"

Chi-Chi watched as Goku and their sons seemed oblivious to them as they grabbed a couple of water bottles from the trunk and chatted away.

"I, uh, I guess so…?"

She knew Goku had seen that text…

"Huh. Interesting," Lapis said, still with that amused tone. "HEY GOKU!"

Chi-Chi jumped, startled at Lapis' sudden shouting and waving of his hand. Her ex turned toward their direction, and he seemed surprised to see them across the parking lot. Her kids certainly were, as she saw Gohan squint forward. Goten had waved back enthusiastically and was already full-on sprinting toward them before Goku could even respond.

She saw her ex start at Goten's enthusiasm, jogging behind the little boy immediately, lest he get run over by someone who wasn't looking at the parking lot.

"Mama!" Goten exclaimed, rushing to hug her. He turned and waved to Lapis. "Uncle Lapis!"

"Hey brat," Lapis replied with a smile.

"Goten, you shouldn't just run off like that!" Goku said, his tone exasperated. He exchanged a look with Chi-Chi.

"What're you doing here?"

Goku and Chi-Chi both said the question at the same time.

"We're going on a hike," Lapis answered easily, draping a casual arm across her shoulders.

"So are we!" Goten chirped.

Chi-Chi swallowed, suddenly feeling very very awkward.

Still, Goku's face was open and friendly as he nodded, extending a hand. Lapis took the offered hand and shook it briefly.

"Cool, yeah, Chi-Chi said something about a hike last night," Goku said lightly. "Gave us the same idea. I didn't think we'd all go to the same place."

"At the same time, too!" Lapis said with unconcealed disbelief.

Chi-Chi swallowed a groan. It was clear what Lapis was trying to insinuate, but that just didn't make sense. It was a coincidence, wasn't it? All she told Goku was that she was going for a hike, not where and when it was.

"You know what they say about great minds," Goku said, tapping his temple. He leaned slightly aside as he looked at Lapis bike. "Is that a BMW R Nine T?"

"Yeah a 2014," Lapis said, dropping the arm around Chi-Chi's shoulders as the men rounded toward the machine.

"Gorgeous," Goku said.

"Yeah, I like a nice vintage-styled body."

"I heard the newer models are more efficient, though," Goku commented, crossing his arms as he regarded Lapis' bike.

Chi-Chi wondered if she bumped her head and was in the middle of a lucid dream. Was this actually happening? Was she mutely watching her ex and her date calmly discuss motors and machines like nothing out of the ordinary?

Was Goku really that okay with her dating Lapis? Had she been imagining Goku's flirtations all along?

Gohan had finally made his way toward them. Her eldest looked at her, his father and Lapis curiously. "Hey, Mom. Didn't expect to see you here."

"I wanted to go on a hike. Um, your Uncle Lapis works here so… he wanted to show me around. I guess we all thought about the same place," Chi-Chi said, with a small shrug. Gohan nodded, then looked at the two older men commiserating over engines and models.

"Are you thinking of getting a new bike, dad?" Gohan asked.

"You don't need a new bike," Chi-Chi broke in immediately, looking pointedly at Goku. "Or any bike, please."

Goku stuck his lower lip out. "Why not? It's so sexy."

"Can't argue with that," Lapis added, with a wink toward her.

"I kinda like this co-parenting thing," Chi-Chi said firmly. "I'd rather not scrape the father of my children off the pavement."

"Your boyfriend rides. Didn't you ride with him here?" Goku asked, brows raised.

It was a little disconcerting for Goku to refer to Lapis as her boyfriend. Judging from Gohan's startled look and Lapis' quick glance at her, he also seemed a little surprised at the reference. She wasn't sure how to correct him…?

She felt blindsided and disoriented.

Lapis said nothing.

"Yes, but that's different," Chi-Chi replied awkwardly.

Goku lifted a brow. "How? I'm supposed to be okay with scraping the mother of my kids off the pavement?"

"No one is getting scraped off the pavement," Lapis said dryly. "Don't worry Goku. Chi-Chi's wrapped around me so tight, there's no way she'd fall off."

Chi-Chi's jaw hung low, but Goku barely blinked. Gohan instantly looked uncomfortable.

"Lapis," Chi-Chi said sharply, displeased.

"What? Oh. You guys need to get your minds out of the gutter," Lapis drawled looking not at all remorseful.

Goten began to tug at Chi-Chi's shirt, his lip jutting out like a mirror of his father just moments earlier. "Why are we still here? I want to climb rocks and see animals."

Chi-Chi exchanged a helpless look with Lapis. "Um..."

"We should all go," Lapis drawled. "I know this place like the back of my hand. I might as well give you all a tour."

"We don't want to intrude," Goku said lifting his hands, his eyes wide.

"No intrusion. The more the merrier, right Chi?" Lapis said. It was clear Lapis thought this was one giant setup but was open to improvising.

Feeling as if she had no choice, Chi-Chi shot him what she hoped was an apologetic glance as their motley crew made their way to the park's entrance.

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