Disclaimer: I own nothing except the pic used, though I don't own the characters.

Surviving History

Chapter Ten – Guilty Pleasure

With a tired sigh mired in utter defeat, Trunks watched his companion turn away sadly and trudge back across the cave without another word. He had just told her in no uncertain terms that they weren't moving their temporary home to the more lively jungle she had found. The very idea was ridiculous, since moving would serve no real advantage. Why she was obsessing over the matter was beyond him, though he supposed he did owe it to her to make a compromise of some sort.

As the quarter Saiyan sat down beside the cascading water, her back to him, Trunks took a calming breath and made his approach. He could tell that she was attempting not to pout by staying busy with a chore, but it was plain to him that he had some damage control to tend to. Their disagreements often ended this way, with her retreating to her little corner of the world and he waiting for the storm to blow over. He was getting tired of the arguments though. All he really wanted was the peace that came when his female companion was happy, because then he could focus on his work without his nagging conscience prodding him constantly.

Stepping lightly towards her, his approach muffled by the din of the cascading water, he knelt behind her, knowing exactly how to mend her sullen mood.

It was no secret that Pan loved giving hugs, be it with family or friends, it obviously gave her some kind of euphoric pleasure. Trunks had never really been a fan of them himself, though his family wasn't much on such physical displays of affection, with the exception of his grandmother and sometimes his mother. Really, any form of physical contact made him anxious because he wasn't used to it and often didn't know how to react in turn. With Pan, however, he was quickly altering his opinion on the matter. Her hugs were full of warmth and innocence and seemed to resonate with a fond glow.

Where he used to endure her random glomps with an annoyed frown, now he was beginning to understand and emulate her obsession. It had only taken a week of conditioning, and now he looked forward and even anticipated her daily embraces. He knew he should probably be avoiding such blatant contact with her, but with each passing day he was finding it harder and harder to salvage whatever scraps of ordinance he had against courting her.

She's too young for you, his practical voice berated him, making him scowl. She's old enough to make her own decisions, his selfish side argued back, effectively smothering the first voice until it was a tiny, fading echo in the back of his mind. Smirking in satisfaction, he reached to wrap an arm around Pan's middle, eliciting a yelp from her when he pulled her close.

It took her a few seconds to respond but she eventually relaxed and leaned into him with a smile. As he thought, she couldn't resist the solid contact and reached up with both arms to return the gesture, cupping her hands around his nape in the only embrace she could manage under such an awkward position. He let out a soft chuckle and felt her aura spark with contentment, which only resulted in stoking his own, filling him with a sense of happiness to which he couldn't compare.

Trunks also found it oddly amusing how their silent exchanges often flowed better than their vocal counterparts.

He blinked down at her, unable to meet her gaze fully due to her awkward perspective directly beneath his chin. He tried to formulate a sentence to test his theory, but the feel of her head flush with his sternum, and the thrumming of her heartbeat against his ribcage was thoroughly distracting and all he really wanted to do was silently bask in her presence for awhile longer.

Unfortunately, Pan had other ideas and pulled away in order to give him a curious look lined with suspicion. As much as she liked hugs, she had a short attention span and any prolonged inactivity was unacceptable to her existence. "If this is your way of making me feel better, I guess it sort of worked." Her smile faded and her tenebrous eyes saddened. "But if you haven't figured it out yet, I'm just really worried about you. It can't be good to be cooped up in here all the time."

So that was it then. She was just worried for his health? For it to be something so simple, he felt he should have been able to see it sooner. He smirked and tousled her hair affectionately. "I appreciate the concern, but are you sure you're not just getting bored with our living space?"

"Of course not!" Pan huffed, shoved his offending hand away and attempted to right her messy black mane. "You need some fresh air, some sunlight. Otherwise I'm positive you'll turn into some kind of mutant-ape-vampire-thing."

Trunks couldn't help but laugh outright at that. "Alright, since you're so worried about me, I'll go with you to your new jungle tomorrow." He aimed a pointed finger at her when she beamed with anticipation. "But only for a short time. Two hours, tops."

Pan's excited expression practically deflated. "But it takes half an hour to fly there! With a half hour back, that only gives us an hour to be there."

"That's my offer," Trunks said, his features aloof and arrogant. "Take it or leave it."

"Fine," she ground out, glaring. "When do we leave?"

Trunks tipped his head, thoughtful. "You usually visit the colony in the morning, right? We can leave after you come back for lunch."

Pan nodded but her expression turned a bit sly. "You could always come with me and see the colony for yourself."

"Pan," he grumbled with a twinge of annoyance. "Doing that wouldn't serve any purpose."

"It would make my life easier," she said with a pout. "Turles and Bardock think you died, or abandoned me or something."

Trunks applied a tired hand to his head and sighed. "Alright, I'll go with you and demonstrate my existence. But the two hour limit remains."

Pan's victorious yip was cut short by his second comment. "Aww come on Trunks, that's not fair!"

Feeling exhaustion taking over, Trunks got up and headed for the house, conveniently ignoring any more of his companion's protests. He felt like he had compromised enough for one day, and now all he wanted to do was collapse on the bed and pass out there. All thoughts of his fish cleaning chore, or any thoughts about food in general, were quickly cast aside and forgotten.

Pan seemed to realize this and proceeded to gather up her fresh spoils and store them in a capsule, where they would be preserved for a day or so. She then followed him into the house and headed for the kitchen while he flopped down on the mattress. He didn't bother to change his clothes, he was just too tired and his body was shutting down without permission. He could hear Pan tinkering in the kitchen, no doubt trying to find something in the supplies that didn't taste like bitter greens.

She didn't question his lack of interest in eating, nor did she pester him for the bed as she normally did whenever it was his turn. Therefore he had to think that maybe she really was worried about his health. He felt a sudden pang of guilt for making light of her concerns and wished he had taken her more seriously. Though really, he was already letting her have her way by agreeing to go with her tomorrow, so he hadn't handled the situation too badly, right?

Dismissing the matter and sighing wearily once again, he turned onto his side and almost instantly felt his mind drifting off to sleep. Just before he could reach that blissful land of dreams however, he felt the bed shift beneath him ever so slightly and his eyes popped open with what could only be classified as a morbid dread. She didn't, she wouldn't!- Somehow finding the energy to push himself up onto his elbows, Trunks looked to see Pan staring right back at him and she was perched innocently on the other edge of the bed. She did.

He simply gaped at her, certain that he must have the most strikingly brilliant blend of bewilderment and outrage on his face that was humanly possible.

"Oh," was all she said for herself at first, offering up a sheepish smile before finally adding in an undertone, "you're usually fast asleep by now."

What?! Trunks couldn't believe what he was hearing and he was sure he felt an eye twitch coming on. "You mean, you've done this before?" He made sure his words were slow and calculated, otherwise he was sure he'd be shouting.

"Only once, two nights ago," she admitted. "You always seem to fall asleep within minutes, and I usually wake up before you, so..." Her words died away and she watched him apprehensively, as if expecting him to blow up right in front of her.

Don't overreact, just, try to handle it calmly, he coached himself silently. But suddenly knowing that Pan had slept in the same bed with him two nights ago, without him aware of it, was almost too much to take. Another thing that absently bothered him was that he always considered himself a light sleeper, a matter he obviously needed to reevaluate.

"Mind telling me why?" he ground out, dangerously pleasant.

Pan seemed to sense his displeasure and averted her gaze to her lap, abashed. "I can't sleep on the floor."

Trunks groaned, nearly collapsing onto his back in defeat. Not this again! He gave her a disparaging look. "You've slept on the floor before."

"No, I mean I can't sleep. Not down there."

Trunks sighed with tiredness but tried to humor her. "What do you mean? I know for a fact that you have in the past. Camping? Sleepovers with Bulla?"

"That's different," Pan insisted fervently. "Camping, I always had my parents or Grandpa to sleep with. And as for sleepovers, Capsule Corp. has always been like a second home to me. But this place-" she stopped abruptly, as if choking on her words. She cast a wary glance around the dim room, though it was obvious to Trunks that she was indicating the time and planet they occupied and not just simply the small Capsule-House. "It's too lonely. The bed is the only thing that reminds me of home."

She swallowed, as if on the brink of tears, and gave him a miserable look. It suddenly occurred to him in that instant that the situation they were in was affecting her more than he had anticipated. She put up a brave face during the day, but at night she apparently lost her edge. Sleep was, after all, when one was at their most vulnerable, so he supposed it was only natural that she would feel insecure about it. He also recalled that she had always needed a nightlight when she was younger...

Sighing for the umpteenth time, he weighed his options. He either had to sacrifice his morals and let her have her way, sleep with the guilt of banishing her back to the floor from whence she came, or give up entirely and sleep on the floor himself. What grand, glorious choices.

The hybrid female seemed to recognize his waning resolve and inched closer to him, hopeful. "Come on Trunks, I don't take up that much room."

"That's not the point and you know it," Trunks grumbled. "Pan... this isn't right." Embracing her was one thing, but outright sleeping together was completely out of the question. His responsible voice was returning with a vengeance and it blatantly screamed undeniable atrocities in his mind.

He just couldn't understand it, in fact it astounded him how she had, at first, been practically frozen with dismay by the concept when it was clear there was only one bed, but now, only a week later, she was ok with it? Did she really find it that hard to sleep on the floor? Despite her claim that their unusual situation was affecting her, he had a hard time believing her, considering the type of nomadic lifestyle she led back on Earth.

She had obviously heard his answer but her earnest outlook remained as she made gestures at different parts of the bed. "It's fine, Trunks. You stay on your side, I'll stay on mine. We're good."

No, we are most certainly not good, he thought spitefully. "This bed isn't big enough to have "sides", in case you didn't notice." Did she truly believe such a naive suggestion would solve the issues here? "And even if that did work, it still isn't right."

"But it feels right," Pan argued, frowning and griping the cloth of the blanket beneath her with both hands.

Trunks rolled his eyes. "Pan, don't get cheesy on me now."

"But it does!" Pan insisted, bottom lip quivering as her anxieties seemed to meld with frustration.

Trunks groaned wearily. "Ok, look. I'm thirteen years older than you and your sharing a bed with me, what about this seems right to you?"

Pouting, Pan still didn't move from her place on the mattress. "Why'd you have to go and put it like that?"

Trunks brought a hand to his face to help hide his embarrassment. This was precisely the sort of conversation he had hoped to avoid, but now that it was upon him he had little choice but to confront it. Better to get it over with quick, like ripping off an adhesive bandage, right? "Because you need to know what you're getting yourself into."

Drooping her shoulders, Pan broke her gaze away from his. Her expression was pensive and frustrated as she seemed to focus on his chest, or anywhere that wasn't his face. "Why can't we just keep things simple?"

"Trust me Pan, nothing about our situation is simple right now," he answered dryly.

"I don't want things to change between us though."

Trunks thought about his reply carefully for a moment, then finally reached out with one hand to tip her chin up so she would look at him again. "Then when we get back home... no more cookies."

"Huh?"

"No more excuses to pester me," he clarified, a stone in his stomach and an ache in his throat. "We only see each other when its absolutely necessary."

"What? But why?" She appeared and sounded genuinely concerned, as though a part of her world was suddenly crashing down around her.

Trunks swallowed hard, forcing down his apprehension as he brought forth the words that would either make or break his own world. "Because my feelings for you keep getting stronger, and I don't know how long I'll be able to hold them back."

"F-feelings?" Pan sputtered. "You mean, like love?" She quirked up an odd face. "That kind of love?"

Trunks shifted uncomfortably, though it had nothing to do with Pan's proximity. Inwardly he agreed with her; having her so close felt right. "I figured you knew." That wasn't completely true, but he guessed that she'd had a hunch, and frankly he desperately needed to say something to save face after practically spilling his guts.

"No," she answered, sounding flabbergasted. "I always knew you cared about me, I mean, we've always been close. But I just thought- I thought I was just an annoyance to you most the time. I never thought you actually-" she paused for a second too long and thus began their brief bout of interrupting each other.

"It's ok you know, If you don't feel the same-"

"N-No, I do feel... something. But it's just-"

"Confusing." Trunks smiled. "Yeah, I know."

"But I still don't understand why we have to be separated when we get home."

"Because it would torture me to be around you." And not have you, he added silently. "I know it's hard, but I need you to give me a clear answer."

"I-" Pan hesitated and swallowed thickly. Her words were strained as she seemed to struggle bringing them forth. "I can't. Not yet."

Trunks nodded soberly and gave her shoulder a comforting pat before he finally moved to get off the bed. "You have time. Almost two months if all goes according to plan."

Pan returned his nod sadly and silently watched as he gathered up his blanket and moved to form his makeshift nest on the floor. "But it's your turn for the bed."

"You can have it," he said and wrapped his blanket over his shoulders before giving her a fleeting glance. "Goodnight Pan."

AN: I'm not sure how well I did with this one, after re-reading it, it seems overly cheesy to me... But I guess that's just romance for you? *shrug*

Next Chapter: Trunks narrowed his gaze initially but he soon found himself gawking openly at the male Saiyan standing before him. As much as his mind tried to deny it, Goku stared right back.