Hi everyone! I don't have much to say before you read the chapter. Just that I hope y'all like it :)
To SERLee: Bulla is certainly a perceptive one. She actually suspected that Trunks & Pan had a thing for each other way before they became friends again. Hanging out with them further proved her theory. Thanks as always for the review, doll! :)
To LVR4Trunks-n-Vegeta: Bulla is right, but Pan's too scared of what might happen to listen to reason. There will be some drama at the dinner. No one will find out about Trunks & Pan…yet ;)
To GVLuver: I know right? Whatever Goku & Bulma's reaction might be, at least Pan will have that weight off her chest & she can stop worrying about it. I'm sorry you had to go through it, but I'm glad you handled it like a champ :)
To Sailor Saiyan007: You're so sweet. You don't need to worry about me. I'm not going anywhere…at least I hope not *knock on wood* ;) Thanks for the review!
To Lordshuvra: I know it was short; I'm sorry, hon. At least I got something out for you guys. It was either that or nothing. I'm glad you still liked it :)
Chapter Twelve: I Forgive You
Trunks' POV
Over priced food, small portions, snooty staff- the restaurant his mother had chosen for their family dinner was the epitome of upper class and Trunks hated it. The chic ambiance of the place and French cuisine with complicated and confusing names was something he wasn't used to. He may have had access to more money than he'd ever need, but he would've been happy with a burger and fries from any fast food chain. The lavender-haired Saiyan preferred to stay away from any restaurant with a dress code. Yes, this was a place he would definitely avoid if he had the choice. His mother on the other hand…
She decided to rent out a whole room for the event, which Trunks found to be a bit over the top for a three month anniversary dinner with only seven people. The only thing that redeemed the fancy establishment was the delicious- and of course expensive- red wine his mom had ordered when they first sat down at their private table. Well, that and Pan, of course. He actually found that he was grateful for the "no shorts and flip flops" rule every time he looked at her. She sat between him and Gohan and Trunks couldn't stop himself from repeatedly turning away from the menu in his hands to sneak a peek at her.
During his fourth or fifth sneaky glance, he saw that Pan's brow was furrowed in confusion as she tried to read the gibberish that was the menu. He couldn't help but laugh at her expression because it was exactly how he felt, too.
Glaring at him, Pan growled, "Shut it, Brief. I'm sorry I can't read or speak rich person like you. You want to help a poor girl decipher your language instead of laughing like a douchebag?"
"Pan!" his mother snapped. Bulma narrowed her eyes at her step daughter. "Watch your language, young lady. This place requires a certain etiquette." Pan rolled her eyes while the bluenette turned her attention to her son. "Trunks stop laughing so loudly. This isn't the place for that kind of raucous behavior."
"It's a private room, Mom," he reminded her.
"That's no excuse, Trunks. Try to keep the noise to a minimum."
"So I shouldn't have any fun at all?" Trunks inquired sarcastically. "Got it."
His mother just ignored him, instead turning back to her own menu. Trunks shook his head at her and looked at Pan. "Having a hard time figuring this shit out?" he asked her in a low voice so his mom wouldn't hear.
"Obviously," Pan answered. "I don't even think these are real words."
Trunks chuckled again. "It's French. Don't worry; I don't understand most of it, either. I do know that you should definitely not order escargot."
Laughing, Pan nodded. "I think I know enough not to order snails, too, Trunks. Thanks, though."
"Well then, smarty pants, did you know that French fries is pommes frites in French? Steak frites is my go-to choice when I'm forced to eat at one of these places. It's just steak and fries."
"I didn't know any of that actually," she told him. "My knowledge of anything France related is limited."
"That's not true," he disagreed. "I know of one French thing that you're really knowledgable of." Trunks' eyes fell on Pan's full lips as he remembered the few times he tasted them and explored her mouth. He knew Pan remembered as well because she averted her gaze and blushed.
He was forced to tear his eyes away Pan when he heard his mom's voice addressing him from across the table. "Stop staring at your sister, Trunks dear, and help her figure out what to eat, please." She smiled at him sweetly, obliviously to what part of Pan he had been looking at.
"Yeah, Trunks," Bulla chimed in, "help Pan. I'm sure she wants you…to help her." Her face remained emotionless as she spoke, but Trunks noticed a teasing twinkle in her eyes. What is up with her? he thought. She's acting especially weird tonight.
Pan cleared her throat, interrupting his musings and drawing his attention back to her beautiful face. "You know, it's a funny thing about French fries," she started, obviously trying to change the subject. "Did you know they aren't even a French creation? They're Belgium allegedly. They supposedly were the first to fry potatoes and-"
Her nervous ramblings were cut off suddenly by the arrival of their waiter. Trunks laughed softly at her as he focused on the short man with the obviously fake accent who was staring at him, ready to take his order.
"What would you like, Monsieur?" he asked Trunks.
"Steak frites, s'il vous plait." His favorite French dish and the word for please was all the French Trunks had managed to learn.
"And for you, Mademoiselle?"
When the waiter turned to Pan for her order, she panicked. Her wide eyes hastily scanned the menu one last time before she finally stuttered out, "C-coq au vin? Uh, did I pronounce that right?"
"Not quite, but I know what you mean," he said. Everyone, excluding his mother, had difficulty pronouncing the French words. When the waiter had finished writing down their order, he excused himself. "Je vous remercie. Your meal will be ready soon."
He walked away, the pomposity rolling off of him in waves. When he was out of sight, Trunks turned back to Pan. "Do you even know what you ordered, Panny?"
"Not a clue," she groaned. "God, I hope it's nothing gross."
"I don't know, Panny," Goten said with a smirk. He was sitting beside Trunks and had obviously overheard her. "You could've ordered the pig guts or maybe even the frog legs. Yummy." He rubbed his stomach and licked his lips jokingly for emphasis.
Pan visibly paled. "They don't actually serve that kind of stuff…do they?"
"They do," Gohan told her. "The French use almost every part of an animal: livers, intestines, legs, of course, usually from frogs and ducks."
It looked like Pan was going to throw up after her brother had enlightened her on French cuisine. "Ew, just ew. I know you're super smart, Gohan, but I really wish you hadn't told me all that."
"Oh, c'mon, little sister; where's your sense of adventure?" Goten teased her. "Don't you want to try new things?"
"Not if it means I have to ingest pig guts," she countered.
"The French are culinary geniuses, Panny. I'm sure whatever you got will be just fine," Gohan said, trying to reassure his sister.
"Gohan's right, sweetie." Goku smiled at her. "I bet everything here is great."
"That's easy for you to say, Papa," Pan grumbled. "You'll eat anything." Everyone at the table erupted into laughter at her true statement, even his mother.
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Pan's POV
Pan was relieved to discover that coq au vin was just chicken, something she definitely liked. The food was delicious, though she did wish the portions were larger. Judging by the looks on the men's faces, she knew they would've agreed with her. They had all ordered steak and fries, but it wasn't enough to fill their Saiyan stomachs. If they were like her- and she knew they were- they were already planning to order a pizza or something when they got home. Until then, however…
"How about dessert?" Pan suggested.
"Sounds good," Gohan said, trying to look unenthusiastic about the prospect of more food, but failing miserably.
"Well, if you insist," Goten smirked.
"I could go for something sweet." Trunks smiled at her and Pan got the feeling that he wasn't just talking about food.
She ignored his double entendre and perused the dessert menu the waiter had left for them after collecting their dirty plates. Several eclairs and crème brûlée were ordered for their table and the group happily devoured it all when it arrived. The crème brûlée instantly became Pan's favorite part of the meal, the creamy dessert practically melting in her mouth. Trunks favored the eclairs, eating them so fast, he got cream on the side of his mouth and even somehow on his cheek.
Pan laughed at the mess he had made and grabbed her napkin, handing it to him. "Geez, Trunks. You ate that in like two seconds. Did you even taste it?"
"Of course I did," he said. He took the cloth, wiping at his face. "And it was fucking delicious."
"I bet," she giggled. "Try not to make such a mess next time, though, yeah?"
"No promises, Panny," Trunks told her. "Maybe I made a mess on purpose. Maybe I wanted to save a little food for later."
Rolling her eyes, Pan scoffed. "Yeah right, Brief. Saiyans don't believe in saving food."
"You're right," he agreed. "I'm just a slob."
"Tell me something I don't know."
Trunks poked her in the side and Pan stuck her tongue out at him, both Saiyans laughing. Their laughter was cut off, though, when Bulma clinked the side of her wine glass with her dessert fork. They looked at her as she stood and smiled down at them.
"It warms my heart to see our family together like this, laughing and smiling and enjoying each other's company. I couldn't ask for anything more." Pan had to restrain herself from rolling her eyes at her stepmother's speech. She couldn't control her response, however, to Bulma's next words. "The happiest day of my life was three months ago today when I married my best friend and our family was made whole. Goku became a wonderful father to my children and I hope that I have been a good mother to all of you."
Slamming her fist on the table, Pan stood, too, and glared at Bulma. "You're not our mother," she hissed, " and you never will be."
"Panny, calm down." Her oldest brother grabbed her arm and tried to force her to sit back down, but Pan yanked her arm away.
"I will not calm down, Gohan!" she yelled at him. "Don't you care that she's trying to replace Mom!"
"Pan, I'm not-" Bulma started, but the angry Saiyan cut her off.
"I wasn't talking to you," Pan snarled. "I was talking to my brother, my actual family."
The blue-haired woman ignored her and spoke again. "Listen, please. I'm not trying to be ChiChi. I just wanted to express how happy I am that your family is now a part of my family."
"You're happy? So it's of no consequence to you that my mother had to die for you to be so goddamn happy? You're basically saying you're happy she's dead!" Tears began to well in Bulma's eyes as the younger girl yelled.
"That's enough, Pan," her father warned her, standing and putting his arm around his distraught wife.
"No, Papa. I refuse to pretend that we're one big happy family when we're not. I can't be happy when Mom is dead and I'm the only one who seems to care."
"Pan, we all miss her," Goku disagreed, "but eventually you have to move on."
"Yeah, eventually," she said. "Not a few months after she died; and you didn't just move on, you got fucking married. Did you even mourn her death before you started shacking up with another woman?"
"Enough," he said again, more sternly this time. "I'm sorry if we hurt you, honey, and I know you miss your mother, we all do, but she's gone now. Like it or not, Bulma is your mom now and you're not treating her with the respect she deserves."
The room fell silent. Pan continued to stand there and glare at her father. After a few moments of awkward silence, she said in a low voice, "You're the one with no respect. If you cared about her or us, you would've waited before you remarried. You may not have needed time to grieve, but your children did and you didn't allow us to do that as a family. You went and replaced Mom the first chance you got instead of helping us heal. I will always love you, but I hate you for being so damn selfish."
With that, Pan stormed out of the room, out of the restaurant, and into the warm summer night. She breathed in big lungfuls of the fresh air, trying to calm her racing heart and rampant anger. Angry tears stung the backs of her eyes, but she wouldn't let them fall. What she said in there may have been cruel, especially the things she said to Bulma, but she didn't regret them. Pan had had been biting her tongue for too long and she couldn't do it anymore. Hearing Bulma refer to herself as their mother was the last straw.
"You sure know how to make a boring family dinner interesting, Panny."
Spinning around, Pan saw Trunks standing a few feet away from her, looking completely gorgeous in his form fitting suit. When she first saw him in it, she temporarily forgot that they were supposed to be nothing more than friends and almost kissed him right then and there in front of both their parents. He was everything she had always wanted and Pan didn't know how she was going to continue being just his friend, if she even could. Bulla's words suddenly entered her mind as she stared at the purple-haired boy:
"Don't torture yourselves by staying away from each other. There's no point. You two will end up together regardless of what you do."
God, was she right? Were all Pan's efforts destined to be in vain? Instead of delving deeper into those questions, she shook her head and smiled humorlessly at Trunks. "I guess I ruined dinner, huh?"
"I wouldn't say you ruined it," Trunks said. "It isn't a party until someone cries, right?"
"That's how it seems," she chuckled softly. "I'm sorry I made your mom cry, but I'm glad I said what I did."
"Panny, you don't need to apologize," he told her. "I understand. You had every right to say all that. I'm sorry, though; I didn't realize you were hurting so much."
"Not so much lately since…well, it doesn't matter since when. Your mom's little speech just got to me." Pan gave him a small smile, hoping he wouldn't question what she said, or rather what she didn't say. She was never that lucky, though.
"Since when?" he asked her.
Shit. "I said it doesn't matter," she stated, praying he'd drop the subject; he didn't.
"Tell me, Pan, please."
He smiled at her reassuringly, his blue eyes capturing her dark brown ones. She felt safe and vulnerable at the same time under his gaze. That combination made it almost impossible for her not to tell him the truth; so she did.
"Since you," she whispered.
"Since me?" he repeated, surprised.
Pan swallowed, embarrassed to be admitting something so mawkish to him. "Since we became friends again I don't feel so alone anymore, so sad."
A slow smile spread across the young man's handsome face. He stepped closer to her and placed his hand on her cheek. "I'm glad," he said, smiling down at her. They stood like that for only a moment before Trunks retracted his hand, cleared his throat and asked, "So, does that mean you forgive me? For what I did?"
She smiled back up at him and nodded. "I do," she told him. "I forgive you for everything, Trunks."
Trunks looked relieved at her words, his smile widening as he drew her in for a tight hug. "Good. Now how about we get out of here? I have something at home I want to show you."
"Shouldn't we wait for everyone else?" Pan asked, reluctantly pulling away from his hard body.
He shook his head. "Nah. I told your dad that I'd make sure you got home safely before I ran out after you."
Pan laughed. "You better not make a habit of running after me. I'm a big girl; I'll be okay."
"I don't know," he started with a smirk. "Good things tend to happen when I chase you down." He winked at her before walking away toward the curb.
The black-haired girl tilted her head to the side and stared at his retreating form. Her mind went back to that night in the women's restroom last month and she couldn't help but wonder if he was right. She laughed to herself and shook her head before she followed him. Pan didn't care what him or Bulla said; there was no way she'd do anything like that with him again.
Author's Note:
How was it? I know Pan was a little harsh, but it's coming from a place of hurt. Nice little Trunks/Pan moment, though. What is Trunks going to show her when they get back to the house? Your curious minds will be sated next Wednesday/Thursday (I know, I'm evil). Thanks for your continued support, everyone. See you next week!
-Chels xoxo