A/N: This is the chapter. I have similar butterflies in my stomach on posting it compared to Videl and Gohan here, as well as just being ecstatic to get it out. Hope you enjoy, and thank you to everyone for the support on this story.
Prior to Gohan reaching Capsule Corp, he knew that Videl would not be there. It was the same gut instinct that he had when he knew that she had been there in the first place, or that she wasn't at Kame House. It wasn't quite sensing her ki, but he couldn't describe what else it was. Nonetheless, even as he was aware Videl was probably half way home by this point, he knocked on the door and waited until Vegeta answered. Then he decided to throw all caution into the wind and decided to ask Vegeta. Since, despite a plan forming in his head, he had no idea how to approach Videl. On the topic that he may like her.
When Vegeta let him inside, Gohan noticed how the Saiyan Prince was nervous about something. He had no idea what it could be, but uneasiness set in his stomach. He hardly ever saw the older man nervous about, well, anything. His well-known pride wouldn't allow him to. Whatever it was, Gohan felt his own anxiety spike as a result. He rubbed the back of his neck.
"Um…"
"Spit it out, Kakabrat. I'm in the middle of a break for training." Vegeta huffed as he walked to the kitchen. That was more of the Vegeta he knew.
Gohan cleared his throat, wondering if this was a good idea. He wanted advice from a third party that knew him and knew what he would deal with on revealing the truth of who he was. Vegeta was the best bet because he was one of the only ones that showed little interest in whether or not Videl and him will be a good couple.
"Right. I don't want to hold you." His tone snapped to that he used in lectures, instead of answering the questions though, he was asking them. "There's this girl I might be interested in. But I'm not sure how to broach the subject of who I am or what I've been through… what would you suggest?" His confidence sputtered out in the end. On top of that, Vegeta smirked as soon as he started speaking. Maybe he was wrong when he thought the prideful prince did not see the two of them together.
Vegeta thought of his answer as he piled food on his plate. Gohan's stomach grumbled. He wasn't offered any.
"I won't be gentle about it." Gohan blinked at the words, confused. "You have to let the girl know you think she can handle it or else she will complain about sheltering her." Vegeta continued. Gohan reasoned that was logical. It was pretty much the same 'honesty is the best' that Sharpener gave. Nonetheless, it did not help him anymore from when he first came in.
However, he did not wish to give the impression he did not appreciate the advice when he asked for it. He walked over to the fridge, getting a snack for himself. He learned years ago not to steal from a Saiyan's plate, especially Vegeta's.
"Ok, that makes sense. Anything else?"
Vegeta ignored him as he focused on his food. Gohan munched on his own slowly, speculating if he could catch Videl before school started for the week. The older man shrugged. "Strength was an important part for Saiyan courting. You have to prove that you have it or else you'll never feel adequate." A distasteful look passed over Vegeta's face but he continued. "Of course on this puny planet it's different. It's more about proving you can offer the right support- the same concept but softer for this planet's tastes."
Gohan nodded to show he understood. Whatever showed on his face, Vegeta didn't buy. "It's not just a mental thing and knowing that the girl feels comfortable. You're the one that has to come to terms with if you're enough or not. We put our bodies through physical and mental stress if we feel inadequate, greater than a human might." That was the most open he heard Vegeta in a while. While he would like clarification, he also considered he was incredibly close to poking the beast. He stuffed the remaining food in his mouth.
"Thanks Vegeta. I better get going if I'm going to figure this out." He was halfway to the door when he heard his response.
"I'll think it over tonight. Knowing you, you can't handle how high your nerves are today. Do it tomorrow."
Gohan furrowed his brows in confusion. He still had to think through his plan. "Okay."
X_X
He reached home in time to do his homework with Chi Chi's insistence. Afterward he was dragged out to play with Goten for a few hours. This was all normal for his weekend, yet that left little time to ponder about how he would confess to Videl. His frustration at himself must have shown on his face because his mother convinced Goten to leave him alone after dinner. He received the message 'if you don't figure it out on your own please tell me' from her with a wordless glance. Gohan forced a smile and excused himself to retreat to his room.
It took a few hours, and by that point he just decided to go with the plan he had or he will overthink it and lose all sleep tonight. Loss of sleep remained likely, but he convinced himself otherwise and crawled into bed.
The next day, he flew to Satan City. He brewed over the barest layout of how he believed this will go. Knowing Videl, and himself for that matter, he doubted it will go as planned. Nonetheless, the first part was simple because that involved the 'pre-Videl' talk. After he was done with this, he would find his pigtailed friend.
When he asked Goten before he left about what candy she liked when the two met, the young boy gave his answer innocently. That was good. If his little brother thought little about it then the chances that he would tell Trunks (who would tell Bulma) were low.
With the taffy candy picked up, he pressed his lips together. Where was Videl? At Kame House? No, her ki was still in the city. It wasn't at her house either, thankfully. He did not have to talk to Mr. Satan. He jogged down the street in the direction of the park. The 'jog' may have granted him a few strange looks, as it was close enough to sprint speed for normal humans.
He managed to slow himself down by the time he reached the park. Videl was not there, but a couple more minutes of walking, he found her chatting with who he recognized as an off-duty police officer. It seemed she was getting a few tips on how to handle a hostage situation. His lips twitched. Part of him was worried although he trusted that she could handle herself in most hypothetical situations.
Videl smiled when she saw him. Giving a wave, she said a quick goodbye to her companion before she walked over to him. Gohan had his gift stuffed in his pocket out of sight. Videl was surprised to see Gohan here during the weekend, and Gohan was because she had short hair.
"What are you doing here?" Videl asked politely, her ever curious gaze on him. Gohan blinked in shock, and she poked him in the ribs. She doubted he felt it. "Gohan, earth to Gohan?"
He shook his head. He was positive he came across like an idiot now- not the way he wanted to start off. "You cut your hair." He stated plainly, still registering her question.
She blushed and ran her fingers over the nape of her neck. "I did. You were the one who first recommended it." She glared at him with a judgmental stance, refusing to admit she felt self-conscious.
"It looks great!" He said immediately when her lips stopped moving. Not only to appease her, he did think that it suited her. "Now it won't be in your way." She assessed him with a nod, like she couldn't figure out what he was thinking. It was fine. Gohan wasn't sure what he was thinking either.
"Thanks," she grinned. "Now what are you doing here?"
Videl did not think that her statement was a pushy one, so confusion came over her face as Gohan suddenly seemed nervous. "Oh, I was actually searching for you. Do you mind if we go somewhere else?" He watched the people mingling about. Videl agreed, unsure of where he was going with this.
"Okay, I'll bite. Where do you want to go?"
Gohan relaxed once she answered. He had no place in mind, romantic or not, just that with the secrets and confession he needed to spill it would be best if no one was around.
X_X
They decided on an empty patch of land outside the city. It was plain and deserted. Now came the difficult part. He picked out the candy he picked up and handed it to her. "Goten said you liked these."
Videl beamed and took them, giving him another glance over. "What's this about?" He rubbed the back of his head anxiously, trying to remember the words, or at least the order he told himself he'll go about this.
"Well, you're a great friend Videl. Really. And as you have guessed, I keep a lot of secrets from you. Not anything against you of course, but it's just easier for my friends and me." He cut himself off before he started rambling. Her face was not distrustful, so he decided it was safe to continue. "But now… I've decided to come clean. It will be easier. For the both of us."
Videl gave him a soft smile. It was one that sent his heart racing, but also like she was ready to let him down gently. Oh dear, that was not what he wanted his mind to get stuck on. He tried to shove his awkwardness off. "Go ahead, Gohan. You know I'm not concerned over it anymore. You shouldn't feel pressured to tell me."
It was like he was reading a script, but all the words were getting jumbled due to his nerves. He needed to get this out. "I appreciate that, and now it is my decision to tell you." The words were dry on his tongue. He returned the smile.
This was the first moment of truth. He fiddled with his watch that activated the Great Saiyaman outfit. "To start off…" He couldn't say it. Great. He might as well go with show then. He pressed the button and waited. While he could tell when the familiar visor was over his eyes, he had them closed, waiting for her verbal reaction.
He expected accusations, half-hearted or not, or at least something that said disbelief. What he received though were giggles. He opened his eyes slowly and gaped at her. Videl did not appear turned off at all. In fact, she was grinning like she got an inside joke. Okay, this was not going the way he assumed. "Miss Videl?" He attempted to make his voice match the one he used as Saiyaman to prove it, yet his words only came out as a squeak.
Videl stepped forward, and Gohan felt his cheeks go red as she reached up and removed his helmet, her fingers tugging at the strap on his chin. Her eyes were bright, and gave nothing away on the fact that he destroyed her trust or that she believed he was an idiot. "Gohan. Thank you for trusting me with this. But I figured it out ages ago after learning you were a fighter and could fly."
He wished that Videl would take a step back so he could breathe. She did, and he sighed in relief. "That. That makes sense." What else did she piece together? Videl was smart; it could be everything. However, he took comfort in the fact that she was not discouraged by the news.
This was the moment of truth. There were still two major things he had to tell her. Each may break whatever they had, but he was confident in it. He tried to tell his gut that, as it was hard not to have it squirm in continued discomfort. He tossed his helmet from side to side, trying to think about which was the best order to do this. Finally, he gave a surprisingly natural smile. "Uh- there's something else that I want to tell you."
Videl continued to eat her candy slowly, in a way that told him he was already in over his head from how alluring he thought that was. "What is it?" She asked.
Pursing his lips, he rubbed the back of his neck. "I- I… well, I like you Videl. More than a friend." He wanted to tear his gaze away, yet his eyes locked with hers as he silently held his breath. What did he just do?
Videl's lips parted, and as almost as soon as they did she closed her mouth again. This process repeated a few times until she was sure she looked like a fish. Prior to recognizing the words, her face turned a healthy shade of pink. Then she registered what Gohan had actually said, and she prayed she was not red as a tomato.
She raised her finger and pressed it to her cheek softly. Yes, she was most likely red. The rush of blood to her head helped cause her brain's gears whirl into overdrive. Gohan liked her, liked like her. What did she think of that? Her mind had no idea.
Letting her heart and body take control, she found herself wrapping her arms around Gohan in a tight embrace. The comforting scent from his clothes and tentative return hug warmed her heart. It took her a couple seconds to notice she invaded his personal space with no warning, and embarrassed, she took retreated a step. It was only a single one, seeing that he did not appear turned off from how close they were.
She glanced up at him shyly. "Yeah, I think I'm okay with that, mountain boy." Her voice faltered a bit, yet brought her posture up a bit, bolstered by his words. She did not notice she was a couple millimeters flying off the ground. She felt bad she could not return the words and hoped sometime soon she would be able to.
Gohan nodded. For several minutes they stared at each other in an awkward yet comfortable silence.
He pulled himself out of the zone first, and after securing his full Saiyaman gear back in place, he deactivated it. Now, it was merely Gohan there. Her eyebrows pinched together. "Is there something else?"
Gohan made a motion with his hands, and Videl assumed that meant yes. She refused to let herself become uneasy though and get rid of the euphoria that was rushing through her. "Yeah, there is. It's- it's kind of a big thing though. Only our family friends know it." She hummed. There was a lot of stuff she imagined that the group alone was privy to.
Gohan took a deep breath. Apparently deciding to avoid any more preamble, he blurted. "I'm half-alien." Videl gaped at him, unsure of what she was expecting. It wasn't that.
"What do you mean?" she asked carefully. She wanted to assure him that she did not hold that against him but had no idea to process her confusion.
He ran a hand through his hair and motioned for her to sit on the ground. Her lips quirked. Story time with Gohan then. He sat down next to her and cleared his throat.
"So, my dad was sent here as a baby." '…to kill everyone on the planet' but he didn't say that because it was off-putting to say to the girl he wanted to date. "Then Son Gohan, my namesake, took him in and trained him. During that time, he, uh… suffered an accident that ruined his natural intoned instinct." 'Bloodlust.' "But he still liked to fight. That's what he was always best at. Dad grew up with no idea who he was. He didn't learn his heritage until after I was born." 'And my uncle kidnapped me.'
He rolled his tongue and turned to where his tail used to be. Videl resolutely kept her gaze ahead, not wanting to get distracted with how good-looking Gohan or his ass was. The wave of contentment coming off her was enough to help him continue. "That's where we get our strength from. And a few ki enhancing transformations as well. And a tail, I used to have a tail."
Videl remembered the tail Goku had in the pictures of the old tournaments, and what supposedly happened in the final of the 21st tournament. That was not what she asked about though. "Wait, the blonde hair?" Gohan chuckled.
"Yeah, it's called Super Saiyan. Saiyan being the race we come from." Videl smirked at the creativeness of the transformation name, but Gohan was lost in thought to notice.
"So, you're the Golden Fighter?" She prompted. He startled back to attention and nodded.
"That's me."
Videl did not ask directly about Cell, and he was glad for it. Instead, a few sparse pieces of evidence drifted at the edges of her mind. She grasped at it like she was grabbing smoke.
"We? Are there any of you guys left?" She attempted to deliver the question as softly as possible. Son Goku was dead, and she did not want to push that to the front of her friend's mind.
"Mm. Not really. There was… actually, that's complicated to get into right now. I'll just say the Saiyans were part of a bad deal with an evil overlord so most were wiped out." Gohan was thoughtful for a minute. "The last full-blooded Saiyan is Vegeta. He's royalty, as he never allows us to forget. And then there's Trunks, Goten and I and that's it."
She reached out and touched her jaw. The injury she sustained yesterday remained just as a clean shallow cut. "I can believe that." She recalled a few instances where Trunks tried to redirect how he compared himself and his father to everyone else.
Gohan searched for words. "…Anything else?" Once he started on his crazy childhood he knew he wouldn't be able to find a place to stop and would come out exhausted. Thankfully, Videl was on the same wavelength. She leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder.
"This is a lot to take in. I will ask questions, no doubt about it, but right now I'm happy with this." He grinned and a moment later draped his arm over her shoulders.
They stayed that way for a while. With the sun still high in the sky, Gohan asked. "I may know a place to watch the sunset. A few of them we should be able to fly to. If you would like…" He already admitted his feelings but had no idea how to ask a girl on a date. She giggled at his embarrassed tone.
"I'd love that Gohan. I'll need to report back to Krillin to say how my training went this weekend. Afterwards we can meet up somewhere." She was technically still grounded, but if she went straight with Gohan after her training report then there was no reason she wouldn't be able to say she got off late to her father.
He nodded and then noticed the severity of that statement. He blanched. "Please don't tell them."
Videl smirked. "I won't. You know who you have to worry about is my dad, right?" The look on his face on having to explain the truth to Hercule Satan made her laugh.
A/N: *nervous giggling* That was enjoyable and nerve-wracking to write. I have no idea if it stayed to people's expectations. I thought hard about making the reactions genuine and not too cliché. Along with that, I hope that the Saiyan reveal doesn't feel like it was brushed over. I originally thought it would be earlier in the story but no spots fit. As it is, I believe it makes sense that it would be an overload of information, and Videl will need more time to fully register everything.
Thank you all to those who have read, followed, favorited, and reviewed this story. We're getting closer to the end now. Unless unknown variables pop up, this should be done around May.
Review Responses:
Aaron Leach: Thank you :)
Justanius: I'm glad it was enjoyable. Videl was certainly caught off guard by it. Thanks for the review!
Critic (for chapter 23): While I'm not opposed to Mature fics, if I ever write one it won't be for sex or steamy romantic scenes. Trust me, it will be horrible; that awkwardness that you just want to cringe away from. I'm not the writer for that.
ValdieBlack123: Thank you. They are interesting together. And I get what you mean! I always saw Videl as appreciating the calm of both the countryside and Gohan's company.
saiyan fan: I understand your reasoning and agree with it. What I was going off of was if say her weighted clothes doubled her weight than she would be floored with three times gravity but not crushed by it. That's what Vegeta started out with for her. Then she nearly passed out accidently turning it to five times gravity and could have suffered greater effects than an injured jaw if Trunks did not immediately turn it off. There is no way she would have survived ten. I'll ask for suspension of disbelief for it, and I do appreciate the explanation. It was hard deciding on that scene but told myself I would figure it out as soon as this story started.
yunayuu: Poor Gohan indeed. He did succeed in taking initiative here though. I'm happy you're still enjoying the story. Thanks for the review.
Kaflaful: Thanks! I hope you enjoyed this one. The calculations gave me a headache considering the minimum of what Videl can take. I may have pushed it, but I believe that if Goku and Krillin managed about their weight in weighted clothing for their short heights in the beginning of Dragon Ball then that was the best basis I could make.
nitewolf423: Yay! Thank you, happy you enjoyed.
multyfangirl19 (for chapter 4): Thanks! I think out of context jokes along that vein (with the person not realizing what they're talking about) can be amusing, and it's comforting to know that hit the mark for you.