Innocent Feelings

13

Change

It was with the gentle melody of birds chirping, of wind rustling leaves, and of the soft snoring of his sleeping little brother that Gohan woke up the next morning. The sun had just risen, the scarce clouds were still a little tinted with purple and orange, and the soft light passing through his open window was bathing him in a pleasant glow. His eyes still closed, slowly emerging from sleep, Gohan dazedly felt his lips break into a smile he could not help.

And then his eyes opened and he sat up, stretching and yawning, and his smile turned into a wide grin as he remembered the events of the previous night.

He blushed slightly, getting up, turned off his alarm clock, and headed to the bathroom. Kissing Videl last night, it'd been just… It'd been so… It'd felt like…

In the bathroom, Gohan splashed his face with cold water several times. He looked up and saw his reflection in the mirror, his face still dripping – and his lips still stretched out in the largest grin. But he really couldn't help himself. Revealing the truth to Videl last night had gone beyond what he could have ever hoped for; not only did she not get mad at him for lying, but he also got to experience the most wonderful and intense feeling he'd ever felt when they kissed for the first time.

Although, all the kissing made him kind of forget to tell Videl all of his secrets like he'd planned to. He still felt a little nervous about it, but he knew he had to do it. He didn't want to keep any secret from Videl; he wanted her to know everything about him. And he wanted to know everything about her, too.

Gohan hurried to finish his morning routine and got ready for school, then went to the kitchen, where his mother was already fixing up breakfast.

"Good morning, Mom," he greeted cheerfully.

"Good morning…" Chichi replied slowly, eyeing him from the corner of her eye. "You're up earlier than usual."

"Mhmm," he acquiesced absent-mindedly. "Breakfast smells delicious. Do you need any help?"

"Well, you can start setting the table, yes."

"Sure."

Gohan proceeded to do just that, his happy smile ever so glued on his face. Little did he know Chichi was still watching him carefully as she continued cooking, while he moved around the table and set the cutlery.

"You did finish your homework last night, didn't you?" she inquired, and Gohan looked up at that, grinning.

"Of course! You really don't need to worry, Mom, I'm getting top marks for it, for sure," he assured her, finishing up setting the table. "Do you need help with anything else?"

"Could you get me the milk, please?"

"On it!"

His smile was so wide, so happy and innocent. Chichi was glad to see her son happy like this, but at the same time she was still unsure as to whether it was a good idea for him to start dating, and she also didn't like how secretive Gohan was about his girlfriend. She certainly wasn't happy with the way he'd just taken off last night, no doubt to go see the aforementioned girlfriend. Sure, so far Gohan was still bringing home perfect marks like he'd promised, but Chichi was still worried. Maybe if Gohan would at least tell her more about that girl, it could ease some of her worry… She should know what kind of girl her son was so serious about, shouldn't she? But Gohan had barely said anything about her – not even her name! Sure, Chichi could understand that talking about that kind of thing to one's mother would be embarrassing, but she wasn't asking for an entire biography – why wouldn't Gohan tell her more about his girlfriend?

At least he's happy, she kept telling herself. But her worries would always win over the rest, and she would always end up wondering, but what if she breaks his heart?

"Good morning!" Goten chimed happily, breaking her train of thoughts. "Is breakfast ready? I'm starving!"

"Good morning, sweetie," she said in reply, smiling to her youngest. "It'll be ready in a few minutes, so go sit at the table."

"Yaayy…!" he cheered, running to his seat. As he sat, Gohan ruffled his wild hair and Goten grinned even wider.

ooOoo

Erasa eyed her dark-haired friends skeptically. Yesterday it felt like the end of the world for Videl, who wouldn't even stay in the same room as Gohan… And now, there they were, both in school extra early just so they could spend more time together before class, and holding hands like nothing was wrong in the world – and, Erasa noticed, they seemed to be extra close to each other. Sure, she was glad her friends had managed to work things out, whatever the problem between them had been, and, yes, she wished she knew the details of the story – she was still hoping to hear more about it later from Videl, of course – but it looked to Erasa that something had… changed, somehow, between Gohan and Videl. It was like, they seemed to be closer than ever, but there was something else, too…

A kind of… new intimacy between them.

"Well, I'm glad you guys worked things out," she commented, but the couple seemed completely oblivious to her presence, still in full "lovey-dovey mode", as Erasa liked to call it.

Gohan hummed in absent-minded agreement, not taking his eyes off of his girlfriend. Okay, this was getting ridiculous. Erasa was never one to hate on couples, but these displays of affection were kinda getting on her nerves! She did not enjoy being ignored, either.

"So, what happened anyway?" she asked, leaning back against a random locker.

"I was being an idiot," answered Gohan, surprising Erasa by the quick response, despite having only eyes for Videl it seemed. "But this wonderful girl here forgave me, because she is the best girlfriend ever and I'm the luckiest guy alive."

Videl giggled, leaning against Gohan's chest while he wrapped one arm around her shoulders, the one that wasn't already holding her hand.

"You sure are," she grinned, her eyes twinkling with something akin to adoration, as they stayed only on Gohan.

Erasa now knew exactly what it felt like to be completely invisible – just stand with a couple who is completely infatuated with each other. It wasn't such a nice feeling, to be honest…

Gohan whispered something to Videl's ear, who in turn giggled and blushed like a schoolgirl.

"Not now – at least wait until we're alone," she protested to whatever Gohan suggested. Erasa didn't know what the big deal was, with how freely they had been displaying their affection for each other in the past ten minutes.

"Heh, who cares?" grinned Gohan, a mischievous glint in his eyes, while Videl's widened slightly and her blush deepened.

And to Erasa's great surprise, the tall boy simply lifted his girlfriend's chin and bent down to kiss her lips, completely uncaring that the people around them were staring.

As the initial shock wore off, Erasa smirked to herself. Well, that explained a lot. She turned and walked away, heading to her classroom, deciding that she wouldn't be missed. Class would be starting soon anyway.

So the kiss issue between Videl and Gohan was resolved, huh. Perhaps Gohan "being an idiot" had something to do with that for that matter, mused the pretty blonde. Little did she know how close to the truth she really was.

A few minutes after she sat in class, Sharpner turned up, a look of utter disgust wrinkling his young features as he settled down in his usual seat, a chair away from Erasa.

"Ugh," he groaned, much to Erasa's amusement, for she suspected she knew the very reason for the fellow blonde's morose mood.

"I take it you saw our little lovebirds," she teased, laying her cheek on her palm.

"Ugh, don't remind me. They've been acting disgustingly lovey-dovey – it's sickening!"

Bingo, thought the pretty blonde with a triumphant smirk. "Hard to believe Videl pretty much ran away from Gohan just yesterday, huh?"

"Tell me about it!" Sharpner exclaimed indignantly. "And now, did you look at them? Acting all sweet and sugary, and, and – even kissing in public! What's up with that?! Spare me that sight! Ugh."

"Aww, but at least they're happy. We can't blame them for being soooo in love with each other," Erasa giggled.

"Spare me. It's bad enough Videl's tastes for guys are so bad she didn't even choose me, now I also have to see them make out?" Sharpner sneered in contempt. "Ugh. This just sucks."

"I thought you were over Videl? Don't you have a date this Friday for that matter?" she reminded him, raising an eyebrow.

"Doesn't mean I wanna see them exchanging saliva. Ugh, the images… Can't unsee…"

Erasa stifled a laugh, and reached over to pat her friend on his shoulder. "Poor you."

"Got that right," he grumbled under his breath.

"Well, they're still in the new relationship stage, so naturally they're all over each other now." reasoned Erasa. "But that stage never lasts long, don't worry."

His eyes lit up in hope. "You promise?"

"Well…" Erasa gave a nervous smile. "I can't guarantee it, now can I?"

Sharpner groaned and buried his head in his arms, completely dejected. Erasa laughed in her hand. She would almost feel sorry for the guy if his reactions weren't so totally hilarious.

ooOoo

The bell rang, and Gohan let out a dejected sigh as he detached himself from his girlfriend, and they proceeded to walk together to class. Glancing at her, Gohan couldn't help feeling amused at the sight of the bright, crimson blush streaked across her face. Oh, how he loved seeing those shy moments of hers – she was just too adorable for words.

It was funny how the tables seemed to have turned between them. The more they spent time together and grew closer, the more confident Gohan was becoming around Videl, while Videl, on the other hand, seemed to become more and more shy with him.

"Still can't believe you just kissed me in the middle of the hallway… Everyone was staring," she mumbled, still not looking at him. Gohan gave her hand a squeeze.

"You do realize I would've had to wait for at least two hours before we could be alone? I didn't want to wait that long – I couldn't wait that long."

"You could have waited anyway…" she muttered half-heartedly.

Man, Gohan really wished they didn't have to go to class right now. School couldn't be farther from his mind in this moment: he just wanted to pull Videl to him and hold her close, breathe her in… and kiss her some more. He wished he never had to stop kissing her perfect, beautiful, delicious lips… He was so completely addicted to kissing Videl.

They arrived in their classroom and went up their usual row. Alas, they had to let go of each other's hand in order to sit down, on either side of Erasa. Right now, switching seats with the blonde didn't look like a bad idea at all… If only it meant he could breathe in Videl's beautiful, fruity scent during class…

So what if he might get too distracted by his gorgeous girlfriend sitting right next to him?

The teacher started the lecture soon after, and Gohan was doing his best to focus. After all he couldn't allow his grades to drop – lest he gave his mother an excuse to forbid him from dating Videl. No way he was ever letting that happen. Nuhuh. Now that he'd experienced what it was like to be with the girl of his dreams there was no way he was ever letting her go. He loved her way too much.

Glancing her way, Gohan wondered if it would be too soon to already tell her these famous three words. Videl met his gaze then and cracked a smile, a cute blush tinting her cheeks, and Gohan felt a rush of adoration for the beautiful girl. He was so completely in love with her, it wasn't even funny. His chest gave a painful pang as he smiled back at her.

He always thought it to be kind of strange how his feelings for her could actually be physically painful at times – most of the time, really.

She stuck her tongue out to him and chuckled softly, turning back to the teacher. Gohan reluctantly did the same, wishing that class was over for the day already. To think this was only the first class of the day… At least the break was two hours away. Two long hours… until they could finally be alone…

He grinned to himself, hiding his flushed face behind his History book.

Those two hours really could not pass fast enough. He couldn't wait to finally have time alone with Videl…

He glanced at her again, still behind his book. I love you, he thought to himself. The boy let out a dreamy sigh, resting his cheek on his arm. I love you so, so much, Videl, you really have no idea…

ooOoo

Vide was truly discovering a whole new side to Gohan. The way he had pulled her against his rock hard body, the way his hand tilted her head backward, his fingers playing with a few strands on her neck – and his mouth… oh God, his kisses… Gone were the shy first kisses they had shared last night. Gohan had become more confident, more eager and impatient; he'd become bolder, and more assertive. His touch was no longer hesitant… And, God, the way he touched her…

His lips were going down her throat now, and Videl's breath hitched. Ah, why did this feel so freaking good? How was she ever going to do without him now? How smart of this boy, making himself become totally essential in her life. Well, now he was stuck with her. No way around it anymore.

She let out a small yelp when his hand cupped her breast, and Gohan immediately pulled away, a bright blush forming across his cheeks as he looked at her apologetically.

"Sorry," he said softly, slightly breathless.

Videl didn't say anything, but simply pulled Gohan's collar to her and planted her lips on his. With her other hand she took his much bigger one, and guided it to her chest.

"You just surprised me," she whispered against his mouth. "So, if you want to… I'm okay with it."

Gohan pulled away slightly to look her in the eye, but then he heaved a sigh. "I think we should… take things slow, you know?" he said with obvious reluctance, removing his hand. "We only had our first kiss last night after all."

At that, Videl just rolled her eyes. "As you wish, but personally I think you're just being silly with this 'going slow' thing."

He chuckled, and tucked a few strands from her forehead, bending down to kiss her lips again. "Maybe so… But I might really lose it if we go too far too fast."

To his great pleasure, Videl turned completely red. "S-Stupid! Don't just say things like that out of the blue!""

Gohan laughed, and leaned over to nibble on the crook of her neck, his hands moving to her hips and pulling her closer against him.

"It's your own fault," he breathed to her ear, making the pretty girl shiver slightly. "You drive me completely crazy, Videl."

She flushed right away, and then let out a soft sigh as Gohan started nipping on her earlobe.

"There you are!" came the sudden interruption. "Oh my gosh get a room, you two!"

The hormone driven teens instantly pulled away, flushing brightly in embarrassment, as Erasa hurried towards them from the corner of the deserted corridor.

"Erasa! What the hell!" yelled Videl, flustered and upset by the intrusion.

"Sorry I interrupted you guys, but you gotta see this! This is bad." Videl arched an eyebrow as her best friend handed her a gossip magazine. "Look, it's the front page!" Erasa said in distress. "I bet it's someone from school – it has to be! It's illegal for paparazzi to follow you around as long as you're a minor."

It was them. The two of them, kissing – from this very morning! How could the photograph already be published in this crappy excuse for a magazine when it was only lunchtime?

"Videl Satan and Her Boyfriend. The Famous Savior's Daughter Must Have a Thing for Brains… Huh," read Gohan out loud, scratching his hair uneasily.

"Well, you kinda do," joked Erasa, but a glare from Videl and her face fell.

"This isn't a joke, Erasa – this is terrible! My father is gonna see this and then… Oh, God, what am I gonna do…? There's no way he'd ever agree to let me have a boyfriend!" Videl felt like pulling her hair. This was a disaster!

"Not to mention you're not supposed to date anyone who can't beat him…" Erasa added with a wince. "I feel sorry for you, sweetie," she added to Gohan.

But the boy in question simply raised his eyebrows. Was that all? If he beat Videl's dad in a fight he could keep dating her? Well, that shouldn't be a problem. Surely Videl was aware of that, right?

Man, he thought. I forgot again to tell her more about me. She's too distracting!

"I'm sure it'll be fine," he said shrugging his shoulders, taking Videl's hand in his and flashing her a reassuring smile. "Your father's bound to like me. I'm adorable, you said so yourself remember?" he added with a grin.

"I wish it were so simple, Gohan…" she sighed with a worried smile.

"Oh, come on, he can't be that bad. I'm sure as soon as your dad sees just how much I care about you he would understand. Wouldn't he?"

"I really don't think so," Videl said, shaking her head. "My father's just too overprotective. There's no way he'd let me keep dating you…"

"I know what an overprotective parent is like, trust me; I can deal with him," Gohan assured.

"He might not see the magazine?" offered Erasa weakly, and Videl gave her a half-hearted smile as a thank you.

"I wish… This sucks," sighed Videl. "What are we gonna do?"

The bell rang then, leaving her question unanswered.

"Don't worry," Gohan whispered to her ear as they walked back to class. "I'll kick his ass if I have to – I will never let anything come between us."

Videl smiled, giving his hand a squeeze. "Thank you, Gohan. It does reassure me that you're, you know… The Great Saiyaman," she finished in a very low tone.

He grinned. "That's right. Speaking of which, there's more I need to tell you, Videl, but I keep forgetting with… you know, all the… distractions."

And there it was again, that adorable blush. Videl smiled sheepishly. "Okay. Let's do something after school then – I'd rather delay going home today anyway…"

Gohan chuckled, and bent over to kiss her cheek. "Everything's going to be fine, I promise, okay?"

And finally, a genuine smile curved her beautiful lips. Ah, what he wouldn't do to see her smile like that all the time…

January 17, 2021