The next morning, Goku awoke with a new sense of determination. He wanted to make sure Miss Chi-Chi had a better start to her day than she did yesterday. He cut off some of the roses he had been growing in the school's garden and placed them in a vase on her desk. He spritzed the red petals with a spray bottle to give them the shine they needed. Before leaving, he pulled a yellow sticky note off the pad and wrote as neatly as he could.

Thank you for everything you do.

He reconsidered attaching to the vase after making a face at how messy his handwriting was. What would the teacher think of him for writing like the way he did this late in life? The custodian looked over his shoulder at her whiteboard and sighed in relief.

Her handwriting was just as bad as his own.

He smoothed the sticky part down on the glass and did a double-take around her room to make sure it was spotless. After seeing her so tearful and worn out yesterday, the custodian didn't want her to go through that during a week that's supposed to be all about appreciation.

Feeling satisfied with his work, Goku left the room and was prepared to head to the cafeteria to mop the floors when someone stopped him in his tracks. Chi-Chi was standing a few inches away holding two steaming cups of coffee and wearing a smile that was even warmer.

"Your crew told me I'd find you here. I bought you a latte."

"A lot of what?"

"No," she giggled after realizing he was being serious and not fooling around. "A law-tay. A coffee. Ever had one?"

The custodian shrugged his shoulders with a sheepish grin. "I thought coffee was all one type."

"Nope. A latte is ⅔ steamed milk and ⅓ espresso shots. Hits the spot on a cloudy morning like this." Chi-Chi glanced up at the gray sky and Goku took those few seconds to look at what she was wearing. He had never seen her looking so...casual before. Her jeans were faded and her top was a light blue sweater. Instead of heels, she had on white sneakers.

Dirty ones.

"Any reason you're wearing your running shoes today?"

Chi-Chi scrunched her nose and handed him his coffee. "My feet hurt. Sometimes it's just nice to take a break. Speaking of breaks," she rocked back and forth on her heels. "Are you super busy right now?"

Goku checked his watch. It was only a little after six, and the teachers didn't have to arrive until seven-thirty. Miss Chi-Chi wanted him to say no. She had gotten to work today early for a reason.

"I have a minute or two to spare. What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, Mr. Goku. I was going to see if you wanted to have some coffee talk with me as I do the grading I didn't have time for yesterday."

The custodian nodded and followed the teacher closely back inside her room. He was reddening at the fact she was now going to know who left the flowers on her desk. He was going to have to play it cool. As Miss Chi-Chi gasped at the sight of her special gift, he leaned against the wall and sipped his latte to look casual. He accidentally turned the lights off when his elbow rubbed against the switch and frantically flipped it back up. After his momentary freakout, he was making a face at the disgusting taste of the coffee in his mouth and trying to hide it as Chi-Chi approached him hugging the vase.

"Did you pick these flowers from the beautiful garden you created?"

Secretly hoping she'd think he bought them from somewhere expensive, Goku rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand. "I know they aren't much, but I am pretty proud of them. I thought they would brighten your day."

Beaming, Chi-Chi placed the vase gently on one of the tables near them and whispered without meaning to. "Is it okay if I give you a hug? I know I kinda tackled you yesterday."

"Hug me, tackle me, I don't mind either." Goku opened his arms for her to come into them and she squeezed him tighter than he expected. His voice came out wheezy from the air she was taking out of him. "Geez, for such a little thing, you sure have quite the grip!"

"Sorry," Chi-Chi laughed nervously and released him. "I take self-defense classes three nights a week and it's really improved my strength."

Goku rubbed his slightly aching sides after putting his coffee down next to hers. He wished she had knocked it out of his hands during her hug so he wouldn't have to forcibly drink it anymore. "I guess it has. What made you take that up? Was someone harassing you?"

"Not really. It makes me feel safe. As soon as I got this job, I moved away from my dad and it was a little scary living on my own at first. Now that I know what to do if someone attacks me, it's not so bad anymore."

"Where do you live, if you don't mind me asking?" Goku was aware that Chi-Chi was tough, but the thought of her living somewhere dangerous didn't sit well with him at all.

"Kame Apartments."

Goku's mouth and eyes widened. "No kidding!? That's where I live!"

"What!?" Chi-Chi was bouncing up and down, something she only did if she were truly thrilled. "Since when?"

"Since forever! How come I've never seen you around!?"

"I don't know! It's a pretty big place! My building is by the pool. Where's yours?"

Since the discovery was made that she lived so close, Goku's smile was wider than his face could handle. He was beginning to feel his cheeks hurt but didn't mind at all. "Ah, that's probably why. I'm near the office."

Their eyes locked for longer than either of them expected and their mouths closed into straight lines. If the custodian knew any better, he could've sworn he saw Miss Chi-Chi licking her lips.

"Well," she finally said with a sigh. "I really need to finish those grades I told you about. Still willing to stay?"

Goku had to look at the time again to see only a few minutes had passed. Somehow being with her made time freeze. He swallowed hard before nodding his head in agreement.

"Of course."

Chi-Chi handed him his latte after picking up her own and he gave her a weak thumbs up. Maybe his dad was right after all about knowing when you've found the right one - doing things you hate just to make them happy. He sipped the warm drink and mumbled an 'mmm'. When she turned her back to head to her computer, he spit it back into the cup silently and joined her.

As her long nails clacked against the keyboard, Goku noticed she didn't have to look away from the screen to see what keys she was typing. What was even more impressive was she was spelling everything correctly.

"Gosh, Miss Chi-Chi. This something you learn in teacher college?"

"Just years and years of practice, you know?"

Goku leaned his back into the rocking chair and moved back and forth. Chi-Chi was right about it being more comfortable than the little blue chairs. It was hard to believe he used to fit so perfectly in them. His eyes wandered over to the calendar again. It was now the second day of Teacher Appreciation Week.

"Got anything special planned for today?"

"The kids are going to be making moon sand today!" Chi-Chi said excitedly without looking away from her computer screen. "It's part of our month-long celebration as we end the year together. I want to make this special for them. Don't worry, we'll be doing it outside. No mess for our wonderful custodian!"

Goku's leg started tapping. He'd be more than happy to let Chi-Chi destroy a classroom if it meant he could spend the entire day with her.

"I have a nonstop workday ahead of me with the landscapers needing assistance in the playground. Any chance I can thank you for your dedication by bringing you dinner?"

Chi-Chi had finally looked away from her screen. Her cheeks were just as pink as his. "Dinner? As in a...date?"

"Uh," Goku's eyebrows went up and he could feel his forehead beginning to sweat. "N-No. It's just the...neighborly thing to do."

After scribbling something down on an index card, Chi-Chi moved her rolling chair closer to him and he had no clue what she was going to do. She grabbed his damp hand and placed the note in his palm. She squeezed it tightly while batting her long eyelashes at him.

"That's my number. I better hear from you, Mr. Goku."

The custodian gulped and slipped the number into his shirt pocket. No wonder her students were so well-behaved. "Yes ma'am, Miss Chi-Chi."