4

Videl was actually surprised at how easy it was to summon her ki after just a bit of rest. And she felt so light, too, now that she wasn't wearing the weights. She focused on her energy some more and managed to fly higher. She looked down at Gohan, now ten feet below her, grinning proudly at her.

"You're amazing, you know that?" he said, his eyes twinkling as he watched her.

"I'm aware," she said with a smirk, letting her cocky side show. "But thanks."

Videl still had trouble believing she was actually flying. To think that only yesterday she had no idea that such a feat was even feasible without a trick. She looked to the city, taking into the incredible view of buildings and city lights under the night sky. Not only were they on a skyscraper, but she was even higher up in the air.

Gohan floated up to her and took her hand. She blushed at the contact, and at his gentle smile.

"Think you can follow me if I start moving?" he asked.

"What is this, a free lesson?" she said in a teasing tone.

"Yep. Right now I'm not your trainer, I'm just helping you as a friend."

She cracked a smile. "I appreciate that."

His eyes softened. Gohan had really nice eyes, Videl found herself thinking. She liked the way he looked at her.

"Let's try moving to the left. Your left, I mean."

Still holding her hand, Gohan started floating to her left, and the tug helped Videl follow him.

"Very good. Now let's fly more to the right."

They continued this little exercise for a while, with Gohan leading her around and helping her have a better hold of her flight.

"Now let's try going down the skyscraper," Gohan instructed.

"All the way down?" She didn't mean to sound nervous, but it was a very long way down from up here, and Videl wasn't sure she was ready for something like that yet.

"Don't worry, I'm here if you get tired. I wouldn't let anything happen to you."

His words reassured her. Videl felt compelled to trust Gohan, even though she only met him the day before.

"Okay."

He led her to the edge of the roof. As they floated side by side, Videl looked down and felt her stomach do flip-flops. They were so high up. Would she be able to go down on her own without Gohan ending up carrying her the rest of the way? She was still a novice at flying; she learned the skill just a few hours ago. Maybe it was too soon to attempt something like this?

Still, she wanted to try. She wanted to see what she was capable of. And, Videl realized, she wanted to impress Gohan. She wanted to make him proud of her.

"Ready?"

Videl gave his hand a squeeze and, without looking away from the quiet city below, nodded her head.

"Let's go," she said firmly, a new determination shining in her eyes.

Gohan cracked a smile. "That's the spirit."

He led the way, slowly floating down the skyscraper. Videl let her worries aside and just focused on her ki to follow Gohan down the many, many stories of the skyscraper.

"You're doing great, Videl," he said in encouragement. "Think we can go a little faster?"

In response, Videl summoned more energy and used it to propel herself forward faster toward the ground. She heard Gohan chuckle as he flew to her level, but didn't let herself be distracted by him. And Gohan usually turned out to be very distracting indeed.

They were getting closer to the foot of the building. Okay. She could do this. Her energy tank was running a little low, but it was almost over now. She only needed to hold out a little longer and she would be done.

They were nearing the sidewalk. They only had a few more floors to go through.

At that moment, a bird flew straight at them for no apparent reason other than to mess with them; Videl yelped as it passed just in front of them, its feathered wings grazing her nose. Gohan reacted quickly and tugged at her hand to pull her to him and wrapped his arms around her, sensing that she was losing grip on her ki.

"You okay?" he asked, his eyebrows scrunched up in concern.

Videl felt herself blush as her hands ended up against his chest and she could feel hard muscles beneath the fabric of his dress shirt. She was reminded of the way Gohan had stared at her lips this morning, and, without her consent, her eyes lowered to his mouth. Her throat tightened and her face burned up even more.

"Y-Yeah," she mumbled, finding herself unable to tear her gaze away from Gohan's thin but full lips. Her heart was racing. "I just…" She swallowed thickly. "I was just startled." She turned her head, finally tearing her eyes from his tempting lips. "Stupid bird…"

He chuckled, seemingly oblivious to her staring and inner struggle. "Yeah, they seem a lot more reckless in the city. I live in the mountains, and they're a lot nicer over there."

She cracked a smile. "The city makes everyone more stressed, or so they say. I guess birds are no exception." Gohan laughed at her joke.

As the adrenaline went down, Videl suddenly felt completely exhausted. She didn't know if she had any ki left to summon right now. She sighed in fatigue and disappointment, and leaned on Gohan's chest, letting her eyes slide shut. His body tensed against her as she did.

"I don't think I can fly anymore tonight," she admitted.

"You still… um…" He cleared his throat, clearly uneasy. "You still did great tonight. Besides, uh, training with the weights I gave you, it will, uh, it will improve your stamina. You'll… You'll be able to fly freely in no time."

She wondered if he was blushing. He probably was; he sounded so nervous, too, and she could feel his rapid and strong heartbeat against her cheek. Videl liked that she could make Gohan so flustered.

"I guess," she replied with a sigh. It felt so nice to be in Gohan's arms like this.

He floated down the rest of the way and landed softly. Still, Videl didn't want to let go of him. She slid down against his body to touch the ground and wrapped her arms around his back, snuggling up closer against him.

"Um… Videl…?"

She smiled to herself at the way his voice went up an octave. Was Gohan so nervous because he was shy to be so close to a girl, or was it because the girl was her? She liked to think it was the latter.

"I'm tired," she mumbled. "Could you give me a lift? I live in Belleview."

"Oh, um… Y-Yeah, sure."

He picked her up, a hand under her knees while the other held her back, and Videl wrapped her arms around his neck. Gohan looked away before she could make eye contact, and his blush deepened. She smiled to herself. He was so cute.

"It's, uh, it's a good thing that the streets are deserted this late at night," he commented as he took off to the sky. Videl felt her body relax completely against Gohan, leaning her head in the crook of his neck.

"Does it really matter if people see us?" she asked while Gohan flew East toward her neighborhood. "I mean, the point for me is to get stronger for my matches. They're gonna see me use my ki anyway."

"I guess you have a point," Gohan admitted. "But I'm just a scientist and a grad student. My academic career is already attracting more attention from the scientific community than I'm comfortable with; I don't want people to know what I can do in a fight, too."

"That's fair."

"Well, we're in Belleview." Gohan stopped in mid-air.

Videl pulled her head back and blinked as she looked around, confirming that they indeed got to her neighborhood. Already? It hadn't been even five minutes since Gohan took off. It didn't even feel like he was going that fast either.

"Where should I go from here?" he asked.

"Um…" Looking around, Videl quickly spotted her apartment block. She pointed at it. "See that building over there? I live in the highest floor. You can drop me off on my balcony, I didn't lock the door."

Gohan whistled. "Fancy. I take it the martial arts business is going well." He started flying toward the balcony she had motioned to.

Videl chuckled. "Yeah. I don't even need my dad's money to afford living here. Life's been good to me."

He landed on her balcony and set her down. Videl reluctantly took a step back from him.

"It's nice that you're already completely independent," he said, smiling down at her. "I only work part-time, and most of my earnings go to my mom anyway, which I really don't mind since I'm happy to help." He looked behind her, through the glass door, at the dark room of her apartment. "But it sounds nice, having your own place, living your life however you want and not having to answer to anyone."

"It is nice, yeah." Videl smiled as she gazed upon his handsome and gentle features. His soft eyes shifted and locked on hers.

She felt so drawn to him. And she didn't want this night to end just yet.

"Would you like to come in and see the inside?"

He nodded his head. "I would love to."

Videl took his hand and led him to the glass door, which she slid open with her spare hand; she walked in and turned on the lights. She didn't let go of Gohan's hand as they stood in her living room. She knew she had no reason or excuse for drawing out the physical contact, but as long as Gohan didn't pull away, Videl figured it was okay.

She didn't know why she was acting like this tonight. She usually wasn't a very tactile person. But with Gohan… It was hard to explain.

It just felt so nice. The touch of his skin left a pleasant tingle on hers, sometimes making a shiver run through her spine. When they touched, Videl just didn't want to let go.

"Wow…" he uttered out in a breath of awe. "Your place is amazing."

"Let me give you a tour. So, obviously, this is the living room, with the standard couch, chairs, coffee table and flat screen TV," she said, motioning to each piece of furniture with her spare hand to accompany her words.

"Standard?" Gohan chuckled and shook his head. "Everything looks so expensive. I'd be worried about breaking something."

Videl shrugged. "Anything you'd break, I can just replace." She tugged at his hand to lead him to the open kitchen.

"Don't you have anything of sentimental value?"

"My dad kept the album photos, and I've got everything uploaded to the Cloud anyway, so my memories are safe. Other than that, not really, no." She let go of his hand and went behind the counter to get to the refrigerator. "Hey, do you want something to drink?" she offered as she opened the fridge and looked inside. "Let's see… I've got juice, iced tea, coke, orange soda, and chocolate milk too."

He cracked an amused smile. "Chocolate milk?"

Videl blushed. "What? I like chocolate and I like milk. It's not just for kids."

Gohan laughed slightly, leaning forward with his elbows on the counter. "I'm just teasing. I like chocolate milk too. Would you please make me a glass?"

She smiled."Coming up."

She got the brown bottle out of the fridge and set it on the counter, then she turned around and fetched two tall glasses from an upper cabinet. She set them down and served the drinks, before sliding one of the glasses to Gohan, who was standing on the other side of the counter. He thanked her and took a sip. Videl watched the smile on his lips reach his eyes, softening his expression.

"It's sweet," he said in appreciation. "I don't think I've ever had cold chocolate milk. It's refreshing."

Videl set her glass down and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "Yeah? I prefer it cold."

The silence was comfortable between them as they sipped on their chocolaty drinks. Videl glanced at the clock on her microwave. It was almost one o'clock in the morning already. Was it really okay for Gohan to stay out so late at night? Since he lived with his mother, she was probably getting worried that he was still out at this hour, wasn't she?

But Gohan didn't seem to have any concerns. He gulped down the last of his drink and set the glass on the counter with a sigh of content.

"So, what about the rest of the tour?"

Videl couldn't help smiling. Well, surely Gohan was aware of the late hour, and if he didn't seem to worry about it, then he must know what he was doing.

So, she showed him around her apartment, amused by the perpetual look of awe on Gohan's face as they visited each room.

"Do you really need three bedrooms?" he asked as they walked into her second guest room.

"I kinda do, yeah. When my friends from Satan City come visit me, it's more convenient for everyone if they stay at my place. They've even left some of their stuff here so that they can travel light."

Gohan walked to the nightstand and picked up a framed photo. He smiled as he looked at it. "That's them? The two blonds with you."

Videl sat on the bed, not needing to see the picture to give her answer. "Yeah. Erasa and Sharpner. We grew up together. They're like family to me."

Gohan sat beside her, still looking at the photo. "You must really miss them."

"Well, technology makes it easier to keep in touch at least, what with facetiming and texting." She leaned her head on his arm, letting her eyes trail on the familiar photograph. "But yeah, I miss them a lot. It was easier making friends back then, when we were kids. We just started playing in the sandbox and poof, instant friends."

Gohan stiffened. Videl turned out to be a much more tactile person than he would have expected of her. Sure, it felt nice, being close to her, holding hands with her, having her in his arms… It felt more than nice ━ but it was also absolutely nerve-wracking. It was making him so tense and flustered.

"Will, um… Will they be visiting you soon?"

She pulled back and straightened up. Gohan felt his body relax but, at the same time, he felt a pinch in his chest at the loss of contact.

Videl tucked strands of hair behind her ear. "They'll be here for my match next month for sure. They've never missed one of my fights."

"I'm really looking forward to your match too. I guess I'll meet them there? I mean, if that's okay with you."

She looked up at him and smiled. "Of course. I'm sure you guys will hit it off right away."

Gohan felt his throat tighten at the way her features softened. His face flushed and his heartbeat picked up, and he found himself unable to look away from her deep blue eyes. Videl was so beautiful.

He averted his gaze and massaged the nape of his neck, his blush feeling hotter than ever.

They were just friends, he reminded himself, and they were only beginning to get to know each other. He shouldn't be thinking of Videl that way. Gohan should be content with what they had right now. It was good enough. It should be good enough. He shouldn't be too greedy.

The graduate student looked at his wristwatch and blinked at the hour. "Whoa, it's already this late?" He gave Videl an awkward smile and scratched his hair. "I guess I should get going."

"Yeah, it is pretty late." She cracked a smile. "I had a really nice time with you tonight, Gohan."

The young man felt himself drown in her deep blue eyes.

Shaking his head to snap himself out of it, Gohan stood. "Yeah, me too."He scratched his hair and looked sideways. "I'll see you tomorrow then."

Videl got to her feet as well. "I'll walk you out."

He raised a hand in front of him to motion she didn't need to. "It's alright. I'd rather just take the window, it's more convenient."

She cracked a grin, amusement shining in her eyes. "Then let me at least walk you to the balcony."

He chuckled. The tension in his muscles was fading. "Alright."

It was such an odd sight, to see Gohan take off to the sky and fly away into the night. But Videl figured she would get used to it soon enough ━ she could already float on her own, and thanks to Gohan's help earlier, she was able to get better at it and even move around in the air now. During her training session today, she had been able to lift only a few inches off the ground. She supposed the weights she'd been wearing made things harder, so it made sense that without them and after a bit of rest, she would be able to summon so much more energy to float in the air.

Her smile wouldn't leave her face as she got ready for bed, and Videl found herself humming a happy tune to herself. She was so glad she got to meet Gohan. Hanging out with him beat spending the night by herself in her place. Sure, she liked her alone time too, but it was nice to actually see people now and then.

And Gohan… They just clicked. It was so easy talking to him, and even opening up to him, and Videl felt a guilty pleasure when she got him flustered. He was just so cute when he got all red and stuttered and avoided her gaze.

As she lay in bed, her smile was still glued to her face. She replayed the night in her head, recalling how it felt to be in his arms, to hold his hand, to share playful smiles, to look in his gentle eyes.

Videl sighed. It was inevitable, wasn't it? She liked him. She liked him a lot. She knew they were just getting to know each other, and she did decide to focus on getting closer to Gohan as a friend and on learning as much as she could from him, but… After tonight, it just wasn't enough. Being his friend wasn't enough. She wanted more.

She liked Gohan, and she was pretty sure he liked her too, so why not? It was the first time she felt this way for someone, so wouldn't it be a waste not to try and see where it could go? Gohan was such a great guy, too, she felt she could trust him. She wanted to be with him.

With that in mind, Videl decided she would ask Gohan out tomorrow ━ well, later today, actually. They had their next training session at five, but Videl figured she could visit him on campus during his lunch hour.

She pulled the comforter over her head and giggled. She was so excited to see him and ask him out ━ and maybe even kiss him. Videl flushed at the thought, but now she just couldn't get it out of her head.

It was going to be hard to get any sleep tonight.

Gohan was in a great mood. He was humming to himself as he walked to his next class and his smile wouldn't leave his face.

He sat in the back of the auditorium and waited for the teacher to arrive and start the lecture. He turned to look at the sky through the open window, and he wondered if Videl was practicing her flying right now. He couldn't wait to see her progress at their next training session later today.

The classes came and went, and soon it was lunchtime. Gohan went outside to find a nice spot to eat. He breathed in deeply as his gaze raised to the sky once more. It was clear and cloudless, and the color reminded him of Videl's eyes.

His phone chimed then. Gohan pulled it out of his pocket and checked his notifications. His eyes lit up. It was a text from Videl!

"I'm at your campus. Wanna have lunch together?"

He quickly wrote his reply. "Gladly. Don't move, I'll join you."

Reaching out with his senses, he scanned through the crowd of energy signatures for Videl's. Just when he found her, his phone chimed again.

"But how do you know where I am?"

He chuckled to himself and turned off the screen of his phone. Still holding it in his hand, Gohan jogged toward Videl's ki and before long, he saw her from the distance. Her back was to him, so Gohan wrote her a text.

"Behind you."

He saw her check her phone and then swiftly turn around. He waved. She blinked at him, and then her lips broke into a broad smile. She ran to join him, and Gohan felt his cheeks heat up at the sight of her beautiful face. He noted that she was wearing a fitted t-shirt and loose shorts, and the sight of her bare legs made his throat tighten. He quickly focused his attention on her eyes.

It didn't help much. They were so pretty.

"How did you know where to find me?" she asked.

He scratched his hair. "I, uh, I've memorized your ki signature."

She raised her eyebrows. "You can do that?"

He smiled. "It's like with fingerprints. Each person is unique, and so is their ki."

Videl looked sideways in thoughts. "Interesting." She turned to him again. "Will you teach me how to sense ki today? I'm curious to know how yours feel like."

He dug his hands in his pockets and shuffled his feet. Teaching Videl about ki… might make things complicated for him. He did promise her that he would, but Gohan hadn't thought of what it would mean. If Videl could sense his ki, he wouldn't be able to hide from her just how strong he was. Sure, he lowered his energy when he wasn't fighting, but he couldn't conceal his power all the time. Besides, he wasn't the only fighter with high power level. With Vegeta training in the Gravity Room in Capsule Corp., which happened to be close by, it would be impossible for Videl to miss it.

He did promise her though, and it wasn't like he didn't plan to tell Videl more about him eventually. He just wanted to get to know Videl more first, and get closer to her. Teaching her now, it would be too soon. He needed more time. He wasn't ready to reveal himself to her just yet.

"I think we should focus on your flying for now. Once you've mastered that, we'll see what I'll teach you next."

He felt a pinch in his chest at the way her brow furrowed and her lips pursed. She was clearly disappointed with his answer.

"So, um, how about some lunch?" he said, trying to change the subject. "We can share what my mom made me; she's a great cook, and there's more than enough for the both of us."

She smiled. "Sounds good."

Videl was losing her nerve. She had never done this before ━ how the hell was she supposed to ask out the guy she liked? How did people do this? What was she supposed to say? How was she supposed to bring it up?

They were sitting at a picnic table on campus. She wasn't surprised by the amount of food Gohan had put on the table after seeing him eat the whole menu last night at the steak house. He didn't seem to have a care in the world as he ate, but Videl didn't think she could eat a thing right now; her stomach was all knotted-up.

She started finding herself excuses not to go for it. It was too soon; there was no reason to rush things between them. Things were going really well so far, so why risk it by going too fast? Gohan wasn't going anywhere, and getting closer to him first wasn't a bad idea either.

He smiled at her. "Help yourself. It's really good."

Her face burned up. Gosh, he was so cute. Maybe she should just go for it. Did it really matter if they got to know each other better as a couple or as friends? She liked him. Wasn't that what mattered most?

She grabbed a bowl of fried rice and had a bite; her face lit up. "It's so good!"

Gohan grinned. "Told you."

Videl continued eating, her appetite coming back with each spoonful of the delicious food. Gohan's mom truly was an amazing cook ━ everything just melted in her mouth and the flavors were just right. It was the best meal she'd ever had.

Before long, every plate and dish was emptied, and Videl sighed in content, patting her stomach.

"I'm so full." She chuckled. "I think I overdid it."

Gohan waved her off. "Heh, you're gonna be training all day anyway. You need the extra energy."

She smiled at him and rested her chin on her palm; her eyes softened. "I guess that's true."

He cast his gaze down and scratched his hair, a blush appearing on his cheeks.

Videl let out a soft sigh as she let her eyes linger on his handsome face. Her heart picked up and her throat tightened. Should she go for it? Should she ask Gohan out? Should she do it now?

"Hey, Gohan!" someone called. The pair turned their heads to look at the newcomer. It was a pretty red-haired girl; she came up to them and sat beside Gohan, maybe a little too close than she had to. "Can I borrow your notes for our Vector Calculus class? I overslept again…" She sighed. "I'm so not a morning person."

Videl frowned. That girl was clearly flirting with Gohan, but one look at the guy told her that the redhead's advances flew right over his head. He smiled amicably and picked up his satchel to get out the requested notes.

"Here," he said, handing them out to the girl. "Maybe try to go to bed a little earlier?"

She pouted. "But that's no fun."

He chuckled. "At least when you have to wake up early the next day?"

"That's okay, your notes are always so neat and easy to understand." She beamed. "As long as I can copy them, I'll be okay."

"Heh, if you say so. By the way, this is my friend, Videl," he said, motioning to the girl sitting across from him. "Videl, this is Kay. We have a few classes together."

Kay turned to Videl, blinking her eyes in an exaggerated way, obviously pretending that she hadn't noticed her until now. Videl forced a polite smile and extended her hand, which Kay shook.

"Are you a student here too?" Kay inquired. "You look kinda familiar…"

"I'm just visiting," Videl replied.

"Oh, so where do you go to college?"

"I don't. I'm a professional martial artist."

"Videl is extremely talented," Gohan chimed in, and Videl couldn't help beaming at the proud look on his face. "She's gonna be the next world champion for sure."

Kay blinked. "Wow, really? That's pretty cool." She observed Videl with a frown for a few moments, and then her eyes widened. "Wait, aren't you… Mr. Satan's daughter?"

Videl smirked. "Yep."

"Wow." Kay blinked. "Wow," she said again, staring at Videl in awe.

"Anyway." Videl stood. "You want to go for a walk, Gohan? I wanted to talk to you about something."

"Sure," he said, getting up in turn. "See you later, Kay."

But the redhead was still getting over meeting the daughter of the most famous man on Earth. Gohan shrugged and went on his way with Videl.

"What did you want to talk to me about?" he asked.

She blushed. She reluctantly admitted to herself that seeing that Kay girl get all chummy with Gohan made her feel jealous, which prompted her to try and get Gohan away from the flirty girl. But now that they were alone again, Videl wasn't sure what to say.

She looked at him, at his cute smile and his gentle eyes, and Videl felt like melting. Gosh, she liked him so much.

She stopped walking all of a sudden, causing Gohan to pause as well. She had her head down, and her face felt flushed; her heart was racing. She clenched her fists, trying to give herself some courage.

"Gohan," she said softly. "Do you like me?"

He raised his eyebrows. "Well, of course. I think you're great."

Videl frowned. It wasn't surprising that he didn't get what she meant. Gohan was completely clueless about these things.

Well then, she would just have to be clearer, not leaving any doubt as to what she wanted to say.

She raised her head to look at him. "That's not what I mean." Her face was burning up more and more as she tried to explain. She bit her lip. "I mean… Do you like me… as more than a friend?"

Gohan widened his eyes and his face flushed brightly. The reaction was encouraging. Surely, he wouldn't have gotten flustered by her question if he didn't have any feelings for her, right?

He looked away and scratched the back of his head, still blushing heavily. "I, uh…"

Videl took a deep breath. She took a step toward him and reached over to take his hand. The contact made Gohan look at her. She smiled; he was blushing so much. She knew she wasn't any better, though.

"I like you, Gohan. I know we haven't known each other for long, but I don't think that matters. I really like you, and I…" She averted her gaze, unable to hold his as she confessed her feelings. It was so embarrassing.

Still, she powered through. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"I want to be more than friends."

June 11, 2021