The lab door opened and shut, as Bulma diligently worked in the corner. "What do you need, Trunks," she said, without looking up. "I'll be just a minute, before I can help."
"Is that a promise?"
Bulma paused in her work, and smiled. She looked over her shoulder. Mai was leaning against the door, holding her hands behind her back. "Hi, Mai. If you're looking for my son, he's out for the day. He won't be back until tomorrow morning."
She walked towards her, swaying slightly. "Actually, I came here to see you. I... I was hoping we could have some fun together." She glanced down, shyly, as she pulled her arms out: she was holding a couple bottles of wine and some glasses.
Bulma stood up immediately, and walked over to her. "Where on Earth did you managed to get these things?" She picked up the glasses, in pristine condition. These commodities had grown rare, ever since the Androids attacked. No one bothered to start making them, again.
"I knew where to look." She laughed awkwardly. "So... what do you say?"
"Mai, I'd love to. I can't even remember the last time I had a girls night in."
Something started beeping, on the other side of the lab. Bulma immediately ran towards it. "Go ahead and get set up! I'll meet you there, when I'm ready!"
Bulma and Mai spent the whole night sititng together in the parlor and reminising about the past. They laughed about old memories, even the ones when they fought against each other. The apocalypse did funny things to a lot of people. Looking for a perfect boyfriend and serving an evil emperor felt like a lifetime ago. Much had changed since then, but at least they could remenise together. And as the night dragged on and the wine ran out, they didn't run out of things to say.
"So, Mai," Bulma asked, after finishing off another glass. "What's the deal with you and my son?" She raised her eyebrow.
Mai laughed, waving her hand in the air. "What do you mean 'what's the deal'? There's no deal."
Bulma set her glass down, and leaned against her arm. "Oh, come on. I always wanted my son to start dating, and you came along right after. Surely, there's something."
"I assure you there's not, Bulma. We're just friends." She leaned in, whispering to her. "To be honest, I'm not even sure if he's into girls."
She pushed on her shoulder. "You kid. If he were gay, I think I'd know!" She laughed, again, and sighed. "But after it took so long for me to find out about myself, then who knows?"
Mai wiped her bottom lip with her sleeve, as her nails tapped on the wine glass. "Wait, yourself? What do you mean?"
"Well, I always thought I liked men, but you know. That one special lady comes along and changes that whole thing for you. It's nothing, really." She shook her head, in dismissal.
Her eyes widened, and she nearly spilled her glass onto herself. "A-are you a lesbian?"
She shrugged. "No. At least, I don't think so. I loved Yamcha and sometimes I loved Vegeta, but I've had a few girlfriends. But that was such a long time ago. Haven't really dated anyone, since."
The blush on Mai's cheeks could have been from the wine, but her heart was racing, hearing that confession from her. She felt as if she was suffocating. She curled her fingers on her skirt, to keep from tugging at her shirt collar. Unbeknownst to anyone, the person she'd been crushing on wasn't Trunks, but his mother. She was so mature and kind. Even without the wish that made her younger, Bulma had wisdom beyond her years that made her heart skip a beat. But she'd never tell anyone. They were both adults and could make their own decision, but she looked young enough to be her daughter. Most didn't know the truth, but that didn't change how it looked.
Still, knowing that she was into girls, too? It gave her the smallest bit of hope. Maybe one day, she'd be the one.
"But you don't wanna hear any of that. Believe me, I went through enough conversations like that with my mother, when I was your age. Sorry for bringing that up. I won't ask you the same question," she said, with a laugh.
Mai faked a laugh to join her. Hopefully, she didn't give away any of her feelings by sitting here. "Yeah. It's fine." She took another drink from her glass, to take the edge off.
Bulma tilted her head to the side. "You know, I never took you for a drinker. But you're giving my younger days a run for its money."
Mai's eyes widened, and she lowered her glass before she could finish drinking. The wine spilled from the glass and onto her white shirt, coloring it a dark red. When she felt the cool liquid touch her chest, she cringed. "Oh my god. I'm so sorry."
"Oh, it's fine. These things happen." Bulma grabbed a napkin from the table and tossed it to her. She stood up, stumbling slightly, as she gained her footing. "I'll run upstairs and grab you something else to wear. Will you be staying the night?"
Her heart stopped. She dropped the glass in surprise, but caught it before it hit the floor. "W-what?!"
"Well, I'm not gonna kick you out this late. Unless you've got somewhere else you need to be, you're welcome to stay."
Mai sighed, under her breath. Out of relief or disappointment, she didn't know. "Y-yes. That would be great. Thank you, Bulma."
"Oh, it's no problem, at all. You're always welcome to stay here, Mai. I'll lend you some pajamas. You can sleep in the old room next to mine." She left the parlor and went up stairs.
Mai set the glass down and put a hand on her forehead. Her head was spinning. For as long as she'd known Bulma and Trunks, she'd never spent the night here, before. Normally, she'd excuse herself before it got too dark and head back to her old bunker. She didn't even ask - Bulma had just given it to her, and said she was always welcome here. Mai had butterflies in her stomach, thinking about her kindness and generosity. She was so lucky to know a woman like her. Yet, along with that, she felt a pain in her chest. No matter how close she'd get, she'd never be able to be with her. Why did she even try to kid herself, earlier? She was still her son's friend. She'd never see her as anything more than that. She needed to give that up, and move past her girly crushes. She was far too old for that, now.
When Mai's dirty clothes were replaced, she and Bulma decided to stay up for a little while longer. They still had to finish what was left of the wine, after all. Mai never considered herself a lightweight, but the effects of the alcohol had begun to set in. She found things funnier and her normal demure demeanor had gone. Bulma still did most of the talking, telling stories about her younger adventures. She came to life, as she recounted her tales of finding the Dragon Balls or going to another planet. Mai just watched her in awe, amazed at her beauty and charm. She could have listened to her talk forever.
She stopped, in the middle of one of her stories. "You know, Mai," she said. "This is going to sound really juvenile, but do you know what a girls night in needs to have?"
"What?"
"A game of Truth or Dare."
Mai laughed loudly. "Seriously? That old game?"
"I told you it was juvenile, but it's been so long! It doesn't feel like a proper night together without it! What do you say? You up for it?"
Mai shrugged. "You know what? I'm down." She sat up at her spot in the couch, facing her. "You go first. Truth or Dare?"
"Truth."
She smirked. "Who is the craziest hook-up you've ever had?"
She snorted. "Don't have to ask me twice - Vegeta. Biggest pig I've ever met, I'll tell you." She bunched up, crossing her arms. She began speaking in a gruff voice. "'Fix my armor! Build my bots! Get that brat away from me!' It was all 'me, me, me', with him! Too easy. Step up your game, next time. Now, Truth or Dare?"
Mai was still laughing, from her impression. Trunks told her the exact same thing, when she asked about him. "Truth, truth," she managed to gasp out.
"Who was your worst boss? Besides Pilaf, of course."
"Did I ever tell you that we worked for the Demon King, when he was unleashed?"
"No shit?"
Mai scratched the back of her head, and chuckled. "Yeah, him coming out and threatening the world was kind of our fault. Sorry about that."
"You know, a lot's happened since then. I'm not gonna blame it on you."
"Good to know. Truth or Dare?"
"Truth, again. Give me something really juicy."
"Who was your worst villain crush, from back in the day?"
"Worst?" She breathed out. "Gosh, I don't know. Too many of 'em. Though, if I were to guess, I think it was General Blue. From the Red Ribbon Army."
"Wasn't he gay?"
"Yeeeep. Tried seducing him to get us to leave him alone. He didn't care for it that much. Truth or Dare?"
She rolled her shoulders back. "Dare."
"Ooooh, risky. I dare you... I dare you..." She hummed, tilting her head and looking down. "I dare you... to finish the rest of the bottle on the table."
Mai was not one to back down from this kind of challenge. She grabbed the wine bottle, lifted it up to her lips, and drank the rest of the wine in one swift gulp. She slammed it back down onto the table, wiping her upper lip, in the end. But before she could look cool, she hiccuped. The two women erupted into laughter. Bulma fell onto the couch, and Mai swayed, before she followed her down, as well, landing on top of her. They were gasping for air, as tears rolled down their cheeks, hugging and rolling around on the couch.. Mai couldn't remember the last time she'd had a good laugh like this. twenty years of stress and uncertainty had evaporated into the air with one hearty chuckle.
After nearly five straight minutes, the laughter began to die down, and they caught their breaths. Mai looked down, seeing Bulma wiping the straggling tears from her eyes. Her arms had wrapped around her waist and she was practically straddling her lap. The alcohol had clouded her better judgement, and all she had left were her impulses. And her impulses told her to do one thing, as she stared at the beautiful, smiling woman underneath her.
Mai dropped her head down and kissed her on the lips. She pressed her body against hers, bringing them closer together. Her eyes were closed, savoring the feeling, as she exhaled through her nose. She broke away to breath, before kissing her, again. She moaned, against Bulma's lips. Her heart raced and her face flushed, as her deepest dreams came true.
Bulma tilted her head away from hers. "Mai, what are you doing?" Mai just shook her head, before trying to kiss her, again. Bulma put a hand on her lips, pushing her off of her. "Mai, stop. I'm being serious."
Hearing the word 'stop' made her open her eyes. She stared at Bulma for a few seconds, as she was waiting for an answer. She didn't understand why. Then, all at once, the gravity of what had just happened hit her. Her eyes widened, and she scooted back. She kissed Bulma. She actually kissed her. And she wasn't eager about it. Her stomach churned, and she began to feel ill. She ruined it. She ruined everything. She felt like she was going to puke. She was so embarrassed.
"Mai, look at me," she said in a serious voice. Mai looked back up at her. "You're still welcome to stay here, but we need to talk about this. But I think it can wait until you're sober. Alright?" She nodded. "I'll be going to bed, now. Have a good night, Mai."
"Good night, Bulma."
The air was silent and still, as Bulma stood up and walked towards the stairs. As the stairs squeaked with her steps, Mai lied down onto the couch, curling into herself. She didn't let her mind wander about what was going to happen. She just closed her eyes and drifted to sleep there and then.
Mai awoke the next morning with a throbbing headache. Her neck was sore, as she tilted it side to side. She felt something begin to rise from her throat, but forced it back down, just as quickly. She sighed as she sat up, groaning, when she saw the empty wine bottle. Not even a night of rest could make her forget what happened, the night before.
How could she have been so careless? She spent so long pretending like nothing was there, and now she ruined it all. She wanted to scream and cry. What if she didn't let her near her, again? What if she just cut her off? She didn't think she'd be able to take that. She'd already lost Pilaf and Shu. She couldn't bear to lose any of her other friends.
She froze, when she heard footsteps coming down the stairs. She kept her head down, not wanting to even look her in the eyes. She felt pathetic. What a fine mess she'd gotten herself into.
"Good morning, Mai," Bulma said. She walked past her and into the kitchen. The faucet ran and stopped. Mai cringed, as the couch dipped next to her. She felt a cold glass of water in her hands. Mai muttered 'thank you', before taking a long drink of it. "Are you ready to talk?"
Mai stopped, and sighed. "I guess." She set the glass down onto the table.
"Well, at least you remembered what happened. Can you tell me why you kissed me?"
She shook her head. "I-it was just an impulse. The alcohol was talking. I didn't mean to do it."
"An impulse. Are you sure?" Mai didn't answer. She kept her head down, refusing to look at her.
Bulma took her hands in hers. "Mai, sweetheart, you don't have to keep things from me. I want to know why. If you're scared if what I think of the answer, don't be. We'll cross that bridge when we get to it. I'm not going to hate you for being honest with me. I just need to find out where you stand. Okay?"
Mai slowly nodded. She felt some relief come over her. She really did know Bulma wouldn't hate her. That wasn't what she was scared of. She was scared of having to come clean about something before she was ready. It took her years to build up the courage to tell her about Pilaf. She wasn't ready to admit her feelings.
"Now... look at me and tell me the truth."
She looked up. Bulma's eyes were full of trust and understanding. She knew that she meant every word of what she said. Her heart melted. She took a deep breath and kept her eyes on her, as she began to speak.
"I... I... I like you, Bulma. I have for a long time. A-after what you said about your old girlfriends, I-I thought I might have a chance. A-and I just felt so good when I was with you, so... I just did it."
Bulma didn't respond, immediately. She looked down, as she thought about what she said. Mai couldn't tell what she was thinking, and she dread what she'd eventually say.
She looked back at her. "Mai... I'm going to be honest with you. I've... had my suspicions. I thought it was because of Trunks, but now that you've told me... a lot of things do make more sense."
Mai's heart dropped. She didn't think she'd known. She thought she had done a good job of hiding it.
"As for how I feel, I don't think I can tell you right now. You are one of the best girls I've ever known. I won't ever deny that. And I have always found you to be beautiful. But if you're looking for a relationship... you're my son's friend. I have trouble thinking of you as anything but. There is a lot to consider, and I'm sure you know this, already. For now, I don't think I can be what you want me to be. I hope you can understand that."
"I do," Mai said. "That's why I never told you, before. But now that it's out..."
"I didn't say never. I just said not right now. Just give me some time to think about it, and I will tell you. Alright?"
She nodded. "Okay."
Bulma smiled. "Good. Would you like something to eat."
"Please."
"Very well." She kissed her on the cheek before standing up and walking back into the kitchen.
Mai raised her hand to her cheek. She looked back at Bulma. A smile formed on her face.
There really was a chance.