Male Order Bride

Chapter 15

"The Zoo"


Trunks, Goten, and Erasa sat together as Gohan explained to Erasa that he was married to Videl. He needed to marry someone rich so he could afford a good education like his mom wanted, and Videl only married him because she wanted to irritate her dad. Toward the end of his explanation, Gohan blurted." I swear there is nothing going on between us. We haven't…um, consummated the marriage or anything. We barely just became friends!"

Goten raised his hand." What does 'consummated' mean?"

"Oh, well, it means…Uh, when two married adults love each other, they sorta…um…" Gohan coughed.

"It means-" Trunks began, but Gohan cut him off.

"Shut it, Trunks! What are the two of you doing out here anyway? Where's Mom?"

Trunks and Goten tilted their heads and looked at each other.

"She said we could visit you for the day if we wanted," Trunks finally answered. Goten reaffirming his statement with a vigorous nod.

"She did?" Gohan tried not to feel disappointed that his mom didn't come see him too.

"If the blonde is not your girlfriend then why were you guys holding hands?" Trunks teased. He rubbed his nose and smiled." I totally never would've pegged you for a player. See, I knew you were just pretending to be a nerd."

Gohan and Erasa's faces turned a bright red and they looked away from each other. It's true they were holding hands, but Gohan had been swept away in the moment. He really was desperate for advice when it came to Videl. He never imagined two little demi saiyans would catch them at such an awkward moment.

In the end, Erasa left in a hurry once she got over the shock of everything. When Gohan asked," Do you promise not to tell anyone I'm married to Videl?" she stayed quiet.

.+ . + . + . + .

It took Videl nearly two hours to talk a man with serious mental problems out of jumping off the ledge of his apartment building. She looked haggard as she walked through the front door of her mansion. She kicked off her shoes and socks on her way into the kitchen. All she wanted was to get a snack and head up to her room to take a nap. She halted once she spotted two boys sitting comfortably on the island counters, chips and other snacks surrounding them.

"Who are you?" Videl asked.

"I'm Goten," the boy with the wild hair answered, stuffing a handful of chips into his mouth.

"And I'm Trunks," the other little boy replied, gulping down a can of orange soda.

"No," Videl frowned." I mean…why are you in my house? HOW did you get into my house?"

'Great. Just what I needed. More crazy fans.' Videl quickly took out her cell phone.

"You're back early!" Gohan chirped from down the hall. He rushed past Videl and quickly set the boys on the floor." I'm sorry. I would've cleaned up the mess sooner if I knew you'd be home early. Hot Wife was mopping the kitchen floor in her bikini again, so I thought it'd be okay for them to sit on the counters while the floor dried."

Videl's grip tightened on her phone." Did you just say that the bimbo was mopping the floor in her bikini?"

Gohan nodded." Yeah. She must've kept a tidy house before she came to live here as your dad's wife. I told her she didn't have to. The maids clean the floor every morning."

Videl narrowed her eyes and focused all her rage at Gohan." I bet you enjoyed watching her."

Gohan frowned. It didn't feel right to watch Hot Wife clean the kitchen floor by herself, so he'd left to get a towel to help dry the floor with. He'd left again to put the towel in the laundry basket, but when he came back Hot Wife was gone, and Videl was there.

Gohan started to explain that he'd helped too, but Videl cut him off.

"For now on, I don't want you alone with that bimbo again. If I'm not there, then I want you to walk out of the room right away. The maids will report back to me if you don't. Is that understood?"

"What? Why?"

"Is that understood?" Videl repeated, the hint of a growl in her voice.

"Yes. I understand."

"Good."

Videl let out a heavy sigh. She straightened her posture and turned to walk out of the kitchen. She suddenly didn't have an appetite.

"Wait. I want to introduce you to my brother, Goten."

"Hm?" Videl turned back around. The boys were holding onto Gohan's legs and trembling, ready to cry if she so much as said "boo" to them. It was easy to tell which one of the boys was Goten. They had the same eyes.

"Trunks, Goten, I'd like you to say hi to my wife, Videl. Isn't she pretty?"

Videl's eyes sparkled and she crouched down to their eye level." Aww. You think I'm pretty?"

Trunks and Goten nodded fiercely.

"Yes, you're very pretty."

"You're extra pretty!"

Videl giggled." They're so sweet. I know, why don't we skip school tomorrow and go to the zoo? Doesn't that sound like fun boys?"

They quickly forgot about the scary side of Videl and let go of Gohan's legs. They cheered and started chanting," We're going to the zoo!" over and over.

.+ . + . + . + .

The mansion had plenty of rooms that no one used, like the game room. Maybe Videl used to use the game room when she was in middle school with her friends, but not anymore. Gohan took the boys into the gaming room and played driving games, fighting games, shooting games, and dance games together for hours.

Their fun abruptly ended when Hot Wife entered the room." Ooh, that looks like fun. Can I play?"

"S-sure! We were just leaving," Gohan stuttered, taking his finger off the plastic orange gun he was playing with and running out of the room.

Goten forfeited the dancing game against Trunks and followed after his big brother. "Wait for me, Gohan!"

Trunks nodded at Hot Wife and casually followed after them, muttering," I'm bored. My game room is much bigger than this."

Gohan led the boys to the indoor swimming pool, which looked more like an indoor water park. They challenged each other in races down the slides and splashed each other with mock Kamehameha waves.

"You're so lucky you get to live here!" Goten squealed.

That familiar pang of guilt hit Gohan in his stomach just then. He lived in a beautiful mansion with his wife and in-laws, attending a school that was unreachable for most kids in the villages near his childhood home. In his memory he could plainly see that little two-bedroom house in Mount Paozu, surrounded by mountains and forests, occupied by a lonely widow and her young son.

"Yeah, I'm very lucky to live here," Gohan mumbled, going unheard by his younger brother.

They heard the familiar clicking of Hot Wife's high heeled shoes as she walked into the indoor water park. She had changed into a fashionable, black two-piece swimsuit, which made her legs appear extra long. She smiled at their awestruck expressions." Don't mind me boys. I just came to sit beside the waterfall. It's my favorite places to drink margaritas."

Mr. Satan walked in shortly after, wearing red swimming shorts. He shot Gohan a glare." What are you staring at, punk?"

"Nothing, sir!" Gohan yelped.

"Hmph." Mr. Satan walked to the edge of the swimming pool. His face softened as he spoke to Goten." I hear you're Gohan's little brother. You've come a long way to visit for one day."

"Yes, sir," Goten replied.

"I promise I'll give you boys an autograph before you leave tomorrow." Mr. Satan winked. He turned and joined his wife by the waterfall, not catching Trunks disgusted remark of "No, thank you."

. + . + . + . + .

Trunks fell asleep on Gohan's bed the moment he sat down on it. His swimming shorts were still damp from swimming. Gohan tried nudging the boy awake, but he was out. There was no waking him.

"We should take a bath before going to bed."

Goten grinned." Okay."

"The bath is outside in the back. It looks a lot like a hot spring. You're going to love it."

Goten nodded." I'm going to brush my teeth first. Don't take a bath without me okay?" He ran into the adjoining bathroom, which contained a shower, toilet, and sink, and shut the door. The head maid, Dusty, had set everything the boys would need for one night in Gohan's room, including toothbrushes and pajamas.

"I guess I should give Mom a call. I bet she's worried," sighed Gohan. He stepped out of his room so he wouldn't wake up Trunks, and took out his cell phone. He had a hunch that Goten never got permission to visit him.

The phone call with his mother was short, like always. She sounded surprised that Goten had found out where Gohan lived, then bitter when she said," I'm getting into the car now. I'll have to drive all night, but I'll be there around noon. Don't tell him I'm coming, he'll just hide."

"I can drop him off after we go to the zoo. We'll fly on Nimbus."

"No. You have to focus on your studies."

"Don't be ridiculous Mom! Satan City is so far away! It would be quicker if I dropped him off—"

"I'll be there at noon!" Chichi screamed, ending their phone call before Gohan could argue further.

Gohan stared with disbelief at his phone." She's so stubborn."

Videl's room was directly across from his. For a while, Gohan lingered in the hallway, soothed with the knowledge that Videl was sleeping peacefully in her room. She'd only snuck into bed with him that one night after he first arrived at the mansion. She had looked so cute. He wondered what Videl would do if he snuck into bed with her?

His feet moved on their own, and before he knew it, he was standing directly in front of Videl's bedroom, his hand twisting on the door knob. 'I'm not going to jump in bed with her. I'll just go in there and make sure she's okay,' he told himself, stepping into Videl's dark room.

His eyes adjusted quickly to the darkness. Training all his life had made his senses sharper, and he had no trouble seeing in the dark. Quietly, he stepped further into the room, keeping his sights focused on that empty space between her dresser and the bed. He was afraid that if he looked at the inviting spot next to her sleeping form, he'd end up under the blankets, with his arms wrapped around her.

"Videl," Gohan softly whispered, too low for her to hear. He knelt on the floor, reaching out to gently brush her long bangs away from her face. She looked so beautiful while she slept. He licked his lips and forced himself to glance at the wall, resisting the desire to kiss her. He was too busy fighting with his desires to notice that Videl's breathing had changed, and her body had become rigid.

"There's something I have to tell you…" Gohan folded his arms on the edge off the mattress and rested his chin on top of them. He smiled at Videl's sleeping expression. Her eyebrows had pinched together in concern, almost as if she knew he was about to deliver some bad news. She no longer looked like a sleeping angel, she looked furious for some reason.

There was so much Gohan wanted to tell her- to confess,- and he was quiet for a while as his mind swirled with different thoughts. Finally, he decided to bring up what had happened earlier, which he was too afraid to tell her about when she was awake. Surely, she was going to find out soon. A part of him was relieved they were skipping school tomorrow.

"Erasa knows I'm your husband." He remembered how shocked and hurt she looked. He got the feeling that Videl had never kept a secret this huge from her best friend before." I asked her not to say anything, but…"

Gohan buried his forehead into the mattress. He supported Videl's decision to keep their relationship a secret. He knew what would happen once someone found out about him. He knew what was destined to happen next: he'd have to fight his father-in-law in a match in front of the entire world.

Everyone knew about Hercule Satan's rule when it came to Videl. No boy could date or marry her unless he defeated the champ in a match.

Gohan reached out for Videl's hand, which was balled into a fist. He turned his head to the side so he could speak. His eyes were filled with tears but none fell. He knew how the match was destined to end, but he wasn't sure if he could bring himself to do it.

"I will protect you," he vowed, briefly pressing his soft lips against her balled hand. He didn't notice her hand relax at the contact. Goten had probably finished brushing his teeth, if Gohan kept him waiting too long, he'd just walk around the mansion shouting for him. Waking Videl was the last thing he wanted.

Gohan stood up and quietly left Videl's room, whispering, " Goodnight," as he walked past her bed.