2- The You Now

Pan let out a sigh as she stepped out of the guest bedroom she was staying in. She had slept in and had only woken up when Bulla had rushed in to tell her goodbye before she had to leave for school. Pan had fallen back asleep for a few hours before she woke up and hopped in the shower.

Now that she was in a set of clean clothes with her hair still damp from the shower, she skipped into the kitchen. Brief Manor was quiet, which meant that Bulma had gone into work, and Vegeta was out. Pan wondered where Trunks was at; she had peeked into his room before heading downstairs but hadn't see him.

A note on the island caught Pan's attention, and she picked it up. It was from Trunks and addressed to her.

Panna,

Dad's forcing me out of the house for an early morning run. Pray for me. Be back soon.

Trunks

Pan smiled at the note and reread it several times before she folded it up and placed it in her pocket. She went to the freezer and grabbed a few breakfast hot pockets before warming them up.

The gardens inside the greenhouse at Brief Manor was one of Pan's favorite places, so that's where she ate her breakfast. Something was calming about the plants to her. She loved the earthy, fresh air they produced and their vibrant and proud colors. She could spend all day in the greenhouse, tending to the plants if she could.

Once Pan was finished eating, a tiny CC robot came out and stretched out its claw-like hands for the plate she had been using. Pan handed it to the robot, who gave her a small beep in gratitude.

"Thank you," she smiled after it.

"I see I'm not the only one who talks to them," an amused voice commented from behind Pan.

She turned around quickly and smiled at the sight of Trunks. He was still wearing black joggers and a black muscle shirt, making it nearly impossible for Pan not to stare at muscles. He walked around the bench Pan was sitting on before taking the spot beside her.

"I see you survived your run," Pan teased.

Trunks made a face. "You know, I like to run, but my Dad makes it an extreme sport."

Pan faked a gasp of surprise. "Vegeta does that? No!"

He chuckled and shook his head. "You know what really is surprising?" He raised an eyebrow before he motioned around the greenhouse. "That none of these plants have died. My Mom has a horrible green thumb."

"Wow, you are just dissing your parents left and right," Pan shook her head in amusement as she fought off her smile. She knew Trunks didn't mean any harm by anything he was saying. It was obvious he loved his parents very much

"I have five years to make up," he smirked.

Pan let out a small giggle, "the truth is, Bulma doesn't take care of this. I do," she stared proudly. "I like gardening and tending to flowers and plants."

Trunks' eyes widened slightly. "Really?"

"Mhm," she nodded. "Mama used to let me help her in her flowerbeds, and I always enjoyed it. It wasn't until here recently that my love for flowers and plants grew."

"You're amazing, Panna," he said, and her face grew hot. "I always thought it was cool how people could make flowers and plants grow. I'm like my mom; I don't have a green thumb."

"You have a mechanic thumb, though," Pan told him. "You can fix anything."

Trunks grinned at her. "I definitely try. I know I must have driven you nuts out in space with my constant tinkering."

She laughed and shook her head, "you didn't. I knew you were just keeping yourself busy so you wouldn't lose your mind." Plus, she liked watching him work. "Looking back, I feel so sorry for you. You had to deal with Papa and me." She sighed.

"You weren't that bad," Trunks said.

Pan gave him a stern look. She knew better. Back then, she had wanted so hard to prove to everyone that she could do what they could. She snuck onto the ship and didn't care what dangers she put herself in. Thankfully, everything turned out good in the end. They had gathered all the Black-Star Dragon Balls, and they had made it home safe.

Trunks chuckled, "okay, so there were a few times, but I know there were times I got on your nerves as well."

"Only when you didn't pick up after yourself," she pooched her lips at the memory. He was so bad about leaving his clothes- mostly t-shirts and pants, he had never left his boxers somewhere she could find them- scattered throughout the ship. He would also have a little stash of trash gathering beside him whenever he got busy working on something. "Have you gotten better at that?" Pan teased.

His eyes widened, and he let out a guilty laugh. "I'm working on it." He grinned at her, his blue eyes sparkling in a way that made Pan's stomach fluttered. "I know we didn't get along too well at first, but truthfully, I'm glad you were with us," he said softly. "I think you kept me sane."

Pan could feel her shoulders growing warm along with her neck and face. She wanted to roll on the ground and giggle hysterically, and it was taking everything in her not to do that.

"I'm glad I was there too," Pan said, mostly because she got to spend so much time with him.

"So," Trunks said. "Yesterday, Bulla pretty much dominated the conversation, as she always does-" he sighed- "I didn't have a chance to ask you anything."

She blinked her eyes. "Ask me what?"

"What the next big steps for Pan Son would be," he smiled. "You've graduated, right? The possibilities of what you can do next are endless. I'm just wondering what they'll be for you."

"I want to start my own business," Pan said without thinking much about it. There was something about the way Trunks was looking at her that pulled her in and made her vulnerable. She wanted to tell him everything. "For the last year, I've been learning how to make lotions, perfumes, and even candles with planets, flowers, oils, and other ingredients. There's a lot of scents that can help people with anxiety or insomnia. So I want to open up an online store where I can sell the things I make. Also, because I'm so good with plants and flowers, I would love to have a little flower shop. That way, I can be around them every day."

Pan felt herself buzzing with excitement as she thought about it. She looked at Trunks, who had a gentle expression on his face and a small smile. He didn't say anything at first, and Pan felt buzz slowly fade.

She let out a nervous laugh, "it's silly, isn't it? Mama had wanted me to go to university and study to become a doctor or lawyer, but I just couldn't see myself doing that. Maybe I-"

"No," Trunks cut her off. He shook his head and smiled at her. "It's not silly at all, Panna. You know, the other night when I saw you, I thought you had changed a lot, but now I realize I was wrong. I mean, don't get me wrong- you have changed. You're definitely older, and you've grown into a beautiful young woman. But the spark in your eyes when you talk about something you like is still the same. If that's what you want to do, then go for it. I think you'll do great," he said.

Pan could hear her heart pounding inside her ears. "You really think so?" She asked him softly.

"I know so," Trunks said confidently. "And I'll support you, Panna, anyway I can."

Pan knew she was beaming, but she didn't try to hide it. It felt wondrous knowing that she had Trunks' support. It was like she really could do anything.

"Brat!" Vegeta called as he walked out into the greenhouse.

"What?!" Trunks groaned as he leaned his head back to glare at the older Saiyan.

"Oh, good. You found Pan," Vegeta's lips twitched into a smirk as he looked at her. "Go change, brat," he told her. "I'm training you two today."

Pan let out an excited breath. She was used to Vegeta demanding she train with him. He was a lot stricter than her Papa was, but Pan still liked working with him. He didn't go easy on her, and it made her push herself.

"I already trained today," Trunks muttered.

"You did not," Vegeta huffed. "You merely went on a run. You've slacked off on your training. I bet you barely did anything while you were away," he crossed his arms with a pout.

"I have not slacked off!" Trunks declared. "Working out was one of the only things that helped me keep my mind off certain things. I did it religiously!"

Pan's lips tugged down slightly. What things did Trunks not want to think of? Was it stress for work?

"Okay, okay, whatever you say," Vegeta sighed with a roll of his eyes. "I'm still training you two. Be in the gravity room in ten minutes!"

Pan glanced at Trunks as Vegeta walked out of the greenhouse. He let out a sigh and gave her an amused smile. "I'd ask you if you would want to run away with me, but-" he trailed off.

"Your father would hunt us down and make training ten times worse," Pan finished knowingly.

"Exactly," Trunks chuckled as he stood up and stretched.

Pan couldn't take her eyes off of him and the way his muscles moved. She swallowed hard as her cheeks burned. She had a feeling that she wouldn't be able to focus during training.

"I'll see you in the gravity room, Panna," he grinned at her. "I'll go easy on you, I promise."

Pan's brows quirked at the challenge. Suddenly, she felt her focus shift, and she smirked. "Oh, I can cream you," she said. She had gotten a lot stronger and better over the years. She could easily keep up with Goten now!

Trunks laughed, his grin widening. "Are you saying you're going to kick my ass?"

"Keep up that smack talk, and I will!" She promised as she stood up.

"I'll look forward to it," he winked before he ran off.

Trunks groaned as he fell face-first onto the couch. His muscles were spazzing and throbbing. He felt Pan lean over the back of the sofa and down at him.

"You know," her voice was gentle, and he turned his head to look at her.

Pan's face was flushed from training, her dark hair was pulled up into a bun, but loose strands were stuck to her forehead from sweat. She had some sweat rolling down her neck and down to the dip of her breasts. Trunks clutched his hands tightly and forced himself to take a calming breath.

"You should have known better than to tell your dad that your Final Flash was better than his."

Trunks let out a small snort. "I blame him. I inherited his smart mouth."

It had been in the middle of their training when it happened. Trunks always bickered with his father. They always challenged each other, and he did enjoy it, even if his father liked to use his full-blooded Saiyan strength and kick his ass most times.

Pan glanced around before she leaned down over the couch to whisper to Trunks. "I think yours was the best," she said in his ear.

Trunks felt a shudder run through his body. He wanted to grab her wrist and pull her down on top of him. His mind almost went dizzy with what he wanted to do.

Pan leaned back with a giggle, oblivious to his problem. "I'll be right back!" She said before she dashed off.

Trunks let out a heavy sigh as soon as she left. He needed to get a grip! He had only been back a few days; he couldn't just kiss her!

"Here," Pan returned with a few ice-packs, and she placed them on Trunks' back.

"Thanks," he groaned as he felt relief.

Pan's fingers lingered on Trunks' back. Through the thin fabric of his shirt, he could feel her. She was applying gentle pressure with her fingertips, and it took him a few seconds to realize she was massaging him.

Trunks could feel the heat seeping into his skin. It burned his cheek and ran down his neck. He was sure the ice-packs Pan had grabbed him were already melting.

"I'm home! Oh-"

Pan let out a startled yelp and leaned back, and Trunks turned around to see his sister smirking at the two of them.

"Oh, I see how it is," Bulla said, her smirk widening. "I have to go to school and study, but you two get to stay here and flirt."

"We weren't!" Pan denied as she shook her head. "Your father just gave us a brutal training session."

"So you were just massaging my brother's back for him, hm?" Bulla asked slyly.

Trunks glanced at Pan, and she was growing redder by the second. He really felt bad for making her so embarrassed. "Bulla, Panna's nice and helps people, unlike you," he spoke up. "Plus, you wouldn't understand how bad training with dad is. You never train."

"Nope!" Bulla grinned and shook her head. "I have better things to do. Like shopping! By the way, did you know-"

Bulla's attention was gone from them and now on a new shop located downtown. She motioned for Pan to follow her upstairs, and Pan turned back to look at him before following.

"Sorry about Bulla," she said softly. "You know she's just teasing."

Trunks felt his chest tight uncomfortably. "Yeah," he said softly. "It's okay, Panna. Thanks for the ice-packs."

She smiled at him brightly. "You're welcome!" She said before she dashed up the stairs after Bulla.

Trunks let out a loud groan as she disappeared. He was so screwed.