4- Lullaby
Trunks woke up with a strangled gasp. His body was hot, flushed, and tangled in his sheets. His pulse was drumming in his ears, and his hands twitched as if to grab something. It had only been a dream, but it was such a vivid dream!
Trunks could still feel Pan's soft skin under his palms. He could still smell her and taste the sweetness from her lips. He could still hear her little gasps.
With a groan, he sat up and ran a hand through his damp hair. "Way to go, Trunks," he muttered to himself. "You've been back three days, and you're already having wet dreams about Pan."
He felt like such a pervert. He knew there had been flirting between him and Pan. He loved every second of it and the way she would look at him with her pink cheeks. Still, there was a line he didn't want to cross, at least, not yet. Trunks didn't want to rush in and scare Pan away.
With a sigh, Trunks threw off his blankets and headed towards the bathroom. It was time to get up, take a shower, and then train until he was exhausted enough not to dream at all.
Trunks groaned as he walked down the hallway. He had trained for hours before coming in, taking another shower, and changing into some clothes. He was exhausted, which was what he wanted. All he needed was a bottle of water from the kitchen, and then he would be set to go back to bed.
To Trunks' complete surprise, he wasn't the only one up. Pan was up and sitting at the island like she had been several nights ago when he returned. Trunks frowned and furrowed his brows. What was she doing up so late?
He walked over to her slowly, but she didn't seem to hear him. She was zoning out, her gaze far away. It was amazing to Trunks how Pan could look like she was thinking of nothing and everything simultaneously.
"Panna?" He placed a hand on her shoulder. Pan jumped out of the stool and shrieked in surprise. Trunks' eyes widened, and he grabbed her shoulders, "Hey, it's just me."
Pan let out a heavy sigh as her shoulders relaxed. "I'm sorry," she mumbled. She had the beginnings of dark circles under her eyes. "What are you doing up so late?" She asked Trunks curiously.
"I couldn't sleep," he shrugged. "I got up and trained for a bit."
"Ah, maybe I should try that," Pan said quietly.
Trunks frowned as he looked at her. She already looked exhausted. Could she not sleep well here? What was troubling her so much that she seemed to stay awake all hours of the night? His brows furrowed as he suddenly thought of their time out in space. During their trip, Pan had started suffering from nightmares. At first, it happened maybe once or twice a month, but then the mess with Baby occurred, and it seemed like she had several each week. Whenever it happened, Pan used to crawl into bed with Trunks. At first, he had been shocked and a little leery, but all she had ever done was hold onto his arm. She had only wanted that comfort.
"Panna," Trunks said her name softly, and she looked up at him with her dark eyes. She had the same look in them that she had all those years ago. There was anxiety behind them, the fear of something entirely unknown. "Do you still have bad nightmares?" He asked quietly.
Pan's eyes widened. Her cheeks were glowing pink, and she opened her mouth to say something before she shut it. A pout was forming on her lips, and her arms came up to hug herself. "It's silly," she said quietly. "I'm eighteen. I shouldn't still be having such nightmares, right?"
"Everyone has nightmares once in a while, Panna," he told her gently. "It's not silly."
"I have them too often," Pan frowned.
"Wait just a moment," Trunks said as he walked further into the kitchen. "Let's see if I can help."
Pan smiled down at her mug of warm milk as she sat beside Trunks on the couch. Usually, when she woke up from the nightmares, she would sit alone for hours upon hours until exhaustion finally called to her. It was nice having someone sit with her, though. Trunks had fixed them drinks, and then they went to the living room.
There was a comfortable silence between them. The drink made Pan grow warm, and the living room was in a dim golden glow since a single lamp in the corner was all that was on.
"Thank you," Pan told Trunks after a few silent minutes.
"You're welcome," he said gently. "I'm here if you want to talk about it, Panna. It must be pretty scary if it keeps you up so much."
Pan let out a small sigh. Her nightmares had started when she turned thirteen. At first, they weren't common. She wouldn't have them but a few times a month. Then suddenly, it seemed like every night, she would have nightmares that would wake her up panting and sweating. Nightmares that left a sense of dread and uncertainty inside of her. Over the years, they had become less common again, though they never went away. She usually had one or two a week.
Trunks was the only person, other than Bulla, who knew about her nightmares. She never told her Mama or Papa because she didn't want them to worry. There was always something about Trunks, though, that made her comfortable enough to express herself. Maybe it was because he always listened to her so well.
"When I first started having the nightmares," Pan began, "they started off normal. It seems like a perfect day. The weather was nice; it was warm and sunny. Then, suddenly, it grows dark and cold. The ground started to shake, and these - things-" she shuddered as she recalled them. "They're dark little creatures that move in shadows and they come out. Chaos is everywhere. And then-" her throat felt so tight she could barely breathe, "everyone but me dies."
Pan blinked her eyes quickly and wiped her cheek with her free hand. That dream had haunted her for years. Seeing the dead faces of everyone she loved had been terrifying to see almost nightly. Their wide-eyes and bleak stares. No matter how many times she screamed or cried for them to wake up, they never would.
Clearing her throat, Pan sat down her empty mug before she continued. "As I got older, the dreams changed. Like the other one, they starts off nice. I'm walking through a beautiful garden. The flowers and plants are thriving. Then suddenly, I realize that it's not real, and the plants, and everything around them, are withering and dying. I take off running, and I have no idea where I'm at. Everything around me is dying, and it's so cold. An overwhelming sense of fear has me, and someone, or something, is chasing after me. I always end up cornered, and that's where I wake up," she sighed.
Trunks reached out and took Pan's hand. His thumb ran over her knuckles gently, and it was like a reassurance that everything was okay. That it had truly been just a nightmare, and that she was there, with him.
"I used to have nightmares that giant insects would break into our house and kidnap me before taking me out to space with them," Trunks admitted.
Pan tried really hard not to laugh, but a snort escaped her.
Trunks' lips twitched into a grin. "I blame my Dad for them. He used to tell horrifying bedtime stories."
"I can only imagine the stories," Pan said with a small laugh as she turned towards Trunks. He was still holding her hand, so she snuggled closer to him. "You poor thing."
Trunks laughed, "I guess they weren't all that bad. He had his moments, honestly. He even came up with a lullaby to sing to me."
Pan choked out a surprised gasp as her eyes widened. "Are you serious?!" She laughed.
"Yeah," he nodded his head with a grin. "I was about four or five, and my Mom would get busy in the lab, so she would tell Dad to tuck me into bed. Well, you know my Dad-" he snickered- "he's as awkward as it comes. At first, we would just look at each other until I would eventually go to sleep. After a few days of that, I started asking for a story before bed, and that asshole would tell me stories of when he was a space pirate. When I first asked him to sing me a lullaby, his exact quote was, 'I don't do that shit.'"
Pan snickered, "so how did you manage to get him to sing one to you?"
Trunks smirked, "let it be known that I have always had a smart mouth. I told him his lullaby would suck anyway. That man became so petty that he made up his own lullaby."
Pan was near hysterics as her body shook with laughter. "What was it? What was his lullaby?"
Trunks furrowed his brows. "Well, the verses were only like, one or two sentences, but the chorus was just the word dream, like six times."
"Sing it!" Pan laughed as her free hand grabbed his shirt. "I want to hear the Vegeta lullaby."
Pan could feel Trunks' chest shaking with laughter under her touch, and her cheeks grew warm. They were close now. She was practically curled up against his side, but neither one of them tried to move away.
"Let's see-" Trunks cleared his throat. "The first verse is something like this; close your eyes, shut your mouth, dream a dream so I can get out. Then, the word dream is repeated several times. Hit the hay, fast asleep. Dream a dream, you little bleep. Dream, dream, dream, dream, dream. Just relax, lay about- or my fist will put you out. Wow-" Trunks blinked and shook his head. "My dad really has a way with words."
The image of Vegeta singing that to a five-year-old Trunks, in all seriousness, made Pan shake with uncontrollable laughter. She was pressed against Trunks' side now as the both of them laughed.
They had started to quiet down when Trunks muttered, in a sing-song voice, "dream, dream, dream, dream, Panna."
Pan was in a fit of giggles again with her forehead pressed against his arm. Finally, after what felt like several minutes, Pan was able to calm down enough to lean back and look at Trunks.
"Thank you," she smiled at him warmly. The anxiety she always felt after having a nightmare had been washed away with her laughter. "For making me feel better, and for back then when we were out in space. I never told you thank you for letting me hold onto you so much. I know it must have bugged you, but you made me feel better by just being there."
Trunks let out a small chuckle and shook his head. "It never bothered me, Panna. The truth was, half of the time when we were out in space, I couldn't relax unless you were beside me."
Pan could feel her pulse quicken. She was growing tired, and she could see it in Trunks' eyes that he was tired, too. But neither one of them wanted to move. She wondered if it would be too bold to ask if they could sleep together again like old times. Would Trunks think it weird since she was older now?
Trunks let go of her Pan, and she expected him to get up, stretch, yawn, and say he was heading to bed. Instead, he wrapped an arm around her waist, and before Pan could blink, they were lying on the couch together. She was cushioned between the back of the sofa and Trunks, who had his back facing the rest of the living room.
Pan looked up and met Trunks' eyes. He was searching her to see if he had overstepped a boundary, but he hadn't. He had done exactly what Pan wanted him to do. She smiled at him and felt him relax as she wrapped an arm around his waist. His arm pillowed her head, and his hands ran through her hair.
"This is so much better than years ago," Pan said honestly.
Trunks laughed, and Pan could swear his lips brushed her forehead. "Goodnight, Panna."
Pan closed her eyes with a content sigh. "Goodnight, Trunks." She knew sleep would take her in a matter of moments, but it was okay, because she would be holding onto Trunks as she drifted off.
NOTE: The Vegeta Lullaby song is ACTUALLY the lullaby Sharkboy sings to Max in the movie, Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl. I happened to think about it the other day, and the image of Vegeta singing that to little Trunks nearly had me crying in laughter.