5- An Old Friend
Trunks woke up to the sound of clicking and familiar giggles. He peeked his eyes open and noticed that Pan was still pressed against him on the couch and sleeping soundly. His arm was numb from where her head had been for the last several hours, but he honestly wasn't complaining. It had been nice sleeping next to Pan.
Trunks almost reached up a hand to stroke Pan's face, but he turned his head up to look behind the couch. His mother and Bulla were standing behind it, both of them with shit-eating grins on their faces.
"What the hell are you two doing?" Trunks hissed as he tried his best not to wake Pan.
It was too late; she was stirring. "Huh?" She mumbled.
"Awh, how cute," Bulla cooed. Her phone was raised, and she took several more pictures.
Pan let out something between a gasp and a squeak. "Bulla, no!" She gasped in horror.
"Oh, too late," Bulla was laughing as she shook her head. "Way too late, Panny," she grinned. "If you don't want me to post these pictures everywhere- and I do mean everywhere, then you have to promise me that you'll come to my school festival tomorrow."
Pan let out a grumble, "I already told you I would."
"Trunks has to come too," Bulla glanced at him.
Trunks furrowed his brows. He hadn't been to a school festival since he was in high school, but going to one with Pan might be fun. "Okay."
"Great!" Bulla chirped. "Now, Pan, come on!" She reached down and grabbed Pan to pull her up.
Pan let out a gasp as she crawled out of Trunks' arms and over the back of the couch. "I'll have you know, I was going to drag Trunks to your festival tomorrow anyway," Pan was huffing as Bulla dragged her away.
Trunks let out a small groan. He already knew that Bulla would demand Pan tell her what happened. He didn't particularly care, but he still wished Pan was lying beside him.
"Well, you two looked awfully cozy," his mother finally spoke, a small smile on her lips.
Trunks gave her a flat glare. "I blame you," he huffed.
"Why's that?" She raised an eyebrow.
"You should have told me she was staying with you for two weeks."
"You should have told me you were coming home," Bulma countered.
Trunks fought not to roll his eyes, and he sat up with a stretch.
"So, how did that happen?" Bulma prompted.
"It just did," Trunks felt himself shrugging. "I woke up, and Panna was having a hard time sleeping."
"Hm, well, I'm glad nothing rated M happened on my couch."
"Mom!" Trunks nearly choked as his cheeks grew hot.
"Oh, come on, I'm not blind," Bulma rolled her eyes. "I see the way you two stare at each other. Those five years did nothing but slow down the inevitable."
Trunks shifted slightly and let out a loud huff. "Does Goku and Chi-Chi know I'm back?"
"Mhm," his mother nodded. "They knew that morning."
Trunks' eyes widened, "and they're not rushing here to pick up Panna? To get us away from each other."
"Pan's not thirteen anymore, Trunks," Bulma's voice was soft. "She's technically an adult. Goku and Chi-Chi are letting her make her own decisions on how to handle the situation."
"She doesn't even know what the situation is," Trunks muttered guiltily. He knew no one had ever told Pan the real reason he had left for five years. "I'm trying to take things slow," he promised. Being around her made it difficult, though. There were some moments when all he wanted to do was grab Pan and kiss her senseless.
"I know," Bulma smiled at him. "Even though your father's an ass, I raised you as a gentleman," she ruffled his hair.
"Who are you calling an ass?" Vegeta huffed as he walked into the living room. He glanced at Trunks, "I see you and Pan finally woke up from your canoodling."
Trunks gasped, "you saw that too?"
"I wake up at dawn. Of course, I did," Vegeta snorted. "You're really not holding yourself back, are you?"
Trunks groaned and fell back onto the couch. "I am holding myself back, dammit!"
Vegeta just snickered, "must be hard on you."
"Go to hell-" Trunks held up his middle finger in the direction his father was standing.
"I've been there before. It wasn't that bad," Vegeta mused.
Bulma laughed, "come on, Vegeta. I think we've teased Trunks enough for the morning. It's not his fault he has weird Saiyan hormones to deal with."
"They're not weird!" Trunks could hear his father gasping. "They're perfectly natural for Saiyans!"
Trunks let out another groan. He was in this situation because he was a Saiyan. And because Pan was a Saiyan. And because their Saiyan hormones seemed to click. Trunks just wasn't sure in which way they would click yet. He was leaving that choice up to Pan, which was why he was trying so hard not to rush her.
With a sigh, Trunks reached over and grabbed his phone. He ignored the spam messages from Goten, which he already knew would be memes, and went to the internet to look for available penthouses. He needed to get away from his family already. Of course, Brief Manor was big enough for him to have his own wing if he wanted to, but he wouldn't be able to avoid his family. His parents and Bulla would find some way to pester him, and if anything was going to develop between him and Pan, he wanted a place of his own where he wouldn't have to worry about anyone walking in.
"Wow," a familiar voice giggled.
Trunks looked up and saw Pan leaning over him with a grin. Her dark hair was messy from sleep and fell in tangles around her face. The ends of her hair nearly touched Trunks' face. It wouldn't take much to remove the distance between the two of them.
"You haven't even been back a week, and you're already trying to move out? Your Mom will be heartbroken," Pan teased.
"I don't want to be woken up by a bunch of giggling hyenas the next time we decide to have a sleepover on the couch," he grinned at her.
Pan's cheeks dusted a pretty pink. Trunks' temptation to reach up and grab her neck to pull her close to him was rising, but he controlled himself. "Let me know when you go furniture shopping, and I'll help you pick out a good couch."
Before Trunks could reply, Pan spoke again.
"I have plans to visit a friend today. Would you like to go with me?"
Trunks blinked in surprise. "With you to visit a friend?"
"Mhm," Pan nodded with a smile.
"Who is it?" Trunks asked curiously. Asking if it was a boy, was on the tip of his tongue.
Her grin widened, "it's a surprise. C'mon, Trunks," she placed her hands on his shoulders. "I want to show you off."
Trunks wondered if she could hear how his pulse quickened. "Okay," he said. He wouldn't be able to tell her no anyway.
Pan let out a laugh and leaned down to kiss his forehead. "Great! I'll be ready in a few hours!"
Trunks' eyes widened slightly as Pan ran off. His cheeks were growing hot, but a smirk was plastered on his face as he chuckled and turned his attention back to his phone. He needed to find a place of his own and soon.
Trunks followed behind Pan, who was practically skipping down the apartment hallways. He glanced around the spacious area. It was a nice apartment building near the middle of West City.
Pan still hadn't told Trunks who they were visiting, but after getting ready, they had stopped to get pick up some lunch for them and her friend. Whoever it was, Pan obviously cared about them a lot.
They stopped in front of a door, and Pan grinned at him before she gave it a few knocks. It only took a few seconds for the door to open.
"Panny, are you here?" Marron opened the door with a smile. She spotted Trunks and shrieked, "OH MY GOSH! TRUNKS!"
Trunks laughed as Marron threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. "Hey, Marron," he greeted his long-time friend. They had stayed in contact often over the last five years, though after she had given birth and he moved again, they hadn't talked as much.
"When did you get back?!" Marron demanded as she leaned back.
"A few days ago," Trunks smiled.
"Panny! Why didn't you tell me he was back?!" Marron turned to glare at the woman, but she was gone. She chuckled and shook her head, "I bet she went to go get the baby. Come in," she pulled Trunks inside before shutting the door. "Gohan's at work. He'll be sad that he missed you. We've been waiting for you to get back."
"Thanks," he said as he followed Marron into the kitchen and sat the food down on the counters. "It's nice to be back," he sighed.
Trunks heard the giggling before he saw anything. He smiled and turned his head, already knowing that Pan would be rounding the corner and entering the room. She entered, holding a small baby, and for a moment- a few, short seconds, Trunks' eyes played a trick on him.
The baby in Pan's arm wasn't blonde, but rather, she had a headful of dark hair. Her little eyes weren't dark but a bright blue. The baby resembled a mixture of him and Pan. Trunks' chest tightened, and he blinked quickly to clear his mind. He smiled as Pan walked up, holding the baby with Marron's hair color and face and Gohan's dark eyes.
"Tsu, see this handsome guy?" Pan said with a grin. "It's your uncle Trunks."
"Uh-huh!" Marron grinned as she smiled at her daughter proudly. "About time you met her! She's already three months old, you know."
"I know, I know," Trunks chuckled. He leaned down to look at Tsu, who was looking at him curiously. She seemed rather comfortable in Pan's arms. "Nice to finally meet you, Tsu." Her hand reached out and grabbed his finger as she smiled.
As the three of them sat down together to eat the lunch Trunks and Pan brought, Marron and Trunks talked. They talked about how he had done while he was away, and about her marrying Gohan and becoming a mother. Pan was quiet through most of the meal, only speaking up a few times and otherwise too busy cooing over Tsu. Trunks enjoyed seeing that side of her.
After they finished eating and cleaning up, Tsu started to get fussy. "It's almost time for her to eat," Marron said with a soft smile.
"I'll go change her for you right quick," Pan smiled as she jumped up. "Come on, Tsu, let Aunt Panny change your diaper right quick."
Trunks didn't even realize he had watched Pan leave until Marron spoke up. "She's grown up a lot, huh?"
Trunks' eyes widened, and he looked over at Marron before he smiled. "Yeah, she has," he admitted.
"So you two," Marron began, her eyes glinting the same way Bulla's did when she was up to no good. "You're-"
"No," Trunks cut her off with a frown. "We're not."
"Oh, please," she snorted. "I saw the way you two flirted with your eyes. You both like each other, I can tell."
"Panna's still young," he told Marron. "And you know just how serious of a bond a Saiyan can form. I just don't want to rush her into anything," he sighed.
"You're a good guy, Trunks," Marron smiled at him. "But trust me, Panny's not going to feel rushed. In fact, I don't think you have very long to try to make a move before she decides to make one herself."
Trunks' lips twitched. Being impatient like that did sound like Pan, but he was still worried. Pan flirted back with him, but maybe he was misreading the situation. Perhaps she was just teasing, and she wasn't looking for anything serious.
Trunks didn't have time to answer Marron as Pan came back in with Tsu. She kissed her niece's chubby cheek before handing her to Marron so she could be fed.
"Come back soon, you two!" Marron told them. She caught Trunks' eyes when Pan was turned and gave him a wink.
"You were surprised, huh?" Pan grinned at Trunks as they left the apartment. "I'll have to take you back when Gohan's home. He'll love to see you again!"
Trunks smiled, "I was surprised. I had planned on visiting them soon, but I'm glad you took me there today."
"Me too," Pan let out a content sigh.
"Hey, Panna, is the mall strip still downtown?" He asked curiously as he thought of an idea.
"Yeah," she smiled at him. "Want to check it out?"
"Let's go," he nodded.
Pan was in heaven. She and Trunks had gone into a craft store inside the mall. It was full of all kinds of things that Pan needed to make her candles and lotions. She was smelling an oil when Trunks walked up behind her and grabbed her wrist. His touch on her bare skin made her burn.
He sniffed the oil and smiled, "rose. It smells like you."
"Really?" Pan raised an eyebrow. She never knew she had a distinct smell. Then again, Trunks always smelt fresh, like leather in a new car and a hint of spearmint.
"Yeah," Trunks let go of her wrist, and his fingers lingered on her skin. "You have a floral scent to you. Are you getting those things?" He motioned to a basket that was by her feet full of oils and wax.
She placed the oil in her hand on the basket and picked it up by the handle. "Yep!" She grinned, "I'm going to make some candles in the next week, and lotions too."
"Is there anything else you need in here?" Trunks asked.
"Not at the moment," Pan shook her head. "I'm ready to check out."
Trunks reached over and took the basket away from Pan. He smirked, "I'm buying this," he said as he turned around to walk to the check-out.
Pan's eyes widened, "Trunks!" She grabbed his arm, "what're you doing? Why are you buying that? It-"
"I have five birthdays to make up," he told her. "I know I sent you cards and stuff, but I wasn't able to send you any gifts. So this is me making up for it. I have four more gifts to give you."
Pan could feel her eyes growing even wider. Her cheeks were burning. "If you do this, then I'm getting you presents too."
"Okay," he smiled.
"So think about what you want!" She told him. She was still holding onto his arm, but he didn't shake her off, so she didn't let go.
"What I want?" Trunks repeated quietly. He looked at Pan and smiled. "I'll think about it."
Trunks paid for the items, and soon they were put into capsules and into pockets out of the way. Pan grabbed his arm to pull him to another store. She didn't care what they did or where they went. As long as she was with him, she was okay.
They had just entered a store that sold band merch when there was a sound of a scream. "Trunks?! Is that you?!"
Pan turned around, and her eyes widened. Running up to them was a beautiful young woman. Her dark auburn hair was styled neatly, and the clothes she had on made her look like a very mature young woman. Her dark eyes shined as she eyed Trunks and Pan felt herself holding onto his arm tighter. This wasn't going to be good.