43- Changes
Fall
Trunks wanted to bang his head against the wall until it knocked him out. That, or strangle Eighteen until she could no longer breathe. But Eighteen was on Saibogu, and the wall was closer.
"She has some nerve," Vegeta commented from his seat at his desk.
"She doesn't have nerve, she's brazen," Trunks grumbled.
"Who is?" Pan said as she walked into the study.
Trunks jumped up and instantly took the tray she was carrying away from her. "You should have gotten someone to carry that."
"Trunks, I'm fine," she smiled at him. "I thought you and Appa could use something to drink since you've been stuck in here for the last several hours. I feel guilty," she frowned. "I know a lot of them are about Frieza."
"Most of them," Vegeta nodded as Trunks sat the tray down. "But you have nothing to feel guilty about. Everyone just wants to meet you and make peace treaties, so it's a headache."
Pan pooched her lips out. "I don't think they would want to meet me. I'd just be a disappointment."
"No," Trunks shook his head as he handed her a cup. "You could never disappoint," he grinned. He retook his seat and pulled her down gently, so she was resting on his lap. "Eighteen messaged us too. She wants us to raid a planet nearby that mass produces steel. She wants control over it to help build her army. She says we owe her since the engagement fell apart."
Pan furrowed her brows together and frowned. "You owe her, but she disowned her daughter? That doesn't make much sense," she muttered.
"She's always been that way," Vegeta let out a huff. "A hypocrite if I ever saw one."
"And she wants you guys to raid a planet for her? That sounds a lot like Frieza," Pan said.
"Yeah, it does," Trunks rested his head against her arm. He shook his head slowly, "we won't do it again. We won't become someone's puppets- I refuse for us to," he looked up at his father. "We've got to change our reputation."
Vegeta frowned as his brows furrowed together profoundly. "We've worked under Frieza ever since I was a boy. How do you imagine we change that?"
Pan twitched, and Trunks glanced up at her. "What is it?"
"Huh?" Her eyes widened in surprise.
"You're thinking of something," he said. "What is it?"
Pan let out a sigh. "Well, I was thinking- Saiyans are strong and powerful, it's the reason Frieza used our people, right?"
"Right," Trunks said as Vegeta nodded. "But because we're strong and powerful, others now fear us."
"You should use that to your advantage, actually," Pan said. "Think about it; Frieza was just one creep. How many more out there are just like him, controlling poor planets and taking what's not theirs?" She stood up and placed her cup down. "I think to start, we should try to make amends with the planets that we've raided. At least all the planets we can. Help them thrive again, and others will see our effort," she smiled. "We need to be a race that will be there for others, and they, in turn, will be there for us- I know they will."
A chime ran through the castle to signal the hour, and Pan let out a gasp. "Oh, no! I promised Bulla I'd go shopping with her!" She leaned over and kissed Trunks. "Don't stress too much," she told him softly. "Whatever you decide, I know it will be what's best."
Trunks watched her leave. His face was warm as he smiled. He really got lucky with her.
"You know," Vegeta spoke up. "She has a really good idea."
"Yeah, I think so, too," Trunks nodded.
"Do you agree with her? You think we should rebuild our reputation that way?" Vegeta asked.
"I say it's a start," Trunks said gently.
Vegeta let out a small sigh and nodded his head. "Okay, then. I'll let you be in charge of it."
Trunks' eyes widened in surprise. "Me? But Appa, you're the-"
"King," Vegeta finished for him. "I'm the King that allowed Frieza to control us like puppets for decades."
"But that wasn't you're fault!" Trunks declared. "Frieza was threatening us-"
"And yet you were the one that led our army to the battlefield. Your mate is the one that saved us all," Vegeta said quietly. "You two are the ones that everyone's going to look up to. They won't want to listen to an old king. They'll want someone a lot braver."
"You're brave," he said gently. His Appa was the bravest man Trunks knew.
"No, I'm prideful," Vegeta murmured. "Not brave, though. One day, Trunks, you will make a really great king."
"Appa-" Trunks whispered.
He couldn't find any words. He had been complimented by his Appa before. It was always things that had to do with his skills on the battlefield. Never had been told that he would make a good king one day. It filled him with an amount of pride that couldn't explain. He finally felt as if his Appa could trust him to handle things.
"That won't be for another several decades, Appa," Trunks teased.
Vegeta's lips twitched. "Fate's funny. The day might come a lot sooner than you think."
Pan looked at herself in the mirror and tilted her head from side to side. She wasn't sure what to think yet about her new haircut.
The bedroom door opened, and Pan turned around to see Trunks walk in. "Hey, Panna-" he stopped when he spotted her. His eyes widened.
"Hey," she smiled at him and reached up to touch the ends of her hair. Her hair was now above her shoulders when it used to be down to her hips. "I thought it was time for a cut."
A slow grin spread across Trunks' face, and he walked over to her. He ran his hand through it. "I love it," he told her. "I think it suits you. You won't have to fight with a brush much now," he teased.
Pan let out a giggle and grabbed his hand. "Come on, I want to show you something."
She led him to the side room they were setting up for the nursery and grinned. She and the rest of the women had spent hours shopping to fill up the space. Two cribs made out of dark wood sat beside each other. They had dark grey bedding already laid down. Around the room were several other things all to get set up for the babies arrival.
"Wow," Trunks' eyes widened before he let out a chuckle. "You girls really know how to shop, huh?"
"There were just too many cute things," Pan sighed.
She walked over to the cribs and smiled at them warmly before she glanced down at her stomach. It had grown a lot in just a small amount of time. It seemed the babies were making up for the time they had been hibernating.
"I still can't believe we're having two of them," Trunks walked up beside Pan and leaned over a crib. He gave her a small grin, "I feel so incredibly lucky that I feel like I might be dreaming."
Pan's face grew warm, and she shook her head slowly. "It's no dream, Trunks."
Something stronger than a flutter rolled across Pan's stomach, and she gasped. Trunks was straightening up immediately.
"What is it?"
"Look!" She cried as she grabbed his hand and placed it on her stomach.
It happened again.
Trunks let out a breath as his eyes met Pan's. "Was that them?" He whispered.
Pan nodded her head slowly as she smiled. It was the first time she had ever felt them moving so strongly! They really were awake!
Trunks laughed as he fell to his knees and placed his head against her stomach. The babies must have sensed him because it felt as if they were doing summersaults inside of her. Her children loved their Appa so much already. They fluttered when he was around. She couldn't help but remember her dream and seeing them when they were older. The way they ran to Trunks and pestered him. He had huffed in annoyance, but Pan saw the fondness and love for them in his eyes.
"Panna?" Trunks whispered. "What's wrong?" He stood up, and his hands were on her cheeks.
"Oh," Pan's eyes widened. She hadn't even realized she was crying. "I was just thinking about the babies and how much they love you."
Trunks smiled and rubbed her stomach. "I love them too," he said quietly before he kissed her.
"You know," Pan said gently when they pulled apart. "We need to be thinking of names."
Trunks nodded slowly. "I thought we were just going to call them Boy and Girl?"
Pan gave him a flat look, and he snickered.
"I'm kidding!" He kissed her quickly. "But you know, my Eomma told me that my Appa called me Brat for the first two years of my life, and I honestly believed that was my name."
"Sounds like him," she bit back a snort. "But you're not calling our children Boy and Girl- or Brats," she pointed at him.
"Have you been thinking of any names?" Trunks asked her.
"A few," she admitted with a small grin.
He took her hand and led her back into their room as he smiled. "Let's hear them."
"You can do this! You fought Frieza's army! You have gone on plenty of raids! You've done things a lot scarier than this, Goten!"
"What's he doing?" Gohan sat down beside Trunks as he watched Goten pace back and forth as he muttered to himself.
"He wants to ask Bulla to marry him," Trunks said nonchalantly. "So he's trying to get up enough courage to ask her, I guess."
"Wow," Gohan bit back his snort. He had never seen his brother stress out about something so much.
Trunks turned and gave Gohan a flat look. "You don't have room to laugh."
"What?" His eyes widened in surprise.
"Marron."
Gohan's face grew warm. "I don't know what you're talking about. I-"
"You only look at her with goo-goo eyes," Endou laughed from the other side of Trunks.
Trunks gave Endou a rough shove. "You definitely don't have room to laugh! You've been chasing after Kimi for years and still haven't asked her out."
"I will when the time is right!" Endou barked. "You think you're so great because you're married! You're just lucky Pan likes your dorky face."
Trunks smirked. "Yeah, but at least I have someone who I know likes my dork face," he rolled his eyes. "I'm just saying- you guys need to step it up. My Hyung has been back no time, and he and Yamcha are already a thing."
"You know, I was totally surprised that Tarble swung that way," Endou mused.
"Same here with Yamcha," Gohan said. "He said he likes both; still, I never knew."
"The heart wants what the heart wants, I guess," Trunks shrugged.
"Han!"
Gohan glanced up to see Goten running towards him. "Help me out."
"With what?" He asked as Goten grabbed his arm and pulled him up.
"Just pretend to be Bulla."
"Panna's gonna be so mad she's missing this," Trunks said between loud laughs.
Gohan frowned. "Goten, I don't think that's a good idea. Why don't you just go find her and speak truthfully from the heart?"
"Are you going to follow your own advice?" Trunks asked.
Gohan let out a huff and ignored the comment. "Okay," he sighed as he looked at Goten.
Goten swallowed hard. "Alright." He cleared his throat several times. "Bulla, you are the most beautiful-"
Endou was snickering loudly, and Gohan sighed. "I'm sure she already knows she's pretty," he told his brother. "Why don't you tell her what you like about her?"
Goten's brows furrowed together in thought. "I like everything about her, though." He let out a loud sigh and glanced at Trunks. "How did you propose to Pan?"
Trunks' eyes widened slightly, and he sat up straight. "Trust me when I tell you- you don't want to know."
"Is that how she ended up pregnant?" Endou whispered loudly.
Trunks shoved Endou roughly, causing him to fall over as he laughed.
Gohan frowned deeply. He really didn't want to know! He let out a huff and looked at Goten. "Just speak whatever comes to mind, okay? I'm sure you could be a blubbering fool, and Bulla would still accept it."
"Accept what?"
The guys turned just in time to see the girls walking up. Bulla was looking at Goten with a curious frown as she tilted her head. "What's going on?" She asked.
Trunks jumped up and snickered as he walked over to Pan and wrapped his arms around her. "You're just in time," he told her.
"Go for it," Gohan gave Goten a nudge and an encouraging nod.
Goten took several deep breaths before he walked over to Bulla. "I love you," he told her.
"Go-" her cheeks turned pink as she smiled at him. "I love you too."
"Will you marry me then?" Goten asked.
Gohan was suspended by how smoothly Goten had asked the question considering he had been a nervous wreck just moments ago. He supposed that looking at Bulla had eased his nerves. Strangely, Gohan felt the same way when looking at Marron.
Bulla let out a scream before she was attacking Goten in a tight hug. He had her in his arms in seconds as he spun her around. It was an adorable sight to see.
"How long have you known he was planning that?" Pan looked up at Trunks with wide eyes.
He grinned, "just a few days. I'm surprised he didn't give himself away with how nervous he was."
"Hey! Get a room!" Endou yelled as Goten kissed Bulla.
"How exciting," Marron commented with a smile. "We'll have another wedding to prepare for soon!"
"I hope Bulla waits until after the babies are born," Pan frowned as she rubbed her stomach.
"She'll have to unless she wants a rushed wedding," Trunks chuckled.
"Yeah," Gohan nodded. "Didn't you say the babies would be here before the Yule? You only have a month or so left if that's the case."
"True," Pan said. "Bulla-" she stopped suddenly when she didn't see Bulla or Goten anywhere. "Where did they go?"
"They went and got a room," Endou sulked as he walked up. "Why is everyone pairing up but me?"
"Go ask Kimi to the wedding," Trunks said with a roll of his eyes.
"But do you think-"
"Yes!" Trunks huffed as he nodded his head. "You dumbass- she likes you too."
"She does?" Endou gasped.
"Why else would she put up with you?" Trunks muttered.
"I- I got to go!" Endou yelled before he took off.
Marron giggled after Endou, and Pan glanced up at Trunks. "You weren't lying, were you?"
"Of course not," he said. "She really would have to like him to put up with him so much."
"Like how I put up with you?" Pan teased, and Trunks pouted. "Come on," she laughed and grabbed his hand. "The babies and I are hungry."
Trunks grinned and started to lead them towards the castle. "I can't let my three babies starve," he said.
Soon, Gohan and Marron were the only ones left outside. Endou had said everyone was paring up, but that wasn't exactly true. Although he and Marron lived together and traveled to Vegeta-Sei together, they weren't together. Gohan knew he couldn't stay still for much longer. He would need to ask Marron out eventually. It just seemed like there was never a right time.
"Gohan," Marron turned to him, and she had a serious look in her eyes. "Will you go to the wedding with me?"
Gohan's eyes widened in surprise. "I was going to ask you that," he whispered.
Marron's cheeks turned pink. "You were?"
He nodded slowly before he let out a soft chuckle. He shouldn't have been surprised that she beat him to it. "I would love to go to the wedding with you, whenever it is," he smiled. "Do you want to go back to earth and go get something to drink?" He held out a hand to her.
"Like a date?" She raised an eyebrow as she gently placed her hand inside his.
"Yeah," Gohan's smiled widened. "Exactly like that."
Pan gasped as she woke up. Her hands were clutching the sheets as sweat rolled down her temple, and she let out a heavy sigh. It was just a dream.
Slowly, her hands released the sheets, and she raised them to wipe away the sweat. She sat up and glanced around. The room was dark, but she knew it wasn't too late. It had only been a little after lunchtime when she had gone to lay down for a nap.
In her dream, Pan was burning. She had felt fire before. It had happened both times the power inside of her had taken control, but her dream was different. The fire was unyielding and raw. It didn't warm her. It was scalding her.
Pan shivered slightly and rubbed her arms. She didn't know why she was having such a bad feeling. Her stomach fluttered, and she glanced down with a small frown. It had grown a lot over the last few months. She was round and uncomfortable most of the time, like now. Her back was aching, but she let out a sigh and stood up shakily.
The room was quiet as Pan walked across it. The twins' bedroom was empty, and so Pan went over to the next side room, which was a study for Trunks. He was inside of it, sitting at his desk as he looked over several papers. His eyebrows were furrowed together in concentration, and she walked over to him.
"What are you reading?" She asked gently as she wrapped her arms around him from behind.
His hand reached up and squeezed her hands. "Letters from a few neighboring planets. I'm hoping to hold a summit this coming summer and make an alliance with a bunch of planets, just like you said," he looked up at her and grinned. "Did you have a good nap?"
Pan tilted her head slightly. She wasn't sure she could call that a good dream. It worried her more than anything.
"Trunks, will you promise me something?"
He turned his chair, so he was facing her. "Anything," he smiled softly.
Pan caressed his face slowly. She didn't know why she was having these thoughts, but she couldn't stop them. Was her dream warning her about something?
"If something ever happens to me, you have to promise to love the babies for both of us, okay?" She asked him softly.
Trunks' smile instantly vanished. He stood up quickly and looked at her with fear. "Why would you ask me that?" He asked her quietly. "What did you dream about?"
"Nothing-"
"Pan!" He grabbed her shoulders, and she could feel him shaking. "What did you dream about?"
Pan furrowed her brows together as she frowned. "I think I'm going to be burned," she whispered. "I'm going to be consumed by fire."
Trunks shook his head and held her in his arms tightly. "I won't let you," he told her seriously.
Pan let out a heavy sigh and wrapped her arms around him. She wasn't sure how Trunks would stop it since she would be burned from the inside out. But she didn't tell him that. She just held onto him a little tighter.
"She wasn't looking for a knight. She was looking for a sword."
-Atticus