The line for Marron's bakery was always out the door. The shop opened at 6AM Monday through Saturday, and the line was usually ten customers long as soon as the door unlocked. Marron would show up every day before the sun shot up with a few of her employees and the baking frenzy would begin. The smell of sweet confections and other delights would fill the air. Nearby residents would say they'd leave their windows cracked open at night so the smell of Marron's baking would fill their homes and wake them up in the morning.

The shop closed at 2PM, and usually by the end the shelves and racks were emptied out, and if there was anything left, Marron packed it up and delivered it to the closest homeless shelter (she would always bake a dozen extra loaves of bread just for the shelter anyway). Over the last few years, Marron had garnered herself a reputation as the best baker in all of West City, and customers would also confirm that the baker herself was just as sweet as the treats she would make.

Sweeter, even, if you asked Trunks Briefs.

He stood in line a few times a week outside of "Sugar Pies & Honey Buns" like the others. He could have used his CEO title to get him to the front of the line, but he tried to stay humble and respectful despite his higher profile reputation. What he would take advantage of, though, was that he had the baker's number.

What's good this morning? Trunks asked.

I have those jelly filled donuts u like! Marron replied. Trunks could hear her sweet voice just reading her texts. I have something new not even on the shelves yet. Actually, r u in line already?

Yup. Trunks looked ahead and sighed at the amount of people in front of him. 20 ppl in front of me at least tho. :/

Come around the back. :)

Trunks looked curiously at his phone. Marron never offered for Trunks to cut in line in any way. Sometimes she would put aside special treats she knew he would like if she knew he was coming, but the girl wouldn't even take an order ahead of time.

"We have to be fair. People wait outside for nearly an hour sometimes, or they wake up before we even open to get in line." Marron was always about being fair and kind.

So for her to offer Trunks to come in through the back door, it had to be very important.

Trunks stepped out of line and immediately his spot was filled without even a question if he wanted to come back. He stuffed his phone into the pocket of his light gray slacks and breezed past the line of people, past the front of the tiny shop. He glanced inside and could see a few employees behind the counters with several customers inside. No sign of sunny blonde hair, though, so Marron must've been in the back continuing her baking spree. He rounded the corner to the alley that led behind the shop. He passed the wall of empty crates and racks, and a table with chairs with a tiny vase of fresh flowers. This was the table Marron would sit at to enjoy a quick break, a moment of silence, and maybe a sip of espresso. Trunks had joined her a couple times for lunch. After he'd wait in line for a hot turkey sandwich made with fresh bread straight from Marron's hands, he'd sneak around back and savor every bite along with her company for, what felt like, only a moment.

He approached the large metal door and hit the doorbell. It buzzed. He could hear voices and the sound of metal trays sliding and banging, and some soft music. Today it sounded classical, but Marron's taste in music was wide. He'd heard rock, jazz, techno, show tunes, hip-hop and low-fi. It all depended on the mood or the type of motivation and focus she needed for the day.

The door swung open and the smell of chocolate and bread washed over him. He took in a deep breath by sheer reflex and just as the sweet and savory smells filled his nostrils, his eyes took in the sweet and delicate sight of the woman before him. Marron's hair was up in a messy bun atop her head, bright yellow strands falling lightly around her creamy, soft face- which had a cheek blotched with flour. Big blue eyes even more vibrant than his looked joyfully back at him, and she smiled so sweetly that Trunks' heart would always jump to his throat. Her lips shimmered under red lip gloss and her cheeks were always rosy from the warmth of the ovens and running around the kitchen. Today she wore an apron with blue and white patchwork sprinkled with embroidered donuts and cookies. It was tied just right around her small waist so that he could still see the curves of her hips. She wore a soft pink t-shirt with puffy sleeves that frilled around her slender arms.

Trunks swallowed hard. His mouth always got so dry when he'd see her for the first time.

"Good morning!" She chirped. Of course she had been up for hours already. "You're here early! It's only eight. How long have you been out there?"

"I think I was going on only fifteen minutes. Not too bad." Trunks replied with a smile. Behind her he could see more employees scurrying around with trays of baked and unbaked goods, or standing over bowls and giant mixers, or fryers with baskets of fresh donuts. The kitchen of the shop was more than twice the size of the front, but it needed to be to make room for all the magic.

Marron reached out and took Trunks by the hand, her warm and delicate fingers wrapping around his. Trunks' heart took another leap into his throat, but Marron didn't seem to notice his eyes widen or the sudden flush on his cheeks as she pulled him inside. "Come on, I have something I want you to taste."

Your lips I hope. Trunks thought.

Marron pulled him closer as they walked across the large kitchen, wrapping an arm around his, holding him as they moved. "I made coconut macaroons dipped in chocolate. I wanted you to try them."

Trunks looked down at her, quite confused. "But… I hate coconut." She knew this, too.

"I know, but if I can make a coconut pastry that even someone who hates coconut can enjoy, then I've got another winner that'll sell out." Marron beamed. She brought him to a small counter where a plate of chocolate coconut macaroons sat out, still warm, semi-sweet chocolate glistening with the lightest dusting of confectioners sugar on top. He had to admit, they looked delicious, but he really wasn't a fan of the chewy fruit.

Marron plucked the plate off the counter and held it in front of the CEO's face, her expression glowing with joy and curiosity. "Try." She insisted.

Trunks took a macaroon off the plate and smelled it. It smelled like coconut, but it blended so nicely with the chocolate and sugar, it wasn't overpowering. It felt warm and soft in his fingers, and surprisingly he felt his mouth begin to water. He was hungry, though, so he couldn't quite say it was the sweet treat making him salivate. Marron held the plate in front of her and watched him earnestly, her blue eyes sparkling. If Marron had asked him to swallow a hot coal because she thought it would taste good, he'd do it.

He brought the macaroon to his lips and took a bite. The fluffy, chewy treat melted in his mouth almost immediately. The chocolate and sugar swirled across his tongue and he felt his taste buds ignite with excitement. His crystal blue eyes widened behind his black rimmed glasses, and his lavender eyebrows arched with surprise. Marron's face lit up even more as she could see the pleasant surprise spread across his handsome face.

"Wow, Marron…"

"Yes?"

"These are…"

"Yes?"

"Incredible!"

Marron let out a joyous squeal and bounced up and down excitedly as Trunks finished off the rest of the macaroon in a giant bite. He moaned through the delicious, melty-chewy confection and stared at the plate of them in Marron's hands. "Do you mind if I-"

Marron held the plate close to him. "Oh, please! Eat them all! I only made a small batch, specifically with you in mind."

Trunks took another cookie and thought of putting the whole mound in his mouth, but then he remembered the prettiest girl in the world was watching him… so he took it down in two bites instead. "These actually might be my new favorite." He said with a nod and a mouth full. He watched as Marron walked to a pot of coffee she had on a table in the back. She poured a hot cup, keeping it black, and grabbed a couple tea napkins. She smiled the whole damn time, and Trunks wanted to scoop her up in the same manner he was scooping the macaroons off the plate. She returned, blowing gently over the hot cup, and handed it over to him.

"I'll make sure to put some aside for you when you come for lunch on Wednesdays then."

Trunks paused as he was bringing the cup to his lips. Had he really been coming every Wednesday? How long had he been doing that? Time would go by in a blur when he was with her, he didn't always pay attention to when these moments happened, but knew they were too short. On the same counter the plate of macaroons was on, was a small white box. Marron picked it up and opened it, showing Trunks two puff pastries with confectioners sugar sandwiched over handmade whipping cream, berries, and chocolate. "I just made these, too. I know you like them fresh. When you told me you were coming I put them aside. They sell out pretty quick. And a jelly donut." She leaned forward, so Trunks did too. "I made it extra big for you." She looked at him with a wink, holding a finger in front of her glossy red lips for him to keep the secret.

She looked at him so innocently, so tenderly, and Trunks struggled to swallow his latest bite. He sipped on the coffee, which was too hot to sip, but he pretended he didn't just scald his mouth and placed both the plate and the cup down on the counter next to them. "Promise." He whispered back, taking the box from her. His fingers brushed hers, and a tingle shot up through his arms all the way to his fluttering heart.

"Marron! We're running low on honey buns!" Shouted an employee through the doorway from the front of the shop.

Marron's head whipped around, her loose, golden bun bouncing atop her head. "Oh gosh, already? Okay!" She called back. She turned to Trunks, giving a sigh. "Back to work then."

"Busy, busy, busy." Trunks chuckled nervously, then wondered if he sounded too much like a bee saying it.

"Can't complain. Living the dream, ya know!" She smiled, then looked at him more observantly. "Oh, you've got a little…" She pointed to the corner of his mouth. Trunks blushed furiously, realizing she was pointing out a bit of chocolate on the corner of his mouth. He became flustered for a moment and went to wipe it with his finger, but before he could, Marron had a napkin over her finger and gently wiped away the evidence of his indulgence. Her covered finger grazed his bottom lip as her eyes shifted from the smudge to his own eyes, who stared back at her in awestruck silence.

"There." She said quietly. Her cheeks looked more pink than they had a few minutes ago, and she wasn't by any oven.

"Thanks." He smiled, slightly embarrassed, but intrigued by Marron's own sudden sheepish demeanor.

Marron shrugged and the two stared at each other in silence for a moment, as if waiting for the other to speak first.

"Marron! We're running low on croissants!"

"Alright!" Marron's thin, dark blond brows pinched over her sky blue eyes as she looked over her shoulder at the young woman calling for her from the front of the store. The girl seemed to flinch at Marron's irritated yell and slowly disappeared behind the doorway. She sighed aggravatedly and looked back up to Trunks. "I really should get back." She sounded disappointed, but smiled through it. "Thanks for swinging by and being my guinea pig."

"Oh, yeah, whenever you need it. I also don't like white chocolate, if you ever need me to test that out." Trunks grinned almost awkwardly.

"I remember." Of course she did. She seemed to remember everything he said to her. "I'll see you around then?"

"Of course." There was another pause, as Trunks thought of offering to take her out to dinner, but as he opened his mouth Marron gasped and grabbed the plate with two macaroons left.

"Oh, don't forget these!" She took Trunks' box of pastries and placed the two macaroons inside, closing it back up and handing it to him. "Make sure no one sees you sneaking out with those, okay? I have a reputation to uphold ya know." She giggled and winked, and Trunks felt his palms sweat as he held the box.

"Y-yeah. You got it!" He replied.

Marron gave a quick wave before turning and heading down the kitchen towards a counter covered in flour, and she quickly started grabbing ingredients to get together a new batch of something amazing. Trunks slowly walked towards the back door, watching her the whole time. Without even looking at a recipe she scooped flour into a bowl with sugar and salt, then added eggs and milk to another bowl while simultaneously melting butter in a small pot on a warmer. She hardly even blinked, and her hands moved in every direction doing multiple things without even watching. It was as if this girl could make honey buns in her sleep.

Trunks' hand haphazardly reached for the metal door and he pushed it open, pulling his gaze away from the blonde angel who seemed to disappear behind a haze of flour and bright light as the morning sun poured in.

"So you blew it again, huh?"

Goten swung a crate of carrots onto the back of a truck also filled with radishes, cabbage and other dark and leafy greens. Spring brought on their first big harvest, so Goten and his father, Goku, were put to work. It took a day between him and his father, but mostly because his father would get distracted with, well, literally everything.

"I didn't blow it, I just didn't decide to do it right then."

Trunks sat in the back of a car as a driver took him home from work. His light gray suit jacket was unbuttoned with his red tie already loose and his glasses off his face and tucked away in a jacket pocket. He held his phone to his ear and rested his elbow to the armrest of the door, looking out the window next to him.

"She was really busy. It just wasn't the time."

Goten rested against the side of the truck, grabbing the bottom his white shirt to wipe the sweat from his brow. He kept the phone clipped to the hem of his jeans and spoke through a wireless earpiece so he could work and talk. "So she actually brought you inside the kitchen, had a conversation with you, and the two of you even had this moment of silence, but you couldn't even say 'hey, how about dinner?'" Goten chuckled as he opened a bottle of water and held it to his lips. "Man, she's got you that messed up, huh?"

"She doesn't have me 'messed up,' Marron's just… different. She's not like the other girls." Trunks pictured her face lighting up as he enjoyed the macaroon earlier that morning. He looked down next to him at the box, with one macaroon left.

"You mean the shallow airheads you like to hook up with?" Goten scratched a hand through his spiky black hair and walked to another crate of produce, lifting it up casually with one hand and tossing it atop another short stack in the bed of the truck.

"They're not all shallow." Trunks argued.

"But they've definitely all been airheads."

"Whatever."

"You've been making googly eyes at her for nearly a year, bro. Shit or get off the pot." Goten sounded annoyed.

"I feel like that term isn't being used properly in this conversation." Trunks said flatly.

"You know what I'm saying!" Goten looked off in the distance as his father tossed a head of cabbage in the air and punched it across the field, then laughed and cheered to himself. Goten sighed, at both his father and his friend. "You better say something soon or you're going to be put in the friend-zone, if you haven't been already, where you will sit and rot while she goes off with a guy who had the balls to ask her out. How does that sound?"

"Terrible." Trunks sighed. It was a hard pill to swallow, but his friend was right. For almost a year he had his sights set on this sunshine angel, but something about her made him choke. Trunks had been with more women than he cared to mention, garnering himself a reputation that he couldn't say he was exactly proud of. He just never found a woman he cared about. But Marron? She was one of the kindest, most giving and understanding young women he'd ever met. And him? He was a playboy (a cocky one at times) and businessman, certainly not deserving of such a sweet and tender girl like Marron. He'd probably just turn her into damaged goods…

But he couldn't stop thinking about her.

"Then do something about it and stop being a weeny!"

"A weeny? How old are you again?" Trunks chuckled at his friend.

"A big, sad, floppy weeny, too shy to come out." Goten continued.

"Okay. I'm hanging up now."

"WEENY!" Goten yelled. Trunks hung up the phone before his friend finished saying the long vowel at the end of the word and sighed heavily. He dropped the phone in his lap and slouched back against his seat, watching the buildings inch by.

Inch by?

Trunks realized they were stuck in traffic and groaned. He'd had a long day at the office, actually did feel like a bit of a weeny now, and just wanted to get out of his suit. His father would probably harass him to train with him for an hour, then he would fall into the same routine of shower, dinner, after-work emails, a book to read then bed.

"I'll take Third Street today then, sir? It'll probably be faster than the main street." Said his driver.

"Whatever will get us there." Trunks replied dully.

The driver turned, weaving carefully off the main road and down a smaller side street. A few turns in, and a little signal in Trunks' brain started to go off. Trunks sat up as he recognized the row of blossoming trees along the sidewalk. Down in the distance, across the street, was Marron's bakery. His heart skipped a beat when he saw something yellow and pink walk out the front door.

Marron left the bakery a little later than usual today. She was cleaning out the ovens and taking inventory, but sent her last employee home just a smidge early while she finished up in the office upstairs. She was still making it out before sundown, but was running out of time to catch the next bus to her apartment downtown. If she didn't sprint, she'd miss it, then she'd really be alone after dark.

"Stupid key." She muttered as she wigged the jammed key. Replace the damn lock. She thought to herself. She was exhausted and desperately just wanted to go home to see her cat, have a little dinner, take a bath and sleep, but as long as this key was stuck she wasn't going anywhere.

"Grr!" She growled. She straightened up and sighed heavily, blowing hair from her face. Her hair was down now, long, thick and wavy past her shoulders, only tucked behind her ears. Her pink shirt was tucked (sloppily) into her ankle length jeans and her pale blue sneakers were completely dusted over with flour- the only part of her clothing not spared by her apron. She gave another harder shake of the key, but still it didn't budge.

"Fuck!" She shouted, stomping her foot down. Angrily she searched her large, yellow tote bag for her cell phone. She'd have to call a locksmith most likely.

"Need some help?" Called a familiar voice from a distance.

Marron's head whipped around and across the street she saw a shiny black car with a familiar face poking out the back window on the driver's side. Trunks smiled at her and rested an arm on the edge of the opened window as he poked his head out further. "Everything okay? Do you need a ride?" He noticed the distressed look on Marron's tired face.

"What I need is to replace this stupid lock!" She stepped aside and Trunks could see the keys dangling from the door, a big, shiny gold keychain with the letter M catching the setting sun. "The fucking- I mean-" She realized she swore and bit her tongue for a second. Trunks looked momentarily surprised and then started to chuckle as she stumbled over the rest of her sentence. "The freaking, stupid keys are stuck again! I don't think I can get them out unless I break the damn thing, so now I'm going to have to call a locksmith!" Marron's expression bordered on desperation, and it took Trunks straight into hero mode.

"Well, hold on, let me try." Trunks opened the door to the car and stepped out, his jacket still open, his tie loose and blowing past his shoulder as he jogged across the street. He stood next to Marron, who looked up at him with hopeful blue eyes. She no longer had the flour on her cheek, and she wasn't hiding behind an apron. She looked more beautiful than when he had seen her earlier that morning, even. Yes, she seemed much more tired, but the way the orange sun hit her, and how her hair fell softly around her slender face, she looked more like a woman than the sweet, chipper girl he normally saw. Not that this was bad, it was just… different. His breath caught again in his throat and he cleared it as she carefully tucked her silky, yellow hair behind her ear.

"I don't think you can get it out, Trunks. I'm fairly certain that lock has finally eaten the stupid key."

"I only need a minute." He said with a smile before turning his attention towards the lock. With one hand on the key, and one hand on the knob, he slowly and meticulously turned the key left and right. A jiggle here, turn, a jiggle there, then finally, "Aha." He said, sliding the key out of the lock.

Marron gasped with disbelief as the half-saiyan held the keys out in front of her. She held out her hands as he placed the heavy accessory in them and she sighed with relief. "Oh my gosh, thank you!" She said joyously, holding the keys to her chest. Trunks felt himself blush again as his heart picked up the pace seeing her so happy.

"No problem. That thing weighs a ton, by the way. What do you need so many keys for?" He chuckled as she stuffed the loud, jangling keys into her tote. The blonde looked up at him with almost a coy smile.

"Just the keys to all my closets filled with secrets." She teased before laughing. Trunks laughed with her and stuffed his hands in his pants pockets, unable to look away from the woman.

There was a moment of silence again. The same kind of moment they had in the bakery earlier that morning, both waiting for the other to say something.

WEENYYYYY. Echoed Goten's voice in Trunks' head.

"Do you need a ride, somewhere?" Trunks finally spoke.

"Oh. Well, actually…" Marron's eyes drifted towards the sun setting behind the city's skyline. She definitely missed the bus. "I could use a ride to my apartment, if you're offering. I mean, I don't want you to go out of your way. I could totally catch the next bus. The bus stop is just a couple blocks away-"

"A bus stop after sunset? Don't be ridiculous." Trunks looked surprised she even thought of doing that alone. "Let me take you home." He insisted.

Marron looked uncertain for a moment, then sighed gently and smiled up at him, squeezing the straps of the tote over her shoulder. "Okay, sure." She replied.

Trunks felt an eruption of excited butterflies in his stomach. He was going to take her to her apartment. They'd hardly ever met up beyond her little shop over the last year, except maybe a couple times for some birthdays, but even then they never found the time to really chat together with the crowd of friends and family there. Now he'd be alone with her in a car, with probably more time than he ever had with her while sitting behind the bakery scarfing down a sandwich and coffee, and now he would know where she lived.

The drive to her place wasn't as awkward as he anticipated it being. They spoke casually like they had normally done when she made the time to sit with him. She would always bring up a story of her time abroad at culinary school, or where she had her first pastry making job in a country where she hardly spoke the language. She was gone for four years perfecting her art, and when she came back she was no longer the little girl he remembered hanging out with as a kid. She seemed more sophisticated and patient, but just as friendly and sweet as he'd remembered her.

They were still filling in the gaps of their time apart. Trunks had stories of new inventions and past adventures, and oftentimes they'd settle on a memory as children to laugh about. Marron laughed and smiled the whole time they spoke, her delicate fingers combing through her hair and playing with the ends of it. Trunks watched her face as she spoke, her eyes so animated with every word.

"And then he was like 'silly little girls are too weak to whip egg whites properly,'" Marron spoke in a deep voice, using her fingers over her mouth like a mustache, wiggling them as she continued to exaggerate the character, "but did I show him! I whipped those egg whites so damn firm you could've put a cherry on those creamy white peaks and they wouldn't have budged." She said proudly, then she blushed. "Oh… that sounded kind of naughty." She said in a whisper.

Both chuckled and giggled in the back seat.

Finally the car stopped in front of a tall, pale yellow building where Marron's apartment was. Marron pulled her tote onto her lap and sighed, giving the handsome saiyan next to her a sweet smile. "Thank you for saving the day. I owe you one."

"Call it even for the free desserts." Trunks smiled and patted the box next to him.

The third moment of silence happened today. Marron's hand toyed with the car door handle while she stared into the piercing blue eyes of the man next to her. He had always been so handsome, even as a boy. He came from good stock, though, so it was no surprise. But, Trunks was way out of her league. The son of warrior royalty and one of the world's most gifted engineers, she was probably barely within the range of someone he'd ever be interested in. She understood his gestures of having lunch with her and helping her just now were only because they'd been friends their whole lives. Trunks dated models, afterall, not flour covered bakers.

Don't even try. Marron thought to herself.

Ask her out. Come on! Screamed a voice in Trunks' head.

"Well, I'll see ya around." Marron said softly, looking nervous as she opened the door of the car.

Trunks watched as she slipped out, her eyes drifting away from him as she pulled her bag over her shoulder. He was losing his chance, and he leaned over to open his mouth and call for her again when the door slammed shut and she gave a weak wave over her shoulder. "Thanks again, Trunks." She called as she jogged up the steps to the door of her building, quickly letting herself in and disappearing inside before Trunks' thoughts could catch up to his mouth.

"... Damn it!" Trunks cursed. He fumbled. Again.

Trunks got the feeling it was too late. He had been put in the friend zone for sure. The girl looked uncomfortable as he stared at her in the end there. She ran out of the car so fast and sprinted inside like she was trying to get away from him. The lavender-haired saiyan let out a groan and put his hands over his face, pulling them down heavily over his cheeks and chin.

"Home now, sir?" Asked the driver, pretending not to notice what an idiot his boss was.

"Maybe to the nearest cliff I can jump off of." He mumbled.

"Sir?"

"Uh, yes, home please." Trunks corrected, adjusting his sloppy posture.

The car drifted forward and Trunks watched the building as he went by. The sky was dark now, only a dim purple light from what was left of the sun in the night sky. A light flickered on in the front of the building four floors up- that had to be Marron. The car turned a corner, the building disappearing behind them. Trunks sighed again and looked down at the white pastry box next to him. He picked it up, opened it, and took out the macaroon he had been saving for later. The prince observed the perfect mound, covered in delicate chocolate and made sweeter with the sprinkle of sugar on top.

"Perfect, delicate and sweet…" He said quietly, then took a bite, letting the gooey treat fill his mouth. Just like her. He thought.