Chapter 1: The morning after
A ray of morning light had crept past the curtains and moved slowly across the room as the morning wore on. When it encountered an empty whiskey glass, the beam shattered revealing its hidden spectral colors and spread across the nightstand all the way to the face of a certain Saiyan-hybrid. He let out an irritated groan and tried to hide his face from it to continue his peaceful slumber.
He couldn't remember the last day he'd felt so peaceful and relaxed before. As if the burdens he'd carried with him since he was five had suddenly vanished into thin air. But as his consciousness slowly resurfaced, it was accompanied by a throbbing headache. 'How odd,' he thought to himself, trying to understand these conflicting signals. Vegeta might not agree, but he was sure relaxation and pain didn't go hand in hand.
He opened his eyes, but in an instant closed them again, and a second moan escaped his lips. The light was so intense, even with the curtains almost closed. His senses were highly sensitive, much more than usual, and his head began to pound even more. After a brief moment of recovery, he carefully tried once more, and shades of green and yellow greeted him as his vision began to sharpen.
He was in a pastel-coloured room that he didn't recognize at first. It wasn't his, that's for sure, and it wasn't a Capsule Corp. room either. His eyes darted to the digital numbers on an alarm clock that sat on the nightstand. It was nearly eleven o'clock, much later than he would normally get up, yet he still felt tired. But then a pleasant cherry scent snapped his memory back into place and suddenly he was right awake.
He looked down and there she lay, sleeping peacefully in his arms. Her long untied hair spread across the mattress as she used his upper arm as a pillow. Her bare shoulders were uncovered by the sheets, which showed that she was at least topless. Gohan blushed profusely, not sure how to process the current situation.
His mind went back to the night before. Videl was hosting a party - or rather, her best friend Erasa had her throw one - and it came at the least appropriate time. He'd planned to tell her all about his secrets that evening, about his past achievements and alien heritage, but because of that party, he couldn't, much to the frustration of the half-Saiyan. The frustration grew so much that they started arguing about it, but eventually they found a place to talk it over privately: a pastel-coloured room he'd never left.
The young crime fighter in his arms moved closer to him in her sleep, tightening her grip a little. His other arm was draped over the small of her waist and she was holding his hand with both of her much smaller ones. He couldn't help but find the sight of her really adorable, seeing the tough tomboy-esque girl in such a carefree, almost vulnerable, girlish way. And without thinking he gave her a soft, gentle kiss on the back of her head.
A kiss. It started with a kiss. His first to be exact. After he revealed who he really was, she'd accepted him with open arms, and before long they both gave in to the tension that had surrounded them for a while. He blushed when he remembered how things got out of hand very quickly after that.
He was the one who initiated it, not intentionally of course, but more out of curiosity. Their inexperienced kisses had already turned into more passionate ones, and he became intoxicated by her natural cherry scent - a scent he'd learned came from her pheromones. And the hungry Saiyan he always was, he just needed to know if her skin tasted that way too, so his wet kisses wandered off and followed her jawline to her neck, apparently giving her a sign he wanted more. And since she had her own fantasies about him, she gave in to them, and he, in turn, obeyed her willingness and demands.
Of course, the amount of alcohol in his blood fueled his actions and defused the restraints he normally had. But he didn't regret a thing. Or, well… maybe just that he'd left his satchel in the hallway two floors down on the other side of the Satan's Mansion. He sighed and closed his eyes in embarrassment as he recalled that particular moment when they had to stop and he had to leave an expectant Videl, get dressed again, and go back through an ongoing party to get his bag. He now understood why it was important to always have protection with you. He just thanked his godmother Bulma Brief, the president of Capsule Corp., inwardly - as she'd given it to him before he went to see Videl, otherwise he wouldn't even have any - but feared the tease if she ever found out it was being used.
She moved again, but this time Videl raised her head slightly. Gohan chuckled, she was probably going through the same phase he was in when he woke up. She turned her head at the sound and looked at him a bit confused, but soon put on a sleepy smile. "Hey," she almost whispered, a little hoarse.
"Good morning," Gohan said, equally hoarse, but couldn't stop a big grin from forming on his face. "Slept well?"
"Uh-uh," she answered him only with a soft, confirming sound as she turned to her other side and buried her head under his chin. He didn't know if it was because she was shy when she realized what had happened now she'd woken up next to him, or if she just wanted to snooze some more. Either way, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her body closer and he wasn't about to let go soon. To his delight, she returned his embrace by mirroring his actions. Minutes passed as they basked in silence in each other's warmth.
"And you?" she managed to get out after a while, still a little sleepy, "How are you doing?"
Another chuckle left his mouth and it made her look up at his friendly face. He beamed a smile, "To answer it in the same light as last night: I feel grateful and very liberated that we finally had our talk yesterday, it feels like a ton of stress left my body; last night was the best night of my life; and I don't have a hangover at all."
Now it was her turn to chuckle. He was referring to a game they had played yesterday, where two truths and one lie were told, and the other had to guess what the lie was. This one was obvious though. "Wow, who knew you could pull off sarcasm," she laughed, "Is it bad?"
"Yeah."
Reluctantly, he let go of her and sat up at the edge of the bed, cracking his neck and stretched his back. He groaned and let his head fall into his hands, his headache was killing him. He then ran a hand through his hair to distract himself from the pain and then pointed to the bathroom door, "Is it okay if I take a quick shower?"
"Be my guest," Videl said, watching as he snatched his boxer off the ground and disappeared through the door. With the shower running audibly, she tried to process what she saw. She knew he was a warrior and had fought battles to the death, which he'd told her the night before, so it wasn't surprising that he had scars all over his body. But that one she just saw raised some questions. And since she also needed a shower, she decided to follow suit.
She found Gohan leaning his forearm against the shower wall, his head on it as the water ran over his broad shoulders. He didn't hear her come in and was startled to hear her yelp.
"Oh my Gosh, that's cold!" she exclaimed, immediately pulling out of the running shower.
The sound made Gohan cringe, as it felt like hammering in his sensitive ears, yet turned to her with a smile. "So, even my showers aren't safe anymore," he grinned and motioned for her to come back in. "You are welcome to join."
"Only if you turn up the heat," she looked as if someone had betrayed her.
"I always take cold showers because it reduces my-" he paused, "anxiety…. and it's actually good for the immune system," he smiled and couldn't help but take in her beautiful body, "But it's fine, you can come in now."
She scowled, "You didn't even touch the tap to turn up the heat."
His smile widened, "Where is the trust? I promise you it's nice."
Without believing a word, Videl gave in and stepped into the cabin, and to her surprise, the air and water were both pleasantly warm. She raised her eyebrow and looked at Gohan in question, but soon had an idea what was going on. "Ki?" she just asked, still not quite understanding what it was, but she found that somehow it was always the answer.
Another chuckle followed, "Quick learner, aren't you?" Gohan was amazed at how she was able to tie up loose ends. "Yeah, Ki can be used to warm up your surroundings. I did the same when we were riding Flying Nimbus, otherwise you would have frozen to death at that altitude. So this way I can take my cold shower, and you can enjoy a warm one." He reached out and gave her a hug.
"How did you get that big scar on your lower back?" Videl finally dared to ask after they cleaned themselves up a bit.
He sighed and turned off the shower. Gohan knew this question would come sooner or later and he was actually surprised it took her this long. "I, uh…" he started a little unsure and grabbed one of the towels to dry off. "I used to have a tail."
"A what now?"
"A tail, a trait my Saiyan heritage had given me." He scratched the back of his damp hair to calm his nerves. He knew Videl had proven to be open about his alien background, but admitting things that made him less human still made him feel uncomfortable. "But Piccolo removed it when he became my sensei, as it was rather inconvenient."
"Why? If you were born with it, he shouldn't have removed it." Videl wrapped her towel around her and crossed her arms. "He had no right."
The half-Saiyan grinned at her, he hadn't expected such a reaction. "Don't worry, I don't miss it at all. Like I said, it was inconvenient."
"But what about me?" Her words made Gohan raise his eyebrow, "Now I never see you wag your tail when you're happy to see me."
She tried to smirk at him, but his stunned face made her laugh out loud instead. He was red with embarrassment and he wanted to say something, but only a stutter came out. She giggled again at the sight and leaned over to kiss his cheek, giving back the words he was looking for. "I-It wasn't a dog's tail…" he said almost inaudibly, his cheeks still beet red.
"Too bad, it would look pretty cute on you," she grinned widely, imagining him as a big puppy. As they walked out of the bathroom, she asked, "What did it look like then?"
"Like a monkey's tail, brown fur and all," he sighed, embarrassed to say so, as he searched for the rest of his garments they'd tossed across the room in the heat of the night.
He felt something underneath his feet and found he had stepped on some blue buttons. He frowned, "Still think it's a shame I ruined your shirt, I really liked it on you." His mind drifted to yesterday's events, where Videl had asked - or rather, demanded - him to rip her shirt off her. He knew where this request came from, for he had heard those words before while she was fast asleep in his presence, probably dreaming of the very same thing they'd done last night. And he gladly obeyed, though sad that she will never wear that shirt again.
He heard her sigh audibly and as he turned his head she held up her bra, "Same here, I asked to rip the shirt, but next time you have trouble undoing the bra, don't get impatient and tear it. Just ask me to unhook it for you, I hate to go shopping for these things.
He began to blush, not only out of shame that he'd let himself go a little too much, but also because she used the words 'next time'. "Sorry," he grabbed his shirt off the floor, "Here, you can wear mine until we find you proper clothing." He gave her a shy smile.
She smiled at him and took his shirt, "Thanks," and put it on and she spun a little round for him, "How do I look?"
Videl always wore loose fitting shirts, as it was practical while fighting crime, but his loose lace-up neckline fell quite low on her, but still in a decent way. His shirt suited her rather… sexy. And since she was quite petite, it was almost like she wore a short dress, which he had never seen on her before. The young crime fighter saw him staring and giggled, his blushing face was like an open book. "I'll take that as a yes."
After they got themselves dressed, for the exception of Gohan not wearing a shirt, they both left the room which had held all their night's secrets. Gohan followed Videl as she guided them through the halls to her room. She glanced at him, she still couldn't comprehend that the shy country boy she had met months ago was so muscular. Not that she complained.
Again, her curiosity took over, even though she knew he felt uncomfortable with the subject. "So, I have to ask, why was your tail inconvenient?"
"Because when there was a full moon, I turned into a giant ape and destroyed everything within my grasp."
She laughed.
He didn't.
'Fuck, he was serious,' she thought in a panic, feeling incredibly guilty for thinking he was joking around. Was it even possible? Probably, when looking at his track record.
He forced a smile, even though he was visibly hurt. "No worries, sometimes I think my life is a joke too," he tried to make it sound like a joke, but the cynical undertones were clearly noticeable, making the situation more awkward. He sighed inwardly and wished he was still drunk, because making small talk seemed much easier then. "So," he began, trying to keep the conversation going, "I wonder how the party went after we left. Do you think Erasa and Sharpener managed without you? It was still in full swing when I went downstairs to get the... my satchel."
"The house didn't burn down, so I guess it went well," she smiled, glad he let her slip-up for what it was. She stopped at a door, "Erasa was planning on staying over, so she's probably sleeping in my room now. If you can wait here, I'll grab myself a shirt."
After a few minutes she came back in her usual black shorts with an oversized shirt, and wore her hair in a high ponytail. Gohan didn't mind her casual look, he fell in love with her while she was wearing it. There was something pure and natural about it.
She caught him subconsciously taking her in, causing her to blush. "Here," she said, throwing a shirt at his face to stop his stare. He caught it in a swift movement and raised an eyebrow: this wasn't his shirt. "It's one of my dad's old shirts, yours smells like beer."
It was a black shirt, with a white devil's face on the chest. He chuckled, "Already I'm marked by the Devil," but put it on nonetheless. It fit, though he still had to get used to tight-fitting shirts.
"So, I stand corrected, Erasa and Sharpener are both sleeping in my room, completely out cold." She sighed, "Dad only allowed me to throw yesterday's party on the strict condition that everything would be cleared before dinner. It's Sunday, meaning our staff has the day off, so I'm afraid I'll have to do everything myself."
"Well, I don't mind helping you clean up," Gohan scratched his neck and blushed slightly, "To be completely honest, I don't mind being alone with you a little longer."
###
A rank, musty and nauseating smell met them as they opened the basement door. The area where had been a party the day before was a total mess: abandoned cups - empty or partially filled with unidentified liquids - were scattered around the room; Broken glass has been roughly swept into a corner; Some of the furniture had been moved, including the beer pong table which was placed against the wall; And even a few partygoers were sleeping off their daze on one of the couches. They stepped inside and felt their soles stick to the laminated floor. Gohan grimaced, almost regretting offering his help.
Almost.
"Well…" was only what Videl could produce, a little shocked by what was once a neat lounge area.
"Let's open some windows first, it's almost hard to breathe in here," Gohan suggested, the smell combined with his hangover was almost overwhelming and had to resist the urge to throw up. "Can you wake those two up in the meantime? I think it's best to send them home," nodding to the sleeping duo on the couch, already walking towards the windows himself.
Although they were in the basement, the terrace on the east side was lowered to basement height, so that it was connected to the outside. Gohan eagerly inhaled the fresh air at every window he managed to open, but as he was about to open the last, his eyes fell on the sofa next to the empty fireplace, where someone had made it her cozy bed. He leaned over her and touched her shoulders.
"Uh, Angela, I'm sorry to wake you, but you got to go. The party is long over."
Sleepily, Angela tilted her head and looked around confused. When her eyes met Gohan's, she smiled. "What a surprise to see you here," she giggled, "I'm still dream'n, huh?"
Gohan blinked confused, her words made no sense to him.
She giggled again, "Come here, you!" and before he knew it, she had thrown her arms around him and pulled him in for a kiss.
Panicked, Gohan placed his hand over her mouth to keep their lips from touching and pushed her back into her seat, both looking at one another in shock.
"Everything okay back there?" Videl's voice asked, fueling the half-Saiyan's panicked state even more.
His eyes darted from where the voice came to Angela and back. And in a split second, faster than humanly possible, he'd let go of Angela, stepped away from the sofa, and scratched his neck nervously as Videl came into view. She raised her eyebrow when she saw that Angela looked as if she had seen a ghost.
"I - er - I tried to wake her up?" unintentionally making it sound more like a question than an actual statement.
Videl crossed her arms and glared at him. "Your beet-red face is an open book, Gohan."
"I swear!" he held up his hands in defense.
"I know, I know," Videl sighed, but couldn't suppress a grin. She knew she had nothing to worry about, for he didn't like the red-haired girl in that regard, though it was too priceless not to taunt the guy. "Angela, you should go, or grab a broom and start cleaning, your choice."
Angela nodded, "I-I'll go home then."
"Alright, have it your way," Videl shrugged, "Hope you enjoyed the party?" She wasn't really interested in the answer and didn't listen to the chatty wave of words that came to her in response. She just put up a fake smile and acknowledged her every now and then as she watched Angela grab her coat. Videl walked her to the exit to be sure Angela would leave. "Have a nice day," Videl replied as their mutual classmate said her goodbyes to her and Gohan. But when the young crime fighter noticed that the red-haired girl was eyeing yet again at the man she'd spent the night with, she couldn't help but say, "Oh and Angela, next time you make advances to Gohan, you and I will have a talk… and it won't be a pleasant one. He's not interested in you and he's too pussy to say it himself, so fuck off!" She then slammed the door right in her face, turned and stormed back to the basement, leaving a bewildered Gohan.
When he dared to go back as well, she had taken a broom and was sweeping the floor, but said nothing. Gohan grabbed the second broom and, as he helped her, he gathered the courage to broach the subject, "How did you know?"
"Know what?" she replied, harsher than intended.
Gohan swallowed, "That she made a move on me."
"Gohan, like I said, you are an open book when it comes to girls. You always get very nervous, you fluster and your whole body language is screaming 'please save me'. Also, Angela is known to be a slu-," she paused, "a flirt."
"I really didn't do anything but wake her up," he mumbled.
"That's the problem! You didn't do anything," she frowned, "This is the same as when Kate squeezed your ass." She referred to an incident where Kate Bridgerton - a blonde Z T.V Daily news reporter - mistook him for her boyfriend while dressed as 'the Great Saiyaman' - Gohan's alter-ego superhero - as Yamcha had been his substitute for a while. Even though Gohan knew it was a misunderstanding, he didn't dare say much about it, much to Videl's chagrin. "I'll say the same thing now as I said then: you have to handle such situations yourself. It's not hard to tell people to fuck off, you know."
Gohan's uncertainty subsided a bit and a grin appeared slowly on his lips, "Are you jealous?" But he only received a nasty look in return and decided to drop the subject. However, he couldn't help but grin.
The tension quickly drifted as they quietly continued to clean up. They always valued each other's company, even if they had nothing to say to one another at this very moment. Out of the corner of his eye, the half-Saiyan saw Videl put her broom aside to pick up some cups off the floor. However, when she bent down, Gohan felt cheeky and couldn't resist tapping the end of his broom lightly against her butt. Surprised, she turned around, only to see Gohan sweeping the floor as if nothing had happened. She bent over again and pretended to aim for the cups once more, but when Gohan made his move a second time, she grabbed her own broom to block his movement. She smirked at herself, proud that she was this quick.
Her smirk made Gohan smile, still cheeky, but there was something else about it, something she couldn't quite describe. It was a look she'd never seen on him before, but it felt… exciting. As if he was flirting with her nonverbally, but in a defiant way. He challenged her. And she wasn't going to disappoint him.
She slowly unscrewed the broom's shaft and returned his defiant gaze. He mirrored her actions, and casually rested one end of the pole on the ground, waiting for what she would do next, yet grinning mischievously her way.
She took a stance and playfully launched an attack, extending the pole like a part of her own body, but was blocked by a quick movement from Gohan. She jumped back into her stance and watched as Gohan deftly twirled his pole in his hand several times before doing the same. He fell into a stance without any openings, proof that he was in fact a highly skilled Martial Artist. She marveled at it, copied it and received a smile from her opponent. "Observant and adaptive," his smile widened.
Videl charged again and this time she didn't stop after the first move. The rhythmic sound of the wooden sticks slamming together filled the room as each fighter skillfully executed their moves; turn and chase, attack and recover; both smiling. It was almost as if they were dancing.
But when Gohan noticed that their enthusiastic little duel was getting too much for the room, endangering objects that could be knocked over, he disarmed Videl with a swift movement. The clatter of the wooden pole on the ground echoed against the walls, catching the young crime fighter by surprise. Still trying to understand how he had done it, she looked up to Gohan, who was standing very close to her. Behind her back, he swung his pole vertically and grabbed both sides, pulled her toward him, and when her body was pressed against his, he leaned forward to kiss her.
It was their first real kiss after they had woken up, without the influence of alcohol, and he could feel the excitement and nervousness coursing through his body. When she answered his kiss by deepening it, he was over the moon. He, too, dropped his stick, and while the sound of it bouncing off the ground filled the room, he picked her up and fell back onto the nearby couch.
After a while, he broke off the kiss, feeling the need to engage the previous subject as it didn't sit well with him. "You know, I did tell Angela last night that I wasn't interested in her."
Videl raised an eyebrow, "Really?" She was surprised to say at least, "What did you say to her?"
"I - er," Gohan thought back to last night. He was irritated that the party had split them up, and he wanted - or rather, needed - to talk to Videl about who he really was. He had gathered all his courage that evening and was determined to do so. Then a very tipsy Angela showed up, offering him a drink, reeking of pheromones. He remembered that noxious scent of overripe pineapple and he kinda blundly brushed her off. "I - er," he tried again, but sighed as he began to see where he had gone wrong, and blushed with shame. "I told her I didn't like pineapple and that I was more of a cherry kind of guy…"
"What kind of metaphor is that?" She was as lost with his comment as Angela had been that night before.
He shrugged, "Never mind, I'm starting to get your point. I promise to work on it, okay? Anyway, there's no need for you to be jealous, alright? I only have eyes for you," and before she could protest that she'd never been jealous in the first place, he pressed his lips to hers, making her forget what she was even trying to say. As she reciprocated his movements, she felt his strong hand caress her lower back under her shirt. His touch and kisses made her long for more.
"Seriously, do you have to rub salt in my wounds!"
They were both startled by the sudden voice. Gohan immediately let go of Videl and raised his hands in front of him to show whoever walked in on them that he wasn't touching anything, while Videl sat up with guilty but shocked eyes.
"W-What are you still doing here?" Gohan managed to get out, he wasn't that pleased he had walked in on them of all people.
"I drank away my sorrows last night and got too drunk to even ride my bike, so I tried to sleep it off in the lawn chair, only to wake up to this nauseating sight," Stapler replied bitterly.
"You are free to leave," Videl scowled at him, though still embarrassed.
"I was, but you guys are making out on my jacket." The brooded jock stepped forward and reached for something between the dark-haired teens and snatched back his jacket. Without another word, he stormed off, passing a sleepy Sharpener and a jawning Erasa on his way out.
"What's his problem?" Sharpener raised his eyebrow and cringed at the loud sound of the main door slamming shut.
"Don't mind him, he just hates me for some reason," Gohan answered, trying to shrug it off. But even though he didn't like Stapler, he couldn't help but feel sorry for the guy, knowing the reason the jock pestered him all the time was that Stapler had a crush on the girl he'd made out with just minutes ago. He sighed.
"Brains!" Sharpener greeted him with the biggest smile, "What a surprise to see you here!"
Gohan raised an eyebrow at his blond friend, something was off in his tone, as if he didn't mean what he said. Did he know?
He took a deep breath and forced to smile, "I assumed the party wouldn't clean itself up." It wasn't necessarily a lie, because he wasn't denying he'd spent the night, but he wouldn't tell them either, for fear it might damage their group dynamics.
What he didn't know, though, was that Erasa had accidently walked in on them, knowing full well what the two had done. The bubbly blonde just grinned, happy for her two best friends, yet still a little uncomfortable with the image that was clear as day on her face.
"So, had a nice sleep?" she asked Videl.
"Yeah, I did," she replied, both she and Gohan couldn't contain a slight blush, "I slept in my mother's room, the party was too noisy."
"I don't think the noise came fr-umf," Sharpener's sentence was silenced by a poke between his ribs by Erasa, accompanied by a deadly look.
The two dark-haired teens exchanged a confused look, but eventually shrugged it off. Gohan got up from the couch. "Alright, let's get back to work," he said reluctantly, realizing that his alone time with Videl was definitely over now his two blond friends had joined.
"What happened to the brooms?" Erasa asked curiously.
"Videl showed me some Kung Fu moves to pass the time," Gohan said nonchalantly.
"Oh! Please show your new moves!"
Gohan winced at her high-pitched, joyful voice, it didn't do his hangover any good. "Meh, I suck. There's not much to show you," and he screwed one of the brooms back together and continued to sweep the floor.
Videl giggled, knowing full well that he excelled at it, "Oh yeah, he's really bad at it." Gohan gave her a grumpy glare, which she returned by playfully sticking out her tongue.
After over an hour of intensive cleaning, the basement was almost as if nothing had happened. Fortunately for Gohan, Mr. Satan hadn't shown his face yet, but he wasn't planning to stick around much longer for that to happen, and as the clock was almost striking two, it was time to go. He'd already given Erasa a big hug and Sharpener a firm handshake, and now he was standing between his decapsulated bike and Videl.
She tugged a few strands of hair behind her ear, looking a bit down, she never was good at saying goodbye. She hated that her two blond friends were still in their presence, which made it even more awkward than it already was. "Well, uh, I guess I'll see you Monday then," she managed to get out. "Thanks for helping us clean up the party."
Gohan, also a bit uneasy, managed to flash a smile at her. "Y-Yeah, no problem at all," damn it, why was this making him so nervous? "See you Monday morning." Unable to kiss her goodbye, even though he really wanted to, he leaned forward for a hug. It wasn't the same hug as what he'd given Erasa, as this one was firmer and it took him a little longer to let go, but from the outside there was nothing different about it. Oh, he was going to miss that cherry scent.
He got on his bike, waved to his friends and made one last time eye contact with the one who won his full trust and heart. Her eyes were so beautiful; She was so beautiful. He took a deep breath, averted his gaze, stepped on his pedal. and started moving. He didn't want to leave, not at all, but sadly he had to. He already was late, having promised his mother to be home by eleven o'clock the night before. It didn't matter, he thought, since he'd already been grounded for what had happened the month before, where he'd run away to train.
Once out of sight, he quickly encapsulated his bike and flew, disguised as Saiyaman, to his penthouse apartment. His plan at this point was simple: quickly change - for his mother more appropriate - clothes and rush as fast as he could to Mount Paozu. Hopefully she wasn't too mad at him, and even if she was, it was worth any punishment.
He landed on the roof of his building and ran quickly to the door of his apartment… which stood ajar.
'Strange,' he thought, for he was certain he'd locked it when he left. With a gnawing feeling in his stomach, he carefully pushed the door open and looked inside.
"Shit…"
Someone had broken into his apartment.
