Misery Loves Company
***
A/N: ::TGG bounces in, dressed up in a Santa hat, green overalls and green-and-red striped hose, complete with little shoes with jingly bells::
TGG: Heyyyy! It's the Christmas update! Since y'all being so nice to me and such, wit dem reviews! So, here you have your chapter four.....heeheeheeheeheehee! I jingle! ::jinglyjingly:: Tiffany, Egro and Gohan should be here annnny second now! Hee hee hee! We've all gotten into the holiday spirit and gotten all dressed up like the idiots we are!! I'm an elf, bwahahahaha!
Tiffany: ::she walks in, dressed similarly as TGG. However, her outfit is done entirely in ice blue wih glitter. Also complete with gloves and icey blue makeup. Yes, she is Jack Frost:: No fair, TGG. I wanted to be the Abominable Snowman!!...Snow-person...whatever...
TGG: Now, Tiffany, if you did that, how would all of us know you were dressing up?
Tiffany: ::GLARE::...I'd pull out your liver and make you eat it, but that would only prove you right.
TGG: ::smug smile::
Tiffany: Where's Gohan, anyways? He had the best costume of all!
TGG: Hey, you're right? Where is he? Come on out, Gohan!
::from a distance, we hear crabby grumblings::
Tiffany: Come on out, Gohan! I mean, it can't be THAT bad!
::from a distance: Yes it can!::
TGG: GOHAN! OUT HERE! NOW!
::a pause...then, sullen, and pouting, Gohan walks out. My dear, dear readers, he is clad in nothing but a pair of TIGHT red pants with fur trim, held up by a pair of suspenders covered with jingle bells. On his head is a set of plush antlers, and a small red ball is stuck on the end of his nose. Mm-hm. He is...Rudolph::
TGG: ::...drool:: EEEEEEEE! GOHAN'S SHIRTLESS!!!!!!
Gohan: ::cringe:: I can't move in these stupid pants...I'm afraid they'll split right down the middle...otherwise I'd run away...
Tiffany: ::snicker:: Yeah, you wouldn't want to show off those "oh-so-sexy" teddy bear boxers, now would you? ::snicker snicker::
Gohan: ::looks VERY sheepish, scratches back of head:: Well, you see, that's kinda a...interesting problem....
Tiffany:...? ::sense of...something growing in the back of her mind:: Gohan....do you....are..."commando?"
Gohan: ::flaming blush:: The pants were too small to wear them with my underwear on! ::defensive::
Tiffany: .....::pause...visualizing...::
Gohan: ::sinking sensation in the pit of his stomach::
Tiffany: TGG! ::TGG snaps out of her reverie long enough to pay attention to Tiffany:: Gohan's nekkid underneath his pants!
TGG: ...........
Tiffany: You realize what this means?
TGG: ...........::eeeeeevil, EEEEEEEVIL, grin:: Oohhhhhh, yes I do, yes I do... ::rubs hands together in a very evil way::
Gohan: ::kneels down and places his hands togeher in prayer::
TGG: On the count of three...
Tiffany: One..
TGG: Two..
Tifany & TGG: THREE!!!
::however, before they can do a thing to poor Gohan, a noise is heard from the same direction that TGG, Tiffany, and Gohan came. A light shines from there. Gasp! It must be Egro! And since all possibilities have been exhausted, he must be...Santa Claus!!!::
Egro: ::jumps out, dressed as!....a PIRATE?!?!!:: Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum!!!
ALL: ...............................................::sweatdrops::
Egro: What?
TGG: ::shakes her head:: Nothing, Egro, it's just...nothing...
Gohan: ::in a very dry tone of voice:: Ladies and gentlemen, the Captain was here.
A/N: This chapter DOES NOT follow the events of chapter three. Rather, it backtracks some. ...Bwahahahaha, ask and ye shall receive...bwahahahaha.
Disclaimer: Egro: Arrr, me hearties, she dunna own this 'ere "dragonball Z" and ye cannae su 'er for it. Yo ho ho! TGG: ::whaps him:: AAAAAARGHHHHH YOU IDIOT!!! You were supposed to be SANTA CLAUS!!! It's HO ho ho, not YO ho ho!!!!
***
The place Sharpener had asked Videl to meet him at was a place called Mickey's Bar and Grill, a family owned restaurant in West City that both of the had fond memores of. In Sharpener's case, this had been the place where all family special events had taken place at, like birthdays, reunions, and other such things. Videl had gone here several times as a child, before her father had won the martial arts tournament and "defeated Cell." Her mother had split when she was just a baby, so it was simply her and her dad for a long time. Hercule had been a personal friend of Mickey from college, so the two of them, chibi Videl and Hercule, spent a lot of time there in the pre-tourney days.
Videl arrived at Mickey's at 7:01, on the dot. The small restaurant was situated between a Coconuts' Music and a Hollywood Video. Both stores were approximately the same size as Mickey's, and all three shared the same parking lot. Videl's car pulled into a space at the very edge of the parking lot, up near the curb of the Coconuts store. Bewaring the ice, Videl carefully stepped out of her vehicle, feeling the chill as the wind gusted around the hem of her skirt.
Yes, I said skirt. Videl was wearing a black skirt that reached to about her calf, with a slit on one side that ran to mid thigh. A black winter jacket, with a somewhat ragged-or is 'well-loved' the word?-fur trim on the hood, was worn unzipped over her top, the reddish confection described earlier: deep red, almost burgundy, thin and rather tight, with a plunging scooped neckline that showcased some of Videl's best assets. She was wearing a black and gold-beaded choker around her neck, and very little on her face: sheer gloss on her lips and the barest hint of liner and shadow on her eyes. No mascara; her lashes were fine without it.
Her shoes were a pair of black short boots, ending only a few inches above her ankle. They didn't really go with her skirt, but the only alternative was a pair of very high, very strappy heels. Videl had decided wisely to keep her feet dry and her ankle from twisting on ice and avoided the pair. Better to be comfortable in the feet than in the fashion sense. Besides, Sharpener never really cared what she wore, so long as he could take it off of her. He wouldn't notice.
The interior of Mickey's was low-lit and rather hazy, despite Mickey's efforts to enforce a 'no-smoking' policy. Videl didn't really mind the smoke though; she'd almost grown up in it. Sharpener, however, did mind it quite a bit, and would always be lurking somewhere with at least a ten-foot radius between him and any smoker.
Videl walked to the smiling waitress, asking for a table for "Pencil," party of two. The waitress smiled and pointed to table far in the back of the restaurant, standing alone in a mostly deserted part of the restaurant.
"He requested that table, don't know why," the waitress observed, snapping her gum. Videl gave a little half-smile to the waitress out of courtesy; the girl was starting to rub her the wrong way. She walked away quickly, threading around the tables and such, until she reached Sharpener's table. He'd seen her coming and perked up slightly, although there didn't seem to be something quite right with his expression, particularly in his eyes.
Sharpener was dressed simply, a plain t-shirt and jeans with sneakers. A prehistoric baseball cap rested on his head, his long blonde hair held back in a very loose ponytail. Very, very casual. All in all, Videl was getting som bad vibes from all this.
Videl summoned a smile to her face and tried not to act nervous as she sat down.
"Hey," she said in greeting, placing her jacket around the back of her chair before sitting down. "Didn't anybody ever tell you that it's bad manners to wear a hat indoors?"
"Nope," Sharpener said with a smile, rakishly pulling at the bill. Videl smiled at him knowingly, knowing he was merely joking around. He would usually discard his hat when their food came.
"You are difficult, do you know that?"
"Hey!" Sharpener said, placing a hand over his heart as though he'd been struck there. "I thought I was impossible! What is this?"
"Sorry, babe," Videl said, leaning over and pecking him on the nose, "But I am the only impossible one here."
"Oh yeah?" Sharpener said, leaning over the table with a barely concealed smile on his face, in his best cowboy-from-a-western voice.
"Yeah." Videl leaned forward to match him, witha much better concealed smile on her face and an evil squint to make any varmint turn yaller and run.
"You win." Sharpener leaned back in his chair, an expression of wide-eyed "fear" on his face, his hands held up in surrender.
"See?" Videl also leaned back, but her arms went behind her head and a smug, self-satisfied grin went on her face. "You're not stubborn enough to be impossible."
Sharpener pouted, then gave her a winning smile. "Is it really my fault I turn to putty in your hands?"
"Flattery," Videl said, pointing at him warningly, "Will get you everywhere. Are we gonna order or are you gonna goof off all night."
"Goof off all night," Sharpenrr said without missing a beat, but picked up his menu anyways.
***
The meal was fairly uneventful. Sharpener ordered a steak smothered in mushrooms and Videl a shrimp platter. What then followed was a good-natured ribbing about what all this red meat was doing to him, while Sharpener pointed out that red meat, schmed meat, she was still eating a bug. A really ugly pink bug.
The rest of the dinner conversation was normal, as it is between two people totally comfortable with the other. They talked about work, and Sharpener's baseball career, and the upcoming Tenkaichi Boudokai Videl planned to enter, and how her father was going to be the head judge, and how stupid that was, and where exactly Videl had learned that sort of language from. Over dessert, (tiramisu for Videl, key lime pie for Sharpener), they discussed politics, which, as usual, consisted of Videl educating Sharpener on what was happeneing, and the economy, which was Sharpener educating Videl.
As the waitress with the unnerving smile cleared away the last plate, the conversation dwindled to a halt and an uncomfortable silence. Videl knew what she was expecting from Sharpener; or thought she did. She had come here with the expectation that he would be popping the question. But his extremely casual style of dress had caught her off-guard, very unusual. His hat still rested on his head; his excuse that his ponytail was threaded through the back unsatisfactory to her.
Sharpener steepled his fingers and bit his lower lip, suddenly finding the salt shaker to be incredibly fascinating. This was it. This was the do-or-die moment. And there was no backing out of it, either. He had to do this. If he didn't, than both he and Videl would be decieving themselves for the rest of their life, unrealizing of this as Videl might be. Sharpener took a deep breath and prepared to speak. Now was the time. And should he succeed....God have mercy on his soul.
"Ahh..Videl?" Sharpener said, getting her attention, "I think...we need to talk."
Inwardly, Videl squealed. Yes! knew it! He really is going to propose! Outwardly, Videl smiled and said, "Good. I was just about to say the same thing."
Damn it! Why does she have to make this so difficult! "Well, you see, Videl, I've been thinking about us, and, um, there's something we need to do."
Videl's smile grew even more. Oh, thank you, Dende. Thank you so much. "Really?"
"Yes....um...." Why oh why oh why me, God? Why do I have to love her so much?"
"Well?" Videl was in a dreamy state, eyes half closed, looking happily at Sharpener, who seemed to be getting more and more uncomfortable with the second.
"I think we should stop seeing each other." Sharpener said quickly, shutting his eyes so he wouldn't have to see Videl's face. There. It's done. I've said it. God damn me for it, I said it. After a second, he opened his eyes, to see Videl staring at him with a mixture of surprise and hurt in those blue eyes.
"E-Excuse me?" Videl asked, disbelieving. This can't be happening.
"We should stop seeing-" Sharpener began, but Videl cut him off.
"No, I heard you, but-why?" Videl felt that she was so distraught, she could barely put together an intelligible English sentence. And, in a way, she was. The Ace of Hearts, the final piece on her house of cards, had fallen too hard and wrecked the whole edifice.
Sharpener leaned forward and took hold of both her hands. The hardest part was over; the climax had been reached, now came the falling action, to the denouement and the ending of his story.
"Look," Sharpener said to Videl, "Baby...it was....we...We were great, but we can't do this anymore. We're only fooling ourselves."
"W-what do you mean?" Videl said, trying to gather her thoughts to herself.
"It was great while it lasted, but this good thing must come to an end."
Videl glared at him. "You were just in it for the sex, weren't you?!" she accused.
"What?! NO!" Sharpener yelped. He began to defend himself, somewhat panicked, but Videl didn't need to hear it. She already knew by his initial reaction that that wasn't the case.
"It's me, then, isn't it?" Videl looked up at him with sad eyes.
"No, it's not you, it's...no, I'm sorry, I won't lie to you, it is you." Sharpener said, wincing as he heard what that sounded like.
"Well, what is it? What did I do?" Videl heard her voice crack as she spoke, but was anxious enough to ignore it.
Dammit. Sharpener thought. I didn't want to hurt her like this...I never wanted to hurt her at all...at least I can answer her question. "You fell in love." Sharpener said simply.
"But I love you." Videl said, not understanding. Sharpener closed his eyes and sighed, looking both pleased and saddened.
Oh Jesus...Videl, you have no idea how much I want to hear that from you...but I know that you don't mean it. "Videl," Sharpener said, "Do you really mean that? Think about it."
"Of course I mean it! I love you!" Videl said immediately, grabbing Sharpener's face in her hands. She searched his eyes for an answer, and found only sorrow, and pain, -and love.
"You aren't fooling." Videl said, very quietly.
" 'Fraid not." Sharpener said, just as quietly.
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be." Sharpener put his hand over hers and closed his eyes for a second as he made a memory of how her hands felt. Then, he pushed them away, and opened his eyes to see Videl's brimming with tears.
"You'll be fine." Sharpener reassured. "I promise you."
"How can you know?" Videl asked, becoming bitter and resentful, as is her way of coping with stress. Sharpener smiled.
"Because I know Gohan's a good guy."
Videl gazed at him, shocked out of her anger, and he smiled, put a twenty and a ten on the bill, and walked away. As he walked out, a man on the bar got up and headed toward Videl.
At the moment, Videl had buried her face in her hands, and was choking down a sob when she heard a voice from above her.
"Hey," The voice was male and sounded genuinely concerned, "You alright?"
Videl looked up. The guy who had spoken seemed to be about her age, maybe a year younger. He was black, with a head of short, tight curls, and had large, pretty brown eyes. He was dressed in a pair of khaki carpenters and wore a forest green plaid button-up over a white tank top. He seemed to be fairly well built, though not as overtly muscular as Sharpener and Gohan were, nor as slender as Gohan was. He wore no jewelry but for a gold cross on a chain.
"I-I'm fine." Videl said, hurriedly wiping at her eyes.
"Only if you cry when you're happy." The man said, and reached out a hand for her to shake. "I'm Noah. You?"
"Videl." She reached up and shook his hand.
"I saw what happened." Noah said. "Your man, did he really...?"
"Yes." Videl said, feeling tears well up in her again. "He left me."
"Oh, I'm sorry." Noah said, sounding genuinely concerned for her. "You two been dating long?"
"Almost six years." Videl said, running a hand through her hair. "I was just gonna ask him to marry me."
"Damn," Noah exclaimed in something like disbelief. "That has to suck."
Videl smiled at his choice of words. "Yeah. It sucks."
"Can I sit down?" Noah gestured to the other side of the booth.
She gave him a slow, genuine smile. "Sure." Noah smiled back.
"So.." Noah said, rubbing his hands together, "You -you gonna spend all night here?"
"No." Videl said, folding her hands together and resting her chin on them. "I really don't know what to do. All of my plans for the evening have left, as you know." Noahed laughed a little.
"Ah, I know how that feels." Noah folded his arms over the table. "Well, I was going out to a club later," He looked at her nervous and hopeful. "You wanna come with me? I swear it ain't nowhere bad."
Vdel paused, before giving her answer.
"Sure."
***
TGG: YAY! Done! ::Is clinging onto a Gohan with one of the plush antlers torn, a few jingle bells missing from his suspenders, and who is sitting down to avoid splitting his pants::
Gohan: Can I please, please, please, please, please please PLEASE get out of this tawdry costume now! It's January for Pete's sake!
Egro: Your fault for picking the reindeer costume, boy.
Gohan: Pick? Who picked anything.....As a matter of fact I believe YOU were the one who got the costumes....
Tiffany; Yeah! Egro, why'd you pick a Jane Frost outfit for me?!
Egro: 'Cause you the Ice Queen, baby.
Tiffany: Why you....
Gohan: Why did you make.....HER :::shudders:: into an elf?
Egro: ::evil smile:: 'Cause she's short.
Gohan, Egro, and Tiffany: ::eeeeeeeevil cackles.....Cut short by the wet, slimy smashing of the Uber-Albacore 3000::
TGG: ::holding a stinky fish almost as big as she is:: HAH! Teach you to call me short! Anyways, here is your chapter...LATE, due to lack of reviewage....I KNOW there are people out there who are reading and not reviewing.....I know it...so START REVIEWING!!!! Or you'll see what cliffhangers I can dream up when I'm real pissed.....bwahahahahahaha....Oh, and just for y'all who DID review.....
Gohan: YIPE!!!!!! ::leaps into the air, and....::
Heh heh heh heh heh....
FICS OF THE DAY:
Predator and Prey by Psycho-Ann: A/U but AWESOME! Oh, and it needs to be updated. Right. Now. :::rrrrrrrrrrr....::: And Psycho-Ann, if you don't want to write lemons for that story: I WILL!!!!!
Egro: Isn't funny how she always puts EVIL cliffhangers at the end of her stories, yet throws an absolute fit when someone does the same to her?
Veritas by Psycho-Ann: Yep, she's a real prodigy. This is a sort-of A/U....also AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!...Nice long chapters...Needs to be updated, though...
LAST WORDS:
"When you get down to the wire, Avril Lavigne is just as beautiful and just as much an image as Britney Spears. Both of them are structures, archetypes, created by society and, depending on your politics, the media or the subconscious. Both are equally symbolic, and both are just as demeaning to the quote, others, unquote. The alternative-to-popular-mainstream-and-its-sexualized-images-culture, consisting of angry young persons claiming more integrity and dressed just as theatrically, is exactly as superficial as the bubblegum pop they so despise. Will we ever see Avril with her hair done up? Or without that dark, smoky (god forbid sexy) eye makeup? And will we ever again see Britney "wearing clothes" as Avril so delicately put it? Both of them, Avril and Britney, are yoked to an image: In Britney's case, young, beautiful, innocent sexpot; in Avril's case, young, beautiful, angry rebel. When all the crap is cut away, the counterculture is just as demanding of conforming and thinking alike: they merely play to a different crowd." -me. Disillusionment, tally-ho!
