Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ and I'm not making any money from this.
A/N: Before I start to write this chapter, I'd just like to say that the Uub thing in this chapter was all thanks to a suggestion Aqua made. *grins* I was wondering what to do with him, and while I was reading over my reviews, I realised what a great idea you had there, m'dear! ^^ Also, I realised I haven't done this in a long time, so here we go!
Fic Recommendations:
Runaway Hearts - by Starr. An amazing, fantastic piece of work by one of my favourite authors. I'm so sorry I haven't reviewed lately, Starr, I'm so lazy. I promise you, as soon as I get time, I shall review, because I'm enjoying every minute of RH. I can't wait to see what happens next. You've made me want to hug Goten one chapter, slap him the next, and altogether made him seem so human. You rule, doll!
Dear Diary - by Asanra. This fic is so good. You simply must read it, Cass's writing style is so cool and natural, I just love it. And I love how she writes Marron here. Actually, I love how she writes everyone! *smiles* I've also been neglecting my reviewing duties for this fic too.... ;_; Sorry hun, I will get to reviewing soon. *scuttles off to beta-read* ^^
Helpless - by Chocolateblood. You are such a brilliant writer, sugar. I mean it. I loved 'Fair', and I love this one too, even if I am slacking with the reviews, I'm still reading and loving every bit of it. Please carry on, it's such a great story!
And leelee, I know exactly what you mean. Hate those peppy types. *scowls* It's not natural to be that cheerful *all the time!*
Hey, I've just been reading G-Boys: Meet PMS, (yeah, took me long enough to get around to it, considering when you finished it! Good thing I browsed your profile, hee hee!) and you are a goddess. I haven't laughed so much in ages! I loved how you handled Duo! *loves Duo almost as much as she loves Zechs* ^^ And Wufei's punishment was entirely justified. Damn sexist baka.....
Well, I guess I'd better get on with the chapter, hadn't I? ^_^
Chapter 21: Maybe....
September 19th (Trunks)
Okay. Now, how did this go again? Umm... How did I manage to do this so easily before? Damn, Trunks! Get a hold of yourself! You can do this, it's easy. Just calm down and do it.
I think my brain's running out of oxygen.
"Trunks?"
I looked at her, suddenly coming back out from that place inside myself and into reality again. Then I finally managed to open my mouth and draw in a deep breath.
I blinked. Once. Twice.
Marron's gaze never wavered, but as she reached over the table to cover my hand with hers, I could feel it trembling. She gave me a shaky smile, entwining her fingers with mine, and for a few moments, we just stared at each other.
"So..." Marron said, in a voice barely audible. Her grip tightened on my hand, as if she was afraid that if she loosened it, I'd get up and walk away. A few more moments passed where we were both silent, and I found myself wondering exactly what to say. Now, I could take two approaches to this. But which one? I finally managed to find my voice, and, as I looked down at both our hands, entwined and resting on the tabletop, amazingly, my confidence began to return too. Thinking that Marron just didn't have any romantic interest in me at all had really affected me, but now, after hearing what she had to say, I felt a bit more like the old me again. Minus the whole screwing-every-girl-I-could frame of mind.
Choosing the 'high-school/college me' reaction to knowing a girl liked me, I smiled, leaning back on the chair a little and gently running my thumb over the back of her hand.
"Of course you have a crush on me." I said with a grin. "I mean, who doesn't?"
Marron's eyes widened just a fraction, and in the few moments of silence that followed, I found myself biting my lip and wondering if I'd chosen to say the right thing. But thankfully, a slow smile made its way across her face, and then she laughed softly, picking up her glass and taking a sip.
"There he is." She said with a smile. "There's the Trunks I'm used to."
She leaned back then, and gazed at me from under her lashes, a smirk playing on her lips.
"Arrogant bastard." she grinned.
~~~~
September 19th (Uub)
Why did I just do what I did? Why did I bother to help Trunks Briefs? I mean, after everything he did to me - well, not me, exactly - during our high school days, I should have told Marron to go in the opposite direction and just clung to the hope that he got run over or something.
No, forget that. I'm not like that, really. I wouldn't wish that on Trunks, even if he is a bastard. It'd upset Marron to know I thought that way, I'm sure. But why did I tell her where he'd run away to?
Why?
Why not just tell her to forget about him, tell her to come back to my place with me, tell her that I could offer her so much more than he could, that I'd give her anything, do anything for her?
But would I? Trunks isn't the only guy who's screwed up right now. I mean, most of the time I'm not sure how I feel about myself, let alone anyone else. And I guess my three days of knowing Marron slightly pales in comparison to the years she's known Trunks. Sure, I'm attracted to her, but how far does that attraction go? Do I like her because of her? Do I even know her?
And how about Marron herself? Does she know me? Not at all.
So then, why did I tell Marron where Trunks went?
Because she loves him.
That's why.
I don't know if she knows yet, but just from spending a few hours with her, I do. Although I'll never understand why.
Shoving my hands in my pockets, I started to make my way home. A flash of familiar blonde hair caught my eye, and I raised an eyebrow, confused. What was she doing here? Didn't I tell her that he was in the town square? What was she doing going in the other direction?
Quickening my pace to catch up with the retreating blonde, I reached forward, grabbing her wrist and spinning her around to face me.
"Marron, where are you going? I said he was - "
I stopped abruptly, eyes widening, as I realised that the girl I'd caught wasn't Marron. She certainly looked a lot like her, but she definitely wasn't. And she was definitely as confused as I was.
"Uh...I...um...I'm sorry." I stammered. "I thought you were..."
The girl smiled, gently pulling her hand from my grip and stepping back a little.
"Someone else? Don't worry about it."
She started to turn back around to walk away, but I stopped her with my hand.
"I'm really sorry..." I told her, my face flushing in embarrassment.
"You said that already." She brushed her hair behind her ears, smiling slightly.
"Listen, how about I buy you a coffee to make up for it?"
"Um...I kinda have a boyfriend. Sorta."
I looked down, disappointed and now even more embarrassed. Great, I manage to alarm her and get rejected in the space of fifteen and a half seconds. I wonder, Uub, is that a personal best?
"You know what?" the girl piped up suddenly. "Screw it. Let's go get a drink."
I raised my eyes, surprised, and she grinned at me.
"I don't think there's any coffee places open, but I know a great bar, if you're still up for it?"
"But what about your 'sorta' boyfriend?" I asked.
"I'm sick of waiting for him to call."
I nodded, and the two of us set off walking towards wherever this bar was.
"What's your name?" the girl asked me.
"Uub." I told her. "You?"
"Aya. Nice to meet you, Uub."
She smiled, then, and I smiled back, and we carried on walking together.
~~~~
September 19th (Trunks)
"So then, what now?" Marron asked me as we left the bar, linking her hand with mine. I couldn't help but smile, holding hands with her just felt so comfortable. Like we fit somehow.
"I dunno, what do you want to do?"
"I dunno, how about you?"
She stopped as we reached the fountain from before and turned around to face me.
"We could go on to another place?" I suggested. Marron smiled.
"I've already had a full bottle of wine, Trunks. If I didn't know you better, I'd say you were trying to get me drunk."
"Maybe I am."
"Maybe you are..."
She leaned forward slightly, just close enough to brush my lips with hers, and I gazed at her for a few seconds, feeling an odd sensation of panic settle in my chest. That was weird. Why was I suddenly getting so nervous? I tried to shrug it off, slipping my arms around her waist and pulling her closer, but something was definitely wrong.
What was it? Why was I so afraid?
I tried again to ignore it, but it only continued to swell in my chest, until I wasn't sure whether I could breathe properly. She stared at me, the light from the moon and the streetlamps dotted around the area reflected in her eyes, and by all accounts we should have been kissing by now. Another wave of fear washed over me, and Marron must have noticed because she frowned a little, looking at me questioningly.
"What's the matter?"
I couldn't speak. So instead, I managed a smile and a shake of my head, as well as mentally battering myself with a crowbar and silently screaming at myself to get a hold of myself.
It didn't seem to work, though, and as she was about to press her lips to mine, I couldn't help but pull away, taking my arms from around her and stepping backwards slightly.
"Trunks, what is it?" Marron asked, hurt. "You don't want to kiss me?"
"I...uh...I don't know." I stammered, sweeping my hair away from my eyes. "I just..."
"Just what?"
"I'm..."
Scared? Of her? No, that's not it. I'm scared of kissing her. And I'm scared because I don't know what'll happen after that. What do I want to happen? I mean, I know where a kiss leads to when I'm with someone else, but with Marron it's different. Am I scared that she'll push me away? Or am I scared that she won't?
"Trunks, what is it?" Marron asked quietly, and as my eyes locked with hers, I realised I didn't care what would happen next. Because it was now, not next. So I smiled at her, and shook my head.
"It's nothing, Maz." I assured her. "I just think too much sometimes."
She giggled softly.
"You think too much? Why do I find that hard to believe?"
I smiled mischievously.
"You know, I'm gonna make you sorry you said that later, blondie."
"I'll hold you to that." she replied with a smirk.
And then I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her against me and claiming her lips with my own. I felt her smile, and she kissed back, tentatively at first, and then gradually becoming more confident. Heat invaded my senses and left a searing trail where her lips left mine, planting gentle kisses along my jaw and to my cheek. As she rested her head on my shoulder, I sighed softly, a pleasant feeling of content washing over me. My heart, which up until now had been hammering inside my chest and leading me to believe that it had a serious problem with my ribcage, began to slow, and filled me with a calmness that I hadn't felt for the longest time.
"Worth the four year wait?" Marron asked me in a muffled voice. I smiled, pulling away enough to look at her.
"Maybe..."
She grinned, and kissed me again, her lips soft and warm against mine.
"I'll show you maybe..." she murmured against my mouth, and our kiss grew deeper, more passionate. I clung to her as tightly as I could, afraid that if I let go she'd vanish into thin air, and I'd be left alone, or find that it was just another cruel dream. I'd been having a lot of those lately.
Four years... I thought as her tongue gently teased mine.
Yes, Marron. It was definitely worth the wait.
~~~~
A/N: Long chapter, huh? No, it's not finished yet. Well, at least, I don't think it is. ^^ I thought here would be a good place to stop the chapter, but do you think it's a good place to stop the fic, too? Let me know. And remember, reviewing is a virtue!
Aerith
A/N: Before I start to write this chapter, I'd just like to say that the Uub thing in this chapter was all thanks to a suggestion Aqua made. *grins* I was wondering what to do with him, and while I was reading over my reviews, I realised what a great idea you had there, m'dear! ^^ Also, I realised I haven't done this in a long time, so here we go!
Fic Recommendations:
Runaway Hearts - by Starr. An amazing, fantastic piece of work by one of my favourite authors. I'm so sorry I haven't reviewed lately, Starr, I'm so lazy. I promise you, as soon as I get time, I shall review, because I'm enjoying every minute of RH. I can't wait to see what happens next. You've made me want to hug Goten one chapter, slap him the next, and altogether made him seem so human. You rule, doll!
Dear Diary - by Asanra. This fic is so good. You simply must read it, Cass's writing style is so cool and natural, I just love it. And I love how she writes Marron here. Actually, I love how she writes everyone! *smiles* I've also been neglecting my reviewing duties for this fic too.... ;_; Sorry hun, I will get to reviewing soon. *scuttles off to beta-read* ^^
Helpless - by Chocolateblood. You are such a brilliant writer, sugar. I mean it. I loved 'Fair', and I love this one too, even if I am slacking with the reviews, I'm still reading and loving every bit of it. Please carry on, it's such a great story!
And leelee, I know exactly what you mean. Hate those peppy types. *scowls* It's not natural to be that cheerful *all the time!*
Hey, I've just been reading G-Boys: Meet PMS, (yeah, took me long enough to get around to it, considering when you finished it! Good thing I browsed your profile, hee hee!) and you are a goddess. I haven't laughed so much in ages! I loved how you handled Duo! *loves Duo almost as much as she loves Zechs* ^^ And Wufei's punishment was entirely justified. Damn sexist baka.....
Well, I guess I'd better get on with the chapter, hadn't I? ^_^
September 19th (Trunks)
Okay. Now, how did this go again? Umm... How did I manage to do this so easily before? Damn, Trunks! Get a hold of yourself! You can do this, it's easy. Just calm down and do it.
I think my brain's running out of oxygen.
"Trunks?"
I looked at her, suddenly coming back out from that place inside myself and into reality again. Then I finally managed to open my mouth and draw in a deep breath.
I blinked. Once. Twice.
Marron's gaze never wavered, but as she reached over the table to cover my hand with hers, I could feel it trembling. She gave me a shaky smile, entwining her fingers with mine, and for a few moments, we just stared at each other.
"So..." Marron said, in a voice barely audible. Her grip tightened on my hand, as if she was afraid that if she loosened it, I'd get up and walk away. A few more moments passed where we were both silent, and I found myself wondering exactly what to say. Now, I could take two approaches to this. But which one? I finally managed to find my voice, and, as I looked down at both our hands, entwined and resting on the tabletop, amazingly, my confidence began to return too. Thinking that Marron just didn't have any romantic interest in me at all had really affected me, but now, after hearing what she had to say, I felt a bit more like the old me again. Minus the whole screwing-every-girl-I-could frame of mind.
Choosing the 'high-school/college me' reaction to knowing a girl liked me, I smiled, leaning back on the chair a little and gently running my thumb over the back of her hand.
"Of course you have a crush on me." I said with a grin. "I mean, who doesn't?"
Marron's eyes widened just a fraction, and in the few moments of silence that followed, I found myself biting my lip and wondering if I'd chosen to say the right thing. But thankfully, a slow smile made its way across her face, and then she laughed softly, picking up her glass and taking a sip.
"There he is." She said with a smile. "There's the Trunks I'm used to."
She leaned back then, and gazed at me from under her lashes, a smirk playing on her lips.
"Arrogant bastard." she grinned.
September 19th (Uub)
Why did I just do what I did? Why did I bother to help Trunks Briefs? I mean, after everything he did to me - well, not me, exactly - during our high school days, I should have told Marron to go in the opposite direction and just clung to the hope that he got run over or something.
No, forget that. I'm not like that, really. I wouldn't wish that on Trunks, even if he is a bastard. It'd upset Marron to know I thought that way, I'm sure. But why did I tell her where he'd run away to?
Why?
Why not just tell her to forget about him, tell her to come back to my place with me, tell her that I could offer her so much more than he could, that I'd give her anything, do anything for her?
But would I? Trunks isn't the only guy who's screwed up right now. I mean, most of the time I'm not sure how I feel about myself, let alone anyone else. And I guess my three days of knowing Marron slightly pales in comparison to the years she's known Trunks. Sure, I'm attracted to her, but how far does that attraction go? Do I like her because of her? Do I even know her?
And how about Marron herself? Does she know me? Not at all.
So then, why did I tell Marron where Trunks went?
Because she loves him.
That's why.
I don't know if she knows yet, but just from spending a few hours with her, I do. Although I'll never understand why.
Shoving my hands in my pockets, I started to make my way home. A flash of familiar blonde hair caught my eye, and I raised an eyebrow, confused. What was she doing here? Didn't I tell her that he was in the town square? What was she doing going in the other direction?
Quickening my pace to catch up with the retreating blonde, I reached forward, grabbing her wrist and spinning her around to face me.
"Marron, where are you going? I said he was - "
I stopped abruptly, eyes widening, as I realised that the girl I'd caught wasn't Marron. She certainly looked a lot like her, but she definitely wasn't. And she was definitely as confused as I was.
"Uh...I...um...I'm sorry." I stammered. "I thought you were..."
The girl smiled, gently pulling her hand from my grip and stepping back a little.
"Someone else? Don't worry about it."
She started to turn back around to walk away, but I stopped her with my hand.
"I'm really sorry..." I told her, my face flushing in embarrassment.
"You said that already." She brushed her hair behind her ears, smiling slightly.
"Listen, how about I buy you a coffee to make up for it?"
"Um...I kinda have a boyfriend. Sorta."
I looked down, disappointed and now even more embarrassed. Great, I manage to alarm her and get rejected in the space of fifteen and a half seconds. I wonder, Uub, is that a personal best?
"You know what?" the girl piped up suddenly. "Screw it. Let's go get a drink."
I raised my eyes, surprised, and she grinned at me.
"I don't think there's any coffee places open, but I know a great bar, if you're still up for it?"
"But what about your 'sorta' boyfriend?" I asked.
"I'm sick of waiting for him to call."
I nodded, and the two of us set off walking towards wherever this bar was.
"What's your name?" the girl asked me.
"Uub." I told her. "You?"
"Aya. Nice to meet you, Uub."
She smiled, then, and I smiled back, and we carried on walking together.
September 19th (Trunks)
"So then, what now?" Marron asked me as we left the bar, linking her hand with mine. I couldn't help but smile, holding hands with her just felt so comfortable. Like we fit somehow.
"I dunno, what do you want to do?"
"I dunno, how about you?"
She stopped as we reached the fountain from before and turned around to face me.
"We could go on to another place?" I suggested. Marron smiled.
"I've already had a full bottle of wine, Trunks. If I didn't know you better, I'd say you were trying to get me drunk."
"Maybe I am."
"Maybe you are..."
She leaned forward slightly, just close enough to brush my lips with hers, and I gazed at her for a few seconds, feeling an odd sensation of panic settle in my chest. That was weird. Why was I suddenly getting so nervous? I tried to shrug it off, slipping my arms around her waist and pulling her closer, but something was definitely wrong.
What was it? Why was I so afraid?
I tried again to ignore it, but it only continued to swell in my chest, until I wasn't sure whether I could breathe properly. She stared at me, the light from the moon and the streetlamps dotted around the area reflected in her eyes, and by all accounts we should have been kissing by now. Another wave of fear washed over me, and Marron must have noticed because she frowned a little, looking at me questioningly.
"What's the matter?"
I couldn't speak. So instead, I managed a smile and a shake of my head, as well as mentally battering myself with a crowbar and silently screaming at myself to get a hold of myself.
It didn't seem to work, though, and as she was about to press her lips to mine, I couldn't help but pull away, taking my arms from around her and stepping backwards slightly.
"Trunks, what is it?" Marron asked, hurt. "You don't want to kiss me?"
"I...uh...I don't know." I stammered, sweeping my hair away from my eyes. "I just..."
"Just what?"
"I'm..."
Scared? Of her? No, that's not it. I'm scared of kissing her. And I'm scared because I don't know what'll happen after that. What do I want to happen? I mean, I know where a kiss leads to when I'm with someone else, but with Marron it's different. Am I scared that she'll push me away? Or am I scared that she won't?
"Trunks, what is it?" Marron asked quietly, and as my eyes locked with hers, I realised I didn't care what would happen next. Because it was now, not next. So I smiled at her, and shook my head.
"It's nothing, Maz." I assured her. "I just think too much sometimes."
She giggled softly.
"You think too much? Why do I find that hard to believe?"
I smiled mischievously.
"You know, I'm gonna make you sorry you said that later, blondie."
"I'll hold you to that." she replied with a smirk.
And then I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her against me and claiming her lips with my own. I felt her smile, and she kissed back, tentatively at first, and then gradually becoming more confident. Heat invaded my senses and left a searing trail where her lips left mine, planting gentle kisses along my jaw and to my cheek. As she rested her head on my shoulder, I sighed softly, a pleasant feeling of content washing over me. My heart, which up until now had been hammering inside my chest and leading me to believe that it had a serious problem with my ribcage, began to slow, and filled me with a calmness that I hadn't felt for the longest time.
"Worth the four year wait?" Marron asked me in a muffled voice. I smiled, pulling away enough to look at her.
"Maybe..."
She grinned, and kissed me again, her lips soft and warm against mine.
"I'll show you maybe..." she murmured against my mouth, and our kiss grew deeper, more passionate. I clung to her as tightly as I could, afraid that if I let go she'd vanish into thin air, and I'd be left alone, or find that it was just another cruel dream. I'd been having a lot of those lately.
Four years... I thought as her tongue gently teased mine.
Yes, Marron. It was definitely worth the wait.
A/N: Long chapter, huh? No, it's not finished yet. Well, at least, I don't think it is. ^^ I thought here would be a good place to stop the chapter, but do you think it's a good place to stop the fic, too? Let me know. And remember, reviewing is a virtue!
Aerith