Disclaimer: I own nothing, stop badgering me already!
A/N: I'm amazed at the feedback I've gotten from you guys. Very surprised you haven't forgotten me. ^-^ Thank you so much for leaving such wonderful comments, I'm honored, really. Now, I haven't read through this chapter to edit it, so if you see a lot of blatant errors, know it's because I wanted you to have your update on time. Don't yell. Anyway, as promised, here's your Wednesday update:
Lady Luck
A week had passed and still, no word from Pan. Trunks drummed his fingers on his desk, looking dispersedly down at the papers before him. He didn't want to have to deal with this right now. He had other things on his mind. Like his best friend. She was avoiding him. And she knew he couldn't make logical decisions without her. She knew that he had to have her opinion on nearly everything, from the type of cereal he should have for breakfast depending on what kind of day he was going to have, right down to which contract he should pass over and which he should consider.
Millions of dollars lay in the balance of her picking number three or four. And she wasn't around to be his good luck charm. Maybe he would ask Maz. She was good luck. But she was at work, undoubtedly staring down at some scientific equation and trying to figure out it's workings. She was a scientific genius. Unfortunately, genius' weren't very lucky when it came to things like 'pick a number'. She'd probably make him go through a million reasons as to why she had to 'pick a number' and then what the number was good for. And by the time he got that far he'd have been better off picking a contract himself.
"Damn it, Pan. Millions of dollars." He placed his head in his hands and sighed dejectedly. Maybe he'd call her up. All he wanted to know was three or four. That wasn't too hard, right? It was a shame, president of Capsule, thirty-five, and he couldn't decide on which contract was more logical for his own company. All the damn guide books he'd read, business courses he'd taken, and hands on experience, and he still relied on a young woman to tell him which random number she liked better, that he threw out at her.
Not to mention his sorry excuse for breakfast this morning. Apple Jacks. What did that say about his mood? About his day? He didn't know, because Pan wasn't there to consult. What the fates had in store for him, he had no clue. If his mother was going to come barging into his office, he wasn't sure…no, he was sure. She worked a floor below him and she was probably on her way now. Wondering if he had decided between Fluerworks and Conels. But he hadn't, and if he was ever going to he'd have to call Pan. He'd have to know. Three or four! It was pathetic.
Slowly he forced his face out of his hands and curved his fingers around the phone. He picked it up and swallowed, wondering if she was going to be kind enough to answer his call. Wondering if she was going to tell him what he wanted to know, or hang up…run away. Like she had been doing so far, avoiding him. Not exactly just hanging up, more like making excuses to get away. ("I have sociology study, Trunks. I have to go." "I have to help mum and grand-mum with the cooking." "I'm just…I'm busy. Bye.") Sure she was busy, busy ignoring him. He didn't even know what he'd done wrong.
His hand was dialing the numbers before he knew what was happening. She'd picked up and he breathed a sigh of relief. Yesterday he'd called five times, each time it rang until he got the machine. He left messages too, needless to say, they weren't returned yet.
"Three or four, Pan?" He scratched his head, hoping she wasn't going to avoid the question.
"Seven." He could nearly see her rolling her eyes through the phone. He felt his mother's ki, vast approaching. He really needed her to pick one.
"Really, three or four?" He nearly pleaded as he heard his secretary direct his mother in.
"You're a grown boy, Trunks. You decide for yourself. Ever think of that?" She sighed and he winced, knowing she was going to hang up.
"Wait, Pan!" He called, frantic for anything that could help.
"What do you want?" She challenged, haughty in her response. He shivered.
"What did I do wrong?"
"Four, Trunks." And then he heard the dial tone.
"Mother fu-" His door had swung open and there his mother was, glaring with unwavering eyes. Her hands were on her hips and she was twitching in the right corner of her lip. She obviously came for blood. "Er…funny you should show up…I've just decided on Conels." He wiped his brow, sweat prickling more and more by the second, and handed her the file, quickly signing the contract.
"Well it's about time, mister!" She panted, snatching the file from his hands. "If you'd have chosen Fluerworks I might have fired you on the spot!" She smiled and Trunks felt his stomach lurch. Good old Panny, she'd done it again. Good thing he hadn't called Maz, her favorite number was three…
"What did you think was so wrong with Fluerworks?" He asked, careful to emphasize the 'you' so that she'd think he felt there was something wrong too.
"Oh, well the fine print there," She licked her finger and swiftly pushed open the manila folder. Her thumb pressed on some tiny lettering right on the very top, and smudged the black print as she ran it across. "It leaves a loophole, so if something should go wrong…according to their standards, they could get out without paying us back. That's what you spotted? Or was there something else?"
"Oh, no. That was it, I threw it aside the second I read those first few lines. If there's something else wrong…I wouldn't know…" She narrowed her eyes suspiciously at him.
"Then why'd it take you so long to decide. You had Conels out there about to loose his pants." She was shooting daggers at him as if he'd done it for a practical joke. Was it his fault he was just a little slow?
"Er…I had to read through every inch of Conels' report. You know, make sure they weren't trying to pull the same thing. Wouldn't want our company to make such a stupid mistake." He sighed with relief, again thanking the young girl that seemed to hate his guts at the moment. He'd missed all of that fine print, hated reading small letters unless he had to. Not to mention, his mother had reviewed every single report. Why did she have to make him decide it for himself if she was just going to tell him which to choose?
He knew what she would say, "Trunks, I'm preparing you for the day when I'm not here to coach you. Your sister understands these things, why can't you?" Why didn't she give Bra the company then? No, Bra was too flighty to work at Capsule Corps. Maybe she'd settle down one day, but her head was too light to settle on just one thing. He chuckled softly as his mother nodded her head, accepting his explanation.
"Well, as long as you were being careful." She nodded, happily walking out of the room with the report folded under her arms. He was shaking his head as she left, knowing that he could have told her anything and she wouldn't have cared. His news about his marriage to Maz kept his mother so pacified she didn't care what he did or didn't do. He didn't have to go to work quite so often this last week, or stay quite so late. He didn't have half as much work. She was absolutely spoiling him. And he surely didn't mind.
He picked up the phone again, hitting the redial button once he was sure his mother was gone. (She wouldn't like the idea of him getting his crucial business decisions from a game of luck with Pan.) The phone only rang twice before the girls' voice filled the empty space with pleasantness. Even though she was clearly peeved, she still sounded lovely on the telephone.
"Well?" She began, not so much as a 'hello', waiting for him to tell her the outcome.
"How did you know it was me?" She didn't answer for a long time and he bet she was trying to send him death glares through the telephone. One of those 'duh' looks.
"It rung like you." She finally answered.
"How does something ring like me?" He teased.
"Three or four?" She responded.
"It was four. Good job, babe."
"As usual." He could feel her smirk, even though he couldn't see it.
"Apple Jacks?" He knew she knew what he meant.
"You're feeling tired, worn down. Unsure about a big decision? Something's bothering you…"
Okay, so he knew that her predictions had nothing to do with the cereal. And everything to do with the kind of week he was having or the expression on his face when she saw him. But all the same, she always knew how to put his problems into words. And that was a comforting thing. After all, wasn't that what therapists were paid to do?
"Now that you mention it," His started, his eyes twinkling, wondering if he could get an honest answer. "I have this friend who's been avoiding me. Can you foresee what would make a person do such a thing?"
"Avoid the most desirable man in Japan? Well, if this friend is a guy, he's probably jealous. You're stealing all of the attention away from him with the ladies."
"Oh. And if this someone were female?"
"She might be jealous too. It's known that quite a few men are attracted to your boyish charms and great look." At this he found himself blushing with an angry expression on his face. That was…disturbing to think about and he preferred to pretend like he didn't notice it when those of the same sex were hitting on him.
"Are you jealous Pan?" He teased, if she were there he'd be nudging her side. "Am I stealing all of your boyfriends away?" She laughed lightly before answering.
"And I was wondering why Toby hadn't called." She spoke with mock appall. They had a good laugh before things turned serious again, Trunks' face turned solemn and his worries got heavier.
"I don't want you to be mad at me Panny." He finally spoke. She sighed and he knew the smile was also wiped off her face.
"I'm not mad at you Trunks." She told him, and he was sure she knew he wasn't going to leave her alone until they talked things out. "Its…I don't know…everything." He groaned, letting her know that wasn't good enough. "Well…I guess…In a way I am jealous of you. You see…I always-always thought that I'd be married before you." He laughed at her explanation, not believing it for a second. For as long as he'd known Pan he'd never heard her talk of marrying in her twenties. She'd always said something along the lines of fifty-if at all. She wasn't in a rush to settle down. Not with the way she shoved any guy interested aside as if he were a fly circling her favorite food.
She wasn't in a rush to 'settle in a kitchen with brats and a fat stomach'. The day she told him that one was still fresh in his mind. And now here she was, saying she thought she wanted to be married before him. She wasn't serious…was she? She could be…she was the biggest tomboy, but he knew that was show. She really was proud of being a girl. So maybe she was just putting up a façade when she told him that she didn't want to be married either. Maybe she was just saying that for fear of laying her true feelings out there for mockery. She did that a lot. He had a feeling, however, that this was one of those times. And she wasn't really afraid of him being married first.
The stony silence that met him as he laughed at her told him to shut up quickly, though. And he stopped in his pondering for a few seconds, to say some encouraging words. Even if she was lying, he knew she believed he thought she was telling the truth, the last thing he wanted was for her to believe she couldn't tell him anything. She really could. And he wouldn't throw it in her face. So, if she wanted to pretend that she wanted to be married before him, he could play this game. He could make her feel 'better' about it.
"Panny, I'm sure that you won't have trouble finding Mr. Right, if you'd just give him a chance. But you're always sending off every guy that tries to talk to you. You can be…really intimidating."
"Do you think I'm 'intimidating'?" She challenged and he had the suspicion that there was a curious tint to her voice. As if she were pleading, not making a point.
"Of course not. But I grew up with you. I used to baby-sit you. And I'm one of the few men that could take you in a fight."
"Yeah right." She responded snidely. "Not even if I let you. You'd pass out from exhaustion, Mr. Office Man."
"We'll just have to see about that one. I haven't had any exercise in awhile, but I'm sure I could still whip you."
"Yeah, you won't be talking trash once I beat you into unrecognizable pieces."
"Hmph." He made a motion to cross his arms but realized he was holding the phone, blushing and glad she couldn't see him, he continued on. "What do you say? Tonight then? I'll stop all your trash talking."
"Only because you won't be conscious to hear it, but yeah."
"Whatever Pan-pan. It's a date. Now, back to these Apple Jacks…"
*
It was a good thing he couldn't see the blush that formed furiously across her cheeks at those words. It was a date. Hah. She needed to get over the shock, he hadn't meant it that way, and it wasn't the first time he'd used the expression. But it always had the same affect. They'd had countless 'dates' the earliest she could remember was when she was six. Okay, so they weren't really countless if she knew exactly how many times they'd had one, but hey. Anyway, she had to force herself to listen to what he was saying. The idiot was still talking about his choice of breakfast.
"Just have teriyaki and rice for dinner, no harm done…after I kill you, that is." She heard him chuckle and stop his ramblings on food.
"So, I'm glad you're speaking to me again." She rolled her eyes, tired of him lingering back to the fact that she was obviously angry with him.
"I was never not speaking with you." She informed him, sighing with annoyance.
"Sure you weren't. Only you were really busy. Busier than you have been for…what? Three months?" She bit her bottom lip, annoyed at him for bringing it up. Trunks had started dating Marron three months ago. She'd avoided him then too. It was a wonder he hadn't made the connection.
"I was really busy." She spoke defiantly. She knew he didn't believe her but she didn't care. She wasn't going to own up to the reason she'd been avoiding him. Countless times she'd tried to tell the idiot she was madly in love with him and couldn't get over it to save her life. Countless times she'd tried to tell him she wasn't going to be with anyone else if she couldn't go to sleep feeling his touch every night, couldn't wake up to his kiss every day. How many times had she been just about to spill the news but lost her nerves? Too many to count. More times than he had called their get-togethers 'dates'.
"I know Pan-pan, I know." She knew it was about time to wrap this conversation up. Knew he had stacks of paper on his desk taller than two of her and he needed to get back to work. The conversation had been longer than usual because she had stayed on the phone with him this time. But she didn't want to end the dialogue between them, then he'd be able to say she was avoiding him again. She didn't want that. And she loved it when he called her 'Pan-pan'. It was the only time she ever felt like she was more than just his friend. Like he really cared for her.
"Trunks, don't you have to get back to work?"
"Yeah, probably." He seemed unhappy about hanging up with her, reluctant to let her go. Maybe she should 'avoid' him more often. If he was happy to talk to her then she was all for it. Dende, why did she have to love him so much? She knew her eyes had glazed over with a dazed kind of look, just talking to him. Knew her face looked completely serene and her heart was fluttering uncontrollably, beating so loudly she thought he could hear it over the phone. And she was smiling. Goofily. The same smile she was sure Marron was wearing last week, when they told a room full of people…Yeah, now she remembered why loving him was a bad thing. The smile had disappeared.
"I have to call Maz. Then get back to work. I'll talk to you later, lovely." She rolled her eyes. Yes, call Maz.
"All right, Trunks." She hung up before he could say anything else. Maybe right now he was frowning into the phone, wondering what brought on that change of a mood so suddenly. Calling your stupid fiancée. She snorted at the thought. Her nose is probably so far into a book she won't be able to find the phone.
*
Trunks frowned as he waited for the phone to stop ringing and the person on the other end to pick up. He knew she was busy but…couldn't she just pause for a second? She had to know it was him. Finally, he heard tired breathing, as if she'd searched forever for the telephone, and then her strained 'hello'.
"Hey love," He smiled, loving the tired tone to her voice. He loved everything about her from the way he was sure she was raking her fingers through her hair right now, to the way her blue eyes always shown into his like she could read his soul.
"Trunks," He could almost see her smiling through the phone. "What are you up to?"
"Just got Pan to talk to me again."
"Ah, did she ever say what was wrong?" He could hear scribbling sounds on the other end and he knew she was writing frantically on some paper.
"Danced right around it. You know Pan." He was, by then, shifting though papers of his own, reading the first line of a three page report on marketing.
"Yeah. But at least you guys are talking again. I hate to see you miserable." She emphasized the miserable part with an almost bitter tone to her voice. He had the suspicion that there was some underlying meaning to her words and quirked his eyebrows, but he didn't question her farther, only countered her statement.
"I wasn't miserable. I was just a little upset. Anyway, we have a date tonight."
"We do?" At this, he could hear the movements going on in the background stop, he knew she had paused completely in her work and was lifting her own eyebrow. He laughed at her confusion and shook his head, as if she could see the motion.
"Not us. Pan and I."
"Oh." She almost sounded relieved and he found himself wondering why. "So, I don't remember telling you it was okay to see other people." She teased as he heard her begin her work again.
"I don't remember asking." He mused. "I didn't think you'd mind, you know. You should get used to it, I am the president of a very lucrative business. Women throw themselves at me all the time and if we're going to be married you can't expect me not to get bored sometimes." She was smiling, he knew she was. That was the thing he loved most about Marron, he'd never seen her be jealous. Not ever. She, of course, didn't want him running around on her, but a little harmless flirting in his business junctures, and she never freaked out. So what, every now and then he'd have to wink at a business partner or take out the daughter of an opposing company's president. She didn't complain.
She understood that he was just being a man of the world and as long as she carried herself as a person who deserved respect, she would get it. She knew better than to overreact if he checked out a waitress or smiled at a cashier when they were out. She hardly even noticed it when they slipped him their numbers. And if she did, she didn't say anything. Naturally, he always threw them away when he got to a trash can, but that didn't change the fact that she could have made a scene. Every other woman he'd ever dated had. But not Marron. And right now, he knew that she was smiling at his little joke, not considering the future, wondering if he ever would cheat on her. He wouldn't dare.
"Yeah, I should have known you were a dog. All my friends told me so. But no. I had to keep on turning to Trunks. Loving Trunks." She laughed and he joined her. "You were my downfall mister."
"And proud to be so." They discussed life events for a moment. Then he asked her what she was working on and she gave him a detailed description about electrochemical lab research that he didn't understand and in return she asked about his 'business mumbo-jumbo' as she called it and he described the marketing plan. Then, almost as if out of no where, she asked him something else.
"So, where are you and Pan going on your 'date'?" He was startled, as he sat back in his chair and took in her curiosity. She had every right to be curious. She was supposed to be his other half…or soon to be his other half…however that 'soul mate' thing worked.
"Just a spar. Later on tonight though. And if I'm going to make it I'll have to get going. I have so much work in this office…but I'm sure you understand that…" She was rustling through papers so loudly he doubted if she even heard what he was saying. The noise stopped as, he assumed, she realized what she was doing.
"Oh, yeah. Well, I guess I'll talk to you later tonight."
"Count on it."
"Um-hmm." She hung up the phone before he could get another word in edgewise. That was twice. What was with women and hanging up on him? He stared dumbfounded at the phone before putting it back on it's cradle.
"I love you too, Maz." He spoke to the thin air while smiling. It didn't really bother him. She often got distracted in her work and lost herself to all reality. She often missed her common sense while she was working on equations and chemical formulas and the such. The only thing he knew about any of that was the periodic table of elements had elements on it. That was the extent of his chemistry, and personally, he didn't care one lick for the subject. But Marron was passionate about the subject, and anything she loved he loved, by the transitive property, because he loved her. See, he did pick up on a little geometry.
He flipped through a few more files, looking them over and not really reading them, before boredom took him again. If Pan were here she'd be helping him with these papers. She'd be keeping him attentive. Maybe he should think about hiring a personal assistant…
*
Pan paused, sweat pouring down her face, hair in a messy pile on her head. She wiped her brow before Trunks came charging at her again and she had to quickly move out of the way. His fist went past her head but not even by a centimeter and she was already throwing her leg into his chest. He doubled over and she used the pause to her advantage, throwing her hands down onto his back and knocking him to the ground.
He pulled himself up with speed she didn't expect, or even consider that he had, and shot the back of his hand to the side of her face. She fell back but quickly regained her footing and they were back to throwing punches and kicks at each other, neither of them able to land a blow.
Trunks was increasing his speed by the second but every time he swung out, Pan was already moving slightly in the other direction. He didn't understand it. She shouldn't be able to move this fast. Her reaction time was no where near that good. He'd seen her fighting with Goten no less than last month, he'd seen her get cornered by the same tactic. And now she was moving so skillfully it was like she anticipated every move before he even thought it. Like she could read his mind. All the while, never slowing the speed in her own attacks. And he, he had no trouble dodging anything she threw at him. But naturally, he was stronger than she was. Of course it was only by the amount of saiyan blood cursing through his veins, otherwise she'd have already ended this match.
But she hadn't. And it was almost as if they were dancing. The way they moved so playfully around each other, moving before the other even had the chance to stop attacking. Her body moved in sync with his and they found themselves neck to neck. His right fist was by her left cheek and hers by his. Both of them had missed the punch but Pan had threw so much into it that she lost her footing and flew forward. Her lips bumped his, grazing ever so lightly, and he saw her recoil back as if he'd burnt her skin.
So startled he was by the contact-the small shivers that cascaded down his spine-that he had to clear his head, telling himself that if he didn't think about what he was going to do next, and just made some random move, she wouldn't be expecting it and couldn't dodge it. But her psyche seemed to be two steps ahead of his, she was already doing the same thing and her foot caught his jaw. He fell to the ground once again, and being tired, ended the match.
"That's good, Pan." He held his hand up for surrender and she shot one of his famous smirks at him. He rolled his eyes, annoyed that she could copy his face so easily, and pulled himself off the ground.
"Thought you could take me." She mused and he shook his head at her cockiness.
"I can. I just didn't want to crush your spirit."
"Yeah right." She wiped her face once again and looked back through the woods. "Well, I should be getting home soon. You know, I have classes in the morning."
"And I have work."
"And you have to call Marron tonight." She offered the piece of information without even thinking. Without taking a second thought to what she was saying. She didn't even realize it until it had come out of her mouth. This was probably a good thing, for at this point, she was sure if she'd spoken with vengeance he'd have picked up on exactly what was wrong with her. And she loved him like a friend as well. If she couldn't have it all at least she could have something. She didn't want to ruin what they had left.
"Yeah." He nodded, wiping his hands on his blue spandex and looking as if someone had sentenced him to life. She laughed slightly and leaned in to nudge his side.
"What's that look for?" She teased as he blushed, realizing his face.
"Oh, nothing. It's just…" He paused, looking at her as if just realizing who she was. "You don't want to hear this." He informed, shaking his head. "And you said it was late."
"Nonsense. If you need to talk, Trunks, I'm here to listen." Perhaps she sounded too eager at this point, for he lifted a curious eyebrow at her, but she didn't mind it. She already had to force herself to keep the smile off of her face. Was something going on with Trunks and Marron? Something bad? Like he realizes she's not the one. Hah. Pan almost laughed out loud at herself. The day Trunks told her something like that was the day Gohan told Pan he would rather see her with Trunks than someone else. Never going to happen.
"It's not so much that I need to talk, as it is that I need to think. Marriage is a huge concept, you know." Her good mood visibly dropped. He was giving serious contemplation to their married life together. She really didn't want to hear about this. He seemed to notice her mood and she could almost see the wheels inside his head turning. Shit. He was going to figure it out. Why right now? After all the times she thought of telling him she loved him. Of all the times she considered sharing her soul and easing her heavy load. Why now?
"Pan," He began, but she was already turning on her heels. She was running, not literally, but running just the same. She knew, but she didn't want to hear it from him right now. She wasn't ready for her world to fall apart. She just wanted them to stay the same, frozen in that frame forever. Helplessly in love with him, and him none the wiser. She never thought she'd be wishing that. But at the same point she was ready to avoid. She was in panic mode. She also never seriously thought he'd know she loved him. She wanted to get away. But his hand was quick, grabbing her hand and keeping her there. She sighed.
"Trunks, I have to go to class in the morning."
"And I have to go to work. That isn't stopping me from spending time with one of my most favorite people. I said, Pan," She smiled, despite herself. One of his 'most favorite people'? She liked that.
"What, Trunks?"
"I think I figured it out." She turned back to him. Her lips a pale pink, her face drained of color. She was feeling lightheaded and she could tell that he could tell. He gently tugged on her arm and pushed her onto the soft forest ground.
"Figured out what, Trunks?" He was staring into her eyes with intensity as she found herself twiddling her fingers from nervousness. He placed his hands on hers and drew her eyes back to him, demanding full attention. Whatever it was that he was going to say, it was pretty important. She breathed out one good time and prepared herself for the worst.
This was it, the defining moment. He was going to give her a speech about how she was too young for him and how he could never think of her in that particular way. Then he was going to tell her that she should find someone closer to her age, because she was a 'great girl' and deserved 'the best' and he wasn't it. But all of that would just be to ease his own conscience and make it so that he could sleep soundly at night. Next to her. She wasn't looking forward to this.
Her throat constricted as he opened his mouth again. But the words that came out were not at all what she expected.
"Pan, I love you," He paused, lowering his head slightly so he could read every emotion in her eyes. She blinked a number of times and forced down anything that she might be thinking. He hadn't….he didn't….what the hell? Her heart literally paused in beat as she let her mind gather around what he'd just said. He loved her? He couldn't mean that. This wasn't what she thought it was. And she was right, it wasn't.
"You know that." He continued on, thinking what he saw was disbelief. And he was partly right. As she realized what he meant, she also understood why he was looking so hurt right now. He meant that he loved her, but not that he loved her. So the fact that she was giving him a 'yeah right' look didn't help matters. He thought that she was feeling like he didn't care about her at all. But he really did love her as a friend. A little sister. He was being sincere and he was hurt that she would think otherwise.
"Yeah." She nodded, finding her voice.
"And I would never do anything to hurt you." She nodded again. Sadness was evident in her eyes. Her heart dropped into her stomach as she realized the truth. Realized what had just went down. She went from completely miserable, the absolute bottom of the barrel, to the epitome of happiness, and then more miserable than before in what couldn't have even been a minute.
For one second she believe that he actually really cared for her. More than he had ever cared for her before. For one second everything was forgotten, from his fiancée right down to the age difference. And, she realized, staring into his deep blue eyes the way she was, she was able to forget it all again. If he wanted her to. But he clearly didn't. And now, the speech was coming on. Now he was going to tell her that they couldn't ever be more than friends.
She had the urge to pull her hands from his, not wanting his pity contact, and fold them in her lap. She also had the urge to jump up and run away, reliving that one moment, the happiest few seconds of her short life, over and over again in her mind until the sun shone up again and she had to face reality. But she didn't do anything. Except nod dumbly and wait for him to continue.
"So I don't want you to think of Marron as a blow against you." He seemed to be thinking hard about how to phrase his next words and she was thinking hard about how to shelter her tears. She didn't want him to tell her about how there was no possible way for them to mean anything more to each other. And she was thankful that his eyes had stopped scrutinizing hers, for any second her eyes would be glossy and dull.
"Marron is the love of my life, yes, but you're…well…you're like my sanity. You know? So, just because I love her in a different way doesn't mean that she's going to replace you in my life. My heart. There's room for more than one kind of love in there." He smiled down at her and she realized that this was the extent of the speech. This was it? He thought she was afraid that once he and Marron got married they weren't going to be friends anymore? The thought hadn't even crossed her mind…until now. But she wouldn't have thought it for the world. And she didn't believe it now, once he'd brought it up. She wanted to laugh out loud, but let a small smile grace her lips instead.
"I mean, you and Marron are practically best friends anyway." He shrugged, glad to see a happy expression on her face. "So? Does that make everything all right?" She couldn't help but want to smother him with her love at that moment. He was concerned with making everything all right? Well he could never make 'everything' all right. She bit her lip so she wouldn't laugh at how adorable he was and said the first thing that came to mind, if he wanted to think that was the problem then fine, why not? Better this than him knowing what was really wrong with her.
"Yes, Trunks. Everything is fine." She pulled her hands from his and got to her feet, looking down at him with satisfaction. This wasn't the end of their friendship…not just yet.
"Wait," He called, getting to his feet as well. She turned back to him, her heart pounding slightly faster than normal. What now? She was sure her face displayed her annoyance because he laughed. "I just wanted to know what cereal I should have in the morning."
"Fruit Loops." She shrugged, laughing at how absurd he was. "You really can't do without me." She mocked him and he wrinkled his brow.
"Of course not, you're my lady luck." Lady luck, huh? Yes, maybe she could live with that. If she couldn't she would have to learn. She would try. With that they parted ways, both smiling to themselves, both for different reasons. Trunks felt he had gotten his friend to realize that she didn't have to be jealous of his soon to be wife. And Pan had gotten to keep her friend from realizing she was jealous because she loved him more than her sanity should have allowed. And he was none the wiser. Things were looking up.
A/N: Ugh, life has been hectic this week. But anywho, for those of you who are reading this and hate the T/M that's going on, I'm sorry. Bear with me, it's essential to get to the T/P, but I promise, there will be a T/P. They're just not going to get together until a few more chapters from now, and when they do it won't be like you expect. But hopefully, you'll like it anyway. Meanwhile, contend yourself with comparing Trunks' relationship with Marron to his relationship with Pan, there's obvious differences. Now I have homework to finish so…Come back on Saturday, and I should have a brand new chapter up for you guys, until then, Review! It makes me smile [and want to write more].