Every couple of days, Piccolo kept his word and tried to update Gohan; though the only real update was that everyone was still fine. Anything else he said was more iteration of 'stay home' and 'stay safe'. Gohan of course trusted that there was purpose for it and hid his concerns and selfish requests to help or see him.
At the end of the week he would finally have company. Videl, Erasa, and Sharpner made a visit for coffee, bringing an offering of the dark beans as a gift.
"I'm so glad to see you're alright. I was terrified when I heard the attack on the town." Gohan smiled brightly, sitting on the couch beside Sharpner. The ladies were sitting on a couch on the other side of a low table, coffee and treats set out for their enjoyment.
"We have Videl to thank for that. She gave us a place to stay since her mansion is outside of town like yours." Erasa explained as she smiled to Videl.
"Well I couldn't just leave you out there. It's not safe anywhere these days." Videl bit into a cookie with a saddened look.
"It is bizarre; to think just two people could do so much damage." Erasa said.
"I heard your father's volunteered to arrange a group of fighters to help him take out the threat." Sharpner spoke up to Videl. "If anyone can rescue the world from them it's him. I have no doubt."
Gohan glanced at Videl a moment, their eyes catching each other, and then he sipped his drink. Though he had never seen Hercule fight, and sure there was obvious history between Hercule and his father's friends, Gohan never got a strong vibe of Hercule being in league with them. He knew Sharpner was trying to lighten Videl's mood but he couldn't help his lack of confidence in Hercule's chances in fighting the twins.
Videl might have felt the same with her forced smile. "I know. He'll finish the job soon and everyone can rebuild their lives."
"Let us talk about something less stressful. We're blessed to be having this nice afternoon together." Erasa perked up. "I'd rather hear about something scandalous."
"I don't think there's much of that going around right now." Sharpner chuckled.
"Would be a bit insensitive to anyone I'd think." Videl added.
"Even if we made some up it would be more fun. We could forge something about one of the four of us such as…" Erasa rolled her eyes in mock thought. "Say if one of us has fallen in love with someone."
Both Videl and Gohan turned sharply to her. Gohan almost choked on his coffee as he was forced to swallow his sip.
"Oh no, I think you've caught them both out." Sharpner chortled as he tried not to laugh or smile.
"It's not good to just let everyone remain silent to these things I see. If no one speaks up, the truth will remain trapped away and nothing will advance." Erasa countered, her expression now more serious than playful. "Somebody has to bend."
"Some things require time and much more tact." Videl growled. She huffed as she hastily ate another cookie with pinkened cheeks.
"I have never known you to ignore something so important. You usually head right into every conflict or challenge; but you've set your feelings so far to the side, I can't be convinced you're truly you." Erasa declared.
"I'm still quite sure you're wrong in your hypothesis, so there is nothing to confront." Videl said.
Her hypothesis? Gohan thought as he remembered what Erasa had said to him in the coffee shop before. His face burnt as he asked "Does she know too? I mean about what you've proposed my feelings to be?"
"I haven't told her outright, but I'm sure she's deciphered it herself." Erasa replied shifting her eyes just over her shoulder to Videl.
Videl's angry expression melted upon seeing Gohan's. "I-I know you don't have feelings for me, don't feel embarrassed or worried about me for that. Everything's been made strikingly clear recently so anything Erasa said is just… It's fine, please don't look so concerned."
Gohan forced down the lump in his throat. "Did you have any for me?"
"Erasa has some notion that I do but…" Videl fiddled with an embroidered flower on her skirt as she answered. "I don't really know what it is. I know my father had hopes for months now that you and I would form some attachment and I guess, as I got to know you, I allowed myself to think… even though I'm not much interested in a husband, it would be nice to live my life with a friend. I value your time but I think it's been mistaken for romantic affection where there probably wasn't any. I had been trying to decipher it on my own but she was right that you have other, more valid, things to put your attention to."
Gohan took a slow breath. "It's true I don't have romantic feelings to you and I shouldn't have run off at the dinner. I should have stayed and clearly explained myself."
"You really had every right to. I ran off shortly after you did. I was mortified by my father. He's got courage to do many things but the sheer reckless presumption in that moment..." Videl sighed as she looked at the floor.
"Videl… I'm sorry." Gohan whispered.
Videl looked up at him with a gentle smile. "It really is fine. I just want us to remain friends, confused emotions be damned. So what was it she had said about you anyway?"
"A-about me?" Gohan asked softly.
"You asked her if she told me about yours and yet you didn't know mine so it's something different." Videl explained. She gave a genuine cheerful look. "Was it closer to being true than mine?"
Gohan glanced away for a moment as his emotions bubbled strangely between embarrassment of his crush and the apologetic sensation still buzzing in his nerves. "She was right about mine."
"I WAS?!" Erasa nearly leapt from her seat with a large grin before clearing her throat and straightening herself. "Of course I was right. The evidence was clear. Have you told him?"
"Not yet no." Gohan answered.
"Him? Who is it?" Videl asked.
Gohan took a breath and poised to answer but then he felt himself still. His face burned with redness. Oh gods I didn't know how much harder it would be to say in person. He almost squeaked as he spoke "I just realized I don't think I've ever said it aloud either."
"Erasa?" Videl turned to her friend.
"No, he should say it himself." Erasa chirped.
"He's about to boil his brain in front of us, look at him! You're just torturing him." Videl argued. "I thought being in love made one glow but he looks like he's dying!"
"Breathe, Gohan." Sharpner chuckled as he pat Gohan's back.
Gohan tried to take a few deep breaths to gather himself and forced the words in a fast exhale. "It's Piccolo…"
"I-I'm sorry who?" Videl leaned over the table, convinced that she had misheard.
Gohan shrunk into himself some as everyone looked at him, waiting to hear it again. "Piccolo."
"Isn't it lovely?! Childhood and lifelong friends coming closer in the most sought for manner." Erasa giggled.
Videl was silent a moment. She could tell Gohan's sincerity and didn't want to hurt him by seeming object to his feelings but she wasn't so sure it was a good move. "Isn't it a bit inappropriate?"
Gohan slunk further down the couch and buried his face into a cushion. It was a lot to say it with his own voice; to answer 'who do you love' with Piccolo's name.
"What do you mean by that?" Erasa asked. "What could possibly be inappropriate about it?"
"He's much older than Gohan isn't he?" Videl asked. "Gohan recognized him from one simple look when he hadn't seen him since childhood; that sounds like Piccolo was an adult then too."
"Oh… oh my- Gohan how old is he?" Erasa asked.
Then the door knocked and opened. Chichi stepped in "I came to check if you needed a refill."
"Mrs. Son, would you happen to know how old Piccolo is?" Erasa eagerly inquired.
"Where did this come from?" Chichi's eyes widened at the random question as she stepped closer and glanced at the mostly emptied cookie tray.
"We had only known him as the grumpy coffee shop owner and we were all a bit surprised when we found that Gohan had known him for years." Videl began to explain, quickly thinking without revealing Gohan's affection without his consent. "I'm sure he was an adult in Gohan's youth but he still looks so young and it became a perplexing topic."
"Oh, well let me think." Chichi put her hand to her chin. "If I recall that was about four years prior… so he should be about twenty-three years now."
"So he was a child at the same time as Gohan. I was wrong then." Videl stated.
"Well, yes and no. He underwent a... strange technique that aged his body up but he was only eight years when he and Gohan met." Chichi explained. "Getting to know him comes with many complex answers."
"I always got a sense of some old gruff man with a dark past like an estranged husband or some such so I must have assumed he was much older." Videl replied.
Gohan couldn't help but groan softly in weak agreement. Gruff with a dark past he certainly was.
"Why are you under the cushion Gohan?" Chichi asked.
"The girls may have teased him a bit much earlier." Sharpner replied with a grin.
"Oh, alright. I'll bring more treats and coffee soon. Enjoy yourselves." Chichi glanced once more to her son with raised brow before stepping out.
"Thank you ma'am." Erasa said.
As soon as the door closed and Chichi was gone, Gohan pulled down the pillow. "Please do not tell her it's Piccolo. I don't know how she'd react but I know if she did discover it before I explained myself to Piccolo, it might be the end of the world."
"The world is already under attack right now." Sharpner said. "I hope that's not a sign."
"Don't say that!" Erasa yelped "Quick Gohan pray for forgiveness."
"What did I do?" Gohan almost whimpered.
"We must counter what he said before it sets into reality." Erasa explained.
Videl laughed to herself at the silliness of the moment. Her concerns now mostly abashed and she could only hope that Gohan would be happy.
Gohan was only more than happy to have Videl visit for training. She wore a set of breeches and matching vest she had had made for herself by a favored mantua maker who had a secret hobby of trying hand at different clothes than just the mantua. Videl picked up quite a bit real quick and Gohan couldn't hide his excitement to have a friend more or less on his level to practice with. After Chichi helped teach a few techniques she left them to run a couple rounds on their own.
"So piccolo?" Videl asked with a teasing lilt.
Gohan flinched and blushed, unable to react to the kick to his legs and his fall to the ground. Videl chuckled at him as he sat up and rubbed his lower back. "That wasn't very fair."
"You're stronger and more experienced than me. I need every advantage I can get." Videl explained with a shrug.
"I did go plenty of years cut off of training and have only recently begun it again. Any advantage I should have is invalid." Gohan huffed.
Videl glanced around a second before sitting herself near Gohan. She decided now was as good a time as any to talk. "My father has more or less kept me up to date, that everyone is fighting those twins. Have you at least heard from him recently?"
Gohan was surprised by the topic and sighed. "Yes… but he doesn't say much."
"When I found out about your feelings, I realized how much you must have been worried." Videl said.
"I'm sure not much more than you must be for your father." Gohan replied.
"He might have a history of getting himself in some unfortunate scenarios he does eventually know when he's outclassed and manages to get out of any danger. I trust him not to die." Videl spoke a bit softly before turning to more lighthearted comment. "Though he does tell me how much he'd enjoy giving Vegeta a good hit or two."
They each chuckled as she continued. "He's also quite good at post disaster work in raising the citizens' morale and keeping attention from anyone who doesn't want recognition, such as Piccolo who doesn't care about earning favor from people. Some think he's selfish for claiming credit he didn't earn but he does put it to good use, supporting charity efforts or- sorry I'm turning away from the original topic."
"It's alright, we don't have to talk about just Piccolo and I. Everyone of us left on the sides each have something and someone to worry for." Gohan stated as firm as he could while maintaining a gentle smile. "I appreciate you caring enough to ask though. You've done a lot of supporting me, the least I can do is listen as you talk about your father."
"Thank you." Videl smiled. "I guess I just feel useless waiting. I want to help."
"You and I share that feeling." Gohan said.
Videl nodded then cleared her throat and straightened herself. "I know you said we didn't have to talk about him… but Erasa was right. It's unlike me to leave a topic unaddressed if it bothers me."
"What about it bothers you?" Gohan asked. There was always the chance that his friends would have oppositions to his circumstance but he also knew his mother would be the one to raise hell for it if she wished; he trusted that everyone else was comparatively safe to confide in.
"Well…" Videl considered her words. "Do not at all take any of this as an attempt to dissuade you, they are your feelings to have, but my initial reaction is full of 'why's and 'how's. I was fully convinced he was even much too old for you. He never seems the type for such connections, so what even brought you to….. to feel for him? I trust you know your own heart and I have no right to question it. It just doesn't make sense to me and I think that's my challenge with it."
Gohan let out a slow sigh. "Where to start?"
"Nowhere if you want." Videl said. "Like I said it's not my right to question it and I don't have the right to demand an explanation. I just like to say my piece and get on."
"Really?" Gohan chortled with a questioning smirk.
"Just because Erasa was right that I can't contain myself doesn't mean I'd force myself into your life. I don't have some urge to control everything." Videl replied. "You're allowed to feel and say whatever you want. I apologize if it seemed like you had to be careful of my emotions."
"You're my friend, of course I would want to be considerate of how anything I do makes you feel." Gohan said.
"That's so very sweet my dearest Gohan, but do not allow me to be a hindrance on your path to happiness." Videl smiled and closed her eyes and she leaned back on her hands, basking in the sun. "I just want to be your friend; your support on the side when you can't get it anywhere else."
Gohan smiled in turn. "My path to happiness, hmm?"
"I've seen people become happy with the strangest choices and if yours is Piccolo then so be it." Videl said.
Gohan's heart swelled in the happy silence as they sat in the sunlight.