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Please Friendzone Me!

Chapter 12

Comparisons


It was still quite early in the morning, so the chance of getting caught while getting back to his hotel room should be slim. Still, Gohan knew it was better to be safe than sorry.

Standing at the foot of the hotel with his head raised, the half-Saiyan squinted at the rows of balconies, watching out for any early riser who might have been looking his way, then he double-checked the area for any onlooker with his heightened senses – one could never be too cautious.

Alright. The coast was clear.

Gohan wasn't quite sure which of the balconies was the one of his hotel room though, so he used his super speed to phase out of sight and reappeared high up in the sky, overlooking the tall building. Now with a good view of the upper floors, he quickly found what he was looking for and used his super speed once more to land on his balcony.

Getting back to his hotel room would have been a lot less complicated if he hadn't stayed out all night, in which case he could've used the darkness to his advantage. At the very least, he should've thought of grabbing his room key before flying out off the balcony last night. That way he could've just gone up to his room from the lobby as Videl had.

Instead, he'd had to tell her to go on ahead without him because he needed to use the facilities. He did end up making a quick trip to the men's room in the lobby, just so that he wouldn't end up lying to Videl, then Gohan had gone back outside and proceeded to get to his hotel room's balcony.

He had left the curtains closed and the sliding door unlocked before going outside last night, so that he could come back the same way he left without taking the risk of drawing Booker's attention. Even so, Gohan hoped his roommate hadn't woken up yet. He preferred to avoid any awkward interrogation concerning his prolonged absence. He especially wished not to have to try to explain how he was able to return to their shared room via the balcony when they were on the eleventh floor.

As quietly as possible, Gohan slid the glass door open, just enough to slightly push the curtains aside and peek inside. He sighed in relief: Booker was still sound asleep.

He pushed the balcony door open some more and took a step inside the hotel room. The floor creaked beneath his foot and Booker let out a sleepy groan, his bed squeaking under the shift of his weight.

Gohan held his breath and stood perfectly still, one leg in the room and the other out on the balcony while the drapes concealed most of his frame. Turning his head ever-so-slightly, he glanced over at the twin beds out of the corner of his eyes.

Booker was still asleep, albeit in a different position, now lying on his back with his head tilted toward the double glass doors. Gohan let out a soft sigh of relief. That was close… That guy sure was a light sleeper, huh…

So as to avoid any more accidental creaking sounds, Gohan decided to use his ki; he hovered over the carpeted wooden floor to get to the bathroom and, upon reaching his destination, closed the door behind him as quietly as possible.

Little did he know Booker saw him glide across the room through half-lidded eyes. Fortunately for the young half-Saiyan, however, his hazy-headed roommate assumed it was a dream and went right back to sleep.

Gohan turned on the faucet and washed his face a few times. The cold water felt nice and refreshing. Raising his head, the teen observed his reflection in the mirror, droplets of water dripping off his skin. Even though he didn't feel tired, the area around his eyes looked a bit darker than usual. He supposed his body was reacting to the lack of sleep regardless.

Well, he didn't regret spending his night doing tai chi – it had done wonders for his state of mind. He felt calm and collected, and his thoughts weren't all jumbled up anymore.

Going toward the bathtub, Gohan bent down and turned on the faucet, letting the water run on his hand as he waited for it to get warmer. Once the temperature was to his liking, Gohan straightened up and stripped off his pajamas, before stepping inside the tub. He arranged the showerhead on its holder and switched the tap to shower mode, letting the warm water pour on himself. His eyes closed, he ran his hands through his damp locks and let out a soft sigh. His muscles relaxed completely as he stood in the stream of water.

Gohan hoped for no more complications on his second day of the field trip. While most of yesterday had been super fun, the teen could've done without the drama part of it.

At least he had managed to make up with Videl earlier. A smile formed on his lips as he conjured the image of the girl in question. One thing he particularly enjoyed during this field trip was how much closer he and Videl had been growing. Their friendship was definitely his favorite part of going to high school, period.

Wiping his face, Gohan opened his eyes and shifted the showerhead so the stream hit the wall. He then used the small shampoo bottle courtesy of the hotel to wash his hair, taking his time massaging his scalp.

The main event of the day would be the visit to the tournament grounds, which had to be completely rebuilt after the 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai since Piccolo had obliterated the area back then. Gohan was definitely looking forward to seeing the historical location, to be walking the same grounds as the best fighters in the world who would face off against each other for the championship– or in Piccolo's case, for getting rid of the one fighter who stood between him and world domination.

Gohan tended to forget that Piccolo used to be a demon. Even at the very beginning of getting to know him, and despite how hard Piccolo would beat him up every day for nearly six months straight; even back then, Gohan had never felt like he was in the company of a demon.

His train of thought reminded the boy of Videl's silly play on words yesterday, how her father's name was Mr. Satan, and Gohan chuckled to himself. Even her name was the anagram for devil. Well, regardless – to him, she was an angel.

Putting the showerhead in its previous position, he closed his eyes and washed the soap off his hair.

Admittingly, the extent of his affection for his new friend was a little bit startling. They were still getting to know each other, yet it was undeniable that a strong bond had formed between them. It was a new feeling; not solely because Videl was one of his first friends his age – it was more than that. She was… very special to him.

When Gohan compared his fondness for Videl with that of his other close friends, it was clear that the way he cared about her didn't feel the same. There was something… deeper. Something he didn't recognize, something he couldn't quite put his finger on – yet it made Videl stand out from everyone else, somehow.

He heaved a sigh as he proceeded to rub the soap on his body. Would he ever figure out what it actually meant? It was so confusing. Videl made him feel so strange sometimes. And most of the time, he didn't even know what he felt or why.

That was what drove him to the beach to do tai chi the whole night, after all.

Gohan still wasn't sure why the idea that Videl had someone she liked just didn't sit well with him. Despite her attempt to reassure him, he still felt a pinch in his chest every time the thought crossed his mind. If he indeed felt this way because he didn't want to get less time with Videl should she get a boyfriend, as she had presumed, then why didn't he feel any better after Videl assured him that it definitely wouldn't happen?

He frowned. He supposed it did bug him that Videl had someone she liked more than everyone else…

Could it be that… he wanted to be the one that mattered to her the most?

Gohan leaned forward and let his forehead rest against the tiled wall, letting out a sigh. Was that it? Did he just want Videl's affection all to himself? Did he hope to be as special to her as she was to him?

Had he always been this greedy…?


Booker groaned when he saw the time on his phone and rolled on his side, yanking at the blanket to pull it over his head. Who the heck revved their motorcycle at six-thirty in the morning? It was way too early to be awake. If only he hadn't forgotten to pack his damn earplugs, he could've had nearly one full hour of additional sleep… Being a light sleeper sucked.

Well, nothing he could do about it now. Booker pushed the blanket off him, leaving it to cover only his midsection, and turned over to lie on his back. Letting his forearm rest against his forehead, he gave a sigh. He supposed there was no rush in getting up to get ready for the day; he might as well stay in bed until it was time to go get breakfast.

His ears picked up the muffled whisper of a shower running. Glancing over to the second bed, Booker raised his eyebrows upon finding it unmade and vacant. When did Gohan make it back to sleep, for that matter? Somehow, Gohan had managed not to disturb his slumber when he got up to go to the bathroom. That was quite an impressive feat. Usually, the tiniest of sounds could startle him awake, which was why Booker used earplugs every night despite how uncomfortable they could be.

A frown started forming on his brow as he turned his gaze to the ceiling. That was just in Gohan's nature, huh? Not only was he good-looking and had the brains of a genius, but he was also kind and considerate. Where did that leave the rest of them? No wonder so many girls were interested in him.

His lips pursed. He glared at the ceiling. Even her.

The bathroom door clicked open. Booker propped up his head with his arm and watched Gohan walk out with a towel wrapped around his waist. He couldn't help the scowl that took up his features. Did that guy also have to be cut like a friggin' god too? What, nature hadn't given him enough gifts already?

"Oh, you're awake. Good morning," Gohan said with a tentative smile. He rubbed the nape of his neck. "I didn't wake you, did I?"

"No, it wasn't you. Some prick thought it was the perfect time to rev their engine like a maniac."

"Ah, geez, and that woke you up? That really sucks." Gohan sighed in sympathy. He then looked toward the double glass doors and winced slightly. "I think I left the window open when I walked back in… Sorry, that was my bad."

"It's fine, what's done is done. Besides, you managed to go to the bathroom without waking me up – that's honestly impressive," Booker added with a smirk.

Gohan chuckled slightly, scratching his cheek. "Yeah, it wasn't easy. The floor was creaky too!"

"Well, thanks for making the effort. I appreciate it."

Gohan beamed. "Of course."

The conversation ended naturally while Gohan walked to their shared closet. As the boy passed by, Booker blinked, an odd memory coming back to him. Did he dream of Gohan last night…?

Shaking his head, Booker pushed the covers off him and got up. He might as well take his turn in the bathroom to give Gohan the room while he got dressed. Upon reaching the bathroom, he looked back at his roommate who browsed for what to wear.

He was frowning when he got into the bathroom and closed the door after him.

How was it even possible to be that ripped at their age? Gohan's muscles weren't overly big or beefy, but they were incredibly defined and perfectly cut. Booker couldn't deny feeling envious of the other boy's physique. He was tall, had cool hair, a good-looking face, and the build of a supermodel. What chance did plain ol' Booker have to get the girl he liked to look at him twice when the perfect specimen was right there under her nose?

The teen frowned at himself in the mirror hanging over the sink. Really, he had nothing on Gohan. He had a bland face with stupid freckles and a long nose. His short brown hair was nothing to talk about, and his brown eyes were just as common as the rest of him. He was built like a twig, with narrow shoulders and stick-figure limbs. It was like puberty had forgotten to increase his body mass… Hopefully, he was a late bloomer and there would still be room for growth in the future. Surely he wasn't going to be stuck looking like this, right?

Booker shook his head and started the bath. Either way, it wasn't Gohan's fault that he'd won the genetic raffle whereas Booker was just average, if that; his jealousy was only making him less appealing. Besides, Gohan didn't seem interested in his crush, so there was that at least. Not that it increased his chances of ever getting her to look at him…


"See? I told you you two would make up in no time!"

Erasa added a few winky faces and hit send. With a broad, giddy smile glued to her lips, she looked over at her best friend to see her reaction to reading the text. Videl didn't disappoint, rolling her eyes and shaking her head at her, but the upward twitch of her lips betrayed that would-be attitude of hers.

They were sitting together on the bus ride to the tournament grounds. When Erasa had started asking Videl about Gohan and why they were getting along just fine during breakfast, Videl had insisted in a hushed tone that they couldn't risk being overheard by their classmates, even if they spoke in low voices.

Naturally, that didn't deter the bubbly blonde, and so she suggested switching to direct messaging on their phones – because there was absolutely no freaking way that she could wait for them to be alone to get all the details of what happened with Gohan early in the morning.

"Yeah, yeah. Don't get smug," Videl wrote in reply, adding the eye-roll emoji. She kept tapping on her phone and soon another message appeared: "What matters is that Gohan understood what he did wrong. And he made it up to me, so I had no reason to stay mad at him."

Erasa raised her eyebrows at that. "He made it up to you? What do you mean?"

When she didn't get an immediate reply, Erasa glanced over at Videl, who was frowning at her screen. Erasa tilted her head to the side. What was that about?

Videl caught her gaze briefly before turning to her phone again, biting on her lower lip.

Curiouser and curiouser…

She started typing. Erasa turned to the rectangular device in her hands in anticipation.

"I had him tell me something personal. He stayed vague, but he was honest, and he said he would tell me more when the time is right because he's not ready yet."

"Intriguing…"

Erasa figured it wasn't her place to ask what Videl meant by "something personal". If Videl could have simply told her what it was about, she wouldn't have had to think so much about how to phrase her reply just now.

"Hey, Erasa?"

The girl looked up from her phone as the subject of their discussion appeared, standing by the backrest of the seat in front of her.

Her eyes glazed over as she admired his boyish traits. Ah, Gohan's handsome face was the best eye-candy, and his soft smile made her feel so at ease and happy. Videl was crazy not to go after a catch like him.

"Yes, sweetie?"

"Did you… um…" The boy paused and averted his gaze, scratching behind his ear.

"What is it?" Videl urged him to go on, charactically too curious to wait in silence while Gohan gathered his thoughts.

"Yesterday…" he started again. "While Videl joined me outside… Did you… talk to the others about… about my dad?"

Erasa's face lit up in understanding. "Oh! That!"

"What did you do, Erasa?" Videl accused with a frown, crossing her arms.

"Oh, no, it wasn't anything bad," Gohan quickly added, waving a hand from side to side. He turned to Erasa again and his eyes softened. "It was a big help, actually."

"Well, I felt super bad," Erasa replied, fiddling with her hands, "and I didn't want anyone else to blunder like I did."

"Thank you. It really… It means a lot, Erasa. Thank you so much."

She beamed at him. "Glad I could help." He's such a cutie pie. I can't.

"What did you do? What is this about?" Videl asked, her gaze shifting between her two friends.

They both started replying at the same time, then paused and shared a smile.

"It's okay, you tell her," Erasa beckoned him.

Gohan rubbed the back of his neck, turning to Videl. "When we were outside the gallery yesterday, while you were cheering me up and all… Well, other kids from the class figured out about my dad from the paintings and photos of him, just like you said they would, but Erasa told everyone to pretend they didn't know and leave me be about my dad, lest they ended up making me feel bad by saying the wrong thing."

Videl looked at her friend, her eyebrows raised. Then her expression softened. "Sounds like something you'd do."

"It was the least I could do after putting my foot in my mouth… I still feel horrible about it."

"You more than made up for it, Erasa," Gohan affirmed earnestly. "You already had, you really didn't need to do any more, but I'm so grateful to you that you did. I'm really lucky to be your friend."

Erasa blushed and cupped her cheek, looking away with a silly smile on her lips. "Aww, stop that, you're just too sweet. I'm gonna fall for you for real if you keep this up."

Gohan laughed in good humor, scratching the back of his head with the most adorable expression. She beamed at him.

Seriously, though. This guy was perfect. He would've been the ideal boyfriend. Videl must be out of her mind. If she had a shot with Gohan, she would've jumped at the chance head-first, no question asked.

Whoops – there she goes again, getting sucked in his boyish charm without meaning to. She wasn't supposed to be doing that anymore, especially not in front of Videl.

Shooting a glance to the side, Erasa couldn't help the little smirk tugging on her lips at the brunette's annoyed expression. Well, if Videl wanted her to stop flirting with Gohan, she should make him her boyfriend so he'd be off-limits once and for all.

That girl was lucky to have such a great best friend who was willing to stop a very fun habit for her sake. It wasn't going to be easy to go cold turkey though, and Gohan's adorable personality certainly wouldn't be helping her quit, either.

"How'd you find out anyway?" Erasa asked him, hoping to divert Videl's attention.

"I heard Pencil asking Sharpner about my dad," Gohan explained. "I don't think they realized I was in hearing range."

"Well, as long as nobody bothers you about who your dad is," Videl said with a soft smile. "In the end, you were dreading it for nothing."

"Hey, you were the one who told me everyone was going to hound me as soon as they found out," Gohan accused her playfully.

"And they would have if not for Erasa. You got lucky," she smirked.

He chuckled. "I sure did. Really, Erasa, thank you again," he addressed the blonde once more. "You've made my life a whole lot easier."

"Anytime," Erasa said with a wink, stopping herself from calling him "cutie."

Ah, what a sacrifice, not to hit on Gohan anymore. What a waste. What a tragedy. How was she supposed to go on without getting Gohan all flustered on a daily basis? It had been so much fun, but now it was over.

Videl had better know how lucky she was to be her best friend. Maybe it was all the gratitude Gohan was giving her feeding her ego, but honestly, she was just that awesome a friend.


The bus pulled to a stop by the curb, the front door opening to let the teenagers out. Mrs. Potts, their chaperone, made sure everyone got out in an orderly fashion and counted their heads one by one once everyone was out, double-checking that nobody was missing.

Gohan smiled to himself. It made him feel so normal. To be seen as any other kid, to be looked after as though anything in the world could actually harm him.

He should've started public school years ago. He had been missing out.

The class followed Mrs. Potts' lead toward the entrance of the Tenkaichi Budokai. There was an elegant archway leading onto the tournament grounds and lots of palm trees and vegetation, giving the place an exotic feel to it. A monk was sitting at a desk to either validate or sell tickets to the people in the queue.

"It feels so… quiet," Erasa commented. Gohan shifted his attention onto her. She cracked a small smile as she caught his gaze. "I mean, last time I was here, it was when Videl won the Junior Division. On tournament day, the place was so lively and overcrowded. In comparison, seeing people quietly standing in line for a visit, it's a completely different feel."

"The contestants would make a big show of introducing themselves, too," Sharpner added. "To draw the camera on themselves and up their popularity."

"My dad was definitely the flashiest of them all," Videl reminisced with a shake of her head, chuckling in amusement. "He's always had a flair for the dramatic, that's for sure."

Gohan cracked a smile at that. Yeah, I remember. Mr. Satan had certainly left an impression when he had introduced himself at the Cell Games. "Flashy" and "dramatic" were indeed the most accurate terms to describe his performance.

The class stood at the back of the line, with Mrs. Potts at the head. Gohan felt his anticipation bubbling up. Even if the tournament had to be completely rebuilt since the times his father used to compete, it was so cool that he got to walk the same ground his father had when he was a kid.

"How sick would it be if any of the past contestants showed up?" Sharpner commented.

"I wish Mr. Satan could've been here," Pencil said with a sigh.

At that moment, a ringtone sounded off. Those around checked if it was their phone ringing. Videl checked hers and rolled her eyes when she saw the name displayed on the screen.

"Speak of the devil. Does he have a sixth sense that alerts him when people are talking about him?" She chuckled and stepped out of the line to answer the call. "Yeah, Dad?"

But Gohan's easy smile soon fell as he watched the color drain from Videl's face. A deep frown creasing his brow, he walked away from his peers and went toward her.

"H-How? What happened?" her distressed voice asked over the phone.

Gohan stood by her side and waited in silence. Videl shoot him a glance, her lips trembling, eyes welling up. His chest tightened painfully at the sight.

"But I'm all the way on Papaya Island…" she croaked out, pacing on the ground. "What do you mean, don't worry about it? What, am I supposed to just enjoy myself on the field trip when Ariel's in the hospital?"

"Oh no…" Erasa breathed out in horror, her hand rising to her mouth.

Gohan turned to the blonde; he hadn't realized she had joined them as well. So had Sharpner apparently, who looked just as horrified as the girls. Gohan questioned them with his eyes.

"Ariel was Videl's nanny up until a couple years ago," Erasa explained to him in a hushed voice. "She'd been taking care of Videl since she was a baby, and they're still super close. Oh, gosh, I hope she's alright…"

"Look, I'll just get there, okay?" Videl snapped at her father on the phone. "I don't care if it takes me hours to fly back to Satan City. I have to be there for her."

She hung up and went to fish out her capsule box out of her bag, but her fingers were too shaky to get a hold of the zipper.

Gohan reached out and grabbed her hand before he knew what he was doing – a reckless idea had made its way through his head.

Videl looked up at him with tears in her eyes. His throat tightened. He couldn't bear to see her like this.

No, actually, he'd already made up his mind.

"Come with me."

He started pulling at her hand but felt Videl resist against him.

"I don't have time, Gohan, whatever it is. I have to leave right now."

"I know. And if you come with me, it won't take you hours to get back to Satan City."

His eyes were dead serious. Videl frowned at him, looking perplexed.

"You trust me, right?" he asked.

She didn't turn away, didn't blink, studying him carefully. Gohan stood firm, waiting for her answer – his heartbeat erratic at the possibility that Videl may say that no, she didn't trust him.

"I do," she answered. "But…"

"No buts," Gohan cut her off, unwittingly feeling lighter at her affirmation. He tugged at her hand again, and this time he felt no resistance. "You're in a hurry, right?"

"But where…?"

He started walking away from the group, pulling Videl along. He held her hand firmly while she fell silent, seeming to understand that he wasn't going to answer her inquiries. At least, not until he showed her in person.

Gohan brought Videl in a deserted alley, some distance from the tournament grounds.

"Gohan, why did you bring me here?" she asked, her tone impatient, and snatched her hand away from his grasp.

"Because I couldn't fly away with you in front of everyone."

"Fly away with… What are you talking about? You can't have an aircraft that's faster than my jet copter, it's one of the latest models on the market. And even if you do, why couldn't you just decapsu– AH! What are you doing?"

It was probably not the best time to be thinking that Videl looked cute when she was all flustered and red in the face. Gohan cracked a smile at her, tightening his arms around her waist, lifting her up.

"Gohan, put me down! I don't have time for this, I've got to–"

With a burst of his ki, Gohan blasted off into the sky, holding Videl firmly in his arms. She clung to his neck on instinct.

"WHAT IS GOING OONNN?"

He chuckled at her reaction. He couldn't blame his friend for being so shocked, but it didn't make it any less comical.

He flashed her a smile. "I'm flying you back to Satan City. And I'm definitely faster than any aircraft that's on the market – so, don't worry, we'll be there in no time."

Videl stared at him, her jaw hanging open. Gohan chuckled again. A part of him couldn't believe what he'd just done – it was way too soon to reveal the truth about himself to Videl; it completely threw his six-month plan out the window, even if he was only showing her that he could fly.

Then again, Gohan was fairly sure that there was little he wouldn't do for this girl.


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December 5, 2022