Innocent Feelings

14

Distractions

"It's such a nice day out," said Gohan, looking at the blue sky while breathing in deeply. Although the city air wasn't as pure as back home, in the mountains, he'd always loved being outdoors. It felt good.

He turned to his girlfriend, who didn't seem to have heard him. Her eyebrows were knitted together in obvious worry, her blue eyes turned away from him and staring aimlessly in the distance. It didn't take a genius to figure out what was worrying the raven-haired beauty, and Gohan smiled to himself, giving her hand a squeeze in hopes of getting her attention. Her hand squeezed back almost instantly, like an instinct, even though Videl still didn't look at him, lost in her own world. Gohan couldn't help grinning. He loved how comfortable they were getting around each other, almost like it was becoming second nature.

But he still hadn't caught Videl's attention. A mischievous smirk curved his lips as an idea formed in his mind. He tugged at her hand, pulling Videl to him in a swift movement and capturing her lips along the way.

It only took her a moment before Videl kissed him back – Gohan grinned against her lips, cupping her cheeks with his hands to angle her head better. He could never get tired of this. Just kissing Videl – it felt unbelievable; it was the most wonderful feeling in the world. He just never seemed to get enough of it. Any excuse was good enough to steal a kiss from his girl – and she certainly didn't seem to mind, either. At all.

Videl chuckled softly as they pulled away, and Gohan let his forehead rest against hers, a wonderful feeling of peace washing over him as he held the girl he loved in his arms.

Who cared if they were standing in the middle of the street, or that the people around them were staring again? Gohan never would've thought he'd be the kind of person who wouldn't care being the center of attention, given his shy nature – but he really could not care less. He simply couldn't help himself – every time, he just had to kiss Videl. He honestly had no idea how he could ever live without this feeling now.

"Did you need something?" Videl asked playfully, her breath tickling his cheeks.

"Just wanted to cheer you up," he grinned. "How did I do?"

"Hmm…" she mocked a thoughtful tone, although her lips were stretched from ear to ear. "I give you a nine out of ten."

Gohan raised an eyebrow. "Only nine? Not ten?"

"Uhuh," she nodded. "There was only one thing."

"I'm open to criticism."

"Well…" Her arms wrapped around his neck, bringing him closer. "It just didn't last nearly long enough."

"Oh, well, if it's only that…" he murmured, leaning in slowly, brushing her nose with his. "That can be easily corrected."

Man, things couldn't be more perfect between him and Videl – he'd never felt more alive and happy in his whole life.

But there was still something he needed to do… If only he could keep his head straight long enough to do so.

"You keep distracting me, Videl…" he whispered breathlessly against her lips. He could feel her grin through the kiss.

"You started it," she retorted playfully.

"I did," he chuckled, his thumb stroking her jaw. "And I'm not complaining. It's just, there's a lot that I really need to tell you, so we should really get going."

"Mm," she acquiesced, but her body seemed to disagree, and her lips kept moving against him, in a way that made Gohan forget what he was saying a moment ago.

Gah… This was so frustrating! Why did they have to stop kissing, anyway?

Ah. Right. His secrets. He really needed to tell Videl as soon as possible.

"Let's find a place where we can talk in private," Gohan forced himself to say, finally detaching from Videl, and mentally commanding himself not to lean in again and devour her luscious lips.

"Hmm… Then how about the park?" she suggested, smiling up at him.

Gohan refrained from taking her beautiful face between his hands despite his irrepressible, demanding urge to close the distance and just – he shook his head sharply, trying to clear his mind. The teen contented himself with a quick peck on her cheek. Her pleased smile and blushing cheeks made him grin.

"Let's go, then," he said softly, interlacing their fingers together.

ooOoo

… This was just impossible – she was distracting him again!

They had gotten to the local park something like twenty minutes ago, but instead of talking to her to finally get his secrets off his chest… Gohan just couldn't help it! He was so weak. He just loved kissing Videl too much – and they were completely alone, in a secluded part of the park, under the shade of a tree – seriously, how could he resist the temptation? What was he supposed to do, not kiss her in such a perfect opportunity? Yes, he probably should have, in fact, but for the life of him he had been just unable to do otherwise. When they sat under that tree side by side, and Gohan had turned to Videl to start speaking – he found himself pulling her to him again instead and kissing her hungrily.

He was such a hopeless case. At this rate he would still be trying to talk to Videl about him in the next months – in plural! But he just… He… He just couldn't let go. Videl was lying under him, her soft curves pressed up to his muscular frame in such a perfect, delicious way. And her lips… God, he could write a book about her lovely lips. No matter how hard Gohan tried, he simply could not stop kissing Videl.

Heh, screw it. He was enjoying himself too much; he'd just tell her later, once his thirst for her was quenched. If that was at all possible.

She sighed his name, her slender fingers playing with his thick locks. Gohan felt a strong tug below his navel, burning through his whole body. He pulled back from her lips slightly, still hovering inches from her. He was completely breathless, and Videl was panting heavily, too. He watched her through glazed, half-lidded eyes; her flushed cheeks, her swollen, parted lips, her heaving chest…

"If you want to, I'm okay with it," she had said earlier, without a second thought. Well, right this moment Gohan was pretty much losing his mind – his trousers had never felt tighter – and yes; yes, he wanted to. He wanted her. All of her. All to himself. He wanted her so freaking much, it was killing him to hold back.

And he didn't want to hold back. He wanted Videl. His mind was going crazy with lust. He wanted Videl. More of Videl. More of her delicious taste, of her smooth skin, of her curvy body. He craved for her – so bad.

Screw the consequences. He couldn't think straight right now. The only thing he was capable of registering as how frigging much he wanted to touch Videl.

"Are you still okay with it?" he panted, breathless. His reason and respect for Videl was forbidding him to do anything without her full consent. "Can I touch you?"

She smirked. "Whatever happened to your 'taking things slow' crap?" she teased.

"I just…" he leaned his forehead against hers, moving his hands to her hips, pulling her closer. "God, I'm going mad, Videl," he groaned. "You drive me completely mad. I never… I've never felt this way before… Gah, I just want you so much right now. I think I'm gonna lose it and just…"

"Yes?" she breathed out, wrapping one leg around his waist.

That little devil…

"Don't tease me, Videl. I'm really going to lose it," he pleaded, burying his nose in the crook of her neck.

"But teasing you is the best part," she said in a mock innocent tone. Gohan could actually hear her grin.

"Oh, really now?"

With vengeance, Gohan attacked her neck with kisses, licks, nips… and then he found a particularly tender spot, and Videl let out a sudden moan. Grinning against her neck, Gohan proceeded with suckling on the skin, intent on leaving a mark. That ought to teach her.

Videl moaned and panted as he worked on her neck – and then she let out a gasp: his hands had found her breasts. Gohan cupped them, giving a light squeeze, and rubbed his hands softly over the fabric of her shirt. It felt… amazing. Then, his mouth detached from her skin with a smacking sound, and he licked the hickey teasingly, his hand giving her soft mounds another squeeze, reveling in the way Videl suddenly sucked in a breath at his touch. He looked at her, hovering just above her lips, and watched with delight how his hands on her chest was making her react. Her eyes were tightly shut, her face was flushed, and she was panting heavily, even biting down on her lip to refrain from moaning.

"Oh God… G… Gohan… Shit, what are you doing to me? Haaa…"

If there was ever an erotic sound… This was it, right here and now. Videl's moaning voice. It was the most arousing sound Gohan'd ever heard.

Ugh, his pants felt tighter than ever…

"Who's teasing who now, hm?" he whispered to her ear, leaving trails of kisses along her neckline.

Was he going too far? He wondered idly, watching with satisfying pleasure as the redness on Videl's face deepened at his words. Probably. Definitely, his mind whispered faintly, but the drumming of his heart, and the craving for the girl lying below him were screaming too loudly for him to hear his reasoning properly.

And he still craved for more. Nothing seemed to be enough to satiate him, and the weak part of Gohan, his brain, was seriously worried that he was really going to lose it and just take Videl, right there and then, under that tree. His body certainly responded positively to that perspective…

Gah… He just wanted her so bad. He was going mad with desire – utterly mad. He needed her – now.

But – Gohan suddenly shut his eyes tightly and clenched his jaw, trying to get a hold of himself. He rolled to the side, his mind actually winning what had appeared to be a losing battle, and lied on the grass next to his temptress.

"I think I might be going insane," he muttered to himself, trying to calm down his fluttering heart and the burning lust for his gorgeous girlfriend. He lay his arm over his forehead, covering his sight, desperately struggling for control over his raging hormones.

"You okay?" came Videl's worried voice, though with a hint of amusement. Gohan gulped, sensing her body just above him, her pigtails lightly brushing his torso.

Too close. She was way too close. He was never going to calm down if she kept getting closer, her body heat invading his personal space…

Do not move, he ordered himself mentally. Whatever you do, you must not move an inch.

"Not really," he sighed, keeping his arm over his eyes, for safety. "I'm just way too attracted to you, Videl. The chemistry between us is too much. I think I'm going to keep my eyes closed for now, so that seeing you won't make me go crazy again."

Videl laughed. "Oh, you're adorable. Silly Gohan, you're allowed to lose control with me, you know. I really wouldn't mind…" She whispered the last part to his ear, and Gohan felt a shiver run down his spine in a very pleasant way.

This was torture. He groaned – how was he ever going to calm down – especially down there – if Videl wouldn't quit teasing him? Gohan turned to the side, away from his devilish girlfriend, his arm moving to cover the side of his head. He kept his eyes tightly shut.

Videl seemed to find his predicament very amusing; she moved closer to him, pressing her chest to his back, her fingers running along his side as she called his name sensually. Gohan swallowed. Hard. She was so mean. Didn't she see how much he was struggling here? Didn't she realize how close he was to turning around and ripping her clothes off, and… and…

"Videl, please, give me a few minutes to cool down, I'm begging you," he groaned, his voice hoarse with lust.

"But you're so cute when you're flustered, my dear little Gohan…" she giggled, clearly not done teasing him yet.

"Videl… I swear to you, if you keep this up I am going to jump you right here, right now, in this park."

That did the trick. Was it his tone, his choice of words, or the desperation and urgency in his voice? Whichever it was, Videl froze for a moment after he spoke, and then finally moved back, much to Gohan's relief, as some distance now separated their bodies. Maybe he'd actually be able to cool down now.

"S-Sorry… I didn't realize it was that bad," she mumbled, sounding flustered, and Gohan smirked with vengeance. At last, the tables had turned.

He let out a sigh, waited a few moments, and then finally sat up and turned around, meeting Videl's shy glance with a gentle smile, seeing her twiddling her thumbs uneasily as she smiled back awkwardly. His body hadn't quite cooled down yet, but he didn't want to worry his girlfriend – as much as she would deserve it after the torture she'd just put him through.

"I'm really sorry," she apologized again, looking up at him sheepishly. "I really didn't think you were… you know."

Her face flushed brightly, and Gohan grinned, reveling in her embarrassment. "Well, what did you expect? I'm still just a guy, you know."

He chuckled as she started fumbling for words. He reached over to touch her hand, which was on her knee. She met his gaze again, and he kissed her cheek, ever so softly.

"Don't worry, I can control myself," he said softly, a playful glint in his eyes. "Besides, we're nowhere near there yet, obviously."

"Well I…" She paused, then shook her head sharply, as if to discard her previous thought. "Never mind. You're right. I went a little too far with teasing you, I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it," he smiled gently, tucking a few raven strands behind her ear. She smiled back, looking relieved. His thumb lingered along her jaw. "You're beautiful."

Dang, he wanted to kiss her again. No, Gohan, control yourself. That's it. Just don't give in, and you'll be fine.

"You're quite handsome, yourself," she said with a grin, and Gohan blushed slightly.

"Err… Thanks," he said awkwardly, not used at all to that kind of compliment coming from Videl.

She chuckled. "So, anyways," she started then. "Weren't you supposed to tell me something important?"

ooOoo

Bulma observed her long time friend's absent expression, wondering why Chichi looked so down. The laughter of the kids could be heard in the background; Goten and Marron were playing with Trunks today. But while the sound of the children's joy would usually be enough to cheer the mother up, it didn't seem to do the trick this time.

"Something wrong, Chichi?" Krillin asked, obviously also noticing the dark-haired woman's gloomy mood. She let out a deep, dramatic sigh, her eyes staying on her cup of tea in her hands.

Bulma frowned. Something was definitely up.

"It's just…" Chichi started, but then sighed again. "Never mind. It's silly."

"Now Chichi, don't leave us hanging like that," Bulma pressed, crossing her arms over the kitchen table. "Tell us."

"It's Gohan," Chichi finally answered.

"Of course," Bulma saw Krillin mouth to her with a knowing grin.

"He called to say he'd be late today. Again. He's with his girlfriend."

"Hang on," Krillin cut in suddenly. "Gohan has a girlfriend and nobody ever thought of telling me?"

"You'd just start making fun of him again," Bulma pointed out.

"Well, duh."

The blue-haired scientist rolled her eyes at the grown man's childish antics. "You're still sore about him blurting out that you loved Eighteen all those years ago? Didn't that help you get her in the end for that matter?"

"That's not the point, Bulma," explained Krillin in a matter-of-fact tone. "It's an eye for an eye. Gohan made me look like a fool, so I must do the same to him for the rest of his life. That's how it works."

"You do realize how juvenile you sound right now?"

"Yeah, well –"

"Guys," Chichi cut in sternly, her strict mother instinct kicking in as she frowned at the two older adults bickering like little brats. "Quit it."

These simple words were enough to shut them up, and both Bulma and Krillin smiled in apology to Chichi. The woman had always been intimidating.

"So, Gohan's spending time with his girlfriend," resumed Bulma, picking up the conversation where it had left off. She took a sip of her coffee. "Is that a bad thing? Are his grades dropping?"

"No," Chichi shook her head. "He's still bringing home top grades."

"Is she a bad influence or something? Is that what you're worried about?" questioned Krillin.

"I wouldn't know… Gohan's not told me a thing about her, and yet he's really serious about this relationship. Last night, after dinner, he simply took off to the city in the middle of studying, and I know he went to see her."

"How can you be sure?" Krillin asked doubtfully.

"He's right," agreed Bulma. "He could've just gone out for a breath of fresh air, right?"

"For over two hours? He had no regard for how worried I'd been while he was gone… Just taking off like that, without saying anything… He hasn't done anything like that for years."

"Ah, right. He used to sneak away to play all the time when he was little, huh?" recalled the short man.

"I thought those times were over," lamented Chichi, her shoulders hunching in dejection. "He's grown into such a mature and responsible young man… But this girl, whoever she is, is turning his head upside down. He's too smitten with her to care about anything else… Oh, I wish he were a baby again… You guys are lucky your kids have a long way before they're old enough for love."

"You still have Goten," offered Bulma with a sympathetic smile.

Chichi's eyes turned to the three children, playing on the floor with toys some distance from the adults, and a wishful smile formed on her lips as she watched them. "Gohan was never as carefree at their age," she said softly.

"Yeah, I remember…" said Krillin, scratching his hair as he also turned to the kids. "He saved my life more times than I could count when we were on Namek… and against the Saiyans… I could never get over how young he really was."

"Maybe it's a good thing, him doing normal stuff like having a girlfriend," reasoned Bulma. "Especially for Gohan."

"I know," Chichi conceded with a sigh. "And he really is happy."

"Then why the sad eyes?" Krillin asked with a kind smile. "If he's happy, it's all good, right?"

"I still wish he'd tell me more about that girl. Maybe you guys could get him to open up about her?" she then asked hopefully.

"Sure," smiled Bulma, reaching over to hold Chichi's hand.

"Yeah, no problem," agreed Krillin with a grin. "I guess he'd be embarrassed talking about his love life to his mom, huh?"

"I suppose so," nodded Chichi with yet another sigh.

A robot then floated to them, carrying a stack of envelopes. "The mail's here, Miss Bulma," it said in a cheerful, girly voice.

"That robot doesn't sound like a robot at all," chuckled Krillin, as the mail was placed on the table before Bulma, and the robot floated away with an enthusiastic wave of its metallic hand.

"That's my dad's doing, he loves playing with their programs," explained Bulma, taking a sip of her cup as she browsed through the stack of envelopes and magazines.

And then she froze, her hand stopping on one of her mother's subscripted gossipy trash magazine, Closer.

"Oh my God…" she mumbled in shock.

"Something the matter?" Chichi asked, taking a sip from her tea.

"Well… I think I might know why Gohan hasn't said much about his girlfriend," Bulma said, unable to take her eyes off of the front page.

"What do you mean?" Krillin asked, getting up to go around the table, and looked over her shoulder at the magazine she was holding – his jaw dropped.

"What? What is it?" Chichi frowned, standing up as well to see what all the fuss was about. How could a front page be related to her precious boy, anyway – oh.

"Is that…?" Krillin started, but his voice trailed off as his eyes nervously turned to the mother of two half-Saiyans.

"Videl Satan and Her Boyfriend…" Chichi read out loud, still in shock of what she was seeing. Why was a picture of Gohan in a gossip magazine? Why was her boy kissing that girl? That horrible man's daughter… How could Gohan fall for the daughter of the clown who always badmouthed Goku? Mr. Satan, the fraud who had shamelessly stolen the credit of Gohan's hardest and greatest accomplishment, and who got so wealthy in doing so, too – if it hadn't been for her Gohan, for that matter, Chichi would have long taught that despicable man a well-deserved lesson. She would love to give him a piece of her mind, too.

"Now, Chichi, you can't judge her from her father's action," reasoned Bulma wisely, obviously figuring what her friend was thinking about. "She's most likely nothing like him, anyway – after all Gohan's crazy about her, right?"

"She certainly looks nothing like him. Thank God, too," commented Krillin, browsing through the pages of the magazines where more photos of the couple were printed. "Look at this one – she's actually super pretty. Gohan's got good tastes, just like Goku, huh?"

"And they look really happy together," added Bulma.

Chichi stared at the photos some more, her brow tightly furrowed. And then she collapsed on a chair next to Bulma, bursting in tears.

"My baby's kissing a girl!" she wailed, burying her face in her crossed arms.

Krillin and Bulma shared a look, smiling at the woman's antics.

"Figures. That's what hit her the hardest?" whispered Krillin to his blue-haired friend, and they shared a quiet laugh at the overprotective mother's expense.

ooOoo

Gohan didn't quite know where to begin. Facing Videl now, the words had trouble coming out. But he absolutely had to say it. And not later, either – right now. There was no backing out of it, no more distractions, no more excuses. He had to tell her everything.

"Okay…" he started slowly, trying to phrase what he needed to say. "You know I'm Saiyaman."

"Uhuh," nodded Videl, smiling at the mention of his superhero alter-ego. "Oh, are you the Gold Fighter, too?"

Gohan blinked. He shouldn't be surprised that Videl figured it out – the girl was too cunning for her own good. Although, right now, her cleverness was really helping him get this out.

"I am, yes…" he admitted sheepishly, scratching his hair. "I only created Saiyaman because you were so suspicious, actually."

Videl chuckled. "Ironic, huh?"

Gohan grinned. This was going well so far.

"So that means…" she wondered hesitantly. "At the Cell Games…"

He gaped at her. Wow…

"I… I really… I never expected you to figure that out."

She arched an eyebrow at him. "Really? A boy your age, with supernatural strength, who can fly, and has spiky golden hair? I didn't realize there were so many guys like that running around. It wasn't that hard connecting the dots."

He cracked a smile. "I guess when you put it like that… Still, I'm impressed."

Videl chuckled. But then she turned serious. "So you really were the boy at the Cell Games, huh."

Gohan nodded cautiously. This was where it would get tricky. He wished he wasn't the one telling her that her father had lied to the world – he believed it was something Mr. Satan had to do, but the boy didn't have a choice. He would have to tell her himself – it was one of his biggest secrets, after all.

"Did my dad… I mean, that's a stupid question…" she mumbled, fumbling with her words. "I should know, more than anyone, that my dad is nowhere near Cell's level."

And again, Gohan found himself gaping at his girlfriend. Of course, his surprise was misplaced. Videl was one of the cleverest people he knew – including Bulma and her dad – but he really wouldn't have thought that she had seen through her own father's lies.

"So you… you knew all along…?" Gohan asked softly, his hand moving in its own accord, brushing away her bangs from her eyes.

"Not all along," Videl said, smiling sadly. "I always had my suspicions, sure… But when you first appeared – as Saiyaman, I mean. When I saw that nothing you did was a 'trick'. When I saw how strong you were, and everything you could do… My dad could never measure up to that, so how could he have defeated Cell 'in one single blow', like he always pretended? There was just no way…"

His hand was cupping her cheek now, his thumb stroking her chin. "How do you feel about that? About your dad."

"I'm mad at him, to an extent – but at the same time, I don't know. I always thought, if the one who actually killed Cell was upset about my dad taking the credit, they would've long come forth and claimed it back, you know? So I thought, they'd probably rather stay anonymous and didn't really mind."

Gohan smiled, and readied himself for what he was about to say.

"You know me well."

Videl's lips parted. She seemed speechless for a moment, and then she uttered breathlessly. "You…?"

He nodded. "Yeah, that was me all along. Funny how things turn out, huh?"

She blinked. "Wow… And you were so young…"

Giving in to temptation, Gohan pulled Videl to him and wrapped his arms around her, reveling in the feeling of having the girl he loved so close against him.

"There's one more thing I need to tell you, Videl," he murmured anxiously into her hair. "And it's what worries me the most."

"How come?" she asked softly, snuggling up to him and closing her eyes.

"Because it might freak you out and drive you away from me," he whispered, his arms tightening around her.

"Nonsense," she said simply, raising her head to meet his gaze. "Nothing you could say would ever drive us apart. I'm positive about it. One hundred percent."

He took a deep breath, and gave a nervous smile. "Even if I told you I was only half human?"

Her eyebrows raised. That was all. It was the only reaction she had to his biggest secret of all. Gohan felt his throat tighten in anticipation. What was she going to say?

"Um, that much was obvious, Gohan."

This certainly wasn't what he'd expected.

"I mean, the things you're able to do… And you apparently can change your hair color at will. I mean, sure, I couldn't figure out the "half-half" part – I'm guessing you get it from your dad? Since he was at the Cell Games, too. But, yeah, I always knew you, as Saiyaman, couldn't be someone normal… Kinda like Clark Kent, you know?"

"And you're…" Gohan swallowed, trying to proceed what he was hearing. "I mean, you don't seem to care…?"

"Why should I?" she said, tilting her head to the side. "You're a hero, Gohan – even more than I'd thought. You actually saved the world, when you were only a kid, too."

"But I… I'm half-alien. My dad's from another planet. Doesn't that freak you out? Not even a little bit?"

"Rather…" She looked thoughtful. "It really just triggers my curiosity. Another planet… That sounds fascinating."

Gohan blinked, and then a large smile tugged at his lips. "Wow, you took it better than I could've ever hoped. You're amazing, Videl."

The raven-haired beauty grinned, wrapping her arms around his neck, her blue eyes twinkling with curiosity. "Tell me more about your alien half."

Gohan felt like a huge weight had lifted off his shoulders. He really never thought Videl would just… brush off the fact that he wasn't completely human, like it was nothing. Like it didn't even matter.

His arms tightened around her.

"My father was from a race called the Saiyans, from planet Vegeta. They are extinct today, but they used to be very proud warriors. The Prince of the Saiyans…"

He spoke about his origins for a long time. And Videl listened avidly, fascinated by this extraordinary story about blood-thirsty warriors, who believed in a legend about a Super Saiyan who appeared every one thousand years… And he soon got to the part about his dad – the greatest man who ever lived. His adventures. The many times he'd saved the world. All the friends he'd made throughout his journey… And how it all started with a four-starred crystal ball and a teenage girl who loved strawberries a little too much.

Videl never interrupted, drinking in his words– dying to know more.

And Gohan had never loved her more than in this very moment.

January 30, 2021