Innocent Feelings

18

Anticipation

Hercule frowned at the screen. He had put on the news in his office to make sure that Videl was okay, and while she had been seen walking out of the bank, the reporters were speculating about the blood seen on her shirt and whether it was hers or the criminals'. But what seemed to be the main topic of the day was the witnesses' accounts about how the Great Saiyaman took but a second to knock out all the standing robbers and, more precisely, his "strange exchange" with Miss Videl afterward, as a thirty-something woman who worked at the bank put.

"It was really strange because they seemed to be talking about something that had nothing to do with the bank robbery," the witness said over the mike of the news station. "It looked like there was a lot of tension between them, but it wasn't like usual, like how Miss Videl usually tries to unmask him and all."

The woman, as an employee of the bank, was sadly not at her first robbery occurrence, as she went on to explain, but that also meant she had more than one occasion to see their beloved savior's daughter making a grab for the caped hero's trademark helmet.

"I think they said something like 'we'll talk later', and Saiyaman was really upset that Miss Videl was bleeding," the woman continued, apparently fascinated by the encounter between the city's famous crime fighters. "Then they went outside and Saiyaman picked up Miss Videl and took off – I think they were talking about going to the hospital to get Miss Videl's injury checked out."

As she finished her account, the image changed to show what she just described, and the news' reporter voice added that they have been informed that no hospital seemed to have received Miss Videl in their service as of yet.

Hercule watched the stain on Videl's shirt, worry lines creasing his forehead, but his frown turned into a scowl when the screen showed the so-called superhero picking up Videl like a bride and taking off to sky to who knows where.

Just then, there was a knock on the door, and Hercule gruffly invited the person to come in as he turned off the screen with the remote. His scowl darkened when the familiar head of his daughter's damned boyfriend stuck out of the door.

"If you came for a rematch, you're too late. It was an one-time offer, and you blew it."

"I was hoping we could talk," Gohan said in a respectful tone, closing the door behind him.

There was a moment of silence, during which Hercule gauged the teenage boy leaning against the door, his hands behind his back. The way he looked now, with the dress pants, the black dress shoes, the tucked-in white shirt, the black vest and his high school pin against his chest, it was hard to believe this kid could even fight, let alone be a superhero. They said not to judge a book by its cover, but damn, it was like the book's cover showed a couple of passionate lovers while the story was actually about a war between killer robots and zombies.

"Where's my daughter?" Hercule asked accusingly, as if Gohan had taken her away.

"She's here," the boy replied. "She said she didn't need to go to the hospital so I brought her back to her room instead, since the window was open."

If Hercule had any doubts before, he couldn't deny the obvious now: Videl was well aware of who her boyfriend really was, and a swirl of dread rose in his stomach. Did that mean –

Does she know?

And then a small detail of what Gohan just said distracted him from his fear of disappointing his only daughter. His eyes narrowed to slits. "You were in her room?"

"Just to patch her up!" Gohan squeaked raising his hands in defense – and sounding way too nervous for someone who pretended he did nothing wrong. He cleared his throat into his fist, his cheeks reddening a little, and took a few steps towards the imposing desk behind which Hercule was sitting. "And it turned out to be a lot less serious than I thought – I think I let my worries get to my head even though Videl was doing fine on her own."

"You still don't get a rematch," the afro-ed man reminded him sternly. "You lost, fair and square."

"I guess it can't be helped," Gohan said with an awkward laugh, scratching the back of his head.

Then he sighed, the kind of sigh you have when you're about to do something you really wish you didn't have to, and Hercule felt a tickle of sweat rolling down his temple, having to remind himself that this nerdy kid wasn't just some nobody, even though it was hard to fathom given his humble demeanor.

"You know," Gohan started, looking around the well furnished office distractedly, "there are many ways I could convince you to let me see Videl."

Hercule froze despite himself, and he couldn't help wondering just what he meant by convincing him, and just then the boy looked him in the eye – but there was no threat in his gaze. He looked strangely resigned, and his smile was half-hearted.

"Or I guess we could just do what we want and ignore your disapproval – I think you know who I really am, and I don't only mean my Great Saiyaman persona."

Some world champion he was – Hercule found himself having to control his hands from shaking. He swallowed, letting what the boy said sink in.

So that was really him. He was the Delivery Boy from the Cell Games. Looking at his features closely, Hercule was forced to see the physical resemblance despite the different hair and eye color.

That kid was the real world savior. Everything he was, everything he had become, Hercule owed it to that kid letting him take the credit for defeating Cell.

The man swallowed, breaking eye contact and looking down at his hands.

Does Videl know? he almost asked out loud, but couldn't bring himself to it. She hadn't said anything about it, and she hadn't been acting much differently towards him lately. Hercule preferred to convince himself that she didn't know, and if Videl would rather pretend she didn't even though she did, that was more than fine with him. He didn't want to ever have to confront her about what he'd done…

… to her boyfriend, no less. He swallowed again, more forcefully. He'd been lying so much for so long, the man had managed to make himself believe of his own lies: but the truth had always a way of getting out. Fate had a twisted sense of humor, having his only daughter fall for the boy he'd wronged. He supposed she could do worse – a lot worse than the real world savior, that was for sure. And he wasn't a bad kid, either.

But his little girl was only sixteen. It was too soon. He wasn't ready. He didn't want her to grow up so fast!

"But I–" Gohan continued again, averting his eyes from the distress he could read on Videl's father face. "I actually want your approval. I want us to get along. You're Videl's father, her family, and I…" Gohan swallowed nervously as he continued, and Hercule parted his lips slightly as he stared at the boy. "I hope to be part of her family someday, too."

He'd whispered that part, a little abashed of his words. But it was the truth. He was definitely getting ahead of himself and it was way too soon to even think about it, but in Gohan's mind, it was the only direction his relationship with Videl could take. Of course, it would be for much later, when they were both old enough to get by on their own and could get married.

His face flushed at the thought. Get married…

"I-I know you're just trying to protect your daughter, but so am I," he went on, fighting his stutter. Then he looked the man dead in the eye, placing his hand over his heart, raw honesty shining in his onyx eyes. "I swear I would rather be tortured to death than hurt Videl in any way."

Hercule watched the young man thoughtfully. His daughter could do a lot worse, indeed.

ooOoo

It came as a surprise to see Gohan and Videl walk the hallways of Orange Star High hand in hand the next morning. Everybody assumed their relationship would be over the moment Videl's overprotective father would hear of it.

"So what happened?" Sharpner asked, leaning against the locker next to Videl's while Gohan waited for her to finish putting away her books. "Surely Videl's dad was dead against you two being together, right?"

Gohan and Videl shared a smile. "Yeah, he was," she admitted, shutting the door to her locker, holding a couple books against her chest. With a look and his hand outstretched, Gohan looked like he wanted to carry them for her. She rolled her eyes but a faint blush was tinting her cheeks a lovely cherry blossom color. She handed them to him nonetheless, "If you insist."

Gohan beamed. Sharpner stopped himself from palming his face to spare himself this sickeningly adorable lovey-dovey atmosphere. Videl sent him a silent glare. He rolled his eyes.

"So what happened?" he asked again.

Gohan shrugged, "I just talked to him and told him how much Videl means to me, that I'm serious about her, and that I'd rather be tortured than hurt her."

Videl froze and flushed, then turned to look at her boyfriend and gaped at him. He offered her a sheepish grin. Sharpner snickered. "Geez, you're so sappy. I swear, Videl, you've got some weird taste in guys."

She flushed at the remark but decided to ignore it. "That's what you talked to him about?" Videl asked Gohan in disbelief and embarrassment.

Gohan tilted his head in thoughts. "I think my exact words were that I'd rather be tortured to death than hurt you in any way." He shrugged. "Well, it's the truth."

"And it worked?" Sharpner asked, still a bit skeptical. He crossed his arms. "I mean, sure, you're probably the least threatening guy for a daughter – how long did you guys take to share your first kiss again?" he teased, causing his friends to blush instantly. Sharpner snickered some more. "Yeah, so, I'd totally trust my daughter with a guy like you if I had one –" Gohan blushed harder and stared at his feet, inevitably thinking about the other day after school, at the park, under that tree, and Videl's curves, and the taste of her skin, and the way she'd moaned when he touched her… and he thought to himself that Sharpner really had no idea how wrong he was. "– but was it really that easy to make him change his mind?"

"Well, ahem," Gohan coughed into his fist, pushing away those thoughts to get back in topic. "There were other factors, sure…" As in, him being the real savior of the world and letting Mr. Satan take the credit for it. "But in the end I think he kinda liked me." Which wasn't a lie, either. After their talk, the two men had shaken hands and Hercule gave him a firm look, telling him that he seemed like a decent guy for his daughter and not to disappoint him. Gohan had felt the start of a bond forming between them, building from how much they both cared about Videl.

Gohan was hopeful. With time, he believed that Videl's dad and him would surely get along. Well, if things went according to plan, and if, like Gohan hoped, in a few years, he and Videl got married, it wouldn't hurt if his possibly future father-in-law liked him.

Geez, you're getting way ahead of yourself, Gohan, he told himself with a bright blush across his face. I still haven't even told her how much I love her, how did I come to start thinking about marriage? We're only sixteen for goodness' sake…

"Heh, that doesn't even surprise me," Sharpner smirked. "I mean, if a nerd like you could somehow become my friend, I'm pretty sure you could make anyone come to like you. I mean, even Videl couldn't resist." He winked at her and laughed when she turned a brighter red than a tomato. Geez, an embarrassed Videl was hilarious.

Gohan laughed awkwardly and scratched the back of his head. "Hehe, maybe."

It sure helped that the Son boy was, much like his father, a generally likable person.

ooOoo

"I came up with the perfect idea."

Erasa had asked to talk to him alone, causing Videl to give them a suspicious look – Gohan had grinned, as he hadn't seen that look for a while and kinda missed it, before following Erasa out of the classroom and to the hallway to, he figured, talk about how he was going to profess his love to his girlfriend.

He cracked a smile. "I'm listening."

"I don't actually have the details, but I do believe that you should bring Videl somewhere meaningful to you. I know she'd love you to open up more about yourself and show her something you've kept to yourself, for example. Or, you could have her meet someone who means a lot to you."

Gohan's eyes lit up. "I love that idea. Erasa, you're a genius."

She grinned. "Just using my talents for a great cause. Oh, and make sure it happens at sunset. Nothing's more romantic than a beautiful sunset with the person you love."

Gohan grinned back, feeling excited and anxious at the same time. "Will do. Thank you so much, Erasa. I couldn't have asked for a better friend."

"Aww, you're so sweet." She blushed slightly at the compliment. "I'm just so happy for you and Videl – you two are so perfect for each other, it's so rare to see such a strong bond between two people."

Gohan beamed. "Yeah. I'm the luckiest guy in the world, I swear." His eyes softened. "I just love her so much, my heart feels like bursting sometimes."

It felt so amazing to say it aloud, to talk to someone about it. Gohan sure felt blessed to have friends he could confide in without feeling ashamed or worrying about them teasing him about it.

"Make sure you tell her that," she said with a wink.

He grinned. "Will do."

ooOoo

Erasa's idea had inspired him, and Gohan knew exactly where he was going to bring Videl for their date before telling her he loved her.

"What was that about?" Videl asked when he and Erasa came back to the classroom together.

"You'll know soon enough," Erasa replied cryptically, humming happily to herself, obviously in a high mood.

"Hey, Erasa…" Gohan protested weakly. He had meant to keep it a surprise.

Videl frowned, her gaze shifting from one to the other as their sat down on their respective seats. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing!" Gohan answered quickly, too quickly, his hands raised in defense, sweat trickling down his temple.

"Are you keeping secrets from me again?" she narrowed her eyes at her boyfriend, a flash of hurt flickering in her blue eyes.

"Geez, Videl, he's planning a surprise for you," Erasa rolled her eyes. "Stop being so suspicious and enjoy how caring and considerate your boyfriend is."

Gohan let out a deep sigh, his shoulders slumping. "You do know what the definition of a surprise is, don't you, Erasa?"

"What? It's not like I told her what you're planning." She shrugged. "Besides, now she's going to build up her expectations about what you could be planning and enjoy your surprise even more when it happens. Trust me, I know what I'm doing."

He ran a hand over the back of his neck, his cheeks reddening a little. "Oh… I guess you're right."

"Of course I'm right."

Videl pouted and crossed her arms. "You can't blame me for wondering what you two were up to. The way you two sneaked off is really suspicious. How could I have guessed you were helping Gohan planning something for me?"

"A little trust doesn't hurt," Erasa said with a wink.

"Were we sneaky…?" Gohan wondered sheepishly, scratching his head. "I'm sorry about that, Videl, but Erasa's just been helping come up with ideas."

"And?" Videl asked expectantly.

Gohan tilted his head in confusion. "And, what?"

"And, when are you taking me to that surprise of yours?"

"That's… a really good question," he laughed awkwardly. Videl couldn't help the warm smile forming on her face at Gohan's absolutely adorable laugh. "I have to make some arrangements first… I think, this weekend should be good. Does Saturday work for you?"

Videl felt the urge to take Erasa's seat just so she could lean in and kiss Gohan's tempting mouth. Gosh, he was so freaking adorable. How did she end up with the sweetest boyfriend ever?

"I can't wait."

"We need to go shopping to pick out the perfect outfit for the occasion," Erasa piped in. She raised her hand to silence Videl's protest. "Look, I know you hate going to the mall with me, but I promise I won't drive you crazy and make you try too many clothes. But this is a big occasion and you'll want to be drop dead gorgeous for Gohan on your date."

Videl pouted and crossed her arms in bad faith, but admitted that Erasa was right.

"Videl is already drop dead gorgeous anyway," Gohan said casually as he picked up his Physics book and skimmed through it to find the page they'd last worked on, seeing as the morning break was almost over and their next class would be starting any moment now.

He didn't even seem to realize that he'd said anything out of the ordinary. Erasa gaped at him, and Videl's face turned so red she felt like she was about to pass out from the excess of blood rushing to her head.

He glanced their way and gave them a confused look, tilting his head to the side at their reactions. "What? Did I say something weird?"

He was met with silence, both girls frozen as they kept staring at him.

"I mean, you are gorgeous," he said slowly to Videl, who just flushed even more at that. "That's not news to anyone, is it…?"

Sharpner raised an eyebrow when he came up to their row and found this unusual sight. Erasa was still gaping, Videl's face had discovered the brightest shade of red ever as they both stared at a very confused Gohan who was typically scratching his hair at the girls.

"The hell happened here?"

"Beats me," Gohan replied, more confused than ever. "Is it weird for me to say that Videl is gorgeous? I mean, she is, obviously, so what's the big deal?"

It took a moment for the blond boy to register what had happened, as his gaze shifted from Erasa, to Videl, to Gohan again – and then he burst out laughing. Man, his friends were hilarious.

And Gohan only got even more confused.

February 25, 2021