Innocent Feelings

21

Quality

She felt paralyzed, and flushed, and tingly, and damn when did it get so hot in here…? Videl swallowed hard, unable to look away at her unsuspecting, built like a god boyfriend – standing topless and still wet from his recent shower.

"My shirt's got some blood on it…" Gohan said frowning, holding it in his hands. "Would you mind if I borrowed something of yours? I figured your baggy shirts might fit me… Um… Are you okay, Videl?" he asked, tilting his head in confusion at his gaping and blushing girlfriend.

She swallowed again, her hand slowly rising to her face to run it down over it. "Geez, Gohan, you can't tell me you want to wait and then show me… this. Are you trying to kill me?"

But Gohan blinked, clearly not getting it. "…Huh? What did I do?"

"How about I get topless too and see how you react?" she retorted, making a point not to look at the Adonis standing in her bedroom.

Some light reached his eyes, and then Gohan looked down at himself, remembered how he felt when he saw his girlfriend without her top on, and his face turned bright red in an instant.

"Oh." He gulped, then scratched the back of his head. "Sorry about that. Can I look in your closet to put something clean on?"

"Go ahead."

Biting down on her lip, Videl couldn't help peeking at Gohan as he walked to her walk-in closet and looked through her stuff for something to wear. Damn, his muscular back was having all kinds of effects on her.

"Hey, I remember that shirt," Gohan said turning around. "It's the one you wore on our first date, isn't it?"

Tearing her eyes off his perfectly carved pecs, Videl blinked at the piece of clothing that Gohan was holding. "Oh yeah. It should be large enough to fit you, too."

He chuckled as he tried the shirt on. "Perfect fit."

"And it looks good on you too. You look better without a shirt on though," Videl added deviously. Gohan grinned and blushed as he started buttoning up the shirt.

"Well… So do you."

Her cheeks reddened without her consent, and Gohan grinned wider. She mock-glared at him. "Look who got all confident all of a sudden when he was blushing like a schoolboy two seconds ago."

Gohan laughed heartily, throwing his head back. Videl's eyes softened and she couldn't stop the smile forming on her lips. She loved that boy so freaking much.

"I think you'll always make me blush like a schoolboy, even when we're old and gray and wrinkly."

Her lips parted. She stared at him, looking back at her with a sheepish smile and that adorable look of his.

She looked away, her face burning hot. "Aren't you getting ahead of yourself? We've only been dating for a couple weeks and you already see us growing old together?"

"Haha, yeah, I know," he laughed at himself. "What can I do? I can't help thinking about our future together… I'm in love."

And she blushed harder. Damn it. She couldn't win with that boy, could she?

But, looking back at him, standing there wearing the shirt she had on for their first date, scratching his hair and smiling in that lovable timid way, Videl couldn't help thinking to herself… that she'd already won.

ooOoo

Gohan felt a little nervous about today. Sure, he aced all his classes and had managed to keep his perfect score even considering how distracted he'd been since he and Videl got together, but his repetitive and long "bathroom breaks" weren't going to be in his favor… He hoped his teachers weren't going to scold him about it in front of his mother.

Today was the parent-teacher meeting for the end of the term before the summer break.

"You're such a nerd, Gohan," Sharpner yawned, closing his eyes to shield them from the sun.

Summer was definitely here and every day was sunny and hot. They were talking about getting together to go to the beach sometime before everybody went off on vacation.

The four friends were outside in the courtyard, hanging out under a tree, and Sharpner was lying on the grass, his hands under his head, one leg crossed over the other.

"You're the top of the whole school. What could the teachers possibly say about you that wouldn't be endless praise? I mean, I'm barely passing and do you see me get stressed about it? Nope. Not gonna waste my time worrying about what's already done. Just enjoy this nice day and stop overthinking."

"He's right, Gohan," Videl smiled at him reassuringly, rubbing his back in a comforting way. "I know you're worried about your bathroom breaks, but it's not your fault you've got, um, a small bladder. They can't blame you for staying hydrated."

Gohan smiled, and without thinking leaned in to kiss her lips. He heard a giggle come out of Erasa while Sharpner made a gagging sound.

"Please, spare us," the blonde jock grimaced.

"Don't listen to him and just do what you want," Erasa said, grinning and blushing at the young lovebirds. "You two are adorable."

Videl leaned her head on Gohan's shoulder and smiled at her friend in thanks, her cheeks a rosy tint. Her boyfriend looked down bashfully, realizing how forward he was with her just now, and in public. It was embarrassing how he didn't seem to be able to think when the sudden urge to kiss Videl would take over him.

"When are the parents supposed to come again?" Videl asked, checking her watch on her wrist.

"In about ten minutes," Gohan replied, and let out a deep, dejected sigh. "I have a bad feeling about this…"

Sharpner rolled his eyes. "Nerd."

"Yeah, but Gohan's a hot nerd," Videl smirked. "And he's my hot nerd."

The hot nerd in question almost strangled himself with his own saliva. "Geez, Videl…" he gasped.

"I mean, you wouldn't know," she continued as if he hadn't said anything. "But Gohan's ripped under his nerdy clothes. He looks like a fucking Greek god."

"Oh, I know," Erasa smirked, remembering the time she'd helped Gohan pick out an outfit for his first date with Videl. "It's hard to believe just how well-built Gohan is when he looks so scrawny in his school clothes."

"He-Hey… Cut it out…" Gohan protested meekly.

"What, seriously? No way!" Sharpner said in disbelief, sitting up at once. He eyed Gohan, looking him up and down. "I don't see it… You're not messing with me?"

Videl laughed. "I know, right? I was so surprised when I saw him in a tight shirt for the first time."

"I picked it out for him, so I so know what you mean," Erasa giggled.

"Okay now I've gotta see," Sharpner snickered, giving Gohan a pressing look.

The boy in question paled. "What… What do you mean?"

Sharpner smirked. "Top off, Nerd Boy. I'll believe it when I see it."

"Wh-What? No way!" Gohan got to his feet in an instant, raising his hands and backing away from the trio closing in on him, a scary glint in their eyes.

"It's okay, Gohan, no need to be embarrassed. It's just us," Erasa said in a way that gave Gohan goosebumps.

"Come on, Gohan, don't be a chicken. I just wanna see," Sharpner added.

But Videl decided to try another approach. She smiled sweetly up at her boyfriend before pulling him to her and kissing him, wrapping her arms around his neck. Gohan all but melted and let go of all of his defenses. He kissed her back passionately, forgetting about their friends and their surrounding and what was happening two seconds ago, holding her firmly around the waist, pulling her all against him.

He should've known she was up to something. But Gohan was too caught up in the kiss, letting himself be immersed by her lips, her tongue, her scent, her body against his…

It was too late to do anything when Videl took his shirt off. He hadn't realized what was happening when she untucked it and ran her hands up his tense abs, he'd just moaned stupidly, completely drunk in the moment.

And then his shirt was off, and the kiss was over too soon.

"Holy shit."

That was Sharpner. Gohan blinked out of his daze, still not fully aware of his surroundings or what was happening because of that mind-boggling kiss. And then he saw Videl, grinning and holding his white shirt and black vest. His gaze shifted to Erasa, who was smiling in an appreciative way and blushing slightly, to Sharpner, his jaw hanging open and his eyes wide in shock as he stared at Gohan's torso.

And then the Son boy looked down at himself – topless.

He flushed.

"Videl! What the hell!"

But only laughter met his outrage. Gohan quickly snatched his shirt back and put it on in a flash, crossing his arms in a pout. But his expression soon softened – he couldn't be upset at Videl when her laugh filled his heart with such warmth and love.

"Well damn, boy, they weren't lying. You're ripped," Sharpner commented.

"I'll be grateful if you didn't doubt their word in the future," Gohan said. He swooped down to take Videl's hand, and his eyes twinkled when he was met with her beaming smile. "And you, please don't use your charms against me again. You know I don't hold a chance against you."

"I'll make no such promise," she stuck out her tongue at him. "It was way too much fun."

He mock-pouted. "Meanie."

She reached up and kissed his cheek, before whispering in his ear, "Although, feel free to use your charms on me any time…"

He flushed, raising his hand over his face in an attempt to hide some of his blushing face. "Geez… You're ruthless with me, Videl."

"What? What'd you say? What was it?" Erasa asked eagerly.

Videl smirked. "I'll tell you later."

"Hey, but I wanna know too!" Sharpner protested, taking on a dramatic pose, pointing at the brunette.

"How about we keep that between us?" Gohan suggested with an awkward smile, scratching his hair uneasily.

Videl laughed. Gohan felt his chest swell. How he loved her laugh…

"Okay then, let's keep it between us."

Gohan checked his watch. "The meetings are about to start anyway. I think my mom's already here."

In fact, he could feel her ki in the area, and to his surprise, Goten was with her… with Trunks? What the heck? Man, there was no way this could end well…

"Something wrong?" Videl asked, no doubt noticing the beads of sweat rolling down his temples and forehead.

"Everything."

ooOoo

"Gohan is probably the best student I've ever had and will ever have. He's a delight to have in class, he's always attentive and partakes in the lesson. He's a bright boy, your son, and he's got an even brighter future ahead of him, no doubt."

Chichi beamed at the praise, and Gohan felt the weight on his shoulders lift off as he sighed in relief.

"However…"

He tensed up in an instant at the dreaded word.

"His numerous bathroom breaks worries me. Has he seen a doctor about it?" the blonde English teacher, Miss Tungoe asked in concern, and Gohan couldn't help but feel bad when he saw the worry lines creasing her forehead.

"I think I just drink too much water…" he muttered shamefully, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Well, I can't blame you for hydrating yourself." Gohan smiled as he remembered Videl saying pretty much the same thing. "And at least your frequent absences aren't affecting your grades… But assiduousness is as important as good grades, Gohan, and you've missed a lot with your bathroom breaks."

"Is it really that bad?" Chichi asked, crossing her arms in annoyance. Was this woman going to stain her sweet boy's perfect score just because he couldn't help going out to save the day? Sure, Gohan's teacher had no idea he was using his bathroom breaks to fight crime as his superhero alter ego, but honestly, if it wasn't affecting his grades, why the fuss?

"Well, the bathroom breaks aside, Gohan has missed a couple classes last month and didn't bring any justification afterwards."

He froze. He was paralyzed with realization and dread and fear and the possible consequences and– Oh my God it was when Videl and I got together.

"Has he now?"

Chichi's voice was friendly yet cold and scary at the same time. Gohan gulped loudly.

"May I see that?" she asked, motioning to the presence sheet on Miss Tungoe's side of the desk.

"Naturally."

Gohan watched helplessly as the sheet was passed from his teacher to his mother. She examined it carefully, no doubt trying to figure out why her son has missed two classes on the same day. Maybe trying to remember what had happened that day… If she did, Gohan was sure this couldn't go well.

"What happened on June 14th, Gohan?" Chichi asked him sternly, her eyes daring him to try and lie.

He swallowed hard. "It's the day I…" Gohan looked away and ran his hand over his face to wipe the sweat off it. "It's when Videl and I got together…"

"So you two missed class together."

"Ah, indeed, Videl missed those two classes that day too," Miss Tungoe realized as she checked Videl's presence sheet.

"B-But it was only that time! I'll never miss a class again, I swear!" Gohan said heatedly.

"Did she make you miss class?" Chichi asked slowly, her eyes narrowing.

Oh, this was bad. Last thing he needed was for his mother to think Videl had a bad influence on him.

"No! We both… I mean… It just happened, but it won't happen again, Mom, please don't get mad." He sighed in defeat, looking down, waiting for his sentence.

"Well, for missing class and keeping it from me, you're grounded for a week," Chichi decided. Then she turned to the teacher. "Anything else?"

"Well… no. There isn't much to say when you have such a great student in your class." Miss Tungoe looked a bit embarrassed and cleared her throat. "I don't mean to interfere in things that don't concern me but… Gohan is such a responsible and mature young man, and he's only missed class that one time…"

Gohan felt a rush of affection and gratitude for his English teacher, but at the same time, he wished she hadn't said anything. A flame of anger lit Chichi's eyes as she glared murder at the woman sitting across from her.

"If Gohan's such a great person, it's because I did a great job raising him, on my own, might I add, as my husband died when I was pregnant with our second son. So, please, keep your comments about raising mychild to yourself." Chichi stood, her chair creaking behind her. "I think we're done here?"

"Y-Yes. I'm sorry I offended you, Mrs. Son. You have done a spectacular job with Gohan, he's a well-brought young man and he'll no doubt become a great member of our society."

"Yes, he will," Chichi said curtly, no longer mellowed by the teacher's praises. "Now, if you'll excuse us, we have to see Gohan's other teachers." She turned around swiftly and already started walking away. "Come on, Gohan."

Gohan jumped to his feet, bowed to his teacher in respect and apologies, and then hurried off after his mother who was already walking out of the classroom and to the hallway where lines of parents and their kids waiting for different rooms took up the whole length of the walls.

"Um… Mom?"

"The nerve of that woman!" Chichi fumed. "Trying to tell me how to raise my kids? Does she have any of her own? If she knew half the things I've done, the things I've sacrificed for you two–"

Gohan wrapped his arms around his mother and sighed when she seemed to calm down. "You're the best mom in the world, Mom, and I deserve to be grounded for a week. I think Miss Tungoe just likes me a lot because I'm good in her class and she felt a little bad for me."

"Well she should just mind her own damn business!" Chichi's muffled voice mumbled against Gohan chest.

"Of course."

In cases like this, the best course of action was to agree to everything.

"We should go check up on Goten and Trunks before going to see my next teacher."

Changing the subject was also a good method. Besides, he was a little worried about these two together in the school's daycare. It was set up so that parents with small children could come without having to resort to hiring a babysitter. Gohan was still unsure as to why Trunks had come with them too. Something about Bulma taking the day to herself at the spa or some other place and Vegeta being too busy training to take care of him, and for some reason her parents couldn't make it either? He could understand that leaving Trunks with his family was probably safer than hiring a babysitter, for the babysitter that is, but today Gohan couldn't really keep an eye on Trunks and his bad influence on Goten, so who knew what those two tricksters were up to?

ooOoo

This was probably not the best time for his mother to meet his girlfriend, when she just heard about him missing class with Videl the day they got together and probably thinking that Videl was ruining him or something. Hopefully not.

But there she was, waiting for her dad by the classroom used for the daycare. Could she be waiting for him, since he'd told her his brother was here too?

And she apparently didn't see the woman walking beside him, as when they came up to the door, Videl's eyes lit up and she rushed right into his arms. He flushed but couldn't help hugging her back. It was like a reflex, or muscle memory.

"Um… Videl, this is my mother," he said, his voice sounding a little weird due to his nervousness. "Mom, this is Videl… my girlfriend."

Videl pulled back slightly and blinked at the woman gaping at them. She flared up instantly and pulled away from Gohan completely, walking up in front of the older woman and holding out her hand.

"Hello. It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Son."

Chichi shook her hand without a word, eying her scrupulously. Finally, she opened her mouth and spoke. "Nice to finally meet you, Videl." Then her eyes narrowed dangerously and her grip on the girl's hand tightened. "You better not break my baby's heart or you'd better start running. Fast. Because I won't go easy on you."

Videl's smile turned too sweet, and she responded in kind, tightening her hand around Chichi's, showing her that she wasn't going to let herself be scared down.

"I've got no intention of hurting Gohan in any way. I happen to be madly in love with him, see."

"Oh geez…" Gohan hid his face behind his hand, hoping nobody could see just how much he was blushing. "Don't just say that to her like that…"

"That's good to know," Chichi replied in kind, finally letting go of Videl's hand. She rubbed hers slightly, secretly impressed of the grip the younger woman had. She'd heard that Videl was strong, but she hadn't expected her to be that strong. "But I've got my eye on you. And just so you know, Gohan's grounded for a week."

Videl frowned and then looked at her boyfriend for confirmation. He smiled awkwardly, scratching his hair. "Yeah," he said. "The teacher told her about the time we missed a couple periods. It's okay though, we'll still see other at school."

"But we had plans this weekend!" Videl protested.

Gohan tilted his head, trying to remember if they did make plans, but nothing came to mind.

"It's our last week before the break, and the class was planning to go to the beach together. We were just talking about it," Videl explained. She turned to Chichi with pleading eyes. "You don't want Gohan to miss that, do you? It's a big thing, and everybody's going to be there. Please, let him at least come with us, it's not fair for him to miss out on this just because we ditched a couple classes – that we immediately caught up on, too! Please, Mrs. Son, you can't do that to him – that's just too harsh."

"Videl, it's okay, there'll be other beach days," Gohan smiled reassuringly, putting his hands on her shoulders to pull her away from his mom. "I deserved it."

"But it's my fault you ditched that day! I was too embarrassed to go back in class and I convinced you to come with me, and now you're gonna miss this great day with the whole class and it's just not fair!"

He kissed her forehead. "Thank you, Videl, but I'm okay with that." He cupped her cheeks, and rubbed his thumbs over her humid eyes. She pursed her lips to hold back her tears. She knew she was getting too emotional over this but damn it, it just wasn't fair. "Don't get so worked up about this, it's not that bad. We'll go to the beach just the two of us after my punishment is over, all right?"

But a loud, tired sigh cut Videl off before she could utter a reply. They both turned to Chichi, who rolled her eyes.

"Fine. You can go to that beach outing with your classmates – but you're still grounded, and I'm adding a day to your punishment since you'll be going to the beach."

"R-Really?" Gohan mumbled, dumbfounded.

"Thank you so much!" Videl exclaimed excitedly, rushing over to hold Chichi's hand with both of hers, her eyes full of gratitude. "I knew you would understand."

"Well, I'm not heartless," Chichi stated, taking her hand back and crossing her arms over her chest. "And I don't want Gohan to miss out on his high school life. That's also why I sent him to school, after all."

Videl turned to look at him, her eyes full of love and adoration, and it was hard for Chichi not to feel her heart tighten a little as Gohan gave Videl the same look in return – both so obviously head over heels in love.

"And I couldn't thank you enough for that," Videl said, a grin forming on her face. Gohan sought her hand and held it firmly in his. She felt like kissing him right now, but she had the presence of mind to hold herself in front of Gohan's mother. She didn't need to give the woman a bad impression of her.

At least, Chichi didn't seem to dislike her, or to be against them being together. It was refreshing – even though she was maybe as overprotective as Mr. Satan, at least Chichi wasn't getting in the way of her son's love life, unlike her dad who would've tried anything to keep her from dating anyone if he could've helped it. Good thing Gohan was so likable that even her father let himself be charmed.

"Well, let's check on the boys already," Chichi said, walking up to the door and reaching for the doorknob. "I still have teachers to meet today."

She opened the door, her eyes scanning the room. A frown creased her brow. She scanned it again, more slowly, more carefully – but alas, her eyes weren't deceiving her. Trunks and Goten were nowhere in sight.

"Now that's just what I needed!" she huffed indignantly, throwing her hands in the air.

"What's wrong, Mom?"

Gohan came up from behind her, pulling Videl by the hand along with him, and in turn, he looked around the classroom-made daycare – and his face fell.

"They're not here."

"Hey, you!" Chichi yelled at the woman behind the teacher's desk, stomping towards the unsuspecting caretaker. "Where the hell is my son and his friend? Can't you even do your job properly? How the hell do you lose two kids without even noticing?"

Well, to be fair, Trunks can be a sneaky little brat, and Goten is easily influenceable, Gohan thought in the woman's defense. Not that he would ever dare say that out loud to his mother. He liked breathing and all, thank you very much.

"It's okay, Mom, I'll find them," he said confidently, hoping to calm his mother down. With any luck the boys didn't think of concealing their kis.

But a quick scan of the area told him that these two were smarter than he thought – or rather, Trunks was, because there was no way Goten would've thought of that himself. Ah, what was this little devil's spawn doing to his angelic little brother?

"Ugh, forget it," Chichi huffed indignantly. "Let them be, we have more important things to do. They'll hear from me when they come back."

As his mother stormed out of the room, Gohan suddenly felt really, really glad not to be either Trunks or Goten right now, but he also felt bad for his brother, who was just going along with the flow and letting Trunks lead him into trouble. That poor little tyke. He hoped their mom would go easy on him at least.

"Guess there's nothing I can do," Gohan sighed, scratching his hair. He apologized to the caretaker for his mom's rudeness then both he and Videl walked out of the room.

Videl's pocket went ting, and she got out her phone to check her new messages. "Oh, Dad's finally here. Says he's tried to sneak in unnoticed but a crowd has already gathered around him." She rolled her eyes. "Right, like he doesn't love the attention."

"Just glad that's not me," Gohan chuckled.

"Is it really okay?" Videl asked, putting her phone back in her pocket. "Your brother and his friend being off on their own like that?"

"If they make trouble, I'd sense it, and there's really nothing we can do if they're making sure not to be found." Gohan shrugged. "They're strong boys, so I'm not too worried about them. Trunks tends to get Goten into trouble though – I just hope it won't be too bad."

"I guess…" She sighed when her phone went off again. "Well, I should probably go meet with my dad."

"And I should go after my mom." Gohan smiled. "It went pretty well, you two meeting."

"I guess so. At least I was able to convince her to let you come with us at the beach. It's going to be so much fun!" Her eyes lit up as she said that, and Gohan beamed in return.

"I can't wait."

Videl smirked. "I bet you can't. I'm even gonna be wearing a bikini, just for you," she added with a wink.

An image was forming in his head and Gohan's face caught fire. "Uhh… Really?"

"And I'll get to see you in your swimming suit too… Hmm, I really can't wait." She wriggled her eyebrows at him, and Gohan couldn't help but laugh at her silliness.

He leaned down and took two seconds to kiss her lips. "I love you."

She smiled brightly, her face flushed in delight. "I love you."

Videl kissed his cheek and they parted ways, turning around a few times to wave at each other.

"Geez, corny much?" a random high school student rolled her almond colored eyes, brushing her died blond hair over her shoulder.

"I think they're cute," commented her mother, a lean lady in her forties with brown hair and the same almond colored eyes. "Wasn't that Mr. Satan's daughter and her boyfriend?"

"Yup. And they're disgustingly lovey-dovey together, all googly-eyed and ugh. They make me sick."

I can't believe that photo I sent to the magazine wasn't enough to bring them apart. How the hell did that nerd convince Mr. Satan to let him date Videl? Ugh. Videl deserves so much better…

Bah. At least I got some money out of it, I guess.

Next time, though… I can't miss. These two are just wrong for each other – they have nothing in common. Videl should be with someone strong and confident, like Sharpner, not that stammering nerd.

ooOoo

It was while Chichi and Gohan were in the middle of a meeting that Goten and Trunks' made their presence known. They just barged into the classroom, covered in paint of every color for some reason, and without hesitation they both jumped at Gohan whose chair gave in under the abrupt pressure and fell over.

"Oomph," Gohan groaned when the kids landed on top of him.

"Oh, my, Gohan, are you okay?" the Math teacher, Mrs. Skware asked in worry from seeing her student making such a dangerous fall.

"You two!" Chichi yelled, on her feet in a flash. "Where the hell have you been?! And why are you covered in paint?"

"We just wanted to take a tour!" Trunks answered with a much too innocent face.

"And we visited the art club! It was fun!" Goten piped up, grinning like he'd just been on the best adventure ever. Which was probably how he felt.

"Well, you two are grounded for three weeks! You should know better than to sneak off and make trouble!"

Goten's lower lip trembled. "But Mommy…" he whimpered in a tiny voice.

Gohan's heart broke a little with his little brother's. "Mom, three weeks, I think that's a bit much… Wouldn't ten days be enough? At least for Goten, you know he just follows Trunks around blindly. Trunks' the real mastermind in this."

"Thanks," the lavender-haired boy smirked smugly, crossing his arms in a very Vegeta-like manner. "I appreciate the compliment."

"Oh, you! Wait till I tell your parents!" Chichi fumed. But Trunks looked unimpressed.

"You do know I'm gonna be praised by my dad? And Mom, well, she'd never ground me for three whole weeks just for a little paint. She's not as harsh as you. Sorry, Goten."

"Well, she should be!" Chichi sputtered. "And you're right, Gohan – Goten, you should know better than to follow Trunks without thinking, and for that you'll be grounded for a week. As for you, Trunks – I'll make sure you're locked in your room for a whole month."

"Sounds good. I love my room."

"You mouthy little… Oh, your mother will hear about this!"

"Now you just sound like Draco Malfoy. I like that kid, too."

"Trunks, can it," Gohan hissed sternly. "I don't like your tone. My mom deserves your respect."

"Why, because she's an adult?" Trunks retorted in a bored tone, feigning a yawn. "I happen to think I should respect those who respect me."

"No, because she's a badass mom who's been raising me and Goten on her own and cooking for us and caring for us and making sure we're happy. That's why you should show her respect."

That shut Trunks up. He looked down in shame, knowing that he went too far with his smart mouth.

"I'm sorry, Chichi," he said quietly. Gohan was glad Trunks apologized without being asked to. At least, Chichi seemed to have calmed down while he had berated the boy.

Mrs. Skware cleared her throat, bringing the attention to herself. "Well, I have to say, I'm quite impressed, Gohan. You'd make a fine dad someday."

"Oh, yes, he's great with Goten, too," Chichi beamed. "I can't wait to be a grandma! But not too soon, of course, Gohan's got his education to think about first, and then, when he and Videl have settled down they can get married and start a family together…"

"Oh my God, Mom," Gohan croaked out, covering his mouth in utter embarrassment, his whole face flamboyant. "You can't say stuff like that…"

"Oh, don't tell me you've never thought about it yourself," Chichi teased. "The way you look at her, you've probably pictured you two living together and having a big family."

Well, he would be lying if he denied it. So lie he would.

"We've only been dating a few weeks! Geez, Mom, you're getting way ahead of yourself!"

Mrs. Skware cleared her throat again. "In any case… I've got nothing bad to say about Gohan. Sure, he goes off to the bathroom a little too often, but there's nothing we can do about it."

Trunks and Goten snickered, and Mrs. Skware smiled at their silliness, thinking that they were laughing at poop jokes, like kids their age often did. How could she have guessed that the real cause for their amusement was that Gohan somehow managed to fool all his teachers with his supposed bathroom breaks when he actually flew off to fight bad guys as the Great Saiyaman?

"You should try to hold it in though, Gohan," she told her student. "You're not a little kid anymore. You should be able not to go to the bathroom for an hour."

"I'll… I'll try, but it's, um, it's really hard."

Mrs. Skware chuckled slightly. "Well, I think we're done. I'll see you tomorrow in class."

Chairs clanked on the floor as both Gohan and Chichi stood. They both shook hands with the teacher, and then Goten came up and grinned and offered his hand too, which Mrs. Skware took good-naturedly before ruffling his wild spiky hair.

"You have great boys, Mrs. Son. You should be proud."

Chichi beamed. "Thank you. I am."

Gohan was glad this meeting ended better than the one with his English teacher. Mrs. Skware seemed to have made a great impression on his mom, which could only be a good thing. He hoped the next couple meetings left would go just as smoothly.

ooOoo

They brought Trunks and Goten along in the meetings since they couldn't trust them to be on their own at the daycare. The first one, or second to last, went okay. It was with Mr. Whar, his History teacher, a meek and weak-willed old man who should have retired years ago. Like the others, he only had good things to say about Gohan but commented on his habit to rush off to the bathroom a little too often. The meeting was short and rapidly over, so they headed to the last one.

This one, Gohan dreaded the most, to be honest. Mr. Kant, his Philosophy teacher, seemed to have it against him for no particular reason. Videl thought that it was because Gohan was too smart, most likely smarter than him, and the teacher didn't like the idea of being bested by a teenager.

"Hello, I'm Mr. Kant, Gohan's Philosophy's teacher," he said holding out his hand to Chichi.

"I'm Chichi Son, Gohan's mother," she replied, shaking his hand firmly.

They all sat down. The teacher eyed the kids disapprovingly.

"They can't stay in the daycare, they've gone off on their own once already, it was more than enough," Chichi explained. "So I'm keeping an eye on them. Don't worry, they won't be a bother."

"I should hope so," the man sneered, clearly disliking having such young children around him.

He was rather young, in his mid-thirties, tall and lean, and quite pale, with gray eyes and brown hair, but his severe frown and constantly narrowed eyes made him look older than he was.

He turned to the files before him. Gohan's files. The boy in question swallowed, not liking the smirk forming on his least favorite teacher's face. Well, he had nothing against the man actually, it was his teacher who seemed to hate his guts just for having a brain or something.

"So, Son Gohan. Quite a remarkable mind, your son has," the man said. Gohan raised his eyebrows. Maybe Mr. Kant had more ethics than he'd given him credit for. "It's too bad he's not using it to its full advantage."

Or not.

"I beg your pardon?" Chichi said cooly, clearly unimpressed by the biased teacher.

"Well, Gohan's last paper seemed a bit… lacking his usual insight. It's been like that for a few weeks, actually. I believe he's started dating girls since that time, hasn't he?"

"Not girls, just one," Gohan corrected the man curtly, frowning deeply. He didn't like how Mr. Kant was making him sound – like he was some player chasing girls. "And you know it's Videl – the whole city knows we're dating."

"Anyway, the matter stays," Mr. Kant said, waving him off in a superior way. Gohan clenched his fists on his lap, feeling something dangerous boiling in his chest. "Gohan hasn't been doing as well since he's started dating. Sure, he still gets the top scores, but that's only because his classmates aren't to his level and don't really compare. However, I know Gohan can do better. He needs to get his head focused on his work and maybe daydream a little less about his girlfriend."

Gohan swallowed in guilt. However biased his Philosophy teacher was – everything he said was true. He'd been daydreaming in class a lot since he and Videl got together, and while the other teachers didn't seem to mind since he still scored perfectly, Mr. Kant not only noticed, but also felt the drop of quality in his work.

A bead of sweat trickled down his neck as he glanced at his mother. She had made him promise that he would break it off with Videl if she saw even the slightest bit of drop in his schoolwork – that was the deal, and he had agreed to it, confident that he could do it.

But now…

She wouldn't make him break up with Videl over this, would she? Gohan felt a lump rising in his throat. He couldn't know for sure… His education had always been Chichi's top priority, and while his grades hadn't dropped, apparently the quality of his papers had.

"I'll work harder," he promised. "You're right. I know I've been a bit distracted. I didn't plan for this to happen – I didn't think I would fall so hard for a girl…" He blushed at his own words, but forced himself to finish his thought. "But it happened, and I let it affect my work. I'm sorry, and I assure you, I won't let that happen again."

"Well, I'm glad to hear you say that, Gohan," Mr. Kant smiled a little too sweetly, like he'd just won. Gohan looked down to his hands to stop himself from glaring at him. What he said may have been true, but the intentions behind his words were anything but pure.

"I guess that's it, then?" Chichi asked.

Gohan glanced at her nervously. Was she really not going to say anything? Or maybe, she was planning to give him a talk once they were out of the classroom? Yeah, that was probably it… His shoulders slumped.

A big crash suddenly interrupted them. Gohan slapped his face. The boys had somehow broken the window. And not only that – Trunks was hovering next to it to see the damage with a sheepish look.

"Whoops…"

"Is he… Is he…?" Mr. Kant stammered in disbelief.

"Well that's it for the meeting I guess see you tomorrow Mr. Kant okay bye!" Gohan said in a rush as he ran to the boys, snatched them both under each of his arms and disappeared out of the classroom before the teacher could ask any question. With any luck, he was going to think he'd imagined Trunks hovering in the air with nothing holding him… Gohan heaved a deep sigh.

Chichi smiled at the flabbergasted look on the teacher's face as she took her time getting up. "Is Gohan's work really 'lacking' lately, or did you just make it up to prove something? If it were, there's no way you would've still given him full mark, is there?" She leaned over, looking the man dead in the eye, their noses almost touching. "I don't know what your problem with my son is but I advise you get over it quickly, or I swear I'll have you kicked out of this school in no time and I'll make sure you never get a teaching job again – which would be doing you a favor since you don't seem fit for it at all. That lavender-haired boy's mother? Bulma Brief. And I don't have to tell you who my Gohan's girlfriend's father is, do I? So you better back the hell off my son, or I'll kick your sorry ass." She grabbed his collar roughly and narrowed her eyes to slits. "And I happen to be a former finalist of the World Martial Arts Tournament, so trust me, I will kick your sorry ass."

With that, she let go of his collar, dusted off her hands, and then walked out calmly, leaving the man sitting in his urine.

Well, in his defense, the woman was scary as hell.

ooOoo

"Yes, of course, Videl has always been super smart – she takes after me of course! Hahahaha!"

Videl sighed at her father's antics. Did he have to always be so… loud? And attention seeking? And always bringing every conversation around himself? She loved her dad, sure, but man, sometimes he was just insufferable.

The last meeting was finally done, and this time Videl sighed in relief, glad that this day was over.

"I'm going to see my friends before heading home," she told her father, pecking him on the cheek.

"Ah, that's okay, I have to go back to work anyway, a lot of business to take care of," he smiled in apology, wishing they could've at least gone home together.

"Okay, then, I'll see you at home."

He kissed her forehead, she smiled up at him, and they parted ways. Videl picked up her pace, hoping to catch Gohan before he went home with his family. But she was sure he would never leave without saying goodbye, he was already grounded, he wasn't going to waste any time they could be spending together.

And, there he was, waiting outside, the setting sun behind him giving him an out-of-worldly glow. She ran to him. He opened his arms. She sighed in content as they closed around her. Ah, how she loved this feeling…

"I missed you so much today," he mumbled against her hair.

"I can't believe you're grounded. We're going to be seeing even less of each other this week," she complained, her voice coming out muffled as her face was buried deep in his chest.

"We'll survive… I think." He chuckled. She smiled, tightening her arms around his back.

"I'll never make you ditch class ever again."

"That'll be a good start, yes," he laughed, holding her tighter, nuzzling her neck. "Hmm, you smell so nice…"

"Maybe you could sneak out and come see me at night," she suggested half-heartedly.

"And risk getting grounded for longer?"

"Yeah, I know. It was just an idea."

"It'll go by fast. And we'll see each other at school."

"I know, I know. It's silly, but I'm going to miss hanging out with you after school."

"It's not silly. I'll miss that too. But it's only for a week. It could've been worse."

"Mhmm."

They stayed there for a while, just holding each other close, breathing in each other's scent, basking in their loving embrace… Until Chichi came over and told Gohan it was time to go home.

"Can't I stay a little bit with Videl?" he risked asking anyway even though he knew the answer.

And soon enough…

"You're grounded, Gohan. Next time you'll think twice before you miss class and try to hide it from me."

With a deep, heavy-hearted sigh, Gohan pulled back from Videl and looked down at her with puppy eyes, unwilling to part from her.

"Oh, for crying out loud – fine! You get half an hour, while Goten and I get on our way. But you better get home at the same time we do. I trust your super speed."

Gohan beamed at his mom and went to give her a big hug, lifting her off the ground. "Thank you, thank you, thank you! You're the best, Mom, I love you!"

Chichi laughed at her son's silliness and patted his cheek when he let her down. "You're a great kid, Gohan. Don't get in trouble again."

"I won't."

"I'll make sure he won't!" Videl added, grabbing Gohan's hand, the two lovebirds sharing sweet looks and adoring smiles. "Thank you so much for the extra time, Mrs. Son."

The matriarch smiled warmly. "You can call me Chichi."

ooOoo

Ugh. This couldn't go on. What could Videl, the amazing, beautiful, fearless, strong-willed Videl ever see in that bland guy? Okay, so maybe he wasn't ugly, but he was hardly good looking enough for a gorgeous girl like Videl. Or just good enough, period. It just didn't make any sense.

In a fit of outrage, she grabbed a rock and threw it at him, wishing he could get his filthy hands off Videl. But to her dismay, he moved out of the way just before it could impact with his stupid, spikey head, and then somehow, he looked right at her with a frown of confusion, like he knew she threw that rock or something, somehow. Well, so what if he knew? She stuck out her tongue at him and tugged at her lower eyelid before letting out a huff and walking away.

What a loser. Videl deserved so much better than that.

Seriously, what did she see in that guy?

Ugh.

ooOoo

Weird.

Did he know that girl? She didn't look familiar at all. What did she have against him? To go as far as throwing a rock at him… If he hadn't been half Saiyan, that could've hurt a lot.

"Let's go somewhere where we can make out."

Videl's proposition took his mind off of the strange unknown girl right off the bat, and he grinned readily, letting his girlfriend lead him away by the hand.

They only had twenty-seven minutes left, and Gohan had every intention to make them count. He was confident Videl had the same thought.

Uh-oh, what's this? Some girl wants to break up my OTP? OVER MY DEAD BODY BITCH. I'LL FIGHT YOU.

Lol yeah, I know I'm the one who made her up, but I still hate her. e_e

Anyways, hope you enjoyed this chapter! It was loads of fun to write Chichi is so badass, I love writing her. *heart* And embarrassing Gohan never gets old, hehehehe. Also THEY'RE SO IN LOVE OMG AAAHHHH AJRZIFENJALFNRKAPDNLDFNKFRN

March 13, 2021