Chapter Twenty-Five
His Faulty Brain
Videl felt light, as though she was walking on a cloud. She was humming to herself as she walked through her gigantic house to the personal gym for a late-night workout session. Halfway there, as she passed through the living area, a butler came up to her and held out a cordless phone, informing her that her friend Erasa was asking for her.
Her silly grin still glued on her face, Videl took the receiver and changed course, plopping down on the comfy sofa.
"Hey, 'Rase. What's up?"
"You seem in a good mood," her friend observed from the other side of the line.
"Must be because I am." Videl let out a long, dreamy sigh. "I don't think I've ever felt this happy in my life."
A pause. "Would it happen to have anything to do with a certain spiky-haired boy? I saw on social media that he was sighted with you earlier."
Videl's grin widened. "Yeah. He came back."
"And…?"
Videl giggled in a very uncharacteristic way. "And we're going on a date tomorrow."
She pulled the phone back as Erasa squealed in delight. Chuckling in amusement, Videl put it back against her ear when it was safe again and the volume of her friend's voice wouldn't make her ears shrill.
"Oh, Videl, I'm so happy for you! Finally! Finally! Oh, I can't wait for all of us to go on double dates together! It's gonna be so much fun! And you're finally gonna take part in the conversation when I talk to you about boys! Oh, this is so awesome! I'm so happy!"
Videl laughed. "Glad my new relationship status is working so well for you."
Erasa giggled. "Oh, you have no idea. So, what do you plan to wear for your first date with Gohan?"
Videl looked at the ceiling in thought. "I don't know. I haven't really thought about it."
Her friend gasped loudly on the other side of the line. "No way! You can't just pick out your outfit last minute! Okay, don't move, I'm coming over!"
And then the line ended before Videl could utter another word. The girl laughed to herself and hung up in turn, placing the receiver on the coffee table. Well, it would be quite helpful, actually, if Erasa could give her some pointers on what to wear on her date. Videl had never been that interested in fashion and usually chose her clothes based on comfort and convenience.
I should probably go back to my room and look at possible options, she decided, getting up from the couch. I do have some dresses from when Papa makes me go with him to social events…
Would wearing a dress be too much, though? Would she look like she was trying too hard? And what if the police called her? She couldn't possibly fight crime wearing a dress. She needed to find something nice that would also be comfortable. She was a crime fighter, and she couldn't just take a day off when the city might need her. Gohan wouldn't want that either.
Hopefully, Erasa would come up with options that would be fit to fight in.
On her way back to her room, Videl came across a humming Buu.
"Oh, hey Videl!" he greeted her cheerfully. "Is Gohan with you? I can't wait to fight him!"
Videl gave an awkward smile. She completely forgot about that. Buu had been really eager to fight Gohan, and he had probably been waiting for them to come back from the dinner at the Son household all evening…
"I'm sorry, Buu, Gohan went home… The dinner took longer than we thought and it's a little late now."
Buu's round face fell. His lower lip stuck out. "Oh. Okay…"
"Tomorrow?" Videl offered tentatively. "Gohan's coming over tomorrow and we'll be going out, but once we come back Gohan can fight you. Can you wait a little more, please?"
But Buu was still frowning. "I guess…"
"You could go fight Vegeta while you wait for us to come back tomorrow," she offered. "You have fun with Vegeta, right?"
At the mention of the Saiyan Prince, Buu lit up. "Oh, yeah! He's awesome! And he's always stronger when I fight him again, too!"
"That's good. Now, how about you go have some chocolate? It's your favorite, right?"
Buu grinned. "Oh, yes, good idea! I want more chocolate!"
Videl chuckled, and Buu skipped away while humming to himself again. She felt bad about forgetting about her promise to Buu, but at least he was very easy to please.
Remembering that Erasa was on her way, she walked back to her room and immediately went to her walk-in closet, opening the doors widely. She browsed through the hung clothes in the far left of the rack where she usually stacked the dresses her father would buy her when he wanted her present with him at social gatherings.
They were all too fancy anyway. No, Videl needed something else.
She was getting anxious about the date now. And it was all Erasa's fault. She got into her head and now she was stressing over what to wear.
Her! Getting worked up about clothes! Her!
In the end, Videl gave up and decided to simply wait for Erasa. The blonde was the expert, so she might as well let her do all the work.
The girl plopped down on her bed, her arms and legs spread wide apart, and stared at the ceiling. A smile soon crept up to her lips as the image of her handsome boyfriend appeared in her mind.
She was so ridiculously in love. She felt so silly, and yet she'd never been happier in her life. She couldn't wait to go on her first date with Gohan tomorrow. They talked about bowling, and it did sound fun, though Videl supposed that wasn't all that they would be doing for the whole day. She told him to take care of everything, but ideas started popping in her head anyway. She pictured them having snacks, or going on a walk in the park, or maybe having a picnic in a nice spot in the rural areas.
And then another idea came to her and Videl's smile widened into a grin. Yes, that would be perfect.
She really couldn't wait for tomorrow.
And, speaking of, the doorbell rang. Videl sat up and waited; a staff member of the gigantic mansion would open for Erasa and lead her to her bedroom as usual. There was no need for her to go meet her at the door.
Soon enough, there was a knock, and Videl called, "Come in!"
A maid opened the door and motioned to Erasa to go inside. The bubbly blonde thanked the young woman politely, and so did Videl, and then the maid nodded at them, excused herself, and closed the door after Erasa.
Her visitor didn't come empty-handed, it seemed. As soon as the door was shut, Erasa popped open a capsule that turned into a small suitcase. She immediately put it on the bed beside Videl and started getting out different types of outfits.
"Huh. You actually brought your own clothes?"
"Of course! I've seen your wardrobes over the years, Vi, and sorry to say but it's bo-ring." Erasa put her first choice in Videl's arms. "Okay, try this. I have a few ideas, but you know what they say: you can never go wrong with a little black dress."
Videl frowned at what she was holding. Little, indeed. Did Erasa really expect her to wear this? It was way too revealing!
"Erasa, what if I need to go fight crime tomorrow? I can't wear something like that." She shook her head and held out her arms to give the dress back to Erasa.
"Nonsense," she waved her off. "Did you forget about Buffy the Vampire Slayer? She fights vampires and monsters in any and all kinds of outfits ━ dresses and skirts included! Looking hot while being a badass is an option, you know ━ Buffy taught us that!"
Videl chuckled at her friend's reference. Of course she knew about Buffy; it was one of her favorite shows growing up, and the Slayers was one of her fictional role models. Videl idly wondered if she could actually beat Buffy in a fight if the super-powered girl were real.
"Alright, you have a point. I'll try on the dress."
Erasa beamed. "That's all I'm asking!"
You know those scenes in TV shows and movies where one character tries on different outfits while one or several friends are sitting and giving their opinion, and it looks like they're having the time of their life, like they're doing their own little fashion show?
It was all lies. Lies! Videl was going through the exact same process and it was pure torture. Erasa was being a pain in the ass, making her try on countless outfits, sometimes the same clothes several times but different combinations, and Videl could not see the end of it!
"Erasa, it's late and I'm tired. Just pick something already, I don't care anymore." She grabbed something from the pile of clothes on her bed. "Hell, I'll even wear the little black dress. Happy now?"
"Oh, don't be like that. Sure, the dress looks hot on you, but you said you were going bowling with Gohan, right? It's not really fit for something like that. Let me think… I'm so close, I'm sure I can find you the perfect outfit."
"They're all just fine!" Videl snapped impatiently, throwing the dress in the pile roughly. "You know what? I'll choose what I'm going to wear. You've given me more than enough options and I'm sure I can handle it from here."
"But…" Erasa tried to protest; however, her exasperated friend was already pushing her towards the door.
"No buts. I'm done. Thanks for your help, Erasa, and thanks for all the options. I'll just sleep on it and pick out my outfit tomorrow."
Erasa gasped. "You can't do that last minute! You have to make a choice now!" She struggled against her friend, trying to go back by the bed, but Videl would have none of it. She opened the door of her bedroom.
"I'll survive. Good night, Erasa."
The blonde pouted. "Fine. But I demand tons of pics from your date with Gohan!"
Videl chuckled, massaging the back of her neck tiredly. "Deal."
"Have fun on your date!" Erasa gave her a hug goodbye. "I expect a full report tomorrow night."
"Will do."
And, at last, the tornado also known as Erasa went home. Videl wanted to plop down on her bed right then and there, but the pile of clothes was in her way. She sighed deeply. There was no way she was putting everything away all on her own.
Well, that was what the house staff was for, wasn't it? She used the intercom in her bedroom to call for the help, and two maids promptly arrived and got to work. In the meantime, Videl got ready for bed; she went to the bathroom and decided to take a long bath. She needed to relax after that long night.
As she soaked in the warm water, her smile soon tugged at her lips once more. She had had a long and eventful day, what with crime-fighting, school, going to Baba, confronting Paige, seeing Gohan again, meeting his mom, crime-fighting again, more quality time with Gohan, and then her least favorite part of the day: her fashion show with Erasa.
But at least it was finally over and she could relax in her bath before bed. She didn't get to train today, but she did get called to fight crime so at least she got some workout done.
She leaned her head back on the rim of the tub and closed her eyes, her smile never wavering. She was also super excited about Gohan teaching her how to fly. From her visions, Videl knew she was supposed to learn how to at some point, and she figured that, if not for those tainted dreams, after finding out Gohan was Saiyaman she would've definitely blackmailed him into teaching her how to fly. Among other things.
Their story probably should've been a lot less complicated and less emotionally agonizing, if not for Paige giving her those distorted dreams. Videl supposed that they would have fallen in love naturally while spending time together, then Buu would have happened in some way and her dad would have gotten involved at some point to befriend the enemy instead of trying to kill him, or something. And then she and Gohan would have gotten together, naturally, without any fuss, just two people who shared a special bond and wanted to be together.
Well, the dreams certainly complicated everything, but in the end, it didn't matter because Gohan was worth the wait and the heartache. He was worth everything.
Videl still felt awful about how cowardly she had been since she met him. She should have fought for him. She should have at least tried to be with him, taking into account what she didn't want to become and trusting her will to be strong enough to change what she believed to be her destiny.
She really hated how she had let her fears control her. She was supposed to be brave. Videl admitted that she wasn't fearless, as much as she liked to pretend that she was, but real courage meant being scared and going for it anyway. She didn't even try. She went for the safe route, refusing to take a real risk. Taking risks was what made life exciting, what made it worth living. Even if it means facing consequences, at least you tried something, you didn't just avoid the problem and hoped it went away.
She sighed deeply. Well, there was no changing the past now. The only thing Videl could do was to learn from her mistakes and move forward.
And her smile was back in a heartbeat as her thoughts returned yet again to Gohan, and she pictured his handsome face in her head. His cute smile, his sexy smirk too; she recalled how it felt to be held in his arms, or to be kissed by him.
She let out a long, dreamy sigh.
Goodness, how she loved that boy.
Since he had time to spare, Gohan took Nimbus to fly to Videl's and pick her up for their first date. His smile widened at the thought. Finally, after pining for her for a whole month, he could actually call her his girlfriend.
He had woken up extra early this morning, too excited and anxious to get back to sleep. He didn't feel tired anyway so Gohan got up and started getting ready, using the extra time to pick out his outfit. Which he ended up needing, too. The boy finally settled on a white, short-sleeved shirt, opened to a light blue tank top which was tucked in a pair of khakis, finishing the look with his usual black dress shoes.
His mother said he looked handsome but told him to button up his shirt and tuck it in. Which he did ━ until he got on his way to Satan City, that is. While it looked okay the way his mother wanted, "okay" wasn't good enough for Gohan. He wanted to look his best for Videl, and it looked cooler and more casual this way, with the shirt left open. At least, he thought so. He hoped Videl would think so too.
His eyes glazed over as he daydreamed about his lovely girlfriend. He had spent the rest of his night looking up online what he and Videl could do on their first date. Even though it didn't really matter as long as they got to spend the day together, Gohan wanted to make it extra special. He eventually found something much more fitting for their first date than going bowling, and he hoped Videl would like his idea.
They were going to have a good time together anyway regardless of what they did today, Gohan was sure of it. He was so excited about getting to spend the whole day with his girlfriend.
He saw the city in the distance and checked his watch. He still had about ten minutes, which was more than enough to get to Videl's house on time, and Gohan decided to fly the rest of the way himself. He pushed the red button on his watch and transformed into the Great Saiyaman, then he got off Nimbus and said goodbye to the family cloud before zooming off towards the Satan House.
He took his time, but he still arrived with five minutes to spare. Gohan landed in a deserted alley and made sure nobody was around before turning back to his civil clothes.
He had decided to ring the doorbell today, even if it meant having to face Videl's overprotective father. The man knew Gohan was dating his daughter already anyway, but Gohan also wanted Mr. Satan to like him. If he was to marry Videl someday, things would go a lot smoother if he was on good term with his future father-in-law.
He blushed slightly at his thoughts, but he couldn't help feeling anxious to get there already. He wished he could just elope with Videl and start their life together right away, even if they were still in high school and way too young to get married.
They were underage though, so something like that wouldn't even be legal. Gohan shook his head at himself and took the last few steps to ring at the gates surrounding the luxurious residence.
An unknown voice answered, and Gohan introduced himself as Videl's boyfriend. He smiled at his lack of nervousness ━ normally he would have stuttered and blushed and scratched the back of his head while saying something like that, but thanks to his newfound confidence, he felt calm and collected.
There was a pause on the other side of the line, and then the man said to hold a moment. Gohan waited patiently, and the minutes ticked by. Perhaps he should've just flown to Videl's balcony like yesterday… He was going to be late at this rate.
"I apologize for the wait," the man said, sounding a little out of breath. "You may come in."
"Thank you," Gohan replied politely. There was a buzzing sound and then the electric gates opened outward. Gohan walked on the extravagantly decorated pathway to the front door, where a butler was seemingly waiting for him by the open door.
He bowed as he greeted the guest. Gohan bowed in turn, and the butler told him to follow him inside.
His head was raised and turning to every side as he walked behind the butler, taking in the sight of the castle-like house. The decoration was even more flashy than outside in the front yard. The whole house seemed to be sparkling with wealth and self-adoration. Mr. Satan was everywhere, be it in paintings or as status.
And now in real life.
The butler left as Mr. Satan stood tall, his arms crossed, looking down on the newcomer. Gohan gave him a pleasant smile and bowed low in respect.
"Good morning, sir. Thank you for letting me take Videl out today."
The burly man's face darkened. "Not like I had a say in that."
Gohan's smile didn't falter. "I can assure you that Videl's happiness is what matters the most to me."
Mr. Satan grumbled, his shoulders tensing up. "Videl is too young to have a boyfriend."
Gohan rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, I get why you'd feel that way. I'm sure that to you, Videl is still a little girl. It must be hard to watch your daughter grow up…"
He wondered if he would end up becoming overprotective with his daughters as they became teenagers and started dating. Gohan knew first-hand what it was like to have an overprotective parent, and he hoped he would still be reasonable even if it would be hard to accept that his children were growing up.
Well, they didn't even exist yet, so Gohan supposed he had time until he had to worry about that.
Mr. Satan frowned, but he looked more thoughtful than disapproving. The animosity in his demeanor and his aura seemed to be receding.
"You will treat her right, won't you?" His eyes narrowed as he waited for the answer.
"Yes. Absolutely. I love Videl, I love her more than anything, and I'd die before I'd let anything happen to her."
"Hmph." Mr. Satan uncrossed his arms. He motioned to the living room on Gohan's right. "Videl is still getting ready. Take a seat while you wait for her. Mr. Buu will probably want to see you, too. He's still not done with his breakfast right now."
Mr. Satan turned to leave, probably to keep Buu company, and Gohan bowed once again as he thanked the man for his hospitality.
He smiled to himself as Videl's father left. That went pretty well. Gohan didn't know what his relationship with his future father-in-law would be like in a few years, but things seemed to be going in the right direction.
He chose to sit in an armchair that was facing the marble staircase so that he could see when Videl would be coming down. He looked at his watch. She was already ten minutes late. Gohan wasn't sure what to think of it or what it meant. Maybe she slept in and was running late, or she was getting ready and didn't see the time.
He checked his watch again. It was twelve minutes past nine now. He tapped in fingers on his lap, his gaze zipping around, feeling restless and impatient. Videl knew he had arrived, right? She wasn't waiting on her balcony for him, thinking he wouldn't want to come across her father, was she? Surely one of the many people of her house staff would have let her know he was waiting for her, wouldn't they?
He heard hurried steps from upstairs and his heart leaped. With a broad grin on his face, Gohan stood and walked to the foot of the stairs to wait for Videl.
She came into view ━ and it felt like all his blood rushed to his face. She had tied her hair in a ponytail and was wearing a red strapped top that hugged her figure in the most perfect way; it was tucked in a pair of high-waisted white shorts that showed off her stunning legs. She finished the look with a pair of simple white sneakers.
She looked so lovely. And hot ━ unbelievably hot. He'd never seen Videl in such an attire before; even when she would wear tank tops on hot days, they would always be loose, and so would the shorts she would have on when she would go out for a run.
He swallowed hard as she went down the stairs, unable to stop his gaze from running all over her enchanting figure. The sight of her alone was making him feel overheated.
His hand trembled slightly when he offered it to her as she reached him, and Videl gladly accepted it while taking the last few steps. She looked him up and down and then met his eyes, a lovely blush on her cheeks.
"You look very handsome," she said.
His face burned up. "I… uh…"
He tried to thank her, to tell her how incredible and beautiful she looked, but Gohan couldn't find his voice. Or his brain. Neither was willing to work at this moment.
Videl chuckled. She moved closer to him and reached up on her tip-toes to give him a kiss. It was short and sweet, yet it felt like fire on his lips.
Gohan averted his gaze, his face flaring up even more, and covered the lower part of his face with the back of his hand.
"I, uh… Th-thanks."
She giggled. "For the compliment or for the kiss?"
"Um, yeah."
Videl laughed. His hand still covering his mouth, Gohan glanced at her, unable to stop himself. His gaze moved up and down, from her beautiful face, to her graceful neck, her bare shoulder, her generous cleavage, her thin waist, her wide hips, her thigh gap, her long, creamy legs… She was so perfect, so gorgeous, so sexy…
A coy smile on her lips, Videl took a pose, putting a hand on her hip and bending her leg. "So, how do I look?"
His face burned up even more. He swallowed, unable to form a coherent thought to answer his girlfriend. "Um… Uh…"
She tilted her head, amusement dancing in her eyes. "Well? Aren't you going to say something?"
He was still staring at her, up and down, taking the time to admire her every curve. How could something so beautiful and perfect even be possible?
"You… um…" he mumbled, still trying to answer her and compliment how she looked.
He ended up blurting out something stupid.
"You… uh… you have a waist!"
Videl blinked. He hid his face with both his hands and groaned in frustration.
"I'm sorry, that's not what I meant!" he quickly went on. "I mean, you always wear loose clothes so seeing you in something fitted caught me off guard… You look amazing!" he added desperately, finally saying something appropriate. "You look so beautiful that my brain wouldn't work right!"
A stifled giggle followed his pathetic rambling, and Gohan lowered his hands to see Videl laughing into her palm. He gave an awkward smile with his head tilted to the side and scratched his hair out of habit.
She beamed at him. "Thanks. I think your inability to make any sense is the best compliment you could've given me."
He flushed. Videl took a step towards him and took both his hands in hers. Gohan closed his eyes and let out a sigh, then he leaned in and pressed his forehead against hers.
"You really caught me off guard," he said, his voice low and hoarse. "I'm not used to seeing you like this." He bit his lip. "My heart still won't settle down."
"You like it that much?" There was teasing in her tone.
"I have mixed feelings. I don't know if I like the idea of you going out in public like this. You look amazing, and that's the thing. I wouldn't want other guys to ogle you."
"Is that so?" He could hear her coy smile as she said that.
He pulled back to look at her and flashed her a sheepish smile. "I guess I'll just have to get used to it, huh?" He scratched the back of his head. "It's not easy to have such a gorgeous girlfriend…"
Videl blushed at his words, averting her gaze and tucking a lock of hair behind her ear.
"Um, so, anyway…" She glanced back at him and gave him a shy smile. "Shall we go?"
His heart thumped loudly, and the next moment, before he could realize what was happening, his lips crashed on hers and he had his arms wrapped firmly around her waist and he was pressing her body all against him.
This girl was too much. She was driving him crazy.
After a while, Gohan forced himself back from the heated kiss; Videl's lips were all swollen because of him. He bit his lip; he just wanted to dive back in and seize that mouth of hers again. It was taking all of his self-control to hold himself back.
"What… was that about?" she asked in a breathless whisper.
He flushed as he looked deep into her eyes. "You just… looked too cute. I couldn't resist."
Videl looked away, raising her hand to graze her swollen lips with her fingers.
Mr. Satan cleared his throat loudly to get their attention, which caused the teens to quickly move away from each other. Gohan watched the man's disapproving frown with a nervous smile. How much had Mr. Satan seen? He didn't see them kiss, did he?
Buu was by his side, and luckily the pink creature was happy to divert the attention from the couple to himself.
"Gohan! Finally!" he piped up. "Videl said you can't fight me right now," he added with a pouty face. "So I'm waiting for you to come back so that we can finally fight! I can't wait!"
Gohan smiled at the childish fighter. "I'm looking forward to it too."
"Well, we'll be on our way then," Videl said, taking Gohan's hand to quickly lead him away with her, lest her father changed his mind about letting her have a boyfriend. "See you later, Papa, Buu!"
"Bye!" added Gohan with a wave of his hand. Buu waved back at them enthusiastically, and Mr. Satan ended up heaving out a sigh and told them to have fun.
Videl sighed in relief when they were finally out of the mansion. Still hand in hand, they walked through the front yard and passed the gate, before finally taking to the streets of the suburb area.
"You think your dad saw us kiss?" Gohan asked with a grimace.
"I hope not. But well, he seems to be getting used to the idea of us dating." Videl smiled at him. "You know, it's really hot today, so how about we go have a swim somewhere nice?"
Gohan raised an eyebrow. "What happened to letting me do all the heavy lifting to plan our first date?"
Videl tilted her head. "Why, did you have something special in mind for today?"
He opened his mouth to answer, but he paused as he thought of his girlfriend's suggestion. Actually, going for a swim with her sounded really, really nice, especially on such a hot day. It was only May but it already felt like summer.
"Actually, we can do what I was thinking of another time. You're right, let's go for a swim ━ I know the perfect place, too."
Gohan tugged at her hand to lead her to a deserted alley where he could take off from.
"What were you thinking of doing today?" Videl asked as she followed him.
Gohan shrugged. "There's a fair I thought would be fun to check out today. But they'll stay in the city for a few more weeks, so we can go another time. Going swimming sounds much better to me right now, especially given how hot it is today."
They got to the alley and Gohan picked her up in his arms. She blushed slightly as she put her arms around his neck. Even though this wasn't the first time Gohan held her like this, being so close to him always made her feel a little flustered.
He took off with her in his arms, and Videl buried her face in the crook of his neck to shield herself from the strong wind as Gohan soared through the sky. She breathed in deeply. Gohan smelled so nice… There was something so attractive, so masculine about his scent. She breathed in once more. His smell could become very addicting very fast.
In no time, Gohan started to slow down, and Videl pulled back to see where he had brought her. It was a beautiful clearing with a waterfall. The grass was lush and green and the trees were tall and strong. The water was glistening in the morning sun, so clear and pure, and so inviting.
Gohan landed and set her down. Videl looked all around her, taking in the beauty of the place.
"Wow…"
He cracked a smile. "You like it?"
She turned to him and beamed. "It's so beautiful! It's perfect."
Gohan swooped down to take her hand, and captured her lips in the process, this time giving her a gentle kiss. He put his other hand on her cheek, angling her head better as he savored all the exquisite sensations from kissing the girl he loved.
He pulled back slowly. Videl was smiling dreamily, her eyes still closed. His heart swelled. She was so beautiful. He was so happy.
Could it get any better than this?
July 31, 2021
