Chapter 9
This chapter is brought to you by gue22
…
Even he was starting to feel unhappy given the miserable mood she'd maintained since their home burnt down. With an uncharacteristically melancholic sigh, Goku peeled the covers and climbed into bed. He was tired, even he had his limits. He'd been in super speed all day, working as fast as he could on the foundation of their new home. It was an easy enough task, more so now than back when he was a kid, but maintaining that kind of speed for eight hours was tiring.
"Come on Chichi, you have to cheer up sometime," he urged his grumpy wife. "I'll have the new house finished by next week, I promise."
"That's not the point!" she snapped, deciding to use that moment to angrily turn off the night light.
Goku resisted the urge to snatch her up and tickle-out her anger; he'd tried this approach many times in their marriage, but the effects were always temporary. Crossing his arms behind his head, he turned slightly to her side. "Then what is?" he asked calmly. "Why are you so angry?" If he could demonstrate the aura of her Ki with a blast, it would be one strong enough to bury all of FireMountain.
The mattress moved beneath him, a slight shuffle of the sheets and she finally turned to face him. The face that had taught him all things love glaring with a familiar fury. "Why aren't you?" she accused bitterly. "Aren't you angry at all? Not even a little bit?" she goaded him.
Goku sighed, turning his eyes up to the ceiling. Unlike the one from their destroyed home, this ceiling was snow-white, no scorch marks or accidental Ki burns in sight. "You'll only get mad if I say I'm not, so I won't answer." He pouted, moving his hands from the back of his head to settle in a fold across his chest just in time to welcome her screech. Her pillow began to beat down on his face incessantly and he smiled beneath it. He'd seen it coming his way, in all its white slowness, but it would only anger her more if he'd avoided it, so he did nothing.
"You are so frustrating!" she huffed, giving up her attempted thrashing by soft pillow, when it had no effect. "Doesn't it bother you that we still don't know why he did it? Why he's targeting our son? He hasn't said anything, nothing at all! He just sits there all smug and the police won't even let me touch him."
"You've done enough damage," he reminded her, his hands itching to soothe the knots of pent-up fury he could easily read in her manner. She hated helplessness because more often than not, their life together had reduced her to just that too many times.
"He's targeting my precious son; if he's still breathing, then it's not nearly enough," she huffed.
"None of the fires have actually hurt Gohan. Well, physically," he added. He didn't really understand the details, but Gohan said he was gonna be in trouble at work. Goku scowled. It's true that Gohan had looked real beat-up about it. It's not as if he hadn't thought about why someone was setting fires on his son's toes. He'd figured Gohan'd figure it out sooner or later. After all, Gohan was real smart. And besides, he'd been too busy thinking about how to fix all the damage. Many things he'd be able to take care of using just the land. But there were things he'd need money to replace.
"Look Goku," she said tiredly. "Gohan's worked very hard to have the opportunities he has, a blemish on his name could threaten all that. I'm no expert, but the business world can be very unforgiving. Didn't you see his little face this morning? He was so worried!"
Goku resisted the laugh brewing in his stomach. Chichi would never see Gohan as a grown man. She still saw stubby feet and round cheeks. She was as protective of him as she'd always been. It couldn't be helped. After returning from the afterlife, he'd promised himself that he'd make it up to her, for doing it alone for so long. He'd sworn that he'd do whatever he could to keep her smiling. "I'll go." He was oblivious to many things he knew, but he wasn't as bad as to not notice that she wasn't smiling right now – not since the fire.
He threw off the covers, "I'll just get the answers out of that guy myself."
Videl looked up from her reading, a warm smile on her face. "You made it," she said easily, her fingers gripping lightly at the pages in her hand.
"It was pretty straight forward," said Gohan. "My GPS hasn't failed me yet," he exhaled, trying for a smile. But really, he just wanted to wrap his arms around her in relief and keep her close so she would never get hurt like this again. That, or shake her and demand the identity of the ones who had dared to touch her.
Taking a few steps into the room, he loosened his tie instead - Erasa had already taken his jacket from him at the door. "How are you feeling?" The distance between him and the bed on which she was sat was just too great for his comfort. So he closed it, swiftly.
"I'm fine," she said easily. It sounded rather frivolously to him, given what she'd been through. "I'm still on a high from pulling off the Solar Flare without a hitch you know. It worked like a charm," she beamed.
Gohan stared at her enthusiasm in disbelief. How could she be so happy? Obviously it hadn't worked nearly well enough – not if she had a fractured leg! "But you're injured," he began to protest.
"Yeah, but this is nothing," she said flippantly. "It's only a green-stick fracture; I'll be up and about in a few short weeks." She flashed him a conspiratorial smile.
Kami, this girl - she'd be the death of him for sure. He untucked his shirt and rolled up the sleeves – he had to do something to ease the tension. When he'd stepped through the threshold of the tiny room, his eyes falling on her injured form – he had filled up with so much dread, it had tied itself up in multiple knots of tension throughout his body. His quick mind had promptly deduced that either the fibula or tibia was fractured. He was hoping it was the smaller bone - it would heal faster and impede her less.
He'd felt a little assured since she was immobilized by a removable brace rather than a permanent cast – he'd deemed it a possible good sign.
Feeling a little less…constrained, he sat down on the bed next to her. All afternoon he'd been going out of his mind with worry and impatience and yet...she sat there so calmly, dismissing her injuries and clearly oblivious to how much she'd worried him. She had no idea that she'd stolen the productivity out of the rest of his day. What should have been a thrilling afternoon of discovery with Kirsty at Synergy had merely turned into a blur of wasted time in his impatience to get to her.
The mattress made a small dip at the corner from his added weight. He found himself running his hands down his face – perhaps he meant to wipe off the worry lines. Either way, he didn't want her to guess at how his heart was wound and wrung with worry and indecision all afternoon. He was here now and though injured…her spirit was untouched. To be quite honest, if not for the colorful immobilized leg in plain view, one would never believe that this was a girl who'd just suffered a vicious assault.
Which is why, no matter her cheerful disposition, Gohan just couldn't bring himself to stop scowling. How could he when his eyes were looking at the swollen and discolored foot peeping at him from inside the boastfully colorful brace? How was he supposed to get passed the fact that some…some unforgivable bastard had dared to raise and slam a bat on her leg?
"It's not as bad as it looks," she said hurriedly. "Please don't look like that."
"I just don't understand how this could have happened," he said truthfully. "Where were the police? You said you were helping them for some reason right? How could they rope you into their affair then be careless enough to let you get hurt?"
"They didn't rope me into anything," she said calmly. "They needed a little extra help, so I volunteered. I was the careless one, not them. Just let it go, please? It only brings back sour memories."
He sighed – he didn't understand at all, not at all. Why should she be helping the police in the first place? Was it obligatory? He knew from his studies that in exchange for a pardon or a light-sentence for certain crimes, it was possible for one to become a Confidential Informant – a CI. Could that be why? It had to be. Why else would she be called on by the police and assume such risks? Looking at her face, he couldn't picture her committing any kind of crime, but…how else could her somewhat risky behavior be explained? She was supposed to be a regular grad student, but…she had state of the art tracing equipment at her fingertips – she had to be working with the police. Whomever it was she was giving information to the police about must have found out and…
His hands were trembling, he realized. If she was in some kind of trouble then he could help! He'd gladly shoulder it, he'd…but in order to help her, she'd have to trust him enough to open up about it. As much as he burned to know, he couldn't...he wouldn't pressure her into talking about it before she was ready. Wasn't he keeping secrets of his own? "I'll try," he relented.
"Voila!" a rather cheerful voice interrupted from the threshold. In walked the bubbly girl he'd met at the door. "I've put them in a vase," she announced happily. "Look Ms Victim-of-Assault, aren't they just gorgeous?" She directed Videl's attention to the flowers he'd brought for her – he'd almost forgotten about them. After opening the door and introducing herself, the blonde girl had ushered him into her apartment rather brusquely, practically wrestling his packages from him. He shifted his weight slightly on the bed – he had to admit, they looked far more elegant in that long ceramic vase than before.
"Y-You...you didn't have to," Videl flushed, her eyes following the movement of the vase as her friend brought it closer to the bed for her inspection.
"Smell them," prompted said friend, shoving the flowers right into the dark-haired girl's face. "Isn't that amazing? Just what this room needs!" she beamed.
Videl did as she was told; she brought her nose to the flowers and took a small whiff. "They do smell nice," she smiled. Turning to him, she said "You really shouldn't have gone to the trouble, but thank you."
"Uh," he scratched his head. "It was nothing." Distraught and impatient about waiting till end of day, he had vented his frustrations out on Lime over the phone. She was the one who'd reminded him to stop for flowers and some kind of comfort food – she'd recommended chocolate. "It was really no trouble at all," he added sheepishly.
"Nonsense," the blonde cut in. "I'd say it was a lot of trouble. Especially since he also brought your favorite cinna-rolls Ms Very-Spoilt."
Gohan didn't miss how quickly Videl's face lit up. "From PitchCoffee?"
"Duh," said Erasa, clearing space on a rather messy chest with one hand. She then placed the vase in the center, standing back just a little to admire her work.
Videl stared at him. "You stopped at PitchCoffee? Really?" There was something strangely ravenous about her tone. He almost chuckled at the child-like enthusiasm. He was glad because that's why he'd opted for the cinna-rolls in the first place. It was a carefully filed away memory from one of their long-into-the-night conversations of their earlier days – the days before they'd ever met in person. The way she'd raved about those cinna-rolls in the middle of the night, she'd got him tempted enough to fly out of his way just to try them out. And he'd never looked back either – they were just that good. Yeah, she'd got him addicted to those damn things, pretty much the way she'd got him started on comic books. "Uh, yeah…it was on my way anyway," he shrugged.
She touched his arm lightly. "You really didn't have to," she began to say.
"Well he did!" her friend cut in impatiently. "Now, just beg me for one already," she demanded, a sly smile growing on her face. "I know you're dying to."
Videl huffed, turning up her nose. Their interaction made him chuckle. He decided right then that he liked this Erasa.
"What's this? The haughty-doughty face?" remarked Erasa. "Okay, I'll just take the whole box over to my boyfriend's then. I'm sure he'll be willing to beg for them, among other things." She grinned.
"Don't you dare Erasa!"
The blonde chuckled. "Consider them as rent!" she laughed as she slipped out of the room.
Gohan felt himself being shoved. "It will take me too long to get up. Go stop her!"
"I'm sure she's just kidding?" said Gohan. Surely she was, he did bring them for Videl after all. Not that he minded if they shared.
"That's because you don't know her – go!" She pushed him again.
Chuckling, Gohan obeyed. He slipped out the door and wandered to the kitchen. It wasn't exactly difficult to find, the apartment was very small.
"Ah," he scratched at his head when he found the blonde with keys in her hand, the box from PitchCoffee cradled in her other hand. "Err…you're not really gonna take them all are you?" he asked sheepishly.
The blonde laughed at him, making him uncertain of their motive. "She must really trust you. Videl wouldn't just send anyone to retrieve her precious cinna-rolls."
He chuckled. "Um, I think she kinda…didn't have a choice?"
She laughed again, short blonde hair bouncing as she threw a bronze purse over her shoulder. The thick black strap of the purse was a direct contrast to the thin white straps of her short dress. Despite her bare footedness, with those keys dangling in her hand, she looked very much like she was leaving – with the rolls cradled in her arm in tow. "What's your deal anyway Cloud guy?"
"Huh?" he blinked. The mirth in her eyes was shrouding something else he couldn't quite read. Something making them darken beyond their calm ocean blue. "I don't understand."
"You're a pretty handsome guy right? Tall, smart…successful? " She walked up to him warily.
"Uh," sure he was tall-ish, but…he wouldn't exactly describe himself as handsome and successful, maybe smart…maybe…"I'm just an intern." he said uncertainly.
"Sure, for now. But a guy like you should have no reason to resort to the internet just to get a date right? Unless…"
"Actually…" he began to say, but something about the way she was looking at him made him squirm – tiny and weak as she was.
"Maybe you've slept your way out of options, mnn?"
Wha…What was she saying? S-Slept his way out of options?
"Maybe," she continued. "You've done all your female colleagues, the entire girl population in your neighborhood, and all the girls that frequent the places that you and your friends hang out in, mnn?"
Was she freaking joking? The only girl he'd ever slept next to was Lime, and she'd soo castrate him if he even thought of…besides she was like a sister to him!
"Maybe they know you by reputation," she carried on, "and won't even come near you anymore. I know way too many guys like that. Well? What's your deal? Are you messing around with my friend?" A little finger poked him in the chest.
Whoa! "No! I can't believe you would…" He took a deep breath and exhaled. "I just like her. I like her so much that I still can't believe my luck!"
"And that's all?"
"What else could there be?"
"Okay then," she chirped warmly, the darkness that had veiled over those blue eyes a thing of the past. He blinked. Did he imagine it? "Here," she shoved the black and brown PitchCoffee box at him, "better get these to Ms Volatile before she decides to stand on that leg.
Then she slipped out of the kitchen.
Gohan stood dumbly with the box in his hands for a few minutes. What the hell was that? He cleared the cobweb of confusion and turned, heading back to the bedroom. Seemingly, he arrived just in time to catch the last tidbits of their conversation.
"…invalid, I'll be fine." Videl was saying.
"Okay," said Erasa, twisting around in her shoe as she slipped it on. "I'll be back first thing in the morning." She grabbed a bottle of perfume and squirted a small amount on her wrists, then rubbed it gently at the base of her neck. Despite the infinitesimal amount, the fragrance filled the room as she walked to the bedside table, pulling open a drawer. "God, I really have to get some writing done this week. I'm already behind," she said absentmindedly.
Gohan flushed when he noted what she'd just pulled out – a box of condoms. He only recognized them because they were exactly the same brand that Yamcha gave him for his 18th birthday. Now they were nonexistent, burned down with the rest of his home.
"…a distraction," Videl was saying. "I can be gone when you-"
"Nonsense," Erasa dismissed. "Stay as long as you want."
"Are you sure?" Videl asked skeptically.
"You bet," the short haired girl assured her, already walking towards his direction. Rather sheepishly, he realized that he was still hovering in the doorway like an idiot. He hadn't known what to do with himself while the two girls said their farewells. Stepping in further into the room, he moved to the side so she could pass.
"No hanky-panky on my bed!" she called over her shoulder, laughing as she disappeared.
Gohan blushed – as if he'd even think of such a thing. This Erasa…he shook his head. He could hear the click of the lock, the creak of the door and the clank of her footsteps as she left the apartment.
It was just the two of them now.
He was annoyed because he'd had to leave his house in such a rush that he'd forgotten his hat. He liked that hat, or more truthfully, he couldn't stand the way his red hair always attracted weird stares. He wasn't that old, but sadly he'd inherited the wilting, balding gene from his worthless father's side. Straightening out his uniform, the Inspector of Mt. Frypan twisted the lock and stepped into the holding cell.
"Oh hey, Inspector!" the last face he was expecting to find in with the prisoner greeted him.
The Inspector scowled, his long thin face wilting like an old carrot. He ignored the intruder's greeting and faced his deputy. "What the hell is he doing here?" he questioned. The Deputy had called him here all breathy and dramatic like the prisoner had escaped or something – making him forget his hat! What was the meaning of finding him entertaining Ox King's son-in-law in the prisoner's cell? "Well, Deputy?"
"I…err," he watched the taller man squirm. Truth be told, he didn't like his deputy very much. The man was just too damn cheerful for his tastes. "He err… wanted to question the prisoner, Sir." said the deputy uncertainly.
"And you just gave him the key, didn't you?"
"No Sir, actually…err, when I came in to check on the prisoner, he was already here," he chuckled nervously, his eyes darting from his to the spiky-haired intruders. "He says he uh…that he uh, kinda just appeared in here, and that's why I thought it best to call you."
"Leave us," commanded the Inspector.
"Right away Sir." The taller man bowed all the way down to his waist before he made his leave.
"The prisoner is off-limits to you and your family; I know you're royalty, but…we have rules," said the Inspector tautly.
"Uh, yeah…sorry about that," the intruding in-law apologized. The Inspector clenched his jaw at his flippant manner. How dare he mock him with that smile? But the man just kept talking much to his annoyance.
"My wife's been real mad about this fire and all," he continued easily. "So I thought I'd come by and see what I could find out."
"I am aware of your talents," he said the word with a hint of disgust. "But using them in the middle of the night to accost the prisoner will not be tolerated."
"I wouldn't!" the man denied childishly.
Humph, the man had even more nerve denying his brutal ways. He was very much aware of the prisoner's condition when he was handed over to the police. He didn't believe for a second that Ox King's daughter had a hand in it like they claimed. A delicate flower like that…
"I just came to get some information from his head is all," the taller man concluded with a pout.
Chapped lips thinned in an angry line. "Oh, and how do you plan on doing that? Bribing him with food?"
"Heh…nuh uh, no need," the fool said happily, his snide comment obviously rolling off of him without effect. "I've already done it."
"You mean he…talked?" he asked incredulously, his eyes darting to the prisoner. The man still looked out for the count.
"Not really," the taller man rubbed the back of his head. "I kinda just…touched him a little and saw it in his head?" he half-grinned, half-grimaced.
The Inspector merely stared – unimpressed by this spout of nonsense. For a second he'd thought the prisoner might have opened up. Foolish.
"It's true, I saw some stuff like…he's working with some people, couldn't really see their names and stuff, but-" the inspector did a double take when a foreign expression crossed the man's face. Brows dipped, eyes narrowed, the man actually looked…imposing. He had never seen him do anything but grin like an idiot, stuff his face, or somehow use his talents to destroy public property.
"But what?" he found himself asking, compelled by that serious expression, even though it was ludicrous that he'd "seen in his head."
"If we don't stop them, they're gonna hurt a lot more people."
The Inspector caught himself before he was taken in by that serious look. This was all nonsense after all. "Look, Mr. Son-"
"Goku," he corrected. "Just call me Goku."
He narrowed his eyes. "Look, Mr. Son. I know that you and your sons, I know you have some extraordinary gifts. We've had to do our share of covering up for the family over the years. But you can't expect me to believe that you just saw inside the prisoner's head. That kind of thing will not hold up in a court of law."
"But I did!" he stomped.
The Inspector gritted his teeth – there he was again with that childish manner. He would not be reduced to arguing with the likes of him. It was best to dispel this claim right here and now.
"Go ahead then, tell me what I'm thinking right now."
"I can't do that," the man shook his head.
"As I thought," the Inspector pursed.
"Chichi said to never look into people's heads unless it was an emergency. She'd kill me if she found out!"
The Inspector regarded his fearful child-like eyes. Really, as if the esteemed Ox King's daughter was capable of causing him harm. Humph! "Just between us men then," he said against his better judgment. "If you don't tell her, neither will I. If you expect me to believe your claims Mr. Son, at least give me some proof."
The dark-haired man pouted like a child, and that ridiculous look was the very reason the Inspector despised him so much. He could feel his insides gnawing at him in protest just being around him.
"Mmmk, I'll just take a small peek 'kay? But you gotta swear not to tell Chichi."
The Inspector stood-up straight, adjusting the collar of his uniform jacket when a hesitant hand touched his head, unable to help the first thought that came to mind.
"That's not very nice," came the unexpected growl.
The Inspector was startled by the look he found the dark-haired intruder looking down on him with. This one was etched on his features rather brazenly – the intensity making him gulp as he took a step back.
"Chichi's my wife."
More than two hours after Erasa's departure from her apartment, the box of cinna-rolls lay empty on the wooden chest, leaving a very full and satiated duo on the bed. Seemingly a dozen rolls were no competition for their combined stomachs. They'd binged on them as dinner and desert with Gohan raiding the kitchen to brew some coffee after.
Now they sat on the bed side by side, Gohan's shoes discarded, their legs stretched out before them like logs of lumber from the mill. Videl had finally remembered the property list she'd wanted to show him.
Gohan scanned the document, his eyes taking in the pictures leisurely, and then he saw the price – and cringed. "Um, Videl...there's no way I can afford this."
"Really?" She looked surprised.
"I'm an intern, I make close to nothing."
"Oh, okay then." She took the pages from his hands. "I'll tell the agent not to bother. What can you afford?"
He grimaced. How, just how had he allowed himself to get into this predicament? He really, really, didn't need an apartment. Still, he grabbed the pencil from her lap and scribbled down a number.
He watched her face as she took it in. "I see," she said neutrally, "I'm sure he'll figure something out. You'll probably have to live further out though. Your office is in the heart of the city. There's nothing in this price range around those parts."
"That's to be expected I guess," he scratched his head. Hopefully this agent of her father's would fail miserably in trying to match his budget with a suitable apartment. That way he might be able to get off without renting one. Though...it would be kinda nice to have a place of his own where they could be together like this. A place that afforded them privacy if they wanted to...uh... do stuff. He flushed, guilt following closely behind those thoughts. He cleared his throat.
"Oh, by the way," she added. "There's another thing…" she flipped through more pages, "that I want to show you."
"More apartments?"
"No, it's about the fundraiser," she kept shuffling. "Famous couples right?"
"Uh, yeah...I keep forgetting about that little detail. I've actually never had to dress-up like that before," he frowned. He'd been so busy with the arduous task of acquiring an actual date that he hadn't bothered to think beyond that. With only six days left, he should have thought about it.
"Well, not to worry. I think I have the perfect solution for us!" She passed him yet another print-out. "Since you idolize him so much, how about it?"
Poleaxed, Gohan choked and coughed on his own saliva. Staring at him from the print-out was a slightly out-of-focus picture of his parents from the 23rd Martial Arts Championship. His mother was clinging to his father's arm for dear life, and his father was just there, looking ever the clueless fiancé that Gohan knew him to have been. If he wasn't so horrified by the moment, he might have laughed at his poor father's expression.
"What's wrong? I thought you're his biggest fan?"
He pounded on his chest, clearing his throat. "I am, I am, but um...I don't think dressing up as them is such a good idea."
She stared up at him with disbelief. "You're kidding right? I thought you'd be thrilled."
"I...uh..."
"I know those Gi's are hardly glamorous, but even though it's a ball, since everyone is supposed to dress up, I don't think they'll be that out of place. Besides, with my leg like this," she passed a fleeting glance at the immobilized leg, "I thought dressing like a fighter would fit – just part of the costume you know…" she trailed off.
It was clear to Gohan that she'd given the idea some serious thought. He hated to disappoint her but..."What about Olibu and Meganeese?" he blurted out. "They're a pretty famous couple of legend right?"
She frowned. "But, according to the legend: Meganeese wasn't really a fighter, more like an evil sorceress. Wasn't she just using Olibu anyway, you know...working for the underworld or something?"
He grimaced. That was somewhat true. Since Olibu and his father had become great friends in Otherworld - Gohan knew all the details of that unfortunate romance. Yeah, bad choice. "Yeah, you're right. She wasn't a fighter at all. Sorry."
"Never mind, I only thought of going as fighters 'cause I thought you loved Son Goku."
"I do! But, the thought of my date dressed like mo-" he paused. "dressed like Ms Anonymous," he corrected. "I'd just rather...not."
"Why not? You have something against female fighters?" She glared at him.
"No! No! I don't! It's just..."
"Something personal against Ms Anonymous? You don't think she was good enough to get engaged to your hero?"
"That's not it at all! I just..." Oh boy, yet another hole he'd dug for himself. How could he possibly explain how awkward he'd feel if she was dressed as his mother without telling her that the woman in the photograph was in fact his mother? "What about Phoenix and Sleek?" He heard himself sputter.
Blue eyes widened; then froze in a dazzled wonder. Splitting her face was arguably the biggest smile in King Kai's Quadrant. "You'd," she was almost breathless "…really dress up as Phoenix?"
His heart squeezed. That face, it was just like Goten's when he'd been told that his father was coming to visit earth for a day. A face even an evil man wouldn't dare disappoint - there was really no turning back. "Uh, sure," he chuckled nervously, thinking back to her favorite superhero's costume. Oh-boy...
"Hmm…a real life Phoenix like in the TV show? I don't know," she bit her lip. "It might be too much for my poor heart." she grinned.
"Now you're just making me hate the guy."
She laughed. "Aww come on, you're still my favorite Vampire." She wrapped an arm around his waist, pulling him to her. "Don't be jealous of Phoenix, 'kay?"
"I'm very jealous," he said, allowing himself to be pulled into her embrace. "How can I not be jealous? His wings are bigger, brighter, and definitely fluffier that mine – even in my ultimate bat-form."
She laughed, really laughed - the mattress beneath them lightly trembling from the tremors. The pages she held in her hand crunching noisily as she clutched them to her chest. He couldn't help his own grin – her laughter, everything about her was infectious.
"It's true," she said. "He's just too awesome. There's really nothing I can say to console you."
He shook his head, "Like I said the other day – cruel woman."
She grinned, the arm around his waist tightening as her head found a comfortable spot against his chest.
"It's okay," he sighed. "Phoenix can keep his fancy feathers. I'm happy just being able to hold you like this." He placed his chin on top of her head, taking in the familiar fragrance of her hair. "I'm so relieved you're alright," he added quietly, more to himself than to the warm creature in his arms.
It was always first - kicking off her heels whenever she entered her apartment. The hair was next, pulling it out of that prudish bun, allowing her follicles to breathe. The seductive, school-mistress sway abandoned, Kirsty skipped to her couch, maneuvering her way expertly through the mess on the floor. Tossing off her glasses carelessly was next on her routine - they served no purpose other than to intimidate or put off the lecherous senior executives lurking at the top floor of her office anyway, so she wasn't too concerned about them. In that testosterone-dominated environment, a girl had to do what she could to get by and never ever give an inch.
She marched to her fridge and pulled out a cold beer, an old dried-out pizza that was days old as well. Pizza was her friend, no matter the circumstances, no matter the trial - pizza, especially cold pizza, washed down with an ice cold beer always hit the spot.
She started for her living room - grateful that Gohan had refused her invitation to crash at her place. Keeping up appearances at home would have been exhausting, but...she knew he'd been a scholarship student and now that he'd lost his home, her conscious wouldn't let her walk away without offering. Skipping happily to the couch, she suddenly paused – she may have been somewhat of a slob when no-one was looking, but she was as sharp as sharp can be. She wouldn't be where she was today if she wasn't.
Krrrk...Krrrk...Krrrk
That was a foreign sound. There was nothing in her apartment that should be making that sound - faint as it was.
She stood quite still, beer in one hand, pizza in the other; listening, observing and then...interpreting.
Big brown eyes widened at the realization, and then she was racing fruitlessly against time as she dropped her favourite goodies, throwing herself head first through the kitchen window.
She was asleep.
If it was any other matter, he might have waited until morning, but Son Goku knew his wife – that would just be suicide. He shook her gently and watched her open her eyes. She always smiled when she awoke, and depending on where her first thoughts landed, she might keep the smile or…frown - as she was now.
"You're back," she said, sitting up, the soft blankets falling lightly to her waist. It was dark, probably too dark for most people to see clearly, but he could see everything just fine. He could make out the movement of the beige fabric against her skin as she lifted her arms to rub lightly at her eyes. He smiled a little, just to himself. It was cute this look – soft sleepy eyes, messy hair – it relaxed him in a way very few things did. "Did you find out anything?" she squinted in the dark.
"Yeah, I did. And you're not gonna like it," he told her truthfully.
She didn't yell; she wouldn't in this situation. She'd always told him that his serious face had a way of sobering even the worst of her tempers.
"How bad is it?" she straightened up, rubbing her arms the way she always did when she was struggling to hold herself in.
"It's not just Gohan they're after, it would be better if it was 'cause he can take care of himself. I should warn him as soon as possible." He tilted his neck in concentration, "Hmm, feels kinda like he's asleep though. You wanna come with?"
"You're sure he's alone?" she asked without a hint of fishing, but Goku knew her too well.
He grinned. "No, he's not alone."
Now she hit him, "Urgh! Goku! And you were planning to just use IT to warn him, knowing he was with this city girl he's been sneaking around to see. Really!" she huffed, a rather pleased grin working its way across her transformed face. "We should at least call him first to warn him you know," she giggled. "Before we startle him."
Goku laughed, circling his arms around her waist – finally he had his wife back. "Alright," he said with wide child-like eyes. "Let's call him first," he grinned. It wasn't often that his wife was in the mood for mischief, so whenever she was, he always ran with it.
Bzz…Bzz…Bzz
He turned his head, burying his face further into the warmth of something soft…fragrant, but…the noise didn't stop - it kept up that incessant buzzing, grating at his ear, hell bent on disturbing his comfortable slumber.
Bzz…Bzz…Bzz
Groaning in discontent, Gohan opened his eyes to pinpoint and consequently attack the source of that annoying sound, but…the unexpected assault of bright light attacked his eyes first. He flinched, closing them shut. The lingering sting of the light making him move to further shield and rub at his eyes with his hands, but…seems both his arms were fully occupied. As the realization of where he was and of what he was holding dawned on him, Gohan froze.
Bzz…Bzz..Bzz
He hadn't meant to fall asleep here! Not at all, not in Erasa's bed – the last thing he needed was more grief from that blonde. But as usual, they'd talked for way too long, and at some point her last dose of pain meds had taken it's toll. And since she'd already made a pillow out of his chest when she'd finally drifted off, he'd merely secured her in his arms and allowed her to sleep – his eyes never leaving her face.
The unbridled urge to steal a kiss, to press her closer to his body until he could no longer tell her heartbeat from his had burned fierce and strong. But he was no midnight-groper and definitely no Mr. Busy Hands – as Lime had accused one of her suitors - so he'd curbed that urge, controlled it and just…watched her.
Okay, okay fine, so he'd stolen just one tiny, but really tiny little peck from her lips. It was barely for a second - not even worth mentioning except…well, it had stirred all kinds of warmth and longing and other such frightening feelings so much that he'd had to look away and stare at the ceiling until his racing heart had calmed.
When sleep had gravitated towards him at last, he'd refused it, wanting to hold out just a little longer before he left the apartment. But he'd sorely underestimated the sheer comfort his body had edged into. Sleepy eyes had drooped, his arms tightening around her as he brought his head down, resting his cheek against the top of her her sleeping so soundly, so snugly, his own eyes had relaxed until he was fast asleep.
Until that sound - what was it?
Bzz…Bzz…Bzz…
Ah, now that he was a little more awake he recognized it - the faint buzz of his phone. Reluctantly, he pulled an arm away from the warm figure in his embrace, reaching out to the bedside table.
"Mom?" He answered in a whisper. He blinked then blinked again… only to widen his sleepy eyes in alarm. "No you can't!" he whispered harshly, desperately, but his mother – his giggling mother had already hung up.
He cursed; calling her back to insist would only slow him down. There was no stopping his mom once she'd decided to do something. He slid his other arm from Videl as smoothly as he could. If she woke in the middle of this "visit" he'd be done for. As the mattress moved from and creaked from the loss of his weight, he cringed, pausing briefly to stare back at her. Luckily she merely crinkled her nose and sighed in her sleep.
Like a cockroach, he crept out of the bedroom and slipped out of the apartment through the kitchen window. He hovered up the building as quickly as he could, landing barefoot on the cold and rough cement. He grumbled, shaking his head as he attempted to straighten out his dishevelled and creased clothes.
Honestly, his parents were the worst! Not five seconds later, they materialized just before him.
"I can't believe you guys," he shook his head. Oh, he knew what those pleased grins on their faces meant."You sensed I wasn't alone, but you still came."
They snickered, much like a younger Goten and Trunks. "Aww come on Son," his father clapped a hand on his shoulder. "At least your mom warned you first right?"
"Barely," he mumbled. "She could have woken up and caught me sneaking."
His mother didn't look apologetic at all. She merely gave him one of her not-so-serious glares. "Serves you right for sneaking around in hotels and Kami knows where else with strange city girls."
"I was not sneaking, and like I told Dad, there's only one girl. You know I'm not like that Mom." He rubbed his arms in embarrassment.
"Are you using protection? You never know with these city girls."
"Mom!" He flushed, curling his toes against the rough cement. "We're not like that," he mumbled awkwardly, especially at the grin plastered on his father's face. "Please can we talk about why you're here? What did that guy say that was so bad that you couldn't wait or tell me over the phone?"
And at the serious look that took over his father's face, Gohan knew that tonight was gonna end just like every other night he'd been with Videl – in total disaster.