Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ! But this story is inspired by Charismatic Beauty


Chapter 22

Later Monday Afternoon...

"I think I may have passed the touching boundary with Laura! It's still too soon to tell buts he was crying so I held her hands in mine and told her that I would never hurt her. Then afterwards I gave her a light respectful hug" Trunks said with a giant goofy grin on his face.

He sat in his office with his phone in hand and his eyes scanned the outside world. "No offense, Trunks, but that sounds really really corny" Goten said on the other line of the phone and Trunks rolled his eyes.

"You're one to talk! You and Sara are corny" Trunks replied and Goten burst out laughing over the phone. Trunks' brows twitched slightly in annoyance at his friend's amusement. He never understood how his head worked.

"Yeah, yeah. But I'm glad things are starting to progress a little between you guys. It's a small start but it's a start nonetheless" Goten commented and Trunks' annoyance vanished. He grinned once again and nodded despite his friend not able to see his action.

"Thanks. I hope it progresses more but I won't push it. If Laura gives into little hugs and stuff, that's awesome! I think this means that she trusts me," Trunks said feeling confident now that he and Laura actually developed into something. He wasn't sure what it was yet but there was something.

"Of course she trusts you! You would have to feel extremely comfortable with someone to hug them" Goten pointed out and Trunks had to agree. He wouldn't want to touch someone that made him uncomfortable but Laura seemed to be comfortable.

It was a first step in the right direction.


Meanwhile...

Laura's still at work and sat behind her desk. She tried to keep her mind on her world but her mind kept trailing back towards Trunks. She kept thinking about her encounter with Trunks at the Coffee Shop only a few hours ago.

She didn't expect to see him today but nonetheless she was surprisingly happy when she caught sight of him. She still couldn't believe that she cried in from of the man. However, Trunks was so sweet and kind to her and he didn't laugh at her.

He told her that he would never hurt her and she could see in his eyes that he was being honest with her. As she thought about it her cheeks started to warm up and she found that she was blushing in embarrassment.

"Oh my! I can't believe I'm carrying on about him like a schoolgirl!" Laura scolded herself loudly and shook her head from the thoughts only to have another pop up in its place. Laura also couldn't believe that he actually dared to hug her!

What nerve! But she wasn't angry with him just...shocked. Laura felt in her mind that it was still a bit too soon for any physical contact other than a handshake.

Or is it?


The rest of the week flew by as if it never happened. Everyone was kept busy with their work and no one had enough time to let something interesting happen. However, the weekend finally drew near and Friday night arrived.

Laura flopped down tiredly on her large bed and let out a sigh as she rested her head on her pillow. She was still thinking about that hug Trunks gave her on Monday. She's never been hugged by the opposite sex before, except her relatives.

She bit her bottom lip and decided to phone the male who was lingering in her thoughts since she hadn't spoken since Monday. She reached out for her phone that was resting on her bed cupboard and dialed his number.

"Hey, Laura! How are you?"

He picked up too soon! Laura let out a silent breath that she had been holding before she decided to speak up. "I'm good, thanks. Listen, Trunks, my Boss gave me this weekend off so...do you want to do something tomorrow?" Laura asked and she could feel her cheeks heat once again.

"Tomorrow? Yeah, sure! No problem! I have off tomorrow as well since I finished up with my work. What did you have in mind?" Trunks asked and Laura hummed as she thought about it. She did have an idea.

"How about we go and get some ice-cream? If that's alright with you" Laura suggested and stared up at the ceiling. She waited for his reply and briefly wondered why she was blushing? Was it because she was thinking about Monday again? Or was it because she was talking with him again?

"That'll be great! I'll see you tomorrow then. Just let me now when time to pick you up" Trunks said and Laura let a small smile cover her lips. She was grateful that she could have two whole days off this weekend.

"I'll let you know. See you tomorrow" Laura said and ended the call she let out a sigh and put her phone back on the cupboard. She needed a break and this was a great chance. She could escape from her demanding job for the weekend.


Meanwhile...

Sara heard her phone ring on the kitchen table and raised an eyebrow. She was sitting in front of the television while enjoying a movie and it was quite late. She wondered who could possibly call her this time. Maybe it was Laura.

"Hey, Sara! I'm sorry to call a bit late but I wanted to ask you something..."

"Oh, hey, Goten! No, it's fine. I was up watching a movie anyway. What did you want to ask me?" Sara asked and she was all ears for the male. She had enjoyed the dinner with his family so much the other night and she silently hoped that she would ask her again.

"Well, I wanted to ask you if you would like to meet the Briefs, Trunks' family, as well since Trunks and I are like brothers. His family is like a second family to me." Goten asked and wondered if she would agree but he had a feeling that she definitely would.

Bulma's an aunt to him considering the fact that his Father has a really close bond with her. She is one of Goku's longest and oldest friends. He was sure that Bulma would want to meet Sara as well and that she would freak out just as much as his mom did.

"I'd love to meet them! When do you want to meet?"


Saturday Afternoon...

Trunks and Laura arranged to meet Laura at around 1pm and picked her up at her house. Laura picked the place where they were going to ear ice-cream and it was her favorite place. It was one of the places she always loved to go to when she was little.

"I've never actually been here before" Trunks said as he pulled into the driveway of the ice-cream shop and read it's name. Cloud Ice-Cream. He had heard of this place before but this was the first time he's seen it.

"Really? It's one of the best places to get ice-cream. They have the best variety of ice-cream and toppings. They're probably the best in the business" Laura said as they stepped inside the shop and went to take a seat.

"Then I'll be sure to try a few flavors" Trunks said and smiled. They received the menu for the ice-cream and Trunks' eyes widened. Laura smiled in amusement at his reaction from the large list before they ordered.

"You know, when I was little I was addicted to ice-cream which is probably one of the reasons why I was overweight" Laura said as she thought back at how many time she visited this place. It was so nostalgic.

"You're not the only one. When Goten and I were little we played a prank on Gohan, his older brother by adding Tabasco sauce to his ice cream instead of cherry sauce. I've never seen him so red in my life!" Trunks said and Laura laughed.

"Oh no! Poor Gohan. Shame on you two. He was probably very angry at you too for doing that" Laura said as she tried to stifled her laughter. Trunks chuckled and nodded. He didn't talk to them for a week after that.

"When I was little I didn't play pranks on people like you did but my Mom taught me how to make my own ice-cream. It was her homemade recipe" Laura said as their order arrived and Trunks grinned.

"I hope that you'll make it some time. I'd love to try it!"

Laura found that she lightly blushed at his enthusiasm but she managed to brush passed it. She nodded and picked up her spoon to start eating the desert. "I'll make some for you as soon as I have the time" She said and he nodded.

He couldn't wait.


Meanwhile...

Goten picked up Sara and they were on their way to Capsule Corp where Sara would meet Trunks' family. They were both excited and Sara found that she was a bit nervous as well. She already met Goten's family but now she was meeting Trunks' family.

She wondered how they were.

"Well, this is it! This is Trunks' house" Goten said as he parked outside the large dome like house and Sara's eyes widened in wonder. "Yeah, it's a big place so don't get lost" He joked and she laughed at him.

They went to the front door and Goten rang the bell. It wasn't long until Bulma answered the door and she smiled at the two. "Hi, Goten! Oh and this must be Sara! It's so nice to finally meet you. I'm Bulma Briefs" Bulma said and they shook hands.

Despite Sara already knowing about Bulma Briefs she was proud to meet her for the first time. After all, she was the President of Capsule Corp before Trunks took over and she invented a lot of things that they can't live without.

"I take it Trunks is out with Laura" Goten said as they entered the house and Sara raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Well, he let me know that he went out with her to get some ice-cream but only this morning" He explained and Sara nodded.

"I hope Laura gives him a chance, she's been distant this whole time"

"Oh, don't you worry, sweetheart. Trunks isn't the type that gives up on something. He'll keep going until he's succeeded. Besides, he really likes her" Bulma said and Sara smiled. She was glad to hear that.

"But enough of Trunks and Laura. How are you two doing? I heard that you met Goten's parents. How was it?" Bulma asked as she prepared coffee for them and Sara smiled. She glanced at Goten who was sitting relaxed next to her on the couch, his arm just above her.

"It was fun and interesting. I didn't think that they ate so much and ChiChi's food was really good too! I enjoyed it a lot" Sara said. She and Goten exchanged glances and they both smiled. He was glad that she enjoyed it.

"That's how they are. They have big appetites and ChiChi really has a talent with her food but I'm glad you enjoyed it." Bulma said with a warm smile that Sara returned. Just as Bulma poured in the warm water of the coffee Vegeta stepped inside the room.

"Oh, and this is Vegeta, Sara, he's Trunks' Dad" Goten introduced the Saiyan Prince and he glanced at the two sitting on the couch. He stared at Sara and took in her features making her feel slightly uncomfortable.

"Nice to meet you! I'm Sara"

"I see. This is the one who you want to mate with. I can see how you're Kakkarot's son" Vegeta said and both Bulma and Goten paled. Sara looked at Vegeta with a dumb folded expression and before she could ask him anything Bulma grabbed him.

"I just forgot! You wanted me to fix something in the GR, right? I need you to show me exactly what you want fixed!" Bulma said and smiled widely to hide her motives. Vegeta looked baffled at her and wanted to say something but she already stormed out of the room with him in hand.

"Goten, what did Vegeta mean by mating? And who's Kakkarot?" Sara asked in confusion and Goten paled slightly. How was he going to cover this one up?! Even if Bulma managed to get his out of the room he still needed to fix the situation!

"O-oh, you know... He always messes around! That Vegeta! By mating he means in a relationship like we are now and Kakkarot is a nickname he calls my Dad by" Goten stuttered slightly and laughed nervously.

"Oh, he has quite a strange nickname"

Goten mentally let out a sigh in relief. He was glad that he managed to save the day with his quick thinking. He hadn't told Sara anything about his heritage yet and until she was ready he wouldn't. He was just relieved that Bulma got Vegeta out of here.

He owed her one.


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