C is for Confession

"..Ugh, no, this won't do," The girl pouted, grabbing the piece of paper before her and crumpling it into a ball, before tossing it aside. Was she not ashamed of her poor penmanship, considering she'd just received acceptance into the most elite high school academy in West City? After all, it was just a stupid confession letter...she knew people in elementary school who'd write those!

"Okay, Pan Son , let's just get this over with!" She encouraged herself. Clicking her pen, she confidently grabbed a brand new, crisp sheet of stationery paper and began writing. With the last punctuation mark, she carefully lifted the pen off the paper, making sure not to smudge the letter. Now satisfied, the young raven-haired teen placed the letter into a blush pink envelope, before licking it shut.

"Paaaan, come down here and help me set the table," She heard Videl call her from downstairs.

"I'll be there in a moment, Mom!" Pan hollered back, rising from her chair and grabbing the letter.

"It's cool, you got this," Pan nodded to herself as she grabbed the letter and head downstairs to go help.

"Bulma, Trunks, Bra! Welcome, it's so nice to see you all!" The raven-haired girl grinned from ear-to-ear as she arrived into the living room.

"Pan, why don't you keep your guests company instead? i'll take care of the table" Videl instructed her daughter, as if she'd known that Pan was meaning to talk to Trunks.

"Of course," She agreed as she took the guests' coats, before heading to the coat closet nearby

"Hey, Pan, let me help you with that," Trunks said as he tried to grab some coats from the girl's arms.

"Oh, thanks, Trunks, but I'm fine, really!" The black-haired girl insisted as she headed down the hall to the closet alongside Trunks.

"Hey Pan, I'm glad I finally got you alone. I've been meaning to tell you something," The lavender haired man explained.

"O-oh yeah, of course; I actually wanted to tell you something too," The girl nodded, tightly clutching the envelope in her hand that was hidden behind heavy coats.

"I have a girlfriend…she's really great, Pan; I can't wait 'till you get to meet her," He grinned as he hung up a trench coat.

"I'm so happy for you Trunks, that's great to hear!" She forced a fabricated laugh and stretched her lips to form a smile.

"Aw, thanks, Pan," He said admiringly as he embraced her into a hug, coats still in the girl's hands. His touch brought about a deep sinking feeling in her gut.

"So what was that you wanted to tell me, Pan?" The man asked as he pulled back from their embrace, reaching for a parka atop the pile Pan was holding.

"Hmm, my mind totally blanked, I forgot what I was going to say. It probably wasn't that important, haha." The young girl lied confidently, a forced grin still painted on her face.

"Happens to me all the time; just tell me whenever you remember what it was," He chuckled.

" Hey you know, I think the others might be here now, so I'll just finish hanging these. I don't want to keep you waiting!" Pan insisted, pushing Trunks more and more away from the closet.

"Are you sure Pan? I don't mind at all," Trunks replied

" Yes, I'm sure. I'tll just take a sec, Trunks," She nodded.

"Okay, if you're sure. I'll see you out there then," The lavender-haired man flashed one last smirk before heading out of her sight.

"Maybe in your dreams, Pan," She said to herself, before hiding the envelope in her hand into an old shoe box in the corner of the closet

However, little did Pan know, that on a slightly chilly March evening approximately three years later, her dreams had become reality.

"How your day was at the office?" The raven-haired girl asked her lavender-haired friend as the two walked side-by-side along a freshly paved downtown sidewalk.

"Ah, same-old same-old, I guess. What about you, Pan?"

"Well, actually, you know that school I applied to off in America?" She began. He nodded.

"I just heard back from them today while I was at school; they sent me an offer of admission…"

The lavender-haired man stopped in his tracks.

"Wow, Pan, I, uh..congrats!" He stumbled on his words.

"You're not going to go, are you?" He accidentally slipped.

"And what's that supposed to mean? I might want to go!" The small girl said in defense, slightly upset.

"It's just, if you go, I'll miss you. I mean, uh, y'know, we'll all miss you," He replied.

"That's fine, I can just video-call you all from there!" The girl persuaded.

"You can't go, Pan," He told her again, slightly frustrated as he looked at her.

"What are you, my parent or boyfriend or something? I don't need you to tell me what to do," She barked back at him.

"So would you stay if I became your boyfriend?"

"..." The girl stopped in her tracks as she felt her face go red; Pan cursed herself mentally how naive she was.

"You're talking absolute nonsense, Trunks Briefs," the girl huffed as she began walking again.

"I'm serious," He said as he ran up to catch her.

"Wait here," The man said as he ran into a flower shop. Frustrated, the girl stood outside the shop.

Soon after, he came out with a bright bouquet of red roses.

"Trunks, what are you doing?" She asked hesitantly.

"Pan, I'll respect you decision and everything, but…just, just don't leave me,"

"What's going on, Trunks?" She felt it; the same feeling the girl felt whenever she daydreamed of him-her stomach was knotting and could hear the intensity of her pulse.

"Pan, I have feelings for you—I'm falling in love with you, Pan Son."

"…you, you're…?" The girl was at a complete loss. She was praying to Dende that this wasn't some sick joke. Kami-sama, this couldn't be another one of her daydreams she promised herself to stop having while with him. In disbelief, she pinched her arm before wincing slightly.

"Pan, say something," He looked at her with a look of concern.

"You like me, like that ?" She hesitated, taking a gulp after the words left her mouth. Where was Bra to slap her out of this daydream she was having yet again about the unattainable Trunks Briefs.

"...Yeah," Trunks began,

"Am I not allowed to?" He continued, his tone becoming more persistent as he spoke, unforgivingly looking the girl in the eyes.

"No...who told you you could..." The young girl mumbled almost inaudibly, still keeping contact with his deep blue cerulean eyes. She found herself soon after with cloudy eyes, before he embraced her warmly.

"Y-you, you stole my line!" Pan yelled into the man's torso, before beginning to bawl her eyes out. Like rain after a drought, years worth of enduring were released with those tears.

"So, do you like me too?" Trunks asked, patting her back assuringly.

"Yes," Yes. A thousand times yes...yes, of course, she wanted to scream from the top of her lungs.

"Took you long enough", the lavender-haired man let out a sigh of relief. He only proceeded to hug the small girl even higher, if possible.

"Did you say something?" Pan muffled into his cotton dress shirt.

"It's nothing," He chuckled. Not caring about any of the pedestrians passing by, the two remained there in each other's embrace for what'd seemed like an eternity.

-x-