EDITED - 05/01/2014

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It's not that he hated math, because he didn't. He loved math! It was always so simple to him, so clear and logical. Completely predictable. But today math was against him for some reason.

For thirty long minutes had he been sitting at his desk, motionless, reading and re-reading one single problem that he knew he could solve in less than five. Derivatives were a piece of cake, for goodness sake, his hand should be grabbing the damn pencil and solving this shit on its own, no input needed from his brain whatsoever. It wasn't like he hadn't gone through a million of these before.

His mind was sharp as always, but his heart kept interrupting him from the chore. He'd sigh if his body wasn't so numb, unable to move a muscle but the ones that gave motion to his eyes.

For the umpteenth time that day, his gaze retraced the route from his notebook to that frame, sitting undisturbed but yet so loud and imposing that he failed miserably at every chance of ignoring it. It was a simple trimming in glossy black, a slick display for the photo they'd taken at his first football match, all four of them. It made him feel happy, that picture, hence why he'd put it at his desk before beginning his study session - when the mood was lacking, he'd take all the help to keep going, but it kind of backfired, he guessed.

If only he could study his math as passionately as he insisted on studying her features today, tomorrow's test would be a no-brainer - not that it still wouldn't; he was a genius, after all. Her ears were pierced, he noticed, studs of silver in the shapes of little hearts almost unnoticeable if it wasn't for the tiny speck of red from an embedded little jewel on one of its curves. There was a beautiful little freckle spotting the fair skin at her cheek, incredibly faint like it wasn't even supposed to be there, hidden from the world who'd probably never even take notice of it. But he did.

She looked truly happy in that photo; it made him smile.

Okay, one more try. He'd get there, and after the first problem had been solved, surely the rest of them would roll right along. But then there was a knock on the door, the silent room making the sound seem much louder than it was. Without thinking, his eyes returned to the picture just as he was getting up, politely excusing himself for interrupting their moment together. With a couple of steps, he reached for the handle and opened the door.

The young woman on the other side made his heart skip a beat, but he was getting used to it by now. Ever since Videl had kissed him on the gala night - or at least ever since they'd returned from their Christmas holidays - it'd become a given that if he'd somehow manage to go a day or two without seeing her, his body would let him know just how much it resented the fact with some kind of twitch, pinch, or reflex. It'd be a bucket full of funny if he'd actually have some sort of control over it, but holding a gargantuan stack of heavy books in a quiet library was not exactly the best moment for your bicep to jerk violently and powerfully. Just as an example. An embarrassing example based on a true story.

Well, at least it'd made her laugh. He'd dance around in a tutu if it'd make her laugh.

"Surprise!" Videl cheered loudly while and reaching over for an embrace, one arm only since the other was occupied by a large paper box. He liked those… those normally held delicious stuff from delicious places that sold delicious pastries or the sorts.

"Hey, Vi," he told her with a big smile. "What brings you here?" Gohan stepped aside to let her in and closed the door behind them.

"Well…" his friend was about to respond, but then she looked over at his desk and turned around to face him, her eyebrows arched high and eyes widened. "What the hell are you doing studying? It's Singles Awareness day!"

"Singles what now?"

"Singles Awareness day. It's Valentine's day for single people!"

"Oh..." He knew exactly what today was, since Sharpner couldn't find the mercy in his heart to stop yapping about it over the past few weeks. The craze to share with Gohan any and all details for the day he had planned hadn't come from actual drugs - he'd asked - but it'd surely looked like it at some points; some points at two fucking a.m. before an early Bioethics class… Bioethics… the pinnacle of boredom.

At least colleges didn't sent notes home to his mother… Notes regarding his snoring and how it disturbed his classmates.

His roommate had reported to exhaustion about the restaurant he'd chosen, all the way down to the meal and drinks, the hotel they were staying in, the chocolates he'd bought, the flowers, and of course the… gift Erasa had promised him later tonight, one of the intimate nature. A very explicit, very awkward description to be shared between two straight dudes alone in a tiny room, in his opinion, best bros or not.

The cold shower afterwards had helped with the blushing, thankfully.

"I have a test tomorrow," Gohan explained. "Engineering Mathematics."

Videl bared her teeth as if cringing. "Ouch, that sounds painful."

"Meh, not really," he said, staring at his notebook for a moment. "But if you get too cocky with math, the bitch will come around to bite you in the ass, so I'm revising some stuff."

She giggled, which made him smile, and then extended the white box she'd been holding to him. "Well, I just wanted to come by and give you this. I don't want to interrupt your brawl with math."

"You never interrupt, Vi," he told her immediately, taking the box. "What is this?"

A stellar grin erupted on her face. "Open up."

He did, and his jaw dropped instantly from the weight of the extra saliva in his mouth. The box was full to the brim with a massive batch of heart-shaped cookies - chocolate chip, from the dark brown speckles he detected on the lighter dough - decorated with a white glaze that served as background for big curly letters in all the colors of the rainbow. "Happy SAD!" they stated, a cute little heart taking place of the dot from the exclamation point. They held the exact same handwriting as the chocolate cake he'd baked for him when he and Sharp had helped the girls move, so there was no doubt in his mind she'd been the one baking this wonderful things as well.

"Oh, Vi… They look amazing!" he told her with barely contained ecstasy. If they looked this good… But then, just as he realized the meaning of this gift, his eyebrows slouched right along with his shoulders, letting out an inconsolable breath turned whispered words with the action. "I… didn't get you anything…" How could he have been so thoughtless? Okay, so he didn't know about the Singles Awareness facet of this day, but even if Videl wasn't his girlfriend, she was special - the most special person in his life right now. She deserved the fucking world and he'd discarded the idea completely because he was sure it'd come out as inappropriate or something.

Such a great friend he was… Couldn't he'd gotten her a measly card? "Thank you for being my friend. I will now seduce you with my awkwardness."

"Oh, honey," Videl said softly, rubbing his arm in comfort, a grin really warm and sweet that he was sure was coming from pity of him. "Don't worry, okay? You didn't have to get me anything."

"I know, but..." The whole thing was hurting him more than he was expecting it to, and he tried desperately to think of a way to fix it. "Let me take you out to dinner or something." It was the least he could do, and even so, he'd have to make it up to her for having made such a horrible mistake.

"Umm... today's Valentine's day," Videl spoke as if it wasn't obvious. "I don't think there's a restaurant in town that won't be completely full tonight."

Gohan's shoulders slouched even further as he looked down just as dejectedly, anchoring his gaze to the scrumptious cookies. Never in a million years would he have guessed that any sort of food, much less any that looked and smelled as deliciously as these, could make him feel so sick to his stomach. She must've spent hours on these things… Gently, her hand cradled his jaw and brought it back up, her eyes assuring but just a bit. "Hey, don't worry. It's okay."

He shook his head a little, removing himself from her grip like he wasn't worthy. It was definitely not okay, and his ashamed gaze let it be known, dropping to the hurtful cookies again. "I just... I wanted to get you something, but I thought it was... inappropriate."

Her eyebrow arched quizzically, a single chortle preceding her words. "What? Why in the world would it be inappropriate?"

A shoulder shrugged for him, the following words making him feel like a child, even if they'd came out as a whisper. "I don't know." Pitiful…

Videl sighed, stubbornly bringing his face back up again, and again, her eyes reassured him a little bit more. "Look," she said, "I know I'm not your girlfriend, but..." She paused, confident eyes turning timid. "You know that I like you, so don't be silly."

"You know that I like you." It made his insides feel like jelly to hear her say it, his chest full and bursting, and he wouldn't have believed the words if they'd come as hearsay from anyone else's mouth, but... she had said them. Right to his face. The words felt so incredibly familiar, and in that very moment, he knew that it was because they were the very same he held in his heart for her. If anything, a confession was the only thing he could gift her right now, so he stood by the words with a shy smile. "I-I like you too," he told her, though the residual courage wasn't enough to look her in the eyes as he'd said it. "I'm sorry."

"Gohan, it's okay, really." Her hand grabbed his forearm, caressing it with the soft strokes of her thumb.

"I still want to give you something." And not just a card either, something meaningful like the awesome cookies she'd gotten for him. A single bite of any of Videl's cooking would get anyone hooked, so there was no secret that she mastered food like art, but he was sure she wouldn't be choosing theses types of gifts for him - the teeny-tiny chocolate cake when he'd helped her move, and these chocolate chip pieces of heaven - if he wasn't such a foodie himself.

"Foodie" was too refined a term… Junkie was more adequate, and best friends with a dealer this good, it'd surely mean his downfall.

"Don't worry," she said, the smile on her face crooking up into a smirk. "I'm sure we can work something out." With a final tug at his arm, she went to the door and opened it. "Be ready at nine. I'll come by to pick you up."

"Where are we going?" he asked her, placing the cookie box on his desk to hold the door open for her to leave.

"Oh, you'll see." That smirk was increasingly crooked. It made him gulp in dry. "And don't worry, I know you have a test tomorrow, so I'll get you home safely right after."

"Right after what?" He grinned at her, teasing, "Should I be scared?"

"Oh, most definitely." She just winked at him, blatantly ignoring the way his eyebrow lifted up in confusion, and then left to the elevator, waving goodbye just before the metallic doors closed for her descent.

Okay… now he was scared.

Couples holding hands: seven. Couples kissing: four. Good for them. Couples standing awkwardly beside each other, making what he assumed was even more awkward small-talk: at least a dozen or so, poor things. He didn't envy them, that's for sure.

"Hey, Vi?" he called over his shoulder, knowing his friend was still walking behind him through the crowd simply because he felt her hand gripping his button-down shirt at his back. "I don't mean to spoil your plan or anything, but… won't the movies too be all sold out? Just like the restaurants?" Yuck, could these two love-birds be any less explicit in their make-out? Gohan shoved them aside as gently as possible; the double-sided glass doors were just a few steps away now.

Videl didn't answer right away, but she did as soon as they managed to enter the Main Street Cinema. Finally some breathing space. "Oh, young padawan, still so much to learn," she said with a cheeky grin on her face, making him chuckle at the choice of nickname. "You should have more trust in yours truly."

And so he did exactly that, shrugging all worries aside and following her for their tickets. This place was new to him and so freaking huge! Soon he was lost in the colors and the neons, and in the big posters occupying the whole far wall next to the cashier where they were headed to. There were at least fifteen different movies "now showing", as according to the images, which he assumed meant the equivalent number of rooms they were to be exhibited in, at least. The carpeted floor felt squishy beneath his feet, and the atmosphere, cozy, given the dimmed lights and strategically placed movie memorabilia.

His eye was drawn to a tall display case in their path then, and he paused for a moment to admire it. It was a life-sized figure of Super-Man in his usual red and blue get-up. Pretty cool, he had to admit, and pretty detailed too, not just some cheap knock-out. The fabric looked like real fabric, dressing a mannequin like it would an actual person.

The red cape was so awesome, draping from its shoulders, majestic and almost regal with real weight to it, not flimsy and see-through like most costumes he'd see on Halloween, and the blue spandex suit reminded him of the standard-issue Saiyan-army battle gear - Vegeta has smacked him violently in the head that one time he'd called it "Frieza's army" gear, but apparently it was just another thing the tyrant had stolen from their race. It was almost eerie looking at the thing, even though this one had a big "S" on the chest that the one he'd wore on Namek was lacking, of course, but he guessed the feeling might be psychological or something.

There was a time when he'd doubted such a garment to be useful in a real fight, but that had changed ever since wearing his blue long-sleeved one on Namek. It was amazingly light and allowed for an ease of movement that only a gi would surpass, in his opinion. Finally, his gaze shifted down to the mannequin's red underpants, and his nose scrunched immediately; those were just wrong. Where did these people get their fashion sense…?

A sleeveless robe would've been much better, in a different color or something. Maybe green over a black suit... with a belt. That'd be so much cooler.

Looking back at Videl, he continued on his way, reaching for his wallet to pay for the tickets just as the teller was handing them to her. The two of them took a few steps away from the counter and walked over to their assigned movie theater, which he still had no clue about. "What did I just buy?" Gohan asked while following her lead to room number eleven, it seemed.

"Well, you were right about most of the movies being sold out, but..." She smirked in that cheeky way again, handing over the slips. "I assumed that some movies were not particularly up to par with Valentine's day, so..."

The young Saiyan examined the two pieces of paper. "No one there", he read out loud. "What's it about?"

"I don't know. It's a horror movie."

A horror movie? Now there was a surprise. "I didn't know you liked horror movies," Gohan said, handing the tickets over to the employee that stood by the door and stepping aside to allow Videl to enter first.

"It's not that I like them, but it's not a chick-flick so we practically own the room." Videl grinned, obviously very proud of herself. "You can begin to bask in my genius now."

He could only laugh at that. It was actually a pretty good idea; on a day made for couples, what better way to celebrate being single than doing the complete opposite of all the lovey-dovey stuff that was expected? Genius indeed, Ms. Satan.

Horror movies in general, be it the never-really-shows-anything-scary suspense or the extremely explicit ones with blood and gore sputtering everywhere, were not really his cup of tea, since the adrenaline supposed to flood one's veins upon watching them was nowhere to be seen for him. The images didn't affect them in any way, but then again, he had experienced more violence and fear in his life thus far than any movie producer or script writer could ever begin to imagine, let alone adapt into a movie, so the thrill was basically non-existent and his mind jaded to such banal stories.

But he wasn't here tonight for the movies, so even if it'd been an agonizing chick-flick that'd turn his stomach on itself, he'd still endure it like a champ. Videl didn't seem like the chick-flick type though. She seemed like the girl that'd roll her eyes at the romance clichés that never actually happened in real life, and the girl that'd mock the oh-so-creative dialog lines like "I want you. Always," with a snort and well placed, "Fuck you, Bella!"

His kind of girl. He'd do battle with her, meaning endure a two hour chick-flick; it was definitely worth it as long as she was there.

Definitely.

Yup, just as he thought. Boring.

Something close to fifty minutes in, and between some shadows passing in front of the camera, bloody footprints, and a pale little girl, the "horror" part of the equation left a lot to be desired. And yet, one would think he was utterly amused, getting some sort of sadistic satisfaction from the main character's plight and terror with the way he was smiling, biting his lips together to keep his laughter contained.

Gohan knew she'd hate to admit it, and most likely deny it like her life depended on it, but the movie was scaring the shit out of Videl, from as soon as ten minutes into the action. Every once in a while, he'd notice her jumping in her seat or gasping quietly, bringing her hand up to her face or choosing to peek at the screen sideways instead of looking at it directly. It was so incredibly adorable that she acted so tough and yet was trembling with something as harmless as a moving picture. As quickly as possible so as not to attract her attention, he glanced to his left through the corner of his eye. The sight of her was too much, the laughter blurting out of his lips completely unrestrained.

Her knees were up in front of her body, and she was peeping ahead through her fingers with an extremely concerned frown on her face. It instantly lost its focus on the screen when she heard his laughs, though. "Shut up!" she whispered with might. "It's not funny!"

"Oh, it sure is, since there's yet to appear a single scary thing in this movie," Gohan whispered back, his cheeks feeling hot and tingling.

"That's not true!"

"Huh, yeah it is."

"It's not! Shut up!" Videl answered a little harder, redirecting a fierce look back to the picture, only to be greeted by a disfigured face on a mirror. She shrieked and looked away again, burying her face between Gohan's arm and his seat.

He grinned, laughing again. Poor thing, little Ms. Strong and Stubborn cowering away from a movie. Oh, he would so tease her about this for months on end. "Come here," he told her. His left arm rose and embraced her as tightly as he could around the shoulders, considering there was an armrest between them. She took the hug and hid her face in her hands now, and against his chest, glancing at the screen like a scared puppy. It was the cutest thing he'd ever seen, but he couldn't resist a final jab. "Do you want me to check under your bed for monsters tonight?"

Videl poked him on the ribs, but smiled back nonetheless, staring menacingly at him with slitted eyes that relaxed not long after. With a sigh, her head fell against his shoulder, a smile so faint and yet so powerful, bathed in the irrelevant silver light.

It was making his chest hurt, his stomach to sink. How long had it been since he'd kissed her? Almost two months… The feeling of her that rosy skin against his, its softness and its eagerness, would never really leave his memory but it still felt so alarming that it might happen. It was as urgent as air in his lungs that he'd have that touch again, that he'd have her lips, her breath mixed in with his. The acid burst at his throat and up and down his torso; he wanted it so badly.

From earlier that day, her words came back to him - "You know that I like you." - but his inexperience paralyzed his body for acquiescing its own desperate plea. Ironic, huh? There he was, a seasoned man, knowledgeable of the world in ways that every other living being around him - minus a handful - could only dream of, trembling inside like a nervous adolescent when it came to this, whatever this was.

She liked him, she'd told him so; why couldn't he just kiss her?

Luckily, she was more experienced in the subject and didn't hesitate, taking matters into her own hands. A little smile preceded her movement, fingers tickling the jumpy skin at his jaw and then cheek, and then she leaned in, paced yet deliberate, both their eyes closing heavy from the weight of whatever was between them.

Their lips touched gently and slowly, feather light, his lower one trembling despite himself. She deepened the contact, pressing against him a little harder, somehow telling it was okay to feel nervous about this, and so allowing to loosen muscles all over his body he hadn't noticed had been taut. Soft pecks and sweet little kisses, no tongue involved like he'd sometimes notice between other couples or in movies. Something pulled on him, wanting that tongue to come and play too, but it was reckless of his body to ask for such a thing when his mind was barely hanging on with the tenderness it was experiencing right now. Vi was taking it easy on him, he was sure; mentally, he thanked her.

He felt his entire energy drop towards his abdomen then, in a flow he did not instruct, his muscles there contracting on their own like in a long sit-up, aching and hot. It lingered there, running back and forth, up and down, producing waves of a feeling he'd never understood why people called "fuzzy". But that was exactly what it was, a warm tickle, a relaxed pressure, nothing he could've recognized before but was now starting to love. His arm embraced her tighter, brought her closer. Her hand touched his chest in reaction, grabbing his shirt and fisting it passionately.

It was enough for that fuzziness to venture further down this time, an energy burst falling with the gravity, and the overwhelming sensation made him break the kiss in an exhale. She smiled before increasing the distance, and their eyes greeted again, adjusting to the harsher lights of the intermission he just now realized was taking place.

Her hand still over his cheek, she stroke it lovingly with her thumb, tracing over the hotness he was feeling there. "How about some snacks?" Vi half-whispered.

Gohan simply nodded, an innate reaction induced by his stomach instead of his brain, since the latter was undergoing maintenance at the time. Videl got up and walked towards the exit behind them, leaving him to endure the freezing cold that came with her absence. He closed his eyes and sighed, burying his face in the back of his seat and rubbing his forehead against the velvety fabric. It was scratchy and smelled funny but he didn't move away.

A drug addict that'd just gotten his fix, that's what he was. An alcoholic after a shot of whiskey, a smoker after the first puff. The numb relief of satiety, it took him far away in a daze, drifting in the current while unconcerned as to where it was taking him, past reality and every painful memory of his entire life. Just a kiss from her, and he felt safe again.

It had been too long.

Videl came back just as the lights were dimming again, sliding between his knees and the seat in front of him to return her spot. She was holding an enormous bucket of popcorn and a huge soda while dangling a plastic bag from her elbow. "I didn't know what you wanted, so I brought this little fellow," she said with a wide smile, placing the large paper tub on his lap - sweet instead of salted, just how he liked it. The fizzy drink took its place in the cup holder, and she began rummaging through the bag. "And I have some chocolate bars, skittles, peanuts, and gummy worms. What do you want first?"

Still kind of numb, all he managed for a moment was to stare back at her, a soft smile growing on his face. Friendship was so underrated, he mused, the concept thrown around and labeled on any barely-known acquaintance like there was nothing to it. But a true friend…? Being around someone who knew his likes and dislikes, his quirks and pet-peeves as well as Vi, was a sort of relief all in its own. Most people would probably flee from his presence if they knew what he planned on doing to that mountain of junk food - shoving, munching, inhaling - but not her, she'd long accepted him for the wondrous food incinerator he was, no questions asked.

No need to hide from being seen as weird or awkward. It was a true fear for the socially-impaired, but one he'd no longer suffered from. Thanks to his friends. Thanks to Vi.

"I was thinking we could start off with the popcorn while it's still kinda warm," she continued, not waiting for his answer, "and then go for the peanuts to cut some of the sweetness, and next maybe a chocolate or two. What do you say?"

His smile grew even bigger. "I say 'get out of my head', 'cause I was thinking exactly the same thing."

Videl giggled. "See? I know you." She grabbed his arm by the wrist and wrapped it around herself, just like it'd been before. "Now hold me! That damn little girl's gonna haunt me in my dreams, I just know it."

He chuckled and kissed her luscious hair, feeling its softness against his nose and cheek while silently thanking whoever had cast him for the role of the lucky bastard that got to touch her like this. Reluctantly looking back up to the general direction of the big screen, though not sparing it an ounce of attention, a handful of sweet puffs of corn made its way into his mouth except for the one which he purposefully left out between his middle and index fingers. He placed it in front of Videl's mouth so she could eat it. She took it and whispered, "Thank you."

No, thank you.

It had been the shortest movie he'd ever watched in his life - not that he did much watching, admittedly - and he'd seen a rather long list of them, over the years, since it was the easiest way for him to escape his reality whenever the kids and the house were accounted and taken care of. A hundred and ten minutes that'd seemed like only twenty. At least the only parking spot available along the sidewalk outside of Vi's apartment was almost next to his dorm building, which gave them five extra minutes together as he walked her home.

"Okay, now seriously," Videl began. "Was that or was that not the worst movie you've ever seen in your life?"

Gohan chuckled. "It was pretty bad, but just seeing you jump in your seat every now and then more than made up for it." Her index finger tried another jab at his ribs, but he dogged it effortlessly by hiding behind the cast iron gate to the apartment complex.

"Ha, ha. Aren't we funny?" Videl said sarcastically, while climbing the stairs to her door. When both of them arrived up to her door, she turned around to him and added in a slow, husky tone, "I didn't jump anymore after you hugged me."

His right hand flew to the back of his skull, just as all his shyness flew to his smile. He knew it was stupid, but being in a theater at night, embracing a beautiful woman while watching an R-rated movie, made him feel like an actual adult, for once. A normal one. A sane one. There was no doubt in his mind that he could protect Videl from any real enemy, but being able to provide such reassurance to her when it came to made up monsters and spooky shadows was an ego boost that he wasn't expecting. Physical strength had always been the one that defined him, not any emotional or psychological one.

A wreck like himself having such a power… Only in the movies, he'd say.

Suddenly, he sensed someone. His mind quickly assessed the situation and concluded that there was no threat involved given the minute power level, but he looked over his shoulder anyway, wondering why it was stationary and why it felt... odd. Were they being watched? From the gate downstairs. One single person, and… it felt somewhat familiar, he guessed. Someone he knew?

There was a second in which he considered going to check it out, but slipped his mind entirely when Videl's hand touched his cheek and gently brought his eyes back to her. On the tips of her toes, his lips gapped when he realized how close she was. "Don't look away when I'm about to kiss you," she whispered.

He smiled because it was only a matter of matching the curve of her lips, and he blinked because blinking was easy, allowed by the mess his brain had turned once again at the suggestion of a kiss. Kissing was good. He liked kissing very much. And so they did - not that he was capable to move an inch into aiding the process - her arms surrounding his neck and pulling him closer while he did the same around her waist.

There had been a handful of occasions throughout his life where he'd witnessed couples kissing - for real and unscripted, since the ones in movies would always seem a little too fake and over-produced - and he'd never understood why they would do it. It seemed strange and awkward and kind of nasty, to be honest. Bulma and Yamcha were the most explicit, but Mom and Dad... they were even stranger.

They would never do it in front of him, greeting only with a touch on the arm, or on Dad's chest, or on Mom's waist, or the more usual peck on the cheek, but there had been a couple of times where he'd caught them actually kissing on the lips. He remembered peeking into wherever they were while he was supposed to be studying, and watching how they would immerse themselves in the action like it was their little secret, enjoying each other, eyes closed. In his childish naivete, though, they were eating each other's faces, and "yuck" or "gross" were his recurrent opinion on the matter, but now... now he saw it.

Whether it was for the actual physical sensation it brought, or the knowledge of it being a private, intimate display of affection - or most probably an exhilarating mixture of both - kissing someone on the lips held a weight so hefty while able to lift someone so high at the very same time. It was proof of fondness, of desire, of passion.

Of love.

And of luck too, since he was ready to worship something holy right now for the fact that Vi actually wanted to kiss him this way.

The moment went on for longer than ever before, neither one of them wanting to be the one to call it quits. Videl was the one who managed to do it eventually, breaking their lips apart but he wasn't ready, instinctively rushing after her again. He robbed her of one more peck that made her chuckle. "You have to go home," she whispered.

"I do?" he whispered back in a daze. It was hard enough to remember how to breathe when she kissed him, but thinking and comprehending things... What was he, a machine? Her words were confusing - "home"? "have"? "you"?; nah, he didn't know the terms, and as such, he decided to discard them completely, chasing after her lips for another kiss. Just one more.

But she refused it to him, the tease, leaning away, chuckling and grinning at his misery. "Yes, you do. You have a test tomorrow, remember? I don't want to be the cause of your 'A' minus."

Gohan smiled at the joke and sighed, defeated. A lonesome lock of hair cascaded down her cheek and he softly brushed it aside, circling it around her right ear.

"Thank you for my present," Videl said very softly.

He chuckled. This could hardly count as a present if he'd been the one who gained the most. "You're welcome."

Sluggishly, her arms slithered from his neck, hands tracing the path all the way down to his chest before disconnecting completely. The night was cold after all; he hadn't noticed. She took the few steps to her door and opened it, pausing inside for a wave goodbye. "Good luck tomorrow," she said, and then closed it behind her.

Gohan just stood there for a moment, eyes dropping closed and smiling, aimlessly wondering if he'd used up all of his luck tonight and caring next to nothing about it. For this night he'd have a "B", a "C". An "F", for all he cared.

His nerdiness would probably complain about it though. Eventually.

Gohan took a deep, slow breath, trying to force his features to relax and failing miserably at it. As his heart was beating louder after a night like this, filled with warm and replenishing energy that he could only wish would last forever, his facial muscles were also contracting involuntarily into a grin, and he couldn't help but chuckle at his pathetic attempts to properly brush his teeth for bed.

The night had brought him more than he was expecting it to, and the feeling of pure happiness was one he thought he'd lost forever. The way back to his room was short and fast, but just barely, since he had to fight himself not to go up into the skies and fly around for hours, loop after loop, as was his desire. Pierce through the clouds, and dive into the ocean, and dash around the world to chase the sun setting in the horizon, over and over again in a perpetual sunset, but he managed to control himself and allow for only his undying smile to show his state of spirit.

Alone in his shared room, standing in the bathroom while looking into the eyes in the mirror, he truly did not recognized them as his own. The spark that Bulma had talked about before he'd ever came to college, the one he'd had as a child and then lost... it was there, reigniting his whole self with the fire he'd only managed to feel during battles, when he would stand his ground, through the fear, through the pain, and feel like he belonged there, fighting, protecting, succeeding. When he would feel doubt-free and assured of himself. Complete.

A loud heartwarming laugh left his core and echoed across the white tiles and out the open door, making him avert his gaze from himself in embarrassment for feeling this boyish and silly for no apparent reason. But he knew it wasn't exactly like that; Videl was the reason. Her smile, her eyes, her voice, the way she laughed. How she touched him, how she kissed him... He looked into his eyes again. It was like she'd made him believe in everything he had stopped believing a long time ago or never at all. Santa Claus and the Easter bunny, unicorns and fairies and magic. True happiness... true love.

He placed his toothbrush back in its cup and checked himself out in the mirror, latching his hands onto the white countertop to support his weight. More and more he saw his father's face looking back at him as he grew older. His chin was a little narrower and his jaw just the tiniest bit wider, but the rest was exactly as he remembered him to be. His nose, ears, and mouth. His hairline was also the same, although Dad's spiky bangs would always cover it, of course.

And then there were his eyes, a perfect replica of his father's deep black ones but only now was he able to see them as such. Only now that his enjoyment towards life was showing through did he managed to match them, since sadness and self-pity had always been beyond Dad's amplitude of feelings. It made him smile.

His gaze shifted further down, and he checked his naked chest and abs now, analyzing the multitude of scars that populated it, every one with a story and every story still so fresh in his mind like it'd happened yesterday. Nappa's, Recoome's, Frieza's. And Cell's; those were the biggest ones, like the massive shred on his left shoulder that'd almost cost him the whole battle. If left to cure on their own, they'd probably turned out much more evident than if Dende had tended to them, since the ones he had from when Vegeta first came to Earth had been much smaller but turned out just as noticeable as some of the others.

He wondered if his father remembered each of his own scars as well as he did. Maybe not, since Dad didn't suffer from such a close link between his power and his emotions like Gohan did, so they would probably not linger so prominently in Dad's memory either. It was a good thing; sometimes he wished for the same disconnection.

Analyzing the rest of his body now, he snorted in disgust when he spotted the one on his forearm, scolding himself for allowing Rick to mark him as well. Like he was somehow worthy of engraving his name on his skin, the bastard.

And then his eyes went further down… and his heart collapsed into his stomach

It was such a minuscule little thing that it would go by unnoticed like every other day since he'd gotten it, but he saw it as clear as day now, and as much as it was small, it packed more meaning than any of his other blemishes, opening the hell gates to all of his doubts and fears.

Absentmindedly, he plopped himself on the closed toilet seat, scrubbing the thin line with his thumb like he was hoping it to be drawn on his skin. But of course it wasn't. It was real as all the feelings that came rushing back to him, and he wondered how he ever managed to forget that they were there.

The scar on his wrist, where the Ki suppressor was implanted. The proof of his abnormality.

It concealed his power, and with it, his past. All the bloodshed, all the pain, all the death, tightly encased beneath that zipper of shiny tissue, and it punched him right in the gut.

Going to the movies like everyone else, having fun, laughing and joking... kissing a girl... For the last few hours, he'd managed to feel like an actual human being for the very first time in a long, long time, but... he wasn't one. Not a real one. Not like Vi. She wasn't half alien. She wasn't born with a tail, and she didn't have super-human strength and speed. She'd never felt true despair, true fear, true anger. Time-travel and other planets. After-life and monsters. Real monsters, not make-believe like in a movie. That was his reality. This…? This was just a dream, a fantasy, one he'd never had in the past, since no one could ever dream of freedom when born in a cage.

He was lying to himself to ever think that he could have such a life, be such a person, have these kinds of feelings, but most of all... he was lying to her.

Videl didn't know who he was, what he could do. She didn't know that he was potentially the most powerful being in the universe and that he could destroy a planet as effortlessly as he could snap his fingers.

And she didn't know of Cell. Her father's fame, their big mansion, and all of their possessions. The comfort of a life of wealth and public recognition. A lie, all of it. Just as he was.

For a fraction of a second, he'd actually had a future he'd looked forward to. One where peace, beauty, and love enveloped him instead of pain and sorrow. One where he was his own person, Gohan, not Goku's son. Not the defender of Earth, or a half-breed, or the kid who killed his father. He'd actually seen himself choosing his own path, but it was fake, an illusion. The blood in his veins, his past, they'd taken away his power to choose. He couldn't escape the titles that defined him, but he'd live with them as he had for years.

The problem was that things had changed... because she had changed him.

In some hidden corner of his mind, he saw it all. Himself being her boyfriend, marrying her and having children, and all those things he told himself he didn't want just because it became too painful to know that they wouldn't be happening. They'd deceived him with hope, but it wasn't real. Not for him. It burned a hole in his heart, and the fire came spreading to his eyes. He jumped up to his feet and got beneath the covers on his bed, hugging his pillow in the fetal position. His bottom lip started trembling and he bit it to make it stop.

It wasn't fair. Not to either of them, but if there was one thing that experience had taught him since he was four years-old, was that life in itself was anything but. It was dishonest and partial and unjust. The good things that his life provided would only become one more thing for him to lose, a step up towards a perfect place that didn't exist because he could never reach it, just like a rainbow. He knew that some could really hope to live happy lives, could keep tight and safe all the things they held dear and let those things give them strength to keep believing there was a pot of gold in the end, but it could never be so for him.

Blissful fools... Fearing traffic accidents and heart-attacks, muggings and bankruptcy, anything that could shatter their perfect existences... He could never; he'd seen too much. How could he dread what he had experienced so many times before, and what he would come to experience again and again? The fall, that crash back down to the reality that was his life, was inevitable. It would always come for him. Always.

There was no fear for his fate, just resignation. The things in his life we're destined to die.

He wouldn't do it to her. Life could be the biggest bitch it wanted when it came to him, but he wouldn't let Videl suffer like that on his account. She couldn't go on hoping for some kind of relationship with him that would ultimately bring her nothing but grief and pain. Like his mother. And Bulma. His heart wanted to stop beating, but his damn brain didn't let it.

His eyes closed, relinquishing one single little tear, which he quickly brushed off his cheek, trying to hide the shame of ever thinking that he belonged with her. Stupid... The night of their Thanksgiving dinner came back from his memories, and Rick's words, which he'd earlier thought irrelevant, finally got through to him, stinging his very soul with the truth. "You are so much beneath her it's not even funny."

How could he have been so blind? Princesses are meant to be with princes and live happily ever after, and he would do anything in his power to make sure that she would. There was no place for him in that fairy tale.

Monsters didn't deserve happy endings.

God... It hurt just to write this last part... Poor Gohan. :'(

Please review! I love to read your opinions.

P.S.: Rick is coming... xD