A/N: Firstly, I wish to say thank you for the reviews, faves and follows. They mean a lot to me. Secondly, I don't watch Super; I only just recently upgraded my internet, so prior to that, I couldn't. I keep tabs on what was happening and so far, I've only seen the first ep, Vegito's return (that ending was so badly rushed, it is simply terrible, unfortunately), episode 126 and 129. And for me, the only interesting saga was Goku Black.
When Trunks eventually drifted into consciousness, he became aware of two things: one, he was naked, something that he didn't naturally do, and two, he was alone. His hand felt the space beside him and there was no one. No smooth, supple flesh, no dazzling sapphire eyes, no warm smile to greet him. Waking up, Trunks slowly moved into a sitting position, scrubbing a hand through his messy bed hair.
She had ditched him. Or maybe she was downstairs already, waiting for him? No, Lazuli was not one to wake up early; she only done it in the Chamber for training purposes and would sleep in late if she could. No, she had ditched him.
He had to concede that it was fair; after all, he'd done the same thing to her after their first time. Unable to explain why it left a heavy pit in his stomach and since it was too early in the morning to start questioning it, Trunks got dressed, dumping his wet clothes in the laundry, before heading downstairs to the kitchen. His mother was there, a cigarette in hand and a cup of coffee by her side as she scrolled through the newsfeed on her tablet.
"Morning, Mother," Trunks greeted.
"Morning, my son," Bulma replied with a smile. "Sleep well?"
He balked, his eyes popped and a bright red flush rippled across his skin as his mind panicked. Did she know? "Uh…fine, I guess…yeah, pretty good."
Thankfully, she didn't appear to notice his flustered appearance, too engrossed in her reading. "Oh good. Because I had trouble sleeping last night. Could hear these strange noises, but I think some of the machinery might be acting up. I'll have to do a system check later. You're not too busy today?"
The flush was practically radiating off him. "Sure, I'd love to help. Um…you haven't, uh, seen Lazuli this morning, have you?"
Bulma frowned. "No. To be honest, I haven't seen much of her lately. Is there something going on with her?"
Sweat-drop. Nervous laughter. "I…can't say…I have no idea. Not my…area of…um…expertise."
The scientist peered at her son and he did his best to appear somewhat normal, panicky under the gaze of his mother. She noted his flushed appearance and his fidgetiness, signs that he was hiding something from her and she knew her son to be a terrible liar. But while she could grill him about it, she decided to let it slide…for now.
"Very well," Bulma finally said, returning to her tablet and her son sighed in relief. "I'll let you know when I'm ready later."
"Sure thing, Mom," Trunks said and he set about preparing breakfast for himself, all the while wondering where Lazuli had gone and what was going on between them.
-X-
The ocean lapped gently against the shores of the islands, giving the appearance of serenity. But to Lazuli, it was anything but serene. This was where her brother had died, giving up his life to save hers, even though there'd been a chance his sacrifice would be unsuccessful.
Lazuli glanced at the bouquet of flowers she had bought on her way here. It had very much been a spur of the moment, since she knew humans used flowers to farewell the dead, but here now, it made her think on how foolish the idea was: 17 had never been one for sentimentality and would scoff at the idea of Lazuli using flowers as a memorial for him. But this was what humans did and this was how she was going to honour his memory.
It wasn't like she could blow up buildings to mourn him.
"Suck it up, 17," Lazuli smiled fondly as she dropped the bouquet into the ocean. "I think lilies suit you. And I know you would love them. Don't lie to me."
His death crushed her. He had been the one constant in her life, always there by her side and just when she accepted that she had to live the rest of her life without him, he came back, only to die once more. He was her other half; a bond shared between them that only twins could understand. Essentially, they were two peas in a pod and now, Lazuli was alone again.
It wasn't fair.
Perhaps that was her punishment for everything she'd done: to suffer alone without her twin brother. But as much as it truly sucked, she knew she wasn't entirely alone.
This 'thing' with Trunks seemed promising enough if she allowed it. She wanted it as much as she did before, but she wasn't giving in to him so easily, not after he rejected her the first time and hurt her in the process. Now he was open to the idea and while tempted to say yes, Lazuli had every intention on drawing it out and make him work for her; she wanted him to show that he actually did want to be with her and not just say it. Last night had been nice and she'd like it again, but it had to be more than that: he had to prove that he valued her as something more than a midnight romp and that meant the whole nine yards. And she was going to make him do it.
"Thought I might find you here."
Speak of the devil.
Lazuli couldn't help the wry smile as she faced Trunks. "You can't let me out of your sight, can you?"
He didn't have his sword and he appeared quite relaxed, a rarity from him. "I can't get you off my mind."
"Well, I can't blame you. I'd be disappointed in myself if you could after last night."
"Not a chance," Trunks said and he took in a deep breath, realising what he was about to say and what they meant for their future. "I meant what I said last night, Lazuli. I want to be with you."
She quirked her eyebrow, keeping her impassive look in place to test the truth of his words. "Really? Just because I'm an Android and can go for ages-"
"That's not what I mean. I mean that I actually want to try this thing with you," he said. "I want to give us a chance and see where it takes us."
"So, let me get this straight: even after everything I've done to you, you still want to pursue some kind of an actual relationship with me?" Lazuli questioned.
She wouldn't turn it down completely, but she was quite reserved on the whole notion; after all, she wasn't sure if Trunks was truly committed to his proposal and hence her questioning. Even though she knew she had changed and they had gotten closer than before, she needed him to understand exactly what he was getting himself into and with who; if he wasn't on board 100%, it wasn't going to work out in the long run and this was something she wanted to last.
Trunks contemplated her question. Yes, she had a point, given she had caused so much misery in his life and was the reason his childhood had been utterly terrible and traumatic. But given how she had willingly changed (and even how 17 had given up his life), it made him realise that they were victims of Gero's lunacy and given the chance, they could be valued people. Lazuli was quite different from before and it had taken her to be absorbed by Cell and potentially lost for good for Trunks to realise this truth. They had built a certain kind of intimacy together and the next step was quite logical; Trunks knew he had every right to be resistant to the idea, but he was actually and eventually warming up to it. She wasn't the same person as before and he couldn't imagine his life without her and he wasn't just thinking about the sex either. He actually wanted to be with her.
It was crazy, completely and utterly crazy, that out of all the people in the world, it was the Android he wanted to be with and experience what a relationship would be like between them.
"Yes, I do," Trunks said. "Believe me, I'm having a hard time trying to figure out why, but I can at least admit that you've changed for the better and you're apologetic about the past."
"I was actually expecting something along the lines of 'oh baby, I can't get enough of you, I need you', not 'you're not the same person anymore and I like it'," Lazuli teased. "Also, can we not do this where my brother died? Let's go somewhere else," she added when Trunks went to retort.
He could agree there and he allowed her to take the lead away from the ocean. They followed the coastline until they came to a beach and Lazuli descended first. She was tempted to take her boots off, since she did like the feel of sand between her toes, but with the 'heaviness' of their discussion about to take place, any pastime amusements would have to wait.
"So, just to reiterate, you actually want more than a basic relationship with me?" Lazuli questioned. "This same thing that you shot down initially; you've changed your mind."
Why was she making this difficult? Had he not made it obvious enough?
"I know, it seems unbelievable after everything we've been through together, but not all of it has been bad," Trunks said. "I'm willing to put the past behind me; you were right, I've clung to it too much…and…I forgive you, Lazuli."
Her eyes widened in surprise. It had been quite literally a year since she apologised and while she hadn't expected anything in return at the time, after a year without a reply, she figured his grudge-holding skills were unmeasurable. So to finally hear those words…it brought a relief to Lazuli she didn't know she needed and it took a weight off her shoulders.
"I…I appreciate that," the Android said softly and her face hardened again. "The answer is still no."
Trunks' shoulders sagged at the response. "Is there a reason?"
"Apart from the obvious? I don't think you honestly mean that. I think that you are saying that solely so you can have another crack at this," she responded, pointing at her body, "and I have no desire to be a simple toy for you to use and throw away. You need to consider my feelings as well."
"I'm trying to and I want to do better than before, but I don't know how. I'm not experienced in this matter at all; all I know is that I want to give us a shot."
"And what if it doesn't work?" Lazuli asked, her fears spilling out of her mouth. "Isn't that another reason why you vetoed it in the first place? Because you thought it wouldn't work? What about your mother? And the others? You didn't want them to know about us, so has that changed?"
"We don't know until we try," Trunks answered as honestly as he could. "And if it doesn't, maybe we could still be…not bitter about it. As for the others, well, Ocarin already knows about us. I told him. But as for my mother? We can tell her when the time is right."
Lazuli mulled it over, or at least pretended to mull it over. She knew her answer, but she still had one important question left. "And what about Pan?"
"Pan?"
"Yes, Pan, aka the daughter of the guy I killed. You think she's gonna be happy if she sees you with me? You still haven't gotten over Gohan's death; you think she's gonna be any different?"
"Pan doesn't hate you," Trunks said. "She just needs time to come to terms with the truth. We won't spring it on her until she's ready. And yes, I know I haven't gotten over his death and I probably never will, but I know you are remorseful about it and that's enough for me."
Lazuli chewed her bottom lip. Trunks found it cute and was surprised he wasn't repulsed by his feelings on it. That could only mean that his desires and feelings for her was actually real, not some figment of his imagination; he wasn't disgusted by these thoughts either, if anything, they encouraged him.
"I tell you what," Lazuli finally decided. "You take me out to dinner tonight. Show me that you do care for me for more than just the sex and maybe I'll consider your offer. You make it a good night and your chances of me saying yes are high. Do we have a deal?"
Trunks had never taken a woman out to dinner before, never had the chance and had no idea what he was getting himself into, but he replied all the same. "Yes, we have a deal. Uh…do you have a certain place in mind?"
Lazuli again quirked an eyebrow. Clearly he had no experience in this. "You're the one arranging the date; you pick the place. And make it a good one. The more expensive, the better."
He sweat-dropped. "Very well…I'll…work something out. Uh, I'll see you…at, um…six?"
Kami, he was hopeless. Lazuli rolled her eyes towards the heavens, seeking assistance. "Six sounds great."
"Okay…great," Trunks said as he floated into the sky, eager to start on preparations.
Lazuli watched him go and when he disappeared from sight, she sighed. "That boy is gonna need all the help he can get. Gohan, if you're listening, please help your hopeless student."
-X-
To say he was a nervous wreck was an understatement.
Ever since he returned home, Trunks had worked non-stop to find a place for his date with Lazuli. Trying to book a restaurant on such short notice wasn't easy, despite usage of his family name, but he was elated when he finally found one that would suit Lazuli's expensive taste and there was an opening available at the right time. Swift as a shadow, he booked it immediately.
Then there was trying to find an outfit for the night.
It was a formal restaurant, but Trunks had no clothes for such a place, having never gone to one before. He was more comfortable in casual restaurants, so a high-end one a whole new experience for him and he was determined to make it right for Lazuli's sake. It was what she wanted and he had every intention of carrying out her wish.
He was lucky to find a place that was able to fit him for a suit, going for a designer-brand midnight purple shirt, black slacks and jacket combination that did make him want to cry at the pricing, but he bought it regardless. However, by the time he was finished and returned home, his mother had started her system checks and since he had promised to help her, Trunks set about his work, hoping to get it done in time so he could prepare for his date. It was easy, after all, since he knew the reason behind the strange noises and simply resolved to himself to try and keep the noise down next time he had Lazuli in his room, so as to not disturb his mother.
However, house rules decreed that he had to tell Bulma that he intended to head out into the night; even though he was an adult and quite capable of handling himself, Trunks knew that his mother worried about him and he could respect her wishes.
"So, uh, Mom," he began halfway through the check-up, since nothing was actually out of whack. "I'm going out tonight."
"Going out?" Bulma questioned. Since when did her son go out? He was such a recluse that he found it difficult to socialise with others, unless that had changed recently. A smile crossed her face. "Have you met someone?"
He blushed. "Uh, yeah, you could say that. I'm going to meet…her."
Now her smile widened and turned wicked. "Ohh, Trunks, my big boy is all grown up now. So tell me, what's her name?"
He swallowed, hoping to shut this conversation down quickly. "Uh…Mai. I met her a while back."
"Are you two dating? How come I've just heard about this? Where are you taking her? Wait, when can I meet her? I hope she's nice."
Trunks nervously rubbed his hand through his hair. "Hold your horses, Mom. You'll meet her soon enough…uh…it's just…it's very new and I…want to make sure, uh, everything's right before I introduce you to her. Sound fair?"
Bulma harrumphed good-naturedly. "Very well. I can wait. I'm just happy that you're finally meeting new people. Well, you have fun tonight, although not too much fun, alright?" she winked at him and he blushed even harder.
"Moooom," he whined. "Why do you have to be awkward?"
"It's my job."
Even with his mother's 'knowledge', it still didn't calm Trunks' nerves as the appointed time drew near. Once the system check was done, he decided to try and calm his nerves with some training. It worked…until he had to leave the chamber and then his nerves went haywire again, especially when he checked the time and saw it was time to start getting ready.
Kami, he was so nervous about this and he couldn't work out why. He reasoned that it was the first date he'd ever been on and he was scared he would mess up somehow; he tried to reason that even if he did mess up, it wouldn't jeopardise his relationship with Lazuli…too much.
When he took a shower, Trunks decided to approach the date like a training session and shoved all his fears and insecurities to the side, relying on his meditation techniques to calm himself and from there, he had not a single though of anxiety as he made himself presentable for the evening.
Then, he picked her up…
After making a call to confirm the booking, Trunks checked the time and decided to pick Lazuli up. He had butterflies in his stomach as he left his home and made his way to her room, but he kept repeating a mantra to calm his nerves, praying that tonight would go smoothly. He reached her room, knocked and waited patiently. When the door finally opened (his nerves started going crazy again with the waiting and he presumed she did it on purpose), Trunks' jaw dropped and he nearly lost his cool.
Lazuli was stunning.
Beautiful.
Elegant.
All the words in the world that could describe her beauty and still wouldn't do her justice.
Everything about her, from her hair, to her make-up and to her clothes, was flawless. He lost all breath in his lungs from the sight of her. Her short black dress clung to her body and accentuated every curve. Her make-up was expertly applied, emphasising her looks and making her more gorgeous than ever. She had put the effort in and it made Trunks feel like an underdressed lesser being trying to appease a goddess – he quickly shook those thoughts and held his hand out to her.
"Wow," he greeted once air had returned to his lungs and his brain could operate properly again. "Wow. You look…wow...amazing."
"You're not so bad yourself," Lazuli smirked fondly at him and she meant it. He had scrubbed up quite well and looked very handsome indeed; he had certainly surpassed her expectations so far. "Shall we?"
"Yes, definitely, we shall," Trunks eagerly replied as her hand slid into his. "I hope you don't mind flying."
"Well, if you ruin my hair after the amount of time I spent on getting it done, I'm going to be pissed."
He gave a nervous laugh and slowly ascended with her, keeping to a slow enough speed that it wouldn't disturb her hair, but quick enough to make the reservations on time. The flight was silent and Trunks took in the sights of people on the streets below as a way to quell the butterflies. Lazuli noticed his nervousness and his attempts to hide it and she turned sideways to face him.
"Hey, don't fret," she said. "I'm an easy girl to please. It'll be fine. We'll have a good time tonight."
"I know," Trunks replied. "It's just…I've never done this before."
"Well, neither have I."
He looked surprised, but then he conceded; she never went on a date because she killed them instead. While the thought did make him a touch uncomfortable, it surprisingly put him at ease.
They were both new to this.
They soon arrived at their destination and as they were lead to their table, Lazuli was in awe of the place. It was definitely high-end and expensive; she hadn't expected that he would actually go this far for her, but it showed that he had put in the effort.
"Well, you've certainly picked a fine place," Lazuli commented as she perused the wine menu.
"It wasn't easy trying to find a place on short notice, but this one was my fifth attempt," Trunks said, also doing the same. He wasn't a drinker by any means, not fond of being impaired in any way, but he figured he could make an exception for tonight. "I'll say this: money talks."
He settled on a white wine, while Lazuli selected a red. "Indeed. So, any other plans for the evening or is it just dinner?"
He blushed. "Uh, to be perfectly honest, I hadn't thought that far ahead. My main focus was this, so I didn't think of anything else."
"Great, because I know this place we could go to afterwards. Have ourselves some fun," she said, raising an eyebrow suggestively. He swallowed hard. Kami, was she trying to kill him?
Their drinks arrived, along with a main course menu and Trunks took a gulp of his wine as he used his menu to ignore Lazuli's coy smile. She had no need to eat, but it was on his coin, so she picked one of the more expensive dishes that sounded nice. He was a simple man, so he chose a simple one, although he did order a side dish given his Saiyan appetite.
"So, uh, how are you?" Trunks awkwardly asked and immediately he felt silly for saying it. He knew what he wanted to say; he was just having trouble articulating it properly. She was really messing with his mind, making it hard for him to think.
Thankfully, she seemed to pick up on his intentions. "Fine, I guess," she replied. "I mean, it's one thing to lose your brother, but it's another when you lose him again. This whole coping thing…I'm not used to it. You'd think I would be after the first time, but I guess I'm not."
"We'd never get over it; we just…kinda…deal, I guess," Trunks said. "Time goes on and all that."
"Yes, I suppose. You know, it's too early for the heavy stuff. So, you have a new form now?"
He could agree there and so he readily replied. "Yes, yes I do. I guess you could call Super Saiyan 3 and it's…very different. The power in immense, but it strains me to maintain it. I'll have to find a way to circumvent it because it's quite strong and can be useful in a fight."
"You Saiyans and your numbering of transformations," Lazuli teased playfully. "Honestly, they don't strike fear into the hearts of the enemy. 'This is Super Saiyan 3. Tremble'."
"If you have better suggestions, I'm open to hearing them."
She pondered for a moment. "Well, you already have Super Saiyan and Ascended Super Saiyan. Your second form I would call Super Saiyan Rage, because it seems to build off rage, so it's adept and as for Super Saiyan 3…Ultimate Super Saiyan?"
Trunks made a face at that. "It sounds…tacky. I like Super Saiyan Rage though. It fits the transformation."
"See, I am more than just a pretty face," she smiled.
It was a genuine smile, a rarity to see on her face, but every time it appeared, it made Trunks' heart skip a beat and he couldn't help but smile back. Their food soon arrived and Trunks did his best to show his manners while out in public and not eat like a typical Saiyan, knowing that it would put Lazuli off. She didn't seem to notice, too focused on the sensations exploding on her tongue and she sighed in delight. The food was absolutely delicious and worth every zeni she was making him spend.
She would definitely not say no to come to this restaurant again.
The evening passed quite well as the two ate and made comfortable small talk. In fact, it had been going so well that once they were finished and it was time to leave, Trunks felt upset at the prospect of the night being over. Although he balked when he was presented with the bill, he hid it well as he paid, knowing that the evening had pleased Lazuli and he had enjoyed himself, so why not fork out?
"So, about that place I mentioned earlier," Lazuli said, clinging to his arm as they left the restaurant. "The night is still young. You wanna go?"
"Of course," Trunks replied. "Lead the way."
She smiled gleefully and took his hand, weaving him across the streets until they came to a nightclub.
"Uh, Laz, don't you think we're a touch overdressed for this place?" Trunks asked unsurely.
She took his jacket off and placed it in his arms, then undid a couple of buttons on his shirt.
"There, now you look perfect."
With the night still being young, the line-up didn't take long to clear and as soon as they were inside, Lazuli made a beeline for the bar, with Trunks trailing behind her. The loud noise and bright lights served to make him uncomfortable, but Lazuli appeared to be at ease, despite her well-known hatred of humans. And given the place was crowded and still filling up, he worried that she was going to get annoyed and start blasting people.
"What made you want to come here?" Trunks had to shout over the music, pressing against her as she ordered a drink. "You hate people."
"Yes, but the drinks are cheap and this is not a bad place. They actually play decent music here," Lazuli replied as she handed Trunks a drink. "Here. As a thank you for tonight."
He accepted the glass and took a sip. It was sweet, with a strong aftertaste that made him shudder. Given that he barely touched alcohol, it was no surprise. Lazuli simply chuckled at his reaction, downing the rest of her drink and requesting a second order. Trunks nursed his drink, simply feeling at unease with his surroundings. With a sigh, he downed his glass in one go, resisting the urge to retch as the alcohol burned his throat. Almost immediately, he could feel the tingles of relaxation in his body as it loosened up from the alcohol in his system and without thinking, he accepted a second glass from Lazuli. She smirked, already on her third, and she grabbed his hand, taking him out onto the dance floor.
"Laz," he groaned. "I can't dance."
She looped her arms around his neck, swaying her hips to the music with all the grace and beauty she'd been afforded with and again, it left him star-struck. "It's alright. I can show you."
She guided his free hand to her hip and he took a gulp of his drink to calm his nerves. She was so close to him, so close and he could feel the heat burning between them, heat that had nothing to do with the crowd hemming them from all sides. Lazuli looked into his eyes with an intense gaze, the pair slowly losing themselves to their environment. The music and people were mere background noise as Trunks swayed awkwardly at first, then slowly gained a rhythm with Lazuli guiding him. The heat continued to build between them, continued to overtake them, continued to push them together.
She inclined her head, parted her lips slightly and she was so damn inviting, it was intoxicating. Unable to help himself and probably fuelled by the alcohol in his body (he was such a damn lightweight), Trunks took the initiative, pressing his lips to hers. She responded in kind with passion, pressing herself closer against his body as much as she could; he pulled her just as tight and he kissed her with all the desire and need in the world, with her reacting hungrily.
Nothing else mattered, there was only her, there was only them; two souls mingling together, their only focus were each other as they lost themselves in the rapture.
A/N: I honestly have no idea how a date works, so I just winged it.