Videl was often underestimated. A lot of people who knew her as a housewife and part-time dojo manager often forgot that she'd started out a fighter on par with some of the best on the planet, had an incredibly strong ki control for a human, and had worked with the police force in some degree since she was a teenager. She was constantly overshadowed by her superpowered husband and children, but she was a force of nature herself. She had phenomenal, innate instincts when it came to body language and non-verbal communication, but through her work with the force, she'd received training which had allowed her to hone and perfect those instincts. She used to solve mysteries and fight crime; she knew when someone was hiding something, and she would be damned if she'd miss someone "sneaking around" when she saw it, especially when they were being incredibly sloppy at it.
While it was true that she was a little out of practice, that wasn't the case when it came to her children. Of course, it helped that they were both terrible liars and actors, but she might as well have had a sixth sense when it came to there being something "off" in their lives. It was always written all over their faces, regardless of how hard they tried to hide from her – and if she never approached them about it, it was only because she knew they wanted to privacy or to try and deal with it themselves.
So, she hadn't missed what was happening at dinner when she looked over and saw her daughter's eyes locked on the man in front of her, her cheeks pink and highlighted by a near constant smile. She didn't miss Pan repeatedly playing with her short hair, or how her eyes seemed to flitter to Trunks' arms and chest when she thought he wasn't looking, and she definitely didn't miss how Pan was almost always leaning forward, resting her arms on the table as she thoroughly engaged with everything he said.
Of course, she'd also witnessed Trunks growing from a boy to a man and knew him almost as well as she did her brother-in-law. In those many years, she'd seen him flirt plenty of times. For how much the media loved to play him out as a ladies' man, he was sort of terrible at it, actually. So, while she could've been convinced it was a subconscious effort on his part, it was difficult to mistake the intent of that particular look in his eye when he returned her daughter's stare, or the tone that laced his voice when he was speaking to her in poorly disguised code.
Videl had started to worry a little bit when she noticed it in Pan, knowing how many "wrong trees" she'd "barked up" in her recent past that had led her to some bad conclusions of terrible relationships, but her concern grew tenfold when she realized the feelings appeared to be mutual. When they were whispering together by the tree on the top of the hill, she could see him leaning in, daring to get closer than what felt appropriate considering what she thought their relationship was. Personal space didn't appear to be a problem, which, to Videl's perspective, was evidence that this wasn't just cheesy flirtation; something had already happened.
She thought back to her conversation with Pan in the kitchen of her house only a month or so before. That particular missing piece fit perfectly into this puzzle, immediately revealing the full picture of what was going on.
Videl could only feel relief that she'd provided the responses to Pan that she did that night; even without knowing the true issue, she'd tried to urge her to use caution and to think about the long-term effects of changing a friendship before leaping into something. It was becoming obvious that Pan had completely ignored her, but at least she didn't have to feel guilty about steering her wrong. She would have said the same thing if she would've known then what she knew now – just with a little more enthusiastic discouragement.
Part of her wished she hadn't figured it out as thoroughly as she had, but they'd both practically handed the mystery to her in a neatly-wrapped package. It was bad enough their attempt to sneak off had been awkward and painfully obvious, but coming back nearly together, both over relying on bad lighting to hide the red on their faces, and the smell of fresh bath soap plastered on both of them – these were all just additional nails in the coffin. All it served was to confirm it was actually worse than she'd originally feared. Luckily, Goten was nearly giddy with excitement about his engagement and therefore practically clueless about anything else, and Gohan was more concerned with making a good impression on his brother's new family than he was about noticing anything else "off" with the night. If either of them had been as observant as she'd been, she wasn't sure that they would all still be having a good, friendly time at Capsule Corp.
"Mom?" Pan asked, noticing her mother's face as she'd been debating on what to say and how to say it. Shit, shit, shit… she continued in her head, her heartrate speeding up in her chest with every second of silence.
"Please be careful," Videl said finally, putting away her motherly urge to yell at her about what a stupid idea this was in favor of recognizing her as an adult able to consent and make her own mistakes.
Pan suddenly found the ground beneath her feet incredibly interesting as she looked down at it, crossing her arms defensively even though she tried her best to sound normal in her reply. "What - what are you talking about?"
Videl would've laughed in any other circumstance. She should've been grateful that Gohan's good-hearted, honest-to-a-fault nature and complete inability to keep a secret was passed on to their daughter, but in this case, it was just wasting time. "Pan…" she said again in a lowered tone.
Her altered voice cut through Pan's defenses and she released a large sigh. "It'll be fine," she said uncomfortably.
"What's 'it?'" Videl asked, knowing she was potentially violating a line of privacy she'd previously respected in Pan's adult relationships. But goddammit, she deserved to know after putting it all together herself and watching unfold in front of her all night.
"We're not - sure yet."
Videl rolled her eyes. This was not getting better. "So - you're just messing around? With a close family friend you've known since you were a baby?"
No, Pan said to herself. "Maybe - we haven't figured it out."
Videl smiled wryly, seeing straight through her daughter's reply. "He's so much older…"
"I've been with worse," she quickly retorted.
"I know, and look how that turned out," Videl fired back. "But those relationships started with romantic intentions. This - this is so much different. He's close with the family, he's a friend, fresh out of a long-term relationship, he's in a completely different place in his life than where you are and it – it can be so hard when you're not on the same page."
"We have more in common than anyone I've ever been with before. You know that," she argued pointedly, stopping short of saying it in a raised voice. "When we're together, it doesn't feel like those differences are there - or at least - they're relatively unimportant compared to what's the same."
She wanted to go on, to explain the way their energies seem to align, the almost primal way they connect, so much so that the first time almost felt beyond their choice, as though their bodies just needed each other at that moment. But she stayed silent, thinking her mother wouldn't take her seriously, or at least that she would underestimate it. She recognized how foolish it might sound to someone who didn't understand.
"I can't pretend to know what that feels like for you - and there's no one here who can even relate to this situation," Videl started, surprising Pan with both her empathy and with the insight itself. She might not completely understand, but she seemed to know it was different, somehow. "But that doesn't negate the ability for you to get very hurt if this goes wrong… for a few people to get hurt."
"It's not going…" she started, trailing off, realizing that thought sounded naïve and myopic. The truth was, she didn't know – and given the way she felt, it would probably be more his decision than hers.
"Do you know why he's suddenly single after dating the same woman for so long?" Videl asked cautiously. "Goten told us the whole story."
Pan already knew she wasn't going to like the rest of her mother's explanation. "He told me a little, but – he hasn't gone into details," she said honestly. "He's told me he's over it though."
"He was going to marry her, but she got scared, and ran. She told him she had too much in her past that needed to be resolved before she could make a life with him."
"That happens sometimes," Pan said, not understanding where Videl was going with it.
"Pan – does that actually sound permanent to you?"
Pan shifted uncomfortably in place, kicking dirt around with her shoe. Videl had more arguments she wanted to give, more encouragement to end this quickly, but before she could get them out, she noticed the glassy sheen reflecting in Pan's eyes and stopped herself.
"He's very angry with her," Pan argued defensively, trying her best to pretend she didn't feel the same sour feeling in her stomach she felt every time Trunks' first love was brought up, "and even if she came back, I don't think it would be so easy for him to just start again."
It's too late, isn't it? Videl wondered. She wasn't sure how to read Trunks, but she could see the answer in her daughter's eyes. This was already irreparable.
"How long has this been going on?" she asked her daughter.
"Over a month," she answered.
Definitely too late. Videl sighed, unsure of what to do at this point, if anything. Pan was her own woman, and considering she was aware that her daughter had liked Trunks a little much as a child, and then even more as a teen, she was sure as hell those feelings were now likely too intense to reverse without help of a time machine. They were either going to make something of this, or she was going to get her heart broken, and all Videl could do was watch and wait.
"Momma," Pan said, breaking through their moment of silence. "Please don't tell Dad or Goten."
Videl sighed again, considering the request. "I'll leave Goten to Trunks if he thinks it's time to share, but your father…"
"He won't understand," Pan said. "Part of him still thinks of me as a child. He'll see Trunks and assume…" she trailed off, unwilling to say the very untrue thought that had come to mind. "He'll think it's Muda all over again."
"You underestimate your dad," Videl said. "No, I'd wager he won't handle it well at first, but you know he's smart and he'll be able to figure it out. I think he'll surprise you. But – I can keep it under wraps for now – with the hope that you'll consider being honest with everyone if this goes on for much longer."
Pan nodded gratefully.
"And Pan, you know where to find me if you need to talk about it." Videl offered.
"I know."
"I'm sorry for sticking my nose in your business," Videl started, "but do yourself a favor…"
"What's that?"
"If you're trying to keep this quiet for a while, stop broadcasting it."
Pan opened her mouth in protest. "I wasn't…!"
"You were," she said, starting to walk back up toward the group so Gohan wouldn't question an extra-long absence. "I may be the family detective, but don't forget how brilliant your father is. And Goten - well, even a broken clock is right twice a day. I wouldn't underestimate him either. In any case, you're a terrible liar and a worse actor. It wouldn't take anyone very long to figure it out if they were looking."
Pan frowned deeply and nodded, noting that advice carefully. Videl parted from her to go back to where her husband and son were still eating, noticing Goku was yawning while he was chewing. They needed to leave or he was going to fall asleep in his leftovers. Pan was not in the mood to leave with her mother after their awkward exchange, so she chose to leave on her own time and go back to her apartment later. Maybe speaking to Trunks wouldn't be the worst idea, to let him know someone was in on it, and see what he wanted to do with the information.
Trunks and Goten were standing by the bar with Bulma. Goten was thanking them both profusely for footing the cost of the evening. Bulma had a huge grin on her face and was obviously eating it up as Goten went on and on about how everyone had been having a great time and loved the food and the venue. Bulma enjoyed throwing these kinds of events anyway, but Pan knew it was more than that. Goten had his father's face, and now that he was older, he had taken on an even closer appearance to how "Son" had looked for the majority of his adult life. Bulma would probably do anything for his younger carbon copy if he asked her to. It was likely Goten was a little aware of that fact, but he never took advantage of his relationship with the Briefs and wasn't about to start.
"...so it'll probably be a long engagement. Lots of saving up," Goten was in the process of saying to Bulma when Pan came up behind them and joined their circle. "Her family is offering to chip in though. I think they realize they'll be the majority of the guests anyway."
"That's not a bad idea, regardless of cost," Trunks replied, "gives you time to make sure you have everything you both want. Short engagements are pointless when there's no reason behind it."
"Look at you, Mr. Responsible," Bulma said with a laugh, putting her hand on Goten's arm and giving it an affectionate squeeze. "How does it feel to know you're joining such a huge family? Have they noticed anything a little different yet? Oh - or her?"
Goten looked around for a split second before answering, "I told her everything a while ago. She's fine. I figured if Pan and Goku were born with tails, our kids will have them too, so I might as well get that out early, just in case. Her parents - they just think I have a really great appetite," he said with a chuckle. "But the size of the whole clan is a little overwhelming. I don't even know who all I'm going to be related to, but I do know that the moment they meet me, I'm their best friend. They're all great."
"I imagine holidays and birthdays are a little different than when you were growing up in a quiet cabin in the middle of the mountains," Bulma said.
"Very," he answered. "Speaking of which, I met her second cousin, twice removed - or - something. Anyway, she's single." Trunks was already shaking his head, ignoring Goten's prodding nudge.
"Haven't you heard? He's taken," Bulma said with a laugh as she winked at Trunks.
Trunks had known for a while that his mother was quite drunk, and was just praying to whatever god would listen that she wouldn't take it further than that. He was acutely aware that Pan was standing right next to him, and was doing his best to avoid looking at her again as he tried to hide the nervousness on his face.
"Oh right, mystery girl," Goten said.
Goten was not drunk, and so he shot him a silent glare, hoping he would catch the warning to stop. Unfortunately, he missed it entirely.
Bulma paused, "he hasn't told you anything about her either?" she said in surprise. She tapped her forefinger on her chin. "Intriguing. Now I'm really curious. Pan? Any clue?"
She's literally killing me right now, Trunks thought, searching desperately for a quick way to change the subject.
"Nope," Pan simply answered, choosing to keep her reply simple and light since her mother had just told her that she was apparently incapable of telling a decent lie.
"Anyway," Goten blessedly broke in. "If you decide otherwise, let me know. She's interested. And hey - if you got married, we'd be cousins!"
Out of the corner of his eye, he could see a deep frown on Pan's face. "What makes you think he'd want to be related to you?" she said, her sarcastic levity a pleasant and relieving surprise.
"She's got a point," he said with a short laugh.
Goten feigned being offended and punched him playfully in the arm. It was still enough to hurt, and although Trunks was laughing at it, he was also rubbing the sore spot it left behind.
"Pan?" Goten started, "she's got a kid brother."
"We're already related," she said. "Don't make it weird, Uncle."
Bulma laughed far more loudly than what was reasonable and said something barely understandable about saying goodbye to the guests under slurred speech. Sure enough, Gohan and Videl's motions to leave seemed to "break the seal," so to speak, subconsciously suggesting to the rest of the party it might be time to go as well. Group by group left slowly, each saying their farewells and thanks to the hosts. Goten left with his fiancé's immediate family to make sure they arrived safely at home since the majority were also quite inebriated.
Once everyone was gone, Bulma went to bed, leaving Trunks and Pan pretty much alone except for some of the caterers, who now looked much happier to have been kept so late than they had just a little while earlier.
Trunks must've pulled out a pile of cash, Pan surmised.
Despite having the crew working on cleaning the space, Trunks pulled out a big plastic bag, rolled up his sleeves and started throwing away some of the garbage left behind. Pan followed, having nothing better to procrastinate with. She hoped she wasn't coming across as clingy by hanging around as long as she was, but there were a lot of things she wanted to talk about. She was finding it extremely difficult to break into the subject though, and the later it got, the less she felt as though this was the appropriate time. Plus, telling him about Videl's detective work wasn't something she was jumping to share; it was exactly the type of issue that could make him want to cut their losses and end this.
"I'm sorry about my mom," he said, breaking their silence himself.
Pan smiled softly and shrugged. "I was a little surprised you bothered to tell her and Uncle that you were seeing someone. Doesn't that make it complicated?"
"Well, Goten just seemed to guess," he said, "and my mom - has the uncanny ability to know when I'm active – in that way."
Pan paused her actions, mildly disturbed by what he'd just said. "Oh…" was the only response that she could really give, but her face was wrinkled in telling distaste. It was embarrassing enough that her mother had seen them sneak off together; that wasn't a topic she could imagine speaking regularly and openly about with a parent.
"Yeah, imagine how I feel," he said with a wry chuckle, "So - I had to come up with something."
She nodded in understanding, wondering what else he'd said, and how much of it was true versus what was a lie to keep Bulma off the trail. For instance, was she imagining Trunks with a tall, leggy blonde? Or a short, slightly punky martial artist with darker features?
"And…" he continued, "she gets extremely suspicious whenever she notices me actually being productive at work, which I usually am when I'm…" he trailed off as though he was nervous about saying the next word, or wanted to make sure it was really the right word for the moment. "...when I'm happy."
A wave of warmth traveled from her toes to the top of her head, forcing her lips to curve upward before she could hide her reaction from him. "Are you?" she asked.
He put his bag down and sat down in a chair. He sighed and rubbed the top of his legs, calculating an answer. It wasn't a question that required a long response, but she understood why he was being careful. "Yeah," he simply said.
Pan felt her face burning, and was grateful for the relative darkness in the area so that he couldn't see how pleasantly overwhelmed she was by such a simple admission. She cleared her throat, willing the tightness that had appeared away. "Me too."
He smiled in response. "On that note…" he started, pulling her hand so she would step slightly closer to him and he could drop his voice. "I might not always have the energy for you," he said with a chuckle, realizing that was probably the first time he'd said that to a woman in his life, "but I want you to feel welcome at my apartment whenever you want to be there. Even if that means you just come over to sleep, or watch Yojimbo at 2am or something… I like how the place feels when you're around."
"I wouldn't be crowding you?"
"I'll let you know," he said with a light laugh, "but I've been smothered before and – this doesn't feel like it."
"You could always come over to mine, too," she said. He opened his mouth to argue, but she finished it for him. "I know - too close."
His apartment so near Capsule Corp presented a number of excuses for them to use. If someone sensed her in the area, she could say she was in a guest room. If they could tell her ki was raised, she could say she was training in the gravity room, or any of the other spaces they'd use from time-to-time. If they were careless, her apartment was potentially within sensing distance to a certain couple's house, and there was no reason for him to be there other than what was the truth.
He nodded in agreement to what she had said, his smile falling slightly as he tensed up again. "I'm sorry – that I'm still not ready to broadcast it."
Oops, she thought, finding ironic amusement with his choice of words. She'd been trying to decide if she should say anything about Videl since the moment her mother had pulled her aside. This definitely sealed the decision on her behalf, and she was glad she'd procrastinated with broaching the issue earlier.
"I just want to make sure you know I'm not embarrassed, or – not taking this seriously," he said. She started to speak in order to dismiss his concerns, but he continued and she decided to hear what more he had to say instead. "You're extremely important to me; your entire family is. I know there's got to be a way to balance it all, but I haven't thought of it yet – and I'm still scared that if we move in just the wrong way, or at the wrong time, it's going to fuck up something and in a very big way."
He spoke with caution and authenticity, and no matter what her own concerns were, she couldn't just dismiss what he'd said, even she wanted to. He was right. She discarded everything she had been about to say moments ago. "I'm not in a rush," she simply answered.
"So, you're okay – if we end up sneaking around for a little while longer?"
"Yeah," she answered, feeling as though her easy-going tone was a bit of a fib to herself at the moment. "I just really want to keep what we have." The second part of her answer was much more truthful.
"I want that too."
The conversation she'd had with Videl faded into the background of her memory as he gazed up at her, blue eyes glowing in the street lamps that lined the walkway around the arboretum. She wished she could take what she was feeling when he looked at her like that and lock it in a bottle, so she could remember what it felt like whenever she wanted.
The offer Trunks had made after the party at Capsule wasn't an empty gesture, and Pan made sure to take it to heart. In the following weeks, she was at his apartment so consistently, she'd barely seen her own. While his place was normally overly-large and strangely empty, it suddenly developed real signs of life. There were more blankets and pillows on the couch for movie nights, more food in the refrigerator since they usually ate in, and little bits of clutter that showed as evidence she was starting to feel at home. Although having mess around his apartment normally bothered him, he found it made the space feel a little cozier. It was starting to feel more like a Son house.
She hadn't technically moved in; she still had her own place and even though she wasn't there often, there were occasional nights when she worked late, or didn't want to fly all the way there. Still, the space was beginning to pick up her scent, especially her side of the bed, and he couldn't help but smile every time he came home to find her smudging up his coffee table, or littering his bedroom floor with dirty socks. There was no greater feeling in the world to him than having someone waiting at home, and it served only to confirm that giving her free access to come and go on her whim was the best decision he'd made in their relationship so far.
For as often as they were physically together, they were still taking any emotional part slowly. There was a mutual understanding and affection between them, but neither had given it a title yet. Videl's warnings were still in the back of Pan's mind, but every time he touched her, they felt further and further away from the truth. Their frequency had only cooled due to the inconvenience of their schedules, but he didn't seem any less excited about exploring every inch of her skin, and without a doubt in her mind, she felt the same way about him. Still, board reports, interviews, belt ceremonies, and tournaments all took their toll and there were nights that would consist merely of falling asleep to a movie. As long as they were together, Pan was still content. Those moments had their sweetness to them too.
The end of summer was quickly approaching and autumn was right around the corner. Unfortunately, that meant Pan was suddenly having a difficult time making it over as much as she wanted. To start, several her cohorts were "graduating" up to the next level. This meant testing, and awards ceremonies - with little certificates with their names on it for the younger kids and trophies and new specially-branded gis for the upper classes. It also meant that she had to prepare for an entirely new class, usually consisting of adorable little ones who didn't know a Ready Stance from a Sumo Stance. It was a very busy time of year.
To make matters worse, the weather had turned earlier than normal, producing chilly, rainy mornings. Although her ki could keep her warm to a point, it still wasn't entirely pleasant to fly in, and since she'd never learned how to drive, that wasn't an option either. Metro West and Satan City weren't too far apart for an extra speedy Super Saiyan, but it was far enough to make the commute more of a headache than she wanted to deal with on most mornings, especially when she needed to accommodate a supply run beforehand.
As a result, in the past week, she'd only been over for two nights, and that had been four days ago. She was surprised with how long that felt, but after just over two months of constant, nearly unbroken waves of release, it felt like forever. Plus, he had her body spoiled for attention, and she was finding herself antsy and restless in the absence of his presence. She promised she was going to practically jump him the next chance she had.
Her thoughts were focused where it shouldn't have been for most of the day; she was finding it difficult to give her students the attention they needed. As the day waned on, it was more of a problem, especially as the students tended to get younger in the afternoon. Her four o'clock class finally started and she nearly sighed in relief that it was her last one – until she realized that she was doomed to go home alone again due to the pile of work she had waiting for her.
At least these kids were cute though. They did their warm up stretches and katas the best they could, and she walked in between their spots on the mat gently correcting their forms and offering gentle critiques. This was her favorite class to teach because the kids all legitimately wanted to do well and none of them were there to be little stars.
She turned on her heel to make another round of inspections when something caught the corner of her eye. When she looked up, she saw some of her favorite blue eyes staring back at her from just beyond the doorway to the class.
"Okay guys – keep this up for just a minute. I'll be right back," she instructed.
It was unprofessional to leave a class that young unattended, but she nearly ran out the door when she saw him, jumping into his arms for a kiss and ignoring his surprised yelp as he did his best to catch her. After a moment, she released him, briefly looking around to make sure no one had seen her slip out of the middle of her class.
"What are you doing here?" she asked, beaming in joy of his surprise visit.
"I – decided to cut my day short and thought I'd come see you," Trunks explained. "And I know you're still teaching, but I thought maybe I can hang around, take you out for dinner afterward."
"Take me 'out' for dinner?" she asked with surprise.
"Sure, why not?"
Because they hadn't been "out" to dinner since they started seeing each other. She knew he hated when the paparazzi poked around in his personal business, something they often did when word spread that he was single. Since eating at his place left them more time for other things, she hadn't really asked about it, as she honestly didn't mind and assumed the reason was related to having a little privacy. Wanting to go out was – a different, but potentially welcomed change.
"Okay," she said happily. "But I just started this class, so it'll be a little while."
He smiled, absentmindedly running his hands along the dark green gi she was wearing. Her lips matched his as he realized where his head was going. "We should spar again," he started in a whisper, leaving her with absolutely no question that his suggestion had nothing to do with training and everything to do with what had happened last time they'd exercised together.
Four days has been a long time for him too, she thought. Before she could even joke about that, he leaned down, kissing her again as she fell back against a nearby wall.
"OoooOOOOooooo!" a multitude of little voices sounded from beside them.
They both froze, opening their eyes to see at least half her class watching them from the doorway of the classroom. "Crap – I'm going to hear from some parents about this," she said, slipping from his arms and ushering the children back in the room.
Red covered his face, and he cleared his throat. "Right. I'll just wait out here." He put his hands in his pockets, and began to wander. After just a moment though, she emerged from the room again, waiving him in. "What?"
"Come in – it'll be fun," she insisted.
"I don't – think it's a good idea for them to see any more of me with you," he said.
She chuckled. "They're five-to-seven-year-olds. Believe it or not, kids don't really follow global business trends. They have no idea who you are."
He eyed her incredulously, but followed her suggestion, stepping on to the soft mat. Several of the nosier kids giggled, and as stupid as he felt for it, the blush returned to his cheeks.
"Everyone, this is Trunks…" she started, interrupted by the laughter of the classroom. She looked at him apologetically. She hadn't seen that coming.
He waived in the air dismissively. "I'm pretty used to it actually."
"Trunks is going to join us for class today."
"I am?" he asked, looking at her nervously.
She nodded and smiled widely. "We're focusing on learning blocks today. You remember those, right?"
He scratched the back of his head. Not really, actually. He'd grown up learning from Vegeta and when he was older, even Goku, but their styles were not the formal traditions taught to kids in classrooms. Goku and Vegeta had both started with formal training in one form or another, but the Saiyan elders had both taken ki-fighting concepts and adapted them for their extreme power, speed, and strength, sharing the knowledge with the now two generations that existed under them. These days, it was all generational knowledge.
Trunks had received some formal training from a tutor as a young child, but it had been a brief introduction when his mother had made the temporary and poor decision to try and let him learn in a normal setting. It hadn't gone well, and ended quickly. Goten actually knew more about formal martial arts from his time training with Chichi, but she used a much different style than what Pan was going over now. Obviously, he could fight well, but he was more lost than the kids were when it came to the technical terms for certain actions. Pan was probably the most formally trained of any of the Saiyan descendants thanks to her human grandfather's legacy.
One of the children suddenly stuck their hand up. Pan had learned early in her career not to ignore potential bathroom break requests for anyone under ten, so she usually allowed her kids to raise hands in the middle of instruction. "Yes, Heiko?"
"Why is he named that?"
"Heiko, that's not something we need to talk about," she scolded.
Trunks put his hand up, letting her know it was okay. "Because my mom – has a very bad sense of humor and she thought it was funny."
Some of the children giggled again. He was surprised at the self-satisfaction that made him feel.
Another girl raised her hand, "Ura…" Pan warned, "it better be a nice question."
"I – I like your hair," she said shyly.
Trunks noted the girl's green locks, and smiled back genuinely. "I like yours too," he said.
Pan couldn't hide the grin on her lips, wishing that whatever she just felt quivering in her lower abdomen would go away. She wanted kids someday, but it wasn't even a visible goal in the far-off distance. She had a lot of time, probably even more than normal given the slow rate of aging gifted by her ancestry. For now, these kids were more than enough for her.
"Alright guys," she said. "Let's start running through the blocks we learned last week." She pointed at an empty spot on the mat nearby, signaling Trunks should go take his place.
When he got on to his area, he looked over at the kid next to him, mimicking the position of his feet and arms. Cheating off a six-year-old. Classy. He told himself.
The more the class went on, the more obvious it was that Trunks didn't really know what he was doing. He stumbled along, following when he could. He was, surprisingly, learning a few things, and recognized a couple of basic elements of the curriculum in the strategies that Pan used to fight. He may have been thoroughly distracted the last time they sparred, but he'd been focused enough to notice her flipping through a number of styles and techniques. He had previously credited her transformation for how well she'd done that day. Now it'd become clear to him that he had discounted the amount of impact study and intelligence had on her ability to kick his ass and slip past his own attacks. Pan had a lot of her grandfathers in her, but that was purely Gohan's influence shining through. She was a scholar in her own way.
It didn't take long for him to stop taking himself so seriously. The kids seemed to be entertained by watching a grown man slaughter beginner martial art moves while wearing dress slacks, and he was actually having fun playing it up a little.
Pan instructed the class to practice a particular short move leading into a block and repeat it so she could correct their postures and forms. She walked slowly around the room, lifting elbows and pulling their feet to widen their stance.
"Good job, Heiko," she praised the kid standing next to him. At least he'd picked the right one to cheat off.
When she got to Trunks, she stifled a chuckle, and began changing everything about the way he was standing from his feet, to the line between his shoulders and arms. The more she corrected, the more the students quietly giggled, and the smile on his face indicated he was just as entertained as they were. She lined up next to him, pressing a little further into him than she needed to as she lifted his arm and bent his wrist further up.
"You're doing this on purpose," she whispered with a smirk as she continued to move his limbs in subtle ways.
"A little," he admitted. "I like getting extra attention from the teacher."
Pan finished correcting his pose and then started walking back up towards the front of the class. While her back was turned, Heiko, who had been earning the teacher's approval all class, pointed exaggeratedly and laughed at Trunks' face. Trunks cleared his throat, and dropped faster than the eye could see, sweeping the boy's legs out from under him.
The boy hadn't even known what happened. He blinked in confusion, suddenly finding himself flat on his back on the mat, staring up at the ceiling. He looked over at Trunks, who was pointing back at him like he had just been doing, and began laughing loudly. Trunks couldn't help but laugh as well. This kid was a complete showoff, a bit of a brat, and reminded him a lot of himself when he was that age. He liked him.
Pan turned around immediately to see the aftermath. Heiko was laughing his little ass off on the floor, and Trunks was pretending to be interested in something on the opposite side of the room, acting a little too innocent for it to mean anything other than his guilt.
"Boys," she said, hiding her smile poorly behind her hand as she pretended to scratch her nose. "No fighting outside of the sparring floor."
Heiko immediately jumped up and bowed deeply towards Pan, muttering a quiet apology. Trunks once again copied and echoed him. She rolled her eyes and shook her head, trying desperately to not let the kids know how endearing she was finding him at that moment.
The class ended with a few moments of mindful sitting, and then the students were released. She thought it might help calm the kids down, but while it relaxed him, the way the kids jumped up and began running around made him doubt its effectiveness. They were like little ants, bolting around gathering their towels and gym bags, but before they left, some of them lined up to congratulate him on his first class and occasionally throw him "high fives". He honestly didn't know what to do with himself, so he just smiled and carefully gave them back.
When the final student left, her eyes met his. She was biting her lip and making an expression halfway between a smile and a cringe. "I really thought you had more formal training," she said, "I shouldn't have thrown you into that."
He laughed and ran a hand through his hair, surprised to find he had actually broken a little sweat. "I had a lot of fun," he said. "You know, you took what could've been a simple inheritance check and turned it into a career. You're great at it."
She rocked back and forth on her toes, a bright light of pride in her job unmistakably spreading across her features. "I really do love it – and the young ones are always my favorite classes," she said, feeling a little ashamed at her earlier lack of patience with the day since it had ended so well. "And they loved you."
"I didn't really think I was that good with kids, but it looked like they were having fun too."
"Are you kidding? They had a blast," she argued, pulling out the broom to start sweeping around the class. "Especially Heiko. He's never been swept flat."
Trunks chuckled and crossed his arms, thinking further about the topic at hand. "I guess I did alright with you and Bra," he said.
His tone was lighthearted and relaxed, but Pan felt her shoulders tighten as she fought herself on a reply. She didn't want to draw focus to their ages, or remind him of how young she'd been when he was coming into his own as an adult. It obviously didn't bother her, but her mother had highlighted the issue, and she knew that was an item of hesitation for him, although he'd only ever mentioned it once.
"Bra had you wrapped around her little finger – you and Vegeta. You might think you were good with her, but I think it was more like she was good with you," she said, pausing her sweeping for a moment as she thought about it. "And - you didn't really know what to do with me. It didn't help that I was trying to keep up with you and Goten before I could even walk. You probably just wanted to hang out with him, talk about girls, beat the shit out of each other, or whatever you guys liked to do to pass time, and here I was biting at your ankles just to get attention."
He tilted his head, searching his memory of those days. "I seem to remember involving you a lot," he said doubtfully.
"Looking back as an adult, sure," she said with a chuckle. "But as a kid… I was constantly trying to get in on the action with you and Goten. Remember, Goten was the one who was supposed to go to space. I stole his seat just to be in on the adventure."
He cleared his throat, sitting against the nearby table as he put his hands in his pockets. The smile that had been on his face faltered ever so slightly as his eyes focused on the mat in front of him.
"What?" she asked, concerned about his sudden change in demeanor.
He didn't answer at first, confirming her fears.
"I knew talking about the past wasn't a good idea…"
"No, that's not…" he started, trailing off as he searched for words. "It's hard for me to remember how long ago that actually was. Sometimes it's – temporarily – strange to think of you as the same person. It's – I don't know, difficult to reconcile."
"I don't understand." She put the broom down and sat down next to him on the desk, crossing her arms. "Why were you perfectly fine talking about when I was even younger then?"
"Because when you were little, I was a still mostly a kid then too and it's easier to accept that we both had growing up to do back then. During the trip I was in the same job – was thinking about what was possibly next in life – exactly where I am now. And then all of a sudden, we're here today – and I feel like I haven't grown or changed at all and - you've transformed into this," he said, gesturing at her. "I wouldn't say it felt like it was 'overnight', but time really slipped by for me."
Her face darkened with a frown and he could see her thinking of potential ways to solve a dilemma they both knew he could only fix himself. "I didn't realize this was still a problem…"
He shook his head empathically. "No, Pan…" he started with a sigh, continuing cautiously. "How many times have we been together in the last two months?"
She smiled slightly, searching her brain for a moment. "Depends on the definition," she said, a subtly coy tone to her voice that made it sound to his ears as though she was starting to get the point. "But I couldn't tell you."
"And that's my point," he said with a chuckle. "If it was an insurmountable 'problem', the gravity room probably wouldn't have happened. Definitely not the ledge on the hill near the archipelago, or my apartment, or my old bedroom, or that one time in my office…"
She laughed, feeling a little better. "That only counted for one of us."
"You've really confused me. You still do. If anyone had told me two months ago…" he fell silent, finishing the sentence with another short chortle and hoping she understood its meaning. "Sometimes that dissonance still hits me – and all I can do is keep processing through it."
"So…" she started hesitantly. "When this feeling hits, how do you manage to separate past me from present me?"
"I don't," he explained. "I remind myself that some of the things I like about you the most are the things that make you Son Pan."
She twisted her lips, disappointed with herself for needing to hear the answer to her next question as badly as she did. "Like what?"
He looked away, cursing himself for the red on his cheeks caused by making this admission considering the multitudes of ways they'd been intimate lately. "Your fight, your ability to sling shit, especially at your uncle – the fact that you had the determination to keep chasing your goals, even in the face of a disadvantage," he explained, pausing before adding, "and the way you unabashedly remind me that I'm more than just my name and my job. All of the qualities that are in the woman in front of me were in that 15-year-old girl. Some of them just took me a little longer to see."
He hadn't intended to reveal all of that at that moment, but it had been ruminating for weeks. Maybe it would be a while before he'd be brave enough to name the feelings that were growing for her inside his chest, and maybe it would be a while before he could bring himself to tell Goten who exactly his "mystery girl" was, but he was ready for this. She deserved honesty, to know that he cared for her, and to know what he was still working through. In fact, he was realizing he should've told her this a while ago.
She met his stare, putting her hand to his cheek as the spark returned to her eyes.
"I'm still making progress," he admitted.
"I can live with that," she said, leaning up to meet his lips.
"Ahem…!" a random voice sounded loudly and purposefully from the door of the classroom.
Pan nearly jumped out of her skin and was only slightly relieved to see the face of her old friend standing in the doorway, having obviously witnessed what had just happened.
"Shit," Pan said quietly.
"Nice to see you too," Taani said sarcastically.
'Oh!" Pan suddenly exclaimed. "I can't go out tonight!"
Taani nodded and crossed her arms, tapping her foot in impatience. "You called me last night begging for help with your awards and lesson plans so you can finish them by tomorrow – and here I find you wasting time, making out with a guy you haven't even bothered to tell me about yet?"
Pan sighed. "Taani, you remember Trunks…."
"Of course, I remember Tech Times' most eligible bachelor five years running. Do I look like I'm blind?"
"Taani…" Pan said in a scolding tone.
Trunks rubbed the back of his head and chuckled nervously. "I wasn't even single for most of those…" he added under his breath.
"Not looking for year six, I see."
"Taani…" Pan repeated louder. She looked at Trunks apologetically. "I'm really sorry – I completely forgot…"
"It's okay," he said. "I'll take a raincheck."
Pan smiled and nodded. Since the damage had already been done, Trunks kissed her on the cheek before walking out the door. Pan put her hand to where his mouth had touched it, feeling much better after their full conversation – until she saw the look on her friend's face.
"You owe me. Tell me everything," she demanded.