So... I was planning to wait until I completed this new story before publishing it, since it shouldn't be a long one, and I tried to hold off posting it... but I couldn't resist in the end. Oh well. xD

So here it is! Chapter 1 of my brand-new fanfic, Please Friendzone Me! Hope you enjoy, and don't forget to review, please!

Please Friendzone Me!

Chapter 1

Peanut Puffs and Afternoon Sweets

How did it come to this? How could this be happening? She was supposed to have things under control. She had a plan, which she had been following to the letter, and everything had been going without a hitch. She managed to get the closure she needed, and she had even started to move on. Everything had been going well.

Until it didn't.

It was all Erasa's fault. Why did she have to go and ruin everything? Videl had already made up her mind and she was perfectly fine with her decision, and if Erasa disagreed, well, tough! It was her life, and that meddling blonde had no say in it!

They were sitting on the floor, propped up against the wall between a net filled with basketballs and a baseball bats rack. Gohan was leaning closer. Videl swallowed thickly as he lifted her chin, his serious, onyx eyes boring into hers.

"Yes, Videl, I like you that much," he murmured. "I like you more than I can comprehend. I like you so much I don't know what to do with myself."

She sat frozen, her eyes wide, her face ablaze, her heart going wild in her chest. She felt weak, defenseless – completely at this boy's mercy. Her will was nowhere to be seen. Her reason had jumped out of the window, leaving her to deal with Gohan's dangerous magnetism all on her own.

She was doomed.

The gap between them was closing. Her heart pounded even harder, her pulse making a ruckus inside her head. She couldn't form one coherent thought, couldn't comprehend what was happening. In the back of her mind, Videl knew she had to stop this, that she couldn't let it happen. But the warning was so faint, so weak; it went as unnoticed as a lone whisper in the midst of a deafening uproar.

"Is it okay now?" Gohan whispered, his voice hoarse, breathless. His lips were mere millimeters away from hers. "Can I kiss you?"

She didn't even hesitate. "Yes…"

Videl could've kicked herself. What the hell was she even saying?

Gohan cupped her cheek; his touch was soft and warm, and it left a pleasant tingle on her skin. His heavy breaths brushed the lower part of her face, mingling with her own. Videl felt a shiver course through her spine. He put his other hand on her lower back and gently pulled her closer. Her hands ended up against his chest, trembling slightly as they fisted the fabric of his shirt. The anticipation was killing her.

And then he pressed his lips on hers, and Videl just… melted. Her skin burned, her heart felt like it was about to burst, her mind had gone completely blank. It just felt so good, so intoxicating, so exhilarating – and yet it wasn't enough. She needed more. She needed him. Desperately.

Videl opened her mouth and allowed Gohan to deepen the kiss, eagerly meeting his tongue with hers. Her arms moved around his neck, pulling him closer, kissing him harder. He held her firmly, strong arms wrapping around her waist, pressing her body all against his.

She must have lost her mind. What the hell was she doing? How could she let this happen? That wasn't the plan. She was supposed to get over her stupid crush, and Gohan wasn't supposed to like her back, damn it!

She was going to murder Erasa once they busted out of this damned storage room.

He got to her with a number of little things, little attentions here and there. Gohan probably didn't mean anything by any of it; it was simply in his nature to be that way.

His good looks and boyish charm certainly didn't help either. He was tall, and despite the loose clothes he usually sported, his thick neck, broad shoulders and slim waist hinted at a V-shaped torso. His jet-black hair seemed to spike up naturally save from a lone, thick bang that curled over his forehead.

But the most striking thing about Gohan were his eyes. They were pitch-black, not dark brown as she had originally thought, and it was so easy to get pulled in by their gentle gleam and drown in them.

Gohan got in her class a few days after the beginning of the new school year. The teacher introduced him, proudly claiming that he got perfect scores on his entrance exams.

The boy ended up two seats away from her. Erasa had invited him to sit next to her, and then as soon as he sat down, the bubbly blonde shamelessly started hitting on him. And yet, her very obvious advances somehow flew right over his head.

It made Videl pause to stare at the one-sided flirting. Surely, nobody could be that dense. Was it because he grew up in some small village in the mountain area? Gohan even said he'd been homeschooled his whole life, so he likely didn't have much experience in interacting with kids his age, and especially not girls.

Still, that boy's cluelessness was next-level. Could it be an act? Was it his way of showing he wasn't interested? Or did he struggle that much to pick up on social cues?

Videl hadn't thought much of him then. He seemed decent enough, but the girl preferred to keep her walls up. As Mr. Satan's daughter, Videl had been burned one too many times. Everyone always tried to get close to her just so they could meet the world savior, and while Videl couldn't care less about being their go-between, she no longer fooled herself into thinking that making a real connection with anyone she met was still a possibility.

She didn't need a new friend anyway. Erasa and Sharpner were enough. The three had been close since childhood, and Videl at least knew their friendship was genuine.

It was two days later that the first spark ignited within her. It was such a silly reason to get all worked up, too.

After a particularly strenuous PE class, Videl had been on her way to the locker room with the other girls. She didn't think much of it when she commented that she was getting hungry from the workout. She didn't even know Gohan had heard her.

He was waiting for her outside of the girl's locker room and walked up to her with a gentle smile on his lips.

"Here," he said, handing her a bag of peanut puffs. "I got this for you."

And then he simply turned and walked away, not even waiting for her to thank him. Videl was speechless. How did Gohan even know that these were her favorite snacks? And why would he go out of his way to buy her some just because she mentioned in passing that she was hungry?

Her face felt hot and her heart was pounding. And that was only the beginning.

The very next day, Videl was struck again, and that time, it hit her so much harder.

It happened after school. Erasa had welcomed Gohan with open arms into their group of friends, although she did tone down her flirting significantly – Gohan just wasn't getting it, and maybe Erasa was losing interest from his lack of response. They were hanging out in a pastry shop, with Sharpner and a couple of other friends from their class. Between the sweet delicacies and the usual chatter, it felt like any other late afternoon – up until the moment they all got ready to part ways.

As Gohan arranged the strap of his satchel on his shoulder, he paused and tilted his head to the side. Unlike the others around them, Videl remained in her seat. She had her chin propped up in her palm and her legs crossed under the table, letting her calf rock back and forth in a leisurely manner. Noticing that Gohan was just standing there while everyone else already left, she raised her head and met his inquisitive stare with a raised eyebrow.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Aren't you going too?"

Videl shrugged. "I'm not in a rush, no. My dad's not home anyway."

He didn't respond, his brow furrowing as he considered her. Videl smiled, but it came out drier than she intended.

"It's fine, really," she assured nonetheless. "I'm used to it."

But instead of accepting her claim at face value and getting on his way as any other person would have, Gohan took his satchel off his shoulder, put it down, and pulled up a chair to sit across from her.

"Well, I'm not in any rush either. Do you mind if I hang back with you?"

Videl turned her head away and felt her cheeks heat up, raising her hand to cover a part of her face. Grazing the back of her fingers, her lips twitched for a smile.

"No, not at all…"

Somehow, Gohan didn't make her feel like he pitied her. Rather, he simply understood. He knew how she felt, and he just couldn't bring himself to leave her to her thoughts. It was genuine compassion, the kind that leaves a warm glow in your chest when you receive it.

"I kinda feel like having another slice of lemon pie…" He signed to a waitress in a cute maid uniform. She came over and Gohan ordered a bunch of different kinds of pastries.

Videl quirked an eyebrow at him. "That's some sweet tooth you've got there. Didn't you have enough just now?"

He grinned and scratched the back of his head. "What can I say? I can't resist the call of delicious sweets."

Her shoulders shook as she laughed at his joke. "You're such a glutton. How are you not getting fat from everything you eat? Do you work out a lot to burn it off or is your metabolism that fast?"

And it wasn't just the snacks. At school, Gohan would always attract curious eyes during the lunch hour because of the amount of food he would bring from home. Watching him eat was quite a sight, with the way he would empty plate after plate and yet somehow not forget his table manners.

He raised his eyebrows. "What makes you think I work out?"

Videl smirked. "Well, you know, I have eyes. You're obviously in very good shape, and you're good at sports too."

Exceptional, really. Gohan breezed through any physical activity with ease, making anything he accomplished seem absolutely effortless. Videl had yet to see the boy get even the slightest bit out of breath, for that matter.

"Oh. Right."

She cracked an amused smile. "What, was it supposed to be a secret?"

He gave an awkward laugh, scratching his hair. "No, I guess not. I was just trying not to flaunt it."

Her features softened as she watched him. There was something so… innocent about that boy. And kind of adorable too.

"You know, I think it's the first time that it's just the two of us," Gohan pointed out, his easy smile ever-so-present on his handsome face.

"Well, we've only known each other for a few days."

He chuckled. "Fair enough. Still, I always felt you were more guarded with me than the others."

Videl lowered her head and pinched her lips together, scratching a tiny bump on the edge of the table. She didn't really know how to respond to that. Gohan turned out more insightful than he looked.

"I didn't mean that as a bad thing," he precised. "Each person has their own pace. Some take longer than others to open up, and that's totally fine."

She nodded her head. Her face felt warm and her chest was tingly. His kindness was getting to her.

The waitress came back with Gohan's order, pushing a trolley to carry everything over to them. The boy happily helped her set everything on their table and thanked her warmly. Videl cracked a small smile at the way his eyes sparkled while he admired all the delicious-looking pastries. Food was definitely his weakness.

Without a word, he set a plate of cinnamon rolls in front of her before picking out the slice of the lemon pie for himself. He sighed in delight at the first bite.

Videl just sat there, staring at the pastry in front of her. He did it again – off-handedly giving her a delicacy that turned out to be her favorite kind. How did he guess that she loved cinnamon rolls? It wasn't the only thing she'd ordered earlier. Was he that observant?

"Th… Thanks," she said quietly.

He looked up from his pie and raised his eyebrows at her. "Hm?"

Her lips parted. It was like he didn't think he had done anything special, like it was completely normal to notice that kind of thing and just give, without a second thought.

She felt flushed. That boy had such a pure heart. His candor and humility were a breath of fresh air. Videl had never met anyone like him before. It was like the world had failed to taint him with vice and negativity like it had the rest of them. If everyone else was clouded in shades of gray, Gohan, however, radiated in the brightest, whitest light.

And her defenses were crackling. He was knocking down her walls one by one, making his way through to her.

Gohan simply shrugged when she didn't elaborate and took another spoonful of lemon pie. His happy smile never wavered.

"You used to fight crime, right?" he asked, making conversation.

Videl blinked out of her daze. She nodded dumbly. "Um, yeah." Clearing her throat, the girl tried to focus on her answer. "The crime rate used to be really bad. The police would call for my help almost daily."

"What made you start? Even if you're a skilled martial artist, it's not a very common extra-curricular activity."

She shifted her eyes sideways, distractedly scratching her throat. "I guess… because I could?"

His smile softened. "That's a good answer."

She blushed. "And, well, it was kinda cool not having to hold back when I was fighting bad guys. They rarely posed a real challenge, but some of them did give me a run for my money. It forced me to get creative, too, when they'd gang up on me."

His brow furrowed slightly. "That sounds reckless."

"Heh, maybe so, but it paid off. With our combined effort, the crime rate plummeted. So much that I don't need to help the police anymore; they can handle it without me now. Life in Satan City has become much nicer since then."

And his smile was back. "That's quite a feat. You're pretty amazing, huh?"

Her blush deepened and she looked down, averting her attention to her plate of cinnamon rolls. She bit her lip. It wasn't like her to act this way; she wasn't the shy type, and she wasn't usually very modest either. Why would his compliment affect her in any way when she barely batted an eye whenever anyone else said the exact same thing to her?

Why couldn't she handle the way he looked at her?

"To think you managed to make the city safer for everyone. That's really something," Gohan commented.

"It wasn't just me," she mumbled, her face growing increasingly hotter. Where was this sudden humility coming from? What happened to her usual cocky self?

"I'd love to see you fight sometime," he went on. "I bet it's quite a sight."

"Well, I… uh… I mean, err…" And now she couldn't control her stammers…? Videl scratched the side of her throat, unable to muster the courage to raise her head and look at Gohan. His eyes rattled her too much. "I, uh, I train at my dad's gym every day. You can stop by whenever I'm there if you want."

She peeked at him out of the corner of her eyes. Gohan's face had lit up with a grin.

"I'd love that!"

Videl swallowed. She didn't get it. What was going on with her? How could Gohan affect her in such a way? She couldn't even recognize herself anymore.

He let out a light chuckle, shaking his head. "Every day, huh? It figures. You're all set to become the next world champion, huh?"

"Well, yeah, that's the plan."

His eyes were drawing her in. It was the first time Videl felt herself drown in the soothing blackness of his gaze. Her lips trembled slightly as the girl found herself unable to look away.

"And you're sixteen like me, right? Heh. You'd be even younger than my dad when he won the championship."

She distinctly heard the unmistakable sound of a vinyl record suddenly going on rewind. That information was so huge, so astonishing, Videl forgot she was all flustered just a moment ago. Her eyebrows rising high beneath her bangs, she blinked dumbly as her brain slowly but surely put two and two together.

"Wait… The youngest champion…? And your name is Son Gohan… Like… Like…"

"Son Goku, yeah," he finished for her, giving her the answer just as she reached it on her own. "I'm his son."

She was staring into space, her lips parted, still blinking now and again, trying to process what she just learned.

"This is… huge," she uttered, returning her wide eyes to the boy. Then she let out a disbelieving chuckle, giving a shake of her head. "I feel stupid. I should've made the connection sooner – you have the same last name. You have a last name – nobody has a last name anymore nowadays."

"Heh, I hope nobody else figures that out. I don't really want people to know," he admitted. "It'd put me in the spotlight, and I'd rather avoid the unwanted attention."

"Can't say I blame you." Videl tilted her head to the side. "Then why did you tell me?"

Gohan shrugged. "It just came out in the conversation. And you remind me a bit of him."

She raised her eyebrows. "I… do?"

"The way you strive to become the best fighter possible, and how you love a good challenge." As he spoke, Gohan's eyes softened in a way that made her chest feel tight. His smile toned down with notes of melancholy. "Nothing thrilled my father more than facing a powerful opponent, even if they were stronger than him. Especially if they were stronger than him."

Videl swallowed. She couldn't help but notice his use of the past tense. Did that mean…?

"I was never like that. I mean, I know fighting can be fun too and I do enjoy the occasional spar, but I was never passionate about it. But for my father, fighting was his life."

Videl was at a loss for words. There was no doubt about it anymore. Son Goku was… no more. Like her, Gohan had lost one of his parents. He knew how she felt, how much it hurt, and what it was like to miss someone so badly, so desperately, to wish they could come back and fill the hole they had left behind.

"It's funny, you know," Gohan went on, tilting his head slightly as he observed her. "I'm his son, but you're more like him than I ever was."

"I… I'm sure that's not true," Videl said, her voice low and hoarse. "You must have taken plenty of other traits after him."

He cracked a half-smile; the glint in his eyes shifted, shining a little brighter. "Heh, I guess so."

"What did you take after him? I'm curious," she inquired with a playful grin.

He laughed slightly, scratching his hair. "Well, I look a lot like him for starters."

"Ah, now that you mention it…"

She had seen photographs of the former world champion, and in those of the year he won the tournament when he was only eighteen, Son Goku looked strikingly like the boy sitting across from her. The differences were scarce and subtle – a curve here, a little spot there, a somewhat different hairstyle… Videl couldn't believe she never noticed it before. The boy in front of her was basically the carbon copy of Son Goku!

"And, well," Gohan continued, "even though I don't share his love for fighting, I did get some of his talent…"

Videl sat straighter, her eyebrows raising. "Oh?"

He did mention something about sparring just now, but the girl had been so distraught to find out Gohan had lost his father, she kind of filtered out everything else.

A smirk curved her lips as she leaned her chin on the back of her hand. "Then maybe we could have a spar sometime. If you have an ounce of Son Goku's fighting talent, maybe I could get a good challenge out of you. You know, to break the routine and all."

He grinned. "Heh, I don't know, Videl. I might be too much for you to handle."

"Oh? Getting cocky, aren't we? Didn't know you had that in you."

He laughed. "I have my moments, I guess. Kinda took that after my dad for that matter, now that I think about it."

"It suits you. You should show that side of you more often."

The comment made Gohan lower his gaze while his cheeks turned red. He shuffled in his seat and cleared his throat.

"If… If you say so…" he mumbled.

Videl felt a pinch in her chest. Goodness, a flustered Gohan was just adorable.

She leaned her elbows on the table and cupped her chin between her palms. "So, what else did you take after your dad?"

He cracked a sheepish smile, peeking at her with his head lowered. Videl was melting. Could this guy get any cuter?

"Well, um… I know I can be a little… Well, not really a little…" he mumbled to himself. Videl tilted her head to the side. He gave an awkward chuckle, scratching the back of his head. "I know I'm clueless about a lot of things. My dad was kinda worse though."

Her eyelids fluttered. "Sorry? Worse? Than you? You're kidding me."

He frowned slightly and crossed his arms, vexed. "I'm not that bad."

"Yes, you are." Videl laughed in good humor. "Do you know how many girls have been hitting on you in the few days you've been at school?"

He blinked at her. "Huh? What girls?"

"Exactly."

He flushed, the crimson color taking up his whole face down to the base of his throat. His shoulders tensed up, his hands gripping his pants on his lap, while he kept his stare fixated on them. Videl couldn't help it: she threw her head back and laughed heartily. Oh, this was priceless. And Son Goku had been even more clueless than his son? Try as she might, the girl was unable to imagine what "worse" could possibly be like.

"He really was worse than me, you know," Gohan mumbled in bad faith. "He didn't know what marriage meant when he promised my mom he'd marry her. They were kids and all, but still. I was never that bad."

Videl gave a long blink of her eyes. "Seriously? So your parents… They got engaged over a misunderstanding?"

He chuckled awkwardly. "I guess that's one way to put it. Well, they loved each other very much, so it all worked out for them in the end."

"Huh."

He raised his head and gave her a pointed look. "I told you he was worse."

Videl laughed again. "Yeah, I stand corrected. It really is possible to be more clueless than you. Who knew?"

And Gohan's blush was back. He shot her a mock-glare. "You're having a little too much fun teasing me."

"It's not my fault – you make it too easy!" Her cheeks hurt from grinning so much. But she couldn't help it. Gohan's reactions were just hilarious.

He ended up laughing along, his head slightly tilted to the side while he scratched his hair. "Ah, well…"

Videl didn't remember the last time she laughed like that, without any restraint. People were even beginning to stare, but right now, the girl couldn't care less. Who knew hanging out with Gohan would be so much fun?

Videl wiped the tears gathered in the corners of her eyes, letting out a content sigh. It felt good to let go like that. Gohan was still grinning, and she seemed to have the same problem.

"So, what else?" she went on, picking up the conversation where they left off. "The list has gotten pretty long, you know. Is there more?"

"Probably. You're not going to make me list everything though, are you?"

"And why the hell not?" She smirked.

His eyes twinkled. "Alright, you've made your point. I may not share my dad's love for fighting, but I'm still like him in a lot of other ways."

"Now, was that so hard?"

They shared low chuckles. They fell quiet after that, returning their attention to their plates, but the silence was comfortable, pleasant.

"I'm curious, though," Videl said after some time, raising her head to look at him. "Was your dad as kind as you?"

Gohan's face reddened, his lips parting slightly as he stared back at her. And then he cracked a small, fond smile. "Yeah. He had a heart of gold."

"So just like you, then. Thought so."

She enjoyed watching his blush deepen and spread across his face. The boy averted his gaze and scratched his hair again. Her eyes softened at the familiar habit of his. He sure did that a lot, huh?

"And what about your mom? What did you take after her?" she inquired. She was having too much fun to let the conversation end there.

"Um…" His brow furrowed slightly in thought. "That I'm shy, and a bit of a worrywart. Dad was the opposite – as shameless as he was carefree, heh."

She chuckled at the description. Man, she really wished she could've met Gohan's father. "What else?"

He tapped his chin, staring off to the ceiling. "She's very caring, I think I'm like that too. And, uh, I guess… Yeah, I'm pretty sure I get my temper from her."

Videl's smile dropped along with her jaw. It took her a long moment to find her voice again.

"You… have a temper? For real? You?"

He gave a small laugh. "Yes, I'm serious. I just worked on myself to keep it under control." His eyes glazed over and his smile toned down. "I… kinda hate who I become when I let my temper get the better of me."

"Oh…"

It felt as though that was just the tip of the iceberg, that there was a story behind that statement. Seeing Gohan with that faraway expression didn't sit well with Videl. His easy smiles suited him so much better.

"Anyway, I'm sure there's more, but those traits are off the top of my head," Gohan concluded with a shrug.

His features were relaxing, and as they did, Videl felt like a weight she didn't know was there had been lifted off her chest.

"It's been nice, you know," he said quietly. "Thinking of all the ways I'm like my parents. It makes me feel closer to them."

Videl found herself staring dreamily at this little bun of marshmallow sweetness. Seriously, though, that guy was just too pure for this world.

She had been glad, at that moment, that she had given him a chance. That she had let her walls down and allowed him to get a little closer to her.

Stupid, stupid girl, she insulted her past self. Standing alone in an empty hallway, her face ablaze, Videl grazed her swollen lips with the tip of her fingers. If only she'd just kept herself closed off like she did with everyone else, if only she had just gone home that day… maybe things wouldn't have turned out like this. Maybe then, she wouldn't have developed these unwanted feelings for Gohan, and she wouldn't have needed to come up with a plan to incite him to put her firmly in the friendzone.

What a complete and utter failure. Why did that idiot have to go and fall for her? Ugh.

November 2, 2021