Stupid Cupid
Chapter 3: Preparations
Bulla collapsed face down on her bed with a heavy sigh. "That idiot was seriously going to kill him." What had started out as an ordinary day suddenly turned strange when Goten called her that afternoon, begging for her help in getting Marron and Trunks together. Bulla had very little interest in Trunks' dating life when she had her own non-existent dating life to worry about. Always one to think on her feet, she came up with that bullshit story about needing an assistant, a deal any sane, intelligent, normal person would've turned down on the spot. Not Goten. He wasn't backing out. Even if it meant killing someone…for Trunks, he'd do it.
With another heavy sigh, Bulla rolled over onto her back and stared up at the ceiling. Down the hall, she heard the bathroom door slam shut, then the shower head turned on. Goten was taking a shower in her apartment. Her cheeks burned as she remembered seeing Goten without a shirt just moments before. He'd stopped training years ago, but power and strength still emanated from him. He was strong enough to kill her with one hand if he had a mind to. The thought gave her goosebumps.
Bulla closed her eyes and placed her manicured hands over her chest.
Thump, thump, thump!
Bulla frowned. She couldn't slow her rapidly beating heart and couldn't quite place the emotion she was feeling. Was it anxiety? Consumed with business school, she wasn't often near people who were stronger than her, so was it her Saiyan half telling her she needed to spar with Goten?
No, that couldn't be it. She hated sparring. She hated the armor, the sweating, and the swelling on her face that could never go down fast enough when she sparred with Pan or Vegeta.
Another thought came to mind. Along with her rapid heartbeat, there was also a powerful tingling sensation between her legs, which was something she'd never felt before. Was her Saiyan half telling her she needed to have sex with Goten? She'd never felt sexual attraction for anyone before.
"I'll need to ask Pan about this later," Bulla decided. She was eighteen and a virgin. Pan was a year younger, experienced, and had a steady boyfriend. If anyone knew about how a female Saiyan's sexual attraction would feel, it'd be Pan. Bulla pulled open the top drawer of her nightstand and took out her bright pink earbuds. Maybe listening to music would help calm her down a little. She scrolled through her phone, selected her favorite playlist and set it on shuffle. She listened to four songs before sleep took her.
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Goten walked out of the spare bedroom after 10 A.M, after the Z-Dash delivery person had left. The dining table was covered in takeout bags and the warm aroma of breakfast was enough to make Goten's stomach growl like a dog. Bulla smiled into her cup of coffee. She was reminded of how hungry Trunks and Vegeta would get at mealtimes, both of whom she hadn't seen much of since starting business school. It was nice having someone to eat breakfast with again.
"Help yourself to anything you want." Bulla gestured at the food." I have some paperwork I want you to read over and sign later, and we should get started on forming a plan to get Marron to fall in love with Trunks. There's an aphrodisiac pill Capsule Corp hasn't released yet. I'm thinking we could slip that pill into their drinks, lock them in a room alone together, they'll go at it like rabbits, and nine months later I'll have a sweet little niece or nephew to play with. What do you think?"
Goten sat down in the chair at the end of the dining table. He had bags under his eyes, like he hadn't gotten a full night's sleep. His stomach growled, pleading with him to start eating, but Goten made no move for the food. He hadn't met Bulla's gaze once since stepping out of the spare bedroom." The movies. Marron will be at Paprika City next weekend for a fashion show. That's not too far from here. My plan is to invite her to the movies. I won't show up and Trunks can be alone with her."
"I like my plan better. Yours is too tame," Bulla sighed, then took a sip of her coffee." Fine. We'll do it your way. I'll send Marron an invite later after my Management 101 class. Tell Trunks to keep next weekend free."
Bulla picked up the stack of papers in front of her, got out from her chair, then walked over to Goten. She noticed how he flinched like an abused dog with every tap her heels made. Was the poor guy hungover? She decided not to draw attention to his odd behavior." I typed out our contract. Read it over and ask me anything you want to later. I've highlighted the areas I need you to sign. You're officially my assistant now, so I expect you to do everything I tell you to do."
" I can never understand those things," Goten laughed. He hastily stuffed his mouth with eggs." Go ahead and sign everything for me. Reading hurts my eyes."
Bulla slapped the stack of papers on top of Goten's head and left them there." I made it easy enough for you to understand and added a lot of pictures."
Goten swallowed the food in his mouth. His entire body had gone tense as if he was very uncomfortable, or mad." I want to add something to our contract…"
Goten finally met Bulla's gaze, abandoning that wide eyed empty look he always had. His eyebrows pinched together as he glared at her." Don't touch me. Always stay an arm's length away from me. I.. I don't know what I might do."
On the inside, Bulla bristled. She wanted to shout at Goten and remind him that he was the one who contacted her and begged for her help, and he was the one who agreed to be her assistant! How dare he act like she was annoying to be around! If she was anything like her mother, Bulla would've laid into him and shouted until his ears bled. But she was trying to be a calmer person like Vegeta and Trunks. She couldn't let Goten see how much his words hurt her.
For once, Bulla couldn't think of anything to hurt him back with. "As if I'd want to touch you…" seemed too childish. She simply shrugged." That works for me. I don't like it when people invade my space and touch me, either. Um, I have to head to class now. I should be back before midnight." Bulla wished she had the power to use instant transmission. She couldn't get out of that apartment and away from Goten fast enough.
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After finishing her last class at 6 PM, Bulla sat in her school's open cafeteria and waited for Pan. She desperately needed to talk to someone about her strange new feelings. All she could think about all day was Goten. At first, she was upset by how he'd told her to stay away from him, but by her second class when she replayed the conversation in her head, she couldn't help but bite her lip as she remembered his serious gaze and commanding tone. A part of her couldn't wait to get home and accidently bump into him. He'd be as good as dead if he ever raised his fist against her –Trunks and Vegeta would see to that – so, what exactly would he do to her? Bulla imagined Goten's massive hands wrapping around her neck and giggled to herself. Again, she started to feel that tingling sensation between her legs.
Bulla sensed her best friend walk into the cafeteria and turned her head to the left. Her smile froze in place and her left eye twitched at the sight of the wavy blond-haired guy standing at equal height to Pan, his hand still linked with hers when she waved at Bulla. Of course, Pan would bring her boyfriend.
"Hey, Pan. Hi, Collum." Bulla greeted the pair. Collum's cheeks pinkened and he averted his gaze to the tabletop. His shyness was endearing, and Bulla knew that if she wanted to steal Collum away from Pan, she could. Not to say that he wasn't faithful to Pan, he was, but it wasn't uncommon for guys to do a fast double take at Bulla. Lucky for Pan, shy, short, wavy blond-haired guys from fishing villages weren't her type. Bulla wondered if sleeping with her best friend's uncle would hurt a lot less than stealing her boyfriend.
Pan rolled her eyes and gave Collum a rough shove, sending him toppling off his chair and onto the floor." You're acting as if you've never seen a pretty girl before, but there's one sitting right next to you." Pan pouted. Collum stuttered out an apology, got back onto his chair, and kissed Pan on the lips.
Bulla ignored the pang of jealousy she felt and slurped on her iced coffee. Her younger best friend was in love and had a boyfriend while she did not. Life didn't seem fair sometimes.
Pan and Collum ordered a single milkshake with two straws and Bulla ordered a plate of mozzarella sticks for the trio to share. Once they were settled in, Pan lean forward and asked," So, what did you want to talk about?"
Bulla hesitated. Maybe it wasn't the best time to ask for love advice, but she really needed to talk to someone about her new feelings. Pan was the only one she felt comfortable talking to. "I hired myself a personal assistant and I think I'm in love with him. I've never felt this way about anyone before. He's all I can think about."
Pan leaned her chin into her palm." I guess this means you've finally gotten over your crush on Goten. This is a big step for you."
Bulla blinked." When did I say I had a crush on Goten? I've NEVER said I had a crush on him!"
"You didn't have to say anything. Everyone knew you were in love with Goten, except Goten." Pan shrugged." Trunks probably never knew since he was too busy chasing Marron to notice anyone else."
"I did not have a crush on Goten," Bulla growled." I didn't hate him, either. He was nice to me and I had fun being with him, and I thought of him as a friend, but I never wanted to kiss him or do anything with him. I was in middle school back then!"
"Okay, fine. You didn't have a crush on Goten, but you're saying you want to kiss and do other things with your new personal assistant?" Pan arched her eyebrow.
Bulla nodded. "Yes. I can't stop thinking about him, but he doesn't feel the same way about me. He added that I'm not allowed to touch him into our contract."
"Sounds like he might prefer men, or maybe he's married," Collum piped up. Pan agreed with him.
Bulla smiled." Trust me, he's not gay. He's probably slept with one hundred women already, and he's not married."
"That's impressive," Collum whistled, earning a jab in the ribs from Pan's elbow.
"It sounds like you're describing Goten. You certainly have a type." Pan crossed her arms and frowned." Your personal assistant doesn't sound like someone you should fall in love with or date. He's making it clear that he doesn't see you as a romantic option if he's setting up such strict boundaries with you. Falling in love with him and going after him will only break your heart and end in a lawsuit. Don't forget that you're this guy's boss."
"Yeah, you're probably right."
"Of course I'm right," Pan huffed." Hey, if you want, I can set you up with a guy from my grandpa's dojo—he's super cute! I think he'd be perfect for you."
"Yeah, sure. I'm sick of being single. I can't believe I thought I was falling for my assistant. Next weekend I'm seeing a movie with Marron and Trunks, but the weekend after that I'll be free. " Bulla slurped down the rest of her iced coffee. Pan was right, she needed to remember that she was Goten's boss first and act like one. There wasn't any room for falling in love or sexual tension. Goten wasn't a suitable match anyway. He was dumb, immature, and couldn't commit to a job or a relationship for very long. He definitely wasn't capable of sticking to their contract for a year. Their living arrangement wouldn't be permanent and soon he'd be out of her apartment once Marron and Trunks got together. Bulla had taken pity on the poor guy and had added an escape clause to the contract, the dummy just needed to read it to know it existed.
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It was torture sitting across from Pan and Collum at the table for an hour. Collum and Pan had an annoying habit of finishing each other's sentences. They couldn't go more than five minutes without kissing, and when they weren't kissing, they were telling Bulla every cute detail about each other.
"When Collum is about to sneeze, he twitches his nose like a little rabbit, like this." Pan wiggled her nose, scrunching up her face as she smiled." It's so cute! Babe, you should show her."
"No, what's really cute is this gasp Pan has whenever she gets very happy, like this." Collum smiled to the point where his mouth was wide open and his eyes sparkled. He gave a dramatic gasp, reminding Bulla of the day she and Pan had walked into the greenhouse and discovered one of her grandparents' dogs had given birth to a litter of puppies.
Bulla chuckled. Pan was starting to list another one of Collum's cute trait's when Bulla's phone rang. Bulla swiftly lifted her phone from the tabletop and tapped her manicured finger on the screen. "I'm so sorry guys I have to take this. Text me later, Pan." Bulla's heels tapped on the carpeted floor as she marched towards the exit." I'm so glad you called, Mar. If I had to sit through another hour of Pan and her boyfriend—"
Marron laughed. " I know what you're going through, it sucks being a third wheel. All of my friends have boyfriends and I'm just sort of…. there, tagging along behind them wherever we go, but it's nice that Pan has finally found something to love besides training. I was really starting to worry about her. I'm happy she's discovered there's more to life than getting stronger."
'Soon you'll be in a relationship with my brother, and I'll be the only single one,' Bulla miserably thought. With Marron and Pan too busy going on dates with their boyfriends, who will Bulla have left to talk to and spend time with? Bulla forced a smile and made herself sound as cheerful as possible. " I'm happy for Pan, too. Are you excited for the fashion show in Paprika City next week? I can't wait to see you! Have you decided which movie we're going to see?"
Bulla approached the back seat of her car, and her driver opened the door for her. He closed the door, got into the driver's side and backed out of the school's parking lot. It was a Friday and typically on Friday evenings Bulla would have dinner with her parents at their house, then she'd have her driver drop her off at one of the clubs and meet up with some of her classmates to dance and have fun. After sitting with Pan and Collum for an hour, Bulla didn't feel like going out and told the driver to take her home.
" This will be my last fashion show until fall, so I'm excited. I can't wait to see a movie with you guys! I saw Goten not too long ago when I was visiting home, but I feel like I haven't seen you or Trunks in ages. Are you sure Trunks isn't too busy to see a movie with us? I saw his picture on the cover of every magazine last year. He's the new CEO of Capsule Corp since Bulma retired, right? I bet Trunks is busier than ever. "
Trunks was the king of bailing out of plans and putting work first, but this time was different. Bulla was sure that Goten would make sure that Trunks showed up. " Trunks is really looking forward to hanging out with his two best friends again. Trust me, he'll show up. He really needs this, Mar. I'm afraid he'll go bald from all the stress at work if he doesn't take a break soon."
Marron laughed." Well, I was thinking we could watch a cute romcom, then go somewhere for a slice of pizza. If the guys can't make it then that's okay, we can make it a girl's day and do some shopping together." Bulla eagerly listened to Marron talk about the fashion designers she's modeled for and some of the girl drama that's happened at the modelling house she's staying in until she pulled up to her apartment building.
"I have to go now, Mar. I'll see you next week."
"See you next week," Marron warmly replied.
Bulla couldn't sense Goten in the apartment. He was probably out on a date. She'd seen his photo on a dating app she was scrolling through earlier, so that wasn't a surprise. She doubted Goten's movie plan would be enough to bring Marron and Trunks together. She'd seen her brother in action when it came to the opposite sex. He had no flirting skills besides looking pretty, and that wouldn't be enough to capture Marron's attention.
Bulla grabbed her laptop and settled down on the couch. She clicked on the PowerPoint icon and typed the header on the first slide in bold letters: Amusement Park. On the second slide she typed: Lake House. For the final slide, Bulla inserted a broken heart symbol. She added bullet points and smaller pictures in each slide.
After the movie date, Bulla planned on showing Goten her PowerPoint presentation. After the movie date, Bulla was going to have full control over the "Get Trunks and Marron Together Plan." For now, she was willing to try it Goten's way.
