18For the DBZ fans' viewing pleasure, I present a short Gh/Vi one-shot, dedicated to CloakSky (former names including the words Lilly-sama or Kisa-kun). She's been so helpful as of late, and she's been letting me use the premium version of Grammarly (if you don't use it, you should - it's awesome, even if the premium version is EX-PEN-SIVE), so as a great big thank you I've come out of DBZ retirement for a few days to gift her with "The Boyfriend School." Hope you enjoy it!
P.S.: The rule involved were some I found concerning 1950s dating.
Disclaimer:I do not own Dragonball Z. Period, dot, end of statement.
Tonight was the night.
His first date.
With Videl.
His first date with Videl.
Gohan still didn't know what had come over him that day. It was several months after Buu had been defeated, and he and Videl had done an odd sort of dance around each other the entire time. He knew that she liked him, and she knew that he liked her, but neither would take that last step. There was even a reluctant tacit approval from Mr. Satan - he wouldn't give outright permission for them to date, but he wouldn't make a (huge) fuss about it either.
It was an ordinary day. The crime rate in Orange Star City had dropped drastically after it became known that Videl Satan and the Great Saiyaman had decided to work with instead of against each other. A few of the more hardened criminals tried their hand at robbing a bank or taking hostages, but if Videl and the Great Saiyaman were formidable on their own, they were unstoppable when they had each other's back. Soon, miscreants decided it was more trouble than it was worth to make trouble in Orange Star City and took their particular skill sets elsewhere.
A slow day in the city meant a slow day in class. Gohan listened as raptly to the teacher as ever, taking copious amounts of notes despite his near doctoral knowledge of the subject. He watched Videl from the corner of his eye, seeing her idly toy with her pencil, drawing random unflattering doodles of what he suspected was their teacher in the margins of her paper. He looked away from her for a moment to check what he'd written, but his attention was drawn completely back to her when her entire face turned crimson at something she'd written.
Wondering what would make Videl of all people blush that deeply, he craned his neck to see what was on her paper. Four letters separated by a plus sign - VS + GS - with the lot surrounded by a heart. Returning his gaze to his paper before she caught him looking, he stared down at his notes unseeingly. Running possible word combinations through his mind, augmented by the addition of the heart, it took him far longer than he would ever admit to realize just what his friend had written. When it hit him, he sat stock-still, shocked at the realization.
It took a moment for him to come to his senses. When he did, a sort of recklessness overtook him. Before he knew it, he had torn a page out of his book and scribbled on it. Folding the scrap, he slipped it to Videl before he could change his mind, heart hammering in his throat. He didn't, however, look at her while she opened the note, too afraid to see what kind of expression was on her face. He stared hard at the teacher, paying absolutely no attention to the man's words. His sensitive hearing picked up the scratch of Videl's pencil, the refolding of the paper, and the sound of the note being slid back in front of him. He opened it, hands shaking slightly, and saw the one-word answer written underneath his question.
Okay.
Now, a few days later, Gohan stood in front of his mirror, fidgeting with his new, slightly uncomfortable clothing. Despite his academic leanings and school uniform, he was far more used to being in a gi, whether or not he was training. Unfortunately, upon hearing of his big date with Videl, his mother called Bulma in a fit of joy. Bulma took it upon herself to send him a brand new outfit. The accompanying note told him in no uncertain terms that his school uniform, a gi, or clothes picked out by Chi-Chi were acceptable for a date with anyone, let alone Videl. So here he was, worrying out the last few minutes before he went to meet Videl at her house. Speaking of…
He looked at the clock and anxiety shot through him. If he didn't leave now, he wouldn't make it on time. He was flying to the outskirts of Orange Star City and driving to the Satan mansion (the new car also a courtesy of Bulma). He checked his appearance in the mirror one last time and squared his shoulders. He could do this.
Right?
It's poor form to honk the car horn to announce your arrival; call for her at the door.
As he drove toward the Satan mansion, Gohan reviewed the rules his mother had given him. He thanked Dende that there weren't many of them - he was nervous enough that he would accidentally break one of them, causing Videl to storm out of his life forever. Not that he thought she would do that, but Chi-Chi's son had inherited her worried nature, or perhaps absorbed it during the seven years Goku was dead. He wasn't pessimistic by any means (he left that to Piccolo and Krillin, thank you very much), but the worry paired with his genius IQ left him calculating all possible endings of the night, good and bad.
He shook his head. No use dwelling on what could happen, he told himself sternly. Whatever happens tonight happens.
He pulled up to the intimidating gates to Videl's residence and punch in the code that she'd given him in advance. For a moment, nothing happened - he worried that maybe Mr. Satan had changed it just to keep him from getting in - but slowly the wrought iron swung open just enough for him to get through. He maneuvered his way up the winding and very narrow drive, coming to a halt in front of the imposing entrance. Remembering his mother's instructions, he unbuckled his seatbelt and opened the door.
It was here he ran into a problem. Bulma, despite all her genius, had not factored in his height. Or maybe she had, but only if the top of the massively expensive convertible she had gifted him with was down. Unfortunately, it was a cool, rainy day, forcing him to keep the top on. He barely had enough legroom to drive the thing comfortably. All in all, he was squished into a small space about a size and a half too small for him. He'd only found all this out when he landed in Orange Star City and it was too late for him to request a bigger vehicle. He managed to get his legs out, then twisted around to grab his umbrella. It was just out of his reach, so he stretched out as far as he could…
HONK!
The sound made him jump. He yanked the umbrella back in surprise and nearly fell out of the car. He barely kept himself from falling into the rather large puddle at the foot of the driver side door. Hearing the lock of the front door turn even from this far away, he somehow managed to get out of the trap that was his car with some modicum of decency still intact. He raced up to the door before it opened, cursing himself for accidentally hitting the horn.
It seemed that he was off on a not-so-auspicious start concerning the rules.
Ask her parents when they want her home - and make sure your watch works.
He had been shown in by a butler and left standing in the grand foyer while he waited for Videl. He wasn't sure how long she would take - the common understanding was that girls took a long time to get ready for a date, but this was Videl. She took fifteen minutes to shower, get dressed, do her hair, and be on her way to school. (This was according to Erasa, who had given up hope of ever transforming her best friend into a so-called "girly-girl.") Sure enough, she hurried down the marble staircase maybe two minutes later. She'd been in the middle of putting her clothes on when she heard the horn, she explained when she skidded to a stop in front of him, apologizing profusely.
He chuckled at her frazzled state, assuring her that she was fine. He hadn't meant to hit the horn in the first place, though he didn't explain that to her. She didn't seem to be mad about it - in fact, it almost seemed as if she'd expected it. Still, he wasn't going to push his luck at her acceptance.
Their conversation was interrupted by Mr. Satan, who didn't-quite-stomp-but-certainly-didn't-just-walk over to the pair. He glowered at Gohan. "I want her back at a decent hour now, you hear me?" he demanded.
"Yes sir," Gohan replied respectfully. "Is there a time you'd prefer?"
Videl muttered something under her breath. Her father gave her a sharp look. "Eleven," he ground out. "More than enough time."
"Yes sir," Gohan repeated. Mr. Satan nodded tightly and, this time, definitely stomped back to wherever he came from.
Gohan looked down at his watch and froze in dismay. Thanks to Bulma (again), the watch on his wrist was capable of a great many things. It was his transformer from plain old Gohan to the Great Saiyaman. There was a built-in dragonball radar, just in case. It could do a dozen other things that he was amazed Bulma could even program it to do, even make a cappuccino if her words were to be believed (and he wouldn't put it past her, or at least her dad). The one thing it couldn't do: tell time.
When he looked up at Videl and admitted this, quite sheepishly, she laughed. "Don't worry, Gohan," she assured him, blue eyes sparkling in mirth. She raised her wrist and showcased her own fancy piece of tech. "Bulma didn't make mine, so it only does three things: lets the police contact me if they need me, broadcasts my location to them in case of an emergency, and tells time. I've got it." He couldn't help but smile back at her, though he was wilting just a bit in the back of his mind.
One-half for two (he did find out when Mr. Satan wanted her back, after all.)
It's only polite to help her don her coat.
"You look nice, Gohan," Videl said suddenly. He looked over at her to see her eying him up and down blatantly. He blushed in embarrassment at the almost predatory look she gave him. Her eyes narrowed. "Really nice." She was quiet for a moment, then asked knowingly, "Bulma?"
If it was possible, Gohan blushed even harder. "Bulma," he confirmed, nodding. "She, um, didn't trust that any clothes I had would be in style." He knew Bulma was right, but it sure was embarrassing to admit that out loud to the girl he lo- liked.
"She was right," Videl replied. She grinned at his affronted look. "I've seen your school clothes, Gohan. No one wears pants that high anymore."
Left speechless at her words, he could only watch as she crossed over to what he assumed was a closet. She opened the door and pulled out a light coat. Before he could even begin to offer to help her into it, she had shrugged it on and crossed to the front doors. She looked back expectantly at him. "Are you coming or what?" she asked, a familiar teasing look on her face.
At her words, he made a snap decision. Obviously, the rules his mother had given him were either too old for their own good or, more likely, they were designed for a date with a girl that was not Videl. Videl was way too independent to want to deal with these doting rules. Oh, he was sure that she wouldn't mind some of it, but she was too used to doing things her own way to want to be coddled too much. She got enough of that from her father - she didn't need it from him too. He smiled at her.
"Right behind you."
Real gentlemen open car doors for girls - or any door, for that matter.
Personal revelations aside, he was determined to follow the second-to-last rule he'd been given. Of course, it had been ingrained in him to do this anyway. This occasion was just a little bit more important than the usual situations he found himself in. He opened her car door, shutting it only once he was sure that all her limbs were inside. That was all he needed, to injure Videl and spend their date in the ER instead of going to dinner and a walk about town like they'd planned on earlier.
It didn't take them long to get to the restaurant. Gohan had managed to find a place right in town that was famous for okonomiyaki, a kind of savory pancake. Videl had been there before, of course, but he could tell she was touched that he had remembered her favorite food. (He didn't tell her that he'd called Erasa, just to make sure he was right.) She laughed herself silly watching him unfold himself from the driver's seat. She was still laughing when he managed to get around to her side and open her door. Just for the laughing, though, he refused to help her, glaring playfully at her instead.
She was still sniggering when the waiter showed them to a table. "Seriously, Gohan," she managed, "why didn't you tell Bulma?"
He shrugged, pulling out her seat and letting her sit down first. "Didn't have time," he said, sitting down himself. "And it made you laugh." The blush on her cheeks made him think that he said the right thing.
They stayed at the restaurant for a long time, almost too long to have that walk around town as they'd planned. Gohan was of no use in that regard, considering his watch that wasn't actually a watch, but Videl wasn't much help either, considering that she wore the working one. It wasn't until their waiter politely asked them if they were finished that they realized it was past nine already.
Unable to actually go to any of the places they were planning on, the two teenagers wandered around aimless. They were possibly the only teenager couple not stopped by various members of the police. Thanks to Videl's efforts to help them, the officers gave them a bit more leniency, knowing that they wouldn't be doing anything nefarious.
Their talk revolved mostly around Gohan's childhood. Videl had related her story to him early on in their acquaintance, when he taught her how to fly. He'd reciprocated as best he could without sounding totally crazy, but now he could tell her without fear of being thought mad. It was a liberating feeling, and he freely answered any question she presented. Her acceptance of his secrets only made him fall even harder for her than he already had.
They stopped in front of a brightly lit fountain in the middle of the old town square. They stood there, watching the light bounce off the water and the coins underneath. Her arm snuck its way around his waist and his casually draped itself across her shoulders. She sighed, laying her head against his chest. "I'm so glad you felt like you could tell me about your past, Gohan," she murmured, staring at the fountain. "I'm sorry it sucked, but it made you the person you are now. And I really like you the way you are."
Gohan looked down at her, reflected light splashing waves of gold across her face. His hand seemed to act of its own accord, reaching down to cup her face and tilt it up toward him. He heard her breath hitch and paused. "May I kiss you, Videl?" he whispered.
Her cheeks flushed, but she nodded determinedly. "You'd better," she whispered back.
It was soft and uncertain, this being the first kiss for both of them, but it was perfect. It stayed chaste, a simple press of lips against lips, and it was over all too soon. Gohan drew back just a little and watched as Videl's eyes languidly opened to stare back at him. For a moment, all they could do was smile stupidly at each other. Suddenly, Gohan threw his head back and laughed. He grabbed her by the waist and swung her around a bit, her weak blows to his arms and shoulder doing nothing to hide the laughter in her voice as she demanded for him to put her down.
"You know, my mom gave me some rules for tonight," he told her, setting her back down carefully. He offered his hand to her and she immediately took it. They set off back to a roadside where Gohan could uncapsulate his deathtrap of a car, their linked hands swinging between them.
"Oh?" Videl replied. A slender eyebrow rose in curiosity. "What were they?"
"Old-fashioned," he responded teasingly. "I broke half of them, at least." He paused. "Especially the last one."
"What was the last one?" she asked. He bent down and whispered it in her ear, grinning the whole time. Videl laughed loudly, then disentangled her hand from his so she could wrap her arms around one of his. She leaned her head on his shoulder, and they walked toward the road, the words lingering in the air behind them.
No kissing on the first date.
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~tp