Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Time's Lessons Learned ❯ Tutoring Time ( Chapter 11 )

Disclaimer: I don't own Dragon Ball Z. Akira Toriyama does. This fan fiction means no harm to the anime or the manga.

Rain pattered against the windows, spilling down in long thin trails that puddle later on the street. Dodging between others, the figure under the black umbrella rushed to get to the shelter of the nearest awning. Son Gohan glanced down at his watch, realizing it was already noon and he had promised to meet Erasa, Videl, and Sharpener for lunch.

Ever since he had shown up that morning, he and Trunks had tiptoed about, trying not to arouse suspicion. Together they had ridden the elevator down to the fancy lobby, Trunks wearing a herringbone jacket and tan dress slacks while Gohan wore the borrowed outfit. Glancing at himself in the reflection of the mirrored elevator car, they made an unlikely but pleasant pair.

“I think these are more `in style' then my usual clothes,” Gohan joked.

“You look great, Mr. Son,” Future Trunks joked, leaning over to lightly caress his ear with a kiss. Gohan turned his head quickly and caught his lover's lips. Dropping the briefcase, Future trunks wound his arms around Gohan to deepen it.

Only the ding of the bell and the rolling open of the doors interrupted them. Both arms dropped and they reached down to pick up their items and dash out the elevator doors before they slid shut once more. Still their hands clasped between them as they walked past the concierge to the front door of the building. A cheerful smile beamed their way from the door attendant as he said, “Good morning Mr. Briefs! Hope things go well today!”

“Same here,” Trunks waved, still holding Gohan's hand in his. The door attendant touched his cap to Gohan, and they crossed around to the parking garage.

“Are you sure I should ride there with you,” Gohan remembered asking.

“Don't worry. If you like I'll let you out right there,” Trunks said.

“All the same I think I'll just fly there myself,” Gohan suggested.

“All right. However, I'll be missing you. You'd `better show up in time for class,” Trunks chuckled, leaning in for a quick goodbye kiss. Then backing apart, the two lovers turned their separate ways. Gohan rocketed up and away towards the school, hoping not to be seen. A quick transformation to Great Saiyaman and he felt more comfortable zooming over the slowly rousing city

People sped by in their cars below, and he touched down behind a bush so he could quickly transform. Then he blended in seamlessly with the group of students milling into the building. Some yawned while others rubbed the dust from their eyes, and carried cups of coffee.

“Gohan, there you are,” someone said, making him jump.

“Oh hi,” he said, noticing Erasa and Videl standing right inside the door.

“You rushed off pretty quickly last night. Everything okay?” Videl asked.

“Oh no problems. I um… the teacher wanted to hire me as a tutor,” Gohan hastily explained, a blush crossing his face.

“Lucky guy,” Erasa sighed dramatically.

“Oh shut up,” Videl elbowed her, and Erasa grabbed her arm.

“Well I guess we'd better head to class, right ladies?” Gohan suggested, wondering if he had missed something.

“Yeah, better head to class all right…” Videl said, then stepped a bit apart from Erasa when her blue eyes widened. Past them milled Sharpener in the midst of a group of jocks.

“So you got home late didn't you?” Sharpener rested his hand on his hip.

“Ah…” Gohan stammered, feeling his neck flush red.

“No, no problems, not that it's any of your business,” Videl stammered, blushing hotly.

“Seems people were rather busy last night, weren't they?” Sharpener sneered.

“Sharpener what the hell is your problem?” Videl snapped.

“I wouldn't know. Some of us don't have secrets to hide like others,” Sharpener glared towards Gohan.

“Sharpener, back off,” Gohan glared at him.

“Ohh a bit touchy are we, Bookworm,” Sharpener snorted. “Well, I'd love to stay and chat but I've got warm-ups…”

“Jerk,” Erasa snorted. Sharpener laughed and wandered off with his cluster of male cohorts. Videl fumed, glaring daggers at him as he wandered away. Still Gohan wondered if Sharpener had suspected anything, or if Videl was wise to the changes in their situation.

“Um Videl, I need to meet you after school. There's something I need to talk about,” Gohan said quietly.

“What for?” Videl said defensively.

“Well, the after school tutoring session that Mr. Briefs asked me to run,” Gohan fumbled for an answer. “You and Erasa are in the group I was supposed to help.”

“Oh yeah, of course,” Erasa said, leaning on Videl's shoulder.

“I guess, but I had plans, and well…”

“Right. It will only take a half hour. And there's something else I need to talk to you afterwards, Videl,” said Gohan.

“Um, actually that's a coincidence because I've got something to chat to you about, Gohan,” Videl said quietly, looking off to the side a bit.

“Right, then its coffee and study, right?” Erasa laughed, nudging between them and linking arms with both Gohan and Videl. “Better not be late to class! Or sharpener will get eth best seat!”

“Right,” Videl and Gohan nodded, letting their friend walk them to class. Gohan felt the tension radiating off Videl in waves, his mind spinning with the strangeness of her behavior. It was as if she was trying to avoid him, and he wondered if she already knew.

The day had dragged by achingly slowly, and each minute in Physics was torture. To watch his lover up in front without being able to touch him was physically painful. Gohan had to rest a heavy book on his lap to keep from showing the evidence of his arousal. Wearing that suit, Future Trunks cut such a handsome figure that Gohan couldn't keep his eyes off the teacher's front or back.

If he glanced sidelong, he could see Erasa and Videl leaning towards each other. Videl was sipping a cup of hot chocolate and Erasa absently reached over and grabbed the same cup to take a draught as well. Together they shared the hot beverage, glancing sideways at one another. Was it is his imagination or did someone pass him a note.

“This is for you,” said Erasa quietly.

“Passing notes are we?” asked Mr. Briefs, slapping his yardstick down on the table.

“Um… no… I mean…” Erasa gasped dropping the slip of paper.

“Ah,” Mr. Briefs glanced down, stepping on the piece of paper with a highly polished shoe. Leaning down he picked it up and unfolded it.

“I'm sure that we wouldn't mind if you shared it with the rest of the class,” Mr. Briefs teasingly said, his glance towards Gohan only a split second. Gohan felt the heat in that gaze, full of pent up desire and shivered. He squirmed in his chair, feeling how tough it was on his tender backside.

“It's nothing, honestly!” Erasa squeaked.

“Just a joke,” Videl chimed in.

“Meet me after class, must talk to you about something urgently… Gohan…” mumbled Future Trunks. “What's all this?”

“Um, it's for the after study session!” Gohan blurted out.

“Right that's it!” Videl chimed in. “I wanted to remind my new tutor here that we were eager to get cracking open the books!”

“Well I'm glad to see you're so enthused, Miss Satan. Now let's jump ahead a bit to the end of chapter 1 and start chapter 2?” smirked Mr. Briefs, his eyes twinkling in amusement at Gohan. Erasa let out a huge sigh of relief then rested her chin on her folded hands while the teacher spun around. Videl swallowed hard, looking annoyed at the eyes trained on her. She mouthed a thank you to Gohan who nodded with a wink.

That's what brought Gohan here; waiting in the shade of a borrowed umbrella, dripping wet and soaked to the skin under his blue capsule jacket. Cars pulled up and people huddled under improvised rain shelters and a spectrum of umbrellas. Sharing a large umbrella with pictures of kittens on it, he recognized the gait of two women with arms linked, giggling as they stumbled through the puddles. Erasa and Videl were squeezed together, hip to hip as they struggled to share the shade of their umbrella. Both their hands were clasped around the shaft.

Seeing Gohan, they dashed between cars towards him. He grabbed the handle of the front door and opened it for them politely. Nodding their thanks, they stopped under the awning to swing their umbrella down. Erasa shook the water off it while Videl rubbed her arms and readjusted her soaked coat. Then they all bustled into the warmth and dryness of the café.

“This way ladies, glad you could make it,” Gohan led the way towards a nearby table. Other patrons either stood in line before the glass cases filled with various tasty treats. Some wandered past the coffee bar while others already sat down with their trays of sandwiches and cakes.

“There's a table,” Erasa pointed out. Videl smiled and rushed over to grab the chair and toss her jacket over it. Erasa and Gohan soon joined her, Gohan choosing the chair across from Videl while Erasa moved to set her books by Videl's chair. They had selected a table right by the window still, where they could watch the rain pattering on the streets while people strolled by or rushed in their efforts to stay dry or enjoy the precipitation.

“All right. We can all get coffee and something to eat, and then get cracking,” Gohan rubbed his hands together.

“What do you want Gohan? I'll get something for all of us,” Videl offered.

“Oh no, I'll get it!” Erasa insisted.

“No you won't. You'll sit down and let me bring you something, girl,” Videl nudged her by her hip. “Gohan?”

“I can…” he began, rising from his chair. “Why don't you save the places Erasa…?”

“If you insist!” she waved to them. Both Gohan and Videl moved up to the line behind the brass bars. Not quite able to make eye contact, they both took plastic brown trays and set them on the triple bars that others slid their purchases along. Videl grabbed a large fruit salad, wrapped in plastic, and a piece of chocolate cake drizzled in thick icing. Gohan piled a few plates laden with various sandwiches on his tray, along with a half dozen cookies.

“What did you want to see me about, Gohan?” she asked quietly.

“Well I was going to ask to meet you alone but I didn't want people to get the wrong idea,” Gohan said.

“Thank you,” Videl whispered. “For not kicking Erasa out. “

“I just need to tell you something. It's pretty important, but it can wait till after the study session,” Gohan sighed.

“Well Gohan, I… well I had hoped to say something myself. But it's going to come out sooner or later,” Videl said as he reached for a piece of coconut pie and set it on his tray. The line moved along, just shy of the coffee ordering counter.

“What's wrong Videl?” Gohan asked quietly, feeling the tension in her voice.

“I… well Gohan…”

“What will it be miss Satan?” asked the clerk politely.

“Um, a hot cappuccino, a cup of cocoa with whipped cream…” Videl said, flustered with the interruption.

“And you Mr. Son? The usual?”

“Yes please just plain coffee with cream and double sweet,” Gohan said. “Thank you!”

“It will be right up, just step to the side, and we'll call your number,” chirped the young woman, who had long red hair tied up in a bun under her net.

“Thank you,” Gohan smiled politely.

“But anyway, Gohan… I don't know how to break this to you…” Videl sighed, picking up her tray and almost dropping it. Gohan rescued it, and balanced it in his hand while carrying his in the other. Why wasn't she looking him right in the eye?

“Go ahead Videl. You can tell me anything,” Gohan said softly, standing close.

“Gohan, you're a very nice guy… and a very good friend… and we've shared a lot,” Videl began, and then sighed. “Damn, this is so hard to say…. And I don't want to upset you.”

“Videl, don't worry. Please just say what you need to. It's obvious you're preoccupied, so just come right out with it. I won't get mad,” said Gohan reassuringly. “Besides, I have to tell you something too… and I'm not sure how you'll take it.”

“I mean I care about you a lot but… you and me… it just…”

“Videl, it's all right, I understand…” Gohan blurted out. “I know it's not working well between us and I…”

“No, you don't… I don't' want to hurt you…” Videl protested, covering his words with her own.

“I know, and I don't' want to hurt you either, so I also need to tell you something too…” Gohan continued.

“You don't understand Gohan… I can't see you anymore…”

“You do?” Gohan flinched. “You mean you already know?”

“Know what?” Videl blinked at him, her eyes wide with uncertainty.

“You know I'm seeing someone else?” Gohan laughed awkwardly.

“You are… I mean you are…” Videl gasped. “You're serious?”

“Yes… wait Videl, you were saying…”

“This is crazy… here I was about to tell you that we needed to see other people and you're already with someone else?” Videl blinked.

“Don't be mad Videl… it all happened so fast and it…” Gohan stammered, seeing the narrowing of those blue eyes.

“Number 12!” shouted the beverage clerk.

“That's your order,” Gohan meekly replied.

“Thirteen, your order's ready!” shouted the clerk again. Gohan turned to grab his coffee but Videl grabbed him instead.

“But… this is amazing,” Videl managed to say, her voice breaking. “I didn't think that it would happen this way…”

“Videl… I'm sorry.”

“No, don't be Gohan. Don't you see this is all right… because I was all worried about admitting to you that I was seeing someone else I thought you'd be heartbroken and to hear you're already with someone else…?” Videl half laughed in disbelief.

“12 and 13! Please get your beverages!” the cheerful but insistent voice cut in.

“Oh, let me,” Videl offered, rushing past Gohan to get their drinks. She returned balancing hers and Erasa's on top of one another, and Gohan's in her opposite hand. They turned to one another and juggled drinks to set them on trays before returning to their seat.

“I'm famished!” Erasa commented, when Videl set the dray between them.

“One hot cappuccino and a hot chocolate,” Videl offered. “A fruit salad and a chicken Cesar… and chocolate cake!”

“Mmm, and a straw?” Erasa asked.

“Right here,” Videl passed it to her, and she leaned over to kiss her cheek.

“Thank you so much sweetie,” Erasa smiled, then leaned back when Gohan set his tray down.

“It's all right, I know,” Gohan held up a hand, with a smile of his own gracing that handsome face.

“You do?” Erasa blinked up at him. She squeezed Videl's hand, sitting on the table.

“I'm happy for you both. Really I am,” Gohan beamed. “I hope things go well for you…”

“It's all right,” Videl whispered in her ear. Erasa blushed, and then Gohan coughed discretely.

“Well, shall we get started? I believe we've got a whole chapter to cover, and one of you is rather math phobic?”

“Well, I'm okay with precalc,” Erasa nibbled on her straw as she sipped her cocoa. “But Videl here…”

“So I'm lousy at algebra, so sue me,” Videl poked Erasa in the ribs teasingly.

“Ladies, let's dive in feet first?” Gohan smiled, feeling relief settle over him like a familiar blanket. Seeing the two women share food off one another's trays made him melt inside. Yet he wished Trunks were there sitting in the empty chair by his side. Books were opened and set in the empty space, while Gohan whipped out a pad of paper and took the pencil from his bag to start scribbling equations.

He held a chicken sandwich in one hand and tucked the pencil behind his ears after scratching his temple with it. Mumbling he grabbed his glasses from the case in his bag and slipped them on.

“I just don't' get why there are four quantum numbers,” Videl glared at the problems.

“But it's like an address, see?” Gohan pointed to the K, L, and M numbers.

“But plus and minus?”

“Up or down,” Erasa brightly giggled. “Plus or minus. It's right there honey…”

She reached over Videl's wrist to point to the diagram in the book they had spread between them. Crumbs feel from the sandwich and she brushed them aside. Videl blinked then the penny seemed to drop into place when she said, “Oh yeah…”

“Coordinates. Then each of these is a part of the wave function…” Gohan recited, light gleaming off his glasses.

“How are my budding quantum physicists doing?” interrupted a voice. Erasa and Videl glanced up into the cobalt blue eyes of Mr. Briefs. Standing there with his raincoat over one arm clutching the briefcase, he held a tray laden with several sandwiches.

“Mr.… Briefs?” Gohan flinched, and then stared up into Future Trunk's amused face. “We… we're right in the middle of one and…”

“Relax, Mr. Son. Mind if I join you?” he asked, and Gohan and Videl moved books aside while he set his tray down. Chairs creaked and slid while he sat down next to Gohan, and settled into place.

“It's still kind of weird, but cool, these quantum numbers… and all,” Erasa commented, licking icing off her upper lip. Mr. Briefs swung a packet of sweetener back and forth between thumb and index finger. He ripped it open.

“Glad to see you're meeting with your new Tutor, Miss Graphite. And Miss Satan, I hope that you're also finding these helpful,” Mr. Briefs asked, opening his plastic cup to discharge the packet of sweetener inside. His arm brushed Gohan's and he felt the warm gaze of dark eyes through those glasses at him. Invisible energy crackled between them, and Gohan shyly smiled.

“Nice of you to join us, sir,” Gohan softly informed him.

“Glad to be here,” Future Trunks nodded, his knee bumping Gohan's under the table. Both couples, one known and the other secret feasted on cake and coffee while the rain pattered against the window. Just what the future held was anyone's guess.