Once Gohan set Videl to her feet and the two gazed into each other's eyes, the elated crime fighter then shook her head at him in incredulity. "Idiot. Why didn't you wake me up to let me know that you were alright?"
The boy chuckled, "Honestly, I was really tempted to. But you just looked so peaceful lying across my bed with the moonlight bouncing off of your cheeks that I just couldn't bring myself to wake you." He then grinned cheekily and looked over his shoulder in a very sly manner. "Plus… there was this other girl that I really needed to see across town, so I decided to-ow!" He was cut off when Videl punched him in the chest.
A frown remained across her lips as she half-scolded, half-humored him. "Don't spoil it, you spiky haired jackass. While I'm not sure about you, I'm still trying to come to terms with the fact that you're all better now. Just give me a few moments to catch my breath before you start throwing wise cracks my way," the girl stated, giving him a foul smirk before wrapping her arms around his neck. A loving gleam then appeared in her eye following her gesture, which then gave way to the raven haired firecracker leaning closer to her boyfriend and rising up on her toes. "Geez. You really know how to give your family and friends a hard time without even knowing it. Getting sick, spazzing out in the middle of class, and ending up unconscious in a hospital wing with round-the-clock doctors and nightmares for over a week… honestly, you scared us half to death."
Gohan, feeling his chest flutter at the look he saw in the girl's irises, beamed warmly, "Sorry for making you worry so much for me, Videl." He then reached over and tucked some stray hairs behind her ear. "After all the trouble you and the others had to go through over the past several days, I promise I won't let anything like this happen again." He then placed a hand over her cheek and caressed it soothingly. "The last thing I want is to cause you anymore pain."
Her stare shimmering with joy and relief, the teenager's complexion noticeably brightened, "If that's the case, then I'll work extra hard to make sure you keep your promise."
The demi-Saiyan laughed a little, "Hey. That's supposed to be my line."
Videl grinned playfully in response, "Bite me." The next thing she knew, both of them had closed the one inch distance between them and locked lips in a tender kiss. Closing their eyes the instant they made contact, both teenagers then began gently clawing at one another for extra purchase, with the raven haired beauty moving her arms further around the Saiyan's neck while her boyfriend secured his grip around her waist. The embrace was sweet and affectionate, with both expressing all their pent up emotions from the past ten days into that one gesture.
While the two of them continued to make out in the middle of the training room floor, over by the GR's blast-proof entrance, several more figures made their appearance on the scene. Stepping into view of the archway, a calm looking Zangya along with a previously frantic Erasa and Lime, made their presences known to the two warriors inside.
Panting from an obviously brisk jog, the brown haired country girl gasped. "Hey! Any luck finding him in he-oh?" It was then she spotted her two best friends embroiled in what could easily be identified as a public display of affection, despite the fact that they'd started out alone. However, after quickly grasping the fact that Gohan had successfully been found and was obviously doing alright, Lime took a moment to relax and breathed a heavy sigh of relief. "Never mind."
"Has he… been training this entire time?" Erasa asked, shooting an inquisitive glance across at Vegeta, who was still leaning up against the adjacent wall.
When the prince stood off of it, the group was also joined by the still drowsy, pajama-wearing Bulma, who came strolling into the room curious to find out what was going on. The Saiyan royal grunted at the blonde's innocent question, "I woke up over an hour ago to get some extra training in before breakfast. But the instant I walked into the room, I saw that it was already being occupied by the brat."
"That would be a yes, then?" Erasa responded dryly, looking on as both the gruff fighter and his wife ambled over to accompany them.
"I didn't bother disturbing him, since I wanted to see what he could do after being out of commission for over a week," Vegeta said, leaning into the doorframe with his shoulder to watch Gohan and Videl continue their private performance. "As I expected, he hasn't lost a single bit of his strength."
Lime nodded in understanding, "That's good to know." No way they could they have the strongest man in the world going slack and potentially putting all of them in mortal peril. That would be terrible.
Confused as to that little assessment, the lithe blonde standing in the middle regarded the demi-Saiyan with interest, "But… didn't Gohan just have a really bad heart attack? How is that possible?" By her understanding, anyone who suffered from cardiovascular failure of that degree would've been bedridden for weeks and practically crippled.
"He's a Saiyan… well… half-Saiyan, really. Their genetics allow every member of their race to adapt and gain strength from whatever kind of damage done to them, whether it's from a vicious beating or a deadly virus," Bulma informed, crossing her arms and smiling into the center of the GR. "Since the strain Gohan was infected with was so potent, his immune system has gotten a massive kick-start and energy boost. That means his resistance to bacterial and viral infections has increased tenfold."
It was this news that drew a sense of utter amazement from the two school girls and a curious look from Zangya, the latter of whom then smiled brightly before quickly turning her attention back to the reason why all of them had come here.
The next minute passed by at a snail's pace. In that time, every single person watching from the sidelines wondered to themselves whether or not the two love birds were ever going to separate from their little exhibit. The display becoming more passionate by the second as the pair's hands started to roam all over one another, a couple of the female audience members started to fidget uncomfortably, as seeing the two in such a state slowly began feeding the hormone overloaded group some rather inappropriate ideas. This was most apparent in Erasa and Lime, both of whom looked on enviously as their girlfriend finished making up for lost time with her boyfriend.
A few seconds later and the pair eventually separated from their tender clinch, with Gohan and Videl ending the engagement with a gasp and a look into their opposite's eyes. When they finally realized they weren't alone anymore, the pair's gazes quickly snapped towards the training room's entrance, where they saw most of their friends watching them intently from the sidelines. Noticing the offbeat expressions they were wearing, the pair separated from one another and grinned sheepishly in their direction.
"Oh, hey guys. Good morning," Gohan greeted, at the same time Videl ran her fingers through her hair and looked away in a very girlie, very bashful manner. "Check it out. I'm all better now."
"You don't waste any time, do you, stud?" Rubbing her tired eye out, a grinning Bulma then looked upon the boy proudly. "Looks like that cure for the heart virus we managed to hash out from the sample we got from Trunks seven years ago worked like a charm." She then nodded towards her former patient probingly. "How's your chest? Have you got any aches and pains anywhere?"
Propping his hands on his hips, the demi-Saiyan shook his head. "Nope. Body's as tight as a drum." He emphasized this with a quick knock to his chest. "Not a cramp, stitch or sore muscle to report."
"What about lightheadedness? Are you feeling faint?"
"Flight check…" Gohan then flicked his bang of hair back and tested his form's natural equilibrium, "Pilot's good… so is the plane." His little gesture drew amused giggles from Erasa and Lime, both from his playful puns and the boyish grin he threw them at the end. "It's alright, Bulma. I'm fine."
His answer had the blue-haired scientist nod in relief, "Excellent. That's just what I wanted to hear."
Skipping over to the demi-Saiyan while he expressed his appreciation to the world renowned inventor, Erasa skidded to a stop in front of the boy and beamed at him. Taking a moment to admire his chiseled chest and broad shoulders up close, the blonde then spoke in a cheerful and happy voice, "We're so glad to see you're doing alright, Gohan. Your mum, your brother… everyone was worried sick about you." Sparing a glance over at her best friend of many years to see her beam back in kind, the girl in the pajamas turned her attention back to her crush. At which stage she then slipped her hands behind her and swayed nervously on the spot. "And… so was I."
Nodding his acknowledgement to Erasa's concerns, the spiky haired fighter placed a hand on her shoulder and gripped it reassuringly. "I know. I sensed all of you while I was sleeping… and I could tell how hard it must've been sitting there at my bedside, making sure that I made it through every night." He then lowered his head meekly. "I don't know how I'll be able to repay you… or know if you'll ever be able to forgive me… but-" All of sudden, Gohan was cut off when the blonde in front of him stood up on her toes and pecked him on the cheek, which she immediately followed up by pulling his face around to meet her gaze.
Smile firmly in play, the beautiful, kind-hearted teen nodded to him in earnest, "Apology accepted." Before the boy could mount any sort of reply, she then gave him a big, welcoming hug, which he immediately returned to let her know how much it meant to him. Feeling his warm embrace envelop her like a blanket, Erasa sighed. "Great to have you back, nerd boy."
A chuckle followed the girl's teasing jab, "It's good to be back." When the teen finally released him, the adult hybrid was able to catch his breath. However, his moment of relief was to be short-lived, as Lime shoved her way to the front and, without warning, punched the Z-fighter squarely in the stomach. The unexpected blow damn near had Gohan double over and crash to his knees, as half the air in his body was literally knocked out of his lungs. Gasping and clutching the knuckle imprint in his abs, the Saiyan warrior then looked up to see the brown haired country girl glaring right at him. He grinned sheepishly when he noticed how mad she was. "Heh… hey, Lime."
"Don't you 'hey Lime' me, mister," the childhood friend scowled, before blamefully pointing at the dashing martial artist. "You've got a lot of nerve taking off like that and not letting us know you were cured. The five of us were looking all over the place for you."
Gohan, wincing at the volume in her voice, scratched the back of his head in his typical Son manner, "Sorry about that."
Lime grunted and folded her arms over her chest, "Unlike some of the other guys here, I'm not as forgiving as Videl and Erasa when it comes to stuff like this. People who suddenly get up and run away after being in serious, critical condition don't get a simple flyby from me. Tell me… how do you plan to make up for all the worry and trouble you've caused us over the last ten days?"
Wheezing slightly as he straightened up, the Saiyan then forced out another, weak smile, "Would you… like me to go over your math and literacy homework… and help you get started on your Ancient History report?"
Lime didn't say anything for the next few seconds as she tapped her foot against the tiled floor and carefully considered the teen's proposal of assistance. Taking into account all of the work she'd taken on over the past couple of weeks from school and the difficulty of the numeracy material she'd encountered, the brown haired farm girl then cracked a bright smile and extended her hand gleefully. "Deal." When Gohan reached out with his to take it, he suddenly had to brace himself when the girl ducked in and gave him a hug instead. Laughing a little at how enthusiastic she was about it, the demi-Saiyan felt both assurance and joy, as he knew that everything was going to be alright.
For some reason he felt a whole lot lighter. It was like a week's worth of stress and woes had been lifted clear off of his shoulders with the girls' affectionate gestures.
After all, he knew better than anyone that Lime didn't mean what she said earlier. Though she appeared mad on the surface, in reality it was just her acting out of worry for his health and safety. To put it in simple terms, she was just as relieved as everybody else that he was alright. She just had a different way of showing it.
When Lime eventually released the boy from her hold and stepped away, Gohan's gaze was then drawn towards his right due to the feeling of another set of eyes locked onto him. He then felt his insides jump a little when he saw Zangya was also staring at him intently, a serious glare drawn across her face and her arms crossed. Considering he was already receiving the usual thousand yard stare from Vegeta and had been ceremoniously punched in the solar plexus by Lime, he'd hate to think what the Hera would do to him if she was in any way pissed off.
The Saiyan held his ground, standing before the orange haired girl's ire with his arms at his sides and a pleasant look on his face. "I guess it's your turn to scold me for my insensitivity, huh?" He then sighed and closed his eyes, raising his hands ever so slightly. "Go ahead. Lay it on me. Just keep all the blows above the belt and below the hair line. It parts funny when it gets lumps."
Seeing the teen open up to her, Zangya then had a smile spread across her lips as a chuckle then escaped her lips. "Really? Keep it above the belt? That leaves out all the fun stuff." When the demi-Saiyan cracked an eye open to look across at her, the Hera then walked closer to him. "Don't worry, spike. I'm not going to beat you up." She then stopped a few feet in front of the teen and looked him right in the eye. "I'm just glad to see you're alive again. Not to mention you're looking fitter than ever."
"Well, it's a good thing I'm feeling fitter than ever too. It's a set," Gohan said, scratching his cheek with his finger and grinning nervously at the woman. "That's what I was able to figure out over the last hour, at least."
Returning his remarks with a fond look, Zangya then took a moment to check him out. Shamelessly admiring his sweat-covered body, from his big arms, to his broad chest and his tasty looking abs, the orange haired demon had to take a deep breath to maintain her composure. Clearing her throat when her breath hitched, the woman then flashed the barely dressed teen a delightful grin, "It's always good to get out and stretch your legs after being a vegetable for a certain period of time." She then tilted her head at the Z-fighter curiously. "Speaking of which, did you happen to do any lifting while you were jumping around down here? Because you look great." No. Better than great! He looked like a bona fide, professional athlete advertising the latest in men's undergarments.
It was hot.
Gohan then looked around the room they were in and shrugged, "Does over a thousand times gravity count? If it does… then yes." When he saw the woman's smile grow at his answer, the teen then stepped towards her and his gaze warmed. "Though I didn't see what was happening while I was unconscious, I was still able to feel everything that was going on around the place. You guys must've gone through hell to make sure that I was alright." He then nodded to the Hera gratefully. "Thanks for looking out for me, Zangya. I owe you everything."
Initially the Hera looked as though she was going to take the boy's compliments and words of appreciation calmly and collectedly, like she always did. However, with all the crap that'd gone on in the last ten days, combined with the teen's smile bombarding her at close range, Zangya couldn't stand it anymore. With a deep shade of red appearing in her cheeks, which prompted her to shake her head in frustration, the Z-fighter had had enough.
"Fuck it. Come here." Without even taking a moment to think about it, the orange haired beauty grabbed Gohan by the shoulders, pulled him in, and gave him a searing kiss right on the mouth.
It happened so fast that Gohan didn't even have time to gasp. The stunning sucker punch to the face had the Saiyan recipient freeze up in shock, as what felt like an electric current shot right through his body, leaving him standing there with a thunderstruck expression slapped across his mug and his back as stiff as a board. Feeling the woman's arms tighten around him as one hand moved to tangle with his hair while the other remained behind his neck and shoulder, the teen attempted to figure out why this was happening and how things suddenly ended up like this. But as Zangya deepened the kiss, all his thoughts on the matter were effectively dispelled and replaced by the unmistakable sensation of enjoyment.
The rest of the group though had different reactions.
Videl and Lime reacted in the typical gob-smacked manner, their jaws dropping and shoulders slumping in utter disbelief. Though they figured the alien woman definitely held a strong fondness for the teen hero, never in their young lives did they expect the female warrior to act on them so suddenly… and in front of the rest of their group no less. The result was shocking enough to put their heartbeats on hold and stop their breathing for a full minute.
The only exception to the group of beautiful girls currently gathered in that chamber who didn't act like the world was falling apart around them was Erasa. Though the reporter in training was initially stunted like the rest of her companions, the blonde, acting on her journalistic instincts, was quick to recover from her alarmed state, grin cheekily, pull out her smart phone, and snap a couple of pictures.
For documentary purposes, of course.
Dispelling her surprise at her own volition, Bulma, scratching the top of her head, allowed a wide smile to appear as she stood back and enjoyed the sight of Gohan's friends gaping at their boyfriend like a school of guppies. The only person who didn't seem remotely shocked by this development was Vegeta, with the prince merely looking away and exhaling in boredom.
Obviously the man had been expecting this event for some time now, which was why he appeared even more frustrated at how flabbergasted everyone was acting as opposed to incredulous.
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