In the Aftermath
A DBZ Oneshot Fanfic

A/N: Originally posted on the dbzhell tumblr on November 09, 2015 as part of a request prompt. Takes some liberties with how the Buu Saga ends after everyone is reunited.

Prompt: Things you said when you were scared. (Gohan & Videl)

Videl let out a low sigh as she allowed herself to drop to the ground, resting her back against one of the many oddly placed trees on the Lookout. Saying she was exhausted would've been a gross understatement – after all that happened within the last day (few days? she didn't know, she lost track pretty quickly after her round during the tournament) she felt as though she could've slept for a week and still not be fully recovered.

She had died.

The world had been destroyed.

And then, in the blink of an eye, everything was brought back. Restored, good as new. The monster was defeated with the help of Gohan's father, Mr. Briefs, and, oddly enough, her own father. The threat was gone and everyone was alive, including Gohan's father…she still didn't fully understand the situation with that man and his family, despite it being explained to her multiple times. It was all just too much to wrap her head around that she could barely focus.

Gohan's smile when his dad said he was back for good was nice though. She swore she had never seen the boy so happy. And his mother looked as though she was floating on cloud nine.

Videl suppose she couldn't fault either of them for that. If her own mother suddenly appeared and said she was back for good, she'd probably be elated beyond belief. As was, all Videl wanted to do was go home and crawl into bed and sleep for a year.

She frowned as she heard Buu's loud voice coupled with her father's boisterous laughter, the noises shattering her train of thought. Shifting so that she could look around the tree she was leaning up against, she caught sight of her father and Gohan's father talking, with Buu standing just behind Hercule looking oddly curious about the discussion. Her eyes set into a glare as she observed the pink blob.

That's right.

He was going to go home with them.

I wonder if I can convince Gohan to let me stay with him tonight? She instantly shook her head at the thought, knowing that his family would need the night to get caught up with each other. That man, Goku, had been dead for seven years after all, there was a lot he missed out on. Goten – who suddenly ran over to his father and jumped on his back (and Videl was surprised at how well the man took the sudden new weight; he didn't even flinch, just quickly brought a hand up to ruffle his son's hair) – had never met his father before this last tournament.

She couldn't intrude on that.

And besides, she had grown to respect Chi-Chi quite a bit, despite their less than stellar first meeting. She didn't think it'd be proper to be in the woman's home as she got…reacquainted with her husband.

Videl blanched at the thought and quickly shook her head to get the disturbing images out of her mind.

No, she'd just have to put up with Buu and get use to him, for he was going to stay for good. Once her father made his mind up about something, he stuck to it no matter what. It was probably how he was able to fool the world for so many years, and likely continue to do so for many years to come.

"Hey, you ok?" Videl jumped at the sudden voice and spun around to face Gohan, only to bang her head against the trunk of the tree. She gave out a quiet string of cusses as he quickly kneeled down next to her, a large hand gently pressing against where she smacked her head. "Oh gosh, I'm sorry Videl! I didn't mean to scare you!"

She laughed, touched by his concern, and shook off his hand. "I'm fine, don't worry. I've handled worse." She winced as she recalled all that had happened yet again.

Yeah. She's been through a lot worse.

Gohan sighed, his hands dropping to the ground as he re-positioned himself into a sitting position. "I'm sorry about that too," he muttered, voice low and quiet. "There are a lot of things I could've done to prevent everything and–"

Videl glared and quickly reached out to smack his shoulder, effectively stopping his speech. He winced, but she knew that she sustained more damage from the hit than he did; her hand stung and she could tell it was red without looking at it. "Now don't you start that!" she demanded, her voice loud and harsh. "This was all out of your control, so don't you dare start talking down on yourself! You just saved the world, we're all alive, and you got your dad back!" He seemed to brighten at the mention of the last thing, and she began to realize just how important of a figure his father was to him. "Don't blame yourself. Just…don't."

Gohan gave her a guilty smile, but nodded nonetheless. "Yes ma'am." And then his smile dropped, replaced with a frown as his brow creased. She watched with concerned eyes as he suddenly looked down at his lap, his hands fidgeting as he brought them together. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, as if he wanted to say something but couldn't find the right way to force the words out. She hesitantly reached out and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, causing his black onyx eyes to move up and meet her light violet ones. She gave him an encouraging smile. That seemed to lift his confidence up, for he quickly took a deep breath and spoke. "Listen, I really am sorry for everything that's happened. I dragged you into all this, and I know it can be a bit…overwhelming." He sighed and looked away, bringing one hand up to rub the back of his neck. "I know there are times where I would prefer to have a different life…and if you want to back out and not really talk to me again, that's… well, I'd understand."

Videl was silent for a long while, absorbing what he said. He looked so…nervous and frightened. "It really is overwhelming, that's true…" she began, speaking slowly as she watched him wince. A fearful gleam was shining in his eyes, as if he was dreading what she would say next. She smirked, scoffing a bit in the process. Did he really think she would just walk away after all that? "But don't worry, you doof, I'm in this for the long run!"

Gohan's eyes widened and his shoulders went slack, hands dropping to rest on his legs. "What?" he stuttered out, "Really? You're not gonna walk away, even with all the danger and…and weirdness?"

She nodded and gave him a gentle tap on the shoulder, being sure not to put so much effort into her hit this time. "Yeah! I'm stubborn, remember?"

The grin he gave her made her heart skip a beat and the sudden desire to kiss him hit her like a train. But the snickering from a nearby Goku and Goten, coupled with the happy sighs of Chi-Chi and the angry rants from Hercule, stopped her from doing so.

There would be plenty of opportunities in the future after all.