Pairings: G/B, U/M, eventually T/P
Rating: R
Warnings: Cursing, not much else. Perhaps later, if you want?
Disclaimer: I don't own them, you probably don't either.
Notes: Enjoy.
When You Smile
3?
"No! I will not degrade myself in such a way." I glare at the red dress Bra is holding up in front of me, then frown as I look it over again. Geez, it's way too revealing. Glancing back at Bra's face, she just smiles. She's smiling; she's enjoying my misery. So typical of her.
"Just try it, Pan. Trunks will like it, I'm sure." She winks at me before stepping out of roomroomy, square fitting room, laughing at the look on my face as she leaves. I turn my back to the curtain after making sure nobody is able to peek inside, and look at the dress again.
"Yeah right. Trunks'll like it." I snort. He'd better like it a whole lot if I'm going to wear it to that stupid ball of his. I raise the dark red fabric over my head and pull it down. Shoving the curtain aside, I walk out of the fitting room hesitantly.
"Pan?" My eyes snap up to Goten's face. Yeah, it gets you wondering just how much he's wrapped around Bra's little finger if she got him to go shopping with the two of us. She claimed that I definitely need a man's opinion. Right.
If he ever dreamed of disagreeing with her then he'd be sleeping on the couch for a week.
Surprise and shock are apparent on his face as he just stares at me, and I blush. Is it too much? I shift my eyes to Bra's face and see a big smile on it. Then she slaps my Uncle on the back of his head to make him stop starit met me like I've got a second head.
"Look in the mirror." I do as she says and turn to the mirror. Silent, I give myself a once over. The red dress reaches my ankles, and it's got two thin straps holding it up. It shows some cleavage, but it's decent, and there are sparkles everywhere. Simple, but elegant.
"You look positively beautiful, Pan." Bra comments as she turns me back around to face her and takes my hands in hers, spreading them to give her a better view. She lifts her head up and to the side to look at Goten, "Well, what do you think, hon?"
Goten looks back at her, before his eyes trail my form again and he nods. He steps up to me, and lays a hand on my shoulder. Lowering his face to my height, he gazes deep into my eyes as I wait expectantly for his vocal oppinion.
"Who are you, and what have you done to my niece?" Shit. That's just what I needed.
"Goten! Be nice and say what's on your mind." Bra orders as she gives him a jab in the ribs. Goten smiles widely and stands his full height again. He glances at Bra, before eyeing me again.
"I like it."
Hn.
I smile as I watch Blacky walking into my bedroom, and he jumps onto the bed. His adorable little face lowers onto his paws after he lays down on the sheets. Luckily I've already hung the dress inside the closet. Don't think he would've allowed it to stay in one piece if I'd left it on the bed.
Lowering one of my hands from behind my head till it rests comfortably, but lightly on his little head, I gaze at the cealing and try to decide if I should go make dinner or order some pizza.
"Pizza. Don't wanna cook." I'm terribly tired from the day. Tonight is the big night, and since I've already done all my work for school, I want to rest as much as possible before I have to leave.
Rolling over onto my stomach, I grab the phone from the hook and pause to look at the red dress that's hanging on the closet door. Thankfully I already shopped yesterday for a dress with Bra and Goten, I don't think I would've had the energy to do so this afternoon.
My hand raises the phone to my ear after dialling the right number, and I wait for the pizza guy to pick up before ordering. I need to be ready at 8 and I don't know if they'll have a banquet at this event, so I better eat something before that time.
I slam the phone on the bedside table again, and flop back onto the sheets. Just hope he'll appreciate me dressing up for him, 'cause the dress wasn't cheap, you know? Bra and Goten tried to get me to let them pay for it, but of course I refused. I can take care of myself, damnit.
Getting up and plopping down on the window seat, I gaze outside. There are children playing, and birds are chirping, but it's not so hot anymore. I smile as I see that my neighbours are arguing again, though I can see as well as the next person that they love each other.
Mixed feelings. That's what I'm having. On one hand, I don't mind going to this ball with Trunks, 'cause maybe it shows that he feels something for me too. But on the other hand, I don't know if I'll be able to enjoy myself in a room full of people in suits and dresses. Rich people in suits and dresses. Snobby too, probably.
Then again, Trunks'll be with me.
Oh well.
After eating a greasy pizza, showering, dressing and grooming I'm finally able to just sit down on the couch and relax until Trunks swings by to pick me up. I decided to let my hair fall loose around my shoulders and keep the make-up to a minimum.
I'm looking nice, so that'll have to do.
The bell rings, so I get up and grab my black purse from the coffee table. Walking over to the door, I nervously check myself in the mirror that hangs there one last time. Take a deep breath and calm yourself, girl!
"Pan?" Trunks smiles as I slowly open my front door. He just stares at me with this smirk on his face, and I can distinctly feel crimson racing to my cheeks. Great.
"Hello, Trunks." Well, what am I supposed to say! Sheesh.
"You look great." My cheeks redden even further as he takes my hand in his and raises it to his lips, then softly kisses it. Gentleman, huh?
I close the door behind me, before he starts to lead me down the corridor and to the elevator. We wait as the doors open and step in, me trying not to stare at how good he looks in that black tux. A nice tie around that nice neck, and a white dress shirt underneath the jacket.
"So, how have you been?" Trunks asks and I can see that cute smirk on his lips again. He's really enjoying my embarrassment, isn't he? Well, I won't give him complete satisfaction.
"A bit busy, I guess. Been having a bit of a problem with some of my homework, but it was solved quickly. Just glad I'm done." I smile as the doors open again to let us out. After walking out of the building, and seeing what our transport will be, my jaw nearly drops.
A huge, black limousine is standing at the curb, and I can juboutbout see the driver in front. Oh man, he's really outdone himself.
"Nice," I murmur as we approach the vehicle, Trunks holding my hand and pulling me forward, "very nice," I add as an afterthought, not sure if I'm talking about the limo or his behind. We enter the limo and sit next to each other. The car starts moving only moments after, and I look out the blinded window.
"Do you want something to drink?" Trunks offers me a glass of champagne, or that's what it looks like, and I accept it with a nod. Wow, this is nice. A smile dances on my lips as I watch the way his mouth frames the glass he's drinking from. Nice, yeah.
Great, I'm blushing again.
"Oh Mr. Briefs! Who is that lovely lady beside you?" Ditz nr. 15 asks, keeping a pleasant expression on her face while glaring at me from the corner of her eye.
"Ms. Bundt, this is Pan Son. Pan, this is Ms. Bundt from Bundt Enterprises." So she has a name after all? I lift the corners of my lips a tiny bit and nod at the woman, who nods back at me while still glaring. No way will I smile at this bitch.
"And who is she? Your girlfriend?" I blush, but Trunks doesn't even flinch. This is the first time someone asked such a blunt question since we arrived in the great hall of this huge hotel uptown. It's a relitively nice place, the music's not too bad, but sadly enough the people are terrible. I don't feel comfortable here, at all. Either the women here are glaring at me, or being positively rude to me. Or both.
Married women? The same case. Glaring, jealous stares and snobbish conversations.
"No, she's just a friend of mine." My heart sinks at that. I don't know why. I mean, I should've expected it. 'Just a friend', yeah. A friend that wants more, but who am I? Fuck this.
Ms. Bitch just smiles smugly at me, before turning her attention back to Trunks. Raising my eyes to look at them, I almost grimace at the way she's 'subtly' rubbing up against him. I excuse myself, giving some lame excuse that I want something to drink. Yeah, some liquor would definitely lighten my spirits.
I don't turn to look at them as I walk to the table with the refreshments and grab whatever's closest to me. This has been the umpteenth time some woman is trying to brush me off, though that was the first time someone directly asked about my relationship with Trunks. And to make things worse; half of the women in this room are more beautiful than I could ever hope to be.
Not feeling so nice now, no.
"Ms. Son?" A female voice speaks up from behind me, and I turn from my inspection of the ridiculously sized table to face the woman. Ah, Ditz nr. 16 has arrived. And I'm just having soooo much fun over here!
"Yes?" She smiles deceptively at me, swirling the red wine in her glass before taking a sip and setting the glass down on the table next to us. What the hell does she want? I agitatedly shift from one foot to the other, trying not to step on the red fabric of my own dress.
"You are with Mr. Briefs, are you not?" She pushes her long auburn hair back with a deftly manicured hand, giving me a stare from head to toe. She's one of the beautiful women in the ; lo; long black dress, slim figure, you name it. Arrogance just comes with the package I guess.
"Yes." I try not to glare at her as I lift my glass to my lips and gulp the contents down without stopping to breathe once. She keeps that honey-sweet smile on her lips, and stays pleasant. Oh do I want to rip her throat out.
"And what do you do for a living, if I may ask?" No, you may not, but you do it just the same, don't you? Miss Universe crosses her arms in front of her voluptuous chest as I pick up another glass from the plate of a passing waiter. Didn't know I could drink so much in so little time.
"I'm in college." I reply, and pretend not to hear it when she snorts. It seems like she doesn't hold students in the highest esteem. Again I wonder why Trunks asked me with him to this ball. I really don't understand him, it's not like I do anything to heighten his social status.
She glances at me, a haughty and calculating look in her eyes, and tries to guess my age. Perhaps I look older than I am, for she says: "You're a college student? And what are you of Mr. Briefs? His girlfriend?"
She speaks the last word with such venom that her whole face crumples up into this weird expression. It almost makes me laugh.
"No, I am just a friend of Trunks'." I hardly keep the bitter tone from my voice. Her smile instantly grows bigger as she turns on her heel and practically runs in Trunks' direction. Trunks, who is talking to other businessmen, while Ms. Bundt still clings steadfastedly to his arm.
I laugh at myself humourlessly for ever thinking I could possibly have a chance with him. What the hell was I thinking when I told Goten and Bra? Stupid me, wearing a stupid dress, at a stupid party with stupid people. Lovely. Just lovely.
Someone clears their throat behind me, and I turn around, practically spitting fire. Ready to yell at the new woman, I'm startled when a young man (in what I estimate his mid-twenties) looks back at me. He's a handsome guy, I admit, after looking him over for a minute.
"Hello, my name's Simon. Would you care to dance?" He asks as he holds out his hand to me with a pleasant smile on his face. I muster up a polite smile for him, deciding to decline, when I glance back over to Trunks and see him still talking to others, only that hideous woman has joined them. And yes, Ms. Bundt is still being persistent ovherehere.
"Why not."
Okay, so I drank a bit too much. No biggie.
Contrary to beliefs, we part-Saiyajins are not so alcohol-resistant as we like to think we are. Yes, we get drunk sometimes. Yes, we all feel fuzzy and happy when we're in the right state of mind after we drink.
On the other hand, sometimes we only feel more miserable.
Here I am, dancing with this really cute guy to a slow song, with his arms wrapped around my waist, and all I can think about is my misery. Can't I just enjoy it when a nice man is paying attention to me?
I ignore it all, and try to keep my mind pleasantly blank as we turn in small circles on the dancefloor, other couples all around us. I've got no idea where my 'friend' is, and honestly, by this time, I don't care anymore. He hasn't come looking for me, hasn't done anything to let me know he's interested in dancing with me, so he can just kiss my-
"May I cut in?" A sudden voice interrupts my train of thought, and I look up from what's-his-name's shoulder to look at Trunks. He doesn't look too happy. I wonwhy?why?
"Sure." Simon replies as he lets go of me and steps away, allowing Trunks room to take his former place. Trunks just wraps one of his arms around my waist, the other gently holds my hand in the right position, and I hesitantly wrap my other arm around his neck. So he thinks he can just cut in after ignoring me the whole time?
Trunks gazes down at me, a frown on his handsome face. His silence would be annoying and unsettling at any other time, but now I honestly didn't care. And yet, he broke that silence after a moment.
"Why weren't you with me? I mean, it doesn't look good if my own escort is dancing with another man." I immediately stop moving to the music, and just stand still, trying to find out if what I just heard come out of his mouth is really what he said. Glancing at his creased brows, my face pales. Yep.
I glare up at him. I cannot believe he just asked me that. He's the one that's been acting as if I don't exist! He didn't even look at me when I stepped away from him!
"Well, then I wonder how it will look when I do this!" I hiss as I turn on my heel and push my way through the crowd, anger lancing through every fiber of my body as I practically stomp out of the building. Oh great, just great!
Salty water is pouring from the heavens non-stop, but I just don't care anymore. He should've just paid more attention to me if he wanted me by his side. Why does he care what I did? I mean, I just don't understand why he tells others I'm a friend and lets other women cling to him like he's a fucking lifeline or something, and then comes up to me and has the nerve to tell me it 'doesn't look good'!
As I said, I drank a little too much.
Running down the stairs, I try not to trip over my own feet. That would just be what I ed. ed. A nice fall down endlessly long stairs. When I fly rly reach the bottom of said stairs, I realize I have no transportation to take me back home. I'm just having the time of my life!
Glancing around for someone to help me, I suddenly hear Trunks behind me. He's too darn late; I'm soaked to the bone by the heavy downpour, I realize I forgot my coat inside, and I'm pretty damn sure my make-up's ruined and my hair's framing my face.
"Pan!" He rushes down the stairs, having a hell of a better time doing it with his flat shoes than with my heels, and drapes his jacket over my shivering shoulders. I sneeze and glare up at him, wishing I could just sink into the ground and never come back up.
"Come, we'll take the car back to my place, so I can take care of you if you're sick." He doesn't give me the chance to argue as he whistles for the car and pushes me into it. I open my mouth to yell at him, when he just holds his fingertips to my lips to shush me.
"Don't even start, Pan. We'll talk later."
I grimace as I step into his bedroom, the squishing of my shoes an annoying sound to my own ears. He has a huge bed, that's the first thing I notice in his spacious, dark-coloured room.
Trunks leads me over to his bathroom that's connected to the room, and opens the door for me. I glance up at him before stepping into the room and he closes it behind me, then I hear his voice through the door.
"Take a shower. You can hang your dress on the drying rack, clean towels and washcloths are in the cabinet. I'll leave some clothes of mine on the chair beside the door, so you will have something dry to wear."
I sigh as I hear his footsteps fading away and start bunching the wet dress up my hips, until I'm able to pull it over my head. Since I wasn't wearing a bra because of the thin straps, I don't have to pull it off, and I slip out of the rest of my garments; panties, heels, black garter belt and stockings.
Hanging the majority of those things on the drying rack is a feat in itself, se tse the dress is quite lengthy and so it takes a bit longer. After that, I open the cabinet and pull out a nice fluffy white towel and a washcloth. How efficient.
Hope he doesn't think I've forgiven him all of a sudden, 'cause I sure haven't.I drI draw the shower curtain aside and step inside the shower, pulling it closed behind me. When the temperature is jusght,ght, I step underneath the spray and start washing my face and the rest of my body, until it's good and clean.
If he hasn't figured out yet why I'm mad at him, then he's just stupid. Well, the obvious reason is of course that he neglected me, to put it in those words, but the other is possibly a bit harder to decipher for him.
Hn.
I just don't know what to do anymore. Should I just give up on him? If the ball is any indication, perhaps I should. Maybe I should just go with whatever he'll say to me. Trunks is an intelligent man, so he should be able to pick up on what I throw at him. But then again, what will happen to our friendship if I tell him everything?
Stepping out of the shower, I reach for the towel and dry myself off, then wrap it around my body. No way am I going to open that door without something on me. I open the door a little bit, and look around the room. No one. All right.
He put the clothes on the chair, so it's easy to reach them. I scrunch my nose as I realize my panties aren't dry yet, so I'll have to compromise. Okay, he left boxers and a plain white t-shirt. Pulling them on, I decide that they're fine. Huge, but fine.
I snatch his brush from the chair, and try to get the knots from my hair. A smile comes to my face when I wiggle my toes and the carpet sure feels good beneath my feet. I like it.
"Pan? Are you finished?" Without knocking, he enters his room and stops in front of me. I nod, and he walks into the bathroom to shower himself, no doubt. Though with that nice lavender hair sticking to his face, he looks quite adorable. Geez.
Quickly I drop the brush on the chair, and make my way out of the room before I get naughty ideas. Hey, I got hormones too, as I said before. I trot into the living room, then walk into the attached kitchen and over to the refrigerator. I need something to drink.
Orange juice? Milk? I think I'll take the orange juice. Taking said juice from the lowest shelf, I raise from my bent position and get a glass from one of his cabinets. When I'm finished with pouring the juice into the glass, I put everything back into its rightful place and walk over to the couch.
Trunks probably wants me to stay over, and one look outside tells me that's probably for the best. And besides, it's not lik doe doesn't have enough guest rooms.
Now, what am I going to tell the guy? The guy who's currently in the shower, washing his gorgeous bod- Hold it right there! That's not the way you should think about your friends, Pan! Anyways. I think I'll just wait until he comes out of there, and see what he's got to say for himself. It better be good. Well, looks like I won't have to wait that long.
"Pan, what the hell was up with you?" Trunks says as he walks into the living room, and I lower my eyes to my glass despite my determination to be strong. Well, you try looking at him and keep your concentration when he walks into the room while he's putting on his shirt! He has a nice chest, you know? Nice.
When I'm sure he's put it on, I lift my eyes to gaze at him again. He's closer to me than I expected; he's sitting in front of me in one of his comfy-looking chairs. Not to mention staring at me. Talk about pressure. Then I feel my anger resurfacing, and my eyes narrow as I snarl.
"With me? You were the one constantly talking to others! You acted like I wasn't even there, Trunks, so excuse me for being angry at you." I snap at him, and he looks bewildered. Yeah, Trunks. Be surprised. I don't care anymore.
"It was necessary for me to talk to other people in high positions, because I need to keep them close. It's to improve CC's contacts with other companies. But, as I said earlier, it doesn't look good if my escort goes off dancing with other men." He crosses his arms over his chest, and after putting the glass down I cross them too. Sometimes he can be such a jerk!
"Trunks, I understand that you have to talk to others. That's not the problem. But then I ask you, how would you feel if the guy that asked you to a ball is getting cozy with other women, specifically Ms. Bitch – excuse me, Ms. Bundt -," I pause and can't help but snort, "and doesn't even pay attention to you anymore. I felt like I wasn't needed anymore, Trunks. And if you are so worked up about me dancing with another guy, then you should've just asked me yourself before another man had the chance!" I'm practically yelling by now, but it doesn't matter to me. It has it's desired effects; he's looking at me with widened eyes, leaning back in his chair in shoI siI sigh as I lean my head back on the couch and stare up at the cealing.
"Well, I guess there's one good thing that's come from this," I murmur, a sad smile tainting my lips, "I now know that I shouldn't accept other invitations anymore. You ignored me, Trunks, that's not something I enjoy. It gets me wondering why you even asked me in the first place. Were you so desperate that you asked tomboy Pan, 'cause it sure seemed like you were just trying to make other women jealous or something." I glance at him from the corner of my eyes and see him shaking his head quickly, his eyes still wide.
"No? When I was getting a drink, some woman came up to me, asking me what my occupation was. She just made fun of me, Trunks. Do you know how that feels? I handled it, I can take care of myself, but it wouldn't have happened if you were there. Not to mention that she asked me if I had a rtic tic relationship with you." The smile disappears from my face at that, and I lift my head to look at him when I feel him taking my hands in his.
"Pan, I- I'm sorry, okay? I didn't mean to make you feel that way. Everytime I tried to ask you to dance, someone wanted to talk to me. And when you left to get something to drink, I wanted to join you. I know it isn't an excuse, but I'm sorry." He rubs his thumbs over the backs of my hands, staring down at them before meeting my eyes again. Suddenly his eyes harden, and I blink.
"You know those women are just airheads, Pan. The reason I asked you with me, wasn't to make others jealous, at least not in the way you mean," The last words are whispered, but I hear them and my eyes widen, before he talks again, "Anyway, I didn't know what to answer when people asked me if you were my girlfriend, Pan. It's weird. I just didn't know what to say." Is he trying to say what I think he's ng tng to say? I look deep into his blue eyes, before he lowers his face, and then I decide to take the risk.
"Bra and Goten already know that I would want to answer 'yes' to that question." I say, a hesitant smirk on my face. His head snaps up, and he searches my face for clues as to the truth in what I just said. Yeah, Trunks, I'd definitely want to say 'YES'.
"Hm, so you already talked to my sister, huh? I guess it figures she and Goten know before I do." He murmurs, and smiles that gorgeous smile at me, and I can just feel butterflies in my stomach. Finally.
We're sitting close to each other, our faces inches apart. I can feel his breath on my face, just trailing over my left cheek. I tilt my head to the left, as he does so to the right. We inch our faces closer to each other, and I allow my eyes to droop as I feel his soft lips touch mine.
Oh yeah.
The first of many kisses I hope.
Ah, the first kiss has arrived. But, like in many relationships, we aren't out of the woods yet. We have a lot left to deal with in their relationship, so stay tuned for more.
Comments and criticism welcome as always.