Archive of Our Own

Gohan sat back in his chair, looking up at the ceiling. Three months already. Three months since Cell has been defeated. A lot has happened since then. He caught up on his studies. After finishing his studies on (theoretical) physics, he moved onto cellular biology (go figure), economics, and finally caught up by finishing his studies in philosophy. Not to mention the therapy sessions in between studying. 

Actually, he’d rather not mention the therapy sessions in between studying.

On a brighter note, his mother had a successful first trimester. She seemed to be getting used to dad not being around. Not to mention Grandpa Ox came to visit more, Gohan wouldn’t have been able to handle his mother on his own. Apparently hormonal rage is a thing when carrying Saiyan babies…and Grandpa Ox was the best for handling that, to put it simply. The best thing Gohan could do was study and not anger her. 

So that was it, that was his three months. 

Studying and therapy. 

“...I have got to get out of this house.” Gohan spoke aloud.

Three months of studying apparently meant three months of isolation too. Unintentional surely, but isolation at its finest. No Krillin. No Mr. Piccolo. No Dende. 

If anything, he missed Dende the most. Gohan promised he would visit often, and he hadn’t visited once since he defeated Cell. It made him feel like a bad friend, and he wanted to make it up for it, but how? 

“We’ll have a slumber party, we could play Spin the Bottle! 1v1 me, bro.”

Gohan sat upright in his chair. That’s right, he still owed Dende a sleepover. And after three months of not seeing him, what better way to make up for it by sleeping over? Not to mention Mr. Piccolo would be there too, win-win.

Gohan stood up and went over to his closet to start filling his travel bag with clothes for the night, then he paused. He should probably have let Dende know that he was coming to spend the night first, it would probably be a little rude to come to the lookout unannounced. Plus, he didn’t want it to be a night where Mr. Popo had the lookout for himself…He’s heard of nights like those, and he’s heard things his young ears shouldn’t have heard. 

Gohan grabbed a book from his desk and came out of his room, finding his mother and grandfather having tea. “Hey Mom, I’m going out to get some fresh air.” 

“Do you have something with you to study in case you get bored?”

Gohan showed her the book in his hand and waved before heading off.

…

Gohan looked over at the roaring waterfall not far from his home. Piccolo used to meditate and nap here all the time, surely he could try and connect telepathically with him here. It would be easier to connect to his master than Dende anyway, Piccolo could just put him through. He assumed a meditation position, the waterfall behind him, and the base of the waterfall at least 50 feet below him. He took slow, deep breaths, and closed his eyes. “Focus on Mr. Piccolo.” He spoke aloud and started his meditation. 

Gohan’s mind started to relax as he thought about his master. How proud he was when he defeated Cell, how surprised he looked when he asked for his style gi. He even remembered their early training days for world domination, the training of course used to fight the Saiyans that came to earth. 

‘Dodge!’  

Gohan violently jolted at the sudden command in his head. He sighed quietly, no amount of therapy was going to fix that. 

The voice command did help with reaching Piccolo easier. He went back into meditating, focusing on their training. Eventually he was able to find his energy, now if only he could just connect to it somehow. For some reason, it kept getting blocked…

‘Listen kid, this a private, three-way line. The only way you’re getting in here is if one of us is dead.’

Gohan’s eyes opened at the sound of someone else talking in his head. “I-I’m sorry I was looking for Mr. Piccolo, is this the wrong line—“

‘I thought that energy was familiar. Hello Gohan, good to hear from you. How is your mother coming along with her pregnancy?’

“Kami?” He asked, hearing the familiar voice. He smiled some, this had to be the right line if Kami was talking to him, which meant the first voice was the Namekian warrior, Nail. Strange they were still in his mind, he could have sworn Mr. Piccolo told him that they would eventually fade into his subconscious. “It's good to hear from you too. Mom’s doing great, she just passed her first trimester.”

‘That’s good to hear. Carrying a Saiyan fetus is not for the weak.’

“Oh I’m sure.” He muttered before he continued, “I didn’t mean to invade, so I should state my business for the call, is Mr. Piccolo listening? I wanted to speak with him.”

‘Last time I checked he was napping, but I can take a message for you if you want.’ Nail offered.

‘Do you honestly think I can continue napping with you two having a literal conversation with another person in my head?’ 

Gohan gasped at the sound of his master in his head. “Mr. Piccolo!” He greeted him excitedly. 

Piccolo’s physical body jumped at the sound of Gohan yelling in his head, making Dende look up from his book. “Oh you’re actually meditating instead of napping? Pfft, that’s a first.” He muttered before going back to his reading material. 

‘Gohan there’s three people in my head now, not including me, there’s not enough room to yell.’ 

“Oh, sorry everyone. I’ll use my inside voice.”

‘We’d appreciate it.’ Nail and Kami spoke simultaneously.

‘So how’ve you been, kid? Did you catch up on your studying?’

“Yep, it took me the entire summer, but I did it.”

‘And the therapy?’

“…It’s therapy.”

‘Good enough answer.’ 

“Um, Mr. Piccolo, I know I connected to you and all, but I actually called to speak with Dende? Is he around?”

“Dende?” Piccolo questioned aloud.

“What?” Dende asked.

“Yeah, I couldn’t connect to him like I could with you, is there any way you can transfer me over or something?”

Piccolo grimaced. “I am not a telepathic help desk. If you want to connect to Dende, do it yourself, Gohan.” He spoke aloud. 

Dende felt his heart drop. “That’s Gohan? You’re talking to Gohan?” He asked, standing and throwing his book aside. He ran in front of Piccolo. “Why didn’t you say that before? Connect me, connect me right now, Nail!” He demanded as he reached up with his hands to connect to the call.

Piccolo warded him off with his foot. “Alright! Gohan you get one free pass, and then after that I’m not ‘transfering’ you anymore.” He said as Dende continued to swat to get to his shoulder.

“Thank you Mr. Piccolo.” Gohan spoke, grinning.

Piccolo pulled off his turban, and closed his eyes. His antennae twitched, and so did Dende’s. Soon Gohan was out of his head and into Dende’s. Dende could hardly control his excitement, instead he just ran to the edge of the Lookout to speak privately with his friend.

Gohan felt the energy in his mind shift from something familiar and rigid, to familiar and warm. He could feel the energy warming his entire body. It was like a sunset, or a home cooked meal. Suddenly the loneliness and feeling of isolation went away. It’s been so long since he’s felt like this, he wanted the feeling to last. 

‘Gohan, are you there? I swear to me, if Nail hung up instead of transfering I’m going to—‘ 

“Dende? I’m still here. Sorry, I was just…How are you?” He asked instead of going into detail about how Dende’s energy made him feel. It was kind of embarrassing. 

‘I’m good! Better now that I’m hearing your voice…after three months.’  

“Yeah, about that…I’m really sorry about the past three months. I guess once I realized that I finally had peace, I wanted to use it to my advantage. But still, that doesn’t excuse me from being a poor friend. I’m—“

‘It’s cool. When are you coming to visit?’ Dende asked. The apology was nice but he had more pressing questions he needed answers to. 

Gohan blinked. He took that oddly well. “Oh, well actually that’s why I was calling. Are you busy?”

‘Nope! Free as a bird, schedule is as clear as Scotch tape.’ He responded quickly. Hopefully he didn’t sound desperate, maybe he should dial it back. ‘Why do you ask?’ 

“I’m finally caught up with my studies, and I have a little more free time. I thought we could finally have our sleepover.” 

Dende seemed puzzled for a moment. Sleepover? When did he set up a sleepover? Granted he was fine with it, and he wasn’t going to complain by any means necessary, but when and how?

Gohan took his silence for confusion. “You remember? Back when I defeated Cell, you said you wanted to have a sleepover so you could 1v1 me in Spin the Bottle?” 

Dende could have screamed. Could it be? His recurring dream was finally coming true? He briefly wondered if it would be exactly alike. At the end of his dream, Gohan always ended up in his bed in just his underwear—

“Dende? Are you still there?”

‘Gohan, there’s nothing I want more than to play Spin the Bottle with you during a sleepover.’ Dende replied in a serious matter.

“Ah, okay…Well, I’ll be there soon. I’m excited to see you, and play Spin the Bottle. We’re gonna have so much fun!”

‘Oh yes Gohan, we are definitely going to have fun. See you soon.’ 

With that, Dende and Gohan disconnected. The cold, isolating feeling started to seep back in, but the thought of his friend was keeping it at bay. He was going to see his best friend after three months to sleep over and spin a bottle. Spin the Bottle didn’t seem like a hard game, it was just spinning a bottle in a circle really fast, right?

Right?

“Maybe I should do my research on the game. If it’s a challenge it’s best I know the rules beforehand.” 

If it was only Dende and himself playing the game, surely that meant it was a challenge. If it was one thing his father taught him, it was to never back down from challenges. Besides, a competition with his best friend sounded exciting. He flew back towards his home to start his research and get ready for his sleepover.

After Dende disconnected from Gohan, he sat back on his legs. “Oh my me, it’s happening.” He said to himself and looked over at Mr. Popo, who was watering his cannabis plants. “Mr. Popo! It’s happening! Operation: Gohan is happening!”

Mr. Popo looked over at the screaming Namekian. “Hmm it’s about time that finally started happening. I’ll go find the plan for that. It should be in a junk drawer around here somewhere.” He said as he continued to water his plants. 

Dende ran over to Piccolo. “Nail! You’ve got to go.” He told him. 

The older Namekian looked down at him. “Wait, what do I have to leave for?” 

“Gohan’s coming over for a sleepover, and you are not staying for it.” Dende explained. 

Piccolo narrowed his eyes. “I literally live here.”

“Well not tonight, you’ve gotta go.” 

“And where do you suppose I go?!” He yelled.

Dende scoffed. “Like that’s my problem. Just go where you were going before you started living here.” 

“Um, I didn’t have anywhere to go before living here.” 

Silence.

“Now that’s depraious.”

“Mom, I’m on my way to the Lookout. I’ll be back tomorrow.” Gohan announced heading out the door. 

“Did you take something for Dende? He’d probably like a book to read as well. Didn’t I raise you better not to go to others homes empty handed?” Chi-Chi complained in the doorway of their home. 

Gohan sighed. “I have books for him in my bag mom.”

“I should check.” 

“No you shouldn’t.”

“Gohan–“

“See you tomorrow mom!” He spoke as he ran off and flew away towards the Lookout. 

…

Dende looked over the edge of the Lookout. It was already dusk. Gohan should be here by now…or not? Dende didn’t really know. Gohan didn’t tell him what time he was coming, or what time he was leaving his place…So he hadn’t really known when–

“Hi Dende!” Gohan called as he rocketed towards the Lookout. 

The force of Gohan’s flying knocked Dende backwards. He didn't mind, it gave him a better view.

Gohan landed on the white tiles of the Lookout and gave a nervous laugh. “Sorry. I didn’t know you were on the edge.” He said, offering his hand out to his friend.

Dende took Gohan’s hand. “Don’t worry about it.” He said pulling himself up and murmuring, “I’m always edging for you, Gohan.” 

“You say something Dende?” 

“Ah, nothing important. Welcome back to the Lookout. You can put your things down in my room. I assume you’re comfortable sleeping in the same bed as me. Besides, what’s a sleepover without the contenders sleeping together ?” 

“Well this is my first sleepover ever, so I wouldn’t know, but I guess that makes sense.” He said. walking towards the pavilion. Maybe he should have did some research on sleepovers as well. “Is Mr. Piccolo here?”

“He is not. He had…errands to run. Just Mr. Popo and I. And of course, you.” 

“Oh too bad, I was looking forward to seeing him.” He said once they were inside. 

Dende facepalmed behind Gohan. Of course, Nail just had to be in the plan, despite writing him out of Operation: Gohan numerous times. This was karma for excluding him, it had to be. If his plan failed he would definitely be blaming him tomorrow. 

Once Gohan’s things were in the room he looked over at his friend with a small smile. “I bought a couple of things. Some books we probably won’t read, my telescope so I can look at the stars even closer, and some stuff I’ve been working on in therapy.”

“Sounds fascinating.” Dende spoke. Operation: Gohan was moving so fast, and better than expected. It was almost too good to believe. Surely something was bound to go wrong sooner or later, but for now he’d just ride the wave. The Saiyan wave that is. “Are you hungry Gohan? Mr. Popo made dinner.” 

“Am I?” Gohan replied excitedly. 

…

Dende watched as Gohan scarfed down the food that covered the table. Unfortunately he did inherit his father’s appetite, but Dende didn’t care. He liked watching him eat. So insatiable, so ravenous… 

“Dende? Are you just going to watch me eat? It’s a little creepy.” Gohan said with a small laugh. 

“Sorry. I must have spaced out.” A total lie. He was quite aware and quite conscious of his staring. “I was just thinking about how humans enjoy food. The way you eat makes it look, enjoyable.” 

“Well it’s definitely delicious and satisfying. Too bad you can’t eat anything. Have you tried?” He asked curiously. 

“It’s no use. Anything outside of liquids doesn’t sit right with me, literally it’s just gonna come up every time and honestly, a disgusting sight all around.” He said with a shiver, then looked back at his friend. “Though, if I could try something, I’d eat cooked rice.”

Gohan nodded. “That’s a good choice, it’s very mild dish.” He said before giving a small chuckle. “You know, my name translates to–“

“I know.” 

…

“Thank you for dinner Mr. Popo!”

“BOY YOU EAT LIKE YA DADDY.” Mr. Popo yelled from the kitchen. 

“It’s fine, he’ll be fine.” Dende said once they were back in his room. “So you’re nice and full, ready to spin the bottle?” 

Gohan nodded as he watched his friend grab the bottle from a table in his room. “Not to brag, but I’ve been practicing my bottle spinning, I hope you’re scared.” He teased, taking a spot on the floor. 

Dende turned back around to Gohan, a small smirk on his face. “Oh, terrified.” He said and rushed back over to his friend and sat down in front of him. He placed the bottle in between the two of them and looked at his friend. “You’re really smart Gohan, so I’m not going to explain how Spin the Bottle works. Since you’re the guest, you can spin first.”  

“Okay, you asked for it.” Gohan said and placed the bottle on its side before spinning it. The glass bottle spun at an almost turbo speed, picking up air as it spun. It started to slow down, and landed on the wall. Gohan smiled triumphantly, that would be a hard spin to beat in his opinion. 

Dende grabbed the bottle. Everything isn’t meant to happen on the first try, it was okay. He spun the bottle himself, and while it was fast, it wasn’t turbo fast like the Saiyan’s. It slowed to a stop, and the neck of the bottle landed on the wall again. 

Gohan spun the bottle again, and similar to the first time. It was at turbo speed and windy. It slowed to a stop, and again, it landed on the wall. 

Dende spun the bottle, a little faster than the last time, but the same results, on the wall. He inwardly sighed. ‘This may take a while.’

And a while it took. 

Gohan spun the bottle, it landed on the wall. 

Dende spun the bottle, it landed on the wall. 

Bottle spin, wall. 

Bottle spin, wall.

“Jesus Christ what are the odds it doesn’t land on either one of us?” Dende asked, spinning the bottle again. 

“1 in 50,000. I did the math.” Gohan said next once the bottle landed on the wall again. 

Bottle spin, wall. 

Bottle spin, wall. 

Bottle spin, wall. 

Dende spun the bottle, and to his surprise, it finally landed on Gohan. “Yes! Finally!” He celebrated. 

Gohan studied the neck of the bottle. “Um, Dende, I hate to be that guy…” 

He paused his celebration. “…Then don’t be that guy.”

“But, this isn’t technically on me? According to my calculations, you’re about 3.6 ° off from the bottle lining up directly with me.”

The young Nemekian looked at the Saiyan in disbelief. “How do you even know that?”

“Well, I brought my protractor just to double check but, I don’t think I’m wrong.” 

Dende was quiet for a moment. 

“Dende?”

“Just, spin the damn bottle Gohan.” 

“Well if you want, we can take a break. I wanted to show you something.” 

‘If it’s not my will to live then frankly I don’t want to see it.’ Dende thought, laying back on the ground. Operation: Gohan has grinded to a halt due to their Spin the Bottle game. How hard was it for a bottle to land on someone? Almost an hour of playing and still no hot make out session? No spit swapping? Not even a peck on the cheek? He was better off just asking for a kiss in the first place. 

Gohan sat next to Dende, and brought back over a glass jar full of woven bracelets. “I’ve been working on these since I started therapy.”

Dende opened the jar, going through the bracelets. Red, black, and blue bracelets filled the jar, he couldn’t find any other color. “These are really good Gohan. A lot of the same color though.”

“They’re color coded. Red for whenever I blamed myself for something. Black for when I hated myself over something. Blue for when I felt like giving up.” 

“Oh.” Dende said in a disheartened tone. Nothing about that was hilarious, just depressing. It made Dende upset as well. To know that his friend was going through this kind of pain, and there was little he could do was concerning to him. He loved Gohan so much, he just wanted him to be as happy as he was when he came to visit. What was the use of being the Guardian of Earth when he couldn’t even help his friend? Dende fiddled around with the bracelets more before quietly speaking. “I’m sorry Gohan, I wish there was more I could do to help.”

Gohan moved closer to his best friend, resting his head on his shoulder for a moment. “You don’t have to be sorry Dende, but thank you anyways. Just being able to tell you is help enough. You’re the only one that knows. I’d like to keep it that way.”

Dende tensed at the Saiyan being so close to him. He could smell the shampoo in his hair. It was a sweet, citrus scent that was driving him crazy. It took a lot not to bury his face in that soft, black hair of his. “Of course, your secret is safe with me.” He said as he continued to fiddle with the bracelets. He paused looking down in the jar now. His eyes didn’t deceive him. He pulled out a yellow bracelet. “What’s yellow mean?”

“Yellow are for the times that I’ve been happy. I just made that one today, with you in mind actually.” Gohan spoke, a slight pink tint on his cheeks. 

Dende looked at the blushing Saiyan. “Really?”

“Mhmm. A-And I want you to have it too, Dende. It should help me connect to your energy easier when I want to talk to you.” He slid the bracelet around his friends wrist, and used the drawstring to close it so it wouldn’t slip off his small wrist. “You’re my best friend, and I’ve missed you a lot these past couple of months. I know it’s not much, just a ‘thank you’ for being my friend.” 

Dende looked down at the yellow bracelet, and he felt tears well up in his eyes. This was not a part of Operation: Gohan, but he was glad it went with the plan, and even more brilliantly than he expected. He grabbed his friend's hands. “Gohan, this is the best gift anyone has ever given me. I will cherish it for the rest of my life.” 

Gohan smiled, squeezing his Namekien friend's hands. “I’m glad you like it. Did you want to keep playing Spin the Bottle? You were spinning the bottle really good, I felt air a couple times when you spun it.” 

Dende frowned at his reply. “But, we left off on your turn.” 

Gohan shrugged. “You can take my turn, it's fine.” 

With a shrug of his own, Dende grabbed the bottle and flicked it again. The bottle spun around quickly and slowed down, landing right on Gohan, who was still sitting next to him. “Hey, you got me.” He spoke with a small smile. 

Dende rolled his eyes. “Yeah sure, and next you're going to tell me I was off by 0.69°–“ 

His retort was cut short when a pair of lips pressed against his. 

Dende could feel fireworks exploding in his head, and butterflies in his stomach. This was what he waited for. This was the end goal for Operation: Gohan. He had to admit, this was well worth the wait. Gohan’s lips were soft, and they smelled like cherries. He was so gentle, it felt like kissing a cloud. He didn’t want it to end. 

But of course, all too soon, it ended. Gohan pulled away from his friend, blushing more than before. “Good game Dende.” 

Dende, on the other hand, was stunned. A purple tint rose over his face. He didn’t know if it was satisfying to him, or if it left him wanting more. ‘Baby steps Little Green. Don’t f*ck this up for yourself.’ He thought. “Yeah, real good game Gohan.” 

“So, how was it?” 

“How was what?”

“Your first kiss! I tried to be gentle to make it a little more enjoyable for you.” 

The comment made Dende confused. “But wasn’t that-? I thought–? How did you know I wanted a kiss?” 

“A lot of things actually. I know Namek doesn’t have intimate customs like Earth, so I thought you asking to play Spin the Bottle meant you wanted to try kissing. And I thought you asked me , because I was someone you trusted to kiss. So for that reason alone, I was flattered enough to do it. Even if that was my first kiss, it didn’t feel like a waste. It was with my best friend, so I can’t complain.” He spoke with a shrug before looking over at him. “If you wanted a kiss, you could have just asked.”  

Dende blinked. Pretty good deduction of the situation. He should have known Gohan would eventually see through his ruse. Not to mention he came up with a great cover story. Wanting to play Spin the Bottle to become accustomed to Earth's intimate traditions, and asking Gohan because he trusted him was way better than saying he just wanted to make out with his best friend. “Okay, next time just ask, gotcha.” He spoke with a nod. 

Gohan sat back on his hands, looking up at the ceiling. “You know, after doing my research on Spin the Bottle, it’s a rather childish game to play for a kiss. Not to mention way easier with more people. If you really wanted to learn about intimacy, you should have asked to play Seven Minutes in Heaven with me.” His eyes flicked over to Dende and back at the ceiling. He smirked slightly. “I bet that would have been fun to play with a God.” He spoke quietly. 

Dende paused for a moment. Was Gohan…flirting with him? Surely not, in terms of courting he could be a bit of an airhead like his father, but that seemed too direct. Like, way too direct. ‘Well, it’s like that Earth saying goes, in for a penny, in for a pounding.’ He thought before grabbing his friend's hands. “Gohan, if you have more games to suggest, we can play them. We can play whatever you want.” He spoke with a serious tone, staring into the Saiyan’s eyes. 

Gohan stared back at his friend and shrugged. “No, it’s okay. I’m done playing games. I really wanted to stargaze while I was up here. Is that okay?”

So close, yet lightyears away. 

“Sure Gohan, let’s look at the stars.” 

“Great! I’ll set up my telescope.”

Dende watched as Gohan used his telescope to look at the stars above them. He wanted to look in all four directions of the Lookout and Dende obliged him. Gohan brought him a book about vampires and werewolves to read, but it was so thick with pages Dende couldn’t possibly invest to read. Besides, his attention was taken by the Saiyan. It was a little strange really. “You’ve been to space before, literally among the stars, yet watching them through this little spyglass is entertaining to you?” 

Gohan looked back at his friend. “That’s true, but this is different. Living on Earth, I can still see the stars pretty well, but the planets are a little blurry. Being on the Lookout with my telescope is like having a 300x magnifying scope on it. It’s pretty cool. I can see the planets better, and can map out the constellations easier.” With that, he went back to stargazing.

“And that’s different from being out in space with the stars?” 

“It’s different because I’m watching them with you.” 

Dende felt his face heat up. Again, flirting or naivety? He couldn’t tell. Dare he put in another penny? Would that still be considered baby steps? He didn’t want to scare off Gohan being so forward. He briefly thought of the time he told Gohan he loved him too early, a total disaster. He could not make that mistake again. “Hey Gohan?” 

“Yes Dende?”

He paused for a moment. “Why don’t you leave your telescope here? It’ll give you a reason to come back more. And plus, it’ll be already set up for you when you come.” 

Gohan looked back at his friend. “Really? I’d like that, thank you Dende.” He said with a smile before going back to his gazing. 

The young Namekian balled his fists up. That wasn’t what he wanted to ask. Maybe he should just ask his question. Now or never. “Hey Gohan?”

“Hmm?” 

“Can I…have another kiss?” He did say if he wanted a kiss, he could have just asked.

Gohan looked back at his friend again. “You want another kiss?” He asked.

“Yes, for research purposes, of course.” Another lie, but at least a half lie. He was curious to see if Gohan would indulge him. 

Gohan shrugged. “I’m all for research.” He said before looking around, and observing his surroundings. “Warm summer night, a sky full of stars. It should make for a nice kiss, in my opinion.” He said before looking at Dende again.

Dende moved closer to the Saiyan. “We should test your theory.” 

“Well technically it’s a hypothesis—“

“Gohan.” 

“Right.” With that, Gohan pressed his lips against Dende’s for the second time that night. 

The first time, the feeling was foreign, but nice. The second time was familiar, and nicer than before. Gohan could feel Dende’s hands gripping his shirt for balance as he pressed into his lips more. There it was. There was the warm feeling he had when he spoke with Dende earlier. The sunset. The home-cooked meal. It spread across his body, and he felt a ball form in the pit of his stomach. What a feeling. He felt at peace, and calm, and maybe even a little happy. Whatever this feeling was, it just felt right . Gohan’s hands moved to wrap around Dende. He just needed him a little bit closer…

Before his hands could reach any closer, Gohan found himself pulling away from the Namekian. 

“Gohan?” 

The Saiyan blinked, his face completely flushed. “I-I’m sorry Dende, that may have been a little too much.”

“You don’t have to apologize, I didn’t mind—“

“I meant for me, actually.” 

“Oh.” He said. Maybe the extra penny was a bit much. He didn’t want to push him away by pulling too hard. “I’m sorry I asked. The last thing I want is to make you uncomfortable. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, it’s nothing to apologize for. I just...” It wasn’t like him to communicate poorly. He was always straightforward with speaking so that nothing gets misconstrued. But right now, words failed Gohan. His mind was blank, and he couldn’t explain how he felt. “I think it’s getting a little late, maybe we should get some sleep.” That was better than saying nothing.

Dende nodded slowly. “Sure, come on.” He gently took his friend’s hand, and led him back inside. 

Once back inside the room, Dende changed from his guardian robe to a nightgown using his clothes beam. It wasn’t very different from his everyday robe, but this one was meant for sleeping. “Gohan, do you need something to sleep—“ He started but stopped when he saw the Saiyan unbuttoning his shirt. 

Gohan looked back at him. “Oh no, I don’t need anything to sleep in. I always get too hot and end up taking it off anyway.” He folded his shirt and put it on a nearby chair. Before he started on his pants, he looked at Dende again. “I should have asked, is it okay if I sleep in my underwear? It won’t be too weird for you, will it?”

Dende had been trying not to drool instead of listening to his friend's words. Gohan looked even better the last time he saw him. His arms were even more defined, and his abs were so toned . He would have expected the Saiyan to soften up three months after defeating Cell, but from the looks of it he was still keeping up with his training. Gohan wasn’t exactly the type to find time to train, as it wasn’t a personal priority. Between studying and therapy, how was he still finding time to train?

“Dende?”

Dende blinked. “Sorry, yes. That’s fine, whatever makes you comfortable.” 

With a nod, Gohan undid his pants and slipped off his shoes, placing his pants in the chair with his shirt, and his shoes on the floor. He slipped into the bed while Dende turned off the lights, leaving the room in darkness. The only source of light being the moonlight streaming in from the glassless windows. 

Dende made his way over to the bed in the dark, and climbed in the bed with Gohan. “Good night Gohan, sleep well.” He could sleep peacefully now knowing that his dream had come true. He pulled the cover up to his chin, a smile on his face.

“Good night Dende. Sleep well.” Gohan replied and rolled over on his side. He sighed quietly, it was a rather big bed for them to be so far apart. Gohan rolled back on his back. He couldn’t imagine sleeping in a bed this big alone every night. He stretched his arms out, Dende wasn’t even in arms reach. The Saiyan inched towards the center, his arms still in search of his friend.

Dende felt Gohan flailing about under the covers. Was he uncomfortable? Maybe he was trying to get comfortable? Either way it still concerned the young Namekian. “Are you okay Gohan?” He spoke quietly in the darkness. 

Gohan paused his searching. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb you. I was just…I was trying to…you don’t have to be so far away in the bed Dende.” It was too embarrassing to admit that he wanted his Namekian friend closer to him in bed. He hoped Dende would get the hint without having to explain further. 

He thought he was too far away in the bed? From him? Dende thought he was just respecting his space in the bed, but if Gohan wanted him closer, then he’d respect his wishes by simply climbing into his skin (or moving closer, whatever Gohan preferred). “I was just giving you space to make you more comfortable.” He informed his friend. 

“I don’t need more space. I need…” He trailed off again. Was he really going to make him say it? 

“What do you need, Son Gohan?” 

The use of his full name made his heart flutter. A strange reaction in his opinion. Normally, anyone else using his formal name wouldn’t catch his eye, but hearing Dende say it was different. Hearing the Guarding of Earth call out his name in such a sweet, soft-spoken manner was divine. Literally Heaven to his ears. He could hear Dende say his name like that over and over again. 

Instinctively, Gohan reached out to Dende and grabbed him by his waist which made the Namekian yelp in surprise. He dragged him across the bed and closer to his body. Gohan slid an arm around Dende, sighing quietly. The warmth of another body was comforting, better than being cold and separated in the same bed. “I just needed you closer. That’s all.” He spoke quietly. 

Dende, now in the arms of the half-Saiyan, snuggled close to him and rested his head on his firm chest. “Are you comfortable now?” He quietly asked. 

“I am. Are you comfortable Dende?”

“Oh, you have no idea.”

“Okay, well goodnight.”

“Good night Gohan.”

An hour passed, then another. Gohan laid awake in the bed staring at the ceiling, while Dende slept peacefully in his arms. He was hoping that the sleepover would be different, but it wasn’t. Just like the last three months, he had trouble sleeping. Usually, because he didn’t sleep, he took that time to train. It at least made him tired enough to get a couple of hours of sleep in the early morning. But being in the Lookout he’d surely disturb the other residents. He didn’t want to leave without worrying Dende either. 

Gohan looked down at his sleeping friend. He looked so comfortable laying on him, the soft snores coming from the Namekian being an indicator. He looked down at the hand on his chest, and saw the yellow woven bracelet he made for him on his wrist. Dende was a good friend, his best friend. He cared for him in a way different from Krillin, different from Mr. Piccolo. He could tell that much from the feeling that Dende gave him. That warm feeling, the feeling that made him feel home. Oddly enough, being with Dende made him feel more at home than actually being at home. 

Granted, he wanted that feeling to last always, but the only time it returned (besides speaking with him telepathically) was when he kissed him. The first one was innocent enough, but the second kiss…The warm feeling was coming back, as well as the ball in the pit of his stomach. It was weird, it was almost as if he liked Dende. 

As in, liked liked Dende.

Gohan shook away the thought. He didn’t like his best friend in that way. Especially over something as small as a kiss, it was silly. You couldn’t develop feelings over someone over one kiss, right?

Right?

At that moment, Dende moved closer to Gohan, burying his head in his chest, still snoring softly. Gohan placed a small kiss on his head, and Dende smiled in his sleep, making Gohan smile himself. Gohan went back to looking at the ceiling, the smile not leaving his face, until he had realized what he had done.

“Aw crap baskets.”