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It’s about as hot as any day in West City.
Cars honking, citizens perusing the see-through glass panes of shop windows, and all manner of noisy bustlings.
Cell stares into the open door of an ice-cream shop.
Gohan slows his walking pace as he notices Cell’s interest has focused in on something.
Then- he too- is looking inside with something that may just be a piqued appetite.
It’s air-conditioned inside of the shop as Cell passes through the open door.
The breeze hits his cool face and blows across his features.
An attendant meets eyes with him and he paces up to the display arrangement of a wide variety of flavors. It’s a mess of colors; all marked and proudly sitting in front of his nose just behind a glass barrier.
He looks towards Gohan for a moment and points at one of them.
Approaching Cell- where he’s directing his attention- his companion smiles gently,
“Is that the one you want?”
Cell nods rather fast. He must look ridiculous; getting so worked up over something as small as food.
So- to diffuse his own tension- he has half a mind to tease the other.
“Yes- if you don’t get it for me- I’ll start screaming.”
Gohan’s eyebrows raise up as he regards Cell’s eyes for any true intent.
When he finds none- does he just adopt a sly look and say,
“You really are juvenile, Cell.”
“What’s that?” He asks; now bending over to get a better look at the ice creams.
Gohan just shakes his head minutely and rolls his eyes.
His voice is gentle when he asks,
“Which one, then?”
The attendant behind the counter is watching them curiously. Her eyes go a bit wide when Cell straightens himself and points to the flavor he’d like.
“That one.”
He looks between the attendant and Gohan. His eyes go a bit wide at the expression he’s being looked at with.
So, he continues,
“Thanks.”
Gohan just adopts an expression somewhere between amused and pleased. At least- Cell believes it may be that; as the weight that his companion carries in his eyes is something that he not yet knows.
So- he just grins; rather gracious to who he assumes will be paying for his treat.
Gohan exhales quietly and just reaches into the pocket of his trousers.
He’s dressed rather formally for something as mundane as going out into the city center.
And yet- it’s fortunate that he has meditated himself as to not to give away his physical reactions to what he sees.
Still- his heart cannot help but want to race.
It’s a date.
Not really-
They didn’t agree on a name for it. The two had just found one another at Capsule Corp. some hours earlier.
Bulma- the graciously beautiful scientist- had wanted to run some tests on Cell.
He wasn’t the biggest fan of being poked and prodded; nor the assumption that if he refused he must be plotting some kind of treachery.
No- there was no way he would think of doing that; never.
Nor was he really interested in whatever biological discoveries that Bulma was hoping she would find when she finalized her experimentation.
So- it didn’t really matter to Cell if he went to her monthly checkups or not.
Nor did it matter if his current companion was often to be found there of his own volition.
Visiting Trunks; naturally. Stopping by to say hello to Bulma- and subsequently- to give a muted greeting to Cell as well.
It was just coincidence that the two had met like this for three months in a row now.
And so- Cell figured that he may as well offer an invitation to more… human activities.
It’s silly- really. He’s perfection!
For what reason could he need to act like a lesser being?
And yet; when he had breached the topic of how boorish he found the daily lives of humans- Gohan had suggested that he ‘get out sometime’.
And so- here they were- the two of them; ‘getting out.’
The attendant is fixing his ice cream cone. He can hardly wait.
It’s the first time he’s tried one.
He swallows down his excitement.
Cell enjoying ice cream; how quaint.
His head turns back to Gohan. He’s pushing up his glasses and staring out the window. His body created a darkened silhouette in front of the afternoon light radiating from outside the windows.
Cell can’t help but wonder why is it that his heart is pounding when he’s doing something so utterly, foolishly normal.
He crosses his arms and returns his perfect attention to the attendant leaning over the counter with an ice cream and an equally sweet smile.
Of course- she looks to him; now expectant.
Cell takes the treat almost reverently. It’s cold to the touch and glistening.
Gohan catches his gaze when he looks over to his companion for guidance.
Gohan closes his eyes and exhales slowly. He reaches to his wallet and approaches the woman.
He’s right in front of Cell. His neck is exposed and back turned to him.
To think- some time before; he would have never left himself so wide open to an attack.
An attack that Cell now is sure will never come to fruition.
Despite all his scheming and hate-fueled desire to see the man in front of him snuffed out like a light; all that he had wished for had been granted the day the everyone had been revived.
Being so; he found for himself not a reason to break the fine line that Cell and the Z Fighters had drawn out of respect for their mutual fighting prowess.
He brings the ice cream cone to his mouth a takes a tender lick.
Smacks lip
The flavor is bold; something strong and unique that is amplified by the temperature difference.
Gohan’s head tilts back as he blinks up at Cell.
His eyes are big and exploratory.
Cell gulps around his tentative tasting of the treat.
Why must Gohan look at him this way? Is his perfection really that amazing?
Cell laughs gently to himself. Of course it is.
Whatever Gohan sees in his face causes him to smile up at Cell. It’s plainly candid and carefree as always.
A sharp departure from the scar that strikes a line up the side of his cheek to his hairline.
Cell has the sudden urge to see what the other man’s reaction to his desert might be.
He offers the cone at once.
It’s right in front of Gohan’s nose.
A look of surprise crosses the other’s face. It’s kind of cute- really. Gohan looks a little indecisive; but only for a moment.
His lips form into a tight smile as he gingerly reaches for Cell’s ice cream.
Their fingers brush.
Splat.
The ice cream- seems to slip right out of Gohan’s hand- straight onto the ground.
Gohan makes a noise immediately as his eyes go wide. He looks down where the ice cream is now decorating the basic-colored tiles of the floor.
His face scrunches up and he makes a noise low in his throat.
Cell is quick to tease,
“Gohan? What’s wrong?”
Gohan just grumbles. It’s kind of funny how flustered the slip-up gets his companion. And- it makes something in Cell’s chest do a flip.
He steps a bit closer to make his point known with,
“I suppose you couldn’t help but drop it- thinking about my perfection.”
Cell leans in a bit. His breath and proximity must startle Gohan because his companion just sputters as he jolts back a bit.
His cheeks going a bright color of red; he tips his head away from Cell’s craned neck and just demands in a voice that is much higher than his normal tone,
“W-what?”
Cell couldn’t wish for a more perfect date.