Videl watched Gohan patiently as he spoke, aware of the tension in his body, the way he kept his head down and his gaze away from her. It was a lot like when they'd first talked about his past, some time after Buu was defeated and things started to go back to normal. He had promised to do so when they parted ways after the World Tournament and Videl held him too that, especially in light of everything his friends and family told her while they were hiding on the Lookout. (If not for Videl's prompting, Gohan probably would have avoided this conversation for a little longer.)
But although they had talked about this, Videl still didn't felt like she knew all that much about Gohan's life before high school. She knew the facts, sure, but only that; Videl knew the 'who, what, when, and where' of his life, but the 'why' had always eluded her. Back home, Gohan explained his childhood to her with evident reservations; it was clear he didn't know how to talk about these things with anyone outside his family and his father's friends. Even then, Videl wasn't sure Gohan talked to them very much either, not about stuff like this. Not about how he felt. She didn't know if there was anyone he confided in about that.
That was the kind of person Gohan was, though-- one who shouldered the responsibilities and expectations placed on him without a complaint. This realization clicked in Videl's mind as he spoke, the thread that connected the crazy life he lived, the stressful childhood that Videl had been struggling to comprehend ever since she learned about it. A lifetime of self-sacrifice was why Gohan had turned out this way: honest, hard working, and terrified of failure. To juxtapose her childhood against his was to compare lead with gold. She and Gohan were the same age, but Videl couldn't even fathom the life he'd lived up until now. When Videl was five, her mother died; when Gohan was five, he had nearly died himself on an alien planet while fighting an evil galactic empire. Their lives didn't even compare.
Videl shifted position, pulling her legs up against her chest and tucking her knees under her chin. She watched Gohan, even though he wasn't looking at her, studying him in a different light. He didn't like to fight. It was who he was, at his core, and Videl found that the knowledge didn't disappoint her. In fact, it made her more concerned about him than anything else.
"What happens when you're training?" Videl asked. Of all the things she wanted to ask, this one felt the most pressing. Everything added up, but something about this last admission felt somewhat foreboding.
right in the fucking feels.....
But although they had talked about this, Videl still didn't felt like she knew all that much about Gohan's life before high school. She knew the facts, sure, but only that; Videl knew the 'who, what, when, and where' of his life, but the 'why' had always eluded her. Back home, Gohan explained his childhood to her with evident reservations; it was clear he didn't know how to talk about these things with anyone outside his family and his father's friends. Even then, Videl wasn't sure Gohan talked to them very much either, not about stuff like this. Not about how he felt. She didn't know if there was anyone he confided in about that.
That was the kind of person Gohan was, though-- one who shouldered the responsibilities and expectations placed on him without a complaint. This realization clicked in Videl's mind as he spoke, the thread that connected the crazy life he lived, the stressful childhood that Videl had been struggling to comprehend ever since she learned about it. A lifetime of self-sacrifice was why Gohan had turned out this way: honest, hard working, and terrified of failure. To juxtapose her childhood against his was to compare lead with gold. She and Gohan were the same age, but Videl couldn't even fathom the life he'd lived up until now. When Videl was five, her mother died; when Gohan was five, he had nearly died himself on an alien planet while fighting an evil galactic empire. Their lives didn't even compare.
Videl shifted position, pulling her legs up against her chest and tucking her knees under her chin. She watched Gohan, even though he wasn't looking at her, studying him in a different light. He didn't like to fight. It was who he was, at his core, and Videl found that the knowledge didn't disappoint her. In fact, it made her more concerned about him than anything else.
"What happens when you're training?" Videl asked. Of all the things she wanted to ask, this one felt the most pressing. Everything added up, but something about this last admission felt somewhat foreboding.