Gohan started when the phone rang. Pan had been gone for six hours, and he hadn’t heard a word from her. Needless to say he was worried.
“Hello?” he said, trying to keep the anxiety out of his voice.
“Daddy, hi, I—” She cut off into a shriek. “Put it away! Trunks, put—it—away!” she yelled into the background. “Hi, Daddy….I just realized that I hadn’t called….Trunks! Don’t even think about touching me with that thing!”
“Pan?”
“Trunks—Trunks! No!” Laughing, she returned to the conversation with her father. “Alright, yeah. Sorry Daddy. Yeah, Bulma’s got me working as Ms. Haruna’s replacement this week, which is why I’m still down here. Anyways, Trunks and I have a lot of work ahead of us, so I’ll—Trunks! No! What are you—insane!?”
Gohan tried to stifle his laughter.
“So—Trunks! Cool it, for like, five seconds!”
In the background, Gohan could hear Trunks counting to five.
“So, yeah, I’ll probably be home late tonight—I just wanted to let you know ‘cause I don’t think Bulma call—”
“Times up!” Trunks cried in the background.
“Eeep!” She laughed and he heard a crash somewhere in the background.
“Pan?” he said, trying to say something in this conversation.
“Eeep! Trunks, knock it off! I’m getting there!”
“Get there faster!”
Gohan laughed.
“Ok, Daddy? Trunks is threatening to beat me senseless with an old sock he found under his desk if I don’t order food right now. So I’ve got to go-oh! Trunks!”
“FOOD!”
“Pan, do you want me to bring you two some dinner?”
“Nah, no thanks Daddy. We’ve got about 8 extra large pizzas plus five super-deluxe Chinese take-out dinners lined up to call in and or-der!” Her sentence cut off into a squawk, and large thumps carried through to his ear as she beat Trunks with the receiver.
“Let go!”
“FOOOOOOOOD!”
“Get that thing away from me and we’ll compromise! Now—LET GO!”
“Daddy?”
“Hi Panny.”
“Ok…um, yeah, we’re pretty brain-dead and I don’t think Trunks remembers how to use eating utensils, so we’re content with fingerfood—hey, ask Grandma to save me a plate for when I get home. ‘K?”
“Alright Pann—”
“Ahh! Didn’t I just tell you to not touch me with that! No! No! DON’T TOUCH ME WITH THAT THING!”
“Panny?”
“Yeah Dad.”
“If you need anything—anything—just—”
“I will Daddy. But I’ve got to go before I die at the thwap of the smelly sweat sock of nasty death.” Gohan laughed. “‘Bye Daddy! Don’t wait up for me!”
“‘Bye—” *click* “—Panny.”
Gohan laughed quietly at his daughter’s predicament.
Work did funny things to Saiyans.