The capsule corp. headquarters stood imposing under the night sky. Most of the lights in the main building were dimmed, indicating it was well past normal working hours. The facility was quieter than usual—Bulma's staff had long since gone home, or were perhaps in their quarters for the evening.
From the second-floor balcony, a faint light flickered.
He walked down the softly lit hallway, his footsteps almost silent against the polished floors. As he approached the open doorway at the end of the hall, the light flickered again, casting long, dancing shadows against the wall.
Bulma was there. She was hunched over her desk, surrounded by a chaotic scatter of holographic blueprints, empty coffee mugs, and tools.
He walked over to her before tapping her shoulder. She saw him She started crying before she slapped him.
The slap cracked through the silence, startlingly loud and stinging instantly against his cheek. It wasn't a playful tap; it was fueled by weeks of pent-up worry, frustration, and absolute relief.
Before he could process the impact, Bulma dissolved completely. She buried her face against his chest, sobbing uncontrollably, hitting his chest with her fists between broken cries. " where were you? We woke up and you were gone. We thought you left us." she said through sobs
"There was something really important I had to do. I always planned on coming back. I just didn't think it would take two days. I'm sorry for leaving without telling you."
She clung to him, her tears soaking through his shirt as she shook her head. "It's not about the time, you idiot! You could have sent a message, called, something!" She pulled back just enough to glare up at him through blurry eyes, her voice cracking.
"I was literally in another dimension. I can't you know send a message."
"And we're not supposed to worry when you disappear for days?" She pushed away, crossing her arms as if trying to hold herself together. "I thought... I thought you were... gone." The last word broke as more tears spilled over.
"I will never leave you."
"You better not." She scrubbed at her eyes with the back of her hand, trying to regain some composure, though her voice was still thick and shaky. "Because if you ever pull a stunt like this again—disappearing without a single word—I will hunt you down across every dimension. Do you understand me?"
"Understood now where is your mother?"
She blinked, momentarily thrown by the abrupt shift in topic, but nodded. "She's in her room. Sleeping. She was worried sick too, you know." She gestured toward the door, rubbing her puffy eyes. "She barely ate yesterday. Kept asking if you'd come home."
She paused, her expression flickering between relief and irritation.
"Can you take me to her?"
"Yeah, come on." She stood up from her desk, stretching stiffly. Her eyes flickered to the slap mark still faintly visible on his cheek, her jaw tightening. She reached out and traced it with her thumb before quickly pulling her hand away, as if catching herself.
She led him down the hallway, past the darkened laboratory and living quarters.
They reached a door at the end of the hallway. Bulma knocked softly before pushing it open. The room was dimly lit, filled with the soft sounds of peaceful breathing. Her mother lay on the bed, curled up under the covers. She stirred slightly as they entered, her eyes fluttering open.
"Hi Panchy."said Max
Panchy blinked a few times, adjusting her eyes to the dim light. When she realized who was standing in the doorway, she gasped, her eyes going wide. Without a second of hesitation, she threw the covers aside and scrambled out of bed, practically rushing across the room.
"Max!" She threw her arms around his neck, hugging him tighter than she ever had before.
She squeezed him so tightly he could barely breathe, peppering his face with kisses—cheeks, forehead, nose—anywhere she could reach. "Oh, Maxie! My sweet boy! You're home! You're finally home!" She pulled back, hands on his face, examining every inch of him like she couldn't believe he was real.
"We were so worried!"
"Don't you *ever* disappear on us like that again!" she scolded, tears streaming down her face rapidly. She slapped his chest lightly, repeatedly—less out of anger and more out of overwhelming relief. "Two days, Max! Two whole days with no word! Bulma and I were terrified we lost you!"
She buried her face against his neck, trembling violently.
he gave her a quick kiss before pulling back. " I love you too"
She sniffled, pulling her hands from his face. A small, satisfied smile spread across her features. "Well. At least you're still got manners." She sniffed dramatically, wiping her cheeks. "But don't think this makes up for leaving us scared half to death."
She turned to Bulma with a mother's knowing glance.
"Bulma, honey, why don't you go get Max something to eat? He must be starving after all that dimension traveling." Panchy gave her daughter a pointed look—*now*. "I want to have a little chat with our young man here."
Bulma opened her mouth to protest, then closed it when she caught her mother's expression.
"Fine," Bulma sighed, shooting Max a warning glare that clearly said *behave*. "I'll bring something up." She turned and walked out of the room, the door clicking softly shut behind her.
Panchy immediately turned her full attention back to Max, her expression shifting from relieved mother to stern parent. She crossed her arms and stared him down.
"Maxie, listen to me very closely." She tapped his nose firmly, her expression stern despite the lingering tears. "I adore you. You are part of this family. But disappearing for two days without a single word? Absolutely unacceptable."
She smoothed his hair back gently. "You terrified two women who love you more than anything. You do not get to scare us like that. Ever."
"I know you're powerful, sweetheart. I know you can handle yourself in crazy dimensions and against scary monsters. But you know what's even scarier?" She waited until he met her gaze. "Coming home and finding out you didn't come back at all."
"We were terrified, Max. Absolutely panicked." She tapped his nose gently again. "Bulma was barely functioning, and I was a wreck. You do not get to vanish without warning. Not ever."
She softened immediately, smoothing his hair affectionately. "We love you. You are family. Losing you isn't an option."
She sighed deeply, the sternness melting away completely as she pulled him into one last, tight hug. "Just... promise me you'll be more careful with our hearts in the future, Maxie. We can handle you fighting monsters. We cannot handle not knowing if you're coming home."
She kissed his forehead softly. "Now sit down before Bulma comes back."
She gestured to the edge of her bed, her tone leaving no room for argument. Panchy sat beside him, her hand finding his and squeezing gently. She didn't let go as they waited in comfortable silence for Bulma to return with food.
Moments later, Bulma pushed open the door, balancing a tray loaded with sandwiches, fresh fruit, and a glass of cold milk.
Bulma set the tray down on Panchy's nightstand with a soft thud. She eyed Max and Panchy sitting side by side, their hands intertwined. Her expression softened slightly, the lingering worry evident in her eyes. "Here," she said gruffly, pushing the tray towards him. "Eat."
Panchy nodded approvingly. "Good boy." She picked up a sandwich and held it to his mouth, mothering him completely. "You must be starving. Dimensions don't exactly have convenient snack breaks, do they?"
Bulma watched them, still clearly annoyed but clearly relieved he was back. She slumped into a chair by the bed, crossing her arms. "So..."
"So," Bulma repeated, leaning forward and resting her chin on her hand. Her eyes narrowed slightly, scanning him critically. "You vanish for two days, scare us half to death, and then just stroll back in like nothing happened." She tapped her fingers against her arm. "You realize you are officially on thin ice, right?"
"I know."
"Good," Bulma huffed, though the harshness was quickly fading into exhaustion. "Because the next time you pull a disappearing act, I'm personally outfitting you with a tracker. One that I cannot turn off. Understand?"
Panchy rolled her eyes affectionately at Bulma's theatrics before shoving the sandwich closer to Max's mouth. "Ignore her, Maxie."
"Eat," Panchy commanded softly, her fingers brushing against his lips as she guided the sandwich in. Bulma watched the interaction with a small frown, her arms still crossed tightly over her chest. "And Max?" She waited until he looked at her. "No more secrets or disappearing acts."
"I promise."
"Good." Bulma leaned back in her chair, the tension finally leaving her shoulders. "Because I mean it. If you vanish on us again, I'm dragging you back myself."
Panchy beamed, stroking his hair affectionately as she watched him take a bite of the sandwich. "That's my good boy."
The room fell quiet as Max ate, the simple act of chewing the sandwich bringing a brief moment of normalcy. Panchy's hand continued to gently stroke his hair, a soothing, almost hypnotizing motion that seemed to ground them all.
Bulma's sharp gaze lingered on Max's face, her eyes still scanning him, her mind clearly still working through her own anger and relief.
"So," she finally said, breaking the silence. "Where *exactly* did you go? Because two days with no explanation isn't cutting it, Max." She leaned forward again, elbows on knees. "Spill. Now."
Panchy shushed her softly. "Let the poor boy eat first, Bulma."
"I'm listening *while* he eats,"
"I left because a friend of mine was in trouble. I left them a communications device to call me if anything ever happened so I had to go there and help them defeat. A very bad guy and I took a whole day so I took the other day to recover from that and come home."
Bulma processed this, her expression flickering between annoyance and reluctant acceptance. "So, you responded to a distress call? That explains the sudden vanishing act." She sighed, rubbing her temples. "And the recovery time? You were exhausted, not just ignoring us."
Panchy continued stroking his hair, nodding slowly. "Helping friends is noble, Maxie."
Bulma's jaw tightened. "Noble? Maybe. Responsible? Clearly not." She stared at him, but the anger had faded from her gaze, replaced by weariness. "You could have warned us. Just a single message—anything. We're not the enemy, Max."
Panchy frowned at her daughter. "He's home now, Bulma."
"And he's safe," Panchy added softly, her thumb moving to gently cup his cheek. "That's what matters most. The fact that he helped friends in need says good things about his character." She looked at Bulma pointedly. "Don't you agree?" Her tone implied 'Be nice.'
Bulma sighed, rolling her eyes but nodding grudgingly. "Fine. Helping friends is... admirable." She uncrossed her arms, leaning back in the chair. "But next time? A simple 'Gone for a few days, will be back' message would be appreciated."
Panchy smiled softly, pressing a gentle kiss to his forehead. "Exactly. Communication is key, Maxie." She turned to Bulma, her expression turning stern. "And Bulma? No more threatening him with trackers or dragging him back by force." She stood up, gathering the empty plate.