Disclaimer: Nope, don't own anything at all. It would be pretty pointless to sue me.
Author's Note: I've always wanted to write a Goten x Trunks fic that wasn't a part of a larger story (see: "The New Age Empire"). This won't be a lemon simply because I can't see myself writing anything like that. It will also have Vegeta x Goku. Why? Because I said so! ^_^
Timeline Note: I'm an alternate universe writer and I doubt I've ever written within the timeline. As usual, I ignore the existence of DBGT. It's such a pathetic series whose plot hardly makes sense (despite being funny in the earlier episodes) so I doubt few people really care.
Age Note: Trunks and Goten are both in their late teens (this is post Majin Buu Saga) so they're eighteen and seventeen.
Warnings: Yaoi, angst.
Saiya-jin no Suto-ri Ichi
(One Saiya-jin's Story)
i. Introduction
Let me tell you a story. No, it's not a boring one or a sappy one. It's actually sorta funny (in my opinion anyway). Who am I? I'm Trunks Briefs, pleased to make your acquaintance. Now, it all started a few months ago. My best-friend, Goten, and I were sparring. As usual. I see that you're looking at me with a puzzled expression. Are you by any chance related to the Sons? Anyway, back to my story. Goten's Son Goku and Son ChiChi's youngest son. He's been my best-friend for as long as I can remember despite my not being very nice to him when we were kids. Goten's like his father, though. They see through all the crap to the inner goodness that lies beneath.
We were sparring in our usual place, a hidden clearing in the forest that knew no visitors other than birds, squirrels, insects, and the occasional deer. Goten's raven hair was even more disheveled than usual and his orange gi, identical to his father's, was torn and nearly indecent. I wasn't looking too much better. There was a bloody scrape on my chest from having been knocked to the ground from behind and I was missing the top to my gi. All of this was okay, though, because we were both having the time of our life.
ii. What the HELL?!
They leapt at each other in a rush of power, so evenly matched that it was hard to gain an upper hand. Previously they'd agreed to go all out without transformations or ki blasts, a true test that depended upon skill alone. Goten, who had slacked off on his training the last few years, was slowly giving way to Trunks' determined blows. Just as Trunks was about to finish him off, they felt a sudden spike of ki that caught them both off guard.
"Are our tousans sparring today?" Goten asked, inwardly relieved at the break in the fight.
"Maybe..."
There was another spike, this time only Goku, and then both kis slowly faded down to a normal level. Goten and Trunks exchanged glances, eventually deciding to go investigate. Masking their kis as best they could, the two boys flew to where they felt their fathers.
It was a jungle; a hot, steamy jungle. The plants were lush and green, growing thickly from the forest floor. Exotic birds, reptiles, mammals, and insects went about their daily business, pausing only an instant to regard Goten and Trunks with caution. The two of them carefully made their way through the plants, trying not to damage them, and stopped when they neared a large tree. They sensed their fathers nearby, unable to figure out just why they would be in such a place. It wasn't ideal to spar in, there were just too many plants around. Besides the thickness of the vegetation, it was hotter than Hell. Sparring for an extended period of time would probably cause them both to pass out from heat exhaustion.
Then Goten spotted them and his mouth fell open in pure shock. He poked Trunks and motioned with his hand to the hidden cove. Two voices whispered, both with the same amount of disbelief held within, "What the HELL?!"
It was a sight they thought they'd never see, not in a million years. Beside the bank of the clear pool lay a naked Vegeta and Goku covered in various marks and bruises, apparently quite comfortable in their snug embrace. The two boys tip-toed, not at all unashamed by their fathers' nudity, and wondered just what had transpired.
Oh, they knew well enough what happened; the ki spikes were familiar from Vegeta and Bulma's sexual interludes of yore. Yet they knew nothing of what brought the two Saiya-jin together in the first place.
Goten blinked as he examined the intertwined couple. "Maybe we accidentally crossed over into the Twilight Zone."
"Or maybe it's a dream."
Vegeta spoke without opening his eyes. He'd sensed Goten and Trunks drawing closer for quite some time. He had not been as caught up in the throes of passion as Goku had. "How about you two be quiet? Kakarotto and I are trying to sleep here."
They each let out a startled cry and jumped backwards. "You're awake?!" Trunks asked, more than a little nervous.
"Of course I am," he rolled his eyes. "You two did a very poor job of masking yourselves and your footsteps through this jungle were as loud as thunder." Goku stirred in his sleep and Vegeta found himself brushing back his silky bangs almost subconsciously. He suddenly smirked. "You two sparred earlier.... Or did you?"
Two identical sets of blushes rose on their faces. Vegeta was implying that they'd....
Goten, the first to recover from his embarrassment, put additional space between himself and Trunks. "No way, Vegeta-san. We're not like that."
"Nope, no way," Trunks echoed, not wanting to be left out. Actually, he wasn't one-hundred percent against the possibility, but saying no seemed to be the best thing to do at the moment.
It was then that Goku truly began to wake. He nuzzled Vegeta's neck, eyes still closed, and a happily little smile appeared on his face. " 'geta," he purred in a low voice, "don't tell me that was all you had in you today."
Vegeta smirked. "Well, I could go for another round, but we seem to have guests at the moment."
Goku blinked, processing his words. Then he looked around the clearing and discovered his son and Trunks. Immediately, a dark flush rose to color his face. "Oh, Kami," he moaned in mortification. "How long were you two-?"
"Not very long, Tousan," Goten said with a huge smile. He was enjoying himself immensely. "We kinda flew over right after you two, er, finished." That made his father groan. They knew exactly what he and Vegeta had been doing.
Vegeta had a feeling that the two boys had many, many questions for the two of them. Pushing Goku down with the hand that wasn't around the younger man's shoulders, he settled in for the conversation.
iii. Accidental Revelations
It seems that my father and Goku-san were tied by something called a "Bond". It's something that only people who have the blood of our race can share, but I have no idea if you can experience it with someone different than us. Papa hadn't Bonded with my mother and neither had Goku-san with ChiChi-san. Those couples just weren't meant to be, I guess.
Papa and Goku-san had been mating for only a few weeks before Goten and I found them that day. Before then, whenever we sensed their energy, we figured that they were sparring. Hey, don't give me that confused look again. We have powers, okay? We can do things that normal people can't. So, they're Bonded and mating like jackrabbits in heat. Meanwhile, kaasan and ChiChi-san are blissfully unaware. If they said anything about the increased sparring sessions, it wasn't anything too serious.
The day ChiChi-san found out about Goku-san's affair with papa was interesting to say the least. To say the most, her world was turned completely upside down. It had been an accident, a really strange accident. You see, papa and Goku-san usually do some very heavy sparring before getting horizontal. That time, though, it was heavier than usual.
iv. The Saiya-jin Mating Cycle
Kamesennin was the first to notice. He paused, teacup nearly to his lips, and looked upward with a vacant look. Juuhachi-gou, Kuririn, Trunks, and Goten also joined him. They were silent, each with their own look of concern.
"Hello? Is anyone going to tell me what's wrong?" Marron asked, more than a little annoyed.
"I sense Goku's ki fluctuating wildly," Kamesennin commented. "Never felt anything like that before."
Kuririn frowned at his lack of care. "What about Vegeta? Why is his ki doing the exact same thing?"
"Maybe they're trying to kill each other. You had to know that Vegeta would try again someday." Juuhachi-gou rose. "I, for one, am not going to sit here and wait for their power to destroy this planet. I'm going over there."
The two boys exchanged glances and blanched. "Uh, Juu-chan? You probably don't want to do that..." Trunks said lamely.
"Oh? Why not?" Her blue eyes narrowed. "Are you two hiding something from us?"
Two heads shook frantically. "Iie! Of course not!" they exclaimed in unison. Juuhachi-gou, rolling her eyes, went outside and flew off. Kuririn went off after her, followed by Roshi in a capsule car.
"Kuso!" Goten uncharacteristically swore. "If they go over there now..."
Trunks blinked. "Won't papa and Goku-san just get angry or annoyed? What's so different about this time?"
"He hasn't told you?" Goten was partially astonished and partially knowing. "Ah, Vegeta is one to hide a lot."
"What the hell are you talking about?!" Trunks asked, frustrated with his words... or, rather, the lack of them.
Marron looked over at them curiously as Goten began to explain. "Tousan told me before that Saiya-jin are different than ningen."
"Really?" Trunks asked sarcastically. "I never would have guessed."
Ignoring the interruption, he continued, "Saiya-jin have mating cycles that start when they're adults. I don't think demi-Saiya-jin get them. Gohan never has. Lucky for us."
"You mean they go into heat?!" Marron asked, astonished.
Goten nodded. "You can tell when it begins. Tousan really doesn't know what he does when he's like that, only that he has a great need. After a while, he just disappears for maybe a week and comes back perfectly normal. I've always thought it was odd, but never odd enough to go to Vegeta-san for an explanation."
Trunks began to pace. "What does he act like during the cycle?"
Dark eyes grew shadowed. "He's wild, angry, and very dangerous. Fully capable of killing someone without a second thought. Kaasan can always calm him down somewhat, though. In the beginning anyway."
"If Goku-san's like that, imagine how bad papa will be!" Trunks turned to Marron. "Call our mothers and Gohan as quick as you can!"
Trunks and Goten hunted down their fathers, whose ki was at a steady level now, and flew over to where the small group was waiting on a cliff. Goten laid down on his stomach and peered down into the valley below, using his superior Saiya-jin eyesight to the best advantage. He quickly moved backward, mouth open in shock. Why, oh why, did he have to see that?
"Goten?"
"It's bad, Trunks," he gulped, hand over his eyes. "I think I'm blinded!"
Trunks couldn't resist. He peeked as well and paled before a bright red blush colored his face. "Oh Kami! I just wish that I was!"
Roshi, Kuririn, and Juuhachi-gou just stared at them. None had gotten close enough to look down into the valley and, now, weren't too sure about doing so.
"What's going on down there?" Kuririn asked. "Are they killing each other?"
His words provoked imagery in the two boys' minds that made them groan. "No more, please! Stop talking about it!"
"There are just some things you *do not* want to see," Trunks added. "In fact, we should just leave. Everything's perfectly fine and if you feel anymore ki spikes, just ignore them. It'll all be over in a few days."
"Try two weeks," Goten corrected. "I said that he *disappears* for a week, not that it begins then. Tousan was fine yesterday so it's still at stage one."
Juuhachi-gou, fed up with the mystery, decided to go see for herself. As she drew closer to the edge of the cliff, and as various vehicles carrying the others rumbled closer, Trunks and Goten gave up. Let them see exactly what was going on; it would be a coming out party no one would ever forget.
The artificial ningen gasped, eyes wide in shock. Down below in the valley, Goku and Vegeta were going at it. Growling and wrestling, the two fought over who would be seme. The taller Saiya-jin eventually won and, well, let's just say that the others got the sexual education of their lives.
"Oh my Kami," Kuririn gasped, unable to turn away. Kamesennin chuckled, inwardly amused at the sight. The vehicles landed and their passengers disembarked, ChiChi and Bulma both rushing towards the cliff's edge. ChiChi paled at what she saw and everyone winced when Goku let out an animalistic howl that raised the hair on the back of their necks.
Bulma snorted. "I can't say that I'm surprised."
"W-What do you mean?" ChiChi asked, completely shocked by the scene. Goku and Vegeta, completely spent, lay basking in the afterglow in each others arms. Goku wore a pleased, albeit sleepy, smile on his face and Vegeta stroked his back gently.
"Every single time he returns to C.C. after being gone for an entire week, Vegeta was happy." She sighed bitterly. "Singing, dancing -- he's even cooked for us a few times! I thought it was because of me, that some way I'd changed him." Bulma looked down at the happy couple, tears pooling in her eyes. "I see that I'm wrong."
"It's possible that he's not aware of what he's doing," Gohan told them. "I know he's in heat -- I smelled it this morning when we sparred."
ChiChi growled, not accepting the possibility that Goku had no knowledge. "I won't let this happen. That damn alien won't take my husband away from me!" She ran over and hopped back into her capsule car, heading down to the valley below. Goten, Gohan, and Trunks instantly flew off after her, trying to stop the woman from making a terrible mistake. It was suicide to come between mates during the cycle.
Goku raised his head, scenting the approaching forms on the wind. He watched ChiChi's approach with his eyes narrowed, quickly dismissing the other three as threats. It was ChiChi who sought to tear him away from his koibito and that was something he would not let happen.
"Stay back!" he screamed at her, rising to block her. "Don't come any closer!"
"What are you doing? Why are you protecting him?" ChiChi couldn't understand. "I'm your wife, Goku. You belong with me."
Vegeta smirked at her and wrapped his arm around Goku's waist in a gesture of ownership. "He is mine, now and forever."
Enraged at his audacity, ChiChi ran towards him. Gohan and Goten both lunged at her while Trunks lunged at Goku. ChiChi came within a foot of Vegeta before they could stop her and Goku was just seconds of transforming into Super Saiya-jin. Vegeta watched this all silently, a pleased little smirk curving his lips.
Trunks didn't even bother to roll his eyes at him. "Papa, stop. You're making this worse."
Gohan stared at his father, unable to believe the way that he was acting. "You belong with kaasan, Tousan! Not with Vegeta!"
"Why is that, Niichan?" Goten asked quietly. "Is it because they're both men?" His tone grew sarcastic. "Or is it because he and kaasan are so suited for each other?"
Goku stared past ChiChi at his sons. He did not want them to be hurt. "Please, leave us. The cycle is strong."
ChiChi, drained both mentally and emotionally, allowed Gohan to guide her away. Goten hugged his father briefly before collecting Trunks, and everyone left the couple alone.
v. Capturing Goten
Believe it or not, the scene opened up possibilities for me. Kaasan was accepting of it, despite being hurt at the beginning, and Bra was pleased that papa was finally happy. Like me, my little sister had known for quite some time that it would never work between papa and kaasan.
I had a secret, something that would alter Goten's feelings for me forever. I'm in love with him, completely and utterly. He was, for lack of a better term, the wind beneath my wings. Don't laugh at me about that, please. Those were the best words I could find.
What do you mean that you saw this coming? What do you mean that we're joined at the hip? Excuse me, but I can go without seeing or speaking with Goten for a very long time. I don't have to have contact with him every hour in the day.... Oh, who am I fooling? I think I'd go insane without him.
Things began to change a few weeks later. I had come up with a vague plan and, if everything went correctly, he would be mine.
vi. Water Wars
No matter how much he tried, Goten just couldn't get math. Oh sure, basic arithmetic was simple for him, but more advanced math, such as Algebra and Trigonometry, eluded him.
Luckily, Trunks was very good at it. He'd taken all of the advanced math classes and helped Goten with his homework whenever he could. In exchange, Goten would help him write because it was something that he, himself, excelled in.
"Can we please stop for today, Trunks?" Goten asked, the numbers starting to blur on the pages before him. "I can probably get a C on the test, at least."
"Why settle for a C if you're capable of something greater?" Trunks asked but he shut the book anyway. He'd seen Goten's eyes start to cross ten minutes ago.
The constant mating between Goku and Vegeta had ceased just a few days ago. They'd slept for most of the day before and were feeling normal. ChiChi had not accepted the fact that her husband was spending majority of his time with someone who used to utterly despise him and, frankly, neither had Gohan. The two boys really had no idea why he was so against it; maybe he felt sorry for his mother. Whatever the case, the relationship between him and Goku was strained.
Bulma decided to have a party at Capsule Corporation in an attempt to bring everyone back together. After doing a lot of thinking, she decided to let Vegeta go since he seemed so happy with his new mate and loved Vegeta too much for him to be miserable.
"Are you ready for tomorrow?" Trunks asked with slight hesitation. "I know that ChiChi-san's invited, and Goku-san as well."
"So is niichan," he whispered as he looked down at Trunks' desk. "I don't understand why Gohan's so angry at tousan. Why can't he be happy? I know he doesn't think that kaasan and tousan are a perfect match." He looked up with wonder on his face. "Or does he?"
They sat in heavy silence for a moment, before the older demi-Saiya-jin decided to break it. "Let's go do something fun to get our minds off this. Worrying about tomorrow won't help anything." He stood up, intending to shut the window. As soon as he appeared in front of it, a thin stream of water hit him directly in the face. For once moment he stood there, completely shocked and soaking wet, then Goten started to laugh and Trunks dried off with his ki.
"What the hell was that?" he stuck his head outside and was hit again. Looking up, he spotted four-year-old Pan with a water gun.
"Yeah! Gotcha!"
"Great job, Pan-chan!" Goten congratulated her. Trunks shut the window quickly and went to his closet.
"This means war," he said as he retrieved his own water guns.
They loaded up the five guns in the bathroom and ran down stairs to confront the giggling girls in the inner garden. Before they could enter, Bulma ran out and blocked them.
"Oh no," she said. "You're not trampling kaasan's flowers. If you four want to act silly, do it out there." She pointed in the opposite direction. Trunks and Goten nodded and went off. Bulma rounded up Bra and Pan and sent them out to join the older boys.
"Prepare to die, Son Pan!" Trunks shouted as he ran after her. Pan dove underneath a hedge, her small body easily slipping through. Trunks dropped down to his stomach, water gun in front of him, and peeked through the hedge. He made a very bad mistake. Pan poked the gun through the hole, nearly poking him in the nose, and pulled the trigger until it was nearly empty. He shouted in surprise and she took off, giggling all the while.
While Trunks chased Pan, Goten and Bra were facing off.
"Now Bra-chan, you don't really want to soak your Goten-niichan, do you?" he asked sweetly. "I bring you candy and ice cream."
Bra considered what he'd done for her and then grinned. "If you don't let me get you then I'm gonna tell papa you made me cry."
"But you *aren't* crying!" He exclaimed. Almost as soon as the words left his mouth, tears began making tracks down her cheeks. For a moment he just stared at the little girl, a little impressed by her ability to summon tears instantly. Dropping his weapon, he surrendered.
She raised her water gun and started to pull the trigger, changing her mind when Goten just stood there. "Well, aren't you going to do something?"
"What can I do?" he asked. "You want to use that thing on me, remember? If I run then you won't be able to catch me."
Her face scrunched up, not sure that she liked winning so easily. "Run Goten. But not too fast, okay?" Bra smiled at him and motioned for him to begin. She spotted her father watching her from the side of the house and placed her finger to her lips. "Be vewwy, vewwy qwiet. I'm hunting for a Saiya-jin." She said this in her best Elmer Fudd impression and started off after the older boy.
"She's definitely your daughter," Goku commented as he rested his chin upon Vegeta's head. The smaller Saiya-jin, still not entirely comfortable with public displays of affection, moved away slightly. Goku was slightly hurt at first, but quickly pushed it away to watch Trunks and Goten become trapped by the two little girls. Back-to-back the two boys stood, while Bra and Pan circled them and took potshots at their bodies. Pan ran out of water fairly early on, but decided to use Trunks' own weapon against him.
Quickly tiring of being captured, Trunks and Goten shot up into the air. Pan followed but Bra, not yet knowing how to fly, began to wail at the unfairness.
"PAPA! MAKE THEM COME BACK DOWN!"
One glare and the two demi-Saiya-jin males found themselves heading towards land. Goten was the first to shake himself free from the compulsion of Vegeta's eyes. He grabbed his friend and took off as quickly as he could in the opposite direction.
vii. The Capsule Corp. Get-Together
It took me until the next day to truly begin my plan. We spent the remainder of the day before playing with Bra and Pan, tiring them out so that they both fell asleep early in the evening without protest.
We both slept in my bed, at kaasan's insistence. She claimed that I had so much room that Goten didn't need to sleep on the floor. In my opinion it wasn't very wise to have the object of my affection so close.
Goten snores as he sleeps; flat on his back, legs and arms sprawled everywhere. He takes up a lot of room with that large body of his and I have to get pretty close so that I don't fall off the edge of my own bed.
I laid awake that morning, just thinking about my life up to that point. Never before had I been so terrified of anything. Majin Buu failed to make me tremble, Hildegarn never made me sweat. Even Brolli, who was nearly the death of Goten and I both, hardly caused my pulse to quicken. The nearly paralyzing terror of pushing my best-friend away, the one person I care about the most, almost stops me from telling him. I *will* eventually announce my feelings to him, though, come Hell or high water.
Don't open your mouth, sir. A black eye wouldn't suit you at all.
viii. Three Little Maids
They were tricked into helping Bulma. Both Goten and Trunks drew short straws and were in charge of keeping the kids out of the way while the adults set up. Just the thought of keeping Bra and Pan out of everyone's hair scared the living daylights out of them.
"What are we gonna do?" Goten asked, finding the task more than a little daunting. "Pan's always hyper and Bra..." He shook his head at the mere thought of the six-year-old. "All she has to do is threaten to tell Vegeta-san on us. Your little sis has too much power, Trunks."
The lavender-haired man sighed. "Don't I know it."
"Oh, Niichan!" Bra called in a sing-song tone. All of the color drained from Trunks' face and she giggled. "Guess what I want to play!"
"Whatever it is," he said miserably, "it's going to involve both me and humiliation."
Goten laughed at the look on his face. "Oh, come on Trunks! How bad can it be?"
"You don't know, Goten. You just don't know."
Bra had them follow her and Pan to Bulma's room, a place that scared Trunks to death. His fear originated from his childhood and the night he decided to go see what the strange noises were. He shuddered. Those images would never go away.
"What are we doing in here?" Goten whispered, eyes a touch wider than usual. Bra disappeared into her mothers huge walk-in closet and rummaged around for a little while. When she started handing things back to Pan, Trunks found the courage to speak up.
"Uh, Bra-chan? What are you doing?"
"Getting clothes," she answered, her voice muffled.
"Yeah but *why* are you getting clothes?"
Pan smirked at him. "You'll see."
Finally Bra was finished and the two girls slowly approached Goten and Trunks with two of Bulma's kimonos, both of which had bright flowers on them. Giving one to the light-haired demi-Saiya-jin and one to the dark-haired one, she went over to her mother's make-up table as Pan informed them of what was going to happen.
"You're gonna be geishas."
Trunks paled again. "You see, Goten? They're gonna humiliate the hell out of us!"
"It won't be that bad. Maybe they're just gonna dress us up and coo over us or something," Goten whispered. Bra, with her excellent Saiya-jin hearing, heard his words perfectly.
She grinned hugely. "Don't you wish you were that lucky."
After the boys were dressed and covered in enough make-up, Bra turned to her best-friend. "Pan, get into the kimono I have in my closet."
"Hey, I'm not a part of this!" she protested.
"Do it unless you want my papa mad at you."
"Vegeta-ojiisan *never* really gets mad at me." The two girls stared at each other for a moment, neither giving in, until Pan sighed. "Fine. The song really doesn't fit without three people anyway."
Goten gulped. "Song?"
"You'll see," was Bra's only response.
The guests had all arrived by the time Bra finished with Pan. The Briefs girl grabbed several cameras, as well as a video recorder, and passed them out among the guests.
"What are these for?" Kuririn asked in confusion.
Bra smiled. "You'll see."
She stood before the audience that had gathered in the family room and got their attention. "I've got surprise entertainment for you all," she said. "They're sweet, beautiful, and very talented. I present to you the Three Little Maids! And please, take many, many pictures." She giggled and hit the button on her CD player.
The three little maids all filed down the stairs; Trunks first, Pan second, and Goten last. The boys' first thought was that at least they weren't wearing geta, or wooden platform sandals. It would be beyond embarrassing to trip and come falling headfirst down the stairs. There was a moment of completely shocked silence and then a deep laugh erupted from someone. Surprisingly, the sound originated from within Vegeta.
"Hit it, girls," Bra instructed, muffling her snickers with her
hands.
Trunks, Pan, Goten:
Three little maids from school are we,
Pert as a school-girl well can be,
Filled to the brim with girlish glee,
Three little maids from school!
Trunks:
Everything is a source of fun. (falsetto giggles)
Pan:
Nobody's safe, for we care for none! (high-pitched giggles)
Goten:
Life is a joke that's just begun! (rather deep giggles)
Trunks, Pan, Goten:
Three little maids from school!
Three little maids who, all unwary,
Come from a ladies' seminary,
Freed from its genius tutelary--
Three little maids from school!
Three little maids from school!
Trunks:
One little maid is a bride, Yum-Yum--
Pan:
Two little maids in attendance come--
Goten:
Three little maids is the total sum.
Trunks, Pan, Goten:
Three little maids from school!
Three little maids from school!
Trunks:
From three little maids take one away.
Pan:
Two little maids remain and they--
Goten:
Won't have to wait very long, they say.
Trunks, Pan, Goten:
Three little maids from school!
Three little maids from school!
Three little maids who, all unwary,
Come from a ladies' seminary,
Freed from its genius tutelary--
Three little maids from school!
Three little maids from school!
Song finished, Goten and Trunks fled the room in humiliation. Pan was a little more polite and bowed first.
Bulma held her aching stomach and wiped tears from her eyes. "How in the world did you get them to do that, Bra?"
"Let's just say I made them an offer they couldn't refuse."
"Ah," Goku said in realization. "You threatened them with 'geta."
The Saiya-jin prince snorted. "As if I'm your personal bodyguard."
She smiled. "Aren't you? Would you allow someone to touch your little Bra-hime?"
He frowned, not sure he liked his daughter inheriting his manipulative genes. "Whatever."
The front door opened and a certain loud woman entered. "Sorry I'm late, but I was putting the finishing touches on my cheesecake..." She trailed off as she spotted her husband and Vegeta practically cuddling on the couch. ChiChi's face turned red and her mouth opened in preparation to yell.
"Thar she blows!" Kuririn announced as if no one else had noticed. "Duck and cover!"
"GET AWAY FROM HIM, VEGETA!" she screamed as she stalked towards them, cheesecake thrust into the nearest person's hands. "LEAVE MY GOKU ALONE!"
Vegeta smirked up at her. " "Your" Goku? He hasn't been "your" Goku in a long damn time, onna."
"Vegeta, that's enough," Goku said, trying to calm ChiChi down. It was doomed to failure from the beginning.
ChiChi grabbed Vegeta's wrist in an attempt to move his hand away from Goku's thigh. Vegeta's expression grew so icy that everyone swore that the temperature in the room dropped ten degrees.
In the meanwhile, Goku was growing more and more annoyed with ChiChi. Couldn't she see that he was with Vegeta now? Couldn't she see that they truly belonged together? "Stop it, ChiChi! Just stop it!" He rose and glared down at the woman he'd once called his wife. "We were all fine until you decided to show up. Why are you ruining this day?"
Her brows drew together in anger. "How can you be with him? He's nothing more than a dirty little ape!"
"If Vegeta is a dirty ape then so am I. Or have you forgotten my heritage?" Goku sighed. "You never could deal with me being an alien. It was easier for you to pretend that I was as normal as you told people. I'm tired of pretending, ChiChi, tired of being the husband you've always wanted."
Goku turned to Vegeta, grasped his hands, and pulled him to his feet. "No more lies. No more insults. Vegeta is my mate and I demand that he be treated as such."
Everyone was silent for a moment, even ChiChi. Then, one-by-one, the guests all came up to say a few words to the couple. All of the guests except ChiChi that is. She hung back near Gohan who had a look of consideration on his face.
"Look at them," ChiChi whispered to her eldest son in a bitter tone. "It's disgusting."
Gohan's dark eyes flashed. "Kaasan, please."
"Don't you agree though, son? He should be at home with me, not parading around with that Saiya-jin slut."
"Drop it, Kaasan!" Gohan nearly shouted. His voice echoed throughout the suddenly silent room. "I see why tousan no longer wishes to be with you!"
Her mouth gaped. "What are you saying?"
"You're a shrew, Kaasan. You've done nothing but scream and yell at all three of us our entire lives. Vegeta obviously accepts tousan for who he is. Too bad you couldn't." Gohan turned away and left the room.
The party broke up soon after that. Bulma told Goku that she would talk with ChiChi and hopefully make her understand. Goku's answer was, "When Hell freezes over."
"Now, now Kakarotto," Vegeta said, smirking. "She's due for some sort of understanding. It's not like she's had many realizations in her life."
"Denial isn't very healthy," Goku commented with a thoughtful expression. "I wonder what she'd say if I told her that I was boinking Piccolo."
Two sets of eyes, black and blue, stared at him in utter surprise and the tall Saiya-jin burst into laughter.
ix. Courage
I listened to Goku-san's words as he finally stood up to ChiChi-san. They gave me the courage to tell Goten about how I felt. To quote his father, 'No more lies.'
My mother planned another get-together for the next day and this time ChiChi-san wasn't invited. Hell, she wasn't even informed! Goten spent the night at my house, nothing unusual there, and Goku hadn't really lived with his wife for quite some time. We all met at Capsule Corp. early in the morning, around six a.m. Gohan and his family were there, my parents and little sister, Goku, Goten, Kamesennin, Kuririn and his family, Yamcha, Puar, Tien and Chaozu, and Piccolo. I have no idea why the Namek-jin was present, yet he's always present at our get-togethers.
We were going to the beach, believe it or not. Kaasan loaded up a plane with our various beach things and we were off in an hour. I had a suspicion that ChiChi-san was aware of our day trip and was going to crash it.
x. Confessions
"Hold on a minute, Bra!" Bulma shouted as she spread out her tropical print beach blanket. "Come here so I can put sunscreen on you."
The little girl in the two piece navy swim suit had one toe in the water. "Aw, Kaasan!"
"COME HERE, NOW!"
Pan grinned, already set for the day. "Better go 'fore she turns red."
Bra reluctantly went back up the beach just as her father and Goku spread out their own beach blanket nearby. She immediately grabbed the bottle and made a detour. "Papa," she looked up at him, "can you do this for me?"
Vegeta saw Bulma's face and noticed that she was near exploding. "Why don't you let your mother do this? You haven't spent much time with her lately."
"Okay, Papa," she said as she gave in.
Goku smiled at Vegeta and laid back on their blanket. "That was thoughtful of you, 'geta."
"Whatever. I just didn't want that onna annoying me." Goku just continued to smile at him. The prince snorted. "Bakayaro."
His words just caused Goku to hug him. "I love you too, 'geta."
Trunks and Goten were camped not very far away, both wearing blue and silver swim trunks. It had been Goten's idea to dress alike and Trunks gave in with minimal resistance. He suspected that if Goten asked him to commit seppuku, or ritual suicide, he would agree with a sappy smile on his face.
"The sun's shining, the air's warm, Kamesennin's trying to pick up chicks and is failing miserably...." Goten trailed off with a grin. "It's a great day!"
"Yeah, I guess it is pretty great," Trunks said as he finished rubbing sunscreen on every inch of his body that he could reach. Of course his back was completely exposed to the sun's cancer-causing rays and there was only one person he wanted to do that area for him...
It was like some stupid porn movie. At first they would only rub sunscreen on each other's backs. Then the kissing would start and it would lead to petting and petting would invariably lead to the need for lubrication. Trunks groaned at his hentai thoughts, happy that he was facing away from his friend.
"Trunks-kun? Ya want me to do your back?" Goten's voice was so innocent in his query and the older boy immediately flushed at the mere thought of his hands running along his skin. It only served to make his condition even worse.
"Iie! That's okay!" The lavender-haired boy squeaked as he jumped up and took off for the ocean. He dove in head first and nearly sighed in relief as his body began to cool down.
Goten blinked at the blur that was his friend and shook his head. "What's wrong with him?"
Goku and Vegeta, who both were eavesdropping, burst into laughter. Goten frowned; he really hated not getting a joke.
Later in the day, when the sun wasn't directly overhead, Trunks and Goten convinced their fathers to play volleyball with them. For the first five minutes they were completely alone at that end of the beach, but then they started to draw a crowd. About half of the girls crowded around Goku and Vegeta, while the other half crowded around the boys. The boyfriends of said girls were less than pleased that they drew their girlfriends' attentions, but it wasn't as if they were doing it on purpose.
Vegeta hit the ball over the net, using his ki to jump high enough to reach it., and it was coming between Trunks and Goten. Both shouted that they had it, but since neither was really paying attention to the other, they collided about midway. The ball bounced harmlessly from Trunks' back.
Trunks landed on top of his best-friend since he'd been running faster. He noticed the amused look in Goten's dark eyes as he cursed himself for being careless.
"We seem to end up the oddest ways," Goten whispered as the older boy's blush grew darker. His blue eyes widened when Goten moved forward and placed a gentle kiss on his nose, especially when he felt himself respond.
Trunks jumped up, the redness of his face both intensifying in color and spreading down his neck to his shoulders. "I-I-I-"
"What is it, Trunks-chan?" Chan *not* kun. He felt so confused at the moment and the ring of spectators were only making it worse.
"I-I-I-" No coherent words would form, no matter how hard he tried. Goten had just kissed him! Granted it was only on his nose, but a kiss was still a kiss. He'd even done it in front of at least thirty people! Trunks felt his brain overload and the aching need within himself soar to a new level.
The lavender-haired boy made a decision. He had to get away quickly, if only to relieve the pent-up pressure inside of his body. "I need to get out of here!"
Goten hopped to his feet and took a step towards his best-friend. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"
Trunks shook his head and ran off to gather his things. "Iie, I am *not* "okay". *Nothing* is okay!"
"I'm worried about you," Goten said softly as he placed his hand onto the older boy's shoulder. "Please tell me what's wrong."
"You're what's wrong!" He suddenly shouted, not able to keep everything inside anymore. "The way your smile makes me feel warm all over! The way I grow depressed when we have to part! The way you make me hurt in want of you!" Trunks felt tears well up in his eyes. "I can't take it anymore, Goten. I have to go."
Goten stared in shock as Trunks, heedless of anyone else, took to the air and flew off towards his home. He'd never known the depth of his feelings and, now that everything was painfully clear, Goten had no idea what to do.
xi. Fairytale Endings
"We avoided each other for ten whole weeks and during that time I felt as if I would go insane. I had never been separated so long from my best-friend. Kaasan and Bra both noticed halfway through the first week that something was bothering me. I would hardly eat and any sleep I received was plagued by nightmares. Bra came into my room this evening as I lay hurting in the darkness.
" 'Niichan,' she said, 'are you going to be okay?'
"I didn't answer. It felt as if I were dying from the pain, as if each breath I took would be my last. Bra climbed over to me and examined my face. I guess whatever she saw scared her because she jumped from my bed and ran from the room screaming, 'Kaasan!'
"My mother entered and immediately placed her hand upon my forehead. 'You don't have a fever.'
"Sighing, I said, 'I know.'
" 'Yet you look awful.' She paused a moment, maybe to gather her thoughts. 'Does this have anything to do with that beach trip we took a while ago?'
"I wondered about how much she knew. Had anyone said anything to her? Eventually I decided to tell her everything.
"Kaasan's reaction was different from what I'd expected. I never thought she'd disown me or anything, but the fear had still remained. She grabbed me by the shoulders and shook me until my teeth rattled.
" 'You need to stop lying here feeling sorry for yourself!' she said. 'Do you know how worried we are about you? Do you know what you're doing to poor Goten?'
"Goten... I have never stopped thinking about him since that afternoon. Hell, he was the reason I was so depressed in the first place! Kaasan talked me into getting out of bed and doing something other than mope so here I am."
The bartender set the glass he'd been polishing throughout my entire tale down and shook his head. "That's some story, kid."
"I still haven't said anything to him since then and, frankly, I'm terrified." I drained my glass of Coke on the rocks. It was my seventh one. "What if he doesn't want anything else to do with me?"
"There's a saying, Trunks: 'Time waits for no one.' "
My mind was made up. I'm going to set things right with Goten. To Hell with my fear. "Domo arigatou for listening."
"Yeah, yeah. Now go get 'im." He smiled. "Come back and see me again some time."
I grinned. "You bet."
***
I flew as fast as I could out to his home in the forest. Goten was inside but so was his mother. I wasn't in the mood to deal with ChiChi-san at the moment.
Quietly I went around to the back of the house where the room Goten used to share with Gohan was. He was lying on his bed staring at the ceiling, but I knew he was aware of my approach. I didn't bother to mask my ki.
The window was open and I climbed into his bedroom, merely watching him for a moment before starting to speak. "I need to speak with you."
"Oh?" he said, his voice filled with hurt. "Have you come to yell at me some more and tell me how I'm the root of all your problems?"
In that moment I knew that I had ripped out his heart and brutally stomped on it. I had absolutely no reason to be so depressed; Goten had every reason.
Walking closer to his bed, I reached out to touch him. He flinched as my hand made contact with his arm. No, I wouldn't get angry with him about that. It was my fault in the first place. "Please listen to me." He said nothing and I took that to mean that he would, indeed, listen. "I made a mistake and hurt my best-friend with thoughtless words. You know me, Goten. I would never hurt you on purpose."
Goten looked as if he was softening but then his face hardened again. "I *thought* that I knew you."
Okay, this wasn't really getting me anywhere. Time to change tactics. "So that kiss meant nothing?"
"At the time it meant everything. Now, I'm not sure." He sat up and stared at me. "What did you come here for? If it was an apology then I accept. If it was to taunt me then I want nothing more to do with you."
Damn it all to Hell and back. Getting him to talk about it was only making everything worse. "Ai shiteru, Goten! That's what I'm here for!" My entire body shook with emotion. "Well, that and *this*." I closed the gap between us and our lips made sweet contact. I saw the anger in his eyes quickly turn to surprise that, in turn, changed to joy. I lost my balance as he suddenly wrapped his arms around my back and pulled me to him, sprawling rather ungracefully over his larger body. He deepened the kiss and our tongues did battle for a short while until a pressing need made itself known.
"Air!" I gasped as I pulled back. I panted and he grinned.
"That was some kiss, Trunks-chan. Have you taken lessons?" He licked his lips as if eager for more.
I grinned as our lips made contact again. Gotta give my koishii what he wants.
~OWARI~
Song Credits: "Three Little Maids From School Are We" from The Makado by Gilbert and Sullivan (1885)