Pairings: Trunks+Goten (note the '+', there's a difference)
Notes: This doesn't exactly have a place in the timeline, it's just
when Trunks 18ish and Goten is 17ish. The lengths of the
chapters vary, I tried to keep them
all decent, sorry for anything too short
Warnings: Angst, my sense of humor, Goten torture (in a sense at least), and need I mention shounen ai?
Disclaimer: DBZ's not mine...damn
Life went on as normal as it could. Though the questions continued swimming
through my head, I paid no heed to them
anymore. It had been a week. I had a life to tend to. Dwelling on questions
that seemed to have no answers didn't help.
I went to school. I did the normal thing to do. Excepting, of course,
all my thoughts were on him. The boy sitting next to me
in every class we shared. That fact didn't make it easy. He was so
close. I could still feel the intensity of his confession
pushing on me though it had passed.
Schoolwork became forgotten as the questions swam back to the frontof
my mind. That seemed reasonable due to the fact
that I had been staring at Trunks for the last forty-five minutes.
And then it hit. It hit hard and it hit fast. I almost didn't believe
it when it first came to me. But it didn't leave as quickly as it
came thankfully, or it would've stirred only more question and I didn't
need that.
It stayed, my realization. And it became clearer to me the longer it took demand of my concentration.
I was scared.
This I had already figured out. But now I knew why. I was scared because
of me. Because of what I feared would happen to
me. I was afraid of what Trunks being gay would do to me; my image,
my reputation, what people thought of me. Not just
any people, because many people I knew to be shallow I wouldn't think
twice about. I was scared of what my friends would
think of me.
And then another thought struck me more severely than the first.
I was the monster.
I was shallow, I was conceited, I was sordid, and I was wrong.
I feared not what I saw in Trunks because of his confession, but what I saw in myself.
He was not the friend in question. I was. No friend would think what
I had. He had wanted me to accept him, and I rejected
him. Not with my words, but my lack thereof. I had said nothing, not
even a word of acknowledgment. The hope I had seen
in his eyes was devastated. He needed something from me, and I gave
him nothing.
I was a monster. A true monster.
I got a brewing feeling of hatred in my heart. This time, though, I knew exactly why it was there.
There was a point in my life when I knew that Trunks would always be
my best friend. I can't pinpoint my age, but I was
young. Yet I knew then what I should've realized even better now.
Trunks will always be my best friend.
And I knew the hatred in my heart was for none other than myself. For
when I denied Trunks my friendship I denied a part
of me.
I felt nauseous. If I didn't get away from Trunks very soon I knew my stomach would allow me to revisit my lunch.
I stood in a rush. Pushing my chair to the floor behind me. Without
giving a reason to my teacher, I hurried out of the room. I
paused in my escape only long enough to give Trunks a look I hoped
he would know, then I continued my retreat from the
offending area.
I didn't stop in the hallway. I didn't stop while going through the
main doors. I wouldn't have stopped for awhile longer had it
not been for administration.
The balding man hurried over to me before I reached the bottom of the steps.
"Young man, where do you think you're going? You do realize school does
not release early because of your schedule." It
wasn't a question, more of a sarcastic statement.
I stopped, knowing full well I could out run this and any other staff
member, but choosing to humor him. "Oh it doesn't?" I
replied, keeping my back to him.
He 'humph'ed and walked briskly to my side, laying a hand roughly on
my shoulder. "Young man don't you know you face
your elders while speaking?" He turned me around and his face dropped
as he realized whom he was talking to. "Son
Goten," He sighed, "You know the drill. In my office."
I grinned, and walked the well-memorized path to the principal's office
with the balding administer following me. On the way
there I was thankful for the routine. It gave break to the hammering
of thoughts I had been troubled with the past days.
As I entered his office and took a seat, the principal glanced at me.
"Aren't you usually attached to the hip of that purple
haired Briefs kid when you get in trouble, Son?" He asked, turning
to grab my file from his desk.
I was thankful for the second time in five minutes. Glad he wasn't looking
at me to see me tense. I felt a shiver run through
my body at the mention of Trunks. Why did he have to bring him up?
And there came the questions yet again.
"What, you think I can't get into trouble without him? Heh." I tried
to sound convincing, but even I could hear the falter in my
voice.
"Are you covering for him, Son Goten? You know that lying about his involvement could get you into more trouble."
He wasn't involved with this. I was the monster. Lock me up within these
walls, I don't deserve the freedom I sought
anyway.
"No reply, eh? Using your right to remain silent, if only you practiced this more often."
I would've objected to his remark, but my mind was becoming cluttered
again. It was all I could do to keep from wanting to
break down right then and there.
"Okay then, I'll just call Briefs up here to speak for himself." The
principal pushed the button on the microphone on his desk,
turning on the intercom. "Teachers excuse the interruption, Briefs
Trunks please report to administration, that is all."
I froze yet again and this time he noticed. Why did he need to bring
Trunks here? That's why I left in the first place, I needed
to get away from him for awhile.
He smiled to himself, probably thinking he had caught me at some trick.
I doubt he could come close to guessing what he
was really doing. I only hoped Trunks wouldn't hate me anymore than
he already did.
"Really Son, you look like a deer caught in headlights. Not very becoming
of you. But I suppose being caught in one of your
games could do that to you." He rambled on, the tone of his voice letting
on to the fact he thought he'd won this time. I didn't
listen to him any further, dreading the moment when I would have to
be close to Trunks again.
Then I heard it. The quiet creaking sound of the old door knob turning.
Goose bumps prickled up my spine as I held in a
gasp behind my lips. I turned to the door to see the knob twisting.
I swallowed the rising heat in my throat.
In stepped Trunks, I thought I was going to freeze by all the bumps
popping over my skin. He looked at me for a brief
second, and I saw the same disappointment cross through his eyes. Disappointment
and hurt.
Had I hurt him that much? I hadn't thought so at first, though I knew
he held a little pain. But so much as to allow it to show
on his face? I sighed, knowing what I had done.
I am still a monster. More so now, I think, than before. I owed him
something. Some word, some gesture. And as his
payment he received a cold shoulder from his once best friend. I gave
nothing of what he deserved, and I realized -as
these realizations had occurred quite often lately- that I couldn't
give him what he deserved, for I had taken too much.
He sent the principal a questioning look before sitting next to me.
As he sat I felt the room grow even colder as a shiver ran
through my body.
"So," The principal sat, leaning back in his chair, "what were you two planning this time?"
Trunks raised an eyebrow my direction. "I...we weren't...I was just, um..."
"He was going to the Capsule Corp., he volunteered to be a product tester."
Trunks had just covered for me. I was thankful but regretful at the
same time. I didn't even ask and he helped me out. He
wanted a word or something from me and I gave him nothing.
"Oh," The principal sounded disappointed, "do you have a note or anything proving this?" He smiled.
"Um..."
Trunks glanced at me and sighed softly, "I'm going to be the president
of Capsule Corporation pretty soon, take my word
for it."
"Well-"
"Or you could call my mother and try explaining to her why her product
will be delayed testing, of course, she's not always
as understanding as I am."
"Oh, um, no, that's fine. I trust your word." He sighed again, not pleased
by the excuse, "You both can go now, then." He
made a shooing motion with his hand.
Trunks rose and I watched him make his way to the door. What had he
just done? He covered for me, even after what I did
to him? How...?
Without really thinking of what I was doing, I caught up to Trunks in
the hall. My heart skipped in my chest and mouth got
dry.
"Trunks," He turned at my questioning, but offered only a tired, annoyed
look. "Look, about what happened last week..." The
words left my mind, I stood in front of the only person I considered
my best friend, stupefied.
"It's fine," Trunks sighed, turning his back to me again, "I've got to get to class, enjoy your day off."
"But...what about...?" But before I could get another sentence out he started walking away.
It's okay then, Trunks. Get away from me, far away. I'm a monster anyway.
TBC...
So, lemme know whatcha think ^_^. Again, sorry if the format's screwy,
I'm trying text format cause html didn't come out
right... my comp still hates me... Oh, thanks go ta Vindali, SRJ, and
alice... All three reviewers -_- ''... Somehow I'm not feeling
da love.... Oh woe is me. Need I type it? REVIEW... please ^_^V