"But why mom?" he looked up at her, eyes pleading his case.
"Because I said no," came the terse response. "You've got school tomorrow and I don't want you being late again." She went back to work, silently staring at her son's reflection in the computer screen as her fingers instinctually flew across the keyboard. Realizing he'd been silent for more than his trademark ten-second interval, she turned to him, silently shaking her head at his persistence. His eyes were now shimmering in the glow of the desk lamp, close to bursting, and Bulma could see his chin quivering, causing his lower lip to tremble. She sighed, "Alright. Fine. You can go-but only this once!" She turned back to her screen and called over her shoulder, "And if I hear even *one* complaint tomorrow about how tired you are or anything else, you are *grounded* mister!"
She smiled as the small arms wrapped around he neck, staring at Trunks' reflection once more. "Demo arigato, 'kaa-san!!" he cried as he flew off out of the room and disappeared around the corner.
That boy will be the end of me, I swear...
He ducked down behind the bush and checked
back over his shoulder to see if anyone had followed him.
"Well?" the voice came from his left in an eager whisper, "What
did she say??" Trunks just smiled, facing the voice, and receiving a big
grin in return. "Yatta!" Trunks' companion threw a fist into the air
to punctuate his exclamation. "Let's go Trunks! Come on!" Goten leapt
into the vibrant blue sky with the pale-haired boy hot on his heels.
Trunks didn't see the problem with camping out in Son's backyard. He was more than sure that Chi-chi would get them both up and fed and out the door earlier than even his own father wakes up, and he thought his mother would realize that too... He shook his head, smiling at the thought when suddenly a burst of laughter drew his attention to Goten. He saw the boy race up to fly through a cloud then all but plummet to the ground below, startling birds and bugs alike with his playfulness. Smiling, all the young prince could think about was what they'd do later that night.
Yeah, this was gonna be fun, he thought with a smirk.
Tomorrow was Goten's birthday, and Trunks had a big surprise for him that, even if his mother had said no, the bright-eyed boy would have found a way to get to his young friend-as soon as it was midnight. The prince of the Saiyans shouldn't have to wait for anything-especially when it came to his best buddy.
And then he was cold. Trunks' froze as he felt the water splash his face and chest. "Goten!" he yelled with feigned anger. The dark haired boy was floating upside-down and laughing at the expression Trunks' wore as the wet youth tried to move the hair from his face. Looking around, the wet demi-saiyan noticed they were hovering just feet above the lake that marked the midpoint between West Capital and the valley the Son's lived in.
"Awww, come on Trunks, don't be so serious all the time! You wanna be like your dad?' Goten teased, calming himself and staring at a fish looking up at him through the glassy pool below (above?). He heard a huff and looked up (down?) just in time to see the smirk-and then the wave. Trunks had silently powered up and gathered a small swirl of energy and water that, when deemed big enough, he promptly forced over the other boy.
Goten just hovered there, effectively drenched toe to head in ice cold lake water. A shudder ran through him as he righted himself, and Trunks barely tried to suppress his laughter at the sight before him. Goten was still, shoulders hunched, arms away from his body, legs spread, staring down at the offending liquid as it dripped from him, landing in a small symphony of sound below. He looked up at his friend, thinking (hoping?) his head would burst form the laughter.
The dark haired demi-Saiyan blinked a few times before he spoke. "Trunks-kun..."he whimpered, "that wasn't funny..." He reached up and cleared the hair from his eyes. "My mom's gonna kill me if she sees me like this..." he said grabbing the hem of his over shirt and wringing it out, watching the steady stream of water fall back into the pool below. A shudder ran through him as a cool wind whipped around them, leading a trail of small droplets homeward in its wake.
"Come on, Goten," Trunks finally managed some words as his laughter slowly died down. He gestured to the shore not far from them. "Let's start a fire so your clothes'll dry." He smiled as the wet figure begrudgingly followed him. "Oi, I'm sorry, Go-chan, I was just taking your advice and lightening up," he explained apologetically. He wrapped a dry arm around wet shoulders, "I really don't wanna be anything like papa if I can help it! There's still hope for me, ne?"
Goten looked up at the smiling boy and wiped at his nose. A small smile tugged at the corners of his lips as he thought about what Trunks had just said and nodded, his smile broadening. "Hai, Tru-chan, there's still time for you." He smiled at the hair tousling and the boys landed. Trunks immediately started gathering sticks and dead branches from the nearby forest, while Goten collected big stones and cleared a little circle of ground by the lake. Trunks brought over an armful of wood, preparing a pyre, and watching Goten attempt to peel off his over shirt with a sneeze as the dryer of the two Saiyans started a fire with a small ki blast.
After the blaze got going, Goten sat near the fire and pulled off his shoes, sneezing again. Yet another breeze drew yet another chill from the boy, and seeing this Trunks sat down beside him, wrapping one warm arm around Goten's frigid back. "You're really warm," Goten commented staring into the pale eyes before him.
"You're really cold." Another shudder, and this time Trunks could hear teeth chattering. "Here," he started to remove his slightly drier shirt, "take this," he muffled through the material. He stood as Goten took the offered shielding, staring up at the boy before him. "You might wanna take those off too," he said pointing to Goten's wet pants. "I'm gonna get something for you to hang those on so they'll dry faster," he said walking away. Goten shrugged, pulled off his undershirt and pants and put on the drier shirt, still warm with Trunks' heat.
When the older boy returned he smiled at the Son before the fire. Goten had pulled his arms and legs into the small black tee and Trunks had to laugh. "What?" Goten said defensively, "I'm cold." He frowned up at the older boy as he forced the end of a large tree branch into the ground.
He picked up Goten's discarded pants and hung them over the wood. "You gotta stop acting so kawaii, Go-chan-you're almost eight now." Trunks winked at the smile he got from the boy, then bent over and grabbed the soaked shirts, hanging them next to the pants.
"I'm s-so glad your m-mom said
y-yes!" Goten couldn't hide his excitement if he tried. "It's gon-na
be soo f-fun! We've nev-ver s-slept in the yard b-b-before! And on a sc-school
night too! I can-n't wait!"
Trunks sat next to his shivering companion and looked around, amazed at how
sunny it was, and yet how cold and icy the wind had gotten since they left
Capsule Corporation. He took a deep breath of fresh air and looked at his
waterlogged comrade. Trunks tipped his head to the side when he saw the boy
resting his head on his knees; Trunks felt the anxiety and nervousness pouring
from his companion.
"Goten?" he put a hand on the small boy's shoulder; he could feel the chill crawl through the shirt up his arm and he almost pulled back in fear. Something was happening he didn't understand. "Goten...?"
The boy raised his head at his friend's
soft calls, not even really registering the tears he'd been shedding while
silently pulled into himself.
"Arigato, Trunks-kun," he said in a scratchy voice just above a
whisper. "I thought I was gonna hafta be alone again..." he looked
down and sniffed, pulling himself into the stretched out tee even more. Suddenly
he was wrapped in warm, strong arms-he looked up at Trunks in curious surprise. Trunks...?
As if in response, the elder youth pulled his sad companion into him, resting his chin in the black hair. "It'll be okay, Goten. They can't fight every night, can they?" He felt Goten lean into him, pressing his head tighter against his chest as he started to cry again. Trunks pulled the slighter boy into his lap and squeezed him close. "They won't fight tonight, I promise, Goten-chan. After all, it's your birthday, right?" he pulled back slightly and moved to look into the glimmering eyes before him. Goten just blinked, trying to clear his vision. "It would be rude of them to yell tomorrow!" he smiled, trying to lift Goten's spirits. "We won't worry about that at all. Tonight it's just you an' me, an' tomorrow we'll have a party, so your mom and dad'll hafta be nice, an' then maybe you can stay at my house on Saturday so you don't need to worry at all!" Trunks wore a grin to rival Goku's, and it was slowly rubbing off on the youngest Son.
Smiling, Goten removed his arms from the shirt and wrapped them around the young princes waist. Locking him in a big, wet hug, Goten sniffed and continued smiling, a little embarrassed at his out burst. "Demo arigato, Trunks-kun!" he called happily into the bare chest he pressed against. "I new everything'd be better when you came over...!"
Trunks smiled easily, squeezing Goten tightly, keeping him warm and comfortable for as long as he could. You don't hafto thank me, Goten, I just want you happy like me... He pressed his cheek to Goten's damp hair, closing his eyes against another chill wind. He felt the smaller boy in his arms shiver violently, trying to hide himself in Trunks. The elder Saiyan breathed deeply, lost in thought...
End of part one
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