The Broken Road

Trynia - Yes, the tension is building... Thanks for your insightful comments on Trunks' interractions with Kim and Meena, I'm glad that you're enjoying that. I'm also glad if his maturity is beginning to shine through the brattiness a little bit at this point. Don't you worry, Vegeta will get his revenge in a coming chapter, haha. Good to hear you liked the dinner scene and that the freakout factor of the phone call was effective. Also, a big, big thanks for pre-reading this chapter for me and giving me feedback on that part we had talked about. You rock!

Macha - Yeah, Kim's not so bad after all :) Although I'm sure Trunks would have preferred her to run her mouth a little less. As far as Gohan's change of heart, would it help if I made clearer that when he wanted to "pick up where they left off," I only meant continue dinner and maybe watch a movie, nothing more? Or do you still think it's too much of a turnaround? I had thought that, with the exception of their fight at the end of Chapter 8, they have been slowly getting closer, whether they realize it or not, and that Gohan would have to admit that he enjoyed Trunks' company when Trunks wasn't acting up, at least. But maybe I just love Trunks so much that I'm unable to fathom someone else not liking him, even Gohan. And if that's the case and I have inadvertently skimped on Truhan development, then I've messed up big time! But I don't imagine that they avoided each other after that fight. I think they pretty much continued as they had been, but Trunks managed to behave himself a bit. Still, I think these next couple of chapters are heavier on character and relationship development, and I've tried to keep in mind that Gohan might not fall for Trunks as easily as I would ;-) So hopefully I'll make up for it here and I hope you'll enjoy. Glad that the last chapter was worth waiting for, and thanks for bringing that to my attention. About the Weston application, it will be the least of Trunks' problems all too soon. (Oh, but disregard what I said about the drama of Chapter 11...I've since switched things around a bit to drag it all out a little longer!).

quatreofdoom - Hahahahahaahahaha. Hahahaha. Hahahah! Oh my god, I didn't even realize how much the phone call sounded like that until I went back and re-read it after your review. Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you like that. Could you *imagine* if they procreated?! I don't even want to think about it. Anyway, I don't think Goten would manage to knock up his bimbo. You'll understand why I say that next chapter. And I agree Trunks has no time for Videl's ill-timed shenanigans. Let's face it, the boy needs to get laid, and she is so not helping! Or is she... About that application, yeah, if I was the admissions director, those essays would totally make my day. I'm so glad you liked the chapter enough to read it 4 times :-D :-D :-D

A/N - Well, in honor of my 28th (blehhh) birthday on the 31st, I'm releasing this chapter early instead of making you guys wait til Friday like I was gonna do. So now that I'm officially as old as Broken Road Gohan, all I need are some hot 19-year-olds throwing themselves at me and then I'll be set. Takers, anyone?

A/N 2 - Possibly even more important than my birthday, this story has been illustrated! Many thanks to Lord Truhan and Daeva-kun for this very sweet gesture. I'm ecstatic about it and the picture is fabulous. Please check it out and leave comments for the artist.

http://gohanxtrunks.net/2009/03/28/sleeper-hold-in-the-gravity-room/

And from what I've been told, there are 3 more illustrations coming :) I kind of want to shriek like a fangirl. But I'm going to refrain in a feeble attempt to act my age.


Chapter 10

Gohan landed at the lake near his family’s home and waited for Goten to come out and meet him. He knew his younger brother would come to the place where he last felt Gohan’s energy signature and, sure enough, Goten appeared on the nearby hill a moment later. “Gohan, thank god you’re here,” he said breathlessly, jogging down the slope.

“Explain to me again what exactly is going on,” Gohan requested, wanting a better idea of what he was getting into before entering the fray.

“Well, a couple of hours ago, Mom saw a moving van pull up at your house. I mean, your old house,” he corrected himself, the words spilling out rapidly. “And at first she thought that Videl was just getting rid of some more of your things. But then the moving men started bringing boxes into the house. So Mom thought maybe Videl had bought some new furniture or something but….” He looked up at Gohan apologetically. “But tonight when she went over to invite Videl to dinner – I don’t know why she bothers but she always does – some guy answered the door and Videl said he’s her boyfriend and he lives there now and we should get used to it.”

“I see.” Gohan pushed down the inevitable feelings of insecurity that sprung up at those words. It seemed he was finally going to meet the mystery man that was so much better than him. The one Videl had chosen over him. But he didn’t allow himself to dwell on it. Somewhere deep down, part of him had been preparing for this moment since the day that they had split. But he could only guess how this new turn of events would have affected his mother.

“Where’s Dad?” he asked Goten, wishing he could recruit his father for help. If there was one person who knew how to calm their mother, it was Goku. But he already knew his father wasn’t there. If he had been, then Goten wouldn’t have been the one Chichi had turned to.

“He’s gone. What do you think?” Goten asked, an edge to his voice.

“What do you mean gone?”

“Don’t ask me!” Gohan winced at the agitation of his brother’s tone. “He’s wherever the hell he goes when he's not here. The Lookout? Otherworld? Fuck knows. Probably found some new stupid kid to train.”

Goten crossed his arms over his chest and scowled into the distance. The elder Son hated to hear his brother talk about their father that way, but he had long ago stopped trying to reason with Goten on the issue. Goku had come back from Otherworld and met Goten for the first time ten years ago, shortly before Gohan and Videl had married. After Gohan moved out of the family home, he knew his brother tried to accept Goku as the father he never had, but it was clear that, in Goten’s mind, Gohan still occupied that role to a larger extent than his real father did.

As Goten matured into a teenager, he started to ask more questions about where their dad had been for the first eight years of his life and why he had to go away. But he didn’t seem to accept his mother’s or brother’s answer that it was for the good of the earth. All Gohan could do was watch from a distance as his brother grew more critical of their father and resentful of his decisions regarding his family. The final straw came when Goten was fifteen and Goku left, again, to train with Uub. After that, Goten seemed to write the man off entirely. Although he’d never said it outright to Gohan, it was clear that he felt bitter and slighted.

In many ways, Gohan couldn’t really blame him. Goten and Goku had never shared the relationship that Gohan and Goku did. And it was maybe only because of that early relationship they had forged that Gohan didn’t share more of his brother’s sentiments. As he looked at his little brother he had to wonder what messed up a child more: losing a father too early, or gaining one too late.

“C’mon,” he said, squeezing Goten’s shoulder and nudging him in the direction of home. The two demis made their way silently back to the house, where Chichi was waiting for them outside.

“Oh, Gohan!” she cried when they came into view, and he could see that his mother’s face was streaked with tears. “That horrible girl, she’s trying to kill me, I swear it.”

Gohan noticed that Chichi looked tired, and very old. The sight was unsettling to him and he attempted to reassure her. “Mom, it’s nothing to get upset about, okay? I’ll deal with it.”

“But Gohan, she’s living in YOUR house.” Chichi clarified the situation. “With another MAN!” she added, just in case Gohan had failed to grasp the magnitude of the tragedy.

Her firstborn son grimaced. It had been difficult enough to deal with his wife’s infidelity privately, but now he felt as though he was being humiliated in front of his entire family. Videl was really making a mockery of him and his mother knew just how to point it out in the most painful possible way. Still, he tried to maintain his patience with her.

“Yeah, Mom, I know.”

He also couldn’t help but feel that he should have put an end to Videl’s reign of terror before it had even begun. He should have been more stern during the divorce about getting sole ownership of the house. He should have bought out her half of the equity and seen her promptly off to a new and preferably faraway location. But at the time he didn’t see any reason to be a hardass about it. He never thought Videl would resort to such antics as these. But now that she had, he felt completely responsible for exposing his mother and brother to this.

“Oh, it’s all such a nightmare. I just want to know when it will end.” Chichi sounded defeated. Then she turned away from her oldest son to wrap her arms around her youngest. “Goten, you’re my only hope now,” she sobbed. “I know you and Tiffany won’t do this to me when you’re married! You two would never put me through this, would you, dear?”

“Ah!” Goten gasped. “Get off of me!” He shrugged out of his mother’s grasp. It was true that he had enjoyed bathing in the limelight of her good graces for the past few weeks, but he sure as hell wasn’t ready to hear statements like that. He wasn’t sure if he ever would be ready. “I’m not getting married, Mom!”

“Well, that’s ridiculous, Goten, of course you’ll get married,” Chichi insisted. “I mean maybe not this year, I suppose. But when a boy gets to be your age, he—.”

“Why would I want to get married? So I can end up like Gohan? Alone and miserable after devoting ten years of my life to someone?”

“Um, Goten, I’m right here,” Gohan reminded him, hoping his brother would save any further insults for a time when he wouldn’t be present to hear them.

“And it’s not like you and dad make it look all that great,” the younger boy added pointedly, leaving their mother looking speechless. “I don’t want to get married! Not now, and maybe not ever!”

A fresh well of tears sprang from her eyes. “Goten, don’t talk like that! I’m dealing with enough without you talking all crazy.”

“Yeah, seriously, not now,” Gohan begged his brother.

“But Gohan, she’s been talking like this all day! And I can’t deal with it, I really can’t,” he said, putting his palms up in front of him to push away the imaginary walls that were closing in. “I’ve gotta get out of here.” Backing away from the two of them, he turned and his eyes scanned the horizon. “I’m going . . . I’m going to . . . .”

Goten stared at the hills, confused, as Gohan watched him closely. The elder Son knew what his brother wanted to say. That sentence had ended the same way for the last ten years.

Life with their family seemed more difficult for Goten than it was for Gohan. Although Gohan often felt stressed growing up, torn between his mother’s dream that he be a scholar and his father’s dream that he be a warrior, he seemed somehow better equipped to handle it than his younger brother. He had made it through adolescence and into adulthood relatively unscathed, maintaining what he thought was a good balance between the two.

But Goten often seemed overwhelmed by the paradoxes that Gohan had simply learned to accept. And, unlike Gohan, who had always endeavored to please both of his parents, Goten had ceased trying to please either one of them. He didn’t like training with Goku and avoided it as often as possible. He got mediocre grades and seemed unwilling or unable to live up to Chichi’s scholastic standards. And now it seemed he was also unwilling to live up to her domestic hopes for him.

But over the years, whenever things were too much for him, he would leave and go to Capsule, always. To Trunks, everytime. Now, Gohan could tell, he wasn’t sure what to do.

In the last few weeks, there had been many times when Gohan had pitied Goten. Ever since Trunks had unleashed his unadulterated self on Gohan, the older demi began to appreciate just how much of the prince’s single-minded focus his brother had fielded over the years. It seemed that Goten had been the buffer between Trunks and the rest of the world, and Gohan couldn’t help but wonder how he’d absorbed the intensity of the other demi all these years. But now he saw that Goten put just as much on Trunks as Trunks probably put on him.

For as much as Trunks controlled him, Goten needed the older boy’s strength, his resilience, his unwavering sense of self. When Goten had questions, Trunks always had answers, even if they weren’t the right ones. And whenever Goten wanted to fall, Trunks provided the fortitude he knew Goten needed. The demi-Saiyan prince had accepted everything about him in a way Goten must have felt his parents never did. Trunks had even loved him, despite his multitude of imperfections. And without that beacon, the younger Son seemed lost.

Gohan spoke up, his heart heavy with the weight of new insight. “Goten, listen.” His voice gave his brother something concrete to focus on. “Go inside. Go up to your room and wait there for me, okay? I’ll come up once everything is straightened out.”

Goten looked at him for a moment then shook his head affirmatively. “Okay,” he nodded. “Okay.”

“Go, now, Goten.” The elder Son watched his brother disappear into the house. Then he turned to his mother. “Mom, you get in the car and go straight to Capsule. I’ll call Bulma and tell her to be expecting you.”

“You’re right, Gohan,” she sighed. “This isn’t good for my nerves.”

He helped his mother into the red hovercar that he had bought for her several years before and set the autopilot feature to Capsule HQ. As soon as the car departed, he texted Bulma, asking her to put his mother up for the night. A second later, he received her affirmative response. Gohan silently thanked Dende for Bulma and remembered why he had agreed to take care of Trunks for her in the first place. He added a silent promise not to complain about it anymore.

Okay, he thought, turning towards his old marital home, two problems down and one to go.

Gohan walked into his old yard and approached the door. He hated the way he felt like a stranger here, even though he had grown up in this yard; the way he felt the need to knock on the front door, even after all the times he and Goten had pried it open as kids to look through their late grandfather’s belongings. Once they had found an old cooking pot among the rusty antiques and he managed to convince Goten that it had magical powers. Chichi had to cook all their vegetables in that pot for years, because it was the only way they could get Goten to eat them.

He tried the front door knob, but it didn’t budge. Three generations of Sons had called this place home, and he resented being made to feel unwelcome now. Anger boiling to the surface, Gohan decided that he had taken the diplomatic route one too many times. He effortlessly kicked the door open with one quick movement.

Videl looked up, startled, from whatever dish she was preparing on the stove. “Gohan! Just what do you think you’re doing?!”

He regarded her for a moment, then reigned in his emotions. As angry as he was with Videl, she was still only human; exponentially weaker than him; and as evil as she sometimes seemed, she was essentially defenseless. He had never let his anger get the best of him when dealing with her and he didn’t think it would be a good idea to start now. Although he wasn’t sure he could say the same for whoever she had taken up with. Part of him was itching for a fight and only needed a worthy opponent.

Just then, a voice echoed from upstairs. “Videl, honey, what in the world was that?”

Gohan looked at the stairs, which hugged the wall opposite from where he was standing. He was ready to face his competition, and he was sure he looked quite dangerous as he glared at the landing. But nothing could have prepared him for the sight that greeted him.

“Sharpener?!?” he cried, as the blond appeared at the top of the stairs.

“Oh—!” his old classmate looked shocked. Shocked and rather terrified. “Uh, Gohan, I—.”

The dark haired demi looked back at his ex-wife. “Really?” he asked, the disbelief evident in his voice. “This guy!?” Videl had her chance with Sharpener plenty of times when they were teenagers. Yet she had chosen to marry Gohan. He wondered what would ever make her revisit that decision and, as he stared up at the man on the stairs, he couldn’t help the obvious question from tumbling out of his mouth. “What’s he got that I don’t have?”

“Gohan, it’s not like that,” Videl said, her voice much softer than before. She took a deep breath. “Would you give us a minute?” she looked at the blond.

“Sure—sure,” he stuttered, retreating back up the stairs. Before disappearing, he glanced one last time at his old classmate. “I’m . . . sorry, Gohan.”

“Do you want to sit down?” Videl offered, stepping towards the couch in their old living room.

But he didn’t hear her. Now the demi-Saiyan couldn’t help but wonder how long his wife must have regretted her decision in choosing him; how long she had loved this other man. He couldn’t keep the idea out of his head that maybe it was Sharpener she wanted from the beginning. “How long?” was all he said.

Gohan’s heart dropped when he saw Videl start to blink back tears. It couldn’t mean anything good.

“Think about it, Gohan,” she said, stepping forward to take his hand. He looked down at her fingers as though the feeling of her touch was completely alien, and she quickly let go. Realizing she had no right to touch him with familiarity, much less intimacy, she took a breath and started again.

“You caught my eye back in high school, you know that. I was completely taken with you from the first day you started at Orange Star.” She turned and began pacing the room, trying to find words for the feelings she had struggled with for years. “I was a headstrong girl, and it took me a while to admit how much I liked you. Then, before I even fully realized it myself, we got caught up in this struggle for salvation. This horrible battle. Babidi and Buu…. I mean, I thought you were dead!”

She stopped for a moment to compose herself. “And when I found out you had survived, I—. I was so happy to see you again that I thought—. Well, I thought I was in love. But I wonder how much of it was only a combination of the fear, the attraction, the adrenaline. And when those things wore off, well . . . .” She glanced at the stairs.

Sharpener.

By the time she looked back at him, the tears had spilled from her violet eyes and down her cheeks. “It wasn’t anything you did wrong, Gohan.” She knew him well enough to know that he would have blamed himself all along for the failure of their marriage. “There was nothing you did to make me feel this way, and nothing you could have done to avoid it. The heart wants what it wants.”

Gohan supposed her words should have made him feel better but they didn’t quite have that effect. So, it was nothing he had done. It was nothing he had failed to do. It wasn’t his fault. She simply didn’t love him. She hadn’t from the very beginning.

No. No, it didn’t make him feel better at all.

“In fact, you’re such a good person that I couldn’t bear to say it to your face.” She looked at the ground. “It was easier for me to just go behind your back. I should have told you when it first started but … I just didn’t have the heart.”

“No, you really don’t have one at all,” he said, choosing to speak finally. Gohan no longer wanted to know how long it had been going on. Much like his mother, he just wanted the nightmare at last to be over. He ran a hand through his hair, his thoughts moving from himself back to Chichi and Goten. Whatever happened between him and Videl was in the past. His family shouldn’t have to pay for it now.

“I want the two of you out of here tomorrow. Your father owns half the buildings in Satan City. I’m sure one of them has an empty loft.” Violet eyes flashed in protest before dimming in acquiescence. He was right and she knew it. “I’m not sure why you didn’t just do that from the beginning,” Gohan admitted.

Videl shrugged. “You know, I suppose I had become so accustomed to hurting you that I just—.” She stopped herself. Finishing that sentence made her sound so awful, she couldn’t bring herself to do it.

Exhausted, Gohan turned towards the door and reached for the knob, which was now loose as a result of his earlier outburst. “But, Gohan!” she said, stopping the tired-looking man in his tracks. “How am I going to move out of here by tomorrow? There’s ten years worth of stuff in this house. It’ll take at least a week to get it all packed and loaded.”

That wasn’t an option he was willing to consider. “Look, just get the moving trucks here tomorrow and . . . .” There was only one plan he could think of. “Me and Trunks will come over in the afternoon and help you get it all out.”

“Okay,” she said softly, knowing she didn’t deserve such kind treatment. But she knew he wasn’t doing it for her.

Gohan opened the door then closed it behind him without looking back. He crossed the yard, entered his parents’ home, and bounded up the stairs to his brother’s room. After knocking softly, he opened the door to find the younger boy curled up on the bed. He approached the smaller Saiyan and heard the soft sounds of breathing. Goten had fallen asleep.

Approaching the bed, he pulled some discarded blankets from the floor and draped them over his brother, whose eyelids fluttered. “Gohan?” he asked sleepily.

“Yeah, it’s me.” Gohan sat down on the edge of the bed. “Everything’s okay, Goten. We talked it out and she’s going to leave. Things will be back to normal around here soon.”

For a second, Gohan really hoped his little brother would wake up. It seemed there were so many things they needed to talk about. He suddenly felt that while he had been working his tail off to save a marriage that was doomed from the start, Goten had grown up right under his nose. Now their mom was pressuring him about marriage and Gohan really didn’t want to see things turn out for his brother the way they had turned out for him. Plus, he was sure that Trunks’ advances must have confused the younger boy and it was clear that the loss of their friendship had affected him. Seeing how much Goten had relied on Trunks in the past, and how he could no longer do so, Gohan could only imagine how much his brother needed him now. He also realized that, truthfully, he still thought of both Goten and Trunks as kids. But they weren’t; not by a long shot. They had grown up and damned if they didn’t have issues out the wazoo.

He put one hand on Goten’s arm but his brother’s even breathing told him he was already sleeping again. “Shit,” Gohan swore quietly. He rested his head in his hands and tried to massage away the tension building behind his eyes. After a moment, he stood up and left the room, then exited the house and took to the sky.

As he headed in the direction of West City, though, he realized he didn’t want to go back to the apartment. Earlier he had hoped to get back home quickly and enjoy the rest of the evening with his roommate. But although he’d been having a good time at dinner before he left, he never knew what mood he would find Trunks in or what stunts the teen might be planning to pull. And as much as Goten dealt with things by dumping them on other people, Gohan preferred to deal with them by himself; to see if he could channel whatever he was feeling into a more positive force. He supposed maybe that was Piccolo’s influence on him. Either way, right now he just needed to be alone.

***

Trunks walked out of his room, freshly showered, wearing a pair of running pants and a t-shirt. After Gohan left, he busied himself for as long as he could with cleaning up dinner. Then he had taken a shower to kill some more time. Now he stood in the silent, empty living room at 8:00 on a Friday night.

“When did I become such a loser?” he wondered aloud, tousling his own wet hair. Then he picked up the T.V. Guide and headed to the kitchen to pop a bag of microwave popcorn. Trunks thought that a guy like himself should have a whole phone book of people to call, friends clamoring to come over and keep him company. But when he took his cell phone out of his pocket, there were no missed calls, no messages, no love of any kind.

After hearing how upset Goten had sounded on the other end of the line when he was talking to Gohan, Trunks thought that maybe his old friend would call him tonight. Goten always came to him when he was upset, and Trunks already knew that if Goten needed him, he would put everything that had happened between them in the last few weeks aside. He wanted to be there for Goten. He wanted the chance just to talk to him again. But he wouldn’t make the call himself. Not after the way the other boy had ignored him the last time they’d seen each other. Trunks had wanted to apologize, but Goten didn’t seem to want to hear it. And the ball was in his court now.

The microwave dinged indicating his snack was ready and he took the bag of popcorn and his cell phone into the living room and turned on the T.V. An hour later, he was just beginning to drift off to sleep on the couch when he felt Gohan’s energy signal approaching the city. Trunks sat up abruptly, knocking the nearly empty bag of popcorn to the ground. He turned off the T.V. and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. Gohan would be there any minute, and he really wanted to hear what had happened at Mount Paozu. Getting up off the couch, he started back the hallway toward his room, planning to meet his roommate at the balcony door.

But then he realized he couldn’t feel the other demi anymore. A moment ago he had been on the outskirts of the city, Trunks was sure of it, but now he couldn’t sense Gohan’s energy at all. That could only mean he must have landed. And Trunks knew the only reason Gohan would have chosen to walk instead of fly was if he didn’t want anyone to know where he was. And if he wanted to be alone, then there was a good chance that things did not go well at Mount Paozu.

Trunks went back to the living room and sat down on the couch again. He chewed his bottom lip wondering whether he should wait for Gohan to come home. But a minute later he darted into his room and discarded his running pants for a pair of blue jeans and traded his t-shirt for a cream-colored turtleneck. Then, grabbing his coat and shoes, he headed for the door.

Even if Gohan thought being alone was the best thing for him, Trunks knew better. He never really understood how painful ‘alone’ could be until the night Goten had left. He only realized after the fact how lucky he had been that Gohan was there; that he had witnessed the scene between the two boys and offered his friendship and understanding. Now Gohan would need the same thing, whether he admitted it to himself or not.

A light rain had begun to fall by the time Trunks exited the building on foot. If Gohan was within the city limits, there was only one other place he would have gone and Trunks broke into a run as he headed towards Capsule Corp. He realized he was getting more and more impatient with every passing city block. He knew Gohan wasn’t the type to go over the top the way he himself might have, but he couldn’t shake the general feeling of uneasiness overtaking him.

He had made light of Gohan’s situation earlier that day, wanting only to distract his mother from her tirade when he brought up Videl’s bad behavior. But now the seriousness of the situation began to impress itself upon him. Trunks remembered the way he had reacted when Kim dropped unexpected information about Goten’s sexual escapades and he could only imagine how similar information about Videl might affect Gohan. Sure Goten was Trunks’ best friend since forever, but he had to admit they didn’t enjoy any exclusive status. At least not one that they had ever talked about. And while they had a longstanding sexual relationship, it was nothing compared to a marriage, he supposed. So if he had felt hurt and betrayed when his best friend had kissed a coed, then it would be difficult to fathom how Gohan might feel at this moment.

The night watchman stood up as Trunks entered the deserted lobby of the corporate headquarters. “Sir,” he greeted Trunks, hurriedly putting down a book he had been reading.

“Is Son Gohan here?”

“Uh, yes, he is. Burning the midnight oil again.” He watched the Capsule heir dash across the tiles toward the elevators.

Trunks stepped into an open lift and pushed the button for Gohan’s floor several times. “C’mon, c’mon, c’mon,” he repeated as the doors slowly closed. But by the time he stepped into the hallway of the bioengineering floor a few moments later, he was already wondering if he had done the right thing in coming here. Trunks hated being alone, but he could tell that Gohan really needed his personal space. And as much as the teen sometimes enjoyed invading those boundaries, he had no such antagonistic desires tonight. But he was here now, and he wouldn’t leave without at least making sure his friend was okay.

He made his way towards the lab where he could see that the lights were on. As he entered, he was amazed to see Gohan seemingly immersed in a pile of reports that had accumulated on his desk. The young prince had worked up such a doomsday scenario in his mind on his way to Capsule, that he couldn’t believe Gohan was only doing some paperwork.

“Trunks?” Gohan looked up at his dripping wet roommate. “What are you doing here?”

The teen suddenly wasn’t sure what to say. Maybe he had characteristically overreacted. “Uh, are you okay?” he asked the other man.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Gohan looked his roommate over and noticed his face was wet and his damp hair stuck to his forehead and cheeks. “Trunks, you’re soaking wet. You’ve gotta be freezing.”

The teen looked down at his jacket. The arms and shoulders along with most of the front of it were a dark grey where it had been saturated with raindrops. He scattered the water from his hair with his fingers and approached Gohan. “Will you stop worrying about me? I’m here because I’m worried about you. What happened out there?”

“Oh,” Gohan looked away from him and out one of the large windows that lined a nearby wall. “It’s nothing you want to hear about,” he concluded. Then he closed the file folder he had been poring over. “Why don’t we just go home?” He realized he wasn’t going to get the solitude he wanted at Capsule Corp., and if Trunks was going to bother him either way, they might as well just go back to the apartment.

Gohan stood up and, folding his jacket over his arm, made his way towards the door. But Trunks only stood there blocking the path.

“Gohan,” he said cautiously, his blue eyes searching the other man’s face. “You do know there are some things you can’t meditate your way through.” It was more of a statement than a question, but Trunks really wondered if Gohan knew how to deal with things any other way. He still didn’t know if he was right in his assumptions about what had happened at the Son home, but the panic that reflected momentarily in Gohan’s normally calm coal-colored eyes helped to confirm his suspicions. “Piccolo was a great teacher, but he doesn’t understand love. Not the way we do.”

The other demi didn’t answer, but it was clear he was processing what Trunks was saying. And by the look on his face, the teen knew he had been right. Gohan wasn’t able to deal with this on his own. “You did love her, didn’t you?”

Gohan sighed. “With everything I had.” Trunks thought he could almost see the cracks forming in that invisible barrier that Gohan put up between himself and the rest of the world. But strangely enough, he didn’t revel in the breaking of the dam the way he thought that he would. Gohan was only a foot in front of him and he put a hand on the other man’s shoulder.

“You once told me that you were here for me, Gohan. And I held on to you when I felt like I was going to drown.” He paused for a moment, the wet rivulets that were dripping from his hair onto his cheeks reminding him of the rivers of tears that had been shed that night. The memory was still all too clear in his mind. “Now, let me be here for you.”

Gohan looked at him as though trying to decide what to do. He seemed skeptical, and Trunks realized he had given the other demi every reason to be wary. “Just as a friend, Gohan,” he promised, and Gohan let himself be pulled into his roommate’s embrace. “I’m sorry for making you feel uncomfortable around me,” Trunks said, his voice a hoarse whisper. “I’m sorry for pushing you all the time.” The teen’s heart pounded as the weight of the last few weeks suddenly seemed real again. There were mistakes that he had made with Goten that he didn’t want to make again. He couldn’t bear to lose another friend.

Finally, Gohan wrapped his arms around the demi-Saiyan prince. He let the younger man bear some of his weight as he leaned on him. “She . . . it’s . . . complicated.”

He didn’t seem to know where to begin and Trunks didn’t move or question him any further. After a while, he lifted his head from Gohan’s shoulder. “Let’s go somewhere we can sit down,” he suggested. “And where there’s not . . . .” He nodded to the motion activated cameras that lined the interior and exterior of the building. They were all broadcasting onto tiny screens and the night watchman was no doubt peering at them at this very minute.

Gohan nodded, then extracted himself from his roommate’s arms and straightened his shirt. The two made their way into the elevators then exited to cross the lobby, where a maintenance worker was already mopping up the wet footprints Trunks had left. They ignored the curious glances of the security guard and walked back out into the rainy night.

Trunks spotted a coffee shop across the street. It looked warm and inviting with white lights lining all the windows. He steered Gohan in that direction and the two of them jogged towards it, eager to get back indoors again. The cafe was small and crowded but there were a few tables open. They ordered two cappuccinos and then sat down in a quiet corner near large windows that faced the street.

Gohan didn’t seem eager to start the story and they’d finished half their drinks before he spoke. Trunks listened silently as he related the whole tale from the time he landed at the lake until the time he left his mother’s house. “Unbelievable,” the prince breathed when Gohan was done. “So I know you don’t know how long it’s been going on, but I have to ask . . . . How DID you finally find out she was seeing someone else?”

Gohan crinkled his nose. “Well, you know how we Saiyans are blessed with that great sense of smell and all. I’m sure you’re aware by now that some bodily fluids have pretty distinctive odors.”

“Oh, god, not that.” Trunks didn’t really know what a girl smelled like, but he knew that semen had a strong scent. Humans could even smell it, at least before it dried. Saiyans could smell it even after.

“Yeah,” Gohan affirmed. “That. And I knew it wasn’t mine, so . . . ya know.” He gestured absently. “But after the first time, I still said we should try to work it out. It wasn’t until the third time that I filed for divorce.”

“Do you think she did it on purpose? She must have known that you would know.”

“Probably. I think she actually wanted me to leave.” Gohan laughed bitterly. “And I just kept insisting we could work it out. I feel like such an idiot now.”

“You were just trying to be a good partner. One who actually cared about his marriage. I’m so sorry, Gohan.”

“I’m just glad it’ll all be over soon,” the other man said, taking a sip of hot coffee. He relaxed a bit as the warm feeling from the drink spread through his body. “I doubt my mom will be trying to get us back together any more after tonight.” He smiled faintly at his coffee cup.

“Yeah, no kidding,” Trunks agreed. But that lopsided grin of Gohan's didn’t hide anything. His pain and insecurity were written all over his face. “It’s her loss, Gohan. Let her make someone else miserable for awhile. You’ve done your time.”

The dark-haired demi looked up at his roommate. He was grateful to Trunks for his understanding, but he knew it would be a long time before he could let the misery go. “Oh, um, one other thing. I did sort of promise her that you and I would help her move tomorrow.”

“You did WHAT?!” Trunks’ mouth dropped open. “Are you insane? I’m not lifting a finger for that woman.”

“It’s not that I want to do her any favors. But if she has to do it herself, it’ll take too long and I can’t put my mom and Goten through another week of this.” He stirred his coffee and stared into the glass. “I understand if you don’t want to come.”

“No, I’ll go,” the prince relented after a minute. “But I just don’t get it. You’re so worried about your mom and your brother. Shouldn’t they be the ones comforting you? Shouldn’t they be strong for you and not the other way around? They really don’t think about anyone but themselves!” Trunks was starting to get angry and he stopped abruptly before he said something Gohan might think was disrespectful. He also realized that he had been guilty of that same crime on many occasions.

Gohan only shrugged. “It’s not their fault. They’re just--.”

“High strung? Self-centered? Oblivious to your suffering?” The words flew out of his mouth before he could stop them.

Gohan cracked another smile and shook his head in the negative, but didn’t otherwise contradict Trunks’ observations. “Whatever they are, I love them just the same. And I can’t stand seeing them unhappy.”

“Wow. You’re a better man than I am, Gohan.” The teen was already adding this little incident to the list of reasons why Goten was a thoughtless and self-absorbed jerk. “But do you know what I think?”

“I’m afraid to ask,” Gohan said, standing up. He took his wallet from his back pocket and threw a ten zeni note onto the table. “But I’m sure you’ll tell me anyway.”

Trunks got up from the table and stood nearly eye to eye with his roommate. “I think you worry so much about them because you don’t want to have to think about yourself. You say that I must like pain, but look at you. It’s almost as if you enjoy being miserable. Always focusing on others while your own needs go unmet.” Moving still closer, Trunks cocked his head to the side, and Gohan could feel the intensity of his cerulean gaze as surely as he could feel Trunks’ breath on his face. “Tell me, Gohan,” he almost whispered, “what is it that YOU want? Or don’t you even know?”

Gohan felt his pulse quicken, much to his vexation. He really didn’t appreciate Trunks asking him these questions. When he thought about what he wanted, well, that came with all sorts of questions that he didn’t know how to answer. Did he want love? Domesticity? What about work and professional accolades? Were they really important to him? Or would he rather be a hero like his dad? Human or Saiyan? Studying or sparring? Man or super-man? And all of the choices, in some way, were nothing more than the projections of other peoples’ ideals.

And what about Trunks? Gohan thought the younger man hadn’t been entirely wrong when he accused Gohan of keeping his emotions locked away in a box. But why did Trunks seem so intent on opening that box, and how long could Gohan last under the scrutiny?

He met the prince’s stare without backing away and he heard Trunks’ breath catch when his own mouth brushed that royal cheekbone. “What I really want, Trunks,” he whispered into the other’s hair, “is just to go to sleep.”

***

When Goten awoke, the Son house was dark and quiet. He rubbed his eyes and sat up in bed. The last thing he had heard before he fell asleep was Gohan saying that everything was okay. Pushing himself off the bed, he made his way over to the window and opened it. When he leaned out, he could see that both Videl’s car and the new guy’s car were still parked in front of Gohan’s old house. He furrowed his brow unhappily. Goten trusted his brother if he said everything was fine, but if Videl and that other guy were still here, then he didn’t want to be. He fished his cell phone out of his pocket and called the only person he could think of.

Tiffany didn’t answer the first time, so Goten hung up and called again. “Hey, can I come over?” he asked, when he heard her groggy voice on the other end of the line.

“What, right now?” She fumbled to find her watch on the nightstand, causing the faint sounds of rustling to echo through the receiver. “Goten, it’s three in the morning.”

“I know but I don’t really wanna be alone right now.”

“Ughh, fine,” she groaned. “I’ll prop open our door, but I’m going back to sleep.”

“’Kay.” Goten frowned as he hung up the phone. Trunks never cared what time he called. Trunks would get up in the middle of the night and meet him at their favorite diner in the city. Trunks would crack a few jokes and he wouldn’t give up until he had coaxed a reluctant smile out of his despondent friend. Then they would blow off school together and sleep late in his room at Capsule. Bulma would scold them if she caught them, but the lecture always ended with her remembering that she blew off classes all the time back in high school, and noting that she hadn’t turned out so bad.

Those were the days, Goten thought. He opened his phone again and ran his fingers over the shiny silver buttons. It was at least the tenth time that week that he thought about dialing his old friend’s number, but he simply couldn’t do it. He was sure the other demi didn’t want to hear from him, and he couldn’t handle another fight tonight. Anything nasty that the hostile prince might say would surely destroy his already fragile morale.

Instead, Goten closed his phone, slipped out the open window and headed towards campus.