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Prologue
By : Herpb4uDerp
Category: Missing Data > Missing Data
Views: 194 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
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It is no time at all before sparring with his father became a daily occurrence and Goten begins to understand why he struggled so much under Vegeta's oppressive training regiment. On hot summer mornings in the wasteland the difference between the last two remaining Saiyans could become glaring and in fact it was easy to see why training never helped before.
Vegeta was efficient, brutal and unrelenting. He did not believe in rest days. He did not believe in fun. He always fights to kill -or since his time on Earth, incapacitate- and he trains to win. Even simple drills with him could get dangerously competitive despite everything being calculated, routinized and technical to a compulsive degree. He thinks everything through, maybe even too much, and he never failed to take a shot when he had it.
Goten has learned over the years the last part is reflexive, probably the result of a life of constant combat. The largest telltale sign being that Vegeta didn't always mean to snap out a violent uppercut. It would just happen and he often looked just as shocked as Goten did when the latter was left reeling on the floor with a bloody nose after accidentally sneaking up on him.
Because of this, in order to beat Vegeta, Goten has found you have to match his brutality. You have to get angry. You have to want to win just as badly as he does. Sometimes if you're willing to take the risk you can tap into his egomania, but that rarely resulted in victory because it usually triggered a screaming match that ended with someone slamming the gravity room door behind them and disappearing from the compound for a few days.
His father... was different. Once Goten pushed past the disappointment in Goku's comparative lack of strength and speed, he is able to see that his father's skill doesn't come from a life on the battlefield. He is not a soldier. He is a Martial Artist and every kick, every hit, every punch is the stroke of a brush on the canvas that is his opponent. He doesn't calculate. He doesn't plan. He doesn't need to think about what he's doing. Doesn't need to think about a lot of things, apparently. It is natural and every movement flows through him like water.
Goten sees where his natural aptitude to improve comes from as his father makes quick easy strides in power during their long morning hours together under the sun. Goku has a mastery over his form that beats committing routine to muscle memory. He is the best. And he knows it. As a result training with him actually... made Goten feel better. He didn't have to get angry. He didn't walk away still wound up. He walked away thinking about what he will do in order to be better for next time. Which was literally anything other than what his father kept suggesting he try. Meditating, uuuhg. No. I'm not just going to sit around and breathe. ...Stupid.
The opportunity to win by overpowering was always there (and often taken advantage of) but Goten was learning there were only two real ways to beat him in a fair fight. You either had to be better than him which is pretty much impossible or wait for him to let his guard down, which he does constantly! much to Goten's irritation and he's not sure if that habit formed from always underestimating his opponents because his father was used to being so much stronger or if it's an unadjustable facet of his soft trusting personality.
That was different too. Goku was incredibly soft. He was almost criminally naive which made it harder to hate him than it was to beat him and Goten thinks it's almost disheartening to believe the world ever put their trust in someone so... simple.
His interactions with Chi Chi, Pan, Videl and Gohan all revealed how innocuous he was, how hard he tried to please others based on his knowledge of acceptable social customs; a knowledge he was clearly lacking. But Goten still watched carefully trying to learn more about this super hero-like figure, who's supposed to be his father, but acts younger than him half the time and showed back up in his life at the most convenient time.
He thinks the few moments he catches between his father and mother are the worst by far. He cringes through each and every one of them unsure who he pitied more: his mother who seemed to be warming back up to her estranged husband, clearly oblivious to his... inclinations or Goku who almost always initiated their kisses because he obviously thought that was what he supposed to do to make her happy (and he was right, it did).
The best moments, the ones Goten lived for, the ones he never thought he'd have and definintely never thought he'd enjoy, were their father-son moments. He learned so much from those.
.
.
Goten wakes up so suddenly he winds up on the hard wooden floor boards of his room still cocooned in his sheets. He then grumbles something unintelligble about not wanting to spar because he was still hungover and, "How many fucking times have I told you I fucking hate it when you do that."
His father had just just appeared in his room cross legged on the corner of his bed because Goten was over two hours late (again) for the early morning spars that Goten had insisted on. He had long given up trying to get Goten not to curse and asks if it's really that bad because this is the third day in a row he's used it as an excuse.
"Yes, it's literally the fucking worst. Especially when you try to keep up with Tru-" He hiccups and struggles to free himself from the only barrier he had protecting him from the light streaming in from the window. "-nks ... Have you never been hung over?"
"Uhh... once... but it wasn't from... drinking." he rubs the back of his neck and his son reluctnatly opens his eyes.
"What?"
"I don't know. I've never... really been drunk, so-"
"Wait, you've never been drunk?!" Goku doesn't even have the chance to reconsider his answer, "HA! We need to change THAT!" Goten turns over and roots under his bed for a few moments before a few clinks and thuds result in two opened but more or less still full bottles of dark liquor. He gets up still in nothing but his breifs but apparently ready for the day, "We'll spar once you've finished the whole thing." He wobbles and realizes he is in fact not hung over but still drunk from the night before and hands both bottles to his dad who doesn't take them.
"I don't think-"
"You'll be fine. I do this all the time." Goku frowns at him disapprovingly, "Oh come on. Don't look like that. It's like- ... Think of it as..." Goten gestures while he thinks, "father-son bonding." He grins.
Goku hesitates. "It's... but it's 9 in the morning."
"So? What the fuck else are you doing today?" Goku honestly didn't have a good reply to that as Goten swishes around the liquor trying to tempt him.
"Will we even be able to spar? Isn't it-"
Goten shrugs, "I mean, I don't know about you, but I definitely can-"
The reaction is instant. Goku takes the bottles and within a few minutes has drained them both. And that was how Goten learned his father could not and would not turn down a challenge and Goku learned he can spar piss drunk! Until he dislocated his shoulder.
"Why would anyone ever do this?" Goku whines.
Goten shrugs. "Because it's fun."
"It's not fu-huuuhhhhhhg-"
"It was earlier." Goten laughs.
Goku looks up with pained doubt before puking again into the alleyway trashcan he was using to hold himself up at four o' clock in the afternoon around the corner from a pizza place that had been delicious about fifteen minutes ago but currently tasted like regret.
.
Goku, who had of course took the bait to train on a nearly constant basis together, also learned a lot. In their long summer days together Goku learned that his son, while a gifted fighter, might not be... a good person.
"Wait. Wait- she what? Dad..." he pauses with disbelief, "You didn't even know what marriage was?"
Goku shakes his head, "I had some idea. But when I promsied her we were just kids." He laughs sadly, "I didn't think it was going to be so... difficult."
"That sounds kinda like... she tricked you."
"Yeah, sometimes... it sorta feels that way..." He looks away to the other side of the noodle shop where a waiter stands behind the bar tapping on the register. "But it would break her heart if I told her I wasn't... happy."
"Like that fucking matters at this point. You've been gone for fifteen years. This is kind of your chance. Maybe you should consider-" But his father is no longer listening. His attentions are else where and Goten sighs his face deeply into his palms, "Oh my god. Dad. Stoooop."
Goku looks back at his son startled, "What?"
"You've been eye fucking that waiter for like twenty minutes. Just DO something about it."
"I'm- I'm what? No!"
"You weren't? Really?" Goku stammers for a moment. "Ok. So then what were you thinking about? As you visually assaulted him from six tables away."
"I- … I was just thinkin'…" he says glancing back at the waiter with a crimsoning face, "he looks kinda Saiyan, doesn't he?"
Goten's lip quirks and he tosses a glance toward the short bleach blonde man currently helping another customer. No, he looks like one Saiyan in particular. Goten frowns, "I guess. Is that your type? Blondes?"
"What? No, I don't have a- a ty-"
"Hm. He's kinda... I don't know." weak "I personally wouldn't. But he's not bad looking. I'll give you that."
"I didn't say-"
"Well?" He looks at his father expectantly, "Are you gonna get his number?"
"... No!"
"Why not? Look at him." Goku doesn't look and Goten snorts, "He'll definitely say yes. He even smiled back at you all cute and flirty and he's come up to the table like five times-"
"Because he was taking our order-!"
"And what did you do? You just-" he gestures to his father's uncomfortable posture. "I don't know. Nothing. You did nothing except get more food. And honestly, if he comes over and I have to watch you cockblock yourself one more time-"
"Why would you say- That's not appro-!"
"Oh c'mon. It's not like you've never cheated. You ditched mom and disappeared aaaaall the time for what'shisface, didn't you?" Goku looks away from his son in shame because he hadn't yet told him the entire truth about who that was. "What makes this any different?"
"It- it just is, 'Ten. I don't think this is-"
Goten holds up his hand, "Ok, no. Who gave you permission to use that nickname? Because it definitely wasn't me."
Goku reels back with hurt, "I thought everyo-"
"Well, you're not 'everyone,' are you?"
"... but I'm your-" Goten dares him to finish the sentence. Goku's mouth opens. Then closes. And he never says it. It bothers him that his son still harbored so much hate and animosity towards him. He thought it was getting better but suddenly he wasn't so sure. He was never sure about anything around Goten.
"Look, whatever. The point is dad, if you really want to stay trapped in your barely functional marriage and never get laid again, then fine. Do that. But" he smiles and waves a chopstick at his face, "if you want a good distraction on the sidelines to help you stop sulking over your ex-boyfriend then you should really take advantage of what an easy lay our waiter obviously is."
"He's not my-"
"Well you're definitely not still with him." Goten sharply interrupts. "whoever he was. And I'm sure you can do better. You're Saiyan. You can literally have whatever you want." Goku looks away and Goten sighs loudly with disappointment, "Stop. Being. So. Miserable. Lighten up. Have fun. I'm not gonna say anything if you decide to 'disappear' for a few days with-"
"No, Goten, I would never- ... that isn't right."
"Yeah, well... a lotta things you do aren't right. So what's one more?"
Goku abruptly excuses himself from the table and heads toward the bathroom where he let's the sink run cold while he looks at himself in the mirror.
He doesn't know what to make of his son; the things he says, the things he does, the things he tries to convince him to do. Goku pulls out his phone and scrolls through it refreshing several times even though he knows there won't be any new notifications.
He sighs and puts it away before wetting his hands and his face trying to pull himself out of the sinking loneliness he's been falling into since his arrival back home. Goten was right. He was miserable. He looked it. He felt it. But he knew, despite his son's continual insistence to the contrary, that someone else was not going to make him feel any better.
He takes one last long look at his solemn reflection before taking a breath and resuming his so-typically-Goku smile and walking back out determined to pretend that conversation did not just happen.
But of course Goten had flagged down the waiter as soon as his father disappeared behind the door. Goku freezes as soon as he hears them.
"Yeah, he's just really shy."
The waiter chuckles and scribbles on a peice of paper.
Goten looks up at his dad who has just arrived back at the table and the waiter hands Goku the little scrap with his bottom lip caught between his teeth.
"Is that the check?"
Goten dead pans at his father, "No, stupid, it's his n-"
"I just want the check. Please."
The waiter's face drops with embarrassment and rejection, the paper crumples in his hand, disappears into his pocket, he nods and walks off.
Goten watches him walk away then raises a brow at his dad, "Great. Now it's super awkward and I look like an asshole. Where are we supposed to get thirty bowls of noodles now?" Goku rolls his eyes, "Do you have any idea how many restaurants Trunks and I have been kicked out of? This place was like, the last one in the city and-"
Goku shakes his head, doesn't say another word and makes his best attempt at scowling as they walk out.
.
.
.
.
It surprises Goten that as close as they come to the topic, it never comes up. That he knows about them. He's beginning to think his father hasn't figured it out, that or he's simply too hesitant to broach the subject. Too afraid of where that conversation will take him; too nervous he'll shatter all of the fragile relationships he's just beginning to reform. And Goten feels sort of bad. He didn't realize his father would be so... innocent in all of this. So, Goten doesn't push. He didn't need to. For now, he's content with where things are. Everyone hated Vegeta as much as he hated himself, he was getting stronger and everything was starting to become bearably... Normal.
It is just another Saturday morning in Gohan's kitchen and he is watching his father struggle and fuss over his phone for a few moments before tyring to enlist Pan's help.
He snorts and can't imagine what Goku could have possibly seen in someone like Vegeta. Goten, at least, was as shallow as he was strong. He could easily over look Vegeta's winning personality in favor of those handsome Royal features. He couldn't say the same for his father. In fact he strongly doubted overwhelming power was what drew him. He could be wrong, but Goku really was too painfully nice for his own good. He just seemed like the type of guy to go for personality. ...Hm.
He rolls his eyes and lets his gaze shift away from his father, who is still asking questions about this tricky new device he has to figure out, to the kitchen window. Morning training was over and his father would likely go back to tilling fields in the afternoon after he was done eating, but for now he seemed content just sitting around doing nothing with the people he was enjoying getting to know again.
He wonders if his father had stayed here, what would have happened? Eventually someone would have noticed. His father's unhappiness, the fakeness, the way he looks at any blonde male under five foot six- Wouldn't they? Maybe Gohan? Surely himself. And what about Vegeta? What would have become of that? How different would he be? ...How different would everything be? If he'd never left? ... .. .
"-oten, Goten. Goten!" He comes out of his thoughts and looks at Pan who is waving her hand in front of him trying to get his attention.
"Finally. You were gone there for a second."
"What."
She points at Goku's phone, "Can you show him how to use the rest of the settings on here? I can't believe he's struggled with it for this long. Grandpa, you've had this for like, a year."
"I haven't been back a year."
"I know, but still. Goten, take it. I have to get ready."
"Ready for what? You can't pass this off on me- finish what you started."
"Well, I'm going to the beach, it's beautiful out. Marron and I are going to play high powered volley ball and work on our tans. So you and that purple idiot better not make the news or anything today, because I don't wanna get another midnight call to help deal with your sh-" She looks at her grandfather and hesitates, "your personal issues." She slides the phone towards him, stacks up the dozen plates, and carefully puts them in the sink trying not to break any, before walking out of the room.
Goku looks at him with his usual soft smile, "I haven't seen much of Trunks since I've gotten back. How's he doing?"
"Good. Really good I guess. He's running Capsule Corp. He loves it. Born leader." Goten looks down the hall to make sure his niece is out of earshot, "He's dating Pan."
"Oh. Really?"
"Yeah. For sure. You should ask Gohan about it. He's super supportive."
Goku gives his son a doubtful look. He's starting to figure out that his son likes to tell him to ask about things that get him in trouble. Sometimes with Chi Chi, but usually with Gohan. He's not sure how Gohan feels about Pan and Trunks, but now he had a suspicion it was nothing positive and he should not in fact ask about it.
"I would have thought Bra would be in the company too. She seems ... energetic."
"No, she's still in school, working on like her third degree or whatever. Overachiever. Trunks might put her on the board now that she's 18 I guess." He picks up the phone intent on changing the subject, "...So what could you possibly need this for other than texting and calling?" he starts flipping through the it.
"I like the camera."
He goes straight to the messages, "What do you take pictures of?"
"I dunno, the mountains around Paozu. There's a lot of pretty things on Earth. I missed it. Sometimes I take pictures of the fields. To see if they're growing fast or slow."
"Huh." Gohan really doesn't give you enough credit.
"So you want to date mark them and stuff?" He squints at the phone and sees that nearly all of the messages are between Goku and himself asking about spar times and places, and the occasional, "wanna eat?" There are some between Goku and his other son, and even less between him and Chi Chi, usually asking if he'll be home for dinner, the occasional xoxo from her. "I think it does that automatically, you just have to..."
He taps on it as soon as he sees it.
Hey
.
hey
.
Hey
.
spar?
.
hey
.
jei vehtajs wanna spra?
spar
sooru im kidnadurnk
iisally wann talk
oh my god he did not drunk text his ex-
.
hey. sorry about my mesages yesterday. wanna spar?
.
whats up
.
hey
.
wanna spar?
.
hey
.
hey
.
hey
.
hi
.
spar?
.
hey
.
r u there?
.
hey
.
wanna spar?
They're stretched out over weeks, months usually time marked in the early morning before dawn and there are no responses back. He's sure he would have sensed it if they'd been near each other. They definitely hadn't. He tracked Vegeta's Ki like it was his job and found that he was locking himself in the GR 8 days a week, alone. He's pretty sure he was sleeping in there occasionally too. He smiles when he sees how recently the latest one is post marked. Two days ago? ... Don't you get it? He's just not that in to you now that you're back. Why are you even trying?
Goten thinnks maybe it was time to pay Vegeta a visit. Check on how he's been holding up without his boytoy. See if he was interested in a better one yet. I was starting to miss having a constant source of discord in my life.
"Yeah, if I could see the day and time that would be helpful. How do I-" Goku looks over Goten's shoulder to see what he's doing and his eyes widen when he realizes what he's looking at and he reaches for the phone but his son stands up and steps back.
"You sure text Vegeta a lot. After what he did to me." He accuses.
Goku doesn't respond, he just reaches for it again and Goten presses one hand to Goku's chest while the other holds the phone behind his back, out of Goku's reach.
"Those are private!"
"Ah, ha, nothing's private these days. Don't you know anything about technology?" Goku struggles for a few moments trying to get it back, then gives up and leans back against the table trying to work out a different tactic.
"Here." Goten hands it over to him without argument and Goku hastily accepts it.
Goku takes a moment to think about how he's going to justify himself, which he knows he shouldn't have to do because he hasn't done anything wrong, have I? He meets his son's expectant glare, "... I don't know what made you two fight... but I know he's a good person. He's still… my friend and-"
"A good Person? Your friend?" Goten can't resist laughing. "That's funny, because to me it looks like he's not much of either of those things now. Maybe ever."
Goku looks down sadly at his phone.
Look at you, texting him for permission to come see him instead of just showing up, unannounced, like you usually do around anyone else. If I didn't know better I'd think you were hopelessly in love with that asshole. Just how much control does he have over you?
He realizes that Goku is not just looking, he's deleting all the messages.
Oh. Oh... You are? Aren't you? Ohh, dad. How did he do that to you? Is that why you left? Why couldn't you have found yourself a nice guy to go "fishing" with on the weekends and leave the psychopathic megalomaniacs to me? That's really going to make this so much worse for you!
He bites back a cruel smile, "Dad, I already told you what's wrong. Friend or... otherwise, you've been gone for fifteen years. He's a different person now. The sooner you realize that, the better."
"He... seemed the same to me."
"No, he just looks the same." His father doesn't respond and Goten absently taps on the table to fill the stretching silence, "I'm sorry I went through your phone. You can try to ground me later or something. But right now, I've gotta go see Trunks. If Pan's day out with 'the girls' means what I think it means and they're in an off, then he and I have a date with Tequila. So-" he salutes and walks out of the room leaving Goku with his thoughts.
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A/N: Honestly I took away and added so much to this chapter and I still really hate it. It's my least favorite ch in the whole story. It's just so... forced uhg I don't know. and I don't know how to fix it. So *slaps paper onto screen* here it is. Anyway sorry for the break last week! My life is wylin' right now.
- 31
- 32
- 33
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Prologue	By : Herpb4uDerp Category: Missing Data > Missing Data Views: 194 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer:

Prologue