Dude Looks Like A Lady

Innce nce is Futile
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Dude Looks Like A Lady
By Raven Pan and Alison Sky
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Chapter Sixty
April 9, 799 - Monday
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Trunks grumbled as he stirred, his neck stiff. Wait, why was his neck stiff? He could tell he had that odd fuzzy feeling he'd get when he... "Damnit!" he opened his eyes and blinked hard, looking around.

Goten was awake, a nice nurse helping him get a long drink of water. He looked up at Trunks and chuckled.

Trunks looked back at Goten, and pouted. "They Drugged me. Gohan had them drug me," he glared at the nurse.

The nurse just smiled and shrugged. Goten took the glass and nodded, and she left... Goten still chuckling.

Trunks stood, tossing the blanket and pillow onto the chair, popping his back as he came over to lean on the railing. "You take far too much joy in my discomfort, Chibi."

Goten gave Trunks a weak smirk and lay back. "You were drooling... " he motioned his head towards Trunks' face and shirt.

He growlewipiwiping his shirtsleeve across his chin and mouth. He wrinkled his nose. "Pain in the ass," He smir &qu "How're you feeling?"

Goten just shrugged. "Tired..." he said with a scratchy voice.

"You just keep resting so you can get better," Trunks said, nodding.

"No choice... they strapped me in..." he looked down at the belt across his lap. While Trunks was sleeping... someone woke up and tried to plan a breakout when no one was watching him.

Trunks looked at the belt, then looked at Goten. "Chibi..." his voice held a warning tone.

Goten gave him a half smile. "I was hungry...?" he joked.

Trunks sighed and shook his head. "Shame on you."

"What did he do now?" Gohan asked, walking in having taken a nice shower and change of clothing, a brown bag in her hands.

Trunks spun around and crossed his arms. "While you had the nurses drug me to sleep, he tried to get out of here and is now being strapped down. I hope you're happy with yourself, Gohan."

"Why do you think I did that?" Gohan asked, smiling. She put the bag on the table and started to dig through it.

"You're a first-rate bitch, you know that, right?" Trunks scowled.

"Runs in the family, I guess," Gohan smiled, then handed Goten a tuperware that was warm. "From Mom... much better than the stuff here."

"Arigato..." Goten said, trying to open it.

Trunks moved to help him, then stopped himself, not wanting Goten to think he thought he was weak.

Gohan pulled a few more things out, including a straw and some ice cream. She then pulled out a tiny freezer and some clothing for Trunks. "I stopped by your place on the way back and got you a change of clothes," she stated as she set up the fridge on the far side of Goten's bed and started to put the food into it. "I think I have enough here for a few days, if needed."

"Good thinking, thanks," Trunks said with a sigh.

"You can use the shower in the bathroom, I'm sure," Gohan continued, going back to the bag and pulling out a towel and some toliet.
"Gohan, if you have me drugged again, woman or not, I will dismember you," Trunks muttered, taking what he needed and going to wash up and change in the bedroom's private bath.

"Want me to give you a sponge bath!" Gohan teased, then looked over at Goten. "Tried to escape, huh?"

"Gohan..." Goten moaned, still trying to open the tuperware.

"Mom would have dragged you back, you know," Gohan stated, grabbing the tuperware and opening it, then giving Goten a straw to suck the flavored brother down with.

"She couldn't catch me..."

"Dad could," Gohan sat on the bedside.

Goten just sighed and sucked his soup.

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April 11, 799 - Wednesday
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With a sigh, Wednesday evening came - and it still seemed Goten might be a little while yet in need of care. While he slept, and Gohan was there to watch over him, Trunks slipped out to the payphone once more, and dialed Noriko's phone number.

"Yes?"

"Noriko, it's Trunks."

"Oh hey! How's your friend?"

"Still not so good, I'm afraid you're going to have to find someone else to go to Les Mis with you," Trunks sighed. "I'm really sorry...."

Noriko sighed. &quh...h... well... thanks for calling at least."

"Hey, I did promise I would," he told her. "Really I'm sorry, Noriko."

"Sure Trunks... I'll just find someone else, that's all." Noriko's voice got distant, like it was something she didn't want to bother doing.

"What's wrong, Nori? I mean, other than my obvioius lack of ability to come friday...?"

"Nothing..."

Trunks sighed, "C'mon, I know something's bothering you."

"It's just... I mean, well... lately the last two times I talked to you, you call appologizing, but you never bothered to find time between just to give me a quick call to say hello, that's all." Noriko stated.

"I haven't had time," He sighed. "Honest, Nori - if I did I would have. It's hard to get away just now."

"If he's so sick, he's probably been sleeping half the day... I mean, how hard is it to take ten minutes to make a phone call?"

"He needs me there to look out for him and call the doctor if he gets into a fit! He can't do much for himself right now, Nori."

"You act like he's a baby or something, Trunks. This is Goten, right? He's only a year younger than you."

"He's my best friend, Nori - and you try finding a call button while you're fighting for air to breathe," he tried to say patientlBR>

"And no one else was in the hospital who could sit with him for five minutes?"

How to explain to her that he hardly trusted any of them to do a proper job? "Well..."

"Yeah?"

"Okay, you've got a point," Trunks sighed, running his hand through his hair before resting it atop the payphone. "I probably could have... I guess... but you know I'm a perfectionist," he tried to laugh it off.

"Hm." Noriko's voice muffled. "Makes me wonder who's more important, though."

"...I... I don't understand."

"He's more important to you than me, isn't he?"

"I've known him my whole life, we've been best friends since we were infants!" This conversation, though decades later, seemed way too familiar.

"Yeah, but I'm supposed to be your GIRLFRIEND Trunks.uot;uot;

"Well, you *are* my girlfriend, Nori - and he's my best friend," Why did it have to be so difficult to make people understand?

"Then how come you can make time for one, but not the other?"

"He's in the hospital, Noriko. He almost DIED, he needs me right now."

"But how does that excuse making a five minute phone call!"

"I couldn't leave him alone!" Trunks said in exhasperation. "The doctors here aren't exactly on the top of their game!"

"But yet you can leave him alone NOW to call off our DATE!"

"Because his... COUSIN is here! I promised you I'd let you know by today if I could go or not - I THOUGHT you'd like me to keep that promise!

"But I didn't mean 'don't talk to me until then' Trunks! And let me guess, that cousin hasn't been there with you the entire time, either."

"Not really, no. She's been in and out," which was true.... to go home and spell Goku and Chichi, that is.

"But she HAS been in...&quNoriNoriko pointed out.

"... Well, yeah...."

There was silence on Noriko's end, as if to say "See...?"

"I'll make it up to you," He lowered his voice some from the frustration level it'd been on. "Honest I will - things are just a little unpredictable right now."

"I don't know, Trunks..."

"I will!"

"I'm not sure I can trust you anymore..."

"What do you mean, trust me?! I've never not done something I said I'd do!" he was flummoxed.

"You stood me up, Trunks! And it took you almost two days and five pages to remember! And then you can't find time in five days to give me a phone call to say hello how are you, and then then next time you call is to break another date!"

"Excuse me, but I was in a bit of a CRISIS here, Nori!"

"Well maybe if you let me come there to keep you company, if for only an hour, I would understand better!"

"I didn't want you to get sick too!" he half-truthed.

"Just forget it Trunks... it's not worth it anymore."

"Noriko, Goten's been the most important person in my life for over thirty years. If you won't understand that - then you're right, it's not going to work out," he said softly, gritting his jaw as a pang ran through him.

"Trunks... are you gay?" Noriko asked.

"WHAT!?"

"You talk about Goten like he's your lover!"

"He is NOT my lover, he's my best friend! What's so wrong about that?! I am not, never have been, and never will be gay!"

"Seesh Trunks, chill out. You're getting WAY too offended by that."

"Maybe I'm sick of people assuming I'm something I'm not."

"Well, perhaps then you need to figure out what you want in life and do that, instead of spending your life around your best friend!"

Trunks grit his jaw angrily, "I know what I want."

"And what is that, Trunks?"

"I want a woman who can accept me for who and what I am. I want to be able to raise my children in a stable setting, and I want never to break my word. So far I have one of those three, can you give me either of the other two?" he asked seriously.

Noriko was silent for a moment. "I don't think so, Trunks... cause I don't know who you are anymore..."

"I'm sorry, Noriko." he sighed.

"I'm sorry too, Trunks."

"Take care - I hope you find someone who can live up to your expectations," Trunks said softly.

"Same to you, Trunks. Good luck, and thanks."

"Yeah, no problem," He sighed. "Goodbye."

"Goodbye." -=click=-

Trunks looked at the receiver a moment, before hanging up the phone. He made it back into Goten's room, noting that he was still asleep as he sat down in his chair with a sigh.

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