Dude Looks Like A Lady

Innocence is Futile
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Dude Looks Like A Lady
By Raven Pan and Alison Sky
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Chapter Sixty-One
April 13, 799 - Friday
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Friday afternoon, the doctors had finally decided that Goten, indeed, was ready to go home. Trunks, who'd never left the hospital once, was now holding out Goten's jacket for him.

"Now remember, you still need to hook up to the nebulizer for a half hour in the morning when you wake up, and a half hour after dinner, for the next week... then any time you get a coughing fit. After that, move to the inhaler," the doctor instructed Goten, who just nodded. "I want to see you again in two weeks."

"Ok," Goten said softly.

"Thank you, Doctor," Trunks nodded sharply, helping Goten into his jacket.

"Make sure he takes his medication too, Mister BrieEverEver since he became mobile, he's found very interesting ways of avoiding the nurses." The doctor chuckled.

"I don't like pills," Goten muttered.

"Tough luck, Chibi - if you're gonna get better, you've got to take them," he chuckled.

Goten just wrinkled his nose. The doctor chuckled. "Take care, and I'll see you in two weeks." he gathered the paperwork that Goten had already signed and left.

"C'mon, let's get you home," Trunks adjusted the coat on Goten's shoulders, tossing a scarf around him for good measure.

"Trunks..." Goten whined, pulling at the collar.

"It's for your own good," he said. "I even got Bra to drop off the car yesterday," he patted his pocket.

Goten just sighed. "Ok."

"C'mon, Goten," Trunks headed for the door, holding it open for his best friend. "Just until you get better."

"Sure," he spoke softly, his voice having taken a defeated tone since he had been able to speak again. It was still very hoarse from coughing, and low as well.

Trunks put a hand on Goten's shoulder, steering him out. "I promise."

"I believe you," Goten stated.

Trunks gave Goten a small smile, and led him down to the street, where he uncapsulated a blue car, then opened the door for Goten before heading around to the other side to start the car up, and turn on the heater.

Goten let himself into the passanger side, the capsule with the nebulizer machine in his breast pocket next to the inhalor and bottle of pills. He leaned back and closed his eyes. "Are thds hds home?" he asked.

"They will be once I call your dad when we get there. He said he's bring 'em over."

Goten nodded, "I miss them."

"Me too," Trunks nodded. Once the door was closed, He took off to drive them home. "I bet they miss you too."

"Probably not. Mom and Dad spoiled them, I'm sure," Goten said, then brought his hand up to cough a bit.

Trunks's eyes flicked over worriedly, "Goten..?"

Goten just waved his other hand, and the coughing soon subsided. "I'm fine," he croaked.

Goten sighed and sat back, closing his eyes.

It wasn't long before they'd made it to their apartment complex, Trunks pulling up to the door. "We're here."

It wasn't long before they were both in their apartment, and Goten looked around, having not really seen the place in a while. The corner of his mouth lifted in a tiny smile. "It's a mess," he joked.

"Yeah well," Trunks sighed as he brought in Goten's things. "Truten was playing 'pile on papa' when I got home."

Goten looked at Trunks and blinked.

"By the time I got home, there was a pile of magazines and toys on you," He explained, closing and locking the door, then motioning to the hallway where it was all still scattered.

"Oh.... I felt her every now and then coming back and forth... that's what the little devil was doing," he smiled, walking over and bending down to pick the items up.

Trunks moved to stop him, "Don't worry about it, I'll pick everything up," he told him.

"No... I can do it..."

"Goten," Trunks moved to take the stuff from Goten. "Go on to the bedroom and rest, you need it - you're not out of the woods yet."

"I'm not that weak," Goten muttered, but turned and started for the bedroom.

"I didn't say you were - just let me do stuff for you for a while, okay?"

"Fine," Goten said softly, taking off the jacket and placing it on the couch.

Trunks sighed, picking up the toys and magazines, carrying them back to the livingroom, dumping them in their respective boxes.

Goten walked into the bedroom, blinking for a moment, then nodding. He had changed the layout that day, that's right... he sighed sadly and went to the dresser, opening it up to find a pair of sweats.

Finally Trunks got everything cleaned up. He figured he'd change into something more comfortable and take a shower before calling Goku to bring the kids back. He headed back to the room to get something to wear, and stopped in the doorway, blinking.

Goten was on the far side of the room, sitting on his bed... his single standard sized bed, with his own dresser in front of him. On the other side of the room was Trunks' bed, and next to it, his dresser.

"It... looks like a dorm room," Trunks forced a small chuckle - ignoring the pang of finality this gave to him.

"I figured this would let you get back to sleeping in a bed, instead of on a couch," Goten said softly.

Trunks nodded, moving over to pull out clothing. "I appreciate it, Goten," he said honestly, though his voice was quiet and thoughtful. He himself had pondered splitting the overside bed back into the two seperate ones... but he'd been afraid to do so - for reasons he yet had to figure out. Now he wouldn't need to.

Goten just shrugged and pulled off his shirt. He then started to cough and curled over, holding his hand to his mouth.

"Goten!" Trunks started to make his way over.

Goten just held his other hand out to stop Trunks, then went searching for his inhalor. He found it and took a deep breath through it, then another, and relaxed.

Trunks stood in the middle of the room, watching him a moment, worry creasing his features.

"I hate this..." he muttered, laying back on the bed.

"I know you do," Trunks finally unfroze his stance and went back to pulling out some clothes. "You'll get better soon, though."

"I know... still doesn't mean I can't be miserable."

"No it doesn't. I'm gonna take a quick shower then call your dad to bring the Kids back - is that a good plan?"

"That's fine. I think I'm going to take a nap."

"Alright, you do that," Trunks nodded. He paused by his dresser, then opened one drawer. He pulled something out and looked at it a moment, before dropping it in the wastebasket on his way to the restroom.

Goten waited a moment, then rolled off the bed to walk to the basket and look at what Trunks had thrown out.

It was a photograph, of him and a pretty girl, underneath, in a woman's handwriting, was writ the date it was taken, as well as "Noriko and Trunks, Sataan City Endwinter Faire."

Goten sighed, then went back to his bed and laid down, resting.

Twenty minutes later, Trunks re-entered, dropping his dirty laundry into the laundry basket, pulling a brush through his hair, toothbrush in his mouth as he poked around on top of his dresser looking for something.

Goten opened an eye, watching silently.

"Hn," Trunks nodded to himself as he found what he was looking for, just a simple chained necklace - he wasn't sure why, but he just felt like wearing it. The pendant was a simple yin yang, something Goten'd pulled out of a gumball machine when they were still just little kids.

Goten sighed, then closed his eye, working to fall asleep.

Finished dressing, still thinking Goten to be asleep, Trunks headed back to the bathroom to put away the brushes, and spit out the toothpaste - before calling Goku to bring the children back.

Goku arrived just barely after Trunks had hung up the phone. "Hey!"

"Mama! Where's Papa?"

"He's sleeping."

"AGAIN!?" the little near-two year old whined.

Goten heard the two year old's voice and kledkled in the bed.

"Shhh, you don't wanna wake him up," Trunks chuckled, nodding his thanks to Goku as he brought the infants back to sleep in their crib.

"Can I look?"

"Sure sweetheart," Trunks picked Truten up and brought her back to the room.

"Papa broked the bed!" Truten exclaimed upon seeing the new setup of the room. She'd wondered what all the noise was, back then, not that she remembered to ask about it now.

Goten opened his eyes and ed aed at Trunks and Truten, smiling a bit. "There's my cutie..." he said softly.

"PAPA!!!" Truten squealed, wriggling out of Trunks's arms and running over to bounce on Goten in his bed.

Goten caught the two year old, giving a few coughs as she barreled into him. "Hey, slow down, cutie... Papa's still sick..." he told her, hugging her.

She hugged him back, giggling. "No more sick!"R>

"No, still sick... just not that bad..." he told her, stroking her hair. He missed his daughter so much.

"Mama fix," Truten nodded firmly, kissing her Papa's cheek and snuggling him more.

Goten sighed. He was going to have to work on getting Truten out of the habit of calling Trunks "mama" soon, otherwise people were going to wonder.

Trunks saw the look on Goten's face, "Truten," he knelt nearby. "Why don't you call me Daddy, hmm?"

"But you're Mama."

"It's a new game."

"Game?"

"Yeah... Trunks is Daddy... not Mama... and when you remember to say it right, you get a treat, ok?"

"Papa...." Truten frowned, then looked up at Trunks, "Mama?"

"Daddy."

"No, MAMA!"

Goten just closed his eyes. "Please Truten..."

Truten crossed her arms and scowled, looking like her... less kind grandfather. "Papa. Mama. No Daddy."

Goten just sighed and rolled onto his back.

"No. Papa, and Daddy. No Mama -on'ton't answer if you call me Mama," Trunks's voice sounded strange. Choked.

"Mama sad?"

He had to make conscious effort not to respond.

Goten just closed his eyes. "Call him Daddy, Truten. He's not going to be your Mama ever again," he said softly.

"Daddy sad?" Truten asked.

Trunks gave her a small smile. "Daddy will be okay," he picked her up. "Time for bed."

"Night cutie," Goten side, kissing his daughter before Trunks took her.

Truten leaned forward and smacked her lips on Goten's forehead before letting Trunks bring her to her room.

Goten ed hed his eyes and sighed. He had finally come to admit it to himself... Trunks was never going to be Trina again... he was alone... and now it was time to teach his daughter that.

Several minutes later, after telling Truten a story to get her to go to sleep, Trunks returned to the room. Thinking Goten asleep, he moved to his own bed, slipping in, facing the wall and huddling under the blankets. "And so it ends," he whispered to himself words he'd muttered when he'd first been turned into a male.

A tear streaked down his cheek as he held back the sob stuck in his throat. He knew now that there was no going back - that their lives would never be simple or secure again.... and hearing Truten call him Daddy in stead of Mama, quite simply, broke his heart.

"You ok?" Goten asked, his eyes closed.

"Fine," Trunks muttered.

"Hurts, doesn't it?" he asked softly.

"...Yeah..."

"We're going to have to get her used to that... though, technically we should have her learn Uncle... otherwise people will think wrong."

"Fine," he sighed. He would really have preferred being a parent, but if this was what Goten wanted, what Goten thought was best... "We'll change the rules of the game tomorrow... I'll be Uncle Trunks to all the kids," he said very quietly, gritting his jaw and closing his eyes tightly as he pulled the blanket up higher around his neck, still facing the wall.

".... I'm sorry...."

"Don't be, it's not your fault Goten," Trunks's voice sounded a little strained. "It's just how it has to be."

Goten just sighed, then started to cough a bit. "Yeah..." he said when the fit was over. The capsule with the nebuliser was on the bedstand, unpened.

"It's time for your nebuliser, Goten," Trukns reminded him, still not turning to face him.

"Sure." Gotaid,aid, but didn't move to get it.

"Goten...."

"What?"

"Put on the nebuliser."

"I will..."

"Now."

"In a minute."

"I don't have the mindset to argue with you right now Goten, just put on the fucking nebuliser," Trunks grit out.

Goten growled, then rolled over and started to reach for it before he really started to cough badly, falling off the bed to the floor.

"Damnit," Trunks got up, ignoring the state his face was currently in from silently crying, and went over, grabbing the nebuliser and putting it over Goten's nose and mouth to help him start breathing again.

Goten fought him a moment, then let him do so, his eyes squeezed shut in shame.

Trunks helped him back into the bed. "Next time you'll take your medicine," he said sternly, using that to hide his fear, his worry.

Goten let himself be helped, working on just trying to get his breathing back under control.

Trunks tucked him in, checking on the equipment, then sighed, pushing his fingers through Goten's hair a moment before silently going back to his bed. "Goodnight," he muttered, huddling beneath the covers like the lost soul he felt... and finally going to sleep.

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