Barely Breathing
Barely Breathing
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Barely Breathing
color:white'>
color:white'>“Hey Trunks? I gotta tell
you something.”
color:white'>“Hn?”
color:white'>Thus was the start of the conversation. Had Trunks known what he was in for he might have cried—or
jumped—for joy, but as it were he had no clue what was coming.
trivial, as was typically Goten’s style.
Maybe he’d broken up with another in the long line of ditzy
girlfriends. Maybe he’d eaten the last
of Trunks’ favorite cookies. Who
knew? In any case, it would turn out to
be nothing, as usual. That unnatural seriousness in Goten’s tone meant he
thought he’d done something wrong, Trunks was sure. But there was nothing n the whole world that this boy could do
that was wrong as far as Trunks was concerned. Who cared about his stupid
girlfriend? She didn’t deserve
him. And Trunks would buy him as many
cookies as he could ever want.
color:white'>“And I don’t want you to be mad, but I think you will be.”
color:white'>So it was the cookies.
color:white'>“But there’s nothing I can do about it, and if you don’t want to
be around me because of it I’ll understand.”
Huh?
still in his school clothes, hands in his lap, and he was looking at Trunks
with something on his face that Trunks couldn’t define…fear, maybe?
Trunks? And besides that—how could he
think that Trunks could ever be angry with him? Goten was the most amazing person in the universe, and nothing he
could ever say or do could ever make Trunks turn away from him.
to spend his time with someone so antisocial and cold-hearted as himself.
color:white'>“I can get my mom to pull me out of school so you won’t have to
see me anymore—she wants me home schooled anyhow—“
color:white'>Goten was shaking, his voice trembling and he floundered as Trunks
moved toward him—to touch his shoulder, to comfort him somehow—and he hopped
off the bed and backed away.
color:white'>“Chibi, what’s wrong?”
Trunks followed him, his mind racing.
What could Goten think he had done?
color:white'>“I’m gay.” He said.
color:white'>Pause.
color:white'>Long, uncomfortable silence.
color:white'>Trunks didn’t even know how to respond to that.
make it okay. (Well, he could, but he
didn’t think it would help.)
color:white'>Goten spoke again: “I just had to tell you, ‘cause I felt like I
was lying to you for keeping it secret.”
He looked so scared, it was hurting Trunks’ heart—“I ought to go.”
color:white'>He moved to leave out the window.
color:white'>“Goten—” Trunks finally found himself. The object of his undying affection—with whom he might suddenly
have a chance!—was trying to leave.
color:white'>“Yeah?”
color:white'>“This is your room.”
color:white'>“Oh. Well, you can’t want
me here after that so—“
“Goten!”
color:white'>“That’s not all, either.”
Goten backed right up against the wall as Trunks came near him.
thought Trunks was going to hit him, he wasn’t raising his hands to defend
himself. Trunks, meanwhile, was sure
this was just a dream. (If this was a
dream, he could do whatever he wanted, right?
He had almost made up his mind to kiss Goten when—)
color:white'>“I think I’m in love with you.”
color:white'>Another long, uncomfortable silence. Again, Trunks couldn’t quite decide how to respond to that.
affection. But if he were what
Goten wanted then he’d give himself merrily, gladly, joyfully, to make the
younger boy happy. He’d give anything
to see Goten smile; anything in the whole world for him to be happy.
the fear—Goten couldn’t be afraid of him!
But he was—his lovely eyes were so dilated the iris was barely visible,
his face pale, and tears were forming because of—what?
color:white'>“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry—” Goten was crying.
And Trunks’ heart was breaking—Goten had never done anything to be sorry
for! “I tried so hard not to—and
Trunks, I swear, I promise, I wouldn’t ever do anything to you.
think about you or anything—you deserve so much better and I wouldn’t—mmfpt—“
Goten had suddenly found
it hard to form coherent speech with a mouthful of Trunks’ tongue. His eyes
widened and then squeezed shut and Trunks’ arms were around him, hands gripping
his clothes and his hair and supporting him when his knees gave way in his
astonishment. That hot, sweet mouth
over his was crushing to his lips and the tongue was tracing across—behind his
teeth, along the inside of his bottom lip before sucking it inside—leaving him
overjoyed and utterly compliant. It was
a long time before Goten could respond because of the dawning realization that
Trunks might just care for him as well—but Trunks broke off, holding him pinned
up against the bedroom wall. Their
flushed faces were only millimeters apart when Goten finally met his best
friend’s eyes, which were filled with wonder and a hint of anxiety.
color:white'>“You’d better not have been fucking with me.” he said petulantly,
lips brushing against Goten’s enticingly as he spoke.
color:white'>“… Nope. But I might be in
a few minutes.”
There was no more talking
after that. Trunks’ hands worked down
to Goten’s bare skin and it was warm everywhere—and everything was so
different, when in fact nothing had changed.
It was as though the entire world had shifted around them, rearranging
the universe but leaving it really the same as it was before.
comfortable and frantic contact as normal as doing homework or sparring or
playing a game. This was the way it
should have been all along, and they’d never realized.
aftermath together with the world outside the window a million miles away;
clutching at each other, laughing and crying and dizzy and so blissfully ecstatic
that they were barely breathing at all.