Maybe Next Time
A DBZ Oneshot Fanfic

A/N: Originally posted on the dbzhell tumblr on February 16, 2016 as part of a request prompt. This was my first attempt writing with these two as teenagers, and this ship in general, and I'm still not sure how well I pulled it off.


Prompt: Cookies (Trunks & Goten)

"Here!"

Goten shoved the box into Trunks's chest and quickly turned away, barely catching his friend's wide-eyed stare as he fumbled with the sudden gift. Silence stretched between them as Goten held his breath, quietly gnawing on his lower lip as he waited for his gift to be open. Anxiety pumped through his veins as the seconds ticked on, until, at long last, the sound of wrapping paper being torn away reached his ears. When the clatter of the box's plastic lid hitting the expensive tiled floor filled Trunks's bedroom, he somehow gained the courage to look up and felt his stomach sink at the sight of Trunks's disappointed face.

"Chocolate chip cookies?" Trunks deadpanned, one purple eyebrow arching upwards as he stared into the box. "You do know I hate those, right?"

Goten jumped up, face blanching and eyes widening with horror. "What? You're kidding! Who the hell hates chocolate chip cookies?" he cried incredulously, taking several steps back away from his so-called friend.

Trunks simply gave Goten a blank stare in response. "I do," he said flatly, "I thought you knew that."

"You never told me this!" Goten exclaimed, arms thrown up in the air in frustration. "I've known you all my life and not once did you ever mention it!" He brought his arms down, stuffing his hands into his jeans pockets as he pouted. "If I had known, I wouldn't have made you those for Valentine's Day."

"Wait," Trunks began, evidentially startled, "you made these? For Valentine's?"

The other boy nodded sullenly. "Yeah. I…didn't have any money to really go out and buy you something, and that…was the only thing we already had the ingredients for at home that also had chocolate in it."

Another moment of silence stretched between them.

"You do realize Valentine's Day is tomorrow, right?"

Goten winced at the words, shoulders hunching downwards as he moved his gaze towards the floor. Of course. He knew he had been forgetting something! All that embarrassment, and for what? He didn't even get the day right!

"These cookies are burnt, by the way."

And just like that, the sadness gave way to frustration. Goten's hands clenched into fists in his pockets and he began to grind his teeth unconsciously. "Hey, if you don't like them then just give them back!" He was sure his dad would get rid of them easily enough – Goku had eaten the entire reject batch and half of the ones that were supposed to go to Trunks, after all.

A loud crunch made Goten look back towards his friend, and he was shocked into standing up straight and going slack-jawed at the sight he was met with. Trunks stood there, furiously chewing away, with the box of cookies in one hand and a half-eaten cookie in the other. His face was contorted to a scowl, brows furrowed and mouth frowning as much as it could as he chewed. Goten could do nothing but watch as his friend ate the cookie, never once saying a word as he took bite after bite until it was gone.

Trunks let out a loud, overly dramatic gasp once he had finished. "That was awful," he muttered, shaking his head as though that would get the taste out of his mouth. He looked over at Goten, who was still gaping at him, and smirked. With quick, even steps, he walked across his room to his dresser, pulling open the top drawer and grabbing a small box inside. "Here!" he called, tossing the box towards Goten before moving to sit on his bed.

Goten was brought out of his state in a snap, quickly reaching forward to catch the box. He fumbled with it for a second, as Trunks had done only moments beforehand, but quickly got a good hold on the gift. It wasn't wrapped, as the box of cookies had been; this box was bearing only an orange ribbon and some tape to keep the lid secured. Goten sent Trunks a curious glance before tearing those away, eagerly lifting the lid to see what was inside.

He did his best to stop his face from falling at the sweet within. "White Chocolate?" he asked.

Neither spoke for a moment.

"You don't like white chocolate, do you," Trunks stated with a heavy sigh, his head dipping downwards in defeat.

Goten sent him a guilty smile. "Guess we both messed up, huh?" He then quickly moved to sit next to Trunks, balancing the box in his lap while he patted the other teen's back. When Trunks looked up to give him a weak smile, Goten was quick to eat one of the chocolates he had been given, somehow grinning and cringing at the same time as he did so.