Summary: Teen Trunks and Goten go to the city to get girls after realizing the fact that Trunks is a Prince of the Saiyans and Goten is a Prince of Fire Mountain can work to their advantage.

Warning: Not a Yaoi.

Pairing: Not Trunks/Goten.

Disclaimer: I don't own Dragon Ball Z or any of its characters. Akira Toriyama owns them.

Just Go Ahead Now

Part One

by hmfan24

"Hey, Sweetie, let me in!" said a cheerful, prepubescent yet masculine voice.

Trunks stifled a laugh. The boy then realized the setting. He sitting at the table colored with plates of food surrounded by his parents when he heard the familiar voice blast through the intercom above them. Cold sweat graced his neck. The curious spotlight was on Vegeta now. He quickly studied his father's face, looking for his true temper before he decided to say something. The fork suffering in the warrior's hands was evidence enough of the storm that was approaching.

Goten had this shtick of calling Trunks pet names just to piss him off. Only slightly did he succeed as it was an act of taunting rather than annoyance. Trunks was able to understand that in his long time friend, but fighting often ensued shortly after. There would be no exception this time.

But, dammit, why now of all times? The gravity room was broken and his mother hadn't had a chance to fix it all day. That meant his father hadn't had the "therapy" that kept him from blowing people's heads off. He gulped and stood up, "May I be excused?" he asked in his strained, polite voice that was slightly uncanny even towards his parents.

"Oh, sure, go and see your boyfriend," said Bulma with a smirk. She waved her hand to shoe him away playfully, but her eyes were fixed on her husband as well. It was adorable to see the fierce man squirm uncomfortably in the presence of Goten's antics.

Vegeta and Trunks both shot a glare at her, "Don't call him that!"

"Don't get mad at me!" she shot back with 10 folds of their combined strength. "You two are so uptight. Both of you," she let out a sigh, running her fingers through her silky blue hair that managed to retain its youthful sheen. These boys of hers were a lot similar than they realized.

Trunks's father, the Saiyan Prince, had no interest in their tomfoolery or their friendship as a whole. This greeting with pseudo homosexual undertones didn't particularly annoy him more than any other nonsense the spiky-haired boy spouted. It was more of the high-pitched voice that resulted in the fractured fork. With his lack of social skills, the jokes the two boys made with each other went way over his head, and slightly puzzled him if anything. He didn't have any personable allies at that age or any other age for that matter - until Bulma, of course. But that was his mate/wife. In fact, the person he once wanted to kill was none other than Goten's father, "Kakarrot", and Goten still looked like his younger doppelganger. That alone was enough to disturb something in Vegeta whenever the boy visited.

The lavender haired teenager crossed his arms, "Sorry, you guys know he likes to play around..." This was mostly directed at his tense father again who had his arms crossed even tighter than he did. Any outbursts from him and Bulma would surely put him in the dog house although that would lead to some kind of punishment for Trunks somehow.

"Yes, Kakarrot's boy is just full of jokes, isn't he?" retorted Vegeta.

"Yeah, actually, just the other day..." he began with a grin, foolishly thinking his father had lightened up, but was interrupted by his scoff, "um...nevermind, I'll just go and see what he wants." Of course the Saiyan was just being sarcastic. Trunks then about faced towards the door and took a few stiff paces, feeling a piercing glare burn his neck. Did his parents take his single status as a sign of homosexuality? He was only 13! Most guys his age didn't have girlfriends yet. Gohan hadn't even met many girls when he was his age. Now he was married. There had to be hope for the heir of one of the biggest corporations in the world.

Marching out to the lobby of his home, he immediately reached for Goten's collar and shook him. Stupid prankster. "I was at dinner, you idiot!" he yelled through his teeth, though not finding it in him to actually be angry at his friend especially with his blank expression of oblivion. "My dad was there," he said in an attempt to make clear the severity of the situation to his ever so dense friend.

Then Goten laughed so hard he cried, "Oh my god, wh-...what did your dad say? The look on his face must've been priceless!" He had no remorse of course although Goten was more respectful than Trunks could ever be - if he was conscious of what he said.

Trunks, finally letting go of the situation and his friend with a sigh of reluctance, then leaned against a nearby wall, "We lost a fork. But that's about it. Earlier we lost a chair after Mom went shopping and I had to be the one to fix it. Dad went totally berserk. I think it's just 'cuz the gravity room's broken and my mom wasn't there to calm him down...then you showed up, " he said, then pointed at Goten with his hand open before dropping it back to his side, "and thank god mom was there this time, or else that would've been his last straw... I swear, sometimes I wish we could switch dads." Whatever, it's wasn't like he'd get in trouble. His dad knew Goten long enough to tolerate the jokes he pulled. Still, the embarrassment wasn't really needed.

"Um...Trunks," said Goten, raising a weak finger to point towards him. His mouth widened to an awkward smile.

"What?" he lifted his back from the wall to turn around only to see the speaker plastered on the wall. His eyes widened to comprehend the device. His pulse echoed up to his head.

"You're laying on the intercom button thingy...your parents can probably hear you and..."

"Oh dear god. Goten! Run!" he said with all the breath in his lungs and ran off like death was on his heels. He felt Goten follow him before they both jetted miles into the sky and stopped over the nearest ocean. His next thought was to dive down deep into that ocean, but decided against it. He'd be able to feel his father's presence by now if he meant to chase them which must've meant his mother graciously intervened once more. Then, by instinct, he gripped Goten's collar again and shook him.

Goten poked his tongue out, "Aw, come on, this time it was your fault, Trunks. You were the one who was leaning on the button."

The Capsule Corp. heir ran his fingers through his hair after letting go of his friend once more, "Yeah, whatever," he stated before putting his hand on his hip. He checked over his shoulder again, "What do you want anyway?" he asked then turned back with a smile.

The boy seemed a bit insecure about what he was going to say. This was odd, for Goten was known to even call him about things he saw in the toilet. He gripped his sweaty hands behind his back firmly. His thumbs twiddled and he looked around at nearly every cloud at the sky before realizing Trunks's agitated. He probably wasn't really agitated, but Goten decided to start anyway, "I want you to come on a date with me with a girl," he added before Trunks needlessly overreacted. Though the subject was awkward since years ago they swore off girls forever. Goten felt like he broke that truce. "I hope you're not mad..." he said.

"What do you mean?" he asked callously. No way, Goten got a girl before he did? He clenched his fist and his teeth, and would've victimized a wall, but stayed put. He was stronger and smarter and older than Goten though. But, he guessed, that didn't mean he would have more luck with girls. Goten was one of the best people he knew. Surely some girl would figure out just how awesome the guy was someday.

He did look mad. "Well," said Goten, crossing his legs in mid-air, "you see, I met a girl here in West City last week and she said she thought I was cute. So I was like, 'Cool, would you like to fare on a date with me?' - 'cuz I wanted to use a big word to sound smart - and so I went to the place we both agreed at and she must've gotten lost or something because I saw her talking to another guy on the other side of town. The weird thing is, she acted like she forgot my name and everything about me and... so I asked my dad and he told me to just ask her out on another date and make sure she gets here. That's where you come in. You can help me find her if she gets lost."

Asking Goku for help? Goku didn't know the first thing about dating despite being married for 20-something years, Trunks thought. Then he remembered his own dad and his primal view on his marriage: "Court to marry to mate for life". With that in mind, he was screwed, too. Regardless, as much as he hated bursting his best friend's bubble, he had to, "She stood you up, Goten."

The puzzled look on his face from the sour news was saddening because it meant that the 'bubble' was still intact, "Stood... up?" he asked. Apparently he didn't even know what the phrase was, being a common country boy and all.

"Yeah, she was just flirting with you and then decided she didn't want to go on a date with you and so she dumped you for that guy you saw her talking to," he said, doing his best to explain it bluntly so Goten didn't get a taste of false, naïve hope as he often did.

Now he was thrown off, "Woah," he slowly sank down towards the ocean, letting his ki flow out of him freely.

Trunks frowned, watching the fellow warrior spiral to a dead man's float on the surface of the water. He scratched the back of his head, dubious of what he should say. There wasn't much he could say. It's not like he had any more luck or experience with girls. This was unusual as Goten could often rely on his experience and wisdom, but this time, he had none. "Do you want to go eat?" he suggested reluctantly.

Goten shot up, "Yeah! Come on! Let's go! Let's go where?" This boy was hyperactive when it came to food. If nothing or no one could cheer him up, food would be the kid's only acception. Especially sweets. There were times when a 5 foot tall cake could bring him out of grieving the loss of a pet, and that type of consolence was no sweat for someone of Trunks' financial status.

"Let's just go back to my place. It's getting kind of late," Trunks said and pointed back with his thumb in the direction of his house.

"You want me to go with you and face your dad, don't you?" frowned the Son, but after getting no response, proceeded to pat Trunks on the back. "Alright, alright, I know the drill. You wanna get Gotenks out to be safe?" he joked.

Sadly, Trunks actually considered the suggestion. He knew he had to face Vegeta head-on for the offensive things he said over the intercom. By doing so, his courage alone would often get him off the hook. But damn, it was like stabbing himself in the leg. "Psh, no, I could do it alone," he said cockily with his eyes closed and his arms crossed, knowing not to ever show fear in front of Goten, "but we have this really cool looking cake that Gramma baked and I'd hate to let it go to...Goten?"

Of course Goten was no where in sight after hearing the prospect of cake. The waters parted beneath his jet steam going in the direction of Capsule Corp. Trunks shook his head, charging up to blast off as well. This kid was a riot. Maybe one day he'd learn that girls were a lot cooler than cake.

Goten was chomping down the contents of the table when Trunks returned. A large, white towel was draped over his drenched hair which placated Vegeta's vexation. Trunks's solid determination locked his eyes with his father's who was too distracted by the food to really care about anything else. The turkey that had been the centerpiece prior to his departure was now but a carcass. Plates were now bare with smears of sauce and grease. If he didn't want to starve that night, he needed to sit down immediately. Although, he noted, what was weird was that his mother was also taking a hearty portion of the meal. "Hey, Mom, is that gonna be enough for you?" Trunks joked with a wide-toothed grin, happy that he went under the radar unscathed.

Bulma solemnly stared at the plate full of rice and yams and corn and bread and turkey and then stared at her son. Her heart sank in her chest as her face went a grave, chilling pale. Tears welled up, ready to flee from her glazed blue eyes, "Wh...what's that supposed to mean?" she said, suddenly stifling a sob. Her chair made a large noise that called attention to her as she scooted it back to leave the room.

Oh god. What'd he say wrong now?

"Hey!" yelled Vegeta, sending a dead glare to his son. Bulma had been acting very strange lately. It was almost like she'd been avoiding him and the entire family to go on shopping trips. Not only that, but she was neglecting the maintenance of the gravity room. As much as the prince wished that was the only cause for concern, his attachment to the woman was far too strong to forsake her emotions - however wayward they may be. "Apologize to her!" he demanded almost desperately. He had felt that string of attachment tense up upon seeing the forlorn expression on her face. Though it was odd that she was eating so much.

"Why?" shrugged Trunks, ambivalent, though his face was red, "I didn't say anything wrong." His face was dried with indifference and fatigue from his lack of luck that evening. Whatever he said or did would lead to some kind of punishment. He really didn't mean to upset his mom. Usually she'd get mad at him. But not this time and that wasn't his fault.

Goten stopped chewing and glanced up awkwardly without turning his head. He looked at Vegeta, who appeared more afflicted than angry. His confusion was just as ripe as his son's who gave him a look full of contempt for the situation. Shouldn't their faces be switched? The air was dead. Goten gulped his food down and stared at his pal with pity his eyes. Obviously, he only asked to know if she needed more food, thought Goten literally. But then he said it, "Miss Bulma had a lot of food on her plate."

"Goten!" yelled Trunks. His friend had good intentions - wanting to stand up for him. It's just sometimes it was better if he didn't say anything at all, and he wanted to make sure of that.

Vegeta ignored the comment completely. "You obviously upset her by calling her fat," he assumed, but stated it definitively.

"You think I'm fat?" said Bulma, coming from the living room. She slammed something glass and breakable to the floor that made everyone in the room cringe. "You can go to hell, Vegeta!"

His eye twitched at the sound of the pain in her voice, but at least it was somewhat overwritten with rage. "That's not what I said, woman!" he yelled. He grabbed a plate and scarfed it down before stomping into the backroom.

Poor Trunks buried his face in his hands and groaned loud enough for everyone in the house to hear. "This sucks! I'm not even hungry now," he mumbled, his voice muffled by his hands. Why did his dad have to be such an aggressive asshole all the time? Why did his mom have to be so bipolar, too? "Sorry, Goten," he said, defeated as most do feel at 13. When would he ever catch a break? His family was the worst in the entire world. He loved them both for some reason, but sometimes, it felt like they didn't even care about him.

It was a lot harder for Goten to ever comfort Trunks than vice versa. Trunks didn't like cake. As for words, nothing he said was right or smart even if he used big words. At the moment, in fact, his eyes were focused on the plate that was set aside for his friend earlier. He did say he wasn't hungry, right? But, no, the young half-Saiyan had to resist the temptation of food for the sake of friendship! "You know, Trunks," he said before clearing his mouth with a gulp, "you remember how you said your dad was a prince of the Saiyans?"

"Yeah..." he said, not know where his friend was getting at. He couldn't really imagine what life would be like if he was actually treated like royalty. Well, because of Capsule Corp, he already kind of was treated like royalty, but to be treated as an actual ruler of a planet would be pretty awesome. His head rose to look at his friend.

"That means you're a prince, too."

"Yeah, but it doesn't really mean anything."

Goten shook his head, and gesticulated with his left hand, "No, it does. You and your family kind of act like it. Your dad always wants to train, your mom always wants people to listen to her, and you, too, Trunks, you always want games. You guys are always wanting something and always get it no matter what," he explained like a math equation. His pure simplicity was brilliant as usual. The Briefs were very high-maintenance compared to his own family. "My family," he started, using his right hand to gesticulate this time, "is nothing like yours. Only my mom gets what she wants which makes sense since she's a princess - you know, since my Grandpa's the Ox King of Fire Mountain. We all have to do what she says - even my dad who never got to train Gohan when he was a kid. That's not fair, right? Because technically I'm a prince, too!" He put his hand on his chest, a bit envious of Trunk's position.

"But you're only a 'prince' of a village, right?" he said, going with Goten's point of him being royal, "I'm Prince of the Saiyans, so it's different. I'm the prince of an entire planet." A smirk grew on his face.

"Nuh-uh, that planet was blown up by Frieza, remember?" protested Goten.

Trunks scowled, "Hey! So what? I'm still Prince of the Saiyans which technically means I'm your Prince and your dad's and Gohan's." Somehow his genius friend had suddenly caused him to be proud of his family. He was beginning to sound like his father, too...

Goten giggled, breaking the semi-tense atmosphere that would've resulted in a fight between normal people. "That'd be funny," he said, "Gee, what would you even have us do?"

"I don't know," he shrugged, "nothing probably." Then something in the young Prince's mind clicked. "Hey," he tapped on the table eagerly, "girls like Princes, don't they?"

"Um...how would I know?" said the younger Prince as he watched the grin on his friend's face shrink into a small, smug smile.

"Let's find out."

hmfan24: Two Princes by Spin Doctors. Got listen to it. When I first start writing this I was like, "13 year olds can't date," but then I remembered 7th grade. Suggestions appreciated.

edit: I decided to turn this into a collection of one-shots, but this one will have a second part.