Trunks suppressed a yawn.
Despite his complete lack of interest in business, he had done his familial duty and taken over the running of Capsule Corp., just as his mother had done before him. And so many of his new responsibilities were, to put it bluntly, boring.
Negotiating contracts? Boring.
Reviewing financial documents and profit forecasts? Boring.
Chairing board meetings? Boring.
But the most boring thing he had to do was going to parties like these. Not fun parties, but tedious soirees, full of snobby rich "high society" types making shallow small talk and gossip. The food wasn't anything to write home about either, just tiny little hors d'oeuvres. Not nearly enough to satisfy a hungry demi-Saiyan. Once this was over, he and Goten would have to go eat a real meal.
Goten. For their entire lives, they had been best friends; then their relationship had deepened further and they had become lovers. Less than two years ago, they had gotten married.
He was so grateful for him. Not only was he his soulmate, but as his secretary and executive assistant, he was helping him run Capsule Corp. It made the burden bearable. He didn't know what he'd do without him.
Right now, they had gotten separated and were on other sides of the room. Trunks sighed inwardly. He would be so glad when they could take their leave. Get out of these uncomfortable clothes, eat to their hearts' content, and spend some precious time alone together. Son Goten Briefs and Son Trunks Briefs, just the two of them. That was what he needed.
Feeling a pressure in his abdomen, he excused himself from the current knot of socialites whose babble he was tuning out and made his way to the bathroom. As the golden stream flowed, his mind wandered. He didn't think he could handle much more of this. He was going to grab Goten so they could start making their exit. Hopefully with grace, but certainly with haste.
The stream died down. He washed his hands and stepped out of the bathroom, but before he could start looking for his husband, he heard something from the women's bathroom that made him pause.
"So what do you think of Son-Briefs?" Someone was talking about him. When the topic was that interesting, he couldn't resist eavesdropping. Leaning against the wall, he cocked his head and listened.
"Yes he does insist on that name, doesn't he?" another woman said, and Trunks could practically hear her rolling her eyes. "I don't know why he makes such a big to-do of them taking each other's family names."
"I think it's rather sweet."
"That's your opinion," the second woman said, her tone making it clear what she thought of that opinion. "I can't stand the man. Or his mother. They're not truly refined. They didn't even have money until his grandfather started their company." Trunks nearly let out a loud snort. He'd never understood the attitude that said old money was better. Money wasn't wine or cheese, it didn't get better with age.
There was a brief pause. He got the impression the first woman was trying to find some non-controversial topic of discussion. "He's certainly handsome, you can't argue with that."
"Oh, yes, he's handsome. That's what makes his behavior all the more inexplicable. He's that handsome, he has that much money, he could have his choice of whoever he wants. But look who he marries."
Trunks's eyes narrowed.
"Some impoverished hick from out in the woods!" the second woman continued.
"Haven't they been friends since childhood?"
"And how did that happen, anyway? I don't know how Bulma Briefs met him, but she must have taken pity and let him play with her son. You know, they say their hobby is fighting like common street hooligans. What a lapse in judgment. That's why you don't mingle with the lower classes. Look what it leads to."
Trunks could feel his blood turning into fire. He almost barged into the women's bathroom to give her a piece of his mind. Insult him, sure, he was fine with that. It would just bounce right off him. But no one, no one, insulted Goten while he was around.
"Well, I think they make a cute couple. They both seem very nice. And quite sexy, as well."
"Is that so?" the second woman said, her tone going even icier. "I hear they like to find other men and loose women and take them home for shameless debauchery. So you might be in luck. Now if you'll excuse me, I really should be going."
Trunks jerked back and took several quick steps away from the bathroom doors, half-turning away. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a severe-looking older woman step out, walking past without noticing him. A few seconds later, another woman followed exited. She was about his age, perhaps a couple of years older. She looked embarrassed and more than a little aggravated.
"Excuse me," he said before she could pass by, putting on his best charming smile. "I happened to overhear the conversation you just had."
She blushed lightly. "I'm so sorry you had to hear that!"
"Don't worry about it. Actually, I wanted to thank you for defending my husband and me. Son Trunks Briefs," he said, formally introducing himself and offering his hand.
"Phoebe," she replied, shaking his hand.
"Who was the lady you were arguing with?"
"She's no lady, she's my Aunt Leona," Phoebe said with a small laugh.
The name sparked a recollection. "The Leona who owns Yokubari?" Yokubari was a chain of hotels that catered to the upper-class.
"The same."
"Is she always that mean?"
"No. Usually she's worse. She was being nice to me because I'm her only living relative."
"That was nice?"
"Once when we were inspecting one of her hotels, she thought she saw a stain on the lobby floor. I didn't see anything myself. She made the manager lick it until she was satisfied it was clean."
Trunks let out a whistle. His father could certainly be a stern taskmaster, but even Vegeta wasn't that bad.
"I wish there was a way to teach her a lesson," Phoebe continued. "But she owns 49% of the stock in the company, I only own 2%. If I tried to do anything to go against her she'd disinherit me."
"From the way you talk, I'm amazed she even let you have 2%."
"It's a tax loophole thing."
"Ah." He could feel the cogs in his mind turning. "You say you want to teach her a lesson? I tell you what." He pulled a business card out of his pocket and handed it to her. "I'm getting an idea, but I'm afraid I need to take my leave. Call me tomorrow and we'll set up a lunch appointment sometime soon to work out the details."
Phoebe's eyebrows went up, but she nodded and dropped the card in her purse. "Talk to you tomorrow."
"I look forward to it. And Phoebe?"
"Yes?"
"Not everything your aunt said was wrong." He winked at her. After a second, she worked it out, and blushed again, but laughed. She was still laughing as she turned and walked away.
"What was all that about?" Goten said, walking up to him from behind.
"I'll tell you later. Want to get out of here and get some real food?"
"I was just gonna ask you that. What are you up to?" he added.
"What makes you think I'm up to anything?" he replied innocently.
"You have that smirk on your face. I know that smirk. That's your 'I'm planning something' smirk. One day I'm gonna see that smirk on your face and then find out you've taken over the world or something."
Trunks chuckled and kissed his husband on the cheek. "I'll tell you while we eat. The Timber Mill Steakhouse should still be open. Is that enough of a bribe to keep you silent about my schemes for world domination?"
"You power-hungry monster, you'll never keep me from talking!"
"I think they're still doing All You Can Eat."
"On the other hand, the world would probably be better off with you in charge."
-S-B-
One morning, Leona arrived at Yokubari corporate headquarters. It was a week and a half since the party. She did a double-take as she parked her air car. Her niece Phoebe was standing outside the entrance. So was the Son-Briefs couple, as well as about a dozen reporters and one or two policemen.
"What's going on here?" she snapped as she marched up to them. Trunks turned to face her with a grin.
"Leona! I'm so glad to see you! Now that you're here, we can tell everyone the good news!"
"What good news, that you're stepping down from your position?"
Trunks's grin just got wider, and he turned back to the cameras. "That Leona, such a kidder! I'm here to announce that Capsule Corp. is now the proud owner of Yokubari!"
Leona shoved her way in front of the cameras, right next to his face. "What are you talking about?! I own Yokubari!"
"Not anymore, you don't," he replied coolly. "As of today, Capsule Corp. owns a majority of the stock."
"You're delusional! I own 51% of the shares!"
"I'm afraid not. I bought out all your other stockholders."
She gritted her teeth. "They wouldn't have sold to you."
"They would when I offered them 30 million zeni per share." That was over a thousand times what Yokubari stock normally sold for. "And a guarantee that I would continue to pay them, for the next five years, out of my own money, the dividends they would have made if they had continued to own the stock themselves. You might call yourself rich, but compared to how deep my pockets are? You may as well live in a cardboard box."
She jabbed a finger in his face. "But even if they all sold to you, that would still only get you 49%! I own the other 51%!"
Phoebe spoke up. "No you don't, Aunt Leona. You own 49%. I own 2%, remember? Or at least, I did own 2%."
It took a moment for the realization to hit. "You betrayed me?" she shrieked. "You betrayed your family? To this…this…new money?!"
"New money buys stuff just as well!" Goten piped in, cheerfully.
"You were the one who betrayed what the family stood for, when you started treating everyone else like slaves," Phoebe said.
Leona hissed. "I still have enough money to make your life miserable," she told her niece.
"I doubt it," Trunks said. "See, Phoebe told me about some of the dubious accounting and tax procedures you've been engaging in, so I notified the government about them, as is my duty as Yokubari's new owner. They're going to investigate the company's financial records to make sure everything is legal, and I expect they'll freeze your bank accounts while they do so."
Leona shrieked louder, and lunged for his throat. The police officers nearby grabbed and restrained her as she started shouting profanity.
"And that, I believe, is attempted assault," Trunks continued as she was handcuffed. "Recorded by a dozen news cameras, and yes, I would like to press charges." He leaned in close to her. "While you're in a holding cell, you'll have plenty of time to think about how this unrefined hooligan and his hick of a husband ruined you." He turned away from her. "Shall we go?" he asked Goten and Phoebe.
Goten nodded. "It's going to be a busy day, making all the arrangements to have you running Yokubari now," he told Phoebe, "Better get started."
"And we'll have dinner together afterward, my treat. We'll need our strength for the shameless debauchery afterward!" she said loudly, making sure her aunt could hear. The demi-Saiyans chuckled as they all walked off together, waving to Leona as she was loaded in the back of a police car.
-S-B-
Author's Notes
I know that Briefs probably isn't really Trunks's family name, since Videl said that most people no longer had family names, but it's been part of my personal headcanon for about 15 years now so I'm loathe to let it go. Besides, referring to the "Briefs family" is less awkward than "Bulma's family" or "Trunks's family." Also, it let me does the whole "taking each other's family names" romantic gesture.
Leona is named after the late, unlamented Leona Helmsley, the "Queen of Mean." Phoebe is named after actress Phoebe Cates, because that's what she looks like in my head.
Yokubari is Japanese for "greed" or "avarice." The Timber Mill is a steakhouse from an episode of Frasier.
There will be more chapters coming. I hope you enjoyed this; please review, even if you didn't care for it. Constructive criticism is always welcome.