I do not own Dragonball Z, the characters depicted in this fic and made no money writing this. This is an old OTP of mine. My first, actually. Brings back memories. Hope you like it. All criticism is welcome.

You like to pretend.

"Nice to see you, Trunks."

"Good to see you too, Gohan. Have a seat." I smile and do my own pretending. I'm playing civilized human at the moment. See my nice big desk? Like the nice big chair over there? My coffee tray? Look. Here's your cup. "Care to join me?"

Pause. Let the silence speak to me. Let me imagine what it says. "Sure. Smells terrific."

"Help yourself." I sit on the edge of my desk. Your arm nearly brushes against my thigh when you reach over. "Take your time."

You clear your throat. "Been training, Trunks?"

"Very hard, Gohan."

You sit back with the cup. Blow over the rim. Smile at me. You like to pretend, a lot. Like you're oblivious to me. To this. To us. But you know it's there. You're one of the most brilliant minds on the planet! Of course you know. You have to.

"Coffee, Trunks." You tilt your head.

"Ah. Can't go without."

"Never."

It's hot. It's dark. It's stimulating. It makes a person feel a little more alive. But just for a little while. "Mmm." I sip.

You watch. "Good?"

"Sure."

"Well, this was nice." You put your cup back in the tray. You smile that smile. "Thanks." You know what it does to me.

I put mine next to yours. Stand and give you my hand. Take it, yes. Look into my eyes. There. You see this? My hunger? My pain? My need? You do. I will not hide this from you. I will not pretend.

Take it.

"Always a pleasure, Gohan."

And then you let go. You turn away. You leave. You always leave. Oh, you give me a small mercy; you look over your shoulder. "Later."

But hope can be cruel. Hope can make us fools. For a moment I let you do this to me. I step forward. Lift my hand. You keep walking away. "Anytime." Anytime at all.

Then you're gone.

Look at this. Your cup - you didn't even have a sip of coffee. I can see you in the courtyard, through my office window. And, as usual, you stop to drop a few zeni in the Charity Drive box.

Damn you.