Title: Your Snowflake

Author: Emily Anderson

Rating: PG

Anime: Dragon Ball/Z/GT

Brief Summary: Can a lonely heart be mended in the dark of night after so many years of unrequited desires and love? [Shounen-ai]

Disclaimers: I know I don't own DB/Z/GT at all. ^_^ It is all Akira-san! :D Heh.

Dedication: Another fic written for the lovely, lovely Jack V Briefs. *nodsnods* The cat thing… is well, is semi-taken from Capitol Room. ^^;; I just love the whole cat thing. *hehe*

The nightly routine of getting ready took Goten through each step. His mind was a bit fuzzy feeling from the late hours, but it wasn't too bad of a thing. The warmth of the fire had calmed him and now there was only a glow of the embers left.

He grabbed his purring cat up from the chair in his arms, the sleeves of his pajamas covering most of his hands. Softly he nuzzled the cat with his cheek. After ascending the steps, he reached his room, not even bothering with the lights. Without much energy, he hit play on his stereo. As the music began, he flopped down on his bed, finding some of the body heat soaking instantly into the sheets.

A gentle melody began to fill the room, causing him to relax even more. His feline companion walked to the edge, stretching fully before yawning and cuddling down. He, too, seemed to relax from the elegant sounds.

Subtle noises echoed through the house as the old grandfather clock struck midnight. The noise was rich and beautiful. "Merry Christmas," the young man said to his friend through the darkness, as merry as it could be.

Ten years. It really had been ten years since he had departed from his friend. They went in separate directions, vowing to live on, vowing to see one another again. It had been this many years, and he still saw no sight of the other.

At this point in his life, he began to stop believing in Christmas and began believing in the loneliness of the holidays. It was no longer about giving and sharing; it was about sympathy and rejection.

Rejection? Yes, in the time he was away from his dear friend, and secret love of his life, he tried to date, club, whatever the hell he could to fill the empty hollows of his heart. No one, no matter how "perfect" or "attractive" they were… they still were not the friend of his past.

Just as the thoughts began to fade into a sleep he heard the door being knocked on. Whoever it was on the other end had a soft touch, he could tell. So, without wasting much time he pulled on a robe, stumbling somewhat down the stairs.

When he opened the door, he saw a figure of a younger woman, her hair a soft red colour. Her breath was easily visible from the cold that surrounded her. "Hello?" inquired the sleepy man.

Her head turned to him, her soft blue eyes peering up at him. "Here's a message for you," stated her quiet voice as her arm extended, holding a plain white envelope. There seemed to be nothing really inside of the packaging.

She left without another word and before Goten could thank her. His eyes shifted back down to the paper and tore it open, extracting a small note inside. It simply said: Go Downtown to that small café you are normally at in the mornings.

Goten blinked. Who in the hell would be beckoning him there, especially at this time of night… and on Christmas of all days? He sighed simply. Honestly, he had nothing better to do, so he decided to take this mysterious person up on whatever game they were playing.

He pulled on his coat and slipped on a pair of shoes he'd normally wear and treaded out into the night. Once he was a few blocks away, he reprimanded himself for not having put on at least a hat as he shoved his hands in his pockets.

Luckily for him, the café wasn't too far from his home, as he lived rather close to the heart of the town. Small lights flickered in the trees, coming to life as he lifted his chin up. They were rather beautiful, a simple gesture of glory.

He saw another figure standing outside of the café, huddling close in his coat. The only thing he could distinguish of the feature was his height. He knew whoever it was, was doing this on purpose.

As the other turned, he felt his heart in his throat. It was him. Why was he here? Was this… his planning? All he could do was stare now. His legs wouldn't even work. At all. He sank down to his knees, sitting on his feet as he stared.

"Are you okay?" came the other voice. It was so strong, so assured. The elder of the two came over and knelt down, brushing back some of Goten's hair calmly. "Or are you just being dramatic?" A gentle smirk was placed on his lips as he pulled off his leather gloves.

Goten's lips groped the air, trying to find the words he wanted, unsure what they might be. Really, he was trying to find anything to say, but it all got caught in his throat. This was all just too surreal. Trunks was there, in flesh, after ten years.

He looked… good. No, not just good, great. It seemed like time hadn't worn down on him, it almost looked like he was free. Something seemed to have changed within the length of time that had separated the two of them.

Finally Goten found himself, found his thoughts. Calmly, he cleared his throat. "You're here… it's been ten years… so, why?" This was all he could think of… questioning it. He had to know. If it'd been less amount of time, he was sure he wouldn't be inquiring so quickly, but it was such a time.

Trunks didn't say anything at first before he held out a hand. "Come inside with me and we'll talk," he told his old friend. The skin seemed to welcoming, so, Goten could do nothing but take the hand, pulling himself up and eventually following Trunks inside the small building.

The two seated in silence before Goten nodded, trying to urge Trunks into talking about all of this. The older nodded, calming down the somewhat excitement that had sparked within the younger. Still the same, Trunks noted to himself.

"I quit Capsule Corporation." His words held almost a pride to them. In anyone else's eyes, this news would have seemed disastrous, but Goten knew… It had been the reason for their first departure.

Just as those words sunk in, it began to snow outside. A few traces of white here and there, growing steadily. Nature wanted to celebrate in its simple fashion, pouring down its innocence.

Once again, Goten found himself at a loss of words, catching them in the back of his throat. He felt awkward as he ran into only being able to stare at the other. "Please tell me you're not joking…" he whispered in a faint voice.

Trunks shook his head and stood up, wrapping his black scarf more tightly around his neck as he walked back outside. True, he was the one that suggested they come inside, but it hadn't been snowing then. The man had truly changed.

Following outside, the black haired man felt the soft pressure of the snow bearing down on him. He was awed by all of it. What made the moment perfect was that graceful form of Trunks standing there so predominate.

"I know this isn't right of me to ask," Trunks began as he turned to Goten, a content smile on his face, "especially after all this time… but… will you spend this and every Christmas with me, Son Goten. I understand if you might say-" Before he could finish, though, he was cut off with a kiss, their first kiss.

It was all the answer Trunks needed. This was both their gift. As they pulled away from one another, a snowflake fell on Goten's nose, causing an automatic reaction of kissing the delicate white away.

Ebony eyes peered up at the slightly taller of the two, etching his thoughts into those beautiful blue ones. They didn't hold the icy cold of ocean waters they once had, now holding that of a warmed sea.

"Merry Christmas, my Goten," came the soft, enriched voice. It was almost as if time hadn't passed between them, picking up exactly where they left off. It seemed that time honestly hadn't changed who they were inside, nor the bond that connected them.

Arm in arm, they walked to the small home they would call their own. Goten could finally call it home, and Trunks would finally have a place he could call home. They had each other, that's what made it home.

**********

A/N: Now, I know it's nowhere near Christmas, but I really wanted to work on this fic all of the sudden and I didn't have the random inspiration around Christmas, but I do now… so… here it is. ^_^;; Who says it needs to be written around the holiday? _