Just Like Daddy

Town was quiet today, not many people were milling about. For a Saturday, this could be a good thing, but Gohan wasn't so sure. He got sent on a mission to take his brother shopping for new clothes, since all of his were too short now. Normally Chichi would use Gohan's hand-me-downs, but Goten was getting taller faster than Gohan did. She requested that they try to make him look normal, but that could mean any number of different things. "Normal", was a relative term, and all of his relatives lacked in that department.

Goten was reaching the ripe old age of four, now having lived four years without his father. During that time, Gohan had stepped in as the male role in the house, since Chichi wanted to keep her status as home maker. This merely meant that Gohan took on more chores, and often would have to help with things he normally wouldn't; such as doing the dishes. He didn't mind helping to raise Goten, he needed some kind of male influence, and they'd rather it be him than Yamcha or Krillen, or worse, Vegeta.

"Goten," he asked to the little boy scampering beside him. Goten was holding his brother's hand, looking around at all the bright lights. "You've never been to Satan City, have you?"(For all intents and purposes, we're going to say Goten is 4 and Gohan is 18)

"No. Momma always said I had to stay here. We go to West City to visit Trunks though." He was very well articulated, mostly because of Gohan teaching him how to speak. Chichi contributed curse words, and a few of the other words he knew that sounded like curses, but the rest was his brother's doings. "Where are we going?"

"I want to stop into this shop real quick, they're hiring and I need work." As he stepped into the shop he noticed a girl standing there. She had brown eyes and bright red hair, which should have told him to go back. "Angela?" He looked down at his brother, making sure he still had his hand as he approached the girl.

"Gohan?" Angela asked standing on her toes to see Goten hiding behind Gohan. I wonder if I can blackmail him into another date… "What brings you here?"

"I saw that you were hiring, could I get an application?" He leaned on the counter, watching his brother as he drooled over some cakes in the display case. He didn't have to turn around; he knew what Goten was doing. "They're wax, Goten."

"What's wax?" Goten asked, joining ranks by his brother's side again.

"It's this really gross substance they use to trick us into thinking its food but it isn't." Gohan smiled softly at Angela, taking the paper from her. "Thank you, Angela. I'll have it back by tomorrow…do you work here?"

"My dad owns the place. We try not to let many people know that. Hurry and get back, Gohan! Bring your little cutie with you next time, too!" Angela muttered excitedly.

"I'll be back," Gohan nodded as he took Goten's hand, leading him out of the building. "That was rather interesting – I always thought Angela hated me. Oh well, wanna go to the Kaki Barn?"

"Momma would be mad if I didn't have clothes." Goten observed, pointing to some models in the window. "Like those."

"Those are too expensive for us, and you'd just ruin them the next day. Let's find something a little cheaper…within our budget." Gohan smiled to Goten and tugged him into the store, smiling a bit more when his little eyes lit up with wonder. The endless possibilities of the clothing store…a danger that could take Trunks and Goten twenty minutes to destroy. "I promise I won't dress you like a nerd."

"You don't look like a nerd!" Gohan's eyes lit up when he heard his brother's words, wondering if he meant it. Then, just as quickly as it had come, it was gone. "You look like a dork."

"They're the same thing, Goten." Looking through the racks of jackets, Gohan sighed when he didn't see anything his mother would approve of.

"Nuh-uh, Trunks says they mean two totally different things. He says one of them is a really, really smart person, and the other is a dumb person."

"Do you believe everything Trunks says, or just the stupid things?" Gohan hadn't realized he said it until he heard a snicker behind him. When he turned around, he noticed Bulma standing there with a smirk. "Oh, hey Bulma."

"Gohan, what was that you were saying about Trunks?"

"Nothing, I just get a little irritated with him quoting him. Goten has no idea what Trunks says half the time, but he follows him like a lost puppy. It's not a good sign—where is Trunks?" Gohan looked skeptical for a moment, wondering why Bulma would be here without the little whelp.

"He started school today, so he's not with me. But he wanted me to try and get him some more clothes…his aren't 'up to date', he says. Six years old and he's already deciding what's good looking and what isn't. Gohan, you look stressed." Bulma laid a hand on his shoulder, carefully making sure that Goten was still within eyes sight.

"I feel bad for mom. Goten's never met dad, he has no idea what he's like. Goten has it in his head that I'm like dad, that I'm 'daddy', but I tried to explain to him that I'm not. I mean, sure, I took over dad's responsibilities – with the exception of mom – but that doesn't make me dad. He's a hero…I'm a kid." Gohan sighed and picked up a shirt, handing it to Goten. "Go try that on, and show me how it looks."

"Gohan, he doesn't know any better. Let him have it for now, correct him later. And you're not a kid anymore, you're nineteen, remember?" Bulma smiled matter-of-factly, and held up a finger to shush him before he could protest. "And you did kill Cell."

"I guess so, but you can't announce those things, Bulma. People think that Hurcule killed Cell, and I had to lie on my birth certificate in order to get into school. Please don't say anything."

"I already knew, your mother told me. Satan City…Pah. That man is a con artist if you ask me." Bulma peeked up to notice Gohan was watching someone off in the distance. "Who's that?"

"Videl. I go to school with her. She's Hurcule's daughter – as far as I know – the only one he has. Bulma that girl scares me more than mom does." Gohan replied, turning to look at Goten when he came out of the dressing room. Goten stood tall, proud, showing off his newly acquired shirt. It was that instant that Gohan realized that Goten was exactly like his father.

Videl peered over a clothing rack to observe Gohan and the little boy. They looked identical, but there was no possible way that the woman was related. She leaned in to get a closer look, recognizing the woman instantly as Bulma, the woman who owned half of West City. Bulma was a newsmaker; it was hard not to see her in the tabloids. Always with some new invention or some scandalous romp with her husband – who has yet to be seen in public.

"What are you doing with them, Gohan?" She heard him say he was proud of Goten, and raised a brow. But when Bulma said just like daddy, she knew without reason of a doubt that Gohan was not who he said he was. He had a kid!

"But what is it's purpose?" echoed the TV. Gohan and Goten were watching a movie while Chichi made dinner. She was smiling when she asw them in the living room, with Goten laying against his brother's shoulder. It was an odd position, but no one else would know what they do. Gohan was proud of his brother, and treated him as his own son, but Chichi knew when the time came, that he'd relinquish his duties to Goku.

"The purpose of the convoy is to keep moving." Came the response of the rather snarky character in the movie, Rubber Duck. Gohan loved this movie, but Goten had lost interest and fell asleep. It didn't shock him in the slightest. Looking up shocked, Gohan blinked, finally realizing something.

"That voice I heard at the store…was…Videl?"

It doesn't sound as bad as it looks, basically, Gohan is perceived to have a son, mostly because no one has ever seen Goten's father. So Videl goes on this wild hunt to figure out who the mother is. And the movie in the last part is Convoy, a completely hilarious movie.