Hey there. Thanks for your patient wait. I swear the next (and last) chapter isn't far behind.
I have to say a special thanks to the most faithful and tireless reviewers such as Nancy 103, Charismatic Beauty (where that penname comes from, I always wondered...), LVR4Trunks-n-Vegeta as well as Margo Taux. For I know reviews are not only a support for the writer but also a call for new readers to give the story a chance and they were maybe the reasons why some of you came to read it (and ended up staying so far).
Yet, the first reason why this story is available in English is Kalebxdd who beta read the whole mess and gave some wise advise about the build-up.
Chapter 21
The small package was wrapped in black plastic and it had been hidden deep inside the vent so that it melted into shadows and anyone willing to reach it had to stretch out a whole arm into the conduit. It seemed that the guys who ransacked the apartment hadn't given a try.
Goten dusted the parcel with overdue care and rested it in his lap. He looked at the item with indecision. He'd wished he wouldn't find it but there it was, not very big and yet somehow bulky.
He unfolded a side of the wrapping with great care and cracked the package open. A glance inside was enough to make sure Tam hadn't lied. Printed bundles of papers were tightly piled together. Goten didn't bother figuring out how much it might be. He closed the package without a second thought and sealed it again.
He remained motionless for a moment, kneeling on the floor of the bathroom and staring blankly at the small black shape in his lap. "Bloody hell," he cursed in a whisper.
Now was the time to make his decision once and for all.
He hadn't said anything to Trunks about his little chat with Tam so far. Someone from the Capsule had called the heir just when Goten and him had left the hospital. They had claimed they were in deep need for their CEO for the day. Thus, Trunks had to rush to work and Goten had decided to come back alone to the apartment and check out what Tam had told him.
It didn't mean it was too late to confess the whole thing to Trunks though. Goten could put the package back in the vent and go home in wait for his friend to be back from work. Then, he could tell him everything about Tam's nasty schemes. Goten didn't like keeping secrets from Trunks in the first place. No matter what it was about, they would always team up and face troubles together, so it would make sense to let him know what was going on. On top of it, it would allow Trunks to contemplate Tam's ugly true self and Goten jubilated at the idea.
Yet as simple as the plan sounded, something kept nagging at his guts. He ran absently his fingertips on the black plastic while remembering their visit at the hospital in the early morning. What they saw and heard there had left Trunks shocked and torn. The cop's dark tale and the aunt's unexpected behavior had seriously shaken him. What would happen then if Trunks got involved in that "package" ordeal?
Goten sighed as he considered the options he had. On one hand, was the aunt, a berserk that could be found in a bar called "The train" near the former station. On the other hand, were the cops, a squad of "Wim", that would doubtlessly ask a lot of crude questions about Trunks's relationship with Tam. The more he thought about it, the less Goten liked the idea of Trunks dealing with either of them, should it be the cops or the aunt.
Although Goten hated to admit it, it sounded obvious that Trunks was still somehow bound to Tam. Even after the police had told them about his life as a little rat, Trunks's concern for his ex-lover hadn't weakened. As a matter of fact, the aunt's assault on Tam had pissed him off much more than the cop's speech. He was nervous and hopeless and he would be none of that if he hadn't cared for Tam.
Since the moment he'd found out Tam had some business with dangerous guys, Trunks had worried even more. He'd gone back to see him at the hospital on his way to the Capsule. Goten had told him Tam was awake and Trunks had felt the need to talk to him. Alone. He hadn't uttered things so clearly but Goten knew him well enough to fathom his state of mind. If anything happened to Tam, Trunks would be deeply affected and although Goten would love to get rid of Tam once and for all, his main point was to protect his lover before anything else. As frustrating as it was, he had to forget his overwhelming jealousy and hatred of Tam and focus on Trunks instead.
Goten shook his head to clear his doubts. It was better not to think further. He grabbed his backpack and thrust the package in it. He wasn't very comfortable at the prospect of walking the streets with such load and he was in a hurry to be done. By the evening, the whole matter should be settled and over.
He got up and left the room. The locksmith had already repaired the door and while Goten was handling the brand new lock, a shy voice echoed behind his back, freezing his blood at once. "Goten?"
He cringed but he didn't turn around. Did it have to be now? "What do you want?" He growled while ending locking the door.
"Talking would be a good start, don't you think?"
He pocketed his keys and whirled around at last. "I don't have time for that," he hissed as he faced his mother.
She was looking incredibly small, standing in front of him with her nervous hands fiddling with the cord of her purse. "You don't answer my calls," she stammered, "I- I talked to Trunks the other day and I thought-"
"Trunks?" he exclaimed in bewilderment.
"Yes, I've been in the Western Capital for two days and I met him at Angie's when I came there."
Goten scowled and his gaze turned harsh. "Stay away from Trunks. Just leave us alone," he mumbled with an irritated voice as he walked by her towards the stairs.
"Goten, don't go. Wait," she begged.
Her prayer sounded much more like an order to Goten and this detail kindled his impatience. "Look, Mom, we talked already. We said everything that needed to be said. I don't even understand why you came," he sighed angrily.
"I don't agree. Our talk isn't quite over in my mind," she replied. A hint of irritation was tainting her voice and mirroring his.
"Then, we'll have to do that another time," he cut off. "You can also write it down and I'll give it a look whenever I have time for that," he retorted as he rushed down the stairs.
"Goten!" she called him back as she leaned over the railing. She screamed his name several times and he knew she was infuriated by the way he was turning his back on her. He knew everything in him drove her mad but he was willing to ignore that fact.
He ran up to the park as he remembered he would find bus stations there. He just had to figure out which one he was supposed to take. He could have flown but the district he was aiming was so unfamiliar to him that he feared he wouldn't be able to locate the address properly. Beside, flying wasn't something discreet.
He hadn't taken the bus very often and he needed time before he was able to decipher each line's route and pinpoint the right bus. After that, he still had to wait among frozen people standing in the icy autumn wind.
He was feeling nervous the whole time while holding tight the strap of his backpack. He felt like everyone was staring at him and wondering what he was carrying around in there. He doubted for a moment whether he'd made the right decision but he kept going on nevertheless.
When he reached the former train station, he got lost in the streets all around. The area was filthy and grey and the cloudy sky casting a pale light on the settings didn't help make the atmosphere more cheerful.
He nearly missed the bar as it was standing at the entrance of a wide street. The glass front was adorned with a sign showing a steam train. He opened the door without a second thought and stepped in. The place was overheated and it felt somewhat suffocating. A fat woman was standing behind the varnished counter. She gave him an absent glance before focusing back on the small TV running the daily horse races.
Goten stood still at the entrance. The bar wasn't very large and there was hardly any client at this time. He spotted the aunt sitting at a table in the back of the room, next to the old heater. She was absorbed in reading a newspaper, an untouched glass resting on the table. She was definitely tiny and wrinkled while sitting on her seat with her glasses stuck on her nose. As a matter of fact, she looked completely harmless that way. He walked up to the table and waited for her to look up at him.
Although she obviously knew he was there, she took a moment before giving him any attention. When she ended up gazing up at him, she squinted and took off her glasses to give him a better look. He didn't wait for her to recognize him and sat opposite from her while dropping his backpack on the table.
"You're one of Tam's friends, aren't you?" she muttered, folding carefully her newspaper.
"Not exactly. If you asked me, I would rather have never met him," Goten replied with gritted teeth.
She gave him a disturbing grin. "Then, we have that in common, my boy. You were at the hospital yet. You were with the other one - the rich one."
"Trunks," Goten corrected coldly.
She raised an eyebrow. "Whatever his name is. All Tam has ever been good at since he was a kid was to get himself in deep shit and I have no doubt this guy is one more shit on the list," she sniggered.
Goten suppressed a sigh. He had no will to sip at a cup of tea while chatting about Tam. "Talking about Tam's shit, he sent me to you."
A gleam of vivid interest kindled in her eyes. "Huh-hoh. Does that mean his rich boyfriend intends to help us? You're a friend of that rich guy, aren't you?"
Goten gritted his teeth even more as the old woman was truly getting on his nerves. "Trunks is no longer Tam's boyfriend. He's mine now," he explained as calmly as possible.
He read some disappointment and a kind of contempt in her eyes. She kept quiet and watched him for a while. "Too bad. Tam wasn't even good enough to get some zenis from him. He always gets fucked either way. What are you doing here, then?"
"I got the money Tam stole right here in this bag. He asked me to give it to you. He said you could give it back to their owners and it would perhaps fix up the mess," Goten growled.
She frowned in disbelief and slowly pulled the backpack to her. She opened the zip and slipped her hand into the bag. She kept her eyes locked on Goten the whole time she rummaged the content. Then, she glanced at what she had grabbed and excitement flared up in her black orbs. She closed the bag hastily and rested it at her feet on the floor.
Goten had watched the scene carefully. He couldn't prevent himself from doubting that they could trust such a witch, but he was well aware that he hadn't much of a choice now. Her dry lips stretched in a disturbing smirk and she took a sip from her glass. "I'll see what I can do," she claimed.
Goten bit his lips in concern. "Is that all?"
"That's all," she confirmed.
He stood up hesitantly but sat back on the go. "And what about Tam? Will they leave him alone?" he insisted.
"Who cares? He screwed up pretty much, you know, and the guys he scammed don't have a great sense of humor," she replied with a shrug. She pulled out a cigarillo from her pocket and lit it with nonchalance.
Goten knew he should leave but something was holding him back. "You don't give a damn, do you? He's your nephew but you don't give a damn about him, right?" he muttered.
Her smirk widened as she puffed her first drag. "I can't really afford to do otherwise. Besides, he isn't exactly my nephew. I was bound to raising him, that's it. Anyway, this kid was a disappointment most of the time. Even turning into a little faggot, he was always gifted when it was 'bout pissing me off."
Goten gave her a disgusted gaze. "You're a monster," he stated.
In reply, she glared at him. "Am I the monster here? And what about you? I'd be curious to know how your mother feels about your boyfriend."
The question took him aback like a direct punch in the stomach. The old bitch didn't know how spot-on she was and it made Goten even more infuriated at her speech. He couldn't help but remember his mother's calls throughout the stairwell. He was instantly overwhelmed by a flaring anger mixed up with an intense grief and he felt a growing urge to scream and slap her face. The only way he found to fight his instinct was to get up and flounce off the bar.
He walked up the street blindly while ignoring the wind nagging at him. His blood was pounding up to his temples as he was blaming himself. What a fool. Why did he feel the need to only talk to her in the first place? She was obviously a bitch. He should have left after giving the bag. Did he only make the right choice by coming here? He didn't know. He was lost. Once again, he had the feeling he could hear his mother's angry voice calling him in the stairwell. Her voice had sounded both furious and desperate and he craved to forget about it. As soon as he found a safe area, he flew off and headed to the house of the channel.
By the time he reached the place, the autumn's night was almost done chasing the daylight. The light in the house were on, meaning Trunks was already home. As a matter of fact, Goten found him sitting on the floor of the living room, the place being deprived of furniture.
The heir was leaning against the wall and contemplating the channel through the bay window. Goten walked up to him hesitantly. He felt somewhat guilty for giving the money back without even telling his friend.
Trunks stared at him. He looked tired. Goten stood still for a moment while returning his lover's silent gaze but he ended up sitting next to him.
They watched the channel side by side for a long time without a word. There was no light on in the living room and the shadows overwhelmed the whole bare room little by little as the night was getting darker. Goten felt the slight touch of Trunks's shoulder against his and he thought back about the hurtful words the old woman had used to speak about her nephew. At least, Goten had still Trunks.
Trunks broke the silence. "How was your day?" he asked.
Goten tensed slightly as he was wondering if his friend knew what he'd done. Everything was to be expected with him. "I stumbled across my mother," he replied without giving much thought to it.
Trunks's arm wrapped around his shoulder while his hand gave his black locks a soft pat. "What happened?"
Goten shrugged. "I ran away."
Trunks grabbed his head and pulled it closer as to kiss his temple.
"She told me that you met two days ago at Angie's," Goten added all by looking up at him.
"True. Are you interested in knowing what we said to each other?"
"No."
Trunks gave a second kiss on his forehead and pressed the younger man's head in the crook of his shoulder. "Chibi, don't let me down," he whispered.
Goten closed his eyes. "I won't as long as you won't. Tell me about your day, then."
"Endless meetings to hold. Capital decision to make. Pressing issues to solve. They all want me back, starting with my mother, but –"
Goten raised his head and faced Trunks while the heir was hesitant to finish his sentence. "But what?"
"I dunno. It's nothing like it was before. I used to be passionate. Anything going on at the Capsule used to matter to me, but I can't take it any longer. I sort of ran away from work tonight, I urged to leave."
Goten frowned. "Is it because of Tam?"
Trunks had a little smile and patted Goten's cheek. "No. I've felt that way ever since we came back from Eloma. I feel like some things don't make any sense while others appear to be from the utmost importance to me."
"Are you somehow breaking down? Are you depressed?" Goten asked with concern.
"No!" Trunks exclaimed, "I've never been happier in my life."
Goten smiled and kissed him. He settled himself on his laps as to face him and hugged him. Trunks let him have his way and gave back the kiss while wrapping his arms around his shoulders. "I'll hire someone to assist me. I'll work less and I'll spend more time with you. I don't want to make the same mistakes again," he whispered, "I don't want you to learn again to live without me."
"I never knew how to live without you."
ooo0ooooo0ooo