Authors Note: As I mentioned in my profile and the final chapter of Capsuleflix and Chill, the last few months I was finishing up schooling and my career transition. Everything has come to a halt because of the Coronavirus pandemic, so I've decided to finish some of my older fics and write some one-shots. I'm hoping they'll bring someone entertainment, even if it's just me.

I read What Friends Are For by ohdon'tdoit on a while ago and really liked the idea of a couple going through a rough patch, sleeping in seperate bedrooms and not having sex with one another. In this fic, Goten and Paresu are going through that rough patch and Goten is willing to give them one final shot. Unlike What Friends Are For, no threesome affair happened, just a conversation between the three friends.

This is a lemon, so if you are turned off by sex skip this fic.

Part One

Downstairs in the courtyard, guests were eagerly celebrating the latest of Goku's victories and world peace restored. Some groups had gone off on their own to play games or talk, couples had disappeared to steal a romantic moment, and three old friends stood over a balcony and enjoying the taste of the bud Marron had snuck in. Thin Mints, she had said, You have to try it. Goten thought the name suited the smooth, pleasant tasting joint. He exhaled slowly and passed it to Marron, who waved him off and took a sip from her beer. From the balcony he could see Paresu with a group of friends, sipping from a glass of wine and laughing.

She hadn't been like that with him for a long time.

Goten sighed and handed the joint to an eager Trunks, who took a deep drag. "You should get going man," Trunks said as he exhaled, "You know, before she leaves without you. Again." The music downstairs had died down and the trio could hear guests beginning to say goodbye.

Goten ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. He sipped his own beer, considering as it swirled it in his mouth. He whispered, "Yeah, you're right." He turned away from the balcony, instead looking towards the hallway.

"Hey, don't be scared," Marron rubbed Goten's back, "Just remember what we talked about and you'll be fine."

Trunks took another drag of the joint and snuffed it out, "And if it doesn't work out, there are other fish in the sea."

"Trunks!" Marron hissed, slapping his arm with her free hand. He didn't seem to notice, or care. Marron sighed and nudged Goten towards the staircase, "Don't listen to him, Goten. You got this."

Goten quickly found his way outside and looked around for Paresu, who was nowhere to be found. She had been sitting under the gazebo with her friends just moments ago. He walked over to where she had been sitting and was relieved to see her bag under the chair, meaning she hadn't left yet. Goten finished the last of his beer and mindlessly turned the bottle over in his hands while he waited for her. Within a few minutes he heard the click of her heels as she took a seat beside him.

"I thought you had gone home," Paresu said. She leaned forward to grab her purse and wrinkled her nose at him, "Really?"

"Sorry, I know you hate that stuff," he sighed and rubbed his temples. She mumbled whatever under her breath. The two sat in silence for a few moments, not looking at each other before Goten broke the silence, "You look beautiful."

Paresu sighed and pulled the car keys out of her purse, "Let's go, I'll drive."

"Res, wait," Goten started but she was already walking towards where they had parked earlier that evening. He looked up at the sky sighing, This is going to be harder than I thought.

Goten turned the key into their apartment, opening the door and flicking on the overhead light to brighten their shared space. The two-bedroom apartment was originally meant to be their first space together, big enough for themselves and the occasional visiting guests. But over the last few months, Goten would wake up and find that Paresu would be in the guest room or gone, either to a workout class or a photoshoot. That's when they even went to bed together.

As he shut the door behind them, Goten watched from the doorway as she put her purse on the kitchen counter and grabbed a clean glass, pouring herself some water from a clear pitcher. He noted the time on the hallway clock, half past midnight and took a few steps towards her, "You okay?" Paresu took her glass with her and walked towards their bedroom, ignoring him. He followed her in and watched as she sat down on the edge of the bed to remove her heeled sandals. Goten sat next to her and placed a hand on her shoulder, "C'mon, babe. Talk to me."

She shrugged off his hand, "It's been a long night, let's just go to sleep," Goten sat in silence as she finished removing her shoes and went into the large closet to grab her pajamas. He removed his own shoes and socks before moving to the closet to talk to her. Paresu was grabbing a clean t-shirt from and a pair of panties from the drawer, her usual sleep attire. Goten crossed his arms, waiting for her to acknowledge him. She finally sighed, "I'm not happy, Goten."

"Okay," Goten exhaled. He knew what she meant, what she wasn't saying out loud. I'm not happy with us, Goten. He had suspected as much based on her recent behavior. She stared forward, her face stone unmoving. Goten tipped her chin to look him in the eyes, "I'm not ready to give up on us, Res."

"Us? We haven't been us in a long time, Goten," she admitted truthfully. She sighed and removed his hand from her chin, "I don't know if we can fix us." She choked out a sob towards the end of her sentence and leaned against the closet shelves for support. Goten sighed and pulled her in close, pressing her face against his chest as she began to sob. He kissed the top of her forehead and softly brushed his fingers through her chestnut hair and whispered sweet nothings to soothe her. Goten waited a few minutes for her sobs to subside before pulling away, brushing away some of the tears from her eyes.

"We are worth fixing," he whispered and led her towards the edge of the bed to sit. Goten wrapped his arms around her waist and she leaned her head against his shoulder. The two stayed in silence for a few moments before Goten continued, "I love you, Paresu. I love you so much, and I don't remember the last time we said that to each other."

"Oh Goten," Paresu whispered and caressed his face, her thumbs lingering on his cheek. Goten swallowed, nervously waiting for her to say the words back to him, to say she loved him. She sighed, "I'm so sorry, but I can't say it."

"That's okay," Goten cleared his throat, swallowing back tears. He leaned his cheek against her forehead and squeezed her tighter, not wanting to let her go. Paresu leaned into him and Goten could feel hot tears, hers, run across his face. "Res, we've been together for two years. Two years of birthdays, family, fights… two years of memories. We can fix us."

Paresu pulled away to look up at him, "Sure, but where do we even start?"

"We could have sex," Goten wiggled his eyebrows at her.

Paresu snorted and ran a hand through her hair, "Goten, that's part of our problem. We don't have sex. I don't want to hurt your feelings, but…"

"You don't enjoy having sex with me," Goten finished for her. Paresu opened her mouth and Goten smirked at her, "I haven't been the most giving partner to you." He moved his hands from her waist to her thighs, pushing the edge of her dress up slightly to reveal more of her smooth skin. He leaned in towards her neck and began placing soft kisses there, "Let me show you how much I love you."

"Goten, it's late," Paresu sighed, tilting her head back as he continued his delicious assault on her neck, "And we should really talk more…" She let out a soft moan as he nipped at her neck and squeezed her thigh, his thumbs massaging her smooth skin. Goten grabbed her legs and forcefully pulled them over him so she was straddling his waist, his lips moving from her neck down her chest and to the swell of her breasts to leave soft kisses. She sighed his name, running her hands through his hair to push his head deeper. Goten licked at the top of her cleavage, burying his face between the two warm orbs. His hands had wandered to the edge of the dress and began pulling it up to reveal her lace lingerie. With one hand holding her dress to her hips his other ran over her smooth bottom, filling his hand with the firm soft skin. Paresu tipped Goten's face up to hers and kissed him deeply, sucking on his bottom lip and moaning against him. As she pulled away, she took Goten's hands into hers and pulled them into a standing position, "Undress me."

Goten kissed her deeply, holding Paresu's hand in one of his own and the other searching for the zipper in the back of her dress. Pulling it down, he reveled in the sight of her creamy skin and the dark lingerie that contrasted against it. The dress pooled at her feet, leaving her in the lace demi bra and thong. He groaned against her lips as her hand massaged the straining arousal in his pants, her other hand loosening his belt and tugging at his pants. Goten broke the kiss to throw his shirt off, tossing it across the room before recapturing her lips. Paresu had made quick work of his belt and unzipping his pants, pushing them off with his boxers in one quick movement.

Goten stepped out of his pants and lifted Paresu into his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist. He cupped her bottom and slowly walked to the edge of the bed, where he lowered her gently and loomed over her, "You're so beautiful." He ran the back of his hand against her cheek and down her body, "And this is so sexy. Too bad it has to go." He grabbed the center of her bra with both hands and pulled, smiling as it ribbed open. Paresu gasped as he moved his hands lower to her thong and reached his fingers under the fabric at her hips, ripping it from her body.

"Goten," she gasped as she stared at the torn garments he held up triumphantly, "That was my favorite set."

"I'll take you shopping tomorrow," Goten tossed the remains of her underwear to the floor, "You can play dress up for me." He sat up and put his hands on her knees, forcefully spreading her legs open "But I want to play with you right now."

Author's Note: This will probably be a two-part fic, with the second part coming out in the next few days. After this fic is completed I'll get back to writing Her and some other non lemon fics or one-shots.