Vegeta hadn't noticed how young his son really was. He knew he was a child, but the boy always acted so serious and grown-up around him. Now, when he thought his father wasn't paying any attention, Trunks was acting like the nine-year-old he was. 'Do I make him feel like it's wrong for him to be a child?' Vegeta wondered to himself. 'Does he think I won't respect him if he acts his age?' That couldn't have been it. Trunks ran around the gravitation room like a child, laughing and flipping about. Usually Vegeta told him not too, however.
* * * * *
Goten ran for his life, one step away from Trunks at all times. They leapt around the corners in the hall and suddenly WHAM! Goten ran into Bulma's favorite lamp, knocking it to the floor and breaking the vase-like base.
"Uh-oh," both boys looked down at the pieces.
"Now you did it," Trunks looked at Goten. He wasn't mad anymore, but he wasn't taking the wrap for it.
"Me?! YOU'RE the reason I was running in the first place!" Goten argued.
"We have to glue this back together before mom sees it," Trunks eyes were wider than usual again. "She'll kill us if she finds out."
"Where's the glue?" Goten asked.
"Quick, hide the lamp behind the couch and we'll find it." The children pushed the pieces behind and under the sofa, then went down to Bulma's lab. "I'm pretty sure there's some glue in here somewhere...," Trunks climbed on top of the desk, knocking a few papers to the ground and stood on the tips of his toes to reach one of the cubboards.
"Just fly," Goten suggested.
"Good idea," Trunks floated off the ground and looked in the place he was
reaching. "Yep, there it is," he grabbed it and they ran back upstairs. "You hold, I'll glue."
"Are you sure she won't notice?" Goten was feeling insecure. "Maybe we should just tell her..."
"She'll never know the difference," Trunks assured him. "Trust me. It's much better if she never finds out. Nobody gets hurt that way."
"Ok...," Goten still wasn't sure.
"There, done. Put it back on the table and let's get out of here."
"...Uh....Trunks...uh...," Goten tried to set the lamp down.
"What's wrong?"
"It's stuck...," Goten tried to pull the lamp off his finger.
"...Oops."
"Oops? What do you mean oops?"
"I must have glued your finger to it..."
"Now what do we do?" Goten began to panic.
"Just calm down!" Trunks stood, thinking for a moment. "...uh....well...uh...we'll go run some water over it. That'll loosten it up." He lead his friend to the kitchen. "Put your finger under the water."
"But the lamp is still attached..."
"I know that, stupid! Put it under too."
"...I don't think this is working," Goten let the water run over his finger and the lamp.
"Just give it some time," Trunks assured.
"Trunks and Goten! What do you two think you're doing?!" Bulma yelled from behind them.
Both boys jumped.
"Uh-oh!" Trunks exclaimed. "Hi mom....we were just...having an experiment..."
"Don't you go lying to me, young man! What is going on here?!"
"Well, you see...we accidentally broke your lamp and we were trying to glue it back together, but Trunks accidentally glued my finger to it," Goten sheepishly explained.
Bulma's eyes were flashing and sweatdrops were forming on the children's heads. "Trunks! That was my favorite lamp! What were you two doing?! You are grounded for the next week! No friends, no nothing! Now go sit on that couch until I tell you otherwise!"
"Yes mam," Trunks dragged himself into the living room next to the kitchen and plopped down on the couch.
"And Goten, you should know better! Come with me," she lead the eight-year old down to her lab where she could get the anti-stick solution to detach the lamp from his hand.
Trunks sat on the couch, scowling and muttering to himself with his arms crossed. He slouched so much his feet were scuffing the floor. Grounded for an entire week without any friends just because GOTEN broke the stupid lamp. It was ugly anyway. Him and his Dad both hated it.
"Now I want you to sit on this couch for half an hour," Bulma lead Goten back to the living room.
"Yes, Bulma. I'm sorry," Goten sulked, sitting down on the opposite end of the couch.
"I don't want either of you touching that floor, do you understand?"
"Yes," both boys replied.
Trunks continued to glare. "This stinks!"
"Trunks, this is boring," Goten commented after a few minutes. "When will it be
half an hour?"
"YOU broke the lamp, Goten. Now I'M grounded for it."
"Sorry," Goten slouched, making sure his feet wouldn't touch the floor.
The kids were quiet for about five minutes. After that Trunks had finished being mad and now they were both complete and utterly bored.
"Now has it been half an hour?" Goten looked at Trunks.
Trunks looked around for a clock, but there wasn't one. "I don't know. I think eternity has come and gone."
"I'm so bored," Goten whined.
"That's what punishment is supposed to be like, dummy."
Goten sighed.
"Goten!" Trunks sat up, a gleam in his eyes. "Mom said we couldn't touch the floor, right?"
"Yeah..."
"Then that must mean we can only touch the chair and the couches!"
Goten didn't quite understand.
"The floor is hot lava, Goten!"
"Oh!" Goten exclaimed. "I get it!"
Trunks stood up and jumped from the couch to the neighboring chair. "We can't fly, I don't think mom would like that, but we can jump over the lava..."
"I'm gonna catch you!" Goten stood up and jumped to the chair Trunks was on. But Trunks was too fast and he jumped to the other couch, then back to the big one. Both of them started laughing as they jumped from couch to chair to couch to couch and back to chair. Now they were having fun again.
"Trunks!" Bulma's voice boomed.
Both boys stopped dead in their tracks and looked at Bulma with confused wide eyes.
"What do you think you are doing young man?!"
"You said we couldn't touch the floor mom... we weren't..."
"YOU CAN'T JUMP ON THE COUCHES EITHER!" she screamed. "Trunks, go to your room, now! Goten, sit your little toosh on that couch and DON'T MOVE!" Bulma stormed down the hall. "VEGETA!"
"No mom, don't tell dad! We'll be good, I promise!" Trunks paniced.
"I'm not calling your Dad to punish you, Trunks, now get to your room before I DO!"
Trunks scurried down the hall, letting out a sigh of relief. His mom was bad enough mad, but his Dad could dish out punishment like nobody would believe.
* * * * *
Oh no, she was coming back. Now what did she want? Vegeta could hear her voice booming. He'd heard her yelling at the kids about something too. Heaven only knew what they'd done.
"VEGETA!" Bulma's voice was right outside the door now and heading past it.
Vegeta stood and walked into the hall. "I'm right here, woman! For heaven's sake what do you want?!"
"I'm leaving. I need to spend some time away from here with friends. YOU watch those boys."
"What? What are you talking about woman!"
"WHAT DOES IT SOUND LIKE I'M TALKING ABOUT?!"
Vegeta cringed. "I'm standing right next to you, not on the next planet over! Stop screaming!"
Bulma spoke slowly. "I'm leaving you alone with the boys and I expect you to keep an eye on them. I am going to spend the night with my friends. I need a break. I expect you to get them some dinner and keep them from destroying this house any further. They already broke my favorite lamp and I already caught them jumping on the
couches. It's about time YOU dealt with them." She stormed up to their room.
"But..." Vegeta argued.
"No buts! I'm leaving right now. They're yours for the rest of the night!"
Vegeta scowled and stormed into the living room. He glanced around, seeing only Goten. "Where's Trunks?" he snapped.
Goten hesitated, frightened by his intense voice. "Bulma sent him to his room."
"You get up there too and neither of you come down until I say so, got it?!"
"Yes sir!" Goten scurried away in a flash.
Vegeta growled. Listening and observing were one thing, but he sure had no intentions of actually being RESPONSIBLE for Trunks. Now he would have to be. One thing was sure. There would be far less yelling in the house with that woman gone. He sighed, sinking into the couch to rest for a few seconds. Then he stood and decided to lay down in the room next to Trunks and listen again.
* * * * *
Goten ran for his life, one step away from Trunks at all times. They leapt around the corners in the hall and suddenly WHAM! Goten ran into Bulma's favorite lamp, knocking it to the floor and breaking the vase-like base.
"Uh-oh," both boys looked down at the pieces.
"Now you did it," Trunks looked at Goten. He wasn't mad anymore, but he wasn't taking the wrap for it.
"Me?! YOU'RE the reason I was running in the first place!" Goten argued.
"We have to glue this back together before mom sees it," Trunks eyes were wider than usual again. "She'll kill us if she finds out."
"Where's the glue?" Goten asked.
"Quick, hide the lamp behind the couch and we'll find it." The children pushed the pieces behind and under the sofa, then went down to Bulma's lab. "I'm pretty sure there's some glue in here somewhere...," Trunks climbed on top of the desk, knocking a few papers to the ground and stood on the tips of his toes to reach one of the cubboards.
"Just fly," Goten suggested.
"Good idea," Trunks floated off the ground and looked in the place he was
reaching. "Yep, there it is," he grabbed it and they ran back upstairs. "You hold, I'll glue."
"Are you sure she won't notice?" Goten was feeling insecure. "Maybe we should just tell her..."
"She'll never know the difference," Trunks assured him. "Trust me. It's much better if she never finds out. Nobody gets hurt that way."
"Ok...," Goten still wasn't sure.
"There, done. Put it back on the table and let's get out of here."
"...Uh....Trunks...uh...," Goten tried to set the lamp down.
"What's wrong?"
"It's stuck...," Goten tried to pull the lamp off his finger.
"...Oops."
"Oops? What do you mean oops?"
"I must have glued your finger to it..."
"Now what do we do?" Goten began to panic.
"Just calm down!" Trunks stood, thinking for a moment. "...uh....well...uh...we'll go run some water over it. That'll loosten it up." He lead his friend to the kitchen. "Put your finger under the water."
"But the lamp is still attached..."
"I know that, stupid! Put it under too."
"...I don't think this is working," Goten let the water run over his finger and the lamp.
"Just give it some time," Trunks assured.
"Trunks and Goten! What do you two think you're doing?!" Bulma yelled from behind them.
Both boys jumped.
"Uh-oh!" Trunks exclaimed. "Hi mom....we were just...having an experiment..."
"Don't you go lying to me, young man! What is going on here?!"
"Well, you see...we accidentally broke your lamp and we were trying to glue it back together, but Trunks accidentally glued my finger to it," Goten sheepishly explained.
Bulma's eyes were flashing and sweatdrops were forming on the children's heads. "Trunks! That was my favorite lamp! What were you two doing?! You are grounded for the next week! No friends, no nothing! Now go sit on that couch until I tell you otherwise!"
"Yes mam," Trunks dragged himself into the living room next to the kitchen and plopped down on the couch.
"And Goten, you should know better! Come with me," she lead the eight-year old down to her lab where she could get the anti-stick solution to detach the lamp from his hand.
Trunks sat on the couch, scowling and muttering to himself with his arms crossed. He slouched so much his feet were scuffing the floor. Grounded for an entire week without any friends just because GOTEN broke the stupid lamp. It was ugly anyway. Him and his Dad both hated it.
"Now I want you to sit on this couch for half an hour," Bulma lead Goten back to the living room.
"Yes, Bulma. I'm sorry," Goten sulked, sitting down on the opposite end of the couch.
"I don't want either of you touching that floor, do you understand?"
"Yes," both boys replied.
Trunks continued to glare. "This stinks!"
"Trunks, this is boring," Goten commented after a few minutes. "When will it be
half an hour?"
"YOU broke the lamp, Goten. Now I'M grounded for it."
"Sorry," Goten slouched, making sure his feet wouldn't touch the floor.
The kids were quiet for about five minutes. After that Trunks had finished being mad and now they were both complete and utterly bored.
"Now has it been half an hour?" Goten looked at Trunks.
Trunks looked around for a clock, but there wasn't one. "I don't know. I think eternity has come and gone."
"I'm so bored," Goten whined.
"That's what punishment is supposed to be like, dummy."
Goten sighed.
"Goten!" Trunks sat up, a gleam in his eyes. "Mom said we couldn't touch the floor, right?"
"Yeah..."
"Then that must mean we can only touch the chair and the couches!"
Goten didn't quite understand.
"The floor is hot lava, Goten!"
"Oh!" Goten exclaimed. "I get it!"
Trunks stood up and jumped from the couch to the neighboring chair. "We can't fly, I don't think mom would like that, but we can jump over the lava..."
"I'm gonna catch you!" Goten stood up and jumped to the chair Trunks was on. But Trunks was too fast and he jumped to the other couch, then back to the big one. Both of them started laughing as they jumped from couch to chair to couch to couch and back to chair. Now they were having fun again.
"Trunks!" Bulma's voice boomed.
Both boys stopped dead in their tracks and looked at Bulma with confused wide eyes.
"What do you think you are doing young man?!"
"You said we couldn't touch the floor mom... we weren't..."
"YOU CAN'T JUMP ON THE COUCHES EITHER!" she screamed. "Trunks, go to your room, now! Goten, sit your little toosh on that couch and DON'T MOVE!" Bulma stormed down the hall. "VEGETA!"
"No mom, don't tell dad! We'll be good, I promise!" Trunks paniced.
"I'm not calling your Dad to punish you, Trunks, now get to your room before I DO!"
Trunks scurried down the hall, letting out a sigh of relief. His mom was bad enough mad, but his Dad could dish out punishment like nobody would believe.
* * * * *
Oh no, she was coming back. Now what did she want? Vegeta could hear her voice booming. He'd heard her yelling at the kids about something too. Heaven only knew what they'd done.
"VEGETA!" Bulma's voice was right outside the door now and heading past it.
Vegeta stood and walked into the hall. "I'm right here, woman! For heaven's sake what do you want?!"
"I'm leaving. I need to spend some time away from here with friends. YOU watch those boys."
"What? What are you talking about woman!"
"WHAT DOES IT SOUND LIKE I'M TALKING ABOUT?!"
Vegeta cringed. "I'm standing right next to you, not on the next planet over! Stop screaming!"
Bulma spoke slowly. "I'm leaving you alone with the boys and I expect you to keep an eye on them. I am going to spend the night with my friends. I need a break. I expect you to get them some dinner and keep them from destroying this house any further. They already broke my favorite lamp and I already caught them jumping on the
couches. It's about time YOU dealt with them." She stormed up to their room.
"But..." Vegeta argued.
"No buts! I'm leaving right now. They're yours for the rest of the night!"
Vegeta scowled and stormed into the living room. He glanced around, seeing only Goten. "Where's Trunks?" he snapped.
Goten hesitated, frightened by his intense voice. "Bulma sent him to his room."
"You get up there too and neither of you come down until I say so, got it?!"
"Yes sir!" Goten scurried away in a flash.
Vegeta growled. Listening and observing were one thing, but he sure had no intentions of actually being RESPONSIBLE for Trunks. Now he would have to be. One thing was sure. There would be far less yelling in the house with that woman gone. He sighed, sinking into the couch to rest for a few seconds. Then he stood and decided to lay down in the room next to Trunks and listen again.