*Author's Note*
Well here goes the next addition to this story, though I'd like to add that I noticed another error of repetition and some improper indentations (Or lack thereof) in chapter one that I'm too lazy to fix and reload, so forgive me. I think I'll take my time here to say that if you're wondering why this story is rater R, it's because I won't hold back at all when I write it; some chapters may be incredibly PG or barely even reach PG-13. On the flip side those of you who don't enjoy more graphic or even (Possibly, should I take this that far when I get to it) sexual scenes I'm warning you now, though I really don't see why you would be *that* offended by any of the sorts and I know I can't go too past R. (Damnit all for removing the NC-17, damnit all!) Well there goes that and here goes chapter 2!
Trunks reached a hand around the corner of the locker room and flicked on the lights, showering the benches and lockers with light. Stepping over into one column and opening a locker there, Trunks gestured to an open and empty one three down the way as he slipped his tie off of his head and threw it in.
"As you can see these facilities aren't used as often as we would hope, though they are pretty much the best part of the entire complex thanks to dad." Trunks absent-mindedly stated as he pulled off the business suit and T-shirt, exposing his wiry yet well-toned chest and abdomen, which Goten stared at as he pulled off the leather jacket he wore.
"No wonder I can't sense him; did your mom finally perfect the power level masker or did your dad learn how to mask his power that well?" Goten grinned, throwing his duffel into the locker and loosening his orange training gi.
Trunks laughed as he slipped off his dress shoes and socks, finishing by removing his pants though he turned around after noticing through the corner of his eye that his old friend was practically gawking at him. Funny how they had even literally shared a body long ago yet he now felt so uncomfortable around the Son son. Then again considering…
He shrugged it off and slipped his blue training gi pants on, and then the short sleeve matching shirt, finally turning around as he slipped on the loose battle shoes. The pair regarded one another, Goten wearing an all too familiar lopsided grin and Trunks a more uncomfortable yet happy one.
"So are you ready to lose horribly or not yet?" Goten stuck out his tongue and flexed, making Trunks roll his eyes yet again.
"How about we go say hi to my dad first." The young Briefs shook his head, leading the way to a hallway adjacent to the locker room where several large doors lead off. "By the way, how come you've decided to get so big and buff over the past 2 years?"
As Trunks picked out a door ahead and entered a key-code on the pad near it, Goten thought a bit and then folded his arms as he answered. "Remember my older brother was my mentor and he ascended to 'Mystic'?"
"Yay…" Trunks responded as the door made a clicking noise.
"Well he taught me shortly before I left something our dad had said once before that inspired Gohan to reach Mystic rather than Super 3. Transforming takes so much energy and effort wasted that one might as well be in as strong a basic sense as they can, right?"
"Yea, just like when your dad and brother stayed in Super Saiyan before the Cell Tournament to retain their strength and keep it growing, I dig."
"Well
that's what I've really been working on the past two years, retaining as much
strength without powering up as I can, and I must say it's working quite well."
Trunks laughed as the door
clicked open, letting loose several loud banging noises and a waving sense of
power levels that nearly knocked the unexpecting pair off their feet. "We'll
see when I show you what I've been up to these past two years."
Goten's eyes and face contorted into one of amazement and awe as before them in the massive dome-shaped room of off-white Trunks' father leapt to and fro in a frenzied blue, golden waves of energy rippling and cackling to and fro with every stop and move he made. The center of the room held a thin silver pole with a computer terminal jutting from it, from which bleeped the gravity count.
"Holy shit, 2,000 gees?" Goten blinked, as he looked at his friend, whom grinned with some family pride as he nodded, both outside the open doorway where the gravity didn't yet affect them.
"Yep, and he's just warming up. Why don't you head in and join him."
With that Trunks gave his friend a playful shove into the room, whose effects immediately took hold as Goten nearly fell to the floor from the awesome gravitational pull, his muscles bulging slightly as he stood up.
The air in the room was nearly a red tint from the frictional heat and gravity, sweat breaking out from the Son's face as he turned around to glare playfully though slightly peeved at his friend.
"Now your turn." Goten stuck out his tongue, to which Trunks replied with a shrug and stepped in, secretly using nearly all his willpower not to buckle under the intense strain.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't the prodigal Son, so to speak." Came a familiar hoarse voice from next to Goten's ear, making him spin about and nearly ram into the Prince of Saiyans standing beside him. While it was apparent that Goten towered over the shorter Super Saiyan and wasn't even powered up yet, it was also apparent that the far-elder and his smug smirk was far beyond him at this stage, his small yet powerful frame glowing with radiant power.
"Hi dad, we thought we could join you in a little spar or so." Trunks grinned, making his father nod his head and chuckle, sizing the other young man up with his eyes.
Vegeta folded his arms and Goten noted it looked as if the man hadn't aged a year, still wearing the same black and blue training gi clothing he had worn years ago during the Buu battles. If anything had changed about the Saiyan, he mentally noted, it was that he looked… softer almost with his years, as if perhaps he had finally turned into more of the family man he had seemingly sworn to never become. Though that was yet to be revealed, Goten chided himself with a grin.
"Well I suppose we might as well have a little fun then, hmm? Why don't we all start by powering up to our maxes, not withholding anything of course." Vegeta looked up at Goten and his son, both of whom were taller than he.
Goten looked at Trunks and grinned sheepishly, the other doing likewise almost as if the two were afraid to reveal their true strengths to one another after 2 years.
It was Trunks who broke the sudden silence. "It's time you show me what it is you gained over the last years though isn't it?" the young saiyan grinned, folding his arms in classic Vegeta style and backing up, his father following suit as they gave him plenty of space, the 2,000 gravity forces about them shimmering visibly.
Goten took a deep and staggered breath through the thick air and spread his legs, unbunching his taught muscles stretching, knees bent, arms hanging in classic battle stance. His energy began to surface from deep within, as he pulled out his inner energies. Goten began to clench his teeth as his hair spiraled up upon his head, muscles bulging out, though not much of a change really was visibly evident.
Trunks and Vegeta kept silent and watching faces as they watched the young man begin to crunch over, his muscles straining, the ki and chi radiating off of his body and sending ripples through the air.
Growing curious as he felt the growing power level from his friend, Trunks pulled out a small device from his pocket and placed it in his ear, clicking it once and narrowing his eyes. While he did have a good sense at when someone was far stronger or weaker, or very close or not in terms of power levels, he didn't have the same strong reading that his father had from years of experience in battle and training. In fact, it was rumored that Vegeta could even guess to the nearest thousand power levels someone's strength…
As a clear ki flame began to flicker and twirl about Goten, slowly gaining a golden tint, Trunks clicked the small thing in his ear and listened to it.
"Registering… power reading 190g and rising rapidly… 198g…"
(*Author's note: rather than write out 190 million, I'll use g as an abbreviation for million and k for thousand when it comes to halves and such… thanks! *)
Trunks nodded his head while keeping his face neutral; not much there, though impressive for not turning Super Saiyan yet. In fact the highest Trunks had ever reached without changing state was 140…
The young man was snapped out of his thoughts as the device in his head suddenly bleeped and he felt a sudden splurge of force from his friend, whom had suddenly exploded, and he meant exploded, into Super Saiyan. Goten's long Goku-style hair rippled up and changed bright blond, his aura flashing gold, his muscles growing even larger than they already were.
"302g… 303g…" the device stated coolly as Goten began to breath quickly, the ground under him quivering slightly.
Trunks had to admit he was impressed… Goten looked to be somewhere between Super 1 and 2, and was at this power level already. Thankfully his training as a businessman held his face neutral, though his eyes would give it away to a shrewder person. Vegeta merely smirked and kept his look, his golden hair spiked up but no aura upon his strong yet calm body.
"All the way huh?" Goten asked, winking like his father as he stretched out his arms as if grabbing something. "Then you'd best hold onto something…"
With those final words he literally screamed, a horrible yell of manhood and power, his muscles flaring out as he brought his arms in and clenched everything up, back snapping and arching. Lightning danced across his body, his aura snapping out to crack at Trunks' and Vegeta's faces, literally knocking them back several feet until they were able to gain ki ground, leaning forward slightly.
'Shit, he wasn't kidding…' Trunks blinked, eyes wide with near disbelief.
"488g… 494g… 501g…"
"Rrrraaaarggghhhhh!!!" Goten's scream blended into the howl of the wind screeching from his growing strength, his green eyes wide awakened with the lightning which transfigured about him.
Trunks had to build up his own power level to keep himself from being blown backwards, though his father was curiously motionless, arms still folded over his chest. Trunks on the other hand needed to lean forward and place his arms out before him.
As the ground began to quiver it was obvious Goten was finally evening out, calming himself as his powerful ki flared about him. Grinning broadly and folding his arms confidently over his chest, Goten took a more natural standing pose, the ki pulling in and becoming more of a hug than a flame about him.
"532g established power level." The device in Trunks' ear quipped, as Vegeta stared almost thoughtfully at the young man, his son blinking in withheld astonishment.
"Now you son…" Vegeta stated after sometime, looking at his son as the corner of his mouth turned up slightly. While the Prince knew his son didn't train nearly as much as he would like him to, (Vegeta did nearly nothing but train… that and sleep…) he also knew the younger man had accomplished something quite amazing in his free time during one particular training session a month or so previous… astonishing that Goku's son hadn't yet achieved that after two years of nothing but training…
Trunks gulped and then nodded, amazed by his friend's accomplishment yet suddenly growing cocky feeling.
"Unlike you I think I'll go right for the gold instead of your little five hour power up." The man stuck out his tongue sarcastically, spreading out his legs and furling his fists.
As the smug yet curious Goten watched his best friend suddenly gather his energy to him, Vegeta could barely contain his grin. At last he had something over Goku…
The veins that coursed through Trunks' body felt as if they were on fire, his body glowing bright gold. His eyes immediately changed green-turquoise, his muscle mass doubling immediately, short hair spiking up and changing gold. Yet Trunks hadn't even broken a sweat it would seem, his arms held motionless beside him. His power level was steadily increasing, his ki bubbling up beneath the surface… Trunks could feel his hold on life and his own life force increasing…
'Channel the anger, channel the frustration…' Trunks reminded himself as he held his smirk, though inwardly he felt the queasiest and oddest feeling as butterflies flapped in his powerful stomach, his gaze held on his best friend's peaceful, cute and curious face…
He was in Super 2, he knew it, though he didn't care at the time as he had yet to reach his maximum even in that state… at the moment it was all about ascending, as his present power level in even the second state could be surpassed by himself in first state…
"Rrrrrrrrrrrrraaaaaarrrrr…ARRRGH!" Trunks doubled backwards, feeling primal forces course through his veins. 'Focus, focus, focus… now!' his mind scourged, his body feeling as if it were going to literally tear apart from the energy ready to explode from it.
"270g… 278g… 290g… 400g…" the device suddenly clicked as with a flash of lightning (Literally one might add) Trunks' body doubled in muscle-height proportion, growing several inches taller, his hair glowing bright white and snapping out…
Vegeta was ear-to-ear grinning… Goten was wide eye open mouth gawking… and Trunks was a Super Saiyan 3rd form.
Laughing almost sinisterly yet also with good humor, Trunks folded his arms, hair down at his ankles and nearly sweeping the floor.
"680g established power level." The device chirped silently in Trunks' ear.
Silence filled the room as the pair of others regarded Trunks, though Trunks still had his eyes upon his old friend, a warm sensation in his stomach at the feeling of his old friend admiring his strength.
"Wow… but… how?" Goten gulped, still staring.
It was Vegeta who answered, before Trunks could reply.
"Amazing, isn't it?" he laughed with an arrogant chuckle. "I was even surprised at it myself when he ascended in the middle of one of our few training sessions a month ago. I had been beating him with relative ease, chiding him for not taking his Saiyan heritage and family name seriously at that particular time. Naturally it wasn't totally true, though I was trying my best to enrage him. I had felt the potential in him since after you left, sensed the frustration and loneliness…"
Trunks blushed slightly and looked down, making Goten try to decipher why he blushed; because he had missed his friend so, or because he was being so obviously praised by his father and his story.
"Suddenly, as I had him bleeding and beaten at my feet, I was able to make him do it. 'Get up you fucking weakling of a Saiyan!' I screamed at him, kicking him in the abdomen. 'You don't deserve to be my son, let alone be loved by me or anyone else! You know who I'm talking about too, don't you?'" Vegeta smirked, recalling as his son turned a fiercer shade of red in front of him, his emotions as readable as an open book, making Goten's face knot up in thought.
'You…' he thought, blinking as he suddenly realized it was true… as much as he had hoped, was it really true?
"Yes Goten, it's true… and it was then that he did it, after one final yell at him. I was ready to beat him in the face; to spark what I knew would inspire his transformation. 'Weak faggot of a Saiyan.' I had yelled..."
Vegeta smiled at his son like a snake at its prey, yet with eyes glimmering of pride.
"It was then he beat me back and gave me enough of a surprise beating to keep me in the rejuvenation chamber for a day, all by ascending."
Goten went wide-eyed for a moment before forcing his face back to neutral, taking a gulp as his friend across from him did so equally, though it looked almost as if his friend were near tears, staring at the floor.
Vegeta shook his head and chuckled.
"But enough of that boys… why don't I call this sudden break off by showing you what you should be achieving yourselves?" he grinned, finally unfurling his folded arms.
Trunks even looked up at his father, wiping a hand absent-mindedly at his eyes and breathing in deeply and suddenly, Goten tearing his eyes from his friend to the father of the same.
"Indeed you are both incredibly powerful… pathetically so, at your age I was an insignificant insect… but you still have far to go." The Prince smirked.
It was sudden, so sudden that the boys beheld before them one moment a calm and weak looking Super Saiyan, the next moment a force to be reckoned with.
Vegeta stood before them, bulging with Super 2 might, lightning dancing about him as his eyes stood on the verge of pure white with tiny green dotted eyes…
"700g established power level." Trunks' machine whispered in his ear with a crackle, the two boys staring in astonishment.
"Now then stop gawking at me and let's call this sudden power level reunion to a close… how long will you be staying Goten?" Vegeta broke their silence, folding his arms and motioning with a hand to the computer controls at the center of the room. With a click the gravity returned to normal, and the boys nearly floated into the air with the less strain upon their bodies.
"Uh… I'm probably home for good." Goten smiled lightly, though he had moved his gaze to Trunks, whom looked at the floor again.
Vegeta nodded, and after staring through narrow eyes at his son for a moment, suddenly powered down, his hair black and his body normal, arms still folded.
"Very well
then…" The Prince seemed to think a moment and then smirked slightly. "What say
we all come in here bright and early tomorrow morning for a little training
session?"
With that the Prince left the
room with the two silent young men, one looking dejectedly and filled with
private thoughts at the floor… the other at the other's sad features with
question.
~~~
It was in the locker room several minutes later that Trunks found himself by his locker, back turned on his friend as he peeled off his sweaty shirt and threw it on the floor, his face bunched up as he forced down the tears. He felt weak and easy prey to his friend, whom he could feel staring at his back, no doubt with some silent contempt. They hadn't spoken since Vegeta had spoken…
Trunks couldn't believe it; his father had clearly stated what Trunks had felt for years before his best friend, the man he had secretly crushed on for so long… He had been so truly torn from Goten's departure 2 years ago and had been so happy yet confused at his return.
Trunks stifled a choked tear and slammed a hand into the locker beside his, crushing through the metal as his eyes glimmered and winced.
"Trunks…" Goten's calm voice came to his nearly unhearing ears, a light fingertip brushing his back.
The other man twisted away and stumbled into a bench a few feet back from him, tears welling up in his eyes, his bare abdomen stressfully tensed.
"Just…
leave me alone, okay?" Trunks managed to blink away the tears, waving an arm at
his friend, whose eyes stared at him sadly. "I… I…"
Goten looked down as Trunks
spun away, finally tearing towards the showers and casting off his pants and
shorts at the same time. The Saiyan son of Goku finally looked up to catch the
right thigh of his old friend turning the corner, and to hear the sound of
water spraying on.
Trunks stood under the searing hot shower water for what seemed years, letting it pore into his face, streaking down his body, the steam curling into his nose and mouth as his tears blended into the water.
'Why father, why? Why did you have to do that, make me reveal my feelings to you, and then in there reveal them for me to him? Why?' his mind cursed, fists clenched as he leaned into the tiled wall behind the shower, throat choked up.
'Goten… you finally come back and now you'll surely go… or even worse…'
Even worse, Trunks thought, Goten would be forever uncomfortable around him, always watching, always fearful his old friend would put a move on him.
'Why…'
A footstep was barely audible in the doorway of the public shower room, making Trunks cast a look from the corner of his eye, tearing himself from his dark private thoughts. Goten stood there in the doorway, uncomfortably looking at the ground, almost trying not to look at Trunks' nude body, searing a red tint under the hot water and his tears.
"Trunks…"
The man looked back down and gulped as if he were swallowing gravel.
"Please… go away." He managed to reply.
Goten looked at his friend and stepped into the shower, feeling the sadness and confusion, anger and fear waving off of his friend like the steam from the showerheads.
"I can't… I'm your friend remember?" he managed a slight smirk, though Trunks kept his face turned down.
Goten sighed, rubbing his temples with one arm, his other arm grabbing the corner of the doorway to the shower before he stepped towards his friend, placing a hand on Trunks' warm wet shoulder.
Trunks tried to flinch away, but felt too emotionally weak to bear his strength.
"Trunks…" Goten stated more forcefully, grabbing the other young man's soft face and pulling it up to eye level, making him open his eyes.
Goten nearly gasped; he had never seen his friend's eyes so sad and icy blue, resolved to doom since Vegeta had died so many years ago…
"Please Goten, it's hard enough not needing to confront it… I'm sorry for never-"
Goten shook his head, holding his hand fast to his friend's chin as he tried to pull away.
"No, I'm sorry for never realizing it myself. I never wanted to admit it, but now…"
Trunks' eyes blinked in the steamy hot water and tears as he changed from sad to confused.
"What?"
"Shh…" Goten managed a weak smile, shaking his head. "Please, I should have done this long ago… I'm so sorry Trunks."
Trunks stared into his friend's deep brown eyes fearfully at first, and then with curious awe as he fell into the love held within.
Goten pulled his friend's face up to his own and parted his lips, placing them upon the other's, the water from the shower head pouring onto their naked bodies as they no longer cared. Trunks felt his grief pulled away in that moment… he had dreamed for it nearly all his life.
The two were lost in the kiss for eternity, pulling their bodies towards one another in a slow and loving embrace… only to lose themselves as the embrace turned passionate, years of pent up confusion letting loose, their hands becoming living extensions of their lust and love... Only the showerheads could match the heat of the moment, and when the two at last came from the shower room nearly an hour later…
Reconciliation and love had replaced the secret happiness and confusion in their eyes, and drying off and changing back into their clothes the pair shared one more kiss before leaving the room.
~~~
Vegeta looked at his watch from his armchair in the grandiose and beautiful living room of the CCHQ living quarters, turning his gaze away from the evening news.
"I haven't had an hour long shower like that since before Bulma left for her last business trip last month. Wonder if she'll be in the mood to get dirty and then clean up tonight…" he mumbled absent-mindedly as the sound of the door to the living room opened and the two young men came in quietly with secret smiles, flopping down on opposite sides of the couch in front of the TV.
'At least I'll have some entertainment for awhile while they sneak around as if I have no clue… ah, teenage love.' Vegeta smirked, turning up the volume of the news and leaning back to get comfortable for the show coming, and not just the one on the television…