Goten was sitting by a palm tree by himself when Bra eventually found him. There was a beer bottle in his hand, and an empty one at his side. He did not appear drunk, just lonely.
"Hey, you," Bra greeted.
"Oh, Bra!" She had startled him. "What brings you here?"
"I was looking for you."
"Well, you found me."
Bra sat down next to her ex-boyfriend. "What are you doing out here all by yourself? Aren't you having fun?"
"Oh, I'm fine. Just not really in the party mood." He looked at the ground, knowing that he could hide nothing from Bra. "Plus, it's kinda hurting to see all those couples and stuff in there."
Bra did not know how she could now say what she had come to tell him. If he was upset by the couples at the party, how would he react if she was to get with another guy? She managed to stammer, "Yeah, I guess I know what you mean."
Goten looked at her, and smiled sadly. "No, you don't. There's someone back in there waiting for you. I'm not stupid, B-chan, and even if I was, I'm not deaf. I know Uub wants you."
Bra looked at her feet, ashamed that she had believed Goten had not noticed. "Well…actually…that's what I came to find you for? I mean…what do you think about it? How do you feel?"
"What does it matter? We're not together anymore. What you do, and who you do it with, is entirely your choice."
Bra sighed. "I know. But…I would still feel terrible if what I did hurt you in any way. I have to know if you're alright with this. If you don't want me to, I won't do anything with Uub."
From the corner of her eye, Bra saw that Uub had come to the door, obviously looking for Bra. When he saw her involved with Goten in their D&M, he quickly wandered to one of the cooler boxes, and fished out a drink. He did not, Bra noticed, return inside. Instead, he started talking to some people by the side of the house, keeping one eye on the demi-Saiyan ex-couple.
Goten took a deep breath. "I guess, I would be okay with you getting with another guy. You have every right to move on. And Uub is a great guy. But I can't guarantee how I'll react if I actually see you two together."
Bra realised that was the best response she would get from her former lover. But she understood what he meant. She would not know how she felt about him being with another woman until she actually saw them.
"Well, I think I might go inside and try to have a good time," Goten said, standing. "Maybe I can convince them all to play some drinking games. You coming?"
Bra shook her head. Goten smiled sadly again. He had seen Uub come outside, and remain. He knew why Bra was waiting. And it was nearly breaking his heart. Let her go. You'll end up hurting her if you hold on like this. He started back towards the house.
"Goten," Bra called to him, quietly. He turned back to hear her. "I won't do anything…too bad, if you know what I mean. Not if you don't want me to. I promise."
Goten's smile seemed less sad this time. He nodded his head just a little, then continued on his way.
The minute Goten had gone inside, Uub wandered over to Bra. "Hi, Bra. Room for one more here?" When he realised Bra wasn't going to answer, Uub just sat down next to her. He sighed (Bra noted that several people had been sighing on this particular night). "He…uh…he knows, doesn't he?"
"Knows what?" Bra asked, though she knew the answer.
"Don't play dumb, Bra. I know you know. So, who told him?"
Bra smirked a little. "I don't think anyone told him. He would have only had to notice the way both of us have been acting to realise."
Uub blushed. "I guess I have been kind of obvious, huh? But, you can hardly blame me." He shuffled closer, and wrapped an arm around her. Normally, Bra would have enjoyed the warmth of his embrace, but Goten had wandered outside to get another drink. He looked at Bra and Uub, and smiled that sad smile that seemed so wrong on his normally cheerful face.
Bra nearly started crying. It was a Catch 22 situation: if she walked away now she would hurt Uub, and if she stayed, she would hurt Goten.
Uub had also seen Goten. He coughed uncomfortably, and let go of Bra. "Do you want me to leave?"
"No! No, please stay." Bra forced herself to remember the way Uub had listened to her every word as she cried on his shoulder after breaking up with Goten. The way he had told her that it would be okay. The way that he had understood, having gone through the same thing himself. She placed her hand on his leg, and was embarrassed to realise that he was only wearing boxer shorts under his grass skirt. But then, she was only wearing her swimsuit bottoms, which, while it seemed better, was actually worse.
Uub tried to hide the fact that he was pleased. He placed his arm back around the Saiyan Princess. She snuggled up to him, ignoring the sad image of Goten that kept appearing in her mind.
"What did he say?" Uub asked, after several minutes of silence.
"He said he was okay with us, but I don't think that was the entire truth."
"At least you asked him. Marron didn't even do that."
Bra had been told by Trunks that, just three days after breaking up with Uub (after a nearly two year relationship), Marron slept with some guy, a mutual friend of both Marron and Uub. Uub had been crushed. He hadn't even had the chance to get over the shock of the break up.
It was obvious that Uub wanted to hurt Goten even less than Bra did, if that was at all possible.
"Look, Bra," said Uub. "You know I want you a lot. But if it's going to hurt Goten, then I won't do anything."
In response, Bra slid her hand slightly further up Uub's leg. Fuelled by her encouragement, he pressed his lips against hers in a soft, delicate kiss. When she didn't pull back, he intensified the kiss. His hands reached behind her, and ran along her spine. Bra squirmed at his touch.
"What's wrong? Too much?" Uub mumbled against Bra's lips, a hint of disappointment in his voice.
"No, I'm very ticklish."
"Oh really?"
"Uub…"
Bra noticed the mischievous gleam in his eyes too late. His fingers danced along the skin at her sides. Bra twisted and squirmed, in the process, pushing her body closer and against his. He kissed her fiercely.
Over by the house, one of Uub's drunker friends noticed Uub seemingly getting hot and heavy with the sexy blue-haired chick that had been dancing earlier. He cheered. "Alright! Go Uub!"
Uub cursed. He knew that very soon more attention would be directed their way. Unwanted attention. Marron's attention. Although she had been the one to call of the relationship, and the first to "move on", Marron became extremely jealous if she saw Uub with another woman. Uub did not want to subject Bra to Marron's wrath, especially when the two girls were such good friends.
He smiled, sheepishly, at Bra. "Maybe we should go some place else."
Bra, already shocked by how far she was willing to go, wondered just how far Uub planned on going. "Some place else" obviously meant a bedroom – and what then? Bra weighed up the choices in her head, and decided that a bedroom was the lesser of two evils. At least there, Goten couldn't see them.
"Ok," she answered.
Uub smiled, and helped her up. They strolled towards the house, but not too close. To further disguise their purposes, Uub stopped by his friends, chatting to them, and mock boasting.
Bra continues inside to a vacant bedroom. She was relieved that she did not see Goten on the way. She thought she could hear his voice from the kitchen, cheering with several others, obviously playing the drinking games he had desired. Bra left the door ajar, so that Uub would know where to find her. She would hate for him to walk into the wrong room and catch a couple mid-business.
Like my brother and Pan. Bra shuddered at that thought. It made things even worse that they were married. Married couples weren't supposed to act like that. Then Bra remembered that her parents did, and shuddered again.
The door creaked open about five minutes later. Bra smiled at Uub, then wondered is he could see her in the dark. She could see him perfectly well, but she was a Saiyan. And her eyes had had time to adjust to the darkness.
Uub seemed to have no trouble making his way to the bed. That didn't really mean anything. Guys seemed to be able to navigate their way to a bed perfectly, especially when there was a girl in it. He sat on the edge, and tried to remove his grass skirt. He ran into some trouble, the knot at the back had gotten tangled in the grass.
"Want some help?" Bra offered.
"Yeah. Thanks."
Bra slid over to him, and started working on the knot. Every time that her fingers brushed his flesh, Bra felt Uub tense up. She finally managed to untie the knot. Uub pulled off the grass skirt.
"That's better. That thing was starting to annoy me." He smiled, either knowing that Bra could see in the dark, or assuming that her eyes had adjusted enough by now. If the second option were correct, that meant his had too, so he actually was staring lustfully at the way Bra was laying on the bed.
Bra wondered that, if his grass skirt was annoying him, if hers would too. Would he have to remove it as well? Leaving her only in her scant bikini? She was quite sure of the answer to that. I'd better beat him to it.
"Yeah, I know what you mean." Bra started to remove her own skirt, unconsciously sexy in her movements. Uub's eyes practically fell out of his head. Bra tossed the skirt somewhere onto the floor, and gave Uub a slight smile. It wasn't supposed to be a seductive smile, but that's what it looked like to Uub, and that's what he took it as.
"Now, where were we, before my slightly intoxicated friend so rudely interrupted us?" Uub asked, in a husky, sexy voice.
Unable to stop herself, Bra replied, "I believe it was something like this." She pulled him into a deep kiss, exploring his mouth with her tongue. At first, she felt his body tense with shock, but he quickly relaxed, and held her close. His hands once again found their way to her sides; his fingers had an almost rhythmic movement. Bra giggled – she couldn't keep it in. Fortunately, he didn't seem too fazed by her laughing. He'd obviously been expecting it.
"Having fun?" he whispered. She giggled in response.
But Bra became serious again when Uub's hands strayed lower. The played at the band of her pants, before sliding inside. Bra fished them out again in an instant, not forgetting her promise to Goten.
"I'm sorry," she said.
"No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that."
"Oh, it would be okay, except…well…Goten…y'know…"
"I understand."
Two words. Just two words. But every time that Uub said them, Bra knew that he was sincere; that he really did understand. Bra kissed him hungrily, wishing – not for the first time – that she had met Uub earlier. Before she had realised her feelings for Goten.
The pair continued kissing passionately for close to an hour. Uub only made one more attempt at Bra's pants, but realised his mistake before she fished his hand out, and apologised. He couldn't really help it. He was a guy. And Bra was hot. Or so he kept telling her.
Bra had never really known how to take compliments. There was a time when she had not believed them, and another time, when she had ignored them. Now, she accepted them, but she didn't know how to reply. Guys were even better at turning down compliments than girls were.
On several occasions, Uub had discretely tried to guide Bra's hands downwards, towards his pants. But on all of these occasions, Bra managed to busy her hands elsewhere, and pretended not to notice Uub's intentions.
As their "session" wore on, Bra began to realise more and more that she was continuing only for Uub's benefit. Sure, she liked him – she liked him a lot. But that spark was missing. The spark she always felt when she was with Goten.
Finally, she decided she could lead him on no further. "Uub…I…uh…can't do this."
"Huh?"
"This…I can't…"
He took her hand and squeezed it. "It's okay. Maybe some other time. When you've had the chance to get over Goten a bit more."
"No, no, I mean I can't do this at all. It's not that I don't like you – I do! A lot! But you see…Goten…when I was with him; it felt like we were made for each other. I'm sorry, but I just can't feel that way with you. Maybe it's got something to do with our Saiyan blood…I don't know." Bra sat up, with her head in her hands.
Uub leant over and stroked her back. "Okay, Bra."
"I'm sorry, if I led you along, or anything…"
"Shhh." Uub put one of his fingers to Bra's lips. "I said it was okay. I always thought that you were still in love with Goten." He sighed, and sat up. "At least I got to have you just this once. I'm sure no one else has ever gotten that chance."
Bra shook her head. "No, you're the only one. And that just goes to show how much I like you. You're a wonderful person, Uub."
Bra leant over, and kissed him one last time. Not fiercely, but lovingly. Then she left the room. Uub sat on the bed, and stared at his feet.
