Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ, you dingbat!
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Chapter 26: In some twisted way...
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Closing the door behind us, we started walking down the corridor in a silence that should have been companionable but in reality felt decidedly awkward. Which it shouldn't have, at all. Why did I feel uncomfortable when everything I'd ever wanted I had?
Marron smiled as we left the apartment block and started walking down the street. Summer was over and autumn was making sure we were aware of its presence, bringing a biting wind and sending fallen leaves spiralling through the air.
"Great isn't it? The Goten and Paresu thing?"
"Yeah," I replied with a grin. "'Ten's really excited."
"So am I." Marron replied. "It's about time those two got married. Remember, we were talking about it last week and I said the exact same thing."
"Yeah."
The conversation trailed off again, and I looked up at the steely sky and wondered whether people ever said the same about me and Mar. Whether Marron looked into her future and saw herself with me. I never dreamed we would be together. I hoped and fantasised, but I never thought it would actually happen.
"So then. Us."
She gave me an expectant look, completely catching me off guard.
"What about us?"
"You know. Are we together now?"
"Do you want us to be together?"
"Do you want us to be together?" she echoed. I shot her an exasperated look.
"Do you really need to ask me that?" I said testily.
"Well then, do you really need to ask me?"
"Yes." I told her straight-faced. "I need constant reassurance."
She laughed. "You think more like a woman than I do sometimes."
"It's being around women all my life that's done that." I told her, smiling.
She said nothing, just snickered at me, then grabbed my hand, locking her fingers with mine.
"You'd better not be doing all this to try and get me into bed." She warned, and I shook my head.
"I don't want to get you into bed." I told her, then realised my mistake a moment too late.
"You don't?"
"W-well, I do," I said quickly, but off her glare added " - but I don't just want sex." I immediately found myself on the receiving end of a disapproving glance from an old woman who'd been walking past and heard what I said. I pondered for a second why she was disapproving when I'd said I wanted more than just sex, but shrugged it off. I understand old people about as much as I understand girls.
Marron nodded. "So then, how about we go on our first ever real date?"
"If that's what the lady wants." I said grandly, and she smiled before pulling me in for a kiss that sent electricity all the way from the tips of my fingers that had entwined themselves in her hair, down to my toes. What was that about not wanting sex? I'm sure I never said anything like that.
As Marron pulled me along towards the cinema, I was aware of someone's eyes on me. I don't know how, but I sensed it. I wondered for a moment who would be watching me, my eyes scanning the crowd for a familiar face. A brunette girl caught my eye and smiled, and a second later it clicked. Kate waved at me from across the street, and I waved back as she approached.
"Hi Trunks!" she grinned, giving me a quick hug and then standing back to look at me. "How's things since the other night? Did you get what you wanted?"
"You could say that." I told her as Marron joined me, shooting me a confused look.
"Oh, sorry, are you on a date?" Kate asked, smiling apologetically. "Hi, sorry for interrupting you. I'm Kate."
"Hi." Marron said, sounding a little doubtful. "Um, I'm Marron."
Kate raised her eyebrows. "Oh, you're Marron?" She opened her mouth, about to say something else, but her friend called her and she thought better of it.
"Well, I'd better go. Nice to meet you, Marron." She beamed, then turned to me. "Bye you."
And then she was off, running back to her friend and into some random clothes shop.
"So then," I said, turning back to Marron. I was going to carry on with: 'what movie you wanna see?' but upon seeing her expressing, instead settled for: "You're mad at me."
"I'm not." She replied, smiling easily, but I could hear the edge to her voice. I knew her well enough to know when I'd pissed her off.
"Kate's a friend of mine." I told her, and she arched an eyebrow.
"That's your way of saying you got jiggy with her."
I opened my mouth, then closed it, then tried to think of a way to deny it. Meaning I was quiet for a while, which prompted Marron to say; "I'll take that as a yes."
"Well..." I trailed off, then shrugged. "Yeah, I guess."
"Right." She started off, and I watched her go, wondering if that was a new record for shortest ever relationship and cursing myself for thinking with my dick yet again. I suppose it's like Robin Williams said. "God gave man a penis and a brain, but only enough blood to run one at a time." Or something like that.
But just as I was about to moan and whine and go home to complain to Goten and risk Paresu castrating me, she stopped, turning back.
"Well?" she asked. "Aren't you gonna come and choose a film with me?"
I blinked.
"You're not mad at me?"
"Trunks, how naïve do you think I am?" she put her hands on her hips. "I'm not gonna assume that you've never had sex with other girls before. So come and help me pick a movie, why don't you, instead of standing there gawking."
I hurried over to her, breathing a huge sigh of relief, and she took my hand again. Did I ever tell you how much I love this girl?
"So then when were you with her?" she asked breezily, eyes on the list of movies playing.
"Uh, last week I think." I said.
She let go of my hand.
"Last week?" she asked slowly. "Last week as in the week when you were still with Aya?"
I froze, mind frantically searching for an answer that wouldn't incriminate me any further.
"Uh..."
"Oh my god." She snapped, taking a step back. "So you love me so much that you have no qualms about screwing two other women? So it's never been anyone else but me, has it? You know, I really did believe you until just now! You expect me to trust you to be faithful to me, then you tell me something like that?"
I said nothing, still searching for that elusive this-isn't-gonna-get-me slapped answer.
When I raised my eyes to meet Marron's, she was fuming.
"You know." I muttered. "In some twisted way...it proves how much I love you."
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A/N: Well, finally, a new chapter! Sorry I've been slacking on the updates lately, I've just landed a job and so time's been decidedly elusive. (On the job subject, if I have to see one more cup of coffee today, I'm gonna get nasty.) Later, darlings!
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Chapter 26: In some twisted way...
~~~~
Closing the door behind us, we started walking down the corridor in a silence that should have been companionable but in reality felt decidedly awkward. Which it shouldn't have, at all. Why did I feel uncomfortable when everything I'd ever wanted I had?
Marron smiled as we left the apartment block and started walking down the street. Summer was over and autumn was making sure we were aware of its presence, bringing a biting wind and sending fallen leaves spiralling through the air.
"Great isn't it? The Goten and Paresu thing?"
"Yeah," I replied with a grin. "'Ten's really excited."
"So am I." Marron replied. "It's about time those two got married. Remember, we were talking about it last week and I said the exact same thing."
"Yeah."
The conversation trailed off again, and I looked up at the steely sky and wondered whether people ever said the same about me and Mar. Whether Marron looked into her future and saw herself with me. I never dreamed we would be together. I hoped and fantasised, but I never thought it would actually happen.
"So then. Us."
She gave me an expectant look, completely catching me off guard.
"What about us?"
"You know. Are we together now?"
"Do you want us to be together?"
"Do you want us to be together?" she echoed. I shot her an exasperated look.
"Do you really need to ask me that?" I said testily.
"Well then, do you really need to ask me?"
"Yes." I told her straight-faced. "I need constant reassurance."
She laughed. "You think more like a woman than I do sometimes."
"It's being around women all my life that's done that." I told her, smiling.
She said nothing, just snickered at me, then grabbed my hand, locking her fingers with mine.
"You'd better not be doing all this to try and get me into bed." She warned, and I shook my head.
"I don't want to get you into bed." I told her, then realised my mistake a moment too late.
"You don't?"
"W-well, I do," I said quickly, but off her glare added " - but I don't just want sex." I immediately found myself on the receiving end of a disapproving glance from an old woman who'd been walking past and heard what I said. I pondered for a second why she was disapproving when I'd said I wanted more than just sex, but shrugged it off. I understand old people about as much as I understand girls.
Marron nodded. "So then, how about we go on our first ever real date?"
"If that's what the lady wants." I said grandly, and she smiled before pulling me in for a kiss that sent electricity all the way from the tips of my fingers that had entwined themselves in her hair, down to my toes. What was that about not wanting sex? I'm sure I never said anything like that.
As Marron pulled me along towards the cinema, I was aware of someone's eyes on me. I don't know how, but I sensed it. I wondered for a moment who would be watching me, my eyes scanning the crowd for a familiar face. A brunette girl caught my eye and smiled, and a second later it clicked. Kate waved at me from across the street, and I waved back as she approached.
"Hi Trunks!" she grinned, giving me a quick hug and then standing back to look at me. "How's things since the other night? Did you get what you wanted?"
"You could say that." I told her as Marron joined me, shooting me a confused look.
"Oh, sorry, are you on a date?" Kate asked, smiling apologetically. "Hi, sorry for interrupting you. I'm Kate."
"Hi." Marron said, sounding a little doubtful. "Um, I'm Marron."
Kate raised her eyebrows. "Oh, you're Marron?" She opened her mouth, about to say something else, but her friend called her and she thought better of it.
"Well, I'd better go. Nice to meet you, Marron." She beamed, then turned to me. "Bye you."
And then she was off, running back to her friend and into some random clothes shop.
"So then," I said, turning back to Marron. I was going to carry on with: 'what movie you wanna see?' but upon seeing her expressing, instead settled for: "You're mad at me."
"I'm not." She replied, smiling easily, but I could hear the edge to her voice. I knew her well enough to know when I'd pissed her off.
"Kate's a friend of mine." I told her, and she arched an eyebrow.
"That's your way of saying you got jiggy with her."
I opened my mouth, then closed it, then tried to think of a way to deny it. Meaning I was quiet for a while, which prompted Marron to say; "I'll take that as a yes."
"Well..." I trailed off, then shrugged. "Yeah, I guess."
"Right." She started off, and I watched her go, wondering if that was a new record for shortest ever relationship and cursing myself for thinking with my dick yet again. I suppose it's like Robin Williams said. "God gave man a penis and a brain, but only enough blood to run one at a time." Or something like that.
But just as I was about to moan and whine and go home to complain to Goten and risk Paresu castrating me, she stopped, turning back.
"Well?" she asked. "Aren't you gonna come and choose a film with me?"
I blinked.
"You're not mad at me?"
"Trunks, how naïve do you think I am?" she put her hands on her hips. "I'm not gonna assume that you've never had sex with other girls before. So come and help me pick a movie, why don't you, instead of standing there gawking."
I hurried over to her, breathing a huge sigh of relief, and she took my hand again. Did I ever tell you how much I love this girl?
"So then when were you with her?" she asked breezily, eyes on the list of movies playing.
"Uh, last week I think." I said.
She let go of my hand.
"Last week?" she asked slowly. "Last week as in the week when you were still with Aya?"
I froze, mind frantically searching for an answer that wouldn't incriminate me any further.
"Uh..."
"Oh my god." She snapped, taking a step back. "So you love me so much that you have no qualms about screwing two other women? So it's never been anyone else but me, has it? You know, I really did believe you until just now! You expect me to trust you to be faithful to me, then you tell me something like that?"
I said nothing, still searching for that elusive this-isn't-gonna-get-me slapped answer.
When I raised my eyes to meet Marron's, she was fuming.
"You know." I muttered. "In some twisted way...it proves how much I love you."
~~~~
A/N: Well, finally, a new chapter! Sorry I've been slacking on the updates lately, I've just landed a job and so time's been decidedly elusive. (On the job subject, if I have to see one more cup of coffee today, I'm gonna get nasty.) Later, darlings!