Even if he was exposed to it often and was somewhat used to seeing Goten stick to his future-self, Trunks had a hard time smiling whenever he had to witness it. Trunks reasoned that Goten was just excited to see his best friend and brother at the same time if he stuck to the future Trunks. That allowed this time's Trunks to be with Mai, work on a new project, or train longer with his dad and sister. Not a situation he wanted to encourage, but it worked out for him and Goten seemed happy, so he would keep quiet for now. Bulla had already reached a super-saiyan level anyways. Trunks had to reclaim his spot as Vegeta's best child soon.

Still, the emptiness he felt every time he saw Goten with his other self only seemed to grow as time went on. Especially once Trunks entered college. The consistent projects and high expectations from his teachers kept him busy enough, and there were also the boring lessons from his mom to prepare him to take over Capsule Corp. on top of that. Not to mention that he still had to dedicate some time to Mai. Despite her being busy as well with her own college classes, Mai would get surprisingly angry if he rescheduled or missed a date.

Goten, as Trunks saw it, had it much easier. It had taken a lot of conversations—mostly arguments—and time to reach an agreement with Chi-Chi, but Goten had managed to get her to approve of his desire to follow in his father's footsteps. He had finished high school with high enough marks that Chi-Chi reasoned college was an option he could choose later on if he wanted to. For now, the youngest Son was allowed to train with his dad, whenever they take breaks from farming, and enter the World Martial Arts Tournament every year. He would win every time their fathers skipped out on the tournament and used that money to help out at home. However, Goten had a secret that Trunks had happened upon some time back: the gentle Son would often join underground fights for some extra cash. Though, that money was only ever used to spoil his girlfriend.

Trunks hated that girl. It had nothing to do with who she was. Valese was very polite and obviously only had eyes for Goten, but that never took away the fact she was incredibly spoiled and came from a rich family. The entire reason Goten even started the street fights that were just shy of breaking his moral compass was to afford gifts she enjoyed. Even if he worked hard to teach her the importance of the meaning behind gifts, Goten was weak to her and often gave in and bought her ridiculously priced items.

The pages of his calculus textbook crumpled under his hand as Trunks turned the page. He could swear that everyone was trying to keep him away from his Goten. Just who did they think they were? Keeping his Goten all to themselves and interrupt—His? Trunks froze as he pondered the idea. Goten was his best friend, sure, but not his. Even if Goten was always with him, doing everything with and for him, following Trunks around and agreeing to the most bizarre pranks the older of the two would come up with, Goten was his own person. Had his own thoughts and did his own things, but it sure felt like he belonged to Trunks.

He thought back on what his mom had told him about his future-self only coming to visit Gohan. Not for the first time, Trunks came to the conclusion that, since Goten was never born in that future, he was a complete stranger to his future-self and, therefore, was his best friend, and his alone.

Only Trunks knew his secrets and what the youngest Son liked. Only Trunks could understand the expressions Goten made and only Trunks knew how to truly be with Goten, and yet…he had only ever seen Goten blush once. A brand-new expression that he was never able to cause. Trunks clenched his teeth. His grip on his pencil tightening as he thought harder about the situation. If Goten was his best friend, why was he still in the way?

A knock at the door saved his pencil from shattering. Trunks smiled as he recognized the ki on the other side of the door and rushed to open it. Though, he would always act cool once he did. "Hey, Ten."

"Hey, Trunks." Goten grinned as he held a case of sodas as an offering.

"You know you don't have to bring anything to visit me, right?" Trunks chuckled but took the drinks anyways.

"I know, but I feel bad taking your food." Goten shrugged before plopping down on Trunks' bed. "I still can't believe you've got your own place now."

"Not exactly my own place, Ten." Trunks grinned. "It's just a dorm."

"Yeah, but I would kill to get away from mom sometimes." The two laughed and Trunks joined him on the bed. Handing over a coke and turning on the television.

Even as adults, Trunks and Goten never grew out of watching the silliest cartoons. It was something their girlfriends had complained about on occasion, but Trunks preferred it that way. It was just one more thing only he could share with Goten. They would sometimes mimic what made them laugh, only to get the other to laugh louder. One of Trunks' neighbors had gotten particularly annoyed by their noise and pounded on the wall. The two only snickered. No one would ever truly try anything against the heir to Capsule Corp., and if they did, then Trunks had no reason to hide his saiyan heritage.

As everything calmed down and the cartoon switched to a more serious show, Trunks glanced over at Goten and cleared his throat. "So, how're things with Valese."

"Pretty great, actually." Goten grinned with a shy gentleness. "I finally got to meet her parents. Don't think they like me though." He laughed it off, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm just a farmer's kid to them."

Trunks felt the annoyance prick him. Who did they think to look down on Goten? He scoffed at the ridiculous thought and tried to keep the conversation going. "What, did they offer you money to leave her?"

He had not been expecting a serious answer. So, he was a little shocked to hear Goten sigh, "yeah. Obviously, I didn't take it. I'm not with Valese for her money." He then gave Trunks his signature mischievous grin. The same one that Trunks had grown to both fear and admire. "That's what I have you for!"

"That's right," Trunks pulled Goten in with an arm around his neck. Swiftly pulling the black-haired saiyan into a playful headlock. "Who else could pamper such a spoiled sugar baby?"

"Sugar baby?!" Goten roared with laughter. "I'm taller than you! Maybe I should be the sugar daddy instead!"

"You can't be a sugar daddy without money, Ten," Trunks explained. "How are you supposed to take care of me and pamper me?"

Again, Trunks had only been joking, but seeing Goten contemplate it seriously had his heart beating a dangerous rhythm. "Hm. Well, I can cook and fight. You'll never go hungry and I can protect you!"

"Great, so a nanny and a body guard? My hero."

Goten finally shoved himself free and flashed a goofy smile that was not unlike his father. "I'm perfect husband material, don't you think?"

That piqued Trunks' interest while leaving a foreboding feeling in the pit of his stomach. Husband? "A bit too soon to be thinking of marriage, don't you think?"

Not realizing that the teasing had stopped, Goten simply shrugged off his response. "Nah, we've known each other since diapers. I think marriage is long overd—whoa! You okay, Trunks?!"

Trunks had tried to play off the fact he had swallowed some of his soda incorrectly and had turned a concerning shade of blue. Once Goten noticed, Trunks tried to force some air back into his lungs and started to try and cough out the liquid that had entered them. It was to no avail, of course, but that never stopped his body's reaction to almost choking to death. He nodded and when he was finally able to breathe again, he added with a gruff voice, "I meant Valese."

"Oh. Oh!" Goten turned a bright red. "S-Sorry! I thought we were still joking! U-Um, yeah. It's too soon. You know, for marriage."

Trunks slowly regulated his breathing and sighed in relief. "Yeah, no kidding man. Anyone else would've thought you meant it."

"Well, I didn't!" Goten pouted as he pointedly looked away from Trunks.

Trunks chuckled and took another sip from his soda before a thought popped into his head. "You know, if you wanted to date a girl version of me, Valese fits the bill, don't you think?"

"What?"

"Think about it. I'm from a super-rich family too."

"And that makes you such an ass sometimes. Valese is a sweet girl."

Trunks rolled his eyes at Goten. "I'm sure she's only like that with you."

"Even better." Goten smiled softly as he thought of his girlfriend. "Means I don't have to compete with anyone."

There was that annoying prick in his heart again. The same one that pissed him off whenever he saw Goten hanging around his future-self. Why was it that everyone kept trying to take his Goten away?! Trunks huffed. "Whatever. I'm nice to you too."

"Only when you want something." Goten deadpanned.

"Whatever. I'm still right, though. Valese and I are basically counterparts to each other."

"And I'm saying you're wrong. You two are nothing alike!"

"I dunno, Ten. Two rich kids with absentee parents and a knack to splurge any time we're around you, sounds like we're not that different."

Goten turned pale. "She's different." Trunks glanced over at him to mention he was just messing with him when Goten suddenly became agitated. "Why are you saying all this?"

"Whoa, take it easy, man. I was just saying."

"Well, don't!" Goten shot up to his feet. "That's just weird man! Stop comparing yourself to my girlfriend!"

"Whoa, Ten, calm down. Why are you being so weird about this?"

"I—" Goten froze before suddenly turning away. "Whatever. I'm gonna go now."

"What? Hey, Ten, I'm sorry!" the door slammed in his face and Trunks fell back onto his bed with a frustrated huff. Shit, did I cross a line?

He got back up and was instantly at the door, but the look Goten had as he left told him that it was best to leave the younger man alone. Instead, Trunks decided to head for his parents' house.

"Hey mom!" He called out as he made his way into the house. He never really bothered to knock, but one close call developed the habit of calling out and announcing his arrival at least. He preferred not to think too hard about that incident.

"Trunks? Hey! Give me a minute, I'll be right down." His mom called out from the second floor. Probably having barely made her way out of the lab.

The familiar sound of rushed footsteps put a smile on his face. "Trunks!" Bulla ran up to her brother. Her arms high as she silently asked him to carry her.

He chuckled and picked her up. Knowing she could have just flown up to meet him. "Hey princess, how are you?"

"Good! I got to see Pan today!"

"That's great! Did you visit Videl and Gohan?"

Bulla moved to quite literally hang off her brother's arm. "Nope! She came here!"

"I see, that's fun." He found himself smiling as she continued to talk about everything she and Pan did that day. It reminded him of the shenanigans he and Goten would get into. Though, at the time, Videl and Gohan were only dating. So, it was easy to tease them about being together. By the sound of things, Gohan was still easily flustered at having his relationship with Videl pointed out, but Videl had stopped being a hothead about the teasing.

Pan seemed to be a romantic and liked seeing her parents always happy and "kissy". Bulla, on the other hand, well, she was Vegeta's kid and found it "disgraceful".

By the time Bulla ended her stories, Bulma had walked into the room yawning. Her hair was a total mess and her clothes were far too wrinkled. Trunks could tell she had gotten busy with a new project again. Trunks frowned at the dark circles around his mom's eyes. "Hey mom. What ya working on?"

"I'm fixing a communication device for your future-self. Make it easy for him to just call when there's an emergency."

Trunks tensed. Talk about his future-self had become a little taboo, but Bulma still felt like she was his mom and did her best to help him however she could. She became especially protective after learning that her future-self had been killed and that only Mai was left from his future. Even so, Bulma had been very careful not to mention his future-self around Trunks. That was probably why he had no idea such a device existed. He grimaced. "Sounds complicated."

Bulma sighed. "Sorry, honey. I know you don't like hearing about him."

"No, mom, it's fine. Actually, when you're done, I kinda wanna talk to me."

Bulma gaped at her son with wide eyes. Pausing from drinking her coffee right before she could have choked on it from the shock. "Really? Well, I almost got it. Should be ready after I eat." She then eyed him suspiciously. "Why do you want to talk to him?"

"Uh, well," he looked away. How the hell was he supposed to tell his mom that he was just now starting to question his sexuality? Well, he had been for a while, actually, but he was finally being proactive about it now. When he thought back on when he started to first question it, he often thought back on the day his future-self and Goten had spent the night with Gohan. It was such a long time ago that he was sure no one would consider it, but he did. Trunks had struggled with his possessive feelings for Goten and had almost hurt his mom while releasing that frustration. In the end, it would only take one phone call between his mom and Gohan for Trunks to finally start to connect the dots.

Gohan had called her to see if she could help fix the Dragon Radar. Goten had gotten a bit too excited to finally be allowed to use it and forgot to control his own strength. Fortunately for all involved, Gohan was smart and a fast learner. That allowed Bulma to just walk him through fixing the radar rather than having to travel so late at night.

Trunks had gotten out of bed for a midnight snack and had all but frozen in his spot when he saw his mom in the kitchen. Unlike Vegeta, Bulma never could sense his ki, so Trunks was safe hiding so long as he kept still and quiet. After all, she would have not only gotten mad at him for being up so late, but would have also scolded him for eavesdropping.

From the shadowed corner he hid in, Trunks could watch his mom arch a brow. "Mai? Not sure how they met either, but Trunks seems happy." She sighed and extinguished her cigarette before pulling a new one out and lighting it. "Honestly, I thought he'd end up with Goten." Trunks almost gasped at the accusation. Why would his mom even think that was possible?

She chuckled at something Gohan said. "They do everything together. I still remember when they declared they were going to marry each other." Apparently, Gohan had no idea about that and Bulma was all too happy to retell the story. Trunks had a hard time remembering that day as well, but as his mom continued to speak, the images of that day seemed to flutter into his head.

"Trunks had even given Goten a bouquet of wildflowers they found while exploring the woods on Mt. Paozu. It was super cute." She sighed once again and a bitter smile appeared on her lips. "They really did everything together, those two. I was so sure they would end up together. Probably would have if Mai hadn't shown up."

Trunks managed to sneak away at that moment. His mind racing with what he had just heard. A fake wedding between him and Goten? How come he forgot something that should be precious? He froze then. Why would it be precious? Why should it be? He huffed and pulled his covers over his head. What did it matter, and what did his mom mean? If Trunks had never met Mai, then he would have gotten closer to Goten?

Would Goten have never looked at his future-self then?

It had taken a really long time, but Trunks eventually realized that his complex emotions at the time came from a deep desire to be with Goten. A sense of disappointment at knowing that his bluff had ultimately backfired and that same possessive streak that had gotten him into trouble with Goten earlier. Despite how rare he acted on that, Trunks knew that casually mentioning his resemblance to Valese was a test. A way to gauge Goten's reaction and see if he could even hope for anything. Guess not.

Noticing he had yet to answer his mom, Trunks cleared his throat. "Well, it's kinda personal. A change, kinda. Since he's from the future, I wanted to know how he dealt with it." If he did.

"Oh." Bulma gave her son a knowing smile that had Trunks momentarily scared she had seen right through him. "Well, if that's all, then sure. I'll let you know when I'm done."

"Thanks, mom."

Due to the internal turmoil of having to face his future-self and talk about a sexuality they probably did not agree on, Trunks was too tired to play with his sister after the meal they shared. He decided to head over to his old bedroom and wait for his mom to finish working on the device. His nerves were on edge the entire time. In all honesty, there was no way he could ever truly hate his future-self. They were the same person, after all, and Trunks knew he was a bit of a narcissist, but there had yet to be a pleasant exchange between them. That was his fault, though, so he really had no one to blame for it.

He was so consumed in his own thoughts that he failed to either hear or sense his mom approaching. Which led to him almost jumping out of his skin when she spoke up.

Bulma noticed then that something was weighing heavily on her son's mind. She flashed an apologetic smile and stepped in. "I did knock."

Trunks nodded and gave a sigh of relief. "I'm sure you did. Sorry."

She handed over the device that looked similar to the Dragon Radar. Although a bit thinner and it opened up like a pocket mirror. Bulma smiled as she explained the device. "The frequency is already pre-tuned. Just press the call button and Trunks should answer." She then kissed the top of her son's head and smoothed down his hair with a caress. "Don't be nervous and let me know if you need anything."

"I will. Thanks mom." He waited until she left before pressing the call button. It only took two rings for his future-self to pick up the call.

The image of his future-self popped up. He was distracted, driving most likely from the look of things, and had yet to even glance at the device. "Hey, mom, what's up?"

"Um, not mom."

This threw his future-self off and the man jumped. Not expecting to hear his own voice. "Oh, me, I mean, Trunks. Did you, uh, need something?"

"Y-Yeah. It's kinda important. Think you have time?"

Silence, then, "yeah. Sure. Let me just park." Once the vehicle stopped moving, Future Trunks moved the device in front of him. Making eye contact with his past-self. "What's up?"

Trunks tensed. Should it be that hard to come out to himself? "Well, remember Goten?"

"Oh, yeah!" Future Trunks beamed. "Sweet kid. You guys doing okay?"

There was an immediate frown on Trunks' face when he saw how happy his future-self was at the mention of Goten. It only deepened when he remembered his earlier clash with Goten. "Not really. I mean, we aren't doing bad exactly, but not really good either."

"What's the problem? You think I can help?"

There was another pause before Future Trunks tried to coax his past-self to speak up again. Flustered, the younger of the two blurted out his issue. "I think I like Goten!"

Future Trunks seemed confused and stared at him for a moment. Then, his eyes widened, and a faint blush appeared on his face. "Oh. You haven't found out yet, huh?"

"Found out what?"

"Well, I guess you're figuring it out now."

"And what exactly is it that I'm figuring out?" Trunks tried his best to keep calm. He hated it when people beat around the bush. Just another difference between him and his future-self.

"Well, we're bi. At least, I am."

"What?" Trunks searched around his room as if it had the answers he needed. "How did you know?"

"Well, there is no Goten here."

"Right."

"I only had Gohan."

"…Right." His future-self refused to say more, but that was fine. Being the son of a genius meant that Trunks was expected to be as smart and, thankfully, he was. Realization dawned on him and his eyes shot wide. "Wait, you liked Gohan?!"

His future-self sighed. "Aside from mom, he was the only other person I interacted with until Mai showed up." The lavender-hair man seemed to lose himself in nostalgia for a bit. He then snickered and focused back on his past-self. "I know you may not believe it since your Gohan is so—"

"Lame?"

"Passive." Trunks shrugged as his future-self glared at him. He continued, "but mine was a warrior. He fought by himself for years and always won. He was my hero for a long time and I wanted him to be more." The blush intensified as Future Trunks remembered his Gohan, but it was immediately followed by glossy eyes at the loss of his best friend and mentor. "I never did get a chance to tell him, though. I was too busy struggling with identifying what I felt. It wasn't until I met Mai that I was finally able to put a name to it. I'm guessing you're feeling just as confused with Goten?"

"That's an understatement." Trunks sighed and laid back in his bed. "He's always around and I like him giving me attention, but lately he's so busy with Valese that we rarely get to see each other. That and, well, I'm kinda already with Mai."

"Congrats?"

"Don't get me wrong, she's great, but she's not—"

"Not Goten?" His older-self chuckled. "No, she's not. Since our dad and Goku already fixed your timeline, she's probably not as intense as the Mai from my time either. Last I saw her, she seemed pretty innocent and shy."

They both paused. "Like Goten."

The younger Trunks groaned and covered his face. "I can't believe I've been so stupid."

"Hey, it's all good." Future Trunks tried to reassure him. "It may not be what you want to hear, but if you think you like Goten better, you might wanna break things off with Mai."

"I don't know. I mean, you're with her. Doesn't that mean we're meant to be?"

"Is that why you started dating her?"

"Well, no." Trunks flustered. Ashamed of the truth. "I was just trying to look cool for Goten."

"Oh kami," Future Trunks laughed, unrestrained. "You've got it bad."

"Shut up!"

"Sorry. Well, regardless, sounds like you didn't start dating her because you wanted. Think about it."

Trunks started to gnaw at his lip. Pondering over what he should do next. "I don't think Goten's gay."

"Wouldn't know about that." Future Trunks pointed out honestly. "I can tell you that Gohan was pansexual."

"How do you know?"

"I'm ninety percent sure Gohan had a thing for Piccolo. Not that he ever tried anything since he was ace."

"That makes a disturbing amount of sense."

"That and, from what I've seen, Goku doesn't seem to care who the other person is. Chi-Chi just lucked out being the first to propose to him. Maybe Goten also is inclined to more options." Future Trunks shrugged.

"He reacted so negatively when I compared Valese to us." To me.

"What? Why did you do that?"

"Well, cause it's true! I mean, I'm not as spoiled as her, and I spoil Goten more than he does me, but we're basically counterparts of each other."

His future-self sighed. "Well, you should apologize. No one likes being told they're dating a discount version of their best friend."

"You just told me I was dating Mai cause she was like Goten."

"No, we realized she was like Goten, but I never said that was why you were dating her. You said it was to look cool in front of him. Besides, you don't seem happy to have discovered that, anyways."

No. Trunks really hated how on-the-nose Mai was as a female counterpart to Goten. How easy it was to pull her into his games, just like he did with Goten. Her small, polite smiles almost mirrored those Goten made whenever he was in front of strangers. Her inability to comprehend romantic gestures as though she were as shy and dense as Goten was when Trunks tried to be subtle about his birthday gifts. Why had it taken him so long to notice? Damn it, Dende, he cursed, you had one job!

His future-self spoke up to break the silence. "I have to get home with groceries. Think about it, though. Do you really like Mai, or is it Goten you're really after?"

Trunks had no energy to even say goodbye to his future-self, and the call ended with him still staring at his ceiling. He knew he had come to like Mai. Even if at the beginning it had started as a way to impress his best friend, Mai turned out to be a really sweet person. Still, he also really liked Goten. Preferred to be with him, in all honesty. There was no way he was only with Mai because she was a Goten he could kiss, right? …Right?

"Fuck!" He rolled over to his side and forced his eyes closed. Willing himself to sleep. It was easier to just ignore the problem before he had to think about it with a migraine. He had just started to doze off when a faint knock at his window startled him. There was only one person who could both reach his window on the second floor and could get past Trunks' defenses with ease. He shot up from his bed and opened the glass. "Goten?!"

"Uh, hey Trunks." Goten rubbed the back of his neck. Obviously feeling ashamed and apologetic.

Trunks almost melted with relief. It was just so Goten to be unable to stay angry, but that never stopped the fear that Trunks felt every time he did manage to piss Goten off. However briefly it may be. That's something different from Mai. He thought distractedly.

"Can I come in?" Trunks nodded and moved to the side to let his best friend in.

While he did go inside, Goten decided to stick close to the window. He looked like a frightened deer, ready to bolt at the first sign of trouble. It had Trunks on edge and the lavender-haired boy was ready to beg for his forgiveness when Goten suddenly spoke up. "Listen, I'm really sorry Trunks. I shouldn't have reacted like that."

"Ah," Trunks sighed and gave an apologetic smile of his own. "Dude, it's fine. I should be the one apologizing anyways. I didn't mean to weird you out."

"Y-You didn't." Goten collapsed to a crouched position. His knees safely tucked into his chest as he grumbled, hands grasping at his hair. "Ugh, that's the problem! I wasn't weirded out at all!"

Trunks panicked at the sudden movement. He took a step forward and reached out to place a hand on his friend's shoulder. "H-Hey, man. No worries." Was Goten alright? What could Trunks even do at that point to make sure all was okay?

Goten shot up again and slapped Trunks' hand away. "No, Trunks! I am worried!" The sudden loudness to his tone, not quite yelling but certainly desperate, had Trunks recoiling away from him. Goten only continued to storm toward him, pinning Trunks down with his aura alone. "You have no idea how much it bothers me."

"What does?"

"The fact that Valese is so much like you!" Goten almost shouted. Trunks knew he would have had it not been for the late hour. "The fact that you were the one to notice! The fact that I…" He trailed off. Snapping his face away to hide from Trunks.

Relieved that the domineering energy radiating from his friend had diluted somewhat, Trunks chanced a sigh before probing Goten to continue. "That you what?"

The younger trembled. Despite the tension visibly affecting him, Goten remained quiet.

Trunks was starting to bite his lip again. It was obvious that Goten was having a hard time with the comparisons, and Trunks really wanted to just get past that and stabilize their friendship before deciding what to do with his own feelings. Should he just tell Goten about the conversation he just had with himself? What part? The fact that he might be bi because his future-self had a thing for Gohan? That might just gross Goten out, or worse, imply that Trunks also had a thing for Goten's brother. Which was so far from the truth.

Then, maybe he should just skip to the realization that Mai was like him, also? That Trunks also got a girlfriend who was a female counterpart of his best friend, but what if that spiraled them back to the argument of comparing their girlfriends to each other? The very issue that had Goten pissed in the first place. Sure, Trunks may have no issue admitting that he liked Mai due to her similarities with Goten, but that could backfire so fast.

Not only that, the older they got, the more incredibly different Mai and Goten became. Goten still held those child-like reactions. Unable to hold onto any grudges, like now, as his guilt weighed heavy on his mind until it started to show on his face. The equally genuine and wholesome joy that came from the smallest of things was infectious, and Trunks could never stop smiling around him. There was also that innate desire of Goten's to help every living thing on the planet. Whether it be a group of people or a single insect, Goten was a gentle soul. Despite his overbearing strength that often proved to be too much for Trunks at times. Still, Trunks had always been strangely drawn by that control and kindness in one of Earth's mightiest warriors.

Mai was anything but. The older she grew, the more demanding she became. She was less secretive as she was in the past and had even invited Trunks to join her and her pals on a few occasions, but the vibe was different. There were times he had to fake a smile, or simply fought to keep from looking bored. She had a feisty attitude, but her gentleness had become a thing of the past.

While Trunks was sifting through his thoughts, Goten finally spoke up. His eyes landed on Trunks for a split second before darting back to anywhere else. "It's weird, you know?"

Trunks tensed at the sentence. "I thought you said I didn't weird you out?"

"You didn't! I mean, I think just noticing how similar you two are, that was weird. If I started dating her just cause she was like you, then wouldn't that mean that I," Goten swallowed and cut off his sentence. Lacking the courage to finish his thoughts.

"Don't avoid this. We can tell each other anything, right? You what, Ten? What would Valese being sorta like me mean?" Trunks was baiting him. He knew that if this went wrong, Goten would be seriously mad at him, but he was feeling hopeful. Goten had yet to run out on him. Had yet to tell Trunks off. Tell him he disgusted him before running away. Perhaps…perhaps.

"Grah! Nothing!" Goten was about to slam his fist into the wall. Only stopping as he remembered what time it was. "I should get going."

Trunks zapped to the window. Slamming it shut and trapping Goten inside.

"What the hell, Trunks?!"

"No, Goten. Not like this." Blue eyes now hardened with determination as Trunks flashed a dangerous look at Goten. A desperate, vulnerable look that could very easily scare off his best friend. "You don't get to just walk away, Ten. Not now. What does it mean?"

"Nothing, alright?"

"You apologize for the stupidest shit, Ten, but never for 'nothing'. What the hell does it mean?"

"It would mean I like you, alright?" Goten shouted. Already frustrated at the absurdity of the entire situation. His eyes widened as he noticed what he said and hung his head. Shame and guilt clouding his mind. "It means I probably always have, right? And I dragged a poor, innocent girl in this mess." He shuddered and had to take a step back. Away from Trunks. His smile was desperate and completely destroyed as he whispered, "oh no. What have I done?"

"Ten, calm down." Trunks reached out to try and calm his friend but was shocked to see the confused fear behind his eyes as Goten slapped his hands away. "Ten?"

"No! I-I need to go."

"Wait! Ten, I want to—"

"Move, Trunks."

The hidden violence in Goten's eyes and tone had Trunks move instinctively. Allowing the younger of the two to fly out into the night sky. Without knowing what else to do, Trunks let his body fall to the ground. Hands holding his head together to try and ward off a powerful migraine. How did this happen?

He went back to his dorm the following morning. Preparing for his college classes on auto pilot as his mind was scattered elsewhere. The usually impeccable heir was now dressed in a mismatched outfit. A strange rarity that had drawn the attention of all his admirers. It was a clear indication that Trunks was in a really bad spot mentally.

He spent most of his time in class reassuring others that he was fine. A blatant lie to be sure, but it was all he could provide. A weak excuse of having pulled an all-nighter and was still too tired to care about his looks. Despite his never-before broken record of looking as nice as possible. Even in casual wear.

He had even forgotten about his lunch plans with Mai. Earning himself a concerned call from her. He forced the smile in his voice as he spoke with her over the phone. "No, Mai. I'm fine. Just a bit tired. Sorry about lunch."

That's fine, Trunks. Please take care of yourself.

He stared at his phone after the call ended. Take care of himself? He felt his migraine start to act up again. He cared very little about what he went through. All he wanted was to make things right with Goten.

Trunks sighed when he finally got back to his dorm. He closed the door behind himself and sank down with his knees tucked into his chest, leaning his head back against the door. "Damn it, Ten. How am I supposed to tell you I also started liking Mai cause she's like you?"

"What?"