"I can't believe Juliet dies in the end."

"I mean, they both died." Bulla replied as the credits began rolling over the big flat screen TV in her family's living room.

Bulla had seen and heard Goten and Trunks reference and quote countless stupid action movies and crude, badly animated comedy sitcoms over the years, and she thought this might be a more effective way to introduce him to the story and a more engaging way for him to memorize his lines as opposed to relying solely on an ink and paper script.

It was still a little strange for the dark-haired halfling to be in her home, spending time with her and not her brother for once. She didn't hate it, though.

"It's just kind of a crappy ending for a love story, if you ask me." Goten snorted, lacing his fingers behind his head and leaning back against the couch cushions.

"Technically, it's a tragedy, most of Shakespeare's works are. It's a story about two star-crossed lovers, fated to fall in love yet destined to be parted, or you know, just a story about two teenagers who more or less let their hormones get the better of them. It's debatable whether they were actually in love, considering they only spent like a handful of hours together and eloped the next day. I don't think genuine love happens that fast, but it's fiction so maybe it shouldn't be taken so seriously…" She tapped the menu button on the remote with a shrug and her gaze flicked to her fellow demi-Saiyan, "what? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"You're really into this stuff, huh?" Goten had such an open, amused smile on his face as he surveyed her. Something about his expression made her stomach do a little flip, which was bizarre. Because it was Goten, her brother's obnoxious best-friend.

But if Bulla was being honest with herself, he hadn't been so obnoxious lately.

Every day after school he'd walk her home, they'd do their homework, eat snacks and work on his lines. True to his word, he approached their practice sessions with the same determination that he did training and sports. Bulla was pleasantly surprised.

And if she was being honest with herself, she didn't mind his company.

"I… kind of love it. The costumes, the stories and it's also the only thing that's really… just mine." She pushed a lock of teal behind her ear. "And I like to think that I'm not terrible at it."

"You're not terrible at all, you're great. Definitely a lot better than I am… though I'm not sure how much of a compliment that is." He laughed softly, rubbing a hand over the back of his neck.

"Bulla Sweetheart-" Panchy practically floated into the living room, a cheery smile on her face. But then she blinked, her eyes darting between the hybrids and Bulla could have died from embarrassment at what she said next. "Oh, my stars, what is this? Am I interrupting aromantic moment? Is my grandbaby on her first date?"

The blunette didn't know what was worse, her grandmother assuming that she and Goten were on a date or announcing that Bulla had never been on one before.

Her cheeks flared with heat and she made it a point to look anywhere but at the boy beside her on the couch. How humiliating! "What?! No! Grandma, Goten and I are just-"

"I have to say I'm a little jealous, Bulla! He's a handsome one just like his father and so big and strong- Oh my, what am I saying? I'm a married woman! I'll go make you kids some snacks and then I'll let you have your privacy!" With a wink, the eccentric blonde sauntered away into the kitchen.

"I'm so sorry about that-"

"It's fine," Goten laughed, rubbing a hand over the back of his neck. "So, um, do you mind if we watch it again?"

"Umm, no, of course, we can watch it as many times as you'd like," Eager to focus on literally anything else Bulla, picked up the remote and began making her selection. She snuck a discreet glance back at her fellow halfling, and for a moment she thought that the tips of his ears had a tinge of pink that hadn't been there before, but maybe she was just imagining things.


After about two and a half weeks of one-on-one practice with Bulla, she convinced him to come back to Drama Club, much to the eccentric Mrs. Encore's delight. He had to hand it to Bulla, once you presented her with a problem, she immediately set to work on fixing it. Gone was the old, crumpled black and white script with the tiny print he'd received. Replaced with another, in a larger font on brightly colored orange paper. She'd even sent him a digital copy of the script so he could listen to it using the audio feature on his phone while following along on the screen like he did with his regular school work.

It had been going well, surprisingly well, and after another week or he'd more or less completely memorized his lines, although they still didn't sound totally natural, but they still had time to work on that.

Bulla was talking with Mrs. Encore inside while he waited patiently outside the auditorium's double-doors, leaning against a row of lockers, hands stuffed into his jacket pockets.

"Goten! Hey Goten, got a sec?" Goten glanced up to see a vaguely familiar navy-haired boy striding toward him in the empty hallway.

"Do we know each other?" Goten quirked a brow.

"Tye… we were just in Drama Club, like five minutes ago, and we've also gone to school together since we were like six, but whatever, that's not important…"

"Oh. Okay… What do you want?"

"So, I was wondering about the play. I'd be happy to switch parts with you if you don't wanna do it." Tye hitched his bag up a little higher on his shoulder, smoothing a tendril of navy back from the brow of his pointed face.

"Why?"

"Well, because If I'm playing Romeo, that means I get to have a little mouth to mouth action with Bulla! My audition wasn't the best, I'm not as good as Denim but I'm definitely not as bad as you -no offense-."

"What?" Goten's normally easy-going demeanor immediately evaporated at the navy-haired boy's words.

"I said no offense!" Tye held up his hands, rattling off a bunch of other nonsense that Goten was paying no attention to because he was wrestling with a very real urge to punch something.

Goten had gone over the play with Bulla many, many times by now and he was aware of the nature of the relationship between the two characters and the love scenes it contained. They'd always seemed to gloss over that portion, focusing primarily on helping Goten remember the lines themselves. But for some reason, it hadn't clicked until just now that at some point, he'd actually have to act them out with the blunette. Unless Tye had his way, that is.

The mere thought of this guy putting his mouth anywhere near Bulla set his teeth on edge, but he couldn't afford to get in any more trouble.

So he simply said, "No thanks, I can do it."

He was going to get this part down, one way or another.

"You sure? I know it isn't really your bag, it's really not mine either, but I took the class because honestly it's one of the few ways I can get anywhere near her without her crazy brother around cockblocking-"

The next thing Goten knew, he had both of his hands fisted tightly in the other boy's shirt. Tye's bag hit the ground with a 'thump' as Goten hauled him easily up off the ground and shoved him against the lockers. Tye's eyes were wide as dinner plates, his fingers clutching at the sleeves of Goten's letterman jacket while his feet fruitlessly sought purchase. "Dude, what the fuck-"

"Consider this your first and last warning; Stay away from her." Goten said, his voice surprisingly calm despite the fury bubbling in his chest before abruptly letting go and shoving away from the other boy.

"Asshole!" Tye choked out as he scrambled away from the demi-Saiyan.


"Is everything okay? I felt your ki flare earlier when I was in Mrs. Encore's office." Bulla asked around a mouthful of cookie as she plopped down on the seat beside him on the sofa.

Goten swiped one for himself from the plate on the coffee table and shrugged, taking a bite."Oh, that was nothing, don't worry about it."

"Are you sure? It felt like-"

"Hey, I have to get these lines perfect and we don't have a lot of time. We gotta get your head in the game, Princess." He offered her his most winning smile.

After going over the script with Bulla every day after school for the last several weeks (with Vegeta popping in to glare at him at regular intervals), Goten still wasn't much of a Shakespeare fan.

And while reciting his lines out loud still gave him a touch of anxiety…

He realized, It wasn't so bad if he was looking at her while he was saying them, and the wide, approving smile she'd give him when he got them right. It was actually kind of fun spending time with her. He regretted they hadn't spent more time together over the last couple of years.

For all the Saiyan Princess's sass, she was always patient with him and she never made him feel stupid if he needed to slow things down or repeat a particular section while they ran lines.

"Okay… if you say so," Bulla sat with her legs criss-crossed, facing him. She brushed a few crumbs from her lips before taking a sip of her lemonade and clearing her throat. "So, now that you've memorized your lines, we need to move on to delivery. Your actions and your tone need to reflect the emotions in your words."

"Okay." He nodded. He knew that while his lines were correct, they usually came off a little more wooden than they should have .

Bulla tucked a strand of teal behind her ear, her eyes flicking to his, a light flush of pink dusting her cheeks. "Well, like in this scene, it's a romantic scene…

His eyes skimmed over his script. "This is the scene where they first meet and he kisses her."

He'd been mulling over those particular scenes on their walk to the Capsule Corp. compound. Especially after his encounter with Tye in the hall outside the auditorium. He supposed he should be a little weirded out by the idea of kissing the blunette, with their families being so close and he knew Trunks would likely be less than thrilled at the idea, but he wasn't. Not at all, actually.

But he had to wonder if maybe the idea of kissing him bothered her? Was that why she usually glossed over those portions in the script? Well, there's only one way to find out…

"Right, so you'll want to say these lines like you'd say them to a girl that you're… you know um, into." Goten didn't think he'd ever seen her cheeks flush such a bright shade of pink. It was kind of adorable on the blunette, who was usually so cool and collected.

He grinned at her. "I think I can manage that."

She straightened her posture, gesturing for him to recite his lines.

He cleared his throat, lowering the pitch in his voice somewhat,"If I profane with my unworthiest hand, This holy shrine, the gentle sin is this" Feeling bold, he smoothly reached out and took her hand in his."My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand, to smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss."

Before he could second guess himself, he briefly brushed his lips over the back of her fingers, and her pupils widened slightly, but she didn't pull away.

Bulla's gaze flicked to the hand curled around hers, and he followed the movement. "Good pilgrim, you do wrong your hand too much, which mannerly devotion shows in this;" She slowly maneuvered her fingers, pressing her palm flat to his, and a trill of warmth flickered in his chest. "For saints have hands that pilgrims' hands do touch, and palm to palm is holy palmers' kiss"

"Have not saints' lips, and holy palmers too?" He said, and her aqua gaze found his.

"… Umm, Ay,…uhh…" The traitorous flush over her cheeks intensified, and she shook her head as if that would get rid of it."Ay, pilgrim, lips that they must use in prayer."

"O, then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do; They pray, grant thou, lest faith turn to despair." He replied, not missing a beat.

She cleared her throat, her gaze pinned to their hands, still pressed together. "Saints do not move, though grant for prayers' sake."

"Then move not, while my prayer's effect I take." He said, leaning forward slightly, eyes trained on her slightly parted lips.

"Very good." Bulla let out a heavy sigh, dropping her hand and leaning back, "that was very good, and after that line-

"That's when he kisses her." Goten supplied.

"Right, but you don't have to do that right now if you don't want to!" She stammered, looking anywhere but at him.

"I don't mind." He shook his head, his own cheeks warming when his gaze once again dropping to her full, pink mouth.

"You don't…?" Her aqua gaze slid tentatively back over to the dark-haired halfling, and she licked her lips. "Oh umm, alright then…"

He knew he was edging into dangerous territory. Any minute now, the Saiyan Prince could pop in to check on them. But Goten found that he really didn't care all that much. Not when she was looking at him like that.

He leaned forward once more, repeating his last line, "Then move not, while my prayer's effect I take."

Bulla leaned forward, and just as he was about to meet her, she took a deep breath and planted a brief, fleeting peck to his lips and all but jumped back. If her cheeks were pink before, they were fire-engine red now.

Okay, that wasn't what I was expecting. He blinked at her in confusion as she toyed with the hem of her sweater. And then he remembered what Panchy had said when she'd stumbled across them a few weeks ago.

"Oh my stars, what is this? Am I interrupting a romantic moment? Is my grandbaby on her first date?"

If Bulla had never been on a date, it would probably be fair to assume she'd never kissed anyone, either. Trunks was notorious for scaring off anyone that got too close. Goten had even helped him scare off a few of them, Tye, most recently.

When he considered the way she'd responded when he'd kissed her hand, and the nervous, shy way she couldn't seem to meet his gaze in that moment, he knew his assumptions were correct.

"I'm not entirely sure that's how they'd do it."

"Oh?" Her gaze slowly raised to meet his once more, and he noted the flash of her throat when she swallowed.

"I think we should try it again… I want to make sure I get it right. Is that okay?" He asked softly. If she said 'no', he would drop it and never bring it up again, until they had to do it on stage. The last thing he wanted was to make her uncomfortable.

"Oh. Um, o-of course." She seemed to be trying to compose herself, her shoulders straightening, as if she were doing her best to ignore the charge of electricity currently crackling in the space between them.

"I think I'd- I mean, Romeo, would look deeply into your -Juliet's- eyes… "

"… And then?" Her lips parted slightly, and he licked his lips, and an unexpected, maddening warble of nervousness raced through him, when he was trying his best to be smooth.

"And then he would… tilt her face up to his…" he continued raising a hand to her face, carefully, slowly running the tips of his fingers down the slope of her jaw, not missing the line of gooseflesh his fingers left in their wake, seeking purchase just beneath her chin.

"Uh-huh..." she said absently, her eyes .

"And then he would lean in…" His other hand moved to her face, his fingers sliding into her hair as he brought his face into line with hers, so close he could feel her quickened little breaths feathering against his mouth and smell the faint citrusy lemonade she'd been drinking.

"And then?" She asked, breathless.

And then he slanted his lips over hers, his heart rabbiting in his chest at the feel of her soft, full mouth on his. He was about to pull away to gauge her reaction but then her delicate fingers were clutching at his cotton t-shirt and she was kissing him back, hesitant at first, but it didn't take long for her to find her confidence when he traced his tongue of the seam of her lips, coaxing them for entry and she let out a little sigh of approval.

When they both parted for air, her cheeks were still flushed, but her eyes had a dozy glazed look about them that made something inside him sing with happiness. And for the first time since it happened, he was glad he and Trunks had trashed the school gym.

"That was really…" She heaved out a breath, trying to find a word to adequately describe what just transpired between them, "that was good… You're right, we should do it… just like that…"

"Just like that?" He smirked, trailing a thumb over her lower lip.

"Uh-huh." She giggled.

"Or should I do it like this?" And then he claimed her lips once again.


"If I'm being honest… she's kinda hot when she's mad."

Goten was only half paying attention to the Capsule Corp heir, his focus drawn intently to another Briefs. She was chatting and laughing with some girl at her locker. His dark eyes tracked the movement of her hand as she tucked her long silky teal hair behind her ear before trailing over to rest on her pouty lips that he'd become well acquainted with over the course of the last month.

"Goten." Trunks waved a hand in front of his eyes.

"Huh?"

"I asked what should I do to make it up to her?" The heir asked, folding his arms over his chest, a sulky look on his face.

"Who?"

"Marron!"

"What about her?" Goten asked absently, as Bulla shut her locker door, clutching a stack of textbooks as she made her way past them, sneaking him a little wave and a blushy smile.

"She's pissed at me. She won't even talk to me because I- Did you zone out on everything I just said to you?"

"I don't know, don't be a dick." Goten shook his head, smiling despite himself.

Trunks blinked, looking at Goten and then glanced in the direction the younger halfling had been staring in and his eyes widened. "… We're you just staring at my sister?"

"What? I-"

"Kami- you don't like her, do you?"

"Well, I-"

"Dude!" He punched him in the shoulder and Goten half winced, half laughed, ducking out of the way when Trunks swiped a fist at him a second time. "Not fucking cool!"

"She's actually really… "

Trunks cut him off, "Conniving? Bossy? Obnoxious?"

"Try amazing, smart, kind and gorgeous, and when she laughs her nose scrunches up in the cutest-"

"Gross." The lavender haired Saiyan's expression was equal parts horror and disgust.

A sheepish look crossed the raven-haired Saiyan's face, his tan cheeks flushed with crimson and the Heir scowled. "Is thatwhat you guys have really been doing while you're 'running lines? Making goo-goo eyes at each other and swapping spit?"

"I really like her. I'm gonna ask her to the prom."

"Did it occur to you to maybe ask me first?"

"To the prom?" Goten's eyes drew together in confusion.

"No, Asshole, about how I might feel about you taking my baby sister to the prom!"

"Not really, no. I like her and I know she likes me. What's the problem?"

"You can't be serious…" Trunks shook his head, "Fine, if you want to go out with her, -for whatever bizarre reason- go right ahead, but if you hurt her in any way, know that I will be obligated to beat your ass."

"Noted." Goten grinned, his spirits so high he felt as though he were walking on clouds.

"Well, now that that is settled, let's go get this meeting with Staples over with."


"After convening with your teachers and hearing all the positive things they've had to say, and after many, many phone calls from Coach Cleats." Principal staples sighed, clicking away on his computer absently. "I've decided to allow you both to play baseball again." Principal Staples turned his hawk-like gaze on the pair of halflings. "But remember, if anything, anything else happens, I can take it away again. Playing Sports is a privilege, not a right."

"YES!" Trunks pumped a fist in the air, before turning to Goten, a look of triumph on his face. "Just in time for the championship!"

"Yes, well, you're both dismissed, I expect you both to play your best next Friday, if I have to hear anymore whining from your Coach it's going to drive me to…" Principal Staples seemed considered what he'd been about to say, "my wits end."

Goten's smile melted off his facer as he tallied up the days in his head, The Championship game, Friday.

This Friday. They same night of the play.

"Understood sir!" Trunks said gleefully, all but dragging Goten out of his chair and leading him back out into the office lobby.

Goten smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes.

Goten was happy at the prospect of getting to play baseball again. But part of him was a little… sad?

He'd truly enjoyed his time spent working on the play with Bulla. It had become the highlight of his day. Everyone would be counting on Trunks and himself to swoop in and secure that championship trophy. But now Bulla was counting on him too. How would she feel if he pulled out of the play at the last second?


"You ready to go over our lines? Oh, and my parents are going out and I was thinking after we finish up, we might watch a movie and maybe order a pizza and just hang out?" Bulla beamed, plopping down on the couch beside him.

Goten set his bag down carefully and she couldn't help but feel like something was off. He looked uneasy as he sat down. His shoulders were tense and gone was the sunny smile that she'd become so accustomed to. It was odd. They'd seen each other before first period that morning and everything had seemed fine.

"I actually need to talk to you."

Oh no, that doesn't sound good. She'd never had a kind-of boyfriend before, but from what she knew, that sentence was never a good sign.

Goten took a deep breath, resting his elbows on his knees, "Principal Staples gave me and Trunks permission to play baseball again."

"Oh?" That was what he'd wanted all along, wasn't it? Why was that a bad thing? "That's good, isn't it?"

"The Championship Game is this Friday." His dark eyes flicked to hers, and then it clicked.

"Oh." She said, quietly. "That's the same night as the play."

"It is." His eyes lowered to the plush carpet beneath his sneakers.

"I see."

She wouldn't ask him to pick the play over the game. She would not. That wouldn't be fair to him. Sports were just as important to him as the play was to her. If this conversation were happening a month ago and he was anyone else, she'd probably be furious right now. But he looked so guilty and sad. She couldn't find it in herself to be mad at him.

"Bulla, I'm sorry… I just…" His brow creased, and Bulla's heart clenched. She didn't want to be the reason he made that face.

"Don't be. I get it. Baseball is important to you." She said softly. "It's cutting it close, but we'll figure something out."

Goten said nothing, his lips thinning into a fine line at her words.

"Do you… still want to hang out? Or do you have somewhere else you need to be now?"

He shook his head, taking off his jacket, and flung it over the back of the couch. "I can stay."


The next week flew by in a flash, and the next thing Goten knew, it was Friday night and they were four innings in and poised to win. The crowd was chanting a rousing rendition of 'Take Me Out To The Ball Game'. The air was thick with the smell of the freshly cut grass, polished wood, kipskin leather and popcorn wafting down from the stands. His whole family had turned out to watch him play. Even Marron was in the stands cheering for Trunks a short distance away from Vegeta, oddly enough. Bulma, however, was at the school auditorium watching Bulla in the Drama club's performance of 'Romeo and Juliet'.

Normally, Goten would feel right in his element. But he couldn't stop pulling his phone out of his pocket to check the time. 6:15. They were probably on Act 1, Scene 2 by now.

"Dude, what is your problem?" Trunks asked as he stepped into the dug-out to hydrate.

"Nothing," Goten sighed.

"Really? Because we're winning and you look like you're sitting through a funeral."

"It's nothing. Let's get out there and get this over with." He said, sliding his phone back into his pocket and slipping his mitt back over his right hand.

When he moved to walk back onto the field, Trunks stepped into his path. "Okay, now I know something is wrong and we're not going anywhere until you tell me what's crawled up your ass."

Goten frowned, letting out a heavy sigh, "I just feel like an asshole. The Drama Club's play is tonight."

"And you're here..." Trunks supplied. "Is my sister mad at you over it or something? She said nothing about it to me."

"No, but I feel like I'm letting her down by being here."

"Hmm." Trunks pulled out his phone, glancing at the time, "You're obviously going to be a little late, but I bet,… if we play these next three innings right… you can probably still make it before it's over?"

"Yeah?" The dark-haired halfling perked up at that.

"Dude, we've fought aliens. I'm pretty sure we can handle it." The lavender-haired Saiyan smirked. "Let's go play the three fastest innings these people have ever seen."


She stood to one side of a pillar on the stage of the auditorium as the neo-Elizabethan ballad "What is a Youth" lilted through the air, Tye had leapt at the chance to snag Goten's spot as Romeo, it Act 5 was and he'd disappeared from sight on the opposite side of the stage. Any minute he'd appear at her left, to pull her away from the circle of onlookers beholding the dancers floating across the stage.

Any minute now, she'd feel that hand grabbing hers. That hand that wasn't Goten's. She sighed, the lump of disappointment sinking into her belly at the thought. She squeezed her eyes shut as she waited.

And waited…

And waited…?

Where the hell is he?

Then she felt a shining trill of ki and big, warm fingers curled around hers and then a low voice said, "If I profane with my unworthiest hand, This holy shrine, the gentle sin is this."

She blinked in surprise, even though she'd felt him before she'd seen him. Standing before her was Son Goten. He was late, and he was filthy. He was wearing his white and orange baseball uniform and he was absolutely covered with grass stains, sweat and dirt. There was even a smudge on his smiling face. But she was so, so stunned and overjoyed to see him she didn't care at all about any of that.

Goten stepped closer to her, so close she could feel the body heat radiating from his tall form and all the other people on stage and in the audience fell away and it was just the two of them. "My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand, to smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss."

He raised her hand to his lips, pressing a kiss there, his eyes never leaving hers, and she could have melted into a puddle of useless goo then and there. But she didn't. The show must go on and all that.

"Good pilgrim, you do wrong your hand too much, Which mannerly devotion shows in this;" She pressed her palm flat to his. "For saints have hands that pilgrims' hands do touch, and palm to palm is holy palmers' kiss"

"Have not saints lips, and holy palmers too?" He said without skipping a beat.

"Ay, pilgrim, lips that they must use in prayer." She dropped her hand turned from him, striding a few steps away, the crimson skirts of her gown hissing against the floor.

"O, then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do; They pray, grant thou, lest faith turn to despair." She felt him slide up behind her, and she turned to meet his gaze as he raised his open hand once again in offering, just like they had practiced so many times.

She pressed her splayed palm to his, lacing her delicate fingers with his larger ones once again. "Saints do not move, though grant for prayers' sake."

He leaned down, pressing his forehead to hers. "Then move not, while my prayer's effect I take."

Something flickered across Goten's dark eyes and Bulla's heart galloped in her chest when he closed in, sealing his lips over hers.


"So, what happened to Tye?" Bulla asked as she and Goten held hands, leisurely strolling along the sidewalk leading to hear house where their families were having an impromptu dinner.

"I showed up, and he decided he didn't want to play Romeo after all. Isn't that funny?" Goten grinned.

"Uh-huh," she laughed, suspecting there was probably more that he wasn't telling her.

"And how did you manage to finish the game and show up for the performance?"

"I had a little help from your brother."

"Really?"

"Uh-huh."

"That's surprising… so I take it you told him… about… you know, you and me?" She asked carefully. They hadn't exactly been hiding the change in their relationship, but they hadn't been screaming it from the rooftops either.

Goten nodded, letting out a little laugh. "He said, if I ever do anything to hurt you, he'll 'beat my ass'."

That sounds about right. Bulla rolled her eyes, but couldn't help but smile just a little. "Aww, he is sweet sometimes, if a little pig-headed and overbearing."

They were a few steps just shy of her driveway when Goten drew to a stop, turning to face her fully. "So… I was wondering, do you want to go to the prom with me?"

She took in his handsome face, still smudged with dirt, and he was looking at her with such open hopefulness…

That she couldn't help but needle him just a little. "Gee, I don't know. This is awfully short notice."

He put a hand to his chest as if she had wounded him and she giggled, "yes, I would love to go to the Prom with you."

He smiled, drawing her into his arms, and before he could respond, she added, "maybe show up in something not covered in dirt though?"

"I'll see what I can do."