'I'm so proud of my boys!'

Mom kissed both my father and me on the cheeks. She hurried over to my father to fix his tie, and they did gross couple stuff while I tended to my tie.

Yamcha was somewhere in the house during god knows what; she wasn't good at tying ties.

Neither was I, but I was better than her.

I muttered something about needing to find Trunk and scurried off. They've been very playful with one another my whole life, but I don't remember them being this flirty when I was a boy. Yamcha and I never played with each other, not even the first time we were together. Vegan loved to tease and flirt, even before we started up. Despite her aloof appearance, she was pretty warm with family, mainly Trunks and me.

The warmth died during the tournament's aftermath, and a few weeks later, my relationship with Yamcha began. Vegan found us a bed shortly after it began; she was gone before the hour was gone.

When we were still speaking, she greeted everyone pleasantly and politely, except Yamcha and me. Vegan never talked to Yamcha, too scared to speak to her, but rarely talked to me. Only hello and goodbye, and asking to take Trunks. It went on like that for six months, and I couldn't stand it!

The nerve of her acting as if I trust betrayed her!

I called her on it, and we got into a fight. She had the nerve to call me a lousy human being!

I was a lousy human being?!

She was the one who sold her soul and abandoned her friends and family for power! She was the one who killed innocent people and conquered planets only to be sold to a murderous tyrant! She was the one who was a selfish, rotten piece of shit!

If it weren't for Trunks, I would have never stayed with her this long!

I didn't care if she was Trunks' mother; I didn't even want to know her!

And I told her as much; in fact, I told anyone who would listen that I didn't want anything to do with her; I didn't want to hear about her.

Whenever she was brought up in chitchat, I'd change the subject or leave. No one has talked about Vegan in front of me in 2 years; dad mentioned her wanting a house built, and I said I wasn't going to lift a finger to help her! He didn't mention it again; Trunks doesn't even talk about her. He stopped asking, 'When's mom coming back?' after I blew up at Goku for asking about my relationship with Vegan.

I'm not sure if Trunks has seen her during the last two years; he really doesn't talk to me anymore, not like he used to.

I don't even know if she's still on the planet anymore.

I found Trunks brushing his hair; he, like my father and me, was wearing a black tux and dress shoes. His tie was shit; dammit Yamcha.

'You look great, champ.' I told him. 'Except that tie.'

'So do you, and don't worry about my tie.' He announced. He put down the brush and turned to me. 'It'll be fixed. I have something to tell you.'

'What is it?'

'You might want to sit down.'

Worried, I urged him on. He sighed and said one word, 'Mom.'

I sat down; despite not seeing her in nearly three years, she still weakened my knees.

'Trunks, I don't know where-'

'Mom has been walking me home from school since she left Capsule Corp.'

Last I heard, he was just as angry about the tournament as I was.

What changed?

'What?!'

'She started walking me home since she left; for the first week, it was in silence. Then she started talking, and after a month, I began talking about back.' I sat down and stared at him; he looked away from me. 'I forgave her the tournament long ago.'

'I see.'

'I love her, dad.'

'Of course you do, bud.' I stared at him, stunned. 'Wait, a minute, Trunks-'

'I can't stop loving her.'

'I'm not asking you to, Trunks! Where is this coming from?

'I invited her.'

'You WHAT?!'

'I'm tired of only having a mom on the weekends-'

'Wait, what?!'

'You're either constantly working, hungover, or with Yamcha.' He turned to me but didn't look my way. 'Grandpa and Grandma know.'

'So no one thought to-'

'I was, but you started screaming at Goku. I figured that as long as you didn't have to interact with her, you wouldn't care.'

'I'm your father; you need my permission before you do anything!'

'I didn't realize I needed permission to be with my mother!'

I looked away from him.

'If mom coming is an issue, she and I can stay here.' He said defiantly. 'But I am spending tonight with my mother.'

'No, it's fine. No one cared about what I wanted before-'

'Great!' Trunks said in an absolute voice. 'She'll be here in 20. She didn't want to ruin her dress, so she's getting dressed here.'

'I wait with bated breath.'