The city was far too noisy for his taste. Having grown up a country bumpkin on a sparsely populated mountainside did not sufficiently prepare him for all the cars, congestion, smog, people or the smells. Worse still was the neverending noise. If he was perfectly honest, he would have been much happier in a smaller town or province just outside the monstrous, metal metropolis. Gods willing, he could learn to adjust to the city from his current residence at Mt. Paozu. He did it to make her happy. One had to make concessions when they were in love. Or thought so, anyways.
There was a growing headache forming behind his eyes from walking around the bustling streets all day. Goten had made a promise to his girlfriend Valese to find an apartment not too far from hers so they could enjoy city life together. For her, he'd make the sacrifice. And, damnit, he was going to find one. Today.
As he perused the ads for roommates and single apartments in downtown West City, more than half the listings were either too expensive or had some questionable stipulations to adhere to. He scratched his head of short black hair coiffed in a forward wave with perturbation at some of the listings.
Goten thought of himself as rather forgiving in nature and tried to look past some of the ads that asked for roommates to live with 'single elderly woman with cockatoo', '5 dudes, 1 shower', or 'religious household looking for one more to add to the flock'. A couple 'looking for discrete roommate-no cops' sounded weirdly promising as he dawdled at the corner of a busy intersection, waiting for the little electric pedestrian man to blink.
It was then he felt a strangely familiar jolt across his mind. A signature energy in a sea of faceless people reverberated like a personalized fingerprint just behind him that he suddenly pivoted on his heel and tilted his head with a soft, surprised grin at seeing a friendly face he hadn't seen in a long while.
Attired in a dark grey sport coat and slacks while carrying an obnoxious amount of pink and white boutique bags, Goten had hardly recognized the man at even the short distance away. It was the light purple hair tied back in a short ponytail, tan complexion and blue eyes that were a dead give away in the crowd. Goten grinned wider and pulsed his ki just high enough, hoping to get the other halfling's attention.
Appearing to have worked, the purple-haired man stopped mid-step in the middle of the sidewalk to look over in a startled daze, forcing people to walk around him with irritated strides.
It was almost unfair for someone to look so striking even when absolutely dumbstruck.
The face that gawked back had wisened somewhat, slightly taller, and filled out in noticeable muscle definition. Goten waved in a gawky fashion while still smiling.
Shaking his head in disbelief, Trunks broke out in a huge toothy grin.
"Holy shit. Hey, man." He said before dropping the bags on the ground and bringing his oldest friend into a one-armed pat. It wasn't lost on the younger demiSaiyan with how breathless he sounded.
Goten returned the hug then pulled back after a moment before placing his hands in the pockets of his dark blue jeans. "Hey yourself. How you been?"
"Doing okay. Busy." He replied, tucking strands of loose lavender hair behind his ears.
As Goten snickered softly, a woman in a white and black a-line dress walked out of the boutique, turned and gasped. Her wide eyes sparkled with excitement and wavy blond hair swished at her quick-paced gait towards the two men.
"Goten!" She cried jovially as she embraced him warmly and more openly than he had with Trunks. "Gods, how are you? I haven't seen you in forever!" She gushed, picking up the abandoned gifts off the sidewalk. Trunks gave an apologetic smile.
"It's been a little bit. How are you, Marron?"
"I'm great! Doing some birthday shopping. Hard to do when I have to drag this guy away from work." She playfully elbowed Trunks in the ribs.
Trunks chuckled in response while rolling his eyes. "What can I say? Capsule is a cruel, demanding mistress."
"Happy birthday, Mar."
"Thanks. What about you? I haven't seen you in… a couple years, I think." She remarked casually.
Goten nodded in solemn agreement as he caught Trunks' smile gradually fade to an almost guilty awareness out of the corner of his eye.
"I'm good. Working a lot. I, uh, work for Mark."
Marron drew her eyebrows together bemused. "Mark Satan?"
"Mhm. As a bodyguard." He pinched his lips together as he restrained a laugh.
Trunks snorted, playfully sardonic. "Champion of the world needs a bodyguard?"
"He's gettin' on in his old age. Videl hooked me up. Pays really well. Honestly, I think she just helped out so that I can entertain the old guy by crushing chairs and tables he doesn't like. He says it's 'remodeling'. Sure." Goten shook his head with a snigger.
Marron giggled. "I'll bet she appreciates her brother-in-law keeping an eye on him."
"I keep him from hurting himself. Threw out his back a couple weeks ago. Played it off as a new muscle building technique in front of the cameras." The two burst out laughing as he teasingly mimicked the poses.
"He'll never change," Marron replied, wiping tears from her eyes.
"Nope. And we are grateful for him taking one for the team. I can't imagine any of our group lovin' the publicity as much as he does."
Marron softly chuckled as she threaded her slim arm around Trunks' bicep and rested her head on him in a habitual gesture.
Goten smiled at the sweet affection. "I see you guys are still dating."
Marron perked up at the mention. "Going on three years. Isn't that right, honey?" She preened.
"If you say so." Trunks teased.
She stuck her tongue out as he kissed the top of her head. "How 'bout you? Dating anyone?"
Goten grinned rather shyly. "Actually, I'm with Valese."
"Valese? From high school?" She gaped.
"Mhm. She's good. We've been dating for… I think a year? Don't ask her. She'll get mad at me for not knowin'." He gave the typical Son response of a sheepish scratch to the back of his head. "She got a job as a magazine editor here in the city. Some social column thing. I don't really know."
His thoughts trailed off and he scrunched his brow. What did she do, exactly? It didn't really matter, he supposed. She was a safe bet. He could see himself loving her more. A good match, as his mother liked to say. Valese was pretty and kind and successful. They got along and he was confident having her on his arm, chestnut brown hair, eyes like golden honey, and legs for days on a body that wouldn't quit.
As he half-listened to Marron chatter about Valese as a teenager, Goten couldn't help noticing Trunks' inquisitive look. The older man appeared to assess him in a way that reminded him of their childhoods. It was as if he was searching for something about Goten that he, most of the time, didn't know about himself. Goten was decent at it when they were younger. That skill came from growing up together and used to be as natural as breathing. Fusion made the unspoken understanding between them easier. I used to know everything about you, Goten ruefully thought.
It was true they hadn't seen each other in a little over three years but Goten honestly hadn't considered just how much distance now existed between them. Or how much that lost time actually hurt. He admitted he missed how close they used to be. He wanted to believe Trunks' ocean eyes said the same thing.
Seemingly out of practice, Trunks smirked genially and dropped his gaze.
Oblivious to the boys, Marron sighed wistfully and clicked her tongue. "That's great about you and Valese, 'Ten. Really. I'm happy for you."
"Thanks. I'm just here for the week scoping apartments. Rent is really high. I haven't found anything really worth mentioning." He shrugged.
"You're looking to live here?" Trunks asked, ears perking up. The gears turned quickly behind his eyes as he blurted, "How 'bout you stay with us?"
Marron let out a light laugh then glanced up at Trunks. She stopped once she realized he wasn't joking and held a look of incredulous disbelief. He appeared to have not noticed.
Unsure, Goten drew his brows together at the displeasure written across her face. "Look, man, I appreciate the offer but I can't. I don't want to invade your privacy."
Wrapping his arm around Marron as she opened her mouth to speak, Trunks interjected, shaking his head at the refusal. "It's cool. Seriously. Marron and I would love it if you crashed with us. I have a big ass empty apartment downtown. Full kitchen. Extra room for shit I don't need." He reasoned.
It sounded amazing. Certainly a lot better than living with a cockatoo or a house full of religious fanatics. Looking over at one of the potential roommates who appeared genuinely uncomfortable, the younger man scrunched his features still unconvinced. Goten wondered if this was just normal behavior for the couple. Certainly working any discussion to his favor was a Trunks move, 100%, while Marron made the minimal effort in trying to argue against him.
As he mulled it over, Trunks made his closing statement. "Goten, do you have a place yet? No? Then, problem? Meet solution. It'll be like getting the gang back together. C'mon, we've spent far too long living separate lives and I think a good portion of it is my fault. You won't get a better offer." He practically sealed the deal with a charming smirk and simpering puppy dog eyes. Typical of the man to sway his proposal so effortlessly. He truly could sell ice in Antarctica with that smile alone.
Seems Marron wasn't immune to him either, Goten noted as she rolled her eyes with a smile.
She sighed, ceding to her boyfriend's bewitching spell as she turned her focus on the younger man. "If you need a place to stay, please stay with us. Really. It's okay with me."
Her reassurance sounded somewhat insincere but Goten had promised himself to find a place by today. It all happened so fast. One minute, he was saying hello to a friend and the next, he was considering moving in with them. Trunks' grinning with his professional salesman smile didn't help. Honestly, if push came to shove, he'd move out and be no worse off than he was then.
With a small shrug, he nodded in resolved agreement. "Alright. I'm down."
How bad could it be.