Disclaimer: I am far too lazy to come up with quite a complex series such as Dragon ball Z. I don't own it, nor do I wish I owned it, because that sounds like a lot of work...

Summary: 31 drabbles about Goten and Trunks' winter as a couple.

Word count: 1719

Rated M for language, sexual scenes, etc.

Our First December

Drabble #28- Scarves (Revised)

Goten stuffs his cold hands into his pockets as he walks along. The plaza was rather crowded today—damn after Christmas sales—but Goten decided not to let it bother him. He had woken up with a bit of a sour mood, but he had promised Marron he'd buy her a proper birthday gift when he got the money. He didn't want to spoil Marron's mood by his bad one, but he just could help but feel like something wasn't... right.

"Goten!" He hears Trunks exclaim as a hand tugs roughly on the sleeve of his shirt.

He stumbles, hitting his toe on the pole he was about to run face first into. "Ow! What the fuck, Trunks?"

Trunks arches his brow as he releases his grip. "My apologies, but I figured you'd snap at me even more if I let you run into it."

Goten exhales and the frown drops from his face. "I'm sorry. Thanks."

Trunks fixes his scarlet scarf into a more comfortable position and gives him a look. "What's the matter? You've been like this since this morning."

Marron's curious eyes are on him now. Goten sighs, and stuffs his hands back into his pockets. "I don't know, I just feel... off."

"Off?" Trunks and Marron say almost simultaneously.

"Yeah, I... I don't know how to explain it, I'm just... I don't know."

Trunks' eyes are still studying him. Goten nearly squirms under the scrutiny. "Is it because we're here? You normally love the WST plaza."

That was true. Also, with Goten still having mixed emotion about the mall, this was his automatic first destination of choice. But ever since they pulled into the parking lot, he just felt... uneasy.

"Well, let's just run into Hot Topic, and we can leave," Marron offers.

"Eat," Trunks corrects with a frown, rubbing his belly. "My mom decided to skip out on breakfast this morning."

Marron giggled and curled her arm around Goten's. "Alright, we'll leave after we feed Trunks."

"Sounds like a plan," Goten says, as he wraps his free arm around Trunks' shoulders. He bites back his bad attitude and bad feeling, and lets the two of them drag him along.

XXX

A band t-shirt, a quick look through a shoe store, seven sodas, and eight and a half pizzas later, Goten found himself sitting on a picnic table outside. He had complained that it was too damn cold to eat outside, but he really didn't have much of a say against the words of both Marron and Trunks. So, munching on his final slice of pizza, he kept quiet and waited until the two of them finished.

Grabbing his soda, he sucks on the straw until the cup is empty. He wants more though, and he looks on the table for an unfinished one. When he notices one of Trunks' unguarded cups, he almost discreetly reaches out to grab it, when he stops himself. Trunks isn't even paying attention; his head is turned to focus behind him, the slice of pizza in his hand remaining uneaten. His lavender brows are narrowed, but Goten can still see the nervousness in his blue eyes.

"You okay?" he taps Trunks' thigh.

Trunks blinks and whips to look at him. He seems as though he wants to say something, when he shakes his head.

"What's the point?" he mutters almost angrily as he turns away from Goten.

Goten is confused, but Trunks doesn't elaborate. Goten turns to look behind him instead, and lets his eyes sweep over the mass of people.

It doesn't take long to find him. How could it? He's impossible to miss; just sitting there, with the same two little boys next to him. His shaggy dark hair is nearly hidden by his hat, and his slanted, bright green eyes are focused on a cellphone in his hand.

Goten thinks if it's physically possible, his blood might actually be boiling. It's been years since he was ever this angry; not even Cayon made him this mad. He can't think of much at the moment: just that he needs to keep his super saiyan ability under control, and how badly he wants to injure the asshole that choose the wrong day to go shopping.

He swings his legs out from the picnic bench with clenches his fist as he stands to his feet. He suspects that his stomping might be leaving cracks in the concrete, but he doesn't care enough to check. All he cares about is giving a certain someone a piece of mind.

His motion catches Akeno's attention. His bright eyes widen for second and he scrambles to his feet. He crosses his arms over his chest, cocks his knee, and narrows his brows as he approaches.

Goten gets close and grabs the front Akeno's coat in his fist. Green-eyes widen once more in surprise, as he grits out, "Who the hell do you think you are?"

Akeno grabs Goten's wrist, and shoves it away from him. He frowns and tips his head, because he only comes to about Goten's nose. There are a few strangers watching him, and Goten can sense Trunks and Marron coming to stand behind him. "What the fuck is your problem?"

"You know what my fucking problem is," Goten nearly snarls.

Akeno arches his brow. "Is it those pictures? Oh please, Son, grow up."

Goten bares his teeth. "I think I could say the same to you."

Akeno's arms go back to cross over his chest again. "I grew up the day I stepped on a plane and flew to Oxford University. Can't say the same about you, it seems."

"At least I don't stalk people and harrass them on the internet."

There's a glint of amusement in Akeno's eyes. "I wouldn't call it harrassing; I'd call it 'the truth'. I'm just telling it as I see it."

Goten's brow twitches. "Well, you're going to stop, right now."

There's a bored look on his face. "What are you going to do? Tattle on me? How dramatic. I'm not hurting anyone; everyone knows their just a bunch of jokes. Shouldn't you of all people be able handle a bit of crude humor?"

But he is hurting someone, and Goten wants to make that known. He opens his mouth to protest, when Akeno raises his hand to cut him off. "Save it, I already know you're not going to touch me, because if you were, you would have done so by now. I'm not scared of you, and I'm not scared of your slut either. I've got more important things to do with my time than to stand here and have you try to intimidate me. If there's nothing else you've..."

Goten doesn't hear anymore words after that. Akeno is right, because Goten did make a promise a while ago that he wouldn't touch him. Goten's already found a loophole though, which he idly thinks is quite smart of him. In the back of his mind, he knows that Trunks meant not to harm Akeno in any form, but Goten can't find it in himself to care. All he can think about is Trunks yelling at him in his bedroom months ago, Trunks in the hospital telling him of all the awful things that were said to him, Trunks tangled up in houselights with a somber look on his face, Trunks fighting with him in Marron's bedroom, Trunks covered in wrapping paper with apologies on his tongue, Trunks sleeping next to him with Cayon's words in his ear, Trunks being so hurt and Goten unable to do anything to make it right.

He could do something now, though. He couldn't, wouldn't just let this slide. He loved Trunks too much, and his emotions were too hard to fight. His love's wishes be damned.

Goten spins around. Trunks is looking past him with brows narrowed, face furiously red, fist painfully clenched, blue eyes murderous, and mouth moving as though he's going to say something. Goten ignores this, and grabs the end of Trunks' scarf. He yanks the material from his neck, and twists it in the air faster than the untrained eye can see. When the material is twisted tight, he spins back around. Before anyone can hope to stop him, he whips his arm, slapping the tough end of the scarf against Akeno's face with a loud smack.

The green-eyed boy stumbles and cries out, his hand immediately flying to hold his abused cheek. When he moves his hands away, a long, furious brush burn is revealed, nearly bleeding in some spots. Satisfaction washes over Goten like a wave. Not even punching Cayon in the face—twice—felt this good.

Goten turned around to look behind him. Marron's mouth was wide open, and her shoulders shook, like she kind of wants to laugh but also gasp in horror. There were people pointing and staring in awe, but Goten didn't care. Ignoring everything else, he focused on his boyfriend.

Trunks neck was slightly discolored where the scarf used to be, but Goten was certain it wasn't painful. His face was no longer red, and was back to its tan color, but Goten couldn't find it in himself to be joyful about that. Trunks was watching him now: his brows were narrowed, his fists still clenched, his blue eyes unreadable.

Goten doesn't know what to say, so he says nothing, and only stares back at him.

Goten remains quiet as Trunks steps toward him. Their eye contact doesn't break as the scarf is snatched from his grip. Trunks remains there for a second longer, before he turns and walks off. Marron shoots Goten a worried and almost sympathetic look, before she hesitantly follows behind him.

Goten is in trouble—he figured he would be—and he doesn't know how feels about that. He's still so angry, and he can't find it in himself to care that Trunks is upset. Goten doesn't feel like what he'd done was wrong, and if Trunks would just get over himself he would thank him for it.

(He knew Trunks well enough to know that Trunks would never thank him for this, but it's nice to pretend so.)

Goten doesn't look behind him—Akeno might already be gone for all he knows—as he follows after his two companions.

End