Chapter Three: House Visit
Chi Chi and Graphite had been dating for a couple of months much to the annoyance of the two older boys. Goten liked Graphite and not knowing his father didn't know any different, he like his mummy's new friend. As soon as Chi Chi landed her jet after a date with Graphite, Gohan knew that Graphite had proposed and that she'd said yes. He didn't need to hear it from her or see the ring on her finger to know that is what had happened, her body language said it all.
"He asked me to marry him," Chi Chi giggled like a young school girl.
"What does that mean?" Goten asked slightly confused.
"What about dad?" Gohan asked ignoring his brother's question. Gohan knew he should be happy for his mother. Graphite was a nice guy, but the childish part of him didn't want to let go of his father.
"I still love your father," Chi Chi replied. "I always will, but I'm not going to put my life on hold any longer just because there is a slim chance he might come back." His mother's tone he knew they wouldn't be discussing this any further ... for the time being.
Chi Chi took Gotens hand and took him to the next room to explain marriage to her youngest son without the interference of her eldest son. Leaving Gohan alone to cool down. It was all happening too fast for Gohan. He didn't know that they'd got so serious so quickly. He hadn't been expecting a proposal yet and didn't want to think about what else his mother and Sharpener's father had been up to.
DBZ
The next day at school Gohan could tell that Sharpener was just as upset by the news as he was.
"Your moods are so in sync at the moment, are you two secretly dating?" Erasa asked the two boys, teasing the pair. "And here I thought you both liked Videl unless you're thinking of going the threesome route."
"Erasa, that's not what's going on." Sharpener protested. "Though I would do a threesome with you and Videl. Would not do a threesome with another male."
"Erasa how could you even suggest something like that!" Videl whined to her best friend before turning to the boy she'd been friends for too many years.
And never going to happen Sharpener,"
"What's going on with you two?" Erasa asked ignoring the furious Videl trying to get to the bottom of Gohan and Sharpener's mood.
"I'll explain later," Sharpener answered his friend with a heavy sigh that said he didn't actually want to explain.
"I don't want to talk about it," Gohan responded, not saying another word to any of his friends during school that day. Going as far as sitting at the front of the classroom to avoid Erasa in class.
The day had gone all too fast, Videl had been called off on more police work, Gohan had gone to help as Saiyan Man and had returned to school wanting to talk to Sharpener. He quickly found his friend who was walking through the halls with Erasa. Both walked past Gohan and Erasa didn't even notice the Son boy. The blond girl of their small group was pestering Sharpener wanting to know what was going on. In the moments she was distracted by another friend Gohan got Sharpener's attention, and both boys made there out the school, walking in the direction towards Sharpener's home.
"They're getting married," Sharpener sighed once it was just the two of them.
Gohan nodded, not trusting himself to speak. He still didn't know how to process the information.
"Nothing I could say could change my father's mind." Sharpener continued talking for a while about why he didn't like his father moving on so fast.
"I couldn't change mums either, and Goten is so excited." Gohan sighed, finally talking his mind. "Mum told me that she wasn't replacing dad and a long speech about how she was ready to move on."
"My dad gave a similar speech about my mum. Dad said that we're going out to your place this weekend apparently to get to meet each other properly."
"And next weekend will be at your place. My mum told us both. Gotens looking forward to meeting you and your dad at our house. I believe my younger brother had already seen your father a few times.
"When do you think the wedding will be?"
Gohan stopped walking. He hadn't considered there would be an actual wedding because they were now engaged. "I hope it's not anytime soon. I want to stop this, but I know that my mum will be upset if I do anything about it. My mother can be scary and if she knew that I was interfering." Gohan shuddered glaring or Sharpener. "Oh, and if your father hurts my mother or brother in any way, I will kill him."
Sharpener froze for a moment, Gohan was so serious when he made the threat to kill his father. It was a side to his friend that he'd never seen before, and he didn't think either of the girls had seen it either, but it was something he could understand if Gohan's mother hurt his father at all he'd want to kill her too. His father was all that he had left. The difference was, for the first time ever he believed that Gohan would do it.
"I'll see you at school tomorrow." The class nerd said lightheartedly like he'd never threatened to kill anyone.
Sharpener watched as Gohan looked back at him, running into the distance, disappearing into the crowd. They were going to find out a lot about each, a lot more than either of them were willing to share.
DBZ
It seemed like the school week went so slow and dragged on but at the same time, it went so fast. So far neither of the girls had been able to get out of Gohan or Sharpener what was going on, and that was frustrating them.
"Do you want to go to the movies tomorrow?" Erasa asked her three friends. She was expecting a maybe from Videl, a yes from Sharpener because he always went to the movies with her and a no from Gohan with an excuse of how he lived so far away.
"If my police work doesn't interfere with the movie session," Videl replied precisely what Erasa was expecting.
Gohan replied, "My mum's made plans for this weekend, I can't get out of it." A no but it was a different no then Erasa had been expecting.
"I can't go either, I've got plans as well," Sharpener responded.
"If you have a date we can meet up afterwards," Erasa pouted. That was usually the only reason Sharpener said no and it was someone he wasn't yet willing to tell her about. If it were baseball or martial arts training, he would have told her.
"I don't have a date this weekend, my dad made me cancel it," Sharpener pouted. "I can't believe dad made me cancel a date, he never makes me cancel a date. Look, I'll tell you about it later because I really don't want to talk about it now."
"You've been saying that all week!" Erasa complained. "I want to know what's going on."
Videl was trying to decide if she was going to be nosey about the matter, she was extremely curious, but she felt she'd got to the point of pushing the two boys away. Gohan was already sitting in different spots to avoid her. "Is there something we should be concerned about?"
"No, it's nothing to be concerned about," Gohan sighed. "Can you please just drop it?"
"Wait here a minute," Sharpener told the girls as he dragged Gohan with him to just around the corner where the girls couldn't hear them.
"I don't want to tell them, but I think we should," Sharpener whispered. "I've known Erasa and Videl for years, they aren't going to let up."
"I don't want to, admitting it to them is going to make it more real than it already is," Gohan replied in a whisper looking out the corner to make sure the girls weren't trying to eavesdrop.
"I know, but we're going to have to tell them because things aren't cooling off between our parents, dad has done nothing but talk about your mother," Sharpener argued.
"I know," Gohan sighed. "Let's just get this over and done with."
DBZ
"You don't think they're really dating?" Videl asked, wondering if what Erasa had been saying the last week was really true. She was trying to listen to the whispers but heard nothing.
"I don't know they look serious," Erasa replied, with concern. Gohan had said that they didn't need to be concerned she wasn't sure if she believed him. "I don't think they're dating. Do you think Sharpener is in trouble and Gohan's trying to help."
They waited anxiously for the boys to return. Videl started making plans for if they ran instead of telling them what was going on.
"So you're ready to tell us?" Erasa asked when they finally both appeared.
"No," Gohan answer confidently instead of pulling away nervously like he normally did. "But we'll tell you since you're our friends."
"Oh man, you really are dating" Erasa giggled.
"We are not dating, but our parents are" Sharpener replied.
"They have been ever since the parent day," Gohan said before the girls could respond.
"And last weekend they got engaged." Sharpener continued. "So we're going to be step-siblings who knows when they haven't told us if they have a date set."
"And we will be spending the whole of this weekend and next weekend together to get to know one another better before they get married," Gohan added. "This weekend is at my home and next weekend at Sharpeners."
Videl stood in silence, she wondered what it would be like if her father actually found someone and remarried. It had been just the two of them and a house full of servants since her mother walked out on them. Erasa, on the other hand, was excited.
DBZ
Friday afternoon was spent making sure the house and the yard were spotless despite the fact the house was already immaculate with a lecture about not using superpowers. Saturday Chi Chi spent the morning preparing lunch, one thing Gohan was glad of was that his mother hadn't taken down any pictures of his father, they were still hanging on the wall where they had always been, and he was hoping that was where they were going to stay. Sharpener and his father arrived around eleven am right on time.
"Hello Mr Graphite," Goten called out excitedly when their mother's boyfriend arrived.
"If I knew everyone was going to be dressed so formal Sharpener and I would've worn something else." Graphite laughed, he and Sharpener where both wearing muscles shirts and jeans while the Son family were all wearing Chinese styled clothing.
Gohan looked at his clothes wondering what was wrong with them, they were what he wore when she wasn't at school or doing martial arts practice or outdoors jobs.
"You both look fine," Chi Chi replied and greeted Graphite with a kiss on the cheek.
That one kiss on the cheek was more affection then what his mother had ever shown to his father in front of Gohan growing up.
Chi Chi finished getting dinner ready, and the two older boys sat in silence at the dinner table while they sat and ate lunch.
"So what type of job do you want to be when you finish school Gohan?" Graphite asked in an attempt to get Gohan to join the conversation.
"A Doctor or a scientist," Gohan replied, he was trying to eat at reasonable human pace, while his little brother wolfed his food down as usual.
"If you work hard I'm sure you will be able to do it."
"Gohan will be able to do that without working hard. He was number one on the National exams recently," Sharpener replied. "Where I didn't even rank."
"You were number one, that's impressive," Graphite praised him. "Not that I'm not proud of you Sharpener, you did better than I did when I did that exam."
"So what do you want to be Sharpener?" Chi Chi asked her potential stepson.
"I would like to be a professional baseball player like dad was. I have a mechanic as my backup plan. but if that's not successful I would like to be a mechanic."
"It's always good to have a realistic backup plan," Chi Chi agreed. "But that doesn't mean that you don't put effort into what you want to do."
"That boys always been pulling things apart and putting them back together, wanting to know how they work," Graphite laughed telling Chi Chi and the Son boys about the time Sharpener had pulled apart his grandmothers exercise bike to find out how it all worked.
"At seven years old has the exercise bike in pieces all over the lounge room and when he had finished putting it back together had three spare parts, never did work out what they were for, but my mother claimed that the exercise bike worked better after Sharpener pulled it apart."
Both the older boys blushed in embarrassment of the things that they had done when younger and shared with the other family.
"When Gohan was eleven he fixed the television after it was broken into pieces." Chi Chi said without explaining how it was broken in the first place.
"So you pulled the tv apart?" Graphite asked.
"No mum broke it when the Cell games footage cut out. I also had to fix the wall she threw the television at." Gohan replied as if it was nothing. "I grew up around scientists. Bulma and grandpa Briefs taught me a lot about electronics over the years." Gohan added when he saw the surprised look on Graphites and Sharpener's face.
"Think they can teach Sharpener a thing or two about electronics?" Graphite asked.
"Sure," Gohan smiled. The day was not turning out as bad as Gohan and Sharpener had imagined.
As they spoke more about what they'd both build over the years.
DBZ
It was late, and both older boys had started wondering about the sleeping arrangements since nothing had been discussed yet, Goten had already gone to bed and fallen asleep, Chi Chi and Graphite where out looking at the stars and Gohan and Sharpener where playing a video game together.
"Do you think that they will share a room?" Sharpener asked as he managed to catch Gohan off guard and shoot his character while he was distracted.
"I hope not, but we only have one spare room and mum hasn't said anything about sleeping arrangements." Gohan recovered quickly and managed to track Sharpener down in game and shoot the other boy a couple of times. "The thought of another man being in my parent's room is rather disturbing."
Sharpener nodded in agreement, he knew his father had been with a couple of other women over the years but no-one ever serious enough to spend the night and especially not in his parents' bedroom.
The boys played for another hour before Graphite and Chi Chi came back in. Sharpener managed to beat Gohan at the game which he was happy about since it was the only thing he'd managed to beat Gohan at so far.
"I think it's time that we all head to bed," Chi Chi announced. "Graphite will be sleeping in the spare bedroom, Sharpener your welcome to sleep in the spare room with your father or in the room with Gohan."
"I'll share with Gohan if that's not going to be a problem." Sharpener answered. His father snored, and honestly, he couldn't stand to be in the same room as his father when he was snoring.
"I'm glad there in different rooms" Sharpener yawned, realising how tired stressing about the possibility of his father and Chi Chi sharing a room had tired him out. Gohan nodded while he helped set up the mattress in his bedroom for his friend and future stepbrother.
"They'll be sharing a room when they get married," Gohan pointed out.
"Where do you think we will live when we get married?" Sharpener asked.
"I'm not moving," Gohan replied. "I'm staying here. I don't want your dad moving in. Maybe they'll get a new house together?"
Gohan rolled over, facing the wall. Sharpener sighed, he wouldn't get any more conversation out of Gohan.
DBZ
In the morning when Sharpener woke up he found that Gohan wasn't in the room, he got dress and made his way downstairs seeing his friend just outside chopping firewood. He was under the impression from the class nerd constantly being late for class that he liked his sleep-ins, but it seemed he was mistaken. All three Son members were up and dressed, Chi Chi preparing breakfast and Goten working on homework. His father was nowhere in sight, but Sharpener knew it wouldn't be much longer till his father was up as well.
The day had gone well. Gohan helped him with homework, they spoke about school and the two girls and what they'd think when they found out what was going on.
"This is the first time I've had a friend stay over," Gohan admitted.
"Why not, your mother wouldn't let them stay?" Sharpener asked.
"I'm sure she would let my friends stay if I had any friends to invite over. My only friend my own age, before starting school is Dende, and he's not really in a position to stay over. He lived too far away when we were younger, and now he has responsibilities that he can't step away from, even for one night. I really should visit Dende again sometime soon, it's been a while."
Living as remote as he did Sharpener could understand why he didn't have any other friends besides this Dende person. He was curious to know what type of person Dende was that he'd befriended Gohan in a long distance friendship by the sounds of it and the heir of his family business, or kingdom or maybe his parents were gone, and he was trying to support younger siblings?
He watched Gohan finish chores around the house. Work on assignments. Helping his mother. He was always doing something and wasn't still for more than 5 minutes. Goten was a ball or energy, and Sharpener didn't know where the young boy got all the energy from. The Son family was very different than his own family, and yet, he and his father still seemed to fit in despite their differences. Chi Chi seemed to make his father happy.
