"You son of a bitch!"
Goten heard it coming before he even knew anyone was behind him. As he turned his head towards the sound, something hard and blunt smashed into his nose with enough force to knock him back and onto his ass. Stars exploded behind his vision, and a sickening crunch sounded throughout his skull.
"Ow! What the fuck!?" The pain brought tears to his eyes, and he tasted a splatter of blood in his mouth. Finally, when the flashing light subsided, Trunks came into view, his fists clenched and his jaw tightened in what appeared to Gohan to be misdirected anger.
"Trunks? What the fuck?! You broke my nose!"
"You're lucky I didn't break your neck! You knocked up my sister, asshole!"
Ears ringing from the pain, Goten slumped forward onto his hands and knees. Blood dripped from his destroyed nose to the grass below. He glanced up then, his ears ringing from the pain. He saw the fist before it connected this time, and turned his head to soften the blow. Trunks hit him again, this time in the jaw, hard enough to rattle Goten's teeth in his skull. The taste of blood filled his mouth again, and when he looked up this time, Trunks still hadn't moved.
"Trunks, what? Bulla's-?"
"Do you have any idea what is going on at my house, Goten? My mother is crying, my sister's a wreck, and you had better fucking pray my dad doesn't find out it was you! "
Goten sighed, feeling his shame bubbling inside of him. He felt a jolt to the pit of his stomach and jumped to his feet.
"Wait...how do you know it was me?"
Trunks' eyes narrowed, and he cocked his fist back again, "are you calling my sister a whore?! Because I swear-"
Goten waved his arms around in exasperation. He felt his world coming apart around him, and panic drove him. "No! No, that's not what I'm saying! Trunks, how do you know it was me, but Vegeta doesn't?"
Trunks shrugged, his fist falling to his side. He lowered his guard, and Goten could feel his friend softening. "She told me. My dad keeps trying to get her to tell him who did it, but she won't." Carefully, Goten wiped his sleeve across his nose, wincing at the pain. One crisis averted at least, he hung his head.
"Bulla is...pregnant? "
Trunks suddenly looked concerned. "Yeah...she's freaking out, and she's a wreck. You didn't know?"
Slowly, almost afraid of Trunks' reaction, Goten shook his head.
The gravity of such a situation crashed down upon him hard. All he could think about was the situation that had gotten him into this in the first place. A sudden realization came over him, and he paled.
"Trunks, who else knows?"
Trunks shrugged. "That it was you? Just me and Bulla, she told me in private. That she's pregnant? Just us and my folks. Why?"
Goten's mind worked quickly, quicker than it had before. He felt rushed and driven. He needed to get to his father before Vegeta did.
"I have to go Trunks. I'll come over and talk to her later, okay?"
Trunks shook his head in disagreement, "Not a good idea, man. My dad's on a rampage."
Goten nodded.
Goten thought for a second. Everything had turned upside down. Trunks was looking at him expectantly, but he had no idea what to say. A thought struck him, and his brows came together in confusion. "Why didn't she tell me?"
Trunks shrugged, his face holding a look of more or less indifference. Goten looked away, in the direction of home. "I'll see ya later Trunks. I've gotta go talk to my dad."
Goten threw the door open, his nose caked with dried blood. He lowered his eyes, glancing around the room, searching for any sign of his mother. He heard her voice then, off in the kitchen, sounding excited and anything but happy. He neither saw nor heard anyone else, and concluded she must be on the phone. Quietly, as not to alert her to his presence, Goten snuck past the kitchen into the bathroom. He flipped the light on, and the sight that greeted him in the mirror could have been straight out of a horror show. The bridge of his nose was split, shadowed around the edges by brilliant shades of black, blue and purple. A knot the size of an egg stood out across his jaw line, also sporting a rainbow of colors beneath the flesh. His upper lip and chin were a ghastly sight of dried and drying blood. Sighing, Goten reached for a towel.
Gingerly, he wiped the blood from his face, his mind a tangled web of thoughts and worries. This all seemed like a very odd, very painful dream. He hissed. His entire face was sore and tender to the touch. Trunks had really given it to him, and if truth be told, who could blame him? Trunks words echoed in his brain and Goten stopped, staring straight ahead. Vegeta. Bulla refused to tell him about what had happened, but why? Was she afraid for herself, or for Goku? Even more, she didn't tell him about Goten. Why would she protect him at this point? Goten threw the towel, smeared red and Brown, to the floor below him. Everything was suddenly a huge mess. Flipping the light off with more force than necessary, Goten yanked the door open. He heard the low rumble of his father's voice, and followed it in the direction of the back of the house. Through a window, he peered out to find his father and brother. Pan and Videl were nowhere to be seen, which Goten was grateful for. Throwing the back door open, Goten stepped into the light.
The bright unforgiving sunlight bore down, piercing his already throbbing skull. As Goten approaches, Goku looked around at his youngest son, his cheerful grin falling into a frown of confusion.
"Goten! What happened to you? You look like hell"
Suddenly, Goten felt irritation nagging inside or him, swimming through him like a demon in hellfire.
"Trunks punched me in the face! "
Goku flashed a glance of surprise over his shoulder at Gohan, who returned it.
"Geez Goten, he really clocked you good!" Gohans voice barely hid a chuckle.
Goten rounded on his older brother, his anger washing over him like a tidal wave.
"No shit Gohan!"
Goku stood then, taking a closer look. "Wow, no kidding."
With a less than affectionate look in his father a direction, Goten smirked at his older brother.
"Yeah...so here's the thing. He wasn't kidding." The older saiyan pair exchanged a look, but said nothing.
"Yeah. So...Bulla's pregnant"
Goku gasped, his face suddenly awash with a look of fear. Gohan turned away, looking both surprised and sick all at once. Goten crossed his arms, his growing annoyance taking up residence in the front of his troubled mind.
"Oh Goten...I'm sorry, son. Trunks was really mad though, huh?"
Finally, the balloon growing inside of his chest burst, and Goten felt his heart begin to pound.
"Yeah? What am I going to do? If Vegeta finds out, do you have any idea what he will do? "
Gohan looked towards his younger sibling, "So Trunks knows it was you? Did Bulla tell him...anything else?"
Goten turned away before his anger could reach the surface. He should have known better than to expect his father or his brother to be of any help.
"She didn't say anything about you two as far as I know. "
Goku looked towards the house just as the back door opened. ChiChi pokes her head out, looking flushed.
"Goku! I need you to drive me to see Bulma! "
Goku nodded, but turned his attention back to his son. Goten turned away, making his way towards the house.
"Goten, wait!" Gohan shouted urgently.
He stopped, looking back at his brother. Looking nervous, Gohan looked towards his father.
Shaking his head, Goten turned away. He knew without needing to even hear the words what was on his brother's mind.
"No, Gohan...I'm not going to tell anyone." Goten spoke as he rolled his eyes before pivoting on one foot to continue his ascent to the backdoor. Brushing past his mother who was now hanging out the backdoor waiting on his father, Goten made his way towards his room.
'I am so screwed. I really hope Vegeta doesn't find out…' Goten thought to himself as he reached for the doorknob to his bedroom.
"Goten, wait!" ChiChi turned around, looking at her son lovingly. "Trunks' family is having a very difficult time right now Goten." She spoke in the sweetest, most matter-of-fact manner.
Goten chuckled a bit under his breath, low enough so his mother couldn't hear. 'If only she knew,' he thought to himself. "Mom, I really don't think I'm the person Trunks wants to see right now." Goten mumbled, turning around to face his mother.
"Oh my god! Goten!" ChiChi exclaimed, rushing over to him. "What on earth happened to your face?" She lightly brushed her hand over his now rugged, torn face.
Goten grimaced as his mother touched his bruised and broken nose. Looking away Goten spoke quietly. "Oh, it's nothing…" He trailed off, grasping for a plausible excuse. "I was just training earlier and I wasn't paying attention." He stammered a bit, forming his excuse as he spoke. "I was running full speed doing agility training and I looked behind me for a second." Goten's lips curled into a painful smile. "Well, when I turned around BAM! I ran straight into a tree!" He chuckled a bit as he brought his hand up to scratch the back of his head, a signature gesture of his father. "Guess I should probably work a little more on my agility, huh?"
ChiChi gave her youngest son a disappointed frown. "I think so son." She turned Goten's face into the light to get a better look at his injuries. "But not until AFTER this heals, understand?!" She questioned in a stern motherly voice.
"Now go grab you're jacket. I think Trunks would be very happy to visit with you right now. I know how close you two are," She started. "After all, you're so close in age and you have practically grown up together. You should be there for him!" She lightly tousled the young saiyan's hair before gently prodding him in the direction of his jacket.
Goten sighed, 'Guess I don't have a choice.' He thought to himself as he grabbed his jacket, slowly fitting his arms into the sleeves and pulling it over his back.
