A/N: Yeah I had a lot of free time today lolol. I'm already writing the next one. Oh, I got pet rats! They're AWESOME animals. They don't smell nearly as much as most rodents do, which is amazing, and they aren't prone to biting.
Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball Z or anything affiliated with it.
-MalRev
Spectre
06
My nerves were on fire from the moment we took our seats at the restaurant. There was a sheen on sweat on my palms and I kept fidgeting nervously, worried about too many things to keep track of. It all jumbled together in one complicated, tangled mess I would never sort out. Like mom used to say: Saiyans only brought trouble with them and nothing else.
Our arrangements left me sandwiched between Bulla and Goten, which was not a good place to be. Bulla found Pan's and my discomfort extremely amusing—she kept snickering and exchanging glances with Goten throughout the entire ordeal. I felt weird making a guy pay for my food. Was I being greedy? No, he had offered to do it in the first place. There was no harm in that.
My mom was gonna kill me if she found out I was hanging around Goten. He was way older than me and I knew she didn't want me going out with boys. But technically it wasn't a date. Right? We were with everyone else, laughing and talking, so mom didn't need to know. It could be a secret.
I buried my nose in the menu to hide my blush when Goten pressed closer to me. Maybe I was looking too far into it. They could've all been pulling a prank I wasn't understanding. It was would be better for me if I ignored him and whatever he said. I still wouldn't tell mom but I'd save myself a lot of worrying and energy if I just—
One of Goten's hands suddenly slid over my thigh to grip my knee. Startled, I looked up from my menu to see if anyone else was watching and was relieved to see they were all busy. Goten didn't even acknowledge my presence. He used his other hand to stifle a yawn and squeezed my kneecap gently. My skin tingled where he touched it.
I coughed and set down my menu so no one noticed my slight tremble. It was time for me to play it cool. Mom always told me that older men were only interested in one thing and I definitely wasn't going to do that with Goten. The more nonchalant I was, the less encouraging I'd be. He wanted a reaction and I was giving it to him by being all nervous and paranoid.
The waitress came over to take our orders, eyeing Goten and Trunks strangely. When her eyes fell on me, I struggled to say what I wanted to eat. What the hell was wrong with me?! I'd been around guys before; I'd even kissed a few. It shouldn't be so hard for me to be normal.
Goten laughed, rubbing my leg. "Poor Marron is tongue-tied. She'll have the filet mignon and… Coke, I'd imagine. The rest of them all want salad."
Pan immediately snapped out of her frozen state to protest, loudly stating she wanted filet mignon as well. I wasn't listening as Trunks and Bulla placed their orders because Goten's endlessly curious hand had wound around me, pulling my body tightly against his. But it was hard to ignore Trunks's annoyed expression that he drilled into his friend. Apparently he wasn't very happy.
Lunch was oddly tense. I ate my food slowly and Goten's hand finally had to leave my back. Bulla prodded her brother relentlessly, trying to get him closer to Pan, and I made a mental note to never hang out as a group with them again. Just the girls were fine with me. When you factored in older men, everything got ridiculously complicated.
Thankfully, everything was over sooner rather than later. We talked for a while about school and how I was adjusting to my new life, but Goten didn't touch me again. Trunks insisted that it was time for them to leave and Goten unwillingly paid the bill before they left. He grinned at me as he was dragged away.
"You, lucky, lucky, bitch," Bulla said when we were walking back to her car.
The rain had weakened to a drizzle. I peered at her from underneath my umbrella, confused.
"Uncle Goten is a womanizer," Pan said, "so she isn't that lucky. Don't get involved with him, Marron. He did this to Valese and he'll do it to you, even if you are a friend of the family. Dad says he has grandpa's personality but not his morality. Whatever that means."
"I'm really not interested. He's way too old for me. My mom would have a heart attack."
"So? Who said she has to know?" Bulla unlocked her car and we piled in. "This is what being young is all about. Don't hang out with Pan. She doesn't go to parties and I think she's still a virgin. How crazy is that? If you wanna have fun, Marron, you're better off being around Goten and me. Pan and Trunks are great for each other because they're both so irritatingly straight edge."
I laughed as I pulled on my seat belt. "What's wrong with being a virgin? Look, I'm not hooking up with Goten out of the blue. Like Pan said, he's a womanizer and I don't want to lose my v-card that way."
"He's great in bed," Bulla continued, ignoring me. "Really great. Almost perfect. Plus, he and Trunks have so much money from Capsule Corp— "
Pan spluttered angrily. "Money is not a reason to… oh god, why do I bother?!"
It was always uncomfortable hearing about other people's sexual exploits. I shivered and stared out the window again as Bulla began going into graphic detail about Goten, angering Pan even more. No, I'd save myself the drama and hysterics and wait for a nice boy my own age to ask me out.
We arrived back at my house and I thanked the girls for the day out. Bulla insisted that we go to a party soon to celebrate my first day back to school and Pan quickly shot her down, quoting her father yet again. I giggled and stepped out of the car, waving as they took off down the street. It was hilarious watching them argue all the time. They were like an old married couple.
I went inside and called for my parents again, shutting and locking the door behind me. There was no reply. Confused, I walked through the entire place again to make sure I wasn't missing them and once again turned up with nothing. As I considered calling Bulla and Pan to have them help me look, the doorbell rang. I sent a text out to Bulla anyway and headed over to open it without a second thought.
It was literally the last person I expected.
Goku had his hands jammed in his pockets and a weak smile was plastered to his face. I cocked my head curiously until I realized I was rudely leaving him outside. He thanked me as he entered the house, shaking water from his hair and straightening up a bit. His black eyes looked somber.
I tried to be friendly. "What brings you here? I've been looking for my parents all day. I'm not sure where they went this morning and from what I can tell, they never read my note."
"They were just out for um… a walk today. Your mother wanted me to come home and check on you but I guess you've been doing fine. She worries a lot."
"It's just in her nature. Are you hungry? I just had dinner with Goten and everyone but if you want something I'd be happy to make it for you." I smiled. It was good to know my parents were safe.
"You went out with Goten?" Goku asked, following me into the kitchen. "Why? I mean, he's my son and I accept all his faults but… why? Even Chi-Chi isn't afraid to admit that he's sort of a jerk to girls. I'm not sure why. I always taught the boys to respect them growing up."
Chi-Chi.
The image of her with the strange man flashed before me. I shook my head, struggling to forget it before I said something I'd regret. No, that was none of my business. It was bad enough that I was becoming slightly involved with Goten. Getting mixed up in adult problems was even worse, especially if there was marriage and houses and money involved. Ew. That was way too much.
I stretched my smile even more as Goku sat down at the table and rummaged through the freezer. If I stuffed some food down his throat he'd shut up and stop asking questions. No, of course I wasn't dating his son. What did I look like, a moron? Goten would, to put it bluntly, throw me away like yesterday's trash. He wasn't interested in a girl my age for anything worthwhile.
Goku raised an eyebrow. "What, do you not even know why you're dating him?"
"I'm not," I said. "He's too old for me and Pan already let me in on what he's like. Don't worry, Goku, I was literally raised by a paranoid android. She would never let me do something that stupid."
He laughed and watched me take a bunch of things out of the freezer. "I guess you're right. It's in the nature of a parent to worry about kids, even if they aren't theirs. I worry about Bulla all the time and Vegeta won't let me within a mile radius of her. We all know she gets into trouble, though."
"No, not Bulla!" I exclaimed, pretending to be shocked.
"I know it's hard to believe. She's a bit of a spoiled brat, but I don't have room to talk. Goten turned out the same way just… different. D'you want some help?"
"Nope, I'm fine. I'm used to making dinner for myself since dad doesn't know his way around a kitchen and mom is always—"
Saiyans only brought trouble.
I had turned the stove on at some point and set my palm down directly on the red hot broiler without noticing the extreme heat. Instead of screaming outright, I bit down harshly on my lower lip and leapt backwards, tearing some flesh off my hand as I ripped it off the broiler. The chair clattered to the floor when I couldn't hold in a shriek of agony and Goku was suddenly behind me, holding me still against the cupboards so he could force my hand under cold water. I screamed in pain and struggled but he held down my other hand and kept me from escaping.
Of course more bad things were happening to me. That had been my luck lately.
The burning faded away, replaced by painful pulsations that made the wound feel even worse. My skin was raw and bloody. It might have been a third degree burn which meant I'd lose the sensation in my palm. I burst into tears and Goku carefully wrapped my hand up in a damp towel, grunting in surprise when I spun around and hugged him tightly.
"Why is everything bad happening to me?" I wailed, drenching his shirt in tears. "Why can't I catch a break no matter how hard I try?!"
Goku awkwardly rubbed the back of his head. "Um… well, uh… Marron, y'see… it's just… um…"
"First I have to move here, then my parents are acting weird, I get bit by a huge spider and almost die, I have to go to a new school, Goten is all over me, and now I have a burn because I wasn't paying attention when I was trying to be nice and make you food!"
"Well sometimes things happen and—"
I buried my face closer to his chest, crying so hard I couldn't breathe. He was warm and he smelled good, like earth and springtime. Goku turned to shut off the broiler and nervously waited for me to stop sobbing. I knew it was making him uncomfortable but I didn't really care. My entire life was making me uncomfortable but I forced to put up with it.
The Saiyan eventually realized I wasn't going to let go and very carefully picked me up off the floor to carry me upstairs. He checked a few rooms until he found mine, nudging it open with his foot and gently setting me on my bed. But I still held on around his neck and he was forced to bend over me.
Goku swallowed hard and untied my fingers, examining my burnt hand while I sniffled and hiccupped my way back to coherency. It looked bad. My flesh was peeling off. I probably needed to go see a doctor and get a skin graft, if that was even possible at this point. He frowned at the burn.
"I'm gonna get you a senzu bean from the Lookout. Wait here and I'll be right back."
Before I could say anything, he was gone.