A/N: Damn, this story is moving slow compared to what I normally write.

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball Z or anything affiliated with it.

-MalRev

Spectre

10

"None of this happened when I was their age. I was too busy saving the Earth and beating the heck out of people to care about parties. Maybe Chi-Chi's right. The world is a much different place than it used to be. Teenagers just don't have as much responsibility and it shows in how they act. I married Chi-Chi as soon as I turned eighteen and we've been happy ever since. They should all settle down earlier."

Spots appeared in my vision as I groggily opened my eyes and I groaned in pain, shielding them from the light. I heard a hurried apology and the lights in the room went off so I could blink away the black intrusions and finally see what was going on. My head hurt quite a bit. I hadn't felt nearly as awful in a long time, probably since I had the stomach bug as a kid.

A strong arm pressed against my back, helping me sit up in bed. The reek of alcohol was still heavy in my breath. I hadn't been passed out for very long. It was still muddling my thoughts and making it hard to think beyond the basics: where was I and what happened? I winced in pain and slumped forward.

The person laughed and laid me back down on the pillows. My bed creaked as they sat beside me, pulling the covers up to my neck without hesitation. Damn, it was still so hard to see! I was such a lightweight, just another way I fell short around the Saiyans. I hid my face in the covers and hoped I'd pass out again so I didn't have to keep being tortured by my splitting headache.

It was easy to forget why I decided to go drink in the first place. That was a good thing, though. I didn't want to think about daddy and what it would be like seeing him again. I didn't want to think about seeing my mother's emotionless expression as I cried relentlessly. That was too much.

"I told you it was a bad idea but you didn't wanna listen to me." He sighed and I felt big fingers threading through my hair. "No one ever listens to me. Now you'll have to sit here and suffer all night instead of hanging out with Bulla and Pan."

Oh, fantastic. Not only was I still a little drunk but Goku was lying in bed with me, stroking my hair like I was a puppy and trying to teach me a lesson about life. I pushed my face in the pillow and prayed I'd faint again. How embarrassing. He caught me making out with his son and he'd tell my mother and she'd freak out and I'd be grounded until the end of time.

I sniffled pitifully. "Are you gonna tell mom?"

"No, I think this is punishment enough. It's pretty funny. Goten's mad at me but that's nothing new. Anyway, you better get ready for bed since you have school tomorrow morning. We're gonna go see your parents after."

"I can't go to school tomorrow! My head is killing me and I need to know dad is okay."

"Maybe next time you'll listen to me," Goku said. "I warned you that it was a bad idea but you ignored me so now you're gonna deal with the consequences."

Annoyed, I turned over to face him and was startled by how close we were. He was only a few inches away. I could feel the heat emanating from his chest. He grinned at me, oblivious to my growing blush, and I pushed myself back until my spine touched the cold wall. Between a rock and a hard place.

"You should probably go home and see Chi-Chi, right?" I asked.

"Nah, she knows where I am. We already talked about it a lot. Everyone else is sorta busy and your dad trusts me so he wanted me to keep an eye on you for a while. I don't mind but you get into too much trouble. Come to think of it, all of you do. Gohan was the only straight arrow."

Goku scratched his head, not noticing that I wasn't particularly comfortable. I debated saying something and decided it wasn't in my best interest—he was too innocent to understand. It had been so long since I last saw him that I forgot he needed to be treated like a child more so than a grown man. At least I knew his heart was in the right place and he wasn't trying to be creepy or anything.

He kept talking and I watched him with growing interest. My thoughts from earlier came back, demanding to be heard. What if I did initiate something? That wouldn't be too bad. He missed dad as much as I did and mom didn't understand how it felt. We could support one another.

I was already a lonely teenager. Dad being in the hospital made things even worse. Goten didn't actually like me, Bulla was into a different lifestyle, and Pan was always hanging out with her dad or chasing Trunks. I swallowed hard while Goku rambled on. He was already comfortable with me so there were only a few more steps until I could finally feel like someone cared.

My heart was hammering madly in my chest as I shifted in bed. Should I try to seduce him or wait and see if he tried it on me? No, he was married and had been for a long time. He wouldn't do anything stupid that could get him into trouble with his wife. God, was I really going to do it with a married guy? I wondered what it was like being 'the other woman' instead of the focal point.

A quick peck on the cheek would let Goku know what I was thinking. But what if he panicked and ran away? What if he didn't understand? I smiled halfheartedly as he jabbered about hunting the Dragon Balls with dad and formulated a plan of attack. I'd have to move slower. When he was fine with touching and being touched, I could go in for the kill.

Trembling, I reached across the tiny space between us and set my palm against the Saiyan's warm chest. He didn't break a sweat—he kept on talking and effortlessly pulled me flush to his body, continuing to stroke my hair like nothing happened. My mouth was dry. Step one was easier than I thought.

"…So your father was the first best friend I ever had," Goku finished. "Bulma was always kinda mean to me and Yamcha's a lot like Vegeta—he has something to prove."

I remembered seeing Chi-Chi kissing the strange man and the name clicked. It was Yamcha.

Guilt began to weaken my resolve. I was doing the same thing. I was going to hurt a perfectly happy married couple for no good reason. What kind of person did that make me? Dad would be so humiliated and I was taking advantage of a really nice man who just wanted me to be happy. I hadn't been raised to prey on people like some kind of monster.

Lying beside Goku made me feel dirty. He just happily ran his fingers through my hair, blissfully ignorant to my cruel intentions. I was such a bad person. How could I even think of taking him away from his wife? He loved her. He talked about her all the time and… no. It was wrong.

When I tried to slip away, his grip tightened.

"Y'know, come to think of it, I wonder about Yamcha sometimes. He likes hanging out with Chi-Chi. I don't mind because we've all been friends for so long but he's over there an awful lot."

Don't say it. Don't tell him about what you saw. It's none of your business.

"That's weird," I managed.

"Yeah… weird." Goku brushed my hair away from my face and cradled the back of my head, forcing me to look up at him. "You're a nice girl, Marron. You remind me a lot of your dad, but you're not bald and you're pretty."

Neither of us moved. I wasn't going to close the space between us. I wasn't going to throw everything away over a dumb idea I thought of when I was still tipsy. He cocked his head and his eyes flickered down to my lips. I was starting to shake again and I fisted his shirt in my hand.

Goku leaned closer and I closed my eyes, waiting for impact…

"Which is why I have to protect you," he whispered.

I felt his lips touch my forehead gently and he was gone in the next instant. I wanted to scream at him as he waved and left the room without a second glance. His black eyes were taunting me. Was he daring me to come after him or was he trying to let me down easy? When my door shut, I turned face down again to shriek into my pillow.

Protect me?! There was nothing to protect me from! So what if I was like dad? It was all a bag of lies created to tease me. I angrily grabbed my cell phone off the nightstand and texted Goten to ask if he wanted to hang out again. Fine, if Goku was going to reject me I'd have to find comfort in someone else. I couldn't deal with everything by myself. I needed someone to be there.

After tossing and turning in bed for a few minutes, I got up and threw my door open to see if Goku was still hovering around. He was long gone, probably sitting in the kitchen drinking tea. I stalked down the hall to take a quick shower and the pounding in my skull was replaced by my unbridled fury.

He had to be messing with me. He knew what I wanted and was hanging it a few inches in front of my face on a thin piece of string. If I lunged for it, he might let me have it, but there was always the chance that he'd jerk it back a couple more inches. I didn't want to play cat and mouse forever.

What an asshole.