Disclaimer: I Do Not Own DBZ or Any of Its Characters

Crush

By: Nova Starlight

7th Period: Stood On My Roof And Tried To See You Forgetting About Me

It had been a few weeks since Trunks had made his promise to himself to be more understanding of Goten's new friendship with Ryoki. It had started out well, when he asked Goten to hang out and he said he had plans, he had not pressed him for answers. At the time he had expected that at some point, he would ask him and he would be free. After weeks of asking and being rebuffed every time, his patience was wearing thin. It seemed that Goten had become his own little obsession. Every day, he tried to be by his side as much as possible, glad for the times when they were in class alone; though they could not really talk much. During lunch, Ryoki and Miki were both constant presences at their table. Then every afternoon, he sat there on the bleachers watching Goten practice.

On the weekends, he would sit in his room for hours on end wandering what to do to occupy his time. At least once he would call the Son household only to be told that Goten was out with his new friend Ryoki. His response was always the same; an anger that he could barely control. It was times like this that he understood the temptation to lock oneself in the Gravity Chamber and train until they could not move or think. He knew that if this continued he would snap and say something, but what he was unsure. He knew that he really did not have a claim on Goten's time, and he should not be this upset, but that did not change his response to being rebuffed.

Goten was having issues of his own with the current situation. He hated turning down Trunks every time he asked to spend time together, but he had never thought it would go on as long as it had. Whenever Trunks would ask to spend time with him, he thought to himself, "Why isn't he with Miki?" Despite wondering this, he never asked the question; too afraid of the answer. He would just look remorseful and say that he had plans. Every time he reassured himself that Trunks would surely be dating Miki in no time, that this would be the last time he would ask. Then he would be surprised all over again the next time that Trunks approached him.

For the most part when he was with Ryoki it was relaxed and comfortable. When they were together he could almost forget about his feelings for Trunks. Of course, it did not hurt that they would usually end up alone somewhere kissing and groping each other over their clothes. Ryoki had tried a few times to unzip his pants or make his way underneath his shirt, but he would push him away every time. To be honest, the reason was not guilt or a loyalty to his feelings for Trunks but a fear and uncertainty about what came next. So every evening he returned home, disguising an erection and rushing to his room to obtain his release. Although every day passed much the same way, he could not help but feel that it was all building to something. As he stared out his window at the night sky, he wondered what the next day would bring.

The next morning, Goten found himself groaning as he reached out to shut off his alarm clock. His premonition about the day ahead, had left him unable to fall into a deep sleep; waking every hour or so to curse his alarm clock. He quickly gathered his books and dressed for school, not wanting to be late. When he finished, he rushed down the stairs and was almost out the door when he realized that Trunks was sitting at his kitchen table. He nearly slammed into the wall as he stopped himself.

"Good Morning!" Trunks called out with a smile. Trunks did not give him a chance to say anything before he commented. "I'm here to pick you up. It seems like its been ages since we got any time together, so I thought we could go to school together." He winced a little at the statement. Leave it to Trunks to cut right to the chase, while still being subtle. He guessed there was no avoiding him, no possible excuse for not being able to go to school with him.

"Sounds great," he replied with a beaming smile, hoping that it did not appear forced. As he got into the hover car with Trunks, he sighed inwardly. His feeling that this was going to be a long day was growing stronger by the second.

At school, Goten was not surprised to see Ryoki standing by the entrance to the school, But judging by the expression on his face, Ryoki was surprised to see him arriving in Trunks' car. It did not help matters that Trunks stayed glued to his side as he went to his locker and gathered his books for homeroom. It seemed he was intent on not letting Ryoki get a word in edgewise. He wanted to say something but somehow it felt as if he would be the one being rude. Maybe it was the charming way that Trunks seemed to be just obvious enough to what he was doing without being brusque. As they walked towards the classroom, he had managed to turn to Ryoki and give a shrug of his shoulders and a questioning expression.

Trunks attentiveness continued even in class. He was constantly passing him notes, usually with just simple questions, "What have you been up to?" or "How is your Lit essay coming along?" They were casual questions that showed just how long it had been since they had really talked. The guilt and pain in his heart was back. It seemed there was nothing he could do to take away the pain of being in love with his best friend. It hurt to be close to him, and it hurt to be distant; what was the solution?

By the time lunch period rolled around, Goten had become lost in his thoughts. He barely looked up when Ryoki and Miki approached their table and took what had become their usual seats. "What's wrong?" Ryoki asked in a hushed voice.

"Oh…uh…nothing," he responded, breaking free of his reverie. "I was just thinking about something."

Ryoki's gaze darted over to Trunks who stared right back at him. When he looked back to Goten, his head was bowed and he was just playing with the food on his tray. It was easy for anyone to see that something had changed, something was happening. It was even easier for him to see how it was affecting Goten; because he had been watching him from afar for years. Suddenly, it hit him like a ton of bricks. Briefs new possessive attitude, Goten's guilt, it all made sense. Trunks was in love with Goten. No normal friend, childhood buddy or not, would have become this possessive of their friend. He wondered if he even realized it himself. Obviously he had not told Goten yet, or Goten would be ecstatic. He could feel the overwhelming sadness at the realization that if Briefs pulled his head out of his ass and realized the truth, he would lose any chance he had with Goten.

He supposed that he should back off and allow the two of them to get together, but it hurt to just give up. He could give his one last shot at Goten's heart, and if he was rejected again, that would be the end of it. Thinking about being rejected, increased the pain in his heart. He knew that given the way he was feeling, that if Goten refused him, that would be the end of their friendship as well. It would be his only course of self preservation. He did not know how Goten had been able to keep it up this long, being friends with the object of his affection, watching him date and kiss other people, knowing he would never have a chance. Well for now, Ryoki had a chance and he was not going to give up just yet.

After lunch, Trunks grabbed Goten's arm and pulled him back towards their classroom. Ryoki could not help but grit his teeth in frustration as he watched them walk away. Goten never turned back, but Trunks did. Trunks flashed his own arrogant little smirk and it caught him by surprise. So, it was a fight was it? Ryoki had never lost at anything, and if it was at all possible, he would win Goten's heart as well.

He did not see Goten again until that afternoon when he arrived for practice. He barely managed to stop himself from grumbling that he was surprised Briefs had let him off his leash long enough to attend. The bane of his existence, was seated there in the bleachers watching. He still had that same little smile on his face and Ryoki could feel his blood boiling. He could feel the effects of the stress and adrenaline on his body throughout practice. Goten was effortlessly perfect and watching the smooth way that he moved was still awe inspiring.

As Goten practiced, he could not stop himself from looking up into the stands and meeting Trunks' gaze over and over again. He sighed as he realized that Ryoki would probably ask him out again today, and he was sure that Trunks was going to ask as well. He knew that he would not be able to reject him today. He decided that if Trunks was waiting outside of the locker room today, he would accept Trunks' offer to hang out. He was sure that Ryoki would be upset, but in the end Trunks was simply more important to him.

In the locker rooms, Goten could sense that Ryoki was waiting for him. He spoke with the other players and took his time changing his clothes. Goten could not stop his eyes from covertly sneaking peaks at his body as he changed. A blush tinged his cheeks and he looked away quickly. He guessed this was just a side effect of being a teenage boy and his casual make out relationship that he had developed with Ryoki. He now knew what it felt like to be kissed and held, even if it was not by the one he loved. As the other players exited, his anxiety increased. When they were alone he knew it was the moment of truth.

Outside, Trunks was once again stuck waiting. He had done this after every practice, the last few weeks and the result had always been the same. Well, he had no intention of letting Goten get away today. The minutes passed and he waved to the other players as they exited. It was sad that he knew most of their names and had become friendly with them because he was always out here waiting for Goten. He wondered if any of them questioned the strange way that Goten and Ryoki interacted with each other, or if he really was the only one who saw it as strange. When it had been at least five minutes since he had seen anyone leave, he decided that he was tired of waiting, he was going in there after him.

Inside, Goten was pinned against the locker by Ryoki's arms. "What do you mean you don't want to hang out tonight?" Ryoki demanded. Physically, Goten could easily break away but he felt held in place by Ryoki's gaze.

"I have been avoiding Trunks for weeks," Goten responded. "I think he is getting suspicious… and I feel guilty," he admitted.

"How do you know he is even waiting out there for you?" he continued, trying to suppress the note of panic in his voice.

"I don't," Goten answered truthfully. "But, if he is out there waiting for me. I am going with him."

…

Trunks heard soft voices as he walked into the entrance hallway that led to the locker rooms, but he could not quite make out what they were saying. He could not explain why, but he instinctively masked his ki and began to silently creep towards to door.

…

Ryoki knew in his heart that this was the end, he had lost. "I guess there is nothing else to say," he commented with a sigh. Then he moved his hands off of the lockers and placed them Goten's face. Without another word, he pressed their lips in a kiss. He quickly escalated their kiss, slipping his tongue through his lips and sliding it along Goten's. He heard him moan and pushed his body forward. If this was going to be the last time they kissed, than he was going to make it worthwhile.

Goten's hands made their way in to Ryoki's hair, his fingers threading through the strands. He seemed to have no control over his body as he unconsciously leaned in to his kiss. As he felt Ryoki's groin pressing against his, another moan of pleasure rumbled in his throat.

…

Trunks heard the voices stop but now he heard strange noises coming from the locker area. He quietly opened the door and carefully looked through the doorway, searching out the source of the noises. When his eyes spotted Goten and Ryoki, his jaw hit the floor. They were pressed against the lockers, kissing. He was frozen where he stood for what seemed like an eternity but was mere seconds. His eyes were fixated on them, watching every little movement. Goten clung to Ryoki, his eyes closed in pleasure. He could feel heat rushing through him as he watched. Unexpectedly, He realized that his body was responding in other ways.

He managed to shut the door and retreat, as quietly as he approached. When he made it outside into the open air, he barely spared a glance to see if anyone was watching before he took to the air, still reeling from the shock of what he had seen.

To Be Continued…

Author's Notes:

I know I put this at the end of every chapter but I would to thank everyone again who reviews and or favorites this story. Hope to be posting the next chapter in a week.