Disclaimer: I do not own DragonBall Z or any of its characters

Crush

By: Nova Starlight

8th Period: Love, Love Will Tear Us Apart Again

When Ryoki finally pulled his lips away from Goten's; he was torn up by the naked desire, showing in his eyes. It was easy for him to see that he could affect Goten physically, but what about his heart? His own body screamed at him and he felt an uncontrollable anger rise up within him. He let it out by swinging out at his duffel bag on the bench. The bag was sent crashing into the wall of lockers. The sound seemed to snap Goten back to reality in a flash. "Ryoki…I-," Goten began.

He cut him off quickly, "Just go!" He sighed and turned himself away from Goten. He did not know if he would be able to handle seeing him with sadness in his eyes. "Go out that door and see if Casanova is out there waiting for you." Without looking, he could almost sense Goten's change in mood. Then he heard his quick footsteps as he rushed from the locker room and the resounding slam of the door. He took a deep breath and went to pick up his abused duffel bag from the cold tile floor. He just pushed away the one person that he wanted to hold close. He stood there in the dark, quiet, room waiting. He wanted to give Goten enough time to be gone before he stepped outside. He was sure that Trunks would be there waiting for him.

…

Goten rushed down the hallway that led from the locker rooms, heading for the exit. He did not understand these feelings, he was saddened at the loss of Ryoki's comfort. But was that enough reason to give up his friendship with Trunks? He knew it was not enough for him. He may have been a fool to put himself through this, but he would never be able to truly separate himself from Trunks. He would be by his side forever; when he graduated from college, became CEO of Capsule Corp., and when he finally found himself a wife. For now, he could only hope that as he made his way outside, Trunks would be standing there smiling and waiting for him, as he had done every day for the past few weeks.

He felt lighter and happier as the doors swung open, but his heart quickly sank as he was greeted by nothing but the empty parking lot. No this could not be right, Trunks had been standing here waiting for him every day these past few weeks. Maybe he just left for a moment to get something. Or had he given up? He barely registered the tears that were quietly tracing their way down his cheeks. He just stood there, staring at the empty parking lot and hoping it was all just a mistake. After a few minutes, his shoulders slumped and the tears began to flow in earnest. Still, his feet seemed rooted to the spot; unable to flee.

Suddenly, he heard Ryoki's voice behind him. "What did you send Casanova off without you?" he demanded sardonically. "You really did not have to stick around to check on me. I am a big boy and can ha-" His words dropped off as he finally got close enough to Goten to see his tears. "What happened?"

"You were right!" He snapped back angrily. "He was not here, No one was here."

Part of Ryoki wanted to rub it in, show him how foolish he had been to chose that insensitive bastard over him; but a greater part of him wanted to comfort him. Hold him close and wipe away those tears. That was the part that won out as he dropped his duffel bag and reached out for Goten. His arms wrapped around him, drawing him into his embrace. He rested his head on Ryoki's shoulder. It was the sweetest torture Ryoki had ever known; to hold his beloved so close, but know that he was not the one he really wanted. As he held him in silence he wondered how he should proceed.

…

Trunks managed to make it into his room without running into anyone. He was thankful for this because he was sure that his expression was still one of confusion and shock. The last thing he needed right now was to be stuck trying to explain what had happened because he barely understood it himself. Goten and Ryoki had been kissing. Not just that, it looked like Goten had been enjoying it. His mind flashed back to the scene he had observed. Goten's eyes had been closed, his hands clinging to Ryoki; as if he were just trying to keep him close, and make sure their kiss did not end. As the images played back he felt a strange mix of anger and desire churning through him. What would it feel like to hold Goten and kiss him like that? He shook himself, trying to clear that thought from his brain. Why would he want that?

Besides, it did not seem to matter. It looked like Goten had found someone to kiss and it was not him, it was Ryoki. That damn bastard that had always seemed so arrogant and snooty over these past few weeks. Well no wonder, no matter what Trunks had done to try and capture Goten's attention, Ryoki possessed it all along. He stopped himself again and ran his fingers through his hair in frustration, what was he thinking? It was almost like he wanted Goten's attention all for himself, the way Ryoki wanted him. That was not what he wanted…right?

He could not stop the memories that played back in his mind. The dream he had about Goten, and his body's reaction. In the bathroom, he had not been able to relieve the tension until he had relaxed and allowed his mind to think about Goten. This all seemed surreal to him. He was not supposed to have these kinds of feelings for his best friend. He wondered if Goten had ever felt this way for him. The thought made him happier than it probably should have. Then again, just because it looked like Goten was interested in guys did not mean that he had any interest in him whatsoever.

Trunks could not stop himself from wondering why he had never questioned this before. All these years when he had been going on countless dates and going through girlfriend after girlfriend, he had never once asked himself why Goten did not have a girlfriend. Now it all made sense and he could not help feeling frustrated with his own obliviousness, and saddened for reasons he could not rightly explain. Suddenly, the phone rang pulling him from his thoughts. He rushed to it looking at the caller id and hoping to see the Son residence, instead it was Miki.

He should ignore it and let it ring. She would once again leave another annoying message about getting together, but maybe that was what he needed. How long had it been since he had been out with a girl, weeks…months…it was no wonder he was having these sorts of crazy thoughts. He reached out quickly and snatched up for phone just seconds before the answering machine kicked on.

…

Ryoki sat in his car with Goten parked in a secluded spot. This was where he had planned on spending the evening, but he had certainly wished for a better mood. Goten was no longer crying but his eyes were red and puffy. He had not really known what to say to make the situation better. He had wanted to curse that insufferable, spoiled brat, for making Goten feel this way. He also knew that this hurt was going to be necessary for Goten to ever get over Trunks. The thought nagged at him though. He had seen the way Trunks' behavior had changed in the past few weeks. It had been obvious to him that Trunks' feelings for Goten were more than friendship; even if he had not yet admitted it to himself. It was also obvious to him that he was not going to be able to ignore that and pursue Goten any longer. No matter what had caused Briefs to not be standing there waiting today, like had waited every other day.

"You are not saying anything," Goten commented softly. "Aren't you supposed to be telling me what a big idiot I am right now?"

"No," Ryoki assured him quickly. "You are not an idiot."

"What do you mean I am not an idiot?" he demanded angrily. "I refuse to give up my hopeless infatuation with my best friend, even those there is nothing but pain given back to me. How else would you describe this idiocy?"

"You are in love," Ryoki answered with a small, sad, smile. "Its not idiotic to love him…though God knows I don't see his finer attributes," the last part was mumbled to be shortly followed by a bright laugh. "I guess you are probably the only one of us that knows the real Trunks Briefs, what he is underneath that Casanova façade."

Goten still looked forlorn, unmoved by his comments. He reached out his hand and touched his shoulder gently. "Listen, Goten…I don't think your goal is as crazy as you think it is."

"What do you mean?" he asked. His attention garnered by Ryoki's statement.

"I mean, that I think Trunks has feelings for you too…feelings he may not even be aware of."

"Are you insane?" Goten exclaimed in disbelief. "There is no way that Trunks feels like that for me. He likes girls…lots of girls…it…its just impossible," he insisted.

"Whatever you say," he acquiesced. "But for now, I think it might be best if I stepped out of the picture for a while. The soccer team seems to pretty much take care of itself anymore, and I have been asked to audition for a spot on a college team. I should spend some time focused on that."

"What are you saying? That we can't be friends?" Goten asked with a hint of sadness returning to his voice.

"I guess I am," Ryoki answered bluntly. "I'll be honest, I never understood how you could stand to be friends with someone you had a crush on. I know myself, I would not be able to handle." He took a deep breath and looked away. "Just sitting here, encouraging you to go after Trunks has my blood boiling with jealousy."

"I understand," Goten remarked after a few moments. He looked over at Ryoki and waited, willing him to meet his gaze.

When he finally did, he was smiling sardonically. "So, I know how absolutely pathetic this is going to sound but…could I get one last kiss?"

Goten smiled back, with more emotion than he had meant to convey. There were no words as he simply leaned in, to show his acceptance. They kissed slowly, gently, as if they both knew that though their feelings had not been equal, they had both felt for each other. When they parted, Ryoki was quick to move away and turn his face from Goten's gaze. The last thing he wanted, was for Goten to see him cry.

…

Trunks paced his room, wondering where Goten was at this very moment, was he still with Ryoki? He realized that his thoughts had once again drifted to Goten and he growled in frustration as he wiped his hand across his face. He should be wondering where Miki was; anticipating her immanent arrival. When they had spoken on the phone just moments before, he had decided on a whim to invite her over. He had been thinking about how long it had been since he had been with a girl and her phone call had seem fortuitous. She had not had any qualms about coming over to his house; she probably knew by his reputation what he had planned for her arrival.

Unbidden, he remembered when Goten had asked him how many girls he had slept with. The shock and incredulity over his best friend's face when he had casually responded the number four. If his own best friend had seemed surprised, he had to wonder what the rumors were like that followed him around the school. Not that it really mattered anyway. When Miki arrived he planned on being every bit the Casanova Ryoki taunted him with. He was sure that a little messing around with Miki was just what he needed to get Goten and the insufferable Ryoki out of his head. A few seconds later, he heard a timid knock at the door.

He sat down on his bed quickly and tried to look casual and cool, as he called out, "Come in."

The door opened slowly and Miki entered the room. She was smiling and wearing a very short and very sexy sheath dress. Despite her hesitant knock at the door, he knew she was a very confident girl. No girl could just stroll into a guy's bedroom in a dress like that and not know what would happen next. "Hi Trunks," she said with her sly smile still playing across her face. There was not a trace of indecision as she approached his bed and sat down beside him; practically in his lap. His brain should have been focused on what he should be saying, doing, not doing, to move this along, but it was muddled and confused. The only thoughts running through his brain were about Goten.

What would it be like if Goten were the one approaching him like this. Would he even have the confidence? He was normally so shy and reserved; it was unlikely. He could picture it in his brain all too easily. If Goten were sitting there on his bed with him, if he could just move in slowly, bringing them closer and closer together. Until he would casually touch their lips. Suddenly realized that he was kissing Miki while thinking about Goten. He wrenched his lips away quickly and was so shocked he did not know how to proceed. "What's wrong?" she asked.

At that moment, Trunks faced up to everything he was feeling and could not longer seem to push down inside of himself. "I like someone else," he admitted. Even though he was ready to face his newly realized feelings for his best friend, did not mean that he needed to broadcast them to the entire school.

"So, what you invited me over here, just so you could forget about some other girl?" she challenged.

He did not deign her question with an answer. He knew that she did not really need an answer. He just stood up and crossed the room to his bedroom door and opened it for her. She looked more stunned than he had felt moments before when they were kissing. Their was an apparent anger in her stride as she practically leapt from the bed and rushed out through the doorway. He did not watch her leave, just waited until he heard the slam of the front door. Within seconds he had rushed down the steps and made his way out the door. He did not spare a glance at his car, taking to the sky to get to the Son house. There was no clear plan of action once he arrived, but he knew that they needed to talk.

To Be Continued…

Auhor's Notes: It feels like it has been ages since I posted anything. Glad to be back writing once again and hope everyone is still enjoying the story. Read & Review! With the holidays and working on the conclusion to The Chase, I am planning to post the next installment to this story after Thanksgiving.