Ch 79

Goten had just gotten off from work and felt like going to the beach. He brought a bag with him that had a towel, swimming trunks, and sun tan lotion. It was the afternoon, and the beach wasn't as crowded as it was in the morning.

Setting up his spot on the beach, he went to one of the changing rooms to change into his swimming trunks. He put on some sunscreen and ran into the ocean, diving in as soon as he hit the water. He sighed in contentment. 'Boy this is the life. I could do this all day,' he smiled as he dove back underwater to explore the marine life.

When he finally broke the surface, he saw his brother Gohan standing on the sand in his suit. Goten smiled at the odd site as he made his way out of the water and walked up to him. "Hey Gohan, what brings you here in a suit and tie?"

"It was an early day at the university, and I felt like coming to the beach for some reason."

"Well we did have a lot of fun times here. I remember coming here with mom and dad after the defeat of Majin Buu. Dad played with me all day in the water while mom talked to you about Videl and how much she loved her and she couldn't wait until you married her and gave her grandchildren."

"Oh yeah that embarrassing conversation. I remember just being happy that you finally had dad in your life. We were all together and nothing was going to change that."

"Things did change Gohan. We had some great times with mom and dad, and they will always be with us. They will always love us from wherever they are, and we will always love them. It's time to move on now."

"I know Goten, but I just want to make sure I don't lose you to. Your relationship with Trunks seems too dangerous and unpredictable to be in."

"I thought we talked about this Gohan. You said you were going to support me."

"I did, but it's kind of hard when he's abusing you Goten," he said as he looked at his little brother. "You're in an abusive relationship. I'm sorry to have to say this to you, but it's true. You know it Goten."

"You don't know what you're talking about Gohan. I'm bonded to him for life, so there's nothing that can be done about that. I love him, and I believe in him. He's going to do whatever it takes to heal, so I would appreciate if you didn't bring this up again."

"I'm not going to sit back and let him kill you Goten!" Gohan yelled.

"What's that suppose to me?"

"If he hurts you again—

"You'll regret it Gohan," said Goten as he grabbed his things and left the beach.

Goten was too upset to go to his apartment. It wasn't even home to him. Dressed back into his work clothes, he wandered around the city. What he was looking for, he wasn't sure and suddenly a bar caught his attention. 'No, I can't. Alcohol is not the answer here. I'm a grown man. I can handle my problems without alcohol.'

Before Goten knew it, he was sitting at the bar and on his sixth beer. Resting his head on his crossed arms, he felt the room spinning as he closed his eyes. "The—this was no—not a good idea," he mumbled.

"Goten?"

Goten looked up to see a familiar face but not a familiar face he wanted to see. "De—Devin?"

"Hey man you look like shit. What happened?"

"No—none of your bu—business. Go away," Goten said as he took out his money to pay for the drinks. As he stood up, he felt himself falling until he felt a pair of arms hold him up.

"You're clearly not able to drive."

"I—I walked here."

"Oh well let me drive you home."

"Wh—why would you want to do that?"

"I know things didn't work out between you and my sister, but I'd still like to be friends with you."

Goten pushed Devin away and walked out the door, hoping he got the hint. He was so drunk, and he felt his world spinning agains, so he grabbed onto the wall of a building. "Shit."

"Let me just take you home Goten," said Devin.

Goten turned around. "Get lost. I don't need your help getting home," he said as he continued to walk slowly home.

"Well I'll just walk with you to make sure you get home all right."

"Fine but I'm not inviting you into my apartment."

"Ok," he said as he continued to follow drunken Goten home.

Goten stopped in front of the bakery. "Well this is me so you can go now."

"Can't we just talk for a few minutes?" asked Devin as Gotten got out his key.

"No," said Goten as he walked in, closing the door behind him and not looking back.

Making his way upstairs to his apartment, he unlocked that door and went to bed. Goten awoke the next morning to a loud knock on the door. Sitting up to fast, he felt nauseous as he rushed to his bathroom and puked his guts out in his sink. When he felt stable enough, he opened the door to see an angry Videl, but her expression changed as she saw the state of him.

"Oh my god, what happened to you last night?"

"Got drunk, big mistake."

Videl smiled. "I see. You look like someone ran you over."

"We—well I might have fallen a bunch times before I got back here last night."

"Are you all right to work today? Your shift starts in 10 minutes."

"Yes. I just need to shower and change quickly. Maybe take some pain killers."

"Ok, I'll see you down there," said Videl as she closed the door behind her.

Dressed and ready for work, Goten could feel the pounding in his head as he came down stairs into the bakery. He was in the back baking and soon enough his headache disappeared as he went through his day. His break finally came as he brought some pastries that were a few days old with him outside to the bench. Sitting down, he sighed as he started to eat.

"Feeling better?"

Goten didn't have to look up to know who it was. He sighed as Devin sat down next to him. "What do you really want from me Devin?

"When you were dating my sister, I developed a crush on you. I couldn't do anything about it but when my sister hurt you, I was angry at her. I thought I'd give you space until you were ready to move on. I was wondering if you'd be interested in going on a date with me?"

"You do know I'm with Trunks."

"I heard from Valese, who heard it from Marron that your relationship was over."

"Well it's not true. We're just spending some time apart. We plan to be together forever, but Trunks needs some time to sort out some things."

"Are you sure you really want to be with him Goten? The guy has always had issues."

"I don't appreciate you talking about Trunks like that. You don't know him at all, so the answer is no I will not go out with you," said Goten as headed to the door.

"I'll never hurt you."

Goten stopped in his tracks and turned around to face Devin. "No one can ever promise that. You need to not show your face around here ever agains," Goten said before he made his way inside the bakery to get back to work.