My last update wasn't that long ago, but I figure might as well put chapters out if I have them, people like chapters right? I hope you like, let me know!

Chop x

Trunks sat in his office with his hands laced through his hair. He stared at the pages in front of him, the words swam. He rubbed his eyes in frustration. He was pretty sure Princes weren't supposed to cry. It had been a week since Goten had left him. He couldn't eat. He couldn't sleep. He kicked himself. He cursed himself. Goten wouldn't take his calls. He wouldn't answer his texts. Gohan wouldn't let him in, he wouldn't pass on any messages, he on one particularly defiant evening had flown up towards Goten's window. He'd been tackled out of the sky. When Gohan wants to bring you down, you know about it; he had the shiner and the cracked ribs to prove it.

What did it matter? He'd fucked up so bad. Royally. Fucked. Up. He'd tried so hard to shield Goten from the world that he'd subjected him to what he currently thought was the worst person in it; himself. And what was new? He was always doing it, at it since day one, muscling in on Goten's independence, taking it upon himself to wrap Goten up in cotton wool and doing a far worse job than if he'd have just backed off and let Goten handle himself in the first place.

The worst part of it was though, he thought, which set his lip to quivering again; even if he could convince Goten to talk to him, even if he could get five minutes, he couldn't take back telling his father behind his back, or denying him, and he certainly couldn't make his father accept them, so what was the point?

Today he'd realised that, so today was the first day he hadn't attempted breaking and entering. He wondered vaguely how long it would take for it to get back to his father that he'd been relentlessly trying to get Goten's attention. Trunks was pretty sure Goku must be suspicious. Goten suddenly moves home, triples his commute, and in all probability (not that he was trying to be arrogant) was pretty upset. He could say they'd fallen out of course, which isn't untrue, but over what? What between friends could be so bad? He supposed his own father might think Goten was upset that they're relationship was 'over'. Trunks laughed out loud humourlessly, he supposed that wasn't a lie now. Every cloud.

There was a knock on his office door, Trunks jumped as if caught in some shameful act, wiping his eyes hurriedly on the back of his sleeve and clearing his throat, he made an effort to compose himself as the door opened. He was about to shout at whoever was rude enough not to wait to be called, when recognised the blue hair entering the room, he quickly focussed on his computer in an attempt to look busy. Maybe she'd think he was snowed under and leave if he didn't look up. He tried glancing out of the corner of his eye. She didn't speak. He could feel her eyes on him. He pretended not to notice.

'How the hell do you think you're going to get away with not speaking to me, when I'm sat in the chair at your desk?' His mother looked at him, half amused half concerned.

He pretended to just have noticed her, careful not to keep his face at a weird angle so she was spared the sight of the bruising.

'Oh mum! How nice to see you, didn't notice you there.'

'Yeah, I bet.'

'What can I do for you? Really busy y'see, lot to do.'

'Yeah I know, I'm still half running the company, I know exactly what you have to do. That's not why I'm here.'

'Oh? He tried to look politely interested and surprised with the half of his face that wasn't black and blue.

'I bumped into Gohan on my way through the building yesterday.' She said, wincing.

He was startled out of trying to get rid of her for a second, 'Are you still in pain? I wish you'd just go to the doctor.'

'Don't start with that, and don't change the subject.' She said, her smile was gone and she was looking at him shrewdly. 'He told me something interesting.'

Trunks let it go for now, and opened his mouth to interject, gesturing towards his computer as if he was too busy for the conversation. She ignored him completely.

'He told me Goten had moved back home, and he wanted me to pass you on a message.'

Trunks gulped, his voice strained, 'did he?'

'I asked him if you were with Goten, because I hadn't seen you. He said if you try to come near the house again, he'll break more than your ribs. Isn't that a strange thing to say?'

'Very strange.' Trunks said, in what he hoped was a lofty and unconcerned voice.

His mind wandered to the day before, he was almost at Goten's window, if he could just get himself off the ground a little bit higher while keeping his ki low, he'd be able to push it up and sneak inside without anyone knowing he was there. Maybe he could talk Goten around if he could just see him and apologise. Maybe it wasn't too late.
As these thoughts filled his brain Trunks stopped concentrating on his suppressing, just for a second, and felt his energy reveal itself, like a spring he'd been keeping shut in a box, he'd lifted the lid just a little and it had flown open under the strain. It flickered to life like a beacon before he'd managed to conceal it again. He held his breath and hung in the air, completely still, waiting to see if anyone noticed. On the bright side he'd managed to get level with the window, he reached over slowly, fingers touching the wood of the frame, when a whistling reached his ears. He looked up just in time to see a black blur hurtling towards him, and he knew he wouldn't have time to move. Gohan hit him at speeds unknown and sent him crashing to the ground, the momentum pushed him backwards for some distance through the earth in a rut of his own creation. Once he managed to stop himself, he sat, coughing in the dust, clutching his side, he was pretty sure he'd felt some things crack and he knew his face was bleeding; Gohan wasn't kidding around.

Gohan floated above him, obscuring the sun and cast in shadow.

'I told you,' he said.

Trunks spluttered, trying to get up, 'told me what exactly?'

'When you moved in, I told you that if you hurt him, I wouldn't hesitate to hurt you. Do you remember?'

Trunks looked at him… so he'd lost his partner and a friend, 'yeah, I remember.'

'If you value your health you won't come back.'

Trunks was left alone in the dirt, bruises covered his body, but that was nothing compared to how he felt inside. He was jerked back to the present by his mother grabbing his chin and flicking his face to the side, throwing his bruised face into relief and making Trunks hiss in pain.

'What did you do?' Bulma asked him, there were tears in her eyes as she looked at her only son's battered face.

'Nothing.' He lied, terribly.

'Oh right, so Gohan beats people to a pulp and bans them from the house for nothing now does he? Remind me not to call round for dinner.'

Trunks bit his bruised lip, he was torn between getting his problems off his chest to someone he loved, and the problems it would cause the already tempestuous relationship between his parents if he implicated his father in what had happened. He had very little time for his dad, but his mum, he couldn't hurt her knowingly.

'Honestly mum, it's a misunderstanding, you don't want to know.'

'That's some misunderstanding,' she said, gesturing to his face. 'And it doesn't make any sense. Of course I want to know.'

Trunks looked at her.

'I'll remind you that you said that.'