AN: I TRIED to leave this as a double shot. I really did. Then I made the mistake of listening to Sleeping with a Friend by Neon Trees. That damned infectious tune hit my creative spirits into overdrive. I hope you're happy, world! Also, thanks for the love! This story recently got over 2,500 hits!
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Goten paced around and kept glancing back at the clock to his reflection, taking a few moments to pause in between to adjust his hair. It was starting to drive Trunks nuts.
"You look nervous."
Goten froze in place. "Is it that obvious?"
"Sweaty palms, constant fidgeting, looking at the clock every few seconds, and let me take a wild guess…You're probably feeling nauseous right about now, aren't you?" Trunks listed the traits while counting them on his fingers.
"How'd you know?" He hissed, his eyes growing wide.
"Dude, you're as green as Piccolo."
Goten let out a not so masculine gasp and hurried to the mirror to check. "Ha-ha very funny," he grumbled when he turned around to find his friend smirking at him.
"You are a bit on the pale side though. Maybe you should eat something."
"Yeah, I'm actually not hungry."
"Oh my Beerus, is the world ending?" The heir to Capsule Corp. gasped for dramatic effect while clutching at his chest.
"Quit joking, my stomach's in knots already!" He exclaimed in annoyance, the spikes of hair on his head flaring upwards.
"What do you have to be nervous about? Dates are your specialty. Plus you've been inside Rei more times than you've been in your own underwear the last few weeks. So that is not unexplored territory." Trunks cracked a reassuring smile. Pitiful as it looked, he found Goten's nervousness rather endearing. He was much more sensitive compared to him when it came to girls.
"You don't get it. She called me! After I asked her out, she finally called and wanted to take the next step. This is like a wish come true for me. I don't want to let a single thing go wrong on this date. At the end of the day, all I want her to see is how good we can be together." He felt his face heat up over the confession. Trunks was right when he said he'd been madly in love with her.
"Hey, if she was the one that called then there's already a good chance things will go well." He placed his hand on his lifelong friend's shoulder. "Listen, Hino Rei picked you. She picked you, among the hordes of mortal men that throw themselves at her feet daily and she held on to you." He poked his chest to emphasize his point.
"Is this supposed to make me feel better..?" Goten eyed him with a pout. He made it sound like winning her affections was some miraculous fluke.
"Getting there, just stating the facts." Trunks chuckled good-naturedly. "Point is you are a lucky guy. There's something about you Rei can't shake off. Be it your big heart, your sense of humor, or the oversized trouser snake you're packing. That said, just be yourself and let everything fall into place."
Goten felt his friend pat him on the back encouragingly and nodded. "Thanks, man." Trunks always kept it real. Maybe he was a lucky guy after all. "Wait, my trouser snake isn't that big is it..?" He gaped up at him with wide eyes.
"Get out of here, Goten. It's almost time for your date anyway." Trunks rolled his eyes. It wasn't like his size scared Rei anyway.
"Crap, how does time keep doing that?" Goten exclaimed looking at the clock. He was just leaving but caught his reflection in the mirror and hurriedly fixed his hair before speeding out.
Rei rolled up the sleeve of her yukata and checked the time on her wristwatch. Given, she had arrived early and frankly it was only a half hour before everyone said they were going to meet up; but there was room to be a little antsy right?
Her hand dug into her sash and she pulled out her phone to check for any missed messages. No texts from her date but one from Usagi saying Makoto was fixing her sandal strap, ending it with an array of frantic looking emoticons. That was just like her.
The shrine maiden took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of her nose. 'Relax its better this way. If Goten gets here first it'll save the awkwardness of beginning the date with the girls prying.' She mentally soothed herself. For the first time, she found herself nervous before a date. She took extra care on how she tied and presented her yukata, the way she styled her hair, and even her make-up. Normally she just put the same amount of effort on dates as she would appear in school every day, just a flashier dress or a miniskirt to show off her legs more.
Now she was feeling like she might have gone overboard, for Goten of all people! That idiot could see her in a potato sack and be drooling buckets. After all, there was little imagining to be done since he can recognize her naked body blindfolded at this point. Boy did she feel silly. Fretting over him like a cliché schoolgirl with a crush.
"Wow," she heard an all too familiar voice say breathlessly in awe from behind.
She turned around after shoving her phone back and blinked. There was her idiot, looking like he went out of his way to look presentable as well, holding a single wildflower. He wore a well pressed button down shirt with a light jacket on top over a pair of clean jeans. For a farm boy, he sure could clean up nicely.
"You don't look half bad yourself." A smile tugged at her rosy colored lips.
"Thanks," he laughed nervously, inwardly relieved she wasn't pointing out anything wrong. She was always the type of girl to give backhanded compliments when he was doing things right. "Here," he offered the flower to her.
"Thank you," Rei's cheeks colored as she accepted it. She smelled its sweet fragrance before pinning it up with her hair.
"Rei-chan..!" Usagi exclaimed through the crowd as the group of friends were approaching the couple.
"About time you all made it." Rei crossed her arms.
"Well the sandal crisis is averted thanks to Mako's ingenuity." Minako proclaimed while gesturing at the tall brunette of their group. Makoto merely blushed and shrugged in response.
"Nice, lucky you girls could all get here." Goten spoke up from beside the shrine maiden.
"Son-kun, I didn't know you were going to be here." Usagi cocked her head and blinked.
"Well, about that—" He swallowed not sure what sort of answer would be green lit by Rei. What if she didn't want them to know? Could she still be worried about what it would look to be with him?
"He's here with me." Rei's voice cut in, leaving him in awe. "It's a public event anyway."
"What..?" Minako's eyebrow twitched as the rest of the girls' eyes widened in surprise. Now this came to quite a surprise considering the only dynamic of the couple they've been exposed to would be childish bickering and sometimes one-sided pining on his end. To hear an admission of such from Rei was out of this world.
Goten fought the overwhelming urge to smack himself in the face in hopes he didn't just dream that. She actually backed him up, she wasn't ashamed. He flinched when he felt her arm loop around his so they would lock together.
"Come on, Goten. How about you win me a stuffed animal?" Rei asked while starting to walk away from the group.
"S-Sure," his cheeks colored, still too much in shock to speak eloquently.
"Is Rei messing with us or did that really just happen?" Minako finally came out of her confused daze.
"This is great! If they're really dating then I wish them luck. Son-kun is really funny and sweet." Usagi beamed.
"I guess opposites really do attract." Ami stated, still perplexed.
"I'm not buying it. Something tells me Rei didn't want to come alone." Makoto furrowed her brow, not sure what to make of this. Being a hopeless romantic herself, she saw a lot of herself in Goten when he'd pine for Rei and give her longing looks. Rei would retaliate with either her quick temper or standoffish attitude.
The girls had tried to nudge her at his direction for group projects in order to see if they'd talk and make things less tense between them only to fail. Once they each had a significant other, things between them thankfully fizzled out as it appeared that Goten moved on. Then Makoto heard a while ago that Paresu broke it off with Goten. Now here they were together like it was no big deal and Rei didn't fight tooth and nail to avoid being there with him. No, it all looked…natural.
The quartet of ladies observed the couple in awe for the next hour as if they were the main attraction. Witnessing Rei smile and laugh like she did around him, a far cry from her usual frigid demeanor around men, felt so surreal. Her friends made note of every little touch they shared, harmless, yet seemed so intimate at the same time. Rei wasn't usually a physically affectionate person unless it was to comfort her friends. Seeing her touch Goten, the guy she swore she wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole, in such a friendly manner blew their minds.
"You don't think," Minako began. "She's doing him, do you?" She added in a whisper.
"I don't know. Rei is always the type to make guys wait forever." Usagi murmured back.
"Yeah well Goten's been crushing on her since sophomore year," Makoto added. "I think he indirectly met the time limit."
"Could it be a rebound for both of them? If their relationships ended around the same time then they might have connected from being in the same post-breakup position." Ami deduced, whipping out her glasses out of nowhere just to put them on for effect.
"You think it was a mercy fuck?" Minako narrowed her eyes. "Maybe Rei was just so happy a guy as nice as Goten gave her attention that she threw him a bone? Or he threw her the bone," she giggled at the turn of phrase.
Ami and Usagi shook their heads, although inwardly amused at Mina being herself.
"Whatever it is, it's suspicious." Makoto thought out loud. This wasn't setting well with her. If this was Rei pretending to be interested in Goten then she couldn't sit by and watch this play out. Rei was usually a straightforward person but if there was something she wanted, she would turn up the charm a couple of notches in order to get it. The guardian of thunder wondered if this was the reason behind her friend's behavior being so out of the ordinary.
"Here you go your favorite." Goten smiled and handed her the stuffed panda bear.
"How did you know?" Rei looked at him in surprise.
"The stationary in your notebook had pandas on them." He smiled.
Rei blushed at that. He must have meant the planner in her room. She never took it to school because it looked too childish in comparison to her other notebooks. However she never had it in her to throw it away. She found them so cute, kind of like her date. Her lips tugged into a gorgeous smile when he pulled out his phone to take their photo in selfie fashion, his arm wrapping around her.
"Smile," he grinned as the camera light flashed. "Okay one more, just you and the bear." He let go of her and took a few steps back and looked through the viewer screen. "Cute," he grinned after he snapped the photo. The camera returned on his screen and what he saw in the view finder made his silly smile vanish.
There she was walking in the background, Paresu. Her hand locked with Kumada Yuuichirou as they walked together having a swell time.
"Goten, what's the matter?" Rei's hand tapping his shoulder brought him out of his shock and he realized he had been staring.
"Sorry, it's nothing, probably a problem with my screen!" He said to save face.
The sound of firecrackers on the ground went off and Rei whipped her attention behind her and caught sight of who was strolling behind the playing children. "Goten, isn't that?"
"Yeah," he muttered.
"But she's with," she began.
"Yeah," he cringed.
He knew there was history with Rei and Yuuichirou, considering the man worked at the shrine for years. Goten never really asked her if the rumors about them were true, mostly because he didn't want to know. It could have been out of fear. He and Yuuichirou seemed to share their relentless affection for the shrine maiden in common. Perhaps that would probably be all they had in common.
Yuuichirou came off as someone that was way too desperate. In comparison to Goten; who pleaded with Rei to let him carry her books, but only until the beginning of junior year! Yuuichirou was kind yet made it clear he was too available, chauffeuring her to school by bicycle. He even briefly moved in to the shrine just to be closer to her, under the guise of studying to be a priest. Despite all of this, Rei never publicly acknowledged her relationship with him like she did with Jed. It made Goten more uncomfortable than jealous. Yuuichirou was older than her by four years and seemed to not have done anything remarkable with his life aside from being born into wealth. Was that what happened when you lost yourself in another person?
Goten didn't know what became of their past relationship. However, he did know who he was and while his feelings for Rei were overwhelming, he never lost sight of his dignity. And that was probably why there was more of a backbone on his side when it came to their bickering.
Nonetheless, now Goten was more concerned if his date's mind was wandering back to her past while it was holding hands with his. This was bound to make things awkward for them on the first date, right? Rei turned to him and looked him in the eyes. He offered a small smile back.
"Do you want to get out of here? I mean, if seeing them makes you uncomfortable. I wouldn't mind taking the date elsewhere." The shrine maiden offered, holding her stuffed bear by the arms.
Goten felt his heart sink. Hearing Rei say that, he could tell she was more worried about him. After all, this whole new relationship started because she found him crying on the last day he tried to win his ex back.
"Nah, you're dressed up for a festival and we're starting to have fun. I'll be okay with you around." He said with a heartwarming look in his eyes.
"All right then, just let me know if you've had too much fun." She shrugged with a smile offering him her free arm while the other held her prize.
"Never," he grinned as he took it.
The date progressed steadily with more activity and they were back to being immersed with each other's company. The fun had to take a detour when the inevitable happened and Goten confessed he was hungry.
They had seats at a high table that overlooked the lake. It was rather romantic, aside from Rei's four friends at the next table blatantly staring at them.
"Why aren't you girls eating with us?" Goten thought out loud.
"Oh, that table's wobbly." Minako waved her hand dismissively.
"Besides you two could use the privacy." Usagi grinned.
"Uh huh," Rei scoffed, "Privacy," she rolled her eyes.
Goten slurped up his yakisoba noodles blissfully while Rei was finishing the last of her yakitori. She couldn't help but shake her head as he ate and ate. He was always hungry and once upon a time his eating habits used to drive her insane. She remembered scolding him about table manners and avoiding eating like a pig. Now she noted a bit of improvement on his end, he wasn't so quick and desperate to down everything which led to less choking. He did need to work on one thing.
"Here," Goten paused when Rei stretched her arm across the table with a napkin in hand. Goten paused to lower his hands, preparing them to reach for what she was offering. Much to his surprise Rei did the work for him and gently wiped up his sauce stained face. He blinked in surprise, caught off guard by such a gesture. He was rather touched she would do something like this in front of her friends. He then flushed remembering her friends were witnessing all of this happening and was uncomfortably aware of the sets of eyes on them.
Not paying attention to what he was doing, he spilled the noodles on the front of his pants before he realized the container even tipped over the table. "Oh no," he frowned. "Mom won't let me hear the end of this. That looks like it can stain."
"Told you it was wobbly," Minako muttered under her breath.
Rei shot her a look before taking his hand. "Come on, there's some restrooms this way." As she walked him far enough away, Goten broke the silence.
"Hey, I'm sorry if seeing my ex made things awkward. I just want you to know that things are good for me now. After all, this is the best date I've ever been on."
Rei looked back at him and smiled. "Well, I'm just glad you're not upset about it anymore."
Goten nodded. "Me too. Besides, it wouldn't have worked out anyway. Paresu always cared about what her parents wanted and that's someone from an important family with money."
"Yeah," Rei sighed. "Yuuichirou sounds like the perfect match for her," she added.
Goten didn't say anything but she knew exactly what was going on in his mind from the way he looked at her. "He was my first. I was 15, and I thought it was love. In the end I just felt like I owed him after all he did for me. Then I let him go." Rei said, not happy bringing up the details of her first relationship. She remembered how in shock she was over how painless that breakup was on her end. Yuuichirou was miserable and she only felt bad that she couldn't bring herself to cry over it. She secretly felt like a terrible person afterwards and maybe started acting meaner because of that.
"I'm happy to see he's moved on now," she admitted honestly as they approached the restrooms.
Outside the restroom building near the fountains and sink Rei had handed Goten paper towel after paper towel as he scrubbed his pants clean. "Its your lucky day, its all coming out.
"Awesome, looks like I can go on my merry way with my lovely date!"
"Hold on, you missed a spot." Rei shook her head and took a moist paper towel for herself and bent down, knees almost touching the ground. She wiped up and down the inside of his clothed thigh. The light yet quick sensation of her scrubbing was doing something to him. It also wasn't helping seeing her eye level with his crotch.
"Wait, s-stop," he blushed as he felt his body react without his control.
Rei already saw what was happening. How could she not? She had a front row seat. "Goten, I'm just cleaning down here." She hissed as her face was turning red. Hopefully she didn't give him the wrong idea about her intentions.
"I know, I know! I swear it just has a mind of its own right now." He replied, face redder than hers. "Plus you just look so pretty tonight," he cleared his throat and covered his bulge with his hands. He was fighting the naughty thoughts flying through his head about how easy it would be to just unzip himself free and-"I should really use the bathroom now."
"Yeah that would be best," Rei couldn't help but crack a smile. Sure, it was awkward. However, considering all they've done together, this sort of thing was harmless. The shrine maiden rose to her feet but lost her balance for a second.
Her date caught her in time and she was pressed against him and his hard spot. Her eyes went wide when she felt a throbbing sensation. "Yeah, that needs to be taken care of." Once she was back on her feet, he still had his hands around her waist.
"Already going to," Goten said, still flustered. "Unless you want to join me?" He cracked a helpless smile.
"I think I'll pass," Rei snorted. "Don't you know I don't put out on the first date?"
"Can't blame me for asking." He winked before pecking her on the cheek and dashing into the mens room. "Meet you back at the table!" He called out.
Rei walked back to the table with all the girls with an amused smile other lips.
"What's that look for?" Usagi grinned.
"Nothing, the blockhead just needed extra help and had to go into the bathroom." Rei shrugged.
"Okay Rei, fess up," Makoto got serious. "You have been glued to Goten's side all night and even holding hands. What is all that about? Does this have something to do with Yuuichirou and Paresu being here tonight? Are you going sweet on Goten to make one of them jealous?"
"Mako, Goten is my date." Rei offered, then realizing how crazy that sounded the moment it left her lips. "He asked me out and I said yes."
"Is he really? Or did you only say yes because you felt sorry for him since he and Paresu broke up?" Makoto narrowed his eyes.
"Mako, what are you saying?"
"I'm saying you shouldn't play the poor guy if you're not genuinely interested in him. Word around town is that Jed is partying here tonight. And it wouldn't be surprising that you were with Goten just to get back at him. Honestly, this wouldn't be the first time you overlooked someone's feelings to get what you want."
Rei felt the inside of her chest go cold upon hearing that. Then her trusty self defense mechanism kicked in and she was livid. "Mako, this is MY date! So how about you stay the hell out of it!" She exclaimed before storming off.
Never had she been so hurt and confused before. Hell, this was topping her own break up with Jed! Makoto meant well but she also knew all of her flaws. Now those comments were all sinking in. What if she was right? Were the feelings she had for Goten real or did she just like having him because he was there?
She stopped to take a deep breath out in the clearing away from the crowd. Her arms went around herself while her lips fell into a pensive frown.
"Well, it's a small world after all."
Rei blinked and looked up behind her to see her tall, blonde, jerk wad of an ex approach her.
"Long time no see, Rei. You know I was just thinking about you." He slurred and stepped closer. The smell of booze on his breath was strong enough for her to pick up. "You're looking good, damn good. I always did say a body like yours was irreplaceable."
"Too bad you were still stupid enough to sleep with some country club girl instead. Beat it, Jed." Rei cocked her head at the direction for him to leave.
"Now that's not nice. I just wanted to catch up. You here alone?" He smirked.
"Actually, no. I'm not here alone. Turns out you're pretty expendable. I found a major upgrade." Rei met his eyes and smirked back smugly.
"An upgrade?" Jed threw his head back and laughed. "How is this mystery man of yours any better than me?"
"I could list all of them but we'd be here all night. So I'll be brief. He's sweeter, funnier, and ten times better in bed than you ever were." Rei lifted her chin in defiance.
"No way," Jed's eye twitched in annoyance. Apparently that got to him.
"Oh yes way," Rei smiled. "You see, Jed. The thing about him is he's got actual substance instead of being all about style. He makes me feel things I never thought I could ever feel with a man." She went on and on but at that last statement her mind was filling in blanks she didn't say out loud. 'Like safe, respected, appreciated, and…'
Flashes in her mind of all the times Goten would look at her, in and out of the bedroom, staring at her like she was the only person in the world. There was a deep intensity in it, like her very presence was the only thing keeping the breath in his body. And yet, at the same time there was also a softness to it. It reflected his gentle nature, the kind of understanding she hadn't realized she had yearned for. All of the times they found themselves tangled in between her sheets, panting, chests heaving, fingers intertwining. He would give her a look that filled a space in her heart that she didn't even know existed. Goten knew her inside and out, looked past the walls she had built up to keep herself from getting hurt. Rei could let herself be naked with him in more than the physical sense. Never had she imagined the class clown being the only guy she truly felt intimate with.
"You know, I think you leaving was the best thing that ever happened to me." A genuine smile graced her lips. "I wouldn't trade my guy for you even if it meant shaving my head." She added, snickering at the thought.
Goten would no doubt laugh at Jed's expense and still call her beautiful. He didn't care what other people would have thought if they walked down the street holding hands. Knowing him, he'd probably sport a yellow mohawk so they could both look ridiculous together. All as long as they got to hold hands and laugh. No one she dated would make her feel better than that.
The breath she was taking was sucked in her teeth when she felt a vice like grip on her upper arm tugging her close enough to gag at the potent aroma of sake and maybe some beer.
"So where is this mystery guy? Huh, Rei? Where is he?" He demanded.
"Jed, let go. You're hurting me," she wasn't afraid but she was surprised at how forceful and aggressive he was behaving.
"Admit it, Rei. He doesn't exist because you still love me!" Her ex growled
"One last time, Jed. Let me go now." She said in a seriously assertive tone.
"Why would I do that, Rei? I thought you wanted me to hold you more when we were together. You all but begged for it." He took her waist with the other hand to press her against him.
"Oh that's it," Rei was about to jerk her way free when he grabbed her by her hair to jerk her head up to try to kiss her. Rei, acting fast, delivered an abrupt head butt in order to get distance between them. She scowled at him in disgust. "Never touch me again, you pig!" She put up her fists and took up a fighting stance she perfected when sparring with Makoto, just waiting for this asshole to make another wrong move.
"You bitch," Jed pulled his arm back ready to swing at her when he was pulled back and a fist decked him in the jaw.
Rei blinked as her ex went down hard.
"You heard my girlfriend. Don't you ever touch her again." Goten made his warning loud and clear, glaring daggers into him. He silently dared Jed to try to hit him back so that he would make him regret ever trying to lay a hand on his lover. Just one more and he'd break his hands to make sure he couldn't use them on anyone else.
Lucky for Jed, he was in so much pain from the hit that he burst into tears and ran off, still wobbling from the dizziness. The sight brought Rei a wave of relief. The shrine maiden knew he would never bother her again after making a total ass of himself.
"Are you okay?" She turned to meet her date's look of concern.
She gave a small nod but kept eye contact, "So, my girlfriend?" His words were repeated in a curious tone with a raised brow.
A sheepish smile grazed his lips as the flush on his cheeks grew redder. The beating of his heart quickened when realizing he had said that out loud while defending his date's honor. "You know, I just wanted to get the point across, that you moved on from him…" He offered with a small shrug. As soon as that left his lips he exhaled in defeat. "Oh, who am I kidding? Rei, I'm serious about you."
To his surprise and delight, she stared up at him in awe and felt a smile slowly form on her full rosy lips. Hearing him say that didn't spook her, in fact, it looked like that was the most heartwarming thing she ever heard. "Yeah, I'm serious about you too." She stepped closer, took his collar in one hand, and caressed his face with the other. She leaned in for the kiss.
His arms went around her and met her lips without hesitation, the kiss making his heart soar.
Meanwhile, the group of girls had witnessed and heard their exchange from afar and continued to stare. "Aw, how romantic! I'm still real confused at how this happened but they look so happy." Usagi wiped away the happy tears gathering in her eyes.
"I knew it all along, from the very beginning." Minako boasted.
"You did not," Ami squinted at her from the corner of her eyes.
"Well, now I feel terrible." Makoto sighed. She had just been on her way to apologize for ruining what could have been a good night among friends. Now that she had seen the truth between their relationship, Makoto knew she misjudged Rei. "I guess I can wait to make my amends until after they come up for air."
"Taking bets on them banging TONIGHT!" Minako announced as the firework show began.
Once their time at the festival was over the two walked home hand in hand. "This is me." She said as they reached the top of the steps. "Thanks for the memorable night. I don't think I had this much fun on a date before."
"I don't know if we can ever top punching your ex, but I hope every other date will be just as fun."
"I have a feeling it will be, knowing you." She giggled, her arms wrapping around his neck. "Good night."
"Can I kiss you good night?" Goten asked, remembering his first date etiquette despite the nonverbal invitation.
"What do you think? I don't hold people like this to check for food stuck in their teeth."
"Speaking of, check me." He gave her his signature grin.
Rei rolled her eyes. "You're clean. Now kiss me good night already," she was both joking and losing patience with her silly date.
"Good night," he gave her a light, sweet kiss. Another followed, and another after that. Goten didn't even notice he was going down her jawline and towards her neck when Rei spoke up.
"Goten," she breathed, gently pushing him back enough for his lips to move away from her skin.
"Sorry, I forgot this was an actual date." Goten he spoke softly while resting his forehead against hers.
"And you know I'm not the type to put out on the first date." Rei winked.
At that he lost it and let out a loud laugh. "Oh, that was good!" He was holding his sides in the middle of a giggle fit before Rei insisted he quiet down.
"Shush, Grandpa could be sleeping." She playfully smacked him before they walked to her house.
"Sorry," he snickered. "Didn't know he was in tonight."
"Supposedly he's on a hot date himself, but old people usually turn in early for the night." Rei explained as she slid the front door open.
"From what I smell, he's not here yet." Goten sniffed the air and checked for ki to be safe. "Could be spending the night elsewhere."
Rei bit her lip and looked him up and down to decide her next move.
"I'm okay with whatever you choose, Rei. But may I remind you that I'm good at keeping secrets when it counts? I'll tell anyone that asks that you made me wait a long time. Which isn't a lie if you count sophomore year!" Goten blabbed, clearly wanting to be let in desperately.
A slender finger pressed against his lips to silence him. "I could use some help out of my yukata." She whispered.
He swooned at that. "That I can definitely do!"
As to be expected, Goten slept over. Surprisingly they didn't go all the way that night. Partly was out of respect for the well-known first date rule and the other was both of them being out of condoms. They got by with their mouths and fell asleep holding one another.
The next morning Rei had slept in, very unlike herself. Grandpa took a tray of tea down the hall and heard something in the guest powder room. He put down the tray, sat, and waited for whomever flushed the toilet to come out.
Goten was still half asleep as he opened the door and exited the bathroom, head hung low from tiredness. When his lowered gaze caught the sight of the old bald man, his eyes went wide and he froze in place.
"Morning," Rei's grandfather greeted him before taking a sip of his tea.
"Morning," Goten offered meekly. He was busted yet again!
"Who are you?"
"Son Goten, sir." he bowed, still frigid from the nervousness.
At that moment the lady of the hour walked in and froze like a statue.
"Rei, why's this strapping young lad here?" Grandpa smirked.
"Um, well he's…we," Rei cleared her throat. "We went out last night, and then came back late. He lives far away and his mother worries about him so he stayed the night!" Rei shuffled in place.
"On a date?" The old man pressed on.
"Y-Yes, Grandpa." Rei sighed. She knew her grandfather wasn't keen on her dating, but she couldn't keep it a secret anymore. They were officially dating now. He'd have to get used to it.
"Oh thank heavens," the priest breathed with relief. "I knew you had a boy over ever since that day you said you were going to the beach with your friends. After all, those shoes that got left by the door weren't mine or my size." He belted out a laugh.
"You knew this whole time?" Her jaw fell.
"I admit I was getting worried about why you didn't want me to meet him. Luckily, from what I see, I don't have any complaints. He seems like a good, strong, young man." He smiled and got up on his feet. "Well, breakfast is ready. Come sit with us, Goten."
"Okay," Goten smiled and went with it, in total disbelief. It looked like this was the start of a truly remarkable relationship.
That night Goten stayed at his house and decided to call Rei.
"Goten, its almost 1AM. What is it?" Rei mumbled.
"I can't sleep. I'm sorry that I bothered you. I'll hang up now," Goten frowned, about to press the button when he heard her voice on the other line.
"Why can't you sleep?"
"I don't know a lot of things going through my mind right now. I told my mom we're dating and she'd like to meet you. I think you guys would hit it off. Is that okay with you?" Goten nervously twiddled his thumbs.
"Yes, Goten. It's okay. I mean, you already met Grandpa and he adores you. So, its fair I meet your mom." Rei shrugged while laying on her back.
"Great! Heh, your gramps is the coolest. Why didn't you tell me he was so funny?"
"Because I only have patience for one of you at a time, blockhead." She answered honestly, the drowsiness leaving her with no filter.
"I think I miss being next to you right now, hearing your voice. Just listening to you now is helping me relax," he paused to yawn. "Wow, I'm already sleepy just like that."
"There you go," Rei cracked a small smile as her eyes closed. "Sleep tight."
"You too. Thanks a lot, Rei." Goten smiled as he got comfortable in his bed.
"Text me," she murmured softly.
"Will do," Goten yawned again. "I love you." He breathed, eyes closing.
When there was only a thud on the other line his eyes snapped open in realization at what he just said out loud. "Rei? Hello, Rei?" His head jerked up and saw that the call was hung up and felt a panic slowly creep up into his mind. 'Oh crap, crap, crap…'
What Goten didn't know was the call ended as soon as Rei dropped the phone in her sleep, already snoozing before she could hear his confession.
