Hey! CHapter 10 is ready, after a little bout of absence on my end. I hope this chapter makes up for it. I always say I had fun writing the chapter (which is perfectly true), but this time I mean it more than ever.

Now please read, review and enjoy!

Rough awakenings were becoming a trend. The sharp wailing of the doorbell made Goten wake up in a bout of curses. For several seconds he was surrounded by nothing but darkness, until he was able to make out the alarm clock on his desk and read the glaring red digits. It was ten past four. In the morning. What the actual fuck.

What was even weirder was that Goten couldn't hear his mother's voice travelling down the hall. Chi-Chi was a light sleeper and much like her second son she was very unappreciative of being dragged from her slumber in the dead of night. Goten could remember a night several years ago where Gohan had gotten himself good and shit-faced to the point of speaking in tongues. Instead of sneaking into the house he had spent ten minutes fighting the lock before he had fallen through the open door, taking the coat rack down as he went and making enough noise to wake up babies on the other side of the globe. Needless to say, a hangover wasn't the only thing giving Gohan a headache the following morning.

Goten swung his legs out of bed, still cursing. He scooped a pair of underwear off the floor and deemed it clean enough for nightly visitors after giving it a sniff. He covered his torso with a shirt and hit the lights in his room. It took him a while to really get moving, the remainder of sleep still heavy on his eyelids, but when that piercing note made his temples throb again he hurried across the hall and down the stairs, ready to shout at whoever had the gall to come knocking at this hour.

He tried to discern a recognizable shape through the thick glass in the front door, but it was no good. Goten wasn't exactly dressed to impress, but whoever felt it was necessary to make a house call at four at night probably wouldn't. Sighing, Goten opened the door.

Sadie was standing on the other side.

"Oh, hey, it's you," Goten said while rubbing at his eyes. "The hell are you doing here at this unholy hour?"

Sadie smiled at him and danced on the balls of her feet. She was clearly nervous and Goten reckoned that there was a method to her madness. It was scary enough to make him gulp.

"Would you believe me if I said I was here to kidnap you and drag you off to the other side of the world?" Her tone was playful, something that kept Goten on high alert. It came to him quite suddenly; Trunks had said that there was still a birthday surprise waiting for him. Come to think of it, it was his birthday now. For a second it made him smile on the inside, but that little flame of happiness was quickly extinguished. Four in the morning was no time to be celebrating, nor to joke about taking someone against their will.

"I probably would," Goten replied. "Can I at least come peacefully, though?"

"Oh, no, obviously not," Sadie said, rolling her eyes. "What did you think, that I would be taking you by force? No offense, Miss Daisy, but even though you can't put a dent in a pack of butter doesn't mean that I can overpower you. Have you seen me?"

"I have, and I must say that you're not my type," Goten yawned. "I like them a bit more manly."

"Like me?" A voice whispered from behind.

To prove just how much Goten liked a rugged manly man, he gave the loudest shriek that had ever passed his vocal cords. And of course he flapped his hands like a retarded penguin for added effect. Two people were laughing at him; Sadie was wiping the tears from her eyes and when he wheeled around, Goten saw Jasper standing not too far away, a hand on his stomach and his face as red as hair.

"Asshole!" Goten bit, though it was hard to be mean when he was being laughed at. "'Fuck, you could've killed me!"

"Sorry babe," Jasper smirked. "Didn't mean for you to soak your panties. I just wanted to be in on the surprise."

"The surprise you aren't telling me about."

"Uh, doy. Otherwise it wouldn't be a surprise." Jasper's smirk grew wider. "That being said though, I heard that our lavender-haired hottie got you the surprise of a lifetime."

Goten expected Sadie to fry an egg on his forehead any second now. Either the tattoo parlor had been bugged to shit, or Mizuki knew someone within his social circle and hadn't been able to keep her damn tongue to herself.

Goten stepped a little closer to Jasper and lowered his voice. No need for Sadie to hear this, though she probably already knew.

"Not to be the bearer of bad news, but you know what this means for us, don't you? About our little arrangement?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Jasper asked, his eyebrows almost disappearing into his hair. "I meant that tattoo that he got you."

"Oh. Right."

Jasper took a hold of Goten's arm and turned it over to study it in the light of the porch. "Wicked..." he whispered, sliding his thumb across the length of Banshee's neck. "Mizuki did one hell of a good job."

"Y-Yeah, she did."

'Wait a minute..." Jasper said, his lips curling into a little arch. "What did you think I was talking about?"

"N-Nothing. Nothing at all. Shut up."

"Guys, what's going on?" Sadie had taken notice of their little huddle and was now demanding information. "Something that I'm not supposed to know about? A little dirty secret? Gossip? Oooooh, let me have it!"

"I said it's nothing!" Goten almost shouted. He wasn't used to people ganging up on him.

"Bullshit," Jasper cooed. "Sadie, you wouldn't believe it, but I think that our little Goten got something more than just a tattoo yesterday."

Sadie squealed so loud that Goten was sure it would wake up his mother. Then he realized that the woman was likely already awake and definitely in on the plan.

"I knew the two of you would hit it off! I told Trunks so, I freakin' fuckin' friggin' told him!" Sadie was nearly hysterical. "And that little crybaby didn't want to call me by my proper title, the Great Goddess of Matchmaking. Heh, I showed him."

"How do you people pry into my brain like that?" Goten asked, frowning. "I didn't say anything yet you assume it all."

"Goten, babe, I can just read it on your face." Jasper's arms slid around Goten's neck. Goten could feel the other's warm breath tickling at his hairline. "I must say though, I am a little jealous of Trunks, ya know? Snagging this little hottie away from me."

Goten was about to tell Jasper to lay off him, but that's when it dawned on him that Jasper's arms were clenching around him tightly. He wanted to curse and yell and kick, but he saw Sadie approach with a blindfold and immediately knew that it would be futile. Besides, Jasper may have been the feminine one in their relationship, but he was still quite a bit stronger.

Jasper held Goten in place as Sadie darkened the world around him. Goten raised no complaints when his hands were drawn behind his back. Sure, he had some snark at the ready, but that was about all.

"Ooh, Jasper, where was this enthusiasm when we were still a thing?" Goten jibed when he heard the metallic chime coming from behind. Jasper slid the cuffs around his wrists and they locked together with a click. A hand on the small of his back told him that it was time to move.

"Hey!" Goten protested. "Do you people even realize that I'm not wearing any pants?"

"Eh, Trunks'll like that, I guess," Jasper said. Goten kicked back blindly; the pained yelp that followed told him that he had nailed Jasper in the shins.

"Seriously, you bunch of assholes," Goten sputtered. "I swear to everything, you better get me a pair of pants and some shoes before I kick the hell out of you."

A giggle from his left alerted him to Sadie's location. "Don't worry, Goten. It'll only be cold those few steps to the car. From there on out everything has heating. Besides, we have everything taken care of. Not that you'd need pants where you are going, anyway."

"Do I even want to know?"

"I bet you do."

When the door to the Capsule Corp jet opened up, Trunks nearly laughed himself into a fit, then nearly died of embarrassment and a severe case of overheating. Goten's head was the first thing to emerge. His hair, though wild and messy as a standard, was standing in corkscrews and twists. A blindfold was draped across his face. In short, he looked worse for wear.

He knew that Sadie and Jasper had basically dragged the kid from his bed and had taken him to the airstrip. They had also instructed him to take the steps that would take him inside the plane, but according to the plan they were to scurry away as soon as he had set foot on the first step. That meant that it was now Trunks's responsibility to make sure that Goten didn't fall to his death.

Unfortunately for both parties involved Trunks's mind was racing. As soon as the first wave of the giggles had passed it became clear to him just who was boarding the jet. The boy who he had a raging crush on. The boy that he had kissed for the first time yesterday. His... b-boyfriend? Was that the term?

These emotions passed through his mind in the space of seconds, making him feel a range of sensations from sheer terror to a joy so strong that he felt that his heart would not be able to contain it. As soon as this little big storm had passed it settled inside of his stomach as a never-ending torrent of butterflies, their wings whipping up just enough air to make him feel a bit queasy.

Then reality hit him. He should be making sure that Goten wouldn't splatter across the tarmac below. He rose from his chair and strode over to Goten, grabbing him by the arm and startling the life out of him. He pulled Goten into the jet and let go of him. He wanted to speak up immediately, but was halted by the sight of his love interest.

And no, not because Goten was pretty despite his out-of-bed looks and the way he screamed like a four-year-old girl facing off an army of spiders.

It was because Goten was clad in his underpants.

What was Trunks to say when the person of his fantasies -both sweet and spicy- stood in the middle of this space in nothing but boxers and a simple shirt? Not a whole lot, that was what. He probably should've been embarrassed to do so, feel a little sense of shame, but there wasn't any way that he could help it. He was staring at Goten like he was the greatest movie ever made, his mouth open just a tad, breath befalling him as much as words. That voice in the back of his head, the naughty one, begged the question who's birthday it really was; in the dirty movies this was usually how one was presented with a gift.

Now, that nasty train of thought completed, Trunks felt that he could safely speak up.

"Hey!" he said, perhaps a bit more enthused than he had wanted to come across.

"Trunks?' Goten asked, swaying his head around. "You there?"

"Yeah, here I am," Trunks replied. "Any idea where you are?"

"Not a clue. It's too dark to really see."

Trunks snickered and moved behind Goten, undoing the knot of the blindfold. The lighting in the jet was low, so Goten only blinked twice before his jaw dropped at the display of wealth all around him.

"Wow..." he breathed.

Trunks shrugged. Sure, it was fancy alright. They had a space about the size of an average living room to walk around in. The seats lined the walls of the aircraft and the upholstery was a velvety red that matched the plush carpet. There was a pool table, a television, a fridge. There was even a bed crammed into the corner. Basically the Capsule Corp jet was a flying hotel room. But of course to Trunks this was all old news. He let Goten bask in the glory a bit longer.

"So you like it," Trunks eventually said, smirking.

"Do I..." Goten said. "Sorry man, I just can't get used to how loaded you are."

"Believe me, it gets boring after a while."

"Try me."

Trunks laughed. "Maybe later." He didn't really know where to go from here. All he had to do was signal Pierre, the pilot, and they would be off to their destination. The whole reason that he had Goten lifted from his feathers so early in the morning was because the flight would take about eight hours and after they arrived they would need as much daylight as they could manage. Eight hours was a lot of time to fill and he was already running out of things to talk about. Great.

Or, well, there were just a whole lot of things that he did not dare speak about. Even the thought of them clenched his gut into an iron fist.

So instead he said "So, already wondering where we're going?"

Goten pondered this for a while. "Well, let's summarize. First I find Sadie at my front door at four in the fucking morning. Then Jasper sneaks into my house -I still have no idea how-, then they blindfold me, tie me up and throw me into the back of a car, only to take me to an airstrip where they toss me into the world's most luxurious private jet. Not to mention that as soon as i get my vision back I'm looking right at my new boyfriend. Where are we going? I don't know. Heaven, maybe?"

That little wild-haired, sweet-talking asshole. Trunks wanted to shove his head into the seat cushions because they would be able to camouflage the intense blush spreading over his cheeks. So in his ponderings he had been right. Goten was his boyfriend. Strangely enough he wasn't sure if he should be happy or frightened; giving the beast a name would make it much more real. He'd never been in a relationship before, let alone a gay one.

Goten seemed to read his anxiety. Before Trunks could blink Goten was in front of him, a smile on his face that made all of Trunks's worries melt away.

"That's okay, right?" he asked. "Calling you my boyfriend?" It must have been a trick of the light, because Trunks could have sworn that Goten's eyes tripled in size just then. Goten moved in closer, lining his face with Trunks. They were so close that their noses almost brushed together.

All Trunks could muster was a very tiny nod.

"Good," Goten said, and then he kissed him.

If it was possible for Trunks to have any fleeting thoughts in his mind, they were gone now. In a millisecond his entire being was absorbed into the entity that was Goten. There was nothing to look at but those beautiful eyes, that messy hair. There was nothing to smell but a strange tinge of vanilla, probably shampoo or cologne or something like that. Nothing to taste but lips as intoxicating as cocaine.

His hands flew up and one of them buried itself in Goten's hair. The other fell on his chin, tilting it up so that Trunks could seek closer contact. As the world around them crumbled, Trunks felt his entire sense of reasoning fall away as well.

The need to breathe suddenly overtook him. Trunks stepped back a little and looked at his boyfriend. Goten's face was as red as his, and he too was breathing heavier than before. Trunks did not even realize that he was still fiddling with Goten's locks until Goten began to laugh.

"Huh?" Trunks asked, dazed. "Something the matter?"

"Yeah," Goten said. "Is there any chance that you can take these off?" He shook the hands behind his back.

Immediately Trunks began to laugh as well. He had completely forgotten that Jasper and Sadie had deemed it necessary to handcuff Goten to get him to go along.

"Maybe," Trunks teased. "But I do think that this is very convenient." The smirk that decorated his face said it all; they might've just found a way to pass those eight hours anyway.

Much to his surprise Goten returned the grin. "Fine," Goten said. "I guess that means that I have to show you a little trick that Gohan taught me years ago." Trunks saw how Goten tensed his arms, whirled them around a bit, jiggled them up and down. And then, from out of nowhere, his hands flashed in front of Trunks's face, the handcuffs dangling uselessly from his index finger.

"Holy crap, how did you do that?" Trunks asked.

Goten graced him with a toothy smile as brilliant as the sun. "Ah, but a great magician never reveals his tricks."

"And a great magician always uses the same bullshit excuse." Trunks snatched the cuffs away and tossed them over his shoulder. "Besides, I kinda liked seeing you like that." He had almost swallowed the words, but upon seeing Goten's eyebrows rise in amusement, his confidence did the same. "You know, all tied up and helpless. Just think of all the ways I could've taken advantage of you."

"Oh, is that so?" Goten smirked at him. "Why? Am I supposed to be the girl in this relationship?"

"No, I... uh..."

"Is that it? You think I'm a bottom kind of guy?"

"Huh? I didn't..."

Goten was nose to nose with Trunks again, the smile never wavering. "Well then I got some news for you," he said, taking another step closer and forcing Trunks to take one back. "Jasper tore like three of my pillowcases, if you must know."

Okay, so how was Trunks to respond to that? Not at all, of course. Goten could read the awkwardness on his face as usual.

"Oh, sweetheart," Goten laughed. "Don't you worry about it. We'll figure all of this out." He kissed Trunks once more, this time with more force than ever before.

Trunks wanted to everything and nothing at all. Ravage Goten and just stand still and savor the moment. This was all new territory to him as it was, so all he could do was wing it. He had a fair idea of where this could go, but he would have to wait and see if he was right.

At the end of that particular brain wave he got his answer. Suddenly Goten's tongue was in his mouth and it was the best thing that he had ever experienced in his life. Back at his birthday party when he had kissed Sadie, he had felt the mild sensation of physical pleasure, but only because his body wasn't accustomed to it. But this was so much more real. This was the thrill that his body had desired. When Goten's tongue lapped at his, his entire form began to quiver, overcome by this sheer sense of pleasure that he would never be able to put to words.

Goten's hands were clawing at his back, pulling at the hem of his shirt. Trunks took a step back, raked his courage together, exhaled sharply, and took the garment off. Goten did the same. They took a second to look at each other.

Goten was, well, sorry for the cliché, perfect. Though the boy swore he hated physical exercise with a passion, he actually looked quite fit. He was a little narrow in the shoulders, but his stature made up for that; Trunks was only just realizing how tall Goten was. He was pale, but not see-through. tiny black hairs trailed from his belly button down to the rim of his underwear, and that was when Trunks realized that he was doing more than just looking; he was staring.

This raised the question what Goten was thinking about him. When Trunks looked up to meet his eyes, Goten's were lazily flicking back and forth across Trunks's body, feeling no shame in studying every nook and cranny. He must've liked what he saw, because that toothy grin flashed across his face again, making Trunks grow red like a road flare.

"You're a skinny one too," Goten said, stepping up to Trunks and wrapping his arms around him. "And it's kind of cute that you're a little tiny. That way I can do this." He pressed a smooch on top of Trunks's head and enveloped him in a beat hug.

Trunks felt as though his head could explode. First the french kissing, now this. Goten was warm against him, and he was mesmerizing. It was like being wrapped in velvet, so smooth, so soft, so lush. Once again he could feel that tiny semblance of self control slipping away.

Instead of letting it stew in his mind, Trunks turned on his heels and kissed Goten hard. Lights went off behind his eyelids. The butterflies in his stomach were replaced by a flock birds, their wings flapping against his insides. Oh god, he was about to lose it.

Goten responded in kind. Hands found Trunks's hair this time, raking through it and making his scalp tingle. One of them went on its own journey, leaving the purple locks alone and doing a small walk across the nape of his neck, before gliding down his spine, drawing circles and making Trunks shiver.

When he opened his eyes and drew back from the kiss, he was lying on the bed. He had no idea how he got there, and it simply didn't matter. Goten was hovering above him, messing with the button on Trunks's jeans. His shoes were already gone.

Trunks could, in his muddled state of mind, still remember that they had places to go. He hit a green button by the side of the bed and immediately the jet began to move. There was no need for seatbelts thanks to his mother's insane scientific team.

Goten seemed to be aware of this. The tremor that moved through the floor wasn't enough to deter him. Within seconds his face was level with Trunks's again. Their lips sealed and Goten fell onto Trunks, their naked skins sliding together and bringing on a sense of arousal that Trunks didn't even know was possible. When Goten pressed his pelvis to Trunks's, and both of them could feel each other's hardening lengths press together, the lights went out.

Eight hours did pass quickly if you knew what to do with them.

Pierre's voice came on over the intercom to announce their landing, waking Goten up. When he opened his eyes he was immediately greeted by a scene of luxury that did not even exist in his dreams. He rubbed at his eyes and squinted against the glare of the sunlight that filled the jet. He felt very well rested; this was evident by the smile that he did not even know was on his face.

There was a weight on his chest. Goten looked down and saw Trunks, his head on Goten's pectorals, purple hair fanning out and covering his eyes like curtains. One of Trunks's hands held onto Goten's shoulder, making sure that their embrace did not part even in sleep.

Goten could look at him like this forever, but unfortunately today was not the day for that. He hoisted himself up a little against the pillows -the very, very comfortable pillows- and gave Trunks a slight nudge.

"Heh, whu-" Trunks grumbled. "What's wrong?" He stretched his arms above his head and yawned.

"We're here," Goten said. "Wherever 'here' is."

"Oh, right!" Trunks darted out of bed before Goten could blink. It was kind of funny to note how a few hours ago Trunks was hesitant to even let Goten look at him, yet now here he was, pacing up and down the length of the jet in his birthday suit. Or Goten's birthday suit, from a technical standpoint.

"I'm going to tell Pierre to lower the shades on the windows," Trunks said, still pacing up and down, nearly beside himself with sudden excitement. "I want this to be a surprise until the very end."

"Sure, but shouldn't you put something on first?" Goten pointed at Trunks's exposed nether regions for emphasis.

Trunks shot a quick glance down, then a thumbs up. "Right-O."

Ten minutes later they were both dressed and the shades were drawn on the windows. Goten did not question why they were wearing shorts. Judging by the amount of time that they had been flying, it was safe to say that they were on another hemisphere than the one they started on. It was probably the edge of summer here.

"Okay, ready?" Trunks asked. Goten gave a nod and Trunks yanked him along by his hand. Goten was lead to the door and Trunks opened it, immediately clapping his hands in front of Goten's eyes. The other boy only got a brief chance to glimpse the stairs leading out of the jet before the world went dark around him.

Trunks was guiding him with his words. "Okay, now here's the first step. Easy... there you go. Now keep going. That's it, yes, good. Okay, we're completely down now. Now walk in this direction. Good, now over there. Okay, stop."

Goten had to admit that he was feeling anxious right about now. There was no way in hell that he would be able to guess what Trunks had in store for him. He could feel the warm glow of the last sun of the afternoon burn his skin. A mild breeze was blowing and it was carrying the scents of nature.

He was about to get impatient, but then he heard two heavy thuds, followed by Trunks saying "Thank you, Pierre." Then his boyfriend addressed him. "Okay, are you ready for your surprise?"

Goten nodded.

"Well then, here we go!" Trunks chimed. "Happy birthday!" He took his hands away from Goten's eyes.

Goten looked around. For a second or two his eyes needed to adjust to the light, but as soon as he could make out his surroundings, his jaw dropped and his heart skipped three beats.

He recognized this place. He'd been here before.

Slowly, ever so slowly, his gaze straightened out, then went up.

Goten was looking right at Mount Paozu.

"Surprise," Trunks said, making Goten turn to him. There was a loving smile on his face, and also a tiny hint of doubt. Perhaps he wasn't completely sure that this was a good place to bring Goten. Trunks had done his research, that much was clear. Chances were high that he knew why this place and day were so strongly related in Goten's mind. Goten could see why he was so doubtful, though. This place, no matter how much he loved it, didn't consist of just happy memories.

"So, what do you think?" Trunks queried, the tension on his face almost palpable.

Goten hated himself for it, but no amount of self loathing could keep his voice from breaking. He just couldn't say anything for now, and judging by Trunks's smile that was very much alright. Goten settled for a hug and a wet kiss.

When he did find his voice, it whispered countless words of gratitude.

Some time was taken for Goten to regain his composure. He cried for a little bit, but Trunks was there to hold him and brush through his hair and say sweet words to him to make him feel better. At one point Trunks actually apologized for making him cry, but Goten wouldn't have it. This was the nicest, most beautiful gift that he had ever gotten.

Once Goten had gotten a hold of himself again. Trunks explained the situation. He sat on a rock by the dirt clearing on which they had landed, patting the spot beside him. Goten took a seat as well and looked out over the valley beneath them. Pierre was one hell of a pilot, because he had dropped them off one-third of the way to the summit.

A forest as green as jade spread out across the horizon, the sun rimming it gold and red. The lake beside the trees caught the light as well, making diamonds dance across their fields of vision. The trail leading down the mountain was as lush with growth as it had ever been. Birds were flying about, making their way back to their nests to get ready for their night's rest.

"Gohan was right, this place really is beautiful," Trunks murmured.

"Ah, so you're in cahoots with my brother," Goten deducted. "Smart."

Trunks smiled. "Yeah... Gohan was more than happy to help me when I told him what I had in mind. I hope I didn't scare you too bad."

"Not at all, you just overwhelmed me."

"Also a satisfying response," Trunks smirked. "Anyway, the whole point of today is for you to get back to your roots, ya know?"

"Not really, but go on."

"Well," Trunks sighed. "Gohan told me a lot about your father. He said how he passed away a day after your birthday, three years ago. Hearing that made me feel horrible. You should be able to have your birthday be about you, no matter the circumstances."

"Trunks, I choose to not celebrate my birthday, you know that." Goten gave him a hardy stare. "I don't want to the day to be about me. And as terrible as it sounds, I kind of don't mind having an excuse at the ready." And that was the truth. It was a mean thing to be happy about, to have your father pass away on a specific date, but at least now Goten had a reason to not spend a whole day patting himself on the shoulder.

"I know that," Trunks said, and he caught Goten off guard by smiling. "But still, you deserve it. And don't even argue with me on that. You do, simple as that. So I've come up with a solution."

"Come again?"

Trunks pointed at the valley below them. "Gohan told me that the house that you lived in before you moved is right behind that line of trees there," he said, pointing them out with pinpoint accuracy. "So what we're gonna do is trek down the mountains and go there, to have a look for old time's' sake. Then, when we are all done there, we'll go about two miles further, to where the houser of your grandfather is."

Goten's mouth fell open for the umpteenth time that day. "You're kidding me."

"Nope." Trunks shook his head in a flurry of lavender. "Not at all. I thought that you'd like to see the place you grew up in first of all, so I can up with the idea of going for a hike around here. Then I talked to Gohan and I learned that your father is buried behind your grandfather's house. So instead of going up the mountain, we're going down. Something else Gohan told me is that for the past two years you've used your birthday to clean the shrine you left for your father and light the candles. So I was thinking, maybe we could go there and tidy the place up a bit, you know? Make it look presentable. You can light a few candles, maybe even talk to him a little bit. How's that sound?"

Goten said nothing for a very long time. When he finally found the words that matched his emotions all that came out was "You just love to see me cry, don't you?"

"...I can't deny that."

"Well, you're doing a hell of good job," Goten sniffed. He turned to Trunks and kissed him. "Thank you," he whispered when they released. "You're amazing."

"I know," Trunks laughed. He gestured towards the two backpacks that Pierre had left them with. "So how about we get a move on?"

The trip down the mountain went fairly smooth, all things considered. One of the biggest obstacles they had to face was Trunks's complete incompetence when it came to being outdoors. They had hardly started down the mountain before he tripped over a set of tree roots and went sprawling. Goten laughed at him the first three times it happened and after that Trunks began to mind his step a lot better. It was the walking definition -no pun intended- of progress.

They reached the edge of the forest with two hours of daylight to spare. Goten told Trunks all about the area as they moved. During summer the forest around them was host to one of the biggest migrations of birds in the world. The lake beside it housed the rare breed of fish called Paozu tuna. The name in itself explained that it was found nowhere else in the world. And so on and so forth.

Making their way through the forest took about an hour and a half. When they finally spotted the final row of trees the daylight was beginning to dwindle and dusk was settling. Suddenly Goten could not keep his enthusiasm contained. He ran out between the trees and reared his head around.

There it was, the house he had grown up in. The place where he had taken his first steps, said his first words, thrown his first temper tantrum. It looked exactly as he remembered it and now that he had spent some time in the city, he had no idea how he had felt that the houses there had looked strange. This one was just as circular, with an orange roof and a chimney on top. Goten ran to it, Trunks hot on his heels.

He couldn't resist a peek inside even though he knew that the place was empty. He almost expected to peer through the grime to see dust rise and fall, the shapes of footprints marking the floor as his memories ran rampant. Of course it didn't, but one could always dream.

"Hmm," he eventually said. "Guess it didn't do too well on the buyer's market."

Trunks laughed at his side. "So, this is where you used to live, huh?"

"Uh-huh," Goten mumbled. "It feels like I haven't been here for six years instead of six months."

A hand fell on his shoulder. "So what do you want to do?" Trunks asked him. "Do you wanna hang out here for a bit? Or do you want to keep going?"

Goten pondered this for a little while. In the end he decided that it would be of no use to stare into an empty house for much longer. He told Trunks this, so after stealing a final melancholic glance over his shoulder they moved on.

The way to his grandfather's house was easy from here on out. Goten's father had travelled the route a countless amount of times and that had left a stomped lane of dirt that cut through the plains. All they had to do was follow said path.

When the final part of their journey came to an end, darkness was stealing over the landscape. Grandpa Gohan's house was lined against the horizon as a dark square, but Goten recognized it without fail. Once again he felt his feet move faster than his mind. He ran and ran and ran until there wasn't a shred of breath left in his body. He could hear Trunks's ragged panting behind him.

When he reached the front of the tiny house something strange happened. It was as if all the strength had been sucked from his body. Suddenly his legs felt much heavier than before and most of the happiness that he had been building up over the day had evaporated. His stomach was no longer swarming with butterflies, instead making room for a block of cement.

But maybe that wasn't all that strange at all. In some weird, fucked up way it had seemed like treachery when he had moved away with his mother. He knew damn well that she wasn't to blame for any of that, yet it had still felt like abandoning his father in a sense. Goku Son had always been there for him, time, money, or people be damned. And now Goten couldn't even be there for his father to wipe the grime away from his photograph after a heavy bout of rain.

And that hurt.

Trunks was by his side to interrupt this glum train of thought and for that Goten was thankful. Trunks kept silent as they stood there, gazing at the arches of the roof and how the moon rose to turn the black to silver. Goten felt around for Trunks's hand and found it. He gave it a squeeze every now and then. He needed it to keep himself grounded.

After some time the courage to actually do this began to pool back into him. He gave a shaky sigh and unfurled his fingers from Trunks's. "I think I'm ready," he said, and gods be damned, he actually began to walk now.

He moved around the house. With every step that he took his feet began to feel heavier, but he persevered. He wanted to do this. No, he needed to. He owed that much to his father. Not to mention how much trouble Trunks had gone through to set this up.

And there it was. Goten now found himself at the back of the house. And just like that his world stopped. In the light of the moon it was as clearly visible as any other day. His father's headstone was greeting him, the mat black catching the reflected rays of sunlight that the moon put out, giving the piece of rock a heavenly sort of gleam. Goten walked closer to it and now he could read what had been written on it:

In loving memory of Goku Son. A father first, a man of the world second.

And below that:

Don't let the light of others dull yours, for you are the brightest stars in the universe, my sons.

Underneath that line was a photo of the man himself. Goku had a had raised at the camera, the smile that he was known for etched across his face. There were very little photographs of Goku, so finding one to put on the headstone had been a chore. This particular one had been taken during Goten's first birthday party. A copy of it hung in the hallway back home, but seeing it now was as if Goten saw it for the first time in forever.

"So that's your dad, huh," Trunks said softly. "Gohan told me a lot about him, but he didn't show me a photo or anything. He looks just like you."

Goten nodded and smiled. He felt a sad kind of joy trickle into his heart, gut-wrenching yet warm and happy all the same. He turned around and there was the shrine, another photo of Goku perched on top, this one displaying him lounging on the sofa that now stood in South City. Candle stubs surrounded it and a wilted rose had managed to stay on it despite the winter weather that it had to endure. Goten pressed a hand under his nose, feeling the tears coming, but even so his smile could only grow.

Trunks had really thought of everything. He had several cleaning product tucked away into his backpack and he half of them to Goten. Together they cleaned the headstone first, then the marble sheet that indicated Goku's burial plot. Trunks pulled a few pots with dirt from out of nowhere and told Goten that they contained the bulbs of tulips. In two weeks the entire plot would be a sea of colour. The tears threatened again, but they did not spill.

They took their time with cleaning the shrine. Before they did that Goten built a fire to help them see better, lighting the two torches that stood next to the shrine. Goten cleaned the rickety table while Trunks polished Goku's photo to a gleam, doing so with such care that Goten wanted to crush him in a hug. Once all of the aged candle wax had been removed Trunks placed the photograph back on the middle of the table. Yet again he started sifting through his backpack, this time pulling out a big that contained about a hundred candles. He placed them all around the photo, at least twenty of them, lighting them all with a box of matches that he had brought along.

With everything done, Goten took a step back. The torches and candles provided so much light that he could even see the gleam in his father's teeth. His own eyes were burning and he knew them to be red and puffy, but the knot in his throat was swallowed with some effort. He would stay strong, he told himself. If that was possible at all.

When he looked to his side, Trunks was gone. For a moment Goten felt a slight panic grip at him, but when he wheeled around he saw Trunks sitting on his hunches by his father's grave. He was filling the empty spaces of marble with more candles, lighting them all and creating a checkerboard pattern. Goten walked over with a lazy step, smiling at the sight of his boyfriend going to such lengths to make him happy.

When Trunks was done with his chore, he went to stand beside Goten. They shared a quick kiss and Goten rested his head on Trunks's shoulder, glad to have him here in the moment. Trunks surprised him by speaking.

"Maybe you should talk to him," he suggested.

"What do you mean?" Goten asked, his hand curled into the fabric of Trunks's shirt.

"I mean just talking to him. Tell him how your day was, or how your first gig with the Broken Heartstrings went. Just get that load off your chest."

"But I wouldn't even know what to say."

"It'll come to you," Trunks replied, smiling at him. "If it needs to be said, it will be. Now I'll give you some time alone to get your thoughts straight."

Trunks was about to walk off, but Goten grabbed him by the scruff of his neck. "No, please, stay." Upon seeing Trunks's doubtful look he added. "Please, it would mean a lot to introduce my boyfriend to my dad."

Trunks looked at him with startled eyes for a second, then nodded and stepped in close, an arm around Goten's waist. the other boy was quick to shake it off, though, and sat himself down at the foot of the grave. He patted the dirt beside him and Trunks joined him.

Goten mulled the past six months over in his mind, wondering where to begin. Perhaps he shouldn't even start there at all. Dammit, this was hard. For someone who deemed himself an author he was very much out of words to speak.

But Trunks had been right. Eventually the words did come.

"Hey Dad, it's me, Goten," he began, and suddenly the words were flowing out of him like water down a waterfall. "It's been a while, hasn't it? Six months now, I believe. Sorry that I haven't been around to check up on you, or keep your plot clean. I wanted to, but as it turns out, life is not that easy."

He gave a watery chuckle at his own joke.

"So Mom and I moved to South City a few months ago. You should've seen her after you kicked it, Dad, she was so amazing. She hardly cried, even though I believe she should've a bit more. She worked her ass off to make sure that I could eat and sleep with a roof over my head. She never skipped a day and always did her best, but unfortunately that isn't always enough. She was cut on her paycheck and we couldn't afford the house anymore, so we had to move away. I protested for months and I promised her that I would get a job, you know? I wanted to stay here so I could keep looking after you.

"In the end it didn't work, though. Mom said that a child my age should have the chance to live through his youth without worrying about adult situations, if it is at all possible. I guess she was right in that, but I didn't give up without a fight. I can't even count the amount of times I stormed out of the room yelling at her. It's bad, I know. The woman kept me fed and healthy. She's forgiven me, though, thank heaven for small favours. She's got a job in the city now and she's doing the best she can. I couldn't have wished for better parents than you guys.

"Gohan is doing great too. He's still working with Bulma and they're still breaching the limits of science on a daily basis. I guess he's still not tired of being an overachiever. He comes around for dinner a lot. It's really too bad that you never got to know your granddaughter. Pan is amazing, that little monster.

"And me, well..." All of a sudden he wasn't so sure how to continue. He found strength in Trunks when their hands entwined. "I guess that you could say that I'm doing great, Dad. And I really am. I said that to you a lot these past three years, but now I actually mean it. Believe it or not, but I think I'm actually starting to like living in the city. I have friends now, and quite a few of them too. And I..."

A smile split his face in half. "Dad, do you remember that day we went to the beach, just you and me? I was thirteen and still very much a little snot nose. You spent the whole day trying to get me to talk to the girl on the beach towel next to us, but I wouldn't budge. Remember that? And do you still know how you caught me ogling that buff life guard with the chest tattoos? I sure do. I don't think I've ever been more embarrassed. Yet you only smiled at me and told me that it was alright. Thanks to you I never once felt bad about myself when I realized I was gay. You let me be myself, whether it was because of Banshee, or because I liked boys. All you cared about was me being happy."

A feeling of wetness was at the tip of his nose. A tear was dangling and threatening to fall. Goten just let it go. He now felt at peace enough to cry.

"And Dad, you won't believe it, but I actually found someone who makes me happy, just like how it was with you and Mom. HIs name is Trunks and he's sitting right next to me now. He's Bulma's son. It took us a while to get together, but I wouldn't have had it any other way. And I have you to thank for all of that."

More tears came and he let them flow; it was such a liberating feeling that it was almost intoxicating. Trunks's head fell onto his shoulder and he raked a hand through that soft, sweet-smelling hair. The watery plink of his salty tears falling onto the marble was beginning to stir up a rhythm.

"So, I guess what I want to say is... Dad... thank you. Thank you so, so much. I wouldn't have been the person I am today without you, and if I wasn't raised by such loving parents, who knew where I'd have ended up. Hell, I might even have killed myself out of self-pity. I love you, Dad, and... and..."

And that was all that he could say. The seemingly endless flow of words had made way for tears. And that was okay. These emotions were okay. Yes, they hurt him, but they also set him free from bonds that he hadn't even known were there. He cried for what felt like hours, his cheeks stained with salt, his throat dry with the raging sobs. But when the storm had passed, when all of the heartache was seen to, he felt so incredibly relieved. As if an eighteen-wheeler had been lifted from his chest.

Trunks had packed a double sleeping bag for the two of them. Goten fell asleep with Trunks's arms wrapped around him, the mild tickle of the kiss that had removed the final tears still there and ready to follow him into the land of dreams.

Thanks for reading and please let me know what you think, it would be much appreciated :)