A/N: I kinda feel this chapter isn't as good as what I hoped it would, but I'll let you all be the judges.
Lazuli slowly woke up, her body still tingling with the aftermath of their coupling. She had to admit, it'd been better than she could've imagined and she would not say no to a second round. In fact, the idea started to warm her up, but it died off as quickly as it'd come when she found she was alone in bed. And there was another reason for her waking up. The bedroom was trembling and she focused on Trunks' energy. Rising from the bed with only a sheet to cover her nudity, Lazuli stepped out into the living quarters, looking into the Void for any sign of the half-Saiyan.
What was he doing?
Trunks bellowed into the Void, his power flaring erratically as it reacted to his tumultuous emotions. Shame, guilt and self-loathing consumed him with insatiable hunger as he screamed and he screamed.
-X-
What had he done?
What. Had. He. Done?
He had just spat on the memory of his best friend, of his father, of his mother's friends by sleeping with Lazuli. Not just sleep with her, but lost his virginity to her. He was meant to lose it to someone he loved in a special moment, not to his former enemy in a lust-driven craze.
What the hell was wrong with him?
His throat ripped raw, Trunks collapsed to his hands and knees, struggling to breathe under the thin atmosphere, his lungs burning for air. He felt the tears on his face and with a strangled cry, he punched the ground. What the hell was wrong with him? Why did he give in? Why did he – (Trunks swallowed heavily as the realisation of what had transpired sunk in) – sleep with her?
He was no longer a virgin. She had claimed that moment and why of all people did it have to be her? This whole training thing had been a terrible idea from the very beginning; Trunks just didn't see the signs until it was too late, when he'd woke up and discovered the naked Android in his arms.
He wanted to retch, he wanted to vomit, a sense of disgust coating him like the ice that had arrived, but he didn't care. Let the frost take him. Let it punish him for his transgression. He felt like filth and the blizzard was the cleansing he needed. It was one thing to be 'friendly' with Lazuli, after all she'd done, but it was completely another to actually have sex with her.
What would Gohan think of him now?
What would his father think of him now?
He had disgraced all of them and for what? For the pleasures of the flesh with his mortal enemy?
He hated himself, he hated himself, Kami he hated himself. The rational part, the one he ignored in favour of his lust, was now trying to assuage his guilt by telling him that Lazuli wasn't evil anymore. Yes, she didn't kill humans anymore, yes she fought by his side, yes she was capable of mercy and was trying to distance herself from her past, yes she had even apologised to him – but it was still 18 and the fact that he'd given himself to her – it nauseated him.
What was he going to do now?
"Hey." Trunks shivered as he faced the freezing Lazuli. She wore her pink tracksuit, ice clinging to her hair. "What are you doing out here?"
"Getting away from you," Trunks replied and instantly, her entire demeanour hardened like diamonds.
"Excuse me?"
"We shouldn't have done that. We should not have done that."
"That's funny, because you were damn well for it. Quite enthusiastic actually. But if you wanna stay in the past and put me on the walk of shame to make yourself feel better, well, I've got news for you, buddy: grow up."
His eyes widened. "What?"
"Grow. Up. Seriously, what more do I have to do to prove to you that I'm no longer the bad guy? I shouldn't have to, but you're acting like such a brat, it's unbelievable. I didn't push you into it, you could've easily said no, but you didn't. You wanted it as well. You wanted me and now you're gonna act like you regret it and treat me like a bad person again? I don't have to put up with your crap, Trunks."
Ice stabbed through her clothes and bit her skin, but her anger kept her warm against the blizzard.
So much for her afterglow.
"Lazuli, it's not that-" Trunks started, but her icy glare cut him off.
"Oh, you're going to use that on me? Tell me then, Trunks, what's your problem? Enlighten me."
Trunks gaped like a fish as he shivered from the freezing cold, his brain going numb from the blizzard.
"My mom used to tell me about how special the virginity was and that I should lose it to a special girl, you know, someone I love. I never thought I'd end up losing it to you in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, given our past. We're not even friends and…it happened. After all you've-"
"Stop right there," Lazuli cut him off, her fury intensifying. "If you so much as even hint at giving me the whole 'you killed my best friend' speech, I swear I will deck you. I am not the same person anymore-"
"I know that!" Trunks retaliated and she blinked in surprise. "Why the hell do you think I'm so damn conflicted?! You ruined my childhood, yet you haunted my dreams. I just gave my virginity to you, but I still remember everything you did. It wasn't supposed to happen at all. There is no way this could ever work out between us."
"Why, because you'll forever cling to the past?" Lazuli questioned. "Trunks, I am not asking for a relationship. I don't want one. I just want a bit of fun every once in a while. That's all it is: fun. Nothing really special about it at all. I can't even remember my first time; mustn't have been a big deal. But okay, fine, I get it: you still see me as a villain and that'll never change, I guess. Perhaps I'm asking for a bit too much that you'll stop seeing me like that. Your mother did with your father and maybe I was hoping that same trait was passed on to you. Looks like I was wrong."
Perhaps there was more of his father in him than he thought, but Trunks was started to regret his initial reaction. That said, he was stubborn and he wasn't about to apologise. It wasn't that he hated Lazuli – far from it. He tolerated her, could accept her as an ally and even though he was attracted to her, he never expected to actually act on those impulses and sleep with her. But he had, it happened and there was no turning back time to change it. Even though the act brought forth his repressed desires and fantasies of the Android, waking up next to her with the realisation of what they'd done, Trunks had reacted like he did because he felt like he had dishonoured the memory of those slain by her hand. Going that far with her had never been his intent, but now he didn't know what to do next.
"Look, regardless of how I feel, it shouldn't have happened, but it did and it should not happen again," Trunks said firmly. "We are not doing that again."
"Fine," Lazuli said dismissively. "Back to normal then, because this whole act you're pulling right now: it's not a turn-on. At least I got you out of my system now."
She turned her back and flew away, leaving him in the blizzard. With conflicting thoughts rampaging through his mind, Trunks transformed to combat the sub-zero temperature, his power giving way to his riotous emotions as he screamed into the Void once more.
It could not happen again.
-X-
He would not allow it.
How did this happen?
How the hell did he end up buried up to his hips inside Lazuli, pinning her to the wall with his strength as he bottomed out in her with every stroke.
Probably because this is how:
Two days after the 'incident', during which Trunks and Lazuli stayed far away from each other, the former coming to terms with the change in his life and the latter feeling aggrieved by his regret. They trained in separate areas of the Chamber, Trunks pushing himself harder due to his emotional turmoil, training until his muscles ached and then he trained some more. As much as he regretted losing his virginity to Lazuli, as he reflected on the moment, he found he had actually enjoyed it and that caused further turmoil for him. Part of him wanted it again, wanted her again and he felt conflicted on whether he should or not, ultimately deciding he should hold to his virtues and given that he'd upset her, it wouldn't be happening again.
Then, he decided to return to the living quarters for lunch and found Lazuli at the table, again reading a magazine as her way to relax after training.
"You know," Lazuli said, not looking up as Trunks passed her towards the kitchen. "There's some tips in here on how to be a better lover. Maybe you should read them."
He stopped. He had intended to ignore her, but she threw the barb at him. "I wasn't…that bad."
"Oh no, you were good. You did better than I thought you would. But there's a tip in here about post-coital stuff, which you proved you suck at."
"What, are your feelings hurt?"
"Me, the cold heartless Android, hurt?" Lazuli mocked him. "I'm not hurt, but I gave you something special and you treated me like dirt in return. It's not like I'm asking you to cuddle me or whisper sweet nothings in my ear; just appreciate what I did for you, nothing more. Ungrateful much?"
"I didn't realise it meant that much to you," Trunks said.
Oops.
Wrong thing to say.
Lazuli become the embodiment of fury, slamming her magazine down as she stepped into his personal space, radiating rage as she jabbed him in the chest with her index finger, making him wince in pain at her strength.
"Listen here, you little punk," she snarled at him. "I opened you to a whole new world, hell, I made you a MAN and I asked for nothing in return, but because you're still hung up on the past, you decided that acting like I did something so profanely terrible to you was the proper way to thank me. You wanted it, Trunks, you wanted me and therefore, your attitude right now stinks."
"Fine, I admit that I find you attractive," Trunks growled, trying to find his footing in this argument. "You are a dream that any man would be lucky to have. But I didn't want it to get that far."
"Yes, you were so intent on stopping it. You had several chances. But just because you can't make up your damn mind on what you want does not mean you can dump your crap on me! So screw you!"
Damn, she had a point, he was quickly losing this battle, but damn if his Saiyan blood wasn't reacting to her. He wanted her right now, fury and all, her anger making his blood heated and without a second thought, Trunks yanked Lazuli against his body, his lips on hers.
He wanted her and he feared she would reject him; she reciprocated and melted into his arms, her arms around his neck as he kissed her like she was the oxygen he was in desperate need of, dying for her touch, their kiss heated like a roaring flame.
"What's this for?" Lazuli managed to ask in between kisses.
"I just wanted you to stop arguing," Trunks said as he planted kisses along her throat. "And you look damn sexy when you're angry."
"That's nice, but I thought you said – ugh," she groaned when his hand pushed up between her legs. "Never mind. Keep doing that."
He slipped his hands down her pants, pushing her underwear aside and rubbed her folds. Lazuli tossed her head back, the anger and fire between them swiftly slicking his fingers and from there, the intensity amplified. His armour, tossed aside, his shirt ripped open as her cool hands roamed his hot, compact torso. He took his hand away, she whined, he shoved her jacket off as he sucked on her jugular and her hands pulled his pants down, palming his heat as he pumped into her palms. He sat her on the table and yanked her pants off, snapping her panties off her hips, then he stepped between her legs and she guided him inside, the two taking a moment as they were connected once more.
He didn't care right now, all that mattered was her hot, wet core wrapped around him. He couldn't get enough of her and with a primal shout, Trunks went Super Saiyan and he picked Lazuli up; she tightened around him, her legs locked around his waist as he pinned her to the wall, his hips hammering into her with raw, animalistic need, her cries of pleasure urging him on, his golden aura surrounding them like a warm cocoon.
The sheer passion of it was enough to bring Lazuli to her peak and she clenched tight around him as she came and he quickly followed her, clutching her close to him as they rode out their climaxes together.
"Mm, that was good," Lazuli groaned in satisfaction. "Not that I'm complaining, but what brought this on?"
"You said 'screw you'," Trunks smirked. Then the guilt set in again and he withdrew from her, his essence leaking down her inner thigh as he sat at the table, burying his face into his hands, his golden locks dropping into his lavender bangs.
"Oh, I know that look," she said sardonically. "That's the 'I had fun, but gosh, now I deeply regret it' look."
"Do you not understand how difficult this is for me? I'm sleeping with my best friend's murderer and yes I know you've changed and even apologised, but it doesn't stop it from feeling wrong."
Lazuli slowly rolled her eyes and crossed her arms beneath her breasts, which caught Trunks' attention. She smirked internally. "Yet you couldn't help yourself. Sorry, but your argument is weak. Now, I'm not saying you should forget about Gohan, but stop using him as an excuse to put up a barrier between us – a barrier, I might add, that you broke in the first place."
"I know," he said despairingly. "I just can't help but wonder what he would think, what my father would think. All my life I just wanted to be strong like them, to have my father's approval. And I feel like I've ruined their memory."
"Not to be cruel, but they are dead, Trunks," Lazuli stated simply and she received a fierce glare, but she knew it to be true. "There's no point in worrying about what they might think."
"Don't talk about them like that!"
She rolled her eyes and walked past him, well aware of his eyes on her. "Fine. I'm done talking anyway and I feel like a snack."
Trunks closed his eyes after staring at her perfect ass. Once again, he felt that insatiable hunger for her, torn with the memory of Gohan as he tried to summon the willpower to resist the Android. But he knew that no matter how hard he tried, he'd fallen in deep with her, perhaps too far and he was a young man who had experienced his sexual awakening.
As much as he loved Gohan and never wanted to sully his memory, Lazuli was right: Gohan was dead. And he'd gotten his revenge, laying the past to rest. That was where it was meant to stay, but then Lazuli returned and he'd given his virginity to her in a lust-driven state that he'd been helpless to stop.
Trunks watched her as she slipped her trackpants on and tossed her ruined panties aside, then put on her jacket, but she didn't zip it up as she headed towards the kitchen.
He was a good man, a good man, who should not be lusting after the Android, should not be thinking of round three, should not-
Like a man on a mission, he caught her in three steps, his arms around her waist as he buried his face into her neck, hungry for her, hungry for more. His appetite was unquenchable and he could not get enough of her. He'd already done it twice with her, where's the harm in a third?
"My, someone's needy," Lazuli purred. "Is this another one of your moments where you want me until you get what you want and then push me away afterwards? Not a fan of that routine."
"You talk too much," Trunks complained and he spun her around, but she pressed a finger to his mouth.
"If we're going to keep doing this, we need to lay down some ground rules. For starters, you don't get to push me away and act like I'm some horrible monster after each time. I'm sorry about Gohan, but that's in the past. You want me, you have to accept that."
"Okay," Trunks said slowly. He wanted her, despite his inconsistent thoughts, but he knew it was only fair that she set the terms and conditions after the way he'd acted. It was like making the truce all over again and the role-reversal was not lost on him. "Anything else?"
"Have you decided that you want to keep doing this? I'm tired of these mixed signals, Trunks, so I need to know if you've grown up a little and made up your mind. This is only casual between us, but it can end real quick if you're going to treat me like scum because you're infatuated with the past."
Trunks wanted to retort, but one quirk of her eyebrow and he shut his mouth, knowing she was right. He needed to leave the past behind, but he found it difficult sometimes, especially in moments like this, when he felt like he needed the past to validate his own being. At the same time, Trunks knew he wanted Lazuli on a primal level and after doing the deed twice with her already, he found there was little resistance to the idea of turning down any future endeavours. It was like she was a drug and he couldn't give her up, despite how hard the past tried.
Despite how hard his morals tried. They wanted nothing to do with her, which clashed with his logical side, which acknowledged her changed behaviour and on top of that, he couldn't deny he wanted her. He wanted to keep it going with her like this.
"Alright, but like you said, this is only casual," Trunks said. "And we keep it in here. Once we leave, that's it. What happens in the Time Chamber stays in the Time Chamber."
"Embarrassed to admit to everyone else you were shagging me in here?" Lazuli teased.
"It's just better if they don't ever find out and that's how I want to keep it. That okay with you?"
"Fine. I can deal with that."
"Good. You have a deal. So, what can you teach me?"
Her grin grew wide. "A lot of things, but first, I want food."
As if to remind him, his own stomach rumbled in hunger, letting him know of his original reason to return to the living quarters. Trunks rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, let me get my pants first."
-X-
As the next few months flew by, Trunks came to discover how much his training had improved since he continued to consort with Lazuli. In fact, for both of them really. They would spend their days training and sparring together, mostly in the deeper reaches of the Chamber, seeking to surpass their limits. Then, their nights when they weren't too worn out from training were spent exploring each other's bodies as Lazuli taught him everything she knew and Trunks was introduced to the wonders of oral sex and various positions. Lazuli was a damn good teacher and he was gaining in experience after every session, discovering that he loved going down on her and making her cum with just his tongue and fingers, loved it when she took control and rode him into nirvana.
He couldn't get enough of her, his hunger insatiable.
But the intense training followed by sexual exploration seemed to do wonders for Trunks' power, having noticed a sharp increase since he began sleeping with Lazuli. And while he couldn't sense her energy, he could tell she'd grown in power as well, equivalent to him in sparring matches, although he still maintained the edge in his Super Saiyan 2 form.
That said, Trunks had to wonder if he was falling in too deep with her.
For starters, he was immensely enjoying these intimate moments with her, learning all he could to make her go wild and bring her to orgasmic bliss (the scratches on his shoulders never seemed to heal if that was an indication he was doing a good job), but whenever he tried to make himself feel guilty, he found that he couldn't bring himself to do it. No matter how much he tried to mentally punish him for consorting with Lazuli and even though he had all the reasons in the world to stop, Trunks couldn't. he'd wanted this, wanted to keep it going, so he had no-one to blame but himself. Not Lazuli.
He did feel guilty when he did think of Gohan, but he was enjoying himself too much and that did bring a certain kind of concern. He looked forward to a nightly session, enjoyed having Lazuli wrapped around him as he strove to bring her pleasure and he wondered if he'd be able to give her up when the time came to leave the Chamber. He shouldn't be enjoying it, shouldn't be looking forward to each moment and yet, he was powerless to stop. Hopefully by the end of their time in the Chamber, he would've gotten her out of his system.
He needed to.
He didn't want the others, especially his mother (oh Kami, she'd be horrified and furious), to know what went on and so to agree with Lazuli, yes he was embarrassed about it.
It was just better that they never learnt the truth and that he never gave them a chance to find out.
"What was Hell like?" Trunks found himself asking one night after he'd gotten his heart rate under control, his body going through the aftermath of another session.
Lazuli quirked a perfect eyebrow at the absurdity. "Not what I was expecting for a post-sex chat, but why are you asking such a random question?"
He shrugged self-consciously, asking himself that same question. "Curious, I guess. I never got past the Check-In Station, so I never got to see what the afterlife is like."
Now she frowned. "You've died before?"
"Huh? Yeah, in the past. Cell blew a hole through my chest," the half-Saiyan said, sitting up in the bed as the memory came back to him. "It didn't hurt; I was numb to the pain, but I was aware of everything, aware that I was slowly dying and then the next thing I knew, I was outside the Station."
"The Dragonballs brought you back after Cell was defeated," Lazuli concluded. "So we do have something in common; we've both died, killed in battle. No hard feelings by the way."
Trunks scoffed good-naturedly. "So, Hell?"
She tilted her head as she reminisced. The light caught her hair and made her shine like a beacon and Trunks lost his breath momentarily. "Hell wasn't too bad actually. It's a massive wasteland, pretty much what you'd expect Hell to look like. The oni are perverted creeps and everyone always want a piece of you when you're the strongest. 17 and I dominated everyone there. Beating up Frieza was always a good pastime. He has such an ego, so it was nice to bring him down to size."
"Hm, I killed him in the past. He was going to destroy Earth, so I easily cut him into pieces."
"Huh, that sword actually turned out to be useful."
"Hey, I got that from a good friend when I was a kid, so don't knock it. You used it on Broly, remember?"
"Yeah, but I'm not interested in that sword," Lazuli smirked as she reached under the covers and gripped her new favourite toy, causing him to suck in a breath. Her smirk widened and she released him, much to his displeasure. "It was fun, being on top of the food chain so to speak, but then someone had to kill Cell and he chased me all over Hell for Kami knows how long."
"Four months," Trunks told her. "That's how long it was between me killing him and you returning. I imagine it wasn't the best four months you had."
"Getting chased by someone who wants to absorb you is definitely not ideal, so no. But it gave me some kind of perspective, so I guess it wasn't all that bad. I still have the nightmares though."
"I guess we all have some kind of trauma," Trunks said thoughtfully, having witnessed at least one of Lazuli's nightmares since their time together, although she brushed him off at the time and refused to talk about it, so he dropped the subject.
Lazuli smiled wryly. "Were we just bonding?"
"Hm, I guess we were," the half-Saiyan mused. "Can't let that happen too much; we have a reputation to maintain."
"Hn, if anything, people will suspect that something did happen. After all, you throw two good-looking people like us into a place like this for a year and nothing happens, they'll suspect."
"I'm…I'm not ready for that," he admitted.
She rolled her eyes. "Such a male response. Well, we don't have much time left, so perhaps we should make the most of it while we can."
"Yeah, I guess so," Trunks said and feeling awkward, he went to leave the bed, but Lazuli grabbed his arm and he looked at her in confusion.
"Doesn't mean you should go," she said. "Stay."
He nodded and reclined onto the bed beside her, his head on her chest and he soon drifted off to sleep to the sound of her heartbeat.
-X-
Lazuli, for her part, had relished her time in the Chamber. The intense training had been quite beneficial, increasing her power to the point she could initially hold her own against Trunks' Super Saiyan 2 form, at least until he went full power against her. But it wasn't just the training she enjoyed: having taken Trunks' virginity and being responsible for his sexual awakening was a massive highlight for her. His initial reaction after his first time may have been douche-y, but she was pleased he came around: it had made the training all the more worth it, as while he trained her in sparring, she taught him in the bedroom.
So to say she was disappointed that it was coming to an end was a slight understatement. That said, it had been completely casual, no feelings involved, which was the way she preferred it, but Lazuli would've liked to continue it outside the Chamber. Trunks had proven himself to be quite decent in the sack, probably the best she'd ever had once he adapted to her teachings and she knew the lust between them would never go away, no matter how much Trunks wanted it to.
But it was he wanted, so she made sure to make their last time the best one. She wanted to leave her mark on him so he would always remember their sessions.
She was going to make him ache for her in the real world.
Trunks slammed his hips home against her, shuddering in his climax as she writhed beneath him, her nails digging into his skin. His breath was hot against her skin, perspiration slick between them as he buried his face into the hollow of her neck, trying to control his rapid breathing.
"For a last time," he panted. "We made it worthwhile."
"Hn," Lazuli groaned, adrift in the afterglow. "And you really want to give this up?"
"To be honest, not really, but you and I both know that this wouldn't work out between us out there. This was just us getting the lust out of our systems."
"Point. I'm not exactly one for emotions and feelings and I'm sure you still hate me, even after all this time, so it's probably best we end it here and now."
He sighed as he withdrew from her, dropping out of his Mastered Super Saiyan form as he did. "I don't hate you. But this was just lust, nothing more and it can't be anything more."
She made a non-committal noise as she hunted for her underwear. They got dressed in silence, time ticking down until it neared its end and Trunks looked at Lazuli as she gathered up her belongings.
"For what it's worth, I appreciate it."
"I thought we agreed on no feelings, so don't get sappy on me all of a sudden," Lazuli said, her ice queen persona slipping into place as she prepared herself for the exit. "And if anyone asks, we'll just tell them that we trained and we chatted, but nothing else happened."
Trunks nodded, wondering if he was doing the right thing and he checked the hourglass. Only a few minutes now and he looked at her. "Shall we?"
"Amateurs first," she swept her hand to the door.
Trunks gave her a small smile, reminiscing their nights of passion together, but they had to end it. What they'd done had to remain in the Chamber and could never be brought out into the world with them. The last minute ran out in the hourglass and he opened the door, stepping back into the real world with Lazuli close behind him.