When Spring Came
13: Between Comfort and Chaos
AN: It was a long time coming...3
Marron glanced at the flashing lights with the iridescent white backdrop. A voluptuous brunette, posing in arguably awe-inspiring poses in most normal modeling circumstances. Marron would see her and think to herself that it'd be an amazing opportunity to sketch a piece. That was her initial goal when she stumbled into Valese's photoshoot.
Instead she found herself picking apart her own insecurities, one by one as she watched the bombshell of a woman flip her hair back. Stricken with total and utter confidence the moment her eyes connected with the camera. She sat back on the guest chair, tapping her pen against the blank notepad. How did Valese do it? Carry herself with such overwhelming confidence on the day-to-day?
How could Marron be like her? Would Goten love her if she adopted more of Valese's characteristics? She simply couldn't tell. And to that point, Trunks… and her… were in an interesting set of odds. His stunt at Yahhoy confused her, she couldn't identify where the lies ended and where the truth began…within herself…and within Trunks himself.
A fake couple trying to make gains in their personal lives, all they were doing was using each other and…the point was to discard one another when they no longer saw use for these ridiculous circumstances. So why was it…when he held her as she cried…she felt as if actually cared?
She couldn't be falling for Trunks. No , it was unprecedented. Trunks was not her type, she wasn't into the kind of man that flamed his ego at every given chance. She's always been attracted to candid men…with authentic and real intentions.
To Marron, the appearance of the man didn't matter. What mattered was what was beneath the surface. And although Marron kept pushing down the rhetoric that Trunks could never be anything other than a pretty boy with no substance—the glaring truth was ever present.
She's seen the glimpses of a man she wasn't aware existed–one who feels and loves hard. He could be a complete asshat, tease you relentlessly while he is at it… That was the Trunks Briefs enigma.
Marron had become granular about the meaning behind her physical reactions when it came to him, every passing moment that she thought of him–the more intense her search for answers came. It started with a simple search and falling down billions of self-help articles.
"Can you catch feelings for someone who you don't like?"
"How to stop catching feelings?"
"Love or close proximity?"
In reality, Marron felt she was going insane. Because as Trunks' ever present appearance occupied the space around her, the clear image of Goten began to seem more and more of a fuzzy memory. At first, Marron chalked it up to the constant exposure of his visage. He was on the news, on billboards and the casual TV newsreel….it was impossible to escape the man.
But as she grew accustomed to him, she found herself…smiling at the sight of his face. Sometimes, even a bit of a rush of heat that would momentarily flash across her cheeks. She had truly believed she'd gone mad…why had it become so difficult to separate one from the other?
Marron watched as Valese approached the blonde, her hand gently laying on her shoulder, as her head tilted towards her dressing room, a soft smile on her lips. She'd almost forgotten…she was here because Valese invited her. "Girl talk?" Valese asked.
Marron nodded in response as she tailed behind the woman in her silk robe as she arrived in front of a white trailer with her name plastered on the door. As Valese retied her robe, she put her hair up with a claw clip, and walked over to the mini fridge to pull out a seltzer drink. "Limoncello flavor or strawberry?"
The question made Marron snap out of her self-induced stupor. "Oh," She blinked, watching as Valese waited for her answer. "Strawberry."
"Good choice," Valese giggled as she handed over the drink to Marron, and plopping down on the comfy makeup chair. "So, are you going to tell me or am I gonna have to pry it out of you?" Valese asked as she popped open the drink letting the hiss from the carbonation fill the empty silence between them.
Marron stared off to the side, her nail playing with the cap. She was definitely attempting to avoid Valese's scrutinizing glare. "I don't know what you mean…" She mumbled.
Valese scoffed, her long, tanned legs crossed as she leaned back on her chair. "Don't play dumb, you've been so out of it the entire time!" Valese pointed out. Even if Valese didn't know Marron as well as Goten— she was able to tell when her new friend was out of sorts. She'd been to a few of her shoots by now and every time she had her eyes glued at all the minor details.
But now…her friend was lost in her own world. Marron was catatonic. "I know we only recently started to hang out, but you can always talk to me."
Marron sighed as she managed to pop the drink open and took a swig. What would she tell Valese? That she was in love with Goten and that Marron was only "dating" his best friend to somehow steal Goten from her? The prospect of such a question ate at her guilty conscience that was ever growing the closer she got to this woman.
"Have you ever had second thoughts…about Goten?" Marron asked. The question was certainly a loaded one, and Marron felt as if she were questioning everything she knew.
Valese gasped, her fingers grazing softly over her lips. "Are you and Trunks fighting?"
"I…guess…you can put it that way…" Marron grimaced. Every waking moment beside Trunks was a battle, but lately the battle has been more within herself than directly with him. What's worse was Marron couldn't quite pinpoint when this shift started…
Things that previously seemed like a hassle and a point of contention were suddenly things she was beginning to look forward to. Even spending time by his side seemed less and less of a chore. "I guess I just don't understand what I'm feeling."
Valese pouted, waltzing over to her friend and sitting beside her. "Hey, don't get down and out about these things," she squeezed her hand on Marron's shoulder trying to comfort her. "Look, all relationships go through a rough patch…I…am going through it too right now."
Marron had to try and hide the excitement in her eyes from those words. A rough patch? She looked up to Valese, and saw the small sadness in her eyes. "You know, you and Trunks seem to have pretty busy careers…maybe what you guys need is more time together," Valese smiled at Marron who rolled her eyes at the idea.
"Are you kidding…I can't get away from the man!" Marron exclaimed feeling as the residual upset from the evening a few nights prior began to resurface. "The guy set up a whole shopping trip and yacht dinner date when I told him I hated all this over the top stuff."
Valese paused, staring at Marron like a deer caught in headlights. "Are you kidding me?" Valese said shocked. "I wish my Goten would go above and beyond for me like that…"
Marron cast a glance at Valese that was a bit too obvious in its hidden connotations. She could have Trunks for all she cared, it seemed they were a perfect match anyway. Wait… Marron thought as her eyes widened just a bit. Was she interested in Trunks? She could try to set them up together.
"You can have Trunks, then," Marron said, a small chuckle laced in her voice.
Valese whipped her head to the side. "Oh my goodness, no," she laughed, swatting her hand. "I just wish it was Goten doing that for me."
Marron felt the small hope crushed into a million pieces. You and me both, Marron thought as she took a sip of her drink again. "You know I was joking," she lied.
"But still, Trunks is madly in love with you…" Valese swooned, a giddy smile on her face.
The drink nearly sputtered out of Marron's nose at that statement. Trunks was not in love with her. Hell, he wasn't even in like with her and Marron was certainly of the belief that she wasn't interested in the man whatsoever. "What makes you say that?"
Valese paused, surprised at Marron's visceral reaction at the information. "What do you mean?" It seemed obvious to her, a date of such effort and caliber must mean he was at least very interested in her. It was above and beyond the normal effort someone would actually put in.
"I told you, he's crossing a line with me—a man that loves me wouldn't do such a thing," Marron responded, her voice exasperated that she had to explain such a concept. It was simple, if she expressed she didn't like something and her partner—fake or not—kept pushing on her established boundaries…it was a sign of disrespect. Was she wrong here?
"Well," Valese paused as she finished her drink. "Have you told him what you like?"
Marron blinked as she looked towards the floor, a slight blank stare in her eyes. She has told him she likes practical things, that should be enough for him to figure out. "Well, not the specifics but–"
" There is your problem, Marron!" Valese exclaimed, snapping her fingers as if to catch the blonde's attention. "Your poor communication is ruining your connection, you got to rekindle that fire…" Valese held her hand to her chest, an empathetic sigh escaping past her lips. "I feel for you."
Marron really didn't need to be hearing about this, especially from Valese of all people. She didn't need to rekindle a fire that never had a spark to begin with! But Marron nodded in agreement with Valese rather than argue with the woman.
Just as Marron opened her mouth to respond back to her, a creak was heard from the trailer door. A hand with a bouquet of roses shoved its way into the doorway, and Marron could feel as her heart sank to the pits of her stomach. Despite the horrendous feeling that began to settle over her, she watched as Goten stepped into the trailer.
He looked as amazing as the last time she saw him, His raven coif was perfectly styled with a tight black shirt that accentuated his tapered, muscular body. If she wasn't careful, Valese would catch him practically ogling her boyfriend—a problem she didn't need nor desire to create.
"Marron," Goten said breathily, as his eyes stuck onto the blonde in surprise. Marron could have melted then and there at the sound of her name on his lips. "Wasn't expecting to see you!" He chuckled, his classic Son grin flashing across his lips as he approached the two women.
Marron smiled softly, feeling as the warmth overtook her. Seeing him in person once more, washed any doubts out of her mind about the purity of her emotions. She knew her fears were unfounded, Goten still makes her feel like her heart was soaring in the air.
However—something had changed. Even as her heart skipped a beat at the sight of him in the room, her mind and heart weren't nearly as starstruck as she recalled. "Goten," Marron responded back, a soft smile trying to break through her serious expression. "Nice to see you."
He continued to watch her carefully, his mind going back to what Pan had said to him a few days prior. It was a prospect that he couldn't dare think of. He refused to be the one that started having wandering eyes when things began to get increasingly difficult.
The kiss of death in all of his relationships.
"Well," Marron paused, noticing the silence that had become all but too overwhelming in the room. "I guess…I will take my leave," she murmured, feeling the tense air in the room grow thicker and as Valese waved her goodbye, Marron found herself outside of her trailer.
She glanced at the pavement pensively, contemplating what Valese had told her about communication. She wondered just what was the pain points in Valese and Goten's relationship and just what grounds Valese stood on to give her any relationship advice. It wasn't like the nature of Trunks and Marron's relationship was rocky—there simply was nothing there.
There was nothing. Whatever Valese implied simply couldn't be true. Marron breathed in deeply, feeling as her nerves took hold of her once more. How was it that her own emotions surrounding Goten were becoming cloudier as time passed? She knew there were still strong emotions that held her in a chokehold surrounding Goten—even just staring at him was enough to send her in a whirlwind.
So why?
Why were the seeds of doubt still present within her? Was she right to feel this way?
Marron decided to go directly to the source, finding that her anxieties are all but quelled by Trunks's behavior recently. She let herself into his office during the after hours–knowing full well the workaholic in him will not allow himself to go home at a decent hour. She stood at the foot of his desk, her arms crossed as she watched him work.
He looked quite endearing in his tight fitting dress shirt, it hugged his upper body like a sleeve, and she caught sight of the loosened tie and unbuttoned top. A flash of heat spread across her face at the sudden lecherous thoughts that crossed her mind momentarily.
"Well, well," Trunks sighed out, as he removed his glasses off of his face, tossing them on the marble desk. He was already irritated reading through the annotations of his colleagues. But now, to deal with Marron of all people? "What do I have the pleasure of–"
Marron's hand laid atop his, causing his entire demeanor to shift. Surprise overtook him as he looked up to her eyes to find concern laced in her blue eyes. "Please, we need to talk," Marron plead to him.
The concern in her face was enough to make the hybrid sit up in his seat. "Is it really that important?" Trunks' throat went dry. The soft touch of her fingers against his was enough to rejuvenate his spirits for just a moment. "Can it wait?"
"No," Marron sighed out as she breathed in deeply, her chest swelling with air as she tried to find the words to tell him the revelation Valese made to her. "Trunks, I need to know–are you falling for me?"
Trunks nearly fell out of his chair at the question. That was her concern? That was really so important to pull him out of his important work? He glanced at his faux-lover, and for a moment he felt his breath caught in his throat.
The city lights of west city illuminated the interior of his office nicely, and Trunks swore that as he looked into Marron's eyes he could see entire constellations interwoven in the fabrics of her pools of blue. "I–" Trunks paused as his eyes shifted away from her momentarily.
The answer should be no.
It's no.
It has to be no.
But Trunks was hesitating. "You're asking me that?" Trunks asked in an incredulous tone, masking the truth behind his thoughts.
Marron sighed softly, a slow nod as she approached him just a bit more. "Yeah, I am."
Trunks felt as his heart nearly stopped for a moment. Did he say something out of line to her? He couldn't seem to wrap his mind around it all, but as he stared up into her eyes–there was a clear desire for the truth.
A truth that he wasn't sure of himself. "No, I am not…that's a ridiculous question."
"Good," Marron breathed, as she leaned against his desk, looking up towards the glass windows of his office. "Honestly, I thought you would answer that way…but Valese made me feel–"
Trunks quirked a brow at her, "Valese?"
"She invited me to her shoot, actually–" Marron began as she looked back over to Trunks. "Valese is a really nice girl, I enjoy talking to her."
That was certainly a choice, Trunks thought to himself. He scoffed as he pushed his papers to the side, as he pensively stared off to the side. Only she would find a way to make peace with her supposed enemy, a quality that followed her to this very day. "You're a weird girl, Marron."
"Says you," Marron rolled her eyes at him. The truth was, she found it difficult to hate the girl. She was stupidly perfect, and could be so easily hateable had she just been rude to her. But Valese wasn't. She's shattered every stereotype that Marron's built up in her head.
Trunks' eyes shifted, as he began to slowly piece together the puzzle pieces. What could have possibly injected such a train of thought into Marron's brain? "Was she the one that convinced you I was catching feelings for you?"
"Convinced?" Marron asked, her voice laced with innocence. She was certain she wasn't magically convinced by Valese, thus the reason she asked him in the first place. "No…more like… suggested," she said, as she leaned her hip against the marble desk.
"And what on Kami's green Earth would make you think such a thing?"
"The date…the elaborateness of it all…it was…"
"Marron, I can't believe I even need to explain it to you–" Trunks hesitated letting out the remainder of his sentence, unsure if he was willing to speak it into existence. "It's all fake."
The words stung just as badly as they did before. Fake . Marron had taken her time, trying to process what the hybrid said. He could see the hurt in her eyes as she tried to flick her vision away from him.
"Okay, is something bothering you?" Trunks asked frankly, his arms crossed as he tried to observe the blonde's behavior. "You can tell me."
"I'm just—unsure about things," Marron sighed out as she pushed the loose strands of hair and wiped her palms on her form fitting jeans, "Trunks you just know thing, you carry yourself in a way I wish I had the bravado to do."
"Okay– how about we meet at the rooftop…" Trunks suggested, "we'll have some he-tap and we can chat."
Trunks looked at the blonde who was lying down on the grass rooftop of Capsule Corp. He offered a can of he-tap to the blonde as she slumped down on the grass and tossed a glance over to her. "So, what problems does my fake girlfriend have with her crush now?"
Marron sighed as she looked up at the sky. "I'm having a lot of doubts about if this plan is going to work, Trunks."
He gave a small pout as he popped open the can of he-tap. "Well that's awfully pessimistic, Marron."
"Valese is doing so much work to make the relationship work, she's just…mature…surprisingly," Marron groaned as she thunked her head against the grass in frustration.
"What do you actually like about Goten?" Trunks asked, his eyes just barely scanning the woman for an answer. It wasn't any of his business in particular but Trunks did wonder what was so special who failed to see what Marron was trying to bring to the table.
Marron sat up wiping the dew from the grass off her hair. "Why do you want to know?" She pressed as she attempted to analyze Trunks' question. It wasn't like him to simply be curious about her taste.
"I'm just wondering," Trunks began, taking a sip of his he-tap. "We've all known eachother since we were in our diapers–I think I'm justified in my curiosity."
Marron scoffed incredulously, disbelief strewn across her soft features. "You certainly hold the right to know and ask as many questions as you'd like," she replied sarcastically before turning jer head over to him flipping him off, "bug off."
Trunks usually would take offense to Marron's crass reaction towards him, but all he could do is find a smirk laced with amusement on his lips. "Come on Marron, tell me what it is about him," Trunks pressed just a bit more. "You don't want to tell your boyfriend about the guy you're in love with?"
The question was a bit unnerving, while Marron knew he was simply messing with her, there was a twinge of guilt to which she struggled to identify. "What is there to say…he's Goten," Marron shrugged. "He's sweet…and compassionate, he's the total package."
Trunks rolled his eyes as Marron's lack of a true response began to get a bit grating. Trunks peeked over to find the blonde staring long and hard at the ground. "But what makes it Goten… you can find a sweet guy anywhere," he replied, shaking his head, an exasperated sigh following suit.
Marron threw her hands into her face, rubbing the skin around her face. "I don't know—" she groaned as her eyes looked up at the sky, not daring to meet Trunks' gaze. "You know the feeling that you know someone is meant for you…that's what I feel looking into his eyes."
Marron was sure of it. She was so certain that it's true. Her feelings have always come from a pure place, she knows she is in love with Goten. There simply was no question. He was always so kind to her, and treated her so gently—he was the perfect gentleman.
"No offense, Marron—but that sounds like a load of bullshit," Trunks said, plainly snapping Marron out of her thoughts.
She looked at Trunks, her mouth opening and closing like a fish at the shock from his statement. "Are you trying to imply I don't love him?" The offense was clear as day in her tone of voice, but Trunks didn't really seem unnerved by her reaction, rather he expected it.
It was like her to react in such a way, ever since they were kids she'd always jump to the defensive rather than rationalize in the moment. "No–I don't think you know what love is," Trunks scoffed as he took another swig of his drink.
Marron folded her arms as she looked at the nonchalant Trunks. "Okay master of love, then what is it?" She asked incredulously.
"Simple…it's comfort in the uncomfortable," Trunks said softly. The words that came out of his mouth made him pause for a moment, staring at the near empty can of his drink. Comfort…in the uncomfortable? An image to the atrium flashed across his mind, his heart beat quickening at the slim implications. "Does Goten make you feel comfortable?"
The question came off more pointed than Trunks intended. But, Marron took the time to internalize what he said. She felt as her heart throbbed at the thought, she had never been able to express her authentic self in front of him. Goten made her feel as if she was walking on air, exalted.
But as she stared into Trunks' stormy blue eyes, the truth was apparent. "No," Marron replied. "I don't feel comfortable around him." The admission of this truth was harder than Marron could have imagined. But in the presence of Trunks, the act of the good girl next door was dropped in favor of the sarcastic and cynical Marron—the one with a smart mouth and a hot temper.
Her vices and virtues.
Trunks could feel a small weight he didn't know he had lifted off his shoulders. "Well you should change that," he replied, "how are you going to win him over?" The words pained Trunks to say, but he pressed on…trying to suffocate the small twinges of jealousy that seemed to arise at the mention of Goten.
"What if he doesn't want–" Marron began before Trunks cut her off.
"No," he said abruptly. " Quit it with the damn pity party." He was tired of hearing these rounds of self doubt from her. What was she doing in this fake relationship if she wasn't confident it would even work?
"Trunks, I am not like Valese," Marron replied, exasperated. "I'm not confident, and I'm not a gorgeous model…" Finding love within her own self image was an increasingly difficult thing, she'd find any flaw to call herself out on. Even the slightest deviation from what the fashion industry deemed as appropriate was enough to make her spiral.
She would look herself in the mirror, and feel the overwhelming unhappiness at her childish appearance. She was short, and cute. Always cute. Like a handmade rag doll. She was never gorgeous, nor was she even pretty.
Her voice was faltering and the words were melting into indistinct nonsense in the back of Trunks head. He couldn't bear to listen to her tirade self doubt for a moment longer, as he spotted the tears that would do him in. His hand cupped Marron's tear stained cheeks, and the entire world stopped for a moment.
This is the closest they've ever been, his stormy ocean eyes crashed against her clear water ponds of blue and in that moment, nothing but the two of them mattered. He swore he could hear the sound of their synced heartbeats, and the simmering touch of Marron's flushed cheeks.
"I don't want to hear you say that," Trunks whispered, feeling the ache radiate across his body, staring down at her softened expression. Her eyes searching for a sign of intent, or some kind of purpose behind his actions–all she could find was frustration and restraint. "You're beautiful."
Trunks didn't understand her. As the moonlight shimmered on her soft, feminine feature—he could feel a pull on his heartstrings. A feeling he'd all but forgotten—the exhilarating sensation of the human female. Her sad eyes were replaced with wonder, and a sense of thrill. "Are you going to stop me this time?" He whispered as his hands delved into the silky blonde tresses.
Marron could feel all senses escaping her as Trunks' gentle touch guided his lips to hers. Relinquishing into the restricted desire that ate at their very being, the denial of attraction only created stronger poles. Their lips molding slowly at first to the secret carnal desires that were only just whispers before.
The world be damned, Marron was his right now. His free hand pulled the blonde onto his lap. She was utterly bewitched, entranced by the electrifying kiss that took hold of them. Marron had no time to react, no time to see what was already a barreling train of emotions so foreign to her.
She never knew just how dangerous Trunks was to her heart. He silently kept finding ways to creep into her heart, and captured her lips as his. Marron had completely and utterly lost the will to offer a rebuttal or reservation. Their kiss devolved into the needy and desperate nature of their desire, a culmination of pent up lust and frustration.
Trunks realized now, he'd been craving this. It wasn't simply because he hadn't kissed someone in so long, but he craved it because he's attracted to Marron… a terrifying admission on his part. And Marron too, knew that her bodily reaction was nothing short of overwhelming pent up attraction.
They'd completely surrendered to the salacious desire that had been simmering all along.
And as they pulled away from each other, there was only silence. Trunks laid beneath the blushing blonde, lazy smile on his lips that only pulled Marron back into the throws of her own emotions.
She's mine.
AN: GUYS TELL ME WHAT U THINK HDGJKSDXHILJDK