When Spring Came

Chapter 21: Around

AN: its tough out here for trumar sorry to my blorbos this chapter is a little shorter, but trust me I got something in the cooker

Song Of The Chapter: Around By Niki

Another morning passed where she woke up in a bed that wasn't her own, another raging headache that pounded against her skull. Whether it was from crying or the excessive drinking from the night before…she wasn't sure. But this bed was comfortable, and it was familiar to her. As her eyes fluttered she recognized the room she was in.

A sense of deja vu rang through her. She was in Trunks' room.

"Morning," his voice flitted through the room and strangely enough, Marron felt relief at hearing the sound of his voice. He was still in what seemed to be his clothes from the evening prior–bar the shoes.

"I did it again, didn't I?" Marron groaned, as she slid back into the bed wanting to cover her face from view.

"Oh yeah," Trunks groaned as he sat up with a long stretch of his neck muscles. "Most definitely."

Marron leaned her head against the headboard, unsure if she wanted to cry, or laugh at the misery she'd seemingly put herself through. Trunks yet again by her side– for better or for worse– he was stuck by her. Or was it the other way around? Nowadays…Marron definitely couldn't tell anymore.

"Was it bad?" Marron huffed, watching the playful glint in Trunks' eyes as a smile pulled on his lips.

"The worst," he teased, his eyes watching Marron with a profound tenderness that she'd recognized prior. But it was clearer now, abundantly clear.

"God, I fucked up," Marron groaned, as the events from the night prior came back in waves. "I fucked up everything."

"How so?" Trunks asked as if he didn't already know.

"After you left the room on Papaya Island, Goten came in the room and kissed me…" Marron could feel as her stomach turned in knots, looking down at the blanket. "And…it wasn't what I thought it was going to be."

"Like he's a bad kisser?" Trunks prodded, a brow quirked as a somewhat smug grin spread across his lips.

"No…" Marron paused, with a small scoff at his unseriousness. "Like I didn't feel like it was right…"

In truth, when Goten kissed her…all she could think of was how much better it felt to kiss Trunks …a concern that she had stuffed into the back crevices of her mind. But coming back into fruition, she remembered how the touch of his hand on her face felt, and how intense her emotions swirled within her.

"I went out with Valese…and…"

"You didn't tell her, did you?" The pieces were coming together now, her inconsolable tears from the night before. She must have been so upset she left Marron. And as much as Trunks wanted to say she could do no wrong, that simply was not the truth. Marron did not have the purest intentions in her friendship with Valese.

He may be smitten but he was no fool to that.

"I did…and she kind of just…left me alone…" Marron sighed as she threw her face into her hands, knowing well what she did was nothing more than her own fault. "I really messed up here…"

"I'm sure she will understand with some time, it's a dick move but…" Trunks thought to choose his words wisely. "You could always tell her the elaborate ploy we made…hell, blame it on me for all I care," Trunks muttered out with a half hearted shrug. It wasn't much, but it was the least he could say to comfort her…to the best of his abilities, that is.

Trunks sat up from the bed, walking over to the walk-in closet connected to his bedroom, tossing a large hoodie in Marron's direction. He watched the blonde woman with an overwhelming amusement before her curiosity got the best of her.

"Why are you being so nice to me, Trunks?" Marron's voice was soft, but the question was rather pointed.

"I can't take care of a friend?" He scoffed before pulling a dry-cleaned suit from the hanger. "Plus, your outfit was not really appropriate, y'know …"

Marron watched him carefully, still the air of slight confusion remained present. "Are you working today?" She asked, watching as he removed the black shirt. Upon realization, she averted her eyes as if to give the Saiyan a semblance of privacy she really shouldn't react the way she was currently…but she truly couldn't help it.

Trunks knew what he was doing, and he played it off with obliviousness. "It's a Monday, so–" his voice dragged a bit with just a little hint of impishness behind it.

"Stupid question I know." Marron's voice was quick to cut through his sentence, before he even had the opportunity to finish. Her face could tell a thousand different stories to Trunks–yet how she felt still remained an enigma to him. "So–what now?" Marron sighed.

"Are you talking about Goten?" Trunks tried to not groan out his response, but it was difficult to avoid it. He really didn't want to continue speaking about him at the moment but Marron's mentality was still stuck on the man she spent so many years pining over.

"Who else could it be?" Marron mused, rubbing her hands across her face as she tried to wipe the sleep off her eyes.

Trunks slipped on his dress shirt, slowly buttoning it back up as he sat back on the bed. "What would you like to do?" He asked, his head turned to the side of where Marron was.

Marron fiddled her fingers, a sense of nervousness thrumming through her at the thought of the ball being in her court for a change. "Well, our deal…was to end the charade after everything was said and done," she began, her baby blue eyes observing Trunks for some kind of indication of what he wanted.

"Well, do you…want to?" Trunks asked whilst he watched her with an insurmountable amount of trepidation, as if he even dared to breathe the wrong way it would spell the end. He could feel as Marron inched just slightly closer to him, until she found herself right beside him, her hands resting over her lap.

"I am not really sure," Marron mumbled out, much to Trunks' relief.

He didn't expect to be so relieved at Marron's indecision. "Then, we can keep up appearances…" But, Trunks felt the weight on his shoulder lift just a bit. It would buy him some time–time he needed to figure out how to pursue Marron properly . "Kami knows I don't need to be going on a speed dating run from my mom."

"Right," Marron reminded herself again that he saw this relationship like a transaction, but his seeming willingness to engage with her to this level was certainly something that she didn't quite expect.

Trunks slipped on his suit jacket, as he continued to glance in her direction. There was something strumming through her mind, but he was already running behind schedule for his day and Marron didn't seem all too apt to discuss with him. Her silence was enough to tear at him, but instead of saying anything, he threw his arms around her.

Marron was caught by surprise as she shifted her face up to meet his gaze. She certainly didn't expect for her heart to also be beating at the rate it was from just a simple embrace. "What–"

"Marron," her name sounded so right in his voice right then and there, she knew she shouldn't think that way but she wanted to hear it again. "We'll figure this all out," Trunks' tone was reassuring…so much so a smile dared to pull across her lips and as she looked up at him she realized that she must have lost her mind.

The first thing she wanted to do was to kiss him, to remember what it felt like once more. But instead he released her, finding much of her face red in the process. That certainly wasn't the expected reaction she had. "I'll see you later…help yourself to breakfast downstairs," he smiled before heading out of the room, where Marron now found herself sitting alone, festering in her own confusion of her emotions.

The truth of the matter was that no matter what, Marron realized she needed to regroup her own emotions, she felt like a pendulum swinging to-and-fro trying to make sense of what emotions are coming out of her and which ones were true and which ones were a fabric of her own delusions.

As she slipped on the hoodie Trunks gave her, Marron found her way across the compound, narrowly missing both Bulma and Bulla as the two were off at work and school respectively. She thought she would get out of here scot free. But she found herself needing something to drink before she headed home.

Marron drudged through the kitchen at capsule corporation, the thick hoodie she donned was far too big on her small frame but it'd make do for now. Or so, she told herself that as she glanced down dejectedly at the tiled flooring. Her soles of her bare feet pressed against the cold tile

As she sat at the counter, she hung her head lower, fingers tapping against the white quartz. So engrossed in her own universe, she failed to recognize Vegeta– who pulled around the corner and still within his hardened glare, watched Marron. Without a word, the flame-haired Saiyan maneuvered his way around her.

Marron temporarily glanced up, finding the visage of Vegeta seemingly ignoring her, totally. What exactly had Marron been fighting for this whole time? Lost in her own amalgamation of realities, the days and the promises she made to herself seemingly blended together. In her silence, she found a bottle of water placed before her.

Vegeta's back remained mostly to her, but a small part of her couldn't conceal the surprise on her face from the gesture. "Didn't I tell you last time?" Vegeta's voice was low, yet it continued to carry itself with a purpose. "Couldn't you bother to prove my judgment wrong?"

Marron's face brimmed with confusion before the realization dawned over her. He was referring to the dinner, about her weakness–about bearing fruit. He was testing her. A small part of her seemed rather annoyed at the fact he'd go to such lengths for such a thing, but– it still was a valid concern.

But at the time, his challenge was taken at face value because, truly, the circumstances were different. Now, Marron lost Goten–or at least, the emotions she had once felt for him. And she and Trunks were seemingly stuck in a precarious situation…where the feelings that she desperately attempted to keep under wraps were bursting at the seams.

Daring to overflow, and take over everything. As if every cell in her body had been rewired for one purpose, and one purpose alone. But she couldn't possibly bring herself to the admission that what she feared most has come to a head.

"One more chance," Vegeta said coolly, taking a bite out of the apple on the counter. "Prove me wrong, toaster spawn."

Trunks held a plastic bag in hand, the other hovered over her door. Would he be intruding if he walked into her place, would she take it as a sign of pity, rather than what he intended? He could feel as the anxiety paralyzed him in place for a moment, his heart beating at a deafening rate as he gently knocked.

Just as quickly, Marron answered, like she had been anticipating him. "Hey stranger," she said, a soft but sad smile on her face.

"I brought the goods," Trunks snorted, the greasy but sugary goodness was just jostling in the back. He watched her puffy blue eyes light up at the food, her lips almost smacking together from the anticipation of a meal. "I think I got the order right?"

He went out of his way to find that Gamja dog food truck. She could have sworn they were closed today… Marron pulled out the brown bag to find the exact food she ordered a few days prior. "It's perfect," she chuckled, "thanks, Trunks…you didn't have to."

"Friends take care of friends," he replied as he walked inside, noticing the tissue box by the sofa and the more than drabby looking Marron. "You've definitely seen better days."

"That much is obvious, isn't it?" she clicked her tongue, even if she was feeling more depressed than usual…Marron was still Marron. "So did you come here because you wanted to throw me a pity party, Briefs?" she chuckled, as she sat on the stool by her counter. Even if she was joking with Trunks, the very fear remained present in the hybrid's mind.

"Obviously, I love seeing you suffer–" his voice laced in sarcasm as he sat beside her, hand on his cheek. "There's this je ne sais quoi about it all," he continued to muse as Marron rolled her eyes with a small chuckle.

Classic Trunks. He was never great at comforting people, that much as always obvious to her since a young age. Whenever he pulled a prank, or did something wrong—comforting Marron was never something he was quite good at.

Up until now, that is. "Such a dick," she mused as she chewed on the sugary corn dog. "You're lucky I like you."

Trunks watched as her voice faltered from what he could only presume were tears from earlier, he always knew Marron was a more emotional creature, by default she had always cared far too much about the people around her and the opinions of others.

And typically, Trunks didn't mind that too much. He simply ignored such behavior because he never considered it to behoove him all too much to entertain why she was the way she was. But– it did bother him now. Now that he saw Marron for who she was, and what she felt…becoming attached to her became too much of a crux.

Seeing her cry made him feel that pain, but unsure on how to deal with it…he sat by her and watched wordlessly. "Y'know, Trunks," Marron's voice lifted just a bit as she wiped her mouth with a napkin. "You're a dick sometimes, but— you're a nice guy."

Trunks knew she couldn't compliment him without a small jab, he took it for what it was…her overwhelming stubbornness when it came to him. "Thanks, you're not so bad either…" he chuckled as he leaned his cheek against his hand, watching her.

"You're gonna make some girl happy some day–I'm sure of it," Marron continued, not noticing his expression fall just a bit. The words seemingly felt out of place as she said them, almost as if she herself knew that it was disingenuous to say she hadn't entertained the thought.

Trunks' gaze hardened, feeling pull in his chest. "Can't I make you happy?" The words spilled out of his lips without a second thought, and immediately he regretted the words that came out of his mouth. Marron's eyes were wide, lips slightly agape as if she was about to say something but Trunks quickly recovered before anything slipped out. "I-I didn't mean it that way–"

"Oh," Marron's eyes shifted, her gaze falling to the floor with an expression Trunks couldn't quite read nor understand. "Sorry, I'm feeling a little…weird today," Marron continued cautiously.

"I think…I'm just really mourning my feelings for Goten…" Marron sighed out, "just how quickly something just falls apart, how could I have feelings for someone for so long and it all just…disappears?"

"I've been there," Trunks sighed, recalling the sting of his past love, "it feels like years wasted, focusing on the wrong person the whole time," His eyes burned looking at Marron's eyes, hoping his words would reach her through her clouded emotions.

"Yeah…the wrong person," Marron nearly whispered as her eyes burned into the hand that dared to creep closer to hers, "it really feels like my whole life was turned upside down in just a snap of a finger."

Marron got up from her seat, walking over to the couch as she snatched a blanket and hung it over her shoulders. Slumping herself into the couch. "Who would have thought– you of all people would be the one I'd be talking to about all this.," Marron chuckled out as she stared up at the ceiling.

"Y'know I didn't expect this outcome either," Trunks replied. He certainly didn't expect himself to fall for her the way he did. Even now as he sat across from her, there was the temptation to hold her against him, but he knew doing it too soon would only lead to disaster…especially in the midst of her own heartbreak.

Marron looked up to Trunks, her mind fluttering with a million thoughts as she stared at her frenemy right in the face. She failed to see how his face was practically red from the watchful gaze she held on him. " Trunks , did you mean what you said–back in Papaya Island?"

There was a pause. She couldn't possibly mean the moments right before he took off. Try as he might to forget such a lascivious evening, he found it profoundly difficult to get the touch of her skin off of his mind. "Oh...you mean after–"

"Yes, that..." Marron's cheeks burned from the embarrassment from having to simply ask such a thing from him. Of course she wanted to know if he was somehow developing feelings for her…it seemed more obvious than ever now that he began behaving differently around her.

Trunks averted his gaze, knowing full well what the implications of such a question could entail. Trunks, for all that it was worth, wasn't quite ready to expose such sensitive details about himself to her…at least, not knowing how she'd respond to him. "We were drinking…" he simply replied, not wanting to alert nor upset her.

"So no?" Marron sighed as she glanced up at him. How stupid could she be? Assuming he had any interest in her aside from a friendship. He'd been so explicitly clear on where the line was drawn in the sand for them. Anything else would and should have been regarded as ridiculous or even impossible.

"Well I–" Trunks stammered, feeling her eyes on him as his eyes shifted about the room. "God, that's an awkward…look…you're a woman…a grown woman at that, I'm a man–"

"Right…" Marron's eyes flicked over to him, her hands gripping the sides of her blanket. She knew she wasn't necessarily in her right mind to be thinking about the potential night she and Trunks almost well… sleeping together… but she couldn't help but wonder if the thought always lay dormant in the back of his mind…

The way it did it in hers.

"Y'know we don't need to talk about it," Trunks chuckled as he glanced down at the carpet, having trouble meeting her in the eye.

Marron pressed her lips together, realizing she made him uncomfortable. "Yeah, no….you're right," she muttered as she glanced up at the overhanging light. She shouldn't question his intentions–she knew him. "Sorry, I just…got carried away, you got me scared for a second," she lied…just a bit.

It took a lot of cognitive dissonance to become the way she was now. Trunks had no reason to behave the way he did in that room, and neither did she. And…who was to say that tonight…in this very apartment, the same couldn't happen? She knew she was attracted to him, that much was obvious.

She'd always known he was a so-called "pretty boy" with soft lavender hair, tan skin and a face one could argue was chiseled by the gods themselves…and his body? Well, Saiyan genetics surely do a number on the male physique. Marron wasn't an idiot– but, why would she delude herself into thinking he'd think the same of her.

Again, she needed to remind herself of who she was and the situation she is in…and even more so, the emotions she's feeling. She is cute, and short Marron, with a bad case of baby-face syndrome and in her eyes—a profound lack of allure. Moreover, she simply wasn't in her right mind…

So why was it?

Why was it that she found her hand on his cheek, his lips on her lips. Her heart was beating twice as hard as it ever had been, and his hands—his hands were holding her like he had the entire world in the palm of his hands, and he was refusing to let it go. Had she been wiser, she'd push him away…knowing that she'd melt totally and completely under his kiss if it went for just a moment longer.

But she wanted to melt, straight into the syrupy puddle he made out of her with every loving touch, gaze and word he directed towards her. Unbeknownst to her that his part of the act had dropped much too long ago. Marron fluttered her eyes as the realization settled in and broke the fantasy world she'd submerged herself in.

As the two released each other, both were bewildered at the simmering heat between them without a single moment to waste, Marron nearly told him to kiss her again. She wanted to feel something but she remained quiet. Trunks, through an uncharacteristic stammer and flushed face, quickly backed away.

"I–" He paused, watching Marron's expression to gauge just what he should say or even do. But it was simply bewilderment. "I'm sorry."

"I don't know," Marron whispered, her fingers ghosting above her lips. "If this is any good for us anymore."

Trunks watched as fear gripped his chest at her words. "What do you mean?" He asked.

"I mean..that what we're doing…isn't good , for you or me," Marron sighed. She knew better than to potentially confuse him or herself and get jumbled up and caught up in the moment because he just so happened to be there at the right time.

It was all temporary, and didn't Trunks deserve someone who would love him… authentically and truly? And didn't she need more time to recover from the true heartbreak she felt wracking her from the inside out. Trunks didn't deserve to be a casualty to her reckless emotions.

"I don't think we should continue this charade…one of us will end up confused in–" Marron paused, feeling Trunks' hand reach for her cheek, tucking a strand of blonde behind her ear. Aquamarine eyes were practically glistening at the sight of him.

He's beautiful, even with his tired eyes and disheveled hair, she couldn't help but keep her eyes on his mouth slightly agape.

"So then let's stop pretending," he replied, a soft smile on his lips.

Marron's eyes widened at his forwardness. "I think…"

"You think…?"

"I think you don't deserve something like this," Marron's face casted to the side as she recalled her conversation with Vegeta. "Trunks, you deserve someone who is wholly and totally–" Trunks voice cut through her sentence, his hands grasping her arms as a frenzied glaze covered his eyes

"It won't matter" Trunks' resolve had never been more clearer, nor had it ever been so direct. As the blue flame that flickered behind his royal blue eyes strengthened, he pulled her body just a bit closer. So intently, and fervently. His ki had an ardent fire to iit "I want–" he held himself back from finishing the rest of his sentence. But it didn't take much for her to figure out where he was trying to go.

Trunks wants her ? Marron's face though flushed, and downright embarrassed from his declaration, couldn't believe the words he was saying. She feared he'd get lost in the emotions of it all and trigger irreparable damage like this. "That's now but I don't—I don't know what I want…" Marron's crestfallen expression said it all, she was inexplicably confused and Trunks' impassioned nature was certainly muddling up and confusing her even further

"Trunks, I care too much to get you mixed up in my mess of emotions," Marron responded simply. The very last thing she wanted to do was hurt him with her own callous acts.

Trunks paused, a sigh escaping past his lips as his gaze steadied on her. Maybe time was needed between what happened with Goten…maybe he was being too callous. Maybe he was being swept up in the emotional turmoil of it all. "Then I'll wait for you,"

His words took her by surprise. What could he possibly want that another woman couldn't supply? "Wait for me, why would you do that?" Marron's voice nearly lost all sense of volume, as if her throat had run dry at his declaration.

"Because," Trunks said as he got up, straightening himself up. "I've already decided…now it's your turn." His gaze wasn't cold, but his words certainly were purposeful and pointed. Marron' face was in a total sense of disbelief as she watched him dust himself off. "And when you are ready, I'll be around."

Marron watched as he wordlessly walked out of the apartment, leaving her alone in her own mess. Though all she craved was to have him near, she feared she may have just committed a grave mistake…but she couldn't possibly have done such a thing…Trunks was probably being irrational.

They were being irrational. They had to be.

AN: did you think it was all going to tie up in a nice little bow? cmon now have I ever made things EASY

anywhoooooooooo I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I'd love to hear your thoughts below