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CHAPTER 2:
Pure Hearted

When Trunks was thirteen years old, he and Goten, who was twelve at the time, had discovered one of their favorite places to hang out and talk. They called it the "mushroom sea," located just south of the Pilaf Castle ruins. The ground was entirely covered and overpopulated with giant mushrooms that had trampoline-like qualities to them when struck with impact. The mushrooms also had a foam-like quality and became like beds when Trunks and Goten would lie on them to watch the stars.

The first time they found it, Goten was the one who needed to talk. His older brother Gohan had recently had his daughter, Pan, and Goten was feeling strange feelings of jealousy and abandonment that he couldn't quite put into words. Goten handled his emotions similar to Trunks, in that whenever he was filled with too many at once, they manifested as physical energy that had to emerge somehow.

Trunks released his energy in tantrums, exploding with words and actions that he sometimes regretted doing. Goten was different, though. Goten expressed himself through physical connection, an innocent display of intimacy.

When Trunks was thirteen, and Goten had been crying about always feeling like second best, and always being overlooked, and never having had his dad notice him (Goku had been back home at that point). Goten had been crying that Gohan had been spending all of his time with Videl and Pan, and he had been afraid of even stepping out into the hallway of his house because he was starting to fear his mother obsessing over him.

Trunks had no idea at the time how to tell Goten how much he was truly loved and appreciated. Goten was a hero to Trunks in some ways; Goten had been the one to watch out for Trunks ever since Trunks revealed his big secret to Goten. They shared secrets, and special moments. And in that moment when Trunks was thirteen, he could only express to Goten how he felt, through his body.

They had sunk into a mushroom that night and had kissed and explored and held and cried and Trunks reassured Goten that whole night that it didn't matter what Goten's home life was like; Trunks would always appreciate and look out for Goten as his number one. At least… that's what thirteen-year-old Trunks had promised.

Things had changed since then. Trunks ended up with Mai for a while. But Trunks was eighteen-and-a-half now, and that relationship was over.

Trunks needed to tell Goten, right away. And he needed to work out his feelings, as soon as possible…

… because the more that Trunks thought about it, the more depressed and inconsolable he felt.

After Trunks left Capsule Corporation, he flew directly toward the mushroom sea, It was the only place he felt he could work out his thoughts and feelings. On his way, he texted Goten:

Meet at mushrooms, emergency.

Goten immediately reacted with a "!" emoji, and replied:

Omw

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Goten was already at the mushroom sea by the time Trunks arrived, and Goten was in an even bigger panic than Trunks.

"What's the emergency?!" Goten flew to Trunks, to look him up and down, to check for any kinds of markings or bruises. "What's going on?"

Trunks arrived flustered, and angry as he landed on a massive mushroom. All of his energy was boiling and bursting as a temper threatening to let loose.

Trunks grimaced and sneered to the air as he stood on his mushroom, looking up at the changing colors of the sky, "I broke up with Mai."

"Woah really?" Goten sat on the same large mushroom that Trunks was standing on, looking up as he watched him, "What happened?"

"She was a snitch. A total bitch," Trunks sneered.

Goten looked at him, confused, "What? I never got that vibe from her."

Trunks spun to Goten and waved his hands out, "She betrayed me. I bent over backwards for her and she just used me! She was being PAID to DATE ME."

Goten's eyes went wide and he leaned back, "What?!"

Trunks' face was red and he screamed at Goten with every ounce of ugly, "By my MOM!"

"Oh yeah," Goten tried to deflect some of the anger that had been unintentionally hurled his way, "Mai told me that your mom asked her to tell her what you're up to."

Trunks was aghast and stood up straight with wide eyes. He felt like the whole world was crumbling in on him. "You KNEW?!"

Goten shrugged, "Um, I've known for years. I thought you were okay with that?!"

Trunks was incredulous, his flushed face exploding with rage as he shouted down to Goten by his feet, still unable to believe the extent of the scandal, "You knew this WHOLE TIME?!"

Goten shrugged and frowned, "When Mai told me, it was super casual, ya know? She didn't tell me to keep it a secret. Sorry, I thought you knew."

It wasn't even a secret. And yet Trunks had never found out.

That last bit of information was the last that Trunks could take before he snapped.

Everyone knew. Everyone was in on it.

Trunks was a fool.

Trunks broke down, his chest heaving as he viscerally sobbed and gave up as he grieved that there was no hope for him. He would never find love.

"Trunks? What's wrong?"

Trunks lost his composure as his eyes teared up and he dramatically fell face-first to the mushroom, sprawling to sink in and try to die.

Trunks lamented as his chest started to rack in sobs, "I f-feel like e-everyone had been w-w-working against me. I don't feel a-anyone's been on my side."

Goten turned to his side to watch Trunks next to him, "What? I've always been on your side."

Trunks continued to break down on the mushroom, curling into a fetal position away from Goten, crying, and mourning through suffering wails.

Goten didn't know what to do.

"Owww…" Trunks hicced and strained, "Ow it h-hurts, Goten. It h-hurts."

Goten reached his right hand out to hover over Trunks' right shoulder as he faced his back. He hesitated before touching him, not sure of what the right move was to make. "Are you in pain?"

"Y-Yes," Trunks grieved from the depths of his soul, "I don't know w-what to do. It h-hurts so much."

Goten bit his lip and tried to comfort Trunks by putting his hand as a comforting gesture onto Trunks' shoulder. He rubbed his hand against Trunks' shoulder gently, in small circles. "How can I make it better?"

Trunks wailed more at the contact, shaking in his fetal position as his breaths increased in speed and intensity. As he moaned, his breaths became deeper and more intense.

After he had cried for several minutes, Trunks turned on the mushroom to face Goten on his other side.

Goten saw that Trunks' face was almost recognizable with how puffy and despaired he was. Trunks was so down, and so low, that Goten only saw someone who was broken. And he wanted so desperately to show Trunks how much Trunks didn't deserve to be crying like this.

Goten knew Trunks did everything right. He knew how hard Trunks had tried in his dating relationship. He knew how his own friendship with Trunks took the backburner because of Mai, and he had tolerated it and pushed through it because he was used to it. It's what everybody did with Goten.

Trunks was a star. Trunks was always the light in the room. He had shone even brighter because he felt feelings inspired by his attraction to Mai at the time.

Trunks never deserved to have his heart played. Goten understood the grief that Trunks was feeling. Goten accepted that he was always number two. Even X-2 was number two. But Goten didn't mind being Trunks' number two, because Goten always saw Trunks as number one.

Goten would do anything to defend and protect Trunks' smile. Goten felt joy whenever Trunks felt joy.

Trunks curled in his cry, and grabbed at Goten, pushing his face into Goten's chest. He wailed and smothered his anguish in Goten's green shirt.

Goten curled in response to hold Trunks to his chest, sinking his face into Trunks' hair. He breathed in the bluish hair that looked lavender in the sunset sky, and squeezed Trunks with a hug that pulsed with his gentle energy.

Trunks desperately clung to Goten, squeezing tight as he felt like everything and everyone around him had been staged, and a lie. Nothing had any real meaning… except Goten.

As Trunks held Goten tightly, Trunks realized that Goten had been the only real thing in Trunks' life.

Goten, meanwhile, didn't know what to say. When Trunks had a temper, he often didn't respond well to words. Goten had long known how Trunks was much more physical-minded than most people realized.

But then Goten knew the words to say. They were simple enough. With his gentle, pulsing squeeze, Goten turned his thoughts to the words that his brother and mom would use to comfort him. He felt the words come out on their own, with pure meaning and innocent intention.

"I love you," it came out as almost a sigh, as Goten rubbed Trunks' back gently and soothingly.

Trunks hitched as his whole body tensed.

Trunks pulled away a few inches, and looked up to Goten with wild, surprised, confused eyes. His heart was racing and his breaths unstable as emotions broke like waves against his mental cliffs.

For Trunks, this was everything that he had ever wanted with Mai. He just wanted to be held and appreciated. All he wanted was to be loved. He had struggled for three years to get even an ounce of this kind of feeling from Mai, and Goten had been there the entire time.

With wet, desperate eyes, Trunks looked to each of Goten's eyes and took in his reassuring smile. He took in Goten's eyes - dark pools that pulled Trunks into their void like magnets, through a window into Goten's beautiful, supportive, innocent, pure hearted soul.

Trunks loved him.

It wasn't just a feeling to Trunks. It was a realization, a forest through the trees. It was a truth, beyond any excuses or need to think beyond what Trunks knew he felt, when his body pulsed with appreciation and joy and relief and comfort and the sense of family that Goten brought to Trunks' life.

There didn't need to be any labels. Labels would just confuse it.

Trunks liked women, and Trunks also loved him. He loved Goten's beautiful soul.

Trunks pulsed his body against Goten and with short breaths, he adjusted his body against Goten, melting into Goten's gentle circles against his back.

Trunks's body pushed forward, upward, needing Goten, wanting more of him. He wanted to tell him so much how he felt, that he didn't even know how to say it.

He wanted to tell him so much that he brought his hands to Goten's jaw, and guided his mouth down, so Trunks could tell him the only way he knew how.

Trunks pushed his lips to Goten's and released a moan. He poured himself into a strong semi-closed mouth kiss, with his free arm now desperately grabbing Goten's back, wanting Goten to lean in.

He wanted Goten to kiss him back so much.

Trunks' mind was in a cloud, of his desperate wanting and needing. He was insatiable. He was kissing but he wanted to be kissed. He loved and just wanted to be loved. Trunks just wanted someone to want him. He wanted Mai to have kissed him. He wanted to be kissed so badly. He wanted Goten so much.

Goten pushed in, and kissed back.

They both moaned, and Goten gently kissed with varying pressure on Trunks' lips as their dominance pulsed back and forth between them, in a balance of how they leaned into their kisses.

Trunks' energy began to churn within him, and his emotions cried to be released. The kisses weren't enough. His need to show Goten how he felt was almost imperative. He didn't know how to tell him. He wanted to show him.

Trunks pushed himself up to gently roll over Goten, until he was on top on him, and broke the kiss from his lips to start kissing down Goten's jaw, to his neck. He started to press his body into Goten's hips, gyrating as he breathed and kissed all along Goten's nape.

Goten brought up a hand to pause Trunks, and gently pushed him back, so their eyes could meet.

"W-wait…" Goten swallowed, his cheeks flushed, his eyes a little confused.

Trunks' eyes were glazed and unfocused, as he had been lost in a physical wave of feeling that had overcome his senses. His breathing was shallow and rapid, and he felt his body pull toward Goten like a magnet; he wanted the feeling back.

But, pausing their act also breathed some sanity back into Trunks' thoughts. His wild eyes widened a bit as he stared into Goten's eyes, and his face went lax...

... And slowly, ever so slowly, Trunks started to pull away, as his eyes lost their glaze.

As Trunks pulled away, his face shifted from affection, to incredulity… to shock… to fear… to panic. His face was anguished and terrified and sorrowful and enraged all at the same time.

Trunks' face contorted into a horrified self-loathing as he pulled back. His face betrayed the rising torment and terror that he was feeling.

Goten could see it on Trunks' face - he could immediately sense that Trunks was about to lose control of his feelings and spiral.

It was Goten's instinct. He just knew Trunks. He had seen him snap like this once before, and he knew Trunks was deeply grieving right now. He needed Goten's support like his life depended on it. Trunks was right in his text. This was an emergency. And Goten would help Trunks no matter what.

"Wait," Goten grabbed Trunks' collar. "Trunks…"

Goten made his decision because Trunks needed him. If Goten didn't do this, Trunks was going to emotionally explode. Goten could see that Trunks was teetering on losing trust with everything and everyone.

Trunks looked to him with desperate, confused, terrified eyes, with his jaw shaking as much as his breaths.

Goten could feel Trunks' tense body against him. Trunks was trembling, his ki was unstable, and he was teetering on a mental breakdown. The type of pain that Trunks had right now was so deep, Goten wasn't sure he could reach it. But he could try. Goten would do anything to help Trunks feel better.

So, Goten did what his body was telling him was the right thing to do. He wanted to see Trunks smile again. And he knew Trunks would feel happy if he felt loved.

For Goten, it didn't matter what sex or gender Trunks was, if he were a boy or a girl, or anything in between, or everything at once. It didn't matter at all, because Trunks was just Trunks. And Goten loved Trunks.

Goten sat up, and pulled Trunks' collar in, to guide his face back, and gently swooped his mouth up to meet Trunks' soft lips again in a deep kiss.

Trunks easily melted back into Goten's arms and moaned into the kiss as tears streamed down his cheeks.

In their kiss, Goten turned them on the mushroom and pushed Trunks down, deeper into the foamy mushroom, kissing harder.

In their kiss, pinned by Goten's strong, pulsing body, Trunks clawed and raked his hands down Goten's back.

Breaking his lips away, Goten kissed away Trunks' tears along his cheek, up to his ear, and down his neck, breathing in Trunks' cologne and feeling a fire in his body that he had never felt before. His energy swirled within him like an immense pressure that needed to be released, and it only built more and more.

Goten's right hand gently applied a circular massage pressure to the back of Trunks' neck as he also kissed his neck, and breathed in Trunks' scent. Trunks writhed and gyrated under him, breathing in short, aroused breaths.

Goten's hands explored down Trunks' body, heating and tingling with the energy of their connection. Goten sheathed his body against the heat of Trunks' solid, warm chest.

Goten began to kiss down Trunks' jaw, and neck, and Trunks melted further.

Trunks' head went back in throes of ecstasy he never knew he could feel.

They sank into the mushroom, melding into each other, fusing in a way they had never before, and were enveloped by the night.

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A couple hours later, Trunks panted, feeling overwhelmed by a sea of emotions, and feeling physically sore beyond anything he had ever trained for, or felt in his life.

As Goten panted beside him, Trunks' emotions now took on a whole new life. He tried to make sense of his life, of his history with Goten, of how close they had been, and their roughhousing nature.

He tried to piece together his feelings that had led up to this moment when they did this… when in a surprise twist to the end of his relationship with Mai, Trunks lost his virginity to Goten.

Now that Trunks' head was clear, he finally was able to process it. And, instead of feeling confident, Trunks felt guilty.

He didn't feel the kind of feelings that he needed toward Goten. What happened was a fluke.

Trunks couldn't look at Goten, as he lay in the mushroom, to the left of Goten, staring up at the stars.

"I'm not gay," Trunks stated.

Goten was also looking up to the stars, lying on his back by Trunks' right side, "I know."

"I can't be gay," Trunks reasoned.

"You're not."

"How do you know?" Trunks wondered.

"You're not."

"How do you know?" Trunks challenged.

Goten sat up and looked down at him, "Trunks, you're not gay."

"But how would you KNOW?" Trunks sat up, flustered, emotional, naked.

"You blow me off for girls."

They both immediately blushed at the mention of blowing off.

Goten was flustered, "I-I meant, you know. Your eyes are always on girls."

Trunks frowned to Goten, and looked down to his hands, and then brought his eyes back to the sky, where the moonless night was always dark, and had been since Piccolo had destroyed the moon long ago. The clouds reflected the light of the nearby city, Fungus Town, in the distance, enabling them to see each other well enough.

Trunks sighed, and his eyes glistened with tears that threatened to form again. "I had tunnel vision for Mai."

Goten frowned and brought his right hand to Trunks' left hand to rub it reassuringly, "Are you really sure that you're even over Mai?"

Trunks slapped Goten's hand away and sat up to cross his legs, huffing indignantly, "I don't ever want to talk about that sleaze for the rest of my life. I'm writing her out of it."

Goten sat up straight and also crossed his legs, "But you dated her for so long."

"No, she was my fucking babysitter." Trunks harrumphed, "I bent over backwards for her, and I fucking sacrificed my whole fucking high school social life because of her. And she was a plant. Just a fucking SPY, reporting to my mom."

Goten frowned his eyebrows but smiled reassuringly to Trunks, "Are you sure she reported everything?"

Trunks snarled to the sky, "My mom found my condoms the day I told Mai that I got my hands on them. They were in my safe, Goten. She literally went into my safe behind my TV just to find my condoms and confront me!

Goten grimaced, "Wow, that's a pretty cringe way to get outed…"

Trunks' face was tight and angry and pained all at once, as he whined, "I was so embarrassed."

"Not gonna lie," Goten was honest, "that's harsh."

Trunks stood up, picking up his white underwear briefs, and put it back on. "I can't trust my mom with anything. Nowhere is safe. I don't know who I can trust anymore."

Goten still sat naked on the mushroom, cross-legged and smiled reassuringly to Trunks, "You can trust me."

Trunks kneeled down on the mushroom and looked Goten in the eye. With his right hand, Trunks took Goten's left hand into his and squeezed. "I know. Thank you. I don't know what I'd do without you. I love you Goten."

Goten sucked in his bottom lip as his dark eyes darted between each of Trunks' blue eyes.

"I'm not gay," Goten whispered, his eyes watery as he gave a small sile.

"I'm not either," Trunks reassured, his eyes tearing up.

They laughed a bit and Trunks gently punched Goten's shoulder back.

"Then what the heck are we?" Goten bit his lip.

"I don't know, but I don't want to lose you," Trunks wiped his eyes and sniffed with a smile.

Goten shook his head and gave a comforting smile, "You're not gonna lose me."

Trunks looked at him hard and took Goten's left hand in both of his.

They looked at each other for a long time, with eyes that spoke without words, in a silent understanding and camaraderie.

Goten broke the silence, "I'm going to miss you when you're in college."

"Yeah," Trunks gave a lopsided smile, and stood up to start gather his clothes. "I don't know what you'll do without me on call for our superhero team."

Goten groaned at the thought as he also stood up, and put on his boxer-briefs back on, "It'll be harder for me to sneak out to hang next year. It's been easy until now because I just told my mom you had the same after-school schedule as me."

"Yeah your whole schedule is about to open up," Trunks pulled his pants back on.

Goten pulled his arms through his shirt, "I'm already planning my summer schedule. I'm thinking of trying out for a sports team. My mom thinks I'll have a better shot at getting into Orange Star if I can add to my extracurricular stuff."

Trunks started to pull on his shirt, "Just join the boxing team or something."

Goten pulled on his pants, "Yeah but I was hoping maybe I could meet some people I could try to socialize with after school. I was thinking maybe a beach sport."

Trunks paused getting through his shirt, "Like what, volleyball?"

"I dunno. What are all the beach sports?"

Trunks pulled his shirt down and straightened his collar, "Just go weightlifting on Venus Beach."

Goten squinted his eyes a bit, "I don't think you're getting my reason why I want to play a sport."

Trunks put his belt back on, "What's wrong with baseball?"

Goten spread his arms, "I want to meet girls."

Trunks sat down to pull his shoes to his feet, "You can meet girls in baseball."

Goten buckled his belt, "No, I want to PLAY with girls on my team."

Trunks pulled his first shoe on, "What the heck sport is played co-ed? Tennis?"

Goten sat down to put on his shoes, "Stop spouting out all the different sports."

Trunks velcroed on his second shoe, "How about crew? Do you do rowing?"

Goten stopped with his shoes and looked to Trunks and shrugged in defiance, "Honestly, Trunks? Do you really want to know what I was thinking?"

Trunks gathered his letterman jacket and gestured with his chin toward Goten, "Duh."

Goten huffed and looked up and away, "And you won't make fun of me?"

Trunks was intrigued, and leaned in, "What?"

Goten paused. There was hesitation.

Trunks waited with baited breath.

Goten sighed. "Badminton."

Trunks' entire body erupted into sparks of humor and excitement and intrigue and surprise. This was the prank energy in full blast, wanting to get out, wanting to laugh so hard.

Trunks' eyes lit and his grin grew so far back that his fanged teeth betrayed his big bad wolf grin, "BADMINTON?!"

Goten groaned, and resumed putting his shoes back on, "Stop, I can already see you're about to tease me."

Trunks was beside himself with the hilarity of it all. "Aaahahahahahahahaha, Badminton! Ahahahaha!"

Goten's face flattened as he finished with his laces, "You're so predictable."

Trunks thought the whole thing was a riot, and his eyes shone as bright as his smiling mug, "What do you even call the ball thing with the net-butt?!"

Goten gestured to the air with his right hand, "There's two types - a birdie and a shuttlecock."

Trunks snickered, "Shuttlecock…"

Goten snickered too.

Trunks chuckled with a crinkled nose, "I have the feeling the only reason you are going for badminton is to say shuttlecock."

Goten couldn't hide a small giggle, "It's pretty fun to say."

Trunks laughed.

"Shuttlecock…" Goten's mouth over-enunciated the word, which made it even funnier.

Trunks smiled at him, wiping his eyes.

Goten looked at Trunks' smiling face, and felt warm joy swirl inside him. He was so happy to see Trunks happy again.

Goten smiled to him, "Hey are you feeling better?"

"Yeah," Trunks' smile softened into a look of silent understanding, as he put his letterman jacket back on.

Goten smoothed his pants and looked to Trunks, biting his lip. "You feeling any kind of emotional swirl because of Mai?"

"Fuck that sixty-year-old witch." Trunks spat.

Goten reeled back, "Is she really sixty?!"

Trunks shrugged, "She's fifty-seven. I rounded it up, because fuck her."

Goten grinned and felt warm inside, "Sounds like you're in a better place."

Trunks smiled with a sad, knowing, yet reassuring look, "Thanks for looking out for me Goten."

Goten nodded, "No problem."

Trunks looked down, "Goten, I…," he looked in Goten's eyes, "I don't regret what we did."

Goten shifted his stance, rocking to each side a bit, "I think you needed it."

Trunks swallowed, "I'm not gay, you know."

Goten shrugged and reconfirmed, "I'm not either."

"Are we…" Trunks hesitated, looking down, then back at Goten, "… cool?"

Goten smiled, "Yeah."

"Okay." Trunks smiled, and his face radiated with the kind of innocent joy that also brought Goten happiness.

Trunks then seemed startled as he remembered to check his watch, "Oh gods, I forgot it's later at home because of the time difference! What are we going to tell our moms?!"

Goten knew this drill, from practice with his mom, "That we hung out."

"And we just talked?" Trunks confirmed.

"Yeah, that's what I'm gonna tell my mom at least." Goten shifted his stance, "I don't ever tell her where I really go."

"Okay, got it." Trunks pooled his ki, and started to jet off first. But the second he flexed his core, he let out a yelp, "OW!" at the sudden pain and soreness along his rear that paralyzed his legs and ki in shock.

Trunks dropped straight from the air, and landed on the mushroom next to them, when he got SPRUNG up.

"Aaaah!" Trunks shrieked in part shock and part glee as he bounced up, lingering high up on the arc, and then fell, accelerating down onto another mushroom that SPRUNG up as Trunks shouted "OOOOOWWW! Aaahaha! Ow! Aahaha!"

Goten just stood there, watching the comedy unfold, "You okay?"

"Gods, fucking, shitfuck, damn-OWW!" Trunks SPRUNG UP again and soared in the air, before his parabolic arc sent him down to another mushroom.

Goten shouted. "Are you alright?!"

"Fuck you, Goten. Fuck!" Trunks SPRUNG UP again.

Goten broke out into laughter, cackling deeply.

And just like before Mai, Trunks and Goten had gotten back together again as a duo, and this time surely no girl would come between them.

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–Published on AO3: 1/4/24–

–Published on FFnet: 1/9/24–