Goten woke up slightly before Trunks did. He looked over at his best friend and smiled. He did not understand why Trunks kept saying he was a bad friend. He has been a great friend. He most likely felt bad because Goten wasn't 100% honest with how he felt.
The two have been friends since they were children. Trunks has been there every step of the way for every high and low, and the younger Saiyan was forever thankful that he was in his life. He should tell Trunks more about how much he loves their friendship.
No one will understand how much the younger hybrid struggled, but he is determined to improve. So he will need to come clean about everything.
Goten's thoughts were broken and Trunks was woken up when the older hybrid received a phone call from his mother. It's a good thing neither one of them was hungover, but they still cannot drink like they were in their early twenties.
Bulma calls her son to check up on him and usually gives him a play-by-play work issue. But it was a Saturday morning, and Bulma never calls her son this early, even if it is a work emergency.
The lavender-haired man reached for his phone and accepted the call. "Mom? Is everything okay?" he asked mid-yawn slightly concerned as he put his phone on speaker. He wanted Goten to hear what his mother said if it concerned him.
"Yeah, everything is okay. Were you able to connect with Goten? I'm worried about him, " she admitted. Goten was always Bulma's second son; she loved him as if he were her own. Similar to Chi-Chi, she took his injury the hardest. It also pained her that Goku left before Goten woke up from his coma.
Trunks cleared his throat, "Yeah I was able to connect with him. I spent the night at his place."
Before Trunks could continue his thought process, Goten spoke up. "Bulma, I'm doing better. It's still a rough topic to talk about. I appreciate the call," Goten added to the conversation.
Bulma smiled. "I'm glad to hear that, Ten. If you ever need an ear to listen, you can always call me." She added, "I love you both."
"Love you!" They both said as Trunks ended the phone call with his mom. He saw that his girlfriend texted him so he was responding to her. "Marron wants to know if we can meet her at the cafe in 30 minutes?" He asked his best friend.
Goten pondered for a second, "Yeah that's doable. Tell her we will see her then." Trunks typed the message to the blonde as Goten walked into his closet to grab a pair of pants and a white t-shirt, and threw them at his best friend. Goten was thankful that both of them wore the same size clothing. He grabbed another pair of pants and a T-shirt to wear for himself.
The boys quickly changed out of their pajamas into their new pair of clothes. Goten walked into the bathroom first to comb his hair and brush his teeth. He grabbed a spare toothbrush and handed it to Trunks. Goten remembered when they were teenagers, Trunks took forever to get ready. So, to see him getting ready quickly was a surprise.
The son of Goku exited the bathroom to find his phone, wallet, and access card to his apartment. In the meantime, Trunks walked into the bathroom to brush his teeth and work on his hair. Goten walked back over to the bathroom. "Ready?" Goten asked as he stuck his head in the bathroom. He saw that Trunks was still working on his hair.
Trunks shook his head no, "Give me five more minutes. I promise I'll be quick." It took everything out of his best friend not to laugh at him. It was hard to believe since he usually takes up to an hour to get ready. Trunks cared too much about his looks.
To Goten's surprise, his best friend finished getting ready within five minutes. The younger hybrid felt his pockets again to ensure he had his phone, wallet, and access card. He had everything and the boys began their walk to Mimi's Cafe.
Goten purposely bought his apartment in the heart of West City. He is in perfect walking distance from restaurants, businesses, and a shopping complex. He never needed a car for travel and he didn't mind the walks. It was great exercise and he could clear his mind whenever he needed to.
Trunks and Marron's place wasn't too far from his apartment which was nice because he would visit them whenever he wanted to. The boys rounded the corner and they saw Marron.
"Marron!" Goten called out as he jogged towards her. She smiled and waved at him.
"Oh, my Kami, Goten!" She cheered as she walked over to him. The two hugged and she smiled so wide. "How have you been? It's been too long!" She asked. By now Trunks arrived. She blew him a kiss and he acted like he caught it. Goten loved their relationship and all of the romantic gestures they made. It's something he hopes they continue to do.
"You guys are adorable!" He smiled, "But I have been all right." He said as the trio made their way inside Mimi's Cafe. Neither one of them could recall the last time all three of them had been in the restaurant. The waitress sat them down in their famous corner booth and took their orders.
When they were teenagers, they always came to this cafe to do homework, vent, and hang out. It was the perfect hang-out spot. Since Goten left Mount Pazou he still came occasionally, but when Trunks told him he bought a penthouse in the City, Goten told them they should start going to Mimi's Cafe again. This is the first time in a long time they have been at the cafe.
By now, the waitress provided them with their coffee. "Marron, it's so good to see you, I'm sorry I did not reach out to you sooner." Goten apologized as he took a sip of his coffee. "You and I need to catch up."
She nodded her head, "I also need to apologize, I haven't reached out either. A phone works both ways." She began, "I got a new promotion at my job, so it's been taking me some time to adjust." She continued.
"Congratulations! You definitely deserved this, you worked too hard." He smiled, "I'm so proud of you!" He cheered for his best friend.
Marron always dreamt of being a journalist and recently she got promoted to senior technical writer. When Marron told him that she was one of the finalists for the promotion, he knew that she was going to get the job. He would have been shocked if she didn't get it.
"Thanks, Goten for always believing in me." She thanked him, "So are you coming to our housewarming party?" She asked as she sipped her latte.
"Housewarming party?" He questioned the blonde as she shot Trunks a death glare. "I think you forgot to tell me something." He laughed.
Trunks raised his hands in defeat, "I'm sorry, I was more focused on making sure you would be okay. We are having a housewarming party on October 25th, we would love for you to come."
"I wouldn't miss it for the world," Goten added as their waitress placed their orders down."If possible, are you guys okay with me bringing a date?"
The blonde almost choked on her omelet, "Goten you have a girlfriend?" She shot another death glare at both of them, "And you didn't tell me?" She chided them.
"Marron, please don't be mad at Trunks and I don't have a girlfriend yet." He began, "I just felt a spark last night when I was at the bar."
"Do tell!" Marron cheered, "I'm so happy to hear. Did you feel the spark like you did with Laney?" She questioned her long-term best friend.
Goten couldn't help but laugh at Marron. She was still a child at heart getting excited over the smallest things. He loved that about her, but there was a side of Marron that he never wanted to see. She is one of the sweetest people he has met, but getting her angry is something he never wants to see again. He only made that mistake once.
She always got overly excited about Goten's love life and he never asked why she got so involved with his dating life. He wasn't planning on asking her either because she provided him with advice whenever he got into fights with his last girlfriend.
"Last night I felt the spark with the bartender. I was too nervous to talk to her. I didn't even get her name." He admitted in defeat. He watched as the blonde swallowed her food and cleared her throat.
"Go back and get her number!" Marron exclaimed. "Go back-"
"Babe relax." Trunks interjected. He knew that Marron was going to go on a big story about how this could be his destiny since he felt the "spark" again. "I think Goten has a plan in mind." He stated. Trunks shifted his eyes to Goten, "You do have a plan in mind, 'Ten?"
The younger hybrid shrugged his shoulders as he shoved some more of his pancakes in his mouth. He hadn't thought everything through, but he planned to go to the bar before the housewarming party. Meaning, Goten only had one month to come up with a plan. He had to learn her name and learn more about her. Maybe he jumped the gun asking if he could bring her to their party in a few weeks.
"I'll think of something, what's the worst thing that she can say? No?" He questioned the couple. Both of them nodded their heads in agreement. "Trust me everything will work in my favor. And if she doesn't want me -"
"No no, don't say that." Marron interrupted. "Put positive stuff in the atmosphere, all that negative self-talk will not do you any justice." Goten knew that Marron was right. This was something that his therapist said that he needed to work on. He needed to be more positive.
"Thank you for the reminder, Mare." He thanked her as the three of them continued to eat their breakfast.
.
Trunks and Marron arrived back at their penthouse after they had breakfast with their longtime friend. Marron couldn't recall the last time the trio spent time together, so she was determined to spend more time with Goten. Even if it was a quick text conversation or a five-minute phone call, she missed him.
"I'm glad to see that Goten is doing better," Marron said as she hung up her jacket in the closet. "I'm glad to see he is smiling again."
Trunks hung up his jacket too, "Babe, he was in bad shape yesterday, I still think he is putting on an act." Trunks admitted. The blonde gave him a puzzled look when she heard him say that.
"How so?" She questioned her boyfriend as she walked into the family room and sat on the couch.
Trunks followed after her, "You didn't see him yesterday. He is trying to remain strong, but it is killing him inside." The blonde was alerted by that. She knew that Goten struggled within the last year and a half. Marron was proud of Goten for remaining strong through every obstacle that he faced.
"He almost died, Trunks." Marron reminded him, "But maybe you're right, maybe he is putting on an act. What should we do, babe?" She asked. She wanted to help her best friend. She didn't want him to have to carry this burden alone.
He shrugged his shoulders, "We need to be there for him and I know one day he will be good. It just takes time." The blonde rolled her eyes at her boyfriend even though he was right.
.
Goten stood outside his mother's place. He had a guilty conscience. He knew his mother would understand, but he needed to clear his mind. He needed to tell her the truth that he was struggling even with his therapist.
He knew she would tell him to quit his job and move in with her until he found another job. Goten did not want to do any of that. He wants to be a trainer, continue to own his dojo, AND get the title. His mother would never understand, but that's okay because it is not her place to understand.
It took every ounce of his energy to raise his hand and knock on the front door of his childhood home. He knew the only way to get better was to admit the truth. And the only person he felt comfortable doing this with was his mother.
"Just one second." He heard his mother yell. He highly doubted his mother was expecting company these days.
He heard the footsteps get louder and the door open wide. "Goten!" His mother greeted him as she hugged him, "What a pleasant surprise, come in!" She motioned her youngest son to come inside.
"Thanks, Mom," Goten said as he entered his mother's home and closed the door.
"I'm surprised you decided to stop by after what happened last night." She groaned, "I wish Vegeta never asked that. He knew what happened to you." She walked into the kitchen, "Let me make you something to eat you had a long flight here."
"No, Mom, I'm okay. I grabbed breakfast with Trunks and Marron before I came." He began, "I came to apologize." He said as he followed her into the kitchen.
"About what sweetie?" She asked concerned.
He sighed heavily, "I'm sorry that I left abruptly last night and ruined your dinner party." He apologized, "That was not my intention, the topic of becoming a world fighter is still a sensitive topic for me." He confessed.
She walked over to her son and planted a kiss on his cheek, "Oh, Goten, you don't need to apologize, I understand that this is still a rough topic for you. Is therapy working?" She asked.
He scratched the back of his head, he knew that she was going to ask him about this. "It would work if I was a lot more honest with my therapist." He chuckled lightly. The same chuckle his father would do all the time.
"Goten!" She scolded, "Why haven't you been entirely honest?"
He sighed because he knew she was going to ask him this too. He could feel his heart rise up to his throat. He knew what he was about to tell his mother would kill her, but it was the truth. He wanted to tell her the truth. "Because part of me thinks I should have died." He admitted. His mother went completely pale as her mouth dropped. He knew this was the reaction he was going to get. No parent wants to hear this.
"Part of me died that day and I want that part of me back." He cried to his mother, "This person I am right now, it's not me!" This was the first time he told the truth, and he felt as if a weight was removed from his shoulders.
Chi-Chi walked over to her crying son and rubbed his back, "Oh, Goten, my poor son, I had no idea it was this bad." She could feel the tears forming in her eyes hearing her son say this. Goten continued to sob, the last time he cried this hard was when his dad left him the first time. His tears wouldn't stop coming out of his eyes, he needed this good cry. He hasn't cried in months.
"My poor baby, listen to me. You will never be the Goten Son that you were before your injury. There's a new Goten that's attempting to be born and you are rejecting him." Chi-Chi said. "It will take time to accept it, but you will need to embrace the new Goten post-injury."
"How do I embrace this new Goten? Because I don't feel any different." He questioned his mother, "Please Mom." He begged. Chi-Chi grabbed a Kleenex and handed it to her son. He used to wipe his face, Goten is an ugly crier.
"For one, don't dwell on the past, find a positive coping habit, and see if you can learn from the situation." His mother said, "It will be hard, but finally admitting how you are feeling is the first step. Trust me, son." She smiled at him, "It takes time, Rome wasn't built in a day."
Goten nodded his head, "Thank you, Mom. Do you want some company? I think I'm ready to be honest."
"I'll always have time for you, my son." Chi-Chi smiled as she rubbed Goten's back. "Come on, I'll make us some tea and we can talk."
This was the first time Goten admitted to anyone exactly how he felt. Now that he expressed his true feelings to his mother, he can express his feelings with his therapist and his best friends.
His mother was right, it would take some time, but he would be all right. All he needs is time.