Bulma Briefs packed the last of the boxes into the small space and eyed the brightly packaged presents with her hands on her hips and a look of exasperation on her face. Sighing softly, she jumped off the ladder and made her way upstairs. Padding across the room towards the trio that was currently engaged in a video game, which frankly, made no sense to her, she made her presence known.
“Okay, boys. I am going to need to borrow Gohan for a moment.” She announced with a ‘no argument needed’ tone.
“Aww, come on, mom! We are on the final level! I’m about to clobber him!”
“Trunks Briefs! You will stop that game or you are going to bed now!”
Gohan and his younger brother, Goten, winced at the harsh reprimand before the older rose to his feet with a small smile. “It’s okay, Trunks. We can finish the game tomorrow. I need to do something for your mom. I will be right back, okay?”
Trunks pouted and mumbled something about ‘being right back becoming two hours or longer.’ For his efforts, he got a cuff from Bulma and a giggle from his best friend. “Go to your room, Trunks and you can take Goten with you. Gohan, let’s go.”
The teen smiled apologetically to the two boys. He waved a quick goodbye to them before following the stomping female into the familiar confines of her laboratory. He swallowed tightly, and wiped his hands down his thighs. He already knew what he had to do.
Another errand to the future.
“I know you just went last month, Gohan. But the other me really needed these materials and I just finally managed to find them for her. Do you think you could help me, pleeeeeease? I promise not to send you there for a looooooong while.”
How could he say ‘no’ to the woman that he had known since childhood and had done so much for him in the past? He nodded and placed a winning smile on his visage. “No problem, Bulma. When do you want me to leave?”
“Uuum…right now?”
“What?! I can’t leave right now! What will I tell my mom? And Goten? And…and…and…I’m not just ready that’s all!”
Bulma blinked. “Geesh…calm down, Gohan. You make it sound like I’m sending you off to an execution. All you have to do is find me and then give the stuff to her and then come back home. No big deal, right?”
~ I wish. ~
“Ah…yeah…right.”
Bulma grinned in victory. “Then it’s settled! Go on! Hop into the machine and I will send you off. Hmm…let’s see…it’s four o’clock now. You should be back here by eight at least. If my timeline calculation is correct, you should be there for at least three days.” She stopped rambling to pin concerned depths on the pale boy’s features. “Is everything all right, Gohan? You still don’t have that queasy thing about flying in confined spaces now, do you?”
The boy could only shake his head slowly. “No. I am fine, honest. I just…I guess I am just nervous. I don’t think I will ever get used to this machine.”
“Why do you think I don’t go on it? Come on, get in.” She playfully shoved him forward and watched him enter the Time Machine. “Ready?” And as soon as she saw him give the thumbs up sign, she punched a few buttons on a control panel. A loud whirring sound was heard before a bright flash of light ensued. In mere seconds, the roof opened up slowly, sending the machine hurtling through it and disappearing in a twinkle of an eye.
“Hmm…maybe this time you can actually get to talk to him.” Bulma chuckled and closed back the roof before congratulating herself on being such a genius.
***
He didn’t really feel much during the ‘flight’ but he did feel the rather painful landing. Grunting softly, he opened up the hatch and rubbed his lower back that throbbed from the force of his descent. He eyed his surroundings, hoping he had landed in the right spot this time. His last arrival had dumped him a few feet from the ocean and he had had to fly all the way to the main city. Luckily, the machine had landed a few yards from the large CC building this time around. Leaping down lithely, he began to walk towards it, smiling in greeting at some of the people that he passed by.
The city was still going under construction, but a majority of the damage had been fixed and there were a whole lot more buildings than he had seen previously.
“GOHAN!!! You came back!!”
His breathing and blood circulation was cut off as he found himself enclosed in a bone-crushing hug that left him panting and breathless. When he was finally released, he gasped and wheezed for air, only to cough as he felt the woman’s exuberant slap on his back.
“I think he’s dying, mom.” Came the familiar soft voice that sent Gohan’s pulses racing into overdrive. He couldn’t stop the blush that came to his face and he lowered his gaze to the floor as he sensed the young demi-saiyan walk towards them. “Hug him like that again and he just might die.”
“Oh, please.” Bulma snorted and eyed the machine behind him. “So, you have the stuff I need?” she asked with barely concealed excitement.
“Uh…yeah…”
“Awesome!! Thanks so much, Gohan!” She kissed him soundly and hurried off to check on her ‘goodies’ leaving both boys alone for the meantime.
Gohan’s eyes remained trained on the ground, his face reddening with each passing minute. He couldn’t look at purple haired beauty before him. He didn’t need to. He had memorized every feature. Each etched in memory especially after…
“Are you just going to keep standing there?” Trunks asked softly with a hint of something akin to pain in his voice. “You aren’t still upset over…last…time…”
“Oh, no! No!” Gohan gushed quickly, daring to lift his eyes. His words faltered at the sadness that filled the beautiful blue depths and he felt his heart stop at the sheer intensity of the gaze. “I…I…”
~ I liked it so much that I cannot trust my feelings any longer. ~
He fiddled with his hands and bit his lower lip. “Trunks, I…”
“It’s okay.” Came the resigned reply. The boy placed a smile on his visage and motioned for Gohan to follow him. “Come on. I have something to show you. I am working on a new machine that will help the construction workers in their jobs.”
When Gohan made no attempt to move, Trunks sighed and ran a hand through his hair, which was currently at shoulder length again. “I won’t…I promise not to do that again, Gohan. I just don’t want us to feel too uncomfortable around each other.”
With a weak nod, Gohan followed the slightly taller boy into the cool confines of the building and towards the underground laboratory that looked too eerily alike to the one he had just left from his timeline. Sitting in the middle of the large room was something that looked like a lawnmower…but a sophisticated and more complex one.
“I call it ‘The Plow 3000’. This baby can lift up to 100 tons of mortar and brick and it has enough power to…”
Gohan heard nothing as his gaze fell on the moving lips with growing hunger. The last time…the last time…Trunks had surprised him with the move. They had spent the past days, hanging out at all his favourite spots and then…
~ He kissed me. ~
Not just a simple ‘peck on the cheek’ but a full blown French kiss that had sent his mind and body spiralling out of control. The feel of those lips on his had been nothing short of intoxicating and Gohan knew that he couldn’t hold on to his denial any longer.
Trunks stopped talking as he noticed that Gohan had not replied to his question. He stuck his slightly trembling hands into the pockets of his jeans and tried not to show how much Gohan’s presence in the room really affected him. He hated to admit that he had been genuinely nervous at meeting the boy again. He couldn’t imagine Gohan ever wanting to see him after that blunder. He had had to live with the image of the fear that had been etched on Gohan’s face since that fateful night and the thought of pushing the dark-haired Saiyan away from him was too much for him to bear.
“Gohan…” He croaked out weakly, licking his now parched lips. “Are…did you hear my question?”
Gohan raised molten dark depths to stare into the blue ones before him. His heart rate increased and he could have sworn that he could hear Trunks’s own too. He cleared his throat and nodded towards the machine. “What was the question again?”
Trunks bit his lower lip and decided to go for it. He couldn’t afford not trying again. The last time had taken them both by surprise and even if Gohan had pulled away, the boy hadn’t exactly pushed him off either. Taking a deep breath, he moved closer to the other boy and leaned against the table beside him. “I asked…if I could…kiss you again?” Which was a lie, since it hadn’t been the original question.
Gohan felt the heat pool to the pits of his stomach and he dug his fingers into his palms. “Kiss…kiss me again?”
Trunks nodded softly, eyes darkening with emotion. “I will stop if you don’t like it. Honest. You don’t have to do it…if you don’t want to.” He finished weakly. He lowered his gaze and held his breath, waiting for the rejection. Knowing that he wouldn’t be able to withstand his heart breaking yet again.
Gentle fingers beneath his chin caused him to raise his head. A thumb reached out to caress his lower lip and he darted out a tongue hungrily to capture it. He closed his eyes and whimpered softly as Gohan’s hands reached up to cradle his face. With a sigh filled with content, he pressed himself closer to the boy’s solid strength, barely controlling the shiver that coursed through his body at the contact.
“Kiss me…Gohan.” He begged, not caring on how desperate he sounded.
The younger boy nodded slowly, mesmerized at the sight of parted, moist lips that waited patiently for him. He closed his eyes and finally closed the distance between them. The jolt that flared through him almost sent Gohan crumpling to the floor with desire. Slow and sweet, each taking the time to savour the heady taste of the other. Tongues sparred and danced in a rhythm as old as time. Breaths became harsher as the kiss intensified, bodies straining against each other so tightly that every inch of muscle that trembled in anticipation was felt.
They pulled away quickly, eyes glazed with need and want. No words needed to be said, as Trunks tugged gently on Gohan’s hand to lead him out of the room and into the warm confines of his bedroom.
***
Weary eyes opened up to blink at the rays of sunlight that peered through the blinds and into the bedroom. Gohan groaned and stretched lazily, only to gasp softly at the feel of arms wrapping tightly around his waist. He blushed furiously and tried to hide his face within the pillow, only to find himself facing the laughing features of his new lover.
“Truuuunks…” He whimpered in embarrassment. “Stop it.”
The older boy chuckled and kissed the pouting lips softly. “So, are you ready to spend the next few days exploring?” He asked cheekily, eyes glinting with mischief.
Gohan flushed and mumbled something.
Trunks leaned closer. “Huh? What was that you said, koi?”
His eyes widened as Gohan whispered something into his ear. “Why, you little!”
He made a dive for the dark-haired boy only to fall flat on his face to the floor as Gohan had dodged the move nimbly. Trunks stumbled to his feet and gave a mock growl, before chasing after the other boy again. This time Gohan ran into the bathroom and locked himself in it. For the first time in weeks or even months, he laughed with pure enjoyment. Months of living in agony, wondering if the fleeting emotion he had felt for the other boy had just been his hormones acting up, had finally been answered with Trunks’s confession last night.
He had given himself to Trunks. Had made the decision to become a life-long partner, even though their relationship would be a long-distance one, so to speak. It wouldn’t be easy for either of them, but they had made the decision to make it work, no matter what it took.
The pounding on the door stopped and Gohan rested his head against the door, his laughter subsiding as he listened to the softly whispered words from the opposite side.
“Ai shiteru, Gohan.”
And with his face flaming red with giddy happiness, Gohan replied in a trembling whisper filled with love and warmth.
“And I will always love you, Trunks-kun…until the end of time.”
