Chapter 03
Gohan would admit that he had been numbly going through the motions, listening to Bulma’s instructions. She asked some questions, drew some blood, ran some tests, and now she was rubbing a wand across his abdomen… Vegeta’s accusation rang in his mind again and again, and Gohan still could hardly believe it. And, yet, if the
God of All Creation had pointed it out, it
had to be true, right?
“Ahah!” Bulma’s exclamation shook Gohan out of his stupor, and he turned to face her curiously. “I found them.”
Them— The word struck him. Did that mean— Gohan turned to the screen that Bulma was looking at, apprehension filling him. And, as he stared at the screen in front of him, Bulma pointed out where to look and he gasped audibly— Was that— Was it—
“You’re pregnant.”That was his— his and Trunks’—
It was – it was
real— It was
really happening. Something about seeing the proof in front of him—
Bulma smiled down at him. “Seeing it… it’s something else, isn’t it?”
Gohan numbly nodded.
“Here,” Bulma pressed a button, and the sound of a printer echoed out. She then reached over and handed Gohan a printed version of what was on the screen. “The first photo of your baby.”
Gohan took the photo with shaking hands as Bulma continued her exam, staring at it. Baby.
Baby— This – this was
his— His and
Trunks’— Of course, Trunks would never know, but… Gohan brought the picture close, holding it against his chest. He was… Having. A. Baby. He was…
pregnant— This was really happening— He–he–he—
How had it come to this? The two of them could have never anticipated— This wasn’t supposed to— It was a spur of the moment decision, hormones raging alongside their Saiyajin instincts and— They both knew that nothing would come of it, their duties demanding otherwise— A mutual and bittersweet parting, satisfied at the memories made— To think that– that Gohan would end up carrying Trunks’ child— That Trunks would leave Gohan with more than just memories—
“It’s… a lot to take in, I know.” Bulma said softly. “When you’re ready to hear everything that Vegeta told me, let me know. I might even have a bit more knowledge once I have the chance to grill him more.”
Gohan quietly thanked her, his mental state still bordering on hysteria. His entire world had been upended and he was
still coming to terms with it all.
Overall, though, his examination went well, and Gohan and Bulma returned to a thinned out and less hectic crowd.
“Where… did everybody go?” Gohan asked, looking around.
“They wanted ta give us some space.” Dad said.
Gohan exhaled in relief, his shoulders relaxing. He didn’t think he could handle much more,
especially a bunch of congratulations… At the very least, Vegeta’s announcement in front of everybody had saved Gohan from doing so himself. ~He still cringed at the fact that his sex life had become such a focal point, but, then again, it would have had to have come out eventually…~ Although speaking of said announcement… Gohan nervously glanced over to where his mother was. She had yet to approach him since the revelation—
Mom had that worried look about her, and when she met his gaze her eyes widened before she rushed over to his side, her hands holding onto his shoulders.
“What… What did Bulma say, dear?”
Gohan gave his mother a weak grin. “It’s…” He swallowed. “It’s true—” He then brought up the photo that Bulma had printed. “She even…”
Mother gasped, touching the photo. “A… grandbaby—”
Gohan winced a little at the connotations the word held— A grandchild— And he was still in school and—“I – I’m sorry, Mom— I didn’t mean to—”
Mother blinked at him before a sad expression softened her features and she brushed Gohan’s cheek with the back of her hand. “Oh, honey… It’s alright. Ya didn’t know. We jus’ gotta take it in stride.”
More tears trickled at the corners of his eyes. Fuck, he really was an emotional mess— Mom brought him into a hug, rubbing his back. “It’s alright.”
But, was it? Was it
really? He was
pregnant! Teenage pregnancy was one thing, but he was a
guy and—
“Wha– What about school?” Gohan stuttered out.
“We can go back ta home schooling ya. I’ll work somethin’ out with the school, honey.”
Gohan exhaled and stood up, straightening himself out. He gave his mom a weak smile.
“Big bro,” Goten came up to him, a childish curiosity shining in his eyes, “you’re having a baby?”
Gohan tried to make his smile bigger for Goten’s sake and he nodded. “Apparently.”
Goten
squinted at his stomach. “And Trunks is the daddy?”
Gohan laughed softly and shook his head. “Kinda? But a bigger, older Trunks. One that came from the future. One that’s very different from here. So he’s a very different person.”
“Oh.” Goten said, blinking at him. “So, you and Trunks aren’t gunna get married?”
Gohan couldn’t stop the snort. “Me n’ that brat? No way.” He shook his head in disbelief. It was as Vegeta said: he was a
child— But, just in case Goten was asking about the other Trunks… “And big Trunks is back home, and he has no plans to come back. He’s his world’s protector. And time travel is tricky business, so he can’t visit easily.” Gohan ruffled his brother’s hair. “But that’s okay. Him and I already talked about that. Of course, we didn’t know that I could have babies.”
“Can
I have babies?”
Gohan blinked at that question. “Good… question. We would have to talk to Vegeta about that. But, you won’t have to worry about it until you’re older like me, Goten.”
“Okay!” Oh, the innocence of childhood. “So, that means I’m gunna be an uncle!”
Gohan laughed and ruffled Goten’s hair again. “That you will, kiddo.”
And him? Gohan was going to be a… well
father he supposed. ~The other term was not only too confusing, but also too baffling to even
think about using—~
…This was going to take awhile to get used to.
________________________________________
The decision of what to do in terms of school was put off for now. At the very least, Gohan was pretty certain that he could get away with it until summer vacation, so there was no rush to pull him from school just yet.
Thankfully, Videl behaved relatively normally during school, and had not made a comment regarding the
plethora of revelations that had occurred in the last few days. He had no doubt that she had questions, and perhaps if his pregnancy had not become such a spectacle, he would have likely done so at the gathering after they had been victorious. Thus, Gohan wasn’t too surprised when she had asked to come over after school.
The two of them met where they had been training, and Videl smiled awkwardly at him.
“I just… wanted to talk about… the whole… Saiyajin-thing.” She admitted. “I know it came to light during the tournament, but…”
“There wasn’t any time, I get it.” Gohan gave her a smile. “So, uh… basically speaking, my Dad's a Saiyajin. It’s… an alien species from another planet. Vegeta is one, too. But, the difference is, well, my dad didn’t know that he was one. He hit his head as a baby and lost his memory so he spent most of his life thinking that he was human, so… Vegeta is really the only one who knows about Saiyajin stuff. And, well, since they’re Saiyajins and their wives are human, it makes me and Goten and Trunks half Saiyajins. That’s why our hair changes colour. It’s a Saiyajin transformation.”
“And why you have a… tail.” Videl whispered softly, staring at his waist, where Gohan still had it hidden.
Gohan laughed awkwardly. “Kinda…?” He grinned and shifted so that his tail came out, letting Videl look at it. “Goten was never born with one, and neither was Trunks, to my knowledge. Dad and Vegeta both had tails before. It… uh, it regrows if it’s cut off, but, for some reason theirs eventually stopped growing back. Mine did too, until… a couple of months ago.”
When he hit Saiyajin puberty and—
“Gohan…” Videl reached out and touched his arm gently. “Hey, look, it’s alright. And, if ya don’t wanna talk about it, it’s alright too.”
Gohan exhaled. “I – thanks, Videl.” He gave her a weak grin.
“Of course. It’s… a lot to take in.”
Laughter burst out. “You’re telling
me this? When everything you knew has been upended?”
“To be fair,” Videl teased out, “I knew my dad didn’t defeat Cell. Things never added up. Granted, I never thought
aliens were the answer.” She laughed. “But… what about all of your other friends? Are they just as powerful?”
“Well… us Saiyajins are the strongest, but… amongst the humans they definitely surpass the breadth of your knowledge. Krillin would be the strongest, but Master Roshi, Tenshihan and Yamucha aren’t weak by any means either. Eighteen is… well, she’s a modified human, which has greatly increased her capabilities. Piccolo is… well, he’s an alien species as well, and he would be the next strongest beside us Saiyajins.” Gohan explained. “All of them have the ability to use Ki and fly. Well… aside from Master Roshi, but I think he’s just too lazy to learn.” Which, perhaps, was for the best. The old man didn’t need anything else to enable his perverted tendencies…
“I… how powerful do you think
I could get, Gohan?” Videl asked, her eyes alit with determination and curiosity.
“Honestly? Pretty strong, I’d say. I could sense your potential when we first met. Krillin might be able to give you a good guess on where you could end up at, since he’s kept up with his training. Yamucha hasn’t as much, and I can’t tell you anything really about Tenshihan, but I’d probably place him somewhere closer to Krillin. Master Roshi is… well he’s far from what he was when he was in his prime.” Gohan grinned at her. It would be nice to see another human train beyond the scope of most humans.
“Do… do you think we could still keep training? With what you know now…” She spared a look towards his stomach.
“Ah— ahah…” Gohan rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. “Vegeta said there’s no concern there. Saiyajins are a warrior race. If we couldn’t handle— erm – then It’d be a bad thing. Just… maybe no stomach shots.” And while he supposed that Videl couldn’t
really hurt him, it was better safe than sorry.
~He wouldn’t be having a second child this way, after all—~
“I’m sorry— I know I said we didn’t have to talk about it—” Videl murmured softly, looking guilty.
“I – no – it’s alright, Videl.” Gohan gave her a weak grin. “It’s… inevitably going to come up.” Gohan heaved a sigh and looked down, touching his stomach. “I’d better get used to talking about it sooner rather than later—”
Videl plopped down on the grass and patted next to her, indicating Gohan to follow suit. “Would… you like to try?”
“I… maybe?” Gohan mumbled as he sat next to her. “I just… I don’t know where to even start—”
“Why… why don’t you tell me about Trunks? The older one?” Videl smiled softly at him.
“I… alright.” That – that was easy. “As you probably overheard… well, he’s a time traveller. His mother – the Bulma in the future – had built a time machine to try and prevent the apocalypse from happening…” Thus, Gohan found himself telling Videl about the warning from the future, what would have happened without Trunks’ interference, the deaths, his counterpart training Trunks, and about his counterpart’s eventual death, about the androids and how all of that had tied in with Cell…
“…My father
really was in over his head…” Videl whistled.
Gohan nodded. “We tried to tell him to stand down, but… he refused. Thankfully, Cell saw no amusement in killing them, and he spared their lives. Presumably because he thought they would die regardless.”
Videl hummed in agreement. “So… did you know that you liked Trunks back then?”
Gohan
blushed. “I – uhh – kinda? Admittedly, there was
a lot going on, so I didn’t really consciously realise it until everything was said and done, and Trunks had gone back home. Not that I would have
done anything back then… probably. I was like… eleven? And he was nineteen?”
“Wait… so
how old was he when the two of you…” Videl leaned in and blinked at him.
“Erm…” Gohan taxed his mind at that. “I… I don't know? Really? But, not
too much older? I think Cell came from a couple years after in Trunks’ future, and he came here immediately after defeating Cell in
his time.”
Videl’s shoulders relaxed a little. “Oh, okay, good. ‘Cause I was worried that you hooked up with a much older dude— I mean, you’re still a minor and—”
“Technically, I’m eighteen, now, Videl.” Gohan interrupted. “Was just shy of my birthday when he visited.”
“I — wha?” Videl blinked more at him. “But you’re—”
“When we were training to fight Cell, there’s a special room we have access to that stretches time. I spent a year in there, but only a day passed in the outside world. So, I’m a year older than I actually am. Well, a year and a month, I suppose, since I spent that month with Piccolo in there.” Gohan explained. “And, with being home-schooled, my age is a little skewed in terms of school.”
“Huh…” Videl blinked at him. “A shame, then, that he couldn’t stay.”
A sad smile graced Gohan’s lips. “Yeah… but we both knew that. His world needs him, and ours needs me.”
“Do you… miss him?”
“I… I’d be lying if I said no,” Gohan admitted, “but it’d be selfish to ask for any other alternative. Every time Trunks travels through time, he risks creating another timeline. Plus, it takes immense time and energy to charge the machine. And, then there’s the added dangers of travelling through time itself and— I can’t ask that of him.” Gohan sighed. “We both accepted that, though. What we did… it was supposed to be a one-time thing. A moment for both of us to look back on fondly. But…”
Videl gave him a sad smile. “If… if he
could have stayed… would you want him to?”
“I…” Gohan hadn’t really thought about that. “M-Maybe? I hadn’t… really thought about that. I mean — it kinda? came up afterwards but… it was more of a rhetorical question, just confirming that it couldn’t happen again and—” He had not
seriously considered a relationship
with Trunks, but that was because it had been improbable — impossible, even. “We both knew that it couldn’t be…”
Videl heaved a wistful sigh. “Ah, truly a case of star-crossed lovers.”
Again, Gohan hadn’t thought of it that way, but it
was the case, wasn’t it? Trunks wasn’t able to have
his Gohan, and even with the budding attraction between
them, he was unable to
truly explore it because of their respective duties. Duties that rendered Gohan unable to have
that Trunks despite his long-standing crush. And, when it came to this timeline and
this Trunks— Well, the two of them did not have the same bond, the attachments weren’t there ~or at least on Gohan’s end anyway…~ Hell, Trunks hadn’t even intended to meet up with him when he was old enough to— It had been a battle changing the dates, resulting in Trunks’ visit now – instead of many years ago – which had
then resulted in—
“…Gohan?”
“I… sorry.” Gohan gave a weak grin. “I just… never thought of it that way. But, you’re right, I suppose. He wasn’t even supposed to have arrived
here when he had originally intended to return. It had been a matter of circumstances that resulted in his arrival
now instead of several years ago…” Gohan was quiet for a few moments before turning his attention to his stomach. “And… if he had arrived any earlier, I wouldn’t have…” Because, after all, he had only
recently regrown his tail, which had meant that his capability to carry must have only developed recently— “To think that… out of
all years for the time machine to have accidentally shifted to—” Gohan thought back to his conversation with Bulma and how he had said that the news was soothing in a way, soothing the frayed and rough edges their parting had left in him because he now had something more tangible than memories to remind him of the older half-breed.
“Love always finds a way—”
“V-Videl!!” Gohan sputtered out. “Who said anything about
love?!”
“You
don’t love him?”
“I…” Gohan sighed. “There just wasn’t enough time to… I can’t honestly say if I do or not. I found him attractive, physically and emotionally. I appreciated and enjoyed his company. There was some chemistry between us… But, is that enough to say that I
love him? I… I don’t think so. Maybe, if we had more time. Maybe, if we had the capability to… But, that wasn’t in our cards.”
“Well, I guess you don’t
need love to…” Videl shook her head. “But, I guess that answers my earlier question.”
“…Which one?” Gohan blinked at her.
“If he could’ve stayed, you’d want him to.” Videl clarified. “The way you’re talking about it, the way you talk about
him it’s obvious that you really care for him, and if you were able to explore those feelings, you
would have.”
“I…” Gohan smiled sadly at that, touching his stomach and looking down at it, “I guess you’re right, Videl.” Even
without the baby… Gohan supposed that if given the opportunity…
“And, what about…” Videl gestured slightly to his stomach.
“Well…” The sad smile remained on his face. “He doesn’t know. Probably won’t ever. There’s… no reason for him to return, to his knowledge. And… it might be for the best. I
know he would want to take responsibility and…” Gohan shook his head. “I don’t fault him. If anything… it’s an unforeseen blessing. A way for me to still have a part of him…”
“But… what about him?” Videl asked. “It leaves him with nothing of you.”
Gohan laughed a little dryly. “To be fair, I was just a child to him before his visit. He only knew me grown for a couple hours. He reassured me that there was
something there, but hardly anything more than what I feel for him, considering how new it was.” He shook his head. “It’s… complicated. Besides… it’s not like we
planned for this to happen.” Gohan now
held his stomach. “And… I’m okay with that. With
this.”
Videl wrapped her arms around him in a hug, and Gohan leaned into it.
“I’ll take good care of this little one.”
“I know you will. You’ll make a good dad — errrmmm…” She looked up cautiously at him.
Gohan
laughed. “Yeah, dad. I can’t even imagine using the other term.”
Videl flashed him a grin.
Gohan grinned back, mentally making the same promise to Trunks. He
would take care of
their little one.