Jaded

Disclaimer: I don’t own DB/Z/GT or any of the characters found in this fic. They are the property of TOEI ANIMATION in Japan and FUNimation in the U.S.A. I am not making any profit from this.


Rating –NC 17
Warnings – For the whole story: Language, whips, chains, knife play, character death (of a main character), torture, non-con, yaoi, M/M. OCs. Lemons, limes. OC/Goku, Goku/Vegeta, Goku/OCs, Kakarott/Vegeta, Vegeta/Goku.

A/N: THANK YOU PIXELGODDESS! For continuing to beta for me!

Jaded 5 - Rest Stop
2 years, 8months A.P.


“Hey, Gohan, can I sleep over at Capsule Corp. tonight?”

Gohan sighed as he raised his eyes from the anatomy textbook he was studying, “You know Mom doesn’t want you going over there. She almost yanked you back home the last time I let you stay. Why don’t you have Trunks come over here instead? She hasn’t complained about that, yet.”

“Okay. I just thought you’d like to have a night to yourself…or something,” Goten tried to hide the devious smile that crept across his face.

“For a kid all the age of 12 you really have too much interest in my ‘or something’ life, Goten,” Gohan said as he closed the book, giving up on the reading for at least a couple of moments.

“Hey, I thought that was what younger siblings were supposed to do? If I can’t tease you about your current girl friend, since you don’t have one, I have to make sure you get one!” Goten grinned at his logic.

Gohan couldn’t help but chuckle, “You are a brat!”

“I do have a reputation to uphold,” Goten stated with an air of seriousness.

“Get Trunks over here. You have too much energy,” Gohan said as he playfully threw a pillow at his younger brother.

Goten’s eyes sparkled. It seemed Gohan was finally coming out of the funk he had been in for the last year after dumping Videl. Goten was silently relieved about the break-up. Not that Videl hadn’t been a great gal…she had just been too much like their mom. It was sort of creepy.

He picked up the phone and hit speed dial for Capsule Corporation. “Hello?” a feminine voice came over the line.

“Hi Aunt Bulma. Can Trunks come over?” Goten asked as he stared out the window.

“He’s just finished training with Vegeta,” Bulma informed the youngest Son, “Hold on while I get him for you.”

Goten nodded, even though the gesture was wasted. He peered out the window while he waited. Moments later, Trunks was on the line, “Hi Goten. Mom said you wanted me to come over?”

“Yeah…and spend the night if you can,” Goten suggested.

“I don’t see a problem. Dad’s started training Bra,” Goten’s eyes widened a bit at this: his best friend’s sister was all of what? Three? “And my homework for Monday is done…Mom!” Goten pulled his ear away from the phone belatedly. He heard Trunks asking his mother if he could spend the night, “Yeah, Mom’s okay with it,” Goten could hear the smile in Trunks’ voice.

“I’ll see you soon then!” Goten couldn’t help the excitement that crept into his reply. With the two of them going to different public schools year-round and Trunks training, it felt like they hardly ever saw each other.

Gohan looked up from his book as his brother set the receiver down. He smiled faintly, “You might as well go and meet him half way; you are already twitching.”

Goten gave an embarrassed chuckle, but was out the door in seconds. He flipped once in the air and shouted before settling into a more serious flight pattern. The last time he had gone over to Capsule Corporation, the fields were still green. Now they waved amber heads of heavy grain. Another week and they would be cut down. He loved watching dust devils blow through the area after the fields were tilled under.

~o0o~

Trunks had almost made it out the door when he heard his grandmother, “Sweetie, why don’t you take these over to those wonderful boys?”

He turned to see she was holding out a couple of capsule cases full of foodstuffs, “You know Gohan doesn’t like accepting any more charity than he has to,” he told her, taking the capsules regardless.

Bunnie smiled conspiratorially, “Hide them in their fridge or something then, when they aren’t looking,” she suggested.

Trunks smiled back, “Sure Grandma,” he said mischievously. He let her give him a brief kiss on the forehead before he was out the door. He grinned as he felt Goten coming towards him.

He didn’t slow as they came closer together. Instead, he let Goten shoot past him, “Race you back!” he shouted over his shoulder.

“NO FAIR!” Trunks heard the younger shout. He didn’t put on a burst of speed, but didn’t make it easy for the younger to catch up to him either. They were within sight of the little house Gohan had bought before he was tackled to the ground from behind.

The two demis went ass over teakettle in the field surrounding the house, both ending up on their backs and laughing. “Attacking from behind? What would my father say?”

“Your father would say that you should have been prepared for anything, and probably patted my head for taking you down so expertly,” Goten taunted.

“I don’t know about the patting you on the head part, but he would certainly say that,” Trunks agreed while catching his breath.

Goten smiled as he stood and offered his hand to his friend, which was taken gladly. They both dusted themselves off as they walked towards the house. “What did you want to do tonight?” Trunks asked him.

Goten closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath through his nose, “Something outdoors…fishing?” he asked as he twisted the knob on the front door before stepping in.

Trunks smiled, “Sounds okay to me,” he agreed. He edged his way to the fridge, while Goten went into the front room to talk to Gohan. He wasn’t missed as he slipped the capsule cases into the appliance, and then caught the tail end of the conversation the brothers were having.

“If you decide to stay out, just give the signal so I know you’re okay,” Gohan gave his brother ‘the look’.

“Okay…don’t waste all this free time by studying, Gohan! You need to get out or something,” Goten pressed his brother towards going out again.

Gohan chuckled and shook his head, “You don’t give up, do you?” he asked, but he did close his book.

“I have a LOT of teasing to catch up on,” Goten told him seriously.

“Go, fish, camp, whatever,” Gohan said as he stood and stretched.

Goten smirked at Trunks before heading back out and to a little shed at the side of the house. Trunks heard a couple of crashes before his younger friend returned triumphantly with two fishing poles in hand. “Come on,” Goten said as he handed the second pole to Trunks.

“What about bait?” Trunks asked as they took off through the tall grass.

Goten held up a capsule, “All sorts of bait and tackle gear in here,” he said over his shoulder.

They followed the large stream bordering Gohan’s property north and beyond the property line for quite a ways before they could both decide on a place. “If we don’t catch anything, then at least this spot is deep enough to swim in,” Goten pointed out.

“Okay,” Trunks was persuaded easily by the argument. The pool at home was nice, but a fresh stream with no chlorine in it was a treat.

Goten popped the tackle capsule open, and they both set up their poles to their liking before settling down and casting in. After letting his line drift for a while, Goten laid his pole on the ground long enough to bare his feet. He rolled his pant’s legs up and settled back down with his feet dangling in the water. He smirked and pointed, “Well, there are fish in here, even if they aren’t big enough to be keepers,” before he reached back to pick his pole up.

Trunks finished reeling his line back in before coming over to see what his friend was talking about. He laughed and shook his head at the tiny minnows that thought Goten’s feet might make a good meal, “I don’t know what you are talking about. I’d say it would only take 1000 of them to make a meal.”

Goten snorted, “After you cooked them, there’d be nothin’ left!” he wiggled his toes, and the skittish ones swam off before coming back.

“Who said anything about cooking ‘em?” Trunks asked as he sat down and started pulling off his own shoes and socks.

“Oh, yeah, swallow them whole and have them swim around in your stomach,” both Goten and Trunks laughed even as they shuddered at the thought.

Trunks cast in just as Goten got a nibble on his line instead of his toes. The younger waited for a second strike before jerking his hook back. He smiled triumphantly to his older friend as he reeled in, changing to a pout when the fish was finally brought to shore. Goten held up his five-inch adversary and Trunks shook his head sadly before Goten went about unhooking the fish to put it back in the stream.

He re-baited his hook and cast in. After that momentary excitement, both boys settled in watching the tiny fish nibble at their toes while waiting for vibrations in their poles to tell them of another possible meal. Trunks giggled, “They are swimming against the bottom of my feet.”

Goten smiled back, “Yeah.” A little while later, “You remember when we would run up and down the stream at Mt. Pazo, catching bullfrog tadpoles?”

Trunks nodded, “You remember how your mom reprimanded us for getting our clothes that muddy?”

“Yeah, we should have swum with our clothes on before showing her the tadpoles,” Goten nodded as he remembered.

“Oh, come on! We were both too excited about them to even think about our clothes,” Trunks elbowed his friend in the arm.

“At least Gohan was interested in them, even if he did convince us that it would be better for us to put them back, rather than trying to keep them alive in an aquarium,” Goten smiled as he remembered his older brother ooh-ing and ah-ing over their find.

Trunks nodded, and they both fell back into silence, their thoughts drifting privately. The sun crept slowly towards its resting place. Trunks got a strike, but missed his second chance, reeling his line in to discover the trickster on the other end had stolen his bait. He stood and went to the tackle, pulling the bait closer for the next time before sitting back down, baiting his hook and sending it back into the water.

Goten kicked at the water before pulling his feet out of it and tucking them under his legs, “Did we grow up too fast, Trunks?”

Trunks looked at his friend, wondering where that thought had come from, “What do you mean, ‘grow up’? I’m only 13, you’re only 12,” he pointed out.

“I know, but I watch the kids at school, and they all seem to have such…mundane concerns. Like, what clothes to wear; what kids are coolest,” Goten said.

“Instead of concerns like ‘should I be training for the next world threat’?” Trunks nodded as he thought about it, “Maybe, a little. But we have each other…”

“Yeah, there is some of that, but I meant…I think about things like…who is Gohan going to find to be with? Why did my mom kick my dad out? Where the fuck is my dad?” Goten hadn’t meant to let that last part slip.

Even Trunks felt his shoulders slouching at the thought of his friend’s dad, “I don’t know, Goten,” he said quietly.

Goten sighed and reeled his line in, “Why the fuck do I even care? Sometimes, I wish I could just not care. He wasn’t there for the first seven years of my life…why can’t I have adjusted to the last three without him?”

Trunks switched his pole to his other hand before reaching his arm out and hugged the younger to his side, “I know.”

Goten thought about pulling away, but sometimes…this was the only affection he ever got. He leaned into Trunks’ side, and rested his head on the slightly taller boy’s shoulder, “Let’s sleep out here tonight.”

Trunks nodded before releasing his friend, “Okay,” he said, even though it was too early for him to be sleepy, as he began to reel in his line. They encapsulated the tackle and walked away from the shore, looking for some of the thicker grass to flatten to the ground. Goten lay down, Trunks following right after. The older boy took his jacket and laid it over the both of them, having to lay right up against Goten in order for it to fit, “You know that we are getting too old to be doing this?” he asked his friend.

“Yeah…” Goten said. Then he laughed, “All of those potential ‘mates’ out there are not going to be real keen on me having my best friend stay the night when I am upset,” he said as he stared at the grass in front of his face, the details slowly fading with the light the sun provided.

Trunks laughed softly, “Yeah. That would be one special girl, to understand that sort of behavior.”

“Why do we even need mates?” Goten asked. He knew the answer, but…

“You know that’s what my dad expects of me,” Trunks reminded his friend.

“Yeah,” was Goten’s only response. He closed his eyes and relaxed.

Trunks pillowed his arm under his head before closing his eyes also, “Did you signal your brother?” he asked. He knew the other hadn’t, but wanted to remind him to do so.

“Oh…” Goten sent out a ki signal. Moments later he received one back, “Done.”

The both settled down. Trunks listened while Goten’s breathing changed. He fell asleep shortly after.


~o0o~


“Daddy,” his daughter’s voice gently penetrated his mediation. Vegeta grunted, letting her know she had his attention, “I felt Goten’s ki spike.”

The prince opened his eyes, “Very good,” he said before closing them again.

“Daddy,” Bra was hesitant to interrupt again…especially when she was supposed to be focusing also.

“Yes?” Vegeta asked without opening his eyes.

“He didn’t feel okay,” Bra informed her father.

“Feel?” Vegeta asked while stretching his neck.

“He was upset,” Bra stated plainly.

Vegeta opened his eyes to give his daughter a curious glance. She was showing some rather…interesting abilities, “So?”

“He’s with Trunks,” she was certain they were okay…but…, “Can we go check on them?”

Vegeta sighed; “When we come back, you will meditate?” he didn’t like to barter with his children. He was supposed to be in charge, but he was learning there were times for certain things, and apparently, checking on her brother was one of those things at this moment.

Bra smiled her most winning smile, “Yes, Daddy.”

Vegeta stood and his tail unwound from his waist long enough to stretch it out, before twining back around his middle, “Do you want to fly?”

“Can we use the carrier?” Bra asked. Flying was tiring. She ran to her locker at her dad’s nod. She pulled out a capsule case, picked out the purple one and carefully clicked the button before tossing it to the floor.

Vegeta picked the carrier up and hooked it over his shoulders before kneeling so his daughter could climb in. Bra settled her head against the back of her father’s neck. She smiled as they took off. He flew a lot faster than she did, and it was exciting.

Vegeta shifted his shoulders a bit to adjust the carrier. He still wasn’t used to the device, but it was better than trying to fly while being choked. His daughter’s presence was a bundle of heat on his back. Not uncomfortable…just, unfamiliar.

It was almost dark when they made it to the clearing the boys were in. Vegeta landed and waded through the tall grass, almost tripping on the sleeping pair. “See, they are okay,” he whispered to his daughter. He felt her nod before retracing his path.

“They’ll be safe too,” Bra assured him, even though it had not been a concern.

“What do you mean?” he asked before he took off.

“He is here,” Bra mumbled sleepily.

“He?”

“Goten’s dad,” she replied to her father’s inquiry.

“I don’t feel his ki…” Vegeta started.

“I can smell him,” Bra snuggled closer to her father’s back. The scent was familiar to her, even if she had only met the man once. Her father often came home smelling of Goten’s dad.

Vegeta sniffed the air experimentally, finally noticing what his daughter had, “You have a better nose than your brother.”

“Hn,” she imitated her dad.

Vegeta thought about letting Kakarott know they knew he was here…but decided against it as he heard his daughter yawn. He hadn’t realized they had meditated for as long as they had, “Time to get you into bed,” he spoke over his shoulder as he took to the air, “Or your mother will have my ears ringing into next week.”


~o0o~


Goku smiled as he watched Vegeta and his daughter leave. Apparently Vegeta was spending more time with his children than he had originally thought.

He settled his back against the trunk, crossing his arms over his chest as he looked back down to the peaceful pair lying in the grass.

He was certain Chichi would throw a fit if she saw this; picking apart the boys’ friendship as something perverse, trying to find a way to blame him.

The boys were who they were. Hopefully they would never lose sight of what that was.


~o0o~