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The mailbox creaks as Goten cautiously opens it for the 45th day in a row. Goten’s eyes are shut tight as he feels the inside of the metal box.
There’s a single envelope inside. Goten’s eyes snap open when he touches it. It’s clean, white, and addressed to Son Goten. The return address reads: Satan City University. He gasps audibly, holding the letter in his hands like he would a rare treasure.
“IT’S HERE! IT’S HERE! IT’S HERE!” Goten shouts, jumping around excitedly.
“IT’S HERE?!” Chi-chi flings open the door to see her youngest son waving the envelope in the air and grinning. “Open it, Goten! Quickly!”
She rushes over to her son, reaching out to snatch the envelope from his hands. Goten evades her every attempt, dodging easily with that big stupid grin on his face. In all fairness to Chi-chi he was much taller than his mother now, making it virtually impossible for Chi-Chi to snag the envelope.
“Not yet! I made a promise,” Goten states proudly. “I’ll be back soon Mom!”
Before Chi-chi could protest, Goten was 30 feet in the air flying away from her.
“GOTEN GET BACK HERE RIGHT NOW WE HAVE BEEN WAITING…” her voice fades away as Goten puts more and more distance between himself and his raging mother.
He doesn’t mind being yelled at. It was nothing he wasn’t used to. After all, he’s gotta get to Capsule Corp right now !
------
“Trunks! Did you get your mail?!” Goten screeches at an inhumane volume immediately upon landing in his best friend’s front yard.
Trunks pops his head out of a window on one of the upper levels of the dome shaped house.
“The mail? Why-” Trunks’ eyes widen when he sees the letter in Goten’s hand and he realizes what he’s holding. “Oh SHIT!”
“Trunks! Language!” Bulma shouts from further inside the house, hardly audible to Goten, but Trunks rolls his eyes.
Opening the window fully, Trunks flies down to meet Goten on the grass. Goten is shifting his weight in anticipation and hasn’t stopped smiling since he arrived. His pure optimism brings a smile to Trunks’ face too.
The pair bound over to The Capsule Corp mailbox. It’s nearly filled with mail, but Trunks quickly pulls it all out and throws it on the ground. Trunks and Goten sit down and start sorting through the mail with fury, carelessly throwing aside anything that wasn't addressed to Trunks.
“I can’t find it!” Goten squeaks.
“Yeah me either!” Trunks replies with a groan. “Wait, is this…”
Uh oh. Trunks’s heart sinks to his stomach. My letter doesn’t look anything like Goten’s.
He was holding a large legal envelope that had “CONGRATULATIONS!” stamped in red ink on the front. It quickly dawns on him that today was not going to be as fun or exciting as the pair had dreamed it would be.
“What? Did you find it?” Goten asks, practically bouncing up and down.
Shoving the envelope behind his back, Trunks’ mind races as he considers different ways to diffuse the situation.
“Maybe mine got lost in the mail? You should probably just go home and open yours with your Mom. You don’t have to wait for mine to come!”
Goten’s face falls slightly. He was still smiling, but Trunks could tell he hurt his feelings. He knows Goten inside and out.
“But Trunks, we promised!” Goten urges. “We have to open them together so that we can put in our roommate requests right away. We might not get to live together if we’re too slow. That’s what you said! And you said your mom would throw a party too! It’s gotta be in there somewhere...” Goten redirects his attention to the mail.
Trunks sighs heavily. This sucks. Listening to Goten speak, he feels the genuine enthusiasm radiating off of him. He couldn’t even say that the boy sounded hopeful because it was clear that he had no doubt at all. Goten was absolutely positive that he was holding an acceptance letter in his hands.
When Goten started preschool, Bulma held Trunks back a grade to be with him, but not of her own volition. The little boys had begged her everyday for weeks. Their incessant whining eventually became too much for Vegeta who insisted that Bulma make it stop. So she did. With Goku absent from Goten’s life at the time, Bulma thought it might be nice for him to have someone at school who understood him anyway. She had a soft spot for her childhood friend’s son. He was nearly identical to Goku as a child. As far as Trunks’ education was concerned, Bulma just figured it was one more year of federally subsidized lessons. Not that money was an issue. Bulma had even offered to pay Goten’s college tuition years later. All Goten had to do was get in .
The pair spent every moment together as they grew up. They took every class that they could together, despite the large disparity in their academic success. Trunks excelled at most subjects, whereas Goten struggled to grasp every class, except gym. It didn’t seem to bother Goten though. He was just happy to have Trunks by his side.
When they started applying for colleges, Trunks was worried that something like this might happen. But Goten was… so sure. His eagerness and passion made Trunks feel like everything would work out exactly like they wanted it to. Surely the Satan City University admissions board would be able to see the same wonderful qualities that Trunks saw… right?
To the older boy’s great disappointment, he was clearly wrong .
Now that Trunks thinks about it, there was no way Goten would have been accepted. He was barely on track to graduate high school. Even now, a few months after Goten’s 18th birthday, the way he behaves is childish. His voice may be deep, but his vocabulary is still simplistic for his age. Despite all of this, the half-saiyan seems to float through life, oblivious to any negativity.
He probably wrote his essay in crayon. Trunks winces at the harsh thought. He didn’t mean that. Mostly.
“Hello? Goten to Trunks! Are you there?” Goten grips Trunks’ shoulders and shakes him into the present moment.
Trunks realizes that Goten has been talking for a while and he didn’t hear any of it.
“Listen… Goten… What if we don’t get in?”
“Then we could do whatever we want forever!”
It’s hard not to laugh at Goten’s naively positive disposition.
“Well sorta, I guess. I would have to go to my safety school.”
Goten’s eyes are blank as he stares at Trunks.
“What’s that? You want to be a crosswalk man?” Goten inquires after a short pause.
Yikes. This is exactly what Trunks was afraid of.
“You didn’t apply anywhere else?”
“No… where else is there?”
It seems that no one took the time to sit down and guide Goten through this process. Even Chi-chi must have lost faith in his academic abilities somewhere along the way. While that realization was heartbreaking, what hurt even more was the thought of Goten doing his application all on his own. He probably struggled with it for weeks, trying to get it just right, and it was all so that he could spend more time with his best friend. His earlier thought about the crayons sends deep shocks of guilt through his body. With a deep breath, Trunks pulls his envelope from behind his back and holds it out so Goten can see.
“Con-gra… Congratulations! Whoah, what did you win?!”
Trunks rolls his eyes in frustration. How much clearer could he possibly be? Was Goten going to make him say it out loud?
“Look at who it’s from Goten for fuck’s sake,” Trunks demands.
“Okay jeez! It’s from- oh it’s from… oh .” Goten looks at Trunks’ letter, then back at his own, the ever-present smile falling slowly off his face as things start to make sense.
That last ‘ oh ’ feels like a spear in Trunks’ gut.
“Mine is smaller than yours,” Goten observes plainly.
Trunks laughs out of pure nervousness, “Yeah.”
There’s a long stretch of silence as the cobweb covered gears turn in Goten’s brain. Trunks sits with him and lets him think it through for as long as he needs to.
“D-do you think I got in?”
Trunks screams internally. Fuck, Goten! Is it really not obvious yet?
“Maybe you should just open it,” Trunks suggests.
Goten runs his thumb along the edge of the letter. He’s practically frowning now. All at once, Goten jerks his head away, clenches his eyes shut, and shoves the letter in front of Trunks.
“You do it!”
“Me?! Goten I-”
“Just tell me what I gotta know. I don’t wanna read the whole thing.”
Trunks takes the letter from Goten with reluctance. Carefully, Trunks rips the top of the envelope and removes the letter. He scans over it briefly, confirming what he already knew.
Trunks clears his throat, “Y-you didn’t… you weren’t accepted.”
As Trunks looks up from the letter, he realizes that Goten had curled into a ball while he was reading.
“C’mon ‘Ten, it’ll be okay,” Trunks comforts, scooting close to his friend and gently dragging his hand over the curve of Goten’s spine. He throws his own acceptance letter to the side.
“What would you have even wanted to study in college?”
Without unfurling, Goten mumbles, “Whatever you picked.”
“Aw man, that’s not fair. You should do what you’re good at!”
“I’m good at nothin’.”
Trunks feels himself getting a little angry now. He wouldn’t tolerate anyone saying something like that about Goten, not even Goten himself.
“Hey you’re good at lots of stuff!”
Goten peeks out of his ball, looking at Trunks with his big, brown, watering eyes.
“Let’s go wrestle in the forest! You’re good at that!”
Goten groans dramatically, pressing his chin back into his chest.
“Let’s go , you big baby,” Trunks insists.
In one swift motion, Trunks lifts Goten in his arms and shoots up into the sky, flying fast towards the forest.
Bulma sticks her head out the window, curious about what the boys had been doing so urgently. Her eyes land on the mess of mail spread all over the lawn. Some pieces were blowing away in the wind.
“TRUNKS I’M TELLING YOUR FATHER,” Bulma screams into the sky. Trunks hears her just barely, but he doesn’t care.
-----
Trunks touches down on the forest floor, still holding Goten’s tall, lanky body. He’s not curled in a ball anymore, but he is laying against Trunks’ chest with his hands over his eyes. Not much of an improvement.
Looking around for something that might lift Goten’s spirits, he spots a tree branch that looks sturdy enough for them both to sit on. He flies them up and places Goten down gently. With a quick sigh, Trunks starts attempting to pry Goten’s hands away from his face.
“Oooooo, look Goten! Cool forest! Wow, look at all the plants and animals!” Trunks encourages, albeit condescendingly. It’s really not a very cool forest in his opinion and the only animal he sees is a squirrel, but he knows Goten likes nature.
Trunks can’t move Goten’s fingers at all. Goten might not look like it after his abrupt succession of growth spurts the past few years, but he’s still extremely strong. He was going to have to coax Goten out of his shell without force.
“You know… just because we aren’t going to college together doesn’t mean that we can’t spar on week-ends!” Trunks reminds him.
Goten finally lets his hands fall into his lap. Looking at his friend, dejected and teary-eyed, Trunks thinks that this is the most mature he’s ever looked.
“We were gonna live together. No parents. No rules.”
“Well some rules,” Trunks corrects, but Goten just keeps talking.
“I know I’m not as smart as you are… but I worked really hard on the application! I asked a teacher for help and everything! I-” Goten is interrupted by his own sob.
Trunks hates seeing Goten like this. He doesn’t think he’s ever seen Goten like this as a matter of fact. Trunks reaches his arms around Goten, wrapping him in a tight hug.
“I shouldn’t have even tried,” Goten concludes sternly.
“Hey, shut up! We’re saiyans, we don’t give up like that. Don’t be stupid,” Trunks argues, a bit more harshly than he meant to. He squeezes Goten tighter to assure that he’s trying to be supportive.
“You’ll forget about me,” Goten states as if he knows it to be true.
“Are you KIDDING?! I’d never ever in a million BILLION years forget about you ‘Ten! You mean everything to me!” Trunks proclaims, releasing their hug and forcing Goten to look at him by grabbing Goten’s shoulders instead.
Trunks replays his words in his head. Did I really just say that? Whatever. It’s true.
“Seriously, dude. As lame as it sounds, I don’t wanna be without you either,” Trunks elaborates.
Goten perks up, in his mood and in his posture. The pair share eye contact for an increasingly uncomfortable amount of time, each boy waiting for the other to speak. Trunks eventually lets go of Goten’s shoulders. Goten furrows his brow slightly at this, but then smiles softly at Trunks. Trunks smiles back, happy to see his friend feeling a little better.
In response, Goten reaches out and puts his hand on Trunks’ thigh. They both freeze. Trunks swallows, breaking eye contact for a few seconds to look at the hand. Physically, Trunks neither affirms or refuses the oddly intimate touch. Mentally, he’s freaking the fuck out. When he looks back up, Goten seems a little closer to him than he was before. Then, Trunks feels his own body instinctively lean towards his friend.
“What are we doing?” Trunks asks, breathless.
Goten answers by placing a quick peck on Trunks lips then pulling away completely, quickly clasping his own fingers together in his lap and looking away. The two teenage boys are red with embarrassment.
“You mean everything to me too, Trunks,” Goten admits.
“I- uh- I- What- uh well I-,” Trunks mumbles, struggling to form any coherent sentence or thought while Goten giggles.
It’s not like the idea had never crossed Trunks’ mind in the past. They get along so well and Goten isn’t exactly ugly. Actually, that’s way too modest. Goten is adorable . Long limbs wrapped in strong, lean muscles with the cutest eyes and that spiky head of hair… yeah. Trunks had definitely noticed Goten grow into his features as they got older. As a general rule, Trunks tried not to focus on romance, often opting for short flings with girls at school. They weren’t kids anymore though and the girls he had been with were always so boring. Maybe he should…
“C-can we k-kiss again?” Trunks stutters awkwardly.
His usual confidence felt like it shattered the moment Goten touched his leg. Trunks felt very… vulnerable. Too vulnerable. He can hear his father calling him weak in his head.
His insecurity quickly melts away when Goten replies, “Yeah!” and leans over to plant another kiss on Trunks’ slightly chapped lips.
This one lasts a little longer, but still only a couple of seconds. This time Trunks kisses him back.
“I think I like it,” Goten professes after he pulls away, not a hint of shame or nervousness in his voice.
Trunks just blushes even harder. He considers his response carefully.
“I think I like it too ‘Ten, but don’t tell-”
“HE LIKES IT!” Goten yells, throwing his arms up into the air in a burst of pure joy as his voice echoes off the mountains in the distance.
Trunks didn’t think it was possible for him to blush this hard, but he can’t be mad at Goten. It simply can’t be done.
“So… should we be like... boyfriends?” asks Goten.
If Trunks had been drinking water he would’ve spit it out.
“Don’t you think that’s a little fast?!” Trunks exclaims.
“Yeah, but if we’re boyfriends then you have to come visit me as much as you can while you’re at school! Duh.”
“I would come visit you anyway, you big dweeb.”
“But maybe not as much as you would visit your boyfriend . Plus, I don’t.... I don’t like it when I see you with girls. My mom told me that college has lots of those.”
Trunks wants to point out that every school they’d gone to before college also had lots of girls, but he holds his tongue.
“I need to think about it…” Trunks trails off.
Goten’s smile starts to fade, so Trunks quickly adds, “I’m not saying no ! Just not right this second!”
“Alright. Whatever you say, Trunks. I don’t wanna make you feel weird,” agrees Goten.
Trunks breathes a sigh of relief. Although he wouldn’t mind dating Goten, there are a lot of obstacles that come with being in a homosexual relationship. Trunks wonders if any of that had even crossed Goten’s mind, then decides it definitely hasn’t. Goten follows his heart above everything else. If Goten was going to follow his heart, then so would he. All Trunks’ heart wants right now is to hold the sweet boy in his arms.
“Do you wanna like... cuddle now?” Trunks asks.
Goten doesn’t reply, just scooches over and swings his legs over Trunks’ and rests his head on the older boy’s chest.
Trunks smiles as he pushes Goten’s hair out of his face, tangling his fingers in it and wrapping his other arm around Goten’s shoulders. Goten hums softly in delight.
“I don’t wanna let go,” Trunks whispers.
“Then don’t,” counters Goten, looking up at his best friend in the whole world with pure adoration.
There’s a silent moment before the corners of Goten’s mouth twitch upward. The boys erupt into laughter. The absurdity of what was happening had finally hit them. In the middle of a particularly violent snort, Goten smacks Trunks in the head with his arm by accident.
“Ow! Fuck you!” Trunks shouts.
Almost automatically, Trunks puts Goten in a headlock and punches him hard on the side of his head causing the pair to tumble off the tree branch they were sitting on.
The young saiyans hit the forest floor with a deep thud. Then, they erupt into laughter all over again. Trunks and Goten wrestle in the dirt until the sun goes down, giggling throughout. They don’t hold back and cause each other some minor injuries in the process, but none of it is malicious.
Breathing heavily and covered in dirt, the two bruised half-saiyans launch into the air to head home for the night. They fly leisurely for a while, tired from their wrestling match. Flying with Goten makes Trunks realize that he really doesn’t want to lose this. No one else can do this with him. If he punched anyone he met in college as hard as he hit Goten in the head a few hours ago, they would legitimately die. If the tables were turned and Trunks had been rejected from university, he probably would’ve cried at the thought of Goten leaving him too. Then, he has an idea and stops flying.
“Goten!”
Goten turns around, realizing that Trunks is no longer beside him.
“What’s up?” Goten shouts.
Trunks catches up
“I could live off campus. I bet my mom would buy us an apartment and then we could live together while I go to school. I mean- If you want that. Obviously.”
“That idea is so awesome, Trunks! We get to live together and I don’t even have to go to class!?”
“Theoretically, yeah.”
Trunks might miss out on the entire “earth college experience”, but he didn’t really want to live with some stupid human anyway. The idea of having to pretend that he didn’t possess incredible power all day every day just to keep a stranger comfortable made him want to throw up. He’s sure that his Dad would agree, which meant his Mom eventually would too. The boys had been best friends for so long that his parents wouldn’t even suspect anything romantic between them.
“Let’s go ask right now!” Goten shouts speeding ahead without waiting for Trunks.
That’s the moment that Trunks realizes he would do absolutely anything for Goten. Oddly enough, that thought doesn’t bother Trunks in the slightest. Trunks laughs to himself before surging ahead to catch up with the eventual love of his life.
Whatever you say, Goten. Whatever you say.