Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Just a Kiss ❯ Say Yes ( Chapter 9 )

Just a Kiss
By: Sarah Slutz

 

Chapter 9: Say Yes

 

Thank you Satu-D-2 and Raditz Silver for beta reading!

 

Translations for Japanese words in italics used in this chapter at the end…

 

A couple of days after Goten had practically kidnapped Bra from Lucy's wedding, Bra still felt awful. Not because of the roughness in which he had treated her when he dragged her away for their “little chat”. It did annoy her, but she had to admit she hadn't really given him any other choice besides forgetting about the whole thing. And that was something he seemed disinclined to do. In any case, they were half-Saiya-jin, and so they both had a dark side and it seemed she made Goten's surface.

 

No, she felt awful because she was a coward.

 

She had run away because she was scared. She was terrified of what she was feeling, scared of what he seemed to be feeling too. Those emotions were such a big tangle that it was hard to pick them apart. She could recognize infatuation, lust, confusion, and fondness. Especially lust, it was present ever since they had kissed almost three weeks ago.

 

Bra hadn't even discussed what had happened with any of her friends. When Trunks had asked her what had happened, she delivered the same lame drunk slash ate something bad story Goten had given. Trunks had seemed dubious, but hadn't said anything further.

 

Trunks wouldn't butt in where he wasn't wanted. Sure, he wouldn't like it and he would probably talk to Goten about it, but never with her. He had learned the lesson years ago when he had tried to act the dad, and had attempted to interrogate her first boyfriend -since her dad couldn't care less about her social life. Although, who knew how would he react if he knew `Kakarot's' son was sniffing after her? She had gotten so furious with Trunks for bothering her boyfriend that he'd never done it again. They had actually ended up using their ki against each other, incinerating their mother's garden in the process. There were no words to describe how pissed Bulma had been that day. After that incident, her brother would frown at the guys he disapproved of -pretty much all of them- but he wouldn't go any further.

 

It did bother her, though, the fact that Trunks and Goten's friendship could be in jeopardy because of her.

 

Feeling lost and miserable, Bra starred blankly at the desk in front of her. She knew she would have to borrow someone's notes for that day's class. In fact, she knew she would have to borrow a lot of notes. She could hardly concentrate on anything at all. She missed Goten so much it was painful.

 

It was peculiar too. She had never been that close to Goten. Sure, he spent MASSIVE amounts of time at Capsule Corporation and he and Trunks were annoyingly inseparable. They were so chummy she was sure that if Trunks wasn't always dating some hot bimbo -same as Goten, really-, the tabloids would have invented some story about how gay they were a long time ago.

 

Despite this, she and Goten had never really talked one on one much. Someone else was always present. Even though she had known him her whole life, she really didn't know him that well.

 

She did know he was very carefree. He almost never lost his temper, and he had a penchant for laughing in inappropriate moments and would do it loudly too. Many would call him immature, but who was she to judge him? Everyone assumed she was immature and worse, flighty and a slut. Goten did seem like a big child at times but then showed such wisdom at random moments that it was disconcerting. He also lacked in pretension. He could have gone to college but he had preferred to start working right after he graduated from high school.

 

He was very devoted to his mother, who raised him only with the aid of Gohan until he was almost eight. Goku could be the strongest being in the universe, but it seemed that circumstances and his own personality were always conspiring against his time with his family. First he stayed dead almost eight years and then he came back to life and lived with them for ten years. After that, he was always off for some reason. First it was Uub then there was always some other planet that needed his help. He showed up once in a while, but he spent most of the time away from home, going off and training even more than Vegita had done back when he hadn't been able to deal with having a mate and son.

 

Gohan was married and had left home but Goten had stayed longer. It wasn't until a few years ago that he had finally gotten his own place. Perhaps he lacked in ambition, but he seemed happy and grounded despite everything he had gone through in his childhood. That, she thought, was what was lacking in most ambitious people, herself included.

 

Also, as long as she could remember he had been a “chick magnet” like Trunks would so fondly put it. It was a combination of his dark dashing good looks, carefree personality, great sense of humor and smooth, yet not slimy pickup lines. He'd always had a fan club almost as large as Trunks', even though her brother was even wealthier than her.

 

Goten was also extremely loyal, incredibly strong, -he'd been the youngest Super Saiya-jin in history- could be extremely stubborn and was surprisingly neat and orderly. He also had a great sense of fashion and always looked great not matter what he was wearing.

 

Still, all of those facts she knew about him didn't even begin to describe who Goten was. And they shouldn't be enough for her to miss him the way she did. Everything reminded her of him. Yesterday, she'd caught herself staring at Trunks as he shoveled food down his throat, just like Goten -and every other Saiya-jin, for that matter. Trunks had been annoyed and had told her to stop staring at him.

 

I have to get over him, she thought, frustrated. He is too old, too close to my family. He comes from a different world in so many ways… and I can't control my feelings for him. I can't keep them inside as I usually do. Sure, I've wanted him for years, but this is different. This is too much. I never thought or expected he would also feel attracted to me. I dreamed about it, but always knew it was impossible.

 

She supposed that she'd been mourning the fact that Goten would never be hers for so long that she didn't know how to handle a situation in which they could be together.

 

She had gotten over so many guys after she realized they didn't really complete her. Most of them thought she was heartless, but that was far from the truth. It really hurt her every time she thought she had found someone special, and then realized he wasn't the one. Breaking up was awful, and it wasn't her fault she had had to do it so many times.

 

I can also get over Goten… Right?

 

Confused beyond endurance, she buried her head in her hands, and her classmates stared at her, a mixture of worry and amusement in their faces.

 

Bra, oblivious to this and to the sharp voice of her teacher asking her what planet she had traveled to today, could only think about how miserable and lonely she felt despite the fact she was always surrounded by family and friends.

 

----------------------------------------------------------------- ------

 

At the other side of town, Goten glumly contemplated what a mess he had made of things. If only he'd been more patient and played her game longer. It seemed she was genuinely confused and distraught, and he'd assumed she had been playing and had pushed her way too hard.

 

All he could do now, he contemplated glumly, was wait for her to take the next step. What he feared was that the step would take her far away from him.

 

What he couldn't understand was why he had acted so out of character. He had never forced anything on a woman before, not even his presence, company or attentions. But he had completely forced Bra to talk to him, had tossed her over his shoulder and kidnapped away from her brother's girlfriend's sister wedding! He was out of his mind! Sure, she was being extremely stubborn, but that was no reason to justify his actions. Now he was knee deep in dog poo after having shoved too hard.

 

What if she decided to reveal to Trunks what had happened? He could deny it until doomsday, but if it came down to believing one of them, who knows who Trunks would believe? His best friend or his sister? It would be a though choice. Besides, it wouldn't feel right to continue deceiving his best friend in such a situation.

 

He seriously doubted she would do that, though. She wasn't the kind to involve her family too much in her personal affairs. She did tell her mom almost everything, but Bulma didn't get her involved in her problems. Bra always tried to deal with them by herself. And her dad, that was a complete different story. The man was terrifying, to say the least. Still, even if there weren't any tangible consequences for his actions, Bra would never talk to him again, and that was consequence enough.

 

Just contemplating the fact he could suffer the loss of her friendship, even as casual as it had always seemed to be, tore at him painfully. He had always known she had a crush on him and had taken it for granted. It had both flattered and disturbed him. Ever since she had turned fifteen she had started sending him smoldering glances when she thought he wasn't watching. Sure, she usually had a boyfriend around, drooling over her, and depending on how much she liked her current interest, the intensity of the stares would diminish, but never completely disappear. It was something perhaps not even she had been aware of.

 

He'd never given her any indication he was aware she had a crush on him. He found it sweet, innocent and didn't want to embarrass her. Besides, it looked like she understood the obstacles and had never crossed the line. She'd never openly flirted with him, until that night at the club. To be honest with himself, he had most likely been the one to initiate it.

 

Goten sighed in frustration. Who would have thought there would be penalties to a mere kiss? It hadn't been just a kiss, though. It had been a lot more than that. He'd felt a connection he'd never experienced before which such an intensity and speed. It was as if it had always been there, and all it had taken was for him to touch her and for her to respond for the link to be created. She beckoned to him, and a little voice in his head kept whispering to him not to wait, not accept no for an answer, to conquer, posses, take, plunder.

 

Shaking his head, Goten attempted to clear these dangerous thoughts. It had been an extremely long and stressful day. The gym had been busy as hell and way too packed. He had trained tirelessly for hours after getting off work to ensure he would fall asleep as soon as he hit the pillow that night. First, he had trained by himself, and then with his brother. Usually it was quite a chore to get Gohan to spar with him, but today he hadn't even said a word when Goten showed up at his house, sweaty and already slightly weary. His older brother sensed he needed some type of release and had simply walked out with him and had taken off to their usual spot.

 

Goten vented his frustrations on his stronger and older sibling, unleashing most of his ki power. The ground shook and sparks flew everywhere as they locked hands during their match.

 

As he was avoiding punches, a foreign thought entered Goten's mind quite suddenly and a bit painfully. It was one of extreme hilarity, the kind that makes you roll on the floor with tears in your eyes for hours on end. He gasped at the strange emotion. Gohan drove his fist into his stomach as he was momentarily distracted from the strange occurrence.

 

After that, Goten kept striving for the mindlessness of a good sparring section and when they were finished, both were tired sweaty and aching, and the bizarre incident had been filed away in a little corner designated for the inexplicable and wacky.

 

“You really gave me quite a workout today, little brat,” commented Gohan, intentionally teasing him with the childhood nickname.

 

“You gave me an even better one, nerdy pants,” panted Goten in reply.

 

They grinned at each other, faces bruised and bloody. Goten decided not to discuss his dilemma with his brother quite yet. Gohan was perceptive enough that he probably knew something was eating at him but didn't pry. Instead, Gohan invited Goten over to eat dinner, boasting about how Videl's cooking was getting good as their mother's. It was what he always said about his wife's cooking and Goten secretly disagreed with his statement, for their mother's cooking could never be equaled in excellence, even though Videl's cooking was very good.

 

Gohan informed him that Pan wasn't home. She had left with Bra to watch a comedy and a foreign movie in the theater. The comedy was reputed to be very funny and the foreign one had won all sorts of awards, Videl told him. Goten was relieved that he wouldn't have to endure the torture of facing Pan, who knew what was going on and who knew the reason for his unhappiness.

 

After an evening spent with his brother and his sister in law, he went back to his small house with a full stomach and higher spirits. Unfortunately, coming to a lonely house and lying alone in his bed depressed him yet again. At least he was sleepy enough and succumbed to the sweet oblivion of slumber quickly enough.

 

That night he dreamed of a Spanish movie he'd never watched because he didn't know Spanish. Even if he had known the language, he wouldn't have enjoyed it.

 

----------------------------------------------------------------- ------

 

Bra normally loved Saturday mornings. Saturday morning was usually a time for pampering herself. However, that morning she didn't feel too great. She had woken up slightly sore for no reason, like she had worked out endlessly the day before. Determined to begin her day as usual, she started it by swimming even though it was fifty degrees outside. The pool was heated, and one of the great things of being Saiya-jin was that her skin seemed to be more insulated against extreme weather. Bra donned an electric blue string bikini and swore as she was fastening the strap.

 

He was in the house. How she knew right away, she couldn't tell. Normally ki detection wasn't one of her strong points, especially if she wasn't deliberately seeking someone. But she felt Goten's presence like thunder in her head. She could sense him on the pool deck. He'd flown in and made himself at home. Ugh! Why wasn't the pool covered? Why wasn't Trunks home to distract him? Dammit! He knew she always swam Saturday mornings. How many times had he given Pan a ride to C.C. a Saturday morning just like this?

 

Gritting her teeth, she decided she wouldn't hide in her own home. She'd treat him as he deserved after his actions a week ago. Not only that, but he hadn't even apologized or tried to talk to her after they had almost done it on his couch! Thankfully she had reacted before things had gone too far. Why hadn't he gone after her when she left? Honestly, at this point, she really didn't even know what she was mad about.

 

Had it really been a whole week? Yes, it had been, and a hellish one at that. She'd done nothing but think about Goten. Goten, Goten, Goten. Her mind was a garden where only his blossoms grew.

 

Bra stomped out of her room and walked to the pool, scene of a previous encounter with her crush. Determinedly, she squashed those passion-drenched memories before they could surface and torment her.

 

As soon as she saw him reclining on one of her lounge chairs, casually dressed in jeans and a red muscle shirt, her heart began hammering for no apparent reason. No, scratch that, she reflected. My heart is hammering because I want him so damned much I would jump him right there where he is sitting right now if I had a tiny bit less of self-control.

 

But mixed with the sudden lust was unease and remorse. All of a sudden, she felt the urge to run away because of the deep guilt she felt. She wanted - no needed - to leave.

 

Shaking her head, Bra cleared her thoughts, but her annoyance did not return, obliterated by other, stronger emotions. Breathing deeply, she asked him, “How are you doing?”

 

She hadn't even planned on talking to him, but the unexplainable remorse egged her on.

 

“Fine.”

 

“That's great,” Bra replied, feeling confused. Being so close to him was blurring her thoughts, and she could no longer reason coherently.

 

“I want to apologize,” Goten started genuinely. “I am truly sorry about what happened last week… and the week before that. You have every right to be angry at me. The way I've acted, especially last Saturday… it was inexcusable.”

 

“Inexcusable it was,” Bra agreed. Neither of them realized that wasn't a word he normally used. Bra had the larger “prissy” vocabulary, or at least that's what she was often told. Her temper cooled down, and she was suddenly anxious to make peace.

 

“I want to talk. Really talk. Let's go out to dinner tonight to a nice place with flowers, champagne, a snooty waiter. I want to really apologize to you, and talk, in a more neutral environment than here or my place. What about Giorgo's?” He offered with his Son smile.

 

Bra smiled in spite of herself. It was like he was reading her mind. She adored Giorgo's.

 

“That's a lot of talking you just did in that sentence,” she teased him. Goten blushed becomingly and all of a sudden Bra decided she had to be the stupidest woman alive.

 

He was here, asking her out on a date. After years of wanting him, it was he who wanted her. He'd been the one to approach her after their first kiss. He could have very well pretended along with her that it had never happened but he'd been too honest to do it. He'd then kept insisting with her, persistently pursuing her ever since.

 

Could it be? Could it be that her dreams were coming true? It was the fifth or sixth time HE had come to HER.

 

Why was she fighting it? Was she a TOTAL idiot and a coward to compound it?

 

So what if he probably just wanted her body? She'd give it to him gladly and perhaps make him fall in love with her in the process.

 

He was peering at her sheepishly, awaiting her answer. Goten, the man she'd always fantasized about was here, practically begging her to give them a chance.

 

There was only one answer she could give him.

 

“Hai. ”

 

Goten beamed at her, looking happily satisfied and relieved all at once and Bra smiled back.

 

“I'll leave you to get ready and primp,” he teased her. “I'll pick you up at eight.”

 

Bra could have protested at the short-notice invitation, but she was dying to set things right. “We could always take my brother's limo.”

 

Goten could have taken offense and have thought Bra didn't want to arrive to a fancy restaurant in his less than luxurious car. He seemed not to mind, though, perhaps he knew she didn't mean it that way. She wanted a big limo all to themselves

 

“Sure,” he agreed. “Let's go in style.”

 

“Okay.”

 

“Yup.”

 

It was so quick that a peeping Tom hanging from the gate wouldn't have been able to follow the action. One second they were a foot apart, staring at each other silently. The next, they were clinging to each other. Kissing and devouring like their lives depended on it, plastered together from head to toe, striving to get even closer.

 

“I've missed you so incredibly much,” Goten whispered in her ear as he nibbled on her earlobe.

 

“I've missed you too,” Bra whispered back.

 

“Why can't I stop thinking about you?”

 

“I don't know,”

 

In a moan rife with need they continued kissing deeply, holding on to each other. They were seeped in heat, and it was scorching every inch of their skin, making their blood simmer. They were intoxicated on each other's moans, fueling the spiraling sensations that were quickly reaching a dangerous crescendo.

 

“I… I better leave before someone catches us,” Goten panted.

 

“Okay,” Bra managed to say, her own breathing labored.

 

Goten took off, acting like he was about snap and grab her like some sort of caveman. This gave Bra an exciting glimpse of the lust and passion he kept mostly leashed behind that seemingly casual facade he wore.

 

Bra smiled to herself, thinking how pissed everyone would be if they found out how many times they had flown around when they weren't supposed to.

 

She also had an extremely tempting fantasy of ripping her own bikini off. Giggling, she shook her head, deciding she had read too many spicy romance novels lately.

 

Distracting her from her thoughts walked in her mother, wearing a tiny white bikini. She could only hope and pray she would look as good when she reached middle age. She knew it took a lot of work and money to look like that, but the results were certainly worth it. Bulma looked forty at most.

 

“How did you sleep last night, honey? Better than the night before?”

 

“Not really Mom, but don't worry, I'm just stressed out.”

 

Bulma's eyebrows rose at that and she knew why. She always dealt with stress beautifully. So well that most people thought she was simply empty-headed, which was very far from the truth.

 

Her mother was examining her expression intently and Bra just looked back at her, trying to hide her thoughts. Could her mom find out what had just happened by just looking at her?

 

Suddenly, her kaa-san grinned and said, “It's been what… a month since I've seen you with a young man,” Bra's well-meaning mother hinted.

 

Bra's eyes tinkled in spite of herself as she giggled. Her mom was closer to the root of the problem than she knew. The reason why she hadn't been able to sleep lately was guy-related.

 

At that moment, Bra was tempted to tell her mother everything that had happened during the past two weeks. Something held her back though... perhaps the fact that it was still too new and she wanted to keep it all to herself for a little bit.

 

“Do you know where my little black dress is? I need it for tonight,” she finally asked her kaa-san, grinning.

 

Bulma laughed heartily, seated on a lounge chair, spreading sun block on her fair skin. “Honey, why do you ask me? Ask one of the cleaning robots.”

 

Bra chuckled at that and mother and daughter sat comfortably as they began to chat amicably.

 

To be continued…

 

 

Japanese words used in this chapter:

hai: yes
kaa-san: mother

 

 

Author's notes: I am BEGGING you on bent knees to please review. There is no pride here, just the desire to hear what you have to say about my fic…