62Previously on Irony of Love:
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He withdrew from the tournament quickly, as desperate as humanly possible to get as far away from the arena as possible before Bulma, and her entourage appeared.
The sight of the spiky black hair as it entered the door, accompanied by a much shorter head of blue hair quickly reminded him that the possibility of that happening was about the same as a snowball's chance in hell.
He gave a full out growl, before casting another quick glance at the heavens. This day just kept getting better and better, didn't it?
And then, Son Goku, merely a freshman in college, bowed his head in silent defeat.
And turned tail.
And ran.
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Irony of Love
Chapter Eight: Better Than Me
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-I think you can do much better than me-
Bulma's eyes scanned the crowd quickly, her pulse racing. She could have sworn she had caught sight of an unruly head of black hair only moments before, right beside the judge's stand... but now...
Now, she was beginning to wonder if perhaps she had imagined it.
-After all the lies that I made you believe-
Vegeta, however, was positive he'd seen it. He'd seen the moron before the moron had even spotted Bulma and himself.
He gave a small sigh.
-Guilt kicks in and I start to see-
He had also seen the dumbass run like a little girl. Evidently the idea of being a father wasn't as appealing to him as he had originally let on.
Bulma was going to be crushed.
-The edge of the bed where your nightgown used to be-
He could see her out of the corner of his eye, chewing lightly on her bottom lip, her worry evident.
Had she figured it out yet?
-I told myself I won't miss you but I remember-
His guess was a resounding no. If she had had any clue that Goku had run at the mere sight of her, she would've been crying inconsolably right now.
Not merely looking a bit upset.
-What it feels like beside you-
He was broken out of his reverie when he felt a sudden pressure on his arm.
Casting his gaze downward, he was more than a bit shocked to see that Bulma was clinging tightly to his arm with one hand, her other grasping her swollen stomach..
-I really miss your hair in my face-
"You ok?" His words were simple, but anyone that knew Vegeta could tell you that he was worried.
"Yeah.. sorry bout that. I just cramped up or something." She could tell from the look on his face that he wasn't entirely buying it. "I'm fine, really. Have you seen him yet?" She asked, changing the subject as quickly as she could. There wasn't any point in making him worry over nothing, anyway.
-And the way your innocence tastes-
Vegeta contemplated being honest with her, and telling her that her big strong man had taken off running like a little bitch.
In exactly those words.
In exactly that tone of voice.
-And I think you should know this-
But he decided against it. It probably wouldn't help him get any bonus points with her anyway.
Not to mention the fact that she didn't need any more stress put on her than she already had.
-You deserve much better than me-
"No." Was his simple reply, before he took hold of her hand and started weaving his way through the crowd again.
Sometimes lies were better than the truth.
-While looking through your old box of notes-
His gaze darkened then.
Kakarot's ass was HIS.
-Found those pictures I took that you were looking for-
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-If there's one memory I don't want to lose-
Those that knew Son Goku could quickly tell you that if it weren't for bad luck, he wouldn't have had any luck at all.
Goku would never have hesitated to agree with them.
-That time at the mall You and me in the dressing room-
He made it all the way to the parking lot with no problem. And then, all hell broke loose. He had been in such a hurry to get as far away from Bulma as possible that he hadn't noticed the person standing in front of him, so enthralled in a conversation with some girl that they never expected someone to plow over them at any moment.
And Goku's luck just kept getting better.
-I told myself I won't miss you-
It wasn't the fact that he was tangled up, quite embarrassingly so, with another man.
It wasn't the fact that the close to two thousand people milling in and out of the arena were staring at him.
-But I remembered what it feels like beside you-
It was the fact that he disliked the other man with a passion.
Because the other man had once, long, long ago, slept with his girlfriend.
-I really miss your hair in my face-
He opened his mouth to snarl; in what he was sure would be a quite convincing and menacing way.
It was unfortunate that Yamcha was quicker about it.
"Goku, you sonuvabitch. Get OFF me!"
-And the way your innocence tastes-
"I'd be glad to, but you're going to have to get your leg out of my ass first." Goku replied, his voice so calm and collected that it surprised even him.
Yamcha removed the offending body part, taking in a deep breath as soon as the other man's weight was removed from him. "Christ man, what the hell have you been eating? You weigh a ton."
-And I think you should know this-
For one reason or another, Goku just couldn't find it in him to smile.
"So, have you seen Bulma yet? She walked inside with Vegeta a few minutes ago, but they shouldn't be too hard to find." Yamcha began, taking no obvious note to the fact that the other man had gone completely white at the mention of his ex-girlfriend's name.
-You deserve much better than me-
"Erm.. no? I mean.. Nope. Haven't seen her. I've got to um.. get something out of my car, heh.. I'll be back in just a few." Goku managed to stutter out as he backed slowly away from his one time rival.
"Ah, ok, I'll just walk with you." He leaned in closer then, so that the people around him wouldn't be able to hear. "Because if Bulma found out that I had seen you and didn't bring you back with me, she'd kick my ass all the way to next Tuesday."
-The bed I'm lying in is getting colder-
The other man gulped before nodding slightly and taking off in the direction of his car, trying to come up with someway, anyway to get away from the man that followed closely on his heels.
And more importantly, what in the world was he going to claim he had been going to retrieve from his car?
-Wish I never would've said it's over-
He was really going to have to learn to lie better.
Somewhere in the back of his mind, a little voice laughed at him. 'Either that, or you're going to have to stop running away and learn to take it like a man.'
-And I can't pretend that I won't think about you when I'm older-
He winced. He probably deserved that one.
A quick press of the button and his trunk was popped, and Goku dove into the suitcases there, desperate to find something to make it look like he had been telling the truth.
-Cause we never really had our closure-
His hand closed around something soft and he breathed a quiet sound of relief. With a rather exaggerated motion he removed the item, a broad grin on his face.
Yamcha merely stared dumbly at the other man for a moment, eyes wide.
-This can't be the end-
"Um.. Goku.. Is that what you came to the car to get?"
The other man nodded. "Yep, couldn't live without it."
Yamcha continued to stare.
-I really miss your hair in my face-
It was at that moment that Goku noticed his companion's dumbstruck expression and decided to look at what he was holding.
He paled a bit before biting back a groan.
In his hand he held a pair of black boxers with hearts on them. The owner's name was emblazoned across the back in bright purple letters. The writing was clear and precise. 'K-R-I-L-L-I-N'.
-And the way your innocence tastes-
"Goku.. do you.. What I mean to say is.. Do you and Krillin have something going on now?"
Goku just paled some more. "Erm.. Nothing like that. I just left my bag back at the hotel, and um.. Well, I needed a clean pair of boxers, you see. Because if I fight in mine, they'll get sweaty." He ended his sentence with a nervous cackle that sounded more like a dying frog than a laugh.
-And I think you should know this-
"Sure man.. whatever you say. So, if you have what you were looking for, we should probably be headed inside, then. I'm sure Bulma's wondering where you are."
Goku tried to hide the panic stricken look that covered his face at that moment. He really did.
It obviously didn't work as well as he had hoped it would.
Yamcha's eyes widened slightly then with realization. "You don't have any intention of going back into the building, do you?"
Shockingly, Goku found his head shaking of it's own accord, confirming the other man's suspicions. "I don't think I should."
-You deserve much better than me-
He never saw the punch coming.
From his spot on the ground, Goku gave a slight wince.
Perhaps he deserved that one, too.
"You son of a bitch! You were just going to run off and LEAVE your pregnant girlfriend here?"
As he climbed to his feet, he winced again. When it was worded that way it sounded a whole lot worse than it was. "Ex." Was his only reply.
-I really miss your hair in my face-
"Excuse me?" The other man asked, obviously confused.
"She's my ex girlfriend."
"She's my ex girlfriend too, asshole. And that's NOT my kid she's pregnant with. And I still wouldn't just run off and desert her."
"Fair enough. But that IS my kid. And up until yesterday I didn't even know I was HAVING a kid. I think I'm handling it pretty well considering." Goku shot back fiercely.
-And the way your innocence tastes-
"No offense man, but you're not handling it at all. She needs our help right now, Goku. All of our help. She's still in school. She's working full time. And you, me, Vegeta and Krillin are all she has left in the world. And unfortunately Vegeta, Krillin and I aren't nearly important right now as YOU are."
Goku remained silent, his gaze averted. Yamcha could tell he was listening, however, by the slight widening of his eyes as he spoke.
"Did you honestly think that any of us would just LET you leave her like this?"
"She's the one that dumped me, or have you forgotten? SHE decided that she couldn't handle a long distance relationship, and SHE left ME. Then she gets pissed because I move on? Who the FUCK does she think she is?"
-And I think you should know this-
It was Yamcha's turn to be stunned. "Goku, I don't think that's the issue right now..."
"The hell it's not. You think I haven't sat here and beat myself up over this? She fucking dumped me to go to school with YOU and VEGETA for fuck's sake. And I was supposed to just what? Stop dating, and live my life waiting for her to decide maybe I was worth the fucking effort?"
"Goku.."
"Let me finish."
"But Goku.."
-You deserve much better than me-
"I said let me finish. I fucking forgave her after she slept with you. I forgave her when I found her making out with you after she crawled out of bed with me. Because I love her. But I go on a date, and I get the third fucking degree because she decides that she needs help NOW? Face it, Yamcha, if she had wanted to get ahold of me, she could have. You knew the number where I was. Her FUCKING mom knew the number. She didn't WANT me to know, until finally it got to be too fucking much for her to handle. And that's fine. I'll take care of our kid until the day I die. But I just don't know if I can be around her anymore. At least not in a romantic way. Everything Bulma does fucking hurts me. Every single thing. And I'm not even sure she fucking cares. So you'll have to forgive me for thinking that maybe, just once, it would be better to look out for myself. And that is PRECISELY why I'm not planning to go back in that building. I don't fucking WANT to see her again."
Yamcha, who was now white as a sheet, merely stuttered out his reply. "That's.. Shit, that's what I've been fucking trying to tell you, Goku." He raised a shaky hand then to point behind him.
-And I think you should know this-
Goku turned around slowly, a feeling of dread pooling in the pit of his stomach.
There behind him, stood Bulma, clinging tightly to a white knuckled Vegeta. She stared back at him with tear filled eyes before giving a sort of sad smile.
The next few moments happened in a sort of slow motion. Vegeta opened his mouth to speak, but shut it again quickly. Yamcha cleared his throat. And Bulma's eyes rolled back in her head before she collapsed into Vegeta's arms.
-You deserve much better than me-
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Wow.. there was more angst in there than I meant for there to be, lol. Ah well.. Till next time!