Author's Note: This will be a collection of one-shots about Trunks and Goten from the point of views of other characters. This came to me rather unexpectedly so I can't promise how many characters I will cover. But the more reviews/requests, then I will likely complete more. (Hint, hint...) The rating of the story may also change, as fair warning. Also, I started with a character that I think people don't give near enough credit to. I agree that she would react rather negatively at first if she were caught off-guard. But I honestly think that sometimes a mother just knows.
A Mother's Worry - Chichi
Words: 1480
Chichi may have been in a state halfway between denial and fear about it for the longest. But she knew. Oh yes, she's actually known for years. It was more than the just the memories of her youngest son being attached at her hip. It was more than the fact that even though he adored and idolized his older brother like a super hero, he wanted to do things his mom did. He would sit with her and brush his hair when she did hers before bed. He would sit in the kitchen with her, learning how to roll the dough for dumplings. She loved these moments with him and didn't initially think much of it. After all, he just wanted to be close to the one parent he had at the time.
She remembered when her youngest son was about 4 years old and she had been carefully watching him and Trunks play in the grass outside her home. They were still very young but their natural curiosity kept them outside and away from breakables most of the day, with the exception of nap-time. And they may have been a handful to watch but they were adorable and Bulma had become such a steadfast friend to her following her husband's death. Besides, the amount she was being paid to watch Trunks kept her from having to work outside the home to support her family.
She remembered that she had been pinning the fabric for a new coat for Goten for the coming winter. He was growing so fast that the one from the previous year was already too small. When she glanced up at the children, they had been practicing clumsy summersaults on their heads, laughing up a storm. Seeing them have so much fun together made her feel a little worried for her oldest though, with how isolated he must feel. Though he would probably be ready for college soon, she had been clandestinely placing applications in for him for a good high school. He needed time with people his own age for a change.
But back to the little ones. She knew her son might be different looking back on that day when she watched him pluck a small wildflower from the field and present it to his best friend. It was such a sweet, innocent moment that she did think to be worried or concerned at the time. But she knew it meant something. The way he looked so nervous about whether or not Trunks would take the offering. And then the way he grinned and immediate clung to the older boy in joy the moment it was accepted. But she thought that maybe he was just attaching himself rather firmly to the only other kid his age he knew well.
However, there were more hints indicating her son was different. He had been nearing his 6th birthday and staying the night with Trunks to celebrate when he suddenly came down with a fever. Bulma had called to notify her only because the boy had been asking for his mommy and wouldn't accept medicine from her. It would have been implausible for her to drive all the way to West City to pick him up considering how far it was (at least for normal people who couldn't fly) so thankfully her eldest son agreed to take her there.
By the time she had arrived, she was sick with worry. Bulma led them through her home and into Trunks' bedroom. They all paused at the threshold and saw Goten sleeping soundly, tucked into the blankets on his friend's bed. Trunks was propped up next to him on top of the covers and distractingly playing his handheld video game, looking for all the world like he barely cared. But Goten's small hands were grasped tightly to the other half-Saiyan's shirt, almost in fear that he would leave.
"Did he take the medicine before falling asleep?" Bulma whispered to her son and they all quietly stepped into the room.
"Yeah, I gave it to him and said to rest. I promised to watch him until his mom got here," Trunks replied with as much seriousness as a 7 year old could muster.
And then a few years later, shortly after their family was made whole again by the miraculous return of her husband, did she really consider the implications of these small moments. She was on her way to call the boys to dinner when she saw her little Goten, sitting on a tree branch next to his best friend, lean over and kiss him on the cheek. It was a sweet, chaste kiss. But it was a kiss nonetheless. And she knew she couldn't be in denial anymore about her second born. She called the two boys to dinner and watched with mixed feelings as Trunks lifted his arm to wipe his cheek nonchalantly before jumping down from the tree. And Goten followed, as always.
She even tried to separate Goten from his boyhood crush for a while, feeling that whatever was happening with her son was her fault and needed to be corrected. She used the excuse of them all needing some family time together before Gohan left for college. And for a few days, it was peaceful and wonderful having all of her boys together, bonding all over again as a cohesive family. But no matter how ever Trunks felt for Goten (for she really wasn't sure if the other boy even realized), she couldn't stand it even a full fortnight to see her young son, usually so full of life, looking so lonesome and dejected. He missed his friend terribly and it near broke her heart.
Suddenly, instead of being concerned about having a gay son, she was terrified of the day that he would know heartbreak for the first time. The world could be a cruel place and would be extra unforgiving for one who had a love that others might not understand. And she suddenly didn't want to be one of them. Yes, it made her a little sad to think her son may not give her a daughter-in-law and future grandchildren. And yes, it still made her uncomfortable to think that raising him without a father caused him to be this way. And yes, it bothered her that her son may have to go through life being treated like an outcast or deviant by others. But what was the point of trying to make him "normal" if he was so unhappy? She was the mother to this little angel and promised to love him no matter what.
So yes, she knew for a while. What she didn't see coming was that his crush on Trunks would continue into his teenaged years. There was never any real sign of another infatuation. In fact, there was absolutely zero sign of his interest in the female half of the species. But at that point, she wasn't surprised. Nevertheless, she thought maybe he would be willing to confide in her other crushes he might have or maybe see some kind of sign of teenage fixation on celebrities or teenaged idols. But there were no posters in his room, no weird phases of music or expression to follow some new, 'hip' crowd. Instead, it was always Trunks. And he never confessed to her.
And now her mother's intuition was telling her that perhaps the Briefs' son was not as detached as she had always believed. He even had a few female admirers and one or two short-term girlfriends in high school. She had been preparing for years the heartache that her son would soon have over the one person he had fixated on nearly his entire life. But instead, she could hear them planning on what apartment Trunks would rent depending on what university Goten would attend in a few years. They were as attached as they had been as toddlers with no sign of separating in the near future.
Even the year and a half age difference didn't seem to matter. Trunks had even completed high school a year early and was now two years ahead of Goten and would be starting university in a few months. They probably didn't even realize the depth of the conversation they were having right now. They were planning a future – together.
Her only worry now was a mother's worry. Would Trunks break her son's heart? Would her son ever be comfortable enough to talk to her about it? Did he question her love for him? Would he find someone to love him back for the rest of his life?
Ah well, they were all only worries for the time being. For now, she would continue to dote on her youngest before he too would leave the nest. After all, she wanted nothing more for her children than their happiness.