Love, A Game..

Chapter 2

"Aaaaahhh..." Trunks let out a long sigh as he slid into the bath. Warm, steaming water enveloped him completely from the neck down, thawing skin chilled from the abnormally cold temperatures outside. Trunks ducked under completely and came up with wet purple hair clinging to his face and neck, to splash his face and rub the hot water thoroughly into his eyes, clearing his fatigued mind as he did so.

He settled back to soak, letting the relaxing bath do its work on sore muscles, and closed his eyes. Wispy vapours curled up from the heated surface of the water, causing the bathroom mirror to fog and a distinct haze to fill the room. Trunks gave a contented "mmmmm..." as he fell into a delicious state of relaxation, just a few steps short of sleep. The fog in the bathroom crept into his mind ... coherent thought seemed a thing he wasn't entirely capable of. Just sleep ... no more worries or hassles ... for the time it took for him to have a bath, the world was a peaceful place ... mmmm...

"Hi, Trunks. Are you asleep?"

"Gohan!" There was the sound of water sloshing and Trunks jerked out of his doze to find the wide eyes of the eleven-year-old fixed on his face. Hurriedly Trunks shifted so the rim of the rub hid his naked body from view. "Gohan, I'm in the bath!" He could feel his face burning with embarrassment.

"Yeah, so?" replied Gohan innocently.

"But - I'm naked!" spluttered Trunks.

"Come on, Trunks, it's no big deal," grinned Gohan, child's naïveté evident in his voice. "We're both guys, remember?"

"Well, yeah, but..."

"And I know all about that 'puberty' stuff," said Gohan, waving a hand dismissively at the blushing teenager, "so it's okay. If it makes you feel better I won't look."

Trunks' embarrassment receded somewhat. "So, uh, what did you come in here for, Gohan?" he asked, trying to keep his voice normal.

Gohan's face broke into an adorable smile again. "Cos I want a bath!" Before Trunks could respond, he pulled his top over his head and dumped it on the floor.

"You mean - now?" choked Trunks.

The boy shrugged nonchalantly. "Sure, why not?" As Trunks gaped at him, Gohan's expression changed to one of unashamed begging. "Oh, please, Trunks?" he whined pitifully. "I'm really cold, and it looks so warm in there..." He gave Trunks a melt-your-heart, puppy-dog expression, and the other Saiyan felt his resolve disappear. He growled in defeat. "All right, you can get in..."

Gohan gave a delighted grin and Trunks pointedly looked the other way as the younger boy got undressed. He heard the rustle of clothing falling to the floor and gritted his teeth, his throat tightening. Geez, he was going to be in a bath ~naked~ with Gohan! How in the name of Kami was he going to deal with that? Well, at least the water was steamy enough so that neither of them could actually _see_ anything. It was almost as good as a bubble bath at hiding things below the surface.

~Splash!~ A second later, Trunks was drenched again as Gohan jumped in, splashing water everywhere. "Aaahh, this is great!" exclaimed demi-Saiyan, echoing Trunks' own sentiments when he'd first gotten in. The purple-haired teenager opened one eye to see Gohan sitting up the other end of the bath, beaming at him. Even when he was sitting up straight, the water covered most of his chest, leaving just his shoulders exposed. As Trunks watched, a little amused, Gohan splashed his face quickly before sinking under up to his forehead, so the messy blonde hair was the only thing visible above the waterline.

Trunks laughed, and Gohan's head popped up again. "Are you laughing at me?" he pouted, pretending to be hurt.

The older boy grinned and replied cheerfully, "I sure am!"

"Yeah? Well, take this!" With a violent motion of his arms, Gohan sent a wave of water at his friend, hitting Trunks smack across the chest. Glaring at the other demi-human, Trunks responded in kind, soaking Gohan completely, and the battle was on.

Laughing as they playfully splashed each other, Trunks was, surprisingly, not thinking about anything even remotely dodgy connected with his proximity to a naked Gohan. That is, until the younger Saiyan, frustrated because he was losing, grabbed his wrists and held them clear of the water, engaging Trunks in a wrestling match that got steadily more physical. Unfortunately, the permanently powered-up eleven-year-old was stronger than Trunks in his untransformed state and soon overpowered the older Saiyan. He pushed Trunks back against the edge of the bath, straddling his stomach, and pinned his hands on the edge of the tub.

"Gotcha now," he grinned triumphantly. Then, "What's the matter, Trunks?"

The teenage demi-Saiyan had become extremely uncomfortable and was blushing furiously. Unbeknownst to Gohan, the boy's action of sitting on his friend's stomach, when they were both in their birthday suits, had made Trunks get excited, to his intense embarrassment as he sensed the swelling in his lower region. "Get off me, Gohan," he said through clenched teeth.

"What is it, Trunks?" the boy persisted. A possibility occurred to him, "Am I hurting you?"

"...Yes."

Gohan got annoyed. "No I'm not, you're lying!"

"Just get off me, Gohan, I'm getting out."

Sulkily the young Super Saiyan obliged, sliding off sideways and grumpily turning his face away as Trunks got out. But he sneaked a peek when the teenager's back was turned, and his mouth watered. He had to tear his eyes away when Trunks was putting on his clothes on, after quickly flaring his ki to dry off, and by the time the older boy looked at him again Gohan's eyes were firmly fixed on the other wall.

"I'm sorry about that, Gohan," said Trunks, genuine regret in his voice.

"It's okay, Trunks," said the other Saiyan cheerfully, turning to smile at his friend again. The incident was past and Gohan was over it. He saw a smile of relief on the other's face as he left, and dived under the water again to clean properly.

So much for that idea. He'd have to convince Trunks of his feelings some other way.

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