Author's Note: Don't usually ship Goten x Trunks, but there's a tiny element of Kid Goten x Kid Trunks. It's simply meant as a sweet little childhood thing, but if you don't like shonen ai then don't read :). Another thing: it more or less keeps to the timeline but here Goku's back, even though it's after the martial arts championships Videl still hasn't fully met Trunks and Goten and Videl doesn't realize Gohan's true power yet. If you notice any inconsistencies they were probably intended…or I'm just silly. Enjoy!

xxx

"I don't know, Gohan," Videl had said after school yesterday. "Sometimes I get the feeling you're hiding something from me."

"Ha, ha!" There has never yet been a more unconvincing laugh than the one Gohan displayed then. "Yeah right! Like what?"

"Well," Videl frowned. "What about your childhood?"

"What about it?" Gohan asked carefully.

"What was it like?"

"Hmm…"

'You're time is up, son of Kakkorot!'

'You will die here, monkey!'

'Gohan- quickly! We need to kill Freiza before it's too late!'

'And I shall possess the dragon balls and become IMMORTAL!'

"Gohan?" Videl frowned.

"Just thinking about the question." Gohan muttered.

Now, Gohan awoke and the first thing he thought about was Videl.

He had never felt like this about anyone before.

He was so attracted- not only to her pretty face- but her strength and her fearlessness.

She really was in a league of her own.

And I keep lying to her. He thought bitterly.

As Gohan walked downstairs, he caught sight of Goten walking out of the house.

"Hey, where are you going?" He asked.

"To play with Trunks." Goten said. "Bulma said she'd make me cookies."

Gohan laughed, going over to the counter and pouring a mug of coffee. "Bulma did? My God, she must be bored."

"Trunks says it's to keep her libido in check whilst Vegeta trains."

Gohan spat the coffee out into the sink. "Wha-?! Goten! How the heck do you know a word like that?"

"Like what?" Goten was stunned.

"'Libido'!"

"I don't know what it means," Goten admitted. "Trunks teaches me all kinds of words. But when I ask what they mean, he calls me an idiot."

"Does he?" Gohan sighed.

God, I never talked like that when I was his age…then again I can't even talk like that now.

Gohan grimaced, wondering how appealing Videl would find that.

As Goten left, Chi-chi walked in through the door. "Oh, good morning, darling."

"Morning, mom."

"Goku and I are going out tonight so you'll have to babysit your brother."

"What?" Gohan turned round in panic. "I can't, mom! I promised to go on a date with Videl!"

Of course, she didn't really call it a 'date'. She just asked if I wanted to go see her father's dojo championships with her…but still, what a chance!

Chi-chi shook her head. "Well you'll just have to tell that young lady that family comes first."

"Mom-!"

"No ifs, ands or buts, Gohan. I don't want to hear it."

"I know!" Goku said, coming through the door after his morning run. "Why don't you just bring Goten along with you?"

"What?! That's a terrible idea, dad!"

"Now hear me out, son. Women like guys who are good with kids, so, if Videl sees you taking good care of your brother, it can only make her like you more."

Chi-chi nodded. "It's true."

"Huh." Gohan considered.

That could work…

"Oh yes," Chi-chi said. "And Bulma asked if you could look after Trunks too."

"No!" Gohan said immediately. "Not Trunks."

"Why not?" Goku blinked.

"That kid is the spawn of Satan."

"You mean Vegeta." Chi-chi said.

"Close enough." Goku muttered.

"What I mean is: he's ten times more of a handful than Goten and he'll make Goten more unmanageable!"

"Oh, Trunks is a sweet boy," Chi-chi said. "You just need to lay down the law before you pick up Videl."

"Right," Goku said. "'No yelling, no fighting-'"

"Definitely no fighting." Gohan said.

"And no turning Super Saiyan and destroying half the city."

"You know what kids are like." Chi-chi shook her head.

Only in this family. Gohan thought with chagrin.

xxx

Gohan went to Capsule Corp after lunch time to pick up Goten and Trunks, who were still playing out in the garden.

Bulma answered the door almost immediately.

"Oh Gohan!" She hugged him and Gohan caught the scent of her flowery perfume. Even after having Trunks she was still slim as ever and had obtained a classy beauty that was unlike the sweet-faced prettiness of her youth, yet still captivating.

I wonder if Videl will look this good when she gets older… Gohan wondered and blushed a little at the thought.

"We're so happy you decided to take care of Trunks," Bulma waved at him. "Come in, come in!"

"Would you like some tea, sweetie?" Bunny was in the living room, pouring some for her and Dr Briefs.

"I'm fine, thank you." Gohan smiled.

"You see, mom and dad are going out and without knowing it, Vegeta and I planned our date on the very same day."

Gohan stared at her. "You and Vegeta have a date?"

"Of course, silly. Otherwise we wouldn't ask you to look after Trunks."

Gohan had serious difficulty imagining Vegeta on a date.

"Where are you going?"

Bulma smiled a little secret smile. "Just somewhere." She said, readjusting her earring. "I would have hired a babysitter you know but-"

"But Trunks keeps scaring them off."

Gohan turned to see the man himself enter the room. Vegeta smirked. "He almost scared the last one half to death."

"You don't have to look so proud, Vegeta." Bulma sighed.

"Er," Gohan said. "I like your shirt." It was blue and neat and not exactly Vegeta's taste.

Vegeta glared. "Tch. The woman picked it out for me. Apparently Saiyan battle armor is 'socially unacceptable'."

"Heh." Gohan said uneasily.

"So is that personality, mister!" Bulma put her hands on her hips. "You had better turn that frown upside down in time for our date!"

Vegeta looked away. "I'm not the one who made green cookies."

Gohan glanced at Bulma. "They were green?"

Bulma gritted her teeth. "So I made one mistake in the recipe- so kill me!" She forced herself to calm down and smiled evilly. "I should have made them your favorite color, Vegeta- pink!"

Vegeta turned on her. "Now you listen here, woman-!"

"Aww," Bunny smiled. "Aren't they just the cutest couple?"

Gohan glanced back at the argument. Bulma had started throwing plates.

He sighed. Just give me the kids and get me the hell out of here.

xxx

"You're lying!"

"Am not."

"Are so!"

"Am not."

"You are so, Trunks!"

"Fine, then. Believe what you want, but I'm telling you: you're missing out."

Goten looked up at the sky. "Are the clouds really made of candy floss?"

Trunks fought to keep his composure. "Yes." He said with a deadpan face.

"This isn't another one of your tricks?"

"Now that's just offensive. This is basic, common knowledge."

"So, if I go up there and take a bite out of a cloud- it'll be candy floss."

"What else would it be?"

Goten still looked apprehensive.

"Do they look like candy floss?"

Goten admitted that they did.

"Well then."

"Okay," Goten bent his knees, ready for take-off. "I'll try it then! Yay, candy floss!"

"You're making the right choice." Trunks said.

Excitedly, Goten took off into the air.

Trunks slowly took out his camcorder and pressed 'record'.

"And this is the idiot," He murmured. "Who has just been told that the clouds are made of candy floss…"

"Trunks?" Gohan entered the garden. "You all ready to go?"

"Five minutes!" Trunks called back.

There was a little Goten-shaped dot making his way towards the clouds with his mouth open.

"And wait for it…" Trunks muttered.

Goten dived head-first into the clouds.

"Can't believe he actually did it." Trunks remarked.

Goten disappeared for a while, then Gohan heard:

"I hate you, Trunks!"

And Goten fell into the neighbors' swimming pool, scaring the cats who had been sunbathing around it.

"Ah," Trunks said, snapping the camcorder shut. "That is going straight on the internet."

"Uh…" Gohan said.

Trunks spun round with an angelic smile. "I'm ready to go now."

Dear God.

xxx

"So," Trunks said as they trundled up the road in Gohan's new car. "Have you and this girl done it yet?"

"Wha-?!" Gohan almost swerved into a tree.

"What's 'it'?" Goten leaned over the seat.

"Sex." Trunks supplied.

"What's sex?"

"Y-you don't need to know!" Gohan cut in swiftly before Trunks could reply. He lowered his voice. "And you're only a little kid- you're not supposed to know this stuff either!"

"Are you kidding me?" Trunks raised one eyebrow. "What do you think my parents spend half their life doing? They're not all that quiet about it either. One time they broke the floor."

"Christ." Gohan muttered.

"What's sex?" Goten whined. "I wanna know!"

Trunks and Gohan didn't reply.

Goten thought. "Can you eat it?"

"Sometimes."

"Trunks!"

The car skidded to a halt outside the Satan mansion where Videl was waiting for them.

She wore jeans and a flowery blouse that was rather unusually girlish for her and so were the tiny silver star stud earrings that she had on.

Gohan thought he'd never seen anyone so pretty.

"Is that her?" Trunks murmured. "I would."

"You can just keep your comments to yourself!" Gohan hissed, then stuck his head out of the window. "Hi, Videl! Trunks is going to get in the back seat so you can sit up here-"

"No, it's fine- I can sit in the back." If she was surprised that Gohan had brought two kids along with them, she didn't show it. She opened the car door and sat next to Goten. "Is this your little brother?"

"I'm Goten!" Goten said proudly.

"Hi." Videl smiled and shook his hand gently. "God, he looks just like you." She looked at the shotgun seat. "And you're…what was it? Trunks?"

"Hello," Trunks gave her his best innocent little smile. "Nice to meet you, Miss Videl."

"Aww, it's just Videl," Videl smiled. "He's such a cutie."

"Yeah, he's a real bucket of sunshine." Gohan muttered.

"Huh?" Videl looked up.

"Er, I mean- let's go!"

xxx

The new Satan dojo they had built sprawled over a huge, traditional Japanese style complex, but it had a modern parking lot and a valet in a red velvet waistcoat took Gohan's car.

"I just knew you were into fighting and all that stuff," Videl said, playing with her earring. "So, I thought you'd like to see our annual championships."

"No, that's great. Really."

"Comment on her earrings." Trunks muttered.

"Go away." Gohan hissed back.

"Trunks!" Goten tugged as Trunks' sleeve as they approached the entrance to the dojo. "I wanna know what sex is!"

"Look it up."

"No!" Goten whined. "Tell me, tell me, tell me!"

"Fine." Trunks glanced up to check Gohan and Videl were deep in conversation, then he leaned over and explained sex to Goten.

Meanwhile, Gohan was apologizing to Videl.

"I'm so sorry about bringing the kids," He said. "I really had no choice- there was no one to look after them-"

"It doesn't matter." Videl smiled. "Anyway, I think they'll enjoy this. In fact, didn't Trunks win the Junior championships? And I'm pretty sure Goten was a close second, wasn't he?"

"Well, yeah…"

But they're not normal.

…And neither am I.

Gohan felt the heavy weight of guilt as he realized that there were still things he needed to tell Videl about himself.

It was tantamount to lying…

"No way!"

Gohan looked round as Goten pulled away from Trunks, shaking his head.

"You're a liar, Trunks!"

"What?" Trunks frowned. "Seriously. That's what sex is."

"You may have fooled me about the clouds, but I can see right through it this time."

"Goten, I'm not lying."

"I knew you had a weird imagination, but that's just disgusting! There's no way my mom and dad would do that to each other!"

"They must have done it at least twice."

"I don't believe you!"

Gohan groaned.

"Er, what are they talking about?" Videl stared at the two kids, then at Gohan.

"Um, well, I er…oh, look there's a person!" Gohan pointed wildly at a blonde blue-eyed guy standing at the entrance to the dojo.

As soon as the guy saw Gohan, he smirked. "Hey, Videl. Did you bring a little friend?"

"This is Gohan, Fabien." Videl rolled her eyes. "Be nice."

"I am nice." The guy sniffed.

Unless the definition of 'nice' has been changed to mean 'jackass', I doubt it. Gohan forced himself not to rise to the bait.

"Come on, Videl." Fabien took the girl's arm. "I'll get us a seat."

"Wait, I said I'd go with-!" But he was already dragging her away. She shot a 'what can I do?' look at Gohan and fell into step with him.

Gohan stood at the entrance, unsure of how to react.

Trunks shook his head. "That's just sad."

"I don't even fully know what 'friendzoned' is," Goten said. "But I think you're it."

"Shut up." Gohan muttered and walked ahead into the dojo.

"There goes a guy who needs to get laid." Trunks remarked.

xxx

To be continued…