#hellish replies

“Chocolate chipcookies?” the teen deadpanned, one purple eyebrow arching upwards as he staredinto the box. “You do know I hate those, right?”

Goten jumpedup, face blanching and eyes widening with horror. “What? You’re kidding!Who the hell hates chocolate chip cookies?” he cried incredulously, takingseveral steps back away from his so-called friend.

Trunks simplygave Goten a blank stare in response. “I do,” he said flatly, “I thought youknew that.”

“You never toldme this!” Goten exclaimed, arms thrown up in the air in frustration. “I’veknown you all my life and not once did you ever mention it!” He brought hisarms down, stuffing his hands into his jeans pockets as he pouted. “If I hadknown, I wouldn’t have made you those for Valentine’s Day.”

“Wait,” Trunksbegan, evidentially startled, “you made these? For Valentine’s?”

The other boy nodded sullenly. “Yeah. I…didn’thave any money to really go out and buy you something, and that…was the onlything we already had the ingredients for at home that also had chocolate init.”

Another momentof silence stretched between them.

“You do realizeValentine’s Day is tomorrow, right?”

Goten winced atthe words, shoulders hunching downwards as he moved his gaze towards the floor.Of course. He knew he had been forgetting something! All thatembarrassment, and for what? He didn’t even get the day right!

“These cookiesare brunt, by the way.”

And just likethat, the sadness gave way for frustration. Goten’s hands clenched into fistsin his pockets and he began to grind his teeth unconsciously. “Hey, if youdon’t like them then just give them back!” He was sure his dad would get rid ofthem easily enough – Goku had eaten the entire reject batch and half of theones that were suppose to go to Trunks, after all.

A loud crunchmade Goten look back towards his friend, and he was shocked into standing upstraight and going slack jawed at the sight he was met with. Trunks stoodthere, furiously chewing away, with the box of cookies in one hand and a halfeaten cookie in the other. His face was contorted to a scowl, brows furrowedand mouth frowning as much as it could as he chewed. Goten could do nothing butwatch as his friend ate the cookie, never once saying a word as he took biteafter bite until it was gone.

Trunks let outa loud, overly dramatic gasp once he had finished. “That was awful,” hemuttered, shaking his head as though that would get the taste out of his mouth.He looked over at Goten, who was still gaping at him, and smirked. With quick,even steps, he walked across his room to his dresser, pulling open the topdrawer and grabbing a small box inside. “Here!” he called, tossing the boxtowards the youngest Son boy before moving to sit on his bed.

Goten wasbrought out of his state in a snap, quickly reaching forward to catch the box.He fumbled with it for a second, as Trunks had done only moments beforehand,but quickly got a good hold on the gift. It wasn’t wrapped, as the box ofcookies had been; this box was bearing only an orange ribbon and some tape tokeep the lid secured. Goten sent Trunks a curious glance before tearing thoseaway, eagerly lifting the lid to see what was inside.

He did his bestto stop his face from falling at the sweet within. “White Chocolate?” he asked.

Neither spokefor a moment.

“You don’t likewhite chocolate, do you?” Trunks asked with a heavy sigh, his head dippingdownwards in defeat.

Goten sent him a guilty smile. “Guess we both messedup, huh?” He then quickly moved to sit next to Trunks, balancing the box in hislap while he patted the other teen’s back. When Trunks looked up to give him aweak smile, Goten was quick to eat one of the chocolates he had been given,somehow grinning and cringing at the same time as he did so.

Videl giggledand shook her head. “Like a very handsome dork.” She gave him an overly sweetsmile as he mocked offense, gasping loudly and crossing his arms. “So, who’sthat from?” she asked as she turned back towards the gift she had previouslybeen opening.

“Mom,” Gohananswered simply as he sat down and grabbed the next present. “She made itherself.”

“I didn’t knowChi-Chi could knit,” Videl mused as she tore away the last of the wrappingpaper, “although it makes sense, I’ve seen the materials around your house.”She eagerly lifted the lid off the present, only to freeze as her eyes fell onthe item within.

Gohan snortedas he examined the wine glasses he had received from Yamcha. “What did youthink that stuff was used for? I mean, Goten doesn’t have the patience and I’mway too clumsy…” His voice trailed off as he turned to his wife and saw theshocked look she was giving the gift. “Videl?” He asked as he sprung to hisfeet once again, rushing to his wife’s side. “Is everything alright?”

He came to astop beside her and kneeled down, dark eyes falling on the gift she was staringat. Once again he instantly recognized his mother’s work, the light pinksweater sitting innocently in the white box, a small card resting on top of it.He frowned and turned to Videl, worried as to why such a gift would make herpause. “Videl?”

She jumped athis voice and turned to him, eyes shining with confusion. “She made me onetoo?” she asked before turning back towards the sweater.

“Is that bad?”Gohan asked, bewildered by his wife’s reaction. “I mean, you’re my wife, herdaughter-in-law, it’d only make sense she’d give you something as well for thewedding…”

“It’s pink.”

He blinked,dread and regret churning in his gut. “Yeah? Is that..? I mean, you said youwanted to wear the color more…” Did he mess up the gift? He hadn’t even beenmarried for a week and already–

Videl’s browfurrowed as she turned back towards him. “You knew she’d make this for me?”

“Well, no, Ididn’t know she’d be making a sweater,” he nervously admitted as he leaned backaway from his wife, hands raised in an effort to keep her pacified. “I hadaccidentally walked in on her making my gift and she had asked if there was acolor you’d prefer and it just sort of slipped and… Do you like it?”

She stared hardat him for a moment or two before sighing, a soft smile spreading across herface as she turned back towards the sweater and gingerly picked it up. “Yes,Gohan, of course I like it!” She ran her fingers across the material beforepulling it over her head. “I just… I didn’t expect something handmade, isall!” Her voice was muffled as she struggled to properly put on the sweater,arms flailing in the air momentarily before finding the sleeves. Gohan chuckledat the sight and quickly went about helping her get situated. When the sweater waspulled down and her face was in view again, he was unsurprised to see herglaring at him.

“You were theone who put it on weird,” was his only defense, which made her lightly smackhis arm.

Videl lookeddown at the sweater, taking in the perfect fit of the pink clothing. “I don’tthink I’ve ever had someone make me anything before. It’s usually justbought.” She shrugged before turning back to Gohan, eyes shining as she beamedup at him. “We’ll have to make sure to give your mom something special as a thanks!”

“No, I don’tthink that’s necessary,” he casually countered, subtly leaning in closertowards Videl. “I mean, I’m pretty sure that me marrying rich is the best thingshe could’ve asked for.” He gave her a teasing grin at her scowl, one of hisarms sneaking around her to pull her close.

“You’re luckyyou’re cute,” she grumbled, “otherwise you’d still be a broke country bumpkin.”

“Now that’s just mean.” But he was grinning widely ashe closed the gap between them.

Krillin sighedas he followed his wife towards the next section of clothing, lazily pushingthe cart through the narrow pathways while looking down at his cell phone. “I’mpretty sure he wouldn’t be sending me these pictures if he thought you’d beable to see them.” He cringed as his phone buzzed with a new message. A quickswipe across the screen and soon the short fighter found himself looking at apicture of his daughter being precariously balanced on her uncle’s knees, herface showing nothing but joy as her arms stretched out to graze the cloudsaround her.

“My brother maybe reckless,” 18 began as she sorted through a stack of jeans, “but he’s notstupid. He knows that whatever he shows you would eventually come back to me.Or, at least, he should.” She smirked as she finally found the size she hadbeen searching for and quickly tossed the jeans into the cart. Her eyeslingered on her husband, who was staring hard at his phone with his eyebrowsfurrowed, and she made the last second decision to snatch it from his grasp.She ignored his indignant “Hey!” as she quickly scrolled through the variouspictures. “What is he doing?”

Krillin huffedand crossed his arms, resting them on the cart’s handle as he leaned forward.“Apparently Marron asked him to take her flying. Uncle 17 knows all the cooltricks.” He rolled his eyes, his heavy sarcastic tone bringing out a smallsmile on his wife’s lips.

The smilequickly gave way for a frown as her eyes fell on the most recent picture. Shecocked an eyebrow as another message came in, containing a photo of Marrondangling high above a skyscraper, laughing and smiling brightly, with 17’s facepeaking in on the left side of the picture, a devious smirk on his face. “Heshould know that I’ll see these, and that if anything happens to Marron I’llkill him,” she grunted as she closed the picture and tossed the phone back toKrillin, who caught it with ease. “Why is he sending them?”

Her husbandshrugged as he reopened the app to look at the most recent text. “To get a riseout of me, probably. Maybe you as well.” With a sigh, Krillin shut the app andpocketed his phone, meeting 18’s gaze briefly before the two of them began tomaneuver to a different section of the store. “Honestly, the fact that he knowsyou’ll kill him is why I’m not too concerned. Plus, the way he spoils her, Idoubt he’d let anything happen to our little girl.”

18 gave aslight hum in agreement as she wandered through the isles. “True. I have littledoubt that 17 would protect Marron… But that doesn’t mean that I agree withwhat he’s doing.” She ran a hand through a rack of shirts before suddenlyspinning around to face Krillin again, a somewhat sinister smirk lighting herfeatures as she leaned over the cart in order to be eyelevel with her husband.“We should get him back.”

He stared ather for a moment, a blank look on his face as he processed her words. “Get himback?” he repeated, bemused, before grinning wildly and laughing a little. “Imean, sure! I’m for it. But…how?”

18 frowned,pushing herself away from the basket with a huff. “I don’t know how yet,” shegrumbled as she went back to looking at the nearby shirts. “But I’ll think ofsomething. Trust me.”

Krillin chuckled and nodded. “Oh believe me, I trustyou. You’re the best at revenge schemes.” He then let out a loud groan as hisphone buzzed again.