Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ First Steps ❯ Stumblings ( Chapter 1 )

Look!!! She LIVES!!! Now…I know this is a totally new universe…and I haven't written anything for a long time…and yes, I'm still writing on Restraints and Liberations…(if you want an update on that, petition Vegeta. He's the one giving me a hard time)…but I hope everyone will enjoy this fic. The idea hit me upside the head one day while I was out driving, and unlike a lot of vicious plot bunnies, it didn't wither and die at my ankle. It grew. At first I had aspirations of making this a one shot…and it took a LOT of Cleodasia smacking me down for rushing things and generally not writing up to my normal shining standards to get me to let go of that futile thread of hope.

*snrk*

This universe is partially inspired by RP's that I have been doing with Manawolf and the Radditz in this is very very closely patterned *read "cloned"* after hers. So major credit goes out to Manawolf as well.

Dedications: Always dedicated to my tsuin. And also to Manawolf. And to anyone who is sick of waiting for the next chapter of R&L to come out. I appreciate you!! Honest!!

My most heartfelt thanks and utter devotion to bakayaro_onna for her tireless beta.

Warnings: um…lots? Okay…not too sure how graphic I'm going to be in this fic yet, and most of you know I can get pretty graphic. For now, shota, references to underage sex, prostitution, fully Saiyajin Sage. Watch out.

A little clarification on the shota issue: I know many people don't like shota. This is not a fic that is shota for shota's sake. It's an important part of the plot. I fully intend the main pairing to be adult. I put the warning there so people don't get pissed at me later. But at this point, there are more…allusions to the shotaness, and references to it, than actual acts of underage boysex. I do not wish to be misleading. You may still enjoy this fic if you don't like shota. Of course, I may be fooling myself in that. *sheepish grin*

First Steps

A Sage Tail

By Talon

Chapter 1

Stumblings

Yawning with the setting sun, Sage sat up in the bed he shared with his sebba and looked around. Time for the evening routine…

Feeling his parent's forehead, Sage gauged his sebba's fever as he got up and stretched his tired muscles. Guh…he was exhausted. He'd run out of bandages and money that morning and had had to work off the price of them at the pharmacy, but that was nothing new. Money didn't last long in the slums of whatever the hell planet they were on. He had some stashed away, but he couldn't very well run home to get it. Fuck…Mama's fever was up again. Pattering around their shack, he made some broth for Mama's dinner and woke him up. It had been three months since they had been dumped on this planet…another few weeks before that since the purge gone horribly wrong. Mama's injuries were bad, and he'd gotten some sort of weird infection soon after being dumped here, or at least that was when it had manifested itself, and everything had fallen to Sage.

He found he really didn't mind. He could manage things. He could take care of battle wounds, nurse someone sick, and manage a household…he'd learned from his grandfather the duties of an alpha male. The problem had been money. More specifically, no money coming in, and much money needed for bandages and medicine for Mama, not to mention food.

Mama was getting better, he was happy to see, and he helped him to the toilet, cleaned him up and changed his bandages. Mama was feeling better, he could tell by the level of frustration he showed as Sage moved about doing all the things he felt he should be doing. Cleaning, cooking and caring for Mama. For the thousandth time, Sage reassured his parent.

"It's all right, Mama, I've got everything taken care of. You don't gotta do anything but rest an' get better, then we can figure out our next step." And he handed his sebba his nightly medicine and watched as his Mama swallowed the pills and liquid, then tucked him in and sat with him, stroking his mane until he fell asleep.

The sun was going down. It was time for him to get ready for work.

Two and a half months ago…

Pattering around the drug store, he compared the prices again. He didn't have enough money to get the drugs he needed for Mama's infection. He knew it was running close, but the price had gone up…again….and he suspected it had gone up because he bought it on a regular basis. Damnit….he needed it…he had to have it…otherwise Mama would just continue to get worse. He could try haggling, but not many people here took him seriously. He had turned twelve his last birthday, but he was small for a Saiyajin, and he had too much mane…more mane than body, so he'd been told…but he had to try. He wasn't gonna try and shoplift again. That…had been a BAD idea. And it hadn't worked. Well…haggling it was. Maybe he could play his big eyed chibi card…it could work…right? Yeah…

"Um…Surda-san? I need this medicine…" as he pushed it up on the counter and fingered his credits. "But…I don't have quite enough…maybe…maybe you could let me have it for fifteen this time?"

The G'vordian smirked down at the little Saiyajin. He'd been in here every other day buying up all the frudian antibiotics they had…and noticing that, he'd kept most of them back, and jacked up the price. Supply and demand, after all…"I don't think so. It's a difficult medicine to come by. Supply is down. I have to make a living too, you know." Damned Saiyajins…even the brats thought they could just walk all over everyone.

Sage bit his lip. "But I really need it…maybe…" he had a flash of inspiration…sometimes the people at the restaurants let him work for scraps…washing dishes, carrying heavy things…."maybe…maybe I could do some work for the difference?"

The shopkeeper snorted. "What could a little scrap like you do that's worth expensive medication? Look around…my shelves are stocked, my floors swept, my windows, their usual sparkling crystal….."

Sage straightened up. "I might be small, but I'm a fighter. I'm strong. I can do lots of things you wouldn't think I could. I can move heavy stuff and pick things up and fix things…just please…I need this medicine. I'm willing to do whatever you think is fair…"

Sudra looked down at the pitiful whelp. Dirty and ragged, he still managed to hold himself with pride, and that long tail flicking hopefully back and forth was adorable. The shopkeeper suddenly smirked. "Why sure…now that you mention you're willing to do…whatever I think is fair…there just might be a job you can take on that will pay for your medicine." Stepping down from his stool and putting his newspaper down, he motioned the young Saiyajin to his back room.

Fifteen minutes later, Sage was running, head down, back to his and Mama's home, medicine, bandages and candy in a bag in his hand, his other hand over his mouth as he tried not to vomit. He wanted very much to do so, but not in front of everybody. Not where everyone could see. Not….not…he couldn't believe what he'd just done. It was horrible…awful…vile!!! But worth it. He had his Mama's medicine. He wouldn't have to do that again. Right? Gods, he couldn't tell Mama…he couldn't tell ANYONE!!

Two streets later, he ducked into an abandoned building to get ahold of himself. He had to calm down before letting Mama see him. He could not tell Mama. Absolutely could not let him see what he'd done. Because Mama would feel guilty. And there was no reason for Mama to feel guilty. He'd do anything to make sure he got better. And…really…it wasn't SO bad. It didn't hurt…and it wasn't hard. It just…tasted nasty and felt wrong, but it hadn't harmed him any. And Sudra had given him the medicine, and bandages AND candy! Way more than he'd expected. And he still had his credits, so they could eat tonight and tomorrow too. He still needed to find a big enough job to cover rent, but that wasn't for two weeks. He had time.

Sitting, he pulled out a piece of the candy, chewed it for a while then spit it out. That helped even more. He didn't think he'd ever get rid of the nasty taste, or forget the feel of that thing in his mouth, and the hand on his chin, the ragged pants of Sudra as…DAMNIT…no thinking about it. It was done with. You did what you had to do to survive. One step at a time. First step: Get Mama well. Once Mama is well, then next step: Find a way off this planet. Before, the first step had been: Find a safe place, Find food, Secure shelter, Procure medical supplies…they were ALL first steps. That was all anyone needed to carry a mission through. Complete the first step. Then you move on.

Picking himself up, he slowly continued home and did his best not to think about it anymore. He had a sebba to care for, and food to put on the table, and rent to pay. He was too busy to mope about something that hadn't even injured him.

******

It was almost two weeks before he did it again.

It got easier to go into Sudra's back room as a matter of course. But it wasn't until after the third time he really began to think about it.

He couldn't make enough money to keep them alive and fed and sheltered and still have enough time to take proper care of Mama. The work he found was little bits here and there…moving heavy things, cleaning nasty stuff, but it all took too long and paid too little. It was a problem, because part of the reason Mama wasn't getting better faster was he needed more consistent care. But ten minutes with Sudra in the back room got him bandages, medicine and often a treat of some sort. He hardly had to do anything. Just open his mouth and suck, try not to gag, then swallow and listen to Sudra tell him what a good little boy-slut he was. It wasn't difficult, and it took hardly any time. Maybe it would work for other things.

So one day, after sucking Sudra off, Sage allowed the shopkeeper to pull him into his lap, and he questioned him, carefully, so as not to arouse suspicion, and found out some very interesting things. Far from being uninteresting because he wasn't sexually mature, he discovered there was a high demand for cubs like him in the sex trade. He also discovered it was dangerous, but that didn't surprise him. Anything a cub wasn't meant to do was obviously going to be dangerous. The question was, was the payout worth the risk?

The answer, as it turned out was, yes. It was.

Getting ready to be a full time whore took the same amount of dedication as preparing for any mission was. First…collect information. Starting with Sudra, he moved to the prostitutes themselves. He'd had an idea Sudra had friends he could hook him up with, but decided against going that route. After talking with some of the working girls...and boys, he was glad he had. The last thing he needed was a damned pimp taking most of his money. Some of the girls and boys were quick to defend their pimps, saying they protected them. Fine and good. He didn't need anyone else's protection. But he knew he would need good relations with the other whores. So he smiled a lot, and talked with those whose business he wouldn't be competing with. Formed friendships and got advice. Many of the older hookers were positively motherly towards him, but gave him honest criticism about what would work and who to look out for and the best way to do what he was going about doing.

He decided early on he was going to limit himself to blowjobs and hand jobs. He'd had sex ed after all. He came from an onkru'kah line, and he was nearing the age of awakening. No way in HELL was he going to get fucked in the ass. Sure, it'd pay more, but the risks weren't worth THAT. If he was gonna do this, it was gonna be on HIS terms, or not at all. He knew the risks to pretty well all the sex acts. Saiyajin sexual education was very…thorough. And he'd been around sex in one form or another all his life. Anal sex was way too risky for an unawakened cub, even if he was practically grown.

His first night out found him wandering around looking lost in a too big shirt and big eyes. Under the shirt he wore tight little shorts and as his tail moved, they flashed at passersby. He looked the part of the lost waif, but the deliberately flashing tail signaled he was working for his supper.

It worked well. His first john took him in the back seat of his vehicle and fucked his face hard and fast, then paid him extra to cuddle in his lap and tell "Daddy" thank you for "Daddy's milk, it's so yummy…"

It was EASY.

He didn't like it.

He was embarrassed when he wasn't working.

But it got him money.

It got him food, and rent and medicine.

It was worth it.

Present time…

Locking up the house, he checked the setting sun. He was a little late getting out. He'd slept too long, spent too much time with Mama…he hoped it wouldn't affect his business tonight. Pattering down the streets, he ducked in and out of alley ways until he reached the red-light district and paused to do a quick check-check. Mane? Mussed. Tail? Smooth and sleek. Clothes? Local school uniform. Shoes? Properly scuffed. Right. Here we go. Wandering out into the street lights, he started his usual stroll, looking in shop windows, sitting on bus benches, his legs spread wide and dangling, joking around with some of the girls as they pinched his cheeks…and his other cheeks to help him bring in the first business of the night.

Most of his johns were male, but he got the occasional female who wanted to cuddle him as he sucked her breasts and she fondled him, cooing and generally fussing over him. He found the women tipped MUCH better than men did and was always willing to mix it up a bit. He'd developed a bit of a talent for eating pussy, though he didn't particularly like it, but in that respect, it was no different than sucking cock.

He did have a strict rule though. One on one only. He wouldn't do two or more at once. If he was with another hooker, then MAYBE. But only maybe. It depended on the situation and the other hooker. So he worked the details out with the woman, took her money, then with a brilliant smile, put his hand in hers and followed her to her hotel room.

There was rude surprise in the room, though. They'd just gotten to the part where he was sitting in her lap and grinding against her hand as she pushed his face into her boobs when the door opened. Sage froze, his tail stiffening and he looked up at her, then over his shoulder at the Tarazin male undressing.

"Hey baby, where have you been?" asked his john brightly. "Look what I got for us, isn't he adorable? Just your type, too!!"

The Tarazin grinned toothily. "I always say you have the best taste in brat-whores, Marijh…" Pulling his pants off, he flopped down on the bed. "How about giving Daddy a little kiss then?" he said as he grabbed at Sage's tail.

Hell. NO!! Powering up slightly, Sage growled and pulled back. "What the fuck is this? I told you, one on one ONLY!! I don't do threesomes or moresomes. PERIOD!!" Lashing his tail, he looked around for his shirt and fastened his pants.

Marijh frowned. "I paid you, you little fucker. You have to do what I say. Now get your ass back up here. This is my husband. He ain't gonna hurt you. And there's a little extra in it for you if you just come back here and cooperate." Smiling, she grabbed her purse and rifled through it. "See? We just like to share our whores. It's what married couples do!"

Sage pulled his shirt on and found one of his shoes. "I don't fucking care what you two do. But whatever it is, you ain't doin' it with me. You paid for one on one, for an hour and a half. Well, guess what, you ain't gettin' your money back. Fuck this shit. I'm outta here." Jerking on his other shoe he headed towards the door.

In a smooth movement, the husband had the door blocked. "Oh no, I don't think so, my little pretty. You're not going anywhere, not now, not for a long time. You're going to stay right here and…" He never finished the sentence. As Sage walked calmly out the door, the Tarazin was far too busy gasping for air and wondering if his dick was still attached to his balls, to his body.

Muttering to himself, Sage waited for the elevator. "Goddamned fucking tourists. Think they can just take what they fucking want and not pay for it. Goddamned pretentious assholes…." Stepping into the elevator with a youngish businessman, the elevator doors closed.

As he exited on the ground floor, Sage grinned, wiped his mouth and pocketed the double charge he'd taken from the other occupant of the lift for an elevator special. Assholes or not, the night wasn't turning out to be too bad.

The night wore on, and he got a couple of regulars, both "Daddy" types, and a few new bloods. Tourists again, but they were so excited to have a child whore, he barely had to touch them to get them off. Waving bye-bye to his last john (yes, deliberately), he wandered over to the group of hookers and hung around for a few minutes, exchanging stories, and listening for warnings for dirty law enforcement, pimps on the prowl and bad johns.

He was just considering counting his cash, giving the head hookers their cut that allowed him to work their territory (and keep him under their pimp's radar) and calling it a night and going home to check on Mama when a long car pulled up, and the window rolled down. Jadda, one of the younger hookers sauntered up to it and leaned in, chatting with the person inside. After a few minutes, she straightened up and beckoned to Sage. "This one is yours, baby boy…if you want him…" as she stood back from the car and winked at him.

Wandering over to the car, Sage rose a few inches off the ground to cling to the door. "What can I getcha, mister?" as he peered into the dark, shadowy confines of the vehicle.

The voice was deep, and he could see movement as though the person's legs uncrossed, then crossed again. "Your company for the night, should you be willing."

Sage did some quick thinking. It was late…he had made a good haul already, and he really ought to get home to Mama. On the other hand…if he played this right, he might not have to work for a few nights. "I ain't cheap…"

The voice chuckled. "I know what the going rates are. And you've serviced some of my men in the past. I know your prices. And I know they're generally worth what you charge."

This…sounded like a bad idea. Sage wasn't sure why all of a sudden he didn't want to get into that car; he just went with his instincts. "Sorry. Not tonight. I'm closed for the evening. You have a good night." And he let go of that car door and scampered into the shadows of the back streets, Senna's eye and knowing he understood he'd be back to pay, and would spread the word. They all knew the risks of a bad john and how important it was to get out of that situation right then. Fuck. That was…unnecessarily scary. Since when was he scared of getting into a john's car? Since that car set off every self-preservation instinct you have, idiot. Go home to Mama, and make damned sure you aren't tailed.

So…grumbling at himself…he did.

Mama was awake when he got home.

Damn. "Your pain meds wear off already, Mama?" he asked, ducking into the bathroom for a quick scrub and disrobe, pulling a towel around his hips as he moved to check Mama's temperature and bandages.

Drawing a shuddering breath, Radditz nodded. "About an hour ago. I think. The clock stopped. Where were you?"

Sage rinsed a clean rag under the tap and came back over to the bed to wipe Mama's face off. "Doing some odd jobs…the market's better at night. Clubs and stuff. Back doors and things. Nasty stuff no one else wants to do." Keep your voice calm, try and keep the scent down, don't feel guilty, don't act guilty, just stay calm. "People will pay a surprising amount of money to do disgusting things no one else wants to do." It was nothing more than the truth, and hopefully Mama was too fever-and-pain-hazed to read through it. "I'll have to look around for a better pain drug if you're building a resistance. Can't have you in pain. Bad for healing."

Radditz eyed his child. This wasn't the first time he'd woken in the night by himself, but Sage's lingering scents had given no indication of distress or worry, and usually he'd been too ill to do much more than close his eyes and drowse again in the absence of anything obviously wrong. "You need your sleep, chukra. You're working too much."

"Nah…I sleep most of the day with you when I'm not getting supplies and stuff. I'm all right, Mama." Reaching into the drawer in the rickety table beside the bed, he fished out the pain pills. "Two this time, and you go back to sleep. I'll see what else they have at the pharmacy tomorrow."

His Mama took the pain pills in his hand and looked at them for a few minutes. "Are you sure you're all right, chibi?" he asked, coughing painfully. "I know I'm not much help. Just a few more days…I'll be able to get out and find some work…and…"

"Mama…we've already been over this." Mama felt so guilty he couldn't do ANYTHING. "The infection is bad. Real bad. Worse because we couldn't treat it right away. You have to be quiet an' calm an' rest as much as you can. You can't rush. Or else you'll never get well, the infection will spread and you'll die an' I'll be alone on a strange planet." Sounded like blackmail, but Mama honestly needed reminding how precarious his health was. A couple of simple purge wounds, combined with some weird ass bacteria and the stress of almost no food and scarce water for two weeks on a nearly completely purged planet, then the dumping of the two of them here…it was a very bad combination and it had nearly killed his sebba.

Radditz slowly swallowed the pain pills with the glass of water always beside his bed. It wasn't right. He should be the one working and trying to find a way home. His son was a strong, capable soldier and Saiyajin, but he was still a child. "Next time, jus' tell me you're leavin', kay?" He was already getting tired again and he lay back with a wince and a sigh. "I worry," he said needlessly.

"Yeah, I'll do that." Sage had enough credits so he wouldn't have to whore the rest of the week, possibly into the next week if he was careful. Maybe he could get Mama to a doctor again, but the one they'd seen first off had said not to move him much, and getting a doctor…a real one…down here in the slums wasn't something that could easily be achieved outside of kidnapping or way more credits than they had. "I'm gonna get cleaned up, then I'll come lay down with you, okay?"

A murmured assent was all the response he got as he covered Mama more snugly and padded into the cramped bathroom. More blankets. He needed to find some cheap. The nights were getting chill, and while he could warm Mama with his ki as long as he was here and in the bed with him, that did no good when he was gone. So more blankets. And minced meat. And citrus fruits. New pain pills, Sudra would know the best ones. And keep an eye out for that car in the future. Avoid it.

Scrubbing quickly in the lukewarm drizzle from the dilapidated showerhead, he dried off with a flash of ki and padded back into the main room where Mama was already drowsing. Making a quick double check that everything was in order, he bolted a bowl of thick stew he had waiting in the cooling unit for him and crawled into bed next to Mama. Raising his ki slightly, he smiled as the pain lines in Mama's face evened out and he snuggled more closely to his son. First step: Get Mama well. He could do this. He could do anything, bear anything, nearly lie to his parent in order to accomplish the first step.

He felt dirty, disgusting for what he was doing, and worse for lying to Mama about it. But none of that mattered. Can't show it, can't refuse to snuggle and touch and be as affectionate as he had been before he started whoring. Mama did NOT need that stress.

Complete the First Step.

Then proceed to the next one.

"I promise, Mama. I will," he said sleepily as he curled up closer to his Mama's uninjured side. "I'll get you better, then figure out a way off this rock. First step."

Mama's soft snore was his only answer.

To be continued…