Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Keep It Simple ❯ River ( Chapter 3 )

Part 3

Drying blood itches. After several minutes of laying with his mate, Goku couldn't stand it anymore and decided he wanted a bath. Vegeta only had the vague feeling that they were about to go, even though Goku showed no sign of releasing him, and he rose up on his elbows to look at him. One moment they were in the grass, the next on the bank of a river near Goku's house. Vegeta sighed and lay back down. Sunlight streamed through the tree branches overhead and he closed his eyes. Much warmer, but after the heat they'd generated together, the shade could have been cooler.

Cool water splashed onto his stomach and he flinched, sitting up and spotting Goku a few feet away, up to his thighs in the river. The river flowed around him, running fast enough to splash against his legs, but he'd already dipped in, peeling off his wet shirt and pants, rinsing them clean and tossing them on the bank. Vegeta stared for a moment, looking from Goku's dripping hair to the sparkling streams slipping down his throat and shoulders, gathering speed along his stomach and racing down to the center of his body, guided by the joints in his hips. He followed one drop, quicker than the rest, until it ran down and dripped back into the river.

"Come on, 'Geta," Goku said, tilting his head and splashing a little more water at him. "It's not cold really."

No, and it was getting warmer. Vegeta smiled and got to his feet, wading into the river. It was cool enough to give him a jolt, and he moved a little faster to his mate's side, ignoring the smooth stones and silt beneath his feet that nearly made him slip.

And then Goku pounced on him, sending both of them into the river.

Vegeta squawked and swallowed water as he went backwards with Goku on top of him, but he had far more combat experience than his mate and treated the water like air, flying out of his grip and moving with the current out of Goku's reach. He caught a solidly embedded stone and turned, fighting the current and standing up. He whipped his head backward to get his hair out of his face, sending drops arcing out behind him. When he turned around, he froze as he found Goku staring at him. His mate had a strange look that he didn't recognize and he reached through their bond, skimming the surface. To his surprise, he didn't recognize the feeling either.

"You..." Goku looked over his prince, starting where the water ended obscenely low on Vegeta's hips, up his stomach and chest, dripping wet with one hand raised protectively in front of himself, the other pushing stray locks of hair back from his face. He'd only rarely seen Vegeta's hair wet enough to lay down, but now he had an up close view. "You look like Trunks."

"It's not purple." Growling softly, Vegeta let his hair be and crossed his arms. "And it's still in spikes."

"No, not that," Goku said, coming closer. He stopped when Vegeta took a step backward. "You look so young."

"Older than you." Vegeta looked away, feeling his face burn under the cold water. He snarled instinctively as Goku stepped behind him and wrapped him in a hug. The strange feeling didn't go away but warmed up with the familiar affection he was coming to associate with Goku, and he held still and let his mate hold him. After a moment he let his arms drop and tilted his head until his cheek touched Goku's chest, still damp and a little cool from the water.

"What...what are you feeling?" Vegeta asked.

"That I love you," Goku said.

"No...under that. When you saw me stand."

"Oh...um..."

Vegeta glanced up and found a blush on his mate's cheeks. "What?" He frowned as he saw the familiar grin appear, but it didn't seem directed at him. Rather, his mate seemed embarrassed.

"I just...well, it's your...um..."

A deep rumble in Vegeta's throat warned Goku to spit it out.

"This," and Goku trailed a finger down a deep scar across his prince's shoulder. "And this." He followed one across his chest and slipped down to one that started on Vegeta's stomach, following it under the water.

Self-consciousness gave way to that touch under the waterline. Vegeta smiled despite himself as Goku's hand trailed further down and gripped him gently, his thumb gliding in circles over his head. The touch was more teasing than impassioned, more playful than needy. He put one hand back on Goku's hip, steadying himself, and reached up to the back of Goku's head, drawing him down for a kiss.

The river did nothing to cool him down now. The swirls and flow against his back and around Goku's hands only added new sensation, overall sense of touch. Goku's free hand went around his waist and held him tight, and his tail came up between his legs, stroking his thighs, twining around Goku's hand like a sixth finger.

"You've done this before," Vegeta laughed.

Goku nodded, nuzzling his mate's hair as it slowly began to stand to again. "Had to," he murmured. "Chichi doesn't like it as often as I do."

"Didn't," Vegeta said.

"Huh?"

"She didn't like it," and his hand in Goku's hair suddenly tightened, holding him prisoner close to his face. He whispered in his ear, "her time is over. You belong to me now. As I..." He fell silent and let that thought fall back, let pleasure full his mind. He never let go of Goku's hair. His breathing turned heavy. He felt like his body would make the river boil. Through the haze of pleasure he kept a firm touch to his mate's mind, savoring the love and joy but careful for any hint that the love would turn to lust, joy to perversion, and the hand holding him just so would turn cruel. He could give Goku his vulnerability, but not blindly.

When he sighed in completion, it was as much in relief as in release.

As an afterthought, he let go of Goku's hair, massaging the skin there to soothe any soreness his tight grip had caused. He opened his eyes and spotted a thin stream of reddish water on his shoulder and arms, and he sighed. "I still have blood in my hair..."

Goku might have offered to rinse it out for him but the feeling coming from his mate told him Vegeta wanted to do it himself. He pressed a kiss to his prince's forehead and waded to the shore, settling on the warm sand and watching as Vegeta bathed, soaking his hair again. Water flowed down his muscles and followed the paths of the scars that crisscrossed his body. That strange feeling Vegeta hadn't recognized was admiration for everything he'd come through and was going through right now. He didn't know how Vegeta could live with the constant throb of pain beneath every movement, emotional and physical. The wind hitting the water on him must have been icy.

"Can I ask you something?"

Vegeta glanced sideways at him, instantly suspicious. "What is it?"

"How come last night?"

"What do you mean?"

"Why now? Why'd you wait so long? How come last night, not before?"

Vegeta finished rinsing off the last traces of blood in his hair to gain time, scowling as Goku stared. "What difference does a few days make? I just did."

"But why?"

Growling deep in his throat, Vegeta turned to snap at him but a sweep of pain cut through his shoulder and back, stopping his move. He winced and walked back onto the bank, sitting down in the sand and glaring as Goku crawled closer, tail waving in the air. Trying to discourage him, Vegeta looked away, but Goku took the opportunity to nuzzle his throat, nipping his shoulders and touching his scars. One finger slowly traced the long scar running from his side down to his hip and he shivered, wincing as the too-fast movement pulled a muscle.

"Vegeta," Goku whispered in his ear, "why?"

"I don't want to talk about it." He wished they'd gone to a warm pond instead. Cold water always made him cramp.

"You're shivering."

"'S just the water."

Goku didn't answer. Without a word he put his hands on Vegeta's sides and picked him up, setting him between his legs before the prince could do more than gasp. He wrapped his mate in his arms and brought his legs closer together, trapping Vegeta in a loose embrace. There was a rush of surprise, maybe even fear, but that gave way to a deep breath and then Vegeta leaned back against him, turning his head to pillow on Goku's shoulder. A few drops of water dripped between them, even colder for their combined heat, sliding between their bodies and soaking the sand.

His heart beating steadily again, Vegeta breathed out and forced himself to relax. His mate had no intentions of using him right now, the lack of that intimidating hardness was obvious. He accepted shelter from the wind, allowing Goku to touch his hair and cheek, still damp. His foolish mate seemed entranced by his hair and ran his fingers through it, unthinkingly grooming him. On a whim he reached up and touched Goku's hair, still wet and still in spikes.

"Why doesn't your hair go down?" he wondered, his hand moving down a few inches to grasp the back of his mate's neck. Without waiting for an answer, he drew his head down for a kiss.

Goku smiled around his mate's mouth. Chichi had never kissed like this, drinking him in. Her kisses were cold, an occasional tap on his cheek, always close-mouthed. The only time she closed her mouth, he thought. Then he felt the tip of Vegeta's tongue gaining entrance and put his wife out of his head, putting all his focus on his mate's tongue and treating the kiss as a miniature battle. For a moment he thought he'd won, pinning Vegeta down and exploring his mouth, but his prince rolled out from under him, slid behind and didn't bother trying to trap him, triumphantly tasting him and using his victory to keep Goku trapped, too surprised and enraptured to fight back.

Abruptly Vegeta pulled back, leaving Goku leaning forward for more until his prince put a hand on his face, stopping him. He blinked and watched Vegeta concentrate, eyes lowered as he thought. His ki began to drop.

"Kakarrot," he whispered, "hide yourself."

Without question, he obeyed. The moment his ki had faded, a light touch swept over him. It took him a few seconds to realize that was Tien's ki searching for them, but with their power muted to less than an animal's, he easily passed by them. Tien's ki continued through the forest, unaware of the near miss.

"Your midget's quick," Vegeta said.

"Huh?"

"Krillin," he said. "He's already spread word of your affair."

"Oh..." Goku murmured. "Chichi's gonna be mad at me."

"What do you care?" Vegeta said, looking up at him. "You don't belong to her. You never belonged to her. You're mine. Don't concern yourself with what the humans say."

Goku cried out in surprise as he realized something and clasped Vegeta a little harder. "But what about you? I don't want them accusing you of--"

"I did what they'll accuse me of," Vegeta interrupted. "Or did I not tempt you in the woods and force this bond on you?" He tried to adjust himself off a digging cramp in his thigh but he was trapped with Goku's arms, like two pythons, coiled around him.

"You forced nothing on me," Goku said softly. "You know I could have stopped you." Even though Vegeta growled at that, he kept going. "You told me to lay down, you told me not to power up. You never forced me. I could have turned level three and thrown you off, but I didn't. I wanted this. I...I've wanted this for a long time."

"Damned strange way of showing it. Stupid mate." The moment the words left his lips, he felt a sting in his mate's mind, a bitter tang that felt stronger because it felt alien in Goku's mind, while it was all too familiar in his own. "What the..."

"Please don't call me that," Goku whispered.

Vegeta felt a few seconds of panic. "Mate?"

"Stupid. I've never...I always thought you hated me." Goku didn't let go but slid one hand down to Vegeta's, knitting their fingers. "You always call me names and things. I don't like it."

Vegeta frowned and mulled that over. Of course he didn't like it, those words were meant to hurt, he'd wanted to hurt him. How could he explain that he exploited the one weapon that seemed to damage his rival when his punches could not. That he hated Goku's simplicity and wanted to provoke Kakarrot's wrath. That he loathed Goku's peaceful human life and wanted to smash it to pieces.

As if it meant nothing, he shrugged once. "Fine. Never again."

"Thank you, 'Geta."

He suffered through another hug, still considering. A thank you. Fitting, he insulted him for years and the idiot thanked him. Where was the indignation over such a half-hearted apology? Or maybe Goku was so self-satisfied that he could stop Vegeta, make him do whatever he wanted, that he didn't think the prince was worth getting indignant over? Over confident fool! A cramp lanced through his side, stronger than usual, egging on his rising fury. He'd show him how stupid it was to blindly trust a Saiyan prince--

Goku's hands came to rest on his shoulders and began kneading the muscles there. Vegeta blinked, rage replaced by confusion. Why the hell would Goku start rubbing--oh. Oh. God. Vegeta eyes widened as his shoulders started to relax, warmed and soothed beneath his mate's hands. The constant pain faded to a dull throb as old injuries slowly fell dormant.

The sensation didn't take him completely by surprise. He'd rubbed out sore spots for years, but the sheer effectiveness, the amount Goku could simply push away...he groaned as his mate started to rub harder and his head slipped sideways, falling back slightly as he panted in time to Goku's thrusts and pulls. Heaven. This had to be heaven.

Then Goku moved to his lower back, and Vegeta wondered how he could feel so good without having sex. He decided he'd command his mate to do this every day. Every half-day, maybe. Hardened muscles yielded along his back and sides, giving way to whatever his mate did.

"You're so tight," Goku whispered, working harder to please his mate.

"More," Vegeta hissed, throwing his head back on Goku's shoulder. "Don't stop. Don't even slow down."

To his delight, Goku didn't do either, snaking his arms around his front to rub the joints in his hips and then each thigh, down his legs, gently drawing them up so he could reach him easier. Then his left foot. He nearly passed out.

"No calluses," Goku wondered, hands working under his arch, "even with the way you kick. Those must be some boots."

Long minutes passed as he let his mate work him over. Not two days ago he would have cringed to have someone's hands on him casually, let alone so intimately. Now he wanted as much as Goku would give. He allowed himself to be manhandled, gently turned to face Goku, legs spread and placed over Goku's thighs just like the night before. Vegeta sighed that the job was over, but this was a good enough price for sex and after giving so much, Goku probably wanted something in return. As a last touch, Goku rubbed his hands one at a time, starting at the wrist and working up through each finger. Vegeta watched out of corner of his eye as he rested his head against his mate's chest. In a few seconds he'd be bouncing on his mate's lap, and while that would be nice enough now, painless and pleasing, he wished this would go on awhile longer.

To his surprise, Goku's tail came around his waist and merely held him there, caught bonelessly in his mate's embrace. He wasn't positioned any further, wasn't seated on a hard cock. He even felt Goku's legs cross behind him, holding him comfortably in place. To his delight, Goku started rubbing the back of his neck with his fingertips. He savored it, schooling his face to appear unimpressed but inwardly holding the affection close. Hadn't Goku felt his anger? What was his mate thinking? He took everything his third class baka offered and returned nothing. With a sigh he closed his eyes and drowsed, occasionally feeling a bit of the breeze around his mate's arms, warm and protected.

"You know, we still need to go shopping," Goku said. "We didn't even bring back the dinosaur."

From his quiet mumble, Vegeta clearly didn't care. "No matter. We'll hunt later and bring back something large enough to fill your kitchen."

Goku didn't argue. The previous surge of anger from his mate was gone. Even better, Vegeta didn't mind simply sitting with him, letting him touch his body. Chichi wouldn't have held still for any of it. She insisted they always lay in the dark, and after sex, she'd either get up out of bed and go do some housework, or she'd fall asleep, which wouldn't be so bad if she'd just fall asleep in his arms. But he was too warm, she swore he'd suffocate her. And even those moments of sex were far and few between now. Maybe it was because she didn't want to have another pregnancy. But she wouldn't even get down on her knees for him, or let him go down on her.

He breathed in the scent of Vegeta's hair. Here was a mate, a prince, who'd had him twice out of doors, on the ground, who would let Goku do whatever he wanted in a river where anyone could've seen, who'd sit naked with him in a forest. He noticed the gouge on Vegeta's throat, the half-circle his teeth had made, and he nuzzled the wound. Here was a mate who'd found a way to mix a bloody hunt with food with sex. And all he had to do was give up his marriage.

His stomach clenched. He couldn't give him up. Vegeta was so much more real than Chichi, more emotional, more intense. Even after less than a day, his wife was a vague memory, already pushed out of his mind by Vegeta, but he didn't know how everyone else would react. His friends, his soon to be ex-wife, his sons...he tightened his grip on his mate. It was worse knowing they were looking for him.

Who had Krillin told? Tien obviously, which meant Chaotzu had to know. Probably 18 and Roshi. And one of them would insist that Chichi know, and after her, everyone would find out. Vegeta seemed so sure that Trunks and Goten would back him up. Goku had to take his word for that. He hardly even knew his second son. But then he'd thought he didn't know the prince, and now he found that Vegeta had wanted him just as much.

Vegeta would be with him. That would be enough. He didn't belong to his friends or Chichi or his sons. There'd be repercussions, but he'd weather them with his mate. He belonged to Vegeta. Just as Vegeta belonged to him, even if he couldn't bring himself to say the words.

TBC...