Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Unlikely Bond ❯ Information ( Chapter 66 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: bdegrees 
Trunks and Vegeta have a little talk...
Anime/Manga: Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / / Hentai / Drama / Action | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 06.16.2007 | Pages: 9 | Words: 8.3K | Visits: 1.3K | Status: Work In Progress
Trunks and Vegeta have a little talk...
Anime/Manga: Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / / Hentai / Drama / Action | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 06.16.2007 | Pages: 9 | Words: 8.3K | Visits: 1.3K | Status: Work In Progress
Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ or any of the characters! If I did, the anime would never end and GT would have never happened!
Story notes: This takes place ten years after the Buu saga. The only differences I can think of is that the whole thing with the world tournament in the last episode never happened and Goku didn't leave to train Uub. I wouldn't count on anything from the movies being part of this story's time line either, 'cause I haven't seen them all and they usually don't fit into the show's time line anyway. Especially that Broly crap. Vegeta cried through, like, that whole movie! That certainly didn't happen in this story....but, that's a different rant altogether. Hope you enjoy!
PLEASE heed warning in story description!! If you missed it, this story is not for children! It is also not for people who do not like stories that contain elements of violence, strong language, adult situations, references to sex and sexual activity between men and women, and men and other men. Oh, and fictional alien men having babies...'cause that's a'happen' here folks...
To my wonderful, wonderful beta-reader, Rowina: Thank you, thank you....thank you... ^-^
Vegeta and Trunks had left the house without any concrete plans or destination in mind. The two had flown a short distance, just off of the Capsule Corp grounds, before they touched back down and continued on foot.
Theywalked sometime together in silence. Trunks seemed more interested in the scenery around them, so the prince decided to get the ball rolling.
“You wanted to talk?” he began. Trunks appeared startled by the question, as if pulled from some inner dialogue.
“Oh, yeah... yeah...” He rubbed his hands together nervously before shoving them into his pockets. “I did...” He sighed. “Can we sit somewhere?”
Vegeta gave a nod of assent, following his son toward a nearby stream and settling beside him on the bank.
“You seem agitated,” Vegeta observed.
“No,” Trunks insisted, “just... nervous... a bit...” He grinned self consciously. “We’ve never talked about... this kind of thing that I want to talk about, really...”
Vegeta raised an eyebrow in interest, but remained silent. Trunks was also quiet as he considered how to begin.
“Can I talk to you about anything, Papa?” he asked, his eyes intent on the grass beneath his legs. Vegeta gave another nod.
“Of course. If you feel the need. I am your father.”
There was silence between them again. Vegeta was about to ask another prompting question when Trunks asked one of his own.
“What was it like the first time you kissed Mom?” he rushed out. Vegeta blinked, taken aback by the personal nature of the question.
So... the boy wanted to talk about women...
“Uh, I...” the prince started, unsure of how to respond. Trunks gave a slight smile.
“You don’t have to answer, if you think that it’s too personal.”
Vegeta frowned.
“No, it’s not.” He took a deep breath and leaned back onto his palms. “What do you want to know about it?” Trunks turned to his father and asked earnestly.
“Do you remember it? Was it different from anyone else?”
“Of course I remember,” Vegeta scoffed, “...your mother is the most remarkable woman...”
***
Five days.
It had been five days since Bulma had seen anything of Vegeta. She had seen a few bits of evidence that he was returning to the house: clothes in the hamper, towels on the floor, food shortages...
But she hadn’t seen him, and she was concerned. She had looked out the window so many times that she lost count. After his accident with the gravity chamber, she finally had to admit her preoccupation with the surly Saiyan. During his recuperation, she hadn’t expected to become so sympathetic to him or the idea of his past, and she certainly never expected to give him a massage on the living room floor in an attempt to soothe his beast of a personality. And never would she have believed that one simple massage would turn the air around them thick with tension and a near palpable feeling that she was not quite ready to accept. He must have had similar feelings, for she hadn’t seem him since and was on the verge of being a woman obsessed. She had to cross paths with him eventually. And if she had things her way, that time would be tonight.
In the living room, she sat in her favorite rocking recliner and read a magazine by the light of a single lamp behind her. She turned the pages leisurely, but she was no longer reading. She was barely looking at the pictures.
Her mother’s cuckoo clock chimed two a.m. When the second chime ended, Bulma heard the door to the kitchen patio open and shut. Her heart skipped a beat and she stood, moving quietly into the next room.
Vegeta stopped in his tracks when he saw her. He was wearing nothing but his black training shorts but his appearance indicated that he had not been training. She could have sworn he even rolled his eyes.
“How are you feeling?” she asked him as he continued over to the fridge.
“I would be better if I could get back to training in the gravity chamber,” he replied, his deep voice sounding a bit irritated.
Bulma wrapped her arms around herself, not wanting to say anything to set him off. Why, of course, she couldn’t remember.
“Well, it will be done by tomorrow evening.” She tried to sound reassuring. “Do you want me to make you something to eat?” Vegeta narrowed his eyes at her.
Why was she being so...so accommodating? He slowly moved his eyes down her body. Her normally curly hair was rather tame today, falling in loose waves around her shoulders. She was dressed in her pajamas, a pink cotton camisole and pink shorts that were just a step up from being undergarments. She shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot as she waited for his reply.
“I can make pretty much anything... with the bots...” she spoke again. His eyes came up to meet hers.
“Why are you still up?” he asked abruptly. Bulma was a little taken aback. She knew he would probably question her motives, but she thought he might do it a little more internally.
“I..I wanted to make sure you were okay,” she replied with a feeble shrug.
“You doubt my ability to rehabilitate?” he asked in an accusing tone.
“No, Vegeta, I don’t. I...” She realized that he was approaching her, slowly, menacingly. She took a step back, stopping against the kitchen wall. “I..”
Vegeta advanced on her. He was tired, his inability to train or to concentrate was pushing his limits. The woman was bringing up feelings and yearnings that he had abandoned, had told himself were nonessential. Even while away from her it was almost impossible to ignore... and when in her presence, it was unavoidable. What was she up to?
“You what?” he sneered, coming to stand just a foot away from her. He was barely two inches taller than her, but at this moment his presence seemed to dwarf her.
“I...I just wanted to know for my own benefit,” she stated firmly.
Vegeta couldn’t believe that.
“I thought I already made it clear to you that I fully intend to push my abilities to meet this android menace. You need not worry for your safety.”
Bulma frowned, her face flushing with anger.
“I wasn’t worried about me, you ass -- I was worried about you!” she snapped, keeping her voice low enough to not disturb the household. Vegeta was incensed.
“Are you suggesting that I am helpless?”
“No!” Bulma’s voice was thick with shock that he would even imagine such a thing. “No, I just... just...” She felt her skin grow warm from embarrassment, and she looked down at the floor. “Just for my own peace of mind...” she admitted.
She lifted her eyes slowly from the floor, pulling them with purpose over his finely muscled legs, his groin, his flat abdomen... his chest...
Vegeta watched in amazement as her fear smoothly transitioned into the scent of lust. He swallowed, something snapping inside of him. He grabbed her by the arm and pushed her further into the wall, growling down into her upturned face.
“What is your idea, woman?” he demanded in a low tone. “Why are you so concerned with me?”
Bulma struggled against his grip. She could feel the warmth of his body covering hers, and her breathing sped up.
“Well?” Vegeta demanded. “What is your game? What are you trying to do to me?”
Bulma became calm at his last question. What was she trying to do to him? She knew the answer, of course, but she knew she needed to present it to him in a way that a Saiyan prince could accept. It would be the truth, just disguised.
She brought her hand up to his chest, laying it against his bare skin and lifting her eyes to meet his. Her voice was barely a whisper as she spoke.
“I’m trying to please you, Vegeta,” she spoke huskily. “To please you.” She ran her hand up to his shoulder and down his arm to rest on the hand that held her in a vice like grip.
Vegeta leaned in to her, causing her to take in a deep, unsteady breath as she wondered how exactly he would react.
“Oh...” he whispered hoarsely, the heat of his breath tickling her ear. “I am pleased, woman.”
Bulma felt a rush of relief wash over her, and she leaned into his body, her arms wrapping around him with a natural ease. He brought his hand up to her neck, holding her against him with primal possessiveness. Bulma rested her head against his shoulder, and could feel the steady thumping of his heart. While she didn’t exactly know where this was going in the future, she knew that it felt incredibly right right now.
“Come to bed with me,” she murmured, turning her face up to his throat, laying a gentle kiss there.
The offer gave Vegeta an odd feeling that he couldn’t quite identify, but it felt something like pride.
“Do you know what you are asking?” he answered her, rubbing his cheek across the bare skin of her shoulder. Bulma pulled away from him and looked up into his eyes.
“I know exactly what I’m asking you. Are you accepting?” His emotionless, cold black eyes stared deep into hers, trying to locate any shred or whisper of deceit, but he could find none. Her words and actions only seemed to speak truth.
Slowly, he nodded his assent.
Bulma took his hand and snapped off the kitchen light, leading him up the stairs. Once inside her room, she turned from him and shut the door. Before she could turn back, Vegeta pulled her into his arms, looking down upon her with intense curiosity. Bulma closed her eyes and leaned up to him, her lips gently brushing against his. Vegeta felt desire bloom inside of him and leaned into her kiss, surprised when she opened her mouth to him. His mind raged at him to stop, to question her motives and demand answers. But his heart was tired and heavy... and he wanted to trust... Slowly, he explored her mouth with his tongue, his own eyes closing, his hands coming up to her face.
Bulma was stunned by the sheer gentleness of his action, his almost hesitancy to touch her. She delighted in the taste of him, the masculine scent of his body, the feel of his skin.
She slipped her arms around his neck and submitted to him as his kisses became more deliberate and intense. Bulma gave a wavering moan of excitement as he lifted her into his arms and carried her to the bed.
***
Trunks watched the expression on his father’s face, certain the older Saiyan had to be reliving the moment in his mind. It made him smile.
It took Vegeta just a moment to realize he hadn’t answered the question, and he began to speak somewhat diffidently.
“It was different, yes, than any other... there was a magnitude of feeling, eh... emotion, I suppose... yet, a sense of calming...” It felt alien to him to speak of such a thing out loud, but he wanted to answer his son’s question. He had been deficient in his fatherly duties long enough. And it was not a difficult question... he could remember the first time he felt Bulma’s lips on his like it was yesterday. Their first kiss proceeded their first sexual union as well, another moment forever emblazoned on his mind.
That, of course, he would keep to himself.
“When did you know she was ‘the one’?” Trunks asked quietly, sparing the prince of any further description. Vegeta turned to him, his brows arching in confusion.
“The what?”
“The one,” Trunks repeated. “The last person you would ever be with or ever want to be with.”
The prince grimaced. The boy certainly got his romantic notions from his mother. What kind of answer was he looking for?
Vegeta knew he could only give him the truth.
“I’m not sure,” he stated honestly. “I was a much different man when your mother and I first met... but she was just as infuriating.” Trunks smiled. Vegeta took a deep breath and released it in a sigh. “I suppose I thought she was ‘the one’ when I realized that I wanted to trust her -- not that I trusted her yet – but that I wanted to be able to.” Trunks smiled softened.
“That must have been hard for you,” he spoke quietly.
“It still is,” Vegeta replied with a small laugh. “But I have no evidence of any mystical bond between your mother and I -- not that I have evidence that there isn’t one, either.” The boy’s smiled returned. “Your mother and I are committed to each other. That is what is important.”
Trunks nodded, turning from his father and looking down into the rippling water of the stream. Vegeta watched the boy carefully.
“You are young yet, son,” he said evenly. “Don’t be concerned with finding yourself a mate. It happens in its own time. When it is ready -- not when you are.”
Trunks could feel his ears started to burn with embarrassment.
“It’s... it’s not that, Papa.”
“Oh?” the prince said, interested.
Trunks took a deep breath, running his hand through his hair before turning to face his father again.
“I haven’t been perfectly honest with you, Papa, and I want to rectify that.”
Once again, the prince’s eyebrows rose.
“Oh?” he repeated.
Trunks’ eyes darted from Vegeta’s gaze, but he could still feel his father’s dark eyes upon him. How could he put this?
“When we talked last night, while technically accurate, I was not exactly forthcoming.”
Vegeta played the conversation over in his head, trying to analyze what was said -- what could have been a deception, yet still contain ‘technical accuracy’.
“So... you are courting someone then?” he asked.
Trunks gave a slow nod.
“A couple of days ago something extraordinary, yet unexpected, happened,” the younger man spoke. Vegeta remained quiet. “I hope you are not disappointed, but...” He took a final breath to set his nerve. “Goten and I have decided to see each other... romantically...” Trunks grimaced as he watched his father’s eyebrows rise a little higher. He turned away again, speaking quickly. “I know I told you we weren’t together like that... and we weren’t at that time... but recently... I don’t know... It was just... right.”
Cautiously, he brought his eyes back to Vegeta’s face. The prince was staring evenly back at him.
“Is that all?” Vegeta asked. Trunks’ eyes widened, and the blush moved in to color his cheeks.
“What do you mean?” he asked. His father shrugged.
“I assume you and Goten kept this to yourselves for a good reason?”
“We weren’t ready to tell anyone,” the boy answered. Vegeta’s brow creased in confusion.
“Then why tell me?”
“Because,” Trunks explained, “I didn’t want you to think I lied to you.”
Vegeta didn’t quite know how to respond to that. Was the boy still afraid of him?
“You’re a man now,” he told his son. “You’re allowed to have some say in your own life.”
“I understand that,” Trunks continued, “but...” He shook his head, as if unsure his father could understand. “Of everyone... I wanted you to know. I wanted you to trust me, and I didn’t want there to be any doubt, whatsoever, that would give you cause to think I could ever intentionally deceive you.”
Vegeta felt a swell of pride as he looked upon the lavender haired prince.
“There would have been no doubt,” he stated assuredly. “I trust your principals. I trust you.”
“Thank you, Dad,” Trunks said with a sigh. “I... I’m really happy to hear that.”
The two Saiyans fell into silence a moment. Vegeta focused on the clear blue sky overhead until his attention was drawn by Trunks’ laughter.
“I’m sorry,” Trunks said, sighing again. “I just... this isn’t a conversation I thought we would ever have, nor is it how I imagined it going.”
“You thought I would disapprove?” his father asked.
“Well, not really. You did say before that it didn’t matter. But there is always that small place in the back of my mind telling me that you wouldn’t want me with the ‘child of Kakkarot’.”
Vegeta shook his head.
“I suppose I have that small voice as well. But I will tell you something - and if you are anything like your mother, you will rush home and blab to that son of a third class clown-” Trunks choked on a laugh. “If I would have you with anyone, it would be with someone whom I know you trust and respect... And more importantly, whom you can beat down if you are ever betrayed.”
“Papa,” Trunks groaned, knowing full well his father was joking. At least, he hoped. “You know Goten would never betray anyone in our family.” Vegeta nodded.
“I know.”
Trunks smiled, leaning back and staring up into the sky.
“We’re good together, I think. He’s... he’s a really wonderful person.”
Vegeta couldn’t disagree. He had never disliked Goten. When he was a child, his resemblance to Kakkarot was comforting in the third class’ absence. As the boy grew older, his reverence of the prince was flattering, to say the least. His total obliviousness to the fact that Vegeta could possibly despise him made it impossible to do so. And most recently, his attempts to protect the princess, his ingenuity and determination in the face of impossible odds, had earned him a modicum of the prince’s respect. Yes, the boy was a good match for his son by any standards. Even though Trunks confessed to this relationship’s recent development, Vegeta could not recall the two ever being apart. They were like a constant, yet balancing force. Goten could possibly be ‘the one’.
“Don’t get that boy pregnant,” Vegeta warned with a growl. Trunks paled, his skin tinging blue.
“Dad, it’s not like that,” he breathed. Vegeta smirked.
“Yet,” he stated. “But you’ve already admitted that this relationship happened suddenly. Don’t underestimate the mind numbing power of attraction.” He pointed to the young man as he finished. “It’s brought down bigger men than you.”
Trunks swallowed nervously as he considered his father’s words. Although he fully intended to take it slow, he had already had two instances of forgetting that same intention.
“I cannot comprehend the nature of this relationship you have with Goten,” Vegeta continued. “The only relationship I’ve ever had that even remotely compares is the one I have with your mother. And... and I know that is powerful.” Trunks felt that his father appeared slightly embarrassed at speaking so fondly and intimately of Bulma. “I... I can only wish something equal for you.”
“Well,” Trunks admitted, “we’re taking it one day at a time... seeing where it goes.”
Vegeta’s tone was serious as he voiced his next question.
“You aren’t concerned that this might change the nature of your relationship too drastically?”
Trunks grinned.
“We’ve talked about that. Goten and I are solid. I have no concerns like that.”
“But you do have concerns,” his father added. The young prince shrugged.
“Of course. I worry I’m not everything he could need. I worry that I just might be. Does that mean we’ll get married? Am I tying him down too young?-”
“Hush,” Vegeta announced. “Enough. Go back to taking things slow and having no concerns.”
“Yes, sir,” Trunks answered with an amused tone. Vegeta sighed.
“So, this is what you wanted to share with me, hm?” he asked. “That you are courting that boy?” Trunks nodded.The prince stood and Trunks rose with him. “Not that you asked, but I give my approval -- for now.”
“Thank you. That means a lot -- to us both.”
Vegeta grimaced.
“You are like your mother,” he stated, but continued seriously. “Tread lightly, son. If all fares well, you will have to go through his mother next.”
Trunks felt his stomach lurch at the idea. He had almost forgotten Chi Chi!
Vegeta gave his son a hearty clap on the back, prompting him in the direction of the house.
If this were to become known, he had a feeling life at Capsule Corp would become even more tense... if that was even possible.
“You ready to go?” he asked the younger teen. Goten grinned and gave a nod.
“Sure thing. Just as soon as I finish getting my ass thoroughly kicked --”
“Done!” Bulla announced. The three watched as Bulla’s black-clad ninja beheaded Goten’s character, and the announcer declared a ‘perfect’ match.
“Well, at least I still have my pride,” Goten laughed. “I think.”
“Well, get your gear, and we’ll get out of here,” Trunks replied.
“I’ll go get my stuff!” Bulla informed them as she shut off the game system. Trunks gave a curious look to his friend.
“Oh,” Goten spoke, “I told her she could come along. That’s cool, right?”
Trunks seemed at a loss for words a moment before he parroted his friend.
“Right.”
“Wrong.”
Bulla gasped at the contradiction, but recovered quickly upon realizing that it was spoken by her father.
“Why not!?” she demanded. Goten took a slight step away as the prince entered the room.
“Because,” Vegeta answered, his eyes intent on Goten until the boy looked away. “I require your time today.”
Bulla frowned.
“For what?”
Vegeta scowled at her, clearly displeased at being questioned.
“What is more important: one afternoon wasted playing in sand, or one spent preparing your mind to control the Saiyan second form?” Bulla bit her lip. “If you have changed your mind, tell me now. I have many more ways I could spend my afternoons.”
“Okay, Papa,” Bulla agreed. “I’d rather train.” She turned to the boys. “Can we go some other day?”
“Of course,” Trunks told her, smiling warmly. He felt bad for his sister, but was proud of her at the same time. “How about next Friday?” The princess nodded.
“Where are we training today, Papa?” she asked.
“Go wait for me in the gravity room. I will be there shortly,” he replied. Goten could have sworn his heart stopped beating as he watched the young girl leave, leaving him alone with Vegeta and Trunks. The prince turned then to his son.
“Your mother called from the lab and asked me to send you there before you disappear for the afternoon,” he said.
“Okay,” Trunks responded, looking to his watch. “I’ll head right over. Goten, I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
“Sure,” the younger Saiyan replied with a look that clearly shouted ‘don’t leave me!’
Both Vegeta and Goten were silent as the teen prince left the room.
“So,” Vegeta began, turning to Goten once they were alone. “Will you still be training with your father, the girl and myself?”
Goten, who had been preparing himself for an entirely different line of questioning, let out a sigh of relief.
“Of course! Unless... unless you no longer want to train me.”
Vegeta grimaced.
“Why wouldn’t I?” he asked. “You are one of very few Saiyans left. You should know how to fight like one.” He was going to add ‘so you can pass on this training to your children’, but thought better of it.
Goten nodded, licking his lips as his mouth seemed to go very dry.
“So... so you’re not mad at me?”
Vegeta raised a brow in amusement.
“Should I be?”
Goten shrugged.
“Didn’t... didn’t Trunks tell you about... us?”
Vegeta gave a sharp laugh that made the younger man wince.
“You think that’s a shock, boy?” he stated. “It’s something I’ve long suspected.”
“Hey,” Goten said in mock offense, then smiled. He was quiet a moment, watching the older Saiyan.
“We are training tomorrow in the fields, rain or shine,” Vegeta told him, turning from the room. “I expect you there without a whole lot of whining about how late you worked.”
Goten nodded. Vegeta was at the doorway before the boy felt compelled to speak
“I won’t hurt him, Uncle...” Vegeta paused, but did not turn back. Goten continued in a quiet tone. “He means the world to me... I’d sooner die than make him unhappy.”
“Save such sentiment for him, boy,” the prince replied in a neutral tone. “You owe no explanation to me.”
Goten smiled.
“I see.”
Vegeta left the den, heading for the gravity room. He really had no ill feelings toward the boys and their relationship. He too wanted to see his son happy.
But when their arrangement became public knowledge, he feared for his little girl.
“Well? What did he say?”
Trunks gave a small laugh.
“What did he say? What did he say to you?”
Goten shrugged and leaned back on the bed, resting on his elbows.
“He told he that we have training tomorrow. Now spill it. What happened?”
Trunks took a deep breath, looking thoughtful as he came to settle beside his friend.
“He didn’t say much. He pretty much just accepted it and said that he approved.”
Goten grimaced.
“He told me he always suspected...”
Trunks laughed lightly, lying back beside his friend and staring at the ceiling.
“Then why didn’t we?”
“Good question,” Goten admitted, rolling onto his side. Trunks turned to look at him, and they took a quiet moment just to look into each other’s eyes...
Before they burst out laughing.
“You just came out of the closet to your dad!” Goten teased.
“Yeah, but I pushed you out in front of me,” Trunks informed him. “I blamed you. I told him it was all of those times you molested me at night.” Goten frowned.
“You enjoyed it.” Trunks shook his head, giving the other boy a punch in the arm. Goten grabbed him by the wrist before he could withdraw his hand. “Dude... you didn’t really blame me, did you?”
Trunks rolled his eyes.
“No... Dad already knows it was your fault.”
“Prick.”
Goten got to his knees and returned the punch. Trunks laughed as he caught the other’s hand in his.
“Seriously,” Trunks said to him, pulling sharply and bringing Goten down over him. “Dad’s fine with it. I’m fine with it... how are you?”
Goten sighed, crossing his arms over Trunks’ chest and resting his chin on his forearms.
“I’m fine...” he said with a small shrug.
“I’m overcome with confidence,” Trunks spoke dryly. He watched his friend quietly for a moment, an uneasy feeling beginning to squirm in his stomach until he felt compelled to ask: “Are you really?”
Goten smiled.
“Yeah. I just...” He sighed. “I just feel like, because of me -- because of the kinda guy I am -- I might, inadvertently, move us too fast.... rush you into stuff... I mean, we just started seeing each other, and look what happened the other night! That was all me!”
Trunks gave an unimpressed smirk and raised an eyebrow.
“Well, where the hell was I?” he asked. Goten groaned and rolled over to sit up.
“Look at your reputation, and look at mine. You know what I mean. What other couple do you know that just hops into bed on the first date? I am a man-whore.”
Trunks pulled himself up to sit beside Goten, nudging the younger boy’s knee with his own.
“No, you’re not,” he told him. “There is nothing wrong with physical affection, as long as it’s with the right person.”
“It’s still possible to rush the right person,” Goten grumbled. “Maybe I shouldn’t sleep in here with you anymore, at least...”
“Goten,” Trunks began calmly, “you and I have shared a bed since childhood.”
“But it’s different now!” Goten insisted.
“Different how?” the older Saiyan pressed. Goten was quiet momentarily as he searched for an answer.
“Different like... like stuff could happen...” he admitted lamely.
“Look,” Trunks said, slipping his arm around the other boy, “you and I are not like any other couple. We’ve been so close for so long... we’re like two people who have dated for years. We’re not two strangers who have been together for a couple of days. We have a lifetime of history together...” He leaned his forehead against Goten’s temple. “Nothing is going to happen that we are not ready for.”
Goten nodded slowly.
“We?” He turned to look at his dearest friend, keeping his forehead against the other’s. “I worry that we won’t be ready at the same time... I’ve done things with people that I don’t care about near as much... I worry I’m a bad influence.” It surprised him that Trunks actually laughed.
“Of course you’re a bad influence,” he said. “It’s your turn. In another five years, it will be my turn again.”
Goten grinned and shook his head.
“I’m trying to be serious here, you jackass.”
Trunks stood and looked down upon his friend. Could there be more to what he was saying? Trunks frowned.
“Goten,” he spoke in a low tone, “if you’re worried about what we might do because you are not ready, just know I would never do anything you didn’t want.”
“Gah!” Goten exclaimed. “What the hell?!” Trunks was taken aback by his reaction.
“What?”
“Geez... you say that like I think you’re a predator or something! But it’s not what I don’t want that concerns me, it’s what I do want. I was the one all over you, remember? I was the one being pushy...”
Trunks smiled, placing his hands on Goten’s shoulders.
“You have nothing to worry about,” he assured him. “You’re acting like I was an unwilling participant.”
Goten shrugged.
“Well, you’ve held out this long waiting for someone special --” Trunks didn’t give him a chance to continue.
“You are special,” he insisted. “I’ve enjoyed everything. I regret nothing.”
Goten smirked.
“Perv.”
Trunks dropped his head and groaned.
“C’mon, let’s just get out of here before the day is gone, and you have to go rip up the Capsule Corp grounds to install new sprinkler pipes.” Goten reached out and took the hand Trunks offered, and was helped to his feet. Trunks gave him a friendly smile.
“So... you’re not worried?” Goten asked him. Trunks shook his head.
“Nope. I’m not about to let this make our relationship regress. I’m confident.”
Goten grinned, nodding in agreement. Trunks was right, their relationship had already hit many of the milestones that are remarkable in a ‘traditional’ couple’s relationship. They hadmet each other parents, they knew each others dreams and fears, strengths and weaknesses. Not only did they genuinely like each other, but they had a deep understanding and respect for each other as well. They had the perfect relationship! Everthing that came next was just icing on the cake...
“He’ll be right back,” Goku assured the infant as he moved past him to sit on the sofa. The baby craned his neck to follow where his parent moved. “He’s just a little testy.”
“Don’t talk about me behind my back,” Vegeta said curtly as he entered the room. Vejita gave a squeal, turning to look upon his father.
“Technically, it’s in front of your face.” Goku smiled, watching Vegeta lean down to take the baby into his arms. Vegeta wasn’t smiling, himself. “...It was only spit up...” the tall Saiyan said quietly, earning a glare from the prince.
“That doesn’t mean I want it on me,” Vegeta informed him. Goku smiled wider as the older Saiyan settled at his side. Not on the other side of the room, or at the opposite end of the couch, but right at his side.
Vegeta watched his youngest son as the infant grasped at his own tail, his eyes intent on trying to watch the squirming appendage. Vegeta brought his own tail up into the child’s vision, a near smile coming to his face as the infant’s eyes grew wide in wonder at the new sight.
“It’s hard to believe that at this time next year they will be the size of elementary school children...” Goku mused. Vegeta gave a nod of agreement. It was with a small amount of trepidation that Goku began again. “But right now, they are still such tiny babies...you... you’re not really taking Vejita into the woods so young, are you?”
Vegeta turned to him, his expression one of disbelief.
“Kakkarot,” he snapped, “I told you that I was not serious! Don’t be a fool.” The prince gave an indignant huff as he stared out across the room, not sure he could bring his gaze back to the third class. “I only said that because I knew that is what you were afraid I was going to say...” Goku grimaced sheepishly. Vegeta continued, “I wouldn’t really take a child into the wilderness... not even a Saiyan child. Not yet. Not so young.... not my own.”
Goku cuddled Ninji as he considered what the prince just said.
“I was just a baby still in diapers when my grandpa Gohan found me... I wonder how old I was...”
“You couldn’t have been much older than six earth months, if that...” Vegeta answered, even though the question was probably rhetorical. “Frieza was a twisted bastard...”
Goku didn’t comment, but nodded in agreement. The two men sat in silence with their sons for several moments. They had come so far since those times...
“If it’s not too personal a question...” Goku began. Vegeta raised an eyebrow in interest. “If you could have one wish, as who you are now... what would it be?”
“The power to defeat any enemy,” Vegeta answered without hesitation. “The power to keep my family from harm.”
“Ah...” Goku said with a nod. “That’s a good answer... I was thinking ‘magical unlimited food pantry’.”
Vegeta choked out a laugh before he could compose himself.
“Yes, I suppose you would.” It was also a little sobering to know that Kakkarot didn’t need a wish like his. Kakkarot seemed to be able to surmount any threat.
Their philosophical pondering was interrupted when the front door opened and Trunks came inside.
“Hi,” he greeted them.
“Where have you been?” Vegeta asked. Trunks shrugged, running a hand through his hair.
“Well, after I walked Goten next door, I got kind of sidetracked in the lab. I’m almost finished with my nursebot prototype.”
“Cool,” Goku stated. “He doesn’t have needles. My kind of nurse.”
Trunks laughed.
“No, he should be equipped with a few different types of medication once I construct a larger housing for his hardware,” Goku turned a bit blue at this news. “The current model is only large enough to house three shots of epinephrine.”
“Ah,” Goku replied. Trunks continued.
“Well, I’m gonna head to bed. I’m sure you don’t want to hear any more about shots --”
“No, we don’t want to keep you up!” Goku insisted. Trunks laughed again, giving them a wave.
“Good night. ”
Goku gave a shiver as he tried to push the thoughts of hypodermics out of his mind. He spoke to change the subject.
“It’s got to be great to have such a good friend,” he remarked on Trunks and his own son. “Someone you are really close to.” Vegeta gave a non-committal grunt in reply. “What?” Goku challenged. “You don’t think so? You don’t think it would be awesome to have someone you could share everything with?”
Vegeta grimaced.
“I have a wife.”
Goku looked wistfully toward the doorway where Trunks had disappeared.
“That’s not the same... You’ll see, Vegeta,” he spoke with certainty. “You and I will be friends like that someday.”
Vegeta gave an amused snort.
“That’s unlikely,” he replied. Goku turned to him, a slight look of hurt in his eyes.
“Why?”
Vegeta shifted uncomfortably, his tail returning to coil tightly at his waist.
“Because... what they have is... the bond of childhood friends. Our relationship can never really be like that one.”
Goku considered that a moment.
“... I suppose...” He perked up. “But we’ll be close!”
Vegeta sighed, adjusting the now snoozing infant in his arms so he could stand.
“It is time to put them down. We shall see how well this child sleeps tonight...”
“Right,” Goku agreed. Vegeta looked over his shoulder at the taller Saiyan as he walked away.
“Bring those blankets.”
Goku nodded, rising from the sofa as well. He picked up the pastel green blanket and draped it over Ninji before leaning down to pick up the yellow one. He tossed the butter-colored cloth over his shoulder as he moved to follow the prince.
Goku paused.
Slowly, he turned and looked at the infant blanket. He dropped his head, raising his shoulder to bring the fabric closer to his nose. His nerves began to hum as he breathed in the subtle scent that unmistakably belonged to the prince of Saiyans. It was faint, probably undetectable to a human past the smell of fabric softener. But not to his Saiyan senses, still noticeably heightened since his pregnancy.
Goku stood still a moment. No wonder Vegeta’s scent calmed the infants; it was doing quite a job calming him. At the same time, he was amazed with the way the scent of heat and spice and fire spoke to his Saiyan nature, drawing out his primal need to... spar.
Goku looked down at his child, who was staring back at him with the same dark eyes as his father.
“It looks like your little brother likes the way Daddy smells,” Goku told him with a grin, carrying him upstairs to the nursery.
Vegeta was standing at the changing table, trying to coax the blonde prince into a footied sleeper. He seemed more self conscious now that Goku joined him. The younger Saiyan came to stand at his side, looking down at the way the baby held tightly to his father with his hands and his tail.
Vegeta gave a small grunt of irritation as he uncoiled the wirey, honey colored tail from around his wrist in order to thread it through the pajamas. Goku chuckled, picked up another pair of tiny pajamas and went to lay Ninji in his crib.
“Tell me something, Vegeta,” he began as he undressed and redressed the co-operative infant. “When you hold Veji at night, do you cover him with a blanket?”
Vegeta bristled at the nickname, and frowned as he considered the odd question.
“Infants like to be swaddled,” he stated. “Are you going to lecture me about it being too hot? Because the air units keep the temperature ridiculously cool in this house. Nothing like our native world.”
“No,” Goku replied, “just curious.” He watched little Ninji yawn and blink his heavily lashed lids before turning his head and drifting to sleep. Goku turned to the prince. “When you laid him down last night, was he wrapped up tight?”
“As good as I could manage,” Vegeta answered tightly, snatching the blanket of Goku’s shoulder. “I’m a warrior, not a nurse maid!” Goku chuckled.
“I know,”
Vegeta laid the blanket in the crib and put his son upon it.
“He moved about too much in his sleep. He cried only when he worked the blanket off,” he explained.
“I see,” Goku said as he watched his fellow Saiyan wrap the blanket around the baby. “Maybe... maybe he moved ‘cause he was uncomfortable? Gohan was a tummy sleeper when he was a baby.” Vegeta raised a brow.
“Tummy?” he asked dryly.
“You know,” Goku laughed. “Bulma said it was okay to put him on his stomach once he rolled over.” Vegeta stood to the side and motioned Goku to the crib.
“The child rolls enough to circle the globe,” he remarked with a frown. “That one,” he said, indicating the other twin, “will sleep on his back until he is eighteen.”
Goku laughed, picking up Vejita and held him to his shoulder as he laid the yellow blanket flat. The tiny prince made coos and clicking sounds to keep himself awake, but his eyes couldn’t fight closing. Vegeta reached up and ran a hand over the child’s soft peak of hair.
“Stay asleep,” he instructed in a warning tone. The infant’s tail swished happily at the direct attention.
Once the blanket was flat, Goku placed the blonde face down on his belly, and folded the side of the blanket over him. The baby kicked his legs for a moment, his fists closing over the fabric before he began to coo again.
Vegeta turned off the nursery light, leaving the only illumination from the crib-side lamp.
“I’ll wait to see if they wake,” he told Goku.
“I’ll wait with you,” Goku offered, sitting in an armchair by the crib. Vegeta frowned.
“You don’t have to,” he said.
“I know. But I want to,” Goku returned with a smile. Vegeta stared at him a moment, and Goku braced himself for a rebuttal.
The prince said nothing.
He crossed to the rocking chair and sat, silently drumming his fingers on the arm.
The Saiyans waited, listening to the soft gurgling sounds Vejita made as he fought sleep. It was not long, however, until the room was silent. But the two remained, sharing a companionable silence. And while neither would admit it to the other, at this point in their relationship, both Saiyans were acutely aware at that same moment that this was their family together.
Where they both saw their family unit six months down the road, however, couldn’t have been more different...
Story notes: This takes place ten years after the Buu saga. The only differences I can think of is that the whole thing with the world tournament in the last episode never happened and Goku didn't leave to train Uub. I wouldn't count on anything from the movies being part of this story's time line either, 'cause I haven't seen them all and they usually don't fit into the show's time line anyway. Especially that Broly crap. Vegeta cried through, like, that whole movie! That certainly didn't happen in this story....but, that's a different rant altogether. Hope you enjoy!
PLEASE heed warning in story description!! If you missed it, this story is not for children! It is also not for people who do not like stories that contain elements of violence, strong language, adult situations, references to sex and sexual activity between men and women, and men and other men. Oh, and fictional alien men having babies...'cause that's a'happen' here folks...
To my wonderful, wonderful beta-reader, Rowina: Thank you, thank you....thank you... ^-^
Unlikely Bond
Chapter 66
Information
Chapter 66
Information
Vegeta and Trunks had left the house without any concrete plans or destination in mind. The two had flown a short distance, just off of the Capsule Corp grounds, before they touched back down and continued on foot.
Theywalked sometime together in silence. Trunks seemed more interested in the scenery around them, so the prince decided to get the ball rolling.
“You wanted to talk?” he began. Trunks appeared startled by the question, as if pulled from some inner dialogue.
“Oh, yeah... yeah...” He rubbed his hands together nervously before shoving them into his pockets. “I did...” He sighed. “Can we sit somewhere?”
Vegeta gave a nod of assent, following his son toward a nearby stream and settling beside him on the bank.
“You seem agitated,” Vegeta observed.
“No,” Trunks insisted, “just... nervous... a bit...” He grinned self consciously. “We’ve never talked about... this kind of thing that I want to talk about, really...”
Vegeta raised an eyebrow in interest, but remained silent. Trunks was also quiet as he considered how to begin.
“Can I talk to you about anything, Papa?” he asked, his eyes intent on the grass beneath his legs. Vegeta gave another nod.
“Of course. If you feel the need. I am your father.”
There was silence between them again. Vegeta was about to ask another prompting question when Trunks asked one of his own.
“What was it like the first time you kissed Mom?” he rushed out. Vegeta blinked, taken aback by the personal nature of the question.
So... the boy wanted to talk about women...
“Uh, I...” the prince started, unsure of how to respond. Trunks gave a slight smile.
“You don’t have to answer, if you think that it’s too personal.”
Vegeta frowned.
“No, it’s not.” He took a deep breath and leaned back onto his palms. “What do you want to know about it?” Trunks turned to his father and asked earnestly.
“Do you remember it? Was it different from anyone else?”
“Of course I remember,” Vegeta scoffed, “...your mother is the most remarkable woman...”
***
Five days.
It had been five days since Bulma had seen anything of Vegeta. She had seen a few bits of evidence that he was returning to the house: clothes in the hamper, towels on the floor, food shortages...
But she hadn’t seen him, and she was concerned. She had looked out the window so many times that she lost count. After his accident with the gravity chamber, she finally had to admit her preoccupation with the surly Saiyan. During his recuperation, she hadn’t expected to become so sympathetic to him or the idea of his past, and she certainly never expected to give him a massage on the living room floor in an attempt to soothe his beast of a personality. And never would she have believed that one simple massage would turn the air around them thick with tension and a near palpable feeling that she was not quite ready to accept. He must have had similar feelings, for she hadn’t seem him since and was on the verge of being a woman obsessed. She had to cross paths with him eventually. And if she had things her way, that time would be tonight.
In the living room, she sat in her favorite rocking recliner and read a magazine by the light of a single lamp behind her. She turned the pages leisurely, but she was no longer reading. She was barely looking at the pictures.
Her mother’s cuckoo clock chimed two a.m. When the second chime ended, Bulma heard the door to the kitchen patio open and shut. Her heart skipped a beat and she stood, moving quietly into the next room.
Vegeta stopped in his tracks when he saw her. He was wearing nothing but his black training shorts but his appearance indicated that he had not been training. She could have sworn he even rolled his eyes.
“How are you feeling?” she asked him as he continued over to the fridge.
“I would be better if I could get back to training in the gravity chamber,” he replied, his deep voice sounding a bit irritated.
Bulma wrapped her arms around herself, not wanting to say anything to set him off. Why, of course, she couldn’t remember.
“Well, it will be done by tomorrow evening.” She tried to sound reassuring. “Do you want me to make you something to eat?” Vegeta narrowed his eyes at her.
Why was she being so...so accommodating? He slowly moved his eyes down her body. Her normally curly hair was rather tame today, falling in loose waves around her shoulders. She was dressed in her pajamas, a pink cotton camisole and pink shorts that were just a step up from being undergarments. She shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot as she waited for his reply.
“I can make pretty much anything... with the bots...” she spoke again. His eyes came up to meet hers.
“Why are you still up?” he asked abruptly. Bulma was a little taken aback. She knew he would probably question her motives, but she thought he might do it a little more internally.
“I..I wanted to make sure you were okay,” she replied with a feeble shrug.
“You doubt my ability to rehabilitate?” he asked in an accusing tone.
“No, Vegeta, I don’t. I...” She realized that he was approaching her, slowly, menacingly. She took a step back, stopping against the kitchen wall. “I..”
Vegeta advanced on her. He was tired, his inability to train or to concentrate was pushing his limits. The woman was bringing up feelings and yearnings that he had abandoned, had told himself were nonessential. Even while away from her it was almost impossible to ignore... and when in her presence, it was unavoidable. What was she up to?
“You what?” he sneered, coming to stand just a foot away from her. He was barely two inches taller than her, but at this moment his presence seemed to dwarf her.
“I...I just wanted to know for my own benefit,” she stated firmly.
Vegeta couldn’t believe that.
“I thought I already made it clear to you that I fully intend to push my abilities to meet this android menace. You need not worry for your safety.”
Bulma frowned, her face flushing with anger.
“I wasn’t worried about me, you ass -- I was worried about you!” she snapped, keeping her voice low enough to not disturb the household. Vegeta was incensed.
“Are you suggesting that I am helpless?”
“No!” Bulma’s voice was thick with shock that he would even imagine such a thing. “No, I just... just...” She felt her skin grow warm from embarrassment, and she looked down at the floor. “Just for my own peace of mind...” she admitted.
She lifted her eyes slowly from the floor, pulling them with purpose over his finely muscled legs, his groin, his flat abdomen... his chest...
Vegeta watched in amazement as her fear smoothly transitioned into the scent of lust. He swallowed, something snapping inside of him. He grabbed her by the arm and pushed her further into the wall, growling down into her upturned face.
“What is your idea, woman?” he demanded in a low tone. “Why are you so concerned with me?”
Bulma struggled against his grip. She could feel the warmth of his body covering hers, and her breathing sped up.
“Well?” Vegeta demanded. “What is your game? What are you trying to do to me?”
Bulma became calm at his last question. What was she trying to do to him? She knew the answer, of course, but she knew she needed to present it to him in a way that a Saiyan prince could accept. It would be the truth, just disguised.
She brought her hand up to his chest, laying it against his bare skin and lifting her eyes to meet his. Her voice was barely a whisper as she spoke.
“I’m trying to please you, Vegeta,” she spoke huskily. “To please you.” She ran her hand up to his shoulder and down his arm to rest on the hand that held her in a vice like grip.
Vegeta leaned in to her, causing her to take in a deep, unsteady breath as she wondered how exactly he would react.
“Oh...” he whispered hoarsely, the heat of his breath tickling her ear. “I am pleased, woman.”
Bulma felt a rush of relief wash over her, and she leaned into his body, her arms wrapping around him with a natural ease. He brought his hand up to her neck, holding her against him with primal possessiveness. Bulma rested her head against his shoulder, and could feel the steady thumping of his heart. While she didn’t exactly know where this was going in the future, she knew that it felt incredibly right right now.
“Come to bed with me,” she murmured, turning her face up to his throat, laying a gentle kiss there.
The offer gave Vegeta an odd feeling that he couldn’t quite identify, but it felt something like pride.
“Do you know what you are asking?” he answered her, rubbing his cheek across the bare skin of her shoulder. Bulma pulled away from him and looked up into his eyes.
“I know exactly what I’m asking you. Are you accepting?” His emotionless, cold black eyes stared deep into hers, trying to locate any shred or whisper of deceit, but he could find none. Her words and actions only seemed to speak truth.
Slowly, he nodded his assent.
Bulma took his hand and snapped off the kitchen light, leading him up the stairs. Once inside her room, she turned from him and shut the door. Before she could turn back, Vegeta pulled her into his arms, looking down upon her with intense curiosity. Bulma closed her eyes and leaned up to him, her lips gently brushing against his. Vegeta felt desire bloom inside of him and leaned into her kiss, surprised when she opened her mouth to him. His mind raged at him to stop, to question her motives and demand answers. But his heart was tired and heavy... and he wanted to trust... Slowly, he explored her mouth with his tongue, his own eyes closing, his hands coming up to her face.
Bulma was stunned by the sheer gentleness of his action, his almost hesitancy to touch her. She delighted in the taste of him, the masculine scent of his body, the feel of his skin.
She slipped her arms around his neck and submitted to him as his kisses became more deliberate and intense. Bulma gave a wavering moan of excitement as he lifted her into his arms and carried her to the bed.
***
Trunks watched the expression on his father’s face, certain the older Saiyan had to be reliving the moment in his mind. It made him smile.
It took Vegeta just a moment to realize he hadn’t answered the question, and he began to speak somewhat diffidently.
“It was different, yes, than any other... there was a magnitude of feeling, eh... emotion, I suppose... yet, a sense of calming...” It felt alien to him to speak of such a thing out loud, but he wanted to answer his son’s question. He had been deficient in his fatherly duties long enough. And it was not a difficult question... he could remember the first time he felt Bulma’s lips on his like it was yesterday. Their first kiss proceeded their first sexual union as well, another moment forever emblazoned on his mind.
That, of course, he would keep to himself.
“When did you know she was ‘the one’?” Trunks asked quietly, sparing the prince of any further description. Vegeta turned to him, his brows arching in confusion.
“The what?”
“The one,” Trunks repeated. “The last person you would ever be with or ever want to be with.”
The prince grimaced. The boy certainly got his romantic notions from his mother. What kind of answer was he looking for?
Vegeta knew he could only give him the truth.
“I’m not sure,” he stated honestly. “I was a much different man when your mother and I first met... but she was just as infuriating.” Trunks smiled. Vegeta took a deep breath and released it in a sigh. “I suppose I thought she was ‘the one’ when I realized that I wanted to trust her -- not that I trusted her yet – but that I wanted to be able to.” Trunks smiled softened.
“That must have been hard for you,” he spoke quietly.
“It still is,” Vegeta replied with a small laugh. “But I have no evidence of any mystical bond between your mother and I -- not that I have evidence that there isn’t one, either.” The boy’s smiled returned. “Your mother and I are committed to each other. That is what is important.”
Trunks nodded, turning from his father and looking down into the rippling water of the stream. Vegeta watched the boy carefully.
“You are young yet, son,” he said evenly. “Don’t be concerned with finding yourself a mate. It happens in its own time. When it is ready -- not when you are.”
Trunks could feel his ears started to burn with embarrassment.
“It’s... it’s not that, Papa.”
“Oh?” the prince said, interested.
Trunks took a deep breath, running his hand through his hair before turning to face his father again.
“I haven’t been perfectly honest with you, Papa, and I want to rectify that.”
Once again, the prince’s eyebrows rose.
“Oh?” he repeated.
Trunks’ eyes darted from Vegeta’s gaze, but he could still feel his father’s dark eyes upon him. How could he put this?
“When we talked last night, while technically accurate, I was not exactly forthcoming.”
Vegeta played the conversation over in his head, trying to analyze what was said -- what could have been a deception, yet still contain ‘technical accuracy’.
“So... you are courting someone then?” he asked.
Trunks gave a slow nod.
“A couple of days ago something extraordinary, yet unexpected, happened,” the younger man spoke. Vegeta remained quiet. “I hope you are not disappointed, but...” He took a final breath to set his nerve. “Goten and I have decided to see each other... romantically...” Trunks grimaced as he watched his father’s eyebrows rise a little higher. He turned away again, speaking quickly. “I know I told you we weren’t together like that... and we weren’t at that time... but recently... I don’t know... It was just... right.”
Cautiously, he brought his eyes back to Vegeta’s face. The prince was staring evenly back at him.
“Is that all?” Vegeta asked. Trunks’ eyes widened, and the blush moved in to color his cheeks.
“What do you mean?” he asked. His father shrugged.
“I assume you and Goten kept this to yourselves for a good reason?”
“We weren’t ready to tell anyone,” the boy answered. Vegeta’s brow creased in confusion.
“Then why tell me?”
“Because,” Trunks explained, “I didn’t want you to think I lied to you.”
Vegeta didn’t quite know how to respond to that. Was the boy still afraid of him?
“You’re a man now,” he told his son. “You’re allowed to have some say in your own life.”
“I understand that,” Trunks continued, “but...” He shook his head, as if unsure his father could understand. “Of everyone... I wanted you to know. I wanted you to trust me, and I didn’t want there to be any doubt, whatsoever, that would give you cause to think I could ever intentionally deceive you.”
Vegeta felt a swell of pride as he looked upon the lavender haired prince.
“There would have been no doubt,” he stated assuredly. “I trust your principals. I trust you.”
“Thank you, Dad,” Trunks said with a sigh. “I... I’m really happy to hear that.”
The two Saiyans fell into silence a moment. Vegeta focused on the clear blue sky overhead until his attention was drawn by Trunks’ laughter.
“I’m sorry,” Trunks said, sighing again. “I just... this isn’t a conversation I thought we would ever have, nor is it how I imagined it going.”
“You thought I would disapprove?” his father asked.
“Well, not really. You did say before that it didn’t matter. But there is always that small place in the back of my mind telling me that you wouldn’t want me with the ‘child of Kakkarot’.”
Vegeta shook his head.
“I suppose I have that small voice as well. But I will tell you something - and if you are anything like your mother, you will rush home and blab to that son of a third class clown-” Trunks choked on a laugh. “If I would have you with anyone, it would be with someone whom I know you trust and respect... And more importantly, whom you can beat down if you are ever betrayed.”
“Papa,” Trunks groaned, knowing full well his father was joking. At least, he hoped. “You know Goten would never betray anyone in our family.” Vegeta nodded.
“I know.”
Trunks smiled, leaning back and staring up into the sky.
“We’re good together, I think. He’s... he’s a really wonderful person.”
Vegeta couldn’t disagree. He had never disliked Goten. When he was a child, his resemblance to Kakkarot was comforting in the third class’ absence. As the boy grew older, his reverence of the prince was flattering, to say the least. His total obliviousness to the fact that Vegeta could possibly despise him made it impossible to do so. And most recently, his attempts to protect the princess, his ingenuity and determination in the face of impossible odds, had earned him a modicum of the prince’s respect. Yes, the boy was a good match for his son by any standards. Even though Trunks confessed to this relationship’s recent development, Vegeta could not recall the two ever being apart. They were like a constant, yet balancing force. Goten could possibly be ‘the one’.
“Don’t get that boy pregnant,” Vegeta warned with a growl. Trunks paled, his skin tinging blue.
“Dad, it’s not like that,” he breathed. Vegeta smirked.
“Yet,” he stated. “But you’ve already admitted that this relationship happened suddenly. Don’t underestimate the mind numbing power of attraction.” He pointed to the young man as he finished. “It’s brought down bigger men than you.”
Trunks swallowed nervously as he considered his father’s words. Although he fully intended to take it slow, he had already had two instances of forgetting that same intention.
“I cannot comprehend the nature of this relationship you have with Goten,” Vegeta continued. “The only relationship I’ve ever had that even remotely compares is the one I have with your mother. And... and I know that is powerful.” Trunks felt that his father appeared slightly embarrassed at speaking so fondly and intimately of Bulma. “I... I can only wish something equal for you.”
“Well,” Trunks admitted, “we’re taking it one day at a time... seeing where it goes.”
Vegeta’s tone was serious as he voiced his next question.
“You aren’t concerned that this might change the nature of your relationship too drastically?”
Trunks grinned.
“We’ve talked about that. Goten and I are solid. I have no concerns like that.”
“But you do have concerns,” his father added. The young prince shrugged.
“Of course. I worry I’m not everything he could need. I worry that I just might be. Does that mean we’ll get married? Am I tying him down too young?-”
“Hush,” Vegeta announced. “Enough. Go back to taking things slow and having no concerns.”
“Yes, sir,” Trunks answered with an amused tone. Vegeta sighed.
“So, this is what you wanted to share with me, hm?” he asked. “That you are courting that boy?” Trunks nodded.The prince stood and Trunks rose with him. “Not that you asked, but I give my approval -- for now.”
“Thank you. That means a lot -- to us both.”
Vegeta grimaced.
“You are like your mother,” he stated, but continued seriously. “Tread lightly, son. If all fares well, you will have to go through his mother next.”
Trunks felt his stomach lurch at the idea. He had almost forgotten Chi Chi!
Vegeta gave his son a hearty clap on the back, prompting him in the direction of the house.
If this were to become known, he had a feeling life at Capsule Corp would become even more tense... if that was even possible.
~~~~~~~~~~
Chi Chi had breakfast still warm and waiting for Vegeta and Trunks when they returned from their walk, even though the rest of the household had already eaten over an hour ago. Once they had eaten, Trunks went into the den where Bulla and Goten were still in the midst of playing video games. Goten looked up, his eyes silently asking the verdict. Trunks smiled.“You ready to go?” he asked the younger teen. Goten grinned and gave a nod.
“Sure thing. Just as soon as I finish getting my ass thoroughly kicked --”
“Done!” Bulla announced. The three watched as Bulla’s black-clad ninja beheaded Goten’s character, and the announcer declared a ‘perfect’ match.
“Well, at least I still have my pride,” Goten laughed. “I think.”
“Well, get your gear, and we’ll get out of here,” Trunks replied.
“I’ll go get my stuff!” Bulla informed them as she shut off the game system. Trunks gave a curious look to his friend.
“Oh,” Goten spoke, “I told her she could come along. That’s cool, right?”
Trunks seemed at a loss for words a moment before he parroted his friend.
“Right.”
“Wrong.”
Bulla gasped at the contradiction, but recovered quickly upon realizing that it was spoken by her father.
“Why not!?” she demanded. Goten took a slight step away as the prince entered the room.
“Because,” Vegeta answered, his eyes intent on Goten until the boy looked away. “I require your time today.”
Bulla frowned.
“For what?”
Vegeta scowled at her, clearly displeased at being questioned.
“What is more important: one afternoon wasted playing in sand, or one spent preparing your mind to control the Saiyan second form?” Bulla bit her lip. “If you have changed your mind, tell me now. I have many more ways I could spend my afternoons.”
“Okay, Papa,” Bulla agreed. “I’d rather train.” She turned to the boys. “Can we go some other day?”
“Of course,” Trunks told her, smiling warmly. He felt bad for his sister, but was proud of her at the same time. “How about next Friday?” The princess nodded.
“Where are we training today, Papa?” she asked.
“Go wait for me in the gravity room. I will be there shortly,” he replied. Goten could have sworn his heart stopped beating as he watched the young girl leave, leaving him alone with Vegeta and Trunks. The prince turned then to his son.
“Your mother called from the lab and asked me to send you there before you disappear for the afternoon,” he said.
“Okay,” Trunks responded, looking to his watch. “I’ll head right over. Goten, I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
“Sure,” the younger Saiyan replied with a look that clearly shouted ‘don’t leave me!’
Both Vegeta and Goten were silent as the teen prince left the room.
“So,” Vegeta began, turning to Goten once they were alone. “Will you still be training with your father, the girl and myself?”
Goten, who had been preparing himself for an entirely different line of questioning, let out a sigh of relief.
“Of course! Unless... unless you no longer want to train me.”
Vegeta grimaced.
“Why wouldn’t I?” he asked. “You are one of very few Saiyans left. You should know how to fight like one.” He was going to add ‘so you can pass on this training to your children’, but thought better of it.
Goten nodded, licking his lips as his mouth seemed to go very dry.
“So... so you’re not mad at me?”
Vegeta raised a brow in amusement.
“Should I be?”
Goten shrugged.
“Didn’t... didn’t Trunks tell you about... us?”
Vegeta gave a sharp laugh that made the younger man wince.
“You think that’s a shock, boy?” he stated. “It’s something I’ve long suspected.”
“Hey,” Goten said in mock offense, then smiled. He was quiet a moment, watching the older Saiyan.
“We are training tomorrow in the fields, rain or shine,” Vegeta told him, turning from the room. “I expect you there without a whole lot of whining about how late you worked.”
Goten nodded. Vegeta was at the doorway before the boy felt compelled to speak
“I won’t hurt him, Uncle...” Vegeta paused, but did not turn back. Goten continued in a quiet tone. “He means the world to me... I’d sooner die than make him unhappy.”
“Save such sentiment for him, boy,” the prince replied in a neutral tone. “You owe no explanation to me.”
Goten smiled.
“I see.”
Vegeta left the den, heading for the gravity room. He really had no ill feelings toward the boys and their relationship. He too wanted to see his son happy.
But when their arrangement became public knowledge, he feared for his little girl.
~~~~~~~~~~
Trunks found Goten waiting for him in his bedroom when he came back from the lab. The younger teen wasted no time in speaking.“Well? What did he say?”
Trunks gave a small laugh.
“What did he say? What did he say to you?”
Goten shrugged and leaned back on the bed, resting on his elbows.
“He told he that we have training tomorrow. Now spill it. What happened?”
Trunks took a deep breath, looking thoughtful as he came to settle beside his friend.
“He didn’t say much. He pretty much just accepted it and said that he approved.”
Goten grimaced.
“He told me he always suspected...”
Trunks laughed lightly, lying back beside his friend and staring at the ceiling.
“Then why didn’t we?”
“Good question,” Goten admitted, rolling onto his side. Trunks turned to look at him, and they took a quiet moment just to look into each other’s eyes...
Before they burst out laughing.
“You just came out of the closet to your dad!” Goten teased.
“Yeah, but I pushed you out in front of me,” Trunks informed him. “I blamed you. I told him it was all of those times you molested me at night.” Goten frowned.
“You enjoyed it.” Trunks shook his head, giving the other boy a punch in the arm. Goten grabbed him by the wrist before he could withdraw his hand. “Dude... you didn’t really blame me, did you?”
Trunks rolled his eyes.
“No... Dad already knows it was your fault.”
“Prick.”
Goten got to his knees and returned the punch. Trunks laughed as he caught the other’s hand in his.
“Seriously,” Trunks said to him, pulling sharply and bringing Goten down over him. “Dad’s fine with it. I’m fine with it... how are you?”
Goten sighed, crossing his arms over Trunks’ chest and resting his chin on his forearms.
“I’m fine...” he said with a small shrug.
“I’m overcome with confidence,” Trunks spoke dryly. He watched his friend quietly for a moment, an uneasy feeling beginning to squirm in his stomach until he felt compelled to ask: “Are you really?”
Goten smiled.
“Yeah. I just...” He sighed. “I just feel like, because of me -- because of the kinda guy I am -- I might, inadvertently, move us too fast.... rush you into stuff... I mean, we just started seeing each other, and look what happened the other night! That was all me!”
Trunks gave an unimpressed smirk and raised an eyebrow.
“Well, where the hell was I?” he asked. Goten groaned and rolled over to sit up.
“Look at your reputation, and look at mine. You know what I mean. What other couple do you know that just hops into bed on the first date? I am a man-whore.”
Trunks pulled himself up to sit beside Goten, nudging the younger boy’s knee with his own.
“No, you’re not,” he told him. “There is nothing wrong with physical affection, as long as it’s with the right person.”
“It’s still possible to rush the right person,” Goten grumbled. “Maybe I shouldn’t sleep in here with you anymore, at least...”
“Goten,” Trunks began calmly, “you and I have shared a bed since childhood.”
“But it’s different now!” Goten insisted.
“Different how?” the older Saiyan pressed. Goten was quiet momentarily as he searched for an answer.
“Different like... like stuff could happen...” he admitted lamely.
“Look,” Trunks said, slipping his arm around the other boy, “you and I are not like any other couple. We’ve been so close for so long... we’re like two people who have dated for years. We’re not two strangers who have been together for a couple of days. We have a lifetime of history together...” He leaned his forehead against Goten’s temple. “Nothing is going to happen that we are not ready for.”
Goten nodded slowly.
“We?” He turned to look at his dearest friend, keeping his forehead against the other’s. “I worry that we won’t be ready at the same time... I’ve done things with people that I don’t care about near as much... I worry I’m a bad influence.” It surprised him that Trunks actually laughed.
“Of course you’re a bad influence,” he said. “It’s your turn. In another five years, it will be my turn again.”
Goten grinned and shook his head.
“I’m trying to be serious here, you jackass.”
Trunks stood and looked down upon his friend. Could there be more to what he was saying? Trunks frowned.
“Goten,” he spoke in a low tone, “if you’re worried about what we might do because you are not ready, just know I would never do anything you didn’t want.”
“Gah!” Goten exclaimed. “What the hell?!” Trunks was taken aback by his reaction.
“What?”
“Geez... you say that like I think you’re a predator or something! But it’s not what I don’t want that concerns me, it’s what I do want. I was the one all over you, remember? I was the one being pushy...”
Trunks smiled, placing his hands on Goten’s shoulders.
“You have nothing to worry about,” he assured him. “You’re acting like I was an unwilling participant.”
Goten shrugged.
“Well, you’ve held out this long waiting for someone special --” Trunks didn’t give him a chance to continue.
“You are special,” he insisted. “I’ve enjoyed everything. I regret nothing.”
Goten smirked.
“Perv.”
Trunks dropped his head and groaned.
“C’mon, let’s just get out of here before the day is gone, and you have to go rip up the Capsule Corp grounds to install new sprinkler pipes.” Goten reached out and took the hand Trunks offered, and was helped to his feet. Trunks gave him a friendly smile.
“So... you’re not worried?” Goten asked him. Trunks shook his head.
“Nope. I’m not about to let this make our relationship regress. I’m confident.”
Goten grinned, nodding in agreement. Trunks was right, their relationship had already hit many of the milestones that are remarkable in a ‘traditional’ couple’s relationship. They hadmet each other parents, they knew each others dreams and fears, strengths and weaknesses. Not only did they genuinely like each other, but they had a deep understanding and respect for each other as well. They had the perfect relationship! Everthing that came next was just icing on the cake...
~~~~~~~~~~
It was late in the evening, and Goku was in the living room in the process of preparing his sons to settle down for the night. Both infants had been fed, and Goku patted Ninji on the back as he paced the floor. The dark-haired baby was quiet, his eyes drifting closed as he was lulled by the motion. Vejita lay on his blanket on the floor, clutching the fabric in his hands as he stared adoringly up at his mother.“He’ll be right back,” Goku assured the infant as he moved past him to sit on the sofa. The baby craned his neck to follow where his parent moved. “He’s just a little testy.”
“Don’t talk about me behind my back,” Vegeta said curtly as he entered the room. Vejita gave a squeal, turning to look upon his father.
“Technically, it’s in front of your face.” Goku smiled, watching Vegeta lean down to take the baby into his arms. Vegeta wasn’t smiling, himself. “...It was only spit up...” the tall Saiyan said quietly, earning a glare from the prince.
“That doesn’t mean I want it on me,” Vegeta informed him. Goku smiled wider as the older Saiyan settled at his side. Not on the other side of the room, or at the opposite end of the couch, but right at his side.
Vegeta watched his youngest son as the infant grasped at his own tail, his eyes intent on trying to watch the squirming appendage. Vegeta brought his own tail up into the child’s vision, a near smile coming to his face as the infant’s eyes grew wide in wonder at the new sight.
“It’s hard to believe that at this time next year they will be the size of elementary school children...” Goku mused. Vegeta gave a nod of agreement. It was with a small amount of trepidation that Goku began again. “But right now, they are still such tiny babies...you... you’re not really taking Vejita into the woods so young, are you?”
Vegeta turned to him, his expression one of disbelief.
“Kakkarot,” he snapped, “I told you that I was not serious! Don’t be a fool.” The prince gave an indignant huff as he stared out across the room, not sure he could bring his gaze back to the third class. “I only said that because I knew that is what you were afraid I was going to say...” Goku grimaced sheepishly. Vegeta continued, “I wouldn’t really take a child into the wilderness... not even a Saiyan child. Not yet. Not so young.... not my own.”
Goku cuddled Ninji as he considered what the prince just said.
“I was just a baby still in diapers when my grandpa Gohan found me... I wonder how old I was...”
“You couldn’t have been much older than six earth months, if that...” Vegeta answered, even though the question was probably rhetorical. “Frieza was a twisted bastard...”
Goku didn’t comment, but nodded in agreement. The two men sat in silence with their sons for several moments. They had come so far since those times...
“If it’s not too personal a question...” Goku began. Vegeta raised an eyebrow in interest. “If you could have one wish, as who you are now... what would it be?”
“The power to defeat any enemy,” Vegeta answered without hesitation. “The power to keep my family from harm.”
“Ah...” Goku said with a nod. “That’s a good answer... I was thinking ‘magical unlimited food pantry’.”
Vegeta choked out a laugh before he could compose himself.
“Yes, I suppose you would.” It was also a little sobering to know that Kakkarot didn’t need a wish like his. Kakkarot seemed to be able to surmount any threat.
Their philosophical pondering was interrupted when the front door opened and Trunks came inside.
“Hi,” he greeted them.
“Where have you been?” Vegeta asked. Trunks shrugged, running a hand through his hair.
“Well, after I walked Goten next door, I got kind of sidetracked in the lab. I’m almost finished with my nursebot prototype.”
“Cool,” Goku stated. “He doesn’t have needles. My kind of nurse.”
Trunks laughed.
“No, he should be equipped with a few different types of medication once I construct a larger housing for his hardware,” Goku turned a bit blue at this news. “The current model is only large enough to house three shots of epinephrine.”
“Ah,” Goku replied. Trunks continued.
“Well, I’m gonna head to bed. I’m sure you don’t want to hear any more about shots --”
“No, we don’t want to keep you up!” Goku insisted. Trunks laughed again, giving them a wave.
“Good night. ”
Goku gave a shiver as he tried to push the thoughts of hypodermics out of his mind. He spoke to change the subject.
“It’s got to be great to have such a good friend,” he remarked on Trunks and his own son. “Someone you are really close to.” Vegeta gave a non-committal grunt in reply. “What?” Goku challenged. “You don’t think so? You don’t think it would be awesome to have someone you could share everything with?”
Vegeta grimaced.
“I have a wife.”
Goku looked wistfully toward the doorway where Trunks had disappeared.
“That’s not the same... You’ll see, Vegeta,” he spoke with certainty. “You and I will be friends like that someday.”
Vegeta gave an amused snort.
“That’s unlikely,” he replied. Goku turned to him, a slight look of hurt in his eyes.
“Why?”
Vegeta shifted uncomfortably, his tail returning to coil tightly at his waist.
“Because... what they have is... the bond of childhood friends. Our relationship can never really be like that one.”
Goku considered that a moment.
“... I suppose...” He perked up. “But we’ll be close!”
Vegeta sighed, adjusting the now snoozing infant in his arms so he could stand.
“It is time to put them down. We shall see how well this child sleeps tonight...”
“Right,” Goku agreed. Vegeta looked over his shoulder at the taller Saiyan as he walked away.
“Bring those blankets.”
Goku nodded, rising from the sofa as well. He picked up the pastel green blanket and draped it over Ninji before leaning down to pick up the yellow one. He tossed the butter-colored cloth over his shoulder as he moved to follow the prince.
Goku paused.
Slowly, he turned and looked at the infant blanket. He dropped his head, raising his shoulder to bring the fabric closer to his nose. His nerves began to hum as he breathed in the subtle scent that unmistakably belonged to the prince of Saiyans. It was faint, probably undetectable to a human past the smell of fabric softener. But not to his Saiyan senses, still noticeably heightened since his pregnancy.
Goku stood still a moment. No wonder Vegeta’s scent calmed the infants; it was doing quite a job calming him. At the same time, he was amazed with the way the scent of heat and spice and fire spoke to his Saiyan nature, drawing out his primal need to... spar.
Goku looked down at his child, who was staring back at him with the same dark eyes as his father.
“It looks like your little brother likes the way Daddy smells,” Goku told him with a grin, carrying him upstairs to the nursery.
Vegeta was standing at the changing table, trying to coax the blonde prince into a footied sleeper. He seemed more self conscious now that Goku joined him. The younger Saiyan came to stand at his side, looking down at the way the baby held tightly to his father with his hands and his tail.
Vegeta gave a small grunt of irritation as he uncoiled the wirey, honey colored tail from around his wrist in order to thread it through the pajamas. Goku chuckled, picked up another pair of tiny pajamas and went to lay Ninji in his crib.
“Tell me something, Vegeta,” he began as he undressed and redressed the co-operative infant. “When you hold Veji at night, do you cover him with a blanket?”
Vegeta bristled at the nickname, and frowned as he considered the odd question.
“Infants like to be swaddled,” he stated. “Are you going to lecture me about it being too hot? Because the air units keep the temperature ridiculously cool in this house. Nothing like our native world.”
“No,” Goku replied, “just curious.” He watched little Ninji yawn and blink his heavily lashed lids before turning his head and drifting to sleep. Goku turned to the prince. “When you laid him down last night, was he wrapped up tight?”
“As good as I could manage,” Vegeta answered tightly, snatching the blanket of Goku’s shoulder. “I’m a warrior, not a nurse maid!” Goku chuckled.
“I know,”
Vegeta laid the blanket in the crib and put his son upon it.
“He moved about too much in his sleep. He cried only when he worked the blanket off,” he explained.
“I see,” Goku said as he watched his fellow Saiyan wrap the blanket around the baby. “Maybe... maybe he moved ‘cause he was uncomfortable? Gohan was a tummy sleeper when he was a baby.” Vegeta raised a brow.
“Tummy?” he asked dryly.
“You know,” Goku laughed. “Bulma said it was okay to put him on his stomach once he rolled over.” Vegeta stood to the side and motioned Goku to the crib.
“The child rolls enough to circle the globe,” he remarked with a frown. “That one,” he said, indicating the other twin, “will sleep on his back until he is eighteen.”
Goku laughed, picking up Vejita and held him to his shoulder as he laid the yellow blanket flat. The tiny prince made coos and clicking sounds to keep himself awake, but his eyes couldn’t fight closing. Vegeta reached up and ran a hand over the child’s soft peak of hair.
“Stay asleep,” he instructed in a warning tone. The infant’s tail swished happily at the direct attention.
Once the blanket was flat, Goku placed the blonde face down on his belly, and folded the side of the blanket over him. The baby kicked his legs for a moment, his fists closing over the fabric before he began to coo again.
Vegeta turned off the nursery light, leaving the only illumination from the crib-side lamp.
“I’ll wait to see if they wake,” he told Goku.
“I’ll wait with you,” Goku offered, sitting in an armchair by the crib. Vegeta frowned.
“You don’t have to,” he said.
“I know. But I want to,” Goku returned with a smile. Vegeta stared at him a moment, and Goku braced himself for a rebuttal.
The prince said nothing.
He crossed to the rocking chair and sat, silently drumming his fingers on the arm.
The Saiyans waited, listening to the soft gurgling sounds Vejita made as he fought sleep. It was not long, however, until the room was silent. But the two remained, sharing a companionable silence. And while neither would admit it to the other, at this point in their relationship, both Saiyans were acutely aware at that same moment that this was their family together.
Where they both saw their family unit six months down the road, however, couldn’t have been more different...
~~~~~~~~~~
A/N: Well, I hope you all liked this chapter. It was SUPER difficult to write. I had written about 10 notebook sheets that got scrapped 'cause I didn't like the way it came out and I had to start over, and then once scene that I wrote got cut altogether. Anyway, I'm off to work on chapter 57! The babies will be a bit bigger the next time you see them, so I can't wait to get it written! Thanks for reading!! -B