Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Watching ❯ The Plan ( Chapter 2 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Chapter 2 – The Plan

Yamcha rubbed his eyes, struggling to hold back a yawn. He hadn’t slept well last night. It was bad enough he regretted making Goku react that way, but it sure as hell didn’t help to have Vegeta call him in the middle of the night and chew him out. Goku’s energy was all over the place as he trained; he must have disturbed anyone who could sense ki.

When he had admitted to Vegeta what he had done, the prince had groaned and called him an idiot. Didn’t he think about what he was doing?

Of course he hadn’t. He rarely got into trouble if he actually thought about what he was doing. It was the impulse/instinct thing that got him into trouble every time. He’d learned long ago that his instincts sucked, but that sure as hell didn’t stop him from using them. And getting into trouble.

At least Goku seemed to be over his mad. He wasn’t talking much, but Yamcha suspected it was more because he was brooding than angry. Just what had Yamcha stuck his nose into that would make the normally cheerful Goku so introspective?

When Goku had returned home Vegeta had called within minutes; the prince must have been monitoring his ki. Yamcha let him know that Goku was speaking to him again; apparently he’d been forgiven for the kiss. Vegeta had responded with his customary grunt and hung up.

Yamcha looked out the corner of his eye to where Goku reclined in an easy chair, a book forgotten in his lap. He wondered what his friend was seeing, because it obviously wasn’t anything in the room. He wanted to bring up last night’s topic again – find out what had really triggered Goku’s anger, but he was pretty sure it wasn’t the time. He was seriously considering calling Vegeta and telling him to hold off another day, when the point became quite moot.

He heard the click of footsteps across the tile floor of the kitchen. Knocking meant nothing to Vegeta; he just came in as he pleased. Yamcha glanced up, planning on intercepting, but he realized instantly it would be of no use. He recognized the determined expression and knew the next phase of the plan was going to be implemented no matter what. Vegeta hardly looked at him, instead stopping and staring at Goku, and Yamcha wondered if the normally bold prince was trying to gather his nerve.

Goku was so distracted he apparently didn’t realize Vegeta was in the room for a few seconds. When he did, he glanced up at the prince, making eye contact and instantly tearing his eyes away. Yamcha felt guilty when they caught his; there was a surprising amount of pain there. Goku barely hesitated, lowering his chair and getting up to leave the room. Yamcha almost didn’t catch the soft, “I’ll leave you alone,” as he reached the doorway.

“Kakarott. Wait.”

Yamcha was surprised that Goku actually did hesitate, giving Vegeta time to cross the room and curl a loose hand around his wrist. Goku stopped and turned, glancing down at his captured wrist then up at Vegeta’s face. He noticed absently that they were nearly the same height now – it must be some Saiyan thing because Vegeta had almost caught up with Goku over the past few years.

Goku didn’t pull his wrist away, although it was obvious he could. Vegeta seemed to be struck dumb for a moment, because Goku was the next one to speak.

“What do you want, Vegeta?” he asked tiredly.

Yamcha could see Vegeta turn on the charm and he hoped he wouldn’t overdo it. No sense in making Goku wary; too much and he’d probably think this whole thing was an act.

“You’re too suspicious, Kakarott,” he said in that seductive growl that would have brought Yamcha to his knees if it were directed at him. Goku seemed immune, but maybe the way Vegeta’s fingertips were brushing against his palm distracted him. “I came to ask you out to dinner,” he continued, the fingers of his other hand lightly touching Goku’s cheek. Goku did react this time, flinching away from the touch. Vegeta drew back, all style and grace, his movements seeming deliberate and not a startled jerk away. Maybe he knew what he was doing; Yamcha could see Goku’s nostrils flaring slightly, breathing in Vegeta’s scent. “I’ll pick you up tomorrow evening at 7:30. Here’s the name of the restaurant,” he said, placing a slip of paper in a Goku’s still captured hand. “Make sure you’re ready and dressed appropriately.”

Yamcha thought Vegeta was really pushing things when he brushed his fingers against Goku’s face again; Goku didn’t flinch again, but stared back in obvious disbelief. Vegeta lowered his hand and released his hold; Yamcha belatedly realized the prince’s fingers had remained curled over Goku’s, pressing the paper to his palm.

Vegeta turned to leave, nodding to Yamcha on his way out. “Seven-thirty Kakarott,” he said before leaving the house.

Yamcha turned back to Goku, resisting the attraction of watching the prince leave. He was curious how this was all going to play out. Goku was watching, his expression completely unreadable.

“So?” he finally asked, not liking the extended silence or the way Goku was now looking at him.

“I don’t know what you two are up to,” Goku said angrily, crumpling the card and dropping it in the trash can, “but this isn’t funny anymore.”

“It’s not a joke, Goku,” he said softly. “Vegeta is completely serious and so am I. He likes you.”

“I find that hard to believe.”

“Why? Don’t you think Vegeta can change?”

“I used to…” Goku trailed off miserably. Yamcha was relieved but not surprised at the fast switch of mood – Goku never could stay angry for long.

Yamcha sighed and shifted over on the sofa, making room. “Sit down, will you? You’re too tall to talk to when you’re standing up.”

“You’re not going to kiss me again, are you?” Goku asked suspiciously.

Yamcha grinned, “Why, do you want me to?”

Goku blushed, but sat down next to him. “Do you kiss everyone?” he grumbled.

“Nah,” he said, reaching over to pat his friend on the leg. He was pleased to note that Goku didn’t flinch. “Just the ones I like.” Yamcha got up and headed for the kitchen for some beer. “Hang on a sec – I’ll be right back.” He returned a minute or so later and handed Goku a can, took one for himself, and set the rest on the table.

Goku drank some and leaned back on the couch, feet propped up on the table in front of him. He glanced over at Yamcha and frowned, “I can’t trust his motives, you know. Not anymore.”

“Why not?”

“You know why not.”

“Maybe I don’t – tell me.”

Goku sighed, “Because he hates my guts, that’s why.”

“Are you sure?”

“Hell yeah, I’m sure. I’ve still got the scars to prove it.”

“Dude – that was years ago. Are you going to hold that grudge forever?” No one really knew what happened that day – all anyone knew was that Vegeta and Goku had been sparring and Vegeta had apparently lost control, nearly killing Goku. He had a feeling there was a lot more to the story that he didn’t know, because Goku usually respected a fighter who could give him a run for his money. Avoiding Vegeta was completely out of character for Goku.

Goku shrugged but didn’t answer.

“He’s changed, you know. He’s still an arrogant ass at times, but most of the time he’s a pretty decent guy.”

“Vegeta?” Goku asked disbelievingly.

“Yeah – Vegeta. You were already avoiding him during the whole thing with Bulma. You should have seen him. He took care of her, even giving up training to be there on the really bad days. A couple of times I even saw him sitting and reading by her bed while she slept. And those times he was away from her so you could visit her in the hospital? That was deliberate, because he knew she would want to see you.”

“Oh.” Goku finished another can of beer – Yamcha noticed they seemed to go down pretty quickly. “I didn’t know that.”

“I know you didn’t. People don’t usually talk about the good stuff Vegeta does, so when he does screw up the bad just seems like the norm. I’m just surprised you’re as guilty of that as everyone else.”

Goku frowned down at his hands and reached for another beer. “I didn’t used to be,” he said, his mumble barely audible.

Yamcha leaned back and made a dent in his own can; he was way behind – of course he couldn’t begin to consume as much of anything as Goku could. “So what happened?”

Goku shook his head, “I don’t want to talk about it.”

He shrugged. “So what are you going to do about Vegeta?”

“What the hell am I supposed to do about him?” Goku demanded angrily. “This shit just came out of nowhere. Here I was, minding my business and you go and kiss me tasting like Vegeta. Do you have any fucking idea what you did to me?”

“Goku – I know you watch him all the time…”

“So?! So what if I watch him? Hell, how do you know I’m not watching you? What makes you two think you have the right to mess me up like this?”

“It was just a kiss, Goku—”

“No it wasn’t!” Goku shouted, throwing his now empty can across the room. “I don’t even want to think about how you managed to taste like Vegeta, but damn it, you managed to bring everything back!”

Yamcha looked at his friend thoughtfully. Goku didn’t usually act like this – he was a happy drunk. Now he looked tense and coiled. There had to be more to this than Goku had said – this anger just wasn’t like him. He made a guess why, not sure if he hoped he was wrong or if he was right.

“You love him don’t you?”

The tension drained out of Goku in an instant and Yamcha felt a surge of excitement which was replaced by despair just as quickly. Just what the fuck had Vegeta done to make Goku react like this? And was there any chance of him fixing it?

“I might have. I don’t know anymore. I don’t know if I can. I don’t know if I can trust him. How could I have given him that much power over me?”

“What happened?” he asked, voice soft. Goku was rattled, and it made Yamcha uncomfortable to see his rock of a friend on such shaky ground.

Goku shook his head miserably and Yamcha guessed correctly that he wouldn’t tell. What could have been so bad that day? “Everything fell apart. Today was the first time I’ve talked to him since then. I just couldn’t… I couldn’t do that to myself anymore.”

Yamcha reached over and handed Goku another beer. He now had doubts his plan would work – Goku must have been hurt pretty badly to have cut Vegeta off completely. But damn it – Vegeta wasn’t like that anymore.

Which Goku didn’t know of course, because he’d been so careful about avoiding all contact with the prince.

“He’s changed, Goku. I guess you could say he’s grown up. You don’t think I’d sleep with him if he was still such an ass, do you?”

“If you like him so much, why are you trying to push him on me?”

Yamcha sighed. “Because he doesn’t want me. He wants you. I think one of the reasons he first started fucking me because I kind of look like you. Do you have any idea how many times he’s called out your name?” He wasn’t going to try to explain to Goku how Bulma had given her blessing when she got so sick. He figured she’d seen the friendship he and Vegeta had and knowing the prince, thought it would help. Even if he wouldn’t admit it, Vegeta needed physical contact to keep him grounded . And he liked Vegeta…hell, he’d fantasized about the prince enough – and was willing to engage in some friendly sex.

Goku looked at him, slightly horrified. He should have expected that reaction, but he wondered what bothered Goku more – the fact that Vegeta was obviously fantasizing about him, or that Yamcha had sex with Vegeta anyway. “You let him use you?”

“He’s not using me. Okay, maybe he is sometimes. It’s complicated, you know?” He sighed and finished off another beer. “He’s got it bad for you, Goku, but you were completely unavailable. And I admit I was using him too – this was before my company took off and he liked to spend money. And yeah, I fantasized about him a lot. We were already friendly, but over time we got to know each other better. I could have let myself fall for him, but I knew he wasn’t really available. We’re friends – when we fuck, he’s fucking me.” Most of the time, he added in his head. There were still times when he knew all Vegeta was seeing beneath him was Goku.

“Yamcha… if you’re wrong, do you have any idea how much he could hurt me?”

“What makes you so sure he would hurt you?” Somehow he knew Goku wasn’t talking about Vegeta hurting him physically – and he’d never realized it was possible to hurt Goku’s feelings before. He always seemed immune to the little jokes and taunts thrown at him. Of course, that big smile of his hid a lot of pain – he’d never seen it waver during the divorce although Yamcha knew Goku wasn’t completely happy about it.

“This is Vegeta we’re talking about. Remember him? The guy who swore to kill me? The one who calls me an idiot and worse all the time…”

“You don’t believe me do you? That he’s changed.”

Goku looked miserable. “Come on, Yamcha. This is the guy who swore he’d have me defeated and on my knees.”

Yamcha smirked, “That’s not always a bad place to be.” Bad joke for the moment – Goku glared at him so intensely it was almost painful. “Sorry,” he mumbled.

“He probably wants to just use me or something. I could smell him – he thinks he’s going to fuck me.”

Yamcha wanted to groan – he knew Vegeta was turning on the seduction too much for someone like Goku. He needed to slow it down. Or… “Do you even like guys?” As far as he knew Goku had only dated women, but everyone has secrets.

Goku shrugged. “I’ve never dated one, but why not? But I’m not going to let myself be used by someone like him.”

“Dude – you’ve got it all wrong. Vegeta likes you. He’s not trying to use you.”

“How the hell can he like me? He doesn’t know me. He doesn’t want to know me. We haven’t said more than a dozen words in years.”

“That was your choice, not his.”

Goku grunted acknowledgement, but didn’t reply.

“He’s been watching you. He knows what you’re like. He thinks about you all the time.”

“You’re not helping things. Now he sounds like a stalker.”

Yamcha couldn’t help himself – he laughed. “Come on Goku, get serious.”

“I am serious.”

“No you’re not. You’re running scared and you’re not willing to admit it. You like Vegeta and the idea of him actually liking you back scares the hell out of you.”

“Yamcha…” Goku said warningly.

“Damn it Goku, Vegeta’s changed.” It made him angry that Goku – the most forgiving person he knew – would refuse to give another of his friends a chance to prove himself. “He’s worked hard at it, but you are so damn convinced everything he does is some kind of plot against you, you refuse to give him a chance.”

“I gave him a chance. Hell, I gave him lots of them.”

“Give him another one then.”

“No.”

“Why? What are you afraid of?”

“I’m not afraid.”

“Bullshit. You are afraid. You realized you had feelings for Vegeta and now you’re just running scared.”

“Knock it off, Yamcha.”

“No. You’ve been running away for years and I’m not going to let you keep doing it.”

“I’m not scared,” Goku muttered, finishing off another beer.

“Prove it. Go out with Vegeta five times – give him a chance.”

He held his breath, waiting for Goku to refuse completely. He never thought he’d be this hard to convince.

“One.”

Yamcha sensed victory in his grasp – if Goku agreed to even one, then there was a chance. Still, it wasn’t enough – he had to push for more. “You can’t make a decision on one date. Three.”

“Three?”

“Yeah. Go out with him on a real date three times. If it doesn’t work after that, I’ll leave you alone.”

“Promise?”

“If you promise to give him a real chance.” That was easier than expected – maybe giving Goku alcohol beforehand helped.

Goku sighed, “Fine. Three. And then you two leave me alone.”

Yamcha held out his hand for Goku to shake. “Deal. But you’ll see. You’ll like the new Vegeta.”

“And if you’re wrong I’m going to kick your ass.”

“Deal. Now hand me another beer.”

Goku stared at him in unabashed curiosity. “You guys really are friends?” He seemed reluctant to let his hand go – Yamcha didn’t really mind. He should have paid more attention to Goku before Vegeta laid a claim on him. He was damned good-looking.

“Yeah, we are. I know it’s hard to believe, but he’s a pretty decent guy once you get to know him.”

“This is Vegeta we’re talking about. You know – the one who was responsible for you dying.”

He shrugged. “Yeah – but things were different then. And you’ve forgiven Piccolo for killing you. Can’t I do the same?”

“But I don’t sleep with him.”

“Well you can’t, can you? Since he’s asexual and all.” Goku turned bright red and Yamcha grinned. “Vegeta, on the other hand…” He let the implication trail off.

“Stop that!” Goku insisted, snatching his hand away to grab another can of beer. “I’m not going to have sex with Vegeta.”

Yamcha smirked at him.

“What?” Goku demanded.

“Bet you two are having sex by the fifth date. And that’s only because you’re so damned stubborn.”

“I only agreed to three dates, so that’s not going to happen.”

“I recommend it. He’s good. He’s very, very good.”

Goku grinned at him – it looked like the beer had finally kicked in and he was becoming more relaxed. “You’re a pimp, you know that?”

Yamcha laughed. “He was already a fantastic lover before we hooked up. I like to think I made him a better one.”

“Mr. Modesty.”

“Hey, I’ve got nothing to be modest about. Once I realized I was not meant to be with women a whole new world opened up for me.”

Goku laughed. “Like I said, Mr. Modesty.” He dug through the box on the table. “We’re out of beer.”

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TBC