Rained In/Out

Jeice has always hated the rain. It's a thing - the natural order of things, if you will. Because rain does Bad Things to hair as fluffy as his, and when you have as much hair as he does, well… that's a lot of Bad Things to have happen all at once, especially when they're attached to your head and you thus can't get away from them. So Jeice hates the rain. Simple as that.

And, once he meets Raditz - really meets him as opposed to simply knowing about him - he assumes Raditz hates the rain, too. Because Raditz is the only person he knows who not only has more hair than Jeice, it's even wilder. So naturally he's found someone who understands, who gets it (Burter tries, bless him, but Burter's bald, and he's never going to get it, just like Jeice is never going to truly get shedding season). Finally, someone who will sympathize and gripe with him, instead of mocking.

Then there is the mission to Liviabo. It's the third one they've been on together, the second since they became more than friends, the first where it's just them. And… well, it's not really a mission, more just some posturing to keep the locals in line. More of a brief holiday than a proper mission, so Jeice invites Raditz to come with him because, well… alone time. Alone time is good. And Liviabo is a beautiful place, lush and tropical, which makes Jeice happy, with lots of really tasty local dishes, which will make Raditz happy. Perfect.

Naturally they wake up the first morning there to the pounding of rain on the roof of the house they've been given for the duration of their stay.

Bleedin' perfect.

Jeice groans and burrows under the covers, trying to deny the universe and its distasteful reality. He's a Ginyu. He's one of the strongest things out there. Maybe if he denies hard enough, the rain will go away.

It doesn't work, though, and the stirring wakes Raditz, who blinks at him groggily. "Wha…?"

"It's raining," Jeice grumbles and Raditz's brows furl and he looks up at the ceiling, out the window, suddenly registering what the strange sound is and, okay, this makes Jeice feel a little better, because at least now they can curl up together and complain, or-

-he suddenly becomes aware that he's alone in bed and that the door outside has just slammed open.

…no…

Stumbling out of the bedroom and into the small entryway/common room area, Jeice makes his way to the still-open front door and goes to look through it. Outside, dressed only in the loose shorts he'd worn to bed, is Raditz. His hair is already soaked and thus smooth for once, instead of jutting every which way, some shorter bits hanging in his face, the rest trailing down his back in a long, slick banner, and he's got his face tilted up to the sky, arms raised in what almost looks like welcome, and no, no, just bleedin' no, this is so unfair…

"Jeice!"

Raditz has just noticed him standing there apparently, because he turns to him and-

…oh…

It's dark outside for daytime, because of the clouds, but when Raditz looks at him and brushes his hair out of his eyes it's like the sun coming out. He's seen Raditz happy before, and excited, and pleased, and beautifully flushed and mussed, but he's never seen him look so positively joyful, so unabashedly delighted. His smile is so wide and bright, his eyes are lit up, and- he's laughing, Jeice realizes. Standing there soaked to the skin, he's laughing, so bright and happy that he almost looks like a different person.

An instant later he's dragging Jeice out there with him, chattering a mile a minute, beaming, excited, and completely drenched, and intent on making sure Jeice can share this with him, wanting him to be there and be part of this joyful moment, not caring for once that he's a third class and Jeice is a Ginyu, too caught up in trying to make Jeice as happy as he is, and Jeice comes to two conclusions very abruptly, one simple and obvious, one less so.

One, Raditz loves the rain.

And two… Jeice is in love with Raditz. He hadn't been sure before - he'd been fond of him, yes, but he hadn't known for certain where this thing between them would lead, or how long it would last. But now, as Raditz pulls his black curtain of hair out of the way so he can put Jeice on his shoulders and run around like the mad man he is in wild, crazy, carefree ride… now he knows. This was the tipping point, the realization.

And as he holds on, he can feel them, feel the Bad Things already starting to happen to his hair, but somehow he can't find it in him to be as upset as he usually is. And with Raditz's hands warm on his knees and his hair draping over his thighs in a way far more innocent than this sort of thing usually is for them, Jeice finds he can't hate the rain as much as he usually does, either.