In the aftermath of their battle, Vegeta collapsed onto the dusty earth and closed his eyes.
Goku's chin hung over his chest as he struggled against the rising fatigue in his body. A lock of disheveled hair hung in his eye, and he puffed it away with a breath. His ears had finally stopped ringing, but the stinging of cuts and bruises across every inch of skin would take longer to fade.
Coming out of his stupor, he looked around. Beside him, Vegeta lay spread eagle, his mouth hanging open. Goku found some satisfaction in the discovery that Vegeta's precious battle armor was torn, stained and obliterated from top to bottom. He had lost his gloves altogether, and one of his boots was probably unsalvageable at this point. The Prince's hair stuck up in blood-matted spikes, and more blood stains streaked across his armor, neck and jawline.
Is he even breathing? Goku held his own breath for a moment, listening to only silence.
He stared at the red staining Vegeta's jaw and lips. I bet that would taste really good…
He paused. What the fuck? Vegeta must have hit him harder than he thought. Each fighter's fist had met the other's jaw in perfect unison, blasting them back down to the ground to create new craters in the earth. Goku's head ached, but this side effect was unexpected.
Nevertheless, Goku reached out a hand to touch his rival, but with a sigh he placed it back down on the ground.
It was nice to see Vegeta so still, so calm. Is this how he sleeps? Goku wondered, leaning closer. Vegeta's mouth no longer betrayed his seemingly constant state of annoyance; his brows had relaxed.
Suddenly the Prince's lips twitched, and Goku jerked back, waiting.
When Vegeta did not move any more, Goku leaned in again. Vegeta had fought hard today. The intensity in his punches and in his eyes had stirred something primal in Goku, something that he hadn't felt during their sparring before. Visions had flashed through his mind of sinking his nails and teeth into that smooth skin. He wanted to draw blood out of his rival and taste it. And he suspected, deep down in his gut, that Vegeta had the same intentions.
The more they fought, the more frenzied they had become. It wasn't a matter of being stronger, of winning the battle. Goku wanted to… to what? His eyes roamed as he tried to find the answer to his own question.
He couldn't look away from the exposed skin under Vegeta's torn armor. He found himself drawn to the veins lining the Prince's forearm and bicep, wanting to feel the pulsing blood there.
He gazed too at Vegeta's throat, exposed as he lay unconscious.
Goku realized he had moved even closer to his rival, and with a gasp he moved away. His heart fluttered. He looked at Vegeta's eyelashes and willed for them to open.
All he could smell was blood and sweat. Twisted thoughts drifted into his mind and he closed his eyes, begging for them to go away. But the visions only became stronger as he imagined himself nuzzling against Vegeta's neck, dipping his lips into that soft crevice and absorbing all of the scents and flavors there. He imagined his tongue darting out to taste those drops of blood on Vegeta's mouth.
He felt a tightening in his pants and let out an audible groan.
Beside him, Vegeta took a deep breath. Goku froze, looking away in the hopes that Vegeta wouldn't wake up and notice how hard he had been staring at him. The Prince lifted a hand to his head, then went limp again.
Goku breathed a sigh. He can't read my mind, right? He smiled, feeling like an idiot. Hey Vegeta. Can you hear me? He almost chuckled to himself.
Vegeta! Cough if you can hear my thoughts.
Without warning, the Prince gasped a deep breath of air and let out a raucous cough, so violent that he sat straight up and began pounding his chest with his fist.
"Vegeta!" Goku's voice came out much more shrill than he had intended. "Wow, are you okay?!" He slammed his heavy hand against the Prince's back, sending Vegeta hurling forward into the dirt.
"Fuck, Kakarot!" Vegeta stood up, still hacking. "What did you do to me?"
Goku blanched. "WHAT!? I didn't do anything! What do you mean?"
Vegeta, squinting and wiping spit from his mouth, gave Goku a strange look. "Whatever you say, Kakarot. I hope you're ready for more."
Goku leapt to his feet. "You got it!" He grinned at Vegeta. The Prince returned the smile, and Goku's heart gave another skip as a hunger began rising in his gut once again.
The scent of blood and sweat lingered in the air, and their spar went into the dark of the night.