Weddings suddenly fascinated him, and whenever he had free time up in the lookout, he would constantly watch them with Kami-sama and Mr. Popo. He'd watched so many he couldn't even count them with his fingers anymore. It's just… this whole thing amazed him so much knowing that two people could be so devoted with each other that they'd tie themselves together forever. He'd wonder if Chichi knew about this, that by telling him how she wanted to marry him, she was essentially binding herself to him, telling him that she would be by his side for eternity, that she loved him with all her being.
Love… he still didn't understand what exactly it was, but with Kami-sama's explaining he sort of started began to understand it. You could love someone like your family, like what he had with Grandpa or even what Chichi had with her had. You could love like a friend, like how much he treasured Krillin being in his life. And lastly, you could love someone like how married people love each other. That one still confused him, but as he watched all those weddings and all of the sudden he knew. He didn't know when and how he began to understand what it meant, but he just knew and suddenly he began to think that Chichi would make the prettiest bride.
His bride.
And sometimes, Kami-sama would revisit all those couples that they saw get married, especially when they find out the couple had a child, whether by birth or adopting (the whole birth thing horrified him, but that's a story for another time)
At first, he didn't understand what it meant by having a kid, but as they began telling them what exactly it meant when a couple -both of them- decided to have children. That choosing to become parents was a proof of the love they had for each other. He didn't know why they would need another proof that they loved each other when they just did something that bound them together a few months ago.
"They wanted to make a family, Goku."
He didn't understand that part. After all, he and Grandpa Gohan were family. What made this one different?
"Well, most married couple, when they decided to wed each other, also made the choice to be a family. To care for each other and all the children they will possibly have."
He only blinked and continued watching the pair Kami-sama chose to watch over that night as they held the little baby in their arms, their smiles making him feel something he didn't know he could feel.
When he had the chance and a break from training, Goku would often sit by the edge of the lookout, watching various weddings, or families, or even sometimes, Chichi. It wasn't intentional, but somehow, his attention would just suddenly drift towards her. He didn't know why, but every time he saw her, there was just something about her that made him want to stare at her forever. Bulma had a word for it… What was it Beauni? Budifly?
Beautiful. Yeah... that was the word.
Every time he watched her, she was always up and about, whether she was training martial arts with the Ox King, or she was helping any of the villagers. She was so kind and so strong that without even knowing it, a smile would always curl on his lips as he continued to watch her.
Sometimes, his thoughts would come back to her words, about brides and marriages, and things that was slowly making sense to him. Did she know? That when she asked to be his bride, that she wanted to stay with him forever? That she wanted to make a family with him? That of all the people in their world, she chose to him, an unknown orphan who didn't even know anything but fighting.
Because maybe- just maybe- he already chose her. That the thought of life with her by his side was enough to make him giddy, that imagining the two of them surrounded by little kids, their kids, their family, was more than enough to make him feel so so happy he felt like his heart would burst.
Was this love? Was this the feeling you get when you know how much you want to be with someone?
"Oh dear, Goku," Kami-sama chuckled when he told him his dilemma, of all the feelings he began to feel whenever he longed for Chichi. "I believe you just fell in love."
What? What did that mean? "Fell in love?" More gibberish to confuse him. No wait, Bulma also said something like this once.
"What's that?" he asked.
"People didn't begin to already love each other," the guardian explained. "It's a process. Sometimes, it can be slow, sometimes fast, but before anyone decides if a future with someone is worth having, people take the time to know more about each other, and maybe develop a deeper connection to them than they expected. Humans call it 'falling in love.'"
"That sounds confusing," Goku admitted with a scratch of his head.
Kami-sama chuckled once more. "It confuses me too sometimes. Humans can be quite complicated, aren't they?"
Goku nodded, peering down Earth to catch a glimpse of Chichi as she dodged her father's punch before kicking him at his ankles that made the Ox King fall down.
The smile on her face bloomed and suddenly, his heart skipped a beat and Goku realized maybe he was in love after all.