Nearly two weeks had passed since Goku spent that first night with Sabriena and Tien. He couldn't believe how easy it was to just be with them, how strongly and quickly his feelings grew for them. He kept spending more and more nights at the cabin, hungry for their attention which they willingly gave.
Goku sat outside of the little shower, he had to say, it was pretty smart what Tien had put together. He listened to Sabriena's humming that little Celtic tune again and it seemed to take away all his sorrows. The fresh scent of honeysuckle filled the air and he breathed out. Heaven. He was in heaven. He wondered when he had died and ended up here, "Do you think you will finish that one story tonight?" he asked, rubbing his fingers between the softness of the towel in his hands.
Sabriena paused her humming, scrubbing at her scalp as the hot water washed over her. "Yeah, we can try to, if you can stay awake," she teased. The shower felt amazing after working outside all day long in the heat. She was surprised at how quickly the hot weather had come that year, but she was glad for it. She rinsed the last of the soap away, slicking the water out of her face. She reached for her towel and realized it wasn't there. Damn. She opened the door, wiping more water from her eyes. "Hey, could one of you guys grab me a-" she stopped when she saw Goku sitting there, holding a fresh towel for her. "Aww, thank you, baby," she grinned.
Goku turned, moving to kneel before her holding her towel. "I got it... if you'll let me." At her nod, he smiled and carefully took one of her legs, smooth as silk and began wiping her dry, all the way up to the apex of her thighs, but he ignored her and went back down the other leg, drying front and back before he reached her dainty feet. He leaned over and kissed at them both, smelling the fresh earth, honeysuckle. He stood up then, working his way up her body, drying her chest, carefully cupping each breast, over her throat, down her arms, her back. He carefully worked the fluffy material over her back, watching the muscles, chasing away the drops of water. He took the towel and gathered her hair back, gently working it in the towel, softly drying it.
Sabriena's heart fluttered pleasantly at his warm, gentle touch. She let her eyes fall closed, a light hum issuing from her throat as he worked the towel into her hair. That felt amazing. She smiled softly as he wrapped the towel around her and pulled her back against his chest. She leaned into him, letting him hold her. She loved how affectionate he was. There was a swooping sensation in her stomach that made her hands shake and her pulse race. She was starting to feel it every time she saw him now. There was something bigger happening here; he was becoming more than just her friend or a boyfriend... What was happening, she wasn't sure, but she liked it. She turned her face, speaking softly over her shoulder to him, "You are so sweet, Goku." She slid her hand up the side of his neck, threading her fingers into his hair, just enjoying being held for a moment.
Goku couldn't stop the purr that came from his throat at her touch. He didn't know what this was. He didn't feel a sexual drive at the moment, trying to guide his actions, but rather, he just did it because he wanted to. He wanted to be nearer to this woman, to Tien, to everything this land represented. He leaned down and picked her up, cuddling her shower warmed flesh. "Would you like a cold drink of water? Or something else? Tea?"
Sabriena nodded. "Water sounds good," she said, giggling as he carried her across the yard.
Tien looked up from the fire pit, smiling and shaking his head at them. It amazed him how easily Goku fit in to their lives, how it was hard to picture this place without him now. It happened so quickly and none of them had expected it, but it just felt right. It was right for Goku to be there with them. Tien didn't care what anyone else thought about it. The three of them were happy together and as far as he was concerned, that was all that mattered. He chuckled, listening to Sabriena laugh as Goku spun her in a circle once as he walked back to the cabin.
Sabriena wrapped her arms around Goku's neck, kissing his cheek. "I love it when you're here with us," she murmured, nuzzling against his jaw.
Goku chuckled and buried his face into her neck, breathing in that wonderful scent; he could die happy smelling that. "I love being here with you guys." He looked over at Tien, smiling warmly at him as he stepped into the cabin. He pulled back the freshly washed sheets and settled Sabriena down into the covers. "Alright, I'll be right back," he said, going over to the picture from the cold spring water. He poured her a healthy glass and brought it back to her, winking at her before he stole a sip.
"Ornery," she teased, sitting up and taking the cup from him, getting a long, cool drink. She smacked her lips. "Oh, I never knew water could taste so good." Setting the cup aside, she reached for him, pulling him to lay down beside her for a moment, smelling the delicious scent of the food Tien was cooking outside. She cupped his face, soothing her thumb over his cheekbone. "You make me happy," she said softly, smiling at him, a warmth for him glowing in her eyes. She kissed him tenderly before she pulled back and smiled again. It seemed she just couldn't stop smiling these days.
Goku felt so giddy, her kiss cool and delicious from the spring water. It made him thirsty for more. She was so tender with him, so understanding. She was strong, he wished... he wished... but no. "You make me want things no man should ever want from a married woman. But I can't help myself, Sabriena Shinhan."
She tipped her head curiously to the side, wondering what he meant. They had everything they could possibly want there at their little cabin as far as she was concerned. She gave a light little laugh, "But I already give you those things, don't I?" she grinned. She paused and considered him for a minute. Maybe sex wasn't what he was talking about. In fact, she had a very distinct feeling that sex wasn't even on his mind at the moment. "What is it, honey?" she asked, stroking his cheek again. "You can tell me."
Goku smiled at her, taking the glass from her and taking a long pull from the water to clear his throat. "I mean. I..."He stopped and ran a hand through his hair, moving to sit under the window , his normal area on the bed. "I know it might sound wrong... it might be wrong, but Sabriena," he cupped her face, looking into the deep amber eyes, "I didn't think it was possible again, but... I love you. I really love you. The butterflies won't go away when I'm around you. You drive me nuts. In a good way, I mean."
Sabriena's heart jumped at his words. Was that what she was really feeling for him, too? She knew she cared deeply for him and she knew all too well about that butterfly feeling he was talking about. She still got butterflies for Tien, they never went away, and now she felt them around Goku as well. She smiled warmly at him. "There's nothing wrong with that," she said and grasped his hand, sliding her fingers between his. Did she say it back to him? She didn't want him to think she was rejecting his love if she didn't return the words, but was she ready to voice that to him yet? "Goku, I-"
"Hey guys," Tien said, sticking his head in the cabin and interrupting them. "The food's ready. Are you hungry?"
She turned and smiled at her husband, the most amazing man she'd ever known in her life who was so patient and understanding, so accepting and loving. "Yeah, we'll be right there!" she said. "Come on, Goku. Let's get something to eat." She kissed him sweetly, then hurried over to the wardrobe to pull on some clothes. "Let's eat outside," she suggested. "It's so nice out tonight."
Goku felt all giddy. His mind was jumping all over the place with his thoughts, his words. He may have said the wrong thing, he may have said some confusing things, but the look on her face and the warmth in her eyes, maybe his jumbled words and thoughts did get across. He knew sometimes he had a hard time saying the right things when it came to this. He felt like it was the right thing to say and he wanted to say it, so what was wrong about that? He got out of bed, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and led her outside, sniffing at the air. "Smells great Tien," he said smiling at the other man, moving to place a warm hand on the other's shoulder.
Tien gave a small smile as he filled their plates and handed them to Goku and Sabriena.
"Oh my god, pork chops," Sabriena moaned, eagerly cutting into one of the pieces of meat, her mouth watering as she took the first bite. She moaned several times, rolling her eyes as if she was in bliss and fell over to lean heavily on Goku's arm. "Heaven. I've died and gone to heaven," she cried.
Tien snickered at her dramatic antics. "It's not that great," he muttered.
Goku chuckled and took a bite of his own food, mimicking Sabriena's reactions and moaned loudly around the food before he fell back in the grass, holding his plate up. "So good! Tien makes the pork chops from now on!" he declared before he pushed himself up and took another bite, leaning back against Sabriena's shoulders, winking at the other man. "So If I'm the sex slave, you get to be the food slave."
Tien nearly choked on the food in his mouth as he laughed. "You're a mess," he chuckled at Goku.
"Now we just need a wood-chopping slave and we're set," Sabriena sighed happily as though she'd like nothing more than to have just that.
Their dinner was quickly devoured as the first stars began to appear overhead. Sabriena set her plate aside and laid back, crossing her arms behind her head. It was beautiful outside tonight. She could hear the crickets and the frogs chirping down by the river, the calming sound of the waterfall, and the crackling of the little fire. "I think I could spend eternity out here with you two," she said dreamily.
Goku felt his breath catch at her words and he exchanged a look with Tien before he looked down at her, setting his empty plate aside and leaned over, settling down on one side and looked down at her. He could see the stars in her eyes with the light of the fire making them look spectacular. No, he had certainly never felt like this before. Did he feel the same way about both of them? He looked over at Tien, seeing the rustic man, his muscles glowing in the fire light. He was reminded of his dream, with Vegeta, what the other man had been trying to tell him, trying to remind him of what he was, what he shouldn't hide from. He moved and leaned back onto his back, looking up at the stars. "Me too. With both of you."
Sabriena smiled at him and pulled him to lay his head on her chest, kissing the top of his head. She reached out an arm to Tien and he laid down on her other side, sliding his arm under her head and wrapping slightly around Goku's shoulders, holding them both as he stared up at the sky.
He was glad that Goku seemed happy out there with them. "Ah, I guess I'll keep you two," he teased. "I need the help chopping firewood."
Sabriena frowned and elbowed him in his side, making him laugh again. She looked at Goku, "Remind me why I married this grumpy old man? Cause I can't seem to remember right now."
Goku burst out laughing, reaching his arm over across Sabriena's chest and rested it on Tien's arm, stroking at the soft skin there, sighing happily, "Because he is one hell of a guy in bed and we can make him cook for us when we don't feel like getting up." His eyes lit up at that. "Let's just hide in the bed, see if he brings us food." He winked at Tien, "oh alright, because if you weren't married to him, we would be so far gone, no one would be able to hold us down, keep us down to earth. I mean, keep you down to earth," he corrected himself.
"Somebody has to," Tien smiled. He turned his head to look at them, feeling happy and content in that moment. "I'm really happy you're both here with me. I didn't realize what I was missing all those years out here by myself." He paused for a moment, thinking about where he might be now, though, if he had been lonely before Sabriena came to live with him. "I wouldn't change a thing, though."
Sabriena kissed him, feeling the butterflies in her stomach again. She looked back at Goku, nuzzling into his hair for a moment. "Did I ever tell you how we got married?"
Goku smiled up at her, pausing to nibble at her bare skin beneath his lips before he looked down at their rings. "I think I forgot if you did tell me. Wasn't it late at night?"
Sabriena smiled and nodded, but before she could open her mouth, Tien cut across her. "Yeah, I woke up in the middle of the night and decided I couldn't wait any longer. I had to marry her," he smiled at Sabriena. "I had to make her mine, right then and there."
She whacked his arm, "I wanna tell it!" she scolded. "And you said you wanted to marry me. I was the one who said to do it that night."
Tien snickered, but laid back and went quiet.
She turned her attention back to Goku. "He said he wanted to do it right away, but didn't know where to go in the middle of the night. So we decided we didn't need someone else to do it to make it official. So we just said 'I marry you' three times to each other and, well, that was it," she smiled.
Tien nodded, smiling as he looked up at the stars. "Simple. Just the two of us."
"I had my white dress, well, shirt," Sabriena added. She smiled at Tien. "It was perfect."
Goku frowned, tilting his head back to look at them both, a confused look washing over his features, "But, that can't be right. I mean. A marriage needs paperwork doesn't it?" He remembered what Chichi had said, but then snorted and shook his head, what did it matter? She and he had been married the "right" way and it hadn't gone very far. "So, didn't you guys exchange vows or go to a priest or something?" he asked.
"Nope," Sabriena smiled, "we just said 'I marry you' three times over. You should've seen him, Goku. Such passion..."
"All right," Tien interrupted, his cheeks flushing, "you don't have to make me sound so sappy."
"And the next morning, we woke up and there were wedding rings on our hands. Appeared out of nowhere," Sabriena continued.
"Lemme see," Goku said, reaching for her hand. He took her hand in his, staring at the simple band. "It's pretty," he said softly, admiring the ring. "That's really cool to know that the Fates blessed your marriage," Goku said.
Sabriena withdrew her hand and smiled at her ring for a moment. "Yeah." She looked to Tien. "Show him yours."
Tien's ring was the same as Sabriena's, smooth, simple pure gold, but his was a bit wider than hers.
"So all you guys said is 'I marry you'?" Goku asks, releasing Tien's hand.
Tien nodded.
"I think I like that better, you don't have to wear any stiff suits or ties," Goku said, "much better than having the big fancy wedding like Gohan and Lindsey." Goku shuddered. "That was a nightmare."
"I thought their wedding was nice," Sabriena said.
"I don't like getting dressed up like that," Goku muttered.
"Neither do I," Tien agreed. He smiled at Sabriena, "What'd we wear again?"
A slight blush touched Sabriena's nose. "I believe you were naked. And I wore your white shirt." She looked at Goku again, "That's why the shirt is special to us. It's my wedding dress." She sighed happily. "I'm glad I didn't do the big, fancy wedding. What we did was perfect for us. Simple, just me and him."
Goku chuckled, turning his face into her skin, breathing in the sweet scent of her. "I have to admit, you would look beautiful in one of those elaborate dresses, but then, I think you could make anything look good. And if only I could have gone to my wedding naked, man it would have been more comfortable!" He chuckled and looked at Tien, "And I just couldn't imagine you having a big wedding at all. Well you know, maybe something like those Disney movies with all the animals and stuff."
"Oh good lord," Tien laughed, clapping a hand to his face. He could easily picture his wife in one of those fancy wedding gowns, but nothing stole his breath away like the memory of that night and her in that simple white shirt.
"I can't imagine Tien in a suit," Sabriena snickered. She tried and tried, but she just couldn't picture it. "There's no need for all that junk," Tien sighed, shifting to make himself more comfortable and to wrap his arm a little more securely around their shoulders. They fell silent for a minute, staring up at the clear sky full of stars. "I think I could sleep out here with you two, just like this," he yawned, turning his face to rest his cheek against Sabriena's hair.
Goku nodded, he had never felt more content in his life. He hoped it wasn't too bold to say or to ask. He didn't want to ruin the moment, so he kept quiet and just enjoyed holding and being held. He shivered at the thought of being alone again. He would be, the full moon wasn't too far away and he wasn't about to risk this new relationship for his angered Saiyan self when that time came. Goku sighed happily and before he could think, the words slipped out before he could stop them, "Can I stay here?"
Sabriena smiled and threaded her fingers through his hair again. She loved hearing the purr from him when she did that. "Of course you can," she said softly, something pulling at her heart as she held him. She was still thinking about what he'd told her earlier, that he loved her. It made her heart skip and she touched his chin, lifting his face to hers to kiss his lips softly. "You know we want you here." Tien squeezed at Goku's shoulder, running a thumb over the rounded muscles. "You're always welcome here, Goku," he added.
Goku kissed Sabriena back softly, leaning into Tien's touch as well. It was tender, passionate and yet not sexual at all. He sighed again, laying his head back down on her chest, closing his eyes, "I think I just might stay." His mind drifted over the Death card again, wondering if this was the love that Gramma Arthusia had spoken of.
His eyes snapped open a moment later and he sat up, his hair raising up on the back of his neck, his arms. His eyes narrowed and he scanned the edge of the woods, "Did you guys hear that?"
Tien sat bolt upright, his eyes scanning the treeline.
"What? What is it?" Sabriena asked in alarm. "I didn't hear anything!"
"Shh!" Tien hushed her, quickly smothering the little fire with dirt so that he could see better into the darkened forest. There was an eerie feeling emanating from the woods and he didn't like it at all. He pushed himself up to a crouching position, his eyes scanning the trees again. "I don't see anything," he said in a hushed voice. Something wasn't right and it made goosebumps erupt over his skin, despite the hot night air.
Goku didn't breathe, his eyes the only thing that was moving over the darkened woods, scanning for anything, everything that moved. The snap of a twig and the flash of white caught his eyes and his head snapped towards the movement only to let out a breath of relief when he saw Dog's familiar coat. He felt the danger leave him and he flopped back. He pointed at the dog from his point on the ground, "Bad dog. Make more noise."
Dog ducked his head and went to Tien, a whine issuing from his throat as he laid down. "You alright, boy?" Tien asked, running a hand over Dog's sleek fur. "Something out there?"
"Did Timmy fall in the well again, Lassie?" Sabriena teased and cringed into Goku at the look Tien shot her.
His eyes roamed over the trees again, but he didn't see anything and there wasn't a power level out there that was high enough to cause any alarm. He breathed a sigh of relief and laid back again, giving Dog a little shove. "Useless."
Goku just blinked at Sabriena, a clueless look on his face, "Tammy? Who's Tammy?"
"TIMMY, not Tammy, you silly," Sabriena laughed, bumping Goku's ribs with her elbow. "Haven't you ever seen Lassie?"
He frowned again, shifting up to lean on one elbow, looking back out into the woods, working his lip between his teeth. He looked at Dog and then back again in the direction he had come from. "Guess it was just him," he said quietly. He let a smile grow on his face and he laid back down, looking at Tien, winking. "What, three eyes and you can't see better in the dark?" he teased.
Tien ran a hand over his face. "Yeah, I can see better than most, but I still don't see anything out there." He looked around once again, but the deep shadows seemed to be playing tricks on his eyes. He pressed his lips thin and shook his head. "It was more like I just had a feeling like we were being watched," he said quietly. "I swear, if there's someone out there in my woods..."
"I don't think there's anyone out there, honey," Sabriena said in a soothing tone. "Even if there was, we're not in any danger. You and Goku could take them out easily."
"Yeah, I guess," Tien muttered. Threat or not, he didn't appreciate anyone being on his property without his permission. Most people meant no harm, but he'd had problems before with others.
Sabriena sat up and kissed him. "Get that fire going again, Goku asked me to finish our book tonight," she said and got up to retrieve the book from the cabin, calling over her shoulder, "Let's see if Goku can stay awake long enough to hear it."