He could feel the faintest buzz of worry coming from brother-mate, knew it was for him. But the overlying feeling from both his mates was joy, closely followed by pain. He was happy that brother-mate was concerned, because he was well aware something was wrong. Something… because he hadn't always been like this. Occasionally, he picked up flashes of himself from their minds, flashes from before he went wrong.
Maybe brother-mate could figure it out, and then he would be fixed. It would be good to be fixed. Good to be able to talk again, to ask for what he wanted more than anything. He had tried last night, but his brother-mate's mental reaction had been so violent he'd gotten scared. Not just from the violence, but from what he had seen had caused the violence. That particular stance was one he would never take in front of his mates ever, ever, ever again!
He shivered, wrapping his arms around himself. Brother-mate had been angry-scared. He hadn't meant to remind him of the bad monster, of living under it. He wished he could apologize, and somehow make it better. He was sorry now he'd sent brother-mate to… to… that place where he'd come from. He'd helped, he remembered the pain of the blast, but dimly, as if it had happened to someone else. He hugged himself a little tighter. It had happened to someone else. His other self. The someone he'd been before he got broken.
One hand dropped to rub absently over his daughter before his gaze swung to the window again. They were over that way, fighting. No, training. Brother-mate was losing again, and badly. He always lost badly, because he'd been gone a long time. Alpha-mate didn't really give him a chance to rest and recover. It was important to rest and recover when you got hurt. It helped make all the strong come back.
Kakarot sat up, shoving the pillows around on the bed again, and rebunched the blanket more comfortably. It still wasn't very comfortable, and it just didn't seem right, but it was better than before. Alpha-mate would be angry that the bed was messy instead of made, though. So… maybe…. He tugged here and there, slowly putting the bed back to rights, whining irritably as he did. Finishing, he looked around the room, then went to investigate the closet.
He poked through the clothes hanging there, pulling many of them down and flinging them to the back of the closet where they wouldn't annoy alpha-mate any more. Then he chewed on his lip, staring down at the pile of clothes. Alpha-mate and brother-mate would both be unhappy if he left a mess in the closet. Maybe he should just throw those things out? They wouldn't bother anyone then.
Raditz stumbled through the door, one arm wrapped around his battered ribs. Vegeta had been more brutal today than recently - they'd both been being more careful due to their condition. Waking up alone apparently didn't suit the still-snarling prince, and Raditz had paid the price for it.
He watched as Vegeta took off for a visit to his son before moving from where he was holding up the wall. He made his way carefully to the stairs, figuring Kakarot was still sleeping. His brother had taken to napping during the afternoon. Another indication that his pregnancy was nearing its end. Raditz was anticipating reaching that stage himself, but for now, he just wanted to check in before washing half a mountain out of his hair.
His ankle was throbbing by the time he made it to the top of the stairs, compliments of a bad landing. Out of Vegeta's sight, he leaned against the wall, hobbling toward the bedroom. He pulled open the door, leaning against the frame, then frowned. The room was empty. He'd passed the bathroom on his way to the bedroom, and it had been empty as well.
Raditz started to head back to the bathroom, then turned so suddenly his ankle gave out. He crashed into the doorframe, grabbing onto it to avoid hitting the floor. The bed was made. Kakarot never made the bed. Vegeta had bitched about that often enough, saying his stupid younger brother should still have brains enough to make the bed after he finished with it. But the bed was made.
So where was Kakarot? Raditz fought down a flare of panic, carefully searching for the familiar ki. And blinked, because if he was reading it right, his brother was in the empty bedroom. "Shit! I thought I learned how to do this right…" He tried again, this time looking for Vegeta (several miles off), Trunks (in the general vicinity of Goten, who did not have happy camper ki), and Piccolo (waterfall. Of course. Where else?). So he did his brother again, and came up with the empty bedroom, again. Which meant what? That his brother was under the bed.
He checked. It hurt his ankle and the abrasions on his knees, but he checked. No Kakarot. Not in the chair that had been turned to face the wall, not in the pile of pillows that were in the corner for some reason. His eyes turned to the closet. Kakarot hid in there, especially when Vegeta had done something to scare him. Carefully, he tested his bond with his alpha, and immediately went to the closet door. "Kakarot?"
Raditz opened the door slowly. Empty hangers met his gaze. Lots of them, where the garish clothes his brother had once worn usually hung. The clothes were on the floor now, shredded to rags. His brother huddled on a pile of them between two large boxes under a shelf, arms wrapped tightly around his shaking form. "Kakarot?"
Raditz levered himself down, thankful for the rags that cushioned his knees. "Kakarot? Why are you…" His brother was nude. "Kakarot? I'm here…" He held his arms out, encouragingly. Dark eyes lifted, a muted mewling escaping his brother before the younger man launched himself against Raditz.
That close, it was easy for Raditz to tell that the trembling that had apparently seized his brother was caused by contractions. "Kakarot, it's time. The baby needs to be born now." A wordless nod against his chest, and the feeling of hot, wet tears. Another muted mewling sound coincided with a contraction. Raditz frowned. From the way his brother clenched up, he should be in enough pain to make considerably more noise than he was.
He knew enough to know what would happen. And knew that it would likely be over before Vegeta made it back to the house. He sent a thought to his mate over their bond anyway, then turned his attention to helping his brother. Twenty minutes later he was holding his niece, and making his brother comfortable in the nest of pillows he'd wondered about earlier.