Chapter 56. Sunburn
The long table at which Trunks had taken a place was cleared of the feast that it bore earlier. That Vegeta decided not to have servants in his apartments at all times like his father, gave him the privacy he wanted, yet if he needed something done it meant that he had to go out and look for someone to do his bidding. His admirers were never far to seek, and for once this was to his convenience. When he stuck his head out of the solar there were two young maids dropping to their knees at his appearance. Under which pretence they had been out in the hallway lying in wait for him this time, Vegeta couldn't tell.
"Was I not clear when I said no lingering outside my apartments?"
"I was sweeping the floor, my King!" piped up the maid closest to the solar. She looked very happy with her excuse and held up a broom like a peace sign.
The other maid was the one Vegeta had threatened to throw out of the window and as always the wench didn't manage to get more out of her gaping mouth than a breathless stuttering of his title.
"Bring me and my son food." Vegeta ordered.
The maids piped a collective: "Right away, my King." and scurried out of the hallway to get him his food.
It was brought in mere minutes later. As the table was heaped with food, Vegeta removed his gloves, stuck them behind the waistband of his spandex and dove in while Trunks threw questioning looks at his cutlery.
"No forks here, boy." Vegeta said between chewing. He motioned with his dagger to the one next to Trunks' plate. "Use the dagger."
"How can I eat with a dagger?" Trunks exclaimed outraged as he lifted the knife to his eyes.
Vegeta demonstrated by cutting a large slab of meat from the huge boar shank that stood in front of them. He impaled it on the point of the dagger and tore it off with his teeth.
Trunks was beginning to get enthusiastic. It figured. His mother never allowed him to play with his food. He mimicked his father's action with much bravura and cut away a slab of meat big as his own head.
"What about the food you can't eat with the dagger?" He asked while munching on his meat.
"You use your hands or the spoon." Vegeta mumbled with his mouth just as full. He swallowed and continued: "Be sure to use the spoon when you have supper with your grandfather. He will take offense if you don't. And no talking with a full mouth or scarfing down your food either when you are a guest at his table."
How Akane ever to make it through supper with his father was a riddle to Vegeta. Even the brutal tribes men were like to take offense from her table manners, or rather that she was so utterly void of them.
"Your planet is awesome, father." Trunks decided as he stabbed his dagger at a big chunk of cheese.
"Leave some of that for me." Vegeta ordered. "It is our planet."
Trunks stuffed his face with cheese and agreed: "Our planet."
They resumed their meal in silence and the food in between them steadily shrank as they tore through it together, eyes intent on whatever food the other aimed for and both afraid that they might not get to have some of it as well.
"No boy, that is mine." Vegeta snarled, snatching the half ravished silver salver of honeyed fowl from under his son's nose. "Paws off."
"I want some more too!" Trunks hollered furiously.
The nerve of the little brat. Vegeta crammed the meat in bones and all, laughing at the state of high dudgeon this left his son in.
"You can't have it. This is my table and my food."
Trunks flourished his dagger at him and called out: "That is not fair."
"I'm the King. I decide what is fair. Now eat and be quick about it. When the Captain comes, she will leave nothing for us to fight over."
Trunks moodily returned to the boar shank and pricked it with his dagger, his head resting on the palm of his hand. "I thought you said this is your table."
"Well sometimes it is better to keep the peace. The Captain goes on the warpath when she is denied her food and I rather like my apartments the way they are now."
"Rest assured, King. I have supper with my brother and the tribes men later. I am saving my appetite for that." a rough voice declared from the direction of the bed chamber.
Vegeta looked up to where Akane stood in the doorway with Aina draped over her shoulder already back to sleep. His little mate was dressed in her Captain Marvel outfit. A Queen that had taken painstaking care in choosing her attire for receiving guests at her table this evening. Vegeta snickered at his rogue mate. The tribes men were bound to appreciate her for shitting on convention. He certainly did.
"Prince." Akane greeted Trunks from the doorway and she jerked a thumb to the depiction on her tight green shirt. "Still loving the shirt." And with that she strode into the nursery, round arse bouncing in her shorts.
"Captain Marvel hasn't been cool for ages." Trunks revealed in confidential tones to his father across the table.
"It has just started catching on here." Vegeta remarked dryly.
"Really?" Trunks looked very superior with his food stained face. "You guys are way behind."
"I was being sarcastic, brat. We don't have a goggle box or the like to entertain us here. We train, eat and," Vegeta wanted to say fuck but that would probably be too much for his chaste son to handle so he continued: "…have sex. That's all the entertainment we need."
Trunks was blushing again, but it didn't stand out so much this time because, as Vegeta discovered now that he looked his son over more carefully, a few hours in Vegetasei's suns had given the boy a rather severe sunburn. He was flaming red on the nose and under the eyes. That was the first sunburn he had in his life. Earth's sun posed no threat to his skin, pale though he may be. This was obviously not so for the suns of Vegetasei. Vegeta put a finger to his own pale nose. No burn. Apparently Trunks had some of his mother's genetics in the make up of his skin. Vegeta could get a sunburn too if he was out in those red orbs long enough, but it would take a while, especially in the midlands of the capital where the climate was milder.
"That is going to hurt." Vegeta said to his son, but before he could elaborate Akane came back into the front room.
She froze aside him at the table, her powerful curvy body casting a threatening shadow over him. Without a word she snatched the dagger from his hand, bent over the now empty fowl salver on the table to see her own reflection and aimed two swift cuts at the mark under her eye.
"What…" Trunks' jaw went slack at the sight and he was paralyzed by his repulsion for what she was doing.
Akane drew the sides of the wound together with two fingers, handed Vegeta back the dagger and leaned in to ask: "How's that, ugly?"
Vegeta wiped the blood from the cuts with his fingertip and found no more trace of the burn mark. The clean ends of the wound were already reattaching. A day and the cut would be healed.
"It's gone."
Akane rose back up with a satisfied grin while Vegeta made to suck her blood from his finger. His hunger piqued he motioned her back to him decidedly and took a second dip from the trail of blood that had trickled down her cheek. It wasn't much, but it would get him through a few more hours.
Trunks was now as repulsed with his father as he was with the Captain, his appetite vanished.
"Your father likes my face better this way." Akane explained. Her haughty scarred brow rose as she examined Trunks. "That is an awful sunburn you have there, Prince. Did you go to the South?"
"Salt Stretches." Vegeta mumbled with a stuffed face. If he couldn't have her, then he could at least satisfy his craving for food.
Akane put her hands on her hips with a snort. "Well, your father looks to be alright. It must be your Earthling genetics making your skin weak."
Trunks chanced a feel at his red nose, looking very insulted by her words.
Akane laughed roughly. "There is no need for that face. Your father gets a sunburn too if he stays out too long. Not me though. I never get burned by the suns. I have tribes blood."
"Oh please." Vegeta dismissed her irritably. "Tribes blood. All you inherited from them is your deplorable lack of civility. A day in their Southern suns and your skin will be red as your favourite battle suit."
"Not so." Akane denied with a challenging smirk.
"Fine, prove me wrong." Vegeta said just as challenging. "Go walk around starkers in the South with your kinfolk for a day. I would like to see how you turn out."
He would, actually. He would also like to see her starkers in those suns again. They should have a roam around the planet of their own. He could make her suffer for calling him little lord outdoors just as well as in.
Akane waved his challenge away with a rough hand. "Nah, I get freckles on my nose when I'm in the suns too much."
All the more reason to get her in those suns. Maybe her hair would stay that blazing red if she soaked up enough of their glare. Get her all hot and sweating and dark skinned with freckles on her nose and hell in her eyes. The whole planet would be their arena when he stuck the boot in of her for calling him little lord. So many grand plans, so little time to make them happen.
"Can you do me a favour, Prince?" Akane asked.
Trunks was still putting careful touches to his nose and cheeks. He stopped it and said: "Sure, Captain."
"When you return to Earth, tell Kakarot that his father is at the palace and that he should come meet him. He will be here for at least another few days."
"I was already going to tell Goten about his grandfather tonight. I'll tell Goku-sama then too." Trunks promised giving her one of his winning smiles. "Maybe they want to come to that council tomorrow. Can they, father?"
"What council?" Akane cut in viciously.
Vegeta tossed a gnawed down bone onto the table and licked the grease from his fingers. He examined them and mentioned in passing fashion: "By this time tomorrow you will be my Queen, little one."
"The Mother's sagging tits!" Akane swore and her indignation made her red tail fluff and lash behind her as she left the table and strode into the bed chamber. When she came back out she was carrying her crimson suit and hollered: "You could have told me that sooner, you bleeder!"
Vegeta sat back with a laugh and watched his little mate tear to the exit of the solar where she pulled open the doors and shouted: "You, girl! Take this to the armoury and have them fix it for me. I want it done by next morning or I will come down and rip off all their heads. And yours too!"
Whoever was on the other side of those doors, Vegeta was certain that she was thoroughly intimidated by his aggressive little mate. His son sure was.
Akane glared back into the room and hissed: "I am going to have supper with my brother and the tribes men now. You should know that I will get off my tits. If your daughter wakes up for food, you figure out what she can eat with those undeveloped teeth because it will take my body hours to break down all the wine I plan to throw back in my piss up."
Vegeta just sat there smirking, all his attention bent on the terrible storm that had accumulated at the double doors. "You have fun, little one."
"Keep the bleeding smiles to yourself." Akane snapped back. Her unnerving eyes fell on Trunks for a second. "Cheers, Prince."
The doors to the solar were thrown shut with a snap and peace returned now that the storm had passed.
"Why is the Captain so angry?" Trunks breathed daunted.
"I think the Captain might be a bit nervous about becoming the Queen."
Vegeta's snickers wouldn't be stopped. A bit nervous was an understatement. His mate could hide behind her aggression all she wanted, Vegeta knew she was dreading what was to come tomorrow. She wasn't just nervous. She was shit-scared.
Trunks looked at his father as though he had just stated the impossible. Indeed, who would have ever imagined the Captain losing heart.