Lucy chapter 29
"So, the next level is gonna be cold, like propa cold," Lucy explains as they descend a dark slope that seems to go on forever
"What should we expect… from me? Am I going to behave strange again," Vegeta asks in a quiet voice, glad of the darkness hiding his blush
"Should be fine bubs, this circle is for gluttony, so ya will probably feel well hungry is all," She shrugs
"There's some nasty guards down ere though so we best not hang about,"
The lower they get the more Vegeta is feeling the cold, Goosebumps creep up his bare legs and a rising damp causes him to shiver, his teeth chattering. Vegeta hasn't felt cold in a very long time, he almost forgot how uncomfortable a feeling it was.
"You want me to hold you?" Goku says pulling his lover closer to him, trying to share some of his body heat
"No, Kakarot I'm fine, I'm not a baby," He snaps wrapping his arms around his chest. They walk on and it gets impossibly cold, an icy sleet pelting down on them, for as far as he can see there is just an empty expance of nothing, silence and emptiness. Nothing but ice and sleet and cold.
Goku looks around uneasily, there are people as far as he can see, just laying naked and freezing, their bodies turned a pale blue from lack of heat. When they see Goku a lot of them look frightened, jerkily forcing their frozen solid limbs to carry them away from him, but others try to speak to him, though he can't make out a single word between the tremors that course through their stiff bodies
"What are they saying?" Goku asks uneasily
"Who?" Vegeta asks, unable to see anyone
"He can't see em," Lucy says gesturing to Vegeta
"I c….c…can't s…ee wh…. who?" Vegeta stutters between chattering teeth
"The people who are here, ya can't see em, and they can't see each other neither, it's all a part of the punishment, to be completely alone," She explains seeming unfazed by the terrible scene around her
"I can't believe you almost sent Vegeta down here, this place is sick," Goku spits glaring at Lucy, quickening his pace hoping to get Vegeta out of here as fast as possible
"Me? I swear ya nearly killed 'im yaself once, we all makes mistakes kakaprick," Lucy hisses back at him
"That's not fair, I didn't know him then," Goku says, giving Lucy a nasty look
"Well, I wouldn't have really sent 'im to hell, I wanted to keep 'im ya knows that, so shut ya stupid mouth ok?"
"you shut your mouth, you're just pissed coz he chose me over you," Goku yells back
"S….s..stopit," Vegeta tries to tell both the bickering idiots to shut up but his quivering lips just can't form the words
"of course, I'm pissed ya dickhead, why don't ya stop digging at me and keep 'im warm or summink,"
"I will keep him warm don't you worry," Goku shouts turning to wrap his arms possessively round his boyfriend only to find he isn't there.
Vegeta couldn't be bothered to stand in the freezing rain listening to any more of their consistent bickering, his ass is sore, he is wearing a dress, he's stone cold, covered in his own jizz, he is trapesing through hell and to top it all off he isn't even technically alive yet. He is not having a good day, so he stomped away from them. They were too busy arguing to even notice.
His walk is slow, his stiff body wanting nothing more than to seize up and lay on the ground shaking, this place is terrible, he is completely alone, not a soul to be seen as far as the eye can see, the nothing and the silence seem to stretch on forever. His stomach is so empty it feels as though a fist is inside trying to punch its way out of him, he is starving. He knows why, it's this place but the knowledge doesn't make it any less painful
His body convulses with how hard he is trembling, but he won't stop, he shuffles his way through the slush that coats the ground, searching for a way out, an exit to whatever nightmare the next level of hell might contain, surely it couldn't be any worse than this.
Its ok for Lucy and Goku, they can't feel what he is feeling, they don't have to put up with the aching hunger, the icy cold or the embarrassing lust. They can just breeze through this whole ordeal.
His day can't possibly get any worse, can it?
He hears a gurgling sound behind him, he is glad of the sound at first, anything to break the deathening silence that surrounds him, then he turns around.
Behind him stands the monster from his very worst nightmare, his all-time biggest fear, the only thing in the universe that can stop his heart and send terrified chills running up and down his frozen spine. The thing is humanoid in shape, but that is the only human thing about this monster.
It stands 7 feet tall and wears nothing but a tattered cloak, its skin is dark brown and moves even when the monster is standing still. Every inch of the beast crawls and slivers with a million worms, wrapped round each other entwined to form the abomination which stands before him. its five heads, if you could call them that are that of huge worms, no eyes can be seen yet somehow Vegeta knows it is looking at him, staring at him.
Vegeta wants to run, his heart pounds in his chest as pure terror pumps adrenalin through his icy blood. Every instinct he has screams at him to turn and flee, run as fast as his legs can carry him, turn his sore butt around and leg it until he can run no more. But he doesn't, fear has glued him to the spot. He stares back at the monstrosity staring at him. neither moving.
The only sound that can be heard is the rasping breath and the wet slurping noise as the worms that make up the body of the beast twist and heave around each other. Its sickening. Vegeta feels the bile rising in his chest, forcing its way up his throat, filling his mouth with acidic fluid. He vomits all over the ground, the liquid instantly freezing on contact with the floor.
The creature moves toward him and a high-pitched scream rings through the silent air, Vegeta can't move, all he can do is scream and pray Goku comes to save him, he is totally paralysed with panic.
Goku and Lucy hear the scream and run in the direction
"This is all your fault," Goku screams at her
"Fuck you," She screams back.
They see Vegeta up ahead, he has curled himself up into a tiny little ball on the floor, standing over him is a disgusting creature. Lucy has seen these things before, so she isn't too fazed by it
"Shit, He's scared of worms," Goku calls and runs faster towards the creature. They both reach him just in time, Goku grabs Vegeta from the floor, scooping him up in his arms like a baby and holding him tight. Lucy stands in front of them ready to fight the monster.
It lunges at her and she spins and kicks it hard in the neck, digging her red heel deep into its throat, blood squirts out splattering across the trio. The monster roars but doesn't drop, Lucy moves in again punching the middle head with staggering force.
Goku watches on as she rains blow after blow down on the creature, he has to hand it to her, she can sure fight good
"Are you ok baby?" Goku whispers to his frightened little prince
"Kakarot, I…. I hate it…h... here," Vegeta sobs, still shivering.
"It's ok now, I've got you, Lucy is killing the monster right now, don't be scared," Goku whispers reassuringly, rocking Vegeta like a baby in his arms.
Finally, the beast sinks to the ground in defeat, its slithering body broken and bleeding
"Time to go," Lucy says, pulling Goku by the arm as she notices another three guards approaching.
They run towards a cliff edge
"why the dick didn't ya tell me he got helminthophobia?" Lucy yells
"I dunno what that is," He calls back running as fast as he can with Vegeta still in his arms
"god ya thick, we gotta climb down this cliff can ya do that while holding him," she shouts, speeding up as the three worm monsters gain on them
"I can fly you dick," Goku yells and throws himself off the cliff edge squeezing Vegeta close to his chest, careful not to drop him, he seems in no state to fly at the moment. He slowly floats to the ground still rocking Vegeta gently as he turns to check on Lucy, she is clambering down the steep rock face, he feels a little sorry for her.
"Do you want me to carry you down, or something," Goku asks now they are a safe distance away from the monsters
"Nope, id rather climb," Lucy says stubbornly.
"Cool, I'll wait for you at the bottom then,"
Goku lands softly on the ground and looks down at Vegeta, he looks quite pale and shaken but at least he is not crying anymore, and it's a lot warmer here too, he has stopped shivering
"You ok?" he asks quietly
"Kakarot, I hate worms" Vegeta says quietly
"Yeah, I know, what are the chances of a worm monster living down here ay? That thing was gross,"
"I puked," He admits quietly
"I know, you got it all down yourself, that's ok though baby that thing made me want to puke too," Goku tries his best to assure Vegeta he has no reason to be upset but he can see it isn't working at all, Vegeta is ashamed of himself, and for Vegeta, that is the worst feeling in the world. His pride is gone he is deflated and humiliated. Goku will do anything right now to make him feel better
"Vegeta?"
"Yes,"
"I love you, you know that right?" He says kissing Vegeta full on the lips, he tastes like sick and has blood splattered across his face but Goku decides he can ignore all that if it makes Vegeta feel better
"Seriously Kakarot im a fucking disgrace right now, how can someone like you possibly love me?" He grumbles
"Disgrace? Are you serious? You're a fucking terminator, look at you, going through literal hell in a dress and not once have you said you can't do it. Its ok for me I'm not feeling the effects, but you are and you're still going. That's what I love about you Vegeta, you never back down. you will get through this and when you do, I'm gonna marry the fuck out of you,"
Vegeta chuckles at Goku's choice of words
"You're an idiot, but I love you too Kakarot,"
Finally, Lucy gets the bottom of the mountain, she looks tired
"Hey, you made it," Goku says looking up from kissing Vegeta "Well done killing that thing, I was impressed," Goku calls. She totally ignores him, walking over to sit next to the couple
"Are ya ok Vegeta, I'm really sorry I dint know you have helminthophobia, I shouldn't have let ya walk off like that, sorry bubs,"
"It's not something I promote, no need to apologise I wasn't even that scared, I was just cold," Vegeta lies.
"I know, I dint really think ya was afraid or nout," Lucy quickly backtracks
"So, Lucy, what do we have waiting for us down here," Goku asks
"This floor, shouldn't be so bad Kakarot, there's only one guard down here named Pluto, and I kinda know 'im, should be cool. And there shouldn't be too much effect on Vegeta either, this circle is for greedy bastards, so he might just want stuff, easily ignored," She explains with a shrug
"Great, I don't think I could deal with any more scary guards right now ay Veg?"
"Lucy…. You got his name right! And Kakarot the monster wasn't even scary, now put me down I'm not a baby," He snaps.