Trunks and Goten had been restless most of the day but managed to burn their energy sparring and swimming together, until it started raining. A year had passed since the universal tournament of power in which their fathers Vegeta and Goku battled. The boys didn't learn until later that their universe could have been wiped out had it not been for the bravery, smarts, and teamwork of family and friends who fought during the competition.

Naturally, Trunks was far more peevish than his best friend about this knowledge. Much like his father, Goten was more easygoing than Prince Vegeta's cocky teenage fireball. However, Trunks couldn't lash out because he heard the news after eavesdropping on one of his mother's phone conversations.

He couldn't understand why his parents didn't level with him this time. He and Goten fought courageously when they were tots, and neither appeared to be traumatized by the terrifying challenges everyone faced during Majin Buu's near-destruction of Earth. Both had more combat skills before the age of ten than many adult fighters. He seemed to have forgotten that their parents did everything in their power to protect them, as well, including soothe their hurts. The adults had not forgotten that the two had been happy boys. It was a tough call for everyone involved to raise them to enjoy life and remain vigilant.

No one wanted to strip the boys of their innocence completely, but of the four parents involved, Vegeta had seen the absolute lowest and nastiest of mortals. Each waking day he recalled his own failures and sins. "Innocence" in his earlier life under Frieza's reign had been an unjustified death sentence for countless lives across their universe. Goku had been one of the few Vegeta knew who maintained a broader optimism about life despite being attacked constantly by nefarious individuals. Although both enjoyed the thrill of the fight, only the Saiyan prince dwelt constantly on existential threats to their livelihoods - because his past traumatized him. Someone had to take his and Goku's place one day to protect this world and help others, and all of their sons had been blessed with the strength and intelligence to do just that through appropriate teaching and reserved encouragement.

Maybe "that creepy Frieza guy" played a role in his parents' reluctance, Trunks thought. Vegeta obviously despised him - the boy sensed his father's white-hot rage immediately- and yet Goku invited that sneering, smooth-talking creature to join Universe Seven's team for the tournament anyway.

Trunks noticed Vegeta had grown more protective and cautious, especially during and after his mother's pregnancy a year earlier. While the boy welcomed this affection, he didn't desire a total trade-off between that and his father's uncompromising support to do his best. But that's how it appeared. Sure, he goofed off and didn't take everything Vegeta said seriously sometimes, but the teen counted on his dad to be what the prince always had been in his eyes: resolute, honorable, disciplined, serious, tough, and fair with him.

Beyond that, he resented Vegeta's fondness for Cabba, the previously unknown Saiyan defense fighter from Universe Six. Trunks understood how much it meant to Vegeta to know other Saiyans existed, and he really wanted to be happy for him… but he couldn't. Not in this circumstance.

Trunks knew during an exhibition match a year before the tournament that Vegeta and Cabba made an intense connection. He watched his father - his proud father- kneel at the seventeen-year-old's feet, telling the youngster to surpass him. This tremendous sign of respect silenced the audience. Vegeta and Goku, who were almost evenly matched as fighters, never did that with each other. But unlike Goku, the Saiyan prince was a warrior. Whether Vegeta sensed that spark in Cabba wasn't fully apparent then, but signs were there. Piccolo, the Namekian fighter whose personality resembled Vegeta's, said as much to Goku.

Neither thought Trunks overheard.

After winning their battle, Vegeta triumphantly raised his arms, appearing to thank the heavens for inspiring a true blood brother. His planet had been destroyed during his tumultuous childhood, dissolving part of his soul, and now this passionate young fighter offered evergreen.

Trunks said little to his parents after the match. Had his father been that lonely for this kind of companionship?

Maybe.

He tried to avoid feeling like he did anything wrong considering Vegeta's eagerness to mentor elsewhere. His dad loved him - would kill and die for him - but now the teen recognized that he alone would never measure up to an authentic Saiyan boy.

Now Cabba was visiting Earth to train and bond further with Vegeta. Trunks had his pride too, so he would not compete for anyone's attention - not even his father's. Besides, he had dibs on the first fifteen years of Vegeta's influence, and no one - absolutely no one - could erase that.

"Screw that nerd-boy suck-up Saiyan. He can kick rocks. I want nothing to do with it. Dad will find out how full of shit that guy is eventually."

Vegeta and Cabba entered the house sweaty from sparring and soaked from the unexpected storm. Their musty odor trailed through the corridor leading to an arboretum filled with his wife Bulma's collection of plants and flowers. She sat on a bench near the middle, reading next to her daughter's crib. She glanced at her watch, tapping on the crystal case, which Vegeta noticed. Small signs of her discomfort rarely escaped his attention, but intuition advised him to postpone further discussion until his mentee departed.

Cabba looked worse for wear from their hellish workout together but still managed to smile. Bulma and Vegeta's one-year-old daughter, Bulla, squealed at their presence. She also had a decent grasp of several words, impressing Cabba. Her walking surprised him less. He wondered how long Vegeta would wait before teaching her to fly.

Worry lines on Bulma's forehead relaxed after they entered, although not enough for Vegeta's concern to decline.

She closed her book. "You two smell rather…ripe. Must have been a good session."

"Hn." Vegeta observed his armpits. "Judging by my aroma on a scale of one to one-hundred, I would give our training a six."

"I disagree," Cabba said, appearing disappointed. "Maybe a sixty, master?"

"In your dreams," Vegeta retorted, scowling, "and no one asked for your opinion, boy. What I say goes. I'll probably be on my deathbed before you reach a perfect score."

"Oh, leave him alone," Bulma said, taking his hand. "You can't fool me, babe. I thought you were giving him a harder time today. Stop holding back."

Vegeta's cheeks flushed. Her simple touch worked effectively to disarm him - nearly every time. He cleared his throat, removing their baby from the crib. Surprised by her father's pungent smelliness, Bulla looked sideways at first. Then her arms extended to push back from his chest. Her parents winked as she quickly reached for her mother.

"Daddy smells atrocious, doesn't he?" Bulma cooed as she sweetly kissed her. "Yes, he does. Yes, he does." Bulla looked back at Vegeta, undoubtedly wondering if her father was upset. He tossed a tiny ball to her, which she caught in one hand.

He nodded. "Good girl. Perfect. We'll work on a lot more soon." Bulla grinned, dropping the toy to clap about her accomplishment.

Cabba admired his teacher's understated warmth with his wife and kids. Vegeta obviously worked hard at it.

"Um, may I hold her for a while, Dr. Brief?"

"No," Vegeta thundered back. "Leave."

"Yes, sir."

Bulma laughed. "Cabba, you've been here for two months now. Stop taking my husband so seriously. Of course you can hold her for as long as you want."

"In fact, take her with you and keep her busy," Vegeta said, handing him a food capsule. "There's a mountain of nutrition snacks in this for you. Open it in the kitchen and don't gorge. Dinner is at eight. We're having dinosaur roast."

"We are?" Bulma asked. "But I thought -"

Vegeta moved in front of her. "Can you stop thinking for once in your life, please?"

"I'm losing patience with your bad attitude," Bulma replied, crossing her arms. "Maybe I don't want dinosaur roast. It's rather heavy for my diet."

Without removing his eyes from her, Vegeta pointed over his left shoulder at Cabba. "Didn't I say leave, boy?"

"Yes, sir." Cabba smiled at Bulla, who eagerly mimicked her father's response. "See you later."

Vegeta and Bulma kissed tenderly after their visitor's exit. Both had looked forward to it.

"Eh, I guess you don't smell that bad anymore."

Vegeta shook his head. "Actually, I do, which means something isn't right on your end. You usually holler at me to shower first."

"What makes you think something is wrong?"

"Honestly, woman. Stop delaying the inevitable. What is it?"

Bulma paused to view her watch again. "Well, I haven't heard from Trunks yet. That's all. But we have to remember that he's fifteen. Teenagers are what they are."

"Earthling teens are what they are," Vegeta said, "but he's also our son and knows better than to worry us unnecessarily. You roamed forests and learned about the world at his age with your parents' permission - and shot a gun at Kakarot for entertainment."

Neither spouse mentioned Vegeta's adolescence. He had one physically. Having fun was the least of his concerns during that time.

"Yes, Vegeta, and you didn't have to mention Goku. That was an innocent accident."

He laughed. "Right. Sure it was. Whatever eases your guilty conscience. OK, so you've tried to reach our son then."

"Chi Chi said he left her place two hours ago. She sent Gohan to look for him after we talked. Goten is staying home."

"What?" Vegeta could barely contain his exasperation. "It only takes thirty minutes to fly here from Mount Paozu at normal speed. Why didn't you message me?"

"Like I said, honey, I figured that -"

"Bulma, don't do this with me. I have a right be concerned. How long has he ignored your wishes about being home on time? What else is he not doing? When I expect him to be around me, he most certainly is."

"A few weeks, I guess. You've been busy too, and it's summertime. Maybe he just feels jealous about the attention Bulla's getting more of now."

Vegeta highly doubted that. The boy adored his sister.

"And you're just now telling me." Sensing Bulma's hurt, he lifted her chin. "Stop making excuses for him. I promise I won't yell when I find him… at first. Does that help?"

"I… don't want you to search. I trust that Gohan will find him. Let them talk first."

"But I am his father! Trunks is even more strong-willed and stubborn at this age. That's won't disappear as he gets older. He's not like Goten - and I certainly don't need Kakarot's other son to stand in for me. He and his wife have their own toddler to manage."

Bulma sighed at her husband's skeptical defensiveness. "My instincts say our kid needs a substitute big brother today - for whatever reason. Don't be so quick to undervalue Gohan's worth. You know how smart and charming he can be."

"Of course he is - five times more than his buffoon of a father," Vegeta replied, smirking. "No, wait. I've changed my mind. I'll double that sum for good measure."

"Fine then. You agree that we'll wait."

"I haven't agreed to anything, Bulma."

"Vegeta, please -"

He grasped her shoulders. "Look, I know where they are already. Gohan raised his power level to signal me, which means Trunks is also aware. Kakarot's son gets approximately one hour to play amateur counselor with him."

"An hour and a half, maybe?" Bulma batted her eyelids, closing in for another smooch. Her innocent appearance belied the cunning tigress within.

Vegeta tried shaking off his wife's delicate kisses. "Seduction will not work," he said as she licked his lips. "You're… not…not listening. I meant what I said."

Bulma unlaced his exercise shorts. "How about a quickie, hmm?" She dialed a code on a remote to lock the arboretum's front and back entrances. Dark shades descended over the floor-length windows, leaving the couple underneath hazy lights from the ceiling.

Vegeta casually stepped out of his fallen shorts, giving her an enchanting eyeful of his naked physique. "I said no - and we never do quickies."

"Whatever," she purred, removing her shirt. She guided his mouth to her breasts, further rejecting his feeble refusal. "But we also haven't had sex in here since Bulla's birth."

After offering a taste, she took off running through the vegetation. Her now-growling husband chased her down onto a soon-to-be flattened patch of violas, expertly throwing a blanket beneath them before removing her adorably tight tennis shorts.

"You conniving woman. You fight so dirty. I hate you so much right now."

Bulma giggled, realizing that he cornered her near a fragrant tangle of jasmine vines without noticing. Years earlier, they accidentally discovered the blooming white flowers acted as a mild hypnotic and potent aphrodisiac...for any Saiyan who touched them.

"Good." She snatched two small blossoms, crushing them against her husband's abdominals. "Serves you right for showing up half-naked anyway. Shall we continue?"

She did fight dirty.

Feeling increasingly heady, Vegeta stared at the crumbled petals. "You…you didn't." He held Bulma's arms over her head, panting. "You tricked me!"

"No, I just remembered," Bulma teased as his pupils widened. "But you knew the risks of coming anywhere in here, papa bear."

Vegeta freed her as his lingering tension vanished, falling back on his arms. Her silky fingers sent tremors through his body. Intense colors flooded his view, enhancing Bulma's natural beauty. She climbed on top to seize his erect length between her thighs.

She planned to ride this wild stallion long and hard.

"Quickie my ass," he moaned. "I…I won't forget this."

Notes: Although Cabba and Vegeta's relationship has offered great drama on DB Super, I have noticed grousing on different fandom boards for a while about where kid Trunks fits in - specifically, why it appears that Vegeta isn't pushing his son harder to seriously follow in his footsteps. We saw during DBZ why others accepted Gohan's desire to pull back in spite of his potential, but the show's writers never provided clear answers about the other side, both then and now. Thank you for reading! Please take a moment to leave a comment if you can.