The Nature of Tears: Part 4
Crap.
That was the sentiment that echoed through Goku's mind as he kneeled on the floor next to the toilet. Crap, shit, fuck, damn... Various obscenities crept through his mind as he fought to repress the nausea enough to lean his head away from the cold porcelain. He forced his hand up to flush away the latest round of vomit and tried to focus on the noise of the swirling water instead of the sickly sweet stench. The cool tiles of the floor were a welcome sensation beneath his hands.
Backing away from the toilet (and the smell) Goku rested his back against the bathroom's far wall. Sitting with his knees pulled up to his chest as much as was comfortable, he tilted his head up to stare at the stucco ceiling. "I hope you appreciate what I'm going through for you," he said, addressing his unborn child. A weary but proud grin crept unto his face.
Apparently, male pregnancy was a somewhat uncommon, though not rare, Saiyan genetic trait. According to the information he and Bulma had uncovered, it primarily appeared in the lower classes and was inherited within families. The trait was recessive, and for some reason never appeared in the oldest born son. Bulma had been unsure whether it would be passed to Goten, as he was still too young to tell.
Relaxing a little, Goku stretched his legs out and let his head just hang against the wall. He couldn't run anymore. Vegeta knew he was here. If he used Instant Transmission to escape, Vegeta would still confront him as soon as he arrived home. Besides, he was feeling far too nauseous to even consider using the technique. A sense of impending doom weighed heavily upon him.
The thought of weight and heaviness caused the weary Saiyan to lay his hand on his stomach and begin to rub it gently. He could feel the swelling under the loose fabric of his shirt. "I wonder who you're going to look like more little one - me or your papa? Your other papa I mean. Heh.."
"I should have told him - I know I should have. I should have told him as soon as I realized you were on the way. I know he loves me, it's just - It's just that it hurt so bad little one! Oh god, it just hurt so bad!" Tears began to well up in the Saiyan's eyes. Goku hung his head. "I really am an idiot." He muttered.
"Truer words were never spoken."
"Vegeta!"
-----------------------
His nose crinkling at the sweet-sour smell of flushed vomit, Vegeta studied Goku's pitifully drawn-up form. He looked so wretched sitting there; legs pulled back up again, tear tracks tracing his beautiful face, his lower lip trembling ever so slightly. Vegeta would have found the scene amusing had the situation not been so serious. Instead, he strode over to his mate, kneeling in front of him until he could look the other man level in the eyes. He made sure to keep his voice steady and low when he spoke, hoping to reassure Goku with his tone as well as his words.
"I know. Bulma told me everything." Goku wrenched his gaze away, afraid and ashamed, but Vegeta continued, determined to reach him. "It's all right Kakarot. You were just following the nature of tears."
"Huh?" Confused, Goku turned his wide eyes back to the prince.
"When you get a piece of irritant in your eye, your tear ducts begin to water. The irritant is then flushed out and you recover."
"Yeah, but 'Geta, I don't understand what that has to do with -"
"Quiet Kakarot! I'm explaining! What I'm trying to say is that emotions can act as irritants too. When an incident causes a strong emotion such as sadness, loneliness, loss, sometimes the pain is too strong to be just ignored. Crying is often a method of stress relief. When the tears drain away, it is easier to deal with the emotion. The irritant has been washed away. Your secret pain and loss might have been an irritant in your life and in our relationship, but it doesn't have to be permanent. Let our feelings serve the function of tears - Krillian's, Bulma's, your sons', my own. Let our feelings for you flush away the hurt, the pain."
"Vegeta." Goku whispered the name, unable to meet the other man's eyes.
"Listen to me Kakaratto." Goku's ears perked up at the sound of his formal name. A breath-stilled silence crept over him as he concentrated on Vegeta's intense words. A shiver ran up his spine from his tail spot to the base of his skull as the Saiyan prince tapped two fingers lightly on the mark he had left on Goku's shoulder/neck, then ran his thumb briskly over it.
"You are mine. I love you and I will Never leave you. And I will never let you go either. Together we are much more than we could ever be apart. It is cliché but it is true. Our baby will be living, breathing proof of this. She will be beautiful and precious."
Goku released all the built-up tension and angst of the past weeks in a loud 'woosh', letting it out as the air exited his lungs. Pulling in fresh air he allowed his head to bury itself in his mate's chest while a last few anxiety-free tears fled from his dark eyes. He rested there a few minutes until the significance of Vegeta's last sentence sunk in. Then his head shot up and he pushed back.
"What do you mean she? How do you know?"
A sly smirk manifested on Vegeta's lips as he leaned forward and captured Goku's in a long, slow kiss. The passion in the kiss mounted bit by bit till Vegeta broke it off suddenly, still smirking.
"I just know." And with that he rose and walked out of the bathroom, cocking his finger without looking back.
"Hey! Vegeta!" Goku sprang up and rushed after his mate, tears dried and a large, somewhat goofy grin already returning to his face.
The End
Blessed are the tears that fall
Clean the windows of the soul
And usher in a change of heart
And bring a joy that angels know
Blessed are the tears that fall
Wash the stains of life away
Forgiven and forgotten now
A new creation's here to stay
"It's never fun to cry, but sometimes it's necessary."
Crap.
That was the sentiment that echoed through Goku's mind as he kneeled on the floor next to the toilet. Crap, shit, fuck, damn... Various obscenities crept through his mind as he fought to repress the nausea enough to lean his head away from the cold porcelain. He forced his hand up to flush away the latest round of vomit and tried to focus on the noise of the swirling water instead of the sickly sweet stench. The cool tiles of the floor were a welcome sensation beneath his hands.
Backing away from the toilet (and the smell) Goku rested his back against the bathroom's far wall. Sitting with his knees pulled up to his chest as much as was comfortable, he tilted his head up to stare at the stucco ceiling. "I hope you appreciate what I'm going through for you," he said, addressing his unborn child. A weary but proud grin crept unto his face.
Apparently, male pregnancy was a somewhat uncommon, though not rare, Saiyan genetic trait. According to the information he and Bulma had uncovered, it primarily appeared in the lower classes and was inherited within families. The trait was recessive, and for some reason never appeared in the oldest born son. Bulma had been unsure whether it would be passed to Goten, as he was still too young to tell.
Relaxing a little, Goku stretched his legs out and let his head just hang against the wall. He couldn't run anymore. Vegeta knew he was here. If he used Instant Transmission to escape, Vegeta would still confront him as soon as he arrived home. Besides, he was feeling far too nauseous to even consider using the technique. A sense of impending doom weighed heavily upon him.
The thought of weight and heaviness caused the weary Saiyan to lay his hand on his stomach and begin to rub it gently. He could feel the swelling under the loose fabric of his shirt. "I wonder who you're going to look like more little one - me or your papa? Your other papa I mean. Heh.."
"I should have told him - I know I should have. I should have told him as soon as I realized you were on the way. I know he loves me, it's just - It's just that it hurt so bad little one! Oh god, it just hurt so bad!" Tears began to well up in the Saiyan's eyes. Goku hung his head. "I really am an idiot." He muttered.
"Truer words were never spoken."
"Vegeta!"
-----------------------
His nose crinkling at the sweet-sour smell of flushed vomit, Vegeta studied Goku's pitifully drawn-up form. He looked so wretched sitting there; legs pulled back up again, tear tracks tracing his beautiful face, his lower lip trembling ever so slightly. Vegeta would have found the scene amusing had the situation not been so serious. Instead, he strode over to his mate, kneeling in front of him until he could look the other man level in the eyes. He made sure to keep his voice steady and low when he spoke, hoping to reassure Goku with his tone as well as his words.
"I know. Bulma told me everything." Goku wrenched his gaze away, afraid and ashamed, but Vegeta continued, determined to reach him. "It's all right Kakarot. You were just following the nature of tears."
"Huh?" Confused, Goku turned his wide eyes back to the prince.
"When you get a piece of irritant in your eye, your tear ducts begin to water. The irritant is then flushed out and you recover."
"Yeah, but 'Geta, I don't understand what that has to do with -"
"Quiet Kakarot! I'm explaining! What I'm trying to say is that emotions can act as irritants too. When an incident causes a strong emotion such as sadness, loneliness, loss, sometimes the pain is too strong to be just ignored. Crying is often a method of stress relief. When the tears drain away, it is easier to deal with the emotion. The irritant has been washed away. Your secret pain and loss might have been an irritant in your life and in our relationship, but it doesn't have to be permanent. Let our feelings serve the function of tears - Krillian's, Bulma's, your sons', my own. Let our feelings for you flush away the hurt, the pain."
"Vegeta." Goku whispered the name, unable to meet the other man's eyes.
"Listen to me Kakaratto." Goku's ears perked up at the sound of his formal name. A breath-stilled silence crept over him as he concentrated on Vegeta's intense words. A shiver ran up his spine from his tail spot to the base of his skull as the Saiyan prince tapped two fingers lightly on the mark he had left on Goku's shoulder/neck, then ran his thumb briskly over it.
"You are mine. I love you and I will Never leave you. And I will never let you go either. Together we are much more than we could ever be apart. It is cliché but it is true. Our baby will be living, breathing proof of this. She will be beautiful and precious."
Goku released all the built-up tension and angst of the past weeks in a loud 'woosh', letting it out as the air exited his lungs. Pulling in fresh air he allowed his head to bury itself in his mate's chest while a last few anxiety-free tears fled from his dark eyes. He rested there a few minutes until the significance of Vegeta's last sentence sunk in. Then his head shot up and he pushed back.
"What do you mean she? How do you know?"
A sly smirk manifested on Vegeta's lips as he leaned forward and captured Goku's in a long, slow kiss. The passion in the kiss mounted bit by bit till Vegeta broke it off suddenly, still smirking.
"I just know." And with that he rose and walked out of the bathroom, cocking his finger without looking back.
"Hey! Vegeta!" Goku sprang up and rushed after his mate, tears dried and a large, somewhat goofy grin already returning to his face.
The End
Blessed are the tears that fall
Clean the windows of the soul
And usher in a change of heart
And bring a joy that angels know
Blessed are the tears that fall
Wash the stains of life away
Forgiven and forgotten now
A new creation's here to stay
"It's never fun to cry, but sometimes it's necessary."