"Did you see that nurse checking you out? Dude, she was all over you!" Goku was sitting at the kitchen table, trying to cut cheese into blocks to grate for pasta, like Vegeta had asked him to. Vegeta was putting his black apron on over his combat suit. They were busy having lunch, two days after Vegeta had got back from hospital. "Really? Well, I couldn't care less. She's gotta get in line. Chuck the salt over here, would ya?" Goku sent it soaring across the room and Vegeta caught it in one hand.
"By the way, when did you learn to cook?"
"Bulma's ditzy mother taught me the basics. I make awesome blueberry chocolate chip pancakes, we should have some for breakfast tomorrow."
"Sounds delicious. Youch! My finger!" Goku had sliced into his finger instead of the cheese, cutting the skin at least seven millimeters deep. It started spurting blood and Goku started panicking.
"Vegeta! Make it stop!" Vegeta grabbed some napkins and wrapped them around his friend's finger.
"Hold this around your finger, I'm just going to get a medical bag." Vegeta sped out the kitchen, and with the help of his hyper-speed was back in seconds.
"It looks a little deep, but I don't think you'll need stitches. At least, I hope you don't, because I'm not in the mood to rush you to hospital. Now grit your teeth, I'm just going to put some Savlon in, you've got little bits of cheese in there, and if it gets infected, then I'll have to drag you to a doctor." Goku nodded, and looked away when Vegeta gently rubbed some disinfectant into the cut. It stung like fire, but Goku bit his lip and didn't flinch. Vegeta did an ace job of patching up the torn digit.
"There, all wrapped up. Lets hope that we don't get any more injuries between us. We just seem to attract trouble."
"We're Saiyans, trouble finds us."
"True. Maybe you should let me handle lunch. You sit here and keep me company. You've been really clumsy lately though. I should keep you away from sharp objects." Vegeta gave Goku a sideways glance, as he started grating cheese.
"Thanks, Vegeta. Yeah, I have been kinda clumsy lately, don't know why though."
But I do know why Vegeta. It's because I can't think straight when I'm around you.
Lunch was soon on the table without any further injuries. They both ate out of one massive bowl, big enough for eight people, a light meal for two Saiyans. Vegeta poured on tons of olive oil, and sprinkled parmesan cheese and salt all over it. He wouldn't let Goku put tomato sauce on.
"No, Kakarot! I will not have you defacing my delicious food with that putrid substance!"
"But, Vegeta…" whined Goku.
"No buts. Otherwise get your own bowl. You know how much I despise ketchup." Vegeta pretended to be cross, but they both know he wasn't. They dug into the pasta, sucking it up and twirling it on their forks. Within minutes, all that remained was the sauce at the bottom, which they were mopping up with chunks of Italian bread.
"I'm feeling too lazy to train. I rate we finish that box set of manga I got the other day." said Goku, stretching.
"I'm also feeling a little sluggish. We'll make a big bowl of double butter popcorn, grab some chocolate, turn on the air-conditioning and vegetate!"
"Very witty, Vegeta, even I caught that joke. Vegetate, honestly!"
"My wit is as sharp as always. So what are we waiting for? Let's go!"
They both stretched out on the couch, which they had converted to a sleeper bed, since they were in for an eight-hour marathon. They put their favourite popcorn bowl between them and piled all the sweets on the side tables. They got comfortable and started watching. They kept glancing at each other when the other wasn't looking, and their minds kept drifting back to the popcorn incident. Vegeta could still taste the weird, sweet taste of Kakarot's skin, and Goku kept thinking about how soft Vegeta's lips were. It was just as well that the lights were dimmed, because they could feel themselves blushing. About two hours into the marathon, Vegeta noticed that the popcorn was finished.
"I'll go get another bowl" he said, getting up.
"No, leave it, we've still got all those sweets at the bottom, don't worry about it. Chuck that bowl onto the floor, and relax." Vegeta shrugged, and put the bowl out of the way. He shifted a little closer to Kakarot. He could feel his eyes drooping and he yawned. He hadn't slept at all the night before. He couldn't keep awake anymore, and leaned against Goku, his eyes closing. Goku turned his head toward Vegeta, and buried his face in the distinctive long black spikes. He never wanted this moment to end.
"Kakarot?"
"Mm?" murmured Goku into his hair.
"Don't move, I'm just going to take a nap, 'kay?"
"Sure, Vegeta. Make yourself comfy."
Goku nodded off at some point too. When he woke up, Vegeta was fast asleep, his arm stretched across Goku's chest, rising and falling with the younger Saiyans breathing. Goku smiled, and put his hand on Vegeta's arm. He was savouring every second of this rare moment. How beautiful he is when he sleeps thought Goku, drowning his face in Vegeta's surprisingly soft hair, inhaling the smell of his shampoo. Definitely the salon stuff. Vegeta started shifting, waking up. Goku quickly removed his hand and face from Vegeta and acted as though he had just woken up too. Vegeta opened his eyes slowly, the sleep still heavy on them. For such a built guy, Kakarot is surprisingly soft, and comforting Vegeta thought, snuggling up closer to Kakarot, lying right alongside him. He slipped his arm under Kakarot's back and looked up at his friend, his eyes not quite wide open.
"You're a great pillow."
"Uh, thanks, I guess. Sleep well?" Goku smiled down at Vegeta, who nodded once.
"Very well. I'm actually comfortable to move. I missed that last DVD, run it again, won't you?"
Goku nodded and grabbed the control. He reached for a bag of marshmallows and tore it open, spilling a few into Vegeta's hair. Vegeta just smiled, and cuddled even closer to Kakarot, who was totally thrown by this sudden show of affection. They spent the rest of the afternoon like that, eating marshmallows and watching DVDs, the beginning of the rest of their friendship.
They were both brushing their teeth later that night on the twelfth floor. Vegeta had moved out his normal bedroom (couldn't sleep there) and was now in the room opposite Kakarot. Vegeta's electric toothbrush beeped, signaling that two minutes were up. He spat out his toothpaste, rinsed then gargled with mouthwash. For some bizarre reason, Goku found this enormously funny and burst out laughing, spraying the entire bathroom and Vegeta in toothpaste and spit.
"Dammit, Kakarot! That's so disgusting! Gross!" Vegeta toweled the toothpaste from his face and took off his T-shirt, now covered in saiyan spit and blue toothpaste. Goku's eyes traveled up and down Vegeta's body while his attention was occupied in the laundry bin, as he looked for a shirt that wasn't too nasty. He gave up, deciding to just sleep in his dark blue silk boxers. Vegeta's room was directly opposite Kakarot's, and if they left the doors open, they could see right across to each other in bed. Goku slept with his head at the bottom so he could feel closer to Vegeta. As Vegeta was about to turn into his room, Goku gripped his shoulder.
"What! I don't even get a hug goodnight?!" he teased. He opened his arms wide and smiled broadly. Vegeta smiled awkwardly. He looked around to see if anyone was watching (at 1am!) then he hesitantly hugged Goku, his head only coming up to his shoulder. Goku got him in a bear hug, which Vegeta found strangely comforting. Their keen saiyan noses took in each other's scents, Vegeta thought that Kakarot smelt earthy, like pine and musk. Goku took in Vegeta's airy, light yet masculine scent. It was almost as though he secreted cloud from his skin. They stood like that for a while in the darkened corridor. Eventually they broke apart, and went into their rooms, leaving the doors open. They put their heads at the bottom, and grinned at each other. "Goodnight, Kakarot, if you snore I'll shove that pillow down your throat!" said Vegeta in his favourite way of saying good night to his friend. Goku chucked a shoe at him, which he blasted easily, the shoe falling to the floor a blackened and burnt lump of what was once a leather sneaker.
"Goodnight to you too, Vegeta! If you talk as loudly as you did last night I'll shove my underwear into your mouth!"
"I didn't sleep last night! And if you dare come near me with your filthy underwear I'll rip your head off and use it for a damn vase!" they pulled faces at each other and clapped, turning their lights off, plunging themselves into darkness.