Vegeta sat before the couple, grumbling and blatantly uncomfortable with the situation. It was obvious he wanted to be anywhere else, but a firm grip on his knee kept him in place. Though he could easily pull Bulma's hand away, regardless of the amount of force she used, he remained still. Only one thought crossed the boy's minds as they noticed this: this is serious.

Trunks was the first to try and break the ice. "So, you wanted to talk to us?"

"We did." Bulma smiled kindly. A squeeze from her hand had Vegeta jumping. "Your dad has something he needs to share with you."

"Oh?"

Vegeta sighed and finally turned to his son and his partner. "There are some saiyan, er, biological differences that you need to be cautious of."

Trunks and Goten turned to each other at that. So far, the only differences came up when eating and fighting. They had no tails, so that was automatically something they would never have to worry about. Just what was different about their bodies that had Vegeta of all people looking sorry?

"Listen carefully," Vegeta begun. "Saiyans have always been a warrior race, but we haven't always had the urge to keep fighting until we died. After conquering our home, we began to laze about. The Truffles were still being enslaved to create and fix our ships. Allowing us to conquer more planets, but it was taking a while. We were starting to lose our fighting spirit and they almost ambushed us because of it.

"After that, we started to pay more attention. We kept up with our training. Some of us trained harder, pushed our limits, surpassed them. Then, Frieza's family arrived and conquered us."

Trunks shifted in his seat. "Uh, dad, you already explained your history to me."

Vegeta shot his son a warning look. "Well, this low-level you're paired with hasn't heard this!"

"Vegeta, be nice!" Bulma admonished. "Continue."

He growled and nodded. "Very well. As I was saying, we were conquered by a different race and knew that something had to change. I'm not sure how it happened, or why, but we developed the ability to claim two mates: a soulmate and a life mate."

Goten burned at the word "soulmate". He and Trunks had only just confessed to each other. In fact, Goten had been unsure of his true feelings only a few hours prior. Why was Vegeta throwing around that word?! Vegeta! There was not a single romantic cell in that man's body.

Noticing his reaction, Vegeta huffed and turned to Goten. "Not like that, boy. A saiyan soulmate isn't some sappy pseudo connection. You guys are bonded to forever try and best each other. It's a way to make sure neither of you stay complacent and allow a second conquer over our race."

"So," Trunks put a hand to his chin in thought, "soulmates are a countermeasure for lazing around?"

"Pretty much." Bulma nodded.

"Hey," Goten beamed as he understood what was being said, "you and my dad are soulmates then, huh?"

Vegeta let out an embarrassed huff. "Yes. My rage against Frieza was terminated a while back. Kakarot had beat me to his death and I no longer had a desire to continue fighting. At the time, the only ones around were the namekian and the humans. Your brother was too young and weak to be claimed. So, I started to lose myself. It wasn't until Kakarot came back from Yardrat that I decided to claim him."

"Is that why you're always training to beat him?"

"Yes." Vegeta admitted. "Though, I would be a foolish prince if I let some low-class saiyan best me."

"But he does."

"Shut it, boy!" Vegeta snarled at Goten.

Goten had not meant to let that slip out, but it was hard to contain his thoughts all the time. As he heard Trunks snicker next to him, he wondered just how his lavender-haired boyfriend managed to keep all his thoughts hidden. There was no way he still believed Vegeta was stronger, right?

Trunks composed himself after receiving a sharp glare from his father and a warning look from his mother. "So, what's the second mate?"

The boys tensed as they saw Vegeta blush. Not his usual embarrassed flush that only slightly tinged his cheeks. No, this was a fully bloomed face of deep crimson. One that left them entirely unnerved. They had never seen him so shy. "A life mate."

Again, Goten felt his face heat up. "I-Is that like a human soulmate?"

"Of course, not!" Vegeta grumbled. "I told you, that's a pseudo connection. Life mates are also claimed. Saiyans were always in battle and needed to make sure they would continue fighting even after their soulmate died. These were special, though. Rather than trying to best your life mate, you fought to protect them."

Not having expected the touch, Goten flinched when Trunks reached over to grab his hand. He glanced down at their hands before looking up at Trunks. The man held a gentle smile that said more than Goten could comprehend. Was that how Trunks felt? Did he only ever train to keep those he loved safe? That was what his dad did. Goku loved to train, but he really only ever forced himself to push his limits when he needed to protect someone. Were they all life mates? He turned his attention back to Vegeta. "Can you claim more than one person?"

Trunks felt like the question should have offended him. It was shocking to hear, but it left him feeling inadequate rather than offended. Did Goten want to claim someone other than him? Was Goten already thinking about the end before their relationship had even started?

Vegeta must have picked up on this because his voice got dark, and he bared his fangs at Goten. "That kind of mentally would have had you killed on my planet."

Bulma was not the only one who gaped at Vegeta. Sure, he never cheated on her, but she figured that had more to do with his universal distaste for humans than it did with his honor. Was he being serious? Were saiyans loyal by nature?

"N-No, don't get me wrong." Goten held his hands up. "I'm not marking anyone. I just thought, since dad's always risking his life for everyone, not just mom, that maybe he claimed more people?"

That seemed to calm Vegeta's wrath, and Goten let out a sigh of relief. "No. Your father has not claimed anyone."

"Are you sure?" Bulma arched a brow. "He and Chi-Chi have been married for a very long time."

"You've been around him longer," Vegeta countered. "So has the short man."

"Krillin," Bulma deadpanned. Would Vegeta ever bother to learn anyone's name? "Still, he married Chi-Chi, and had two kids with her. I don't think that's something you do just randomly. Even if he's dense and doesn't really understand how it all works."

Red began to spread on Vegeta's face again. "Look, can we not talk about Kakarot's mate or lack of? The point is: he's yet to claim a life or soulmate."

"Wait." Trunks shook his head to clear his thoughts. "The claims are one sided?"

"Of course." Vegeta looked at him as though he had just asked a stupid question. "A claim can be made without consent. It has to be one sided to allow people to choose who they want."

"Then, the reason dad can get excited with new challengers is because he didn't claim you?"

"Precisely."

"And the reason Goku rushes in to protect everyone is because he has no life mate?"

"Do I have to keep repeating myself? Yes!"

Both Trunks and Goten stared at each other. "Then, why are we talking about this now?" Trunks looked away and back towards his parents. "You weren't going to tell me if I stayed with Mai, so why Goten?"

Vegeta sighed. "My claim on Kakarot should have transferred to you. As my first born, your claim should have targeted the older one, but he had already been born years before you. Instead, you claimed him."

"Me?" Goten arched a brow. "When did he do that?"

"Soulmates can be claimed biting your target. Ingesting their blood is enough."

"Dad's bitten enough people to make a claim, then. So, why hasn't he?"

"It may have something to do with his fall when he was a kid." Bulma offered. "When his grandpa found him, Goku was wired to be a wild saiyan hell-bent on destruction. That meant that Goku was never still, and he fell into a canyon head first. That rewired him to be the kind person he is today. My guess is that the whole rewiring situation may have prevented him from being able to keep some of his saiyan characteristics."

"Alright," Trunks nodded slowly. "So, it was a time I ingested some of Goten's blood. Probably through fighting. Does that mean Goten claimed me?"

Vegeta shrugged. "Go super."

"Uh, okay." Trunks let his ki blow up. Instantly, Goten was looking at him. Not in the same way as usual, but not entirely different either. There was just a small detail that Trunks had a hard time naming. Was it a glint in his eyes? Was his jaw set a little too tightly? Maybe his eyes flashed a different color while he wasn't looking?

Vegeta gestured for Trunks to simmer down again. "It seems like it."

"How can you tell?" Goten was the one to ask. "I didn't feel different."

"Because you were ready to go super as well." Vegeta pointed out. "I'm still relaxed in my seat, but you're tense."

That had the boys thinking again. Goten really had not noticed his own position. It was stiff and he had to flex his hands to relax them again. Did he always get like that whenever Trunks went super?

"You'll be ready for combat any time Trunks is. This means you're both ready to either prove your worth or engage in battle. This only happens if you can see him, though. If Trunks is fighting somewhere else, you won't be reacting to him. The same goes the other way around."

"Right." Trunks nodded. Then, with pink cheeks, he tried avoiding looking directly at Goten. "So, how is a life mate claimed?"

Bulma giggled at Trunks' blushing face. Only to snort a little as she noticed Vegeta was almost mirroring his look. This conversation was definitely out of her husband's comfort level.

Vegeta grumbled and pulled at his hair. He was reaching the end of his rope. "Claims are made the same way. We bite our targets and ingest their blood. The meaning behind the bite, however, is different."

The claims, as Vegeta explained it, were a mark. Soulmates were marked with the intent to best the target. The reason Goku had never claimed anyone was because his bites were usually to escape or punish his opponent. He wanted to defeat them, not best them. Their interactions would end after that fight, but soulmates were supposed to struggle for dominance their entire lives. Not too differently, life mates were marked through a bite. The intent, however, was one of possession. An urge to keep the person for themselves. However, there was always a price to pay for convenience.

"What?! If I die, you'll die as well?!" Bulma gaped at her husband. He had failed to mention that particular part of a claim. She would have never agreed to letting him claim her if she knew that would happen.

Vegeta looked at her as if she had grown a second head. "Are you insane?! Of course not! We have children! I'll stick around to protect them!"

"But," Goten spoke up in a soft voice, "we can't have kids." He looked at Trunks with worried eyes. "If one of us dies, the other will too, right?"

Very rarely did Vegeta let his emotions show, but the amount of despair that radiated from Goten was contagious, and Vegeta had a hard time masking the apology from his face. "Yes."

"T-Then, we don't claim each other." Goten smiled at his boyfriend. "That way, we can still live."

"Well," Trunks had to look away then.

That had Goten looking at him with wide, pleading eyes. "Trunks?" You didn't!

"It's too late for him." Vegeta sighed. "He's already claimed you."