Your kisses are like pearls, so different and so rare
"Look, all I'm saying is that Vegetasie is, like, ten times the gravity of Earth, and the moon has less gravity than Earth." Rini wiped at the sweat dripping into her eyes, huffing as she did sit ups.
"I still think you're whining." Trunks didn't slow his one handed pushups, one hand held behind his back as he used the other to effectively pin Rini's feet for her.
"I'm not whining," Rini panted, "I just cant keep up with you. You should be training under four hundred times Vegetasie's gravity, and we're barely on six times the gravity because of me."
"Think of it as sixty times Earths gravity." Trunks switched hands smoothly, barely breaking his rhythm.
"There has to be a better way for me to train at a safe pace without holding you back," Rini flopped back to the floor, tried to do one more sit up, and fell back again. "Shit. I think I'm done," Trunks let her feet go, and she rolled on to her stomach and got up on all fours. She let Trunks pull her back by the waist so that her back was flush with his chest, and leaned into him. They stayed on the floor for a long moment, kneeling in the gravity, Trunks wrapping his arms and tail around her.
"Increasing the gravity before we go to sleep helps. Gives you time to adjust more quickly." Trunks nuzzled the scars on her neck, half hidden by the jumpsuit.
"Is it supposed to hurt so much, though?" Rini sighed and tilted her head to allow the movement. "I mean, I feel like I can barely move the next morning."
"You seem fine after sex," Trunks hauled them both smoothly to their feet, moving away from Rini to the center of the room, where he started doing hand-stand pushups.
"Yeah, I guess. It kind of surprises me, how much it helps with the warm up." Rini stood with her feet planted shoulder width apart, holding her arms out parallel to the floor, and started doing crouches. "How much of that chocolate sauce did your mother pack with us, anyway?"
Trunks blushed hard, even after a week of space travel. "I still cant believe she did that."
Rini laughed; she still hadn't told him about a few of the other toys Bulma had hidden in the galley for them. Somehow, she didn't think he'd even want to know about them.
~*~
Piccolo lay curled on the bed, pillows clamped over his sensitive ears, and snarled into the clean white cotton. "Will they ever shut up?"
"They're babies, Piccolo, they don't have any other way to communicate." Jupiter poured herself another cup of tea, and refilled the cup by the bed with water.
"I can hear the little brats through four feet of steel!" Piccolo lifted the pillows enough to look at her as he snarled, "And those idiot Sayajin think I'm going to let their smelly little brats crawl all over me like some kind of jungle gym!" His head disappeared under the pillows again, muffling the low growl coming from his throat.
"I've seen Namek babies, and they aren't much different," Jupiter shrugged. "At least they're a little more like plants, so you only have to water them. But they take the same amount of time as anything just starting to grow. Don't you ever want kids, Piccolo?" Her voice was so carefully off-hand, that Piccolo peered cautiously out of the pillows.
"Namekians are asexual; we cant even have sex. Thank god, its probably the most disgusting thing in the history of the universe." Piccolo watched her turn away, hiding the expression on her face. "What? You said you didn't want to have sex in the first place."
"Piccolo, I'm drawn to you because I have a natural affinity for plants, and Nameks happen to be extremely evolved plants. There are literally hundreds of men I could have sex with; I've never met anyone I want to even have a relationship with, though, except you. I was just wondering if you wanted kids, at some point."
"Oh." Fuck. "Um. Twenty three is a really young age to start reproducing. I mean, I'm physically capable of doing it, I just don't think I'm mentally capable right now."
"When do Nameks consider themselves the appropriate age to start reproducing?"
"About a hundred."
Jupiter was quiet, sipping her tea without looking at the bed and its green occupant.
"Look," Piccolo sat up on the bed, keeping the pillows clamped firmly over his ears, "I understand, you're more short-lived, and you want to have children soon. I just don't get why you want me to be a father to your children."
"I love you." Jupiter looked over at him, her green eyes wide and a little sad. "I'm not very good with people, but you aren't like any person I've ever met. You see me as I am, and want nothing but my companionship, and usually I don't have to say anything and you know how to comfort me." She shrugged. "Why do you want to be with me, if there's no way for us to reproduce?"
"You're good with plants, and I'm basically an extremely evolved plant." Piccolo rolled his eyes as he reitterated the focal point of thier relationship. "I can spend months in space with you without having to worry about a vitamin deficiency, you bring me water every few hours, and you know when to shut the hell up. And you let me train without interrupting me every three minutes, which is more than I can say about half my species." Piccolo thought for a moment longer, "And you smell like dirt after it rains."
Jupiter laughed, shaking her long brown hair out of her face.
"Look, lets stay alive for a little while longer, before we talk about brats again, alright?" Piccolo flopped back down on the bed, burying his head under the pillows again.
Jupiter smiled to herself, and stared out the window at the glittering stars of space before she turned back to the bed, and crawled in close to snuggle. She didn't think she'd ever tell Piccolo that he was the only plant is was fun to cuddle with; he barely let her get away with it as it was.
~*~
Mercury leaned back from the mechanical arm, tapping her all-purpose tool against her lips. "I think it's a simple power shortage," she cocked her head as she looked up at Android Sixteen, "But its going to take me a few hours to replicate the part. Can you wait that long, or is too painful?"
"Pain is irrelevant." Sixteen rumbled. "I merely wish to not malfunction."
Mercury smiled and leaned back over his arm, continuing to examine the damaged appendage. Seventeen leaned over her shoulder, his long dark hair falling forward and blocking her light.
"Honey," She warned, reaching over her shoulder without looking to gently touch his face. He pulled back without saying anything, merely cocking his head thoughtfully at her slightly hunched shoulders.
"I wish I'd brought Marron," Eighteen sighed, propping her chin on her knee, "I mean, I thought this was going to be dangerous, but if Raditz and Kakarrot brought their kids, I should have brought mine, you know?"
"Well, it will be dangerous," Mercury turned away from the largest android and started fiddling with other equipment, already starting on the replacement part. "I'm not even comfortable coming along, and I'm only three months along. I really don't think Mars and Chi Chi thought this out when they brought their kids."
"I've known Chi Chi for a long time," Eighteen brushed some of her blonde hair out of her eyes, "And that woman is now the single most dangerous woman alive if anyone tries to hurt Gohan. Mars is going to leave her girls on the ship with Chi Chi while we go and fight, and they couldn't be safer. I'd trust Chi Chi to watch Marron more than I trust Master Roshi."
"Is that why you made Krillin stay behind?" Seventeen asked, taking his eyes off of Mercury for the first time.
"That, and what if he ends up like Tien? I don't want to be like Launch, the way she is right now." Eighteen shuddered; she'd seen a lot in her time with the Red Ribbon Army, but the wreck of a human being that Launch had become was something that actually crushed her spirit.
"Yeah," Seventeen turned back to watching Mercury, his arms folded carefully over his chest. The Sailor Senshi didn't even look up, biting her lip prettily as she bent over her work.
"Well, this is about as entertaining as a bucket of rocks. I'm gonna go see what Uranus and Neptune are up to." Eighteen sighed and left without worrying about what they thought; her brother was being meditative and over protective, now that he had his own kid on the way, and Sixteen never said much to begin with. And Mercury, much as she liked her sister in law, was entirely too engrossed in machines. Which was probably why the marriage worked to begin with.
Eighteen stopped thinking about it; examining Mercury too closely tended to remind her more of Gero than was comfortable, and she didn't like to wonder if her brother made the same comparisons. Then again, he might have been capable of differentiating anyone who fiddled with machines apart from the mad scientist.
~*~
Bardock knocked on Pluto's door, and wondered if she'd even answer. When she did, he almost gaped, then pulled himself together.
"You still need a distraction?" Bardock asked her, cocking an eyebrow. She smiled and stood aside, letting him step in. He followed her into the private quarters, watching the sway of her hips in the mini skirt.
"What happened to your grandchildren?" Pluto asked as she kicked off her high heels on the way to the bed.
"I'm not the one who popped 'em out, I can give 'em back whenever the hell I want," Bardock peeled his armor off, watching her strip casually.
"You're not going to get me pregnant, are you?" Pluto flung the last of her undergarments away, and crawled onto the bed.
"Been fertile for a few years now. Past my prime, since my mate…" Bardock paused; he hadn't accidentally mentioned her in a while now. But he peeled off the jumpsuit and boots, and crawled onto the bed, and opted to not think about.
Pluto was young, pretty, and jaded; Bardock was old, bitter, and a little crazy. It wasn't permanent, and it'd never last, but it worked just fine for the moment, and that was all either of them was really looking for.
~*~
Mars and Chi Chi watched their husbands snoring soundly, their respective children curled on their chests and fast asleep.
"Wow," Mars blew her bangs out of her eyes, "No one ever said this was going to be so much work,"
"Tell me about it," Chi Chi sighed, "I thought things would be easier with these big lugs alive to help out. Now its kind of debatable."
Mars laughed tiredly, then hauled herself painfully to her feet. "I'm not even sure if I'm going to be of any use when we get to the Black Moon Clan," She stretched and sighed, looking down at her husband and daughters. "I'm gonna turn in, though. Night."
"Night," Chi Chi watched the other woman go, before turning her gaze back to her husband and son. She smiled to herself, and decided it wasn't that much of a debate after all.
~*~
Uranus sipped her tea, and passed the other cup to her lover. Neptune sat up to take it, letting the sheet puddle around her waist.
"For a group of people who may die tomorrow, or a week from now, we sure seem awfully optimistic." Uranus sat in the chair by the window and watched the stars go by, cradling the hot cup away from her body.
"I think it's the Sayajin. They live each day planning to die tomorrow. I guess it makes the day after a pleasant surprise." Neptune blew at the steam coming off the top of the liquid, smiling gently.
"I really hate to admit it," Uranus didn't turn away from the stars, "but they've got some pretty cute kids."
"Its not that bad," Neptune laughed softly. "There are a lot of things you hate more."
"Yeah," Uranus shrugged and took another careful sip of her tea. "Like Sailor Saturn being born."
Neptune blew on her tea again before she answered. "Who knows, at this point? For all of the others popping kids out left and right, Saturn is the one that will be last. And maybe if we handle it right, she'll be alright."
"Maybe." Uranus shrugged. "But either way, I can feel her. She's coming."
"Yeah," Neptune stared at her tea for a long moment, "I know. I can feel it too."
~*~
Yaumcha let Venus curl onto his chest and snuggle close; after close to a year of training in the desert with little to no contact with another human being, it was almost strange to be with someone again. He kind of liked her though, so it wasnt as bad as being stuck with Master Roshi.
"Did you have fun?" Venus asked, drawing lazy circles over his scars.
"Yeah," Yaumcha grinned at the dark cieling, and wondered if she'd be up for another round soon.
"Good." He could hear the smile in her voice, and her little sigh tickled the hairs on his chest.
"So, um...how permenant is this?" Yaumcha asked after a long moment. Venus laughed outright, then sat up to see if he was serious.
"Honey, you're a man. If another woman even touches your penis, you're litterally putty." Venus shook her head, and what little light there was in the room shone off the long blonde mane. "It doesnt matter how much I like you, or how much you like me. You'll run off after the shortest skirt as soon as you get back to Earth, so there's really no point in thinking if this is permenant. Its fun, for now, and then we'll go our seperate ways."
"What if I dont want to go back to Earth?" Yaumcha hadn't acutally thought about it, but the suddenly closed, cautious look on her face made him seriously consider his words; even so, he didnt think too hard for too long. "What if I want to stay with you?"
"We'll see," Venus laid back down on his chest, and stared into the darkness with wide, scared eyes. Yaumcha wouldn't figure it out for a long time to come, that for all that she was the ultimate lover, she was most afraid of the real thing.
~*~
Endymion watched his wife rubbing shea butter into her stomach as she got ready for bed, and wondered if he should even let her out of the room before the baby was born.
"I know what you're thinking," she told him, "And I'm going, whether you like it or not."
"Serenity," Endymion started.
"Don't," she warned, and turned fierce blue eyes on him. "This is too important, too risky. I realize it's a huge risk, going into battle as pregnant as I am, but if I'm not there, then what-"
"I'm already risking part of my little girl," Endymion cupped her face in his hands, and pulled her close. "I'm not going to risk this part, too, or you," he kissed her forehead, and then her mouth. "I've already told Chi Chi that if you go out the hatch, it better be over her dead body."
"You turned Chi Chi against me?" Serenity jerked back, glaring.
"You aren't just a Queen now," Endymion held on to her face, forcing her to meet his eyes. "You're a mother, and for as much of a warrior as you are, you need to be one thing much more than you need to be the other. I can lead the Sailor Senshi without you."
Oh, she definitely didn't like that. But she looked away for a long moment, thinking about what he'd said before that, and he wondered if he'd been blessed by some kind of god, for a woman who would actually listen to what he was saying.
"I'll stay here. But if anything happens, anything seriously bad, I'm coming out, and I'm going to help, alright?"
"I promise, meatball head, nothing bad is going to happen. Not yet, anyway." She smiled a little at the irony, and kissed him.
He held her tightly, and wondered if he'd ever be able to live with himself if she died.
~*~
Bulma laid her son down in his crib, and went back into the main bedroom, crawling across the huge bed to Vegeta. He was lounging against the headboard, staring moodily at the wall.
"Talk to me," she nuzzled the scars on his neck, kissing a path up to his jaw.
"Cant do much now but wait," Vegeta shrugged, and tilted his head as she kissed her way back down his neck.
"You sound like you need a distraction," Bulma smiled wickedly, drawing her mate in for a kiss. Vegeta went willingly; he would always go willingly.
Niether of them paid any attention to Trunks gurgling in the nursery; the perks of being the ruler of a planet was the all-night babysitter sitting in a room connected to the nursery. So they made love the way they had when they'd first met, because it might be one of the last times, and Vegeta let her curl up and hold him as tightly as she could, because she might not ever get the chance again.
No words were necessary; words didnt mean much to a Sayajin, anyway.
A/N; Okay. Fights for the next three chapters, and then I'm gonna wrap it up.