"Hay Kakarot" Nappa laughed as he slapped the younger Sayian on the back.
"Hi Nappa I wasn't expecting you back for a few more years." Kakarot smiled as he embraced his old friend and mentor.
"Well I'm not stopping long, the King ask me to fly back for a week or two just while Vegeta gets sorted."
"What do you mean sorted? Is something wrong with him?" Kakarot began to panic.
"No; no nothing like that; he is fine, it's just... Now you didn't hear this from me but I may need your help... The King has arranged for a few match making meetings for the Prince and no one not even the Prince knows about it." Nappa smiled at the cunning plan but it only filled Kakarot with dread.
"Are you serious?" Kakarot forced a laugh "but I thought the King wasn't going to push the issue."
"He doesn't intend to; he just wants to show Vegeta a few nice available females in the hopes one takes his fancy. Who knows there might even be a female there for you as well Kakarot?" Nappa nudged the younger Sayian in the ribs and Kakarot had to force another laugh while he struggled to keep his panic on the inside.
"So when are these meetings happening?" Kakarot whispered to afraid to ask to loud of fear his voice would show his true state.
"Oh tomorrow morning, see if you can make some time and come down." Nappa again laughed. "The females may like the thought of mating with the Princes personal body guard and Lieutenant of the Royal Guard."
"I've got new recruits coming tomorrow morning so I don't think I'll have time." Kakarot confessed grateful for his busy work load.
"That's too bad, well we may take a tour down here so you can have a look yourself then, you might even be able to show off a few of your skills." Nappa teased. "So Ye, if you see Vegeta tonight tell him I'm back and I need to see him tomorrow morning at the main hall, but don't tell him why."
"I can't lie to Vegeta, if he asks I'll have to tell him." Kakarot never lied to Vegeta and he wasn't about to start now especially with something this important.
"Oh come on Kakarot, it's only for a few hours and think of it this way, if tomorrow goes well and he finds a mate then he can have a heir and it will all be thanks to you." Nappa laughed like it was a high honour and walked away to continue with his business.
The rest of the day Kakarot was extremely hard on the new batch of recruits, hearing that kind of news so early in the morning has destroyed the rest of the day for him completely. "Boy! Why are you beating the new recruits to a pulp." a rough voice shouted from the other end of the arena.
"Hi dad; what brings you here?" Kakarot huffed turning to face his father with a face like thunder.
"Oh God I haven't seen you in a bad mood for years, what's up with you? Have you had a fight with Vegeta?" Bardock asked as he dismissed the recruits so they could tend to their wounds and he could speak with his son alone.
"No were fine, Nappa just told me some things this morning and it's been playing on my mind." Kakarot confessed.
"Why what's up? What did he tell you?" Bardock floated over to his son and put a large hand on his shoulder.
"It doesn't matter, it was bound to happen eventually; I was just hoping it wouldn't be quite so soon." Kakarot huffed again looking down at the floor.
"Let me guess this has something to do with the match making meeting tomorrow for Vegeta isn't it?" Kakarot didn't say anything but there again he didn't need to his father had managed to see right through him without even trying. "Kakarot don't worry seriously, the chances of Vegeta picking any of them are extremely thin and if you weren't so angry you would be able to realise it to." Bardock ruffled his son's hair and turned to leave. "Oh and just one more thing before I get back to work." He said turning back around and met Kakarot's eyes. "Vegeta has someone very special to him right now; you really think he would give you up for a female he has never met before." Bardock smiled but Kakarot's insides froze. 'HOW THE HELL DOES HE KNOW!' Kakarot screamed to himself.
"Don't panic." Bardock laughed as if he could read Kakarot's mind. "I'm your father, and I know what happiness looks like when you are with a person you love, I used to look at your mother the same way as you do to Vegeta." Bardock walked back over to his shocked son and placed both hands on his son's shoulders this time. "I don't care who it is with male; females, an alien, all I care about is that you are happy."
"How long have you known?" Kakarot whispered.
"A good many years now." Bardock laughed.
"Why didn't you say anything? I thought you would be angry with me." Kakarot cried.
"Why would I be? I know its taboo in our race but it does happen to Royalty and poor alike, but it wasn't really something I could come up and ask you about to your face really was it?" Bardock laughed. "Anyway a few years ago I was sent to Earth to see if they had any minerals worth trading for and I happened to learn a few of the Earth customs while I was there." Bardock said as he picked up his son's left hand and examined the ring "Such as marriage." Kakarot at that moment broke, the secret he and Vegeta had managed to keep for so long had been exposed, Kakarot was filled with anger, confusion and complete fear.
"Hay now calm down, I swear I hadn't said or told anyone; I only know because I'm your father."
"That may be so but the King is Vegeta's father, if you could tell what if he has to!" Kakarot panicked.
"Let's be honest son I love the King obviously, but do you think he has spent enough time with his son to know him, I spend more time with Vegeta then he does, the King is oblivious and will be for the rest of his life, trust me." Bardock soothed as he calmed his son down. They spoke softly for a while about how the pair was doing together; about the marriage, Kakarot even managed to run over a few of his fears and worries which he couldn't mention to Vegeta. After an hour of standing in the arena just talking Kakarot felt a weight life from his shoulders, he understood his dad supported them both and knew if they ever need anyone to talk to or back them up he would be the Sayian to do it. "So you will have to bring him to my apartment and we can have lunch at some point, I would like to officially meet my new son-in-law." Bardock laughed as he son's face grew redder with embarrassment.
"Hay Vegeta." Kakarot laughed as he walked into the living room and spotted his husband sitting reading the paper. "Sorry I couldn't spend your day off with you, they moved the complete schedule about to fit around the blood moon ceremony next week so I will have to test out some new recruit's everyday till then."
"No that's fine, I know your busy with work, to be honest I've just been catching up on news and did a few drawings." Vegeta laughed as he handed Kakarot over his portfolio while he received a kiss on the forehead.
"Waw I really like this one." Kakarot said in amazement as he looked at a picture of the Royal gardens which Vegeta had drawn that afternoon. "You'll defiantly have to put it on the wall with the other." Kakarot smiled as he looked over to the picture Vegeta had drawn just for him of their waterfall so many years ago.
"If you say so." Vegeta huffed as he got up from his seat and pinned the pictures next to one another. "Happy." Vegeta laughed. "So anyway how has your day been? You got anything interesting to tell me?" Vegeta noticed the smile rush off his face the moment Vegeta asked. "What's wrong?" Vegeta demanded.
"Nappa is back for a week or 2." Kakarot spoke softly almost whispering.
"Oh really, and he didn't even come and say hello to me, you wait till I get my hands on him." Vegeta huffed feeling hurt by not knowing about this sooner.
"He has asked if you will meet him tomorrow morning in the main hall." Kakarot felt himself grow heavier and heavier as he spoke.
"Oh… Alright, I wonder what he wants." Vegeta asked himself as he took a seat next to Kakarot. "Is that what's bugging you? You know he retired so he won't be getting his job back."
"It's not that… It's just he came and saw me this morning, he told me the message but asked me not to tell you the reason why he wanted to meet you." Kakarot confessed and he held his hands in his lap and lent forward.
"Why did he tell you not to tell me?" Vegeta demanded clearly getting angry now.
"Because you wouldn't go if I told you… The King he has arranged." Kakarot stopped as he tried to force the words out but soon came back to his senses after Vegeta snapped at him to spit it out. "The King has arranged for you to attend match making meetings tomorrow so you can pick a mate."
Vegeta was left speechless as he thought and absorbed the words Kakarot had just basically shouted out to him. "Nappa told me this morning, I was so angry I beat this batch of recruits up with no mercy." Kakarot confessed and he looked down at his wedding ring.
"Kakarot just calm down." Vegeta said coolly "We knew this was gonna happen one day, I'm shocked it hasn't happened already." Vegeta laughed as he took his partners hands in his.
"So are you going to go through with it and pick a mate?" Kakarot asked holding back the tears best he could.
"Don't be ridiculous, you think I would just through you away after all these years, as far as I'm concerned I already have a mate, he saved me many years ago from the freezing rain, taught me how to cook mash potato and kept a Prince from being lonely, I even asked this fool to marry me." Vegeta laughed as Kakarot threw himself into his chest and hugged him tightly.
"I was so scared." Kakarot confessed.
"Did you really think I would choose someone over you?" Vegeta asked a little hurt by the thought.
"I didn't know what to think, ages ago I thought if the time came I would be able to walk away and be your friend, give you my blessings and watch you make a happy family… but the truth is after all this time I couldn't let you go, not now, not ever. I want to walk beside you for the rest of my life." Kakarot confessed kissing Vegeta passionately before he had chance to reply.