A/N: Okay so no one needs to freak out, I reawakened my love for this fandom because I finally (after years and years) finished the entire manga series of Dragon Ball Z. I cried… for like an hour… it was embarrassing to say in the least… my brother was prepared to call the White Coats… heh heh yeeeaaa…
Anyways, on with the story! Have no fear kids, this story will be finished. :D
(I did write most of this chapter while listening to "Don't you wanna stay" by Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson, so I recommend that as your choice of music.)
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Roughly a half hour after Vegeta had visited Goku, both Saiyans found themselves standing in the Seeing Room, joined by Piccolo, Trunks and Mirai. Piccolo and Goku were standing on either side of the Prince, seeming a bit unnerving to the two Demi-Saiyans standing in front of them.
"I'm sure you're wondering why you were called in here." Vegeta said, looking at both boys in turn. They nodded.
"I have some important things to tell you and I ask that you remain quiet until I am finished." The Prince said, feeling nervous as two pairs of blue eyes locked onto him, waiting for him to speak.
A few beats went by and Vegeta didn't speak. His words seemed to be caught in his throat. He felt a hand place itself on his shoulder, and he smiled weakly at Goku, who, as usual, was beaming at him. He turned to Piccolo who smiled and nodded.
You're being ridiculous… He thought. They're your kids. Just open your damn mouth and speak.
So he did.
"Mirai. Trunks. I know you miss your mother. We all do; me especially. And. It's been hard for all of us to adjust to life without her…" Vegeta licked his lips, struggling for the right words. Goku's hand never left his shoulder and he could feel Piccolo standing a little ways behind him; close enough for him to touch. He leaned back slightly, relaxing at the feel of Piccolo's soft gi on his bare arms. He continued.
"A lot has changed for all of us in the past month or so. We moved here to the Lookout, I left your grandparents in charge of Capsule Corp., your aunt Pota showed up unexpectedly…"
Trunks and Mirai were nodding, not quite understanding but hanging on to every word that their father said.
"But you already know about those things. There are some things that have happened that you probably don't know about; things that will affect you somewhat in the future." Vegeta said, feeling the nervous butterflies stirring again. He resisted the urge to put his hand over his stomach out of habit.
"You know I've been sick lately. In fact I left your mom's funeral because I was sick. You remember right?"
The boys nodded.
"Well. There's a reason for that. But I might as well start from the beginning. Mirai, you're probably going to understand this better than Trunks."
Mirai nodded, already starting to get what Vegeta was saying and what he was about to tell them.
Vegeta ran his hand through his hair, making an irritated sound.
"There's no gentle sugar-coated way to put this so I'm just gonna say it." He mentally braced himself.
"Piccolo is now my life mate." He said firmly.
There I said it… He held his breath and watched the Demi-Saiyans in front of him. Mirai was the first one to react. He looked like he was holding back a smile, which eventually broke when Trunks cocked his head.
"What's a life mate? Does that mean you're married?"
Goku laughed and Piccolo chuckled, relaxing Vegeta enough for him to smile.
"Sort of." Piccolo said, finally placing his hand gently on the small of Vegeta's back. Mirai took Vegeta's silence as his cue to explain things to Trunks.
"A life mate is like the Saiyan way of getting married. Since father and Piccolo are both men, they couldn't get married anyways. It's against the rules."
Trunks crossed his arms and looked sour.
"That's a stupid rule." He grumbled. Vegeta smiled. This was easier than he thought it would be… so far.
"So Piccolo and I are life mates. I don't want you think I'm cheating on your mom or anything, because I'm not. I would explain but it would be a little over your head and pretty much none of your business." Vegeta shrugged.
"How… how do you feel about this?" Vegeta asked, looking less than comfortable. Mirai smiled at him.
"Father you know I'll support you no matter what. I'm glad you're happy now."
Trunks nodded earnestly. Both boys sensed that their dad had more to say.
"Then… there's something else you need to know…" Vegeta said softly. Piccolo wrapped his arm around Vegeta's waist and squeezed gently. Mirai raised an eyebrow and Trunks looked expectant. Vegeta swallowed hard. Needless to say he was less than comfortable at this point.
Mirai and Trunks watched as Vegeta's hands went to his stomach. Trunks paid the action no mind and looked back at Vegeta's face, but Mirai's eyes remained locked on his father's hands. His mother used to do that before… his eyes widened slightly.
Vegeta finally looked up and met the eyes of both of his boys.
"I hope you guys are prepared to share your space… because soon enough there will be one more person living here…"
Piccolo could feel the fear of his mate. He tightened his grip on his waist, smiling slightly when he found that his hips were getting soft. He massaged little circles into the skin and he felt Vegeta lean more heavily on him. Goku's hand on Vegeta's shoulder squeezed gently.
Mirai's eyes lifted back to his father's face. There he found a genuine expression of nervous fear staring back at him. He softened his expression and smiled. He understood what he was saying. Trunks, however, didn't.
"Who? Who's coming to stay with us?" He asked excitedly. Mirai knelt down next to him and grasped his shoulder.
"Trunks. Remember how you always said it wasn't fair that I was the older brother?" Mirai said. Trunks nodded.
"Well what father is trying to say is that now you get to be the older brother." Mirai gave Trunks a second to think. His face lit up after a moment, a smile breaking out on his face.
"There's gonna be a baby here? When? Who's baby?" He said rapid-fire. Mirai looked back to Vegeta. Trunks followed his gaze, his blue eyes widening.
"From… daddy?" He said, confusion evident in his voice. Vegeta felt a blush creep into his. He forced it away. He'd be damned if he let his kids see him blush.
Mirai laughed.
"I'll explain it to you someday, but yes. Father is going to have a baby and you'll get to be the big brother."
Trunks let out an excited squeal and wrapped his arms around Vegeta's waist, pressing his ear to Vegeta's stomach.
"… I can feel him. Mirai I can feel him!" He said happily.
Vegeta took a deep breath of relief. Things were going to be alright. Piccolo kissed his forehead softly. He bent his head down and whispered in his ear.
"Vegeta. I love you."
Vegeta froze. That was the first time he had ever heard those words pass Piccolo's lips. That was the straw that broke the camel's back. He felt the tears well up in his eyes.
Aww to hell with it.
He let them spill over, tired of trying to fight his raging hormones, alarming everyone but Piccolo, who simply wrapped him into a hug and held him close.
"I love you too…" He managed to choke out for only Piccolo to hear. The green man rocked him gently as he ran his fingers thru his mate's hair and whispered little soothing words to him.
Goku gave Vegeta's shoulder another squeeze before he led Mirai and Trunks out of the Seeing Room, giving Vegeta and Piccolo some privacy. The doors slid shut and silence filled the room.
"What was that?" Piccolo said, sure he had heard Vegeta say something.
"Ka prierta. It means 'I love you' in the Saiyan language." He said softly, finally smiling up at Piccolo, his eyes still a little watery. Piccolo wiped the remaining tears from the Prince's face.
"I love you too. Why did you cry?" He asked. Vegeta shrugged.
"I've never heard you say those words to me. It was… emotionally jarring I guess." He chuckled. Piccolo kissed him lovingly. Vegeta leaned into the kiss with a little moan, floating slightly and wrapping his arms around the Namek's neck. He leaned back and smiled, placing a small kiss on Piccolo's forehead.
"Are you ready for this?" He asked, a slight shake in his voice. Piccolo smiled back.
"We're ready. It will be fine." Piccolo said, lifting Vegeta's shirt to place a kiss on his stomach. Vegeta smiled and heaved a sigh.
"I hope so."
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A/N: Another mushy ending. Aww I'm getting so soft. XD I blame my choice in soundtrack. Tee hee. Review please! :3