A/N: Brace yourselves.

Everybody Loves Vegeta, Too!

Part Nine

"Have you ever flown around just for fun?"

Vegeta opened his eyes at the sound of Goku's voice. They soared above the clouds in some part of the world he'd never seen before. Up here, the moon's brightness gave everything an ethereal glow. If not for his sweater and the furnace-like heat radiating from Goku's chest, Vegeta would be freezing. "Not really," he finally spoke into Goku's neck.

"Not even when you were small?" Goku asked.

"No. I spent most of my time training when I was younger." Vegeta paused, then took the bait. "I take it you were different."

"I trained a lot as a kid, too. But I also traveled. I spent a lot of days flying on my nimbus cloud just exploring the world around me."

"What the hell is a nimbus cloud?"

"It's a magic cloud I rode when I was a teenager. Only the pure of heart can sit on it." Goku raised his brow. "Do you want to see if it'll let you ride it?"

"No, I don't need to ride on a stupid cloud!"

"You're right. This is much more romantic, right?" Goku squeezed Vegeta closer to his chest.

Vegeta scoffed. "I take it all your friends could ride it?"

"Hehe. Not at all. Bulma and Krillin could never ride it. Master Roshi couldn't ride it either, and he's the first one to give me the flying nimbus."

"So you're saying only you were pure enough to ride it. How typical."

"Mmm, not exactly..." Goku looked away. "A few girls I met could ride it. And Chi-Chi."

Vegeta tightened his grasp around Goku's neck. "Fine. Let me try it."

"Wha? Really? What changed your mind?"

Do I really have to say it? Vegeta thought. "Just let me try to ride the damn thing!"

"Alright." Goku inhaled deeply. "FLYING NIMBUS!" he screamed into the night air.

"Fuck Kakarot, you're going to destroy my eardrums if you yell like that again!"

Miles away, Vegeta watched a yellow mass speed toward them. It barrel rolled and loop-de-looped in the air, as if delighted to fly again after years of dormancy. Once it reached them it skidded to a stop in mid-air and hovered next to Goku's legs.

"Are you sure about this?" Goku grinned cheekily at Vegeta. "You might fall right through it."

"I can handle it."

Goku nodded, and dropped Vegeta onto the nimbus cloud. He grunted on impact, but managed to land safely.

"No way!" Goku yelled. "You can ride the nimbus cloud?!"

Vegeta crossed his arms. He couldn't fight back the growing smirk on his face. "Do you have such little faith in the kind of man I am?"

"Wow! I can't believe it." Goku scratched the back of his head, astonished. He lowered himself to the nimbus. "I guess we can ride this the rest of the way—" Goku gasped and fell through the cloud.

Vegeta leaned over and watched Goku plummet down past all the dark clouds clustered below them. "Huh." He ran his fingers through the nimbus cloud and watched the yellow moisture curl around his hand, then dissipate. "Um. Go get him…cloud...thing."

The nimbus cloud flipped in the air, then dove toward Goku. Goku flapped his arms to try and stop himself from falling. Vegeta rolled his eyes. "Stop playing around and fly already!"

"Oh." Goku halted in midair. His face turned beet red. "This is really embarrassing."

Vegeta rolled over onto his side on the nimbus cloud. He clicked his tongue in disapproval while looking down at Goku from a few feet above. "Have you done something naughty recently? Something I don't know about?"

Nervous giggled erupted from Goku. "Maybe it's broken."

"Broken. Sure."

Goku grabbed Vegeta from the cloud, and carried him in his arms like before. "I'm faster than the nimbus cloud anyway." Showing off, he sped above the clouds, rising even higher than before.

Vegeta buried his face into Goku's warm neck again. "You're trying to keep me cold, aren't you."

"Whatever gets you in the mood." Quickly, he stole a kiss from Vegeta and tasted the inside of his mouth. Vegeta sighed into it, and busied his hands with stroking the soft hairs on the back of Goku's neck.

Vegeta groaned when the kiss broke. Half-lidded eyes scanned his own, searching for a certain response. "Do I deserve you, Vegeta?"

He wasn't sure how to take that. It was strangely phrased. Goku wasn't known for being cryptic. "What do you mean, Kakarot?"

"Have I done enough to deserve your love?"

The cold air made his eyes water. "Yes."

Goku's face lit up. "I feel the same way about you."

Toward the end of their flight, Goku descended into the clouds. Thunder clapped around them, and streaks of lightening flashed in the distance. Goku rose his energy and deflected the giant hail hurtling toward them.

"Where are you taking us?" Vegeta could barely hear himself in the storm.

Goku shielded Vegeta's head with his open palm. "We're almost there!" They continued to fall toward the earth. Vegeta watched giant green mountains surrounded them the closer they got to the ground. The hail was gone, but replaced with a downpour. Through the rain, Vegeta saw them approach a thunderous waterfall cradled between two yawning, mossy cliffs. They sped through the waterfall and entered a damp cave.

"This is it! We made it!" Goku powered down. He gently set Vegeta onto his own feet.

"What in the world…" Vegeta scanned the surroundings. Torches lined the walls of the cave, which expanded into a giant cavern only a few yards away. It was hard to see in the dim light, but there were people around them.

A man with brown skin and a warm smile approached them. "Ah, Son Goku! You came back."

"Hiya!" Goku shook his hand. "I hope you have room for us tonight?"

"Certainly." The man spoke with an accent Vegeta couldn't pinpoint. He marveled at how easily Goku understood him. "Come this way."

They followed him into the cavern. Inside sat a pool of water with a gleaming light deep within its depths. Small enclaves in the cavern wall surrounded the pool; upon a closer look Vegeta noticed hand wrought wooden tables filled each one. The man led them to a smaller enclave that barely fit the both of them. Vegeta sat down on the simple booth behind the table. For Goku to fit, he had to slide into the booth and squish himself against Vegeta's side.

"Do you want your usual?" the man asked.

Goku nodded. "Yes, but make it double please."

Horror flashed across the man's face. "Double…certainly. Give us a while, okay?"

"It's not a problem!"

The man backed away from the table. He yelled something in a foreign language to a few other waiters milling about. In unison, they all gazed at Goku's table in apprehension.

"Don't worry about them," Goku said. "They'll get a good tip."

"Kakarot. This is…" Vegeta's wide eyes looked around again. How did he even find this place?! In the dim light he saw jungle vines lined the entrance of the enclave, trailed the bottom of the floor, and wrapped around the edge of the table. "This place looks incredible."

"I knew you'd like it. It's different from most restaurants, right?"

"If it could even be called such. How'd you find this place?"

Goku reclined on the bench, and wrapped his arm around Vegeta. "I found it by accident as a kid. This restaurant's been here for hundreds of years."

"You've certainly impressed me."

"Yeah?" Goku brushed his lips against Vegeta's cheek, and a shiver went down the Prince's spine. The touch was feather-light, and tickled. He wasn't used to being showered with this kind of affection in public, and blushed. This was different than sex. Goku was making love to him and was barely touching him at all. He mumbled some nonsense, and gently applied pressure against Goku's shoulder to make him stop.

"Sorry," Goku said, smiling. He pulled away. "You look really beautiful right now."

"Oh, shut-up!" Vegeta turned his head, and planted his chin in the palm of his hand. Why did Goku have to embarrass him in this way? "You don't have to suck up to me. I already like you."

"I'm serious. You look gorgeous."

Vegeta looked back over his shoulder. "Pfft."

Goku copied his pose, resting his chin in his own hand. Eyes half-lidded, he wiggled his eyebrows flirtatiously at Vegeta. "You're a bona-fide hottie. I wouldn't lie about that."

How many times in one day could Vegeta blush? He sighed, defeated. "Thank you, Kakarot."

To his relief, the man from before arrived and saved him from Goku's piercing gaze. He placed two stone cups and two sets of silverware down on the table. He dabbed his sweaty forehead, then pulled a large, purple jug from his apron pocket. "Here is your favorite wine!" he said. Deft, he pulled a blade from his apron and slammed it into the jug's cork. It exploded, and flew up into the ceiling of the cavern. Foam bubbled from the top and dribbled onto the table. "Enjoy!" The man ran off, yelling more foreign words to the workers around him.

"This stuff is really good." Goku poured some of the drink into both their cups. "You don't need a lot at one time."

Vegeta pulled his cup to his nose and sniffed. "It's pretty strong. Do you usually finish a whole bottle by yourself?"

"Ehehe." Goku swirled the wine in his cup. "Now that I have you here, it shouldn't be as bad, right?"

Vegeta lapped some of the wine out of the cup like a cat. Goku laughed at him. Vegeta closed his eyes and savored the strong taste on his tongue. "It tastes like fruit."

"It's made out of a fermented fruit from the rain forest." Goku grinned. "If you down it all at once, it feels really good."

"I bet. That's not how you're supposed to drink wine."

Goku tipped his cup back until it was empty. Vegeta copied him. He coughed. "My insides are on fire!"

"Whoo!" Goku slammed his cup back down onto the table.

Vegeta rubbed his watery eyes. The warmth ballooned inside of him and spread to his limbs. His tongue loosened. "This reminds me of a drink I had when I was a teenager."

"Yeah? Where was that?"

Vegeta never enjoyed talking about his youth under Freiza. It wasn't all misery, but the experience was dark in comparison to the cheerful life he assumed Goku had on Earth. He didn't want to scare the younger Saiyan away. But maybe Goku should know more about him. "On a planet named Karai. I drank a lot, and the women there were beautiful."

Goku raised his brows. "Oh."

Vegeta leaned closer. "Does that upset you? Knowing that about me?"

"That you had sex with a lot of women? No, that makes perfect sense." Goku's cheeks were ruddy from the alcohol, even though he'd drank just one cup. "I wasn't so innocent either when I was younger."

"Oh? I always thought you were virginal and pure until you met your wife." Vegeta paused. "And maybe even long after that."

"Ha-ha, real funny." Vegeta felt Goku's warm hand on his knee. "That's not true at all."

This was new information to Vegeta. "Explain yourself."

"Oh, geez…" Goku looked up at the ceiling. "Before I entered the Tenkaichi Budokai at 18, I spent the night on Papaya Island before sign-up day. I ran into these two girls at the inn and they invited me back to their room. They were nice, and I thought they just wanted to hang out. All I knew at the time was that it was a lot of fun."

Vegeta's mouth gaped open. Kakarot has had a threesome?! He tried to imagine Goku fumbling around to please two women at once, and failing. "I don't believe you!"

Goku laughed. "Are you upset with me now? Do I seem like a different person?"

"No," Vegeta said. It was a half-lie…There were a lot of things he didn't know about Goku, and it wasn't until now he realized it. "Any more secrets from your youth?"

"Not really any secrets. Just things you don't know about me. Just like there are things I don't know about you."

Vegeta refilled their cups. "Tell me something else, then."

"Okay, but only if you promise to tell me a secret in exchange." Goku downed the second cup, and slammed it on the table again. "One time while fighting an army, I defeated two men by crushing them between a table and a wall. It was the most fun I ever had killing someone."

"What the fuck, Kakarot?"

"I think I was thirteen years old." Vegeta watched Goku's face change, and saw he actually felt bad discussing this. "I was different then."

Vegeta drank half the wine in his cup. It was enough. "For a Saiyan, that isn't too outrageous. I've obviously done worse."

"It's hard to explain." Goku stared into the sparkling pool in the middle of the cave. "I want to feel bad I did that, but I don't. So instead, I feel bad about not feeling bad. Does that make sense?"

Vegeta rubbed Goku's knee under the table. "It does."

"So what're you going to tell me in return?"

Vegeta didn't want to go so far as to mention his night with Frieza. It was too fucked of a topic to bring up, what with them both in such a positive mood. He couldn't push his luck too much. So what could he divulge? "I'm allergic to peanut butter."

Goku sputtered. "What? That's not a secret, Vegeta. I already knew that about you!"

Vegeta laughed. He wasn't sure if he'd ever heard himself laugh so purely. "I've never told you that! How could you know?"

"'Cause you never touch it whenever it's around. You avoid peanut dishes, too. So I assumed you either hated them, or were allergic."

"Huh." The urge to touch Goku overwhelmed him. His fingers found their way into Goku's hair. "You pay close attention to me, don't you."

"All the time." Goku leaned in, and rubbed his nose against Vegeta's.

"Why do you like doing that to me…"

"Because when I get close enough, you cross your eyes. It's super cute."

Vegeta buried his face in his lover's chest. Without words, Goku understood his need and gently rubbed his back.

He adored this sensation of being attended to without asking. Goku kissed the top of his head, and called him sweetie. In his mind he imprinted the memory someplace safe, where it could exist free of scrutiny and terror. How strange. He wanted to feel terror. Objectively, what Goku did to him was in some way, terrible. He was melting into a huge, mushy puddle around the man, and didn't care. That should have been terror-inducing. But he felt nothing but safe while nuzzled up with his rival.

Goku gently shook Vegeta from his trance. "Food's here!"

Several waiters piled the food onto the table. One of them dragged two extra wooden tables to their enclave so all the food could fit. The men were sweaty, but didn't let their discomfort wipe the soft smiles from their faces. Once done, they bowed. "Please enjoy your meal!"

"I'm so hungry," Goku moaned. He reached toward a plate in the middle of the table.

"What…is this stuff?" Vegeta asked. He hadn't seen food like this before.

"Oh, I'll show you! Try this first." Goku pointed to what looked like a bag made out of leaves. "If you open it up, you'll find chicken, rice, and fish inside. You can eat the bag, too."

Vegeta picked up the bag, and opened it. Hot steam rose into his face. He tasted the inside and moaned. "This is very good."

"Told you." Goku was already gnawing on his giant leaf to finish it off. "I got twenty, so dig in!"

Over the next hour, Goku explained the different food dishes, their ingredients, and how to eat them. Vegeta especially liked the fried plantain slices slathered with fried sausage. Goku made a big deal out of the plate of sliced flounder at the farthest end of the table. He explained that the fish was stained pink with seeds from deep inside the rain forest, and that said seeds were difficult to find. "Everything we're eating is pretty rare in this part of the world," he said in-between mouthfuls.

"I never knew you were so cultured, Kakarot." Vegeta chewed on his fifth helping of sausage and worried his tone was too harsh. "You impress me more as the night goes on."

"Thanks, Veggie. I'm just glad you like the food."

They spent the rest of the meal in silence, other than asking each other to pass a plate around the table. By the time Vegeta stopped eating, all the plates were licked clean of every morsel.

In the tiny space he didn't have much room to stretch. He did the best he could with the room he had, and extended his legs and arms away from his body. "That was spectacular."

"Right?" Goku poured the last bit of wine into his cup and downed it. "And the night's only just begun."

Vegeta sighed and closed his eyes. It was comforting to be this full. One of the waiters came by and bothered Goku about the check, which he quickly took care of. Once the waiter left, Vegeta laid his head against Goku's chest again. "Where will you take me now?"

Goku squinted down at his watch. Vegeta had never seen him wear it before, but didn't think it warranted an interrogation. "It's a surprise. But we should get going now."

As they walked out of the cavern, Vegeta felt a deep sadness tug at his heart. Once they left, would things be as they were before? Being in the tropic cave restaurant was like being in a time warp where he was free to feel for Goku without shame.

"Come on!" Goku bent and picked him up into his arms once more. "You're going to love where I take you next."

The happiness bursting inside Goku made him want to dance on rooftops. Here Vegeta was, clinging cozily to his body, as they flew north. He'd never seen the Prince look so content during all his years on Earth. He hadn't called Goku an idiot once the whole night!

"Shit. I'm going to freeze my ass off here," Vegeta said. The temperature was dropping fast, so Goku powered up to keep them both warm. Vegeta sighed in pleasure from the warmth. "I've never been treated so well."

"I'm happy to help." Goku felt his pulse quicken. They were close to their destination. "Don't worry, we'll be there soon. It'll be warmer once we get inside."

Vegeta purred. Goku blushed as Vegeta pressed a thumb against his shirt and rubbed his nipple. "Inside where?" he asked.

"It's a secret. But if you keep that up, we're going to have a bigger problem to deal with besides the cold."

Half an hour later, they broke through a cluster of clouds above an ocean. Arctic temperatures froze the water below. Vegeta gasped and tugged on Goku's shirt. "Kakarot! Look!"

Goku looked into the sky. Above them floated brilliant curtains of light that cascaded throughout the sky. The stars were also crystal clear in this dark part of the world. Goku marveled at Vegeta's wide eyes as they drank in the sight. "Pretty cool, right?" Goku said.

"I've never seen anything like this!"

"It's the northern lights," Goku said. While Vegeta was distracted by the wonder above them, Goku focused on the world below. He was flying above the tiny, snow-covered town that was their next destination. Brightly-colored wooden houses dotted the landscape.

He passed over them, and landed in a large field north of town. "Alright, we're here."

Vegeta returned his gaze to Goku's face. "Are we going to hike through the snow?"

"Not you. You're a prince. I'll be carrying you to your quarters." Goku chuckled at the shy way Vegeta looked away.

The snow came up to Goku's knees, but he wasn't too concerned. They'd be inside soon enough. He pushed forward through the slush until he reached a building in the field. "This is where we're going to sleep tonight."

Vegeta stared at the hut. "What is this place?"

Goku carried Vegeta to the side of the building. He fished a pair of keys from his pocket, then unlocked the front door. He wiggled an arm free from under Vegeta to turn the lights on. "Ta-dah!"

Vegeta dropped from Goku's grasp. "It's a cabin," he said slowly.

He looked around at the ornate wooden furnishings. The cabin was cramped and tiny, with a small bathroom attached to the west wall. But the ceiling compensated for the lack of space. It was completely made of plates of glass, and curved into the shape of a dome.

"It's called a glass igloo," Goku said. He closed the front door. "They only have them in the town of Kakslauttanen."

"I can see the lights from here," Vegeta said. He fell backwards onto the bed and kept his eyes trained on the night sky.

Goku didn't waste any time when removing his wet boots and pants. "Do you like it?"

"Yes," Vegeta said quietly. He was miles away.

Goku let Vegeta relax while he busied himself with lighting the fireplace. He got confused when he saw it was electric, and only required turning on the gas and a lighter. In the back of his mind, he'd hoped he could show off for Vegeta and go outside looking for firewood. He guessed that'd been a silly notion, that Vegeta would care about something like that.

He went to the tiny stove in the corner. He filled the tea kettle there with water and put it over a fire. "I've only been here once before," he said.

"By yourself, or with someone else?"

"By myself."

"You traveled a lot alone." Vegeta rolled onto his side to look at Goku. "Why is that? You have a lot of friends."

"Sometimes I feel like I move too fast for them to keep up. In the past, whenever I wanted to go somewhere, I just did it. Everyone else always wanted to plan and pack and prepare. I never understood that."

"It's in your Saiyan blood to roam."

Goku leaned against the stove. He was only wearing his shirt and underwear. "Are you lonely on the bed all by yourself?"

Vegeta didn't answer. He stared at Goku, and lowered himself onto the duvet. Goku approached him, only to get interrupted by the screeching tea kettle. He hissed. He prepared two cups of tea for the both of them.

"Kakarot, what's this that fell out of your pants?"

Goku turned around. Vegeta was turning a small box around in his hands.

"Oh, don't look at that yet!" Goku rushed over with the two hot mugs in his hand, and set them on the dresser beside the bed. "It's a present."

Vegeta dropped the box. "A present?"

It was now or never. Goku picked up the box. The room was a lot hotter than earlier. Vegeta swung his legs over the edge of the bed and stared up at him, expectantly. How was he supposed to do this? He thought he'd have some time to prepare what he wanted to say, but it was too late.

He felt himself blush. He got down on one knee and looked up at Vegeta. "I had something special made for you."

Vegeta looked…horrified. "What are you doing?"

Goku put on his best smile. He popped the box open. "I had Marron make this ring for you. It's um—" He stammered, unsure how to explain the next part. "It's made from a rare rock from Planet Vegeta. See?"

Vegeta's eyes widened. "How did you get something from Planet Vegeta?"

"I made a wish with the dragon balls. After that, Marron made a ring from the material." Goku removed the ring from the box. He hadn't had the chance to truly admire it up close. It glowed red and white, with streaks of what resembled stardust mixed throughout it. With its impossibly smooth surface, it looked like a miniature planet. Marron was damn good.

"I don't…what?" Vegeta's eyes were fluttering, and Goku wasn't sure why. "I don't understand. Why are you giving this to me?"

Goku felt relieved he was asked an easy question. "Because I love you!"

Vegeta burst into tears.

Goku panicked. "Did I say something wrong?"

"Put it away. I don't want it." Vegeta covered his wet face with his large sweater sleeve. He pulled all of his limbs close to his body to make himself as small as possible.

Goku had never seen Vegeta react this way before. He'd seen him cry a few times during battle, but those moments had been completely different. "Vegeta, I didn't mean to make you—"

"Why do you insist on making a fool of me?" Vegeta struggled to speak through the sobs, and was obviously very upset about it. "Why are you doing this to me? What did I do to you to deserve this?"

Goku felt really confused now. "You didn't do anything wrong, Vegeta! I want to give this to you because I love you, and I want to make you happy."

Vegeta wheezed. He struggled to catch his breath. "Kakarot, I fucked Frieza."

Goku pulled back. "Huh?"

"When I was younger. Actually, he fucked my brains out. I even went to his room and asked for it."

Goku rolled back onto the floor and landed on his bottom. Vegeta was still crying, but the situation was too fucked for him to know how to react. "Vegeta…"

"No. Listen." Vegeta wiped his face with his sweater sleeve. "Men like me—we don't—ugh." He wiped his face again and stilled his heaving chest. "Long ago I accepted the kind of person I am. I'm no good. I'm absolute trash. And I'm okay with that. Someone has to be the trash, and deal with it. But you keep pushing me to be something I'm not!"

"I don't understand."

"Ugh, why do you have to be so dense!" Vegeta gave up on wiping his tears away. "I'm not like you. I don't get to have friends. That I even ended up having a family is a miracle. I certainly don't get to have a lover who dotes on me and gives me gifts. I'm going to betray you one day, and break your heart. I thought that much was obvious to you, but I guess not. So please," he clenched his fists, "don't do this. You can't love me this much. It hurts. You'll destroy me. Please, please stop."

Goku clenched his fists together. "You're not trash, Vegeta!" He stood up and towered above the bed. Something about the speech made him…furious. He figured Vegeta thought he could just take this all out on him without a fight. He was wrong. "Do you think I would waste my time with trash?"

Vegeta gazed up at him in awe. He had no words.

"Do you think," Goku yelled, gesturing around the cabin, "I would go through the trouble of doing all of this for you if I thought you were trash? Do you think I'm that stupid?" He started pacing around the room. "I don't know what happened to you to make you think so little of yourself. But I know how good you are for me. So if you think you're trash, you must think I'm trash too. And I'm not."

Vegeta continued to stare up at him, trembling. "Kakarot, I'm afraid of you."

"Why!"

"Because I'm in love with you."

Goku stopped his pacing. He watched Vegeta cover his face and sob again.

All of the anger and tightness in his chest left him. He crawled onto the bed and cradled Vegeta to his chest. "I love you too, Vegeta."

"I love you, Kakarot," he said again. He repeated it like a mantra. "I love you. I love you so much."

Goku kissed the wet trails on his face. "I love you too," he said again.

They sat curled up for a long time. Goku pet Vegeta's hair and rubbed his shoulders to soothe him. Vegeta kept his silence the whole time. They gazed into the fireplace as the night went on.

"Do you still have that tea?" Vegeta asked out of the blue. His voice was hoarse.

"Yep." Goku sat up and grabbed the mug. He passed it off to Vegeta.

The smaller Saiyan drank until he emptied the mug, then gave it back to Goku. "Thank you."

Goku rubbed his shoulders again. "How're you feeling now?"

Vegeta looked up at Goku. "A bit strange." A pause. "Can I try it on?"

"Try what on?" Goku asked dumbly.

Vegeta closed his droopy eyes. "The ring, Kakarot."

"Oh, right!" Goku scurried to the floor, and brought the box onto the bed. He took out the ring. "I hope it fits. Marron guessed the size."

Vegeta slid it onto his ring finger. He held it up in the air, scrutinizing it. "Not bad."

"You really like it?"

"Yes." He glared at Goku. "I hope you don't think this means we're getting married."

"Of course not!" Goku blushed. He pulled Vegeta back down onto the bed and spooned him from behind. He watched Vegeta continue to admire the ring. He wished he could hear his thoughts on the matter.

"Kakarot, do you want to fuck me?"

Goku coughed. "Uh, do you mean in general, or right now?"

"Right now."

"Oh. You mean like…?"

"Yes, like the way you want."

"Why now?"

"I'm in the mood."

Goku squeezed his eyes shut. He wanted it more than anything in the world. But not like this. Not only was it too early, for both the list and mating reasons, but because the timing was just wrong. Vegeta was a crying mess just twenty minutes ago, and now he wanted to bottom? Goku needed their first time to be…under more ideal circumstances.

He struggled to get the words out. "I really want to do it, Vegeta, but it doesn't feel right to do it now."

"Oh." There was surprise in Vegeta's voice. "Okay…"

"Don't sound so sad. We'll do it another time, okay?"

Vegeta sighed dramatically, and left it at that.

Goku snapped his fingers. "I almost forgot. I have another present for you!" Goku leapt from the bed and rummaged through his pant pockets.

"More? You sure enjoy spoiling me."

Goku jumped back onto the bed. "Check this out!"

Vegeta looked down at Goku's hand. He held a photograph. Vegeta leaned forward to get a better look at it. He squinted his eyes. "What the fuck?"

"I hope this isn't too weird or creepy. It's not stupid, is it?"

"You wished for this?"

Goku felt himself blushing. "I mean, I thought it would be cool for us to have."

"You're telling me," Vegeta said, "you asked Shenron for a photo of a fictional event?"

"Yeah." Goku scratched the back of his head. Had he made an ass out of himself again?

Vegeta screamed with laughter. "Kakarot, you are so strange!" He pointed at the photo. "So this is you as a child, correct?"

Goku nodded. "Yeah, maybe around age 12. That's Bulma when she was 16, that's Yamcha around the same age, that's Krillin around 13, and there's Master Roshi. And that's you standing next to me…"

Vegeta laughed again. He rubbed his thumb over the photograph. All of them were posed together in the photo op with big smiles. Teenage Vegeta was dressed in his armor, and even had a scouter on. "Do you really think if I came to Earth when I was a kid, we would've all been friends?"

"No. But wouldn't that have been nice?"

"Why did you choose this time period?"

"It was the happiest time of my life. Until now, of course."

Vegeta nodded. He traced his finger over each person's face as if seeing them for the first time. "Wouldn't it be nice…wouldn't it be nice…"

Goku fell asleep next to Vegeta shortly after giving his gifts. Vegeta got up to turn the fireplace off. He climbed back into bed and stared up at the night sky. Goku had told him the town they lodged in just today began their six months of perpetual night. The curtains of rainbow light still hung above them in the sky. He thought they'd be gone by now. He wasn't sure why.

He'd been a wreck earlier, but now…his body felt lighter. The only heavy thing he sensed was the new ring on his finger. He still wasn't sure what to make of it, but its weight was soothing.

It was strange Goku didn't ask the dragon to just conjure up the ring himself. Marron must have worked hard on this thing. Knowing that did make it more special. He held it up into the light from above and admired its shimmer.

Gods…why didn't Goku fuck him earlier? He needed it. He really wanted the third-class to give it to him good and show him no mercy. He needed to be man-handled, and have Kakarot prove he meant the words that came from his mouth. Would Vegeta be like a woman then? He wasn't sure. Questions like that seemed meaningless after tonight.

Fuck, I'm horny. He looked over at Goku, who was softly snoring. He always slept peacefully. Maybe he could meet Vegeta half-way with his needs. "Kakarot, wake up."

Goku mumbled. "Mmm?"

"Will you eat my ass?"

Goku blinked several times to focus on Vegeta. "Eat your what, baby?"

"My ass. Eat my ass."

Goku's closed his eyes. "I'm too tired…"

Ugh. Dammit. "Fine. Go back to sleep, then."

"I'm sorry. Don't be too sad…The date's still not over. I'm gonna take you somewhere else after we wake up…"

That was news to Vegeta. "You really planned this out, didn't you?"

"Yeah…Hey Vegeta…"

"What?"

"I hope I'm better at sex than Frieza."

Vegeta laughed. He laughed until he was crying again. He didn't stop until he closed his eyes, and the last thing he remembered were the bright celestial lights hanging above them.