Goku and Chi-Chi walked side-by-side down a practically empty sidewalk, their strides far too different. Goku walked heavily while Chi-Chi was nearly having to jog to keep up. The sun had just started to set through the treeline, sending long shadows dancing along the street and store fronts. Fluffy clouds in shades of pink, orange, and even purple lined the sky like a blanket. It was truly a beautiful night, which only made Goku feel even more guilty.
All he wanted was to be back at his apartment, back with Vegeta. He found Chi-Chi as a kind and gentle woman with a warm heart, but he wasn't attracted to her, and had no hope of being attracted to her. While that may sound mean, it was more than clear now that girls weren't his type. He decided, however, to suck it up and enjoy a few hours with her. She did look pretty, with her dress and hair and makeup. She smiled at him every few steps, and Goku got the slight feeling that maybe...she liked him.
More than a friend.
Now that he was aware of this, he made sure he didn't give off any signals that she could interpret as attraction. Sure, he found her as a good friend, especially since she was a friend of Bulma's, but he didn't want anything to happen between them that Vegeta wouldn't like. He had left him back at the apartment with Marty, and while the two weren't fans of each other, he thought it was a good opportunity for them to get to know each other better. If Marty and Vegeta got along, things would be even more perfect.
When Chi-Chi had come over, Vegeta had done practically everything he could to stall Goku. He kept distracting him with random questions, hiding his clothes, getting Marty all riled up, and he even hid Goku's phone. Goku knew exactly why Vegeta went to all those efforts, and he wished he didn't have to go, but he couldn't just lie to Chi-Chi. They were friends, and friends don't lie.
They walked in silence, casting nervous smiles to one another every few seconds. In the dim sunlight and the crowd of West City, they walked into a fairly populated park and playground area. A few kids were running around playing tag, some dogs darted this way and that, and parents sat on benches talking to other parents about their problems. The sun poking through the trees sent shadows dancing, and the light wind sent leaves skittering away along the ground. It looked like October rather than April. The laughter and chatter from the people around them was a calming background to their little outing. Both were nervous, but for very different reasons.
Chi-Chi cleared her throat then, making Goku jump. "We've managed to walk for ten minutes without saying a single thing. That deserves a reward."
Goku laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Heh, yeah. Sorry. I'm just...I hate to say it, but I kinda forgot we were hanging out today, so I don't know what to talk about."
"That's okay, we can improvise." Chi-Chi said with a wag of her finger. "Let's ask each other questions to get to know each other better, how about that?"
"Okay, that sounds fun." Goku said with a nod. He had figured that Chi-Chi would be angry with him about forgetting, but he was surprised that she wasn't. She was understanding, which let Goku breathe out a sigh of relief. They walked through the smooth green grass towards the play ground equipment, sidestepping little kids running rampant around like animals, with parents chasing after them with exhausted looks on their faces. It made Goku chuckle.
"I'll start. What's your favorite color?" Chi-Chi asked, looking at Goku with a wide, playful smile.
Goku pretended to think about it deeply, then snapped his fingers. "Orange. It's a pretty color."
"I agree. Mine is purple." Chi-Chi said, sitting down on one of the swings, rocking back and forth slowly. Goku sat down beside her, lightly holding onto the chains holding the plastic seat up.
"What's your favorite season?" Chi-Chi asked, looking up into the sky.
"Season? Uh...I don't know." Goku replied, scratching the top of his head. "What's yours?"
"Winter." Chi-Chi said with a giggle. "I love the snow and the cold. It's the nicest time of the entire year, you know. Making snow angels, drinking hot chocolate by a warm fire, having snowball fights. It's all so much fun."
"I've never done that." Goku said, staring down at the ground. "Snowball fights and snow angels, I mean. You've done that a lot?"
"Every year." Chi-Chi began swinging gently, the end of her dress dragging along the ground.
Goku watched her for a solid minute, then turned his gaze to his hands in his lap. I wonder what Vegeta's favorite season is. I bet his favorite color is blue. He looks good in blue. He let out a sigh, dragging his feet through the bark coating the ground. He wanted to be out with Vegeta, but for respect of Chi-Chi, he decided not to mention the fact that he'd rather be at home than at the park. But of course, if he didn't have feelings for Vegeta, he'd love nothing more than to spend a few hours with a girl as pretty and kind as Chi-Chi. It was strange, how much control Vegeta had over him. Every thought was centered on him, every sentence was meant for him, as well as every kiss. From enemies to rivals to...lovers? Was that what they were? He was confused, but it was a confusion that he liked. As long as Vegeta was with him, he didn't mind being confused for the rest of his life.
"Did you really fight aliens for the future of the Earth?" Chi-Chi's voice broke through his thoughts, and he was pulled back to reality.
"Huh? Oh, yeah. That was a long time ago, but yeah. I was fighting for Universe 7, which is this universe. I fought this guy, Jiren, from Universe 11, and boy was he a handful. I wasn't sure if I'd be able to beat him. I had to go all out, and then some. He was super strong, which was fun." He laughed lightly, running a hand through his spiky hair.
"I bet that was quite a sight." Chi-Chi said softly. "I kinda wish I was there to watch you fight. I bet you were awesome."
Goku felt a blush stretch onto his face, and he quickly looked away. "I wasn't the only one fighting. My friends were with me."
"Like Vegeta?" Chi-Chi said. "I only ask because you talk about him a lot."
Goku chuckled nervously. "I do? I hadn't noticed. We're...really close."
"Are you brothers?"
"No, just...close friends, I guess."
"Do you have any brothers?"
"Just one, but he's in Hell after he tried to kill me."
"What? That sounds horrible, how did that happen?"
"That's a super long story."
"I'm all ears."
Goku laughed. "Well, he came to Earth looking for me to join him and two other Saiyans who destroyed planets and got some prepared for Lord Freiza. I said no, of course, and he didn't like that. He and I fought for...probably an hour or more, then my sorta friend Piccolo shot both of us with a beam. We both died, but I was wished back. I've been told that he's tried to escape Hell multiple times, but it never works. He was a real jerk."
Chi-Chi stared at him with an expression of pure interest and shock. "So...you've died before?"
"Well, yeah, a few times. But as long as we have the Dragon Balls, I can be wished back, so it's no biggie." He chuckled, giving her a wide, toothy grin.
"So...I can just...die and someone can wish me back to life with the...what was it?"
"Dragon Balls." Goku explained with a nod. "You gotta collect all seven to get Shenron to grant your wish. I think you can get three wishes granted, but if you wish for someone to be revived, it takes two wishes from the three. Got it?"
Chi-Chi looked miles away from 'getting it', but she nodded with a mock look of understanding. "Okay. Sure. That makes a lot of sense."
"I've been collecting the Dragon Balls since I was a kid." Goku said. "Me, Bulma, and Oolong went on all kinds of fun adventures to get them."
"Bulma told me that you two had been friends for a really long time. I think that's really sweet." Chi-Chi said with a warm smile. "It's always: nice when people remain friends with the people they knew from childhood."
"Do you have any friends from childhood?" Goku asked, resting his head on the swing's chain.
"Not really. I met Bulma a year ago, and we've been kinda close for a while. She's funny, but pretty bossy." She laughed.
"Krillin and I used to call her Bulma the Boss when we were younger." Goku said with a snicker.
"Really? That's awesome, I'm stealing that." Chi-Chi laughed loudly.
Goku smiled.
They sat in silence for a few minutes, the sounds of laughter and chatter slowly dying out as the people around them eventually packed up their things and went home. The crisp air was chill and bitter, but neither of them complained about it. Goku began to enjoy himself more and more as the day turned into night. They stayed at the park for longer than expected, chasing each other around the playground equipment and pushing each other on the swings. From the distance, one would think they were lovers playing in the dim moonlight. They laughed, cheered, shouted, and threw bark at each other like schoolyard children. While this certainly wasn't how Chi-Ch had depicted her date with Goku going, she relished every second of it. She had even ditched her heels to run around in the grass, throwing the girl-code manners aside like the wind to wrestle with the tall, broad-shouldered boy. With her martial arts background, she provided a minimal challenge, but a challenge nonetheless.
It was a night that had gone better than they had expected. It had started off awkward, but somehow the awkwardness had faded away. They played and joked like old friends, laughing at things that only the two of them found funny. Rolling in the grass, shouting into the sky to no one in particular, and throwing wads of dirt at each other, it was truly a night to remember.
Goku dropped Chi-Chi off at her house when the moon was high in the sky, surrounded by grey clouds and shining stars. Her house was small and quaint, with a tidy stone path leading to the front door. She stopped before going inside, turning to give Goku a bright smile. Her hair was tangled and coated in blades of grass and twigs, and her dress was sure to have permanent grass stains, but the condition of Bulma's dress was far from her mind. Goku had just flown her from the park all the way to her house, and it was exhilarating. She had screamed both in fear and joy. It was safe to say that there wasn't anybody quite like Goku.
"You...I had fun tonight. We should do this more often." She said, panting lightly as she shifted her purse from one hand to the other.
"Yeah, sure. Maybe some day we could have a sleepover. You know, with Bulma, Krillin, Oolong, you, me, Yamcha. I bet that would be a blast, right?" Goku suggested, sliding his hands into his pockets.
Chi-Chi shrugged. "Sure. It does. Uh...so...see you tomorrow, maybe?"
Goku nodded. "Maybe."
"Thank you for flying me home. It certainly wasn't what I was expecting." She laughed, pulling a small stick from her bangs.
"No problem. Just call me if you ever need a ride somewhere. I could fly you anywhere in a jiffy." Goku said proudly.
"I bet." She laughed, then stepped forward and placed a kiss on his cheek. "See you tomorrow, Son Goku." Then she hurried inside her house, shutting the door before the conversation dragged on.
Goku stood frozen, unsure what to make of what had just happened. His face was red, and his mind was reeling. A nervous bundle of energy swarmed in his chest, and he remained locked in place, staring at Chi-Chi's front door like a statue. Did...did Chi-Chi kiss me? Oh, crap. Now do I have to kiss her back? I hope not. Wait, that sounded rude. I mean, I'm not implying that she's un-kissable, I just don't WANT to kiss her, that's all. Technically, it doesn't really count because I didn't kiss her back, right? Yeah, that's how it works.
He turned and walked down the stone path, just about to fly off into the sky when another realization sank into his head, and his heart. Chi-Chi kissed me...in the same spot that Vegeta kissed me that first time...the same spot...
...
Goku slowly opened the door to his apartment, poking his head inside. The lights were off and all was dark. He remained frozen for a few seconds to listen to any noises, and when nothing happened, he crept inside and, as quietly as possible, shut the door behind him. He wasn't sure if Vegeta was still around, but if he was, Goku figured he'd be asleep. After all, it was past 11. And when Vegeta was asleep, it was best not to wake him, especially after the way Goku woke him up that morning. Goku knew he had to be quiet, just in case Vegeta was asleep somewhere.
He slid off his shoes and tip-toed down the entrance hallway, peeking his head into the kitchen. Nothing. Then he looked around the living room. Still nothing. There were no sounds, no signs of life. Even Marty didn't come barreling to the front door upon Goku's arrival. He cocked his head and looked around, feeling worried. Did Vegeta leave? Without saying goodbye? I hope he's not mad at me for hanging out with Chi-Chi. If he is, I definitely can't tell him about the cheek-kiss. He'd be even more pissed. Man, I was hoping I'd get to see him tonight. I feel like sleeping cuddled up next to him. He's really warm, like a personal heater.
Goku shuffled into his room, flicking the light on and sliding his jacket off, tossing it onto the floor carelessly. Only to freeze dead in his tracks when his eyes landed on Vegeta, sound asleep on his bed. He was still dressed in the clothes he had worn out that day, though he had been gracious enough to take off his shoes. Best of all, Marty was curled up in a ball in Vegeta's arms, both dead asleep in the center of the bed. Goku held his breath, afraid that his rather loud entrance might have been enough to wake them up. When several seconds passed by and neither moved, he deemed it safe to release his breath and move closer, peeking over Vegeta's shoulder from the opposite side of the bed.
His face was as peaceful and untroubled as it always was when he was sleeping. His arms were wrapped tightly around Marty as if he were either protecting him or preventing him from leaving. Marty didn't look like he wanted to leave, anyway. His tongue was hanging out of his mouth, and his snout rested against Vegeta's chest lazily. Goku smiled, fighting the urge to laugh. It was cute, and it made him happy to see that Vegeta had stayed. He had expected him to be back at his own house, not that he wanted Vegeta to leave. It surprised Goku that Vegeta would stay this long willingly. He was also thrilled that him and Marty were getting along. It would suck if Goku really liked Vegeta, but his dog didn't.
As quickly yet quietly as he could, Goku tore off his jeans and exchanged them for shorts from his dresser, tearing off his shirt and throwing it to the ground to provide company to his jacket. He flicked off the light and crawled onto the bed as slowly as he could, which was quite a difficult task, when taken into account how terrible Goku was at going slow. He laid down beside Vegeta, letting out a soft breath before wrapping his much larger arms around Vegeta's slim waist, pulling him gently closer to him. Marty perked up and launched his head up, wagging his tail when he saw Goku, jumping to his feet. Goku quickly shushed him, then grabbed the blanket and covered himself and Vegeta softly.
The prince hardly stirred, his chest rising and falling subtly. Goku nuzzled his nose into the crook of Vegeta's neck, smiling wide. This was what he had waited for the entire day. To just be with him in this position, in this way, in this everything. His small, warm, soft body that fit perfectly with Goku's, like a puzzle piece.
"Good night." Goku whispered, though he knew Vegeta couldn't hear him. He pulled his body closer, resting his head against Vegeta's back, feeling the soft rise and fall of his chest, the gentle beating of his heart, and the warmth radiating from his body.
It was comfortable, and it was all he wanted.