In Your Dreams: Chapter 5
Vegeta was bored.
He'd spent the majority of the day training as he usually did, but after he grew tired of that he'd gotten cleaned up, eaten, and then spent the rest of his night trying to find something to occupy his time.
The house was practically empty. Bulma's parents were around, but he wasn't desperate enough to seek them out for company. Both Trunks and Bura were out doing whatever it was they did with their nights and Bulma and Kakarotto still hadn't returned from the mall.
The prince had spent the last hour flipping through thousands of channels on TV, but as usual, there was absolutely nothing on. At one point he'd even gone down to the holding cells, thinking to entertain himself by torturing Dr. Villa and his two lap dogs, but much to his displeasure the men had been released. He'd wondered why the woman had let them go so soon. He hadn't even gotten to threaten them!
Vegeta was just about to resort to Trunks' old video games when he heard a car door shut. The Saiyajin tried not to rush to the door like an eager pet happy that his owners had returned, but he found himself throwing open the front door within seconds anyway.
He was just about to begin shouting at the woman for no reason in particular when something stopped him. Vegeta's eyes narrowed when he saw Yamcha following Bulma up the walkway; but what really made his hackles rise was the fact the scarred man was carrying Kakarotto on his back. The younger Saiyajin seemed to be asleep, but his fingers were still gripping Yamcha's shirt and his tail was looped around the older man's waist.
A surge of jealousy washed over Vegeta before he could stop it, and he found himself growling lowly in his throat as his hands fisted at his sides. The human must have picked up the threatening sound because a moment later his eyes rose to meet his own, and much to Vegeta's satisfaction, he could see Yamcha swallow hard.
Bulma didn't seem to notice the tension in the air as she brushed past the prince. "Hey! Did you miss us?"
Vegeta finally tore his eyes away from the other two men and turned to follow the woman inside. "You were gone? No wonder it was so peaceful today."
"Ha, ha. I know you were bored." She grinned and walked into the living room, motioning for Yamcha to set Goku down on the couch.
The ex-fighter carefully made his way past Vegeta, who was glaring at him again, and sat on the edge of the couch. He let go of Goku's legs and reached up to gently untangle the younger man's fingers from his shirt; then he moved to do the same with his tail.
The prince's loud snarl stopped him though. "Don't touch his tail!"
Both Bulma and Yamcha froze and stared at the Saiyajin with wide eyes.
Vegeta's voice was loud enough to wake Goku however, and his eyes slowly opened. The younger man took a moment to orient himself before he unwrapped his tail from Yamcha's waist, allowing the larger man to get up from the couch. He yawned and settled back into the cushions.
"Thanks, Yamcha."
The human chuckled weakly as he put some distance between himself and a still rumbling Vegeta. "Yeah, no problem... Um, I think it's time for me to go though."
"Wait! What about your pillows?!" Bulma called as she held up the capsule that contained his purchases. The only answer she received was the sound of the front door slamming shut. She frowned. "Well, I guess I'll give them to him tomorrow.... Geez, Vegeta. You didn't have to snap at him."
The prince snorted and folded his arms over his chest. "That baka probably would have been too rough. He has no idea how sensitive a Saiyajin tail can be."
Bulma snorted as she unpacked several capsules and set them down on the table. "Yamcha's been very gentle with Goku all day! Give him some credit, will you?"
Vegeta bristled. "All day? What's that supposed to mean?! I thought you were supposed to be shopping, not groping Kakarotto all day!"
The blue haired woman scoffed. "Who said anything about groping? Seriously, you need to get your mind out of the gutter."
Bulma turned back to Goku and sighed when she saw he'd fallen asleep again. The Saiyajin had curled up on the couch and had buried his face in the cushions. "Aw, I was hoping he'd stay awake long enough to get up to his room, but it looks like he'll have to sleep here since you scared Yamcha off."
"My arms aren't broken, woman! I'll take him back to his room if it's that important." Vegeta snapped. The very idea of that human touching Kakarotto again made his skin crawl. He moved forward before Bulma had a chance to respond and he carefully picked the sleeping Saiyajin up, cradling the younger man bridal style in his arms. He just barely repressed a shiver when Goku's head turned toward him and his warm breath hit his chest. What was that all about?
Bulma seemed at a loss for words. She'd never seen Vegeta willingly touch Goku outside of a spar, and she'd certainly never seen him react so viciously when someone else touched the younger Saiyajin. Was he... jealous? Well, this was interesting.
The blue haired woman took a moment to scoop up the capsules containing some of Goku's new belongings before she ran to catch up with the prince. He was already at the top of the stairs.
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Vegeta was just setting Goku down on the bed when Bulma arrived. The younger Saiyajin sighed in his sleep as he rolled away from the prince and onto his side.
The older man watched him for a moment before a loud 'poofing' noise caught his attention. He turned back to Bulma just as the smoke from the capsule she'd opened cleared. A large pile of colorful pillows had appeared on the floor. He raised an eyebrow in question when the woman picked an armful of them up and moved to the side of the bed.
"Goku fell in love with these things." she explained as she dropped her armful on the mattress and reached down to remove the sleeping Saiyajin's shoes.
Vegeta eyed the fluffy pillows, and while Bulma was distracted with trying to make Kakarotto more comfortable, he reached out and ran his finger over one of them. He sucked in a lungful of air when the ultra soft material made contact with his skin, and his tail fluffed behind him. The prince had never felt anything so... so... Kami! There wasn't a word for this!
A soft chuckle brought Vegeta back to reality, and his eyes snapped over to Bulma's amused face. "I don't think he'd mind if you took a few for yourself."
The older man huffed and folded his arms over his chest as he turned his head away.
"Oh, come on. The last time I saw your tail fluff like that was the moment Bura was conceived."
"Woman!!"
Vegeta growled when Bulma tried to muffle her laughter and he quickly stormed out of the room, making a point of kicking a few pillows out of his way as he went.
The blue haired woman grinned as she arranged the remaining pillows around Goku. "He'll be back."
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The next morning Vegeta woke up bright and early, as was his usual routine. Without opening his eyes he rolled over onto his side, and he paused when his cheek brushed up against something very soft. The prince's heavy lids slowly opened and he focused on a bright orange object beside him. It took him a moment to figure out what he was looking at, but based on how it felt, he quickly came to realize that it was one of the pillows Kakarotto had bought.
Vegeta lifted his head up and glanced around his room to make sure no one was around before he pulled the ultra soft pillow closer and buried his face against it. A loud purr erupted from his chest as he rubbed the material across his skin. Not only did the pillow feel good, but it smelt good too. It smelled like... Kakarotto.
The prince's eyes snapped open and he abruptly sat up. Kakarotto did not smell good!
Vegeta tossed the sheets away as he swung his legs over the side of the bed, and just as he was about to stand, a white piece of paper caught his attention. He picked up the note that had been sitting beside the orange pillow and read it. The writing was obviously Bulma's.
***Don't be afraid to take what you want.***
The Saiyajin raised an eyebrow. What was that supposed to mean? For some reason he didn't think the woman was talking about the pillow.
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After yesterday's shopping trip Goku was more determined than ever to build his strength back up. He knew jumping straight to sparring wouldn't be wise. At this point he didn't even have enough ki to fly, let alone form any kind of attack. So instead, the Saiyajin decided to spend some time in Capsule Corps' private but very impressive gym.
Every machine imaginable was available for him to use; some of which he refused to touch because they looked more like torture devices than work-out equipment. The gym also had a large locker room complete with showers, steam rooms, and therapeutic heat spas for soothing damaged muscles. He had a feeling he'd be using one of those before long.
Goku had been exercising for hours. He started off with easy things such as stretching, jogging on the treadmill, cycling, jump roping, and sit-ups. After resting and drinking plenty of water, the Saiyajin moved on to weight training. He rotated between the endless machines in order to work every muscle in his body, and after only a couple hours, he was reaching his limit.
That didn't sit well with him.
He forced himself through one more set to work his biceps before he let go of the handles and slumped back in the seat. Goku wiped the sweat from his forehead and struggled to control his breathing. His body felt like it was made of rubber and everything felt numb. He'd be paying for this tomorrow.
The sound of the door opening and closing made Goku look up, and after a moment Vegeta strolled around the corner. The prince smirked when he saw the flushed Saiyajin.
"So this is where you've been hiding all day, hm? The woman sent me to make sure you hadn't killed yourself."
The younger man just looked back at him as he drew large amounts of air into his lungs. At this point he didn't have the energy to attempt communicating with the prince. In fact, Goku was hoping Vegeta would lose interest in his activities and just leave. He didn't like the older man seeing him so whipped simply from a few hours of casual exercise.
Vegeta looked the other Saiyajin over. Kakarotto was wearing a tank top and shorts, so it was easy to assess his current condition. The prince frowned at the muscle spasms he could easily see in the younger man's legs and arms. He also looked flushed and paler than usual. These were signs of dehydration and a clear indicator that Goku had done too much too soon.
"Kakarotto! Have you eaten in the last few hours?"
The other seemed to think about it for a moment before he shook his head. No, the last time he'd eaten was early that morning; and that was only a light breakfast.
Vegeta frowned and took a step closer to the younger man. "Baka! You should know better than anybody the importance of supplying yourself with fuel. Can you even walk?"
Goku looked a little annoyed at the question, but he slowly stood up. His tail waved unsteadily behind him as he struggled to keep his balance.
The prince wasn't satisfied. "I asked if you could walk. You're only standing."
Goku let out a frustrated growl before he slowly moved forward. He'd only made it a couple of steps before his left knee collapsed, and he gasped when Vegeta darted forward and caught him before he hit the floor. The younger man blushed a deep scarlet and tried to push the prince away when the older man wrapped his arm around his slim waist in order to keep him on his feet.
"Knock it off, Kakarotto! You overdid it and now you'll be lucky if you're able to begin training again within a week!"
Goku looked away from Vegeta but allowed him to help him into the locker rooms. The prince set him down on a bench before he pressed a button on one of the therapeutic spas. Steam quickly began to fill the room as the hot water poured into the deep tub. It only took a few minutes to reach the top, and Vegeta flipped on the jets in order to get the water moving before he turned back to Goku.
The prince pulled off the younger man's sneakers and socks before Goku could stop him, and his shirt was the next thing to go. When hands reached for his shorts though, the earth raised Saiyajin panicked and threw himself backwards. He fell from the bench and hit the floor with a grunt.
Vegeta was caught off guard by the reaction. Kakarotto had never cared about nudity before, and it wasn't like he hadn't seen the younger Saiyajin without his clothes in the past. Just before the other man had jerked away from him Vegeta had scented a burst of fear, and that didn't sit well with him.
The prince focused on Goku's wide eyes and he tried his best to hide both his surprise and his suspicion. There was no need to upset the other man more than he already was.
"Fine, you big baby! You can keep your shorts on. Now stop messing around and let me help you into the tub."
The younger man's tension seemed to ease a bit as he took Vegeta's offered hand and let the older man pull him to his feet. He winced with each small step he took until he finally reached the steaming water. The hot temperatures were an almost instant relief to his screaming muscles, and soon his body turned to jelly.
Vegeta stepped back and folded his arms as he watched Goku's eyes fall shut. It was a good thing he'd decided to search for the younger Saiyajin when he did. It looked like Kakarotto had no idea how to pace himself now that he no longer possessed his legendary power and stamina, and if he wasn't monitored he could do some serious and permanent damage to his body.
A smirk slowly tugged at the prince's lips. It looked like he'd just found a new activity to occupy his time.
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After the spa had done its' job and relieved some of Goku's pain, Vegeta had dragged him into the kitchen and set a plate of pre-made sandwiches in front of him. Bunny always made them each morning so he'd have something to snack on throughout the day.
The prince sat down to make sure the younger man ate. "I'm going to train you."
Goku froze in mid-chew and his eyes snapped up. He didn't move for several moments and Vegeta watched in amusement when the other Saiyajin's expressions changed as he thought about what'd he'd just heard. Shock. Confusion. Suspicion. Annoyance. Anger. Consideration. Excitement.
He was an open book when it came to his emotions.
"You'll get nowhere if you continue on the way you are. You can't use up all your energy at once now that you don't have much of it to waste. I can teach you a new fighting style to suit your new limitations."
Goku looked down at the table for a long moment as he thought it through. When his eyes rose back up to meet Vegeta's he nodded.
The prince smirked. "We start tomorrow morning."
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The next morning came all too soon and Goku clenched his eyes when the sun beaming in from the window finally hit him. He lay facedown amongst his beloved pillows and his body felt as if it weighed a ton. The Saiyajin attempted to move, but the resulting pain made him groan loudly. Yes, he felt like he'd been run over by Majin Buu.... the fat one.
"I thought you might need this."
Goku jumped and snapped his eyes open. Vegeta was sitting on the edge of his bed not even an arms length away. He hadn't even sensed he was there! The younger man's eyes focused on an object in the prince's hand.
A senzu bean.
He looked back up at the older man in question.
"I don't have the patience to wait for you to heal. You need to start training today, not a week from now."
Goku attempted to reach up for the senzu, but the muscles in his arm began to spasm violently. He poked out his bottom lip and gave Vegeta the most pathetic expression the prince had ever seen.
"Oh, you've got to be kidding me! I'm not going to feed this to you!"
The younger man's eyes seemed to grow larger until he was sporting the full fledged 'puppy-dog eyes'; an attack so powerful that not even the Prince of all Saiyajin was immune to its' effects.
Vegeta only lasted a few seconds before he rolled his own eyes. "For the love of...." He carefully rolled Goku onto his back, snorting when he winced from the pain. "Serves you right." Those puppy-dog eyes narrowed into a glare, but the older man ignored him and shoved the bean into his mouth.
Goku nearly choked on it, but he managed to catch it and chew it up before it slipped down his throat. He waited a few seconds for the senzu to do its' job before he sat up and whacked Vegeta upside his head.
"YOU JERK! I could have choked on that! What a stupid way to die; choking on a.....senzu....."
Goku trailed off when it finally dawned on him that he was actually speaking. His mouth opened and closed silently and he looked at Vegeta for an explanation.
The prince smirked. "I went to the Lookout this morning to get that. While I was there I had Dende infuse the senzu bean with some of his healing power. Sounds like it did the trick."
A large smile spread over Goku's face. "Wow! Did Bulma think of that?"
"No, baka! It was MY idea! What? Do you think I'm incapable of forming an intelligent thought?!"
The younger man chuckled and reached up to rub the back of his head. "Well, no, it's just...."
"You sound like a girl!"
Goku froze. "What?!"
"Yeah! I thought you sounded like a woman before, but now you REALLY sound like one! Have you not hit puberty yet?!"
Goku sputtered indignantly for a moment before his hands clenched into fists. He huffed as he jumped off the bed and began walking toward the door.
Vegeta stood and folded his arms over his chest. "And where do you think you're going?!"
The other Saiyajin spun around and pointed at the older man. "I'm going to tell Bulma you're picking on me!"
"What?!"
Goku gave an almost evil smile and patted his chest. "I'm in a fragile emotional state, you know. You're in SO much trouble!"
The prince stood there for a moment with his mouth hanging open after the other Saiyajin disappeared out the door. That teenage BRAT! What a fine way to show one's gratitude; running to Bulma to get him in..... trouble.....
Oh shit!
"Kakarotto, wait!!"
To be continue...