A week passed, then two, and again, Vegeta hadn’t heard anything from Goku; but that didn’t mean he wasn’t constantly on his mind. That fact alone was driving him insane. At first the prince couldn’t figure out why he was bothered so much by the other Saiyajin’s actions, but it soon became very clear with one stunning realization.
He was jealous.
He was jealous of humans.
He couldn’t stand the fact that mere Earthlings were taking their pleasure from his last subject. One of the strongest warriors in the universe was no more than a plaything to them.
Vegeta’s thoughts were suddenly interrupted when the phone rang, cutting through the silence with a piercing shriek that make him cringe. With a small growl of annoyance, the Saiyajin snatched the receiver from its cradle and brought it to his ear.
“What?!”
A few seconds passed before the caller responded.
“Vegeta.” The voice spoke in a hushed whisper.
“Kakarotto?” The prince was surprised to hear from the other man, and was confused by his tone.
“I… I need your help…”
Vegeta’s eyes narrowed. “Where are you?”
There was another pause, but the prince could hear the crinkle of paper close to the receiver. “4273 North 127th Street.”
Before the older man could question further, Goku hung up. Vegeta wasted no time as he threw open his bedroom window and took to the sky.
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It felt like an eternity had passed before his boots finally touched down outside the home Kakarotto had directed him to. Everything seemed normal enough, but Vegeta could feel the tiny hairs on the back of his neck bristling, and that was never a good sign.
He took a few seconds to debate on whether or not he should knock, but his royal instincts quickly took over and he opted on letting himself in. The home’s interior was surprisingly well furnished and clean, not at all the home one would expect a person who needed to pay people for sex to dwell.
Vegeta slowly made his way into the house, scanning the darkened hallways for any sign of life. He hadn’t noticed any cars in the driveway, which led him to believe no one was around… except, Kakarotto had called from this location.
Just as he began to doubt he was in the right place, a small shuffling noise caught his attention from within a room he’d been passing. The prince backed up a couple paces and slowly pushed the door open; though the room was so dark he couldn’t see what lay within. His fingers slid over the wall until they finally found a light switch, which he flipped on, flooding the room with light.
A low hiss came from the far corner and Vegeta’s eyes widened when he spotted Goku crouched upon a bed, covering his eyes to shield them against the harsh light. The Saiyajin was riddled with deep purple bruises and had a few cuts that seemed to already be healing. He had no clothes to speak of, and was only covered from the waist down by a thin white bed sheet that lay crumpled around him.
Vegeta turned his gaze to the bedside table, or rather, what was sitting on the surface. It was a syringe and several bottles of clear liquid. The drugs were obviously there to use on the younger Saiyajin, whose ki was nearly undetectable.
Vegeta quickly moved to the other man’s side and placed his hand on his shoulder, though that proved to be a bad idea when Goku shouted out in protest and punched him squarely in the jaw. It was a lucky shot seeing as how the Saiyajin’s eyes still hadn’t adjusted to the light. The fact Goku’s attack felt more like a tap than a punch worried the prince.
“Kakarotto, it’s me.”
Goku immediately froze at the words, and after a few seconds, he lowered the arm he’d been shielding his eyes with. He blinked several times before he was able to focus on Vegeta, and a smile immediately came to his face.
“I didn’t think you’d be coming.”
“And why wouldn’t I?” the prince questioned as he glanced around for the younger man’s clothes, which he spotted crumpled in the corner.
Goku shrugged and mumbled something under his breath, then waited for Vegeta to hand him his clothes. He slowly pulled on his shirt once it was handed to him, hissing through his teeth as his sore muscles protested the action. Vegeta watched as the other Saiyajin struggled with the simple action, and he finally tugged the fabric over the chiseled torso. He let his gloved hand travel down Goku’s arm and held his forearm firmly, studying the foreign marks on the flesh. He quickly determined that they were needle marks.
Goku frowned and pulled his arm back, then reached for his jeans. As soon as he pushed the sheets away, the prince gasped.
“Kakarotto! When did your tail grow back?”
Both sets of eyes went to the furry black appendage, which twitched at the sudden attention.
“Not long after I started doing this.” Goku muttered bitterly as he pulled on his jeans and wrapped his tail around his waist, making it appear to be a belt.
“Hn. And how long have you been here?” Vegeta asked as he flicked his wrist to indicate he was referring to the room they were in.
The younger man paused for a moment to this about it. “I dunno for sure. A week maybe.”
“A week?! Do you normally stay in one place for that long?”
“Of course not!” Goku snapped in obvious annoyance. “But he didn’t want me to leave the first night. It was dark and I couldn’t see that he had a… a needle until I felt it pierce my skin.”
Vegeta frowned as a shudder wracked the other’s frame. “No matter. You’re coming back to Capsule Corp.”
The younger man’s breath hitched. “Wait, no! Bulma’s smart… If she sees all this, she’ll know!”
Vegeta snorted as he pulled Goku’s arm over his neck and slowly helped him to his feet. “Did I say the woman needed to see you? I figured you’d rather wait for the drugs to wear off in a quiet room rather than a house filled with your banshee’s shrieks.”
The other Saiyajin thought about it for a moment before nodding. “Yeah… Ok, thanks, Vegeta.”
“Hn. Whatever.” the prince muttered as he helped Goku to the door. He mentally noted the location of the home as the stepped outside. He’d definitely be back to visit the ningen responsible for Kakarotto’s condition.
An evil smirk slid across Vegeta’s lips, though it went unnoticed by Goku as they ascended into the air.
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Vegeta stared at the closed door that led to the guestroom that contained Goku. The younger Saiyajin had fallen asleep the second his head hit the pillow, and had remained that way for the past twenty-four hours. The baka hadn’t even given himself time to change out of his rumpled clothing. What surprised the prince the most was that Goku’s stomach hadn’t been his alarm clock.
Vegeta glanced down the empty hallways before opening the door and slipping inside. As promised, he hadn’t told anyone that Kakarotto was here, and he’d made sure to give the younger man a room in a nearly unoccupied section of Capsule Corp. Still, one could never be too careful.
After silently closing the door behind him, Vegeta crossed the room and approached the bed on which Goku slept. The Saiyajin had curled himself into a ball and tightly wrapped himself in a cocoon of blankets, which concealed him completely from the prince’s view.
Vegeta frowned as he peeled back a layer of quilts, revealing a few spikes of black hair.
“Baka. Probably suffocated.”
The prince paused a moment after muttering the comment, and suddenly took it more seriously as he eyed the still form before him. He began peeling away the blankets at a slightly faster pace until he finally uncovered Goku’s face. Luckily, the sleeping Saiyajin was indeed still breathing.
Vegeta watched him for a moment before deciding that he’d slept long enough, and that it was time for him to start rebuilding his energy with a good meal, which he obviously hadn’t had in awhile.
Much to his surprise, a gentle shake was all it took to wake the slightly confused and alarmed man. Large ebony eyes took a moment to focus on the prince before Goku relaxed once again and reburied his head beneath the blankets.
Vegeta rolled his eyes and tossed the covers back again. “Kakarotto, get out of bed!”
The younger Saiyajin frowned as his cocoon was once again ruptured. “Nn… Sleep.”
“You’ve been asleep for an entire day and night. You need to eat now.” Vegeta snapped as he began the complicated task of extracting Goku from the bundle of blankets.
Goku’s frown deepened as the cool air slowly invaded his warm sanctuary and before he knew it, all the blankets had been tossed to the floor, leaving him on a bare mattress.
“Vegetaaaaa…” he whined as he curled into a tighter ball. “Five more minutes.”
The prince rolled his eyes.
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*Five minutes later*
Vegeta once again threw open the door and tore the blankets off the once again frowning Goku.
“Wakey, Wakey, baka!”
The younger Saiyajin curled into a ball again. “Nng. Five more minutes.”
“Kami, Kakarotto! You’re worse than Trunks! Get up, or so help me I’ll drag you from that bed!”
Goku poked open one eye and studied the prince as his tail flopped back and forth on the mattress. With a yawn, the Saiyajin stretched with cat-like grace and sat up as he rubbed his eyes. Then, in the blink of an eye, he flopped onto his stomach and dug his fingers into the edge of the mattress.
“I said five more minutes!”
“Damn it, Kakarotto! You asked for it!” Vegeta growled as he attempted to pull the younger man off the bed, but when that failed, he tried to pry Goku’s fingers off the mattress.
“Ow! Did you just bite me?!”
“Five. More. MINUTES!”
“Fine! Take your five minutes, but I can’t promise there will be any food left by the time you come downstairs because I’m feeling awfully hungry.” Vegeta said with a smirk as he headed for the door. This tactic always worked on Trunks.
Goku watched him from the bed. “You’ll save some.”
The prince glanced back at him. “Willing to take that risk?”
A short pause was ended with a huff of defeat. “Fine.”
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Vegeta once again found himself traveling down the long hallway to Kakarotto’s room, only this time, he had the younger man’s orange gi and blue boots in hand. Goku always kept extra clothes at Capsule Corp for after their spars.
The prince nudged the door open as he reached the other Saiyajin’s room and stepped inside, only to find that no one was around. However, upon closer inspection, soft billows of steam could be seen coming from beneath the bathroom door. Vegeta took a few steps toward the bed with the intention of placing the clothes there for the other man to find, but then he stopped. He didn’t want Goku to be tempted to climb back into bed.
So, with his mind made up and a smirk on his face, Vegeta burst into the steam filled bathroom, where he quickly spotted the younger Saiyajin soaking in the large tub within.
“VEGETA!” Goku cried as he quickly sat up and splashed water everywhere. “What are you doing?!”
“What does it look like?” Vegeta barked as he dropped the pile of clothes on the sink counter. “I brought you your hideous orange rags!”
Goku sunk into the water a bit as the prince turned to glare at him and looked away with a blush. “Uh, ok. Thanks. You… you can go now.”
The older man smirked upon seeing the other Saiyajin’s discomfort. “No, I don’t think I will.” he said as he sat on the side of the tub. “You act as if you’re uncomfortable, Kakarotto.”
“Oh, no. I’m not uncomfortable. I’m just naked.” Goku snapped sarcastically.
Vegeta rolled his eyes. “As if you have anything I haven’t seen before. Relax, baka.” The prince let his eyes wander over the flesh of the other Saiyajin, and he frowned at all the bruising he saw. The clothes he’d worn earlier had hidden a lot.
“Why’d you let them do that to you, Kakarotto?” he muttered as he continued to survey the damage.
Goku only shrugged and continued to look in the opposite direction as his tail traced circles upon the water’s surface. The movement attracted Vegeta’s attention to the furry appendage.
“Did it hurt?”
The younger man blinked and finally looked at the prince. “Did what hurt?”
“Did it hurt when your tail grew back?” That was something Vegeta had always wondered about. It was rare that a lost tail grew back once severed, but he’d always secretly hoped his would make an appearance.
Goku’s eyes went to his tail and he looked thoughtful for a moment. “I don’t really remember.”
The older man narrowed his eyes a bit. “No? Do you remember what you were doing when it grew back?”
Goku’s mood instantly changed as his tail slapped the water angrily. “I don’t want to talk about any of that!”
Silence filled the room for a few moments before Goku spoke again.
“I think I should get home now. It’s been awhile and ChiChi is probably worried.” The younger Saiyajin muttered as he grabbed a towel and stood up, wrapping it around his waist as he stepped onto the floor mat.
Vegeta rolled his eyes as he watched the other man quickly dress. “Wake up, Kakarotto. That banshee doesn’t care about you. If she did, she never would have asked you to do this.”
Goku grit his teeth as he pulled on his other boot and straightened up, turning his gaze to the prince. “I’d like to think someone cares, Vegeta, and she’s the only one I’ve got right now.” He turned and left the bathroom, followed closely by the prince.
The younger man paused at the bedroom door. “I appreciate the help…” It looked as if Goku wanted to say something else, but the words never left his lips. Instead, Vegeta watched as the Saiyajin disappeared through the door.
