Chapter 3: The End of the Honeymoon

"Tru-chan, the 'baka' has flown the coop. I repeat: the 'baka' has flown the coop." - Goten


Neither Trunks nor Bura could help but to watch their father more closely than ever before. They both wondered if Goku would come over so that they could see how the two of them interacted. The sound of polyphonic techno startled them out of their thoughts, but it was just Trunks' cell phone.

"Moshi moshi.[1]"

Bura could hear Goten's voice even from a few feet away. "Tru-chan, the 'baka' has flown the coop. I repeat: the 'baka' has flown the coop."

The siblings exchanged looks. "What the hell are you talking about?" Trunks asked.

"Tousan left the house! I'm pretty sure he's going over to the Capsule Corp."

Suddenly, a large figure appeared, scaring a few years a life out of them both. "AH!"

There was a silence, then Goten said, "Oh. He must have made it."

"Goku-san, that wasn't very nice," Bura scolded.

He placed one hand behind his head in his usual sheepish way. "Whoops. Sorry 'bout that. Is Vegeta up and moving around yet? I don't want to disturb him if he isn't." Bura and Trunks exchanged looks again. "Nani?"

The girl of the small group grinned at him in a knowing way. "Somehow, Goku-san, I don't think he would mind if you did." The Saiya-jin blushed. "Though, he is a little angry with you for disappearing yesterday..."

"Vegeta discussed what we did with you two?!" Now he was beyond embarrassed; to put it simply, Goku was mortified.

"Not in detail, thank Kami," Trunks said. "But enough so that we could understand the Changes. Did you go through the First Change, Goku-san?"

"Hai, I did, and, iie, I don't want to talk about it." He looked miserable remembering it. "It's too painful."

Bura patted his shoulder. "That's too bad, but things are better now, right? Wait here just a minute and I'll go see if Papa is ready to receive visitors." She knew that she was the best person for the job because chances were nil that he would yell at her or throw things. This left behind two men who were looking everywhere but at each other.

"Do you love him?" Trunks asked quietly.

"Well, I've always respected him. In recent years, I've even grown to like him. But love?" Goku contemplated this for a moment. "I'm not too sure I know what love feels like," he said honestly. "He said we were bound together now, though, and I believe that."

"You better believe it, Kakarotto, or you'll have one very pissed of Saiya-jin on your hands." Vegeta stood in the doorway, casually leaning against the frame dressed in tight black jeans and a blank tank. The very sight of him caused Goku's mouth to grow dry. "Explain." Quietly, Trunks made a quick exit, hoping to intercept Goten. He knew that his friend was on his way over and that it was only a matter of time before he landed on his doorstep.

Goku grew flustered... and horny. Quickly, he turned around so that his back was to Vegeta, but that looked pretty disrespectful so he settled for being partially turned away instead. "I thought you might like a little time to yourself, that's all. Did I fuck up?"

The unfamiliar sound of Goku cursing made him smile a little. "Yeah, but it's okay now. I thought you hated what we'd done together and was trying to get as far away from me as you could." Though his tone was light, his eyes betrayed his true pain. In an instant, Goku was across the room and taking him into his arms.

"I've always known you were something special, Vegeta. Remember when I saved your life even after you tried to kill me and everyone I cared about?" he deliberately remained teasing.

"Me being 'special' had nothing to do with it, in my mind. I'd thought you'd gone insane."

"Maybe I have," he murmured against his hair. "If so, I'm 'insane with lust for you'."

His lover groaned. "You should have kept that one to yourself, Kakarotto."

The two of them stood there, content that neither of them seemed to be disturbed by their new relationship. "So, what are we going to do? Are we going to live together now?"

Vegeta stepped back a little and raised an eyebrow. "Hold on a second, Kakarotto. We simply fucked. That doesn't mean that we're now married."

"Who are you trying to fool, Vegeta? Me, or yourself? Nothing between us is the same anymore." He smiled. "I really liked waking up next to you."

Against his will, Vegeta found himself melting. "Shit," he said in disgust. "Why do I always feel like a teenage girl around you?"

Gently, Goku grasped his stirring manhood. "With this down here, you are far from being a teenage girl." The organ sprang to attention at his touch. "I see we're up for another round."

"We had sex yesterday, baka. Almost twenty-four hours has passed since I last had an orgasm."

Goku kissed him heatedly, his tongue exploring Vegeta's mouth awkwardly, but passionately. "We'll just have to fix that."

***
Trunks and Bura was more than a little shocked to hear such sounds coming from their father's room. The soundproofing was good and all, but once you got within a few feet of the door faint sounds were audible. Both demi-Saiya-jin knew that the noises had to be pretty loud to filter out into the hallway.

"Who do you think that was?" Bura whispered.

A few moments later she had an answer to her question. "Fuck me, you baka!" She recoiled visibly and practically ran down the hall until she was out of earshot, Trunks close behind her.

"It was a rhetorical question! I didn't really want to know!"

Trunks grinned at her. "It's a little surprising to know that Papa's the bottom. Even after he told me his story."

His sister merely shook her head. "Niichan[2], does it bother you that Papa's with another man?"

"Why should it? I think Goku-san's the only person who would willingly put up with his shit."

"Yeah, but a lot of people wouldn't like it..." Namely, all of Goku's friends. She sighed. "I just don't want anyone giving them a hard time because they found each other."

"Well, if they do..." Trunks smirked and the expression reminded his sister so strongly of their father that she gasped. "They'll have to deal with me."

"Don't forget me!"

Footsteps on the stairs startled them and, within seconds, Buruma was on the second floor. Though middle-aged, she still retained some of the beauty that she'd been known for throughout Satan City via the media's interest in her father's inventions. Her graying blue hair was perfectly styled and she wore an aqua skit and jacket ensemble with a white silk blouse and matching aqua pumps. "Hi, kids. What's going on?"

"Kaasan, where are you going?" Bura glanced nervously at her brother, imagining her mother's reaction if she passed by her father's room just as he emitted a particularly loud cry of passion.

"Well, I left a folder with important documentation on my desk and I need to get it before the meeting in half an hour."

"I'll do it for you!" she nearly shouted. Bura turned and sprinted down the hall to her mother's bedroom. "It's no problem!"

When Buruma turned to look at her son, he immediately turned away to look out a nearby window. "Trunks-chan..." she said warningly.

"I have no idea what's going on with her," he responded quickly. "Honest!"

"Alright, but you better not be lying to me." She frowned as she looked in the direction her daughter had gone. "Do you know where has your father been hiding lately?"

He wondered how he could answer her question without giving away anything, but also without causing her to inquire further. "Hmm, well, I'm sure he's still in the house," he offered. "He made Bura tamagoyaki two days ago and he gave me a sandwich yesterday."

"Vegeta, sharing food with other people?" she asked in disbelief.

"Hai, Kaasan. He's not an ogre or anything, you know."

"You could have fooled me," she muttered.

Thankfully, Bura returned quickly with a manila folder. "See, no problem!" she grinned.

"Arigatou, Bura-chan," Buruma said with a smile. She turned to leave when a door down the hall creaked open and the sound of cheerful whistling caught their attention. The three of them turned and saw a shirtless Goku, his pants low on his hips, pause in the doorway to say something to the man within.

"Do you want me to bring something back, Vegeta-chan?"

"Other than your dick, no. Just don't eat everything in the fridge, Kakarotto!"

"Alright." Goku shut the door and started off on his trip to the kitchen, but he didn't make it farther than one step because he noticed the three people staring at him. Trunks and Bura wore "uh oh" expressions, while Buruma's face was a mask of shock. Goku blushed, the color spreading down his neck to settle in his chest. "Uh, konnichi-wa, Buruma."

His friend shook her head. "I'm not going to think about this right now, I've got things to do. But later we're all going to have a little chat." She fixed Goku, Trunks, and Bura with a hard stare in turn. "Am I understood?"

"Hai, Kaasan," her children chorused. Goku merely stared at the floor.

"Son-kun[3]?" Her tone caused him to look up and nod rapidly. "Good." As Buruma went headed off to her meeting, the three left behind all let out sighs of relief. However, Goku was trembling at little the longer the silence was allowed to drag on.

"Goku-san?" Bura asked, going over to him and placing a friendly hand on his shoulder. "I don't think Kaasan's disgusted or anything. Rather, I think she's upset that you hid it from her."

"It's only been two days since this all began."

"But she doesn't know that. When we have the talk later, be sure to explain as much as you can to her."

Trunks opened his mouth to add something positive, when his cell phone chirped. "Whoops, time to meet Goten. He'll be pissed off if I'm late again." He lifted his hand in farewell. "See ya."

His sister waited until he was out of earshot to say, "Those two are such bakas."

"Hmm?"

"They should have been a couple years ago. Maybe even before I was born, not that they were really mature enough to handle it then. It's like Trunks and Goten were made just for each other." She smiled and said softly, "Just like Papa was made just for you."

Goku watched her walk to her room with a thoughtful expression on his face. Did he believe that he and Vegeta were fated to be together? Maybe not, but he did believe that they could be happy together if the two of them would allow it to happen.

***
Goku dreaded the setting of the sun. Buruma often worked long hours into the night on some project or another, completely forgetting to eat and to sleep in favor of sticking with her work. He hoped that she could get caught up in something and completely forget that she was supposed to have a talk with them. Maybe, due to the stress of her job, she'd forgotten ever seeing Goku emerge from Vegeta's rooms and had listened to the talk that had flowed between them.

And then he thought that maybe a bad guy would suddenly show up on Chikyuu-sei and kill them all.

The four of them plus Goten (who'd stayed over upon hearing about what had happened) sat on the couch as if awaiting an execution. Vegeta was muttering to himself in Saiya-go, a language that struck familiar chords within Goku's heart, but he didn't allow himself to think about it for very long in favor of creating possible scenarios. Bura was curled up on one end of the couch next to Trunks (who sat next to Goten). It made for very close quarters, but all of them seemed to draw comfort from each other.

"It doesn't matter what she says," Goten said suddenly, startling everyone who had been lost in their own thoughts. "She can't control you."

Goku looked at him with an expression that broke his heart. "But she's my oldest friend. I can't deny that her opinion means a lot to me."

"Bakayaro[4]," Vegeta said softly, cuffing Goku gently on the head. "She can mean a lot to you, but you can't let her rule your life. I'm the most important person to you now and don't you ever forget that."

The arrogant statement made his lover smile. "Hai, Vegeta-chan." The staccato of heels across a wooden floor wiped the expression from his face.

"I see that you're all assembled," Buruma said brusquely while setting her briefcase onto the coffee table, "so let's get down to business." Then she realized Goten would be joining them and rolled her eyes a little.

"For Kami knows how long, Son-kun has been sneaking in here to see Vegeta. To maybe do things with him that people don't speak of in polite conversation, or while there's children present." She pointedly looked at Bura who stared back in defiance. "What do you have to say for yourself, Goku?"

"In my defense, I only snuck over here once. The second time, which was today, I 'ported into the living room. You just weren't around to see it." He tried to be brave in the face of Buruma's hard stare, but was finding that his resolve was slowly cracking.

The woman before them paced the length of the room and returned to her previous place on the other side of the coffee table before she spoke again. "So, this..." She waved her hand abstractly. "...whatever is still new?"

"Hai, onna." Vegeta laid a hand on Goku's knee, instantly causing the tension to drain out of his body. "The reasons why Kakarotto and I have become a couple are beyond your understanding so I won't waste my breath trying to explain."

"Papa, you explained it to Niichan and me, and he explained it to Goten-niichan, and we all understand," Bura said quietly. "Maybe you should give Kaasan a chance." Her brother and Goten nodded in agreement and even Goku was staring at Vegeta, waiting for him to make a decision. The former Saiya-jin no Ouji opened his mouth to speak, but then shook his head.

"She's your friend, Kakarotto, you do the honors. Beyond the children we share, and beyond the fact that I live in her house, we have no ties to each other."

"Ah, okay, Vegeta." He swallowed harshly, cleared his throat, then swallowed again. "Saiya-jin bodies go through changes at certain times so that they would have kids?" He said that last as a question. Vegeta nodded in ascent so he carried on. "Um, the First Change happens during puberty. It's like this uncontrollable feeling that makes you want to, um, hump anything that will stand still long enough." His face was painfully red. "If you start early on, you can go into heat four times. I did," he said quietly. "Vegeta did, as well. We're hoping that the kids here won't."

"When you were kids, you two didn't even know each other. What relevance does this have on the here and now?"

"It, uh, happens again at what ningen call middle age. It's like Saiya-jin version of what ningen think eighteen or twenty-one is like. We're at the height of our strength and power and, um, sexual prowess when we reach fifty or so."

Buruma sat down. Hard. "So you're saying that Saiya-jin live so incredibly long that fifty is young to you?"

He nodded. "I still have a little while to go before I reach the Second Change. Vegeta..." The blush returned and he couldn't meet anyone's eyes. "Vegeta went through it recently and came out safely on the other side."

"He was aroused by my scent," Vegeta took over, his voice sounding bored, "and I was aroused by his. To Saiya-jin, this proves that two people are perfect for each other. You are supposed to find your partner during the First Change, but I hadn't known that he existed yet. If we had still been on Vegeta-sei, it's quite likely that we would have found each other, but that also means that would have never had children."

"Then I'm glad that you weren't," Trunks said to break the discomfort that had settled in the room. "I really like existing."

"So, does this bind the two of you irrecoverably together?" Buruma looked pale and shaky. "What will everyone think?"

"Fuck 'everyone'!" Vegeta said harshly, startling them all. "This is none of their business!"

"Vegeta," Goku murmured. The mere sound of his voice calmed him. To Buruma he said, "They don't have to know, do they?"

"They're your friends, Goku," she answered. "If you keep it from them and they find out later, how do you think they will feel?"

The look on his face nearly brought tears to her eyes. Goku knew what the reaction of the others would be and had no hope that it would be good. "How do you think Vegeta and I will feel when they reject us outright and call us perverts? This is beyond ningen understanding. They will not be told."

"Come, Kakarotto," Vegeta said, taking his hand and pulling him to his feet. "We will make plans."

"Plans?" When neither answered, Buruma grew angry. "Plans for what?!"

Vegeta paused in the doorway and looked over his shoulder. "For life. We've both been unhappy for far too long."

---

[1] = a greeting that's only used when answering the telephone
[2] = informal word for brother (versus "oniichan" or "oniisan")
[3] = a suffix that indicates affection for a male school friend (more distant than "chan")
[4] = another word for idiot