The Bonded
Part Eight



There was something strange going on, but what it was exactly Vegeta did not know. Kakarotto was gone more often than usual, and there were many more calls to the man's private line. If it had been only that, the Prince would not have been too bothered, but there was more. Kakarotto was constantly watching him, even indiscreetly at times. Vegeta was unnerved and also frightened that his emotions were beginning to show, the well-crafted mask wearing down from overuse.

He had succeeded in not hunting Kakarotto, and for that Vegeta was thankful. His simple, firm decision was even more difficult to follow through with than he had predicted. His instinct was to pursue Kakarotto, to begin the mating process. In order to hide how he felt and to protect from committing the actions he was set so firmly against, he had to watch himself constantly. Everything that surpassed thought was monitored and edited before being put into practice.

It was driving him slowly but completely insane.

For this reason, Vegeta had been spending as much time as he could alone. In the woods he was free to express himself, breathe, and relieve his body's pent up obsession. Each time he left there were broken, uprooted trees and destroyed landscapes in his wake. He also left with an all-too-brief feeling of satiation. During every visit to the forest he invariably brought himself off, aroused by Kakarotto, ever present in his mind, and the wild surroundings that reminded him of that time long ago, beside a lake.

Days grew into weeks and then months - it was becoming progressively harder to hide. The house was saturated in Kakarotto's scent, everywhere he went reminded him in some way of the other saiya-jin. Something had to be done. Drastically and quickly, before his mask broke.

Vegeta was holed up in his room considering means of escape when there was a knock on the door. He looked at it, hesitant, and then took a breath and forced his face to go cold. "What?" he asked roughly.

The door opened and Kakarotto peered around. "There's a call for you, Vegeta. Your son."

The Prince rose from his seat, moving past Kakarotto without response. As he passed they touched, fleetingly, and he had to force his eyes to stay open and his legs to keep moving. He could feel Kakarotto's gaze on his back and walked faster, choosing to take the call in the small private den. He shut the door firmly behind himself.

Trunks was talking to someone out of view, but turned to the screen as his father sat down. "Konnichiwa, Tousan."

"Hello," responded Vegeta frigidly.

The demi-saiya-jin looked at him strangely, brow furrowed. The reason he had called forgotten, he questioned his father's mood. Vegeta, by nature, was always irate, but his tone held no heat and was instead exceptionally cold. "You ok?" There was no response and Trunks looked away from the vidsceen again. "Shoo, Goten." He waved dismissively and there was a lazy, unintelligible reply. "'Cause we need to talk alone, that's why. I won't be too long." Trunks continued to watch, eyes following what Vegeta presumed to be Goten rising and walking away, until there was the sound of a door clicking shut. "Look, Dad. If you won't talk, then I will. There's plenty to be said.

"I've been trying to get a hold of you for the last week, but you're never home. Goten and I talked a while ago, about you. Well," he amended, "about Goku's feelings for you."

Vegeta started visibly, sure that he had heard wrong.

"Ah. That got your attention." Trunks chuckled. "Interested?"

"Don't tease me, brat."

"Ok, ok." He smiled but continued, "I don't know what you did to him. He's obsessed with you, to put it simply."

"What?" Vegeta's mind refused to comprehend.

"Didn't take it too well, to begin with. Being raised as an earthling instilled a pretty strong homophobia in him. But since Goten got him to admit it, they've been talking. Goten's been teaching him that it's normal and - well, what it's all about. I thought you should have some warning."

Vegeta was shocked - there was no way. Kakarotto, obsessed with him?

Seeing his father's disbelief, Trunks smiled again. "Why would I lie?" he asked, "surely you've noticed something."

"Yes." The father answered, his tone of voice morphing from incredulous to smug and very, very pleased. "Yes, I have." /How could I have been so blind? It all makes sense now - Kakarotto's looks, his behavior, the absences and phone calls…/ Accepting it quickly and with more than a little relief, Vegeta interrogated his son. "How severe are his feelings?"

"Very."

"How long had he had them?"

"I'm not exactly sure, but Goten noticed Goku's behavior change about the time that everyone found out about us."

"His son has been talking to him about it?"

"Yeah, for about a month and a half now. He's explained everything he knows about the mating and is trying to get him to accept the fact that he's … in love with another guy, I guess. Goku's improving, finally."

Vegeta said nothing, only smirking and leaning back in his chair.

"I take it you feel the same for him?" Trunks received a single nod in reply. "I thought so. This works out rather well for you, doesn't it." A statement, not a question. "Well, just don't do anything, not yet."

"Why?" Vegeta asked, suspiciously, sitting forward.

"He'll come to you when he's ready. If you hunt him now, he may be scared away." /And it's entertaining to make you wait,/ Trunks thought with lightly cruel amusement, and grinned.

Vegeta was silent for a moment, and then put his attitude to the side. "Thank you, Trunks," he said quietly, "for telling me."

Trunks' grin dropped away. "You're welcome." There was a companionable silence, soon broken by a quiet unlatching sound on Trunk's side. He looked to his right. Vegeta heard another murmur in Goten's voice, and then the purple-haired male replied, "Yes, I'm done now. Kami, you have no patience!" Looking back to his father, he shrugged. "Gotta go. I think Goten has something to show me." His gaze slid back to his mate, slyly, and then his eyes became very wide. "Holy shit!" and without looking away, "I'll um … talk to you later, Dad." He reached out, hastily cutting the connection.

Resting against the chair back and crossing his arms, Vegeta laughed at the demi-saiya-jin couple and then became completely serious. Although his mind had accepted it, he was in a stunned shock. Vegeta felt like an idiot for reading the recent events so incredibly wrong. The answer was simple and obvious, now that he knew. When Kakarotto had heard about Goten and Trunks, and then had the basics about saiya-jin relationships explained to him, it must have triggered his emotions. The suddenly public knowledge about the warrior couple had also brought Vegeta's feeling to the surface of his consciousness, but the impact had been less severe because he was aware of what he felt beforehand. Vegeta only wished that he had known they were both experiencing similar things. He never would have given up on Kakarotto.

And he never would have cried… Vegeta would remember how those tears had felt and the emotional scarring they had caused, and could dimly recollect the fear that had driven him to the façade. But now, there was nothing to fear and nothing to hide. /Trunks said that he loved me…/

Love was an emotion that stretched far beyond humans, to the entirety of the universe. On Vegeta-sei, it was something so strong that when it was shared between two saiya-jin (or three, in some rare cases), it formed a tying and lifelong bond. Now that Vegeta knew Kakarotto loved him, he did not fear being rejected - instead, his body burned with anticipation and he was confidant.

/Kakarotto will be mine./ He grinned, wild, untamed, and possessively, his head turned up to the ceiling. /Mine!/ Trunks' warning flashed through his mind but the smile did not falter. /I won't hunt him yet. I will provide, and wait. When he comes…/ Vegeta laughed aloud to the heavens, /when he comes to me I will make him mine./



Tension like electricity snapped in the air of the room that contained the two saiya-jin. Both were on the leather couch, not touching but close enough that they could sense the gentle movements of breathing and feel the emanating heat. Each of them had open books in hand, and although reading had become a pastime both had learned to enjoy neither saw the words on the page. Goku shifted, moving his legs up to the couch where they occupied the middle, his calf and gi grazing Vegeta. The Prince fidgeted just slightly at the contact, partly in excitement but also so that he could hide the growing erection that showed clearly through his spandex. He was agitated by Kakarotto's constant, teasing touches but enjoyed them too much to be sincerely angry. He couldn't hunt the other at this moment, not just yet, but the knowledge that he had gained from Trunks had given him the freedom to think about and be with Kakarotto, his reason for being in the living room with him now and their increasing interaction over the last few days.

The said saiya-jin moved again, purposely brushing Vegeta. He grinned internally at his courage, proud of himself. The contact with the (male) object of his affection didn't disgust him; it had quite the opposite effect. He moved the book down to his lap, covering the bulge that had just become visible in the wrinkles of his pants. Glancing fugitively to side he caught a quick image of Vegeta and hardened further. Again, he was amazed with himself. /Goten has definitely done something to me…/ His metal voice paused and he glanced at the smaller warrior one more time. /Kami, he's enough to make my blood boil./

In different degrees of certainty, both knew what the other was thinking and they both also knew the prize that would come at the end of this game. This time it was Vegeta who made contact, tapping Kakarotto lightly and asking the male to pass his bookmark. Without dropping Vegeta's gaze, he found the object and handed it over, his skin heating when their fingers touched for an instant. The saiya-no-ouji fondled the metal bookmark for a moment, stalling until he had rebuilt some of his control, and inserted it into his book. He stood, brushing Kakarotto's boot not quite accidentally in the process, and walked towards the archway. As he departed the other called out to him.

"Where are you headed?"

"To my room," Vegeta answered over his shoulder, giving the other a fine view of his toned rear, and then smiled knowingly for an unspoken but quite obvious reason. Goku was left on the couch alone, the area where Vegeta had been sitting still warm and a book on the arm opposite the one he leaned against. The moment the sound of footsteps had faded beyond his keen hearing, Goku reached down and roughly grabbed his erection. He moaned Vegeta's name at the touch of his hand and quickly untied the sash around his waist, pushing his pants down partially and pulling his length out. /If Vegeta comes back, I'll be forced to face the situation sooner than expected./ But as his fingers found a sensitive spot on the underside of his erection, just below the head, he decided simply, /it's worth it./ The other man's body and touch fresh in his mind he worked himself towards release, the hand clutching his shaft moving to pump regularly and his free hand slipping beneath his shirt to fondle his nipples, groaning softly into the fading energy in the air.

Vegeta entered his room, bathroom, and then shower, leaving his clothes in a pile on his bed. He had forced himself to leave, knowing that is he had stayed a moment longer he would taken Kakarotto, violently. Reaching out, his hand moved to turn on a cold spray that would kill his erection, but paused halfway. For a moment he made no move, only staring down at the hard proof of his want, and then he pushed a button that sent down a hot shower, soaking him. His hands moved down his body, one grasping his erection and the other behind, caressing his ass and tracing the crack between the cheeks. Two fingers entered his anus, lubricated by the steaming water, and filled him intimately. As the touch drove deeper the hand at his hardness fell slowly away to press against the wall. He moved to a crouch, opening himself to his hand. Using three fingers and then painfully four he pumped into himself, stretching the tight entrance and coming into contact with his prostate in each thrust. Vegeta's breathing became shallow gasps, the water flowing across his front and back, caressing the flushed erection.

The two men, separated by space and walls, were quickly being overtaken by sensation. Their movement became more broken, faster, with a strong aspect of desperation. As Vegeta's fingers searched, mauling his prostate and stroking his inner walls, his mind begged wantonly. /Soon,/ he prayed, his face contorted in pleasure and emotion, /let him come to me soon./ Goku, on the couch in the living room, was straining against the leather with his head thrown back. His hand moved to a steady rhythm, drawing out the moment. In the midst of the red fog that clouded his mind he made a definite, important decision. /I know I'm ready. I'll begin the mating tomorrow./

One after another, the two saiya-jin lost the ability to think coherently and fell into the deep abyss of orgasm. Vegeta came first, his hand stilling as his load shot out, some to the tiled wall and the rest to the floor where swirls of water washed it away. Seconds later Goku spilled his seed onto his hand, creamy and hot. He called Vegeta's name throatily during the pulsing waves. Head down turned and eyes closed, the Prince said one word softly, a smile playing on his lips, "Kakarotto."



"Trunks, commere, you've /got/ to see this!" Goten was leaning back in his chair, calling out the door at the top of his lungs. Moments later the purple-haired male appeared, his expression curious.

"Huh? What is it?"

"A mailvid from my dad. Come over here and watch!" Trunks moved behind Goten, looping his arms around his mate's neck. Grinning widely Goten clicked the play button and Goku's image came up in a small box on the screen.

"Hello Goten, Trunks." He wore the same Son smile, "I'm just calling to let you know that Vegeta and I are heading out for a while," a dramatic pause, "a night or so, depending on how long the mating takes." He laughed with strong and authentic joy. "Thanks for everything, both of you, and wish us luck!" The file cut off, the small square returning to black.

"Wonderful," Trunks said simply and hugged his lover. "It's about time." Goten smiled even wider and stood.

"Definitely. By the way, what phase is the moon in tonight?"

"Full, I think. Yeah, that sounds right."

"Ouch." Goten chuckled. "The strongest saiya-jin in the universe mating under a full moon. We can only hope that they won't destroy anything too important."

Trunks grinned and then tapped Goten with a factual expression. "You know what this means? All of your hard work will finally pay off."

"Yours too, Trunks," Goten replied, but still looked flattered and hopeful.

The lighter-haired male was silent for a moment and then asked, "So, who do you think will be on top?" Goten's eyes doubled in size and he nearly choked on the air he was breathing. Before there was a chance to respond, Trunks continued. "I bet it's Vegeta."

"Why do you say that?" Goten finally countered.

"Don't agree, do ya? I'll make you a wager, koi. If I'm right and it is Vegeta, then I get three consecutive nights - actually, make it entire days- of choosing seme or uke for myself. If it's your dad, then the three go to you."

"You're on." They shook hands, tying the bet, and then dissolved into laughter - but neither forgot. However and more importantly, both silently wished the couple luck.

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