In Your Dreams: Chapter 25

''You did WHAT?!''

Vegeta cringed as Bulma's voice rose in both volume and octave. He had been in the middle of moving his personal things out of Goku's bedroom and back into his own with the intention of sealing the room off and never gazing upon it again, but she had found him and questioned him before he could finish the task.

''You heard me! I sent that baka packing!''

Bulma moved to block the doorway when the prince tried to move past her with an armful of his clothes, and she was quick to return the growl he sent her.

''Explain to me exactly WHY you kicked Goku out of MY house!''

Vegeta, thinking she would be just as outraged as he was, quickly retold the entire story, starting from his initial confession of his intentions to Kakarotto, the drunken night on the beach, and today's episode. When he finished he fully expected the woman to agree that he'd done the right thing, but instead she hit him upside the head, causing him to drop the armful of clothes he'd been holding.

''What the hell?!''

''Vegeta, you are an IDIOT!'' Bulma screeched as she swung her fists in the air. The Saiyajin backed up a step to avoid getting nailed by one of them and stared at her as if she were insane.

''Did it ever occur to you that maybe Goku was lying today and NOT last night?!''

Vegeta snorted and folded his arms in annoyance. ''Baka onna! How would that make sense?!''

Bulma sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration. ''Listen carefully because I know you're emotionally retarded.''

The prince opened his mouth to object, but he snapped his jaw shut when piercing blue eyes glared at him.

''Goku's entire life has changed. Not only has he gone through some serious physical and emotional trauma, but now he's probably having identity issues on top of that! He's confused, Vegeta.''

Bulma paused for a moment and closed the door behind her so no one would overhear, and she motioned for Vegeta to sit down in a nearby chair, which he did after meeting her threatening gaze again. She herself sat on the edge of the bed before continuing.

''Yesterday at the beach the girls and I were teasing Goku about having your children.''

''What?!''

''Shush! I don't know about everyone else, but I was gauging his reactions so I could find out how he really felt about you. As I expected he was embarrassed and flustered, but not once did he say he didn't want to have your children. In fact, the only time he objected was when 18 insinuated that he was a girl.''

Bulma paused a moment while the Saiyajin absorbed the information.

''I've known Goku longer than anyone, and I know how to read him. He's very expressive if you know what to look for, and though he didn't say much, his actions spoke volumes. Even when he wasn't able to speak I watched him interact with you... He loves you, Vegeta. And I can guarantee you that he'd love nothing more than to have a family with you.''

Again, Vegeta opened his mouth to object, but he was quickly cut off.

''The problem is, Goku grew up as a human, and homosexual relationships are generally frowned upon, and human men most certainly do NOT get pregnant. When I first met Goku he hadn't had any interaction with anyone aside from his grandfather, who had died years before. He didn't even know the difference between genders.''

Bulma trailed off for a moment and seemed to reminisce as a small smile formed on her lips.

''I used to think it was because he'd never seen a woman before, but he had trouble telling the difference for years.... and now I think it was simply because of his Saiyajin heritage. Your people didn't choose their mates based on gender; that's what you told me anyway, so identifying male and females wasn't important and didn't come naturally. Goku always decided whether or not he liked someone based mostly on their scent.''

The prince shifted in his seat as his patience grew thin. ''Get to the point, woman!''

''The point is humans taught Goku to do the exact opposite of what his instincts tell him to. He's confused by the conflicting signals he's getting, and I'm sure the thought of becoming pregnant or even having an intimate relationship with you is terrifying to him; but at the same time, he wants it more than anything. He just doesn't know how to let go of everything we've taught him and do what comes naturally.''

Vegeta's tail thrashed behind him as he turned this information over in his head. He hadn't considered any of this because he had never experienced such a hang up before. It was completely bizarre, but it made sense.... And if this was indeed the case, then...

''I fucked up.''

''You fucked up.''

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Goku had no idea how long he'd been unconscious, but when he woke up, the sun was a little lower in the sky. He dug his fingers into the dirt and tried to raise himself up off the ground, but his wobbly arms gave out under his weight and he slumped back down to where he started.

The Saiyajin panted as another sharp pain shot across his chest, and he grit his teeth in an attempt to muffle his cry as he curled into a tighter ball. He wasn't sure what was happening. He hadn't had this much pain since the heart virus; not like this anyway. The weakened muscle had been strained at points during his confinement to Villa's lab, but he'd never been unable to function.

Goku was so distracted by the pain that he didn't even feel Vegeta approaching, or hear him when he landed next to him. He did, however, become aware of a second presence when his hand settled on his back. His mind set off alarm bells, and he screamed in an attempt to scare off whatever 'predator' might have been viewing him as a potential meal. Though the being next to him did jump, it didn't retreat.

''Kakarotto!''

Goku froze and opened his eyes when he heard that voice, and he struggled to lift his head enough to see the other man. A hand tangled itself in his hair a moment later and a soothing keening noise made him relax instead.

''Don't move. Is it your heart?''

The younger Saiyajin assumed Vegeta must have noticed the fist he still had tangled in his shirt, and he managed the slightest of nods before he was suddenly scooped up and cradled in strong arms. He inhaled deeply when the other man's strong scent trickled over him, and all the pain he'd been feeling seemed to fade away, just as his hold on consciousness did the same.

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Vegeta stood by the younger Saiyajin's bedside as Bulma examined his unconscious form. Since he'd arrived at Capsule Corp and brought Goku to the medical wing, he'd noticed the other man's face would occasionally twist in pain before settling back into a neutral expression, and he'd immediately retrieved Bulma and explained the condition he'd found the Saiyajin in and what the problem was.

The blue haired woman set down her scanner and rubbed her chin. ''It seems like Goku had a mild heart attack.''

''What? But there were no signs! He was perfectly healthy when he left!''

Bulma thought this over before raising her eyes to meet those of Vegeta's. ''Vegeta... did anything happen while you were in the lab?''

The prince snorted and rolled his eyes. ''A lot of things happened! So what?''

''No... I mean... did anything happen between you and Goku... Physically?''

Bulma knew it had when a slight pink tint settled across the Saiyajin's face. ''I'm not trying to embarrass you, Vegeta. It's important.''

The older man huffed and looked to the side. ''They sent him into an artificial heat... I didn't... go all that way. I only did what was necessary to help him through it.''

The woman nodded to show him she understood. ''I'm only basing this theory on what you've told me about Saiyajin rituals... So don't yell at me if this is completely absurd; but... is it possible that during that... physical contact you and Goku might have formed some kind of bond? Maybe not a complete bond, but a partially formed one? One-sided maybe?''

-----

Vegeta's breath caught in his throat. It was completely possible. Though there hadn't been an actual mating, Kakarotto had been in a highly sensitive state. His heat may have been unnatural, but his body was reacting as if it were the real deal, and that meant the younger Saiyajin had most likely subconsciously identified him as a potential mate by his scent alone. He'd been the only one to touch the man while he was 'in season' so to speak, so that meant Goku had made a mental imprint of his 'mate'; the one who had answered his body's call for a partner and given him release.

Whether Kakarotto knew it or not, he had marked Vegeta as his mate... and he had been rejected.

''Y....yes...It's possible....''

-----

Bulma found herself waiting for an answer, but she was patient. The Saiyajin's eyes had glazed over after she'd asked her question, and it was obvious that something had just dawned on him that he hadn't even considered before. He needed time to wrap his mind around it.

However, she finally received a weak reply, and it was the one she had already assumed it would be.

''You rejected him, Vegeta. I can't say with a certainty that that's why this happened, but it's possible that the emotional upset put more of a strain on Goku's weakened heart than it could handle. It began to fail.''

She waited a moment before continuing, her blue eyes moving from the prince to the unconscious man on the bed.

''His heartbeat seems to be returning to a normal rhythm now... but we'll need to keep an eye on him. If you hadn't found him I'm not sure he would have survived much longer out there alone.''

A shiver shot up Vegeta's spine, and an overwhelming wave of guilt crashed down on him when his earlier thoughts came flooding back to him.

I never want to see him again.

Leave and don't come back!

Kakarotto is dead to me.

Bulma could clearly see the emotions that passed over the Saiyajin's face, and she reached over Goku and patted his arm.

''Stay with him until he wakes up. I think you two need to work things out.''

----

Vegeta nodded and waited until the woman left the room before he placed his hand on Goku's feverish forehead. He brushed back the bangs he found there and sighed. It seemed like the closer he got to the younger Saiyajin the less he understood him. He was starting to doubt he was even a good match for Kakarotto. His temper, jealousy, and 'emotional retardation' as Bulma had phrased it, had already caused the younger man a great amount of pain, and he couldn't be sure he could control himself in the future. It was just the way he was.

Vegeta stared down at Goku for a long while as he stroked his hair. He would do what was best for the younger man, and if that meant breaking this bond they'd formed and setting Kakarotto free, then that's what he'd do.

To be continue...