In Your Dreams: Chapter 59

Night had settled over Capsule Corp, and with Momoku fed and put to bed, the west wing of the building was silent. Goku and Vegeta had settled down for the night nearly an hour before, but the younger of the two was having trouble sleeping.

It hadn't gone unnoticed that the other Saiyajin had been out the majority of the day. It was rare Vegeta went anywhere without him anymore, or at the very least he always let him know what he was up to. Even more disturbing to Goku was the prince hadn't even yelled at him for 'misplacing' Momoku earlier that day. He was sure he'd get an earful for that, but the older man had only waved him off when confronted with his guilty expression and hadn't said a word about it after.

In fact, Vegeta hadn't said much of anything to him since returning home that day. The other Saiyajin actually seemed to be going out of his way to avoid him, and when they had been together at dinner, there had been a heavy and awkward silence that Goku couldn't explain. Was the older man really that mad at him?

Drawing a deep breath in through his nose, Goku rolled over on his opposite side in order to see his mate. He gave his eyes a moment to adjust to the darkness until the outline of Vegeta's body became clear, and he scooted closer to the other man and looped his arm over the Saiyajin's waist, pressing himself against the larger man's back.

A low rumble was the initial response, followed by a low and sleepy muttering. ''Kakarotto, what do you want? I'm sleeping.''

Goku purred playfully as he ran his tail along his mate's bare legs beneath the covers, and he didn't miss the shiver that coursed through Vegeta's frame in response.

''I wanna spar.''

A grunt. ''Now?''

The younger Saiyajin chuckled and shook his head before burying his face between the prince's shoulder blades. ''No, not now. Tomorrow.''

Another grunt was the only response he got, and Goku was almost content to let the older man go back to sleep, but he was still curious about something. He shifted a little and propped himself up on an elbow before resting his chin on Vegeta's shoulder so he could see the other Saiyajin's face.

''Where'd you go today?''

Despite the lack of light, Goku still caught the twitch of the other's eyebrow, and his own furrowed in response. What was he hiding?

''Were...were you on a date with Bulma?''

A laugh bubbled up from Vegeta's throat, and finally he cracked open his eyes and shifted them to Goku.

''Baka. You haven't said anything that stupid in a long time.''

The younger man huffed and flopped backward onto the mattress, but Vegeta turned and followed his movement, shifting until he had braced himself on one arm over top of the other Saiyajin. A smirk still played on his lips as he studied his flustered mate, but when it became obvious Goku was really bothered, his expression dropped into a frustrated frown.

''Kakarotto, why do you continue to doubt my loyalty to you? What have I done to warrant your suspicion?''

Goku's eyes moved from the ceiling to Vegeta's face for only a brief moment before he closed them entirely and wiggled his body onto its side in the small space the prince allowed him. Even in the dark Vegeta could see his face had flushed.

''Nothing. You're right, that was a stupid thing for me to say. Let's just... sleep now, ok?''

The older man watched him for a moment longer before deciding to drop the issue for now. It was quite clear Goku didn't want to discuss that matter further, and he was too tired to pursue it anyway.

The prince shifted onto his side and drew his mate against his chest with the arm he still had over the other man, and he buried his face into his soft hair. Vegeta inhaled Goku's scent deeply into his lungs, and despite the relaxing effect it had on him, the older man could still feel his heart pound heavily in his chest as that annoying little voice in his head whispered somewhere in the background of his mind...

He'll say no...

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''Come on, Vegeta! You're not even trying!''

Goku laughed as he danced around their sparring grounds, easily avoiding the small spheres of ki the other Saiyajin threw in his direction. He felt full of energy today, and his ki was flowing freely through his body in a way it hadn't done in years. His skin tingled and his senses had become sharper. He felt as if he could do this forever!

Vegeta, though enjoying the spar and Kakarotto's obvious excitement, was beginning to worry. The younger man had obviously been training on his own, and his ki kept fluctuating to higher and higher levels each time Goku's control on it slipped, revealing that he was stronger than he was letting on.

Bulma had already warned them that the younger Saiyajin's body could no longer handle higher levels of energy, and should he overdo it, it was quite possible his weakened heart could give out. Vegeta had been mindful of this during their previous sparring and training sessions, but it seemed as if Goku had not.

Deciding to find out for himself just how strong his mate was, Vegeta dug his boots into the ground and braced himself as he extended his arms in front of him. He brought his palms together and formed a giant ball of glowing ki, which he packed more power into than was necessary for a simple spar. If Kakarotto had a brain in his head, he'd move out of the way. However, if he'd disregarded Bulma's words of warning and decided to do something stupid... well, there would be consequences.

Vegeta deliberately waited until Goku had stopped moving before he released his attack, which traveled toward his opponent at a snail's pace. The crackling ki glowed blue as it dug a trench into the ground it rolled over, and the younger man it was headed for tilted his head in confusion, apparently caught off guard by the sluggish, but powerful attack. However, thinking it was a challenge of some sort, Goku grinned and braced himself before letting his ki flow all around him. The younger man's hair swirled in the air as his power began to visibly crackle around his body.

Vegeta's jaw tightened as the younger man's energy level continued to climb even higher, and when he saw ebony hair flicker to gold for a brief moment, he knew he had to stop Goku before it was too late. In the blink of an eye the prince ascended and appeared between his mate and his own attack, which he batted aside to harmlessly travel into space before he spun to face the other Saiyajin. His scolding words caught in his throat, however, when he found himself looking into a pair of teal eyes. It wasn't the color that alarmed him, however, it was the expression in them; pain.

Vegeta's own teal orbs dropped down to the other's chest, where he spotted Goku's hand fisted into his own shirt. His breath was coming in labored pants now, and an instant later the younger man dropped to his knees. The prince was at his side immediately, and he found himself having to yell to be heard over the energy that was still swirling around his mate.

''Drop it, Kakarotto! You're going to kill yourself!''

Goku's eyes glazed over and his mouth opened in a silent scream before his forehead dropped to the ground and his hunched form curled itself into a tighter ball. His tail, which continuously flashed between black and gold, snapped through the air like a serpent, and the hand that wasn't buried against his chest dug into the ground, each finger digging its own trench in the hard soil.

That was when Vegeta realized Goku had lost control of his ki.

Thinking fast, the prince delivered a quick and painless jab to the base of his mate's neck with the side of his hand, and an instant later Goku collapsed the rest of the way to the ground in a lifeless heap. His hair darkened into its normal ebony color again and the air settled around them. The sudden silence was deafening.

Vegeta's own heart hammered in his chest as he turned the other Saiyajin over and felt for a pulse. Blood was slowly seeping from Goku's nose, mouth, and ears, and his skin was pale and clammy. Fortunately, he did have a pulse. It was racing, though his breath was coming in short labored pants. He wasn't out of danger just yet.

''Baka...''

Vegeta growled and gathered the younger man up in his arms before launching himself into the air, speeding off toward Capsule Corp as quickly as he could.

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''Looks like you stopped him just in time.'' Bulma said as she carefully watched the heart monitor she'd hooked up to Goku. ''His heart has fallen back into a normal rhythm, but it was abnormal when he first got here.''

The blue haired woman sighed and picked up a damp cloth, which she used to wipe away the dried blood that stained the younger man's face. Goku was sleeping peacefully now, his body exhausted from its ordeal.

''What's wrong with you Saiyajins anyway? So stubborn.''

Despite the seriousness of the situation, Vegeta grinned. ''It's in our blood.''

Bulma rolled her eyes and swiveled on the stool she was sitting on to face the prince. ''You realize he probably did this to impress you.''

Vegeta's grin faded as he folded his arms over his chest. His tail lashed behind him as his agitation grew, and he felt a surge of anger course through him at the very idea that he was once again responsible for Kakarotto's pain, whether he meant to be or not.

''There was no need. The baka has already proved himself to be more than worthy of being my mate.''

Bulma sighed and ran her fingers through her hair as blue eyes moved back to Goku, who was beginning to show signs of waking. ''Well, we all know that. Unfortunately, he doesn't.''

The prince's own eyes shifted to his mate's form, and his jaw tightened as he finally made up his mind about their future together.

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''Vegeta, I'm sorry! It got out of control! I didn't mean for it to go that far!''

Goku rambled out apology after apology as he scrambled to keep up with Vegeta, who hadn't said a word to him since he'd woken up nearly an hour before. The moment he'd opened his eyes he had been confronted with the prince's own hardened orbs, which seemed to stare right through him with their piercing gaze. They'd stared at each other in silence for nearly a full minute before Vegeta had walked away. Goku had been chasing him ever since, pleading with his mate to forgive him for being so stupid.

In fact, the younger Saiyajin had been so focused on getting some kind of response out of the older man that he hadn't even noticed that they'd left Capsule Corp and were now several blocks into the city.

Finally Vegeta stopped walking, and Goku jumped in front of him. ''Vegeta, PLEASE say something!''

''Move.''

The younger Saiyajin blinked and took a few steps off to the side when he discovered he was blocking the other man's path into a store, and he didn't hesitate to follow the prince inside when Vegeta swung open the door and crossed over the threshold.

The store's employees all turned to look at their visitors, and many of them smiled widely upon spotting Vegeta, though they were a little confused by the other Saiyajin who continued to follow closely behind the man, rambling on about forgiveness and an accident of some sort.

Vegeta made a beeline to the woman who had helped him the day before, and he stopped at the counter. ''I need the ring.''

''Oh... but... it won't be ready for another couple of days...''

''Then give me the original model for now.''

The brunette nodded and opened the glass display case to retrieve the ring, which she placed in a velvet black box before handing it to Vegeta. She raised an eyebrow at Goku, who was tugging on the prince's shoulder and whining about being ignored. It would have been funny if not for the heartbreaking expression he wore.

Finally Vegeta seemed to have had enough though, and he growled as he spun on his heel to face his fellow Saiyajin, who snapped his hands back against his chest as if he were afraid they'd be ripped off. When the older man suddenly thrust the closed box forward, Goku squeaked and jumped back defensively, obviously expecting some sort of attack. His large eyes slowly moved between the box and Vegeta, whose left eye seemed to twitch every couple of seconds.

''No!!''

Both Saiyajins turned to look at the woman behind the counter, who practically leapt over the glass display and jumped between the two. She pushed the box back toward Vegeta and lowered her voice, though her excitement could still be heard.

''This is the one?'' She whispered.

The prince raised his eyebrow as if she were crazy, but nodded once.

She squealed in excitement, and the small high-pitched noise seemed to alert everyone in the store that something was about to happen, because all heads turned to them. Vegeta could feel his face slowly heating up at the unwanted attention.

''That's not how you propose,'' the woman continued. ''You need to get down on one knee, present the ring, and ask him to marry you. And for pete's sake, SMILE!''

Vegeta's mouth twitched once before falling back into a frown, and he watched the woman with a cold expression as she stepped off to the side and motioned for him to continue. He rolled his eyes at her before turning back to Kakarotto, who was suddenly looking very lost and confused. It seemed he'd had time to actually look around the store while Vegeta was distracted, and it was obvious he had no idea why either of them was in a jewelry shop.

The prince's heart began to race as the silence that had settled over the store threatened to swallow him up, and he nearly winced when he cleared his throat and took a small step toward the other man. His tail had fallen loose from its usual place around his waist, and it was now nervously swinging around behind him.

''Kakarotto...''

Goku once again nearly jumped out of his skin when Vegeta suddenly dropped to one knee, and his eyebrows drew together in confusion when the older man once again held the black box up toward him. The lid was slowly opened to reveal a shiny golden ring, and large black eyes slowly traveled from it to Vegeta, who was looking uncharacteristically flustered. Goku's mouth opened to question the man, but the prince spoke before he could say a word.

''Will you marry me?''

Goku's eyes widened even more as his mind slowly registered the question, and he was so focused on the man knelt in front of him that he didn't even hear the series of awed gasps that echoed around the store. His mouth went dry as his voice became stuck in his throat, and his gaze traveled between Vegeta and the ring several times as he struggled to comprehend the situation.

And then, when he saw the slight tremble of Vegeta's hand, it all clicked into place. A sudden swell of emotion caused his eyes to fill with unshed tears, and his heart began to pound in his chest for a different reason than it had earlier that day. A strangled laugh bubbled up from his throat, though he wasn't sure why.

''V...Vegeta, do you know what you're asking?''

The prince looked insulted for a moment before smirking. ''Of course I do, baka. Do you, or are you simply enjoying the fact I'm bowing to you?''

Goku's face suddenly turned a deep shade of red and his eyes darted around the store before focusing on Vegeta again. ''I know what it means...''

''Well then?''

A small smile formed on the younger Saiyajin's lips, and when Vegeta mirrored his expression, he knew his answer. ''Of course I will Vegeta... Now get off the floor, you're embarrassing me!''

Any other words were drowned out by the sudden eruption of cheers from the store's many occupants as Goku grabbed Vegeta's wrist and tugged him up off the floor. The younger Saiyajin gasped in surprise when the other man kissed him in front of everyone, but he didn't fight it either. The moment was just too perfect.

Unfortunately perfect moments don't last forever, especially not when you're surrounded by women.

''Congratulations!'' the brunette woman shouted, scaring the two Saiyajins into jumping apart. ''Now how about we get your finger size so we can make sure your real wedding band fits.''

Goku blinked in confusion. ''My real one?''

Vegeta nodded as he snapped the ring case he held shut. ''I'm having a custom ring made for you. After the stunt you pulled today though, I thought it would be wise to propose now before you do something really stupid.''

The younger Saiyajin blushed madly but still cuffed his mate on the arm and huffed in annoyance. ''I said I was sorry. Geez!''

A moment later the brunette woman dragged Goku off to do whatever it was she needed to do, and as other employees came over to pat his flustered mate on the back, Vegeta, for a brief moment, felt just as giddy as all the women; though he'd never admit it to anyone. Instead, he simply smiled.

To be continue...