In Your Dreams: Chapter 7

Vegeta decided that he'd use a more conservative approach while retrieving Kakarotto. Instead of barging in and making a scene, the prince had changed into a casual outfit consisting of jeans, a white t-shirt, and his favorite leather jacket. He'd stolen.... or rather, borrowed one of Bulma's many cars. She never drove the vehicles, so he didn't think she'd miss the flashy black corvette he'd chosen.

Long story short, he was going to spy.

It had taken nearly forty minutes just to get to the Martial Arts Festival, so rather than sit in the long line of cars waiting to park, the prince simply encapsulated his vehicle and flew the rest of the way to the entrance. He paid no mind to the bug-eyed humans below as they watched in disbelief.

After tossing way too much money at the teller in the entrance booth Vegeta stuffed his hands in his pockets and began his search. The majority of the festival was taking place outdoors, but the prince could still smell the elevated levels of testosterone and adrenaline in the air. He wrinkled his nose at the offending odor.

Humans stank.

Vegeta couldn't help but roll his eyes at the bulky and oversized men strutting around the grounds. They reminded him of that idiot Hercule. What was even more annoying was the Saiyajin could easily tell which fighters worked for their strength and which ones used drugs to cheat. The difference in scent was unmistakable.

The prince walked around for nearly an hour. He could have just zeroed in on Yamcha's ki signature and easily found him and Kakarotto, but he found himself actually vaguely amused as he watched several matches taking place at various arenas along his path. Each match-up featured a different style of martial arts, ranging from Sumo Wrestling to Tai-Kwon-Do.

There was one style that stopped Vegeta in his tracks though. This match was between two children, but what caught his attention was the large screen above the arena that played a video from an old tournament that had taken place long ago. One of the fighters was none other than Kakarotto, who looked to be around twelve or thirteen years old at the time. He had his tail and was bouncing around the arena like some rabid animal.

To Vegeta it looked like the younger Saiyajin had lost his mind, but apparently these humans had adopted the 'technique' as a legitimate fighting style, because the two children in front of him where jumping around in the same way. A posted sign read: ''Crazy Monkey Style'' created by Son Goku.

The prince snorted and turned away to continue on his path. ''Baka.''

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Back at Capsule Corp.....

''What's so funny, dear?'' Bunny asked when her daughter entered the kitchen. The younger woman was laughing to herself about something, and she was sporting that same gleam in her eye that she always got when she was up to no good.

''I've been meddling again.''

Bunny looked over her shoulder as she continued chopping up vegetables. The woman was such an experienced cook that she didn't even have to watch what she was doing for fear of losing a finger or two. ''Oh?''

Bulma poured herself a glass of orange juice and sat down at the table. ''Well, I've suspected for a long time that Vegeta had a thing for Goku... And based on how he's been acting these past couple of days since Goku's been back, I think I'm right.''

Bunny squealed. ''Oooh, those two would make the cutest couple! So what have you been up to then?''

The younger woman laughed. ''Umm, well, the other day Vegeta seemed a little jealous of Yamcha... Soooo.... I purposely called Yamcha over here today to spend some time with Goku. Then I made sure to let Vegeta know where they'd gone.''

''Oh, poor Yamcha! Does he know what's going on?''

Bulma snorted. ''I doubt it. That man is about as perceptive as a dead rat. Either way though, if anything is going to get Vegeta in gear when it comes to going for what he wants, this will.''

Both mother and daughter shared identical devious smirks before they both went their separate ways.

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Finally! He'd found them!

Just when Vegeta's patience had begun to wear thin he spotted a familiar shock of raven hair through a break in the crowd. Finding Kakarotto in a crowded place used to be easy; you couldn't miss that bright orange and blue gi, but now that he had begun to wear normal clothes, spotting him wasn't as simple.

The prince's eyes traveled up and down the other Saiyajin's form. He did look good though...

Vegeta growled when Yamcha suddenly came into view beside Kakarotto, and his eyes narrowed when the older man handed the Saiyajin an ice cream cone and patted him on the back. The bright smile Kakarotto gave the human was what really made the prince's brow twitch though.

He never smiled at HIM that way!

Vegeta silently followed along as his two targets began to move on through the crowd. Every now and then they'd stop at a booth to check out the merchandise or at an arena to watch a match, and anytime any part of Yamcha touched or brushed against the younger Saiyajin the prince could feel his hackles rise.

He had tried to convince himself that he had come here out of anger over the fact Kakarotto had skipped out on their first day of training, but he could no longer deny the obvious. What really had the prince fuming was the fact the younger Saiyajin was spending time with another man.

He was jealous and that made him even angrier than before. To even have to consider that aging scarred ex-fighter a threat was absurd! That pathetic human couldn't compete with him!

After several more minutes Vegeta decided to announce his presence. He fought down his anger as much as possible as he strolled up to the other two men, who had found themselves a table to sit at while they finished their ice cream.

Yamcha, who was facing him, was the first to see him. He stopped in mid-sentence while talking to Goku and his eyes widened in fear. This made Vegeta smirk.

Goku turned around a moment later to see what had frightened the other man, and he smiled upon spotting the prince, who had now reached them. Vegeta nodded at the younger man in greeting. ''Kakarotto.''

Goku patted the seat beside him and the older man made a show of rolling his eyes before sitting down. Inside though, the prince was laughing at the annoyed expression on Yamcha's face.

Vegeta jumped when the man beside him suddenly shoved his melting ice cream under his nose, apparently offering him some. He turned his head away and pushed Goku's hand away. ''No way, Kakarotto! I don't know what kind of diseases you have!''

The other Saiyajin looked insulted for only a second before he 'humphed' and turned his attention back the frozen treat. Vegeta tried not to watch as that pink tongue lapped at the slowly melting ice cream, but he quickly found himself unable to look away from the swirling motion of....

''Ahem!''

The prince finally remembered to blink when Yamcha cleared his throat and he glared at the other man. ''What?!''

The human just raised his eyebrow at him. ''So what brings you out here, Vegeta? I didn't think you'd be interested in watching a bunch of 'weaklings' fight it out.''

Vegeta glared at Yamcha, delighting at the shiver that visibly racked his frame under his intense gaze. ''Not that it's any of your concern, but I wanted to see what was so great about this place that Kakarotto chose it over our training today.''

His dark eyes darted over to the younger Saiyajin beside him as Goku coughed and patted his chest a couple of times with his fist to clear whatever it was that had choked him up. He then grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head as he turned his attention to the prince.

Vegeta frowned. How the hell was he supposed to stay mad at that?!

''Whatever, Kakarotto. Just don't do it again.''

Goku smiled and nodded. He had finished his ice cream, but he still had a little of the sticky stuff on his hands. He was just about to rub them on his pants when Vegeta grabbed his wrists.

''Don't you dare! Bulma will kill you!''

Goku blinked at the prince for a moment before a truly devious smile spread over his face. He pulled his wrists from the older man's grip and instead wiped his palms on Vegeta's jeans.

The older man's tail fluffed out behind him at the feeling of those hands moving over his thighs, and though he knew there was no sexual meaning behind the touch, he quickly found himself getting aroused.

He was just about to swat the younger man's hands away to avoid an embarrassing situation when Goku suddenly grabbed his wrist and pulled him to his feet. He tugged the older man a few steps and pointed to a game booth a few stands away.

''I'm not playing games, Kakarotto.''

The other Saiyajin pouted and again pointed toward the booth, this time drawing the older man's attention to one of the prizes; an oversized stuffed monkey. Vegeta raised an eyebrow.

''That monkey is made from the same soft material as Goku's pillows. I tried to win it for him... but...'' Yamcha trailed off and blushed as he scratched the side of his nose.

Vegeta looked from the embarrassed human back to the booth. Apparently this was a game of strength. All you had to do was hit the target with an oversized mallet and get the weight to hit the bell at the top. It was ridiculously easy.

The prince smirked when it dawned on him that Yamcha hadn't been able to hit the bell. Oh, what a blow to his ego THAT must have been!

''Hn. Couldn't get it up there, eh?''

Vegeta almost laughed when the other man sputtered and turned a deeper shade of red. Oh, playing with his tiny mind was so much fun!

''Well those machines are rigged, you know!''

The prince snorted as the three of them walked over to the game booth, much to the excitement of Goku. The younger Saiyajin grabbed a couple of zeni out of Yamcha's pocket and once again grabbed Vegeta's wrist, dragging him to the machine as he handed the owner the money.

The large man at the booth laughed as he handed Vegeta a mallet. ''Good luck there, buddy. Maybe you can win your boyfriend something nice.''

Goku blushed at the comment and Yamcha frowned as he folded his arms. Vegeta only grinned, mostly at the annoyance he saw in the scarred man's expression.

The prince swung the mallet using only one hand, effortlessly sending the weight flying skyward. Not only did it hit the bell, but it also sent the ringing piece of metal soaring into the sky until it disappeared from sight completely.

The man running the booth just stared with bulging eyes, as did the majority of the crowd that had witnessed the event.

Yamcha snorted and glared at the ground. ''Show off.''

''Weakling.'' Vegeta shot back.

Once the operator had broken out of his stupor he handed Goku the stuffed monkey he'd wanted so badly. He leaned over to whisper in the Saiyajin's ear. ''I'd hold on to that one.''

The younger man chuckled and quickly walked away to avoid blushing again.

Goku hummed happily once he'd gotten back to Vegeta and Yamcha and he held up his prize triumphantly. The prince smirked and handed the oversized toy to the scarred man. ''Why don't you hold onto that for him? Or is it too heavy for you?''

Yamcha growled as he balanced the stuffed animal in his arms. All he could do was glare as Goku led Vegeta off to another attraction.

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Several hours later the festival was beginning to wind down for the night. Vegeta had spent the day being dragged around by Kakarotto, who seemed especially excited that the prince was interested in watching all the fighting tournaments.

It wasn't the fighting he was watching though.

The fact that Yamcha had spent the majority of the day sulking or glaring at him had also put Vegeta in a great mood. He loved pissing people off!

Finally it was time to go home. But there was a dilemma; who would Kakarotto ride with?

Once they had found Yamcha's car in the parking lot, Vegeta had 'unpacked' his own vehicle. He popped the trunk and threw all of the stuffed animals he'd won for Kakarotto inside before slamming it shut again. It was clearly a hint that the younger Saiyajin would be riding back with him.

Goku had smiled and waved goodbye to Yamcha. He was beginning to take a few steps toward Vegeta's car when the older man grabbed his wrist and pulled him to a stop. He looked up at him with wide eyes.

''Goku, don't you think you should ride back with me? I brought you here, after all.''

The Saiyajin smiled apologetically. Really the only reason he didn't want to ride back with Yamcha was the fear of a repeat of the incident that had taken place that morning. The scarred man was just too distracted by women, and he didn't feel like dying in some stupid car accident. Besides, Yamcha lived thirty minutes away from Capsule Corp. It would be easier for all of them if he just went with Vegeta.

Goku went to pull his wrist away, but he hissed when the older man's grip tightened to an uncomfortable level.

Vegeta suddenly appeared beside him. ''Take your hand off of him if you want to keep it.''

Yamcha locked eyes with the prince, and after a moment he frowned and tossed Goku's wrist away.

''Fine.'' He threw the younger Saiyajin an angry look before turning and walking back to his car. Goku watched him go sadly. He hadn't meant to upset Yamcha. He appreciated the time the older man spent with him...

Vegeta put his hand on the Saiyajin's shoulder and gently guided him back to his own car. ''You did nothing wrong, Kakarotto. Don't let him ruin your day.''

Despite his encouraging words the younger man still looked upset over the confrontation as he climbed into the passenger's seat and locked his seatbelt. He propped his elbow on the ledge of the open window and pressed his cheek against his closed fist.

Vegeta took his place in the driver's seat and started the engine, flipping on the headlights due to the fading daylight. The prince snuck glances at the younger man from the corner of his eye as he drove, and he found himself growing increasingly annoyed with the solemn expression the other held. He wasn't annoyed with Kakarotto, he was annoyed with Yamcha for putting him in that mood.

Such a strong reaction made him wonder though...

''Do you like him?''

Goku looked at the prince in surprise. However, he didn't seem to quite understand the question.

''I mean, do you like that.... do you like Yamcha as more than a friend?''

Vegeta kept his eyes straight ahead on the road while he waited for the other man to respond, but he could see black eyes growing larger as comprehension took place. The prince finally turned to look at Goku when he heard the familiar rasp he'd learned to identify as a laugh. He was shaking his head 'no' and looking very amused.

The older man was just barely able to hold in his sigh of relief. Well, that certainly made things easier for him. Or maybe not. Did Kakarotto even look at other men that way? Vegeta knew he wasn't the type to discriminate, but sometimes the younger man could be 'too' innocent.

The prince tapped his fingers on the steering wheel as he thought to himself. Another quick glance at Goku told him his question had at least amused him to the point of improving his mood. The younger man looked much more relaxed than he had been a few moments ago, and he still had a small smile on his lips.... His... very full lips.

Vegeta snapped his eyes back to the road. What the hell was wrong with him?! He hadn't noticed these things before Kakarotto had left with the dragon... had he? He couldn't remember. Maybe.

The prince sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. He had a feeling he wouldn't get much sleep tonight.

To be continue...