In Your Dreams

Title: In Your Dreams
Pairings: Vegeta x Goku
Author: Me

Chapter 53

It was still dark out when Vegeta found himself waking from an otherwise peaceful sleep. The prince’s brow furrowed as he became more aware of his surroundings, and when he couldn’t fight it any longer, he opened his eyes. A cold moonlit room greeted him. For several moments Vegeta let his eyes scan the peaceful atmosphere, trying to pick out what it was that woke him up, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

Until he noticed Goku was not sleeping beside him.

Vegeta abruptly sat up and shoved the covers away from his body upon discovering his mate was nowhere in sight, and he turned to look at the clock beside the bed. It was 2:14 am. The younger man was always asleep at this time, and he only rose once around 6:00 am for a snack and bathroom break before returning to bed.

This was not part of his routine.

The prince reached over to his mate’s side of the bed and felt the sheets there. He was trying to see if the sheets were still warm, which would indicate Goku had only just risen, but instead he encountered a large wet spot. That wasn’t good.

Vegeta immediately rolled to his feet and flipped on the light closest to him, hissing when his eyes burned in protest. He blinked rapidly to push away the spots that danced in his vision, and it was only after several minutes had passed that he was able to focus on the spot Goku should have been sleeping.

To his relief the wet spot was not blood, but instead a seemingly clear liquid.

The prince stared at the sheets for a moment before it dawned on him what it was he was looking at.

Kakarotto’s water had broken.

A week and a half before his due date.

Shit.

All at once Vegeta seemed to regain the use of his limbs, and he found himself hurrying across the room to Goku’s closet. He flung open the door and took a cautious step inside, and sure enough the younger man sat huddled within his nest of clothes. The Saiyajin looked flushed and was clutching at his stomach as he slowly rocked back and forth. Occasionally a small grunt of discomfort would escape his lips, but he was otherwise silent.

“Kakarotto...”

Goku looked up at the sound of his name, and Vegeta could clearly see that despite just going into labor, his mate was already very tired. He was also afraid.

The older man took a couple cautious steps forward, and when the other Saiyajin didn’t growl or give any other signs that he wasn’t welcome, he quickly crossed the remaining distance between them and knelt down beside the smaller man.

Upon closer inspection it was easy to see that Goku’s shirt and pants were still wet from his water breaking, and Vegeta was slightly comforted to know his mate hadn’t been alone for too long before he’d woken up. The last thing he wanted was for the younger man to go through this process all by himself.

The prince gently placed his hand on Goku’s stomach, and only seconds later he felt a ripple of movement beneath his palm, followed by a shutter and low moan from his mate. That must have been a contraction.

Vegeta instinctively began to keen low in his throat as he stroked Kakarotto’s hair and rubbed his belly, hoping to ease and comfort the other man through the pain. Luckily the contraction passed rather quickly, and Goku’s eyes drooped and his body relaxed once it was over. His breathing, however, remained slightly labored. His skin was also covered in a fine sheen of sweat that left the Saiyajin shivering from the chill.

The older man gently pushed Goku back until he was reclined amongst the bundle of clothes around him, and he lifted the wet shirt away from his mate’s swollen belly once he was as comfortable as possible. Vegeta could see the slit in Kakarotto’s skin just above the waistband of his pants. The flesh there was red and swollen, and the opening itself was definitely wider than it had been a week before. Instead of an inch across, it was now nearly two inches. That, however, was still too small for the baby. It appeared that it would still be sometime before he got to meet his child.

Black eyes moved back up to Goku’s flushed face. “Kakarotto, I need to go get Bulma and some supplies. Will you be ok for a few minutes?”

Though Vegeta could clearly see Kakarotto was not thrilled by the idea of having another person invading his ‘safe zone’, the younger man’s logic won out against his instincts and he nodded quickly before shifting onto his side and curling into a ball. The prince gave his shoulder a brief squeeze before pushing himself to his feet and dashing out of the closet.

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Bulma was startled out of her sleep when he bedroom door was violently flung open. The woman winced at the sound of cracking plaster, and she sighed as she made a mental note to call the repair robots later.

“Woman!”

Now normally Bulma would have been pissed to have been so rudely awoken at such an ungodly hour, but with it being so close to Goku’s due date, she’d been expecting this at any time.

“Is he in labor?” she asked as she slid out of bed and grabbed her robe and cell phone. She was already dialing Dr. Villacastin’s personal number even before Vegeta nodded to confirm her suspicions. While she waited for the doctor to answer, she motioned toward her bathroom.

“Vegeta, go gather some towels and hot water and meet me back in your bedroom. Goku’s in the closet, right?”

The prince confirmed her assumption and rushed into the bathroom to retrieve the items the woman had asked for, and Bulma couldn’t help but chuckle as she spotted his fuzzed out tail disappear through the doorway.

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Goku’s eyes began to grow heavy as he breathed in Vegeta’s scent all around him. His mate had left only moments ago, and since then he hadn’t felt anymore pain. There was a heavy pressure low in his belly, but otherwise he felt fine for the time being. In fact the Saiyajin was confident he might be able to get a small nap in, but unfortunately some movement in the doorway snapped him back into reality.

“Goku?”

ChiChi, garbed in a black robe, slowly took a small step into the closet. Goku’s muscles tensed throughout his body, and a sharp pain shot through his stomach as a result. He gasped at the unexpected discomfort and that encouraged the dark haired woman to move closer to him until she knelt beside his curled form.

“I heard Vegeta and Bulma making a commotion. I figured you were in labor.”

Goku squeezed his eyes shut and turned his face into the soft fabric beneath him. He really didn’t want his ex wife around for this, but when she began to gently scratch her long nails along his back, he knew he couldn’t ask her to leave just yet. Her touch left his skin tingling pleasantly and the motions helped ease some of the tension in his muscles.

It wasn’t long before a low purr bubbled up from his chest.

For several minutes he was content, but it wasn’t long before the sound of several racing footsteps reached his ears. An instant later Bulma and Vegeta were inside the closet, and the murderous expression on his mate’s face when his eyes landed on ChiChi brought back all of Goku’s previous tension with a vengeance.

“What are you doing in here?!” the prince snapped as he took an intimidating step forward. ChiChi, however, wasn’t impressed.

“What’s it look like?! He was all alone in here and scared to death, so I came in to keep an eye on him until you two got back.”

“Well we’re back, so get lost!”

“Vegeta!” Bulma elbowed the growling Saiyajin in the ribs before turning her attention to ChiChi. “Thank you for staying with him, but its best we have as few people here as possible. I want to try to keep the environment as sterile as it can possibly be.”

Goku almost whimpered when the comforting stroke of nails along his back ceased, but he bit it back at the last moment. Bulma was right, after all. The fewer people the better.

ChiChi gave his side a pat before she rose to her feet. “Everything will be fine, Goku. We’ll all be waiting to see you and the baby when this is over.”

With that the woman walked to the exit, making a point of bumping shoulders with Vegeta as she passed. For a moment it looked like the prince might go after her, but Bulma’s stern gaze kept him in place.

Goku watched as the two remaining occupants moved closer to him, and again the Saiyajin had to fight the urge to growl at them. Every part of him was screaming to keep everyone away, but another part was desperate not to be left alone. The conflicting emotions were draining and frustrating.

Bulma smiled gently as she set down a steaming bowl of water and some clean towels. “I called Dr. Villacastin. He’ll be here within an hour.”

The blue haired woman must have seen his eyes widen in fear, because she shushed him before he could even make a sound. “I promise I’ll only call him in here if it’s necessary.”

Goku sighed in relief and nodded, and he allowed Vegeta to pull him into a sitting position so they could remove his wet shirt. The Saiyajin leaned back heavily against his mate’s chest as Bulma removed the soiled clothing, and he nearly melted when a hot towel was gently placed against his swollen stomach. The heat soothed away the ache that had developed around the place the baby would emerge, and it felt nice to get rid of the cold shirt he’d been wearing.

Vegeta’s strong arms encircled him and hands that could easily tear a person apart gently rubbed along his chest and stomach. Goku rested his head on the prince’s shoulder and turned his face into the crook of his mate’s chest as Bulma took a few minutes to examine the slit along the underside of his belly.

“Goku, how many contractions have you have in the past hour?”

The younger man shifted a little as the baby inside him did the same. “Two. They only lasted a moment and weren’t that bad though...”

Bulma nodded and placed another towel in the water to warm it up. “Ok. You probably have at least a couple more hours before the birth then. Until that time we’ll keep you as comfortable as possible. If the pain gets to be too much though... there are some options...”

“No needles.” Goku insisted. He shuddered at the thought of it. A week prior the blue haired woman had told him about a procedure in which she stuck a needle into his spine to numb him against the pain, and the very thought it of had made him ill. No, he’d deal with the discomfort, thank you.

Bulma sighed and nodded. “I thought you’d say that.” The woman raised her eyes to Vegeta. “I’m going to go make some phone calls. Call me if anything happens.”

Goku felt more than he saw Vegeta nod before Bulma rose to her feet and scurried away. For a few moments the couple sat in relative silence, save for the occasional rasp of the younger man’s slightly labored breathing. Goku wasn’t sure what to say. He felt awkward, vulnerable, and thought the whole situation was disgusting. When he’d woken up and felt himself covered in that hot clear fluid people kept calling ‘water’, he thought he was going to be sick. However, the first contraction that followed soon after had him instead stumbling to his sanctuary. His instincts had screamed at him to find an isolated and safe place to confine himself to, and that’s what he’d done.

Goku knew he had gone into labor early, and he’d felt an immediate panic settle over him. The intense fear had threatened to turn his legs to jelly, and he’d only just managed to crawl into his nest before they did just that. In the moments before Vegeta had arrived, Goku had been focusing only on his mate’s scent and trying to stay calm. It wasn’t easy, and his mind was racing with questions.

Would this hurt?

Would the baby be alive?

Would Vegeta still love him once he had his child?

Would everyone treat him differently?

Would the doctor tell anyone?

Would this kill him?

“You’re afraid.”

Goku blinked and tilted his head back on Vegeta’s shoulder to better see his face. The older man’s statement had put an abrupt end to his minds’ constant brattling.

The arms that were wrapped around him tightened slightly as the other Saiyajin shifted into a more comfortable position.

“Why do you think I’m afraid?”

Vegeta smirked. “Because you’ve barely said a word since I found you. That and I can feel your heart pounding out of your chest.”

Goku wrinkled up his nose and pouted just a little. “A person is about to burst out of me. You’d be afraid too.”

The older man chuckled. “I admit I’m.... nervous. But I know there’s more to it than that. What else is bothering you? I’ve been trying to get it out of you for months now.”

Goku bit his lip as his throat tightened uncomfortably. He could feel tears gathering in the corners of his eyes as he struggled to keep himself under control, but he was an emotional mess at the moment and the battle was not an easy one.

“I...I just don’t know, Vegeta! Not once have I felt happy about this baby... not once! People are going to find out about this, you know. They’re going to ask questions and people like Villa will come for me! I can’t do that again, Vegeta! I’ll kill myself first!”

“Kakarotto!” The prince’s eyes widened at the raw emotion in the other man’s voice, and he pulled back a little in order to meet Goku’s gaze. “No one will come for you. And if they do I will destroy them! You know I will, so do not let these irrational fears consume you.”

Vegeta took a deep breath and let his eyes slide closed as he willed himself to calm down. “As for the baby... If you have no desire to raise this child, I will do it alone. I will not force you to be a parent to a child you never really wanted.”

Goku sucked in a trembling breath as more tears freely flowed down his cheeks. He reached up and gripped the older man’s forearms tightly. His voice was tight with emotion when he spoke. “Are you going to leave me, Vegeta? Would you choose this baby over me?”

Vegeta was silent for a long moment, and Goku could only focus his hazy vision on the wall in front of him. With each silent second that passed by the younger Saiyajin could feel his heart painfully constricting within his chest, and it wasn’t long before a sob finally wrenched free from his throat.

The silence spoke in volumes.

“Shh...” Vegeta whispered in his ear. “You don’t need to worry right now, Kakarotto.”

A surge of anger coursed through Goku at the obvious dismissal, but before he could even argue he was rendered silent by another painful contraction.

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“How long has he been in labor now?” Gohan asked as he nervously paced around in the living room, which had now been renamed ‘The Waiting Room’. Bulma had called everyone who knew about the pregnancy and suggested they come to Capsule Corp as soon as possible. None of them were allowed to see Goku until after delivery, but they had all chosen to be present regardless. Even Piccolo was there.

Bulma hummed and checked her watch. “It’s been almost four hours. His contractions are coming every ten minutes or so now and are getting stronger. He’s exhausted, but doing well.”

Dr. Villacastin, who was also sitting among the nervous group, sighed and rubbed at the bridge of his nose. “Ms. Briefs, are you certain it’s wise I not at least check on Goku? I understand his fear of doctors, but this is a serious and potentially life threatening event!”

The blue haired woman gave the man an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry, but I promised Goku I’d only let you in if there was an emergency. I’ve been checking his vitals like you showed me and everything seems fine.”

The doctor sat forward on the couch and placed his elbows on his knees. “How large has the slit gotten?”

“Last time I checked it was about four inches wide. It’s getting close.”

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Goku cried out and kicked the wall so hard he put a hole in the plaster. Vegeta winced. That was the third time. Bulma’s robots were going to have their work cut out for them at this rate. The younger man’s contractions were closer together now and far more painful that before, and needless to say, Goku was not having a good time.

The pregnant Saiyajin was constantly shifting and had even gotten up to walk around the small space several times now. Vegeta had supported him during these little strolls, and he always took special care to gently lower his mate back to his nest whenever another wave of pain made his knees fold beneath him.

Vegeta watched helplessly as a particularly strong contraction had Goku screaming in pain, and the older man felt helpless as he pressed a cool cloth to the other Saiyajin’s hot forehead. He didn’t blame Kakarotto for shooting him the occasional death glare either. He himself probably would have done the same had their positions been reversed. In fact, the prince wouldn’t be surprised if his mate attempted to murder him sometime in the future when this was all over.

Goku trembled and shuddered as the last of the spasms left his body, and he was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief. He should have another three minutes to relax now before the next one hit him. At least, that’s what he thought.

Vegeta had just been reaching forward to caress the younger man when Goku suddenly shrieked and doubled over his stomach.

Another contraction?? So soon?

The older man shook away his initial shock and gently maneuvered Goku onto his back. He pushed up the shirt he’d put on his mate an hour before and pushed his pants down just enough for a clear view of the slit in his pelvic region, and Vegeta was not ashamed to say he nearly fainted at the sight.

The baby was definitely coming NOW.

“Uh... Uhhh....” Vegeta glanced over his shoulder toward the door and growled in annoyance when he discovered Bulma was not there. She had gone downstairs to update everyone on Kakarotto’s progress about ten minutes ago, and she was obviously lingering. He thought about screaming for her, but if the woman couldn’t hear his mate’s screams, she certainly wasn’t going to hear his own.

The older man focused his attention back on his mate, and he gathered a few towels and set them nearby before pushing Goku’s knees a little further apart so he could scoot closer.

“Alright, Kakarotto. I think it’s time to start pushing now.”

Large black eyes met his own, and Vegeta could clearly see the fear within the glistening orbs.

“Are you sure?!”

“......No....”

“Damn it, Vegeta!”

The prince gave his mate an apologetic grin before he wiped a bead of sweat from his brow and lowered his eyes to where the baby would be coming out. Blood was beginning to seep from the irritated slit, and Vegeta took a deep breath.

“Ok, push now!”

Goku hesitated for only a moment before another wave of pain forced him to follow the direction. He bit down on his lip hard enough to draw blood as he pushed down with his rapidly draining strength. He managed this for several seconds before he released the breath of air he was holding and drew several more in.

He repeated this process about five times before he felt a gush of hot fluid flow between his legs, but the Saiyajin's body was simply doing what came naturally at this point. Goku's mind was becoming increasingly hazy with each passing second, and his mate's encouragments between pushes were falling on deaf ears. Goku collapsed limply onto the floor as the last of his energy left him, and he just barely managed to pick up the sounds of a screaming infant and the distressed call of Vegeta’s voice before he lost consciousness.


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TBC