In Your Dreams

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


Chapter 63


Goku wasn’t sure how long or how far he flew since leaving Capsule Corp in his blind rage. His mind had been all but blank as his turbulent thoughts and emotions swirled together and canceled each other out. The only thing the Saiyajin was currently aware of was the child he held in his arms and his need to get as far away as possible from all those piercing eyes that had been locked on him before.

It wasn’t until Goku glanced down at the bundle he cradled close to his chest that his eyes finally refocused themselves. Momoku had fallen asleep at some point during their flight, and she’d turned her face in toward him to protect herself from the wind. She seemed comfortable enough, but a brief flash of guilt washed over the Saiyajin as he slowed to a stop and hovered in the air for a moment before slowly descending to the ground.

His boots softly touched the grass, and a gentle breeze ruffled Goku’s hair as he tore his eyes away from the infant to survey his surroundings. He’d ended up in what appeared to be a meadow boarded by a dense forest. If he listened closely he could hear the rush of moving water nearby, and the fresh crispness in the air made it obvious that there were no nearby cities or towns to pollute the untouched wilderness.

Goku drew in a deep breath before slowly releasing it through his nose, and he let his gaze once again settle on his daughter as he shifted her in his arms and turned to slowly walk toward the trees. The sun was hot and there were no clouds in the sky to muffle its rays, so he’d have to rely on the shade the forest provided to keep the child cool.

The long grass brushed across his boots as he moved across the meadow, and the breeze blew the loose fabric of his uniform in the direction in which he traveled as if it were urging him on. It wasn’t long before the dappled shadows from the trees’ canopy provided a shield from the majority of the sun’s rays, and Goku instinctively followed an invisible path that led him to the water source he’d faintly heard from the meadow.

It only took a few minutes for him to reach the steadily flowing stream that was fed by a larger river somewhere to the north. The large body of water was one of the few things Goku remembered from his flight to this spot. The stream in front of him was only one of many outlets that branched off from the river.

A gurgle from the child in his arms drew Goku’s attention again, and he grinned when he found Momoku awake and alert. Her eyes were even larger than usual as they darted around, taking in every detail of their surroundings. A bright red bird landed on a branch in a tree a few feet away from where they stood, and the infant cooed at the sight of the colorful creature and reached out with chubby fingers in an effort to touch it.

Goku chuckled at her antics as the bird flew away and Momoku waved her arms in what appeared to be an imitation of the robin’s wings as it glided away through the forest and out of sight. The older Saiyajin took a few steps closer to the water’s edge before settling himself in the grass, and he brought his tail around his body and flicked the tip back and forth over his daughter. It was a game she seemed to enjoy as she shrieked with delight and made several clumsy attempts to catch the elusive appendage within her hands, and Goku had no doubt he could keep her entertained for hours this way should the need ever arise.

With Momoku occupied, Goku found his mind wandering back to the events from earlier that day. Now that he’d had a moment to clear his head and rationalize Victor’s actions, he knew he mostly likely didn’t have anything to worry about when it came to letting the man handle his child. He’d done nothing but help him since he’d come back home, and the very idea that he’d been ready to vaporize his ex-wife’s current husband made his stomach turn. Still, even now he had a hard time thinking about anyone, especially a doctor, holding his daughter.

“Kakarotto.”

Goku jumped and drew in a sharp breath as he twisted his head to the side and looked over his shoulder. His eyes widened when they fell upon his mate, who was fully outfitted in his ceremonial attire. He had to admit that the older man truly looked like royalty dressed so elegantly in the exotic armor, and his tongue subconsciously darted out to wet his lips as the visage of his mate left his mouth feeling as if it were filled with cotton.

Unfortunately reality caught up with him a few seconds later, and Goku lowered his eyes to the ground at the other’s feet as he prepared himself for the verbal assault the other Saiyajin was sure to deliver at any moment. He had just attacked their friends and family over nothing, after all.

A hiss escaped from between Goku’s lips when Momoku managed to grab hold of his stationary tail. He’d forgotten to keep it out of her reach the moment Vegeta had arrived, and the infant had taken full advantage of his distraction. He turned away from his mate and focused on his daughter again, and he shifted her to one arm while he attempted to untangle her fingers from the furry appendage.

A low chuckle from behind him and the sound of approaching footsteps had Goku cringing, though he hoped his mate would credit his actions to the death grip on his tail. It wasn’t until Vegeta lowered himself to his haunches behind him and wrapped strong arms around his chest that he remembered to breathe, and the younger man slowly released the breath he’d been holding for the past minute. His eyes darted to the side when sharp teeth nibbled at his ear lobe, and his brow furrowed in confusion when Vegeta pulled away and smirked.

“You have no idea what just happened, do you, Kakarotto?”

Goku’s gaze shifted back to the stream in front of him as he contemplated his mate’s words, and he sighed and shook his head. “I acted like a monster.”

The younger Saiyajin drew in a sharp breath when his chin was suddenly captured within Vegeta’s strong grip, and he found himself forcibly looking into the other man’s hardened eyes.

“No, Kakarotto. You acted like a parent protecting their child from a potential threat.”

Goku frowned as he processed that, but before he could open his mouth to respond, he found a pair of demanding lips pressed against his own. He had no time to react to the kiss before it was over, and the younger man found himself staring back into his mate’s suddenly dancing orbs.

“You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting to see that kind of behavior from you, Kakarotto. What you did today proves you finally see Momoku as your daughter and not just some random child. You just needed more time for your instincts to kick in than I anticipated.”

Goku blinked in shock before turning his eyes to Momoku, who had relaxed her grip on his tail and was now sucking on the tip of it was if it were a pacifier. His heart seemed to pound in his chest when he realized what Vegeta said was true, and he choked on a laugh as his eyes suddenly filled with unshed tears. When he looked at the child he held in his arms he felt nothing but love for her and the need to protect her from anyone who might harm her. While these feelings had been present to a certain extent before, they had been tainted with negative emotions such as jealousy and resentment. That was gone now.

Vegeta remained silent for a long moment while Goku came to terms with his latest realization, and it wasn’t until the younger man blinked back his tears and shifted his eyes back to the prince that he spoke again.

“Are you ready to go back? Everyone is waiting.”

The smile immediately disappeared from Goku’s face, and his expression was once again filled with guilt and fear. Vegeta could understand the guilt, but it was that second emotion that made him arch an eyebrow.

“I can’t do it, Vegeta.”

The older man regarded his mate with a curious gaze before snorting and rising to his feet. “They aren’t angry with you, Kakarotto.”

Goku shook his head and followed the other’s movements with his eyes. “It’s not that. I can’t....I don’t want...” He took a deep breath and let his lids slide shut as he struggled to find a way to word what he was trying to say. Nearly a full minute passed before he opened his eyes again and met his mate’s gaze. “Vegeta, I can’t handle that many...eyes on me.”

The prince’s brow furrowed as he folded his arms over his chest. At first he thought this was a case of cold feet, but then the younger man’s meaning became very clear. He was talking about feeling like he did in the lab. Back then there were always several sets of eyes on him, watching and studying his every move. Vegeta could only imagine the feeling of déjà vu Kakarotto would experience on the alter the moment he looked into the audience and found himself the object of everyone’s interest.

“Alright.” Vegeta took a step back and hovered in the air. “I’ll be right back.”

Goku could only blink and shield his daughter’s eyes from the blades of grass that were kicked up as the older man shot off through the canopy above.

----------------------------------------------------

Goku slowly paced back and forth as the minutes ticked by, and his tail swayed back and forth around his legs as he spun on his heel and once again walked the same line he’d been traveling down since Vegeta left. Fortunately, he didn’t have to wait long to find out what his mate had planned, and his eyes rose above him when the distinct sound of snapping branches came from overhead.

He cocked his head to the side when Vegeta and Piccolo landed several feet away, and his eyes strayed to the Namekian for a moment before shifting to his mate. His confusion must have been obvious because the prince quickly answered the question that was forming on the tip of his tongue.

“Green Bean here is going to perform the ceremony.”

Piccolo growled and threw his arm out in an attempt to swat the shorter man upside the head, but Vegeta only chuckled and ducked out of the way before walking over to the other Saiyajin.

Goku blinked owlishly at the larger man before a smile slowly spread across his lips. His tail wagged behind him like an excited puppy and he shifted from foot to foot. “Really, Piccolo? That’s perfect! Much better than some stranger doing it!”

The annoyance on Piccolo’s face all but faded in response to his friend’s obvious happiness, and he relaxed his stance and rolled his eyes to the sky as he sighed dramatically. “Let’s just get this over with.”

“Now? Right here?” Goku turned his head to look at Vegeta, who grinned and nodded.

“Yes, Kakarotto. Right now and here. It’s private enough, I think, and we have a witness.” The prince nodded toward Momoku, who squealed in delight when her father acknowledged her. Vegeta snorted in amusement and reached into a small pocket hidden within the seams of his cape, and he pulled out two wedding bands; the one he’d had made for Kakarotto, and the one his mate had picked out for him. He hadn’t known about it until he’d gone to pick up his own ring earlier that morning. He hadn’t been crazy about the thought of wearing the band, but he had to admit that it was an attractive piece. Its design was simple but meaningful. The band was gold like Kakarotto’s, but embedded into the face of the ring were four small stars made from the same precious stone that adorned his mate’s armor. Its meaning wasn’t lost on Vegeta.

The prince said his daughter’s name in order to gain the child’s attention, and once he had it, he slipped the two rings over Momoku’s small tail. Despite her young age, the tiny Saiyajin seemed to understand the significance of the gesture, and her usually constantly squirming tail became still and rigid in order to keep the rings from slipping off.

Goku gazed down at his daughter in awe as her own eyes focused only on the rings, and it wasn’t until Vegeta looped his arm with his and drew him several steps forward that he tore his eyes away from the sight.

When they were standing a few feet from Piccolo the Namekian unfolded a piece of paper he’d had hidden away somewhere and cleared his throat. His eyes scanned over the text for a moment before he raised a brow and looked up at Vegeta.

“What the hell does this even say?”

“What does that matter to you?! I thought you said you could read!” Vegeta shot back.

The green man huffed in annoyance and once again looked back down at the paper, and this time he began reading the foreign language with a flawless accent. Vegeta was actually impressed, but he wasn’t about to tell Piccolo that.

The first set of vows was directed at the prince, and Goku listened intently in the hopes he would know what to say when his turn came.

“Vegeta, anata wa kono dansei to kekkonshi fuufu to naru to shite orimasu.
Anata wa, kenko na tokimo, soudenai tokimo, kono hito o aishi, kono hito o uyamai, kono hito o nagusame, kono hito o tasukete, sono inochi no kagiri kataku sessou o mamoru koto o chikaimasu ka?”

Goku felt the older man’s grip on his arm tighten just a fraction before he responded.

“Hai, chikaimasu.”

After that Piccolo paused, and Goku turned his head to Vegeta when he carefully slipped one of the rings from Momoku’s tail. Having already shifted the infant to one arm, Goku was able to oblige the prince when the older man took hold of his hand and slipped the wedding band onto his ring finger. The younger man’s eyes widened a fraction as he got his first real look at the engraving on the golden surface, and his gaze shifted to the Royal Emblem that sat on the breastplate of Vegeta’s armour before again focusing on its matching counterpart.

A soft smile formed on his lips as Piccolo once again began to recite another set of vows, and he turned his eyes back to the Namekian upon hearing his name.

“Go---“

“No. Kakarotto.” Vegeta interrupted.

Piccolo’s jaw tensed momentarily after the interruption, but he wisely chose to keep any remarks to himself and instead started again as if nothing had happened.

“Kakarotto, anata wa kono dansei to kekkonshi fuufu to naru to shite orimasu.
Anata wa, kenko na tokimo, soudenai tokimo, kono hito o aishi, kono hito o uyamai, kono hito o nagusame, kono hito o tasukete, sono inochi no kagiri kataku sessou o mamoru koto o chikaimasu ka?”

Goku’s heart pounded in his ears as he shifted his eyes from Piccolo to Vegeta, only it wasn’t nerves that had him so worked up; it was excitement.

“Hai, chikaimasu.”

Momoku gurgled as Goku removed the remaining ring from her tail, and she shook out the appendage as if holding it still for so long had caused it to cramp up. Vegeta chuckled at his daughter’s antics as he removed one of his gloves and extended his hand so his mate could slip the ring onto his finger. The older man was actually a little surprised the band fit so perfectly, since to his knowledge, no one had ever gotten his finger size.

Vegeta pushed the thought aside as he replaced his glove. A somewhat evil smirk was the only warning Goku received before that same hand fisted itself in his hair and yanked him forward. The rough kiss he was expecting never came though, because at the last second the older man loosened his fingers and pressed their lips together gently and tenderly. There was no gnashing of teeth or battling tongues, only a soft connection in which Goku could literally feel his mate’s strong feelings for him tingling across his skin. He only hoped Vegeta was feeling the same thing from him.

Then the fingers in his hair released their hold and wove through silky strands affectionately before retreating all together. When Goku’s eyes fluttered open again Piccolo’s face was a strange shade of purple and Vegeta was grinning like a Cheshire cat.

“I trust you won’t object to returning for the reception? The cake isn’t going to eat itself, you know.”

And just like that, they were officially married.


TBC

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A/N - The vows are actually traditional Japanese wedding vows I found online. I figured it'd be a good way to honor the country that created the anime ^.^ AND it was easier than making up Saiyajin speak. XP The vows translate as follows:

(groom's name), you this man marry and become his partner.
Will you in peaceful times, during sickness, this person love, this person respect, this person comfort, this person help, until death, do you promise to fulfil?

And Vegeta and Goku each responded with, "Yes, I promise."