Thinking of You

Part 4

Goku had waited until their training had completed for the day to talk to Vegeta, like Whis had suggested. He was nervous and jumpy the rest of the day, and during training, he found it difficult to properly concentrate. He tried as hard as he could not to let his mind wander, but it was like holding an egg on a spoon. It wouldn't stay still, and he wobbled from different scenarios in his head of how Vegeta would react to his confession of feelings. Would he yell? Scream? Hit? Or would he be calm? That was the unlikely scenario. The most likely would be Vegeta straight up flying off, choosing to ditch the future conversation rather than take part in it.

Whis and Goku had spoken in great detail about how Goku should approach Vegeta, how he should try and speak with confidence and not fear. Whis had said that a great start would be to ask Vegeta if they could talk somewhere private, and while it sounded intimate, it would be likely that Vegeta would suspect Goku wanted to either talk about training or initiate a private sparing session. Fighting was the only thing Vegeta ever thought about, so it would be very unlikely that he would guess what Goku wanted to talk about. While Goku was still unsure of the whole plan, Whis assured him it would all work out in his favor. When Goku had asked how Whis knew something like that, the Angel gave a simple response that still puzzled Goku.

"You'd be surprised."

...

They fought for hours, exerting themselves for the pure love of fighting. By the time they finally called it quits, sweat dripped from their bodies, and Goku's bangs were practically glued to his forehead. Both panting but having enjoyed themselves on Lord Beerus's planet, they flew to the ground, the smooth grass waving gently as if to say hello to them. The large lake beside them reflected the many suns high above them, and fish down below ate at smaller fish and bugs resting on the surface of the water.

Lord Beerus had watched their fight for a while, until he grew very bored of that and opted to take a nap. Whis had wanted to stay to make sure Goku didn't get too distracted, but being the angelic attendant to the God, he had no choice but to go with him. This left the two Saiyans alone at last, which made Goku even more shaky than before. He tried to think of something to say that wouldn't make him sound like an idiot, but it proved to be an impossible feat. He was exhausted, tense, and starving, which made his brain ultimately abandon him. It was even worse seeing Vegeta panting and covered in sweat, his spiked hair slick and his eyes narrowed slightly. It made Goku's heart nearly skip far too many beats, and he had to sit down to clear his dizzy head.

Vegeta let out a huffed breath and stood straight, stretching his arms over his head. Goku had to avert his eyes to keep his face from turning to the color of a ripe tomato. Okay, Goku. You're alone with him now. Speak or...forever be alone...crap, what do I even say? I can't just ask him on a date! Maybe...I could be tactful. Yeah, I can be tactful when I want to. I just have to...proceed with caution and stay out of the swing zone.

He heard Vegeta let out a sigh and looked up, seeing the smaller Saiyan wiping a towel across his face. Damn, he even looks good doing THAT. I'm hopeless.

Vegeta tossed the towel onto the ground, then turned to face Goku, crossing his arms over his chest. "I plan to come here at the same time tomorrow, so don't be late."

Goku quickly nodded, finding himself unable to speak.

"You fought poorly today, Kakarot. Are you coming down with something?" Vegeta asked, and for a brief second Goku thought he heard actual concern in his voice.

Goku got to his feet, wiping imaginary dirt from his shoulders. "Nope! I'm fine! Just...was a little off my game today, that's all."

Vegeta eyed him, his expression unreadable. "What is it exactly that you're keeping from me?"

"What?" Goku said quickly, his eyes now wide and his heart now thumping hard against his rib cage. Oh no, did he figure it out? I suppose it was about time, honestly.

"What's going on with you?" Vegeta asked, taking a step toward him, and Goku in turn took a step back. "You've never fought this bad before, not even if you tried. What's the matter with you?"

"Uh...nothing?"

"Try again."

Goku sucked in a breath, and decided, there and now, that he would tell Vegeta what was really going on with him. If it ended their semi-friendship, then so be it. As long as he got his long-suppressed feeling across, he'd be happy. And maybe the weight on him would be taken care of. It was becoming unbearable, and Goku wasn't sure how long he'd be able to keep it up. Vegeta deserved to know the truth, no matter what it was. Lying to him for months on end had morphed into something like a chore, and Goku never liked chores. He had imagined living a life with Vegeta, and in every scenario it was a perfect dream. To have it come to life would be a near miracle, but of course, it all relied on how Vegeta reacted in the next few minutes.

"I...I'm going to tell you something, and can you promise not to hit me?" Goku said, fiddling with his fingers nervously.

Vegeta blinked, then sighed. "Depends on how stupid of a sentence you say."

Goku sucked in a breath. Can't back out now. Crap. I think I might be hyperventilating. Am I about to die? Probably. I just...I hope Vegeta doesn't hate me for this. I'm blaming Whis if he does.

Clenching his hands into tight fists, so tight that the skin turned white, he closed his eyes and spoke. " I really like you and I don't know how to properly say it Whis told me to just admit my feelings to you and all that so this is what I'm doing don't hate me I tried to ignore how I felt because I liked having you as a friend but now it's obvious because I can't focus on fighting and I'm not able to hide it anymore I'm sorry to blurt all this out right now I'm just nervous and panicking and if you hate me now I totally understand Whis told me to accept whatever fate I get I'm not entirely sure what that means but I guess if you don't want to be around me anymore, I'd understand I'm sorry Vegeta but this is how I feel I like you more than a friend and I have liked you for a long time pretty much since after our fight with Majin Buu which was a long time ago I think go ahead and hit me if you need to I'm really sorry!" He said hurriedly in one long breath, then peeked an eye open at the shorter Saiyan standing before him.

Vegeta looked shocked and confused. He didn't blink or speak, he just stared at Goku. Everything had gone silent, save for the bubbling water a few feet from them. Goku's heart was racing, and even more sweat had built up on his body. He waited, without saying a word, for Vegeta to start screaming at him. To hit him or to just fly off. All of those wouldn't be out of Vegeta's character. Goku had expected those responses whenever he'd think about confessing to him. He had always been scared, but now that he had said everything he wanted to say, he didn't feel as scared. The weight of everything swimming around in his head had calmed, and he felt as light as a feather. A smile actually found its way onto his face as he stood before his crush, awaiting the response that would ultimately effect both of their lives.

Vegeta still said nothing. It was at this time that Goku got nervous, and his smile vanished. Is he thinking? Or is he trying to come up with a way to kill me and make it look like an accident?

Finally, Vegeta let out a short breath. Goku tensed, fully prepared to be either punched or screamed at. But Vegeta did not scream and did not hit him. He didn't say anything. Goku opened his mouth to say something, to ask if he was mad at him, but his voice died in his throat when Vegeta suddenly turned and walked away. His steps were silent, and he didn't utter a sound as he walked across the grass towards where Lord Beerus and Whis had gone. Goku watched him go, an eyebrow raised. "V...Vegeta?"

He didn't respond. Instead, he flew up towards the large, dead tree that was the biggest part of the planet, the branches sticking in all directions and the tips as sharp as needles.

He's mad.