Consoling Goten

The tension in the Gravity Room showers was as thick as the visible steam that formed as the water heated up in each stall. Goten had purposely taken the one farthest from Vegeta's, and undressed on the opposite side, doing so neither quickly nor slowly, only mechanically, caring not whether Vegeta looked at him nor even glancing in his direction. As though he were alone, Vegeta was to see, suddenly understanding.

The latter refused to let the night finish as so, deciding that this ridiculous situation had gone far enough. An admittedly desperate plan formed in his mind, but it was made up. Perhaps it was his own fault for having mistaken for complex what was in fact perfectly simple.

Hastily lathering and rinsing head to toe, he listened for the sounds of Goten's stall being opened, closed, and even locked, evidently to make a point. None of the Son men had ever locked a door for bathing, if they even bothered closing it. Vegeta waited a few moments to hear two bottles being each picked up and replaced, then silently padded toward Goten's stall.

A halfhearted yank with two fingers cleanly broke it off, and Vegeta calmly entered, closing the door again. "That's not a lock," he commented, ki-locking it from inside, "This is a lock."

"Reduced to copying movie lines," Goten muttered to himself, though his sarcastic tone was gone.

"What?" Vegeta asked in confusion.

Goten only shook his head. Of course he didn't understand what he was talking about. "Never mind." His voice broke off and he looked away, but not before Vegeta caught sight of his reddened eyes and tearstained face that mingled with the spray of hot water.

His mind doing an about-face, Vegeta instinctively reached for him, gently touching his face. "Hey." His voice softening as much, he pulled him close.

"I… got shampoo in my eyes." Goten turned his face away in embarrassment.

Then he'd also got it in his voice, Vegeta thought with regret, forcing him fully close. "Come here, baby." Goten gave up and clutched onto him, struggling to choke back a flood of tears.

Vegeta stroked his back, slippery with soap suds, and his hair full of shampoo. "I'm sorry if it's my fault. But tell me, Goten. Whatever it is."

"I told you. Nothing… nobody… why would you even care?" Ironically Vegeta's unlikely sweet embrace made his tears fall harder in silent sobs.

"You think you have nobody?" Vegeta interpreted, "But everyone adores you. What makes you think that?" Rhythmically his fingers traced the wet, soapy skin of his back that felt even more satiny. He was always secretly glad for an excuse to touch his soft skin and hair.

"When I was a kid and my father came back, everything was cool," Goten began, "And Trunks was my best friend, or so I thought. Mother kept saying my dad would leave again, and I didn't want to believe her. But he did; didn't even say goodbye. Gohan left quick enough, but I couldn't say anything. All Trunks ever did was treat me like dirt, but I naïvely thought he'd change. Later we only drifted apart. The last few times I hung out with the same group of friends he meant, it was like I don't exist. Last time I just left, and no one even noticed. My mother and Bulma mean well, but... well, you see. The only reason I still come here..." Again his voice broke off to stop a worse onslaught of tears. Not in front of Vegeta of all people.

Vegeta waited patiently for him to speak, still holding him.

"...You, Vegeta-san. You've always been here, and I started to believe... but it'll never happen. You only tease me." Goten bit his lip, unable to stop his tears but struggling to choke back sobs. "Let's see if you won't make fun of me." He hid his face, not daring to speak more.

"Baka yaro," Vegeta swore, as much to himself and not knowing which of them he wanted to kick more, seizing him roughly by the shoulders. "Did it ever occur to you to wonder how I feel?" he suddenly released what had built up for so long. "Did you think it's easy for me to just blurt out what I've struggled with for the last two years? Maybe three, I don't even know! Hell… I've always felt something special about you. Even when you were little, I was so protective that if anyone touched a hair on your head I'd have killed them. When you were older I was even jealous of your friendship with Trunks, and of whoever you might fall in love with. But I assumed you'd want someone younger, and what did I tell myself? To forget it, because 'it will never happen'." There. His pride had not only taken a back seat, it had blown out the window to fly off to parts unknown.

Goten's tears had stopped, and he was now staring at him incredulously, his eyes wide and shining, yet speechless.

"Do you get it?" Vegeta demanded, his voice laced with desperation, then pinned his shoulders firmly to the wall. I love you, idiot!"

Goten's eyes had never lit up as they did now; with happiness, not tears. "There's never been anybody but you, Vegeta. Aishiteru yo."

"Thank the gods," Vegeta heaved a sigh of honest relief, "I despise making the first move." But his arms tightened hard around him. His Goten.

"That's why you were always teasing me?" Goten asked with a little smile, "Because you hoped I would?"

"Yes," Vegeta replied simply, "Though I also like to because it's fun, and you did more than your share of teasing me." His fingers traced the length of his spine to finger his tailbone again, both of them elated to no longer need to hide their excitement. Vegeta smiled to feel him hardening like himself. "I like that," he whispered seductively, his lips covering Goten's first softly, then hungrily in a long, searching kiss.

A muffled, purring moan escaped Goten's throat, his nails lightly tracing down Vegeta's back while he writhed sensually against him, pulling his hips close to grind his hardness against his own.

~TBC {need typing break}~