Chapter Text
“Roier deja de moverte joder,” Vegetta chuckled, trying to do the knot on his tie; Roier looked very nervous. He was sure he hadn’t seen his best friend this nervous since graduation day, and the look of fear and joy combined in his eyes was almost sta wouldn’t have thought that his overly relaxed dorm roommate would be nearly shaking in nervousness the day of his wedding, but here they stood. Roier and Cellbit had announced their proposal a few months back, and everyone around them was overly supportive and even shocked that this hadn’t happened sooner.
Roier quickly asked Vegetta to be his best man at the wedding, which turned more into Vegetta sneaking his way into the wedding, planning of it all, and making sure Roier didn’t lose his mind. “You’re choking me, pendejo,” Roier said dramatically, pulling away from Vegetta. He wasn’t used to wearing fancy suits and ties, but tonight was a big exception. “Do you even know what you’re doing?” He scoffed, and a nervous smile crept on his lips. “It’s all under control, Roier. Don’t you doubt my abilities!” Vegetta quickly finished doing his tie and fixing his suit, both now turning into the big mirror. He couldn’t help but look at Roier as he took a deep breath, his eyes now slightly tearing up and a big smile on his face. This is it; the wait was finally over tonight; his best friend was getting married to the love of his life, which made Vegetta happy.
“I had never seen you looking this decent before,” Vegetta joked, letting out a soft chuckle; Roier just rolled his eyes .“You don’t look too bad either,” He replied. “Don’t get too silly, Veg; you remember who Cellbit’s best man is, right?” Vegetta scoffed. “You two are lucky I love you both; how did Cellbit land on Foolish of all friends for this?” He said jokingly, even if he did have a slight grudge against Foolish; Roier giggled. “He’s a great friend… just not that good of a date, I guess.” Vegetta laughed. “ not that good is an understatement; we didn’t even make it out of the parking lot! I see you kept one of the few good guys out there as soon as you had the chance.” Roer got visibly flustered; he really was a lucky guy .“Trust me, it has been a crazy ride, but we’ve made it this far.” He smiled. “I’m so proud of you, Roier, I really am; seeing you grow from our college ears up to this is like my work here is over.” They shared a hug as the clock ticked; it was time to walk down the aisle.
The doors creaked open, and the aisle widened in front of Vegetta’s eyes, it was weird for him to be standing as a best man at a wedding; he was usually in the audience, with other family members and friends, and he was usually not the one waiting in anticipation for his best friend to get married as he stood on his side, this made him feel complete, Roier and Vegetta had been friends for six years now, he quickly became his favorite person, one would think they would have nothing in common, but Roier’s extroverted personality complimented Vegetta perfectly, almost like puzzle pieces that managed to light up the best in each other, they considered themselves family at this point, Vegetta stayed with him on his happiest and darkest moments, it was only right for him to be standing next to him in the altar as Roier married the love of his life.
Music flooded the ambiance, and everyone in the room stood up in anticipation, looking at the doors, it was time. Roier walked down the Aisle, slowly his face flushed with nervousness and an overwhelming wave of happiness, taking slow steps as everyone stood up; his closest friends and his family surrounded him; everyone was focused on him with big proud smiles on their faces, as he neared the altar, his eyes locked in with Cellbit, those beautiful blue eyes, the last four years flashed through his eyes. He could vividly hear the music pounding in his ears that night he met Cellbit at some frat guy’s party, both of them drunk, stumbling onto each other. Roier’s drink fell and splashed both of them, making them burst into laughs and conversation for that never-ending night; he could smell Cellbit’s cologne from that time after their first date, when they hugged for what felt like hours, their breathing matching each other, and him melting into his lover’s arms for the first time, it’s like time stopped and it was only them in the universe, he looked at him, and it was like everyone in that room was gone, once again it was just them in that altar, in their own bubble of love and safeness, he could notice Cellbit holding back tears, and his heart exploded about a million times that second, this was the beginning of their forever.
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Vegetta stood up to give his speech at the wedding party later that night, everyone looked at him with smiles on their faces “Roier, when I came to this country a few years ago, I couldn’t help but feel like I didn’t belong, a whole new language and culture, and being just a freshman in college made this all even more difficult, but you, you never made a big deal about it, you welcomed me into that tiny room and decided we were going to be best friends” He sniffed and smiled at Roier “And while we are very different, you being the life of the party and so extroverted never quite matched my energy, but we made it work, we were there for eachother, we might be different in many aspects but we fit, we were able to get the best out of each other, you taught me to not be so uptight, to open up, and to meet new people, even if it things don’t go according to plan” Vegetta sighed and glanced at Foolish, who was sitting with his plus one in the table right in front of him, Foolish just smirked and rolled his eyes.
“You showed me that sometimes rules can be broken, that life was fun and more than just studying or working till my eyes wanted to explode. We eventually figured out how to match each other; I couldn’t be more grateful to have had a friend like you. You’ve been my rock, my confidant, and my best friend. And now, seeing you here, marrying the love of your life, I can’t help but feel overwhelmed with joy and pride.” He glanced and smiled at the couple “Cellbit, you’ve brought out the best in Roier in ways I never thought possible. Your love and support have guided him through some of the toughest times, and I am forever grateful for that. Your unwavering commitment to each other is an inspiration to us all, it at least has been for me these past years, As you embark on this journey together, I have no doubt that your love will continue to flourish and grow with each passing day, and I give you two my best wishes” Vegetta raised his glass, fighting tears and smiling at his best friend one more time “So Roier, Cellbit I have nothing else to say but congrats, I wish you two the best in this new beginning. Viva los novios! ” he raised his glass, and the sound of claps, laughs, and champagne glasses clinking filled the room.
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Cellbit moved over closer to Roier, the couch sinking them both closer to each other, “Listen, if this is what you really want to do, I- We can work it out, amor” He held Roier’s hands since he was covering his face “Mirame” He locked eyes with his love, trying to reassure him “We can be a family, yes I know what I said in the past, but we had just started dating, we were young and stupid, I had no Idea” Cellbit smiled and softened his gaze “I had no idea I would ever fall in love with someone so much that I would think about forming a family with them, and I am so thankful for the universe that that person is you”
He caressed Roier’s face, leaving a soft kiss on his lips. “I felt like the luckiest man on earth after marrying you a year ago, I know we can be amazing parents; you make me feel like I can do that and more.” Roier finally smiled. He knew it wouldn’t be an easy process to have a child, and parenting would be a big difficult step in their relationship, but he wanted this, he never would’ve thought he wanted to be a father until now, he knew it was the right person, the right time. He knew they would cross whatever bridges and stones this new stage in their life could bring their way.
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“What about Leonardo?” Roier asked. He was once more brainstorming for baby names; every time something having to do with the baby was stressing him out, he would brainstorm names with whoever was with him. This day it was Vegetta. “Like the painter?” Vegetta smirked and raised his eyebrows “Eh… si like the painter,” Roier chuckled. “You were thinking about the ninja turtle, right?” Vegetta knew his friend a little too well. It was sometimes scary, “same thing, dude!” as they both laughed; he quickly noticed what Roier was doing; he phased in circles in the living room, trying to distract himself from whatever was on his mind, bugging him.
“Vas a decirme que pasa o vas a seguir caminando en círculos como tontito algún rato?” Vegetta looked at Roier, who stopped in his tracks; taking a deep breath, he sat down, sinking into the couch, putting his hands to his face “It’s just harder than we Imagined; no one ever told me adopting a baby would be this fucking hard” He crossed his arms “You know how much paperwork we both had to fill? And they just flat out told us -we’ll get back to you two- What does that even mean? I just gave you all of my private information and more and you’ll just -let. me. know.- ? Bullshit,” He mockingly blurted that part
“So we just have to let the adoption agency scour through our data and make us wait in between calls and emails just so that maybe, just maybe! Are we considered to be able to adopt? puras pendejadas!” He scoffed Vegetta couldn’t help but chuckle, even though he understood his friend’s stress “I know it’s a process, I understand it’s a big deal, it’s a kid. But why does it make me feel like I’m on a magnifying glass being analyzed at every step? What if I happen to have a shitty day, and it’s the day the social worker comes by? What if I fuck up our chances of having a child?”
Vegetta got close to Roier and patted his back, comforting him “Hey, It’s going to be okay” He smiled at Roier “Yes they have to do that, it’s their job to be on top of you two; they have to make sure you two are fit to take care of a child” They both shared a glance “and I might be biased but” Vegetta’s gaze softened “If there is a family where a kid could have a perfect family it is with you two” “maybe a few years ago I would’ve been concerned about who was really taking care of who” He chuckled “But you’ve grown man, a lot.
The fact that you care this much, the fact that you are worried but haven’t given up, is all I need to know, it is how I can tell you guys want this and can do it” Roier slightly smiled “This is just the beginning of a very long process, but I’m sure the second you two walk through the door welcoming your baby it will all be worth it, all of the stress, paperwork, and all of the social workers, all of the months of research, emails and more will be worth it” Roier combed his fingers through his hair “I know it’s their job, I’m just scared you know?” Vegetta softened his glare “I know nothing about being a dad but that sounds like it’s part of it, it’s a big responsibility, it’s okay to be scared, it’s up to you if you let it tear you down” “and I’ll be here for you, plus you have Cellbit, you are not alone on this”
They both stayed there, now sitting down and slightly calmer than before Roier explained the whole adoption process again like he did months ago when they started researching and applying, he liked going over it with Vegetta since he would always have the best questions and would brainstorm with Roier, it was almost therapeutic for him to go over the technicalities of it all, it made him feel some control. At this point, it was all so tedious because they were technically in the system, but it felt like any wrong step could set back the process even more, at this point, he would do anything to make this family possible, and Vegetta knew that.
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One week
Two months
Six months
Nine months
Almost a year passed. Roier and Cellbit had been through a rough patch: sending paperwork, talking to people, getting interviewed with social workers, waiting in long calls, and sometimes days passed without any answers. It was almost painful, but nothing stopped them from their desire to become a family. They knew that unless they had a— no —for an answer, they wouldn’t stop trying.
A loud noise interrupted their comfortable silence. Cellbit’s phone startled them both. He quickly noticed the number and picked up the call. Roier on the other side didn’t have to ask. He could tell by the look in his husband’s eyes that it was the adoption agency. All of the sudden, everything felt tense. He felt his heart pounding so hard it was threatening to come out of his chest. Why was he nervous every time? They have been called a dozen times before, but that rush never stops happening.
Cellbit quickly put the phone on speaker, and they both held their breath as the person behind the line was speaking; at some point, it felt like a repetition of what they had been going through these last months, but something was different.
“So far, everything looks stellar; both of you have shown all qualities or more than we ask for.” They both waited in silence. “All background and welfare checks have passed; honestly, there’s nothing else we have to look at.” Cellbit smiled at Roier. “You two said in your profile that you preferably were looking for a younger baby, correct?” Cellbit nervously agreed, while they didn’t mind getting a toddler or older child, they did wish to have a baby. “Okay! Let me see something.
Well, we would like to set up a meeting for Tuesday. We might have a match that matches your profile. Does Tuesday work for you two ?” For a moment, the world stopped. It was finally happening. They were going to see what could be their baby in a matter of days. It was really happening, before the person on the line could say anything else, Cellbit responded “Yes! oh my god, definitely! Tuesday works just fine, um. Do we need to go to the agency? Do we need to have anything prepared?” he stumbled on his words in excitement.
“No, we will be meeting you at your house, now the baby is a four-month-old girl, you will be able to see her, and there will be some more questions from the social worker; the baby will not stay with you yet, but it shouldn’t take more time for you two to formally adopt her after this meeting if you two do wish to foster her”
Roiers' eyes were filled with tears of joy. He listened to the phone call, unable to respond or add to the conversation. It felt like an eternity of waiting, and his mind made up scenarios where things just would not go according to plan. In a few days, they would be meeting what could be their baby. Their family now felt more than a dream; it felt real and palpable. Soon, he would become a father, and his entire world was about to change.
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Five months had passed, and Roier and Cellbit were officially parents to a beautiful nine-month-old baby girl, a few days after they made the adoption official, they brought some of their family and friends to meet the baby; they hosted a small party with snacks, and food, their living room and kitchen now plastered with baby proofing and baby toys, they tried their best to tidy up their place and make it seem less chaotic, while they were filled with joy to have formed a family, the first few nights were filled with lack of sleep and so so many diapers.
“How is someone so little capable of shitting this much,” Roier said as he tied up the trash bag full of diapers, he wiped a fake drop of sweat off his forehead as he smiled, Cellbit was holding their baby in arms, now peacefully sleeping after a long diaper changing battle, this was their new every day.
“Your pa is already complaining. Can you believe him?” Cellbit whispered teasingly. And he didn’t even change most of those diapers!” Roier rolled his eyes and walked out of the nursery. “You know everyone is coming to see you in a few hours? You are the start of today’s reunion, Miss Leo,” he said softly, caressing Leo’s cheek.
“Listo,” Roier said, walking back in. He stood in the doorway, admiring the view of his family. Leo looked so small that it made his heart melt to see her in Cellbit’s arms. This was their life now, and nothing could ever change that.
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“I can’t believe you stuck with the name” Vegetta said smiling at Leo, her small hands were playing with the strings on his sweatshirt “It’s original i like it” He smiled at Roier “How is parenting treating you so far?”
“It’s been amazing” Roier smiled “other than the lack of sleep and constant worries of something being wrong this was everything we wanted you know?”
“I’m glad Roier, I’m so happy for you two, you deserve this, after all you two did this is the family you deserve. And hey if you ever need help with her you know you got me” He smiled.
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The living room was once again filled with decorations, food, and music, and the sound of people chatting and laughing echoed the place, this time, it was Leo’s first birthday. While many people could argue that a one-year-old wasn’t going to remember their first birthday party, Cellbit and Roier did not hesitate to make a big deal of it, making it a perfect day for their daughter. They decided that it was worth it and that even though she might not remember it in the future, they will and they would treasure moments like these forever.
“You outdid yourself, Vegetta,” Cellbit said, looking at the cake; it was a round layer cake, coated in a soft lavender frosting layer, with some white chocolate butterflies in the base of the cake and on top a drawing of a unicorn, as well as text that read -Happy Birthday Leo!- Vegetta had offered them to make the cake as a gift since he had been co-owner of a bakery downtown over the past year, and he had learned a lot of baking skills, it is safe to say he did not disappoint.
“Thank you, thank you,” he responded proudly. “Honestly, some of my best work to this day”
The doorbell interrupted them. Roier rushed to the door, and there he was. Foolish had arrived with a small gift bag in his hand. Vegetta had not seen him since the wedding. He was not one to hold grudges, and for his friends, he was able to tolerate him for special occasions such as this day. And, after all the time that passed after that date, he could see that Foolish was a good friend. He was a terrible date, but he became tolerable the more he got to meet him.
Foolish walked through the door, greeting everyone, he hugged Cellbit and greeted the few people who had already arrived at the party, he put the gift bag on one of the kitchen counters and finally noticed that Vegetta was there “Well, look who’s finally here.” Vegetta grinned. “Looks like you actually can make it in time for stuff, dude, great job.” He let out a soft chuckle; he just couldn’t help but occasionally joke about it. “Yeah, yeah, don’t flatter yourself, Vegetta,” Foolish playfully scoffed. “this is all for little Leo after all,” He said, crouching towards the baby bouncer where Leo was; she had just woken up from her nap, and was very focused playing with the mobile that hung on top of her head “she’s growing up so fast” he muttered under his breath.
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“I wrote our phone numbers on here” Cellbit handed a small notepad to the babysitter. “Leo should be in bed in like two hours, make sure she has a fresh diaper, there is food and milk in the fridge, please do not hesitate to call us. Just anything weird or even the slight worry you have, just call us, and we will run back here.” He repeated the directions and rambled a little more, it seemed silly. He knew they had hired her because of her experience; they had talked to her a few times previous to this night, but still, the second they realized they were going to leave her at full care of Leo , they would get into panic mode.
This was their first big date night after having Leo; they were going to be out for a couple of hours that night, go drive around town and have a nice dinner just the two of them, enjoy each other without their daughter; they felt ready but deep inside they worried about it that entire week leading to their date night. “I realize it’s scary,” said the babysitter, a hint of a grin on her face. “You’re not the first couple to go through this, trust me.” Holding Leo, she added, “Leo will be fine. I’ll keep you updated, and before you know it, you’ll be back here with your little one.”
“Thank you,” they both said, and they hugged Leo for a few seconds before saying goodbye. “We’ll be back soon,” they both said in unison; they locked the door behind them and walked away,
As the sun dazzled below the horizon, the sky turned into a beautiful outlook of orange and pink hues, casting a warm glow over everything it touched. The evening air was crisp, and the sound of waves crashing against the shore provided a soothing soundtrack to their journey.
They rolled down the windows, letting the ocean breeze fill the car and tousle their hair. They were grateful for moments like these, cherishing the simple joy of being together and sharing in the beauty of the world around them. They talked, laughed, and reminisced; they missed this. Of course, they loved their daughter and their new routine and life, but they loved being in each other’s company; they loved turning on the radio and singing as loud as they could, opening the car windows and letting the breeze hit their face, going out on adventures together made them feel complete.
Later that night, after driving around and finally finding a perfect spot where they had more long conversations and a nice dinner, all those fears they had about leaving Leo slowly withered away; the babysitter updated them with one or two pictures and a confirmation text of Leo being peacefully asleep, they were okay, everything was under control, their date night went on as planned. Time flew by, and they couldn’t even tell the number of people going in and out of that restaurant; they were lost in laughs and conversation. Eventually,, someone had to go up to them to tell them that they were about to close, so they cleaned up after themselves and happily took their car back home.
“Man, I’m so full. No wonder they had to stop us,” Roier joked, putting his hand to his stomach. “A few more hours there, and we would’ve let them out of business.” They both laughed.
“We should do this more.” Cellbit smiled at him, his eyes glazed over Roier, admiring his husband as they headed back home “We were worrying so much, but things are like this now, you know? We are parents,” he sighed. “Deep down, we will always be worried, but we have to keep going and have time for each other too”
“I know,” Roier smiled back and intertwined his hand with cellbit as his free hand was on the steering wheel “We got this,”
The night sky was upon them as they drove home, and traffic—so much traffic, the city lights were almost blinding; they were used to it, but deep down, it was always annoying having to drive at this time of the night—so many cars and most of them reckless; they could’ve lived in that city a hundred years and never gotten used to the highway and its drivers. When you’re being taught how to drive, you are told about the technicalities of the road and your car and the responsibility and dangers of being on the road.
It takes seconds, right?
One glimpse at a screen, one wrong movement of the steering wheel, one wrong turn.
It takes seconds.
It takes someone being irresponsible or simply making a mistake, and it is all over .
It happened in seconds. Another car lost control and spun on the highway, crashing in the middle of the road. It felt like a pile of dominoes crashing into one another. The wheels screeched on the highway, making other drivers step on their breaks, trying to avoid the eminent. But when you’re going that speed, you can’t control it. No amount of driving safety taught to you as a teen is enough in this situation. No amount of reflexes or strength in stepping on the brakes is enough.
Before you can even think about it, everything goes dark .
It all went dark ; the noise of glass crushing around them, the sound of people screaming for help, and the loud sirens of the ambulance that startled Roier; he couldn’t move; he felt numb, and he didn’t understand how, but as he gained consciousness he noticed their car was flipped entirely; he felt nauseous, his body was heavy hanging upside down but he couldn't move, he felt numb and heavy. They were covered in tiny shards of glass; his head started pounding, and he felt out of breath; he couldn’t scream even if he wanted to; tears burned in his eyes like they never did before; even crying was painful; he tried to do something, but the seatbelt was digging into his chest every time he tried catching a breath. He could barely open his eyes; seeing even a glimpse of light felt like a sharp needle; it almost made him nauseous. He focused on looking for Cellbit, who was still unconscious beside him.
“Amor?” He whispered; he couldn’t speak louder; he just couldn’t. “Cellbit, wake up.” He tried to move as the pain made him grunt. “Please wake up,” He groaned under his breath.
Cellbit was also hanging upside down, his seatbelt clenching him into the seat. It was such a harrowing feeling; Roier never wished to see anyone like this, so lifeless; he tried not to notice the puddle of blood forming, he tried not to notice his husband’s clearly painful injuries by the impact, and how his limbs just looked numb. He was hoping and praying to forces he didn’t even believe in that he was just unconscious; he couldn’t be dead.
He couldn’t be.
Many steps approached them, and paramedics rushed to help, but it was all gibberish to Roier; his mind just couldn’t process what was going on, and his body was not even responding how he needed it to. “My husband,” Roier muttered under his breath as a paramedic approached him. “Is he okay?” He mumbled. The paramedic asked questions and checked for vitals, but he couldn’t get himself to answer, “What happened?” He let out a sob that made his chest hurt even more.
“There is no pulse.” He heard another paramedic yell on the other side of the car.
Was he gone ?
His mouth was dry, his tongue thick and heavy. The taste of bile rose to his throat, a combination of fear and impending loss. His eyes felt heavy. He was safely taken out of the vehicle, but his entire body ached; he still couldn’t move. He blankly stared at the ceiling of the ambulance; his life was flashing before him, and his eyes slowly shut down. The paramedics' voices and urgent movements filled the air, but they were distant and muffled, unable to penetrate through the fog in his mind. The only sound that seemed clear was the thud of his heart as it slowed to a stop.
He didn’t want to go; he wasn’t ready. His life had just begun, and he didn’t want to go, not like this.
He let out his last breath; it was sharp and shaky, it was painful, his eyes shut down, and even the efforts of the paramedics couldn’t bring him back to life; his heart stopped, and he was gone.
They both were.