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Goku sat in the grass outside his house, wearing a new pair of blue jeans and a red shirt patterned with yellow alphabet letters. The weather was warm enough not to need his orange and black jacket, and Chi-Chi had said this shirt in particular might be helpful for Goten, since the boy could benefit from learning his letters super early like Gohan had.
Across from him at a decent distance, Gohan sat facing him with Goten in his lap. Gohan wore a white shirt, which Goten couldn’t seem to stop clinging to, over a pair of nice black pants that were now grass stained. Chi-Chi might get onto him later for that, but for now Goku didn’t care. Giving the boy a break from his studies to help teach Goten how to walk seemed like a good reason to him.
Gohan whispered something into his baby brother’s ear and Goku took a moment to enjoy the scene of the two of them. It was nice to have more than one kid now. He really did like these younger ages. And Gohan was so good with his little brother.
As if in response to what Gohan said, Goten blew his lips together and spit dribbled onto his chin – something Gohan had to clean up with a shocked whine. Goku simply laughed. “You used to do that, too, ya know.”
His older son glanced at him. “Please don’t tell me that.”
“Huh?” He blinked. “Why not?”
Hiding his face, Gohan mumbled back. “It’s embarrassing.”
Ah, right. Chi-Chi had said Gohan might start to exhibit teenage signs where he would be embarrassed easier by his parents. He hadn’t expected it so soon, but maybe he would try not to tease him for what he did as a kid. But when Goten did something that was so similar to Gohan’s early years, it sure was hard not to reminisce.
While he drifted into memories, Gohan held Goten under the arms and put the boy on his bare feet on the grass. The toddler hadn’t quite learned how to stay steady on his feet yet, but he could hold onto someone and had done the thing where he pulled himself up on furniture – or Gohan, or Daddy, or Mommy, or anything that was available. With Gohan keeping him steady on his feet for now, they were hoping to get him to take at least a step or two today.
Goten wobbled, a hand going to his mouth, sucking on his fingers as more spit dripped from his lips. He didn’t seem the least bit interested in what they were trying to do. Chi-Chi had put Goten in a blue and purple changshan today, which she had him wearing most of the time like it was his default outfit. Considering how many times he spit up on it, though, Goku wondered why she bothered giving him something nice at this age.
With a smile, he shook the thoughts away and held his arms out toward his youngest son. “Hiya, Goten. Think you can come this way?”
Goten stood in place, big dark eyes finding his and staring as if trying to search him out. The hand not in his mouth reached out and grasped at the air. He almost fell forward right away when Gohan let go of him, but thankfully, his brother was there to catch him and set him right again.
“Dada,” Goten babbled. “Dada!”
Goku laughed at how Goten wasn’t phased in the least – so different from Gohan at that age. “Yeah, that’s me. Can you come to Daddy, Goten?”
“Mmmm.”
While Gohan chuckled and let Goten go a second time, the younger boy managed to keep his balance. His little legs wobbled and shook, but he didn’t fall. Not right away at least. Goku watched him carefully, so sure the boy was about trip over himself soon enough. To surprise them all, Goten took a step and then followed it up with one more unsteady step toward his father.
“Yeah!” Goku shouted, glancing over his shoulder quickly to try to grab Chi-Chi’s attention. “That’s it, Goten! Little steps just like that!”
He could hear a chair scraping across the kitchen floor and knew he’d gotten Chi-Chi to come outside, made even more obvious when she opened the door and her warm ki filled his senses. On top of the fresh grass and brilliant sunlight of the mid-day sun, adding Chi-Chi’s scent to the family picture always made Goku feel satisfied all the way to the depths of his heart. She had that kind of special effect on him, and he suspected she always would.
“Is he really -?”
“Mama!” Goten called, shifting focus from Goku to his mother, which caused him to lose balance and fall on his bottom in the grass. “Mama!”
Goku chuckled and looked back at his wife. “Well, he was.”
Chi-Chi, wearing her purple cheongsam, put a hand to her face and shook her head. “Oh, no, I messed him up, didn’t I?”
“I don’t think he minds, Chi-Chi,” Goku said. “He’s a lot calmer than Gohan about falling.”
He caught his older son groaning and flashed a smile in his direction. Gohan had gotten up to pull Goten to his feet again, but the younger boy only sat back down in the grass when Gohan let go. As if protesting the idea of walking anymore, Goten crossed his arms at his chest and huffed.
Behind him, Chi-Chi sighed sadly so Goku jumped to his feet and moved to stand beside her. Without a word, he brushed at her hair and landed a quick kiss to the bun on her head while the boys were busy. She glanced up at him and then put on a smile. Good. Disappointment didn’t look good on her.
“Aw, c’mon, Goten, don’t fuss,” came Gohan’s voice amid another groan. “We haven’t even been trying that long yet.”
Goten pulled away from Gohan and sat down in the grass again. “No.”
“Goten...”
“No, no, no.”
Laughing at Goten’s attitude, Goku spun around and set his hands on his hips. “Goten, are ya hungry?”
He only asked because he knew kids could start getting attitudes at this age if they hadn’t been fed. Goten especially. He wasn’t yet one year old, but the kid still had to make sure the world knew it when he wanted food. He didn’t blame the little tyke. Goku’s own stomach often agreed, after all.
Goten, surprisingly, shook his head. “No.”
So Goku blinked. “No?”
“No, no!” Goten raised his voice and dropped his fists to the grass, pulling something out and stuffing it in his mouth. “Nomhm.”
“Ah! Wait!” Goku exclaimed, almost in time with Chi-Chi, though he beat her to the troublesome child. “What did you just try to eat?”
“Nomhm!” Goten shouted amid his determined chewing. “No – ewwww.”
In the next few minutes, Goku, Chi-Chi, and Gohan managed to work out that Goten had tried to eat a beetle of some sort. Once the toddler’s teeth crunched into the bug, though, he’d spat it out and cried about the awful taste. With the new temper tantrum, they all decided that teaching Goten to walk would have to come some other time. For now, Gohan would go back to his studies – after changing his clothes so his mother could wash the grass stains out of the current pair. Chi-Chi would then wash out Goten’s mouth and feed him something to keep him satiated until dinner.
And Goku?
Well, he sat back and enjoyed the family of four in their little house. Of course he jumped to help Chi-Chi with anything she asked, but for the most part he got to watch things unfold and appreciate what he could be a part of. After all, during that fight with Cell, he’d been worried he wouldn’t get to be here, and it would have been so sad to miss these moments with Goten and Gohan and his beautiful wife as one year fell into the next.
He couldn’t wait to see what else life had in store for them.