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In the middle of the desert, there was a tower guarded by more than a hundred turrets. The tower was built on top of a high mountain, and it was surrounded by a wall decorated with running lava and iron chains. One could only guess that the insides were as menacing. Guess, because there were very few who were actually invited in.
The owner of such a structure was known as a mysterious and powerful kind of mage. He was rarely seen outside of his tower, only for very brief periods of time. Due to this fact and his overall intimidating reputation, people spoke more about him than to him.
And more often than not, Vegetta was glad. Loud big crowds weren’t his thing, he would take the ‘hermit’ nickname anyday over dealing with people he wasn’t close with.
His family was all he needed. There was always something to do, whereas it was making toast for breakfast with his daughter, raiding a dungeon at noon with his son, or enjoying an intimate dinner under the moonlight and the stars with his partner.
Except… when there wasn’t.
Leonarda sometimes chose to sleep in, and that was okay, she was still growing. Roier had a husband and a son of his own to be with, he respected and even took pride in that. His Foolish had a beautiful mind, which meant he was always working on some new and amazing project.
And while he did like to have his fair amount of me-time, it could also be a bit counterproductive. Doing tasks on his own took twice as long, so he got stuck doing the same thing for longer than necessary, boring and frustrating the hell out of him.
His latest attempt, the train, was a clear example. At first, he tried to work on the difficult stuff on his own and let his daughter help with the simpler parts. However, it got so tedious and monotonous that he decided to only work on it when she wanted to. It took them weeks to get it done, and it was truly finished.
As much as that sucked, it was the price he chose to pay for his own calm when he decided to put up all those walls, right? There was no use in complaining, he just had to accept that he wouldn’t have a friend to spend time with anytime soon.
And then, Forever arrived.
Well, technically, the Brazilians had arrived a while ago. Vegetta made sure to greet them with some pretty mines to assert his status as the ‘mad lad’ once more. It kept them at arm's length, exactly what he wanted.
That being said, there was one of them who had chosen to ignore his explosive warnings. It started small, with simple greetings each time they were both using their comms, then actual visits to his tower –through the treehouse– and, after some work, regular hangouts wherever and whenever they wanted to.
As loud, energetic and plainly eccentric Forever could be, Vegetta grew to like him. They had much more in common that one could initially think, and therefore complemented each other fairly well. The unexpected friendship was just what he needed.
Well… almost.
Anyone who had met the Brazilian knew about his… ways: he was a shameless flirt. It started with Philza after the poor guy offered him some resources as a welcome gift. Then, it moved briefly to Roier, when he invited him to his pool party. At some point, Bad and Maxo also got thrown into the mix.
There was nothing inherently wrong with this, until you considered he had a type: rich, older and resistant to his advancements; and Vegetta was pretty much it. He had lost the count of the many moves Forever had tried on him, it was just a thing in their interactions. A thing he brushed off, knowing it was harmless fun for his unique friend.
Until one day it wasn’t.
It happened a week before the elections, on the last debate night. Vegetta hadn’t gone to the previous ones –loud crowds and all– but this was a special occasion: his partner’s last chance to make an impression. What better way to do so than letting everyone see how tight knit was the presidential family-to-be?
He picked a flashy white tuxedo with golden accents around his arms and a green cravat. He was very proud of his outfit, his way of, classily, scream his support. Their beautiful daughter was wearing a matching dress and he had even gotten Roier, who dreaded politics, to wear a green bandana.
They looked great, though they would look even better if only Foolish was also with them. His partner was running late, something about a special Sunday surprise? Whatever that even meant. In the meantime, Vegetta had his son distract the moderator while he distracted the candidates to delay the debate as much as they could.
After he had finished telling Etoiles he respected him SO much for dropping his adventure days to take upon the tedious and monotonous presidential duty, I could never, good for you man! Vegetta stepped aside for a bit, satisfied for now with his proselitist skills.
Since nobody questioned the ‘mountain hermit’, he was able to get a nice break from the crowd for some solid minutes. That is, until Forever spotted his little corner and made a beeline towards him.
“Ey linda,” said man greeted, putting his hand on the wall behind Vegetta’s head in an attempt to trap him against the wall. He was standing on a step, which allowed the regularly shorter man to do so. “¿Ya sabes por quién vas a votar?”
[Hey, cutie // Do you know who you are voting for?]
Vegetta snorted, he had been through this several times these past weeks. His friend had been trying to get his vote with way too many promises of special privileges. In return, he would pretend to muse over his offers and eventually reject them. The promises grew bolder and, therefore, more tempting, but he remained firm in his stance.
After all, there was only a candidate who’d give him something no one else could: “I’ll vote who makes me first lady.” He had told him just a few days ago, hoping it’d be the last time the topic was present between the two.
Boy was he wrong.
You had to give it to the guy, he was persistent. He shook his head, entertained. “I told you, no? My vote goes for who-”
“I can do that, if you let me. Diga e eu farei.”
[Say it and I will do it]
There was some special sparkle in Forever’s eyes that didn’t let Vegetta laugh off the flirtatious response. The Brazilian meant it, he gulped at the realisation, wanting to take a step back and not being able to. Did he bite more than what he could handle? Were they not on the same page anymore?
Were they ever?
“You know I have a family.” He said, sternly, putting a hand on his chest, lightly shoving him off.
Forever didn’t move an inch, instead, he went ahead and grabbed his hand, lacing their fingers together. “E eu também sei que tu não tens um anel nesse lindo dedo. I see no ring.”
[And I also know that you don’t have a ring on that pretty finger]
“What are you saying?”
“Leave Foolish for me and I guarantee you we will reign together. Whatever term you want, husbands, novios, b-friends… As long as we belong to one another, it’s yours. Can he say that?”
Can he? Vegetta wondered too and he hated himself for doing it. His relationship with the blond was everything he could ever want and even more, he shouldn’t be doubting him.
That being said, he would be a liar to not recognise it missed something: official commitment.
Sure, they were loyal to each other and on occasion would use terms like boyfriend or husband –or the latest QELD, Queen Empress Lady Dictator– but there was nothing backing them up. He hadn’t been properly asked to be anything, and he was too cautious to alter himself what they already had and risk destroying it.
Forever was pointing right where he was the weakest, whereas knowingly or not. He was willing to give him something he desired, something Foolish had yet to show he considered necessary. He remembered what happened when they welcomed the French, how his amour hadn’t even spared a comment to mention him or their family.
Today was supposed to be all about supporting his partner, he was meant to show the others how Foolish was the better option of the bunch. How did he end up wondering if he should replace him? He had to stop this, now.
“You don’t mean that, you’d probably say the same thing to Philza, or Maxo, or anyone who listens.”
“I won't lie, I would,” the Brazilian conceded, his honesty was one of the things he liked the most about him. Platonically . “But I came here first didn’t I? Don’t sell yourself short, Vegetta, you are the most desired, technically bachelor, on the island. And I wouldn’t mind changing my ways to also change that.”
He had to wait for the translation to appear, what he had understood was too… perfect. He read it three, no, five times, he had gotten it all right. His heart began beating faster, the words were actually working.
Forever’s hand squeezed his, was this the most intimate touch he had felt in a while? With his partner’s duties as a candidate and his mission to find dinosaur remains for the campaign…
There was something here, he couldn’t deny it. It went past their amicable compatibility, it was proper romantic chemistry. Suddenly, he felt as if they were too close, he knew that nobody was watching them, that if he were to raise his chin and grab him by the blond hairs-
“Woo-hooooo, watch this, nerds!”
A loud cheer captured everyone’s attention. It came from the sky, where a gorgeous sunbird was elegantly flying and pirouetting in all its glory. If they weren’t all shocked by the sight, they’d have already reached out for their cages and traps to try to get ahold of the universal good luck symbol.
Soon enough, the sunbird landed gracefully and a friendly face got off its back. The bright feathers brought up his golden skin and his green eyes sparkled along with it. Foolish looked right in his element, like he belonged there, holding the reins of the majestic creature, which was peacefully expecting for its master's next commands.
It was peacefully tamed, meaning: it had chosen him for greatness. How could any candidate attempt to beat that? Vegetta recalled the whole ‘sunday surprise’ business he was told about, realising he had heard ‘sunny surprise’ wrong. He chuckled.
Even from far away, he could see Foolish’s satisfied grin. It was blinding, breathtaking even. He was delighted with how his plan had turned out, and he looked stunning like that, his beauty purer than ever. His heart skipped a beat, he was truly lucky to have found someone like him.
Why did he insist on going away to explore when he could be right by his side, where he belonged? There was nothing he wanted to do more than ditch this boring event and catch up as they should in the tower. He was meaning to take a step in his direction, but Forever was still clasping his hand.
He frowned, who did this guy think he is? The unsolicited touch was uncomfortable, their closeness suffocating, the whole situation was honestly disgusting. Wait, he blinked, what was that? Wasn’t he all into the Brazilian just a second ago?
Of course, he is so- Vegetta bit his tongue, hard, looking to snap out of it. He should’ve noticed before, he had never allowed these kinds of situations to escalate to this point. This level of inhibition, as well as the sudden mood changes, we’re due to something beyond him.
Now that he had regained most of his lucidity, he came to a realisation. He knew this feeling, he had toyed with it in the past: a love potion, one of the easiest to brew as an alchemy apprentice.
It only took a bit of siren scales and it became flavourless enough to add to any recipe and hide in plain sight. He remembered the scones Richarlyson offered him earlier in the day, how he devoured two to satisfy the little one.
Vegetta abruptly unclasped his hand from Forever’s and took a big step to the side. “You had the nerve to send my grandson, your son, to poison me?”
“It was in good fun. You know brincadeira, guapo? I’d have stopped you if things went any further, promise.”
[Do you know ‘joke’, handsome?]
With the type of humour that he knew he had, he knew that he wasn’t lying, he actually was just toying around. After all, if he had meant it, effects of the potions wouldn’t be rapidly wearing off. Eventually, they’d have to have a stern conversation about their limits.
For now though…
Vegetta took long strides away from his little corner, making his way towards Foolish. When he finally got to him, he grabbed him by the nape and joined their lips together in a deep kiss. He was quickly reciprocated and, in the sweet seconds it lasted, he felt his chest about to explode from warm and fuzzy feelings.
It was overwhelming to feel so much for someone. To know that with one word they could make you incredibly happy or destroy you. To be content with a chaste kiss or want to taste every inch of their body. To want them all for yourself, but also have everyone know how much you loved each other. These contradictions made love real, and not a mere artificial symptom from some coward potion.
When he retreated, his partner had a confused, yet pleased look. “What was that for? Eh… por qué tú haces eso? Hiciste, yes yes.”
“I will explain later,” Vegetta smiled at the beautiful man in front of him, then, he turned to the crowd that was staring at the men with curiosity. “My president.”
Nobody dared to argue, actually, it seemed like nobody knew how to react. The most intimidating, and consequently respected, man on the island had just declared his pick with no hesitation.
The debate went on without a hitch, the moderator even made a comment about how easy it had been for her. Apparently, there was a certain candidate that tended to be interrupted more than anyone else who got lucky this time around. Vegetta eyed each of them, nobody seemed the type. I wonder…
To wrap everything up, the Federation proceeded to show how the public polls were going. Forever and Foolish were at the very top with a very close margin between the two, while the next candidate was almost ten points behind.
It would all be down to the twenty-six voting members and the leaderboards, and Vegetta liked their chances regarding both. There was nothing some door-to-door campaigning and extra ‘try-harding’ couldn’t do.
In order to celebrate the great polling results, the Brown family went to Chico Malo’s pizza for a nice treat. Leonarda was probably the most excited there, leaving her pizza untouched so that she could ramble about how she would become the Island’s princess. They, clearly, didn’t have the heart to tell her that wasn’t how politics worked, not yet at least.
After such an evening, she went to sleep even before they reached the tower, in her Dada’s arms. After she was tucked in, her parents gave her each a forehead kiss and left for their shared bedroom. They themselves were pretty beat, so instead of properly getting ready for bed, they just collapsed into it and lazily cuddled together.
“If I want to kiss my partner, I will.” Vegetta stated in a low voice.
At first, Foolish seemed slightly confused by the statement. It didn’t last long though, he prided himself in being a good listener when he cared, so the conversation from earlier did come back to him. “Ohohoho~, don’t let me stop you.”
“That’s okay, no?” He asked, hugging his partner closer and hiding his face in his chest. Right there, next to his strong heartbeats, was where he felt the most secure. He needed all the reassurance he could get for his next question. “What are we?”
“Uh… boyfriends?”
Even if his answer was technically what he wanted to hear, the questioning tone killed his chances. Vegetta untangled his limbs and turned away from his ‘uh… boyfriend?’.
“Hey! Come back!” Foolish hugged him from the back, resting his head in the crook of his neck and pecking him twice on the jaw as he did so. “No tú molesto, mi amor. I was just confused you asked. We have been together for a while now. Am I missing something? Did I do something wrong?”
[Don’t get upset, my love]
“You never asked.”
“I… I had to? Is that how stuff is done where you are from? ¿En Karmaland preguntan? ”
[Do you ask in Karmaland?”]
Is that not how it is everywhere? It was Vegetta’s turn to be confused. “You thought we were official?”
“You thought we weren’t?” The blond got a tiny nod as a response, he chuckled in disbelief. “We have Leo!”
“Everyone have an egg!”
“¡Construje tu estatua!”
[I built you a statue!]
“And also one for Cucurucho!”
They quickly forgot how tired they were in exchange for wanting to have the last word. That whole bit went on for a while, both sure that their point of view made more sense than the other’s. At some point, their examples became too silly, which caused their little debate to be constantly interrupted by attacks of laughter from both sides.
“Pero tío, we don’t even- ay dios, we do. But what about-”
[But my guy // oh god]
Vegetta proceeded to laugh at his inability to form a concise argument, Foolish soon joined in. “Okay, yeah- but you- We aren't ever going to agree here, are we?” Another big chuckle from the two. “Vamos a mimir, mi amor, ¿Sí? Mañana uh… we will keep going.”
[Let’s go to sleep, my love. Tomorrow we will keep going]
Thankfully, they did in fact, not, kept on going when they woke up. However, one of them decided to bring the topic back to their conversation at the end of the next day during a nice ferris wheel ride –Foolish’s idea.
“I’ve always been your boyfriend, but I wouldn’t mind setting a special date for us, so, ¿Hoy? ¿Hoy quieres ser mi novio? I mean, not just hoy. Hoy, mañana, mañana mañana…”
[Today? Do you wanna be my boyfriend today? // Today, tomorrow, tomorrow tomorrow…]
“I choose you hoy y siempre, my love.”
[I choose you today and always]
The most intimidating, and consequently respected, man on the island had just declared his pick, again . One person dared to argue this time around though, because ‘now and always’ as boyfriends wasn’t exactly what Foolish envisioned.
But they could have a whole other debate about the w-word when they got there.