Chapter Text
The days passed quickly in the pod, the two men learning more about one another and how to work with each other. The smaller of the two still found it hard sometimes to simply trust the taller man, and he usually tried to placate himself by simply reminding himself that the other man owned him now and he didn't truly have any other option as his life didn't belong to him anymore. However, that was always followed by the mental reminder that he shouldn't think that way.
He would take to glancing at his partner, usually getting the man's attention in the process, receiving a blank look of confusion in return before the taller of the two would blink a couple times as he thought over how to respond to being openly stared at with now words given to him in explanation of why or what the shorter male wanted. In the end, he would always decide to just beam warmly at the tailed being, causing him to flinch, eyes wide and blush staining his cheeks as he pouted back in exchange.
Goku always made sure to chuckle good natured and kind as he wrapped an arm around the other's shoulders in a friendly gesture that both ruffled the emperor's feathers and also tickled his chest warmly in a way he tried to deny to himself that he enjoyed. But the more events like these occurred, the harder and harder it got for him to ignore and deny to himself, and the more he found himself on some level craving more of that feeling.
It only angered him more that he secretly yearned for more of that feeling, more of those types of interactions, more of this familiarity, more of this man's attention. Sure he could chalk it up to his position as emperor all he wanted, that he was used to being everyone's sole focus, that he was accustomed to being everyone's priority, the one that everybody wanted to please.
He could tell himself that he simply wasn't used to not being the most important person to everyone, and that that was the reason why he wanted more from Goku all the time. But even he knew that wasn't fully it. That he couldn't entirely blame his upbringing and station for why he needed this man so badly to be devoted to him. Just thinking about it all once more got his heart twisting in his chest in a needling, stabbing pain, one that burned so strongly it left his whole body feeling hot.
It was a feeling he never thought he'd ever be able to get used to, one he was certain he would never understand , and yet one he craved all the same.
As promised, since Goku could not come up with a pet name for him by the time they landed, (though he certainly did try , and Frieza almost wished he hadn ' t due to how embarrassing the names were that Goku came up with) Frieza supplied him with the word Danna .
Goku wasn't sure why Frieza chose that word in particular, and it didn't exactly roll off his tongue, but he was assured that he would not have to use it that often and that it was really only necessary when in front of an audience, and that he could call him by name alone when behind closed doors. So Goku took it in stride. None the wiser to the reason why Frieza chose it, the reverence and love usually associated with the word depending on its meaning, that it could be used to refer to one's master or their husband.
But Frieza had a feeling that even if Goku did know, he wouldn't really care. So he kept that tidbit to himself and tucked it away along with the feeling he got in his chest and guts when Goku first tested it out on Yardrat when they landed.
The way it stirred something in his core, the heat that it brought forth to his cheeks, the overwhelming urge to do something even though he could not tell what his body was urging him to do, it all hit him hard, and left him furiously blushing and stuttering as he promised to be back with the papers soon and all but kicked Goku out of the pod before taking off. Thankfully, Goku didn't mind the rushed treatment, nor did he mind being left alone on the planet with the locals.
Heck, Frieza could have been gone an entire year and Goku wouldn't have minded. He was being taught interesting new techniques, the locals were kind, and he was being fed well. It didn't matter much where he was, so long as he had food and he could train. So he hardly noticed the passage of time as the days went by and bled into weeks, which bled into months. He didn't think much toward what might have been happening on Frieza's end, either.
After the revelation that Frieza truly did just want to survive and was doing his best to ensure that while submitting himself fully to Goku's will, he accepted that Frieza was not likely to pull anything. He truly believed that if he just met Frieza head on, on equal footing, then Frieza was likely to respond in kind. And if there was one thing he could trust, it was that Frieza cared about his own appearance and survival. So he was sure that as soon as Frieza got things done on his side, he would be back for him with those papers in hand.
And sure enough, he was right about that. As Frieza's first priority had been to spend some time in a healing tank, reattaching his lower and upper halves. His second priority had been to get his people to build him a new robotic prosthetic to replace the half the arm he had lost on Namek.
His third priority had not really been a priority on his list at the time, as he had not actually anticipated he'd run into his father here of all places, but apparently the older frost demon had heard news of the fate of Namek and had become concerned for his son's fate. So he came to home base to get more men and ships mobilized in order to search farther and faster.
More accurately, Frieza surmised that he was concerned about the Frieza Force, not as much Frieza himself. Or perhaps that was simply his own bias of not caring for his father, that left him doubting if his father was truly concerned for him. Either way, he didn't care, he just wanted to hurry up and get to drawing up that paperwork. He'd already wasted days healing and getting repairs. He didn't want to waste any more time than he had to.
Nevertheless, he knew he had to humor his father and have a nice sit down chat. Because at some point, sooner or later, he'd have to tell him. At some point, he would have to admit to his parent that he lost and thus was currently spoken for, and now answered to someone other than him or even Frieza himself. This was not a conversation he looked forward to having, Hell, he wasn't even sure how his father would respond to this knowledge.
It wasn't impossible for his parent to reply by getting angry and trying to stage a coup d'état to remove Frieza from power before his son could wed anyone and lose full control of his throne, thus reclaiming full power before anyone else could lay claim to it. It was a common occurrence in positions such as his own, and truly if his father did respond in such a way, Frieza could not blame him. It made the most sense to have the power remain in his family rather than share it with his soon to be partner.
But, then again, his father was the one who taught him to adhere to these damned outdated customs, so perhaps he would be pleased to know there was someone stronger than his son and that his spawn had managed to bind such a person to himself. Who cared either way. What he cared about was getting to work on the paperwork and planning everything. Goku knew nothing of any of this, he was leaving everything up to Frieza, trusting him to handle it all for the both of them, fairly and quickly.
And if they really were to be married, it would reflect poorly on him to leave the man hanging any longer than he had to. So, with a sigh of resignation, he dragged his feet to his seat and took his spot at the head of the table, laid his elbow on the table and rested his chin in a pensive display on the back of his hand, eyes narrowed as he stared blankly at his father, and waited for him to speak.
Thankfully, the man didn't seem keen on fiddling about with any superfluous chitchat, and instead cut straight to the heart of the matter, gesturing to his son's now robotic hand and raising a brow. To which his progeny simply huffed, puffing out his bottom lip as he flatly stated the facts.
"I used an unfamiliar technique in battle, it backfired and I was bested in combat on Namek. Rejoice, or despair, regardless you are soon to be graced with an even stronger son than me."
The taller of the two allowed his eyes to widen in shock for a moment, but soon bellowed out a light bout of laughter, eyes crinoline as he leaned in with interest.
"I see, and who is this man that overpowered you my darling? What planet are we now in alliance with? What race does he hail from?"
The sneer that graced the painted lips of the shorter male, gave Cold a moment of reproach, fearing who or what it was that his child was soon to be mated to.
"I won't bore you with the details of his tragically long tale, both for my own benefit and yours. Suffice it to say, he is a Saiyan ."
"A…A Saiyan..you say? I believe the strongest of their race was born with a power level of 10,000. And you're… certain this man is of Saiyan origin? Forgive me Frieza, but, I simply do not see how a run of the mill Saiyan would be able to conquer you."
"Oh, believe me father, he is no run of the mill Saiyan warrior. I do so abhor to admit this, but the legend of the Super Saiyan , is not such a legend after all."
From there on, he was stuck explaining concepts he himself and even Goku barely understood. What a Super Saiyan even was , how it worked, how it multiplied his mate's strength, etc. But by the end of it all, his father was much more excited for the union than he had thought he would be. Which was good for him, since it allowed him to request his father's aid in drawing up the appropriate forms and planning the necessary events, all in exchange for Frieza bringing the man back to base as soon as possible to meet him.
But as with everything that had transpired since he met Goku, it also came as a double edged sword that left him feeling understandably bent out of shape over the fact that his father was not furious for him after hearing of all he had gone through on Namek, and instead saw the man practically celebrating his son's defeat and subsequent marriage.
Regardless of the duality of his feelings on all these matters, he delegated the planning and set up of the ceremony and other such time consuming and dull, yet required events in order to prove his union to the monkey in the eyes of all the universe's most important figures, to his overly enthusiastic father and retired to his personal chambers to begin writing up the documents himself so that he could ensure all his needs as well as Goku's were fully met.
Even after he finished writing up the multi page contracts ensuring their own demands and clauses, he still had to handle the actual marriage licenses and certificates and honestly, even for him , someone whose daily job required a LOT of paperwork, this all felt like too much. He easily lost track of time with writing it all up, double checking and triple checking in order to truly be confident in what he was going to have Goku sign.
Then he had to show it to the notary, and his personal aids and his father and, worst of all, his brother. As much of the concessions in the contracts would be forced to apply to his father and brother as well as their men too. Meaning they had to be kept abreast with the situation just as much as he himself. Which meant that to some infinitesimal degree, they too had to concede to these terms.
Of course, they were free to offer their own advice and amendments if they truly thought they were best for Frieza and their shared empire, but if one of their ideas at all conflicted with one of his soon to be husband's points, then it was up to him to growl, and spit fire at them to get them to back down on that particular matter. Which, in his family, only led to his brother spitting and growling back, which of course led to them very nearly coming to blows and their father having to step in to pull them apart.
It was tough, it was boring and frustrating and tiring all at the same time, and it certainly took far too long for Frieza's liking. But finally , 3 and a half months later, he had actual physical progress in the form of all the paperwork necessary for him to take back and present to Goku on Yardrat. He only needed to run through the contracts with Goku and get him to sign them so he could take them back to his people and then he could proceed with the wedding and other political events that he would be forced to attend with Goku.
4 and a half months. It had been 4 whole months of him working and setting things in motion and fixing his physical situation, and some change spent on traveling since he had last seen his Saiyan. Perhaps that was why he found his eyes sparkling as he clutched the papers tightly to his chest and eagerly paced toward the Saiyan pod they had shared, tail coiling in anticipation as he climbed inside.
It would take him some time to get back to Yardrat in the pitifully slow pod, another half a month to be exact, putting it at a total of 5 months away by the time he would touch down once more on the planet, but he had promised not to cause harm to Yardrat, and he intended to keep that promise to keep his mate happy.
So a longer travel time was sadly his only option. And so, the little leader settled in, a scooter firmly affixed to his face as he anticipated what his reunion with the super powered ape would be like. Sure, he knew that it was very likely he'd simply get a bland greeting of hi and a wave or some such thing. Even though somewhere in his heart he hoped the other would be more excited to see him again. Not that it mattered though, it would be best if Goku were not in the habit of being overly excitable and open with his emotions anyway, as that would only get them both in trouble down the line if he weren't in control of himself in front of… others .
But he also had something he felt he had to tell the man, before things went any farther. Otherwise he feared how the man may respond to finding out later, he did not want to be accused of hiding important facts from his husband and give him a reason to want to get a divorce later. Odds were the man wouldn't care much for the would-be bombshell he was going to drop on him as soon as he arrived, but he felt it needed to be said regardless of whether Goku found it important or not. If for no other reason than for his own peace of mind.
___________
Once his ship landed, he immediately was greeted by a sweaty monkey giving an exuberant "Yo! Frieza! You're back!" as he rushed over to toss an arm around him to drag him off toward what appeared to be some kind of training grounds. Despite him smelling and being slick from the sweat, it was kind of nice to have the familiar gesture so readily extended to him once again, as though he had not just disappeared and gone radio silent on the man for a solid 5 months.
Well, at least it wasn't the welcome he had expected, he supposed.
He hardly processed the words being excitedly spit out at him, it wasn't until Goku placed both hands on his shoulders to plant him firmly on the farthest end of the field from him before he ran to the other end himself and placed two fingers to his forehead, only to immediately blink out of existence, that Frieza bothered to straighten up and expend some effort to toward his senses to try to see or hear where the man had gone.
Not even a second later however, the man reappeared right in front of him , like, less than an inch away from him, kinds of right in front of him . The squeak he let out in surprise was both undignified and humiliating, but he only grumbled irritably as he glared at the grinning and chuckling man. So the ape could teleport now then, marvelous, what couldn't this freak of nature do? Oh, right, paperwork apparently.
Clearing his throat, the emperor extended his arms and waited for Goku to do the same, before unceremoniously dropping the fastest stack of documents in his waiting arms that Goju had ever seen in his entire life! He didn't even know it was possible for anything to require this amount of documentation! How on Earth had Chichi and Frieza dealt with all this themselves?? Goku would never know.
But thankfully the tyrant didn't just leave him with them to figure them out himself, instead he motioned a finger over toward a nearby bench as he sashayed his way over to it and sat down to cross one leg over the other, looking expectantly at the other man and waiting for him to join him, before he began pointing at the first paragraph and explaining what it all meant in simpler terms that Goku was more likely to understand.
He proceeded to do this for 5 entire pages of the document before Goku began whining and threw the papers to the ground to lift his hands to scrub furiously at his hair in confusion before he dropped onto his side to curl up in a ball, unknowingly placing his head in the emperor's lap.
Drawing forth both a bright violet blush, as well as the urge to run his own hand through the man's hair to pacify him. But the second he lifted his hand to do just that, he caught himself and instead cleared his throat and gently shoved the man off of himself as he coughed into his fist and announced they would adjourn there for the day, as it seemed Goku's brain could not take anymore legal jargon and reading. Even if it was Frieza who was doing all the reading and then explaining it all to Goku.
The man practically cheered as he jumped into the air and took the leader by the hand and pulled him back over to the battlegrounds, chirping excitedly about how if they were taking a break they should do something fun like spar .
Before meeting Goku, he would have scoffed, or laughed in the face of the person who dared to suggest he, Lord Frieza, expend effort and do something as mundane as fight for fun and not to kill . But then again, before Goku came into his life, he usually just killed anything that crossed his path that didn't entertain him or do a good job serving him.
Hell, before meeting Goku, he'd have screamed and berated anyone dumb enough to not be able to read some contracts themselves, he never would have had the patience, or the desire to do good by them and make sure they understood what they were signing. Usually his contracts contained language purposely meant to obscure, confuse and take advantage of the person he was doing business with, if he could get away with it.
What in the universe had Goku done to him? Was it seriously as simple as Goku showing him some degree of genuine care and basic kindness and consideration, that left him practically trailing after the man, eager to please and be with him, like some lost puppy seeking an owner? He had never cared to have any kind of connections or bonds or relationships with anyone else before. So surely it wasn't anything as asinine as all that now, right?
He wasn't sure, and he resented both the potential answer and its implications, but either way he found himself taking the path of least resistance, simply sighing and following after the man to engage in a sparring session that seemed to leave the other man glowing with pure happiness just at the thought of it occurring. Seeing such radiant joy on the Saiyan's face once again sparking both disgust and something lighter, something warmer, in the emperor's chest.
He still wasn't exactly thrilled to be dirtying his own hands and putting himself through such pain and danger by doing the fighting himself. As if he were a low level grunt worth nothing that could just endanger their meaningless life and have it be of no consequence to anything, rather than the king who risked his entire empire falling if he should perish in battle. But if training with, and fighting with the Saiyan truly inspired him to be in a better mood with Frieza, and thus, more cooperative with him, then he could just chalk the charity on his part up to manipulating the Saiyan so he could sleep at night.
Yes, that was all it was, just him using the thing that he knew Saiyans loved and needed most, a strong opponent in a good fight. Certainly it wasn't for anything else, obviously. Why would he care if Goku liked him after all, that had no bearing on an espousal on equal terms. The man said it himself, as long as he got his demands met, then he didn't mind the union. This didn't have to be an amorous coupling. He was simply not right in the head when he had thought he could find himself attracted to the Saiyan.
Yes…YES! That had to be it, it was because of the blood loss and the beating he had just received on Namek at the time! He was not in his right mind, he lacked the proper health to have his full mental faculties present at the time. That was why he had agreed to use his partner as a pillow, that was why he thought he may be able to… grow feelings for the man, that was why he was behaving so irregularly back then!
But…if that was truly all it was, then…why did he fight his family so passionately to make sure Goku got everything he wanted and more? Was it just to keep his mate happy so that he wouldn't null and void their marriage and kill him instead? That must have been part of it, for certain, but then what made up the other part of it? Why did he still insist that he be in charge of instigating all romantic and sexual acts? For his own safety and control and political uses yes, but was that all of it?
Needless to say, the little emperor's mind was full while he fought his soon to be husband on the dusty training grounds of Yardrat. No matter how hard he attempted to force his mind to be blank, he found his thoughts circling back to the same subject every single time. So much so, that he was barely paying attention to the battle, mostly just operating off muscle memory and letting his body move on its own as some small part of the back of his mind processed what was happening around him without his conscious effort and thought being put toward it.
Since he himself had never truly trained or had sparring sessions before, well, outside of the one fight he had with his father when he was young to test his power to see if the scouter was lying or not, Frieza had never really had any practice in fighting. So perhaps his body was simply reacting instinctively to ensure his survival, he wasn't sure, and he honestly didn't care at the moment. He had more pressing matters on his hands. Like, why did seeing the ape smile or seeing the flex of his muscles, bring such a roaring heat to his own face ?!
The frustration at both the feeling being enjoyable yet evading him as to why he even felt it in the first place, must have pushed him to strike with a bit more force than necessary, as he socked the man in the cheek and heard an offending "Yeowch!" in response, before he registered the man pouting at him. Ah, and it had been with his newly attached appendage too, perhaps that was why he hadn't properly gauged the strength he put behind the punch. Well, that wasn't ideal . The last thing he needed to do now that he was so close to having it all settled was to upset his partner into calling it all off.
Coughing into his fist, he held up his metal hand in a fashion demanding things be put on hold, getting his partner to frown and rub his cheek as he lightly glared at him.
"Why are we stopping? If it's cuz ya clocked me good, then let's keep going, I can just hit ya back for it."
"Ah, no, apologies, it seems that my mind and body are still not fully on the same wavelength so to speak. I was not presently aware of how much force was being placed behind the shot I launched with my mechanical prosthetic, which means that my scientists will have to run further tests to ensure it is not a malfunction. I'd rather not push it any further and risk having it short circuit or blow up in my face when I am half a month out from base. May we retire here and pick up where we left off at a later date?"
"Uh, you're asking for a rain check on our spar? Ah man, and just when I was getting into it. Yeah, alright, but I'm holding you to that."
"Splendid. Then perhaps we could return to an earlier subject in the meantime?"
The man gave a stern glare and pout in response to the suggestion, tone taking on a shocking amount of apprehension as he spoke.
"You're talkin' about those papers, aren't you?"
"Indeed. One cannot legally sign forms in good conscience if he does not know what the terms of those papers are. You must approve the concessions I've laid out for you and I both. I'd anything on my side of the demands does not mesh well with your morals, then this is your only chance to contest them and have them re-evaluated. Likewise, if I or my men failed to fully convey in the documents what it is that you were seeking to secure on your side, then you need to be aware of it and speak up about it before providing your signature on the dotted line."
The shorter of the two flexed and rolled his mechanical hand, watching it as he worked it as if waiting for it to fail, while he spoke. The Saiyan huffed, arms crossing over his chest as his pout turned childish.
"Well, did you get the points I asked for?"
"I did. And, because I was feeling particularly generous, I even jotted down a few extra that I felt fit you and your prior demands, just to ensure all bases were covered and you wouldn't be upset later simply because you did not put enough thought into your demands now."
"Well, then why do I have to read it at all? Why can't I just trust that you did what you said you would?"
This shocked the emperor enough to make him flinch a step back, eyes shooting wide as his gaze immediately shot up to the man who was now stretching his arms as he rolled his shoulders.
"Wh-What?!"
Goku turned confused eyes to the smaller male who now appeared to be on the defensive for some reason, pausing in rolling his shoulders in order to stretch his legs instead.
"You said you did it. So I believe you."
"But…But what if I were simply fibbing about that? What if I didn't include any of your wishes at all?! You wouldn't know unless you read the contracts!"
"Frieza, you and I both know I'm not gonna understand any of that fancy lawyer talk no matter how hard I try. And if I'm just relying on you to read it for me, then that means, either way, I'm at your mercy and just have to believe what you're saying and trust you're not trying to screw me over. I might as well save us both the time and just sign now."
"But…But…"
Goku shrugged as he stood up on his toes to pop his back, hands clasped above his head as he spoke with a voice strained by his stretching.
"Besides, those papers are more for you than they are for me. I don't care about any o' that legal stuff. If you tell me you won't do something, I'll trust you to keep your word, if you end up backing out on our deal, then I'll just hafta beat you again for it. I don't care what some papers say."
That…that is such an asinine way of thinking! It made sense, certainly, and it was fitting for a man like Goku to say, so he should have expected it. But then, why did he work so long and hard on those contracts damn it?! Yes they would serve to keep his family more inclined to behave according to his mate's wishes, but if Cooler decided he wanted to be a prick and go pick a fight with the Earth, then Frieza's neck wouldn't be the one on the chopping block for it, so he certainly couldn't have cared less.
Aside from that however, it was just…so stupid and simple and…and…gah! He was almost offended that the man was simply trusting him to have his back. He would certainly never do the same if the tables were reversed. He would need failsafes, assurances that even if one fell through on their word, he would be secure. But, then again, he supposed if one was the strongest mortal being in the entire known cosmos, then they really didn't need those assurances and failsafes.
He himself used to be the strongest. And he could always just kill anyone in his way to get what he wanted. So why had he always bothered with creating more work for himself by drawing up contracts? He was all the assurance needed to get payment for a deal, if he didn't get it, then the person on the other end died. Simple as that. So why did his father bring him up this way? Why did he feel safer with contracts and failsafes?
He'd have to analyze and unpack all that later, because not answering Goku was apparently starting to concern the monkey, as he was now bent at the hip to stare straight into Frieza's own wide eyes, a hand waving in between them trying to get his attention.
"Helloooo, you in there, Frieza?"
"Urg! Yes, I, *ahem* I was simply thinking, that's all. While I find it incredibly foolhardy to simply sign away your life without even bothering to peruse the details enclosed in the documents first, it is of course your choice in the end. Do as you wish."
"Awesome! Then let's go find a pen and get those papers signed already! What do we have to do after that?"
With a grimace, the lizard began pacing after the faster walking monkey, rushing to grab the papers from the bench and catch up with him, all because the Saiyan had those darn longer legs than his own that let him walk faster. Man, sometimes Frieza really detested his own height.
"The papers would need to be brought back and notarized, then passed along through the appropriate channels. You would also have to accompany me back to base, both to present a united front, and also because, well, my…my father has decided that he is impressed by your accomplishments on Namek, and desires an introduction prior to our ceremony."
"Uh, so your dad wants to meet me? Is he strong?"
With a huff, the lizard crossed his arms, eyes narrowing as he stared at the other's back. Why was he allowing him to walk in front anyway? Did Goku even know where he was going? They weren't even married yet, that meant Frieza was still the emperor, so he should be leading. But Goku beat him fair and square, which made him stronger and better than Frieza, so he had a right to walk in front.
Ah, but if they were marrying on equal terms and were both going to be equally important, then they really should be walking side by side. However, that would be difficult when they got inside any buildings with narrow hallways, and at least this way it left Frieza with a perfect view of his back, wide open and prime for a snipe shot if the necessity arose.
Hm, but he wasn't an enemy anymore, he didn't need to snipe him from behind. Besides, such a cowardly tactic was not befitting of an emperor, it would only tarnish his reputation if word spread that he had to resort to such a move. Great, more to contemplate in private later, but what were they talking about currently? Oh yes.
"*ahem* Both are correct, though he is not as strong as I am. So I doubt you would have anything to gain from doing battle with him. I also highly doubt he would wish to do battle with you. Especially after learning that you were strong enough to best me . If I couldn't beat you, then he knows he has no hope of doing so. He seemed quite excited for our union as well. Therefore, I do not foresee us needing to anticipate and prepare for any ambushes upon our arrival."
Goku hummed, stopping to swivel his head around, eyes narrowed, before he picked a direction and began walking again.
"I don't gotta wear a suit or anything, do I?"
Once again, a puff of annoyed air escaped the tyrant's mouth, eyes barely resisting the urge to roll as he replied.
"Customarily, you would dress your best. But seeing as you have already expressed your displeasure with such a manner of dress, and my father is of little consequence since he turned over his rule to me , I will not force you to change your attire. However, you had best not get used to such a privilege, as you will be forced to meet with more beings than just my father in the near future. And aside from my brother , the rest of the meetings will require you to dress well and be on your better behavior. I would say your best behavior, but I am beginning to think you may be incapable of that. Ah, no offense intended, I assure you, I simply doubt that someone like you-hm, that is to say, someone of your upbringing could-"
"Haha, no worries, I get it. Chichi says it's almost impossible to make me act the way she wants too."
"...Mm, yes, the partner you spoke of previously…Listen Goku, do me a favor and do not bring her up around anyone else. Do not even acknowledge the fact that you are currently bound to anyone else. Otherwise, we will both be ruined."
"What do you mean?"
Arms crossed even tighter over the pale white chest, fingers digging into his own flesh of his arms as he bit back a snarl. Eyes briefly flicking to the houses that were coming into view around them as they walked closer and closer to civilization.
"Depending on the culture, uniting yourself in this way with more than one person could be interpreted in different ways. Some may take it as a status symbol, and revere you for it. Others may not bat an eye, as it could be customary of their people. But there are also cultures out there that view such an act as taboo, and highly disrespectful to the act of marriage itself. They believe it reflects poorly on the person looking for such things that come with having a partner, from someone other than their partner, and feel it ruins the sanctity of wedding someone. I am unsure how things work on your planet. But at the very least, you have 2 partners while I only have you , would paint…let's just say a very interesting and not desired light on our coupling, as well as both of us as individuals."
Goku gave a considering hum to that, falling silent for a moment as he made his way toward a large building in the center of the settlement they now found themselves in.
"Okay, gotcha. So I shouldn't bring up Chichi with your dad. I wasn't planning to anyway, since I'm not sure what your dad is like yet. I don't really wanna tell him about Gohan and Krillin and the others back on Earth, if I'm not sure how he'll treat them."
"Mm, definitely don't mention your spawn to him. Reins handed over or not, I will still catch an earful from him if he finds out you are not only already married but also already have a child with someone else."
Goku gave a carefree laugh at that, most likely enjoying the fact that despite his station and behavior, Frieza was still not exempt from such mundane things as being lectured by one's parents. This got a scoff out of the emperor as he blushed in embarrassment. There weren't many beings out there that Frieza had to answer to, so not many could lecture him and get away with it, really it was just his father, his nanny, Lord Bee- Oh. Right. He knew he was forgetting something important.
Both hands shot out at once, catching hold of the blue sash around the taller males hips, pulling him to an abrupt stop that nearly had him tripping over his own two feet in response to the action.
"Woah! Geez, you could have just asked me to stop, you know? What is it Friez-"
Upon seeing the look on his face, Goku went silent. Eyes narrowing as he immediately shifted into his serious mode, flicking his vision around briefly while extending his senses to try to pick up on any potential threats that could have caused Frieza to act this way. Upon sensing nothing however, he redirected his efforts, placing a hand on a purple clad shoulder and the other on the metal arm that was twitching as it fisted tighter into his clothes.
"Hey, come on Frieza, ease up and talk to me. What's this about?"
Blinking away the dread and frustration, the emperor realized he was shaking slightly, his one flesh hand losing blood flow from how tightly he was gripping the other man's trousers.
As soon as he realized it, he immediately released both hands, the two appendages flying up as if he were about to beg for the other not to shoot him, before realizing Goku was still holding onto his shoulder, and deciding it prudent to step back to put some distance between them before he explained himself. His voice was empty, almost stunned soft when he finally spoke, as if he were worried he had done something wrong and was responding on autopilot.
"Ah, apologies, I did not intend to-"
"Stop, I don't care about that anymore. What's got you so spooked? You looked like you wanted to kill someone but you were too terrified to try cuz you knew it wouldn't go well for ya. You weren't thinking about killing me , were you?"
This shook the smaller male, prompting his eyes to refocus and sharpen, his body to reanimate, and his voice to regain the power and bite expected of one of his position.
"No! I- you are not a concern anymore. You are to be my spouse Goku, why would I go through all that trouble for 4 months and a month of travel time, just to- Listen, I am about to tell you something very important, and I don't want you to react like, well, you when I say it. Am I being clear? No excitement, no desire to tempt the fates, I need you to take this seriously ! I mean it! I implore you to treat this as if the fate of everything you know depends on it!"
"Okay, okay, sheesh, I am taking this seriously, alright? I tried sensing for a threat and felt nothing , but I can't see anything around us that could be freaking you out so bad. Honestly, I didn't know there was anything other than me that could scare you."
"I am not scared, Goku, not of either of them, and certainly not of a silly monkey like you ! I am just… aware of the gap between our battle powers, and am not so cocky or dimwitted to try testing them. Of course, they are not here , at the very least I see no reason why they would be here. As far as we know, he is currently resting and should not awaken again for quite a few years to come yet. Which makes this the perfect time to warn you about him now ."
"Alright, warn me about who ? And how many threats are we talking about here?"
"Technically, one is impartial, but he serves the other, so they should both be considered threats. Especially as he is the master of the one he serves, and thus is even more powerful than him."
"Okay, so it's only 2 guys then? And one is the boss, but he's the student of the other guy who is even stronger than him?"
Frieza nodded, eyes casting down to the floor as his hands fisted at his sides.
"And what are their names? What's their deal?"
"Their names are Lord Beerus and his attendant Whis. One is the God of Destruction of our universe, and the other his angel servant and teacher. It is the job of the God of Destruction to reign over a universe and keep the balance by destroying planets if it is deemed there are currently too many or if a new world and species are set to be created and room needs to be made for them, or a particular species is decided to not be necessary for the universe to flourish anymore, then it is the Destroyer God's job to destroy the planet and its species, so that the Supreme Kai can create a new world with a new race to take their place."
Goku seemed to digest this information slowly, and not quite happily. But more than that, he seemed confused.
"Wait, so you're tellin' me there's a guy out there who does the same thing as you , but he is a God, and it's his responsibility to the universe to do it?"
Frieza flinched with a sneer, arms crossing as he looked to the wall beside them.
"You are not entirely correct, but not entirely wrong either. I do not primarily destroy planets, I usually send my troops to wipe out the species inhabiting the planet so that I can sell the world to the highest bidder. Land is valuable. Especially if it is capable of habitation. But he destroys, always, exclusively. He is destruction, chaotic, unfair, but necessary to the natural order of things. I am simply filling a role somewhere in between and regulating who inhabits what land. If he decides to go and destroy a planet I have sold recently, I hold no qualms about it. If he destroys one I just cleared out and was about to sell, it is an infuriating waste of time and money on my end, but one I must accept. There is nothing anyone can do about him. He will always be there, and even if he were to perish, his attendant would simply find someone new to train and have them take his place. His role is set, a constant, the person in the seat may change but the job will not. However, if I were to perish, my entire business may simply crumble away, and another force may rise to try to grab for the power I once held due to the fact that my larger force is not there to scare them off from attempting anything. Multiple factions may even fight to try to snatch up my business model, but each and every single insignificant one of them could be wiped out, as they would not be needed for the universe to survive."
"Alright, so this Beerus guy is not only super strong, but important and the universe needs him, or someone like him, alive in order to keep it in balance. Gotcha. So if he's so important, needed by the universe, then why are you so scar-er, what's got you so upset about him? He can't be that bad a guy if he's that important to the universe. Isn't it someone like that's job to be neutral? Or, wait, do you just hate him because he's not evil? Did he try to stop you once or something?"
With a deep breath Frieza looked around suspiciously and then leaned into the other's space to grab his shirt and yank him down to his eye level.
"No you imbecile! I have had a few run-ins with him over the years, yes, but he is not good , by any stretch of the imagination! He is chaotic neutral at best . He expressed displeasure at my having wiped out a few planets. He was similarly displeased with how many people I had exterminated as well, as he fretted it may throw off the balance and he may catch an earful from the Kais, but we came to…an agreement of sorts, you could say. And do not address himself so casually! I know you never held any respect for my title, and now that we are engaged you truly need not bother, but he is on an entirely different level! You must address him and his attendant with the proper respect, even if it pains you to do so. Believe me, I nearly learned that the hard way myself as a child."
It took a considerable amount of self control from the Saiyan to not react to all the information being tossed at him, he wanted to know where this Beerus guy lived. He wanted to fight him, to train with him, and most of all, he wanted to meet this Whis guy. If he was even stronger than this Beerus guy, then he would be an even better opponent to fight and train with.
But Frieza seemed deathly serious about this being a bad thing, and them being 2 people to avoid at all costs. To the point he'd practically begged and made Goku promise not to try to find this guy. He'd seemed deeply startled just hearing Goku address the man by name alone without a reverent title attached to it. And he seemed even more shocked to his core and concerned when he first brought the two men up. So even if he denied being frightened by the 2 men, Goku wasn't sure if he believed him or not.
Seeing somebody as strong and proud as Frieza, holding genuine grave tension in their form and concern and fear, having it all diluting his usual blatant irritation and anger, it was unsettling. Like seeing Vegeta cry. Everyone had something to fear or be cautious of, something that bothered them, for Vegeta it was Frieza, and for Frieza it was Beerus. There is always a bigger threat just on the horizon after all it seemed.
"So you're telling me all this to keep me from trying to fight either of them. But you said one of them is asleep and won't wake up for a few years. So are you telling me all this because you're worried that we may run into the other one?"
With a sigh, Frieza slowly glanced almost hesitantly or perhaps shyly downward before flicking back up at him to meet his eyes again. He spoke in a low harsh tone, almost like an aggressive whisper.
"I do not believe we will run into him, I know we will. Because that angel is capable of seeing anywhere at any time with his staff. And the nosy, smug bastard is likely bored without Lord Beerus to entertain him, so he will surely hear the news about Namek, and thus subsequently, our union . And while he will not have an issue with me having destroyed that planet, he will come to pester and tease me about my defeat for his own amusement. And at that time, he will want to meet the one responsible for my defeat, as he knows the customs of my culture and will want to…size up my partner so to speak."
"Oh, so I'm gonna meet this Whis guy, and that's why you're so worried? You don't want me to pick a fight with him? Is it cuz you're worried for me?"
"A-As if! I am simply looking out for my empire! If you're tethered to me , that means you acting out would be tantamount to me or one of my family members acting out of line with him. And I do not need any additional stress in my line of work. So do try to keep your wits about you when you meet him, and do not recklessly and foolishly charge at him issuing a challenge without thinking as you did with me."
"Why? Will I have to marry him too if I do?"
This time, the tiny tyrant actually growled at him, his cheeks quickly colored with heat as he lashed his tail out to smack the wall beside them, leaving a dent in the surface as he eyes narrowed at the man who had the gall to cheerily grin back at him…He may not know a lot about Goku, but the prick had said that on purpose, that much he was sure of. Clearing his throat, Frieza released a long suffering sigh to calm himself before speaking again.
"I do not want to die, Goku. If you challenge him and he is not entertained, he could very easily decide to punish me for it, or even the both of us. So just…refrain from fighting him as you would Lord Beerus unless the angel is in a good mood and specifically asks you for a battle."
This time, Goku nodded seriously, showing he not only understood the other man's words, but also the gravity of the situation the man described. If Frieza was willing to behave for him, then he had to be willing to do the same for Frieza too, and if Frieza feared retribution from these 2 men, then the least Goku could do was protect him from them by refraining from setting either of the men off unnecessarily.
Now, did that mean Goku no longer wanted to fight them? Oh certainly not, every part of his very being was itching to meet and fight these two despite knowing he was very likely to lose if he got the chance to battle them. It was just part of his species nature to want to fight, especially with those that were touted as super powerful opponents that one was expected to have no hope against. But he would hold off on it until he could be sure that it wouldn't come back to bite Frieza in the ass, if he tried anything.
Speaking of Frieza, Goku may not be the smartest guy around, but by the way Frieza was still clutching his shirt and staring him in the eyes so close that their noses were nearly touching, he had to guess that there was something else he wanted to say, but he was worried about saying it for some reason.
"There's more isn't there?"
He could play dumb if he was truly too scared to say whatever it was. A simple 'no' or a 'what are you talking about?' and Goku would take that as a sign and drop the subject. But instead, Frieza responded by digging his teeth into his bottom lip, eyes glaring around them as he leaned even closer, mouth creeping up against the Saiyan's ear.
"The prince was not fully informed about the destruction of his planet. He believes it was solely my fault for the destruction of your home and your race. But it was not. In truth, it was partly my doing, it is true I held some level of…let's call it disquietude in regards to the Super Saiyan legend. However, it was not a large enough factor for me at the time to get rid of your race. As much as I did not care for your kind, they served me quite well and made up a large amount of my more capable forces. That… agreement I spoke of early was what forced my hand and led me to act then to blow up your planet and people."
Goku didn't know what to say to that, so he simply blinked, waiting for the other to continue. When it was obvious that the other was not keen to do so without prompting, Goku blew a sigh out his nose and lifted a hand to place it on his shoulder, squeezing lightly in both a show of comfort and one to hopefully signal that he was listening and for the other to go on.
With a sigh, Frieza dropped his voice even lower as he continued.
"That agreement came about because Lord Beerus was not pleased about me doing his job for him, although, truthfully he seemed quite content to simply lounge about and do nothing while I did his work for him for a long time, so I am not sure what caused him to change his mind and give me trouble when he did. But, he said he could look past it all and wouldn't give me any trouble or repercussions for my actions if I did him a…favor. So my options were either to accept punishment, or make a deal with him. I think it should be obvious what anyone would pick when faced with an ultimatum like that."
He quickly scanned around the room again, ignoring the papers he'd carelessly dropped to the floor earlier in his panic despite the fact that those papers were the reason they were even here currently, inside this building. He took a shuddering breath, grip tightening in Goku's shirt as he shivered.
"...What was the agreement?"
"I believe you can tell for yourself by now."
Goku's eyes slid closed, head tilting back as he murmured in response for the emperor to just say it already, so Frieza huffed and then whispered as soft and quiet as he could.
"...It was Lord Beerus putting me in charge of eradicating you Saiyans and destroying your world."
End of Chapter 1~<3