Chapter Text
Ash walks down the halls of the mansion, which feel long and even eerie thanks to the yellowish walls.
At this point, he’s been here so many times that he doesn’t need any directions. He’ll probably even be able to tell where he is with his eyes closed. The only thing is that each time, the mansion has more rooms than before, and it doesn’t seem like it’s stopping anytime soon. The North keeps expanding, welcoming people in his lines.
Every time Ash steps inside, however, he knows he doesn’t belong. The North and the Regime are two separate factions, and he has created a clear line between them. Or that was what he thought. After all, the war against the North doesn’t seem to be happening any time soon, and each day the possibility is more distant.
In any case, maybe it’s for the better. The war was just a facade, a spectacle to distract the Federation.
Maybe he should start getting used to it. Most of his comrades interact with the North in a friendly manner, and no one appears to be thinking of challenging the peace they had managed to achieve. Well, most, but not all.
He wonders if his meeting with Vegetta has anything to do with it. He only came to the North because he suddenly received a message from him.
It has been a while since the last time they talked. An even longer time had passed since they decided the Regime and the North would live in peace, after he won against Aldo.
Like clockwork, Ash reaches the dining room area, and just to his left, he sees Aldo’s name in one of the signs of a room. For a moment, he stops in front of it, wondering what it looks like, if Aldo’s inside. He bets that if that were the case and he came out now, he’ll hate the sight of Ash in the mansion. He’ll probably lash out, demanding for him to leave or fight. Ash smiles, giving one last look before moving on.
At the lack of a sign of Vegetta there, he goes back to the stairs, advancing through the floors. Different frames of the members of the North decorate the walls, and arrangements of plants and light are embedded in the ceiling.
Eventually, he hears what he thinks is a pickaxe hitting the wall, and the sound grows stronger as he reaches the top floor. The area in it is empty compared to any other place in the mansion. There’s barely any furniture or decorations, and Vegetta is at the end of the hallway, replacing the material of the walls with sandstone.
Just as Ash is about to let Vegetta know about his presence, the King turns around.
“Ashswag! You’re here,” Vegetta says, immediately placing the tools down to approach him.
“Wouldn’t miss a meeting with the King of the North,” Ash says in lieu of a greeting.
Vegetta laughs, placing a hand on Ash’s shoulders like they’ve been friends for a long time.
To be a King, sometimes, Vegetta seems too carefree. Like someone who doesn’t have a whole kingdom to take care of. But if Ash has managed to gain a position of power, it's because he knows not to judge based solely on impressions.
If Vegetta wasn’t someone to be careful with, the war would already have happened, and even when he wouldn’t admit it, Ash can’t say for sure if he would be on the winning side. Vegetta not only demonstrated his fighting skills and his threatening ways, but also showed how capable he was in negotiation and in guiding the members of the North. Which is the main reason why Ash has aimed to maintain a diplomatic relationship with him.
“It’s good to see you, my little friend!” Vegetta says.
“To what do I owe the pleasure?” Ash asks, ignoring the nickname completely. Mostly, because he has heard Vegetta refer to everyone in that way. Also, because he likes to think that the translation bubbles they use to communicate just got that part wrong.
“You’re always welcome here!” Vegetta steps back, and he indicates to Ash to follow him. They walk down the stairs, and Vegetta only stops until they’re in front of Juan’s office, where he invites Ash to come in. “Pero es cierto, hay una razón por la que te invité hoy.”
Vegetta sits in the chair near the window while Ash closes the door and takes a seat in the front.
“And that is?” Ash asks.
He has no clue where this meeting is going, if Vegetta will ask something in exchange for him to keep the peace. Ash doesn’t even know how much he’s willing to give to maintain it, or how much both of them are. Or where the line is.
“Como el Rey, siempre pienso en qué es lo mejor para mi gente. Es mi obligación”, Vegetta explains. “Y ahora que el Régimen y el Norte han llegado a un acuerdo, creo que deberías mudarte aquí.”
For a moment, Ash thinks the bubbles aren’t working and that the translation got it wrong. Because there’s no way Vegetta is saying what he thinks he’s saying. Just like that.
“What?” He exclaims when Vegetta moves a hand in front of him, trying to get his attention back.
“You don’t understand me, my friend?” But Ash understands. It’s just that it doesn’t make sense why the King would invite him to live in his place after everything that has happened.
“Yeah, I do,” he admits. “But why? You know I’m the leader of the Regimen, right?”
“Right, but— Lo que te estoy pidiendo no es la gran cosa, amigo mío. Tómalo como un símbolo de paz.”
“And how does this exacly benefits the peace and your people?” Ash asks, disconcerted.
Is this some kind of new ploy?
“Ya somos aliados, Ashswag,” Vegetta says. “Lo que propongo solo va a traer beneficios para afianzar el lazo entre el Norte y el Régimen.”
Sometimes, Ash simply doesn’t understand the people from the North. They will attack others, and each other, over the smallest things, and the next moment, they will move on from something like a war and act all friendly like nothing ever happened.
Honestly, he gives up trying to understand the logic behind it to focus on what’s important: Vegetta inviting him to live in the North.
What will happen if he accepts? What will happen if he doesn’t ? What are the real benefits and the disadvantages? For one thing, it’s true that being close will make them stronger, and working with the North will increase the possibilities of defeating the Federation. He would even keep an eye on them. The downside, though, is that they will keep an eye on him too. And he barely trusts some people in the North completely.
“Is that what you want?”
“Es correcto.” Vegetta nods. “Además, ya hay personas del Régimen que tienen un lugar dentro del Norte, ¿no debería el líder tener uno también?”
Ash feels like accepting the offer is sudden and impulsive, but when has dealing with the North not been that way? He wasn’t even aware at that time what the repercussions of killing that damn dog would bring to him. Everything that went on, in the big picture, was like a bunch of misunderstandings that almost led to a war.
Now that they are both trying to maintain the peace they have achieved, this might actually make things work, or make them worse.
In the end, whatever happens, he’s still in debt with Vegetta for that first accident, and it’s an advantage to keep being on his good side.
“Okay,” he accepts.
“¡Bienvenido oficialmente al reino del Norte, my little friend!” Vegetta says.
“Thanks. I guess,” Ash says.
Veggeta appears to be in a good mood, until a frown appears on his face. “Aunque, bueno, va a tomar un tiempo. Ahorita estoy trabajando en otras habitaciones, ¡porque madre mía! Esta gente no para de darme trabajo.”
Yeah, that’s another thing Ash will probably never understand. Vegetta seems to be too happy to be the one in charge of building the mansion. Well, Ash also had to work on building the headquarters of the Regime, but his position doesn’t work in the same way as Vegetta. Plus, he doesn’t have as many people following him.
“Why is the King doing all the hard work?” He asks.
“This is the best part of being the King, my little Ashswag.” Vegetta doesn’t elaborate, and Ash supposes even if he did, he probably wouldn’t care to understand either. “En todo caso, va a tomar un tiempo. Si quieres, te puedes quedar con alguien más por ahora.”
Ash doesn’t really need a room to stay, especially if it’s already taken. It’s not like he’s actually planning to use the one that’ll be his own when it’s done that much, anyway. Of course, he’s not telling that to Vegetta. Instead, he’s just about to politely decline the offer to stay with someone else when he hears quick footsteps thud against the floor.
A moment later, the door slams against the wall, and someone runs to stand beside Vegetta, sword already in hand.
“Qué esta haciendo aquí este cabrón?”
Somehow, Ash feels like he would recognize that voice and face anywhere. After all, even when he doesn’t trust impressions, the one Aldo left on him managed to stay. While the other members of the North were too scared to go near him, he was the only one who had faced Ash without backing down.
“Aldo,” Ash says.
“Ash,” Aldo scoffs. “¿Viniste por otro round o qué?”
It never fails to impress him how Aldo manages himself in that way, like he never fears the consequences of his actions. He might lose the fight, but he always takes the opportunity to keep challenging him, as if the result wouldn’t be him again on the floor while Ash stands victorious above him.
“Whenever you want, General,” he says, curling the corner of his mouth in a faint smile.
Immediately, Aldo furrows his brows, like the rank was an insult coming from Ash’s mouth. He grips the hilt of the sword, and Ash moves his hand closer to his weapon, but Vegetta stands up, placing a hand on Aldo’s head.
“Aldo, my friend. ¡Justo a tiempo! Acabo de invitar a Ash a vivir con nosotros.”
“Qué?” Aldo cries out.
"Ya que tenemos una alianza con el Régimen y hay paz, lo mínimo que podemos hacer es darle una habitación an Ash, ¿no crees?”
Aldo opens his mouth, but nothing comes out. If something, it looks like he’s still processing the news.
Eventually, Aldo coughs, trying to gain composure while he lowers the sword for a moment. “No, yo— No quiero que pienses que no respeto tu opinión como líder, Vegetta. ¿Pero ese tipo acá? Todo se va a ir a la verga.”
“No es una opinión, Aldo. ¡Es una orden de tu Rey!” Vegetta says, and he waits for Aldo to say something else. When it doesn’t happen, he clasps his hands, making the decision more definite than it already was. “Ahora ayúdame a encontrar con quién se puede quedar Ash hasta que construya su cuarto.”
Clearly, Aldo is tense and stressed. Every time they meet each other, that’s the way Aldo reacts. As if Ash is one of the biggest threats that he has to be aware of. In a way, Ash knows the reason is totally valid. Not a long time ago, he was demanding a war with the North, and especially a fight with Aldo. The fact that he won only escalated the tension between them to a new level.
Was this Vegetta’s plan? When he said that Ash living in the North would bring benefits for his people, did he mean with Aldo? Is this the way he found to solve the only loose canon that would threaten the peace? Ash smiles, knowing he finally noticed the real intention behind Vegetta’s actions.
If that’s the case, he’ll do his part in the play.
“What about Aldo?”
“Yo qué?” Aldo complains.
“Aldo?” Vegetta puts a hand under his chin, taking a moment to consider it. After a moment, he smiles at them. “Me parece bien.”
“¿Qué cosa?” Aldo asks, a slight panic slipping in his tone.
“Aldo, hasta que construya la habitación de Ash, él se va a quedar contigo. ¡Está decidido!” Vegetta exclaims, patting Aldo on the head. Then, he leaves for the door. It takes a moment before Aldo reacts, but he acts quickly, trying to follow Vegetta.
“Pero Vegetta—“
“No peros! Aldo, necesitamos limar las asperezas con el Régimen. Ahorita mismo tú y Ash son los que tienen una enemistad, ¿no crees que esta sería una forma de arreglarse entre ustedes?”
Ash can see clearly in Aldo’s face that he has a million things to say, and in none of them does he think this is a good idea. Nothing good will come out of this, but he just lets his head fall, and his shoulders slump.
“Si tú lo dices, jefe.”
“Muy bien!” Vegetta takes a step closer to Aldo. “Confía en mí, ¿okay, Aldo?”
Ash doesn’t get that part. Vegetta’s voice is low enough for the bubbles to detect what he says. But whatever it is, he notices it’s enough to get Aldo to relax and nod his head in acceptance.
“¡Entonces no se diga más! Tengo cosas que arreglar. Aldo, quedas a cargo de acomodar a Ash. Lo dejo en tus manos.”
Vegetta walks away, going back to work on all the rooms he has promised to do, apparently. Ash gets up from the chair until he is right behind Aldo, who’s standing still at the door, looking at the stairs like he expects Vegetta to come down and tell him it's all just a big joke.
“So we’re roommates now, right, Aldo?” Ash says, mockingly.
“Fuck off,” Aldo spits, turning around to look at him. “I don't know what you said to Vegetta to make this happen, but I'll make sure you pay for this.”
Ash almost wants to laugh, but he resists the need to. Aldo looks dejected enough as he steps away and walks towards his room, like he had just been informed of the worst thing that could happen to him. And that’s probably the truth, after all, Aldo thinks Ash is his enemy no matter what, and who would want to sleep in the same room with their enemy?
Ash still isn’t sure if he made the right call, but maybe being in the North so many times has made him careless.
So he follows Aldo from behind until they reach the golden doors, and Aldo stops in front of them.
“What exactly are you doing?”
“Going to my room, clearly,” Ash says.
Aldo turns around, pointing a finger at him in an accusatory way. He’s furious now, like Ash managed to push all his buttons to the limit at the same time.
“Fuck you. If you think I’ll let you step inside my room, you’re mistaken. ¡Primero muerto!” Aldo yells.
Right away, Aldo opens the door, stepping inside without giving any space to Ash to attempt to do the same, or at least say something about it. With one last angry look, Aldo slams the door in his face.
As he stands outside of Aldo’s room, Ash wonders if one day he’ll get to understand him, or if Aldo will be another item on the list of things that will remain confusing for him.