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Vegeta stared at Goku in disbelief, surprised by the earnest expression on his face. Truth be told, his mind was still a little muddled from being awoken from his slumber, too tired to bother lashing out. “What did you say?” He grunted, rubbing his eye with the heel of his palm. Sleeping on a shitty excuse of a roll-up bed was bad enough out in the open field of Planet Fuck-Knows-Where, and now his sleep was being interrupted?
“I think…I remembered something.” Goku repeated, not a hint of humour in his face. Vegeta’s eyebrow furrowed and he sat up. “While I was sleeping, I saw things I don’t remember seeing awake.”
Vegeta blinked before scowling. “That’s called dreaming, you idiot.” He sneered. “Now go to sleep. Time’s slower on this planet, and I can’t stand another minute of it.” He attempted to sink back into the bed, only for Goku to grip his shoulder, keeping him in place.
“I know what dreams are, Vegeta!” Goku shot back defensively. “I mean, I remembered something. I saw my mom, my dad…I think I saw our planet.”
Vegeta paused and regarded him before sighing heavily. “Fine. I’ll humour you just this once.” He grumbled. “What did you see?”
“Some details are hazy, but I remember seeing a fire or something. A green one, but it was moving weird.” Goku began, eyebrows furrowed as he recalled the events. Vegeta sat up straighter as he listened, feeling awake. “And my mom and dad were standing in front of each other…well, not exactly. The fire was there between them.”
Vegeta pursed his lips, “And then?”
“They started walking around the fire.” Goku continued, finally looking at Vegeta, searching his eyes as if searching for the answers already. His hand found Vegeta’s, and Vegeta didn’t pull away; it had…become somewhat normal, ever since their relationship had turned into something Vegeta never would have expected nor permitted. But it did. Vegeta said nothing about it. “And they just stared at each other, walking around the fire before…heh, you’re not gonna believe this, they jumped into the fire and started to fight until the fire burned out.”
“Was there blood?” Vegeta asked.
Goku blinked, tilting his head. “Yeah. Lots of it.” He nodded. “Then they bit each other’s necks and…that’s about as much as I remember.” He shrugged. He snorted a bit, rubbing the back of his head. “Gee, now that I’ve said it out loud, you’re probably right about it being a dream, after all!” He teetered.
“That’s an ancient Saiyan ritual.”
Goku looked at Vegeta, quiet and unsure if he’d heard him right. “Are you doing that thing where you agree before you yell at me?” He asked with a squint.
Vegeta rolled his eyes. “I never thought I’d hear of that ritual again, certainly not from you.” He said slowly, recalling one of those history lessons his father had insisted he know as a prince. “The practice of it had died down with society progressing and more importance being placed on breeding as many strong Saiyans as possible.”
“I still don’t get it.”
“Because I’m not finished talking.” Vegeta snapped, and Goku snickered, raising his hands placatingly. “There was this ancient practice called the Binding of Karuficer, supposedly an offering to one of those ancient gods between two Saiyans swearing complete fidelity to one another until and beyond honourable demise.”
Goku was quiet for a moment. “So basically, a wedding.”
Vegeta spluttered. “It isn’t a wedding! A wedding is a subpar human ritual that doesn’t even begin to cover the sheer sanctity and culture behind the practice! It’s sacred, and only reserved for Saiyans!”
“So, a Saiyan wedding!” Goku laughed with a shrug. Before Vegeta could continue his rant, Goku sighed wistfully, mumbling, “But I kinda get what you mean. I don’t even know how I remembered seeing that…but something in my heart felt really full. Felt…Saiyan.”
“It’s Saiyan pride. Obviously.” Vegeta answered easily, totally in-tune with the feeling. He looked at Goku, the slight frown on his face. He almost felt pity. He was getting it, little by little, the weight of being a Saiyan, although he supposed he couldn’t blame him for being unfamiliar with the rush of being able to participate fully in Saiyan culture. Although it was true that fighting was their foundation, the tradition wove its way into the crevices of life and the celebrations that came with it.”
And then, Vegeta found himself rising to his feet. “Get up.”
Goku looked up at him. “What?”
“Don’t make me repeat myself.” Vegeta huffed, grabbing a wooden-looking thing and tossing it on the ground between them as he kicked the beds aside. Goku got to his feet, watching Vegeta with laser focus. Vegeta fired a ki blast at the stick, and it burst into flames, creating a modest fire. Vegeta didn’t look at Goku once, grabbing a ragged rock on the ground, before dragging it across the palm of his hand.
“Vegeta!” Goku exclaimed, barely catching the rock as Vegeta tossed it back. He stared at it, then at Vegeta, who began letting the blood pool and drip onto the fire. Goku blinked, perplexed, but slowly came to an understanding as the fire made little flames of green upon disintegration of Vegeta’s blood. Goku dragged the sharp edge of the rock down his palm and copied Vegeta in silence.
Vegeta slowly began circling around the fire, and Goku soon followed suit, going the opposite direction. They held their gazes; it just felt like the right thing to do, and it had just been like what his mother and father had done. His heart was pounding hard against his ribcage as if wanting to break out. The way Vegeta looked under the lighting was nothing less than enchanting. Goku couldn’t look away if he tried.
The thumping in his chest felt stronger—louder, somehow, like a thousand large drums were surrounding them, setting a rhythm for their pace that was beginning to pick up. Something deep within his soul told him Vegeta could hear it, too, primordial and instinctive. Vegeta’s gaze intensified and made Goku feel hot, and his muscles felt like they were twitching.
“Kakarot,” Vegeta growled, and Goku’s bones rattled, responding to the name. It sounded rough and raw and right; at this very moment, he felt he was not Goku, but Kakarot. His foot involuntarily stomped into the fire amidst their heated pacing, but he felt no pain, just a strong pull towards what—who—was across from him. Goku’s pulse jumped when Vegeta made the same gesture, provocative and anticipatory, on the prowl and ready to pounce at him, to fight him in a sense that was pure passion and something deeper.
Kakarot let out a growl, at first not recognising his own voice. He and Vegeta were stomping into the fire, but never quite attacking, but it thrilled him nonetheless.
When Vegeta did jump into the fire, Kakarot felt like his body moved in perfect sync, the flames roaring upon contact, engulfing them. There was warmth, but it didn’t feel like the usual sear of heat on their skin. No, it was deeper, beyond his muscles and his bones, penetrating the very essence of his soul. Every blow Vegeta managed to land on him felt like it touched something beyond what was tangible, and likewise, every contact felt like he was slipping into the warmth of Vegeta’s soul and sinews. It was…orgasmic, to say the least, every groan ripping coming out from a place of pleasure Goku had never felt in his life.
They wrestled in the fire. Vegeta’s nails had dug into Kakarot’s face at some point, and Kakarot swore that he’d broken every single bone from his prince’s left leg, but all it felt was good, good, good. They rolled on the ground, screamed, punched, kicked, grappled, until they were holding each other and Kakarot couldn’t stop himself biting into Vegeta’s jugular, and Vegeta did the same, staying in that lock until they became lightheaded from all the blood lost.
But it was all sweetness, as far as Kakarot was concerned.
The flames soon subsided, and all left were teeth on skin, hands on sore muscles and bones that felt like they were mending themselves by some soul-exclusive high. As they pulled back from one another, blood pooled at their mouths, Kakarot’s eyes widened when Vegeta kissed him.
Goku kissed him back in earnest, head spinning, marvelling at another kind of flow surging throughout his mortal body.
When Vegeta’s lips departed from his, Goku couldn’t help but feel as though they were still tethered, deeper than what was already entangled between them. Goku stared at Vegeta with wide eyes, before slowly asking, “Was that part of it, too?”
Vegeta’s eyes widened, and Goku couldn’t help but smile as Vegeta shoved him back, getting to his legs and testing out his newly restored bones. “So, we’re Saiyan-married now, huh?” Goku teased.
“Shut up, Kakarot.” Vegeta grumbled, walking away from him without looking back a single time.
And Goku couldn’t help but smile, appreciating the touch of human as he pressed his fingers against his lips.