#dragon ball x reader

[grenadez-jk]

I have the sudden urge to write about dragonball

[Would anyone be interested in that?]

[bitebitesnap]

Pulse of a Warrior

Summary: Goku hasn't been around in months since his return from Yardrat. While Krillin has kept you informed of his whereabouts but he's avoided you for so long you're starting to doubt if he even wants to see you again.

And after all this time, you never got a chance to even tell him how you feel.

Pairing: Son Goku/Reader Word Count: 9672

CW: Fluff, slight angst (mostly miscommunication), Goku being Goku, inappropriate heart monitoring

Dishes clatter in the sink one by one. The water is still warm and soapy as you scrub. Some of the pans still need an extra bit of time soaking so you leave them set off to the side each filled with scalding water as not to clutter the sink. The dishwasher hums peacefully under the counter, filling the otherwise silent kitchen with a constant rumble like a coming storm.

The quiet has always been a favorite of yours, not because of the solitude but that it gives you the chance to just be. Not to worry about anything crashing through the wall and causing you trouble for the tenth time in your life. Usually you'd have some music playing but you hadn't felt like messing with the radio so close to the water. It crosses your mind to invite Piccolo over again as he was one of your friends who knew how to enjoy the silence. He also seemed to like your company too compared to most of the other fighters.

But instead your head is full of buzzing thoughts like little flies in your ears. You want to enjoy your day, even if it means doing chores, yet you can't seem to get into that mindset no matter what you do.

You're not really sure why you're feeling this way. Is it because of guilt that you hadn't done enough? Or maybe you've missed something and he's not saying anything out of politeness.

Whatever the case, it's eating you alive.

When Porunga revealed Goku was alive you were beyond tears as only a vast well of relief swelled in your chest until it spilled over your lashes down your cheeks. You don't remember if you'd even spoken from how happy you were just to know he was still okay—the fact alone a miracle after Namek's destruction.

Then the bubble burst when he admitted he didn't want to come back.

Another dish gets picked up, covered in soapy bubbles that you scrub into. The leftover spaghetti sauce was left to sit for too long and now you have to scratch it out. Great.

The sour little thought doesn't keep you distracted long.

Joy and confusion mixed into a toxic compound of grief. You didn't know why he would ever think about staying away, not with Gohan still needing him. He would never leave him alone to live the same way he had when his grandfather died. Somewhere in there, you'd hoped he wanted to come back to you too.

Seems you were wrong.

This time it's a handful of silverwear trying your patience. Not because they're difficult to clean but because there's so many. You've always hated washing silverware by hand but it was your fault that you didn't run the dishwasher until right now so you'll have to deal with it until it's done.

It took him a whole year to come back. You trusted Krillin when he suggested that the only reason he could think of for why Goku wanted to stay behind was to train his new transformation. From what Gohan had said it was very intense, both physically and emotionally. According to the boy his father had actually snapped at him for the first time when he'd changed, something he'd never done before.

That was the first time you'd ever heard of the term Super Saiyan. And from what you'd learned second hand, you believed that would be a good reason for a man as kind hearted as Goku to stay away for the time being.

But when he did come back he was different, both good and bad. While he'd been able to conquer the power in his body to use as he needed, he hadn't even tried to visit. He stayed away even when he was back on the same soil and shared the same air as you.

You admit to some fault quietly in your rambling thoughts. You hadn't really gone with the others when he was supposed to arrive, instead staying home. It ended up being the right idea as you were able to avoid being noticed by Frieza's returning shuttle—while you never doubted the other's ability to protect you, just the thought of that freak even looking at you made shivers run down your spine.

Not to mention the situation with the androids. Krillin had to be the one to tell you of their plans to destroy everything that he'd learned from some kid from the future, that they got some kind of twisted purpose out of doing what they were made for out of spite.

Not to mention the cruel plan of poisoning Goku with a virus that-

You grit your teeth and shake the memory away as hard as you can.

Maybe if you had joined them back when he'd first returned you'd have gotten a chance to see him before he ran off to train. Just a moment to look at his face would have been the push you needed then maybe you'd be able to-

Your arm knocks into the edge of the full dish drainer, nearly pushing it straight to the floor. You barely manage to stop it by throwing your soap covered hand up and pulling it back in place-

-SMASH-

Little shards splash up your ankles as the sound reverberates through the silent house. Belatedly you look down at the floor, where the remains of a plate now lay to rest by your feet. It takes you a moment longer to actually recognize what had happened and you blink, albeit a bit slowly.

Ah. Too bad. Could be worse.

You'd rather the one than the whole cabinet's worth still on the counter.

With a sigh you turn around to look for the broom, thankfully spotting it on the other side of the kitchen. Good, you didn't feel like picking glass shards out of your feet today-

-p-tap-

Your head snaps up towards the window above the sink. Outside, the crisp blue sky is dotted with a few whispy clouds streaking overhead. You'd cracked open the window to let in a breeze as you worked, allowing the rattle of the bamboo leaves surrounding your house to creep in.

Someone was on the pathway. You recognize the orange gi he's wearing, the deep black kanji of the Kai facing you through the window. While he does have dense black hair it's dripping wet and plastered to his head as he crouched over something large laid at his feet, like he's judging something with a distant mutter.

You strain your ears over the dishwasher's content rumbling, pulse kicking up to a rabbit's pace. It's a fleeting hope but you pray to Shenron that you're right.

He moves in a flutter of cloth and sodden hair being tossed around as he shakes his head, black spikes fluffing up instantly.

“Woo, bit rougher landing than I wanted-ptheh!” Your heart stutters in your chest as he stands up with the object at his feet in a tight grip, “I thought I would've dried off during the flight. Guess I was more wet than I thought.” He tosses the thing over his shoulder, actually a large fish you'd never be able to fish out on your own.

You want him to face you. Need him to—it's selfish but you need to see his face and prove to the little voice in the back of your head still claiming he's not here. That this is a dream.

And like he'd heard you he turns around, black eyes roaming the yard curiously, “Hope she didn't hear me coming. I haven't even gotten the chance to ready the fish yet!”

Goku.

He's here. Actually here, standing on your yard like everything is normal again.

You're staring before you can think properly. He hadn't changed in the slightest since you'd last seen him, still wide eyed and smiling like he hadn't left you wondering if he'd forgotten you existed. His wild black hair is still a permanent mess, he still wears that stupid gi that makes you feel things you wish you could give a voice to. He's still, of all things to still be doing after an entire year, dropping by to give you a fucking fish he caught.

Completely oblivious to you losing your mind, Goku walks your home's pathway as if he'd done it all his life, goggling wide eyed at all the bamboo around him, “After all this time it still takes me so long to find the place.” He turns a circle, head tilting up to where the shoots converge overhead, “It all looks so similar from above-”

The fact he's just monologuing to himself, having a full conversation without concern of a second party, is what snaps you out of your frozen state. You scramble to the door, broken plate forgotten as you nearly throw it open.

Goku had his back to you when the hinges creak loud enough to wake the dead and his shoulders rocket up to his ears, “Eh!?” The force of him spinning around makes the fish fly outward before coming back to rest on his spine as he drops into a crouch.

You stare at him, a grown man—Saiyan, in fact—goggle at you with wide eyes with his free arm ready at his side like you're about to attack him. You continue to stare as he slowly rises from that stance to standing but leaning a little bit away with his empty hand still raised, gaze locked onto you. You stare until the image of him grows fuzzy at the edges like paint washing out and your eyes begin to sting from being open for too long.

He stares back, lips pressed tightly together. Those deep black eyes locked in what you think must be deep thought as they trail down your figure, lingering on places you're certain he didn't before. He flinches suddenly, eyes squinting slightly as his chest lurches with a sharp, silent inhale with his empty fist clenching at his side.

Then it's gone as he waves at you with a cheery grin, “Hey, (Y/n)! I know I haven't been around much but I brought you this-uwAHH!?”

He flinches back, panic in his face as you charge and launch straight into him. Instantly you register a distant splat of soggy clothes and a cool rush exploding across your chest and down your stomach but you couldn't care less. Of course your meager strength doesn't even make him so much as stumble, his heavy body absorbing the impact like hitting a brick wall, but he lets you scramble to hold onto him like he'd disappear if you didn't, burying your face directly into the hard chest you once believed you'd never return to.

“Hey whoa! What's this for?” You feel him wriggle in your grip, shuffling something, “The fish isn't going anywhere you know.”

You don't move even an inch away as he shows his catch to you, it's blue scales popping up in your peripheral vision. But you don't move—you stay there glued to the front of his gi, the sodden cloth smelling faintly of algea as it begins soaking into your shirt and jeans. Yet you can still make out a scent you can only define as him—a warm musk like sunshine and oranges in your lungs.

A tight knot builds in your throat as you leave his question unanswered. Trying to control yourself you bask in how his boyish voice rumbles through his chest and into you, buzzing pleasantly across your cheeks. It soothes a part of you that had believed it had been abandoned, providing both relief and making the pressure in your lungs worse in equal parts.

Completely oblivious to your turmoil he allows you to hold onto him, casually placing a hand underneath you as if it were completely normal for people to launch themselves at him and cling to his body like a koala, “Kinda surprised that you're hugging me since I'm all wet from the river. You got so mad at me last time, heheheh!” You can hear the smile in his voice as his laugh shakes in his chest. The motion makes you draw even closer until your nose is nearly buried between his pecs, wetting your face with his damp clothes.

-ba-thump-

-ba-thump

-ba-thump-

The thud of his heartbeat thrums behind his dense pectoral muscles, yet it seems to gravitate towards you as you remain in his hold. You can feel the muscles stretch and relax, pulsing in time with the beat in controlled compressions. As if his heart were right against his ribs, beating against you in a secret language you couldn't decipher yet.

-ba-thump-

-ba-thump-

You suck in a stuttering breath as you bite your lower lip hard.

“Eh....” Finally your silence is starting to get to him as you hear him put the fish down, “Is something wrong, (Y/n)? Normally you...aren't this quiet...”

You're somewhat ashamed to admit that you just can't find the words to even try. After so long of not having him around you'd gone a bit stir crazy to the point you'd run this exact kind of conversation in your head a thousand times. You thought you had everything ready for when you'd see him again. And here you were, completely tongue tied.

Though you could give yourself a bit of a break, given you were seconds away from a breakdown right in his arms.

-ba-thump-

-ba-thump-

Tears sting at your eyes as you frantically try to blink them away, hands clenching his gi around his waist, ignoring the trickle of cool water over your palms. He responds by steadying his grip underneath you, adjusting to hold your weight across one massive palm while the other sets along your back, the weight of it forcing a shuddering gasp out of you, “Y-You never came back....”

-bathump-bathump-

-bathump-bathump-

“Huh? Of course I came back, I'm right here aren't I?” He sounds incredulous as if you'd asked him if he wanted to give up fighting, “I know my trip to Yardrat took a long time but I didn't go anywhere else.“

His gi blurs into a mess of orange and blue as the tears clinging to your lashes are barely held back by a thread, “I'm-I'm talking about me. You never visited me, Goku, not even for a minute. You just-You just ran off into the next-you didn't even-!” You can't get out the words. They tangle up in your throat along the sobs desperate to get out too. You're trying to keep it together, but your walls are breaking down.

“But, I'm right here? (Y/n) I've been here the whole tim-”

This idiot-

You manage to release your death grip just to smack him on the shoulder. He did yelp as if in pain but you know damn well you didn't hurt him in the slightest—in fact you probably hurt yourself more but you didn't feel it from how worked up you were, “I meant back when you first got to Earth, you dumbass!” You tried to put on an angry front but your voice cracks the second you cursed at him. So you just hit him again and again, bashing your tiny fist into his rock hard shoulder.

“Ow ow ow! Okay! Calm down I can explain!” His hand lifts from your back to grab your wrist. Though firm enough to keep your arm still, it's nowhere near tight enough to leave even a bruise. Tingles run up to your shoulder as he lowers your hand, drawing comforting circles on the inside of your wrist with his thumb, “If I knew you'd get this worked up I would have come over sooner but I had to be sure.”

His chest beats against your face a bit stronger, the pulse thrumming his blood a little louder. Bulging pectoral muscles flex outward in the motion, pressing up into your cheeks like the comforting touch of a lover.

-bathump-bathump-

-bathump-bathump-

He lets go of your wrist letting it fall back around his waist as he grabs you by the shoulder, pushing you back slowly. You choked out a soft whine when your vision was no longer filled with the blue of his gi and struggled against him for a moment. Clearly you get nowhere closer which helps clear your head a bit, realizing how you must look.

Embarrassing.

His hand moves down onto your chest, keeping you perfectly still, “(Y/n) come on. Look at me.” His voice still sounds so boyish as if he were pouting, but you can hear the demand in his words. He won't let you just back out of it; whatever he's going to tell you must be important.

Not that you wanted to, not ever. You needed to see him up close, internally begging to look at his face in the hopes it would bring you back to your senses but you couldn't. Some part of you wanted to live in the subtle line between reality and fantasy where Goku never came back so you could do this interaction all over again.

Somehow, you can still hear his heartbeat, slightly fainter but still loud and strong.

-bathump-bathump-

-bathump-bathump-

You watch the shape of his chest pulse gently in time with the beat. As if his heart had suddenly moved closer to the outside of his body, to you.

That idea only makes the tears you'd been holding back finally fall down your cheeks.

Goku's whole body flinches, a crashing 'ga-thUMP!' lurching his sternum so hard you see his gi strain against it for a moment, “A-Ah! No no don't cry! I promise there's a good reason why I wasn't around!” His black hair flips back and forth as he frantically looks around before landing on something at his feet, “See! I brought you some food! I know I haven't been doing that recently so I wanted to surprise you! Heheheh!” He laughs nervously as he brings it up by the tail.

The motion finally makes you look up at it, a great fin river tuna. The scales are all scratched up likely from him dragging it out of the water bare handed with a few bits of river grass knotted within the little spines racing down it's back all the way up to his hand. Both are also dripping wet. Your eyes traced the droplets trickling down his forearm, following the contours of tightly knitted muscle in his bicep and shoulder speckled with little pearls of light until finally reaching his face.

He's even more disheveled than he first looked at a distance. His dense black hair drips water down his cheeks soaking into the collar of his gi. Little leaves from river plants cling everywhere in his thick spikes like tiny sprigs of life sprouting from his head. He looks as if he'd taken a dive face first into an abandoned pool even as he grins nervously, a streak of dried mud cracking off his cheek.

He's never been more damning to you.

-bathump-bathump-

-bathump-bathump

His eyes squint to the beat of his pulse, as if he were struck by it. He swallows hard with a soft 'eheheh' hesitantly shaking his body against you, “Eh, see? Everything's okay-”

“What d-do you mean you have a good reas-a reason.” You try to stabilize your voice but it still has a traitorous wobble as you scrub your cheeks with one hand, “You said there was a reason you never c-came over. I thought..”

-bathump-bathump-

-bathump-bathump-

The beat is so quiet as you speak, barely a whispered undercurrent of the conversation. Adding its two cents without interruption and somehow, it comforts you. The steady rhythm pulls you further out of your spiral until you've mostly composed yourself enough to wipe away most of the tears.

“Huh? Thought what?” His head tilts, eyes still full of worry as the fish is lowered. He looked like a cute muscle bound puppy.

-bathump-bathump-

-bathump-bathump-

Your throat still tightens in a swallow, “I thought...s-snfgh...you-I thought you didn't want to vi-visit me anym-anymore...”

-ga-THUMP-

He flinches sharply, thick chest expanding with a sudden gasp. You barely notice as your eyes had dropped to the tuna he'd caught for you, allowing hazy memories of various recipes for fish to cover your sudden intense abandonment with tactile instruction for later.

The breeze picks up, coasting the warm summer heat across the yard. Bamboo creaks all around filling in the gentle silence between you with the rustle of leaves, alongside a steady thudding beat.

Goku says nothing, still holding you as if your physical weight didn't matter as much as the weight of your words. You're sure he understands well enough, still some part of you worries he might need a more clear explanation—but he doesn't ask for one. The tendons in his neck tense in your peripheral as he looks away too.

He then grunts low in his throat as a firm 'ga-thUMP!' punches his chest out again, the force of it shaking even you. He drops the fish on the ground with a wet thump as his now empty hand presses against his chest, “G-guh....agh...eh..eheheh...oops.”

You look up with wide eyes as black eyes glance at you with a strained grin. Another hard 'ga-thUMP' pulses in his ribs as he lets out a soft 'agh!' under his breath, gaze flicking away nervously. But you feel the tension in his body and how it tightens every muscle under your hands with enormous strength.

-baTHUMP-

-baTHUMP-

His heartbeat is so loud. To the point it was starting to scare you.

-baTHUMP-

-baTHUMP-

You'd never heard of a heartbeat that could pound so hard it caused his whole body to throb with it.

-baTHUMP-

“Are..” You hesitate, licking your lips, “Are you alright?”

“Eh?” His little grin drops before the hand on his chest raises placatingly, “No no, I'm fine just uh-ugh-” His shoulders lurch to his ears as another -ga-thUMP- pounds inside, “Just uhhh a bit worked up from the uhh-” Black hair swishes as he desperately glanced around before settling on the fish again, “Fishing! From fishing, yeah! Just overdid it a bit nothing much, eheheh!”

You can tell he's trying to distract you which brings more tears, “Goku, you can't tell a lie to save your l-life.” Your hiccup makes his eyes go wide, panic flooding his expression, "Did you just not want to see me again? Was I just n-not anyone important anymore? D-Did…snfgh.." You sniffle, choking back a sob.

"Did you just…leave me behind?"

The fear had been with you for some time now. The reality of your relationship with the rest of the fighters—you weren't special at all. No real fighting skills, no special abilities to give them advantages, not even anything tangible like the beans the little cat Korin would grow for them. You were a nobody. A random girl who'd crossed paths with a certain monkey tailed boy who ate everything on her market stall and simply hadn't moved on since.

Sure, he visited on occasion when the mood struck him but rarely did he stay for long. Mostly just to eat your fridge dry and train on your lawn. You never could bring yourself to do much else, too flustered to draw out conversations or interact with him as the little voice in your head warned you he'd notice your growing feelings. A fear you fostered in secret as it felt like safety to keep him at arms length.

He'd grown so much more than just a normal man. From being revealed as an alien one day to overpowering one of the strongest tyrants in the universe the next, did someone so normal like you fit into his life anymore? Had you just, become a simple stepping stone?

You didn't know. You just didn't know and it was eating you alive. You just didn't know and you were going to lose him as a friend, lose anything you may have had with him because he wouldn't come back one day and it's all your fault for being too weak. Too boring for someone like him to care for anymore like a stray dog that's overstayed it's welcome.

He may have come today just to let you go.

You're ripped out of your spiral as a massive hand grabs you by the back of the head and shoves you into warm, packed muscle, “Uff! Goku w-wha-”

-ba-THUMP-

The next beat pulses through your cheek like a punch. Supple flesh tightened by the comparatively minor strain of just holding you in place squishes gently against you, scorching hot with the blood pumping through his veins. Both pectoral muscles squeeze the side of your face between them like the hands of a lover caressing your skin, gentle yet leaving no room for argument.

-ba-THUMP-

The massive hand holding your head presses you closely against him, the other keeping a firm grip on your bottom so you wouldn't fall in the next beat. He keeps you there, making you hear its thunderous roar right in your ear as your brow rested in the hollow of his throat. His soft breathless gasp fills in the silence between one beat to the next, as if the closeness had startled something loose in him.

-ba-THUMP-

His heartbeat was so loud. So insistent and demanding, as if it were trying to reach out to you making you hear it's call. But now with your ear resting on his chest you can tell that instead of a continuous pounding heartrate of a muscle overworking, it's a different situation entirely.

While it continued to throb within his breast certain beats would skip off the tune in a rhythm different to the one sustaining his life. Each unique pulse on the separate beat rockets through his body punching his ribcage out in time with the strike, pectorals throbbing against your cheek. Out of tune, but unique in that it doesn't seem to hinder the sturdy pounding of his resting heartbeat, instead adding a second louder pulse on top. A song you can hear yet don't understand.

And you want so desperately to know what it's saying.

-ba-THUMP-

Your tears slow as he swallows, the sound clicking in his throat, “It's...been like this for a long time.” His voice is so soft and gentle, but with your ear resting right against the hollow of his collar it rumbles directly into your bones, even at such a quiet mutter with the heady pound of his heart right in your skull, “It started a long time ago when I was still a kid. One day it just started workin' differently and didn't really go back to normal for a long time. Used to make me think I was sick but never really had any other symptoms.”

-ba-THUMP-

“I tried to ask Roshi or Krillin but they didn't know either. I'm not sure if they even knew what I was asking, though it's not like I knew either. I guess I could've asked Vegeta but, eheh, he probably would've just called me an idiot and left.” His laugh sends tingles down your spine, “So I tried to figure it out myself. Sorry but, it took a while. A lot longer than I meant it to.”

-ba-THUMP-

The hand behind your head tangles gently into your hair, large fingers scratching your scalp tenderly. Your shaky gasp makes his grip tighten just a little, pressing you even closer to the next beat.

-ba-THUMP-

“Hmm...I missed holding you, ya know.” His thumb rubs over your hair to prove his point, “Your so light it didn't take much when I was younger. But now it's like you're made of air. You barely weigh anything at all. It....” You can feel the soft, sharp inhale expanding his chest in your arms, “....It kinda scares me....how easily I could...”

He doesn't finish. You can feel the sudden choke in his lungs as he swallows hard. He can't bring himself to say it.

He doesn't have to.

-ba-THUMP-

“Its..It's why I couldn't come back. This power I have now...it changes how I am. Makes me stronger but, to get there I have to get mad. Really mad.” His chin lowers to rest onto the top of your head, nearly making you tear up, “I couldn't trust myself around anyone until I was sure I could control it. And,” Another pause as he takes a breath.

“I couldn't bear the idea of hurting you.”

-GA-THUMP-

“Hng...!”

That vicious beat pounds in your skull like a sledgehammer. The muscles he held you to tightened, expanded to near bursting against your face. You could feel the strain of his gi as it desperately tried to contain the rebel of his heart alongside the packed walls of muscle swelling to the limit inside your embrace.

-ba-THUMP-

“H-Heheh, it's probably why I can't put you down now either. Believe me, I tried to earlier since I doubt you wanna be held all day.” He tilts his head until you feel his lips brush over your hair, hand sliding down your neck as he mutters, “But even so, I doubt you want me to either. I think you wanna stay here too.”

-ba-THUMP-

And you do.

There's not a single part of you wanting to part with him in this moment. You want to bind yourself to him, become one with him at a cosmic level—but you can't bring yourself to voice it. Because somewhere deep you still don't believe what you're hearing, that maybe it's all still somehow a dream.

His hand flinches against your back, those massive fingers curling into your shirt to clutch you tight.

“I know why my heart is doing this.”

-GATHUMP-

“Ngh-!” His body curls into you at the force battering his sternum. The new angle drives your cheek deeper into his chest making the muscle wrap around you tighter with each beat as his breathing deepens, “S-Sorry. Kinda hard keeping it down..”

You finally start coming out of your stupor, “H-Huh?” Trying to look up at him only draws a soft groan from him as your nose nuzzles into his collarbone. You squirm, blushing fiercely as the movement makes you rub into his pectorals, “G-Goku? Can you...can you let me go?”

-GATHUMP-

“Ack! A-Aaugh....” With a sharp hiss his arm wraps around your back firmly, “N-Not really...eheh sorry ab-about that...guh!?”

-GATHUMP-

A sharp gust of air blasts through your hair, but not from the bamboo surrounding your property. It comes from below, as if the wind suddenly decided to erupt from the ground. Briefly you feel his skin grow hotter to the point of nearly burning your hands before cooling again.

“Ngh....”

You want to interrogate him about his behavior, but with how he clings to you it's difficult to keep your thoughts in order. He was nothing but muscle and trying to fight against his hold was an effort in futility. He'd never hurt you, but to get anywhere further in the conversation you needed to push him to give you a clear answer.

So you push against him gently, not enough to pull yourself out of his hold but enough to let you move your face out of the hollow of his throat, managing to turn your head around to face his jawline. He adjusts with you, sliding off of you to drop his chin against your forehead “....Does it hurt..?”

His pecs clench at your soft breath against his neck, “M-mngh....kinda....” He hesitates as he tightens his grip on you.

-GATHUMP-

The beat pounds into your chest and you squeeze him in return, trying to comfort the storm he's fallen into, “....Goku...you don't have to...”

-GATHUMP-GATHUMP-

“U-Ugh!” Panting he shakes his head, “N-No. I can't. I-I can't risk it. I'd never forgive myself if I....!” He can't even finish, swallowing loudly. Instead he nestles you even closer to his breast keeping you there with his one arm around your back, “T-This is enough. It-It doesn't hurt as bad when you're close-guh?!”

-GATHUMP-GATHUMP-

Another sharp burst of air blasts your hair up. This time, at the new angle you were able to coerce him into giving you, you can see how his body suddenly strains under the force. A layer of light bursts over his skin briefly, fluctuating to the rhythm beating in his chest. With it had been another wave of heat thrumming against your cheek, his hair flowing upwards into sharp upward spikes before gently falling back over his forehead.

He gasps for air, stunned for a moment at the sudden display, “Ah....hah..eheheh, see? Doing better alr-ready.” He tries to laugh while pulling away from his earlier sharp curl into you, but the strain in his tone tells you just how hard he's refraining from doing it again, “Just—Lemme put you down. I'll get the fish ready to-”

”Goku.” He stiffens, stopping halfway from removing his support beneath you, “Goku you....you don't have to hide from me. I,” You pause to swallow hard, “I trust you.”

-GA-THUMP-

The pulse almost tosses you out of his hold. Goku himself nearly buckles under the intensity of it, groaning long and deep into your ear as he grips you tightly against him. Another rush of air tosses his bangs off his forehead and you can feel him just barely suppress the heat spiking in his veins before it burns you, “You...ugh....D-Don't do that! I-I don't know if I can keep this under control if you tell me things like that!”

“What if I don't want you to?” The bold way you speak surprises even you as the words just flow from your mouth, “What if I want you to show me? That I want to see what this power can do to you?”

-GATHUMP-GATHUMP-

“Ah....! Hah..!! You don't know what you're asking of me, (Y/n).” He grits out.

You snap back, “Of course I don't, you didn't ever show up to tell me!”

“You didn't either!” The aggression in his bark makes you flinch as his voice travels through his quaking chest, ”This works both ways, you can't just expect me to always come see you first!”

A bitter lance of spite hits you in the chest, “Well you never bothered to stick around much anyways! Why would I come visit your place if you're always off fighting!?”

-GATHUMP-GATHUMP-

“HRK! Becau-Because—I—!” He flounders and you can see the fluster growing on his face as he panics, “L-Look, please just-ngh!”

-GATHUMP-

“J-Just let me-hng!”

-GATHUMP-GATHUMP-

Whatever he was going to say is lost as he curls inwards, clutching you as close as possible to his thundering chest. Pain carves into his expression and he glares at the ground with gritted teeth as another flare burns across his skin. His growl is a long, deep song of primal energy at the end of it's leash.

You watch in morbid fascination as his hair briefly flashes a brilliant gold light, then fading into its deep black, “Goku..”

-GATHUMP-GATHUMP-

"I know you won't hurt me…"

He flinches as your hand gently comes to rest atop his chest, right over the traitorous muscle pounding in his veins. Deep black eyes flicker down to you, tightly scrunched in a fleeting attempt to control himself, the hand at your back coming back up to rest against the back of your head.

You watch him, the man—the Saiyan—you'd grown to love, “...I trust you Goku. Let go..”

His eyes widen, surprise and awe caught inside obsidian. His mouth parts slightly, jaw unclenching to let loose a soft breath. A release.

-GATHUMP-GATHUMP-

-GATHUMP-GATHUMP-

Dark black slowly shifts into a brilliant blue before rolling back into his head as ki erupts across his body.

His skin boils with energy, igniting tingles across your arms and down your thighs where you still cling to him. The thick chest he holds you to doubles in size, biceps swelling as the expanse of his shoulders burst out. A deep resonant hum rings in your ears, gathering strength while settling into the world around you with the same presence as a mountain tearing from the center of the earth.

Air rushes upwards, blowing his hair up into sharp points and burning away the river plants tangled among them as every strand erupts into a brilliant golden light.

-BA-THUMP-

You feel the pulse pound against his ribcage, seeping between his bones into the space between you. It echoes in the silence of the bamboo, yet is soft enough not to hurt your ears with it's power. A calm yet dominating aura pours out of his body like a river unbound, bleeding a silent roar that shakes the very air.

The breath he releases feels like a beast waking from a long slumber. His head tips back down, eyes slowly opening.

You gasp as seafoam green clashes with yours. The color as cool as an ocean floor singes you to your core, sparks flying in your blood to several places at once. Your heart ignites, racing with excitement and fear alike as it takes them in with a terrible and overwhelming sense of fear, recognizing the predator before it. The other places, the lowest coil of your gut specifically, throb in anticipation of the hunt. Preparing, soaking and heating all at once.

Where you'd seen a perpetual youthful joy now bore a sustained wrath, caged behind layers of control shaking at the force of it. An angry monster, chained by the temperment and kindness of the man who housed it in his body.

And he would never let it harm you.

-BA-THUMP-

-BA-THUMP-

-BA-THUMP-

The beat in his chest slows to a steady rate again, finally quelling after being restrained for so long. Even so it's power shakes his body gently with each pulse to remind you that it's still there, simmering under his skin and radiating a golden light.

“It's called Super Saiyan.” The rough timbre of his voice rumbling low in his chest makes you shiver. He sounds so dark, like a storm weaved into words, “And its why I didn't want to come home yet cause just from standing here, talking to you, I almost lost control of it.”

He says it so casually you almost miss the risk he'd taken, “Goku what-What do you mean you-” You check his person frantically not even sure what you;re looking for, some kind of sign that what he said was true? Just to get the nervous energy out? You don't even know anymore, “Would it-I mean could you have hurt yourself?”

His eyebrows raise slightly in surprise before he smiles, almost a smirk, “Of course you'd be worried about me first...but no. It wouldn't hurt me. Sure didn't feel comfortable but nothing I can't handle.” Even his laugh is tinted with darkness, a lowered rasp that rumbles into you with the colors of sin, “I was...more worried I would scare you.”

No matter how many times he tells you, you don;t understand. He was too kind to do anyone harm unless he needed to and even then you'd seen him offer mercy, “You couldn't scare me Goku. Not really.”

He shakes his head, “No I wouldn't. But that's not...really what I mean.” The intensity of his gaze wavers as green eyes flick away, “I mean, kind of. I did worry that I would lose control so it's why I stayed away—wait I already said that-ugh..” The hand on your back goes to press against his forehead, “S-Sorry I'm not really good at this mushy stuff. Especially in this state since all of my emotions are a lot louder right now.”

The fact he's floundering in such an overwhelming form pulls a laugh from you. It's such a Goku response you could almost forget everything you'd been struggling with. Almost, “It's okay, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I just....” You smile, tracing a hand up his strong neck to ruffle his gold hair. Little zaps of energy tingle against your fingers as they weave through the thick strands, “I'm just glad you came to visit.”

Goku stares at you wide eyed, clearly not expecting the sudden head pats, before he sighs. He takes your hand in his pulling it away from his glowing hair to press it against his cheek, “Yeah, I missed you a lot. There wasn't a day I spent on Yadrat when I wasn;t thinking about you.”

Heat floods your cheeks and you look down to hide your smile, “I missed you too.”

Just as he was starting to nuzzle into your palm he pauses, blinking, “Oh yeah. I almost forgot.” Your hand gets dropped and you barely manage to catch onto his gi before it falls onto your face.

You start to look up, confused, when your jaw is cupped and tilted up to face him. You stare, wide eyed, into a pair of tender green eyes before they quickly close and—

Oh.

Goku was kissing you.

The shock of it prevents you from responding but it doesn;t seem to affect him at all. While it's not a deep, sensual kiss, it manages to send goosebumps across your entire body. Reminding you that he's holding you without breaking a sweat as if you weigh nothing. You whimper into the kiss, placing your shaking hands on his shoulders as he grumbles throatily in turn.

A shuddering beat in his chest draws you closer. His toned body is so much harder in this form, soft muscle that conformed to your shape before now swollen with power that barely gave under pressure. Still his heart thunders away inside his ribs, pressing his pecs into your breasts like an immovable wall you were being squished into.

Finally he pulls away, breathing slightly heavier from the kiss, “I love you too. Can't believe I almost let you go without telling you, heheh!”

You nearly fall out of his hands for him. Your eyes turn to the size of saucers the flush already warming your face turning red hot with a gasp as your heart throws itself into your throat in a desperate bid to skip several beats by making you choke on them instead.

He just continues to hold you, smiling gently, “I know it's a lot but I promise I'm telling you the truth. Even if I kinda almost messed it up by trying to keep it down for this long,“ There was no way you could get away from how he was looking you nor hide the fluster currently putting your tongue on hold, ”You don;t have to answer if you're not ready. I just..really wanted to tell you before I lost the nerve to.”

He looks so patient but there's an edge of worry to his gaze. He glances away, a nervous tilt to his smile wrenching at your heart.

“I...” He immediately looks at you again, listening intently to what you have to say, “..I think I...No. I don't think.” You gather yourself with a deep breath, “I love you too, Goku. I didn't-I didn;t get to tell you either, did I?”

When you smile at him again, you don't see his eyes go wide with surprise. Instead his eyebrows raise up in a familiar cheeky grin, “I know. But I like to hear you say it out loud this time.”

Your smile fades a little in confusion, “What? Out loud? Wait-did you already know before you left and still didn't even bother to visit?”

“Um, no?” He tilts his head at you like a confused, green eyed and golden haired dog, “I couldn't really find the words and I didn't really know what you were trying to say either so I just read your mind. Was kinda easy since you think so loudly, eheheh-OW!“

His whole body tries and fails to flinch away from your sudden yank on his hair but since you're still wrapped around him he can't get far, “Goku you asshole why didn't you just tell me you already knew!? And what do you mean you're reading my mind!? Who does that!? You didn't even ask!” You smack his chest repeatedly, doing absolutely no damage despite his whining as every time your fist connects it just bounces right off his firm pec like he was made of stone.

“Ow ow ow okay! I'm sorry I won't do it again!” He manages to grab your wrist in a careful grip, “Man, if I thought you'd lost any fire since I left I'd've been proven wrong!” He giggles like he wasn't nearly six feet of muscle restrained by pure hearted airheadedness.

You make a point to prove you're still angry by slamming your head right into his stupid happy face. You'll give him points for tanking it with a grunt, “That's for reading my mind without permission, you jerk.” You grit out trying to keep your angry expression, though you're not sure how effective it is given you're quickly gaining a new headache in place of him being an idiot.

Worth every second.

Still he nods frantically even if your attack didn't seem to phase him in the slightest, “Yeah got it. No mind reading.” As he holds you steady he begins to pry you off his person, “Come on, I don;t want the fish to go bad.”

You stare at him confused for a moment before remembering. Right, he did get you a big river tuna, “Don't think this conversation is over because of that, Goku. You still have to explain what the Hell you mean by mind reading. Did you have that before going to Namek or something?”

Getting yourself to let go is a bit of a challenge, you find. Apparently since you were so busy panicking over him you didn't even notice your legs falling asleep even while locked around his waist. Goku, patient as he is, helps you get down by holding onto the majority of your weight in his hands. One wraps around your waist while the other grips onto your leg with wide fingers spread on the outside of your thigh as you readjust to standing and once you can do so on your own he lets you go. You miss his warmth instantly.

“Nah, just something I picked up on the way there. Don't really use it much since I kinda don't like prying into people's heads.” He starts to lean down to pick up the fish's tail but stops short as a gold lock falls into his face, “Oh yeah, I almost forgot.” Standing back up he takes a deep breath.

-ba-THUMP-

-ba-THUMP-

-ba-THump-

His chest pounds, pulse roaring to a crescendo before fading slowly. Muscles expanded to the limit compress back down, a soft rush of air dropping over the both of you as his overwhelming power dwindles. The golden light emanating from his hair begins to fade out as they soften from their spiked up look back down to his usual scruffy state.

And just like that the terrifying, predatory pressure is gone. Like it had never happened.

Goku takes a moment to brush off and adjust his gi, “Sorry about that by the way. I thought I had better control over it but it looks like I still have plenty to learn.” He grabs the fish by the tail and tosses it back over his shoulder, ”But I think it worked out well. I mean, look, I'm all dry now!” He tugs at his shirt to show you with a big grin.

You pat your chest in response and he was right. Your clothes are completely dry now, “Huh. Me too.” There's not a single sticky feeling of wet cloth anywhere on your person and all because he'd turned into a man shaped air dryer with glowing hair.

Convenient.

”Well, we probably should head inside, yeah? Staying out here's only goin' make you take longer to make some lunch. You haven't eaten right?” He leans in to look you over.

“Uh, no. I was doing the dishes when you got here.”

His grin gets wider, “Great! That means you'll be able to cook me up a snack before I head out again. I got some serious training to do before the androids get here and I don't wanna be too far behind everyone else.” With that he turns around practically skipping towards your house with a giddy laugh, “I can't wait to have some of your sushi again!”

“G-Goku wait!” You nearly trip trying in vain to keep up, the stones stinging your bare feet in your haste. If it were any other day you'd let him hop into your house and keep himself busy by training in the yard while you prepared whatever it was he wanted. But today was different, had been the moment he'd arrived.

So you stop him by grabbing his bicep just before he can cross the barrier into your home. As he looks at you with wide, confused eyes you hesitate, “I-I mean....Goku you. You just..” You stammer while he continues to stare at you, blinking owlishly, “Did you...I-”

“Can I?”

“Huh?” You look up, dumbfounded.

He watches you quietly, black eyes flicking from your flushed face down to your wringing hands, “Can I? Read your mind I mean?” When you only blink at him he clarifies, “You said you wanted me to ask first.”

“Uh...” He was right, but the real question was did you actually want him to. It was one thing to voice your thoughts yourself, but to have him actually in there while you do so sounded strangely intimate. He would, after all, get a deep look of what you think of him and everything you saw between you. What was scary was wondering how he would react to it all.

Goku must have noticed the concern on your face, because of course he does, so he continues, “I won't use it to pry, if that helps. I just want to understand what you're trying to say.”

And it's so unbelievably Goku of him to say, you think. An ability he could use maliciously and all he can think of is wanting to understand, that you find yourself giving in, “Okay. Just, give me a second to get my thoughts in order.” You sigh and fold your hands together in front of you, focusing on what you want to tell him but can't find the words. As you get enough of an idea you look up at him from underneath your eyelashes, catching how he looks at you with so much patience and kindness.

When he does set his hand on your hair you briefly marvel at the size of him once more. His palm covers so much of the top of your head, fingers curling over so gently. It puts you at ease again as his warmth seeps into you and with it, you let him listen.

To the sounds of panic you'd muffled when he went to Namek alone, disappearing without warning and leaving you behind.

How you worried every day until Bulma messaged you that he'd finally answered calling in about how he was doing mid-flight. And how upset you'd gotten when she said he was gone again before she could tell you about it.

The joy, the relief of him still being alive after it was all over. How you'd trusted him to return on his own, the peace that had come when Gohan had finally told you he was back.

That even with his absence in your life, how often he needed to train, how much he craved the next big fight—you still loved him. How the monkey tailed boy who ate you out of a job and still dragged you along into his next biggest adventure would always be in your heart.

And you wondered with all of today's events, if he meant what he said.

The hand on your head tightens slightly then lifts away. You're left standing at your doorway with your eyes blinking open, unsure of when they'd closed and missing the heat of his palm.

“I did. Meant every word.” He's smiling down at you again as your head snaps up to his, ”It took me a while to figure out what I was feeling and to be honest, I didn't get a straight answer out of anyone. At least until Bulma knocked some sense into me.” Another low laugh draws heat back into your cheeks, “It's why I didn't talk to you before leaving—believe me, I wanted to but after I talked to her I was too worked up to put it into words and I had to get to Namek as soon as possible. I hope you can forgive me for that.”

You nod, unsure of how else to respond to that, “I mean, it did take me some time to come to terms with it too, I guess. I've never been in love before so i didn't know what to look for. But,” You rub an arm, looking away, “After hearing you didn't want to come home after all of...this...I had some time to think about it and work through it myself. I just...”

You feel him lean in closer, the scent of fresh orange peels filling the air, “Hm?”

When you look at him he's barely a few inches away studying you closely with an innocent expression, but you can see how deep those black eyes go. It's not a simple look, it's him searching for an answer from your movement and behavior. So you smile, laughing under your breath, “I didn't think I'd fall in love with the boy who literally ate me out of a job.”

Those same eyes widen a bit before he's laughing with you, “Yeah and I didn't think I'd like someone as fiery as you since I'm around Bulma all the time. Though if you ask me you're prettier.” He turns around then as if he hadn't dropped the most casual backhanded compliment, waving for you to follow as he pulls your door open, “Let's go, I'm starving!”

You want to snap at him again, maybe bite his head off a bit for that. Instead you find yourself scoffing good naturedly while grabbing the door he held for you, "You act like you won't just eat everything in my pantry again.”

“I won't! Promise!” He's halfway into the house letting you follow in at your own pace. You can hear his steps tapping along the tile in your kitchen as you turn to close the door behind you.

"You say that, yet I've seen you eat flour out of a bag." You comment, rubbing your feet gently on the mat to clean off any excess dirt so you didn't have to sweep.

"I was hungry! And there wasn't anything else interesting to eat except for those boring salty noodles you eat all the ti-AH!!"

Your head snaps up at the sudden crash in your kitchen and immediately you dismiss the dirt to race in after him, "Goku!? Are you okay-" Just as fast you come to an abrupt halt.

Goku is fine, at least it looks like it from where you stand. He's laying on your kitchen floor, the fish making a slow escape as it slides across the tile away from his hand as he rubs his head. Slowly he sits up with a shake of his head, "Owww…..that hurts…aw now I'm all wet again.." Water and suds are splattered all over his back, mixed in with little white bits that shimmer oddly as he tugs at his shirt with a grimace.

Around where he sits are shards all over the floor. Glass shards. From the plate you broke earlier. That you meant to clean and didn't get to.

And this man was sitting in it, more concerned about being wet than the obvious health risk of falling back first into broken glass.

You can't help it. You burst out laughing. It's just so absurd how he's taking it like a minor inconvenience when for anyone else, they'd have hurt themselves. Meanwhile he probably didn't even have a scratch.

He proves you right by turning to face you with a pout, "Hey come on, don't laugh at me. It really hurt!"

"Goku-you-I mean you just-" You can't even begin to finish anything, laughing way too hard. He doesn't help at all as every time you look at him his sulking face sends you right back into the spiral, making you lean against the counter while covering your face as you try to pull yourself together.

-ba-thump-

-ba-thump-

Eventually you do control yourself enough to reach over for the broom sitting innocently propped against the wall right where you'd intended to grab it earlier, "Just-Just let me sweep this up a bit Goku." He watches you curiously, still a little upset as you brush aside some of the mess ignoring the streaks of water you leave behind. When you;re satisfied you set it against the counter.

Where he sits has his head level with your chest. He's just so cute looking up with his little miffed face you lean down to wrap your arms around his head with a laugh.

-bathump-bathump-

"Hey! I'm still wet-"

"It's fine. I don't mind." You press him close to you, his face nearly buried between your breasts. Of course he doesn;t seem to notice where he is as he rests his chin on your cleavage, staring up at you with a painfully adorable look of confusion, a light flush of pink across his cheeks.

-bathump-bathump-

You smile.

"Everything's perfect."

[non-lo-so0]

Hey quick question- are requests open? I saw that DMs are open but I'm a little new to the blog so I'm not sure if you treat them as the same thing? And sorry if it's stated elsewhere! Thank you!

Hi there! No need to apologize, and welcome to the blog! Yes, requests are open. I've been a bit quiet here lately, but I'm planning to get back into writing very soon, so feel free to leave your request!!

[xcherricutie]

« written in blood »

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[Goku Black × F!Reader]

[act 1. death's door] [act 2. spiraling] [act 3. between a truth and a lie] [act 4. the people we leave] [act 5. between two liars] [act 6. amidst an ocean of emotion]

[word count - 11.6k]

[synopsis - with your injury healed for the most part, Goku offers to take you out and finally get some fresh air. But it comes with its struggles, one of them being your feelings for the entire situation bubbling over]

[tags - descriptions of blood, traumatic flashbacks, reader DEFINITELY has trauma, Black has a hard time in crowds, he's also got a sweet tooth, Black is emotionally constipated, LOTS OF ROMANCE!!!!!]

[notes - I don't know what happened but I wrote this entire chapter in two days. I was kind of pants-ing it, but I felt bad for my chapters not being as long as others online and am trying very hard to improve. I tried to make Black seem like he's got more emotions than just being a dick, and trying to be nice to the reader, but it made him look kinda like a wimp. So yeah... not the best chapter unfortunately]

[not proofread]

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AMIDST AN OCEAN OF EMOTION

Showering had never felt so good until after you had to spend a week cleaning yourself with only a wet towel and having to have a stranger you were in love with assist you.

But now that you could take a proper shower, and without having to worry about collapsing to boot, showering felt like a blessing sent by the gods. You had lingered under the warmth of the water until your feet ached and your side begged you to go sit down. 

It still felt strange to admit that you had fallen for the man who brought you back from the brink of death, but you weren’t one to run away from your feelings. You were, however, the type to ignore them. You weren’t going to hold out hope and pretend that you had a chance, you weren’t silly. You knew he would never see you in that light, he just wasn’t that kind of person. 

Pulling the towel away from your still damp hair, you stared at yourself in the foggy mirror, at your bare body. A lengthy scar traveled up the left side of your waist, from where the knife had dragged up and through your very body. You still had yet to truly process how gory it had been, how close you had come to biting the dust. But the memory itself was so vague, it was hard to even try to process it. You couldn’t remember how it felt for the knife to stab through you, how it felt when they dragged it through your skin and muscle, tearing your body apart. You couldn’t remember what it felt like to be drained of your blood, to feel your own life’s essence escape you. 

Running your fingers along the scar, your mind drifted away from the more gruesome details, to a certain pair of hands that had been wrapped around your waist more times than was natural for acquaintances. And as soon as you were reminded of him, your cheeks colored, skin sensitive as your fingers trailed along your side. You told yourself it was natural to fall for the person who saved your life, that it was a real syndrome that happened to people all the time. But that’s exactly what it was- a syndrome. It wasn’t right to entertain such thoughts. As much as you wanted to let your mind wander and indulge itself in these new feelings, a side effect of being a touch lonely, giving them the time of day would only make them worse. There was a reason why doctors were never allowed to date their patients, and that was how Goku saw you. You were his patient. There was no point in allowing these feelings to flourish. It would be in your best interest to just ignore them and let them fade. 

But making your way back into the living room once fully dressed, finding the man who now occupied your thoughts, letting your feelings fade were much easier said than done. Today was now your sixth day with Goku, almost a whole week since your incident. He had done a miraculous job treating you within that time, and now it was getting closer to the end. And he would have to leave. 

“Hey, Goku,” you gave him a small smile, sitting on the other end of the couch, opposite of him. He perked up at the sound of your voice, pulling his attention away from his book and tea. 

“I take it you’re feeling much more refreshed now?” He looked at you from the corner of his eye, scanning you for any signs of physical distress so subtly that you completely missed it. 

“I am. I doubt I’ll have any more issues with it, it looks just like a scar at this point,” you smiled, and while it was true you were happy to be getting better, it left an empty ache within your chest. But you thought you had masked your emotions well enough. Apparently not. 

“Then what’s wrong?” Goku asked, closing his book as he turned to give you his full attention. Your eyes widened, caught red-handed. Was it really that easy to see through you? Or perhaps he was an expert in these things, and was why he was so good at hiding his true emotions himself. 

It wasn’t just your freshly realized feelings for him that had you feeling so bleak though, you truly were sad that your time together was beginning to come to a close. He could only spare so much time away from the world, giving you all of his attention, before he’d have to leave. Though it wasn’t entirely healed on the inside, your wound had sealed entirely on the outside, leaving nothing more than a scar. There wasn’t much else he could do for you now, you simply had to let the natural process of healing take over. Which meant he had no reason to stay any longer. But you couldn’t tell him that, you were hardly anything more than acquaintances. You couldn’t tell him you weren’t ready to say goodbye. 

“It’s nothing, just...” you had to tell him something, he knew you were upset. “Once it’s time for us to part ways, do you think you could ever come by and visit again? I just... would like it if we could be friends.” 

You shouldn’t have asked, you knew that, you were in love with the man for god’s sake. It was best to just let him leave, take these feelings away with him, and never see them again. But after everything he had done for you, after everything you had been through, it didn’t feel right to just never see him again. 

But you should have known better. And it was for the best; this was the better outcome, as his brows furrowed, and you swore you felt a heartstring snap. “I’m not sure if I’ll have time. I’m quite busy, and I’ll be leaving soon and traveling far away. I likely won’t ever return.” 

Despite telling yourself repeatedly there was no point, not to hold out hope, it still felt like you had been let down. It had been a long, long time since you had formed feelings for anyone, and even though it was purely because of that stupid syndrome, you still felt a little heartbroken, rejected before you ever had a chance. 

“I understand,” you said, giving him a small smile. Then this was likely one of, if not, your last day with him. At the very least, you wanted to spend as much time as you could with him, before he would have to go. And you would go back to a life before knowing him. Before you met Goku. “Then, why don’t we spend the day together?” 

“Doing what?” Goku asked, tilting his head ever so slightly, large poofy hair that defied gravity drooping. You couldn’t stand him. 

“Well, what’s something you enjoy doing?” You asked, turning towards him, scooting ever so slightly closer. Goku hummed, his eyes darting around the room, looking for ideas. He couldn’t exactly tell you his hobby was killing for sport, so instead his gaze landed on the book and tea he had previously given his attention to. 

“I enjoy reading and drinking tea,” he said, gesturing to them. You furrowed your brows, wondering if he had just come up with that on the spot, but then again, with how many times you’d seen him doing that exact thing in the last week, you could absolutely believe that to be his favorite hobby. “What about you?” 

A subtle change in subject from him to you, one that you missed. You hummed in thought, trying to think of something you could do with him, something you’d enjoy doing together. Now that you were feeling better and able to walk without much worry, you weren’t so confined in activities. “Well, I used to enjoy going out to the beach. It used to be my favorite place to go, especially since I had never seen the ocean before moving here. But I had gotten so busy with work, I stopped going months ago, and then I got hurt... It’s been a while.” 

“Would you like to go?” Goku asked, your eyes widening. You had mentioned it with the hopes of going out with him, but you didn’t expect him to actually offer, let alone without a second thought. But you certainly weren’t one to skip out on opportunities, and seeing as how you had limited time with him, this was perfect. 

Even though it had only been a week, it felt like an eternity since you had last gotten yourself ready to go out, to be presentable in public. It had been even longer since you had gotten to wear something casual out, always having to wear your work attire before. The change into casual wear got you excited, getting to go out and do something fun for once, and with Goku of all people. He always seemed like such a recluse; this would be your first time seeing him out and about. 

You almost couldn’t contain your excitement on the elevator ride down, sending Goku a large grin, your heart fluttering as he returned it with a small smile of his own. Just before you stepped outside of the apartment building though, Goku stopped you as he held his arm out in front of you. 

“Let me know right away if you feel any pain,” he spoke quietly, leaning down into your space, as if to keep the conversation trapped between the two. But that didn’t cross your mind, instead soaking in all of the little details in his face, burning them into your memory. You didn’t get to be this close to many people you found attractive, you weren’t going to ignore such an opportunity. 

Nodding your head, he finally permitted you to step outside. The warm summer air hit immediately, but you had been cooped up for so long that you didn’t mind the heat at all, your skin drinking in the sunlight. It was a particularly busy day, the streets filled with traffic and the sidewalks cluttered with people trying to go about their day. Normally, you left so early in the morning for your little office job that this was a sight you weren’t quite familiar with, even living here for as long as you have. But the excitement to finally be getting out and about, to finally just enjoy your day, on your terms, outweighed any sort of nervousness you felt about getting out in the city. 

“Did you want to stop somewhere and eat first? I know this really good place, we—” 

Your words fell short as you looked up to Goku. His face was pulled into a tight grimace, his body stiff, as if the blood in his veins had frozen over. His jaw clenched so tightly you worried he might chip a tooth, fingers curled into fists that you were sure had his nails breaking skin. Suddenly, you were wondering if this was a good idea at all, it looked as though he were on the verge of snapping, literally and metaphorically. “Are you... alright? We can stay home if you’d rather...” 

“No, just—” Goku’s voice caught, his brows pulled into a tight furrow. You had never seen him look so... stressed, so uncomfortable. It was a completely new face for him, entirely unfamiliar to you, the very same man who wore confidence like he had been born in it. You could see the slight bob in his throat as he swallowed thickly, his gaze jumping around everywhere, both trying to absorb everything around him, and push it all away at the same time. “Let’s just... hurry.” 

You could see it clearly now, just how out of his element he was. It was easy to talk about from the safety of your apartment, its walls a shield from the world outside. He really was entirely unfamiliar with the city; it made you wonder how he had gotten to this point with no help. It stirred something within you, butterflies blooming, pulse quickening. Despite the fact that this face was entirely new to you, it was hard not to notice the familiarity, and how you had once been well acquainted with the face he now held. When you had first moved here, the city was so overwhelming, you didn’t know how anyone functioned in a place that never slept, a place that never stopped. It was only thanks to Aleina’s help that you managed to adjust, to even get your job. If not for her, you would still be bumbling around the city, looking for available apartments, jumping between odd jobs. How someone in his 40s, someone who had managed to graduate and become a full-fledged doctor didn’t know how to function in a city, you couldn’t guess. But you could offer to be the person Aleina had been for you, guiding you through the chaotic world, one baby step at a time. 

Goku’s eyes widened as he felt the warmth of your hand snake its way between his fingers, releasing the tight curl they held. You offered him a smile, thumb brushing over his. “I-I know it can be a lot. Just follow my lead, you’ll completely forget about the stress before you know it.” 

Goku’s gaze lingered on you, refusing to look down to where you were conjoined with him, where you had willingly offered your touch. It was an unfamiliar feeling, one that made his stomach swirl with anxiety, every reminder of why this was wrong crawling up his spine. It was wrong, you shouldn’t be so willing to offer your closeness, your touch to him. You didn’t know him, the real him. You were offering your hand to Goku, not him. But even still, some part of him, deep within his subconscious, whispered to him that he wanted this. He was the one who dawned this mask, he was the one who had led you into believing this whole act, he couldn’t regret it now that it was Goku that you were offering your care to. And if it meant leaning further into this act, he would have no issue with that, because he was Goku. 

“You ready? Tell me if it gets too difficult, we’ll stop,” you spoke, pulling Goku from the depths of his mind. Your fingers laced into his, giving his hand a small squeeze, an act meant to comfort. And while it did take his mind off of the coming struggle he’d face just for you, it didn’t bring much comfort. Instead, a new weight took its place, his mind stuck on you, on the contact your hand provided. On the warmth you gave him, on the smile that was just for him. His own fingers tightened in response, holding you firmly now, and he didn’t miss the way your eyes lit up at it. 

“Don’t worry about me. I’m ready.” Goku offered you a small smile of his own, the tension in his muscles finally beginning to bleed away, but not in the way you thought it did. It didn’t fade, instead shaping into something new, something that went much deeper than surface tension. Something deep-rooted and heavy, that held him down, something that he knew was a mistake right then and there. 

Something impossible to notice by you, as you grinned, pulling him down the stairs, onto the busy street. You could feel Goku tensing in your hand, and you couldn’t help the small smile that pulled on your lips. For as confident as he was, he sure was quite nervous around people. 

“It might not be your thing, but there’s a place I’ve been wanting to go to lately, just for a few minutes, I’ve been craving it,” you spoke, your eyes glued to the street ahead, but your mind stuck on the man who shuffled behind you, trying to keep up while also giving passing people a wide berth. You slowed your pace just enough to walk beside him, looking up to him with a smile. “Do you like ice cream?” 

Some people might have considered it weird to take the man you were falling in love with, with zero chances of a relationship, to the place you had dreamed of going to with him. Under normal circumstances, you would’ve considered it weird too, especially since you were his patient. And you were fairly certain that this love, or even just infatuation, was just a syndrome. But if this was the only chance you’d get to properly spend time with him, to just be friends before he left, then you’d use that time how you could, you would make the most that you could of it. Because after this, you would never see him again, and these feelings would only end up leaving an aching hole in your chest. And while he could treat the physical hole that had been cut through your body, he couldn’t heal the one he would leave when he was gone. That was something you would have to live with, so best to take advantage of the time you had together. 

“Ice... cream?” Goku echoed, his brows pulling into a crease. Yet another strange thing about this world and its people. How could ice be a cream? Why would you willingly eat just ice? He wasn’t sure he would ever understand how humans and their minds worked. But he didn’t want to give any reason for suspicion, on the off chance this was something he should know about. So, he cleared his throat, pulling his gaze away from you and to the sky. “Oh, ah... yes, I do.” 

“Great!” You were practically beaming at him now, your fingers tightening around his. “You’ll love this place, they have every flavor imaginable. Well, the ones that would taste good anyway. I loved going to this place, I would visit more if I weren’t always so busy...” 

The reminder of the life waiting for you in just a few days made your voice trickle off into a heavy silence, one that brought Goku’s eyes back down to you. He could sense that something was off, and you could tell he sensed it. But how could you possibly explain the situation to him? And why would he even try to understand? It wasn’t right for you to be so upset over it, over his coming departure. It wasn’t right for you to wish that things could stay this way, that he would stay, and you wouldn’t have to return to that life of monotony. You hadn’t realized before just how much it was dragging you down, just how heavy it weighed on your body and mind until you were finally given reprieve. The last few days, while painful, had been the greatest relief you’d had in years. That wasn’t to say you would be willing to go and get stabbed and stand on death’s door again just for a break, but it had certainly been nice to just laze around all week. 

“You sound unhappy,” Goku pointed out. You wanted to smirk at that, to tease him for his astute observation, but all you could manage was a small sigh, your shoulders sagging as if weighed down. 

“I’m just not excited to get back to work, to all the... monotony. I’m sure you understand, your job is probably harder than mine.” You let out a dry, humorless chuckle at that. But part of you wondered if his job was anything but monotonous. It was probably chaotic, full of its highs and lows. You could never do that kind of job, just thinking about blood made you queasy, especially since the night of your incident. Not to mention, having to break bad news to people. You couldn’t help the small bout of curiosity, wondering how many people he had to tell about the death of their loved ones. 

“Yes...” Goku’s eyes flitted away for a moment, agreeing only to keep up appearances. He couldn’t help the small twinge of humor, his lips threatening to crack a smile at the idea. If only you knew just how wrong you were. His job was anything but difficult, and he took great joy in fulfilling it. But then, now that he was thinking about it, it was a little strange how easily it had slipped his mind, how quickly he had forgotten it. It was something he had been deeply passionate about in the past, but now... Standing next to you, your hand in his own, a sticky, sickening feeling began to crawl up from the depths of his mind. If he never returned to that “job”, where would it leave him? With you? The idea of staying with you longer than he had planned didn’t sound unpleasant. He almost wanted to say that he liked the idea. That he wouldn’t mind just staying with you. But that just simply wasn’t an option. He had a job to do, and he would see to it that it was completed. 

“There it is!” 

Goku’s train of thought fizzled away into nothing as your voice cut it off, your finger outstretched to the destination before you. A small little building, squished between other larger businesses sat, two tables sitting on either side of the front door. A sudden tug at his hand made Goku’s eyes widen in surprise, your hand pulling on his arm as your pace quickened, a grin pulling at your lips. Excited for this cream of ice. You were a strange one, that was for certain. It slipped by his notice as his lips began to mimic your own, the slightest curve of his lips at your excitement. 

“Trust me, once you try this place, you’ll never be able to enjoy any other ice cream, it’s the best, I—” 

Your hand had reached out to the door, just about to push it open, rambling away, when the warmth in your hands disappeared. It was noticeable immediately, your eyes widening as you looked back to Goku, who had taken a step back from you. 

“Goku?” You turned to give him your full attention. Had you overdone it, asked for too much? You knew the city overwhelmed him, you should’ve known better than to drag him through it. It had been kind of him to chaperone you to the beach; he had been willing to step out of his comfort zone for you. And here you had gone, taking a mile when he had given an inch. Almost as if he could read your mind, but in reality had simply read your panicked face, Goku gave a dismissing wave of his hand. 

“Don’t worry, I just don’t want to go inside. I will wait out here for you.” Goku spoke, gesturing to the table beside him. Your gaze followed his hand, part of you wishing he hadn’t let go, your lips falling into a frown. 

“Don’t you want to pick a flavor out? Do you not want any at all?” Now you were overthinking it, did you bring him here not realizing he didn’t even want any? You couldn’t just get you some and him not get anything, that felt wrong. Goku hummed in acknowledgement, though it felt dismissive, as he pulled a chair out and sat down at the table. 

“Surprise me.” He looked up to you, furrowing his brows when you only stood there, staring down at him with big, round eyes, reminiscent of a baby that didn’t know how to communicate with its voice. “I trust your judgement, go on now. I won’t disappear, you’re too worried.” 

That snapped you out of the hold your anxiety had gotten on you. He was right, you were both adults, and if he didn’t want to go in, then that was fine. And the fact that he admitted to trusting your judgement made the butterflies take flight within you again, your smile returning. 

“Alright, I’ll be right back.” 

With that, you turned, finally entering the little establishment. The table sat just in front of a window, so even though he stayed outside, Goku could still see everything. In truth, he just needed a moment to himself. The comfort you had offered him to relieve the stress of walking through the city did technically help, but caused issues of its own. It was such a strange new feeling, Goku had almost begun to wonder if this body was revolting against him, if there was something wrong with it. His gaze shifted to you, to where you stood at the counter, pointing towards one of the many flavors with a smile. He didn’t understand you. You were nothing like what he expected of these people, of mortals. You didn’t fit the mold he had in his mind of what you were supposed to be. Instead of violent, you were kind. Instead of revengeful, you let the past lie. Instead of selfish, you were selfless, constantly thinking of him, of what he wanted. Even just then, he had seen the panic, the worry written across your face when he refused to go in with you. And when you took his hand, offering to help and to comfort him. You had seen his struggle, and instead of treating him coldly for being unable to handle something that should’ve been normal for him, you offered him comfort. Even before that, when you were concerned about his sleep, when you were concerned about his feelings, when you were concerned about if he had been eating... you were nothing like the mortals he had observed in the past. None of it made sense to him. What separated you from them, made you so special? Was it something in your past? You hadn’t shared much of your past with him, but even with that in mind, surely an event like an attempted murder would change you, would sour your view of the world. Surely it would’ve made you see that there was no point to kindness in a world like your own. 

His eyes lingered on his hand, the very same that had held your own just moments ago. Your kindness, your warmth, your smile... it permeated within his mind, threatening to corrupt. You were an enigma to him, one that he wanted to unravel, until he had every part of your very being memorized. But time was against him. If only he could take you with him, keep you by his side, it would not only solve the problem you were having of dreading the return to your life, but it would solve his problem of not wanting to leave you, to sever your tie to him. But he knew you wouldn’t go for it. If you knew the true details of his identity, his goals, you would turn against him, and everything you had done together would be all for naught. Not to mention, his partner would have strong objections towards a mortal living within their mortal free world. It did go against the entire idea of such a universe. Not that Goku cared what he thought, already annoyed just thinking about him. 

Finally looking away from his hand, to around the bustling city, Goku furrowed his brows in irritation. The whole reason he had seemed so uncomfortable in the first place was because he couldn’t stand mingling around these humans. The idea of being a part of their world, as if he were just another one of them, it made him sick. He had to remind himself over and over that he was tolerating it for you, that this would make you happy. If it had been up to him, and he didn’t have to mask his identity, he would’ve just flown you there and avoided the crowd entirely. He was sure you would’ve enjoyed it anyway; flying seemed somewhat novel to humans, unaware of the potential they possessed and having to rely on machines. The thought of teaching you to tap into your potential almost seemed interesting even. But just the same as his previous thoughts, there was no time for it. 

A flash of white amidst the sky caught Goku’s eye, much too quick to be a lazily drifting cloud, too quick to be perceived by the human eye. Dread suddenly shot through his system, feeling as though he were being watched, eyes burning into his back. And the minute his eyes landed on it, the sinking feeling of being caught red-handed took hold. 

Floating above the city, close enough that Goku could make out the details of his face, was Zamasu. His face had pulled into a sneer, a toxic mixture of both disgust and confusion. After all, what would Goku Black being doing out in the city, acting as if he were some commoner, a lowly human? A sickening feeling had begun to stir within Goku, wide eyes unable to tear away from his counterpart, the second dragging on unnaturally, as if the world had frozen over around them. The crowd still bustled, the city still buzzed, but it felt like nothing more than the creeping static within the back of Goku’s mind, crawling towards him, threatening to yank him into its depths. And the longer he held Zamasu’s dark gaze, the more the static grew, the more the nasty feeling stirred. The more shame he felt. 

“Ta-da!” 

A voice much too close to his ear suddenly rang out, ripping him so violently out of his own head that his vision blurred into static for a moment. And the moment he regained his wits, Zamasu was gone. It had all happened within the span of a couple seconds at the most, but it had thrown Goku off so harshly that it took him a moment to remember why he was here in the first place. Turning to his other side, he was met with your bright grin, setting down a bowl in front of him. 

“You’re... back,” Goku mumbled, before realizing that his lips were moving of their own accord. The minute he heard his own voice, his eyes widened, his jaw snapping shut so fast that he was certain you had heard it. His brows creased into a furrow, eyes jumping away from your own with a wince. He was being too emotional, showing too much, being too easy to read. That feeling only worsened when you inevitably noticed the shift in his mood, your smile falling as you stood up straight. 

“Are you... alright?” You asked with a slight tilt of your head. You had only been gone for a minute. Maybe leaving him alone outside hadn’t been the right idea, but he made it seem like he would be okay. You thought he would be okay. Guilt plucked at the strings of your heart, your eyes shifting to the ice cream that slowly began to melt. “Um... maybe this was a bad idea. It’s... really busy out, even for me. We should head home—” 

“No.” 

Goku’s hands shot out faster than his mind could shoot down the idea, and now his hands had returned to the warmth of yours, his two hands holding your free one. As soon as they made contact, he winced again, as if it pained him, as if showing you his emotions hurt him. The thought only worsened your guilt, but you didn’t have time to voice it. 

“I’m okay. Please don’t worry about me,” Goku tried to keep his voice even, flat, emotionless. But it was hard when the shame wracked at him, when the irritation made his muscles tense, when the urge to pull you away into somewhere quiet, somewhere alone wouldn’t quieten down. The shame only worsened the more emotional he sounded, the irritation towards Zamasu quickly growing. He shouldn’t have cared what he thought. Goku was the head of their plan, he was the one running the show. And yet, to have been caught red-handed, spending time with you in a world they condemned... he couldn’t help the shame. And the feeling from before, of wanting to unravel every single detail about you, of wanting to keep you at his side, spread further and further, like an infection. 

“Goku...” you couldn’t help the guilt, the worry that you had pushed him well beyond what he could handle. Never had you seen him look so distraught, his eyes anywhere but meeting your own, that same tense look from before pulling his lips into a deep frown. You let out a small sigh, the sound pulling his gaze up to you as you set the other bowl of ice cream down. “Please don’t push yourself too hard just for me. You’ve done so much to help me, you don’t need to do this. We can go home, I’m fine with it. It’s not like I’ll never see the ocean again. I’d rather you be comfortable than force yourself to do something you don’t want.” 

Your words were meant to help, but it only made his shame worse. You thought he was distressed because he was nervous. You thought he was pathetic. Maybe he was. The show he was putting on certainly made him feel so. Even if his face was for the most part straight, aside from the occasional glance away, aside from the occasional twitch of his lips, you saw right through him. You saw the way his shoulders tensed, the way his jaw clenched much too tightly, and he was sure you could feel how his fingers resisted squeezing your hand. Shame was an emotion much too unfamiliar to him. He was supposed to be the picture of confidence, someone capable of ruling. And he here was, a touch away from snapping. All because of that damned Zamasu. 

“I’m fine,” Goku grit out finally, trying his best not to sound angry because, while he was indeed upset, it wasn’t your fault. He had agreed to take you out, offered it himself even. He should’ve known there was a chance of being caught, and he should’ve been better prepared mentally. He let out a heavy sigh, dropping your hand as he turned in his chair, facing away from you. “I would rather we enjoy our outing than focus on some minor inconvenient detail.” 

It wasn’t an inconvenient detail. That was what you had wanted to say, it was the words that rested on your lips, waiting for your voice, but it never came. Goku was... very emotionally reserved, you had noticed. And he had been much more open, much more vulnerable than usual today. You didn’t want to push it by trying to pry out information he wasn’t willing to share, even if you could guess what was wrong. The friendship you had with him was fragile, and you didn’t want to break it and live with the fact that it could never be fixed once he left. So the words stayed trapped, and instead you let out a quiet exhale, your lungs heavy with an unidentifiable emotion. “Alright.” 

Goku’s eyes trailed you as you sat down in the seat across from him, taking the bowl of neglected ice cream. You suddenly didn’t have the appetite for ice cream anymore, your spoon digging into it, but never once lifting any to your lips. This was something you enjoyed, something you rarely got to do this last year, you should’ve been enjoying and savoring every moment. But the thought of him being upset, the thought of him going through something difficult alone made it hard to enjoy the moment. How could you enjoy yourself when he was struggling right in front of you? 

“What... kind did you get?” Goku’s voice broke through your thoughts, making them stutter. Kind? Oh, he meant the ice cream. You cleared your throat, unable to look up to meet his eye. 

“Oh, I got you blackberry... that seemed like your kind of thing,” you mumbled out, voice devoid of its usual spark. If it was hard for Goku to keep up appearances, you were worthless at it. It didn’t help that this was someone you were attracted to, how could you not fret and worry over him, especially after everything he had done for you? 

Goku hummed in thought, as if the very flavor of ice cream needed contemplating and breaking down, lifting the spoon of sugary sweetness to his lips. Your eyes finally lifted to look at him, to at least see if he was right to place his trust in you. The frozen confection met his lips, and you swore you saw him startle, eyes widening just a fraction. He knew it would be cold, judging by its name, but it still took him by surprise. It was the flavor that had startled him, entirely unfamiliar with it. Since acquiring this form, Goku had tasted quite a few new flavors. Neither this ice cream, nor blackberries had been one of them. It was cold, but melted against the warmth of his tongue. There were hints of a sour taste, washed away by lush cream. Chunks of dark chocolate mellowed out the sweet sugar, and bursts of tartness from the blackberry swirl together with the soft sweetness of cream brought together a flavor entirely new to him, one almost unimaginable. How was it possible to come up with these types of combinations, to mix flavors in such a fragile, unique way that it formed something entirely new, that it created a flavor that never could’ve existed on its own before? 

“This is...” Goku stared at the bowl before him with wide eyes, before looking back up to you. It was almost blinding, how brightly you were beaming at him, practically glowing. Realizing that he was, once again, showing far too much on his face, he forcefully cleared his throat, taking slow, paced bites. “I was correct in my judgement, you do know what you’re doing.” 

You couldn’t help the little squeal of excitement at his approval, almost bouncing in your seat with glee. It didn’t help when your contagious smile infected him, the corners of his lips quirking into a smile of his own. Seeing his smile had brought your mood back up far more than anything else could, digging into your own ice cream with abandon. It was your regular, the same one you always got, so it was no surprise that it was just as good as the last time you had gotten it. 

“What kind did you get?” Goku asked with a tilt of his head, spiky hair falling to the side. At his question, you swallowed the thick mound sitting in your mouth, grinning. 

“I got strawberry cheesecake, my favorite,” you were beaming like a child at this point. It was hard not to, you were already an excitable person, but when it was with him, the same man that you had dreamed of doing this with, you couldn’t blame yourself for the way you were acting. But then, just as the words left your mouth, a dark thought crossed your mind, one that you knew better than to entertain. But it was so hard not to, especially when he had a kind you had never tried before. And you were a selfish person, one that often reached too much for things they really shouldn’t have. “Uh... I’ll let you try it if I can try yours. I’ve never had that kind...” 

You thought he would’ve given you a strange look, judged you for even suggesting such an idea as silly as sharing food. After all, you could hardly say you were friends, and there was the chance that only you felt that way, he very well might only see you as an acquaintance. But that wasn’t what your suggestion was met with, rather he had pushed his own bowl towards you, expectantly waiting for yours with as serious a look as he would give you when treating you. It took your brain a minute to really process the fact that you were doing this, that he was waiting for you, and you bit back a laugh, finally giving him what he patiently waited for. Pushing your bowl towards him, you took his in your hand, the cool condensation biting against your hand. 

Scooping a bite of the fragrant ice cream, you held it up to your lips, hesitating. The dark thought from before curled deeper into your consciousness as your gaze flickered between him and the spoon in your hand. You were about to stick the very same spoon that had been between his lips less than a moment ago in your own mouth. Some might consider this an indirect kiss. You could tell Goku certainly didn’t, from the way he had shoveled a large spoonful of your ice cream into his mouth. For as hard as it seemed for him coming here, he sure did enjoy his ice cream, he ate it as if he were a child trying it for the first time. 

A smile cracked against your lips at the thought. He always looked as serious as a heart attack, never smiling, always brooding. It was nice to finally see him drop the mask for once, and just enjoy himself. Even if he did still look serious, looking like he could commit murder while munching away on ice cream. Maybe he wasn’t as anti-social as you thought, and he just had a mean resting bitch face. 

Finally giving in to the idea, you shoved the spoon in your mouth, the flavor hitting instantly. The flavor was exactly what you had imagined Goku to be like if he were an ice cream, immediate and almost in your face with its tartness, but mellowed out by the sweet undertones. “Oh wow, this is better than I was expecting.” 

The thought that you had sealed the indirect kiss with him floated in the back of your mind, making your lips tingle with the yearning to take it even further, to try and lure him in, make it more direct. The thought was shut down instantly as you set the spoon back down, pushing the bowl back towards him. The bowl sliding across the table caught Goku’s attention, finally relenting and giving you back your ice cream, which had drastically reduced in volume since letting him taste it. You let out a small huff of annoyance, suddenly wishing you had taken better advantage of the situation. 

“You weren’t kidding, you really do like ice cream,” you joked, taking your own spoon back up in your fingers, almost glowing with the idea that it had been in between his lips too. You were letting these feelings roam free far too much. Goku only hummed in acknowledgement of your statement. It had certainly been a pleasant surprise for him too, not being aware himself. 

He still couldn’t help the twinge of shame that sat atop his shoulders, weighing down on him, as if trying to pull him down into its depths. The worst part of it was that, he hadn’t felt the slightest bit bad about this outing with you before being spotted by Zamasu. Sure, being around these humans, mingling amidst them made him uncomfortable, to the point that you had to encourage him, but it was nothing like this. He could’ve lived with it before, knowing that it was all pretend, that he was wearing a mask that none of these people could see through. But Zamasu could, he saw right through it, and knew exactly who was beneath it. The thought made Goku feel... vulnerable. And he couldn’t stand it. 

But at the same time, part of him didn’t regret it, because it was with you. If it had been with anyone else, Goku wouldn’t even be here, wouldn’t have entertained the idea of going out and pretending to be one of them. It was yet another reason he didn’t understand you. How did you manage to bring these thoughts, these feelings that never should have existed out of him? How did you make him think things that never would have occurred to him before meeting you? It only encouraged his curiosity to pick you apart piece by piece, to understand you on a fundamental level. 

“There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you.” 

You looked up to the man before you, your eyes meeting his, the air shifting. His gaze was dark, impossibly so, like he had cut off the gateway to his soul, and all that was left were empty husks in its place. Even under the summer sun, there was no glimmer, no sparkle in his eyes that suggested he was alive. It made him stand out, as if he were a ghost, as if he were never supposed to be here. 

“Oh? What’s up?” You leaned in, resting your chin on the back of your hand. Goku was silent for a moment, hesitant, searching your eyes for something. But what that was, you couldn’t guess. 

“Don’t you want to seek revenge?” He asked, the question hitting you like a train. You knew immediately what he meant. Revenge for your attack, for your attempted murder. It made sense to think you would; someone had made an attempt on your life, for no reason other than the sick thrill of it. Some stranger had decided to take your life and future into their hands, and cut it short, all because they could. The memory made your stomach swirl with nausea, your gaze falling to the melting ice cream below you. The pooling of the cream, thick and sluggish, dripping down the side of the bowl. The heavy taste of iron that had pooled in your mouth, in your hands, flowing free, puddling out of you. The uncontrollable urge to swallow it back down. Without warning, you were taken back to that night, the memory so vivid you weren’t sure if it had happened a week ago, or just moments ago. But the strange part was, it didn’t hurt. It didn’t hurt when the knife had been plunged through skin and muscle, it didn’t hurt when you had fallen and slammed your head into the sidewalk. It didn’t hurt when you had begun to suffocate on your own blood as it pooled in your throat. But you did remember the taste, the warmth that pooled in your hands, the thought that you’d never make it back home. And you remembered him, the strange man with pristine white boots standing in the river of your blood. 

“I’m... not sure,” you answered honestly. Though technically it hadn’t been ruled off the table, you couldn’t see Goku being the one to have attacked you. Not unless he had done it to isolate you, but you had never even met him before, and it didn’t seem like he wanted to even be there in the beginning. The situation didn’t make sense imagining him to be the suspect. “To be honest, I... don’t want to think about it ever again.” 

Your arms wrapped tightly around you, squeezing, nails digging into your arms. “I hope they catch whoever did it so they don’t hurt anyone else. But I don’t want to think about it. And I definitely don’t want to stoop to their level. I’d rather them rot away in prison than get the easy way out.” 

You had nearly lost everything because of them. The thought made your jaw clench unconsciously, body tensing. “Maybe I don’t want revenge, but I do want the worst for them. I had almost lost my life, and for what? So they could fulfill some sick desire? Because they don’t understand the value of a life? I just...” 

Your eyes burned with everything you had been holding back, unable to process, unable to think about until now. Sucking in a shaky breath, you pulled your legs up onto the chair, curling into yourself. “Is it... wrong of me that I want them to disappear? I don’t want to stoop to their level, but... I also don’t want them to be around to hurt anyone else. And I want them... to have the same thoughts I did when I was dying.” 

The thought that they’d never see their family or friends again, that they’d never make it home to watch their favorite show or listen to their favorite music again. The thought that everything they had worked towards was a waste, the thought that they’d never get to experience what the world had to offer. The thought that they wasted their one chance at life. 

“It’s... not wrong,” Goku spoke, pulling your gaze up to him. The words felt foreign on his tongue. He agreed that it wasn’t wrong, they deserved it. But the way you had said it felt strange to him, like you didn’t truly agree. You wanted to be better than them, to have the higher ground. You thought murder was wrong, and yet wished death upon them. But it was because of your circumstances, what they had done to you, how they had changed your life. It wasn’t... violent. You wouldn’t go out of your way to kill them. If Goku had put you before them and told you to exact your revenge, he was quite certain you wouldn’t be able to do it. Moreover, you had mentioned the value of life. Despite what they had done to you, you knew it was wrong to want them to die. You saw their life as equal to yours. The value of a life... was too great for you to take. “It’s not wrong because you’re... better than them. You see the value in life... even in theirs.” 

The value of a life... was something Goku had never considered before. Yet another thought that never would’ve occurred to him if not for you. 

Sucking in a deep breath, your cheeks colored in embarrassment as you sniffled, on the verge of tears. “Maybe. I don’t really know. I’ve been trying not to think about it. I don’t really know how to process this...” 

You made a gesture with your hand towards the overall situation. Perhaps there was no processing it, and it was just something you had to live with, ever present in the back of your mind. But if things had gone another way, you wouldn’t have gotten the chance to process it at all. “I know I don’t show it enough, but it’s thanks to you I can even process it at all. When it happened... I remember thinking that I would be alone in my last moments. It was... disappointing, honestly. But then I... saw you, and was weirdly glad that someone had seen my death. It made it... less lonely. So even if you hadn’t saved me, you had given me some comfort in my last moment.” 

Maybe he didn’t think much of it. Maybe it was just his job, maybe this was a daily occurrence to him. But Goku had done so much more for you than you’d ever be able to thank him for. He had brought you some semblance of comfort when you had put a foot through the threshold of death. He had brought you back from the brink, had given you a chance at life again. 

A hand reaching across the table startled you, looking up to Goku with wide eyes as he brushed a strand of hair from your face, the pad of his thumb wiping away the tear that had escaped. There was a look in his eyes that you couldn’t identify, not quite pity, but something deeper, something that maybe not even he quite understood. It was something that words couldn’t put together, and for a moment, you saw it. The glimmer in his eyes, the silent opening of himself to you, a reciprocation to your vulnerability. 

“Don’t think about it anymore,” Goku spoke, his voice barely a whisper above the static surrounding you. “You’re here now, and that’s what matters.” 

Something within you bloomed, like a flower that had found a ray of sunshine through the thick snow. It reached out, stretching towards that warmth, desperate to grab onto it and never let go. But it wasn’t meant to be. No matter how tightly you held on, you couldn’t force it, couldn’t force him to stay. Your eyes burned, fresh with feelings that you couldn’t let free, that couldn’t bloom. Instead, you forced out a dry chuckle, leaning away from his touch, ignoring the ache it left behind as you wiped your tears away. 

“You’re right,” you breathed out, trying to take control of your emotions once more. “Thank you, Goku.” 

“Yes, you’re...” he hesitated, unable to pull his attention away from it, from the face you had made, the aching that you held deep within. His words were supposed to help, but he could see it, the way it had only made you wither even further, the way you had curled into yourself and shut him out. Slowly, he went to sit back down, part of him waiting for you to reach out for him, for his care once more. But you never did. “You’re welcome.” 

He couldn’t explain it, but it felt as though the fragile relationship they shared had cracked, crumbling away. 

And as if it had never happened, the misery was wiped clean from your face, lips curling into the same smile you had always given him. But now, it felt like a hollow shell. “You’d better eat your ice cream before it melts. This place isn’t exactly cheap, y’know.” 

Goku watched as you shoveled a spoonful into your mouth, an act of silencing yourself. A passing thought, so quiet as it snuck into his mind, made him wonder just how normal this was. How normal it was to hide behind a smile, pretending everything was okay. 

The peak of the day had passed by, the sun slowly making its way towards the horizon, where it would bleed into a starless sky. His hand wrapped around yours, you guided him through the city, which had slowly but surely cleared out as its people had finally wrapped their day up. Some people had gone home to get cozy, while others were making their way to somewhere quiet, where they could relax. The further you went, the more filtered out the people became, until the streets were quiet, accompanied only by the occasional breeze. And soon, even the streets and buildings had disappeared, and the asphalt roads turned to dirt, and the dirt to sand. 

Sunlight drizzled into the water, as if the very sun itself were melting into the ocean’s murky waters, turning the sea from a deep blue to a honey-like orange, reflecting the sky. From here, outside the city, you could see the faint twinkle of distant stars, as if trying with all of their might to reach you, to let you know that they were here. The breeze grew stronger, pushing and pulling with the tide, and even from where you stood, it felt as though the tide could pull you in, the breeze pushing you forward, the sea beckoning. 

Goku’s eyes widened at the loss of your hand as it slipped from his, pulling out an unfamiliar ache that had been buried along with it. You had taken off down the beach, towards the ocean, looking back to him with a grin. “C’mon! We don’t have all day!” 

Goku couldn’t help the way his lips curled into a small smile, easy to miss by anyone that wasn’t you. Picking up his pace just the slightest, he followed you down, to where the ocean met the sand. The slow push of the tide lapped at the beach, at your feet as you stood at the very edge. The crunching of sand behind you came to a stop, your eyes shifting to look back and spotting Goku, just far enough that the water couldn’t reach him. A snort escaped you at the sight, rolling your eyes. “Come on, it won’t bite you.” 

Goku let out a low groan, grimacing at the water that taunted him as it lapped closer and closer, finally giving it and stepping into the water. At the very least, it wasn’t high enough to actually soak his shoes. Once he took his place by your side, you turned to look back over the ocean, the mirrored sky. It was just as you remembered, perhaps even better. The salty breeze that brushed against your hair, a cool relief from the hot summer air. The water below that pushed against your shoes, trying to pull you into its enticing waters. The ocean was your reminder of why you had fled the nest and taken hold of your own life. If you had stayed out there in the country, if you had listened to your parents’ warnings about the world, you never would’ve seen this. You never would have seen it with him. 

Without realizing it, your eyes had drifted away from the ocean you had been aching to see, up to the man beside you. His gaze was trained on the horizon ahead, watching as the sun’s final remnants slowly disappeared into another day you had yet to reach. Tufts of dark hair swayed with the ocean breeze, strands of unruly bangs brushing over his eyes. Suddenly you were wondering just how soft his hair was, if it was as silky as it looked. The thought made you want to groan in annoyance with yourself, wishing these feelings away, but instead a strange swell in your heart took its place. It was true that, if you had taken your parents’ warning, you never would’ve been attacked and scarred for life. But it was also true that if you had listened to them, you never would’ve gotten the chance to meet Goku. Maybe they had been right in a way, but you had also been right. There were dangers in this world, but there was also Goku. 

“Now that I’ve had a little time to think about it,” you began, catching Goku’s attention as his gaze shifted down to you. “Aside from hoping they get caught... No, I don’t think I would want any revenge.” 

“Oh?” Goku had guessed as much before, but his curiosity had been piqued, wondering why you had brought it up now. You smiled up at him, almost wanting to reach up and brush the unruly hairs just as he had done for you. 

“Yeah. Thinking about it now... my parents warned me that the world was dangerous. They... tried to keep me from leaving by telling me how bad everything was.” You looked away from him, keeping your hands firmly at your sides. You didn’t notice the slight change in Goku’s face at your words, unaware of just how much he agreed with that idea. “But I... refused. I didn’t want to stay somewhere where I would waste my life away, not knowing what the world had to offer.” 

“They tried to tell me that people could be dangerous, that they would hurt me, take advantage of me. That it was too difficult to survive out there. And maybe they were right about the danger...” Your hands curled into tight fists, emotions that you hadn’t felt in years beginning to bubble up. “But they’re wrong about it not being worth it. Out there, I never could’ve dreamed that I would be standing here, that getting to see the ocean is normal, that it’s not a special, once-in-a-lifetime event. Out there, I never dreamed for anything because there was nothing out there. But here, here I get to make friends, I get to try things I’d never thought of before.” 

You brought your eyes back up to Goku’s, more determined than before. “Even if bad things happen, even if bad people exist, it doesn’t take away from the fact that I get to experience more, I get to actually live my life instead of wasting away, wishing I were someone else. Not to mention, the people I’ve met here have changed my life.” 

Aleina had been the one there for you every step of your journey to where and who you are now. Even at your lowest, she had been there for you, something that you couldn’t say about your parents. She guided you through this chaotic mess of a world, showed you things you had never even imagined before, showed you just how much you had nearly missed out on. And him... 

“Even if there are bad people...” you couldn’t stop the tears that welled in your eyes, looking up to Goku with a smile. “There are people like you out there to make it better. So, yeah. For all of the bad in the world... I’m still happy. I don’t need revenge to make me feel better.” 

Any words that he had been formulating in response while listening to you died right then and there. The blood in his veins stilled, but not frozen, no, it felt like every part of him was heating up. His heart had gone quiet, and for a moment that felt like an eternity of its own, the only thing he could hear was the sound of the breeze. Everything else had faded away into nothing, and the only thing his eyes, his entire body could focus on was you. “You... think I’m good?” 

You let out the smallest chuckle at that. “You saved my life, Goku. You’re objectively good. You’ve done so much for me that I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to repay.” 

An ache that ran impossibly deep suddenly cut through him. “Objectively good”. He should’ve agreed with you, he knew he was good, because he had planned on erasing all of the evil in the universe. But... you weren’t evil. You acknowledged the fact that there was evil in this world, and yet you were willing to live with it. The more he dug into your mind, the less he understood. The value of life, the evil of this world, the fact that he was good to you. You were a human, everything he stood against, you were supposed to be terrified of him, and he was supposed... to kill you. How could he be good to someone he viewed as evil? But you weren’t evil. None of it made sense. You didn’t make sense. And the worst part of it all, was that he didn’t hate it. He wanted more, wanted more of you. 

“I’m not good at... showing my appreciation to people,” you spoke softly, your voice barely audible over the tides. But with how tuned in his body was to you, he heard every word, every shake and tremble of your voice. “But I do want to thank you, for everything. It’s only because of you that I get another chance to see this, to... be here. You gave me another chance at life, and I’ll... never be able to show you just how much it means to me. I’m glad I got to meet you, Goku.” 

Goku hadn’t moved; it felt like his heart was giving out on him, like he was suffocating, his lungs squeezing him. You were happy to have met him. A flutter in his chest startled him, unable to pull his gaze away from you. 

The more you had told him, the more you had spilled your feelings to him, the more they built up, boiling over. How were you supposed to go on like nothing ever happened, like he didn’t save your life and make you fall for him? Even with his abrasive personality, even when he shut himself off from the world, you could see bits and pieces of him shining through, parts of him that made your heart stumble. It wasn’t fair that he was going to walk away not knowing what you had done to him, not knowing the permanent effects he was going to leave on you. 

You couldn’t take it anymore. You didn’t know what had come over you, your hands reaching up to his face faster than you could process your own body moving. You didn’t see the way his eyes widened as you pulled his face down, stumbling over his own feet as his body bumped into yours, his hands on your shoulders as your lips collided. It was rough, having pushed too hard, but the minute your lips met his, everything you had pushed down came rushing back in a whirlwind, your insides bursting into a swarm of butterflies. He was warm, soft, just as soft as every other time he had touched you, his warmth spreading into you like a sweet mixture you had never imagined combining. And beneath those butterflies, you felt it blooming again, a longing that reached desperately for his warmth, to hold him dearly and never let go. It was so wonderfully intoxicating, you almost couldn’t pull yourself away. Almost. 

The fact that he was frozen stiff snapped you out of it, pulling back quickly. In the corner of your eye, you saw his wide eyes, just the same as they had been before, as if he hadn’t even blinked. But you looked away just as quickly as you saw it, turning your face away from him and stepping back. “I-I’m so sorry, I don’t know what’s wrong with me, I shouldn’t have done that, I’m sorry.” 

You were so stupid, why on Earth did you think it was okay to do that? You knew you hadn’t been thinking right, that you were just emotional, but you should’ve had better control over your emotions. It would have been better if you had just kept your feelings buried, even if it meant he never knew about them, because then at least you could part on friendly terms. But instead, you had to go and ruin everything. You were such an idiot, you couldn’t blame him if he got mad, if he just left, you had no right to keep him here, not after that ridiculous display— 

A hand on your cheek startled you, a yelp escaping your lips as you were suddenly turned, his lips crashing into yours with even greater fervor than your kiss. His other hand gripped at your side, drawing another noise of surprise from you as he pulled your figure against his. It was desperate, as if he were burning into your lips everything he had kept buried deep within himself, just as you had. The thought that he had felt the same way, that you had unknowingly drawn these feelings from him, almost made you dizzy with the static running through your blood. 

Melting against him and his warmth, your arms wrapped around his neck, holding him close, afraid that if you let go, he might disappear. The shape of his lips against yours felt almost like a dream, but it was so vivid how his fingers squeezed your waist, his hair tickling your nose. And when your lips had parted for him, bringing him closer, he tasted just like the blackberry ice cream, sweet and tart and so addicting. Your lungs burned with the ache for air, but you didn’t dare pull away, for fear that this was all you would ever get. You had to drink as much of him in as possible, because the minute he pulled away, it would be over for good. 

You almost wanted to weep when he finally pulled away, your lungs drinking in as much air as they could. You thought he’d pull away, tell you that he was sorry as well, considering how things were destined to end. But instead, his arms wrapped around you, pulling you to his chest with such a tight grip that you almost worried he was going to suffocate you. Hands gripping at the loose cloth of his top, you leaned into his hold, taking a long, deep breath. You had been close to him before, but never close enough to be able to separate his scent into distinctive notes. His clothes smelled clean, like they were fresh out of the wash. Beneath that, he smelled almost like pine, you had to guess a generic men’s soap. And his hair smelled... flowery. It wasn’t quite what you were expected, such a floral scent for a man like him. It strangely suited him. He was too perfect... it wasn’t fair. 

“This sucks...” you mumbled into the cloth of his shirt. You felt him tense at the words, his voice just beside your ear as he leaned into the bend between your neck and shoulder. 

“Why is that? Did you not enjoy it?” He had been fairly certain you did, with the way you had both initiated it, and clung to him, so he assumed it wasn’t the kiss you were referring to. 

“I did, that’s the problem... you’ll be leaving soon, and I’ll have to be stuck with these memories... never seeing you again.” You wanted to cry, to cling onto him and cry your heart out. Why did the universe have to introduce you to someone like him, make you fall for him, and then take him away? It almost made you mad at how unfair it was. 

Goku’s arms tightened around you, his dark gaze falling to the vast dark sea that spanned as far as the eye could see. That was a problem. But one that he would sort out, no matter what it took. 

“Don’t worry about that,” Goku muttered against your skin, sharp eyes glimmering in the dark. “I’m not going anywhere.”

ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ♡ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ -xcherricutie

[callistodisco]

hey

yeah im back and writing again

send me raditz stuff and maybe other reqs

[in1-nutshell]

Can I request on DB, What if DB Yugi, Joey, & Seto transport in the Yu-Gi-Oh universe and meeting their Yu-Gi-Oh counterparts. and How would the Yu-Gi-Oh characters react to this DB version of Yugi, Joey, & Seto?

All of this was made possible by a dimension hopping machine at Capsule Corp, boredom and a lack of sufficient brain cells

Hope you enjoy!

DB Joey, Seto and Yugi meet their Yu-Gi-Oh! counterparts

SFW, Platonic, Human reader

DBZ(S)/YUGIOH!

It had been a trying time for the gang.

Everyone was scattered around thanks to the Battle City Tournament and the new duelist around.

That wasn’t even mentioning about how the Pharoh or the Egyptian God Cards rooted their way in these games.

It put everyone on high alert.

Though nothing could prepare the gang for some newcomers from another world.

The first one to meet the newcomer was Yugi and Yami.

They were walking towards the meet up place the gang had agreed to meet up when he heard a sharp yelp coming from a nearby alley.

Yugi turns to the alleyway. His eyes widened on seeing Kaiba on the ground looking around confused. He walks over with concern. Yugi: “Kaiba? What are you doing here? Are you okay?” ‘Kaiba’ looked at him and jumped up in shock. Yugi was almost as surprised to see so much expression on his friend/rivals face. Yami: “Yugi I don’t think this is Kaiba.” Yugi: “What makes you think that?” Yami: “Look at his cloths, they look a bit off than what he usually wears. Not to mention he hasn’t scowled at us yet.” ‘Kaiba’: “Yugi?” Yugi: “Yeah, Kaiba are you okay?” ‘Kaiba’ eyes narrowed and moved back slightly. ‘Kaiba’: “You don’t have her ki. Wait, why are there two ki signatures?” Yugi/Yami: “Ki?” ‘Kaiba’: “Forget it. I need to find my Yugi and Joey.” Yugi: “Now hang on a second! You’re not Kaiba, are you?” ‘Kaiba’: “My name is Seto Briefs.” The taller boy looked around before he sighing. This genderbent version of his friend gave the same stubborn look she gave when she wanted answers. He wasn’t going to be able to find his friends without a guide anyways. Seto: “Have you heard of the multiverse?”

Yugi was very much in awe about this version of Kaiba, dubbed as Seto.

Yeah, he was still as stubborn and hardheaded as Kaiba was, but Seto was much more expressive.

Mainly in showing his concern for his friends that had traveled with him to this universe and had gotten lost.

Yugi offered to help the taller boys search immediately.

He is thrown through the loop when Seto does give him a bit of a grateful smile.

Meanwhile…

Kaiba was walking down the street with Mokuba by his side.

He had agreed to take his brother out for some ice cream after he was late to pick him up from school… again.

Mokuba gladly forgave him on the notion that ice cream would be given.

The brothers didn’t expect their ice cream trip to end up with someone screaming and falling seemingly from out of nowhere on their face a few feet away from them.

Kaiba immediately pushes Mokuba behind him. The person groans and sits up in pain. ‘Joey’: “Jeez, last time I try and save—Seto!” The Kaiba brothers were put off by how ‘Joey’ seemed happy to see them. Well, mostly to the eldest brother. ‘Joey’ stood up and brushed himself. ‘Joey’: “Man am I glad to see ya! I really thought we had—wait, what are you wearing? I weren’t you wearing something different earlier?” He raised an eyebrow, looking up and down at the taller boy before looking at Mokuba. Kaiba really didn’t like how long ‘Joey’ was staring at his brother. Kaiba: “Explain yourself Wheeler. What in the world just happened.” ‘Joey’ flinched at the sound of the last name. ‘Joey’: “Hey, I thought we agreed to stop with that man. Its just Joey!” Kaiba: “Since when have I ever agreed with a dog like you? Now explain yourself!” ‘Joey’ looked like he was about to blow a gasket before he paused. ‘Joey’: “Wait, where’s Yugi?” Kaiba: “I’m not his keeper Wheeler. I’m honestly a bit surprised that you don’t know considering how much you spend hanging off of him.” ‘Joey’: “She.” Kaiba: “Excuse me?” ‘Joey: “You said ‘he’. Yugi’s a girl Seto—wait!” He pointed at Mokuba. ‘Joey’: “How many brothers do you have Mokie?” Mokuba: “One? Joey, are you feeling, okay?” ‘Joey’s eye twitched before taking in a deep breath. ‘Joey’: “The one time I don’t want a machine to work… Okay you two, have you guys heard of the multiverse? Cause if you have, I have a big surprised for you!”

It took a while for Joey to properly explain what was going on.

Kaiba didn’t believe it for a second.

Mokuba was more intrigued.

But both brothers needed more proof.

That proof was in the form of Joey’s lock screen, which had a picture of him, Seto, Yugi, Videl, Gohan, Trunks and Goten from last Halloween.

…And Joey’s attitude.

Granted this Joey was very much like the hot head the brothers knew, however, this Joey seemed genuinely worried about the situation he was in to let his mouth run too much.

The Kaiba brothers agree to help this version of Joey to find his friends.

Meanwhile somewhere else…

Joey, Tristan and Tea could confidently say that they have seen strange things in their lives.

From seeing some one’s soul get sucked into a card, to seeing some freaky magic.

Though this had to be the incident that took the cake.

The trio were just walking to the place they had agreed to meet up with Yugi when they heard a scream.

Someone was hanging off a pole from the side of a building.

And it looked like Yugi!

Joey was the first one to race over. Joey: “Yug! How’d ya get up there!?” ‘Yugi’: “Joey?!” Joey raised an eyebrow. Yugi’s voice sounded a bit more high pitched than usual. But then again, he was somewhere high up and was probably nervous about falling. Joey: “Just drop Yug! I’ll catch ya! I swear!” ‘Yugi’ immediately let go and screamed on the way down. Joey caught the falling body and barely had enough strength to keep them both from toppling over. He let out a strained groan as Tristan and Tea finally arrived. Tristan: “Yugi what was that all about?” Tea: “How did you even get yourself into this situation!?” ‘Yugi’: “…Who are you guys?” That caught the trio’s attention immediately. Joey let out a panicked scream and dropped Yugi. Joey: “Oh my trading card gods! You got turned into a girl Yug!” Yugi huffed before getting up. Yugi: “Joey what are you talking about? I’ve always been a girl!” Tristan: “Maybe one of those Rare Hunters had some extra magic and turned him into a girl?” Joey: “That does make some sense.” Tea: “But what about the Millenium puzzle?” ‘Yugi’: “The what puzzle? Wait a second…” She looked around and spotted the duel disk on Joey’s arm. ‘Yugi’: “I thought you left that at home with Marron?” Joey: “Who’s Marron?” ‘Yugi’: “… Oh great the machine worked—Oh sweet Dende! Where’s Joey and Seto!?” Joey: “Eh? I’m right here?” Tea: “And did you just call Kaiba by his first name?” ‘Yugi’: “…Have you guys heard of the multiverse?”

‘Yugi’ was grateful that this group was willing to hear her tale and help her find her friends.

Apparently, they also had a knack of running into weird things and this was just another day for them.

The fact that they mentioned that they knew a version of her that was a guy was a bit weird, but this who thing was strange so she couldn’t judge.

‘Yugi’ was certain this place was almost as weird as her own universe.

All three groups had managed to get there at the same time.

‘Yugi’ immediately sped up her pace the second she saw her Seto and Joey. ‘Yugi’: “Seto! Joey!” Both Seto and ‘Joey’ looked over at the sprinting girl. Seto let out a sigh of relief. ‘Joey on the other hand ran to her, lifted her up in a twirl and hugged her tightly. ‘Joey’: “I thought you said you were finished with going off to random places by yourself?” ‘Yugi laughed as she hugged her friend back. Seto: “At least you didn’t get thrown down the stairs this time Spikey.” ‘Yugi’ stuck out her tongue as she was placed back down. ‘Yugi’: “Says Mr ‘Let’s go into the room with the device that can possibly get us stuck in another dimension’.” She looked behind him, jumped and pointed at the smaller boy behind him. ‘Yugi’: “Sweet Dende! Your guy Me!” Yugi mirrored the girl’s gesture. Yugi: “And your girl Me!”

Meanwhile back at Capsule Corp… Krillin was feeling off all day. BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! His phone was ringing. Krillin: “Hello—oh hey Bulma! Hold on—Slow down what—they went where?! Why do you even have a machine that can do that!?—Because you were bored!? You know what, I’m coming over there right now!” BEEP! Krillin rushed inside. 18 was holding Marron in her arms. She raised an eyebrow at her husband’s face. 18: “What happened?” Krillin: “Seto, Yugi and Joey got sent to a different dimension!” 18: “How?” Krillin: “Apparently Bulma has a machine that takes you to different dimensions.” 18: “…” Marron: “Where’s big brother?” Krillin patted her head. Krillin: “He’ll be okay Mar. Now let’s go give Auntie Bulma a visit.”

[tytarax]

Hugs and tactile affection are usually bestowed upon Shin, but what if the reader one day, out of habit, pets and scratches a kaioshin, but it's Eyre, without really thinking about it being the wrong kaioshin? These are their usual conversations and interactions about robotics in different universes and levels of development, as well as the usual discussion of books, games, and movies, and some work-related matters.

The reader doesn't hug Eyre, but they ruffle the kaioshin's hair, stroke his head, and then scratch behind his ear. Eyre says NOTHING, and Lord Mosco, if he's nearby, also says NOTHING. It's kind of unexpected, and yet neither of them wants to disrupt this moment.

And suddenly every kaio became a dog...

It wasn't unusual to find you and Eyre together.

Whenever the universal gatherings became too loud, the two of you somehow drifted toward the quieter corners of the palace.

Usually with tea.

Usually with books.

Sometimes with blueprints.

Today happened to be robotics.

"...Universe Three is decades ahead in autonomous maintenance systems," you explained, flipping through a notebook.

Eyre nodded.

"Our efficiency is noticeable compared to others."

"But I do think you rely too heavily on centralized control."

"... yeah... yeah, I agree."

The conversation continued effortlessly.

Old science-fiction novels.

Video games.

The ethics of self-learning machines.

One topic flowed naturally into another.

Neither of you noticed how comfortable the silence between sentences had become.

It was, admittedly...

A familiar feeling.

One you normally associated with Shin.

Hours spent discussing work often ended with you absentmindedly reaching over to fix his hair, pat his head, or gently scratch behind one pointed ear while continuing your train of thought.

He had long since stopped reacting.

It was simply...

Something you did.

"...Actually," you said, pointing at a diagram, "if you changed the processor architecture-"

Your hand moved before your brain did.

A casual ruffle through soft silver hair.

"..."

Eyre blinked once.

You kept talking.

"-the computational bottleneck practically disappears, assuming the hardware can compensate..."

Another absentminded stroke across the top of his head.

"..."

"..."

Then...

Your fingers found the spot just behind his ear.

A light scratch.

"..."

"..."

Eyre froze.

Not stiff.

Just...

Completely still.

Nearby...

Lord Mosco witnessed everything.

He looked toward Eyre.

Then toward you.

Then back again.

...

He remained perfectly silent.

"...Which is why I think decentralized systems are-"

Your sentence stopped.

Your hand...

Was still gently scratching behind Eyre's ear.

"..."

Slowly...

Very slowly...

You looked up.

Then at your own hand.

Then back at Eyre.

"..."

"Oh."

A long pause followed.

"...You're..."

You blinked.

"...Not Shin."

"No," Eyre answered quietly.

"...I'm sorry."

You immediately pulled your hand back as though you'd touched a live wire.

"I wasn't paying attention."

"I know."

"I do that with Shin all the time."

"I assumed as much."

"..."

"..."

"I'm incredibly embarrassed."

Eyre looked at you for a moment.

Then...

"...It was..."

He hesitated.

"...Pleasant."

You stared.

"...Really?"

He gave a small, almost imperceptible nod.

"...I see."

Neither of you knew what to say after that.

Mosco, meanwhile...

Made absolutely no comment.

He simply filed the memory away forever.

Perhaps for future amusement.

Perhaps because he had never seen Eyre look quite so relaxed.

Either way...

Some moments were better left uninterrupted.

The next gathering...

You made a very conscious effort to keep both hands wrapped securely around your teacup.

Just in case.

Eyre noticed.

"...You don't have to."

"...Are you sure?"

A tiny smile appeared on the Kaioshin's face.

"I don't mind."

"..."

"..."

Your hand slowly reached up once more.

A careful pat.

Then another.

Eyre quietly returned to discussing robotics as though nothing unusual had happened.

Neither of you acknowledged it.

And somehow...

That made it feel perfectly natural.

Masterpost

DBS Masterlist

@ultimate-percussionist

[tytarax]

Hey, I have watched your posts about Dragon Ball (specifically the ones with the guards and angels who have kinda become Y/N’s harem unofficially) how about when they actually meet Y/N who is legitimately so beautiful they don’t look human/mortal and just so calm and peaceful around them… mostly because other humans are afraid to even raise their voice around them because they don’t want to disturb them… and they’re so sweet especially to little kids (or who they think is a child… you know the gods/angels that are particularly little and cute) and just so easy to get along with since they’re pretty smart can’t get tired of looking at their face and listening to their voice

There had been expectations.

The supreme kais had heard about you for months.

The angels had heard even longer.

A mortal.

Exceptionally intelligent.

Invited to gatherings usually reserved for gods.

Someone Beerus tolerated.

Someone the Grand Priest genuinely enjoyed speaking with.

Naturally everyone was curious.

"...They're late."

One of the guards shifted impatiently.

"You've been saying that for three minutes," another sighed.

Then...

The doors opened.

Conversation stopped.

Not because you made a grand entrance.

Quite the opposite.

You simply walked inside with a small smile, greeting everyone as though you'd known them for years.

There was no arrogance.

No nervousness.

Just... peace.

The room itself seemed quieter somehow.

Even Beerus looked up from his meal.

"...Hello," you greeted softly.

One angel blinked.

Another almost dropped the tray they were carrying.

"...Oh."

"..."

"...They're..."

"...Beautiful."

It wasn't merely your appearance.

Though...

Yes.

You were breathtaking.

Almost unreal.

Like someone had painted a person instead of creating one.

It was the way you smiled.

The way your voice never rose above a gentle conversation.

The way you looked at everyone as though they already mattered.

It was comforting.

You wandered through the palace, happily introducing yourself.

Learning names.

Remembering them immediately.

Asking questions.

Listening carefully to every answer.

You made everyone feel...

Seen.

Even those usually overlooked.

Especially Zeno's guards.

"...You remembered my name?"

"Of course."

"...We only met once."

"I know."

That smile nearly killed him.

Then...

You spotted Cus.

Your eyes lit up.

"Oh!"

The tiny angel looked up curiously.

"...Hello."

Without hesitation, you crouched down.

"Oh my goodness, aren't you adorable?"

"..."

"..."

Cus blinked.

"...Thank you?"

"Where are your parents?"

Silence.

Several angels immediately looked away.

Whis pressed a hand over his mouth.

Vados was already laughing.

"I'm an angel," Cus explained politely.

"Oh."

"..."

"...So..."

You hesitated.

"...Are you still allowed juice boxes?"

Beerus snorted so hard he nearly inhaled his food.

Cus tilted her head.

"...What is a juice box?"

"I'll get you one."

"You don't have to."

"I want to."

"..."

"...Very well."

Unfortunately...

It happened again.

This time with Zeno.

You found him sitting happily on the floor, stacking colorful blocks.

"...Aww."

The Omni-King looked up.

"Hi!"

"Hi there."

You smiled warmly.

"Are your parents nearby?"

The Grand Priest looked over.

"...I suppose I am."

"Oh!"

You offered him an apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry, your son is very well-behaved."

"..."

"..."

"...Thank you."

No one corrected you.

Not a single soul.

Mostly because watching the Grand Priest silently accept being mistaken for Zeno's father was far too entertaining.

By the end of the day...

The guards had developed a schedule to volunteer for whichever hallway you happened to be walking through.

The angels found themselves lingering a little longer whenever you started talking.

Cus now knew what apple juice was.

Zeno had proudly declared you his friend.

And Beerus...

Beerus quietly accepted that, somehow...

Yet another group of celestial beings had become hopelessly fond of one very gentle mortal.

It kept happening.

No one knew why.

Masterpost

DBS Masterlist

@ultimate-percussionist