He’s taken to trying out meditation.
It doesn’t stick, unsurprisingly - there’s too much going on, errant thoughts buzzing around like flies on a hot day, and at one point he thinks he fell asleep for a couple of minutes, but he’s determined. Piccolo always seems to benefit from it; maybe he can learn, too.
It’s what finds him sitting on the outskirts of the city, trying to ease the pressure on his lungs. The afternoon breeze is hot, and it does little to assuage his fears. When he closes his eyes, all he sees is Goten’s happy face, or his mom’s haggard one. His little brother is just that, such a little thing, and it’s putting pressure on their mom, who’s resolute in her efforts of being happy for her two boys. Gohan doesn’t know how to be a brother - he barely knows how to be a good son, and he’s failing at both.
His hair on the back of his neck rises, and he squeezes his eyes shut tight before opening them. Vegeta’s power is a tangible thing, settling on the back of his tongue, and while Gohan’s getting used to it, when he flares to life without warning he can’t help but remember Namek.
Fiddling with the blades of grass in front of his crossed feet, Gohan waits, and wonders what his Prince could possibly want from him.