Chapter Text
Another day on Lord Beerus’s planet, another day of chores and pushing himself to the limits in his training. He knew at the time Goku fought Lord Beerus it was necessary to give him the ability to become Super Saiyan God, but helping his rival become even stronger and increasing the gap between their respective power even more left a sour taste in his mouth. It pushed him to work harder than ever before. He knew he had to dedicate all his energy and then some into his training here, or he never would be able to bridge the gap.
His strength, he felt, had increased immensely. Things he struggled with months ago now came easily. Some of his training exercises had to be modified several times to keep the intensity at an effective level. Whis was an expert at pushing Vegeta, and at night he found himself collapsing into bed, only waking when the alarm went off in the morning for more chores and training.
Things continued like this for months, and Vegeta found himself content with his routine. It was quiet, his conversations with Whis limited to the things he had to do for his next task, but he liked his solitude. He never was one for too many people.
So, of course, everything was thrown into chaos when Whis returned one day with Goku in tow. He couldn’t believe his luck. He never would get stronger now! He already had the disadvantage of having to increase his power without the help of the other Saiyans, but now he had to compete with Goku’s ever growing strength as he joined in on his training. Six months Vegeta had worked his ass off to get stronger, and yet he still couldn’t surpass Goku. He still wasn’t strong enough.
He wanted to hate him. Hate his carefree attitude, hate his strength and how easily it came to him, hate the way he thought of Vegeta as a friend, hate everything. He couldn’t bring himself to, though, no matter how much he tried. Secretly, he felt content having him as a companion, someone to spar with, train with, and dare he say it, learn from. Somehow over the years Vegeta found himself almost fond of the younger Saiyan, even proud of him sometimes. When Goku was around Vegeta, he had begun to feel his heart begin to race, a reaction he hadn’t felt towards anyone in years. He hated admitting he cared though, and the thought that he did was one that helped him keep his signature scowl on his face whenever Goku graced his presence.
He never thought his typical behavior bothered Goku if he was honest. He could be as mean or grumpy as he wanted, and he was always brushed off with a laugh as if Goku knew Vegeta wasn’t serious about it anymore. He was always grinning and having fun with everything he did. That’s why it came to a surprise when, one night as they were getting ready to sleep, Goku sat quietly at the foot of his bed lost in thought. At first Vegeta considered ignoring him and getting to bed, but something in Goku’s face had him speaking before he could stop himself.
“Kakarot?” he asked, cringing as his voice broke the silence. He stood with his arms crossed, unsure about what was going to happen. He wasn’t used to seeing this side of him.
“hmm?” he replied distantly, awareness slowly coming back into his eyes. “Oh, it’s nothing!” he said, hand behind his head and a grin on his face that Vegeta could see right through. Others might have thought it was genuine but knowing Goku for all these years had Vegeta hyper-aware of his behaviors, and he could tell it was off.
Vegeta scowled, “Don’t give me that bullshit fake grin. While I can’t say I don’t enjoy the silence, I can tell when something is bothering you.”
Goku was quiet for a moment, hesitating slightly, “It’s just…I know some of it is probably just habit, but sometimes I…well, I wonder if you really do hate me. You’re always saying you do. I know I can be dense sometimes, but…” he trailed off, apprehension in his eyes as he glanced over at Vegeta.
Vegeta, unprepared for this type of question, stumbled a little as he responded. “I…what? Kakarot…” his nerves began to kick in as a troubled look crossed Goku’s face. “I…damn it, I’m only going to say this once, and I don’t want to hear another word about it,” Vegeta turned his head away, unable to look at him. His embarrassment was still given away as tips of his ears started to turn pink. “I…I don’t hate you, Kakarot. I haven’t in a long time. I don’t know how to be anything else but what I am, and I don’t show much emotion besides anger. A lot of what you do doesn’t even bother me anymore, I just respond out of habit. But no, Kakarot, I don’t hate you.”
Vegeta felt naked in a way he never had before. He always kept these kinds of emotions tightly bottled up inside him. He stood stiffly facing the other direction, feeling too exposed to turn back around and look at Goku’s face right now.
Then, he felt the warmth of Goku’s chest as it touched his back, arms encircling his waist. His heart rate increased on its own accord and his breath caught as his brain processed this new information. Unless they were fighting, he rarely ever made contact with the other Saiyan, and here he was getting a full-on hug from him.
“I thought I said I didn’t want to hear a word about it!” Vegeta growled, glancing back at Goku who had one of his stupid grins on his face – a real one this time.
Still smiling, he tightened his embrace slightly and replied cheerily, “But Vegeta, I haven’t said a word.”
For once, he couldn’t fight with Goku, he was right. Vegeta sighed and, in a moment he rarely would let himself have, relaxed a little into Goku’s arms. Goku rested his head on his shoulder, face inches away from Vegeta. His heart pounded, and he could feel Goku’s increased heart rate against his back.
“I hate you,” he said, no malice in his voice whatsoever.
He felt that oaf’s smile growing wider.