Unexpected Happiness (Vegeta x Goku)

Chapter 23

A.N. Alright peeps! Thank you for your patience on waiting for this chapter. Unfortunately, things are still a little chaotic in my slice of the world. So updates for the story will probably be sporadic from now on. 

Kakarot's soft purrs soothed Vegeta as he gently brushed his fingers through the ends of his mate's hair. The beta was clean and wearing soft clothes curled up in Vegeta's bed asleep. The beta had been sleeping frequently since their rescue. At first from the light sedatives while they were on the ship, and now from stress and exhaustion because of his pregnancy according to Chorri.

Kakarot had not handled being on a ship well at first. He panicked and lashed out at both him and Bardock. It wasn't until Vegeta entered the dream world that he found out Kakarot had been the one to first wake up, and he suffered a violent flashback. The little beta wouldn't or couldn't tell him what he remembered, and Toa was upset as well so the prince let the matter drop. They did slip him a low grade sedative to take the edge off things for him the first few days after that. Truth be told, Vegeta found himself needing them as well so he could rest.

He knew they were safe, that they were with allies and going home; but he couldn't stop feeling like a threat was around every corner. Sometimes he felt anxiety start creeping in for no reason that he could understand.

Kakarot shifted in his sleep then burrowing closer to him. The beta's hair and tail were still a terrible mess of tangles, but he hadn't wanted Vegeta to comb it. He wondered if Toa's near violent refusal had to do with a nearly forgotten need to hide his identity. Vegeta's eyes went to the burnt tags he managed to pick up from their cell. Kakarot had gone to a great deal of trouble to hide his name and any connection to Bardock, even hiding his appearance under layers of grime, blood and sweat. From the memories alone, the prince knew Kakarot could have spared himself so much pain if he just told them his name. The bath had been more enlightening than any of them realized. Kakarot had yet again flipped out when he saw the basin of water, going as far as actually biting him and Bardock in an effort to put as much distance between himself and the water as possible. Vegeta finally took the beta and ended up sitting in the shower with him to Bardock's ire. That hadn't been a pleasant conversation with his father in law after the fact.

Flashback

The prince felt his hair stand on end when Bardock shut the door as he entered the room and sat down across from him.

"Tell me everything you know."

"Bardock-"

"I'm not asking as his father!" The older male snapped, and Vegeta could see the emotional stress this whole ordeal was putting on the general. "I'm asking as a commanding officer. Kakarot was....technically still is a soldier under my command. I have to know what happened so I can report it and figure out if....." The prince nodded. His teacher was right.

There was going to be an inquiry about this whole mess. Kakarot should have never been on that world, never been in the position to be captured in the first place. And while the Kakarot he remembered was terrifyingly crafty, he would have never gotten off world without someone's help or someone's severe negligence in duty. Taking off without permission to the CZ was grounds for arrest and dismissal from military. It was the last thing the beta would have done no matter how angry he was at Bardock. Kakarot wanted to prove himself not ruin any chance he had at ever accomplishing that goal.

"I don't know much, not about how he was on that world anyways."

"You've been with him since your capture, don't tell me you didn't ask." Bardock growled.