Unexpected Happiness (Vegeta x Goku)

Chapter 32

Kakarot sighed and kept playing with his necklace before he buried his face in the pillow he had in his lap where he was curled on the couch. It smelled like Vegeta. He knew Vegeta was busy and had responsibilities but he just really wanted to be with his mate more often. He'd spend time with his cubs but Kome was with Bardock having one of his lessons and the others were with Kale as part of his separation therapy.

"What's the matter sweetheart?" Kakarot looked up to see Yasi standing behind the couch looking at him concerned.

"I miss Geta."

The young beta purred when his Tama slowly massaged his scalp. Tama could always make him feel better.

"He hasn't gone anywhere sweetheart."

"I know, I still miss him." He said before inhaling his mate's scent again.

"Do you want to go see him?" Kakarot's head came up surprised.

"I thought he was working?" The smaller male said softly. "Won't he be mad or in trouble if I bother him?" Yasi laughed and lightly ruffled Kakarot's hair.

"No sweetheart. Vege would love to see you. And even he gets to take breaks during the day. He won't get in trouble. To be honest, his father is the only one that has the right to say Vege has done anything wrong."

"You're sure...."

"Of course. I go see Vege sometimes, I go see his father at least once a week. Tarble usually goes with me. As long as he's not in a private meeting or a function of some sort there's no problem with going to see your mate." Hope blossomed in Kakarot's chest.

"Can I go?" He smiled hopefully at Yasi.

"I thought you wouldn't ask."Yasi said with a smile. "Let's find you something nice to wear."

"Blue, Geta likes blue." Kakarot chirped as he followed after Yasi. The older beta smiled to himself, Kakarot was learning how to get his mate's attention alright.

"Blue it is. It looks very nice on you, too." Yasi couldn't help but remember Paragus's words from their meeting a week ago as he helped his cub get ready to leave the house.

Flashback

"His recovery so far is astounding to be honest." The scarred alpha admit. "I didn't think he'd progress this far in only a few months."

"I'm sensing a but here." Bardock growled. Paragus nodded.

"I'm worried he's only progressing like this because you are all sheltering him."

"Are you insinuating we should just throw him to the wolves?" Vegeta snapped angrily.

"No, however we've reached a crossroads where Kakarot has to be exposed to normal life and normal situations. All the therapy in the world won't help him move past his issues if there's nothing to indicate it's working. Besides going into the garden after Kome, has Kakarot even left this house on his own? What about unexpected visitors? Guests? People besides all of you and the few guards he knows? We can't know what his triggers are or if he has them if you are constantly keeping Kakarot from encountering things that stress him. I'll be honest, I'm not sure all of his triggers will go away. Kakarot is hands down the most damaged individual I have ever worked with and I get the feeling I'm still not getting everything from him."

"The more you shelter him, the more likely a sudden trigger is to cause a relapse of a violent episode. The best way to proceed from here is exposure."

"What are you suggesting?" Bardock asked softly. He liked this idea about as much as Vegeta but Paragus hadn't been wrong so far.

"Let Kakarot be more independent." The older alpha explained. "If he wants to go somewhere alone let him. Stop making special arrangements to keep him away from alphas. Change his routine up at times. This doesn't have to be drastic or sudden. I mostly worry that if he gets a sudden enough shock he'll revert back to his old behavior and get hurt or hurt someone. Exposure will get him used to things and hopefully reduce the risk as he's more familiar with his triggers and even help identify areas he needs more focused therapy in. I know it'll be difficult but like a small cub growing up, its time to stop holding his hand for every little thing."