Picking Up the Pieces

Chapter 8: Fun Nicknames

Jiren lazily sat on the couch, sipping some hot chocolate as he read a book he liked to read when he was a kid. It was currently winter, and the blizzard outside stopped the duo from getting any training done so Goku and Jiren decided to laze around for once. Nothing interesting had been occurring so it gave everyone a chance to relax for once.

The Gray soon turned from his book and noticed Goku walking up to him with his own cup of hot chocolate and a warm, fuzzy blanket wrapped around him. The Saiyan sat down next to him as Jiren closed his book and put it off to the side, accepting the invitation to be surrounded in the fluffiness and warmness that was the blanket.

"Man, it's coooold!" Goku whined, making Jiren sigh, "Why not just use your ki?"

"I ain't bothered." Goku replied with a pout, making Jiren give a small chuckle as he wrapped his free hand around Goku. However, he soon touched a sensitive spot on his waist that made the Saiyan yelp.

Jiren turned to Goku with a surprised look on his face as Goku wrapped his tail around his waist to protect him.

"Did... Did that tickle you?" Jiren asked. Goku shyly nodded, "Y-Yeah... I'm kinda the most ticklish out of all my friends, but I never let anyone know that besides my sons and Chichi."

Goku looked somewhat panicked as his tail frizzed, "Don't tell anyone about this, alright?!"

Jiren smirked, "I won't... but..." in a flash, Goku's cup was placed to the side and he began to tickle his sides, making the childish Saiyan burst in a fit of laughter, "I think I'll have some fun first!"

"Hahahaha! J-Jiren st-stooooop! Hehehehehe, t-that tickles!"

Jiren laughed, "That's the idea. Now... are there any other spots that I should know about?"

"N-No!!" Goku yelled through laughter as he began to squirm. Jiren soon began to try and find other spots to tickle Goku, and soon found that he was most ticklish in his feet.

Goku soon burst out in a major fit of laughter, "Hahahahaha, J-Jireeennn! P-Please, hehehe! H-Ha-Have mercy!! Hahahahah!"

Jiren smiled, taking in his mate's sounds of laughter as he continued to tickle him. He had always enjoyed Goku's childish laughter even if this time was forced. The tickle-torture lasted for ten minutes before Jiren decided to show some mercy and let Goku go, with the Saiyan struggling to catch his breath.

"Hoo... man, t-that was something, heheh..." after he recovered, Goku soon got a mischievous glint in his eye that Jiren didn't like and he tried to find a way to escape, "But now I think it's my turn!"

Goku tackled Jiren and soon began to prod his sides, with the Gray struggling to hold his laughter in. As he began to tickle faster and added his tail for some extra tickle-power, Jiren soon burst and laughed hard. Goku took in Jiren's deep laughter and knew that this was one chance he wouldn't waste.

"H-Hey! Hahahaha, G-Goku! That's n-not fair!"

Goku grinned, "Why wouldn't it be? You did the same to me."

The Saiyan soon tickled Jiren under his arms, which proved to have been even more effective than his waist.

Jiren couldn't control his laughter at this point, "S-Stop! Hahahaha! Goku, p-please! Hehehehe!"

In reality, Jiren didn't really want him to stop. He was having the best time ever getting tickled by his mate!

"Guess I ain't the most ticklish anymore!" Goku exclaimed. Ten minutes after tickling him, Goku noticed that Jiren was slowly beginning to run out of breath so he decided that enough was enough and let him go. Jiren slowly sat up and held his chest as he began to catch his breath.

"You... You sly bastard." Jiren chuckled, and Goku placed his hands behind his head and laughed, "Well, you asked for it!"

As Jiren managed to even out his breathing he soon gave a small smile as he practically dumped the blanket over Goku's head making the Saiyan yelp as he managed to put it around his body instead of on top of him. He picked up his hot chocolate from the ground and snuggled in closer to Jiren who had grabbed his hot chocolate and leaned in nearer to Goku to allow the blanket to wrap both of them completely. Although the blizzard had died down somewhat, the two Strongest Mortals in the Multiverse didn't want to leave the couch just yet.

"Mmm... this feels nice." Goku sighed in content as he smiled, allowing Jiren to wrap his arms on a much less sensitive spot. Jiren couldn't help but blush happily as he stared at the man in his arms, knowing that he was the light in his darkened life.

"It really does." Jiren finished his chocolate and pulled Goku towards him once he finished his, kissing his forehead, "I'll always love you... my little Hikari."

At the new nickname, Goku blushed and laughed as he closed his eyes, "I'm your Hikari?"

Jiren smiled, "Of course you are, Goku. You gave me a reason to fight for someone again. You brought light back to my once darkened heart. You are my Hikari."

(In case you didn't know, hikari means 'light' in Japanese.)

Goku grinned as his tail poked out from underneath the blanket, "Well, in that case, you're my Chikara."

(Chikara means 'strength' or 'power in Japanese.)

"Huh?" Jiren looked confused, "Why?"

Goku leaned into Jiren's chest, "Because you're one of the more valid reasons, alongside the rest of my family, that I fight for." The Saiyan chuckled, "Do you remember, back at the Tournament of Power? When you asked me why I wanted to get stronger? Well, I didn't really say everything. The reason I love to get stronger and fight for fun is... well, because I knew that the ones I cared about were safe. I mean, sure the ToP was basically universes trying to survive but were there any threats besides that? Any that threatened their lives instead of their existence?"

Jiren looked away in thought, "I suppose not... and it does make sense. You care about your friends and family so much that you're willing to protect them." He absentmindedly began to stroke Goku's tail, making the Saiyan involuntarily purr like a kitten. Jiren noticed this and smiled, finding Goku's Saiyan attributes enchanting.

'Damn it, Goku, why are you so cute?' Jiren thought as he continued playing with his mate's tail. After a few minutes of stroking, Goku soon curled up in Jiren's lap like a kitten, snuggling up close. Jiren soon stopped and wrapped the blanket around him. It wasn't all that surprising that he would be tired. After all, winter was one of those seasons that just made you want to sleep in and cuddle with the ones you loved. That and the fact that they had both just endured some tickle-torture.

Jiren wrapped his arms around him, closing his eyes as he made a promise to himself. A promise he swore to keep.

"I promise to always keep you safe, my little Hikari." Jiren whispered, brushing some silver hair from Goku's half-asleep figure, "Just like you'd do for me."

Goku smiled as he weakly muttered, "Thanks... I love ya... and you'll always be one of my greatest Chikara."

"I love you too, Hikari."