Greetings! I'm hoping that by posting this and receiving positive feedback gives me the kick in the ass I need to complete this story.

Set in the years after Buu, but before the World Tournament when Goku takes off with Uub. What a flighty man!

As a side note I do not own DBZ, though I wish I did!

Kakarott was sparing with his youngest again, trading rapid fire kicks, punches and dodges in the early morning sunlight.

Vegeta sat and watched, slightly bored, while he waited for his turn against the tall Saiyan. He had sought the Baka out this morning, thinking to roust the man from his bed, only to find him in his front yard doing katas with his brat.

Goten had paused mid punch, thinking his father would take a break to greet the older Saiyan. He'd been wrong, but only in stopping. Unbeknownst to the brat, Kakarott had met Vegeta's eyes briefly, nodded slightly, and continued on.

This wasn't the first time the prince had caught the younger man mid training session. In the years since Majin Buu's defeat, Vegeta had sought out Goku more and more often to spar. Tensions needed to be worked out.

"Good morning Vegeta," Goten greeted him, completely relaxing his stance a moment later. It was a mistake. With a feral grin, Kakarott unleashed an uppercut, sending the youth high into the air. With a wink to his companion, Goku followed him up.

The years of peace were wearing thin. Saiyans were not used to life of tedium. Training and fighting was in their blood, the very marrow of their bones. To be without a solid challenge was testing Vegeta's patience.

He had noticed the same with Kakarott as well. His former rival had changed dramatically over the years. Gone was the stupid naive baka, who would chuckle and lift a hand to the back of his head in confusion. He had become harder, testier even.

From what the prince could tell, Goku's friends were pulling away from him because of it. They were used to the genial Saiyan who never disagreed with anyone, and could easily be walked on. Nowadays Kakarott spoke his mind, and those friends didn't seem to like what was being said.

There was a flash of light, and Vegeta looked up to see a scrap of orange gi float towards him. Lifting his tail, he caught it midair. It seemed Goten had managed a hit.

At first, Vegeta had been blamed over Goku's attitude change. Normally he would be pleased that he had had such influence over his younger counterpart. But sadly, this time he would take no credit. Nonetheless, he was enjoying the result all the same.

With a scream, the youngest Son came barrelling out of the sky, managing only to stop himself feet from the ground. Blood oozed from a cut on his lip and eyebrow.

"What the hell Dad?' he yelled at his father, who floated down leisurely, the orange top to his gi torn away in flaps. "You said we were only doing form drills! You could have destroyed the house!"

Goku shrugged. "Plans changed I guess."

Goten rounded on Vegeta, who came fluidly to his feet. "This is all your fault Vegeta," the teen growled, wiping at his lip with the back of a hand. "He's just trying to impress you."

"He doesn't have to impress me brat," the prince responded, cinching his tail tightly around his waist, the scrap of cloth still held within its grasp. "I know what your father can do."

"You did well today Goten," the big saiyan praised his son, capturing his attention. "You adapted quickly to the change in strategy. Tomorrow we will go Super. Now head inside and get cleaned up."

Goten couldn't help the flush of pride that stained his cheeks as he nodded to Vegeta and trotted into the house. The youngster knew better than to stick around when his father had the prince as company. His normally amiable dad grew easily irritated when Vegeta came around.

"Seems he got a hit on you," Vegeta stated, crossing his arms.

Kakarott shrugged and fingered a flap of blue cloth. "Had to happen sometime." He suddenly grinned, his whole countenance brightening. "So Vegeta, trying to catch me sleeping again?"

The prince snorted. "Of course. All you seem to do is sleep or eat. I figured I'd catch you at one of those things." He shook his head. "So routine"

His rival scratched at the drying sweat on his neck. "And all you do is sleep and train. Who's the boring one now?"

Vegeta growled. "I train so I can one day catch and kick your ass."

The baka bent said ass in his direction, waving his tail too and fro. "You haven't caught it yet, you better get to it."

"Just you wait, Kakarott," Vegeta said quietly, solidly. "There will come a day where you will be on your knees in the dirt, looking up at me in defeat, and you will know what all these years have been for me." Truer words he had rarely spoken.

Kakarott strode over to him, coming close enough that their noses nearly touched when the taller saiyan bent forward a little. The prince almost stepped back hesitantly. Almost. Kakarott's tail firmly wrapped around his arm stopped him.

"And when that day does come, Vegeta no Ouiji" the wild haired saiyan replied solemnly, "I will enjoy every minute of it." He cracked a grin and unwrapped his tail. "Maybe a little too much."

Vegeta couldn't help but inhale as Kakarott lingered a moment longer. The smell of soil and water, of 'saiyan' invaded his senses. The intensity in the other mans gaze forced him to swallow thickly and wrap his own tail tighter around his waist.

"As you should, Baka" he ground out, taking a step back and snickering to mask how discomfited he felt. "It's only right you give your prince everything."

Kakarott crossed his arms. "I always have, Vegeta. You've just never noticed."

Vegeta's brows drew down. What was up with his rival? He was never this serious. And calling him by his title? While it was invigorating and sent chills of pleasure down to the tip of his tail to hear it after all this time, but from Kakarott?

"Hn." He nodded his head in the direction of his home. He needed a fight to release the tension this scenario had created. "Shall we train in the gravity room today, Kakarott? Say, 700 times gravity?"

The taller Saiyans eyes lit up at the challenge. "Sounds good to me." Those dark orbs crinkled in mirth. "After you?"

-0-

"Beer, Kakarott?"

Goku took the offered beverage with a nod of thanks. He and Vegeta were settled comfortably on the princes lush couch in his capsule home provided to him by Bulma after much yelling and threats. So, the usual type of conversation between the two.

Vegeta and Goku's best friend had formally separated years ago, admitting to everyone that they had only gotten together for one reason: an heir. Vegeta stayed on the grounds to help raise Trunks, and irritate the woman, as the small saiyan would say proudly.

The two Saiyans would often spend their time after spars in front of the television and drinking. They hardly spoke during that time; they never needed to. Words were hardly suitable. Looks, gestures, tail flicks said everything. Vegeta said it was how Saiyans communicated.

Goku enjoyed these times together with his once rival.

He had always liked solitude. Time for him to be himself without putting up he mask he always wore around his friends. Being alone meant he didn't have to hide.

Being with Vegeta meant almost the same thing to Son Goku. At first, those decades ago, he had tried to hide himself from the smaller Saiyan, for fear the prince would see just how much of a monster the Earth raised Saiyan was. While it was true Vegeta had done more in the way of evil deeds, the choice was never given to him to act another way. The proverbial gun had always against his head.

Goku had no such excuse, and he had felt horrible. How could he tell anyone that he enjoyed a good fight, that when his fist met flesh, and skin broke open and bled he never felt more alive?

It had taken a long while for Goku to realize that Vegeta had felt the same as he did. Not because he had to, or was just acting that way due to his upbringing, but because of who and what they were. He had known from his brother that he was Saiyan, but had never felt it. What did he know what a Saiyan was anyways?

Slowly, fighting with Vegeta opened his eyes. The bloodlust, the continual need to push oneself, those were part of being Saiyan. The pride, gods, the pride! Said to be a curse, it was more a trademark of their lineage. They couldn't help trying to prove themselves. They were a superior race, and they needed to show it.

Slowly, Goku started pulling away from the things that irritated him. He stopped acting like the brainless idiot everyone loved. Oh sure, he still had his easygoing nature, but he wasn't the fool that never questioned anything.

His friends began to notice. How could they not when he was quicker to snort in disdain than laugh at their jokes?

While he felt better about himself now, Goku had to admit a part of him had done this so Vegeta would notice. So the prince would stop seeing him as the third class Baka under his boots, and start seeing him as an equal. Someone he wanted to be around. Sure, the truth was he could still probably beat the fiery man to within an inch of his life. But it didn't matter to him anymore.

Times like this made him believe that such a thing could happen. More often than not now, the Saiyans would spend the time after a spar together watching movies, drinking, or simply savouring the bone deep ache of excellent day of fighting.

He felt like he was missing something in his life, and being here in Vegeta's presence dulled that feeling.

"Do you remember when we first met?" Goku asked suddenly, breaking the silence they maintained.

Vegeta snorted. "Of course I do, Baka. It was the first time since Frieza I had wanted to kill something so badly."

Goku frowned. "You really hated me didn't you?"

The prince turned to him, something unreadable in his onyx eyes before he turned back to the television. "I offered you a place at my side, Kakarott, and you turned me down. Pride demanded I kill you." He shrugged a shoulder and took a drink. " And then you did all the things I had wanted to. Took my birthright and crushed it in your third class hands."

Goku sighed. There was that damn term again.

"You offered for the wrong reasons is all," he stated quietly, hoping the hurt didn't seep through into his voice.

"I know that Baka," was the rough reply. The hand on his beer can flexed, as Vegeta visibly fought to keep from crushing it. He glanced Gokus way again quickly, his throat working hard, like he was trying to swallow something down.

"Was there ever a time you would have said yes?"

Two pairs of dark eyes met as Goku locked gazes with the prince. Was that longing in Vegeta's eyes?

Goku had to force himself to breathe. Ever since Vegeta had died on Namek he had been drawn to the smaller Saiyan. When he had seen the naked pride in his prince's eyes the first time he saw Goku go Super, things got worse. Goku has started noticing every little thing about him, the way he held his chin, how he rested his weight more to his left side, yet during a fight led with his right. Things he was sure no one else noticed.

His insides had screamed at him that the missing part of him was another Saiyan.

Sure, he had tried to deny his feelings. He had wanted to work on his marriage. But Chichi had somehow known she was losing him. She had asked him one night to give her another child, soon after he had recovered from the heart virus and Cell had taken center stage as a threat. Gohan was growing fast, and was quickly becoming independent. Knowing he probably wouldn't walk away from the fight with Cell alive, he had obliged.

He had never intended to stay away for as long as he did. But watching everyone carry on without him, he had seen no one really needed him. Seeing Vegeta give up fighting had given him pause, but he determined the reason was the prince had believed all threats had been eliminated, including the one in his own backyard.

At that point, he had dedicated his after life to becoming the Saiyan Vegeta would be proud of calling his equal.

It seemed the time had come. "If the offer still stood, yes." His gaze bored into Vegeta when the prince finally met his eyes after he had quickly looked away, daring the other man to call him out. "No hesitation, absolutely."

Goku watched as Vegeta's breath hitched, saw the flicker of hope in his companions eyes, before he shut down, his face like a mask. The prince went into defensive mode.

"It's been a long day, and I'm tired, Kakarott. You're welcome to the couch." Without another word, he got up and left. Soon after a door slammed.

With a growl, Goku fisted his hands in his spikes. While he really wanted to march right up to Vegeta's room and scream at the man that he would do anything to be with him, he wasn't about to risk the small advances he'd made recently. Even tonight. Vegeta never talked that much, especially not about how he felt.

Ever patient, Goku settled himself on the couch, content to wait. Though he wasn't sure for how long. Vegeta once said patience wasn't a Saiyan's strong suit, and Goku wasn't sure he could prove him wrong.

-0-

Vegeta paced the floor in front of his bed, snarling to himself, his tail curling and uncurling. He'd been wondering all day what had gotten into Kakarott, but what the hell had gotten into him?

Had he really done what he thought he had done, and asked Kakarott to be with him in his own obscure way? Is that even what he wanted? When he has asked the first time all those years ago, and had been quickly shot down, his reasons were completely against Kakarott's nature. He saw that now. But that still hadn't stopped the anger that had surfaced. And later, the hurt.

He was trying to become something more than the ruthless emotionless monster Frieza had created. Didn't anyone see that? Could Kakarott?

The prince had to admit to himself that he enjoyed the time he spent with the other Saiyan. And not just fighting either. The downtime they spent together were the only times he really felt relaxed around anyone. They didn't even talk most times, and Vegeta enjoyed that. The people on Earth insisted that things be described with words. Saiyans didn't use words, they used actions. And Kakarott seemed to understand that. Words were never adequate for the broad range of emotions Saiyans felt.

Solitude was taking it's toll however. Despite his insistence that he needed no one but himself, Vegeta was feeling increasingly separated from the rest of the world.

No one understood him. No one understood that his need to train and become better was really a deep seeded need to be part of something, to be relevant. He'd been groomed since childhood to take care of his people, to have others depend on him. Frieza had taken all that away from him, and now he had nothing.

He had tried to be become what Kakarott was, the protector, the person upon whom everyone's hopes were riding. But time and again, his pride had gotten in the way and had gotten people hurt. In one instance, had nearly gotten the whole planet destroyed.

The prince ran a hand through his upswept hair as his tail thrashed angrily behind him. Kakarott's ki was a dull throb in the back of his mind, indicating the younger Saiyan was indeed opting to use his couch.

At that point, all he wanted to do was go back downstairs and sit with his friend. Just sit and be accepted. Because he knew with clarity that the younger man accepted him completely, flaws and all.

If asked, Vegeta couldn't say just when Kakarott had stopped being his rival and started being his friend. And he didn't care. It had happened and he wouldn't change it at all, not even for the chance for immortality. It was a sudden thought that took him by surprise.

But was the younger saiyan the answer? How could he be when Vegeta hadn't even known the question? He'd had this feeling for a long time, like an itch he couldn't scratch. Was this the source?

The prince savagely ripped off his ever present gloves and hurled them across the room. His hands, soft and smooth, despite a life of fighting, clenched and relaxed in front of him. Stained, always stained with the blood of millions. Did he even deserve this chance at redemption?

Quietly, he padded downstairs, pausing in the doorway to the living room.

Kakarott lay curled on his side facing the back of the couch, his figure dimly outlined by the compound lights outside. His tail lay draped over the side, the tip curled slightly on the floor. By his deep and even breathing he was sound asleep.

Vegeta inhaled, the smell of earth invading his senses. Kakarott smelled of 'home'. His skin tingled and his feet dragged him forward. Something inside him said that this, right here, was all he needed. All he had to do was reach out and touch it, take it as his.

Unconsciously, his hand did just that, his fingers trailing lightly along the tip of one of Kakarott's wayward spikes.

Did he want this? Did he want to be with Kakarott, day in and day out, talking, sparing, and letting the other Saiyan into the deepest darkest parts of his soul?

It was like an epiphany that nearly took him to his knees. Yes, by the gods yes, this man, this Saiyan that he thought he had hated, was what he needed to fill the void. At that moment he realized Kakarott was the part of him that was missing, part of him that he hadn't even known was gone.

But what to do? It's not like he could even go up to Kakarott and say 'you and I, we have to be together, I want you.' He didn't even know if the Baka felt the same. Sure he'd said he would stand by Vegeta's side if asked, but was that in camaraderie, or something else?