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amaranthine-enihtnarama · 1 year

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Feel Alright (Goku x Reader)

(it’s going to be more fun than it sounds; manic pixie dream BOY; s3x; crushes; grief; hiding the past; friendships; jealousy; slow burn; “friends”; healing; growing; will-they-won’t-they; tension baby!!!!; canon blender >:)

TW: Triggering situations, grief, things are heating up in the flirty department!

taglist: @ilove-evanpeters @moonyscardigans @twinshii @raspberryhaterade @iwenttoshiratorizawa @uselessdoodlesdude @ferneskin @burneraccountant @bellaisasleep @arougeme @aurorarevenclaw1927 @applecandy14 @fingersnapples @langdoncult @loona-thebadchild @anlin2058

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When Bellatrix moves to the city after a personal tragedy under the wing of her friend Bulma, her life is completely turned around after she leaves everyone—including herself—stunned with the discovery of her own powers. Suddenly she finds herself swept up in a world of aliens, new bizarre planets and training, along with prospects of romance. One problem, though; she can’t leave the past to answer the new life that’s knocking at her door.

𝖕𝖆𝖗𝖙𝖘 (((𝖔(*ﾟ▽ﾟ*)𝖔)))♡: part one : 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 / part two: 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

Inspired by @sevenstarsinning’s “sweat”!

part four // stargirl!

“I think I’m going to shave my head.”

Bulma dropped her spoon. It splat onto her ice cream pint, then tilted backward and fell on the floor as she stared at me in bewilderment.

“…Huh?”

I shoved a giant scoop of ice cream into my mouth, savoring the caramel ribbons against my tongue. “It’s the only thing left tied to her, aside from mental scars I will likely never recover from, but I’d like to focus on what I can control.”

“Okay…but bald? You sure that’s going to work for you?”

I gave her a suspicious look. “What, do you think I couldn’t pull it off? Do I have a weird-shaped head?”

“No, no, I’m sure you’d figure something out,” she said, laughing uneasily, “But why not the usual breakup haircut instead of the scorched earth route?”

I stared blankly at the TV, then shrugged. “Yeah, sure, I could pull off a little afro. Now pick up your controller.”

“Bels, I already lost, I don’t want to play anymore,” she complained, “Do you just get joy from kicking me while I’m down?”

I played with the spoon as I held it in my mouth. “Okay, fine. What do we now, then?”

“Sleep.”

“One, that wasn’t my idea, and two, it’s not like I’m going to sleep either.”

She smiled, shaking her head. “How do you function?”

“Hey, I’ve had plenty of sleep already. Besides, I’m not exactly human, am I?”

Her eyes widened a fraction, and she looked away awkwardly.

“You heard that, huh?”

“Hm.”

“Well, don’t sweat it, okay? We’ll figure your stuff out all in due time,” she assured, getting to her feet, “And Goku’s probably asleep, too.”

I grumbled, rolling my eyes. “Whatever, I’ll just go to the observatory or something.”

She yawned. “Hey, knock yourself out. What’s mine is yours. See you in the morning.”

I waved, closing the video game. “Seeya.”

After Bulma went to sleep, I stretched my arms and wandered her home aimlessly, mind buzzing a million miles per minute. It had been a pretty wild night; flying, Goku, magic healing beans, superpowers, I was glad to cool down with some old-fashioned nostalgia.

At this hour, it felt like it had been just yesterday that I was thirteen and restless in the wee hours of the morning after tossing and turning in bed, making my way to the Briefs’ library. I’d already read all the books in there, but maybe they’d gotten some new stuff—although I don’t know if I’d be learning anything new, either. I’d be willing to bet some of my books were in there now, too. I sighed discontentedly, wishing Goku was awake, even if he’d be annoying me right now.

Solitude at night was peaceful, but dull and long. It was nice to have distractions.

“Hmm.”

Maybe I’d rummage around Bulma’s stuff, see what she’d been up to while I was gone. Maybe get caught up on all of the alien and space stuff, too.

***

“God, still a mess, huh?”

I grimaced as I sifted around Bulma’s lab, finding a…contained bomb…her dragon radar, and some notes. Some were old, others were new. I skipped the older ones.

“Hm, Namekians.”

An all male species, reproduces asexually, lives off of water…interesting.

They had two different clans—warrior and dragon clans, and apparently they could fuse together. I eyed her rough sketch of what they looked like, squinting at it curiously as a spark of recognition formed in my head. I read the word next to it.

“Piccolo. What’s a woodwind instrument have to do with aliens?”

I sifted through some of her other notes, my eyebrows raising slightly at the word ‘Saiyans’.

“Oh, this should be good,” I muttered with some excitement.

From planet Vegeta (destroyed); warrior race. Can transform into a giant ape at when looking at a full moon. Stupid strong. Loves a good fight. Not the most domestic type…

I chuckled, turning the page. My eyes locked on the name Super Saiyan.

Heightened abilites, blond hair, blue eyes.

With a slight furrow of my eyebrows, I tried to imagine Goku looking so differently. It felt strange. I flipped through some other pages, seeing the notes getting sparser, and sighed—anything else was probably in her head by now. I set the book down next to her computer, propping my feet up and looking around. There had to be something else in here…

A colorful, circular object caught my eye in a cluttered bin under her tables by the window. I smirked, intrigued.

“That looks a bit promising.”

I went over and picked it up, examining it. It looked like some sort of a coaster; purple with a green center. It started to tingle in my hands and I tensed, slightly alarmed. It was a communication device, but to whom or what? What if I’d just contacted some alien psycho or awakened some monster, or—

“Helloo, there,” a male voice greeted melodically, “What’s seems to be the matter, Bulma—oh, hello.”

I stared awkwardly at the blue man that was eyeing me through the coaster, unsure what to say.

“I don’t believe we’ve met, are you a friend of Bulma’s?”

I cleared my throat. “Ahem, uh, sorry, I didn’t mean to bother anyone, I was just looking around her lab and—“

He smiled. “Oh, no problem at all! Although it is a strange hour for a human to be awake, is it not?”

“I’m not much of a sleeper,” I said, interest piqued, “Are you an alien, too?”

He laughed, obviously quite amused by the suggestion.

“Oh, I’m afraid not. Are you?”

I chuckled. “Jury’s out on that one…”

“Hmm. May I ask your name?”

“I’m Bellatrix. Uh, Lyon.”

“A pleasure to meet you, Bellatrix. My name is Whis, I am an angel.”

I was shocked into silence, staring dumbly at him—or, maybe, them? Whis eyed me with amusement.

“Is there something wrong, Bellatrix?”

There were so many existential questions being answered and asked in my head right now.

“Um, is it possible for me to meet you? Like, in person?”

He frowned slightly. “Is something the matter?”

“No,” I quickly assured, “It’s just, uh…I’d really like to meet an angel.”

He chuckled. “Oh, really?”

“Well, I’ve just found out they’re real, so yeah, definitely.”

Whis hummed thoughfully, tapping his chin with his finger.

“Interesting. Well, perhaps I could jaunt over for a moment, if there’s anymore delicious earth food Bulma’s been keeping from me.”

They eat?!

“Um, uh…”

I frowned, looking around the office as if I would find an answer.

“Uh…oh! I can make something for you—if that’s good, er, Mr. Whis…sir.”

“Hm. I suppose I can come by and see if what you have is good. Perhaps I could bring it back to Lord Beerus if it proves to be satisfactory. I’ll be there in a moment.”

I stared frozen as the circle went dormant and the image of Whis disappeared. I wasn’t sure if I’d made a horrible mistake…but I had dough to prepare.

I pocketed the communication device and rushed out of the office, heading for the kitchen. I tapped my foot impatiently as the elevator took me to the correct floor, then sprinted out and down the hall, skidding to a stop in the dining room and rushing for the kitchen—

“Goku?”

I stopped, turning back around in surprise to see Goku asleep at the table. He stirred slightly, then his eyes opened lazily.

“Oh, hey, you’re back,” he greeted quietly, yawning.

I frowned. “What’re you doing back here?”

He smiled—it was a guilty one. “I may or may not have dropped a few fancy plates of Bulma’s.”

I chuckled, placing my hands on my hips. “Oh, so you were stashing away evidence, huh?”

“Maybe.”

I smirked, raising a brow. “Hm, maybe. Yeah.”

He stretched, muscles flexing as he let out a quiet groan then looked at me.

“What are you doing up?”

I hesitated, then jumped, rushing back into the kitchen.

“Oh, right!”

Goku followed after, watching me curiously. “What’s up?”

I briefly glanced to him as I gathered up a steel bowl, a whisk, a fresh bag of flour, eggs, and more.

“Uh, I got bored, sniffed around Bulma’s stuff, accidentally called an angel and now I’m baking a giant tart.”

“Oh, you met Whis?”

“You know him?”

“Yeah, he’s great! Vegeta and I train with him on Beerus’s planet pretty often.”

I was almost vibrating with excitement. “Planet?”

He grinned, coming over to me.

“Need any help? You seem pretty wired.”

“There’s so much new stuff all at once,” I said, a smile growing on my face, “I can’t wait to record it.”

I was about to crack an egg, but Goku opened the refrigerator and called to me.

“Oh, Bellatrix! It looks like Bulma already had some stuff made.”

I let out a sigh, slumping against the kitchen island.

“Oh, thank god. Or…whoever…huh. What does she have?”

“Um, there’s a cake, pudding, oh wow, it all looks really tasty—“

“Don’t.”

He looked at me as if I was suggesting something completely out of character.

“Of course I’m not going to eat Lord Beerus’s food!”

“Is there a tart in there? I was planning on a tart…”

The lights flickered, and Goku straightened up, shutting the fridge.

“C’mon, he’s here! Maybe he’ll take us back to Lord Beerus’s planet to train—although I should probably wait for Vegeta…”

He ushered me out of the kitchen despite my flustered resistance.

***

I stared up at Whis the Angel in subdued awe, stubbed into silence once again. Even if I was untrained, I could feel the power oozing from him. His aura was totally unearthly, both metaphorically and literally. He smiled down at me, but Goku took his attention away.

“Heya, Whis! How’s Broly doin’?”

“Hello, Goku,” he greeted pleasantly, “Broly’s doing just fine. I believe I’ve yet to be properly introduced to the young lady behind you.”

Goku quickly hopped back over to me, placing a hand on my back and seemingly presenting me with a hint of pride.

“This here’s Bellatrix! She’s really smart and has strong ki. And she can cook great.”

Surprisingly, this hit all of the right criteria for Whis. He brightened up, eyeing me with interest.

“Oh my, how lovely! I’d be pleased to witness a demonstration of both skills.”

“Oh! And she’s a, uh…”

I looked at Goku curiously as he scratched his head with confusion.

“A cozuh...right, a cosmologist!”

My gaze on Goku softened without my knowledge, but I felt the smile form on my face. He chuckled, looking to me for confirmation. I nodded.

“Yeah, cosmologist. I study the nature of the entire universe.”

I awkwardly looked up at Whis. “Although I’m starting to feel my life’s work is becoming obsolete.”

He stared me down, humming thoughtfully. I froze under his gaze, inching over to Goku a bit as he leaned toward me.

“My,” he remarked, “you do have a quite intriguing amount of untapped power. I’m amazed you’ve managed to live so normally for so long.”

“Well…normal may not be the most accurate statement,” I admitted while slightly shielding myself with Goku’s arm, earning a curious look from him.

Whis chuckled. “Mm, yes, that makes sense. It’s only to be expected with someone of your kind.”

My ears perked up, and I forgot about my intimidation, walking up to him. He smiled down at me.

“My kind? You know what I am?”

“Yes, I believe I do. I’d be happy to talk about it over whatever’s been prepared.”

“Well, Bulma already has some stuff, but I was planning on a tart.”

He waved his hand dismissively. “Not to worry; tarts can come later.”

“Oh my, this is delicious! Banana pudding? You humans are just full of surprises.”

I watched in subdued fascination as Whis gushed over the vat of banana pudding one of Bulma’s chefs had prepared, and I say gush mildly literally. I could see why he and Bulma got along.

“Earth food never ceases to please,” he said, happily eating another spoonful.

“I’m…glad you like it.”

He observed my uneasy smile, and set his spoon down with a kind look.

“Forgive me, I can imagine how impatient you must be to learn about your ancestry.”

Uh yeah, a little bit! “No problem, we’ve got all night.”

Goku was enjoying himself thoroughly as well, and flashed me a smile as he finished his bowl—a modest portion in Saiyan measurements. I smiled back, but stiffened up when I felt Whis’s eyes on me again and focused on my small bowl.

“Um, so…what do you know about me?”

“Mm!”

Whis held up a finger as he ate his last spoonful, then sighed contentedly.

“Ah, lovely! Now then, onto you.”

He stood, tapping his staff on the ground and creating some kind of hologram around us. I looked at the projection of the stars with raised eyebrows. This wasn’t a galaxy I recognized; must be pretty far from home.

But still…

“Why does this look so familiar? I’ve never seen this before.”

“This is the Sotalla Quadrant—quite far from here, so I wouldn’t expect you to have seen it in your work. And this…”

The stars whizzed by, then closed in on a black hole. I stared into its orange ring of light, feeling something within my stir. It felt like I’d found something I’d been searching for my entire life.

“…is the Basri Region. Or, more so, used to be. This was the home of the planet—“

“K’tep,” I muttered, my grip on my spoon having turned to iron, “This is K’tep? It was a planet?”

“K’tep? What’s that,” Goku questioned, looking between Whis and I.

Whis rose an eyebrow. “So you are familiar, then.”

“No, no, I…I mean, I guess so. I read it in a journal that my parents had. It was essentially destroyed, but there were some salvageable pages. I don’t know why, but it always felt special to me.”

I got up, walking over to the black hole, pushing my fingers through it. My heart sank.

“So, it’s gone? They’re all…they’re dead? Am I the only one?”

“Not at all,” Whis assured cooly, “They’ve long abandoned their home planet in favor of living in even further isolation.”

“Isolation? Why would they want that,” Goku questioned behind me.

“Because they’re not supposed to exist in the first place.”

My eyes snapped from the black hole to Whis. “What?”

“Your people are called Edourians,” he explained, “They’re a species that possesses angelic ancestry from a long removed angel.”

“Removed?”

“Angels are not allowed to interfere with matters of good and evil. The one who created your kind broke this law and paid the price knowingly.”

“I…need to sit,” I muttered, slowly returning to my seat.

“If Edourians have angel ancestry in them, they must be pretty powerful, huh,” Goku asked.

“Indeed. Although, of course, they hardly come close to the abilities of an angel.”

He smiled to himself, tapping his staff and getting rid of the hologram.

“The Grand Minister intended to remove them as well, but the Omni-King commanded otherwise. I imagine for entertainment. They still fear extinction, however, so they have secluded themselves from the rest of the multiverse.”

I squinted at my hands. “Then how the hell am I here?”

“Some leave their home to gather information about the world outside the K’tep Dimension. They are referred to as Olgnu. They have a code of strict non-interaction, but of course, as mortals do, some break this and are considered defects. I imagine this is how you came to be.”

“But…I grew up with a human family,” I said, looking at Whis, “I’ve never met any Olgnu or Edourians in my life.”

“Yes…I believe many of the defected in Universe 7 have met unfortunate fates. They are a popular race among bounty hunters, dictators, and the like…information is a powerful weapon.”

“Dictators I get, but why bounty hunters?”

Whis’s expression shifted in distaste. “The Edourians have a very unique appearance due to having angelic ancestry. There are…collectors who have interests in such matters, along with myths about the magical properties of their hair, eyes, tears, blood…I imagine I have no need to explain further.”

I slumped in my chair. “Oh.”

“That’s awful,” Goku said, “Bellatrix looks normal though, so we don’t have to worry about people coming for her, do we?”

“If she continues to develop her abilities, her body will change along with her. Her hair will likely become white, and her skin will likely change its pigment throuough her body—Edourians have a very pale appearance, and their hybrid offspring show traits of it regardless of how they look themselves.”

“Hm,” Goku grumbled.

Whis sat back down, helping himself to more banana pudding.

“Whis?”

“Mm?”

I furrowed my eyebrows, looking at my hands. “Is it possible for you to retrace whoever my Edourian parent was? Where they were on Earth?”

“Hm, possibly. But I doubt there may be much to find after all these years. Edourians cover their lost brethren’s tracks very well, even for me. That will have to be something you do independently if you care to develop your abilities."

“I see.”

I quietly played with my banana pudding, then stood. I smiled at Whis politely.

“I think I’ll be heading for bed now.”

“My pleasure. Have a good night!”

“What about your pudding?”

I smiled at Goku, rolling my eyes. “You can help yourself.”

“Thanks!”

I waved, then put my hands in my pockets, heading to my room. I felt their eyes on my back as I left.

///

Whis smiled as he ate more pudding, eyeing Goku as he swallowed.

“Bellatrix is certainly an interesting young woman.”

Goku perked up, quickly smiling. “Yeah, she’s great, isn’t she?”

“You two seem quite friendly.”

Goku nodded emphatically as he swallowed. “Yeah, I like her a lot!"

Whis smirked at him. “Do you, now?”

Any insinuation flew right over Goku’s head. He frowned at Whis in confusion.

“Yeah, that’s what I said. I like her.”

The angel could only let out a sigh.

“Oh dear; I can only wonder how this will play out.”

“Whaddya mean?”

“Nothing, Goku.”

***

I inhaled the steam in my shower, massaging shampoo and conditioner into my newly freed scalp. My head just felt so tight and itchy for some reason, even after washing my locs, so I took them out. They came apart with surprising ease; although I figure they weren’t that old to begin with. I turned the water from hot to cold, shivering with delight at the sensation of the icy water washing over my head. My headache was gone, too. I shut off the water, letting out a sigh and wrapping my body and hair in a towel.

“Oh, good, you’re finally up.”

I shrieked, jumping around to see Bulma fully dressed and lightly glaring at me to boot. I clutched my head--the headache was back with a vengeance as soon as it disappeared.

“Fucking shit, Bulma—!”

“Goku and Vegeta are waiting, so let’s get a move on, okay? Oh, and nice hair!”

I gave her a dirty look, massaging between my eyebrows.

“Yeesh, someone’s in a bad mood,” she remarked, “starting to look like Vegeta.”

She swiftly left, shutting the door behind her. My ears were popping as if I was underwater.

I managed to get myself into a black pair of sweatpants and changed my pajama top a long sleeved cotton shirt and tugged on my sneakers before heading to the ship.

“Guys, just chill out, okay? Bels isn’t fun when she’s in a pissy mood.”

“She’s fun?”

I rolled my eyes at Vegeta’s snarky remark, walking in and glaring at him.

“Oh, well, look at that. The princess finally leaves her chambers," Vegeta snarked.

I turned away and ignored him, taking the seat next to Bulma’s and crossing my arms.

“We need to stop by the apartment first for my keycard.”

Bulma groaned. “You don’t have it? Why don’t you have it?”

I gave her a look. “Why would I hang onto a keycard I don’t use? Just fly already.”

“Don’t boss me around, they’re your lackeys,” she deflected, jutting a thumb at the Saiyans behind her.

We took off, breaking over the clouds and flying through the sky under the crisp morning sun. I squinted, looking at the pale blue sky and giving Bulma another look.

“What the hell was the rush for? It’s barely the asscrack of dawn.”

“I don’t want to run into that bitch again,” she said through gritted teeth, speeding us up.

I sighed, feeling a little irked by her calling Delilah a bitch.

“Hey, only I can call her that. And after my little outburst last time, I don’t see her coming for seconds.”

With a yawn, I leaned my head on the window, avoiding looking at the clouds. I heard footsteps come up behind me, and sighed again before Goku even spoke.I looked at him sharply, but couldn’t stay annoyed with him. I grumbled and looked away. He chuckled, still leaning over my shoulder.

“Mornin’ ‘Trix,” he greeted.

“C’mon, too moody to say good morning?”

I huffed, looking at him.

“Morning, Goku.”

“What’s botherin’ you anyway? You seemed alright last night.”

“Goku, leave me alone, please.”

“Alright,” he relented.

My mind floated away quickly. I stared at my legs, resting my elbow and taking one of my curls in between my fingers, rubbing the coil. My eyes relaxed as I returned to my thoughts.

All I could think of was how much my parents knew. Why did they keep me in total ignorance? Where did they get that journal from, and why did it have anything about K’Tep in it? Whis mentioned bounty hunters, were my parents some kind of version of that? Did they kill my real family?

“What’s on your mind, Bels?”

I blinked, looking to Bulma, then furrowing my eyebrows and going back to staring at my lap.

“Did your father ever mention anything about my family? Maybe you overheard something?”

“Not really…why?”

“I talked to Whis, the angel guy? He says I’m an Edourian.”

“Edori-wha?”

“Aliens.”

“Well, obviously, but what are those?”

“They’re aliens with angel ancestry, apparently. And very secluded. And the one or ones that made me are very dead.”

“Oh…”

I smiled grimly. "Yeah. Really tallying them up these days."

Bulma was quiet, then I felt a hand gently hold mine. I met her eyes.

"Hey...after this, why don't we go out? Just you and me, some girl time?"

I softened my face, turning my hand and squeezing hers. "That sounds nice. I was honestly hoping to talk to Whis again because I had more questions--"

"That's perfect! We'll all go have brunch."

I laughed a little. "Really? You guys just...go to restaurants?"

"Yeah, of course! He loves going to restaurants."

"That tracks.”

After a bit of thought, I grinned, looking to her again. “Has Whis ever had a taco?”

Her eyes widened in intense revelation.

***

“Here, wear these,” Bulma instructed, tossing me, Vegeta, and Goku long, heavy, arctic coats.

I eyed it skeptically, tossing it aside as Vegeta and Goku tugged them on. Bulma gave me a disapproving look.

“Bels, put on the coat.”

“I didn’t wear arctic clothes while I worked here; I’m not starting now. Let’s go.”

I yawned, pressing the button to open the door. I stretched eagerly, opening my body to the frigid, biting winds of the arctic. My mood lifted almost immediately as goosebumps rose on my cheeks. I walked out, taking my shoes off and crushing the snow under my toes, feeling my brain revitalizing. Goku bounded up next to me, then looked down and scooped me up in alarm.

“Goku--put me down!!”

“You’re gonna get frostbite! Your toes are gonna fall off! What happened to your shoes?”

“Goku, I do this all the time!”

Bulma and Vegeta passed us as I struggled in Goku’s arms while he tried to carry me as he walked.

“Goku,” I insisted, feeling my cheeks burning, “I’ll put them on! I’ll put my shoes back on, just put me down!”

“Awe, but I like carrying you! It’s keeping me warmer.”

I hesitated to keep protesting, then fell silent, grumbling.

“Some powerful Saiyan; can’t even handle a little cold…”

He smiled, bouncing me in his arms as we caught up with Bulma and Vegeta. Vegeta glanced at us, then tensed, whirling around.

“Kakarot, put the Earth woman down!”

“Bellatrix said it’s fine,” he protested, grip tightening on my arms and knees.

I glared daggers at an ice mountain on the horizon, letting out a sigh as the two bickered and I rocked back in forth from between Vegeta’s tugging and Goku’s grip. I wanted a cigarette and a Girl’s Day.

“Guys! C’mon, we don’t have all fucking day! Let’s hurry up! But Bels down!”

All three of us froze at the sound of Bulma’s yell echoing across the tundra, then quickly straightened out our behavior. I quickly pulled my shoes and sneakers back on, then hopped down from Goku’s arms, brushing both of us off and clearing my throat awkwardly.

“That’s it up there, right?”

Bulma pointed ahead, and sitting on the icy pleateau up ahead was the Lyon Observatory, solitary, metallic, and shining in the muted arctic sun. I stared up at it quietly as Goku and Vegeta flew us to cut down on walking time.

“Wow, this is where you worked?”

I smiled. “And lived if I could help it.”

Goku seemed skeptical as we landed in front of it, measuring the observatory up.

“It seems small.”

“It’s cozy,” I corrected with some offense.

He quirked a brow, but followed me in. I scanned my keycard, and with a click and a buzz, the metal security door rumbled, then slid open to reveal a simpler one. I rummaged in my pocket, taking out my keys and unlocking it. A rush of stale air hit my nose, and I grimaced, ushering everyone in after me. We climbed the stairs, and the stale smell grew stronger the higher we climbed. Bulma panted behind Goku, already complaining after five or so flights.

“How…how goddamn high…”

“Sorry. We don’t have much longer.”

After four more flights or so, we finally reached the door to the telescope room, or, more accurately, my office. I ran my fingers over the chilled metal of the door, memories flowing back into my mind like a stream. I could remember when Delilah first showed me this place. We’d been dating for about five months, and she was very eager to make our relationship official. With Delilah, that always meant an extravagant gift.

I know exactly what you’ve been wanting, she’s assured, her hand on the small of my back, I know I got you the perfect gift this time.

I smiled, then laughed. I don’t need a perfect gift, Delilah, I told you that.

I know, I know, but this is…flawless.

She removed the blindfold, and harsh light filled my eyes. I blinked through the sight adjustment, putting on my glasses, staring up in astonishment.

Delilah…this is…this is too much.

She embraced me from behind, kissing my neck. I couldn’t help but grin. She smiled against my skin. Her cheeks and nose were cold.

Nothing is too much for the love of my life.

Tears were threatening to form in my eyes as I stared up at the observatory, slowly clasping a hand over my mouth.

The Lyon Observatory, she said, It’s all yours.

She nuzzled my cheek, laughing softly as my shock slowly passed.

Why don’t we christen it, darling?

“Hey, Bels, you okay?”

I blinked as Bulma nudged me again. “Oh—oh, uh, yeah, fine, sorry.”

Clearing my throat, I pulled out my keys again found the tubular key, putting it in the lock above the eye scanner and taking off my glasses to use it. Some more gears quietly whirred as the doors unlocked and opened. Retrieving my keychain, I motioned for them to follow. Delilah's gentle, awkward laugh seemed to echo in the darkness.

It had only been a few months since this place had been my everything: my home, my office, my library, and, depressingly, my friend. I smiled slightly.

"Lucky, you up and running?"

"Up and at 'em, baby."

I placed my hands on my hips as the lights flickered on, taking in the familiar surroundings.

"Woah, what's this?"

I jumped into action at the sight of Goku reaching toward my telescope, moving him away hurriedly.

"Uh, that's my very--very--expensive telescope. Please be careful around it."

"Oh, sorry."

He scratched the back of his head with an awkward chuckle, then looked at it again with curiosity. I smiled again, going over to it.

"She's gorgeous, isn't she?"

Vegeta walked up next to me, surveying it.

"What, is it some kind of weapon?"

I rolled my eyes. "Obviously not. It's an optical telescope; it reflects light off of the mirrors inside to see into space. I can take photos, I can collect data, or, I can just observe."

Vegeta gave an unimpressed 'hm', and moved away to inspect the rest of the room, his quiet footsteps managing to carry sound along the circular walls. Goku leaned over my shoulder, eyeing it closely. I shrank away from his face but put a hand on his shoulder in an attempt to restrain him.

"I don't get what's so great about sitting around lookin' through this thing," he said, looking to me, "But if you like it, then it should be fun. Could ya show me sometime?"

"Y-yeah."

He smiled, then went over to my desk. Bulma came up next to me, giving me a grin. I crossed my arms and ignored it, following Goku to my dusty workspace. I sighed in annoyance, even the pens and pencils had a thin coat of dust over them. He flipped through my journals briefly, then furrowed his brows.

"What do cosmologists do anyways?"

I chuckled, picking up the smartwatch next to my journals. I fastened it around my wrist, turning it on.

"Yeah, the job description is a little vague, but the nature of the universe is much more of a mystery to laypeople like me. We're searching for answers. Answers that are likely beyond our comprehension, but answers nevertheless--the universe's creation, evolution, its nature, and possible futures, so on and so forth. But the rest of us are just professors.”

I looked at Goku with a small smile. "It's not everyone's cup of tea, but I got a taste of it the moment I looked up at the night sky, and I've been hooked on it since."

He smiled back and held my gaze for a moment. I couldn’t decipher his expression so I shifted my focus to my smartwatch.

"Is that part of the telescope,” he asked.

“No, it’s more like my personal computer.”

I tapped it, and holograms of multiple monitors projected onto the air in front of us. Goku seemed impressed, which I found amusing considering his oldest friend was practically the patron goddess of tech.

“Wow, it’s so empty,” he remarked, eyes shifting between each camera feed.

“Yeah, empty and dusty. I think we could use some more hands here.”

I turned to Bulma, who rose a finger to silence me, phone to her ear.

“Already on it.”

“Lucky, let’s wake the place up, okay? Turn on the lights, open the windows, turn on the climate control—I know it’s freezing in there.”

“On it.”

Goku looked up again as Lucky’s voice reverberated in the room.

“Who’s Lucky?’

“My AI assistant. They’ve got a bit more of a personality than necessary, but they’re helpful.”

“Cool. Hiya Lucky!”

“Hello there,” Lucky greeted.

Goku chuckled, and I felt his eyes return to me but my focus had shifted. Sitting against the wall, with a bit of dust on the frame, was a photo of Adam and me. I picked it up, blew it off, and wiped the glass with my sleeve. I stared, feeling a pang in my stomach. It was from our high school graduation. I could remember this was the only photo Mr. Briefs got of us before I started hiding behind him and wanted to leave. His arm was slung over my shoulders, a broad, bright smile on his face as he brandished his diploma. I was shielding myself with mine awkwardly, trying to smile with him.

The sun had been beating down on everyone that day, and the music and applause had grown to be too much for me. Adam was soaking up the congratulations and boisterous farewells from his peers, constantly dragging me over to make me do the same. I chuckled at the memory, then laughed to myself.

“Adam, let’s go already!”

“C’mon Bels, let’s say bye, they’re our friends,” he encouraged, tugging me closer.

“They’re your friends,” I corrected, wiping sweat from my forehead, “I don’t even like half of these people. They don’t like me either.”

“Oh please, you’re our valedictorian! I’m sure their parents want to meet you at least.”

I grimaced. “Their parents?!”

“Bellatrix!”

I jumped at the sound of Vegeta actually saying my name and whirled around in shock, eyes darting between him, Goku, and Bulma.

“Did you just say my name?”

“You’ve been ignoring us for the past minute,” he snapped, “Now what are we to do here?”

“Oh—uh…sorry.”

I placed the photo on my desk behind me. “Uh, well, Bulma’s people can clean the place up…I could use some help checking how the telescope’s looking, though. You guys can fly, so that’ll save time, and I’ll make sure you don’t destroy it.”

“I don’t require supervision,” Vegeta protested in offense.

Bulma quickly shot that down. “Yeah, you definitely do.”

I picked the photo back up and looked at it quietly. I spared Bulma a glance, then headed for the door.

“I’ll be right back. Just gonna get some more fresh air.”

I slid past the door, then went down the stairs and quickly made my way out to the snow. With a deep breath, I leaned against the wall, shutting my eyes. Silence—I just needed a moment. It had only been a month to everyone else, but to me it had been an eternity. Alone, sick with guilt and confusion and pain.

I held up the photo, staring at Adam’s smile. Maybe if i tried hard enough, this smile could replace what appeared in my mind when I thought of him. My big brother, shining so bright. So happy. Always making up for me with his charms and unconditional kindness.

I swallowed, feeling my throat closing. I knelt down and grabbed some snow, rubbing it over my warming face and throat. It wasn’t good to cry out here; the tears stuck together on your cheeks. I stood again and tried to will the tears away, pressing my hand against the smooth metal behind me. I’d forgotten, if I was being completely honest, how much we’d loved each other. How much Delilah was willing to give and give and give, and all she asked for was love in return. How much I wanted to give her that love. How much I’d wanted to change all of myself just to see her eyes twinkling along with her toothy smile—her real smile.

I rubbed more snow on my face, taking sharp breaths in discomfort. I’d forgotten it all.

“Ah, there you are!”

My mind froze in shock at the sound of Whis’s voice above me, and I peeked through my fingers to see the white-haired angel smiling down at me. It shifted in concern.

“Oh dear, are you alright?”

I sniffed grossly, looking away. “Mm. Fine.”

“Hmm, if you say so.”

I got to my feet, still avoiding his gaze. I was afraid to speak, I wasn’t sure if my words would falter or tremble.

“I apologize for disturbing you on such short notice, but I’m afraid Lord Beerus wishes to have an audience with you.“

I frowned. Lord Beerus? Who’s that?

“So, I’ll need you to come with me.”

I looked at him in surprise. “Not to be rude, but I don’t think I’m up for it today.”

Whis’s eyebrows rose. “That’s not the answer you want to give a Destroyer God, Bellatrix.”

I wiped my eyes, starting to feel my tears subside.

“Um, Destroyer God?”

“All you need to understand right now is that a Destroyer God is not someone you wish to disobey.”

I hesitated, but under the cool intensity of Whis’s stare I didn’t have much intention to resist.

“Okay, just let me tell them. Lucky?”

My watch’s screen lit up, revealing an animated smiley face.

“What’s up?”

“Please let our guests know that I’ve been called to meet with a Lord Beerus, okay?”

“What’s a Lord Beerus? May I have more details to be able to tell our guests?”

“He’s someone I’m meeting with. They know better than I do, Lucky. Be right back.”

“Don’t dilly-dally!”

I rose a brow as my screen returned to the time, then sighed, meeting Whis’s eyes.

“Okay, I’m ready.”

“Great, let’s go. We’ll be at Lord Beerus’s planet in approximately twenty-eight minutes.”

My face fell. “Hold up, pla—“

Before I could even ask, the world became a blur of colors and sounds, and my body was being pulled from the ground in a way that I’d never felt before in my life. Whis smiled kindly, noticing my discomfort.

“If necessary, we can stop for you to relieve yourself.”

I fought to hold back my vomit, unable to even answer.

***

“Hmph…this is really the Edourian?”

I struggled to hold the gaze of the purple cat that was staring me down coldly as I stood next to Whis awkwardly, suddenly very self conscious about the drying wet spots on my knees and ass from the snow, let alone the vomit on my breath.

“It is, Lord Beerus. Her name is Bellatrix Lyon.”

I gave a half bow, unsure if that was the proper thing to do. Then, seeing his stare, I blushed in embarrassment, clutching my photo behind my back as I straightened up.

“Uh…hello, Lord Beerus…sir.”

I briefly stole another glance at him, but averted my eyes immediately. One, I wasn’t sure if a lowly mortal like myself should look a god in the eye, and two, I was terrified he could read my mind and know that all I could think of was scratching behind his ears.

“You don’t look like an Edourian,” he accused, “Why is Whis so sure you are one?”

“I—uh—“

I glanced between Whis and Lord Beerus in a slight panic.

“She doesn’t know anything of her ancestry, Lord Beerus; but I assure you I am quite confident that she is an Edourian. The power Goku described when telling me of their little flying lesson sounds just like a budding Edourian’s power.”

My heart stopped for a moment at the mentioning of Goku and I that night in the valley. How much did they discuss exactly?

Lord Beerus seemed dismayed. “If Goku is your source, then I definitely want proof myself.”

He looked at me and pointed. “You, show me your power.”

Oh, fuck. “Uhm, Lord Beerus sir, I don’t know how to show you.”

His eyes narrowed with annoyance. “Then how can Goku sing your praises so eloquently?”

“It just happens,” I hurriedly explained, “The last time I tried to trigger it on my own, I opted for jumping off of a cliff; it only really seems to happen if I’m experiencing intense emotions like fear or very strong discomfort.”

Lord Beerus eyed me, then sighed. “Very well.”

My stomach flipped, and I glanced uncertainly between Whis and the Destroyer God again as Lord Beerus yawned.

“Whis, fetch the Saiyan.”

Numerous protests bubbled up my throat as Whis guided me out of Lord Beerus’s dining room and took me to an open field. If it weren’t for being gripped by fear, I’d be in awe at the scenery around me, of being on my first new planet—being in a vague but definite danger and surrounded by strangers was not how I wanted my first extraterrestrial visit to go.

“Broly,” Whis called, “Can you come here for a moment?”

My ears perked up at that name—Broly. Goku mentioned a Broly. God, I wish Goku was here.

The sound of someone flying caught my attention, and I turned as they landed. I was met with a large chest packed with muscles and swallowed, tilting my head up to meet the familiar dark eyes of a Saiyan. Instinctively, I felt myself shrinking, gripping my photo tighter in my hands. This man was huge. He was a fucking giant. I’d never met anyone so large in my goddamn life. He could probably snap me in half like a wafer without trying.

He stared down at me quietly, his tanned face slightly twisted into a curious frown. His hair was longer than any of the other Saiyans I’d met so far, and it fell over his brow, threatening to cover his eyes. There was a scar on the left side of his face that sliced from his cheek to his jaw. The longer I looked at him, the more delicate his features became, and some of the tension left my shoulders. He leaned down suddenly, staring at me hard. I yelped and froze as he looked me up and down.

“Broly, this is Bellatrix,” Whis introduced, “She’s a friend of Goku’s.”

Broly looked over to the angel. “A friend?”

“Mhm.”

His eyes shifted back to me, and it took all I had to hold his gaze. Then he straightened up.

“Hello,” he greeted, voice soft despite its baritone, “I’m Broly. It’s nice to meet you.”

I smiled awkwardly, holding my hand out. “H-Hey.”

He eyed my hand quizzically, looking at me seemingly for an explanation as he rose his own then uncertainly placed it against mine. I was pretty sure I was sweating by now.

“Uh…”

We stared at each other with mutual confusion. I slowly took his hand and clasped it with my opposite one, shaking it. It swallowed mine, his hand softer than I was anticipating for such a rough and tumble looking guy.

“It’s a greeting,” I explained.

He looked at our hands intently as if he was learning essential knowledge, then took his hand back. I scooted away, holding onto Adam as I glanced between Broly and Whis.

"What am I supposed to do, exactly, Whis?"

"I'm afraid I'm not sure."

“Oh, good, you’ve got him.”

I jumped and spun around at the sound of Lord Beerus’s voice behind me, once again on high alert. His eyes surveyed me cooly, but I could see gears working in his mind. He paused.

“Tell me, Edourian, what are you hanging onto so dearly?”

My stomach fell to the ground immediately. “…I…uh….what are you taking about?”

His eyes narrowed—my heart froze a moment as they burned into mine. We stared at each other in silence for a moment until I folded and showed him the photo of Adam and I.

“It’s just a graduation photo.”

He eyed it strangely. “Why would you bring this with you to my planet? Does it have some kind of use?”

“No, no I just forgot—“

I tensed as Lord Beerus’s hand took hold of the picture. Anxiety suddenly churned inside of me as I remembered what Whis had told me—you shouldn’t disobey a God of Destruction. But my grip was tightening, and I couldn’t control it.

“It’s my brother,” I hurriedly explained, “My brother’s in that photo. I’d like to hold onto it for safekeeping, Lord Beerus, sir.”

At that moment his eyes changed, and I realized I’d given something away that I was going to completely regret not catching. He snatched it from my fingers and my stomach immediately twisted into knots. My breath caught in my chest and my eyes widened. I glanced helplessly to Whis, who was eyeing Lord Beerus curiously. I gave an uneasy smile, reaching for the photo, but he caught my wrist, holding the photo behind my back.

My hand trembled, I licked my lips and swallowed fixing my eyes on the space where Adam just was. I took a sharp inhale, clenching and unclenching my hand, starting to crack under the weight of Lord Beerus’s stare.

“What are you…why…give it back…please?”

“I don’t think I will, Edourian,” he calmly dismissed, releasing my hand, “Not until I see your power.”

A migraine was threatening to form over my right eyebrow. I hesitantly looked up at him, my mounting agitation starting to override my attempts at being respectful.

“Can I please, sir, Lord Beerus, just—it’s very important, okay? I just need that back, it’s very—“

I was muttering, half intelligible, pain building above my brow, sweating under the looming presences of these three large men, and I could feel my lungs starting to collapse into themselves. I backed away, trying to get some air back, but I was stopped by a gentle hand. I looked up at Whis in a shock, my entire body jumping.

“I just need some air,” I tried to explain, unable to move against his strength, “I’m just feeling a little dizzy, I’ll—I’ll show him, I just need to...”

“I apologize, Bellatrix, but we do need to see your power, one way or another.”

A wave of intense frustration passed through me and I felt the shift. The memory of the blast on Capsule Corp was blending with the gradual blurring of my vision.

“Get your hand off of me,” I demanded, teeth gritting, “Get your hand off of me and give me my dead fucking brother back.”

Everything was fading in and out around me. I couldn’t remember where Whis had his hand, if Broly was still looming over me or had moved away, if I was doing anything, but I couldn’t feel the picture frame in my hands, and I was starting to lose my hold on my center. I was so sick of it. I was so sick of being helpless. Of being someone else’s experiment. Of being someone’s plaything. But I didn’t even care. I just wanted—

“Give Adam back, you goddamn asshole!”

I wasn’t floating this time, I was hurtling into the sky, my body being thrown about by vicious winds, the cold pit having turned into a furious supernova that wanted to devour and destroy anything in its path. My heart had stopped—I couldn’t control it. I couldn’t control it and I wasn’t too sure but I’m pretty sure I’d said something stupid to the Destroyer God so I was fucked, and I was either about to be killed by whatever this new side of my power was or a pissed off super cat.

“That’s enough.”

Without any warning, it stopped. For a moment I felt a palm on my forehead, but then I cried out, legs crumbling, and I collapsed onto the torn up grass and dirt, shaking and moaning. The ground seemed to pulse and ripple under me as my muscles spasmed and twitched, trying to process what had happened. Was I going to cry? Was I crying already?

“I apologize for that, Bellatrix, but you did tell us yourself—“

“Give me the goddamn picture back!”

My hoarse voice echoed around us on the air, silencing everything. I struggled to push myself up, wiping my eyes and nose, and held my hand out, not daring to look Lord Beerus in the eye. To my slight surprise, I felt the picture frame gently pressed against my palm. I snatched it reflexively, stumbling to my feet and rushing away as fast as I could. My lungs were on fire—my throat was gravel—what happened this time?

***

I had holed myself up in some cave, hiding behind a rock even though I knew if any of them wanted to find me, they would’ve just come and gotten me by now. I kept breathing—one, two, three, four; one, two, three, four, five, six; one, two, three—

The sound of rocks crunching under feet made me fall silent. I sighed, rubbing my forehead, then peeking out from my hiding spot. It didn’t take long to recognize such a giant silhouette, even though he was slouching. I frowned.

“What do you want?”

Broly stopped, and I inwardly punched myself—that sounded far too defensive.

“I’m sorry, I’m…I’m better now.”

There was silence. I couldn’t read his face in the dark, but he didn’t move.

“I was worried.”

His voice moved along the cave walls like molasses and it soothed my ears. With a swallow, I crawled from behind the rock, standing to a crouch as well.

“Thanks. I’m okay.”

He remained in silence, and I stared at his dark form in confused expectation.

“Why were you worried about me? You don’t know me.”

“My…friends. They heard it. The explosions and your voice. They told me I should.”

I thought of Beerus and Whis with a bit of distaste. As if he could see my expression, he spoke again.

“My friends are Cheelai and Lemo. You haven’t met them.”

“Oh.”

After another long silence, I quietly brushed past him and sat down at the mouth of the cave, resting against the rock. He emerged soon after, dark eyes fixed on me curiously.

“Your friends didn’t come see,” I remarked, looking around at the empty landscape.

To my surprise, he smiled a little. “They were too scared.”

I nodded, then sighed quietly. “Yeah, I…I tend to be doing a whole lot of scaring lately.”

My eyes shifted to his, and I managed to hold his gaze for longer than a milisecond.

“You’re not scared?”

“No, you’re like me.”

I rose a brow. “How can I be anything like you?”

He looked away, eyebrows furrowing slightly. “I can get scary too. I lose control, like you did. That’s why I’m on Lord Beerus’s world.”

I considered Broly, imagining him going beserk—maybe even one of those ‘Super Saiyans’ Bulma had written about—and I could definitely understand why he’s quarantined to a god’s planet. I cleared my throat, trying to sit a little more comfortably.

“Where are you from?”

He seemed surprised I asked, but told me nonetheless with a small smile.

“I’m from the planet Vampa.”

“Vampa, hm? Cool.”

My mind blanked, and I stared ahead, trying to think of what I wanted to ask. My mind was still recovering from the events of the day, and felt as if parts of my brain were defrosting.

“You’re from Earth, right? Like Kakarot.”

I squinted at him. “Who?”

“Kakarot. You’re his friend.”

I blinked. “Uh…oh, you mean Goku?”

He nodded. “He told me to call him Kakarot. He said it was his Saiyan name.”

“Oh, I didn’t know he had one. We’ve just met, anyway.”

My eyes were starting to droop. There was just something about this guy’s presence that was calming.

“Are you okay?”

“Mm?”

He nudged me gently, and I lazily opened my eyes.

“Sorry, I’ve had a long day. I don’t…”

I yawned, slumping a little. “I don’t usually get sleepy like this. It’s my first time traveling through space.”

“We should go back so you can rest,” he suggested.

“No,” I sharply rejected, “I mean, uh, sorry. I’d rather be here. You can go ahead if you want.”

“You can stay with my friends.”

“I’m gonna stay here.”

I hesitated to say it, but I admitted it quietly. “I just…it’s safer to me. I don’t want them to take my photo again.”

“I’m sorry.”

I looked at him, cocking my head. “What do you mean?”

“I’m sorry they took your brother.”

I studied his face in fascination. His rough face had softened completely into naive remorse, eyes downcast into his lap.

“I have something I don’t like people taking either.”

He started to caress the fur that he had tied around his hips, and I eyed it with some interest. I pointed at it.

“Is that from Vampa?”

His soft smile returned, and he nodded. “It was my friend’s. I didn’t have many back home. It’s his ear.”

My eyebrows rose as I examined it again. “Big friend.”

“Yes. Very big.”

I sighed, looking at Adam’s smile.

“That is your brother?”

“Yeah. My big brother.”

He hummed thoughtfully, examining the image, and I chuckled slightly.

“Uh, I mean ‘big’ as in older.”

“Mm.”

He sat back quietly. My eyes started to fall shut again, and I let out a sigh, hugging Adam close.

“Sorry. I’m, hm…I’m falling asleep.”

Before I heard Broly answer, I had quickly slipped away into a dream.

***

A loud clang made me stir, and my eyes slowly fluttered open. I squinted as my sight flooded with light, and groaned quietly, hugging my photo tighter.

“Sorry,” a voice whispered loudly.

My eyebrows knitted and released. I tugged my blanket over my body, yawning. As I exhaled, a familiar scent filled my nose that eased the knot in my stomach.

“Goku,” I muttered, pulling the blanket closer, “What’re you doing here?”

“Bellatrix? You’re awake?”

My eyes snapped open and I flew up, immediately meeting a familiar pair of shining eyes. He smiled at me, and I almost wanted to hug him.

“You were taking a bit too long at Lord Beerus’s place, so I went to see what was up. We found you sleeping on Broly.”

He laughed, turning away. I looked down at my blanket, realizing it was his arctic coat. Making sure he didn’t notice, I tugged it around me and zipped it up. It dragged a little around my feet as I went over to him.

“You didn’t break anything expensive, did you?”

“I didn’t break anything,” he dismissed.

The twinge of uncertainty in his voice did little to convince me. We were in the common room, which was newly furnished and decked out with things that screamed Bulma—tv, video games, a bar, and other things that had little to do with space research and more to do with hosting a party that was definitely never going to happen.

“I just don’t know how to work this thing…”

I frowned at the electric teapot Goku seemed to be examining with a intensity that could draw blood.

“Uh, it’s just a button on the handle—wait, wait, there’s no water!”

After hurriedly taking the teapot from him and showing him how to use it correctly, I somehow found myself huddled up under a blanket with Goku, cradling a steaming cup of tea in the telescope room.

I leaned against the wall with a quiet sigh, staring at Adam's smile under the lamplight coming from my desk. Goku was blowing on his tea quietly--too quietly, I didn't like it--but glanced over at the photo discreetly. He finally spoke after he drank some of his tea.

"What was your brother like?"

I looked at him hesitantly, and his gaze seemed much more timid than normal. With a slight swallow, I looked back at the painting.

"Adam was...jeez, where do I even start?"

I smiled the longer I stared at the photo, memories flooding my mind.

"He was so good with people. So good. He could walk into any room full of strangers and leave behind friends. He was bright, and dependable, and he was a good person--a great person. He was loving and loyal and generous, although he was a little lazy with his work."

I looked at Goku with a chuckle. "He was basically the exact opposite of me."

With a heavy sigh, I drank my tea, feeling my chest ache a bit at the heat.

"He deserved better. Way better than he got. I mean...shouldn't good people get good things?"

I quickly finished my tea and slowly hugged the photo to my chest.

"I forgot what his smile looked like."

I shut my eyes, conjuring up the image; the memory of overlapping voices, of the hot sun, of being dragged around by my popular big brother. They were thin and filmy over the feeling of his blood smearing on my palms. Goku's arm suddenly pressed against mine, and I looked at him with a bit of a fright. He smiled at me gently.

"You know, if you'd want to, we could wish your brother back to life."

My eyebrows rose. "You mean resurrect him?"

"Yeah, lots of us have died. We usually gather the dragon balls and bring them back after we've defeated whatever bad guy we fought."

I looked at the photo again, furrowing my eyebrows.

"Maybe it would make you happier," he suggested.

"Maybe."

I thought of it--being able to call him up whenever I didn't know if something matched, or getting his encouraging texts every day, or our competitive weekly video game playoffs over takeout. My heart ached. Maybe it would.

I took a sharp breath, putting the photo on my desk and placing our teacups next to it.

"C'mon, let's get up."

"What, why? I like it here."

My body erupted in goosebumps as he took my hand to gently pull me back. It was really times like these that made me glad my blushes weren't visible.

"I'm gonna show you what the telescope does," I explained, voice cracking a little--I cursed myself at the sound.

He laughed softly as he stood. He looked down at me, and the soft light of the lamp caressed his face.

"You're so cute when you get all nervous," he remarked, giving a chuckle.

I rolled my eyes. "Shut up. I'm not nervous."

He laughed, going over the telescope, still holding my hand delicately. My hand felt like something precious in his; the way he held it, not too tight or loose, but perfectly melded with mine. I swallowed, snapping out of my thoughts, letting his hand go.

"Uh, Lucky, let's fire up the room, okay?"

My watch lit up, and the smiley face gave a wink.

"On it!"

A shiver passed over me as the dome ceiling opened, and I turned off the lamp, returning to Goku's side as he observed the movement of the room with interest. I nudged him to get his attention.

"We're going to sit over there," I said, pointing over to a chair set on a platform of ladders.

Without even thinking, he picked me up and walked over. I stammered over my words as he sat us down, him in the chair and me perched on his lap.

"Gok--Goku."

"How else are we both supposed to be able to see," he innocently rebutted.

“We take turns.”

“We can take turns this way, too, can’t we?”

“Goku, there is so much space on this thing, yet you choose to get squished under me?”

He grinned playfully. “I don’t mind being squished.”

“Yeah, sure, but there’s barely any room to breathe—“

“I can breathe just fine,” he assured, “I like having you close.”

I stared at him dumbly for a moment then let out an incredulous laugh, and rubbed my forehead.

“You know what—whatever, fine, let’s just…okay, why don't we start with...hm."

I looked to Goku, trying not to react to our proximity as he beamed at me. We were practically supplying each other oxygen at this point. I smiled a little, keeping eye contact.

"Why don't you pick a planet?"

"Whatever your favorite is."

I rolled my eyes with a smile and leaned forward to peer through the telescope.

“Okay, Jupiter, Jupiter…”

My skin tingled as Goku’s fingers pressed into my hip and thigh while he held me firmer to keep me steady. My brain jumbled at the feeling, and I cleared my throat, furrowing my brow as I looked for Jupiter.

“Jupi…ahem—ju…”

I could practically feel Goku’s teasing leer as I continued to mutter nonsense.

“Oh,” I softly exclaimed, “There you are.”

I leaned back, gesturing for Goku to look into the telescope. His scent filled my nose as his body pressed against mine. My head was spinning—he had to know this was evil of him to do to me.

“Oh wow, it’s flashing!”

“Yeah, that’s Jupiter’s lightning—pretty cool, huh?”

“That’s your favorite?”

“One of them, yeah.”

He leaned back in the chair, and part of me ached in dissatisfaction as the feeling of him against me disappeared.

“Okay, your turn.”

“What about Lord Beerus’s planet?”

I chuckled, but prickled at the mentioning of him.

“Uh, I don’t think there’s a telescope strong enough to find a god’s home planet. At least not one I have.”

“Mm, okay, what about King Kai’s planet?”

I gave him a look. “Didn’t you say that was in the afterlife?”

“Oh, yeah, right.”

He laughed, and I smiled, shaking my head.

“Why don’t you just explore and tell me what you see? Just take it all in.”

He leaned forward, peering into the telescope again, his breath occasionally tickling my skin, and I stared at his face as he looked into the night sky.

“How do ya move it?”

“Lucky, rotate us to the left.”

“Got it, boss.”

It was jerky at first, but then the movement of the floor beneath us smoothed out as we eased into a stop. Moonlight gently spilled into the room, although the shadow of the telescope blocked us from getting any of it.

“Oh, the moon’s huge tonight,” I remarked, “Mind if I…?”

Goku leaned back and I eagerly looked at the moon through the telescope.

“Gosh, it’s so beautiful,” I said quietly, “Do you wanna see?”

He smiled awkwardly. “It’s probably better if I didn’t.”

I rose a brow curiously, but shrugged and went back to the telescope.

“So…your ex built you this place?”

I paused, tensing up.

“Yeah. She did.”

There was an awkward pause for moment. I turned to Goku.

“I mean…it honestly should’ve been the first red flag, because we’d only been together five months when she first brought me here.”

He eyed me curiously. “You don’t like it?”

“I don’t like flashy, expensive gifts. Especially not buildings when I’ve only been with you for five months.”

“Why not?”

I waved my hand dismissively. “It’s too much too fast.”

“Too fast, huh?”

He actually laughed a little bit, piquing my interest. “What?”

“Chichi and I promised to get married the moment we met,” he remarked, “She was really serious about it, too. When I saw her again at this tournament later on, she was furious because I’d forgot.”

“Wow…”

I looked away awkwardly. “Sounds like a woman who knows what she wants, at least. Can’t be mad at that.”

“Yeah.”

I sighed. “Yeah.”

I sat back against him thoughtlessly, yawning again. He wrapped his arms around my waist to pull me closer.

“Hm…did you want to get married?”

“Sure, I liked her.”

“That doesn’t sound very romantic,” I playfully accused.

“Why not? I thought she was amazing.”

“You talk too simply, I think. People are more dramatic when they’re talking romantically.”

He laughed. “Dramatic?”

“Yeah, like poems and shit.”

“I don’t think I can talk like that.”

I chuckled. “Yeah, me either.”

We fell silent, and I listened to Goku’s quiet breathing. I frowned at the telescope blocking the moon.

“Maybe we should go somewhere else,” I suggested, “The moon’s really nice tonight, I kinda want to get a better view.”

He held me a little tighter. “I like this.”

My face erupted in heat. It was the simplest phrase in the world, but something about it made me feel weak.

“Um, Goku…”

“Yeah?”

I didn’t know what I wanted to say, or what I needed to ask. There was question bubbling up inside of me, though.

“Why are you so…clingy?”

Oh god, that was a horrible way to ask that.

He was quiet for a while, and a bit of guilt knotted up my stomach at the idea I’d made him feel awkward or hurt his feelings. It…wasn’t like I didn’t like it…

I cleared my throat. “I mean, I like hanging out with you, but why do you always…”

“Always what?”

“Oh, you know what.”

He laughed a little, but sat up.

“I don’t, what do you mean?”

“You’re not fooling me, Goku.”

“I’m not trying to,” he insisted with amusement, “Is something wrong?”

“I…no…”

His eyes swallowed me as they managed to catch some moonlight.

“Is it because I touch you? Bulma said you might not like it, but you always let me, and I figured—“

“No, it’s not—I mean…”

I sighed. “Lucky, I’m done with viewing tonight.”

“Shutting it down.”

I got up as everything returned to its original place and the ceiling shut. Goku followed, seemingly nervous.

“I don’t want to make you uncomfortable,” he said, coming up next to me as I returned to the desk.

“Goku, c’mon. We both know that’s not true.”

He smiled. “Yeah, but that’s the good kind. Where you get all cute and warm all over.”

“I…warm?”

I looked at him as I turned on the lamp. His eyes had changed, colored with playful desire.

“You get all warm and fidgety,” he explained, “Chichi got like that too when I touched her. I thought you liked it like she did.”

I was frozen into silence and staring at his face in slight terror. Was he trying to turn me on? Did he know he was? He deflated slightly at the sight of whatever my expression was.

“You don’t like it, do you?”

“I—no, I…I do. You feel…”

I sighed in embarrassment. “You feel really nice.”

He quickly brightened up, moving over to me. My breath caught as he grabbed my waist and pulled me against him.

“You feel really nice too,” he answered, voice suddenly much softer.

I stared up at him helplessly, then froze up and gasped. A wave of warmth passed through me, and my eyes widened in alarm as I felt a sudden slickness in my underwear. It wasn’t what I was afraid it was—at least I thought so—which raised a great number of troubling possibilities. My lower belly ached strangely and I frowned as I placed my hand over it. I frowned, stepping back.

“Ohh crap,” I muttered.

Goku’s eyes suddenly lit up. “Woah, you smell really nice all of a sudden…”

I pushed him back as he came closer and inhaled my scent, eyes seeming to darken at the smell of it.

“Really…nice….”

“Goku!”

He pressed his nose against my neck, inhaling deeply. Another wave passed through me and I yelped, jumping back. Still, he came and gently took my arms, inhaling the scent of my skin eagerly. My entire body was on fire in embarrassment, excitement, and confusion. My mind was going a thousand places—it felt right, but wrong—I mean, he has a son for crying out loud—but his voice, his body, it felt like honey to me right now, and something inside of me wanted a taste. Luckily, I was stronger than it.

“I’ve never smelled anything like that before,” he muttered, lips grazing my ear, “It’s so…”

“Goku—oh my god, Goku!”

I felt something against my back that I was definitely not equipped to handle. My brain was going haywire in a way I’d never experienced before and it made me panic. I pushed him off with force, grabbing the photo of Adam to ward him off.

“Goku, snap out of it! Dead brother, remember? Dead brother! Old wrinkly people! Smelly breath—smell—no!”

I ducked away from his embrace and ran up on the platform to perch on one of the ladders and tried to feed him the least unarousing things I could think of. My alarm seemed to make whatever had happened in my body start to wear off, because the look that was in his eyes cleared. I let out a relieved sigh—the idea of fending off Goku all night sounded terrifying.

“Oh, thank god,” I breathed, letting my head fall.

“I feel…really weird right now,” Goku admitted with a slight blush.

I couldn’t help but laugh. “Yeah, I feel a little weird too.”

He looked down at his erection with some surprise.

“Oh,” he muttered.

He looked around the room, then smiled apologetically.

“Uh, sorry, I gotta go.”

I nodded in strong agreement. “See you tomorrow.”

“Seeya!”

He pressed his fingers against his forehead and disappeared. I swallowed, letting out a sigh and shutting my eyes. As things grew still, I hopped up and hurriedly took off his snow jacket as rushed to the bathroom, already ringing for Bulma.

I hate it when she’s right.

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