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Gohan sat on the Capsule Corp lawn, watching his younger brother and Trunks wrestling in the grass. Now that he was officially a graduate of Orange Star High he had a lot more free time to hang out with his brother and the Briefs family, though it had been a while since the last time he’d seen Vegeta outside the Gravity Room.
The whole situation with Buu had been a blow to Vegeta’s pride and he’d taken to punishing himself under the highest gravity possible to atone for it. Today though, the prince seemed to be on a rare break from his self-flagellation, stepping outside to watch the boys from a distance.
Bulma had been outside as well, but made a quick excuse to Gohan and headed back into the house as soon as Vegeta appeared. The demi-Saiyan tried hard not to cringe at how obviously she was avoiding her ex. Not that he was surprised. Gohan wasn’t the type to pry into personal matters, but from what he'd heard in the news, the divorce of the Capsule Corp heiress and her mysterious beau had only just been finalized.
No doubt letting himself be taken over by Babidi and killing hundreds of people just so he could fight Bulma’s best friend had been the main cause of the sudden and quick divorce; though Gohan had seen it coming long before that.
Vegeta was just too alien for Bulma.
Sure she was a pretty open minded person and her best friend was also from the same race, but Vegeta and Goku were nothing like each other. Vegeta was born and raised under an entirely different culture and Goku seemed to have no Saiyan instincts at all, likely because of his childhood head trauma. Because of that, there were always going to be things about the prince that the others just wouldn’t understand.
Gohan distinctly remembered one time he’d overheard Vegeta telling Yamcha that the man should be grateful that he hadn't eaten his corpse after the Saibamen killed him. The prince had been peckish at the time and if he had eaten the human’s flesh the Dragon might not have been able to bring him back later.
Apparently that was something disgusting and vulgar to the humans, but to Gohan it made a certain amount of sense.
Saiyans were a voracious race. Once your enemy was dead, meat was meat. Why turn your nose up at food just because the flesh was from a species of higher intelligence? Especially when that meat could be what helps fuel you to be stronger in future battles so you can defeat even more powerful opponents.
While he’d never given into the specific urge to eat a fallen enemy, there were a lot of other non-human instincts that Gohan had a bit more difficulty handling under the standards of the culture he’d been raised with.
The desire to stay out all night when the moon was full, just to strip naked and soak in the moonlight on his bare skin. The preference for not just raw meat, but to take down a live beast with his bare hands so he could drink the warm blood fresh from the animal’s throat before he tore into its flesh. Even the simple fondness for sleeping in small hidden, den-like spaces. It had caused no end of frustration for his mother each time she found him asleep under his bed or in the closet rather than on his bed like a normal person.
As he'd gotten older he'd started asking Vegeta about the urges. As it turned out, they were all perfectly ordinary instincts for a Saiyan. It felt so good to finally have someone validate that there was nothing wrong with him, rather than the constant drumbeat of disapproval he got from his own mother.
Gohan was especially glad Vegeta was around today, because he had another question to ask him, one that he'd been wondering about for some time.
"Che... Trunks isn't using his longer reach as well as he could." Vegeta said as he sat down in the grass beside Gohan. "He's still going too easy on him."
Gohan watched for a few moments before he saw what Vegeta meant. There was an opening where Trunks could have pinned Goten, but he hesitated and shifted his weight in a way that let the younger boy slip free. "I think he's just trying to play fight right now, If it was actually serious I’m sure he'd have gotten him right there."
"All fights are serious. It's a ridiculous human notion to treat sparing as anything less than life and death." Vegeta grumbled, but he didn’t move to correct Trunks' form.
Gohan waited a few moments, trying to decide how to word his question. "So... you've told me about Saiyan tails before, but what about the birth marks? Is... is it okay to ask about those?"
"Hmm? Why wouldn't it be?" Vegeta continued to watch the boys, not seemingly offended.
"It's just, I've never heard you talk about them before so I wasn't sure if there's a reason. I know you and dad have them, but Trunks and Goten don't. I was wondering if they're somehow connected to our tails? Since the boys were also born without those."
Gohan had always been curious about the strange mottled pattern splashed across his skin just above his hip bone. His father also had one in the same place, but he hadn't known about Vegeta’s until more recently.
There had been a lot of people invading Vegeta's privacy once word of the divorce got out. A few members of a less than reputable gossip news company even managed to get some long lens shots of him in a torn up training uniform. Bulma had sued, since the photos were taken through a window into what was also her private home, and the company had to file for bankruptcy soon after.
Hopefully now that the divorce was over, the gossip vultures would finally back off. Though Gohan was also proud of how much Vegeta had kept himself under control throughout the process, despite all the negative attention.
"If it had anything to do with tails wouldn't you have one as well? Since you were born with a tail? Vegeta questioned, finally looking away from the boys to address Gohan directly.
"Oh, sorry. I guess I wasn't very clear there. I do have one. It kinda looks like my dad's, not sure if you've seen his?" Gohan doubted Vegeta had shared any baths with Goku like Gohan had when he was younger, but maybe he'd seen it during a spar?
"You... you what!?" Vegeta's eyes darted down to Gohan's hip where he knew the words would be written. Words that would eventually be spoken by the boy's inevitable soulmate. Before Frieza, no Saiyan with a mark had ever died before meeting their other half. The few Saiyans born without marks were mourned beginning from their birth. If even fate could not find a way to match them to a mate before death came for them, it was expected to be a short, tragic life.
"You truly have a mark?" He'd always been told that only pure Saiyans were worthy of soulmates, it's what made their people so unique. He'd never heard of a half-breed with a mark... or a tail either actually.
Gohan nodded. "What are they for? Is it like a clan marking or something? Because mine looks similar to my dad's, but not exactly the same, so I wasn't sure if they were genetic and maybe mine was just different because I'm only half Saiyan?
"No, not genetic” Vegeta paused, trying to figure out the best way to explain it to someone who only understood the human way of mating.
“They're how we find our soulmates, our partner for all eternity, divined for us by fate itself. The mark is the written form of the first words that your soulmate will ever speak to you. For our people they're the most important words in your whole life. They're the first thing you memorize when you learn to read. The moment your soulmate speaks them to you, your mark changes, burning into your flesh forever as a testament to your union."
"W-what?" To Gohan, it sounded like some kind of magical fairy-tale nonsense. "But they don't look anything like words! And how would that work if someone who wasn't your soulmate said your words? I mean that has to happen sometimes right?"
"Not that I've ever heard of. All soulmates are meant only for each other and they always speak each other's words when they are fated to." Though Vegeta had long since given up any hope of meeting his own, since the only other survivor of their race was clearly not his soulmate. But Gohan had been born after their planet had been destroyed, and fate had still chosen a soulmate for him. Did that mean there might also still be soulmates out there for him and Kakarot? Were there more Saiyans who had survived Frieza’s wholesale slaughter of their race?
He couldn't help but scoff at Gohan's description of the words themselves. "They're written in Saiyan, boy. Of course they don't look like words to you since you never learned the language."
"Oh... I guess that makes sense. "Gohan laughed, moving to scratch the back of his head in embarrassment just as another thought occurred to him.“Since you can read Saiyan, does that mean you can tell me what my words are? I mean, I don't believe in this whole ‘soulmate’ thing, but I’m just curious."
"You... want me... to read your words?" That was beyond inappropriate! Soulmates were meant to speak each other's words when fate dictated it, going around and reading someone's words directly off their body was mocking the very bonds of fate the gods had woven for them!
"Please? I'd love to learn some of our language. I'm also curious what yours say, if you don't mind sharing." His scholarly mind couldn’t help but be curious what words Vegeta had been waiting for someone to speak to him. Or maybe someone already had? He probably would have mentioned it if Goku was his soulmate, but maybe Nappa or Raditz?
"You want to exchange words?" Vegeta was feeling lightheaded. Though he knew Gohan couldn't understand that an exchange of first words was a custom at Saiyan bonding ceremonies, held between families after a soul bond had been activated.
"Yeah! Can we?" Gohan smiled earnestly. “I mean it’s not like we could be each other’s soulmates. We’ve known each other for years and we’ve certainly said a lot of words around each other that haven’t done anything to our marks.”
Vegeta wanted to refuse him, but the boy was just curious and it seemed wrong to deny him this part of his heritage. Besides, Gohan was right, it was impossible for them to be each other's soulmates after all these years.
"Alright." He assented, watching as the boy loosened his belt and undid his pants enough to pull them lower on his hips. The prince's breath caught as he saw the hint of writing peeking out from under the waistline of Gohan's boxers. "May I?" He asked almost reverently, waiting for Gohan's nod of permission to reach out and tug the fabric a little lower, revealing the hidden words. His eyes went wide as he read them.
"Well? What do they say? Can you teach them to me?" Vegeta was so still, Gohan was worried they might say something weird, or maybe nothing at all. The pattern still didn't look like any kind of script he'd ever seen.
"It says... it says..." Vegeta hesitated. "My pride and honor are yours." He spoke slowly, trying to translate it as close as he could to the original Saiyan.
"Oh... wow that's a lot more romantic than I'd have expected. Who would say that to someone else the very first time they met them?"
"It is certainly unusual." Vegeta agreed carefully. Almost as unusual as the prince's own words.
"Can I see yours?" Gohan asked, curious how they compared. "If you don't mind showing me." Gohan added quickly, pulling his clothes back into place.
Hesitating for a moment, Vegeta nodded “Very well.” It seemed wrong to deny the boy, after what he had just shared. Reaching for the waistband of his training outfit, Vegeta tugged it low enough for Gohan to see his own unique markings up close.
To the demi-Saiyan's untrained eye they looked much like his own, just a squiggly pattern of darker melanin on the prince's pale skin. "What does it say?" He asked, leaning in closer to get a better look, his soft breath raising goosebumps on the prince's flesh.
"G’hoan mo' qatlhob." Vegeta spoke softly. Words he'd memorized as soon as he could read. At Gohan's questioning look he translated. "‘I battle in your name’ it's... quite romantic by Saiyan standards. Perhaps even more than your mark.”
"Huh... that also doesn't seem like something someone would normally say at a first meeting." How odd that they both had such personal words that a complete stranger was supposed to say to them. "How did you pronounce that? The first part almost sounded like my name but the vowel sounds are very deep. Go... Go-an?" He tried.
"W-what!? What are you doing?" Gohan's attempts at Saiyan were atrocious, but the fact that he was actually trying to say those words... words meant only to be spoken by Vegeta's soulmate…
"Trying to learn Saiyan. I know I'm not getting it right though. How did you make that sound? It seemed like a back of the throat thing but I just can't seem to get it." He kept trying but he knew the sounds he was making were nothing like the ones Vegeta spoke. "It's such an interesting language! Can you teach me the right pronunciation?"
The brat had his father's doe eyes. The main difference was, when Kakarot used them it was infuriating, but on Gohan they were endearing. Try as he might, Vegeta couldn't refuse him. "It's not in the back of the throat. You have to cup your tongue on the roof of your mouth. Try it slower.... G’-ho-an." He pronounced carefully, opening his mouth to show Gohan where his tongue was positioned for each syllable.
It took a few tries but Gohan managed something decent enough. "And the rest of it? G’hoan moo... something?"
"Moo!? You think my soulmate would moo at me!" Vegeta scoffed at the terrible attempt of his most precious words.
"Sorry! I only heard that part once, can you say them again?" Gohan begged, earnestly trying his best to learn.
"It's G’hoan mo' qatlhob." Vegeta repeated, continuing to coach Gohan on his pronunciation until…
"G’hoan mo' qatlhob!" Gohan managed in a halfway decent accent.
"Finally! Perhaps there is hope for you–" The prince's words were cut off by a sharp burning pain on his hip. It felt like his skin was on fire, but his nerves were shooting bolts of pure pleasure all throughout his body.
"Uh... Vegeta? You said your words get burned into your skin when your soulmate says them? That means the mark changes color, right?" Gohan asked, sounding almost scared.
"Yes… why…?" But Vegeta already knew why the boy was asking. Knew the very moment the words were spoken exactly what had happened. His heart was pounding, but he still looked down to confirm. Just as he expected, he could see his words were now scorched a deep, permanent black; the undeniable proof of a soulmate activation.
"I-I'm so sorry! I didn't think anything would happen! I mean those aren't the first words I've said to you! It shouldn't... how... what?!" Gohan stuttered, unsure how to react.
Vegeta's eyes flickered up to the demi-Saiyan’s, considering quickly what to do. He knew Gohan's words. He'd read them out loud once already, but clearly the language they were spoken in was the key. Regardless, the fact that Gohan had activated his words was all the proof the prince needed to know that they were destined to be together. "Do you want to learn more about soulmates, Gohan?" He asked, interrupting the boy's flustered panic.
Gohan blinked in surprise at the sudden question. "Yes?" Vegeta didn't seem mad. If anything he seemed quite calm. That in itself should be a cause for concern, but Gohan trusted him.
"If I say your words in Saiyan it will complete our bond as soulmates, but I leave the choice up to you." An incomplete soulbond was something Vegeta could ignore if he had to. Once it was completed though... soulbonds were a powerful thing and he wouldn’t force that on the boy. He needed to be sure Gohan was willing to accept him as the one fate had chosen before he spoke his words.
"Oh... in Saiyan. That's why..." Gohan's brow furrowed. He really was still curious to learn more. What would it feel like to have a soulmate? What would it be like for that soulmate to be Vegeta? Sure Gohan had been flirting with the idea of asking Videl out, but that was only because she was the most Saiyan-like girl at his school. He'd never even considered dating a man, and certainly not Vegeta. But the Prince had always understood him better than anyone else. Understood the dark urges, the moonlight cravings, the hunger for more than just food.
Even Goku just seemed confused the few times Gohan had asked him about those things. Goten and Trunks hadn't shown any signs of Saiyan instincts either. Truly there was no one out there who could understand him quite like Vegeta... like they were meant for each other... like soulmates.
Vegeta waited while Gohan considered what it was he was truly asking, after a few moments the boy nodded slowly. "Yeah... I... Vegeta I'd like you to say my words."
"You understand there's no coming back from that. Soulmates are forever. They share thoughts, emotions, and memories through their bond. I have quite a few of those that may be difficult for you to experience. You may not like who I am once you truly know me." Bulma had thought that with enough time she could domesticate him, but try as he might to get along in her human world, he had never been truly tamed. It had taken the destruction of the World Martial Arts Stadium for her to finally accept that truth. But perhaps Gohan didn’t want a human mate? The boy often seemed far more Saiyan than a half-breed raised on an alien planet had any right to be.
"You said my words meant 'My Love and Honor are yours.'?" Gohan questioned. "I think, if you can say those words to me, and really mean them, then... G’hoan mo' qatlhob, I battle in your name." He said, repeating Vegeta's words in both languages. “Even if that battle is just learning to accept the more complicated parts of you, I think it’s worth it.”
It took a moment before Vegeta could respond, just a nod in acknowledgement at the weight of Gohan’s promise and the expectation that had been placed upon him. He looked directly in his soulmate’s eyes as he spoke the words he swore in his heart to uphold. "Ba'lth t'quwi vighaj" He said softly, watching as Gohan's eyes went wide at the strange sensation of his own soul mark activating.
"V-vegeta!" The demi-Saiyan gasped, feeling a sudden rush of Vegeta’s presence surrounding him and skirting the edges of his mind.
"It's okay." The prince comforted as best he could, while reeling under a similar sensation as both halves of the soul bond came together. He reached a hand towards Gohan's hip. "Can I see it?" There was no doubt in his mind that the bond had been completed, but he needed to see for himself that Gohan’s mark was the same scorched black as his own.
"Y-yeah… please." Gohan was still seeing stars from the sensations coursing through him, but the idea of Vegeta getting his hands on his bare skin sounded even better than anything he was feeling.
Vegeta reached for Gohan's pants just as Goten started to whine nearby. "It's not fair! You pulled my hair!"
"Did not! You’re the one who keeps sticking it in my face!" Trunks argued as they tumbled back into the grass together.
The newly paired soulmates pulled apart quickly, suddenly realizing that this might not be the best location to start pawing under each other’s clothes. "Perhaps we should go inside?" Vegeta mused, eyeing Gohan with open hunger.
"That’s a good idea." Despite the noise of the boys’ ongoing argument, Gohan couldn’t take his eyes off the prince, feeling a thrum of something thrilling and intense radiating from the older man at the notion of what they could do once they were somewhere more private.
As they stood up to head inside together Vegeta casually looped an arm around Gohan's waist, pulling him closer. "If we’re going to continue your education on soulmates, there’s a very special tradition I think we should start with."
"Oh? What kind of tradition?" Gohan asked, flushing bright red from the tone in Vegeta’s voice that promised more than just an educational conversation.
"Moonlight mating. It's quite intense for soulmates. In fact, I think there's a full moon in just a few days. It would be good for us to get some practice in now so we're ready when it arrives."
Despite Gohan's sputtering shock at the suggestion, the prince felt a burst of warmth and curiosity over their newly formed bond. The boy might be shy, but he was also clearly interested in being the very best student he could be. Lucky for him, Vegeta was an equally dedicated teacher.