Ningen or nekojin?: Chapter 1

Ningen or nekojin?

By The Chichi Slaughter House

This was inspired by a doujinshi that one of my friends sent me and I really enjoyed it, even having ideas for a fic. Neko Vegeta’s are my new obsession, so I don’t want any flames about ‘OMG, are you sick?? Vegeta is a cat!’, because he won’t ever truly be a cat in my fics. I’m not a fan of animal sex.

Warnings: Uhh…let’s see…Vegeta as uke, Goku pov, lemon, romanticishness, swearing maybe and anything else my twisted mind wants to come up with.

Disclaimer: Ugh! I can’t believe I forgot to put this in! Bad Slaughter, bad! (cough)

I do not own DBZ, because, sadly, I am not rich. But if I did… (evil laugh) there’d be no more seme Vegeta stuff, because I’d put everyone straight! (shakes fist) ((Don’t be offended by this if you support seme Vegeta, this is merely me being an idiot. Thank you.))

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Story:

Hey, my name’s Kakarott. I’m 22 years old and I live in a small house near the mountains with ’Geta. It’s a beautiful place, my house. It may not be very big, but it’s well furnished. It’s a great place to live in the summer, seeing as the walls are not too thick. In the winter, it is rather cold, but we keep warm by the fireplace. The mountain is a wonderful thing to look at out of the window, in winter or summer, the mountain being covered with snow in winter, and flowers and grasses in summer. There is a lake near my home, and it is great to clean yourself or catch fish in, although fish are scarce in winter. In the summer, ’Geta likes to watch the fish and dip his paw in to try and get them. It’s rather sweet.

You may be wondering about ’Geta, so let me explain.

’Geta’s my neko, see? When I met him a few months ago, I took him in. He’s a mute, from what I can tell and I think he’s been brought up his entire life to believe that he’s a cat.  I don’t know who would do this to someone, or even why. I’m looking after him, in the hope that one-day; he’ll figure out that he’s human like me and everyone else. Although, I’m not too sure that he is human. He actually has a real tail and that’s definitely not a human trait. Every time I see him, I long to pet his tail. It’s a fascination…I mean…I’ve never had a tail…

It’s upsetting sometimes. I mean, I love having him as a pet, but I want to know the real him. The real Vegeta.

A few days after I took him in, my wife left me. Everything had been great between us until I brought him home. I think that maybe she was driven away by his fondness for me and his obvious dislike towards her. He used to come into our room at night and curl up between us, his back to her as he looked at me with his big obsidian eyes sadly. Like he wanted to sleep in my bed with me.

After Chichi left, claiming she was sick and tired of me paying more attention to an insane stranger than her, he seemed to settle in much better, sleeping in his own bed in his room. Sometimes I really miss her, though I can’t just leave ’Geta to fend for himself, not like this. Me and ’Geta get on really well now, even better than before and he isn’t nearly as upset anymore. He’s relaxed and content most of the time now.

There are still times when he’s fussy or moody, but that’s usually at dinnertimes when I won’t let him eat my food as well as his own. He only eats the meat out of what I give him and I worry. He’s rather skinny. I have considered taking him to the doctors, but I fear they will take him away from me and my sacrifice of losing my wife will be for nothing. I never wanted her to go.

Me and ’Geta have a routine in the mornings now. At about 8am, he enters my room and wakes me up by pawing lightly at my face from next to me on my bed. I get up, have a shower, comb my hair and make sure I feed him some food before I prepare my own breakfast. Otherwise, he eats my breakfast while I prepare his.

Sometimes, we watch TV or play outside, and occasionally my friends Trunks and Brolli come for a visit. When Trunks is around, I keep an eye on him. He seems to be too fond of ’Geta and I don’t want him to upset him. ’Geta can defend himself though, because most of the time, Trunks leaves my house covered in cat scratches. I find this strange, because I know that ’Geta doesn’t have claws, but as long as he’s okay, I don’t really care.

After that, we have our lunch and I take a nap on the sofa. When I wake up, I always see him curled up next to the sofa, sleeping peacefully. I pet him on the head and stroke his hair and he wakes up, stretching, then nuzzling my hand affectionately. Then, if I need to, we go out to buy some food.

I take him everywhere with me. For some reason, I can’t bear the thought of him being alone. Every time I had tried to leave, I had turned around to see him watching me with his big beautiful jet eyes, looking upset. I couldn’t bear the abandoned look in his eyes and I ended up taking him with me.

And then there’s Trunks. He could come around while I’m gone and find a way to get ’Geta to relax… I mean, Trunks is my friend, I’ve known him for years…but I don’t think I’d leave him alone with ’Geta. At least, not until ’Geta knows he’s human…until he can show me that he can think for himself and knows what he wants.

I probably should take ’Geta to a mental hospital, like Chichi had wanted me to. But I don’t want to leave him there with people he doesn’t know. I don’t want him to think that I’ve abandoned him. I don’t want him to hate me. That’s why I take care of him.

I should probably go to the shops now, otherwise there won’t be anything to eat for dinner tonight. I get up from the sofa and pet Vegeta on the head, waking him.

“Come on ’Geta. Time to go to shopping.” I croon, stroking his hair softly and watching him yawn, still half asleep. I watch him open his sable orbs and blink a few times, making me smile. He’s so cute when he’s just woken up. “Hey…” I whisper, scratching behind his ear. “You coming with me?”

I always ask him if he wants to go with me, even though I know he always will. He really likes going out with me. I see him nod and he nuzzles my knee and I grin, standing up and putting on my shoes. As I grab my coat, he is sitting at my heels with my wallet in his mouth, looking up at me with his innocent eyes. I take the wallet from his mouth and we walk to the door, leaving the house and locking the door behind us.

I scoop him up into my arms and carry him over the grass to my car, opening the passenger side and sitting him on the seat comfortably, fixing his belt for him to keep him safe. I smile and close the door, going round and climbing in myself. As I attach my own seatbelt and start the car, I wonder why he isn’t afraid of being in the car. Cats are usually terrified of travel.

I shrug. It’s probably not important. I look at him one last time to check if he’s okay and he is playing with a piece of string I had stapled into the roof of the car to entertain him. I smile and drive off, heading to the market to buy some vegetables for myself. I think I’ve ran out of carrots and tonight, I feel like cooking us some tender juicy steaks for dinner. I know he loves to eat steak.

I turn on some music as I drive, winding down my window to allow the fresh air to whip through my blonde hair, a smile on my face as I flicker my gaze over to my neko, watching him knowing on the string. I chuckle softly. I’m going to need a stronger string to entertain him with. His tail fluffs as he pulls at the string harder and I suddenly realise I’ve been watching him for over a minute. I shamefully turn my eyes back to the road, thanking God that I hadn’t crashed or hit anyone and promising to myself that I will pay more attention to the road in the future. Looking at him while I drive is too dangerous.

We get out of the car, me helping Vegeta out of the seatbelt and letting him onto the floor. He sniffs the air and I beckon him to come over to a stall with me. I see him follow me and I look at the wide selection of fruit and vegetables happily, humming softly before picking up a big carrot with a grin. The farmers must be working harder on their crops this summer. The owner of the stall smiles at me happily. This is the only stall I ever go to on the market, because I trust the owners and their wares are reasonably priced, though, by the size of this carrot, I think they are really cheap!

“Hello Kakarott, what are you thinking of buying today?” The attractive young woman asks me, batting her eyelashes, obviously flirting with me. I can’t help but blush a little. I think that she must have a crush on me or something. I smile at her and pick up a few more vegetables.

“Just the usual Maitake…” I reply, putting my vegetables and fruits in carrier bags to make it easier to carry them back to the car. I never flirt back with her though. I know her mother and father would be pleased if I were to marry her, but I don’t think I want another woman in my life just yet. I’m not ready. She continues to smile and calculates the sum of my shopping, while I wait and take an apple from my bag, eating it. She turns to face me again and gives me the price.

“That’s £16.99 yet again, Kakarott.” She says flirtily, leaning over the stall a bit, trying to show me her cleavage as I get the money from my wallet. I swallow and hand over a 20-pound note, missing the feel of a warm body next to mine in my bed at night. I miss the conversation and fun things Chichi and I used to do. Out of loneliness, I open my mouth and instead of saying thank you as she hands me my change, like I intended, I say something entirely different and it shocks me.

“Would you like to go on a date with me sometime, Maitake?” I ask, going red once I realise what I have just put myself into. Her eyes sparkle at me and she smiles, looking overjoyed.

“Of course I will!” She says, walking from the other side of the stall to hug me, though the shopping in my hands prevents me from hugging her back or pushing her away. I cannot just say that it was a mistake now. “When? What time?” She asks, pulling away from me, her eagerness making me feel guilty. Now I have to go on a date with her, or never shop here again.

“How about tonight? At 7?” I ask, wanting to get this over and done with. It’s 1pm now, so I will have plenty of time to figure out a way to tell her I’m not really interested without sounding harsh or nasty towards her. She’s really a nice girl, even if she tries too hard to get male attention.

“Sounds great.” She says, smiling. I swallow nervously.

“Y-Yeah…great…” I say shakily, then realise I have to tell her where we will meet, which is simple enough, I know where her family live. “I’ll pick you up at your house, okay?” She agrees and goes back to serving the customers as I take a deep breath, sighing. I guess I won’t be cooking steak for me and ’Geta tonight. I pause. Where is ’Geta? My eyes widen as I suddenly get afraid, searching frantically for him. I call his name, I ask passers-by if they have seen him, but all I get are dirty looks. I look in the bin in my desperation but I cannot find him anywhere. I search the market for three hours, then give up, almost sobbing.

I go to the closest person’s house I know, hoping Vegeta will have gone there, because he knows the way. I knock on Brolli's door and hang my head sadly as I wait for him to answer. I am worried. As I wait, I can no longer hold in my tears and I cry, my body shaking with my sobs and worry about what could have happened to Vegeta. Suddenly, the door is opened and Brolli is there, shocked at my sudden mental break down on his doorstep. He ushers me inside and gives me tissues, sitting me on his floor as he goes to make me some camomile tea.

I sniffle sadly and hug myself, feeling afraid, confused and upset, there are so many different emotions running through me. Why did he go? Where did he go? Does he hate me? When did he go? Did someone take him away? I bite my lip harshly. What would they be doing with him?? Would they hurt him?? Would they… My breath catches in my throat. What if someone’s raping him??? I can’t breathe. My mind is racing with images of ’Geta crying in pain, unable to stop someone as they forcefully part his legs, rip his pants off…

I growl like an animal. If someone has hurt him in that way, I’ll kill them! How dare they??? I roll around on the floor, not knowing what else to do and I hear Brolli talking.

“How about we make posters?” He suggests, offering me paper and a pencil. I take them gratefully and he puts the cup of tea next to me. In my haste, I knock it over and the scalding liquid burns my feet, but I do not care. I even draw a small sketch of ‘Geta, hoping that my drawing is good enough for people to recognise. Brolli looks through it for me as more tears slip down my cheeks, then places it on the side and sits close to me, trying to calm me down. I grab his shirt and sob into it.

“O-Oh Brolli…s-someone could have him right now!” I say, my head clouded with worry. He rubs my back comfortingly and I sob. “T-They could be h-hurting him…o-or raping him!” I cry, grabbing him tighter. He makes soothing noises and pulls me into a hug. He’s always been like a father to me, even though we are the same age.

“I’m sure that ’Geta’s fine and that you’re just assuming the worst…” He says soothingly, still rubbing my back as I cling onto him. I can’t help myself…I’m just so worried about him…he could be lying somewhere, hurt and he might not be able to find how to get home…I can’t bear the thought.

There is a knock at the front door and I know I have to let go of Brolli so he may answer it, and I let go reluctantly, hugging myself around the middle as he gets up to go and see who it is. I look at the clock and bite my lip. It’s 5pm…’Geta’s been missing for hours. I remember I have a date with that girl, but I don’t care. ’Geta is more important to me than her. I look at the floor sadly, a tear dripping onto the carpet, which is now stained with tea. I feel awful. I’ll have to buy Brolli a new carpet…

Someone enters the room and I look at their feet, seeing a pair of boots like Trunks’ ones. I sigh sadly and hug myself tighter, still wondering what happened to my ’Geta and where he could possibly be.

“Kakarott? I think I have something of yours…” Trunks tells me, though I’m still looking at the floor sadly. Maybe he has some money for me that he owes me. “Well…it’s more of a someone…” He says louder, obviously wanting my attention. I look up and I gasp at who is in his arms.

“VEGETA!!!” I cry, running over and scooping him out of Trunks’ arms, cradling him to me. It barely even registered that Trunks was covered in cat scratches and bites. Trunks puts his hand on my shoulder.

“I found him on my kitchen table. He was eating the salmon I had bought from the market for my dinner.” He says with a small huff. “I’ve spent the last hour trying to get him down here, seeing as I knew this is where you would go.” I hug Vegeta tightly and I look at Trunks, grateful.

“Thank you…” I whisper, feeling ’Geta wriggling a little in my arms. Trunks just smiles at me and leaves, not even asking for the money back for the salmon my naughty little cat ate. I look at ’Geta and I feel him put his hands on my face. My heart leaps with relief. “Don’t you ever go wandering off on me again!” I scold, hugging him closer. Brolli smiles at me and suddenly, I feel like an idiot for before. “Ummm…I…” I begin, but Brolli cuts me off with a wave of his hand.

“Don’t worry about it, I was worried too.” I walk over and hug him, before picking up my shopping and leaving his house, him waving at me and ’Geta as I fasten him back into the passenger seat and drive home, my eyes flickering over to him as he sits silently, looking confused. I bite my lip. This isn’t his usual behaviour… Eventually, I pull up at our house, opening the door and getting ’Geta and the shopping out, before entering the house. I look at the clock again. It’s 5:30. Maybe I’ll have enough time to cook ’Geta some food before I go…

I go into my room and discard my old faded jeans, picking new dark ones and I pull the t-shirt off my head. I look for a decent button-up, and when I find a long-sleeved orange one, I grin. I love orange. I find that orange and navy look best on me. I close the door to my wardrobe and turn to see ’Geta sitting next to my bedroom door, watching me with his chocolate-brown eyes. I smile at him, placing my shirt on the bed, before kneeling down and coaxing him over. He sits in front of me and I pet him on the head, still smiling at him. He purrs softly, the only way I can tell is the rumbling of his chest, he never makes any noise. Not once.

“Hey…I’m going out on a date tonight…” I tell him, stroking down his back, but stopping before I touch his ass. I repeat the motion repeatedly and I can feel his purr dwindle slightly. “I’m going with that girl from the market…” I say, getting up and undressing. I can almost feel his eyes on me, curious, questioning. I sigh. “You’ll have to stay here while I’m out. I’ll cook for you.” I pull on my new jeans and slip the shirt around my shoulders, looking for some socks. When I look back to where he is, I just see an empty space. I button up my shirt and pull on my socks and shoes before heading into the kitchen to cook him some steak. He might as well have a nice meal.

As I begin to prep the vegetables, I can feel him winding around my legs, wanting attention. I’m glad he isn’t a real cat, or my jeans would get fluffy. I look down at him to see ketchup smeared over his arms and legs and all over his clothes. I sigh. He needs a wash and I need new jeans again. I head back into the bedroom and change my jeans, sighing at the pile of clothes in the corner. I really need to do the washing soon.

When I arrive back into the kitchen, I see that all the vegetables I had been chopping were on the floor and his head was in the carrier bag with the meat in it. I gasp and run over, pulling him away from the bags with a frown. He knows not to jump on the side where I’m prepping dinner! And he’s usually afraid of carrier bags… I give him a stern look and take him outside to the lake, gently stripping him of the clothes I’d put him in this morning and nudge him, motioning towards the lake.

He blinks, then turns and runs in the opposite direction, my eyes widening. Where is he going?? I get up and run after him, noticing how muddy the grass is. Eventually, I catch up to him and grab his leg, but he kicks at me, trying to make me let go. I don’t, and he pulls forward with such force that I slip and land on top of him, my face in the mud with his body squirming under mine. I pull my face out of the dirt and pick him up around his waist, frowning at the state of my clothes. I look awful.

I’m getting annoyed now. He never acts like this!! What the hell has gotten into him?? I stomp back to the lake and I drop him in, with none of my usual kindness, and I feel nasty when he breaks the surface, shivering and looking at me as if I have betrayed him. I sigh and kneel down, reaching out to clean him, and he moves away, looking at me haughtily, pouting. I clean my face and hands, sighing sadly before getting up, leaving him to clean himself as I go to change again. I select a short-sleeved navy button-up shirt and black jeans, dressing hurriedly. If I don’t leave soon, I’m going to be late!

I leave my room and bump into a sopping wet ’Geta. He looks up at me sadly and I sigh again as I get a big fluffy towel and bundle him in it, drying his arms and legs, him looking at me sadly all the while, as if he were sorry. I look at the time again. It’s 6:30 pm. If I don’t leave in 5 minutes, I’ll be late. I sigh. There isn’t enough time to cook dinner for ’Geta now!! ’Geta just looks up at me, his sad eyes making me confused as I dry off his chest and abdomen. Why is he so upset? I dry his thighs, avoiding a certain area, when he wriggles and I am alarmed to feel myself rub the one place I was trying not to. I get embarrassed as I see the expression on his face and feel the purr rumbling through him again, realising I hadn’t stopped rubbing yet. I cough and quickly dry off the rest of him, not touching his tail at all, rubbing the towel through his hair and nudging him off my lap.

He lands gracefully on his hands and knees and looks up at me with a pout, fluffing his tail and flicking the water at me. I frown at him and stand up, stepping over him. For some reason, it seems like he’s trying to make me late on purpose. As I walk to his room to find him some clothes - because now he will have to come with me – he starts rubbing around my legs and nuzzling my ankles. I swear he is trying to trip me up now. I walk into his room and pick him up around his waist, putting him on his bed sternly.

“Stay here.” I instruct him, looking through his clothes for something nice for him to wear. I sigh, looking through the endless amount of shorts and tank tops that I have bought for him and I wonder why I never bought him any special clothes. In the end, I pick some black Lycra shorts and a brown vest, turning to face him to see him lying spread out on the bed. I look away in embarrassment and look for some underwear for him. When I find some, I turn around and take a deep breath, lifting his hips and gently sliding on the boxers I had chosen, making sure his tail was threaded through the hole gently. He looks up at me curiously, a little red across his cheeks, or maybe that is my imagination.

I finish dressing him and put on his socks and boots, smiling kindly at him. He does think he’s a cat after all…it’s not like he knows any better. I scoop him up into my arms again and carry him into the living room, picking up my wallet and leaving the house, locking the door. I put him in the backseat, the upset look he gives me confusing me still, but I get into my side and drive off, heading to Maitake’s house, looking into the rear-view mirror to see ’Geta lying down, his head on the seat as his tail droops. I frown.

We arrive at her house at 20 past 7 and I wince. Hopefully, she won’t be too mad at me about this. I leave ’Geta in the car as I go to knock on her door and I can almost feel his sadness as I walk up her pathway and knock. I don’t know what’s wrong with him today. Soon, she answers the door in a tight-fitting black dress that is low on her cleavage and high on her legs, half way up her thighs. She smiles at me, her lips covered in a chocolate-brown lipstick. I smile back nervously, her look and body language telling me that she intends to have sex tonight.

“H-Hi Maitake…are you ready?” I ask, swallowing a lump in my throat. She smiles wider, more playfully and steps back into the house, grabbing a small handbag, before stepping out of the house and looping her arm in mine, nodding. I swallow again and lead her to my car, noticing her surprise at seeing ’Geta in the backseat.

“You’re bringing a guy on our date?” She asks me, looking at me funnily. I don’t know how to respond, so I just open the passenger seat, moving the string out of her way and get in my side, belting myself in safely. She just watches me and when I raise an eyebrow at her for staring, she buckles up quickly too, thinking that is why I raised my eyebrow at her. Mentally, I sigh. This date is definitely not going to go well. It’s barely been 5 minutes, and I’m already regretting this.

“I couldn’t leave him at home and no one else could look after him…” I tried to explain, but it truly doesn’t matter. She doesn’t care. I can tell by the way she is looking at ’Geta that she thinks he’s a freak. That angers me. She shouldn’t judge him at all! I try not to growl angrily as I drive us to a nice restaurant, a fancy one I’ve wanted to go to for ages. I’ve been told that the food and service is great. As we get out of the car, I notice that ’Geta is glaring at her. I frown. Something is definitely wrong with him. I pick him up into my arms and she looks at me, her expression one of confusion and distaste. I think she’s beginning to regret this date too.

We walk in, and with an odd look from the waitress; we are seated at a table for three, a round table so we are all next to each other. We are given the menus and a glass of water and then the waitress leaves us to our own devices. I look through the menu carefully, trying to see if I can find something good for ’Geta to eat.

Chicken Caesar Salad with olives. No, he’d just waste the salad…

Whole shoulder of lamb, served with a choice of chips, baby potatoes or jacket potatoes and peas. I frown. That’d be too much for him to eat.

Penne pomodoro with spicy arrabiata sauce and basil. Nope, no meat.

I frown and skim the menu carefully, trying to find something to sate Vegeta's appetite, but there isn’t really much he likes. Eventually, I find ‘Atlantic Cod with a choice of chips, baby potatoes or jacket potatoes’ and I almost chuckle. What a poncy way of saying ‘fish and chips’. I smile and look up from the menu, seeing Maitake and ’Geta giving each other sour looks. I frown again. I can forgive ’Geta for looking at her that way, but I can’t forgive her. She knows what she’s doing. I cough loudly and both of their attentions switch to me, her giving me a fake smile and ’Geta looking at me pleadingly with a small pout. I smile nervously at them and I’m glad when a waitress comes over.

“Ready to order yet, sirs and madam?” She asks in a posh voice, making me smile.

“I am.” I say, and look at Maitake, who smiles at the waitress and begins her order.

“I’d like the Chicken Caesar Salad and some oysters please.” I frown mentally. Oysters are expensive! I’m not made of money! My mental frown gets deeper as I realise they’re also a type of aphrodisiac. Oh yeah, she definitely wants sex tonight. The waitress turns to ’Geta and smiles, waiting for his order. I cough, and she looks at me with a raised eyebrow.

“He’s mute.” I explain, nervous. “And he lets me order for him.” She looks back at ’Geta, who just blinks at her, then back to me.

“Okay then sir, what will you and your friend be having?” I’m tempted to say ‘Gimme the ass steak n chips and get ’im the cod’, but I resist, not wanting a sour look from the waitress. The atmosphere on this table is already thick.

“He’ll have the Atlantic Cod with chips and I’ll have the 10oz Rump Steak. Medium rare, please.” I say, handing back the menu. She takes it from me and smiles.

“Great choice, sir. What drinks would you like?” I nervously look over to Maitake.

“A glass of dry white wine please. Pinot Grigio, if you have any.” The waitress writes it down and turns to me.

“I’ll have some Sauvignon rouge, and my friend’ll have some water…in a bowl if you can…” I ask, feeling like an idiot. But the waitress just smiles at me and goes to get our food and drinks. The silence is haunting, and I cannot stand it. “So…Maitake…how long have you been working on the stall?” I ask, not really interested, but needing some communication between us except awkward smiles. She smiles warmly and begins to talk about her life as I nod and pretend I am listening to her and I notice out of the corner of my eye that ’Geta is really unimpressed with me. I don’t know why he’s so mad.

Soon, our drinks arrive and I take mine gratefully, sipping it like I need it to survive. She takes a sip of her wine, then puts it down, leaning over the table to talk to me, her head on her hands.

“So Kakarott? Where do you work?” She asks me, looking at me seductively, making me nervous. I haven’t got a job. At the moment, I’m living off my father’s money, that I received after his funeral four years ago.

My father used to own a large corporation, Capsule Corp, and I inherited it, but I didn’t want to work there, I wanted to spend more time with my wife, so I gave it to Bulma, one of my oldest friends. I don’t see much of her anymore, but I’m glad I gave her the company. Her inventions have made my father’s old company the best-known company ever. If my dad had been alive today, I’m sure he’d be proud that I made such an important business deal and did the best thing I could with his company. I hear Bulma and her family are billionaires now and I think she keeps putting money into my account. I nervously realise I haven’t answered her and as I open my mouth to talk to her, she gasps, moving off of the table and looking at the front of her dress in horror.

It seems she’s spilt wine on herself.

“Are you okay?” I ask, noticing Vegeta’s tail sway back to him and wave through the air happily, an evil little smirk on his face. He did it? She looks at me in embarrassment and stands up, grabbing her handbag. I look at her with wide eyes. Is she leaving?

“I-I’ll be back in a minute…” She says and runs off to the bathroom to clean herself up. I look over at ’Geta disappointedly. He can’t have done it, can he? Did he? I frown. I’d ask him, but I doubt I’d get an answer. I’m not sure I want to accuse him of anything like that anyway. He’s innocent…isn’t he? I realise I’m staring when he looks back at me, his sad eyes telling me everything I need to know. He’s upset about this date, but he surely isn’t tampering with it. I know him too well to accuse him of such a nasty thing. I pet him between his ears reassuringly and he purrs, looking at me innocently, his tail waving behind him happily. Suddenly, Maitake is back at the table and I see his tail droop a little, saddened.

“Everything okay now?” I ask, smiling at her, trying to be kind. She smiles back, forcing it.

“Y-Yeah, I’m fine.” We end up talking for five minutes about our favourite foods, her obviously forgetting about the job question, and then the waitress arrives with our food. I request another glass of wine for my date and she smiles, going to get one. I dig into my food greedily, cutting through the bloody steak and almost sighing at the taste as I take my first piece. It’s delicious. The perfect steak.

I look over to ’Geta to see him eating his fish with grace, even for a cat. I look back at Maitake and see she is thoroughly enjoying her salad, or at least she gives off the impression that she is. We chat a little over the food and I notice Vegeta pout, annoyed that I’m ignoring him. I’m not trying to, but I have to so that Maitake doesn’t think I’m a jerk. I’d hate to be thought of like that. One of her oysters rolls towards ’Geta and I frown as he opens it and eats it, knocking the shell onto the floor to hide the evidence. I didn’t think he liked those…

Soon enough, the meal is over and I pay for it with my card. I don’t even look at the bill, afraid to see how much this one misunderstanding has cost me, and, as Maitake gets to her feet, her face flushed red from the wine, I get worried, wondering what else this night may cost. I help ’Geta into my arms and she loops her arm with mine, her hand brushing along ’Geta’s tail. Then all hell breaks loose as Vegeta twists in my arms and scratches her across the face angrily, jumping on her and biting her.

She screams and I pull him away, feeling him panting and a growl rumbling through him as he tries to break free from my arms and attack her again. I don’t understand! He’s never been this violent before!

“’Geta! What the hell is wrong with you??” I shout, holding him tightly, aware the entire restaurant is gawping at us in shock. I look at Maitake’s face worriedly, after I grab Vegeta’s hands and hold them together, preventing further attacks. There’s a deep slash in her cheek, blood dribbling off her chin and onto the abused dress, making me wince. This night has gone very badly. “M-Maitake…I’m so sorry!” I say, holding Vegeta tightly. She sobs softly, tears rolling down her cheeks as she begs me to just take her home.

When we arrive back at her house, after me trying to apologise the whole way, she just gets out of the car and slams the door, running into her house. I don’t even get a thank you for the food. I look in my rear-view window to see ’Geta watching her, his tail swishing through the air violently. I am suddenly glad I’ve never touched his tail, if he reacts that way to people touching it, then I’ll never touch it. The scratches looked very deep. I look back at the road and drive home, feeling very sleepy. A few hours of television and I’m heading off to bed.

We arrive home and I get out of my car, letting ’Geta out of the backseat and carrying him to the front door. We enter our home and I put him down, heading straight for the settee. I am too tired to do anything else, but I am too awake to attempt sleep. I sit down and turn on sky one, to find that Twister has just started and I am in time to watch it. Vaguely, I see ’Geta staring at me from the doorway, but I am not in the mood to talk to him tonight. And after the first twenty minutes, I am too absorbed in the film to notice anything else.

When the film ends, I turn off the TV and get up, stretching and yawning, hearing some of the bones in my back click. It's been a long night and I need rest. All this excitement has been too much for me, really. I walk through the house to my room, frowning. I haven't seen 'Geta since we got home… I shrug. He probably went to bed. It has been a tiring day for him too.

I walk into my bedroom and snuggle into the sheets, comfortably warm in the cool summer night. I close my eyes and lie on my side, but I can't sleep. I'm too worked up from what happened earlier with Maitake. I still can't believe what happened. Maybe I should've gone in with her and seen if she was okay…

My mind runs around in circles for hours on the same thing, maybe I should have helped her or asked forgiveness, but it stops when I hear my bedroom door opening. I open my eyes a bit and I can see ’Geta walking across my floor on his hands and knees, stark naked. I almost gasp in shock, but I hold it in as he jumps on my bed and cuddles up to my side. I tense. What is he doing?

Suddenly, I hear a scratchy noise and ’Geta is pawing at my face, looking at me with his beautiful eyes pleadingly. My eyes widen when I realise what is going on. He’s trying to talk to me…

"K-Kaka…rott…" Vegeta whispers, nuzzling my face, trying to wake me. I wonder how many times he has done this without me waking up. This feels strange and I open my eyes, looking at him, my breath ragged. He leans down and licks along my bottom lip and I freeze, unsure of what to do. I don’t understand what he’s doing…he’s never done this before…

I move his head away from mine and sit up, looking at him, confused as to why he’s in here. What does he want? He crawls onto my lap and straddles my hips, leaning forward, his eyes locked with mine. But suddenly, he wraps his arms around my neck and pulls me into a deep kiss, pressing against me. It is with instinct that I wrap my arms around his waist, and pull him closer to me, despite the strangeness of the situation. I know he thinks that he is a cat…I know he still does…but he’s chosen me…he wants me…

A very childish part of me stands up and laughs, saying ‘In your face, Trunks! In your face!’ before I realise what I am doing, and I pull back, looking at ’Geta in shock. I don’t know where he learned to kiss like that… I shake my head. It doesn’t matter how well he’s just kissed me, doesn’t matter where he learned it. What matters is if he knows what he’s doing.

“V-Vegeta…?” I pant, shaking slightly from confusion and excitement. The constant heat and pressure from his body so close to me has made me aroused, and I can’t help but think I am sick. He doesn’t know what he’s doing! I shouldn’t take advantage of him, no matter how cold and lonely it is in my bed at night, no matter how hard and aching I am. I shudder with want and I pull the covers from my body, Vegeta’s arms still linked around my neck, leaving me no option but to hold him up by his bum as I stand up, cradling him to me, and walk to his room, fully intent on putting him to bed and closing the door so he can’t get out.

I freeze in my motions when I feel his erection rub against my chest, his tongue lapping at my neck, his tail coil my wrist happily as he purred for all he was worth. I swallow nervously, hearing him sigh and nuzzle my neck affectionately. This is the second time today that my intentions have been changed. I turn back around and go into my room, laying him on my bed and looking at him reverently, if not hungrily. I know I am highly aroused, I know I want him now, so my gaze must be predatory, but from the shy aroused look on his face, he doesn’t seem to mind at all. In fact, he parts his legs and purrs, his hands grabbing my pillow as he arches up, practically begging me to touch him.

I groan and climb onto the bed, clad in only my boxers as I lean down and kiss him fiercely, passionately, showing him just how much I want him. I can’t stop my hands as they roam slowly over his skin, his gasps and pants into my mouth making me shiver at his responsiveness to my touch. My tongue tangles with his, curling and flicking it as his hands slowly let go of my pillow, and timidly touch my overheated skin, grabbing my back unsurely. I tremble and pull away from his mouth, searching his eyes. I don’t think I can do this.

He lies there, panting and looking up at me shyly, a deep red tint across his face as my hands stroke the curve of his hips. I can tell we’re both very nervous, but I think it may be from a lack of experience, for the both of us. I don’t think he’s ever had sex, and I know for certain that I have never been intimate with a man. We both pant, though my experience with passionate kissing helps me to even out my breaths, whereas, he is panting heavily, shaking and looking up at me expectantly, as if he wants me to lead us through this. I am afraid of the amount of trust me has put in me, afraid that I could hurt him. I know of ways that two men can be intimate with each other, but I am still unsure of how to do this.

I’m not sure I’ll be able to think of myself in the same way if I do this.

“Kakarott…” Vegeta whispers, his eyes half-lidded, his face flushed as he writhes beneath me. I shiver at his voice; it’s so husky and needy…I’ve never heard it before… “P-Please…” He gasps, and it sends shivers running through me. I bite my lip and move off of him, trying to give myself enough space and time to think through this before I do anything. I hear him whimper in loss and I can’t help myself when I lean over him and kiss him again, trembling as his tail glides up my back, the fur making me feel sensitive. He paws at me needily, his tail finally finding a place to settle as it coils the top of my thigh, under my boxers. I pull back again, ashamed at my lack of control. I shouldn’t do this; he’s not in his right mind.

“N-No…” I gasp, pulling away from him completely, pulling his tail from my thigh carefully and letting go of it. I sit on my knees, looking over at his saddened face, the desperate, needy air still around him like an aura. He sits up, looking at me with wide eyes, tears slipping down his cheeks and I can feel his heart breaking. “Vegeta…I…you…you aren’t in your right mind…y-you think you’re a cat…I-I can’t…” I try to explain, but he doesn’t listen, crawling closer to me, whispering my name and ‘please’, begging me. “V-Vegeta…stop it!” I demand, moving off of my bed and looking at him nervously. “S-Stop or I’ll take you to the mental hospital!” I warn, my throat closing up as I say those words. I’m not bluffing. If I have to take him there to stop myself from eventually giving in to him, then I will. I’d rather visit him in a safe environment than end up taking away his innocence when he hasn’t a clue of what he’s doing.

For a moment, he just stares blankly at me, then tears fill his eyes and he stops, looking mournfully at me, covering his hardness with his tail protectively. I bite my lip, unsure of what to say, but the need to speak is taken from me as he gets off my bed and runs out of my room, tears streaming down his face. I watch him go, open-mouthed. He…ran…like a human… I hear his door slam behind him and I feel awful. What was I meant to do? Was I supposed to get rid of his innocence?? I know that’s what we both wanted…but…it wasn’t the right thing to do…

…Was it?

I can’t think. I don’t understand what’s going on… I sigh, and I hope that everything will be better in the morning. I lie down and close my eyes, pulling my covers over me, trying to forget my erection. But it is almost impossible and I lie on my back, looking at the ceiling, the cold sheets brushing over my erection not helping me in the slightest. In fact, the sheets are making it worse, making me think that if I hadn’t said no, I could have something very warm and very pleasant around me, instead of the cold and unpleasant feeling of an unsatisfied erection. I sigh again and my eyes begin to close…

-BANG BANG BANG!-

My eyes snap open at a loud banging noise coming from my front door and I push my covers off myself, running a hand through my hair as I pad to the front door, wondering what time it is. I unlock the door and open it to find Brolli and Trunks waiting impatiently for me. I blink. They don’t usually come until half ten…

“Hey guys…what’s up?” I half-yawn, half-mumble, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. They just look at me strangely and I step back, allowing them into my house. “Aren’t you guys a little early?” I ask, still unaware of the time, but I know I would be up by 10:30…’Geta would wake me at 8 and- wait! Where’s ’Geta?

“We’ve been waiting outside for half an hour!” Trunks complains, looking annoyed. I frown. Half an hour? That would mean it’s 11am and—My eyes widen as I remember last night and I give them no further attention, running towards ’Geta’s room and trying to open the door, only to find that it is locked. Fear grips my heart and I hammer on the door like a madman. Trunks and Brolli run over to me, trying to ask me what is wrong, but I ignore them, pulling on the door handle.

“’Geta?? ’Geta, open up!” I beg, hitting the door harder, but getting no response. Tears fill my eyes and I bang harder, feeling lost. “I-I didn’t mean it ’Geta!” I sob, pulling on the door frantically. Trunks and Brolli grab me and pull me away from the door, dragging me to the settee, forcing me to sit on it while Trunks tries to make me a drink to calm me down and Brolli finds me a blanket, pulling it over me and sitting next to me on the settee, looking worried. Trunks comes back a moment later with a cup of strong tea and he sits on the other side of the settee, both watching me nervously, looking at each other, trying to think of something to say. I clutch the drink in my hands, my whole body shaking with worry and regret. He locked me out…he didn’t answer…my eyes widen as they dart to his door.

He could’ve killed himself!

The cup slips from my hands and lands on the floor, the brownish liquid sinking into my carpet, but I don’t care, my body trembling as I stare at the door with wide eyes, forgetting to breathe. Brolli’s eyes widen and I hear him talking to me, worried, but I can’t hear what he is saying…it’s all a blur… I gasp when my head is forced between my legs, and I can hear their worried voices, my eyes scrunching shut, what’s going on?? After a short while…I finally hear words.

“Oh god, he looked like he was going to faint! I don’t know what’s wrong!” Brolli says, his hand squeezing my shoulder comfortingly as he talks to Trunks. I bite my lip. They’re both really worried about me…

“I don’t know either, but from his earlier babbling, I’m sure it has something to do with Vegeta…maybe I should check or something…” Trunks suggests, shifting on his seat. I slowly sit up and look between them both, before looking at the floor sadly. I’m going to have to tell them about last night…I know I am…but I’m so ashamed… “Kakarott? Man, you okay?” Trunks asks, trying to look at my face. I look up and see both of them looking at me, suddenly, I am intimidated, not that they are intimidating, but that there are two of them and one of me and I have to tell them this, I am afraid they will be disgusted with me.

“Y-Yeah…I-I’m fine…” I lie, closing my eyes and sighing sadly. But they know me too well to fall for that, they can see through my rather weak charade. They know something’s wrong, and if I know them as well as I feel I do, they won’t leave until I tell them what’s going on. I don’t think I have been this despondent since my father died. I don’t need to be a mind reader to know what they will say next, it’s rather simple, I feel Trunks will say ‘Don’t bullshit us, Kakarott, we can tell something’s wrong!’ and Brolli will say comforting things and wait for me to tell him on my own, not pressuring me, while Trunks tries to force it out of me.

“Kakarott…you know you can tell us anything…” Brolli begins softly, trying to reassure me.

“Look Kakarott, it’s freakin obvious something’s wrong! The way you were clawing at that door yelling!” Trunks says, shaking me. Okay, so I was wrong. I’m glad I don’t predict things for money. I sigh softly as I hear more comforting words and more demands to tell what’s going on. Trunks doesn’t realise how unhelpful that is right about now. My heart feels heavy and as I look between the two of them, I wonder whether only one, or both will be disgusted and leave. Though I don’t see how they won’t be. I close my eyes sadly and take a deep breath.

“I-I’ll tell you…” I whisper, not looking at them, afraid to see their reaction. I decide to start from the beginning, that way; I can delay telling them what happened for a little while. “R-Remember yesterday when ’Geta disappeared?” I see them nod out of the corner of my eyes. “W-Well…I-I made a date with Maitake…the girl from the market…” Trunks stares at me.

“Maitake??” It is obvious he is shocked. “She’s only 16, isn’t she??” He asks in amazement and I nod. He gives me a sour look. “You didn’t…” He pauses. “…did you?” I turn and stare at him in shock, then shake my head madly.

“N-No! Of course not!” I scowl, giving him a dirty look. “I’m too old for her! I just…I wanted company…” I look back at the floor again, not paying attention to them. It’s easier to imagine they aren’t there. “So…I lost ’Geta…and then Trunks brought him back…a-and we went home…” I can tell that they’re watching me closely and listening as intently as they can. I know I’m being quiet, but I can’t help it. “I-I got ready…and tried to prepare food…but ’Geta got in the way and-” I tell them about what happened before the date and through it, seeing the wide-eyed looks on their faces, but they don’t speak, not wanting to interrupt me. “We go home and I go and watch Twister on the TV. I don’t know what ’Geta was doing…but after the film, I went to bed, feeling bad about what happened…”

I trail off. I can’t say any more. Images and sensations of what it was like with ‘Geta are running through my head. The way he gasped…and said my name…and purred… The way he arched up from a small touch to his chest… I feel my face heating and my pants becoming tight and I pull the blanket firmly around me, covering my lap. I don’t want them to see how aroused I am getting. I don’t want to tell them any more, I just want to go back to bed, I want them to go away. I want them to leave me alone so I can feel bad in peace. But…most of all…

I want ’Geta.

“And then…?” Brolli asks, leaning forward to look me in the eyes. “I can tell that it isn’t just about that girl, Kakarott. It’s about ’Geta…please, tell us. We can’t help unless you do…” I look to Trunks and he smiles at me, not saying a word, but I can tell that they’re trying to help. I bite my lip.

“S-So I was lying in bed…thinking about what happened. And then the door opened and ’Geta came in…” I pause and swallow. “Naked and he climbed onto my bed.” Trunks is staring at me enviously, and that childish part of me pulls a tongue at him and laughs ‘Nyah nyah!’. I squash that part of me and I shake a little, knowing I have to continue. “A-And he…he nuzzled me…and…said my name…” I know that right now, they either don’t believe me, or they’re astounded that he can actually talk, but I continue on anyway. If they don’t believe me, fine. They don’t have to. “A-And when I sat up…he kissed me…a-and I kissed him back…I-I don’t now what came over me, I just did it and then, when I realised, I pulled away…” I bite my lip again, and I look between them nervously, seeing their shocked expressions. But this time, they don’t prompt me. They are too shocked to, so I decide to tell them the rest. But I can’t do it with them being so close and I stand up, walking away from the settee, just walking forward a few steps so I can’t see them.

“K-Kakarott??” Trunks gasps, snapping out of it. “Where are you going??” I ignore his question and I carry on, not wanting to forget what happened.

“I tried to take him back to his room, b-but I couldn’t…he just sounded so happy…and I…well…I was…” I pause, knowing that they’ll understand what I mean. “So…I laid him back on the bed…and I kissed and touched him…before forcing myself to stop. I-I mean…he thinks he’s a cat…a-and it’s wrong…right?” I ask, turning around and looking at them, hoping for support. I don’t get any. But I don’t get any sour looks either.

“What did you do, Kakarott?” Trunks asks, looking at me with his wide blue eyes. I think Brolli's just listening for now and absorbing all the information before he says anything. I think he’s trying to figure out a solution, whereas, Trunks just wants details of what happened.

“I-I moved away…and I told him to stop…a few times…but he didn’t…” I pause again, worried. Should I tell them what I threatened? They are both looking at me expectantly. “S-So…I threatened to take him to the mental hospital if he didn’t…and he ran from my room…” I look at the floor in disgust. I can’t believe I threatened him with that. Trunks is staring at me, his eyes wide. I think he’s disappointed with me…I don’t think he ever expected me to say that to anyone…least of all to ’Geta…

Brolli just looks at me calmly, then looks over at ’Geta’s locked door, then back at me. He understands why I said what I said…I think he would’ve done the same thing…but I know Trunks wouldn’t…I know he’d have had sex with ’Geta, if ’Geta would let him. I swallow, nervous, then look over at the door sadly. I want him to come out. I want to tell him I’m sorry…

“Kakarott…” Brolli says, getting up from the settee and putting his hand on my shoulder comfortingly. “There’s nothing you can really do…all you can do is wait for him to come out…nothing more…” I nod, looking at the floor. I know there’s nothing I can do…I just…I want him to come out now…I want to hold him and beg for his forgiveness. I just want him to be happy. “Come on, Trunks. We should leave. He won’t come out if we’re here.” Brolli turns to Trunks and Trunks gets off the settee, nodding.

“We’ll come visit you tomorrow…see if there’s any change…” I nod silently and watch them leave. I’m not used to being alone. I sit on the floor and poke the stain on the carpet, not knowing what else to do. I miss ’Geta, and he hasn’t even gone anywhere. I look over to his door longingly and sigh. He’s not going to come out today, I know that much. Then I pause, looking at the keyhole, my body trembling. Maybe I can look through and see him!

I scramble to my feet and hurry over, sitting down and peering in, through the hole, but all I see is darkness. I search the room frantically, and I can see his silhouette moving around. My eyes widen. He’s walking on his feet! I blush a little, gasping as I realise he is still naked, my face heating as I watch him walk up to the door, and then my vision is blocked as he covers the keyhole with something. I move away from the door in despair. He knew I was there, and he covered it up…he must hate me…

I hate me.

I walk over to the settee and I sit down on it sadly, my head in my hands as I think over what I have done. My one companion…my only close friend…I’ve upset him…I threatened him… I sigh sadly and try not to cry. He hates me. I don’t deserve him. I never deserved him…not when I let my wife leave me…not when I took him on the date with Maitake…not when…I kissed him…

My eyes water up with tears and I tremble, falling deeper and deeper into my self-hate. I mean, who am I kidding? There’s no way in hell that he’s ever going to forgive me for this! I broke his heart!! I don’t deserve anyone or anything! I should kill myself! I run to the kitchen and grab a knife, bringing it to my wrist, but I stop, trembling and I drop it onto the floor with a loud clatter. I-I can’t do it…

I grab my head in my hands and I sob, feeling broken and useless. I don’t think I can handle this… I bite my lip, feeling the tears running freely down my cheeks, my face hurting from my constant crying. I don’t feel like doing anything… I turn away and go back into my bedroom, climbing into my bed again and trying to go to sleep. There’s nothing I can do to keep myself from thinking about what I’ve done, but I hope this works…there’s nothing else I can think of… I close my eyes and everything goes dark.
 
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^_^ Original, ne?