Vegeta opened his eyes to see that comforting place once again: the field. It had only been about a day since he was here last, but he was still just as excited about this location as the first time he had seen it. There was just something about it - something special - that made him feel slightly better, and even if he wouldn't admit it he did like it here.
          His gaze shifted around the scenery, the light colours that seemed to radiate joy and warmth welcoming him back as he took in every beautiful detail. The few trees with their rustling leaves, the grass that swayed in the breeze, the flowers that thrived in the sunlight, the water that rippled and glistened peacefully - it was all so incredible. So amazingly, beautifully incredible.
          "And you said you didn't like it here." Goku teased as he watched the prince looking around with that same bright almost child-like smile. It was a nice feeling that he got from seeing the prince like this, a mix of pride and his own happiness he felt towards the thought that he was lucky enough to see Vegeta smile a genuine smile.
          "Oh, shut up." The smaller of the two laughed, playfully punching Goku in the arm in response to his comment, the taller male only chuckling in return. He shook his head before focusing back on his surroundings, then gently began dragging Goku along to the spot they sat last time.
          Goku followed along with Vegeta as they walked over to the shaded area under the tree, smiling at the prince's excited expression. It wasn't often that Vegeta was like this, even before everything had gone downhill for him he was always upset about something, and he never really smiled or laughed - he never seemed truly happy back then, and now it was clear he wasn't. And just thinking about all the reasons Vegeta was always so reserved and angry, and now sad and suicidal made Goku feel sick: there was so much that the prince had sealed away hoping that it would all just go away and he always put up this act of arrogance to protect himself from his horrid past, but once one part of that shield was broken the rest only shattered like glass with the more time that passed. And, when reality came crashing back to him and he was pushed closer to the edge by the minute, he did what he thought was best - what he was used to, and what he felt would fix it all. But that didn't fix it and it never would, no, it made things worse the longer it went on. No matter how hard Vegeta tried to convince himself, no matter how many times he said he was fine and that it didn't matter, no matter how many times he cried and screamed at himself for his mistakes - Goku could tell he didn't believe that disappearing was right, and he didn't want it to end that way. The cowardly way.
          That was just it though, and the more it came to light the clearer it was until eventually the bubbly saiyan pieced it together: Vegeta was scared - terrified even - of what others thought of him. He would always act all tough and rude, but underneath all that he was just like everyone else. He didn't show his true self, or his emotions because he was scared that people wouldn't accept him for who he was. He was raised to believe that. He was raised to believe that his true self, the one deep down inside, was useless and that nobody would want them - so he hid that part of himself away, and when he fell that side came out and couldn't be locked away any longer.
          The more he was pushed around and abused, the more his confidence and pride dwindled until it was all replaced with self-loathing. He was afraid to open up to people and talk about his problems, and he didn't want to be viewed as weak - that much was bluntly obvious - so when he had slipped up he forced himself to believe that the pain and suffering that was given to him throughout his life was his own fault for being so pathetic. And eventually when the one he relied on most to be there for him betrayed him and went behind his back, he snapped and took action to actively try to kill himself.
          It was sad. Thinking about someone actually living like that, someone so broken that the longer time ticked away the more they wanted to just sink into the ground, someone who was silently drowning in their own sorrows - thinking about someone like that made Goku feel sick, it made him feel terrible for reasons he couldn't put his finger on.

          Goku's attention was quickly snatched from his thoughts as Vegeta gently tapped him on the arm, "Huh- what?" He looked over to the prince, who looked back at him with a confused and clearly concerned look.
          "Are you alright?" Vegeta began, raising a brow in question as his worried expression remained in place. "You've been just silently staring off into space..."
          "Oh, sorry, I was just thinking." Goku said softly, turning back the the ground as he furrowed his brows on having been ripped from his thoughts.
          "You, thinking? Well, now that's dangerous." The prince stated, looking away from the taller saiyan until he felt a light punch on the arm and heard said saiyan playfully shout "Shut up" in response. "Hey, careful with the arms, would you?" He laughed.
          "You started it!" The goofy male smiled, having lost his train of thought and instead gone back to his usual child-like playful self.
          "Ha, I guess you're right." Vegeta replied, shaking his head slightly as the walked on. There was always something about that carefree nature of the Earth-raised saiyan that put him at ease and made him smile.

¤¤¤

          They had been sitting in the field for some time now, just relaxing and talking to each other about anything that came to mind. It was peaceful, which was something that Vegeta wasn't used to as of late. With everything happening with his home life and in his mind, there was hardly any tranquility in his life anymore - and these little moments with Goku seemed to be the only time in his life when he actually had everything together and was in a rather good mood.
          "Hey, Kakarot, can I..admit, something to you..?" Vegeta spoke up after a moment, breaking the short yet welcomed silence that had commenced only minutes before. That same nervousness he felt when he had apologized to Trunks reappeared, and he glanced away as Goku's eyes met his own.
          Said saiyan was now a little confused, though still cheerful as he smiled and nodded. "Of course, you can tell me anything." He reassured, looking over to Vegeta who now seemed to have become slightly shy - which was a surprise to him.
          "You know, we've been spending all this time together and I just wanted to say that I think I might be coming around to the idea that we are friends." Vegeta mumbled out, speaking quickly as if he was embarrassed by his own words. He had never really considered anyone to be his friend, especially not anyone on this planet, but Goku was a different story: Goku was a kindhearted, friendly and comforting person who the prince had honestly hated for most of his life. But now with everything going on, he had gotten closer to the man, and he felt that the taller saiyan was the only one he could truly talk to.
          Goku gave a look of shock in response, blinking a couple of times before a smile spread across his face. "Really?" Was all he said, to which he got a short nod as a reply. The friendly male was practically bouncing off the walls with joy, cheering gleefully as he swiftly pulled the smaller saiyan into a tight hug.
          Vegeta was silent as he blushed, hesitantly wrapping his arms around Goku in return with a soft chuckle. That wasn't the reaction he had expected, so he was a bit caught off guard by the sudden action - and on top of that he wasn't the most touchy person, he would often try to avoid physical contact if possible. Though he was still a little uncomfortable, this wasn't terrible.
          "Alright," The prince began, squirming a little in Goku's grasp to try and get free. He gave a slight chuckle as he spoke up in a soft pleading tone, "I think you're crushing my ribs."
          Goku quickly let go, giving a quiet 'oh' as he pulled away from the hug. He moved to scratch the back of his head and let out an awkward laugh, staring at the smaller saiyan with an apologetic expression. "Sorry, I don't know my own strength sometimes. I didn't hurt you, did I?"
          Vegeta shook his head and shifted his vision down, "No, no I think I'm fine." He sighed, then snickered to himself. Looking back over to the taller male a smirked and spoke up, "You really should be careful, though. Not knowing your own strength is almost as dangerous as you thinking."
          "Yeah," Goku agreed, about to continue before he paused and thought for a moment. Vegeta could have sworn he saw the cogs turning in the naive warrior's mind before it finally clicked. "Wait a minute-"
          He was cut off by the prince laughing, which was a pleasant surprise. He couldn't help but laugh too, finding it a little funny himself - he always took things like this lightly, and he could tell that Vegeta was only joking and really meant no harm in it, so it was easy to laugh off. They both quieted down and composed themselves before an idea struck Goku, "Oh- wait here. I need to go get somethin', I'll be back in a minute." He stated, soon standing and taking a step back before zooming off to get whatever it was and leaving Vegeta to wait.
          He smiled as he watched the larger male rush off, letting out a quiet almost giggle of a laugh. The prince then sighed as he shook his head and looked out across the water in front of him, listening to the peaceful stillness and sounds of nature as he sat waiting patiently. Vegeta's thoughts drifted from place to place as he couldn't help but wonder about what Goku was going to get - even if it wasn't important he was still so curious.
          He didn't expect it to be a gift for him, or an item in general - but other than those two things he was blanking on what it could have been. It was quiet as he contemplated the subject, furrowing his brows in confusion. This wasn't something that he needed to know, but now that he was curious and interested in what it could have been, there was some part of him that now was determined to figure it out.

          After a few more moments of thinking Goku returned, his hand held carefully behind his back as he smiled over to the prince who looked back at him with a confused expression. "Okay, close your eyes." Vegeta complied, shutting his eyes though still retaining that curious look, it was silent for a moment more before Goku could be heard snickering and he felt something be put around his head - almost like a crown. "Alright, you can open them now."
          The prince quickly snapped his eyes open and looked up, moving his hands to reach for whatever it was that Goku had placed on his head: seeing a bit of blues, purples, pinks, and surprisingly some green. The texture was soft, but not like fur, it was more plant-like.
          "Flowers..?"
          Goku nodded happily, giving an eager 'uh-huh' as he stared at the smaller saiyan with a bright grin. "You look cute like that." He stated as he pointed at the other, who simply looked back at him in shock as he blushed a deep shade of crimson.
          "Y-You think so..?" Vegeta stuttered out, smiling once he saw the larger male nod. He looked away as he continued to blush and smile to himself, now clearly a little embarrassed - that same warm, fluffy feeling coming back as it washed over all other emotions. It was like he just couldn't feel any other emotion in that moment.

           ...What is this feeling..?