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Goku wasn’t sure why he started doing it.
The first time was an accident. It happened only a few nights after he and Chi-Chi got married. He hadn’t been able to sleep. He was still getting used to sharing a bed with her—he was still getting used to sharing everything with her.
Restlessly, he leaned on his elbow to peer down at his bride. All his tossing and turning hadn’t woken her; she was fast asleep, her long black hair spread out over the pillow.
She sure is pretty.
Thinking that way made him feel funny. So did watching her sleep.
Maybe it was because she looked so delicate that way. Awake, she was the furthest thing from delicate that you could get. She was strong and quick-tempered…and he liked that. A lot.
But he liked it when she was peaceful like this too.
He found himself noticing how long and dark her eyelashes were. Absentmindedly, he bent closer to get a better look at them…
His arm must have slipped on the pillow because the next thing he knew, his lips had brushed against hers.
Terrified, he pulled back. His heart pounded and his face went hot. He hadn’t meant to do that! Oh, he was in trouble now…
But no, she slept on as if nothing had happened.
He relaxed, letting out a slow breath. It was an accident, he told himself. No harm done.
Yet as his panic subsided, that funny feeling came back.
Kissing was still new to him. He always let her kiss him first; she seemed to know more about it than him, and it felt less clumsy and awkward that way. When he admitted as much, she just laughed and told him not to worry: “I’ve never kissed anyone before you either. We’ll learn together.”
Of course, that wasn’t the only kind of touching they did, and that was even more strange to him. In a good way.
But kissing was nice too.
He found himself staring at her lips, remembering how soft they felt just now. Before he knew it, he was leaning over her again. He was close enough to feel her breath on his face, count every eyelash.
A delicate-looking girl…
Softly, gently, he touched his lips to hers—this time, on purpose. Just to see what it felt like.
He waited, but she didn’t stir.
Just as well. He didn’t want to wake her when she looked so pretty like that.
Smiling to himself, he laid back down beside her. Maybe he was starting to get the hang of this kissing thing. He decided he’d try it again in the morning when she was awake.
Looking back, he knew that had been the start of falling in love with her. Because even though he had kissed her before, it was the first kiss he had given with his whole heart.
Years passed. He grew accustomed to marriage and everything that came with it. Including kissing.
There were other nights when he would lie awake and kiss her while she slept. Sometimes it was for luck on the eve of a big battle. Other times it was because he just missed her after being away for so long.
He couldn’t help feeling a little guilty afterwards. Like doing it was somehow taking advantage of her. But it was only kissing, and he never got caught.
That is, until one night.
He was home from Uub’s island. She had been moody because she found another gray hair. She tried to deal with it the only way she knew how: frenzied housework. She cooked, dusted, swept, and vacuumed like a madwoman. And when Goku tried to assure her that it was no big deal, she nearly bit his head off.
“You just don’t get it,” she snapped, beating the living room rug with more force than necessary. “I’m old and I’m just gonna get older. That’s the way it is, and I’ve got to deal with it.”
By the end of the day, Goku found her sprawled out on the couch, practically comatose. He sighed, plopping down on the floor in front of her. He knew she’d wear herself out.
Why did she always have to get like this? No matter how many times he tried to assure her, she was just so insecure about her age.
For a while, he just perched on the edge of the couch, playing with the loose strands of her hair. It was still thick and black; a few silly gray ones didn’t make it any less beautiful.
All the tenseness in her face was finally gone, smoothed into serenity. Gently, he traced a finger over the lines by her mouth and under her closed eyes. They were barely visible, and even when they were, they only made her face look more delicate in a way that never failed to stir his heart.
Just like that night all those years ago, he found himself gazing at those long eyelashes against her cheek. He lightly brushed against them with the pad of his thumb, counting each one with his sharp Saiyan sight.
She hummed softly in her sleep. A rush of love overwhelmed him, and he kissed her.
Suddenly, he felt something soft brush against his face. His eyes shot open and a pair of wide-open black eyes were staring right at him.
Oh, crap.
“Goku?” She sat up, disoriented. “What are you doing?”
“Um…” He tried and failed to think of an excuse.
“Did…did you just kiss me?”
Knowing he was busted, he nodded sheepishly. “Sorry.”
Her mouth opened, then closed. Shaking her head, she looked at him with the most curious expression on her face.
“I’ve done it before,” he confessed before he could stop himself.
“You mean kiss me while I’m asleep?”
“Yeah,” he mumbled, face burning.
“Why?”
The truth just slipped out: “Because you’re beautiful.”
She stared at him, her eyes oddly bright. Then the sweetest smile spread across her face, and she pulled him into an embrace. “Oh, you’re adorable.”
“You’re not mad?”
“Mad?” she repeated, laughing. “Why would I be mad?”
“I dunno, because…” He looked away. “Because it’s weird.”
Yet when her gentle touch turned his gaze back to her, it was clear she didn’t think so. All worries of getting older seemed to have been banished, perhaps this time for good. Looking happier than she had been all day, she ruffled his hair.
“You can kiss me awake any time you want.”