#//;u; ahaa lets get the angst rollin

[regulus-regent]

@kxkarot continued from [ x ]

Vegeta's fingers dug into Goku's gi, he had sensed the tension in the taller saiyan, but he hadn't expected this, didn't think that the fool would actually snap. He's pushed before, prodded, knowing exactly where the sensitive spots were. it was like an instinct he couldn't shut off, a cruel part of him that lashed out, seeking to prove something, anything. But he hadn't anticipated the response to be this brutal. Yet here it was. In an instant the dam had burst, every jab, every dig that had been accumulated, had exploded and the calm, collected Goku was no more.

The vulgarity, so unlike him, was what had thrown Vegeta off balance. Goku never cursed like that, never directed that level of pure malice at anyone, especially not him. He barely had time to react, to brace himself, and now Goku's ki had erupted, the red godly energy radiating off him with an intensity Vegeta hadn't seen from him before. The sheer pressure and magnitude from the other saiyans power was suffocating and thick with unrestraint wrath. It wrapped around him like chains, tightening his breath, forcing his senses to stay hyper alert. His chest rose and fell with his own attempts to regulate his breathing, his heart pounded against his ribs as his body was trapped between the wall and Goku's blinding aura. Vegeta's muscles tensed involuntarily as Goku's words became sharper, more vicious.

For a second Vegeta's mouth parted, about to retort, but before he could utter a word, Goku's hand gripped his armor. Shock coursed through him as he was hoisted off the ground and slammed into the wall. The impact sending a shockwave though his body and splintering the structure behind him. He let out a snarl, his tail bristling as he felt the sharp of pain on his backside. The sheer dominance had stunned him into silence, his body however reacted instinctively struggling against the grip, attempting to break free and escape, but even as he attempted to push back, he found himself overpowered. He wasn't sure if it was the strength in Goku's hand or the fury in his voice that weighed heavier on him.

The irony wasn't lost on Vegeta as the memories of his own moments of weakness resurfaced, the times he had let his rage and pride cloud his judgment. But this time, he wasn't the one flying off the handle. No, he was the one facing the consequences of someone else's breaking point. A breaking point that he had contributed to.

The sudden impact of Goku's fist against the wall made Vegeta flinch. His body immediately tensing, stilling. The cracks in the wall mirrored the cracks forming in his composure, and for a moment, he believed Goku would actually follow through with the violence lurking in his eyes. He had seen that look before, when Kakarot faced enemies that threatened everything he cared for. He knew that rage, knew the way it could tear through reason and restraint. And now, it was all directed back at him. There was a time when Vegeta would have welcomed such a challenge, would have laughed at the very idea of Goku threatening him. But now, at this very moment, he fought to maintain control, to not show just how much Goku's words, his actions, had affected him. But it was impossible to ignore the the fear creeping in, the nagging realization that Goku, of all people, could kill him right then and there and it sent a chill down his spine.

Vegeta's teeth clenched as the verbal assault rained down on him, Goku's hold tightening with each accusation, the armor groaning and bending, molding into the taller saiyans hand. His words cut deep, bringing up old failures that nealy cost them everything and the truth behind the burdens laid onto the other gnawed at him. He had known those flaws, acknowledged them in the silence of his own thoughts, but hearing them from Goku, feeling them like daggers aimed directly at his pride, forced him to confront them in a way he hadn't before. He hated how Goku threw these events back in his face, hated how the idiot was right. The truth burned, leaving him exposed and vulnerable in a way he detested.

When Goku finally threw him down, Vegeta collapsed onto his feet, his legs catching his weight at the last second with a grunt. His back slid down the ruined wall, his breath ragged as his heart still pounded in his chest. He kept his head down, unwilling to meet Goku's gaze. His mind raced but no coherent thought formed only a jumble of emotions that he didn't have the patience to untangle.

Vegeta remained silent, unmoving, his eyes narrowing as Goku stormed off, the echo of the door slamming reverberated through the room, the sheer force of it enough to make the entire building shudder. The fury that had been building inside him had been extinguished, snuffed out by Goku's onslaught, leaving only confusion and a bitter, lingering sense of guilt. He wasn't used to this, feeling like he lost a confrontation without so much as fighting back, of being confronted in such a raw, personal way. It was as if Goku had peeled back every layer of defense, exposing everything Vegeta tried so hard to keep hidden, and now he was left to deal with the aftermath, alone.

He tried to reignite the anger, but it didn't come. There was no easy way to brush what had just happened, no simple retort that would make it all go away, he could still feel the heat of Goku's grasp, hear the fury in his voice, see the raw unfiltered pain in his eyes. It was a side of the saiyan he wasn't sure he ever wanted to see again, because it meant acknowledging things about himself that he wasn't ready to face.

Pride was supposed to protect him, shield him from weakness, but right now, it felt like a flimsy, useless thing, barely able to hold up under the weight of everything Goku had said. Slowly, Vegeta pushed himself off the ground, forcing himself to breathe, to steady his thoughts, but even as he did he knew this wasn't over. He'd knew he would have to confront it eventually. Confront Goku. But riight now, he didn't even know where to start. There was one thing he knew for certain something had shifted between them and he wasn't sure if it could ever go back to how it was before.