Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Hello everyone! Welcome to my newest story! As always, this is the introduction that'll properly explain what to expect before you begin reading. Just a few important notes to keep in mind.

- This'll probably be my most tame, innocent story I've written yet. The majority of it will just be cute fluff of six year olds playing and causing trouble. The only reason I gave it a "teen" rating is because there will be teenage characters doing light drinking and eating pot cookies once in awhile. There will also be light sexual humor and some swearing from the teenage/parent characters.

- While in the tags it does mention Frieza/Frost and Cell/Zamasu, there won't actually be any hardcore romance or anything, just sweet fluffy moments. I plan to just let these kids be kids, with them only having light crushes on one another.

- I have no idea how long this story is gonna be. I'm basically gonna keep doing chapters until I run out of ideas. My best guess is it'll be somewhere between 30-35 chapters, but that is definitely not certain. It could be longer or shorter.

- I do tend to get busy in my personal life; whether that family events, working at my job, and other things. So if I don't update for a little while and I don't announce it, that's probably why, and I apologize in advance.

- There will be times when I will want to take a break from updating this, or I'll get distracted by another story idea to work on. If I do, then I apologize in advance, but in that circumstance I'll let you guys know if I'm taking a break from this.

- One last note; this story will feature many OC characters that DO NOT belong to me! These characters include Glazier, Polleria (only in past tense), Cassidra, Shiro, Krusha, and Geliaden. All these characters rightfully belong to Anonymous_H.

That should be all the important notes, but I'll add more if needed. I hope you guys enjoy this adorable little story of mine. Feel free to leave comments - I love reading them!

Chapter Text

"Daddy, do I really have to go here...?" Frieza asked, a small growl escaping his lips. King Cold ignored his son's attitude, looking down at him and smiling warmly. "Come now, Frieza. This'll be fun for you! Besides, I've heard nothing but good things about this school." he replied. The little white ice-jin rolled his eyes as he glanced out the limo window, looking at the school building. It didn't appear anymore special than other elementary schools - perhaps it was painted with too brightly colors, but otherwise it didn't seem like some groundbreaking place. Apparently this school was called "Heaven's Academy", as it was ran by actual angels, which was a rare sight for anyone to see. You'd think by the sound of their title, that tuition would be expensive, but supposedly it was completely free! Most likely because it was a public school, not private, but that suited most parents just fine.

Frieza watched the other kids that were entering the building, eyes narrowing. None of them seemed to be wearing nearly as nice clothing as he was, or even tried to carry any pride in how they walked. They seemed nothing like him at all! "I don't want to go in there," he stated firmly, turning his head away and crossing his arms, "they don't seem anything like me!" The older ice-jin tilted his head, giving his son a confused expression. "Hm? Whatever do you mean, Frieza? They're all children, just like you." he replied. Frieza firmly shook his head. "Their clothes aren't like mine! None of them seem to have servants accompanying them! And we are the only ones who showed up in a limo! What are they - animals?!"

"Frieza, don't ever talk like that," King Cold said sternly, waving a finger to the boy, "not everyone has the things we have. But that doesn't make us any better than them, or make them any less important. We are no different from everyone else."

"I don't see what the issue was with my lessons with Berryblue! She said I was far more intelligent than most children my age! So why am I being forced to go here instead?! Or at the very least, I could've went to a private school! You can afford it, can't you?!" Frieza insisted, his voice borderlining on whining. King Cold let out a long sigh, rubbing his forehead. This spoiled behavior was *exactly* why he wanted his son to go to a public school. He's become far too accustomed to the "rich" life, and now he's starting to look down on others who weren't as fortunate. He already had a bad habit of bossing around the servants at home. Not to mention....Frieza was a far more isolated child than he should be. He had no friends who were his age, and more concerningly, he seemed to have no interest to. King Cold really hoped being exposed to more children would help change his son's behavior, and help him make new friends.

He just wanted Frieza to enjoy being a kid. Kami knows it wouldn't last forever.

"Frieza, I know this school doesn't seem appealing to you, but it's really important you at least give this academy a try. Who knows, you might enjoy it more than you realize. And you might even make a friend or two." Cold replied. Frieza looked up at his father, prepared to argue once more, but the look on his face made him pause. There was nothing stern about the way his father looked at him. He merely gave his son a gentle smile, one that silently pleaded that he try this for *his* sake, if no one else's. It made Frieza's own expression soften. As annoying as he was sometimes, he still cared for his father - he was always rather obedient to his words, and never wanted to disappoint him. It was clear this meant a lot to King Cold for him to try this. Could it really hurt to put up with going to a public school?

"Please, Frieza. Just give this place a chance. Okay?"

"....*sigh* Yes, Daddy."

"Splendid!" The older ice-jin smiled widely and rubbed the top of Frieza's head, making the boy growl a little and try to swat his large hand away. "Now then, do you remember your room number?" Cold asked, to which the white ice-jin rolled his eyes. "Yes, Daddy. I have it written right here." he stated boredly, holding up the little white piece of paper in his hand. "Good! Then it's best you run along now! I wouldn't want you to be late for your first day!" Cold added. Frieza sighed, but reluctantly opened the door to the limo and stepped out, keeping his backpack on his shoulders. "Have a good day, princess! Daddy loves you!" Cold called from the limo, despite the fact the boy hadn't even taken two steps away yet. Frieza blushed brightly, glaring at his father. "Daddy! I told you not to call me that!" he hissed.

"Oh yes, I apologize. Have a good day, Frieza!" the older ice-jin stated. He waved the boy goodbye before closing the limo door. Frieza rolled his eyes and turned to the school building, frowning when looking up at it's front entrance. He really didn't want to go inside, but even so he forced himself to walked through the double glass doors. The inside of the school looked just as brightly colored as the outside, making Frieza's frown deepen. "This feels childish, even for an elementary school...." he muttered. Frieza ignored the vibrant colors and focused on looking at each door he walked past. He was surprised there weren't any lockers for the children to use, but he suppose there might be something in the classrooms for them to use instead. The boy admittedly had a bit of trouble finding his classroom at first, scratching his head. This school only had one building, and it didn't even have two floors! How hard could it be to find?!

Frieza was about to turn back to find the office and ask a different adult where it was, but paused when passing by a door on his right - he perked up when seeing the number on the front. "Hm, this seems to be it - room 204." He tilted his head, feeling a tad curious as he reached up for the door knob and opened the door, stepping inside. He cringed upon hearing the loud chatter of children inside. "Oh joy...."

The boy pushed the door open, reluctantly stepping inside before closing the door behind him. The room itself was painted in light purple, which was actually nice compared to all the other vibrant colors in the school. There appeared to be fifteen other students in the classroom, chatting amongst themselves. Some sat in their wooden desks, but some were gathered in groups of two or three so they could talk. The floor itself appeared to be wood, though most of it was covered by a large, magenta colored rug. At the front of the classroom there was a large wooden desk and a large chalkboard behind it, likely where the teacher would teach. In the far back of the classroom seemed to be small cupboards of sorts for children to put their backpacks and other personal items. There was also a large, wooden cupboard on the side, likely where the teacher kept their supplies and such. And of course, there was a toy tub filled with different toys, as well as an area where children could get crayons and markers and other art supplies kept in its own small cupboard. The rest of the room was simply decorated with different posters and such, with silly cartoon characters explaining basic things like some numbers and the alphebet.

Overall, Frieza wasn't impressed. And he especially didn't enjoy how loud it was in the small classroom. There were too many children here for his enjoyment. "Why can't they just keep quiet?" he thought to himself. He sighed as he walked to the only empty desk available, which was at the right front corner. Not his ideal spot, but he'd have to deal with it. Frieza quietly sat down in his seat, placing his backpack by his feet. A few of the other children took notice of his presence, looking at him curiously and whispering to each other. Frieza's outfit did somewhat stand out amongst the group - he wore a neat, long sleeved purple shirt that was buttoned up, had light purple patches on his elbows, and black pants. It almost appeared as if he was wearing a suit rather than regular clothes.

He wasn't that surprised with how others stared at him. He expected this actually - ice-jin weren't really a common race anyway, so that alone was bound to catch people's attention. "Hi there! Are you new here?" the boy sitting next to him asked - a Saiyan it seemed, one who had messy, spiky black hair, as well as the obvious monkey tail behind him. Frieza initially ignored him, keeping his gaze straight ahead. However the Saiyan continued to smile at him. "My name is Goku! What's yours?" he asked. The white ice-jin didn't reply. However he twitched when Goku poked his cheek. "Hey! What's your name?" he repeated.

Frieza very slowly turned his head to look at the Saiyan boy, and narrowed his eyes, giving a sharp glare. The other children noticed this and went silent. He had kinda a scary looking face. Goku was the only one who didn't seem intimidated, just staring at him confused. But he did catch the hint, and just shrugged casually before turning his head away with a whistle. Satisfied, Frieza glanced away once more, resting his head in his palm. This place was already getting on his nerves.

The door once again opened, and the white ice-jin raised a brow as an adult stepped inside. "There now, settle down everyone. Please return to your seats." It appeared to be a young man, likely an angel judging by the blue halo that was around his neck. He had a light blue complextion, his hair tall and white, soft purple lips, and wore a magenta colored robe, complete with a blue sash tied around his waist. As soon as the angel had spoken, everyone hurried to sit in their seats, suddenly as quiet as mice and their focus entirely on him. Frieza raised a brow upon seeing this. He suppose this meant this angel was probably the teacher. "That's much better. Now, I'm sure most of you are already aware of who I am, but I do see a few new faces in our class this year. So to those who don't know me, I am your teacher, Mr. Whis. I truly look forward to teaching all of you this year. I hope we can get along." he said. His smile was earnest the whole time he spoke, though Frieza took little interest in him. Although at least this teacher seemed professional - that was something.

"Now, I would like the new students to introduce themselves to the class, so that we may all become acquainted. I believe we have two new students in this class," Mr. Whis gave a quick scan of the room before spotting Frieza first, who frowned when being noticed, "how about you, young man? Would you care to introduce yourself?" The boy crossed his arms and turned his head away. "Not really." He stated bluntly. The angel brushed off Frieza's attitude, his smile remaining on his face. "Come now, I'm sure everyone would like to get to know you." he insisted. The white ice-jin felt further annoyed by his teacher's pestering, but it was clear if he didn't comply he would eventually get into trouble. So with a heavy sigh he begrudingly stood up and turned to the rest of the class - the other children flinched when seeing his sharp red eyes. Frieza couldn't help smirking a little at that.

"If you must know, my name is Frieza. And that is all you need to know." Quick and to the point, Frieza finished his little introduction and sat back down. Whis raised a curious brow, looking more intrigued rather than irritated, which the white ice-jin didn't expect. "I see. Well, we're happy to have you, Frieza. Now, I believe there is still one other student here...." the teacher said, once again scanning over the several desks. A child in the very back stood up, nervously rubbing his arm. "Um....t-that would be me." Frieza wasn't sure why, but the timid voice caught his attention, and he unconsciously glanced towards the child. They were wearing a dark grey hoodie, as well as a dark blue t-shirt with a white rim along the collar, and their face was concealed by a light grey hood.

"Ah, yes. Feel free to introduce yourself, little one." Whis replied with a friendly grin. The child hesitated for a moment before grasping his hood with both hands and pulling it off - Frieza blinked in surprise when seeing it was another ice-jin like himself. This boy actually looked quite similar to him, although his skin was a light blue color, and the bio-gem on top of his head was sapphire blue. Behind him, a gray tail casually swayed back and forth. His shy smile looked a bit more confident as he looked around at the other students. "Uh, hello! My name is Frost! It's greet to meet you all! I hope that we can get along and be friends." he stated, finishing with a small bow. Whis looked quite pleased as Frost sat back down in his seat. "Wonderful! We're happy to have you be a part of our class as well, Frost. Now then, I believe now's the time we move on to our syllabus."

Mr. Whis grabbed a small stack of green papers and began to pass them to each student, who each took the paper and examined it's contents curiously. "This is simply a guideline of what to expect from your course in the first grade in my classroom. It contains our rules and regulations, our lesson plans, and other information. I'd like to start today by reading this together." When Mr. Whis returned to the front of the room, he held up his own syllabus copy before clearing his throat. "Now then, I shall have each of you take turns reading out loud to the class. Do we have any volunteers?" he asked. At least half of the students shot their hands up. The teacher looked amongst them before picking on a blonde haired girl sitting in the center of the room. "Eighteen, why don't you go ahead and read the first paragraph?" he said.

The girl nodded and looked down at her paper, reading the paragraph slowly and out loud. Frieza rolled his eyes and began to read the syllabus quietly to himself, not even bothering to follow along. The rules were as he expected, mentioning basic things such as treat each other with respect, don't damage school equipment, no cheating, no bullying, blah blah blah....

He immediately felt bored, his gaze aimlessly wandering around the classroom - though he blinked when looking at Frost. The boy was looking right at him, staring at him curiously. When he noticed Frieza was looking back he smiled and gave a small wave. For some reason, Frieza *almost* waved back, though instead chose to turn his head back towards the front of the room. He didn't know why that boy seemed so interested in him....but he also didn't understand why he felt just as curious about Frost. It was then he noticed his cheeks felt really hot, causing him to blink before lightly smacking them with a growl. Why did he suddenly care about some random kid? He didn't, simple as that.

Or at least that's what he told himself....

Chapter Text

The first half of the school day was rather boring to Frieza. Since it was the first day of school, they hadn't delve into any lessons that were too difficult. Mostly just some refreshers on basic grammar, math skills, and a tiny bit of science, which they would resume after lunch and recess. Frieza tried to keep to himself during most of class time, though Whis had picked on him to answer a few questions. And to his surprise, as well as the rest of the class, Frieza was a lot more knowledgable than he seemed for a first grader. Still, it didn't mean much to the white ice-jin - it was just introductary lessons after all.

He actually looked forward to recess, if only because he would finally get some peace and quiet to himself. Instead of playing on the playground equipment, or even going into the library to play computer games and color, Frieza decided instead to sit under a tree at the far end of the playground, reading a book quietly to himself. He wasn't usually interested in playing games and such, but rather enjoyed trying to better his studies. Besides, he had no interest in interacting with the other children more than he had to. The current book he read was just some mystery novel, easily third grade level. Unfortunately, he was only three chapters in and was barely entertained.

"Tch, what a disappointment...." he muttered to himself. He could already see how this was going to end from a mile away. It was too bad, it was becoming harder and harder to find good books to read. Perhaps he could search this school's library later....

Frieza blinked, noticing a different shadow was overlapping his own. He looked over his shoulder - he felt himself blush when seeing Frost staring at him curiously, his red eyes wide and his tail curling behind him. "Gah!" the white ice-jin yelped, dropping his book and scooting back a few inches. Frost winced as a guilty expression suddenly spread across his face. "Oops. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." he said, adjusting his coat. Frieza gave a small growl, standing up in a huff. "Yes well, you *did*. Don't you know better than to sneak up on people like that?" he asked harshly. Despite his cold tone, Frost wasn't entirely phased, though he did give a small shrug. "I'm really sorry," he paused to look down at the book Frieza dropped, kneeling down and picking it up before holding it out, "this is yours, right? Here."

The white ice-jin narrowed his eyes and snatched the book from Frost's hand. "Hmph. Only right you give it back after scaring me." he stated. The blue ice-jin tilted his head, eyeing the book curiously, hands behind his back. "What book are you reading? It looks like a hard one." he said. "Of course you'd think so. This book is at third grade level, not the silly first grade." Frieza stated, unable to help feeling a little prideful in saying such. Frost's eyes widened, suddenly staring at the other boy in awe. "Woooow! You can read third grade books?! That's so cool!" he stated. The white ice-jin blinked, looking at the other boy surprised. He expected to get a jealous response, but the way he looked at him seemed more....inspired perhaps? For some reason, it made his stomach feel light and fluttery, and he blushed a little bit.

"Ahem, yes, well....it would be better if I actually found a book to my liking. But I can't seem to find any that intrigue me." he stated. "Really? Well, I heard the library here is really good. Maybe you'll find something there," Frost reached for the strings on his coat, mindlessly pulling at them, "anyway, I don't know if you remember, but my name is Frost. And I wanted you to invite you to play with me and my other friends." he said. Frieza raised a brow, tail curling and placing a hand on his hip. What was Frost talking about? He had other friends? "I thought you were new as well. What other friends could you have?"

"Just a couple kids that are also in our class. We're gonna play tag, and I thought you'd like it - come on, I'll show you!" Before Frieza could even react, suddenly the blue ice-jin grasped his hand and began to pull him away from the tree. He yelped in surprise, barely managing to stop from dropping his book again. "Hey, hold on just a second! I never said I would participate!" he snapped. Frost merely chuckled and continued to drag him along, until he came upon the sand box. Waiting there were indeed two other kids Frieza recognized from his class. One was a strange, bug-like boy, possessing green and black bio-armor of sorts, pale purple skin, and a crown like thing on top of his head. The clothes he wore were....unique. He wore a small, black leather jacket, a pair of black sunglasses, and a red scarf around his neck. Next to him appeared to be a Kai, who had light green skin, short white haired swayed to his left side, and long ears. His outfit seemed far more typical, consisting of a light purple, long sleeved shirt and baggy purple pants, almost styled in the way a monk would wear.

Neither of their names could come to his mind, but it seemed like he would find out soon enough as the bug-boy and Kai looked towards their direction. "There you are! What was taking you so long?!" the bug-boy asked Frost, hands on his hips impatiently. "Sorry sorry, I just wanted to invite someone to play with us - you remember Frieza, right? Can he play with us too?" the blue ice-jin asked, pushing Frieza forward. The bug-boy raised his own brow, lowering his glasses to scan the white ice-jin up and down. "Yeah? Sure, I guess he can join - as long as he thinks he can keep up." he stated. Frieza blinked, a small frown forming on his lips. "Now hold on, I never once agreed to playing anything. Especially since I barely know any of you-"

"Oh, well let's fix that then - my name is Cell! The coolest kid ever! Feel free to call me Perfect Cell just to save time~" the bug boy stated, throwing his scarf back and doing a little pose. The Kai rolled his eyes, lightly smacking his shoulder. "You don't need to take him too seriously. He's far from perfect," Cell gave a sharp look at his friend, who couldn't help giving an amused smile, "but he *is* fun at times. In any case, I am Zamasu. We understand you're a new student, just like Frost is-"

"Okay okay, enough talk! Recess isn't gonna last forever! Look, now you know our names - you wanna play tag now?" Cell asked impatiently. Frieza's frown only deepened, unimpressed. Zamasu didn't seem that annoying. In fact, he almost seemed more like him. Cell on the other hand was clearly cocky and arrogant, and he didn't want to deal with that. As for Frost....well, he just didn't know how to react around him. "I'm afraid I shall pass. Before I was so rudely interrupted, I was indulging myself in this novel. So if you don't mind, I shall resume to do so." Frieza stated. He began to turn to leave, making Frost frown in disappointment. Cell however, raised a brow.

"Oh really? Cause it sounds like to me....you just don't think you can beat us~"

That made Frieza stop dead in his tracks - he whirled around to face the bug boy in just seconds time. "Excuse me - but I'm fairly confident I can beat the three of you easily." he stated. That didn't stop the smirk from spreading across Cell's lips. "Doesn't seem like it to me. In fact, if I didn't know better, I'd say you're....chicken." Now Frieza was fuming, his face bright red in embarrassment. The audacity of this boy! No one has dared talk to him in such a way - what in - he was even flapping his arms like a chicken, making little "bawk" noises! Oh he wasn't going to let him get away with this!

"Fine then, you wish to play," Frieza growled, tossing his book over his shoulder, "then let's play!"

"Yay!" Frost cheered, giggling happily. "It seems like Frieza has volunteered to be it first - everyone else run!" Zamasu called. Almost instantly, the three boys darted off into different directions, catching Frieza off guard with how fast they were. His eyes darted on each individual before deciding to select Cell out of pure spite, and chasing him down. Despite being a bit bigger and taller, Cell was far more agile than he had expected, ducking under playground equipment and swiftly moving to the side to run past other children. Though once he began to climb up some stairs, Frieza used his tail to go up faster, managing to get directly behind the bug boy. Cell tried to slip down the closest slide - but Frieza barely managed to tap the back of the crown on his head.

"HA! I got you! Now you're 'it'!" he called, laughing triumphantly. Cell growled as he slid to the bottom of the slide. "Crap!" he shouted. He only pouted for a few seconds though before he looked around the playground, managing to spot Zamasu and smirk, making the Kai's eyes widen. "Oh no...." he quickly took off as fast as he could. Cell was determined though, bolting after him. "You're mine, Zamasu!"

Their little game of tag lasted a good while, the four boys darting around the school playground like crazy. Each one of them was 'it' at least once, though none of them hardly seemed to mind. Eventually though, Cell was 'it' again, and he was currently chasing Frost down. Frieza and Zamasu were taking refudge on the top of a sideway ladder, high on top of the bars. Though they could both see little Frost was running out of breath, panting hard. And he looked panicked as Cell got closer and closer. "You can run, but you can't hide, Frost! You're mine!" the bug boy said with a laugh. Frieza frowned slightly. For some reason he almost felt bad for the blue ice-jin - but a plan quickly came to mind as Frost ran closer to them. He hooked his long tail onto one of the bars before letting himself hang upside down, making Zamasu look at him confused.

"What're you doing?" he asked. Frieza ignored him and reached his small arms out as far as he could. "Frost! Grab onto my arms!" he called. Frost perked up, smiling when seeing his friend, and bolted towards him with newfound energy. Seconds later, their hands locked in a strong grip before Frieza began to pull him up. Although he struggled, almost slipping from the rails - Zamasu quickly came to their side to assist them, grabbing one of Frost's arms and helping them both sit on top of the ladder. The three of them cheered as Cell finally caught up, panting hard and resting his hands on his knees. "Hey! No fair! You can't help each other!" he whined.

"Sure we can. There's no rule against it." Zamasu replied with a smirk. Both Frieza and Frost stuck their tongues out at the bug boy before laughing. Rather than feel insulted though, Cell just gave a wicked smile as he went to the side ladder. "Ha! Jokes on you, all I have to do it climb up there too-"

He paused the moment the school bell rang, making all four boys perk up before Cell groaned. "Awww man! Recess is over already?!" he whined. Frieza blinked in surprise. Recess was over? That was rather fast - he was so focused on the game, he hadn't even realized how much time had passed. "Huh. That's a shame. Oh well, we better get back to class before the second bell rings." Zamasu replied, carefully climbing down the side ladder to not fall down. Frieza followed after him, though Frost decided to just jump down himself, landing perfectly on his feet. "I suppose this means you lose after all, Cell~" Frieza said, wearing a smirk. Cell pouted, crossing his arms and looking away. "Whatever - I'll win next time!" he stated. Even pouty, he sounded so sure of himself.

The four of them happily returned to class, chatting the whole way there. Frieza hadn't even noticed how much he was smiling as he walked with these unusual boys.

* * * *

The rest of the day flew by surprisingly quickly. The four boys had decided to sit closer together when they returned to class, since they didn't have assigned seating. Cell and Frost *tried* to chat too much during their lessons, but both Frieza and Zamasu sternly reminded them they could get in trouble, making the other two keep their lips shut. Still, it was actually fun to even just sit nearby these boys, occassionally looking to each other for answers when they got stuck on a question Mr. Whis would ask.

When class ended, Frieza went to go wait in front of the school, knowing his father would pick him up any moment. "Hey Frieza, wait!" The white ice-jin blinked, looking back to see Frost running up to him. Cell and Zamasu weren't far behind him. "Thanks for playing with us today! I don't know about you, but I had a lot of fun!" he stated with a wide grin. "Yeah, I gotta admit, you're pretty good at tag too! It makes it challenging!" Cell added. Frieza was further surprised by their comments. Most people didn't like to be in his presence - be it child or adult - as usually he tended to have quite the attitude. But these boys seemed genuinely happy to have spent time with him today. And in all honesty....he actually had fun too.

"Hmph. Yes well, I suppose none of you are boring either." Frieza decided to say, averting his gaze. Frost seemed happy by his words either way. "Can we all play again tomorrow?" he asked, his expression more than hopeful. "Yeah! I need a rematch after today! Whaddya say?!" Cell stated. Frieza huffed, resisting the urge to look at them....but he eventually couldn't help looking their way - they were both giving him wide, puppy dog eyes, eager to hear the answer they wanted. And ultimately it worked in making him cave in. "*sigh* Fine. I suppose we can. But you better be entertaining." he stated. Both Frost and Cell cheered, pumping their fists into the air. "Awesome! Then I'll see ya guys tomorrow! Bye!" Cell stated, bolting towards one of the parked cars. "Definitely - bye Frieza! Bye Zamasu!" Frost added before running off to another car.'

Zamasu smiled as he watched both of them leave before he chuckled, shaking his head. "They're both rather excitable, aren't they?" he said. Frieza rolled his eyes. "That's putting it lightly." he stated. "Here, I want you to have this...." Zamasu opened his backpack and began to dig into it. Frieza perked up, tilting his head curiously - he was surprised to see Zamasu pull out a book, with some sort of ice-jin on the cover. "Frost told me you like more advanced books, and were having trouble finding a good one to read. I already this one myself, and I think you might like it....the story is surprisingly complex for a third grade novel. Rather interesting to look at." the Kai explained. The white ice-jin looked at him shocked. It wasn't often he met another kid his age who could read at his level - though considering he was a Kai, that was hardly surprisingly. But what surprised him more was that he took his interests into consideration....

"Um, thank you. That's very....considerate of you." Frieza slowly took the book from his hands, briefly glancing it over. This book looked so nice as well, brand new probably - this had to be Zamasu's personal possession, not something borrow from some public school library. "I'll be sure to return this as soon as possible." Frieza stated, though Zamasu shook his head. "Take your time with it. No need to rush. I'll see you tomorrow." With that said and down, the Kai waved goodbye before he walked away to a different parked vehicle. Frieza stood there for a moment, somewhat dumbfounded as he recalled the day's events. A strange ice-jin, a cocky bug like boy, and a surprisingly intelligent Kai child....

Not at all the kinds of children he expected to meet today.

"Frieza! Come on, time to go home!" the white ice-jin winced as he heard his father call to him, rolling his eyes before walking over to the limo. King Cold watched him as he hopped into the back seat with him, closing the door behind him. "Well? How was it, princess? Did you have enjoy your first day?" the older ice-jin asked eagerly. Frieza raised a brow at him before looking ahead of him. "...it wasn't as bad as I had expected." he said. Cold's smile faltered slightly, a little disappointed at how uninterested his son seemed. "Oh, I see....well, did you make any new friends?" he asked, not expecting to receive a good answer. Frieza paused, looking down at the book in his hands, carefully tracing his fingers over the cover. He replayed the days's events in his head, recalling especially his time playing with the other boys on the playground....it still made him happy thinking about it.

"....yes, actually. I think I did."

That made King Cold perk up, before a wide grin spread across his face. Did he hear that right?! Frieza made a friend?! "Really?! Oh goodness, that's wonderful!! Is it just one, or more?! What are their names?! Are they in your class?! Tell me all about them!" More and more excited questions began to roll off his tongue, making Frieza growl a little in annoyance. "Father, please! Control yourself!" he snapped. He knew he would have to answer those questions later, but for now he just wanted to relax a little bit....

Though he couldn't help smiling as he thought about the next day, and the day after that. If school would always be this fun with those three boys, perhaps he'd enjoy this a lot more than he anticipated....

Chapter Text

Another day of school was going by normally for the student's of Heaven's Academy. The children were happily playing outside in the sun, taking advantage of the nice weather before the fall showers would start in the beginning of October. Frieza and his friends were having a grand ol' time playing with one another during recess, currently playing hide and seek. Frost was it, and searched the playground for his friends. He initially had trouble, glancing around with a frustrated frown. He always had the hardest time being "it" in this game, since the other three boys were surprisingly good at hiding. He whined to himself for a moment, his cheeks puffing up. "They gotta be somewhere...." he muttered, tail flickering. He looked to the playground set and quickly climbed up it, trying to get a better view of the playground. He scanned his gaze across the entire area, eyes narrowing....until he spotted the familiar green color of Cell's bio-armor, making him perk up.

He chuckled as he climbed back down and rushed to one of the bushes along the fence, where the top of Cell's crown was poking out at the top. "Ha! I found you, Cell!" Frost stated, tapping the top of his crown with a giggle. The bug boy growled, scrambling out of the bush and brushing leaves off his clothes. "Darnit! I thought for sure you wouldn't be able to find me in there!" he whined. Frost shrugged, wearing a coy smile. "You gotta do better than that, Cell~" he stated. Though something on his friend caught his eye - one of pockets on Cell's leather jacket was moving a bit. It made the blue ice-jin tilt his head curiously. "Hey Cell, is something in your pocket...?" he asked.

Cell's eyes briefly widened, quickly hover his hand over the pocket. "Uh, no! Nothing is in there! Don't worry bout it....come on, we need to find Frieza and Zamasu!" He suddenly began to shove Frost forward, trying to get him refocused onto the game. The blue ice-jin blinked, still somewhat suspicious. Though he ultimately decided to shrug it off and continue with the game. Cell followed the blue ice-jin as he continued to search the rest of the playground. It wasn't too long till he found Frieza next, who was trying to inside the tire of the tireswing. "Grrgh, rubbish! I thought for sure I wouldn't be able to be found here." the white ice-jin grumbled. He grunted as he tried to climb out, although his arms were stuck at his sides, preventing him from getting out.

He growled, wiggling and squirming, making the two other boys raise a brow. "....is someone stuck?" Cell asked with a smirk. Frieza huffed, an embarrassed blush forming on his cheeks.

"....yes."

The bug man chuckled but stepped forward, helping pull Frieza out of the tire. The white ice-jin sighed as he was freed, hopping off the swing and brushing any dirt off his clothes. "Tch, well that didn't go as I had expected...." he muttered, though Frost was simply happy to have found him. "Alright! Now we just need to find Zamasu!" he stated. Cell looked back at the playground in confusion. "But this was the last place we searched, isn't it? We've already looked everywhere else." he stated. Frost blinked, humming in thought as he realized the bug boy was right. They had already looked everywhere else; the playground set, the bushes, the sandbox, and even the snacking tables (outside benches provided so the kids could eat outside if they wanted to). "I guess you're right - think he could be in the school?" Frost asked. "He better not be. We said no hiding in the school or the bathrooms." Cell stated firmly, arms crossed over his chest. Frieza's lips curled into an amused smile, chuckling. "That's too bad. I guess you'll lose then if you don't find him~"

Cell turned to face his friend, noticing the mischievous glint in his eyes. He knew something. "Wait a second....you know where's he hiding, don't you?" he asked. Frieza shrugged innocently. "Perhaps I do, perhaps I don't. But it wouldn't matter, because we agreed anyone who was found can't help the person who's "it"." he explained. Frost pouted, frustrated by the situation. But he soon focused on looking around. The Kai had to be somewhere around here. He again scanned the area, placing a hand on his chin. Where else could Zamasu try to hide...?

He blinked when feeling something land on top of his head. Frost picked it up and examined it, seeing it was a leaf, the small holes in it indicating caterpillars had gotten to it. Although he noticed even more leaves were falling around him - more than they should be, even with fall coming closer. He curiously raised a brow before looking up the tree they stood under....

Frost smiled when spotting Zamasu sitting on one of the branches, who looked back down at Frost in shock. "Aha! There he is!" the blue ice-jin declared, pointing up at the Kai. Cell looked up to where his friend pointed, blinking in surprise. "What the - dude, how did you get up there?!" he asked, eyes going wide. Zamasu gave a small smile, chuckling as he began to carefully climb down. "How else? I might not look like it, but I can climb pretty well," he stated, jumping down onto the ground, landing on both feet, "but I'm surprised you found me. I thought for sure I would be able to hide until the bell rang." As if on cue, the school bell did ring, letting the children know that recess was over. The four boys perked up. "Uh oh, speaking of, we better get going! Come on!" Cell stated. The boys hurried towards the school building, which quickly turned into a short race to see who could reach the classroom first.

* * * *

The second half of class was going smoothly. After a quick science lesson, Mr.Whis allowed them their "coloring" hour, where the children were allowed to color and draw pictures. They were allowed to talk to each other as long as they weren't too loud, which most of the students were able to do just fine. During this hour, the children would bring their desks together with their closest friends and chat amongst each other while they colored. It wasn't exactly Frieza's most favorite time of the day, since he wasn't terribly interested in drawing, but at least it gave him the chance to either read his book or chat with his friends.

"What on Earth are you drawing?" Frieza asked, glancing over at Frost's desk curiously to see what the blue ice-jin was creating. Frost smiled, holding up his picture to show Frieza and the others. "Just a picture of my family. I figured my parents would like it." he stated. The picture did seem to depict four ice-jin like figures, though Frieza was confused as to why the blue ice-jin had drawn two mothers. Why hadn't he drawn his father? "You did it wrong. You're supposed to draw your mother and father." the white ice-jin stated bluntly. Frost blinked before he shook his head. "Nope. I don't have a dad. I have two mothers." he stated, almost proudly. Frieza blinked in surprise. "Two mothers....that's possible?"

"Apparently. Pops told me about it before," Cell piped in, mindlessly coloring what appeared to be a rocket ship, "I guess some kids can have two dads too. Or some just live with their grandparents. And other things." Zamasu nodded, setting down the book he was reading. "Yes, that seems to be correct. I myself don't have any parents, but rather my master adopted me when I was a baby." he explained. Frieza couldn't help being shocked. He never thought it was possible for children to have such different backgrounds regarding their parents. It was strangely fascinating actually....perhaps he'd inquire Cooler or Father about it later....

His attention was pulled away when he noticed something moving in Cell's jacket pocket. He blinked, unsure he really saw anything, but his assumptions were confirmed when he saw it shake again. "Cell, what is moving in your pocket...?" Frieza asked. The bug boy perked up, quickly trying to hide his pocket with his hand, just like he had with Frost earlier. "Uh, nothing! There's nothing in there!" he stated. Frost raised a brow. "You saw it too? I tried asking Cell about it earlier, but he wouldn't let me see!" he stated. Zamasu raised a brow, setting his book down and eyeing his friend suspiciously. "Cell....what did you find?" he asked. Cell briefly hesitated before giving a defeated sigh. "Okay okay, I'll show you. But you guys can't freak out, okay?" he asked, whispering quietly. The other three boys exchanged uncertain looks, but nodded. The bug boy finally unzipped his pocket and carefully pulled something out with both hands, one hand over the other. He slowly raised one of his hands off so his friends could see....revealing a huge, black spider, staring up at them with big red, beady eyes.

Frieza and Zamasu's faces went pale almost instantly.

"A spider?!" they both almost shouted. Their brief commotion caught the other student's attention, as well as causing Mr.Whis to look at them curiously from his desk. "Hm? Frieza, Zamasu, is something the matter?" he asked. The two boys whipped their heads to their teacher before looking back at Cell, who re-hid the spider in his hands. He gave a pleading expression to them both, silently begging they don't rat him out. And while they hesitated, they both sighed before looking to the teacher innocently. "Uh, nothing sir. It just seems we dropped some of our crayons, that's all...." Frieza quickly said. He subtely knocked out some of the crayons with his tail, giving Zamasu an excuse to bend down and pick them up. "Here we are! Found them!" he stated. Mr.Whis raised a brow but didn't push them further.

"Alright. Just try to keep your voices down." he replied. Frieza and Zamasu nodded before hesitantly sitting back in their seats, waiting till the teacher was looking away before they spoke. "You brought a filthy spider into the school?!" Frieza hissed quietly. Cell frowned at him. "Hey! He's not filthy! He's just....different looking. You can't blame him for that!" he stated. "Cell, you're aware that several spiders are poisonous! If that thing bites you, it could easily kill you!" Zamasu stated, but Cell shook his head. "No way, he wouldn't do that! Fang is a nice spider." the bug boy stated defensively. Frieza's face drooped. "....Fang?"

"Yes, that's his name! I found him in the bush I was hiding in during recess, and thought I could take him home. As a pet or something." Cell explained. "Where would you even keep it? You really think your father would let you keep it?" Zamasu asked. "Sure he would! Pops would understand! He keeps all sorts of creepy creatures in his lab all the time!" the bug boy replied. Frieza huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. "I still think that bug is better off under someone's shoe...."

"Shut up!" Cell hissed, almost forgetting to keep his voice down. Frost was still looking at Cell's cupped hands curiously, tail curling behind him. "I think Fang looks cool." he replied. Both Frieza and Zamasu looked at the blue ice-jin shocked, blinking several times. "What? You seriously like this....disgusting, terrifying creature?!" Frieza asked. Frost gave a small shrug. "I don't think he's so scary. I kinda like creepy crawlies," he replied with a smile, leaning forward and resting his head on his arms, "can we see him again?" Cell smiled, happy that at least one of his friends like his new spider pal. "Sure thing! Here...." he opened his hands again to show them....only to see the black arachnid was not there.

All four of the boy's eyes widened.

"Uh, where did Fang go...?" Frost asked slowly. Cell quickly looked down at himself, patting his jacket and pants before swallowing nervously. "Um, seems like he might've....gotten away." All four boys whipped their heads around the classroom, trying to spot the black spider somewhere on the floor. He was the size of Cell's palm, they certainly couldn't miss him! "Crap, this is bad! If someone sees him, they might try to squish him!" Cell stated nervously, his darting everywhere around him. Frieza had moved his gaze to the door, eyes widening when he spotted the black spider scurrying across the floor, and out into the hallway. "He went out into the hallway!" he said. The bug boy perked up before standing up. "Then we need to go after him, before someone sees him!" he stated. "We can't all go after him though...." Frost said.

"Sure we can. We'll just say we need to use the bathroom or something. Come on!" Cell stood up and walked over towards the teacher's desk. The other boys hesitated, but followed after him. The four of them approached Mr.Whis's desk, trying to appear unsuspicious as the bug boy cleared his throat. "Uh, Mr.Whis, we need to use the bathroom....can we have the bathroom pass?" The teacher paused reading his book to look down at them, raising a brow. "Mm, all four of you need to go...?" he asked. The boys exchanged nervous looks before smiling innocently back at the angel. "Uhhhh, yeeesss...." Cell said slowly. Mr.Whis narrowed his eyes, causing the four boys to tense up. But soon he simply smiled and gave Cell the bathroom pass. "There you go. Make sure to return back quickly." he said.

The boy blinked in surprise, but decided not to argue it. Cell snatched the bathroom pass and they all practically ran out into the hallway. They whipped their heads everywhere around them, hoping to spot Fang somewhere nearby. It was only a few seconds before Zamasu spotted the spider further down the hallway, about to round the corner. "There he is! Let's go!" he stated. Cell led the way, the four of them hurrying down the hallway and around the corner, trying to keep up with Fang. But spiders were surprisingly faster than they expected. They were definitely going farther than they were supposed to, having passed the bathrooms a long time ago. Instead, the spider lead them around another corner and slid under the crack of a door. The children lifted their heads to see which door it was - and they all gasped.

It was principal Beerus's office.

Mr.Beerus was by far the scariest person in the entire school. Everyone was intimidated by his presence - even Frieza didn't like being near him. And now the spider had went into his office....

"Uh oh....we're in trouble now." Frost murmured. "No we're not! Come on!" Cell boldly reached up and grasped the door knob, carefully turning it and peeking it open. "What're you doing?! Are you insane?! We can't go in there!" Frieza stated. The bug boy ignored him and peeked his head inside anyway, carefully glancing around. To his relief, Mr.Beerus appeared to be fast asleep, leaning back in his chair and mouth gaped open as he snoozed. Cell sighed in relief before stepping inside, tip toeing into the office and looking around quietly, with the other boys quietly following behind him. "Fang? Fang, where are you?" the bug boy whispered, crawling towards one of the chairs and looking under neath it. The other three did their best to look for the spider, looking behind a potted plant, looking in the filing cabinets, and even went under his desk. But there was no spider in sight. At least, not until Frost stood back up and looked up at Beerus - and his eyes widened.

"Guys....I found him." The other three boys perked up. "You did?! Where?!" Cell asked. The blue ice-jin gulped before raising a hand to point at Beerus....who currently had the black spider on top of his head.

"You've *got* to be kidding me...." Frieza muttered. Cell was only concerned that the spider would fall into Mr.Beerus's mouth; and as such, he boldly grabbed one of the nearby chairs before pushing it against the purple cat's desk. "Cell, what're you doing?!" Zamasu hissed, watching as his friend climbed up the chair and onto Beerus's desk. "I need to get Fang!" Cell stated. He carefully approached the principal, watching as Fang crawled onto his muzzle. He slowly reached his hand out, offering a palm for the spider to climb onto. Eventually, the spider did indeed climb onto his hand - just in time for Beerus's eyes to snap open.

"What the-"

"AHH!" Cell yelped and scrambled back, accidentally tumbling off the desk. Thankfully, Frieza and Zamasu were right beneath him - and cushioned his fall as he fell right on top of them with a heavy thud. Fang went flying into the air, but Frost managed to step back and catch him just before he could squash onto the floor. Beerus quickly stood from his seat, rubbing his eyes furiously before looking down at the boys with a scowl. "Hey, what is this?! What're you boys doing out of class?!" he snapped, tail flickering in agitation. The four boys winced, nervously glancing up at their principal. "Hehe, uh you sir, it's uh....it's a funny story...." Cell murmured.

Needless to say, Beerus was unamused.

* * * *

"Do we really have to let him go?" Cell whined. He and his friends were brought back out into the playground by Mr.Beerus and Mr.Whis. Thankfully, they weren't going to be in trouble for what happened, but they did have to release Fang back outside. "Yes, you do! I'm not going to have any filthy arachnids crawling around in our school halls!" Beerus stated with a growl, hands firmly on his hips. Despite the principal's sharp tone, Cell still frowned. "But I wanted to take him home! I wanted to keep him...." he murmured. Fang was so cool looking! He'd never seen a spider like him before. He hated that he had to let him go. "I know you don't want to, Cell, but believe me, Fang will be a lot happier outside than in your house." Mr.Whis gently insisted.

Zamasu nodded. "He's right. This is supposed to be his home - you don't want to take him away from his home, do you?" he asked. The bug boy blinked before looking down at the spider in his hands, who stared back at him. He hadn't thought about it like that before. He suppose this *was* Fang's home....he didn't want to make him unhappy. After all, Cell knew he would be unhappy if he was taken away from *his* home. "....no, I guess not." he admitted. Cell knelt down onto the ground before setting Fang down. Within seconds, Fang scurried away from them, heading towards the safety of one of the bushes across the lawn. Frost waved him goodbye as the bug boy stood back up. "Goodbye, Fang!" the blue ice-jin called.

Beerus gave a sigh, rubbing at his forehead. "Good, now that that's cleared up, let's head back inside." he muttered, already turning to go back into the school. Mr.Whis followed him, and the boys were about to do the same, but Cell was still looking out at the playground sadly, a frown firmly remaining on his face. "*sigh* Are you really so upset over a silly spider? I don't understand why you liked it so much anyway." Frieza stated, sounding just as irritated as Beerus.

"....because he and I were kinda alike."

Frieza and the other boys blinked, exchanging puzzled looks. Cell moved his gaze to the ground, his frown deepening. "We were both kinda....well, creepy, you know? People are scared of us before they even tried getting to know us. I guess I just liked that we had that much in common...." he explained. It was difficult for Cell to be himself at times; he was the only bug like humanoid on this entire planet. The only reason he even existed was cause of an accident that had happened in his father's lab. So many people looked at him with shock, fear, and disgust. It made it more difficult to do anything....especially make friends....

"Cell," Zamasu stepped towards the bug boy, reaching out and grabbing his hand, "you know we don't think that about you, don't you?" he said. Cell blinked, looking at the Kai surprised. Did he really say that? "You....you don't?" he asked. "Of course not! We don't think you're gross or scary! In fact, we think you're really cool!" Frost stated with a grin. Frieza hesitated, if only cause he wasn't used to sharing any of his emotions and such, but he soon let out a sigh and spoke up. "Yes....you can actually be quite fun to be around, I suppose...." he admitted, though his cheeks blushed a bit in embarrassment. Cell's eyes widened, looking between the three boys before he smiled. It felt nice to know his friends felt this way....

"Thanks guys...."

"Boys? Come along now, back to class." Mr.Whis called out. The four of them perked up before hurrying to follow their teacher inside - Cell realized he couldn't be rid of the smile on his face.

Chapter Text

"Uuuuugghh, I can't believe it's raining!!" Cell whined, looking back out the window with sad, puppy eyes. The water drops continued to fall from the sky and pelt down against the window with soft tapping sounds. Outside, the grass was almost flooded with rain water, and all the playground equipment was drenched. It looked like the *perfect* weather to jump in some puddles! But today they had no choice but to stay inside for recess. "Mr.Whis! Can we pleeeeaassse go outside?! It's too boring in here!" Cell pleaded. Frost nodded in agreement. "Yeah! And there's so many puddles we can jump in out there! I don't wanna be stuck in the classroom!" he stated. However the angel shook his head. "I'm sorry, but if you go play in that weather, you could get sick. Plus playing on the playground set while it's wet is too dangerous. You'll have to remain indoors." he replied.

Frost and Cell pouted, sitting back in their desks with frowns on their faces. Zamasu rolled his eyes, looking over at the other two. "You two shouldn't complain so much. I'm sure you can find something to do in here - seems like everyone else has easily enough." he stated, gesturing to the children behind them. Almost the whole class was playing in the back of the room, doing an assortment of activites; playing cards, playing with toy bricks and other toys, coloring, reading, and even taking turns on the classroom iPads. The only ones not joining them were Frieza in the others. Frieza and Zamasu were perfectly content with the books they read, but Frost and Cell were utterly bored with this arrangement.

"But nothing looks nearly as fun as outside!" Cell stated, folding his arms over his chest. "We had no idea it was gonna rain today...." Frost addly sadly, his chin dropping onto the desk. Frieza raised a brow. "It's the middle of October, how could you not expect rain by now?" he asked. However that did nothing to improve either Cell's or Frost's mood, both of them letting out disappointed sighs. It made Frieza frown a little. Both of them were usually so energetic and eager to always play. He wasn't used to seeing them look down like this. There had to be a way to lift their spirits again.

"*sigh* Let me see if I can find something interesting to do...." the white ice-jin closed his book and left it on his desk, while his friends watched him walk away. Frieza strolled over to where the board games were kept on a shelf, putting a hand on his chin as he skimmed over the different titles. Shoots and Ladders? No, that was far too childish. Candyland? The boy physically cringed - that game was too sweet in more ways than one. There was a mystery game he recognized called Clue, but it would probably be too complicated for Frost and Cell. So would chess, unfortunately. His eyes scanned over the boxes one more time before landing on something somewhere interesting - Operation.

The concept seemed simple, but also still provided a bit of a challenge. It was perhaps just a tad too easy for Frieza's liking, but he at least assumed his friends would enjoy it. So he plucked the box off the shelf and strolled back to the group, who eyed the box curiously. "What game did you get?" Frost asked, tail curling curiously behind him. "You'll see. Now, put our desks together. It'll make this easier." Frieza stated. The other three boys quickly obeyed, putting their desks together to form a small table, and the white ice-jin put the box in the center. Zamasu raised a brow, looking at the illustration on the box with interest. "Operation? Huh, I think I've heard of this game before...."

"I remember this! I saw it on TV before!" Frost suddenly said excitedly. Cell pulled off the lid of the box and set it aside. All the pieces seemed accounted for, and were already in place inside the Namekian's strange body. "The rules are simple enough, I believe. You select a card from this pile here, and try to remove the item from the assigned body part. If you avoid the buzzer, you apparently earn money. The one who earns the most money in the end wins." Frieza explained. "There appear to be twelve pieces to remove, so that means we'll each have to remove three." Zamasu added. Frost tilted his head, looking at the red bulb the Namekian had for a nose. "Is it really just a buzzer? It doesn't actually shock you, does it...?"

"Certainly not. Otherwise, they'd never let kids play it." Frieza stated. Cell smirked. "Well I call going first! Just watch, I can do this easily!" he stated. He quickly swiped a card from the pile, and read what it said aloud. "Get the wrench from the elbow....pssh, easy enough!" he stated. The bug boy snatched the tweezers that were connected to the board and immediately tried to reach for the wrench - seconds later, he touched the metal edge and caused the buzzer to go off, immediately making him yelp. "Whoa! Geez, that scared me...." he growled. Frieza chuckled in amusement, gesturing for his friend to continue. "Well, keep going. That wrench still appears to be in that man's elbow~" he stated in a teasing tone. Cell snapped a glare at him before resuming his task, though he triggered the buzzer three more times before he finally got the tiny plastic piece out.

The boys continued to take turns with the game, carefully plucking the plastic pieces from the strange board. Cell seemed to struggle the most, since he not only had the biggest hands to work with, but his impatience and overconfidence caused him to not be more delicate with the "operation". Frieza and Zamasu seemed to do the best, though sometimes even Frieza would become frustrated when he didn't succeed. Frost was most scared of the buzzer, always jumping whenever he triggered it. But in spite of all this, the three boys were indeed having lots of fun, and ended up playing for at least twenty minutes. When it came to Frost's last turn, he oh so carefully tried to pull out his last plastic piece....but his shaking hand caused him to trigger the buzzer again, making him yelp and drop the tweezers. The other boys couldn't help laughing. "I didn't realize that buzzer would scare you so much." Zamasu stated. Frost pouted, his cheeks puffing up.

"I can't help it! The nose startles me!" he stated. "Why? Don't like loud noises or something?" Cell asked, tilting his head curiously. The blue ice-jin frowned, shaking his head. "No, not really...." he admitted. Frieza felt himself frown a bit. He felt kinda bad that he picked a game that was somewhat scary for his friend. He hadn't taken into consideration that the buzzer would scare anyone. "Do you want me to find a different game for us to play?" the white ice-jin offered. Frost blinked in surprise, but quickly shook his head. "No no, that's okay. You don't have to...." he murmured. Zamasu looked to the game shelf, already spotting something on it that could be fun. "I think there's a card deck over there. Perhaps we could play something with that." he replied. Frieza perked up, spotting the cards as well and nodding.

"Yes, I think that'll do well." He made sure all the Operation pieces were accounted for and in the box before he brought it back towards the game shelf. He set the box there and snatched the card deck, returning to their makeshift table and sitting down. "What game is it? Old Maid? Go Fish?" Cell asked, looking at the card deck curiously. But Frieza shook his head. "No, this appears to be a typical number deck," he explained, opening the little box and pulling the cards out, "but there are plenty of games we can play with them. Maybe something like Crazy Eights?"

"Crazy Eights? I've never heard of that game." Frost replied, though he appeared curious nonetheless. "The concept is relatively simple. Here, I'll explain...." Zamasu helped explain the rules so the boys could play with little issue. Cell initially had trouble understanding, but it only took a few minutes for him to understand what to do. Soon things were going by smoothly, the four boys taking each other's cards and making matches with ease. The first round was surprisingly long, since they really tried their best to win. Though it wasn't long till Frieza was the one to win, since he by far had the best "poker face" of the group. "Aww man! I thought for sure I was gonna win!" Cell whined, dropping his cards onto the table. The white ice-jin chuckled, unable to help feeling prideful in himself, despite knowing his intellect was a bit more advanced than the others.

"Should we try a different game then? I'd feel terrible if I managed to win every time." he stated. Cell growled lightly at his tone, but Frost all but dismissed Frieza's teasing, instead trying to think of a different game. "Hmm....oh! We could play Hangman!" he stated. The other boys looked at him curiously, genuinely unsure what he was referring to. "Hangman? I don't believe I've heard of that one before...." Zamasu admitted.

"It's easy! Look!" Frost hopped out of his desk and rushed over to the chalkboard. He needed a step stool to be able to reach it, but once he did, he grabbed a piece of chalk and drew the set up. "Okay, I'm putting down these spaces here," Frost drew four lines below the strange tower figure he drew, "this means it's a four letter word! You guys give me letters, and if one is correct, I put it on the board! Go ahead, give me one!" He insisted. Zamasu placed a hand on his chin and hummed in thought, thinking a moment before giving a response. "Okay, what about N?" he asked. Frost nodded, placing N on the third space. "There! You've already got one letter on there! Now you just need to guess three more to get the correct word!" he stated.

"I see....what about H?" Frieza asked. Frost however shook his head, drawing H on the side before crossing it out. "Nope, no H. And now I have to draw a part of the hangman," he drew a circle nearby the strange tower Frost made earlier, "this is supposed to be his head. Every time you guys guess wrong, I draw a part of his body - if I draw the whole man, you guys lose."

"Ahh, now I understand," Frieza murmured, an interested smile curling on his lips, "I suppose that is somewhat difficult." He and the other boys stepped closer to the chalkboard so they could better look at it. Mr.Whis watched them from his desk, smiling as he too became intrigued by their little game. "Okay, uh, how about C? For Cell!" Cell asked, smiling proudly as he referred to himself. Both Zamasu and Frieza rolled their eyes - though their expressions immediately became surprised as Frost drew C on the first space. "Yep! There's a C! Good job!" he stated. The bug boy looked even more prideful than he was earlier. Frieza and Zamasu made a few more guesses, suggesting G, O, and E, but all of those were incorrect as well, causing Frost to add a body and two arms to the hangman. Mr.Whis tilted his head, admittedly curious as to what the word actually was.

"Uh, what about T?" Cell asked. Frost smiled and nodded, adding a T to the last space on the word. "Yep! Nice one! Now there's only one letter left!" he stated. "Yes! I am good at this!" Cell stated, pumping his fists into the air. Mr.Whis hummed. What word would be spelled C, blank, N and T.....wait....

Suddenly the teacher blinked, slowly raising a brow. "Um, Frost," the blue ice-jin looked at Mr.Whis, giving him an innocent look of curiosity, "what exactly is this word you're spelling out?" the angel asked slowly. Frost blinked before crossing his arms. "I can't tell you! You have to guess!" he stated with a small foot stomp. Zamasu scratched at his head, trying to think what could fill the space. "There wouldn't be a U, would it?" he asked. Mr.Whis couldn't help tensing, praying to Kami the last letter wasn't U....and to his relief, Frost shook his head and crossed out U. "Nope, no U. Sorry." he replied, drawing a leg on the hangman. Though almost instantly Frieza perked up, snapping his fingers. "Wait a minute, I know what the word is - it's "can't" isn't it?" he said. The blue ice-jin beamed and nodded, adding A to the center. "That's right!" he stated. The teacher couldn't help letting out a sigh of relief. Thank Kami they didn't use the U....

Soon the recess bell rang, indicating recess was over, making everyone whine. "Awww, recess is over already?! But we were just having so much fun!" Cell whined. Frieza sighed, a bit disappointed himself that they had to cease their playtime. "Well, I suppose there isn't much we can do about it. We should return to our seats...." he said. Frost frowned, his tail drooping, but he reluctantly picked up the eraser. "I guess I'll erase this then...." he murmured. Mr.Whis however gave a small smile before he spoke up. "Now hold on, you don't have to erase it," he said, making the boys perk up, "I suppose if you'd like, instead of doing boring lessons, we could continue to play this little game with the rest of the class." Immediately the children lit up, smiles spreading across their faces.

"Really?! That'd be awesome!" Cell stated. "Yes. However, if you don't mind, I'll be the one to pick the words from now on." the teacher added, grabbing the chalk and eraser from Frost. He knew it was unintentional, but he didn't need anymore cuss words almost spelled out for the entire class to see. So he waited till all his students were settled in their seats before resetting the Hangman drawing. The entire class continued to play fun, rainy day games for the rest of the day, hardly even caring how the sun was finally starting to peer through the clouds.

Chapter Text

"This is ridiculous," Glazier whined, marching after her mother, Cassidra, while she was searching for her purse, "it's Halloween night! I should be at that party! Why do I have to stay here with the snot nosed brats instead?!" Cassidra gave her daughter a sharp look, making the girl flinch and immediately went silent. Her mother always had that terrifying death glare that could silence a whole room if she wanted. "Because, your mom and I have some important business to attend to, you know this! And we need your help!" Cassidra stated sternly. Cassidra worked for an important trading company, and tonight she had an important meeting she couldn't afford not to attend. And as for Shiro, Frost's other mother, she was fully invested with the school's PTA, and it seemed they chose to have a meeting this evening. So only Glazier was avalible to watch over her brother and his friends - she was sixteen after all, she could handle it. Though that didn't mean the girl was pleased with this at all.

"I don't understand why the whelps can't just stay at another house! Hell, one of them is Cold's son, and I'm sure he has a giant mansion they could stay in!" Glazier added, crossing her arms over her chest. Shiro approached her from behind, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Glazier, you know Frost wants his friends to see his home. He's been wanting to do this for awhile." she sad. The teenager's frown merely deepened, causing the pearl colored ice-jin to sigh. "Sweetheart, please try to make sure things go smoothly. This is the first time Frost has made any friends, and this'll be his first sleepover - I want him and the other boys to have fun. They deserve that, don't they?" Finally, Glazier's expression softened, and she let out a sigh. She supposed this was an important evening for her kid brother....I guess it wouldn't be *that* bad to stay home. At least she didn't have to take them trick-or-treating. For whatever reason, the boys wanted to do this sleep over instead, which she suppose was fine.

"Yeah, yeah....I'll make sure nothing will go to shit." Glazier grumbled. The sound of the doorbell caught the attention of all three women. And immediately they heard Frost scream "I GOT IT!!" from down the hallway. His little footsteps could be heard scampering down from his bedroom and he bolted full speed into the living room - briefly slamming into the wall since he couldn't stop quick enough - and rushed past his family to get to the door. He jumped up to grab the door handle, but his tiny arms couldn't quite reach despite how much he tried stepping on his tippy toes.

"Mama! I need help, please!" Frost he called. Shiro giggled and walked towards her son, picking him up and letting him grab the door knob so he could fling open the door. King Cold stood present at the doorstep, with little Frieza, Zamasu, and Cell down in front of him. "Yay! You guys finally made it!" Frost cheered. Shiro laughed at her child's eagerness before setting him down - he immediately went to Frieza and hugged him tightly, making the white ice-jin blink in surprise before blushing. "Thanks for coming over!" Frost said, his tail wagging happily. Frieza cleared his throat, gently trying to pry the blue ice-jin off him. "Yes, well, your invitation is appreciated." he said awkwardly. He tried to ignore how Cell snickered at him.

"Come on! I wanna show you guys around!" Despite addressing all his friends, it was Frieza's hand Frost had grabbed before dragging him inside, leaving Zamasu and Cell to run after them so they could catch up. As the children took off, Shiro looked up at King Cold. "It's nice to finally meet you, Mr.Cold - or perhaps you prefer "King" Cold?" she asked, making the taller ice-jin blush a bit. "Hehe, no no, that is just from my advertisements....simply "Cold" is just fine." he explained. Frieza's father ran the most popular real estate company in all of West City, and was so well known, he started calling himself "king" in his ads and commercials. Everyone was well aware of "the king" and how rich he was - it's why most actually preferred to keep their distance. Not everyone exactly liked the stuffy, rich folk. Though Cassidra and Shiro were more than open minded.

"Well, we're glad to meet the father of one of Frost's great friends." Cassidra stated, walking up from behind her wife. "Ah yes, and I'm delighted to meet the two of you. Frieza has said many good things about your son, Frost. Thank you for letting my son stay here for the evening, miss...?" He paused, hoping to get some names, awkwardly realizing he didn't know either of their's. "Oh yes, where are my manners. I am Shiro, and this is my wife, Cassidra. And we're more than happy to have Frieza here." Shiro stated. "Yes, but I hope you don't mind our daughter babysitting. Shiro and I have very important meetings to attend, and won't be back till later this evening...." Cassidra added, though Cold shook his head.

"If you trust your daughter, that is all I need. Besides, these children seem rather harmless, I doubt they'll cause much trouble." Cold stated. He peeked through the door frame (since he was too tall to step inside) and looked to the boys, who were chatting excitedly in the living room. "Now Frieza, Daddy has to get going! Please behavor yourself, alright, princess?" he called. Frieza paused to blush brightly in embarrassment. Cell couldn't help laughing, and while Zamasu and Frost tried to contain their giggling, it was difficult. "DADDY!! What have I told you about calling me that?!" Frieza whined. Cold blinked before he chuckled. "Whoops. I apologize, my son. Now, I shall be back tomorrow to pick all of you up! Have a fun time, little ones!" he called before stepping away. He waved goodbye to Cassidra and Shiro before returning to the limo and heading home. The moment he was gone, Cassidra looked back at Glazier. "Now, you know what to do; don't let the children stay up too late, don't let them go out in the dark, make sure they have their dinner, and no friends can come over tonight. Do you understand, young lady?"

"Yes, Mother, I'm aware. I've done this before." Glazier sighed, rolling her eyes. This was unfortunately not the first time she'd been forced to babysit - although now there were three other whelps she was gonna have to watch over. "And you have the emergency numbers in case something happens?" Shiro asked. "Yes, Mom, they're in my phone, as always!" Glazier stated, holding up her cellphone. "Very good. Now, we'll try to be back before ten. But at the latest, we'll be gone till midnight. We'll see you later, sweetheart." Shiro said. She kissed the top of her daughter's head before going to Frost and giving him his kiss goodbye. Then the two mothers were out of the house, headed towards their vehicles.

The moment they were gone, Glazier slammed the door shut, making three of the boys blink in surprise, although Frost was expecting this. "Alright brats, here's how this is gonna work," she stated, turning to face the children with her hands on her hips, "you're going to go to Frost's bedroom and stay in there for the rest of the night. You can play games, or be on the computer, or watch TV - I don't care! As long as you don't bother me. I'll be in later to give you guys some dinner. But otherwise I'll be out here, watching some scary movies. If you *really* need me, then I guess come find me. Okay?" she explained. The other boys tilted their heads, but Frost simply nodded. "Yes, sis...." This was always how it worked when Glazier babysat him - he was sent to his room until his parents came home. Simple as that.

"Well that seems rather boring!" Frieza stated, glaring at the girl. Glazier didn't hesitate to glare right back at him. "Too bad. I'm the sitter, so I'm in charge. And I'm telling you to go into the bedroom! Dinner will be in an hour. Go play or something until then!" she stated sharply. Frieza looked ready to argue, but Frost just grabbed his arm and dragged him back into his room, while the other boys followed him. Once they were inside the blue ice-jin's bedroom, the other boys looked at their friend confused. "Frost, is she serious? Do we really have to be cooped up in here the whole time?" Cell asked. Frost sighed, giving a small nod. "Yeah, pretty much. I mean, sometimes she'll let me watch TV when she's falling asleep on the couch. But otherwise, she makes me stay in here." he said. He didn't necessarily sound happy, but he also seemed rather casual about the whole ordeal.

"And she does this every time?" Zamasu inquired. Frieza couldn't help being shocked. His babysitters never treated him like this - not even Cooler! And he and Cooler didn't exactly get along either. "She just wants to be alone, I guess. But it's not that bad! There's plenty of fun things to do in here! Look," Frost began to scamper around the room, pulling out a few of his handheld consoles and some games, "I have plenty of video games we could play! And there's the computer, that has even more stuff on it!" the boy gestured to the computer and it's flat screen monitor nearby his bed, which admitedly did look nice. "And I have plenty of DVD's we could watch too! Oh, and," the blue ice-jin knelt down and pulled a box out from under his bed, revealing a box full of toys, "I have plenty of other toys we can play with!"

Frieza nodded slowly. He admit, it at least seemed like Frost had plenty of options. But still, the fun inside one room only had such a high limit. But of course, he didn't want to make Frost feel bad - not when he looked at them with such excited, hopeful eyes. "Well....perhaps this will be more fun than I realized. Isn't that right, fellas?" Frieza asked the other toy, subtley hinting to not upset the blue ice-jin. Course neither of them even needed the reminder. "Yeah, definitely! I mean, everything looks so cool!" Cell stated, stepping forward to better examine the toys in Frost's box. "Do you have an idea of what we can do first, Frost?" Zamasu asked. Frost perked up immediately, smiling widely and nodded.

"Yeah, I do! I actually just got this new game on my computer a couple days ago! I figured we could play it together! I guess it's called Undertale." he said. He trotted over to the computer and typed in the password. Frieza managed to hop onto the same chair Frost was on, but both Zamasu and Cell had to drag over stools to stand on the other two sides. "I think only one person can play though, so we might need to take turns - I hope that's okay." Frost said, but Cell just shrugged. "Fine with me, now let's see what this game is about."

It wasn't long till they jumped right into it. The game was absolutely wonderful; the cute and colorful pixel style was rather nice to watch. Although Frost got a bit startled by the scary flower in the beginning. There was plenty else to enjoy though; like the sweet, mom goat who looked after the main character, and some of the puzzles were neat. And the humor manage to make the children giggle. The first boss fight was a bit difficult, especially since they were trying *not* to kill her (the game's biggest gimmick was choosing between sparing or killing the monsters - and they unanimously chose not to kill anyone) but Frieza managed to defeat them without killing the boss. Just as they had made it out of the strange ruins, Glazier finally opened the door, peeking her head inside.

"Alright, come on. Dinner is in the kitchen." she called impatiently. All the boy's rolled their eyes at her attitude, but got away from the computer to follow her into the kitchen. They practically marched in a line, following their sitter past the living room and to where the delicious aroma came from. Once they reached it, Frost lit up excitedly - Glazier had made mac'n cheese and hot dogs! One of his favorites! Frieza tilted his head, watching as Glazier began handing each of them their plates. "For Kami's sake, don't make a mess. If you do, you're cleaning it up." she stated. The white ice-jin blinked as he received his own meal, looking at it curiously. He usually never had such a....plain, meal. His servants would usually present him with something far more magificent for him to enjoy, like some sort of fish, or roasted chicken, or even crab. He'd never had something that could be cooked in a microwave.

"Mmm! It tastes good, sis! Thank you!" Frost said as he happily munched on his hot dog. Frieza looked to Cell and Zamasu. They seemed unphased by the meal's simplicity, and happily took a few bites of their own food. Honestly, Frieza was hesitating, unsure if the food would be to his liking. Frost paused when noticing his friend wasn't eating, tilting his head. "What's wrong, Frieza? Do you not like it?" he asked. There was obvious disappointment in his tone, his smile starting to fall. It immediately made Frieza feel bad - he didn't want Frost to feel guilty for anything. Especially since there didn't appear to be anything *wrong* with the food. His father had told him before he'd been spoiled too much....maybe he had a point.

"Err, no, nothing is wrong! I just....didn't where to start." he quickly said with a smile. Frieza picked up his fork, and after a moment's thought, decided to take a bite of his mac'n cheese - his expression immediately lit up. Huh, this actually tasted pretty good. He took a bite of his hot dog next, and was again pleasantly surprised by how good the taste was on his tastebuds. "Mmm, this *is* rather good...." Frieza murmured, licking his lips. Frost smiled, pleased to see his friend was enjoying the food. "I'm glad you like it!" he stated. "Alright, alright, now back to the bedroom with you guys. Go on, get going!" Glazier stated. She gently ushered them out of the kitchen, although the boys paused when seeing the TV screen in the living room; there was apparently a menu screen for a movie called "Alien". It looked pretty creepy, featuring some sort of black creature on the front, while the title was in green glowing letters.

"What movie is that?" Cell asked. "A movie that's for adults. So don't worry about it." Glazier stated. "But you're not an adult." Zamasu countered, raising a brow. The girl rolled her eyes in annoyance. "I'm old enough, alright. Now go to the bedroom." she tried again to usher them out, but Frieza immediately paused - he spotted the bottle of vodka on the table beside the couch, as well as a glass with ice in it. "Isn't that alcohol?" he asked, bluntly pointing to it. He may be young, but he wasn't stupid; he saw his father drink these before, and he made it very clear that only adults could drink them. Not teenage girls.

"No! It's not! Don't worry about that!" This time Glazier seemed a tad nervous, even going so far as to stand in front of Frieza to block his vision. Frieza couldn't help smirking, tail swaying behind him. "I'm sure your parents don't want you finding out you're drinking something like that~" he stated. The other boys looked to the white ice-jin curiously. They recognized that tone of voice - it usually meant Frieza was scheming something. Most of the time, these schemes were harmless and just led to fun. But they had no idea what he was up to this time. Glazier wasn't at all pleased with this boy, narrowing his eyes at him.

"I already don't like you."

"And I don't necessarily like you right now either." Frieza replied coyly. The older girl groaned, rubbing at her head before looking back down at him. "Fine! What'll it take to keep your mouth shut?" she asked. She couldn't believe she was actually bargaining with a six year old! But if her parents found out she was drinking while babysitting, there would be hell to pay. "Well, since it *is* Halloween, we should do something to celebrate, right? So how about this....you allow us to watch this scary film with you, and we won't tell on your parents. Does that seem fair?" Frieza asked.

Chapter Text

"Wait, you actually wanna watch this?" Glazier asked, blinking in surprise as she glanced at the home screen on the TV. Cell immediately lit up, smiling widely. "Oh yeah! We should definitely watch it! What's better to do on Halloween than watch a scary movie?!" he stated. Frieza nodded. "Exactly. I think that sounds like a fair deal to me. And like I said, if you allow us to watch this movie with you, neither of your mothers have to know a thing about what you're drinking." he said. He couldn't help giving Glazier an especially evil smile as he spoke the last part, pleased to earn an annoyed growl from their sitter. Zamasu and Frost however didn't seem as enthustiatic about this idea, nervously glancing at the TV. This definitely didn't seem like the type of movie their parents would let them watch. Frost specifically remembered Mother telling him that these types of movies would only give him nightmares.

"Well? Do we have a deal?" Frieza asked, crossing his arms over his chest. Glazier stared at him long and hard, as if glaring at him long enough would simply intimidate him into backing down. But it was clear Frieza wasn't as much of a doormat as Frost was. "Uuuuuugh, Kami, such an annoying little brat...." Glazier dragged her hands down her face before giving a loud, heavy sigh in defeat. "You know what? Fine! You little twerps think you can handle watching this, then feel free to stay! I don't care!" She paused suddenly, and a smug grin soon spread across her lips instead. "In fact, I doubt you'll be able to handle watching more than thirty minutes before you get too scared to watch any more~" she stated. She realized this might actually work in her favor. She's seen this movie herself a few times; the boys will get so scared by the beginning sequence, they'll go cower in Frost's bedroom before they'd even reach the chest bursting scene (by far the most gruesome scene of the movie, even for her). They won't dare leave the bedroom and leave her alone for the rest of the night.

"Hey! No we won't! We're not scared!" Cell stated defensively, puffing his cheeks into a pout. Glazier clicked her tongue while softly shaking her head. "I dunno. This movie is preeetty scary. If you're too scared to watch it, I'd understand." she replied teasingly. "Oh please, you're trying to talk us out of it so you don't get into trouble for drinking! We're watching the movie whether you like it or not!" Frieza stated firmly. He never dared back down from a challenge, and if this teenage brat was going to mock them for being scaredy cats, she had another thing coming! Glazier merely shrugged. "Fine. But if we're doing this, we're doing it right - I'm turning off all the lights. You brats sit in front of the TV." While the older teen went to the kitchen to turn off the lights in there, Frieza and Cell happily plopped down on the carpet in front of the TV, munching away at their dinner as they waited. Zamasu and Frost hesitantly joined them, though they still seemed uncertain.

"Um, Frieza, are you sure this is a good idea? This movie does appear a bit intense...." the Kai said, giving him an uneasy expression. "Yeah. Besides, Mother always told me these movies are only for grown ups. Won't we get in trouble if they find out?" Frost added. Frieza merely scoffed. "There's no need to worry. It's not like Glazier can tell on us. As long as we all keep our mouths shut, it should be fine." he stated. "Yeah, besides, how could you guys not want to watch this! This probably has some really cool monsters in it!" Cell added excitedly, still barely able to sit still. Frost frowned when looking back at the TV, feeling uneasy by the ominous music that played on the home screen. "This looks really scary though...." he murmured.

"Well duh! It's a scary movie - it's *supposed* to be scary! That's the fun part!" Cell declared. The blue ice-jin didn't really agree with that, frowning softly. "I dunno, guys....can't we just keep playing in my room?" he asked. Frieza turned to look at his friend, giving a confident smile. "Don't worry, Frost. This'll be fun. You'll see." he stated. Frost's gut didn't exactly trust that. Honestly, he preferred they just kept playing that video game they were playing, but....it seemed like Frieza and Cell really wanted to watch the movie. If he made them do something else, they'd just be unhappy, wouldn't they? He didn't want them to be unhappy and complain this was a bad sleepover - or worse, they decide to just go home early! Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to stay and watch the film after all....

He didn't really have a lot of time left to debate the thought anyway as Glazier returned, turning off the living room lights before laying on the couch. The whole house was practically pitch black, leaving the TV to be the only source of illumination. "Alright, you brats ready? Last chance to back out." Glazier said. Cell looked back at her with an annoyed expression. "Just play the movie already!" he whined. The teenager chuckled but did as told, hitting the play button.

The children had their eyes glued to the screen as they watched, finishing up their dinner while doing so. The beginning was a tad complicated - the boys didn't exactly understand who these people were or why they were traveling through space. But they at least understood they were on a spaceship, and supposedly going to some sort of moon to investigate transmission. Zamasu was taken aback by the immediate crude language these adults spoke in, not hesitating even drop the "f" word like it was nothing. "Hmph, seems these people weren't taught proper manners...." he muttered to himself. There appeared to be seven characters in total for this crew, with a young Saiyan woman being the main heroine. After a lot of boring talking and conversations that they barely understood (boring the hell outta Cell), it seemed like the crew finally made it to the moon they were looking for.

Things didn't really start to get interesting until the crew went on a giant, abandoned alien spaceship, creeping down it dark hallways. It had Frost a little creeped out, his body becoming a bit tense as he nervously hugged his knees. But it wasn't too bad yet - everyone still seemed to be fine. Eventually though, the crew found a room with *tons* of strange alien eggs inside it, practically covering the whole floor. Cells eyes widened in fascination. "Whooooaaa, look at all of those eggs! There's so many!" he said. Frieza narrowed his eyes....he was far more curious about *what* laid those eggs. Glazier had to hide her amused smile, knowing what was coming up and eager to see the boy's reaction. And that scene finally began to start as one of the eggs slowly curled open - immediately all the boys froze. And their faces became pale as one of the characters even leaned in for a closer look.

"What is he doing?! He shouldn't look *inside* it!" Cell exclaimed. "Get away from the egg! Move!" Frost added. Obviously their words did nothing to change the outcome - and something small and squirmy looking lunged out of the egg, latching onto the man's face with it's long limbs. All four boys gave startled shouts as they watched, seeing the helpless victim scream and curse, hoping someone would get the damn thing off of him! It only got more intense as the other characters tried to rush the man back to their ship, but the main character refused to let them on board, claiming they could endanger everyone else. "What is she doing?! Why won't she let them inside?!" Frost whined. The other boys looked more uneasy as well, silently hoping it would just get better already. Thankfully, after a tense moment, the captain finally got the other characters inside the ship and into a medical bay.

For awhile things were calm as the scientists tried to figure out just what that creature was, and how to get it off the victim's face. As the film continued, Glazier raised a brow and looked down at the boys. They all still looked uneasy, but they kept watching anyway. It honestly had her a little nervous....it was getting closer to a pretty gruesome scene. Something even she agreed six years olds probably shouldn't watch. "Heh, uh, you guys feeling scared yet? Might wanna quit while you're ahead. Who knows when another scary monster will pop out." she said. But Frieza shook his head. "We aren't going anywhere. We're just fine." he stated. And for a moment, they were. Somehow the creature had died and was off the victim's face. And now everyone could eat a meal together without anything to worry about. Zamasu tilted his head at the surprisingly wholesome scene. "Huh. I guess everything is working out after all." he said. Frost smiled, finally giving a small sigh of relief. "Thank goodness. I'm glad that guy is okay....I thought for sure for a moment he was toast-"

Though suddenly the man was coughing violently, practically choking. Then his body began to spasm and shake as he collapsed on top of the table. The boys gasped and huddled closer to one another. The scene only became more intense as the dishes fell and crashed onto the floor, and all the other characters were shouting in their panicked states. It genuinely had the boys scared - especially poor Frost, who was whimpering and curling close to Frieza's side. "W-What's happening?! I thought he was fine!" he whined. "Well I guess he's not now...." Frieza murmured. Glazier frowned as the children started to tremble. She actually felt a little guilty of the genuine fear that was on their faces. She didn't realize just how intense the build up to this scene actually was, especially as the man was screaming in pain....

All four boys gasped when *something* tried to push through the victim's chest, causing him to let out pained, choked sounds.

"W-What the heck was that?!" Cell cried. Frost was whimpering quietly by now, squeezing his eyes shut and covering his ears. "Stop it! Stop it! I don't wanna watch anymore!" he stated. Glazier's frown deepened, actually hurt to hear her baby brother speak in such a way - she decided to act before it was too late. Before the alien could fully burst out of the victim's chest, Glazier snatched the remote and shut off the TV as fast as she could. The moment it was off Frost burst into tears, scrambling onto his feet before he bolted out of the living room and down the hallway. The other boys perked up, immediately looking worried for their friend. "Frost, wait! Come back!" Frieza called out. Glazier was standing up too, ready to follow her brother out of the room. "Frost! Hold on, Frost!" she called. She would've followed after him if the other three boys didn't run past her first, hurrying down the hallway together.

The three of them reached Frost's bedroom within moments. When they stepped inside, they noticed a new nightlight was plugged into the wall and Frost was hiding in his bed, curled up in a ball under his blankets. Frieza frowned hearing the blue ice-jin's quiet whimpers, walking towards the bed and sitting in front of him. "Frost? It's alright now - Glazier turned off the TV. It's over." he tried to say reassuringly. But Frost remained firmly where he was, keeping the blanket over his trembling form. The white ice-jin scooted closer and tried to pet the top of Frost's head. Frost briefly went still before he leaned into his friend's touch, quieting down a bit. Zamasu joined Frieza on the bed, sitting on Frost's other side and rubbing his back. "Frost, are you okay...?" he asked. They could see the blue ice-jin's head shake "no" from under the blankets.

"Hey, it's okay. I mean....yeah, that was pretty scary," Cell admitted, rubbing the back of his neck, "but it was all fake, right? It's not real! I'm sure all those guys are just fine!" he stated. Despite his attempt, that seemed to bring Frost little comfort, who was still crying miserably. Frieza gave a small smile, even if his friend couldn't see it. "Yes, Cell is right. So let's just....try to forget about it, okay? Maybe we can watch a different movie instead." he said. Frost wasn't able to respond right away, too many sobs bubbling within his chest. But eventually he managed to speak in a weak, croaky voice. "I-I just....I-I just wanted t-to play in my room! I-I wanted to keep playing our game! I didn't want to watch the movie...!" he whined. Frieza immediately felt guilty stab his heart, his smile falling into a frown. He remembered before the movie began how nervous Frost seemed about watching it....it seemed he was scared from the beginning. He just assumed Frost would want to do whatever they wanted to do. Frieza hadn't meant to upset him. He just wanted to make things fun, instead of being cooped up in this room the whole time! He just wanted Frost to have fun too....

"....I'm sorry, Frost. I really thought it would be a fun activity. I thought we'd all enjoy it." Frieza explained, still petting Frost's head. "Yeah, so did I! I mean, I thought it would just be a cool monster movie or something. I didn't think it was gonna be so....scary." Cell added, looking away guiltily. Zamasu sighed, pushing some of his hair out of his face. "I tried to tell you both it might not have been a good idea." he stated. The white ice-jin nodded. "Yes, you did. And we should've listened to you and Frost. We're really sorry....I hope you're not mad at us, Frost." he said. The sobbing under the blanket had finally calmed down, and after a bit of sniffling, Frost finally pulled the blanket off his head, looking at Frieza with teary eyes. "It's....it's not your fault...." he whimpered, trying to dry his face. He really wasn't angry at Frieza or Cell - not even his sister, actually.

"I just wanna play something else....can we do that?" he asked. His friends smiled and nodded without hesitation. "Of course. We'll do whatever you want to do." Zamasu stated. No one realized that Glazier was eavesdropping right beside the door frame, listening in on their little conversation. She felt annoyed hearing her baby brother crying like a little brat....but she felt even more annoyed that she felt guilty for making him cry.

"*sigh* Godammit...." she marched away from the door frame and back from where she came from....

The boys tried to continue their fun like they were before. This time they decided to play some sort of fighting game using these magical creatures known as "Pokemon" to fight (I'm referring to Pokken Tournament - a half decent game, I'd say). Frieza and Cell had went first, and immediately went into a match. Admittedly, the combat was a little advanced for six year olds, but they at least had fun mashing the same buttons over and over to try to win - in fact, that's exactly how Cell won, causing him to cheer victoriously. "Yes! In your face!" he stated to Frieza, who had his jaw dropped in shock before he growled. "No fair! You can't just use the same attack over and over! That's cheating!" he said. "No it isn't! Don't be a sore loser!" Cell said. The white ice-jin rolled his eyes but begrudingly handed his controller to Cell. The bug boy turned to Zamasu and Frost, who had been watching from the bed....though Frost still seemed rather sad.

"Hey, Frost, you want a turn?" he asked, holding out the controller to him. The blue ice-jin briefly lifted his gaze to the controller he was offered before he shook his head. "No, that's okay...." he murmured. Both Cell and Frieza frowned, exchanging concerned expressions. Zamasu looked to Frost and tried to give an encouraging smile. "It looks like a lot of fun. You should try it." he insisted. But Frost just shook his head again. "I'm fine just watching...." he replied. Frieza couldn't help feeling *really* bad. All Frost wanted was for this to be a super fun sleep over for them all to enjoy! He was trying so hard to make things fun before! And now Frieza was worried he ruined everything because he suggested watching that stupid movie....

"Hey, listen up," the four boys perked up and looked to the doorframe, surprised to see Glazier waiting right at the entryway, "get your butts back into the living room. I got everything ready for ya." she said. The children gave confused expressions, looking at one another before looking back at their sitter. "What do you mean...?" Frost asked. Glazier rolled her eyes. "Just get over here. Come on." she gestured for the boys to follow her out of the room, and while they were hesitant, the four boys complied and followed her lead. They looked around as they stepped into the living room; the lights in the living room were back on, but more importantly there was suddenly a huge blanket fort in the center of the living room, with wooden chairs used to hold it up. Cell and Frost immediately lit up, looking at it in awe. "Whoa, no way - is that a blanket fort?!" Cell exclaimed.

Frost and Cell didn't hesitate to crawl inside it and look around, seeing there was plenty of room for all four boys to be in. "This is incredible...." Zamasu murmured as he crawled inside himself. Frieza looked to the TV, noticing a different movie menu was on it this time - some sort of movie called Milo and Otis. And the fort had just enough space in the entrance that they could watch the TV from inside the fort. "This is so cool!" Frost stated. Frieza however was suspicious, looking to Glazier with narrowed eyes. "What is all this? Why did you bother putting this together?" he asked. The teenager frowned, looking away before giving a heavy sigh. "Well....I figured this would help smooth things over. You know, after what happened with the movie. Look....I'm sorry, okay? I shouldn't have let you guys watched that movie. I didn't think you'd try watching it for that long - but I still shouldn't have let you. So, I hope this makes up for what happened...."

Frost crawled out from the fort and looked at his sister surprised, taking a few steps towards her. Glazier did all of this....to make it up to them? She's never done that before. Did she actually feel bad about what happened? Frost had never seen her act guilty before. "That's why you did all this...?" he asked. Glazier looked to her little brother and gave a small smile, stepping towards him and patting his head. "I'm really sorry, squirt. I didn't mean to scare ya....I hope all of this helps a bit."

The little blue ice-jin gave a wide smile, nodding his head. "Yeah, it does!" He immediately hugged her leg tightly, making the teenager blink in surprise. "Thank you, Glazier! You're a really nice sister!" he stated. Glazier blushed a bit in embarrassment, though she tried not to act to harsh as she gently pushed Frost off her leg. "Yeah yeah, whatever. Look, just stay here and I'll get you guy's your dessert." All four boys perked up, immediately alert. "Dessert? We get dessert?" Cell asked.

"Yep. Figured you boys earned yourselves some sundaes - I'll whip them together so you can eat them in the fort." Honestly, it was way too much effort for Glazier's liking, but she wanted to really make things right....aaaand maybe also try to make sure these kids kept their mouths shut about what happened. The children cheered excitedly while Glazier went into the kitchen to prepare their treat. Once she was gone, Frieza looked back at Frost, still a bit of guilt in his eyes. "Frost, I meant what I said....I'm sorry about what happened. I didn't mean to ignore you. I hope I didn't ruin everything." he said. However to his relief, Frost shook his head and smiled. "It's alright. I forgive you! Besides, we can still have fun," he took Frieza's hand excitedly, "come on! Let's watch the other movie while we wait for our dessert!"

Frieza smiled and nodded, allowing Frost to lead him back into the fort before Zamasu started the new movie. This sleepover hadn't turned out to be exactly as planned, but in the end, the boys managed to have a good time. At the very least, this would be a memory they likely would never forget.

Chapter Text

The beginning of November was starting to settle in. Most of the trees were bright with beautiful fall colors. Though at the moment children remained inside their classroom as they went over a lesson with Mr. Whis, listening as he explained today's interesting new topic - the diversity of families.

"I'm sure you've seen for yourselves throughout many examples in your every day lives - from whom you see in public, to examples in movies and TV, and even the books you read - families come in many different forms." Mr. Whis started to explain, starting a slideshow that was projected onto the projector screen. All the students watched curiously as their teacher pressed the button on his remote, and went on to the next slide of his PowerPoint. "Now, there are some will say that a nuclear family is considered a "normal" family - in which there are two parents and their children. But there are plenty of acceptable and happy families who are quite different. Some families involve a single parent, be it a mother, a father, or some other guardian. Even their grandparents could be included. Some also like to include their pets as family members too." the angel explained.

Zamasu couldn't help but watch with utter fascination, looking at the different families that were displayed on the slides. He'd wondered for himself what it was like to have a real family for quite awhile. Ever since he was little, all he's had was Master Gowasu to raise him. And of course he was a kind and wise man to learn from, but still....he always figured *real* families were more special somehow. Frieza raised his hand, though he was too impatient to wait to actually be called on. "I see. And how often do families consist of....double parents? Like Frost and his two mothers?" he asked. It had been eating at his mind ever since Frost first brought it up a couple months ago. Thinking that a child could have two moms or two dads. He didn't think it was a bad thing - he was simply curious.

"Ah yes, well that is true. There are times where two fathers or two mothers will be the parents. And while it might seem more different to some, those families are no different from anyone else." Mr. Whis stated. Goku tilted his head, looking puzzled. "But how is that possible? I thought it only took a mom and dad to have a baby? How is it possible with someone who has two dads or two moms?" he asked. All the children seemed especially curious by that inquiry, leaning forward in their desks. "Well, in *most* cases, those parents would likely adopt their children. Not all families need to be tied by blood to be considered important or have value." he said. For a moment, all the children simply went "ohhhh", immediately accepting that response. However only three seconds passed before Cell's eyes went wide, and he suddenly stood up from his seat. "WAIT!! Wouldn't that mean....Frost is adopted?!"

"WHAT?! NO!! I'm not adopted!!" Frost countered, crossing his arms. ChiChi nodded. "That's right, he can't be! They're both ice-jin just like him! And his mother, uh....the blue one, looks a lot like him!" she stated. Frieza raised a brow at that thought, his tail curling. "Yes, so then....how exactly does that work, Mr. Whis?" he asked. The angel had went still, a nervous, uncomfortable smile on his face. This was getting dangerously close to the "where did babies come from" topic, and he definitely couldn't explain such a topic with a whole class of first graders....much less the complexities of ice-jin and how their reproduction/gender worked.

"Ahem - I'm afraid that's a discussion for when you're ALL older. Rest assured, you'll most definitely learn about it sometime in middle school. But I *can* say this - Frost is most likely not adopted. So there's no need to fear." he stated. Most of the class whined in protest, though Frost just sighed in relief. Before anyone else could ask about it though, Mr. Whis swiftly continued onto the next topic.

"In any case - as I was saying, it is true that some parents adopt their children, for one reason or another. But as I mentioned before, they don't need to be related by blood to be considered family. They are still very much anyone's daughter, or son, or sibling." he said. Bulma raised her hand, and the angel looked to her curiously. "Yes, Bulma?" he asked. "But what about the families who's mom and dad are separated? And married with different people? Would they still be considered family?" she asked. "That's an excellent question, Bulma. And yes, they most certainly would be. Just because your parents might be married to another partner, doesn't mean they aren't your parents. And sometimes both sides of the family come together as a bigger family - referred to as a "blended" family. Sometimes it can be messy, and more complicated. But those families are just important as anyone else's."

Piccolo raised his hand next, and the teacher called on him next. "Does every family have to be the same species? Like humans with humans, or Saiyans with Saiyans, or Namekians with Namekians....you get what I mean." he said. "Ah! Another excellent question! That is in fact false. While there are plenty of partners who are with their own kind, there are plenty of mixed-raced families as well. And often times in those situations, their children become hybrid species." Mr. Whis stated. "Oh yeah! I saw one in the store once - the lady had Namekian skin, but her eyes were definitely Majin! Though for some reason she wasn't wearing a lot of clothes...." Goku blurted out. Before the Saiyan could continued *that* story, the angel cleared his throat. "Uh, yes yes, that's a good example, Goku...."

Zamasu was excitedly taking notes in his notebook, paying attention to every word their teacher explained. This was all so interesting! He could only wonder what it was like to have a mom or dad. Or two moms, or two dads. Or any siblings. All of the possibilities sounded incredible! It wasn't long till the angel rolled back up the projector screen and turned off the projector. "Now, this week we'll be having a special class project concerning the topic of families. It'll be quite simple - you shall each give a brief report about who is in *your* family. About your parents, your siblings, grandparents, even pets if you wish! You will need an physical illustration of some sorts to show to the class. You're free to create your own drawings, or bring family photos you might have in the house. And will be spending the day learning about all our different families." Mr. Whis explained.

The young Kai paused, blinking in surprise. A project about their family? But....he didn't have a family. Not really. There were some people who considered Gowasu his "grandfather" figure, but even that wasn't really true. He didn't even adopt him from an orphanage - not a normal kind anyway. "Your projects will be due at the end of the week, before the weekend begins. We'll spend time in class to work on them, but you're free to work on them at home as well. I'm sure you'll find it'll be a fun project for all of you to enjoy." Mr. Whis stated. Zamasu couldn't help but frown, while the rest of the class was buzzing with excitement. Children were already planning what they were going to do talk about.

"This is awesome! I can talk about my dad and his awesome inventions!" Bulma stated.

"Heh, I'll finally have a chance to show off my father and how successful he is!" Vegeta said with a grin.

"Oh man, I can't wait to talk about Grandpa Gohan! And Raditz too!" Goku said excitedly.

The more Zamasu heard around him, the deeper his frown got. It *did* sound like a fun project to indulge in. But how could he do a project about a family that didn't exist...?

* * * *

Recess soon started after that, and all the children eagerly ate their lunches before they took off to play. Frieza and the others had went to one of the "kickball" chalk squares to play in. There were four square spaces within one bigger square, and each child would stand in each square, kicking the ball to one another. There was usually never really a winner - but somehow, Frieza and Cell found a way to be competitive about it.

"Ha! Here it comes, Frieza!" the bug boy called, grinning almost evilly before kicking the big, red ball straight towards him. Frieza had his body slightly hunched, ready to strike the ball. He waited till it came just a bit closer, piercing red eyes locked onto it....before he smirked and whacked it away with his tail, going towards Frost's direction. "It's coming your way, Frost!" he called. "I got it! I got it!" Frost stated. He remained ready to kick it, planning to do so in Zamasu's direction. However Zamasu wasn't exactly focused....he was staring down at the ground, zoning out into deep thought. He was contemplating what to do about the project. He couldn't really lie and say Gowasu was his grandfather. They certainly had a nice relationship, but it was more "master and student" than "grandparent and grandson". And Zamasu didn't have siblings he could mention. He didn't even have a pet he could include! He suppose he *could* mention Master Shin, but he didn't even live with him. But who else could he use-

"Zamasu, heads up!" The Kai blinked, hearing Frost's warning just a tad too late.

"Huh-"

And suddenly smacked him right in the face, causing him to fall flat on his back with a small thud. The Kai blinked several times, staring up at the sky dumbfounded. Honestly he was more stunned than hurt, though his face *did* sting now. "Ow."

"Oh my gosh! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Frost immediately said as he and the other two boys went to their friend's side. Cell cringed. "Geez, now your face is all red....you alright?" he asked. Zamasu felt around his face. It hurt a bit, but there really wasn'y any swelling, and he didn't feel any blood anywhere. "Yes. I think so...." he murmured. Frieza and Cell each took one of his arms and helped him up, while Frost bowed over and over. "I'm so sorry, Zamasu! I-I didn't mean to do that! It was an accident, I swear!" he stated. However the Kai just shook his head. "It's fine, Frost. There's no need to be concerned. I was the one not paying attention...." he explained. Frieza nodded in agreement. "Indeed....you seemed pretty distracted for a moment. Is something wrong?" he asked.

Zamasu only hesitated to speak for a few moments before he sighed. Perhaps it'd be better if he talked this over with his friends. They might have some ideas after all. "Actually, yes....I am unsure what to do about the new project Mr. Whis was talking about." the Kai replied. Cell blinked, tilting his head. "Uh, duh, wasn't it obvious? We just tell everyone who's in our family. Easy as that." he said. Zamasu frowned, briefly annoyed by his friend's moment of ignorance before he cleared his throat. "Yes. But that's the problem....I don't *have* a family. I only have my master, Gowasu." he explained. "Ohhhh, that's right...." Cell murmured, realization hitting him. Frieza hummed, placing a hand on his chin. "I suppose that is a problem, isn't it?" he said.

"Well, your master would count as family, wouldn't he? Didn't he adopt you?" Frost asked. Zamasu fiddled with the skirt of his robe, his gazing moving downwards. "Technically, yes. But....it's not like other orphans. In fact, I wasn't really ever an orphan."

"How so?" Frieza asked. "Well, orphans are kids who somehow lost their parents one way or another, correct? That didn't happen with me - Kai don't have "birth" parents. From what Gowasu told me, the way it works is that we Kai are created from these fruit that grow on a tree called the Kaiju. And when they are brought into this world, another Elder Kai is selected to take them in as their guardian. So I have no true "blood" relatives to speak of. No parents, no siblings, no grandparents....I don't have anyone else." A bit of sadness dripped into Zamasu's voice near the end. It wasn't as if he was ungrateful for Gowasu and how he took him in, or for not being created to begin with. In fact, he thought the way Kai's were created was so magical to imagine! But, sometimes he wished what it was like to have the same kind of family other people did....

Frieza and Frost were frowning a bit, looking at their friend with sympathy. But Cell could only stare as the gears in his mind processed this information. "Wait, so then....you're saying you came from a fruit?"

"...."

"...."

"....yes, that is what I said. But that is not the point." Zamasu said flatly. Cell struggled for a good minute before he burst into laughter, making the Kai growl in irritation. "And it's not funny!"

"I still don't see how Gowasu wouldn't count though. No matter how he adopted you, you are still under his care. He has raised you since you were a baby - isn't that what any other guardian would do? Mr. Whis said himself that blood relation isn't essential for one to be considered family." Frieza stated. "I suppose. But, with him it's just different. He's my master, not my parent. He's never treated me like....like his child." Zamasu explained. Frost hummed, tail curling in thought before he spoke up. "Has he ever played with you?" he asked. The Kai blinked, a bit taken aback by the question. What did that have to do with this topic? "Well....yes, of course he has. Several times." Zamasu said. "And has he made food for you when you're hungry? Or buy you toys? Or tuck you in to bed? Or help give you a bath?" Frost asked. "Well of course he has. That's basic care any adult would provide." Zamasu stated. Frost shrugged. "But those are all things parents do, right? Moms or dads or anyone else. He sounds like an important family member to me."

Zamasu blinked as eyes widened a bit, realization hitting him. He....never really thought of that before. He never stopped to consider the things Gowasu did because he always viewed him as his "master", and focused more on the Kai teachings he was given. He didn't think about the other things he's done for him - things that any other parent would do for their child. Maybe Gowasu was more family than he realized. "Huh. I....I suppose that is true." Zamasu slowly admitted. "Yeah, and don't worry so much about the "related by blood" deal. Pops said I was created in a lab experiment of his. So I'm not really related to him or any of my siblings. But he's still my dad, and they're still my brothers and sister." Cell explained with a grin. "My mom told me that ice-jin come from eggs when they're just babies. And when they're ready, they hatch!" Frost said. Frieza nodded. "Yes, that's what Daddy told me as well....but he never actually told me where the eggs come from."

All the children blinked.

"Huh. I never thought about where the egg comes from...." Frost thought out loud. "Mmm. I guess I'll ask Daddy or Cooler sometime later about it." Frieza replied with a shrug.

"Anyway," Zamasu cleared his throat to get back onto the subject, "I suppose Gowasu would technically count as my parent. But I still don't have any siblings I could talk about." he said. "Eh. Siblings aren't always as wonderful as people think. Cooler can be rather irritating at times, and we don't really get along." Frieza stated, crossing his arms. Frost smiled. "Yeah, but he's still your big brother, right? I'm sure he's done *some* nice things for you. I know even Glazier can be alright at times." he replied. "Yeah, that's true," Cell added, "I mean sure, siblings can be annoying sometimes. The twins and I sometimes don't get along. But honestly, they help me with a lot of stuff. Like school things." he said. Zamasu frowned. "Well, I wouldn't really know...."

The bug boy frowned as well, a little saddened by his friend's depressed face. He didn't like seeing Zamasu sad like this, not that he was often sad. Still, he'd rather see him smiling than having a frown. "....hey, you know we consider you family, don't you?"

The Kai perked up, blinking a few times before shaking his head. "I'm not sure what you mean. You're my friends, not my brothers. We don't even live in the same house." he stated. "Well yeah, obviously. But we still play together every day at school. And sometimes we hang out on the weekends. We always help each other stuff problems, spend a lot of time together. If we care about each other like that....then wouldn't that count as being family?" Cell asked. Zamasu's eyes slowly lit up the more Cell spoke. He suppose that was all true....the four of them really did do a lot together. Zamasu rarely even thought of a time they *weren't* hanging out. "Cell is right. I guess we kinda are like family - I like it!" Frost stated. Frieza averted his gaze to the side, but his lips involuntarily twitched into a half smile. "Yes, I suppose we are." he said.

....Zamasu felt a wide smile spread across his lips. "Indeed...."

* * * *

The week came and left as the class worked on their projects. On the last day of the week, on Friday, they took the day to present their little reports to everyone. The majority of the class decided to draw pictures for their illustration piece, but some of the kids did other things. Frieza managed to bring in an old scrap book his father had been using to keep several pictures of their family - he got annoyed whenever anyone cooed or "awwed" at his baby photos. Cell's presentation was a tad more fancy, bringing in a special holographic photo projected from a handheld hologram his father had created, displaying the most recent family photo. Frost had chosen to do a simple drawing, but he seemed awfully proud of it.

Zamasu happily watched each interesting presentation before his name was finally called on. "Zamasu, would you like to show your next?" Mr. Whis asked. The Kai nodded, gathering his things and walking towards the front of the classroom. Everyone watched him curiously as he shuffled through the papers in his hand and began to explain.

"I'm afraid my family isn't quite like many others. I don't have a mother or father, or siblings, or grandparents. However....I do have my master, Gowasu." He paused to carefully lean a framed photo against the chalkboard, revealing a picture of Gowasu, holding little Zamasu when he was a baby. "This was taken the day he adopted me. Elder Kai are often suppose to take in younger kin to raise them with the Kai teachings. So for a long time, I merely saw him as my master, and not a parent. But he's done so much for me....several things I could never do by myself. Things that every other parent does. And for that, I am grateful to have him as my parent....I suppose in a way, you could say he's my grandfather." he explained. As everyone looked at his photo curiously, Zamasu paused and looked down at the other papers in his hand....before he started to hang them up with small pieces of tape.

"And while I don't have any siblings....I do have other types of family."

Frieza, Frost, and Cell's eyes widened in surprise - it was separate drawings of each of them! All drawn with careful detail and precision (better than the average six year old). "I know they aren't my siblings, and they don't live with me. But they're still the ones I play with all the time, and talk to when I have problems, and care a lot about. Those are things that help make family members valid, right? Well....then I suppose my friends are my family as well."

All the girls in the class were "awwwing" at that response. Frieza looked a tad embarrassed, blushing as he shifted his gaze to the side. Though Frost and Cell couldn't have looked happier, giving big, wide smiles to their friend. Even Mr. Whis couldn't help the pleased smile on his lips. "That's a very good presentation, Zamasu. Well done. We appreciate you sharing your special family to us." the angel stated. Zamasu was smiling his widest, giving a small nod. "Thank you, sir." he said. He was rather pleased with himself. It might've taken a bit of realizing, but he had more family in his life than he expected....and he never would've thought about it if he didn't have his friends to give their insight.

Chapter Text

"Mrs. Shiro, how long will we be at the doctor's? I'd rather not be there longer than we have to." Frieza stated boredly, resting his face against his fist as he looked out the window. Shiro gave a friendly smile as she looked back from the top mirror, looking at the four boys in the backseat. "Don't worry, Frieza. We won't be there longer than an hour. And I promise, as soon as we're finished, we can go to the ice cream parlor for a treat!" she stated.

A few days ago, the parents had realized it was about that time for their children to receive their yearly flu vaccinations - this was especially important for Frieza and Frost, who were at risk of the Arcosian flu. Unfortunately, almost all the parents had rather busy schedules, and didn't have the time to go take their children to their local clinic. Luckily, Cold had thought of a plan; one of the parents could drive all the boys to get their vaccinations done, giving everyone else the time to stay in work. And considering Shiro was the only stay-at-home parent, she naturally volunteered to do so. Everything had already been arranged via phone call - the appointments, the paperwork, the doctor who would assist them (Frieza's personal doctor that Cold hired) - now all that was needed was to take the four boys to the clinic and get it done.

"Man, the clinic is so BORING though! They make us sit in that waiting room for so long, even when we show up on time!" Cell whined, crossing his arms and pouting. "And their selection of toys is disappointing...." Frieza added. Even Zamasu couldn't help giving a sigh. "They don't even provide good reading material for their patients." he replied bluntly. "Oh you boys....I know it's not fun going to the doctor's. But these shots are really important for your health. Otherwise you could get sick, and even miss school! Now you don't want that, do you?" Shiro said, glancing over her shoulder. All three of them heavily sighed before saying "no" in unison. Most children might've enjoyed missing school, but the boys actually rather liked going there. Especially since it was the best way for them to hang out.

Frost was the only one who was dead silent. He was staring down at the floor of the car, dread and fear twisting in his gut as he fiddled with his hoodie. He didn't look happy in the slightest, though not for the same reason as his friends. Frieza was the first to take notice of his behavior, glancing at him and raising a brow. He was surprised by how stiff he seemed. "Frost? Are you alright?" he asked. The blue ice-jin's frown deepened, only giving a brief side glance before nervously looking away.

"Oh, don't worry about Frost. He just....doesn't like shots very much. That's all." Shiro replied, though she tried giving Frost a sympathetic smile before refocusing on her driving. The other boys looked at him surprised. "Really? You're afraid of shots, Frost?" Zamasu asked. Frost didn't speak, but he did give a small nod. Was he so afraid that he couldn't speak? "Why? It's not that bad - all they do is poke a needle in your arm for like - one second - before it's over." Cell stated with a shrug. Frieza suddenly looked at the bug boy curiously. "Where *do* they give you your shot, Cell? Most of your body is that strange armor...."

"Hm? Oh for me, they do it right under my wrist. Apparently that works just as well." Cell replied with a shrug. Frost was hardly listening, still staring at the floor anxiously. Zamasu tried to place a hand on his shoulder, giving him a reassuring expression. "Well, don't worry, Frost. I'm sure it'll be fine. Your mom says it won't take long. And once we're done, we'll be able to get ice cream, right?" the Kai stated. "I can even go first if you want me to! Those stupid needles don't hurt me one bit!" Cell stated almost proudly. Frost didn't gain much comfort from that, but he at least managed a small smile. It was at least nice knowing his friends were trying to make this less scary than it was....though he felt his heart plummet to the bottom of his stomach the moment Shiro parked the car.

"Alright, boys, we're here. Let's head inside." Shiro said. She got out of the car and helped each of the boy's out - though Frost was more than reluctant to leave the safety of the backseat, almost hiding himself into the car floor. Eventually Zamasu convinced Frost to come out willingly, and Shiro even held his hand as they walked into the clinic. Upon entering the building, there were surprisingly no other patients around, leaving only the clerk at the front desk as the only person in the waiting room. Frieza couldn't help blinking in surprise as he looked around. "Huh. It seems like there's nobody else here." he said. "Good. Maybe they'll call us in sooner than we thought." Cell said. Frost whimpered miserably at that idea.

"Okay, why don't you boys go wait for a few minutes in some of the chairs, while I speak with the clerk." Shiro said. The boys nodded and went to go wait in the waiting chairs. The moment Frost had hopped into his seat, he pulled his legs close to his chest and wrapped his tail around himself, looking more scared by the moment. The other boys looked at one another before looking back at their friend. "Come on, you're worrying too much, Frost. It's not gonna be that bad!" Cell said. But the blue ice-jin shook his head. "Yes it will....it always hurts. And I don't like it." he stated. Frieza couldn't help rolling his eyes, tail flickering a bit in annoyance. "Don't you think you're overreacting? It's just a silly needle. It pokes into your arm no more than a few seconds, and then it's over." he stated. Zamasu narrowed his eyes at the white ice-jin. "Not everyone is fond of shots, Frieza. I'm sure you used to be afraid of them too, weren't you?" he asked. Frieza scoffed. "Well sure - when I was a baby."

Frost's frown deepened, a little hurt by that comment. "I'm not a baby...."

Frieza blinked, realizing what he had accidentally insinuated, feeling guilty right away. "N-No, I didn't....that's not what I meant, Frost...." he tried to say. However it wasn't long till Shiro came back to the boy's, with a nurse standing beside her. "Okay boys, the clerk said the doctor can see us right away. This nice nurse will show us the way." she said. Frost immediately froze, eyes widening in shock. He tried looking at his mom with a silent plea to not make him, but Shiro could only take his hand and gently encourage him to follow her, trying to reassure him it would only be a moment. The other boys followed behind her, going into the back room and following the nurse down a hallway. They only passed a couple doors until they stopped at a third one and she opened the door for them. Shiro and the children stepped inside, and Frieza couldn't help but cringe. There was always a particular *smell* in these sorts of facilities that he wasn't fond of - as if it was trying to smell clean, but it didn't. Luckily it was really only in clinics or at the dentist's office.

The doctor was already waiting inside the small room, writing a few things on his clipboard. The room only contained a small desk with some drawers, an examination table, and a few other small chairs against the wall. Their doctor appeared to be some sort of lizard-man species, having green scales and a tuff of orange hair on top of his head, wearing a white doctor's coat. He paused to look at Shiro and the boys with a smile. "Ah, well hello! I gather you must be miss Shiro? I am Doctor Malaka, and I will be treating the children today." he said. Shiro smiled as she reached a hand out and shook the doctor's hand. "Yes, thank you so much for taking the time to see us! We apologize for the slightly bizarre situation...." she began to say, but Malaka shook his head. "There's no need to be concerned. King Cold had informed me on the situation. I've been treating young Frieza for quite some time, and I'm more than happy to help treat his young friends as well." he stated.

He looked amongst the boys with a friendly smile before looking at young Frieza. "Goodness, you've certainly made quite a few friends, haven't you? I'm pleased to see public school is doing you well." Malaka stated. The white ice-jin huffed, looking away with a small blush on his cheeks. "Yes, yes. Now may we please move along with our appointment? We were promised ice-cream after this." he stated. The reptilian man gave a small chuckle before he nodded. "Very well. Boys, feel free to find a place to sit. We'll start with a few basic tests before we do the vaccinations." he explained. The boys did as told, taking turns sitting in the chairs for a couple normal tests; taking their blood pressure, checking their heartbeat, checking the eyes, mouth, and nose. All of the usual things that came with a doctor's appointment.

Once Dr. Malaka had everything recorded in his forms, he opened one of the drawers and dug through it. He pulled out for packaged syringes and carefully laid them out on the counter - Frost couldn't help swallowing nervously at the sight.

"Alright. Who would like to go first?" Malaka asked, patting the examination table. Frost sat in the chair farthest away from the syringes, curling up into a small ball and frowning. Cell noticed his friend's anxious state, and quickly cleared his throat. "I can go first!" he stated, not hesitating to hop up onto the table. "Very well, if that's what you wish, Cell." Malaka said. Frost watched tensely as the doctor opened the package and pulled out the needle, disinfecting Cell's wrist before giving him the shot. He felt his face become pale the moment the needle went under his skin, causing him to tremble uneasily, and yet Cell hardly seemed phased. Frieza went next, sitting up onto the table and pulling his arm out of his long sleeve. This time Frost couldn't even watch it happen, deciding to look down at the floor instead. He didn't want to be here. He didn't want one of those huge needles piercing into his skin. It always hurt whenever he got one, and made his arm sore for days. He didn't want to go through that again....

As Zamasu started to hop up onto the table, Frost shakily got off his chair and cleared his throat. "U-Um....I-I need to use the restroom. May I be excused for a moment?" he asked. "Hm? Oh yes, go ahead. The restroom is right around the corner." Malaka said. Frost nodded, before reaching for the door knob and slipping out as fast as he could....maybe a little too fast, Frieza thought. Zamasu rolled up the sleeve of his robe, waited patiently for the doctor to finish giving him his vaccination, and received his band aid just like the other boys did. "There. Now we only need to wait for Frost to return, and we can wrap this up." Malaka stated. Shiro nodded, and waiting a couple minutes for Frost to return....but soon it turned into three minutes. Then four. Then five.

When it started to push to eight minutes, Shiro gave a soft frown. "Oh dear. He's taking a little longer than I thought....maybe I should've went with him?" she said. Malaka raised a brow. "I told him it was right around the corner - though perhaps he got lost?" he said. Frieza frowned. Frost wouldn't get lost in a clinic this small. And he was rather anxious earlier. In fact, if he had to guess, Frost decided to run off, or was possibly hiding somewhere....

"Perhaps we could go fetch him. See if he's alright." the white ice-jin spoke up. Both adults looked to each other with uncertainty before Shiro gave a small nod. "Okay, go ahead and check on him, then bring him right back." she stated. Frieza nodded before looking to his friends, gesturing for them to follow. Cell and Zamasu looked confused, but followed their friend out nonetheless. Once the door was closed, the white ice-jin turned to the other two. "*sigh* I believe Frost decided to go hide somewhere. Cell, check the restroom around the corner, see if he's trying to hide in a stall. Zamasu, I think it's best you and I go look in the waiting room." he explained. Cell and Zamasu looked at each other before they nodded. "Yep! On it, boss!" The bug boy saluted and winked before taking off down the hallway, while Zamasu and Frieza went into the opposite direction.

They were able to reach the waiting room pretty easily, but upon looking around, they didn't see Frost anywhere. Frieza had assumed he would've been hiding under one of the chairs, or maybe behind one of those ugly potted plants. But after a moment of searching, there was no sign of the blue ice-jin anywhere. "He doesn't seem to be here....he wouldn't run away from the clinic, would he?" Zamasu said. Frieza frowned, humming in thought. "I doubt it. That isn't like him. But he did seem rather scared...." His concern and guilt only grew. Perhaps he should've taken Frost's fear into better consideration. He himself had long gotten over his fear of needles, but it didn't seem the same for Frost. "You guys, he wasn't in the restroom," Cell walked back down the hall, his gaze scanning the waiting room before his lips fell into a frown, "is he not here either?"

"No, he isn't...." This could be bad. If Frost really did leave the clinic, he had no idea where he'd go. Maybe he went to hide in the car...?

Cell suddenly perked up. "Wait - hold on a sec." Frieza and Zamasu paused, looking at the bug boy curiously. Cell was silent, holding one of his hands up to his ear....he turned his attention to a nearby door, which appeared to be a storage closet of sorts. "I think I hear someone crying in here...." He followed his gut and approached the door, grasping the doorknob and swinging the door open. Frieza and Zamasu hurried to peek inside with him. Sure enough, Frost was curled up in the very back corner of the closet, crying softly into his knees. Though he gave a startled gasp the moment the door had opened, whipping his head up with wide eyes. "Frost, there you are," Zamasu was the first to step inside, trying to cautiously approach his friend, "what're you doing in here? We were looking for you." he said. The blue ice-jin whimpered, backing up further into the safety of his corner.

"I-I....I can't do it. I don't want to get a shot." he said weakly. Cell tried to step in with the Kai, pausing to lean against the wall. "Frost, it'll be fine. It'll be quick - just one poke, and you're done! Then we'll get to leave." he said, wearing a reassuring smile. But Frost shook his head. "No! I don't wanna! I don't want it to hurt! You can't make me!" he whined. The blue ice-jin only seemed more upset now, tears streaming down his cheeks as he broke down sobbing. The other three boys frowned, looking at each other with uncertainty. They weren't sure what to do at this point. Sure, if they really wanted to, the three of them could easily drag Frost back to the doctor's office kicking and screaming. But that just seemed too mean to do. The most logical solution was to get an adult, specifically Shiro. But there seemed to be a silent agreement to not get an adult involved unless absolutely necessary.

"Frost, please...." Zamasu tried to say. But Frost ignored him entirely, stubbornly remaining where he was. Frieza frowned at the sight. He didn't like seeing Frost in tears like this - it made his heart feel a strange ache that he didn't entirely understand. It was so silly! All this trouble over a simple flu shot! It was almost pathetic how scared Frost was about this....and yet even so, Frieza found himself sighting softly before he stepped inside. He walked right up to Frost and knelt down beside him, only hesitating a few seconds before he forced the words out. "....would you feel better if I held your hand?"

Frost paused, silent for a few moments before looking at Frieza in confusion. "W-What...?" he murmured. Zamasu and Cell exchanged puzzled looks, unsure what Frieza meant. However the white ice-jin quickly explained with an embarrassed blush. "If I held your hand while you got the shot, would you do it?" he asked bluntly. The blue ice-jin couldn't help being a little speechless, not expecting the offer. But....it did sound a little less scary if Frieza would be right next to him, holding his hand. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad then? Frost lingered on that thought a moment longer before he sniffled and dried his face, and gave a small nod. "O-Okay...."

Frieza nodded before grabbing Frost's hand and helping him stand up. The four boys walked together out of the closet and back towards the doctor's office. Once they had all stepped inside, Shiro immediately gave them a concerned expression. "There you are! Frost, are you alright? What happened?" she asked. Frost briefly froze, a little hesitant to say what truly happened. But Frieza spoke up for him. "It was as you said, Frost got lost in another hallway. But we managed to find him and bring him back. Isn't that right, Frost?" He turned to his friend with a smile, giving a small wink. The blue ice-jin blinked in surprise before looking to Cell and Zamasu, who both smiled as they pretended to zip their lips. They weren't going to tell on him. "Um, y-yes, that's right. I just got lost." Frost repeated. Dr. Malaka smiled before patting the examination table. "Well, if you're ready now, will you please hop up here?" he asked. Frost stared at the table nervously, hesitating to comply. But after looking back at Frieza, who gave a small nod, he slowly stepped up and took his seat. Frieza soon followed, sitting right by Frost's side, causing the doctor to raise his brow.

"I apologize. Don't mind me." the white ice-jin tried to act casual as he took Frost's hand and held it in his own - though he couldn't help the light blush on his pale cheeks. Frost couldn't help giving a small smile of appreciation. Though his smile fell just as quickly when Dr. Malaka came closer. Frost was reluctant to pull his arm out from the sleeve of his hoodie, but he allowed the doctor to disinfect his arm. "Now don't worry. This'll only hurt for a few seconds, and then we'll be done." he stated. He pulled out the last syringe from a package before trying to give Frost a reassuring smile. "Just try to stay still, okay?" he said. Frost quietly whimpered, but gave a small nod. He immediately turned his head away and squeezed his eyes shut - he was already squeezing Frieza's hand tightly.

The white ice-jin gave a small squeeze back.

For only a moment Frost felt pain, causing him to whimper and squeeze Frieza's hand tighter (it was actually tight enough to hurt a bit, Frieza realized). Though only a few seconds passed before the doctor pulled the needle away and instantly put a band aid over his arm. "And we're done!"

Frost blinked, a bit surprised as he looked at his own arm. "Oh. Already...?" That was a lot faster than he expected. Then again, thinking back, maybe these shots were always more quick than he realized. Frieza smiled. "You see? I tried to tell you it was a silly thing to be afraid of." he stated. The blue ice-jin slipped his arm back into his sleeve before giving Frieza a happy smile. "Thanks, Frieza....I really appreciate it." Before the white ice-jin could reply, Frost tackled him in a hug, making Frieza's eyes widen unexpectedly and his face blushed bright red. "Um, sure....alright, you've made your point. You can let go of me now!" He gave a small growl, but that only made Frost giggle. He purposely hugged him a little longer before finally releasing him. Shiro covered her mouth to hide her own soft chuckle. Frost seemed close with all his friends of course, but it seemed he and Frieza had a unique relationship specifically....oh, but it was FAR too early to imagine wedding bells.

"Whelp, that's all that needed to be done. You're all free to go." Dr. Malaka stated as both ice-jin boys hopped off the examination table. "Finally! That means it's ice cream time, right?" Cell asked, immediately looking to Shiro eagerly. The pearl ice-jin laughed before she nodded. "Yes, that's correct. Come now, the sooner we make it to the car, the sooner we can get going." she said. Cell cheered and bolted out of the room, with Zamasu struggling to follow after him. Frost and Frieza looked at one another before the blue ice-jin dragged his friend out of the office. He still held Frieza's hand tightly as they left....Frieza decided to allow it until they reached the car. If it made Frost happy, then he suppose he could put up with it.

Chapter Text

"What do you mean school has been cancelled?!" Frieza whined to his father. He was all ready to go; he had put on his clothes, ate his breakfast, and gathered all the supplies he needed in his backpack. And now that he was ready to go out the door, suddenly he was being told school was cancelled! "Now now, it'll likely only be cancelled for a couple days. But I'm afraid there's too much snow for parents and teachers to safely get to the school, so they had to cancel classes for a bit. You'll get to go back once it clears up, princess." Cold reassured him. That explanation did nothing to satisfy little Frieza. His lips pursed into a pout as he tossed his backpack aside and crossed his arms. "Hmph, that's not fair! I wanted to go! Bad weather - just sounds like an excuse for lazy adults who don't want to drive!" he whined, stomping his foot.

Cold could only chuckle in amusement, unoffended by the comment. He knew Frieza was just looking forward to seeing his friends at school. In all honesty, he was glad Frieza seemed to be enjoying public school this much. "There's no need to be so upset, Frieza. You can use this chance to play today or watch television. Just think of it like any other day during the weekend." Cold insisted. However the white ice-jin just huffed, tail flickering in irritation. It was rather bothersome that he wouldn't be able to see his friends today, but he also knew there wasn't anything he could do to change this outcome. After all, it wasn't like he could magically change the weather! He would just have to deal with staying inside today. "*sigh* Fine...." Frieza muttered. He bent down to pick up his backpack and began to drag it back towards his room - though he paused at an unexpected knock on the front door.

"Hm? Now I wonder who that could be." Cold thought aloud. He stepped closer and opened the front door - there stood little Frost, Cell, and Zamasu, waiting patiently for whoever opened the door.

"Oh my....how unexpected." the tall ice-jin replied with a smile. Frost couldn't help flinching upon seeing the taller adult, unconsciously standing closer to Zamasu. Frieza's dad usually seemed rather nice and friendly, but he always seemed to forget just how *big* he was, even for an adult. And no matter how nice he was, he couldn't help feeling just a little intimidated by him. Cell and Zamasu seemed completely unphased however. "Hello, sir! Is Frieza home?" Cell asked. The three boys were bundled up in warm winter clothes; puffy jackets, long pants, mittens, scarves, and snow boots. It had Frieza curious as he approached the front door, raising a brow. "What is this? What're you all doing here? Didn't you hear school was cancelled for the day?" he asked.

"Well yeah! It's a snow day! It's the perfect time for us to play!" Frost stated, an eager smile on his face. Frieza blinked, tilting his head. He didn't understand. "To play? How? There's snow everywhere outside...." he replied. The other three boys suddenly looked confused, exchanging puzzled expressions before looking back at Frieza. "Uh, duh. That's the point. We have all day to play in the snow! The whole neighborhood is covered in it!" Cell stated. When the confusion didn't clear up on Frieza's face, Zamasu raised a brow. "Frieza, have you never played in the snow before?" he asked. "No, of course not! Why would I? It's far too cold to do anything like this," Frieza stated, "besides, how does anyone actually....play in the snow? It's just frozen water." Cell suddenly gave a smirk, chuckling excitedly. "Oh dude, you are missing out! You should come outside with us, and we'll show you!" he stated. "Yeah! Please come play with us! Pleeeeeeeaaasse!" Frost whined.

Frieza hesitated to reply, staring at his friends a moment longer before looking past them and at the snow. It did look rather cold outside. Even from where he stood, Frieza felt a small chill from the cold air leaking in from the front door. But he did really want to spend time with his friends today. And playing with them did sound more fun than being cooped up inside all day, even if it was snowing outside. Besides, he was kinda curious what it was like to really enjoy a "snow day".

"Weeeeell?" Cell asked, causing Frieza to sigh. "Alright, alright," he looked up at his father, "Daddy, are there any snow clothes I can wear?" he asked. Almost immediately Cold lit up - like he had been waiting for that very question. It had Frieza only a tad concerned. "Oh yes! It's funny you finally brought this up - I've been saving something special for you for just this occassion!"

* * * *

Turns out Frieza had every right to be worried. The special "outfit" Cold had prepared was indeed perfect for snow weather....but from head to toe, it was in a bright pink color, from fuzzy ear muffs on his head down to the boots he wore.

It had Frieza blushing bright red in embarrassment, especially as his friends tried SO hard to not laugh. "There! It looks perfect on you, my little princess!" Cold cooed, looking down at his son with nothing but adoration. Frieza gave a little growl. "Daddy! I've told you to stop calling me that!" he whined. "Oh that's right, I apologize. Now run along, have fun with your little friends! Stay warm, stay in the neighborhood, and be back before it gets dark." Cold said. Frieza nodded, dismissively agreeing as he stepped outside. Zamasu thanked Cold for letting Frieza play, and then the four boys ran down the pavement of Frieza's mansion before reaching the sidewalk. Right across Frieza's house was the closest park, complete with a playset for the neighborhood kids to play on. Though today all the kids were playing in the snow instead, bundled in warm clothes just like they were.

"Aw man, there's so much snow here! This'll be the perfect place to play!" Cell stated. Frieza looked down at the white substance with suspicion, making a footprint with his booted foot. "Alright, we're here - now how exactly are we supposed to play?"

"There's lots of things we can do during a snow day. We could try making snow angels. There seems to be plenty of space to do so." Zamasu said, examining the ground around them. The white ice-jin tilted his head curiously. "What's a snow angel?" he asked, genuinely unsure. Frost smiled. "We can show you! It's easy to make! Watch - first you just lay on the snow like this...." The blue ice-jin happily demonstrated, falling backwards and landing on the soft snow beneath him. Frieza blinked, slightly taken aback by the action, but continued to watch. "Then you move your arms and legs up and down like this." Frost slid his arms up and down in the snow to create the shape he wanted. "And after that, you just get up and look down, and," the boy stood back up, and looked down, "see! Now it looks like an angel!" It was true - where Frost's arms were created the sleeves of a long robe, and where his legs were created the skirt of the robe, all while his head indent made a single head.

"Doesn't it look nice?" Frost asked. "Um, yes it does," Frieza would admit it was a clever idea, but he couldn't help but grimace as the snow all over Frost's clothes, trying to help brush some of it off his arms and back, "but doesn't it bother you to be covered in so much snow? Aren't you cold now?" he asked. Frost merely shrugged. "Not really. My clothes keep me warm." he replied. Cell smirked. "What? Don't tell me you're scared of a little snow getting on you?" he said with a chuckle. Frieza growled at the bug boy. "I am not! I can make one of these snow angels with any issue!" he stated matter-of-factly. "Okay, then do it! I'll even join you!" Cell said. He fell back onto the snow himself, and started making his own snow angel. Zamasu and Frost soon joined him, giggling as they began to slide their limbs across the snow.

Frieza looked down at the snow himself, hesitating, if only because the idea of getting wet and cold didn't sound appealing. But he eventually closed his eyes and allowed himself to fall back onto the white, frozen water. He was surprised by how soft the landing was, hardly any different from landing on his own bed. And he didn't feel cold or wet. "Huh." he murmured. He experimentally began to slide his arms and legs along the snow, trying his best to create the same shape his friends did. Once he was done, he and the other boys stood up to look down at their work. They were all successful in making snow angel versions of themselves. Frieza had even left his tail on the side, making the angel look like it had a tail. "Well would you look at that." he said with a smile. He rather liked how it turned out.

"Oh wow, you're angel looks great, Frieza!" Frost stated. "Not bad, but it's still not as good as mine!" Cell replied with a prideful smirk. His own angel looked interesting, though the shape was a little off due to moving his arms and legs too fast. "Yours looks good too, Cell." Zamasu replied, not wanting to compare and be rude.

"Well what else can we do?" Frieza asked, looking to his friends expectantly. Frost placed a hand on his chin and tried to think. "Let's see...." His gaze wandered towards the sky as he thought, and he immediately perked up. "Ooh! We can try to catch snowflakes!" he said. The white ice-jin blinked. "....with our hands?"

"No, silly! With our tongues! Watch." Frost tilted his head up and opened his mouth wide, tongue sticking out. He wandered around trying to chase after the soft flakes that were floating down towards the ground. Eventually, one did manage to land on his tongue, instantly melting away. Frost hummed as he closed his mouth and giggled. "How strange....what does it taste like?" Frieza asked. "Just like water. But it's fun to try to catch them. Give it a shot." he said. The white ice-jin didn't exactly understand the point of this game, but he went along with it nonetheless. He looked up at the sky and stuck out his tongue, attempting to catch his own snowflake. Cell and Zamasu had joined him, managing to catch more than one with little effort. Frieza was struggling a bit more, just missing the snowflakes at the last second. It didn't help that some landed on his eyes, blinding him briefly. Even so, he just became determined to catch one. And after about five minutes or so, he finally got one to land on his tongue.

He smiled victoriously as he closed his mouth and hummed, the taste of water melting on his taste buds. "Ha! I managed to get one!" he said. Cell scoffed. "Yeah, after like twenty tries." he said with a chuckle, to which Frieza merely rolled his eyes. "I'm new at this. You can't expect me to know what to do. Speaking of, what else can we do?" he asked. The other three boys took a moment to think before Cell suddenly perked up....and an evil smile spread across his lips.

The bug boy slowly knelt down, gathering a small handful of snow in his hands and making it into a ball shape. It wasn't till he stood back up till Zamasu noticed. "Uh oh - duck!"

"Huh?" Frieza thoughtlessly turned to look at Cell - suddenly something cold and wet smacked into his face.

A startled yelp escaped him before he wiped the snow off his face and growled. "Hey! What was that for, you buffoon?!" he snapped. Cell chuckled, kneeling down to make another snow ball. "Oh come on, don't tell me you've never heard of a snow ball fight. All you gotta do is make the snow into a ball shape, then you try to throw it at someone." he explained. "What kind of game is that?! That just sounds ridiculous!" Frieza stated, crossing his arms. Zamasu started to make his own snow ball, already taking a few steps back to prepare to run. "Come on, Frieza. Try it. I think you'll like it more than you think." he replied. The white ice-jin shook his head. "Tch, I hardly think I'll find any entertainment in throwing silly balls of frozen water-"

He gasped when feeling something strike his back, sliding down his coat. He whipped his head around - seeing Frost giggling nonstop while giving a mischievous grin. "I got ya!" he laughed.

"Grrrrgh, you're going to regret that!" Frieza knelt down, gathered a handful of snow in his hand and shaped it as quickly as he could before tossing it towards Frost. However the blue ice-jin effortlessly dodged to the side, playfully sticking his tongue out. "You can't catch me! You can't catch me!" he chanted. Frieza growled in irritation. "Why you little - if you would just stand still - GAH!!" He yelped as the coldness struck the back of his head. He whipped his head back with a snarl, to see Cell whistling "innocently". The nerve of that brat! "Whoops. Did I get ya, Freezer?" Cell asked mockingly. The white ice-jin didn't hesitate to grab another handful of snow beneath him, lashing his tail down onto the icy white ground. "Fine then - you're all gonna get it!" The boys laughed as Frieza chased after them, snow ball in hand.

This ended up being their longest game of the day, chasing each other in the snow and attempting to pelt each other with snow balls. It turned Frieza was actually quite good at snow ball fights - especially when he used his tail to throw them with incredible distance and accuracy. At one point, he even managed to knock Cell out of a tree he climbed out of (they were only briefly worried Cell got hurt, but the bug boy just gave a thumbs up and said he was fine). Though they all managed to hit each other at least once; Frost knew how to be evasive, and duck out of the way when he needed to. Zamasu knew how to outsmart most of the boys predictable approaches, and Cell was able to make his snow balls the fastest, as well as throw them the hardest. It wasn't long till Frieza could feel snow in his coat and his pants, but he was having so much fun he hardly even noticed.

Eventually though the boys did get tired, and finally called a truce, so Zamasu suggested a more relaxing snow activity - making a snow man. Cell volunteered to roll the bottom body himself, making a small snow ball and rolling it along to make it bigger. "How many parts does a snow man need?" Frieza asked as they watched the bug boy roll the lower body bigger and bigger. "It depends. Usually either two or three big snowballs for the body and head. But we'll also need rocks to make the eyes, and maybe some sticks to make a nose and arms." Zamasu explained. Frost frowned. "I thought we needed a carrot for the nose." he said. "A stick will work just fine. Or perhaps even another rock." Frieza replied with a shrug. Cell soon stopped rolling the decent sized snowball, which was about half his height now. "Okay there, the body is done." he said, panting a bit heavily. "Oooh, I'll make the head!" Frost piped in, kneeling down and making his snowball. "Hmph. I guess we'll look for the sticks and rocks then." Zamasu said.

Frieza nodded, and the two of them began to dig through the snow for what they needed. It admittedly took a minute, a tad annoyed not being able to find what they needed right away. But they at least managed to find some sticks and rocks by the time Frost finished the head. "Here, let's put it on!" Frost said. He grunted as he lifted the head off the ground, and tried to carry it over to the body. Cell helped him in lifting it over the body and setting it carefully on top, before packing around it with more snow. "There. This should help it stay." he said. Zamasu walked over and placed two rocks on the head to make the eyes, while Frieza stuck a stick in each of it's sides for the arms. "There. Now I guess we just need the nose." he said. Zamasu grabbed one of Frieza's sticks and poked it in the head - but none of the boys seemed satisfied with this nose.

"It doesn't work! It should be a carrot!" Frost whined. "Well, what do we do with that stick then?" Frieza asked. Cell perked up, giggling mischievously before grabbing the nose and sticking it lower....right on the snowman's lower body. "Hehehehehe, now it looks like it has a weiner!"

Frost couldn't help giggling in amusement, but both Frieza and Zamasu frowned. "Cell, that's gross! Don't do that!" the Kai whined, marching forward and grabbing the stick before tossing it away. "Aww, but it was funny!" Cell stated, to which Frieza merely rolled his eyes. "What else can we add? Surely our snowman needs something else." he said. Frost lit up, smiling excitedly. "Wait! I have an idea!" He slipped off the scarf around his neck and trotted over to the snow man, wrapping it around the snowman's neck. "There! Now he can stay warm!" he said. "But what about you? Won't you be cold?" Zamasu asked, looking at the blue ice-jin with concern. Frost shook his head. "Course not! I'll be fine! It's not even that cold out!" he claimed - however the moment a cold breeze brushed past him, Frost couldn't help shaking like a leaf, trying to pull his jacket to cover his neck. Frieza frowned before letting out a sigh.

"Oh for heaven's sake." He marched to his friend and took off his own scarf, wrapping it around Frost's neck, while the blue ice-jin looked at him in surprise. "Frieza? Wait, this is your scarf though. Won't you need it?" Frost asked. "I'll be alright. Just give this back to me before you go home." Frieza replied. Frost looked back down at the scarf on his neck, lightly touching it before he smiled. Frieza was always really nice to him, even if he tried to pretend not to be. It was nice to have him as a friend.

"Boys!" the four boys whipped their heads towards across the street, where Cold was standing on the front lawn of Frieza's mansion. "It's getting close to lunch time! Are you getting hungry?" he called out. Almost as if on cue, all four boys could feel their stomachs rumble in hunger and they unconsciously licked their lips. Food did sound pretty good right about now. "Yes, Daddy! We're coming in!" Frieza called out. The other boys followed Frieza across the street and back towards the mansion, heading inside the warm house to get their lunch.

Turns out the chefs had prepared some delicious sandwiches for the boys to enjoy, and even yummy hot chocolate for them to drink. Frost happily hummed as he drank the warm, chocolatey beverage, licking the whipped cream off his lips. "Mmmm! This is delicious! I love hot cocoa!" he stated, tail wagging behind him. Cell was chomping away at his sandwich, which was gone in almost five minutes flat. "Oh yeah, that hits the spot!" he stated, rubbing his belly. Zamasu looked over at King Cold, giving him an appreciative smile. "Thank you for lunch, Mr. Cold. This is really nice of you." he said. The taller ice-jin merely chuckled and smiled. "Oh of course! Anything for the friends of my darling little Frieza!" he stated. Frieza rolled his eyes with a low growl, blushing a bit. "Father, what have I told you about talking about me like that!" he said.

"Yes yes, I know, Frieza. I'll stop - I'm just glad you're having fun." Cold stated. Frieza looked down at his plate, smiling a little to himself. He *was* having a lot of fun. More than he ever expected to on a snowy day. Normally with this type of weather, he'd just be reading a book in his room, or watching TV. It was far more interesting to spend the day outside with his friends. He can understand the real appeal of these "snow days" now. "You think tomorrow will be another snow day?" Frost asked. "I'm sure it will be. It's supposed to snow even harder later tonight." Zamasu said, making Cell pump a fist into the air. "YES!! Maybe there will be enough snow to make forts then! Or even do some sledding! That'd be awesome!" he stated. Frost looked to Frieza curiously. "What do you think, Frieza? Would you wanna play tomorrow too?" he asked. Frieza didn't even have to think about his reply.

"Definitely. I think it'd be a lot of fun."

Chapter Text

"ACHOO!"

Another loud sneeze escaped from little Frieza, causing him to sniffle miserably in a futile attempt to clear his sinuses. Cold frowned softly, petting the top of his son's head while they waited for the results of the thermometer. Soon the little device in Frieza's mouth beeped a noise, prompting Cold to take the device and examine it. His frown only deepened upon seeing the results. "Oh goodness - a temperature of 101. I'm afraid you have a fever, little one." he said. Frieza sighed in irritation, rubbing his already warm head. "Well this will make it more annoying to go to school...." he muttered to himself, pushing his blankets off to get out of bed. However to his surprise, Cold immediately laid him back down and re-covered him. "Frieza, I don't think you understand - you're far too sick to go to school. You'll have to stay home and rest."

"What?!" Frieza exclaimed, immediately sitting back up. He coughed harshly a couple times before he tried to clear his sore throat. "B-But I can't stay home! I'll miss the lessons! And I want to see my friends!" he whined. However his father refused to budge on the matter, shaking his head firmly. "I'm sorry, Frieza. But if you try to go to school like this, you'll only get more sick. Plus you could make your friends sick as well. You don't want them to catch your cold, do you?" he said. The white ice-jin frowned, crossing his arms with a pout. In truth though, he *didn't* want to make his friends sick. And he did feel weak and tired. But still, he didn't want to stay home all day! "But daddy...."

"No buts, young man. Today you are staying right in this bed and getting the rest you need." Cold stated, leaving no argument in his tone. Frieza whined to himself before he growled and slammed his fists down onto the bed. "But it's not fair! I want to go to school! You can't make me stay here-" A harsh coughing fit interrupted his oncoming tantrum, causing him to whimper miserably from the fiery pain in his throat. His father's expression softened, giving a sympathetic look before he smiled and patted his head. "Don't worry, son. I'll take the day off from work today, so I can help take care of you. I'll make sure you get everything you need." he reassured him. Frieza groaned unhappily, plopping back onto his pillow. He had a feeling this was going to be a terrible, boring, miserable day....

* * * *

"What do you mean Frieza isn't coming to school today?" Frost asked, looking at Mr. Whis confused. The angel gave a small smile as the rest of the class looked at him in concern. "Now now, there's nothing to be worried about. Frieza just seems to have a little cold, that's all. He's just gonna stay home and get some much needed rest - perhaps even stay home for a couple days. However long it takes for him to get better." he explained. Cell whined, leaning back in his chair. "What?! But that sucks! He makes so many things way more fun!" he stated. "Yeah! He always decides what we should do! What're we gonna do without him here?" Frost added. Zamasu looked back at the two other boys from his seat, giving a small smile. "Hey, it'll be fine. We'll have plenty of fun without him. It's only for a day or two." he stated.

Zamasu had a point. Even with Frieza not here, Mr. Whis was able to give his lessons without any problems. The only difference was that Frieza wasn't here to ask any of his curious questions, as he often did. But the children were able to do their assignments without any issue. Even so, Frieza's absence did feel rather strange. The four of them were rather close at this point, and did almost everything together. So when recess came around, the three boys were at a bit of a loss as to what to do. Sure, they could still easily play on the playground, or play hide-n-seek, or literally anything else they wanted to do. But it just didn't seem as fun without Frieza here. All they could do was stare at the other kids playing for a good ten minutes before Frost sighed. "Well, what do we do now? I don't feel like playing anything." he stated.

"I don't either. Without Frieza here, it's not the same." Cell stated bluntly, crossing his arms with a huff. Whenever Frieza was here to play, he always made things more interesting - he made things a challenge. If a game involved some sort of winner, he never made it too easy on them. And Cell thought he was an incredibly fun rival to mess with! He obviously had fun playing with Frost and Zamasu too, but Frieza always had a certain competitive fire to his personality. Zamasu rested his face against his palm, giving a soft sigh. "I can only imagine how bored Frieza must be then....stuck in bed, unable to play or do almost anything. It must be rather dull." he said. Frost nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I bet. I remember one time when I got a cold, I felt so sick I just laid on the couch all day. I wasn't allowed to play anything with too much....uh, "physical activity", they said. They wouldn't even let me play video games, or eat any junk food. And I felt horrible." he said.

"Yeah, didn't you at least get to watch TV? That's what Pops let me do when I get sick." Cell asked, raising a brow. Frost shrugged. "I did. But after awhile, even TV was starting to get boring. I just wanted to play outside." he replied. "Oh....yeah, I guess that would kinda suck." the bug boy thought aloud. There was a brief moment of silence over the boys before the blue ice-jin spoke up again. "Mr. Whis said Frieza was probably going to stay home tomorrow too, right? You think they'll let us stay home tomorrow too, so we can go to his house and hang out with him?" he asked. Zamasu shook his head. "I doubt it. One, they wouldn't want us to miss school if we're not sick. And two, they wouldn't want us playing with Frieza, since playing with him might get us sick too." he stated. "This stinks! I don't understand why this had to happen now!" Cell whined, kicking at a nearby pebble in frustration.

"This could've happened to any of us. We were all playing in the snow, weren't we?" the Kai stated. The bug boy pouted, muttering an agreement under his breath. Frost couldn't help thinking though, humming and placing a hand on his chin. He felt bad that Frieza was sick in the first place, since it was kinda sorta their fault he fell ill. Frieza had even given him his scarf to borrow....and he totally forgot to give it back to him. There had to be something they could do to make this up to him, even if it was something small. What did people usually do when someone else was sick? Obviously they would tell them to get better, but what else...?

Suddenly like a lightbulb popping up above his head, Frost perked up.

"Hey! Should we make a get well card for Frieza? That might cheer him up!" he stated excitedly. Zamasu and Cell paused, blinking in surprise before the Kai looked up in thought. "Huh. A get well card? I guess we could do that. I'm not sure how well that'll work though. It'll take more than a simple card to make him feel better." he said. "Yeah, but at least he'll know we miss him. Who knows, it might make him smile! And we can deliver it to him after school!" Frost said. Cell started to smile, liking the idea more and more. "Okay then....but it has to be more than just a "card". It should be a really cool picture!" he stated. "Yeah! Of the four of us! Maybe playing in the snow, like we were last week!" Frost added. Zamasu nodded. "I suppose that could work....but when should we make it?"

"The sooner the better - we still have a lot of time left before recess is over," he hopped off the lunch bench he was sitting on and ran towards the entrance, "come on! There should be art supplies in the classroom!" he stated. "Hey, wait for us!" Cell called as he and Zamasu hurried to catch up with him. Now eager to get started, the three boys bolted down the hallway and came to a screeching halt in front of their classroom, going inside and immediately going to the art supplies.

They started by going through the wide variety of colored papers, looking through each one. "What color paper should the card be?" Frost asked. Zamasu hummed as he skimmed through the different paper sheets, pulling out a single white sheet. "Well, white would be the easiest to color and write on. The colors would stand out more." he said. Cell gave a bored expression at that idea though. "But that's such a boring choice! Everyone uses white! Shouldn't we be more creative than that?" He turned to the papers and yanked out a green sheet, causing a few other papers to fall onto the floor. "What about green? That's a cool choice! After all - I'm green too! And I'm a cool guy!" Cell stated, giving a little pose to match his prideful smile. The Kai was unimpressed. "I'm not sure Frieza would enjoy that...."

"Yeah. We need to think of what Frieza would like, not us. What's Frieza's favorite color?" Frost asked. Cell couldn't help snickering. "Well, his dad seems to get him a lot of pink stuff for his "princess"." He replied with a chuckle. Frost frowned and shoved him lightly. "I'm serious! Has Frieza said what color is his favorite?" he asked. Zamasu pondered on that thought for a moment before he snapped his fingers. "I think he mentioned he like purple. Or some sort of violet." he said. Frost looked to the papers, skimming through it before pulling out a purple sheet with a wide grin. "Perfect! This is exactly what we need!" he stated. He trotted over to the nearest desk and set it down, while Cell and Zamasu grabbed the crayons and markers. "So, how should we draw this? We wanted to draw the four of us playing in the snow, right?" Zamasu asked.

Cell nodded, though he rubbed the back of neck a bit nervously. "Uh, yeah....if that's what we're gonna do, you should probably draw "us". I'm not really good at drawing people. I can color it in though!" he stated. Frost nodded. "Yeah! And I can write the "get well" message on the top!" he added. The Kai smiled and nodded, deciding to grab at a pencil before he got to work. Being a six year old, his art skills obviously weren't perfect, but they were still better than his friends. He carefully drew the four of them in their winter clothes, adding a snow man on the side, a couple trees, and some snow flakes falling from the sky. By the time he was done, Cell and Frost couldn't help but stare in awe. "There. That should work." Zamasu said, gently pushing it towards the bug boy. "Zamasu, that looks amazing! They really look just like us!" Frost stated.

"Yeah, it looks awesome! And it'll look even better once I color it in!" Cell added with an eager smile. He snatched the markers and got to work, a focused and determined expression on his face as he got started. Normally, he wasn't so careful with his drawings. But he didn't want to ruin any of Zamasu's hard work by coloring outside the lines, so he tried really hard to not mess up. The Kai was actually surprised by how much effort the bug boy was putting into it. He still wasn't perfect with it - having bigger hands than most, that was to be expected - but Cell felt proud once he had finished up. "There! How does that look?" he asked. Everything seemed to be drawn accurately; white crayon was used to color the snow, and the pine trees were the right shade of green. He even got Frieza's pink coat colored in perfectly. "That looks great, Cell! Nice job!" Frost said. "Yes, it looks quite good. I think Frieza would be impressed." Zamasu said.

The bug boy blinked, not expecting the compliments before he chuckled. "Well of course! I'm the best at coloring! What else did you expect?" he said. Frost pulled the card closer to him and grabbed a black marker before thinking. "Now what should the message be? Hmm...." He thought it over a bit longer before he began to write at the top of the card. "Get well soon, Frieza. We're sorry you're sick. But we can't wait to play with you again!" Frost wrote. He carefully signed his name in the top corner, and Zamasu and Cell did the same. Once they were done they all looked down at their handiwork, staring at it long and hard for a few moments before simultaneously tilting their heads. "Hmm....am I the only one thinking it's missing something?" Cell asked.

"....oh! I know!" Frost stated. He whipped around and opened one of the art drawers, grabbing a glue stick and a small packet of glitter. He quickly looked back, popping the glue stick open and smearing some of it on the card, making Zamasu raised a brow. "Frost, what're you doing?" he asked. The blue ice-jin ignored him and opened the glitter packet next, sprinkling way too much on top of it. "Everything is better with glitter!"

He blew on the loose particles to see how much stuck - turns out, it actually did make the card look prettier. Especially since it was in a snow setting.

"Huh. That actually looks good." Cell admitted. Zamasu smiled and nodded. "I'm sure Frieza is going to like this....but we did end up making a bit of a mess." The three boys looked to the ground - where a good amount of glitter had fallen onto the floor underneath the desk. Frost winced. "Oops. Sorry, that's my bad." he said. "We should clean this up before recess is over. I'll get the broom." Zamasu said. He walked to the corner of the room, where the broom leaned against the wall, while Frost and Cell hurried to put away the art supplies they used. All three of them were eager to give their card to Frieza. Hopefully he would end up liking it.

* * * *

"Come now, Frieza. You need to open up." Berryblue insisted. She attempted to hold up the spoonful of medicine to Frieza's mouth, but the white ice-jin stubbornly kept his lips shut tight, turning his head away in numermous ways to avoid the icky substance. He could smell the foul grape scent from here, and it wasn't pleasant. It was a good frustrating minute before Berryblue pulled the spoon away with a huff. "Frieza, you'll never get better if you don't take your medicine. I understand you're not fond of the taste, but the sooner you take it, the sooner you can be done with it." the older woman stated. The boy merely pouted, not even looking in his nanny's direction. "I don't care! It tastes disgusting, and I don't want it! Can't I take something else?" he demanded. "I'm afraid not. This is the best medicine for you to have, young one." Berryblue insisted.

"Then you might as well leave, because I won't take it!" Frieza declared. The older woman merely shook her head, clicking her tongue with sad amusement. She wasn't surprised Frieza was in a grouchy mood. He often was whenever he got sick like this. But she also knew the real reason why he was being extra stubborn about this. "Frieza, don't you want to get better? After all, the sooner you get better, the sooner you can go back to school. And this medicine will help with that." she said with a gentle smile. That got the boy's attention, slowly looking back at his nanny with slight interest. He gave her a long, hard look before glaring at the spoonful of medicine. Then with an annoyed growl, he reluctantly opened his mouth. Berryblue took the chance to pop the spoon in his mouth, making sure Frieza swallowed the whole thing.

The moment he was done Frieza spat his tongue out in disgust. "Bleh! Nasty!" He stated, snatching the glass of orange juice on his nightstand and chugging it down, even if it hurt his throat to swallow anything. A satisfied smile formed on the older woman's lips, patting the top of his head. "There. Now that wasn't so bad, now was it?" she asked. But Frieza gave her a cold glare. "Yes it was! That's the second time I've had to take it today! And it hardly helps - I still feel tired, I can't breathe, I feel hot and cold, and I've done nothing but lay here and watch TV! While my friends got to go to school and are likely playing without me!" he whined. He leaned back on the pillow and whimpered, looking out his window unhappily. "It isn't fair...."

Berryblue frowned, looking at the boy with sympathy. She rarely ever saw Frieza so excited for anything in his life. He's been such an active and happy child ever since he started going to public school. She couldn't help but feel bad the poor boy was in this condition. "I'm sorry, dear. I know it's not fun being sick. But you'll get better soon. I promise. This isn't permanent." Berryblue insisted. That hardly gave Frieza any real reassurance, but he decided not to complain anymore. He felt too tired to keep whining, especially when it did him no good....

He blinked in surprise when hearing someone enter the room. Upon turning his head, he saw it was his father stepping inside with a wide smile. "Oh good, you're awake. Frieza, you should see this! Your friends just stopped by to deliver this - they made a little card for you!" he said. Frieza sat up, surprised by what he was hearing. "My friends were here....and they brought me a card?" he repeated. Cold nodded and stepped closer to the bed, holding out the card to the boy. The white ice-jin didn't hesitate to snatch it and look it over, his eyes widening a bit. It seemed to be a picture of the four boys playing in the snow, dressed up in their little winter outfits. Judging by the drawing itself, he guessed Zamasu had made it, but he had a feeling Cell was the one who did the actual coloring since some of it was out of the lines. At the top of the card was a sweet message, in Frost's hand writing, Frieza realized. And to top it all off, glitter was sparkled everywhere across it....perhaps a bit too much of it, but that didn't matter.

"They made this for me? How come?" Frieza asked. "It seems they heard you weren't feeling well, and wanted to make this card to cheer you up. Isn't that nice?" Cold asked with an adoring smile. "Indeed. You should thank them when you get back to school." Berryblue added. Frieza stared at the card a moment longer. After the terrible day he was having, he didn't think anything good would happen....but it was nice to see his friends cared. That they went through the trouble of making this for him. It seems they missed him just as much as he missed them....

An unexpected smile spread across his lips, tail slowly wagging behind him. "Yes....I'll have to thank them when I return to school." He stated, carefully placing the drawing on his nightstand as well. Perhaps this day wasn't entirely terrible after all.

Chapter Text

Mid-January weather was starting to settle into the area. Most of the time, harsh rain would pelt down the ground, but sometimes there would also be hail or even some light snow - though nothing like the snow storm they had back in December.

The day was starting off like any other, kids trying to rush to class as quickly as they could. However two particular boys were taking a moment to stray away to the library first, thinking they just had enough time to do so. "I don't understand. How come we had to get here? The library doesn't even open until later." Frost asked Zamasu as they walked towards the library entrance. The librarian usually didn't have to come in until the afternoon, around recess time. Sure enough, when the toy boys had reached the library entrance, it was locked up. However that didn't stop Zamasu from digging into his bag and pull out a book. "Because my book is due to be returned today. I wanted to get it into the book drop before I go home today." the Kai explained. While the library was technically closed, there was a little slot for children to slip in their books in case the librarian wasn't here.

And that's exactly what Zamasu did, slipping his book into the book drop before zipping up his backpack. "Okay okay, now let's hurry! The bell is gonna ring any moment!" Frost stated. The Kai nodded, and the two boys rushed back down from where they came from. Their little feet hurried down the hallway, and made a sharp left turn at the upcoming corner - unfortuneately, Frost ended up smacking face first into another kid, causing both of them to fall on their butts with a hard thud. "OW!" Frost yelped, rubbing his sore head, where he accidentally headbutted the other kid. Zamasu immediately went to his friend's side, helping him stand back up. "Oh no. Frost, are you okay?" he asked. The blue ice-jin blinked a couple times, softly shaking his head to help clear his head before he nodded. "Yeah. I think so-"

"OW!! What the heck?!" Both boys looked to the kid Frost had ran into - turns out it was Vegeta he had bumped into. The little Saiyan was rubbing his own forehead, growling lowly to himself. "Uh oh! Vegeta, are you alright?! I'm so sorry!" Frost immediately said. He approached the Saiyan and offered a hand to help him up. "Are you okay-" He yelped however when his hand was harshly smacked away. Vegeta growled as he stood up, glaring at the blue ice-jin harshly. "What was that for, you idiot?! Didn't you see me walking here?! Watch where you're going!" he snapped. Frost winced, immediately feeling guilty. He didn't mean to hurt his classmate, he just didn't want to miss the bell. "I-I'm sorry! It was an accident-"

"I don't care! Don't let it happen again!" Vegeta stated. He shoved Frost away, causing the blue ice-jin to fall right back onto the floor. Frost whimpered from the action, looking afraid even as Zamasu tried to help him back up. Once Frost was standing again, Zamasu narrowed his eyes at the Saiyan. "Hey, he didn't mean to bump into you! It was an honest mistake! You don't have to be so mean to him!" he stated. "Hmph. Just stay outta this, punk!" Vegeta growled. The Kai wasn't as easily intimidated however, boldly approaching the Saiyan. "There's no need to get so angry. We didn't mean to upset you. Can't you accept Frost's apology and-"

"Just shut up already!" Zamasu gave a startled gasp as he was grabbed by the collar of his robe, and then shoved harshly against the wall. The unexpected action caused him to drop his backpack, prompting Vegeta to look at it curiously. He thought for a few seconds before he smirked and snatched the backpack with his tail. "Heh, what do you have in here?" he said. Zamasu looked appalled as the other boy started to open the bag and dig through inside without any sort of permission. "Hey! Don't touch that! That's not yours!" he stated. Zamasu tried to reach out for the bag, just Vegeta stepped away just in time, giving a small chuckle. "Books, supplies, more books - geez, can you be anymore *boring*? No wonder Kai are such nerds!" he said. Without warning, he turned the backpack upside down and spilled everything out of the bag, causing all of Zamasu's possessions to fall onto the floor.

"Vegeta! Stop that!" Zamasu demanded. Frost could only watch in shock, surprised anyone would ever be that mean to another person, especially someone like Zamasu. He was always a very nice and polite boy! He never caused Vegeta any trouble! But the Saiyan didn't seem satisfied until he tossed the bag far down the hallway and laughed. "Hahaha! Have fun picking up that mess, nerds!" he stated before walking away, likely hurrying to class.

Zamasu frowned at the mess before him, kneeling down and trying to collect everything into a neater pile. Frost went to where Vegeta had tossed Zamasu's backpack, promptly picking it up and bringing it back to the Kai. "It's alright. Here, I'll help." he said, slipping a couple books into the backpack. The Kai couldn't smile, but he did at least nod in acknowledgement. "Thank you...." he murmured. Both boys hurried as quickly as they could to get everything back into the bag. By the time they were done though, the bell had rung, making them late for class. They ran as quickly as their little legs could carry them to the classroom. When they had made it and stepped inside, everyone paused to look at them curiously.

"Frost? Zamasu? There you are - you both realize you're late, don't you?" Mr. Whis asked. The two boys frowned but nodded, hands behind their backs. "We apologize, Mr. Whis. We didn't mean to be late. We just....got caught up in something." Zamasu explained. The angel raised a brow, crossing his arms. "Oh? And what would that be?" he asked. The Kai opened his mouth, about to explain exactly what happened, but he felt Frost nudge him slightly. Zamasu gave him a puzzled look before Frost gestured to the front desk row with his tail.

Zamasu subtley looked past him....seeing Vegeta glaring right at them. His arms were crossed firmly, and he held a stern scowl on his face, tail slowly swaying behind him. It was clearly a look that told them not to tattle, or they'd likely regret it.

It genuinely had both boys intimidated, exchanging nervous expressions. "Well? What happened?" Mr. Whis repeated. Zamasu hesitated to speak. It didn't seem like he could really tell the truth, but....he wasn't used to lying. He was always told not to. But what else could he do right now? "We um....w-we just had to use the restroom real quick. And we took a bit too long. That's all." Frost quickly spoke up. Zamasu meekly nodded in agreement. Frieza and Cell, who were listening from the back row of the desks, looked at each other a bit puzzled. That sounded like a strange excuse, but not unlikely. Maybe they did just need to use the restroom. Even so, neither of them had been late to class before because of it....

"Hm, I see. Well please try to do better to be on time. If you're late too many times, I'll have to take away your recess. Do you understand?" Mr. Whis asked. Frost and Zamasu looked down at the ground guiltily, but nodded. "Yes, sir." With sad frowns on their faces, the two boys hurried to their seats, feeling rather lousy the rest of the morning, even if they had done nothing wrong....

* * * *

Thankfully, things started to improve as the day progressed. The children were able to continue their lessons with little issue, enjoying the math skills Mr. Whis was teaching them, and reading from their current class book "Charlotte's Web". Before they knew it, it was time for lunch! And today's lunch was especially delicious - it was chicken nugget and fry day! It was a unanimous favorite among the entire school, the only better option being pizza day. Though if the children wanted the chance to get it, they had to get in line pretty early before they ran out.

Luckily, their classroom was fairly close to the cafeteria, so that was rarely ever a concern. Frieza and Cell had sprinted to the front of the line, immediately getting their lunches first. By the time they went to sit down, Zamasu and Frost were in line next, behind a small handful of other kids. Though within moments, the big bear man Botamo gave them each their tray of yummy chicken nuggets and fries, as well as some apple slices on the side. Both boys hummed and licked their lips as the delicious aroma hit their noses, causing their stomaches to rumble. "Man, I love chicken nugget day! These always taste so good!" Frost stated, wagging his tail excitedly. Zamasu nodded, plucking a single fry from his mouth and popping it into his mouth. "Yes, they are. Certainly better than those ham and cheese sandwiches they were offering." he stated.

The duo were walking towards the usual table they sat at with Frieza and Cell, at the other end of the room - however they both had to pause when someone stepped in front of them. "Heh, well look at this. You two nerds still hanging around?" Vegeta said. Frost and Zamasu paused, looking at the Saiyan puzzled. What did he want now? They hadn't spoken to him since this morning. He wasn't still mad, was he? He didn't exactly look mad....but the wicked smirk on his face didn't exactly make them feel at ease either. "Vegeta? What is it? Aren't you going to get lunch?" Frost asked, noticing the Saiyan wasn't carrying his own tray. Vegeta hummed, as if thinking on the matter before he nodded. "You know what, I think I will get lunch-"

He reached out and snatched Frost's tray from his hands, causing the blue ice-jin to gasp. "Thanks for the offer, idiot!" Vegeta laughed.

"Hey! That's my lunch! You can't eat that!" Frost whined. Vegeta chuckled, plucking a chicken nugget and eating it without remorse. "Huh, it's funny. Because here I am, eating it anyway." he said. The blue ice-jin growled, marching forward to try and take it back, but Vegeta merely side stepped and stuck his foot out. Frost yelped as he tripped over it and fell face first onto the floor. Zamasu's eyes widened in surprise before he glared at Vegeta. "Hey! Don't do that! Give him back his lunch!" he snapped. He marched forward himself, trying to use an arm to reach for it - Vegeta just took the chance to knock Zamasu's tray out of his hand, causing all his food to fall onto the floor. The Kai gasped, angry swiftly melting into despair. "My lunch!" he exclaimed. The Saiyan merely shrugged.

"Oops. Sorry, not sorry." he stated dismissively. Frost picked himself off the floor, stomping his foot in frustration. "You can't do that! You're being mean! I'm gonna tell Mr. Whis-"

"Oh no you're not," Frost let out a startled squeak when Vegeta grasped the collar of his hoodie and pulled him closer, growling right into his face, "what do you think you are, a tattletale?! Neither of you get to tell on me! If you do, I'll make sure you both regre it! You got it?!" he snapped. He shoved Frost back towards Zamasu, who managed to catch him before he could fall. Both boys could only watch in stunned silence as Vegeta walked away with Frost's lunch, continuing to eat from it without a care in the world. Once he was out of ear shot, they both looked to each other. "What's going on with him? Why is he suddenly being so mean to us? Was it because of this morning?" Frost asked. Zamasu frowned, shaking his head. "No, I don't think so....although I'm not sure why he keeps trying to cause trouble." he admitted. Sure, Vegeta was never exactly their friend, or even a nice kid really. But he's never picked on them like this before. It was a little out of character for him. He seemed to be doing it for no good reason.

"We should probably tell Mr. Whis...." Zamasu said, but Frost quickly shook his head. "No no, we can't! You heard Vegeta! If we tell on him, he'll get really mad! This could get worse....he might even hurt us." the blue ice-jin said timidly. The Kai didn't like the sound of that. He definitely didn't want this to get worse. He felt ashamed to admit he was actually a little afraid of Vegeta, especially with how he so easily shoved him against the wall earlier this morning. It was kinda scary to think what would happen if he actually tried to hurt them on purpose....

"....*sigh* I guess there isn't much we can do about it then." Zamasu said solemnly. Frost frowned, his shoulders and tail drooping. His frown only deepened when his stomach growled. "I wish he hadn't taken my lunch...." he murmured. The Kai placed a hand on his friend's shoulder and started to lead him back towards the lunch line. "Come on. I'm sure Botamo still has some sandwiches left." he said, but that only made Frost whine unhappily. So much for enjoying chicken nugget day....

* * * *

From there, their mood didn't exactly improve much. Though at least Vegeta didn't bother them for the rest of class, and could resume their studies. They even had time to finish their homework early, so they wouldn't have to do it at home. That helped make things better as the final bell rang, and the four boys walked out of the school together to wait for their parents. "Say, we all finished our homework, didn't we? Shall I ask my father if you can all come visit my house for the evening? I just got a new video game that I think we'll enjoy." Frieza stated. Cell smiled, nodding eagerly. "Oh heck yeah! That'd be awesome!" he stated. Zamasu nodded in agreement. "Indeed. Though we should all probably ask our parents before we do." he said. Frieza nodded.

"Good idea. Cell and I will keep an eye out for the adults then. Come Cell, let's go." The white ice-jin led the bug boy closer towards the sidewalk, waiting and watching eagerly for their parents to arrive. Frost and Zamasu were going to join them - but they both paused when they each felt a hand on their shoulders. "There you are. I was looking for you nerds." Vegeta said. Both boys flinched and whirled around, earning an amused chuckle from the Saiyan. "Geez, Vegeta, what do you want now? Can't you just leave us alone? We're about to go home!" Frost whined. "Relax. I won't be long - I just need you both to give me your homework." Vegeta stated. Both boy's eyes widened in shock. He wasn't serious, was he? "What?! Why in the world do you want our homework?!" Zamasu demanded.

"Isn't it obvious? So I don't have to do mine. You two already finished yours, right? So all I have to do is change my name on the top, and I'm done." Vegeta stated. "But that's not fair! That'd be cheating!" Frost stated. "Yes, and besides, don't you only need one of us to give up our homework then?" Zamasu added. That counter only earned a low growl, causing both boys to flinch. "That's your problem, not mine. Now hand it over, now! Both of you....unless you want me to make you." The blue ice-jin and the Kai frowned, exchanging uncertain expressions. But another growl from the Saiyan caused them to reluctantly open their backpacks and hand over their homework. Vegeta smirked in satisfaction, briefly looking over the papers before shoving them into his own bag. "There. That wasn't so hard was it? Thanks for the help, nerds."

With a dark chuckle, Vegeta walked away from the duo, leaving them both miserable and unhappy. It took the rest of their class time to finish that homework! Now they'd have to start over at home, all by themselves. It wasn't fair at all....

"Ah, there you two are," both boys looked back towards the sidewalk, seeing King Cold approach them, Frieza and Cell right beside him, "Frieza has just asked if you two could come over for dinner this evening. If you would like, you're more than welcome to join us." he insisted. Frost and Zamasu frowned, looking at one another before they sighed. "Uh, thank you for the offer, Mr. Cold. But, Frost and I still have homework to do....we won't be able to come over today. We're sorry." Zamasu explained. Cell blinked, looking at his friend puzzled. "What? But I thought you guys already finished your homework." he stated. Frost hesitated before he shook his head. "Well, we started it, but it was kinda hard....we weren't able to finish it yet. So we'll have to finish it at home." he explained. Frieza didn't look satisfied, narrowing his eyes. That was a bit strange. They both always managed to finish their homework early with little issue. He thought for sure he saw them finish today's assignment himself. But he suppose it could be true that they were just struggling with a difficult assignment.

"I see. Well, that's alright. Perhaps we can play tomorrow then." Frieza replied. Frost and Zamasu nodded, waving goodbye as their other two friend's joined Frieza's father into the limo and started the drive home. The moment they were gone Frost couldn't help whining miserably. "This really stinks....how much longer is Vegeta going to pick on us?" he asked. Zamasu sighed. "I'm not sure. It can't be forever though. Eventually he'll have to get bored and leave us alone. I'm sure of it." he said. However despite his own words, he had a bad feeling that wasn't the case. In fact, he suspected Vegeta would likely pick on them tomorrow too....

Chapter Text

Unfortunately, Vegeta's bullying hadn't ceased. Over the past few days, the Saiyan continued to pick on Frost and Zamasu. He kept interfering with them in the hallways, teasing them on the playground, stealing their lunches and homework. It's made things rather miserable for the two boys, who could never seem to get a moment to actually relax. They attempted to stay by Frieza and Cell to avoid being singled out, but that could only work for so long. And while they tried to keep the whole ordeal a secret, their change in behavior didn't go unnoticed.

During another morning, Frieza and Cell were watching the classroom door like a hawk, waiting for Zamasu and Frost to come inside. The beginning bell was about to ring again, and they were gonna be late for the fifth time in a row. It was so strange for them to be late at such a consistent pass of time. Once in awhile, sure, they could believe it. But the fact that they had been late *every* morning for the past four days was beyond them. Especially when it came to Zamasu, who truly took punctuality seriously. "Hmm....Cell? You saw Frost and Zamasu this morning, didn't you? They aren't absent?" Frieza asked his friend. The bug boy nodded. "Yeah. I saw them both get dropped off by their parents this morning. I'm not sure why they're taking so long....maybe they just needed to use the bathroom?" he said. "I suppose...." Frieza murmured, though he wasn't convinced that was the reason.

Eventually someone did step into the classroom - to everyone's surprise, it was Vegeta. He was wearing a satisfied grin as he strolled to his desk and sat down. "Vegeta? Did you see Frost and Zamasu today? Are they coming?" Mr. Whis asked. The Saiyan blinked before he shrugged. "I dunno. I think they were just getting a drink at the water fountain." he replied dismissively. Within a few moments, the class bell rang....and about five minutes later, Frost and Zamasu entered the classroom. Though their shirts were wet and damp, clinging to their small, shivering forms. It made Mr. Whis pause and look at them surprised. "Oh my goodness! What in the world happened to you two?" he asked. Both boys frowned, exchanged guilty looks, then looked back at their teacher. "Uh....t-the water fountain was acting weird. And it splashed our shirts." Frost replied. "And it got both of you?" the angel asked. The two boys hesitated before giving a small nod.

Mr. Whis looked anything but convinced, though he gave a small sigh. "Very well. I have extra shirts if you wish to borrow them for the day. You can go to the restroom and change. But when you come back, we'll need to talk." he said. That did nothing to make the boys feel better, but they nodded solemnly as Mr. Whis dug under his desk and pulled out a small box of t-shirts. Each of them were handed a new shirt before they were sent off to the restroom to change. Frieza and Cell watched the whole ordeal, only becoming more puzzled. What in the world was going on with those two...?

* * * *

It was unsurprising Frost and Zamasu were shortly confronted when lunch time came around.

"What is going on with you two lately?" Frieza asked the moment the two boys sat at their usual lunch table. "Yeah, seriously. You two have been acting weird all week; you keep being late for class, you've been turning in your homework late, and you keep getting the weird lunches - like, why would you choose pb&j on pizza day?!" Cell stated, gesturing to their sad trays of sandwiches. Frost frowned, crossing his arms. "What's wrong with our sandwiches? They taste just fine!" he stated defensively, picking it up and taking a bite out of it. "There's nothing *wrong* with it, you've just never gotten it before." Frieza stated. Zamasu was surprisingly quiet, keeping his eyes down at his tray. He seemed hesitant to even look at his other friends. It made Cell frown as he gave him a concerned look. "Seriously. What's going on? If something's wrong, you can tell us." he insisted. Zamasu and Frost paused from eating for a moment, exchanging looks. It was tempting to come clean here and now, but Vegeta's threat still lingered on their minds. He didn't exactly seem like the kind of kid to bluff....

"....there's nothing wrong." Zamasu stated firmly. Neither Frieza or Cell looked convinced, staring their friend down for a further explanation. But he didn't say a single word, and instead finished the remainder of his lunch. Frost had quickly finished as well, feeling too uneasy to stay at the table for much longer. They moment both boys were done they stood up, picking up their empty trays. "We'll meet you guys out on the playground. You can decide what game we play." Zamasu said. The duo didn't wait for a reply as they walked away, eager to escape from further interrogation. Frieza couldn't help frowning as their friends left, narrowing his eyes. "What is going on with those two? Why won't they tell us the truth?" he growled. He couldn't help being a bit irritated to being lied to. They usually told each other everything, didn't they? What reason could they have for keeping whatever this was a secret?

"I'm not sure...." Cell said. Though he had noticed how nervous Zamasu and Frost seemed....intimidated even. Were they scared of them? He couldn't understand why they would be. "Did they seem nervous to you?" the bug boy asked. The white ice-jin paused, briefly thinking back to the moment before he hummed. "I suppose. Are you implying they were scared of us?" he asked. Cell shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck. "I dunno. Maybe. I'm not sure why they'd be scared of us though." he said. Frieza placed a hand on his chin, thinking back over their behavior in his head....a sudden realization made him raise a brow. "....perhaps we're not the ones they're scared of." he said. Cell gave a puzzled expression, only further confused, but Frieza quickly explained. "Think about it - whenever they come into the classroom in the mornings, Vegeta is the one who comes in right before them."

The bug boy blinked as he thought that idea over. He was right....every morning, without mistake, Vegeta would come in right before the bell rang, then Frost and Zamasu would come in. "Huh. I guess that's true. Do you think he's making them late somehow...?" Cell asked. Frieza nodded. "Possibly. And you've seen him turn in his homework when Mr. Whis collects it. Usually he almost never has it done on time...."

"But for the whole week, he's had it out and ready. While Frost and Zamasu haven't...." Cell slowly began to understand what his friend was implying, but it sounded unbelievable. "But that's crazy! Would Vegeta really....steal their homework? Why would he do that?" he asked. "I don't know. But I think we should try to talk to Frost and Zamasu more once we're finished eating." Frieza stated firmly, quickly biting into his pizza. Cell nodded, and returned to eating his own meal. Though now neither of the boys were too hungry anymore....they couldn't help feeling worried for their friends and what might be happening.

* * * *

Both Frost and Zamasu were able to get out into the playground pretty early, so it was still fairly empty. They took the chance to climb to the top of the playground set, sitting upon one of the higher platforms. There was a slide on one side, and a climbing wall on the other, otherwise it was just a place for them to relax. It was an ideal hiding spot until Frieza and Cell came out. Though what were they hiding from? Neither of them wanted to admit it....but they just wanted to stay out of Vegeta's sight until it was class time again.

"You think Frieza and Cell will be out soon?" Frost asked. Zamasu hesitated before peeking over his shoulder, looking at the cafeteria entrance, though he still saw no sign of their friends. "I'm sure they'll be out real soon. Don't worry." the Kai insisted as he resettled himself. The blue ice-jin frowned, hugging his knees before he gave a sigh. "I hope Vegeta will let us keep our homework today....I still have a couple other worksheets to do, and I don't want Mr. Whis to take away recess time." he said. Zamasu gave his own sigh, pushing some of his hair out of his face. "Yes. I don't like having multiple missing assignments. If Gowasu were to find out, I'm sure he wouldn't be pleased." he replied. His eyes narrowed unhappily at that thought, frown deepening. This wasn't getting any better....Vegeta hasn't left them alone in days. He hoped the situation would defuse on it's own eventually, but it was only getting worse. If anything, the Saiyan just seemed encouraged to do whatever he pleased. They couldn't keep letting him do this, could they?

"....I think it's time that we told an adult what's going on." Zamasu stated. Frost perked up, eyes widening before he shook his head. "What?! No, we can't! Remember what Vegeta said? If we tell on him, he'd make us regret it!" he said. "But isn't he already doing that? He's making us late for class, taking our lunches, taking our homework - if we don't say anything, he won't stop!" the Kai replied, speaking firmly. The blue ice-jin looked nervous with this idea, pulling his hoodie closer to himself. But he knew his friend was right....Vegeta wasn't going to stop. And Frieza and Cell were already having suspicions. It wouldn't be long till they found out on their own anyway. Maybe it would be better to tell an adult and just stop this. "*sigh* Maybe you're right....maybe we should tell Mr. Whis-"

"I don't think so!" Both boys gasped and whipped their heads towards the stairs - terrified to see Vegeta marching up towards them. "Are you seriously talking about telling on me behind my back?!" he snapped. Frost scrambled to his feet and stepped back, nervously tugging at the strings on his hoodie. "V-Vegeta, we....we didn't...." He tried to stutter out a response, but Zamasu quickly spoke up as he stood up too. "Yes, we were! Because we're tired of you bullying us, Vegeta! You have been so cruel and harsh towards us, and for no reason! We don't want to pick any fights, and yet you are anyway! So yes, we're going to tell Mr. Whis, because we won't be picked on anymore!" he stated firmly. Frost briefly looked at his friend surprised, not expecting the sudden confidence. It even encouraged him to give a low growl to the Saiyan boy. "Yeah! That's right! You can't be mean to us anymore!" he snapped.

Vegeta's eyes widened, genuinely taken aback by the bold comeback before anger settled in and made him growl. "Why you little brat - don't you dare snap at me like that!" Without warning, he marched forward and reached out, grasping onto the sleeve of Frost's hoodie. Frost's face turned pale, and he yelped as he was roughly pulled closer. "I told you I'd make you regret it if you tried to tell on me! Did you think I was kidding?!" Vegeta growled. The blue ice-jin whimpered as he tried to pull away. Thankfully Zamasu grabbed Vegeta's wrist and pried his grip off Frost's sleeve. "Leave him alone!" he demanded. The Saiyan shot a glare at the Kai. "Don't touch me!" he snapped. He managed to shove Zamasu away from him, causing the Kai to stumble backwards - they both realized too late that he was falling off the platform, over the climbing wall side.

In a blind panic, Zamasu tried to reach out for one of the bars, but he barely missed it and fell towards the ground. For an intense few seconds, the Kai felt nothing but air beneath him as his heart raced....then he landed harshly onto his left arm, pain immediately shooting up the limb. Zamasu's cry of pain caught the attention of the few children who were outside. "Zamasu!" Frost exclaimed.

The blue ice-jin slid down the slide as fast as he could and hurried to his friend's side, who was struggling to sit up. "Are you okay?! Does it hurt?!" he asked as he knelt beside him. Zamasu whimpered as he rubbed his sore arm. It didn't feel like he broke anything (thankfully the fall was not that far), but there was pain going all the way up to his shoulder. It was enough for a few tears to stream down his cheeks, biting his lip to keep from crying. Frost frowned, the sight only making him more concerned. "W-We should get you to the nurse's office...."

"Oh please, he's fine," Vegeta stated as he jumped down from the climbing wall side, "he's just being a baby!" Frost growled at the Saiyan, fed up with his behavior. "No he's not! He's hurt - *you* hurt him! How could you do that?!" he snapped. "It's not my fault! He did that himself!" the Saiyan countered defensively. But Frost shook his head. "No, you pushed him! And you hurt him! I don't care what you say anymore, I'm telling Mr. Whis!" he stated. That turned out to be the wrong thing to say - almost instantly Vegeta gave him a fierce glare, like a bull seeing red. The blue ice-jin winced upon seeing this. He had no time to react as the Saiyan suddenly charged forward and grabbed the collar of his hoodie. Zamasu perked up at the sight, and stood up. "Vegeta, stop it - gghh!" The Kai was merely shoved away the moment he tried getting closer, reigniting the pain in his arm. Frost squirmed and tried to pull out of Vegeta's grip, but the Saiyan refused to release him. "Let me go! Let me go!" he exclaimed.

"Not until you say you won't tell on me!" Vegeta stated. Frost growled. "I *am* telling on you!" he declared. Vegeta looked fed up himself. He raised a hand a closed it into a fist, causing Frost's eyes to widen before he squeezed them shut, bracing himself for an oncoming punch-

But a different fist went flying instead - and hit Vegeta square in the face. The Saiyan yelped and took several steps away, releasing Frost to rub his own cheek. Frost fell right onto his butt, stunned by what just happened. It took him a few seconds to snap out of his shocked state before he looked to see who saved him....surprised to see it was Cell who had stepped in, glaring fiercely at Vegeta. "Hey! Why don't you pick on someone your own size?!" he snapped. Vegeta gave his head a small shake before he growled, tail flickering behind him. While the two stared each other down, Frieza knelt down beside Frost and Zamasu, concern clear as day on his expression. "Are you two alright? What happened?" he asked. Frost was still a bit speechless, his little heart racing rapidly. He could barely stutter out a response. "V-V-Vegeta....h-he...." Unable to speak, he gestured to Zamasu, who still held his arm and shoulder with agony.

Frieza looked to Kai, carefully feeling his arm, his frown deepening seeing Zamasu whimper in pain. Anger bubbled within him as he looked to Vegeta and snarled. "What is the matter with you?! Why would you try to hurt them?! They didn't do anything wrong!" he snapped. More kids started to gather around the increasingly tense scene, curious to see what was happening. "Just stay out of this, you brat! This is between us!" Vegeta stated. "Nuh-uh! We're not leaving you alone to hurt them again! Just go away!" Cell demanded. However Vegeta refused to listen, clenching his fists tightly. "Get outta my way, before I make you!" he stated. The bug boy refused to move, narrowing his eyes sharply. "Then make me."

Vegeta looked ready to do just that, taking a few angry steps forward - though everyone froze up on hearing a stern voice.

"Hey! What's with all the ruckus out here?!" Mr. Beerus demanded, marching towards the children with his hands on his hips. The small crowd of kids started to back away to allow the principal to step forward, causing both Cell and Vegeta to back away from each other. Beerus looked between both sides, seeing both the hurt Zamasu as well as the bruise forming on Vegeta's cheek. "Just what is going on here?! Is this some kind of fight?" he asked, narrowing his eyes. Cell quickly shook his head. "No, sir! We didn't want to fight - but Vegeta started it!" he stated. The Saiyan growled. "Me?! You're the one who punched me!" he countered. "Only because you were about to punch Frost!" the bug boy countered back. "It was his fault, he shouldn't have gotten into my face!" Vegeta stated. "He wasn't 'getting in your face', he was angry! You shoved Zamasu off the playground set!" Frieza stated. Vegeta only seemed to become more defensive with these accusations. "Well that was his fault too! He shouldn't have-"

"ENOUGH! All of you!" Mr. Beerus growled. All five boys flinched, immediately keeping their mouths shut. There was a tense moment of silence as the purple sphynx contemplated what to do. Eventually he let out a sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Frieza, take Zamasu to the nurse's office. The rest of you - my office. Now."

* * * *

Vegeta, Cell, and Frost all quietly followed their principal into his office, sitting in separate chairs. They all waited until Frieza and Zamasu came back from the nurse's office. It wasn't too long until they both came back - thankfully Zamasu's arm wasn't broken or even sprained. It would just be sore for a good while. Mr. Whis soon joined them as well, standing beside the principal. Once all five boys were properly seated and accounted for, Beerus finally spoke up.

"Alright, who's going to tell me what happened?" he asked, crossing his arms. All of the boys hesitated to speak. No one wanted to say anything to set off the principal - he was rather scary when he got angry. But someone had to say something eventually, right? And soon, the silence was broken when Frieza spoke up. "Well, Cell and I had just left the cafeteria. We saw Frost, Zamasu, and Vegeta at the top of the playset. We couldn't hear what they were talking about, but Vegeta seemed angry....eventually, he pushed Zamasu off the playset and got him hurt-"

"He's lying! It was an accident! Zamasu fell off himself!" Vegeta stated. Cell shot a glare at him. "No he didn't! You pushed him! We all saw you!" he replied firmly. The Saiyan boy growled. "No I didn't-"

"Boys!" Mr. Whis said in a stern tone. Both boys winced before they huffed and looked away from one another. Once the angel was sure they'd stay quiet, he looked back at Frieza. "Go ahead, Frieza. You were saying?" he said calmly. The white ice-jin cleared his throat. "Yes - as I said, Vegeta pushed him off. Frost went to see if he was okay, before he shouted at Vegeta. He said something about "telling on him". Then Vegeta got mad, and grabbed him. He looked like he was about to hit Frost, but-"

"But then Cell punched me right in the face!" Vegeta exclaimed, pointing right to his cheek. The adults exchanged looks before looking to the bug boy, who winced. "Cell, is this true? Did you hit Vegeta?" Mr. Beerus asked. Guilt briefly went across Cell's expression, but he nodded nonetheless. "Y-Yeah, uh....I didn't mean to. But he had hurt Zamasu, and was about to hurt Frost! I got so angry - I was just trying to stop him! But I know I shouldn't have hit him....and I'm sorry I did." he admitted. Zamasu and Frost frowned, guilt twisting in their own guts. They hadn't meant to get Frieza and Cell in trouble....they didn't expect any of this to happen! "B-But don't be mad at Cell," Frost quickly spoke up, "he was just trying to help! He didn't mean to hurt Vegeta!" he stated. Mr. Beerus hummed, leaning back in his chair. "But Vegeta did mean to hurt you two...?"

"No, I didn't." Vegeta growled. Zamasu glared at him. "Yes, you did! You said you'd make us regret telling on you!" he stated. Mr. Whis raised a brow, looking to the Kai intently. "Oh? Tell on him about what-"

"Nothing!" the Saiyan hissed. But Frost shook his head. "Not nothing - the truth is, Vegeta has been picking on us! He's been spilling our stuff onto the floor, he splashed us with sink water, he took our lunches, and he took our homework! That's why we've been late every morning! And that's why we keep missing our assignments-"

"Just SHUT UP!!" Vegeta snarled. Both Frost and Zamasu winced, instinctively flinching away. Unfortunately seeing such behavior did nothing to make Vegeta look good. In fact, it only made both the adults that much more concerned. "Vegeta, is all this true? Have you been bullying Frost and Zamasu?" Mr. Whis asked. The Saiyan growled, crossing his arms and shaking his head. "No I'm not! They're lying!" he stated. "Oh really? If that's true, then why were you angry with them on the playground?" Mr. Beerus countered. Vegeta only became more flustered as he was cornered, turning his head away. "I-I don't know, okay! I just was!" he stated. The angel sighed, resting his hands behind his back. "Vegeta, aren't you aware that bullying is unacceptable? It's never okay to mistreat others like this, no matter what the reason. And it's certainly *never* acceptable to cause them harm." he said.

Vegeta for once had nothing to say, refusing to look at anyone. Mr. Beerus sighed before looking to Frost and Zamasu. "And as for you two, you don't have to hide these things from us. If someone is ever picking on you, or causing you trouble, you can always come to an adult for help. That can include me, or your teacher, or even your parents." he explained. Both boys perked up, unable to help looking at their principal surprised. "Really? You mean we wouldn't have....gotten in trouble?" Zamasu asked. "Of course not. Not if you weren't trying to cause any trouble - you weren't trying to anger Vegeta on purpose, right?" Mr. Beerus asked. Both boys shook their heads. "N-No, not at all....all I did was accidentally bump into him. I apologized, and tried to leave him alone, but then he started picking on us...."

"Now Vegeta, where is this anger coming from? Why did you decide to bully Frost and Zamasu?" Mr. Whis asked. The Saiyan still didn't want to speak, growling lowly to himself. "Why does it matter?! No one cares about me! I know you two don't! And neither does my dad....or my mom...." His voice trailed off into a solemn tone, looking down at the ground sadly. Whis and Beerus silently shared looks, suddenly having an idea where this anger was coming from. They had heard a rumor that Vegeta's parents were separating....perhaps it was affecting the boy more than they realized.

"I see....*sigh* well, I believe this matter needs to be further discussed with your parents," Mr. Beerus explained, "Vegeta, we'll be calling you're parents to tell them what happened and discuss what will be done. We may need to think about a temporary suspension. Okay?" The Saiyan didn't look happy in the slightest, but nodded. "And Cell, we understand you were just trying to protect your friends. But you know violence in unacceptable. So I'm afraid we'll have to call your father as well, and you'll need to have two recesses taken away. Do you understand?" Mr. Whis explained, though the tone of his voice indicated he hated doing such a thing. Cell seemed to understand though, giving a small nod. "Yes, sir."

"Good. Now, from here on out, I don't want there to be anymore bullying or trouble. If I find out someone is trying to hurt another student, they're getting suspended on the spot - or even expelled. Are we clear?" Mr. Beerus asked. Frieza and the others nodded. Vegeta just looked away in a huff. "Alright. Frieza, take the other boys back to class. Vegeta, you will stay here while we contact your father." Mr. Whis said. The white ice-jin nodded, hopping off his seat and leading the other boys out of the principal's office. None of them had the courage to make eye contact with Vegeta as they walked past him. The moment the office door was closed behind them, all four of them sighed. "Geez, that was kinda scary...." Cell admitted. "Yes, but at least it's over now." Frieza said. Zamasu frowned, looking at the bug boy apologetically. "I'm sorry you got in trouble, Cell. We didn't mean for this to happen...."

"Oh, it's alright. It's just a couple recesses. That's not too bad." Cell replied with a shrug. Frieza nodded in agreement. "Yes, in fact we really wish you had told us sooner. We could've stopped this whole mess before it got worse." he insisted. Frost looked down to the floor in shame, hands behind his back. "We wanted to....but were scared how Vegeta would react. You saw how he was on the playground-"

"Which is why next time, if something like this happens," Frieza began to say, "we tell Mr. Whis right away. And he won't hurt you." he stated. Cell nodded. "Yeah. Besides, you two should know by now - we've got your backs! We won't let anyone hurt you! And we're always happy to help!" he stated with a smile. Frost and Zamasu perked up, unable to help looking at their friends shocked. Though soon appreciative smiles spread across their faces. "Thank you, both of you....that means a lot to us. We really apologize for not saying anything sooner...." But Frieza shook his head. "Now that's enough. No more apologies - let's just head back to the classroom. I'm sure the rest of the class is doing a free drawing hour while Mr. Whis is busy." he said. Both boys nodded, and followed Cell and Frieza down the hallway towards their classroom.

What happened wasn't exactly pleasant, but now the boys knew better - they didn't have to keep every issue to themselves. There were times where it was okay to go to an adult.

Chapter Text

February had arrived, with it's most well known holiday shortly coming up - Valentine's Day! A day where couples celebrated their current romances in numerous ways, no matter how long they had been together. A holiday where people spend way too much money and partners are put on extreme peer pressure to do grand gestures, less they be seen as lazy and inconsiderate (commercialism and peer pressure has ruined this holiday lol). And a holiday where all the kids really care about is the chocolate they're going to get, whether it be from kids in school or from their parents.

"I love Valentine's Day," Frost stated excitedly, swinging up and down on the tire swing, "both my moms always look so happy during this day! They get all lovey and kissy, and stick together like glue! And they always like to treat me and Glazier with some sort of treat!" He explained. Cell raised a brow curiously as he leaned against the nearby tree, arms resting behind his neck, while Zamasu sat beside him reading his book. Normally the boys would be playing some sort of game, but today they felt a bit lazy, so they decided to simply relax by their favorite tree and chat about random things. This time the topic of this holiday had somehow come up. "I guess it's alright. But it really seems more like a holiday for gross adults and teenagers - but at least it makes Pops try to get into dating. He's getting really old, and is still alone." Cell stated.

"I don't really have any experience with this holiday. Gowasu doesn't have any romantic partners, so I've never really seen someone "in love" before. And I'm not sure how people could enjoy it, especially children." Zamasu replied, more so thinking out loud than talking. "Oh, you don't know?! In school, I heard kids choose someone to have as their "valentine", and get them some sort of gift! It can be flowers, or cards, or chocolate - anything, really!" Frost explained. Cell perked up, suddenly a bit interested. "Really? Huh....I wonder how many gifts I'll get then. I'm sure there's a lot of girls who like me." he said with a smirk. The Kai rolled his eyes with a chuckle, unsurprised by his friend's ego. "Me too! I mean, I've never celebrated Valentine's Day in school before, so I've never been picked as someone's Valentine. But I bet someone will pick me, right?" Frost said.

"What do adults do during this holiday?" Zamasu asked. Frost paused to think. "Well, my moms always go on dates together. And when they come home, they stay locked up in their room playing." he said. The Kai looked at the blue ice-jin curiously. "Playing? Playing what?" he asked. Frost shrugged. "No idea. They always have the door locked. I always assumed they were jumping on the bed, since I hear the springs of the bed all the time. Kinda annoying since they always tell me not to jump on *my* bed." he stated with a small pout

Frieza was listening to the whole conversation from his spot at the top of the tree, quietly growling in disgust. He never cared for this holiday; adults always acted stupidly, people seemed to spend WAY too much money, and most of all the whole concept seemed far too soft and "lovey dovey" for his tastes. He'd rather just skip the whole holiday altogether. "Do either of you have an idea who you'll ask to be your Valentine?" Frost asked Cell and Zamasu, pausing his swinging to look at them curiously. Both boys blinked, a bit surprised by the inquiry, both of them blushing a little bit. "Um well....maybe. But I'm not saying who until tomorrow." Cell stated. Zamasu nodded in agreement. "Yes, I shall do the same. I'd prefer to keep their identity a secret until I ask them for sure." he added. Frost nodded before curiously looking up at Frieza. The white ice-jin frowned, feeling his friend's gaze on him and dreading the question he knew he was gonna ask. "What about you, Frieza? Are you gonna ask anyone to be your Valentine-"

"No, I don't." Frieza stated flatly.

The other three boys looked at Frieza surprised as he turned over on his stomach, looking down at his friends. "I'm glad you three can seem to find something to look forward to for this irritating day. But to me, this whole holiday is a waste of time and money. Everyone would be better off if they just treated it like a normal day. Besides, I don't need anyone coming forward and claiming they're "in love" with me - it's vile and unwanted." he stated firmly. "Aww, really? Don't you at least like the free excuse to eat more chocolate?" Cell asked. Frieza huffed. "I prefer vanilla anyway." he said. He looked away to glance back up at the sky, his tail curling around the branch he laid on. Frost tilted his head, climbing up the rope of the tire swing until he reached Frieza's branch, casually hanging off it from his arms. "So, you don't want anyone asking you to be their Valentine...?"

"No."

"And you're not gonna ask anyone to be your Valentine either?"

"That's correct. I'm not interested." the white ice-jin said. Frost frowned a little, only feeling a tiny bit of disappointment. But honestly, he wasn't too surprised. Frieza never seemed like the "lovey" kind of person. And while obviously he knew Frieza cared about him, he often struggled to share open gestures of affections. So this sort of thing didn't exactly seem up his alley. "Well, that's alright. You don't have to like Valentine's Day. Glazier doesn't like it either. But we can still have fun tomorrow, and hang out like we always do!" Frost stated. Frieza looked to his friend - he couldn't help smiling a little at the friendly look on Frost's face. It was hard to stay in a bad mood whenever he was around him. Maybe tomorrow wouldn't be as insufferable as he first suspected. Even if anyone came up and annoyed him, he could just spend the day with his friends and pretend it never happened.

"I suppose you're right. I guess it won't be that bad then."

* * * *

And so, soon the day of love was upon them.

Just as Frost had said, it seemed children were already approaching each other before class even started and exchanging "loving" gifts. They varied from different candies to flowers - apparently ChiChi had even brought a HUGE chocolate heart for Goku. To Frieza's annoyance, he had discovered a few flowers lying on his desk, but rather than toss them out, he decided to just put them in a cup of water and sit by the classroom window. Mr. Whis had insisted no more gift exchanging to take place until either during lunch or during their little Valentine's Day party; apparently the teacher was nice enough to have brought cupcakes for the children to eat, as well as brought some silly cartoon movie for them to watch at the end of the day. But for the time being, lessons in class were rather normal.

Recess could not have come by fast enough. Frieza was eager to go outside and simply play for awhile, ignoring the "love" in the air. He managed to drag Zamasu and Cell with him, and would've brought Frost too, but the blue ice-jin was still finishing his lunch. Once the trio was outside, Frieza turned to the other two boys and raised a brow. "Well? Are you going to get it over with or not?" he asked. Both boys blinked, suddenly looking puzzled, only causing the white ice-jin to roll his eyes. "Come now. You both claimed yesterday that you had Valentines to speak with - might as well get on with it now, so we can move along to enjoying our recess." he said. Zamasu blushed, a little embarrassed for being confronted so suddenly. He couldn't help moving his gaze to the ground. "U-Um, right, well....I-I had planned to wait till during the party before asked them...." he said. Cell found himself blushing a little too, side glancing his pocket a few seconds before he cleared his throat. "Well, um....I guess I can do mine now real quick."

He dug his hand into his pocket and pulled something out, causing the two other boys to look at him curiously....he had pulled out a little premaid Valentine's card (the kind you'd buy at a grocery store), and what looked like a chocolate lady bug in colorful foil. "Oh wow. That looks rather nice. Who are you going to give those to?" Zamasu asked. The bug boy blushed brighter, still keeping his gaze away. Though after a moment of hesitation, he finally looked up to meet the Kai's gaze. "Actually, uh....I got these for you." he admitted. Zamasu's eyes widened, his face practically turning bright red. He couldn't help being shocked - Cell wanted to give these things to *him*? He wasn't going to give them to one of the girls or something? "I hope this is alright. I would've made the card, but I don't have good hand writing...." the bug boy explained. He awkwardly shoved both items into Zamasu's hands before adjusting his coat. "But, anyway....I guess I was wondering if you wanted to be my Valentine or whatever. If you don't, that's fine! I-I don't mind."

Zamasu looked down at the gifts in his hands for a few moments, still a bit flabbergasted. However soon a pleased smile had spread across his face, raising his gaze to meet Cell's. "I'd be happy to be your Valentine, Cell."

The bug boy blinked in surprise, perking up right away. "Wait, really? For real?" he asked. The Kai nodded with a soft chuckle. "Well, actually, you were the one I planned to ask to be *my* Valentine too. So I suppose this works out for us both." he said. Cell's eyes widened before a wide grin spread across his lips, wings fluttering excitedly. "Really?! That's awesome! Course I'd wanna be your Valentine!" he stated. "Hehe, I'm glad you say so. Or I'd have to give the cookie I brought with me to someone else." Zamasu said. "A cookie?! You got me a cookie?!" Cell exclaimed, this time causing Zamasu to laugh at his eagerness. "Yes, it's inside my backpack. I'll give it to you during the party." he said. The bug boy pumped his fists in the air with an excited "yes!". Frieza all but rolled his eyes, resisting the urge to gag. He wasn't against the two boys liking each other - in fact, he suspected they liked each other for awhile now. He simply wasn't a fan of all this icky, mushy love stuff.

However he immediately perked up upon seeing Frost coming towards them, taking a few steps towards him. "Ah, there you are, Frost! Are you ready to play a game?" he asked. Frost seemed to be hardly listening for a few seconds, looking down at the ground. He seemed to be a little....gloomy, actually. He kept looking around the playground at the other children, as if expecting someone else to approach him. But when no one showed up, he gave a small sigh and nodded. "Yeah, I guess so...." he said, wearing a sad smile. The other boys had taken notice of his solemn state, looking at him in concern. "What's the matter? Is something wrong?" Cell asked. Frost shook his head. "No, nothing is wrong. Let's just play, okay?" he said. That did nothing to convince the others. Frieza raised a brow, taking another step closer. "Frost, you can't fool us that easily....what's wrong?" he asked. Frost briefly looked to his friend before he let out a heavier sigh, fiddling with his hands.

"It's just....I thought someone would ask me to be their Valentine by now. But it looks like everyone already has one...." Frieza followed Frost's gaze as he looked back at the playground. It didn't seem like he was wrong - almost all the children were paired up in sets of two, playing together and talking and spending time with each other. No one was by themselves. "Oh....well, don't worry about it too much. Maybe someone is just waiting to ask you during the party." Zamasu said, trying to wear a reassuring smile. But Frost shook his head. "I don't think so....but hey, that's okay. As long as everyone else is happy, that's what matters." he insisted. He kept trying to mask his disappointment behind a fake smile, but Frieza could see clear as day how hurt Frost really was. Honestly, he was surprised himself. Frost was bright, kind, and clever boy - he might not care about this holiday, but even he agreed he'd make an excellent Valentine.

And it his heart ached to see Frost like this....

"Well....weren't you going to ask someone to be your Valentine? Why don't you do that?" Frieza asked. But the blue ice-jin shook his head, rubbing his arm shyly. "I-I was going to, but....I don't the person I wanna ask would've said yes." he stated. "And why not? You won't know unless you try." Frieza replied. Though Frost just shook his head again. "I don't think they would've like my gift anyway. All I brought was a white chocolate candy in a heart shape. It's not even real chocolate...." he said. The white ice-jin pouted, crossing his arms. "Well there's nothing wrong with white chocolate. I happen to quite like it. And I'm sure anyone else would too. So I say you should try asking this person anyway-"

"Frieza, don't worry about it. It's fine. I can always wait till next year, right?" Frost insisted. There was a firmness in his voice that silently asked Frieza to drop it, and while Frieza was reluctant to do so, he did anyway. The blue ice-jin smiled again before he cleared his throat. "Anyway, let's just play a game, okay? I think I wanna play kickball - I'll go get one we can use." Frost took off to the other side of the playground to find a ball for their game. Frieza couldn't help frowning as his friend left, giving a sigh. "How strange. What's gotten into him? Why would he change his mind?" The thought had the white ice-jin scratching his head, tail flickering behind him. "Who did he plan to ask anyway...?"

Zamasu and Cell blinked, exchanged looks, then looked back at Frieza. "Dude, he was gonna ask you."

"....what?"

"Wasn't it kinda obvious? He wanted to ask you to be his Valentine," Zamasu explained, "I'm sure he planned to for awhile. But he probably changed his mind after you said you explained you hated Valentine's Day yesterday. He knew you'd turn him down." Frieza's slowly widened in realization, taken aback by the information. Frost was going to ask *him*?! But why?! Why would he ask him of all people?! Did he really like him that much? "But, I....I-I had no idea! How was I suppose to....grrrghh! That's not fair! Why wouldn't he tell me that from the beginning?!" Frieza whined. "Duh. He probably wanted it to be a surprise. He even got you white chocolate - something he knew you'd like." Cell stated. The white ice-jin groaned and facepalmed. "I don't believe this....so then *I'm* the reason he's glum then?"

"Maybe not on purpose - but basically, yeah." Cell said bluntly with a shrug.

"Not helpful!" Frieza growled. He rubbed his face as he tried to think of what to do. He didn't want Frost to be sad. Not when he was so excited to be someone's Valentine. Not when he discouraged him from asking him. He didn't even understand why he cared! He shouldn't! This was a stupid holiday that hardly mattered....but his guilt wouldn't let him ignore how much it meant to Frost. "*sigh* What do I do now? I don't want Frost to be sad all day....isn't there a way I can cheer him up?" Frieza asked. Zamasu placed a hand on his chin and thought for a moment before he shrugged. "I think your best option would be to ask him to be your Valentine."

Frieza paused, blushing brightly at the idea. Ask Frost to be his Valentine? "B-But that's....that's embarrassing! I mean, I-I....I-I don't even have a gift to give him!" he stated. "Maybe, but you know Frost wouldn't need a gift. If you asked him, he'd be more than happy with that." Cell replied. The white ice-jin sighed, his face blushing brighter. This seemed like a ridiculous idea. But he knew his friends were right....simply asking that question probably would make Frost thrilled. It didn't seem like such a bad thought anyway. He suppose if he had to ask anyone....he'd want it to be Frost.

* * * *

The rest of the day soon came and went. Before they knew it, it was time for the Valentine's Day party at the end of class. Mr. Whis passed out cupcakes to each of the students, and began to get the movie ready on the projector. While he was setting up, children took their last chance to chit chat and exchange gifts. Frieza hesitated to move from his desk, nervously rubbing his hands. He didn't understand why he was so anxious. He was almost certain Frost would say yes anyway. And yet the faint idea that he might say no made the nervous knot in his gut become tighter. He looked over his shoulder towards Frost's desk. The blue ice-jin sat in the far back corner by himself, staring down at his cupcake sadly. The sight made Frieza frown before he looked to Cell and Zamasu at the other side of the room. Both of them smiled and silently gave the white ice-jin a thumbs up.

That seemed to be the final bit of encouragement Frieza needed before he took a deep breath and stood up, walking towards the back of the classroom. Frost hadn't even noticed Frieza was approaching him until he was right beside him, causing him to immediately perk up and put on a fake smile. "Oh, hey Frieza. What's up?" he asked. The white ice-jin already found himself blushing, anxiously looking away. He wanted to speak, but the words were caught in the back of his throat. Frost tilted his head, slowly becoming both puzzled and curious. Frieza looked surprisingly tense. He clearly had something on his mind, but he seemed hesitant to speak. He stood there for a good minute, adjusting his shirt uneasily. Finally after what felt like forever he cleared his throat and spoke up.

"Um....I apologize no one asked you to be their Valentine. It's a shame, since....I think you'd make a rather nice one," he took another quick breath before he continued, "as a matter of fact, um....I-I was wondering if....if you wanted to...." Frieza's face had never felt so hot before, practically burning at this point. Frost raised a brow, patiently waiting for his friend to finish his statement. Eventually fed up with his own nervousness, Frieza growled and gave his head a good shake before he spat out what he wanted to say. "Oh for heaven's sake - will you be my Valentine, Frost?"

Frost's eyes widened, his own cheeks burning with blush at the unexpected question. He couldn't help being stunned, barely able to stutter our a response. "W-What...?" he asked. Frieza huffed, crossing his arms. "I know you're not deaf. I asked if you'd be my Valentine." he stated. Frieza briefly moved his gaze to the side, tail unable to keep still behind him. "And....I know the other kids exchanged gifts when asking this. But, I'm afraid I don't have one to give you. So....perhaps you'll accept this instead."

As quick as he possibly could, he leaned forward, pressed a light kiss to Frost's cheek, and immediately stepped back.

Both boys practically became bright red in blush. Frieza couldn't help turning his head away. He'd never felt so embarrassed before. Though....it wasn't entirely a bad feeling. Strangely enough, he didn't regret giving that kiss. But he would if Frost ended up turning him down. "Well? What do you say? Do you accept my invitation or not-"

He went dead silent upon feeling a light kiss on his own blazing cheek. Frieza touched where the feeling lingered, blinking multiple times and looking to Frost shocked. The blue ice-jin was smiling happily, tail practically wagging like a puppy behind him. "I'd love to be your Valentine, Frieza....thank you." he murmured, barely above a whisper. Frieza blinked, shocked by the fluttering he felt in his heart. He felt shockingly....happy. No, more than that. Thrilled even! He was overjoyed Frost had agreed to be his Valentine! He hadn't even realized his own tail was wagging behind him, or that his dark lips were forming a smile. "I'm glad."

He took a seat in the empty desk beside Frost. He could feel Frost's tail lightly curl around his own - he decided to allow it. Frost reached for backpack under his desk and pulled something out. It appeared to be the white chocolate heart he mentioned earlier. "You want to share this with me then?" he asked. Frieza chuckled as he nodded. "I'd like that." He helped in undoing the foil on it before splitting it in half, giving one half to Frost. Just as the lights were turned off so the movie could start, Frost bit his lip before he asked another question. "Can we hold hands?"

"....alright. Just until the movie is over." Frieza held out his hand and allowed Frost to take it. Both boys happily held hands as they munched on their sweets, and watched the film in peace. Frieza was pleasantly surprised by how this day turned out....maybe this holiday wasn't so silly after all.

Chapter Text

"I'm glad I could finally come over to your house, Cell. I've been wondering what your home is like." Zamasu stated, mindlessly swinging his legs over the edge of his seat. Cell sat next to him, nodding and leaning back with his arms behind his head. "Yeah, it's about time you came over! I would've had you come WAY sooner, but Pops wanted to make sure all his experiments were kept in his lab first - he makes a LOT of cool inventions." he explained.

The two boys chatted happily as they rode the school bus, waiting for it to drop them off at their correct stop. Normally, neither of them took the bus home, but with the special situation of Zamasu coming over to stay the night, Cell's father thought it'd be best if they came straight home from the bus while he finished up some work he had. Zamasu had brought his overnight bag with him, so he could go to Cell's house right after school. He was more excited for this than he realized. It would be nice to spend some proper time with his friend, and see what his home and family were like. Sure, he saw Cell all the time at school, and that was plenty fun. But there was just something a little more exciting about seeing any of his friends outside of school. "It's too bad Frieza and Frost couldn't come with us. I'm sure they would've liked to join us." Zamasu said.

"Yeah, it kinda sucks. But if you include my siblings, that'd be FIVE kids for Pops to look after by himself - so having all three of you guys over was a flat "no". That's alright though, you and I can have plenty of fun together!" Cell stated. The Kai nodded in agreement. Of course he'd always enjoy spending time with the two ice-jin, but it also felt kinda nice to have one-on-one time with the bug boy. Something that happened so rarely these days....

Soon the bus came to a halt at their stop, almost causing the boys to fall forward out of their seat. Though they hurried to hop off their seats and off the bus, watching as it drove away. Cell briefly scanned the neighborhood before he perked up and pointed down the block. "There! That's my house! It's just a couple other houses down!" Zamasu turned around and looked to where his friend pointed. As they walked down the sidewalk, he could better see the house as they got closer. It seemed like a rather nice looking home - about two stories tall, had green paint on the walls, and there seemed to be a large garage on the left side. The only unruly thing seemed to be the front lawn, with grass that hadn't been mowed in Kami knows how long, though it didn't really bother the Kai. It was just surprising. "Does your father not mow the lawn...?" he asked curiously.

"Hm? Oh, that. Yeah, he keeps saying he's gonna do it. But then he gets caught up with one of his inventions and completely forgets. Especially when something goes wrong." Cell explained with a shrug. "When something goes wrong? Like what?" Zamasu asked. Cell opened his mouth to speak-

But they both paused upon hearing what sounded like an explosion from inside.

It wasn't especially loud. In fact, it almost sounded muffled. But the ground did shake a little right afterwards, and they could both already smell smoke. "*sigh* Something like that...." Cell sighed. He gestured for his friend to follow him inside, and while the Kai was a bit more hesitant now, he trusted his friend's judgement and followed him inside the house. Surprisingly, there wasn't smoke inside, or anything damaged. Though when Zamasu heard a door somewhere downstairs open, he could hear someone coughing heavily. "Dammit! I knew I had those calculations incorrect! I should've triple checked them myself!" The Kai raised a brow upon hearing an older man's voice, wheezing from what was likely the smoke. Speaking of, he could finally see some of the smoke start to float upstairs, where angry footsteps marched on up to greet them - Zamasu wasn't expecting the person he was about to see.

It appeared to be a human. An elder human to be exact. His skin was wrinkly, he had long white, bushy hair behind him, but the top of his head was bald, and he possessed a large white mustache to match the look. He wore a clean, white lab coat over his thin figure....or at least, it probably *would* have been clean if it wasn't covered in black soot, just as his face was. Cell couldn't help chuckling at the sight. "What did you mess up this time, Pops?" he asked.

The old man perked up, realizing the two children standing by the front door were present. "Oh my, Cell! You're already home! And you brought your little friend." The man hurried to clean his face with his sleeve, but that only smeared the stuff worse onto his skin. "Goodness, I do apologize! I nearly forgotten you were coming over. I promise I don't always look like such a mess." he insisted. Cell chuckled. "Yeah, sometimes he's covered in slime, or he's soaking wet, one time he even caught his hair on fire." he said. Zamasu couldn't help but giggle at the image, and the old man gave his own chuckle. "Yes yes, indeed I did. But that was only one time." he stated. He took a few steps forward and smiled down at the Kai. "Even so, we're happy to have you here, young one. Let's see....goodness, I know Cell told me your name, but I can't seem to remember it...."

"My name is Zamasu, sir. It's nice to meet you." Zamasu replied poiltely. "Ah, yes! That was it! My apologies - it gets harder to remember certain things with old age. But in any case, we welcome you to our humble abode, Zamasu. You're free to call me Dr. Gero." the old man explained. The Kai raised a brow. "Doctor? I thought you were a scientist." he said. The older human chuckled, adjusting his coat. "It is just a title, little one. Scientists are often referred to as "doctor", though not all of them are like the doctors you see in the hospital or the clinic." he replied. "No, you're way cooler! You get to make all these cool inventions instead!" Cell stated. Dr. Gero laughed. "Yes, I suppose I do....though not all of them are always successful."

He sighed as he took off his coat, throwing it in a nearby laundry basket....which was filled with other dirty, ruined coats just like it. "I need to clean myself up. But please, make yourself at home, Zamasu." Dr. Gero insisted as he headed into the kitchen. As the older man walked away, Zamasu couldn't help tilting his head. "Huh. What a strange man." he thought out loud. "Yeah, he's a little weird. But he's also really smart!" Cell stated. Zamasu looked curiously to the stairs that led to the lower level, which were right beside a set of stairs going up. He assumed one led to the second floor, but the other likely led to some sort of basement - or most likely the lab Cell had mentioned before.

"Hey Pops! What was that noise?! Did you mess up another invention?!" Someone called from upstairs. The Kai looked up the stairs as he heard two pairs of footsteps coming down. It seemed to be two more humans, not much older looking than they were. It seemed to be a pair of twins - a young boy with short black hair, and a young girl with short blonde hair, both with the same set of blue eyes. They both perked up when seeing Cell and Zamasu, though the boy immediately frowned. "Oh, I guess you're back. And you brought one of your little brat friends too?" he said, crossing his arms. Cell gave him a sharp look, hands on his hips. "He's not a brat, so don't say that!" he said firmly. The boy just snickered, rolling his eyes. "This is just great. Now we've got *two* little kids to deal with- ow!" He yelped when the blonde girl lightly smacked the back of his head.

"Knock it off! You don't have to be such a jerk." she stated. That shut the boy up, though he crossed his arms and huffed. The girl however looked back at Cell and Zamasu with a smile. "Glad to have you back, squirt. You gonna introduce us to your friend here?" she asked. That earned back Cell's smile as he nodded. "Oh, right! You guys, this is my friend, Zamasu," the bug boy turned to look at the Kai, "Zamasu, these two are my older siblings - my sister Eighteen, and my brother Seventeen." Zamasu blinked, looking a bit puzzled as he cocked his head to the side. "Um, I apologize, but did I hear that correctly....your names are Seventeen and Eighteen?" he repeated. Eighteen giggled and nodded. "Yep. Technically, they aren't our real names, but those were the numbers assigned to us before Pops adopted us from the orphanage. We kinda just got used to calling each other that, since we thought they sounded like cool codenames." she explained. Seventeen smirked, pushing back some of his hair. "Yeah, pretty neat, isn't it?" he said.

Zamasu nodded. "Yes, it sounds interesting," he paused for a moment before looking to Cell, "how was your name picked, Cell?" he asked. "Pops picked it. I guess that was the name of the project he was working on - Project Cell. So he named me after it. Which I think it pretty cool." The bug boy explained, wearing his own prideful smirk. Seventeen frowned, narrowing his eyes before he huffed. "Uh-huh. Anyway, where's Pops? I had something I wanted to show him." he said. It was only then Zamasu noticed Seventeen was holding some sort of paper in his hand. It looked like some sort of school assignment. Upon spotting it, Cell perked up with realization. "Oh, that's right! So do I!" he stated. He hurried to dig into his backpack, pulling out a paper of his own before looking to the Kai. "Sorry, we'll play a game in just a sec. I just wanna show Pops this real quick." he said eagerly. Zamasu smiled and nodded, not minding in the slightest. However he did follow his friend into the kitchen, curious to see what he wanted to show off.

It seemed like Dr. Gero had just finished cleaning his face with a wash cloth before the boys tried to approach him. "Hey Pops! I almost forgot! There was something I wanted to show you- hey!" Cell was interrupted as Seventeen pushed past him, sending him a sharp look. "I was gonna show him first, brat! Wait your turn!" he said. Cell growled at his brother, annoyed by the small stunt. Though Dr. Gero cleared his throat as he set the wash cloth aside. "Now boys, one at a time. Let's see, what did you want to show me, Seventeen?" he asked. The young human smiled proudly before holding out a paper. "I got my test back today! I got a 90% on it!" he stated, his expression all but prideful. Dr. Gero pulled out a pair of glasses from his pocket and put them on before taking the paper, his eyes skimming over it before he smiled. "Ah, excellent job, son! This quite the accomplishment indeed! I'm very impressed." he said. He pat the top of Seventeen's head, only making the boy's smile become wider.

Cell didn't like waiting for his turn, but he knew how much Seventeen liked to show off - he was the same way after all. So he waited till Dr. Gero was properly done giving him praise before he stepped up. "I passed my test too, Pops! I got a 100% this time!" he stated with a grin. Seventeen's smile fell immediately as he whipped his head to his brother, looking shocked as Gero took Cell's paper and read through it. "My goodness, this is wonderful, Cell! You did very well!" He pat the top of his head too, earning a giggle from the bug boy. "I'm very proud of you." he stated. Zamasu smiled, a bit charmed at the warm relationship Cell seemed to have with his father....but he also noticed Seventeen's change in behavior. Specifically, how all the joy he previously had almost instantly drained away, and all he could seem to do was glare at Cell with bitter coldness. It had him rather surprised. Shouldn't he be proud of Cell too? He was his brother after all.

"Can we hang this up on the fridge?" Cell asked. "Of course we can," Dr. Gero walked towards the refrigerator, using a magnet to hang up Cell's paper, "we'll put it right here so everyone can see." He paused to look back at Seventeen with a smile. "Seventeen, would you like me to hang up yours as well-"

"No thanks. I'm good." Seventeen said deadpanned. Both Cell and his father looked at the boy surprised. Before either of them could ask what was wrong, Seventeen had marched out of the kitchen and right back upstairs. Eighteen watched him for a moment before she sighed. "Geez, he's so dramatic sometimes...." she muttered before he followed her twin up. When the twins were out of ear shot, Zamasu looked to Cell. "What was wrong with him?" he asked. Cell shrugged. "I dunno. He gets upset over weird stuff. But anyway, you wanna go play now? We have some really cool videos games we can play!" he stated. The Kai was a little hesitant, if only because he didn't want to leave things in a somewhat awkward way. But he didn't know much about this family or how they worked - maybe this was just how things were sometimes.

"Sure, we can do that."

* * * *

Cell had taken Zamasu into the living room so they could play their video games. For awhile, things were peaceful as the two boys played a racing car game. It was surprisingly difficult with all the obstacles in the way, and items players could use against each other. Zamasu ended up being better than he expected, though he purposely messed up a couple times so Cell could win a few rounds. "Yes! I win! That's three in a row now!" Cell stated excitedly, pumping his fists into the air. The Kai chuckled, amused by how easily excited his friend got. "Yes, it is. You seem to be really good at this game." he replied. "Yeah well, Seventeen showed me this game awhile ago and taught me how to play. We used to play all the time....but he doesn't like to play with me much anymore." Cell's voice trailed off a bit sadly, frowning from the thought. Zamasu looked at him surprised.

"Really? But I thought siblings always want to play with each other." he said. The Kai had always wondered what it was like to have brothers or sisters. He figured it was lucky for Frieza to have Cooler, and for Frost to have Glazier. And even better for Cell to have not just one, but three siblings to play with! But the bug boy shook his head. "Not exactly. I mean, Sixteen and Eighteen still play with me. But Seventeen doesn't ever wanna hang out anymore...." he replied. His expression became a bit more gloomy as he said so, making Zamasu frown. He hadn't meant to bring up a sensitive topic. "I'm sorry. That's too bad....but hey, you still have me, right?" he said, placing a hand on his shoulder. Cell perked up, looking at the Kai surprised as he smiled at him. He couldn't resist smiling back. "Yeah, that's true." He picked up his controller and started pressing buttons, returning to the game's home menu. "Now, you wanna do another round? Or should we play a different game-"

"Oh no you don't." Both boys blinked and looked over, seeing the twins approach them. Seventeen had his hands on his hips, looking at them impatiently. "It's our turn to play. So hand over the controllers." he said. Cell groaned in protest. "Aww, already?! But we've only been playing for an hour! Can't we play a bit longer?" he asked. Eighteen frowned and looked to her twin. "We could let them play a little longer...."

"No, I wanna play now. Cell and his little friend can wait until we're done." Seventeen stated firmly, leaving no room for argument. The bug boy pouted, but reluctantly handed over his controller to his brother. Zamasu tried to give a friendly smile though. "Well, maybe the four of us could play together instead? That way we can all play-"

"Hah! No thanks. I don't wanna play with a couple of little kids." Seventeen stated with a mocking tone. Zamasu blinked, taken aback by the comment before he glared at him. This boy was kinda rude, wasn't he? "Don't call us little kids! You're only a year older than us!" Cell growled. "I don't care - beat it." Seventeen said. The two boys looked at each other, but reluctantly did as told and got off the couch, giving room so the twins could sit down instead. Eighteen had a guilty expression on her face however, and tried to lighten the mood with a different suggestion. "You know, it's pretty nice outside. You can probably play in the backyard for a bit before dinner." she said with a smile. Cell raised a brow, pondering on the idea before he smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I guess we could. What do you think, Zamasu?" he asked. The Kai didn't reply right away, still glaring at Seventeen, but eventually gave a small nod. "I suppose we can...."

"I hope you're all getting along in here." All four children perked up and looked towards the source of the voice.

Zamasu saw that it appeared to be another human child, although this one was definitely older than the twins - probably around 9 or 10 years old, if he had to guess. He was considerably taller, had an orange mohawk on top of his head, and the same blue eyes as the twins did. Despite how big he was though, he looked surprisingly gentle. His smile was soft and kind. "Hey Sixteen! You're finally home!" Cell said, immediately improving his mood. The taller boy nodded as he stepped inside. "Affirmative. I apologize for being late. Our baseball meeting lasted longer than we had initially planned." he said. Zamasu raised a brow. The boy spoke surprisingly stiffly, with rather advanced vocabulary - he almost spoke like a robot. "Well, that's alright. We're just glad you're back. Oh! I want you to meet my friend - this is Zamasu." Cell said, gently pushing the Kai forward.

The taller boy looked to the Kai curiously and smiled, holding out a hand. "Hello. Cell has spoken about you quite a bit," he said as he shook Zamasu's hand, "you can refer to me as Sixteen. It's a pleasure to meet your acquaintence." Zamasu returned the smile and nodded. "It's nice to meet you too, Sixteen." he said. "Hey! We were just about to go play outside! Since you're home, can we play catch?!" he asked excitedly. Sixteen happily nodded. "Indeed. We can play catch if you wish. I just need to put my belongings away first." he said. Seventeen frowned as his older brother started to walk away, but quickly cleared his throat. "Hey wait a minute! Why don't you play with us instead, big guy? Eighteen and I were just about to play some cool video games." he insisted. Cell frowned, annoyed that Seventeen was trying to interfere. However Sixteen paused to look back at the twin.

"I apologize, Seventeen. But Cell asked me to play first. It seems only fair that I spend time with him first - however you're more than welcome to join us outside." he explained. Seventeen didn't seem at all satisfied with this answer, huffing unhappily before looking away. "Forget it, then." he muttered.

Zamasu frowned, again unsatisfied with how this was left off. But Cell simply rolled his eyes before grabbing the Kai's wrist. "Come on, Zamasu, let's go outside while we wait for Sixteen." he insisted. Despite the shaky agreement, Zamasu allowed his friend to lead him to the backyard while Sixteen went upstairs. He felt kinda bad about Seventeen, but Sixteen had offered him to join their game. Even so, that boy had more bitterness than he expected....especially towards Cell.

Chapter Text

Cell and Zamasu only had to wait a little longer before Sixteen came out into the background with them. He carried a few baseball gloves and a baseball in his hands, wearing a smile as he approached them. "You two wanted to play catch, correct? Did you wish to take turns, or would you prefer all three of us to play together?" Sixteen asked as he handed each of the boys a glove. The two younger boys exchanged looks before smiling. "I think it'd be more fun if all three of us played together! He may not look like it, but Zamasu is actually really good at catch! Especially when it comes to throwing the ball!" the bug boy stated. The older boy nodded. "Very well. Then we should all step back so we can have the appropriate amount of space for throwing and catching." he said.

Zamasu and Cell did as told, taking several steps until they were at a good distance. Once they were far enough, Sixteen tossed the ball to Cell, who jumped into the air and caught it with ease. The Kai however raised a brow. "Sixteen, if you don't mind me asking....how come you speak like that? You almost sound like one of the teachers." he stated. Cell looked to his friend, only confused for a few seconds before he realized what he meant. "Ohhh, that. Don't worry, Sixteen talks like that all the time. It's because he's, um....he's uh....Sixteen, what was it called again?" he asked. The older boy chuckled softly. "I believe the condition your looking for is autistic. Technically, my behavior is described and commonly referred to as autistic. This could cause numerous unique characteristics in individuals - for me, it is a use of more advanced vocabulary, and a higher intellect than most of my other acquaintences my age." he explained.

"Hmm, interesting....I don't believe I've heard about it before." Zamasu admitted, catching the ball Cell had tossed to him. "It's a little complicated to explain, especially to someone your age. But it's far from a bad trait to possess." Sixteen said. The younger boy nodded, deciding to make a mental note to ask Gowasu more about it later. He was a wise man, and could probably explain it better. For the time being, the boys continued tossing the ball to each other, usually managing to catch it with ease. Cell had even tried to throw a particularly fast ball to catch Sixteen off guard - the boy surprisingly caught it with little to no effort, impressing both of the younger ones. Though only about thirty minutes passed before they heard the backdoor open and close, causing them to look towards it.

Seventeen and Eighteen had stepped out of the house, and the black haired boy was marching right towards them. For a moment Cell perked up, suddenly looking excited. "Hey Seventeen! Did you you decide you wanted to play after all?" he asked. Seventeen rolled his eyes before shaking his head. "And play boring catch? Course not! I came to see if Sixteen wanted to come play video games with us yet." he stated, crossing his arms. Almost instantly, all of Cell's excitement was drained away, replaced with disappointment. Even Zamasu couldn't help frowning. "We haven't been playing that long....would it be alright if we played a little longer?"

"We've been waiting long enough. It's *our* turn to play with Sixteen!" Seventeen stated, stomping his foot. Sixteen gave a slightly guilty look, running one of his hands over his mohawk. "I apologize, Seventeen. But Cell and his friend wanted to play a bit longer. Couldn't we play sometime later?" he asked. Eighteen nodded in agreement, standing beside her twin. "He has a point. It's almost dinner anyway. We might as well let them have their fun-"

"NO! I'm tired of letting these brats get to do whatever they want just!" Seventeen suddenly snapped. Cell couldn't help the low growl that escaped him, glaring at his brother before he marched towards him. "What's gotten into you?! I know you're mean sometimes, but you've never acted like such a *jerk* before! Why are you being so mean?!" the bug boy demanded. Seventeen narrowed his eyes at his brother, giving his own little pout. "I'm the jerk?! You're the one who's been acting like a jerk - taking over the TV and videos games for so long, taking Seventeen away to do what *you* wanted, you even showed me up with Pops with your stupid perfect score!" he stated. Cell's anger began to swirl into confusion instead, looking back at Zamasu, silently asking what he did wrong. But the Kai looked just as clueless as he was.

"What're you talking about?! I wasn't trying to hog the TV, or take Seventeen away! I was just trying to have fun with my friend! And I don't even understand the test thing - I was just showing Pops what I did! I wasn't trying to do anything bad!" Cell insisted. "Suuure you weren't! Because Cell never does anything bad or wrong! Cell is the special one! He's the one who gets to do whatever he wants! You even managed to punch a kid in the face at school, and you didn't get in trouble!" the black haired twin stated. That caused the bug boy to growl again, tossing his baseball glove aside. "That was totally different! I was just trying to help my friends - and I did get in trouble! I missed two recesses, remember?"

"Yeah, but Pops didn't ground you! I got grounded for just calling some girl a baby!" Seventeen countered, but Eighteen shook her head. "That wasn't it! You got grounded because you talked back to Pops while he was scolding you!" she stated. The boy sent a sharp glare to his twin sister before looking back at Cell more angrily. "The point is, everything comes to you so easy, and it's not fair! Everyone likes you and treats you special! And I don't understand why!" Seventeen stated. The bug boy turned his head away, realizing it was getting harder to look at his face now. He looked at him so *angrily*....it made him feel sad. And he still didn't fully grasp why he hated him so much. Sure, the two brothers bickered once in awhile, but Cell never tried to hurt him or make him feel bad. "I don't understand why you're yelling at me." Cell said, trying to keep an even tone. Zamasu frowned, noticing his friend was starting to tremble, though from anger or anxiety, he couldn't quite tell. Either way, he felt compelled to join his side and place a hand on his shoulder. "You don't need to be so harsh to him. He hasn't done anything wrong." Zamasu stated.

Seventeen looked to Zamasu with dark amusement, shaking his head. "Heh, well at least you got one pathetic shrimp to stand up for ya. I gotta admit though, I'm surprised you even have friends....considering you're such a freak!"

Cell's eyes widened, taken aback by the comment. That word felt like a cold dagger that stabbed right into his heart. "Seventeen! What's wrong with you?! Don't say that!" Eighteen snapped. Sixteen nodded. "Yes, your sister is right. Just calm down and take a deep breath." he tried to say, but Seventeen shook his head. "What?! It's true! He's just some freak that Pops made! He didn't even mean for this to happen! Cell was just an accident - a mistake! He's not even suppose to be here!" Cell felt his hands digging into his arms, nails scraping against the bio-armor underneath his jacket. He felt the anger continue to bubble up within him, making more and more difficult to keep from escaping him. Zamasu could sense the increasing intensity in Cell's behavior, making him look at the bug boy in concern. "Cell...?"

Seventeen smirked. "What? Did I finally make the freak mad? Are ya gonna do something about it?" he said teasingly. Cell's growl turned into a snarl. "Shut up...." he hissed.

"What's that? I didn't quite hear you. Speak up, freak-"

"I said SHUT UP!!" Cell shouted. Seventeen's eyes went wide when the bug boy suddenly lunged forward, shoving him hard enough to land flat on his back onto the ground. Cell looked ready to continue with his assault, but Zamasu quickly stepped up and grabbed Cell's arm. "Cell, stop! That's enough!" He said, pulling him back. The bug boy resisted for a moment, tugging against the Kai's grip. Seventeen gave his own growl, sitting up and looking prepared to make a move, but Eighteen grabbed both his shoulders and kept him back. "Knock it off! Both of you! This is ridiculous!" she stated. The two brothers were hardly listening, glaring fiercely at one another. They didn't truly start to calm down until Sixteen stepped between them. "That is enough. There is no need to escalate this into a fight. Please don't make me get Father involved." he said.

Cell was trembling violently at this point, clenching his fists and gritting his teeth....all while he tried to blink away angry tears. It was enough for Zamasu's eyes to widen in surprise. "Cell...." He tried to get his attention, but suddenly the bug boy wiped his eyes furiously before he pulled his arm away from the Kai's grip. Then he bolted past his siblings and ran into the house, slamming the door behind him. "Cell, wait! Come back!" Zamasu called out, but Cell was already gone.

The Kai blinked several times, hardly able to believe what he just saw. He never expected that to happen in a million years. He didn't realize siblings ever fought like that, and be so *harsh* towards each other! The things Seventeen said were....so cold. And hateful. How could anyone speak to another individual like that, let alone your own family?! "Seventeen, that was messed up! Why did you say all that to him?!" Eighteen demanded, slapping the back of her twin's shoulder. Seventeen winced before he huffed, placing his hands on his hips. "Like I said, he was being a selfish jerk! I got fed up with him!" he stated. The girl growled, shaking her head. "He wasn't acting like a jerk at all! You're the only one acting like a jerk!" she snapped. "I'm afraid Eighteen isn't incorrect, Seventeen. Cell never made any attempt to antagonize you, and yet you insisted on giving him a hard time. Whether you realize it or not, you are letting your jealousy get to you." Sixteen added. Zamasu perked up. Jealousy...?

Yes....that made sense. That would explain why Seventeen became so bitter after Cell showed Dr. Gero his test, or became upset when Sixteen chose to play with them. Seventeen was jealous of the bug boy. But even so, that was no excuse to treat the Cell the way he did....it was no excuse to upsetting his friend like that. "Tch, I am NOT jealous! Why would I be jealous of a freak like him-"

Zamasu finally lost his temper. "STOP CALLING HIM A FREAK!!"

The older children paused and looked at the Kai shocked, taken aback by his sudden outburst. Zamasu glaring fiercely at the black haired twin, eyes narrowed as he marched right up to him. "Sixteen is right! This whole time, you kept calling *us* brats, and yet you're the one acting like the jealous brat," he stated, poking right into Seventeen's chest, "and yet, I cannot fathom why you'd be jealous! Cell has done nothing to try to hurt you or upset you! All he wanted to have the same attention you did - and you received it! Your father praised you for your test, just like he did for Cell! And numerous times, we offered to have you play with us! But your own petty attitude didn't want to share!" Zamasu growled and took a few steps back, realizing if he stood nearby this boy for too long, he might feel tempted to hit him too, as Cell was. "No matter what the reason though, you shouldn't treat your own brother so cruelly! Don't you realize how *lucky* you are to have him?! To have each other! I don't have any siblings - I don't have the unique bond that you four have! But I do have my friends, Frieza and Frost! And Cell...."

He paused to catch his breath, finally beginning to calm down. "Cell....is one of the nicest boys I've ever met. He encourages me to play outside, and play with others, and do things I normally wouldn't do by myself. He makes us laugh when we're upset, and is always coming up with new ideas for games. And he's even protected me! I don't understand how you can be so jealous when you have the most amazing little brother anyone could want! If anything, other should be jealous of *you*!"

Seventeen was utterly stunned. Speechless. He couldn't help standing frozen in place with wide eyes, not expecting that sort of response from the Kai, or from anyone for that matter! But the worst part was that he couldn't even argue against anything he was saying....everything he said was right. And that realization really made his previous actions sink in, realizing just how and unfair he had been towards his brother. What was he thinking? Did....did he really call him a freak? A mistake? Kami, no wonder Cell was so angry....

With a heavy sigh, Zamasu finally turned away from the boy and began to walk towards the house. Before he went inside though, he paused to look over his shoulder. "....you know what Cell told me? He said you two used to play together all the time....and that he misses it. That he misses spending time with his big brother."

The Kai left to let those words linger while he hurried inside the house. He wasn't sure what was exactly guiding him. He still didn't know where everything was in this house. But for whatever reason, he found himself going upstairs to second floor to search for Cell. Upon walking down the closest hallway, he was quickly proven his instincts to be dead on accurate - he had come across a door with a bunch of bug stickers placed on it, as well as a sign hung on it that said "Cell's room". Zamasu hesitated before slowly raising his hand, prepared to knock on the door. That was usually the polite thing to do anyway....but instead he chose to grasp the doorknob and carefully open it. He quietly stepped inside and peeked around - he immediately frowned when hearing sniffling.

It didn't take long to spot Cell's form huddled in the far corner of the room, his knees brought close to his chest. He glaring down at the floor, small tears streaming down his cheeks. Zamasu closed the door behind him before he slowly walked towards his friend. Thankfully, Cell didn't reject his company. He allowed the Kai to sit beside him and even place a hand upon his back. "Cell....are you alright?" Zamasu asked gently. The bug boy sniffled, trying to wipe a few tears away before he nodded. "I'm fine...." he said in a strained voice. Though the hurt expression on his face told him otherwise. The Kai's frown deepened, his heart aching at hearing his friend's watery tone. He thought for a few seconds on what to do next....before he stood up on his knees and wrapped his arms around Cell's head, hugging him towards his chest.

Cell blinked, taken aback by the kind gesture. Zamasu was nice, but he wasn't usually a hugger. In fact, he's never hugged him before, he realized....

"....I'm sorry Seventeen said all those things to you. But you should know, none of them are true. You are not selfish, or a jerk. And you're certainly not a freak. You're my friend....and I'm so happy that you are." Zamasu stated softly, speaking with so much earnest that it caught Cell off guard. He didn't exactly understand where all this was coming from, or why Zamasu was hugging him so tightly. Was he trying to comfort him? It seemed like it....if so, it was working. The bug boy already felt himself smiling a little bit, reaching his arms up to hug around the Kai's waist. "Thanks, Zamasu. That....means a lot to me."

The two boys remained that way for a few moments longer, comfortably sitting in silence. Eventually though Cell finally stood up, sniffling as he tried to dry his face. "Sorry. Didn't mean to start crying like some sort of baby." he said with a small chuckle, though Zamasu shook his head. "You're not a baby. Not even close." he stated. They both perked up upon hearing a knock at the door, followed by a surprisingly quiet voice. "Hey, Cell....can I come in?" It was Seventeen's voice. Cell immediately frowned, reluctant to even respond to him after the hurtful things he had said before. He looked to Zamasu for a suggestion, but he looked just as unsure as he was. Eventually, Cell decided to speak up. "Fine. Come in." he said. The door creaked open, and Seventeen slowly stepped inside. Both boys were surprised to see the guilt and shame upon his expression, barely able to even look either of them in the eye.

"What do you want?" Cell asked dryly. The older boy winced before he looked away, rubbing the back of his neck. "Listen Cell, I....*sigh* crap. I wanna apologize for what I said." he said. The bug boy blinked in surprise, raising a brow. "Really?" he said. Seventeen nodded. "Yeah. Look, you were right - I've been acting like a jerk. I know you weren't trying to be mean or anything. I was just....the truth is, I was jealous. Still kinda am. Because everyone seems to like you so much, including our family. I thought it was just because you were....well, because you're this cool bug guy, who's really smart and talented. But that's not why people like you....it's because you're a good person. And I should've realized that. I'm sorry...." Cell was all but stunned. Was that really why Seventeen had been so harsh towards him? Why he got bitter around him? He was....jealous? Of *him*?

"You were really jealous of *me*? Dude, I'm the one who's jealous of *you*!" he stated. Seventeen perked up, immediately looking shocked. Even Zamasu was a little surprised by Cell's response. "Wait wait, you're jealous of me too?" the older boy repeated, pointing to himself. "Yeah - well I mean, not in the same way you are with me. But, you and Sixteen and Eighteen, you all have a chance at being "normal" children. You don't have to worry about anyone being afraid of you, or wondering what you are. I mean - look at me," Cell gestured to himself with a chuckle, "what else could you even call me other than Cell? People are always gonna wonder what the heck I am, or if I'm bad. While everyone will always know you're a human, just like several other people....you're not alone."

"Wow, I....heh, I never thought of that." Seventeen rubbed the back of his neck, giving a sheepish chuckle. "Now I really do feel like a jerk...." He took a moment to step forward, placing a hand upon his brother's shoulder. "But hey, don't worry bout that stuff. Maybe some people will have no idea what you are, or might even be afraid of ya. But as long as you keep being yourself, you won't have any issues. Besides, you were able to make good friends at school, right? Like this guy here," He paused to pat Zamasu on the back, who perked up in surprise, "he really let me have it after you ran inside. Seems like something a good friend would do." Cell blinked, looking at Zamasu surprised. "Wait, did you really do that?"

Zamasu blushed a little bit, rubbing his arm a bit shyly. "Heh, I-I couldn't help it....I just got so angry. I apologize for yelling at you."

"Don't worry about it. I deserved it. But anyway, Cell, you don't have to worry about being alone. With friends like him, you won't be alone. And besides....you'll have me. And Sixteen and Eighteen too. So don't worry about being alone. Okay?" Seventeen stated. The bug boy gave a wide smile, feeling relief wash over him. "Okay....thanks, Seventeen."

"No problem. Now, I think Pops has dinner almost finished. We should probably head downstairs so we can eat." Seventeen said. Zamasu and Cell smiled at one another before they nodded. They followed the older boy downstairs, and into the dining room. Eighteen and Sixteen were already waiting there, immediately perking up when seeing the other boys. "Hey, welcome back....uh, everything okay?" Eighteen asked slowly. Cell nodded. "Yeah, everything is fine now. Me and "Mr. Jealous" were able to sort things out." he stated, playfully slugging Seventeen's shoulder. The older boy chuckled and slugged him back. "I know, I know. I was jealous, alright? Are you really gonna tease me about that now?" he asked. The bug boy smirked. "Just a little bit, I promise."

That earned a chuckle from everyone as the other boys sat at the table, with Cell sitting between Zamasu and Seventeen. "Zamasu, we apologize for all the trouble we've caused this evening. We never expected this sort of conflict to occur." Sixteen said. Seventeen nodded, giving a small frown. "Yeah. I didn't mean to ruin your sleepover or anything...." he said, but the Kai shook his head. "That's alright. Besides, the night isn't over yet. And it's far from ruined." he stated. Cell smiled, honestly a little relieved upon hearing that. He was a bit concerned this whole ordeal with discourage Zamasu from ever coming to visit again, and he didn't want that.

Dr. Gero soon stepped into the dining room with what looked like a pot of spaghetti, making all the children sniff the air and hum eagerly. "Ah good, you're all here. I hope you all enjoy the meal I prepared. I'm not much of a cook, but spaghetti just happens to be one of my specialties." he stated. He set the pot in the middle of the table and began to serve each of the young ones. As he did so, Cell turned to look at Seventeen. "Hey Seventeen, uh....after dinner, do you wanna play a game with Zamasu and I? We could play some more video games or something." he said. The older twin blinked, surprised by the invitation. He looked to Zamasu for permission, who smiled and nodded. After a moment Seventeen found himself smiling too. "Yeah....I think I'd like that."

Zamasu was right before. He was pretty lucky to have Cell as a younger brother....and he wouldn't take that for granted again.