"Hey."
Lynn looked listlessly at the slightly messy hair of the Saiyan speaking to her for a moment, then rolled over in her bed to at least pretend to be more open with her roommate. "Hey, Pep."
"You okay? I sensed his energy earlier today." Pepper didn't need to explain 'who' she was talking about.
Tater. It'd been two months since he'd exploded at Tarble, and still, he hadn't returned.
It'd affected everyone differently.
Tarble hadn't mentioned the heavyset boy by name since that day.
Tommy had finally made the decision that he didn't want to be a fighter, and had managed to actually tell Tarble, who'd accepted it, after telling him that his brother would've been disappointed in him.
Tommy wasn't swayed by that. He was a Saiyan. He doubted that he'd ever be able to completely give up on fighting, but it wasn't what he wanted to do with his life.
It took a lot of determination to be able to make a decision like that. The rest of the team couldn't help but respect it.
Pepper found herself angry at Tater for what he'd done… but he was still her teammate. She just really wanted to punch him.
And she would, when he came back and apologized for how stupid he was.
But Lynn and Tarble had probably been hit the worst by what Tater'd done. Pepper could see it in the older girl's eyes. She'd essentially lost her brother. Of course she was hurting, as she threw herself into gardening with Miss Dahlia, and training with her, Tarble, and Zeck, who'd recently asked Tarble to teach him how to fight.
Zeck couldn't keep up with the Saiyans' own training, but he'd started working hard in his own way. Apparently, he believed that his technological goals required him to learn more about ki. The best way to do that was to train with the master, Tarble.
The worst part of it was, they knew that Tater was alive and well. While he kept his energy more-or-less lowered most of the time, there were times when his energy would spike to the point where it was more difficult not to notice it. Those days, like today, were the worst. Generally, during those days, Lynn would end up going to bed early, and by the time Pepper came in, she'd be almost completely unresponsive, despite being awake.
Just stewing in her own complex emotions regarding her brother.
Well, Pepper wouldn't let it keep happening! Screw Tater for making his family feel this way! She'd cheer Lynn up herself!
…
"...What are we doing here, Peps?" Lynn asked.
When Pepper got something into her head, you really couldn't go against it…
But seriously? When Lynn had been practically carried out the door in her pajamas, she hadn't expected the younger girl to take her directly to Tarble's bedroom, before forcing her under the covers of Tarble's bed and taking her own spot on the other side of the bed.
"When I'm sad, this is how I cheer myself up!" The younger Saiyan chirped.
Lynn blinked at the younger girl, then smiled, patting her head in resignation. Sometimes, the two and a half year age gap between them felt like several lifetimes.
Then, Tarble walked in the room, fresh from a shower, still in his Super Saiyan Primal form that made him look slightly older than his actual age.
Lynn found herself gulping at the way his muscles rippled with motion, towel hanging around his neck. She couldn't blame Pepper for being so incredibly fixated on the guy. She couldn't even imagine just how alluring he'd be when puberty actually came around for them all.
Luckily, it hadn't. Her body wasn't reacting at all.
Tarble looked at Pepper and rolled his eyes, before his gaze landed on Lynn in the same situation. "Couldn't say no?" She nodded, eliciting a laugh from the younger Saiyan as he dropped his transformation, shrinking notably, as his hair color turned black once more. "Pepper, it's one thing if you want to do this, but please don't drag people into my bed."
"...Just one night?" Pepper begged.
Tarble looked at Lynn, who'd already resigned herself to it, and groaned, flopping down onto the bed between the two girls, unable to say no to the younger girl.