EDIT 7/31: This fic is now available in Spanish, courtesy of VerdeVioleta. It is available on their profile, as "Lleguemos a un acuerdo". Thank you so much for taking the time to translate it!
Hey, I wrote something!
Yeah, July has not been a good month for me, writing wise. I've been putting more time and energy into improving my art, and this has kind of fallen to the wayside. I don't know when A Thrilling Chase will be back, but I'm shooting for having it up again by August. I'll save my troubles for that when I actually get around to posting the next chapter.
There'll be more information about this story at the end. For now, please enjoy!
For years, Bulma was always questioned about her marriage with Vegeta. On the outside, all people could see was how they clashed: he was apathetic and aloof, while she was sociable and emotional. They bickered constantly, and they had almost nothing in common. She heard the gossip, too: they only stayed together for their children, and he was a total freeloader.
She brushed it off. Of course, she loved Vegeta. She was grateful for everything that he had done for their children and the Earth. He had changed so much, and had become a wonderful man and a great father to Trunks and Bra.
So why did she feel a dull ache in her heart, when they were together?
She was wise enough not to have high expectations, when she married Vegeta. She knew he had limits with affection and intimacy, and she did her best to respect those boundaries. But it didn't take long for it to take a toll on her. Sometimes, she just wanted to be held and comforted by someone she loved. Even when she managed to talk Vegeta into doing it, it still never felt right. It just felt awkward, and she couldn't explain why. However, she persisted. Every marriage came with compromises: maybe this was just hers.
As the years went by, things didn't get much better. Even after everything with Buu, nothing changed. Not even death could bring them closer together. His apathy only got worse. She'd have to force him to come along to events with her, and he acted cold and irritated the whole time. Anytime she tried to show him a new invention, he just nodded and walked away. He didn't even pretend to be interested in her professional life.
It all came to a head one night, when they had an explosive argument. Everything that she had been holding in for fifteen years finally came out.
"You're never here," she screamed at him.
He rolled his eyes. "I haven't tried leaving once, since Buu was defeated. What are you talking about?"
"You're never actually here! Anytime I try to involve you in my life, you always push me away and shut me out! You never hold me, you never make love to me, and you never even let me hold your hand!"
"It's not my fault you have so much emotional baggage."
"You're my damn husband! That's your job! You never put me first – it's always training, training, training with you!"
"Selfishness? You're one to talk. When was the last time you took an interest in anything that I wanted?!"
Bulma grew red, with fury. He couldn't have been trying to turn this around on her. He had no right to play the victim.
He kept speaking before she could shout back at him. "I wanted our children to know of their Saiyan heritage, but you won't let them learn anything about it. I wanted to give my daughter a name worthy of her lineage, but you didn't even let me say my piece."
"Well, maybe you understand how I felt when you left me, when Trunks was born!"
"Don't try to change the subject, you blasted woman! You forced your way of living on me. I'm a Saiyan, and you don't like that: you want me to be just like those perfect Earthling boys. I can't change who I am, and you can't accept that."
"I can't accept someone who treats loving me like it's a chore!"
"It is a damn chore!"
They didn't speak to each other for weeks. He was even more distant than usual, and she would force a smile anytime they were together. Her heart was breaking: after everything they had been through, he still saw her as a burden. Keeping up appearances was exhausting her, but she still had children: she didn't want them to suspect that something was going on.
Bulma had looked at every couples counseling book she could find. There had to be a way to salvage this. All couples got into big fights, and said things that they didn't mean. She stayed up until the early hours of the morning, and tried to find any bit of knowledge and advice that she could. This was just normal: they could still move past this.
She dropped a book and buried her face in the pages. She pulled on her hair. What was she doing? She was running herself ragged, trying to find a way to fix this. There had to be something. She didn't want to think that she had wasted the past twenty years of her life on a sham of a marriage. She couldn't let all her hard work, effort, and love go to waste.
She closed her eyes, lifted her head and sighed. She had to calm down; freaking out wasn't going to solve her problems.
She opened her eyes and saw the mirror on her desk. Her hair was greasy and disheveled, and she had bags under her eyes. She lifted a hand to her face, feeling the drying skin underneath. She knew she was getting old. She wasn't the same bright and bubbly teenage girl she was, when she first set off for the Dragon Balls. Anti-aging medicine could only do so much.
Everything she had said that night was true. She was starved for affection. She always felt like she was overcompensating for that. Did she really want to spend what was left of her life in a relationship that made her so miserable?
Maybe it was time to face the music.
Bulma sent Bra to stay with Pan, that night. She made sure that she had gotten a nights rest; she had to do this as calmly and peacefully as she could. Frustration and arguments would only make things worse. She sat in the living room quietly, waiting for the back door to open.
Vegeta walked in with a towel hanging from around his neck. He looked surprised to see the lights on, and saw Bulma sitting on the living room couch.
She swallowed. "Vegeta, can we talk?"
He took off the towel and threw it in the clothes bin, as he walked over to her. He saw down next to her. They didn't look at each other, and awkward tension filled the air.
She sighed. "I'm sorry. I kept my frustrations bottled up like that, and I shouldn't have let it out on you, like that. It was unfair. I know how uncomfortable you are with love and romance, and I shouldn't have put so much pressure on you to change." She paused, waiting for him to respond.
"I regret yelling at you," he said.
She nodded. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad. "Listen, Vegeta, I've been doing a lot of thinking: about us. And… you were right."
He looked at her, confused.
"I should have never tried to change you. You're not like any Earthling man, and that's good. You shouldn't have to change anything about yourself to please anyone. I wish I had realized that, before. You need distance, and I need affection. You need to be on the move, and I need a constant."
"Woman, get on with it: what are you trying to say?"
She breathed in. No more stalling: she had to come out and say it. "Our relationship doesn't work."
His eyes widened. "W-What?"
She expected the shock. "Vegeta, when have we had a good and healthy relationship? We argue all the time, we never compromise on anything, and we're never open with our feelings."
"You're being open with them, now."
"If we were open with our feelings, we would have had this conversation a long time ago."
He couldn't argue with that.
"What you said about our relationship being a chore-"
"It was a lapse of anger. I didn't mean it."
She looked him in the eyes. "Did you really not mean it? That couldn't have come from nowhere."
He tried to speak, and prove her wrong. He huffed and turned away.
She looked down. "Because I meant what I said…" He looked over his shoulder. "I've… I think I've held a lot of resentment for you, since you first left me. When you came back, I thought that this was my chance to find love. We already had Trunks: I thought going the extra step was logical. That's when I started repressing a lot of frustration. I wish that I hadn't, now; maybe we wouldn't be in this mess."
She stayed silent, hoping that it would sink in. Already, a weight was lifted off her shoulders, with her confession. They should have had this conversation years ago.
"Wom- Bulma," he started. "I don't love you. I married you to stay with our son. I'm... glad that you've given me much, over the years, but I can never be the man you want me to be."
"I know that, now. And I'm sorry for trying to change you. You've become one of the best men that I have ever known, and I'll always love you as the father of our children… but we're just terrible for each other."
He nodded, slowly.
Bulma went into this expecting a lot of shouting and crying. Instead, she felt good. The last time she felt this relieved was when Vegeta had come back to life, after Buu was defeated. Why did it take her this long to talk about it with him?
"I'll speak to the courthouse, tomorrow morning; we can begin the divorce proceedings. I-If you're ready for it."
He looked at her. "What will happen, then?"
"I don't know. I'll have to discuss everything with an attorney, but I still want you to be around, for Bra. If you want to move away, I'll support you until you can support yourself."
After a long pause, he stood up. "I want to leave."
She sighed. "I figured. You can go pick out all your stuff when you want to. I'll pack up the gravity chamber, if you still want it." She hesitated. "Will you at least stay, until everything goes through? For Bra's sake, at least."
"I will."
She nodded. "Thank you." She stood up as well, and started heading upstairs. So, this was how it was going to end. No tears, no arguing: just a mutual split. She was disappointed that she didn't have to fight more, for this. Did this marriage matter that little to both of them?
No, she wouldn't dwell on this anymore. This was exactly why it had to end. There was no point in staying together if it mattered that little to them. She didn't regret staying with him: she got two beautiful children out of it. However, she was glad that it was over. In one conversation, she felt so freed and so much at ease.
They never looked back, after that night. The divorce process went as smoothly as it could. Both were given legal custody over Trunks and Bra, but Bra would remain with Bulma, after Vegeta would move away. He moved to a small house in a secluded forest on the outskirts of West City. Capsule Corporation already owned that area, and it had a healthy and eternally growing population of plants and animals, so he denied the extra income.
Bulma brought Trunks home from college for one weekend, after all the legalities had been taken care of. Breaking the news to him and Bra was difficult. Trunks was disappointed, but hoped that they would find happiness outside of their marriage. Bra couldn't stop crying, and she didn't stop until she was sure that her father would still visit them. This was the hardest part, by far. Bulma hadn't bothered telling anyone outside of her family; it wasn't their business, and they didn't need to know.
Vegeta stayed for the rest of the weekend, and left Monday morning. Trunks got his goodbyes the night before, and went back to his university. Bra was up before anyone else, not wanting to miss the last moment she had living with her father. They had breakfast, and then he was ready to leave.
Bra clung to his leg. "Please tell me you'll come visit us soon, Papa. My next birthday's coming up and I don't want you to miss it"
Vegeta knelt down to her level. The poor girl was on the verge of tears, again. "I will, Bra." He patted her head and rubbed her hair.
Bra flung herself onto him, faster than he could react. She held him tightly around his neck, not wanting to let go. Vegeta let his arms hang to the side, not moving to push her off. Eventually, he put a hand on her back and awkwardly patted her.
Bulma bit her bottom lip. Now, the truth of her situation was starting to settle in. Even after all the divorce proceedings, and all of the relief she felt afterwards, she still felt a bit of regret in her stomach. She still had a few words she needed to say.
She cleared her throat. "Bra, can you go outside, for a moment? I want to talk to your papa, for a minute."
Bra looked back at her mother. She nodded, and quickly ran out onto the front lawn. Vegeta got up and straightened out his clothing.
Bulma clasped her hands below her. "I guess this is it."
"Yes, it is."
The post-breakup awkwardness was beginning to set in. She shook her head. "Vegeta, before you go, I just want you to know something." He nodded, waiting for her to continue. "I don't regret the time we spent together. I'm so grateful for everything you've given me and my family. You're still welcome here if you're ever in need. And if there's ever an emergency-"
"You're not my mother, woman. I can take care of myself," he said, with a small smirk on his face.
She laughed. "I know. You have more life experience than I could ever dream of."
He chuckled and nodded. This took the edge off of the awkwardness. At least they could still bicker, as they used to.
She sighed and smiled sadly. "I'm going to miss you. Just… be happy, wherever you end up."
He grunted. "Take care of yourself, Bulma." He turned around and started heading out the door. He didn't hesitate or look back, as he went outside. She heard him step through the fallen leaves. Then came a loud whooshing noise, and she knew he was gone.
Bulma stepped backwards and collapsed onto her armchair. She let out a breath of relief. She didn't feel sad at all. She felt happy: maybe the happiest she had been in years. She felt free and liberated. She couldn't stop the smile forming on her face, either.
Bra ran back inside and jumped onto her mother, surprising her. "Momma, are you okay?"
She didn't hesitate to hug her back. "Yes, sweetie. Momma is okay."
Now, a new chapter of her life could begin.
I guess this was a way for me to get my frustrations for Vegeta and Bulma out in a healthy and non-destructive manner. I didn't want to start nuclear war on Twitter or Tumblr, so this was how I was venting. This isn't even the first attempt I've had at writing a fic like this. The other ones were kind of angry and angst, and I think they might have made me feel a bit worse about them. Of course, the one I ended up finishing was the one where it's no one's fault and it's just how life ended up being for them. People grow apart, and people split up: it happens. I do feel a lot better, now that I've written this. I guess the moral of this story is to always write about your feelings, and don't take out your frustrations on people that don't deserve it.