"Damn that Kakarot!" Vegeta snarled as he entered the bedroom he shared with his wife. "Selfish, shameless, glory hog." he growled. "He always gets the last shot." he tugged his armor off and tossed it onto the low coffee table.
Bulma followed close behind him and closed the door firmly behind them only half listening to her husband's ranting. It had happened again. She pressed her hand to her chest as the memory of the pain she felt when he died flared again. Twice she'd felt it now. That terrible sensation like a string snapping and lashing her heart in two following by a breath stealing stab of pain as those halves seemed to shatter and then a gaping hole of pain and heartache where the connection she shared with Vegeta rested. Her gaze lifted from the carpet to her husband as he tossed his gloves and boots into a basket near their closet and unzipped the top of his new grey combat suit peeling it from his muscled form and baring his back to her.
"Is Trunks still at the clown's residence?" Vegeta asked bringing her focus back to his voice and away from his body.
"Yes." she replied her voice a little listless.
Now that the danger was gone and the adrenaline completely leached from her system, the reality of the situation overwhelmed her. She'd nearly lost him again and this time, she'd seen it. Watched in horror as that lizard freak that had tortured her husband for years shattered their planet. Her eyes had fixed on the form of her husband as he realized what was happening and flew away from his enemy towards her. Their eyes met just before he became caught in the blast and was reduced to nothing but ash.
The memory of it was too much and she launched herself at her beloved wrapping her arms around his waist tightly as tears spilled from the corner of her eyes.
"Woman?" he questioned his muscles tensing at the sudden contact. She sniffled in response pressing her face against the warm skin of his back. "Bulma, what is it?" he asked his rough voice softening to the warm tone he only used in private with her.
"You did it again." she whispered squeezing him as tightly as she could. It wasn't like she had the strength to hurt him and she desperately needed the contact. "You died on me. How could you? You stupid jerk." she grumbled the hitching of her breath betraying her fear and taking all of the bite out of her half hearted jab.
He gently pried her hands off of his waist and turned to face her. She lowered her head knowing how much her tears usually annoyed him, but his hand cupped her chin and lifted it until her blue eyes were forced to meet his onyx orbs. His gaze was soft as he brushed her tears from face with his fingertips.
"Crying doesn't suit you woman." he said softly leaning down to nuzzle her nose with his own.
"It felt just like last time." she whimpered clutching at his shoulders as his gentleness seemed to steal all of her strength. "It was like a part of my soul was ripped out when you-" she couldn't get the words out and shuddered again closing her eyes against the memory and the pain it brought.
His hands covered her guiding them to wrap around his neck before he lifted her effortlessly and carried her to their bed and laid her down in the middle of the mattress. He pulled away from her long enough to peel the grey pants of his suit off and then crawled into the bed with her.
"Relax woman." he said softly running a hand over her hair. "I'm alive. You're not getting rid of me that easily."
She slid closer to him and laid her ear over his heart listening to the steady thrumming under his skin. After a few moments she smacked him lightly in the shoulder.
"I was afraid." she confessed. "I was terrified I'd never see you again."
"It's not my fault Frieza is a coward." he reminded her.
She hissed in irritation and rose up over him looking down at his handsome face feeling her heart clench again at the knowledge that she'd nearly lost him.
"You are not allowed to die!" she snarled. "You swore you wouldn't be so reckless after that mess with Majin Buu." she cupped his cheek her eyes shimmering with tears once again.
He studied her for a moment before leaning towards her and capturing her lips with his own. Her eyes fluttered shut and she reveled in the kiss. It was sweet, sensual and comforting. An intimate but gentle play of lips that seemed to warm her from the inside out. She felt her body shift as he gracefully flipped their positions hovering above her. He pulled away and her eyes opened as he untied the scarf wrapped around her neck and pulled it away. He flicked it over the side of the bed and trailed kisses down the newly exposed flesh paying special attention to the nape of her neck where she bore the mark of their mating. The mark he'd bestowed on her shortly after the nightmare that was the Cell games. She arched into him as his hand slid down and unsnapped the button of her jeans and drew the zipper down making her shiver in anticipation.
Most of the time their couplings were passionate, rough, raw and quick. In the beginning, it was simply a byproduct of their relationship. A hot, passionate affair that had ended when he'd gone to train in space leaving her pregnant and alone until he returned to fight the androids. After he'd returned to Capsule Corps following The Cell Games, they'd eventually come together again and though their relationship had changed, they way they came together physically had not. After all, fast and furious was the only way to do things with a young, energetic, Saiyan hybrid running around.
Bulma could count on one hand the number of times where he'd taken things slow with her. Now she could add this encounter to the count. Her eyes rolled back in her head and her back arched as he pulled the rest of her clothing from her body. To her surprise, he didn't damage a single garment. Not even her flimsy lace trimmed underwear. He took his time worshiping her body with his mouth and fingertips. She sighed in pleasure enjoying the slow climb instead of the frantic race as he showed her just how much she meant to him. A high pitched gasp left her lips when he finally entered her filling her completely as her arms and legs locked around him pulling his body as close to hers as she could. They rocked together and she gasped in pleasure her fingernails raking down his muscled back, her lips caressing his chest and neck as she panted moving ever closer to the pinnacle of her pleasure.
"Vegeta!" she moaned as he ground his hips into hers. "I love you."
The words that had once chased him from her bed and into the cold vacuum of space now made him increase his pace as he neared his own release.
"Bulma." he groaned splaying his hand across her back to bring her even closer to him. "My precious star."
His softly murmured words of affection. The term of endearment that he never breathed outside of their bedroom was her undoing and she cried out as she shattered around him. He growled out his own release just moments later and collapsed on top of her sweaty and breathless. After a moment, he rolled to the side pulling her with him and covered them both with the throw blanket that lay at the foot of their bed.
Bulma curled around him and laced her fingers through his laying their joined hands on his stomach.
"It wasn't my fault you know." he said after a few minutes of companionable silence.
"What wasn't?" she replied studying the scars the crisscrossed her husband's torso, evidence of his rough upbringing.
"If Kakarot had just finished off Frieza instead of letting his guard down, the lizard freak never would have had a chance to blow up the planet in the first place." he explained his fingertips tracing lazy circles on her skin.
"So it's Goku's fault?" Bulma replied cocking her brow.
"Exactly. That clown can rarely do anything properly the first time." Vegeta replied leaning down to nuzzle her hair before pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "I would never leave you willingly woman."
She smiled and curled closer to him slipping a leg over her his. "Good." she replied. "I'd be lost without my Saiyan Prince."
He chuckled. "And I would be lost without you my beloved star. The light in the dark that is always waiting to guide me home."
Bulma sighed happily and nuzzled him affectionately feeling once again safe and secure. Vegeta was with her. He was alive and well. Their planet was safe, for the moment at least.
"Even so, I swear if anyone ever brings that freak back to life again I'll make them wish they'd never been born." She snarled. "I'm so sick of that damn lizard!"
Vegeta blinked a couple of times in surprise before he pressed his head back into the pillows and laughed. "There's my little warrior woman. The one that laughs in the face of danger." he said giving her backside and light slap of appreciation.
She smirked and pressed an open mouth kiss to his chest before running her tongue along the crease of his sculpted pectoral.
"Damn right." she said with a grin. "After all, I sleep with the most dangerous man in the Universe nearly every night."
He chuckled and squeezed her hip. "And don't you forget it."
She smiled and slid her body over him so that she was straddling his stomach. "Is said dangerous man up for round two or did dying today take too much out of him?"
Vegeta smirked. "Do your worst little earth woman." he challenged.
Bulma smirked herself and was about to take him up on his little challenge when the sound of a door slamming hard enough the rattle the windows and small feet pounding up the stairs sent her flying into her walk in closet to get dressed and Vegeta giving a long suffering sigh as their bedroom door flew open.
"Dad! Frieza came to earth and you didn't tell me? What gives? I wanted to fight him too!" the lavender haired boy pouted.
"Trunks, how many times have I told you not to barge in here without knocking first?" Vegeta grumbled.
The boy stopped and tapped his chin for a moment before his eyes brightened and he looked at his father. "Eighty six." he proclaimed proudly.
"Well make it eighty seven." The Saiyan Prince said with a long suffering sigh. "Now get yourself down to the gravity room and warm up. We have training to do."
"But dad…" Trunks whined. "I want to hear about the fight. It's not everyday that Frieza comes back."
"Thank Kami for that." Bulma sighed as she stepped out of the closet wearing a fresh pair of jeans and a red tee shirt with Capsule Corp written across the front.
"Hey mom! Did you hear that Frieza came back!?" Trunks exclaimed.
"Yeah. I was there kiddo, now listen to your father." she said sternly walking towards him. She knelt down and whispered in his ear. "I'll tell you all the juicy details when you finish training. After all, I got to the fight way before your dad did."
The boy grinned and nodded enthusiastically before flying out the door.
"No flying in the house!" Vegeta barked after the boy as he kicked off the blanket and rose from the bed.
Bulma chuckled and stretched up on her toes to kiss her husband. "I'll take on that challenge of yours later tonight." she promised winking at him as she sauntered towards the door.
He chuckled. "Vulgar woman."
"But you love me that way." she said before bounding out the door.
She felt happy all of the anxiety from the past few hours over and gone. The earth was saved, her family was intact and there weren't any super powered bad guys threatening the peace on their planet. Though knowing her husband and Goku like she did, there was no way that was going to last for long. With that thought in mind she drifted down to her lab and studied the designs for new combat training bots she'd been developing. She couldn't protect Vegeta in battle, but she could make sure he had the best chance possible of coming home alive and that was enough for now.