I don't usually write DBZ stories, but this one popped into my head and I thought "Why not?" Not a seriously story, just a bit of fun. I don't really have much else to say except: enjoy!
DISCLAIMER: I do not own DBZ or any of the characters, or either of the songs used in this story; I do not own ANYTHING but this particular storyline.
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Manipulation
"Trunks! Bra! Get down here now."
Two seconds later the siblings open their bedroom doors. Bra and Trunks shoot each other nervous glances as they slowly make their way down the hall. They have reason to be cautious: Bulma and Vegeta are manipulators. Vegeta has spent years under Frieza learning how to manipulate people into doing what he wants; Bulma has spent years running the company and manoeuvring investors and workers alike. By the time they had children they were experts at it.
What did you do? Bra uses telepathy to communicate with Trunks. It's perhaps the best thing that Vegeta has taught her; it's very useful during boring lessons or lectures by her mother. Bra doesn't dare speak – her father is downstairs and he would surely hear them talking.
Enough. Trunks replies back, his expression grim. You know what we have to do, don't you?
Bra pulls a face, glancing at her brother. Yeah, I know. It's just so –
I know, I know, her brother answers. He gives a minute shake of the head, for the millionth time wishing that they had normal parents – or at least less insane ones. But Dad's downstairs and it must be serious if he's sitting in.
Bra and Trunks exchange a glance. Usually when Bulma is pushed to the edge and wants to rave at her children Vegeta practically sprints to the other end of the globe to avoid it. But by the time they arrive into the front living room (this one is the one that they sit in with guests; the next living room is towards the back of the house and only family sits in there. The front living room is also used for family meetings or ass-kicking) Bulma is sitting on the brown leather sofa. Vegeta is standing against the wall, not leaning. His eyes reveal nothing when he glances up. Trunks finds himself wondering how their mother and father ended up together: Vegeta is the complete opposite of Bulma who is glowering at her offspring. She shows off her emotions like a peacock fluttering it's feathers, whereas it's so hard to know what their father's thinking.
"Sit down," Bulma replies tightly. She gestures to the sofa opposite, though she doesn't really need to. Whenever there's a family meeting Trunks and Bra sit on one side, Vegeta and Bulma on the other – enemies marking out their territory.
The siblings sit down tensely, waiting. They watch as their mother fiddles with a pencil – she quit smoking a while back when Vegeta complained that is was like having sex with an ashtray. She's pretty good with staying clean, but at times of stress she always wants to light up. Trunks doesn't glance at Bra because he knows that Vegeta will see it, but he doesn't have to. They both know this is bad if their mother is longing for a cigarette.
"Y'know," Bulma says, and the Briefs children have to stop themselves from rolling their eyes; their dear mother is making an opening argument. "I always brag about you two. Whenever I'm at cocktail parties or board meetings, I always say that my children are perfect: my son is working at the company and being groomed for the position to lead, my daughter has done some part-time modelling-" (Bra can't help but smile when she mentions this – she adores the fact she's been on the cover of magazines) "-and is getting straight As in school. Or at least she was," Bulma finishes off, glowering at their youngest.
Here's my cue. "It's not my fault."
"And whose fault is it? Does that mean that when you get a hundred per cent in your Spanish test that we shouldn't reward you?"
"My English teacher is out to get me," Bra argues. "He hates me."
"Why does he hate you?"
"I don't know." Actually he hated her because she embarrassed him in front of the class by saying that corduroy trousers enhanced his overweight figure, but she wasn't about to tell her mother that.
"What about your attendance? Your science teacher says he hasn't seen you in three weeks."
"Mom, I don't need to go. I'm getting full marks in all my science and maths exams-"
"That's no excuse. Just because you can do the work doesn't mean you should be rude and not turn up."
"I show up a lot more than other students," Bra says, her voice getting higher.
"Do not raise your voice to your mother," Vegeta reprimanded firmly from his position against the wall.
Instantly Bra quietens. Don't get her wrong, Bra would never insult her mother; but when either of his children show any hint of disrespect their father pounces on it. If either of them dared go further not only would they been grounded for a month without their cell phones, they would be bruised and limping. It would be worse if they did the same thing to him – they probably wouldn't survive.
When Bra speaks her voice is lower. "I just mean that you're not listening to me."
Sensing help was needed, Trunks stood up.
"Where are you going?" Vegeta demands. His eyes watch his son as he walks to the far corner of the room, like a predator that's watching prey wandering away.
"Just wanted to put some music on. Thought it would make us all less tense," Trunks replies. He carefully constructs his face so that he's the picture of innocence: sweet face, big eyes, a hint of respect visible. Bra does it so much better than he does, but that's because she's the youngest and the girl. But then again, Trunks is the oldest and – as his mother says – Vegeta has a soft spot for him. It must work because eventually Vegeta nods and allows the sound on. Nice work Briefs, Trunks congratulates himself.
"I want to see an improvement in your school work. No discussion," Bulma barks when Bra opens her mouth.
"Mom, Bra has a right to start her opinion-"
"Don't let me get started on you," Bulma says, rounding on her first born. "Bra hasn't been the only one that's been skiving off duties lately. You've been skipping meetings lately – how do you think that looks? Your grandfather and I built that company from nothing, we put half our lives on hold and here you are not showing up with meetings, with no excuse or-"
"I've been having problems with Bethany, alright?" Trunks explains hotly. His face reddens and Bra understands. She doesn't like talking to their type A personality parents about their relationships.
Bulma glances over at her husband. They share a glance and Bra feels sympathy for his brother. She can tell that her parents are going to pull out the big guns which, for them, means going gently.
"We wanted to talk to you about Bethany," Bulma answers. Scarily enough Vegeta comes and sits beside Bulma. Oh no, both Bra and Trunks think, almost simultaneously. "We were just wondering what you are getting out of this relationship."
"Oh you don't want to know," Bra murmurs. She receives a shove in the side from her older brother and instantly straightens up.
"Mom, Dad, you're not getting this," Trunks says, sitting forward. "Bethany and I are just friends."
Both the parents jerk their heads up at this. As they prepare their mental rifles Bra prays that the CD hurries up. Right now the song is Wherever You Will Go but by Charlene Soraia, not The Calling – it's the softness that will soothe the two of them. C'mon, Bra thinks.
"You've had sex with her," Vegeta says. His eyes stare his son down. "Don't lie to me boy, I can tell."
"I'm not lying – we're, we're..." Trunks struggles for the right word. "We're friends with benefits."
"Friends with benefits?" Vegeta and Bulma say at the same time. "What's that?"
Trunks and Bra couldn't stop themselves this time: they glance at each other in horror. How can they explain casual sex to their parents? Both of them are endlessly ambitious and they know that they won't understand having a relationship that was based on sex.
"Erm, well," Trunks starts.
"Do we need to talk about this?" Bra begs.
"Yes," the two of them say at the same time.
"Trunks?" Vegeta asks, his voice with a hint of command.
"It's...it's having...it's like being in a relationship with someone, only without the bad parts." Trunks stumbles over an explanation and Bra rolls her eyes.
"Do not roll your eyes Bra," snaps their father.
"Sorry," answers Bra, glancing down from her father's furious face. Again, another sore point with him and disrespect.
Bulma is still focussing on their son. "I don't understand," she says. "When you say bad parts do you mean – well, what do you mean?"
"Well, fights," Trunks says. He squirms under his parents' gaze.
"Fights are part of a relationship," their mother argues. "I don't understand how you can't fight in a committed relationship."
"Commitment is one of those things that we don't have," mutters Trunks.
Finally their parents get it: Vegeta closes his eyes while Bulma goes tomato red in the face. "You mean – do you – are you saying that you're having sex with this woman? And that's it?" She sucks in her breath and both siblings brace themselves. They are not disappointed. "What is the point in having a relationship that's just sex? Trunks, you should be looking for someone who understands you and listens to you, not someone who drops her underwear the second-" Her voice drowns out as Trunks, Bra and even Vegeta cry out in disapproval.
"C'mon Mom, it's his decision to be in a relationship. What's wrong with that?"
"Yeah," Trunks jumps in before either of their parents get a word in. He gives thanks to whatever's up there as the song She's A Lady comes up – the song that their parents had playing when they first slept together, as their parents unfortunately informed them. Perfect timing. "Didn't you and Dad start a relationship exactly the same way? And look how that turned out."
Vegeta and Bulma glance at each other. The siblings read an underlying passion in their expressions and both of them hold their breath. With any luck...
"But Bethany and I aren't as good as you two though," Trunks says carefully.
"Yeah, I mean you two are so like-minded and you've had great chemistry from day one."
Bulma tries to remain stern but is fighting a smile. "That's very true," she murmurs. "We've always had great chemistry."
"And great sex," Vegeta says, smirking. His hands casually move over behind her neck, tugging at his wife's hair. At the same time Trunks and Bra cautiously slide to the end of the sofa.
"I can't believe this song is playing," Bulma says. She is now grinning broadly, utterly content with the situation at the moment. "Do you remember when we-"
"Of course," Vegeta answers, nuzzling her neck. "I threw you down-"
"We were arguing about the gravity chamber-"
"And you said I had an attitude problem-"
"And you said I was an idiotic airhead-"
"And then you were on top," says Vegeta. By now he's grinning into her neck, planting kisses on her. Bulma closes her eyes in contentment. "It was the best sex I've ever had."
"Oh God." Bulma suddenly flings her eyes open, but it's too late: Bra and Trunks have disappeared. "Oh God, where did they go?" She glances round but hears the front door slam shut. With a groan she falls back on the sofa, a hand flung over her eyes. "Oh no, oh God Vegeta, we're bad parents."
"Maybe," Vegeta agrees. He pushes her down on the sofa and throws his top off. "But we are great lovers." Bulma returns his grin and begins to unbutton her shirt.
"Do you think we should tell them that we conceived the two of them on that sofa?" Bulma asks, looking to the sofa where the siblings had been sitting. They hadn't had sex there since Bra because they were both certain that if they did they would conceive again and (for now) two children were enough.
"No," says Vegeta. He moves his hands on his breasts, using one hundredth of his strength to squeeze them. "When one of them gets married, we'll mention it the speech." Kissing, the two of them momentarily forget about their children.
Bulma and Vegeta are great manipulators, yes; but Bra and Trunks have learnt from their parents and become even better manipulators then them. They are their children, after all.