In the past years, Vegeta had began to experience a broader array of emotions than he ever would have imagined possible. He'd rekindled his relationship with Bulma, that was if the connection between them during Trunks' conception would fall under the classification of a 'relationship' but nevertheless, he'd made amends. He no longer resented his son. In fact, he was truly proud of him. He was part of a family. Regardless of how abnormally their family may have functioned, it should be considered nothing less.
He'd been prepared to give all of it away. And He'd tried to.
He'd thought that allowing Babidi to take over his mind, and enhance the evil within him would be enough. It was almost shocking how unaware of his true feelings he really was. He had thought that returning to his saiyan nature would make him stronger. That was his biggest misconception. For years he was unable to understand what drove Kakarot. What had given him the ability to surpass him with such ease. And it wasn't until he'd sacrificed himself (unsuccessfully) in order to defeat Majin Buu, that he would learn. He finally realized that his emotional connections to his family were more of a strength than they were a weakness. They motivated him.
Looking back, The sacrifice he'd made was the only decision that day that hadn't ended in regret, because that was the only decision that day prior to his demise where his family had been on the forefront of his mind.
Surely enough, his revival had been as much of a shock to him as it was to everyone else. Given all the terrible things he had done, it was the absolute last thing he expected. Regardless, he couldn't deny that he was relieved to be spared eternal torture. However, any shred of relief was snuffed out when Kakarot had told him what had happened in his absence. The news of Bulma's demise hit him harder than any of the blows he'd be dealt by Kid Buu later that day.
There was nothing he could have done to stop the flow of memories that raced through his mind. The last time he'd kissed her, their last heated night together, their last nonchalant exchange of words. As much as he would have liked to deny how much it stung at the time, there was no denying that it did.
And now here he was, slowly approaching the other side other side of the lookout where his wife and son waited for him. But not just them, many others as well. He growled inwardly, wishing that he could be alone with them sooner than he would be given the opportunity to. As he rounded the final corner, his eyes immediately locked with hers. He immediately noticed a spike in her ki, as a small smile crept on to her lips. He could tell she was trying to contain her excitement, most likely for his sake. She knew better than anyone how perturbed he was by acting lovey dovey in public. And even when they were alone, romance was limited at best. Directly next to her was Trunks, whose face lit up like wildfire as he jumped up excitedly at the sight of his father. He proceeded to dart over as quickly as he could manage , grabbing on to Vegeta's hand, with a tighter grip than he had anticipated.
"Hey!" he exclaimed, showing off the widest smile he could manage. Vegeta looked down at him, offering him a quick smirk, before Bulma stepped up behind them. He looked over his shoulder at her curious to see what her course of action would be. He could sense something different about her, but she simply winked and gave him a thumbs up. He raised an eyebrow curiously, before turning to face her completely, only them realizing that he couldn't bring himself to look her in the eyes. He felt his jaw tighten, and s stiffness in his chest when she lightly placed her hands on his forearm. He couldn't remember a time when he'd felt so choked up. There was no way in hell he'd make it obvious, though. He tuned out the surrounding commotion almost completely as his thoughts raced. He knew for certain Bulma had much more to say than she let off. He knew she was probably furious with him, and rightfully so. Vegeta was the last person to admit he was wrong about something, regardless of what it was, But this time there was no other way to put it.
Before he knew it, they were already heading back home, and he still hadn't uttered a single word to her. He'd been thinking about what he'd say to her ever since the battle had ended, but he still had nothing. He was a soldier. A powerful Saiyan warrior. Yet his weaknesses were all but none. When it came to expressing emotions, he always seemed to be at a loss. He had feelings, and plenty of them. Disgustingly mushy thoughts in the back of his mind that he'd love more than anything to rid himself of, but never could. Despite that, there was no way in hell any of those thoughts would leave their place in the deepest recesses of his mind. He was far too proud for that. And perhaps his overabundant pride was a weakness in it's self. He knew for a fact that it was the only thing standing between him and an apology to his wife. But he was nothing if not prideful.
Upon arrival to the Capsule Corporation building, the residence which had become his own, against his own willingness at first. Vegeta finally began to feel the effects of the intense battle with Majin Buu. He was tired. So tired in fact, he began to find it difficult to keep his eyes open. Lethargically, and without a single word to his wife or son, he made his way to the bedroom he had shared with Bulma for years now. He allowed himself to collapse on the sheets, his senses immediately seized with the strong smell of Bulma's overly pricey perfume, along with a faint hint of tobacco from her smoking habit. Despite his unwillingness to admit it, he found it immensely comforting. He buried his face in the pillows to further envelop himself in the aroma, kicking off his boots and lazily throwing a particularly soft blanket over himself before falling asleep.
...
Nearly three days had passed, and Vegeta had avoided Bulma, and Trunks relentlessly. He hadn't the slightest clue what he would say to either of them, most especially Bulma. Trunks, being an eight year old boy, was very impressionable. With the respect he had for his father, Vegeta could tell him just about anything and he would believe it without question. However, Bulma was not so naive. In fact, she was most likely the smartest woman of her entire race. To be honest, it was a breath of fresh air. In comparison to the insufferably idiotic humans that inhabited the planet. He knew he couldn't avoid her for long. In fact, only a few more minutes passed before he noticed her leaning against the door of the gravity chamber, which was set to earth's normal gravity for the time being.
Vegeta glanced at her for no more than a second, before pretending not to notice her and continuing his training. He could almost feel her stare.
"I know you can sense my Ki," She said in a surprisingly calm tone.
"I'm busy."
"I want to talk."
"Talk, then."
Bulma sighed deeply and pinched the bridge of her nose. She knew he was dodging her at all costs. Why? Well, the only reason she knew of was that Vegeta, regardless of what kind of life changing experiences he had endured he would still be just as stubborn as usual. While she wasn't wrong, she wasn't completely right either. From the way he saw it, he would've said something, if he'd known what.
"I wish I could say that I was shocked by what you did... but honestly, I'm not surprised, looking back at it."
He didn't reply.
"I just wonder, Vegeta. I really wonder. You're supposed to be my husband, but you've never even told me you love me."
She waited a moment, for any sort of response, even a glance in her direction, but she received no such thing.
"I'm beginning to wonder if you do love me! I don't know what I did to deserve such a horrible husband, who didn't even care when he nearly killed me over a stupid rivalry. It's getting harder to convince myself that you love me, and now I can hardly even make myself believe that you even care in the slightest!"
Before she could blink, he was directly in front of her, close enough that she could feel his breath on her ear.
"Bulma."
She felt as stiff as ice.
"If I didn't love you, do you think I'd be here?"
That was all she needed.
~Fin
A/N: Reuploaded, because I am a dumdum for uploading a story that I wrote months ago
without reading over it, and then realizing how many errors it had.