A short little father/daughter OneShot.
Little Bra is scared of the Monster in the Closet and unable to sleep... how will Vegeta handle the situation?
Enjoy and please review!
The Monster in the Closet
Vegeta fell to the floor of the GR, his muscles screaming in protest as he tried to push himself up again. He reached for the control panel and turned off the gravity, sitting up as the strain began to lift. He took a deep breath and the air rushed into his lungs, making him feel as if he weighed nothing at all. The machine made a light beeping sound as it reached the normal gravity of the earth. Vegeta smirked as he got up and made his way to the door, grabbing a towel on his way. He used it to wipe away the sweat on his face and left the Gravity Room with it hanging around his neck.
He hadn't realized how long he'd been in there, but it was now dark outside and a chilly wind made the trees sway. Vegeta made his way towards the main building, but then his forehead creased as he sensed a familiar ki in a place it wasn't supposed to be. Not this late at night, at least. Only a second later he saw his daughter sitting at the entrance door, her knees drawn up to her chest and her folded arms resting on top of them. She was wearing her dark red pajamas, confirming that she should not have been out here but in her bed, sound asleep. Her gaze was directed at the sky, her little teeth biting down on her lower lip.
"What are you doing out here?" Vegeta asked, startling the little girl. She jumped up, her eyes meeting his. She sighed then, relieved to see her father. "I couldn't sleep." she murmured, sitting back down on the single step in front of the door. "Why?" Vegeta interrogated, standing next to her. The barely six year old girl pursed her lips, keeping her silence. "Child..." Vegeta said in a stern voice, not pleased with her not answering his question.
Bra sighed. There was no arguing with her dad when he used that tone on her. But she really didn't want to answer his question, not sure if her pride could take it if he laughed her fears off as silly. "A boy from kindergarten told me that there is a scary monster that hides in closets." the little girl said, steeling herself for her dad's reaction. The truth was that she was angry at herself for being scared. She was a demisaiyan and therefore shouldn't be scared of some monster hiding in her closet. But she couldn't shake her fears.
She had lain in her bed for a while, her whole body tense, ready to run out of her room if anything should happen, her eyes locked on her closet. She had been unable to close her eyes, too scared to let her guard down. A long, long time later she had stood up, disgusted with herself for being as tense as a board. She had gone outside then, trying to overcome her ridiculous fear. Now she hesitantly looked up at her father as he kept silent.
"A monster in a closet?" he asked as soon as she met his gaze. Bra just nodded, unable to speak while she looked into the expressionless eyes of her father. He sat down next to her then, sighing. "I never heard of that one. I can't sense its ki either." he said solemnly. Bra wasn't sure if he was mocking her or not. Did he believe there was a monster? He wasn't from earth, she knew that… Maybe he didn't know if there was one… Or he was just letting her keep her dignity, pretending that her fear wasn't completely childish. One could never know with her father.
"But even if there was a monster… would it really be such a big deal?" her father asked and averted his eyes as he lay a hand on top of her head. Bra's forehead creased as she stared at her father's face, confused. "But monsters are scary, Daddy." she replied, not afraid that he'd laugh at that statement. It was okay to be afraid of a real threat. It was justifiable. "Only if the monsters are stronger than you." he objected, looking at the stars. The little girl sighed. "I'm not strong like you, dad. I can't win against monsters."
Vegeta nodded at that, patting his daughter's head before standing up. "True. But I can." Bra stood up too as her father extended a hand towards her, placing her own little hand in his much larger one. It felt like a promise of protection as his hand enclosed hers.
Vegeta led his daughter to her room and watched as she crawled into bed, dragging the blanket up to her chin. "There is nothing in there." he stated as he saw her gaze flicker to the closet for a second. The little girl nodded but grabbed his hand as he started walking towards her door. He looked back at her. Her eyes were averted and her lips were pressed into a tight line. He didn't exactly know how, but he understood her silent plea. So he sat down next to her bed with his back to her, all the while keeping her hand in his, his arm reaching over his shoulder.
"Thank you, dad." Bra whispered almost inaudibly, making him feel a strange warmth. He didn't reply, but listened as her breathing turned deep and steady while she slowly fell asleep. But even when he was sure that she was deep in slumber, he didn't have it in him to leave, couldn't forget the silent fear in her eyes earlier. And so he stayed.