It was long past midnight when the last of her guest slowly dwindled out the door. Leaving her and the clean-up crew behind to tend to the aftermath of her birthday party. She was officially another year older and the androids another year closer. The party had been glamorous, but deep down meaningless. Bulma had thrown it to fake normalcy, a desperate attempt to try and trick herself into one single evening free of worries and fear. It hadn't truly worked, even though her current buzz was quite pleasant, it did not alleviate the constant feeling of doom that had taken hold of her, and made a home in her chest when the mysterious young man from the future had told them about their fate.

Exhaling deeply and lighting a cigarette she surveyed the yard, it had been the perfect night for a pool party, even now, with the stars shining brightly above West City the temperature outside was enjoyable and serene. So serene in fact that she almost missed Vegetas sulking form by the Gazebo. His feet were swinging freely and he was leaning against one of the beams supporting the roof of the small circular structure. Prince of assholes had been a no-show at her party, despite her clear invitation.

Discarding her cigarette she crossed the lawn towards him and the small pond he currently seemed to survey.

"Hey, hot stuff, where were you all night?! I told you-you were invited!"

Bulma was proud of the way she kept her voice nonchalant, while deep down she was a little miffed that he hadn't even been lured in by the food - or her stunning dress. He grunted under his breath, leaving her to wonder if it was at her words or at her approach and invasion of his privacy. When she lifted herself to sit on the banister a few good inches from him, and he didn't leave or respond Bulma took it as a sign that he had merely acknowledged her words but did not seem them worthy of a reply; so she pressed on,

"You are really cute, we could still make this a party for two"

Her tone was teasing, her slight buzz making it easy to be flirty, and she had to stifle a giggle at the way his muscles tensed and his cheeks flushed. It was so easy to wind him up. Shaking his head as if to dismiss her question, or attempt to get rid of the blush of his cheeks she wasn't sure, but he surprised her when in answered in a low chuckle,

"Pick-up lines only work when I'm drunk"

It took several seconds for the meaning behind his words to fully sink in, and this time it was Bulma who averted her gaze - cheeks heated - to survey the tranquil water in front of them. After a few minutes, she slid silently off the banister and returned to the main compound, giving Vegeta the illusion that she had left him for the night. The feeling of loneliness that spread in his chest was as unwelcome as the spark of curiosity that set his nerves on fire when she returned a few minutes later. A bottle of a clear alcoholic beverage in one hand, two small glasses in the other. She set both onto the banister between them before lifting herself back up wordlessly and filling both their glasses.

Bulma took a generous swig of her glass, the expensive Vodka burning her throat, warming her insides and giving her liquid courage to ask her next question.

"So drunk one-night stands are a thing in space, huh?"

Vegeta, who had been carefully sniffing his drink up until this point, tipped his glass back and drank an alarmingly big shot of Vodka before refilling his glass. As quiet settled between them once again Bulma feared he would simply ignore her - like he had done so many times before, but then he asked in a low voice.

"What's a one-night stand?"

The foreign earth word sounding strange as it rolled off his tongue, and Bulma had to smile as she reminded herself how utterly alien this man next to her was.

"It's a single sexual encounter, people often don't know each other and it's free of expectations afterward. You just have sex with a stranger and move on."

Vegeta snorted into his raised drink, before mumbling a foreign word, as if he was making a connection, "Yes they are".

Bulma poured herself another drink.

"Are they.. you know.., your thing?"

Her entire face was burning and she couldn't believe how bold she was being. Her eyes darted to the stars and then back down to the lake, anywhere but Vegeta's face. From her peripheral she could see that he had turned towards her, watching her with those dark intense eyes that made her spine tingle in excitement.

Being the mysterious man he was Vegeta refilled both of their glasses and took another generous sip, she followed his example.

"I thought you brought the bottle to find out"

His eyes were dancing with mischief, his voice dark forbidden velvet, and Bulma found herself mesmerized by his dark pull and his playful tone. This was a new side of Vegeta, one she hadn't seen before. Taking another sip of Vodka she scooted closer, lifting her glass in a cheer and tossing all caution to the wind;

"Too finding out"