A/N: Got this idea from a convo with my hubby about how the hell VxB even happened. We decided Bulma had to have tricked him into it somehow and then he decided he liked it and stuck around.. just cause Bulma's awesome, y'know? Also I know Bulma's mom doesn't have an official name but I've seen her referred to as "Bunny" so many times, it just works aiight.
The smell of bacon wafted through the air as Bulma descended the stairs and made her way to the kitchen. Her mother, Bunny, was looking chipper as always, in her element as she cooked up every breakfast food imaginable. There was enough food on the table to feed an army, or in their case, one Saiyan.
"Good morning, honey!" Bunny said sweetly. "I've made you some coffee."
A steaming mug of coffee was waiting on the counter, already made the way she liked, and Bulma took it with a grateful smile and a "thanks", before sitting down at the table. She picked up a piece of the bacon from the large pile placed near her and chewed it absent-mindedly, staring out the large kitchen window. It had a clear view of the gravity room where Vegeta was most likely still training. He spent all of his time in there when he wasn't sleeping, eating or complaining about something.
Bulma sighed, frowning as she took another piece of bacon and bit off a chunk angrily. Bunny turned to her daughter while flipping a pancake, somehow still managing to land it back in the pan.
"Is something wrong, dear?"
Bulma grumbled through her mouthful of bacon and swallowed it down with a few gulps of coffee, waving her other hand dismissively.
"It's nothing, mom."
"It has something to do with that nice, young man doesn't it?" Once again, her seemingly airheaded mother made it clear she was more observant than most people realized.
Still, she must have a screw loose somewhere because no sane person would ever call Vegeta "nice", Bulma thought with a smirk.
"Do you know that he only talks to me when he wants something?" The blue-haired woman replied bitterly. "God forbid he says hello or calls me by name. No. He barges in, yelling 'woman!' and then demands that I drop what I'm doing to fix whatever he broke this time. I ask him not to be so rough with the equipment and then he accuses me of making crap that can't stand up to his strength!"
She downed the rest of her coffee as if it were a shot, and slammed the mug on the table. Bunny walked over with a tall stack of pancakes, silently waiting for her daughter to continue her rant.
"I mean, I'm trying! Constantly developing new material, new programs to help him out, but does he even thank me? NO! He just keeps breaking everything and makes me clean up the mess."
"Maybe he's breaking them on purpose so he has a reason to talk to you," Bunny said with a giggle, apparently thinking that was cute.
Bulma frowned thoughtfully. She highly doubted that was the reason. Vegeta was anti-social; he wasn't a shy, awkward schoolboy looking for ways to get her attention. It was more likely that he just took pleasure in pissing her off.
If she were being completely honest with herself, she had a thing for confrontation as well and could argue with the best of them. It just bothered her that he showed no interest in her otherwise. She was smart, charming and beautiful; the whole package. She realized that she just wanted him to see her as more than his personal mechanic or engineer.
"I've never had such a hard time befriending someone, Mom," Bulma sighed, twirling a curly strand of hair around her finger. "I'm not used to people not liking me."
"I'm sure he likes you just fine," Bunny said, balancing her hands on her hips. "You just need to find common ground, something to talk about or do together."
Bulma let out a sarcastic laugh. "The only things he does is train, eat and sleep."
Bunny just smiled and shrugged her shoulders as she walked toward the fridge to pull out a bottle of syrup and a bowl of fresh berries.
"I can't cook for him, we both know that," The blue haired girl muttered, resting her chin in her hand. Sleeping together could be fun, but that required him to at least acknowledge her first. "And I can't fight with him, I don't even know how to throw a proper punch."
"Have him show you how then," Bunny suggested, untying the apron from around her waist and hanging it off the hook on the wall.
Bulma looked up at her mother with surprise. It was actually not a bad idea. If she was ever going to bond with Vegeta, that would be the most logical route to take. The only problem was that she knew he was dedicated to a routine and wouldn't break it just to give her a few pointers on fighting. She would need to offer something in return.
She tapped her lower lip in thought, staring out the window again. The sound of the fridge being jerked opened snapped her out of her daze and she looked over to see Vegeta uncapping a jug of orange juice, lifting the entire thing to his mouth.
Bunny smiled knowingly at Bulma. "Well, I'm going to check on my roses. Enjoy your breakfast!" She announced in her singsong voice, the sound of her heels clacking against the tile as she left the room.
Bulma traced her finger around the lip of her empty mug, as she raked her eyes over the man's body, clad in only a pair of black shorts. His hair and skin looked damp and she could smell the spicy fragrance of the shower gel she'd left for him in his bathroom.
Biting her lip as she gazed at him appreciatively, she watched a single droplet of water slide down from the nape of his neck, over the rippling muscles of his back to disappear into the waistband of his shorts. The now-empty jug was tossed carelessly onto the counter and he turned around, making his way toward the table. Bulma looked away, trying to appear casual, as if she hadn't just been ogling him. Without thinking, she grabbed her dad's newspaper and pretended to read something.
Vegeta sat across from her and immediately began shovelling food into his mouth. The Saiyan watched the woman sitting across the table and smirked inwardly as she scrambled to open up the newspaper to avoid making eye contact, though it had only been moments ago when he'd felt those blue eyes burning holes through him. Tentatively, she snuck a piece of toast and began nibbling on it, still clearly distracted by something.
"Those robot things you made are damaged again," He said after he'd finished his first helping. He began making a second helping, piling on as much food as he could fit on the plate.
Bulma finally lifted her eyes to him, speaking through clenched teeth, "Already? I just repaired them a few days ago."
"You need to make them sturdier. The stronger I get, the easier they break."
The blue-haired woman scoffed, dropping the newspaper on the table. She was just about to start yelling at him about how it takes time to develop new technology and to test out all the different materials to find what works, but instead she swallowed her anger, took a breath and calmly replied, "I'll see what I can do."
Vegeta frowned at her, confused by her unusually passive attitude and instantly became suspicious.
"Just have them fixed by tonight," He added, before shoving a large chunk of pancake into his mouth, feeling a sick satisfaction as her blue eyes lit up with anger. Unfortunately, their flame quickly dimmed as she regained her composure.
"Then I want you to do something for me," She answered, leaning forward so her breasts pressed against the edge of the table. Vegeta narrowed his eyes, trying to ignore the view of her cleavage in his peripherals. Her womanly tricks wouldn't work on him. Other men might fall over themselves for her, but he had greater self-control than they did.
"I will be doing something for you. I'll be the reason you don't die when the androids show up," He replied with a smirk. "If you would like to live, fix the damn things so I can train properly."
Bulma rolled her eyes, landing her gaze on the GR outside again. "I want you to teach me to fight."
Vegeta nearly choked on a bite of scrambled eggs. Of all the things she could have requested, that was certainly the least expected. He eyed her carefully, asking, "You mean to tell me you've been surrounded by warriors for most of your life and you haven't learned anything?"
"I've never really needed to. But lately, I've been thinking of how defenseless I am without all my gadgets," She fibbed easily. "Everyone should at least know basic self-defense, right?"
"So hire an instructor, I don't have time to indulge this nonsense or the patience to train a weakling like yourself." He muttered, already imagining how tedious it would be.
"Then I don't have time to repair any of the things you break," She answered indignantly, crossing her arms and turning up her nose at him.
The prince slammed his fist down on the table, causing her to jump in her seat. Bulma grew anxious under his black gaze as he smirked at her humourlessly. The wheels in his head were turning, trying to think of ways around this ridiculous proposition. He didn't want to harm her since (though he loathed to admit it) he relied on her to assist with the training equipment. He didn't have many other options.
"Have it your way," He finally answered, returning to the food on his plate and Bulma released the breath she'd been holding. "I'll just have to make you sorry that you ever made this deal."
Having changed into a plain tank top and a pair of stretchy pink shorts, her only acceptable clothing for this particular activity, Bulma made her way to the GR where Vegeta had told her to meet him. She'd made him agree to train her for an hour three times a week, starting that morning and he very reluctantly agreed, the fork he'd been holding reduced to scrap metal in his fist.
He really didn't expect her to make it through their first lesson, however, and figured she would give up on the idea within ten minutes or so. At least he hoped she would. As soon as she stepped through the door, he wasted no time, pointing to the floor between them.
"You need to warm up first. I'm sure you know what a push-up is?" He asked condescendingly.
"Of course I do," She spat, while thinking to herself, 'Not that I've ever really attempted one…'
She got down on all fours, glancing up at the dark-haired man one last time, before shakily spreading her weight out onto the balls of her feet and her hands. She exhaled as she slowly lowered herself. Being as light as she was, the first few weren't overly difficult.
"Back straight, and get lower."
Bulma followed his instruction and brought her body lower to the ground, struggling even more to bring herself up again. She managed several more, albeit slower, push-ups before Vegeta spoke again.
"Lower than that, bring your nose close to the ground."
"My boobs touch the ground before my nose does, Vegeta!" Bulma ground out in an irritating tone, becoming breathless with the strain. Knowing that her voluptuous female anatomy often embarrassed him, she hoped that mentioning her breasts made him at least half as uncomfortable as she was at the moment.
Vegeta resisted the urge to roll his eyes. When he saw the trembling in her upper body increase he smirked and said, "Now, drop to your elbows and hold it."
She did as he said. Inside her head she was screaming at him, but she couldn't get any words out as her body shook with the strain of holding itself up. She tried to breathe, but even that was becoming difficult. Seconds ticked by but she refused to drop and have him ridicule her for being weak.
"Okay, let it go," Vegeta muttered when he realized she had begun to hold her breath. Perhaps he should've left her to it until she made herself pass out.
"Ugh," Bulma groaned as the air she'd been holding escaped when she hit the floor. Her arms were like jelly and she couldn't pick herself up just yet, simply enjoying the feel of the cool metal against her heated cheek.
"On your back," the dark-haired man demanded.
In a different setting, Vegeta telling her to get on her back in that commanding tone could be sexy, but at the moment, it was just irritating. With a great amount of struggle, Bulma rolled on to her back, glaring up at the Saiyan. "Give me a minute, at least!"
For just a split-second she caught him staring openly at her chest, which was still heaving with the effort to catch her breath, before he closed his eyes, looking more annoyed than usual. Feeling triumphant, Bulma's frown slowly became a smirk.
When she'd first met Vegeta, she'd been amazed to realize that he hardly paid her any significant amount of attention. He didn't ogle her like other men did. In fact, the skimpier her outfit, the less he seemed to look at her. The fact that she actually wanted his attention and couldn't get it was beginning to give her a complex. Now, judging by the red colour of his cheeks, she was pretty sure he was aware of her goods. It most likely helped that she had decided to forgo a bra today.
Vegeta opened his eyes again, making certain that he kept them trained above her neck, lest she get any crazy ideas. The last thing he needed was this woman distracting him in even more ways than she already was.
"Crunches."
"How many?" The woman asked as she got into position, pulling her knees up and placing her hands behind her ears.
"Until you can't do them anymore," Vegeta answered with his usual smirk back in place. He made sure to count them so he could mock her properly when she stopped much sooner than he would have. As expected, she collapsed within minutes, groaning and rubbing her hands over stomach.
"What was that, ninety-six? You're in worse shape than I expected," He muttered disdainfully.
"And you're such a wonderful motivational speaker," Bulma managed to pant, placing a hand on her chest to feel her heart pounding.
Vegeta turned away, unable to look at her anymore with her face like that, all flushed cheeks, parted lips and heavy eyelids. He clenched and unclenched his fists, mentally calculating how much longer he needed to put up with her.
"Alright, enough warming up. Let's start the training," He growled, giving her time to stand up before he turned around again.
"What, no laps? No jumping jacks?" Bulma joked, adjusting her damp tank top, secretly thankful that he seemed to be done torturing her.
Vegeta ignored her, and grumbled, "Warrior's stance."
Bulma hesitated a moment. She'd seen her friends fight plenty of times and they always stood a certain way, so she tried her best to imitate that stance, hoping it's what he meant. She spread her legs, bringing her right one behind her, crouched slighted and lifted her hands in front her, making fists.
Vegeta circled her to examine her form, tucking her elbows in closer to her body and nudging her right foot further out with his own.
"This is your starting position. It gives you the stability you need in close combat," He said, mirroring her stance. He raised his hands between them, palms facing her and instructed her to throw a punch.
Her fist was even slower and weaker than he had anticipated, grazing the edge of his palm sloppily.
"Stop clenching so hard, you'll punch faster if you're not straining your muscles. Shift your weight from your back leg to your front as you go," He rambled off the instructions in a bored tone, impatient with how clueless she was about what he considered to be basic knowledge.
Once more, she threw her arm across her body, meeting his palm with her fist. She winced and pulled away, rubbing her wrist. With his level of strength, hitting him would certainly injure her, so he made sure to move his hands with her punches to lessen the impact. Even so, she still managed to hurt herself.
Vegeta huffed in exasperation. "Aim to hit with your middle knuckle, you'll be less likely to break something."
Bulma nodded, taking a moment to remember all the directions he'd given her, wanting to get it right this time. When she felt ready, she threw a third punch, much cleaner and stronger than the others.
"Good, now faster. The faster you can hit, the better, considering your lack of size and power."
Bulma scoffed at what she assumed was meant to be an insult, though she agreed with the science. It was simple physics, mass times velocity. If she could double her speed, it would quadruple the power behind the punch.
"Exhale as you strike. Faster, faster."
She threw punch after punch, with alternating fists until her arms and sides ached and sweat dripped down her face. Her movements were painfully slow by Vegeta's standards but he sensed she had already reached her limit when they eventually became slower and sloppier.
"Enough."
He straightened and she followed, shaking out her sore arms.
"How was that?" She asked with a grin, bouncing on the balls of her feet. Her knuckles were tender but she felt pleased that she had learned something new.
Vegeta nearly returned her smile, finding it amusing that she could appear so proud for such an appalling effort. Something about the gleam in her big blue eyes kept him from saying so. Instead he simply muttered, "You managed to show some improvement."
"Teach me how to kick now!" She begged excitedly, her mood not at all affected by his lack of enthusiasm now that her endorphins had set in. She shot out her leg in an unexpectedly well-aimed side-kick that would have struck Vegeta in the face if he hadn't caught her foot in time.
Momentarily distracted by her surprising flexibility, he held her by her ankle a second too long and she toppled forward with a yelp, flailing her arms in an attempt to regain her balance. Vegeta dropped her foot and lunged after her, catching her under the arms and pulling her up against him before she struck the ground.
She exhaled a sigh as she was up-righted, thankful that he hadn't let her fall, even if she might have deserved it for nearly knocking him in the head. Her relief was soon replaced with shock when she looked down and saw two large hands on her breasts. They quickly removed themselves and Vegeta stepped back, mentally kicking himself for not simply letting her fall on her face.
"Well, this lesson just got a little more interesting," She said cheekily as she turned to prince whose face had flushed red again. Still buzzing with the endorphins running through her system, she ignored his glare and moved closer to him even as he crossed his arms over his chest defensively. At this point, he refused to show any further signs of weakness and remained still even as she pressed up against him.
"Stop being ridiculous," He growled, meeting her sultry blue gaze with the best scowl he could muster.
"Do you want to touch them again?" She asked playfully, flashing him a brilliant smile.
"Such a vulgar woman," He muttered, closing his eyes, attempting to compose his thoughts. With her standing so close, he vaguely noticed the sweet, flowery smell of her hair and tried to ignore it. Wariness spread through him, tinged with arousal, as she continued to push him into uncharted territory.
Bulma softened her tone, rubbing her hands up his arms and down his chest. "I'd really like for us to be friends, Vegeta."
The Saiyan scoffed, looking down at her with derision. "Are you insane, woman? Do you forget who you're dealing with?"
The reality of the situation struck her then and she swallowed hard but refused to break eye contact. The man in front of her had ended thousands, perhaps even millions of lives in his years under Frieza. She was consorting with a murderer. She admittedly found bad boy types attractive, but Vegeta wasn't like her bandit ex-boyfriend; he was downright evil. Although, she reasoned, she had seen terrible people change their ways many time before; surely he deserved a chance to do the same?
"Well, you haven't tried to hurt me yet, and I don't think you will," She finally answered, releasing a shaky breath. "Anyway, I've always been a bit of a risk-taker."
At that, something gleamed in the depths of Vegeta's black eyes, as though her words had ignited a fire in them.
"I see. And is this what 'friends' do on your planet?"
A sly smirk spread across her full lips, her confidence returning as her fingers walked their way up his chest to settle on his sturdy shoulders.
"Sometimes," She replied slowly, chuckling as her gaze dropping to his mouth. "We call it 'friends with benefits.'"
"What a stupid-"
His words were cut off as she pressed her lips against his, her soft hands reaching up to cup his jaw. Defensively, he uncurled his arms and brought his hands up to her grasp her forearms, trying to decide whether or not he should push her away.
When he didn't return her kiss, his body rigid and unyielding against hers, Bulma briefly wondered if he'd ever kissed anyone at all. Maybe kissing was just a human practice and he didn't understand what she was doing. She sucked gently on his lower lip, trying to get him to respond. When he did nothing, she nipped at his chin playfully. Bulma Briefs wasn't a woman who gave up easily, she would try just about anything to get what she wanted.
Vegeta trained his eyes on the metal door of the gravity room, brows furrowed in concentration. She was chipping away at his self-control every time her lips ghosted across his jaw. He clenched his teeth when her breath grazed his ear and she flicked her tongue along the lobe. Even with her body standing between him and the door, there was nothing stopping him from leaving. However, he knew she would just pester him another time. If he tried hard enough, he could avoid her completely for the rest of his stay, but that would just be inconvenient and time-consuming.
Coming out of his thoughts, he vaguely realized that despite his efforts, she'd succeeded in gaining a reaction from him. His annoyance at his body betraying him lasted only a moment before he felt a single delicate finger slide beneath the waistband of his shorts, dangerously close to his arousal. His cheeks burned and he snatched her wrist, growling, "Why the hell are you doing this?"
Bulma looked shocked as she straightened to meet his cold stare. What kind of question was that? Did he think she had some ulterior motive?
"I just want you. Don't you want me too, even a little bit?" She braced herself, not sure she wanted to hear the answer.
His mouth instinctively began to say "no", but the sound became trapped in his throat. He was highly aware of her softness pressed against him, the smell of her skin, the fingers that were toying with the hair at the nape of his neck. It was becoming overwhelming and he was ashamed to admit that his body was all but begging for hers.
"Was this your plan the entire time?" He seethed, releasing her wrist before he bruised it.
Bulma couldn't help but laugh, placing her freed hand on his chest. "Honestly, I was just trying to get to know you… you don't exactly make it easy."
The only question running through his mind was, 'why?' Sure, there had been other women in his life who'd shown him interest, but they'd been just as wicked as he was and only craved the benefits and higher status of associating with him since he was so "prized" by Frieza.
But he and the woman standing before him shared nothing in common. She should be afraid of him, or at least disgusted, and yet here she was, trying to melt the ice on his heart with her body, her hands, her smile. What could she possibly expect to gain from him?
"If I fulfill your need for this," He began carefully, "Will you leave me alone?"
Bulma continued to smile at him, bringing her hand to his cheek, rubbing the soft pad of her thumb across his lips. "The real question is, will you want me to leave you alone?"
He growled but she quickly muffled the sound with her mouth. He responded to her this time, his tongue probing deep past her parted lips. 'So he does know how to kiss' she thought dimly, thankful when his hands clamped down on her waist as the intensity of the kiss made her legs tremble.
His large hands curved around her back and cupped her ass, pulling her body flush to his. A rush of heat washed over her when she felt his hardened length grind against her, teasing her sex through the layers of clothing. Within no time her shorts became uncomfortably soaked and she whimpered against his lips.
He could smell her need, the scent of arousal heavy in the air, even before he felt her damp heat rubbing against him. It clouded his mind like a drug and his desire to make her scream was overpowering. Breaking the kiss, he turned her around and nudged her against the edge of the control panel. With one quick swipe, the pink shorts fell to the floor and she kicked them off easily as Vegeta draped his hard body over her back, reaching around to lift her shirt up and over her breasts. She moaned freely as he cupped her mounds in his large hands, kneading the supple flesh, while simultaneously licking and biting the sensitive skin of her neck, groaning appreciatively at the taste and feel of her.
The throbbing heat between his legs was bordering on painful as she reared against him, grinding her bare ass against his still-clothed arousal, silently begging him to fuck her. He needed no further persuasion, and dropped his shorts enough to finally free his cock from its confines. He placed a hand on her back, easing her forward as he dragged the tip along the wet lips between her thighs. Bulma shuddered in anticipation, feeling his thickness tease her entrance. With slow, shallow pumps he eased himself inside, his head swimming at the sensation of her heat wrapped around him.
The blue-haired woman splayed her hands on the cool metal, bracing herself as he began thrusting steadily. She tilted her hips, needing to take him in deeper, to feel every inch of him, and crying out as he filled her so completely.
Vegeta's fingers itched to twist in her curly blue locks, to hold her still and dominate her, but instead he kept them on her hips in a firm grip. Sweat beaded on his brow as he began pounding into her harder and faster, the sounds she made spurring him on. Feeling his control declining, he gripped her thigh and lifted her leg onto the edge of the panel. Supporting it with one hand under her knee, he pulled her upright with his other hand so she fell back against him. She reached behind her to curl her fingers into his hair, shivering as he breathed heavily in her ear.
While still thrusting into her from behind with his other arm wrapped around her waist, his fingers began teasing her sensitive core, gliding over it in circular motion, gradually increasing their speed and pressure until she was panting and whining, the fingers in his hair gripping painfully hard. Her entire body tensed and bowed with her release, her leg unable to stand any longer as she cried out his name.
With that sound burned into his mind, Vegeta easily held her up while his own climax followed, and muffled his groan against her shoulder as her quivering muscles milked him for all he had.
After taking a moment to collect himself, he gently lowered her to the floor. Her legs were still unsteady but she supported herself by leaning against the control panel. There's was an awkward silence as they clothed and adjusted themselves.
Standing in front of her with his arms crossed, Vegeta looked the same as he had before, with the usual detached expression on his face. If her body wasn't currently tingling all over, she would have thought their encounter never even happened.
"Satisfied?" He asked, finally breaking the silence.
"Yes, aren't you?"
He made a gruff sound in the back of his throat that she assumed was meant to be a 'yes' and she smirked inwardly.
"Now, if you remember our deal, you have some bots to repair," he muttered. "I have to continue my training."
Bulma suppressed her anger at being dismissed, reminding herself who she was dealing with. Things like cuddling and pillow talk were probably foreign to him. With a sigh, she straightened and made her way to the door.
Before leaving, she turned to him again, but his back was already facing her. With a roll of her eyes, she spoke anyway.
"I'd like to train with you again. It was fun," She began casually, smiling even though he couldn't see it. "And you were pretty amazing, but I bet now that we've expanded our… activities, there's probably some tricks that I could even teach you. If you're interested in doing this kind of thing again, I mean."
The muscles in his back tensed, but he said nothing. With a twist of her lips, Bulma ceased her attempt at flirting, sensing that trying to get a response was futile. Just as she was about to push open the door he finally spoke.
"Tell you what. If you get those bots fixed by dinner, I'll take you on again tonight."
He looked over his shoulder at her with a self-satisfied smirk. Bulma scoffed, replying sarcastically as she stepped outside, "Okay, right away, Vegeta."
Once the door to the gravity room close behind her, she made a beeline for her lab.
