Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ. It's not mine
Author's Note: Thanks to everyone for reading! Special thanks for the reviews! I really appreciate it! It's been a bit since I've updated, but this one's almost twice as long so hopefully that makes up for it. With classes, I am planning on updating hopefully every two weeks at the least. We'll see how it goes as it starts getting crazy. Let me know what you guys think!
The next day, when Bulma walked up to the gravity chamber, she was surprised to see that it was vacant. She had assumed despite her deal with the Saiyan, she would have to drag him out of the room kicking and screaming, so to speak. Getting him to do anything was like pulling teeth. It was almost noon. She went inside to grab her purse, when she almost bumped into said Saiyan.
"Woah will you watch …"
She looked up at him and her breath hitched. He was fresh out of the shower, wearing low hanging grey sweatpants and a capsule corp black t-shirt that was almost too tight on him, accentuating his rippling physique. His arms were bulging out of short sleeves. The sweatpants did not hang loose at all on his powerful thighs. She licked her lips despite herself.
Woah and I want to get him better fitting clothes because…? He really has changed in his time here, well, at least physically.
The ogling did not go unnoticed by Vegeta, but he could only deal with so much at once. Ready to get over with the unpleasant experience, he interrupted Bulma's thoughts.
"Well? Are you ready to leave. The sooner we leave, the sooner I can forget the experience all together."
Displeased with the abrupt halt to her train of thoughts, she grabbed her purse off the side table and led Vegeta to the door. Popping open her capsule, a beautifully crafted sports car emerged. She turned to the drivers seat and noticed Vegeta had yet to move.
"Well? You know you actually have to move to get in, right. You won't magically appear in it."
He audibly growled. Why couldn't we just fly to the place. And then it occurred to him that she couldn't. He knew that her ki was pitifully weak, but even then. The bald one could, so why couldn't she. He approached the car and opened the door as he had seen her do. Reluctantly, he got himself situated. She pulled out of the compound and started on the way when he spoke.
"Your pitiful race is not educated in the art of flight? How backwards is this planet?" Part of him was genuinely curious. Another part wanted to rile her up a bit too.
Irritated, she retorted, "So backwards that we have a set of orbs that grant almost any wish."
"The dragon balls were made by a Namekian, were they not? How can a planet such as this sustain themselves for so long without even the proper tools for survival?" He arrogantly smirked.
The glint of amusement in his eyes pissed her off even more. "Well at least my people aren't so barbaric as to sustain themselves by slaughtering billions of innocents. Look what good it did them."
He noticeably tensed at her words and looked away. All traces of amusement nonexistent.
She felt immediate remorse for her words. Shit…Too far, Bulma, too far. I just had to open my big mouth, didn't I. Best case he leaves, worst case he blasts me.
"Hey, I'm really sorry, Vegeta. I really didn't mean what I said." She reached out to him with one of her hands and he rounded on her, grabbing her by the wrist. His glare turned her blood to ice.
"Listen woman, and listen good. I have taken your shit for a while now, but not on this. I refuse to let you disgrace my race with such insolence. You know nothing of my race and nothing of me! Next time you utter such disrespect, it will be your last words. Am I clear?" He squeezed her wrist for emphasis and retracted his hand as if he had been burned.
She winced at both the pain and his words. He had been trying to scare her more than hurt her, but damn it hurt. She could feel the beginnings of bruises forming. She wouldn't complain though. She deserved worse. What she said was really messed up. She had felt immediate regret after the words came out and it continued to plague her. She stared straight ahead at the road.
A few minutes later she spoke,"I really am sorry Vegeta. I shouldn't have said that. It was horrible of me. And you're right, I really don't know anything about you, so I have no right to judge. It's part of the reason I wanted you to come. I just want to get to know you a bit better."
He didn't acknowledge her apology, but he didn't leave either.
The rest of the trip was fairly quiet. Neither initiated and the silence was starting to wear on Bulma. As soon as they parked, she jumped right out. She didn't even bother encapsulating the car. She just needed some space from the moody Saiyan, and at least ten feet worth of it. Not talking was never her strong suit, but she didn't want to chance it with Vegeta. Him sticking around had shocked her, and she didn't want to push her luck. She knew one more word out of place and he'd really snap. She looked back over to him and relaxed a bit when she saw the awestruck look on his face. It was the same look she had seen him wear when she brought him to Capsule Corp for the first time.
Vegeta wasn't sure what he expected of the mall, but he definitely did not expect this. This shopping center was a small city, packed with as many people as one. As he followed Bulma to the indoor center, he expected there to be less people. He could not have been more wrong. The facility was an assault on his senses. The bright lights, smells, and noises got him disoriented and he stopped in his tracks. It didn't help that he stopped in the entrance and people were pushing to get around him. Just then, Bulma looked back and realized he wasn't following her anymore. She walked back over to him.
"Hey Vegeta, are you all right?"
"I refuse to go inside.", he gritted out. "It's … full."
She wanted to smack herself. She had known that Saiyans had more keen senses than humans, and she had taken him to the busiest mall in the area. Even with her skills as a regular shopper, she would get overwhelmed; she couldn't imagine how much worse it would be for him.
Bulma grabbed his hand and pulled forward. She may as well have been trying to pull a mountain. "Cmon Vegeta. Let's get out of this rush. This is the main entrance so its the most dense with people. The rest of the mall is nothing like this. We do have a deal after all."
The commotion was almost painful to him. He was close to dropping out of the deal, but his pride wouldn't let him. There was no way he would appear weak to this slip of a woman. He grunted and allowed her to pull him through the crowd.
They finally arrived to the part of the mall that housed the more exclusive stores. There was a significant change in atmosphere. There were substantially less people. The lighting was more muted, and the smells and sounds were less overwhelming.
"We're here." Bulma initiated. "So let's start with casual wear and then work ourselves up to training. Sound good?"
She didn't wait for a response, as she started leading him to the shirts. He looked over them with disdain. "These aren't practical, woman. They offer no protection whatsoever."
"Vegeta, these are just casual wear. Stuff to wear when you're at home and relaxing."
"I have no use for such items."
"Remember after this, I'm remaking your armor. But you'll need stuff to wear around the compound aside from training clothes, because those will wear out really easily, the more you wear them. That's why we're keeping two different set of clothing."
They passed through many dress shirts, long sleeves, collared shirts, in all colors and patterns but Vegeta was not having any of them. It didn't take long for Bulma to figure out that he detested anything that had too intricate of a pattern. She led him to the solid colored shirts. Vegeta reached out to the neatly folded shirts and picked one up. He examined it closely, running his fingers over the material. It was soft and not as rigid or flimsy as the other shirts.
"This one is adequate if it does not restrict my movements."
Bulma took the shirt from him, and picked up the shirt in multiple sizes.
"Alright. Sounds good. We just have to figure what size fits you best and if you're comfortable in them. And before you try it, there are designated rooms for that, so don't try to change in the middle of the store."
He seemed appalled at the suggestion. "Woman, what do you take me for, an imbecile. Of course, I'm aware!"
Bulma's cheeks pinked up. "Oh sorry, Vegeta. It's just that, one of the first times I took Goku to the mall he stripped down bare, like he didn't have a care in the world. It was so embarrassing! I really didn't want to have rerun of that incident, so I was trying to be thorough."
"I still fail to see your point. Of course he would. But I will not be insulted by having my intelligence compared his lack thereof."
"You're right, Vegeta. Goku isn't exactly the sharpest tool in the shed when it comes to social cues. It wasn't fair of me to expect something of you, that he would do."
He grunted his acceptance and they continued looking for pants, shoes, and his elusive "training clothes". By their round of the store he had piled up some dark blue and black jeans and many sweatpants. He also picked up a few pairs of sturdy shoes. They weren't as protective as his boots, but they were comfortable and easy to love around in. In his quest for training clothes, he was disappointed. Nothing provided support and protection as his armor, but he reminded himself that the woman would be replacing the armor, and this was just temporary. He settled on some shirts and shorts from the fitness section and called it a day.
By the time they had come full circle of the large boutique, they had gotten somewhat of a following. Bulma could have sworn she saw the same group of women pass them there, four times already. And if that wasn't obvious enough, the drool dripping out of their mouths should have been. They eyed the Saiyan up and down, but he didn't seem to notice. She couldn't understand why, but it was really pissing her off. What the hell do they think they're doing? How pathetic. She rolled her eyes and puffed her chest in annoyance.
"Let's move it, Vegeta. I want to leave this year, you know."
Vegeta shot her an annoyed look. "Woman, you were the one who suggested coming here. Now you want to leave, after you've made me suffer through this. No, we will not leave until I am satisfied."
She steamed on the inside, but kept her mouth shut. He was right, after all.
A younger woman approached them. She was slim brunette, with long legs, whose skirt was too short and her top too low cut, according to Bulma. She was elegantly dressed and wore a sly smile on her face. She directed all of her attention towards Vegeta, and Bulma realized that she did not like the brunette one bit.
"Can I help you, with anything?" she asked, taking a step closer to him.
Bulma replied. "No, I think we're good, thank you." She on plastered the fakest smile she could manage and moved closer to Vegeta. Yeah that's right. Move along. We don't need or want your help.
The brunette still ignored Bulma, speaking directly to Vegeta. "Are you absolutely sure." She twirled her hair. "I want to make sure you're absolutely satisfied with your visit here." She licked her lips.
Are you kidding me! Can't she take the hint. "Wow, are you always so attentive with all your customers." Bulma was mad now. This was it. She looked over to Vegeta, who was examining the brunette. How could he be so blind. Doesn't he realize what's going on?
The brunette irritatingly looked at Bulma. "It is called customer satisfaction, honey." She looked Bulma up and down, and scoffed. This took Bulma over the edge. She would not be looked down upon. Who the hell did this chick think she was?
"Look here, you. Do you know who I am? My name is Bulma Briefs and I could end you. Now go away and mind your own business. We do not need …"
Vegeta interrupted Bulma's tirade. Of course he realized what the brown haired woman was propositioning him. He wasn't stupid. And while her presence annoyed him, he found that it irritated the woman a whole lot more. He would go along with the brunette's game. Anything to piss off the woman. After all, she did deserve pay back for the car comment. He looked at the brunette and her name tag and smirked. "Actually, Emily, I could use you." He husked. To add insult to injury, he had intentionally used the brunette's name.
The look on Bulma's face made the whole thing worthwhile. Her mouth dropped and coloring tinged from pale to purple to red. "Wha…whaat?" she sputtered.
The brunette turned to face Vegeta once more and smirked. "How can I be of service?"
"You see, I have all these clothes, and I must try them on."
"I'll get a room. Please, follow me."
Vegeta looked to Bulma who was struggling to get her temper under control. Her blue eyes glared at him, with murderous intent. The flush on her face complemented the fire in her eyes, and contrasted against the turquoise of her hair. Vegeta blinked and followed Emily. Bulma crossed her arms and stomped after him, cursing under her breath.
Emily led Vegeta into the dressing room and brought the clothes in for him. "Let me know if you need anything else. I'll be right outside." She whispered to him as he walked past him. He grunted. There was no point being nice to her anymore. The woman couldn't see them in the dressing room. He systematically tried all of the sizes first so he would only have to chose the ones that were his size.
Bulma was still more than a little miffed. How could he do that? That jerk. She marched into the dressing rooms and banged on the door.
"When you think you have the right size. Come out so I can check. I'm not buying you stuff if it doesn't fit right."
Emily reentered. "I'm going to have to ask you to leave the dressing room. This is a men's room."
Bulma glared at the offending woman. "You're here, aren't you? Besides I'm the one who is buying him clothes, so its me who you should be trying to …"
"Can there be no silence!" Vegeta emerged from the dressing room.
The women's eyes popped. He was wearing a perfectly fitted black t-shirt and dark navy jeans.
Bulma forcefully snapped her jaw shut. Vegeta in jeans should be illegal. You can almost see his abs through the shirt. He looks too good to be human. Well, I guess he isn't.
"Wow, you look amazing in that. I mean, you would amazing in anything, or nothing." Emily took him in and smiled seductively at him.
While the statement irritated her to no end, Bulma couldn't help but silently agree.
"It fits fine. Why don't you change out of those clothes and we can get out of here." He went back inside. Finally, now, he wouldn't have to deal with the brown haired woman for much longer. Her shrill voice was grating on his nerves.
Outside, Emily was a little disappointed that he didn't respond to her. It had to be because of that blue haired lady. Why else wouldn't he go for her. She was hot! She had to get rid of her, at least for a little while. "Ma'am, I'm going to have to ask you to leave. It's store policy."
"That's fine, but I will be waiting right outside, understand."
The brunette rolled her eyes. She went to the door to the Saiyan, and opened it. He was in his naked, save his boxers.
"It seems that I was right. You do look fantastic in nothing."
"What are you doing in here woman?" He continued to dress, barely acknowledging her presence.
"Well, she's outside. I'm in here with you and you're half naked. Sounds like a fun recipe, don't you think? Plus, I saw the way you were looking at me. I know you like it." She stroked her hand over his bare shoulders.
Vegeta immediately tensed. In less than a second, he had her pinned to the wall and was glaring down at her.
"Oh, you like it rough, don't you? That's fine. I can do rough." She raised her head to bite his ear, but he moved from reach and gripped her harder.
"Let me make this very clear for you, woman. I do not like you. I was just acting as such to piss off the woman. Your very presence irritates me. But because you have served your use to me, I will let you live." He roughly let her go, put on his shirt, and walked out with his stuff as she crumpled to the floor, leaving her to think why are the hot ones always crazy?
As he walked out of the dressing area, he noticed that Bulma was still upset. That made him feel better. The brunette's high pitched was quite irritating. She turned away from him and huffed. As they walked towards the cashier, Bulma couldn't take it anymore. She had to know.
"Why did you indulge her?" She was still flushed, anger in her voice.
He pretended not to notice. He nonchalantly shrugged. "Woman. You are a plethora of contradictions. You wanted to 'leave this year', did you not? And I've had my fill of this outing. I was moving things along."
"So…you didn't… you didn't like her then?" She looked up at him with wide blue eyes. Her expression had changed from anger to something he couldn't place.
He looked back at her. The sapphires were mesmerizing. They took him off guard for a brief second and he had to take a breath to compose his thoughts. Why is she looking at me like that? He tore his eyes away from hers, puffed out his chest and deflected. "I find your weak, pathetic species to be quite annoying!"
"Oh…ok". He noticed a hint of disappointment in her words. He watched her from the corner of his eye as her posture seemed to droop slightly. The cashier checked them out. There were a lot of bags. Bulma couldn't have carried all of them if she had used the multiform technique, and there were more on backorder. Needless to say, Vegeta refused to carry them. She encapsulated the bags and put them safely in her purse.
Vegeta was satisfied to see that the excursion was almost over. He had held up his end of the bargain in the earthling infested building and was ready for the reward. He was starving. He had not been expecting the shopping to take so long and now he was over two hours late for his lunch.
Bulma stopped in front of another store. She glanced up at him warily. Maybe this isn't such a good idea with him here. Maybe I should come back later on my own. She looked at the time. It was already 2:15. No doubt he would be getting hungry. She fidgeted with her purse, trying to use her brain to think her way out of a potentially awkward situation.
Vegeta looked at the outside of the store and shivered internally a bit. The color was pink, the same color as the shirt she had made him wear. Her visible discomfort was making him suspicious.
"Well, woman? What are we doing here? You promised me food!"
She looked up at him and blushed. "We will get you food, Vegeta. I just have to make a very quick pit stop. It won't take very long, I promise. Everything is ordered and I just have to pay and pick it up." She glanced nervously at the store and the back at him. "The thing is, though, it is pretty crowded in there and smells like all types of perfumes. I know you're err… more sensitive to these things than us humans so why don't you wait outside. 10-15 minutes tops, I swear." Before he could answer, she scurried inside, hoping to get it done with ASAP.
Vegeta lasted all of about five minutes before he got impatient. He looked back at the store. The woman was definitely hiding something. There was a reason she didn't want him to go inside, and it wasn't because of people and smells. She was acting too shifty for it to be simply that. His eyes shifted back to the accursed color and it hit him. She's going back to get another one of those pink shirts! The treachery! She had promised him no more pink! She's trying to pull one over on me. The prince of Saiyans will not be made a fool of!
He stormed inside the store, and was greeted with sights of mannequins covered with flimsy lace and in all designs and colors on display. He was glued to the spot, shocked. This was nothing like the previous store. There were images of women half naked all over the walls. The television displayed them moving sensually. His groin slightly stirred. He was about to turn around and walk out when he saw a crown of blue hair. Shit too late.
Bulma screeched at him. "Vegeta, what the hell are you doing in here! You pervert!" She quickly hid her items away from his eyes and encapsulated them.
He was taken aback. Vegeta had caught a glimpse of her black, studded items, and his cheeks tinged with embarrassment. He attempted to defend himself "Me? I didn't know what this type of place this was! I came here to make sure you weren't getting me more items like that accursed shirt!" It was a weak argument. It even sounded lame to his ears, but it was the truth.
She studied him intently and decided to let it go. His usually stoic mask had shown her a peek into his mortification at the situation. If he was a pervert, he wouldn't have been embarrassed, now would he? Plus, the blush on his face was cute!
"Alright, I believe you. Let's get outta here and eat, shall we?"
She didn't have to say that again. The Saiyan prince followed her out of the store to the promised of a well deserved meal.