Bulma had to admit lacrosse wasn't the worst sport in the world. It was surprisingly physical and the crowd's energy was contagious. But what truly made the game entertaining was Chi Chi's boisterous enthusiasm for anything Goku was doing. Bulma on the other hand made a point to cheer for everyone - everyone, but Vegeta that is.
He was pretty good, as far a Bulma could tell, but after his little stunt at the school festival, she was determined to prove to him that he wasn't as hot as he thinks he is. The boys played well and beat the visiting team by three goals. After the game, the victorious Orange Star players were greeted by their zealous fans.
Vegeta was the last to leave the locker room, his gaze quickly gravitated to Bulma who was giggling obnoxiously at his teammates' bad jokes. A handful of them were gathered around her and he couldn't help but roll his eyes, he knew exactly what she was doing.
He spotted his father chatting with his coach and mentally prepared for the inevitable dissection of every move he made in the game. With no other decent options for post-game conversations, Vegeta approached Goku who was talking to Chi Chi.
"You made this for me?" Goku asked as she placed the small box of treats in his hands.
"Yeah," she replied shyly. "I hope it's not too much! Like if that's weird, you totally don't have to eat them." Chi Chi was so sure that the cookies were a good idea until she actually handed them to him. She and Goku had been texting quite a bit since the festival, but she wasn't sure how to tell him she wanted to be more than just friends.
"Hey, give me one of those," Vegeta said pointing to Goku's treats.
"No way!" he shouted twisting away so Vegeta couldn't reach his cookies, "She made them for me!" Chi Chi couldn't help but smile.
"Good game, Vegeta," Chi Chi said with a nod.
"Thanks, I'm honestly surprised you noticed anyone else was on the field, what with you screeching Kakarot's name so often."
Goku punched Vegeta on the shoulder as a fierce blush spread across Chi Chi's cheeks.
"He's just teasing," Goku reassured her with a sweet smile, "I loved your cheering and these cookies. I'm so glad that you're here." Vegeta was going to pretend to gag, but when Bulma walked up hanging on Raditz's arm, he nearly gagged for real.
"Hey guys!" she greeted with a bright smile, "Good game, Goku!"
Bulma's expression shifted to unimpressed as she turned to Vegeta, "You were okay." Vegeta crossed his arms and glared at the vexing girl, while his teammates struggled not to laugh.
"I bet you don't even know the first thing about lacrosse," he scoffed. That was true, but she wasn't about to admit it.
"So?! Raditz told me he'd teach me more about it!" she said, before turning to Raditz and batting her eyelashes prettily. "Right?"
"Seriously Raditz, you're pathetic," Vegeta grumbled.
Raditz glanced back and forth between his captain and the babe on his arm, who were shooting each other death glares. He wasn't really sure what was going on, so he decided to change the subject, "We were thinking about grabbing a bite to eat, did you guys want to come?"
"You know I'm always hungry!" Goku laughed as he put an arm around Chi Chi's shoulders. She was giddy about the physical display and the prospect of hanging out with him more.
"But maybe you shouldn't come, Vegeta, you're really killing my vibe," Bulma sneered.
"Oh really!" Vegeta laughed, "I didn't seem to 'kill your vibe' when you were sticking your tongue down my throat." Raditz winced as he finally discovered the reason for the tension between these two.
"Ugh! You really are a smug piece of shi—!" Bulma swallowed her last word as the Headmaster approached the group and greeted them. It wasn't lost on Bulma the way Vegeta stiffened in his father's presence.
"Great job out there today, Kakarot," Headmaster Ouji complimented, "you make your school proud."
"Thank you very much, sir!" Goku smiled, before glancing at Vegeta who wore a face of indifference. The headmaster looked to Vegeta as well, before saying, "maybe, you could teach Vegeta a thing or two. You were looking especially slow out there today, son, have you been slacking off at practice? It seems to me, Kakarot here, may be more worthy to be the team's captain."
An uncomfortable wave washed over the onlooking students. Raditz and Chi Chi both looked down at the ground while Bulma observed the conflicting feelings on Vegeta's face. Goku quickly felt the need to chime in to defend his friend.
"No way sir!" Goku said with a forced laugh, "Vegeta is a great captain, the best the team could hope for!"
"I didn't ask you, boy," the headmaster chided, giving Goku a stern look that made him tense. "We'll talk about this later," he said to Vegeta, his tone borderline threatening. The headmaster abruptly walked away leaving the teens feeling extremely awkward.
"Butt the fuck out," Vegeta growled, he shoved Goku before stomping away. Goku watched him go with eyes full of sympathy, unperturbed by the rough treatment.
"Kami, that guy is such a prick," Bulma grumbled at Vegeta's retreating form.
"He's really not. He's actually my best friend," Goku informed her. "He might deny it, but he knows its true."
"Well, he doesn't really treat you like a friend," Bulma scoffed.
"It's just hard for him to acknowledge our friendship sometimes," Goku shrugged sadly, "I mean how can you feel like anyone is really your friend when either your dad makes them out to be your competition or they're just using you."
Memories involuntarily flooded Bulma's mind. Every day in class she sees people asking to copy his homework or to put in a good word with his dad. Hell, when she ran into him in his dad's office on her first day, the headmaster basically told her she was smarter and had more promise than Vegeta, in front of him.
No wonder he was rude to her. She agreed with his father that day, and even tried to rub it in his face.
Bulma was lost in her thoughts as the group debated where to eat before settling on a nearby diner. The 50's themed restaurant was popular among students for its proximately to the school, it's tasty milkshakes and relatively cheap food. They slid into a booth, Goku next to Chi Chi and Raditz next to Bulma.
Everyone ordered a milkshake, and Bulma got some fries to snack on. The boys went a little overboard ordering several burgers, fries, and onion rings. Chi Chi thought it would be too much but the way those boys scarfed down that food, she realized those half dozen cookies she made Goku would be gone in a flash.
"So where'd you guys grow up?" Bulma asked conversationally, before taking a swig of her strawberry milkshake. Chi Chi smiled as she gazed at Goku, eager to learn more about him.
"I grew up in Mount Paozu, which is like the more rural outskirts of West City. And Raditz grew up…" Goku looked over to his brother, "mostly in North City." Raditz nodded as if to confirm.
"Why did you guys grow up in different places if you're brothers?" Bulma asked, slightly confused.
Goku laughed, "Oh yeah, well Raditz is actually my foster brother. So I didn't starting living with his family until a couple of years ago."
"People always think were real brothers because we both have such great hair!" Raditz added and as if on cue he and Goku dramatically began flipping their wild hair. Both girls laughed.
"Was that hard? Growing up in foster care?" Chi Chi asked innocently. Her heart broke a little thinking about sweet Goku having a less than ideal childhood.
"I don't know," Goku shrugged. "I never knew my birth parents, I was raised by my grandpa, Gohan, until he died when I was 12. With no one left to take care of me, I was put in the system. The first few years I really struggled, bouncing around from home to home. Believe it or not, I used to get into a lot of fights as a kid. And, ya know, foster parents are a little deterred by violent troublemakers." Goku let out a soft laugh. He described his relatively rough childhood with a lightness that suggested any pain he felt was resolved.
"It's been good though ever since I've been living with Raditz's family. His dad introduced me to lacrosse and just helped me channel all that energy into something more productive. I'm happy with them."
"We're happy to have you, brother. We love you," Raditz said and he and Goku exchanged a genuine smile.
"That's so sweet," Chi Chi hummed as she squeezed Goku's hand. In all their text conversations, family hadn't really come up. So learning this about him gave her a whole new level of appreciation for who he was.
The four of them continued to chat about hometowns and old friends, and Bulma couldn't help but ask, "I don't understand. How is someone as cool and nice as you is best friends with an asshole like Vegeta?"
Goku just laughed. "I know Vegeta can be a little… prickly sometimes, but he's great once you get to know him. He's the whole reason I go to Orange Star."
"What do you mean?" Chi Chi asked.
"We met in a club lacrosse team back in middle school, and after Vegeta saw how good I was he had told me that I had to come play for the Orange Star team in high school. When I told him I wanted to go to school with my brother, and on top of that, I really couldn't afford a fancy boarding school, he worked his magic and convinced his dad to give both of us scholarships."
"Yeah, he is a pretty cool dude," Raditz added.
Bulma frowned, Vegeta being kind was too foreign for her to digest. He's mean and nasty, and a bully! Actually, for real, he's been bullying her since her first day of school! And now Goku's out here describing him like he's a saint?! Ugh! Bulma slurped down the last of her drink as Chi Chi cooed over Goku and his life stories.
Bulma looked over to Raditz, "Do you want to get out of here?"
"Oh, were you ready to leave?" Chi Chi interrupted. "I'll come with you!"
"No, no you're okay," Bulma waved, "You stay here and enjoy. I'll just have Raditz walk me home."
"Works for me," Raditz said as he slid out of the booth. "I'll catch you later," he said to Goku and the pair bumped fists.
Bulma and Raditz laughed and chatted as he walked her back to her dorm. He was sweet, and definitely seemed more genuine than stupid Yamcha. She already knew she wanted to see him again. Once they reached her dorm, she turned around to say her goodbyes.
"I had fun tonight," Bulma grinned as she looked up at Raditz. "But maybe next time it could be just the two of us," she added flirtatiously and reached to lightly touch his arm.
Bulma was surprised when he pulled away and ran his hand through his hair. Her eyes shot up to meet his and found him cringing. The lavender haired girl suddenly felt so crushed. Wow. Cool. Another boy was about to reject her.
"I'm sorry-" she began, maybe she could backpedal and make this less awkward.
"No, Bulma," Raditz interrupted. "I'm sorry! You're like super hot and nice and stuff, but I really just can't get in the middle of this weird, messy thing you have with Geets."
Bulma's mouth fell open. "Excuse me?! There is absolutely nothing going on between me and Vegeta!" she all but screamed.
Raditz smirked at her reddened cheeks. "I don't know if I believe that," he replied with a chuckle.
She went to sputter out some excuse, deny these preposterous allegations, but nothing would come out. "Good night!" she settled on with a frustrated frown before Bulma aggressively entered her dorm and slammed the door.
A/N: Thank you for reading! I appreciate you support and comments!
