Not Who She Expected

Chapter Six: Awkward

Disclaimer: Characters and settings are the property of Akira Toriyama, I'm just borrowing them for a little non-profit romance.


Bulma stood outside Yamcha's door for several minutes reminding herself of every other time Yamcha had done this to her, building her anger so nothing else would slip out. When all she was thinking about was just how many times she'd been through this particular scene she banged on the door.

"Bulma!" Puar squeaked as the talking cat let her in. Puar snatched a lip-stick stained glass off the table and hid it behind her back. The feline stared at the ground awkwardly, she felt guilty on Yamcha's behalf.

"Don't worry about that Puar," Bulma said grimly. "I found out this morning."

"Yamcha!" she shouted. "Get out here! I've got something to say to you!"

"Bulma, you're here," Yamcha said. His face lit up hopefully as he stepped out of his bedroom.

"Oh Yamcha," Puar sighed sadly under her breath.

"Well I've heard it's good etiquette to break-up with someone face to face - Instead of letting them hear from friends that you were on a date with MISTY!" Bulma hissed. "Or maybe you were hoping you could see her behind my back and I'd never find out!"

Yamcha's face hardened. "Sorry I didn't understand the etiquette of the situation. I'm just a bandit from out in the sticks, not a city girl like you," he said sarcastically. "But I figured I'd already got my walking papers when you made your priorities clear."

"What are you on?" Bulma snapped.

"You'd rather spend time with that murdering monster than with me!" Yamcha shouted.

"He's not - he changed," Bulma stammered as her gaze dropped to the floor. Then her anger rushed back. "I was helping Vegeta get ready to fight the Androids, remember them? The ones that are going to kill everyone? That's all I was doing with Vegeta while you were sleeping with my ex-friend! If you think your jealous fantasies are going to get you off the hook for cheating on me, think again buster!"

Yamcha snorted in disbelief. "Etiquette served now?" he asked. "Well you know where the door is." He stomped back into his bedroom and slammed the door.

Bulma stomped out of the apartment and slammed that door even harder.

Puar floated in the center of the living room looking from one closed door to the other. Hesitantly she knocked on Yamcha's door. "Yamcha?" she called softly.

"Go away Puar," Yamcha said in a choked voice. "Just leave me alone."

"Oh Yamcha," Puar sighed.


Bulma leaned into her father's lab. "Daddy, could you take care of Vegeta's repairs today? I need to finish up the designs for the meeting with Omni Inc. Monday."

"Of course sweetie," Dr. Briefs replied.

"Thanks," Bulma said.

'It's not that I'm avoiding Vegeta,' Bulma told herself. 'It was just that I broke up with Yamcha because he cheated on me, NOT because I want Vegeta.' That being the case it felt wrong to go straight from dumping Yamcha to Vegeta's bed. Even if no one but her knew it still felt wrong.

So she wasn't going to seek Vegeta out. Not right away anyway. She'd let the dust from the break-up settle. Then, when the time was right, she'd move on...

Or Vegeta would force the issue. Then it wouldn't be her fault if she moved on a little too quickly.


Vegeta scowled at the old man repairing the GR. The blasted woman was avoiding him.

They'd both enjoyed the sex. Now, for no reason, she was avoiding him. She was one of the very few beings he'd met whose company was tolerable. Watching her work was much more enjoyable than watching her father. The woman had implied their- Vegeta snarled at the word that came to mind -their relationship would continue. But now she was avoiding him.

Was there something the idiot woman expected him to do?

'I ought to go find her and take what I want.' Vegeta ground his teeth together. But what if she had changed her mind? -Again- He'd probably kill her and that was unacceptable. He wouldn't have her if she were dead.

'Annoying- no. Infuriating woman!' What was he supposed to do with her?


Why wasn't Vegeta doing anything?

'He wasn't supposed to stand for me ignoring him!' Bulma thought. Maybe it had been long enough since she dumped Yamcha. Still! Did Vegeta expect her to seduce him again? Well it wasn't fair. She wasn't going to be the only one to make a move in this, this affair they were having.

She wasn't going to chase after him like she was some desperate groupie! She had her pride too!

With other guys she would have expected dinners, flowers, courting. She was already giving Vegeta a huge allowance because he was Vegeta and what else could she expect? But enough was enough. At the very least he had to say he wanted her once and a while without her coming on to him first.


Six! Six meals with the Briefs family in as many days and the woman was probably going to fail to be there again anyway.

'She is making me insane!' Vegeta snarled.

And yet here he was, planning on enduring another meal with Bulma's parents just in case she decided to show up.

He was willingly going to subject himself to an hour of Bunny Briefs fussing over him. Vegeta cringed, the first time the woman's empty-headed mother tried to feed him he'd assumed the food was poisoned. No one could be that cheerful and friendly toward him unless they had an ulterior motive. But even after almost two years of knowing her Vegeta still hadn't discovered her ulterior motive and she was still being nice to him. Vegeta wondered if someone had dropped her on her head as an infant. If a blow to the skull could turn a Saiyan into; Vegeta's lips curled back in disgust; Son Goku, who knew what one could do to a mere human.

The woman's father was less objectionable. He displayed the same bizarre lack of hostility and lack of fear as his wife but the old man was less pushy about being nice to Vegeta.

Still they did things for him. They didn't see to want for much of anything, especially not anything Vegeta could be expected to provide. They didn't seem aware that Vegeta could kill them if he so chose, so they weren't trying to appease him. Hell; Bunny Briefs had been the one to suggest recreating an environment where he was comfortable when she ran into him wandering around the compound in the dead of night and realized he had problems with insomnia. And, to the best of Vegeta's knowledge, Bunny hadn't shared her knowledge of his weakness with anyone.

They were both clearly insane but he was still willing to associate with them for the chance to see the woman. And she was only moderately less insane than her parents. At least she had a few comprehensible explanations for her behavior toward him.

Vegeta stalked into the dinning room. He glared at Bulma's empty chair for ten minutes then stalked back out without saying a word.

Bunny sighed and started transferring the extra dishes back to the insta-freezer.

"Hard worker, that boy but a bit temperamental," Dr. Briefs commented.

"I think he's just missing Bulma's company dear," Bunny replied. "He seems to be able to open up to her a bit more than with the rest of us."

"She has been burying herself in work ever since her latest break-up. She and Yamcha really ought to make up their minds. This waffling back and forth doesn't do either of them any good." Dr. Briefs sighed. "Bulma's usually such a decisive girl."

Bunny smiled mysteriously. "Oh I wouldn't worry about that anymore. She just needs to let her head catch up with her heart."


For several day Capsule Corp was besieged by a steady, drizzling rain. When the clouds finally broke Bulma found herself irresistibly drawn outside of her labs. She stood in the courtyard, her eyes closed and her face tilted back to soak in the sunshine.

Bulma sensed Vegeta's presence even before she opened her eyes, still it took her several moments to pick him out of the shadows around the GR. He was watching her intently. His face was a mask of impassivity but the yawning emptiness was back in his eyes. For a moment Bulma could have sworn she could see gapping holes in his soul, things that even Shenlong hadn't been able to heal when the Eternal Dragon repaired the literal hole Frieza had torn in Vegeta's heart.

It hit Bulma then. He didn't know what she expected from him, he didn't have a clue. Vegeta was missing the basic skills for connecting with another person in a positive way. Waiting for him to meet her half-way was pointless, because he simply couldn't do it.

Bulma caught Vegeta's gaze then, slowly, crossed the distance that separated them. Vegeta watched her cautiously, but with each step she took life filled the emptiness in his eyes.

"I missed you the last couple of days," Bulma said as she reached up to rest her hands on his chest. "I was sort of hoping you'd come drag me out of the lab, but I guess you were pretty busy training, huh?"

Vegeta stared down at her for a moment, then decided to accept the excuse she'd offered him. "Yes," he said as he brought his hands up to rest on her waist.

Bulma smiled, she leaned into him. Vegeta's arms closed around her more securely. Bulma brushed her lips lightly against his throat. Vegeta's breath escaped in a silently exclamation. He took to the air for a brief moment with Bulma in his arms. They landed on the highest roof of Capsule Corps.

Bulma grinned, "Looking for some place private?"

"You're the one who worries about someone walking in on us," Vegeta replied.

"True," Bulma agreed. "Damn, I've needed this."

Vegeta's mouth quirked upward in his almost non-existent version of a smile, 'Next time I'll just grab her.'