Touching a Naked Flame
Chapter Nine
Bed Bound
"WAAACHOOO"
Bulma smeared the spray of mucus off of her notebook with the sleeve of her lab coat, and proceeded to rub her nose dry with the same sleeve. It was March and Bulma was struggling with her annual common cold, yet this time it was proving to be a real pain in the ass. She'd been dripping snot everywhere, with the failure of using a tissue, but she was determined to carry on working. Nothing would stop her, not even a stupid…
"Ah-Ah-Ah-chooo", she spluttered once more, with a droplet of mucus clinging on to the tip of her nose.
At that moment, the lab doors slid open and Dr Briefs casually strolled in with a vacant look on his face, which was until he caught site of his daughter.
"Bulma, I think it's about time you took a break", he said with concern, while moving towards her. "You do look dreadful." He looked at her brightly glowing nose and the puffiness under her eyes, while pulling an overly concerned frown.
She scowled up at her farther, noticing the look of worry on his usually calm features.
"No da-." She stopped to sniffle, as she could feel the mucus rolling down her nostrils, and another droplet dripped on to her notebook.
They both watched the wet mark on the page for a few seconds before Bulma sorrowfully continued.
"Urgh, maybe you're right." She muttered, although she could use a little relaxation time. Her throat had swelled up, making it increasingly painful for her to eat, her head felt like it was full of water, sloshing around her skull and she couldn't stop sneezing for the life of her.
She noticed how her father kept his distance from her and she wasn't entirely surprised, although she was a bit insulted, she wasn't that ill.
She glanced up at the lavender haired scientist and he seemed to be edging away slowly.
"I'll go and tell your mother and she can sort some medicine and make you comfortable. You need to relax and maybe try to get some sleep." He said sincerely before sauntering out the lab.
Bulma refrained from using her sleeve as a tissue and sniffed as hard as she could, feeling the mucus rumbling around her sinuses. Just my luck! I'm finally on the brink of a new invention and BOOM. I get a stupid cold! Urgh!
She slammed her note book shut and headed out of the room. A pal of dizziness washed over her and she stumbled in to a desk. Right, definitely time for some rest!
After half an hour of being fussed over by Bunny, Bulma was now lying on the sofa in the sitting room, cocooned in five different blankets and bed sheets. In front of her was a tiny table, on it was, a box of tissues, a box of decongestion tablets, a glass of water and a pile of old gossip magazines. Bunny had already given her a couple of flu tablets, but didn't really specify what they were. Bulma was too dizzy to argue, so she swiped them off her mother and gulped them down without any water.
Bulma looked up and stared at her mother.
"Now dear, you get plenty of sleep and try and drink as many fluids as you can." She spoke in an overly excited tone.
Having a sick daughter meant that Bunny could play as her nurse, and she loved fussing over Bulma, no matter how old she was. Her gleaming face was enough evidence to show Bulma how much she was enjoying looking after her. Also, judging by the mountain of sheets she was buried in, it was clear that Bunny was acting too over protective. Bulma wasn't a child, heck she was probably a lot older than her mother, mentally that is. But she would always be Bunny's child and Bulma respected her claustrophobic method of concern.
After Bunny strolled out the room, it wasn't long before Bulma drifted off to sleep and what felt like five minutes, she awoke; feeling just as groggy as before.
The room was silent, only the sound of the pendulum swinging back and forth on the old grandfather clock was heard. Bulma sighed, and closed her eyes once more, before hearing the sound of a page being turned.
She picked her head up and peered over the lumps of duvet to see her mother sitting on the chair beside her, reading what looked like a cooking magazine.
"Oh, you're awake!" she beamed.
Bulma groaned and looked over at the clock once more, 4:30pm. She'd been asleep for four hours? Urgh, she thought as she returned her droopy eyes to Bunny.
"What shall I make for dinner tonight?" she said while flicking through a few pages of the magazine.
"I don't think I'll be able to eat anything." Bulma stated.
Bunny frowned for a moment before resuming her usual cheerful face. "Oh no, you must dear, you need the energy!"
Then Bunny looked rather bashfully and a glow of crimson appeared on each cheek. She glanced at the pages of the magazine, then back up at Bulma, raising a finger to her chin.
"Speaking of energy…" she mused while peeking over at Bulma.
Bulma was used to her mother's crazy, irrational behaviour, but she was a bit concerned at this moment.
"Hm?" was all she could manage to utter.
Bunny blushed once more and closed the magazine, before lightly placing it on the coffee table.
"You and Vegeta." She stated gleefully and sat eagerly, waiting for Bulma to respond.
Bulma was slightly impressed that her mother had held on to the information for so long, nevertheless, she was bound to bring it up sooner or later.
"Awh, mom…" she replied indignantly.
Bunny smiled, "Well, how're you two?" she questioned while clasping her hands tightly.
"There is no 'me and Vegeta'. It's not like that." She stated truthfully.
Bulma had almost forgotten about the whole thing and didn't particularly want it to be brought up in conversation, but seeing as her mother was the only one who knew, she thought it best to get it out of her system. She knew the whole situation would confuse her mother; frankly it confused Bulma a lot more. The only thing she could do was pretend it didn't happen at all.
"Oh…Hmm…But…" Bunny stumbled across her words, trying to muster up a positive response. Bulma saw the struggle in her mother's eyes, so she decided to clear the water for her.
"Yeah, I know." She sighed "It was a mistake, didn't mean anything."
Bunny frowned a little, and then smiled, showing her teeth. "Oh, I completely understand dear. Those muscles!" She exclaimed and stood up.
"Hmm, yeah…" was all Bulma could say.
"Anyway! I'll get you some tomato soup and some lovely crunchy bread!" With those words Bunny flew out the room, leaving Bulma thinking about the one situation she swore to never think of again.
She lay staring at the ceiling for a few minutes, listening to Bunny rummaging through the cupboards and foraging through the fridge. Before too long, Bulma felt her eyelids failing and she again, drifted off.
"Wow, John. Look at the size of this!"
Bulmas eyes snapped open and she rolled over. The T.V was on, showing some sort of fishing programme. She poked her head over the quilts and saw her father sitting on the chair beside her. Again, she glanced at the clock.
8:00pm?
She watched her father's face and noticed how excited he was, the crow's feet by his eyes creased up with sheer joy as he watched the man on the screen trying to maintain a grip on a huge cat fish.
"You should start fishing again, dad", a groggy voice said from beyond the mountain of duvet covers.
Dr Briefs head snapped over in shock, as he could see his daughters glistening eyes, peering over at him.
"Yes. I'm thinking about, maybe a few hours each week." He said happily.
"Maybe I'd start going with you." She said with a tiny smile and a look of sincerity in her eyes.
Dr Briefs was shocked by his daughters proposition, she really must be ill.
"Really?" He said, intrigued.
"Yeah, seriously. It seems relaxing."
Dr Briefs chuckled and gazed back over at the screen.
"Oh, far from it, Bulma."
Bulma became a little agitated. She'd seen her dad fish plenty of times and it looked simple.
"Hm?" she coughed "You sit there… and wait for a bite."
He looked back over at her. "Yes, but the anticipation for that bite is vital. You're on the edge the entire time."
"Ha, I doubt it." She snapped, "I've seen you fall asleep a couple times." She sniffled.
A blush appeared on Dr Briefs cheeks and he looked away from his daughter. "I'm a busy man. I'm entitled to a rest now and then." He said bashfully.
Bulma chuckled, "Contradicting yourself now", followed by a heavy chesty cough.
Dr Briefs quickly threw a concerned look at his daughter. "My Bulma. You do sound awful. Have you had any flu medicine?" He said as he lowered the volume on the T.V.
"Yeah, mom gave me some before. It's made me really drowsy." She said with a yawn.
"Yes, they tend to have that effect." He said rather sarcastically, "You'll need as much rest as you can get!"
Bulma nodded and watched her father return his gaze to the screen. He didn't show as much concern as Bunny, he'd always seen Bulma fight through whatever challenges came her way, so he knew she would be fine, eventually. He just threw the regular information at her, knowing Bunny would have molly coddled her already.
Bulma rolled over, the contents in her head slowly followed after her. She closed her eyes and listened to the fishermen shouting and exclaiming about their huge catches, yet the sound was comforting and it helped sway Bulma in to another slumber.
Bulma emerged back into consciousness by the sound of grunting and screeching. The room was now dark, apart from the flashing images on the T.V screen. She wearily looked at the clock and could barely make out what time it was; she caught a glimpse.
1:00am. Oh dear…
She put a shaky palm to her burning forehead and shuffled her body slightly, causing the duvet to slump off the sofa. She was immediately shocked to see Vegeta, casually sitting in the same chair her father had been sitting in previously. Unusually, he was wearing black sweat pants and a black tank top. He sat slumped in the chair, watching the screen intently.
Bulma slowly retrieved the duvet covers and peeped over them, to get a thorough look at him, just to make sure she wasn't dreaming.
She relaxed back in to the sofa and turned her gaze to the T.V. A documentary about Neanderthals and Homosapiens was on, showing them engaging in battle.
How fitting.
She felt quite uncomfortable, knowing he was a few feet away from her. Why he was there was something else completely. But she guessed it probably had something to do with the GR she promised to fix.
Vegeta immediately sensed her consciousness and he continued to glare at the creatures fighting on the T.V screen. He only arrived because he'd over worked the GR and needed her to fix it, but he noticed she was in a deep slumber and he found himself staying; longer than he intended. The sight of her sleeping was quite peaceful and he felt relaxed in her company, he hadn't intended on being there when she awoke, so he felt quite uneasy himself. Besides, he found the documentary to be rather entertaining, watching the ancestors of this weakling race.
Without looking, he stated, "You're ill."
Bulmas heart stopped for a second, as the words reverberated in her mind.
He's actually trying to start a conversation with me?
She grabbed a hand full of duvet and pushed it down to notice Vegetas eyes, still fixated on the screen.
"Seems that way." She said softly.
He watched her from his peripheral view, noticing her stare.
"Hmph."
"What?" She questioned, with clear annoyance in her voice.
"The GR needs fixing" He said sternly, trying to avoid eye contact with her.
"Well, it'll have to wait 'till tomorrow, I'm in no fit state." She said simply, while glaring at a very uninterested Saiyan.
A few seconds later, silence began to fill the room, increasing the tension. Bulma felt slightly better and was in the mood for talking, it wasn't every day Vegeta came and sat down next to her, so she took the opportunity gladly. Why else was he still here?
She looked at the screen, then back at Vegeta.
"This interesting?" She said promptly.
He shot a frown at her, without moving the rest of his body. "Hm. Barely. These weaklings are useless in combat."
Bulma was almost stunned. He managed to form a reply without it being harsh or insulting on her behalf, yeah he still managed to mock the human race, but that was beside the point.
"Y'know, those Neanderthals kinda look like you." She said teasingly.
He glared at her, bemused, but couldn't deny the likeness and similarities the brutes on the screen shared with the ancestors of his race. "Tch. Maybe my ancestors…"
Bulma mused at the similarities between the two races; they were almost uncanny, apart from the bulging muscles and crazy hair. "Hmm…Funny, our race is quite similar to yours; minus the outstanding strength."
He immediately scoffed, "Your race is far inferior", he pointed at the screen, informatively, "These 'homosapiens' are separated because they are 'supposedly' more intellectual…Yet they wiped out the strongest of your kind…idiots." With that he leaned back and folded his arms, proud of his remark.
Bulma sat up a bit, impressed with Vegeta. He was seriously conversing with her, maybe because she's sick and isn't in the right frame of mind to argue or shout at him. She decided to remain silent and watch the programme, enjoying Vegetas company.
One of the Neanderthals ran over to a group of Homosapiens and jumped on one of the weaker looking members, then proceeded to hammer him with a club. The others frantically grabbed their spears and got a good distance from the fight.
Vegeta leaned forward attentively, his eyes widening at the action.
One of the Homosapiens threw a spear, which struck the Neanderthal straight in the heart. He attempted to pull it out before dropping to his inevitable death.
Vegeta leaned back into the chair and sighed.
"That was impressive." Bulma stated.
He looked over to notice her sitting up attentively and smiling at him.
She continued, "That was a lot of mental strength, something which I have inherited", she said haughtily.
Vegeta laughed at the proud woman, "Don't be ridiculous. You couldn't throw a fit, let alone a weapon!" He smirked.
"Want to bet?" she retorted and swivelled her body, facing Vegeta. At that moment she sneezed, failing to cover her mouth and spitting in his direction.
He grimaced and flinched away from her. "Urgh. Vile!" he shouted while checking his clothes for any stray fragments of snot.
Realisation began to slowly creep up on the pair, more so for Vegeta. He was still sitting there, talking to her, quite comfortably. Ever since she came in to his room, asked the question to which he could not answer, then simply left, he realised she wasn't as bad as he thought she was. She was far from tolerable, but there was something about her now. Now that she was ill, she was less volatile and annoying, it was different.
"What's made you so chatty?" Bulma questioned. Knowing they were both thinking along the same line.
He frowned at her, noticing how calm she looked. "This isn't chatter. I was more satisfied when you were sleeping, this is just nuisance." He grinned after seeing the disheartenment on her face.
"Well, whatever you call it. It's appreciated." She smiled.
If anyone was going to admit it, it had to be her. It was the truth, she felt relaxed now and chirpy. They were talking about things other than the GR or training, it was almost as if they had found a common interest; almost.
Vegeta snarled and looked away again. Why would she say such a preposterous thing?
He didn't want to dwell on the subject for long. His main purpose for being there was for the GR.
"You will be well tomorrow?" He spoke, without looking at her.
"Hm, I dunno. It's doubtful, probably a few days."
He shot her a scowl, before stating, "You look well to me."
She grinned, "That's because I'm super strong and a master illusionist"
Immediately after speaking those words, a bubble of snot formed from her left nostril as she exhaled. She quickly inhaled, forcing it back up, hoping he hadn't seen anything.
"I actually feel like shit." She sighed.
Vegeta smirked, "Weakling."
He was partially surprised, despite her apparent illness, her face continued to glow and she remained very physically attractive.
"Sh." She retorted to his subtle comment.
"What?" he snapped back.
"You heard." She rallied, while refocusing her attention to the T.V screen ahead.
Vegeta grunted and followed her actions.
Now there was a group of Homosapiens, gathered around a dead member of the group, mourning his death.
Vegeta chuckled to himself as he slouched back in to the chair.
"What are you laughing at?" she questioned indignantly.
He glanced over at her, amused by the sadness in her eyes. "It's amusing, obviously."
"Mm, no. No it isn't." she retorted, "So you laugh when one of your family members dies?"
She immediately regretted her choice of words. Family was a touchy subject for Vegeta. Frieza had killed them all. Bulma sighed and nervously looked back at the screen.
"Sorry, nevermind." She said, almost a whisper. She was startled when Vegeta proceeded to answer her foolish question.
"No." he sighed and then smirked, "But I do NOT dwell upon them like these pathetic creatures." He remarked.
Bulma took note of the instant subject change from Vegeta. "It's called emotions – something you seem to lack."
At that moment he turned to stare at the blue haired woman, "Emotions merely get in the way." He stated, still staring in to her concerned eyes.
She focused on his stare, trying to avoid forcing out another snot bubble.
"In the way of what?" she added.
He sat back and turned away from her, "Stupid question."
She crossed her arms, still gazing at Vegeta. "Hm. Whatever. I know you'll soon show some form of 'feelings'." He's already shown lust,she thought.
He didn't want to show any concern for the subject, so he remained facing away from her.
"I wouldn't wait around for THAT day." He scoffed.
"Don't worry, neither will I." she retorted, although she probably would wait for a little while.
Silence emerged again and Bulma struggled to keep the conversation flowing. She was still shocked he was still hanging around, but he was still the same old stubborn Vegeta. So she decided to force the conversation further.
"Have you eaten?" she asked.
"Yes." He stated.
He glanced over at her. Why does care whether or not I have eaten?
"Good." She replied. "My mom said she was making me some soup. I guess I fell asleep." She smiled nervously, knowing how artificial the conversation sounded.
Vegeta smirked and looked over at Bulma, a gleam in his eyes. "I have eaten that too, much to my disliking." He said proudly.
He ate my soup? Bulma thought, a slight pang of sorrow in her heart. She probably wouldn't have eaten it anyway, but it was still hers. "Is there any left?" she asked politely.
"No."
"Couldn't have been that bad then." She said with palpable glee.
"Hmph. I needed to be fed." He stated sternly.
"Yeah, so do other people in this house. You don't have to go round scarfing everything you're chubby Saiyan fingers stumble across." She said with a chuckle.
Vegeta immediately glared at her, throwing mental daggers. "Chubby?" He questioned, with an arched eyebrow.
Bulma laughed heavily, "Yes. Lard arse." She said, trying to imitate his English sounding accent, "Just think, all those calories and no GR to burn it all off. You're sure to pile on the pounds." She stated, followed by a chesty cough.
Vegeta scoffed and looked at Bulma, struggling to breath. "I'm not reliant on your technology for my training." He said while focusing on her struggle.
She gasped and breathed heavily, while trying to regain her composure, "Seems that way to me, otherwise you wouldn't have asked me to fix it. Or is it that you just like spending time with me?" She said with a sinister grin.
"Not a chance!" He exclaimed proudly.
"Then why are you still here?"
"I live here. I can go where I please, without your futile objections." He said, while frowning at the sick woman.
Bulma had gone past surprise now. He was still sitting beside her and was acting pretty stubborn, despite the fact she could possibly sneeze all over him.
"Oh, I'm not objecting. I'm glad for the company. It's just a bit unexpected."
Vegeta looked away at this moment. Partly because what she had said was true, it was unexpected, for him too. Usually he would have stormed out after hearing such obscenities, yet he was still there.
"Good. You should be honoured." He spoke without looking at her.
"I am." She retorted.
"Good." He rallied.
"Yeah."
He grunted at her childish behaviour, causing Bulma to chuckle in return.
They both sat silent for a while, and the programme finished, showing the credits rolling up the screen. Vegeta glared at the screen and contemplated leaving. Maybe he had in fact stayed too long, and she would become comfortable around him. Sure, he was beginning to warm to her company but he didn't need it and it would only serve to get in the way of his training.
He was brought out of his thoughts by the sound of her voice.
"Look how late …early it is" she said, while looking at the clock, 2:00am. "You'll be preparing to train again, right?" She was almost becoming desperate for conversation.
He looked over, "In a few hours, yes." He stated.
Why is she interested? He had been there almost a year and she asks him now?
"Jeez…" she sniffled, "I must admit, it's pretty impressive." She said truthfully.
Vegeta merely smirked, "Don't tell me what I already know." He said, clearly accepting the compliment.
Bulma glanced over at Vegeta, noticing his palpable confusion. "Don't you wish to do other things with your life?" she asked.
All Vegeta seemed to do was train, it was only normal to ask if he had any other interests, right?
He looked at her, showing interest in her question. "Like what exactly?"
Bulma mused over the question, not expecting him to answer at all.
"I dunno…Normal things." She immediately regretted her choice of words.
"Humanthings?" He spat, followed with a chesty laugh.
Bulma pouted, expecting the smart remark. She wasn't going to let him win that easy.
"Well, what did you do on your own planet, as a past time?"
The air between them thickened as Vegeta thought about an appropriate answer.
"Nothing. Except train and fight. There was no time for useless 'past times' or 'hobbies'." He said slightly insulted by her insolence.
"What a boring life." She sighed.
Vegeta was taken aback by her immediate conclusion and his eyes widened.
"Far from it!" he spat, "Fighting is in my blood, it's what I enjoy."
So much for a common interest. Bulma pondered some more as she looked in to the Saiyans eyes, seeing how serious he was.
"But it's all you've ever known. You never know, you might enjoy other things." She said optimistically.
Vegeta knew a certain activity he would enjoy, but it still wouldn't match up to the thrill of the fight. He blushed at the dirty thought and looked away from her.
"No." He stated
"Jeez. Fine. Don't come crying to me over the next few days when you can't find anything to occupy your time." She said as she crossed her arms over her chest.
He glared back over at her, "I won't. Because you're fixing the GR tomorrow." He smirked.
"Yeah, I've changed my mind." She said while grinning severely.
"Woman!"
"No, it's Bulma." She corrected.
"Whatever." He said with a huff.
She looked over at his stubborn stature, not denying the joy she was feeling.
"I'm pretty ill, if you haven't noticed."
He remained looking at the wall, "Not sick enough to cease that blabbering mouth of yours." He spat and Bulma could feel the smirk on his face.
She felt agitated at his stubbornness and she concluded. "You must be sick."
Vegeta swivelled around to look at her. "Hn?"
"You haven't stopped talking to me for, hm…A good twenty minutes now – again – impressive", she sniffled a lump of mucus, "Either that or you're bored." She grinned.
Vegeta clenched his teeth, as he couldn't agree more with her inquisitions. "Call it what you want, woman. I'm merely trying to watch those ridiculous ancestors of yours."
Bulma glanced at the screen, then back at Vegeta. "But that programme finished five minutes ago…" she mused.
Vegetas eyes widened in humiliation, he composed himself and rolled his shoulders.
"You earthlings cease to amuse me. It won't be long before another one of those stupid programmes comes on."
After the words rolled out of Vegetas smug mouth, a T.V announcement sounded, 'Next up on docu-zone, pony sanctuary'.
Vegeta frowned in disgust.
"So, you're going to watch that, then?" Bulma said, trying not to burst into a fit of laughter.
He immediately snatched the remote and slammed his finger on one of the buttons. The channel flicked to the next one up and a huge shark appeared on the screen, lunging out of the ocean, opening its mammoth jaw and baring its razor sharp teeth.
Bulma squealed and pulled the duvet covers to her face; trying to hide from the image on the screen.
Vegeta immediately felt her fear shoot through her body and he grinned at the look of horror on her face.
"Change over!" she exclaimed, "I hate sharks!"
Vegeta couldn't help but release a small chuckle. "Be quiet and go back to sleep." He demanded.
"Uh. No. Change the channel, now!" she said in a whimper.
"Why?" he retorted, amused.
She looked over at him, bemused by the joy he was gaining from her fear. "Because sharks are horrible creatures." She stated.
Vegeta scoffed, "Psh. Hardley" he grinned, "I could blast that thing within a second." He said with a pal of smugness in his voice.
Bulma blinked a few times, "Good for you, I can't."
"I know." He said in a cocky tone.
"So change over", she said nonchalantly.
"No."
She stared at Vegeta, seeing the genuine happiness on his face. It was unusual. "There must be something more interesting on." She pleaded.
"Quiet." He spat, while shooting her a devilish grin.
"Don't tell me to be quiet" she retorted viciously.
Vegeta refrained from looking at Bulma, but could sense her clear annoyance.
"Seems I already have."
Bulma was overwhelmed with his determination. The pair had been bickering for almost half an hour, both very aware of how unnatural they were behaving. Bulma was perplexed with the knowledge from their previous encounters.
Why has he suddenly changed? Has he had some kind of epiphany or something?
"Don't make me come over there and sneeze on you", she threatened, knowing full well he wouldn't encourage her.
He glanced at her, "I'd like to see you try, woman!" he scoffed loudly.
They both stared at each other, while Bulma contemplated her actions. She never backed down from a challenge and wasn't going to make any exceptions for him.
She slowly stood up, taking a blanket with her and she shuffled her way over to Vegeta, who sat patiently waiting for her first move. He wasn't expecting her to stick to her word, she was supposedly ill, yet she was making her way over to him; fire in her eyes.
Once she was standing directly in front of him, she placed her hands on her hips and leaned in towards him.
"Change over…Now" she spoke softly, her breath floating around his face.
Vegeta shuddered from the close proximity, but kept his focus on the matter at hand.
"No. You seem perfectly capable of fixing the GR. Now get to it!" he demanded, locking eyes with her.
Bulma leaned back and laughed loudly. "Ha. You're delusional. Have you seen how swollen my tonsils are?" She leaned in again, and opened her mouth wide, "Ahhh".
Vegeta grimaced and almost keeled over in the chair. "Urgh. Get away you vile woman!" He said while scrambling side to side, avoiding any contact with her.
Bulma smiled, "Change over."
"Maybe if you go away." He said, with palpable discomfort.
"Change over", she said as she leaned in closer.
"Get out of my face, wench!" Vegeta exclaimed, while trying to overcome her potent aroma.
Bulma was fascinated by his discomfort. She felt a little dishearten by the fact that he didn't want her anywhere near him, but that was because she was ill, right? Otherwise he'd be more than happy to have her jump all over him.
She leaned in even closer, noticing the bead of sweat on his forehead. "Change over…Now."
Vegeta became overwhelmed with his instinctive desire to ravage her, right there. There was no point in trying to escape it, even when she was ill, she had control over him.
Damn woman!
Her seduction was pushing Vegetas calmness too far and he immediately stood up, causing Bulma to jump backwards.
He stepped to the side and sighed. "I'm done with your childish behaviour, amuse yourself." He said as he threw the remote on the pile of quilts.
Bulma stared at him, perplexed. Although, she did predict their friendliness wouldn't last too long. "What…I…Hm." She shrugged and sat back down, guess I win this time.
Vegeta was about to walk away, but he stopped and glanced over at Bulma, who was now burying herself in quilts once again.
"I want the GR fixed by tomorrow, no later" He said before sauntering out the room.
Hm? Was that some sort of compromise, in exchange for the remote?
Bulma quickly dismissed the thought and begun to ponder about Vegetas previous behaviour. Usually it would have taken him five seconds to storm out on her and now it had been…She looked over at the clock, 2:00am.
An entire hour.
As she snuggled back in to the quilts, she couldn't ignore the bubbling feeling in her stomach, but it wasn't hunger, no. She couldn't place what it was, it was almost a nervousness or apprehension, was she actually falling for Vegeta?
No, surely not?
For a second, during their little conversation, she could imagine herself arguing with him in twenty years' time. The thought frightened her a bit. She knew she cared about him, but she only assumed that that was merely concern. Bulma sniffled and immersed herself deeper in to the mountain of quilts.
Admittedly, she felt a hell of a lot better. Maybe she just felt uplifted by the turn of events, but she it felt like they had started all over again. When she first met Vegeta, she was terrified of him, and in no way attracted to him. But as the time progressed and he arrived at Capsule Corp, she became fond of him, and teased him, saying he stunk. From that initial comment, it was clear that Vegeta wouldn't go out of his way to hurt Bulma, so she inevitably became comfortable with him. After their little get together, Bulma assumed it would only progress further, despite Vegetas disagreeable personality. Yet, he left, came back, ignored her and has now, after a month, decided to speak to her again.
Bulma was glad he decided to speak to her, there was a clear connection between the two and she seemed to be the only one who he had spoken to for over half an hour. That made her feel special, but she was uncertain of how he would behave tomorrow. Maybe he'd tell her she was imagining things with the sickness. Or maybe he'd talk to her some more. He wasn't completely different, there was still a reluctance and anxiousness about him, but he was more willing than usual.
She grinned as she recollected his face, when she showed him her tonsils. Admittedly, she acted a bit childish in front of him, she was happy and comfortable.
She rolled over, closed her eyes and thought softly to herself, only if…
