Vegeta blinked his eyes open only to see sunlight streaming through the window.
Why is it so bright in here? Wait…
"Good morning, Vegeta," said Bulma, still next to him.
This isn't my room.
That's when his memory kicked in. He thought of all the events that had taken place last night. He leaned in and kissed her on the lips. His eyes wandered to the small digital clock that was on the bedside table.
"Shit! Is that really what time it is?" he yelled.
Bulma woke up before her lover and had a pretty good idea what Vegeta's reaction was going to be when he finally saw the clock.
Vegeta jumped up out of the bed and threw on his nighttime clothes. He ran out the door and went upstairs to his own room.
An ordinary woman might have taken offense to the suddenness of Vegeta's actions – as if it was the sight of her or the thought of their recent actions that drove him away. But Bulma knew better. She smiled to herself as she got up to get ready for her day.
They met again at the breakfast table. It was after the usual family breakfast time, so Bulma happily cooked some food for her houseguest. Before he could run down the stairs and ask her where his food was, it was on the table.
Vegeta sat down and started frantically scooping up the eggs and cereal into his mouth at a Saiyan pace. Bulma just sat next to him at the table and stared, letting her mind wander a bit.
What did I get myself into?
"Vegeta, can I ask you one thing?" she asked.
Vegeta grunted in the affirmative.
"I never did ask you the terms," said Bulma.
Vegeta hesitated and looked at her for a moment, not really sure what she was talking about.
"You said last night that we were doing things on your terms," explained Bulma.
His mind finally clicked about what she was talking about. "Tonight," was his reply. "Not now – I need to train. Tonight," he replied.
Vegeta finished his breakfast without another word.
Bulma felt a little less satisfied than she did just an hour ago. She wondered what exactly he was going to say to her tonight – and perhaps if she should have insisted on talking about "his terms" before last night happened. It wouldn't have been nearly as intense then. She sighed and cleaned up after the Saiyan prince. Maybe that was a one-time thing after all. Then it was off to a full day of work for her.
Vegeta spent the entire day in the 400G gravity room. His training went extremely well. Of course, there was a little bit of dissatisfaction with the fact that he had to train in 400G. This was a level that he had already mastered and he wanted more. I need to ask the woman when that new gravity room will be ready.
Dinner went as usual and nothing was said about last night since both of Bulma's parents were there. Vegeta was the first to leave the table. He went upstairs. Bulma helped her parents clean up after the meal. She then parked herself on the living room couch and began to watch TV.
Bulma dozed for a bit, but came to when she heard a noise coming from the stairway. It was Vegeta. She hadn't really said much to him since they parted ways this morning. She wondered if things would now be normal, strained, or different in anyway between the two of them.
She sat up so she was on one end of the couch. He plopped down next to her and put his head on her lap.
Well, that answers one question.
"How did training go today, Vegeta?" she asked.
"Best day I've had in weeks," he replied. "Though it would have been better if I could go above 400G. When is that new gravity room going to be ready, onna?"
"Hmmm…," she thought for a moment. "I'd say six more weeks."
"Six weeks?"
"Well, it's not like I've been leading you on or anything," she replied. "I told you from the get-go that it would be more than 2 months, and that was only a couple of weeks ago."
Vegeta growled a bit to himself though Bulma could hear him.
"I don't think I have a choice but to wait," said Vegeta to himself. "I know there are worlds out there with higher gravity, but it would take me longer than six weeks just to get there."
"Not to mention that you don't have a way of getting there," reminded Bulma.
"But you have - ," said Vegeta.
"Manners, Vegeta. I know you live here and everything, but don't forget we don't run Capsule Corp just to cater to you, y'know. You can't just claim one of our spaceships"
"I can take anything I want from here and there isn't a single thing you could do about it," said Vegeta.
"That's true, but you would then lose your home and all the perks you've gotten by living here," said Bulma.
She was right…and so was he. He could take anything and do anything he wanted, but there was something to be said about not having to worry about a place to sleep, food to eat, or even, as of last night, someone to help him release after a long day of training.
Nothing was said immediately after this exchange. Bulma and Vegeta both thought about what was said, but then moved on because they both knew neither one of them was going to interrupt their status quo for the time being.
Bulma went back to watching her TV program. There wasn't much on so she had it tuned to a historical show about the military. Vegeta sat there with his eyes closed. His curiosity peaked though when he heard commands being shouted and weapons being discharged.
The TV show showed the evolution of the various types of weaponry and military transportation over the last 100 years.
"Were things really that archaic back then?" Vegeta asked.
"It was Capsule Corp that developed most of the vehicles that they use today. What you see here is very old," said Bulma in reply. "Now weapons and armor don't even have to take up any space – the army can just capsulize everything and easily take it with them. Supply lines have been simplified and the vehicles don't get damaged from no one watching them."
"It still seems backwards to me. Those weapons couldn't even hurt me," said Vegeta.
"Yeah, well…oh, it's not even worth talking about," said Bulma, giving up on explaining to Vegeta that the earth wasn't really concerned about space aliens or their technology at the time when they used the stuff he was seeing on TV.
Again, silence ensued.
Bulma's mind was trying to figure out a way of bringing up the subject she desperately wanted to discuss with Vegeta. But no matter how she planned it, she figured there was always a comeback for him to make against her – she's too easy, she's not worth it, she's too dependent. Finally, she decided that the direct approach was probably best. She braced herself for what he might say in return.
"Vegeta," she started.
"Hmh?"
"What are the terms?" she asked.
"I was wondering when you'd get to that again," he said.
Another pause. Bulma was getting impatient, though she still chose not to say anything.
"You've got to be kidding me. I'm surprised that contraption didn't fall apart the first time they used it!" Vegeta spoke to the TV.
"Vegeta!" Bulma shouted.
"What?" he asked.
She used the remote to turn off the TV.
"Focus. I'm being serious, Vegeta," said Bulma.
Vegeta sat up. "What do you want it to be? This thing between us."
Bulma didn't know how to respond. If she said something wrong, it could risk everything. Too eager meant driving him away. Too aloof, and she might not be worth pursuing.
"I don't know how to answer that question," answered Bulma. "I enjoyed last night. And I enjoy that you don't mind being in the same room with me – like right now. There was a time you'd avoid me altogether."
"Let's put it all out there then," he started. "Woman, I cannot be tied down. My focus must be on training and the androids right now and after that, I can guarantee you that it will be on Kakarrot."
"So you are done with me?" she asked.
"Not in the slightest," replied Vegeta. "What did you call that thing you did with the weakling? 'Friends with benefits'? That would suit me. What you provided me last night does serve a purpose for me and I wish for it to continue. But you cannot get too attached. And we are not in a relationship – so don't go around telling all your earthing friends anything different! Can you handle that?"
Bulma thought about what the Saiyan prince just told her. That's actually not a bad deal, she thought to herself. No attachments and no commitments - just sex. And it is great sex, too!
"I only have two questions before I answer your question," said Bulma.
"And they are….," said Vegeta.
"If I find someone else while we are still doing this, can I call it off without you going all Saiyan on me?" asked Bulma.
"Of course," said Vegeta.
"And…if I agree to this, how often is this going to happen? I mean, can I say 'no' if I'm just not in the mood?" she asked.
"The answer to that is yes," said Vegeta. "Though after the pleasure I gave you last night I highly doubt you'll say no very often."
"I agree then," said Bulma. I'll have to keep my emotions in check. No attachments, no commitments, she repeated. And above all, no expectations.
That night, they acted on their verbally-agreed-upon arrangement. It was the second night that they spent together and many more would come after that.
The next two months flew by with both Vegeta and Bulma being completely satisfied with their lives at Capsule Corp. They each knew where they stood with each other and the mind games were kept to a minimum. They still argued with each other constantly, but that was one of the things they liked about each other – they both had strong wills and there was a definitely spark between them. It continued to make for great chemistry in the bedroom.
It was nearly the end of summer when the first change to their new relationship occurred. The new gravity room was complete.
June
July
August
New gravity room - safety and 1000G
