I had a long weekend and it's been hard to make time to write this chapter, but here it is! Hope you like it! ^^
Bulma sat in the captain's chair and glared up at Vegeta, waiting for him to explode. She could see it in his face. It was coming. His body had tensed at her words - the way she'd yelled at him with such venom.
He wasn't used to be spoken to in such a way - and especially not by her! It was his instinct to decapitate those who spoke out of line. It was in his history to laugh as he slaughtered those who opposed him. All he could think in that moment, as his fingers clenched and knuckles turned white, was what he would be doing if that had been anyone else... If that had been anyone - anyone but her! There was a ringing in his temple, his eyes feeling as if they would pop. Finally, through gritted teeth, he spoke. "I demand an explanation for your behavior, at once!"
"My behavior?!" She snapped. An explanation? He was actually asking for an explanation?! Once again, his hard words played over in Bulma's mind - 'momentary indiscretion'... He had been so hurtful to her, and now he had the gall to actually ask her that? As if he hadn't done anything wrong? "I thought you were just here to do your training!" She threw her hands up, gesturing to the ship behind her. "What the fuck do you care about my behavior!?"
She expected him to get even more angry as she yelled. To the contrary, it almost appeared as if his expression softened. "Yes. I am here to train, and that is what I'm going to do," He replied. He spoke as if he were trying to reasonably explain a situation, despite the fact that his voice was raised a few octaves above normal. "But you. Where were you?! You were out all night when you should be focusing your energy on perfecting my training gear!"
'Is he kidding?' She thought, blinking as his response sank in. 'Does he really not think?' His questioning was so ridiculous that the Bluehead nearly smirked about it, but she quickly forced that urge away. "I'm a human," She finally said. "And humans like to go out into the world every so often! Not that it's any of your business!"
Vegeta raised a finger and pointed it at her, giving her a look of warning. "You need to learn your place with me, Woman." He growled. "I've already told you that you're to report to me before you go off duty."
Off duty?
"Off duty?!" She cried, jumping from the chair. Now it was Bulma that felt as if she would explode! "Who the hell do you-"
Vegeta cut her off before she could continue, "What kept you so late, anyway?!"
Ah, so that was it! Now things were really starting to become clear. Vegeta, whether he wanted to admit it or not, had been concerned. No wonder he was acting like this. Bulma put her hands on her hips, appreciating the power she felt in having made him worry. She smirked, turning her head to the side. "Oh, right! I went out for a bit! I was going to come back sooner, but then Yamcha-"
The word itself was enough to send the already angered saiyan over the edge. "YAMCHA!" He spat, interrupting the Bluehead once again. "That idiot! You were out with YAMCHA?!" He could feel his ki charging as his heard raced. His body was visibly shaking now, overwhelmed with the rage coursing through his veins. He had no outlet. He had nothing to take his disdain out on. All he could do was stand there and yell, struggling with words he had just heard come from her lips. What made matters worse was the harsh realization that he was even reacting like this at all... He was quickly losing the ability to stop himself - to ask his head why he even cared.
Bulma crossed her arms, feeling more than pleased. It had been unplanned, but she was glad that the jerk was upset. He deserved it after what he had put her through over the last week! "Right We've established that! I was with Yam-cha!" She said, raising her voice as if she was speaking to a child who had trouble hearing. "I ran into him while I was in town!"
Vegeta was fighting to find words. He mind was warping - how could she go back to such a scum, after being with a Saiyan Prince? As angry as she'd been, the blatant jealousy on his face was enough to calm Bulma somewhat. She was secretly glad he was jealous. It told her a lot more about how he felt than he'd ever know. The Bluehead had initially enjoyed watching Vegeta's perplexed struggle, but after a few moments she dropped her harsh demeanor and let out a deep sigh. "Oh, come on! It's not as if we did anything bad! Relax!" She was nearly laughing now. It didn't excuse how he'd spoken to her before, but knowing that Vegeta was this upset over Yamcha flattered her in a strange way. This whole thing was becoming such a joke. 'He thinks that he's the powerful one?' She thought smugly. 'I just found his weakness!'
Vegeta let out a guttural yell then, throwing his head back with his fists to his sides. It took Bulma by such surprise that she jumped back, eyes widening. Perhaps it hadn't been a good idea to push his jealousy, after all...
The saiyan had been able to let off some of his stress in doing this, and when he dropped his head down to look at Bulma again the muscles in his face didn't appear quite as tense. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath through his nose, gathering his thoughts and working to calm himself even more. When he opened them again he gave her a glare, speaking through his teeth. "I will not idly stand by and allow someone by the likes of Yamcha to swoop in and have relations with a person of which I have mated."
What the hell did that mean? Bulma's mouth dropped open. She had been teasing him, but she hadn't truly believed that he would really think such a thing. "Bleh! Vegeta!" Her face screwed, souring from the image that had conjured in her mind. "No! We just talked!"
He ignored her, taking another step closer."I'm the Prince of Saiyans!" He was ranting. "You should consider your body sacred after being with me!"
This jealousy thing was going way too far. He really did believe that she was just going to swing back between men! "Vegeta, listen to me! I did not do that with Yamcha tonight!"
"Where I come from we are loyal to the people we mate with!" He yelled.
That was a bad word choice. He had the audacity to try and use loyalty against her? "Loyal? Loyal! What do you know about being loyal?! To you I'm just a momentary indiscretion! What do you care if I'm loyal?!" Even when she said it herself, repeating his words cut through her with such intensity that she was now in tears. Now he'd done it - he'd made her cry! In front of him! She hated this - she hated how indignant it felt to be showing him her tears. Especially when he was the one who'd caused them. "You used me! And now you're giving me shit? I will not be treated like that! Especially not by you!"
Bulma was preparing herself for Vegeta's response when a spark caught her eye. She looked up to see light reflecting off a battered metal object. What was it? Curious, she turned her head so she could analyze it from afar. Vegeta was now looking too, surprised by her sudden loss of interest. As soon as she made the connection she gasped, running to it from across the ship. "Oh, come on!" She kneeled down, examining the smashed robot that had been left on the floor. "What the hell happened?" She prodded it to its side, noting the large boot-shaped dent that had been left as evidence...
"Oh, that!" Vegeta threw his head back and laughed, remembering how good it had felt to watch it smash into the wall. "Let's just say that we had a little accident!"
Bulma stood then, scooping the robot into her arms. She held it close to her and cradled it like a baby. And in a way, it really had been her baby. She'd been so pleased with it - so proud of her work. And already he had destroyed it. Now Bulma was heartbroken all over again. "Vegeta!" She howled, snapping her glare up at him. "You did this on purpose, didn't you!"
Vegeta just let out another laugh. "Why don't you go fix it up for Yam-Cha?" He called, watching the scientist storm past.
The Bluehead stopped in the doorway of the ship before she disappeared. She was so angry that she wanted to throw something. He was testing her, and it wasn't fair. But she wouldn't stoop to that level. So she hugged the robot even tighter, overcoming the urge to smash him over the head with it. She thought quick about what she could say to really piss Vegeta off, to bother him as much as possible, to dig under her skin. Slowly a smile spread across her face, looking rather menacing when combined with the tears in her eyes. "You might be stronger than him, but Yamcha will always be twice the man that you are."
The look on Vegeta's face indicated that her words had worked just the way she had intended for them to. The drop of sweat shooting down the side of his head, the bulging vein in his forehead, the red cheeks...
Bulma was still grinning when she walked into her room and dropped the broken robot on her desk.
Bulma hardly saw Vegeta at all the next day. Perhaps it was because she spent the majority of it at her desk, mending the destroyed bot. Perhaps it was because when she wasn't at her desk she was in the bathroom, fighting back the nausea that had been harassing her ever since she'd woken up. Perhaps it was because Vegeta had locked himself into the ship long before sunrise, and she didn't even hear him come inside to eat.
It wasn't as if she really cared what he did... Bulma didn't want to see him, anyway. The nerve he had, to treat her the way he did and then try to shame her for going out. He wanted nothing to do with her, but thought she should sit around and linger after him? She knew he wasn't stupid - so why was he acting like it? Sure, she would help him in developing training gear. But if he thought he could tell her when she was allowed to leave the house, and who she could speak to, he had another thing coming! 'Jerk!' She thought, finishing up her robot and poking at the steel. She carefully picked it up and walked downstairs, hugging it close as if she were worried she'd drop it. Bulma stepped into the yard and noticed the sun setting in the horizon. It was official - he really had spent all day locked away. It was clear who had won last night's argument, and it certainly hadn't been him...
Bulma wanted to storm into the spaceship - to yell "I'm back, asshole!" and make her presence known. But she remembered that he probably had the gravity cranked up, and that was enough steer her towards knocking instead. "Hey! You!" She yelled, banging her fist on the steel as hard as she could. A few seconds later it swung open, and a sweaty Vegeta was scowling at her. He stepped aside to let her in, and she made sure to brush against his arm as she went. "I fixed this guy for you." She snapped, setting the robot down. She then placed her hands on her hips, turning on her heels to scowl at him. "Try not to let any more accidents happen this time!"
Vegeta nodded at the robot, noting how quickly she had fixed it. He thought it would have taken at least one more day. Slowly his focus moved from the bot to the Bluehead, and he locked eyes with her. There was something that had been bothering him. Something he felt the urge to ask. And she was glaring at him as if she could sense it. And she could. It was obvious that he was thinking of the night before as he looked at her. Why wouldn't he just go out and admit he was a jerk? Finally, she just couldn't take it anymore. "Well?" She barked.
Vegeta glared at her tone. "I need something with speed."
Bulma nearly fell over. "Speed?" That was it? He didn't have anything to say about their fight - it was about another fucking robot?
He nodded. "Yes. I need something much faster. I'm growing stronger, and I need something to keep up and effectively dodge my attacks."
Bulma had been readying herself to yell at him for being insensitive, but when he said this her eyes flashed and she dropped her angry demeanor. "Oh!" she turned back to the robot and looked it over, as formulas began to fly through her head. She was suddenly feeling quite elated. "Hey, I bet that wouldn't be too hard! I could use the blueprints for this guy and just add a couple of little..."
Vegeta watched as she announced plans to herself. Most of what she was saying went right through him - it all sounded like complete gibberish. But it seemed as if she was happy to take this order from him, so he didn't care. He was glad to have her back to obeying his commands. In the exact place that suited her most. Yet, to his disgust, he just couldn't get over what she'd said to him the night before.
Finally, Bulma stood from the robot. "I'll let you keep this guy and I'll start on a new one. There's so many additions to it that it won't take any longer for me to start from scratch!" She was beaming now, happy to have another experiment to focus on. She began to walk past Vegeta again when he called to her.
"Woman."
The smile fading from her lips, Bulma turned to see what he wanted now. He had a look on his face, as if he were struggling to come to terms with what he was going to say. "What makes him better?" He finally forced.
Bulma's eyebrows disappeared under her blue bangs, and she dropped her head to the side. "Huh?" She tried to understand his question, was he comparing the robots she had been discussing?
Vegeta sighed impatiently. "I want to know what makes Yamcha a better man than me!" This wasn't an easy thing to ask, and he resented having to elaborate. "That weak pig!"
Of course! How could Bulma have not realized what he was referring to? She had been so proud of herself for saying it the night before, but she'd been so distracted by her technological plans that it had taken her a minute to remember...
Allowing herself a moment to consider her response, the spaceship fell silent as Vegeta waited for her to reply. She had been making it up when she said it, just to take a jab at that saiyan jerk. When she really compared the two, Vegeta seemed to be better in nearly every way. Everything about him appealed to her more than Yamcha did, including his flaws. Vegeta had a stronger personality, quicker wit, firmer opinions... The way he looked at her when they had shared their nights together made Bulma feel desired and cared about in a way that was much more deep than Yamcha ever did... But then, perhaps she admired him so much, Vegeta had such capability to hurt her so bad. He was hostile, he was blunt, and he said terrible things without thinking them through. Finally Bulma realized what it had been that made her say it in the first place, and the way she felt from it told her that it was true. "He understands feelings."
She hadn't been aware of the tears in her eyes until she said this, and she could now feel them streaming down her cheeks. Great - she was crying in front of him, again. "I used to think you knew more than him. I used to think you understood me better than he did, too. But now I see I was wrong - it's you that doesn't understand compassion. Yamcha is a fool, but at the end of the day he knew when he crossed a line and would make up for it. You want to know why I've been acting different towards you?" Her voice had been rising as she spoke, and she was nearly yelling now as she cried."You can train here all you want, but how dare you expect me to be okay with the things you said to me, after what we did!" She took in a deep breath, readying herself for the next round of yells as the saiyan moved to interject. "No, Vegeta! Listen! I will not be disrespected like that!" She wiped at her eyes furiously, catching her breath. She was completely sobbing now, but she managed to choke off her cries and take a step back. Slowly, as she struggled, her sobs transitioned into sniffles.
Bulma was through with crying.
She was emotional, but she was going to move on. With each passing second she was feeling better, her shoulders bouncing as she caught her breath. It felt good to finally let out the thoughts she'd been swimming in for the past week. She was looking down at her hands when she felt two large arms wrap around her, and she snapped her gaze up. Vegeta's was watching her closely, and he brushed a tear from her eye with his rough thumb. He didn't say anything at all, staring into her eyes. The two stood there, watching at each other, for several moments. She wasn't sure exactly how much time had passed when Vegeta slowly leaned in to brush his lips across hers.
How good it felt. She was tempted to hug him closer and deepen the embrace. It never ceased to amaze her with how safe she felt in his arms. How easy it was for her woes to suddenly fade away. His arms made her feel as if nothing could hurt her... And really, there wasn't anything that could. The only person that was capable of harming her when she was safe against Vegeta was himself... And with that thought she knew that she she just couldn't allow herself to give in.
Bulma pulled away, turning her back to him and taking a deep breath. She hugged herself sadly, the sinking feeling in the stomach growing. She had seen the emotion in his eyes, and she knew that he cared more than he was wanting to let on. More than he seemed to know how to express. And somehow this managed to make her feel worse. It was what had set her up for disappointment in the first place.
Without another word the Bluehead left the spaceship, hoping to hear Vegeta call her back to him. She wanted him to run after her, to grab her and tell her he was sorry. That he hadn't meant what he had said. That their moments together meant as much to him as it did to her. He didn't, though - he had simply watched her go. She sighed. Perhaps his embrace had been the closest thing she could hope to receive.
Outside Bulma kicked at a dandelion that she saw blowing in the wind. He was born and raised as a heartless fighter. And deep inside, she knew that wasn't all he was. There was much more to him. That was only his surface. But it was obvious that he wasn't willing to admit this to himself. How could she expect anything from him when he was in denial about it all? Bulma sniffled, taking a seat at the picnic table and allowing her head to fall into her hands.
At least she had told him how she felt...
Who knows how long she sat like that, her mind playing over Vegeta on loop. The more she thought, the more helpless she felt. She had fallen in love with a man who very obviously felt something for her in return. And yet the timing was all wrong. He wasn't ready. And she knew that, after what she'd experienced with him, she could never see herself feeling that way about anyone else. She'd never want to share another passionate night with anyone else. It would only be him, and it was doomed to end in heartache.
What a terrible mess to be in...
Just when she felt that she'd burst into tears again, something made her freeze. She picked her head up, eyes wide. Bulma could have sworn she was hallucinating when she heard Yamcha's voice saying her name.
OH, GREAT! I can't wait to write the next chapter, things are starting to go down! ^^''
