Chapter Thirteen: Stress
Bulma's eyes hovered over the cover of the glossy tabloid, glaring at the garish red tint of the type.
The cover read:
"HEIRESS MYSTERY HOSPITAL HUNK AND EYEWITNESS SIGHTINGS"
Carelessly flinging it to the side of her elevated perch, the light thudding of impacting paper upon tree branches what followed sounded like a victory to her.
If Vegeta cared about Earth news she was sure he would blow a fuse, and not a household breaker fuse, the kind that powered Bulma's billion Zeni laboratory. Maybe she should show him how the last blown fuse had made for a very interesting, not to mention costly night.
Placing pale hands over her eyes she sighed deeply, Gardena was plastered on another offensively bright cover showcasing a new nose. Her dazzling honker was pulled straight from capsule corps pockets. Not that it was a penny to her wealth, Bulma outside of her families legacies alone was worth all the gold of a dragon horde.
It was her pride that ached the most. She wasn't abashed to admit she had already formulated special shampoos to cause Gardena's hair to shed like a cat's winter coat. Various nanobots to implement unuttered tortures. A wicked smirk crept at the corners of Bulma's lips, being lifted on the Devils strings.
Another soft breath with her lips steady around the joint and a calmness had begun to settle over her, Bulma's nerves being taken away by smoke that escaped her nostrils. Stretching her body out on the rough wood beneath, her hair snagged a board wincing as it was plucked from her head. She had forgotten to bring a blanket to the rickety tree stand, the material made to decay after all not the steels of her lab.
It had been a rough day, moving the new equipment into her lap was stalled by site flooding from the storms. No matter how much she threatened no one could get in touch with their head electrician, which meant tomorrow she was meant to be wiring her new lap alone. Vegeta was having a tough time coming over their completely tame stroking and lip nuzzling during a typhoon so he was avoiding her like the plague. She herself was bleeding like a shot cow because mother nature punished her beauty, Bulma decided vehemently in her mind slamming a hand down so hard onto the plank next to her a splinter lodging into soft human flesh.
Bulma hissed curses to every known deity before she took another drag, a soothing lightness of her mind tugging her into a rich calm. The pulsating pain of the splinter forgotten, instead of digging into the bag at her feet to drag out a small round metal marble. Lazily she leaned back into a comfortable position one arm behind her head after it had tossed the metal sphere into the air. Catching midflight the ball hovered before flaring into life.
Projected screens of her favorite social media sites, blogs, messengers, and entertainment streaming before her. Reaching up she swiftly flicked her wrist the visuals blurring as they spun to display half-completed equations that were stiffening her headway in a current program she was designed to aid the function of a replicated healing chamber.
Vegeta had mentioned them before in passing, the idea rooting itself in her mind like a wayward seed. In idle time she tended to the complicated codes diligently, making long trips at times in search of correct chemical compounds to make up the chambers rejuvenating liquid.
Living organism and bacterias swarmed the tanks syrupy substances. As Bulma's mind ran wild with possibilities and trips needed for materials not available on Earth. The sky dotted with puffy white clouds amongst a brilliant blue warm end of summer rays played on her skin. A Sneaking feel of autumn nipped at her skin, riding the edges of the strong breezes whilst the canopy of starling green leaves shifted endlessly against it.
The heiress paid no attention to the world around her, swept up in the dense maze of her unfathomable mind. Light whispers of sound alluded her, shifting of the boards beneath her given justice to plays of wind. Even the first barking "woman", was ignored fully without so much as a stirring of her eyelids.
Panic crept into Vegeta's chest unwelcome but swift, inhaling the air noting something odd to its taste, pungent. It clung to the woman's clothes smelling too foreign to be the usual sticks of foul-smelling smoke she loved to puff in his face.
Had she been poisoned? She was the wealthiest on this planet, constantly under attack from painfully obvious spies with flashing cameras, lacking appropriate security and bodyguards. He was the Prince of all Saiyan's, mightiest of all warriors in the galaxy and still he was assigned a bodyguard passed on by the power of his name alone. Really the foolish woman's family was too naive, the irony of this berating lost on the Saiyan.
"Woman, you will awaken at once!" His growling scream blasted away flocks of birds from their perches above the leafy canopy their wails of annoyance turning to frantic terror at the high pitched shriek that overtook birds and beast.
Vegeta cupped his hands firmly over his ears expression crumbling to fury as he roared. "Shut!", another sharp inhale, "up!" His face turning red with the violent straining of his vocals.
Bulma did not suffer Vegetas lack of lung capacity when it came to shrill shrieks they were, in fact, a weapon of her own. "WILL YOU STOP SCREAMING AT ME YOU MASSIVE, DWEEB!" Vegeta flinched and clutched his head wide-eyed, stony stare comical if all humans were this capable of ear renting they might stand a chance against him in packs.
"Wait, what are you even doing up here?" Suddenly her whole demeanor shifting, suspicion dawning her expression. "What's broken Vegeta?" It's a whisper promising swift punishment and Vegeta shivers with anticipation. Marveling at how the woman stands suddenly stretching her full height to lurk over him looking down at him contemptuously. The picturesque sky was offensively lackluster in comparison to her whipping locks of turquoise.
"Before you continue your shameful shrieking your flimsy machines are safe." Crossing his arms tightly in defense of his innocence, what small amount he was allowed in the universe. He had been restless. The power outage had really fried the Gravity simulators control panel, his disgruntled mood was in no way soothed when it appeared the woman's sire would be producing the repairs. "Your services are required for the maintenance to the chamber and yet here you are, lazing in a plant!"
Bulma rolled her eyes so hard she feared they may get stuck rolled over on their whites. "Listen here, you bozo! I am no your slave! My father is doing those repairs because of thanks to someone! I am busy with my brand spanking new lab!" letting the B pop on her lips she flicks her wrist at the hovering screen as the equation glows in the air between them. "Now, be a dear and go back to your sulking, so I can concentrate."
Something akin to actual rage starts to filter onto his facial expression before it crumbles staring at the equation before him and noticing floating to the left header of the screen are the small letters labeling, "Regen. Tank" his eyes narrowing dangerously on the text.
"What is this woman?" reaching out a hand Vegeta swats at the hologram irritated the screen of light obscures his view from the Earthling capturing his complete attention. "It's an equation, you dolt."
Inhaling sharply Vegeta squints his stony eyes and pinches the bridge of his nose tightly between his fingers. "Obviously you daft droll wench! Do not make me out to be a fool unable to use the most base common sense!"
"I am not daft Vegeta! I am in fact a bonafide genius. Hello, I designed a weapon to lay you on your ass for fun, imagine what I could do if you pissed me off." Her tone is jovial, absent of sniding offense Vegeta wants to take her by the hand then. Not to declare romantic love but to demand she show him, drag her to the bowels of the labs she'd chosen as her battleground. Marvel among her specific brand of chaos.
Before he can yank her into a fray she straightens and swirls her finger against the projected screen, summoning blueprints and 3D models of sleek pods. Moving closer even though his sight is flawless he scrutinizes's the work. Realization dawns upon his stupefaction.
"So you hope to replicate something you know nothing of?" Sounding bored he waved his hand around the image, intending to disperse it. Ignorant of his whims the projection stubbornly stays alight.
"Hope? Excuse me, I know I am. No more patching you up in the infirmary and bribing doctors to deal with your bad attitude." Mistaking the heiresses words as an insult the Prince grumbles a warning, head turning, arms contracting tighter to his breast. "Plus, when you finally go gold I want somewhere Goku can recover where he won't be crying about needles instead of recovering from his royal butt whopping."
Startled Vegetas neck cracked he cast his gaze on her so quickly. Roaring in his veins was a prime confidence, it made him feel reckless strong enough to cripple the entire Cold empire on an empty stomach. Bristling pleasantly, chest swelled like a peacock, lofting the side of his mouth with a genuine smirk. "When I am done with him there will be nothing left for you to regrow." Carelessly Bulma shrugged turning her back to the Saiyan to avoid the sunlight dimming her view as the shiver of intrusive light quivered. Flashing him a PR wide smile from over her shoulder with a pert flick of her long locks turning attention to the screen that followed her as a lurking shadow. Fingers scrolling through her notes idly now.
Suspicion of her telepathy with machines flickered in Vegeta's mind on more than one occasion, now it burned.
"Hmph, well then you had better start being nice to me so I'll keep helping you." Idly Bulma began to scroll through some plans for the upcoming generation of battle droids, it had forefronted in her mind.
From behind her came, "Why?" Caked in ambivalence and dripping suspicion his face scrunching against the sound.
"Because, your highness I just am."
Solemn silence yawned around them invaded solely by ruffling leaves. Ruining all Bulmas logical guesses for how he was sure to respond Vegeta willingly spoke next. "Why are you here?"
Idly, the heiress wondered if interrogations were a Saiyan trait because Vegeta and Goku both asked the way too many questions at the most inappropriate of times. She knows it's a fair question, but still, this was supposed to be her relaxing moment of the day.
"It's where I come to think, and it's dry." Feeling him moving close she bites her lower lip sensing his warmth blocking whips of wind. Wayward bird of a pulse flies away from her, memories of the night before to vivid and real.
"I broke my leg here when I was little and was scared to come back"
The invading warmth becomes still, so near a slight lean of her heels no doubt she will be pressed to every firm muscle of his chest. "It was going to be a tree house but after my leg breaking I got scared and asked my father to stop. I had nightmares all the time about falling when I was in my cast." Fingers swipe the screen playing along its settings for the correct icon. "I wasn't very old maybe eight or nine and I remember so perfectly the moment when I realized I wasn't having nightmares about falling! I was having the dreams because I was scared of always being afraid, the dreams weren't really about my fall but letting that moment become a moment, you know?" Another slash of the finger and there hovering before them is a young girl rather sunburned along her cheeks and nose long aqua tresses in two french braids standing mighty and proud atop a shorter tree their current perch. Giving the victory sign as she grins. "So, I climbed up this stupid tree the day my cast was removed."
Her parents hadn't been there but she had taken these pictures to email them the proof. Showing Vegeta it made her feel silly after all a broken leg and tumble from a nest isn't exactly heart wrenching in comparison to his past. Feeling suddenly awkward Bulma tenses her shoulders searching for the warmth of her afraid he might have left mid-speech.
Then it happened she stepped back and the hard outline of his chest pressed against her every curve. Vegeta tensed and Bulma for a moment became unsure but a deep rumble that vibrated her spine eased flight or fight. Willing canary to the cat she thought dryly, his massive bulk unmoving as the two stood staring out into the shifting lazy bristling branches.
Dry-mouthed and wild-eyed Bulma began to twist her neck the need to understand him burning through her scientific mind. Needing to unveil the secrets of the Princely egnima, aching to gaze into black eyes like the void of space with her earthly blue.
"Vegeta." How far away she sounds doesn't escape her, it plays along with her frantic pulse and sweating palms. Every fiber of her veins yearning to touch more to bleed out into him and search his being.
Goosebumps flare along her skin with a ragged dragging of dry lips along the exposed flesh of her shoulder. The dry skin of his mouth rough and welcome, a brief flash of teeth, the rumbling was louder now turning violent in baritone growls. Bulma curled her hands to stop the frantic shaking, she wanted this Saiyan to devour her whole and yet he controlled himself.
Control felt odd like stinging rejection to the Briefs daughter, hissing "Vegeta", as sharp canines nipped devilishly. Manicured nails sank into the Saiyan's skin, only to be met with a throaty barking laugh as Vegeta murmured something very akin to Saiyan in her ear.
Shrieking music blasted away the unholy calm between them, heated breathing pounding hearts as her body just begins to melt into his. Going instantly stiff Bulma launched out a hand to silence the noise but Vegeta had already jumped away expression twisted as he held back the coiled urge to retreat. He would never.
Turning Bulma fully meant to confront him only to be once again jarred by the ringing of her holographic screen. The now 3-D image of her lawyer Greta with the words, "get out of jail free card" circling the projected woman's torso. Sighing apologetically she cast Vegeta a pointed look hoping he could decipher her unhappiness at being interrupted as much as his own before slightly twitching her index finger.
A stern looking Greta appeared looking impossibly tense, the raven black hair reminding Bulma of the Saiyan behind her who was staring fixedly at the invader with plain hostility. The professional woman easily ignored the glowering prince they had met before on a couple occasions to try and help Bulma explain Earth laws to the Saiyan.
The key ones being, you can't throw someone's car with them in it into a river because he honked at you for standing in the road ranting about distracting contraptions, nor could he challenge police responding to battles to the death. Vegeta intensified his scathing look at the revolt he felt at being told one could not simply kill their enemies here, he however still did not accept these laws. Only tolerating the "advice" because the woman had promised a "swift and explosiony" end to the gravity room.
The suited woman's expression crumbled into exasperation as she bent her elbows to lean over the surface served as her prop and blurted, "Yamcha knows, we don't know where the leak came from." Bulma stiffened her spine elongated with the attentiveness of her posture a plain sounding 'explain' rolling off her tongue without her knowledge.
"He got in contact with your secretary, raving that your work number was blocked. The instructions were to contact me or you. She only just called to tell me. I'm going to rip that hospital staff to tiny pieces, I promise Bulma. I'll find the leak and make sure this is contained. We've blocked his cell and stopped his social media uploads from posting live, we'll comb everything. We have to find him and calm him down and make sure his mouth stays shut! He could set us back Mrs. Briefs." Toward the end she had calmed, reverting to formal referral when talking business, ignoring the ache at seeing her must frustrating but respected employer sees her failure. Bulma nodded swallowing as her mind drifted, inward panic listlessly tiding in her chest. From behind her, a guffaw caught her attention as Vegeta interrupted her external breakdown. "Don't bother looking for him. He's here."