Chapter 56:
"Wake up, little monkey."
Panic in his chest as he starts awake, Frieza's voice in his ear, sharp gasp pushing past his lips as he thinks... thinks...
Doesn't know where he is, for a moment, doesn't remember...
Everything spinning and has to... calm down... remember...
Wasn't... Wasn't Planet 79. Looks around and recognizes the training room. Was on Earth, remembers. Was...
Must have fallen asleep. Been training all morning. Been nervous, remembers, because...
Starts at the sound of the outer door decompressing. Bulma's there then, smiling at him as she steps into the room.
"Hey there sleepy head!" She says, coming near. "Saw you fell asleep there."
Blinks up at her, head still hazy and confused. Watches as she comes and sits down across from him, soft hands reaching out to take hold of his.
"You ready to go for your fitting?" She asks, and remembers suddenly. Why he'd been nervous.
Was supposed to go today to get fitted for a suit. Bulma said he needed to wear one for their wedding. Supposed to be in a three months, once the spring rolled around.
Thought about traditional Saiyan garb. Remembers Nappa showing him designs. Drawing it for him. Kind of clothes their people used to wear. Ceremonial garb. Thought about trying to recreate what he could remember of it, but... guesses there wasn't any point. Bulma wouldn't want to wear that stuff anyway.
… Old relics from a dead race...
Bulma smiles at him again, squeezing his hands.
"It'll be okay." She says. "I promise. The guy we're going to see has been dressing my family for years. He's really cool. You don't have to worry about him."
"... I'm not worried about him." Says back. Embarrassed. Wasn't worried, just... didn't like anyone touching him. Didn't want anyone's hands on him...
"Alright." Bulma says. "But it's okay. I'm gonna be with you the whole time. Alright?"
Nods. Feels stupid, but... long as Bulma was there... was alright... Only alright with Bulma's hands on him...
"Okay." Bulma nods, pushing herself up to her feet. "Meet me in the kitchen in about twenty minutes, and we'll head out?"
Nods again. Doesn't want to go. Only know it'll make Bulma happy and wants... wants her to be happy.
"Come here." Reaches her hand out to him. Takes it and she pulls him up, pulls him against her and kisses him hard on the mouth. Ruffles his hair. And then she's gone.
Breathes out. Stay calm. Just stay calm. Had to...
"Better hit the showers little man." Nappa tells him. "She's waitin' for ya."
Nods. Knows that. Wanted Bulma to be happy. Was doing it for her.
Would be alright.
Everything would be alright... long as Bulma was there.
/
"Let's see... 5 feet 3 and ¾ inches... 22 inch waist... 32 inch chest... 36 inch inseam... bicep 10 inches...
"You have remarkable proportion young man. I think probably the best I've ever seen. And I've tailored quite a few athletes and such in my life."
Bulma can't help but smile at Vegeta's flushed cheeks as Mr. Osaka takes his measurements, just biting down on her tongue to keep from shouting out a 'hell yeah'. That was her man up there, looking unbearably fine in a gorgeous Armani suit. She felt like telling Mr. Osaka that he had no idea.
"Are you an athlete?" He asks Vegeta.
Vegeta mutters something out, too low for either her or Mr. Osaka to hear, and Bulma feels her chest go tight. It was so strange. Vegeta was actually shy. He didn't take compliments well. Didn't seem to know what to do with them.
"He's a professional fighter." She decides to answer for him, and Mr. Osaka smiles at her.
"Ah, of course. You're built like a fighter!" He goes on excitedly, turning back to Vegeta. "You know, my son wanted to become a professional fighter when he was younger. Of course, his first lesson didn't turn out so well. I think he didn't realize how much it hurts to get hit in the face." Mr. Osaka laughs. "Poor boy wouldn't stop crying for at least an hour, all because of a little bloody nose!"
Bulma can see the utter confusion across Vegeta's face. Of course he wouldn't understand that.
A normal person who'd lived a normal life wouldn't begin to understand Vegeta's own either.
It had been plain to Bulma the moment they'd walked in and chosen a suit, and Mr. Osaka had asked Vegeta to stand up on the pedestal so he could take his measurements, that he was extremely uncomfortable, standing stiff and uneasy, his eyes fixed straight ahead, face tight and expressionless. And Bulma could hardly fail to notice the way Vegeta started every time Mr. Osaka put his hands on him.
She knew he didn't like to be touched by other people. And she knew also that he was doing this for her, and it made her feel all the worse, knowing it was such a struggle for him. She had just wanted so much for him to have something beautiful to wear for their wedding. Had wanted so much for him to have something of his own, and for it to be special. Really special.
But if it was going to cause him pain, then it didn't matter. He could just wear one of the suits she'd bought for him before. It would be awkward having to explain to Mr. Osaka, but then, that didn't really matter either. She just wanted to make sure Vegeta was alright.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Osaka, could we... have the room for just a minute?" She asks, seeing Vegeta's frame seeming to wind somehow tighter still.
"Oh? Certainly!" Mr. Osaka starts, seeming surprised but stepping back without question. "Actually I have all of the measurements I need, so I can actually start on the adjustments, if your hu... uh, I mean, if the groom to be wants to step out of the suit?"
"Of course, just... give us a minute and we'll have the suit back to you." Bulma tries, feeling vaguely anxious. She hadn't missed the look of discomfort pass over Vegeta's face just then, and she can't help the relief she feels when Mr. Osaka happily complies, stepping out of the room and leaving her and Vegeta alone.
Vegeta's relief is also palpable, if the way he slumps down on the pedestal is any indication, holding his face in his hands.
Bulma moves over to him, sitting down next to him and putting her hand along his back, rubbing up and down.
"How're you holding up?" She asks quietly.
He grunts something out in reply, but she can't really make it out for the way his voice is muffled against his palms.
"That bad, huh?" She tries joking and he looks up at her, his face visibly lined in stress and frustration.
"... I'm alright." He says. "I just... don't like having his hands on me."
"I know." Bulma tells him. "I'm sorry. Mr. Osaka doesn't mean any harm though. Ya know? And I think he's basically done. If you wanna take the suit off, I'll go give it to him and we can head out and maybe grab some lunch if you want?"
Vegeta can't quite hide the relief from his face as he nods, standing up and beginning to peel the jacket off of himself.
Bulma can't help but admire him as he does so. Mr. Osaka said it right when he said Vegeta had remarkable proportion. She feels her face warm at how amazing he looks in just the white button down he had underneath, his shoulders and chest broad and tapering down into his beautifully thin waist. She doesn't think she'd ever seen anyone look as good in clothes as Vegeta did, or out of them, for that matter. Something she's reminded of as he takes the shirt off too, leaving him naked from the torso up.
He finally seems to notice her staring as he's undoing the button on the pants and pulling the zipper down, and she sees him stiffen with that weird shyness again, his face turning vaguely red.
"Wh-what?" He stammers out, and Bulma can feel her lips split wide in a grin.
"I was just thinking about how fucking sexy you are." She says and can't help but laugh at how his face turns beat red in an instant, the way his eyes avert immediately, fixing to the floor like his life depended upon keeping his gaze there. It never failed to amaze Bulma that a man who had seen so much violence and brutality and cruelty, who had experienced the absolute worst hardships life had to offer, was then so easily embarrassed about things like sex and intimacy. In so many ways he still reminded her of a little boy. And it was such a contradiction, how it made her feel both incredibly sad for him, and how in the same moment she found it impossibly sweet and endearing.
She stands, moving towards him and wrapping her arms around his waist, leaning in close, her forehead almost against his.
"Maybe, after we get home later, to help my handsome man unwind from today's stress, I'll give him a blow job." She can't resist teasing him, and she feels her lips split into a wide grin at the completely shocked and horrified look which passes over his face. At the way he begins to stammer out.
"Bulma! D-don't... don't say s-such vulgar things in-in... in public!"
His face is absolutely burning up now, and Bulma laughs, leaning in and pressing her mouth against his.
"Relax sweetheart. Mr. Osaka can't hear us. And even if he could, believe me, he's used to me by now."
"Th-that's not the point!" He hisses lowly. "It... it's not de... decent..."
Bulma laughs again. She knows she shouldn't be getting so much of a kick out of how easy it was to embarrass Vegeta, but she couldn't help it either.
She pouts, pretending to be confused.
"But I thought you liked it when I gave you blow jobs?" She says and she thinks she better stop if the look of utter mortification on Vegeta's face is any clue. He looks like he's going to have a conniption.
"Okay, okay, I'll stop." She finally concedes. "I'm sorry." She kisses him along the cheek and he looks away from her, muttering under his breath.
"Come on. Get dressed and we'll head out. You can choose whatever place you like." She tells him, feeling a little bad about embarrassing him the way she had.
"... Alright." He answers quietly, any distress gone from his voice, and Bulma smiles at him, reaching out and laying her hand against his cheek.
"Cool." She says, stepping back, waiting for him to finish.
/
"You're dropping your left hand when you come back around. If your opponent catches your kick, like I just did, you're going to be eating his return fire."
Gohan blinks, surprised at Vegeta's fist lying against his jaw, pulled short of actually impacting against him.
He hadn't realized, only... Vegeta is right. He was dropping his left, leaving himself wide open. He was lucky Vegeta hadn't decided to hit him for real.
It was just another in a slew of technical mistakes he was making. Mistakes Vegeta had been pointing out to him all afternoon as they'd sparred together.
It had become routine for them over the last few weeks, the idea having been Vegeta's own.
He kept telling Gohan he was a prodigy, and that he would consider it a privilege to train him, as well as, Gohan supposes, feeling some sort of obligation towards him for helping him with his reading and writing over these last, few months. Though if Gohan was a prodigy like Vegeta told him he was, he sure as heck didn't feel like it, with all of the errors he kept making, and how often he found himself on the back foot against the Vegeta.
Gohan just didn't feel much passion for fighting, but he thinks telling the older Saiyan that would be something he just wouldn't understand at all. Fighting was everything to him, just like it had been everything to Father.
Gohan understood needing to fight when a threat arose, but... just in general he didn't have any real desire to train consistently. Still, he appreciated Vegeta's efforts and his obvious interest in him, in wanting to see him achieve all he was capable of.
Gohan didn't have the heart to tell Vegeta no then, and it was difficult too, because, and Gohan knows he could never say this to Vegeta either, the sparring sessions were stressing him out because he didn't want to hurt Vegeta. He felt constantly afraid that he would, especially because Vegeta insisted that Gohan not hold anything back, and it was basically impossible to fool the older Saiyan on that front. He always knew when Gohan was pulling his punches, when he wasn't using the full strength of his ki.
Vegeta was a better fighter than him by far, knew so much more and had infinitely better technique. In sparring matches like these, he always won easily. But his power wasn't on Gohan's level. Not for now, anyway. Gohan could feel it. He could feel it in the way he was able to block Vegeta's ki attacks with relative ease, or smack them aside. And in the way Vegeta clearly struggled with his own ki attacks, even the ones which Gohan deliberately weakened. More than once Vegeta had ended up knocked unconscious because he hadn't been able to dodge or block one of Gohan's blasts, and Gohan had just about had a heart attack those times, he'd been so terrified he'd really hurt the older Saiyan. He'd been lucky so far with Vegeta coming to fairly quickly and not being seriously injured, but if he ever was, Gohan doesn't know what he would do. Probably die because Bulma would probably kill him.
It didn't help that Gohan had had another big growth spurt in the last couple months and he now stood a good two inches taller than Vegeta. Gohan felt uncomfortably like he was picking on a smaller person, like some horrible bully might. Vegeta didn't seem to notice or care, and he was still physically stronger than Gohan at this point. But Gohan was always looking well down at him now, and it was just weird. It felt wrong or something.
All that wasn't enough to stop Gohan from coming over every week though and helping Vegeta with his literacy.
He felt so proud of Vegeta for the progress he had made. He had advanced far in a relatively short amount of time, and was already reading with good success at a fourth grade reading level, as well as scoring consistently higher on each of the exercises and tests Gohan set out for him. Considering where he had started, that was impressive, and Gohan made sure to let Vegeta know that every time they met. It made Gohan feel a real joy too, when Vegeta couldn't quite suppress his own pride when he did well at the exercises, Gohan catching him smiling vaguely to himself every now and then.
"Come over here and show me some kicks on this dummy. I want to look at your form." Vegeta's voice disrupts him from his thoughts and he looks up, seeing the older Saiyan standing by said dummy, watching him with a critical eye.
Gohan glances away sheepishly. He guess it didn't matter that he was taller than Vegeta now. He still felt scared of him.
Coming over, Vegeta asks him to perform a front kick. Gohan can't help feeling self-conscious when Vegeta does this. Even when he didn't think he was doing anything particularly wrong, Vegeta saw things he was doing which weren't right, and he always called Gohan out on them, even physically moving Gohan into the proper form and stance to help him see what he meant. Gohan had never felt more like a child when Vegeta did that.
He does it again now, moving Gohan this way and that, telling him it's important that he keep his balance when he throws kicks, showing him how best to achieve it. Vegeta was bizarrely patient, and almost kind, when teaching Gohan, and it made it impossible to complain about it. Vegeta was never mean when showing him technique. Goahn thinks maybe it was because it was the one thing Vegeta felt truly confident in. He knew what he was talking about, and he knew he knew. And it was the one thing Vegeta truly loved. He loved fighting. Gohan could see that plain as day. When he was talking about it, or doing it, it was maybe the only time Gohan thought the older Saiyan seemed totally relaxed and almost happy. Well, that and when he was with Bulma.
"That's better." He says to Gohan when he tries again. "That's good. Now let's see your turn heel."
He puts Gohan through the paces for maybe another twenty minutes before finally calling it quits for the day, and Gohan has to say he feels relieved. He'd been slacking off on his training a lot lately, and wasn't in the best shape. Vegeta's pace was brutal, and Gohan had to admit to himself he felt exhausted at the end of their sessions together.
He's talking casually to the older Saiyan as they exit the gravity room, reminding him of what lessons he should practice over the next week, until their next session together, when Vegeta stops abruptly in front of him, standing still and seemingly frozen.
Gohan is confused, wondering what's going on.
"... Vegeta?" He starts, when just as abruptly Vegeta bolts forward, down the stairs and across the yard.
It's then Gohan realizes what's going on.
Krillin and Android 18 are there again, sitting out on the lawn, and between them is sitting Trunks, laughing and giggling as 18 holds a rattle above his head, shaking it at him.
Vegeta is on top of them in what seems an instant, reaching down and snatching the rattle right out of 18's hand, crushing it to powder in his grip, and Gohan can see immediately that this has the potential to escalate to something ugly, fast.
He dashes across the lawn himself, hoping to stop whatever's about to happen, and can hear Vegeta hissing at 18 with profound hate in his voice.
"Get the fuck away from him!" He says, plainly meaning Trunks. "Don't fucking touch him!"
Krillin leans back on his hands, eyes wide and terrified, mouth agape as he stares up at Vegeta.
18's reaction is exactly the opposite, staring up at Vegeta with a cool, emotionless expression, her brows lifting as if completely unimpressed.
"Excuse me?" She asks, voice flat.
Vegeta is vibrating with rage now, his shirtless frame visibly shaking with anger and emotion.
"I said don't fucking touch him! Get the fuck away!" He answers.
"Vegeta," Gohan starts, looking desperately around for Bulma. She wasn't in sight, and Gohan thinks she must have left Trunks here with Krillin and 18 to go do something, as last he'd seen her, she'd had the boy.
Vegeta doesn't answer, and 18 suddenly laughs, her head thrown back in seeming amusement.
"God, you're ridiculous." She manages between her chortles. "You're like some sort of hysterical child."
"18, don't. Vegeta, don't... d-don't listen to her, just... w-we're sorry. Bulma told us to... t-to look after Trunks for a few minutes while she... she attended to something at the f-front. She said she'd be right back, so..." Krillin starts, but Gohan can see Vegeta isn't even listening to him at all, his eyes fixed with black rage on the android.
"I can't believe that gorgeous woman is actually with you." 18 goes on, apparently oblivious to Krillin's pleas. "She could have any hot piece of ass she wanted, and for some reason she decides to shake up with your ugly ass. Talk about bad decisions."
Any hope of deescalating the situation goes right out the window with 18's taunts, and Gohan feels his stomach drop as Vegeta launches himself at her, grabbing hold of her by the front of her shirt and yanking her up off the ground, spinning and throwing her clear across the yard to land hard against the side of the gravity room.
Krillin leaps up from the ground, screaming 18's name, and Gohan can only stand in paralyzed horror as Vegeta launches into the air, his ki spiking shockingly high, hair burning yellow as he goes Super Saiyan, flying straight towards where 18 is only just starting to get up.
Somehow she manages to dodge the blow he throws, if just barely, leaning back as the shot sails just past her, and suddenly the two of them are in a full on fight.
It's horrible and intense and Gohan feels his throat closing up as Vegeta and 18 trade blows, viciously, almost blindingly fast, neither seeming for long moments to have an advantage over the other as they each land and dodge shots from each other.
Krillin is screaming at them to stop, and it's only as the seconds wear on and Gohan can see Vegeta starting to gain the upper hand that his brain seems to kick into gear, his body reacting.
He dashes towards the two of them, only halfway there when he sees Vegeta sweep 18's legs out from under her and shove her to the ground, quickly straddling her hips, his large hands coming down and wrapping round her throat.
Oh... oh god, Gohan thinks. No... No!
It's like something out of a surreal nightmare, Krillin throwing himself forward and jumping on Vegeta's back, beginning to pound against his shoulders and head. Only Vegeta seems possessed, paying no heed to Krillin at all, his face tight and expressionless as he stares with unblinking eyes down at 18 underneath him, strangling her. He's strangling her. Gods, he's...
Gohan closes the distance between them, acting immediately as he reaches out, grasping hold of Vegeta's hands and trying desperately to pry them free. 18 is struggling madly beneath him, her face red and voice chocking frantically, unable to get away.
"VEGETA, STOP!" Gohan cries, horrified. "STOP IT!"
He can't get Vegeta's hands loose. Gods, he's frighteningly strong.
"GET OFF HER! GET THE FUCK OFF HER!" Krillin screams, voice harsh and thin with fear. His blows against the back of Vegeta's head and shoulders are having no effect. It's like Vegeta doesn't even feel them, his face a mask of emotionless fixation. Only his eyes are blacker than Gohan has seen since he first came to Earth. When he'd almost killed father. And he knows then Vegeta intends to kill 18. He's going to kill her, oh gods...
He doesn't have a choice then, Gohan realizes. He had to stop this. He had to stop Vegeta.
Only it's when he just begins to raise his own ki, he hears Bulma's voice behind him, raw with fear just like Krillin's.
"VEGETA, STOP!" She screams, and like some sort of switch going off, Vegeta starts, as if coming out of some awful trance, and Gohan feels the grip of his hard hands come suddenly loose, like a steel vice being undone, and he pulls them back, the mass of bruising already sickeningly evident against 18's pale neck.
She gasps for air desperately, chocking and sputtering, her face contorted in pain, even as Vegeta falls back, away from her, stumbling up to his feet and staggering back, as if he doesn't understand what's just happened, his face confused now. Lost.
Krillin's let go, falling at 18's side and trying to help her sit up, rubbing up and down her back to try and help her breathe.
Gohan can't take his eyes from Vegeta though. The look of puzzlement across his features is bizarre. Terrifying. His nose is bleeding from where 18 had landed a hard shot, his body black and blue from her strikes.
"Vegeta..." Bulma is there, tears running down her face, voice shaking as she stands apart from him, hesitating, clearly confused and frightened.
He starts again, turning and looking at her, as if only just then realizing she was there. He blinks at her, looking back a long moment, before his face contorts suddenly as if in agony.
""I'm sorry. I-I'm sorry..." and he turns, running across the lawn towards where Trunks was still sitting, oblivious to everything that had just happened.
Gohan watches as Vegeta stops and scoops the baby up, cradling him against his chest and dashing towards the compound, disappearing inside a moment later.
"Vegeta!" Bulma cries after him, and following fast after Gohan can only watch, dismay and fear raging in his heart.
/
AN: Sorry for the long delay in this chapter guys! I haven't had a ton of time for writing the last few weeks. But anyway, hope this made up for it slightly. A little fluff and a lot of angst, as usual, haha. We have to remember Vegeta's spent most of his life being a killer, and unlearning that kind of behavior isn't going to be easy. Anyway, let me know your thoughts and thank you again for all your support!
