I do not own anything belonging to the Dragon Ball universes that privilege rests with Akira Toriyama.


AN: This was one of my favorite chapters to write so far. During all of my research into monkey behavior and subsequently sociology and all the poor little monkeys that were experimented on, this chapter is for them. I really do love it when Vegeta lets himself go and allows himself to be just a monkey. After all the shit of his life, Vegeta gets the physical interaction he truly needs.


Vegeta was sitting on the edge of his bed, still naked. His hair wet and limp around his head. He hadn't bothered to use his ki to dry instead allowing himself to air dry, chilling his skin in an attempt to numb him from his own feelings. He stared at the pink towel he'd taken off the chair outside. He wanted to go to Bulma, he knew she was downstairs relaxing, and wanted to pull her into his lap and hold her close. Take peace in her presence, even though he didn't think he deserved it. The weakling was right Vegeta had done horrible things in his first life. Did the prince deserve the bluenette's affection? Her love? It was such a simple word, it didn't even scratch the surface of his feelings towards her. He hoped against all rationale that she might reciprocate even a fraction of his affection. Groaning he fell back into his bed.

When had he grown so soft? Why did he ever give in to these fucking instincts? All of these emotions they kept stirring up were making him feel like he was losing a part of himself. Why couldn't he get control of himself around her? 'Make her our mate!' his instincts screamed at him. She was their queen and until she was marked they would continue to be at war with each other. He was resisting his instincts and that would only end in tragedy.

Her laughter filled the house and broke him out of his thoughts. Before he even knew what he was doing he was dry, dressed in a pair of blue jeans and a black T-shirt and exiting his room into the hall. Hesitating at the top of the stairs Vegeta wondered what was he going to do. He wasn't sure what to say to this little female that had forced her way into his soul. The sound of her joy lifted through the air again and drew him onwards.

At the bottom of the stairs, he stopped and watched from his vantage. Bulma was laying on the couch her feet, from about mid-calf down, were hanging over the arm. Every time she giggled softly her toes would curl, but only a little and only with the last 'hee' of her quiet 'tee-hee-hee's. When something would cause her to emit a loud 'HA' her right foot kicked. If she gave a fully-bodied laugh those toes curled and she flexed her feet, pointing those toes to the wall in the hallway. It was all he could see of her but that didn't stop his grin cracking the mask he'd tried so hard to fix into place. Approaching silently he ran a finger up the bottom of those beautiful expressive feet.

"GAAAHHOH MY GOD!" Bulma screamed as she sat up and looked at the cocky, smirking face of Vegeta. "You are such a fucking jerk!" Bulma stood up on the couch in front of Vegeta, towering over him she poked him in the chest, "Why do you keep doing that!?"

Between her antics, his teasing and her reaction Vegeta couldn't help himself and broke into a burst of deep laughter. It was perfect, her terrified reaction then complete lack of fear once she realized it was... him? It was exactly what he needed and broke the tension in the house. Bulma gaped at him while he laughed, she'd never heard this laugh before. It had started as a cocky chuckle but changed quickly and ended all too fleetingly.

"Hmm you are too easy," his cocky playfulness from earlier had returned.

"Rrr," the bluenette growled and plopped herself back down onto the couch. Secretly she found it refreshing he didn't cower like all the other men in her life but she still refused to look at him. Partly because she was embarrassed at her outburst. Secondly, she didn't want to comment on his burst of what was his real laugh or his calmer mood and get rebuffed. Instead, she poured him a glass of wine and held it out for him so he would have to step closer to accept it.

The prince only stared at her, unmoving. He waited for her to make a deal out of what had happened. He didn't know how the confrontation with the weakling ended but her mood seemed amused and annoyed with him. After her non-committal to the question on love then him having left out of embarrassment he expected her to question him, or at least say something. This was better than he'd expected, she wasn't pushing.

"Might as well get comfy. The food has another thirty minutes until it will arrive," Bulma said without looking at Vegeta, her eye fixed on the TV screen and hand with his glad still held out.

Quirking an eyebrow at her Vegeta was suspicious she might be trying to trap him somehow. His eyes roamed her body. The thin-strapped pink tank top hugged every contour of her. From his altitude, Vegeta could see more of her pert breasts than when they had been eye level. So he let out an appreciative growl. When she cut her eyes to the side she looked as suspicious as he'd felt a moment ago, and with that, he gave in to the desire to be in contact with her. Taking the three steps it took to get to her he leaned over and openly smelled her as he took the offered glass.

Bulma was practically itching with her impatience. Why was he just standing there watching her? Vegeta's husky growl and the appreciation on his semi-relaxed face gave her the encouragement to remain patient. Unable to hide the smile when he took the glass from her hand, Bulma gasped in surprised elation when he smelled her. Heat rose in her face at the fact that such an animalistic act aroused her. Curiosity at what he might do next helped the bluenette to wait and allow him to make his move.

Spurred on by her reaction, Vegeta gracefully lifted his left leg, bending at the knee and slipped it behind Bulma. Framing her hips with his left leg Vegeta sat leaning back against the arm of the couch, his heel gently pressing against her left hip. His right leg was turned out with his foot flat on the floor, a glass of wine balanced on his knee supported by two fingers. Vegeta's left arm resting over the back of the couch facing the gorgeous enigma of a woman, he watched her for another moment.

Slowly, Bulma turned her head to peer at the devilishly handsome Saiyan. What she saw made her heart melt. Vegeta had his head tipped down and while the posture was predatory in nature, it was contradicted by the warmth in his shining obsidian eyes. Then he tipped his chin to the side and beckoned her closer with a nod and the feather-light touch of his fingertips to her shoulder. Bulma didn't wait to see if he would offer again. She crawled to hover over Vegeta's chest and pressed a sweet kiss to his lips before laying down on top of him tucking her head under his chin.

Firming his touch to her shoulder as she moved closer Vegeta slid it down her back to rest on her hip as she laid down, halfway on her side. It started as a vibration in his chest and built into a low hum of sound. when she held him a little tighter Vegeta instinctually let out the first chortle from the back of his throat. The high pitched noise was embarrassing, it felt like it had come out over a lump in his throat. determined to prove he could do better than that he let out more low warbling sounds mixed into the hum he was still emitting. It all blended together like a soft song cocooning them in the peace he'd been feeling with her. A part of him still didn't think he deserved this but he was too selfish to give it up. Having her wrapped in his arms in a non-sexually intimate embrace the prince felt pieces of himself shift and begin to settle within him. This act was for her and her alone, he would never have another.

The pair remained that way for the next twenty-six minutes. Bulma was so touched he had initiated a snuggling session and Vegeta was lost in the comforting contentment of the physical contact he hadn't known he needed in his life. It scared him. Feeling fear wasn't something he was comfortable with, fear was something to be conquered. Yet Vegeta couldn't deny the rightness of it all, of her, his Bulma.

Feeling the approaching ki of a weak earthling he knew it must be whatever delivery service was bringing them the evening meal, and their interlude would soon come to an end. Vegeta held her a little tighter and buried his face in her hair breathing his fill of her sweetly feminine scent. It was calming and he took it greedily, wanting the moment to linger for him once she inevitably rose to retrieve the food.

When the doorbell rang Vegeta was prepared for it, but not for Bulma's reaction.

"Oh no! I forgot the box Yamcha left on the porch!" She jumped up, making Vegeta grunt with the rough contact to his groin as she moved. "Shit, I hope there isn't anything embarrassing in it." She said mostly to herself as she went to answer the door.

Not liking the idea of her embarrassment in front of some stranger, Vegeta followed at a distance and stopped a few feet behind her as she opened the door. Looking between the delivery boy juggling three bags of food plus the pad that required her signature, and the box of personal items resting at the kid's feet. She had almost forgotten how much food had been ordered, that kid was preoccupied with not dropping the delivery not looking through her stuff. None of that stopped her from blushing, embarrassed with her foolishness and turned to call Vegeta to help her. She smiled brightly to see her was a few feet behind her, his arms crossed over his chest with his typical scowl firmly in place.

"Would you take the food from this guy, please?" turning the smile up a notch when he dropped his arms and approached.

He didn't look at her once he began moving, his focus on the man holding their food. The other male was practically drooling over Bulma, the lust was making him clumsy and he was going to drop Vegeta's dinner. When the woman had turned to the side the prince caught him gapping at her chest in the stretched profile position. As she spoke and the Saiyan warrior began to move the youth's attention shifted to Vegeta. Coming up beside her, he allowed his hand to slide across her lower back. Smirking in masculine pride, he and took the food from the young earthling that was gaping at him now. Vegeta stayed in the doorway to the side and half a step ahead of Bulma. They weren't mates yet but he was staking his claim and would keep himself between his chosen female and this unknown male.

Bulma signed for the food and gave the kids a good tip. She felt bad he had first had to juggle so much food and then for the fact that she forgot how intimidating Vegeta was to other people, and she had put him right in front of the kid. The poor guy looked ready to run for his life! Vegeta hadn't moved after taking the food and she wondered why before figuring he wasn't sure where she wanted to eat, but when she pulled the box from Yamcha inside and closed the door he marched straight into the kitchen with it all.

"Vegeta, bring it to the living room I'm in the middle of an episode," she called after him, annoyed he'd been rude to the delivery boy.

Turning around he set all three bags down on the coffee table. Bulma pulled everything out, opening the appetizers and setting Vegeta's meals to the right side of the table. She was annoyed with him and he didn't understand why. She wasn't speaking to him or even looking at him. Taking a seat beside her but not touching, he grabbed a box of food and picked up the paper wrapped chopsticks. Removing the paper he tipped his head to the side and looked between the piece of wood in his hand and the two thinner ones in Bulma's. Seeing him staring quizzically at the chopsticks she took pity on the prince. Seeing her box of food down she offered her assistance.

"Here," she pointed to the indentation that ran the length of the wood, "gently grip both sides between for thumb and forefinger and break them apart along this line."

"Ha," he marveled at the strangeness when the one stick became two identical to hers after following her instruction.

She smiled at his childlike reaction to something so simple and forgot her annoyance.

They enjoyed the relaxed meal together, each of them dipping their chopsticks into every container. While Bulma samples everything and ate less than half of her own dish, Vegeta cleaned out all the other containers and helped her finish the bottle of wine. Full and content Vegeta pulled her back into his lap, much to her surprise. Snuggling into the embrace Bulma melted into the feeling of safety his arms gave her. Vegeta's call returned and they stayed, reveling in the peace of the give and take of comfort.