Disclaimer: I don't own Dragonball Z.
Vegeta
Year 754
The ship was too small for his liking when they first boarded the damn thing; after a week it feels like a cage that's slowly suffocating them all. Any exhilaration he felt at being free from Frieza has drained away in the face of reality – they have no choice at this point but to run as far away from the Colds' reach as possible – a bitter pill to swallow for any Saiyan, let alone the Prince. Still, if he can't fight Frieza yet he can at least pride himself in outsmarting the lizard bastard, and on that basis he can live with the shame of hiding.
Leaning against the wall in the ship's flight deck, he watches from across the room as the woman opens the holographic star chart once more, her eyes dancing around the charted systems as she searches, as he has already done, for a place suitable for all their needs.
"I've already tried that sector," he tells her, and her blue gaze snaps to him, her eyes sharp amongst the projected stars that float through the room. The fabric of her coveralls crunches as she places her hands on her hips.
"I need parts, Vegeta. Even if it's just a short stop – I can't work on much without raw materials. If you want training equipment when we do find a planet to settle on then you better get used to the fact that we need to pick up supplies."
"You were supposed to gather all that you needed from Frieza's ship before we left," he tells her, shifting his weight and stepping towards her. They've had this discussion before and he knows her answer – Frieza's ship didn't have what I need now – but he can't stop himself. Getting her mad is an itch he can't help but scratch, and it is welcome entertainment on this otherwise dull journey.
Disappointingly, she doesn't take the bait this time, instead ignoring his last comment completely. "This system is known for dealing in machinery and spare parts," she says, her finger pointing just above her head.
"Frieza has an outpost on the neighbouring system."
Her eyes narrow, lips twitching with the hint of a smile. "It sounds almost as if you're scared, Vegeta."
His tail unfurls from his waist, curling behind him as he stalks forward through the hologram until he stands nose-to-nose with Bulma. "If Frieza finds us we're all dead," he tells her.
She holds her ground as he holds her gaze. "We won't let him find us, then," she says quietly. Stepping back, she nods to the planet above her head. "Culampu has the most promising description I've found in days. If I can get –"
A noise from the communication panel stops her mid-sentence, and her features are lit in a red glow from the light indicating a fresh message. She flashes him a concerned look, before he steps forward and opens the video file.
"It's just another statement from Frieza," he says, watching as Zarbon's face fills the screen, delivering the same communiqué they have already watched twenty times over.
"If there are any sightings of the Saiyans or the Mastertech Bulma Briefs, these must be reported to the nearest PTO branch immediately," Zarbon drawls on-screen. "A hefty reward will be offered to anyone who comes forth with information."
Images of all four of them – both headshots and full body scans – fill the screen. Beside him, Bulma cringes.
"Ugh, I hate that photo;" she complains, "the tech robe totally washes me out." Once again, he questions why he has ever trusted this woman's mind.
"You're an idiot," he tells her, before adding "We passed by Frieza 26 ten minutes ago – this must be from the transmitters there."
"Yeah. He's got the whole quadrant covered, huh?"
"Which is exactly why we need to move beyond his controlled domains as quickly as possible."
"Agreed. So I'll set that course for Culampu?" There's a glint in her eye as she looks at him, her fine brows raised in question. After a moment's pause, she adds, "You do want that gravity belt I designed, right?"
He grinds his teeth, barely restraining a snarl. She has the audacity to grin at him, and he does snarl then. "Fine. Set the course for fucking Culampu; but if this causes me unnecessary trouble I'm breaking your neck myself."
"Okay Prince Vegeta," she says, her insolent tone further grating his nerves, and his fists clench as she turns away to set the coordinates. Fucking bitch.
It drives him mad that she is so dismissive of his threats, of his power. Even more so, because he finds her insolence somehow attractive, although he would never admit such a thing to her. But he watches as she moves around the flight deck, her delicate hands directing the holographic map as she looks further afield for a planet they can use as a training ground, and he realises that there has been a shift in her in the past week. Gone is the tense set to her shoulders, the tightly pressed lips. She catches him staring, and for a moment he is frozen in those blue eyes that seem suddenly piercing.
"You know, you're cute when you're angry," she says with a wink, before flouncing out of the room without a care. He remains standing there, slack-jawed, until he registers Raditz' laugh echoing from the adjoining common room.
Idiots, he tells himself, ki sparking on his fingertips. Absolute idiots.
A/N: The tech in this chapter was definitely influenced by Star Wars – so credit to The Force Awakens.