The Popstar

by froglady15

When military soldier Vegeta finds himself on extended medical leave for an injury, an old friend asks him to take over his job as a personal bodyguard for popstar Bulma Briefs after a frightening incident in which she was kidnapped by an over obsessed fan. Can Vegeta keep her safe? Who is this obsessed fan, or was it all a ploy to boost record sales? Something fun, light & fluffy.

14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Just my Husband, laptop, my 4 dogs and a very overactive imagination… Dragon Ball Z and any songs mentioned in this fic DO NOT belong to me. I'm just borrowing them for my own twisted amusement.

AN: Sorry it's been so long between updates! Life has been busy! I'm working again and can't write during work anymore. Lol!

I've started seriously training with my dogs again. We have 4 now, so when I'm not working, I've been spending time working them… We've been mostly focusing on IGP obedience, tracking and protection bite sports, my first love and why I got into dog sports to begin with.

I've also been working on finishing this story soon. Most of it is finished, just needs some finishing touches. I've also been working on Butterflies and Hurricanes and Glorious. I'll never have more than one story going again. Way too stressful. Especially when the tone of all 3 stories is so different. It can be hard to write all 3 at once- kudos to the authors who do write more than one story at once and are able to update them frequently!

A HUGE thank you has to go out to Dragonbabezee for not only betaing this chapter for me several weeks back, but creating a stunning cover art to go along with this story! (Can be found on A03 and my Tumbler) She completed it a while ago, I just wanted to upload it along with the new chapter. So huge thank you to her! I absolutely love it!

Also a thank you to ArtsyTati who posted this beautiful fan art on Twitter from the last chapter- I'm not on Twitter, but thank you!

Without further delay…

The Popstar

Chapter 14

Vegeta woke up the next morning with Bulma laying on her stomach and her face turned in his direction. She wasn't touching him, but she was close to him.

He thought of the previous evening's incidents and wondered what today would bring. Would it be awkward between them? What did she expect of him? He'd never been in a situation like this with a woman before. How did he go about successfully exploring a possible relationship with her while still working for her? Even if he wasn't working for her, he still did not know how to pursue that and decided the safest thing to do was to play it by ear and see what she did.

For now, he was hungry and needed to eat something. He carefully got out of bed, not wanting to disturb her so she could sleep.

Vegeta decided to take Justice out for a quick walk before making coffee and breakfast for himself and Bulma. He was about half way through frying eggs, enjoying the quiet and solitude when there was a knock on the door.

Vegeta frowned. It wasn't even mid morning yet. Who could possibly be wanting to see Bulma this early?

He opened the door, assuming it was likely one of her parents and was very surprised to see Yamcha.

"You are here early," Vegeta said, letting him in.

"Well, I have a lot of work to do," he said, handing Vegeta the newspaper as he walked in. "I'm assuming you haven't seen this yet?"

Vegeta grunted as he looked at the front page, which featured a full page, in colour, provocative photo of them performing from the previous evening and the headline Sex Sells: Scandalous Performance Brings in Record Donations for Live Charity Show.

"It's trending all over social media, the news and it's all anyone is talking about today," Yamcha said, sounding very businesslike. "Hope you don't mind being a household name, because you are now."

"No one knows my name," he said. "Coffee?"

"Well, they do now. Somehow it's been leaked. Yes, please. Bulma isn't up yet?"

"No," he shook his head. "She is still asleep. She was pretty tired last night."

Yamcha gave him a funny look, but didn't say anything. Justice watched him closely as he took a seat at the island in the kitchen.

"I forgot about the dog," Yamcha commented uneasily.

"He does not like strangers, but will not bother you if you leave him alone," Vegeta said, though he was watching Justice closely. He was very interested in Yamcha's shoes for some reason. "Would you like something to eat?" He asked, feeling the uncomfortable energy in the room and wanting to lighten things up. The last thing he needed was Justice thinking Yamcha was suspicious or a threat. He was normally aloof towards strangers, not on alert without reason.

"No, I'm fine. Just coffee, thanks," he answered, turning away from Justice. "You know, the label called me last night."

"And that concerns me why?"

"Well, Bulma has one more video to do for this album. She released an extended edition of her last album - remember you guys went to the UK to promote it? Well one of the songs is going to be released as a single and she needs a video for it-"

"No. She is off for four months minimum." Vegeta said.

"Oh no, I know." Yamcha chuckled uncomfortably, putting his hands up defensively. "I've got her back on that. It wasn't easy and I pissed off a lot of people and still have lots to reschedule, which I will discuss with Bulma when she gets up. No, that wasn't what I wanted to tell you."

Vegeta nodded. If Yamcha didn't have the balls to stand up to the label on Bulma's behalf, he would gladly put on his war helmet and do it.

"No, ahh actually they called because they want you to be in her next video." Yamcha said.

"No," he answered immediately without even considering it.

"They'd pay you," Yamcha said quickly. "They pay extremely well. I could probably negotiate the same amount Lapis gets since if you don't do it, it'll probably be him they'll want anyway."

"I do not care, I am not an entertainer," Vegeta said. "What happened last night was a last minute decision I agreed to, to help Bulma since Lapis was unable to make it."

"Yea, but..."

"I am not doing it," he said again with a tone so absolute that it was clear there was no room for negotiation.

"Do you realize what kind of opportunity you're shooting down here?" he asked. "Do you know how many guys would kill for an opportunity like this? You could begin a whole new career for yourself."

"I do not care," Vegeta said. "The answer is no. I am a soldier, not a performer."

"You sure about that?"

"Very," he answered. "Have them hire Lapis or find another."

Yamcha sighed. He'd mention it to Bulma. If she could convince Vegeta to perform live with her, she could possibly convince him to film a video with her.

-0-0-0-

Bulma rolled over in bed and realized in disappointment that she was alone and the side of the bed where Vegeta had slept was cold, indicating that he must have gotten up a while ago. She'd woken up at some point in the middle of the night and had been so happy that he'd kept his word and had spent the night with her. She thought of the previous night and what he'd said to her. Did that mean he was her boyfriend now? Or had he changed his mind? Would he give her the cold shoulder now that the adrenaline and excitement from their performance had worn off?

She hoped he wouldn't be distant and awkward with her today.

She rolled over in bed to grab her phone off of the night stand and frowned at her notifications. Her phone had absolutely blown up with tags and notifications from so many platforms, she didn't know where to even start.

Bulma decided to open up her texts first. Lapis and Yamcha. She decided to see what Lapis had to say first, as he'd sent her several messages.

Are you ok? I saw something at the airport that you were in the hospital.

So sorry I missed your show! You have every right to be pissed, but doesn't look like you needed me after all. Should I be jealous of my replacement? :P

Also, in case you were still unsure, I'm more than pretty confident he's definitely into you.

I'm available for lunch if you're not too upset at me for being a no show. I'll even bring wine as a peace offering.

Bulma chuckled to herself as she read his messages.

I just got up, but ya, come over. No worries! I'll tell you everything then. Too much to type.

Almost immediately he replied: Is it safe or am I interrupting? ;)

No, you're not interrupting. He kissed me last night, but nothing else. Was too tired. :P I think he wants me, but now I don't kno how to act around him.

Just be yourself. You're fantastic. Don't make it weird.

What if he changes his mind?

He won't.

So if any exciting developments occur between now and lunch, let me kno and I'll catch you next time. I will expect details tho. Otherwise, see you soon!

Bulma's stomach fluttered with excitement at the thought. She could smell breakfast. Maybe Vegeta was doing something special in order to break the ice?

She got out of bed and began going through her lingerie and realized then that she didn't know what Vegeta's favourite color was! It had never come up. She decided a safe assumption was black or blue, since that was all he seemed to wear. She decided quickly that while wearing black underwear was sexy, that maybe it was too forward. She didn't want to scare him off.

She had a few pairs of sky and royal blue underwear sets that were very alluring and feminine, but not too over the top.

Bulma wasn't sure what to do, how to look or act around him now, she realized again as she was trying to decide what she should wear. Lapis had said to just be herself, but so far, all of her regular tactics like blatant flirting and wearing revealing clothing around him did not seem to work on him. She sighed in frustration as she went to her bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror. She looked bagged and exhausted even after a good night's rest and didn't want to greet him looking like she currently did. Though he had made out with her after helping with taking out her hair extensions and makeup off last night, she reasoned, and she had looked awful then.

She decided to not do herself up, but to at least brush her hair, pulling it up into a loose, fluffy bun. She opted on some mascara and a tinted moisturizer that gave her face a nice, fresh, dewy look to it. Added a light blush, clear lip gloss and put on her favourite fluffy white housecoat. Underneath, she had chosen a basic silk royal blue push-up bra and matching boy shorts on the bottom before leaving her room and heading for the kitchen. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves.

"I didn't notice you get up," she said with a yawn, walking into the kitchen and not even noticing that Yamcha was there as well. "I smelled breakfast though."

"So you guys did get together after the show yesterday," Yamcha said, shaking his head accusingly.

"Oh, I didn't even know you were here, Yamcha," Bulma greeted him, stifling another yawn. More thankful than ever in that moment that she had chickened out from coming out in nothing but sexy lingerie. Thank god for her housecoat! She only now just realized that she hadn't checked what Yamcha had messaged her. This was definitely going to put a damper on anything romantic happening this morning between her and Vegeta. "Good morning." She added, trying to keep a calm demeanour, rather than being alarmed that her ex boyfriend was there while she was trying to instigate a romantic interlude with her bodyguard.

"So, walk me through last night then," he said, trying not to sound judgy, but failing. "You were apparently too tired to stick around for your fans and do an after party, but not too tired to come back here for a hookup?"

"Umm no," she shook her head, readjusting her housecoat so she was a little more modestly dressed. "Not that it's any of your business, but we came home last night, Vegeta helped me undo my hair and went to bed."

"Right, I know it's not my business, but it's nice to have my suspicions confirmed. You know you two were the talk of the rest of the night, right?" he told her. "Everyone was joking that you two left right after to go home and fuck."

Bulma snorted, attempting to stifle a giggle. "So? I mean we didn't, but if that's what people think, who cares? There's worse things."

"The networks aren't very happy with you," he went on. "That was a live show, broadcasted on several family networks! What were you thinking?"

"Okay," she shrugged. "It would have been about the same level of inappropriate if Lapis had been able to make it. It was a song about a couple dirty dancing. What did they expect?"

"I don't know, but it wasn't what they expected," Yamcha said. "Once you're up and have had some coffee, I encourage you to go online and watch it. You raised a lot of funds, and that's great, but the blowback from some of the networks isn't exactly the kind of publicity the charity organizers were wanting.

"One news station this morning was playing a clip and one of the anchors said something to the effect that if your music career tanks, at least you have stripping or porn to fall back on."

Bulma laughed heartily and Vegeta gave her a look. What a horrible thing for someone to say! Yet she apparently thought it was funny.

"Well, at least three of my videos were directed by porn directors," she snorted. "You know that. People have been saying that for years anyway. So what?"

"It was supposed to be a family friendly, all ages show and you guys practically fucked on stage," he said, surprised that she wasn't the least bit concerned. Sure, everyone knew Bulma's music content and performances were a tad on the racy side, but usually she was really good at dialling it back for events like these. "Especially since you were hospitalized the previous day. Speculation now is that you were drunk or high last night."

Vegeta sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. He'd known agreeing to perform with her had been a bad choice. It seemed like she couldn't win. "And the other alternative would have been for her to not complete her obligation of a third performance or collapse on stage and be accused of the same and possibly be hospitalized again,"

"That's the entertainment industry," Yamcha replied. "You did the right thing, finishing the night off, but did you forget about the viewers?"

Bulma shrugged. "I don't even really remember. Except that I barely was able to finish the second set and I wouldn't have been able to do the last one on my own. I asked Vegeta for help, which I'm surprised you actually agreed to and I deeply appreciate," she said, pausing to smile brightly at Vegeta. "It wasn't planned, it was all improvised and I barely was able to pull it off even with Vegeta's help. That's the only thing I was thinking of; finishing the night off without falling on my face."

Yamcha shook his head. "I get it," he acknowledged. "Just be prepared that there's a lot of upset people over this."

"Is the label angry?" she asked.

"No, the label executives don't care, actually they called last night and they really want Vegeta to be in your next video," he said, quickly glancing at Vegeta. "He apparently made quite the impression."

Bulma beamed brightly at Vegeta again.

"No." He shook his head and glared at Yamcha. The sneaky son of a bitch was banking on Bulma talking him into this even though he'd already adamantly turned it down.

"It would be fun," she admitted. "And I'd love to, but tell them no. Last night was a one shot deal."

Vegeta mentally let go a sigh of relief that Bulma was not going to pressure him into doing a video with her.

"But everyone is talking about it," Yamcha pressed.

"Last night was a special treat," she said and Yamcha snorted. "Vegeta was just being helpful and we're just lucky the whole thing wasn't a disaster."

"Well, it was and it wasn't." Yamcha said.

"I really don't care what anyone thinks," she sighed, finally taking a sip of her coffee. She was annoyed now. "Watch my videos, go to my concerts. It wasn't any worse than that and what else did they expect? It's not like I had a wardrobe malfunction and exposed myself in front of everyone on live television. I busted my ass, it was a successful event from the sound of it, so what more do they want?"

"Well, there was talk of an apology."

"I'm not apologizing! It's done! Apologizing for something that can't be undone is ridiculous! Ten years from now, people will still be able to watch that performance online. I've never apologized for anything in my career, I'm sure as hell not going to start now. If they don't like it, don't ask me to perform again for any of their future events. I was their biggest headline for that whole event. It was voluntary, I didn't make a dime off of it. I'm fucking exhausted and burnt out, but I still showed up against the discretion of my doctor. They wanted something good, I delivered. If it wasn't what they had in mind, that's their problem," she ranted. "And I'm off for a few months, so it will all blow over in a week or two anyway, apology or not. Just wait for Marron to accidentally flash everyone her snatch the next time she's club hopping wearing not much more than a bandaid and this will all be forgotten."

"Okay," Yamcha sighed. "I guess I'll put out another statement stating that you stand by your performance. I'm sure that will go over well."

"Don't even acknowledge it!" she said. "Who cares? I don't! Now, what did you come here for, other than to let me know the entire world thinks I'm a whore?"

"I drafted up a statement with regards to your hiatus," he said, reaching for his briefcase and opening it. "I wanted you to read it over before I send it out to the label and the media. Actually this whole mess with the show might work in your favour. You're tired, not at your best and certainly not thinking straight. We can run with that."

Bulma grunted, but took the statement and began reading it.

It is with great difficulty that I have decided that I need to take a break from my hectic schedule and take care of myself for a little while.

The events surrounding my abduction have been very traumatic and although I resumed working almost immediately following that, it has been detrimental to my overall mental and physical health. I know that you all will understand. Self care is important to all of us and something that I have neglected for the last several months and can no longer ignore.

Please understand that this was not an easy decision to come to. I have been advised by my medical team that a break is what I need for both my physical and mental wellbeing, so I am going on hiatus indefinitely in the hopes that I can heal, rest and recover. I ask that the media and my fans respect this decision and my privacy during this difficult time. I shall return when I am better, stronger than ever.

Love always,

Bulma.

"I also have a few movie and television scripts for you to read incase you get bored in your off time," Yamcha said, pretending to discreetly leave a rather thick stack of scripts on her countertop.

"Take them back," Bulma said, still looking over the statement.

"But Bulma…"

"No, Yamcha," she sighed irritably. "I've already told you, I have no interest in being in movies or on TV."

"But some of these have a lot of potential! This one doesn't require you to sing even! It's like a rom com about an heiress who takes in a lost, displaced prince from a destroyed kingdom and they fall in love."

Bulma blew a raspberry.

"Another is a script for a young adult series about a group of friends who embark on an adventure looking for seven magical wishing orbs. That could be fun! And it was written by-"

"I don't care," she said. "Not interested."

"You won't even think about it?"

"Nope." She shook her head. "Is that everything?" she asked finally, getting impatient that he was still there. She wanted to get a clear read on what Vegeta was thinking about last night where moving forward was concerned. She didn't want to think about work, statements, contracts or anything related to any of it.

"For now, I suppose," he said, giving her an annoyed look.

"You can call or email me if there's anything, I'll still take your calls."

"Uh huh," he sighed. He knew that she was more than likely going to ignore him as much as possible while she was off and that made him feel resentful.

"I will!" she insisted. "Make sure you take a break too. It's not like you don't deserve it."

"Gee, thanks," he said, placing the scripts back in his suitcase and heading towards the door looking like a puppy that had just been kicked. "Enjoy your time off."

"Thanks, I intend to," she said with a slight frown at his sour demeanour as he left her apartment. She'd wanted him to go, but she hadn't meant to offend him.

Both Bulma and Vegeta stood in the kitchen in an awkward silence for several, long seconds; neither one of them knowing what to expect from the other. Bulma did have the thought of throwing her arms and legs around him and kissing him and seeing where that got her, but she didn't want to get shot down. Vegeta's first thought was to pick her up and place her onto the counter and have his way with her, but he didn't want to rush into it and ruin this before it started. On the other hand, he didn't want to give off the vibe that he wasn't interested.

"Thanks for making breakfast," Bulma finally said, not liking the prolonged silence.

"You're welcome," he said. "How are you feeling?"

"Alright," she shrugged, reaching for more bacon. "I'm tired, but what else is new?"

"You are to relax," he said.

Bulma nodded. Shit! Did that mean sex was completely off the table? She certainly hoped not. Last night was a given and she was glad they hadn't done anything and sure she was still tired in general, but not too tired for that with him! "I will. What are your plans?"

Vegeta shrugged, wondering what to say. Did she want him to leave for a while so that he could have a break too? He'd understand if she did want some time alone, but he hoped she'd choose to spend her time off with him around. "I suppose my plans are whatever your plans are." He said at an attempt to say something witty and flirty, except now he was cringing at how obvious that had sounded.

Bulma nodded again. So he wasn't going to bail on her after last night. That was good. "Well, I don't really have anything planned just yet. If there's something you'd like to do, let me know. Lapis is coming for lunch, by the way."

Vegeta nodded. He was alright with that. He wasn't sure what to say or how to act around her and needed more time to make a strategy. "He made it?"

Bulma snorted. "He did. Better late than never. He's threatened by his replacement though," she said, deciding to go that direction.

"Yeah, right," he rolled his eyes.

"He is! I can show you the text!"

Vegeta nodded again, feeling his neck grow warm. "I am sure he was simply being polite."

"Nah, Lapis is super fussy. If you weren't good, he'd be making fun of us. Ha! I should show you that video I did with this other dancer because Lapis couldn't make it and we just laugh!"

"Laugh? Why?" He asked with a frown.

"Because this other guy takes himself too seriously and thinks he's god's gift and you can tell," she said. "The video looks fine. He's a very good dancer. Just some of his mannerisms are funny. He's just… not Lapis is all."

Vegeta gave her a blank look.

"Oh my god, we're not assholes!" she insisted. "It was more about a personality clash and creative differences, really. And no different than you laughing at military movies because they hold their guns wrong and don't follow proper procedure."

"They are actors, not real soldiers," he said. "I am not a performer. Therefore, I am certain it was very obvious."

"No, you aren't; but trust me, no one is laughing at you."

"Have you seen it for yourself?" he asked. He just hoped it wasn't as bad as he was envisioning and that his father was too busy on the other end of the world to have heard about it. He would not be happy with him for doing this.

"No, but if Lapis and Lazuli both said it was hot and not a disaster, then it was hot and no one is laughing at you," she said in a matter of fact tone. "And if anyone is, they're probably just jealous you not only got to feel me up, but you had the balls to go through with it on live television. I'm impressed. You handled the whole thing like a pro."

"Hmmm," he grunted, heading towards the coffee machine. He wasn't comfortable with the praise. "I meant it when I said I was not interested in doing a video."

"I know," she said. "Though it's a shame. It's gonna be a hot one. It would have been fun."

"You already know which song it is?"

"I do," she nodded. "It's called Perfect Lover,"

Vegeta rolled his eyes.

"My body feels like an inferno, everything you do feels so seductive. Baby I know what you're missing, betcha wanna see my body naked. Tick tock, tick tock come and get me while I'm hot… now." She taunted, propping herself up on the counter top and grinning mischievously at him. If he didn't make a move on her, at least she loved the flirtatious banter with him. It was addictive. "You're best, baby you got me obsessed and I can't catch my breath, every time you touch me there, you make me feel so hot…"

"That is not the song," he said blandly.

"It is!" She insisted. "I can play it for you if you want."

"I will pass," he said. "Who writes this shit?"

"I don't know," she shrugged. "But it's hot. And so will be that video. Which is why it's stupid that anyone is upset over whatever happened on stage last night."

Vegeta grunted and looked at her. He knew what she was doing and a part of him desperately wanted to play into it, but another part of him found the flirtatious bantering amusing too. The day was young. He knew she got off on flirting and pushing the envelope with him. Truth be told, he had gotten used to it and looked forward to it. It had become addictive.

She strategically crossed her legs, revealing that she was wearing no pyjamas beneath her housecoat. Her toes were painted bright red; he'd actually never noticed before. Dangerous woman. He thought to himself in amusement. There wasn't anything about her that wasn't enticing. Gods knew, he'd tried to find something unappealing about her since day one. Alright, she could be whiny and a tad high maintenance at times, but even that had grown on him, he realized.

Vegeta decided to make a move. She was clearly flirting with him and while he didn't want to jump in too quickly and ruin things before they'd even had a chance, he certainly did not want to give her the impression he was not interested.

He put his coffee cup on the counter and walked up to her. She uncrossed her legs without even thinking so that he could stand closer to her and so he did. He braced himself against the counter top; his hands on either side of her as he leaned in and looked intently at her. He wasn't touching her, but she could feel his body heat. Her stomach fluttered pleasantly in anticipation.

This was it!

As he was trying to think of something witty to say, there was a knock on the door. Vegeta sighed and bent his head down, between them for a moment at the now lost opportunity and moved away from her just as he felt the tips of her fingers on his scalp.

"Shit! That's probably Lapis!" She said, sliding off the counter and scooting towards the door, pretending like she hadn't touched him. She hadn't realized how late it was. She'd been too busy trying to make Yamcha leave and flirting with Vegeta.

"Hey!" She greeted him. "Sorry! I'm still not dressed! I didn't realize how late it was."

"That's alright, I'm a little early. I had nothing else to do and Lazuli isn't picking up. Am I interrupting anything?" he asked quietly, narrowing his eyes at her suspiciously. She looked slightly flustered.

"No," she lied. It wasn't his fault she'd taken forever to decide what to wear and had chosen nothing other than underwear and a housecoat, or that Vegeta was taking his sweet ass time deciding on whether he wanted to ravage her or just flirt with her. While the experience had her on her toes and she loved the thrill of it, it was frustrating. "Yamcha just left and we were just finishing breakfast."

"I see," he said. "I brought healthy food, since I know how much Vegeta hates fast food and your health is of prime importance at the moment. Though I suppose we'll void any benefit from it because I also brought a few bottles of wine."

"A few,?"She exclaimed. "Jeepers! I guess we're getting serious, huh?"

"Well I have thirty six hours before my plane and Lazuli isn't answering my calls and you're off now for a while so I figured we could celebrate by gossiping and getting shitfaced. The healthy lunch eases the guilt, and I owe you for missing your show and I don't know when I'll make it back out this way. So I figured we'll make it count."

"Sounds like a plan!" Bulma smiled, taking one of the bags he had. "We're still having breakfast, but let's save lunch for later on if you're going to be sticking around for a while. Want some? Or do you just want lunch now?"

"I could do with some breakfast food," he nodded, coming into her home. "Vegeta made it?"

"He did!" She replied.

"Good. Then I know it's edible," he joked.

Vegeta snorted. Bulma had only cooked for him once since he'd been living with her. It hadn't been bad, from what he recalled. Though he was well aware that cooking was not one of her talents.

"Asshole," she mumbled. "Wine?"

"Of course,"

"Vegeta?"

He shook his head. "Not right now."

"Awww come on!" she whined. "It's your first day off too and you've earned it. We're not going anywhere, so I don't need your skills."

"I should have asked," Lapis said, shaking Vegeta's hand in greeting. "Are you a vodka guy or a beer guy? Or a whiskey guy?"

"He's a whiskey guy," Bulma answered quickly.

"Wine is fine," Vegeta answered.

"I should have guessed," Lapis said. "You look like a whiskey guy,"

Vegeta frowned. What was it about him that made that so obvious?

"Beer is for frat boys and hot days. Vodka and tequila are for partying. You strike me as being more refined. That's all. And a lucky guess. I will treat you the next time we're all out together," Lapis said. "Excellent show last night, by the way. I was shocked. I would have never pegged you for a performer, no offence."

"None taken. It was purely by luck that it worked out," Vegeta replied, uncomfortable with the compliment, though he did get the sense from the other man that it was sincere. "Well, depending on who you talk to, I suppose."

"Looked fantastic to me," Lapis shrugged, taking a glass of white wine from Bulma. "Really? We're starting off light?"

"Yea," Bulma said sheepishly. She'd known Lapis would tease her about that. "It's been like ages since I binge drank or got day-drunk."

"Really?" He asked playfully. "That doesn't sound like you."

"Well for one I don't have time, for two Vegeta keeps telling me I'm dehydrated so he makes me drink more water. Apparently he's right; the doctor said the same thing. What do you know? And for three, the last time I was actually drunk, I proposed and got shot down and that was embarrassing for a few reasons, so I've been watching my intake."

"A drunken proposal, you say?" he repeated with interest and looking at them both, having figured it out by the deep sigh from Vegeta's side of the kitchen. "My, my… hospitals, stalkers, drunken proposals. I'm missing all the fun stuff it would seem."

"Not really," she said.

"Well I have a whole thirty six hours, I want to know everything that happened since I saw you last"

"That was like two weeks ago," she said. "Feels like longer though."

"It does," he agreed. "My life is so boring. I love it because I love what I do. I live, eat, breathe dance classes and Broadway, but I don't have anything fun going on and I regret I have nothing exciting to tell you. Entertain me!"

"I'm off for four months, bucko! I don't have to entertain anyone!" she mock objected. "No love interest on the go, Lapis?" She stuck her tongue out the corner of her mouth.

"Sadly, no." He shook his head. "No time to even entertain the thought of or develop a crush."

"That sucks," she said. "Well don't work yourself too hard."

"Says the girl who worked herself into the ground and is on doctors orders to go on hiatus."

Bulma groaned. "Trust me, it's not fun! I'm going to change and then I'll tell you about it," she said, promptly excusing herself from the room.

"She's doing alright?" Lapis asked Vegeta once Bulma had left the room.

"Seems to be," Vegeta replied. "She won't fully admit it, but I think she's glad to have some actual real downtime rather than a day or two off here and there."

"Well someone needed to enforce it and make her do that. I'm glad you did," Lapis said sincerely, walking to the counter and helping himself to a plate to grab some breakfast. He noticed that Vegeta also did not have a drink yet, so he took the liberty of pouring him a glass of white wine. "If you can't beat 'em, may as well join 'em," he said with a grin, sliding the glass across the counter top to him.

Vegeta snorted, but took the glass.

"I saw pictures of you taking her to the hospital when I was at the airport on a layover." Lapis commented as he began loading up his plate.

"She collapsed on stage during rehearsal," Vegeta said. "I should have called an ambulance. It would have attracted less attention that way."

"Not necessarily," Lapis shook his head. "And you did what you felt was in her best interests. Don't second guess that. It would have made headlines either way."

"That's what Bulma said," Vegeta said, nodding. "Yamcha was not pleased."

"Yamcha's never pleased," Lapis snorted. "We never got along, him and I. I think he felt threatened by me. Bulma and I are close friends, we work well together. I love that girl with all my heart, but it's purely platonic. I love her and look out for her the same as I do my twin sister, that's all."

"I know," Vegeta replied. "She is lucky to have at least a few actual loyal friends like you and Goku."

"Unfortunately that's the business. People are shallow and flaky. Goku is great! How's he doing, by the way?"

"Well, I think," Vegeta said. "We have not heard from him in a few weeks. He escorted Bulma to an interview several weeks back because I was unable to."

"He's a true friend," Lapis said. "Though he could never make her stick to standing up to Yamcha or the label in terms of taking time off."

"I've heard,"

"Did you look into any of the stuff I told you about last time?"

"No, I have not," Vegeta admitted. "I will, now that we both have some downtime."

"Some of it is crazy, tinfoil hat stuff, but some of it I think is legit," Lapis shrugged. "You'll have to look into it yourself and make up your own mind. Bulma thinks it's all nonsense. It might be, but I'm a firm believer if there's smoke, there's fire."

"I will look into it," Vegeta said. "Any news on the investigation on the other girl?"

"On Launch? No, not that I've heard. But I've also been too busy to keep up with anything in the media. The only reason I knew Bulma was in the hospital was because I saw it on the news while waiting for a plane at the airport. But if you send me your phone number, I'll send you some interesting links to point you in the right direction."

"I will check it out," Vegeta nodded and gave Lapis his cell phone number.

"So have you watched your performance?" Lapis asked with a grin.

"No," Vegeta shook his head. "No interest." Truthfully, he was embarrassed now. The reaction being made over it - both positive and negative - was making him feel very uncomfortable. He hadn't had time to consider that he had made himself more of a media target than he already was or that it would potentially open up other doors for a career that not only had he never thought about, but he was not remotely interested in. He'd done what he had to help Bulma and for no other reason than that.

Lapis' grin widened. "You did a really good job and I'm not just saying that."

"I appreciate your professional opinion," Vegeta said awkwardly. "However, I will not be pursuing anything in show business. Yamcha already tried to rope me into doing a video."

"You should," Lapis shrugged. "A video is easier than doing a live performance last minute. If it's just a matter of cold feet, I'd be more than happy to coach you or give you some pointers, though personally, I don't think you need it."

Vegeta snorted in response.

"I know what you're thinking; that I'm just blowing smoke up your ass, but I'm not. A big part of why you were able to pull that off was because it wasn't polished or rehearsed. Technically speaking, there are some things I would point out if you were interested in doing more, but you aren't. The appeal over the whole thing was your chemistry rather than the fact that it was a perfect dance routine, if you know what I mean?"

Vegeta looked at him.

"You're both clearly into each other. You can't fake that. Your performance together was raw and unscripted. It's very difficult to portray that if you don't feel it. Unless you're a professional. Hell I'm not remotely interested in Bulma romantically, but we have the entire world convinced otherwise. Don't get me wrong, I love her and would do anything for her, but that's it. Yet we're able to fool everyone over and over again. What you two displayed wasn't fake. As an artist, I loved it and you shouldn't be the least bit ashamed of it no matter what anyone else says or thinks."

Vegeta wondered how Lapis knew that was how he was feeling. The way everyone was going on about it, he was feeling very exposed and ashamed. "I did not do it to make a name for myself."

"I know you didn't," Lapis smiled. "You did it to help someone you care about out of a bind. What you have now is a decision to make - capitalize on it or just ignore it. Neither decision is the wrong one, but brace yourself; the tabloids are going to have a field day over this. There's going to be an onslaught of stories about jealousy between you and me and us fighting over her, ridiculous stories about cheating, threesomes between us; you name it, it will be out there. If you're not ready for that, just be warned."

"I am aware," he said. "How do you deal with it?"

"I'm actually not that big a deal," he said with a chuckle. "It's only an issue when I travel over here and we're spotted together or collaborate for a show or something. Back home, I'm not hounded by the press all that much. Not like here. I am famous because of Bulma."

"You're still in the magazines,"

"Sure, but only when it pertains to Bulma." He pointed out. "I've never had my own cover story about myself in any major magazine. I've had flings and romances; nobody cares unless Bulma is in the equation. That's how I deal. I take the free publicity when I can get it and have a laugh over the rest of it."

"That does not bother you?" Vegeta asked.

"Not particularly," Lapis shook his head. "I have my privacy most of the time. My career is successful, I'm well respected and sought after. While I do owe that in part to Bulma, I don't let the tabloids define me. They want to follow me and ask me stupid questions about my non-existent romantic relationship with Bulma, that's fine; I tell them what show I'm working on and when it's running. I use the publicity platform to my advantage.

"When I go back, I'm sure I'll be hounded over your performance and I'll be asked about how I'm coping, if I approve of you and if she was unfaithful to me. I'll respond with a smile and mention how hard I'm working on my own projects and oh by the way, I have a new show opening on Broadway in three weeks' time that I did all the choreography for."

Vegeta was impressed. He would have thought most people in his position would have been deeply offended that all the photographers and reporters wanted to talk about was Bulma, but Lapis wasn't at all. He saw it as an opportunity to promote himself and ran with it. "Clever," he said.

"There's enough ego in this industry," Lapis shrugged. "I'm good at what I do and I know it. Working with Bulma and having a friendship with her may have made me a household name in the tabloids, but I was hired to work with her more than a handful of times before anyone knew who I was because I'm damned good at what I do. We have fun. Trolling the paparazzi is just added amusement."

Vegeta nodded.

"I don't want to step out of line and make assumptions, but if you're serious about her, you'll have to get used to it. I don't condone it, but it's a part of the deal," Lapis warned. "They can be savage and hurtful. A lot of the time they aren't even half true. Don't let the false stories ruin your relationship or trust. That's what part of what happened with Yamcha in terms of why their personal relationship crumbled for good. I guarantee you that he still thinks she cheated on him with me. He knows I'm gay, but he let the tabloids get into his head, he began to believe the ludicrous stories and he couldn't separate reality from the press."

"I could understand that," Vegeta admitted. "I think the guy is an imbecile, but I could understand the difficulty given the press and the way you two interact with one another."

"I don't know what the deal is between you two, but I just want it out on the table now, nothing romantic ever has happened between us, nor ever will, no matter what you read." Lapis said, holding his hands up in surrender. "I mean she did have a bit of a crush on me in the beginning, when we were first working together and I get it, who could blame her? I'm fabulous!"

"You are a good friend to her," Vegeta said awkwardly. He wasn't comfortable discussing the nature of things where Bulma was concerned, but he appreciated where the other man was coming from. Clearly he did not want to see her hurt.

"Anyway, I've said my piece. I just wanted that out in the open because Yamcha's not the first guy to be threatened by our friendship. You don't strike me as being that guy, but I wanted to throw that out there because I like you and it's been a long time since she was into someone who wasn't an idiot."

"I appreciate your insight," Vegeta nodded.

"So… Wanna watch that performance?" Lapis asked. He was dying to see it again. "I only saw it at the airport and not on a very good tv."

"Yet you think it was good." Vegeta pointed out.

"It was a small tv," Lapis corrected him. "At an airport bar."

"I see," Vegeta chuckled. "You are going to make me watch it anyway, from the sound of it."

"I am!" he admitted. "When Bulma's out, we'll watch it. Really, you should see yourself!"

"You enjoy watching yourself?"

"Me? No," he shook his head. "I'm far too critical."

"Great," Vegeta sighed.

"I'm not about to rip into you, don't worry. I promise! I just want to see it again on a large screen with friends I adore," he said, walking to the tv and turning it on.

Bulma walked into the room. She was wearing a flattering pair of capris style jeans and simple, fitted white v-neck t-shirt. She'd put on a little bit more makeup and had put a little more time with her bun. "What are you guys doing?"

"Watching your performance." Lapis said, choosing the internet option for her tv and pulling up YouTube.

Bulma groaned. "Part of me really doesn't want to know."

"And the other part?" Lapis asked mischievously.

"Okay, fine." She sighed. "It can't be that bad, right?"

"Ohh it's pretty bad," Lapis said. "But in a good way."

"Did he twist your arm?" she asked Vegeta.

"He wants to see it and it is not my home," Vegeta shrugged.

"I see," she rolled her eyes. She grabbed her glass of wine off the counter top and lightly brushed her hand against one of his as she walked past him and into the living room.

Bulma sat down with her glass of wine as Lapis searched for the video of her performance. It had been easy to find, as it was trending. He finally found one that was decent quality and settled on it. "Look, it has 5.1 million views, over 70 thousand likes and only 150 dislikes. That's not so bad."

"I should have brought popcorn," Lapis chuckled as he sat down deliberately on the other love seat away from Bulma.

"I'm shocked you didn't," she said. "You want me to make some?"

"Nah!"

Vegeta remained in the kitchen, leaning against the counter top, observing from there. He really wasn't overly keen on watching the show. What if it wasn't as well done as Lapis and everyone else claimed? What if he'd contributed to causing her embarrassment?

The video started with the first song Bulma had done.

"Did you keep your promise and choose your songs based on fan votes?" Lapis asked.

"I sure did," she nodded.

"Good. I voted for this one," he grinned.

"Did you?"

"I did," he nodded. "I didn't vote for the last song you did with Vegeta, but I voted for the first two."

"What was the third one you voted for?"

"My favourite," he said.

"That one is so old though!" She laughed. "Why would you vote for that one?"

"Because we always nail it and have fun," he answered. "Plus I can't remember the last time we performed it."

"Hmmm it's been a while," she agreed. "Well, maybe show up for your gig next time and I'll make sure we do it."

Lapis face palmed. "I'm sorry," he sighed. "I was caught up in making some choreography changes and lost track of time. Somehow I had three hours and it went by in a blur and before I knew it, nearly five hours had passed and I was rushing to the airport. You didn't need me anyway,"

"True," she snorted.

"I like the chair idea," he complemented her as her second song started. "You really should do that more often."

"You don't think it's over done?" she asked.

"Not at all," he shook his head. "I think it's sexy."

"Well, it was that or a pole and I didn't have time to see if we could do a pole last minute."

"Now a pole is overdone," he said, pointing at her. "It's hot, but overdone."

Bulma shrugged. "I was just improvising. I would have fallen on my face if I hadn't done the chair."

"I can tell," he said, though not in a judgemental or humorous tone. He frowned as he watched her in assessment. "Nice save. You did a really good job. The only reason I can tell is because we've worked together for so long."

The second song came to an end and Lapis got up to get another glass of wine as the other performer did their routine.

"Don't hide," he chided Vegeta in a good natured tone. "You don't want to see it?"

Vegeta shrugged.

"Be proud," he said. "You've done what very few ever have or ever will do. You got to perform live with one of the most famous entertainers in history."

Vegeta nodded. He knew he should have been gloating about not only that, but the fact that he'd made out with her afterwards and if he really wanted to, he could likely take her to his bed later on today. However, somehow he didn't feel any of those things. Sure he wanted her; practically every male on the planet wanted her. He just did not want to complicate things by adding an inappropriate physical element to their relationship. What if things went south? He would have to quit for her. And then where would she be? Who would look after her? He certainly couldn't think of anyone he would trust, other than Goku, but even then; she had been abducted while under his watch. He hadn't taken the letters seriously enough to make extra security arrangements. This was going to be a problem.

Vegeta joined them in the living room in time for Bulma's last song to start and inwardly braced himself, unsure of what he was hoping for. He supposed he hoped it wasn't as inappropriate as everyone was hot and bothered over. He hoped he'd done a well enough job that he hadn't made Bulma look bad, and he sure as hell hoped he could watch it without pitching a tent in his pants.

The three of them were quiet as the final performance began. It started out innocent enough; she danced around Vegeta a few times, her hand trailing across his chest, back and shoulders as she pranced around him. Vegeta looked serious and intense, but not uncomfortable or like he did not know what he was doing. He'd been more focused on following her lead, but it came off as though he was completely transfixed by her.

Bulma chewed on her bottom lip as the first chorus began and he'd wrapped an arm around her waist, bringing her close and she had begun grinding herself against him. It did not look that bad, she reasoned to herself. It wasn't like she'd never grinded on stage with Lapis or another male dancer before.

"Nice support," Lapis said to Vegeta. "She's exhausted, but you are able to lead well enough, that she's able to follow you and it just looks like you're both just really randy for one another."

Vegeta began to relax a little as he watched. He certainly felt like they looked alright. Sure the dancing was provocative, but had any of these people seen any of Bulma's other performances or music videos? She was right; it did not seem much worse.

"I like how you still managed to squat like that," Lapis said.

"I barely made it," Bulma admitted.

"It was beautifully executed and that perfectly timed spin right afterwards made it seamless; and now you guys are really up into each other's business… Damn are you certain you didn't rehearse this beforehand?"

"For like three minutes before going up there," she said. "Lazuli told him to be a post that wants to fuck me."

Lapis laughed; that sounded like his sister. She was always blunt and to the point. "Well, you nailed it!"

Bulma felt her face grow warm as she watched them on the tv grinding into one another, well to be more accurate she was grinding into him, but he was holding her close and swaying perfectly to the beat. It was bad. She chanced a glance at Vegeta and she couldn't quite read him. He looked neutral and she assumed he must be embarrassed by it, seeing as his demeanor was always aloof whenever she boldly flirted with him.

The moment for the final squat came and she cringed. It had been pulled off well enough that it wasn't obvious that she'd nearly fallen, thanks to Vegeta, but she'd really gone overboard with the twerking into his groin as she'd gone down. When she'd come back up, she'd been so spent by that point she was practically sitting on his thigh with the way he'd placed his leg between her legs. She looked like a ragdoll, flowing along in whichever direction as her body moved with his.

Vegeta felt warm and uncomfortable as he watched. Yamcha was correct, it did look like they were fucking… with clothes on. While it looked like it had been planned, or natural as Lapis had put it earlier, he could completely understand by this point why some of the organizers and networks were horrified. They looked like extras from that '80's movie, Dirty Dancing, only that seemed pretty tame by comparison to what he was currently watching.

The way they touched one another and looked at each other throughout the performance was enough to turn him on. He vividly remembered the entire thing and what it had felt like to have her moving like that against him. It was as though they had been made to fit together perfectly.

"I can't believe you attempted that move," Lapis said, referring to the twerking and last squat.

"I don't know what I was thinking," Bulma admitted. "I guess I was really confident that Vegeta wouldn't let me fall."

Lapis stood up and rewound the video a few seconds to where she'd been on her way back up and her knee had given out, but Vegeta had caught her before it was obvious. "Girl, your twerk and squat game is your weakest point on a good day. How many times have you nearly biffed it with me?" he scolded her. "That was close. I can see that if Vegeta hadn't been paying attention, you would have landed right on your ass. And then what?"

"But I didn't," Bulma shrugged.

Lapis shook his head. "You really gotta work on that. You're exhausted and pulled one off, so why push the envelope like that in doing it a second time? You're extremely lucky you didn't hurt yourself and that Vegeta was paying attention. Did you know she was going to do that?" he asked Vegeta.

He shook his head and shrugged. "No," he answered. He remembered thinking he'd better make sure he had a good hold on her, just in case.

"Good save," Lapis nodded in approval.

The rest of the performance was more intimate grinding and eye fucking between the two of them. Bulma got up and grabbed her phone off of the countertop and quickly texted Lapis: I actually nearly came at this point. I'm not even kidding!

Lapis discreetly checked his phone, smirked and shook his head. I'll bet! he replied.

With her glass of wine topped up, Bulma went back to the living room and brought a second bottle of wine with her. The performance had ended and they were now scrolling through the comments. Most were positive, some not so much.

She looks drunk.

O.M.G! That was HOT!

Peplz will be watching this 200 years from now… Iconic!

I need to go take a shower in holy water now. BRB...

The moment that killed Lapis' career and birthed someone else's.

This makes me sad… She's clearly not ok and should NOT be performing after what she's been through! #savebulma

Who's that HOT guy?

Lapis who?!

Is this considered porn? :O

LOOK AT HER DANCING NEAR THE END THERE! BITCH IS LIVING HER BEST LIFE AN HITTING EVERY GOD DAM BEAT WITH A DIFFERENT MOVE! ICONIC! LEGENDARY! LOVE U BULMA!

Even the other dancers look awkward and asking themselves wtf did we agree to?!

Train wreck :(

Hot!

I love how the people in the audience are so mesmerized throughout the performance that they don't make a sound. Nothing from now on will compare to this.

This is everything a pop performance should be. Perfection! Forget the h8ers, B!

Whore

OMG the Karens and soccer moms are shitting bricks right now. LOVE it!

Anyone kno who the hottie is?

Lapis just slit his wrists somewhere… Lol!

The world was not prepared for this…

I'd so leave early to fuck that guy too!

I wish I was that guy!

LOVE LOVE LOVE!

Even tho this is a mess, this is ICONIC af!

The only thing that would have made this better/worse, would have been a wardrobe malfunction.

Hospitalized for "exhaustion and dehydration"? How about Drunk and high?! Get help, please! You're beautiful and talented and don't need to do this for attention.

There is nothing wrong with this besides the fact that 90% of the audience is 11-15 year olds both present and at home. WTF was she thinking?!

"I don't want to read anymore," Bulma said.

"It's not all bad," Lapis said. "Look, this one says: She's clearly having the worst year ever in her personal life. She was stalked and abducted, paparazzi is all over her, she had a recent hospitalization for exhaustion, and she's being criticized left and right. This performance does not deserve the criticism it's getting, she's having all of those problems, and to me, it looks like she gave it her best, especially with all the things that are going on. People are just mean and disgusting for shaming this performance."

"I know, but I just want to forget about it. I'm not apologizing for it and people need to mind their own business."

"At east no one called you fat this time," Lapis shrugged jokingly.

"I'm sure if you scroll long enough, there's someone," she rolled her eyes.

"Look! This one says: Her body is a wonderland."

"Eewe," Bulma rolled her eyes and scrunched up her nose.

"Do people not realize they are talking about a real person?" Vegeta finally chimed in. He was disgusted by most of the remarks. Who were they to judge or have such a strong opinion about Bulma? None of them knew her.

"That's the industry, I'm afraid," Lapis said.

"They love you and hate you all at the same time," Bulma said. "Whatever, I'm over it. What's done is done. In five years this will be tame and someone else will have scandalized the world with an even more outrageous performance and this won't look so bad by comparison."

"You are right about that," Lapis nodded. "Remember like ten years ago that awards performance where the two girls made out for like a split second and it was the end of the world?"

"Yes! Is it bad that I didn't think it was that bad at the time?" Bulma asked.

"I was there!" Lapis countered. "I was a backup dancer for someone else. People lost their minds over it because it was live and wasn't planned… Or they never told anyone. Everyone made a huge deal about it, but it was a nearly flawless performance, beautifully executed. It's like legendary now!"

"Ya, I'm not worried," she said, smiling at Vegeta. "I'd rather be iconic for being a bit too provocative than be remembered for falling flat on my face or a wardrobe malfunction, even if others are wishing for that."

Vegeta shook his head.

The three of them continued to polish off the bottle of white wine and dug into the red, while watching celebrity conspiracy YouTube videos, some of which implied sinister things with regards to Bulma's wardrobe and music video choices.

"This is all stupid!" Bulma said. "I'm not under any hypnotic mind control, I don't have a handler, I've never consumed cooked organs of a child and I've never been stranded in the woods, naked for three days to have a mental breakdown so some witch could program me!"

"That you know of…" Lapis said dramatically, looking at her suspiciously.

"Seriously?" she spat at him, giving him a dirty look. "When the fuck do I have time to do all of that and Satan worship?"

"Dunno, but you do feature a lot of rainbows and butterflies in your videos," Lapis provoked her.

"Because I think they're pretty!" she retorted. "Although most of that is post production and the label's choice, not mine."

"But it's a common theme in not only your videos, but many other artists," Lapis countered.

"That's why I don't like this stuff," she sighed. "I know you're just teasing me, but I'm serious. This stuff is nonsense."

"I agree," Vegeta said. However, he was still very interested in learning more about the other popstar, Launch. "Were there similarities between Bulma and that other singer?"

"Not you, too!" Bulma rolled her eyes.

"Quite a few, actually," Lapis said. "But I have to be going. Lazuli messaged me so I better go see her and then I have a plane to catch. Watch it though. I sent you some links. Serious ones, not just stuff for entertainment value like this junk we just watched."

Bulma rolled her eyes at him, but got up to follow him. "You going to be okay?"

"I'm fine. Not as drunk as I thought I'd be," he said. "My cab is here, I ordered it a while back. You take care and rest up, you hear?"

"I will," she nodded and leaned in to give him a hug.

"You'd better," he said. "I have Vegeta's number now, so I will be asking him how you're doing."

"Ohhh, I see how it is then," she chuckled, relieved that the two seemed to get along and like one another. That was important to her.

"Have a safe flight," Vegeta said to him, shaking his hand.

"I will," he said. "Look after her,"

"I will do my best." Vegeta nodded.

With Lapis gone, Bulma and Vegeta were finally alone. It was dark out now and Bulma was exhausted, but it was too late to take a nap and too early to go to bed.

"What are your plans?" she asked Vegeta as she went to the kitchen to grab some water. She was just on the borderline between tipsy and drunk, which was surprising.

"I have none," he said. "I should take Justice for a walk though,"

Bulma nodded. "I'm going to probably find something to watch that isn't celebrity conspiracy related."

Vegeta snorted. He'd actually been amused by them, even if he did not believe most of them.

"Not gonna lie, I'm a bit freaked out by some of it," she said.

"Do not worry," he said. "No one has sold you to an exotic prince somewhere for a weekend as a sex toy, and then wiped your memory of it while I've been around."

"Great, so it may have happened before you started working for me?"

"No," he shook his head and chuckled. "I highly doubt that. Kakarott would have allowed that."

"True," she nodded, though it bothered her that people actually believed some of this stuff. "Enjoy your walk."

Vegeta grunted and leashed up Justice, taking his ball with him and they exited the suite.

Bulma brought her glass of water with her and slouched on the couch. She began channel surfing and landed on an entertainment station that was discussing her previous night's performance. Of course, they weren't discussing her in a positive light. "Oh my god, there were like ten other performers too! Not just me!"

Nonetheless, she did not change the channel and watched it until she dozed off on the couch.

-0-0-0-

Vegeta took Justice to the empty tennis courts; he'd thoroughly neglected the poor dog as of late.

He began rationally thinking about everything as he began tossing the ball. He'd come to the conclusion that a big part of the reason he was holding back was because he worked for her. Aside from the obvious, the other reason was because he was so afraid of doing something to ruin things if they took things further too soon. What if he hurt her because of his inability to meet her expectations?

He wanted a relationship with her, but realized he had no idea what that even looked like. His own parents had split up when he was very young; he barely remembered them being together, let alone what their relationship dynamic had looked like. Then his mother had passed not long afterwards and his father had remained single, so far as he knew or remembered, anyway. He assumed his father must have had those he sought out for solace or amusement. If he did, he had no idea when or who though. All the man did was work- not much different to himself in that regard, he suddenly realised. Cultivating personal relationships, be they romantic or platonic, was not high up on his list of priorities. He'd grown up constantly moving all over the place, so not only had he never really had the chance to build close relationships, but he'd learned that it wasn't worth the effort.

Even Bulma had made a comment once about how lonely that must be and he'd brushed it off, saying he had no time to be lonely. He'd truly felt that way too, until recently. He did not have friends to just drop by and hang out, like Bulma had Lapis when he was around. He had what he'd classify as drinking and training buddies, but that was about it. They would have drinks, sometimes dare one another to do dumb things during off time and sometimes they shared experiences, and enjoyed each other's company, but on a personal level, he would not consider any of them to be close friends.

About an hour later, Vegeta returned with Justice to find Bulma asleep on the couch.

He decided to make something for dinner and began preparing a meal. Bulma awoke while he was nearly finished eating. He was watching some war flick with lots of guns, explosions and fighting; it was what had woken her up.

"I made food," he said as he noticed her stirring.

Bulma felt good, not hungover, and quickly grabbed herself a plate of food. Vegeta had made chicken breast and vegetables. Healthy options, she thought to herself with a small smile.

When she finished, she felt refreshed and energized and still wanted to figure out where they stood. She plopped herself back on the couch, making sure to sit close to him.

After several minutes with this not having the desired effect, Bulma leaned into him, hoping to encourage him to touch her or something. Why was this so hard? Usually she had no issues flirting or making the first move on a guy who seemed indecisive or threatened by her celebrity status, but for some reason, she really wanted Vegeta to make that first move.

As she began to panic over the fact that they were not conversing, nor was he reciprocating her (obvious to her) advances, she noted that he'd been really quiet in general since she'd woken up. She carefully and discreetly took a look at him and noticed that he was just blankly looking at the television; his eyes somewhat glazed over and she knew something wasn't right with him.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

He didn't respond for a few moments, but finally nodded.

"Do you want to watch something else?" she asked.

Vegeta shrugged. "Doesn't matter,"

She deliberated a moment and decided to change the movie to something more cheerful. She got up to grab the remote, but his arms quickly snaked around her waist, pulling her back down. "I am fine," he insisted, though he was holding her a little tighter than necessary.

They were quiet as they continued to watch the bloody movie. The situation of the characters seemed to go from bad to worse. "We can watch something else," she suggested again. "I'm not really into it since I missed the beginning and I didn't say anything just because I thought it would be nice to watch something you actually want to watch for once. Is there a fight on tonight?"

He shook his head. "It is fine."

She settled in comfortably against him, still surprised that he'd actually put his arms around her. Once again, he did not say or do anything more and the prolonged silence began to make her feel anxious again. "You know you're allowed to talk about it, right?" she said, looking at him. "I never ask you about what happened because it's unpleasant and I assume you don't want to talk about it. It's not that I don't care."

"I know," he said, still holding her.

"It's been over a year, hasn't it?," she said.

"It has," he agreed. "Your point?"

"None, really," she shrugged. "Just you never talk about it. I would have thought you'd have mentioned something."

"What, and celebrate it?" he asked in a condescending tone.

"No," she said. "I don't know. I guess everyone deals with things differently is all."

"What good does rehashing terrible things do?"

"I don't know," she said again. "I just… I hope on the one year mark of my kidnapping that you'll be here with me. Not to celebrate it or anything, but it might be a difficult, emotional time is all. And I feel bad that I'm so wrapped up in my situation and schedule that I never thought to ask you when exactly your incident was. I meant to."

"Which is one of the reasons I made a point of not telling you," he said. Truthfully it had been hard. He'd been more irritable and had nothing but graphic nightmares almost the entire week. He'd deliberately not said anything to her about it because he did not want her to fuss over him. Then the club shooting had happened and that had set him back further for a few weeks. "Keeping busy is the best thing for me."

"I get it," she smiled at him. "But if you feel talking about it breaks some rule of yours in regards to professionalism or whatever, you need to get over that. I'm pretty sure we've broken that boundary a while ago… or at least we definitely did yesterday."

Vegeta smirked. He certainly had broken his rules and was currently walking down a path that would go against everything he tried to uphold himself to, professionally. "And who's fault is that?"

She shrugged. "I suppose some of it's mine. Despite what you say, you love it."

"Who said I was complaining?"

Bulma narrowed her eyes at him. She wasn't used to him actually being flirtatious or forward with her. Usually it was sarcastic banter from him, rather than outright flirting. "You always complain about me teasing and flirting with you. Or rather, you like to give me dirty looks."

He sighed. "I keep strict rules for myself. Getting romantically involved with you is not a good idea for obvious reasons. I need to remain objective if I am to continue working for you. I do not know who I would trust as a replacement. I also do not know when I will be going back into deployment."

"Who says you need to figure that all out this very second?" she asked. "Have you ever just allowed yourself to let loose and do something for yourself, just because? Like worry about the consequences later on?"

"No," he shook his head.

"You should," she smiled slyly at him.

Here she was, trying to tempt him and it was definitely working on him.

"You know what, this movie kinda blows. Do you want to go do something else, like go hang in the hot tub?" she asked him, not wanting to push him too much. Sure she was dying to finally hook up with him, but she also did not want him to regret his decision the next morning. The movie was obviously upsetting him, despite the fact that he insisted otherwise.

"I think I'd rather stay right here," he said and finally, after what seemed like forever, he leaned in and kissed her. She smiled against his mouth as she kissed him back.

She decided after a few seconds that she was confident enough to crawl into his lap and straddle him. Not breaking her mouth from his, she settled herself comfortably into his lap. He did not object, but placed his hands on her hips as he continued to kiss her back.

Vegeta let his hands roam up and down her sides, causing her to shiver from excitement and then brought them down to her ass, cupping her cheeks gently and pulling her tight against him.

Bulma sighed as she felt his hardness at the apex of her thighs and rocked her hips into him in response, eliciting a moan from him.

She wrapped her arms around his neck as she continued to kiss him, eventually running her hands through his thick hair as one of his hands wandered beneath her top, stroking her back lightly and sensually in a way that gave her goosebumps and made her feel warm at the same time.

Bulma sat back, deciding it was time to remove her top. She pulled it off over her head in one movement, thankful that she'd had the foresight to have chosen cute underwear earlier in the day, just in case.

One side of his mouth turned up in a smirk and her stomach fluttered as he palmed her left breast through her bra. Part of her wanted to rush and skip the foreplay and jump to the main event, but she also knew that she'd likely be missing out on something amazing. Never had she known anyone as meticulous as Vegeta and she was certain he would be just as thorough in the bedroom as he was with everything else he did. Knowing that was the only thing keeping her from rushing things.

Vegeta's hands left her body to pull off his own t shirt. Bulma ran her hands down the soft, smooth skin of his chest and abdomen. He felt his own wave of warmth follow her touch and travel downwards towards his centre, like a bolt of lightning.

Bulma leaned into him again, kissing his neck and moving downwards and decided to pay homage to his injuries. Her lips traveled along the scarred skin of his collarbone where she alternated kissing and licking him before playfully nipping his shoulder; at which he grunted in amusement as he ran his fingers up the back of her head, undoing the loose bun she'd made and letting her hair go. He loved her hair.

She took a break from kissing him and sat back for a moment, running her own fingers through her hair so it wasn't tangled from being up. He caressed the side of her face as he looked at her with desire. They should not be doing this, he told himself again, but it felt right. He'd wanted her for a long time now, and not just on a physical level. He wanted all of her. He also realized in that moment he wanted and needed her solace and comfort. Was it such an awful thing for him to want to give in to that or to allow her to comfort him?

Once again, he knew he was overthinking everything when he should be letting go and enjoying himself. Worry about the consequences later, was what Bulma had said.

With his one hand threaded through her hair on the back of her head, he pulled her closer to him to kiss her again, making up his mind. His other hand trailed up and down the outside of her thigh, contemplating whether or not he wanted to pick her up and carry her to his bedroom. It would force her to wrap her amazing legs around his waist; something he had fantasized about for a very long time now.

Suddenly, his phone in his pocket began to ring.

Vegeta's initial instinct had been to ignore it, however there were only a handful of people who actually had his phone number, one of whom was currently sitting in his lap, driving him crazy. It stopped ringing before he could make up his mind on whether or not to answer it and immediately dismissed it. Whoever it was could wait until tomorrow.

No sooner had that thought gone through his mind did his phone start ringing again.

He shifted so he could take his phone out of his pocket and frowned as he looked at the display. "I have to take this," he said, gently moving her off of his lap before getting up, going into his bedroom and closing the door, leaving Bulma frowning in confusion. Had he actually just chosen to take a phone call over making out with her? No one ever called him, she thought.

"Yes," he grunted into the phone once he was in the privacy of his room.

"What the hell are you doing?" His father hissed sourly on the other line. "You are supposed to be on medical leave, taking it easy and recovering, not dancing around like a fool on live television with some pop tart!"

"Nice to hear from you too, father," Vegeta replied stiffly.

"I thought you were working a security position!"

"I am," he replied. "Something came up last minute and that was what you saw on the television," Vegeta said in a bored tone, pinching the bridge of his nose in aggravation as he leaned against one of the walls. "Trust me, I am not quitting my military career for show business. What happened last night was a one-time deal,"

"Have you any idea what an embarrassment you have caused? Not only with this performance from last night, but you allowed your dog to be photographed and put on a magazine cover with a civilian and every week you're being featured in some tabloid or another!" His father ranted. "Do you have any idea the damage control I have had to conduct while you're off flitting around making a spectacle of yourself?"

"I wanted to go back to work weeks after my surgeries and you would not allow it," Vegeta calmly reminded him. "I got tired of sitting around and rotting away watching nothing but daytime television."

"Well then, you should be pleased to know that you're one of the main headlines of daytime television these days." His father sneered. "I want you to return to the base immediately and bring the dog with you."

Vegeta felt his heart sink. He wanted nothing more than to go back to work. He had only taken this job as something to do while he passed the time until he was cleared to return to service, however he had grown rather fond of and attached to Bulma and suddenly, now that he was actually faced with it, he didn't want to go back. "I am working a job," he said. "I am someone's personal bodyguard. I cannot just pack up and leave."

"You can, and you will," his father said threateningly. "That is a direct order."

Vegeta sighed. "I cannot simply abandon her. She has a stalker who went so far as to abduct her. Until that person is found and arrested, she needs me," he said.

"Right," his father snorted. "I could tell from your performance last night just how much she really does need you."

"It is not like that," Vegeta spat. "We share a strictly professional relationship. What you saw last night was strictly for entertainment value and nothing more, I can assure you."

"You expect me to believe after watching that, that you two aren't fucking?"

"We are not," Vegeta insisted. Technically it was true. He had been nothing but professional towards Bulma… mostly… until recently, he reasoned and inwardly he resented his father for judging him. He was not a child and it wasn't any of his business whether he had crossed a line with Bulma or not.

"Well then, you've at least thought about it," he pushed accusingly. "I may be old and have spent the majority of my life on the battlefield, son, but even I can tell that there is something more going on there."

"Think what you want," Vegeta sighed, leaning his back against the closed door of his bedroom. "I am deeply insulted that you would think that I would be so unprofessional as to take advantage of someone I work for, who is in a very delicate state emotionally because of something traumatic that happened to her. You raised me better than that and I would not disgrace my name and my good reputation on something as trivial as getting laid. However, thanks for your vote of confidence - it is nice to know that you think so little of me."

His father sighed deeply on the other end of the phone. "I am sorry, Vegeta," he said. "You are right, I did raise you better than that. If you insist that nothing inappropriate has gone on between you and the girl, then I will take you at your word. However it is time you returned to what you are meant to be doing. We know the location of the Ginyu Force and are closing in on Frieza. I will reinstate you immediately."

Vegeta, still leaning against the closed bedroom door, slowly sunk to the floor and buried a hand in his hair. This was what he'd wanted, but how could he just up and leave Bulma like that? She trusted him. He didn't even have anyone in mind for a replacement; at least Kakarott had done that instead of leaving her high and dry. "Give me a few days to consider it and time so that I can find a suitable replacement," he grudgingly replied. That would give him some time to think about it and decide what he really wanted to do. Now that he had caved and had loosened up, it would make things a whole lot more complicated and difficult to leave.

"I will await your call," his father replied, his voice laced in approval. "While I do not condone the circumstances, you looked good up there."

"Thanks," he said, snorting, and his father hung up.

Vegeta sat on the floor of his bedroom for several minutes in silence as he wracked his brain. What was he going to do? The prospect of a new mission and the opportunity to hopefully settle the score with those Ginyu bastards beat in his heart and sang in his veins and a part of him was more than ready and willing to pack up immediately and head out on the next available flight… But then there was Bulma. He could not leave her immediately following what was happening between them. Nor could he abandon this job while her assailant was still out there, nor did he really want to leave her.

Fuck him, he decided after mulling it over. He couldn't remember the last time he'd done something truly for himself. His whole life revolved around what his father wanted and following orders or doing whatever was the right thing. Until now, that had never bothered him. He had a job and always a mission or place to be. He never had much time to consider if all of that was what he really wanted.

What bothered him the most right now was that his father hadn't even been bothered to call him up to and do a wellness check on him to find out how he was doing since he'd been released from the hospital, until he assumed he had screwed up royally… Which he very well might have; he was still second guessing his choices, but at the moment it did not feel like the wrong decision. He decided his father could wait on an answer. Vegeta had been working for Bulma nearly seven months now. That was seven months of a hectic schedule for him as well and he decided that he was entitled to some downtime to think things through.

It was then that he realized this was the first time he would be deliberately going against his father's wishes and doing what he wanted to and was remaining exactly where he wanted to remain rather than blindly following his orders.

The thought was equally as exhilarating as it was terrifying.

Vegeta finally exited his room, returned to Bulma and sat down, but he was stiff and her stomach dropped.

"What was that about?" She asked cautiously. "Is everything okay?"

"My father is not happy with me. He saw us on the news and wants me to return immediately."

He did not elaborate further and she was afraid to ask, but as that statement hung in the air, she needed to know what that meant. "And what did you say?"

"That I would think about it."

"Oh," she said in disappointment. He hadn't talked about going back into the military for so long that she'd almost forgotten that that was actually his job.

"I am not going anywhere any time soon," he reassured her, looking at her. "At least I will not until your stalker has been found and apprehended."

"But after that?"

Vegeta shrugged. He didn't know. A part of him did want to go back, but a part of him wanted to stay with Bulma. He was truly torn. "We shall see." Was all he said and was quiet again, obviously in deep thought about it.

"Do you want to go back to that?" She asked timidly, unsure if she wanted the answer, but she needed to know. Maybe it was a good thing they were having this discussion now before getting even more emotionally and physically involved than they already had. Though a part of her didn't care at this point. She wanted him. If it was only meant to be a short term fling, then she'd accept that and worry about the emotional aftermath later on.

"Yes and no," he answered honestly. There was no sense lying to her. He never had up to this point. He was now mentally cursing his father for essentially ruining his evening. Why couldn't he have called tomorrow? Or why hadn't he simply ignored the call and called him back later on? He could have been in the throes of carnal bliss at this very moment, finally, if it weren't for that call. Now he most definitely wasn't in the mood and he was second guessing himself again. As much as he felt like he wanted to ignore everything his father had said, the man, as usual, wasn't entirely wrong. Pursuing a romantic relationship with Bulma was not a good idea for so many reasons and yet admitting to himself that his father was completely correct in his counsel only seemed to make him feel more resentful towards the man. "Let's just take things slow for now," he said slowly, deep in thought. "I meant what I said yesterday though. I just need time to think."

"I get it," she nodded. She was equally disappointed as she was impressed. To her it meant that he was serious about his intentions where anything between them was concerned. He would not just hook up with her and then leave. She appreciated that, but at the same time it only made her want him more.

"I am not trying to be indecisive or play you. I just do not want to be an asshole," he said, feeling alarmed that she was being so quiet.

"No, it's okay," she reassured him. "I mean I won't say I'm not disappointed, but I appreciate your honesty. Most guys would still… you know and then leave."

"I am not most guys."

"I know." She smiled at him. "That's why I like you."

He smirked awkwardly at her, but took her hand in his.

They had a few more glasses of wine and watched a mindless movie before turning in for the night on their own, in their separate bedrooms. The day had not gone as either of them had planned and both of them had a lot of thinking to do and decisions to make.

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