Bulma poured herself into her work. She wasn't exaggerating when she told Vegeta she planned on locking herself away in the lab until she had her bots updated and repaired for him.
She was scratching away at some notes when she heard the lab door open. She put a scowl on her face, turning to see-
"Oh! Hi, Dad!" Her fake scowl melted away, replaced by a cheery smile.
"Hey sweetie! It's been a little bit since we've worked together," he puffed his cigarette. "I figured I could put my projects on hold if you needed help with your bots."
She grinned at him, leaping out of her chair. "You couldn't have come at a better time!"
She took her time showing him her notes, sketches, and old blueprints, pointing out her expectations and the flaws with her machines. He nodded through her explanations, browsing through her detailed notes. He idly gave a pat to Scratch's head: that cute little black ball of fur was always perched on his shoulder, it seemed. She waited while he looked through everything she provided him.
"Well, Bulma, this has been great work so far…I think you need to think a little outside the box, though." He meandered over to the lab countertop that stood in the center of the room, dropping her papers onto it. She followed him. "Instead of focusing so much on making an indestructible bot, which is likely impossible, I think you should focus your efforts on reworking what you already have…"
He trailed off, grabbing a pen from his lab coat pocket, and making some notes on her blueprints. She quietly watched him work, his lavender hair falling across his forehead neatly while he scratched comments down.
"If you attach the prototype reflectors from my battlebot project from a few years ago, you may be able to improve your bots' durability and lifetime sustainability simply by dishing damage back to the source."
Bulma gasped. "Reflectors! Of course! Why didn't I think of that?!"
Her father smiled at her, eyes crinkling shut. "You've been too close to this project for too long. It happens to the best of us. Sometimes you need to take a step back and reassess." He stepped away from the counter, his mad scribbles now covering her previous work.
"I'll need to find those old notes on the reflectors, but I really think this could work!" She hugged him tightly. Scratch gave a little mew. "Thanks, Dad."
He gave her a pat on the head, puffing his cigarette with his other hand. "No problem. You know I'm always here to be a second pair of eyes for you."
"Or a second brain," she smiled.
"Your brain is quite enough," he assured her, giving her another pat before pulling away. "I believe I have the notes filed away in my personal lab. Give me an hour or so and I'll have them ready for you."
"You're a lifesaver!" Bulma grinned. Things were starting to look up already!
"Now, I wanted to talk to you about something before I go." He gave Scratch a little rub under the chin.
Uh oh. She had a weird feeling about this. "Okay…"
"Your mother told me about you and Yamcha."
She sighed. "Of course she did."
"I just wanted to see how you were feeling about it. I know things have been rather turbulent for you two in the past." He watched her with a keen eye, waiting for her response.
"Truth be told…" she folded her arms over her chest, thinking about it. "I think that's really it, Dad. I've had enough."
He nodded silently. Scratch stared at her with huge eyes.
Bulma continued, feeling the sudden urge to spill her guts. "He really just couldn't stop cheating on me. I know I deserve better, I just have to keep reminding myself that. And hold myself accountable." She smiled, putting her hands on her hips. "I am the smartest, most beautiful woman on this damn planet! I need someone who will treat me the way I deserve to be treated."
Her father grinned at her, pushing his spectacles up his nose. "That's my girl."
He gave her another quick pat on the shoulder before scurrying off to find her the notes she needed.
She smiled to herself as he went. She couldn't appreciate her dad any more than in moments like these: she could always rely on his brain when she needed help with a project. He always treated her like an equal, even when she had been a child, which is what helped her grow as a scientist. But she could also trust him to lend an ear or give her personal guidance, as well. She was really lucky to have a dad like him.
Bulma threw her lab coat over the back of her chair. She didn't want to sweat in it. She made her way to the back of the lab where she stored all her mechanical components and started fishing out the pieces she would need to implement the reflectors. She mindlessly hummed a little tune to herself while she dug through different crates and containers, pulling out extra bits here and there just in case she'd need them.
"I hope you're in such a good mood because you've found a way to fix my bots." Vegeta's gravelly voice interrupted her.
She turned from where she was bent over, catching a glimpse of the saiyan. Was he-? She squinted suspiciously at him. There was no way…
She made her way towards him with an armful of parts, scattering them across the countertop. At least he was wearing clothes today, thank the gods.
"Well, royal pain in my ass, you would be correct!" She beamed at him, showing him the notes her father had hastily scribbled earlier. "My dad helped me solve it. We're gonna build these bots to not just absorb your ki, but to instead reflect it back at you!"
He raised an eyebrow. "Really?"
She nodded enthusiastically, eager to show off their solution. "These babies are not only gonna last longer, but it'll feel like they're actually fighting back."
"I'll believe it when I see it," he told her, skeptical.
She rolled her eyes at him. "Yeah, yeah. Anyway, I'll be working on these for a little while, I'll come get you as soon as they're ready."
He nodded, still watching her. A moment passed with the two of them just staring at each other awkwardly.
Okay…he could leave now…
They continued to blink at each other.
Was he gonna make her kick him out of her lab?! He couldn't take a hint!
An evil little idea formed in her mind, and she had to focus on not smirking. She leaned her elbow against the countertop, pretending to be casual. She made sure to push onto some of her papers, pulling them forward, then pushing them back with her elbow. Her father's pen rolled right off of them, clattering to the floor.
"Ah. Oops. Clumsy me," she told Vegeta with a smile. He looked…confused.
But she had to know.
She bent over to pick up the pen, quickly peering over her shoulder. His eyes darted away from her. She plucked the pen off the floor, standing up again.
Results: unclear. She really couldn't tell if he had been checking her out or not.
"I am going to train in the desert. How long do you think this will take?" he asked.
She placed the pen back on the countertop, rubbing her chin. "At least a couple days. But I can't exactly reach you if you're out in the desert…"
She looked up to see his eyes boring into her. "What?" He was suddenly making her feel nervous.
"If you truly needed to summon me, all you need to do is raise your ki," he said, matter of factly.
"Right…" she scrunched up her face in thought. "How the hell do I do that, again?"
"Tch. You did it the other day. You know, when you vandalized the weakling's property."
She grimaced at that, trying not to remember. "Oh yeah. So, ki is just my energy?"
He nodded at her. "It's your life force. With-" he looked at her again, eyes glinting. "-humans like yourself, it is usually pretty weak and is often controlled by your emotions."
"Is that why the guys are always screaming when they're powering up?" she asked him seriously.
He smiled. For just a moment, she saw it flash across his face. Not a sarcastic, asshole smirk, but a genuine smile. He was amused. He quickly wiped that look away. "Yes, that is probably why all your weak little friends scream to increase their power in battle."
"I'm pretty sure I've heard you scream to power up before, Vegeta," she pointed out slyly.
He scowled. "I am not a weakling. I'm not like the little bald one or your boyfriend."
She flinched at his words. "You're right." She turned to straighten up the notes on the counter in front of her. Then she shot him a glare. "And he's not my boyfriend."
He shrugged. "It's not my business who you choose to…" he trailed off, eyeing her again with a sinister look, making her insides squirm nervously. "...spend your time with."
That is not what she thought he was about to say. Was Vegeta even capable of thinking dirty thoughts?
"Yeah, well, since I've kicked Yamcha to the curb, I'm all yours," she said casually. It wasn't until she saw his eyebrows shoot up that she realized what that sounded like. "I-I mean, for the bots. For building the bots. The fighting bots. For training. For building the bots for your training."
She was rambling, and she felt her face burning up. Vegeta's expression was blank.
The lab's door knob jostled, and Bulma rushed over to open it. Her dad stumbled in with a large box in his arms, another cigarette still dangling from his lips.
"Ah, perfect, Vegeta, could you put this on Bulma's desk?" he asked, struggling with the box of files and folders.
Vegeta said nothing, approaching her father and easily lifting the burden from his hands. "Phew. Thank you." Vegeta gently deposited it on her desk, eyeing the lab coat that was hanging over her chair.
"Now Bulma, sweetie, I think you should first focus your attention on the energy deflection section of my notes," her dad started, making his way to her desk and pulling out a folder. "This will be key."
Bulma nodded. She turned to thank Vegeta for his help, but he had vanished.
—