Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ or the characters

Vegeta X Bulma

~Prompt 3: I Love You Most~

It was late at night when Vegeta came in from training. The house was completely silent once he emerged from his gravity room. He was used to this so late at night. It was a part of his routine.

The kids were most likely asleep, safe and sound in their own beds. Despite all the years that passed, that concept was still foreign to the once imprisoned warrior. His world had been one of death and destruction, kill or be killed, trust no one. It was a lonely life, one devoid of the precious emotions he had come to understand.

Emotions aside from anger were just as alien to the prince once upon a time. He had only ever known anger, fear, and bloodlust whether it be his own or from another. Joy and peace never filled him, not before he accepted his life on this mudball planet he once desired to destroy. All positive emotions, the Saiyan had seen as troublesome, dirty, and forbidden. Vegeta had even once believed love to be a weakness. It was what his father wanted him to believe. It was what Frieza wanted him to believe, too.

Vegeta knew better, now.

It wasn't wrong to indulge in peace every once in a while, as long as it didn't interfere with his militant training regimen. Happiness was something to be embraced. And love…it was not a weakness. Yes, it could be exploited, but it was a source of great strength that drove Vegeta to continue to push forward. At one time, his drive existed to best Kakarot and not let the Earth-raised Saiyan get too far ahead. Then, it became about Frieza. The monster was still out there somewhere, and Vegeta would not risk his family to the monster who stole his childhood.

The prince took a deep breath and counted to ten lest he work himself up and go for another round in his training room.

Vegeta thought about his kids, safe and sound in their beds, oblivious to the horrible truths of the universe. As they got older, Vegeta told them bits and pieces of his past to start preparing them. Trunks was still under the impression that Frieza was a good guy. Vegeta groaned. That was his fault back during that blasted tournament. The things he did to protect his family…

But he protected them. Everything he did now was to protect his whole family.

It took everything in him to distract Beerus in such disgraceful ways. He even forced himself to do the disgusting fusion dance most recently to take down Broly. Vegeta would do just about anything for his loved ones, and it all started with her.

When he was thrown into this new life, Vegeta hated it. Bulma was the one to offer him a place to go, equipment to train with, and an endless amount of food. It was the life he should have had on his own world if not for Frieza, but it was far from what he was used to. Like his children upstairs, he finally had a place to sleep in peace and safety. He had a home.

Bulma was the first being in the entire universe that Vegeta ever loved. Before the birth of his children, a close second had been his father. Still, that was a relationship forged out of deep respect and not love.

It was late when Vegeta came into their room, Bulma passed out in the bed. She was still wearing her clothes for the day indicating to the prince that she had stayed up late working on one of her latest projects. He often let her know how he felt about her late-night antics. She would simply fire back, "You're one to talk." He smirked. Her feistiness and the way she talked back to him were what attracted him to the spitfire. She was gorgeous, but he also loved to see this disheveled appearance of hers.

As she snoozed peacefully, Vegeta leaned down and kissed her cheek. The woman stirred slightly but sighed contently as if she sensed Vegeta's uncharacteristic gesture. The rare smile ghosted his lips as the Saiyan slid into bed beside his wife. She surprised him when she turned and curled into him. Her actions made Vegeta chuckle. His eyes landed, again, on her peaceful face.

There was very little Vegeta loved in his life, but all that he cared about came from this woman.

My Bulma, he thought as he wrapped his arms around her to protect her. I love you most of all.