The entire gang of camp counselors stood on the shore of the lake ready to watch Bulma jump in to the dark and chilly water. Vegeta stood with his arms crossed and an amused expression plastered on his face. He couldn't believe she was actually going through with this. Goku stood beside him with a towel in hand for when Bulma got out.
The blue haired girl had removed her sweatshirt, so that she only wore her pajama shorts and a sports bra. She jumped around, shook her head, and whispered words of encouragement to herself. The night was colder than she thought which only added to her worry about the temperature of the water.
"We're waiting!" Krillin teased and everyone cheered for Bulma to do it. With a deep breath, Bulma ran down the dock ready to leap off the edge, but her foot caught on a loose plank and she ungracefully tumbled into the water with a scream.
Bulma tensed as her body was enveloped by the frigid water, the cold needled her skin. Once she surfaced, she gasped a breath, her body still shocked from the sudden temperature drop. Bulma began to swim and heard multiple pairs of footsteps barreling down the dock toward her. She reached up to grab the dock's edge and found a concerned Goku and an almost guilty looking Vegeta standing over her.
"Give me your hand," Goku commanded with an outstretched arm. Bulma reached up and they gripped each other's forearms tightly before Goku effortlessly lifted her from the water. With both feet firmly on the dock, Bulma noticed a throbbing pain on her shin as Goku threw the towel over her shoulders. She gripped the towel's edges and wrapped it tightly around herself with a shiver.
"Ow," Bulma whispered as she watched the stream of red blood trickle down her leg. The dock's edge took a gash out of her shin during her tumble. Vegeta followed her eyes down and frowned at the sight her wound.
"Come back to our cabin, I can get you patched up," he offered. Bulma nodded in agreement, but when she went to take a step on her bad leg she winced from the pain. Vegeta noticed and scooped her up in his arms to carry her instead. Bulma was startled by the suddenly being lifted, but he felt warm against her cold, wet skin, so she didn't protest.
"Game's over," Vegeta declared as he walked back up the dock toward the shore, with Goku following closely behind. The other counselors gave their well wishes to Bulma as they returned to their own cabins for the night.
Vegeta continued to carry Bulma all the way back to his and Goku's cabin. Being held in his strong, sturdy arms gave her a sense of comfort, without thinking she nuzzled her face into the crook of his neck. He tensed slightly when her cold nose touched his hot skin, but he didn't complain. Goku opened the door to the cabin and Vegeta walked in and placed Bulma on their couch.
"Hold tight," Vegeta said before he walked back into his room.
"Are you okay, Bulma? Goku sympathized and gave his friend a hug, "I'm so sorry this happened."
"Yeah, I'll be fine," she reassured him, as Vegeta returned with an armful of supplies. He tossed a fresh towel and one of his own sweatshirts at her. Bulma used the towel to dry her damp hair, before she put on his swim team sweatshirt. It was much too big for her, but it was soft and smelt like him. Bulma hugged her arms around herself for warmth and it almost felt like he was holding her again.
Vegeta sat down on the floor in front of her and pulled out a case of first aid supplies that lifeguards have with them on stand. He rummaged through the supplies and pulled out some gauze, bandages, and antiseptic. Bulma watched patiently as he methodically cleaned and dressed her wound. She was amazed that someone with such a rough personality could have such a gentle touch.
She kept watching him even after he finished. Vegeta looked up from his handiwork and their eyes met, but neither of them said a thing, both seeming lost in a trance for a moment. His hand rested on top of her bandaged leg, and Bulma wondered what he was thinking.
"I'll walk you back to your cabin," Goku said to her, causing Bulma and Vegeta to break their stare and turn their eyes to Goku.
"No, I will," Vegeta said firmly as he stood up. Bulma was surprised at his assertiveness, his adamancy about being the one to walk her back tickled her curiosity. Goku eyed his roommate suspiciously then his best friend, who seemed to have no qualms about a change in escort, so he put his hands up in mock surrender.
"Alright then, I'm going to bed," he informed them then strolled into his room. Vegeta watched Goku retreat before returning his gaze to Bulma and offered her his hand. She took it and stood up from the couch.
"You good to walk?" he asked as he led her out the door.
"No, yeah, I'm fine," she smiled wondering if he was offering to carry her again.
The two walked beside each other silently as they crossed the camp, the only sounds to be heard were the animals in the nearby forest accompanied by the crunch of their shoes in the dirt. Bulma glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, and Vegeta looked deep in thought, a frown painted on his lips.
"I shouldn't have dared you to jump in the lake. It was stupid," he eventually said while looking down at his feet. Bulma grinned knowing that this was his attempt at an apology. It was weak, but his version of an apology no less.
"No worries," Bulma said as she looked up to face him, "From now on, I'll just do everything I can to ruin camp for you." He returned her gaze and narrowed his eyes before he smirked.
"I'd like to see you try," Vegeta challenged with a hint of amusement in his eyes. Bulma giggled and playfully pushed him as they continued walking down the path. Bulma's cabin was in view before she spoke again.
"If you wait just a minute, I can change and give you your sweatshirt back," she offered.
"Oh, I don't care," he shrugged, "you can hold on to it." Bulma nodded shyly, and tried to fight the butterflies that fluttered in her stomach. She warned herself not to read too much into it. He probably didn't mean anything by it, he's probably just being nice.
Bulma stepped up onto the front porch that lead to her cabin's door and she turned around to give her thanks before wishing him a good night. Unexpectedly, Vegeta joined her and the pair stood in the doorway of Bulma's private cabin. Her voice caught in her throat when she noticed his proximity. A moth buzzed around the yellow lantern that illuminated the porch.
They looked at each other and neither said a word, but Bulma felt an explicable electricity between them. Vegeta appeared to be studying her features, and she wondered if he liked what he saw. All of the sudden, he stepped even closer and reached his fingers into her hair.
Bulma was about to pucker her lips to receive the kiss she anticipated, when he pulled his hand away and his face shifted into an expression of distaste. She looked at his hand to discover that he had removed something dark green and slimy off of her head. Bulma's face mirrored Vegeta's disgust.
"Just some algae," he informed her as he flicked the offending foliage from his hand. "You should take a shower, that lake water is pretty gross. Let me know if you need me to re-bandage your leg tomorrow." With that, he sauntered off in the direction of his own bunk while Bulma stood in her doorway completely mortified. Was she really ready and willing to kiss Vegeta? This certainly was a new development.