"What's wrong with him? Shouldn't he be excited?" a confused Goku asked the silent, dark room.
Piccolo growled (still a little miffed Gohan had dragged him here).
Gohan sighed, "I don't think he knows how."
"I guess that explains it…" Goku said pensively.
Bulma's outline was vaguely visible against the door way and it was not a happy sight "Oh! That moron! I go through all that trouble…." She ranted turning from the room, leaving everybody in the dark.
Bunny -ever the perfect hostess- giggled cheerily and said "Oh well… He'll come round… honey won't you turn on the lights." She cooed at her husband who obliged wondering if this could somehow be salvaged with or without Vegeta.
Somewhere on the other side of Capsule Crop Compound:
Vegeta sat on a knocked over wall of the warehouse, he demolished earlier.
To be fair it had not been the horde of people in his living room, or the sudden yelling and explosion of colorful paper bits (though that did grate his nerves somewhat) that sent him running...
It was the piñata.
He heard Bulma clamber up the side of the rubble, swearing and grunting the whole way.
"What is it now woman." He growled staring off into space.
"You know dam well what I want!" she snarled ferociously "What the hell were you thinking?!"
"Hn." He grunted trying to distract himself from where his thoughts seemed to be determined to go… he almost shuddered at the memories.
Bulma was now diving into a raging monologue "I mean, I worked hard on this! I did this for you Vegeta! LOOK AT ME WHEN I SPEAK TO YOU!"
He glanced at his mate wondering if there was any way to escape this situation without explaining himself… he came up uncharacteristically blank "Just take those things down." … so he didn't actually know what a piñata is called. But Bulma, being one of the smartest people on the planet and having the exceedingly rare ability to tolerate the prince, not to mention a saiyan bond, knew what he meant "The piñatas? Seriously?"
"Hn."
"Uh… Vegeta… did you get knocked on the head?"
"In the course of my life… several times." he growled.
"…. You're not telling me something." She deduced settling down next to him.
'Woman…' he thought mentally rolling his eyes 'If I told you half the things I don't you'd need mental rehabilitation.' "Hn." He grumbled.
"Oh… it's one of those things…" deducing it had something to do with his past… though how a piñata could make the tough, proud, stubborn, laugh-in-the-fface-of-death, prince-of-all-pains-in-the-ass flee like a startled kitten was beyond her.
She'd just have to pry it out of him.
Scooting closer she purred "Come on, 'Geta… just tell me what's up?"
Dead, stony silence… and he would have gotten away with it if his mate wasn't- as afore mentioned- extremely intelligent and very slightly psychic thanks to their bond…. as it was she got to share his flash back:
'If I time this right I might not even have to talk to Freiza'. A much younger Vegeta thought as he prowled the halls of Freiza's ship after his latest planet purging… he was still shaking slightly and his gloves were drenched in thin green-ish blood. 'I don't want to report... Napa can do it… Freiza never "plays" with him…' The young boy's stomach churned at the thought. He was almost at his quarters when his scouter beeped urgently. "Vegeta your presence is required on the observatory." A voice crackled coldly over the inter com .
"Yessir." The boy said mechanically redirecting his steps towards Freiza.
He took a deep breath before entering making sure he wasn't trembling any more… only his tail still quivered slightly but that was easily covered up by wrapping it around his waist… 'and presto!' He thought walking into the motion sensor range, letting the door glide open for him. He entered the observatory. Instead of the usual terrified silence, Vegeta had come to expect of this room he was greeted by the bustling sound of a celebration. Vegeta had just enough time to spot Napa flirting with a waitress before Freiza saw him.
"Ah! If it isn't everybody's favorite prince!" the alien crowed maliciously "Tell me Vegeta, how was your purging today? Well, I hope. I thought you were a bit slow on that final blow… "and on and on and on Freiza went until Vegeta was nothing but a raw nerve, waiting to explode. "You shouldn't disappoint so Vegeta." The alien purred finally, knowing he had Vegeta to a point.
To everybody's amazement Vegeta kept it together, no outburst, no show. Just a "Yessir." Through gritted teeth and balled fists.
Freiza blinked, disappointed at the lack of response… then he grinned "Vegeta lets play a game…"
For the rest of the evening, he was a piñata
Clawed and beaten brutally until his gust literally started leaking out like candy.
The next thing he remembered was the healing tank… months and months of healing tanks…
A shocked and terrified gasp brought him out of his flashback/nightmare. "Vegeta! That's ho-horib-" she couldn't bring herself to say it. He snapped his head away from her "Hn."
"No Vegeta you can't just walk around carrying these memories!"
"THE HELL I CANT!" he roared at her "It's none of your concern! You had no right to be in my head! You foolish-"
He was cut off by a sharp smack to the face from his mate… that was a first…
She was outraged, matching his temper like a pro "The hell it's not! I'm your wife Vegeta! I'm the mother of your child and I love you! So don't you go telling me what's not my business!" She was so furious her hair actually started to stand on end, bristling. He was taken aback, by her forcefulness… and very slight… ok… really turned on, but he was still banished to the sofa so he minded his manners. "You lock me out. Push me away. Or run, every chance you get." She ranted, her face a snarling mask, not giving him the opportunity to object. "If you had the guts-
He finally got a word in, he had something important to say "Woman-"
She kept going "to just talk about it -
"Woman!"
"LET ME FINISH!"
"WOMAN!"
"What?"
"You're going to fall."
"What?" …. what?!
… the edge of the concrete she was sitting on gave way.
Fast forward, five minutes.
Bulma: slightly dusty.
Vegeta: scowling.
Bulma huffed majestically as Vegeta finally put her down. "You did that on purpose!" she accused.
"Hn." He thought it would have been a good idea, which sadly escaped him. He didn't object.
Bulma shook her head angrily "Let's just go." She growled
"Take down the bloody-"
"YES! Yes! Fine, whatever! Gees Geta! Calm down!"
"And stop calling me-"
"Oh I'm sorry Prince Geta!" she giggled and started dragging Vegeta to the party… It was in this precise moment Vegeta promised himself for the one million six hundred forty eighth time he would get around to blowing this planet up… someday…
Until then he would endure.
Flash forward another five minutes.
"Hey! Vegeta! Sorry we didn't mean to scare you!" a cheery Goku said around a mouth of cake.
"WHAT!?" Vegeta gasped. "Me? Scared? Of you?!" his vision ran red "HOW ADRE YOU!!"
He charged at Goku.
"Wha..?" Goku asked surprised, as two hundred pounds (A/N: about-ish?) of angry saiyan rammed him head first in the gut. Half a second later there was a Goku shaped hole in the wall "Hey Vegeta! That's not fair! I wasn't ready!" Goku complained companionably, his eyes already lighting up at the prospect of a fight. Vegeta hurled himself out through the new wall ""Com'ere Kakarott! I'm going to wring your stupid neck!"
Chichi said something along the lines of "NO! NO FIGHTING!"
and Bulma said something along the lines of "VEGETA! I'm GOING TO SEND YOU STRAIGHT TO HELL! YOU HEAR! BASTARD!"
Bunny said something like "More tea anybody?"
Piccolo and Gohan though sparring was a good idea and joined in.
Trunks thought there were a lot of pretty lights… especially around his Daddy "Da-Da! Goooo…" which is toddler and means 'Father, please be careful, I think you are about to be ground into the earth.' And Vegeta was… and then Goku… and then Piccolo… and by then Vegeta was back on his feet and Gohan got to meet the ground face first... etc. etc. etc.
Flash-forward some couple hours.
The need for food finally won out between the three of the saiyans and Piccolo was busy regenerating broken limbs, so the fight died down.
After that more food was consumed than most people eat in a life time and things went as smoothly as could as could possibly be hoped with Vegeta … that is, there were a few explosions, the living room suffered a burning death and Goku and Vegeta only tried to sneak in a another fight five times.
Bulma thought it went rather well.
When everybody had left.
Bulma sighed contently "Well that went better than I hoped for." She said waving chichi and co. as they zipped of on the nimbus.
"You're kidding right woman?" Vegeta asked, unexpectedly from behind her.
She jumped a little. "Oh! Hey!"
"Hn." He grunted watching the Son family disappear.
Bulma smiled "Nope! It really went better than I thought it would." She grinned
For the one million six hundred forty eighth time Vegeta doubted his mates sanity. "Hn."
"You know what would make this day even better." She purred seductively.
She had his complete attention… please say sex, please say sex… she could almost hear his thoughts.
"If you'd tell me when your actual birthday is." She smirked.
His face fell "Hn."
She rolled her eyes "Oh com'on Geta…"
He had an-in his opinion- a brilliant idea "I don't just hand out information." It was his turn to smirk.
She gasped "You little…"
"Deal or no deal?" he growled tantalizingly.
She blushed scarlet "FINE!"
"In your calendar it would be; October 27."
Bunny chose that moment to appear "OH! So you're a Sagittarius! How nice! We'll have another party then!"
Vegeta's blood froze.
A/N: Sorry it took me so long to finish this story… been really busy…
Any way's thanks to everybody who reviewed. It meant the world to me! We writers live for the feedback you know.
And an extra giant THANK YOU! To jorgecr72 for sending me Vegeta's actual birthday.
Bunny and I appreciate it!