Human Hospitality
by pureleaf

Chapter 6
Outburst

A/N: As always, thanks for the reviews!

Two days later, Bulma had successfully programmed the computers in the gravity machine and wanted to show Vegeta. It was one in the afternoon and Bulma thought the house seemed too quiet, even with her father at Capsule Corporation headquarters for a meeting and her mother on an outing. Vegeta wasn't in the gym and he hadn't wandered over to the lab like she'd thought he would.

He wasn't in the kitchen nor had he gone up to his bedroom. Bulma checked her bedroom, her parents' bedroom, the patio and the gardens, but there was no sign of Vegeta anywhere.

Finally she found Vegeta in the living room, curled up under a navy blue shawl and dozing in a reclining chair that was currently centred in a wide beam of warm sunlight. It was the first time she noticed an auburn undertone to his dark hair and for once he appeared relaxed.

He's rather handsome when he isn't scowling... he almost looks innocent like that...

"Yes?" Muttered Vegeta, voice soft and eyes still shut.

"Hi there, I didn't mean to disturb you. Just thought you'd want to know that I have the computer system up and running for the gravity machine, and can lead you through a tutorial whenever you'd like."

The Saiyan slowly sat up and stretched his arms above his head. "Mm. Good," he yawned, "but I'm hungry. Make me something now. Then you shall teach me."

"What, don't know how to make your own lunch, bud? If you're gonna be here for at least a few months, you'd better learn how to fend for yourself in the kitchen! Do you think I'm some sort of servant at your beck and call? Get real!"

The Saiyan's face hardened into that cold mask and he rose out of the chair, movements fluid and swift. He found himself looking at her slender neck and collarbone and something deep inside wanted to gently touch her and find out what her skin felt like.

Bulma felt her heart pounding in her chest as Vegeta stared at her. He definitely stopped looking innocent.

"I am an elite warrior and I am royalty, and you are to recognize and respect my status. You should not want to see what I will do if you continue to speak to me with such disrespect. You will feed me now!"

"Ugh! Fine, Vegeta," she backed out of the living room and darted into the kitchen. Vegeta followed her and took his usual spot at the breakfast table.

She wound up ordering two pizzas.

"Lazy..." muttered Vegeta. His stomach growled. He folded his arms over his chest, shut his eyes, and proceeded to wait.

After his fourth slice of cheese, pepperoni, mushroom and green pepper pizza, Vegeta found his mood settling and he genuinely wanted to learn how to use the program Bulma had created for him. Pizza turned out to be very good; it featured cheese and it was acceptable to eat it with his hands. He didn't know why she kept poking away at some sort of tablet as she ate absentmindedly, but he was confused and insulted by how little attention she paid to both her food and her guest. Both actions were considered a serious insult in Saiyan culture.

"So," Vegeta began through a mouthful of pizza crust, "when are we going to the gravity simulator? Why do you insist on ignoring me?"

"I'm not ignoring you," sighed Bulma, taking another tiny bite from her second slice of pizza, "I'm trying to set up this tutorial for you on the tablet. You can't go in the simulator right now beca-"

The Saiyan's content mood suddenly turned into deep annoyance bordering on anger. "Why the hell not?! You said it'd be done by now! Has it not been a week?"

"You can't go in because the interior was just sprayed with a flame retardant and those are fumes you do not want to inhale, understand? There's no electrical power in there, anyway! It'll take a full day for the coating to dry. Just calm down and be patient!"

The Saiyan slammed a fist down on the table in frustration and a clear vase of flowers shuddered closer to the edge of the circular table. "I've been perfectly patient, damn it! You said one week!"

"One week was an estimation!" Bulma yelled, "I had to put so much time into just reprogramming the computer so you'd understand how to use it! I've spent hours reinforcing the structure of the machine, re-doing the lighting and electrical system, adding safety features, making certain you'd have a place to recover and shower in there, and all I get in return is a royal temper tantrum? Are you serious?! The least you can do is say "thank you" to me for putting my life on hold for you! Believe me, Vegeta, everybody here is more than aware that you're out of your element right now, but you cannot get nasty just because of some minor delays. You already have a fully equipped gym and outdoor track you can use to your heart's content! Calm the hell down and learn to control yourself!"

Vegeta stood up and picked up the vase, inspected its contents, and hurled it at the refrigerator. The thick glass exploded into a thousand tiny shards on impact which rained down on the tile floor. There were now-bruised flowers, glass shards, and water everywhere.

Bulma's mouth hung open in shock and felt her body shake with fear. Vegeta simply loomed over her and stared, no emotions registering across his face.

"I am controlling myself. If I am delayed much longer, the next thing I break won't be a vessel for plants. Do I make myself clear?"

Before she could answer, he turned on his heel and headed outside.

Bulma made certain to lock down the lab after Vegeta's episode and engage the alarm system. She had no choice but to clean up the mess after Vegeta left the kitchen and was furious at herself for just sitting there and taking his abuse.

She thought about possible ways to defend herself against the Saiyan if he turned violent but knew there would be no chance of survival if he wanted to kill her. He could kill her with a single strike. At most, all she could do was hide, but he was capable of sensing her energy and was also a particularly effective stalker.

How could she deal with him? Who else had spent an extended period of time with Vegeta? The Saiyan's two comrades were dead, one for more than a year by that point, and even if they were alive she doubted they would be of any help.

As she dumped the last tiny shards of glass down the trash chute, Bulma recalled that Gohan had spent some time with Vegeta on Namek and had likely witnessed him at his most desperate and irrational. If anybody would be able to provide her with good advice on how to interact with the Saiyan, it was Goku's young son.

At four in the afternoon, after she had felt calm for at least an hour and had spotted Vegeta in the garden using a thick tree branch as a pull-up bar, she took the cordless phone from its stand and went upstairs to her bedroom to call Gohan. She turned on the shower in her en suite bathroom just in case Vegeta came upstairs- she did not want to risk him overhearing the conversation.

"Hey, Chi-Chi? It's Bulma. We're doing alright here... mostly... some guests are better behaved than others...yeah... oh, Chi-Chi, we all do! ... ... these months will fly by if we stay positive... yes... no... of course you can! Say, Chi-Chi? Could I speak to Gohan, please? I promise it won't be for very long..."

Gohan's voice came down the line: "Hi, Bulma! How's life in the big city with the Namekians and Vegeta all under the same roof?"

"The Namekians are lovely and gracious, but I did want to talk to you, Gohan... because Vegeta flipped out earlier today. Man, he's quick to anger, isn't he? Do you know of any way to calm him down or at least avoid him?"

Gohan's tone turned angry and he repeatedly asked Bulma if her guest had physically harmed her. It was hard to believe the child was just six years old.

"No... he just couldn't handle that the gravity simulator isn't ready yet. He broke my Mother's vase."

"He what?!"

"Yep. Threw it against the refrigerator. He wanted a reaction more than anything, I think. Oh, and before that, he was upset that I wasn't going to spend time making him some huge meal just because he asked for it. It's like he can't handle more than one disappointment in a row or something!"

"Vegeta really doesn't handle stress well. He was pretty irritable on Namek too... he seems to run on reserves half the time, really."

Bulma's eyes widened and she remembered the wicker basket on top of the refrigerator: it was where the family kept multivitamins and over the counter medicines, and she was more than certain that they had some sleep aids at her disposal.

"Gohan, you just gave me a great idea! If Vegeta's sleeping, he won't be hassling me! I'll call you back in a few hours, okay? It's time for Mister Temperamental to go down for a long nap."

"Just be careful, Bulma... he does not like being deceived."

Bulma took a teaspoon of the coffee she'd prepared for Vegeta and swirled it in her mouth before spitting it in the sink. She couldn't taste the melatonin she'd put in his decaffeinated coffee. If that didn't work, surely the ground sleeping pills in the tuna salad sandwiches she'd prepared would knock him out.

When Vegeta came back from exercising outdoors about ten minutes later, he poked his head in the kitchen and saw Bulma at the table, flipping through some sort of technical manual while drinking coffee and eating a sandwich. He cleared his throat and strode in, looking for any sign his outburst at lunchtime. The kitchen was clean and the blue-haired girl seemed normal.

"Hey," Bulma didn't look up from her book, "there's a couple sandwiches for you in the fridge and that coffee's for you," she pointed to the still-hot beverage on the counter, "I figured you'd be coming in for something to eat, so I made something in advance."

"Aha! You're wise to have taken my warning seriously. So what is this?" The Saiyan started peeling plastic wrap off his sandwich and inspected the contents.

"Tuna fish sandwich. You'll like it. Geniuses and warriors alike swear by it on this planet."

"Hmph." He ate quickly, finding the sandwich tasted pretty good (sometimes a bit gritty, but that was probably just some small bones) and drank his coffee in three gulps. Bulma set down her manual, stretched, and looked over Vegeta. He sat across from her as usual, expression neutral, leaning back slightly in his seat.

"What are you reading?"

"Oh, just the technical manual for the first generation gravity simulator. I'm just ensuring nothing's been forgotten so there's no more delays."

That crooked smile appeared on the left side of his face. "It is very good you listened to me earlier. I expect that the gravity simulator will be completed within the next four days..." he trailed off into a yawn.

If he's really already feeling sleepy, his metabolism is more like a huge boiler room than a single furnace...

Ten minutes passed in relative silence. Bulma read her book, waiting to see if the sleeping pills would affect Vegeta. Finally after another fifteen minutes, Vegeta yawned again, rubbed his eyes, and glanced over at Bulma suspiciously.

Why am I so tired all of a sudden? This is strange...

"What's up?" Bulma set her book down and looked at her guest with an expression of concern tinging her face.

Vegeta slowly stood up and shook his head. "Ugh, I feel very sleepy... like my limbs are heavy. This is not right... how are you feeling?"

"I feel fine, Vegeta. You look kind of pale," Bulma lied, "maybe you should lay down for a few minutes."

The Saiyan looked back down at Bulma and shrugged. "Maybe you're right. I'm going to sleep in my room, and you shall not disturb me unless it is to inform me that you've miraculously got the gravity simulator up and running today. Understood?"

"Of course, Vegeta. Is there anything else? Cup of tea? A nightcap maybe?" Bulma imitated Vegeta's crooked, wry smile.

"Don't..." he yawned, "don't mock me."

He went upstairs and Bulma heard his door shut softly.

"Pleasant dreams, Vegeta..." Bulma finally returned to the percolator and poured herself a second cup of caffeinated coffee.