The prince was snoring.

At some point Bulma had fallen asleep. And when she woke, she could hear his deep breaths from the living room. He must have fallen asleep on the couch.

She wondered what time it was back on Earth, and what time it was on Vegetasai. Was it an appropriate hour to sleep, or were they just so exhausted from all of the fighting?

After listening to his soft snores for what must have been an hour, the Princess couldn't take it anymore. She was still scared as ever of what would happen when he awoke, but her stomach was pinching itself, and she desperately needed to eat.

Tip-toeing as quietly as possible, she passed the prince laying on the couch. And with as much stealth as she could manage, she made her way to the Kitchenette.

This would be tricky, for the kitchenette was just a corner of the large living room. She would have to be especially careful not to wake him when she opened the refrigerator. And she tried her best not to, carefully creaking it open, just as much as she needed to.

All of the oranges, apples, grapes, and peaches. Bulma's breath caught in her throat. Was this her father's doing?

And when Bulma turned from the fridge with an apple in her hand, she was ready to tip toe back to the bedroom. She glanced over at the prince to make sure he was still asleep, and her heart fell. Of course, he wasn't.

He was sitting up and watching her, but his face wasn't necessarily hostile. He just looked dazed, as if still gathering his bearings, and he was silent as he watched her move.

"Hi," She said quietly, looking down at her feet as she walked.

"Hello." He said back, but his voice was quite strained when he spoke. This grabbed the Princess' attention, and she looked up at him again. Now, closer, she could see his expression better. And his eyebrows were screwed painfully, his hair disheveled, his face pale.

Princess Bulma couldn't help but wonder if he'd had anything to eat with his wine the night before. Most likely he hadn't. Neither of them seemed ones for eating when stressed. And she wondered how he felt. There were thirteen discarded wine bottles in the short hall. So much alcohol on such an empty stomach.

Turning and heading back for the kitchenette, Bulma wondered if she was doing the right thing. The idea of being close to the Prince, especially after the previous night, was horrifying. And yet she couldn't just leave him in his state. She just hoped he was in a better mood.

"What's this?" He groaned when she sat down beside him. And she handed him an orange slice, its juice wettening his fingers.

"Eat it," She said softly. "It might help."

The Prince didn't object and popped the slice in his mouth. He chewed slowly and deliberately, and when he swallowed she handed him another slice.

"Why?" He asked gruffly before putting the second slice in his mouth.

"Because you did the same for me after I had too much wine," She said.

And he looked at her, his bloodshot eyes squinting. "How did you know?"

"Chi-Chi told me, of course… When she brought me the bread and water, that it was upon your suggestion." Another slice.

The Prince was very quiet while he chewed, as if lost in thought. Bulma allowed the silence, not bothering to break it. And when he finally spoke again, after swallowing the final slice, he cleared his throat. "You're afraid of me."

"Quite."

"So why do you do this?"

"I told you. You did the same for me. And I do love oranges, they always make me feel so much better."

He looked at her then, his eyes penetrating hers. And his gaze was so intense that Bulma wondered if she might have said the wrong thing. But then he groaned again, and put a hand to his head.

"Oh, I know what you probably need." The Princess stood back up. She went to the kitchenette and poured a glass of cold water before returning. Vegeta took it without hesitation and gulped it down. He didn't say anything else. Just looked at her closely before looking away. And they sat together in silence for quite some time before Bulma was able to will herself to speak.

"I… am sorry about yesterday." She said cautiously, "It's a complicated story."

"I thought you agreed to marry me for a reason other than alliance." Prince Vegeta snapped. "I thought… Nevermind what I thought."

"I had to meet with him," She replied, not wanting to address the point about the alliance. "He left me in shambles, Prince… I needed to know what he had to say."

"He was kissing your hand," Vegeta growled. "And you were letting him."

"I didn't know what else to do," The Princess admitted. "So much has happened so quickly, you see."

Rolling his eyes, the prince took a deep breath. And she was concerned that he might yell or lash out, but he simply stayed silent for several moments. "Who is he to you?"

"Someone I used to know." Bulma replied, truthfully.

"Which means-?"

"We were courting, I suppose you could say." And the Princess watched as his eyebrows furrowed in reaction. She was quick to elaborate. "But he left suddenly. He had a wife and child, and when I found out about them he fled. I didn't know where he went. I didn't think I would ever hear from him again."

"A wife and child…" The Prince grumbled.

"Yes." Bulma said, and she was surprised that no tears were threatening her eyes now, as they would have in previous days when she thought of the situation. "For the longest time I didn't know. And then he sent me a letter asking to meet, and I wanted to know what he had to say. I thought he owed me an explanation. "

As she spoke, she watched the Prince's posture visibly soften. And when he replied, she noted that his tone was nowhere near as harsh. "Did you get it?"

"No."

"I thought not."

Fumbling with her hands, Bulma looked down into her lap. The awkwardness in the room was so thick that it could have been cut by a knife. She wondered if perhaps he was understanding her side of things, but he wasn't speaking. Why wasn't he speaking? Was he still mad?

"He…" She continued, almost at a whisper. "He told me that he hadn't run away, and that he'd been locked in a dungeon."

"And do you believe that?"

"I…" The Princess sighed in defeat. She stole a glance at the Prince and saw that he was staring at her face. "I don't know. There wasn't much more time to discuss the matter before you made your appearance."

"Well it sounds like a lie." Vegeta grumbled. "You're so gullible."

"I know," The Princess blinked. "I've been told that my entire life, Prince Vegeta. My father used to say it would be the death of me. But I've made it this far, haven't I?"

His face contorted into a half grimace, half smirk. And he looked at her - really looked at her, trying to see if she was messing with him. But she stared back so quietly and straight-faced, and he realized she was being serious. What a ridiculous thing to admit about oneself. But, then again, she was a Princess who had likely been sheltered her entire life. Earth royalty was known for such a thing.

"I must ask, seeing as how we are now in union." Vegeta grumbled, his eyes not leaving hers. And instantly Bulma knew what he was leading to, and her face turned quite crimson.

"Our courtship was just that, Prince. A courtship. It was never… Erm…" She was fumbling with her hands again. "We never, I wouldn't let him, we didn't-"

"You're a virgin." He interrupted. Vegeta watched as her eyes widened, and he knew his statement to be true. Her lips parted as she searched her brain for a response, and her face grew even more red.

"Prince, I-"

"So last night." The Prince groaned. He put his hands to his temples and clamped his eyes shut. "When I was-"

"I was scared… I never-"

"Of course." He didn't want to, couldn't let her finish that sentence. And even though his head was still killing him, and his stomach still felt threateningly uneasy as his body withdrew from the alcohol, he abruptly stood.

"Prince," Bulma gasped. "Be careful, you'll make yourself sick."

"Right." He mumbled, but the standing wasn't the thing that had done it. He needed to get out of this room, away from her, and he needed to catch his breath. He was suffocating in here. Vegeta was claustrophobic. She was too close to him, even after he'd almost forced consummation upon her.

And perhaps he shouldn't be too surprised that she was untouched, seeing as how she was the Earth Princess, so graceful and naive in her nature. She radiated an aura of innocence that made him want to tuck her into bed at night and kiss her on the forehead. He even found himself holding back from sharing stories of his brutality, an instinct inside telling him he'd better not. She was Princess Bulma, and he shouldn't be so surprised, but he was. After all, he'd certainly known his share of Princesses whom didn't take their virginities with much regard. And he wondered if she should know that about him. If she should know just how ruthlessly he'd come of age. Vegeta gulped, his stomach churning. He wondered what the hell they were doing here.

What had he gotten himself into with her?

What had she gotten herself into with him?

He had to get to the bathroom before it was too late - oh, his stomach was turning in on itself. He could feel his jaw quivering, muscles trying to pull it open against his will.

"Prince!" Bulma called concernedly as he darted from the room. And if he'd been able to manage it without unleashing a mess all across the floor, he would have told her not to call him Prince.

He was simply Vegeta to her.