Bulma was in the living room of her family compound known as Capsule Corporation, and the sun was just beginning to set on the longest day of her life. Cell had finally been defeated and while she and her friends won the battle, they lost a life long friend. In an act of selflessness, Goku vanished with Cell who was about to self destruct, saving the Earth. What they didn't know at the time was that Cell would regenerate and Goku's sacrifice would be for naught.
Krillin had called and shared brief details of the battle with her when they arrived at the Lookout. He explained that after Goku died, Gohan defeated him with the help of everyone, including Vegeta, whom Krillin was unaware of his whereabouts.
Nevermind that though, the boys were about to revive everyone on Earth that had been killed by Cell. And while her heart ached that that didn't include her childhood friend, she was ecstatic that it did include the grown-up version of her son Trunks. She was also thrilled to hear Vegeta was alright, though she was concerned that he went off alone once the battle was finished. Her face was contorted into an uneasy expression when her mother spoke and snapped her out of it.
"Oh honey look, he's at it again!" Panchy exclaimed, staring at the infant on the gray carpet.
Bulma focused her eyes on her son, who was grasping the couch loosely and staring with determination at his grandfather across the room.
The three of them (four if you include Scratch) studied him closely as he carefully placed one foot out in front of him, and released his grasp on the furniture, unsteadily finding his balance. He took one cautious step, and then another. As he took his third, gravity unfortunately worked against him as his top-heavy stature brought him to the ground with a thump.
Trunks glanced up with a shocked expression, waiting to see how the others would react.
Before her mother could make a scene, Bulma spoke up. "Come on Trunks, you got this! Just get back up and try again!" She cheered. Her son stared at her curiously from his spot on the carpet, blue eyes meeting blue eyes. "Your daddy never quits and neither do you!"
As if understanding her words, Trunks' expression took on a fierce look of determination. He pushed himself off the firm floor beneath him, and unsteadily gained his footing once again. Staring at the blue haired woman before him, he knew exactly what he wanted, and that he was going to get it.
One step at a time, his chubby little feet made contact with the fuzzy carpet, and he maintained his balance with his eyes on his prize. Closing in on his mother, Trunks reached his arms upwards to her, yearning to be held. As he reached his destination, the family roared in excitement, startling the young boy.
"Oh Trunks I knew you could do it!" Exclaimed his mother.
"That's grandmas special boy!" Panchy shouted.
"Whadya know, he's smart just like his mommy!" said Dr. Briefs.
Nestled safely in his mother's arms, Trunks let out a yawn and rubbed his tired eyes. He smiled at his mother once more before resting his head against her chest, soothed by the sound of her heartbeat coming from inside it.
Bulma chuckled lightly and caressed her baby's face. Trunks had the right idea, she thought.
"I guess all the commotion wore the little guy out," Bulma concluded.
Her parents giggled in agreement before turning and heading into the kitchen. Trunks was now sound asleep in his mother's arms, his breathing slowing ever so slightly. Bulma turned towards the stairs and began walking slowly to Trunks' nursery, careful not to disturb him.
Her feet reached the top of the stairs and she entered into the hallway. The baby's room was the second to last door on the right, just before hers. She wanted to make sure he was as close to her as possible in case anything happened, or if he needed her in the middle of the night. More often than not though, he slept deeply and peacefully until morning. She didn't know anyone could sleep so soundly until she met Saiyans.
On her way to the bedroom, she began to hear the sound of running water. Her ears perked up in curiosity as she tried to determine the source of the noise. The sun was fully set now, and the lights in the hallway were currently off, so the only source of light was the moon shining through the hall windows. The only other sounds she could hear were her parents softly mumbling from below, and the evening breeze blowing outside. All of the housekeepers and Capsule Corp workers had gone home for the night, so it couldn't have been them. The only other person who stayed in this portion of the compound was-
Her lungs ceased their movement in her chest. Could it be?
Bulma tentatively crept down the remainder of the hallway, and sure enough as she approached Vegeta's room, the trickling sound of the water grew louder. As she reached his bedroom door, she pressed an ear against it, careful not to wake the baby in her arms.
When did he get back?
Determined to ask him just that, she took off again, quickening her pace this time. She arrived at Trunk's nursery and gently placed him in his crib. The boy cooed as he settled and got comfortable, now embracing a small stuffed rabbit. With a warm smile, and a tender kiss on the forehead, Bulma pulled the thin blue blanket over him and said goodnight to her half-Saiyan son.
Softly shutting the door behind her, Bulma had her eyes set on the door a few feet down the hallway. She carefully crept towards it, trying not to squeak the floorboards underneath her. To her surprise, the sound of the shower had already stopped. She furrowed her brows in frustration and pressed her ear to the door once more, failing to pick up on any more sounds this time.
Against her better judgement, her hand reached for the door knob. She grasped the cool metal in her fingers and rotated her wrist as quietly as she could, not knowing where the Saiyan would be, if he was still there at all.
As the door opened, her eyes struggled to adjust to the darkness. A pungent smell of sweat and burnt plastic encompassed her nose, as well as a musky scent she'd come to recognize, and long for. Vegeta's balcony door was wide open and moonlight poured into the dark room, allowing her to notice the pile of destroyed armor on the floor near the bed, and the naked man sprawled across it.
Bulma gazed upon him intently, waiting for any movement, failing to find any but rhythmic breathing. Her feet drew her closer, and she noticed his bare skin peeking out from beneath his comforter. In fact, the only thing Vegeta had managed to cover with his blanket was his bottom. He was laying face down on the bed, his head turned away from the door. His entire upper half lay exposed to the chilly air, as well as one leg and both feet. At least he covered the important bits, she mused to herself.
She concluded her trek into the darkness and arrived at his bedside, reaching down to grasp the comforter on top of him. Suddenly her eyes settled on his surplus of injuries. His fair skin was riddled with lacerations, bruises, and burns.
Her hand instinctively covered her mouth as she stifled a small gasp, dropping the blanket back on top of him. Her brows turned upwards as her eyes welled up in concern and heartache for the man in front of her. She knew if he was awake he'd tell her she was being ridiculous, that he's a Saiyan, and the strongest Saiyan there is. He doesn't need pity from a feeble Earth woman like her. But, even knowing these things, she couldn't stop the tears from flowing softly down her porcelain cheeks.
As much as she knew how strong he was- hell, she'd even seen his power first hand and been awestruck and overwhelmed by the sheer mass of it- when he laid like this in his bed, injured, and nearly comatose, it was as if she could see how fragile he was underneath his hardened exterior.
Examining him closer as he slept, she noticed his bushy brows trembling ever so slightly and figured he must be dreaming. Every few seconds or so, his lip would twitch and he would take in and release a deeper breath. She wondered if his dreams were any kinder to him than his reality.
Drying her tears, she reminded herself of his expeditious healing capabilities, that far outmatched a human's. She was sure that by morning all that would be left to tell the tale of his efforts would be a few sore muscles and a handful of new scars.
With a warm smile, she knelt down to meet the slumbering Saiyan and placed a tender kiss on his forehead. Hovering in place for a moment, she awaited any kind of reaction but received none. Bulma reached for his thick comforter once again, and pulled it over his back, covering his battle scars- both old and new.
"You did good today, Vegeta," she whispered softly.
With that, she got back up on her feet and exited the bedroom, releasing a deep sigh as she shut the door. What she truly wanted more than anything was to crawl into bed with the man, but she knew better. Many times had she tried and failed to be affectionate with Vegeta in the past. Just when she thought she was making progress, something would scare him off again. They'd been intimate a handful of times, but have yet to achieve a true level of emotional intimacy, and Bulma wasn't sure they ever would.
She let out another sigh and turned on her heels. Skipping down the steps, she wondered what her folks had been up to since she was upstairs. And now that she thought about it, she was kind of hungry.
As she slipped into the kitchen, once more was she stopped in her tracks, her lungs forgetting how to breathe. In front of her standing with her two parents was Trunks- the boy from the future.
"Trunks!" Bulma exclaimed with excitement and threw her arms around his neck. "I'm so happy you're alright!" Taking a step back, she turned his head from side to side with her hands, eyeing him carefully. "And you look good as new too!"
Trunk's cheeks grew red and he awkwardly chuckled. "Yeah, I had a little help from Shenron."
The boy and his mom smiled knowingly at each other, meanwhile his grandparents looked puzzled. "Who's Shenron? Is he a hairdresser?" Panchy asked inquisitively.
Ignoring her mother, Bulma grabbed Trunks by the elbow and dragged him into the living room. She stopped once they arrived at the couch and they both sat down.
"How was it Trunks? Tell me everything! I mean, I got the gist of it from Krillin, but I wanna hear from you . Was Cell really as strong as he said?"
Trunks relaxed into the couch and took a deep breath. It was the first time he had truly relaxed since he arrived in the past. "Well, I'll tell you one thing: if it weren't for Gohan we'd all be toast."
Bulma's blue eyes grew wide. "Wow, who knew that little boy had so much power."
They both sat in silence for a brief moment, the elephant in the room being painfully obvious.
"So Goku's really not coming back huh?" she inquired, her voice cracking ever so slightly. Her disheartened expression betrayed her cool act.
The boy stared at the floor and shook his head, his purple hair falling into his face, masking his own emotions. "No, he isn't. But," he offered, "I think he's okay with that."
The two sat in silence for a brief moment as Bulma processed what she heard. "You know, I think you're right. That does sound like Goku."
Trunks offered his mother a reassuring smile, when suddenly Panchy came marching into the room. "I brought you guys some tea!" She shouted, blissfully unaware of the heaviness she had walked into. "You guys enjoy! And if you're hungry I have some cakes too, just let me know and I can bring 'em to ya!" She left as quickly as she had come, barely hearing the thank-yous from the two on the couch.
"You know, I can tell you something cool though," the violet-haired boy shared, picking up his cup of tea and sipping it slowly.
"Oh yeah, what's that?" Bulma inquired.
"Dad defended me in a battle." Trunks couldn't hide the smile on his face even if he wanted to. She could see it peaking out from behind his teacup.
"You're kidding!" Bulma exclaimed, truly taken aback by his words.
"It's true, I didn't see it but Yamcha told me all about it afterwards." His eyes lit up as he spoke. "Dad went all out, cool huh? Cell was outrageously strong, and I was, well, having a pretty rough day. Yamcha said that when my dad saw me die he went mad. He was so upset he charged Cell like a wild man and, without any hopes of winning, attacked him head on. Yamcha said it was the best shot that anyone got on Cell all day."
Bulma blinked in response. She couldn't believe what she was hearing, and for the first time in her life she felt speechless. Vegeta did all that for Trunks? The same Vegeta who was upstairs asleep? The same Vegeta who had never shown her more than an ounce of emotion, and when he did he pushed her away afterwards?
"Hard to believe huh?" Trunks interrupted her thoughts.
"Y-yeah, I'll say." She awkwardly chuckled. "Well Trunks that's great I'm so happy for you. Who knew he had it in him."
Trunks finished his tea and placed the cup back on the tray.
"Yeah. Well, I uh, guess I'd better get to bed. I've got a long trip tomorrow."
"You're leaving so soon? You sure you don't want to stay a while longer?"
He smiled and stared down at his mother. "Nah, I can't. Besides, I can't wait to tell you that story again in the future and see if you react the same way you did just now."
They laughed together as she playfully swatted his arm. Bulma ensured he remembered where his room was upstairs and then she walked him to it anyways. The guest bedrooms were in the hallways adjacent to her own. She double checked that the housekeepers stocked his bathroom with fresh towels and toiletries, which they did. And that there were clean clothes in his wardrobe, which there were. She made him promise to let her cut his hair in the morning before he leaves since it had grown out again, and he happily obliged. They exchanged a brief hug and said their goodnights, and once Bulma had exited his room she was alone with her thoughts once again.
Vegeta really did all that?
She pondered the boy's story, wondering if there was any truth to it, but knowing he wouldn't lie to her. As her trust in him grew, so did her smile. Turns out she was right about the prince all along. Underneath that hard, dense, rocky exterior, lay a very tiny, soft, and tender heart. And she just knew she had made her way inside it.
With a brand new pip in her step, she rounded the corner to the hallway she shared with the prince and their son. She checked on baby Trunks once more to ensure he was still sleeping soundly, which he was. Then, with all the confidence in the world, instead of turning right to enter her own room, she turned left and headed to Vegeta's. She knew he cared, and with that confirmation came a flood of emotions she wasn't sure she knew how to handle yet. All she knew was she could no longer think of him lying tattered and torn, and all alone like he was.
She once again turned the cold steel door knob, and cracked open the heavy door to his dark and chilly chambers. As she waltzed her way inside, she first gently shut the balcony door before returning to his bedside. If the Saiyan had moved at all since she was last here, it wasn't apparent to her. She lifted the thick comforter once more. Cautiously, she eased herself onto the mattress, anxiously waiting for him to stir but he never did.
As she laid her blue hair on the pillow beside him, she stared at his features. It wasn't often she got to see his face without it being contorted into some sort of grimace. He looked… soft. Her manicured hand caressed his scathed cheek, feeling his cheekbone underneath her thumb. Before she knew it, she felt her eyelids grow heavy. As she took in one last glance at the prince, she couldn't help but smile to herself as she thanked Kami that all of her boys were safe at home where they belonged.