AN: This is a longer one! I considered breaking it up into two chapters, but naw. Y'all deserve it. :)

LEMON CONTENT AHEAD


Chapter 10

"Has this always been your room?" Bulma asked as she sat facing his prone form on the bed, the both of them basking in the postcoital calm.

"Mmhmm," he murmured, gazing appreciatively at her naked body.

She looked around her and gestured. "Then why is it so bland in here? There's not even a picture. I mean, there are tapestries on every wall of this place. Just take one of those."

He chuckled. "Why do I care what the aesthetic is? I come here to change, bathe, sleep, and occasionally review documents."

"Don't you host any visitors? Aside from me, of course," she finished, trying to get a feel for the foot traffic in his private quarters. He smirked at her.

"I don't believe that's any of your business, woman." She rolled her eyes at him. "But not often."

She glanced at him and then quickly away, trying to keep the small smile off of her face. She lifted herself from the comfort of the sheets and slowly explored the room—she didn't get a chance earlier as it was a straight line from the door to the bathroom and from there to the bed. She never received the full tour. She slowly padded her way over to a large fireplace, one that looked decidedly less opulent than it would otherwise considering it was completely bare.

"Do you mind if I ask you something?" she asked, not turning to look at him.

"Hmm," he replied, noncommittal.

"Why don't you have any pictures of your mother?"

What followed was a tense silence. Bulma didn't know much about the queen other than she had died around a decade ago and that she was well known for being uncharacteristically kind for a saiyan. The planet had mourned her passing, but she didn't pay much attention to it as she was a child, and at that age what doesn't directly affect you… doesn't matter. Thinking back on it now, she never thought about the fact that a young boy had lost his mother. She couldn't even imagine the effect that would have on him and his development.

When the silence continued, she turned around to see him staring at the ceiling. She made her way over to the bed and climbed back in. She touched his chest lightly, breaking his reminiscent stare. He blinked and glanced at her, and that split second before he looked away, she could see the haunted look of suppressed memories in them.

"If I ever need a reminder, there is a portrait in the Hall of Portraits," he said with a finality that brooked no continued conversation on the matter. Bulma knew she had asked about something he was not willing to talk about, and she decided to drop it. She nodded and leaned over him, kissing his neck.

"I suppose I need to go back to my room," she commented lightly as she rolled out of the bed and went over to her clothes. She heard him getting out of bed while she dressed herself, and his arm came around her waist as she finished pulling her shirt on. He pulled her tightly with one arm, melting her back to his chest, while his other hand moved her hair off of her neck and replaced it with his lips.

"Unfortunately," he purred against her skin. He wasn't making it easier to leave, if that was his plan.

"Vegeta…" she groaned, half exasperated and half longing. He chuckled and unwillingly let her go. She turned toward him, her eyes hooded with renewed desire that she knew they couldn't partake in. "I'll see you tomorrow at training then."

He smirked; Bulma loved how playful, in a way, he was with her. The serious, no-nonsense prince had his private side, too. And as far as she knew, she was the only one who knew about it. It made her feel… she didn't know what. "Yes, you will," he replied huskily.

Bulma reluctantly turned away from him and made her way to the door. As she opened the door and peered outside to make sure no one saw her, she looked back at him, gave him a small smile and a nod, and slipped out.

Thankfully due to the fact that this was the very interior of the palace and they were a powerful warrior race, guards were not utilized to patrol inner hallways. Even if someone were to see her, she was an elite, and plenty of elites put in extra late-hour training sessions. She made it back to her room without running into anyone, stripped out of her clothes, and collapsed into her bed, wishing she were still huddled against Vegeta's warm body.


Bulma found it slightly easier the next day to focus on training, even though that pull from him was still ever present. As long as she could distract herself with the training and everyone around her, the prince could be pushed to her mind's periphery. It felt good to get into the training routine again—sparring with others, group drone training, running strategic plans. It kept her blood pumping and her mind active—which kept it off the thought of Vegeta's rock hard…

Stop it! she chided herself. And she had been doing so well, too… She paused what she was doing and went over to get water, which happened to be right past Vegeta who was running a training group. She caught his eye as she approached, and the corner of his mouth twitched up, causing her stomach to flip. As she passed him, he leaned over slightly and whispered, "Expect me in your room tonight."

She flicked her eyes to the side to see his smoldering orbs briefly meeting hers, and she had to suppress the shiver that ran through her. Well, there goes any concentration for the last hour… She grabbed her water, downed it in an attempt to drown out her desire (it didn't work), and went back to her last hour of distracted training before they were let out for the rest of the day.

The group of warriors made their way toward the mess hall, and as they reached the spot where they normally met up with Chichi, Bulma could see her eyes boring into hers from a distance. Uh oh…

As they approached, she linked her arm with Bulma's and said cheerily, "We'll meet you guys in there! We need a good girl chat." Those last two words were said through gritted teeth, and Bulma winced. Without waiting for a response from anyone, she yanked Bulma down an adjoining hall. It was obvious the prickly saiyan had scouted the area beforehand because she guided her directly into an empty conference room, shoved her in unceremoniously, and shut the door behind them.

"Spill," she demanded, arms crossed over her chest. The look on her face brooked no argument, but she couldn't help but try.

"Spill what?" she replied unconvincingly. Chichi glared at her.

"You know exactly what I mean, Bulma. What is going on between you and the prince?"

Bulma pursed her lips and froze. How did she say it? She could barely say it to herself half the time—it happened so suddenly while simultaneously having built up for so long. It didn't feel entirely real, and she had a hard time putting it to words.

"I… we…" she sputtered, looking behind her friend to the door. She contemplated if she could somehow find a way around her…

"You can't," Chichi said, reading her mind. There was a tense silence. Chichi had a way of staring you into submission. She was going to make a formidable mother some day.

"Bulma," Chichi finally said, softening her tone, "are you two sleeping together?"

Bulma, who had been actively avoiding eye contact, flitted her eyes to her curious friend's for a second before dropping them back to the floor.

"Oh, Bulma…" The frustration melted from her voice into one of concern and sympathy. She walked over to her friend and put a hand on her shoulder. "When did it start?"

Bulma hesitated before deciding at this point honesty was the best policy. She sighed and looked up at the black-haired woman. "Since he woke up two days ago."

Chichi hissed through her teeth. "I wondered. Something seemed different with you. Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"I don't know," Bulma shrugged. "Probably not. I'm worried I'll get kicked out of the elites if anyone finds out… I can't go back to where I was." The thought of cutting it off with Vegeta didn't occur to her, only how she could keep it a secret.

"Oh you won't," Chichi said confidently, waving off the idea with her hand. At Bulma's quizzical look, she elaborated, "I already looked into it. There's no law against it. In fact, there's nothing in the books mentioning anything like it, meaning there is no justification in the rules to kick you out. Though you may want to consider how your fellow elites will react if they find out." Chichi paused, eyeing Bulma's slack jawed response to this information. "What? I suspected, so I researched. I meant more that he is your… I don't know, boss? What if something goes wrong?"

"I never even thought that far ahead," the elite said once she recovered her bearings from Chichi's revelation. At least that was a weight off of her shoulders. "It happened, and it will keep happening. The fact that he outranks me isn't something I think about."

"Well, you should be thinking about it!" Chichi snapped. "You weren't big on relationships in the past, Bulma, but those you did have were short lived and you ended them because you were bored. If the same happens here… he's a prince, Bulma."

Bulma shook her head immediately. "This isn't the same." Chichi's mouth opened and quickly shut, questions in her eyes. Bulma sighed. "No one ever challenged me. He does—constantly. It's exciting. And this is…" she blew air out in a huff while shaking her head again, "so different…"

Chichi was silent for a moment as she regarded her childhood friend. "How so?" she finally asked, eyes serious and arms crossed over her chest.

"It's… I…" she stammered, trying to find the words to describe it. "He just… he sees me. He sees who I am, and he respects me. I'm not a conquest due to my novelty. He's definitely attentive in the bedroom, which is a lot more than I can say for anyone else I've been with. I've never been… passionate about anyone else. It's… gods, how do I say it? It's like there's a tether to him."

Chichi jerked at this like she'd been slapped. "What?" she said sharply.

Bulma looked at her questioningly. "Um… it's like a tether. I can sense him, when he's coming, when he's near. It's like we're connected…"

Chichi was suddenly pacing, concern in her eyes as she looked ahead of her but seeing nothing.

"What is it, Chichi?" Bulma finally asked when she couldn't take it anymore. She didn't know why this set Chichi off, but it didn't seem like anything good. Did it have anything to do with her new love of researching? Did she come across something that applied here?

Chichi stopped, hands on her hips and eyes on the ground. She huffed a few times and then met Bulma's eyes. She walked up to her and pointed to the two small marks on her neck. "Do you remember what this is?"

Bulma nodded. "Your bond mark," she said, not making the connection. She knew Chichi and Goku had bonded long ago, but she didn't know much about bonding itself. She could recognize it visually—if she noticed it since it wasn't very obvious being only two small pinpoint scars that typically blended into a myriad of other scars—but she doesn't really know why it happened or how. It never occurred to her to look into it, and no one ever taught about it because it was exceedingly rare. She did know, however, that it only happened with the most dedicated of mates. "Why?"

Chichi sighed. "What you're describing? That's exactly what it felt like before Goku and I officially bonded. It was like a tether connected from me to him. It happened all of a sudden, but it had been building before it was noticeable."

Bulma's face paled, and her stomach dropped. It was a long moment before she gulped and asked, "So what does this mean?"

Chichi shrugged sympathetically. "Honestly, Bulma? I don't know. I can tell you my experience, but I can't say for sure if this is what it is. Like I said, though… it sounds very familiar."

Bulma felt her breath speeding up as a slight panic began to spread in her chest, and she found herself sitting in one of the chairs in the room. Bonding? What does that mean? What does that mean for her? Even more importantly for the planet, what does that mean for Vegeta? He's going to eventually be the ruler of the planet. She knew next to nothing about this. "Is this ever a one-sided thing? Is it a choice? What is it?"

Chichi sat down beside her and put her hand once again on her shoulder. "Honestly? I don't know. I can only tell you my experience. I can look into it, if you'd like." Bulma nodded absentmindedly to that. They sat there a long moment, both of them thinking their tangled thoughts and contemplating all of the new information given and received.

"All right," Chichi said, giving Bulma's shoulder a final pat, "we need to get to supper. They'll be wondering what is so important that it is taking us away from food."

Bulma's stomach growled loudly in response which caused Chichi to laugh. This singular laugh seemed to break the tension in the room, and Bulma let out a chuckle before standing up and shaking her body off, as if that would help rid the stress and confusion from her frame.

"Let's go get some food," Bulma said, looking at her friend. Chichi nodded, and they made their way to the cafeteria.

Everyone had already gotten their food by the time they arrived. Bulma could feel that Vegeta had already arrived—that cable pulled taught as she entered the room. She actively kept her eyes ahead of her as she walked alongside Chichi. She felt his eyes on her as she made her way to her seat.

"Long girls' chat," Yamcha commented through a mouthful of food. Chichi made quick eye contact with Bulma.

"We had a lot to catch up on," she replied, giving Bulma the ability to remain quiet. Bulma gave her a small nod of thanks as she sat down and began eating her food. Chichi also knew that Yamcha was angling for her, so she had been in charge of redirecting him a time or two, knowing that Bulma wasn't interested in him that way. Bulma didn't know how he would react if he found out about her and Vegeta.

Speaking of Vegeta, he was on the move. That invisible line of connection was tingling like a fly caught in a spiderweb. Without thinking, her head jerked up to follow his movement. He had his eyes on her, as usual, and she felt the heat rise in her belly. She only hoped it hadn't traveled to her face. Gods she hated this! Kind of… It was also exhilarating. He smirked a little at her, almost as if he knew what she was thinking, and he walked past her table and out of the room. It took everything in her to not follow him with her eyes, if only just to see his retreating form from the back and watch his muscles move as he walked. Muscles were never something that was a huge draw for her—why would they be? Everyone had them. But there was something about the way they moved in him; it was like water over stone in how smooth they moved.

This time she was unable to suppress a shudder. She heard a small cough at her side as Chichi brought her back to the here and now. Only then did she realize she was staring blankly ahead of her, and Goku and Yamcha were looking at her in askance.

"Man, Bulma, you're distracted lately!" Goku chimed in cheerily before going back to his food.

"Yeah, what's on your mind?" Yamcha asked. He had pushed his empty plate off to the side and was focused on her.

Bulma didn't like the focus; she didn't want to be the center of attention, especially not now. Not when her mind was focused on other things… Expect me in your room tonight.

"Oh, you know," Chichi interjected, sparing her friend, "same old, same old. Boss man has her trying to think up new technology to introduce, so she's constantly racking her brain. You know how she is." She hiked her thumb at Bulma and followed it with a wink to the boys who nodded sagely, content with this explanation.

"Well whatever you come up with, I'm sure it will be amazing," Yamcha said, giving Bulma a smile. Bulma half smiled back. Great. Now she needed to try to think of new tech when all she could think of was Vegeta's rock hard…

"Ugh, I'm so full!" Goku exclaimed, leaning back and patting his slightly distended stomach. "Time to go rest. I'm pooped."

"Aww, you guys don't want to go do something?" Yamcha whined, looking at each of them. They all looked at each other, and it was clear that no one was interested in doing anything other than relaxing for the night in their rooms. Yamcha slumped.

"You could always find some of the others to do something with," Bulma finally chimed in. "I'm sure there are plenty of others less boring than us." She smiled at him which got an immediate return smile. Dammit, she hoped he didn't take that as interest. This is why you don't smile at people.

"Maybe I will," he mused. "I'll see you guys tomorrow." He stood up and called over to another group of elites that were getting ready to head out as well, and it seemed he found companions equally willing to have a night out.


"See ya tomorrow, guys," Bulma called, throwing a raised hand in her friends' direction as they disappeared into their room. She opened her door and stepped inside, already pulling her boots off and tossing them in the corner.

"Took you long enough, woman," she heard from the gruff voice calling from the darkness in the direction of the couch. Of course she knew he was there. She could feel the pull from him, growing stronger the closer she got to the room from the cafeteria. She flicked on the light next to her specifically so he could see her eye roll and pointed stare. Vegeta sat on her couch, arms draped over the back and one leg crossed over the other.

"We were talking and eating," she countered, not rushing herself at all as she stripped off her dirty clothes, leaving her standing in her doorway in tight shorts and her undershirt next to a pile of clothing. Vegeta grunted a noncommittal response, too busy staring hungrily at her body to argue.

As much as she wanted to play nonchalant and ignore him until he lost his cool, because that truly did give her a certain amount of satisfaction, the pull was too strong and had been wearing on her all day. With the exhilarating fear of the bonding conversation trilling in the back of her mind like warning bells, she crossed the room with pointed purpose and sat down on his lap. She let out a low moan as she could feel he was already hard. She took his face in her hands and crashed her lips to his, delighting in the feeling of his hands coming hard around her back, pulling her as close as possible to him while his tongue eagerly explored her mouth. She ground against him, suddenly desperate for him, relishing in the growl it elicited from him.

Vegeta ran his hands up her shirt, burning a trail along her already hot skin. Bulma was beginning to feel constricted in her already limited clothing. She suddenly pulled away, causing Vegeta to growl again, but this time in frustration. His eyes darkened as she yanked off her top and shorts, her skin gleaming in the low glow of the entryway light. She began to reach for his bottoms but was instead stalled by his hand.

"Lay down, woman," he ordered, mischief in his grin. Her eye twitched with the familiar moniker, but she did as she was bid and lay down on her back. The prince crawled off of the couch like a predator, and she very definitely felt like prey. He hovered over her naked body, breathing in her scent at her neck. She felt her body shudder at the intimacy and found herself staring at his neck as he nuzzled hers. Her teeth tingled. There was a pulsing need in her that she had never felt before—the need to place her lips on the tender, exposed skin at the nape of his neck and…

He moved his way down her body, breaking the spell and trailing more fire along her skin. Their encounters up until now had been more base driven—the feverish fucking of the newly intimate. Now they were venturing into the territory of exploration, it seemed. She had never been to that stage with anyone. She gasped as his kisses reached her inner thigh, teasing her with their proximity to her center. Bulma was quivering with anticipation, but he continued to avoid the spot she desired. She let out a small whimper, and that seemed to be the breaking point for Vegeta. He dove into her, tasting her greedily and causing her to cry out in commingled surprise and pleasure. Her hips bucked and writhed against his face, and before she knew it her entire body was shuddering uncontrollably with the power of her orgasm.

When she was back in control of her muscles and senses, she pulled herself up on her elbows, her breath coming hard as she gazed at his satisfied face. "Well that was new for me," she breathed. He raised an eyebrow.

"You have obviously been with subpar lovers," he commented.

"You can say that again," she replied as she sat up. She smirked at him and pushed him back, moving him onto the couch. She slowly pulled his bottoms off, licking her lips as his length sprang free from its confines. She met his dark eyes, his expression unreadable, and slid up between his legs. Her hands wrapped around him, and he let slip a groan, but his eyes never left hers. She smirked at him as she brought her lips down on his member, taking him slowly into her mouth. He finally broke eye contact as he dropped his head back against the couch.

Bulma had never done this before, so she was working on instinct and building off of his reactions. She bobbed her head slowly up and down his length, relishing in the groans he let loose from his throat. She could feel herself getting wet again. She slid her hands over his tight thighs as she altered between licking and sucking him fully in and out of her mouth. She felt his thighs tighten…

His strong hands grabbed at her arms and pulled her up from his pulsing member. She had a second of confusion before he pulled her to sit on top of him. His eyes were boring into hers with an intensity that sent a shiver down her spine. She slid her slick center against his length, enjoying thoroughly the smooth movement a few times before lifting herself just enough to take him inside herself. Bulma let out a sigh as she slid down on him, her eyes watching his. As she rode him with increasing vigor, she noticed his eyes drift to her neck. She shivered again and couldn't resist the wandering of her gaze to his neck. She licked her lips, her teeth…

Vegeta's hands, gripping her hips, pushed her solidly against him, preventing her movement. He then rotated his hips while holding her still. She gasped and threw her head back, shocked at the new sensation. Then she felt his lips against the base of her neck, his teeth grazing against her sweaty skin. Instinct—she tilted her head to allow better access as he tasted her neck.

Suddenly she was on her back. He was still assaulting her neck as he slammed into her. Bite me… Bite me! she thought unexpectedly as she fell over the edge. He growled and ripped his head away from her neck as he came, his chest heaving afterward.

As Bulma's body was shuddering with recovery, she couldn't deny a certain amount of unanticipated disappointment. It confused her and set her a bit on edge. What did it mean? He was resting his head against her chest while he waited for his breathing to slow. Without thinking, she placed her hands on either side of his face and lifted his head to meet hers. The look in his eyes was strange, and she didn't know what to make of it. Almost a softness mixed with frustration. She brought his face to hers and kissed him deeply, happy to feel him respond in kind.

After another recovery minute, they both got up and made their way to the shower. "How are you going to make it back without being seen?" Bulma asked, turning on the water and stepping under the comforting stream. "I mean… it could make sense for me to be wandering in various corridors, but what if you're seen in the elite's hallway? What's the explanation?"

"I'm generously returning someone's boots," he replied dryly, his signature smirk gracing his features. Bulma smacked him on the chest.

"Yeah right. Then they'll know you're up to no good," she said, smiling.

"I'm the Prince of Vegeta-sei. No one questions why I am where I am or where I am going," he said with a shrug, rinsing himself off next to her.

The blue-haired Saiyan supposed she had to rely on that, and she knew it mostly to be true. No one questioned the prince. She finished cleaning herself and stepped out of the shower, drying off her hair with a quick towel shuffling. Behind her, the water shut off and she felt Vegeta step out behind her. Then she felt his strong arms wrap around her from behind. His chin dropped to rest on her shoulder, and she melted into him, the feel of his body behind hers calming every muscle in her body. She leaned back against him, letting her head drop back onto his broad shoulders. This felt like home…

He nuzzled her neck, grazing his teeth once against the sensitive skin at the base. She shuddered, and he pulled away, snatching the towel out of her hand.

"Hey!" she finally sputtered once her breath returned. "I was using that!"

"Didn't seem like it," he called behind himself, chuckling. She followed him, trying not to smile and failing. He tossed it to her once he had run it over his gravity-defying hair and dried the remaining water droplets from his body. She gave him a withering look as she turned to go to her room, not surprised to see him thoroughly not withered. She quickly dried herself off on the way, tossed the towel in her basket, and grabbed her sleep shirt.

She returned to the living room to see him fully dressed and looking at the few pictures she had put on her wall.

"I see you got your coloring from your father," he commented as she looked at a simple family picture of her father, mother, and herself. She remembered posing for the picture—and being supremely annoyed because it took her away from her projects. To most people, she looked perfectly happy, but those who knew her could see the falseness in her smile. She now wished she hadn't been so resentful to capture memories.

"Why do you look so annoyed?" he asked, puzzled as he cocked his head to the side and studied the image closer. Her head jerked to look at him.

"What?" she snapped, not expecting him to pick up on that.

"Your smile is so tight. When it's real, it's more relaxed. And your eyes are dead looking. For eyes so abnormally bright, it's pretty obvious when there isn't light in them."

She stared at him, watching him study the picture. How did he notice all that stuff? "Most people aren't looking close enough to notice that," she said quietly. She saw his shoulders tense a bit, and his eyes flicked sideways toward her.

"I have to be observant," he finally said, all philosophical musings gone, and he turned toward the door.

"Hold on," she called, stopping him before he opened the door. "Let me make sure no one is out there." They could, of course, sense the power levels around them, but they were living quarters and relatively close to one another. It would be easy to mistake someone further down the hallway for one in their room.

She cracked the door open and popped her head out, looking in both directions. When she saw no one, she stepped aside and let him through. As he passed her, she reached out and rested her hand on his forearm. He paused, looked her in the eyes for what seemed like minutes, and then walked down the hallways, eventually disappearing from view. She looked after him, remaining for a moment after he was no longer visible, feeling that pull receding from her. It was borderline uncomfortable. She wondered if he felt the same thing? She shook it from her head and eventually let the door fall shut behind her. She was so lost in her head that she didn't notice the soft click of a door closing down the hall.


AN: Uh ooooh. Busted. ;) Hope you enjoyed! R&R

- Trixie-chan