Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ A Dark Heart ❯ A Big Bowl Of Strawberries ( Chapter 19 )

Bulma unfastened the safety belt of the pilot's seat with trembling hands.

It'd all happened so fast ever since Vegeta had agreed to take her with him on his little solo mission that it was still hard for her to assimilate her new circumstances.

They'd both gotten dressed and left Planet Z365 in the middle of the night. Vegeta had allowed the heiress a quick visit to her friends' room to communicate their new plan and say her goodbyes. Bulma had asked the Prince to let Krillin and Yamcha leave the planet and go back to Earth with the other space ship, but the Saiyan warrior had vehemently forbidden both men to do so and had given strict orders to his men that, even though the earthlings were to be treated with respect and hospitality at all times, they would not abandon the planet unless their Master gave them a different order.

The woman had been worried at first, after all, she was fully aware of the fact that most of the men in Vegeta's army were much stronger than her friends, but when she'd raised her concerns to her mate he'd almost gotten offended at the mere insinuation that his subordinates would dare to disobey a direct command coming from him.

So Bulma had finally decided to trust the Prince's word and intuition once again, and after exchanging a few comforting words and some very effusive hugs with Krillin and Yamcha, she finally got inside the ship with Vegeta, ready to embark on her next journey with the Prince. Despite her natural love for adventure and exciting new experiences, she was mostly just happy to get to spend some private time alone with her mate, secretly hoping he'd relax and loosen up a bit around her when it was finally just the two of them.

The ship's take off had gone well, but it'd also been a bit rough and that, combined with her fatigue and the fact that she hadn't eaten much in the past few days, made her feel momentarily dizzy. The scientist remained sited on the chair for a few minutes, breathing deeply and slowly in an attempt to calm down and make the sudden wave of nausea go away. The last thing she needed was to make a fool of herself by getting sick in front of Vegeta…

“Are you alright, woman?” A soft masculine voice asked.

Bulma opened her eyes and realized the Saiyan was now standing right in front of her, looking at her with barely hidden concern.

“Yeah… I'm fine…” She whispered in a trembling voice.

Vegeta knelt down and inspected her with dark, penetrating eyes. He held one of her hands and frowned when he realized it was cold and covered by a thin sheen of sweat. His woman was also looking paler and thinner than usual.

“When was the last time you ate?” He finally asked.

“Um… I don't know…” Bulma replied shyly.

When was the last time she'd had something to eat?

Certainly, not that day; after waking up early in the morning and discovering the Prince wounded on the floor of the Gravity Room, she'd been focused on healing him. Then they'd slept together for quite a few hours, only to wake up and end up going back to Frieza's old palace and have that intense argument as the night fell.

“A bit more than a day, I think…”

Vegeta's eyes widened a little.

“Tch! You had no breakfast this morning?” He enquired again, trying to hide his worry behind a false mask of anger.

“N-No…” The heiress continued. “But it's okay. I'm fine, really…”

“This will not do, woman.”  

Before Bulma had time to react, she felt her mate's strong arms lift her effortlessly from the pilot's seat, holding her and carrying her bridal-style to the kitchenette.

“Silly woman…” He mumbled irritably. “You will eat some food right now. I will not have you falling ill during this trip. It's bad enough that I have agreed to bring you with me on this mission, but I don't wish to have to waste my time taking care of you simply because you've been fool enough to neglect your self-care, are we clear on that?”

The blue haired woman nodded slowly, overwhelmed by her body's weakness and the sensation of Vegeta's solid embrace surrounding her.

Vegeta sat her delicately on one of the tall kitchen chairs and looked around as if looking for something.

“Where's the food, woman?”

“There are a couple of capsule pouches inside that first drawer.”

The Prince opened the place the heiress was pointing at and offered her the small container.

“Which one is it?” He asked again.

“Here.” Bulma replied as she handed him a tiny blue capsule. “The blue ones contain refrigerated and frozen meals and the red ones packaged food that doesn't need to be kept cold”.

Vegeta clicked on the capsule's button and threw it at a safe distance, revealing a massive refrigerator, just like the woman had promised. He opened and inspected it, unable to stop his stomach from growling at the sight of all the delicious food standing right in front of him, waiting to be devoured.

“I think there are some frozen lasagnas in the freezer, I'll have one myself…” The heiress whispered, making a move to get up and grab the frozen meal herself, only to be stopped by her mate's hand.

“Stay where you are, I'll take care of it,” he said in a voice that told her his decision was non-negotiable.

He knelt on the floor, inspecting the contents of the large freezer, and finally grabbed a handful of boxes, walking towards the small kitchen counter where the microwave and the oven were.

“Vegeta… I'm fine, really… I can do it myself, just let me…”

“What's the matter, woman? You think me so stupid that you believe I won't be able to use your primitive kitchen appliances?” He said looking at her with a malicious smirk on his handsome face.

Bulma didn't answer, finally deciding to simply sit on the chair and let the warrior do all the work. She knew her mom had taught the Saiyan how to heat up the meals she constantly left for him in the refrigerator back at home. His training schedule had always been chaotic and brutal, so it wasn't uncommon for the warrior to finish his workouts long after everyone else had gone to bed. She was aware of the fact that his knowledge of their written language was limited, but it was good enough for him to read simple things such as food labels.

Still, the heiress couldn't help but smile a little at the sight of her favorite man making the effort to prepare a meal for her, even if it was just by sticking it in the oven for a few minutes. As they both shared a comfortable silence while they waited for their food to be ready, Bulma examined his body language and realized that, even though he was still trying to keep his tough warrior façade, he also seemed to be concerned for her well-being, and he definitely looked more relaxed than when he was around his men.

That had to be a good sign…

The sound of a plate being placed in front of her brought her back to reality and, before she had time to get up, Vegeta also handed her a clean fork he'd found on the second drawer, a napkin and a bottle of cold mineral water.  

“Th-Thanks…” She mumbled in awe at the sudden acts of kindness coming from her Prince.

He simply grunted, turning around and going back to heating up his own packaged meals, and the blue haired woman could swear she'd seen the hint of a blush on his tanned cheeks.

“Eat, woman,” he ordered after noticing his mate hadn't touched her lasagna yet.

“I was just waiting for you…” She replied timidly.

“Bulma, that won't be necessary. Just start without me…”

The sound of her name on his lips, combined with his softer than usual tone of voice made her nod and dig into her meal without any further complaints. It was almost as if he knew exactly when and how to say her name to make her melt entirely…

Not long after, Vegeta placed his own trays of food on the table and joined her, silently enjoying his generous meal with her.

The food truly was delicious, and Bulma couldn't help but feel a tinge of sadness, realizing once again how much she missed her mom and her home cooked meals. She kept telling herself that in the end all the grief and loneliness would be worth it, and she felt especially hopeful seeing the Saiyan's worry about her health.

On his part, Vegeta was in Heaven. For all the silly Earth customs he didn't care about or simply didn't even understand, he had to admit they had the most enjoyable food he'd encountered in all the worlds he'd ever visited, and they'd been quite a few. Bulma, surprisingly, wasn't a bad cook herself, but her mother's cooking skills were outstanding, and the only thing that had made him mildly tolerate her goofy and embarrassing antics.       

During his first few weeks in space, he'd lived on the food supplies his little mate always prepared for him whenever he traveled on one of his long training missions. But he'd eventually run out of them, and had to find other ways to satisfy his insatiable Saiyan appetite.

In the last stage of his space travels, Vegeta had gotten used to hunting wild animals, which he always cooked with a simple ki blast. His diet also included whatever fresh fruits and vegetables he could find and encapsulate, after making sure they were not poisonous, of course. His extremely sensitive sense of smell was of great assistance on those occasions, helping him discern the edible from the inedible most of the time.

As he finished his third lasagna and dug into a huge serving of beef stew with vegetables and cooked rice, the Prince couldn't help but feel grateful that he hadn't had to resort to eating dead aliens, something he'd sadly had to do on rare occasions during his purging missions with Raditz and Nappa. The mere thought disgusted him now but, at the time, it had been the only way to subsist when there were no other choices available. In those days, survival was the only thing that truly mattered.

How different things had been back then…

Bulma had certainly been the one to change his life irreparably.

The woman had invited him into her home and opened his eyes to a new way of life in the process, offering him a world of pleasure, of warm succulent foods he could savor without the fear of getting poisoned, and soft comfortable beds where he could sleep soundly with both eyes closed.

And, of course, she'd given him the most valuable thing of all: herself.

What at the beginning had started as a purely physical attraction had turned into the only real intimate connection he'd ever shared with another living creature. The warmth of her body, her clever little mouth that could both spew the sharpest insults and the kindest words of support at once, her generosity, intelligence, bravery and tenacity had been something he'd never really expected to encounter in the past.

He glanced surreptitiously at the frail female still focused on her half-eaten meal and he wondered if he'd ever be able to go back to her, to live and share his life with Bulma and their child.

A life of harmony and comfort, a family life…

Family.

He'd never had a family, had he? At least, not one he could actually remember with clarity…

He was a loner, a vagabond with no home and no roots to speak of, and above all, he was a warrior. A killing machine that had been born to fight, destroy and conquer, or die trying. Could he just go back to Earth and live the peaceful life of a family man? And most importantly, did he even deserve such a chance?

The Saiyan was no fool. Even though he'd lived a life of mayhem and destruction he'd always known right from wrong on some level and he knew someone like him was inescapably destined to an eternity burning in Hell.

Sure, his accidental resurrection and new life on Bulma's planet had given him the brief glimpse of hope that maybe, just maybe, he could redeem himself by ascending to Super Saiyan status and destroying those fucking androids that had made his son's and mate's lives a living hell in a different timeline. Throughout those three years spent on Earth, he'd created a pretty grandiose image of himself inside his head, the illusion that he'd have the chance, for once in his life, to go from villain to hero, from killer to savior.

Oh yes, it would have been a glorious moment indeed…

Instead, his nemesis had sacrificed himself in battle like a goddamned martyr, and an eleven-year old kid had killed the monster no one else had been able to defeat.

On his rare good days, he kept reminding himself that he'd contributed to Cell's defeat, by helping Goku's child when he was running out of energy.

On his bad days, however…

Well, on his bad days he literally felt like nothing, like the pathetic shell of a warrior that deserved to crawl into some obscure long-forgotten corner of the Universe and die alone.

If he was completely honest with himself, at times he wished he hadn't even been resurrected to begin with, and he felt like the Gods had brought him back to life only to toy with his pride and laugh at him once again, the same way they had mocked him during his death at the hands of the repulsive purple lizard that had ruined his childhood and stolen his innocence in so many ways…

“Boy… I'm stuffed!” Bulma giggled, gently pushing her unfinished meal away and patting her small belly.

The sound of her laughter was enough to push his old demons away, and the warrior examined her plate, frowning in disapproval.

“You haven't even finished your meal, woman… Eat!” He ordered.

“What? Yes, I have! I'm full!” The heiress whined, almost as if she were a little girl being scolded by her parents.

Vegeta studied her again, noticing that a little color had already returned to Bulma's smooth cheeks and she seemed to be in better spirits. He avoided her gaze again as soon as she offered him one of those sweet smiles full of gratitude that unnerved him so much.

“It was really good…” She said in a low voice, kindly caressing one of his hands. “Thank you, Vegeta…”

The Prince shook her off immediately, shrugging and feeling his face get distressingly hot.

“Tch! You don't have to thank me, woman… All I did was stick that thing in the oven…” He replied, still not looking at her, focusing on his meal as if it were the most interesting thing in the world.

The blue haired beauty smiled knowingly, feeling really tempted to let him know how fucking cute he looked when he was all embarrassed by someone else's thankfulness towards him, but finally choosing to let it go so she wouldn't ruin the moment.

“Still… It was very sweet of you…” She took a large sip of her cold water before she continued. “You were right… I'm feeling much better already…”

Vegeta simply grunted and shrugged again, trying to let the subject go; fewer things made him feel more uncomfortable than Bulma thanking him for something, for anything really, especially taking into account how many things his mate had already done for him and his blatant incompetence at showing her his appreciation for most of them.

As if she could read his mind, the earthling got up and started to clear the table, putting the large amount of already empty dishes inside the dishwasher and pretending not to notice the man's flushed face. He was on his seventh meal and still going strong and she secretly wondered if he was still hungry…

“Do you want me to heat up more meals for you? Or some dessert, perhaps?” She offered.

The Prince swallowed hastily before he replied.

“Dessert,” he said, his eyes never leaving his fourth beef and rice dish.

“Alright…” Bulma murmured, walking to the refrigerator and opening the door, taking a peek inside.

“Wow! My mom sure baked a lot of sweets for you! Mmmm… Let's see… Would you like some apple pie or chocolate cake?”

Vegeta took a large sip of orange juice, directly from a large bottle, drinking half of it in one gulp.

“Both,” he finally replied.

Bulma giggled again, lighting up the room with her cheerfulness.

“Very well, Your Highness…” She said mockingly, placing both desserts on the table, right in front of him. “There you go… Let me get you a knife… Are you done with this?” She asked pointing at the last empty plate he'd just finished. The warrior assented and Bulma grabbed it and placed it in the dishwasher with the others, she then opened the second drawer of the kitchen counter and gave her mate a dessert knife.

The Saiyan's mouth salivated at the sight of the delicious desserts; he held the knife and proceeded to cut each one of the pastries into smaller pieces.

“Do you want a slice, woman?”

“Uh? Um, not thanks…” Bulma mumbled, already walking back to the fridge and opening it again. “I'd swear I just saw some… Oh! There they are!”

The heiress stood next to him, showing him a large bowl of something…

“Strawberries!” She said triumphantly. “You want some?”

Vegeta immediately recognized the tiny red fruits; he recalled having eaten them before and finding them quite tasty, so he grunted in agreement.

“Great! I'll have a few and you can eat the rest! Let me wash them first…”

She placed them in the kitchen sink and thoroughly washed the juicy berries as she hummed a little song. Normally, Vegeta would have found her cheerful behavior annoying after such a long and taxing day, but today he was secretly pleased by her happy mood.

It made him feel strangely good…

Bulma set the large bowl on the table and looked through the kitchen cabinet for a smaller one, putting a few strawberries for her in it and offering Vegeta the rest.

“Wait! I know what will make them taste even better…”

A couple of minutes later, Bulma sat next to him, placing another small bowl near the juicy fruits. The warm and sweet scent let the Prince immediately know it was melted chocolate, a delicacy his woman had also introduced him to in the past...

“Here… I knew we had some chocolate somewhere, I just melted it in the microwave and now we can… Wait, are you...?”

Bulma stopped her chatter all of a sudden, gawking at Vegeta, who hadn't been able to resist the temptation and had simply grabbed a handful of strawberries from the large bowl and shoved them into his mouth. Her shock wasn't lost on the warrior, who finished chewing his food and swallowed quickly.

“What?” He asked, honestly not knowing what the hell he'd done wrong this time.

The heiress smiled a bit, trying not to make him feel self-conscious.

“Um… Nothing… It's just that, well… You're not supposed to eat the green part, that's all…”

Vegeta frowned.

How the fuck was he supposed to know that?

Before he had time to come up with some snarky reply in order to try to hide his embarrassment, Bulma simply kept talking.

“Here, let me show you…”

Bulma grabbed one of the tiny fruits in her small hand and held it by the little patch of green leaves.

“You hold it like this, and then you dip it…” She then submerged the tip of the juicy berry and brought it to her lips, quickly licking a tiny drop of chocolate that was about to drip with the tip of her pink tongue and taking a small bite, moaning in delight and smiling brightly at him in satisfaction.

“See? Slowly… You have to savor it…” She smiled again in encouragement. “Now you try…”

His mortification was soon forgotten at the sight of his woman beaming, and he carefully imitated her actions, trying to enjoy the delectable fruits one by one. They ate in silence for a few minutes, and the Saiyan's mind was gradually overflooded by memories of the time Bulma had first offered him a taste of the heavenly treat.  

Of course, it hadn't been precisely in the kitchen…

It had taken place during one of her nocturnal visits to his almost empty bedroom back at the Capsule Corp. compound. The woman had just recently declared her interest in him in her usual courageous manner: by simply grabbing him and crushing her lips against his in the middle of the Gravity Room during one of their daily heated arguments. His dark eyes had widened in shock at her bold behavior, but he'd quickly allowed himself to play her little game by responding to her actions and deepening their kiss.

A shiver run down his spine as he recalled the look on her face when she'd finally let go of him, desperately gasping for air, her pouty lips swollen by their passionate kiss and a tinge of insecurity in her eyes. For a brief moment, they just stared into each other's eyes not really knowing what to say, before the Prince finally decided to throw caution to the wind and repeat their actions once again, aggressively joining his lips to hers and clutching her soft petite body tightly against his muscular one.

It was fucking incredible…

The second time she'd let go of him, her attitude had changed, and there was a newfound cockiness in her eyes, the confidence of a woman who'd just discovered that the desire she felt towards a man was mutual. She offered him a mischievous smile, so promising that, as the warrior watched her turn around and walk away sensuously swaying her hips on her way out, he knew it wouldn't be long before she'd approach him again.

He'd been right…

That night he was awaken by the faint sounds of her small feet on his room's blue carpet, and once again, she took the initiative by brazenly lifting the bed sheets and getting into bed with him.

He'd been sleeping with his face towards the outside window and felt his body immediately freeze when Bulma, probably believing he was asleep, had simply slid one of her arms underneath his waist, effectively wrapping her arms around him and holding him tight as she buried her cute nose on the back of his neck and pressed her warm form against his.

They stayed that way for a few minutes that seemed like an eternity to Vegeta, and never had the Saiyan Prince felt the internal turmoil he experienced during that time.

Eventually, just as the heiress' breathing had started to slow down, a sign that she was drifting off, he turned around in one smooth motion, startling the woman, who quickly took her arms away from his body. Before he had time to regret his actions, he grabbed her thin wrists and pinned them above her head, making use of his much-prized control in a colossal effort not to hurt her.

Bulma instinctively wrapped her long legs around his hips, and he felt his cock harden just by the mere proximity of her warmth. For the first time in a very long time, the warrior truly didn't know what to do, so he simply stared into her eyes again, just as he'd done hours earlier inside his training chamber, until he finally managed to ask the question that would change their lives forever…

“Woman, are you sure this is what you really want?” He whispered against her trembling lips, feeling her warm breath increasingly speed up at his words.

Vegeta had to know, he needed to know, that the woman knew what she was getting herself into by agreeing to share the bed of a killer, and as usual, her reply was just as daring and shameless as the heiress herself…

The little woman simply raised her head and trapped his lower lip between her teeth hard enough to make him feel the taste of copper in his mouth. The unexpected action would have normally infuriated him but, instead, it awakened a primal, animalistic side of him, and no more questions were asked as they both finally gave in to each other's desires freely.

It had been a memorable night indeed, and when Vegeta finally left his room early in the morning for his daily grueling training session, he took a last lingering look at the sleeping figure of the exhausted woman still laying on his bed, secretly wondering if the heiress would regret her actions after she woke up.

She didn't.

Not only that, but from that moment on, Bulma visited his room almost nightly, and much to his shame, the Prince found himself looking forward to their private moments together.

It was during one of those night incursions that the blue haired beauty had brought what she'd called “a little surprise” for him, cheekily forcing the Saiyan to close his eyes and let her have her way with him. After feigning annoyance for a few minutes, he'd finally decided to follow her instructions, secretly curious about her real intentions, only to find his bronzed skin covered by something warm, sticky and sweet-smelling. Before he had time to complain, his mate's clever little tongue started to work her magic, silencing him for good at first, only to end up making him scream her blasted name as he spilled himself inside her hot wet mouth.  

That intoxicating little minx and her silly games of pleasure…

He'd missed her.

Now, sitting in a dark tiny kitchen in the middle of space, he could acknowledge, once and for all and only to himself, how much he'd missed his little mate.

Both lovers had finished their strawberries by now, and Bulma was innocently toying with the remains of the melted chocolate, sliding one of her dainty index fingers across the small bowl and licking it absentmindedly. This gesture would have normally had a sexual connotation, but the Prince quickly noticed that her pretty face was filled with something he couldn't quite put his finger on.

Melancholy?

“That was going to be my first wish, you know?” She finally said, offering him a sad smile.

Oh, yeah…

It was melancholy…

Vegeta didn't break his silence, not quite knowing what the beautiful woman was talking about, and he simply raised an eyebrow questioningly, crossing his arms across his chest and laying back on the chair, waiting patiently for the explanation he knew was coming.

“The Dragon Balls…” She further explained. “You know… When I first met Goku…”

The Saiyan's body instinctively tensed at the sound of his old enemy's name, but he remained quiet, since he was aware of the fact that the third-class warrior had also been his woman's best friend. The couple hadn't really talked about Kakarot ever since he'd sacrificed in vain to save the Earth, but Vegeta could clearly hear the pain in the scientist's voice as she recalled her adventures with the man she'd often described as her `little brother'…  

“Goku…” She whispered, almost to herself. “He was always different, even back then… I should have known…” She chuckled sadly.

“What?” He enquired nonchalantly, but secretly still feeling a hint of curiosity about his deceased rival.

“That he was different,” Bulma replied, mildly surprised by Vegeta's sudden interest in her stories.

“I actually shot him when we first met, can you believe that?”

“Shot?”

“Yeah, with a gun! And nothing! It didn't hurt him in the least. I should have known back then that he was an alien…”

“How old were you?” He asked again.

“Uh? Um… Sixteen, I think… Yeah, sixteen… And Goku was eleven, even though at first he told me he was fourteen… He was so small in those days…”

The Prince smiled inwardly, trying to picture his woman as a teenage girl holding a weapon and attempting to shoot a Saiyan child. No wonder she hadn't been able to hurt him, since their skin was much more resilient than that of humans. Still, the woman had always had guts, he gave her that.

“Yeah… He always behaved like an alien, I guess…” She giggled at her own memories. “Did you know he couldn't even tell if people were male or female?”

Vegeta couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at that.

“You can't be serious…”

Bulma chuckled again.

“I am! You know what he used to do? He used to pat people on the crotch and ask them if they were a boy or a girl…”

She shook her head.

“He even stole my underwear while I was asleep once because he wanted to see if I had balls like his grandfather… You don't wanna know how I found out he'd taken them…”

The man remained silent, not knowing whether he should be amused at the young boy's antics or jealous that the clown had seen his woman's intimate parts even before he had, but Bulma gave him little time to ponder as she kept talking.

“There was no malice in him though… So I couldn't even get mad at him for too long. He was pretty much the same as he was as an adult…” She said in a voice filled with nostalgia.

“So, he was always an idiot, then…” Vegeta replied maliciously.

“Mmm… I'd say he was naïve… Very naïve… But he was clever when it came to fighting, I guess… It must be that Saiyan blood, uh?”

Vegeta nodded in agreement.

It looked like, in spite of the childhood accident that had drastically changed the personality of the third-class warrior, his Saiyan instincts and thirst for battle had always been present in the child's life.

“That's what I thought…” Bulma said after her mate's gesture confirmed her suspicions regarding Goku's behavior.

“Anyway… As I was saying, the first thing I wanted to wish with the Dragon Balls was strawberries…”

“Strawberries?” He asked incredulously.

“Yup! All the strawberries I could eat!”

“Woman, you are utterly insane…” He continued, shaking his head in disbelief and making Bulma blush.

“Oh, shush!” She yelled in embarrassment. “I was a kid!”

“Tch! That's no excuse for having such ridiculous thoughts, woman. Even at that age I would have never wasted a wish on something so ridiculous, especially considering what you were asking for was something you could purchase at any food store.”

“I know… I know…” She said, waving her hand in agreement.

Bulma had to bite her tongue when she felt the strong desire to ask him about what his wish would have been back then, but she also acknowledged she knew nothing about what sixteen-year-old Vegeta was like, and she didn't feel like opening that can of worms, especially when they were finally having some kind of normal conversation.

The Saiyan and the heiress had certainly conversed in the past, but it was usually about the warrior's training or during their passionate nights together. Never had they simply just sat in the kitchen sharing old memories, and she didn't want to ruin such a pleasant moment.

“Like I said, that had been my first choice, but eventually I decided to change it anyway…”

“What did you ask for then, woman?” He asked with interest.

“Well…” Bulma replied, putting her elbow on the table and leaning on it, placing her soft cheek in her hand as she continued her recollection of past events. “I actually never got the chance to ask for anything, because a lot of stuff happened… We met some people that wanted them as well, and… Long story short, Goku ended up transforming into that giant ape form… What's it called?”

“Oozaru” Vegeta simply answered.

“Yeah… Oozaru… Man! He almost killed us all! Thankfully Yamcha was also there, because we met during that trip, you know? And he managed to cut off Goku's tail…” Bulma stopped for a few seconds, lost in her own memories…

“So, eventually Oolong was the one that ended up making the wish…”

“Who?” The warrior asked, honestly not knowing who that was.

“One of our friends… The one that looks like a pig, remember?”

Vegeta grunted, quickly recognizing who the heiress was talking about.

“Yeah, so in the end he… You know…” She closed her eyes, and the Prince noticed the hint of a blush adorn her cheeks again.

“What?”

“He asked for some panties,” she finally said in a low voice.

The warrior remained silent, not quite believing his ears.

“Panties.”

“Yeah…”

“Panties?”

“Yup…”

“Seriously?”

“Yes, Vegeta! Panties!” She replied in exasperation and shame. “As in, woman's underwear, you know…”

Vegeta closed his eyes and shook his head.

Typical…

Leave it to a bunch of earthlings to embark on some adventurous hunt in search of the mythical dragon balls only to ultimately make a stupid disgraceful wish with them. As if reading his mind, Bulma giggled and shook her head too.

“I know it was stupid… But looking back, I guess in the end it was a positive experience, because that's how we all met each other, you know? So, I like to believe that everything happened for a reason…”

The Saiyan just kept staring at her with crossed arms and unfathomable eyes, feeling like he'd just discovered a little piece of his mate's life he'd never really known before.

For some unexplainable reason, he wanted more…

“And then what happened?” He finally asked.

Bulma raised her head and those beautiful blue eyes of hers widened a little in shock. Vegeta had never really showed any kind of interest in her past adventures, and even less in what he called her `stupid friends', so she decided to indulge him, without questioning the reasons behind this newfound interest in her.

She offered him a warm smile before she continued her recollection…

“Well, then…”

She talked.

She talked, and talked, and talked as her mate sat on the kitchen chair in front of her, quietly listening to her little stories. She told him about Goku and Krillin, how they met, their training with Roshi… Even though she hadn't been present throughout many of her old friend's adventures, Goku had visited her often after she'd gone back to Capsule Corp. to resume her normal life, or at least, what had been normal to a young girl in her position, and he'd always updated her on his latest exploits.

Bulma also shared her own youth struggles with Vegeta. How, when she'd finally decided she wanted to work with his father in the family business, Dr. Briefs had agreed on the condition that she'd first get a formal education, which she'd attempted to achieve with disastrous consequences.

Being perceived as the spoiled, wealthy heiress of an empire had been a burden to the young girl, who had been bullied and rejected by most people her age, and had eventually turned to home schooling, successfully reaching the academic status her father had required from her in less than two years, thus earning the right to finally join the company and get to work in her father's lab.

Every now and then, Dr. Briefs would grant his adventurous daughter permission to travel with Goku in his crazy escapades, but as the Saiyan child grew stronger, so did his enemies, and Bulma admitted to not feeling safe anymore sometimes during their trips together, leaving the young boy alone throughout most of his battles in the end.

Every now and then, Vegeta would ask her a short question, or would make an insightful comment, and as the hours went by, the warrior was able to finally get a bigger picture on who his woman truly was and how she'd managed to become the extraordinary person she was today.

“So, in the end, you didn't make your wish…” The Prince finally said, finishing his third cup of tea and placing his now empty mug on the table.

“I guess I didn't… Although it doesn't matter anymore, because it came true eventually…” She replied, a mysterious expression gracing her delicate features.

An intrigued Vegeta leaned his elbows on the table, getting closer to his woman, and he couldn't help but ask his final question.

“What was your wish, woman?”

“I wanted to find the perfect man,” she whispered, almost as if she was sharing the most important and deepest secret in the entire universe. Her words momentarily silenced the Saiyan Prince, until he finally snorted, shaking his head once again.

“Don't be ridiculous, woman! I may not know much about such matters, but I highly doubt that fool was the perfect man…”

Bulma frowned in confusion, never breaking eye contact with her mate.

“What fool?”

“The weakling! Who else? Seriously, woman, if he was the perfect man why did you end up kicking him out of your life?” He asked arrogantly.

The heiress simply looked at him and smiled softly, quickly correcting his mistake.

“Who said I was talking about Yamcha?”

Her words removed the smugness away from his face faster than the speed of light, and both lovers simply stared at each other: Bulma impatiently awaiting some kind of reaction from her mate and Vegeta completely astonished by the scientist's revelations.

The perfect man?

Him?

She had to be joking!

Ever since they'd met he'd treated her like shit, at least, by the standards he knew Earth women had regarding their male partners…

He'd been proud and distant, always showing her courtesy, but simply because the woman had served a purpose. She'd given him food and shelter, and provided him with the best training equipment the Prince could have asked for. Still, he could admit to having never offered her any form of romantic affection, even after their private affair, or whatever it was that was going on between them, had started.

He'd given her pleasure, just as much as she'd given him, and yes, the little woman had slowly managed to get under his skin in some ways, but as far as he knew, he'd always kept a cautious distance, constantly working on maintaining those impenetrable walls he'd cleverly crafted around himself through the years.

He'd abandoned her.

Twice.

The first time, when he'd realized the woman was carrying his child, and the second time after the Cell Games. And now here she was, calling him the `perfect man', her face reflecting a confidence that told him she truly believed the words that had just come out of her pretty mouth.

After what felt like an eternity, Vegeta leaned back on the chair, tiredly running his hand through his face and hair several times.

“Bulma…” He finally muttered.

He wanted to tell her she was wrong, that she was absolutely fucking crazy if she thought a bastard like him really was the perfect anything, let alone the perfect man, and yet, as he looked at those spectacular blue eyes, filled with hope and anticipation, he knew if he said any of those things he'd instantly break his woman's heart…

“It's been a long day, perhaps we should get some rest,” he said instead.

If he didn't want to hurt her, he'd just failed miserably, since he immediately saw Bulma's beautiful face fall into a sad frown.

“Oh… Right…” Bulma mumbled nervously, shyly staring at the floor while she awkwardly stood from the chair and grabbed the empty coffee mugs, placing them in the kitchen sink.

“I'm sorry… You must be tired and I've been just babbling all this time…” She said uncomfortably, now walking towards the living area. Before she could get too far, Vegeta held her wrist, kindly but firmly.

“There's no need to apologize, woman, I've quite enjoyed our conversation,” he said in an effort to make the heiress feel better. He had the impression that she was feeling rejected by his reaction to her declaration.

And he was right.

Bulma was feeling absolutely mortified…

What had she been thinking, saying something like that? They'd just been reunited a few days ago and she'd already told him that she loved him and called him her perfect man.

She truly was pathetic, wasn't she?

“Where are the beds, woman?” Vegeta asked, realizing Bulma's new space ship was quite different from the one he'd used in the past.

“Um… They're in there,” she said, pointing towards a small corridor to their right. “But I encapsulated a large bed, let me get it…”

The heiress walked to the small couch in front of the television, searching through her capsule belt and grabbing one of the tiny capsules.

“Here,” she continued, offering him the small object, which the Prince quickly took in his hand, pressing the button and throwing it in front of them. A massive king sized bed, very similar to the one Bulma had in her own bedroom back on Earth materialized, and Vegeta simply stood there, not quite knowing what to say or what their sleeping arrangement was supposed to be.

As if reading his thoughts, his mate quickly tried to appease his doubts.

“You can use it if you like, the other beds are really small and with your injury you'll be more comfortable here…” She said timidly, wrapping her arms around herself nervously.

“You sleep here, woman, I'll be fine in one of the single beds.”

“Are you sure about that? I don't mind sleeping in a small bed, really…” She continued in a voice laced with honest concern for him.

He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration.

“Bulma…” He started, but his woman immediately cut him off.

“Alright, suit yourself…” She finally murmured, giving him her back and walking towards the bed, removing her jumper and throwing it on the floor on her way there. Underneath, she was wearing a thin shirt with spaghetti straps, and she didn't even remove her leggings either, taking off her shoes, crawling on the bed and lifting the covers tiredly, getting inside and turning on her side, giving him her back.

She'd done enough begging for one day.

Bulma's exhausted body formed a tiny ball and she closed her eyes, which were now burning with unshed tears. She felt utterly humiliated, as if she'd just spent the past few hours opening her heart like never before, only to have the Saiyan stomp all over it in return, and she wondered once again if perhaps she was simply fooling herself. Maybe her mate had only agreed to take her with him to create the illusion that he'd given their relationship a chance, but in all honesty, it seemed like he'd just said yes to humor her and make her shut up for a while. She decided, right then and there, that she wouldn't expose her emotions the way she had tonight ever again. Bulma was, after all, a proud woman, and she wasn't used to putting herself in such emotionally vulnerable situations.

Vegeta, on his part, was battling his own internal conflict one more time.

What was that damn tightness in his throat all of a sudden?

The sight of the petite woman, laying dejectedly on the bed, was making him feel like he was the biggest asshole in existence, and he stood there uncertainly with his arms crossed.

A part of him, a really big part of him, felt tempted to simply walk out of there and lock himself inside one of the small rooms until they arrived at their destination, but he knew that was the easy way out, and if he'd learnt something over the past few days, ever since his mate had walked back into his life, was that neither of them was really willing to take the easy route anymore.

He knew how proud the heiress was, and how hard it must have been for her to show him the patience and kindness that she had. The fact that she'd chosen to just sit down with him and talk about her memories and past experiences instead of interrogating him about all the shit he'd been involved in ever since his departure from Earth told him Bulma was definitely becoming a new woman. A more mature, patient and understanding woman.

Could that mean there was still hope for him too?

The hope that he might become a better man?

It was highly doubtful, but as he finally removed his armor, boots and flying suit and walked towards the bed, sinking one of his strong knees into the large mattress, the Prince told himself that the only thing that could get hurt by trying to imitate the woman's new behavior was his pride, but, hadn't she humbled herself enough for him already?

He sighed wearily and laid on the bed, and instead of adopting his usual sleeping posture, which consisted on sleeping on his back with his arms crossed behind his neck, her rolled on his side, facing his little mate's body and stretching one of his arms, placing it on top of the large pillow.

Bulma remained silent for a few minutes, her heart in her throat at the feeling of Vegeta's heavy body laying on the bed behind her. His actions went against everything she'd grown to expect from him. She was so used to seeing him walk away and disappear every single time he'd been faced with the possibility of having to express any kind of emotion or intimacy other than sex that, for an instant, she truly didn't know how to react.

`Have courage, Bulma…'

Finally, after taking a deep breath she slowly turned around, bravely facing the warrior and discovering his surprisingly new sleeping posture, knowing full well that this wasn't the way her mate usually rested at night. What was even more shocking was the way he was staring at her with those dark, penetrating, unblinking eyes…

After a few moments, she boldly stretched her fragile hand and placed it over his, letting go of the breath she didn't know she was holding when Vegeta, her Vegeta, immediately squeezed her hand back.

The heiress kept looking at him, his handsome, chiseled features only illuminated by the dim light coming from the kitchenette, and despite the foreign nature of the moment both lovers were sharing, she finally managed to smile sweetly at him, deeply grateful by the immense effort she knew he was making.

He didn't smile back, but the fact that he kept firmly holding her hand encouraged her to make her next move, carefully placing that strong, warm hand on her creamy hip, and getting closer to him, until her tiny form was firmly pressed against his muscular one.

Bulma felt the Prince's throat bob nervously against her brow, bringing her a fleeting sense of insecurity.

`Had she overstepped his boundaries, after all?'

Her fears dissipated when Vegeta finally wrapped his arms around her waist, bringing her body even closer and sharing his warmth with her. His mate's soft breath against his skin and the way her delicate body finally relaxed in his embrace made him experience a strange kind of pride; he then closed his eyes and buried his nose in her silky, feathery hair, feeling the calmness that the woman's presence had brought back into his life wash all over him.

Bulma finally closed her eyes as well, giving in to her tiredness.

“Goodnight, Vegeta…” She whispered.

He didn't immediately reply, basking in these newfound emotions for a while, completely fascinated by them.

The past twenty-four hours had certainly been an emotional roller coaster for the couple, but somehow, they'd made it.

Together.

Vegeta noticed his ribs barely hurt anymore, and he was laying on a warm, comfortable bed with a stomach full of delicious food and the most special woman he'd ever met sound asleep, snuggling cozily in his arms.

He still had no idea what it was that his mate wanted from him and whether or not he'd be able to give it to her in the future, but he chose to put his doubts and insecurities aside, smiling against her hair and murmuring…

“Goodnight, woman…”