Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Falling Away With You ❯ Chapter 2 ( Chapter 2 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: Froglady15 
Anime/Manga: Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 07.17.2016 | Pages: 13 | Words: 8.8K | Visits: 350 | Status: Work In Progress
Anime/Manga: Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 07.17.2016 | Pages: 13 | Words: 8.8K | Visits: 350 | Status: Work In Progress
Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Just my Husband,
laptop, my 3 dogs and a very overactive imagination… Dragon
Ball Z and any songs mentioned in this fic DO NOT belong to me. I'm
just borrowing them for my own twisted amusement.
Falling Away With You
Chapter 2
It turned out she hadn’t had to do anything about Vegeta. It had now been nine months since the Cell games and she hadn’t seen or heard from him since their altercation in the kitchen and that had been almost six months ago; she estimated, give or take.
He hadn’t returned to Capsule Corporation for three weeks and when he had, he hadn’t made an appearance or a demand or anything and it was beginning to worry her somewhat despite her wanting nothing to do with him anyway.
Another month went by and still there was no sign of Vegeta other than an empty fridge every few days.
“I think he’s depressed, dear,” her mother finally said to her one morning.
“Well I get that, yea,” Bulma sighed. “But why?”
“I don’t know, dear,” her mother replied. “Maybe you should be the bigger person and find out. He has to be very lonely. I’m getting quite worried about him to be honest.”
“Trust me, whatever is bothering Vegeta, he won’t want to talk about it,” she snorted. Least of all to me of all people.
“Well maybe at first, no,” her mother argued. She was determined to get those two on speaking terms at the very least. It simply broke her heart that Vegeta seemed to feel he could not interact with his son. “But maybe let him know that you’re there for him if he does need someone. Even if he doesn’t talk to you, it may be a comfort to him.”
“Yeah, right,”
“Just go up there and ask him to have a meal with you,” she suggested. “I don’t think he’s eaten anything in a few days judging by the fullness of my fridge. It just so happens that I prepared a ton of food and it’s a beautiful day. I was going to go call on your father and ask him if he’d like to have brunch outside but I think you should ask Vegeta to instead.”
“Mom, I really don’t think-”
“Do it,” she snipped at her. “At least extend the invitation and if he comes, great. If he doesn’t then your father and I will join you but at least try. It’s the least you could do after the terrible way you’ve treated him.”
Bulma was somewhat taken back by her mother’s stern tone. She hadn’t spoken to her like that since she was a little child and she knew that tone meant that there was no sense in arguing with her. “Alright,” she sighed in resignation. “Don’t be surprised if he blows a hole through the door and I’m nothing more than charred remains all over the carpet,”
“Well, be nice to him and that shouldn’t be an issue,” she replied dismissively.
Bulma shook her head and exited the kitchen. Her mother had absolutely zero understanding of who Vegeta was and what he was fully capable of. Even she knew that after everything that had transpired between them the best thing she could do would be to just leave him alone.
However, she did feel somewhat bad for him that he seemed to be depressed. It had been long enough that he should have shaken whatever it was that was bothering him and move on with life whether he remained here or left to go become the galactic overlord he seemed to have always dreamed of being.
Deciding she’d be as nice to him as possible, she racked up the courage to knock on his door.
She waited a moment before knocking again when she heard no response.
After waiting another few minutes, she opened the door a crack, peering into the darkened room. “Vegeta?” she whispered.
Once again, he didn’t respond and a weave of concern washed over her as her stomach dropped. Was he dead, she wondered as she peered into the room and walked up to his bed. She felt relieved as she heard him breathing.
“Vegeta,” she tried again, poking him gently on his shoulder.
“Can you not take a hint? Get out and leave me alone!” he snarled, grabbing the comforter and burying himself under it.
Bulma stood there in the middle of his room, dumbfounded by his behaviour. It was so unlike him to just hibernate for weeks and months on end. Even after his accident when the gravity room exploded they’d had to pump him full of sedatives to keep him calm and it was the only way to keep him from walking out and commence his heavy training regimen again. Even then, he had caught onto that after a few days and ripped the IVs out of his arm and bullied his way out of the medical wing and he was right back at it full force even though his body must have been in incredible pain.
She winced now at the memory of that and remembered that despite her anger and worry at him for pushing himself so hard so soon after such a traumatic event, she had admired his dedication and determination to reach his goal. That is the Vegeta I know; not this... she thought to herself sadly.
Making up her mind that he had sulked enough, she boldly walked up to his bed and quickly yanked the comforter off of him and tossed it to the other side of the room.
“What is wrong with you?” he shouted angrily. “What part of leave me the fuck alone, do you not understand or is it that you have a death wish?”
She completely ignored him and walked over to his window and opened up the thick curtains, letting the late morning sunlight into the room.
“Because if you are so anxious to die, I can finish what that android started that day on the battle field only there will be no one to save you,” he cruelly went on, putting his hand out to shield his eyes from the sudden light as she opened the windows to let some fresh air into the stuffy room.
She shot him a dirty look even though she was fairly confident that he wouldn’t actually harm her or take her life. The mention of that incident was still hurtful to her however.
“It is not like Kakarott is around to stop me anymore from ridding myself of your nuisance,” he continued. “The half-breed is too soft hearted and the Namek I am sure would not care less what happened to you!”
“I’m sick and tired of your moping,” she said finally, choosing to ignore his mean spirited rant. “It stinks in here because you’ve been all cooped up, your bedding needs to be cleaned. So I’ll tell you what, I have a huge feast organized for a picnic outside on this glorious day we are having. It will be just me and Trunks. Come out, blow some stink off, have some lunch and enjoy the sun and fresh air for a few minutes and I will have your room cleaned and freshened up and new sheets put on the bed while you do that and then you can go back to hibernating or whatever this is. Sound fair?” she said firmly.
Vegeta gave her a murderous look at the sheer audacity she had to come in here and disturb him and tell him what to do. Blow some stink off? What the fuck does that even mean, he raged internally. He was about to decline in the most vicious tone he could come up with when he was interrupted by the loud and obvious growl of his stomach.
She smiled triumphantly as she heard his stomach answer and make the decision for him. “I’ll see you outside in a few,” she said cheerfully as she gathered up his comforter and stuffed it into the hamper. She would let her mother know to get him a clean one and change the sheets as well. “Trust me, it’s a picnic worthy of Saiyan royalty.”
Vegeta snorted in anger as he watched her scuttle out of his room. Sure he was hungry but he resented now having to go out and get his meal on her terms.
After sitting there petulantly for a few minutes, he got out of bed and opted for a shower before going to meet the dragon lady and the brat for lunch.
Bulma was walking on air, feeling quite pleased with herself for having conquered the sleeping Saiyan beast upstairs. So he is depressed, she said to herself. Mom was right after all.
“So?” her mother chirped cheerfully. “Did you get him to come out for a little bit?”
“I did,” she nodded, picking Trunks up from his high chair. “His bedroom and sheets and stuff could use some freshening up, it’s really stuffy in that room of his. Can you please just change his bedding?”
“Hmm, I think it would be a better idea if you did that, dear,” she suggested.
Bulma rolled her eyes at her mother and her obvious match making. “Fine, I’ll do it; but your transparent methods of trying to get Vegeta and I together are lame; even for you, just so you know,” she said, wanting to make it obvious to her mother that she knew exactly what she was trying to do. “Trust me, it will take a whole lot more than a good meal and cleaning his room to make him decide I’m wife material, mother.”
“Of course, dear, but a small, random act of kindness in the time of need can go a long way,” her mother commented wisely. “That boy is so down in the dumps, it simply breaks my heart. How could not spending a few hours in the beautiful outdoor weather with you and that adorable son of his not be enough to put even the most depressed soul in a good mood.”
“One can only hope,” Bulma sighed. Though I’m not going to hold my breath. Nothing puts Vegeta in a good mood, she lamented to herself. “We'll be outside if you need us.”
“Alright dear,” her mother nodded. “Remember to be nice to Vegeta, no bickering. And I will put out some fresh sheets and towels.”
“Thanks, mom,” she said heading outside with Trunks.
She set him down on the blanket before decapsulating a little chair for him to sit in, like a ground level high chair. Since learning to walk, Trunks had become extremely mobile and she had to watch him like a hawk. He was a runner.
Bulma plunked him inside and began laying out the spread of food hoping to have everything all ready before Vegeta showed up; if he shows up, she said to herself. While she wasn’t entirely sure whether or not he would, she did know that when food was a part of the equation, the chances were pretty good that any Saiyan wouldn’t be able to stay away for long. She wasn’t entirely certain how long it had been since his last meal, but she knew that it had been a while and that he hadn’t been eating as much as he should be.
No matter what their personal issues were, she couldn’t help but feel sorry for him and want to help him out of whatever this funk was; it was scaring her and she had no idea of what to do to even try and help him.
She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she didn’t even notice him approach them.
“Hey! You came!” she exclaimed cheerfully. Truthfully she wasn’t sure if he would or not.
He didn’t reply, only glanced briefly at Trunks and looked over the abundance of food that she had prepared for lunch.
As he stood there, looking uncomfortable, she patted the blanket in encouragement for him to join them. “Dig in,”
Vegeta glanced at Trunks again before walking over to the opposite side of the blanket so he wasn’t sitting near him.
“He doesn’t bite, Vegeta,” she sighed in disappointment before she could check her mouth. Don’t be mean! This is supposed to be fun. That he actually showed up is a huge enough deal. Don’t screw it up!
Vegeta shot her a somewhat dirty look but said nothing as he sat down. If she was going to do nothing but insult and berate him, he would leave; he didn’t have the energy to bicker with her but he would give her a chance. Hopefully the meal would at least be worth it and from the look of it, it was quite the feast.
Bulma handed him a plate so he could begin serving himself. “There you go,” she suddenly felt self-conscious and nervous as she realized that she had nothing to say to him. It had been so long since they had been in each other’s company by choice and when they were, they were far from cordial with one another.
Instead of worrying about what to say and what not to say to Vegeta, she just settled on fixing up a plate of food for Trunks and herself and worry about their interaction later. She wasn’t even sure herself about what she wanted or expected out of Vegeta. He was here, wasn’t he? Just concentrate on being nice. Don’t say anything to piss him off.
Vegeta loaded up his plate and settled in. It was a gorgeous day today, he noticed and a small part of him didn’t mind that the woman had made him get up and come outside.
He knew that he needed to get a handle and start training again; all this wallowing in shame and self-pity was making him sink even deeper in his feelings of shame because he was ashamed of himself. He was ashamed of his performance on the battle field against not only the androids but Cell himself. It was because of him and his arrogance that Cell had achieved his perfect form, he was ashamed at how poorly he had treated the future version of his son. He was even ashamed of his inability to protect him and that Cell had killed him. It was no consolation to him that Future Trunks had been revived by the dragonballs. It should have never happened in the first place and he still had moments where he wished that it had been him who Cell had killed and not his son. He knew that he would not have been able to be revived but somehow that was alright with him. His life was like one big cruel joke.
Trunks coughing on something took him out of his melancholy thoughts and he looked at the toddler for a moment. That was his son. As much as he wanted to deny it, he knew it was true. The boy from the future was the grown version of this infant child and while he did feel some measure of pride in knowing that he would grow up and be exceptionally powerful, there was that shame again convincing him that he didn’t have anything to contribute or offer the boy. Knowing the future version of his son proved that.
In the other timeline, he would have been long dead by now. Bulma would have raised him mostly on her own and he had to give her credit where credit was due: she had done an exceptionally good job raising their son. So what was the point of getting involved? There was none from his point of view.
“Slow down and chew properly before swallowing,” Bulma said to Trunks who looked as though he was trying to rival his father and keep pace with him.
Vegeta observed them for a moment before turning back to his own meal and thoughts. “You are a good mother,” he accidentally said out loud as he watched her wipe his mouth and began tearing some of the food items on his plate into smaller portions so he would not choke on them.
Bulma froze and looked at Vegeta in shock. Did he actually just say that, she asked herself as she wondered if he had actually said that or if she had imagined it?
The look in his face told her that he had not meant to say it but he indeed had said it.
Despite feeling overjoyed by that simple statement, she didn’t want to ruin it by making a big deal about it even though it was by far the nicest thing that he had ever said to her. “Thank you,” she said simply, smiling demurely at him.
Vegeta awkwardly went back to his own meal, embarrassed that he had said what he had. He had only been thinking about the boy from the future and how it was this very same woman who raised him in that timeline and had done a good job. He knew it was certain that this version of Bulma would raise Trunks just as well if not better now that their home wasn't destroyed, but he hadn’t meant to say it out loud to her. He could tell from the smile she gave him that she had been touched by his slip up and he could tell she was trying to not show how happy she felt to hear that from him. While part of him regretted it because he did not want to give her the impression that he wanted anything to do with either her or Trunks, another part of him thought she should know and he wondered if the future version of Bulma knew that.
“You know, the gravity room is all fixed up and upgraded,” she said casually, wanting to change the subject as it had now gone back to awkward silence between them and she wanted to keep the positive vibe going. “I made some revisions after the Cell games. It’s in a capsule, but it’s in my lab on my desk with your name written on it.”
Vegeta didn’t reply for a moment. Once again, his inner self nagged at him that he needed to get back to training again, but deep down another part of him had absolutely no desire. What was the point? There was no impending doom around the corner about to destroy this mud ball, which is exactly why you need to be training. A real warrior must train hard even in times of peace because that is when things happen. When everyone else settles into a false sense of security. That is when your enemies will strike. That is why it is imperative to train even in times of peace, for there is no rest for true warriors, his father’s wise but stern voice echoed in his mind as though he had told him these things yesterday. Peace is for women and weaklings.
True, he replied to the inner voice of his that had taken on his father’s voice and reasoning. But I do not give a shit about this place, so what does it matter?
It matters because you would bring down further disgrace and dishonour upon the Saiyan race by neglecting your duty as a member of the elite royal family, his father’s voice argued. You are the last full-blooded Saiyan that remains in the entirety of the universe. You owe it to your ancestors to honour your heritage that way since you could not avenge our people by destroying Frieza.
Vegeta abruptly quit eating, stood up and took to the sky to fly as quickly as his strength would allow him to. He knew the voice in his head was his own and not those of his father actually haunting him but that did not make him feel any better. It was true. If his father could speak to him from beyond the next dimension that would be exactly what he would say to him.
He was a disgrace.
He was a disgrace to his heritage and to his own people. He was a traitor and disgrace of a warrior during his time in the PTO under Frieza, and he was a disgrace here by acting as a liability on the battlefield during the Cell games and refusing to confront this new role he had been forced into as a father. What good was he to anyone he wondered as he continued to fly around aimlessly.
Bulma blinked in confusion at Vegeta’s sudden and abrupt departure, wondering what she had done to set him off like that. She had thought things had gone well between them just now. Well, it was the best interaction they’d had since the night before the Androids appeared.
Why had mentioning the gravity room set him off like that? Well I know he knows where it is, so when he wants to train, he’ll go train I guess, she shrugged, finishing up her own lunch. She needed to do Vegeta’s room so that it was ready for when he came back, if he comes back.
-0-0-0-
It had been almost two months before Vegeta returned to Capsule Corporation.
Bulma had been beginning to worry and had considered calling up Krillin or Yamcha and asking them to make a search party for him. The only reason she hadn’t done that was because she assumed that would only make things worse and knowing Vegeta, he would stay away longer just on principal.
She wasn’t sure when exactly he had returned, she only knew he had because the kitchen fridge had been raided and was completely empty the next morning and his bedroom door had been shut.
Another month or so had passed before she had even caught a glimpse of him.
She had gone down to the kitchen getting some apple juice for Trunks. He had started throwing up about an hour prior and she figured he might like something other than water to drink now that he was settled in her bed now.
Bulma gasped as she turned around to head back upstairs when she noticed Vegeta sitting at the kitchen table. “You scared the shit out of me,” she said, placing a hand on her chest.
“Hmmn,” he grunted in response.
Instead of rushing out of the kitchen and back to Trunks, she paused a moment to look at him. He looked rough and tired as he was picking away at whatever was left on the plate in front of him. “There’s stuff in the freezer that mum made while you were gone,” she said, putting the glass of juice down on the table and going to the freezer. “There’s a couple of different lasagnes here, two meatloaves… I don’t know what this is, but there’s meat in it,” she said putting the corning ware dish containing the mystery meal on the countertop as she rummaged through the freezer.
Vegeta didn’t say anything as he watched her.
“Here,” she said as she took out a meatloaf and put it next to the casserole dish. “I’ll put these two in the oven for you. They’re cooked, just frozen so they’ll only need like an hour.”
He shrugged. “The brat is ill, why are you wasting your time?”
Bulma sighed in frustration, biting her tongue and refraining from saying something in retaliation. “Well, I’m putting them I the oven for you if you want them,” she sighed, placing them in the oven and setting the temperature and timer on it. She was sure she wouldn’t be getting much sleep tonight anyway. “If not, they’ll be in the fridge after I warm them up.”
Vegeta didn’t comment further. He just wanted to be left alone. That was the reason he came out at this hour, because everyone in the house was asleep and he could eat in peace and then go back to bed.
Bulma took the juice and headed back to her bedroom where Trunks was asleep. She set the glass on her night table, kissed him on his warm forehead and went to crawl into the other side of her bed to try and get some sleep until she was woken up again by Trunks getting sick.
The next day, late in the afternoon, Trunks seemed to be feeling better and was fast asleep in her bed. Bulma was almost too exhausted to function. She did, however walk over to her office on the compound and decapsulated the gravity simulator for Vegeta since he was living at Capsule Corporation again. He may not want to socialize, but maybe it would give him something to do while he was up and about in the middle of the night. If he didn’t feel comfortable enough for whatever reason going to get it from her lab or asking her for it, she figured maybe if she left it out for him he may be inclined to use it.
It was still bothering her that he seemed to still be stuck into some kind of deep depression. It had been a year now since the Cell games and he was still unresponsive. It was beginning to worry her and she had debated for weeks now as to whether he needed a pep talk or just someone around who cared? She didn’t know, so she had left him alone for the most part, assuming that when he was ready, he would start with his previous training but that still hadn’t happened.
She stood in the living room a moment, trying to decide where she should go. Trunks was asleep in her room so if she went there, she risked waking him up. Deciding to stay up despite her exhaustion, she headed towards Vegeta’s bedroom to tell him that she had set up the gravity room for him.
Bulma questioned herself a moment as soon as she reached the door, wondering if it was such a good idea to walk in there. Shrugging, she quietly opened the door and walked in, carefully closing it.
The heavy curtains were drawn, not leaving much light into the room despite the brightness from outside.
“Vegeta?” she whispered, unsure if he was asleep or awake.
There was no response.
“You know, there’s a perfectly good gravity room outside on the lawn with your name on it just waiting to be broken or blown up or even used to train I guess since you haven’t blown it up except for that one time,” she rambled nervously. Originally she’d had an up building, positive speech planned out but once she’d made it all the way up here and she realized who she was trying to give a pep talk to and suddenly she was nervous.
She couldn’t even really see him, he was buried beneath the blankets and she couldn’t even see his hair sticking out from beneath them. Unsure if he had even heard her or if he was asleep, she gently poked him on what she assumed was his back.
“Leave me alone, woman,” he growled irritably, remaining curled in the fetal position in his bed, his back to her.
Bulma stood there a moment, unsure of what to do. Things were apparently even worse than she thought. It had been over a year since the Cell games and Vegeta was still keeping himself locked away, only coming out for meals in the middle of the night, if at all, from what she could tell.
After deliberating long and hard for a few minutes on what to do, it hit her again how exhausted she was and she decided to be bold. She threw the covers back and started to crawl into bed next to him.
“What the hell do you think you are doing?” he snarled in outrage as she pulled the covers back over them and settled herself in, spooning him from behind.
“Taking a nap,” she replied as she wrapped her arms around his waist despite his objection.
“Your room is down the hall,” he growled. “Go take a nap there.”
“No,” she sighed, hugging him tightly to her. “Trunks is sleeping in my bed and I’m quite comfortable here, thanks.”
Vegeta sighed in annoyance. “I was comfortable until you showed up to bother me.”
She ignored him, nuzzling her face into the back of his neck and breathing his scent in. God I forgot how good he smells!
When she didn’t respond, he decided to just leave it be. Just so long as she doesn’t get any ideas, he told himself.
It took him a while to relent and decide to just let her remain as she was. He was not comfortable with Bulma’s close proximity and the last thing he wanted to do was start anything between them again. The last time had been a mistake and he had no intention of going there again with her and accidentally spawning any more brats.
Though he had to admit, it wasn’t completely unpleasant having her laying there with him innocently like this. It was a very different experience for him. She was holding him. Isn’t it supposed to be the other way around, he asked himself. He remembered from the television shows he had watched with her before that it was usually the male who held and consoled the female. Is that what she thinks she is doing, he asked himself and he had to admit, he did feel oddly comforted by the gesture if he thought about it. But why would she feel the need to do that?
“Stop over thinking it and go to sleep,” she mumbled into his neck. She knew he was wide awake and more than likely inwardly freaking out over this development. “I just came to make sure you’re still alive in here because we haven’t seen or heard from you in weeks and I really need to take a nap where it’s nice and quiet and I won’t get woken up by a needy toddler the moment I fall asleep, not proposing marriage or anything else so you can relax. Besides, I haven’t shaved my legs in weeks and I’m way too tired for sex so you’re safe if that’s why you’re worried.”
She felt him relax almost immediately at her admission that this meant nothing significant and as soon as he did, she snuggled herself in tighter behind him, ready to sleep.
Vegeta was relieved that he wasn’t expected to do anything or to reciprocate, though he did not want his allowing her to remain in his bed like this to mean that he was open to something more or for her to read it that way. He did however drift off back to sleep again within a few minutes.
Bulma woke up several hours later somewhat confused. It took her a few minutes to recognize her surroundings and remember that she had fallen asleep in Vegeta’s bed. She smiled to herself as she turned her head and realized he was still asleep next to her. She was laying on her back and he had rolled over at some point and was asleep on his stomach with an arm draped leisurely across her waist; he wasn’t holding her, but it was still physical contact all the same and she was surprised by how happy it made her feel.
She didn’t move. She did not want to disturb him and have him shove her away out of his own embarrassment, but she studied his face as best as she could under the minimal amount of light coming into the room from the drawn curtains.
Relaxed and asleep, Vegeta looked completely different. He looked younger and handsome. Not that he wasn’t striking to look at as he was usually, it was a different; almost softer and she found it almost more appealing than his usual trademark smirk and scowl he always wore. She only saw him asleep and innocent-looking like this only once before.
During their brief affair, she had woken up before him the second and final time they had spent the night together. She had been hard pressed to wake him and had left him to sleep while she had gotten up early to begin repairs on his gravity room, from what she recalled. Later on that morning it had been all over between them for reasons she still didn’t understand.
Bulma had plagued herself over and over again trying to figure what it had been exactly that had set him off. What had begun as a playful romp and hook up in the gravity room had turned around into a muddled mess mid-hook up and he had simply left her there, half dressed, very turned on and extremely embarrassed and confused as to what had happened.
Eventually she wrote it off as Vegeta just being temperamental and quit trying to rationalize and make sense of a situation that didn’t make sense to begin with. She actually hadn’t thought about that in a long time, she realized then. Laying here in his bed, so close to him like this had reawakened feelings she would have sworn were long gone by this point. Anything she’d felt for Vegeta had evaporated long ago before she'd even given birth to Trunks and were permanently buried when he had failed to save them or even give a damn when Android Gero had fired at her air car. We can’t ever come back from that, she reminded herself. Get a grip! He couldn’t be relied upon to save our lives so how can I ever trust him with our hearts?
Disappointment flooded her as she thought back on that incident a year ago. He had never brought it up and neither had she, which was probably a good thing, she reasoned. She knew they both had strong feelings of bitterness related to it for different reasons and she wished she could go back and change it. Why didn’t I listen to him? She asked herself for the millionth time. Would things be different between them if she hadn’t gone that day?
Probably not, she scoffed to herself. Vegeta’s still his difficult self, that wouldn’t have changed any.
Still, it made her wonder. She was worried about him. Sure Vegeta had always been sort of reclusive even during the three years he had spent training for the androids; but this was different. It was like he had chosen to keep himself exiled and closed off from everyone and everything else around him. Before, he at least joined her family for dinner, participated in the odd verbal spar with her, which had eventually turned into a game of sorts between them; a game she missed very much when she thought about it. It was a game they had both played and had lost. She supposed Trunks was a decent enough consolation prize, but she should have never looked at him as a game. It had been reckless and foolish and had hurt them both she suspected, him possibly more so than herself even; judging by the way he had avoided her like the plague after their brief fling had ended. The only meaningful conversation they’d had since then had been in the wee hours of the early morning the day of the androids arrival. Anything since then was nothing more than strings of insults and hurtful, spiteful words aimed at making a mark and inflicting as much emotional damage to the other as possible.
There will never be a victor in that, she told herself, feeling somewhat ashamed of herself for some of the vicious remarks that came out of her own mouth. Never in her life had she been as nasty to another person as she could be to Vegeta; not even Yamcha when she’d learned of his unfaithfulness.
All the drama and animosity aside, Bulma couldn’t help but pity him.
He was a displaced person. In every sense of the term in a non-derogatory but tragic sense and she was truly concerned about him. He seemed to have spiralled into a pit of deep depression since the Cell games. She didn’t know all of what had occurred, only bits and pieces; but it had left him nearly broken as a man and a warrior and despite wanting to revel in that for all the pain he had caused her, she simply couldn’t bring herself to rejoice.
Bulma carefully maneuvered herself so as to not disturb him as she got out of his bed. She scarcely believed he had allowed her to stay to begin with and did not want to spoil it by staying too long. He’d have probably freaked out if he had woken up before her.
She carefully pulled the covers over him again and stood there looking at him another moment. She made a decision then and there, no more fighting, no more insults; at least from her side. They may not have a romantic future together, but she wanted to try and help him nonetheless.
-0-0-0-
A whole year and a half passed since then and there still was not much change.
Vegeta seemed to spend a little more time outside his room and made more frequent appearances around the compound but Bulma’s interaction with him was still fairly limited. She still made the effort to be nice to him whenever she saw him but he never lingered when she approached him or reciprocated when she asked him if he wanted to join her or Trunks for a meal or a trip to the park, much to her growing frustration at him.
He never trained in the gravity room from what she could tell, despite it being set up in its usual place in the yard and he’d left Capsule Corporation a few times. Where he went, she had no idea. Sometimes he would be gone for only a week or two and sometimes he was gone for a few months and because Bulma was so busy with Trunks and with additional responsibilities within the company, the time had flown by so quickly she barely noticed Vegeta’s comings and goings and scarce appearances.
Today she was running late. She had been up far too late going through mountains of paperwork for organizing permits and licencing for their newest line of products. It was a headache and she now understood why her father had passed the responsibility to her, she realized grudgingly a few weeks ago.
Bulma jumped in the shower, quickly did her hair and makeup and dressed in record time. As she headed downstairs to grab a coffee and breakfast muffin on her way out, she happened to notice that Trunks wasn’t in his room. She shrugged it off and figured he was having breakfast.
Once she made it to the kitchen, she noticed he wasn’t there either and felt a slight wave of panic.
“Mom, where’s Trunks?” she asked her mother who was frying up enough eggs and sausage to feed a small army.
“Look outside, dear,” she said, pointing to the window with a smile.
Bulma looked out the window and wouldn’t have been more shocked if she'd seen pigs flying in the sky. There was Vegeta, sitting cross legged on the grass meditating and a few feet in front of him was Trunks, facing him and doing the same thing. It was like a mirror image only one was smaller than the other.
“How did this come about?” she asked her mother once the initial shock of it wore off.
“A few days ago,” Mrs. Briefs answered, handing her a mug for her coffee. “Trunks didn’t want to go to the supermarket with me and started quite the racket. So much so that it disturbed Vegeta,”
Bulma winced. “Oh, god,” she groaned as she could only picture the scene of a miserable 3 year old toddler throwing a temper tantrum and an angry Saiyan that had been disturbed from his self-imposed slumber and exile.
“He didn’t say anything,” she continued. “I simply explained that the little guy wanted to stay here instead of going out with me and I asked him if he wouldn’t mind watching him for a little while for me while I ran a few errands.”
“Oh god,” she groaned again, fearing the worst.
“It was fine, dear. He just sort of shrugged and picked Trunks up by the back of his shirt and looked at him a moment and that seemed to calm him right down,” her mother brushed off with a dismissive wave of her hand. “I think the poor little boy was only wanting to spend some time with his father.”
Or his father simply scared the shit out of him is more likely, Bulma said to herself as she poured herself some coffee into her travel mug. She knew how frightening Vegeta could look when he was irritated or put out. “He wasn’t mean to him, was he?” she asked, having visions of Vegeta shaking him to make him be quiet or worse.
“Oh no, not at all,” Mrs. Briefs replied. “I was actually really impressed with him. He was firm with him, but let’s be honest here, I think we’ve kind of spoiled the poor little guy a bit. I think Vegeta will be good for him. Trunks seemed to really enjoy their time together. When I got back that’s what they were doing,” she said, gesturing out the window. “I even was able to grab my camera and get a picture of them because I didn’t think you would believe me even if I told you.”
“No, I wouldn’t,” she shook her head still somewhat in shock over this new development as she watched them. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I forgot,” she shrugged. “I’ve barely seen you, you’ve been so busy. It’s alright that Vegeta has been spending a little bit of time with Trunks, I hope. I didn’t think you would mind.”
“No, no its fine, mom,” she shook her head. “Just so long as you don’t think he will lose his patience and do something,”
“Like what, dear?” her mother sighed. “I don’t think you give that young man enough credit. He may be a bit rough around the edges and irritable at times but he’s not stupid. Trunks is just a toddler. Anyone knows you can't manhandle a toddler. I’m positive he’ll be just fine. It’s good for both of them.”
Bulma nodded guiltily. She knew she didn’t give Vegeta enough credit. He had remained on this planet for long enough without blowing anything but the Gravity room up. He hadn’t killed anyone, not even her which she knew in the last while must have been a feat for him to restrain from simply blasting her. However Vegeta wasn’t human. He was raised a child warrior. She had no idea how he had been raised or treated by his own father. She only assumed that he came from a barbaric culture and that he would have been raised in a very tough environment even before he had been given over to Frieza.
“I know I don’t give him enough credit, mom and while I'd agree that he wouldn't do anything to intentionally harm Trunks, we also don’t know what he considers normal treatment of a toddler for him culturally. It may be a stark contrast to what we consider normal or acceptable is more my main worry.”
“I understand, sweetie,” Mrs. Briefs said knowingly. “But don’t jump to any conclusions and just give him a chance. He’s been out of that room a few hours a day since this recent development. I think it’s wonderful. So far I haven’t seen anything that should cause you any concern or worry so don’t say anything to him that might make him stop spending time with Trunks. Trunks seems to be really enjoying it and I think it would break his little heart.”
Part of Bulma agreed with her mother and the other part wasn’t so sure; after all, she was a pretty much hands off parent and she had practically raised herself. I’m still alive though, she shrugged mentally and that had to count for something. “Alright, mom, I’ll trust him. Just please keep an eye on them alright?”
“I will, dear,” Mrs. Briefs said, continuing to make breakfast. “On your way out can you let them know that their breakfast is nearly done?”
“Sure,” she replied, tossing a cheese and egg muffin into a plastic sandwich bag and heading towards the door.
Bulma walked out cautiously into the back yard towards Trunks and Vegeta. It was such a strange, almost surreal sight to see them sitting so close together. Not to mention she didn’t think she’d ever seen Trunks so still and quiet for so long; usually he was a going, constant concern.
“Hey, Vegeta,” she said quietly, knowing that he may not like being disturbed but she had told her mother she would let them know breakfast was ready.
“Hmmn,” he grunted. He had sensed her approaching them a few minutes ago.
“Sorry, but mom wanted me to let you know that breakfast is ready,”
“It is?” Trunks exclaimed excitedly, opening his eyes. He was getting hungry and he didn’t really understand what his father was doing, he only wanted to impress him.
“Wait,” Vegeta said sternly to Trunks. “And you lost. Again.” he added with a smirk.
“Awe,” he whined.
Bulma frowned. “Lost at what?”
“To see who can be quiet the longest,” Trunks answered. “I lost this many times today.” he admitted, holding out four fingers.
Bulma shot Vegeta an amused look and he half expected her to begin some tirade over it but she didn’t.
“He takes after his mother in that department apparently,” he said in a serious tone but she could tell from the glint in his eye that he was teasing her. “You may go, boy,” he said to Trunks. “But walk, do not run.”
Trunks nodded and power walked back to the house. Bulma couldn’t help but snort at the unimpressed look on Vegeta’s face as he shook his head.
“He’s technically walking, not running,” she pointed out.
He gave her a look that told her he was unimpressed with her rationale. “Now I know where the boy gets it,” he said dryly, though he was not angry. It was not lost on him how nice she looked, despite not being overly done up as she usually was for work; however he deliberately made a point of not obviously looking at her.
Bulma laughed and nodded. “I think it’s really good you’re spending some time with him,” she said wanting him to know she was glad he was actually spending time with him but not wanting to make a big deal out of it and make him uncomfortable.
“Hmmmn,” he grunted. “He is spoilt.”
“Yea, just a bit,” she sighed.
“More than a bit,” he scoffed in disapproval. “He needs to realize and learn that the universe does not revolve around him and not everyone is here to cater to his every whim and desire,”
Bulma had to catch herself and supress her laughter at the irony of his statement. Vegeta was the most self-absorbed person she had ever met and she often wondered if he knew the world didn’t in fact revolve around him. While a part of her was simply dying to tease him that it was possibly a hereditary trait that Trunks may have inherited from him, she refrained. This was the first non-antagonistic conversation they’d had since the Cell games had ended and she was simply thrilled that he was showing even the smallest interest in Trunks.
Sure annoying and pushing Vegeta’s buttons was one of her most favourite pastimes but she decided to be the mature one for a change and not go there.
“Well, then hanging out with you will be good for him,” was all she said. “Just if he gets to be a bit much, don’t hesitate to get my mother to watch him.”
“Noted,” he nodded and stood up to head into the kitchen for his breakfast.
Bulma couldn’t hold back a small smile as she watched him head into the house a moment before heading towards her air car. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt this happy about something, anything.
It was going to be a good day, she decided, not caring that she was going to be very late getting into the office today.
-0-0-0-
Falling Away With You
Chapter 2
It turned out she hadn’t had to do anything about Vegeta. It had now been nine months since the Cell games and she hadn’t seen or heard from him since their altercation in the kitchen and that had been almost six months ago; she estimated, give or take.
He hadn’t returned to Capsule Corporation for three weeks and when he had, he hadn’t made an appearance or a demand or anything and it was beginning to worry her somewhat despite her wanting nothing to do with him anyway.
Another month went by and still there was no sign of Vegeta other than an empty fridge every few days.
“I think he’s depressed, dear,” her mother finally said to her one morning.
“Well I get that, yea,” Bulma sighed. “But why?”
“I don’t know, dear,” her mother replied. “Maybe you should be the bigger person and find out. He has to be very lonely. I’m getting quite worried about him to be honest.”
“Trust me, whatever is bothering Vegeta, he won’t want to talk about it,” she snorted. Least of all to me of all people.
“Well maybe at first, no,” her mother argued. She was determined to get those two on speaking terms at the very least. It simply broke her heart that Vegeta seemed to feel he could not interact with his son. “But maybe let him know that you’re there for him if he does need someone. Even if he doesn’t talk to you, it may be a comfort to him.”
“Yeah, right,”
“Just go up there and ask him to have a meal with you,” she suggested. “I don’t think he’s eaten anything in a few days judging by the fullness of my fridge. It just so happens that I prepared a ton of food and it’s a beautiful day. I was going to go call on your father and ask him if he’d like to have brunch outside but I think you should ask Vegeta to instead.”
“Mom, I really don’t think-”
“Do it,” she snipped at her. “At least extend the invitation and if he comes, great. If he doesn’t then your father and I will join you but at least try. It’s the least you could do after the terrible way you’ve treated him.”
Bulma was somewhat taken back by her mother’s stern tone. She hadn’t spoken to her like that since she was a little child and she knew that tone meant that there was no sense in arguing with her. “Alright,” she sighed in resignation. “Don’t be surprised if he blows a hole through the door and I’m nothing more than charred remains all over the carpet,”
“Well, be nice to him and that shouldn’t be an issue,” she replied dismissively.
Bulma shook her head and exited the kitchen. Her mother had absolutely zero understanding of who Vegeta was and what he was fully capable of. Even she knew that after everything that had transpired between them the best thing she could do would be to just leave him alone.
However, she did feel somewhat bad for him that he seemed to be depressed. It had been long enough that he should have shaken whatever it was that was bothering him and move on with life whether he remained here or left to go become the galactic overlord he seemed to have always dreamed of being.
Deciding she’d be as nice to him as possible, she racked up the courage to knock on his door.
She waited a moment before knocking again when she heard no response.
After waiting another few minutes, she opened the door a crack, peering into the darkened room. “Vegeta?” she whispered.
Once again, he didn’t respond and a weave of concern washed over her as her stomach dropped. Was he dead, she wondered as she peered into the room and walked up to his bed. She felt relieved as she heard him breathing.
“Vegeta,” she tried again, poking him gently on his shoulder.
“Can you not take a hint? Get out and leave me alone!” he snarled, grabbing the comforter and burying himself under it.
Bulma stood there in the middle of his room, dumbfounded by his behaviour. It was so unlike him to just hibernate for weeks and months on end. Even after his accident when the gravity room exploded they’d had to pump him full of sedatives to keep him calm and it was the only way to keep him from walking out and commence his heavy training regimen again. Even then, he had caught onto that after a few days and ripped the IVs out of his arm and bullied his way out of the medical wing and he was right back at it full force even though his body must have been in incredible pain.
She winced now at the memory of that and remembered that despite her anger and worry at him for pushing himself so hard so soon after such a traumatic event, she had admired his dedication and determination to reach his goal. That is the Vegeta I know; not this... she thought to herself sadly.
Making up her mind that he had sulked enough, she boldly walked up to his bed and quickly yanked the comforter off of him and tossed it to the other side of the room.
“What is wrong with you?” he shouted angrily. “What part of leave me the fuck alone, do you not understand or is it that you have a death wish?”
She completely ignored him and walked over to his window and opened up the thick curtains, letting the late morning sunlight into the room.
“Because if you are so anxious to die, I can finish what that android started that day on the battle field only there will be no one to save you,” he cruelly went on, putting his hand out to shield his eyes from the sudden light as she opened the windows to let some fresh air into the stuffy room.
She shot him a dirty look even though she was fairly confident that he wouldn’t actually harm her or take her life. The mention of that incident was still hurtful to her however.
“It is not like Kakarott is around to stop me anymore from ridding myself of your nuisance,” he continued. “The half-breed is too soft hearted and the Namek I am sure would not care less what happened to you!”
“I’m sick and tired of your moping,” she said finally, choosing to ignore his mean spirited rant. “It stinks in here because you’ve been all cooped up, your bedding needs to be cleaned. So I’ll tell you what, I have a huge feast organized for a picnic outside on this glorious day we are having. It will be just me and Trunks. Come out, blow some stink off, have some lunch and enjoy the sun and fresh air for a few minutes and I will have your room cleaned and freshened up and new sheets put on the bed while you do that and then you can go back to hibernating or whatever this is. Sound fair?” she said firmly.
Vegeta gave her a murderous look at the sheer audacity she had to come in here and disturb him and tell him what to do. Blow some stink off? What the fuck does that even mean, he raged internally. He was about to decline in the most vicious tone he could come up with when he was interrupted by the loud and obvious growl of his stomach.
She smiled triumphantly as she heard his stomach answer and make the decision for him. “I’ll see you outside in a few,” she said cheerfully as she gathered up his comforter and stuffed it into the hamper. She would let her mother know to get him a clean one and change the sheets as well. “Trust me, it’s a picnic worthy of Saiyan royalty.”
Vegeta snorted in anger as he watched her scuttle out of his room. Sure he was hungry but he resented now having to go out and get his meal on her terms.
After sitting there petulantly for a few minutes, he got out of bed and opted for a shower before going to meet the dragon lady and the brat for lunch.
Bulma was walking on air, feeling quite pleased with herself for having conquered the sleeping Saiyan beast upstairs. So he is depressed, she said to herself. Mom was right after all.
“So?” her mother chirped cheerfully. “Did you get him to come out for a little bit?”
“I did,” she nodded, picking Trunks up from his high chair. “His bedroom and sheets and stuff could use some freshening up, it’s really stuffy in that room of his. Can you please just change his bedding?”
“Hmm, I think it would be a better idea if you did that, dear,” she suggested.
Bulma rolled her eyes at her mother and her obvious match making. “Fine, I’ll do it; but your transparent methods of trying to get Vegeta and I together are lame; even for you, just so you know,” she said, wanting to make it obvious to her mother that she knew exactly what she was trying to do. “Trust me, it will take a whole lot more than a good meal and cleaning his room to make him decide I’m wife material, mother.”
“Of course, dear, but a small, random act of kindness in the time of need can go a long way,” her mother commented wisely. “That boy is so down in the dumps, it simply breaks my heart. How could not spending a few hours in the beautiful outdoor weather with you and that adorable son of his not be enough to put even the most depressed soul in a good mood.”
“One can only hope,” Bulma sighed. Though I’m not going to hold my breath. Nothing puts Vegeta in a good mood, she lamented to herself. “We'll be outside if you need us.”
“Alright dear,” her mother nodded. “Remember to be nice to Vegeta, no bickering. And I will put out some fresh sheets and towels.”
“Thanks, mom,” she said heading outside with Trunks.
She set him down on the blanket before decapsulating a little chair for him to sit in, like a ground level high chair. Since learning to walk, Trunks had become extremely mobile and she had to watch him like a hawk. He was a runner.
Bulma plunked him inside and began laying out the spread of food hoping to have everything all ready before Vegeta showed up; if he shows up, she said to herself. While she wasn’t entirely sure whether or not he would, she did know that when food was a part of the equation, the chances were pretty good that any Saiyan wouldn’t be able to stay away for long. She wasn’t entirely certain how long it had been since his last meal, but she knew that it had been a while and that he hadn’t been eating as much as he should be.
No matter what their personal issues were, she couldn’t help but feel sorry for him and want to help him out of whatever this funk was; it was scaring her and she had no idea of what to do to even try and help him.
She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she didn’t even notice him approach them.
“Hey! You came!” she exclaimed cheerfully. Truthfully she wasn’t sure if he would or not.
He didn’t reply, only glanced briefly at Trunks and looked over the abundance of food that she had prepared for lunch.
As he stood there, looking uncomfortable, she patted the blanket in encouragement for him to join them. “Dig in,”
Vegeta glanced at Trunks again before walking over to the opposite side of the blanket so he wasn’t sitting near him.
“He doesn’t bite, Vegeta,” she sighed in disappointment before she could check her mouth. Don’t be mean! This is supposed to be fun. That he actually showed up is a huge enough deal. Don’t screw it up!
Vegeta shot her a somewhat dirty look but said nothing as he sat down. If she was going to do nothing but insult and berate him, he would leave; he didn’t have the energy to bicker with her but he would give her a chance. Hopefully the meal would at least be worth it and from the look of it, it was quite the feast.
Bulma handed him a plate so he could begin serving himself. “There you go,” she suddenly felt self-conscious and nervous as she realized that she had nothing to say to him. It had been so long since they had been in each other’s company by choice and when they were, they were far from cordial with one another.
Instead of worrying about what to say and what not to say to Vegeta, she just settled on fixing up a plate of food for Trunks and herself and worry about their interaction later. She wasn’t even sure herself about what she wanted or expected out of Vegeta. He was here, wasn’t he? Just concentrate on being nice. Don’t say anything to piss him off.
Vegeta loaded up his plate and settled in. It was a gorgeous day today, he noticed and a small part of him didn’t mind that the woman had made him get up and come outside.
He knew that he needed to get a handle and start training again; all this wallowing in shame and self-pity was making him sink even deeper in his feelings of shame because he was ashamed of himself. He was ashamed of his performance on the battle field against not only the androids but Cell himself. It was because of him and his arrogance that Cell had achieved his perfect form, he was ashamed at how poorly he had treated the future version of his son. He was even ashamed of his inability to protect him and that Cell had killed him. It was no consolation to him that Future Trunks had been revived by the dragonballs. It should have never happened in the first place and he still had moments where he wished that it had been him who Cell had killed and not his son. He knew that he would not have been able to be revived but somehow that was alright with him. His life was like one big cruel joke.
Trunks coughing on something took him out of his melancholy thoughts and he looked at the toddler for a moment. That was his son. As much as he wanted to deny it, he knew it was true. The boy from the future was the grown version of this infant child and while he did feel some measure of pride in knowing that he would grow up and be exceptionally powerful, there was that shame again convincing him that he didn’t have anything to contribute or offer the boy. Knowing the future version of his son proved that.
In the other timeline, he would have been long dead by now. Bulma would have raised him mostly on her own and he had to give her credit where credit was due: she had done an exceptionally good job raising their son. So what was the point of getting involved? There was none from his point of view.
“Slow down and chew properly before swallowing,” Bulma said to Trunks who looked as though he was trying to rival his father and keep pace with him.
Vegeta observed them for a moment before turning back to his own meal and thoughts. “You are a good mother,” he accidentally said out loud as he watched her wipe his mouth and began tearing some of the food items on his plate into smaller portions so he would not choke on them.
Bulma froze and looked at Vegeta in shock. Did he actually just say that, she asked herself as she wondered if he had actually said that or if she had imagined it?
The look in his face told her that he had not meant to say it but he indeed had said it.
Despite feeling overjoyed by that simple statement, she didn’t want to ruin it by making a big deal about it even though it was by far the nicest thing that he had ever said to her. “Thank you,” she said simply, smiling demurely at him.
Vegeta awkwardly went back to his own meal, embarrassed that he had said what he had. He had only been thinking about the boy from the future and how it was this very same woman who raised him in that timeline and had done a good job. He knew it was certain that this version of Bulma would raise Trunks just as well if not better now that their home wasn't destroyed, but he hadn’t meant to say it out loud to her. He could tell from the smile she gave him that she had been touched by his slip up and he could tell she was trying to not show how happy she felt to hear that from him. While part of him regretted it because he did not want to give her the impression that he wanted anything to do with either her or Trunks, another part of him thought she should know and he wondered if the future version of Bulma knew that.
“You know, the gravity room is all fixed up and upgraded,” she said casually, wanting to change the subject as it had now gone back to awkward silence between them and she wanted to keep the positive vibe going. “I made some revisions after the Cell games. It’s in a capsule, but it’s in my lab on my desk with your name written on it.”
Vegeta didn’t reply for a moment. Once again, his inner self nagged at him that he needed to get back to training again, but deep down another part of him had absolutely no desire. What was the point? There was no impending doom around the corner about to destroy this mud ball, which is exactly why you need to be training. A real warrior must train hard even in times of peace because that is when things happen. When everyone else settles into a false sense of security. That is when your enemies will strike. That is why it is imperative to train even in times of peace, for there is no rest for true warriors, his father’s wise but stern voice echoed in his mind as though he had told him these things yesterday. Peace is for women and weaklings.
True, he replied to the inner voice of his that had taken on his father’s voice and reasoning. But I do not give a shit about this place, so what does it matter?
It matters because you would bring down further disgrace and dishonour upon the Saiyan race by neglecting your duty as a member of the elite royal family, his father’s voice argued. You are the last full-blooded Saiyan that remains in the entirety of the universe. You owe it to your ancestors to honour your heritage that way since you could not avenge our people by destroying Frieza.
Vegeta abruptly quit eating, stood up and took to the sky to fly as quickly as his strength would allow him to. He knew the voice in his head was his own and not those of his father actually haunting him but that did not make him feel any better. It was true. If his father could speak to him from beyond the next dimension that would be exactly what he would say to him.
He was a disgrace.
He was a disgrace to his heritage and to his own people. He was a traitor and disgrace of a warrior during his time in the PTO under Frieza, and he was a disgrace here by acting as a liability on the battlefield during the Cell games and refusing to confront this new role he had been forced into as a father. What good was he to anyone he wondered as he continued to fly around aimlessly.
Bulma blinked in confusion at Vegeta’s sudden and abrupt departure, wondering what she had done to set him off like that. She had thought things had gone well between them just now. Well, it was the best interaction they’d had since the night before the Androids appeared.
Why had mentioning the gravity room set him off like that? Well I know he knows where it is, so when he wants to train, he’ll go train I guess, she shrugged, finishing up her own lunch. She needed to do Vegeta’s room so that it was ready for when he came back, if he comes back.
-0-0-0-
It had been almost two months before Vegeta returned to Capsule Corporation.
Bulma had been beginning to worry and had considered calling up Krillin or Yamcha and asking them to make a search party for him. The only reason she hadn’t done that was because she assumed that would only make things worse and knowing Vegeta, he would stay away longer just on principal.
She wasn’t sure when exactly he had returned, she only knew he had because the kitchen fridge had been raided and was completely empty the next morning and his bedroom door had been shut.
Another month or so had passed before she had even caught a glimpse of him.
She had gone down to the kitchen getting some apple juice for Trunks. He had started throwing up about an hour prior and she figured he might like something other than water to drink now that he was settled in her bed now.
Bulma gasped as she turned around to head back upstairs when she noticed Vegeta sitting at the kitchen table. “You scared the shit out of me,” she said, placing a hand on her chest.
“Hmmn,” he grunted in response.
Instead of rushing out of the kitchen and back to Trunks, she paused a moment to look at him. He looked rough and tired as he was picking away at whatever was left on the plate in front of him. “There’s stuff in the freezer that mum made while you were gone,” she said, putting the glass of juice down on the table and going to the freezer. “There’s a couple of different lasagnes here, two meatloaves… I don’t know what this is, but there’s meat in it,” she said putting the corning ware dish containing the mystery meal on the countertop as she rummaged through the freezer.
Vegeta didn’t say anything as he watched her.
“Here,” she said as she took out a meatloaf and put it next to the casserole dish. “I’ll put these two in the oven for you. They’re cooked, just frozen so they’ll only need like an hour.”
He shrugged. “The brat is ill, why are you wasting your time?”
Bulma sighed in frustration, biting her tongue and refraining from saying something in retaliation. “Well, I’m putting them I the oven for you if you want them,” she sighed, placing them in the oven and setting the temperature and timer on it. She was sure she wouldn’t be getting much sleep tonight anyway. “If not, they’ll be in the fridge after I warm them up.”
Vegeta didn’t comment further. He just wanted to be left alone. That was the reason he came out at this hour, because everyone in the house was asleep and he could eat in peace and then go back to bed.
Bulma took the juice and headed back to her bedroom where Trunks was asleep. She set the glass on her night table, kissed him on his warm forehead and went to crawl into the other side of her bed to try and get some sleep until she was woken up again by Trunks getting sick.
The next day, late in the afternoon, Trunks seemed to be feeling better and was fast asleep in her bed. Bulma was almost too exhausted to function. She did, however walk over to her office on the compound and decapsulated the gravity simulator for Vegeta since he was living at Capsule Corporation again. He may not want to socialize, but maybe it would give him something to do while he was up and about in the middle of the night. If he didn’t feel comfortable enough for whatever reason going to get it from her lab or asking her for it, she figured maybe if she left it out for him he may be inclined to use it.
It was still bothering her that he seemed to still be stuck into some kind of deep depression. It had been a year now since the Cell games and he was still unresponsive. It was beginning to worry her and she had debated for weeks now as to whether he needed a pep talk or just someone around who cared? She didn’t know, so she had left him alone for the most part, assuming that when he was ready, he would start with his previous training but that still hadn’t happened.
She stood in the living room a moment, trying to decide where she should go. Trunks was asleep in her room so if she went there, she risked waking him up. Deciding to stay up despite her exhaustion, she headed towards Vegeta’s bedroom to tell him that she had set up the gravity room for him.
Bulma questioned herself a moment as soon as she reached the door, wondering if it was such a good idea to walk in there. Shrugging, she quietly opened the door and walked in, carefully closing it.
The heavy curtains were drawn, not leaving much light into the room despite the brightness from outside.
“Vegeta?” she whispered, unsure if he was asleep or awake.
There was no response.
“You know, there’s a perfectly good gravity room outside on the lawn with your name on it just waiting to be broken or blown up or even used to train I guess since you haven’t blown it up except for that one time,” she rambled nervously. Originally she’d had an up building, positive speech planned out but once she’d made it all the way up here and she realized who she was trying to give a pep talk to and suddenly she was nervous.
She couldn’t even really see him, he was buried beneath the blankets and she couldn’t even see his hair sticking out from beneath them. Unsure if he had even heard her or if he was asleep, she gently poked him on what she assumed was his back.
“Leave me alone, woman,” he growled irritably, remaining curled in the fetal position in his bed, his back to her.
Bulma stood there a moment, unsure of what to do. Things were apparently even worse than she thought. It had been over a year since the Cell games and Vegeta was still keeping himself locked away, only coming out for meals in the middle of the night, if at all, from what she could tell.
After deliberating long and hard for a few minutes on what to do, it hit her again how exhausted she was and she decided to be bold. She threw the covers back and started to crawl into bed next to him.
“What the hell do you think you are doing?” he snarled in outrage as she pulled the covers back over them and settled herself in, spooning him from behind.
“Taking a nap,” she replied as she wrapped her arms around his waist despite his objection.
“Your room is down the hall,” he growled. “Go take a nap there.”
“No,” she sighed, hugging him tightly to her. “Trunks is sleeping in my bed and I’m quite comfortable here, thanks.”
Vegeta sighed in annoyance. “I was comfortable until you showed up to bother me.”
She ignored him, nuzzling her face into the back of his neck and breathing his scent in. God I forgot how good he smells!
When she didn’t respond, he decided to just leave it be. Just so long as she doesn’t get any ideas, he told himself.
It took him a while to relent and decide to just let her remain as she was. He was not comfortable with Bulma’s close proximity and the last thing he wanted to do was start anything between them again. The last time had been a mistake and he had no intention of going there again with her and accidentally spawning any more brats.
Though he had to admit, it wasn’t completely unpleasant having her laying there with him innocently like this. It was a very different experience for him. She was holding him. Isn’t it supposed to be the other way around, he asked himself. He remembered from the television shows he had watched with her before that it was usually the male who held and consoled the female. Is that what she thinks she is doing, he asked himself and he had to admit, he did feel oddly comforted by the gesture if he thought about it. But why would she feel the need to do that?
“Stop over thinking it and go to sleep,” she mumbled into his neck. She knew he was wide awake and more than likely inwardly freaking out over this development. “I just came to make sure you’re still alive in here because we haven’t seen or heard from you in weeks and I really need to take a nap where it’s nice and quiet and I won’t get woken up by a needy toddler the moment I fall asleep, not proposing marriage or anything else so you can relax. Besides, I haven’t shaved my legs in weeks and I’m way too tired for sex so you’re safe if that’s why you’re worried.”
She felt him relax almost immediately at her admission that this meant nothing significant and as soon as he did, she snuggled herself in tighter behind him, ready to sleep.
Vegeta was relieved that he wasn’t expected to do anything or to reciprocate, though he did not want his allowing her to remain in his bed like this to mean that he was open to something more or for her to read it that way. He did however drift off back to sleep again within a few minutes.
Bulma woke up several hours later somewhat confused. It took her a few minutes to recognize her surroundings and remember that she had fallen asleep in Vegeta’s bed. She smiled to herself as she turned her head and realized he was still asleep next to her. She was laying on her back and he had rolled over at some point and was asleep on his stomach with an arm draped leisurely across her waist; he wasn’t holding her, but it was still physical contact all the same and she was surprised by how happy it made her feel.
She didn’t move. She did not want to disturb him and have him shove her away out of his own embarrassment, but she studied his face as best as she could under the minimal amount of light coming into the room from the drawn curtains.
Relaxed and asleep, Vegeta looked completely different. He looked younger and handsome. Not that he wasn’t striking to look at as he was usually, it was a different; almost softer and she found it almost more appealing than his usual trademark smirk and scowl he always wore. She only saw him asleep and innocent-looking like this only once before.
During their brief affair, she had woken up before him the second and final time they had spent the night together. She had been hard pressed to wake him and had left him to sleep while she had gotten up early to begin repairs on his gravity room, from what she recalled. Later on that morning it had been all over between them for reasons she still didn’t understand.
Bulma had plagued herself over and over again trying to figure what it had been exactly that had set him off. What had begun as a playful romp and hook up in the gravity room had turned around into a muddled mess mid-hook up and he had simply left her there, half dressed, very turned on and extremely embarrassed and confused as to what had happened.
Eventually she wrote it off as Vegeta just being temperamental and quit trying to rationalize and make sense of a situation that didn’t make sense to begin with. She actually hadn’t thought about that in a long time, she realized then. Laying here in his bed, so close to him like this had reawakened feelings she would have sworn were long gone by this point. Anything she’d felt for Vegeta had evaporated long ago before she'd even given birth to Trunks and were permanently buried when he had failed to save them or even give a damn when Android Gero had fired at her air car. We can’t ever come back from that, she reminded herself. Get a grip! He couldn’t be relied upon to save our lives so how can I ever trust him with our hearts?
Disappointment flooded her as she thought back on that incident a year ago. He had never brought it up and neither had she, which was probably a good thing, she reasoned. She knew they both had strong feelings of bitterness related to it for different reasons and she wished she could go back and change it. Why didn’t I listen to him? She asked herself for the millionth time. Would things be different between them if she hadn’t gone that day?
Probably not, she scoffed to herself. Vegeta’s still his difficult self, that wouldn’t have changed any.
Still, it made her wonder. She was worried about him. Sure Vegeta had always been sort of reclusive even during the three years he had spent training for the androids; but this was different. It was like he had chosen to keep himself exiled and closed off from everyone and everything else around him. Before, he at least joined her family for dinner, participated in the odd verbal spar with her, which had eventually turned into a game of sorts between them; a game she missed very much when she thought about it. It was a game they had both played and had lost. She supposed Trunks was a decent enough consolation prize, but she should have never looked at him as a game. It had been reckless and foolish and had hurt them both she suspected, him possibly more so than herself even; judging by the way he had avoided her like the plague after their brief fling had ended. The only meaningful conversation they’d had since then had been in the wee hours of the early morning the day of the androids arrival. Anything since then was nothing more than strings of insults and hurtful, spiteful words aimed at making a mark and inflicting as much emotional damage to the other as possible.
There will never be a victor in that, she told herself, feeling somewhat ashamed of herself for some of the vicious remarks that came out of her own mouth. Never in her life had she been as nasty to another person as she could be to Vegeta; not even Yamcha when she’d learned of his unfaithfulness.
All the drama and animosity aside, Bulma couldn’t help but pity him.
He was a displaced person. In every sense of the term in a non-derogatory but tragic sense and she was truly concerned about him. He seemed to have spiralled into a pit of deep depression since the Cell games. She didn’t know all of what had occurred, only bits and pieces; but it had left him nearly broken as a man and a warrior and despite wanting to revel in that for all the pain he had caused her, she simply couldn’t bring herself to rejoice.
Bulma carefully maneuvered herself so as to not disturb him as she got out of his bed. She scarcely believed he had allowed her to stay to begin with and did not want to spoil it by staying too long. He’d have probably freaked out if he had woken up before her.
She carefully pulled the covers over him again and stood there looking at him another moment. She made a decision then and there, no more fighting, no more insults; at least from her side. They may not have a romantic future together, but she wanted to try and help him nonetheless.
-0-0-0-
A whole year and a half passed since then and there still was not much change.
Vegeta seemed to spend a little more time outside his room and made more frequent appearances around the compound but Bulma’s interaction with him was still fairly limited. She still made the effort to be nice to him whenever she saw him but he never lingered when she approached him or reciprocated when she asked him if he wanted to join her or Trunks for a meal or a trip to the park, much to her growing frustration at him.
He never trained in the gravity room from what she could tell, despite it being set up in its usual place in the yard and he’d left Capsule Corporation a few times. Where he went, she had no idea. Sometimes he would be gone for only a week or two and sometimes he was gone for a few months and because Bulma was so busy with Trunks and with additional responsibilities within the company, the time had flown by so quickly she barely noticed Vegeta’s comings and goings and scarce appearances.
Today she was running late. She had been up far too late going through mountains of paperwork for organizing permits and licencing for their newest line of products. It was a headache and she now understood why her father had passed the responsibility to her, she realized grudgingly a few weeks ago.
Bulma jumped in the shower, quickly did her hair and makeup and dressed in record time. As she headed downstairs to grab a coffee and breakfast muffin on her way out, she happened to notice that Trunks wasn’t in his room. She shrugged it off and figured he was having breakfast.
Once she made it to the kitchen, she noticed he wasn’t there either and felt a slight wave of panic.
“Mom, where’s Trunks?” she asked her mother who was frying up enough eggs and sausage to feed a small army.
“Look outside, dear,” she said, pointing to the window with a smile.
Bulma looked out the window and wouldn’t have been more shocked if she'd seen pigs flying in the sky. There was Vegeta, sitting cross legged on the grass meditating and a few feet in front of him was Trunks, facing him and doing the same thing. It was like a mirror image only one was smaller than the other.
“How did this come about?” she asked her mother once the initial shock of it wore off.
“A few days ago,” Mrs. Briefs answered, handing her a mug for her coffee. “Trunks didn’t want to go to the supermarket with me and started quite the racket. So much so that it disturbed Vegeta,”
Bulma winced. “Oh, god,” she groaned as she could only picture the scene of a miserable 3 year old toddler throwing a temper tantrum and an angry Saiyan that had been disturbed from his self-imposed slumber and exile.
“He didn’t say anything,” she continued. “I simply explained that the little guy wanted to stay here instead of going out with me and I asked him if he wouldn’t mind watching him for a little while for me while I ran a few errands.”
“Oh god,” she groaned again, fearing the worst.
“It was fine, dear. He just sort of shrugged and picked Trunks up by the back of his shirt and looked at him a moment and that seemed to calm him right down,” her mother brushed off with a dismissive wave of her hand. “I think the poor little boy was only wanting to spend some time with his father.”
Or his father simply scared the shit out of him is more likely, Bulma said to herself as she poured herself some coffee into her travel mug. She knew how frightening Vegeta could look when he was irritated or put out. “He wasn’t mean to him, was he?” she asked, having visions of Vegeta shaking him to make him be quiet or worse.
“Oh no, not at all,” Mrs. Briefs replied. “I was actually really impressed with him. He was firm with him, but let’s be honest here, I think we’ve kind of spoiled the poor little guy a bit. I think Vegeta will be good for him. Trunks seemed to really enjoy their time together. When I got back that’s what they were doing,” she said, gesturing out the window. “I even was able to grab my camera and get a picture of them because I didn’t think you would believe me even if I told you.”
“No, I wouldn’t,” she shook her head still somewhat in shock over this new development as she watched them. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I forgot,” she shrugged. “I’ve barely seen you, you’ve been so busy. It’s alright that Vegeta has been spending a little bit of time with Trunks, I hope. I didn’t think you would mind.”
“No, no its fine, mom,” she shook her head. “Just so long as you don’t think he will lose his patience and do something,”
“Like what, dear?” her mother sighed. “I don’t think you give that young man enough credit. He may be a bit rough around the edges and irritable at times but he’s not stupid. Trunks is just a toddler. Anyone knows you can't manhandle a toddler. I’m positive he’ll be just fine. It’s good for both of them.”
Bulma nodded guiltily. She knew she didn’t give Vegeta enough credit. He had remained on this planet for long enough without blowing anything but the Gravity room up. He hadn’t killed anyone, not even her which she knew in the last while must have been a feat for him to restrain from simply blasting her. However Vegeta wasn’t human. He was raised a child warrior. She had no idea how he had been raised or treated by his own father. She only assumed that he came from a barbaric culture and that he would have been raised in a very tough environment even before he had been given over to Frieza.
“I know I don’t give him enough credit, mom and while I'd agree that he wouldn't do anything to intentionally harm Trunks, we also don’t know what he considers normal treatment of a toddler for him culturally. It may be a stark contrast to what we consider normal or acceptable is more my main worry.”
“I understand, sweetie,” Mrs. Briefs said knowingly. “But don’t jump to any conclusions and just give him a chance. He’s been out of that room a few hours a day since this recent development. I think it’s wonderful. So far I haven’t seen anything that should cause you any concern or worry so don’t say anything to him that might make him stop spending time with Trunks. Trunks seems to be really enjoying it and I think it would break his little heart.”
Part of Bulma agreed with her mother and the other part wasn’t so sure; after all, she was a pretty much hands off parent and she had practically raised herself. I’m still alive though, she shrugged mentally and that had to count for something. “Alright, mom, I’ll trust him. Just please keep an eye on them alright?”
“I will, dear,” Mrs. Briefs said, continuing to make breakfast. “On your way out can you let them know that their breakfast is nearly done?”
“Sure,” she replied, tossing a cheese and egg muffin into a plastic sandwich bag and heading towards the door.
Bulma walked out cautiously into the back yard towards Trunks and Vegeta. It was such a strange, almost surreal sight to see them sitting so close together. Not to mention she didn’t think she’d ever seen Trunks so still and quiet for so long; usually he was a going, constant concern.
“Hey, Vegeta,” she said quietly, knowing that he may not like being disturbed but she had told her mother she would let them know breakfast was ready.
“Hmmn,” he grunted. He had sensed her approaching them a few minutes ago.
“Sorry, but mom wanted me to let you know that breakfast is ready,”
“It is?” Trunks exclaimed excitedly, opening his eyes. He was getting hungry and he didn’t really understand what his father was doing, he only wanted to impress him.
“Wait,” Vegeta said sternly to Trunks. “And you lost. Again.” he added with a smirk.
“Awe,” he whined.
Bulma frowned. “Lost at what?”
“To see who can be quiet the longest,” Trunks answered. “I lost this many times today.” he admitted, holding out four fingers.
Bulma shot Vegeta an amused look and he half expected her to begin some tirade over it but she didn’t.
“He takes after his mother in that department apparently,” he said in a serious tone but she could tell from the glint in his eye that he was teasing her. “You may go, boy,” he said to Trunks. “But walk, do not run.”
Trunks nodded and power walked back to the house. Bulma couldn’t help but snort at the unimpressed look on Vegeta’s face as he shook his head.
“He’s technically walking, not running,” she pointed out.
He gave her a look that told her he was unimpressed with her rationale. “Now I know where the boy gets it,” he said dryly, though he was not angry. It was not lost on him how nice she looked, despite not being overly done up as she usually was for work; however he deliberately made a point of not obviously looking at her.
Bulma laughed and nodded. “I think it’s really good you’re spending some time with him,” she said wanting him to know she was glad he was actually spending time with him but not wanting to make a big deal out of it and make him uncomfortable.
“Hmmmn,” he grunted. “He is spoilt.”
“Yea, just a bit,” she sighed.
“More than a bit,” he scoffed in disapproval. “He needs to realize and learn that the universe does not revolve around him and not everyone is here to cater to his every whim and desire,”
Bulma had to catch herself and supress her laughter at the irony of his statement. Vegeta was the most self-absorbed person she had ever met and she often wondered if he knew the world didn’t in fact revolve around him. While a part of her was simply dying to tease him that it was possibly a hereditary trait that Trunks may have inherited from him, she refrained. This was the first non-antagonistic conversation they’d had since the Cell games had ended and she was simply thrilled that he was showing even the smallest interest in Trunks.
Sure annoying and pushing Vegeta’s buttons was one of her most favourite pastimes but she decided to be the mature one for a change and not go there.
“Well, then hanging out with you will be good for him,” was all she said. “Just if he gets to be a bit much, don’t hesitate to get my mother to watch him.”
“Noted,” he nodded and stood up to head into the kitchen for his breakfast.
Bulma couldn’t hold back a small smile as she watched him head into the house a moment before heading towards her air car. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt this happy about something, anything.
It was going to be a good day, she decided, not caring that she was going to be very late getting into the office today.
-0-0-0-