Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Play Alongs ❯ A Prince's Proposal ( Chapter 2 )

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4. A Prince's Proposal

 

Anonymous asked: The characters: Vegeta and Bulma. AU: Future/sci-fi. Setting: Vegeta has a hardcore crush on Bulma and finally gets the guts to express it to her. It doesn't go as planned.

Vegeta walked into the tiny repair shop and stood in front of the counter, removing his dirty white gloves and ringing the bell.

“I’ll be there in a second!” A loud, feminine voice yelled from the back room, accompanied by a string of ear-piercing, strident noises. “Son of a…! Damn it!” The woman roared.

The Prince chuckled at the crazy sounds that resonated throughout the small shop. He couldn’t help but be amused by Bulma’s antics, always fascinated by her each and every move, whether it was seeing her small but curvy body bent over as she was fixing one of the planet’s many space pods or simply wiping off the sweat from her creamy forehead with the back of her hand…

“Hey, Vegeta! What’s up?” She said cheerfully, leaning on the counter with one hand and taking a large gulp from a cold drink with the other, offering him a fantastic glimpse of her generous cleavage at the same time.

He cleared his throat awkwardly, inwardly cursing himself for his complete and utter inability to talk like a regular person whenever the Earth woman was around. Ever since they’d met, about four months earlier, when he’d brought her one of his broken scouters, he’d found himself fabricating excuse after excuse in order to be able to run into her, his body constantly begging him to spend time with the stunning woman. Her bright blue eyes and matching long wavy hair were the first thing that had caught his attention, together with her extremely evident intelligence and vivid personality. She was funny, as cute as a button and yet, at times, she possessed a tongue and temper that could put any Saiyan to shame.  

“Are you alright?” Bulma softly asked, frowning in concern. “Are you here to pick up your scouter?”

Vegeta nodded gracelessly, feeling his rough hands tensely clutch the border of the chipped wooden counter.

“Alright…” She continued, still feeling like there was something wrong with him today. “Let me go get it!”

She turned around, getting back inside the back room with a pair of very starving Saiyan eyes fixed on her graceful movements. As soon as she left the room, Vegeta banged his fist on the counter, squeezing his eyes shut in frustration.

‘What the Hell was wrong with him? Since when did a puny, insignificant female have this effect on him? She should be the one feeling nervous! No! Grateful! That’s right! She should be feeling fucking grateful that an extraordinary warrior such as himself had chosen her as a future mate…’

Today was supposed to be the day.

He’d been planning it for days, ever since he’d abandoned the planet to go on his last mission two weeks ago. It had turned out to be one of the most dangerous tasks Frieza had assigned him and his comrades to do. Before he parted, he’d picked up his newly repaired armor from Bulma’s shop and, later, he’d had to battle the bastards from the planet he’d been ordered to purge while he carried her sweet, unmistakable scent all over him. It had been both intoxicating and maddening, and he’d finally had the courage to acknowledge to himself what he’d been afraid had happened ever since he’d first laid eyes on the woman: he’d fallen in love with her.

He’d fallen for this weak, fragile creature whose planet, and most of her entire race, had been destroyed by his evil Master no more than six months ago. And yet, her brave spirit and exuberant personality had remained untouched, luring him like a moth to a flame.

No other woman would do.

He was supposed to leave on a mission in less than twenty-four hours, and he couldn’t leave without a promise: her promise that she would be his and his alone, and that she’d be waiting for him when he’d return from his latest duty.

“There you go!” She said proudly, sitting casually on top of the counter, right next to him, and handing him the scouter.

He took it, making a phenomenal effort not to let his hands shake at his uneasiness.

“Thank you,” he finally managed to reply in a low, uncomfortable voice.

“Um, you’re welcome…”

Bulma could see him fidgeting with the small device, something unusual in a man that had always been so strong, proud and confident, and she couldn’t shake off the feeling that something was bothering him.

They both shared an uncomfortable silence for a minute before Bulma attempted to break the ice a little.

“It’s strange, you know?”

“What’s strange?” He answered immediately, secretly grateful for the woman’s natural chattiness.

“Well… Your scouter… It wasn’t really, you know… It wasn’t really broken.”

‘Shit!’

“It wasn’t?”

“Nope. It worked well, the only thing wrong with it were a couple of pieces missing. It was as if someone had just removed them…”

He knew it, the woman was too damn smart for her own good and, of course, that’s why he’d fallen so hard for her.

“I temporarily lent it to one of my comrades,” he lied.

“Really? Which one?”

“Nappa.”

“Nappa… That’s the bald one, right?”

“Yes.”

“I see…” She replied unconvinced. “Well… I’d say your comrade must have been the one to take those missing pieces…”

She jumped from the counter, landing on the floor and walking towards a small sink in the corner of the room. She grabbed a small white cloth, dampening it and wringing out the excess water as she proceeded to remove several grease stains from her smooth ivory skin.

“Where’s the human male?” He finally asked, almost hypnotized by her elegant actions.

“Uh?” Bulma replied distractedly. “You mean Yamcha?”

The Prince grunted.

“Oh, he doesn’t work here anymore. He’s too… You know… I guess ‘clumsy’ would be the right word,” she snickered, shaking her head. “Now he’s a cook in a restaurant downtown.”

Vegeta couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow at that. “A cook?”

Bulma laughed.

“Well… That’s what he says… To tell you the truth, I’m sure he’s more like a kitchen helper, or even a dishwasher. You know Yamcha, almost everything he says is a lie or some kind of exaggeration…”

“So, you’re not mates anymore?” Vegeta asked cautiously, the question making Bulma raise her head in shock.

“Mates?” She asked wide-eyed.

“Yes, mates… You know, like…”

“Like a boyfriend?”

“Is that how it’s called in your planet?”

“I guess… You mean like a partner, right? Like a couple?”

“That is correct.”

“Gods, no! Ugh! No!” She replied, horrified. “I mean, I thought he was cute when I met him, and it was nice to find a few people from my home planet in here but… No… He’s just not for me…”

The Prince walked towards her, standing by her side as she kept grooming herself, and thinking that this could finally be his window of opportunity.

“I see… And why is that?” He asked casually.

Bulma looked at him for an instant, blinking a few times and tilting her head to the side thoughtfully.

“I don’t know… Well, obviously, he lies a lot, so he’s not very trustworthy, which is a huge turn off in a guy. But he’s also, kind of… I guess the right word is soft.”

“Soft.”

“Yeah…” She shrugged, going back to her task and languidly rubbing the cloth across her neck.

Vegeta smirked triumphantly.

Oh yeah, he knew just what kind of a man this little female needed…

“So, what you’re saying is, you are looking for a man who is strong.”

“Um, I guess? I mean, I’m not even really looking for a…”

“Like a Saiyan Prince,” he declared solemnly.

His words made Bulma instantly drop her cloth and look at him in complete shock. One look at him told her he was dead serious.

‘Wow…’

“Ve-Vegeta, I…” Before she could find the right words to reject his proposal, the warrior gently held her pale hand between his much larger ones.

“Bulma,” he said with an intensity she had never witnessed in any man before. “If you take me as your mate I swear, on my Saiyan honor, to protect and cherish you, fighting your battles by your side, for all Eternity.”

Bulma felt her legs tremble, her pulse racing while this man, the most attractive man she’d ever known, basically asked her to marry him.

‘Why? And, why today, of all days?’

She wanted to say yes, more than anything she’d ever wanted in her entire life, but she couldn’t, not when she was so damn close…

Tonight was the night she was about to escape the planet in search of the mythical magic Dragon Balls that would allow her, if the legends turned out to be true, to wish her home planet and its inhabitants back to life once again.

She couldn’t do it.

She couldn’t give up on her biggest dream for a man, especially not for a ruthless warrior that possibly had no real concept of what love truly was and would probably end up breaking her poor little heart eventually anyway.

“Vegeta,” she sighed. “I… I really appreciate your proposal and… It’s, it’s very, very tempting but… I just can’t accept,” she finally replied, kindly removing her now very sweaty hand from his own. If she kept feeling his warm touch much longer, she didn’t trust herself.

The Saiyan let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding.

Well, he hadn’t seen this one coming…

He cleared his throat and raised his chin proudly in a pathetic attempt to hide his humiliation.

“I see. May I ask why?” He enquired in the most neutral voice he could project.

“Well, uh… I’m leaving tonight, you see? My boss gave me a couple of weeks off and I’m going on a trip,” she lied.

She was going on a trip, alright, but her boss didn’t even know he’d never see her again after today, not that he’d notice anyway until she was long gone, since he barely spent any time in the small repair shop.

“A trip?”

“Yes.”

“Where?”

“Um, uh, it’s this small planet called Namek. I’ve heard it’s really nice, and very similar to Earth…”

Vegeta squinted his eyes suspiciously, but chose to say nothing more. He’d had enough humiliation for a day anyway, so he walked towards the counter and grabbed his white gloves.

“How much do I owe you?” He asked, still avoiding her gaze, unable to stand her pity.

“Uh, you know what? This one’s on the house!” She replied.

She tried to appear joyful, but deep down she felt heartbroken, not just for him, but for herself as well. It was hard to believe but, suddenly she felt the strong urge to throw caution to the wind and say yes to this enigmatic, handsome Saiyan warrior.

“I’m afraid I can’t accept that. Here,” he said, offering her a small black card. “You’ll need funds for your trip I suppose.”

Bulma just took the card, unwilling to start an argument with the man.

He nodded, his dark eyes penetrating her very soul, and he turned around, exiting the shop and walking away from her life.

“Woman,” he declared, still giving her his back. “You will never find a man more suited to be your mate.”

The earthling swallowed heavily.

“I don’t doubt it, Vegeta,” she whispered in all honesty.

He grunted in confirmation and disappeared into the crowd, leaving a very confused Bulma sitting heavily on a small chair and on the verge of tears.

‘What just happened?’

A few hours later, a mortified Saiyan Prince was still trying to bury his shame in alcohol.

“Pour me another! And leave the fucking bottle!” He yelled.

“Motherfucker…” Vegeta mumbled to himself while Nappa and Raditz kept staring in surprise, never having seen their Prince in such a poor state.

“That filthy fucking lizard motherfucker… I’m sick of this shit!” He yelled, slamming the glass against the table.

“Okay, I have to ask. Did something happen today, Vegeta?” Nappa finally enquired.

“Mind your own fucking business, baldy…”

“Come on, buddy, don’t be like that! We just got a sweet deal, you know?” The bigger man said, leaning a little into Vegeta. “Raditz just brought me the details of our next mission. We’re leaving tonight, and it looks like child’s play. Look… It’s this small planet called Namek, and apparently the inhabitants are really weak. There’s a bonus involved, and all we have to do is retrieve some…”

“The fuck did you just say?” Vegeta asked him in inebriated shock.

“A-About what?”

“The planet… What’s it called?”

“Um, Namek?”

“Sonofabitch…” The Prince slurred, smiling lazily.

‘Oh… This was so damn sweet it had to be fattening…’

He stood from his chair all of a sudden, drunkenly walking towards the exit door.

“Vegeta? What the fuck is going on?” Raditz asked in bewilderment at the sudden change of attitude in his Prince.

“Just pay for the drinks and let’s get the Hell out of this planet, asshole!”

Vegeta got out of the bar, silently allowing the cold, crisp air of the night to clear up his mind.

He was going to need it.

The next time he faced the woman, he wouldn’t fail.

He’d make her his, showing her in whatever way possible that they were made for each other, whatever the cost, even if he had to slaughter that despicable lizard bastard himself in order to keep her safe forever.

Vegeta didn’t know that, in that very moment, a blue haired woman was sitting on her small bed, her few belongings all packed up as she waited in the dark for the three earthlings that would join her in her new adventure: a bald monk, a dirty perverted old man that possessed a surprisingly great talent for martial arts and Yamcha.

In her trembling hands, she held a small object: the black card a certain Saiyan Prince had given her just hours earlier.

She’d finally checked the contents of it.

Ten million credits.

A small fortune, enough to purchase even a small planet if she wished.

Bulma stood by the window, her watery eyes lost in the starry sky. Now, more than ever, she was fully determined to find the Dragon Balls and make her wishes come true.

One of those wishes now included the promise of getting to see her perfect man one more time.

Somehow, somewhere, she knew they’d meet again, and when they did, she would never let him go…