Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ A Taste of Heat ❯ Sobering reality or is it? ( Chapter 8 )

Chapter 7

Sobering time  

Comfortable warmth surrounded Bulma on all sides. Out of a deep sleep she surfaced, not wishing to wake, but knowing it was inevitable. Just what had roused her was clear, because she saw the sun beaming through the windows, still pale with early morning swirls of red and pink. Through venetian blinds it blinked, a backdrop to the dancing shadows on the thin shafts of light creeping along the far wall. Bulma yawned, slowly pressing her face into the firm surface she lay her face upon. Her breasts were pressed against the same surface, while her body was draped over a hard warm mass that barely yielded.

"OHHH it's COLD YAMI!" screamed a woman's voice.

Someone was laughing and splashing in the pool just a few hundred yards away. A woman let out a loud piecing scream, accompanied by a loud laugh. Bulma groaned, blinking up into the sunlight. "Shimatta, I wish I could stop that noise," she grumbled.

"Hey baby, work it for me!" laughed Yamucha's voice, partly muffled by the walls. Another splash followed the reverberating shudder of a diving board.

"Since when the hell did I have my room so close to the pool," Bulma yawned, and slowly blinked. The red numerals of an alarm clock spelled out eight thirty AM.

"Yamucha, have you seem Bulma?" asked a familiar voice that made her wince.

"Umm no Ms. Briefs. She's been uh... well she and Vegeta were eating breakfast and then they just disappeared," said Yamucha.

"Well she didn't come out for dinner or lunch, and we're worried sick... I wonder if Vegeta's seen her..."

"Um why do you ask?" Yamucha asked with a nervous laugh.

"I last saw her with Vegeta..." said Shasta's high-pitched laugh that was suddenly cut off.

"Oho, you have a visitor... dearie my... aren't you a DOLL?" Mrs. Briefs cooed in a pitch the same as the annoying offender who had roused Bulma out of dreamland.

Bulma felt a bit ill in her stomach, realizing she must have skipped two meals. Oddly she did not feel very fatigued due to a strange blue afterimage flaring past her eyeballs. Grumbling she shifted positions, but felt something was preventing her from getting up.

"Nani?" she asked, then pushed against the heavy arm pulling her down. An intelligible grunt protested, tugging her back down.

"Can't that looser shut the fuck up? Some of us are trying to sleep..." her lover rasped. Bulma shivered in realization. It crashed down around her that this wasn't her bed, because she didn't have an alarm clock to the left. Also, if she narrowed her eye she could see a well-worn armored breastplate leaning against one wall, while various other components of technology sat here and there. Including a small neat pile that looked suspiciously like a new prototype armor she had made for the Saiyan no Ouji.

"Don't you have... training?" she asked quietly, realizing who she was in bed with. It was his room after all, a place she had hardly seen the interior of except to collect bits of laundry and such.

"You wore us both out, wench, so I lost a bit of time. No matter..." he answered. Bulma blushed deeply, then blinked down at him through the dimness of light and shadow. Slowly she raised her finger to trace over his skin and caress it.

"Good morning to you, Mr. Happy," she said, seeing the frown on his face. However she wondered what would happen if she tried kissing him good morning. Pressing hands to his chest she pecked him lightly on the lips.

When he realized her from the kiss he made a face, "Ugh woman, your breath tastes HORRENDOUS..."

"You're no Certs spokesboy yourself, your Royal Pain in my Ass," Bulma said with a mock argued tone that brought a slight smirk to his lips.

"Get up with you now... Breakfast... and a shower..." he said, giving her backside a spank and shoving her playfully away so she almost toppled out of his bed. Bulma stuck her tongue out at him, and then realized she was stark naked.

"Um... not to be a pain in the ass..."

"Too late, you already are," he smirked, pushing aside the covers and standing up to stretch. A loud cracking snap caused her to grit her teeth as he rolled his shoulders and neck around.

"You destroyed my robes bud, what the hell am I supposed to wear?"

"Give me a damn minute," he yawned, grabbing a pair of boxers from the nearby chair and pulling them on. "Go find something to cover yourself. I don't want anyone else seeing how repulsive you are when I know the truth..."

"Look who's talking. At least I don't look like an eighties throwback that should be hanging from someone's key chain!" she half giggled.

"Baka," he answered. "Another damn pop culture reference I should lower myself to learn?"

She wandered after him, grabbing his royal blue bathrobe and tying it around herself. He grabbed her by the arm and playfully dragged her with him to the shower. Within minutes they were freshly cleaned off. He left the shower first, flaring royal blue to dry himself in the manner he had before. Bulma finished washing her hair and shaving her legs while he attended to his needs.

"Thank Kami he's not some slob. I couldn't stand to pick up after someone ELSE!" she thought as she saw the towels unused and stacked on the commode. Bulma dried off quickly then made a turban around her hair to catch the worst of it. Grumbling she realized she was going to smell like Old Spice instead of her favorite cucumber melon soap. She grabbed his robe again, and exchanged the towel around her body for it.

Her breath drew in sharply to see him pulling on a pair of blue spandex workout pants over his marvelous ass. He was in the process of bending over to grab a sleeveless tank top and raising it to hitch over his head when she saw his back. Those multiple scars made her wince. Although they were almost white against his olive skin and nicely healed, the most dramatic one stretched from his upper shoulder to midway along his back.

Bulma wolf whistled, seeing his muscles bulge as he drew his shirt on, and then reached for a pair of white gloves. "Admiring perfection I see?" he smirked.

"Hell yeah. But don't let it get to your head. Wouldn't want it to get any more swelled or else you'd make one screwed up looking balloon, and we'd have to tie a string around your ankle, bud," she answered.

"That's where my robe got to. Give it back, woman..."

"Try and get it from me... I can't go around NAKED, right?"

"Only around me," he laughed, reaching over and tugging at her robe.

"HEY!" she yelled, smacking his gloved hands away. Vegeta grabbed a pair of his boxers and a T-shirt, throwing them at her. She unfolded them and quickly pulled the loaner outfit on.

"Are you going to stand there all day catching flies in your yap, or are you going to make yourself USEFUL and make us some breakfast?" he snorted.

"Okay, keep your shirt on, your Majesty... sheesh," she said, brushing past him and throwing the robe back at him. Vegeta shook his head over dramatically and strode gracefully after her. She wondered if he was admiring the sway of her hips as she walked, so she put an extra swish in her step.  

***

Bulma scraped the contents of one of four frying pans onto the plate Vegeta held out to her expectantly. Already four plates were neatly stacked to his left. Next to the omelet she lay six pieces of bacon, before Vegeta placed it down before him. She sat down for a moment, wiping sweat from her brow.

"Humph, barely adequate, but it will suffice," he mumbled through mouthfuls of omelet.

"I guess that's better than tasting like shit?" she raised a brow at him.

"Umm," he mumbled, swallowing his mouthful. Deftly he cut pieces off with knife and fork, and Bulma found herself watching him simply eat with a strange fondness. Vegeta said nothing during his meal, but she wasn't in the mood for conversation. Still the bite on her shoulder was a bit tender, and she raised her fingertips to feel it.

"Coffee?" she asked. Vegeta nodded, pushing his mug over for her to top off.

"Are you trying to look like a famine victim woman? Eat Dammit?" he grunted at her, shoveling part of his food onto an empty plate and thrusting it before her.

"Since when did you give a shit what I ate, huh?" she asked.

"Since you started showing your ribs like some skeleton. It doesn't become you. I don't like fucking bones..." he mumbled. Bulma blushed a bit, then allowed herself to eat what he'd given her.

"Oh my, that smells simply delish!" Bulma's mother crowed as she walked in. "I hope you made ME some..."

"All right mom, I'll fix you a plate," Bulma said, leaping up.

"Sit down, woman, and eat damn it. She can get her own!" Vegeta grunted, gently seizing Bulma's wrist with a gloved hand and guiding her to sit again.

"Hey wait a minute..."

"He's right, don't trouble yourself," said Mrs. Briefs, grabbing her favorite apron and picking up where Bulma left off. Dr. Briefs shuffled in a minute later, repositioning his black cat around his shoulders while carrying the morning paper in his other hand with some trade journals.

"Good morning snookums, and my little Princess," he said, leaning over to give his wife a kiss on the lips, then Bulma a buss on the cheek.

"Dad, knock it off!" she grumbled.

"Your Majesty," he grunted to Vegeta, who gave him a cursory grunt through a mouthful of omelet. He didn't even look up when Dr. Briefs took a seat opposite the Prince. Instead he raised his paper and put it as a screen between Vegeta and himself, long having learned the Prince liked his privacy when eating.

"More orange juice, young man?" Bunny asked.

"And while you're at it, some more toast," he grunted, indicating the racks were empty. Like magic they were replenished and an entire jar of marmalade was set nearby as well. Bulma finished what Vegeta had thrown on her plate, then idly stirred milk and sugar into her coffee. It seemed oddly domestic, because Vegeta was silent, and her father was reading the paper while Bunny sang to herself. Almost a picture of domestic tranquility.

"Hey, hey hey," Yamucha laughed as he strode through the kitchen, with a towel around his neck.

"Don't track water on the floor! I just mopped it!" Bunny gasped as small puddles trailed him behind.

"Oops, my bad!" Yamucha laughed, arm in arm with a purple haired Shasta. She wore a two piece French bikini with a towel hitched around her hips.

"Oh my... do I know you?" Dr. Briefs asked, putting his hand over his nose at the sight of her figure.

"Great Galaxy, put some clothes on dammit... some of us are trying to eat!" Vegeta spluttered as he glared at them both.

"Excuse me, but we were SWIMMING?" Yamucha snorted at Vegeta.

"Low class trollop," Vegeta started.

"Vegeta, more coffee?" Bulma asked, holding the pot over his cup.

"Mmm," he nodded, then pointed to his empty plate. She grabbed the contents of the frying pan and dumped more egg onto his plate.

"Ohh that smells WONDERFUL, can we have..."

"No," Vegeta mumbled.

"I didn't realize that you had company, Yamucha... I suppose I COULD fix you two a plate..."

"Don't bother... they can just order out pizza. I'm sure that's all he really wants to eat anyway, unless he has some still left over from last night," Bulma said, glaring at Yamucha.

"Ugh, cold pizza is AWFUL," Shasta made a face.

"What does this look like, a hotel? Yamucha, if you and your girlfriend want to eat breakfast, go to the diner down the street!" Bulma suddenly snapped at him.

"Bulma dear, its no big deal!" Bunny said.

"I'm serious, Mom..." Bulma snapped.

"Calm down sweetie," said Dr. Briefs. "I'm sure it wouldn't be a huge problem... after all... but we shouldn't make a habit of it..."

"The woman's right," Vegeta snorted, glaring at both Yamucha and Shasta. "You want breakfast you cook it yourself. It's not like you serve any useful purpose around here!"

"I wasn't TALKING to you, Vegeta," Yamucha snorted. "And I'm here training like YOU are so I have EVERY right to..."

"Knock it off, Yamucha. Vegeta, ignore him. No arguing in the kitchen. If you really WANT breakfast, you can make it after we're done. There's not enough for all of us..."

"But I see loads of..." Shasta said.

"It's for Vegeta and the rest of us," Bulma said pointedly. "You guys can order donuts or something..."

"But I'm on a diet!" Shasta gasped.

"There are some donuts in the pantry..." Bunny said, getting up and sliding between a fuming Bulma and a very pensive Yamucha.

"I'll be training in the GR," Vegeta grunted, throwing down his napkin and getting up. Bulma grabbed his stack of dishes and plunked it into the sink, then returned to get the rest. Vegeta handed her his emptied coffee mug, and gave her a grunt of affirmation, which was his way of saying thanks.

"You're welcome," she said quietly as he strode off.

"He's creepy," Shasta whispered to Yamucha.

"So... how's it shaking?" Yamucha asked, sitting down where Vegeta had sat before, and pulling Shasta onto his lap.

"Young lady, have I seen you somewhere before? Miss July?"

"OH you HAVE seen me? I was in the last year's calendar of Sports Illustrated..." Shasta laughed gleefully.

"Dr. Briefs?" Yamucha blinked.

"Bulma dearie, what does that T shirt say? I've never seen a company named Bejitasei before?" Shasta pointed to her T-shirt. "Is it some product that Capsule is making…"

"What the hell?" Bulma asked, then glanced down and pulled at the logo stretched across her breasts. She flushed bright red when she remembered it was a gag gift for last Christmas for the Saiyan no Ouji. He was at first disgusted to see the royal symbol scrawled across a T shirt like some pop culture icon, but she had seen him wear it during his workouts when she wasn't looking.

"Oh my I remember that's what you got that nice young man for…" Bunny giggled as Bulma blushed.

"Where the heck did you get THAT?" Yamucha blinked. "I've never seen that in your drawers…"

"None of your business," Bulma groaned as Yamucha gaped, and Shasta scratched her head in confusion.

"You really COULD use a wonder bra, you know," said Shasta. "I always found it lifted and separated well…"

"Mind your own damn business!" Bulma snorted. "What I wear is MY concern!"

"How do you know what's in Bulma's drawers? You weren't snooping around again, were you?" Dr. Briefs asked. "I warned you about going places in Capsule that weren't…"

"Here's some chocolate covered icing tempting treats!" Bunny suddenly interrupted, pushing between Bulma and Yamucha with a plate loaded with tasty donuts.

"Bulma?" asked Yamucha. "What's going on?"

"I'll be in my LAB!" she snorted, sticking her nose in the air and stamping out.

"What's HER problem?" asked Shasta. "Is she PMS?"

"No, that's how she usually is," Yamucha whispered to her with an uncomfortable look on his face.

"Why should YOU care what she's wearing anyhow?" sniffed Shasta. "After all, you're no longer dating her, right?"

"Of course not… why SHOULD I worry," Yamucha snorted, and then turned to pick up a donut and lift it up to Shasta's lips. Seeing her nibbling on it, Dr. Briefs peered out from over the top of his paper. A small trickle of blood ran down his nose that he dabbed away at with a tissue.