Work Text:
Vegeta’s small circular communication device buzzed in his armor as he narrowly avoided Goku’s fist and saw an opening, slamming his own into the taller Saiyan’s ribs. “Ow!” Goku yelled as he grabbed his side while Vegeta pulled out his communication device to see he was being alerted by Bulma that it was time for him to come home. “Vegeta! Can’t you be more gentle?” Goku whined as he rubbed his side.
“You’re a Saiyan, so stop with the theatrics,” Vegeta scolded as he put his device back into his armor.
“Is something wrong?” Goku asked as he watched Vegeta curiously.
“I’m leaving,” Vegeta said as he crossed his arms.
“But you just got here! Don’t you want to train with Whis?” Goku complained like a spoiled child.
“It’s Bulla’s birthday tomorrow,” Vegeta stated with finality and without further explanation as he closed his eyes. He reached out with his senses to find his son’s energy; warm and vibrant like his mother’s but steady and calm like his own. He took a deep breath and in his mind’s eye, he displaced his energy close to his son’s and he felt his body slip away, almost floating in a void as he left Beerus’ planet. When he took his next breath, he smelled the familiar clean scent of earth’s air and opened his eyes to find himself on the lawn of Capsule Corp.
He tilted his head curiously as he felt his family’s energy inside Bulla’s room and made his way inside the building. He climbed the stairs that lead to the hallway of where his offspring slept and stopped at the white door where child paintings of pink, purple, and rainbow animals were decorating the door at different angles; the work of his three year-old princess, soon to be four. His nose wrinkled at a chemical smell that wafted from the other side and he moved to open the door. Vegeta’s eyes blinked to adjust to the sudden burst of bright bubblegum pink that attacked his eyes and he surveyed the room to find Bulma smiling at him amusedly with a large paintbrush in hand.
“Daddy! It’s pink!” He heard the ecstatic, small voice of his daughter. He looked over to see her running towards him with paintbrush in hand, her red coveralls, face, and sky blue hair in French braid pigtails covered in pink paint. She grabbed his hand, her ocean blue eyes of her mother’s twinkled brightly with excitement and happiness as she looked up at her father, waiting for him to praise her. Vegeta’s heart warmed at the sight of his princess. She was very much like her mother in so many ways, cheerful, talkative, curious but she was like him too. She was aware of her surroundings and people, had more common sense than most, and apparently his temper, according to his wife. She also picked up a love for animals that could only have come from her grandmother.
"Yes… pink," Vegeta stated with more surprise than excitement and he saw his wife snickering to herself. He glared at her as he was pulled further into the room. He turned to see Trunks on the other end of the room by an already painted wall, drawing free-hand a very realistic elephant beside a giraffe. He turned to greet his father with a nod before returning to his task. Vegeta felt pride at his boy. If Bulla was more similar to her mother Trunks was very much like him, stoic, and letting actions to explains what words can't, very much Saiyan characteristics. But his brain was analytical like Bulma's with a wicked sense of humor and enjoyed getting a rise out of him and Bulla, another trait of his mother's. But curiously, he was very mellow and let things brush off him like water off a duck's back, he didn't anger easily, and often reminded Vegeta of the boy's grandfather, Dr. Briefs.
"What is the meaning of this?" Vegeta directed his question to his wife, who had a mischievous glint in her eyes with a huge grin.
"Bulla decided that she wanted to paint her room before her birthday. She wanted a zoo theme," Bulma explained as she dipped her brush in paint.
"I don't remember zoos being pink," Vegeta said as he studied the walls.
"You don't like it, daddy?" Bulla frowned with a little pout, the spitting image of her mother and he felt his heartstrings tug.
He saw Bulma from the corner of his eye, biting her cheek to hold in her laughter as he cleared his throat, "It's… fine."
She broke into a huge smile and giggled, "You're funny, daddy." She pulled him toward Trunks, “Look daddy! Trunks is painting the animals for me!”
“Are you sure you don’t want them purple, princess?” Trunks asked as he shadowed the elephant’s trunk that was raised above its head, another talent he gained from his mother.
Bulla stomped her foot, “No, Trunks! I want a real elephant!”
He turned his head to look at her in shock, “Are you telling me purple elephants aren't real?”
“No! Trunks! There’s no such thing as purple elephants!” Bulla was pouting again.
“But you have purple elephants in your pictures,” Trunks stated with a false frown in concern.
“Those are fairy elephants! Of course they’re purple!” she explained with a child’s logic.
Trunks chuckled and bent down to drop a kiss the top of her head, “I understand now princess, real elephant it is.”
“I want a tiger too, Trunks,” Bulla ordered imperiously.
“Yes, your highness,” Trunks replied as returned to his work.
“And a lion! And a zebra! And bear!” She declared to him.
“Well you won’t need a monkey, because you’ll be in here,” Trunks smirked, and Vegeta couldn’t help the feeling of dejavu when he saw his own face on his son.
“You’re mean Trunks!” Bulla yelled and started hitting him with her paintbrush, Trunks laughed as she attacked him, coating him in pink paint.
“Bulla, Trunks,” Bulma said sternly, cutting through their fight and suddenly both children stopped to look at their mother, whose face broke no room for argument. But while the children looked on with unease, Vegeta felt his spine tingle at the sight of his strong mate. “Apologize.”
Trunks nodded and gently padded Bulla’s head, “Sorry, princess.”
Bulla released Vegeta to rush into Trunks’ arms for a hug, “Sorry, Trunks.”
“Trunks, apologize to your father too, you know how hurtful that word is,” Bulma scolded.
Vegeta saw his son freeze, looking up at his father with an expression that said that he hadn’t realized what he had done, “Dad, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean…”
Vegeta stopped him by putting his hand gently on his head, “It’s fine, son.”
Trunks nodded with understanding as Bulla lifted up head to look up at her brother, her chin on his stomach, “Trunks, can we get a snack, I’m hungry.”
“Sure thing, princess,” Trunks said as he carefully put his brush away with hers. He reached down to pick her up to rest her on his hip as he walked out of the room, “So, what shall we get?”
“A grilled cheese sandwich!" Bulla all but shouted.
"Just one?" Trunks chuckled as he walked out the door with his sister.
"No, you have to make me five!" Vegeta heard Bulla as they went down the stairs toward the kitchen.
Vegeta walked over to his wife, who had went back to painting and took off his armor to put his arms around her waist, nuzzling his face into her neck to breath in her unique floral scent deeply, the smell of home. She leaned back into him with a sigh, "How was training?"
Vegeta grunted into her skin, "Adequate."
"Did you invite Goku to the birthday party tomorrow?" Bulma asked as she continued to paint with Vegeta wrapped around her.
He kissed her neck, "He's aware."
Bulma scoffed, "I'm taking that as a no, it's fine I told Whis about it the last time he visited. Chi Chi and the others will be coming as well."
Vegeta sighed, "It seems like our daughter is getting a zoo after all."
Bulma smacked his hand with playful scolding and chuckled softly, "Don't be mean, they're our friends."
"Hn," Vegeta stated as he closed his eyes, savoring the feel of having his mate in his arms.
"Bulla complained that she wasn't a baby anymore, and she declared green isn't in style," Bulma laughed amusedly.
"And pink is?" Vegeta snorted.
"I wouldn't question our little fashionista, besides, my room was pink growing up… minus the animals," she said as she managed to bend down to slather more paint on her brush with Vegeta holding her.
"That doesn't surprise me," he said as he went to nibble her exposed neck with small kisses, he now had a preference to Bulma with short hair for this reason.
"She's growing up too fast, they both are," he heard the sad wistfulness in her voice. "I already miss how I used to hold her and she would look up at me with her newborn eyes. Now she has all these plans to grow up and study animals, she's already reading the biology books papa has in his library."
Vegeta could smell the salt from the tears that his mate was holding back as she continued painting. She sniffed," Trunks is making his first patent on his invention, and he's writing up a marketing plan to pitch to the company."
"Our children are smart, like their mother," Vegeta murmured to her.
"But soon they're not going to need me anymore," her voice was heavy with a sob.
Vegeta took her paintbrush out of her hand and dropped it on the plastic covered floor to turn her in his arms, letting her snuggle her face into his chest as she tightly held him around his waist. Vegeta rubbed his cheek on her head as massaged her back in comfort, "They're Saiyans, of course they won't need you anymore, by my planet's standards you're coddling them."
"Shut it Vegeta, I don't agree with a race of brutes that launches their newborns into unknown planets alone," she snapped at him and he grinned at the fire in her voice, his fiery queen sounded more like herself.
He kissed her hair, "You raised our children to be strong and independent, they may have learned to fight because of me, but it's their earthling side, your side that will grant them the greatest power because of their compassion. No Saiyan woman could nurture such powerful beings. Trunks and Bulla are worthy of being my heirs because my queen is strong-minded, passionate and empathetic. You should rejoice and be proud to have such amazing children."
Bulma pulled her head back to gaze into his dark eyes, "I am very proud of them, but it's because I'm an earthling that I can't help but feel lonely when I think about how one day they'll leave me to live their lives."
Vegeta slid a strand of hair behind her ear, "You won't be lonely, I'll be here."
She gave him a watery smile, "Vegeta…" She leaned in to kiss him softly. He returned it, tenderly kneading her lips in love and comfort and he suddenly grunted when Bulma firmly grabbed his muscular bottom to bring him closer before breaking their kiss. "My badman is so sweet and romantic."
"Speak carefully, woman, or I'll show you what sweet really means to a Saiyan," he said with lustful promise in his eyes.
She hummed, "Maybe there are some Saiyan habits that I can get behind."
"Hn," Vegeta smirked as he bowed his head down once more to kiss his mate. He nipped her lips playfully, grinning when she giggled at his mischief before he claimed her lips firmly, teasing them open to slide his tongue inside her perfect mouth. Bulma moaned at his invasion, twirling her tongue with his in fierce gentleness as they pressed their bodies closer together.
They heard the doorbell rang but they didn't stop until their son's voice rang from below, "Mom! The decorators are here."
Bulma reluctantly pulled away with a seductive smile before giving Vegeta one last tender kiss, "Let's save this for later, hubby."
Vegeta smirked, "I came back from training, it's only proper that you welcome back your mate with your body."
Bulma giggled as she pulled away to grab her paintbrush, "I'm pretty sure you made that one up."
"I don't lie woman, it's tradition," he stated as she held the brush out to him thoughtfully.
"That explains why you're always frisky after fighting," she replied as he took the brush from her.
"It's my Saiyan nature to want to bury myself inside my woman after a good battle," he explained as he studied the brush he gave her with a frown.
"Also explains how we conceived Bulla after Goku Black, you didn't let me leave bed for a few days," she grinned at him impishly.
"Hn, we were also trying for her, don't forget," he stated.
Bulma laughed, "Speaking of our princess, want to help us finish painting while I handle the decorators?"
Vegeta grunted an affirmative just as Trunks rushed in, "Mom, they're going out back to set up, Bulla is ordering them around."
Vegeta and Bulma looked at one another and she chuckled, "I'm not sure which side she got that from."
Vegeta smirked, "You should stop her before her royal demands get out of hand."
Bulma laughed, "I'll try to use my mommy authority to wrestle back control." Vegeta chuckled as she made her way towards the door while he dipped the brush in the paint.
"Uh, dad, did you know you have pink handprints on your butt?" Trunks said as he went to go back to painting the elephant.
Vegeta froze and turned to look at his wife who had paused at the door with a mischievous smile on her pouty lips, and he felt the area where his tail had once been twitch, his Oozaru purred at the thought of giving chase to his mate. She blew him a kiss and walked away with promise of seduction in her eyes. Vegeta shook his head and grinned to himself as he moved to paint the wall, he knew he would never feel lonely with his beautiful earthling queen by his side.