Chapter Text
Happy Belated Vegebul day, friends! A bit late for 6/9 but figured I'd post this prompt I've been sitting on from VegebulPrompts on Twitter.
"3-year gap where Vegeta barges into Bulma's lab demanding she invent a medication to cure his "illness." He describes symptoms of passionate longing. She might just have the cure."
Please be kind - I am not normally a writer, just a sad introvert trying to contribute a bit back to the community since I've been a VB content slut for over 15 years TT_TT
“Bulma.”
Bulma felt the warm breath on her neck and jumped out of her seat, her earbuds flying off her head with the violent gesture. Bulma groaned and looked around her dramatically.
“God dammit Vegeta, those are my fifth pair this week, and it’s only Wednesday.” She pumped her fists from anger before bending over her desk.
“It’s not my fault that your work space is disgusting. And you lack discipline for requiring music to focus on your tasks.” He observed the disaster that was Bulma’s desk, or that is, the litter of papers, food wrappers and electronics that covered the surface of Bulma’s desk. As she leaned further over her desk in her search, Vegeta looked in the opposite direction of her ass.
“I need your assistance, and it is of the utmost importance.”
“Yuh-huh. Like everything you need, but what is it this time? Let me guess, you need more gravity.”
Bulma thought she found one of the earbuds, but it was an old piece of candy that she then popped into her mouth.
“I think...I may be ill.”
She waited for the punchline, and looked up in surprise when it didn’t come.
“Wha? Like, you don’t feel good, and it’s not something broken or bleeding?”
Vegeta’s mouth formed a thin line.
“I’m not sure, but I don’t feel well. Or perhaps, it’s I don’t feel myself? Tch-” He looked down in frustration and noticed a small device not far from his foot. He picked it up and handed it to Bulma. “I think this is one of them.”
“Thanks,” Bulma muttered, still looking back at him with confusion. She climbed down from her desk. “Well, what is it that you need, exactly?”
“I’m not sure. I suppose if medication is available for my ailment, that would be a good start.”
“Well then,” Bulma gestured to a free chair by her desk so he would sit. Vegeta gave a face like it was a stupid idea, but complied anyway. “Tell me how you feel, and I’ll find out what might help.”
“Headaches. All the time. And more severe than normal.” He flicked a tissue off her desk and picked up the other earbud. “Actually, just...aches, in general. My muscles, stomach, and in my chest.” He twirled the electronic piece between his fingers and frowned down at it.
“Ouch, like everything hurts at all times?” Bulma grabbed a random piece of paper and started jotting notes.
“No. The headaches are all the time, but the other ones come and go. It seems random at times, and sometimes not.”
The pen Bulma was using went dry, so she tossed it behind her and started looking for another one.
“More details, buddy.” Bulma found another pen-fuck, nevermind. It was a stylus.
“The muscle pain, for example. Happens often at breakfast. And what’s odd is it’s not from my training, I know my body well enough to know when to expect that. But a tension forms in my hands, and my shoulders….my neck.” He rubbed it with his free hand as he spoke, like the pain was starting to form. “And I wake up rested, like I’ve slept well. I do my morning work out, which isn’t strenuous by any means, shower and go eat. I notice it starts sometimes when we eat together.”
“Is that when you get stomach aches, too?” After finding her 2nd stylus, Bulma gave up looking for a pen and grabbed one of her tablets instead.
“No, there is no correlation between the stomach aches and eating, strangely. Those are very random, but I noticed them more in the early evening, before dinner. Like when we wait for your mother to finish cooking.”
“Hunger pains? Or that’s usually after you’ve done the suicidal part of your training regime, so pain isn’t abnormal..” Bulma finally turned on the app she needed for scribbling notes, so where the hell was that stylus?
If Bulma was looking, she would have seen Vegeta’s scowl get deeper.
“Tch- the ache I’m talking about has nothing to do with my training, I said that before. You have the attention span of a child.”
“Hey Asshole, You’re the one fucking coming to ME for help!” Bulma immediately got up and stared down, because she triggered easy.
Vegeta stood and shoved the other earbud into her chest. “I don’t even know why.” He turned to leave, but Bulma was used to his shit and caught his arm on time.
“OKAY Geez, sorry. I want to help, okay? I was just looking for a stylus to take notes, but I’ll use the app keyboard instead. You have my full attention now. Sit down.”
Vegeta huffed like the child he accused her of being and sat back down, arms crossed. Bulma sat down and tried a smile to break the ice.
There was a long silence until Bulma broke it.
“So, lots of headaches all the time, and muscle tension. And you get stomach aches that have nothing to do with food, or overdoing it in the Gravity Chamber. How do those feel, exactly?”
“It’s a weird sensation in the pit of my stomach. The stomach aches are not very painful, but just noticeable enough to be uncomfortable.” He placed a hand on his abs, shirtless, as usual. “The ache is always right in the center. Much like the chest pain. Almost like it’s in my heart.”
“Do you notice when you get these chest pains, or are those random too?”
Vegeta nodded.
“Very random, but also frequent. I notice lately my heart often aches. Especially when I’m with you.”
Bulma looked up from her notes, astounded.
“Huuu-what did you say?”
“When I’m with you, my heart aches. An allergy to you, perhaps. Or one of those products you use.”
Bulma blushed hard. Why couldn’t he omit the latter of what he said, just to better fulfill one of her fantasies?
“Umm…”
….How the hell should she respond? Was she delusional? Because if she was, she didn’t want it to end. She placed the tablet down and gave him her full attention.
“Vegeta, how do you feel right now?” Bulma asked carefully.
Vegeta closed his eyes for a brief moment, assessing himself, before responding.
“Strangely enough, I came to you because of my discomfort, but it has ceased in my stomach since speaking to you.”
“Why do you think it stopped?”
He shrugged and looked away.
“If I knew that, I wouldn’t be here. But I stopped aching when we argued a moment ago. I forgot about the discomfort when I handed you your garbage, and you stopped me from leaving.”
“So, when we touched,” Bulma placed a gentle hand on his. “Like this?”
Vegeta stared at her hand on his, but didn’t move otherwise.
“Yes.”
“Does it- Does it hurt anywhere else right now?”
Vegeta craned his neck, gesturing to the spot he was rubbing before.
“Still some tension,” he muttered.
Bulma leaned forward, placing her other hand at the thick junction where his neck and shoulder met.
“Here? Is that...better?” she whispered.
“Mhm,” Vegeta grunted, watching her carefully.
“And, how does your chest feel right now?” Bulma slowly traced her hand down to where she could feel his heartbeat. “Being with me?”
She listened to the steady rhythm with her palm, sounding louder with each pulse.
Vegeta grabbed her hand abruptly, yanking it off his chest, but not releasing it from his.
“Better.”
Bulma’s mouth went dry, not knowing what to say as he just stared at her, barely moving. She could have sworn she felt his grip on her hand tighten. Was he going to kiss her?
Her trance got broken when he released her and stood up. He rolled his shoulders and neck to get the final kinks out, and turned to leave.
“Figure it out, and provide me with the treatment when it’s ready.”
Wait what?!
Bulma cleared her throat obnoxiously to stop him from leaving. Vegeta stopped and glared at her impatiently for her point as she approached him.
”It’s too early to pinpoint the root of your...illness, but it seems like your discomfort subsides when we touch,” She spread her fingers across his pecs, barely grazing his bare nipples. “Like this.”
His eyes followed her fingers.
“So?”
The little human leaned forward so Vegeta could practically taste her breath.
“So, Vegeta. To cure your pain, you can come upstairs with me so we can touch a lot more. And in more places.”
Vegeta huffed.
“Are you insane? It’s the middle of the day, and I have training to do.”
“Are YOU insane?!” Bulma snapped. “I’m sexy as fuck and just offered my body on a silver platter and you!...”
She paused. He didn’t technically say no. She glared at him.
“Tonight, then. After training.”
Vegeta considered her demands for a moment and nodded.
“Acceptable.”
“Fine.”
“Agreed.”
She awkwardly took her hands back and he moved to leave the room for the third time.
Vegeta was almost out the door when he paused, his back still facing her.
“Thank you for helping me, Bulma.”
Bulma blinked. Stunned, she didn’t have the opportunity to stutter out her response before he disappeared.
“My pleasure...”