You're Fireproof, I Wish I Was That Way [closed]

[capsulecorp]

It's been a few days since he destroyed her television. Which is fine. Whatever. She bought a new, got it installed, fine. She's gotten the hole in her wall fixed too. She even managed to get his precious Gravity Chamber fixed which means she can get him out of her hair for a little bit. Which is good. It gives her time to work on other projects in her labs. She does have a business to run, after all.

The problem is he keeps creeping into her thoughts when she doesn't want him to. How weirdly jealous he had behaved that night. Sorry. Not jealous, possessive. Whatever the hell that meant. Half the time it seemed like he couldn't even stand her but he thought he had some weird claim over her?

It's not that she's never entertained the idea before but it's a bad idea for a lot of reasons not least of all him having an ego that almost rivaled her own.

She decides it's time for a break, exiting her lab to go outside to smoke a cigarette. He always bitched too much when she smoked in the house. Something about the smell offending his sensitive Saiyan sense of smell.

She taps the cigarette to let some of the ash fall. Really, that was almost reason enough to do it, sometimes.

Comments

[saiyan]

It's true. Vegeta could easily kill her. He could circle her throat with his fingers, and it would be over before she had time to comprehend what was happening.

But he won't. And he's beginning to suspect that she knows that, even if she seemed as baffled as he was by his proclamation of possessiveness days prior. She didn't understand what it meant, and Vegeta wasn't about to delve into why he gave so much of a damn about a weakling human who was only good for building and fixing things. Bulma was kept around because she was useful, yet it was very important that she was useful to him and only him.

His fingers and thumb splayed out against her collarbone, framing the base of her neck. The hands on his chest do nothing to move him, though he doesn't push against them so much as take them as a sign to keep his present distance. (If she protested or put up a fight, he'd withdraw, and he suspects she knows that, too. Damn her.)

"It wouldn't take so long to fix if you had given me proper instructions in the first place."

Things are never his fault — ever. Especially when they are.

[capsulecorp]

He won't kill her. She's figured that out a while ago. And maybe it's just that it's she's useful, but she thinks maybe it's more than that. The words he said the other day echo in her head. Saiyans don't get jealous, they get possessive. What exactly did that mean? She doesn't belong to him, or anyone else for that matter.

But she'd be lying if she said she didn't notice the way he got annoyed when she spent her time helping one of her friends instead of him.

Her breath hitches a little as his fingers spread against her collarbone. They aren't as callous as one would expect from someone who fights as much as he does. Maybe it's from those gloves he wears so much of the time. She doesn't even know why she's thinking about that, how surprisingly gentle his touch is. How it often is.

"And like I said, it would help if you asked first. I can hardly give you instructions when you just impulsively start doing things. I'm not psychic, I can't predict what you're going to do -- not even I'm that good."

[saiyan]

If called out on it, Vegeta would claim that he had to be careful. Humans were fragile creatures and if he weren't careful when handling them, they would break apart in his hands. But it's more than that, yet not something the Saiyan prince is willing to give much thought to — and not just because he lacks the proper foundation for building the blocks he needs to in order to repair the disconnect between his head, instincts, and heart.

Though the latter would at least explain why he's dipping into intimidation tactics as a form of flirting. Not that the bullheaded man realizes that's what he's essentially doing. He's never bothered to dance around any of the women he's taken as lovers in the past, and didn't stop to learn most of their names.

She'll never know that he calls her woman, because he enjoys how it riles her up, and not because he doesn't know her name. He knows it, and that in and of itself is important.

Vegeta leans in closer, his nose nearly bumping into hers. He snorts. "Perhaps you should make a psychic machine your next project."

[capsulecorp]

She snorts a little at that. "Not that I couldn't do it, mind you, but like I really want to know what's going on in that pscyho head of yours? No thank you. You could just try communicating like the rest of us. Might make things easier on the both of us."

Bulma can't claim the same ignorance to what's going on here. Him pressing her against the ground like this definitely crosses into different territory then when he normally tries to intimidate her. She could call him on it, but then he'd probably pull away completely. Whenever she presses too hard, she gets to close to something real that's what he does. He pulls away.

And she should be glad that he does. It's better that he does, isn't it? She shouldn't indulge...whatever this is. It's a bad idea. Never mind that when she and Yamcha broke up (again, those this time has felt much more permanent than before) he had more or less implied there was already something going on. As if he's one to talk about cheating.

"Do you think I don't see how you two look at one another? He's evil, Bulma. He's a killer. He's taking advantage of you. He's the reason I died, how can you care about him? Do you really think she gives a shit about anyone other than himself?"

The weird thing is? She does. There are only moments of it before he realizes it and pulls way, but there are moments all the same.

[saiyan]

It's rare that she lets him do all the pushing. Usually he pushes and she pushes back, often drifting dangerously close to territories Vegeta wants her nowhere near or refuses to go himself, but she isn't doing that this time. He's got his hand on her, is looming almost menacingly closer than he's ever gotten to her, yet she isn't pushing back.

Strange— and curious. It's enough to prevent him from retreating.

Vegeta's palm scoots higher again, this thumb brushing against the underside of her neck and then up to trace her jawline.

"I'm not like you or your moronic group of so-called saviors."

[capsulecorp]

"No, you're not. But if you want me to work more efficiently and not have to take longer fixing things for you, talking first before yanking things might help."

And because she can never resist pushing back for long she smirks a little, her pulse racing slightly as his fingers brush against her jawline.

"Unless of course you're doing it on purpose to spend more time with me. I couldn't blame you if that were the case."

[saiyan]

Instead of jerking back, Vegeta growls, gnashing his teeth together and practically snarling at her from mere inches away.

"Don't flatter yourself! I have more important things to do than waste my time on an Earth woman."

And yet his hand had slid up one side of her neck instead of being removed, fingers grazing her earlobe, thumb brushing against the corner of her mouth...

[capsulecorp]

"Says the man straddling one currently."

If he were really concerned with his training right now wouldn't he have gotten off of her by now and gotten the flashlight back so she could continue working?

But instead they're just continuing to do...whatever is happening right here in the dark of the powerless gravity chamber. Her eyes aren't as good as his, she can't see him but she can feel the weight of him against her (and the lack of pressure there, if she wanted to get away she easily could), she can feel the way his thumb brushes against the corner of her mouth. For a man who doesn't seem to like anyone touching him he seems to have gotten bolder and bolder lately --

She wonders if he's even realized that.

[saiyan]

Vegeta scoffs at her, but as his thumb lands on her lower lip, he asks, "Do you want me to stop?"

He doesn't realize it. Even as he asks for her permission to continue whatever this is and refuses to relinquish his touch, he has no idea.

[capsulecorp]

"If I wanted you to stop you would know it."

If Bulma objected she would have made that very clear. Sure, she couldn't actually fight him off but it wouldn't stop her from trying or throwing a fit. The fact that she isn't fighting him off probably speaks volumes that she doesn't even realize herself.

[saiyan]

She can't see it, but Vegeta's smirking. And when his hand moves away and his mouth lands on the curve of her neck, he chuckles hotly against her skin, as if amused by her stubborn posturing.

He's playing with her, like a predator toying with his prey, and she's allowing it. For now.

[capsulecorp]

The chuckle catches her off guard a little and she huffs in response, her cheeks puffing out a little as she does so. She realizes she should probably try to get him off of her and go back to work and not continue with this weird flirtation they've slipped into. That would be the smart course of action here.

But for a genius she doesn't always the smartest choices. So instead she simply asks:

"What's so funny?"

[saiyan]

Vegeta drags his mouth up to her ear. "Your foolishness."

[capsulecorp]

As his eyesight is sharper than hers he might be able to make out the slight flush of her cheeks as his mouth brushes against her ear.

"How am I being foolish?"

She has an idea, it's not exactly smart to be allowing...whatever this to continue but she's curious to what he might say.

[saiyan]

Oh yes, his eyes catch on to that blush that dusts across her cheeks. He brushes his lips against the apple of one, curious to see if her skin felt as warm as it looked.

Vegeta draws back, but only slightly; just enough to hover near her face.

"This isn't a game you want to play."

[capsulecorp]

He can probably sense the way her pulse is racing -- not because she's afraid -- he's had plenty of chance to hurt her in the past and he never as -- but entirely different reasons. Her chin lifts as she states in a defiant fashion.

"Who says any of this is a game to me?"

But isn't it? In a lot of ways their interactions have almost devolved into a weird form of flirtation chicken that usually ends when one of them (often her) pushes the other too far?

[saiyan]

Vegeta takes hold of her hands, bringing them up and pinning them on either side of her head.

"It should be."

He's not a fool. He knows -- or at least, he thinks he does -- how human mating rituals work. He's sat through enough of her romantic comedies to understand that these sort of encounters are expected to have happy endings. With him, there are no happy endings and she'd be a downright fool for expecting it to result in anything resembling happy.

He was a walking disaster and/or danger zone on any given day, would likely perish with great honor in a battle worthy of his death. Romance, especially this world's definition of it, wasn't something he had time for.

[capsulecorp]

It's not like she expects a happy ending out of him -- or much of anything really. Even though they had broken up a lot over the years she's really only been involved with Yamcha -- and that didn't exactly end well. So she's not rushing to find herself another long term relationship. But she's only human. She gets lonely sometimes and she'd be lying if she said she wasn't attracted to Vegeta -- as much as logically she knows that's a bad idea. There's no way this story has any sort of good ending.

And yet she doesn't fight to get free, even as he pins her hands above her head. She knows he could easily overpower her if she struggled -- but she also if she struggled he would let her go. Most people would think she's crazy to trust Vegeta in any capacity or give him that much credit but she does.

She is, however, going to call him out on being hypocritical. "You can act like I'm being some foolish girl all you want but it's not like I'm the only one who's flirted with -- whatever the hell this is. He is, after all, the one who pinned her down like this to begin with. Who started touching her and invading her space. He can act like she's being foolish but if she is than isn't he being the exact same thing?

[saiyan]

Vegeta narrows his gaze, and while his hands don't tighten on her wrists, his touch is noticeably tense.

"I am not flirting with you."

[capsulecorp]

She raises a brow at him as if to say seriously?

"Then what would you call it? Is this one of those differences in Saiyan terms again? Like the weird possessive thing?"

[saiyan]

"Intent."

And then he's gone. One moment he's leaning over her, fingers encircling her wrists-- then he's gone, as if he blinked out of existence. Vegeta doesn't normally move at 'inhuman' speeds while around Bulma and her parents, but she caught him off guard and now that he no longer seems to have the upper hand, he's backed off.

To the other side of the room, and not just to kick the flashlight back over to her.

[capsulecorp]

It's so weird how he's there one moment and gone the next. Not that she isn't used to the phenomenon -- Goku's pulled it on her a million times -- but Vegeta doesn't tend to do it around her as much. Even when he wants to get away from her. If he's that eager to escape at the moment she's almost impressed he didn't just blow a hole in the door and leave.

She pulls herself off the ground, brushing off her clothes as she does so. The flashlight rolls back over to her and she turns to...whatever part of the room he's in now. She's not totally certain.

"You know, I asked you to hold it before because I could work faster that way." A small smirk spreads across her lips as she continues. "Of course, if you want me to take my time getting it fixed I can do that..."

Okay, so maybe she's baiting him a little to try to ease over whatever awkwardness might be lingering in the air. Since they are still stuck in here together.

[saiyan]

Speaking of lingering in the air... Vegeta kicks off the ground to do just that. Arms crossed, eyes closed, he hmphs at her noncommittally from where he's hovering a few feet in the air.

[capsulecorp]

The hmph along with the light from the flashlight is enough for her to be able to see where he is. She smiles a little too cheerfully before handing it to him.

"Thank you."

[saiyan]

Vegeta obliges -- begrudgingly. He holds the flashing light out so it's shining down on what she's working on from where he's hovering in the air above her.

"Make it quick. I don't have all day."

As if the Androids were coming in a few hours, not a few years.