Proximity Protection

A/N: Another stupid plot bunny that wouldn’t leave me alone. More VxB smut.


Bulma was concerned. Extremely fraught with worry when she had gone to bed recently. She was certain she had heard someone in her bedroom at night in the depths of darkness. The question of just how anyone could get past the world’s best security system plagued her, and she had spent most of the mornings sitting in her lab analyzing yards of videotape.

Only to find nothing. Was it her imagination that was running away with her? Ever since the mysterious youth had warned of Androids, her mind had spun overtime with the possibilities.

“What’s wrong, Babe?” Yamcha asked, poking his head in the door. Bulma blinked up and looked at him standing there in his training garb.

“Where have YOU been?” she asked, blinking up at him.

“Training, where else? Vegeta’s not the only one who needs to bust his hump. He’s reminded me how I got to work harder to keep up,” Yamcha said, stepping inside.

“Wait,” Bulma asked, glancing at the bag he carried over one shoulder. “Are you going away?”

“Well I thought I’d go on a training mission, you know?” Yamcha said quietly. Bulma rubbed her eyes, pressing her hand to her forehead as she absorbed the meaning of his words.

“Oh is that all?” Bulma asked, blinking through her fingers at him. “And you were just telling me this now? Why didn’t you tell me before?”

“You were kind of busy lately. Say, what’s with the video surveillance footage?” he pointed to the screens near her elbow.

“Funny you should ask. I’ve been hearing funny noises at night. I wondered if someone was sneaking in because I can’t see ZIP on the footage and yet I could swear…”

“Just your imagination hon,” Yamcha waved with a chuckle. “Besides, maybe you’re watching too many scary movies?”

“Do you think this is the LEAST bit funny? Unless you’re the one sneaking around for the shits and grins as part of your latest TRAINING?” Bulma snapped, slamming her hand on the desk. Yamcha leapt back, flinching.

“No way Bulma! I was training in West City gym! You may have heard me coming back late at night, but what makes you think I’d be anywhere near your room?” he asked, then flinched again at her icy glare.

“That’s part of the problem isn’t it? You’re going away; leaving me here all alone with hell knows what!” Bulma grumbled, turning away from him.

“Bulma seriously, you know things aren’t working with you and me lately. And I um… well I’m just too distracted here to train properly,” Yamcha said gingerly, trying to avoid her erupting at him again. She was so bitchy lately he didn’t know how to say two words without her going off at him. At least Vegeta shouted back at her when she blew her top. He wasn’t so bold, because he knew it would be painful.

“Distracting? I’ll show you distracting!” Bulma yelled, grabbing a stapler and hurling it towards him. He neatly dodged and it slammed into the far wall.

“Whoa Babe settle down! I didn’t mean that the way I said!” Yamcha held up his hands, waving them back and forth in a time out gesture. “Calm down!”

“I’ll show you calm!” Bulma snapped, launching herself out of her chair. “How dare you just leave me here all alone when some PROWLER is probably going to kill me in my sleep… why it could even be one of the damn androids?”

“Bulma, wait, hold it!” Yamcha shouted, catching the pencil holder she chucked towards him. “Just listen to me a minute, damn it!”

At the sound of his harsh shout, she blinked, unaccustomed to him raising his voice at her. Yamcha grasped her wrist as she swung out at him, and held her firmly. “Bulma, stop it! You’re working yourself NUTS!”

Bulma felt the firm grip of his hand stopping hers, and her body trembling as it pressed to his. A blister of migraine pain erupted behind her temple and she trembled from head to toe with rage. The look of fear in his eyes registered, and she realized he was truly terrified of her. His hands held her away from him, and he backed off, releasing her at once as he dodged behind the desk. Panting, she leaned on the desk and stared at him in shock.

“I’m sorry Yamcha I don’t know what came over me… I am so damn tired… I haven’t gotten any sleep. I didn’t mean to scream at you…” Bulma apologized. After the GR had exploded and blown a gasket the tension had increased. He had hauled Vegeta’s prone body as a last favor to Bulma, and then left her and her father to get the Prince the much needed medical aid.

“Babe, that’s why I think we need space. I can’t be around you like this. And I think that you’re so sleep deprived you’re seeing and hearing things,” said Yamcha softly, as he walked up towards her. Bulma sighed, scrubbing at her eyes with both hands futilely before looking again at him.

“You’re probably right, but still… just the thought of something possibly bypassing Capsule’s security system… it makes a girl nuts,” said Bulma quietly. Ever since he had made that attempt to propose to her and she had screamed back at him things were not quite right between them. It was apparent now that her conclusion that they should break things off was sadly correct. Even though she wanted to deny it, they both knew it as they silently looked at one another with sad eyes.

“You won’t be unprotected Bulma,” Yamcha said, going over and hugging her. She pressed her face into his shoulder.

“But if you go…” she trailed off, accepting the comfort of the hug that was now platonic. He had drawn the line now, and she could tell.

“Not with VEGETA here.”

“Are you shitting me?” she blinked, stepping out of the hug and holding up her hands between them. She saw hurt in his dark eyes, and knew it mirrored her own.

“Seriously Bulma, I’m more afraid of anyone who would try coming in here than him hurting you. You bossed him around and he didn’t incinerate you yet. So I think he’s got a reason to keep you alive. You scare the crap out of any man,” Yamcha said.

“WHAT WAS THAT?” Bulma shrilled.

“See what I mean?!” Yamcha yelped as he clapped his hands over his ears. He backpedalled quickly towards the doors; his eyes squeezed shut while still facing her.

The sight of him cringing in fear like Goku whenever chichi yelled at him was as effective as a bucket of cold water splashing over her. Bulma’s anger evaporated and she felt her blood equally frigid. Was she such a monster to him? How many times had she screamed at him and he simply took it or fumbled for the right words to try and talk her down from heated anger. Yet Vegeta simply shouted back at her and they would argue like cats and dogs.

Sighing deeply she kept the space of ten feet between them. Yamcha opened his eyes cautiously, and lowered his hands from his ears. His muscles still tensed and twitched under that gi as if expecting her to throw something again at him or verbally harangue him. Bulma this time said softly, “Yamcha… please don’t go… I need you.”

“I won’t be far away Bulma. It’s just that it’s hard for us to be around each other without fighting so much. And it’s not healthy. Sometimes people need time apart. We’ve done this before you know,” he said softly, hating the look of vulnerability in those blue eyes staring at him. Her shoulders were slumped and she seemed so young and lost.

“But what if someone is…” she trailed off, her voice halting.

“You’re just overreacting. Besides, if you were in trouble, I’d be more afraid for what Vegeta would do to them, or what you’d do to them. You’re a tough woman Bulma. Tougher than you know. And if you WERE in danger I’d be here faster than you know it,” Yamcha reassured her. “Or Goku would… any of us would sense the ki.”

“That’s true,” she murmured.

“Why not use that scouter toy and keep it turned on? If someone IS getting in you can tell because it bleeps so loudly,” Yamcha said, raising his hand to his ear and miming the telltale object she’d played with so many years ago.

“Yeah, that’s true,” Bulma murmured. She turned her back to him and resignedly wandered over to a shelf high on the lab wall. The whole north wall opposite the bank of windows was filled from floor to ceiling with various boxes of her inventions and tools. Each was in a neatly labeled drawer she could pull out and sort through. Her lab consisted of three benches filling the large room, piled high with broken training bots in various stages of repair. The desk was on the east wall, near large blueprint schematics she would post there to look at form a distance.

“That’s right babe,” Yamcha said softly. He turned away from her, seeing the gleam of genius sparkling in her eyes. She dipped her hand into one bin at waist level and tugged out a white earpiece with an attached green lens. While she still had her curved back to him, he quickly stole out of the lab. Not looking back he shouldered his bag and closed the door behind him.

“Goodbye Babe. See you around later, when I’m stronger then Vegeta,” he whispered. Just inside the hallway hovered Puar, who was glancing at him concernedly.

“She didn’t take it very well did she?”

“c’mon let’s go,” Yamcha whispered, motioning to his friend. Drifting behind him, she followed him down the hallways towards the exit of the Capsule complex.

By the time Bulma turned around, brandishing the scouter she saw nobody there. Frustration flushed her hot and she realized she had lost her audience. Only the shut door answered her question as to where Yamcha had gone. Grumbling she said, “That sneak! He walked out on me!”

Or maybe you drove him away, Bulma thought to herself as she turned the scouter over and over in her hands. Sighing she lifted the device to her ear and used both hands to clip it on. A small switch secured it in place, and she felt the suction pressure engage. Across her left eye the world had turned emerald green. A simple press of the button later and she saw a target flicker across with small crosshairs. A fast retreating ping of sizable energy told her where Yamcha was. Or rather where he was rapidly flying away towards the west.

Turning, Bulma then followed the brighter bleep of something flaring on the edge of the scouter. It decreased in intensity and held level at 100,000. Rapidly it was entering the complex, and she could tell it was getting closer to her location.

“Vegeta,” she thought, turning to the door that suddenly clicked. It swung to, and slammed against the far wall as the Prince himself marched arrogantly into the lab.

“I insist woman that you…” he began, and then stopped when his dark eyes registered her standing there near the middle lab bench. Pinned under the scrutiny of that hard black stare she froze. Still the sight of him unnerved her, though she had felt quite sorry for him all covered in bandages. Then the fear evaporated and she realized her heart was pounding for a much different reason.

“What the hell are you doing with that scouter?” Vegeta grunted, closing the gap between them. Uncomfortably close he approached, and pointed with a strong finger towards her ear.

“It’s the one that your dead underling had,” Bulma said as nonchalantly as possible.

“Figures you’d be playing with that piece of junk when you should be fixing those bots like I requested earlier today,” Vegeta snorted unimpressed. “Wasting your time is wasting mine!”

“Well some of us have lives other than just supporting your breakneck training, your Nastiness,” Bulma shot back, feeling her blood pumping.

“If it wasn’t for my breakneck training you’d be dead in three years! I suppose such a simple task fixing such low grade machines is beyond your limited human mind,” Vegeta taunted.

“Even low grade human minds need rest Vegeta,” Bulma said, swallowing hard. Her mind clicked quickly with the possibilities. As long as he found a use for them Vegeta wouldn’t let harm come to them would he? Despite all his insults he needed her and her father’s expertise in the Gravity training equipment.

“Then stop lazing about and get those damn bots fixed!” Vegeta snapped irritated as he spun on his heel. She caught sight of how tightly that spandex stretched over his backside at that moment, and felt a wave of heat spread from her belly to nether regions. There it was again, tingles of what seemed more like arousal than fear.

“I would get them fixed if I got properly SLEEP at night!” she shouted impulsively.

Vegeta turned his head slightly and grunted, “What was that, wench?”

Heart rising into her throat she stammered, “That’s right! I haven’t gotten any sleep because I think there’s someone sneaking in at night that’s why!”

“You what?” Vegeta blinked, turning completely around to gaze at her with only mild interest. “What are you babbling about? What feeble excuse is it now?”

“Something’s been keeping me awake. And because I’m only a feeble woman, I can’t rest securely. Not without your help, Vegeta,” Bulma said, lowering her voice. Vegeta’s look of irritation blended into one of puzzlement.

“Explain,” he asked, stepping closer. Her lack of a snappy rejoinder had caught his attention and she could tell from the twitching of his eyes that he was caught a bit off guard. However the royal mask reasserted itself when he frowned into his default expression.

“I need your help Vegeta. If I don’t get it, I won’t be able to do any repairs properly because I will continue to go without sleep. And the less sleep I get, the longer you’ll wait for your bots to be fixed,” Bulma ended.

“So you admit your weakness,” he snickered in mean triumph. “You humans are hopeless. So what excuse do you have now?”

“I’m asking for your help Vegeta. Do you want me to beg for it?” Bulma asked, and then snapped her mouth shut. Especially at his smirk curling the edge of his mouth.

“How amusing,” Vegeta answered, his eyes gleaming wickedly.

“Vegeta, I’ve been hearing something weird in my room, and I can swear someone was in there watching me. I want you to sleep with me so I don’t…” she began, but then clapped a hand over her mouth after she realized just what she said.

"You want me to what?" he blinked. For a whole second he fell silent, simply staring at Bulma in complete shock. His cheeks flushed a slight shade of pink much like his reaction to when she’d called him ‘cute’ a year or so ago. From how intensely hot her face suddenly felt she guessed she must be blushing too.

“Uh… well… I mean sleep with me as sleep in my room,” Bulma chuckled a bit, twisting a lock of hair around one finger. Bulma saw him glance off to one side and grunt before he turned his back to her. However he did not leave the room. She waited for two minutes in silence, watching his fists clench and unclench. Would he leave or wouldn’t he?

“You want me to sleep in YOUR room, in your bed? With a weak vulgar woman such as you?” Vegeta repeated, not facing her. “That’s all?”

“Yes… that’s right,” Bulma nodded; surprised he hadn’t equated sex with sleeping in a bed. But that couldn’t be right from how shocked he acted.

“And you claim that this will help you sleep better, and thus insure you will affect sufficient repairs on my Gravity Chamber?” Vegeta asked, only partly turning his torso towards hers. “And that the only request you ask of me is to be present because you’re too scared to sleep in your own room?”

“That’s it,” Bulma said quickly. “I need a bodyguard… I mean I need you to make sure that I’m not going crazy.”

“I’m not your servant, Bulma,” Vegeta snorted.

“But you do need me to help you service those ‘worthless pieces of junk’ right? I’m just asking for a simple favor. One or two nights where you’re waiting in my room. Consider it like hunting… I mean you do like to hunt…”

“You really do ask the stupidest questions,” Vegeta said, rolling his eyes.

“Though if you jump all over and ravish me before my so called stalker does,” Bulma joked.

“Don’t make me sick,” Vegeta answered. “Why anyone would want to ravish someone as ugly and loudmouthed as you are is beyond me.”

“Chicken,” Bulma said quietly, with a playful look in her eyes. “Are you scared of me?”

“Humph! Fine, I’ll do it,” Vegeta answered neutrally. “Just to shut you up and make sure you do what’s asked of you.”

“Okay, good,” Bulma inhaled deeply, not sure if she could see an odd gleam in his eyes or not. “I’ll be in my room by nine.”

“Ten,” Vegeta answered. “I’m still training by then.”

“Deal,” Bulma agreed. Vegeta nodded slowly and then turned on his heel with military precision. He said nothing else as he marched out of the lab. Bulma watched him while still holding her breath.

“What the hell am I thinking?” she asked herself, catching her reflection in the polished side of a gleaming metal cased bot. “He must know about the birds and the bees, because when I said ‘sleep with me’ he jumped to conclusions. But why did I feel the need to clarify things?”

She would ask herself this many times between now and bedtime. Just to shut her up and get her to do what she was told to was the reason he gave for agreeing. Obviously the idea of sex with her had crossed his mind with how shy he became. Perhaps he had seriously considered her comment warning him not to be ‘naughty’. This showed he had some standards of behavior that were considered royal and acceptable despite the fact he was a ruthless murderer. Why should he care about social concerns and image unless it was part of his whole image as a superior being. One who was above mere appetites such as sexual desire perhaps? Did that mean sex was just an itch to be scratched or something to be avoided at all costs?