Lower Instinct - beginning of vegebul (+ gochi, tienlaunch)

400-times gravity (vegebul)

A few days had passed and Bulma had finally completed the necessary improvements to the gravity room. Her parents had meanwhile returned from their trip and so Dr. Briefs give her a hand.
"Vegeta now should be able to train at 400-times gravity," he said and adding after a short pause, "Without the gravity room exploding."
"Let's hope so," Bulma said, wiping sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand. She held a wrench, which she then stowed back in her work dungarees. The left strap had slipped over her shoulder.
The next moment she and her father listened, because the typical sound of a person flying through the air sounded. It was Vegeta, who then landed on the ground a few meters away from them. His training gear looked pretty tattered.
Bulma noticed his battered condition, but still gave him an angry look. The two hadn't seen each other since the incident in the mountains - where he had just left her alone!
"Oh Vegeta, perfect timing," greeted Dr. Brief him, on the other hand, in a friendly manner. "The amplified gravity room is ready!"
Vegeta looked over at him grimly. "Good," he replied, then walked towards him.
He stood with his legs apart in front of the space capsule and eyed it, his mouth twisting in an arrogant smirk. //So now I can train in 400-times gravity... This way I'll definitely overtrump Kakarot!//
"But don't overdo it," said Dr. Briefs, adjusting his glasses. "Not that Bulma has to worry again... Whoops! I did not say anything."
He laughed because for a moment he had completely forgotten that his daughter was standing right next to him. But she didn't find that funny at all and instead snapped at him angrily. "DAD!"
But at that moment her mother called in for coffee and cake and Dr. Briefs immediately made his way happily into the house. Annoyed, Bulma looked after him and because she didn't want Vegeta to see her blush, she turned her face away from him demonstratively.
He had heard Dr. Brief's words but nothing to say, just cast a skeptical look in Bulma's direction... But he didn't want to worry about these trifles anymore, but instead finally continued with his training. When Bulma noticed how he was walking towards the door of the gravity room, she turned her eyes to him.
"Are you going to start right away?" she asked in a warning tone. "You rush from one training session to the next! You'll just end up back in the infirmary like that!"
"Shut up, woman."
As soon as that reckless expression escaped his lips, Bulma immediately blew all the fuses. She rushed towards him and then grabbed the front of his torn shirt with both hands.
"Do you have any idea how worried I was about you back then?!" she yelled straight into his face and Vegeta actually widened his eyes a bit in bewilderment. "Don't you ever scare me like that again, understand?!"
She had put on a bitter face, but when she realized what she had just said to him, her gaze was lost in his eyes for a moment.
That wasn't what she wanted to say to him... She had turned on him in a rage to get upset at the way he was treating her! So she immediately reverted to her angry expression and tugged hard on his shirt again.
"And don't always disrespect me like that, do you hear?!" she quickly added. "I'm busting my ass for you day and night here and what's the thanks?! You even left me in the mountains, even though these were YOUR materials for YOUR amplified gravity room!!"
Vegeta blinked and while Bulma was still glaring at him, he alternately fixed her eyes. He would never have admitted it, but that anger, that determination, that courage... somehow impressed him.
Finally she let go of him with a snarl, turned around and picked up the rest of her tools that were lying on the floor. Vegeta had stayed where he was. And as he watched her, his startled expression regained seriousness.
"I need to improve," he said suddenly. "I have to defeat these androids at all costs."
Bulma didn't react to his words at all, because the only surprising thing about them was that they didn't include 'Kakarot' or 'Saiyan prince'. She closed her tool box and was about to get up off the floor.
But suddenly Vegeta added something that surprised her indeed.
"Or do you have a problem with that... Bulma?"
She flinched, and an unexpected sense of excitement suddenly flared up inside her. She could clearly feel her cheeks turning red.
And when she finally dared to look back over her shoulder at Vegeta, he had already disappeared into the gravity room. She could only catch a glimpse of his rear view before the door closed behind him.
//H-He just called me 'Bulma' for the first time...//
The sound of his voice echoed in her mind. And then, as she got up from the crouch, she stared straight ahead for a moment, lost in thought. She felt strange, almost as if all her anger had vanished in one fell swoop. Was it just because he called her by her name? Was she really that easy to appease? But she couldn't deny that she liked the way he pronounced her name.

"Phew..." Arriving in her room, Bulma let out an exhausted sound and then undid the clasps of her dungarees.
As tired as her body was after work, her mind just wouldn't stop thinking. It was Vegeta that her thoughts were still spinning around and especially her angry outburst towards him had left a queasy feeling in her stomach.
Why had she even mentioned her concern for him? Had she only blamed him because she was mad at him anyway? Or had she simply felt a need to let him know about it?
Yes, she had been seriously worried about him back then. But that crazy guy almost blew himself up! And for some reason, his breakneck actions made Bulma want to take care of him, to be there for him - despite his always hostile attitude towards her. And she had never felt this desire so strongly for anyone else before...
Suddenly she was startled out of her thoughts because someone knocked on her door.
"Bulma?" It sounded muffled into the room. "Are you there?"
She knew immediately who it was, so she relaxed again. And if she was honest, she even felt a faint tinge of disappointment.
"Um yes," she then replied. "Come in."
Yamcha opened the door and peered through, holding the handle.
"I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that we won!" he said with a huge grin on his face.
Then he eyed her and noticed that she was about to take off her work clothes. His eyebrow twitched. Then he entered and quietly closed the door behind him. Bulma had turned around and was now eyeing him. He was dressed casually, wearing a white shirt with black pants.
"Why are you just coming now?", she wanted to know from him.
"The coach once again insisted on a big victory celebration. Then there are the autograph sessions..." He scratched the back of his head, grinning hesistantly. "I would have called, but... well, you know that."
Bulma wasn't sure if she could believe him.
But then Yamcha came closer and said in an almost touchingly soft tone, "I missed you." He looked down at her and pointed to her clothes. "Maybe I can help you with that?"
His tone of voice betrayed his intent and Bulma suddenly felt odd. She was still holding her dungarees by the straps and avoided his gaze. But suddenly he put his hand on her cheek and turned her head towards him. There was such a loving expression on his face that she felt instantly ashamed for having doubted his honesty. But for some reason doubts nagged at her. But why? What did she doubt?

"Or do you have a problem with that... Bulma?"

Before Yamcha could kiss her, she turned her head away again, gently grasping his wrist.
"Sorry Yamcha. But I'm pretty tired," she claimed, trying to smile friendly. And this smile seemed friendly, but at the same time very distant.
Yamcha looked at her a little confused.
Both were still standing close by, but now let go of each other. The fact that Bulma didn't want to kiss him immediately made him suspicious and his first impulse drew his gaze over her head to the window. Because her room had a good view of the outside area... and of the space capsule.
Yamcha's expression became serious as Bulma walked past him and headed for their bathroom. When she got to the door she stopped again because she heard his voice. And this now sounded much deeper and more resolute than before.
"So he's training in 400-times gravity now, huh?"

//She just sends me off in cold blood!// he thought indignantly. //I'm sure it's just that Vegeta's fault!//
He raised his clenched fist in front of his face as he continued to walk across the flagstones. It was night now, and the Capsule Corporation campus was lit by dozens of lanterns. A few cars could be heard in the distance and a dog barked somewhere.
//But you'll see...// he continued his angry thoughts. //This Vegeta may be a Saiyan prince, but I'm still the greatest baseball player of all time! I can train in 400-times gravity just like him!//
Already at the beginning of Vegeta's gravity training, Yamcha had toyed with the idea of trying it too. However, after secretly observing him through the window, he quickly dismissed this idea again... But now it had risen in him stronger than ever!
Yamcha, who was apparently suffering from megalomania, had now reached the gravity room and stood in a wide stance in front of the entrance. Determined, he stared at the door. He knew that Vegeta had finished his training and retired to his room.
The room was therefore at his free disposal.
He would show Vegeta! And Bulma too! He would show everyone!
Eventually, Yamcha entered the gravity room, chest protruding heroically and head held high. The door closed behind him and he didn't hesitate and headed straight for the control panel, which was directly connected to the centrally located gravity machine. Vegeta's last setting was still saved in it.
"Very well..." With an expression of grim determination, he raised a hand to the desk to activate the enhanced gravity. "Let's see who's here--"
In a split second he slammed to the ground and stuck there flat as a flounder. From the look on his face, he was less than confident that this was a good idea. He was struggling to get any air at all. He lay there, clenching his teeth and twitching his eyes - pinned to the ground by a pressure of well over 20 tons.
//O-Oh shit...!/ he thought in complete desperation. //H-How could he... endure such high gravity...?! T-That's... I can't stand it...!//


pic by VEGETApsycho https://twitter.com/vegetapsycho/status/988441681929191424