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

Bonus: Never (vegebul)

(Weeell, I guess I couldn't quite let it go and had to write a bonus chapter. :D Happy reading!)






//He has beaten me completely... first by his own actions... and then through his son... And what has he left for me here?//
Vegeta was the last to remain at the scene of the final battle between Gohan and Cell. Everything that had happened here, everything he had experienced, everything he had seen with his own eyes - he still couldn't understand it. He hung listlessly in the air, his face angry but also full of despair. He felt so disillusioned, so frustrated, so weak... like never before. The bitter realization that he was by no means the strongest of all Saiyans was burned into his memory for life after this stunning fight. Kakarot's brat had ridiculed him like that, humiliating him to the core. He of all people! The son of his arch-rival! And given his selfless sacrifice, that arch-rival wasn't even there anymore.
"How... how could you die like that? How, Kakarot?" Vegeta now complained loudly and stared down at his clenched fist, baring his teeth. "I'll never... have the chance... to prove my strength against you!"
His clenched fist began to shake.
"You die without fear..."
The brief flashback in his mind's eye was inevitable. Vegeta caught a glimpse of Goku - one hand on the bloated, about-to-explode Cell, the other hand placed on his forehead ready for teleportation, smiling confidently.
And then he was gone. Forever. Goku had sacrificed himself.
"What does that make of me?"
And Vegeta felt like he had lost everything in one fell swoop. What should become of him now? Why was he still alive anyway? Now that his arch-rival was gone, the man he had vowed to surpass at all costs? For the very first time in his life, his will to fight seemed to evaporate completely... and nothing remained but an unbearable emptiness.
...
Vegeta loosened his fist, letting his arms hang limply. And after a long moment of pause, he finally said to himself:
" I am no warrior and I will never fight again."
And then he just flew away.
...

"I-I can't believe it... Goku... and Trunks... m-my dear T--"
Bulma's voice broke again as the shock threatened to close in her throat and she buried her tear-stained face in both hands. Master Roshi stood next to her with a sad expression and reached out a comforting hand to her. This time actually without chauvinistic intentions, because the circumstances were simply far too serious and far too painful for that kind of jokes.
However, there was a silver lining and, as always, it called:
"Dragon Balls, Bulma. We have the Dragon Balls, remember?"
Bulma wiped a tear from her lower eyelid. Then she looked at him sadly.
"You're right. But still... even though I didn't see it with my own eyes, but when you said you couldn't feel Trunks' energy anymore..." She turned her gaze to the little baby in her arms. And then her lower lip immediately began to tremble again.
Master Roshi looked at the two of them through his sunglasses.
//I see. Knowing that her own son has died is probably much more harder for a mother. Even if we can revive him with the Dragon Balls.//
Bulma took a deep breath and mentally forced herself to finally calm down. Then she turned her steady gaze back to Master Roshi.
"Well, it's not going to help anyone just to stand here and cry," she admitted, clearly trying to keep her tone firm. "I'll head home first. Do you want to come along? Maybe--"
But then a sudden noise from outside startled the two of them! They turned their heads synchronously towards the veranda door, where, due to the sunlight, only the silhouette of a new person could initially be seen. But given this unmistakable silhouette, it quickly became clear who this person could be.
Bulma could hardly believe her eyes. She held Trunks tightly with both arms and stared across the room, blinking in perplexity.
Master Roshi didn't think twice. "Yes, I'd be happy to come with you," he said calmly to Bulma. And then he turned around and headed for the back door, his hand raised over his shoulder in a subtle greeting. "I'll wait for you outside by the plane."
Bulma wiped her damp cheek one last time. The red headband held her hair back, denying her any chance of hiding her tearful look behind her bangs. And even if she had wanted to, she wouldn't have been able to keep her eyes off him.
From Vegeta, who was standing there in the doorway.
He looked worn out, tired and broken. But he was fine. He was alive.
Bulma didn't move and just stared at him, holding baby Trunks tightly in her arms. And he also stared at his father with his big blue eyes.
Vegeta was still standing in the veranda door, a gentle wind from outside causing his sticky black hair to sway. And then finally he started moving. He entered the Kame House, putting one foot in front of the other and keeping his straight gaze fixed on Bulma. And that gaze spoke volumes at that moment. There was no trace of anger in it anymore, but there was a completely new, highly unusual expression. It was a look full of regret, full of sadness. Bulma had never seen Vegeta like this before. But she would also be the only person in the entire universe he would ever give that look to, she was absolutely sure of that from this point on.
This man seemed so resigned, so disillusioned and yet, only he was able to move forward, even though he was so broken, with his head held high, still so full of pride and dignity. The serious gaze fixed on her. At the woman who held his son in her arms.
It was only a few seconds that passed when Vegeta walked towards Bulma at this steady pace. And her eyes got bigger and bigger and she didn't even know what was happening to her...

"V-Vegeta, what--"

...when Vegeta simply took her in his arms.

He enclosed her and Trunks with such a strong but at the same time loving pressure, so intense, so intimate, and bowed his head, burying his face in her neck, in her fragrant hair. And when he felt his son's small, warm body pressed against his chest, Vegeta saw him die in his mind's eye. How Cell's Ki beam pierced Trunks' chest. How he was thrown backwards. And how the life drained from his eyes. Then Vegeta hugged them both even tighter, clutching Bulma's shoulders with cramped fingers.
Where a normal baby was in danger of being crushed, little Trunks enjoyed excellent health. And good mood. Because being so close to his dad was something very special for him.
And Bulma was also well aware of the special nature of this moment. Unable to move, she now did nothing but stare deeply touched over Vegeta's shoulder - with her eyes as infinitely blue as the sky and now once again filling with shiny tears. And so many thoughts ran through her head. So many memories. There was their first meeting on Namek, the explosion of the gravity room, their first kiss and their first night together, which had ended with an intimate embrace similar to this one... Trunks' birth, the Trunks from the future, the androids, Cell, Master Roshi's words, Vegeta stood in the doorway...
And then Bulma felt him not only with her whole body, but also with her whole soul.
Finally, she pulled out a free hand, held Trunks tightly with the other, and then put her arm around Vegeta. And she too buried her face in his neck, breathed in his familiar scent through her nose and closed her eyes, whereby her feelings finally broke out and she could no longer hold back her tears.

After Vegeta had disappeared from the battle scene and initially just wandered aimlessly in the sky, the thought of Bulma suddenly came over him. It had overcome him and wouldn't let him go. The memory of her face was engraved in his brain and he suddenly wanted nothing more than to see that face again. As quickly as possible. He had neither been able to explain this sudden desire nor had he made the slightest attempt to fight it, because it was accompanied by a realization that - now that the fog of rivalry, anger and arrogance had cleared - was clearer to him than anything else in his life before.
So without further ado, he located Bulma's energy and made his way to her.
And as he rushed across the blue sky, he knew that this was the only right thing to do. That everything he hadn't been able to understand or describe for the past 3 years suddenly made sense.
And now, at that moment, Vegeta also knew:
He would hold them both tight and never let them go.
Never.


pic by stupidoomdoodles.tumblr https://www.tumblr.com/vegetabulmafanart/127434221360/duvete-stupidoomdoodles-well-excuse-you-toei