Alone Together

Five

Vegeta stared up at the canopy. His eyes stung red as he slowly blinked. Nothing could soothe his nerves.

Not the darkness.
Not the open window of summer sounds and city.
Not even his loving wife next to him with her hand on his shoulder, ever so slightly cuddling to him.

He felt fried. His body on fire.

He wiped sweat from his face and gritted his teeth.

He hadn't slept since his last spar with his rival. He didn't want to relive that horrendous encounter. He hadn't spoken to the other man in days.

He hadn't brought up the damage in the gravity chamber, either.

Vegeta clenched his fists at his sides and tried to take his deep breaths in vain- he felt so on edge yet so exhausted at the same time.

He felt those claws on his skin.
The raking of those hands across his muscles and leaving rough, knotted scars.
The lashes of that segmented tail searing into his back.
The smell of his own burning flesh after those torturous purple beams.

He had crawled across the floor of that ship in an attempt to stand after his beatings. He wanted to go off and lick his wounds in peace.

Again.

His comrades were painfully used to seeing their prince in that bloody and weak position. It hurt his body but his pride more. He became bitter and quiet- lashing out with a wicked tongue when he was too weak to issue physical harm.

Many times, they'd been forced to watch him take those tortures.
Moreover, he'd taken that agony for the good of his fellow saiyans. It was what a prince did for his people, was his reasoning.

More and more he became dark and vile, toxic and sour, taking those hours of pain ripped apart any affection he had for anyone.

Once, Raditz had been unable to hold his tongue during one of Vegeta's more gruesome beatings. He could remember the younger saiyan holding back tears as he watched the prince's blood speckle the floor.

"You've done enough! Can't you just leave him alone?"

He remembered the horror as Raditz' voice ripped through his haze of pain. Frieza insisted on making this lashing twice as long for Raditz' outburst.

Vegeta snapped his eyes open to see his wife's frightened eyes beneath him. Those wide, ocean eyes looked like shimmering pearls encompassing horror.

He glanced and saw he was pinning her to their mattress roughly. He immediate let go and sat up. Vegeta gasped for air and looked down at his own hands before looking back to Bulma's wrists. She had sat up and clutched them- they were already beginning to swell and bruise.

"Bulma." He whispered, "Bulma."

He stammered in a panic. He hands were shaking as he reached out and gingerly touched them. Her tiny frame was trembling.

"Bulma. Bulma I'm-" He whimpered, so quiet she could barely hear him. He lowered his head into her hands- he was struggling for air and words in such a deep terror.

Bulma stared down at her husband, tears had been running down her cheeks. She hadn't been afraid of this man in years. This was the first time she'd ever felt as if he'd hurt her.

He had.

"Vegeta." She choked as she attempted to keep a sob in the back of her throat.

Vegeta lifted his head up and stared into her eyes. Bulma hadn't seen him this shaken, ever. His eyes were so dark and bloodshot. He was so worried. It was almost pitiful.

"I didn't mean to. I didn't- I couldn't see. Bulma I'm sorry, please, I'm so sorry." He rambled on and on with more apologies. He didn't know what to say. Bulma was not sure if she had ever heard this man apologize to anyone, even herself or her family. He'd always made up mistakes with his actions, these words felt foreign and strange.

"Please. Please you have to believe me. I would never hurt you on purpose please, please I'm not like that anymore." He was holding her shoulders now, not rough, just firm.

She stared at him and looked down at her wrists- flinching as she moved them.

"Where were you?" She asked in awe.

Vegeta gritted his teeth and put his head back in her lap- he couldn't bear to answer.