Down to Earth (Vegeta x Bulma)

9: Confrontation

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Sorry for the wait! School got a little bit hectic. I'm aiming for the next chapter to be very... interesting. Stay tuned!
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The heiress only managed to take a couple of paces away from the staircase before the prince began to interrogate her.

"Going somewhere with my scouter?"

That dark voice promoted Bulma to jump slightly, her eyes blinking over at the man lurking in front of her.

"V...Vegeta?"

He stood there in his signature stance with his bulky arms crossed firmly against his well-toned chest. He seemed more stern than usual, though. Something was visibly irritating him.

What she did love seeing was him wearing the armor that she specifically created just for him.

Bulma—admittedly— flushed at the sight of him. It had been a few days since the last time she saw him and their last encounter was... strange. She just couldn't forget the way he peered down at her with his dark, attentive, and smoldering onyx eyes—

Jeez, Bulma! She inwardly thought, proceeding to gently slap her cheeks with her palms. He's just some weird alien prince, calm down!

"Answer me, girl!" The boy roared, taking a step closer. He watched as she cowered in fear at his tone before resuming—as Bulma liked to call it— his temper tantrum. "What business do you have with my device?"

Bulma knew that she was treading on thin ice. His patience was wearing thin and she was left with a difficult decision: come clean and inform him about the threat or attempt to look oblivious.

How the heck did he even figure out I had it? She wanted to ask, but it was easy to understand the answer when she actually put some thought into it. I was the only one around him when he was asleep, so that's how. No one else had the opportunity to take it.

Her silence made Vegeta clench his fists and scowl, worsening the crease between his eyebrows.

"Well?" He pressed on, continuing his verbal assault.

Should she tell him? Would that be for the best? It would, right? Maybe then he could leave the planet and avoid the aliens that wanted to hunt him down. However...

However...

Did she really want him to leave?

With a shaky exhale, Bulma parted her lips to answer.

"I'll give it back to you under one condition," she managed to blurt out, her serious blue eyes gazing up at his confused and angered ones. Once she came to the conclusion that he was willing to listen, she continued, "You have to promise me that you won't make any risky decisions."

Vegeta remained still, his dark orbs never straying away from her facial features. Bulma was unable to read his expression, but it seemed as though he was having an internal debate with himself.

"Whatever, just return it to me at once before I slaughter you."

With an aching heart, the blue-haired scientist paused before handing it over to him.