Chapter Text
Bulma’s parents always take in strays. That’s why they have a thousand freaking animals. Bulma doesn’t mind the animals, especially since they have their own sanctuary in the Briefs’ mansion.
But when her parents decided to take in a whole human, Bulma questioned all of their life choices.
Speaking of questioning life choices, it makes her wonder why she is still living at home. She supposes it’s because the mansion is so large that she could go for weeks without seeing her parents if she chose to. Or maybe it’s her mom’s French toast.
All questionable life choices aside, it comes down to the fact that a strange man will be living in her guest room. And that means there will also be a strange man sharing her bathroom with her. Of course, her bedroom is the only one in the house connected to another bedroom via the bathroom.
And of course, the adjacent bedroom is the one her mother decided would belong to a stranger.
Why not the bedroom on the opposite end of the house? The poor dear will be lonely.
Maybe this was her mother’s most elaborate attempt yet at marrying her off. She’d been trying for ages to make Bulma start dating again after she’d broken up with Yamcha, but Bulma decided to concentrate on work instead. It has been two years since she’s been on a date. The cat is great company for her, but her mother doesn’t see it that way.
Still, volunteering with an international charity to take in a refugee for an unforeseen amount of time is drastic.
“Bulma!” her mother calls.
She is finally focused on writing her research paper. It’s due to be published soon, and to be published, she actually has to write it. Ignoring her mother is very tempting. Before deciding to go through with that, she writes two more sentences. Finishing her current train of thought is more important than anything else.
“Bulma!” she calls again, her voice rising in pitch.
Bulma puts her hand on her forehead and exhales. She knows better than to ignore the mighty Panchy Briefs. No one has ever told that woman no, and she isn’t going to be the one to try it.
“Coming, Mom!” she yells as loud as she can.
She supposes ground-breaking biomedical engineering research can always come after Panchy Briefs.
When she reaches the bottom of the stairs, she sees her mother standing next to a very uncomfortable-looking man. A large flame of messy black hair sits atop his head. He’s on the shorter side and quite thin, and he’s wearing a tattered white t-shirt stained with dirt and a pair of ill-fitting jeans
“Hi, sweetheart!” Panchy beams. “I’d like you to meet our new guest, Vegeta.”
Bulma nods. She doesn’t mean to be unfriendly, but the whole situation is just...a lot. Panchy’s smile becomes alarmingly wider.
“Hi, Vegeta,” Bulma manages with a half smile. “I’m Bulma.”
Vegeta looks about as thrilled as Bulma is with the entire situation. She can’t imagine how humiliating it must be to be on the receiving end of her mother’s charity. No matter how tactful her mother is, the situation is just uncomfortable.
Vegeta does not say anything, but he gives her a curt nod of recognition. She wonders if he speaks another language. If that’s the case, it’s going to make figuring out a bathroom schedule even more difficult.
“Why don’t you show Vegeta to his room, dear?” Panchy asks before she turns to Vegeta. “I laid out some clothing for you. It’s all very simple things, and I had to guess your size. We can go shopping whenever you want.”
Bulma closes her eyes and pretends that this all isn’t happening. She isn’t an unkind person; she really isn’t. Honestly, she would also open up their home to someone in need in a heartbeat, but it’s the fact that she had nothing to do with the decision that bothers her. None of that is Vegeta’s fault, though, and she does not want to do anything that makes him feel unwelcome.
“Sure,” she says, her smile a little more genuine. “You’re right by me. Come on.”
Bulma walks up the stairs, Vegeta awkwardly following a few steps behind her. She realizes she’s still in her pajama shorts, which barely cover the bottom of her ass cheeks. Hopefully, this dude is not a pervert. Though she is well-aware that her ass is nice enough that even the most respectable man would check her out.
Bulma opens the door to what is now Vegeta’s bedroom. “Here we are!” she says, gesturing to the room.
Her mother decorated the room simply. It has always served as a guest room, but she’s added a few more touches before Vegeta’s arrival. A pile of towels, washcloths, and folded clothing sits on top of the blue bedsheets.
“The bathroom is through that door,” she says, gesturing to it. “My room is on the other side, so we’ll be sharing it. Remember to lock both doors when you are in there so I don’t accidentally walk in on you, okay?”
Fucking hell, she hopes he understands what she’s saying. The last thing she needs is to walk into the bathroom and be greeted by a stranger taking a shit.
He nods again, and she is pretty certain that he understands her. It feels like a dick-move to ask outright, so she keeps talking instead.
“My mom can take you shopping so you can get clothing you like and that will fit you better. If you want, I can let you use my laptop to order clothes instead. Going shopping with my mom is exhausting, so I don’t know if you’re up for it.”
Bulma smiles at him, trying to seem encouraging. She doesn’t understand how Panchy is so perpetually cheerful.
Bulma backs into the hallway. “That’s my door right there. Knock if you need anything, okay?”
Vegeta closes the door as soon as Bulma is in the hallway. She is unsettled by the fact that he was silent for their entire conversation. If he doesn’t speak the language well, this will be doubly difficult. Hopefully, her mother knows a little bit more about him.
Bulma walks downstairs again.
“Mom?” she calls into the kitchen.
“Yes, dear?” Panchy asks, already busy at work preparing some enormous meal.
“What do you know about Vegeta?” she asks, sitting on a stool at the island.
Panchy sets a cutting board of carrots down in front of her. “Chop these, dear,” she says.
Bulma picks up the knife and begins to cut the carrots into rounds.
“Not too much. He’s a very quiet boy. He’s just a few years older than you,” Panchy says with a coy smile that Bulma knows too well.
A carrot is sacrificed to Bulma’s angry knife skills. “Does he understand us?”
“Oh yes, he understands and speaks perfectly. Like I said, he’s just shy. All the poor thing has ever known is war. From what I understand, his parents died when he was quite young. He grew up on the streets, but managed to do alright for himself until the city he lived in was bombed beyond recognition last year.”
Bulma frowns. “And how exactly does a grown man wind up as some sort of foster child?”
“Oh, don’t be like that, sweetheart. We’re sponsoring him through a charity. Helping him get on his feet, get citizenship, and find a job. He hasn’t spoken to me about it, but I think he’s very ashamed that he’s been forced into a position where he needs help.” Panchy takes the uneven carrot slices away from Bulma, trading them for mushrooms. “I’d rather you cut these, dear. They just need to be diced, so you can cut to your heart’s content.”
“What did he do before the bombing?” Bulma asks. There has to be more information about him than her mother is sharing.
“I’m not entirely sure. He’s Saiyan. You’ve seen what it’s like there on the news. The country has been at war for as long as he’s been alive. There aren’t many opportunities,” Panchy said.
Bulma makes a mental note to research more about the Saiyans. The last she’d heard, the country had been completely erased from most maps, annexed entirely to the Cold Empire after decades of brutality.
Bulma finishes chopping the mushrooms and surveys the counter to try and deduce what is for dinner. With the array of things her mother has out, she is probably making a ten-course dinner.
“Will you go find out if he has any favorite foods, dear?” Panchy asks. “I’m making a bit of everything, just in case, but I’d like to make sure I have something he finds comforting.”
“He didn’t say a single word to me, Mom. I doubt he’s going to give a dissertation about comfort foods.”
“If you ask him a question, he answers. It’s usually just one word, but I bet you can draw more out of him with how gregarious you are.”
Bulma tries not to gag at the implications she hears behind her mother’s use of the word gregarious.
“And give him a tour, too. I’m sure he’s not used to living in a house this large. I don’t want him getting overwhelmed if he wanders around trying to find something.”
Bulma supposes that it isn’t a bad idea. The last thing she needs is him wandering down to her lab and opening her fridge of specimens when he’s in the mood for a snack.
“Fine,” Bulma huffs. “When will dinner be ready?”
“Oh,” Panchy looks around, as if she’s just realizing that she is preparing enough food for a small army. “Probably an hour or so. I will let you know.”
Bulma walks back to Vegeta’s bedroom and knocks on the door. “Vegeta?” she calls.
The door opens instantly. He’s changed into a black T-shirt that is a bit too big on him, but better than what he was previously wearing. He’s also donned a pair of sweatpants and thick, woollen socks.
“Hey,” she smiles. “If you’re okay with it, I can give you a tour of the house. You’re welcome to use anything or go anywhere you want, but it’s kind of big and I don’t want you to get lost.”
Another nod.
“Also, my mom wanted to know if you have a favorite food. She’s working on getting something ready for dinner.”
Vegeta’s brow furrows like he’s never been asked about his preferences before. She realizes it’s likely he hasn’t
“It’s not a big deal,” she says. “She’s going to make a bunch of things, so I’m sure there will be something that you like. Come on, let’s get this tour started.”
Bulma does all the talking, as was expected. She shows Vegeta the few things of interest upstairs, mainly the study that is well-stocked with books. She laments to him that they are mostly textbooks, but there are a few nonfiction books and biographies that are more interesting. When Bulma shows him the home gym, his eyes light up.
“Do you like to work out?” she asks. She notices for the first time that despite being very thin, he’s also very toned. She bets that with a few weeks of good meals, he’ll be quite muscular.
Vegeta nods, but this time it carries more energy than his simple, quick nods of acknowledgement. He’s excited.
“Let me show you a few more things, okay? Afterward, if you want, you are free to use the gym as often as you like.”
Bulma continues the tour, bringing him downstairs to show him the living room, the kitchen, the dining room, and another study full of books that was mainly used by her father.
“You’ll meet my Dad at dinner,” Bulma said, closing the door to his study. “He works a lot. We’re both scientists. Our lab is downstairs in the basement. I don’t think there’s really anything down there that you’d be interested in. Like I said, you can go anywhere, so you’re welcome to come visit us down there when we’re working.”
Bulma leads him to the final destination of her tour – the backyard.
“The pool is closed for the winter, but we do have a hot tub,” Bulma said, guiding Vegeta to the side of the house. “We’ll get you a bathing suit so you can use it. And over there is the pool house. It’s nothing crazy, but there’s a bathroom in there so you don’t drag water through the house if you need to go when you’re in the pool or hot tub. We have it set up for parties, too, mainly in the summer. There’s a big TV and a bar.”
Bulma opens the door to the pool house, showing him. She notices that his jaw is tightening and wonders if he’s becoming overwhelmed.
“Alright! That’s everything! I’m guessing you want to hit the gym?” she asks.
“Yes,” Vegeta says.
Finally .
His voice is deeper than she expects. It leaves her wanting to hear more. Fucking hell – is this part of Panchy’s master plan? Drop a mysterious, brooding man on her doorstep? She is not going to let that work on her.
Bulma leads Vegeta back to the gym.
“Dinner will be ready soon,” she says as she opens the door. “I’ll come get you when it’s time.”
Vegeta is already assessing the collection of weights as Bulma shuts the door.