A/N: So if you haven't heard the Mandarin song "The Moon Represents My Heart", go listen to Teresa Teng's rendition of it. It's a classic Taiwanese song and became incredibly popular in the 1970s. Other singers have sung it too, like Bon Jovi. It's a love song that transcends language. I've only included the English translation in this fic, since you can't have lyrics...
Anyway, VxB! Takes place between episode 2 and 3 of Dragon Ball Super. Different continuity from my Moments series.
~~words~~ = Translation of lyrics
~~You ask me how deep my love for you is,
How much I really love you…~~
Bulma watched her son spar with her husband as she checked the dragon radar idly. She knew where they were, of course, but she couldn't help herself anyway. As she spaced out, the little bit of info that Trunks had told Bulma when Vegeta had died rang through her head.
"Papa hugged me! I was embarrassed, but I was also so happy, Mama!"
When Goku & Vegeta had returned from Kaio's world, Bulma could only smile as her son danced happily around his dad, and not once did he tell him to knock it off. To her complete surprise, he ruffled Trunks' hair and let him hold his hand as he stood apart from the others as usual. He turned to her, and she gave him a thumbs up, knowing that he hated public displays of affection. Vegeta powered up to fly home, and Trunks moved to grab her hand, prepared to fly her home too. But Vegeta tapped Trunks on the shoulder.
"I'll take her, just this once."
Trunks just nodded and burst into the sky towards home. Bulma could only stare in shock, and then was further shocked as Vegeta princess-lifted her and took off as well. She could only cling and smile like an idiot the whole way home.
~~My affection is real.
My love is real.
The moon represents my heart.~~
And now six months had passed, and Vegeta appeared to have returned to his usual training-obsessed self. She wondered if his affection only ever showed when the world was in extreme danger.
She was brought out of her reverie when Trunks somersaulted into the wall next to her face and kicked off hard, the wind from his speed blowing past her and knocking her drink over. Bits of wall splattered around her, with a pebble hitting her face. It only stung a little, but she was still annoyed.
"Be careful where you land!" both Vegeta and Bulma yelled at once. Trunks faltered for a split second, and Vegeta chopped him on the shoulder, knocking him out of the air and flat out on the ground.
"Auuuugggggggh, Papa, that HURT!"
Vegeta crossed his arms and looked down at his son. "Bear with it, you made a mistake. You're done for today."
Trunks made an admirable attempt to pull himself together, but he was still just an 8 year old. He sniffed once, stood up, rubbed his face, and started to walk inside, sulking.
Bulma watched her son go, and sighed. Maybe Vegeta hadn't changed that much, she thought.
As she turned her head back to her husband, she jolted back when she realized he was in her face, looking at her intently.
"Wha… what?"
Vegeta was silent for a few more moments before mumbling, "Just checking." He turned and walked towards the gravity room, leaving Bulma in shock. But eventually she figured him out, and smiled. He really had changed.
~~You ask me how deep my love for you is,
How much I really love you…~~
That night, resting after a good training session, Vegeta sat on the couch, keeping Bulma company as she watched one of her science-fiction movies. He wasn't really interested in the content, though it gave him a small bit of pleasure whenever she jumped at the "scary" parts of the movie. He knew she was watching the movies half for fun and half for invention ideas.
A particularly techno-babble filled conversation was going on in the movie, and she leaned forward with interest. Vegeta's eyes wandered down her shirt, and he quickly looked away, chastising himself for his own vulgar thoughts. As she started to lean onto him, he quickly pulled away, partially because he was flustered, though he would never admit that, and partially out of habit. It was her fault she was beautiful, dammit!
And she's all mine, he thought to himself. Goku had told him about Bulma's breakdown after he had died fighting Majin Buu. He heard her scream her love for him when he called out for energy to fight Evil Buu. He couldn't have asked for a more loyal wife. His Bulma.
~~My affection does not waver,
My love will not change.
The moon represents my heart.~~
The movie ended, but Vegeta had already headed to their bedroom before the credits rolled. After the fight with Cell, Vegeta had moved into her room, and she redecorated to match the new occupants. His armor displayed on one side, her accolades and science awards on the other. He was still somewhat cold then, but he had been softening up ever since.
And now, after sacrificing himself to save them, the first time he had ever fought for someone other than himself, he had changed further. He had never stayed to watch movies before. He had never been considerate before. At least he had stayed through most of the movie, she thought.
She walked into the bedroom, noting that the lamp on her nightstand had been left on so she could find her way in the dark. Vegeta was already laying on one side, but he rolled over to look at her as she walked in. Never one to leave things be, Bulma spoke as she closed the door behind her.
"Hey…"
"What?"
"Do you love me?"
~~A gentle kiss
is enough to move my heart.~~
Vegeta got up and walked towards her, frowning. He pulled her into his arms and gave her a quick peck on the cheek.
"That's it?"
He sighed. Of course she wouldn't be satisfied with just that. For all of her intelligence, there were times he felt that she was too damn dense in certain areas.
He didn't want to say it. He didn't feel that those three basic words could describe what he felt.
So he placed a hand behind her head and pulled her in, taking his time to run his lips along her earlobe, along her cheek, and ending with a gentle kiss on her soft lips. She sighed happily, and he let her go, turning back around to walk towards the bed.
When she didn't follow, he turned around to look at her as she watched him, expectantly. She still wanted him to say it?
~~A deep affection,
Has made me miss you until now.~~
Bulma watched him churning thoughts through his head, wondering why it was so hard for him to say three simple words.
Vegeta wracked his brain for a way to explain. She wouldn't let up, he knew her too well. He owed her an explanation, a real one, of how he felt. But how to tell her? It seemed like every time they had a conversation about emotions, one or both of them would be frustrated in the end. Then he had an idea.
~~You ask me how deep my love for you is,
How much I really love you.~~
Vegeta held his hand out and created a power ball, the same one he made to turn into a giant ape when he first came to Earth. He had not created one since then, but the technique was still etched in his mind, even after all these years. The light pulsed for a bit, then settled into the soothing off-white light that had always made him long for home. But now he knew he was already there.
~~Go think about it.
Go and have a look at the moon,
The moon represents my heart.~~
Bulma gasped and gazed at the sphere. She stepped closer and reached towards it. It didn't seem dangerous, and she hovered her hands on the sides of the ball in amazement. It was like a shining gem in the night, emanating warmth to her fingers and through her body, curling around her heart like a satisfied lover. She was so enraptured that she almost didn't notice him placing his hands over hers.
"What do you think of this light?" he asked.
"It's so bright and warm… a gentle light, like I want to hold it close and never let it go."
"This is how I feel about you."
Bulma looked up at him, suddenly understanding why he wouldn't tell her he loved her. Those three little words would have been a lie, a facade, not even close to how he really felt. She smiled. "Words aren't enough, right?"
Nodding in approval that she finally understood how deep his feelings flowed, he dissipated the power ball and went to bed, Bulma following close behind. She snuggled up against him, and this time, he didn't pull away.