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(no subject)

Who: Bulla and Vegeta
What: Father-daughter time
When: Backdated to December 7th
Where: Starting at the Brief family’s apartment
Warnings: Saiyan-style training and some discussion of past injuries. Nothing higher than PG-13.

[At some point, they’re probably going to need to move into a house. Even before bringing home the wolf pup, their apartment was crowded. As it stands, Trunks sleeps on the couch. They have six people in a four bedroom apartment, and the only reason they aren’t driving each other crazy is because they all keep busy.

Now they’ve got a direwolf pup who will eventually grow to be the size of a car. It was a decision based more on emotion than rationality, but there was no way Bulla was going to let such a cute and fluffy animal become dragon chow. This one’s actually the runt of the litter, and yet the most feisty of the pups that were there when Bulla arrived. Considering that she’s tiny and her father’s not exactly a tall person himself, she couldn’t help but want the feisty runt.

She already picked up two bowls for the pup’s food and water before going to pick him up, as well as a collar. She can get him bigger ones as he grows.

When she hears her father come into the room, it’s only then that Bulla realizes that oops, she never did ask her parents for permission.]

Hey dad. Meet Snowball.

[Yes, she just named an animal that’s going to grow up to be a fierce beast the size of a car Snowball.]

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[Vegeta has reservations about the lot of them under the same roof. He has since day one. Particularly because of the potential to run into Kakarot at unexpected times. Thankfully between work and training it was rare everyone was at home at the same time.

Without having said anything to his daughter about it, he had considered adopting one of the pups from his boss, but having to explain that to his family was more work than he was prepared to put in.

So when he sees that Bulla had gotten one he is subtle in his relief. Just as when Bulma was pregnant with Bulla, Vegeta puts up a front (a weak one), that he doesn't care, but it's obvious if anyone looks close enough. Runt or not, the direwolf pup has much in common with the Saiyan race. Both being endangered species with limited populations..]

Snowball? Couldn't you have given it a better name than that?

[Vegeta clicks his tongue at the name, but finds it's appropriate given the pup's size, coloring, and time of birth.]

[The fact that her father objects to the pup's name but not the pup's presence tells Bulla enough. Even if he hadn't been planning on getting one, it's clear that he doesn't mind in the least that she adopted one.]

No, I really couldn't have. Come and let him sniff you so he knows you're part of his new pack, dad. Oh, and don't be surprised if he tries to fight you. He tried to fight me ten times before he accepted that I was in charge.

[Another reason she chose this one. He was spirited. She giggles a bit at the memory.]

I just picked him up gently, put him on his back and held him there for a bit each time. I thought you'd appreciate a pup with guts.

[For Vegeta, no complaint was just about equivalent to enthusiastic approval.]

Fight me? Hah! [He chuckles at that like it was the most absurd thing he'd ever heard. With visible reluctance he comes closer, crouching to allow the curious pup to move closer and sniff at his fingers. It's beyond him how something so small and soft could possibly presume to be in charge of him, but it's entirely endearing to him despite the stern look on his face.]

What a foolish runt. [He drops himself onto the ground unceremoniously to continue playing with Snowball. And like his daughter suggested, he pinned it down with his hand for a few seconds at a time, grinning when the pup gets worked up and tries to challenge him again.] Maybe you should have named it Kakarot.

Maybe if his fur had a more orange-y colour to it instead of being white and fluffy.

[Because considering how long Goku has worn an orange gi, she can't help but make that colour association. She observes her father playing with Snowball. They're both having fun, and it's endearing. It also means he probably won't mind helping her with things like taking the pup for a walk.]

We should probably look into getting a house in the next few months. It's a little cramped when we're all home, and he's going to be the size of a car when he's fully grown.

[Hard to believe, considering that the pup's only the size of a small dog right now.]

I'll help search the home listings after the Guardian debate on the tenth, and after I quit my esthetician job. I was going to quit sooner but then the warehouse incident happened.

[It's clear that he'll never win the right to name anything in his family, but he accepted defeat after Bulma named both Trunks and Bulla without his input. Snowball isn't the worst by any means.]

Yes, about that. I was thinking perhaps I could move out. Nappa living on his own doesn't strike me as the best idea. [Maybe because Nappa had been at his side for so long (at least before he killed him) he can't imagine how he might fare on his own.]

Or perhaps a bigger home if you're of the opinion that we should all stay together. [Vegeta picks up Snowball as he rises to his feet, holding the small pup delicately as he scowls at Bulla. Not for anything she did, but simply because he hadn't been around to do anything then.]

Nothing like that will ever happen to you again.

I think we should all stay together. With our combined incomes, it wouldn't be a problem to afford a mansion, and that would definitely have lots of room for everyone and a backyard for Snowball to play in.

[Especially if they weren't limiting themselves to Nova City, but she's rather fond of the technologically advanced city. Especially with her memories of being in other universes. There are so many more options here.]

I want to make sure it doesn't happen to anyone again.

[There's conviction in her voice even as she gives Snowball a light scratch behind the ears.]

I was thinking of running for Guardian before, but I made up my mind right after the warehouse incident.

[While she was still in the hospital, even.]

That whiny, gross, moldy noodle of a person, Shiragaki, hates society and heroes. So if I want to defeat him completely, I need to do it as a hero working in law enforcement.

[Spite is a powerful motivator.]

[He nods. It's hard to argue with that logic. Additionally he would rather not have to travel just to spend time with Snowball. He'd need training, of course. Nova City or not, he would like to stay with his family if possible.]

Most would have had the opposite reaction, but you're half Saiyan. You can't run from a fight. Or an election, clearly. [He shrugs, his expression souring as soon as Bulla begins to describe her attacker. Frankly Vegeta didn't care which way he received his defeat, but he had better get it soon because if it's left to him, he just might kill the guy.]

I admire that you want to be the one to take your reven--er, justice. I won't stop you. [But he's also going to be there to witness and to intervene if necessary. There's not a force in the world that could stop him from that, but this wasn't their world. Still, he would do what he could.]

By targeting someone strong, Shiragaki wanted to show that no one was safe. I was the strongest person who'd mouthed off to him, so he wanted to put me in my place. I decided my place is in between people like him and innocent people. Even if I don't win the election, I'm going to try to become a deputy guardian.

[She appreciates that her father is willing to put some faith in her. She knows he'll want some involvement, but the fact that he's willing to let her do it her way is good. She needs that.]

I'm actually more worried about Shiragaki's accomplice that can manipulate memories. That guy's power is dangerous, but when he was threatening me with it he slipped up and told me what its limit is. I can't even remember what his accomplice looks like, or if they're male or female. I'm missing almost two hours of memories thanks to them.

[Not knowing anything about the other person means the other person could ambush her anywhere.]

At least with Shiragaki, there's video evidence, even if his face is mostly covered in it. You can still see his skinny noodle build and the sound of his voice isn't being distorted by a voice modulator.

[And it's only now that it occurs to her to offer.]

Do you want to see the video post? I can go back and find it on the network for you.

I see. [ Someone like that hardly sounded like they had a plan. Living in hiding, and then making a show of some perceived power over others. It's not like he can't understand the thought process, he had been in that situation some time ago, but the difference was he was ruthless enough to kill rather than scare. Still, if Bulla has a specific plan on how to deal with it, he's going to support her decisions.

Vegeta lost himself in deep thought, considering Bulla's concerns thoroughly. A dangerous power with an accomplice that can wipe away any recollection of an attack. If those skills were in the hands of a more competent pair, Vegeta imagines the situation could have been much worse. ]

Yes. I'd like to see it. [He nods.]

[Bulla goes searching on her phone, talking as she explains. She wants her father to know the full story if he's going to intervene.]

I'm friends with some of the people from his world who he hates. He tried to drop the roof of an arcade on my friend Katsuki and then frame Katsuki for the destruction of the arcade. I was in the area and caught the roof before it killed anyone, and Katsuki evacuated the civilians. When Shiragaki made an anonymous post trying to blame Katsuki, I made a video post telling the truth.

[She'd picked a side and hadn't hesitated to get involved.]

Mr. Aizawa told Trunks he thought I might be targeted eventually because of it. He's Katsuki's teacher and he's been giving me some training, too. He's used to a variety of powers and training people to be creative with them. I think you might like him.

[At the very least, she thinks her father might appreciate Aizawa's no-nonsense way of doing things. At last she finds the video on her phone.]

Here. Let me take Snowball out of the room before you turn it on. It's not easy to watch and he won't understand why you're angry.

[The video is ready on her phone. The injuries Shigaraki gave her arms are fairly severe in the video, and that's not even factoring in blowing up the warehouse around her. Before he begins, she adds in one thing.]

...I went Super there for a couple of seconds after the video cut out. That's probably why I survived all the explosions and the warehouse collapsing on me.

[He's not used to technology even after so long. Vegeta could drive and knew the basics for how to use his phone. Anything more and he has to ask Bulma for help. So when Bulla handles that side of things he's able to take in what she's saying. To think he helped produce a person so selfless was amazing. That must have been the strong will and goodness of her mother.]

Katsuki. Aizawa. I'll try to remember the names. [He folds his arms over his chest when Bulla offers to move the white ball of fur elsewhere. He's about to point out that it wasn't necessary, but surely enough once he begins to watch the video and without realizing begins to power up. Vegeta's jaw clenched in anger, his hair becoming blond for a second or so at a time. No father should have to watch his only daughter suffer like that. It was hard to watch, but he watches the whole thing.]

You did? [He looks over, a bit of pride softening his features a bit. Of course she could. Trunks and Goten had done the same when they were just boys. It's not so surprising.] You can go much further than that with training, Bulla. [Vegeta stops himself from sounding like a broken record about training.]

They're going to have to try harder than that to kill you.

Right before I passed out, I felt Trunks and Goku headed my way. Friends from other worlds showed up to help or visit me in the hospital, too.

[If nothing else, it made her feel very loved when she was awake in the hospital, and inspired her to try to put on a brave face.]

I was lucky that my friend Orihime was still around when I got hurt. Her healing power is amazing. Better than senzu beans, even. She can turn back time precisely on an injury so that it's like it never happened. I wish you could have had the chance to meet her.

[She manages a bittersweet smile at that. She misses her friend, but she's glad Orihime is at least back home now where she belongs.]

The first time I went Super was in one of the other universes I was in. I regained my memories in the dream docks and I started trying to work on it here...but it happened reflexively in the warehouse. I do want to get stronger, though. That incident taught me I've got a long way to go.

[People coming and going seems to be so common here. He wonders how people still feel the need to forge friendships when that could disappear in an instant. Vegeta sighs, but nods.]

I'm thankful she was around when she was even if I won't be able to thank her myself. [Magics stronger than senzu beans seemed almost too good to be true.]

When I trained with Kakarot and Whis, it seemed more like mental and endurance training than something physical. You have to know what state of mind unlocks that for you, and the more you do it the easier it gets. Once you master that, you can try to stay that way for as long as you can. Tell your mother you bleached your hair. [He can't help chuckling at that thought.]

It won't always be easy, but I know you can do it. It's in your blood. [She's not a baby or little girl anymore, but he reaches out to ruffle her hair like she still is.]

[Bulla listens carefully to the advice. Trunks has given her some helpful advice that's helped her grow in her training and he's certainly taught her how to suppress her ki, but it's their father who's constantly pushed himself to become stronger and better since before either of them was even born. And unlike Goku, he explains it in a way Bulla can actually process and do something with.]

It seems to be a mix of anger, pride, and above all the desire to protect people.

[She giggles at the idea of telling their mother she decided to go blonde.]

Somehow, I think mom would notice the fact that my hair was sticking up, no matter how tired she was.

[She appreciates those little fond gestures, and moves in for a hug.]

Maybe if I work hard, one day Trunks will have to train to catch up to me.

[Probably not unless he really slacks off, but it's a fun thing to think about.]

[Vegeta nods, that sounds about right. Particularly the last one. He remembers when he was fighting for the lives of every single being in their universe, but the ones that kept him going were Bulma, Trunks, and his newborn daughter. It almost feels like it was yesterday.]

You do have a point. She's probably used to it now.

[The hug catches him off guard, but he relaxes in her hold the way he could only do for his little girl. No matter how old she became, he was always going to see her that way. He eventually returns the hug, allowing himself to smile for just a moment.]

It may be easier than you think. There's something about ages and generations I haven't sorted out but it seems to favor the younger generations. [Though it's not like he has the best sample size. He's comparing Gohan's potential to Kakarot, and then Goten and Trunks had more than that when they were even younger. Essentially he finds that goal plausible.]

When you surpass him, I will teach you how to reach super saiyan blue. [He grins. The two of them competing against each other might be great motivation.]

Maybe it has something to with the power levels of the Saiyan parent when the child's conceived?

[It's a theory she finds at least somewhat plausible. Her father's right about the younger generations. Had she shown Trunks' enthusiasm for training as a kid instead of just learning what was needed to defend herself and a few useful things beyond that, she likely would be substantially more powerful.]

There are big age gaps between Gohan and Goten, as well as between Trunks and I...so that's the most logical explanation, isn't it?

[She hadn't been entirely serious about surpassing Trunks, but with that offer, it's something she starts giving more thought to.]

I wonder if my hair would spike up like it does when I go super, or if I could make it look like it normally does.

[She might just be contemplating trying to reach super saiyan blue just to test that. Priorities. Bulla has them.]

Who knows.

[He hasn't really looked too deeply into the theories he has, but if Bulla wants to put the science mind she gets from her mother to use, she can feel free. Vegeta listens, and nods. Her ideas make sense.]

Yes, it would seem that way. [There were times he wondered if Bulla had that same fierce sense of competition that was a characteristic of most Saiyans. The expression on her face when she gives it thought tells Vegeta everything he needs to know, and sends a surge of pride through his chest.]

Bulla, are you seriously worried about your hair, right now? [He nearly loses his balance, but laughs it off as he rubs his face into his hand. Women's minds worked in interesting ways that he wouldn't ever dream to understand.]

There is only one way to find out.

[She's glad for the chance to spend time with him and bond like this. Much like the rest of the family, despite the timeline difference, they've adapted to one another in no time at all.]

Not totally serious, but I am curious. And besides, at that military school I went to in that other universe, my secondary specialties were in negotiations and covert operations. If I could be in a powered up state without looking like there was any difference, that could be really useful!

[She won't deny that there's a vanity component to her curiousity, too, but tactical reasons are a part of it.]

You know...funny story. I actually had god ki for a week here. It came with the power to materialize clothes out of nothing.

[Vegeta can't help but see various traits that she gets from her mother. Her brain, mostly. Anything tactical that requires more than brute strength and determination she gets from Bulma. For a Saiyan he's very thoughtful, but a lot of that can easily be overshadowed by his ego and temper.]

You had god ki and you used it to make clothes? [Bulla, he loves you so he's not going to say anything about it being such a waste and instead lets out a long sigh. He doesn't know the first thing about properly raising a child, but he's going to just let her be herself with that one.]

I just woke up with it instead of getting it through training, so I couldn't use it for things like flying. I couldn't even use my regular ki at all. It happened around the same time that some people suddenly found themselves changed into other species, though.

[She shrugs. There were worse things that developing the power to materialize clothing out of nowhere.]

I wound up using it to help make clothes for people for free to accommodate their changes, because some people had new appendages that weren't there before, like wings. Everyone went back to normal after about a week and most of the things I made disappeared...but a few things remained. Like a suit I made for Trunks for the masquerade ball. I wanted him to have something nice so he could look good for Mai.

[Your daughter is meddlesome when it comes to people's love lives, Vegeta.]

[Clearly some interesting things went on in this place. He's only a little disappointed that he wasn't there to witness it. Or have more training armor made while she had the ability to do so.]

I don't suppose you had any friends with god powers to create an endless amount of closets to store all these clothes in. [He's a dad. Let him tell dad jokes. Also he may be the only one smirking about how funny he thinks it is.]

I wish those two would stop beating around the bush and just get to it already. [Clearly they share that trait. Nevermind that he took his time ending up with Bulma. Sons shouldn't repeat the mistakes their parents made.]

No, but I made more clothes for others than I did for myself. The coolest part was that I could just make the clothes appear on them even if they were far away as long as I could clearly picture them, and it fit perfectly without me even taking their measurements.

[Fashion taken to actual godly levels. It's one of the cooler weird experiences she's ever had.]

Well, I did push Trunks into confessing his feelings for Mai and they're dating now. Maybe they just want to enjoy doing that for a while before they worry about marriage?

[Much as she'd like to see that happen, a few months is pretty quick to go from friends to dating to married. She'll start nagging Trunks after it's been a year.]

That is interesting. [He has to admit that at least. It's still a lot to try to picture, but considering he had appeared here, there's nothing strange enough to surprise him these days.]

What is there to enjoy? [His eyes narrow suspiciously at that, as if daring Bulla to suggest there is more to a Saiyan man's life than eating, fighting, and occasionally procreating. He can't just allow her to go around thinking he was ever romantic.

Only Bulma gets to see that.]

The universe could be destroyed any day. Giving me grandchildren is not too much to ask.

[She's well aware of how much of a softie her dad is capable of being, despite also being a fierce warrior. The way he's been just now with Snowball is testament to that. Not that she'll ever point it out. He has his pride.

She blinks. Grandchildren? So that's what the hurry is. She wonders if it has anything to do with seeing her as an infant one day and then coming here and seeing her as an adult.]

If you're in such a hurry to have grandchildren, I guess this means you're fine with me dating, huh?

[It has everything to do with not getting to see Bulla grow to the young woman she is now. Do Saiyans get baby fever? If so, that might be it. This Bulma might not be so interested in it at her age, unfortunately. So he doesn't see it happening any time soon.]

What?! Absolutely not!! [His expression darkens and he looks at Bulla like she's just suggested they fly right into a black hole.]

Why--Who would even be worthy in this place!? There's no one around here for you, so don't even think about it!

[She just laughs. He might be from a much earlier point in time and has no recollection of seeing her grow up, but the response is about what she expected.]

I actually did go on a couple of dates here, but the boy in question was sent back to his own world before you got here.

[And just so she doesn't send his blood pressure through the roof, she clarifies.]

He was a gentleman, don't worry. You and mom did raise me to have standards, you know.

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