favourite episode/etc: I like the part where he died
otp: no
brotp: NO
ot3: NO
notp: literally any ship involving him is a notp for me
best quote: nope
head canon: fuck this guy okay seriously
Vegeta:
do I like them: mmmmmmmmm sort of but not really. I’ll admit a good chunk of my hate for Vegeta stems from his shitty fans, but like...he hasn’t grown as a character that much imo, he’s still a giant asshole about everything all the time constantly
5 good qualities: uhh he’s strong, by the end of things he can be counted on to at least try to protect Bulma and Trunks in a pinch, um...is there anything else
3 bad qualities: he’s an unrepentant asshole, literally incapable of putting aside petty squabbles for Not Dying purposes (see allowing Cell to transform, Majin Vegeta, etc), literally assisted with multiple genocides and laughed about it (and has never expressed regret over this as far as we know)
favourite episode/etc: tbh the Battle of Gods movie was the first piece of DB media to endear him to me
otp: honestly I don’t like most Vegeta ships just out of spite but VegeBul and VegeYam are okay I guess
brotp: I like the idea of Vegeta being weird friends with Bulma’s mom
ot3: okay but like...Bulma/Vegeta/Yamcha
notp: some days it’s VegeBul, others it’s Goku/Vegeta. I don’t really like either of them that much (though I’ll be the first to admit it’s largely because of how their fans generally portray them)
best quote: BINGO
head canon: Vegeta likes carrot cake. Also Vegeta is shORTER THAN BULMA YOU COWARDS
@spiritbathbomb also asked for prompt 25 “I’ve never felt this way before… and to be honest, it scares the living shit out of me.” with Vegeta/Yamcha (and honestly how was I supposed to say no to that rarest of pairs, also it got way too long and out of hand so UNDER A CUT IT GOES)
Yamcha had been completely and totally fine with his usual relationship with Vegeta, which was a tentative, awkward friendship, one that generally involved a lot of yelling and snark. Some days, Yamcha was pretty sure that the only reason he was still breathing was because he was friends with Bulma, and if Vegeta wanted to keep relying on her for free food and use of the gravity chamber, he had to keep himself from killing her friends if they annoyed him.
Or, at least, that was how their relationship started.
It had taken years, but over time Vegeta had somehow wedged himself into their inner circle, and even Yamcha, who had probably more reasons to hate him than any of the others, found that he’d be upset if Vegeta left for good. Others less so--he knew Tien still hated and distrusted Vegeta as much as he did the day they first met, but Yamcha had never been all that good at holding grudges. Hell, he wouldn’t be as close with Tien if he was. And it had taken a long time, but he’d finally mellowed out a little. Yes, Vegeta was still intense as ever, always training to defeat Goku. He was crass and rude and a downright jerk.
But when it came right down to it, Vegeta could be counted on to make sure Bulma and her family were safe in an emergency. He did care about the fate of the world, even if it was (as Yamcha suspected) only because he lived on it. And every so often he’d look at Yamcha, actually make direct eye contact, and smile, and Yamcha would have to pause for a moment to collect himself because Vegeta was really handsome.
Besides, if Yamcha could accept Piccolo, surely he could accept Vegeta, too.
“You’re too nice,” Tien informed him bluntly when Yamcha brought it up. “He tried to destroy the world, remember? He tried to kill all of us, and the only reason he didn’t was because others got to it first.”
Yamcha shrugged. “I used to be a bandit and you used to be an assassin.”
“He blew up planets, Yamcha. Forgive me if I have a hard time seeing eye to eye with him.”
“Hey, don’t get me wrong, I don’t see eye to eye with him either--”
“If you make a crack about his height I’m leaving.”
Yamcha grinned sheepishly. “Okay, but aside from that. I don’t like him, I think, but I don’t hate him. I think.”
Tien raised an eyebrow. “You think? You don’t know?”
“I’m not sure. I mean, sometimes he’ll be doing something and I’ll forget he used to be a homicidal maniac monkey-man from outer space. Like the way he looks at Trunks when he thinks no one’s watching him. He puts on a front, but I think Trunks is the one person he really cares about. And that’s...I guess I can see why Bulma puts up with him. You know?”
Tien shook his head. “No, I don’t. But I’m not going to tell you what to do. If you want to be friends with Vegeta, I’m not going to stop you.” He paused. “I will tell you to be careful, though. Vegeta’s...unpredictable.”
“That’s putting it mildly,” Yamcha laughed.
Somewhere, though, over the last few months since that conversation, things had changed and shifted again. Yamcha caught himself staring at Vegeta, and sometimes he’d catch Vegeta staring back. Every time Dr. Briefs came into the store Yamcha worked at part-time, Vegeta was there, following grumpily behind him with one eye on Yamcha the whole time. Whenever Yamcha dropped by Capsule Corp to talk to Bulma, he could always feel Vegeta’s badly-suppressed ki somewhere close by.
It was unnerving, but Vegeta never seemed hostile. He certainly seemed uncomfortable and even a little confused, but never like he was planning on attacking Yamcha. He hardly ever exchanged words with him, though.
Eventually, Yamcha got fed up.
“You wanna sit?” he asked. Vegeta balked from his position in the doorway, staring at Yamcha like he’d grown a second head. Yamcha gestured to the kitchen table, especially the plate of sandwiches Bulma’s mother had made for Yamcha while he waited for Bulma to be done in the lab. “There’s too many for me to eat by myself,” he said. “I’m sure you’re hungry--you always are. Have a sandwich.”
Vegeta squinted at Yamcha suspiciously, but to his surprise walked into the room and sat heavily in the chair next to Yamcha. He snatched one of the sandwiches and shoved it in his mouth whole, staring moodily at Yamcha the whole time. Yamcha blinked and scooted his chair a little further from Vegeta. He was becoming a better person, for sure, but his idea of personal space still left a lot to be desired. And he stank. Clearly he’d just left the gravity chamber for a break from training. The sweat dripping down his neck and disappearing under the collar of his too-tight tank top would’ve been a dead giveaway if the smell hadn’t tipped Yamcha off.
He flushed and went back to his sandwich. What the hell was he doing staring at Vegeta’s chest?
“Why are you here?”
Vegeta’s voice was raspy and Yamcha wondered if he was coming down with a cold or if his voice was just tired from all the screaming he did while he trained. He looked back at Vegeta and saw him looking him steadily in the eyes. Yamcha blinked. Was...was this Vegeta’s version of small talk?
“Just came to see Bulma.” Yamcha shrugged and reached for another sandwich. “Nothing special.”
“Why?” Vegeta’s face darkened and Yamcha swallowed. He’d have to be careful how he answered--but he didn’t know what the right answer was. Honesty was the best policy, probably, except in this case it might get him killed. He knew full well how Vegeta could be when it came to Bulma.
“Because we’re friends,” he said simply. “We might not be dating anymore, but we still like to hang out sometimes.” He resisted the urge to ask whether that was okay. Vegeta had no say in who Bulma chose to spend time with. And it wasn’t like they were actually together--both Bulma and Vegeta were adamant about reminding people of that.
Vegeta nodded. “Good.” He grabbed another sandwich and pointed it at Yamcha. “Keep it that way.”
Yamcha frowned. “Keep it what way?”
“You and her. Friends. That’s all. Keep it that way.”
“Seriously?” Yamcha shook his head. “First of all, that ship sailed years ago. Secondly, you’re not even her boyfriend, and you’re definitely not her dad. You don’t have any say in who she dates.”
“Not her, you idiot.” Vegeta stood and glared down at him. “I’m talking about you.”
Yamcha’s mouth went dry. “What?”
Vegeta shrugged. “Whatever.” He turned and started to leave and something in Yamcha snapped. He lunged to grab Vegeta’s wrist and Vegeta stopped, turning back to him. “What now?”
“You--you can’t just say something like that and then leave!” Yamcha snapped. “What are you talking about?”
Vegeta yanked his wrist away. “I just don’t like you dating people. That’s all. There’s nothing weird about it.”
“Yeah, there kind of is!” Yamcha folded his arms and glared. “Why is it any business of yours who I date?” Not that Yamcha had gotten many dates since he and Bulma broke up for good. He’d had a few, and others he’d turned down for one reason or another, but not many. But that wasn’t really the point.
Vegeta squirmed, actually squirmed, and looked away, clutching the ends of the towel around his neck. “I just don’t like it.” He glared at Yamcha. “And it’s in your best interests to keep me happy.” With that, he turned and stalked out of the room.
Yamcha stared after him, wondering what the hell Vegeta’s problem was now.
“Train with me.”
Yamcha paused midstep and looked over his shoulder. He’d just been about to leave Capsule Corp after an afternoon of hanging out and talking shop with Bulma. He’d been able to push the incident with Vegeta earlier to the back of his mind, but with Vegeta next to him again the memory came back full force.
Vegeta’s arms were crossed, and he glared up at Yamcha as if he was daring him to say no. “I said, train with me,” he repeated. “You’ve been slacking and it won’t do.”
Yamcha shrugged and backed up a step. “I don’t think I could keep up with you. You drag me into that chamber of yours and I’m not going to last very long.”
A light flush spread across Vegeta’s cheeks and he glanced away for a moment. Yamcha suddenly realised what he’d said. “Not like that!” he snapped, embarrassed. “I mean physically! Fighting, physically! In combat!” He buried his face in his hands and groaned. All he was doing was digging himself deeper.
“I won’t turn on the gravity.” A hand grabbed the front of Yamcha’s shirt and he was yanked forward. Yamcha squawked with surprise and his hands shot out to steady himself against the nearest available surface--Vegeta’s shoulders. Vegeta’s face was now just inches from his own, his expression just as intense as ever, but there was something else to it, too, something different about the heat coming from him. Yamcha swallowed. “Train with me,” Vegeta said again, quieter.
Yamcha licked his lips. They were so dry all of a sudden. “Why?”
“Because--” Vegeta leaned back, looking confused, like he hadn’t expected the question and for once didn’t have an answer prepared. “I like you.”
“Uh--” Yamcha could feel his face heating up to the tips of his ears. “Y-you mean like as a friend, right?”
“Of course,” Vegeta scoffed, rolling his eyes. Then he hesitated. “We...are friends now, I suppose.”
Despite himself, Yamcha felt a smile spread across his face. “Yeah, I think we are.”
Vegeta nodded once, decisively. “And friends train together, spend time together. You spent time with Bulma today because you’re friends. Now it’s my turn.”
“Vegeta, look, I’m flattered, but--” Yamcha shook his head and pulled back, and to his surprise Vegeta allowed it. “It’s getting late, and if I’m not home to cook dinner Puar’ll have my head. I promised.” Vegeta scowled and Yamcha shoved his hands in his pockets, wondering if he’d just signed his own death warrant. “Look, do--did you just want to train with me as a way to spend time with me and that’s all you could think of, or because you wanted to train and I just happened to be around?”
Vegeta didn’t look at him, instead contemplating the ground. “The former.”
“Oh.” Yamcha’s stomach fluttered. “Well look, do you--Puar wouldn’t mind, I don’t think, but do you want to come back to my place? I can’t feed you too well, I mean I’m not rich or anything, but I’ll make you dinner.” He offered Vegeta a lopsided grin. “I’m a damn good cook, you know.”
“I didn’t know.” Vegeta still looked grouchy as always, but something about him seemed softer already. Yamcha couldn’t tell if it was his face, his posture, his voice, or something else, but it was kind of nice. “Yes. I’ll go with you.”
And Yamcha came to the sudden realisation that he’d just invited Vegeta to his apartment. What the hell had he gotten himself into?
Yamcha flopped onto the couch with a sigh. Vegeta sat next to him, legs crossed and arms folded, hardly even leaning into the couch. “You can relax, you know,” Yamcha told him. He’d been this way all through supper, to the point where Puar had left as soon as she figured out that Vegeta wasn’t leaving immediately afterwards. The atmosphere in the apartment was scarily tense. “I know it’s a bit of a foreign concept for you, but you are allowed to just chill. We’re friends, remember? You said so yourself.”
Vegeta grunted, but slowly eased back into the cushions. He glanced at Yamcha, then back in front of him. “I am not good at small talk.”
“Yeah, I noticed.” Yamcha grinned. “I mean, your idea of small talk is “why are you here,” so yeah.”
Vegeta turned towards him, scrutinizing his face. “Alright, I give up.”
Yamcha’s smile faltered. “What?” Vegeta never gave up on anything. It was one of the things Yamcha liked about him, one of the better parts of his personality. What could he possibly be giving up on?
“You are confusing.” Vegeta pointed at Yamcha. “I’ve been trying to figure out how I feel about you and I have had no success.”
Yamcha sat up and faced Vegeta fully. “We’re friends, aren’t we? I thought that’s what we said.”
Vegeta waved him off. “I know what friendship is like. This is not that.”
“Do you?” Yamcha’s eyebrow raised doubtfully. “Name one person you count as a friend that isn’t me, Bulma, or Trunks.”
He faltered. “Kak--no. Bulma’s parents.”
Yamcha buried his smirk and didn’t comment on the fact that Vegeta had almost admitted he actually liked Goku. “Okay, fine. So you have different feelings for me than you do Bulma or her parents?”
“Yes.” Vegeta maintained steady, unwavering eye contact with Yamcha.
“I don’t know what to tell you.” Yamcha shook his head. “Look, how do you feel about me? Like when you look at me, or when we’re talking.” Vegeta glared and Yamcha shrugged. “It’s all I’ve got, man. I want to know this answer just as much as you do.” There were butterflies in Yamcha’s stomach for the first time in years. He didn’t know what to do. But he managed to keep his voice steady, and he didn’t waver. Hopefully he came across as more confident than he felt.
“When I see you.” Vegeta looked Yamcha up and down slowly, and Yamcha blushed. Was he checking him out? No, that would be stupid. “You’re very attractive.”
Yamcha’s heart stuttered. “P-pardon?”
Vegeta rolled his eyes. “Don’t let it go to your head. You’re a good-looking man, well-groomed and with strong features. That’s all.”
“So,” Yamcha said, voice shaking, “when you look at me you think about...how attractive I am?”
“Yes.” Vegeta shook his head. “It’s not like I’ve never found anyone attractive before, Yamcha.” Yamcha swallowed. He didn’t remember the last time he’d heard Vegeta say his name, and there was something about hearing it said in that low growl that really did it for him. “That is not the way I’ve never felt--I’ve felt that way about many people. The new feeling is that I want to spend time with you. I’m not used to that.” He stared at a point over Yamcha’s shoulder, eyebrows drawn together as he tried to concentrate. “Because I enjoy your company, I think, whatever you might think about that. You are intelligent, but not obnoxious about it, and for some reason you offer me kindness.” He almost spat the word, but more confused than angry. “It makes me happy, and I don’t know why. I’ve never felt this way before. And to be honest it--” He paused and looked Yamcha straight in the eye. “It scares the living shit out of me.”
Yamcha’s eyes widened and he leaned back in shock. He’d never heard Vegeta openly admit to being afraid of anything before. Although, he supposed, Vegeta’s preferred method of dealing with things was to punch them, and try as he might he couldn’t punch his feelings. “Vegeta,” he said slowly, “do you like me as a friend or--do you like like me?” He felt like an idiot using such grade-school language, but he wasn’t sure Vegeta would react well to the other L word yet. Or how he would react himself.
Vegeta’s eyes flicked to Yamcha’s mouth and he licked his lips. “Yes.”
“No, I mean--look, do you want to hang out and spend time together as friends, or do you want to k-kiss me?” Yamcha stammered. This was going downhill fast.”
“Yes.” Vegeta leaned forward, eyes intently on Yamcha’s. Yamcha held his ground as Vegeta put his face inches from his own. “I want both of those things.”
Yamcha squeezed his eyes shut. “Vegeta, I think you love me--mmph!”
His eyes flew open at the feeling of a pair of lips on his, and Vegeta was kissing him. Holy fuck. What did he do? He couldn’t back up because he was pressed against the arm of the couch, and he didn’t have enough strength to throw Vegeta off him. But on the other hand, he wasn’t sure he wanted to.
Vegeta moved back, opening his eyes, and Yamcha stared wide-eyed at him as he tried to figure out what was happening. Bad enough that Vegeta was apparently in love with him, but for him to kiss Yamcha--and for Yamcha to like it, at least a little--that was just bizarre.
Except was it, really? He liked Vegeta a lot, too. He’d grown to really care about him, and maybe those feelings went a little beyond friendship. He’d lost count of the times he’d caught himself accidentally checking Vegeta out, and as much as he found Vegeta was watching him, he was watching Vegeta just as often. Yamcha bit his lip. Well. What was he supposed to do now?
Vegeta scoffed, dragging Yamcha from his panicked thoughts. “I suppose this is the part where you tell me to get out.”
“No, I--” Yamcha put his hands on Vegeta’s shoulders and did the only thing he could think of.
Kakarott leaned over the back of the couch, grinning like an idiot. “Come on, Vegeta!” He gave Vegeta a punch to the arm. Vegeta barely felt it; Kakarott had clearly not put much effort behind it. Asshole. “We should hang out! Maybe do something besides fight! It’ll be fun.”
“No.” Vegeta refused to look at Kakarott, instead keeping his eyes forward and his arms folded as he slouched against the back of the couch. “What could we possibly do together that’d be considered ‘fun’ that isn’t fighting?” Besides, Vegeta loved fighting Kakarott. Complain as he might, training together was the highlight of his day whenever they did. On days they didn’t train together he found himself even testier than usual, but the revelation made him uncomfortable and he didn’t like to think about it.
“There’s lots of stuff we can do.” Kakarott vaulted over the back of the couch and flopped next to Vegeta. “We could go fishing!”
“No.”
“Or hiking!”
“No.”
“Or we could go visit Kame House!”
“Gods no.” Vegeta turned his head just enough that Kakarott could get the full force of his glare. “I’m not going anywhere with you except to fight.”
Kakarott seemed to droop a little, looking away. Vegeta felt something tighten in his stomach and he realised he actually felt bad for him. He tried to brush the ridiculous feeling aside, but while he’d always been good at not showing his feelings, he’d never been good at not actually feeling them. He knew Kakarott was just looking for someone to spend time with to try and get over his failed marriage, and some small part of him was flattered that he’d chosen Vegeta for that. But he really, really didn’t want to go anywhere with him.
Kakarott mumbled something, and Vegeta’s eyes narrowed. “What was that?”
“I said…” Kakarott swallowed. “…Or we could make out…”
Vegeta’s blood froze. “Wh-what?”
When Kakarott glanced over at him again, he was blushing. “I mean, it’s just a suggestion. We don’t–”
Vegeta stopped him with a raised hand. “What the hell, Kakarott.”
“I said it was just a suggestion!” Kakarott folded his arms and pouted, and Vegeta’s stomach tightened again, but this time it wasn’t with his earlier guilt, it was…something else. “We don’t have to if you don’t want to.”
“Do…you want to?” Vegeta asked, and the idea of kissing Kakarott was getting more and more appealing the more he thought about it. His stomach fluttered and his heart started to pound.
He swallowed when Kakarott bit his lip before answering. “Yeah,” he said quietly.
“Well then.” Vegeta’s hand fell on Kakarott’s cheek, turning him towards him, because fuck it. “Why the hell not.”
Imagine five year old Trunks declaring that he's going to be an astronaut when he grows up and Vegeta going "what the shit is an astronaut"
Bulma's immediately like "LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT THE TIME UNCLE KRILLIN AND GOHAN AND I WENT TO SPACE" and once Vegeta figures out that "astronaut" is Earth slang for "person who goes into space" he's like "SHIT SON THAT'S NOTHING LET ME TELL YOU TALES OF ALL THE PLANETS I'VE BEEN TO" (conveniently leaving out the fact that he killed everyone on most of them and blew up the rest)
And it turns into this big one-upmanship thing between the two of them "WOMAN YOU CAN'T BEAT ME AT THIS YOU'VE ONLY BEEN TO ONE PLANET" "WELL DID YOU REVERSE ENGINEER YOUR SPACESHIP YOURSELF I DON'T THINK YOU FUCKING DID"
Trunks subsequently decides he no longer wants to be an astronaut
vomit / don’t ship / ok / cute / adorable / sexy / perfect / beyond flawless / hot damn / screaming and crying / i will ship them in hell
Kill me
Okay so I’ve actually spent some time thinking about this one and while Yamcha/Bulma and Vegeta/Bulma are definitely not flawless relationships (and neither would Yamcha/Vegeta tbh) I think the three of them together could really help balance the whole thing out? I could go on but I’m having a hard time forming a coherent post I am very tired. Suffice it to say I think it’d be a good ship, although that could just be my weakness for poly ships talking.
