Chapter Text
It was a day like any other day; I really didn’t expect my entire world to be flipped upside down in a matter of minutes. I was heading back home from a short trek out into nature. The weather was particularly nice, and I was eager to get out of the house for a little while. The path that I was traveling was one I traveled often; it wasn’t particularly out of the way, but it also wasn’t too terribly close to all the hubbub of town. I took in all the sights that indicated springtime was here- the birds were chirping happily in the trees above me, the cherry blossoms were in bloom, and all of the other plant life around me was springing back to life from the icy clutches of winter. As I’m remarking to myself about how lovely it is that winter has ended, I see a figure before me in the distance, approaching rapidly along the trail. I’m actually a little stunned once I realize who it is; what was HE doing here?
I smile a little awkwardly at him as he approaches me along the path. I take in his furrowed brow, his chiseled physique, his stern appearance… I never expected to have to introduce myself to him. He was like royalty around here, all things considered.
“Hi there,” I speak, showing off another smile now that he’s closer, this one more genuine. I offer a small bow to show respect. “It’s nice to meet you.” He’s shorter in person than I expected, but I can tell he’s every bit as strong as the rumors suggest.
“I am Vegeta, prince of all Saiyans.” He barks back at me, feeling the need to inform me of his status. Normally something like this would prompt an eye roll, but something told me not to be so outwardly blunt towards him. He surveys me, his eyes raking down my body as he crosses his arms in thought. He frowns a little, narrowing his eyes.
“What an odd gesture, a bow. I’m curious as to what your origins are… You don’t seem to be a Saiyan.” I smile again, nodding at his perceptiveness. “I’m from here, planet Earth; I’m a human,” I respond, feeling somewhat sheepish. Based on what knowledge I had of him, I knew he looked down on humans as an inferior race. It kinda made my blood boil, but I shoved the thought aside in favor of being polite. Vegeta smirked at my response, throwing an indignant chuckle my way.
“Human? Of course you are- I should have known,” he rolled his eyes. “Your kind is made up of weak, pathetic beings incapable of reaching my superior status no matter how hard you may try.” I blinked in shock; what a cocky bastard! I felt anger rise up in my chest, but I forced myself to push it down and hide it away. Instead, I looked away as I rolled my eyes a little bit.
“Not all humans are weak and pathetic, you know,“ I muttered. “We might not be as strong as Saiyans, but we make do. Believe it or not, I’m actually in training right now, learning hand-to-hand combat. Earth isn’t a very safe place… There are a lot of bad people with ill intentions. I need to be able to protect myself, especially as a woman.” I felt pride swell in my chest, replacing my anger from before.
“Hmph, learning hand-to-hand combat to protect yourself,” Vegeta scoffed, that smirk still plastered onto his face. “I have destroyed entire universes with a mere wave of my hand; what could you possibly hope to achieve that could ever match that?” Okay, now I was pissed again. This guy was a self-righteous jerk for sure. I could no longer contain my irritation.
“Seriously?” I shot, raising an eyebrow. “Congrats on being so fucking strong, I guess,” I dripped with sarcasm, blatantly rolling my eyes at the Saiyan. “There’s more to life than just strength alone, you know.”
“Is there? Then tell me, what greater accomplishment could surpass the level of power I possess?” Vegeta inquired, likewise dripping with sarcasm. He adjusted his weight, shifting it to his other leg.
“Something tells me your big ass head couldn’t fathom anything else even if I was to explain,” I retorted, my lips curling up to a smirk of my own as I insulted the prince. I folded my arms across my chest; Vegeta’s smirk fell.
“A common human insult. Perhaps you are a bit brighter than the typical specimens I have come across so far…” He looked contemplative as he surveyed me over again.
I didn’t offer him the time for further consideration; I began to walk on ahead of him, shouting over my shoulder.
“I think you’ll come to find that I’m a LOT brighter than some of the other humans. Goodbye, PRINCE Vegeta,” I continued on my way, satisfied, as I left Vegeta in my dust. However, I did not expect him to follow after me. The Saiyan scoffed in irritation, catching up to me in mere seconds due to his sheer speed. He fell in step beside me, walking in silence along my left side. I pretended to ignore him for a moment, but it wasn’t going to work. Vegeta was persistent, and him following me was awkward. “Was there something else you wanted to say?” I asked, glancing over at him briefly. You could tell I was still miffed by the tone of my voice. Vegeta stared at me, his brown eyes unblinking, as he considered my words.
“Yes,” he began, “I want to know what your name is.” I raised an eyebrow in surprise; I guess I did fail to give him my name when we met moments ago. Whatever.
I glanced back over at him warily and replied, “…It’s y/n. Not sure why such a highly regarded Saiyan warrior gives a fuck about a lowly earthling like myself, but there you have it.” I smirked a little to myself, enjoying my sarcastic retorts that I’ve been delivering. To be honest, I was surprised that Vegeta did little to defend himself against my verbal exchanges.
The prince narrowed his eyes. “Well, I’ll have you know it’s my duty as prince of all Saiyans to know more about the universe outside of my domain. Even if that means interacting with lesser species.” He spat back at me, furrowing his brow as he continued to walk along with me. I frowned at his mention of ‘lesser species’; God, he really was so conceited!
“That is SUCH a bold statement, I don’t even know where to begin,” I sighed in frustration. Vegeta replied almost immediately, “It’s merely a statement of fact. I can’t be faulted for acknowledging reality.” I narrowed my eyes at the Saiyan. I couldn’t believe he was taking this so far, and with a stranger nonetheless! “You don’t have to be so fucking rude, you know? You don’t know me. You don’t know anything about me! Just because you’re stronger than me doesn’t give you a right to insult me.” I huffed as a I finished speaking, tucking a strand of black hair behind my ear as I continued walking.
Vegeta actually laughed at my statement, furthering the annoyance building up inside of me. I felt like I was genuinely about to burst. “Contrary to what you might say, I believe that being stronger would indeed give me the right to treat you as I please. What reason should I have to show respect for a lesser being?” Vegeta retorted, smirking. He really thought this way- that was the worst part about the entire exchange with him. These were his true feelings and opinions. I was flabbergasted.
I turned to him, my face furious. “Being respectful is just a nice thing to do! Why would you intentionally be mean?!” I threw my hands up, completely exasperated. Vegeta only shrugged as he responded, completely calm. “Being kind and respectful is a sign of weakness on my planet. It is a weakness I do not indulge in.” He looked ahead as we walked along the path we had been taking, looking deep in thought.
“A weakness?!” I exclaimed, staring at him. I ceased walking. My eyes roamed over his rough features for a moment, my face softening. I almost felt bad for him. Almost. I gazed into his stern brown eyes, my face turning serious again.
“I believe being kind is the utmost sign of strength that someone can have. It takes a lot to be kind and patient in this world. I wouldn’t want to be a part of the negativity that’s spread nowadays.” With that truth bomb, I shook my head, walking ahead to attempt to get away from Vegeta. It was clear that he was as stubborn and as hard-headed as it gets, and there is no talking sense into people like him; I was done with this conversation. What a jackass.
To my surprise, Vegeta did not follow me. He stared after my retreating form, sighing to himself as he was lost in thought. Perhaps humans aren’t all as weak and pathetic as he initially thought…
I continued along my walk, going about my business. I was eager to get home after that unplanned interaction with Vegeta. I tried my best to brush it aside and forget about it, but it was all that plagued my thoughts on my way home. It was fruitless. His attitude and his stoic, smug demeanor were all I could think about. I wanted to slap his cocky face and give him something to seriously contemplate.
I huffed in frustration as I made my way back home, but eventually I finally arrived back. I fumbled in my bag for my keys, digging through all the mess that was in there. Little did I know, however, that Vegeta had been following my every move from a distance. He appeared behind me suddenly and grabbed my shoulder, spinning me around to face him. I gasped audibly in shock and fright, dropping my keys to the concrete. He grabbed a wrist to steady me. As I was spun around, my fist made contact with something firm- it was Vegeta’s cheek.
“Wh-?! Huh?!” Vegeta, obviously, took the punch like a champ, unfazed. He didn’t even wince or flinch; instead, he simply stared at me, raising an eyebrow slightly at me. “I see your hand-to-hand combat has paid off.”
I made a mental note in the back of my brain that my fist hadn’t even fazed him; I was a little disappointed, but mostly just shocked that Vegeta was now here, at my house! “Are you following people home?! What’s going on?!” I yanked my wrist back, holding it against my chest protectively. “People like you are what I need hand-to-hand combat training for in the first place! Just what do you think you’re doing here?!” I blinked as I furrowed my brow, blushing a little. I was in a state of complete disarray.
Vegeta chuckled, that same smirk on his face. He was amused by my defensive stance and slight blush. “I realized something from our riveting conversation earlier…” He stepped an inch closer, invading my personal space. “I’m interested in studying you; a human who is so bold and different from the usual stock. That’s why I’m here.”
I took a step back, pressing myself against my front door. “St-Studying me…?” I questioned in a high pitched voice, my blush remaining on my cheeks. “Study me HOW???” This Saiyan was seemingly very persistent; I was still in disbelief that he had followed me home.
Vegeta took another step forward, his eyes trained on me. “I wish to learn more about you. I believe there is a vast wealth of knowledge that I can only gain by analyzing your every move and studying your behavior. And you will allow me.”
I blinked rapidly, thoroughly confused and a little embarrassed, to be honest. “Excuse me?! What makes you think I’ll be okay with this?!? I sputtered out, furrowing my brow a little. “I- I thought humans were too insignificant of a species for someone like the…the great prince of all Saiyans…?” I blushed, staring up at Vegeta. Now that we were face-to-face, he really wasn’t much taller than me at all. Somehow, this made him even more intimidating.
My words seemed to be a stroke to his ego. The prince chuckled, enjoying the sound of my sarcastic praise. “I will not be denied in my desire to study a specimen like you. Do not forget who I am.” He took another step forward, inching his face closer to mine.
My cheeks grew warmer under such close scrutiny. “A- A specimen…?!” I raised my voice again, frowning a little. I swallowed thickly, daring to stare him straight in the eye defiantly. “And…what if I say no?” Vegeta only stared back, his intense gaze unwavering. “Such is not an option for you. You WILL comply with my request- you are too unique to be allowed to go unstudied.”
I try to passively plead my case: “I’m not even unique! I’m just a human, I…” I trail off underneath Vegeta’s intense expression. This whole situation was ridiculous!
The prince unexpectedly placed his hands on my shoulders, locking eyes with me fiercely. He then spoke firmly, his voice dangerously low.
“In my eyes, you are unique. Your boldness and attitude make you stand out amongst your people… I find this to be truly fascinating. Therefore, you WILL be studied. There is no room for arguing.”
I can only blink, blush, and nod in concordance as I am held firmly in place by Vegeta’s strong hands. At my sudden lack of protest, the prince smirks. He relaxes just slightly, his expression softening. Then, he continued on: “I intend to study you closely. I will watch your every move, your every breath, and your every word spoken. I will learn all there is to know about you. Understand?”
What more is there to try and say? Once again, I agreeably nodded, blushing harder.
“Okay… Well, uh…” I bent down slowly and picked up my house keys, unlocking the front door. “I’m… I’m going inside my house now…” I turned and stepped inside, noticing that Vegeta followed behind me…