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ladyvegeets · 5 years

Text

Uncharted Waters -2-

Written for 2019 Brolai-week hosted by @saiyan--tales.

-2: Casual / Scars-

Cheelai led them towards a stall selling clothing and other wearable souvenirs. It was going to be a challenge finding anything in Broly’s size, especially without the engineering of the Frieza Force’s incredibly stretchy suits. But Broly wasn’t the only big alien in the universe. Surely they could find something.

“What have you got in our sizes?” Cheelai asked the squid-faced stall handler.

It eyed them over but if it had any qualms about their Frieza gear, it kept them to itself. Long purple tentacles slunk up to the roof of the stall where its items hung and started pulling a few options down. It offered her a skimpy yellow two-piece swimsuit.

Cheelai’s face seized in horror. “Uh… I was thinking something more casual.”

The handler frowned but put the bikini aside and fished out some casual-wear for bipedal mammalians to peruse.

“What do you like?” Cheelai asked her tall companion.

Broly wasn’t even looking, his attention drawn elsewhere down the beach where he people-watched.

Not a fashionista then, not unless it came to Ba’s ear. Cheelai dug through their choices until she found a large charcoal-blue top with long sleeves that looked like it might fit him. It was lightweight, and had a cute picture of the beach on the front with the planetoid’s name written in the galactic alphabet. She held it up to Broly’s shoulders to gauge its fit.

“What do you think, big guy? Would you like to wear this?”

He glanced down. “I am comfortable as I am.”

“I know that, but we’re trying to be a little less obvious here with what we’re wearing.”

He frowned and his hand defensively curled over the knot of Ba’s ear.

“Oh, not that. You can still wear Ba,” she reassured. “But our armor is making us stick out like sore thumbs.”

Broly looked down at his hands, puzzling over his thumbs while Cheelai took matters into her own hands. She gathered some clothes and thrust them at the handler. “We’ll take these, please!”

After settling their debt, she led Broly by the wrist closer the water. Dozens of people had already set up picnic blankets to relax and watch the sun go down.

Broly let Cheelai lead the way, taking the opportunity to watch couples and young families walk the beach hand-in-hand — or whatever passed for hands among their species. He looked down at his own, Cheelai’s white-gloved fingers wrapped about his wrist-guard.

“Here should do!” she announced, coming to a stop. He almost walked into the back of her.

From the bag of newly bought goodies, Cheelai fished out a towel and fluffed it out, laying it down on the sand. She pulled off her boots before sitting cross-legged at one end, and beckoned for Broly to join her. His sheer size — and the towel designed for one — meant they had to sit knee-to-knee.

“I hope this all fits. It’s a shame they didn’t have pants in your size” — his had ripped during his battle on Earth — “Those prices though, wow. Remind me to get into the tourism industry,” she said conversationally as she sorted the clothes. Broly smiled listening to her. The sound of her voice was pleasant, even if he didn’t always understand everything she said. His father had rarely spoken, and when he did it was mostly to bark orders or rant about King Vegeta and injustice.

…Vampa had been a quiet and joyless place.

Cheelai finished sorting her newly bought items. Grabbing the hem of her breast plate in both hands, she pulled it off in one smooth gesture, the armor stretching over her curves and revealing her simple purple top beneath. She placed the plate on the sand, soon followed by her gloves and socks. Somehow it made a big difference in her appearance. Without her armor she looked so… small. Easily breakable. Broly felt his brow furrow against an uneasy sensation stirring his gut.

“I’m going to change,” she announced, grabbing her bundle of new clothes in her arms and standing up.

Broly stood with her.

“Oh no, you can stay. I’ll be right back.” She started jogging up the beach. The uneasy feeling grew worse the further she went. Broly’s fists curled at his sides. Half-way up the beach, Cheelai turned on her heel and gave him a big grin and a wave. “Watch our stuff, okay big guy?”

His stomach eased, and his hands relaxed. He watched her the rest of the way to where little changing shacks and restrooms had been set up for public use. When Cheelai disappeared inside one, he finally sunk back to the towel, cross-legged and back upright.

She wanted him to guard. He was good at that. His father had him do it a lot.

The breeze was gentle on his skin, tugging at his hair much more pleasantly than the howling winds of Vampa usually did. The sand here was soft and white, not the coarse yellow-brown of home. There were no giant killer beetles, and the place was lush with vegetation and water. Never could Broly have imagined that such a place existed. He never had the chance to.

Nearby, two people cuddled on a blanket. The bigger of them was threading a flower into the smaller one’s hair as they stared adoringly into each other eyes.

It made him think of Cheelai’s eyes. They were pink. He had never seen pink before, or purple, until he met her. He didn’t even know what the words for those were until he’d brought them up to his father on Frieza’s ship. It had been a shock to learn Paragus already knew them.

“They’re just colors, Broly, what does it matter? How would it have helped your training any?”

Broly had let the matter drop, but it had bothered him ever since. How much of the universe had his father known yet never bothered to share with him?

Cheelai and Lemo weren’t like that. They didn’t tell him to shut up and train. They took their time, carefully teaching him new concepts and encouraging him to ask questions. Lemo gave the clearest explanations, but Cheelai’s were the most interesting and passionate, her pink eyes burning with emotion when she spoke of things that really excited her. Her moods were contagious, and Broly often found himself seeking her out over Lemo.

She was nice to be around. She didn’t leave him feeling that heavy anxiety he carried with him when at his father’s side, ever fearful of criticism or an electric bolt. When he was with Cheelai, he felt… at ease. Accepted.

Happy.

Someone got too close to the towel. Broly narrowed his eyes, muscles tensing, and glared at the person who dared encroach on his territory. The alien did a double-take and nearly stumbled over its own feet, scurrying to give Broly and towel a wide berth. Broly relaxed and enjoyed the sun and breeze, watching the cuddly couple on the blanket until Cheelai returned.

“Sorry to keep you waiting.” Cheelai dropped her purple outfit on the towel, newly dressed in cut-off shorts and a loose pale pink t-shirt. It had a wide scoop neck and hung half-off her shoulder, a little beach image printed on the front with symbols he couldn’t read. “Hey, you didn’t put yours on yet?” she asked.

“Mine?”

She plopped down in front of him, her tiny green toes pressing to his legs. She picked up the dark long sleeved top. “This. Let’s get it on you.”

Without fuss, she took his arms into her lap and tugged off his wrist guards. He allowed it without complaint. It reminded him of when she and Lemo first arrived back on Vampa. She had insisted on patching up the worst of his injuries. He had still been in shock then, deeply troubled after everything that had happened. Losing his father, his friends, most of his memories… He’d been forced back to Vampa to nurse his wounds without knowing if he would see anyone ever again.

Without knowing if any of it had even been real.

It had been an unpleasant few days.

Cheelai and Lemo had been very patient with him on their return. Cheelai spoke to him as normal, her voice a lifeline in his distress. She talked to him about this and that, treating his wounds and encouraging him to respond by asking about his scars. He liked the sensation of her hands on him. They were so gentle. Soothing.

“One of those bugs did this to you?” she had asked, ghosting her fingertips over the large scar on his pectoral.

He had nodded, watching her delicate fingers on his body. Her touch had been so light it made his skin prickle.

“Arms!”

Broly snapped back to the present, seeing Cheelai holding up the long-sleeved top. He lifted his arms, and she slipped the top over him, laughing when his head got stuck in the collar. “There you are.”

Smoothing the top down his front, she cocked her head to get a better look at him. The picture on his top matched the one on her t-shirt. This pleased him.

“Well, it’s a bit snug, but still. Very handsome,” she said.

“What is handsome?”

Her eyes widened, and a soft pink blossomed over her face. He wasn’t sure what that meant, but he liked the look on her.

“Ah, well…” Tucking her hair behind her ear, she looked down and replied, “It means, you look nice.”

He followed the line of sight to their bare feet, his easily twice the size of hers. There was another piece of clothing resting on the towel: a small cap which matched the color of his top. It was no flower, but he carefully put it on her head, tucking a few stray strands of her hair into place under it.

“Very handsome,” he announced, looking into her eyes.

Cheelai turned red. She tugged the cap low to hide her face as her toes curled against his shins. For some feeling he had no name for, he smiled.

~xoXox~

#ladyvegeets #brolaiweek2019 #uncharted waters #brolai #broly #cheelai #casual #scars #day 2 #brolai2019 #beach #festival #fluff #fanfic

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ladyvegeets · 5 years

Text

Uncharted Waters -1-

Written for 2019 Brolai-week hosted by @saiyan--tales. (I’m an overachiever and tried to use both prompts.) Read it here on AO3.

~1: Candy(sweets) / Dancing~

Throngs of people from all corners of the galaxy moved down the main street towards the beach. Lively voices of street vendors and exited locals filled the air. Only the three of them — Cheelai, Lemo, and Broly — were foolish enough to try and go against the crowd, moving deeper into the city instead of towards the festivities. It was slow going, especially when Cheelai had to go back to grab Broly’s arm whenever something caught his eye.

Not that she could blame him. It was only the second time he had been off-world, and the first hardly counted when he had been forced there just to fight, and lose his father and — temporarily — his sanity. Still, she couldn’t just let the big guy wander as he pleased and draw unnecessary attention (easier said than done when he was a giant half-naked wild man). They didn’t yet know if Frieza had put out bounties on them. That’s why they were here, to connect with some of Lemo’s old contacts and get information on their wanted status, learn of any job opportunities and get more supplies. It wasn’t until they docked that they’d discovered there was a festival going on.

“Cheelai, look. That one has many eyes,” Broly announced in a loud voice, pointing to an alien in the crowd who indeed had an incredible amount of eyes. All of them swiveled over to stare at the Saiyan’s declaration, not looking too pleased.

Cheelai blanched and grabbed Broly’s arm, forcing it down and pulling him away before any trouble could ensue. “Broly, you can’t just comment on people’s appearances like that. It’s not polite.”

“Oh.” The excitement at his discovery faded, replaced by a kicked-puppy look. She cringed, feeling bad for having to shatter his child-like curiosity.

She crooked an index finger at him, beckoning him closer and giving him a saucy smile. “You only say stuff like that between friends, okay?”

He stared at her for an almost awkwardly-long time, trying to process her meaning. Even with thousands of people moving around them, Broly made her feel like she was the only one in existence. Or at least, in his existence. “I just tell Cheelai?” He at last concluded.

Her heart skipped a beat. That he left out Lemo’s name probably didn’t mean anything, right? She cleared her throat and nervously tucked her hair back behind her ear. “Yeah. You can tell me anything, okay?”

He smiled, and her stomach did a funny little flip flop. She was saved the embarrassment of stuttering her next words when a deep BOOM resonated around them. It was followed in quick succession by more rhythmic beats. Broly tensed and stood up, pushing Cheelai behind him. The hairs on the back of her neck rose as the air between them thrummed with energy. She wasn’t the only one who felt it, other people glanced up at Broly and quickly backed away.

“Broly, Broly, it’s okay,” she reassured hastily, patting the arm he held defensively before her. “It’s just a drum.”

“What is a drum?” he asked, staring warily towards the noise.

“It’s for making music.”

“What is music?”

She couldn’t help gawking at him in shock. Had she or Lemo really not introduced him to music yet? Apparently not. “Erm, it’s something you listen to. For fun, and for dancing. See?”

She pointed to where several people in the crowd had begun bouncing to the beat of the drums, shouting foreign lyrics as they danced down the street. Once she got a sense of the rhythm, she began tapping the same tattoo on his palm.

“Bum, ba-da-bum ba-da-bum ba-da-bum,” she sung for him. He glanced down at where her fingers lightly tapped his hand. The uneasy energy around him dissipated.

“It sounded like fighting,” he confessed, his brow furrowed.

Her fingers stilled. Oh. Now that he mentioned it, the drums were a little aggressive, almost like the distance booms of battle. Poor thing. Broly had been skittish about the topic of fighting since his father’s passing. He still attacked the mites on Vampa when necessary, but any time she or Lemo tried to talk to him about Earth, Broly clammed up. He’d been suffering from nightmares a lot too, only calming down when she would stay with him until he fell back asleep.

She brushed her fingers over his palm one last time as if to wipe away the beat of the drums. “It’s not fighting, I promise. We’re safe.” She gave him a smile, hoping to imbue him with her confidence.

He glanced at her from the corner of his eyes and his shoulders relaxed, the worried lines on his brow easing. With a gentle nod, he acquiesced to her experience.

“Broly! Cheelai!” Up the street, Lemo waved his arm high in the air to get their attention. They moved through the crowd until they reached his side. Lemo gave Broly a worried look. He must have seen his reaction to the drum. “You okay, big guy?”

“It is only music,” Broly said, glancing at Cheelai for assurance.

She grinned and gave him an ‘okay’ gesture.

“Alright. This way, kids, it’s a bit less crowded.” Lemo pointed to a tiny alley between two buildings that took them away from the main street.

It was so narrow Broly had to shuffle in sideways, his shoulders far too broad. They emerged into a side-street filled with trash, but at least it was deserted. It felt nice to breathe without hundreds of other bodies pressing around them. The sides were lined by massive apartment buildings. Broly stared up up up until he almost lost his balance.

“Careful there, big guy,” Cheelai cautioned, grabbing his forearm to steady him.

He glanced down and gifted her a soft smile that melted her insides to the spot. He’s going to be the death of you.

Lemo stepped away, checking his directions on his portable device. She hurried up to the little orange man’s side. “Hey, we’re not lost, are we?”

“No.” Lemo glanced over her shoulder at Broly. The Saiyan was still taking in the sights, having never seen a slum before. He wandered over to a large pile of trash and crouched down. A moment later a stray cat-like animal slunk out of hiding and approached him, cautiously sniffing his outstretched fingers.

Lemo lowered his voice for her ears only. “Cheelai, I think I should go without you two.”

“What?” She threw him an affronted look. “Why? You’re not trying to cut us loose, are you?”

He scoffed. “And lose the best body-guard the universe has to offer? Not likely. It’s just that these guys I’m going to meet aren’t exactly welcoming of strangers. They know me because we go way back, but they don’t know you, and I really don’t think they’re going to buy that Broly isn’t a threat. Besides, I’m worried how the big guy might react.”

Cheelai thinned her mouth, not liking the idea of separating from Lemo or him insinuating that Broly was a liability. Still, he had a point. Broly was awfully protective of them, and awfully naive. One misinterpreted joke or loud noise and he might overreact like he had done with the drums. After double-crossing Frieza, they needed to be making allies, not more enemies. “Alright, I see your point. You go. We’ll meet you back at the hotel I guess.”

Lemo nodded. “Sounds good. But you should take the long way back. Go have some fun, show Broly the sights. Broaden his horizons. It’ll be good for you kids to have some alone time.” There was something about the way he said that last part which had her narrowing her eyes.

“What’s that supposed to mean, old man?”

“Nothing,” he smirked. “Just put a glove on the door if you need some privacy.”

Her eyes flew wide at the insinuation, her cheeks flushing. Lemo chuckled and left before she could take a swing at him. “It’s not like that!” she shouted after him, shaking her fist. Lemo just waved and left her behind.

Still blushing, she glanced over her shoulder to where Broly was getting swarmed by cute little street animals. A whole litter of the things crowded at his feet, sniffing his fingers, mewling, and rubbing all over his boots. Any embarrassment she felt dissipated at the sight.

She should have known Broly would be an animal person.

He brought one of the kittens to his face and allowed it to lick his nose, the softest smile lighting his face. He was whispering something to the creature as she approached.

“Making friends?” she asked fondly.

Broly looked up at her with adoring eyes. “Cheelai, look. Tiny Bas.”

Dear Kais, save me. She had to physically restrain herself from clutching her heart. Crouching next to him she pet the tiny animal under the chin and watched with growing amusement as more of its siblings started climbing all over him. “They’ve really taken to you, huh?”

Broly smiled and put the kitten on his lap where it rubbed its face against his knee. Another of the tiny creatures popped out from his wild hair, looking at her with slitted eyes. Cheelai laughed and plucked it free. “C’mon, Broly. We should go before they adopt you. I don’t think it would be very safe for them to live on Vampa.”

His expression turned sad, and she regretted having to play the bad guy. Taking one last longing look at the animals, Broly pried the creatures off and set them gently on the ground. “Goodbye, tiny Bas.” He stood and noticed they were alone. “Where is Lemo?”

She hitched a thumb over her shoulder. “He went on ahead to meet his contacts.”

Broly frowned, the worry clear as day on his face.

“Hey, he’ll be fine,” she reassured, nudging him. “He’s been doing this longer than either of us have been alive. Besides, we get the fun job. Tourism!”

“What is that?”

“Pretty much anything we want. Are you hungry? I bet they have some awesome street food for the festival.”

Broly looked perplexed. “I did not see any giant mites.”

She laughed. “Exactly. Whatever goes for food around here has gotta be better than that. Let’s go find something yummy!”

She took his wrist and tugged him back towards the alley. Broly gingerly stepped over the mewling kittens with one last longing look, and followed after.

Back on the main street they rejoined the sea of people. It was much easier to move when they were going along with the tide. Broly tugged on her shirt, trying to get her attention.

“Is this everyone?” he asked in a low voice.

“Everyone?” she repeated, not sure what he meant. “In the city?”

“In the universe.”

Oh. Oh wow, he was so sheltered. “…No, Broly. Not even close.”

“Oh.”

She let him wrap his head around that until they reached the end of the road. The crowds of people emptied out onto the beachfront, dispersing amongst the stalls and food-carts, decorated in fresh flowers and fruits, that sprawled as far as the eye could see. They were hit with the smells of exotic foods and fresh sea air, sounds of children laughing and crashing waves and soft music in the distance. Broly came to a stand still, needing a minute to soak in the magnitude of it all.

“Oh wow, look!” Cheelai pointed, running over to a nearby stall selling candy-dipped fruits and spun sugar. “Broly, do you wanna try some sweets?”

The Saiyan followed close behind. He had to duck down to peer into the short stall. The handler was a woman who looked older than the universe itself, her wrinkled old face giving Broly the stink-eye. He didn’t notice, sniffing a hanging candied fruit with great interest. Opening his mouth wide, he tried to inhale the whole thing in one go.

“Wait!” Cheelai yanked him back at the same time the old woman started yelling at them. “You have to pay for it first!” She fished in her bag for a metal chip and tried to offer it to the angry handler, but the woman was furious, yelling at them in an unknown language and pointing wildly not only at Broly, but at Cheelai too. People were starting to stare.

“Hey, I’m trying to pay you here!” Cheelai huffed, thrusting the chip towards her but the handler knocked it from her hand to land in the sand.

Then the woman spat on the ground, and in a thick accent filled with loathing, growled, “Frieza.”

Cheelai’s eyed widened and she glanced down at her armor, realization dawning. Her head jerked up in time to see Broly scowling fiercely at the woman.

“Broly, c’mon,” she said, grabbing his wrist and tugging him away before he could cause any damage.

Broly reluctantly obeyed. “I do not like that person very much.”

“Ha, me neither, but I think I understand what her problem was. Let’s beat it.”

“Where are we going?” Broly asked, scooping up the chip from the sand as they went.

“To get a change of clothes. I don’t think we’re going to be very popular here otherwise.”

~xoXox~

#ladyvegeets #brolai #brolai2019 #brolaiweek2019 #brolai-week #day1 #candy #dancing #sweets #uncharted waters #broly #cheelai #beach #festival #lemo #fanfic

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