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~

AN: written for 2019 Brolai-week hosted by Saiyan_Tales.