***This one is kind of angsty, but definitely fluffy.***
Bulma sat in the kitchen for lunch with her parents, eating a turkey sandwich. Both her and her father were relaxing and enjoying light conversation while Panchy cleaned some grease off a countertop.
"Hopefully Vegeta comes down soon, I don't want his burgers gettin' cold!" She said cheerily.
"Don't worry, mom, as soon as he smells them, he'll haul butt."
Bulma was on to eating her granola bar when Vegeta strolled into the room and took a seat next to his wife. Bulma smiled and bit another chunk from her snack. Chaps and Panchy both assessed the couple, noticing their proximity and the state of calm that miraculously associated it.
No one said anything for a length of time, Panchy bringing over Vegeta's burgers wide-eyed and silent, Chaps clearing his throat and reassembling his newspaper. Of course, both parents knew what had transpired between them; Chaps just couldn't help himself at this point and broke the hush that seemed to fall over the space.
"Glad to see you two finally managed to scratch that itch you both had."
Bulma's smile dropped instantly.
"Ugh! Dad! Seriously? Could you be any more overt?"
Vegeta turned to Bulma, wondering what itch he was talking about.
"Bulma, translate…What does that phrase mean?"
Bulma blushed and leaned over to whisper in his ear.
"They know about what we did last night."
Realization hit his face, and red now colored his cheeks, but he acted unaffected, picking up his third burger. He wanted to say something but knew Bulma was the best candidate for interaction with her parents and chose to stay silent.
"Well, as long as you two are happy, I support your decision to be with whomever you want, honey, especially someone as handsome and sweet as Vegeta," Panchy said beaming at her daughter.
If there was anyone on Bulma's side on the debate of whether to marry Vegeta or not, it was certainly her mother. Her mother loved him, facts or past aside.
Bulma sighed and looked to her husband; there was some unfinished business they needed to attend to down in the lab, and the moment she had remembered, she was excited to tell him what she could do.
"Alright, Vegeta take your burgers with you, I have something for you down in my lab that you'll be pretty interested in."
"What? Ugh. It'd better be good."
He picked up his plate and drink when she stood up and gestured for him to come with her.
"You'll see, I tested it on Goku first while you were gone." she winked.
"You-you what!? That idiot got advancements before me? Explain!"
Bulma giggled over her shoulder as she led him out of the room, burgers in tow.
"Oh don't be so touchy. You'll be glad I tested it on someone first."
When they left, Panchy sat down with her husband, a giddy smile on her face.
"What are you so happy about, dear?"
She grabbed his arm and squeezed it with excitement.
"I'm finally gonna get some grandchildren!"
He shook his head and smiled at his wife.
"We'll see."
Bulma had Vegeta sitting on her operating table, plate seated next to him, fifth burger currently being casually consumed while she readied her equipment.
"So, I have something new to give you."
"You've already given me so much with nothing in return," he told her, trying to think of what else she could possibly have come up with.
"Yeah, well get used to that, science is continually in the business of producing progress. I'm going to give you a new tail," she told him as she turned to face him, holding a ready syringe in her hand and smiling.
He stared at her, frozen in shock.
"What-how?"
"Well, it worked so well on Goku, and his body so far hasn't rejected the appendage. That's why he was my Guinea pig. Can't have you guys walking around with rotting flesh attached to your backs now can we? The experiment was a success so now, it's your turn."
Vegeta continued to look into her face, feeling awe for the human's intellect all over again.
"I really did luck out with you as my mate, didn't I?"
"You sure did. Now turn around. You're not a wimp around needles like Goku is, so I was able to easily stick the DNA synthesis into this syringe, and all I have to do is inject it into the scar tissue where your tail was prior to its severing."
She lifted his shirt, found his scarring and inserted the needle, slowly injecting him with the synthetic material. He didn't so much as wince as she finished administering the compound for his new tail.
"Within minutes, you'll start to see results, so just relax."
She crossed her arms as they both waited, resting her hip on the edge of the table and observing her husband.
"Where did you get my DNA?" He asked her after some time went by.
She took his hand, which he allowed, and began running her fingers lightly over his rough palm, noticing the scars on the back of his hand.
"It was easy. You leave your DNA on a lot of easy surfaces."
"No I don't, are you suggesting I am unkept?" He asked her, raising an eyebrow.
She chuckled softly.
"No, but it was still easy to take your bloody clothes and toothbrush to gather a sample…"
"Oh really? You clever little thief," he said, feigning dismay as he held her chin within his fingers and pulled her in for a kiss.
"I'll take that as a compliment." She put her arms around his neck and gave him a deeper kiss before he winced in pain.
"Hey. That stuff is starting to smart, Bulma."
She stroked his cheek as her eyes roamed his features, which were furrowed and creased.
"Well yeah honey, your body is repairing tissue and growing a new body part. It's not going to tickle."
"Did…did Kakarot experience pain?"
"I'm sure he would have, if I didn't put him to sleep."
Vegeta gave her a smug grin.
"What a coward. It doesn't hurt that bad."
"It's not the pain, it's the needle," she smirked back.
She got up to give his back a once-over and saw the beginnings of his new tail taking form, all naked and pink with fresh flesh.
"Ew, just like Goku's tail…I can't watch it grow. But the final form will look good as new, I promise."
He grabbed another burger off of his plate, and she grabbed one too. When he scowled at her, she told him it was her reward and ate with him in comfortable silence.
When the tail was finally formed, it started to grow little tufts of fur and before their eyes, he had a fresh new tail, complete with thick brown fur.
"Woah, Bulma…this is…unbelievable. Thank you," was all Vegeta could think to say as he twitched his tail side to side, then up and down.
He tested its strength by grabbing her around the waist gently, using it to pull her into his embrace. She beamed at his show of gratitude.
"You're welcome. It's a bit jarring-having a husband with a tail I mean. But I could get used to this side of you, that's for sure."
"And what can I give you in return?" He questioned her, still holding her in his arms.
She feigned contemplation, tapping her finger on her lip.
"Hmm…I could think of something…something we did last night, for instance," she smirked.
"Say no more, you can have plenty of that tonight, if you can be patient."
"Maybe…if you let me go to Chi-Chi's today to ask about our lovely new Saiyan curse."
He tightened his grip around her waist.
"No. You're not going anywhere."
She sighed.
"Come on, Vegeta. Please? I'll only be gone for like, two hours tops. You'll be so busy training, you won't even know I'm gone."
"Yes, I will…I will know. I can feel you."
She glanced up at his eyes, and in them she saw pain. She held his cheek and, to her surprise, he placed his hand over her own. He looked down into her lap, avoiding her curious gaze.
"When you went down here to your lab last night, I didn't feel you leave, or the absence of your presence. I only managed to feel you when you began to burn. You felt pain, and I was alerted to come find you through our bond. That's when I woke up. I sensed for your Ki, and I saved you."
Bulma stroked his cheek, wanting to show him soft affection for his plight.
"Oh, I'm…I'm so sorry, why didn't you tell me before?"
She saw his eyes shift under his lashes, showing the subtle search for his explanation.
"I thought it was just dumb luck. Not until after I reassessed my reaction, did I figure it had to do with the bond and its emergence. Please, Bulma. I don't want to go through that again. It was…unnerving."
"Aww…I love you too. My Saiyan prince, getting all protective over little ol' me."
"Sh-shut up. That's not why I-"
"Okay, so what am I supposed to do all day then? Sit in here and do nothing?" She asked petulantly.
"I'm sure you will think of something, woman."
"Like what, I'm supposed to just call Chi-Chi instead?" She groused. "I turn into a human furnace and then all of a sudden, I'm on house arrest?"
"Not funny, Bulma," He growled.
"Not laughing, Vegeta! I just don't like feeling cooped up!"
"Ack! I don't care about your boredom! I'm taking this seriously and so should you! If you go down, so do I!" He exclaimed, adamant on expressing the severity of their situation.
"Ugh! I'm not trying to be selfish! I just wanna have the freedom to move about the city, is that too much to ask for?" She asked, exasperated.
He made eye contact with her and pulled her in closer; demeanor shifting to cold and rigid.
"When you are tethered to me, it is. I'm not losing you to some stupid curse, and I'm not dying because you perished on your way from that idiot Kakarot's place!" He said this in a forced tone, attempting to convey his passion to her, but trying to not outright yell in her face.
She put her hands on his chest, glaring fiercely at him for insinuating her carelessness.
"I'll call her if it will calm you down. I get it. You care about me…and as much as it pains me to admit it right now, you are right," she sighed.
When Vegeta felt satisfied she wasn't going to go kamikaze on him, he loosened his grip, releasing the tension in his body in an effort to settle himself down.
"I'm going to try to focus on training. Call your friend if you think she might have information on our predicament," he told her.
Bulma took a breath and let it out.
"Fine. I'll see what she says and tell you at dinner tonight."
He gripped her shoulders, and after a few moments, he finally looked away from her and headed towards her lab door.
"I will see you soon."
Bulma nodded.
She was still angry that he wouldn't let her go, but after some time, she realized he only wanted her to be safe and protected.
The truth was they didn't know what was happening to her.
He didn't want to risk her safety by her being too far away from him…since it appeared that only his touch could save her if she was gone for too long.
She let out another sigh and leaned up against the metal frame of her lab table, pulling out her phone to dial Chi-Chi's number.
***Alright, here we go! Bout to see what Chi-Chi might know! Did she experience the same thing with Goku, and figured out how to get around it...or something else entirely? Find out next chapter...***
