Chapter Twenty-Five

"Damn Zarah," Sasoli raged, "He just wanted to embarrass me in front of Trunks."

"Embarrass?" Uub frowned at her.

"At my lack of control," Sasoli explained, "Not you."

Uub lowered his guard as took in the time. Almost lunch and they hadn't even had breakfast yet.

"We should go to the break room."

"What?" Sasoli's mind slipped a gear, "That death trap?"

"You haven't eaten all day," he started leading, "And, frankly, I don't have another table."

Sasoli pouted but allowed him to lead. He was right. She had to eat and soon.

"We could always take one home with us," she quipped, never noticing she referred to his apartment as home.

He did.

Ava sipped the last of her coffee as she kicked her feet in the break room. She'd never had coffee before and it was making her feel . . . over energized.

But then she'd had about fifteen cups after she realized she liked it.

Where was 17? He'd know how to fix this, and if not, then she could find a way to spend it with him.

She conveniently forgot that she had spent the morning avoiding her mate as she stepped daintily from the room to begin her search.

Sasoli and Uub were delayed in their mission to the break room when a garbage can exploded.

A bit of an exaggeration, a precisely placed explosive launched all of the waste into the air and onto the unsuspecting victims.

Usually office garbage consisted of paper, water bottles, and other such office supplies.

Not this garbage.

While not as bad as the actual break room garbage, they were still covered in old soda, stale coffee, food wrappers, wet paper, and other various disgusting material.

17 fell into the hallway laughing with Bardock.

Sasoli and Uub were not amused.

She crossed her arms and tapped her foot.

"Daddy."

"Yes, dearest?" 17 was on his feet in an instant.

"Am I correct to say you're responsible for this," Sasoli gestured to the mess around them.

A robot rolled out and started to clean.

"No," 17 announced, "What I had planned was much more tame, this was Bardock's idea."

Sasoli lifted a brow.

Bardock dropped his head in shame.

"You can't be mad," 17 confided in his daughter, "I corrupted him."

Sasoli slipped into a smile, "It was a good prank."

Uub and Bardock were stunned.

"Bad timing, though, dad," Sasoli dusted herself off as best she could, "Not in the work place, hmm?"

17 grinned and shuffled his feet, "Deal. I was just trying to get your mother."

"She's around here?" Sasoli was all business again.

"I thought so," 17 glanced around annoyed, "I think she's been avoiding me."

Sasoli's spirits dropped. If her mom was avoiding him then she would be very far from where they were standing right now.

Uub ripped the rest of his shirt off. There was no point now, what wasn't ripped was now covered in garbage. He used the clean part to clean himself off as best he could, inadvertently pulling on Sasoli's tail now and again.

Sasoli stepped toward him to give him more slack.

Both 17 and Bardock noticed the silent exchange but had very different thoughts about it.

Saiyan raised, Bardock understood the connection as Sasoli displaying her choice of male. Females would lead male saiyans around like this in order to flush out other interested females.

They would challenge her and they would fight, the winner having proven her worth and strength would mate the male.

Of course, this was only in times of male shortages, almost never, and relationships where the female was dominant.

Dominant females were highly sought after, however, and attracted stronger males to them. If challenged to a lunafair, the female would have to drop her claim on the other male temporarily to complete the challenge.

This happened with males with claims on saiyan women as well.

If the female won then she could reclaim her first choice or the challenger with her as the dominant.

If she lost then she had three choices. Submit and mate the stronger male, force them to become equals by challenging them right back and winning, or die an honorable death in battle.

17 had an entirely different take on the situation. His wife had often led him around by her tail. It was her way of making sure he followed her exactly where he wanted without speaking. What he didn't understand was why Sasoli was still holding on to Uub.

"Sasoli, why are you still holding on to him?"

"Because I can't let go," Sasoli became annoyed again and uncomfortable.

Can't let go? Bardock's brow lifted and the tail took on a different meaning entirely.

Uub threw his shirt into the now empty garbage receptacle.

Fed up with the whole issue, "Yes, we're stuck together."

"What?" 17 was skeptical and took hold of Uub's forearm, "Just let go."

"Dad, it's not that simple," Sasoli fought to remain calm as 17 idly moved the younger man's arm back and forth.

"Sure it is," 17 placed his other hand on Uub's chest to push him away, "This is a private conversation."

Uub just looked at him with disbelief.

"Sasoli, you pick up things with your tail and you put them down again. Just unwind-"

"I can't."

17 let go of Uub's forearm in favor of his hand, "Baby, it's not difficult."

"You don't understand."

"Have you tried winding it completely and then unwinding it?"

"Dad," Sasoli protested, she couldn't do that! She might end up with even less room to move!

Uub didn't like the sound of that either, "I don't think-"

17 tapped his nose and used the detective's chin as a handle to move Uub's face away from the conversation.

"You are not in this conversation."

Uub blinked.

"Dad, stop touching him!" Sasoli exploded and swatted his hands away from her chosen.

17 frowned and took his hands away from the couple. There was more here than met the eye.

Uub was grateful. Things were getting weird there for a moment.

"Why can't you let go?" 17 watched them closely now.

"I don't know," she answered semi-truthfully. She had a theory, she just didn't know if it was right or not. "That's why I'm looking for mom."

17 nodded, "I haven't seen her."

Sasoli nodded and entered the break room with Uub.

"What's going on? You don't just lose control of a body part." 17 thought out loud.

Bardock knew exactly what was going on and decided it would be wise to be silent in this situation. He was also glad Sasoli hadn't thought to ask him about the loss of control.

It was just as well.

Her mother was the best choice for that little talk.

"Come on, let's go back to the dungeon."

"No," 17 waved the saiyan away, "I'm going to find Ava."

Bardock nodded, that might be for the best as well.

A half hour later, Uub and Sasoli were fed and starting to smell.

What little good mood they had left quickly evaporated as they both contemplated a shower. Or rather how they were supposed to take a shower connected as they were, it would have to be together.

"Can we have the conversation now?" Was his irritated question.

"No, tonight," Sasoli snapped right back, "Can you wait until tonight?"

Uub crossed his arms and grunted.

Sasoli rolled her eyes and then went stiff.

"What is it?"

"Bra," Sasoli glanced around quickly. She couldn't run, Bra would think she was a coward but she would not allow Bra to even look at Uub after the way she acted.

"Get in," she shoved him into a random room and shut the door as much as she was able.

"Sasoli," Bra raged, "You bitch! You ruined my shirt!"

"Takes one to know one. You have a million shirts. Why is that one so special?"

"Juvenile, Sasoli, very juvenile."

"So is name calling."

"Sasoli is looking for me. Interesting."

Uub blinked, that didn't fit the conversation.

"She'll find me eventually," a low female voice sounded behind him, "What are you doing?"

"Inventing."

Uub turned to find the very woman they had been searching for and she was bothering 17.

The android had his back to him but Ava faced him dead on.

The saiyan met his eyes, a slow smirk formed on her face as her tail uncoiled from her waist.

Uub had a bad feeling about this . . .

Ava turned to her mate, making sure her daughter's suitor had a perfect view as her tail snaked up 17's arm. "What are you inventing?"

17 glanced at his wife and then pointedly at her tail, "Why are you interested?"

"I'm not," her tail slithered back down to wrap around his wrist. She pulled gently until his body faced her.

17 quirked his brows, pretending to be clueless, "Then what are you interesting in?"

She shrugged and let go of his wrist. She faced Uub again as she leaned back onto the table, her tail swinging back and forth idly.

"The secretaries aren't fighting with me anymore," she wrinkled her nose, "They just obey me blindly."

"That's a good thing," 17 watched her tail closely. His wife only used it when she wanted attention.

"Hmm," she crossed her arms, even turned her body away from him but her tail found his wrist again.

"I'll always fight with you," 17 let his arm swing back and forth slightly.

Ava smiled for him then as she turned back to him. Her tail pulled his hand to her waist, "We haven't fought for ages."

Uub just watched, fascinated by how her feelings were communicated not by her body language but by her tail.

17 left his hand there after she let go of him. He moved to put his other hand on her waist when her tail directed it to her shoulder.

"Well, this is an interesting position," 17 remarked, "What are we doing here? Wait, I don't want to know."

"Good," she ripped open his shirt, "What did I tell you about wearing clothes?"

"Never ever," 17 remembered, "But, honey, what about the kids?"

Ava ignored the false panic in his voice and wrapped her tail around her mate's waist to bring him closer.

17 complied and kissed her.

Uub glanced around frantically, feeling like the worst sort of voyeur. He was trapped, Sasoli stood on the other side of the door and her mother was purposely putting on a show.

His eyes drifted back to the scene to see her tail sliding down the front of 17's pants to wrap around his thigh.

17 opened his legs a little to give her tail a little more room as it tightened and loosened rhythmically.

He placed his hand on her tail.

Her head went back and her eyes fluttered shut.

The kiss deepened.

"Uub - What the hell is going on in here?"

Uub jumped and didn't even bother to explain as he hid behind Sasoli. Burying in face in her hair to hide his red cheeks.

Ava parted reluctantly from 17, she'd started more than she'd meant to when she decided to show Uub there was nothing to fear when involving a tail.

"Just showing the detective what a tail can do," Ava was amused to see Uub hiding behind her daughter. He was too cute for words.

"Ava, you exobitionist," 17 was stunned.

"I wasn't going to show him everything," Ava was instantly irritated.

"You weren't," 17 pouted since he'd been on the receiving end of the demonstration.

"No," Ava rolled her eyes as her husband continued to pout, "Maybe later."

He brightened instantly, "Really?"

"Perhaps," she shrugged.

17 smiled then frowned, "Wait, why were you showing him this?"

Ava ignored the question, "Sasoli, you had a problem?"

Sasoli hesitantly displayed their connection while her mind raced.

Poor Uub, her mother had purposely made out with her dad in front of him. She recalled the pregnancy talk her mother had with Videl and Pan and winced. If it was anything like that then Sasoli didn't want to know what he'd seen.

"I don't understand," Ava scrutinized their connection and finding nothing wrong.

"She can't let go," 17 sat on the table, becoming very suspicious as he started to fit the pieces together.

Ava stepped closer to the couple, her tail forming a question mark behind her.

"Sasoli?"

"I tried. It loosened once the entire morning."

"It did?" Uub was surprised to hear that one.

"What were you doing when it loosened?" Ava crossed her arms.

Her blush told it all.

"I see," Ava smiled, "Then the answer is simple."

"What did she say?" 17 came off the table, "What were they doing?"

The last question was directed at Uub.

Uub shrugged clueless. He was unaware of her tail doing anything but hold on to him.

"Give in, Sasoli," Ava took her daughter's face into her hands, "Stop fighting. This is one fight you can't win."

"I'm not trying to win," she confided, "Just delay."

"What are they talking about?" Uub asked the fuming father.

"I don't know."

Ava shook her head and released her daughter's face. "Denying your instincts will only bring more of this."

"Instincts? What instincts?" 17 demanded.

Instincts? Uub wondered.

They were ignored.

"I know," came the damning truth, "I . . . just need a little more time. How do I let go?"

"A little more time for what?" 17's voice turned icy with anger at being ignored.

Ava glanced at the android, "I'll explain later-"

"No, right now," 17 interrupted, "I have a right to know."

Uub didn't know what to think at this point.

"Pig-headed human," Ava snarled, now was not the time for 17 to be unreasonable.

The phone rang, cutting off any response 17 might have made.

17 stomped to the phone as he gave everyone a cold glare.

"Quickly then," Ava stepped close to whisper, "You have to trick your instincts. You can either jump him or attack him."

"What?" Sasoli tried to back away when Ava took a firm grip of her daughter's tail. The same grip she would use in order to keep Sasoli in one place as a small child.

"You need to get him flat on his back, helpless, and at your mercy. Do you understand?"

Nearly paralyzed by her mother's grip Sasoli nodded.

End Chapter Twenty-five