"Alright, woman, this obviously isn't working. What's wrong?" He grunted, eyeing her impatiently when she looked away from him and didn't answer. "You've been acting oddly for days, and it's getting in the way of your training, damn it. I don't have time to play guessing games, so whatever it is, just tell me."
"It's nothing," Mako said flatly, turning her face forward once more as she closed her eyes, trying desperately to seek a meditative state.
"You're a horrible liar, woman," Piccolo grumbled, shaking his head, "and I don't appreciate you lying to me. I'm your sensei, there should be no untruths between us."
"Fine then," she snapped, "it's not nothing, but it's not any of your fucking business, so drop it."
The Namek's mouth formed a hard line at her outburst; normally she was so quiet and content, the very definition of Zen. Something was definitely bothering his student, and he was going to get to the bottom of it, solve the problem, and get back to their training. And if she wasn't going to talk to him, he would have to get his answers elsewhere. "Fine then, I'll be back in a few hours. In the meantime, I suggest you either learn to focus better, or solve whatever problem it is you're having."
#################
"Usagi."
The moon princess dodged a first aimed for her head, ducked, rolled out of the way, and popped back up to smile at him before back-flipping out of Trunks's reach. "Where's Mako? You two finished training already?" Her expression of surprise clearly said that there was no way in hell they were done that fast; Piccolo had made it perfectly clear that training with him would take several years. They'd only been training for something like ten months.
"I need to speak with you. Or if you're busy, one of the other girls…" Piccolo looked around with his mind for their kis, but Usagi was the only one present.
"Sure, what's up?" She pushed Trunks back playfully when he tried to dart in and wrestle her to the ground, but she was having none of it. Piccolo was clearly worried about Makoto, even if his face barely showed it.
"She's been unable to concentrate on anything during the last few days, and when I asked her about it, she first lied and said it was nothing, then refused to give me an answer when I pressed her for one. She seemed pretty angry when I tried to get her to tell me what was wrong."
"When did it start?" Usagi asked cautiously, already fairly sure what Mako's problem was. The only time Mako ever got snappish and cranky like what he was describing, was when there was a man involved.
Piccolo thought carefully about that for a moment before speaking. "Her concentration started slipping about three days ago, not long after we'd finished sparring for the day and went down to the spring to take a bath."
"Bath?" Trunks asked with a grin, knowing exactly where this was going. "So, you saw each other naked."
He shrugged. "What does that have to do with anything?" When the two of them just smirked and snorted, he rolled his eyes in impatience. "So she's mad at me, then, for asking uncomfortable questions."
Usagi nearly faceplanted at that, and buried her face in Trunks's shoulder while she laughed hysterically. "You… you asked question!?" She finally managed. "Wh—what kinds?"
Now he was simply confused. "About human anatomy, of course. I'd never seen a female human without clothing before Koto, so I just asked a couple of questions." Hell, they'd only been master and student for nearly a year, a few questions certainly weren't taboo, were they?
"Oh, God, Piccolo," Usagi giggled, sitting down abruptly. "What was her reaction to that!?"
"Well…" Mako had acted awfully odd, that was for sure. "Her face got red, and she seemed to be trying her best to stay in the water up to her neck. And she kept looking at me." When Usagi asked him if her face kept getting redder whenever she looked at him, he nodded. "I don't understand it. Were my questions some sort of human taboo?"
"She likes you," Trunks said flatly, feeling a little bad for the green warrior. "And when a human woman likes someone, they have a hard time focusing on anything else."
"Likes me?"
"Like likes you, Piccolo," Usagi offered patiently. "Like Trunks and I like each other. Like Goku and Chi-Chi like each other." And finally he understood! She smiled in understanding when his face turned a little purple, and his mouth set in a hard line. "What about you?"
"Nameks don't mate," he answered flatly. "We're asexual."
"It doesn't mean you can't have feelings for someone," she replied tartly. "And besides, there are ways around that sort of thing," she added with a chuckle.
"There are?" Trunks whispered, not sure exactly what she meant. "I mean, there's not much way around not having a penis."
"Silver Crystal," Usagi said bluntly. "Dragon Balls. If that's really such a big deal, there are at least two ways to procure the right equipment. In the meantime, though," she continued, looking back to Piccolo, "do you like her? Do you care about her? More than just a friend or a student."
"I don't know," he answered honestly. "I've never thought of that sort of thing before. If I don't, then what do I do?" He finally asked.
"Two options," Trunks said. "You can ignore it, and maybe it's just a dumb crush she has and it'll go away. Or, it's the real deal, and you'll wind up breaking her heart."
The Namek frowned at that. The idea of hurting Makoto, physically or emotionally, was more than a little unsettling. "And if I do?" He rumbled.
"Kissing her would probably be a pretty sure-fire way of showing her how you feel," Usagi advised gently. "Since you don't seem like the type to express yourself with words, using your body would probably be the best way."
Now he was just confused again. "Kissing?"
"Like this," Trunks snorted, pulling Usagi into his arms. He wanted to kiss her hard and passionately, but since this was supposed to be a lesson for Piccolo's benefit, and he didn't want the Namek to get his ass kicked, he just barely brushed his mouth over hers. "Soft and gentle at first, Piccolo. You'll know if she wants you to kiss her harder."
"How?" He asked, clearly intrigued by this lesson in human behavior.
"Watch," Usagi said, brushing her lips over her Saiyan prince's. She gurgled with pleasure when he began to move his mouth over hers a little more firmly, slowly exploring it, before flicking his tongue over the crease of her lips.
Piccolo watched, strangely entranced at the idea of doing such a thing with his green-eyed student. He wondered what she'd taste like, and if she would respond to him so zealously when he slipped his tongue into her mouth, just as Trunks was now doing to Usagi. He paid close attention when he noticed that Trunks's hands were wandering Usagi's body, running over her hips, her breasts, reaching up to caress her face and her throat. "And that will also make her focus better on her training?" He asked curiously.
"No, if anything, it'll make it worse," Usagi huffed, pushing Trunks away so she could catch her breath. She whimpered softly when he jerked her back into his arms and began running his lips over her throat. "God, Trunks, cut that out, we're supposed to be giving Piccolo advice!"
"And I'm giving him a demonstration," he answered seriously, nipping at her jawline.
"So, what you are doing is pleasurable?"
"Yes," Usagi choked out, "now stop it, Trunks, that's enough," she ordered.
"Fine," he sighed. Nipping her throat one last time, he pulled away and grinned at the sight of how flushed she'd become. "And Usagi's wrong, it will help her… at least for a little while. It'll relieve some of the sexual tension she's feeling, and she'll likely relax."
"Only a little while?" Piccolo shook his head, and wondered if there was a more permanent solution.
"Yeah, then you'll have to step it up a bit, probably get her off." Trunks sighed and exhaled in frustration when Piccolo only looked at him blankly. "Alright, time for Sex One-oh-One, Piccolo. Usagi, you might want to go find something else to do."
"Not a problem," she chuckled, taking her leave.
"Ok, Trunks, I'm listening."
###################
Trunks had advised him to wait until she was vulnerable; either meditating, bathing, or half-asleep, and since Trunks seemed to know what he was talking about, Piccolo followed his advice. She was asleep when he returned, and like most nights, he made sure she was covered up and comfortable in her sleeping bag before retiring to his own.
He woke to the sound of splashing, and knew that this was his chance, without a doubt, so he went straight to the water and stripped before wading in to join her. His eyes flashed with amusement when she automatically sunk into the water to cover her breasts, and she flushed with embarrassment. "There's no point in modesty," he grunted, "not like we haven't washed up in front of each other before."
Mako just turned even redder and sunk down all the way to her chin, treading water as she floated a little further away from him. Why did she have to like him, damn it!? She couldn't ever fall for normal, sweet, human guys, could she?
Or at least a man that could actually reciprocate her sexual attraction for him. Mako sighed heavily at that thought and sunk down under the water to wet her hair, before floating back up to wash it. She jumped when she opened her eyes and found him waiting right in front of her. "What?" She asked breathlessly.
"You have the soap," he replied blandly, holding his hand out for it.
Frowning, she shook her head a little. "You can have it when I'm done with it, Piccolo. I still have to wash my hair."
Trunks had advised him to make any and every excuse to touch her, even platonically, swearing that it would help Makoto's sexual frustration. The Namek nodded at that thought. "Then hand it here and I'll help you. I'm in a hurry to start training, and it takes you too damned long to soap up all that hair."
When she shrank back a little and he huffed with impatience, Mako glared at him angrily. Why in the hell was she acting like this? He clearly wasn't interested in her, he hadn't even picked up on the clues she'd been subtly giving him for days. "Fine," she spat, handing over the bottle. If anything, at least it was an excuse to finally feel him touch her outside of training.
She bit down on her lower lip to keep from sighing with pleasure when Piccolo immediately began to soap her hair, careful not to scrape her with his claws as they whispered over her scalp. God, that felt wonderful, just that simple touch seemed to melt her right down to her bones.
He noted the immediate effect his ministrations had on her, and inwardly sighed a little. So, Usagi and Trunks had been right, after all. She did care for him as more than a mentor and friend. For some reason, that made him a little sad, but also curiously excited. Keeping his hands gentle as they massaged the soap into her hair, he wondered what kind of reaction he'd get out of her if he began to touch her like Trunks had instructed him to. Not yet, though, in a few days, maybe. Trunks had been very clear on not moving too fast, and Usagi had seconded that advice upon her return, after their talk about what Trunks called "the birds and the bees."
Makoto gasped, and a tiny moan escaped her lips before she could stop it when his hands brushed her hair to the side and began to slide over the back of her neck and her shoulders. "I—I can do that," she whispered, fighting like hell to keep her heart from pounding its way out of her chest.
"I'm good, but I can't even wash my own back," he said simply, giving her a little nudge towards the shallower water. Piccolo was surprised when she complied and finally stood where the water only came to the tops of her breasts. Was something as simple as touching like this really that effective on a human female?
Apparently it was, because the little bit of her face that he could see looked like she was in heaven as he slowly trailed his soapy hands over her bare skin. "Are you alright?" He asked with a touch of concern, whispering his nails over her sides. He smirked when she shivered and swallowed before giving him the barest of nods.
"I think I'm clean," she murmured, fighting the temptation to lean back into his arms in the hopes that he would understand the invitation. He wouldn't though, she knew he wouldn't, and if he did, he'd likely only be angry with her. Or even worse, amused.
"Then rinse, and wash my back, please," he said flatly.
It wasn't like she could refuse, not after he'd just done the same for her, right? Mako swam into deeper water and submerged herself to rinse the soap from her hair before returning and reaching out for the soap bottle.
The feeling of her smaller, softer hands sliding over his skin was surprisingly pleasant, he noted with a touch of surprise. Piccolo wondered what it would feel like for those hands to touch him in other areas, despite the fact that he was incapable of mating, and shivered at the thought when her fingertips lingered on one of his shoulders, tracing an old scar. He'd enjoy it, he was sure of it, now. Maybe not as much as she would, since Trunks had explained about teasing a woman towards orgasm, but there was mental and emotional pleasure as well, right? Not that he had much experience with the latter of the two, but there was something downright soothing and satisfying about touching her like this.
Piccolo thought about that for a moment, and was amazed at the realization that he would immensely enjoy giving Mako that kind of pleasure, even if he couldn't receive it. Maybe he did care for her more deeply than he'd originally thought.
He relaxed as her hands continued to move over his back gently, smirking a little at the pleasant sensation. This type of touching seemed to relieve the stress and the knots that he carried in his back muscles, and he wondered if it'd had the same effect on her. He sensed her preparing to draw back, and decided that he didn't want her to. Not yet. "That's very relaxing."
Surprised by the compliment, Mako's touch became a little firmer as her fingers glided back to a knot below his shoulder blade and gently applied pressure in a circular motion. If she'd been wearing shorts, she would have jumped out of them when he suddenly moaned. "D—Did I hurt you?"
"No," he rumbled, amazed at how wonderful that had felt. "Feels good." Piccolo's antennae practically curled when her hands grew bolder and confidently began to work at his lower back, massaging the tight muscles. Holy shit, that felt great.
"You've never had a back massage, I take it," she said nonchalantly, grinning a little at the way his flesh was jumping at her touch, and the way he'd tense and make a choked little noise in the back of his throat whenever she moved on to a new knot. "As tight and wound up as your back is, it's no wonder you're always so damned cranky," she wondered aloud. Mako blushed when she realized she'd actually said that. "Sorry."
"This is something humans do?"
Makoto shrugged a little and nodded. "After a workout, yeah, I usually go out and get a massage, especially if I pulled a muscle or if I'm particularly exhausted. It's good for the body to relax." There weren't any knots along his spine, but she couldn't help but run her thumbs down each side of it when she heard him give what sounded like a happy sigh.
"I'll return the favor," he said. It wasn't a question or even an offer, it was a flat statement.
"Oh, no. That's alright," she replied meekly, pulling away from him. Just the thought of his hands moving over her again had her hot and bothered, and she knew all too well what her reaction would be if she felt them on her again.
Piccolo looked back at her in confusion when she stopped, and smirked at the sight of how red her face had become. So, she did want him to touch her; this confirmed it. "Nonsense," he replied easily. This little game was starting to become interesting, even a little fun. "If you're still worried about your stupid human modesty, you can stay in the water, Mako."
"No, really, I'm good," she insisted, quickly wading out. She grabbed a towel, wrapped it around herself, and breathed a sigh of relief when she made it back to their campsite and her clothes.
To Mako's relief, the rest of their day was absolutely normal, and he even commented on how much better she was concentrating that afternoon while they sparred. She blew off his words, since they only made her a little mad; she could tell that he was fishing for an explanation about her inability to pay attention the day before.
When she woke the next morning for training, though, she found that he was already down in the water, and she found herself sighing in frustration. If she didn't know any better, she would have sworn that he was doing this on purpose. But no, he obviously didn't have a damned clue what he was doing to her. Jupiter watched him silently for a moment, drinking in the sight of his bare body. Even the fact that he lacked any male equipment didn't detract from how spectacular all of those bulging muscles looked, combined with an excess of scars that she desperately wanted to run her tongue over.
Sighing with sexual frustration for the millionth time in days, she stomped back to camp and ate some breakfast while she waited for him to finish so she could bathe in privacy.
"I was hoping you'd wash my back," he told her as he came into the clearing, fully dressed. Inwardly, Piccolo was smirking. He'd felt her watching him from the treeline, had scented her arousal on the breeze. This game was becoming awfully fun… and it was time he stepped it up a notch.
"I was hungry," she answered, taking another bite of her eggs to avoid speaking any further.
Piccolo secretly grinned at her constant avoidance of conversation with him every time he opened his mouth that day to suggest something about her technique or her fighting skill. He also took every opportunity to touch her, repositioning her body here and there so that her form was perfect, and felt a surge of triumph whenever she'd shiver at the feel of his hands on her arms, legs, or back.
"Focus," he ordered later that evening, while they lightly sparred above the trees. They were merely cooling down after an intense workout, but he could tell her attention was flagging yet again, like it had the day before last. "Damn it," he growled, when her form slipped yet again, and he floated over to fix her arms. "Tight, hard angles, Makoto. You're like a limp noodle."
She tried her best not to lean back against him when he pressed flush against her back and took her wrists in his hands, guiding them into the proper position.
"You're too tense now, Koto. Loosen up your lower back. Relax a little." Piccolo felt her lean into him and closed his eyes momentarily at the pleasant feeling of holding her. Ok, he did like her. A lot. Who knew that simply holding someone you cared about could feel so good?
Her breath caught in her throat when she could have sworn she felt the tip of his nose graze over the back of her neck. Was he…? No, she was out of her fucking mind to even think that. There was no way in hell that an asexual green alien could possibly be attracted to a human woman. Right…? Attraction wasn't even a possibility, if he couldn't reproduce.
"Much better," he breathed in her ear. "Now try it again."
Mako went through the motions of the exercise before claiming that she was tired, just so she could get the hell out of there before she did something utterly insane, and headed straight for the water to wash away the day's sweat and blood. He'd worked her harder than usual, to the point of exhaustion, and she knew she was going to wind up skipping supper just so she could crash the moment she returned to camp.
She jumped when she felt eyes on her in the twilight, followed by the quiet sound of someone wading into the water.
"Just me," Piccolo's voice rumbled in the fading light. "Cleaning a cut. Could you hand me the soap?"
Mako waded in until the water came to her chest, and tossed him the bottle. "Make sure it doesn't get infected. I'll wrap it when I'm done if you'd like."
He grunted his thanks and washed the cut thoroughly; he'd let her hit him earlier, just above the knee, only so he'd have an excuse to follow her to the water later. "I could use a bath as well," he said flatly.
Mako opened her mouth to protest, but knew that it would seem suspicious if she did so. Fucking asshole, was he doing this to her on purpose!? Still, she found herself watching him strip as she moved further out into the water where he couldn't see her eyes on his muscular figure. She sighed a little at the sight of him. God, he was beautiful, and he obviously had no clue just how attractive he was.
She floated there while he washed up, feeling a little sad at the knowledge that she could never have him. Not only were they not even the same species, they couldn't even have sex. Not that she absolutely needed that for a relationship, but those things kind of went hand in hand.
God, the thought of a relationship with Piccolo was just ludicrous, anyway. He'd made it clear several times that he barely tolerated her presence, so why was she even holding onto hope for such a ridiculously impossible thing?
Piccolo swam over silently, following her ki signature, and found her deep in thought. Was she thinking about him? Or was he simply flattering himself? "Soap."
Mako jumped and sunk back down to her neck; she'd been floating on her back, fully exposed. "Thanks." She frowned when she tried to take the bottle and he wouldn't let it go. "I can't very well wash my hair if I don't have the soap, Piccolo."
"You're practically dozing in the water, woman. Back in the shallow end, and I'll wash it for you. Then you're getting some rest." He smirked when she tugged at the bottle again, but her resistance was futile. "I won't have my student out here drowning from sheer stubbornness."
"Fine!" She snapped, hoping the outburst hurt his sensitive ears. She swam over to where the water still covered her, and crossed her arms with a huff. "Wash my damned hair already," she growled.
Determined to turn that noise of frustration into one of pleasure, he did as she ordered and proceeded to run his fingers through the chestnut curls as he carefully soaped them up. He knew he heard her sigh when he ran his nails over her scalp, so he did it again, this time trailing them to the back of her neck.
Thankfully it was dark, so he could watch her face without worrying about her weaker human eyes catching him at it. Her eyes were slipping shut as he continued, her mouth opening slightly, and he could hear how ragged her breaths were coming as he moved to her shoulders and began to mimic the way she'd massaged his back the day before.
"Mmm… no, don't—" she whispered weakly.
"Why?" He grunted. Why indeed? She was obviously taking great pleasure in his touch, so why was she protesting? Humans were so damned confusing.
"Tired," she answered, being half honest with him. "I'll fall asleep in the water," she admitted.
Sure enough, it did look like she was about to doze off right there. "Rinse," he ordered, almost gently, and kept a hand on her arm just in case when she dipped under the water and got the soap out of her hair. He led her from the water, and with a touch, used his ki to dry both of them before handing her her clothes and shrugging his own back on. "I worked you too hard."
"No, I'm fine," she yawned. "Just a lot on my mind lately."
"Such as?" He prodded. Judging from her blush, and the glare she was giving him, he knew exactly what she'd been thinking about.
They were silent as they returned to camp, but rather than lying down, Makoto dug in her pack and beckoned him over. "Sit. Let me see the leg," she ordered. Thanks to Piccolo's regenerative abilities, it was already healing nicely, so it didn't need any stitches.
Piccolo didn't miss the way her fingers were just barely brushing over his knee as she examined the injury, and he had to admit that her touch felt wonderful. He let her treat and wrap it without comment, but made sure he thanked her afterwards. "You should probably lie down," he suggested.
Mako nodded stiffly; she was simply exhausted. "Night, then, Piccolo."
He drank his water silently as he watched her settle down out of the corner of his eye, but was surprised to see her fidget and toss and turn. "You alright?"
She'd be damned if she was going to admit how sore she was. Piccolo, of all people, didn't tolerate whining for a damned minute, and she was not going to start. "I'm fine," she lied, rolling her shoulder to loosen it a bit as she turned onto her left side.
"Lay down on your stomach," he ordered. His voice was stony and without emotion, but he was pleased that his plan had worked out as he'd hoped. He knew if he worked her hard enough, she'd be sore and tight and wouldn't refuse his offer of a massage.
Mako rolled a little, only so she could glare up at him with one green eye, but he was faster than her. She opened her mouth to protest when she felt his hands pushing up her tunic, but the moment they touched her bare back, she melted.
He smiled a little when he felt her go limp, and slowly ran his fingers down the length of her back, making her shiver. The Namek located a knot almost immediately, and when he began to rub it, eliciting a whimper from her throat, he stopped. "Painful?"
"No," she gasped, "it felt good." Really good. She was wound so tight that it was taking everything not to roll over and jerk him down into her arms, his reaction to it be damned. Then he was rubbing that knot again, and she sagged into her blankets.
Kami, this woman was tough. Piccolo carefully inspected the bruises that covered her back, knowing that they had all come from that day's training, and felt a pang of remorse for hurting her. If she'd even flinched during their sparring matches, he would have lightened up on the barrage of attacks, but she'd taken every hit without complaint, as was her habit. She was, without argument, his best student ever.
He ran his thumb over a bruise just above her hip. "Sorry," he grunted. "I kicked you too hard."
"I cut your leg," she mumbled sleepily. "We're even." Mako sighed with pleasure when his hands moved over her shoulders and moved with such skill that it was a wonder that he'd never done this before. "You're a really fast learner."
"Good teacher," he replied with a smirk, slowly working his way down her back, brushing his nails over her skin on occasion just to hear her purr with delight. He stopped and focused on her hips when a moan escaped her mouth. "It's sore there?"
No, but she wasn't about to admit it. "Yeah," she whispered, trying not to doze off. She felt his fingers continue at her hips, and when his thumbs stretched out a little to knead the muscles towards her spine, her eyes rolled back in ecstasy. "Huh?" She asked, when she heard him rumble softly, just as she was falling asleep.
Piccolo smiled down at her half-lidded expression. She really was beautiful. And just because he was Namekian didn't mean he couldn't appreciate beauty. "I asked if I got all the knots."
"Neck?" She mumbled, opening her eyes just enough to find him watching her. And the look in his eyes was so intense… "But you don't… I'm fine, I mean." Makoto whimpered when his fingers reached up to stroke the sensitive skin of her neck, and found herself relaxing yet again. God, it was sweet torture, having him touch her like that, but being completely unable to do anything about it.
She started dozing again while his hand carefully worked the stiffness out of her neck, but felt herself rousing when his fingers travelled over her jaw, then brushed against her lips.
The Namek heard her breathe his name in a tone he'd never heard her use before, and immediately bent down to replace the fingers on her lips with his own mouth. He kept it light, even when he felt her mouth move against his while she slept.
Hm. It was pleasant, this kissing thing. Piccolo leaned back and watched her sleep for several minutes while he mulled over his body's reaction to her. He felt… happy. A little tingly, even. And warm all over.
After tucking her blankets around her to be sure she wouldn't catch a chill, he bravely leaned in and kissed her one more time, tasting her lower lip with his tongue. She tasted sweet, which surprised him, and it brought to mind the way Trunks had kissed Usagi. Would the rest of her taste that divine? Unable to help himself, he tasted her throat next, and shuddered in reaction.
He needed to speak with Usagi, and right away.
#################
"It sounds like desire to me, Piccolo." Usagi just shrugged and flopped on the couch next to her grinning mate when the Namek growled at her. "Don't ask me to explain how or why, because frankly, I have no fucking idea."
"Neither do I," Trunks admitted, "but it is pretty fucking funny." He laughed outright when Piccolo starting swearing at him in Namekian. "Oh please, you'd find it amusing if it was anyone else, and you know it."
"Fine," he sputtered. Piccolo remembered the way his body had clenched at the taste of Makoto's skin, and how he'd… needed. But needed what, damn it!? It's not like he had the body part necessary to fulfill that need! "What's the solution, then?"
Usagi cleared her throat and tried not to laugh at him; she really did feel bad for him, in a way. "Sorry, Piccolo. I don't find it funny as much as I do amusingly ironic. So… you do care for her, then?" He'd filled her in on everything that had happened over the past few days, leaving nothing out, but he'd neglected to mention whether or not he had feelings for the princess of Jupiter.
She watched him swallow slowly and hesitantly nod. "That's nothing to be ashamed of, Piccolo. Love is a good thing, and it's even better when you have someone to share it with. Why don't you just tell her how you feel?" Usagi sighed when he grunted and shook his head. "Ok, then. Show her, Piccolo. That's a lot easier, isn't it?"
"What if she…?"
God, was Piccolo actually shuffling his feet like a nervous, hormonal teenager? "What if she what?" Trunks asked incredulously. "I wanted to tell you before, but… dude, I saw the way she looked at you the last time we came out to the clearing. The girl's madly in love with you. She's not going to reject you, trust me. It's a sure thing."
He chewed on his bottom lip for a moment before nodding slowly. The Namek didn't even want to think of the possibility of Makoto rejecting him; he was amazed at how much that idea hurt. So, this was what love felt like. It was similar to the affection he felt for Gohan, but much, much stronger. "Alright then. I'll show her."
"Come back and let me know how it goes," Usagi ordered. "You have no clue how curious I am to see how this turns out."
#################
Makoto stared at the plate next to the fire and simply blinked in astonishment. There was food on it. And since Piccolo didn't eat, it must have been meant for her. The thought of him brought a blush to her cheeks. She'd dreamed of him kissing her in her sleep; the feeling of his lips on hers had been everything she'd dreamed of and more. They were softer than she'd expected, and when he'd flicked his tongue out to taste her, she had melted into him.
And now, after the most sensual back massage she'd ever received, and dreams about kisses that made her head spin, she found breakfast waiting for her when he'd never prepared something for her to eat before. Ever.
The Senshi of lightning sat down in front of the fire and tentatively took a bite of the toasted bread, smeared with some sort of jam, and groaned with approval. She didn't know what the jam was made of, but it was delicious. She'd have to either con the recipe out of him, or find out where he'd gotten it.
Piccolo watched her silently from the trees, and felt satisfied when she seemed to like the food he'd left for her. If only she'd known how many pieces of bread he'd toasted before he'd figured out how not to burn them. He'd buried the remains of his first ten attempts somewhere out in the woods; hopefully she'd never find them. The fruit had been a lot easier, at least, thank Dende.
Speaking of Dende, it wouldn't be a bad idea to visit him and get his opinion on the whole situation; advice from another Namek would be most welcome.
Makoto looked up at him warmly when she sensed his ki coming through the trees. "Thank you for breakfast," she said softly.
Piccolo grunted and nodded. "I have to go to the Lookout today, so you have the day off from training." He held her by the shoulder when she shied away from his attempt to look at the bruises on her back, and lifted her shirt to her bra line. "Get Usagi to heal those while I'm gone," he said gruffly.
"I'm fine," she insisted, "it's going to happen during sparring, Piccolo, it's unavoidable." Mako shivered when his thumb brushed over the worst of the bruises, the one near her right hip, and turned her face to look at him. Her breath caught in her throat when that motion put her face less than an inch from his, and it unnerved her when he didn't move. "Piccolo?"
The Namek was trying awfully hard to breathe as well; his arm was already around her waist, the only thing he had to do was pull her in, or lean forward, and he'd be kissing her. His fingers whispered over her bare skin once more before he slowly, reluctantly, pulled away. "I'll see you at sundown, then."
Jupiter sat down hard on the dirt when he flew off, totally stunned by what had just happened. They'd damn near kissed, and unless she was imagining things, the look in his eyes had clearly said that he'd wanted to. "Oh my God, I should have just kissed him," she groaned, running her fingers through her hair.
Once she finally had her raging hormones and heartbeat under control, she flew towards Capsule Corp a lot faster than she normally would have, needing to feel the rush of the wind in her face. She needed to do something about this, damn it. She needed to either make some sort of move, or distance herself from him both physically and emotionally.
"Mako-chan!"
She waved at Usagi as she floated to the earth, and hugged her friend a little tighter than necessary. Usagi would have the answers she needed, without a doubt. "Hey."
The blonde sighed knowingly when she pulled back and saw just how confused and miserable her friend looked. "Come on, I already know that you need to talk."
"That obvious?"
"I seem to be doing an awful lot of talking lately," she answered cryptically, leading Mako into the gravity room. "Out, Tousan!" She ordered sternly. "Unless you want to hear a little girl talk."
"Feh, girl. This is my gravity room time!" Vegeta smirked at Makoto and sniffed the air. "I can smell that Namek all over you, girl." He knew he'd hit the nail on the head when she blushed and his daughter glared daggers at him, pointing at the door. "So… is what they say true? Is he… ill equipped?"
"Vegeta, you're such a fucking douchebag!" Usagi yelled at him, flinging a haphazard ki blast at him in her anger.
"Heh, I'm just fucking with you." He smirked, though, glad he still had the old touch. He'd obviously hit a nerve. "Alright, fine, Usagi. You've got fifteen minutes while I eat something."
The moon princess slammed the door behind him when he walked out. "God! I love him to death, but I just want to wring his fucking neck sometimes! No fucking tact!" She sighed heavily and looked up at her friend, who looked damned close to tears. "Oh, honey, don't cry. You know Tousan's just being his usual self."
Makoto sniffled when Usagi hugged her. "I'm fine, I'm just so damned confused."
She already knew what was wrong, but she feigned innocence for Piccolo's sake. "So, what Tousan said is true… Piccolo? Really?"
She nodded. "I think I'm in love with him. For real, Usagi. Not like with all of my old sempais. This… I think this is the real deal. And… I have no clue what to do about it. We're not even the same species."
"I think you need to get your feelings in the open before you even worry about the fact that he's an alien with no junk," Usagi chuckled. "Tell him. What's the worst that could happen?"
"Um… duh. The worst? He won't train me anymore, and he's no longer my friend. He'll laugh at me. We won't even be able to look each other in the eye. I'll never see him again. He'll hate me," she added in a fearful whisper.
Usagi sighed and shook her head. "No, Mako. The worst that could happen? You'd both be a little embarrassed. He'd be awfully confused, probably. Then you'd both nervously laugh it off, pretend like it never happened, and go right back to the way things were."
"That's almost as bad as the other possibilities." She hung her head and snorted. "I don't know what to do."
"Well… what's happened so far?" Usagi already knew, of course, but she was going to have to get Mako's story if she could give advice without Mako knowing that Piccolo had already been to visit. She listened carefully, nodding at all the right parts, until her friend finally stopped talking.
"So… what do I do?"
"Makoto, honey. You're retarded," Usagi said with an amused smile. "Think about it. Have you ever seen Piccolo let anyone touch him outside of training? That should be the telltale sign, but there's quite a few others."
"Such as?" She asked, daring to let hope bloom in her heart for a brief, shining moment.
"He's touching you in return. He actually apologized for a bruise. I don't know about you, but I don't think I've ever heard Piccolo apologize for breaking bones during a sparring match. And he actually got a little snappy about you getting it healed. Oh, and he actually made you breakfast? That's just like… wow. And I'm not even going to mention that near kiss. I'll bet that was smokin' hot, girl."
"Yeah, it was," Jupiter admitted, suddenly feeling quite a bit better. When laid out right in front of her, the signs were totally clear. "I should have kissed him," she muttered, kicking at the gravity room floor.
"Eh, you live, you learn. I'm sure you won't hesitate next time. Now… what do you want to do about what Tousan so crassly mentioned?"
"Do?" Makoto shrugged. "What can you do, Usa? I'll—we'll—fuck if I know," she finished lamely. "I… guess I'll just live without it."
Usagi grinned, pleased with her conclusion. "You really love him, then."
"Yeah," Makoto sighed, "I do. If it means I can't have sex or have kids, then so be it. I can be happy with just him, if he wants me."
"Hm… that might not be necessary. Don't get your hopes up, but I have an idea. Just see how it goes with him, first, then we'll talk."
##################
Piccolo was more than a little annoyed to know that Dende had been watching him from the Lookout, but at least that meant he didn't have to divulge everything that had happened during the last week. He would be spared that much embarrassment.
"It's not that uncommon, you know."
He looked down at Dende and scowled. "What's not?"
"Our kind, falling in love with a member of another species. Just because we can't express physical love, doesn't mean we aren't capable of feeling it, Piccolo. Kami felt love; you know he did."
Piccolo merely huffed and looked away. He was not dignifying that with an answer.
Dende was thankfully used to the older Namek's refusal to talk whenever something was bothering him. "If you'd like to know how she feels, you could always use the Lookout," he suggested. "I think you'll be pleasantly surprised."
"I already know," he growled. "I'm not stupid, Dende."
"Then tell me again why you're even here?" He chuckled. Dende only laughed harder when Piccolo glared at him. "Moral support, maybe?"
"This isn't funny."
"The fact that you're in love isn't, no. Your confusion and reluctance to face it is. I don't think any of us have ever seen you run away from anything."
"I'm not running," he snapped angrily.
"Ok, then. Hiding," Dende amended, smiling when Piccolo snorted and took off from the Lookout, headed back towards the earth. Apparently the little god had made his point.
##################
Makoto indulged in a hot shower while she was at Capsule Corp, and at Usagi's suggestion, a meal she hadn't actually cooked herself. It was a guilty pleasure that she very rarely got to indulge in, since she'd been training with a certain Namek for nearly a year in the wilderness.
She even put on a new outfit and let her other one wash while Usa helped her pick out some more clothes. Some to train in, some to sleep in, a couple outfits just to look good in. She hoped liked hell that she'd actually get a chance to wear those skirts that she'd nervously added to the growing pile of stuff she was taking back.
Minako joined them at some point, comforting Makoto in understanding when Usagi told her what was going on and Jupiter looked like she was going to either cry or bolt. Or both. "It's ok, honey," she said with an easy grin. "Being the princess of love and desire, it's only fitting that I show up." With that, she whipped out her purse and sat Mako down in the nearest chair.
"No, no, no," Jupiter said quickly, shaking her head when she saw the armful of makeup that Mina had pulled from the subspace pocket hidden in her purse. "No makeup, Minako, he'll take one look at me and know that something's up."
"Nah, I'm just gonna doll you up a little. Just enough to make your eyes pop, and your lips stand out. Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."
Afraid that Mina was going to duct tape her to the chair if she didn't acquiesce, Mako sagged in her seat and let the Senshi of love go to work. She was true to her word, at least. She'd only put a touch of eyeliner on her, a coat of lipstick, and just the slightest hint of blush. Piccolo probably wouldn't even notice the difference.
Wait. Was that a good thing or a bad thing?
"You look good enough to eat," Usagi said brightly, giving her a saucy wink. "Hopefully something other than water will be on the Namekian menu tonight."
Mako's jaw dropped and she slapped Usa's arm. "Oh my God, I can't believe that you just fucking said that!"
"I think she's been spending too much time with Vegeta," Mina snickered.
"God, now he's trolling me vicariously through you," Mako groaned. "I'll bet he even planned that, somehow."
"With Tousan, you never know," Usagi admitted grimly. She usually kept up pretty well with her father-in-law's banter and meddling, but sometimes he slipped one past her radar. He truly was a mastermind at fucking with people. "Come on, let's hurry up," she said, looking out the window. "He said he'd see you at sunset, right?"
"Right," Mako agreed, trying not to look as nervous as she felt.