December 1st
Gohan was in a daze.
Christmas was fast approaching, and his last few weeks with Piccolo had been so bizarre he didn't know what to do. The Namekian was consistently closer than ever before, and the boy was honestly finding it harder and harder to actually apply thought whenever those lips came even close to kissing distance.
His need for masturbation had also spiked recently, and he was always excusing himself to the bathroom as of late. There was no telling what assumptions Piccolo was making about these little adventures, and Gohan really just had to hope and pray that if Piccolo heard any noises with his extensive hearing, that he just attributed them to whatever humans did in the bathroom.
But Gohan couldn't help it. Every time those lips drew near, Gohan had torrid fantasies about crashing against them, his hands rolling down that lithe body just to fervidly cup Piccolo's ample ass and—
He flushed, crossing his legs.
The object of his affections merely sat there, completely and utterly oblivious as he continued to read from his newest book—The Secret Garden. Truthfully, Gohan was attempting to subtly nudge Piccolo into understanding humans just a bit more, and was thus focusing on older novels, outside of such works like Lord of the Flies and Animal Farm. Not really the most helpful impressions.
He had also discovered that Piccolo fared much better with older books, anyways, considering there was no new technology to astound him. Simple things such as plants, people, and animals were easily within his grasp. Throw in sex, cars, and guns—you completely lost Piccolo.
Indeed, Piccolo was immersed in this book, much as he had been with The Princess Bride. It was nice to actually see Piccolo with a hobby, considering that all the Namekian had ever had was meditation and sparring. Which, ever since he'd set the alien up on books, seemed to become less of an issue. Piccolo wasn't pressing it so hard anymore—and the fact that Gohan made it a point to still visit Vegeta on occasion had him at peace.
Sighing, he stared down at his lap, pressing his thighs together. The only current problem in their little day to day life was the impending confession, and of course, Gohan's erections. He dropped his chin into his palm, glaring dismally at the walls.
Momentarily, he debated turning on the TV, and perhaps distracting himself from his errant thoughts, when Piccolo actually garnered his attention. The Namekian had deemed fit to actually close the novel, setting it off to the side as he turned to Gohan.
He blinked at the alien, who merely stretched, not saying a word.
Gohan felt his knees tremble, just a bit.
"Gohan?" Piccolo prompted, arching an eye ridge at him.
"Just—bathroom." Gohan immediately shot to his feet, rushing farther back into the apartment. He heard Piccolo mutter something—"Damn, kid! Go to the doctor!"—before he locked himself in, sliding to the cool tiled floor.
Groaning, he quickly fought to relieve himself, before retuning back to the living room, still feeling incredibly sheepish.
"Better now?" Piccolo grunted, elbows on his knees as he glared up at Gohan.
"You have no idea…"
December 2nd
Piccolo floated, legs crossed, up at the Lookout. Below, he saw clouds roiling across the sky, and vaguely pondered about asking Gohan about his increasing need to masturbate—and did he know that Piccolo could easily hear him through the walls?
But, the more he thought about it, the more he turned against the idea of ever mentioning it, because then he'd have to explain what the hell he started feeling when he heard those gasps and moans.
No, no, Piccolo decided. Best to leave it alone entirely.
December 5th
Gohan glared at Videl, eyes narrowing as he stared at her. She was blithely ignoring him, trotting alongside as they made their way home. For his part, he had attempted to stop her, dropping facts left and right as to why this was a bad idea.
The only downside to having Videl as a friend, however, was that facts didn't really work in your favor.
Despite her affinity towards Halloween, the girl was now equally thrilled to be celebrating Christmas. She had changed her outfit to match the festivities, and was even whistling along to carols that Gohan didn't know very well as she walked alongside him.
"Videl, I do not approve of this."
"I know."
"And you're still going to do this?"
"Why of course!"
"Have you no compassion for how I'm feeling?"
"Not really."
Gohan pursed his lips, arms crossing huffily across his chest.
He was not a fan of this plan—not at all. Videl was all for it. In her arms was a box filled with different Christmas decorations, a few of them trailing outside of their confines for how heavily packed it was. The girl was insistent upon the fact that Gohan needed to get in the 'festive spirit', and had thus invited herself over to his house to decorate.
"It'll be fun, Gohan," she whined, tilting her head to him.
"Don't think for a second that I don't know that this is basically a plan to come over and see Piccolo." He gave her a pointed look, to which she returned with her own flabbergasted façade. Her eyes bugged out comically, and her jaw sagged downwards.
"Gohan! I would never invite myself over—in this glorious season of giving—just to get a glimpse at you and your boyfriend!" She tutted at him, shaking her head. "Honestly."
"Whatever," he griped, pouting his lips out. "Your obsession with Piccolo is rivaling my own."
"You can say whatever mean things you want, Gohan," Videl smirked, "but I don't have to go jerk off every time I get a look at that—how did you describe it again?—'sumptuous ass', wasn't it?"
Gohan flushed, eyes making friends with the pavement as he felt the need to internally combust on the spot. "I'm never telling you anything again," he grumbled, his face still hot.
"I don't know why you do in the first place," Videl chuckled, nudging him with her elbow. "I mean, you've known me for years now! How else would I react?"
"Well, we were dating for a good chunk of those," he argued, hands curling into fists, "and you never teased me this bad!"
"You also didn't have an alien fetish back then."
"I don't have one now!"
"Do so!"
"Ugh!" He threw his hands in the air, not even sure what he was arguing over. There was no sense to Videl, and he didn't know why he consistently tried to make some exist.
"Maybe I'm just jealous, anyways," Videl teased, faking a pout. "I mean—you never called my ass anything!"
Gohan actually wished for a new villain to come plummeting to Earth at that exact moment, just so he wouldn't have to deal with this.
Piccolo sat in the apartment, reading his book. He'd just started this one, and was thus far appreciative of it. He didn't fully understand what all was happening, but he could at least admire the visuals and female lead. Jane Eyre, he remember, staring at the glossy gold letters on the cover.
Humming thoughtfully, he felt his ears twitch, recognizing the sound of voices approaching. He felt Gohan's familiar ki, yet another form accompanied him. Curious, Piccolo set his book on the table, and rose from his seat.
Once he'd stood, the front door opened, and there was Gohan. The boy's cheeks were a deep red, which Piccolo assumed was from the cold, and his eyes remained suspiciously averted. He couldn't help but throw the boy a soft smile, feeling heat in his own core at the sight of those ruffled black spikes. Behind him came Videl, who tromped inside, dropping a box of foreign objects on the floor.
"Hi, Piccolo," she greeted, brushing hair away from her face as she shut the door behind her. Videl was looking extremely… Interesting today. A large red sweater hung from her frame, decorated with little green trees and bright lights. Her bangs were clipped into place with some little bauble, and her boots were rather fuzzy.
He didn't know what to say, so he stared, blankly.
Gohan snickered off to the side, and Piccolo glared at the boy. He was ignored, however, as Gohan set about kicking off his shoes, and undoing all the buttons on his coat. There seemed to be some measure of tension in the room, as both Gohan and Videl continued to shift their gazes back and forth.
Piccolo decided to ignore it.
Videl was moving then, anyways, skirting around the living room, presumably looking for something. Gohan kept his gaze locked on her, eyes narrowing into what could be defined as nothing outside of deep rooted suspicion.
He was only more mystified whenever Videl came up behind him, and let loose a small squeal. Hissing, he slapped his hands to his ears, glaring pointedly at the girl. She muttered a quick apology, before shooting back over to Gohan.
"Y'know, Gohan… I'd say sumptuous was a damn good word."
Piccolo stared at the two, wondering what the hell was going on.
Videl strung lights all along the walls, standing on tip toe so she could easily shove tacks in. Gohan, off to the side, was begrudgingly set to the task of pinning up holly and mistletoe—on the condition that Videl was not allowed to enforce any Christmas traditions regarding the foliage. Piccolo was the only one not participating, as he'd quickly taken his seat once more, nose buried in his book again.
Gohan spent his time floating through the room, pinning up whatever Videl directed him, occasionally throwing glances at the peaceful Namekian. Really, with all the lights up and flickering, Gohan was able to truly appreciate how nice Piccolo looked…
"Hey now," Videl reprimanded, throwing a hand full of tinsel at him, "focus!"
Gohan spluttered, jutting his tongue out as his friend. She merely winked, twirling back to her own task. It was really amazing how much she'd fit inside that box, and if she'd used a capsule he could only imagine how much more she could've managed to bring.
"You're idiots," Piccolo griped from his seat on the couch, peering up from his pages to look at Gohan. The boy rolled his eyes.
"Whatever." Videl whipped out her phone, smirking at Gohan. He stared at her, before comprehension dawned upon him.
"Videl," he whined, drooping his shoulders.
"Gohan," she returned, flipping through her apps.
"Fine… Piccolo, I would like to formally apologize for what's about to happen," Gohan spoke to the alien, voice somber as he bowed his head. Piccolo merely wrinkled up his nose, eyes shifting between the duo, before Videl punched her thumb down, and Christmas music spilled from the speakers of her phone.
Piccolo actually bared his fangs at Videl, who merely ignored him, launching into her own rendition of Deck the Halls, whilst the two boys in her company shared sympathetic glances. Gohan did his best to drown it out, but he did catch himself smiling just a bit more.
Videl, dancing along to her music, actually scooped up a long string of garland, and whirled her way over to Piccolo, draping it about his shoulders as he sat there, eyes wide. Gohan stuffed a knuckle in his mouth, attempting to hide his amusement at Videl's tenacity.
"Child," Piccolo rumbled, the sound coming from deep in his chest. "What the hell are you doing?"
"Decorating," Videl primly responded, giving Piccolo a rather toothy grin.
The alien hummed thoughtfully for a moment. "Really?" he prompted.
"Truly," she replied.
Piccolo stood then, snatching up Videl by the back of her sweater, hoisting her several feet off the ground. She flailed her arms and legs out beneath her, eyes going wide as she looked at the carpet below her. The Namekian said nothing, however, and merely strode over to a nail that Gohan had been hammering into the wall.
The demi-Saiyan wisely shifted to the side, allowing Piccolo room to move. Ignoring Videl's protests, Piccolo aligned the bottom of her sweater with the nail, and released her, leaving her swinging from it like pendulum.
"Hey!" Videl cried, legs kicking against the wall as she glared up at Piccolo.
"What?" He demanded, smirk growing wider across his face, "I was just decorating."
And Gohan laughed, and eventually, Videl did too.
December 10th
"If she's not here every day, must you keep these decorations up?" Piccolo complained, sitting at the kitchen table. Chi Chi had supplied the two with food for the day, and they had taken up occupancy in the kitchen. The Namekian was in the process of rationing out food, but had become side-tracked by all the glittering lights and cheerful caricatures plastered all around him.
"I dunno," Gohan shrugged, watching as a light strand swayed from the ceiling, all of its bulbs casting an intricate pattern onto Piccolo's face. "I don't really mind it as much as I did before."
Piccolo huffed, sliding Gohan his plate. "Damn humans."
December 15th
Winter break began, and Gohan praised every God above for that simple fact. A whole month basically with no papers, no classes, and most of all—plenty of Piccolo. He tried very hard not to think of the fact that he was supposed to be confessing in less than two weeks.
Which, it turned out, was easy enough considering Piccolo was plenty of distraction. The two spent their days doing absolutely nothing around the apartment—taking walks, playing games, or simply reading books on opposite ends of the couch.
It was so comfortable that the fact that he was sitting here and thinking of jeopardizing it—Gohan shook his head. Piccolo shot him a worried look, which he quickly waved away.
December 20th
Gohan and Piccolo were out walking, the backs of their hands brushing as they went. Piccolo marveled at it, that such a small touch seemed so significant for some undefinable reason. Especially here lately, where Piccolo didn't find himself repulsed by Gohan's proximity. In fact, he felt the opposite.
He just didn't know how to properly convey that.
Piccolo did know that there had been a strange sensation in his stomach as of late—ever since the night where he'd drawn close to Gohan's face. When he'd looked down at the boy, he'd wanted to…. Well, he didn't know what. There had been something there—he'd blurted out his name—but he'd been unable to come up with anything before Gohan's phone had blasted.
So now he was left to stew in silence, occasionally touching Gohan to see if those feelings ever dissipated.
And he didn't know how to feel over the fact that they didn't.
December 24th
It was late, but Piccolo was still at Gohan's apartment. He didn't mention it, and neither did the Namekian. Instead, the two stayed in their positions—Gohan was curled up on the opposite arm of the couch, munching on popcorn as he watched TV, and Piccolo was reading Gate to Women's Country. It was the first contemporary piece that Gohan had given him, but Piccolo seemed to be handling it well.
"Excited for dinner tomorrow?" Gohan finally spoke, licking butter off of his fingers so he could grab the remote. Piccolo's gaze bored into him.
"Sure, kid," he grunted, eyes dragging back to the pages.
Gohan sighed, sparing a glance to the tiny little plastic tree that Videl had placed in his room. Underneath were two packages—for his mother and Goten. He supposed it looked rather pathetic compared to what went on at other households, but Gohan found he didn't mind all that much. Presents weren't a big deal in the Z-fighters' world.
He finally grabbed the remote, and flicked the TV off. Slowly, he shifted his gaze to Piccolo. The alien seemed to feel where the attention was, as he closed his novel, setting it on the table. Gohan felt a smile stretch across his face, and he shifted a whole cushion closer.
Piccolo arched his eyebrow.
"It's twelve, Piccolo," Gohan said, voice low.
"Yes, Gohan. The clock says that." Piccolo rolled his eyes at the child's antics, not prepared for the demi-Saiyan to lurch forward, slinging his arms around Piccolo's shoulders. Gohan laughed, feeling the alien react, grasping Gohan's waist and holding him in place.
"Merry Christmas, Piccolo," Gohan snickered, shoving his tongue out at Piccolo held him in place. Their faces stayed inches apart, Gohan's knees pressing into the couch as he stood there. Green hands anchored him, still warm and pressing against his sides.
"Merry Christmas, kid…" Piccolo muttered, and Gohan bit fervently at his lip, not willing to draw back just yet.
"Say… Piccolo?" Gohan's voice was barely a whisper, knots forming in his stomach. He reassured himself by shifting a little closer, forearms pressing against Piccolo's neck. The alien's breath was hot against his face.
Piccolo grunted, fingers twitching.
"Do you… know what it means to like someone?" he didn't know what the hell he was doing or what was about to happen, but he couldn't really find it in him to stop. In front of him Piccolo was looking so dazed and entranced, his lips open and lush…
"What do you mean?" came the rumbled reply, and Gohan felt it—truly felt it.
"To… Want to hold someone, kiss them… love them?" It sounded so stupid but he needed to know, and he poured all of his unanswered questions into his gaze.
Piccolo shifted, head turning to the side just a bit, antennae quivering. A blush was flaring across the Namekian's cheeks, and Gohan bit his lip.
"Why are you asking this all of a sudden?" Piccolo finally asked, voice snapping just the slightest bit, clearly being defensive. Swallowing, Gohan decided to continue on. This would be Piccolo's first line of defense.
"Because…" Gohan clenched his eyes shut "… because I have someone I feel that way about."
The Namekian blinked, slowly.
"And that person…" Gohan gritted his teeth "… is you, Piccolo."
Piccolo sat there, staring at him. Their breath still mingled, but Gohan didn't feel any sort of pleasure in it now. He simply felt sick. His stomach flipped and churned, and he felt vomit at the back of his throat. Miserably he sat there, wondering just how stupid he had to be to ever think that Piccolo—
"You want to do stuff with me," Piccolo was speaking, slowly, "like the characters in the books?" The alien furrowed his brow, tilting his head just a bit to stare down where his fingers wiggled against Gohan's hips.
"I do," he decided to go for a rather simple answer, unsure of which way this would go. Either Piccolo was mulling this over, and thinking favorably, or he was about to punch Gohan in the face and leave.
The Namekian pursed his lips, then tugged softly on Gohan, drawing the boy even closer. The entirety of his face was purple now, and Gohan could see minute tremors rolling throughout his body. He was wondering over whether or not this was a confirmation, until he decided to actually ask.
"Piccolo?" The alien's eyes slid up to meet his. "May I kiss you?"
Green lips moved in a quivering line, and Gohan saw the press of fangs. A sudden jerk drew his attention, though, and Gohan smiled, realizing that Piccolo had nodded. Months of agonizing over his true feelings had gotten him thus far, and Gohan truly couldn't believe it.
He lifted one hand, caressing Piccolo's cheek, swiping his thumb across the soft skin. This seemed to calm Piccolo, for he leaned in, breathing heavy through his nose. Gohan took this opportunity to turn to the other side of Piccolo's face, and gave a light kiss to his cheek.
Piccolo's eyes widened slightly, staring down at Gohan's beaming face. Personally, he felt a sweeping calm fall upon him, and felt that all of this agonizing had been worth it. Just for this one, penultimate moment where he had felt his lips brushing against Piccolo's skin…
"How do you feel?" Gohan asked, suddenly, now embracing both sides of Piccolo's face with is hands, cradling the strong jawline that he so thoroughly adored. The Namekian shifted, face burning an even more violent shade of purple.
"I feel fine," Piccolo murmured, though he looked mildly panicked.
"I don't want to stress you out," Gohan said, releasing Piccolo. "So how about you think on it, okay?"
"Yes…" Piccolo rose up, heading towards the door. He paused, momentarily, as if he had something he wanted to say, before he took his leave.
And Gohan smiled.
December 25th
Gohan arrived at his mother's house in high spirits. Outside, he saw that Chi Chi had gotten into the festive mood, as there were lights strung upon every inch of the house, and a few baubles in the trees outside. Inside he could already feel everyone's energy—including Piccolo.
At that, Gohan had to smile, calming himself slightly as he reflected back to last night. He knew that nothing outwardly would change—there was no way the Namekian was going to be ready to show public affection, if he ever was—but Gohan didn't care. All that mattered was in the quiet of his own apartment, Gohan had gotten to confess his feelings, and Piccolo hadn't outright denied him.
Once he was certain he was calm enough, Gohan pushed the door open, shouting out his greetings as he deposited his two presents beneath the tree. Chi Chi was immediately upon him, hugging him and delivering a soft kiss to his cheek. Goten jumped on his back, ruffling up Gohan's hair, despite his protests.
And, on the couch, he saw Piccolo blush, giving Gohan a passive wave.
Even that simple motion made his heart pulse.
Then he realized what Piccolo was wearing, and had to stifle his giggles.
Chi Chi herself was in a rather fuzzy Christmas sweater, decorated with tiny snowmen and polar bears. Goten was in on as well—and his showcased tiny elves dancing around. But all of that Gohan could have foreseen happening. What he hadn't been prepared for, though, was for Piccolo Daimao Junior to be seated on his mother's couch, surrounding in twinkling lights, wearing a Christmas sweater.
His was a dark red color, decorated with little presents all done up to the nines. It was obviously too small, stretched across his large frame to the point where Gohan was certain that the knitted material was probably ready to snap at any moment.
Piccolo seemed to recognize what, exactly, Gohan was looking at, and chose to snap his teeth at the boy in a snarl. Gohan merely chuckled, taking a seat on the couch beside his crush. The alien shifted, his shoulder just barely touching Gohan's.
"Why the hell don't you have to wear one?" Piccolo demanded, eyeballing Gohan furiously out of the corner of his eye. He'd just worn a simple blue sweater and his normal blue jeans—he could feel the envy practically radiating from his companion.
"Why are you wearing one in general?" Gohan chuckled, watching as Piccolo pulled a face, like he'd eaten something particularly nasty.
"Your mother," he sent a dirty look at Chi Chi, who merely smirked in his direction, "decided that I wasn't festive enough." The alien raised his lip slightly.
"I think you look good," Gohan murmured, eyes sliding up to the Namekian's purple face.
"Whatever, kid. I don't particularly care about looking 'good'." Despite that, the alien did settle down just a bit, actually uncrossing his legs so he could lean forward just a bit more. Gohan smiled at that, reveling in the fact that now he could say such things, and Piccolo didn't seem to truly mind.
Then he saw his mother's gaze locked on the pair, a knowing smile curling up at her lips.
"All right, boys," she clapped her hands, giving them all of a soft smile. Piccolo stuck his tongue out whenever she turned her gaze to Goten. Gohan snickered. "I'm going to go put the finishing touch on the food. I'll call you in whenever it's ready."
She left the room then, pausing to give Gohan one soft pat to his shoulder.
"Mr. Piccolo," Goten spoke up then, eyes wide as he regarded the Namekian.
"Don't call me that," the alien griped, claws digging into his jean clad knee.
"Mr. Piccolo," Goten persisted, and said man threw his eyes heavenward, "I've never seen you in blue jeans."
"Well the Christmas sweater would look stupid with my gi," Piccolo grumbled.
"I thought you didn't care about looking good?" Gohan teased, bumping his elbow against the alien. Piccolo retracted, huffily crossing his arms once more, attempting to block out the Son boys' laughter. Goten did seem appeased, though, and returned to snooping around the Christmas tree, prodding at the few packages he had underneath.
"For the record," Piccolo grunted, ducking down so he could speak to Gohan, "if you keep up this sass of yours, next time we train, you'll regret it." He narrowed his eyes menacingly, but the smile at the corner of his lips betrayed it all.
Gohan pressed his thighs together, feeling a shiver run down his spine—at both proximity and what those words entailed to his mind. "Oh really?" he returned, smiling despite himself.
"Stop that," Piccolo rumbled, looking pointedly to Gohan's lap. "You always do that, then run off to the bathroom. I'm not explaining to your mother what you do in there."
"What?!" Gohan yelped, jerking back from Piccolo, his face a flushed mess. Goten, startled by his brother's shout, turned to give the two a curious look. Piccolo distracted him once more by saying that one of the presents looked like a corner had already been opened. Immediately the boy was back to snooping, prodding each present with meticulous care.
Gohan, however, drew Piccolo's attention back to him, demanding answers. The alien shifted, as if uncomfortable for just a moment, and he looked as if he severely regretted saying anything. Eventually, though, once he discovered that Gohan wasn't letting it go, he relented.
"I can hear you in the bathroom. And you always get that weird look on your face and start pressing your legs together before you go," Piccolo muttered, face turning into a few curious shades of violet as he spoke. Gohan felt as if he might as well die. Admitting his feelings was one thing—but this…
"Piccolo… That's because of… Because of what we discussed last night," Gohan mumbled, hands fidgeting in his lap as he gave his fingers a curious amount of attention. He couldn't look up into Piccolo's face, but he could easily say that his boner had most certainly up and died.
He couldn't see Piccolo, though he knew the alien had shifted his position.
"I know you probably don't know what I'm talking about, but—,"
"A heat, at the area between your legs?" Piccolo said suddenly, and Gohan blinked, shocked into silence. He managed a mute nod. "Then yes, I know what you're talking about."
"Oh."
"Indeed."
"Around me—or..?"
"Who the hell else around?" Piccolo snapped. Gohan felt as if it was supposed to admonish him, but he couldn't deny the shitty grin that was spreading all across his face. "I don't want to discuss it right now."
"Certainly." Gohan agreed, realizing just how odd this truly was. There was no way he could live with himself if Goten or his mother overheard them talking about the 'heat in between their legs', and thus decided it was best to leave that topic for another day.
They sat in silence until Chi Chi called everyone into the kitchen, where she'd laden down the tables and counters with a ridiculous amount of food. The Son boys lined up, plates already gripped between their fingers as they simultaneously salivated over the food that Chi Chi had provided.
"Ah—guests first," she admonished, glaring at her children. She stuck out one hand, dragging an uncomfortable Piccolo in front of Gohan, handing him a plate with a small smile. Gohan smiled at the incredulous look upon Piccolo's face, and the fact that Goten behind him was beginning to whine about how starving he was.
Piccolo only grabbed a small amount of food, though, and was soon seated at the table. Gohan watched him with fond eyes as the alien settled himself down. Apparently he stared for too long, however, because Goten shoved past him.
"Stop staring at Mr. Piccolo! I want to eat tonight!" the little boy grumbled, heaping food onto his plate. Gohan felt his face heat up as Piccolo turned to look at him, and he saw his mother shaking her head with a smile spread across her face.
Gohan huffily grabbed some food, and seated himself next to Piccolo. Soon Chi Chi and Goten were seated as well, and the two demi-Saiyans were delving happily into their food, completely demolishing everything they could get a hold of. Both Piccolo and Chi Chi ate with much more constraint, giving each other sympathizing glances over the mess the boys were creating.
Once the food was done—not a single scrap left, courtesy of the Sons—Chi Chi merely piled it all into the sink with a rather morose look on her face. Gohan felt a bit guilty about the amount of dishes that he and his brother had amassed, but Chi Chi simply waved him off, ordering everyone into the kitchen. He complied, he and Piccolo herding Goten in as well.
Goten sprawled out on the floor next to the Christmas tree, already pulling out presents and passing them around. Gohan and Piccolo sat on the couch next to one another, with Gohan being tossed several large packages, which he was quite sure were all books. Goten pushed all of Chi Chi's presents over to her arm chair, where he knew she would be once she finished up in the kitchen.
When Chi Chi appeared, she seated herself, and allowed Goten to go first. The boy immediately started ripping at packages, giving shouts of glee. Inside were a few gaming consoles that had the Capsule Corp. logo slapped on them, and a few games came tumbling out.
Gohan looked to his mother, who shrugged. "Bulma had a sale going on." There was a tried look in her eyes, though, and Gohan grimaced. They both knew that the systems certainly hadn't been on sale, and that Bulma had simply said that so as to protect Chi Chi's honor whenever the woman bought them. He wisely kept his mouth shut, and focused on his brother's happiness.
Next it was Gohan's turn, and he was correct in his assumptions. What he was entirely wrong about, however, was the nature of the books. He'd assumed his mother had gotten him nothing but text books, just like she did most years.
Instead, he was staring at several collector's editions of some of his favorite comics and manga. His eyes were bugged out wide as he peeled back the covers of each, reveling in the glossy feel of them all. He turned his misty gaze to his mother, who gave him a tired smile.
"Don't just thank me," she chuckled, giving a meaningful glance to Piccolo. The alien was staring hard down at his lap when Gohan turned to look at him. "I didn't know the names of any of these books," Chi Chi admitted, "so Piccolo was helping me spy."
"Thank-you mom," Gohan muttered, rising up from his seat to give her a soft hug. She returned it, her cheek pressing against his as she patted his back. He stood up straight once more, heading back to his spot on the couch. He bumped his elbow against Piccolo's. "Thank-you, as well."
Piccolo grunted.
Then Chi Chi began opening her presents, making delighted noises at all of the art projects that Goten had shoddily wrapped up for her. There were three pinch pots, a paper mache mask of a dragon, and a large painting of nothing that was known to man. She over-hyped each one, making it a point to pin up the poster immediately as she kissed the ecstatic Goten on his forehead.
Gohan also complimented him, leading to Goten blushing furiously as he fiddled with a few of his games, fingering the plastic covering. While he distracted himself, Chi Chi opened her present from Gohan, and inside he'd gotten her a blue dress, with a golden dragon design wrapping itself up around the fabric. She thanked him heartily, and he couldn't help but feel as if he'd disappointed her after all the work she'd gone through to get him his present.
Chi Chi seemed perfectly satisfied, though, and folded it back up, setting it on the coffee table. She snapped her fingers, muttered something about 'forgot something', and shot back to her bedroom. Gohan heard a few things being shifted around, before she reappeared, a few books in hand.
She approached Piccolo.
"Now, I know you're not big on presents, so I didn't bother wrapping these or making a big to do about them, but since you've been doing so well in all of you're reading," she let the books fall to Piccolo's lap, "I thought you'd need these."
Piccolo blinked, staring down at them. "I have no place to put them."
"Gohan's apartment," she replied, smiling as she saw the embarrassed alien finally relenting. "Now, I'm going to put in a movie!" Chi Chi went to the DVD case then, digging around through all of her movies. As she did that, Piccolo examined each novel, reading the backs of them, eyes squinting as his nose furrowed.
Gohan took that opportunity to lean in slightly, thigh touching Piccolo's as he allowed his arm to line up fully with the Namekian's. Piccolo gave him a suspicious glare, to which he merely replied with a soft smile, shaking his head. He wouldn't try to do anything in his mom's living room with his little brother there.
Everybody shuffled their presents off to the side, as Chi Chi started the movie—How the Grinch Stole Christmas. The family made it a good chunk of the way through the movie, though Piccolo looked extremely bored. At the halfway mark, Goten, half delirious with sleep, turned to look at Piccolo.
"You know, Mr. Piccolo," Goten mumbled, "you're a lot like the Grinch."
Piccolo had looked extremely offended, while Chi Chi hurriedly cut the movie off, and rushed Goten off to bed.
To his credit, Gohan only laughed for a minute. At the most.
Chi Chi returned, looking extremely apologetic to Piccolo as they all said their good byes. Gohan rounded up all of their presents, placing them inside of a capsule he had actually remembered to bring for once. Safe in his pocket, he and Piccolo headed towards the door, flying down to the apartment.
They landed, and Gohan could feel Piccolo's eyes on him as he dug out his keys.
"You headed home for the night?" Gohan asked, not bothering to turn around. He heard a grunt of confirmation. "All right, I'll put your books on the shelf for next time you come over." Another grunt. "Well, Piccolo! Have a good night!" Then Gohan turned to say good bye, just to be met with a very flushed, very frustrated Namekian.
Gohan blinked.
"Is something the matter, Piccolo…?"
"No," the alien snapped, arms crossed as he looked at nothing in particular.
"Okay…" Gohan bit his lip, before smiling slightly. "One minute." He unlocked his door, reaching in for the mistletoe that Videl had hung in his apartment. With that in hand, he turned to face Piccolo. Gohan floated a foot or two off the ground, holding his hand up above the duo.
Piccolo glared up at the decoration.
"Do you know what mistletoe is?" Gohan asked, already knowing the answer.
"No."
"Well, it's a Christmas tradition. If you end up underneath it with someone, you have to kiss them." Gohan felt the butterflies in his stomach once more, and he bit softly at his lip. He knew that he had to be blushing just as much as Piccolo.
"Oh."
Gohan leaned in then, placing one hand on Piccolo's shoulders, as he tilted his head. The Namekian stilled beneath his touch, and he used this as his opportunity to lean in, placing another soft kiss upon Piccolo's shoulders.
Piccolo made a noise, arms crossing as his rather purple face glared at Gohan.
"Merry Christmas, Mr. Piccolo," Gohan murmured, lowering his hand, the mistletoe dangling by his thigh.
"Yeah kid," Piccolo huffed. "I guess it was."
I am so sorry this took so long! The confession bit took me a while, and then I had exams going on-it was rough. There were so many different ways that damn confession went, so I hope this one was okay.
Let me know what you think.
