Howdy y'all. I'm really, really sorry about the ridiculous amount of time that it this took me. I've had AP exams, finals, and presentations, and now graduation! I also had college orientation and my PATH certification thrown in this mix. I passed my PATH tests though, and am now a Certified Therapeutic Horseback Riding Instructor!
Biggest distraction? The Supernatural Season Finale. Uggghhhhh my feels were powerful and violent. Honestly, I haven't even thought of DBZ because of damn Supernatural... Also I recently discovered that I love One Piece. So yeah.
Buuuut I had no time to write, and honestly, I had half of this chapter written for the better part of a month, but I absolutely hated it and could not bear the thought of posting it. I rewrote the whole thing this week. I tried really hard with this one. Also, I have issues I need to address that were introduced in earlier chapters… They will be resolved soon. ANND Beth returns! Actually she's staying until the end. I hope you like her. Hope you enjoy her and the chapter, and I also hope that y'all are still reading!
Thanks to all who have reviewed. Love you :-)
Chapter Ten – Shut Your Mouth, You're Everything to Me ("Slow it Down" – Goo Goo Dolls)
There was something undeniably cute about a pissed-off Piccolo, Chichi decided, allowing her eyes to shift over to him. Especially with that crinkled little nose of his… He was not, she noted, angry so much as he was out of his comfort zone and utterly befuddled. He kept casting her irritated glances. But, he had followed her advice, and even started the current conversation between himself and Beth. She smiled smugly and took a sip of her lemonade.
"…So, you've saved the world…how many times?" Beth twirled a finger around the mouth of her newly ordered-beer bottle. She seemed genuinely interested in what he was saying. It made Piccolo's ears twitch; he pressed his own beer to his lips in an attempt to hide the flush creeping up his neck onto his cheeks. "Well, you going to tell me or not?"
"Uh," Piccolo set the beer down carefully, buying for time as he trudged through the mire of his own uncertainties, "I…only ever helped." He rolled the bottle between his fingers.
Beth nudged Chichi in the ribs.
"Always liked a modest guy, right?" Piccolo wondered how much more his face could possibly heat up before he spontaneously combusted.
Chichi rolled her eyes, closed them, and set her glass down.
"Give him a minute, he'll start boasting."
"I most certainly will not."
Chichi stuck her tongue out him, a gesture she had made a thousand times before. So why was it bothering him now? His ears flicked in agitation as he bit down on his tongue to stop a rude comment from spilling off of his lips. Beth let out a nervous laugh.
"How, er, how long have you two known each other?" Udon sniffed. Piccolo glanced at the human, eyeing him with barely masked distaste. The man's power level was lower than Chichi's, and yet she had been staring at him for the past hour or so with something akin to adoration plastered in the most unattractive manner on her face. It was irritating. What on earth did she find pleasing about Udon? He frowned more forcefully.
"A while," Piccolo grumbled in response, examining Udon carefully out of the corner of his eye. Maybe was it the hair? The Namekian stared at his distorted reflection in his beer bottle.
"As in been friendly or how long ago did we meet?"
Beth shifted across the table from him. His eyes flicked up to meet hers for a brief moment before returning to the bottle in his hands.
"Frrriieendly," the word rolled off of Udon's tongue, elongated and slower than Piccolo deemed was really necessary or practical.
"Um, about… I," Chichi's voice faltered. He looked up, raising an eyebrow. Their eyes met. Her cheeks turned pink. "Three…four years?"
"Something like that," Piccolo muttered, lifting his beer to his lips again. "It's not important."
"Hm…" Udon nodded slowly, face contemplative. No sooner had he opened his mouth to continue then a waiter appeared carrying a tray of entrees, promptly forestalling any and all conversation at the table. Piccolo methodically stirred his soup, waiting for everyone else to be served.
"Can I get y'all anything else, or should I just bring the bill?"
"Ah," Chichi glanced around the table, quickly taking in everyone's appearance. Udon was already pulling his wallet out of the pocket of his sport coat. She raised an eyebrow at Piccolo, who was glaring daggers at the other man, and furiously digging in his jeans. Her face screwed up in confusion, what on earth had gotten into him? In unison, two wallets hit the table with surprisingly loud thuds.
"Bill!" the word was growled through two sets of heavily gritted teeth. Neither Piccolo nor Udon was looking at the waiter, both had their eyes trained on the other, and their eyes were out for blood.
"Piccolo," Chichi hissed, glancing at the bemused waiter at the end of the table. "What. Are. You. Doing?" His only response was to pull his lips up over his fangs, revealing them in their full, feral glory.
That impudent, uncivilized, no-good, asshole of a Namek! "Don't you dare ign-"
"Woah, boys," Beth leaned on the table, placing a hand between the two wallets. She wore a smile. "We're in public; this is no place to be measuring dicks." Udon and Piccolo's faces paled considerably, and their eye contact wavered, flicking to the blonde for a brief moment before settling on some part of the booth. "If you want to do that, the men's room is right around the corner." She gestured over her shoulder. Chichi gawked at the fair-haired bartender, impressed by her cool attitude and witty remarks. Of course, she supposed, feeling the tension in the cramped booth dissipate ever so slightly, Beth likely dealt with testosterone-laden idiots on a nightly basis. She had plenty of practice. "Well, if we're all done with this macho-madness, I suggest we pay the bill." She smiled and slid her hand away from the two males. "Four way split?"
"Why not," Piccolo's ears flushed violet, and he pulled his wallet back to himself, opening it and pulling out a sufficient wad of zenni. "Sounds...sounds fine to me." His cherry-black irises flicked to met Chichi's, she felt her cheeks heating up the longer he held her gaze. She broke the eye contact and dug into her purse, pulling out a pink billfold and pulling out her portion, "I've got the tip," the Namekian muttered, adding cash to the pile.
"So sweet," Beth said dryly, tossing bills down onto the table.
"Tch," Udon muttered, and threw his credit card to the waiter. "Put whatever's left on that."
The waiter caught it deftly and gathered up the cash before nodding and scurrying away from the combative table.
"Well," Piccolo stared at the bartender's outstretched hand for a long moment before slowly extending his own and taking it. "I had a nice time tonight."
"Um," he nodded, "sure."
Beth grinned and shook his hand with surprising vigor.
"What are you up to Tuesday afternoon, like...one?" he stared at her, completely confused by her question. "Yeah I know, I have weird hours," she laughed and shrugged her denim jacket on over the tank top. "but you don't strike me as the type of guy who has a day job."
"Oh, of course," he replied, slightly flustered by the look she was giving him. "I mean, I meditate, but... Why?"
"Uhhhh, because the two of us can catch a movie? And if you hate it, you can take a nap! Or meditate, or whatever you do. Win-win situation." Beth winked and nudged him.
Piccolo blushed.
"Sounds...sounds good." His gaze slid over to Chichi and Udon. "Just...you and I?"
She nodded, blonde bangs bouncing on her forehead. "Okay."
"You'll pick me up." Beth looked down at her purse, rummaging through it. He wondered if she was going to dismiss him or if he could just high tail it out of the city. "Ah, there it is!" She pulled out a marker and grabbed his hand. "Do you mind?" Unsure of what she was going to do, he shrugged. Beth flashed her pearly white teeth at him again and began to scribble on his forearm. It tickled, but he held perfectly still while she wrote all over the pink muscular tissue. "A-at one. Then we'll catch the one-thirty or two o'clock show."
"Right."
"You're cute," she winked, capped the marker, and dropped in unceremoniously into her purse. "Okay, see you Tuesday."
"Right. Well, goodnight, then," the Namek offered her a very small, fleeting smile before she turned away with a wave.
"Is this weird?"
"What?"
"Is this weird? You and I, going out together, but seeing different people while on these dates?" Chichi repeated, turning the volume on the radio down. She leaned back into the car seat, inclining her head in Piccolo's direction. Her gaze lingered on his face, taking in the chiseled bone structure, appreciating his high cheek bones and sharp nose. Even the prominent brows were attractive. Chichi shook her head, chasing the inappropriate adjective away. After all, Piccolo was… Well he was Piccolo. And he had absolutely no interest in her whatsoever.
"Why would it be weird? I'm your most convenient method of transportation."His voice was flat.
"I don't know!" Chichi snapped, "Do you think it's weird?"
"I think we have overused the word 'weird,' to the point where it just sounds silly."Piccolo replied sarcastically. Chichi did not even bother to suppress the baleful expression she knew must have been manifesting itself in her eyes. "I think it's odd that I allowed myself to be forced into social situations. And, even more strangely, I find myself…not hating it."Here, he caught her in a sidelong glance, taking his eyes off the road for a mere millisecond. "At least not all of it."
Chichi thought about what he meant, mulling it over silently. Her hand reached back to the radio, twisting the volume-knob clockwise. Piccolo's car had surprisingly good speakers. Minding his sensitive hearing, she left the sound relatively low, comfortable. Like the background music of a fancy lounge. Subconsciously, Chichi hummed along to the song, vaguely recalling the tune, but not the words. She frowned. Gohan liked this song.
"Is this Depeche Mode?"
Reviews? Please, seriously I love talking to you people. Loooove it. And to my anons... I really want to respond and chat with you, but I don't always look at my reviews before making my authors' notes so I can't always answer your questions, although I do think about them and try to make sure that I answer them either in an Author's Note or in the chapter itself.
To allll my reviewers, logged in and otherwise, THANK YOU. I can't even tell you how much they mean to me.
I know this is a little short, but I don't think it's horrifically short. I like the ending, and felt like I needed to tip my hat to Gohan a little more, therefore, they're listening to "Enjoy the Silence," which, in case any of you have not heard it, is an awesome song that I think fits Pic and Gohan's relationship pretty well :- ) The Depeche Mode version is the original, but Breaking Benjamin has a cover that I like a lot. Enjoy.
Actually I highly recomend that you check out all the music that I put as chapter titles. I have good taste ;)
Till next time! (And it won't be two months, I swear).
~ShireWulf