A/N: Yes, I know it's been forever since I've updated her, but she's not going anywhere, I'm just both really lazy and really busy. I'm awful with update schedules, so try and bear with me!

We finally get to meet Piccolo this chapter. Enjoy and tell me what you think.

. . .

"What's this about Gohan?"

Said demi saiyan looked down to his feet with a sheepish grin on his face, instantly regretting that he had spoken up at all.

"Uh, well, you see.."

Goku looked at his son with thoughtful, worried eyes and said, "Son, you can tell me anything, ya know?"

"Well actually.. I just wanted to thank you for sticking up for Piccolo. It really means.. a lot, Dad." The demi saiyan's cheeks heated up. Guilt crept up at the top of his chest as he realized he couldn't find the courage to tell his father his secret.

"Gee Gohan, you got me all worried being so serious like that!" Goku laughed, reaching his arm around his son's back and resting his hand on his shoulder, his fingers barely gripping around it.

"Look at you," the full blooded saiyan said, looking his son up and down, eyes filled with pride, "you've been training."

Gohan's face heated up even more and he chuckled slightly. "Is it noticeable?" The teen asked, trying his best to seem nonchalant.

"Do fish swim son? Holy cow, look at how broad your shoulders have gotten with all that muscle!" Goku exclaimed, putting a finger to his chin. "It makes you wonder who the lucky girl is you're trying to impress." The older saiyan said suggestively, winking at his eldest son.

By now, the color on Gohan's cheeks had spread all over, running to his ears and even to his fingertips. Calling this sudden color a blush would be quite an understatement.

'Roshi's magazines. Yajirobi bending over. Bulma's pj's.'

"Oh come on son! You can tell me, I won't say a thing, scouts honor!" Goku insisted, catching on to the demi saiyan's reaction.

'Redbluepurpleyellowblackwhitebrownorangegree-dammit!'

"Oh Kami! I forgot, I really have to go Dad!" Gohan frantically exclaimed, looking pointedly at his watch. "I have a thing for school I'm just about to be late for, I really can't miss it!"

"Oh." Goku said simply, smiling knowingly. "Yeah son, I do agree, you really do have to go. You really can't miss her," the cheeky saiyan finished with a wink.

Gohan was already to the door by the time he turned to see his father give him a mischievous look.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night dad! Bye!" Gohan yelled over his shoulder as he ran out the door and started into the air.

Back in the Son house, Goku was still smiling, happy to know that his eldest son was finally giving into his teenage desires and seeking pleasure out of life. That and the promise that Gohan would actually keep up his training was enough to make the full blooded saiyan's heart swell with eagerness and pride.

'How weird is it that he didn't bring any of his books or even his laptop for school business.' Goku thought and laughed. 'He's really got it bad if he couldn't even outsmart me.'

"Where did that boy run off to now?" Chi Chi asked her husband with a stressed face.

"Something about school Chi Chi, he's fine. I'm sure he'll be back just in time for dinner."

"For your sake, I sure hope he is! I spent hours in the kitchen today making his favorite!" Chi Chi scolded the tall saiyan, pointing her finger at him as she walked away with a basket of folded laundry.

Goku chuckled and gazed at his retreating wife lovingly.

. . . . . . . .

"Gohan is coming."

"I'm aware."

"Are you?"

"You are well aware that I am aware, Dende."

"Well aren't you going to change?" The teenage Kami of Earth asked, an uncharacteristic smirk starting to form on his lips.

"And why the hell would I do that?"

"Oh, I don't know.." the young guardian trailed off, his smirk growing wider at the older namekian's back. "Maybe to give Gohan a little change of.. scenery."

The tall namekian's ears perked up at the sound of wickedness in his companion's voice as he stood and quickly turned to face him.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"I don't think we would be friends anymore if I explained any further, Piccolo." Dende said with one last smirk as he turned and walked away from the very tall namek.

Piccolo stared at the young god with a smooth, hairless brow raised as the teen walked back to the entrance of his home to greet Mr. Popo.

'That boy and his delusions. Still.. anyone's better than Kami.'

Piccolo turned and walked back to the edge of the lookout and sat down crossing his legs, one over the other. Closing his eyes, he cleared away all thoughts and let himself drift into the deep abyss that was his mind-

"He's so dense Popo, I'm not sure if he'll ever realize it.."

"You really can't blame him, young Kami. Piccolo has never been exposed to anything of that nature."

"I know, but sometimes it is a bit annoying that they continue to dance around each other when the attraction is quite obvious."

'No, it's alright, it's definitely okay for you to speak about me when I'm right here.' Thought an irked Piccolo whose meditation had been disrupted too many times that day. 'That nature? What nature? I'm pretty sure that I've proven my attraction for the saiyan brat on many occasions. Do I have to scream it over and over, every day to the whole planet for it to be valid? Dende really is at that "difficult age" now I suppose.'

Just as the semi-peeved namek began to clear his head in preparation for another attempt at meditation, he both felt and heard his old student land on the lookout.

"Oi, Piccolo-sama!" Son Gohan nervously greeted his mentor, his gut clenching at the sight of the namek in his usual lotus position.

'What have I done?'

"Hn." Piccolo acknowledged, slightly raising a brow at the demi-saiyan's faltering voice.

The intelligent saiyan rubbed the back of his neck, anxiously thinking about what a mistake it was to go up there in the first place. He had been standing next to his sensei for a minute too quietly, just enough silence from him to make Piccolo's elf-like ears to twitch in anticipation and for his suspicion to rise.

"Spit it out."

Gohan jumped at the sound of the namekian's calm and smooth voice and snapped out of his miserable thoughts.

'His voice is even perfect.. stop it, Gohan.'

"I wish to join you Piccolo-sama."

Piccolo briefly glanced in the other's direction and stood, walking to the very edge of the lookout. His head turned to the saiyan as he started to hover effortlessly.

"Let's go." With that, the namekian flew up into the sky and dashed into the east, leaving an excited demi saiyan to power up and follow close behind.

Gohan listened to the loud ruffling of his sensei's cape and wasn't quite sure why his dear friend even bothered to wear his whole get-up while living on the lookout. Afterall, the only people who lived up there were just as different as he was to the rest of the world, that and the sound the cape made in the wind had to have hurt Piccolo's sensitive, long, pointy, and delicious-looking, green ears.

'Stop. It. Gohan.'

Gohan landed on the same patch of green that his mentor did. The grass always seemed to brighten up and curl straight up to Piccolo's feet, as if it yearned of his very presence. The calming sound of the waterfall hit the saiyan's ears, as the smell of oak, grass, and fresh, natural water met his nose, reminding him of his dear, green friend who was already walking to the giant black pine tree a good distance away from the waterfall and taking a seat underneath it in his usual lotus position.

Gohan smiled slightly as he took in the familiar surroundings of his childhood and walked towards where Piccolo had sat and sat accross from him in the same position. He couldn't help but stare at the namek whose eyes were closed as he jumped immediately into his meditation. Gohan began to notice as the older he grew, the easier it was for the namek to relax around him; whether it be because of the many years that made his mentor trust him more and more, or because of Gohan's newfound maturity and ability to actually stay quiet for more than five minutes, he wouldn't really know.

The saiyan watched as the weaker leaves began to fall with a strong wind around them, the dark green of the leaves complemented his company's vibrant and almost kelly green skin. Gohan's breath caught in his throat as he gazed in awe at the leaves gracefully dodging the green skin that was starting to glow a bright cyan blue. His sensei could only effortlessly release his ki when he was completely at peace in his own mind, Gohan wasn't even sure that the namekian knew it was happening or that he knew he would float a few inches off the ground, as if he would surrender his body to the nature around him and lose control of it, as if he were too light for Earth's gravity to even detect him.

'Kami, why do you have to be so beautiful?' The demi saiyan thought as he went into a daydream-like state. 'Why do you always have to be there, yet so far out of my reach? Why is it so hard to talk to you now? It used to be so easy.'

But he knew why. His more-than-friendly affection for his mentor made things a lot different now. Still, he wished that things would still keep changing and morph into the happy ending he yearned for, but some things just aren't meant to be.

"Maybe I just need to face facts.. Some things just aren't meant to be."

"How would you know? You haven't even tried Gohan."

"Come on Videl-chan, could you really imagine someone as strong, as intelligent, yet as clueless as Piccolo-sama even looking at me after I prove my disgusting nature to him? He would never even want to think of me again."

"Do you know how pathetic you sound right now? Kami, for being so smart, you really are dumb sometimes. You are the only person Piccolo can stand to be around, you are his only friend, he's constantly been protecting you over the years. Hell, he's given his literal life for you for crying out loud! If that's not enough to convince you of his overwhelming love for you then I'm sure that nothing will!"

As the memory of his and Videl's conversation finished playing out in his head, Gohan started to consider his options.

'Well, one- I could never tell Piccolo how I feel and then live on feeling miserable my whole life. So, basically hell.. or two- I could tell Piccolo how I really feel and he'll be disgusted with me for the rest of my life and his. So, double hell. Third- I could tell Piccolo how I feel and he could actually.. he could actually return my affection.

Heaven on Earth? Sounds good to me.'

The demi saiyan was so deep into his thoughts that he hadn't noticed the namekian accross from him open his eyes and slowly drift back onto the grass as his ki melted away.

"Gohan." Piccolo almost barked, feeling a little weird as his pupil stared at him as if he were in awe.

Said saiyan seemed to had jumped almost into the air at the shock of Piccolo's voice. He had been so lost in thought that he forgot he was formerly admiring his mentor. For a long time.

"Piccolo-sama?" Gohan managed to squeak out, his voice cracking.

"Is there something wrong?" Piccolo said, trying to sound open and calm. He had been growing a little more accustomed to conversing with others and soon realized that people sometimes needed to sense a bit of compassion and open-mindedness in order to open up about more private details in their life. Especially when that person was going through sensitive changes in their life, such as Gohan's merging into adulthood. 'Wow, you really are all grown up, kid.' He could just hear Kami right now berating the younger namekian as if he had any room to talk.

Gohan squirmed around a bit where he sat, suddenly feeling restless and nervous, so much that it was difficult to breathe. He took a few deep, challenging breaths and looked straight into his mentor's obsidian eyes which looked just a tad bit lighter that day.

He couldn't believe what he was about to do. What he was about to say.

"Promise me something."

"What do you need, Gohan?" Piccolo asked, worried about his student. The teenager seemed desperate as tears were starting to form in his eyes and he looked absolutely terrified. As if the dilemma the boy was facing determined life or death.

"You can't hate me after what I'm about to say. I can't take that." The saiyan almost whimpered as a tear managed to escape and flee down his flushed cheek.

The namekian's chest started to squeeze up in what he could only describe as uncomfortable pain as he watched the demi-saiyan cry. He hadn't seen this display of emotion from him since his father had passed many years ago.

"I would never ha-"

"You have to promise Piccolo. Please."

Piccolo's eyes widened in slight shock at the pleading and miserable tone in Gohan's voice and decided that this was something bigger than he originally thought. Something he probably didn't have the skill to handle or the power to fix.

But damn, did he hate seeing Gohan like this. It was his job to protect the saiyan from any harm and he was going to see that through to the very end. Pride be damned.

"I promise I won't hate you. I will never hate you." Piccolo said boldly, looking into the saiyan's eyes with a sudden compassion.

Gohan couldn't stop the salty tears as they rolled down his face, nor could he stop the heat coming from his cheeks and the shame from filling him completely.

"I love you, Piccolo. Much, much more than I should. Much more than you would ever accept. I understand if you want me to leave you alone for well.. forever now.. I understand if you're so disgusted that you can't even- you can't even look at me! I just couldn't bear keeping it in anymore, you should know how shameful I am.. Your precious student gone all wrong!" Gohan whimpered out pathetically, practically sobbing, while still trying to maintain eye contact with the namekian. He knew Piccolo could not stand to see weakness where it was not needed.

Piccolo stared at the teen with mild confusion, why would he be disgusted by Gohan's obvious affection for him? There is no reason to be ashamed of his display of emotion and blatant care for his long-time friend, so why did Gohan feel so ashamed? He was always a sensitive boy and even though that caused annoyance for Piccolo when he was younger, it didn't seem to bother him now that he was older, it built his character in a sort of way.

"I'm not quite sure why you're being overly-emotional about this, kid. You've always told me stuff like that before. I don't think you're disgusting for acting like a regular Earthling."

Gohan looked at his friend almost with a look of frustration, though it was more pointed at himself. Of course Piccolo wouldn't understand what he meant by saying the word "love". There were many different kinds of love and of course he would assume that he was talking about the love that friends shared.

"No, the love I feel for you is different than what I felt for you when I was younger. Or maybe it was always there and I just covered it up with student-like admiration for you." Gohan spoke, his voice barely above a whisper. "I love you like how tou-san loves kaa-san and Krillin-san loves 18.. Like how Vegeta-san loves Bulma-san, but he never admits it.."

The namekian tried to hold back the look of complete shock on his face, as his mouth went agape and he suddenly became more conscious of how he breathed and looked. He couldn't have heard that right, could he? His former pupil and best friend had just proclaimed his specific, and significantly more potent love for him and of course this was the only time his brain had decided to desert him. That's where all of the unease from earlier was coming from, the terror and insecurity, and the staring. Gohan was afraid to tell him this because he thought the namekian would leave, would be disgusted with him. This feeling he was having, nothing was wrong with it, as far as Piccolo saw it, there was nothing wrong with his saiyan friend other than the fact that he was being scared for no reason, that and well, why the hell out of everyone he could choose to fall in love with did it have to be him? A freakishly tall, green-skinned, pointy-eared, weird-looking freak.

"Okay." 'Shit, that was the best you could say, huh?'

Gohan's head shot back up from his his miserable staring at the ground technique and he opened his mouth, surprised, "You-you aren't upset with me?"

"Not at all. You're expressing your feelings, there isn't much I can be upset with."

Gohan looked at Piccolo trying to find any form of deception in his face, as if he would actually be able to tell anyways.

"Why me?"

The demi saiyan looked taken aback. He never thought he would actually get this far.

"Well.." 'Don't blow this, Gohan.' "You are everything I would ever want in a.. mate. You're my best friend. You're the most brilliant person I've ever met. Incredibly strong. You care very much about me, even if you don't say it. You're closed and calm personality intrigues me to no end. Kami, don't even get me started on your appearance because Piccolo, you are the most breath-taking, beautiful, and perfect person I have ever seen in my entire life. Honestly, I can't think about it for too long or else I become to flustered to think or hear or anything." Gohan stared into his mentor's eyes thinking that he could get lost in them forever. Piccolo was being so open to all of this, he was being much more compassionate than he ever thought he would and even though to other's it would seem that Piccolo's unbreakable eye contact with him was intimidating, Gohan knew it was a sign of the namek's undying respect.

The demi saiyan started to feel a sudden burst of confidence from Piccolo's lack of nagativity towards the whole situation and grabbed the namekian's slender hand and held it tight. The namekian had no reaction as he continued to stare into the other's deep chocolate orbs.

"Piccolo.. would you be mine?"

. . . . . . . .

A/N: That took so much longer than I had expected! But still I feel like I've rushed things. You will see why later!

By the way, if any of you want to see updates on this fic or just me being a complete weirdo then you can follow me on tumblr thiefkingaf !

If anyone even uses that anymore. R and R!