So; if you like this, then little promo here:

Over on my Tumblr and my friend Sphinx's, we have a thing going back and forth called "shoujo au", where it's: Teen!Piccolo is a delinquent who ends up with a soft spot for pregnant Chi Chi. It's found under that tag, and on both of our blogs "blackshucksighted" and "nuke-em-high".

There's also lovely fan-art for that fic, but also applies to this one, found here:

shiresartblog . tumblr post / 140860902818 / based - on - nuke - em-high-and-blackshucksighted-s

It's beautiful - check it out~

Chapter

"Ma"

Gohan refused to talk to Chi Chi about what had happened over the phone, and after an increasingly tough battle of wills she'd let it slide. She'd felt a bit guilty with how easily she'd let it go, but part of her didn't really blame Gohan for his reaction. Sure, she made sure to call Goku back and see how he'd taken it; he'd rattled on about how he was a bit upset, but it would be all right. He said he'd make it up somehow.

Now she stood facing his bedroom door, and lifted her knuckles to rap sharply against the wood. A stifled noise greeted her, and she sighed, thumping her forehead against it.

"I invited Mr. Junior over for a movie night," Chi Chi called. There was rustling inside, before the doorknob slowly turned, and Gohan's face appeared. He looked normal, if a little downtrodden, as he stared up at her.

"I'm not in trouble…?" his voice was barely over a whisper, and Chi Chi softened even more.

"No, you're not in trouble," she replied. Gohan came fully out, then, fingers nervously knotted around one another as he stared up at his mother. Chi Chi bent down on one knee, scooping him into a hug. He was almost in her lap, with her face buried into his hair.

Gohan hiccupped, but didn't cry, though he fisted up the back of her t-shirt.

"Did I hurt daddy?" his voice was barely above a whisper, and Chi Chi held him tighter.

"Daddy's a big boy," Chi Chi replied, "he's fine… he understands why you said it." She gulped, and finally pulled back. Her hands cupped his face, slowly rubbing a thumb against his soft cheek. "You'll have to talk to him eventually, you know? And not by screaming at him."

Gohan pulled a face, but he nodded.

"Good," she patted his head, rising up. "Now, I'm going to go get popcorn ready. You make sure to answer the door when Mr. Junior gets here—I told him to give you an extra special secret knock so you'll know."

Gohan grinned, and waited by the door. Chi Chi smiled.

"If you had a super hero name, what would it be?"

They were sitting at Chi Chi's restaurant, while Junior occupied a booth with Gohan. Chi Chi herself sat across from them, with Bulma beside her, each of them taking a lunch break. The group was happily eating (barring Junior who sipped at his water) when Gohan posited his question.

"Oo—I'd be the Sexy Scientist!" Bulma interjected, shimmying in a way that made Chi Chi balk with their present company. Junior had discreetly turned his head, coughing into the side of his shoulder, while Gohan wrinkled his nose up.

"That's kinda lame."

"It is not! It's true to myself—I'd make super cool gadgets," Bulma grinned, mimicking a gun with her fingers. "Ray guns, blasters, piranha traps—,"

"Piranha traps?" Junior stared at the woman, antennae twitching.

"Well, yeah," the heiress rolled her eyes, as if Junior was incredibly stupid. "It's kind of like an evil genius necessity at this point."

"But you're supposed to be a hero!" Gohan huffed, stuffing a rather large bite of food into his mouth. He chewed it in such a sullen way that all of the adults at the table gave him a gratifying smiles.

"So, what brought this on, honey?" Chi Chi asked, as Bulma was back to staring at Junior again. The woman seemed to flicker from mocking the alien horrendously, and giving him star struck looks that made everyone (including the Namekian) uncomfortable.

"Me and Videl—," a collective groan went around the table, "—were talking about being superheroes, and I couldn't think of a name! Videl told me that I couldn't be a superhero without a secret identity, so now I'm trying to think of one!"

"My cousin called himself Nail Gun when we were kids," Junior grunted, and then looked surprised that he'd even spoken as all sets of eyes turned to him. He floundered underneath their gazes, and quickly started chugging his water.

Bulma wrinkled her nose. "What kind of name is Nail Gun?"

"Well, his name was Nail," Junior's voice sounded a bit croaky as he set down his water, claws tapping against the table. Chi Chi hummed thoughtfully.

"So you played super heroes as a kid?" she prompted.

"I didn't. Nail and Dende did. Though, Dende chose something like the Peace Man." Junior rolled his eyes. "He wasn't the most creative." A misty quality came to the man's eyes as he seemed to dredge up old memories.

"You didn't play with them?" Gohan asked, eyes wide. It wasn't very often that he heard much about Junior's past. Or, well, even about his present, really.

"Oh, I did. But I was always the villain." A vicious smirk spread across Junior's face.

Gohan sighed. "Why do you all want to be villains? Anyways, what was your name?"

Junior stiffened up, and made a strange face. "Oh—I don't remember. It wasn't important."

"I think Ma Junior suits you," Bulma spoke up, eyes narrowing as Junior glared down at her. She simply appeared to be rather proud of herself, though, while Chi Chi and Gohan looked on in confusion.

"That doesn't work, Bulma!" Gohan chastised, wagging a finger at the heiress. "We can't use names that are already taken." Bulma and Junior froze, staring at Gohan.

"You know who Ma Junior is?" Bulma asked, and Gohan shrugged.

"I mean, kind of. Videl talks about him all the time. She thinks he's super cool. She keeps trying to convince me that he's cooler than Mr. Junior." Gohan snorted and rolled his eyes, missing the looks that were shooting desperately between Bulma and Junior.

Chi Chi idly took a sip at her drink. "Who is this Ma?"

"A total prick," Junior cut in, looking horribly uncomfortable. Gohan looked at him, brow scrunching up with concern as he noticed that rigidity that was spreading through Junior's shoulders. The man had never looked like this before…

"Yeah, but what did he do?" Chi Chi tilted her head.

"Oh!" Gohan jumped in his seat, and clapped his hands to his mouth. "I just realized where I've heard of Ma Junior!" Bulma looked panicky. "I read an article about him! He's apparently this super bad Namekian—he's um…" the boy strained his thought, trying to recall what he'd read. "He's some martial artist's son—Demon King Piccolo!"

Chi Chi dropped her fork, Junior gashed a hole into the bench they were seated on, and Bulma hastily tried to call lunch to an end. Her attempt was in vain, though, as Chi Chi stared at Gohan, an odd look on her face.

"The Demon King… had a son?"

"Yeah!" Gohan gave a curious glance to all of the adults around him. "Hey, mom… in the article, it said dad beat him… is that true? I haven't really watched many of dad's fights, and I've never seen that one."

"Yes. I didn't show you because it was a violent fight. They even took it off of the air, and—," Chi Chi was interrupted mid-sentence as Junior launched himself up from his seat. Both the Sons stared at him, noting his agitation. Bulma took this opportunity to grab up plates, heading back to the kitchen in a flurry of motion.

The door was jammed open with an impossible amount of force, and Chi Chi worried that it had been knocked off of its hinges. She hurried to her feet, glancing back at Gohan.

"Wait here," she commanded. Bulma was present to watch him, and left her free to figure out what the hell had just happened. She ran outside, just barely catching Junior as he was about to head into his own apartment area.

She called out, and he stilled. There was still something so weird in his stance, and Chi Chi wanted to know why.

When Junior turned to face her, there was something indescribable in his face.

"Your last name." Junior's voice was waspish. Chi Chi felt her temper flare up in response to it.

"What difference does that make?" she demanded, crossing her arms tightly over her chest. Where the hell did he get off taking that tone with her when he was the one acting funky. She wasn't used to taking this amount of abuse, and she wasn't prepared to learn.

"Don't pull this right now," he snarled at her, broad shoulders squaring up. Her lower jaw jutted out in response.

"Son."

"Son Chi Chi… and Son Gohan…" Junior released something that sounded like a laugh, but missed all of the mirth. His whole body seemed to sag downward for a moment as he drew his hand across his face. "Of fucking course."

"What's the matter with you?" Chi Chi demanded. "What difference does my last name make… Oh, don't tell me." Her lip peeled up in a sneer. "Are you a fan of my husband, because I'm not going to get you an autograph and—,"

"Fuck no!" Junior snapped, his face warped into something inhuman. "I wouldn't want that goddamned moron's autograph."

"Watch your mouth!"

"The same could be said to you!"

"What the fuck is your problem?!" Chi Chi formed her hands into fists, and remembered her earlier years of fighting. She was a bit rusty—that time with Vegeta had surprised even herself—but right then she felt as if she could take Junior. It was unrealistic, sure, but she'd make sure the green bastard had a scar to remember her by.

"The problem is your idiot oaf of a husband ruined my father!"

Junior's chest was heaving, and Chi Chi reeled back. She quieted momentarily, cheeks still hot and flushed as she stared up at the Namekian. What he was saying made no sense to her… no, Junior's father was a dying old man… a man who suffered plenty of concussion and was notorious for many things… who had a son in a rebel phase…

Her hands clapped over her mouth as she stared wide-eyed.

"You—," her voice broke, and some strange feeling ran through her. This man, who played with her child, was related to the monstrosity that had almost killed Goku! "You're his…"

"I should give him a chance, though?" Junior's voice was sardonic and mocking. It infuriated her even more. "I should feel bad about what happened to him. Well, Milk—do you still want to pay your sympathies to the man? I know what he did to your husband." There was something cruel in his face that wasn't typically there.

Chi Chi gritted her teeth. She didn't want to think about that fight. It had been awful to watch, sitting at home, desperately clinging to the TV in tears as she watched blood splattered everywhere. That fight… that fight had ruined her love of the sport, and when Gohan was born she swore he'd have no part of that life.

Something in Junior shifted, though, and the anger seemed to leave him. He rocked backwards, hips resting against the counter as he sat there. He kept looking at Chi Chi, eyeing her carefully as she processed it all.

"You're not… you're not to blame for what he did," she finally said, biting back bile as she did so. Now that she knew, every time she looked at him she swore she could see his father's mocking face floating in front of her eys.

Another bitter chuckle left Junior. "You don't know who Ma Junior is, do you?"

"No—should I?"

Junior stayed silent for a moment, then shrugged. "I… was famous in my youth. I did a lot of bad things. Plenty of them for my father." He shifted, and Chi Chi could feel the oppressive silence flooding in after his words.

"You're different now, right?" Chi Chi's voice was firm, though inside she had to admit her resolve was shaken. But—she just reminded herself that this was the man who Gohan adored, who went out of his way to make the boy feel loved, who had made Gohan put on a little concert just so he felt loved. This was the man who called her Milk and thought it was actually funny, while he sat awkwardly on her couch for movie nights.

Junior hesitated.

He nodded.

"That's what matters, then." Chi Chi flicked her bangs out of her eyes, heaving a sigh.

"Do me one favor."

Chi Chi looked up at Junior's voice. He met her gaze steadily, eyes imploring her.

"Please don't tell Gohan."

"What?"

"Don't tell him—don't tell him who I am."

"Why?"

"Please, Chi Chi." Junior had stepped forward at this time, his large arm encircling her bicep as he stared down at her. She'd thought of denying him—of telling Gohan immediately. But he'd said her name, and that fact alone made the gravity of the situation real to her.

"Okay," she relented, and he released his hold on her. Junior took several steps back, shoulders sagging once more. He looked uncomfortable and raw. "Does… does that mean your real name is… is Piccolo?"

Junior stiffened. "I haven't been Piccolo in a very long time."

"When I offered you a place to stay," Bulma grumbled, long curly hair tied back into a sloppy bun, "I didn't think you'd linger so long." She was currently underneath Chi Chi's car, attempting to fix whatever the hell was wrong with the damnable thing. Insofar, Bulma hadn't been able to diagnose the problem—and she was a fucking genius.

Vegeta had taken up occupancy in the workshop with her, casually lifting up random things. It looked suspiciously like he kept trying to bench press tires, and really, she was not going to be held responsible when he dropped one on his face.

Sighing, she slid out from underneath, wiping sweat from her forehead. Her blue jumpsuit was unzipped, sports bra sticking to her uncomfortably as she shifted. A smirk flitted across her features as she caught Vegeta looking. He'd quickly looked back down, though, pretending as if he'd been occupied with lifting the tire over his head.

"You know," Bulma drawled, spreading her legs out in front of her, "I've been thinking about reopening the gym we have on the compound. Chi Chi mentioned that she was losing muscle mass, and I promised her a solution. If I did that, you could go there."

Not that she particularly minded the view she had, but really, this was getting ridiculous. Vegeta did pause, though, setting down his tire as he turned to take her in. He seemed to musing over her offer, his tail wrapping around his thigh as he did so.

"Fine, I'll accept that offer."

He sounded so haughty no matter what—though, he had been more tolerable since she'd been bringing him Chi Chi's food. The only problem was that Vegeta, at his most reasonable, was still a major pisslord.

She sighed. It was a shame, really. There were plenty of hot guys around now, but none of them were willing to do anything. Vegeta flipped his shit if she so much as wore a low cut shirt, Junior panicked if she so much as breathed near him, and Goku—well, she hadn't actually met him in person, but he was off the table, too.

Pulling out her phone, she sent a message to her secretary. That'd get the gym up and running within the week. It would help Chi Chi and keep Vegeta out of her hair; two birds with one stone.

She pulled at her sweaty hairband, and grimaced. Here lately she'd really been thinking of getting a hair-cut, with how ridiculous the bird's nest she had now was. Oh well, maybe she could schedule that in as well.

"The Lost Boys," Chi Chi stared at the TV, while Junior merely shrugged. They'd put Gohan into bed, but he'd offered up another movie. Out of all the things she'd expected, though, it wasn't this. "I didn't realize you were big on shitty 80s vampire movies?"

Junior fidgeted a bit as he pressed play. "When I first looked into the punk movement," he grumbled, looking as if he wanted to die, "David was a big inspiration for it. It's not like Namekians have any movies of their own—our clothes are all just boring decorative shit."

Chi Chi shushed him, pointing to Gohan's door. He flapped his ears guiltily, but nodded.

"Right," he continued on, a little closer to a whisper. "So to rebel, I went with the most shocking human look I could find. It was this movie, and Nuke 'Em High."

"I don't know that one," Chi Chi blinked, wrinkling her nose up.

He gave her a vicious grin, and Chi Chi flushed, just a bit. It was weird—associating him with the Demon King. Their faces were certainly similar but… well, Junior was entirely different from Piccolo. Sure, she didn't know anything about his "Ma" persona, but still.

"I'll make you watch it, Milk," Junior returned his attention to the screen. "I doubt you'll make it all the way through."

"Is that a challenge?" Chi Chi huffed, staring morosely down at her empty popcorn bowl.

"Yeah—maybe," Junior chuckled. "But I'll wager you five whole points on it."

Chi Chi hummed thoughtfully, then nodded, grinning up at him.

"Deal."

Chapter

"Butterfly"

"His favorite movie is The Lost Boys—it's so ridiculous." Chi Chi rolled her eyes, scrubbing at the plates. "That moron was sitting there quoting it! After he acted all high and mighty about me 'n Gohan's movies!"

Bulma laughed, and put away several of the dishes on the drying wrack.

"Man, that's such a lame movie," she sighed. "Though, it's better than Vegeta. He just keeps watching every cheesy slasher flick he can get his hands on. I'm really beginning to think he has a problem."

Chi Chi snorted. "I think your first hint should have been him up here stalking us for food." She wrinkled her nose up. "I'm still not entirely sure how the hell you went from him almost hitting you, to offering him a place to stay."

Bulma shrugged. "I told you, he wasn't going to hit me."

"Uh-huh." Chi Chi remained unconvinced of that—though she had felt the pressure of his fist. It had been nearly hard enough to do damage. Didn't change the fact that he'd swung at all, though, so far as she was concerned. "Anyways, I'd rather sit through slasher movies then get a lecture on why putting Mars Attacks in was offensive."

"Little green men have to stick together, Chi Chi," Bulma deadpanned, then wiggled her fingers above her forehead, mimicking Junior's stance. Both girls immediately erupted into giggles, Chi Chi fighting to not drop dishes.

Junior sneezed, and rubbed at his nose.

"You all right, Mr. Junior?" Gohan asked, looking up from his homework. "I didn't know Namekians could get allergies."

"They don't," Junior huffed, wiggling his nose curiously.

Chi Chi dug into her dresser. It had been a really long time since she'd gone to work-out. She'd just been relying on her good metabolism and running the restaurant to keep her fit. So now, finding her clothes was a mess. Finally, she was able to locate a sports bra that still fit, along with an old pair of yoga pants. A tank-top was grabbed from somewhere deep withint he recesses, and she was ready to go, hair slapped up in a ponytail.

The only thing left was to run Gohan over to Junior's. It was a Saturday morning, however, and the little boy was still fast asleep. She hated to wake him… Inspiration struck her as she pulled out her phone, shooting Junior a few texts.

Bulma was already messaging her that she was waiting downstairs.

Chi Chi waited impatiently until Junior soon arrived, her phone alerting her that he was waiting to be let in downstairs. She rushed down the stairs, swinging the door open as she let Junior in. He stomped past her, face purple as his ears flapped nervously against his skull.

"Your friend just yelled obscene things at me," he hissed, turning to glare at Chi Chi. She stifled her laughter at his discomfort. Then he seemed to notice her attire, as his face shifted into something very confused.

"What?" Chi Chi demanded, feeling very self-conscious all of a sudden. She was a mom, after all, and after Gohan she'd never really fought to get back into her former shape. The way his eyes ran across her made her nervous that she wasn't in tip top shape.

Junior grunted, and turned his head. "Nothing. Just surprised you own something that's not stained."

Chi Chi gritted her teeth. Of course. What the hell did it matter what this asshole thought anyways? As far as she knew Namekians didn't even care about bodies.

"I'm going to ignore that, for your sake, Pickle."

He bared his fangs at her, which she ignored.

"Look, Gohan's going to be asleep for a while. When he wakes up, he typically just watches cartoons, or he'll read his books. You're here, so that might change, but," Chi Chi shrugged, "you're used to dealing with him. I'll call you if I need anything."

Junior nodded, before Chi Chi snapped her fingers.

"One more thing." She turned, and went to a dragon statue. Bending over, she reached her hand deep into its maw. Behind her, she heard a strangled noise, attracting her attention. She grabbed the key hidden in the statue before standing up, giving Junior a curious look.

He had one hand over his mouth as he stared at her.

"You have a tattoo." His voice was strangled, which she now realized was from him holding back his laughter. Chi Chi's cheeks felt hot as her whole face flushed, hands curling into angry fists.

"Oh, shut up!" she threw the key at him, and he caught it with his free hand. "Eat an eggshell."

Junior snorted, antennae flicking at her. "It just sounds plain stupid from you."

"Your face is stupid," she snapped, turning her back to him.

"Whatever you say—but a butterfly's just a bit cliché, don't you think?"

Chi Chi groaned, and quickly stormed out, slamming the door shut behind her. She quickly made her way out to the car, clambering into the passenger seat. Bulma sat there in a sports bra and shorts, sunglasses perched at the edge of her nose.

"Your hair!" Chi Chi stared, wide-eyed. The long blue curls were absent from her friend's head. All of it was gone, chopped off. Bulma grinned, pretending to frame her face as she showcased her new, layered pixie cut.

"You like?" Bulma queried, pushing her lips together as she adjusted her mirror.

"Of course." Chi Chi fingered the ends of her own hair. She'd once thought about getting it shorter, but she never had the courage to do it. There was something about it that didn't seem to set right in her gut about it—but then again, she was no Bulma.

Speaking of…

"What did you say to Junior?" Chi Chi asked, laughing as Bulma immediately threw her a coy wink.

"Oh, I cat-called a wee bit," Bulma waved her hand airily. "If he would just wear reasonable clothes." She sighed, shaking her head.

Chi Chi rolled her eyes, and tilted her head out the window. Normally, she'd argue that Junior didn't have anything worthwhile to look at. But she supposed that was being unfair. He was quite handsome, barring all of the green skin, with muscles larger than most men. Granted, it was hard to tell, really, what he looked like with the baggy clothes he wore, but that much she could tell.

Biting her lip, she glanced down at her phone.

Green Bean

I never want to hear you say anything

about my tattoos again

At least mine is real

Exactly—imagine having that for life

Imagine it not washing off in the shower

Should I tell Gohan about his mother's

wild youth?

Oh, go attack Mars or something

Do you have any others—I don't want to lie

to the kid?

Chi Chi stared at her phone for a moment, gnawing at her lip. For some reason, she felt like this was dangerous territory. It seemed like every answer she could give was just plain wrong. She was pissed enough that Junior found out she had a tattoo in the first place. That hadn't exactly been in her plans for life.

She'd been young and stupid when she'd gotten it. Frustration had mounted when she'd realized marriage wasn't everything it was cracked up to be, and she'd gone and done something rebellious. Nobody was ever to know about it—hell, even Goku didn't know and he'd seen her naked.

Green Bean

No, I don't. Though it doesn't concern you.

He didn't respond for a moment, and Chi Chi figured that she'd effectively ended that conversation. It wasn't typical that they talked for extended periods of time. That was why she was startled when her phone chimed once more.

Green Bean

Granted—also, your child is obnoxious.

Gee kettle, glad you met the pot

God your jokes are as old as you are.

Keep it up. I will give Bulma your number.

And then Gohan will know about his mother's backside

Wait I take that one back it sounds weird.

Ignore it.

Chi Chi snorted, and Bulma glanced over—("Bulma pay attention to the road!")—before giving Chi Chi a rather critical look.

"What?" she demanded, cradling her phone to her chest. The look her friend was giving her was nerve-wracking.

"Are you…" Bulma narrowed her eyes. "Are you flirting with your neighbor?"

"No!" Chi Chi sqwuaked. She felt deeply offended, and rightfully so in her own mind. "Did you forget that I'm married? Son Goku; is that name ringing a bell?"

Bulma merely shrugged. "Yeah—but sometimes marriages fail."

"Well mine hasn't," Chi Chi replied hotly, and Bulma seemed to get the signal. They lapsed into silence, and Chi Chi decided that there was absolutely no point in texting Junior back. Unless he messaged her about Gohan's well-being, then there was no need for them to converse.

Sorry that this is mostly a transitional chapter - there's big plot stuff coming up ahead and we're laying down bits for that.

Please review, and let me know what you think!