A/N: I actually had the larger part of this chapter written months in advance, because it was a great idea. I just had to figure out where to put it in the story.
o-o-o-o-o
Piccolo helped a little bit with the rest of the wreck, but quickly decided that Vegeta would need him more. He found Goku, who was helping move the car out of the street so they could begin proper clean up.
"I'm going to help Vegeta and the boys." Piccolo said once he had gotten his attention. Goku looked up from the car door he was lifting and raised an eyebrow. "I feel like at Vegeta's house is where I'm needed more." He explained. Goku nodded.
"Alright, just be careful. We're all going to be walking on glass with them for a while." He warned. Piccolo nodded and took off for Capsule Corps.
o-o-o-o-o
Vegeta and his sons landed heavily outside their house. They could do nothing but stare at it for a few moments, each with his own reason for fearing to cross the threshold. With a sigh, Vegeta wrapped his arms around his son's shoulders and walked them inside.
"Come on boys. I'll make us some lunch." He said with false cheer. Mirai chuckled.
"Just try not to kill anyone or destroy the kitchen, okay father?" Vegeta pushed him gently and smiled.
"I can cook, boy, just go upstairs and relax for a bit. I'll call you when it's ready." Mirai nodded and he followed Trunks up the stairs to their rooms.
o-o-o-o-o
Piccolo knocked on the Brief's front door. He tried the handle, and seeing that it was open, he entered, stooping low so he didn't hit his head on the door frame. He quietly shut the door and glanced around.
"DAMMIT! SHIT!"
Piccolo walked swiftly through the house, following the curses into the kitchen. He cocked an eyeridge at the sight before him.
There were open containers of food everywhere. The pot on the stove was smoking a little. The tap water was running full blast and Vegeta was standing in front of the sink with his hand under the water, cursing in mixed English and Saiyan.
Piccolo chuckled softly and walked in the kitchen, closing containers as he went. The smoke was getting worse so he moved the pot and shut the stove off as well. "Vegeta?" He said, trying to mask his amusement.
The Saiyan Prince whirled and glared.
"What?" He snapped at the smirking Namek.
He had small tears gathered in the corners of his eyes and his right hand was still under the water. Piccolo glanced quickly and saw that the palm was bright red.
"What happened?" He asked, his amusement fading to curiosity.
Vegeta's ki rose slightly as he glared past Piccolo, who turned and saw that it was directed at the stove. Vegeta snarled.
"The goddamn stove burned me! I was trying to make lunch for the boys and… Gods I shouldn't have to cook! I'm the fucking Prince of—"
"The Saiyans, I know." Piccolo finished with a chuckle. He reached around Vegeta and turned off the water. Vegeta ignored him and continued to scowl. As childish as it may seem, the more he looked at the infernal machine known as the 'stove', the angrier he became.
Vegeta lifted his hand, his lips pulled back into a snarl. Piccolo sensed the rise in ki and turned, quickly picking up on Vegeta's intent.
Taking two large steps forward, Piccolo grasped the petite Prince around his shoulders, trapping his arms at his sides once more, and lifted him off the ground. A very uncharacteristic squeak left Vegeta's mouth as he felt his feet leave the floor.
Thankful that the Namek couldn't see his blushing face, he began to struggle.
"What in the hell are you doing? Put me down!" He commanded, but Piccolo tightened his grip slightly.
"Not until you calm down." Piccolo's deep bass reverberated dangerously close to Vegeta's ear, stilling his thrashing body immediately. Waiting a few seconds to see if Vegeta's relaxed state lasted, Piccolo set him down gently.
Vegeta's ki dropped back down to its normal level. Piccolo chuckled again. The Prince looked strangely adorable when he pouted, but it was good for him to realize that not everyone will do what he says.
There was still a slight shade of pink to Vegeta's face and he refused to look at the green man.
"Let me see your hand, Vegeta." Piccolo's voice softly requested. Vegeta pretended to ignore him, and instead scowled into oblivion. Of course, Piccolo knew better. He knew the Saiyan had heard him, but he repeated himself.
"Vegeta. Your hand. Let me see it." He said, a little more firmly. Vegeta's gaze slowly shifted to meet his own, but his arms crossed over his chest didn't move. In fact, Piccolo was sure they tightened a bit.
Keeping eye contact with Vegeta, Piccolo reached forward and slowly pulled Vegeta's arm away from his body. He flipped his hand palm-up and frowned slightly. Vegeta's hand was bright red with small patches of white.
"You've burned yourself badly." He mused.
Vegeta said nothing. The Namek's hand felt cool on his burning skin. If Piccolo shut his hand, Vegeta's entire hand would fit perfectly into his palm. All of a sudden, the cool sensation was gone. Vegeta looked up confused as Piccolo walked over to the dinner table and sat down.
"Come here. I can fix that." Piccolo beckoned gently. Not usually one to follow other's orders, Vegeta hesitated slightly. The Namek smiled, and for once, he didn't look mocking or amused. "Trust me. Don't lie and tell you're fine either, because you're not."
Vegeta was still skeptic, but he had to admit, his hand did hurt. Slowly, he stepped around the table to stand in front of Piccolo.
Even when he was sitting, Piccolo was still a good bit taller than Vegeta. This slightly irritated Vegeta, and he almost contemplated walking out and leaving the Namek to sit there by himself, but his hand was still burning and starting to itch, and there was just something about the way Piccolo was watching him that made him want to stay.
Slowly, he extended his hand to Piccolo, who took it gently and looked it over again.
"On my many travels around the universe, I've picked up a few tricks." Piccolo said. Vegeta looked perplexed when Piccolo brought Vegeta's hand to his mouth and blew gently on it.
An icy cold feeling covered Vegeta's hand and he took in a small breath, fascinated with the way it seemed to caress his burn. He was so caught up in the wonderful soothing that he didn't notice Piccolo open his mouth and lick his palm.
Vegeta snapped back to reality and attempted to pull away. To his surprise, however, Piccolo's hand shot out and caught his hip, pulling him closer so that he was standing between his legs. Vegeta's face grew hot.
"Trust me." Piccolo's deep voice purred, stirring up butterflies in the pit of Vegeta's stomach. He swallowed the lump in his throat and unclenched his fist.
The Saiyan's breath hitched as Piccolo took Vegeta's pinky in his mouth and began licking it gently, careful not to bite down and cut the Prince with his sharp canines.
The cold sensation returned and Vegeta breathed in deeply. His eyes began to flutter shut when Piccolo moved on to the next finger, again being very careful. The icy cold soothing spreading over his skin paired with Piccolo's smooth tongue was almost unbearable.
The Namek smiled to himself as he watched Vegeta's reaction. His face was flushed with a bright crimson band across his nose, his eyes were unfocused and half-closed, his lips were parted slightly, and Piccolo could feel a small tremble with every swipe of his tongue.
Piccolo gave the finger one last gentle lick before moving on to the next one. Feeling curious, Piccolo took the next finger and licked it slowly. Vegeta's eyes shut and his chest swelled. When the Namek began to tenderly suck on the digit, a quiet moan left the Prince's parted lips. A gentle squeeze on Vegeta's hip caused his legs to give out.
Piccolo caught the falling Saiyan around the waist and pulled him closer, causing their bodies to almost touch. Piccolo pretended not to notice the Prince's vulnerable state when he opened his eyes and looked up at him blearily.
Piccolo wrapped his tongue around the remaining two of Vegeta's fingers, and the moan elicited from Vegeta was much more sensual than the last, warming Piccolo's entire body. Vegeta shakily reached up and gripped Piccolo's shoulder. The Namek pulled Vegeta closer so that they were touching.
Deciding to push his curiosity further, Piccolo turned Vegeta's hand so that his palm was facing him, and then proceeded to slowly lick each finger from base to tip.
Vegeta dug his nails into Piccolo's shoulder and covered his mouth, stifling a long moan. He had almost forgotten about his sons upstairs, patiently waiting for their lunch.
He made a feeble attempt to push away from the Namek who held him captive.
"Piccolo…" He breathed.
"Trunks and… Mirai… I have to…" He couldn't seem to put a full sentence together. Piccolo smiled as the Prince moaned into his hand again.
"Easy, Vegeta. I'm almost finished." Piccolo soothed.
Vegeta shivered at the seductive tone lacing Piccolo's voice.
A short scream left Vegeta's mouth and he quickly covered it, as Piccolo ran his smooth tongue over Vegeta's palm. The Saiyan wasn't sure why he had screamed; because it was so cold or because it had felt so damn good.
Vegeta's breath came in short, pleading bursts as Piccolo went over his entire hand again quickly, just to make sure it had healed completely. The Prince raised an eyebrow in surprise when Piccolo kissed each individual finger and then his palm.
Piccolo let go of the shaking Prince's hand, but kept a firm grip around his waist. He didn't want his legs to give out and send him crashing to the floor.
Vegeta looked at his hand and saw it was completely normal again, save for the slight tingling feeling that remained. He looked at the skin of his hand for a good 60 seconds, stalling so that he wouldn't have to look at the green man holding him.
Piccolo chuckled at Vegeta's embarrassment. He really was adorable. He rather enjoyed holding the smaller man close like this. It was a lot easier to look into his face, instead of staring down on him when they were both standing.
"All better now?"
Vegeta looked up and saw Piccolo smiling at him. He fought the urge to look away when he felt his face heat up. The Namek's smile widened, showing off his sharp teeth.
"I'd say my work constitutes a thank you of some form." Piccolo chuckled.
Vegeta suddenly got extremely nervous and couldn't speak. The Namek's gaze held all of the weight of the universe. Vegeta's mind was racing as he made an effort to decipher Piccolo's request.
"A… a thank you…? What do you mean?" Vegeta asked timidly.
Piccolo leaned closer to Vegeta and stared into his eyes. The Saiyan wanted to squirm under the intensity of his gaze.
"However you wish." Piccolo purred, daring Vegeta with his coal eyes. Vegeta swallowed hard, still feeling slightly unnerved due to the closeness he was sharing with the Namek.
After several agonizing seconds of silence, Vegeta crushed his lips into Piccolo's with a sensual groan, knocking him back in the chair. Recovering quickly from the shock, Piccolo curled his arm around the Prince's thin waist and pulled him so close that they could feel each other's racing heartbeats.
Vegeta pulled back, breathing hard and blushing dark red. Piccolo opened his eyes slowly and searched Vegeta's face. He smiled and rubbed Vegeta's back gently.
"That was quite a thank you." Piccolo raised an eyeridge. Vegeta pulled away gently from Piccolo and walked back over to the sink. His shoulders slumped and he sighed.
"The boys will be wondering where their food is soon." He said softly. He heard the soft rustle of fabric and the Namek's gentle footsteps. Turning slowly, he gazed up into Piccolo's gentle face.
"I'll help you, if you'd like." He offered.
Vegeta smiled slowly, making Piccolo's heart skip a beat.
"Please?" He said, making Piccolo's stomach flip. Damn, how did he do that? He smiled back and nodded, already starting to prepare the food, trying to ignore the fleeting looks Vegeta was giving him every now and again.
o-o-o-o-o
A/N: Wow long chapter. 6 pages and a little over 2000 words. Haha nice. Brownie points to anyone who can name the manga I used as a reference for Piccolo's little trick. :) R&R please, as usual. You guys are the greatest!