I've ((kind of recently)) gotten into Chiccolo, and I thought I'd try my hand here. This is going to be sort of a slow build fic. There are probably going to be questions asked, and feel free to direct them at me. If they're not going to spoil anything plot related, I will gladly tell you! But most everything will be explained as the story unfolds.

Chapter 1

"I Hate My Neighbor"

Chi Chi could have screamed with frustration, and if she were entirely honest with herself the only thing holding her in check was Gohan's eyes watching her from inside the car. They were soft and pensive, just as always, but she really knew that just meant that he was watching. Watching and absorbing every small meticulous tic that made up her psyche.

He was being so patient with this predicament, and she was so… Not. But what the hell was she supposed to do? She'd already kicked the damn tires when he wasn't looking, crammed her hand into random parts of the car, and, on a last ditch effort, she'd dumped her bottle of water into some unknown source that seemed to be making her car act a complete and total ass.

Yet here they were, running late to Gohan's meeting.

She was supposed to be speaking to his teacher about his acceptance into the accelerated program, and possibly even getting enough scholarship funds to be able to send him to a far nicer school in general, and how was it going to look when she came barging in, hair a mess, late to what could possibly be her child's entire future?!

Her cool broke for a moment, and she let out a garbled curse, slamming the hood in one violent motion. The car shook from her outburst, alerting Gohan. He was out of the car in an instant, eyes already slanting in that soft wonderful way that made her feel like a complete failure. His hand was placed, cool and calm, upon her shoulder, which he followed with one of his placating smiles.

"Hey, mom, it's okay. The meeting could be rescheduled, or maybe it doesn't matter?" His voice was lulling to her, but it also brought about a more infuriating point. He was far too calm in the face of his looming future! Chi Chi repressed what she wished she could say, and instead ran her fingers through his hair—wow, it was getting long—and placed a soft kiss on his forehead.

"I know honey; but to mommy this is really important that we make it, okay?" Chi Chi gave him a light push, motioning him back towards the car. He complied, opening the door and once more regained his seat. She took this moment to sigh, leaning back heavily against the car, groaning as she buried her face in her hands.

She wound her fingers into her bangs, gripping but not pulling as she attempted to do some problem solving.

There was no way a mechanic would reach them in time—zero percent chance. She'd decided to move out to a city entirely separate from her father, so his help—zero percent. Chi Chi hadn't had time to make any friends or acquaintances, what with dragging her business from the floor up, so any camaraderie—zero percent.

Chi Chi gave a grim smile to herself, and thought, Or, perhaps my husband could randomly show up?

Negative ten percent chance.

Losing herself again, she whipped a leg out, slamming her foot once more into the tire. She would have slung her keys if not for Gohan's eyes still obviously on her, the obvious question radiating from her child of 'should I come back out?'

Groaning, she decided she'd have to cut her losses. What could she do? She'd have to cancel the meeting, Gohan would have to skip a day of school, then he'd lose his perfect attendance, and what if, overall, that affected his chances? What if some super-freak kid who never got sick showed up, right on time, and stole whatever limited slots they were offering right out from underneath her baby's feet?

Now she was muttering in Chinese, and was thankful that she'd never actually sought to teach Gohan the language itself. He knew some Japanese—thanks husband—but for some reason neither she nor her father had ever really come around to teaching him their own tongue. This gave her free range of all that was on her mind, and she was full on ranting to the air, attempting to get all of her negativity out before she called the school.

Green distracted her.

"Is there a reason you're out here, scaring away potential customers?" a rude voice snapped, and Chi Chi spat another string of curse words. Gods, just her luck! Couldn't karma cut her a break today, what with everything happening?

"If anyone is scaring away customers," Chi Chi retorted, "it's your ugly mug." Her eyes cut daggers at her newest companion. He was tall—ridiculously so, stupidly so, thought Chi Chi—and he bowed his head beneath the awning in front of his shop. Aside from his height, his skin was dark green, which was just atrocious, and his eyebrows were bulges that sat above rude, black eyes. He also wore a hideous amount of purple; sweatpants and baggy t-shirt almost an identical color of it.

She didn't know how or why this man came to own a flower shop, dubbed Porunga's Post, directly next to Chi Chi's wondrous new restaurant—but that was how fate would have it, and she really couldn't take anymore of fate right now. Ever since day one, when Gohan accidentally wandered into his shop, and broke some stupid vase, he'd been on Chi Chi's case.

"Very witty," the man snarled, then cast his gaze to the left. His haughty look never left his face, but a sneer now creased his features. His burly form seemed to expand, his fingers digging into his flesh. Chi Chi saw the stupid pink marks crinkling there.

"Hi." Gohan was there, peeking shyly from behind her to wave at the man, and Chi Chi hadn't realized. She almost said a curse word that he'd actually understand, but quickly caught herself. Instead she focused on damage control, and snatched up Gohan's hand.

"Honey, come now, you know pigs don't like company." Chi Chi pointedly pulled Gohan away from the flower shop owner, and she felt very confident that the weight of her glare could at least burn steel.

"Is he any safer with you? Don't witches eat little kids?"

Gohan pressed his lips into a thin line, and huffed. "That's not very nice. Mommy's worried since we can't get our car to start. You shouldn't mess with her when she's already having a bad day."

Chi Chi felt her heart melt a bit and her son's loving words, and she quickly pressed another kiss to the top of his forehead. She was smoothing away hair, babbling about how it was fine, that he needn't worry about it, that they'd set the appointment up for another day.

During—what Chi Chi felt, at least—their heartfelt moment, the shop owner made a face of disgust, and quickly drew away from the two. He took two steps down the sidewalk, and approached a sleek red car, a mere space away from Chi Chi's own hunk of rust. She saw the shop owner pulling keys from his pants' pocket, and insert them into the lock.

She felt she surely must be insane… But…

"That's your car?" she blurted out, and she saw the owner's back go rigid. The back of his bald head seemed to twitch, and he cast her an irate glance over his shoulder. She met the gaze, fingers locked tightly around Gohan's.

"What about it?"

"Could you give us a ride?" Chi Chi half asked, half demanded. She glanced down at her watch, and felt more desperation welling up in her throat. What if they didn't make this? What if that super freak genius kid got Gohan's scholarships? What if he went on to win the Nobel prize while Gohan sat at home, watching cartoons until he was fifty five with Chi Chi still waiting on him hand and foot, constantly thinking back to this day—this epitomes moment—where she had to rely on some jolly green jackass to save her child?

She vaguely hoped she wasn't hyperventilating.

"Why the hell would I do that?" the owner demanded, fully facing her now. Her fingers twitched in Gohan's hands, and she snarled her teeth at him.

"To be a decent human being?" she appealed, gesturing emphatically at her child. "It's for a scholarship meeting—if we have to reschedule, I don't know what will happen."

"That's really a personal problem," the man snapped, crossing his arms, glaring down at woman and child. "I don't see how you being ill prepared, and not taking care of your possessions is somehow my fault, lady."

"Listen here—!" Chi Chi could feel her blood boiling, until Gohan stepped between the two. One moment Chi Chi was clinging to him for support, and the next he was acting as a tiny barrier between her and the monstrosity in front of her. She couldn't see his face, as it was directed towards the flower shop owner, but she could just imagine his soft, beautiful eyes upturned to such animosity.

Her heart ached at how wonderful her baby was.

"Mom could start handing out coupons to her customers," Gohan began.

"What customers," the owner snorted, though he did look mildly intrigued.

Gohan persisted. "And I could help you in the shop itself—I noticed that you had everything labeled wrong in your shop, and that some of your price tags were on the completely wrong items."

Chi Chi thought about how ridiculous Gohan looked, tiny figure standing before such a monolith. And—the shop owner actually looked mildly sheepish. His large feet shifted, and Chi Chi could tell he was thinking about it. Her breath caught in her throat, anticipation making her mad.

Finally, the shop owner grunted, and turned sharply from the duo.

"Fine. But brat, you better keep your word."

Gohan gave a hum of ascension, then waited for the door to be locked. As Chi Chi swiftly made her way over to her side of the car, she met gazes with the shop owner. She ducked her head, tucking her legs into the car, and muttered what sounded like the rushed syllables of a thank-you.

The shop owner snorted, and started his car. Chi Chi was rather taken aback with how nice it actually was—she didn't consider the flower shop to be a big one. In fact, the sign looked a bit dingy, and was almost hanging off of the side. While they certainly had enough business to stay open… well, Chi Chi just hadn't applied it to this kind of money making machine.

She shook her head. That wasn't important.

What was important was that she and Gohan were going to make that appointment, and she knew they were going to be blown away by her baby!

"Here's the coupons." Chi Chi blinked. She was currently sitting at a table with Gohan, listening to him talk about his school day—even if it was only public school for now, she still viewed every form of education as important. And, as her business was new, it was rather slow, and she figured she'd take times like this especially to spend with her son. After all, if the restaurant picked up, she might have less time for small moments like this.

It was being soured, however, by the flower shop owner's unbearable presence.

"I took the liberty of printing out some flyers, too," he huffed, slapping a pile of papers down on her table. "You and the kid could hang those up here or hand them out here. I don't particularly care." The man turned his rude gaze upon Gohan. "And kid, I expect you'll hold up your end in the bargain?"

"Yes, sir," Gohan murmured, staring up at the man.

Ah, her sweet, sweet boy. He'd definitely inherited his father's thick skin. Chi Chi herself found every single thing that this man said ingratiating to her nerves, but Gohan shook it off. Nothing ever seemed to stick or hurt him. She gave him a large smile from across the table. Without him, she was certain she would've murdered the flower shop owner simply for stepping in here.

Even if he had given them a car ride.

Now the shop owner was standing there, large and awkward, with his arms folded across his chest. He looked completely miffed, and unsure of how to proceed with what he wanted to say. Chi Chi found the sight of him uncomfortable completely hilarious, on a personal note.

"Yes?" she finally drawled, staring up at him through her bangs.

"Well, is he free now?" the shop owner huffed, and Chi Chi felt her anger rising once more.

"We were in the middle of a conversation, actually, before you—,"

"I can go now." Gohan's voice interrupted her, causing her to choke on her next word. The shop keeper looked triumphant, his smirk present. Gods, if she could get her hands around his neck—

Gohan was shutting his books, piling them all up. There were at least six or seven, and all rather dense. Contracting her brow, Chi Chi stood, scooping the text books into her arms, and giving Gohan another motherly smile.

She bent down, kissing his forehead. "Go ahead now, dear, if you want to. You can finish telling me all about your day, as long as the scary ogre doesn't eat you." She heard a snarl some six feet above her, giving her immense satisfaction.

"Mom," Gohan huffed, crossing his arms. "You two have to get along. We're officially business partners now."

She, for one, attempted to be the adult in the situation, and simply kept her 'like hell' to herself. Her companion, however, didn't seem to find this prudent, announcing his distaste for the situation vocally.

"No cussing in front of Gohan!" Chi Chi snapped, fingers tightening around the books she held. "Listen, I know you did us a favor—though I'd call it extortion—but he's still a child, and a good one at that. You are to watch your mouth around him, clear?" She could practically feel the fire burning in her eyes, the exact same flame that'd made her husband and all of his friends quiver in fear at her approach.

The man simply blinked, and rolled his eyes.

"Whatever. I'll bet he cusses when you're not around," the shop keep huffed, and he looked utterly petulant, like a small child. Chi Chi smirked.

"I do not!" Gohan emphatically denied, waving his hands in front of his face. Chi Chi chuckled, and bumped him slightly with her hip as she walked past.

"I know, honey. Trust me, I don't believe a single word that comes out of that thing's mouth."

She was certain she'd heard an indignant noise as she'd walked out of the room.

Gohan sat at a little table, flowers piled up all around him. He'd been gathering them—alphabetically—so that he could begin his quest to properly label them. The shopkeeper had thrown a pencil and some tags at him earlier, seated him at a table, and then requested that he keep out of the way. Attempting to do just that, Gohan studiously went about his assignment, squinting his eyes at each plant.

Pricing them was a bit hard, he had to admit. Considering his young age—all he had was the knowledge of what they were, not actual cash value. He'd thought to ask the shopkeeper once, but conversation was immediately terminated.

"Shut the hell up, brat." Then the shopkeeper had inclined his head once more to whatever he was watching on his phone. Rather put out, Gohan had occupied himself once more with his task, mind wandering as he thought of their recent move.

His mother had been desperate for a new start. She'd seemed miserable in their old house, where every time Gohan caught her alone in her room she was crying over his father's old gi. His grandpa had old pictures all over the place of his father, and several were of Chi Chi's wedding to him. He'd often catch his mom looking at them, or trailing a finger over the old glass.

He knew that she tried to hide how much she hurt from him, and that made it all the worse.

He didn't understand why his father couldn't come back more often. What was so great about some dumb old fighting, anyways? Why was everyone his father knew so obsessed with it? Why didn't anyone stop to think how his mom felt, or how he felt?

Sighing, he accidentally slapped an errant palm down on one of the flowers, crushing the petals just a bit. He grimaced, and saw that he'd drawn the attention of the irate shopkeeper.

"Dammit, kid. I thought you said you knew what you were doing?" the man's voice was deep and gravelly, and Gohan felt himself quivering underneath that gaze. If the man rose to his full height, he was very tall—and certainly imposing. Gohan hoped he'd stay seated.

"I-I do I was just distracted." Gohan was aware of the quaver in his voice, and he bit his lip, staring desolately down at his lap. He wanted to cry. He was supposed to be better than this.

Come on, Gohan! Chin up. You've gotta be tough for mom while I'm gone!

He bit the inside of his lip a bit too hard. He hoped it didn't bleed.

"Well stay on task," Piccolo griped. "You're working off a debt."

"Yes sir…" Gohan scribbled on the place cards more. He'd been debating between scientific names or common names. He eventually went with both, and decided that those that he didn't recognize he needed to find his botany book over. Pursing his lips, he wondered if his mom had unpacked it already. Some of his texts had been put in random packages and they hadn't gotten to them yet.

He stayed like that for about an hour more, before he heard the shopkeeper clear his throat.

"It's late. Don't you need to get back home." It wasn't a question. It was flat and dry, with no give in it. Gohan nodded, and stood from his chair. His small feet clattered against the tile, and he shuffled forward, pushing the chair into the table.

"I finished the labels. I'll talk to my mom tonight about using the computer for the prices." Gohan's voice was meek, and quiet, he twisted his fingers in front of him. In front of his mother he'd felt the need to appear strong, but being alone in a room with such an imposing figure…

He gulped.

The shopkeeper waved a dismissive hand then, and Gohan moved a little closer to the door. He peered out through the glass, then glanced backwards. The shopkeeper had turned his back to him, and appeared to be making his way towards a door in the back of the shop.

"Um…" Gohan was aware of how quiet his voice seemed. How childlike and hopeless.

The shopkeeper made an aggravated noise, and cast him a furious glare over his shoulder.

Gohan gulped.

"It's just. I don't see my mom outside… I don't want to walk back alone…"

"It's right next door," was the waspish reply, and Gohan watched one of the man's antennae flick in aggravation.

"Yeah but…"

"But what?"

"Well, mom said this was a big city and there's lot of bad people in it!" his voice was definitely getting louder, but it also sounded more whiny and pathetic.

"Listen, brat, what exactly do you want me to do? Your mother not being here isn't my problem."

"Y-you… You could walk me over?" Gohan felt all of his spit drying up, and his heart started being faster as the shopkeeper turned to face him fully. His tiny hands trembled by his thighs, and he shook underneath the weight of the gaze.

The man took a threatening step forward.

Gohan took one back.

"You and your mother keep falling deeper in debt, and I've yet to know you for even a week." The man's voice was a low hiss, and his sharp teeth were revealed as he sneered down at Gohan.

"I just—it's only a few feet," Gohan whined. He wished his mother were here.

"Exactly."

Gohan sniffed, tears collecting in his eyes. A sob escaped his mouth as he took another step back, hunkering down completely underneath the scarily large being.

"Stop that!" the shopkeeper snapped, withdrawing from Gohan. His lips pulled upwards, and he threw an arm up as if in defense of the small boy's tears. Gohan gave a pathetic sniffle, and took furious swipes at his eyes.

Groaning, the man crossed his arms, and glared down at the boy. He seemed slightly uncomfortable, and shifted his feet. His face had a purple tinge to it, and he moved closer to the front door, kicking it open.

The bell rang clearly through the store, and Gohan sniffled a few more times, turning to stare, wide-eyed, at the shopkeeper.

"Well, are you coming or not? I'm not going to sit here and listen to a child cry. It's obnoxious, and you can do it back at your own place. I'm sure your mother will coddle you, but I'm not dealing with it!" The man's voice was irate, and he was very pointedly not looking at Gohan at this point.

Giving a quick, jerky nod, Gohan shot forward. His feet hit pavement, and he heard the bell ding again as the shopkeeper came out behind him. A few people passed by on the pavement, giving the man incredulous looks, and skirting completely out of the way.

Gohan certainly felt safe with the large entity behind him, and began moving forward, walking the four feet to his mother's restaurant. Inside, he could see several customers at tables. He smiled, and then looked at the shopkeeper.

Gohan was certainly still scared, but he worked up the courage to point enthusiastically towards the interior.

"Look. Mom gave some of them your coupons. They're looking at it. Hopefully you'll have some more business soon." He was attempting to sound encouraging, but instead he received a dismissive grunt and a shoulder shrug.

"Are you going to go in at some point so I can go home?" the shopkeeper demanded, glaring down at Gohan.

His lips quivered, but he nodded yes, just as he saw his mother approaching through the glass. She pushed open the door, and quickly stepped outside, looking mildly panicked.

"I'm sorry, honey. I didn't know when you'd be coming home, and I got a little swamped with customers." Chi Chi paused, and then swiped her errant hair back behind her ears, glancing up to the shopkeeper, who was still standing there. He met her gaze, squaring his jaw and shoulders, obviously expecting a fight of some sort.

"Thank-you for walking him home." Her voice was calm, and Gohan could tell that she didn't entirely enjoy thanking the man. She glanced down at him, then, and extended her hand to him. Gohan gladly grasped her proffered palm.

"He stared crying," the shopkeeper huffed. "I didn't want him being the disgusting, sniveling thing he is in my presence."

Chi Chi immediately flared up again, and Gohan saw the angry flush creep up her neck and cheeks. "Well, there's no reason to be rude! And why was he crying anyways?" her tone was definitely suspicious and accusatory, and the shopkeeper seemed on more comfortable terms now.

His shoulders had loosened just a bit, and he scoffed at her. "It's nothing I did, you she-dragon. You've apparently babied him so much he can't even imagine walking from my door to yours without hysterics."

"He shouldn't have to! He's a child!" she snapped, hair slipping loose from her messy bun once more. Their fight ended prematurely, however, as she quickly held up her hands, and took a deep, calming breath. "Look. Unlike somebody else, I currently have customers. I don't have time to have a spitting match with a petulant, overgrown child."

The shopkeeper looked a bit miffed by this, and actually drew back slightly. Chi Chi took this opportunity to tighten her hold on Gohan, and pulled him into the shop. He glanced over his shoulder, then, and eyed the shopkeeper. Once the gaze was returned, though, Gohan quickly turned his back on the man, and followed after his mother.

And he supposed that after that the shopkeeper went home.

A week passed, with Gohan having set up a routine. Each day he'd get home from school, and head straight to Porunga's Post, taking up his post at the usual table that the shopkeeper had set up for him. The green man would always be there, and whenever customers came in he seemed gruff and rude, to the point of where Gohan wondered if the man even cared if the business stayed afloat.

He didn't understand why such a mean man would even have a flower shop—why interact with people who were obviously looking for something so meaningful. The customers normally didn't stay very long with the man's unreasonable attitude, and even fewer actually thought to buy anything.

Gohan finally grew tired of this.

A woman came in, and mentioned something to the shopkeeper about her anniversary coming up. The man very pointedly told her that he couldn't care less, and if she could please pick something and pay for it, that would be much appreciated.

She'd begun to storm out with an offended look written clearly across her face, when Gohan had hopped up from his seat, and stepped in front of the woman.

"I'm sorry to bother you ma'am. He can be a bit grumpy! Maybe I could help you?" He opened his eyes in as wide as he could, and attempted to look darling and innocent.

The woman did give pause, and gave him a scrutinizing glance.

"Aren't you a little boy? What would you know?"

"Quite a bit, ma'am!" Gohan kept up his cheery voice, and then smiled at her. "Now, can you tell me what you want to show your husband with this bouquet?"

She'd looked at him, glanced at the shopkeeper, who was staring at the duo disinterestedly. With a sharp sniff, she turned her back to the owner, and began talking fervidly to Gohan. He'd began directing her around the store, explaining the different flowers, proud of his labeling skills.

His mother had set up the computer when he'd asked, and so he'd stayed up late every night, typing so fast his fingers locked up. Chi Chi had called him adorable, and pinched his cheek.

My smart little scientist!

He glowed at her remark, even now.

Eventually the lady had decided, and Gohan set about preparing the flowers for her. He was very careful, trimming them diagonally, and wrapping them rather prettily in paper that the shopkeeper had directed him to, still looking as if his having a customer then was a big drag.

The lady did allow the man to ring her up, and he double checked with Gohan on prices. Apparently finding this even more offensive, the woman had snatched her change from the shopkeeper's hands, and huffily grabbed her bouquet.

"You're a disgrace! This little boy should be running this shop, not you." At that she turned sharply on her heels.

"You're a disgrace, too. And I hope your husband finds out that you bought the cheapest flowers at the last minute possible." The shopkeeper sneered, and gave a sarcastic two fingered salute. The woman gasped loudly, and shot angrily out of the store, slamming the door behind her.

Once she was gone, Gohan turned to look pointedly at the large man. He eventually lifted one brow, and returned Gohan's look.

"What, brat? You're staring."

"Why do you work here?" Gohan finally asked, twisting his fingers behind his back. Talking to the shopkeeper definitely scared him, but he was becoming more and more okay with it. They'd exchanged some minimal conversations, after all, in their week. But he still didn't know the man's name, or really anything about him. Usually when they spoke it was simply business.

The shopkeeper stared at him. "None of your business," was the final response that he was given, and Gohan sighed, knowing that he'd have to accept it. When the man didn't wish to speak about anything, then he certainly couldn't force it.

Returning to his seat, Gohan began folding cards again, pausing only to sharpen his pencil. Behind the counter, he heard the man clear his throat.

"How do you know so much about flowers anyways? How do you even have time to do all this? Aren't you supposed to be attending that super fancy school?"

Gohan paused, pencil tip still pushing against the paper. "They haven't answered mom. She was a little bit late to the meeting when you took us." He sighed. "I don't think I'll get in."

A grunt was his response.

"It's okay, though," Gohan plastered on a cheery smile, and swung his short legs, still unable to touch the floor. "I don't mind. And as for the flowers, I started doing research on them." He bit the tip of his pencil, leaving tiny indents in the eraser. "You see, I already knew quite a bit because I researched Botany a while back. My mom got me a book on it for Christmas one year. So whatever I didn't know—and especially prices and stuff, I just Googled it."

Another grunt.

"You don't know all that much about flowers, do you mister?" Gohan gulped. He was pushing his luck. This was the longest the man had let him talk without immediately shutting him down. And he was counting a grunt as him participating.

"No. I don't. I couldn't care less about these things." The man shrugged.

Gohan blinked, and wanted to bring back his initial question, of why he ran this shop. However, the man seemed to disagree with any questions that got more personal than what the sky looked like for the day.

They returned to silence after this, until it was time for Gohan to go home.

Like clockwork, he began tidying up his station, and pushed in his chair. Then he stood up and wandered over to the door. Behind him, he heard the shopkeeper approaching, and the two made their way through the door, the loud double ding following them.

Chi Chi appeared at the doorway to the restaurant, drying her hands upon her apron. She gave Gohan a beaming smile, and then a strained nod towards the shopkeeper.

"Did you have a good day, honey?" she greeted Gohan, as he hurriedly wrapped his arm around her, pressing comfortingly into her. He wrinkled his nose at her wet apron that smelled like food. He pulled back, and smile up at her.

"I sold a bouquet to a lady!" he enthused, and he saw Chi Chi glance above him.

"Is that so?" she questioned.

"Mhm!" He turned to smile up at the man behind him, whose ears flicked at all of the attention suddenly on him. "Isn't that right?"

"Yeah," the man huffed, waving a large hand through the air. "The brat sold some old bag flowers."

"Well, you can thank my son for actually getting you some business." Chi Chi smirked, and the shopkeeper sneered at her.

"Perhaps you can borrow him more often, maybe it'd help you out."

Chi Chi rolled her eyes at that, and ran her hand hurriedly through Gohan's hair, ruffling up his already messy mane. He giggled at her attention, before she gave him a quick kiss to his forehead.

"Go on upstairs and get ready for dinner. There's only one customer right now, so I'll be done soon." Chi Chi patted him in between his shoulder blades, and Gohan quickly entered the restaurant.

He ran through the restaurant, and went straight to the door behind the cash register. When he swung it open, he was greeted with the stairs that led up to their apartment. His footsteps thumped loudly inside the stairwell, which opened up to their living room.

Snatching a chair, he shoved it against a window, and peered downwards, to where his mother and the shopkeeper were still standing there, talking. He pressed his nose against the glass, and wished desperately that he could have stayed down there and eavesdropped.

The two down below stopped talking for a moment, and the shopkeeper paused, craned his neck upwards, and gave Gohan a rather startlingly pointed look. Shocked, he rocked back out of his chair, and grimaced. The man must have known Gohan would try to see them talking. Huffing, he quickly pushed his chair back to where it belonged, and decided to get started on his homework.

"When are you going to release him from this little contract?" Chi Chi asked, the moment Gohan was inside. She knew that her baby would go upstairs and do his homework while he waited for her to cook dinner, so she took this opportunity to talk to the shopkeeper.

"Whenever I feel like it, woman. Anyways, these little walks home are simply adding onto his debt." The man huffed, and crossed his arms, glaring pointedly down at her. She hated that he did this, every time they came within proximity of one another. He was so condescending and pompous.

"How can you count walking a little boy home as him owing you a debt?" Chi Chi demanded, fists pressing against her hips.

"I'm doing him a favor, aren't I?"

"No! You're being a decent human!"

The man paused, sneered, and gestured at his body. "Are you under some weird impression that I'm human?"

Chi Chi paused, a flush covering her face. "Wh-well. No!"

The man ignored her then, and glanced upwards, staring at something above them. She squinted at him, and followed his gaze, but was unable to see whatever it was that had caught his attention.

She snapped her fingers, then, drawing his attention back to her. "You still didn't answer my question."

"I never had any intention of doing so." Came the dry response.

"You—!"

"I'm going home now, woman, so you can sit here and rant at the air for all I care." He began turning his back towards her.

"Excuse you! The name is Chi Chi!"

He snorted. "Your name is milk?"

She flushed. "It's none of your business what it means, I just want you to stop calling me 'woman' and 'lady'! I have a name!"

"It's a stupid one."

"And you have a stupid face!" Chi Chi yelled back, foot stomping vehemently against the concrete. She had her hands balled into tiny fists, and wanted desperately to deck this monstrosity of a thing. He was so rude!

He continued walking to his door, and had it partially opened, when he paused. She turned her face away from his gaze, and attempted long, slow breaths, reigning in her temper before she went back in. She supposed that customer would be done now, and cooking for Gohan would certainly help her calm down—

"You can call me Junior." The shopkeeper caught her off-guard, and she cast him a surprised glance. He gave a weird, half-shoulder shrug when she looked to him. "Not that we'll be in contact much. But."

"Just in case." Chi Chi finished for him, and he gave a jerky nod. Then he was inside, and she quickly straightened out her apron. With a fervid glance inside, she saw that it looked like the customer was finishing up. Hurriedly tucking her hair back behind her ears, she patted her cheeks, and went back inside.

Chapter 2

"You Took My Kid!"

Chi Chi was hard at work, sweat dribbling down her back as she attempted to keep up the pace. Between running the register, cooking the food, and running tables, she was having a nightmare of a time. She hadn't expected so many people to take a liking to her food, or at the very least, not so quickly.

She'd only been in the city for two months, and she didn't know if she could keep it up anymore. Every night, when she finally closed up, she was usually too exhausted to even properly cook dinner for Gohan anymore. She was rather disappointed in herself, but also exceedingly proud of him, and his ability to maintain himself.

He'd gotten into the habit of returning from Porunga's Post, and immediately doing his homework, and oftentimes making himself something simple like a sandwich, if Chi Chi was unable to cook for him in time. Then he'd shower, come downstairs, where she'd often still be scrubbing pots, and kiss her goodnight.

It broke her heart, knowing that she was missing precious moments with her son.

So, Chi Chi decided to put up an ad in the newspaper.

The problem was, that nobody had responded. She kept desperately checking her email, phone calls, and even bought a sign that spelled out 'hiring' as clear as could be. The problem was, nobody seemed to be biting. Business stayed steady, sure, but that didn't mean anybody was actually willing to offer her any assistance.

Gohan had tried—but she'd quickly shut that down. The last thing she needed was for him to overwork himself, or to burn himself carrying food. She also didn't like the thought of him working in general, and only allowed the job with Junior to continue on because it was simple enough.

Sighing, Chi Chi reflected upon her baby. Although he was right next door, it felt as if he were miles away, robbed from her by that big green monstrosity. The thought of Junior set her grumbling to herself as she scooped noodles onto a plate, throwing the seasoning on it a bit more aggressively than she'd originally intended.

She scooped up the plates, and pushed through the doors with her shoulder, making sure to plaster a large smile on her face as she approached the customers. Checking that their drinks and everything were in order, she made sure to give each of them a big, cheesy grin, then took her leave.

All of the customers had been served, now she merely had to wait. She headed to the register, and took a small moment to herself, rotating her shoulders and neck until she heard the most satisfying pop. Shaking out her arms, she glanced up as she heard the door open, the chime sounding out.

Another customer walked in.

Chi Chi sighed.

Gohan's stomach growled, in a rather embarrassingly loud fashion. He grimaced, and glanced hurriedly down at it. Across the room, he could see Junior pausing to look at him as well, and Gohan had never wanted to hide under the floorboards more than in that moment.

"Sorry," he'd mumbled, and quickly hid his face behind his bangs as he'd attempted to go back to his work.

He heard a muffled groan, before Junior had stood up, and disappeared through a door in the back of the shop. Gohan bit his lip, wondering if he'd somehow made the man mad. He also wondered what would happen if he had.

Gohan sat there, silent as could be, until Junior returned, and tossed something at him. It arched through the air, and he yelped, allowing it to hit the desk and roll a little closer to his hand. Startled, Gohan blinked, staring at the object.

It was an apple.

"Well? Are you going to eat it or not?" Junior demanded, and Gohan blinked, looking to the rather large man. His cheeks looked rather purple, and he was very pointedly not looking at Gohan as he took a seat behind the counter again. "If you don't like those, then too bad. I don't have anything else."

Gohan gulped, and quickly nodded his head, snatching up the apple, and biting into it. He made a loud, appreciative noise, and sputtered out his thanks.

Junior ignored him.

"Head on upstairs, baby!" Chi Chi patted Gohan, and he immediately obliged, only pausing to give a rather quick nod good-bye to Junior. Once he disappeared, Chi Chi expected the shopkeeper to do the same, but unfortunately it seemed as if he had other plans.

"Milk, don't you feed your kid?" Junior's voice had sounded harsh, and Chi Chi—very reasonably on her part, she believed—took great offense to not only the words but overall tone of how he was speaking to her.

"Of course I feed him!" she snapped, eyes narrowing, completely ready for the fight she was certain was going to ensue. There was always something with him! "How could you be so stupid as to ask that?" She paused, then, and hastily tacked on, "Don't call me Milk!"

"I'll call you whatever," he sneered. "Regardless, your kid has been hungry the past few times he's come over. Hell, this time the damn brat's stomach could have been heard by someone even as useless as you."

Chi Chi took a step forward. "Listen here, you walking vegetable," her finger jabbed him sharply in the chest, and he'd gasped, the tips of his ears flicking in surprise, "I feed my child, and he receives lunch money to go to school with. And even if he is hungry, maybe you could actually send him home instead of holding him up in your stupid shop simply because you can't manage it!"

"I'd watch that hand of yours," Junior snarled, "and your tone."

Chi Chi scoffed. "Please. What are you going to do? Hit me?"

"The thought had crossed my mind—not that I'm the first man you've probably made feel this way." Junior paused, then, and shook his head, bearing his teeth together. "That's not the point. And if you're feeding your kid so much, why the hell is he always hungry?"

"Well it's not because I'm starving him!" Chi Chi snapped, huffily blowing her bangs from her face. She was enraged! He was seriously accusing her of not feeding her child! Sure, he might not have been getting as many full course meals as he was accustomed to, but she always made sure he had enough!

Where did this big green oaf get off, thinking he could come barging in and tell her what was good for Gohan, and—

"Wait." She swallowed, and it was rather painful, as she attempted to collect her thoughts. Her gaze stayed locked upon her shoes, which she had suddenly found far more interesting than the figure next to her. "Are you worried about Gohan?" Chi Chi decided to face him, worry bleeding into her features.

Junior looked astonished, and drew back, hands crossing across his chest, crinkling the purple shirt. "No! I'm just tired of hearing his stomach growling, it's incredibly annoying!"

Chi Chi opened her mouth, ready to engage again, but thought better of it. She watched the minute expressions on Junior's face, and almost wanted to giggle at what she saw. The man was obviously flustered, and looked unsure of himself. This was the second time she'd seen him so off balance. The second time didn't make it any less funny.

"Okay." She finally said, and saw his expression morph, his mouth opening slightly and his brow drawing in. "I get it. You're big and bad and tough. You don't care about some little human boy. Fine. But I do feed my son, all right?"

"Fine." Junior sniffed.

"Good."

"Wonderful."

"I have a kid upstairs, I'm not doing this," Chi Chi threw her arms up. "Let's just say, point-wise, you won this argument. Does that make you feel better?"

"We never had a point system going," Junior argued, looking rather out of his element.

"Consider it in place. I'd say it's a fifteen to two, and that's not in your favor." Chi Chi flicked her bangs from her face, and watched him attempt to form something to say. "Look, you'll have plenty of time to talk to me again and engage in another argument tomorrow."

Junior muttered something, and crossed his arms. "You're assuming that I will be seeing you tomorrow."

"Well, Gohan's going to be at your place, and if you let him walk home alone, the point system won't matter, because I'll kill you in your sleep." She then gave him her cheeriest, fakest smile, and watched him draw back minimally. Chi Chi was rather glad to see that her frightening grown men was still a thing she could do—without it, she didn't know what she would have done all of these years.

She gave what seemed like a cordial enough good-bye, and took her leave.

Gohan was talking to a customer rather animatedly as he helped her pick out flowers. He had wanted a small break from his desk work, and took this new opportunity to talk to someone. Junior was often silent in their time spent together, and he decided that pressing it certainly wasn't helping.

That didn't change the fact that this left Gohan more than a little bored, and so he took to engaging more often with the customers. It also kept their contact with Junior at a minimum, which was a rather good thing considering the man's knack for absolutely enraging anyone that he came into contact with.

It was like Junior purposefully went out of his way to aggravate anyone and everyone. At first, Gohan considered it be a prejudice against humans, yet as time went on, and they'd had different species of customers, Gohan recognized that it was just a general dislike for sentient life.

Completely flabbergasted and unsure of how to broach such a topic, Gohan had just let sleeping dinosaurs die and had taken up handling the customer service as his own little thing. He found it was enjoyable, speaking to people and helping them, along with the little tidbits they told him about their lives or what they did.

Sure, some were patronizing about his age, but others were quite delightful. He took it as a studying seminar that was more hands-on, and he especially liked the idea of such a thing. Expanding his world view, all while treating it as a curriculum! His mother would be proud, he was sure.

The woman he was currently helping, however, seemed to be in a bit of a rush, and seemed a bit harried. She wasn't really game for talking, so he focused on helping her with the flowers. He was certain he'd finally gotten her to the point where she'd actually buy something, and not talk herself out of it in her frazzled way, when Junior spoke up from behind the counter.

"All right lady, get lost. We're closing up for a moment." Junior's face was set in a snarl, and his teeth were bared at the customer. She'd immediately retracted, and cast Gohan a rather frantic look. He attempted to soothe her, momentarily, but she'd apparently decided that an eight-year-old little boy was not her ticket to safety.

She'd turned on a heel and flew from the store.

Gohan sighed. He turned to look miserably at Junior. Why did he have to be so good at scaring people? He still gave Gohan the willies, and they'd been close enough the past two months for him to know that Junior had never done anything really. Sure he growled a lot but, Gohan believed that Junior wasn't capable of any actual harm.

"Well, stop looking at me like you're brain dead," Junior snapped, rising from his seat. He'd grabbed his keys, and stuffed them in his pocket. He took long strides towards Gohan, obviously expecting him to follow.

Gohan mumbled something, but obeyed, falling in line behind the shop keeper. They were soon outside, and he noticed that Junior was headed for his car. When Gohan paused, the man made a rather exasperated sound, and motioned for Gohan to join him.

The boy paused.

"But… Shouldn't I tell mom." His voice was quavering, and he cast a nervous glance back to his house. Through the glass he couldn't see his mother just then, but he knew that she'd definitely be in the restaurant part of the building at this time. He could get to her rather quickly.

Junior snarled, swiping a hand across his face. "What the hell do you need to tell your mother?"

"That we're—that we're not going to be in the shop," Gohan mumbled, twisting his fingers together. He could practically feel Junior's anger mounting, and he wanted to crawl away and hide under something.

"What difference does it make?" Junior snapped.

"Mom wouldn't like it if I just—well, y'know, disappeared?"

"You're not disappearing. You are getting into a car so I can go get you some damn food!" Junior was still standing at his car, with the door open, fingernails digging sharply into the red paint.

Gohan gulped, but did step forward, gaining a little more confidence as he saw that Junior's anger faded with his compliance.

"We're going to get food?" Gohan inquired, wrinkling up his nose.

"Your stomach won't shut up." Junior huffed, glancing downwards. "I'm sick of listening to it." Gohan heard the jingle of keys, and he supposed that Junior was messing with them.

"I'm sorry," Gohan felt his cheeks heating up.

Junior just snorted. "It's whatever, I know you moronic humans have to ingest a lot. Now get in the car. I don't think your mother will be too angry about this." Then he crouched down, slamming the door shut behind him.

Gohan cast one final look back, feeling a vague sense of guilt creeping up over him, like he was doing something bad. He almost wanted his mother to appear, red-faced and screaming so that way he could turn around and run immediately to her, before he did this. But, he saw that wasn't happening, squared up his shoulders, and hesitantly crawled into the backseat of Junior's car.

He sat there, stunned. He really should tell his mother, really should warn her that he wouldn't be at the shop. But…

"Are you buckled yet?" Junior snapped, casting a wary glance over his shoulder. Gohan jumped at the sudden phrase, and hurriedly clipped his belt. He fiddled with it, and once Junior was satisfied that he was held in place, began reversing.

As they drove, he listened to the steady thrum of the wheels, and Gohan was struck by how silent the car was. The first time they'd driven had been rather quiet too, yet this time was much more oppressive without his mother there. Their initial drive with Junior had been her encouraging him, talking about how much he'd impress the board and how certain she was that he'd be allowed into the special school.

Gohan sucked in his bottom lip, wondering about how much better it would be if he had gone to the private school. He certainly wouldn't be in this current predicament; of that he was certain. After all, wasn't it his stupid stomach that was causing this current escapade?

He sighed.

"Well, what the hell do you eat?" Junior suddenly spoke, and Gohan blinked, looking up. He could see Junior's eyes watching him through the rearview mirror.

He gulped. "U-Um… Mom usually doesn't take me out to eat. I don't know very many places…" His voice trailed off, and he fiddled in his seat. "We didn't live close to town before, s-so we only ate if… If dad stopped somewhere when he came home."

Junior grumbled, "That didn't really answer my question."

"W-well… Where do you usually eat, Mr. Junior?" Gohan fidgeted some more.

Junior paused for a moment, seemingly thinking. Gohan watched the man's eyes become unfocused, before he spoke under his breath. "Yeah… I think they offer human items."

"Wait. What?" Gohan found that statement to not be reassuring. Human items? What did that mean? Junior either didn't hear him, though, or was choosing to not pay him any attention, and simply kept driving. So Gohan sat in silence, rather unsure about this whole thing now.

His fear decreased only when Junior pulled into the parking lot of what looked like a rather normal restaurant. The outside was painted green, with strange plants that Gohan didn't recognize growing outside. He wanted to get a closer look at them, but Junior had parked the car and was getting out, causing Gohan to follow suit.

Standing next to the man, Gohan got a bit scared, and put his hand out, snatching at the back of Junior's jogging pants. The man paused, and turned to look at him. For a moment, Gohan saw that Junior's face was clouded with anger, and his hand rose as if to knock the boy's clutch away. At the last minute, however, Junior merely dropped his hand, and grumbled, walking towards the doors of the restaurant.

Gohan attempted to glance at the sign, but Junior was walking too fast, and he didn't dare stop. Instead he kept pace with his companion, desperately holding onto the thick fabric. Once they were inside, he kept his grip, but did manage to glance around as Junior went to stand in line.

The first thing that he noticed, was that there were plenty of people who… Looked like Junior. Gohan blinked, glancing around. There were quite a few tall green men wandering around, all wearing a variety of different outfits—some had simple outfits much like Junior, but others wore large baggy pants and strange pieces of fabric wrapped around their necks.

The tiled floor and carpet were a light blue, while the walls were painted a very pastel kind of green. More of the strange plants were hanging from the walls, or were placed directly onto tables. All of the people were sitting around, drinking out of oddly shaped cups, but some were located farther in the back.

Gohan squinted his eyes up, and blinked, staring incredulously at the back. There were large bulbs, shining their light on an area that appeared to be grass instead of carpet. They sat there, cups in hand as they seemed to be basking underneath the strong lights.

Hundreds of questions were bubbling up in Gohan's mind, but Junior had moved forward in the queue. He glanced down at the boy, and seemed to take note of the strange looks he was casting around.

"Kid, focus." Junior snapped his fingers, and drew the boy's attention back to him. "What do you want to eat?"

Gohan attempted to look at the menu, but was discouraged from this by all of the rather large people in front of him. He attempted to rock on his tiptoes, but was still unable to see the menu. Behind him, he heard what sounded like a lot of curse words, before he felt hands underneath his armpits, and he was heaved up.

Gohan yelped, and dangled there, realizing just how far he was from the ground. He glanced back, and saw Junior's aggravated face.

"Are you going to look at the menu or not, brat?"

Gohan quickly nodded, and faced forwards once more, scanning the menu. Most of the items appeared to be some form of drinks—there were quite a few words that he didn't recognize up there, along with different concoctions that he couldn't quite place. He did eventually see a tiny corner of the menu sectioned off, labeled "FOOD", which consisted of burgers, hotdogs, and fries. With minimal options, Gohan told Junior that he just wanted a burger.

He was promptly lowered to the ground. Junior dug into his pockets, pulling out a billfold. Now that his feet were back on the ground, Gohan grasped at Junior's britches once more, finding he felt much safer the closer he stood to his companion.

The questions were still there, but Gohan attempted to hold onto them as much as he possibly could. It seemed like the line was taking forever, and when they finally reached the counter, Gohan was surprised that there were humans working back in the kitchen. The one running the counter, however, looked very similar to Junior, except much shorter and slighter in stature. His face seemed more angular, with his ears being far larger than his face.

"Cargo." Junior gave a slight incline of his head, and the smaller man nodded back. Gohan watched as both of their antennae twitched in response, before they quickly launched into a language that the boy didn't recognize.

He'd met many different species, and he knew that where was one there was certainly others, but he'd never been in a place solely designed for one species. This place offered human food, however it was very obvious that it was tailored specifically for whatever race Junior belonged to.

Again, he curbed his curiosity, obediently taking a cup of water that Junior soon handed him. Once the food was ready, Junior grabbed the tray, and quickly found a seat. Gohan slid into the booth across from him, accepting his food with a 'thank-you'.

He stared at the French fries for a moment in silence, before taking a bite, rather thankful of this. It had been a while since he'd been able to eat so early. Breakfast and dinner were had at home but lunch…

"Mr. Junior?" Gohan's voice was small, but the man across from him flicked his ears, eyes slowly meeting Gohan's. "I… What are you?"

Junior snorted, resting his chin against his hand, elbow pressing against the cool tabletop. "Our species is called Namekian. Or Nameks, depending."

"I've never…" Gohan paused, taking a bite of his burger. He remembered how his father used to spit food all over the table, much to his mother's chagrin, and carefully chewed his food before swallowing. "I've never seen a N-Namekian before you."

Junior shrugged. "There's enough of us. I suppose. We're from a distant planet, far away from Earth's orbit. I'm sure in school they've taught you about Earth cutting off its interstellar immigration, however." His voice sounded bitter there, but Gohan nodded slowly.

"Kind of. Mom told me about it." Gohan took another bite, chewing thoughtfully. "She said my dad was an alien, too. Or… I guess he's not. Not since he was born here."

Junior grunted, shrugging.

"What are… What are those big bulbs back there for? Is that grass?" Gohan had finished his burger, and began focusing on his fries.

Junior cast a glance over his shoulder. "Those are to simulate what Namek had for our people. If you are unable to receive enough natural sunlight, these restaurants offer Solar Ports, where those lights produce the heat and energy equivalent to the four suns that we would naturally have."

Gohan nodded, watching the Namekians that were lounging around. "Your people… They're plant like?"

Junior sneered. "I've been called a plant, a snail—anything that you humans find undesirable as an insult."

Gohan flushed, quite aware that his mother had presumed to call Junior quite a few of those things. "Hey…" Gohan noticed something else, eyebrows bunching together, nose twisting. "All of you are boys?"

"Very observant," Junior's voice was dry, and his stare flattened. "Did you also notice that we were green?"

Gohan blustered, face completely red now. "I-I just meant—um…" He trailed off, unsure of how to continue. When he'd thought of it, it had been merely an observation. He hadn't meant anything by it, but now he felt foolish.

"You humans are far too quick to enforce your own thoughts of anatomy onto other life-forms." Junior shifted in his seat. "Though, you are correct that most of us refer to ourselves as male. It is only natural while on Earth."

Gohan fell quiet, and focused on polishing off his food. Once he finished, he stood from his seat, throwing away the liner and depositing his tray on top of the trashcan. He heard Junior approaching behind him, and the two were soon back in the car.

"It's gotten dark," Junior muttered, looking at his surroundings. "Shit."

For a moment, Gohan didn't understand the concern. Then he remembered that usually Junior was walking him home at least by sunset.

"Oh no!" Gohan wailed, pawing at his face as Junior quickly pulled out, probably going slightly above the speed limit as they hurried back home. They made it back to Junior's parking space in record time, tires screeching minimally as he hit the brakes.

There was a whole two seconds of peace, before Chi Chi was at the car door, flinging it open, and pulling Gohan out of the car. She was soon showering him in hugs and kisses, demanding to know if he was okay, but not pausing in between her affections to actually allow him to answer. Chi Chi was frantic, desperately pushing his hair back from his forehead.

While Chi Chi crouched next to him, Junior had gotten out of the car slowly, seeming to hesitate in Chi Chi's presence. She had yet to turn her attention to him, but when he shut the car door, the noise seemed to jerk her out of her loving reverie.

Her face turned a fiery red, and she immediately launched up. Gohan could have sworn that if this were like a cartoon, steam would come furling out of her ears. It had been a long time since he'd seen her this mad

C'mon, Cheech! It's just one more tournament, what's the harm?

The harm is that it's you're never here!

and Gohan quickly made to intervene.

Chi Chi's jaw was already unhinged, ready to unleash the full extent of her vocabulary on Junior. He quickly reached up, though, and grasped her apron, tugging her back to face him. For a moment, Chi Chi looked as if she would yell at Gohan, but she quickly collected herself, and paused.

"Mom, it's okay. I'm sorry we didn't come tell you but…" He looked nervously at Junior, who was as stoic as ever. "But Mr. Junior knew that I was hungry so he took me to a place to eat and I'm really sorry we didn't tell you but Mr. Junior was really doing a nice thing so we're both really sorry!"

Chi Chi blinked, then glanced at Junior. "Is this true?"

Junior huffed, crossing his arms and angrily looking away. His cheeks were looking distinctly purple once more, and the tips of his ears flapped. "Don't look at me that way, damn it! I just didn't want to hear his stomach anymore! I'm adding it to his debt, in case you get any ridiculous ideas of sincerity!"

The three sat in silence, Gohan still holding on to his mother, as she looked at Junior, who was very steadfastly not looking at the Son family. There was a tense moment, where Gohan thought he would have to restrain his mother once more, when she reached one hand down, and patted his head.

"Thank-you, Junior." Her voice was softer than either Gohan or the Namekian had been predicting. Indeed, Junior actually dropped his arms, and stared, eyes wide, at the small woman before him. He stared at her for a rather ripe moment, before he quickly reverted to his normal stance.

"I told you, don't get any weird ideas! This just means that you're pushing your child further into labor. I hope you're quite proud of yourself." He sneered, then, and took his leave. Gohan watched him go, before he laughed, just a bit.

Chi Chi gave him a curious look, but Gohan simply shook his head.

"I'm sorry it's just… He was pouting, wasn't he?" He giggled a bit more, when Chi Chi finally broke too, and smiled, holding back her own laugh.

"Hm… I'd go more with embarrassed," she tittered, but then her face became more focused, and she planted her hands on her hips. "Okay, mister, you're still in trouble. You can't just take off like that and not let me know!"

Gohan ducked his head, giving a minute nod. He looked the appropriate amount of bashful, however, and Chi Chi relented, crouching down to his eye level once more. She smoothed one hand over his cheeks, and kissed his forehead.

"I just don't know what I'd do if anything had happened to you, and I didn't know, all right?" Her eyes were soft, and she did look a bit scared. Swallowing back his guilt once more, Gohan nodded, reaching his arms around her neck to hug her.

She pretended to stumble forward from his weight, pulling him with her.

"Jeez, you're getting too big!" Chi Chi huffed, and Gohan was in fits of laughter, swinging from her neck, his feet barely scraping the ground. It was true that he was almost his mother's height, and Gohan couldn't believe that one day he would definitely stand far taller than she did.

"I love you, mom," Gohan smiled, releasing her so they could head inside.

"I love you too, baby."

The next day, while Gohan was at school, Chi Chi took her one day off to hurry over to Porunga's Post. She pushed upon the door, just to have a lady shoulder her out of the way, sobbing as she went.

Chi Chi blinked, surprised, and turned to the only other occupant within the store. She slowly approached Junior, who seemed bored, leafing through a magazine. He quickly put it away, however, when he saw Chi Chi. She didn't even get to see the cover, but she had to wonder what the hell this man could be reading.

"Hello." Her voice was odd, almost awkward, and she shifted on her feet. "What was… Uh, what was that about?" She pointed backwards, to where the crying woman had disappeared.

Junior snorted, long nails clacking against the countertop. "She wanted flowers for her dead husband—and I merely pointed out that his decomposition would not be helped by her wasting her money." He shrugged. "She didn't like my suggestion."

"You—!" She paused, wanting very much so to tell him just how she felt about him. But she remembered, last night, Gohan enthusing all about their little day out.

He's a Namekian, mom! They're these aliens right—you said dad was an alien?—well so are these guys! But they're all green like Mr. Junior, though some of them aren't as big. He seemed really upset too because apparently everyone calls them plants and boogers and slugs, but he said that's because humans call them everything disgusting! I remembered that you had done that… I felt really bad…

She sighed, and pinched the bridge of her nose. "That's not good business practice." That's what she settled on. Chi Chi felt like it was the most inoffensive thing that she could think of at the moment.

"I'll bear that in mind," Junior sneered. "Now if you're done—,"

"I'm not," she interrupted, her irritation mounting again. "I want your phone number."

"I don't recall offering it."

"And I don't recall asking for it." Chi Chi snapped, a flush settling across her cheeks. "Anyways. It's not for personal use. But if you take Gohan anywhere I want you to notify me."

"You keep making assumptions!" Junior huffed, antennae fluttering. "I took the damn kid out to eat one time. Who says it's happening again?"

"Jeez, would it kill you to just exchange numbers with me?" Chi Chi demanded, hands curling up into fists once more. She was about to take all the nice things that Gohan had been saying about him and throw them back into hell.

"I'm feeling bodily harm even just thinking about it."

"Oh I'll show you bodily harm you—,"

"Um, excuse me." A tentative voice spoke up behind them, and Chi Chi quickly whirled around, still fuming as her gaze landed on a diminutive man. He stood there, and gave an awkward wave. "I was just wondering if I could get some help."

"I'm busy, get out." Junior spat, rising steadily from his chair.

"Why are you talking to your customers this way?" Chi Chi whirled back on Junior, just to receive a rather rude look.

"Why do you care?"

"I don't!"

"Then butt out!"

"Look would you just give me your damn number?!"

"Will it make you leave?"

"Well why the hell would I want to stay any longer?" Chi Chi's voice was loud now, and neither had thought to pay attention to the man that had quickly taken his leave for fear of angering either person in front of him. Both she and Junior were standing there, gazes locked, with their chests heaving.

He held out his hand, still snarling at the woman. "Give me your damn phone then."

She obliged, watching him warily as his large fingers punched numbers into her phone. He handed her back her phone, and she opened up the menu, eyeing the contact.

He'd labeled himself as 'fuck you'.

"Oh that's real mature, very classy." Chi Chi huffed, and hurriedly changed it, brow furrowed as she tapped out a message, sending it Junior.

His phone vibrated, and he opened it, face turning murderous as he looked at her.

"Really, I'm the immature one?" He held his phone screen up as proof.

"Don't start what you can't finish," Chi Chi retorted, turning her nose up at Junior. His face was still clouded with anger. "Oh, relax. It's only there for Gohan, I don't plan on keeping up a friendship with you."

Junior huffed. "Good."

"Brilliant."

"Wonderful."

"Nope, not again." Chi Chi turned her back on him. "Next time you take Gohan anywhere I expect to be told. And pictures would be nice."

Junior spluttered behind her, as she headed towards the door. "I'm not sending you pictures of anything!"

"I said they would be nice." Chi Chi retorted. "Also." She paused, tapping a finger to her chin. "I believe we're at sixteen to three, now?"

Junior blinked, staring at her. "What? When did you decide that score?"

"Well, I'm up to sixteen now, because you ended up caving in on your number. And you're up to three because… You took Gohan out to eat. It was a nice gesture."

"I told you it wasn't nice!"

"Of course not. Very evil of you to feed my child. I definitely won't recommend you as a nanny to any of my friends, all right?" Chi Chi smiled, then, and saw that she had Junior off-balanced, and he merely sat there, looking incomprehensible with his anger.

Deciding that she'd antagonized him enough for one day, she took her leave.

Tell me what you think, please! Reviews are greatly appreciated, especially considering that this pairing is rather new to me, so knowing if I'm doing them justice or not is rather important!

((If Piccolo seems a bit different it's because where he's at right now is based off of the sarcastic, pompous little dick he was back in Dragon Ball))

Thank you for your time!