This is a little AU because I think I made Goku's time away quite a bit longer and Vegeta's return a lot earlier to suit my needs. And I own nothing.

Piccolo never knew what holidays were until the brat came along. When the kid had first mentioned them during their time preparing for the Saiyan arrival, Piccolo had merely scoffed and passed it off as a stupid child fantasy. However, this past year with Goku being gone had opened his eyes and he realized Gohan had been very serious about these "holidays".

It baffled him that people would want to take days off to just be around one another and enjoy their miserable existence they called life. Gohan, however, was slowly but surely beginning to ebb away at his resolve.

The first time had been some completely ridiculous festivity called Valen—something or other Day. He had been meditating when the kid practically dive-bombed him, thrust something flimsy into his hands, and taken off again (in record timing, Piccolo begrudgingly noted). He easily sensed the kid hiding nearby, but played along and stared at the object in his hand.

What in the hell is this thing for? he thought. It was a red piece of paper, apparently painstakingly cut into the shape of a heart with big, bold words obviously written in a child's handwriting proclaiming HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY MR. PICCOLO! Squinting at it, he noticed some more writing showing through from the back of the card. He flipped it over and read in Gohan's careful scroll: Thanks for being my best friend! I love you Mr. Piccolo! Love, Gohan. He raised an eye ridge.

"Come on out kid," he grunted. Gohan emerged from behind a bush, a bright red blush blooming across his face.

"How do you do that?" he asked incredulously.

"Do what?" Piccolo snapped. He hated Gohan's ambiguity with his questioning. He couldn't read the kid's mind.

Gohan was unfazed. "Know I was hiding?"

"Kid, I always know where you are," Piccolo responded, leaving no room for argument. "What is this?"

"It's a valentine, sir! You know, it's Valentine's Day!" Gohan replied happily. "Do you like it?"

Piccolo evaded the question. "What's Valentine's Day?" he asked without emotion.

"Huh? Oh, you don't know what it is?"

"Obviously."

"It's a holiday." At Piccolo's blank face, Gohan cocked his head and continued, "You know, a holiday? A day celebration and fun and family and food and friends and… other stuff?" Still, a blank stare. "Oh, okay. Well Valentine's Day is the holiday where you tell someone you love them! And you're my best friend, so I love you!"

"Okay," Piccolo grunted, resuming the lotus position again.

"So… do you like it?" Gohan asked again, somewhat nervously.

"Sure. Thanks kid."

Piccolo felt two familiar ki racing towards him, one slightly faster and larger than the other. Piccolo smirked. All the training he was putting into Gohan was working quite well. He had surpassed Krillin.

The two landed before him. "Told you he was here!" Gohan exclaimed, ribbing Krillin.

"Ouch! Okay, okay, you were right! Lay off!"

Piccolo stood and looked down at the two before him and raised his eye ridges. They looked ridiculous. Gohan was clad in a black cape, his face painted white and fake canine teeth protruding from behind his upper lip. Krillin was wrapped head to toe in white paper.

Gohan noticed the look of confusion and immediately jumped in to explain. "It's Halloween! Krillin took me Trick-or-Treating, Mr. Piccolo!" he exclaimed, producing a sack filled to the brim with disgustingly bright wrappings.

"Another one of your holidays?" Piccolo asked monotonously.

"Yup! And we went to Capsule Corp. to get candy from Bulma, and she was yelling at Vegeta because he ate all the candy!"

"And why are you dressed so ridiculously?"

"That's the whole point of Halloween! You get to dress up and be silly! I'm a vampire and Krillin is a mummy! Do you want some candy?"

"I don't eat candy."

"You should try some! It's really good!" Gohan said, rooting around in his bag before producing a pink-wrapped cube. He held it out for Piccolo to take, but he refused. Ordinarily, had Krillin not been around, he may have taken it, but he did not want to be seen as weak around anyone.

"Yes, well… gotta go, kiddo," Krillin cut in. "We're having a party at Kami House tonight. I'd invite ya, Gohan, but uh… it's an… adult party, you get what I'm saying?"

"No."

Krillin almost face-planted. "Oh. It means your mother would kill me if I took you along."

Confusion crossed Gohan's face, but he didn't question it. "Okay Krillin! Thanks for taking me!"

Krillin took off to the air and headed south. Gohan watched him leave and then turned back to Piccolo asking, "What do you think he meant by adult party? Does he mean—"

Piccolo snatched the candy from Gohan's hand and began to open it, successfully distracting his musing. With a grimace, he popped the candy in his mouth, his taste buds assaulted by the sugary flavor. He swallowed it as quickly as he could, and then spit on the ground.

"There? You happy?" he growled at the kid, who was all smiles. Gohan nodded enthusiastically and then bid a farewell and took off towards home.

Piccolo shook his head. Adult party. Now that was a question Goku could answer when he returned to Earth.

"Happy Thanksgiving!" Gohan shouted as he flew towards Piccolo.

Great, another one of those holidays, Piccolo thought. Sure enough, the kid landed in front of him, carrying a basket with a cloth draped over the top. Gohan floated up next to Piccolo, mirroring his lotus position, and set the basket in his lap, removing the cloth and revealing an assortment of rolls, potatoes, and meat.

Piccolo wrinkled his nose. "What did you bring that for?"

"Leftovers from dinner! Mom and Grandpa are full and taking a nap and I'm still hungry. So I came to visit you! No one should eat alone on Thanksgiving!" Gohan exclaimed, offering Piccolo a roll.

"Kid, we've been through this. I don't ea—" Gohan gave him the look. "Give me it," he finished with a growl and took a bite. Okay, so this wasn't too bad.

Gohan began to shovel food into his mouth and Piccolo took small bites from the roll, taking his time. Kami forbid if he finished it, Gohan would make him eat some more. Although at the rate the kid was eating, there might not be any food left anyways.

"Does your mother not let you eat? That's disgusting," Piccolo scoffed.

Gohan swallowed hard and stared at Piccolo before bursting out laughing. "She feeds me plenty! I just like to eat!" And with that, he stuffed his face again.

An hour had passed and Gohan had managed to make Piccolo float to just above ground level so he could rest his head on his knee. By now, Piccolo was far used to it and it became almost habit. Any minute now the kid would start talking—

"So what are you thankful for, Piccolo?" Well, at least the "Mr." was finally dropped.

"Huh?" Piccolo grunted. He was alive. Wasn't that enough to be thankful for?

"You know, what over this past year are you thankful for? Your friends, your family? Your home? Like, I'm thankful for my mom and grandpa, all my friends, not being killed by Frieza…"

"Kid, I don't have any of those things." And he literally didn't. He'd even managed to be killed by Frieza trying to protect that idiot Goku, who wasn't even here now.

"Well…you have me, right?"

Piccolo was taken aback, but recovered quickly. "Sure, kid. Although I don't think I really have a choice, you leech."

Gohan was unfazed by the jibe. "And that's enough, isn't it?"

"Yes kid, that's enough."

"Piccolo! Are you coming to the party?" Gohan asked, bouncing up and down in front of his mentor in the snow.

"Kid, I don't go to parties," he grunted. They'd been over this three times before since the invitation had been sent out by Bulma to Gohan, telling him to bring the Namek with him.

"Oh, come on! You've never even been to one! Pleeeeeeeeease?" And there was the face emerging.

"Is Vegeta going to be there?"

"Probably."

"Then I'm not going."

"Piccolo! It will be fun! You don't even have to dress up or anything! You don't even have to talk to anyone! Please?" And now the lower lip was beginning to tremble ever so slightly…

"Gah. Fine. You're a real nuisance, you know that? And I swear, if Vegeta so much as even looks at me, I'll kill him."

"Sure thing, sir!" And with that, the two took to the air in the direction of Capsule Corp.

By the time they had arrived, everyone was there, including a very angry prince whose gravity room had been disconnected. The house was covered in lights, music was playing, and a large decorated tree was in the center of the main room.

Piccolo noted with some amusement that Bulma seemed to have no fear of Vegeta, who stood in the corner of the room opposite him. She came up to him several times, attempting to drag him into the mix of people. Krillin made a few attempts to help her coax him, but at the nasty look Vegeta gave him, retreated back to Yamcha. Piccolo's sharp ears heard Vegeta calling Bulma snide names and insults, which the woman shot right back at him. The prince finally relented and followed her to the food table.

"This is fun, right Piccolo?" Gohan asked, coming up next to him.

"If you call watching Vegeta get bullied by a woman much weaker than him fun, then sure," he replied. Then it struck him that although Gohan wasn't a woman and there had been no insulting, he had been coerced to come here in almost exactly the same way. Kami, I'm such a softy he thought bitterly.

But the smile that adorned Gohan's face throughout the entire party as he ran between people and food was entirely worth coming.