Chapter Text
Morning Greetings
Sunlight shines through the window, softly illuminating the room that is filled to the brim with Penenko plushies. A colorful spectacle. In the center of it all is a large bed, and as the light reaches the large, sleeping figure, they begin to stir.
The first thing Piccolo noticed was that he felt really warm. Sure there is sunlight, but how could it be this hot during this time of day? Not to mention his chest feels heavy…
…..ah, it’s all coming back to him now.
Looking down at himself, Piccolo sees a gray, sleeping face laying on his chest like it’s a pillow. Arms wrapped around him and a long tail curled around his legs, trapping him in place. Not again.
“Hey, wake up.”
“Mmh,” the figure only cuddles and presses further into the larger male, their tail tightening around him as well.
“Hey, I said wake up!” Pulling an arm free, Piccolo proceeds to push the Shark looking creature. Trying to get them to loosen their grip only to no avail. The sleeping male eventually does open their eyes, and immediately their expression melts into a warm smile upon seeing Piccolo's grumpy face.
“Good morning Piccolo~”
“Why are you in my bed again Gamma 2?”
The shark man proceeds to rub his face against Piccolo, still sleepy. “The lake was too cold last night. So I came here to seek warmth from you. I hope you don’t mind~”
“That’s the same excuse you used last time this happened. Now get off hrrk!” His grip tightens around his body, crushing his lungs a bit from the force.
“That’s so mean. Treat me better~”
“Then you should stop sneaking into my bed in the middle of the night while soaking wet! Ack!”
Gamma 2 continues to tighten his hug, moving towards the poor Namek’s neck for more cuddles. It’s a wonder how such a small body could hold enough strength to choke all the air out of him.
“I think I prefer staying this way a little longer.” Gamma 2 said, nuzzling his head against Piccolo’s neck. “You feel so warm.”
“Get off…too tight…gah!?”
“Oh? Did I hit something sensitive?” To test his theory, Gamma 2 rubs himself against Piccolo’s neck again, his head fin making contact with Piccolo’s ears and prompting a shiver from him.
“Ooh, looks like I know what I’ll be doing today~”
“Don’t you dare Gam-ah!”
Gamma 2 promptly ignored Piccolo, getting close to his ear and giving it light little pecks. Piccolo tries to turn away, but can only move so far while being held down, leaving him vulnerable to more of Gamma 2’s light kisses.
“Look at you, trying to get away. Don’t deny my affections Love~” Gamma 2 proceeds to lightly nip Piccolo’s ear, bringing out a vibrant purple to his normally green skin. “I wonder what other weak spots you have.”
“Gamma 2…if you don’t stop right this-ngh! Instant. I swear… I will throw you out the window.”
Gamma 2 simply smiles at the threat. Unfazed by the glaring giant beneath him.
“I’ll take my chances. It’s my job to know what makes my future partner feel good after all.”
“For the last time, I never agreed to become your partner! Let go already!”
As Piccolo turns away from Gamma 2 again, the shark turns his focus on Piccolo’s antennas. Usually, those appendages are always hidden under a turban. But now they are fully exposed. Perhaps there’s a reason for hiding them, and Gamma 2 gets a wicked idea. Piccolo does not miss that look.
“Don’t you dare! I know that look on your face.”
“Aw don’t worry Piccolo~ I’m not gonna hurt you. So relax and let me spoil you a bit more.” Gamma 2 proceeds to inch closer toward Piccolo’s antennae, realizing what he’s about to do, the Namek panics and struggles even more.
“This isn’t funny! Get off right NOW!!”
The panic confirms Gamma 2’s suspicions, reaching the little antenna and promptly engulfing it in his mouth…followed by the sound of breaking glass and splashing water as an angry Piccolo yelled out:
“AND STAY IN YOUR LAKE THIS TIME!”
Piccolo never expected his life to become like this. Getting a house in a nicely secluded area with plenty of access to fresh water. He especially did not expect that he would be sharing his home with a shark that just showed up one day. And as angry as he was to be woken up like this again, he knows he’ll be heading out to check on the perverse shark real soon.
——————————
“Pleeaaase. I said I was sorry.”
“Sorry doesn’t change the fact you didn’t listen the first time I said stop.”
Sure enough, Piccolo ended up visiting Gamma 2 a few hours later, just to make sure he didn’t cause any lasting damage to him. But judging from the shark exhibiting his usual energetic self, he’s perfectly fine. And with that, it means he’s also just as annoying.
“So explain to me again why you can’t leave yet?”
“Because you have not yet accepted my proclamation of love! I know that our meeting must be fate and I want to show that to my friends and family. Can’t you feel my sincerity?”
“I wouldn’t know what that feels like in the first place. Namekians are a species that don’t seek romance.”
“That just means you're inexperienced. But that’s okay, I’m the same! We can learn together.”
“That’s not what I mean. Sigh”
How did things come to this? All Piccolo did was come across this strange shark while doing his usual training. Gamma 2 had found himself far from home when he was captured by poachers looking to sell him. While Piccolo was able to scare off the poachers and save the shark, ever since then he has seen Piccolo as his savior and destined partner and wouldn’t leave him alone. Even rejecting Piccolo’s attempt at sending him back home, though it’s possible the poor guy doesn’t even know the way back due to being locked in a crate during the whole mess.
Gamma 2 proceeded to continue with his attempt at flirting. “But you looked so cute, all helpless in my embrace. I couldn’t help but tease you a little. Imagine how much better it would be if we are wed-“
GLARE
“Okay okay! I’m sorry! I promise to never do that again.”
“Good.”
“I’m willing to wait till after our Union.”
“I never agreed to any Union!”
Even so, Gamma 2 doesn’t seem to mind not going home till he convinces Piccolo to become his partner. He even suggested staying here once they “wed”. Just how insistent is he on getting with Piccolo? It should be in his best interest to find a partner of the same species. Not with an antisocial green slug that doesn't even understand the concept of being in love.
Meeting Pan
“Piccolo! I’m back from preschool! Huh?”
“Ah, Pan.”
“Piccolo has forgotten that Pan was going to visit today. The little girl probably wasn’t expecting to show up to find her favorite Green Uncle’s house in a complete mess. The table was toppled over, the Penenko Dolls are scattered in several places, and kitchen utensils on the floor. But the strangest of all was the mud streaming all over the place. And then there was Piccolo himself, holding a towel over a bucket, in the midst of cleaning the mess. It was a shocking sight.
“Piccolo! What happened to your house!? And what happened to your gifts?” She seems to look at him with worry.
“It’s okay Pan. I’ll be able to clean everything soon.”
“It’s not okay! Who did this to you? Who’s the bully?”
Ah, she thinks he’s getting bullied.
“Don’t worry Pan, I already made sure the culprit knows just how much trouble he’s in,” Piccolo said, proceeding to look at his bathroom door. “I’m sure he’s learned his lesson.”
“Huh?”
——————————
In Piccolo’s bathroom, Gamma 2 can be seen sitting in the tub, his body is covered in mud, sports a huge bump on his head, and he smells of tea. At the moment he is having a staring contest with Pan. The little girl was watching him suspiciously, judging him with as much ferocity as a little girl can show.
“So you're the bully who made a mess of Piccolo’s house?”
“I’m no bully! I’m Piccolo’s partner.”
“Partner? Do you mean like a training partner? But I’m Piccolo’s training partner!”
“Oh, I’m even better. I’m Piccolo’s lover.”
This prompts an absolutely embarrassed Piccolo to give Gamma 2 another good smack on the head. Adding onto the already existing bump.
“Stop saying nonsense like that to a child! Do you want to cause misunderstandings?” Gamma 2 winces from the pain and loud shouting, taking a moment to think about his words.
“You’re right…that’s not till we finish our Union first! How could I have forgotten such an important detail?”
“That’s not the point!”
Great, now Pan may get the wrong idea about him and Gamma 2. Hopefully, she doesn’t mention any of this to Gohan, cause knowing him, he’ll make a big deal about the possibility of Piccolo getting “engaged”.
Gamma 2 looks back up at Piccolo, rubbing his new bump and teary-eyed.
“But I prepared breakfast for you today. You wouldn’t eat the fish I gave you raw, so I just wanted to cook it up and serve it with your favorite tea. Sure I made a mess in the process. But I was going to clean it before you found out. Was that…not enough?”
Piccolo gets taken aback at this response. Gamma 2 has never made such a pitiful expression before. And even Pan is starting to feel bad for the guy.
“So you were just trying to make something nice for Piccolo?”
Gamma 2 nods at this. “But you see. I don’t have legs, so I had trouble reaching some things. I used the table as a stool aaaannnnnd it didn’t turn out as I had hoped.”
This explanation, plus the sad eyes further melts Pan’s heart.
“Aww. So you really were trying to be nice. But that’s still no excuse for causing such a big mess.”
Good, Pan gets it. She can convince Gamma 2 that his efforts of wooing Piccolo are just a waste of energy and change his mind.
“If you had trouble navigating the house, why didn’t you call Piccolo for help? My Papa always helps Mama when she has trouble doing some things.”
“Huh?”
“Just because you want to be Piccolo’s wife doesn’t mean you have to force yourself to do the work by yourself. Mamas and Papas have to work together to show they love each other.”
What the hell is Pan saying!? “Pan, I don’t think that has anything to do with-”
“Wow. So you mean I should be more willing to do things with Piccolo?” this prompts a nod from Pan, appearing rather confident while Piccolo is still confused about where things are going.
“I never thought of it that way. I was so focused on surprising Piccolo that I neglected to consider my own limits. And ended up pushing him away in the process when we should actually spend more time figuring things out.” Gamma 2’s eyes started to sparkle, picking up Pan’s little hand. “You're a genius, Pan! I promise when Piccolo and I join together we will invite you as a guest at our Union.”
“I’ll be happy to see Piccolo find someone to be happy with. Good luck, Mr. Shark!”
“Are you two just going to ignore everything I say?”
Sharing Activities
Piccolo is deep in meditation, floating above the ground he breathes slowly, letting his mind become free of all distractions. To become aware of all that surrounds him. He can feel the vibrations of the Earth below him, the breeze in the air, the sound of the waterfall. Splashing. All is calm…for a minute.
”Come on Piccolo, swim with me.”
“I said I’m meditating.”
”Well why not do it in the water? It’s important that we share activities if we want to get to know each other as partners.”
”And I’ve already told you that is not happening. When will you get it?”
”Hehe. I won’t stop until YOU get it. Even Pan can see our connection.”
“That’s because she’s just a-“ Piccolo paused. Finding himself losing focus. “Sigh can you at least stay quiet till l finish?”
”Alright Sweetheart.”
”What did you just call me?”
”Well I’m thinking of cute little nicknames for you. We are going to become life partners after all.”
“Ghn. Just be quiet!”
“Okay.”
And so he tries to get back into a focused state of mind. Gamma 2 watches this, fascinated by the calm aura his future partner exudes. If only they can get closer. Pan suggested that they do things together to learn more about each other and show their love, but he’s been having trouble convincing Piccolo to do any activities with him. And this worries him, if he can’t convince Piccolo to do any together, won’t they stray further apart from each other? Will he have to go back without being able to introduce his family to such a wonderful guy?
No, there is always another solution he thinks. If Piccolo can’t be convinced to do any of Gamma 2’s activities, than he can do Piccolo’s activities instead. Meditation isn’t too hard right?
And so the shark mimics Piccolo’s sitting position.
Back straight, arms relaxed. Eyes closed and legs…uh oh.
(Damn it I barely started and there already is a problem. How should I sit when I have no legs to cross? This way? Or this way? Maybe like this?)
”Your shifting too much. It’s distracting.”
”Oops! Sorry Piccolo. I’ll be quiet.”
”Hm.”
(He’s back to meditating. I should give him space.)
And so, Gamma 2 gets back in the water, sinking into the bottom of the lake to give Piccolo some peace and quiet.
——————————
Somewhere near the bottom of the lake, Gamma 2 sat down and was deep in thought.
Piccolo made meditation look so easy, yet Gamma 2 couldn’t even get past the simplest step of sitting correctly for the meditation. But without an extra appendage it impossible for him to do it exactly like Piccolo.
”But if I can’t even share his love for training, than we really have nothing we can do together.” We’ll drift apart…no! I’m not giving up yet!
”Now’s too early to be sure it can’t work! I’ll just have to get closer to him in other ways. Hm. Perhaps I can start with the way I dress?”
But he is completely naked all the time due to never needing clothes. What can he possibly wear that is anything like Piccolo? Noticing some nearby plants, an idea comes to mind.
”If I just wrap these around my head, it’ll be like I have a turban just like Piccolo. And with enough I may even have a whole cape!” Oh it’ll be so cool, no doubt once he shows Piccolo, the Namekian would accept their Union immediately.
It took a lot of time and effort, but Gamma 2 manages to collect enough plants to to create his own turban and cape. Even creating a seat that resembles a leg so that he can “cross” his tail. As he puts the clothes on and took his seat, feels cooler and more like his partner already.
“Alright. Let’s try meditating again.” Sitting himself down, back straight, arms relaxed, and eyes closed, with some new clothes, Gamma 2 becomes one with his environment. The vibration within the water, the sound of the bubbles rising. At first it wasn’t too hard, but then he finds it a struggle to sit still once more.
“I don’t get it, I did everything just like Piccolo did. So why am I still unable to figure out meditation?”
Maybe it’s not just the clothes? Perhaps there’s more to Piccolo that he is lacking? But what could it be? Hm, Piccolo have those two antennae of his, but Gamma 2 has two large fins. That’s pretty close. Maybe it’s the nose? Can’t be that either, he has a pretty good sense of smell. Could it be the ears? Waitaminute. Ears…
Piccolo has those really long pointy ears that makes him look like he came straight out of a fairytale.
Gamma 2 on the other hand has small, round nubs on the side of his head. That must be it! But what can be used to replicate ears? Gamma 2 has used up the majority of the plants in the area. And there’s nothing else around that is shaped like…snip snip snip.
”What was that?”
Looking below, it is revealed a fish has come out of its little den, it’s teeth chewing against the ends of Gamma 2’s plant cape. Wait, the shape of its fins, they are the perfect shape of Piccolo’s ears! He just needs to use them to complete his costume.
“Now little fishy, come to Gamma.”
——————————
Piccolo stirs from meditation, realizing quite a bit of time has passed. Gamma 2 is no where to be seen, that would explain why its been so quiet. It’s about time he head inside and-glurgle glurgle.
”What?”
Bubbles is coming to the surface of the lake, and Piccolo can sense an aura of panic following them. A shadow appears beneath the water, and a fin breaks the surface as a freaked out Gamma 2 covered in plants jumps out the water.
”Ah! Get it off! Get it off!”
Gamma 2 is rolling around the ground in pain as Piccolo watches in confusion. Gamma 2 eventually notices his presence, quickly getting up to grab the green man by the shoulders.
”Piccolo please help me get it off!”
And that’s when he saw it, a fish, biting and pulling at Gamma 2’s cheeks, it pulling so hard that the shark’s face looked like it was a stretched mochi with giant crying eyes.
It was kind of amusing.
”Now’s not the time to find this situation funny! Help me!”
”Alright alright. Just stand still.
Since then, Gamma 2 decided to never again include fish in his plans of getting closer to Piccolo.
Gamma 2 Home Alone
“Hello Piccolo! I’m coming innnnn……Piccolo?”
The house was quiet. Usually, Piccolo would be awake and getting ready for training by now.
“Hm. Maybe he’s still in bed? Hehe.”
Crawling his way up the stairs, Gamma 2 finds the room overly decorated in plushies as always. In the center is the bed, but it’s empty. So not here, he proceeded to check the bathroom, the storage, and even went out to look at the roof. No sign of the green giant anywhere. And that’s when he finds a note taped to the doorway.
I’ll be on the Lookout for the day. Make sure to stay out of trouble while I’m gone.
-Piccolo
Ah, so Piccolo has left the house. Must have been real early if not even Gamma 2 noticed him leaving. Such a shame, he would have loved to sneak into Piccolo’s bed for more of his warmth. Plus with the Namekian gone, he has no one else to interact with.
Looks like he’ll have to entertain himself in other ways till he gets back.
So goes and does some underwater somersaults, hunted his lunch, and even tried basket-making with the underwater plants to little success.
At some point he stumbled upon a strange, furry land animal and tried to befriend them, only for it to run away.
The day is moving so much slower without Piccolo, and all Gamma 2 could think about was when will he be back. Other than the sound of falling water, this place is a quiet and rather boring paradise. Still, much better than the crate he was trapped in before coming to this place.
“Heh, how long ago has it been?”
Leaning his head down on the soft grass, his mind wanders back to that day…
…
“Gamma 1! Look! I caught a big one. There’s so much tasty fishes here!”
“Gamma 2 get away from there! There are humans fishing.”
Despite Gamma 1’s words, the younger twin simply laughs, oblivious to the dangers.
“As if it’ll be that easy to catch me. I’ll swim away before a human can even get-SHUNK!”
Suddenly there was pain…so much pain. Spreading from his shoulder, the shark turns his head to find a huge Hook sticking right through meat and bone. The blood turning the surrounding water red.
“GAMMA 2!” He can barely make out Gamma 1 swimming towards him before the hook started to move.
He couldn’t get away. The metal hook retracted, pulling and tearing his shoulder as it forced him away from his brother, his cries becoming quieter as darkness takes over his vision…
After that, new voices appeared.
“…Is it an undiscovered species?”
“I’m sure of it…This is no mermaid…”
”Tail…like a Shark…”
“.....I heard…fin soup is a delicacy.”
”Stuff it in a box…will be rich…”
It’s so cramped…Gamma 2 couldn’t remember how long he was in that crate, or who he was being sent to. Whether he is being sold for science…or to be eaten. His shoulder pulsed with pain from every shift of the crate, regretting that he could never apologize to his brother for being an idiot…
…
Chiiiiiirp chiiiiirp chiiiiirp
There’s the sound of crickets, waking Gamma 2 from his slumber. When did he fall asleep? Looks like he slept a while too judging from the warmer colors of the sun making way for night to come. It’s getting cold again…Gamma 2 pulls himself out of the lake.
It’s a lot of work making it back to the bedroom. But Gamma 2 preferred not to stay outside at the moment. Finding the bed surrounded by the Penenkos, Gamma 2 moves them out of the way and proceeds to plop himself on the bed, trying to get comfort from the remaining scent of Piccolo from the sheets.
Piccolo…he’s such a cold guy. And yet Gamma 2 still finds himself yearning for his affection and kindness. He knows the giant slug is capable of it. He’s shown it when Pan visited. He’s shown it during the times he would talk about an old student of his named Gohan. He’s shown it when he got him out of that hell…
“Hey, wake up. You alright?” Someone is shaking and calling him. The voice sounded muffled and his head hurts.
“Ngh…Gamma 1?” Opening his eyes, he can see he’s no longer in the crate, and he’s being held by someone…green. Turning his eyes, Gamma 2 sees himself in the arms of a tall, muscular green man. With pointed ears and antennas. He doesn’t appear to be human.
“No, my name would be Piccolo. I heard someone’s call for help, I assume that would be you?”
Help…yeah. He did call for help…is he…finally safe?
“Hey, don’t fall back asleep. We need to get you treated. Do you know anyone else involved in your…”
He’s so warm…It feels like he’s being held in the arms of an angel. No…it’s safer than that…like being held in the comforting embrace of a God. With that, he fell back asleep safe in the arms of his savior.
——————————
“Hey, wake up.”
“Hng?”
A familiar grumpy face watches over him. His white cape billows out behind him like wings as a green hand rests on his shoulder, shaking him lightly from sleep.
“What did I say about climbing into my bed all wet? It’s all soaked again.”
Gamma 2 blinked a few times and took his time to just look at Piccolo. He proceeds to remove the clawed hand on his shoulder, placing it on his cheek as a smile spreads on his face.
“You’re back. I missed you, Piccolo.”
“I was only gone for the day. And don’t think acting cute means you can get away with this.”
“I know…but let's stay this way a little longer”
Gamma 2 is still being strange and affectionate, but this time it is not the usual boisterous claims of love and fate. Perhaps it's because he’s still half-asleep. Or perhaps his mind was occupied with other thoughts at that moment. Piccolo could never get a clear read of him when he’s in one of these moods but allows himself to be a source of comfort and safety whenever Gamma 2 needs it.
“Darling.”
“Huh?” Looking over, Piccolo sees Gamma 2 with the biggest shit-eating grin on his face.
“You responded. I knew you weren’t completely against our Union!” Upon realizing what he just did, Piccolo becomes a bright purple once again, avoiding eye contact with the once again energetic male.
Piccolo may never understand why Gamma 2 holds such feelings towards him, or exactly what his life was like before they met. But as long as Gamma 2 is a guest at his lake, Piccolo will do his part and keep the goof safe.