PiccoloxReader - Awoken Love

Chapter 2 - What are you doing?

About a twenty minute hike, you and Piccolo finally reached the training clearing. The area was a wide open dirt circle surrounded by trees. A small river flowed into a nearby lake. Other than the local wildlife, it was quiet and empty. A perfectly secluded area.
Piccolo lifted his head and drank in the morning air. He cracked his neck before promptly leaning against an oak near by.

"Alright, get in your starting stance" Piccolo called over to you. His voice remained calm yet stern.

You grumbled. The least he could do was let you catch your breath after walking the whole way wearing ankle weights. You decided not to argue and followed his command.
Squatting low with your knees spread apart, you formed your hands into fists. You sucked in a deep breath trying to keep your balance despite the on coming breeze.

"You call that a starting stance!?" Piccolo looked at you agasht, his temple throbbing. "Have you learned nothing this week!"

"Whats wrong with it?!" You puffed your cheeks out defensively. "I am doing exactly what you told me to do last time."

"First of all your foot work is completely wrong" He pushed himself from the tree and walked over to you. "And just what is that you're doing with your hands?!" He growled. His pointed teeth showing with his annoyance.

"Um, making a fist!" You say sarcastically looking up at him as he towered over you. He wasn't much taller than you, but from the awkward position he looked rather intimidating.
Suddenly a large gust of wind picked up. Piccolos cloak swayed to one side. Normally mostly covering his purple gi underneath, it was now visible, revealing his chiseled biceps. It wasn't the first time you've seen them. There had been times when Piccolo removed his cloak during fights and training. However this time you were acutely aware of their presence. Once again Piccolos laugh invaded your thoughts, a flash of his smirk accompanied it. Again a warmth washed over your face and your body tightened up.

"Your fingers are practically turning purple!" Piccolos scolding snapped you back into reality and you quickly relaxed your grip. "You need'nt use so much strength in such a simple stance. Relax." He still sounded harsh but his tone was a bit more mellow.
"Better." Piccolo nodded, noticing your shift. "Now move your left foot back an inch."

You followed his lead without a word.

"Much better. Now I want you to hold that position for an hour" He returned to his previous position by the tree, this time closing his eyes in a relaxed meditation.

"YOU CANT BE SERIOUS!" You yelled over to him but remained still without another word. Frustration replacing your flushed cheeks.

—-

The rest of the day dragged on as Piccolo went over everything you had been taught that week. Practicing punches, kicks, dodging, and conserving your energy. Sweat poured from your brow as you heaved breathlessly. You wiped it away and flopped to the ground with an exhausted sigh.
   Piccolo lay to the right of you napping in the tall grass. His green skin glistened in the sunlight.

"Done already?" He called to you without moving or opening his eyes.

"I've been at it all day. The suns going down, and I'm exhausted. Besides... when are you going to teach me the good stuff?; like flying and energy blasts. If Videl can learn it, so can I."

"Mmmmmm" Piccolo sat up slowly. You couldn't make out the expression on his face as he stared at the setting sun with contemplation. "Very well" he finally mumbled.

"What!?, are you serious!" You felt the adrenaline rush through your body, jumping up excitedly.

Piccolo nodded as he stood up. He began walking towards the path you had arrived from.

"But, wait,.. where are you going?" You began chasing after him.

"You'll need as much energy as you can get" He responded. It sounded as if he was almost amused.

*Hmpph* You place your hands on your hips and watch him walk off for a few seconds. He sounded gentler than normal, perhaps the Namekian was growing fond of you. With a sense of eagerness you headed off after him to get a restful nights sleep.

— That Night

A sudden chill woke you from your sleep. Rolling over you watched the last remaining log on the fire pit crumble into ash, leaving a faint glow of coal remaining. Goosebumps spread down your arms are you gathered up your blanket. It was summer time, so you didn't think to pack heavy for the cold nights. When piccolo mentioned going away to a remote location, you figured it would be a bit more practical with a warm bed. You glance over to where he was sitting, wondering if he shared the same difficulty.
He sat cross legged leaning against the cave wall, in a full focus meditation, seemingly unfazed by the cold.

"Pico?" You called out to him.

Without opening his eyes he grumbled. "I told you to stop calling me that"

"Would you mind grabbing some more firewood? The stacks empty and the fires died down. Aren't you freezing?"

Again without opening his eyes he flatly responded. "No. If you want firewood, grab it yourself. Think of it as part of your strength training"

Wasn't the whole point to get a good nights sleep to conserve your energy? You sighed, sleepily stumbling your way to the front of the cave. You reached the entrance and spotted the firewood a few feet away. You were about to take a step out when a loud screech erupted in the distance. Wide eyed you quickly turned around and fast walked back towards Piccolo. There was no way you were going out their alone.
You walked over to Piccolo to get his attention when you felt something soft beneath your foot. Looking down you realize that you're standing on top of piccolos cape. He was still wearing it, but you hadn't managed to pull on it so he was unaware. An idea suddenly came over you, need for sleep clouding your judgment.
Slowly pulling the cape around yourself you immediately felt a sense of warmth. Your body succumbed to exhaustion leaning up against piccolos ribs.

"Waaaaaaaaaahhhh.... what're you doing!?" His voice came out raspy and confused. His arms uncrossed, and thrown in the air as if a bug had crawled on him. He quickly grabs you by the shoulders and scoots you away from him before standing up. He quickly covered his face his his hand.

"Uh oh... is he angry ?" You frantically stood up, trying to figure out how to calm him. "Piccolo, I'm sorry.. I didn't mean t.. wait a minute, piccolo, are you blushing?" You looked at him confused. His hand still covered his face, but his ears beamed a bright reddish purple blush.

"How,.. how dare you..." He stammered. His eyes quivered in shock before storming out of the cave.

"Wait!, where are you going!?" You call after him even more confused.

"To get you your damn fire wood!" He snarled before fading into the darkness of the night.

Piccolo? embarrassed? You couldn't help but feel amused. You chuckled quietly, waiting for him to return. You couldn't stop thinking about his flushed ears, it was cute. A warm tingling sensation entered the pit of your stomach; as if you were sick but not nauseated. It felt as though a fire itself was burning inside you. You lay down tucking your own blanket back around yourself and drifted off into a deep sleep. No firewood needed.