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When tutoring Gohan proves to be a bit boring, your attention turns elsewhere...(Piccolo/Fem!Reader Fluff. SFW, Minors DNI.)
//Shoutout to the ask I got with the prompt having something to do with a character unsure about why the reader or MC was watching them! Sadly the ask is no longer in my inbox, nor do I remember the name of the sender, but it was a big inspiration for this story!
When you signed up to be a children’s math tutor, you had no idea what you were getting yourself into. Most of the kids you worked with were sweet and cooperative for the most part - some were a little mopey when you forced them to try equations on their own - but they were quick to improve compared to when you first started working with them. Gohan was no different: in fact, he was far beyond most kids his age, and you had to wonder why his mother had hired you. While Gohan himself was very mild-mannered, the environment you often walked into was…not. You would sit down at the kitchen counter to do some problems with Gohan just to watch his father run in, down multiple containers of leftovers without bothering to sit down, and then jog back out to do whatever it was he was doing. You heard his mother yelling constantly about how much he was training and how he wasn’t being a great role model for his son. Eventually, you figured you would have better luck tutoring Gohan outside.
Gohan seemed amiable to the idea. The weather was starting to warm up, and you even started to bring a blanket for the two of you to sit on while you worked. You were unsure if Gohan’s parents were in an unhappy marriage, or if they were just unusually loud - either way, you no longer had to deal with them. The first few tutoring sessions outside went flawlessly, and you left feeling proud. It wasn’t long until some new strange…thing popped up, however.
And that was exactly what it was, a thing. Or perhaps a man, you couldn’t be sure.The first day you noticed it, or him, you were in the middle of explaining long division to Gohan. You trailed off when you saw the…creature cross the yard and gingerly sit down, propping himself against a nearby tree.
“Mrs. [L/N]? What were you saying?”
“Hm?” Your attention was jolted back to the child in front of you. Gohan followed your gaze and laughed.
“Oh, that’s just Mr. Piccolo. He likes to come here to meditate sometimes.” You just nodded, although that raised further questions. How could this eight year old be so calm about a man - if you could even call him that - wandering onto his property? Was this Piccolo human? Could he be trusted?
You had heard rumors of aliens, invasions that could have caused disasters had it not been for a special fighting force on earth. They consisted of super-humans, or so you figured. Though you had never really put much stock into the idea in general. Perhaps you should have. You decided that Piccolo's origins and intentions were above your paygrade, so you handed Gohan a list of division problems and asked him to complete them what you had just gone over.
It didn’t take long for you to become accustomed to Piccolo's presence. It seemed that he enjoyed the fresh air and quiet, much like you and Gohan did. Sometimes, you would study him while Gohan was busy with his work: the way his face was so serious despite its peaceful state, the occasional twitch of his antennae, the bicep muscles that poked out from underneath his cape, somehow bulging even when he just had his fingertips lightly pressed together. Gohan often had to poke you or call your name to bring your attention back to reality.
Gohan’s final math test of the year was coming up, and his mother - Chi-Chi was her name, you learned - asked you to come in more and more frequently as the test grew closer.
“...and if we divide by two, what would the answer be?”
“One hundred and ten,” Gohan murmured, picking at the grass below you two.
“Very good! Let’s see…” You looked over your lesson plans, trying to find something the two of you haven’t covered yet. “How about we review the multiplication table, then? Can you tell me what twelve times nine is?” You asked, trying to think of one that might challenge him.
“One hundred and eight,” Gohan’s answer was immediate: his gaze was on the sky now, seemingly more interested in the clouds than in multiplication. Sighing, you put your lesson plans down. You felt bad for the kid: he was more than prepared for the test. It wasn’t his fault his mother was a nut.
“Alright, what do you say I give you these worksheets, and when you finish, you sketch some of the prettiest clouds you see for me?” You suggested, grabbing a few worksheets.
Gohan’s eyes widened, “But mom wants me to study as much as I can before my big test!”
“Trust me, Gohan,” you smiled, “I wouldn’t be offering this if I thought you weren’t more than prepared.” Gohan hesitantly took the worksheets and you turned away, content. This way Gohan could get a bit of a break and you could still get paid.
You had come prepared for this very situation. Rummaging around in your bag, you pulled out a worn-down leather sketchbook and a pencil, deciding to do a bit of drawing yourself. First, you started sketching individual blades of grass, harshly dragging your pencil against the paper to encapsulate a bit of texture. But that quickly grew boring. You sketched a few interestingly shaped clouds - one seemed to be shaped like a dragon, another a hand - but the day was shockingly clear. Most of the clouds were either fluffy and nebulous or too small to appear interesting. You huffed and lowered your gaze back down, resting your chin in your palm.
That was when you spotted Piccolo. He was a bit further away than usual, but still visible as ever in his purple gi.
Perfect.
You started with a simple outline - his straight back, the way his slender fingers just barely touched, his elbows resting stiffly on crossed knees. There was a delicacy in his posture, a delicacy you tried to capture. After sketching his body, you moved onto his facial features: his peaceful eyes that still held a certain seriousness even when closed, the way his face was turned slightly upwards, and, of course, his antennae. You were just adding his ears when you heard a voice in your ear.
“Whatcha drawing?”
You yelped and pulled your sketchbook close to you, turning to the kid next to you. You must have lost track of time - all of Gohan’s worksheets were completed and there were even a few sketches of clouds in the margins.
“Nothing, it - it’s nothing!” You checked your watch. “It seems like we’ve only got a few minutes left anyways, so we can -”
“Hey, that’s Mr. Piccolo!” Gohan was leaning in closer, squinting at your drawing. “Yeah! That’s a really good drawing, Ms. [L/N]. You should show him!”
You looked at Gohan, bewildered. Show him? Why would someone like Piccolo be interested in a drawing of yours? He’d been nothing but stoic every time you’d seen him.
“He told me he’s caught you watching him, y’know.”
“He has? How does - I mean, why does he think I was watching him?” You could’ve sworn each time you had stolen glances, Piccolo’s eyes had been closed. Gohan just shrugged.
“I dunno. But he asks about you, sometimes.”
“Really…” You tilted your head, turning your gaze back to Piccolo. As if on cue, he opened a single eye and raised a brow questioningly. The sudden eye contact sent what felt like a jolt of electricity through your system, and you quickly averted your gaze. You could have sworn you heard a deep chuckle in the distance, and your ears burned red.
You were here to teach, damnit! Not gawk at alien creatures in your client’s yard. You looked wearily back at Gohan, who nodded encouragingly. Maybe…maybe if you gave him the drawing, you’d stop thinking about him. Without another word, you stood up and tore the drawing out of your sketchbook, tossing the book to the ground. You tried to walk quietly so as not to disturb him - maybe you could put it next to him or something and pray it didn’t blow away - but Piccolo opened his eyes as soon as you started to get close.
“Yes?” His voice was gruff, but not harsh. You held out the drawing pathetically, and you couldn’t help but notice how his calloused fingers brushed yours as he grabbed the drawing from you. He looked it over and chuckled to himself, and you felt yourself get even redder. Eventually, he looked up, and you were surprised to see that there was a gentleness in his eyes.
“When are you coming back?”
“I-I’m unsure - Gohan’s final math test for the year is in a few days, so I don’t think I’ll need to be back -”
“Come back in a week. I’ll be training Gohan in the woods then.”
You opened your mouth to ask what he meant by training, or why they were going into the woods, or why Gohan’s parents trust him with their son, but Piccolo shut his eyes as soon as he finished speaking, so you took it as a sign that the conversation was finished. You walked back to collect your belongings from under the tree where you and Gohan had been working. Hearing a knock coming from the house behind you, you looked back to see Gohan beaming out of one of the house’s windows, giving you two thumbs up. You smiled to yourself, walking back to your car with your bag, your hands still shaking. You weren’t sure what was coming next, but it was sure to be interesting.
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DBZ Thoughts: Gohan saving Videl from Spopovich is not as romantic as it seems
So I made this post a while back comparing the Videl v Spopovich fight with the Vegeta v Frieza fight. In the blog, I indicated along the lines that Videl's fight marked the end of her status as a fighter. After this fight, Videl was reduced to a love interest and any development her character could have had as a next-gen human fighter was dropped.
I would argue that Gohan's attempted intervention in the Videl v Spopovich fight put the nail in the coffin for respecting Videl as a fighter.
Why do I say this? Let's establish the facts:
Videl up till this point is a very capable and proud fighter, IMO more than her dad Mr Satan. She uses her skills to help people and she shows curiosity for new techniques as demonstrated by her desire to learn to fly. Sure, Gohan has saved her as the Great Saiyaman but she has so much courage to risk her life every day.
Videl is such a proud fighter that she CHOSE to remain in the fight. Remember this is a tournament fight with rules and exits. With two words, Videl can walk away from this fight without any consequences besides maybe a bruised ego. However, even when her head is being squashed, she refuses to concede. I think it's Vegeta's level of stupidity, but I respect her for it.
So what is the impact of Gohan trying to save Videl?
If Gohan interrupted the fight before Yamu, he would have been disqualified from the tournament. Videl wanted Gohan to be in the tournament so I don't think Pre-fight Videl would have appreciated Gohan being disqualified.
Gohan is basically disrespecting Videl as a fighter. By intervening, Gohan is unintentionally demonstrating his need to save Videl from her own decisions. Videl is too dumb to save herself due to her pride so Gohan has to step in as her knight in shining armor. Remember, Videl does not need saving! This is not a life-or-death battle like with the Frieza forces, just a very violent tournament match. That Videl can walk away from HERSELF.
The audience is being told that Videl can no longer depend on her own skills and needs to rely on the big (Saiyan) boys to protect her. Videl does not get a chance to swear vengeance against Spopovich or to use that moment to motivate herself to become better. Instead, what we have is Gohan stepping in and swearing vengeance on Videl's behalf and Videl asking Gohan to get back at Spopovich for her. Nothing is wrong with a male loved one protecting you and I find it sweet of Gohan. But this just further robs Videl of whatever agency she had left as a promising female fighter.
Gohan is unfortunately the worst thing to happen to Videl's character as a fighter.
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