#hanp

Planet Namek had been destroyed, and now the once proud and powerful race were nothing but nomads. His people had no home, and thus were left out in the open for potential threats to wipe them out completely without some kind of protection.

Piccolo steeled himself. He was powerful, a trained fighter, he had faced many a ferocious foe and come out on top. Surely, he could survive this being known as the Beast Prince. 

And being a gift to such a powerful fearsome warrior race - the royal family at that - was a high honour. They’d truly be an indispensable ally, and if he could win the royal family’s favour, the Saiyan planet could be a safe habour and home for his people, but… 

Piccolo couldn’t stop thinking about the damage he’d seen on his way to the palace, an entire section of their city destroyed. He’d heard of the prince before even arriving from gossiping aliens. 

The Prince has defeated that monster Cell as a child, and had apparently toyed with him before killing him. He’d torn into Maijin Buu as a teen and would’ve destroyed him completely if he hadn’t been defeated by his own Saiyan arrogance. 

Saiyans were already known to be thick-headed, possessive, and incredibly aggressive, quick to resolve their problems with violence. A race fuelled by anger, deriving their formidable power from their rage to the point that the ruthlessness of Saiyans was known throughout the galaxy. And despite this, even their own people had named the prince a beast.

Piccolo’s jaw tightened, ears twitching as he sensed the colossal power of the king walking before him. Would his son be at a similar level? Could he really be even stronger?

It was their breeding season, and the young prince had yet to select a Saiyan mate to continue the Royal family line and further strengthen the hybridization. Now that the prince had reached his twentieth year and had yet to pick a bride, other planets tried to win the Saiyan’s favour by gifting him a willing bedmate from their planet to accompany the Beast Prince through his mating cycle. 

The Saiyans were not generous when it came to providing aid to other races or to sharing their homeland. Terrans were only allowed to inhabit their planet when the king married a human. If Piccolo serving himself as a gift could garner their good will, then it was worth everything. 

But none of the gifts had lasted a full breeding cycle, either fleeing or being thrown out. The last gift hadn’t even lasted a night…

Without a mate to satisfy his needs, the Beast Prince had lost control of his power and unleashed his great ape form upon the city’s mining district. Usually, the Saiyan’s great ape form could only be released by the Terran’s full moon, but this demi-Saiyan was like no other of his kind. Thankfully, the district had been evacuated in time, and the king had apparently been a mix of frustration and pride at his son's raw strength. 

They continued walking and Piccolo avoided looking outside the palace walls to witness the destruction once more. They passed both Saiyans and Terrans on their way, bowing to their king. The humans skittered away at the sight of Piccolo, towering over them as he strode past, and he refused to react when they whispered, “Demon…”

The Saiyans, however, eyed him up and down, grinning with their Saiyan fangs on display, and flicking their tails to brush against his ankle when the king wasn’t looking. A being that could both fight and regenerate was… appealing to the violent race, it appeared. They sniffed the air as he walked by, some even daring to quietly growl their interest. It was their breeding season, after all…

To be seen as both a threat and a toy… Piccolo clenched his jaw and steeled himself, trying to shake free of these traitorous thoughts. It is an honour, it is an honour, it is an honour…

Finally, the king stopped at a gigantic door at the end of the long hallway. The door itself was a curious hybrid. Bejewelled and lavish, as one would expect for a member of the royal family, but heavily reinforced and so heavy that it took both Saiyan guards to open it with considerable effort. The king stepped forward into the yawning room, waving for the Namekian to follow, which Piccolo obediently did.

“Hey son! Another gift has arrived!” called out the king, his son nowhere in sight in the massive room. At the sound of rustling, Goku clapped Piccolo on the back with enough force for him to stagger forward. “Alright, good luck, Namekian!” 

He then turned and left with a flick of his tail, and the door was heavily shut behind him, followed by several formidable clicks and thunks of all the locks and barricades being put back in place. Piccolo stared at the closed door as the following silence made this current situation all the more real.

Before Piccolo could take in what would be his new home for the next few days - if his understanding of how Saiyans’ breeding cycles worked was correct - his ears twitched, eyes widening. He turned away from the door and towards the approaching energy in the room as the prince himself drifted down from a higher area in the room 

“Already?” The approaching man said with a sigh, “How bothersome…”

The room’s owner finally landed lightly on the ground and looked up, their eyes connecting. There, standing tall for a Saiyan, though still considerably shorter than Piccolo himself, in soft, unassuming clothes, was the Beast Prince himself. The young man’s eyes blinked wide, his Saiyan tail swishing behind him and his arms full of books and loose papers. His hair was loose and messy, eyes bleary as if he hadn’t looked up from the books for some time and had certainly not expected to see the tall Namekian before him.

“O-oh. Hello,” The Beast Prince said, startled, cheeks flushing pink. He adjusted his glasses, and ran his hand through his messy hair. “Um, would you like some tea?”

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