Part 2 of the mini-story! After part 3 comes out, then it'll go back to a bunch of unrelated oneshots, but for now these ones are related! Thanks for reading!
UPDATE: Like I said on the last chapter, I'm not a big fan of this mini-story, so if you feel bored by this, just skip ahead to the chapter after Part 3. Don't give up on me yet! ;)
Theme #32: Exploration
(The Briefs' house, the next morning)
Part 2: Day 2
Krillin woke up the next morning damp and smelly. The rain left a strange scent on him, sort of like a wet dog. His throat was a little sore and dry, and he felt mildly congested (which was odd for a fellow without a nose), but it was easily something he'd be able to shake off once he got up and going.
He stood up and got dressed into his clothes from yesterday, a pair of khakis and a navy shirt. The sensation he got was weird though. His underclothes were all gross and wet, yet the clothes he wore on top of them were compeltely dry. He did his best to ignore it, and he left his room feeling somewhat like he had peed his pants.
It would be kind of silly for him to return to Kame house to get new clothes now though, because by the time he arrived, he probably would have already dried off. He considered asking Vegeta to borrow something to wear, but then he realized that his wet clothing was mainly his underwear. The proud Saiyan would definitely not let Krillin wear that, not that Krillin would have wanted to anyway...
So he just sucked it up and dealt with it as he exited the room with a chill down his spine. He was definitely going to be a little cold for a while. As he passed 18's room, he noticed that the door was open and the android was not inside.
He continued walking until he arrived in the large living space. Bulma was sitting on one of the couches, holding Trunks, and was having an intense conversation with her father. Vegeta was not in the room, so Krillin assumed that he must be training somewhere else, and that was okay. Mrs. Brief was who knows where, but Krillin was okay with that too. As for Android 18? She was sitting on a different couch, reading a fashion magazine.
18 noticed him first. "Well look who's back from the dead." Something about her was a little bit off. Maybe it was her voice...?
"That's not as funny once you have actually died before," he commented.
She cleared her throat. "Yeah? Try being inside of another android that strongly resembles an insect and claims to have the DNA from all of the world's mightiest fighters. And to top it off? I was sucked in through his tail."
Krillin wasn't going to make this a competition. It didn't matter that he had Freiza's horns stab him through his chest and was tossed around back and forth and back and forth like the world's worst and most painful bull ride. He didn't like thinking of it as a bull ride though. Actually, he didn't like thinking of it at all, and it generally wasn't brought up around the dinner table or on those dates with other girls that Bulma set him up on. Unless Vegeta was there like last time...
He changed the subject. "What time is it?"
"Around 10," she answered, flipping a page.
"10?!" he exclaimed. "I didn't mean to sleep in that late!"
She glanced up at him from her magazine. "Well, you did. It's too late now to do anything about it." Her voice is somehow different!
Krillin walked over to the couch she was sitting at and sat down next to her. "Are you feeling okay? You sound a little...weird."
She made some sort of guttural noise. "I definitely don't feel normal, but that's probably just because of my energy tank issue. I guess it's affecting my vocal chords. All I know is that I'm ready for it to be finished. That's what Bulma and her father are discussing now. Not really my kind of conversation..."
18 turned her attention back to the magazine. Krillin looked closer at what she was reading. It was a very typical fashion magazine. Images of dresses and shoes and shirts and pants and everything else you could imagine. Sometimes it showed celebrities and how they wore it, sometimes it was just the outfit itself. Sometimes there were full articles, other times there were just brief descriptions of the clothing pieces and accessories.
"Are you...into fashion?" he asked casually.
"Hmph. Yeah. You could say that." Another page flipped. 18 tucked a piece of her hair in.
He had an idea. A very awkward one that could go quickly downhill, but it didn't hurt to ask. "My clothes are still really wet from the rain, so maybe you might wanna go shopping with me? I have my wallet, and I'm willing to pay for anything you want too. It'll be my treat because I feel like you've had it a little rough and-"
"You're an idiot."
"Is- Is that a no?"
"Are you trying to ask me out on some sort of date by using the excuse that your pants are a little dirty?"
"Haha...um, well, not really my pants. Particularly my underwear, but it's kind of seeping through, so I guess so... Wait! I'm not trying to ask you on a date! I really do just want to get some new clothing. Then I saw how interested you were into fashion and I thought, 'Hey! Maybe she would like to come and shop for new clothes too!'"
She shut her magazine and got real serious. "Are you trying to say something? Are you trying to tell me that I don't dress well enough?"
"No! Not at all!" He momentarily froze as she glared at him, so he tried to rephrase that. "I mean, 'no, not at all' because that's not what I was trying to imply! Not 'no, not at all' because you dress bad. You dress fine. I mean, you dress really well!"
He sighed and tried to address it from another angle. "Look, it's no secret that I'm a little...fond of you, 18, and I just thought you might appreciate it if someone took you shopping and spent their money on you, instead of you using your own!"
She smirked. "I wouldn't exactly call it my own if it was robbed from a bank."
"I forgot about that," he commented. "Well, then maybe it would be best if I did pay for everything. Legally."
She tilted her head to the side and nodded while looking up, as if she was actually considering the offer. Suddenly, her gaze shot right back to him, and she narrowed her eyes. "Wait a minute, didn't you say something earlier about needing underwear? I'm not going underwear shopping with you!"
His face turned bright red. "What?! Oh no! That's not what I meant! You don't have to go underwear shopping! I'll just pick up a pair of boxers or something while we're out and about. It shouldn't be that big of a deal since you already saw me in my boxers last night..."
"Did I hear that correctly?" Bulma said, turning around and, of course, only hearing the weird part. That last sentence. Her dad had just left the room, and their conversation was over.
"It's not what you think!" Krillin's redness turned a shade darker, but he stopped her from saying anything anymore humiliating. "She just, uh, caught me at a bad time without my pants on."
18 gave him a weird look. That was not at all what happened. He just didn't want to have to explain any further. It'd be best to avoid anymore possible ways this situation could get any worse for him.
"Okay..." Bulma said, drawing it out. She then turned to 18. "So there may have been a little complication with your storage tank stuff. After talking with my dad, I just learned that we have finally isolated the problem with the storage system, and we do have all the necessary tools to rebuild your new part...we just don't have all the materials. We're missing a specific type of metal and a few little pieces to one of the circuits that helps regulate the amount of energy inside the tank."
"Great..." Android 18 said sarcastically. "So what are you going to do about it?"
Bulma sighed and looked at the sleepy child she was holding. "For now, nothing. Vegeta has to stay home with Trunks, who didn't sleep well and needs a nap, my parents are leaving for a convention, and I have to go with them. We're not available to get the materials needed right now."
"What about us?" Krillin asked, gesturing to himself and 18. "We could go out and look for it! Isn't there a mechanic's shop nearby somewhere...?"
She considered it. "Yeah, you're right. Okay! The two of you can get the parts! I need to go change into something a little bit nicer, and I'll come back down with a list of exactly what I want. Hopefully now I'll be able to create your new energy tank, 18."
The blue-haired woman ran upstairs, and Krillin grinned at the android. "Looks like we're going on a shopping trip after all!"
"Isn't that lovely..."
"Oh, come on! It'll be fun!" he urged. "What we're you saying yesterday? That you'd been exploring the world and stuff? Now you can explore the city!"
"You may not have realized it, but I was joking when I said that." She sighed and looked Krillin up and down from head to toe. "Well, a little shopping trip definitely couldn't hurt you..."
He crossed his arms. "Hey! I'd have you know that I generally put a lot of thought into my outfits!"
She raised a brow. "And it clearly doesn't pay off. That shirt with those khaki pants and those shoes? You look like a cashier at Walmart. You can use my expert opinion. Trust me."
"Expert opinion?" he asked. "Since when do you have an expert opinion?"
She rolled her eyes and held up the magazine. "Since I'm the one who reads these in her free time."
He got quiet for a second before speaking up again. "I always thought that Bulma was the self-proclaimed fashion expert around here..."
She flicked a strand of her hair. "Well, I'm not from around here now, am I? In any case, I have decided that I will go shopping with you. We'll get the parts, your pathetic clothing, and I will even take you up on that offer for buying me stuff as well."
Vegeta walked into the room shirtless and with a small towel around his neck, dripping with sweat. "Where's the woman?"
"Which woman?" Krillin asked. As of the moment there were three in this household.
He rolled his eyes. "Idiot. My woman!"
"Uh, she ran upstairs. She's getting dressed to go to some sort of convention or something. I think she wants you to watch Trunks," he offered.
The Saiyan sighed. "Of course she does. Well, at least I don't have to go to the stupid thing..." He continued to grumble, but he went upstairs as he was talking, so most of it just became unintelligible nothings.
18 turned to Krillin with a bit of confusion on her face. "Is that what being married is like?"
He shrugged. "I wouldn't know."
The room was filled with silence as the two waited for Bulma to return. Android 18 re-opened her magazine and flipped through a few of the pages to return to where she had left off. Krillin just sat there awkwardly next to her. He didn't know what to say, and he didn't want to open his big mouth and say something stupid that would make her cancel their plans for shopping. He wasn't a shopping man, but he would do anything to spend time with 18.
After a few more minutes, the silence was interrupted by a certain loud couple and a crying child. Bulma was now dressed more like a business-woman and held a paper (probably the list) and crying Trunks, and Vegeta wore more casual clothing now. Dr. and Mrs. Brief walked right behind them, both also going to the convention with their daughter.
"Maybe he's crying because he forgets that he has a father!" Bulma shouted at Vegeta as they walked downstairs.
"Or maybe because his mother is always yelling!" Vegeta yelled back.
She handed him the screaming child and crossed her arms, crinkling the paper a little. "This has nothing to do with me yelling! This is about you never wanting to take care of your son!"
"I don't bother with him because he's always crying when I'm around and sees me!"
"IT'S BECAUSE YOU'RE NEVER AROUND THAT HE CRIES WHEN HE SEES YOU!"
Trunks started screaming louder. Vegeta's power level began to rise with his anger. "This is RIDICULOUS! Why don't I go and get those stupid materials to get that android out of here, and have the two of them watch the child?"
"He isn't their kid! That's not fair to them!" Bulma argued. She took a breath and lowered her voice. "You are going to watch your son while I am gone for a couple of hours, and then you won't have to worry about him for the rest of the day."
A miracle happened. The two year old child stopped his screaming and crying and then actually started laughing and poking Vegeta's face. "Daddy! Daddy!"
Vegeta smirked and looked down at the child he was holding. He even let him poke his face a little longer before he swatted away Trunks's arms. "You were wrong, looks like the kid does know who his father is. And all it took for him to stop crying was for you to lower your voice."
She sighed and walked toward Krillin and Android 18. "Whatever. Well, we need to leave now or else we're going to be late. Vegeta, I am trusting our only son solely in your hands. Krillin and 18, be sure to get that part ASAP, okay? Here's the list of materials. Go to the mechanic's shop on the corner of Maple Street and West Tower road."
"Goodbye now," Dr. Brief told them as he walked his wife and daughter out of the room.
Mrs. Brief turned around and waved. "Goodbye Krillin! Bye Vegeta! Bye girl sitting next to Krillin!"
18 sighed. "My name is a number. Is that so hard to remember?"
"Don't take it personally. Mrs. Brief is a little..." Krillin tried to search for the perfect word to describe her, but he couldn't find it.
Vegeta looked over at the two sitting on the couch. "Well? Are you guys going to leave or what?"
He stood up and gulped. "Are you sure you'll be fine with Trunks all on your own...?"
"He is my son!" he shouted as an answer. "If you think I cannot watch one lousy child on my own, then you are mistaken! Now leave my house immediately!"
Android 18 stood up next to Krillin, and together they walked out of the house. He turned back to look at the building. "I never got breakfast..."
"It doesn't matter," she told him. "You can eat when we get back. This won't take that long, I hope."
He looked across the street. "I've only been inside the city part of West City once or twice. How about you?"
"Probably the same," she answered. "Now let's go get the items needed to create my replacement part."
He was worried that once they got the materials, 18 was going to change her mind about clothes shopping with him. He was going to spend all the time with her that he could! He would have to leave soon, so maybe this was his chance to show her how fun exploring the world could be if you had someone with you.
"Let's not be so hasty," he said with a grin. "Bulma won't be back for a couple of hours, so we may as well make the most of this!"
Android 18 crossed her arms. "I can easily get this task done on my own. There's no need for you to even be here, so I wouldn't push your luck, got it?"
He gulped. "I got it. Can we at least get me some new clothes first? I'm still wet and cold." He shivered as if on cue. "See? Any longer like this and I'll get sick or something."
"Well, I'm sick," she spat at him.
"I thought you said that androids couldn't-"
"Sick of standing here, sick of both of our outfits, sick of this conversation, but most of all, sick of you."
"Oh." He stared at the beautiful woman. "Well, I thought you actually were sick for a second because your voice is kind of funny..."
"Shut up about my voice!" she said, raising it. "I already told you, my energy storage tank is screwed up, and it's affecting my vocal chords! Get over it!"
He stood up a little taller. "Yeesh. Okay. So are we getting the clothes first or not?"
"I would rather get the materials now. Bulma said to get them ASAP," she told him. Then she let out a sigh. "But I guess we can get the clothes first. Only because I'm tired of arguing with you."
He let out a longer sigh. She probably wasn't interested in him at all, and she even seemed more easily irritated than yesterday. "Okay. Let's just go."
The two walked around the corner and down the streets, looking for stores that seemed to have suitable clothing for either of them. Krillin was thrilled to find a store for him first, and he was finally able to buy and change into fresh, dry undergarments. In the same store he found a pair of pants and shirt that he liked, but when he tried it on and stepped out to get 18's approval, she told him he vaguely resembled a small potato.
Needless to say, the outfit was put back, and just as they were about to give up on the store, 18 saw a red t-shirt that seemed like it would perfectly suit the casual look Krillin was going for, but it also wasn't super tacky. He tried it on and stepped out to see what she thought.
Android 18 cleared her throat. "I like that shirt and how it looks on you. I wouldn't wear it with the khaki pants, but I do think that you can pull it off."
He found himself beaming from her compliment. "You think so? Well if you like it, I like it! You know 18, I think we make a great team!"
"Don't let it get to your head," she told him quickly. "This has nothing to do with team work. This was solely my decision."
He smiled flirtatiously, ignoring her comment about letting it go to his head. "But it was I who had to be the one to wear it and pull the look together."
"It was mainly the shirt, not you. A monkey could have worn that shirt and made it look good," she remarked. She said that, but somewhere inside of her, she did think that he wore the shirt very nicely.
"Are you talking about Vegeta?" he joked.
She completely stopped what she was doing and stared at him blankly. Then she actually managed to crack a small smile. "You know Krillin, you're actually kind of funny sometimes. I guess, you're not too bad." She didn't really find him bad at all though. She wasn't quite sure how she felt, so she main't stuck to what she knew. Treating him coldly.
She cleared her throat. She was tired of having such a scratchy voice, and she really wanted to get her stupid tank fixed. "Anyway, you have some clothes now. Can I pick out a new outfit? You promised me I could."
"Of course!" he told her.
She gave a small smile. "Great. Let's go somewhere else though..."
After paying for Krillin's clothing, the two exited the store and walked a little further down the street. Android 18 made assumptions about all the stores based on the few pieces of clothing they displayed in the windows.
Nothing stood out to her at first until she saw a belt wrapped around the waist of one of the mannequins. She wasn't sure what she would wear that belt with yet, but she liked the simplicity of a brown belt that would fit around her waist. Plus, it matched her favorite pair of brown boots.
They went inside the store and found that the belt was placed near where the mannequin was. She picked it up and held on to it. 18 still needed a blouse or a dress that she could wear the belt with though. She decided to continue looking around the store they were already in for something that might catch her eye. Much to her amazement, something did.
18 picked up the dress and went to the dressing room to try it on, bringing the belt with her. She slipped out of her other clothes and changed into the new dress. Everything fit really nicely. Nothing was too loose or too tight. And just as she wanted, the belt did a great job of tying it all together while also nicely hugging her waist. She stepped out to get Krillin's opinion, even though she already made up her mind. It was only fair since she gave him hers earlier.
He stared at the beautiful blonde before him. She wore a long-sleeve dress, which had blue stripes. Wrapped around her waist was the belt from earlier. Both the dress and the belt hugged her figure, and Krillin thought it was very flattering on her. The length of the dress went about 3/4 of the way down her thighs.
"I'll also be wearing my leggings underneath the dress and my brown boots," she explained.
"Or...you don't have to wear the leggings..." he suggested.
She scratched her nose, which had an itch. "Yeah right. I'm going to be flying around again when I wear this. I am definitely wearing my leggings underneath!"
"Okay," he said. "You know what's best. I think that dress looks very nice on you. It's, um, very nice. You look-" He tried to ignore the heat flowing to his face. "You look beautiful, 18."
She was surprised at his compliment. She had expected him to say something stupid and flirtatious, but this felt like a genuine, heartfelt compliment, not just some cheesy thing to say as an attempt to pick her up. Her heartbeat felt a little off to her for some reason, and she found herself smiling more than she intended too. He wasn't like the other guys she'd been around in her time exploring the world earlier. Krillin was different, but it was a...good different.
"Thank you, Krillin. And also for buying this for me. You didn't have to, you know," she told him sincerely.
He shrugged and looked down at his feet. "I know. But I figured...you know...you would appreciate it."
"I do." She felt awkward saying that and actually being what could be considered nice. She cleared her throat for the millionth time today. "Well, I should go chnage back, so you can buy this stuff, and I can get my fixed part soon."
"This is all you want?!" he asked with some surprise.
She furrowed her brows. "Was I expected to get more? I only wanted one outfit. And I already have the rest of the accessories and stuff at Capsule Corp. in my suitcase. I don't need any more."
He didn't argue with that. He had only one other girlfriend before 18. Marron. She would spend hours clothes shopping and trying on all sorts of different outfits, half the time not even buying then. Even then, what she did buy was a ton, and Krillin sometimes worried he would run out of money just buying gifts for that one girl. It made her happy, so he bought her lots of stuff anyway. 18 on the other hand, while admitting that she liked fashion, seemed almost a little guilt-ridden for having Krillin pay for everything.
Wait a second...did I just think, "one other girlfriend before 18"...? Marron was still the only girlfriend he'd had! He wasn't dating Android 18! As much as he dreamed of her company, he could tell that the "dating" thing wasn't going to happen. He didn't think that he could ever even work up the nerve to ask her out on a date. He was sure that she would turn him down. But at least Krillin was pretty confident that she didn't completely hate him anymore. Maybe his offer for going shopping did actually soften her up some.
After buying the new clothing, the two exited the store and stood on the sidewalk as they tried to orient themselves and figure out where they were going now. Krillin knew that the mechanic's shop was just around the corner...but was it the right corner or the left corner?
"Why don't you just fly up and get an aerial view?" 18 suggested.
He gave a small smile out of embarrassment for not thinking of that earlier as he flew up in the air. The city people stared out of pure shock at first, but they quickly went back to their normal lives. After living close to the Briefs, weird things must happen all the time.
"Wow!" Krillin exclaimed, drinking in the view. "I'm usually in such a rush when I'm flying, I never get to truly appreciate the view for what it's worth! It's amazing! Who could have realized that this city was actually so big?! It kinda makes me want to run around in it. After we find the shop do you want to explore the city some more with me, 18?"
She shot him a dangerous glare from below. "I'm not here for sight-seeing! Just find the shop, so I can get the materials to make the replacement part!"
He located the shop to be just around the right corner and floated back down. "It's not going to take long to get there. It's over that way. Just follow me."
Krillin started out walking at a decent pace, but the impatient android next to him demanded that he picked up the pace. He moved a little faster, now at a light jog. "How's this?"
She shook her head as she jogged next to him. "Not good enough for me. Let me show you how it's done." She picked up the pace even more to a running speed.
"Hey! I can do better than that!" he called back. Now he he was moving at a sprint with Android 18 by his side.
"Is that all you've got?!" she asked with a competitive grin as she moved even faster.
They kept getting faster and faster, words and laughter getting lost in the wind that they created until they moved at a speed completely untraceable to the average human eye. Because of this little competition that had errupted, they passed the mechanic's shop and ran around the block again. And again. And again.
This probably would've continued for longer had Krillin not tripped and fell over on their fourth time around as they approached the shop. His landing wasn't the most graceful, but he managed to turn it into some sort of tuck and roll and didn't suffer from any injuries other than a few scratches on the palms of his hands. All the mean while, 18 came to a stop, turned around, and laughed at the man sitting on the sidewalk.
He stood up and brushed himself off. "It's not that funny."
She still snickered a little. "Yeah, it is. Let's go inside the shop now."
They walked into the mechanics shop where hard rock was blaring from somewhere in the back of the store. A heavily tattooed man in a bandana bobbed his head along with the song and stood behind a counter. Krillin and 18 shared a glance before approaching the counter themselves.
"What's up?" the man asked.
"Um, we were wondering if you had any of these materials?" Krillin asked as 18 placed Bulma's list on the counter.
The man picked up the list and narrowed his eyes as he read. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! These ain't some kiddie science fair project materials you're asking for, ya' know?"
"So you have them?" he asked.
The rocker-cashier-mechanic sighed. "I mean, we have the materials to build the circuits, but this metal you're asking for ain't exactly the easiest to get. Lucky for you, I know a guy."
"So can you get the materials or not?!" 18 asked impatiently.
"Sure thing, Princess. I'll go grab the circuitry from the back and call up the other shop. Fair warning, it'll take quite some time for it to arrive."
"How much time?"
"Depends. How much cha-ching can the lady bring?"
"As much as it takes for it to get here ASAP." She glanced over at Krillin, who wasn't the happiest at that remark, but she was more than happy to pay with the stolen money herself.
"Then why don't we discuss the money over lunch and see if I can give you some sort of discount?" He winked, a little too suggestively for Krillin's liking.
Before Krillin could even speak up, Android 18 had the situation already under control. Er, sort of. She reached over the counter and grabbed the man by his jaw and lifted him slowly off the ground. It must not have taken much energy to lift him since her storage tank was still broken. In any case, her tactics were unusual, but her point was pretty clear.
"I'm not asking for a discount," she told him. "Now I want you to go to the back and get the circuitry, then call your little buddy and have him bring the metal that we need. Understand?"
The man wasn't in a position to speak, so he made an "OK" with his fingers. Android 18 lowered him back to the ground and gestured for him to leave. He quickly ran off and grabbed all the circuit parts and said that he had called the other shop to bring over the metal that was needed. It was going to take between two to three hours.
Krillin looked at 18 and said in a low voice, "Why don't we just fly over there? It'll be a lot quicker."
She cleared her throat. "Did you forget the whole reason why we're here?"
"I- I could carry you."
"Nice try," she said. "I guess we'll just have to come back later today."
After grabbing the circuitry ("Completely free! No worries!"), the two walked out of the shop and stood on the sidewalk where 18 places her hands on her hips. Then she itched her nose once. Twice. Three times. A sniffle. A throat-clearing. Then a frustrated grunt.
"I feel like absolute crap because my stupid storage tank is broken!" she shouted angrily. "And now because of your brilliant idea to go shopping first, we have to wait another 3 hours or so before the material comes in! This is great!"
He knew that it was not really great. He cleared his own throat, and thought about how he wasn't feeling so well either. "Look, 18, I'm sorry. I didn't know that they wouldn't have that metal! If you want, we can go catch a movie in the mean time. I could even grab lunch there. Movie theater lunches aren't great but-"
"I don't like movies," she blatantly stated.
He was a little surprised to hear. "Oh. Well, um, why not? Maybe you just haven't seen the right kind. There are some genres I can't stand, but others that I couldn't live without."
The two of them subconsciously began walking toward the theater, which was just down the street, and Android 18 tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "The last one I saw was a comedy, but it wasn't funny at all."
"Comedies are generally hit and miss for me, but I guess that's pretty typically of all movies," he explained. "It's always more fun to watch them with a friend too. We just have to find the right genre for you. You're a girl, so maybe you'll like chick flicks. I could care less about chick flicks, and although Vegeta claims to hate them, I'm pretty sure there's a soft spot in his heart for them."
"I don't think I'll like chick flicks," she said as they approached the nearest theater.
He shrugged. "It was just a suggestion. Maybe you'll like horror movies. There's always action movies too. Those are my favorite. Superhero movies are also pretty good. If you-"
She pointed to one of the posters. "That looks like a good movie."
"'Space Exploration,'" he read aloud. "Well, after actually going through real space exploration before, I'm sure that this movie will be somewhat disappointing..."
"What genre does this one fall under?"
"It's called science fiction, or sci-fi for short. They're pretty good overall, but there's definitely a couple out there that you just wish you had never seen."
"I want to watch it."
"Of course you do," he commented with a smirk. "Who would've thought that the robot-human-android-cyborg wants to watch a sci-fi film?"
They walked inside and were pleasantly surprised to find that a showing of "Space Exploration" would be playing in about 20 minutes. Krillin bought the tickets, and offered to buy 18 something to eat and drink, even though he knew she couldn't have anything. Then he bought a hot dog, a small popcorn, and a soda of his own. Finally they went into the room that their movie was playing at and took some seats.
It was only commercials and previews, so Krillin decided it would be okay to talk to the android. "Are you sure you don't want any popcorn? I've got plenty."
"I already told you that I physically can't eat or digest anything," she replied, pushing a strand of hair out of her face.
"Then how about just letting the popcorn sit in your mouth. You don't have to swallow. Just enjoy the savoriness of the salt and butter. Explore your tastebuds!"
"Krillin, I can't-"
"Just try it! You'll surely like it!"
After an eyeroll, she picked up a piece of popcorn, placed it in her mouth, and itched her nose. She let it sit in her mouth for a second, receiving none of the tastes that Krillin had described, then gestured for him to hand her a napkin. She spit the popcorn piece into the napkin and hoped that he was satisfied with her actions.
"So what did you think?" he asked semi-excitedly.
"I think that was a big waste of time," she answered. "I hope you're happy because I was trying to tell you earlier that I got my tastebuds removed too."
"Why would he do that?" Krillin wondered out loud.
18 shrugged. "I don't know. I'm sure there was some purpose for it. Or maybe not. As far as I'm concerned, Gero was a horrible and cruel man..." She winced as she thought about how awful he had treated her and her brother. It was as if he had asked for them to rebel.
They sat through the long previews together, which 18 found to be unappealing and boring. But once the movie had started, she was pleasantly surprised at how much she was enjoying it. There were serious parts, there were funny parts, there were sad parts, there were intense, actiony parts. There were some parts she didn't understand, such as the romance between to of the main characters. The movie caused her to feel all sorts of emotions. It made her want to laugh, want to cry, want to applaud, and in a weird way, it made her want to feel romance of her own.
Krillin and 18 exited the room and he asked how she liked it. She couldn't hold anything back. She was only planning on giving a nonchalant answer, but she ended up going on and on about how connected to the characters she felt and how great it had been portrayed. She even admitted wishing that she had seen more movies like that earlier. What she didn't admit to was that part in the back of her mind that urged her to find romance of her own.
"Thanks, Krillin," she said after clearing her throat. She would be very happy once her system was fixed and she didn't feel so "sick." "You've made the time that I thought I was going to hate actually...enjoyable."
That small part in the back of her mind that wanted her to find romance of her own must have got the best of her. She leaned forward and kissed his cheek. It was a familiar scenario to one that had played out many, many weeks earlier. Except this time, something was different. She had done it out of her own kindness and some sort of...other feeling, and not to just tease him cruelly then run off.
Krillin was completely dumbstruck by the sweet action. He sort of wanted to grab on to her face and press his lips on hers, but he knew that wouldn't go down well. So instead of doing or saying anything, he just stood there like an idiot and waited to follow her lead.
"Let's, um, go get the metal for my replacement part," she told him awkwardly.
They headed back over to the shop in sort of an awkward silence. She knew that he liked her. She knew that he liked her. He just didn't seem to comprehend her sudden signs of affection. She was worried that she had screwed it up now. Surprisingly, she was enjoying her visit here more than she thought she ever would. And she was enjoying her time spent with Krillin too. Weird feelings came over her, and she almost didn't want to leave, but she did need to get her energy storage tank fixed.
The duo picked up the metal from the shop, still free of charge, and they went back to Capsule Corp. At this point, Bulma and her parents had returned from their convention and Vegeta had gone back to training after keeping the house (and the baby!) all in one piece. Trunks was still down for a nap, luckily for Bulma, so she could now devote her full attention to finishing the tank for Android 18.
Krilin and 18 watched the blue-haired genius construct parts of the storage tank. When asked why he had stuck around, Krillin just replied simply that he wasn't quite ready to leave. Although 18 secretly didn't mind it, for some reason she just rolled her eyes and acted as if she could care less.
"The good news is," Bulma was saying as she worked, "that at the rate this is going, we should have it finished soon, and you can finally leave like you've been wanting to. The bad news is, in order for me to have it fully completed, that means a late night for me. We will be having a busy day tomorrow, but I will do my best to finish it because I know how much it will mean to you."
18 nodded slowly. She was almost a little hesitant about leaving, but she did want to not feel so disgusting and sickish anymore. "Okay. And this should fix the cold-like symptoms I've been having to, right?"
"One can only hope," she said as she screwed something into place. A click sound was made as something else popped into place, and Bulma nodded approvingly. "You will definitely be out of here by tomorrow, which is good because I need you guys to leave anyway." She looked over at the two of them. "No offense. I just have some people coming over."
The end! Well...not really. We still have part 3 left! I hope you all enjoyed this update. Building their relationship! Prepare for some more fluff next chapter! ;)
Thanks for reading! Be sure to follow/favorite/review!
-TOW
