A/N: Another finished prompt! This time around, the prompt was 'Bulma and Chichi quizzing 18 on what it's like to be with Krillin.' It was a cute one and I had a fun time writing it. I hope you'll enjoy it too!
INQUISITIONS
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Krillin always knew when 18 was nervous. Not that he would ever admit it to her, but she had a tell. She would tuck her hair back behind her ear. Again, and again, and again, and again – every time a single strand so much as wriggled its way out of place - just like she was doing right now.
As if on cue, 18 piped up and asked, "are you sure about this?"
"Of course I'm sure," he replied with breezy confidence, as if he'd never been surer of anything in his entire life. He turned to 18 and smiled so brightly at her that she had no choice but to trust him.
"And you did tell them I was coming, right?"
"Yes." Krillin nodded as he lead 18 down the main path toward the Capsule Corp. building. "In fact, Bulma was the one who invited you. She likes you, babe! They all like you!"
"Hmmm," 18 wasn't convinced.
Krillin stopped in his tracks and turned to 18. "Babe, trust me. Pretty much everyone in this group was an outsider as first. Yumcha tried to kill us, Tien tried to kill us, Piccolo tried to kill us, Vegeta tried to kill us, and look at them now. You," he let himself float up to 18's eye level and kissed her softly, "You never even tried to kill us! You have nothing to worry about."
"I had a pretty good crack at Vegeta."
"Heh," Krillin sniggered, "We've all tried to kill Vegeta at one point or another. C'mon, let's go."
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"Krilliiiiin!" The high pitched rendition of his name almost caused the small man's ear drums to burst. Bulma raced across the lawn and wrapped him in a warm embrace. His cheeks flushed pink as he tried to ignore the fact that his face was being pressed straight into her bosom. "I'm so glad you made it!"
"And 18!" she repeated the gesture and threw her arms around 18, but quickly released her when she felt the blondes entire body tense up.
"We wouldn't have missed it," Krillin spotted Chichi sitting at the table on the deck, bouncing a young Goten on her lap, and waved.
"Yumcha and Gohan are over with my dad manning the grill, if you want to go talk about sports or whatever," Bulma rolled her eyes and pointed towards them, effectively shooing Krillin away. "18, why don't you come and sit with Chichi and I. We have a giant jug of mojito!"
It seemed to Krillin as if Bulma might have had most of that jug herself. He looked up at 18, who was looking awkwardly back down at him.
"Uh," Krillin swallowed nervously and rubbed the back of his head. "How about I come and catch up with you first?" he suggested. "I haven't seen Chichi in months. Goten looks huge!"
"Nope," Bulma waggled her finger in Krillin's face. "Boys, grill. Girls," she tried to loop her arm through 18's, but 18 pulled away before she had the chance, "Mojitos! Let's go 18!"
"Bulma," Krillin tried to intervene one more time, but 18 cut him off.
"It's fine," she looked down at him and smiled. "Do as you're told, Krillin, and go help with the grill. I'll be okay." Bulma was tanked, suddenly 18 wasn't so concerned about being the one people should worry about at this get together.
She followed Bulma across the lawn and sat down next to Chichi at the table. The dark haired woman looked relieved to see her; it was certainly not the reaction 18 had been expecting, but one she was more than happy to take.
"I'm so glad you're here," Chichi leaned over and muttered to 18, "That's the second jug of mojito she's drunk her way through."
Bulma unceremoniously plonked herself down at the table and poured 18 a tall glass of green cocktail. She tried to top Chichi's still half full glass up too, but she refused. She was driving home later, after all, and someone around here needed to be responsible.
"So," asked Bulma, "where were we? Oh yes, Yumcha! How good is he looking in that shirt? He's been working out!"
Chichi was mortified, "I'm a married woman, Bulma!" she exclaimed.
"Oh so am I!" Bulma scoffed, dismissing Chichi with a wave of her hand. "That doesn't mean we can't window shop! What about you 18, what do you think?"
"I have no opinion on Yumcha." 18 stated flatly as she watched the boys goofing off around the grill. Her disinterest seemed to spark something in Bulma's alcohol clouded mind, and she slammed her palms down onto the table, making both her guests jump with shock.
"That's right!" she cried, barely able to contain herself as she wriggled around in her seat. "You and Krillin are 'official' now," she air quoted with her fingers for emphasis, "aren't you?! So, spill! What's it like?"
"Excuse me?" 18 looked toward Chichi for clarification, and hopefully some sanity. "Spill?"
"What's Krillin like as a boyfriend?" Chichi rephrased the question, and leaned in closer to 18, waiting for the answer. She may have been able to play it cooler than Bulma, but Chichi was a gossip hound at heart, and this was a topic that the two women had spent many, many hours speculating on in the past.
"Oh," 18 sat back in her chair and pondered the question. She'd been sitting here for two minutes and already all the focus was on her, these women worked fast. "I'm not sure that's any of your business," she replied calmly.
"Oh come on 18, don't be a stick in the mud," Bulma teased as she stuck a cigarette in her mouth and took a long drag. "Is he like we've always imagined?"
"How have you imagined him?"
"Soft and tender," Chichi said with a sigh that 18 found more than a little disturbing.
"But I'll bet he knows how to take control when it counts!" Bulma waggled an eyebrow before bursting into a fit of giggles.
18 was entirely unsure what to make of this situation. Here she was being interrogated by these two women whom she had met only a handful of times before today, but who she would very much like to become friends with, having questions thrown at her that she really didn't know how to, or even want to answer. Her relationship with Krillin was only a few months old, they were still getting to know each other themselves and 18 didn't exactly have a wealth of past dating experience to draw from when comparing him to other men. But still, she had to say something. Bulma and Chichi were staring expectantly at her and she had a feeling they weren't going to take no for an answer.
"He's good," 18 eventually replied, looking over to where the man in question was play fighting with Gohan on the lawn. She took a big sip of the drink Bulma had poured for her to try and break the awkward silence that had developed. Clearly Bulma and Chichi were waiting for her to say more. The cocktail was strong as hell, no wonder Bulma was so tipsy. "He treats me well," she finally added, hoping to get the older two women off her case.
"Well of course he does, he's Krillin. He hasn't got a bad bone in his body." Chichi argued, clearly not impressed with 18's answer. "Give us more than that!" she begged. "Is he romantic?"
"Romantic?" 18 repeated the question as she thought about the answer. "Every day he tries to do something sweet for me, I guess that would be considered romantic."
Bulma swooned. "Like what?"
18 took another gulp of her drink before she answered. These women were so intrusive, but maybe, she thought, as the alcohol began to swim through her veins, maybe that was a good thing. She wanted them to like her, after all, and wasn't this type of gossipy, girly chitchat a sign of friendship?
"I don't know," she shrugged her shoulders. The ridiculously strong cocktail was already starting to loosen her inhibitions, even after only a few sips. "He writes little love notes on the bathroom mirror when it steams up, and plans picnic dinners on the beach so we can watch the sunset." A smile spread across 18's face as she thought of all the ways Krillin declared his love for her, ways that until now, she had probably been taking for granted.
Sinking back into her chair, Bulma groaned, "I'd give anything for Vegeta to surprise me with a picnic!" she lamented. "All he thinks about it training and sex, the man is an animal!"
18 wrinkled her nose and grimaced, that was more than she had ever hoped to know about Vegeta.
"You're so lucky, 18," Chichi bounced Goten on her lap and kissed the top of his head, "Saiyan men are nothing but heartbreak. They promise you everything, but they're not really capable of thinking about anything other than their next big fight."
Bulma nodded in agreement as she drained her glass and quickly refilled it. "You hit the jackpot with Krillin."
"You'll never have to worry about him putting a surprise baby inside of you and then blowing himself up, that's for sure."
Cocktail came flying out of Bulma's nose as she snorted and laughed at Chichi's totally unexpected outburst. "Sorry," she said as she composed herself, "I just was not expecting that!"
"That makes two of us," Chichi smirked and Bulma lost it again, melting into a fit of laughter so loud that it attracted the attention of the boys, who came over to see what all the commotion was.
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"What's going on over here?' Krillin asked as he slid down into the empty seat beside 18 and helped himself to a drink from her glass; and then tried to discreetly choke to death when the alcohol started to burn its way down his throat.
"Oh nothing," Bulma said, having finally composed herself once again. "Just girly talk."
Chichi smiled smugly and nodded in agreement.
"You alright there, Krillin?"
"Uh-huh," he managed to squeak amidst all his coughing and spluttering. "Great!" he smiled and wondered to himself if Bulma was actually an alcoholic. How much rum was in this drink, exactly? It would explain a lot though, he supposed, he'd drink too if he was married to Vegeta.
As the focus of the playful banter drifted away from her, 18 sat back in her chair and began to relax. Krillin draped an arm lazily across her shoulders as he picked up a conversation with Chichi. There was laughing and smiling and joking and 18 was a part of it all. It was a strange sensation; and one that the petite blonde was not yet entirely used to, to be a part of a group. To be not just included, but welcomed and wanted, was a luxury she thought would never be afforded to her, and yet here she was. It was a feeling that she could certainly see herself getting used to, even if it did mean occasionally having to hear about Vegeta's sex life.
A/N: What did you think? I hope you liked it! Reviews, likes and favourites are always very much appriciated, and I will be back soon with the next finished prompt!
Until then,
Big Love
D.B
