A PERFECT LOVE

A/N: Due to a couple of requests, I have decided to revisit my first ever K18 one-shot. This was originally written after Episode 100 of Dragon Ball Super, in which Krillin is scolded by Eighteen for his exit from The Tournament of Power. I have since updated it in some areas to match the conclusion of that arc, as well as improve upon what I had originally written. It was actually quite nice to revisit my earliest work. Reviews and feedback are more than welcome.

Words (Revisited)

The streets were completely still as Krillin walked around the neighbourhood. He didn't know how long he had been walking for, nor did he care. He slipped his hands into his pockets, slowly walking past the flickering street lights. The sudden passing of the occasional vehicle would snap him out of his daze if only for a moment.

It had been quite the stressful day; fighting for the survival of his Universe and whatnot. He still couldn't believe he actually knocked someone out of the ring. With the rush of the day, he was just thankful that his Universe triumphed and that he could return to his normal life again. However, something still bothered him. Something he wished never happened yet he knew he couldn't forget.

"And you call yourself my husband!" Krillin recalled Eighteen shouting towards him as he looked at the rest of his team in shame. He was truly embarrassed to be knocked off first; he was rather enjoying competing with other powerful fighters. And fighting alongside his wife made it all the better. He still couldn't believe he made such a rookie mistake by letting his guard down so easily.

But while he was disappointed that he got eliminated so soon in the tournament, it was Eighteen's harsh words which were the source of Krillin's distress. It had been circling his mind repeatedly throughout the duration of the tournament. Even as he cheered Eighteen and the rest of the team on, Krillin couldn't shake off her words.

It had bothered him from the moment of Eighteen's utterance to them returning home. Eighteen had attempted to make light conversation with her husband, to which he only gave one-word replies. She could sense something wasn't right with him; she always knew when something was bugging Krillin whenever he closed up and seemed disengaged from the what was going on around him.

They eventually arrived at home; Krillin and Eighteen both deeply sighed in relief as he parked the car. They turned their heads around to see Marron fast asleep in her booster seat. Seeing their daughter asleep always warmed their hearts. Krillin stealthily unbuckled her seatbelt and took Marron to her bed without waking her up.

As he tucked his daughter into bed, Krillin granted a small grin to appear on his face. To think that if his Universe had been defeated, he would be able to see his daughter's precious smile ever again. It was a daunting thought that didn't matter anymore; she was safe and that's all that was important right now.

"I love you so much, my little firefly." Krillin whispered in her ear before softly pecking her cheek. Eighteen looked over with a heartfelt smile, holding a fresh cup of coffee in her hand. She cautiously took a sip, deciding to make Krillin one as well. She casually made her way down the stairs and began to craft her latest creation. Eighteen chuckled to herself in relief, she still couldn't believe that her Universe was still in one piece. Alas, she was looking forward to celebrating Universe 7's victory with her beloved Krillin.

As she carefully poured the boiling water into Krillin's favourite mug, the man she was just thinking about arrived at the bottom of the stairs. He had changed into his precious Tacos t-shirt. She hoped that Krillin would be a little happier than he was when he was in the car. Eighteen caught his eye, offering him a brief smile; he returned with a polite wave, rotting himself on the couch.

Eighteen raised her eyes in genuine confusion; why was Krillin acting so weird? Despite his odd behaviour, she finished her creation, carefully adding in her signature "Latte Love Heart" as Krillin called it. Eighteen sat next to Krillin and placed his coffee in front of him on the dining table.

Krillin seemed disconnected from his surroundings as it took him a little while notice the hot beverage in front of him. It was only when Eighteen gently pressed his lips on his warm neck that he returned from his daydream. But as he registered his wife's delicate kiss, something in him finally snapped.

"Oh, I see that when no one else is around, that's when you want to show me affection." Krillin murmured, averting his eyes to the window. Eighteen was left even more bewildered than before. She moved closer to him on the couch as she replied,

"What are you talking about?"

"No-no. I get it. I'm only your husband behind closed doors. Because whenever I make a mistake, you don't hesitate to disown me."

Eighteen was left dumbfounded by Krillin's words. She couldn't understand why Krillin was being so cold towards her.

"Seriously, what's your deal, Krillin?" Eighteen questioned with a stern expression, "I know you've been acting aloof since the end of the tournament."

"And you call yourself my husband." Krillin replied coldly. He turned to face her with his cheeks burning red. Eighteen silently gasped at the colour of his face.

"You said that to me, Eighteen. You said that to me. Despite the fact that I saved you from elimination. Despite the fact that we teamed up so well together. Despite the fact that I actually knocked someone off the stage. None of that mattered to you. No. You just dropped me like I was nothing because I got eliminated. You were so ashamed that I got eliminated that you declared to everyone around you that all that training equipment I had was for nothing. You were so quick to put me down, Eighteen, and now, it appears to me that you were embarrassed to call me your husband."

Krillin needed to say that; it had been festering inside him for so long. He then rose off of the couch and orbited anxiously around the living room. Eighteen had to trace her mind back to when Krillin got eliminated; so much had happened at the tournament it was all becoming a blur. She didn't remember saying such a thing. It seemed like such a thoughtless thing to say to him. But then the memory suddenly hit her. Indeed, in the heat of battle, she had said,

"And you call yourself my husband! What about all that money you wasted on training equipment?!" She placed her head in her hands as she replayed the moment over and over again until the words sounded slurred.

"Come on, Krillin!" Eighteen replied with a raised voice, "You know that I didn't mean that!"

"But I actually think you did!" Krillin returned fiercely, pacing up and down the living room, "I know you, Eighteen! I know that you cut to the chase and say things as they really are!"

"You seriously cannot take what I said to heart! I was under so much pressure, obviously, since we were a man down! Remember, we were fighting to save our Universe, our daughter!" Eighteen explained as she too left the couch. She knew the enormous stakes that were at hand. She knew that the fewer fighters there were, the harder the fight.

"Don't you think I would be a little frustrated that you let down your guard and cause our team to be down a fighter?!" Eighteen asked rhetorically. They both knew the answer to that one.

"It's not like I did it on purpose!" Krillin replied, waving his arms around, "It's just that I couldn't believe that I actually knocked someone out of the ring! I thought you of all people, knowing the mountains I've had to climb, knowing all the fears and struggles I have with myself, would have been happy for me! But instead, you slated me!

"Why were you celebrating in the first place?!"

"Because I didn't think I was even going to knock anyone out!" Krillin admitted with a scent of sadness. He really didn't expect to have done anything at the Tournament of Power. Even Beerus told him to steer clear from the action. That's why he was so overjoyed when he did something so important.

"Look, I've done enough fighting for one day, Krillin." Eighteen said with a calmer tone, "Please, I don't want to fight you too. You are the last person I want to fight." She walked up to him, wishing to put this argument to rest. Unfortunately, Krillin wasn't so keen to drop the issue.

"You know all the crap I've been through," Krillin continued, moving away from Eighteen, "It just saddens me to know that you are embarrassed by me."

"Oh my gosh! Would you stop feeling so sorry for yourself!" Eighteen responded with an annoyed glare in her eyes, "I am in no way embarrassed by you! As a matter of fact, it's because of your support that I was able to defeat that Ribrianne from Universe 2! Seriously, you need to understand that I said was purely out of sheer frustration!"

"Don't try and excuse yourself," Krillin retaliated as he shook his head, "You are trying to soften to punch you threw, alright. I'm not stupid."

"Well, if you were strong enough, then maybe you would have lasted longer!" Eighteen's words echoed across the room. There was a quiet tension that rested upon both of them. They hadn't argued this badly in a very long time. Krillin turned away from his wife. He couldn't bear to look at her right now. Her words had encamped inside his mind and refused to leave.

Regret immediately overtook Eighteen. She knew how strong Krillin was and how far he had come. Saying such a thing wasn't going to help anyone. She hit herself mentally for her lack of self-control; it's what had led to this argument in the first place. But before she could apologise, Krillin had already stormed towards the front door.

"Well then, I'll do what I do best then shall I?" Krillin exclaimed with a quiver in his throat. With that, he left the house, furiously slamming the door behind him. The banging noise vibrated around the house, leaving a soft ringing sound. She hoped that Krillin's exit didn't startle Marron. Thankfully, it didn't.

Eighteen couldn't believe this was how they were "celebrating" the Universe's survival. It had already been a long and tiring day. This only made it worse. Eighteen made her way back downstairs to an empty living room. She slowly walked to the now lukewarm cup of coffee she had made for Krillin. Amazingly, the love heart was still intact. She smiled at that as a small tear fell from her eye. She sunk down on the couch, resting her head on the arm. Eighteen didn't wipe the tear; she let it descend down her face. Full of regret, she whispered breathily to herself,

"I'm sorry, Krillin."

Krillin had seamlessly walked for miles and miles. He had marched through all the quiet suburban streets and was now tiredly wandering around the city. He felt calmer than before, but only slightly.

Before he knew it, he was standing outside his place of work. He lifted his eyes to see the police logo on the top of the building. He had booked the week off work so he could spend some quality time with his family, in the hope that Universe 7 actually won the tournament. Although, he wasn't necessarily looking forward to it right now. He wasn't angry anymore; Krillin was just frustrated.

It still amazed him how at times, Eighteen could be so insensitive. Her words were often the encouragement he needed at his most anxious states. Her soft voice would calm his inner raging storms. However, her words at the tournament haunted him like a ghost. He looked at his reflection in the window. Krillin quickly became self-aware of his downcast expression as he rubbed away the sleep from his eyes. He then proceeded to move along, heading nowhere in particular.

Taking deep breaths to help combat his sadness, Krillin continued to work things out in his head. Although it was painful to admit, there was something Eighteen was right about, it was his "pity party" mindset. It wasn't healthy for him to be stuck in that frame of mind. He just couldn't help himself. Krillin understood that he had let his team down with his brief exit and he only had himself to blame on that one.

The last thing Krillin wanted to do was disappoint Eighteen and Marron. He was finally ready to prove himself to be a worthy fighter and do his family proud. It all ended too soon for him. And then to hear the ridicule from his wife, to hear the disappointment in her voice, only made things worse.

Krillin approached an ATM machine, leading him to withdraw some cash from his wallet. Thankfully, he hadn't forgotten to take it with him when he departed for his therapeutic street wandering session. As he went to take his credit card out of his wallet, his eyes were glued to the creased photograph within the transparent sleeve.

Krillin carefully studied the picture. The image was of himself, his wife and his daughter at Bulma's birthday cruise from a few years back. It was such a sweet memory for Krillin. He reminisced to himself about how he was talking with some of the guys at the party when Marron pulled his shirt to get his attention.

"Dad, Dad! Can we get a photo together please?" He recalled Marron asking with her cute puppy dog eyes. He couldn't resist as Marron led Krillin to the photographer. Krillin wondered where Eighteen was as he scanned his surroundings. She suddenly pounced on him from behind and made him jump.

"So glad you could join us, babe!" Krillin gleefully joked, catching his breath.

"What are you talking about? This was my idea." Eighteen replied with a glowing smile. Krillin chuckled as the photographer asked if Marron could be in between the parents. The photographer snapped away as the Chestnuts smiled for the camera.

Once the photographer was finished, Marron ran off to play with Goten and Trunks. Krillin was about to rejoin his earlier conversation when Eighteen forcefully pulled him back.

"Now!" She said, giving the photographer the signal to take a picture of the two of them kissing.

"Done! Would you like to see your picture?" The photographer asked as he curiously rubbed his chin. It appeared all Krillin and Eighteen wanted to do was to deeply kiss each other as they lovingly gazed into each other's eyes. They could hear some cheering from their friends on the cruise, but they didn't care. They were so entranced in the kiss, the voices around them ebbed away. No photo could capture the kiss as perfectly as the real thing.

Suddenly, Krillin had an epiphany; he had allowed himself to so caught up by Eighteen throw away words when he should have been with his family. He realised just how much he missed being with his family, even though Krillin was only gone a few hours. That was the purpose of him fighting in the first place; not for himself or even for pride. He fought to protect the ones he loved. Hastily placing his wallet back into his trouser pocket, Krillin raced back home as quickly as his legs could carry him.

He was now back at the entrance of his house. Krillin apprehensively knocked on the door, praying that Eighteen would be happy to see him. He swallowed his nerves as the door swung open. All of his fears were rightfully quenched as Eighteen passionately pressed her lips upon his.

Their kisses were intense and full of raw emotion. They both allowed themselves to get lost in the moment. Clumsily stepping inside the house, they made their way to the couch. Their fingers intertwined together like a jigsaw piece as they continued to smother each other with love. Krillin then took a deep breath as the kissing slowly stopped,

"I love you, Eighteen! I love you and Marron more than anything in the world! I just wished I didn't disappoint you!" Krillin exclaimed as adrenaline flowed through his body.

"I love you too!" Eighteen replied earnestly, "Please, please know that I wasn't disappointed in you! I was upset that you got knocked out so soon! I was really looking forward to us working together throughout the tournament."

"Really?"

"Of course! I loved teaming up with you. I mean, why wouldn't I?" Eighteen proclaimed brushing aside her loose blonde hairs.

There was silence once again in the Chestnut house. But this time, instead of tension, there was peace. Being apart from each other made both of them realise what would have happened if in fact Universe 7 lost. They would have been separated forever and that thought brought them closer together. Eighteen was still holding her husband's hand tightly as she said with an irremovable blush,

"I'm so grateful that I get to call you my husband. Each day, I fall in love with you more and more. And I hope you can forgive me for what I said."

"Eighteen," Krillin stated with a reassuring smile, "you don't need to say another word." He then wrapped his arms around her as they enjoyed the embrace. They were so thankful to be with each other. Through thick and thin. Through every word, good and bad. Deep down inside, they both knew words weren't sufficient enough to accurately articulate how they felt for one another. The only way they could truly say it was to show it. Never did the saying, "Actions speak louder than words," mean more than it did now...

THE END