Chapter 4
It was finally here, Wednesday night.
Krillin's day was stressful. He thought Tuesday was bad but his time leading up to 7:00 P.M. was worse. Since he was on vacation from work for his buddy's visit, that wasn't an option for a distraction. Goku was just gonna have to be his salvation for a way to not think about 18 and their date. And while their work-out, for-fun boxing match, big lunch, and their viewing of Yamcha's game from Bulma's place was a recipe for a great time, he was always thinking about a certain blonde. Remembering the bluenette's advice did help calm him down, but the only real thing that was going to cure his anxiety was get this date up and running.
Him showing up 30 minutes early and waiting in the parking lot was further proof that he couldn't bide his time any longer.
18's day, well...She woke up at noon, ate a bowl of cereal, played some video games, and only wore her underwear and a hoodie. Those are normally how her off days went. She'd call them a good use of her time, but you'd be pressed to find someone who agreed with her. Her 'well spent day off' was only cut short when she had to get ready.
She started at 6:30, but when was she going to get there? That was anyone's guess. 17's estimation would be that she would arrive at roughly 7:25 P.M.. Only time itself was going to tell. She couldn't use the excuse of not knowing where the restaurant was either, Krillin 'accidently' sent it to her twice.
The clock was ticking for both of them. What would happen first? Krillin dying from the wait, or 18 making it to the parking lot?
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.
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Should I go get a table 10 minutes early? Krillin thought to himself as he looked at the clock in his car. Errr, screw it, I might as well.
The determined man turned off his car and stepped out of it. He locked his doors as he walked up to the front door of the restaurant. It was called "Sushi Gen", he had been here several times over the years and he always had a good experience. It was the first place he thought of when he asked 18 out, maybe that made it his favorite restaurant then. If he gets a second date after this one then it definitely will be his number one without a doubt.
"Hi, welcome! Table for how many?" A hostess greeted him once Krillin opened the door.
"Two." He responded.
"Table or booth?"
"Uhhh, table...no, booth please."
"Right this way!" Her smile never faded.
The woman leads him through an Oriental themed restaurant. Their walls are a deep brown wood and they have black tables/booths to match. There are even certain tables that allow people to sit much closer to the floor. They bypassed those and went into a room that had Kanji above it that roughly translated to 'main dining room.' She continued to lead him all the way to the back corner and set two menus on a booth.
"Your waitress will be with you momentarily."
"Thank you."
"You're welcome, enjoy your meal." She walked off.
"You t- I mean, thank you again." He corrected himself.
Now all he had to do was wait. Well, he was alradying doing that, it was just in a different spot now.
He checked his phone...6:52...it was going to be a rough 8 minutes.
"SHIT! Where are they?" An angry 18 screamed. "17! HAVE YOU SEEN MY KEYS?"
"NO!" He screamed back. "YOU'RE GONNA BE LATE FOR YOUR DATE BY THE WAY!"
"I KNOW , THAT'S WHY I'M LOOKING FOR THEM!"
"CHECK THE LAST PAIR OF PANTS YOU WORE!"
Finally, once in a while 17 gave 18 some stellar advice. She didn't have time to put the cushions back on the couch, she just ran to the dirty hamper in her room. It was full, but the jeans she wore to work yesterday were on top. She placed her hand on the back pocket and felt something, she almost ripped the denim trying to see what was in there. Sure enough, they were her keys.
Now with everything she needed she bolted out of her room, out their apartment door, and ran down the stairs to the front entrance. She had a shit spot but at least she knew where she parked it, most times she ended up guessing where her car was.
Once she found it and got inside she checked the time on her phone.
"Fuck, I really gotta speed!" She said to herself, putting her device back in her pocket. It was now 6:55 and the restaurant was at the minimum 15 minutes away. This was bad.
The blonde punk was fierce on the road. She sped, didn't back down from a yellow, and didn't hesitate flipping someone the bird if they screwed her over. Just don't cut her off if you plan to slow down.
Even though she was making good time, she was still going to be late.
"I'll just call Krillin and tell him I'm a couple minutes behind, no biggie." But once she reached for her phone a second time, calamity struck. Her grip on her electronic wasn't strong enough and as fate had it she hit a bump on the asphalt while this was happening, causing her phone to fall past her fingers and fall in between the console and her seat. It would take moving the seat all the way forward to get it back.
"FUCK!" She blurted...very loudly. Not much else she could do but drive even faster and pray that a cop wasn't near. Luckily she knew where the restaurant was. She had driven past it before, just never gone inside. Unluckily, traffic was as bad as it ever was. It wasn't slow enough to fish for her phone, and it wasn't quick enough for her to concentrate solely on the road. It was a painful middle ground that she didn't want to deal with.
She slammed her horn occasionally, not that it helped at all. She was just going to have to get there as fast as she was allowed to.
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7:15 P.M. and by himself. He was on his second glass of water and he had read the menu three times over.
Krillin felt like crying. Did 18 stand him up? He thought she actually liked him, it looks like he was mistaken. Giving him her number and agreeing to go on a date must have solely been out of piddy. She was just as bad as his last girlfriend.
He thought about calling her and giving her a piece of his mind, but it wasn't worth the energy. Going home and sleeping in his bed sounded better right now.
The heartbroken individual reached for his wallet and dropped some zeni on the table, the waitress deserved a small constipation still.
He couldn't stop looking down, a perfect representation of how utterly crushed he felt. Even getting out of the booth, all he could do is look at his feet. It was truly one of the worst days of his life, a complete contrast to when he got 18's number. But atlas...he knew it was too good to be true.
"I said I can find him lady, don't worry about it."
Wait, I know that voice. Krillin thought. He looked up and saw her...18. Thank Kami.
He got back into his booth. He pocketed the tip and acted like he hadn't seen anything. He even pulled out his phone to look nonchalant.
It didn't take 18 long to find him near the back of the restaurant, their date was finally about to properly start.
"Hey Krillin!" She blurted once she got in his vicinity.
Krillin now could act like he saw her. "Oh hey, I thought you had forgotten." His chuckle was forced.
"No, I just ran into some traf...fic…"
Huh, is something wrong with me? Why does she sound like…"Oh my."
"HOLY SHIT!" She said a little too loudly. People started to stare judgingly at her, not that she cared.
The first time they met they both were wearing clothing that covered their arms. This time Krillin and 18 weren't hiding them, they had on a t-shirt of their favorite band and a polo shirt respectively. Safe to say they were both a little shocked to see what they did.
Let's start with what 18 thinks about his sleeveless exterior.
"Dude, your arms are jacked!"
"What? Oh, yeah. Well I mean, they aren't THAT big." Krillin liked to be humble. It wasn't that he was 'jacked', his arms just had good definition. (A/N: Just picture Krillin's cell saga physique.)
"Yes they are, you've got some cannons on you. How much can you bench?" 18 finally sat down on the opposite side of her date.
Krillin did not expect that to be the first thing would say, but he could roll with it. "My max right now is around 290. I uh, try to work out 6 days a week."
"That's awesome! Do you have abs too?"
"Y-yes."
"Can you show me?"
"Right now? In the middle of the restaurant?"
"Err, yeah that would be kinda weird. Still, I didn't expect you to be so muscular."
"Thank you? I mean, thank you. But I'm not a bodybuilder, I just work out and watch what I eat. It's a habit from what I used to do growing up that I kept up."
"What was that?"
"Is this, should we? Not that I don't mind talking about this stuff, but shouldn't we focus on more broad stuff? Like how our days were, or what we do for a living or something else like that?"
"I mean we'll get to that stuff later. But this is more fun. I want to learn more on why my date is so jacked, or is shredded a better word?"
"Yeah that's a better word for it. And uh, I used to box back in high school. My brother and I both did. I stopped it but I kept the work out regime, I couldn't quit that."
Krillin was so muddled, he could not have expected this. Here he was mentally preparing for standard questions. Not something like this. He liked it though, it made him feel good. And by the way 18 was staring at him, it looked like things were starting off well enough.
A waitress came up to ask for 18's drink order and to see if they were ready to order any food. 18 ordered a cola but they hadn't decided on what sushi to get yet.
"Sorry I didn't call you, my phone fell under my seat." 18 apologized.
"Don't sweat it, things happen. So uh, speaking of arms...yours caught me off guard too."
"Hmm, oh yea. You haven't seen mine yet either, have you?" The blonde's limbs were tattooed from wrist to shoulder. Colorful patterns were all over her skin. Krillin couldn't decipher all of it, but it was really cool. He had lots of questions.
"Do they, like, all have meanings?"
"Mmm, some yeah. Like this one." 18 pointed to a blue gemstone in the middle of her arm. "That one is important. Oh and this is one my twin brother helped me make." The referred to some kind of majestic feline creature that was on her bicep. "I like it a lot, it turned out great. Yeah a couple are sentimental in that sort of way, but a lot of them I just got because they look cool."
"Do you have more than that?"
"I have one more on my back and one on my thigh. But my sleeves are what I mainly focused on. You like 'em?"
"Yeah...they're cute." Did I just say that out loud? "OOPS! Sorry, I didn't mean to say that. Not that they aren't it's just that-"
"Calm down chief." She smiled while cutting him off. "You're ok, I appreciate the compliment. Besides, your arms are more than cute. I'd say they're sexy."
His face turned a deep red. "Thanks…"
"So besides my 'cute' tatted arms. What else is on your mind?"
She is so natural at this. "That I uh," I don't know, I'm just gonna say the first thing that comes to my mind. "Uhm, why did you ask for my number?" Shit...that sounded bad.
"Oh man, I don't think anyone has ever asked me that question….Let's see...That day you helped me, you were kind and genuine...you laughed at my jokes so that helped...My brother liked you...what else...oh, and you're pretty good lookin'...and most of the men I've dated suck and you are like the complete opposite of them. Which is a good thing. But, there is one more detail that was the icing on the cake."
"What was that?" Krillin's face wasn't as red as before, but it was still a light pink. That good lookin' comment caught him off guard.
"You're not the only one here who is adopted."
"Wait really?"
"Yep, my twin and I were adopted when we were about 10 years old."
"That big guy with the orange mohawk is your twin?"
"Ha. No...that is my adoptive brother. My twin brother and I actually somewhat resemble each other. You'll see what we look like together one day...if you make this date good enough that is."
Her serious look transforms into a small laugh. Krillin copies her facial features, he is beginning to loosen up now.
"Now I know why you said awesome when you found out I was adopted! That makes way more sense. That's crazy."
"Crazy? Nah. It's just fate I'd say."
There was a moment of silence followed by their waitress coming back. The two of them ordered three sushi rolls to share. Both of them were enjoying themselves thus far. It's only been about 10 minutes but Krillin can confidently say this is the best date he'd ever been on.
"So," 18 spoke up. "Can we share something?"
"Whadda mean?" Krillin asked.
"I'd love to know about your upbringing, and how you dealt with being an adopted child. I can tell you mine first if you'd like."
"Sure, I speak first. Although I've got to warn you, it's not exactly normal."
"Do I look normal to you?"
Krillin didn't answer, that question sounded like a trap. Instead he just took a deep breath and started to share his story. "Alright so, I was an orphan since birth and I grew up into this orphanage. Things...were...really bad there. Since I was so short I got picked on alot and even bullied. The faculty were fine, but the kids there were real jerks...when I was eight years old I got accused of stealing one of a big tough kid's video game. It was a lie, but someone told him I did it. He gave me a black eye and told me if I ever stole anything ever again he'd kill me. Now I know that he was exaggerating but when I was that young it mortified me. I didn't want to be living under the same house as that bully or any of them, so I packed up all that I could in a backpack and ran away."
Krillin paused as 18's eyes widened at that part. He took a drink of water and continued again. "I was so young, so I didn't know how stupid that was. The city was kinda big so I didn't know where to go. I had only been to the park, the grocery store, and the library. So I started walking to one of those places, why I went to the store first I have no idea. When I got there I walked the aisles up and down for no rhyme or reason. A couple of the workers there asked me if I was lost and kept reassuring them that I was fine. After a little while this kid with spiky hair came up to me and asked me who I was. I told him my name, and he told me his was Goku. He asked me if he wanted me to come home with him so we could play. I said yes, since I had nowhere else to go. You following this so far?"
"Yeah, keep going." 18 was clearly intrigued by the storytelling.
"Ok, here is where it gets...odd. We walked for about 15 minutes and Goku led me into this pink beach house. We went inside to his room and started to do stuff. We played with his toys, we played tag, we ate some snacks, and did some other stuff. It wasn't all that special but it was the happiest day of my life back then and still is one of them to this day. That was the nicest anyone had ever been to me, heck I didn't even know how to act. I remember being scared for a while he was in there, I thought he was going to beat me up too. But he never did, he just acted like we were already friends."
"Where's the, mmm, weird part?" 18 said chewing on a piece of tuna roll. Their dinner got here during his memoir
"So I was there for like two hours before the greatest man I had ever met came back to his home."
"Hmm?"
"Goku's, and eventually my, adoptive parent. His name is Muten Roshi, but we just called him gramps. He came in and Goku told him the story of how we met. The old man sat me down and asked me where I came from. I told him how I was an orphan and that I hated where I lived. When Goku heard that he said something that I'll never forget: 'Can he live here gramps?' Roshi said that I can stay for a week and we can go from there."
"What? That's how you got adopted?"
"Yeah. After one week Roshi got the papers, took me to get clothes, and other stuff like that."
"Just like that? It seemed like he didn't even think about it."
"Well yeah, he basically didn't. Gramps is such a kind guy that he will do anything to help someone. I found out a couple years later that that is basically the same way he ended up adopting Goku. I look up to him a lot. I could tell you more about him but we'd be here all night."
"Wow. I'd love to hear more about that. But I should bring up my end of the bargain, shouldn't I?"
"You can if you want to, no pressure."
"It's no big deal, mine isn't as bizarre as yours. I don't think so anyways." 18 started to fiddle with her chopsticks. "Let's see….I wasn't born an orphan. I was about 2 to 3 years old when I was given up for adoption.. I don't remember my parents or anything like that, I was too young...obviously. I didn't have an orphanage that I went to, instead my brother and I bounced around foster homes. I'm so thankful I had 17 with me, being with him and not being alone really helped. Some foster homes were great, some not so much. It depended on the parents. I hated it though. I still went to public school and seeing kids who had normal and loving families every day filled me with jealousy. I know that sounds like I was bitter and spiteful, but that's just how it was."
She paused to shove another piece of sushi in her mouth.
"Mmm, damn this is good. Mmm anyways, this kept up until we were 10. An adoption agency called our foster house at the time and said that a man was looking for twins to adopt. Lucky us, we were the first ones he got to. A couple of weeks later I met my adoptive father, Dr. Gero. And that is it. Being an orphan sucked, but I guess it built my character. You know what I mean."
"Yeah," Krillin agreed. "It did...suck...but if you don't mind me asking, how was your adoptive father? Was...or is he a good dad?"
"He isn't alive anymore, but was he a good dad? It's complicated. I found out that he only adopted me and my brother so that his image and his company would look better. He was actually never there for us. His son, the big guy, was more of a father to me than he was. But he did get me out of a hell hole and into a nice home. The best I can say about him is that I'm neutral about him. His wife was a nice woman, but I didn't get to know her very long. She passed away shortly after we were taken in."
Krillin was very surprised by her whole story. Not because it wasn't believable or anything, he had just imagined it being much more hardcore than that. She came off as an abrasive and brash individual, the story didn't reflect that. At least not yet. He was sure there was more to it, but he could get her to open up about it down the road…he was optimistic in that regard.
"You weren't kidding, mmm. This sushi is amazing." The punk said with a full mouth.
"Yeah it- woah." Krillin was amazed she had already eaten one roll by herself and was starting on the second one. This woman could eat. "I mean, yeah, I love this place. Want to try the eel?"
18 didn't say anything, instead she took her chopsticks and reached over for the food in front of him. She threw a piece of it into her mouth, and she wasn't even done chewing her last one.
"So...I guess with that out of the way I gotta ask. 18, what kind of a nickname is that?" He had been dying to know that one, and by proxy what her real name was.
"A really stupid one, I used to hate but its grown on me. So my brother's nickname is 17, when we got moved into a big foster home that had about a dozen kids he was wearing a shirt with the number seventeen on it. And he really hated his birth name, I think he still does but not as much back then. When he went to introduce himself to the other boys he said 'Just call me 17!' and the kids seemed to like it. When they saw that I was his sister and his twin, they gave me the name 18. It never shook off of me."
"Huh, not what I was honestly expecting."
"What were you expecting?"
"Some-...something to do with street fights, or prison."
18 snorted. That's what nine out of ten people think her nickname comes from, but Krillin looked so cute when he said it. Probably due to the fact he was scared to tell her. "Nah, but I've been in a few fights, nothing crazy. And no prison for me, just juvie."
"Wow...I'm on a date with someone who went to juvie…" He let that sink in. "How did you end up there?"
"Just simple stuff. A little bit of vandalism, some minor shoplifting, the aforementioned fights, minor drug use. Nothing major. I was only in there for a few weeks before I got out. Thankfully, my 'old man' didn't let me rot in there for too long. But my rebellious phase ended after I left that place, when I think back to that stuff I cringe a little."
Krillin would hardly call that nothing major, but he can admire that she has changed for the better. "So um, what is your real name then?"
"It's…" 18 pondered for a moment, should she tell him so soon? "It's...I'm not gonna tell you."
"Oh...uh, ok sorry for asking."
"Don't take it the wrong way, I want you to know, but it will be more fun if you figure it out. Another time though, I wanna talk more about you now."
She had a knack for making Krillin feel good. That statement didn't seem like much but from his perspective it had importance to it.
"What do you want to know?"
"What do you do for a living, you know, career wise." This is what she wanted to learn the most. It was the one topic that was living in her head rent free. Partially due to her brother, partially because she wanted to know herself.
"I'm an accountant at a Capsule Corp branch, well, it's not really a Capsule Corp branch, but they just bought the business. You know about CC?"
"Yeah, it's one of the fastest growing software businesses right now. That's really...fancy. What uh, actual company do you work at?"
"Have you heard of Nimbus?"
"The car makers?"
"Yeah that's them. I'm an accountant for the west branch, I've only been there two years but I like it."
"What do you like about it?"
Krillin mentally deliberated on that. What did he like about it? "Er, um, hmmm. My bosses are nice to me so that's a good starter, and there are good benefits. Like I got a good deal on a car because of it."
"But what do you actually like about accounting?"
"Hmmm," He had to think again. "That's a tough one. I think my favorite thing is putting things in order. When I get a balance sheet for example, I'm receiving a mess of numbers that don't mean anything. Interpreting them and putting them in line is just really satisfying...does that make sense?"
"Yeah, it does. It's a little dorky, but I get it. It makes a little more sense on why your car was completely spotless. Is your home the same way?"
"Yes, sometimes I think I have a problem" He scratched the back of his head and chuckled nervously. "….sooooo, what job do you have?"
It was 18's turn to be in a predicament. She didn't know what to say. He really did seem like he wouldn't care that she worked at a gas station, but you could never know. Lying on the first date wasn't ideal, but a little white lie never hurt anyone. She was part owner after all.
"I work at Red Ribbon Co.. That is the building where you dropped off my brother and I after the airport."
"Oh really? That's cool, what do you guys do there?"
"It used to have something to do with the military, but for some reason when Gero got older, he was the CEO by the way, he wanted them to start to research and develop prosthetic limbs. That is primarily what they do there. I never put much thought into why he changed it."
"Oh so they run tests and experiments in that building?"
"Yeah."
"Wow that is awesome, I'd love to see some of them one day. So are you a scientist?"
"No, I'm...I'm a…" 18 was trying to think of a profession that made sense. She didn't want to pick anything involving money, he knows too much about that. The word manager was unbelievable, she didn't fit the vibe. Receptionist was tempting, but that is something even a highschooler could do. Marketing was a good choice, but she didn't know anything about it. She decided to just pick what 16 did for a living, she did at least know the jist of it. "I'm in charge of inventory...yeah."
"Nice, so you do all the ordering and attendance for them?"
"...Yes."
"You keep surprising me, I didn't take you for an office job type of person. We have more in common than I thought."
"You have no idea…"
"Wait, your father was a CEO? I bet that was jaring, going from a foster kid to a nice big house."
"It wasn't as big as you think, most of the money he made he put back into the company. Even in his will, most of his paper was donated to RR. Now like I said before, more on you, less on me! What are your hobbies? Besides working out."
"I love to read, I own a lot of books, I know how to surf but I'm out of practice. I used to play a bit of video games, but I've grown out of it mostly. And I…" Krillin was going to leave out his impressive, albeit embarrassing, assortment of manga and figurines he had built. He didn't want to bring attention to that stuff, besides, she probably didn't even know what that stuff was. "I own a pet turtle!"
"Really? Why a turtle?"
"Growing up Gramps had a pet one, except it was big and it lived outside. When I got an apartment I decided to follow in his footsteps by getting a smaller one in a tank, Goku has one too! I love dogs, but having one in an apartment is troublesome."
"I'm more of a cat person myself, I don't have one though. What's your turtle's name?"
"Tame. Gramp's turtle is called Kame, and Goku's is Zame. I guess it isn't the most creative but I kept up the tradition." He said proudly.
She chuckled. "Kinda a weird naming scheme, but I dig it."
"Oh, and of course hanging out with my friends. They are the closest thing to a real family I have. We all moved here around our early twenties and so far we all have stayed, except Goku. He'll move back here eventually I'm sure of it."
"You're just making me want to ask more questions!" 18 said, scratching her head with both hands.
"S-sorry…"
"No, that's a good thing! It means you're interesting. I'll only ask one, I'm sure I'll find out the answers to the other ones later. Ummm, how many family esk friends do you have?"
"Let me think…" He started counting on his fingers. "Four main ones. One we don't get to see as much but I still think of her as an older sister. Then probably 6 or so that reside a little outside of family level. The main four I've known since I was a kid. Is it my turn now? To ask a question?"
"Looks like we got a game on our hands. I'm a very competitive person mind you."
"No no no, I didn't mean it like that. I'm more than happy to keep answering questions."
"Nope, we gotta take turns asking the other person questions now. Thems the rules, sound fair?"
"Is that really a game?"
"Sure it is, and how 'bout this. First person who can't think of a question in five seconds has to pay for dinner. We can take as long as we want to answer though. Sound fun?"
"Sure...yeah sure, why the heck not."
"Ask away then."
"Um, uh, uhhhh, what's your favorite color!?" He blurted, frantically.
.
.
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The answer was black for anyone who was wondering.
Their game went on for a long time, since they only had a few seconds to ask questions they weren't intricate. Most of them were mainly light-hearted quippy type ones like what their favorite movie was, favorite food, when their birthday was, and other stuff like that. Krillin's plan to offer and expectation of paying for their meals went out the window, but he didn't care because he was having such a phenomenal experience. He could still lose though. Despite 18's headstrong and distinct exterior, she was a pretty laid back person. Was this how all punks were? Krillin was going to have to meet some more of them so he could compare them.
Now that he is unwinded he can take Bulma's advice fully through, he was being himself to the maximum! From 18's point of view she just confirmed her own suspensions. She thought he'd be a cute, dorky, and kind guy, and that is exactly what he is. There were some surprises in there for sure, like the buffness, but her overall hypothesis was correct.
One aspect of the gentleman however, she could do without.
"What is your dream?" The cat-eyed vixen asked.
"What do you mean exactly by that?"
"Just tell me what you want in life more than anything else."
"Oh that's easy, I want a...oh…"
"What? Is it too private?"
"No, it's just that it might come off a bit too strong."
"Pfft, just tell me. I won't care."
"A...a family. You know, a wife and kids. Growing up an orphan...well...you probably understand."
"I see…"
"But I kinda gave up on it for a while. With the way I look I always thought it would be impossible. I'd be lucky for women just to talk to me!" He started to laugh very nervously, trying his best to defuse the self insult.
It didn't work. 18 noticed it immediately and did not approve one bit. She hesitated on giving a response. She wanted to tell him how much she hated that self detramenting behavior, but it was better to play it cool...as cool as she could keep it.
"I'm not a fan of that kind of talk. Stop putting yourself down like that. We will have to fix that issue if we keep seeing each other."
"Oh…" He didn't expect her to say something like that. "S-sorry, but I'm just used to it. Most women won't give me the time of day, romantically speaking, most of them just find me ugly. I didn't have my first girlfriend until...well nevermind that."
18 looked physically annoyed, he kept on undervaluing himself even though she asked him to stop. But she needed to practice her own advice and be more empathetic. "Fuck 'em."
"Huh?"
"Fuck, them. They're assholes. You don't need random people to care about you to be happy! So who cares?!"
Krillin didn't respond verbally. He just nodded, she did have a good point. Her blunt nature was something he was going to have to get used to.
"Anyways," The woman spoke up after taking another sip of a third glass of cola. "It's your turn."
"OH! Dang, err...hmmm…What is...no. How did you...uh. Man this is getting hard."
"You're definitely over 5 seconds."
"Yeah I think you're right, looks like I have to pay." That was the plan from the beginning so he was a-ok with that. "That was a lot of fun though!"
"Mhmm, I agree."
They both looked down at the table, there were only a few stragglers of sushi left. Both of their stomachs were full so they didn't want to eat anymore, but there wasn't enough to justify taking home a to-go box. To Krillin's surprise she ate more than he did. He expected to consume more than her, despite having a big lunch. She must have just been hungry. He took a second to secretly check the time on his phone. He was astonished to find out that they had been sitting here for over two hours, it sure didn't feel like it. The accountant was in favor of resuming their conversations, but the restaurant was closing soon so it seemed that their event was over for the night.
Krillin traded out his phone for his wallet and placed his card on the table. Shortly after, their server picked it up to run the transaction.
"Thank you, by the way. For paying."
"No problem, I'm happy to." The black haired man said. "Want me to give you a ride back?"
"But I drove here."
The sound of Krillin slapping his own forehead could be heard by everyone around them. "Sorry, I'm still pretty new to this."
"Hahaha. You did great, I had a really good time. Can I pick where we go on the second date?"
Krillin's teeth lit up the area. "100%!"
"Cool, you can decide the time and day. Since you still have to spend time with Goku."
Before he could respond, their Sushi Gen employee returned Krillin's credit card and wished them a good night. The hopefully soon to be couple both instinctively stood up and headed for the door. He held it open for her, because of course he did, then gave her an offer. "Can I at least walk you to your car?"
"I don't see why not." She said, leading the way.
Unfortunately, Krillin's nerves got the best of him again as he followed his date to her vehicle. Goodbyes were about to take place, and he knew what that was a recipe for. The goodbye kiss. He had thought of it a lot. At first he was just going to avoid it all together, it would have been kinda creepy in his eyes. But what if she wanted one, then what? Would she tell him, or was he supposed to pick up on the ques. His mind raced a mile a minute as he tried to think back to the date and how she acted. Maybe asking as a light hearted joke wou- *Mwah*.
18's lips connected to the man's cheek then departed as quickly as they arrived, leaving behind a mark of what either had to be lip balm or chapstick.
"Thanks Krillin, like I said earlier it was a lotta fun. I'll text you tomorrow. Later." She commented as she nonchalantly adjusted her hair and got into her driver's side. She drove off, leaving a bewildered, grateful, and ultimately love struck man behind her. He didn't even notice the smoke that retreaded from her exhaust pipe into his face, he was on too much of a mental high right now.
He clenched both of his fists and raised them way over his head as he let out a triumphant roar. "YESSSSSSSSSSSS!"
Krillin got a bit embarrassed, understandably. He doesn't do stuff like that in public, instead of checking the headcounts of people who heard him he just ran to his vehicle.
"I can't wait to tell my friends!" He says as he cartoonishly jumps up in the air and clicks his heels together. His Nimbus branded car waiting for him to get in and embark on their victorious drive home. "I should call Gramps too! I haven't talked to him in a while might as well call him tonight!"
This was hopefully the start of a beautiful relationship.
A/N:
Writing good sfw work is way harder than writing good nsfw work. I have to like plan stuff ahead and actively have to try to make the characters dynamic. I'm used to just writing these two in sexy scenarios. That is why it took so long for this chapter to drop.
I have vague ideas on where to go next but I really gotta sit down and make sure where this story goes next will make sense and still be entertaining. Not going on hiatus by any means, but expect for chapter 5 to be postponed.
I still like writing this series for sure, but it has proved to be more challenging.
THANK YOU FOR READING
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