Krillin and 18: One Stupid Kiss

Part 11: A Little Something Between Siblings

"So that's why you've been gone so often," noted an irritating voice that startled 18 and shattered the moment. She whipped around and found her twin looking at her the way a porous fry cook might gawk at his coworker after catching him eating the company burgers. The blond cyborg blushed profusely, unfortunately not from butterflies this time.

"W-were you spying on me?" She stumbled on her words from anger and embarrassment. 17 shrugged and placed his hands behind his head in infuriating nonchalance.

"Spying? Nah. Just enjoying the show," his sister was seething at this point, but he kept doing what brothers do best.

"You playing tonsil hockey with a dude half your size? You can't pay for entertainment like that." Android 18 was no longer shaking with rage, but she was not smiling. Even worse, her eyes were shadowed over. 17 looked back at her, suppressing his laughter and counting down in his head.

Five...

Her breathing became heavier.

Four...

Her hands balled into fists that would've had Arthur quaking.

Three...

He braced himself.

Two....

The second he got to one, 18 tackled him into the cabin and had his face pressed into the floor. He howled with laughter as she pinned his arm behind his back.

"Seventeen, I'm gonna kill you!" She roared over his guffaws. They made her even angrier and she pinned his arm harder.

"Augh!" 17, cried, laughing only a little less. "Alright, alright, let me up."

18 rose, still glowering at her brother as he plopped himself on the couch. He snickered again and threw his hands up in surrender when she was about to charge.

"So, you and Atom Ant a thing now?"

"He has a name," 18 snapped.

"I'll take that as a yes." He smirked at her. She rolled her eyes at him and turned her gaze toward the fireplace, where are small smolder was burning.

"We only kissed. Nothing's official yet."

"Yet?" 17 raised his eyebrows and put a hand over his mouth in an overripe reality TV
manner.

"Shut uuuup," she groaned. "Know what? I'm going to bed." 18 actually flew toward her bedroom instead of walking, more than ready to end this conversation, but was caught by the ankle with ease by her brother.

"Not so fast," 17 sang. He lowered her until she sat on the couch next to him, even though she growled at the foot catch.

"What now?" 18 crossed her arms. 17 clasped his hands in his lap in mock seriousness.

"Since it looks like you two are getting serious, I would like to meet him." The blonde Android's face said, "wtf," for her.

"Excuse me?"

"Hey you know your big bro's gotta make sure he checks out alright." To 18's disbelief her twin was managing to be more ridiculous than usual.

"First of all, I'm older than you. Second, I don't harass you about the lady friends you bring home. Why are you so interested in what I do with another guy?"

"So much attitude," 17 threw his hands up again. Then he stared at the ground, back at his sister, then clicked his tongue.

"I guess my curiosity's peaked," he admitted. "If it were someone tall, dark, and handsome," he added hand gestures for dramatic effect, "like I assumed your type was, or a guy who at least had a nose, it would probably go over my head."

He decided to choose his next words carefully since his nose comment left her looking ready to pounce for the eleventeenth time.

"I'm just genuinely wondering what you see in that guy. He's not exactly what I just described and he's pretty weak."

"He's not weak," 18 retorted, then relaxed. "I don't know he's just... different. Like he's the whole reason we don't have those bombs in us anymore."

17 eyes went wider than Yajirobe's waist measurements.

"Wait, what?" She briefly reminded him of Krillin's wish and what went down at the Lookout all those years ago.

"Oh yeaaah," 17 marveled. "Wow, you have got that dude whipped."

"That's just how he is, I guess. He makes me feel like a real person. And he's sweet and brave and funny and... So freaking cute-" she didn't realize she'd zoned out until it was too late. If only she could suck her words back in and swallow them. Her face burning, she risked a glance at her twin, who was making a teasing duck face at her. Maybe she could not swallow her words but she could knock her brother's teeth down his throat.

"That's it," she spat, but 17 was ready for her this time and had already hurdled over the couch, filling their cabin with his lollygagging once more.

***
Krillin laid with his limbs splayed on the bed feeling lighter than Goku flying on the Nimbus. The sun was showing itself off, and there were little streaks of clouds here and there, as if the sun was painting the sky with a dry brush. It was already early afternoon, yet the bartender still wondered if last night was a dream, just like he knew he would. He reunited with everyone he loved, the same people he feared would hate him for leaving. And for the pièce de résistance, he had kissed Android 18. No, Android 18 kissed him.

Krillin sank further into his bed and sighed in a lovesick, perfectly cliche teen movie manner. He decided he'd worry about the next steps once the dopamine wore off: ask 18 out on a date and officially ask her to be his girlfriend. How he would actually do so, he wasn't quite sure. He was even less sure that she'd say yes on top of that. He contemplated finding Yamcha and getting some advice on the ladies, but decided that he wouldn't be the best for suggestions on 18 specifically.

The ring of the doorbell made the monk sit up straight and stiff. He should've been prepared for the Android to show up announced, but his apartment, though clean, was not exactly a romantic date ready. He considered how long it would take him to set up some candles or something, but a second ringing proved that would not be plausible. If anything, he could improvise. Plus, 18's obvious eagerness to see him most likely meant it wouldn't be difficult to get some lip action again.

Krillin grabbed a rose out of a vase sitting on the coffee table then unbuttoned his shirt, holding the flower in his teeth. He sashayed over to the front door and swung it open in a melodramatic manner.

"Well helloooo Eigh-" he choked on the rose as his blood turned to ice. While there was a cyborg before him, it certainly was not the one he was expecting. Android 17 blinked at the short man, his expression speaking volumes of surprise and discomfort. Krillin stared at him, unsure of anything he could say to break the quite thick ice.

"Okaaay," 17 cleared his throat. "While it seems as though you were... preoccupied," he shuddered a bit, remembering Krillin's greeting and what he probably had planned for his twin, "get ready loser. You're going out with me today."

***

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