Don't Die on Me

Kai hadn't seen Bulma all morning.

Not when he passed through the kitchen.

Not when he "accidentally" walked by the lab five times.

Not when he knocked on the workshop door, pretending to ask if she needed help lifting a generator with one arm again.

Nothing.

She was ignoring him. Hard.

He sighed and leaned against the hallway wall, arms crossed, shirt still half soaked in sweat from training. A few Capsule Corp workers gave him side-eyes as they passed.

Whatever. He wasn't here to make friends.

Except maybe… one.

Eventually, he found her in the garage, fiddling with what looked like a half-assembled hovercar engine and pretending like he didn't exist.

"Hey," he started.

Nothing.

"I know you're ignoring me. Which is fine. I've ignored a few people myself. Credit card debt collectors. The old guy who tried to give me a pamphlet about alien taxes once—"

"Why are you here?" she snapped, not looking up.

"Because you won't talk to me," he said. "And I don't like being ghosted by people who saw me shirtless once. It's awkward."

That got her attention. She shot him a glare. "You really think this is funny?"

"No," he said. "I think you glaring at me while elbow-deep in hovercar parts is kind of funny, though. Little intimidating. Lots of grease. Not a great first date look, but still—"

She stood up so fast he almost stepped back.

"Why are you bothering getting to know a dead man?"

Kai blinked.

She didn't say it like an insult. She said it like a fact. Cold. Flat. Certain.

"Because that's what you're acting like," she went on. "You train like you've got something chasing you. Like you don't care what happens to your body. Like dying in that stupid chamber wouldn't even surprise you."

He opened his mouth to respond, but the words didn't come.

"You think it's impressive, but it's not. It's terrifying. And pathetic."

He rubbed the back of his neck, staring at the floor. "...Can we talk?"

She hesitated. Looked like she was going to brush him off again. Then sighed.

"My room. Upstairs. Don't touch anything."

He blinked. "Wait. Your room?"

Her room was clean, but messy. Organized chaos. Clothes draped over a chair. Hairbands on the nightstand. A capsule toolbox next to a stack of magazines. The faint scent of her perfume lingered in the air — something floral and smart, like she paid too much for it and didn't care.

She sat on the bed.

He sat on the floor.

"I'm nervous," he said, looking around. "This is my first time being in a girl's room. What are you gonna do to me?"

She rolled her eyes. "Please. I've got tasers if you act weird."

"Comforting."

They sat there for a minute in silence. It wasn't awkward, just… paused.

Then she spoke. "Why do you train like that?"

He looked down at his hands. There were faint scars, some new, some barely healed. The system didn't erase them all. Some marks stayed, probably on purpose.

"Because I'm scared," he said finally.

Her brow rose slightly.

He kept going. "I'm scared of dying. I'm scared of being weak. I'm scared of the kind of things I know are coming. I'm scared that if I stop, even for a minute… I'll fall behind. And someone else will pay for it."

She frowned. "So you just… keep pushing? Until what? You snap?"

"I haven't yet."

"Doesn't mean you won't."

He looked up at her. She wasn't mad anymore. Just… tired.

"You're the smartest person I've ever met," he said quietly. "And the kindest person I pretend not to be intimidated by. And you still talk to me. That's rare."

"You annoy me constantly."

"That counts as talking."

She sighed and leaned back on her hands. "You're an idiot."

He smiled. "You're not wrong."

A long pause. Then:

"You scared me," she admitted. "Last night. I thought you were gonna die in there."

He didn't know what to say to that. So he didn't say anything.

She shook her head. "Just… don't make a habit of it, okay? You're not indestructible."

He wanted to say you'd be surprised. But he didn't.

Instead, he just nodded. "Okay."

She looked at him. "That easy?"

"Hey. I'm very obedient."

She snorted. "You're a menace."

"Only part-time."

Silence again. But softer now.

He leaned back against the edge of her bed, looking up at the ceiling.

"So," he said after a minute. "If I survive the next few months and Earth isn't blown up… you want to go get noodles sometime?"

She turned her head slightly. "Are you asking me out?"

"Very cautiously."

"…We'll see if you survive first."

He grinned. "Fair."

And for once, he didn't feel like he had to train his way out of the moment.

He just stayed there.

Still.

Alive.

And for now, that was enough.