Habits

A/N: Tien and Launch really don't get enough love, and they're one of my favorite pairings in DB/DBZ. (even if it is a bit of a one-sided relationship, heh... but I still think it's an interesting one.) So, I've really been wanting to write something about them for a while now, and then this just kinda popped into my head. This is a one-shot, and it takes place in between the end of Dragonball and beginning of Z, while Launch is living with and/or stalking Tien. xD Tien can't stand the blonde Launch's bad habits, and the two share a moment as he tries to get through to her.

T rating to be safe.

He sighed as he flew over the clearing and saw the brand new capsule house. She'd done it again.

Tien didn't understand why she felt the need to steal as much as she did. He'd tried asking her nicely to stop, saying it was unnecessary, but she apparently hadn't listened. Launch was an interesting person, to say the least, but for the most part Tien had really become quite fond of both sides of her over the years. Her calm personality was of course much easier to be around, but it was often her fiery personality that made him laugh, which he had really come to enjoy. She still made him a little nervous, but he had begun to like her unpredictable nature. Not to mention that he couldn't deny her attractiveness. Tien had never paid much attention to women and their appearances - he was always too focused on his training - but there was something about both sides of Launch that he couldn't help but notice.

But, he just couldn't handle her lifestyle. She was bound to get caught and thrown in jail one day, and he just thought it was ridiculous. Tien had no need or want for material possessions, so he couldn't understand why all of that was so important to her. He felt that deep down, Launch was a good person, but she just wasn't very good at showing it.

"Woah! Looks like Launch bought a new house," Chiaotzu commented as he took in the sight.

"Yeah, and something tells me she didn't buy it with her own money," Tien replied as the two exchanged looks before descending to the ground and standing in front of the much larger house. Chiaotzu knew Tien was irritated that Launch was stealing again. He could sense it. He knew Tien might want to say something to her about it, and he figured he should just stay out of it. But, he really wanted to at least see the inside of the house before Tien probably made her return it, and this time, curiosity took over for Chiaotzu as he went inside, Tien following behind him.

Although he could tell Chiaotzu was quite fascinated with it all, examining all of the decorations and furniture, Tien simply frowned at the luxurious interior of the home. He knew that this cost quite a large sum.

The blonde Launch's voice startled them both out of their thoughts as she entered the living room. "Hey Tien, whaddya think? Pretty nice, huh?"

Tien scoffed. "Yeah, it's real nice. Too bad it doesn't really belong to you."

"Of course it belongs to me! I bought it!" Launch exclaimed as she put her hands on her hips and moved closer to him.

"With money that wasn't yours!" Tien retaliated.

"So what? I took that money fair and square!"

Tien exhaled sharply as he rubbed his eyes, trying to stay calm but she was making it very difficult. Chiaotzu could see that his brief moment of fun was over and decided he'd better leave them alone. Tien and Launch were two people he really didn't want to be around when they were mad, and he was beginning to learn that when they were mad at each other, it was even worse. The two were so focused on each other that they didn't even see him slip out the front door.

"Launch, it's stealing, and you know it," he said, this time a bit more calmly. "And you know that I don't like it."

Launch frowned and crossed her arms over her chest, and if Tien didn't know any better, he would of said she was pouting. "I just don't see what the big deal is!"

"And I don't see the point in stealing! You already had a nice house; why did you need a new one?" Tien expected another retaliation on her part, but to his surprise, she averted her eyes from him and didn't answer. Determined to hear the truth from her, Tien asked again. "Why do you really do this?"

"I just like having nice stuff is all!" She replied, defensively.

The fact that she was getting so defensive about it told Tien that that wasn't the truth, or at least all of it. So, he persisted. "I don't think that's really why. Just tell me the truth."

For the first time, Launch looked directly into Tien's eyes and heaved a sigh before replying, "It's just... well, how else am I supposed to get anything? I ain't gonna get a job with my "condition." No one's gonna hire some crazy girl with a spilt-personality! And everyone likes someone that has money."

"I've never liked someone just because they had money. In fact, money and objects mean nothing to me. Before you came around, Chiaotzu and I slept on the dirt every night, but I didn't care because I was with my friend. And with you, it's no different because you're my friend as well... at least, I think you are," Tien said as a slight blush spread onto his cheeks.

Launch's eyes lit up. "Well, I better be!" she exclaimed with a smile. "Alright, Tien. It's gonna be hard 'cause it's just what I'm used to, but I'll try to stop, for you."

Tien smiled back at her but then surprised her as he suddenly leaned in closer and grasped her shoulders. "And, Launch... you're not crazy. You're just... unique." A small laugh escaped his lips.

Launch's face lit up even more, which Tien wasn't sure how that was even possible. She was smiling brighter than he had ever seen her smile before, and he silently wished she would smile more often when she was blonde. "Ha! Yeah, I guess you're right! And you're pretty unique yourself with that third eye," she said teasingly as she gently poked his forehead beside his eye.

Tien, a bit embarrassed, threw his hand behind his head and laughed. "Yeah, some pair we make, huh?" His laughter continued until he noticed that she had become silent and was now blushing. Then, the meaning behind his words dawned on him, and he quickly felt even more embarrassed than he did before. At that point, he could have sworn his face was even redder than hers. He didn't mean it like that... did he?

Suddenly, he realized how close the two of them had become. Their bodies were almost touching, and Launch wouldn't take her eyes off of him. But then again, he realized he had been staring at her this entire time, too.

"Tien...," she said, almost breathlessly. His heart immediately began to pound at hearing his name like that. "I wanna kiss you."

Tien felt like his heart had stopped. He had never really done anything like that with a girl - he had no idea what to expect. But before his mind could be filled with more nerve-wracking thoughts that could possibly cause him to protest, Launch grasped his shirt and pulled him down a bit before standing up on her tip-toes and pressing her lips against his. Tien's eyes widened at the contact but soon closed as he relaxed into the kiss. She was surprisingly gentle but still firm, and Tien couldn't believe it when he found himself wanting more.

He shyly wrapped his arms around her waist pulling her closer, and Launch slightly parted her lips to deepen the kiss. This took Tien a bit by surprise as he wasn't sure what to do, but Launch quickly demonstrated by sliding her tongue across his lips to get him to do the same. He obliged, and it was as if a hunger had awakened in both of them - they couldn't get enough of tasting each other. Suddenly, Launch abruptly broke the kiss and pulled away from him. He looked at her questioningly, but then he saw that she was holding her hand over her nose. Oh, no.

"S-sorry, Tien," she managed to get out before a sneeze overpowered her, and her blue-haired persona revealed herself. She blinked in confusion when she noticed the proximity between her and Tien. "Oh, Tien! Um... what's going on?"

"Uh, well... I'm not really sure how to say this...," he trailed off. What was he supposed to say to her? Should he just tell her the truth? Wait... what was the truth, anyway?

"Oh." Silence. "Were she and you having a sweet moment?" she asked with a small smile.

Tien blushed slightly and looked away. "Well, I guess you could say that..."

"It's so nice of you to care for her like that. You're a very kind person, Tien," she said as she began moving away from him, but Tien held her by her wrist to stop her. He couldn't help but notice a hint of sadness in her voice, and he didn't want her thinking that he was only being nice, or that he only cared about her blonde-haired self, because it simply wasn't true. As much as he didn't want to, he had to confess.

"Wait," he began. "It's true - I care about Launch. But, you are Launch, too! Both of you make up one person, so there's no way I could only care about one side of you. And I'm not just being nice. I like you. Both of you."

"R-really?" she replied, a smile spreading across her face as she threw arms around his neck and buried her face in his chest. "I care about you, too, Tien! You're always so sweet to me."

Tien just smiled and returned the embrace. He leaned down and gently kissed the top of her head, running his fingers through her hair. Although he didn't want to, he eventually pulled away and said, "Come on. Let's go see where Chiaotzu ran off to, and see if we can think of something to have for dinner. Hey, maybe he and I can catch some fish or something."

"Sure! And I'll cook it!" Launch beamed as he took her hand and led her outdoors where they found Chiaotzu trying to catch some flying bugs.

Tien was happy - happier than he had been in a long while - and he knew that by the way his old friend was looking at him, Chiaotzu could tell as well. At this moment, he felt like there was nothing Launch could ever do to make him lose these feelings for her. He felt like he could never be mad at her, or lose his patience, or just want to leave her behind as he had felt like doing many times before. He felt like his loner days were surely over because how could he ever not want her by his side? But, part of him knew the truth. Neither of them were going to completely change because of this one afternoon. Tien knew better than anyone that bad habits were hard to break.

But, he would enjoy it while it lasted.

A/N: This came out a bit fluffier than I originally intended, but oh well. I think I still kept it realistic at the end. I hope everyone seems in-character! Tien is really hard for me to write, for some reason. Anyway, thanks for reading! Please review!