[Fic] Identity Crisis
Title: Identity Crisis
Rating: PG-ish
Fandom: Tiger & Bunny
Pairing: Barnaby/Kotetsu, established relationship
Disclaimer: Standard disclaimers apply.
Summary: Kotetsu is out, while an ill Barnaby rests at Kotetsu's home. Cue a certain daughter of a certain hero appearing at the door. Will Kotetsu's secret be exposed, or will Barnaby go down protecting it, as he battles his own sickness?
Author's Notes: This was written before episode 17 aired, so I'm not exactly sure if it will fit nicely with Canon. Anyhow, please enjoy!
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- -- --- ---- --- -- -
Barnaby Brooks Jr., King of Heroes, was presently not in the best of health.
It had been two days. He seldom fell sick, he recalled, and even if he did, it would resolve after a few days of resting in bed and a short course of antibiotics. But it was different this time around; work was keeping him on his toes, both in terms of his actual feats of heroism and all the interviews.
What was astounding, at least to him, was how Kotetsu seemed to be spared from the illness. Barnaby gazed at him, somewhat envious to see the older man bouncing around in his own kitchen with full vigour.
"You don't have to do this, you know," Barnaby croaked. He cringed at the alien voice he was speaking in.
"What's wrong in taking care of my partner - in more than one sense of the word - while he's sick?" Kotetsu said, tasting the soup in the pot. He made a face, and added some more salt. "You need all the help you can get. And this soup will help you. It'll relieve some of the inflammation in your throat, and your stomach won't be empty."
"But we can just do this at my place."
"No, we can't. I'm more at home in my own kitchen, anyway, so it's easier for me too." Kotetsu gave his chicken soup another taste, and finally nodded to himself in satisfaction. "The doctor insisted that you have someone to look after you, or he would have kept you in the hospital. So here I am! Besides, I don't want Agnes to suddenly appear at your doorstep, suddenly wanting to film Wild Tiger taking care of his beloved Bunny just so she could boost the ratings."
Barnaby blushed. They had inadvertently came out of the closet, with Wild Tiger, in a fit of his excitement, had pulled Barnaby in a tight hug and in response, Barnaby had automatically given him a full kiss in front of Hero TV's many cameras. Hearts were broken, tears were flooding, and wails of agony rang throughout Sternbild for some time as many tried to get over the fact that the King of Heroes was now officially taken.
Agnes was predictably happy with the boost of ratings, but Kotetsu was not exactly thrilled that he could not afford to go on a date with Barnaby in his civilian identity, and without being subjected to paparazzi shots. (He even heard that Kaede was somewhat down when she initially found out, but his mother insisted that Kaede was over it already.)
So yes, the safest place would be Kotetsu's own home.
Barnaby coughed again, and he shivered. Kotetsu brought a bowl of soup over for the blond, the latter murmuring a thank you from behind his face-mask.
"Do you have to wear that?" asked Kotetsu.
"Of course," said Barnaby, his eyebrows furrowing. "I can't be spreading the germs to you. Who knows what this pneumonia will do to you if you catch it."
Kotetsu grinned broadly. "Aw, I'm touched at the thought, but this Tiger's strong enough to handle that."
"In any case," Barnaby continued, slowly sitting up on the sofa. He stirred the soup, eyeing the carrots, potatoes and chicken pieces, "we can't both fall sick, Kotetsu-san. It'll hurt our reputation."
"Nah, they'll just think it's sweet how Wild Tiger sacrificed his own health in taking care of his Bunny-chan!"
Barnaby winced, wondering if the public still took them seriously when they were pouncing around as Tiger & Bunny. "More likely, they'll think we spent the entire time in bed to actually bother with work." Barnaby could very well be smirking behind the face-mask. "It's unprofessional, Kotetsu-san."
Kotetsu waved his hand in dismissal. "Okay, fine, you win. I'll try to come back early. So you'll be all right while I'm gone?"
Barnaby nodded.
"You know what to do?"
"Please, of course I do. I've lived on my own before, you know."
"Not when you had pneumonia and a high spiking fever."
"It's just mild pneumonia, Kotetsu-san."
"You know what to do, Bunny?" Kotetsu repeated, using his parent voice.
Barnaby pouted, which Kotetsu could roughly make out from where he was sitting.
"After finishing the soup, I'll take the medications and go straight to bed." There was an edge to the blond's voice, as if he was reluctant to. "And if I need it, there's your wool sweater on the bed."
"And?"
Barnaby gave him an incredulous look. "You're not serious!"
"I am."
They had a staring contest for a moment, until Kotetsu pressed the thermometer into Barnaby's hand firmly.
"Kotetsu-san, why would I need to record my temperature?" demanded Barnaby.
---
Kotetsu had been gone for since an hour ago, and Barnaby had finished the soup. It smelled good, but it took effort to actually finish it, especially when his swollen throat stung with every swallow. His cough was coarse and chesty, and occasionally he had noisy breathing.
Barnaby wondered if he would enjoy the soup more if he were healthy. Perhaps Kotetsu should make him more soup once he was restored to health.
He wrapped the blanket around him tightly. He made his way to Kotetsu's room and lied down on his bed, one arm reaching out for the pink bunny plush that he had received for his birthday. Kotetsu had smuggled the item out of his apartment on the pretext of keeping him company while Kotetsu was away, despite Barnaby's protests.
If Barnaby's nose was not blocked, he would have been able to pick up the older man's scent in the plushie.
His mobile phone vibrated with an incoming message from Kotetsu.
"Finished the soup? Are you in bed already? Taken your pills? Do you have enough blankets? Can you sleep?"
"Yes. And yes, I'm about to go to sleep. You don't have to be so worried about me."
"Of course I have to. Anyway, I'll just let you rest, ok?"
"Ok."
"By the way, you have plenty of fanmails wishing you to get well soon. Should I bring them over for you?"
Barnaby's face softened. Before he could key in his reply, Kotetsu sent another text:
"On second thought, I'll reply on your behalf to save you the trouble."
Frantic, Barnaby typed in "NO!".
----
Kaburagi Kaede stood outside the front door to her father's place. She was on a trip organised by her school to Sternbild, and had decided to drop by as a surprise. She smiled giddily at herself - she made no mention about her plans to even her grandmother, and even in the most recent conversation with Kotetsu she said nothing of it.
She liked to think that she was getting sneaky, but she deserved some fun once in awhile. Besides, she was certain her father would not mind. If anything, he would be ecstatic.
She produced the house key and let herself in. It was dark, as Kaede had expected, but when she checked out the kitchen she was surprised to find a pot full of Kotetsu's chicken soup - the same soup that her grandmother would make whenever she, Kaede, fell sick. Slightly worried, she made her way to Kotetsu's room, switching on the lights in the corridor as she passed.
She turned the door handle slowly, and as the thin sliver of light shone into the bedroom and on to the blanketed figure, she realised that a stranger was in his father's home, in his bed.
The blond stranger, hair messily falling over his face and the face-mask, was sound asleep, occasionally disturbed by his own bouts of coughing. He - She? Kaede could not really tell from the distance - snuggled deeper into the folds of the blanket, and then buried his face is something pink and fluffy.
Overwhelmed by her own surprise, she clasped her hand over her mouth. For lack of better ideas, she withdrew, closing the door as stealthily as she could.
---
Barnaby woke up suddenly with the urge to throw up. With one hand over his mouth, he threw the covers and the plush bunny aside, tore the face mask away, and darted to the adjoining bathroom, making an awful racket as he did so. He had no idea how much was lost; all he knew that he was dizzy after the episode, and he did not look so good in the mirror either. Even his hair looked lifeless, which was expected since he missed an appointment with his hair stylist.
That was the least of his worries for the moment though.
He rinsed his mouth and face, somewhat unhappy that his nausea was still lingering in his throat. Any scent seemed to aggravate it, so he opted for the face mask again. Just as he closed the bathroom door behind him, he came face to face with a young brunette in the bedroom.
Sure enough, it was Kaede in the flesh. There was no mistake - Kotetsu had shown him her pictures too often that he would not be able to forget how the pride of Kotetsu's life looked like any time soon.
For a full minute they stood staring at each other, each uncertain how to proceed.
Barnaby felt as if his stomach had dropped, wondering what answer should he give as to why was he - the famed Barnaby Brooks Jr., who was known to be involved with Wild Tiger - in the bed of one Kaburagi T. Kotetsu. Or, worse, if Barnaby was confronted with Kaede's question of "Is my dad really Wild Tiger?"
Barnaby knew he should have discussed the issue with Kotetsu, just to prepare them both for an emergency like this. Which, as if Fate was taunting, exactly happening to him and him alone, without Kotetsu for back up. But what good would regret do, in the face of his current predicament?
"I, uh..." Barnaby hesitated, and he cursed his hoarse voice. It was not making things any easier for him.
"I heard you from downstairs," said Kaede slowly, "and figured I should check how you're doing."
Barnaby could feel the muscles in body relaxing. So far, so good - there was no outbursts on her part, be it in fangirl hysteria or extreme anger, and he himself was still able to remain calm. He still wondered why Kotetsu failed to inform him that Kaede was visiting today. Feeling that his legs were starting to shake, he returned to the bed, avoiding Kaede's intent gaze on his every move.
"You must be very close to him," Kaede mused. "My father, I mean."
Barnaby winced, but he nodded all the same. Where would this conversation take them? And how should he answer to ensure minimal damage?
"He lent you his favourite sweater."
Barnaby felt his headache worsening, and his face warming up. Was he blushing? Hopefully the face mask would hide that particular fact.
"And his bed."
Barnaby whispered a curse to himself. How much did Kaede know? Was she actually playing with him? Barnaby braced himself for the inevitable: Would Kaede suddenly go all detective mode and announce her deductions, "You're Barnaby, and this crime scene tells me that you are in a relationship with my father, which makes him none other than Wild Tiger!"
Maybe it would be best if he were to offer her an explanation before anything else? But he really should consult Kotetsu first, just so they would be able to come up with a convincing explanation that would not be in conflict with each other.
Barnaby crunched his face. All this thinking was bad for his headache.
After awhile, she voiced out, "Who are you, Mister?"
He felt as if time had stopped for the second time that day alone.
"Well?" insisted Kaede, noting that the man was too surprised to answer.
"I'm his friend," said he. It was not a lie, in any case.
"I meant your name."
Barnaby blinked. It appeared that she did not recognise him. He glanced at his own reflection in Kotetsu's full length mirror nearby, and to her credit, his undone hair was too messy, the curls were almost obsolete, and his eyes were barely half-opened. His glasses were nowhere near him - probably lost somewhere underneath the pillows - and the face mask did a good job in hiding a good half of his face.
It was a good disguise, if Barnaby could say so himself. Perhaps better than Kotetsu with his domino mask.
"You don't know me?" Barnaby hazarded a question, because he needed to be sure. Even his husky voice was a good cover, he thought to himself as he spoke.
Kaede looked baffled. "I don't think we've met before. Have we?"
Barnaby sighed in relief.
There was still a problem though. How was he supposed to go from here? Kotetsu did not want his daughter to know about his job, but was Barnaby supposed to be playing along? It was only by sheer dumb luck - even though that was still debatable - that Kaede did not recognise him as the King of Heroes, so should he maintain it that way?
"Oji-san?" said Kaede, a hint of impatience in her voice.
Barnaby cringed to be called by that familiar term. "I'm not that old," he blurted, then he mentally kicked himself. He was not even capable of filtering his speech. He blamed it all on his sickness.
"No?"
His head had started to spin, so he lied down. Suddenly he felt cold, and he shivered. Kaede, now worried, approached him and placed a hand on his forehead.
"You're burning up, Oji-san." Apparently the issue of his age was lost to her, but Barnaby had no energy to argue. Kaede adjusted the temperature control in the room. "I'll get you a bag of ice, okay?" She ran out of the room, and soon was back with it in tow.
Barnaby fought to steady his breathing, and Kaede gently put the icepack on his forehead. It felt nice, and Barnaby was suddenly thankful to her. Kaede noticed that he was no longer grimacing.
"I can't believe that my father did something so irresponsible," murmured Kaede. "You must be someone very important to him, but he left you here. Kind of like...what he did to me." Kaede sighed heavily, gloomily.
"Actually..." said Barnaby in between breaths, "I told him to go. So please...don't blame him."
Kaede stared at him, but his eyes were still closed. "He could've just said no."
Barnaby smiled as he affectionately recalled Kotetsu's concerned face earlier. "I wouldn't let him win. Besides, it's just who he is..."
"He's a workaholic."
"He is." Barnaby opened his eyes slowly, and Kaede saw that they were almost dreamy. He reached for Kaede's hand and held it when she did not withdraw it from his own feverish one.
"I don't understand him, though. He never talks about his job, so..."
"Maybe...one day you'll understand better." Barnaby's eyes smiled at her, urging her to trust her own father. "You're lucky...to be his daughter. He loves you very much."
"He does, doesn't he?" Kaede, unknowingly, had broke into a small smile.
"He talks about you all the time."
Kaede did not answer, but spent some time observing the ailing man in Kotetsu's bed. There was something in the quality of his tone, his voice, that seemed to speak volumes of his own feelings towards Kotetsu. He also seemed to know Kotetsu intimately, perhaps better than Kaede did.
She felt a slight pang of jealousy.
"Oji-san?" she asked tentatively.
Distractedly, "Hmmm?"
He sounded sleepy, but Kaede would not let him go before her own curiosity was satisfied. "You really love him, don't you?"
"...Very much." The drowsy answer came, followed shortly later by a soft snore. The blond man was fast asleep, and peacefully so.
Kaede smiled to herself, somewhat amused at this new development. She gave his hand a grip, and continued to busy herself with the icepack.
---
"Bunny!" Never one for a quiet entrance, Kotetsu burst into his own home and ran straight to his bedroom. He opened the door, and froze in his stance when he saw the unexpected.
Kaede was looking straight at him, frowning at the unceremonious interruption, while Barnaby, on his bed, gave him a weary look.
Kotetsu stared a bit longer, unable to process the scene before him, and finally gave a nervous chuckle. "So, uhm...I can totally explain..."
"Kotetsu-san..." began Barnaby.
Kaede, however, beat him to it. "Daddy, how could you leave him all alone like this? Do you have any idea how sick he was?"
"No, wait, Kaede-san..." Barnaby tried to intervene.
"Kaede!" exclaimed Kotetsu, finally garnering enough courage to address his daughter. "Why're you suddenly here? You should've told me that you were coming! Does Grandma know you're here?"
"I had a school trip to the Museum, so I wanted to surprise you. But seeing that your friend here is sick, and you left him, I thought it's best if I stayed behind and look after him! And now his fever's coming down, you should thank me, you know." Kaede showed no remorse about skipping the trip, if anything.
"But still, Kaede--!"
"He was so pitiful the entire day, you'd better take good care of him properly!" Kaede folded her arms. "Honestly, Dad..."
Kotetsu looked fearfully at his partner, frantically searching for answers. Finding none - although Barnaby eyebrows had twitched to be regarded as 'pitiful' - Kotetsu murmured, "So, uh, Kaede...you knew?"
"Knew what?"
Barnaby shook his head a few times, praying that Kotetsu would interpret it as, "No, she doesn't, so don't say anything else before you make it worse than it already is!"
Kaede, receptive as she was, saw the exchange between the men. "Of course I knew, Dad!"
Barnaby's head turned quickly to her, just as Kotetsu turned pale.
She sighed impatiently. "Come on! You and the Oji-san are obviously dating!"
"Oji-san?" Kotetsu echoed several times, first in disbelief, then in confusion, then in amusement. He suppressed an incoming laughter when he saw Barnaby's pained look. "Oji-san! You're Oji-san to her! Ha, take that!" He doubled over in laughter.
Barnaby's eyebrows twitched again. Summoning enough courage, he threw the pink bunny plush towards the single father, but that only made him laugh harder.
Kaede, despite herself, had to chuckle after awhile. She slipped out of the room, but not without picking up and taking the plush toy with her, and lingered in the corridor. She could still hear her father howling, "She called you Oji-san! Oh, this is so precious, too precious!"
"Will you please stop it, Oji-san!? You're so loud, my head is hurting again..."
"Who's the 'Oji-san' now?"
"Kotetsu-san!" The blond was hissing now, but he ended up coughing. Probably a deliberate act on his part, Kaede suspected.
Predictably, Kotetsu starting fussing over his guest. Kaede sighed, more out of habit than anything else.
---
That night, Kaede kept out of her father's sight for most of the time. When Kotetsu was busy in the bathroom, she entered Kotetsu's bedroom again, and saw that his father's significant other was seated, leaning comfortably against the bedhead, an open book lying on his laps. His long tresses were pulled back in a ponytail.
He probably was smiling when he saw her. It was pretty hard to tell, no thanks to the face mask.
"Feeling better, Oji-san?" asked Kaede in a low voice.
He nodded. "Thanks to you."
"Here, I'll return this." Kaede pushed the bunny plushie into his arms. "Good night."
He was momentarily taken back, but he picked himself, and nodded amiably. "Thanks, Kaede-san. Good night." He patted her head, and she was gone.
Certain that Kotetsu would still take some time in the showers, Barnaby unfolded the note that Kaede had slipped into his palm.
Oji-san,
Thanks for taking care of my dad for me. I won't have to worry about him
anymore since he's in good hands now.
Please get well soon.
Love, Kaede.
P/s: Don't worry, Mr. Barnaby, your secret is safe with me.
And Father's too. (Maybe.)
--- end ---
Notes: Had to put in Oji-san, since it could also mean 'Uncle' other than 'old man'...which probably what Kaede meant when she called Barnaby that. XD