(Tiger & Bunny) Unwritten
Title: Unwritten
Prompt/Theme: “The hijinks of Kotetsu-papa and Bun-bun. The more ambivalent, the better.”
For: Swollenfoot
Fandom: Tiger & Bunny
Characters/Pairing: Kotetsu, Barnaby
A/N: Am I the only one who found the last three episodes mildly disappointing? Aside from that death scene, that is. Anyways, this is a collection of scenes that didn’t happen. It takes place both during the seasons and after it. The colours for each section correspond to valentine colours and to the main idea of the scene. And that is as ambivalent as I will get.
I’m sure that there are a few characterization problems, but I’m rather happy with this piece.
Summary: The steps to trust are faltering at first.
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- Pink
“You forgot something.” Kotetsu is behind him, grabbing his shoulder and spinning him around before Barnaby can react. Brushing off his hand, Barnaby frowns at the older man, his body tense from the unexpected contact.
“What?” he spat out through clenched teeth. It was bad enough his bumbling partner ruined his chance to catch the criminal. Talking to him after the mission was like to give him headaches.
“Hey, hey, no need to act like that.” For a moment, Tiger pouts, his features attempting to twist into something pitiable. Baranby knows all his tricks by now, though, and something like that won’t distract him. It wasn’t even cute the first time around.
Seeing the lack of reaction, Tiger sighs before holding out a paper bag.
“What is it?”
“Well...” he scratches his neck, looking down with embarrassment. “Remember your birthday? We were supposed to give you this.”
He stares at it for a flat two minutes, not sure of what to say. For once his scathing words have deserted him. Instead, he zones on the word we. “We?”
“Everyone pitched in to get this.” Tiger leans forward now, his face too close for comfort. “Do you know how hard it was to buy something? And with you suggesting a diamond like you could pick one off the ground.” A small glare and Kotetsu is smiling once more as he straightens. “But this is your birthday present. I will forgive and forget.”
The bag is now pushed in his arms and though he doesn’t want to admit it, Barnaby is curious. Reaching in, his hands hit something soft and he pulls out the object.
It’s a rabbit. A pink rabbit.
His frown can’t get any deeper. Immediately, he drops the plush animal before departing.
- Yellow
“So?”
Kotetsu gives a nervous grin as he stares at the plate in front of him. The china is pretty nice, blue flowers decorating the edge, and the silverware is top notch. It seems like the kid is getting paid more than him.
He should talk to someone about that-he does half the work! Over half the work. And he has seniority. Besides, they owe him for un-erasing their minds.
“How do you like it?”
The slightly nervous edge in Barnaby’s voice stirs him from his reverie. It’s hard to describe his partner at the moment. He isn’t the turtle he was when they first met, nor is he the open boy after they thought they solved his parent’s death.
No, he’s in-between now-still too focused on the problem to see the world, but not quite pushing everyone away anymore.
“Well...” Kotetsu gives a faint grin as he looks at the messy food in his plate. There is rice and there is egg and he can see the vegetables finely chopped up in it. It’s messy, but he has been mixing it for the last five minutes nervously. Dipping his spoon, he finally pulls out a small chunk and eats it.
“Not bad.” He chews it thoughtfully, surprised. The kid is a quick learner, after all, and while it isn’t perfect, it’s not all that bad. He takes another bite before giving his approval. “Of course, it’s nowhere near as good as mine, but it’s a good first effort.”
“Says the man who’s still eating it.” Barnaby looks away now and Kotetsu has seen that look on his daughter many times before. One part shy, one part embarrassed, and three parts pleased. “I’ll go get some paper and you can tell me what’s wrong with.”
His partner can be surprisingly cute sometimes.
Kotetsu immediately drinks a glass of water after to cleanse himself of that thought.
- Red
He wakes up in the middle of the night to the taste of blood. It lingers still in his mouth and he can feel the flesh under his skin. There is a charred smell in his room and he stumbles out of bed in search for fresh air.
In the dark, his apartment looks like maze and he flicks on the light to help him find his way. Fortunate for him as his partner is sprawled all over the floor, a bottle beside him from his celebrations. Silently, he pads up to the man before crouching down in front of him.
He snores loudly, his right hand pulling a bottle close to him. His breath is stained with alcohol and Barnaby successfully pulls the bottle away before it spills on the hardwood floor.
This man is a mess. Childish and immature and sometimes Barnaby thinks he would be better off with someone else. Someone more reliable.
But then he pulls off another stunt, and Barnaby can’t deny the swell of pride and respect that is growing within him. The small feeling that keeps him tied to this hero despite the stupid things he does.
Who else would have risked such a fool-hardy plan just to save him?
His hands clench slightly in the memory-twice he had nearly killed his partner. Twice too many and he had to remedy that. The alcohol sloshes as he shifts his stance.
With a brief smile, he gets up and sets the bottle on the table nearby. Knowing the fool, he probably was drinking because Barnaby called him Kotetsu again.
At least he wasn’t drinking alone this time.
- White
“Here are my parents,” Barnaby introduces briefly, the two grey-white tablets staring up at Kotetsu. He stares at them, at the clean patch in front of them and the small bouquet of roses lying in front of both.
For once, he doesn’t joke around, understanding the importance of such a greeting.
“It’s nice to meet you,” he finally says, kneeling to put down his own white roses. He does this with his wife whenever he has the chance, just sits in front of her tomb and remembers the feel of her hand in his.
They stay there, silent and immobile, one lost in memories that are getting harder to remember, the other calm with the trust placed on him.
Before they leave, he brushes the tops of the two markers. “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of him.”
- Orange
Kotetsu’s home is not quite what he imagined. His brother is too serious and his mother worries too much and it’s hard to picture the immature youth growing up here. Just where did he pick up those traits of his, Barnaby can’t figure out.
Across the table from him, sipping a glass of water, is Kotetsu’s daughter and it is in here that he can see his partner the most. She’s a little more mature and completely awe-struck at the hero across from her, but it is her actions that show whose daughter she is.
“I’m ready!” His partner slides down the stairs, sporting a fancy set of clothes that Barnaby had no idea the man owned. He has to wonder at the outfit. Yesterday he had been dragged here against his will and shown every single location this town had to offer. There couldn’t be more to do here and certainly nothing that required dressing up.
Kotetsu tugs his tie a nervously and ruffles Kaede’s hair as he plops down in a chair beside her. She yelps and glares up, but there is love in that gaze and Barnaby finds it a little hard to breath.
Kotetsu’s mother appears at the door now, a gentle smile on her face. “Here, let me fix that. You never seem to tie it properly.” She reaches forward and down, her hands expertly moving through the steps till his tie is properly set. It’s a little strange to watch this, because he knows Kotetsu can tie his own tie, has watched the man do so many times before.
“Shall we go then?” She straightens up and there is a tinge of sadness in that expression now.
But there is still that love, that air of trust that pervades the home, and this is how Kotetsu grew up. The back of his throat is a little tight and he thinks this is what his home would have been like had his parents lived.
Warm and open.
“Where?” He finally manages to ask.
“I’ve met your parents. Now it’s your turn to meet my wife.”
The door is open for him to join them.
- Pink
“One minute is not long enough to do anything,” Kotetsu complains as he flops onto Barnaby’s couch.
“You’re the one who decided to fight like that,” Barnaby reminds, not bothering to mince his words. He hangs his coat as he enters his apartment, attempting to ignore the mess that is lying on his furniture.
“Yeah.” He’s quiet for a moment, remembering this roof from before. It’s the same apartment as last time and he’s not surprised to see that Barnaby’s in his old residence. “Have you told the network you’re back?”
Barnaby looks down at him from above the sofa, an eyebrow raised. “My entrance was stage for maximum impact.”
“What?” He shoots up now, surprised. “You mean I was the only one who didn’t know?”
“Yes.” There is an awkward silence as Barnaby stumbles on his words. “Sorry.” That last word is quiet and slurred, but Kotetsu hears it all the same. “I have a few leads,” he continues, before going to his bedroom to grab his computer.
Sitting up, he almost follows his partner, a smile on his face, when bright pink catches his eye. Turning, he sees the pink rabbit sitting innocently on a table beside the robot.
Kotetsu’s grin after seeing it is anything but innocent.