Tiger and Bunny: Kotetsu/Antonio, PG
Title: 'Comes With Age
Fandom: Tiger and Bunny
Rating: PG
Pairing Kotetsu (Wild Tiger)/Antonio (Rock Bison) pre-slash?
Spoilers: through episode 1
Warnings: mentions of alcohol
Summary: Following the awards ceremony, Kotetsu sits brooding and alone when he gets a late-night visit from a friend.
'Comes With Age
Sprawled ungracefully on his couch, Kotetsu was busy trying to flip Wild Tiger trading cards into an empty bowl which had previously contained an assortment of potato chips. He probably shouldn’t have eaten the whole thing, but hell if he cared. Sighing, Kotetsu took a break from his target practice- not that any of the cards hit their mark anyway - and poked a finger straight into his stomach. Yep, firm as ever; or, maybe not quite as firm. But that was age, he supposed. Everything was age, these days.
The next card made its way through the air and missed miserably, testament to how much Kotetsu had had to drink since he came home from that blasted awards ceremony. But who cared if the place became any messier; bottles and cans were already littered everywhere. He’d tidy tomorrow or the latest when Kaede came to visit next.
The last card was flipped; how many of the damn things had he bought anyway? Kotetsu chuckled to himself. It was pathetic, wasn’t it? He was-
That thought didn’t have a chance to come to conclusion as the doorbell rang shrilly, making Kotetsu wince a little. Who was that at this time of night? He just hoped it wasn’t some kind of trouble.
Heaving himself from his seat, Kotetsu ambled unsteadily to the door and opened it. A half-smirk spread on his lips when he saw Antonio standing there. Minus the Bison mask, but still the kind of imposing figure you wouldn’t want to meet in a dark alley. Not unless you knew, like Kotetsu did, that the man beneath the mask really wasn’t as scary as he liked to think.
“How’re the big wigs doin’?” Kotetsu asked, stepping aside to let the other man pass. Antonio did and stopped halfway into the living room, looking around. Kotetsu joined him there and Antonio turned to him.
“Damn, you did a number on those,” the larger man said, making a sweeping gesture towards the bottles before extending his hand to give Kotetsu a gentle shove. Kotetsu swayed precariously and lost his balance almost immediately, landing on his ass on the floor.
“Ow,” he complained, glaring up at his friend. “Whadda hell did you do that for?”
Antonio threw his head back and laughed. He held out his hand to Kotetsu who took it in order to be pulled back to his feet.
“Proving a point, amigo,” Antonio said with a grin.
Kotetsu just gave the man a dubious look and led the way to where they then resumed the art of lounging carelessly.
“They asked about you at the party,” Antonio mentioned, taking a moment to remove a bottle from the couch that was prodding his back. He set it on the floor and turned his gaze on Kotetsu who made a point of not meeting it. He knew if he did, what with the level of inebriation he was at, he’d cave and spill every single thought he’d had that night and for a while now. He was in no state, now, for that kind of soul-baring.
“Wondered where you’d got to.”
Kotetsu scoffed: “Sure they did.” He shook his head. “Don’t need them to count the ways in which I’ve been replaced.” No, really, if he looked at the floor, he supposed he could count those off every single one of those cards strewn there.
“Tiger?” Antonio’s voice was suddenly a lot more serious and Kotetsu wasn’t sure if he liked that. Antonio rarely called him that out of costume and with that gentle inflection to his voice.
Kotetsu finally looked over and managed a feeble grin in the face of those keen eyes watching him. He shook his head.
“Never mind,” he sighed tiredly. “Really, never mind. Not tonight…” He just didn’t want to talk about it.
Antonio nodded as if conceding and a short silence fell across the room, only to be interrupted by the sounds of traffic outside. Kotetsu leant back on the couch fully and relaxed into the upholstery, closing his eyes for a moment.
“So, what else is new? Any scandal I missed…?” Kotetsu asked, his voice tapering off. He hadn’t even realised until now how tired he was.
“Not really,” Antonio said, apparently searching for anything interesting that might have happened after all. He shrugged and Kotetsu was surprised at being able to feel the motion acutely against his cheek. Then again, he was just as surprised at having apparently slid further and further down until his head came to rest on his friend’s shoulder. Oh, well. He was comfortable like this.
Antonio slipped his arm around Kotetsu without a word and immediately Kotetsu felt more at ease.
“Seymore groped me. Again,” Antonio grumbled after a moment in exasperation.
Kotetsu pried open one eye momentarily. “Mh, yeah? … Should tell him ‘m the only one allowed to do that.”
Antonio chuckled and slid his hand further down Kotetsu’s back as if to make another point.
“Kaede called,” Kotetsu mumbled after another extended pause. He was already half asleep on Antonio’s shoulder. “And mum, bless her. Kaede’s got a recital tomorrow… Gotta be there…”
It was the last thing on Kotetsu’s mind that night before falling into a steady sleep: seeing his daughter dance and perform with that joy he so loved to see in her eyes.
A/N: Please comment. :)
Fandom: Tiger and Bunny
Rating: PG
Pairing Kotetsu (Wild Tiger)/Antonio (Rock Bison) pre-slash?
Spoilers: through episode 1
Warnings: mentions of alcohol
Summary: Following the awards ceremony, Kotetsu sits brooding and alone when he gets a late-night visit from a friend.
'Comes With Age
Sprawled ungracefully on his couch, Kotetsu was busy trying to flip Wild Tiger trading cards into an empty bowl which had previously contained an assortment of potato chips. He probably shouldn’t have eaten the whole thing, but hell if he cared. Sighing, Kotetsu took a break from his target practice- not that any of the cards hit their mark anyway - and poked a finger straight into his stomach. Yep, firm as ever; or, maybe not quite as firm. But that was age, he supposed. Everything was age, these days.
The next card made its way through the air and missed miserably, testament to how much Kotetsu had had to drink since he came home from that blasted awards ceremony. But who cared if the place became any messier; bottles and cans were already littered everywhere. He’d tidy tomorrow or the latest when Kaede came to visit next.
The last card was flipped; how many of the damn things had he bought anyway? Kotetsu chuckled to himself. It was pathetic, wasn’t it? He was-
That thought didn’t have a chance to come to conclusion as the doorbell rang shrilly, making Kotetsu wince a little. Who was that at this time of night? He just hoped it wasn’t some kind of trouble.
Heaving himself from his seat, Kotetsu ambled unsteadily to the door and opened it. A half-smirk spread on his lips when he saw Antonio standing there. Minus the Bison mask, but still the kind of imposing figure you wouldn’t want to meet in a dark alley. Not unless you knew, like Kotetsu did, that the man beneath the mask really wasn’t as scary as he liked to think.
“How’re the big wigs doin’?” Kotetsu asked, stepping aside to let the other man pass. Antonio did and stopped halfway into the living room, looking around. Kotetsu joined him there and Antonio turned to him.
“Damn, you did a number on those,” the larger man said, making a sweeping gesture towards the bottles before extending his hand to give Kotetsu a gentle shove. Kotetsu swayed precariously and lost his balance almost immediately, landing on his ass on the floor.
“Ow,” he complained, glaring up at his friend. “Whadda hell did you do that for?”
Antonio threw his head back and laughed. He held out his hand to Kotetsu who took it in order to be pulled back to his feet.
“Proving a point, amigo,” Antonio said with a grin.
Kotetsu just gave the man a dubious look and led the way to where they then resumed the art of lounging carelessly.
“They asked about you at the party,” Antonio mentioned, taking a moment to remove a bottle from the couch that was prodding his back. He set it on the floor and turned his gaze on Kotetsu who made a point of not meeting it. He knew if he did, what with the level of inebriation he was at, he’d cave and spill every single thought he’d had that night and for a while now. He was in no state, now, for that kind of soul-baring.
“Wondered where you’d got to.”
Kotetsu scoffed: “Sure they did.” He shook his head. “Don’t need them to count the ways in which I’ve been replaced.” No, really, if he looked at the floor, he supposed he could count those off every single one of those cards strewn there.
“Tiger?” Antonio’s voice was suddenly a lot more serious and Kotetsu wasn’t sure if he liked that. Antonio rarely called him that out of costume and with that gentle inflection to his voice.
Kotetsu finally looked over and managed a feeble grin in the face of those keen eyes watching him. He shook his head.
“Never mind,” he sighed tiredly. “Really, never mind. Not tonight…” He just didn’t want to talk about it.
Antonio nodded as if conceding and a short silence fell across the room, only to be interrupted by the sounds of traffic outside. Kotetsu leant back on the couch fully and relaxed into the upholstery, closing his eyes for a moment.
“So, what else is new? Any scandal I missed…?” Kotetsu asked, his voice tapering off. He hadn’t even realised until now how tired he was.
“Not really,” Antonio said, apparently searching for anything interesting that might have happened after all. He shrugged and Kotetsu was surprised at being able to feel the motion acutely against his cheek. Then again, he was just as surprised at having apparently slid further and further down until his head came to rest on his friend’s shoulder. Oh, well. He was comfortable like this.
Antonio slipped his arm around Kotetsu without a word and immediately Kotetsu felt more at ease.
“Seymore groped me. Again,” Antonio grumbled after a moment in exasperation.
Kotetsu pried open one eye momentarily. “Mh, yeah? … Should tell him ‘m the only one allowed to do that.”
Antonio chuckled and slid his hand further down Kotetsu’s back as if to make another point.
“Kaede called,” Kotetsu mumbled after another extended pause. He was already half asleep on Antonio’s shoulder. “And mum, bless her. Kaede’s got a recital tomorrow… Gotta be there…”
It was the last thing on Kotetsu’s mind that night before falling into a steady sleep: seeing his daughter dance and perform with that joy he so loved to see in her eyes.
A/N: Please comment. :)