"At Least There Wasn't a Dress," Tiger & Bunny, Tiger/Bunny
Title: At Least There Wasn't a Dress
Author: lady_ganesh
Rating: G
Pairing: pre-Tiger/Bunny
Prompt: damsel in distress - "I turn my back for one minute..."
Notes: Thanks to lynndyre, red_squared and smillaraaq for all jumping in for a last-minute beta! ♥ (EDIT: Mods, could we work out a "Tiger & Bunny" tag?)
"Really, Tiger," Barnaby chided, as he untied Kotetsu's wrists. "I leave you alone for twenty seconds and you manage to run out of power and get tied up by some maniac bent on world domination."
Tiger sighed. He'd been ambushed. It wasn't his fault. And besides, he would've been fine. So he was suspended a couple of miles above the city. He'd been through worse, and Sky High would've gotten there eventually. "You got the points, though, right?"
Barnaby rolled his eyes. "No. I did not get the points."
"But Bunny--"
"I'm not sure you get any points if your idiot partner gets killed on the job," Barnaby grumbled. "And you seem to have forgotten that we are partners."
"I'm fine," Kotetsu repeated, for all the good it did him.
Barnaby sighed as the ropes fell free. "Of course," he said. "Try not to do it again, all right?"
Kotetsu stuck his tongue out, but Barnaby'd already turned away.
"Nice rescue today," Antonio said later at the bar.
Kotetsu groaned.
His friend grinned. "At least the guy hadn't put you in a dress or anything. You still made a pretty good damsel in distress."
"Stop rubbing it in."
Antonio tipped his beer up and took a deep swallow. "Barnaby was pretty worried."
"He was not," Kotetsu snapped, noticing his own glass was empty. He gestured at the bartender for a refill. "He was smirking so hard I thought his face was gonna break."
"That was when he got hold of you," Antonio said. "I'm talking about when he took off after you. You would've thought you were on fire, not just tied to a girder."
Kotetsu just shook his head.
"You mean a lot to him," Antonio said. "Whether you want to admit it or not."
Kotetsu shrugged. He had worked hard to make their partnership work. Sometimes, it was starting to pay off. Nothing wrong with that.
He guessed Antonio knew it too. He was enjoying his second beer (well-deserved, considering the day he'd had) when his friend said, "He's good for you."
Kotetsu sputtered into his Sapporo. "He's a guy!"
"I noticed," Antonio chuckled. "I don't mean it like that."
Kotetsu shook his head.
"I know you," Antonio continued. "You need somebody to look after, and your mom's got Kaede. And honestly, he sure seems to need someone to look after him. How many friends have you made since you lost her? Or do you just sit around drinking with me all the time?"
"I don't know," he said. Antonio put one of his thick hands on Kotetsu's own; Kotetsu realized then that he'd been twirling his wedding ring nervously.
"I didn't deserve her," Kotetsu said.
"I know that too," Antonio said. "But you were what she wanted. And she seemed pretty content."
Kotetsu grinned. "Thanks."
"Just think about it, okay?" Antonio drained the last of his beer and put his money on the counter and got up. "Have a good night."
"Yeah, you too." Kotetsu looked into his glass; almost empty now. Maybe he'd call it an early night.
Maybe he'd swing by and thank Bunny for saving him. Whatever Antonio thought, it really was nice to think that Barnaby thought of him as a friend.
Author: lady_ganesh
Rating: G
Pairing: pre-Tiger/Bunny
Prompt: damsel in distress - "I turn my back for one minute..."
Notes: Thanks to lynndyre, red_squared and smillaraaq for all jumping in for a last-minute beta! ♥ (EDIT: Mods, could we work out a "Tiger & Bunny" tag?)
"Really, Tiger," Barnaby chided, as he untied Kotetsu's wrists. "I leave you alone for twenty seconds and you manage to run out of power and get tied up by some maniac bent on world domination."
Tiger sighed. He'd been ambushed. It wasn't his fault. And besides, he would've been fine. So he was suspended a couple of miles above the city. He'd been through worse, and Sky High would've gotten there eventually. "You got the points, though, right?"
Barnaby rolled his eyes. "No. I did not get the points."
"But Bunny--"
"I'm not sure you get any points if your idiot partner gets killed on the job," Barnaby grumbled. "And you seem to have forgotten that we are partners."
"I'm fine," Kotetsu repeated, for all the good it did him.
Barnaby sighed as the ropes fell free. "Of course," he said. "Try not to do it again, all right?"
Kotetsu stuck his tongue out, but Barnaby'd already turned away.
"Nice rescue today," Antonio said later at the bar.
Kotetsu groaned.
His friend grinned. "At least the guy hadn't put you in a dress or anything. You still made a pretty good damsel in distress."
"Stop rubbing it in."
Antonio tipped his beer up and took a deep swallow. "Barnaby was pretty worried."
"He was not," Kotetsu snapped, noticing his own glass was empty. He gestured at the bartender for a refill. "He was smirking so hard I thought his face was gonna break."
"That was when he got hold of you," Antonio said. "I'm talking about when he took off after you. You would've thought you were on fire, not just tied to a girder."
Kotetsu just shook his head.
"You mean a lot to him," Antonio said. "Whether you want to admit it or not."
Kotetsu shrugged. He had worked hard to make their partnership work. Sometimes, it was starting to pay off. Nothing wrong with that.
He guessed Antonio knew it too. He was enjoying his second beer (well-deserved, considering the day he'd had) when his friend said, "He's good for you."
Kotetsu sputtered into his Sapporo. "He's a guy!"
"I noticed," Antonio chuckled. "I don't mean it like that."
Kotetsu shook his head.
"I know you," Antonio continued. "You need somebody to look after, and your mom's got Kaede. And honestly, he sure seems to need someone to look after him. How many friends have you made since you lost her? Or do you just sit around drinking with me all the time?"
"I don't know," he said. Antonio put one of his thick hands on Kotetsu's own; Kotetsu realized then that he'd been twirling his wedding ring nervously.
"I didn't deserve her," Kotetsu said.
"I know that too," Antonio said. "But you were what she wanted. And she seemed pretty content."
Kotetsu grinned. "Thanks."
"Just think about it, okay?" Antonio drained the last of his beer and put his money on the counter and got up. "Have a good night."
"Yeah, you too." Kotetsu looked into his glass; almost empty now. Maybe he'd call it an early night.
Maybe he'd swing by and thank Bunny for saving him. Whatever Antonio thought, it really was nice to think that Barnaby thought of him as a friend.