Only the Lonely, de-anoned
Feb. 29th, 2012 01:15 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lirillithFandom: Tiger & Bunny
Characters/pairing: Karina, Kotetsu, Barnaby, Nathan, one-sided Karina/Kotetsu in this part.
Length: 3500 words (chapter 1) and 3800 (chapter 2.) The full fic is around 45k words.
Rating: G (for this part)
Summary: When Kotetsu returns from retirement and starts coming to Karina's performances again, she thinks she has her chance to get closer to him at last... but that also means getting to know his partner.
Notes: The full fic is 14 chapters, around 45k words, and I'm still in the process of formatting and editing it. There's a lot more to come.
****
Karina didn't forget about him during the year he was gone. How could she?
To be fair, she didn't really try. She wrote songs about him, and listened endlessly to songs that reminded her of him. Fire Emblem had struck up some kind of a friendship with Barnaby, and Origami seemed to be in touch with him, too, and she knew Barnaby was still in touch with Tiger, so she tried to get any news of him through them. That made it, what, third-hand? Origami was usually obliging, though he said there wasn't much; Tiger was living with his family, he seemed to be settling in well, he and his daughter were on good terms.
Fire Emblem, she suspected, knew more, if there was any more to know; he was good at picking up on that kind of thing. But he didn't like to tell her. "Don't you think you should let it go, sweetie?"
"I just want to know what's going on with him. I'm curious about Barnaby, too!"
"You and I both know it's different."
"Everyone knows," she said, bitterly. "I don't see why that means everyone has to torment me."
"I'm not tormenting you. I just have your best interests at heart."
He probably did. She knew she'd be better off going after someone her own age. Someone with no children, certainly not any children less than ten years younger than she was. "But all the others..."
"That's just men for you."
Despite that, she'd even sometimes ask Rock Bison about him. He'd let a few tidbits drop. Kotetsu - Rock Bison always called him that, and she never used the name herself, but privately, she sometimes thought of him that way - was from Oriental Town. She'd always been taught that Oriental was used to describe rugs, not people or places, but Bison said it was named nearly a hundred years ago. He mentioned the fact Kotetsu's wife had died six years ago, nearly seven, back when Karina was the age Kaede was now. They both used to be punks, he said, and she wasn't sure whether that meant they'd been kind of petty criminals, or if they'd literally listened to punk music. Or both? If she pressed him for details, he'd laugh indulgently, making her hate him to death for a few seconds, and say "Why don't you ask him yourself?"
And then he came back to town, and she could.
The first that she knew he was back was when he turned up at one of her gigs in the beginning of December. She didn't see him until she was taking her bow, and then she just froze, for a second. She could barely keep herself from jumping off the stage and running over to him, but even if she threw herself into his arms, she wouldn't get the reaction she wanted. When she did walk over - she walked, thank you - he turned to face her. "You're the last person I expected to see here," she said.
"Well, I'm back in town. Figured I'd see if you were still singing here."
"Occasionally," she said, gesturing the bartender over. She always drank iced tea.
"You didn't drop it in favor of being a hero?"
"I don't see why I can't do both."
"Fair enough."
"So what brings you here?" she asked. Christmas shopping, maybe. Visiting Barnaby.
"I'm starting up with the Second League."
"Really?!" That had come out a lot louder and more excited than she'd wanted. A few people turned to look at them. He made a shushing gesture, and she flushed, taking a gulp of her tea. "But weren't you losing your powers?" she asked, her voice much lower.
"Why should I let that stop me?"
"What about your partner?" She hoped that hadn't sounded as sharp as it had kind of felt. Barnaby had always bothered her; the new hero who'd come out of nowhere to snag the King of Heroes title for himself, who monopolized so much of Tiger's attention, who was closer to him than she could ever seem to get.
"Bunny's got a lot of things to figure out for himself," he said. She sipped her tea, watching him out of the corner of her eye. He was going to be living here. She'd see him again. She didn't need to stare, even if she wanted to. "So when's your next gig?" he asked.
He didn't come to every performance, but he came to most of them. The unpredictability helped, in a way - it kept her from giving in to the temptation to either pick out the songs that were all about him, hoping he'd get the idea, or getting shy and keeping those off her set lists. She found out, when Nathan told her a few days later that Tiger was back in town, that she'd been the first to know he was back. It wasn't like he just came to the bar for her; he was there on nights she didn't perform. She knew because he mentioned it to her. But she'd seen him before he told any of the others. She tried not to let on to Nathan, though she figured he suspected something, and hugged the knowledge to herself as she went about her day. Jane kept asking why she was smiling, but no one else seemed to notice.
Winter turned into spring. Barnaby joined the second league, too, so if he'd just stay there for the rest of the season all she needed to do was beat Sky High. Her college applications had all been sent off, the arguments with her parents about whether she was even going to college had died down, and she saw Tiger at her performances. Life was pretty good.
That was what she told him when he asked. "College, huh?" he said, tipping his drink back.
"I don't even know if I want to go to college," she said. "My dad thinks I should, but he wants me to major in something practical that I can do if heroing doesn't work out. Mom would probably back me up if I really decided not to, but... I don't know what I want to do. I can't be a hero forever, and I don't know if my music career's going to last beyond the hero gimmick."
"You can hang in there a long time."
"They aren't going to let me put on an armored suit and keep working till I'm your age."
"Huh. Never thought of it like that." He nodded his thanks to the bartender for his new drink. "Still... commentator jobs, teaching at Hero Academy... there's stuff you could do."
"Did you go to college?"
He laughed. "For one semester. School just wasn't for me. My wife loved it."
That was the first time he'd ever voluntarily mentioned her. She was actually holding her breath, wondering what she could say to draw him out more. She wanted to know what she'd been like, because she wanted to know what kind of woman he'd loved, and she wanted to know what he'd been like, and she thought that this woman whose name she didn't know could illuminate both those things. She wanted to know how he'd talk about her, and if he could talk about one thing close to his heart, maybe he could talk about others. But the words she found were "What did she major in?"
She could have hit herself the moment she heard herself speak. Before he could even try to evade the question, the bartender tapped his watch, and she had to go back to the stage, calling herself an idiot the whole time.
Maybe it was that sting of embarrassment, of having flubbed her best chance yet, of proving to him that she was just a kid after all, that made her throw in "Only the Lonely." It wasn't the only thing she sang - she had several of her own songs in there - but it was what he mentioned when her set was done. "Nice of you to throw in something for my generation," he said, leaning against the stage.
"You're not that old," she said, curt.
"I can't decide if that's a compliment or an insult," he retorted, and something about the way he spoke made her look at him sharply. He wasn't slurring his words, exactly, but he seemed to be picking them out with care. "I always liked old songs. Classics. It's good you know about stuff from before you were born."
"I like lots of things from before I was born," she said softly, pretty sure he was drunk enough to miss something that blatant. He probably would have stone cold sober.
"That's good. Lots of kids these days don't. Like Bunny."
She rolled her eyes. Barnaby listened to opera, because his parents had loved it, as every one of his ten thousand interviews had to mention. Sure, the singers might still be alive, but he was about the worse possible example of kids these days and their music. "You're drunk, aren't you?"
"Only kinda."
She stepped down from the stage. "Give me your keys."
"I'm drunk, not stupid."
"I have them," the bartender called over. It was Steve tonight.
"Thanks," she said to him. "Tiger, have you already called a cab?"
"Don't call me that in public," he protested.
"Should I call you 'old man'?" She walked a few steps away from him, and when he left the stage and followed her, he swayed visibly. "Come on, let's go outside."
"You look a little unsteady on my feet," he said, and slung an arm around her shoulders, laughing. She felt simultaneously hot and cold all over, and very, very aware of the space where his arm was touching her. "Let's go."
"Okay," she said, and they started walking.
"Karina," Steve said, as they passed him, and she stopped to look at him. "Everything okay?"
Yeah, this would look like exactly the kind of situation he should be watching out for, wouldn't it? A drunk customer twice her age hitting on her. "I'm fine," she said, smiling broadly. "He's a friend of my dad's. I'm just going to make sure he gets a cab."
"Okay," he said, and she and Tiger continued their wavering progress toward the door.
The cool night air on her face helped calm her down a bit, and it might have sobered Tiger up a fraction. She hoped. He sank down onto the curb, and after a moment's hesitation, she joined him. "You don't need to stay," he said. "I'm just waiting for my ride."
"Your ride?" She shivered.
"You shouldn't wear such tiny little dresses," he said, shrugging out of his jacket. "No wonder you're cold."
"I'm fine," she insisted. "My powers..." But she didn't resist when he draped it over her shoulders. It was still warm with his body heat, and she felt like she had when he'd put his arm around her. "What happened? You don't normally drink that much."
"Just... thinking," he said. She pulled her knees up to her chest - no one was around to see if she flashed them, and it's not like Tiger was looking - and rested her folded arms on them. "You're so young, you know?" he continued. "Got your whole life ahead of you. Whole hero career, college, whatever you want."
"That's exactly what scares me," she said, softly.
He went on like he hadn't heard her. "Seems like yesterday I was starting out - me and Tomoe got our first place in Stern Bild when we were twenty. Had to have my folks co-sign the lease. She was going to college, I was the new rookie, we had all these plans... And ten years later she was dead." He said the last part so abruptly, so finally, it shocked her, even though she'd known. She'd wanted him to talk, wanted to get closer to him, but now he was covering his face with his hands and she had no idea what to do. "We had all these plans," he repeated, sounding choked, and she reached out hesitantly, not sure if she should try to touch him or not. "She was so smart, and so... I couldn't believe how lucky I was that she even gave me the time of day. She wanted me to be a hero, she supported me a hundred percent. Most people - who'd want to be married to a hero? You're always running off, you can't make plans - you miss things... Before she died she made me promise."
"What?" she said, feeling stupid, feeling like she was missing something. The jacket had slipped off her shoulders, and she hurriedly put her arms into the sleeves.
"She was in the hospital," he said. "Cancer. We knew she was dying, and I wanted to be there... but I got a call, and she made me go answer it, because people needed help. And had me promise I'd be a hero no matter what. And while I was gone..." He was crying now, and she overcame her hesitation and touched his shoulder. Left her hand there. Part of her felt like that was a horrible promise to ask someone to make, but if you had a husband like Tiger, and you thought he'd probably give up the job he loved to do his duty... but then again, maybe he should have. He did have a daughter. Was that why he felt the need to come back, despite the demotion to the second league, despite his fading powers and all the risk involved in this job?
And that was when she saw the approaching headlights. The car pulled up in front of them - a red sports car. Barnaby. Of course. Tiger's ride. She stood up as he opened the door, but Tiger stayed where he was, wiping his eyes. Barnaby stood for a moment, surveying them, but at a small sob from Tiger he knelt down next to him; he might have acknowledged her with a nod, but anyone could see where his attention was. "Did something happen?" he asked, the question seeming meant more for Tiger than for her. Tiger just leaned forward until his head hit Barnaby's shoulder, though. Barnaby looked up at her.
"He started talking about his wife," she said. "He drank a lot more than usual, and then he started talking about her..." Barnaby frowned slightly as he turned his attention back to Tiger.
"She used to be that young," Tiger said. "Blue Rose's age. Then your age, Bunny."
"Your wife?" Barnaby repeated.
"I wasn't there when she died," Tiger said. He wasn't crying anymore; he just sounded tired, and lonely, and Karina felt like crying instead.
"You should get up, Kotetsu," Barnaby said, his voice more gentle than Karina had ever heard it. Hell, he sounded like he might cry. "Get into the car where it's warm, at least." He stood up, held out a hand to help his partner up, and Karina was surprised when Tiger extended a hand to her as well. She took it, and the two of them hauled him to his feet. He stumbled over to Barnaby's car, and stood there blankly a moment. Barnaby pushed a front seat forward, and Tiger climbed into the back seat. After a moment, he sank out of sight. "Hopefully he'll sleep it off," Barnaby said to her. "Do you know what brought it on? How did you find him?"
Oh. Of course, he didn't know. "I sing here some nights," she said. "We met here by chance quite a while ago - I don't think he comes here just to hear me sing, but when he's here, we talk on my breaks. We were talking about... I mentioned going to college, and he mentioned his wife. He said she'd enjoyed college. Then I went back up on stage, and when my set was done, he was... drunk, I guess. Tipsy."
"He's usually kind of a happy drunk," Barnaby said. "He sounded fine when he called me. Thank you for staying with him. I wouldn't have wanted him to be alone when he's feeling like this."
She didn't want to say this part. Not to Barnaby, the one who'd knocked her down to third. "I was singing some kind of sad songs," she said. "I don't know if that had anything to do with it. He was happy at first, but once we got outside, he got-- like this. So it might have been my fault. Staying with him was the least I could do."
Barnaby shook his head. "I don't think it's your fault. He always wears his wedding ring, have you noticed?" Of course she'd noticed. "After seven years," he added. "I don't think you're the first person to ever make him think of her."
"He told me some other things, but I don't know if I should... I don't know if it's my place to tell."
"Don't," he said. "If he wants me to know, he'll tell me. It's not something I need to know that he's keeping from me, this time. Like his powers."
"He didn't even tell you?"
"He keeps way too many secrets," Barnaby said. "Can you drive?"
"Huh? I can drive my bike, but not a car. Why?"
"I was wondering if you could drive his car to his place. If it's not too much trouble."
She shook her head. "I've been a hero since just before I turned fifteen. I never had time for lessons."
He nodded. "I can give you a lift home, if you'd like. Would you mind helping me get him home?"
"I wouldn't mind. Give me a minute to get my things," she said.
Her things were the bag containing her school uniform - she'd never mentioned it to Tiger, but getting to play on a Friday night was a step up - a few school books, and her phone and PDA. She was nearly out the door when a thought struck her and she went to retrieve Tiger's keys from the bar area, even though technically she wasn't allowed there. When she let herself into the car, Tiger greeted her with "You need to call your parents, Blue Rose."
"I will," she said, blushing. "It's fine, don't worry."
"Don't make them worry. Parents have it rough."
"Parents?" Barnaby asked, starting the car. "How old are you, Blue Rose?"
"Eighteen," she said. "I mean, I turn eighteen in a week. I'm a senior."
"Close enough," he said. "I thought you were older, though. No offense."
"I'm young enough to still be flattered by that," she pointed out. "And in-character my age is a secret."
"I just never thought to ask," he said. She looked out the window, hoping this line of conversation would die a natural death. Barnaby was merging onto the freeway, and in the silence of the car she heard Tiger snore loudly. She giggled, and heard a chuckle from Barnaby. "This is why I wanted the help," he said.
"I did get his keys from the bar."
"Good. I didn't even think of that before we left. I have no idea how we would have gotten him into his apartment. I guess I could have taken him to mine..."
"He doesn't do this too often, does he?"
"Not really. He's more likely to do it to celebrate than... any other reason." After a moment, he added softly, "I didn't know how much she was still on his mind."
That surprised her. "But you know him so well," she said, unthinkingly.
"Obviously not well enough." He sighed. "I just wish I could help him."
"I do too," she said. She wished she could help him. She wished Barnaby could help him. Anyone. "In the morning, he'll just act like nothing happened, won't he?"
"Almost definitely." He changed lanes to get onto the Bronze ramp. "I'm sure he doesn't feel like this every waking moment. I know I don't. But for me-- it takes more than a few drinks to put me in that state. The anniversary of a death, or... I don't know. Maybe we just handle things differently."
"I remember after you fought Jake. You'd actually smile. Not at me, but with Tiger..."
"Was I really that unfriendly?" When their eyes met, he didn't look unfriendly; shy, and a little sheepish, she thought. "It wasn't deliberate. I just never learned how to get along with people, I guess. Kotetsu was the first to show me how it was done."
"Really? You seem to do all right when you meet fans, or in interviews."
"That's... different. It's almost like being in character, though not to the extent that you or Origami do it. It's really kind of exhausting."
"I had no idea." It made sense, though, the way he could charm the whole city and then have such a terrible attitude in person when she first met him, yet still become a really good, caring friend to Tiger. Most people could only like so many people at a time; not everyone could be Sky High. "Well, no hard feelings."
"Thank you," he said, favoring her with a real smile, and she blinked and looked out the window, wondering if she was blushing. He really was a good-looking guy, and if the interview persona was fake he might not be as insufferable as she'd always thought.
********
When Barnaby's car rolled up to the curb in front of a row of townhouses, she jolted awake from a half-doze. "A bit late for you?" Barnaby asked. She heard Tiger snort and stir in the backseat.
"No, cars just make me sleepy," she said. "Normally I'd be up for a few hours trying to get my homework done before the weekend."
"Sorry to throw you off-schedule," he said, but climbed out of the car before she could even figure out how to respond to that. She got out as well, still wearing Tiger's jacket, and watched him coax Tiger out of the car. And then scoop him up for a princess carry. She covered her mouth, trying to keep the laughter in, only to fail when Tiger snored again, and fumbled for her cell phone with her free hand. Barnaby was frowning at her as she snapped the picture, but she didn't care. "Tell me you're not going to share that."
"No, I spent the last three years canceling plans with my friends just so I could out myself by putting a snapshot of you two on Pwitter," she retorted. "This is for my own private entertainment, thank you." And Fire Emblem's and Dragon Kid's, probably.
"You have the keys?" he asked.
She pulled out the key ring and jangled it at him, then ran up to the door ahead of him. Once she got the door open, she looked around for a light switch. Behind her, another snore from Tiger set her to giggling again, but there was the switch.
His apartment looked nice, spacious, if a bit old-fashioned. An open downstairs, and a partial upper floor that probably held his bedroom. Unless that was it, behind the door - no, that was the bathroom. She heard Barnaby enter, and watched him deposit Tiger on the couch. And then watched Tiger flop over sideways. "I think you shouldn't have put him down," she commented.
"Thank you, Blue Rose. I appreciate the assistance."
"Well, I'm not the one with super-strength. Why aren't you using it?"
"It seems like a waste..." he said, but he trailed off thoughtfully. "We're not going to be called out tonight," he said, as if making a decision, and then powered up and scooped Tiger up again. She followed him up the steps to the second floor, feeling a bit like she was prying. There wasn't really anything personal lying around, though. Or at least no obvious porn, which had probably been what she'd most dreaded. That and dirty underwear. He seemed to keep everything pretty clean, though. The bed was unmade, but then so was hers, half the time. There were a few family photos on the window ledge above it.
Barnaby deposited Tiger on the bed, then bent over him, to -- "Are you undressing him?"
"I'm taking off his vest. Could you get his shoes?" He didn't sound like he'd noticed her slightly scandalized tone.
"Okay," she said, though it felt a little weird all the same, taking clothes off of him when he was unconscious. He grumbled a little as she pulled the first shoe off, but didn't seem to notice the second. "And could you help me hold him up?" Barnaby asked. So she was left holding Tiger by the shoulders, a warm weight flopped against her, thinking furiously I will not blush in front of Barnaby, I will not blush in front of Barnaby, while his partner got him out of his vest, draped it over a chair, and then helped her ease him back down.
And then she nearly jumped out of her skin when Tiger grabbed her hand. "Y'r still here," he mumbled. "Don't go."
"I, um, I kind of need to."
He opened his eyes and smiled at her. "Hiya, Rose."
Oh God she'd blushed in front of Barnaby. "Um, hi." She was smiling like an idiot and blushing. "Are you awake?"
His smile went out like a light. "Yeah. Sort of. Shit. Was Bunny--"
"I'm right here, Kotetsu."
"Kay. Don't go anywhere."
She looked at Barnaby, who had a doubtful look that probably looked pretty similar to hers. "But--" he began. She looked back at Tiger, and saw tears leaking out of his closed eyes.
"I can stay," she said. "We both can."
Once Tiger had dozed off enough that they could leave the bedside without visibly upsetting him, Barnaby pulled her aside to argue in a whisper.
"You really shouldn't..." He seemed to be looking for the right word. "You were Queen of Heroes last season. I know how busy that leaves you."
"Tomorrow was going to be a light day anyway. I know what I'm doing." She started walking downstairs. He followed.
"You already told me you'd normally be doing homework tonight."
"Yeah, to get it out of the way so I can enjoy my downtime over the weekend!" That had been pretty loud for a whisper.
"I just don't think you should make any sacrifices--" His whispers were getting pretty loud too.
"It's not making a sacrifice! Look, I know you and everybody are fully convinced I have a crush on Tiger and it's oh so funny, but he's my friend and he's really unhappy right now, and if it makes him feel better for me to crash on his couch, I think that's more important than having all my calculus done before Sunday night." She really, really wanted to stomp over to the bathroom and slam the door, since it was the only door to slam in the place, but that would wake Tiger. She thought back over what she'd just said, and mentally congratulated herself for avoiding actually admitting anything about any crushes on anyone.
"All right," Barnaby said after a moment.
"Wait, what?"
"That makes sense. I agree with you. And I didn't really want to drive off and risk Kotetsu waking up alone. It's up to you to explain to your parents, though."
"Oh. Okay." This wasn't at all how she was accustomed to arguments ending. It was like they'd been playing tug-of-war and he'd dropped the rope. "I'll just tell them it's hero business. It's even kind of true."
He smiled. "I'm going to get a book out of the car. You left your bag, I think?" She nodded. "I'll bring that in, too."
She nodded, and moved over to sit on the stairs. Then she heard some kind of noise from upstairs, sort of like a groan, and headed up to check on Tiger.
He was sitting on the edge of the bed, his head in his hands. "Are you okay?" she asked.
He looked up. "Going to regret the hell out of this in the morning. You stayed?"
"I said I would." She seated herself on the chair, the one Tiger's vest was hanging over.
"Thought you did, but I couldn't tell if I was awake or not. Thanks, Rose."
She'd always wished he'd call her by her real name, but she could live with a nickname, she thought. "Do you think you're awake now?"
"Who knows?" He dropped his head back to his hands. "Room won't stop moving. Bunny left?"
"Just to get some things from the car." As if on cue, she heard the door open below. "See?"
"Rose, I just thought of something. Why'd you need my jacket? You have ice powers."
"I have to activate them to not feel the cold, and usually people around me feel it, and you put the jacket on me before I could do anything anyway." And then she wasn't about to shake it off like she didn't need it.
"Got it." She heard Barnaby climbing the stairs. "You tell Bunny about my wife? The promise?"
"Of course not!"
"Huh?" He looked up again.
"I mean... that's private, right? It's not..." She glanced over at the stairs; her bookbag was there, but Barnaby had already retreated.
"You should. Dunno if I'll be sober enough to tell him anytime soon. Drunk enough. Whatever. People say I should tell them things. Don't ever drink, Rose. Terrible idea."
"If I promise to take that advice to heart, will you promise not to throw up on anything?"
"Heh. Can't make any promises. What happened to Bunny?" And his head appeared above the line of the floor again. So he hadn't made tracks to avoid any secrets, but he'd left her bag in plain sight... that made him the world's worst eavesdropper. She was learning so much about her colleagues tonight.
Barnaby was carrying a water glass and holding something in his other hand. As he transferred them to Kotetsu, he explained to her, "Aspirin and water. Preventive care for hangovers - something to remember if you decide on college." Okay, maybe he hadn't been eavesdropping. On purpose, anyway.
"Rosie's a good girl, she won't do any underage drinking," Tiger protested. She caught Barnaby rolling his eyes just after she did, and she giggled before she could decide if she should feel offended. And... Rosie? She wasn't sure she liked that. "Thanks, you two," he added. "Sorry to impose. I just get lonely sometimes."
"I'd say it's about time you let someone in," Barnaby said under his breath.
"I heard that."
"No, you didn't."
"I heard you say something," Tiger retorted, "and knowing you it was something snide."
"Feel free to kick me out, old man," Barnaby said, settling himself on the floor at the foot of the bed and opening his book. "Are you going to be all right if either of us wants to sleep?"
"Sure. I got a nice, comfy floor up here. Big enough for the both of you."
"You see what I have to live with," he said to Karina, and she giggled.
"It's just fun watching you two."
"We aim to please," Tiger mumbled from the bed. "I should probably take my pants off."
"I don't think I should watch that." Even if she kind of wanted to.
"It's terrifying," Barnaby agreed. "I wouldn't advise it."
"You're just jealous I have sexier legs than you do," Tiger said.
"Don't laugh, it just encourages him," Barnaby told her, but it was too late. "She's suffering from sleep deprivation because of you," he added, to Tiger. "Listen to that."
"No, that's because of Hero TV," she said, getting her giggles under control. "The sleep deprivation." The laughter was just... giddiness, maybe. Release of tension, because of the break from her routine.
"It's after midnight. Maybe you should get some sleep, Blue Rose."
On cue, she yawned. "You did that to me," she said. "I don't have any pajamas, and there's only the one couch. Maybe one and a half."
"If you can get comfortable on the short leg of the sectional, I'll take the long, once our charge is down for the night."
"Rosie can borrow some of my things. For sleeping. The clean ones."
"Can I just ask everyone here to call me by name?" she said, abruptly, before she could lose her nerve. She couldn't exactly not include Barnaby. He got up and began opening and closing drawers in Tiger's dresser, looking for something.
"No I won't. Y'r Rose," Tiger protested. "But you can call me Kotatsu."
"Um."
"That's a piece of furniture," Barnaby explained, then turned back to her, offering a few folded pieces of clothing. "For you, Karina."
Karina changed in Tiger's bathroom, texted her parents - her father responded right away, proving he was still up - and checked Tiger's fridge. It contained a six-pack of beer with one can missing, a single onion, two leathery slices of pizza on a paper plate, and a gallon of milk. So much for breakfast in the morning. Maybe she could coerce Barnaby into treating her to something. She took the books out of her bag so she could use it as a pillow. The reading lamp was still on up in Tiger's room, and she could hear the two men speaking now and then, quietly enough that she couldn't make out the words. It was more a soothing drone than anything, and she finally drifted off despite the unfamiliar surroundings.
Around dawn, she drifted awake briefly. She was under a blanket now, and so was Barnaby, sleeping on the other section of the couch, his head toward the corner just as hers was. He must have been the one to cover her up, since Tiger didn't seem like he'd have been up to it. She got up on one elbow to look at him; he seemed younger somehow without his glasses, maybe just because he was asleep. She hated him a little bit for his eyelashes. Why did a guy with such light hair have such long, dark eyelashes? The blanket was sweet of him, though. He wasn't all bad, she decided, as she settled back down onto the couch, pulled the blanket up to her chin, and went back to sleep.
She was a bit surprised to find him still asleep when she woke again, a few hours later. This time she pushed the blanket back and took her bag to the bathroom so she could get dressed. She debated with herself whether to wear the dress from last night, or her school uniform. Her very first walk of shame, after spending the night with two older men, no less, and she hadn't even gotten to first base. Though she doubted she'd be walking very far. Barnaby owed her a ride.
She decided on the dress, brushed her hair, and settled for mouthwash since using Tiger's toothbrush would just be creepy. She couldn't look too much the worse for wear when she got home, because her parents would have expected her to have access to her company locker room or at least the truck. When she walked out of the bathroom, Barnaby was awake, peering into the fridge, and... not that it was surprising, but his back looked pretty nice. "Put a shirt on," she commanded. "There's nothing to eat in there."
"I guess I was hoping it would have magically changed overnight," he said, moving to retrieve his shirt from the coffee table. Tiger's abs were better, she thought.
"I guess there's always the pizza..."
"I think it's fossilized. I don't want to risk teeth to find out." He claimed the bathroom, leaving her to poke around the various cabinets. Tiger had shelves upon shelves of books, binders, and boxes, enough that they'd claimed the kitchen shelving too. The cabinets mostly held pots and pans. He couldn't use them much, though - if he ever cooked surely some of these books would have gotten grease spots, or been splashed with something. She wondered if they were all left over from his marriage. She found a cannister of ground coffee in one of the cabinets, and behind it, a box of pop-tarts. Coated in dust. She showed them dubiously to Barnaby when he emerged, his hair looking irritatingly perfect.
"How old do you think they are?" she asked.
"Do they even have expiration dates? If you'll make coffee, I'll go get bagels."
"Deal. Nothing with raisins, though." She hoped she wouldn't have to excavate the coffee machine.
She didn't; she'd just overlooked it in the corner. She set it up, already dreading Barnaby's reaction. To her, coffee was just a way to keep herself awake, but he had his reputation for enjoying the finer things in life, and probably had exacting standards for his caffeine. Then again, that could be fake. Besides, what did she care what he thought of her coffee? It wasn't like making it was her job and she needed his approval. Once the smell started wafting through the house, she went to re-pack her book bag. "Rose?" Tiger called out from upstairs. "Bunny?"
She'd expected him to sleep later than this. "I'm down here," she called back. He groaned tragically in response. She climbed the stairs, privately suspecting he was just being a drama queen. "Barnaby left to get food."
"Always hopping off," he said. "I'm dying."
"I'll let Agnes know," she said. "She'll want to record it."
"Smart-mouthed kid," he grumbled, burying his head under his pillow. "Mfmm cfffm."
"What?" Kid, she thought sourly.
"Coffee?" he asked piteously, emerging from the pillow. She heard the door open below. "Bunny, want to watch me die?" he called by way of greeting.
"It's my fondest wish," he replied. "You sound pretty vigorous for someone at death's door."
"You think so?" Karina asked as he climbed the stairs. "He's just been whining since he woke up. Nathan's right, men are just huge babies when they don't feel well."
"I don't think it's men," Barnaby said. "I think it's just Kotetsu. Caffeine won't help, old man," he added.
"Don't see why not..."
She took the bag of bagels back down to the kitchen, leaving them to discuss hangovers. It was nearly eight; she could just have Barnaby drive her to the training center. That'd let her shower, get into costume, and she'd be ready for the rest of her day. Shorter workout than usual, but she could live with that.
She had the training center to herself for a little while. Barnaby had some desk work to take care of, he said, and no one else was around. She wondered if the second league heroes had their own training center. She never saw them, but then, she was constantly busy. Maybe they just worked out in the afternoons or evenings. She claimed a treadmill, something that would give her some time to think. Sure, last night had hardly gotten her any closer to seducing Tiger - Kotetsu! she sort of had permission to use his name now! - but there was the name thing, and the nickname thing. And just being able to casually spend time with him was a big step, really. Being able to get along with Barnaby couldn't hurt, either. Maybe it was a bit like having your in-laws approve of you. All the reasonable analysis of it, though, couldn't change the fact that she was just really happy today. Excited.
He'd confided in her. That was something, even if he'd been miserable... even if that meant he was probably quietly miserable a lot. Was he just covering it up, all the time? No, the hangover whining was probably genuine. She wished she had more experience with this kind of thing. She'd been following Barnaby's lead half the night, joking around with Tiger, or being the audience while he did. Barnaby knew what it was like; she should probably trust that he knew what he was doing. On their drive to the training center, Barnaby had told her that Kotetsu owned the house, that he'd owned it for years - I thought he put it on the market when he moved, but I suppose it didn't sell - and that Kotetsu had shared the story about his wife's dying wish after Karina had gone to bed. Not having to tell him was something of a relief.
Mostly, though, she remembered Kotetsu grabbing her hand and calling her Rose.
She couldn't remember exactly what he'd been like during her first season. She hadn't been very impressed with him, she knew that. Mostly she remembered him joking around with Bison, and trying to give useless unsolicited advice because he was such a veteran. He'd seemed pretty glum the rest of the time, but she hadn't thought much of that - she'd just assumed it was because he and his friend were so low in the rankings. In retrospect, that probably did have something to do with it. But he'd started to seem happier once he was working with Barnaby, even though they spent so much time arguing, and even though his standing really didn't improve for several months. Of course he'd been lonely.
Maybe she could at least help with that. No one could replace his wife, of course, and she could barely imagine what it must feel like. The only person Karina had known who'd died had been her grandfather, when she was ten. She knew how she'd felt when they'd thought Kotetsu was dead, during that terrible fight against Maverick, but he wasn't her husband. They'd never lived together, they hadn't known each other for years... but surely having a friend, more than one friend, couldn't hurt. Friendship could always develop into something else.
"Why so thoughtful?" She squeaked, lost her footing, and hopped off the treadmill.
"Nathan, you nearly gave me a heart attack!"
"I'm surprised I didn't. I've been watching you for..." He tapped his phone. "...seven minutes now. You were all smiles when I got here."
"Just... thinking..."
"And I hear Barnaby dropped you off this morning."
"How'd you know that?"
"Tracy thought it looked like his car." The receptionist. "So it was him."
"Nathan, you're evil." She grabbed her towel - that silly dinosaur towel - and wiped her face with it, then smirked at him. "I spent the night at Kotetsu's house, with him and Barnaby."
"Karina! Tell me everything!"
"You know nothing happened," she said.
"Well it had better not, but I still want to how this came to pass."
The story took longer than she'd expected, since she'd forgotten Nathan didn't know about her other job. She almost forgot to edit out the part about Kotetsu's breakdown, stumbling through "he got... upset," and she was sure he noticed, but he didn't say anything until she was done. Then he said, "First-name basis, huh?"
"What?"
"Kotetsu."
She blushed. "He was still pretty drunk at the time. Maybe I should stop using it."
"Aww, don't give up on your progress that easy, sweetie!"
"I thought you wanted me to give up on him."
"I thought you should give up on sleeping with him. Don't deny it, you know that was your ultimate goal."
"Well, yeah, eventually. I just want to get to know him better... You know what it's like when you like a guy. It's not just like I have one goal and nothing else will do."
"I know," he said. "But you can be pretty goal-oriented." He leaned back in his seat, stretching his legs out. "I just don't think Tiger's the kind of guy to sleep with a girl half his age, you know? At least not while half his age is still eighteen. You're too young to just obsess about the one you can't have. Look at all the time we spent talking about just one of your two boys."
"One of... Barnaby's not my anything."
"Mm-hmm..." He was studying his nails.
"I don't know why I talk to you. I need to get back to my workout."
"Oh, you know you love me."
****
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Date: 2012-03-01 01:40 pm (UTC)*cheers, applause, and confetti* Congratulations!
I'll read the chapters you've posted later, when I'm not drowning in work.
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Date: 2012-03-01 08:20 pm (UTC)Here's the anon meme thread, to give you an idea of where it started and where it's going. Later chapters got fanart, which I am still squeeing over.
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Date: 2012-03-02 03:39 am (UTC)So far, I'm really enjoying this! It's nice to see Karina get the spotlight, and I think you caught her "voice" pretty well. Also, Nathan! Yay!
The kotatsu joke made me laugh, because I have several times almost referred to our coffee table as a Kotetsu.
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Date: 2012-03-02 09:34 am (UTC)I basically started this because I wanted to write Karina, I liked the OP's "no virginal Karina, please" because I distinctly remember being that age, and I figured even if I couldn't write her with either of the guys I could at least do a pre-relationship-type gen piece. And then I loved writing her, and now apparently I have an OT3.
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Date: 2012-03-02 01:46 pm (UTC)Not that I can see you doing that. Also you say you're going for an OT3. Yay! OT3s are magical. I can hate a pairing but a good 'fic can make me actively squee the same two characters as part of the right triune.
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Date: 2012-03-06 11:27 pm (UTC)...that is not at all the reaction I would have expected from you, for some reason.
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Date: 2012-03-07 02:33 am (UTC)I see you have posted more chapters! I need to read them, but first I have to grade all of the things and write all of the lectures.
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Date: 2012-03-07 04:06 am (UTC)