Only the Lonely, chapter 3
Mar. 1st, 2012 01:12 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lirillithTitle: Only the Lonely
Fandom: Tiger & Bunny
Characters/pairing: Karina, Kotetsu, Barnaby, Nathan, one-sided Karina/Kotetsu in this part.
Length: 3800 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.
****
On Sunday morning, it was once again just the two of them in the training center, until Nathan called out "Karina honey, you have a gentleman caller!"
"What?" She took a breather on the elliptical, then hurried to towel her face off and run up to meet him. "Kotetsu!"
"Oh, good, I did tell you to use my first name. Thought I did, but I couldn't remember."
"You actually said Kotatsu, but I figured I'd go with the spirit and not the letter..."
He snickered. "Sounds like the kind of thing I'd do. Can't stay, but I wanted to ask you - Bunny says you said your birthday was in a week?" She nodded. "Exactly a week, or... when?"
"It's actually a week from today, but I try to celebrate on Thursday and Friday because on weekends, my plans always get screwed up." She'd grown to hate weekend birthdays and holidays over the last few years. So many crimes, so much room in the schedule for Special Hero Events.
"Yeah, I figured you'd be busy. Just wondered if I could get you something, but you're so busy, I don't know when I could try that magazine trick like you taught me with Bunny."
She was touched he even remembered it. That had been a long time ago. "You could buy me dinner," she suggested, and then she felt her face heat as she realized what she'd said. She'd just asked him on a date in front of Nathan. "On the weekend, since you'd know why I might have to leave after the appetizer if I got a call. If you're free I mean."
"Sure, that works. Around seven on Saturday?" He said it so casually, like she wasn't going to spend the next six days agonizing over the right clothes and shoes and makeup and oh God what had she done.
"Sounds good!" she chirped.
"I guess I'll pick you up here." He grinned, called out a greeting to Nathan, and left, waving at her. She sat on the butterfly machine with a thud. No need to look for Nathan. He would have heard.
It was definitely the most eventful spring break she'd ever had. Without school, her hero schedule was packed, with photoshoots, recording sessions, and the filming of a video and three ads. In the evenings, she texted photos of her outfits: to Nathan, Pao-lin, Jane and Emily, though she hadn't been able to tell the latter two the full story. She had a few second thoughts about telling them at all; they were already wondering where she was going, and who she was going with, given the dressy outfits she was sending. Pao-lin just told her everything looked cute "and very girly," which wasn't really a surprise but also wasn't much help. Nathan, meanwhile, swooped in on one of her lunch breaks and took her shopping for shoes. "I'd loan you something, but I think we might have a teensy problem with the sizes."
"Accessories might work," she teased. A pink feather boa to go with a little black dress. Actually, she kind of liked that idea.
"You know my closet's wide open, sweetie." She rolled her eyes at him. "Well, it is."
"Do you think my outfits are too formal?" Emily seemed really hung up on the formality part - "so are you going to some dance or something?" - and she was starting to worry she was overdoing it.
"No. Your high school friends think so?" She nodded. "For a date with a boy your age, maybe so, but you know how Tiger always dresses. You're matching his style, and you'll be just fine for that restaurant in the Fortress Building. Don't overthink it."
The shoes were her birthday gift, and a pretty breathtaking one. She had the means to shop in expensive boutiques like this, but her civilian friends didn't, and she wouldn't have had the nerve to go alone. She thanked Nathan effusively as he drove her back to the set. "Honey, it's nothing," he insisted. "You're worth every penny of it, and don't you forget it. Especially not on your date."
"Does it really count if he doesn't know it's a date?"
"Interesting philosophical dilemma," he said. "You could always resolve it by telling him."
It had crossed her mind. It had also crossed her mind that maybe there was a reason he seemed to be the only hero who didn't notice her crush on him. Maybe he knew about it and was pretending to be oblivious because otherwise it would be awkward. She'd done that with guys before. And if that was what was going on, then confronting him with "hey by the way this is a date hope you don't mind" would just screw everything up... then again, she'd never have agreed to go out to dinner with some guy she was desperately trying to friend-zone.
"No I couldn't," was all she said.
Saturday night. She'd brought everything to the training center, so she could change there. Nathan helped with her makeup while Pao-lin hovered around curiously. "So is it a date or not?" Pao-lin wanted to know.
"Don't laugh," Nathan chided. "Or blink for any other reason. Hold still."
"Okaaaaaay..." she grumbled, but she was a pro at sitting still while someone else made her up. "I don't know what to call it, Pao-lin."
"I guess it's enough like a date, since it's two people going someplace together," she said. "He's just so old..."
"Hey," she and Nathan protested simulataneously. "He's only a few years older than me," Nathan continued.
"What, really?" Karina had been as derailed by this as Pao-lin. Nathan always seemed ageless.
"You think anyone gets to where I am at twenty-five?" he countered. Karina would be surprised if many people got where he was at forty-five, honestly, and if he was younger than Kotetsu, he had to be in his thirties.
"So how old are you?" Pao-lin asked.
"You never ask a lady her age," he chided. "Karina, tilt your head back, sweetie. I'm going to set you up so your lipstick will last, but you better not put it to use."
"I'm not allowed to eat?"
He brandished lip pencil at her. "This is a chaste date, understand? I'm helping because I know what young love is like, and I'm threatening because I'm closer to his age than yours."
The results of Nathan's handiwork kind of startled her. Normally, if she did her makeup herself, she went pretty minimal, light color on her lips, maybe some mascara. Maybe foundation if she didn't like the look of her skin. When someone else did it, they were turning her into Blue Rose. But in the locker room mirror - of course Nathan was allowed in the women's locker room, because he'd refused to see any reason why he wouldn't be, and Pao-lin had supported him - she looked older, more mature, but still like herself and not the ice princess. Her eyes seemed larger and brighter, her lips were a darker rose shade than she'd normally use, and her hair... was the same as it ever was, because Nathan had said he knew his own strengths and weaknesses. She was wearing a blue halter dress - Nathan had also pointed out that if Tiger hadn't noticed by now that she had breasts, he was never going to - and the heels he'd helped her match to it. And she was trying really hard not to fidget.
That wasn't helped when she saw Barnaby. No Kotetsu at his side, just Barnaby. He had his hand behind his back, looking kind of awkward. She waved at him, mystified and still wondering where Kotetsu was. When he came closer to her and produced the rose, she just blinked at it for a moment. "Happy birthday, Karina," he said.
"Thank you," she said, automatically, accepting it. A rose. This was... was it romantic? Her eyes widened. "This is one of the actual blue roses, isn't it?" She'd gotten them once before - a bouquet when she was voted MVP - but she hadn't known they were available commercially yet.
When she looked up at his face, he was smiling. "They're named 'Applause.' It seemed like an appropriate gift for a singer."
She felt a smile break out on her own face. "That's either sweet and clever or really corny," she said.
"I may spend too much time with Kotetsu to be able to tell the difference," he replied. "It's a pity it's not terribly blue..."
"Maybe different lighting would help," she said. It was really kind of a lavender.
"There's blue in the color, I suppose," he agreed.
"The name makes it very appropriate, anyway," she said, still smiling as she sniffed it. It just smelled like any other rose to her.
"Hey, Bunny! Rose!" They both turned. Kotetsu was dressed like always - jacket, slacks, tie. He must own dozens of dark green shirts, she thought. "Ready to go?" he asked her, and she hoped the makeup helped hide the blush. She nodded. "I'd ask you to join us, Bunny, but the reservations are just for two people."
Reservations? Then again, Nathan was a VIP in his civilian identity, too - when she ate there with him he was probably exploiting that a bit to get them in. Then her mind caught up with the rest of what he'd said, and she had to fight the urge to smack herself, or possibly him, in the face. "I have other plans for the evening," Barnaby said, then caught her eye. "Enjoy your evening," he added, with that broad public smile of his.
"Thank you for the rose," she said, and then impulsively went up on tiptoe to kiss him on the cheek. It was a test of Nathan's lipstick secrets, that was all, and they passed, leaving no lip-print on his face. He looked more than slightly stunned as she turned to follow Kotetsu, who was already heading for the door. He held it open for her, and as she stepped through, she looked back at Barnaby again. He hadn't moved, and was holding a hand to his face.
Outside, Kotetsu started chuckling. "Well done, Rose."
"Huh?"
"I just wish I could have stayed to see when his mind came back online." He opened the car door for her, and she slid in.
"I think he was just surprised..." she said, starting to get embarrassed now.
"Well, sure, he was surprised. But it's not just surprise when a pretty girl kisses you."
Pretty. Karina beamed at her hands, unable to do more than sneak glances at him, but he seemed to be watching the road. "I don't think it's like that..."
"He got you roses! That's romantic, right?"
"It's not like it was a dozen red roses... I mean, it was a reference to my name."
"But also a guy giving flowers to a girl." He looked over at her, grinning. Him and that stupid grin that made her melt and that stupid cluelessness that made her want to stomp on things. "I know, he's a bit old for you, but he's not like some dirty old man." Barnaby was a bit old for her. The heel of her palm desperately missed her forehead, right now. "I'm pretty sure he's never had a serious girlfriend - I mean, back when I first met him, who'd put up with that attitude? And I'm pretty sure I'd know if he'd met anybody since." Because clearly, a rich, good-looking celebrity in his twenties would only have sex with a girl he was serious about. Why would Kotetsu think that? Because that was how he thought? That was endearing, and explained a lot - such as why he'd been so lonely - but she had a hard time extending that to Barnaby. Kotetsu continued, "Judging by the fans we hear from if we go anyplace together, a lot of girls your age like him." Oh God he was trying to play matchmaker.
"That's, um..." Maybe Lunatic could attack them, she thought. That would be fun. More fun than this. Why couldn't they go back to the part where he'd said she was pretty? She'd liked that part of the conversation. "I don't..."
"Sorry. Making you uncomfortable?"
YES. "Kind of." She was totally okay with just being friends with Kotetsu, she reminded herself. She just wanted to be his friend. He was lonely and he needed friends, even if he needed to get plastered to admit it, and even if he was so astonishingly dense she wondered how he'd ever managed to get married. What had his wife done, tied him up and gagged him while she explained to him in very small words that she liked him? That was actually the kind of thing Blue Rose would do. Maybe she should try that. Possibly in costume.
"Sorry about that. Forget I said anything." That would be easier if she had any idea what had sparked this. Just the rose? Maybe he just misread everyone unless they were actually in the middle of a crime. "So, um... I hear your new single's doing well!"
"You do?" It was, but Blue Rose wasn't really his kind of music. He seemed to like her own better.
"Kaede's a big fan," he said, grinning. It was impossible to stay angry at him, no matter how much she might want to.
Dinner itself was enjoyable, despite the rough start. He'd been happy enough to tell her what Kaede was up to, at great length, and then when he stopped to visit the Mr. Legend statue in the building's foyer, she asked what the big deal was. He told her about Mr. Legend's illustrious career for the entirety of the elevator ride, mentioning as they entered the restaurant "I met him once."
"You did?"
"Yeah. Kind of a long story..."
"I'd like to hear it, though."
"You would?" The grin that broke out over his face could have lit up the room. How was it possible that Barnaby was the popular one? "Awesome. Once we have our drinks."
The Legend story was classic Kotetsu - all outflung arms and sound effects - and the idea of a ten-year-old Kotetsu was so adorable she could hardly stand it. She'd have to really admire that statue a lot when they went back down, she decided. Maybe get him to produce any photos he might have from the experience, news clippings or something. She was sure he'd saved any if he had them.
"I wish I had something like that," she said.
"Really? No childhood inspiration or anything?"
"Not really. Definitely not for being a hero. That was all my mom's idea. I think she always wished she was a NEXT, so she could be a hero."
"Huh. She must not have paid much attention to the news," he said. "Your mom's probably... I dunno, maybe a few years older than me? It wasn't a great time to be a NEXT."
"Oh." She'd heard about it, of course, but the idea of people hating NEXTs was pretty foreign, confined to madmen like Rotwang and mentions in history class. "I guess it's hard to think of it that way for me."
"Well, yeah. You're a star because of your powers," he said. "And things were a lot better by the time you were young." She nodded. "Still, kind of a shame," he said. "It's good to have somebody like that you can look up to. Wasn't there anything that helped change your mind about quitting, a couple of years back?"
"That was you," she said softly.
"Me?" He'd heard her. She gulped her ice water, trying to hide her face. "Seriously?" She lowered the glass, nodding a little. He smiled; not one of his huge grins, this time, something smaller and almost sad. "Thanks, Rose," he said quietly.
"It's..." She fidgeted with the napkin in her lap. "I think you have that effect on people. Look at Barnaby." Or maybe she didn't want to bring him up.
"Hard to miss that," he said. "Hey, that means I'm an inspiration for a king and queen of heroes. I must be pretty cool, huh?"
She couldn't help smiling. "Maybe sometimes."
They swapped stories of their hero exploits - the blooper reels, basically, that never made it on the air - and talked about music. He'd taken to loaning her thumb drives of his music collection over the winter, and she was broadening her tastes considerably as a result. She loved seeing how happy it made him when she found something she liked, and she was glad to have more things in common with him.
When the meal was over, they took the elevator down to the lobby and she looked at the Mr. Legend statue long enough that he moved over that way, and she followed. "He lost his powers too, in the end," Kotetsu said, very quietly. She stared; that hadn't been what she'd expected to hear. "Ben told me," he added. She couldn't remember who Ben was - someone at Apollon, she thought. "He was the king at the time, so they staged the show to make up for his power decline."
"Wow," she said. His hero got a show tailored to make him look good, while he got demoted to the second league. Then she started to wonder how that would be staged. "Like, fake crimes?"
"Editing, I think. Other heroes cornering the crooks so he could make the arrest or the rescues."
Fixing the rankings. That'd mean actual loss of income for the other heroes who were being forced to come in behind him. Injuries, maybe. It'd be frustrating, maybe humiliating, and you'd have the prime of your own career ticking away while you propped up his. "That's awful!" she exclaimed, loud enough to draw a few curious looks. He nodded somberly, resettling his hat on his head, and turned to go. She followed, uncertain. He'd seemed so happy, talking to her about Mr. Legend at dinner; how had he felt when he found out his hero had been corrupt?
Outside the building, he spoke again. "He apparently had a drinking problem, by the end. He must have felt guilty about it."
"Yeah," she said, uncertain. "He wasn't always a fake."
"No," he agreed. "He was the best there'd ever been until Bunny came along."
"Did that bother you?" she asked. "Barnaby breaking his record?"
"Of course not! It's amazing working with someone as good as he is," he said. They'd reached the car, and he fumbled with his keys. He opened her door first, then leaned against it, not closing it. "He's so good I can't stand seeing him stuck in the Second League. He doesn't belong there, you know? It's like watching a pro athlete trying to dial it down to play catch with little kids."
She only paid attention to the second league for Kotetsu. "It was his decision, though, wasn't it? He wanted to work with you."
"Yeah, I guess." He shut her door, rounded the car to get in on his side. "But it's a waste. It'd be one thing if he was washed-up like me..."
"You're not washed-up!"
"Rose," he said. "I've got one minute. It's nothing if you need it to last."
She fell silent, for a moment. "Why did you tell me that, about Legend?" she asked finally. "There can't be many people that know that."
"Not many," he admitted. "I dunno. Bunny says I need to tell people things. I guess... Legend's how I could have ended up, if I'd been in a different spot when it happened, handled it differently. He was human too, and he screwed up, but he also saved a lot of people. I don't know if that makes sense."
"Some," she said.
He started the car. "Bunny's been getting me to talk about it more. I guess once you tell one person it's easier to tell the next."
So she wasn't the first person he'd told. Of course it had come up with his partner. Look at how much time they spent together, and obviously it wasn't all while they were on the job. "He doesn't mind you calling him that anymore?"
He chuckled, put his hand on the back of her seat and started backing up. "He stopped complaining about it a long time ago. He answers to it. Good enough for me, you know?" He shifted gears, saying as he maneuvered through the garage, "I hope I didn't bother you too much, talking about Bunny earlier."
"Huh?"
"It's just that he's pretty close to your age, and you know, heroes spend a lot of time together..."
Oh, he meant that. Nathan was going to love this. "I just don't, um... I mean. What makes you think... that?" How she could blush so easily in regular life and yet deliver Blue Rose's lines without problems was a mystery.
"...maybe I shouldn't have said anything..." he said. "Um... sort of... things he's said? Dunno if he would have wanted me to bring it up, but.... "
"What?" Maybe he wasn't actually delusional. Which was insane. Barnaby? Asking Kotetsu about her? At least one person had lost his mind here. Maybe she had too. But Kotetsu was doing that mumbling thing he did. "What things?"
"Maybe I should shut up before I make things worse," Kotetsu said. "How's everything going with your college applications?" She felt a bit like screaming. She drew a deep breath, and before she could speak, he added, "I know you must want to kill me, but it'd be betraying his trust..." In the flash of a streetlight, he looked so earnest she felt like she could melt all over again.
"I understand," she said. She hated it, but she understood. "I... pretty much decided to go to college."
"Probably best," he said. "See if you like it - better than skipping it and regretting it."
They chatted for the rest of the drive, but she was distracted, wondering what Barnaby could possibly have been saying to Kotetsu to spark the matchmaking efforts. It wasn't until they stopped in front of her house that her wandering thoughts were called back to earth, when he smiled at her and said "Happy birthday, Rose."
"Thank you," she said, smiling at him, unable to stop smiling at him even if she'd wanted to.
"Not to sound creepy or anything, but you looked beautiful tonight," he added, and though they said other things - "good night," and "thank you," and something along the lines of "see you tomorrow," that was what she was hearing when she let herself into the house and ran up to her room, beaming, not wanting to explain her mood to her parents.
****
Fandom: Tiger & Bunny
Characters/pairing: Karina, Kotetsu, Barnaby, Nathan, one-sided Karina/Kotetsu in this part.
Length: 3800 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.
****
On Sunday morning, it was once again just the two of them in the training center, until Nathan called out "Karina honey, you have a gentleman caller!"
"What?" She took a breather on the elliptical, then hurried to towel her face off and run up to meet him. "Kotetsu!"
"Oh, good, I did tell you to use my first name. Thought I did, but I couldn't remember."
"You actually said Kotatsu, but I figured I'd go with the spirit and not the letter..."
He snickered. "Sounds like the kind of thing I'd do. Can't stay, but I wanted to ask you - Bunny says you said your birthday was in a week?" She nodded. "Exactly a week, or... when?"
"It's actually a week from today, but I try to celebrate on Thursday and Friday because on weekends, my plans always get screwed up." She'd grown to hate weekend birthdays and holidays over the last few years. So many crimes, so much room in the schedule for Special Hero Events.
"Yeah, I figured you'd be busy. Just wondered if I could get you something, but you're so busy, I don't know when I could try that magazine trick like you taught me with Bunny."
She was touched he even remembered it. That had been a long time ago. "You could buy me dinner," she suggested, and then she felt her face heat as she realized what she'd said. She'd just asked him on a date in front of Nathan. "On the weekend, since you'd know why I might have to leave after the appetizer if I got a call. If you're free I mean."
"Sure, that works. Around seven on Saturday?" He said it so casually, like she wasn't going to spend the next six days agonizing over the right clothes and shoes and makeup and oh God what had she done.
"Sounds good!" she chirped.
"I guess I'll pick you up here." He grinned, called out a greeting to Nathan, and left, waving at her. She sat on the butterfly machine with a thud. No need to look for Nathan. He would have heard.
It was definitely the most eventful spring break she'd ever had. Without school, her hero schedule was packed, with photoshoots, recording sessions, and the filming of a video and three ads. In the evenings, she texted photos of her outfits: to Nathan, Pao-lin, Jane and Emily, though she hadn't been able to tell the latter two the full story. She had a few second thoughts about telling them at all; they were already wondering where she was going, and who she was going with, given the dressy outfits she was sending. Pao-lin just told her everything looked cute "and very girly," which wasn't really a surprise but also wasn't much help. Nathan, meanwhile, swooped in on one of her lunch breaks and took her shopping for shoes. "I'd loan you something, but I think we might have a teensy problem with the sizes."
"Accessories might work," she teased. A pink feather boa to go with a little black dress. Actually, she kind of liked that idea.
"You know my closet's wide open, sweetie." She rolled her eyes at him. "Well, it is."
"Do you think my outfits are too formal?" Emily seemed really hung up on the formality part - "so are you going to some dance or something?" - and she was starting to worry she was overdoing it.
"No. Your high school friends think so?" She nodded. "For a date with a boy your age, maybe so, but you know how Tiger always dresses. You're matching his style, and you'll be just fine for that restaurant in the Fortress Building. Don't overthink it."
The shoes were her birthday gift, and a pretty breathtaking one. She had the means to shop in expensive boutiques like this, but her civilian friends didn't, and she wouldn't have had the nerve to go alone. She thanked Nathan effusively as he drove her back to the set. "Honey, it's nothing," he insisted. "You're worth every penny of it, and don't you forget it. Especially not on your date."
"Does it really count if he doesn't know it's a date?"
"Interesting philosophical dilemma," he said. "You could always resolve it by telling him."
It had crossed her mind. It had also crossed her mind that maybe there was a reason he seemed to be the only hero who didn't notice her crush on him. Maybe he knew about it and was pretending to be oblivious because otherwise it would be awkward. She'd done that with guys before. And if that was what was going on, then confronting him with "hey by the way this is a date hope you don't mind" would just screw everything up... then again, she'd never have agreed to go out to dinner with some guy she was desperately trying to friend-zone.
"No I couldn't," was all she said.
Saturday night. She'd brought everything to the training center, so she could change there. Nathan helped with her makeup while Pao-lin hovered around curiously. "So is it a date or not?" Pao-lin wanted to know.
"Don't laugh," Nathan chided. "Or blink for any other reason. Hold still."
"Okaaaaaay..." she grumbled, but she was a pro at sitting still while someone else made her up. "I don't know what to call it, Pao-lin."
"I guess it's enough like a date, since it's two people going someplace together," she said. "He's just so old..."
"Hey," she and Nathan protested simulataneously. "He's only a few years older than me," Nathan continued.
"What, really?" Karina had been as derailed by this as Pao-lin. Nathan always seemed ageless.
"You think anyone gets to where I am at twenty-five?" he countered. Karina would be surprised if many people got where he was at forty-five, honestly, and if he was younger than Kotetsu, he had to be in his thirties.
"So how old are you?" Pao-lin asked.
"You never ask a lady her age," he chided. "Karina, tilt your head back, sweetie. I'm going to set you up so your lipstick will last, but you better not put it to use."
"I'm not allowed to eat?"
He brandished lip pencil at her. "This is a chaste date, understand? I'm helping because I know what young love is like, and I'm threatening because I'm closer to his age than yours."
The results of Nathan's handiwork kind of startled her. Normally, if she did her makeup herself, she went pretty minimal, light color on her lips, maybe some mascara. Maybe foundation if she didn't like the look of her skin. When someone else did it, they were turning her into Blue Rose. But in the locker room mirror - of course Nathan was allowed in the women's locker room, because he'd refused to see any reason why he wouldn't be, and Pao-lin had supported him - she looked older, more mature, but still like herself and not the ice princess. Her eyes seemed larger and brighter, her lips were a darker rose shade than she'd normally use, and her hair... was the same as it ever was, because Nathan had said he knew his own strengths and weaknesses. She was wearing a blue halter dress - Nathan had also pointed out that if Tiger hadn't noticed by now that she had breasts, he was never going to - and the heels he'd helped her match to it. And she was trying really hard not to fidget.
That wasn't helped when she saw Barnaby. No Kotetsu at his side, just Barnaby. He had his hand behind his back, looking kind of awkward. She waved at him, mystified and still wondering where Kotetsu was. When he came closer to her and produced the rose, she just blinked at it for a moment. "Happy birthday, Karina," he said.
"Thank you," she said, automatically, accepting it. A rose. This was... was it romantic? Her eyes widened. "This is one of the actual blue roses, isn't it?" She'd gotten them once before - a bouquet when she was voted MVP - but she hadn't known they were available commercially yet.
When she looked up at his face, he was smiling. "They're named 'Applause.' It seemed like an appropriate gift for a singer."
She felt a smile break out on her own face. "That's either sweet and clever or really corny," she said.
"I may spend too much time with Kotetsu to be able to tell the difference," he replied. "It's a pity it's not terribly blue..."
"Maybe different lighting would help," she said. It was really kind of a lavender.
"There's blue in the color, I suppose," he agreed.
"The name makes it very appropriate, anyway," she said, still smiling as she sniffed it. It just smelled like any other rose to her.
"Hey, Bunny! Rose!" They both turned. Kotetsu was dressed like always - jacket, slacks, tie. He must own dozens of dark green shirts, she thought. "Ready to go?" he asked her, and she hoped the makeup helped hide the blush. She nodded. "I'd ask you to join us, Bunny, but the reservations are just for two people."
Reservations? Then again, Nathan was a VIP in his civilian identity, too - when she ate there with him he was probably exploiting that a bit to get them in. Then her mind caught up with the rest of what he'd said, and she had to fight the urge to smack herself, or possibly him, in the face. "I have other plans for the evening," Barnaby said, then caught her eye. "Enjoy your evening," he added, with that broad public smile of his.
"Thank you for the rose," she said, and then impulsively went up on tiptoe to kiss him on the cheek. It was a test of Nathan's lipstick secrets, that was all, and they passed, leaving no lip-print on his face. He looked more than slightly stunned as she turned to follow Kotetsu, who was already heading for the door. He held it open for her, and as she stepped through, she looked back at Barnaby again. He hadn't moved, and was holding a hand to his face.
Outside, Kotetsu started chuckling. "Well done, Rose."
"Huh?"
"I just wish I could have stayed to see when his mind came back online." He opened the car door for her, and she slid in.
"I think he was just surprised..." she said, starting to get embarrassed now.
"Well, sure, he was surprised. But it's not just surprise when a pretty girl kisses you."
Pretty. Karina beamed at her hands, unable to do more than sneak glances at him, but he seemed to be watching the road. "I don't think it's like that..."
"He got you roses! That's romantic, right?"
"It's not like it was a dozen red roses... I mean, it was a reference to my name."
"But also a guy giving flowers to a girl." He looked over at her, grinning. Him and that stupid grin that made her melt and that stupid cluelessness that made her want to stomp on things. "I know, he's a bit old for you, but he's not like some dirty old man." Barnaby was a bit old for her. The heel of her palm desperately missed her forehead, right now. "I'm pretty sure he's never had a serious girlfriend - I mean, back when I first met him, who'd put up with that attitude? And I'm pretty sure I'd know if he'd met anybody since." Because clearly, a rich, good-looking celebrity in his twenties would only have sex with a girl he was serious about. Why would Kotetsu think that? Because that was how he thought? That was endearing, and explained a lot - such as why he'd been so lonely - but she had a hard time extending that to Barnaby. Kotetsu continued, "Judging by the fans we hear from if we go anyplace together, a lot of girls your age like him." Oh God he was trying to play matchmaker.
"That's, um..." Maybe Lunatic could attack them, she thought. That would be fun. More fun than this. Why couldn't they go back to the part where he'd said she was pretty? She'd liked that part of the conversation. "I don't..."
"Sorry. Making you uncomfortable?"
YES. "Kind of." She was totally okay with just being friends with Kotetsu, she reminded herself. She just wanted to be his friend. He was lonely and he needed friends, even if he needed to get plastered to admit it, and even if he was so astonishingly dense she wondered how he'd ever managed to get married. What had his wife done, tied him up and gagged him while she explained to him in very small words that she liked him? That was actually the kind of thing Blue Rose would do. Maybe she should try that. Possibly in costume.
"Sorry about that. Forget I said anything." That would be easier if she had any idea what had sparked this. Just the rose? Maybe he just misread everyone unless they were actually in the middle of a crime. "So, um... I hear your new single's doing well!"
"You do?" It was, but Blue Rose wasn't really his kind of music. He seemed to like her own better.
"Kaede's a big fan," he said, grinning. It was impossible to stay angry at him, no matter how much she might want to.
Dinner itself was enjoyable, despite the rough start. He'd been happy enough to tell her what Kaede was up to, at great length, and then when he stopped to visit the Mr. Legend statue in the building's foyer, she asked what the big deal was. He told her about Mr. Legend's illustrious career for the entirety of the elevator ride, mentioning as they entered the restaurant "I met him once."
"You did?"
"Yeah. Kind of a long story..."
"I'd like to hear it, though."
"You would?" The grin that broke out over his face could have lit up the room. How was it possible that Barnaby was the popular one? "Awesome. Once we have our drinks."
The Legend story was classic Kotetsu - all outflung arms and sound effects - and the idea of a ten-year-old Kotetsu was so adorable she could hardly stand it. She'd have to really admire that statue a lot when they went back down, she decided. Maybe get him to produce any photos he might have from the experience, news clippings or something. She was sure he'd saved any if he had them.
"I wish I had something like that," she said.
"Really? No childhood inspiration or anything?"
"Not really. Definitely not for being a hero. That was all my mom's idea. I think she always wished she was a NEXT, so she could be a hero."
"Huh. She must not have paid much attention to the news," he said. "Your mom's probably... I dunno, maybe a few years older than me? It wasn't a great time to be a NEXT."
"Oh." She'd heard about it, of course, but the idea of people hating NEXTs was pretty foreign, confined to madmen like Rotwang and mentions in history class. "I guess it's hard to think of it that way for me."
"Well, yeah. You're a star because of your powers," he said. "And things were a lot better by the time you were young." She nodded. "Still, kind of a shame," he said. "It's good to have somebody like that you can look up to. Wasn't there anything that helped change your mind about quitting, a couple of years back?"
"That was you," she said softly.
"Me?" He'd heard her. She gulped her ice water, trying to hide her face. "Seriously?" She lowered the glass, nodding a little. He smiled; not one of his huge grins, this time, something smaller and almost sad. "Thanks, Rose," he said quietly.
"It's..." She fidgeted with the napkin in her lap. "I think you have that effect on people. Look at Barnaby." Or maybe she didn't want to bring him up.
"Hard to miss that," he said. "Hey, that means I'm an inspiration for a king and queen of heroes. I must be pretty cool, huh?"
She couldn't help smiling. "Maybe sometimes."
They swapped stories of their hero exploits - the blooper reels, basically, that never made it on the air - and talked about music. He'd taken to loaning her thumb drives of his music collection over the winter, and she was broadening her tastes considerably as a result. She loved seeing how happy it made him when she found something she liked, and she was glad to have more things in common with him.
When the meal was over, they took the elevator down to the lobby and she looked at the Mr. Legend statue long enough that he moved over that way, and she followed. "He lost his powers too, in the end," Kotetsu said, very quietly. She stared; that hadn't been what she'd expected to hear. "Ben told me," he added. She couldn't remember who Ben was - someone at Apollon, she thought. "He was the king at the time, so they staged the show to make up for his power decline."
"Wow," she said. His hero got a show tailored to make him look good, while he got demoted to the second league. Then she started to wonder how that would be staged. "Like, fake crimes?"
"Editing, I think. Other heroes cornering the crooks so he could make the arrest or the rescues."
Fixing the rankings. That'd mean actual loss of income for the other heroes who were being forced to come in behind him. Injuries, maybe. It'd be frustrating, maybe humiliating, and you'd have the prime of your own career ticking away while you propped up his. "That's awful!" she exclaimed, loud enough to draw a few curious looks. He nodded somberly, resettling his hat on his head, and turned to go. She followed, uncertain. He'd seemed so happy, talking to her about Mr. Legend at dinner; how had he felt when he found out his hero had been corrupt?
Outside the building, he spoke again. "He apparently had a drinking problem, by the end. He must have felt guilty about it."
"Yeah," she said, uncertain. "He wasn't always a fake."
"No," he agreed. "He was the best there'd ever been until Bunny came along."
"Did that bother you?" she asked. "Barnaby breaking his record?"
"Of course not! It's amazing working with someone as good as he is," he said. They'd reached the car, and he fumbled with his keys. He opened her door first, then leaned against it, not closing it. "He's so good I can't stand seeing him stuck in the Second League. He doesn't belong there, you know? It's like watching a pro athlete trying to dial it down to play catch with little kids."
She only paid attention to the second league for Kotetsu. "It was his decision, though, wasn't it? He wanted to work with you."
"Yeah, I guess." He shut her door, rounded the car to get in on his side. "But it's a waste. It'd be one thing if he was washed-up like me..."
"You're not washed-up!"
"Rose," he said. "I've got one minute. It's nothing if you need it to last."
She fell silent, for a moment. "Why did you tell me that, about Legend?" she asked finally. "There can't be many people that know that."
"Not many," he admitted. "I dunno. Bunny says I need to tell people things. I guess... Legend's how I could have ended up, if I'd been in a different spot when it happened, handled it differently. He was human too, and he screwed up, but he also saved a lot of people. I don't know if that makes sense."
"Some," she said.
He started the car. "Bunny's been getting me to talk about it more. I guess once you tell one person it's easier to tell the next."
So she wasn't the first person he'd told. Of course it had come up with his partner. Look at how much time they spent together, and obviously it wasn't all while they were on the job. "He doesn't mind you calling him that anymore?"
He chuckled, put his hand on the back of her seat and started backing up. "He stopped complaining about it a long time ago. He answers to it. Good enough for me, you know?" He shifted gears, saying as he maneuvered through the garage, "I hope I didn't bother you too much, talking about Bunny earlier."
"Huh?"
"It's just that he's pretty close to your age, and you know, heroes spend a lot of time together..."
Oh, he meant that. Nathan was going to love this. "I just don't, um... I mean. What makes you think... that?" How she could blush so easily in regular life and yet deliver Blue Rose's lines without problems was a mystery.
"...maybe I shouldn't have said anything..." he said. "Um... sort of... things he's said? Dunno if he would have wanted me to bring it up, but.... "
"What?" Maybe he wasn't actually delusional. Which was insane. Barnaby? Asking Kotetsu about her? At least one person had lost his mind here. Maybe she had too. But Kotetsu was doing that mumbling thing he did. "What things?"
"Maybe I should shut up before I make things worse," Kotetsu said. "How's everything going with your college applications?" She felt a bit like screaming. She drew a deep breath, and before she could speak, he added, "I know you must want to kill me, but it'd be betraying his trust..." In the flash of a streetlight, he looked so earnest she felt like she could melt all over again.
"I understand," she said. She hated it, but she understood. "I... pretty much decided to go to college."
"Probably best," he said. "See if you like it - better than skipping it and regretting it."
They chatted for the rest of the drive, but she was distracted, wondering what Barnaby could possibly have been saying to Kotetsu to spark the matchmaking efforts. It wasn't until they stopped in front of her house that her wandering thoughts were called back to earth, when he smiled at her and said "Happy birthday, Rose."
"Thank you," she said, smiling at him, unable to stop smiling at him even if she'd wanted to.
"Not to sound creepy or anything, but you looked beautiful tonight," he added, and though they said other things - "good night," and "thank you," and something along the lines of "see you tomorrow," that was what she was hearing when she let herself into the house and ran up to her room, beaming, not wanting to explain her mood to her parents.
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no subject
Date: 2012-03-04 02:59 am (UTC)I was wondering how you were going to get the Karina-Barnaby leg of the triangle in; starting it with Barnaby's interest in Karina makes a good deal of sense.