Author's Note: My first submission to this site, appropriately, is a story focusing on Tiger & Bunny. This parallels' the show, but focuses heavily on Keith (Sky High) and Ivan (Origami Cyclone). It will eventually take a lot of liberties and add a ton of extra scenes, given that the characters don't appear often in some of the episodes, and is told from their POV. Each chapter, I intend to switch who the chapter focuses on. I'm going to stick the rating at a tentative T for now, but it might go up in later chapters. This first chapter is a little slow to start because I felt like not taking knowledge for granted and I wanted to develop the setting a bit. That and the first episode is very heavy in content. This will eventually become Keith x Ivan, because that pairing is my crack. So, without further ado, enjoy.
Pairing: Keith x Ivan
Disclaimer: I own the words, not the boys and girls. (As much as I wish I did...)
"Hope is a waking dream." - William Shakespeare
Sternbild City.
A roaring metropolis of activity. People could live, grow and die within the confines of the monster of a city, having no need to leave the amenities of the megaplex; they would never want for anything further than a train or monorail trip across the city... They could live out their lives within the confines of the beast, be they members of Bronze, Silver or even the illustrious Gold society. Often times its citizens could forget a world of rolling hills and country existed outside the steel and traffic of Sternbild. It was well known that Sternbild held the heart and soul of her citizens, that those who lived there fell in love with the twisting streets, the alleys that held secrets of mom and pop shops, the grandiose museums and monuments. Visitors and tourists most often made mention of how alien Sternbild felt to them in comparison to other cities. In fact, one news reporter had said the closest he could get to describing Sternbild was to: "Take Tokyo and New York, drop them in a box, give that box to a tantrum-ridden three-year old and allow the kid to shake it up to all of hell in a hand basket. Then, of course, let the world's most affluent, famous architects and city-drafters take the pieces and put it back together again into the most spectacular display of city planning and synergy known to man."
It is known, perhaps, as the most prominent and influential city of the world.
The metropolis of a city is known across the world as a center of commerce and the forefront of culture and technology. It is home to some of the most famous celebrities and world-powers around. It is also a home to some twenty-two million civilian people. However, these people, who live out their lives in relative semblance of preserved safety, are not the end of Sternbild's masses. Some of these people are the NEXT, a genetic mutation of humans who exhibit what people have come to know as superhuman powers, varying from telekinetic to elemental and from useful to mundane. While Sternbild is, of course, not home to the only NEXT in the world, and the mutation of humans with super powers is a world-wide phenomenon, it is home to some of the most varied in power and fame... And with all strength and fame, some use these blessings for good, while others will, inevitably, use them for evil.
So, while Sternbild may be known as one of the most important cities in the modern world, it is not without the plague that ails most cities of its size: crime. And, where there is crime, there will be, without a shadow of a doubt, heroes who fight crime. Those people that would fight for justice, the good of the citizens of Sternbild, the defense of the city's own honor. They are the NEXT that took their power that some feared and used it for the betterment of society. While NEXT are only a few generations old, they are the fame and fortune of Sternbild, thanks in no small part to the funding and emergence of HeroTV. A show focusing on the crimes of Sternbild's villains and the endeavors of the heroes to stop them, one could hazard saying that HeroTV draws not only potentials heroes to Sternbild... but also those villains seeking for a bit of fame for their dastardly deeds. With that being said, Sternbild is most commonly associated with the villains that plague her and the heroes that save her.
But, under the core of it all, heroes are ordinary people. They live their day to day lives behind the mask of a normal life. They are among Sternbild's citizens at this very moment, acting as the ordinary... until the receive the call that crime has struck. A call that can come at any time.
He sighed in content, sweeping his blonde hair back from blue eyes. A token smile familiar to his comrades graced his lips. It was good to run, to feel the heat and punishment of exercise course through his body. To feel the complaint of his legs and lungs as they strained with the workout. How many miles had it been? He glanced at the treadmill's tracker. Seven thus far? Not bad for a start. He flexed his muscles, feeling them pull taught as his feet continued to pound down upon the tread in a steady pace. Could he top out a ten, maybe? Or should he push it further today? Sometimes he did that. It would really depend on if the heroes received a call. If they did, he would have to cut the work out short. Not that he minded. A call was more or less a work out in the first place! The man smiled at the thought. There was a way of thinking about it! Catching robbers, kidnappers and thieves... it was all just a work out! He laughed aloud at the joke.
Reaching forward, he grasped the plastic water bottle and brought it to his lips, taking a deep gulp of the water within. The crisp chill of it burned his throat and hit his stomach like a bomb, but he ignored it. A few moments, then the chill passed, and his body thanked him for the life-giving and relief-imbuing liquid. He set the bottle back into its holder, its surface slick with condensation. Wiping his hand on his sweat-soaked shirt, he put himself in the mind set for finishing up another couple laps. Where there was a will, there was a way. All one had to do was believe in themselves and be believes in by others.
It was surprising how fast time could pass while one wasn't paying attention. Not just when working out, he thought, but also actual weeks and months. This season of crime had gone by much faster than he had expected! For one, it felt like only yesterday that the season had begun. He remembered when it had. Not only had it been when the newest of Hero Academy's graduates joined the season, a hero's who's alias was Origami Cyclone, but their first arrest had been busting a smuggling heist wide open. The blonde could remember the anger he had felt as he learned of the goods being trafficked: humans. He frowned and shook his head. It was a good thing the season was coming to a close on a high note for him.
He grinned. A high note indeed. It was pretty much in the basket! It didn't even feel like today of all days should be when HeroTV announced the MVP of the season, and he was definitely the most likely of candidates. The announcement was today. He secretly couldn't wait. He wanted more than anything to see the results. He had everyone else to thank for his success. Without everyone else, he wouldn't be where he was right now. ...Well. Figuratively, mostly, he guessed. Although, also psychically too, in a way, he mused... because if he hadn't been contracted as a hero he wouldn't have been in Justice Tower running on a treadmill meant for the heroes. That was a though. He owed not only his occupation but his location to the entire city of Sternbild!
As his thoughts continued to wander, as was quite typical for him, he got a call. Blinking once, twice for good measure, he glanced first to his wrist. He stared blankly at the PDA on his wrist and was puzzled by its... inactivity. Oh. No, not that kind of call. The PDA wasn't glowing blue like it would have been had they received a call to act upon their duties as heroes. Instead, he looked up to where his cell phone was ringing and vibrating in the spare cup-holder. A shame. It would have been very interesting if they got a call tonight, on the last night of the season.
Nevertheless, he grabbed his phone and checked the screen. "Poseidon Line" glowed back in way of greeting, a trident icon underneath the text. Stepping off the treadmill, he answered the call. "Hello? Hello?"
"Sky High!" the familiar sound of his one of his sponsor's secretaries spoke, "I realize you're probably working out or busy, but if you'd like to come over to Poseidon Line's HQ, the chairman would appreciate it. He wants to congratulate you on a good season!"
Keith Goodman smiled, despite knowing that the woman on the other end couldn't see his grin. "Certainly! Though I should truly thank him, as without him I wouldn't have been possible." He shouldered the phone, turning off the treadmill as he spoke. Grasping a plain towel, he used it to mop up the perspiration soaking his hair and skin, then he slung it over his shoulders.
His sponsor's aide chimed once more, "yes, yes. But you've already thanked him, you should give him a chance to thank you!"
Toweling down his hair once more, Keith nodded, again despite the inability of the other to see him. It was something of a habit; he had trouble conveying himself sometimes, which typically meant he would repeat things he said or make gestures to key to his meaning. He did it subconsciously, of course, hardly even aware sometimes that it happened, much to other people's amusement. On top if it all, he was pretty scatter-brained and air-headed, so that wasn't saying much. Often times he became baffled as other took amusement in the simple things he did, such as his over dramatic gestures.
"I'll be there in a few minutes, of course."
With another few words exchanged between them, he hung up the phone and headed for the showers. Justice Tower had anything and everything the heroes might need for their career. Workout rooms, a commons and a shower were obviously the most used facilities, but there was also a room where they could order medical needs or watch and review past footage broadcast by HeroTV. At the top of the tower were other facilities, typically used by the sponsors and heroes during social events and gatherings. Still, none of all that mattered to Keith, the only room he cared about right now was the shower.
Slipping into the community bathroom, he found a vacant shower stall. Keith twisted the faucet to a mild chill. Not cold enough to bite, but not very hot at all either. Something about the burn from his run excited him, and he wanted to preserve that feeling for as long as he could. As water ran down his body in rivulets, he lathered a sponge and gave himself a quick, utilitarian scrub down. He didn't lavish the cleanliness, as he saw no need at the moment. Though he knew it was his sponsor, he allowed himself only as long as needed in the shower. For one, he intended to wear his hero suit. For another, if they did receive a call, he didn't see the need when he'd likely work up a sweat once more. He could always soak it out in a longer bath or shower later.
Stepping out from the water when he finished, he fashioning a towel around himself. Keith raked his hair out of his eyes and gave himself a quick blow-dry with his own NEXT abilities. Whipping the air around him in a fashion akin to a drive through car wash, he shook his head. The result was his hair falling down in a fluffy mess and a very dry body. Grinning at the trick, amused with its success for no particular reason other than to be amused, he walked out of the shower and to where the men's lockers were. He found his own and fell into the practiced habit of fastening the various clasps and zippers of his outfit. A long time ago, someone had told him that his choice of outfit was very... "retro"? Was that the word they had used? It was more akin to something that the heroes of the previous generation had used. Keith wasn't entirely sure if that was true, but he liked the feel and appearance of his costume.
Keith clasped on the final implement, the jetpack on the back that was powered by its own accord and his own abilities in unison. Reaching into his locker, he removed his helmet. He tucked the silver helmet under his arm and closed up the locker. He gave his hair another nonchalant pat down to get it more or less under wraps, just enough so that when he put his helmet on he wouldn't be completely blinded by a mass of soft blonde hair. He then made his way for a balcony, fully intent on flying to Poseidon Line HQ.
The way there, of course, lead him back through one of the workout rooms. Here, he paused and blinked abruptly. A form of another person stood hunched over, hands on his knees and panting for breath. The other man's body trembled from exertion and droplets of sweat fell from his brow, hitting the floor with a faint patter. The other man looked utterly exhausted. Wait... Was "man" really the right word?, Keith wondered as he stepped forward. Surely he was closer to a boy, still. Though that wasn't entirely fair, as the other hero wasn't... exactly the youngest of their group. He was the newest, though. Even Dragon Kid had been around for a month or two longer than him. Still in wonderment at the proper term to call the other hero, he placed a gentle hand on his comrade's back.
The result was utter catastrophe.
The boy flinched at the touch and over compensated his pull back, jerking away and taking a painful fall to the floor where he landed hard on his ass. The towel that had previously rested upon the boy's shoulders dropped away, falling in a heap. Keith caught himself staring at the slender collar and neck revealed in turn. How was this kid capable of some of the feats he had seen him perform? He was literally half Keith's size! Turning his thoughts away from that, Keith winced as the boy grimaced in pain on the floor. Poor kid, he hadn't meant to scare him so bad. Keith offered a hand to the younger hero and gave the younger hero a token grin, albeit an apologetic one.
"I'm sorry, Origami! I didn't mean to startle you. I'm sorry!"
Ivan looked up. He still wasn't used to people calling him Origami or Origami Cyclone when he wasn't in suit. It had been a year, this whole season in fact, that he had been a hero now. And still he wasn't used to it? He really should be, oughtn't he? Even his sponsors called him Origami Cyclone. In fact... now that he thought about it... he wasn't sure half the people who knew both his hero identity and his real one actually called him by his name... With a sigh at the though, he grasped the hand offered to him and pulled himself to his feet with Keith's support. He gave another grimace. Damn. That was probably going to hurt all night. His tail bone smarted just right there.
Shaking his head, he looked up to the other hero, who was a good number of inches taller than him. "A-ah... I'll be okay. I was just... I saw you running earlier, so I tried to... keep up, I guess."
Keith blinked, a look of puzzlement crossing his face. He hadn't even realized that Ivan had entered the room, let along begun running himself. He glanced aside. ...In the adjacent treadmill, no less!
"I'm sorry! I didn't see you earlier, Origami!"
A frown was all Ivan could manage at the words. "It's okay..."
Keith opened his mouth to say something more, but then it happened. A beep that both Keith and Ivan were familiar with. The PDAs on their wrists glowed a bright blue and, in a gesture that was automatic, they held the wrist bands up at chest level so the holo-screen would project where they could see it.
The familiar form of Agnes Joubert, the producer of HeroTV, appeared before them. Her dirty blond hair framed her face as she smiled, no doubt foreseeing the ratings of this, the last episode of the season being, ahem, sky high. "Bonjour, heroes," she began, "make all necessary preparations, we have a situation tonight."
Keith frowned and the holo-screen faded out as the transmission was cut after that rather short comment. Then he looked to Ivan, his smile renewed in an instant. Keith Goodman was never one to stay upset for long. "Well. We have work to do, Origami! I'm sure you'll do as well tonight as you always have!"
With that, Keith turned, his blond hair swishing as he lifted his helmet and brought it down over his head. With a click, the metal visor fit into place, clasping to the rest of his suit. The reassuring glow of readouts and maps lit up in front of Keith's eyes. Here was a map of Sternbild. There was a read about his suit's integrity and his body as a whole. Ignoring them, Keith focused his gaze on the other hero once more. He gave Ivan a salute and hurried off, eager to see the night through for justice's sake and the sake of his sponsors.
"Good luck, and again, good luck!"
Ivan looked down, studying his feet. The younger hero shook his head, his eyes shielded by a veil of white blonde hair. The frown on his lips worsened. He headed off to suit up himself. And then, there was the barest whisper, "I don't do well at all..."
Keith Goodman, or as most of the citizens of Sternbild knew him as, Sky High, soared out into the open air of the city. His helmet read glowed blue and he glanced to it. The map showed the location of the culprits of the latest crime of the day. Those glowed red. Other various yellow dots showed him the location of the local police. One of the yellow dots blinked, a signal that the policeman or crew in question had been decommissioned, and then faded to a grayed-out version of its former color. Air whipping his uniform around him, Keith adjusted his course and headed straight for the bridge that the villains were likely going to make their get away on. Just as he was turning, a familiar voice radioed in.
"Bonjour again, heroes." Agnes appeared in a small screen to the side of Keith's others, her smile and voluptuous body a familiar vision. "The culprits today are a group of bank robbers. They're headed to south Silver. Be informed, they've stolen an armored truck. Also know, we're cutting to commercial in five minutes."
Keith glanced again to his read out and continued to soar onwards. Meanwhile, the broadcast of HeroTV fed into his helmet, keying him into the appearance of four of the other heroes and the capture of two of the three culprits. A glance to his screen hold them there was sufficient police support for the heroes to handle it. He soared over them, giving his key salute to the four below. A nod from Rock Bison and Fire Emblem told him that they had the situation handled. The burly hero in green was already helping clear the cars out of the road while Fire Emblem and Dragon Kid handled crowd control and other clean up.
Origami Cyclone looked up to him and pointed ahead to the railways in the distance desperately, keying the airborne hero as to where the third culprit had vanished to.
Giving a salute to the ninja-themed hero, the King of Heroes flew onward, his eyes glowing within his helmet as his NEXT power gave him an extra burst of speed. He had to get up there, he thought with a frown. Even if the scores today showed he hardly needed to care about his ranking, any camera time was a benefit to his sponsors, and, more importantly, there might be citizens in need! For the good of his sponsors and for the good of Sternbild, he, Sky High, would capture the last of the villains!
He crested from Bronze tier to Silver tier, pausing and breaking in midair to look back and forth for the robber. It might seem strange to a foreigner to Sternbild, but the infrastructure of Sternbild allowed for people to move with relative ease to any of the tiers within a block or two's distance. For this reason, villains were sometimes hard to track down and sometimes had a very easy time getting around the place. Also for that reason, it was easy to lose track of people that weren't trying to stand out...
Keith looked up and ran his gaze down the length of the block he was on... as the HeroTV broadcaster announced, "oh no! It appears as if the escaped villain has hijacked a Silver tier monorail!"
He looked up instantly, following the tracks of the monorail and spotting not only the vehicle that was beginning to speed down the tracks... but further along? The blue-clad figure of Wild Tiger. As he soared towards the monorail, wondering how best to enter and detain the robber, Agnes's voice radioed in, directed to Tiger, but for all to hear.
"Tiger, can you hear me? Wait for the commercial break, then get started!"
"Huh? I can't wait for a commercial at a time like this!" The man answered back in frustration.
"Wait! It will be more exciting this way!"
"We heroes only care about keeping the peace!"
Keith rocketed into view just as Wild Tiger activated his Hundred Power and released his Wild Roar, ripping the monorail track up with his bare hands and heaving the metal around, tying the railing into a massive knot. The monorail's cab drew to a screeching halt. Whatever momentum might have been left was shaken out of it as it rammed into the twisted heap of metal that Wild Tiger had made of the rail. Keith hated to think of the damage costs that would accrue after the fact. Poor Tiger. Sometimes the other hero didn't stop to think about things like that... nor did Tiger often stop to think about the fact that, well, villains rarely ever stayed in one place for long. Again, chalk it up to Sternbild's extravagant infrastructure.
The blonde peaked over the decommissioned monorail as the final culprit leapt from his monorail high-point to a passing blimp. Behind him, he could hear the grumbling of the other hero. From his headset, he could hear the HeroTV announcer laud praise onto Sky High himself and he lifted his hand in an appropriate salute to the very citizens of Sternbild. Without them, he could never have been possible! Turning his attention back ahead of him, he could just see the glass dome of the bridge of the blimp, and that was certainly his focus at the moment. Kicking up some extra speed, he came level with it. The man within, the final desperate thief, held a gun to the pilots of the dirigible. Who, ironically, was an employee of Keith's very own sponsor company.
"Don't try to stop me!"
Keith gestured dramatically to the villain. "Don't try to stop me!" he parroted the man. Repetition again. He was just trying to get his point across, after all...
It apparently only seemed to annoy the robber. He turned with a scowl that only caused Keith to smile in his helmet. Then the robber grasped his rocket cannon, aiming the missile at Keith, not even caring that there was glass between them.
"Don't copy me!"
With an explosion and a shower of glass, the missile tore its course through the air, leaving a plume of white smoke in its wake. It moved faster than Sky High was capable of flying, as he well knew, but the device was neither swift enough nor agile enough that he couldn't dodge it. He soared away from the window, twirling in midair and crossing his arms over his chest. As he reached the bottom of his dropping arch, he killed his speed in a hook-like maneuver, dipping under the arc of the missile itself. He spared it a stray glance to assure himself that it had instead altered course and peaked over the blimp. The middle shot over the dirigible, disappearing. Moments later, there was an explosion that rattled the very frame of the blimp.
The missile no longer a concern, Keith reactivated his powers. The blonde hero turns his attention back skywards. The blimp was beginning to flounder. It seemed as though the missile had damaged its structure. With the robber no where insight, something else took Keith's attention. Two forms of the pilots stumbled and plummeted downwards towards the unforgiving concrete of Silver tier. Soaring upwards to catch up with the falling forms of the two blimp pilots, Keith sent a flute of wind upwards to cushion them in midair. Formed like miniature tornadoes, the currents of wind caught them. Keith soared up to pose behind them and salute to the cameras, giving his sponsors just the right edge they needed on the camera for advertisement. He smiled as the announcer boomed out.
"He truly is the King of Heroes!"
As his cushion of air began to dwindle, he reached out, taking hold of the upper arms of each person. Funneling the remainder of air under them to lighten his load, he saw them safely to the ground. Above, he glanced up to where the blimp was soaring out of control. Normally, he would have soared onward to assist, but a flash of blue ice told him there was no longer a need. Blue Rose would handle the rest, he was sure.
Setting down on the cement of the road below, the two pilots each let out a shaky breath. He smiled widely, though they couldn't see through the helmet, his body and countenance seemed to suggest it, and they offered shaky smiles in return.
"Thank you, Sky High!"
"Thank you!"
He saluted them and saw them to where a medical team was waiting. "No need to thank me! All in the day of a hero! Again, no need."
He patted them men on their shoulders as a group of paramedics began to tend to the injuries they had attained from their fall through a jagged window of terror. Keith turned his attention to the end of the street he was on. Giving a final gesture to the paramedics and civilians, he kicked off from the ground and soared ahead. The street came to an end and he could see below to Bronze tier's south port, where the blimp was dropping towards a passenger ship. People let out cries of terror from both ends; the villain on the blimp and the people on the ship both feared the crash.
Keith lifted his hand and readied a funnel of wind in hopes that sending it from and angle would redirect the deflating blimp, but he paused mid-action. Ice creeped across the water of the pier at lightning speed and literally reached up to grasp the blimp in the form of a giant fist. Snow began to flutter down from the sky at the sudden chill in the air. Grinning with admiration, Keith searched the pier's area for Blue Rose. She stood atop a platform of ice, She pointed her pistols dramatically. Keith crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head.
"My ice may be a little bit cold... but your crime has been put completely on hold!"
With a chuckle to himself, Sky High killed his powers slowly. He dropped through the atmosphere towards the ship. It was almost by second nature that he defaulted to helping the citizens on the ship. After all, ice was deadly to fatal if someone fell on those spires that had clustered at the base of the ship. He landed on the deck as Agnes sent him an order to help assist the evacuation and rescue of the citizens on board. Explaining his plan to the crowd that was slowly forming around him on the ship's foredeck, he gestured to two young boys. Grasping them around the waist as they stepped forward, he lifted them up into the air.
Carefully, he carried them across the dangerous ice that Blue Rose had made of the pier's coast. He had barely carried a second set of civilians over before he heard something most curious in his head set. While he had heard the grumbling of Tiger and the snap of gunfire and the cries of Blue Rose, he had paid those little concern. He had absolute faith in his fellow heroes. They would do their best. Besides, Blue Rose's Cutie Escape was part of her advertisement with her sponsors. But that was not what had caused his attention on rescuing the citizens to waver. Rather, the HeroTV broadcaster yelled in confusion.
"It's! ...Uh... Who is he?"
Keith watched in admiration as the strange person apprehended the culprit. Well, this was certainly a new development! A new hero on the block! He should his head and went back to helping the civilians evacuate the ship. The process would go much smoother now that the officials of Sternbild were beginning to arrive to assist in the job. Keith listened only mildly as Agnes began to wrap up the main portion of the show.
Privately, Agnes radioed to the heroes: "The award ceremony will begin in thirty minutes, following Blue Rose's vocal."
Taking that into account, Keith oversaw the rescue for a moment more or so before he left the remainder up to the people in charge. He took to the air, his coat whipping around him as he soared off towards the stage.
Lights shone down on them from above. They stood in a line, and though Wild Tiger had been a tad late, they were the face of Sternbild. Her heroes and saviors. Keith watched avidly as the screen displayed a grand total of all of their point earnings for the season. A crowd before them bustled back and forth as the announcer raised his voice to the Sky and cheering broke out at his cry of:
"With 12,730 points... the King of Heroes is... Sky High!"
Keith felt adrenaline course through his body, causing his skin to tingle in excitement. It was such an achievement. He didn't like to boast in the very least, but it would not be fair to not allow himself to be proud of his accomplishments. He stepped forward as the limelight focused on him.
He cleared his through and said, "Congratulations!" He then paused. Wait. Wrong thing to say. That's okay. Keep going! "I couldn't have done this without everyone's help!" There we go, that sounded better. "My sponsors and you citizens of Sternbild! Thank you, and thank you again!"
He stretched his arms out to them, gesturing dramatically, as was his habit. cheering and cries broke across the stadium. Fireworks shot up into the air behind the stage. Metallic confetti was ejected from canons and began to flutter down from the air. Had he not been in front of tens of thousands of people, and even more TVs, Keith might have leapt into the air for sheer joy. He was so pleased and utterly happy with the outcome. Though his sponsors hat been telling him it was bound to happen, he hadn't been willing to jinx it. And he hadn't been willing to be excited about it until the MVP was actually announced.
"Next," the announcer stated, "a message from Albert Maverick."
He glanced to the screen, however, at the mention of Mr. Albert Maverick. The Apollon CEO stepped forward and began his usual end-of-season talk with something different this year.
"Before that, there is someone I'd like to introduce."
Keith looked ahead to where a blonde man was walking out onto stage. Maverick began to explain how this man was Barnaby Brooks Jr., the newest hero to join the line up for next season. Keith tilted his head to the left and glanced down the row to where Origami Cyclone was. Looked like he would no longer the newest hero. He turned his attention half way back to Maverick as he continued to explain NEXT, their emergence and powers.
He only half listened, still buzzing from the excitement of winning the MVP, and half paying attention to the form of the younger hero he had glanced to moments before. Was... was he okay? When you wore a suit as long as Keith had, you got the the point where you could read the emotions of others, even behind the mast. And, as it were, Origami Cyclone didn't look entirely pleased with the outcome of tonight. Maybe he had gotten hurt during the endeavors with the robbers?
The King of Heroes frowned. He supposed he would ask when they reached the banquet.
After all, it would be only a short time from now...
The heroes joined their sponsors and the other big wigs of Sternbild later that evening at a banquet in celebration of a season well done and culprits put away. Granted, because most of the people there were regular civilians from opposing companies and sponsors, all the heroes kept their suits and disguises on. The firs thing that happened when Keith exited the elevator into the banquet hall was get bombarded by admirers and the few official reporters that had been invited to the evening's festivities.
He adjusted his tie and chuckled. "Thank you, and again, thank you! I couldn't have done it without you."
As soon as he was able to get away from the crowds, he went and helped himself to some of the food on the tables. Eating was a hassle and involved cheeking away from the crowds and lifting his helmet strategically, but when one had been a hero for as long as he had been Sky High, they had such a feat down. The food itself was exquisite and he ate his fill. Which, given his work out then the call to action, was considerable. He hadn't realized the size of his appetite until he was in view of all the finery.
Stomach stated, he glanced around, first left, then right. Finally he laid eyes on the kabuki-style mask of Origami Cyclone. Headed over that way, he greeted his fellow hero with a raised hand.
"Good job today!"
Ivan started, turning to Keith in confusion. "Thank you..."
Keith frowned, his body shifting visibly into one of disappointment. "Are you okay?"
The younger man turned to glance away. "I just have to do better this next season. My sponsors are pleased, but they think I could do more."
At that, the King of Heroes clapped Ivan on the shoulder reassuringly. "I'm sure you're gong to be just fine next season! You're still new at this, after all!"
Any concern Keith had began to dwindle. Origami Cyclone was merely as worried as any might have been about the next season and their performance in it. There was no major problem here! Certainly, it was without a doubt that the younger hero was just a little frazzled, having been at the bottom of the ranking.
"I'm sure you won't be in last next season!"
With that, Keith gave Ivan another hearty clap on the back, sending Ivan stumbling a step forward from the force. And then he turned to attend to a sponsor that was calling him over, leaving Ivan alone by one of the banquet tables. The festivities were beginning to die down as the night dragged on and some of the officials wanted to talk more business. What Keith didn't see was Ivan sag visibly at that last comment and his departure. The younger boy turned his gaze away from the King and looked out of the large, city-span windows to gaze aimlessly out to the glow of Sternbild's lights at night.
Perhaps the King of Heroes, Sky High, was not as much a of a veteran as he thought when it came to reading emotions behind the mask...