Deanoned from the T&B Anon Meme, with some minor edits to cut out over-excessive use of descriptions. Enjoy~

Setting: Looooong after the series
Genre: General/Family
Rating: G
Summary: A day in the life of two old retired Heroes with all the pains and joys of growing old together.

Golden Years

There were really only two words he could use to sum up this whole situation: not…fair…

Barnaby sat on the park bench, trying not to seem like he was sulking as he watched his partner chase his two youngest grand-kids around; how the old man had the energy and strength to keep up with a hyperactive eight year old and soccer-nut ten year old was a complete and utter mystery to him. He let out a heavy sigh, weary eyes glancing to the thirteen year old girl sitting next to him on the bench keeping him company. Well, as much company as one could expect from someone with their nose buried deep in a book; Kanya was more like her father in that sense. She was the quieter of the bunch, something Barnaby found to be more of a blessing rather than an annoyance the more time he spent with them.

He looked up in time to see his partner catch the youngest under the arms, lifting her off the ground and swung her around in a slow and gentle circle. He grumbled – if he tried to pull a stunt like that, he'd be lucky if he didn't throw out his back. Barnaby was supposed to the junior here, yet how was it a man more than ten years his senior had more vitality than he did? Definitely not fair.

"…You're sulking," Kanya pointed out, glancing up briefly from her pages. Forest green eyes glowered at her from the side.

"I'm not sulking…" he defended. The dark-haired girl only gave him her 'it's-truth-and-you-know-it' look, shrugging as she went back to her book.

"Yes you are; do you need a mirror to prove it?" she asked. He didn't even dignify her with an answer, turning away with a huff. She may have her father's quiet personality, but she definitely had her mother's snappy wit. He sighed – even if he hadn't been sulking earlier, he certainly is now. He looked up at the clouds idly passing by over their heads, not really searching for anything in particular. This was karma payback for something (or several somethings) he's done to Kotetsu in the past, wasn't it.

"Alright – I think it's about time we head home now," Kotetsu suddenly announced. The two youngest whined, still wanting to stay out and play a little longer, but Kotetsu was firm with the decision, shaking his head. "Mama and Papa should be getting home by now – now let's go." He didn't leave room for argument, scooping up the smallest, Chiyoko, since she was being particularly stubborn today, the little girl kicking up a fuss in his arms. He held his hand out to Jin, the boy taking it obediently before they wandered over to where Barnaby and Kanya were sitting. The young teen closed up her book, jumping off from the bench and held a hand out to Barnaby; he only frowned at her, ignoring the hand as he stood himself up. He flinched – he was a little stiff from sitting too long, but other than that he had no problems standing up.

Kanya only shrugged, before taking his arm with hers and Barnaby flustered a little – he still couldn't get used to be treated like…like a grandfather even though they weren't blood related. The walk back to the house was mostly peaceful, Chiyoko having stopped kicking up a storm five minutes after they left the park, resorting to quietly pouting against her grandfather's shoulder as he carried her home. Kanya took the front door keys from her grandfather's hands once their arrived at the front steps, opening the door for them as Kotetsu set Chiyoko down, the girl turning away with a huff.

"Ah – there you are!" Kaede's voice floated in from the kitchen. The woman walked out into the main room, still dressed in her work clothes, her hair still pulled back in a low ponytail. Kotetsu only smiled and waved to his daughter.

"Sorry, sorry – thought we'd get back before you," he apologized, seeing the stern look on the woman's face. Kaede only sighed, reaching a hand to let her hair down.

"I got home early tonight, so fair enough I guess."

"Gene not home yet?"

"No, he called me earlier – looks like he'll be working late tonight," she answered. Jin had let go of his grandfather's hand, running over to his mother to hug her around the waist, a smile brightening up the fair features as Kaede hugged him back. Chiyoko ran over to her too, not wanting to be left out of the attention, tugging at her mother's arm; Kaede nagged her gently about sharing, before she reached an arm out for her daughter, the girl squealing as she planted a kiss on her cheek. Kanya only nodded her head and gave a small greeting to her mother before letting go of Barnaby's arm and headed for her room. Kaede let out a heavy sigh, gently massaging her temple with two fingers; Kanya wasn't even a full teenager yet and she could already feel stress from raising one. The three adults talked for a little while after Kaede shooed Chiyoko and Jin to their rooms, Kotetsu offering to help out with dinner, but the woman only smiled and shook her head, saying she'd be fine on her own.

A few lingering nags and several 'yes dad' later, Kotetsu and Barnaby were out the door and heading back to their own flat for the evening. Kotetsu reached a hand out for Barnaby's as they walked along the streets, the other trying to pull his hand away as the rare sight of a blush spread across pale cheeks. Kotetsu only laughed, lifting the hand in his close to his face, planting a tender kiss against the boney knuckles; Barnaby sighed, shaking his head as he tried to ignore the few odd stares being thrown in their direction. The walk home was a little long and tiring, but no less enjoyable as the cool summer breeze blew past them; Barnaby glanced over at his partner walking aside of him, taking in the sight of the "old" man.

Kotetsu had less grey hairs than Barnaby did, and unlike his own thinning out white-blond locks, the dark-auburn hair still looked thick and full, the silver streaks running through it looking more like highlights than aging. There were faint laugh lines around the corners of his mouth, the creases under his eyes having become more prominent with age and a light crinkle of crow's feet in the corners. He could still walk with a straight posture, his back still strong enough since he could so easily pick up his ten year old grandson if he really wanted to. Barnaby sighed – how was it that Kotetsu could still be in a near peak-top physical condition whereas the poor blond had to watch his body or else suffer some kind of physical ailment. He blamed the mysteries of genetics for this.

They arrived home just as the sky was turning a brilliant fiery orange hue, Barnaby relishing in the fact of just being home as he gravitated towards the couch, slowly sitting down with a slight grunt. He really hated growing old. Kotetsu chuckled, carefully leaning over the back of the couch as he stole a quick kiss from his long-time lover.

"Aw, is the old man having trouble moving today?" he teased. Forest green shot daggers at him, gently pushing the other's face away from him.

"Shut up! And I'm not that old!"

"Yeah, yeah – you know you'll be sixty-five this October, right?" Kotetsu reminded and Barnaby groaned. Perhaps now was a good time to start lying about his age; maybe if he could mentally convince himself he wasn't old yet, his body would believe it and he'd have less aches and cramps. Kotetsu straightened up, heading over to the kitchen to start on dinner for both of them, Barnaby watching his back as he disappeared into the other room. As much as he envied the old man for his energy and strong vitality, Barnaby wasn't quite sure he'd trade bodies so easily. Yes, Kotetsu didn't get aches or pains or seemed to drain as often during the course of a week, but the few times he did succumb to "joys" of old age – it hit him hard and bad. He could still remember when the man had been bedridden for two days straight when his back gave way while putting some storage away. Kotetsu had been practically paralyzed, barely able to move even with help and had been miserable the entire two days.

Barnaby sighed, hearing the clattering and clanging of pots and dishware from the kitchen before carefully reaching out for the remote control on the coffee table in front of him. Might as well check up on the news and see what's going on with the world. It amazed him how little things tended to matter now with his age, feeling like everything was just the same old news repeating over and over again. He had been barely clicking for five minutes before the broadcasts were interrupted by HeroTV, hearing Kotetsu call out from the kitchen for a commentary on what was going on. There was a small nostalgic smile on his face as he watched the live cast, occasionally calling out key points for his partner making dinner in the other room.

It's been a long while since either of them had been a Hero; Kotetsu had retired when he decided he wanted to spend more time with his grand-kids and frankly – being a Hero, one could never be sure when your next day could be your last. Barnaby retired when being Hero started feeling more like a chore than something he wanted to do, more than happy to let a new roster of Heroes take over for them. Dragon Kid – now Dragon Lady – was the only one left of their original crew anymore, everyone else having retired or moved on to do other things with their lives. Some of the new Heroes he liked and others he didn't – he particularly didn't like Lightening Dash. The kid annoyed him for some reason and he just couldn't quite place that reason; it was an utter mystery to Barnaby why Kotetsu seemed to like the kid, despite his flimsy, laid-back attitude.

All too soon a tantalizing smell drifted from the kitchen, anticipating tonight's meal as the older man called out "five, maybe ten minutes more". The chase was still going when dinner was set on the table, Barnaby getting up with a gruff as he headed over to the table. Conversation was almost non-existent as Kotetsu watched HeroTV playing in the background, yelling out cheers or complaints at the young Heroes handling the situation. Barnaby didn't mind, enjoying his meal in relative peace as the feed continued before they finally caught their targets and the shows returned to their regular schedules. Finally settling down from the hype, Kotetsu readjusted his focus back to his aging partner sitting across from him, a contented grin on his face. Dinner passed in peace, leftovers put away and the dishes cleared and set to wash overnight in the dishwasher.

They cuddled on the couch for a bit, surfing through channels, talking about frivolous things, anything they've heard from their old companions, how their hobbies were doing, and the like. When it drew close to nine, Barnaby was already feeling sleepy, suppressing a yawn as he suggested a shower and then bed. Kotetsu agreed with the notion, though reluctant to disentangle himself from the warm embrace as he helped his partner to his feet (much to Barnaby's chagrin). The hot shower helped eased some of the aches that had build-up during the day, even more grateful at the gentle massaging of his lower back by strong, tanned hands. Cleaned and dressed for bed, Kotetsu made one last sweep around the flat to make sure everything that needed to be off was off for the night then joined his worn-out, old partner under the covers.

The lights were turned off and he settled under the smooth sheets for nice long sleep, carefully rolling on his side as he let out a contented breathy sigh. Then he heard a heavy, almost depressing sigh from behind him, honey-brown eyes glancing over to the man lying flat on his back. Kotetsu slowly turned over to face his partner, propping his head up on one arm.

"What's wrong Bunny?" he asked. He couldn't see it, having not adjusted to the dark yet, but he could feel the heated glare those precious bright green eyes were giving him.

"Will you ever stop calling me that?"

"Nope, now what's up?"

"…it's nothing…just – don't want to be old, I guess…" Barnaby answered hesitantly.

"A little late for that, don't you think?" Kotetsu chuckled. There was no reply and Kotetsu sighed, giving him a serious look. "Don't worry so much about it – it's not that bad, you know."

"Easy for you to say…you don't even look, much less act like you're seventy-seven," the other fussed. "I mean – even your grey doesn't look old…and I'm practically white…" Kotetsu only sighed, a small smile spread across his face. He reached an arm around the man next to him, carefully leaning over so they were face to face; he could see a little bit now, and he could see the disheartened expression on the slowly wrinkling face. Barnaby had cut his hair short years ago when it started becoming more of a hassle to maintain beyond simple home care and his curls started falling flat. He still had some dark honey-blond shades, but as he had said – it was slowly started to be overshadowed by white patches. He had gotten pretty boney since retiring from Heroing – something Kotetsu found was painful if the other placed his elbows in the wrong spot or jabbed him too hard in the gut.

"You look fine, Bunny. I mean, compared to Antonio, at least you still have some colour in your hair left," he joked. "The poor guy's practically grey all over."

"And yet he still has the body of a damn ox…and I'm just a sack of bones…"

"Minor detail…" Kotetsu dismissed. They laid there for a few moments in silence, before Kotetsu reached over and planted a little kiss against the pale cheek – and then another and another and another one again. Barnaby smiled, turning his head so the next kiss would land on his mouth, the gentle, warm feel of Kotetsu's lips against his as they just simply gazed into each others eyes. He was feeling a little better now. Kotetsu adjusted the sheet over them, curling up to the white-blond with a contented sigh, arm around the small waist. Barnaby reached a hand over to play with silver-streaked hair, stealing a quick kiss on the smooth forehead.

"Feeling better now?" Kotetsu asked in a muffled tone.

"Yes, a little… Still hate being old though," Barnaby answered. The elder's chest rumbled with a laugh, snuggling against the man.

"We'll work on that next," he teased, letting out a silent yawn as drowsiness washed over him. "G'night Barnaby."

"Good night Kotetsu." Sleep came the moment his eyes fell shut, listening to the slow, steady even breaths of his partner as he drifted into a dream state. Growing old was painful and annoying, but – growing old along with someone who you treasure with all your heart helped make all that pain and annoyance a little less bothersome.

-End-