Author's Note: I promise I haven't given up on Chase Your Horizon, but I've been on the road a LOT lately, and just felt the urge to write some unrepentant summer fluff to mellow out. Set loosely during the summer of the 10 month gap between 13 & 14.
The wheels of the Double Chaser cut through the puddles still left on the road after the previous night's rain, but the sky this summer morning is a bright blue with only the wispiest puffs of white to mar its perfection.
In the distance, a large Ferris wheel rises up over the lush canopy of trees lining the road and Kotetsu straightens up in his seat a little, a slow smile growing on his face. It's been years since he visited the famous amusement park nestled in the hills outside of Stern Bild proper, but the giddiness rises up in him like a child anyway.
Barnaby is far less enthused about this venture, but in the last nine months, he's more than gotten used to the public appearances that Apollon constantly has them booked for – and at least, with Kotetsu this excited, he won't have to listen to his partner whine all day that they ought to be "doing their real jobs" instead of Hero TV's promotional work.
There's a designated spot up front waiting for their motorcycle, and their entrance is waived, so the duo make their way through the park with Barnaby speed-walking and Kotetsu trailing behind, turning in circles to check out all of the sights and sounds.
Kotetsu's eyes scan the crowd as they pass by ride entrances, food stalls and game booths, each one crowded with excited faces and echoing with laughter. There are children everywhere, carrying cotton candy, plush prizes, balloons and – there! A little boy no more than Kaede's age is running in circles around his mother, a rainbow-colored pinwheel spinning brightly in his hand.
Eyeing his partner's swiftly retreating back, Kotetsu jogs up to the family to inquire about where they bought the pinwheel, to which he receives only a vague and apologetic wave from the mother towards the interior of the park.
"Hurry up, old man!" Barnaby calls back to him in exasperation, checking the time on his cell phone before shoving it back in his pocket. "Your demand for coffee this morning has already made us late!"
"Don't be such a spoilsport, Bunny," Kotetsu calls back to him as he tips his hat to the mother and her son before hurrying to catch up to his partner. Falling into step beside him, he enthuses. "Haven't been to this place in years, but it's just as wonderful as I remember."
"The press release stated that they've done a lot of refurbishing work for the 100th anniversary of the park," Barnaby informs him brusquely, waving at the Hero TV crew as the red and white striped large tent they're looking for finally comes into view. "The Ferris wheel's been closed since last year and is set to re-open today as part of the event."
Kotetsu tilts his head back to get a good look at the brightly-colored monstrosity, an idea forming in his mind. What better way to look for the source of those pinwheels than with a bird's eye view? "Sounds exciting! No wonder everyone's in such a great mood today!"
Barnaby can't help but be vaguely amused at Kotetsu's continued enthusiasm, and his expression softens a little as he watches his partner eyeing the giant wheel. "Come on, old man, we've got a lot of children already waiting for us."
It's a busy day of signing autographs and taking pictures, but lunch is the park's famous hot dogs and tropical drinks, and even after hours in the heat, Kotetsu's mood is still chipper as the event nears its' end.
Barnaby feels as if he's withering after the day in the sun, though, and when the final anniversary presentation starts, he's relieved to take a seat in the shade of a tree with another cool mini umbrella-adorned drink in his hand. It's much to his aggravation when Kotetsu finds him a few minutes later, tapping him on the shoulder before whispering in his ear.
"Spent some time chatting with the park director," he elbows his partner as he whispers and gestures to the woman currently standing on stage giving a speech. "Secured us the first ride!"
"The first ride?" Barnaby says in confusion, his words trailing off into an intense sense of dread as he follows Kotetsu's gaze to the newly-painted Ferris wheel. "N-no thank you," he shakes his head so firmly that his curls bounce. "I'll stay right here."
"Eh? What are you talking about?" Kotetsu protests, half-dragging his partner out of the chair by an elbow and towards the entrance of the Ferris wheel, Hero TV's camera following them and catching the beginnings of their latest scuffle. "It's an honor that I had to charm our way into!"
"I don't want to go on the Ferris wheel!" Barnaby says again, this time with a hint of petulance, trying to wrench his arm away from Kotetsu, but his partner thinks he's just being a spoilsport again and pays him very little mind as he drags him up the ramp to board.
"Come on, Bunny, lighten up – the view from the top is going to be spectacular!"
The woman on stage gestures towards the two heroes excitedly, and in an instant, the crowd's eyes have turned towards them, and Barnaby realizes with a sinking feeling that there is no getting out of this gracefully. "The top is exactly the part I'm not excited about…" he mutters under his breath for only his partner to hear as Kotetsu climbs into the bright green car, gesturing for Barnaby to follow him.
Because the Ferris wheel is so tall, the cars are enclosed for safety, cutting their conversation off from the cameras as soon as the door is closed. Barnaby grips the edge of the seat with both hands, his body rigid as the wheel begins to move, and as soon as they are out of the camera's sight, he squeezes his eyes shut as well.
Unfortunately, Kotetsu is oblivious to his partner's distress, his eyes scanning the park for the pinwheel stall as the little green car slowly rises above the tree line. "Heh, so I admit I've got an ulterior motive…" Kotetsu starts, then stops as he shifts to the other side of the car to search and finally notices his partner's strange behavior - Barnaby sits unmoving across from him. "Eh? Too soon after lunch for a ride, little Bunny?"
"That's not it at all," Barnaby manages to force out as he tries to crack one eye open to glare at his partner for forcing him into this. All he sees is sky behind Kotetsu's head, though, and the very tops of Stern Bild's skyscrapers in the distance, and the result is an instant and alarming sense of vertigo.
The wheel crests the top and they start to descend, and Kotetsu reaches to tap his partner's knee in amusement. "Come on, open your eyes, Bunny, and wave to the camera!"
Thinking the ride is soon to be ending, Barnaby manages to turn and wave weakly at the camera… as it goes by in a flash and the car begins to ascend again. "Damn…" he mutters, clutching the seat once more, and this time, Kotetsu laughs openly.
"Could it be that Bunny is afraid of heights? But I've seen you leap from rooftop to rooftop with no trouble at all!" he chortles with amusement.
"Under my own power!" Barnaby snaps defensively in response, more harshly than he intends to, and Kotetsu's laughter stops abruptly.
"…have you ever even been on a Ferris wheel before?" Kotetsu finally asks in curiosity, his hunt for the pinwheels all but forgotten as he eyes his partner skeptically, then regretfully, thinking of the young man's troubled past.
"No!" The wheel approaches the top again, but this time, it slows as they rise until finally clicking to a gentle stop. In the wind, the car sways slightly and Barnaby can't even help the squeak of distress he emits.
Kotetsu finally realizes that his partner is really not kidding around, as Barnaby's face has gone sheet white even in the warm weather. It's a small and silly thing, perhaps, compared to everything they've already survived – crazy NEXT criminals, explosions and fires and dangling precariously from collapsing buildings – but fear is an irrational thing, and not something Kotetsu is used to seeing painted so plainly across his partner's face. "It's okay, little Bunny…" Kotetsu's nurturing nature kicks in and he reaches across the car to pry his partner's hand from the seat, squeezing it tightly. "It's better if you open your eyes, promise..."
"I don't think so," Barnaby says, but he squeezes Kotetsu' hand back with a grateful death grip, his ring pinching between their tightly entwined fingers. "No, thank you."
"Come on, don't you trust your partner?" Kotetsu can't help but wheedle, poking at the progress they've made since the debacle with Jake a few months ago.
These words seem to spark something in Barnaby, and with Kotetsu's hand tight in his for reassurance, he finally lifts his head and opens his eyes again, the green orbs fixed firmly on Kotetsu's face as his anchor point. It's not so bad now that they're not moving, and the gentle expression on his partner's face stops Barnaby cold. "I…"
"See? We're totally safe…" Kotetsu smiles in what he hopes is a reassuring way, pleased when he gets the faintest of awkward smiles in return, the color starting to return to his partner's cheeks. Maybe he'll tease Barnaby about this moment at the office tomorrow over a coffee break, but for now, he'd much rather help his partner through this.
Barnaby begins to feel a little bit sheepish as he relaxes and looks around, and Kotetsu's right – the view is astounding, with Stern Bild in the distance and the blue sky to contrast the teal ocean that surrounds the island city, just barely visible from above the leafy treetops. "It's… really pretty…"
Kotetsu grins as he watches his partner take in the landscape around them, old memories drifting to the surface of other rides from years ago. He's almost forgotten about their linked hands until Barnaby turns to face him again, squeezing his hand once more in a silent thank you.
There's a long moment where the two simply stare at each other, neither really knowing what to say, but then the wheel jerks without warning, shattering the moment. The two heroes drop hands to steady themselves as the car sways precariously again, though Barnaby is now brave enough to keep his eyes open for the return journey.
"Damn…" Kotetsu mutters as they start to descend and he realizes he's forgotten all about the purpose of this ride. Scanning the opposite side of the park before the trees overwhelm them, he finally spots what he's been looking for and grins, rubbing his hands together in satisfaction.
Barnaby is much more relaxed as they bid farewell to the park director and the camera crews, but Kotetsu is impatient, fidgeting until they're finally out of sight. "What are you so antsy over?" Barnaby finally asks in curiosity, following Kotetsu more amiably now that they no longer have an appointment to keep.
"I was searching for it on the Ferris wheel," Kotetsu explains in his usual vague way. "Tomoe used to buy one for Kaede every time we came, when she was little… of course, last time she claimed she had no idea what I was talking about, with that 'Dad, I'm too old for this stuff now' excuse…" Kotetsu imitates his daughter's voice and then chuckles, a hint of regret mixed with his fond old memories.
They finally come to a stop in front of the stand of pinwheels turning gently in the passing breeze and join the end of the line of children and parents and couples. "But… you want to get her one anyway?" Barnaby finally asks, when it doesn't seem like Kotetsu is going to say anything else.
"She complains a lot," Kotetesu shrugs, handing over a couple of bills once they reach the counter. "But I know she likes when I think of her and send her presents… and maybe she'll… remember those old days a little better…"
Barnaby watches as Kotetsu stares at the pinwheel he's been handed, his expression a little lost, and without really giving himself much time to think it over, he turns to buy one as well.
"Eh? You want one too, Bunny?" Kotetsu blinks in surprise, following his partner as Barnaby turns and walks away from the booth with the toy firmly in his hand.
Barnaby stops in mid-step, his back to Kotetsu, considering. He weighs several options in his mind, but each one sounds stupider than the last, and finally he simply whirls around, thrusting the toy at his partner's face as awkwardly as the truth. "I bought this one for you."
"Bunny…" Kotetsu trails off, lost for words at yet another unusual expression on his partner's face today, entertained when Barnaby's cheeks flush several shades pinker. So… cute… "Buuuunnyyy~!" Kotetsu singsongs his partner's name this time as he reaches out to grab the second pinwheel. "Thank you-"
"Don't make such a big deal out of it," Barnaby complains, dodging adeptly when Kotetsu makes an awkward attempt to hug him. "Stop it, you're going to poke my eye out with those things."
Kotetsu watches as his partner turns to stomp towards the exit and an ear-splitting grin rises on the veteran hero's face. To think that my once all-business partner is slowly revealing new sides… today is definitely a day I don't want to forget... His eyes shift to the two pinwheels and his smile softens before he calls out, jogging to catch up with his partner again. "Next time, we should definitely bring Kaede with us!"
"Yes, so that you can have someone else to drag on the Ferris wheel!" Barnaby retorts, adjusting his glasses once before climbing onto the motorcycle and revving the engine.
"So mean, Bunny… I thought you liked it!" Kotetsu pouts, climbing into his side car as Barnaby pulls out onto the tree-lined road leading back towards the city. The two pinwheels in his hands whirl delightfully in the wind as the motorcycle picks up speed, and he can't help but tease again, even more playfully this time as the Ferris wheel fades into the distance. "Mean, but… so… cute..."
"OLD MAN!" Barnaby's indignant hollering is drowned out only by the sound of Kotetsu's uproarious laughter.