Barnaby "the Riggs" Brooks Jr. Saves the Day
DO NOT OWN TIGER AND BUNNY
AGELETES: THEIR TRUE PURPOSE IS SINISTER
HAVE A NICE DAY
~For my Lethal Weapon fans (do not own) you know who you are. Will make 70% more sense if you have seen Lethal Weapon. Inspired by (say it together y'all) Lethal Weapon. Rated for mature suicidal situations.
~~~T&B~~~
'Come on kid, come down from there' Kotetsu admonished desperately to his own mind. This day could not get worse. They had a NEXT jumper on a 4th story ledge. No cop in Sternbuild, and no human for that matter, could get to the spot where this desperate soul contemplated their life. Not without sacrificing their way back. The man screamed at any attempt for the rescue helicopter to come near him, and the police were at wit's end. Time was of the essence.
Agnes had the heroes assembled near the police vehicles, discussing a way to get him off the roof safely with as little trauma as possible. To this jumper or the public.
"Now look here. We run a business and specialize in spectacle. But there will be no fooling around with a suicidal situation. Limited coverage on this one" she said steadily, nodding to her camera crew, and back to the heroes. "We are going to prove that we can and will protect the people in extreme circumstances and when the police cannot-that is all. The board wants this wrapped up and clean no matter what you have to do. No mistakes, no goofing, and all professionalism. Now get. Him. Down. Got it?"
"Yes, ma'am" chorused the heroes. Barnaby looked up at the ledge with a frown.
"So who's going up there? I'll bring him down no question" gruffed Rock Bison firmly.
"-No. I'll go" said Barnaby, not waiting for an answer as he leaped to the adjacent rooftop.
Kotetsu looked wistfully after him as he ran to the roof stairs landing. There was no time to discuss it.
Barnaby stepped out on the ledge to meet the man without his hero suit. A specialist standing by explained that his hero gear or symbols of authority were intimidating and might trigger a rash decision.
He talked the guy down, literally. By making him jump with him off the building and then 'saving his life' through one of the hotel windows after a few floors. All was well…until his partner asked to speak with him after the method of his escapade.
"What the hell HAPPENED Barnaby!?"
"I took charge of the situation, that's what happened" answered Barnaby in his too calm voice.
"Why didn't you stick with the damn plan of action!? We had the inflatable out and waiting but you bring the vic through a damn window?!"
"The blimp wasn't set up all the way, I could see it from here."
"Don't lie to me, kid! You did that because you wanted to. You wanted to see if you could, right? Tell me I'm wrong."
"…"
"You could have gotten yourself or the jumper killed with that crazy stunt!"
They matched stares for a few seconds before Kotetsu sighed and looked down.
"I worry about you when you do that."
"What?"
"You know DAMN well what."
Barnaby felt his face burn with anger, and felt the shame of that burn inexplicably. How someone could irritate him so much with one statement was still an enigma to him. After all, what did he have to be ashamed of? Or care about anymore? No one can possibly care about him that much. Not about the "cop with no soul", the "reaper", or anything else anybody at his unit called him except his real name. This concern, it couldn't be real. It's not human.
"You want to end it?" Kotetsu asked
"Scuse me?" Barnaby looked up. He expected Kotetsu to be direct, but hearing it out loud was still unnerving.
"Is that what you think about doing? That's what you really want? Then leave me out of it! Go AHEAD!"
Barnaby had never heard Tiger so furious before. Not when yelling at a criminal, not when yelling at-anybody. For an instant he tried believing Kotetsu but he couldn't. At this point, he thought it wouldn't be so bad to die here, with a person like Kotetsu. A person who would not only care if he was gone, but would scream in his face and piss him off to the end of time and back, if it meant changing his mind.
Weighing his options in a numb, familiar process, the only thing Barnaby figured that he would regret if he died , right now….
is hurting Kotetsu.
"I don't even know what his face looks like" said Barnaby steadily to Kotetsu's frozen, livid face, "I've been looking for the man who killed my parents since that day, and haven't gotten close" said Barnaby, his eyes red-rimmed.
Silence rang through the shabby, empty convenience store.
"But I know the gun he carried!" he spat hysterically at Kotetsu. "This one!" he screamed, drawing his weapon. Kotetsu raised both hands instinctively when Barnaby put it to his temple. Kotetsu's eyes registered deep rooted fear as the gun glinted on the draw, then his expression turned stoic. Unreadable.
"You think I won't?" Barnaby challenged shakily
"I think if you want to I can't stop you, go ahead."
"Fine with me"
"-Hey! You wanna do this!? Think about it for one damn second! DO YOU!?"
"Want to find out? I do" said Barnaby softly. The veteran hero quieted at this. The two of them stared each other down. Kotetsu squinted. 'Don't. He won't really…' Kotetsu thought quickly, 'Don't…will he…he can't really feel…please, you…no wait..' A stream of adrenaline-ridden consciousness froze itself into Kotetsu's mind as his eyes locked on that lever…that was pulling-down-
"NO!" A loud shot rang off. Afterward, a gun was smoking directly beside his partner's right ear.
"Damn you, you really-"
"Yeah"
"You were really about to, you were going to do it-"
"You hungry?"
"What did you just say!?" Kotetsu spat back incredulously. Barnaby had his frank, no nonsense mask back on that eased into a worn smile. And his too-calm voice was enough to grate on Kotetsu's nerves enough that he could feel his blood pressure rise again.
The old hero examined him carefully, a thousand protocols, lectures and senior advice going through his brain about disturbed persons. The fact was, his partner was nightmarishly unstable right then, but he was under orders to make his partnership work and see it through. For the city's sake. For his family's sake. Even for his own sake.
Barnaby needed a mentor, someone who would accept all of what wasn't pretty on his resume. All he needed now-right damn now and from now on, was someone to show him that his broken side wasn't beyond repair.
"I'm hungry after today, so how about it old man?"
"Old man!?" Kotetsu exclaimed, letting his expression relax a bit.
'Maybe I am getting too old for this. But for now I need to see this one through' Kotetsu thought to himself.
"Y-yeauh-uh, I know a place about a block from here, best fried rice in the city."
"All right, let's go old timer"
Both of them moved to the door, Kotetsu lagging behind after an affirming, too chipper pat on the back by Barnaby. Kotetsu put his hand in his pockets, strolling toward the black and white door.
Most people would have left it alone. They wouldn't even attempt a friendship with Barnaby Brooks, Jr.
Senior Officer Kotetsu Kaburagi, Sternbuild PD, broke into his life, as a partner.
~~~T&B~~~
And that's a wrap! Like I said, if you've seen the movie it falls into place. Like the supposedly apbrupt ending. Does no one else but me see Barnaby's hair when they see Riggs smashing bad guys? Just me? Well if you're reading this, now you do
At this point I think all I see in buddy cop movies are Kotetsu and Barnaby personalities.
Such awesomeness, squared. Review please!
-Draw