Today, Barnaby Brooks Jr. veteran hero, aged more or less of 35 years, was not happy. Not happy at all.
Today, his company decided to pair him up with the most irritating and talentless hero he had ever seen. A young brat of 24 years with old fashioned ideals who would do nothing but to hinder his performances. Why the hell was he the one paired with him?
Ah right, "You're his senior and you both have the same power, so you could help him a little, right Barnaby-kun?" That's what Lloyds said.
Of course Barnaby couldn't refuse, there was no way he was in any position to refuse orders, he could already see the threat of retirement over his head, no way he was going to refuse any order from the company in these conditions, even if it's obvious the company just wants to push its problem on him, a problem named Wild Tiger. Doesn't mean he has to like his young partner. And in fact he doesn't.
Worse of it all? During their first mission together he had to rescue the brat, and miss the arrest. His precious points were stolen because a brat who was supposed to be a hero couldn't pay attention to his surroundings and tripped on ice. Granted, he got the rescue points but that wasn't enough. He had to stay the very best and that's not with rescue points that he will.
He sighed as they walked together to Appollon's truck (together because they had to act as a team for the media not because he actually might a little bit care about the reckless brat) and Wild Tiger, that was the name the brat had chosen, spoke "Thanks Bunny"
Bunny? Who was he talking to, they were alone, so he asked "Bunny?"
"Yeah Bunny, you're Bunny with how you hop around and kick people plus these things on your helmet look like rabbit ears, thus Bunny"
"My name is not Bunny it's Barnaby"
"Makes you seem old, you don't want me to call you an old man do you?"
"Well, no .."
"Than it's decided, you're Bunny!"
And the brat had the nerves to smile at him, genuinely happy, as if the idea of this stupid nickname was genius. Barnaby scowled and walked straight to the truck, not paying attention to any of the brat's attempt at talking to him.
However, once sitting together in the truck, now rid of their armors courtesy of Saitou ("Wait old man speak louder I don't hear you" "He just said you should be more careful with your armor" "YOU HAVE DAMAGED YOUR ARMOR, PAY MORE ATTENTION TO MY WORK IF YOU DON'T WANT ME TO MAKE ADJUSTMENTS" Barnaby sighed, Tiger answered, not even daring to ask about the adjustments "OK, OK, I'm sorry, right") he could study the brat closer and had to admit there was something endearing about him.
He didn't know exactly what that was, maybe the fact that despite his efforts to look older (what with this beard, seriously?) there still was something childlike about how he acted.
Barnaby didn't have any child, hell he didn't have any relationship that lasted more than 2 months despite the sponsors obvious efforts to hook him up with daughters of various CEOs and god knows who else, he didn't really care, he didn't know children, he had no relatives of any sort, so taking care of someone younger like this was new, maybe that was why he wasn't so mad as he should. He was curious, just curious.
He sighed again.
"You sigh a lot"
"I'm tired a lot. You're tiring."
"Am not."
"You most definitely are. How can you even be a hero if you don't know how to stand on your feet"
"I was taken by surprise that's why!"
"How can you even be taken by surprise by ice when one of your colleague controls ice?"
"I didn't think she'd throw it at me!"
"Heroes want points, of course she couldn't care where you are"
"Heroes are there to save people!"
"That's the kind of thinking that makes you pay incredibly high damage fines and put yourself in danger. Damn, pay attention to your surroundings, I'm your partner, I don't want to get hurt by your reckless actions"
"You're my partner. I wouldn't hut you. Never."
He sounded so sure of himself, so confident in his abilities that Barnaby, taken by surprise, kept silent.
He only spoke again to explain to his new partner, yeah partner he should get used to it, where the showers were. In the end, they finished their shower at the same time and exited the building together.
An awkward silence hung between them, not knowing how to part, Barnaby sighed and was the first to speak "Don't be late tomorrow brat"
"Don't damage your curls overnight old man", the words were mean but his tone lacked bite and he was smiling as he waved him goodbye.
Barnaby couldn't really believe it, was the brat happy about having him as a partner?