Never Just Another Day In the Park

by DracoFeathers

On one of their rare days off, Kotetsu drags Barnaby off to have a little fun in the city. Of course things are never that easy for our two heroes however, and trouble inevitably rears its ugly head to ruin their day. But when things go from bad to worse, without their suits or powers, how will the danger be resolved? Drama/Humor/Bromance/Character Injury. Rated only for swearing.

4. Bunnysitting

"Hey Bunny! I heard you got to go home today! So how's your day going with that shoulder? You bored, or did you just miss me that much?"

"I want ice-cream."

"…Huh?"

---

Instantly confused, Kotetsu briefly held the phone away from his ear, as if confirm that the screen contact was correct. It was. "What was that? I thought you said you –"

"I want ice cream." Barnaby repeated verbatim.

Oh, so he hadn't imagined or misheard. Several thoughts passed through the hero's mind then. Was this some kind of secret code he was unaware of? Was his partner messing with him, or was something wrong? Why would Barnaby call him asking about ice cream of all things? Though, the blonde wasn't really asking; it was more like an order or demand. "Uh, Bunny, you okay over there buddy?"

"Kotetsu."

"Yeah?" The hero quirked an inquisitive eyebrow.

"Kotetsu." There was a brief pause. "I really want ice cream."

This is so weird, Kotetsu thought. "Okay, I heard you the first time. I got it, you want ice cream. I'll go get some. Any particular flavor you would like, your majesty?" Despite this bizarre behavior, his partner sure was being demanding all of a sudden.

"Oh, a lot, if you don't mind." Barnaby answered placidly, and the older hero sighed. Well, that answer hadn't been at all helpful.

"That's not a flavor, Bunny. I mean as in chocolate, or vanilla. Or do you like those fancier kinds?"

"Mr. Maverick's assistant won't let me. Don't come without it okay? Okay, Kotetsu?"

The veteran was about to reply when the phone clicked and the line went dead. Blinking and looking down at his phone, he frowned seeing the call had ended. Barnaby had hung up on him! Was this a prank? Did the blonde even have the ability to prank?

Running a hand over his face with another sigh, Kotetsu still didn't quite know what to think of the very strange conversation he'd just had with his partner. Was this some kind of revenge on him for dragging the younger to the amusement park yesterday? Barnaby had ended up having fun after a while, despite the NEXT attack that went down later on, so it didn't seem plausible that the blonde would hold a grudge over it.

However, when he actually thought about it, Kotetsu would much rather go do the odd errand than sit here doing paperwork. Nodding to himself in confirmation of this, he stood up, stretching out stiff muscles a moment.

After letting someone know where he was going, that he'd return after, the man made his way out of Apollon Media to the parking garage. Truthfully, Kotetsu also sort of wanted to use this errand as an excuse to check on his friend. While he was fully aware that Barnaby was capable of taking care of himself, that his injury was hardly life threatening, it had been on his dominant shoulder. Meaning it disabled the use of that arm pretty much completely until the wound healed. Lingering guilt was also partially to blame.

Since Barnaby hadn't actually given him any flavor ideas at all, Kotetsu ended up getting several different kinds from the frozen food isle in a nearby grocery store. As he walked out afterwards, the hero lifted the bulging bag of ice-cream cups a moment to look at its double-bagged bulk, and sighed. "You better appreciate this, Bunny. Didn't even know he liked ice-cream…" Shrugging, he realized it would probably be a good idea to get over to his partner's place before it all melted, so hurried back to his car.

At least the drive to the younger hero's apartment din't take long, and the ice cream remained cold thanks to Kotetsu punishing himself by blasting freezing cold air in the car. The things he did for people…

Thankful for the warmer air outside when he arrived and got out of the car, he made his way up to the fancy apartment building, only sneezing twice. A couple minutes later he was at Barnaby's door, and knocked. "Oi, Bunny, it's me, Kotetsu. Open up!" He called before checking briefly on the ice cream briefly while he waited.

After a moment, the veteran could hear shuffling from the other side of the door, and muffled voices arguing.

"Mr. Brooks," A fussy voice urged, "Please allow me to –"

The door opened, and there was Barnaby, wearing a light colored button up shirt and a pair of casual slacks. He was also barefoot, and not wearing his glasses for some reason. The arm sling was another new addition to his wardrobe, carefully cradling his right arm to his chest. Other than looking a little tired, the blonde seemed a lot better than the previous day. He blinked incredulously. "Kotetsu, I was just about to call you. What are you doing here?"

"What do you mean, 'what are you doing here'?!" Kotetsu mocked, holding up the bag of the frozen treats for the other to see. "You called me and said you wanted ice-cream. Don't tell me you forgot! It's only been about a half hour since then."

Barnaby blinked again, his green eyes trailing to the bag, then back to Kotetsu. "You brought ice-cream?" He took the grocery bag without another word and walked back into the apartment, leaving his front door hanging open and his partner gaping at him in confusion.

The fussy looking assistant, who was standing nearby, sighed while appealing to Kotetsu while fanning herself.

"Please do something. His brain is like a sieve, and it's starting to drive me crazy." Then she hurried after the younger hero as he meandered into the kitchen area and plopped the grocery bag on the counter. Meanwhile, Kotetsu, still rather baffled over what was transpiring in front of him, cautiously stepped in, shutting the door behind him before following the two.

Selecting one of the ice-cream cups, Barnaby fiddled with the plastic wrapping one handed without much success. "Hm…" He hummed with a frown. "The lid won't come off."

"Mr. Brooks, please let – don't touch that!" The assistant spazzed and practically lunged across the room before Barnaby could grab a sharp looking kitchen knife to cut away the plastic. She delicately took the ice-cream cup from him. "Please go sit down. You shouldn't be up and about. Go sit. You don't want to overexert yourself while you're still healing, do you?"

"I feel fine." The blonde absently poked his injured shoulder, making the assistant nearly panic. Even Kotetsu winced and looked like he wanted to stop him. "See? Can't feel it. I want to eat the ice cream. Kotetsu, she wont let me have ice-cream."

"You never said anything about wanting ice-cream!" The assistant exclaimed, nearing the end of her patience.

Figuring that he should step in now, before the poor woman strangled Barnaby, Kotetsu stepped forward with his hands up. "Okay, lets calm down huh? Bunny, if you want some ice cream that's fine. I'll help you open it okay?" Walking over, he grabbed the container, easily unwrapping the plastic from around the top and removing the lid before setting it back on the table. "There you there go!"

Barnaby stared down at the frozen treat on the counter, then skimmed a finger along the top of the ice cream and stuck it in his mouth.

Kotetsu gave him a strange look at the sight. "Uh… Right. I guess you'll need a spoon." He said out loud before snapping out of it. "Where do you keep them again?" The hero began opening the drawers nearby, thankfully finding the utensils in the second one. "Here you go. Now you just sit down and enjoy that, Bunny."

The blonde complied cheerfully with, "I will, thanks."

Stepping over to the assistant next, Kotetsu continued to look confused as he leaned over to talk quietly to her. "What's wrong with him? I've never seen him like this before."

The woman shook her head and whispered, "I haven't the faintest idea. He was a little spacey when Mr. Maverick and I brought him here, but nothing too extensive. Then, about an hour ago, he just…" She shrugged helplessly, gesturing to the younger hero helplessly. "His attention span right now is so minimal that it's difficult to communicate anything to him, and when you do he forgets what you say almost instantly, and obsesses about the most ridiculous things. And he misplaced his cellphone earlier, so it's only a matter of time before he remembers he's lost it again. I don't know what to do. This wasn't in my job description."

Behind them, they heard ice-cream cup sliding along the countertop as Barnaby tried to unsuccessfully scoop a bite with only one hand, his features were set in almost gleeful determination despite. "Kotetsu, you should have some too. Thanks for the ice cream. Maybe after, you can help me find my phone?"

Sweatdropping, Kotetsu looked back over his shoulder at his partner a moment before putting on a smile, figuring he should just go with it, and gave the blonde a thumbs up. "Sure thing, Bunny!" He replied, and then turned back to the assistant, who was looking at him with a flat 'I told you' expression. "How about this: I can stay here with him today, if you don't mind going back to Apollon and letting them know? I said I'd be right back after dropping off the ice-cream, so they're expecting me." With this role switching, Kotetsu could also get out off of doing paperwork, and the assistant could leave and keep her sanity. "If that's okay with you, Miss…I never got your name."

"Persimmons." The woman stated as she fixed her glasses, a relieved look coming to her face. "And that sounds lovely, thank you. I was at a loss until you showed up. You're my hero. Since you said Mr. Brooks called you, he must have misplaced his phone thereafter. But, yes, I will notify Apollon of the change. Thank you again!" She then dug in her purse before handing Kotetsu a business card. "If you should need anything, call this number. I will tell Mr. Maverick you are staying with Barnaby. I am sure the news will put him more at ease. He loves that boy." She walked briskly to the door, as if fearing Kotetsu would change his mind at the last minute. "Well, good luck."

Barnaby hardly even noticed Persimmons' exit, or if he did, gave no indication of caring as he remained fixated on scooping ice cream. His one handed struggle with the spoon gradually slid the container left and right in variation across the countertop.

Having walked back over to the table, Kotetsu now stood there a few good moments just watching the scene with odd, pitying fascination before letting out a sigh. Just how long was Barnaby intending to go about this for? Usually he didn't have nearly this amount of patience. Eventually the older man just reached out and grabbed hold of the container as it slid near him, and his friend paused.

"Oh thanks, that helps." The blonde then promptly stabbed the spoon in to the cup, successfully digging out a scoop and immediately popping it into his mouth. "This is good." He said around the spoon. "What flavor is this again? Hey, Kotetsu, I can't feel anything on this side." The blonde indicated to his right side as he had earlier. "Nothing. I can go like this," The hero tapped his shoulder with his spoon, "And not feel a thing. It's really weird." Kotetsu found himself wincing again at the motion.

"Okay, Bunny. Just don't touch your shoulder anymore all right? You may not be able to feel it right now, but it's still healing."

"Okay." As Barnaby went back to eating the ice cream, the veteran wondered if any of what he'd just said actually registered.

"You're awfully agreeable today…" Kotetsu muttered. "At least those painkillers you're on are working." He then thought out loud. "Speaking of which, where are those anyway?" Glancing around the kitchen a moment, the hero soon spotted the pill bottle on a nearby table. Letting go of the ice cream container a moment to go and grab it, he skimmed over the instructions printed on the label. "Hey, Bunny? When was the last time you took a dose of this stuff? Do you remember?" Kotetsu figured it would be a good idea to be sure to stick to a proper schedule, at least for today since his partner could barely remember ten minutes at a time.

Getting no response prompted the older to gaze up, only to see Barnaby struggling with the ice cream again. "Right…" he muttered before stepping back over and taking hold of the cup again. "Bunny." He sharply snapped is fingers to get the other's attention, then held up the pill bottle. "Focus. See these?" He shook the bottle, the pills inside rattling. His partner blinked at them.

"Oh, uh-huh."

"Okay, good. Now, did you take any today?" Kotetsu asked slowly, setting the pills down and waiting patiently.

Barnaby nodded, then took another bite of the ice cream. "I took one as soon as Mr. Maverick brought me back here. I think. Hey, Kotetsu? I like this." He indicated to the frozen treat he was eating with the spoon. "Thanks for bringing it."

"Sure th – Whoa, wait. You think?" Kotetsu exclaimed, and now waited somewhat impatiently for a reply. But Barnaby abruptly stood from the chair at the counter where he sat and walked back into the living room. The veteran was left baffled once more as he watched, finally walking after the blonde. "Bunny! This is important! Where are you going?"

Pausing momentarily in front of a little table sitting beside his black reclining chair, Barnaby said, "Hm, it isn't here. Kotetsu, help me find my phone. I just had it. Is it in my room?" He asked himself out loud, already starting to head that way, not waiting for a reply from his partner.

"Bunny~!" Kotetsu practically whined after him. "Come on…work with me here, please? You're starting to worry me…" This was most certainly not normal behavior for Barnaby, and since the older hero had absolutely no idea what was causing this strange phenomenon yet, he couldn't help but feel a bit anxious. He wanted answers. "Your pills Bunny, you said you took one before. Yes or no?" Following his friend once more as he took off, Kotetsu stood in the doorway as he watched the other look around his room. "I'll help you find your phone, I promise. Just yes or no on the pills."

"I think I took one when Mr. Maverick brought me home. I need to find my phone. What if you have to call me?"

Kotetsu blinked and quirked an eyebrow at that one, giving the blonde another very strange look. He honestly wasn't sure if he could believe Barnaby in the state he was in, even if he'd gotten an answer. Frowning, he glanced at the pill bottle again and noticed there was a phone number printed on the label. The hospital number perhaps? Maybe if he called and asked about his partner's odd behavior, they'd know what to tell him.

Pulling out his phone, he dialed in the number. A woman picked up on the second ring, and Kotetsu was relieved to hear that the number did seem to be the hospital as she introduced herself. "Hello, thank you for calling the Sternbild General Hospital Pharmacy. My name is Lexi, how can I help you today?"

"Yeah, hi Lexi. I'm calling to ask about some prescription painkillers that were given to Barnaby Brooks? He was there overnight yesterday with a bullet wound to the shoulder?"

"Ooh, you mean Barnaby Brooks Jr.?"

"Yes, the hero. This is his partner, Wild Tiger. " Was that going to be a problem, he wondered? Maybe he should have just made up a name… "I –"

"Oh my gosh, hi! You two are freaking awesome!" Lexi exclaimed. Kotetsu chuckled somewhat awkwardly, distractedly, though he was still appreciative of the praise. It was always nice to hear such things from the public after all. It did make him feel a little better about his current situation.

"Oh, hey thanks! So, listen, I'm watching him today and he's acting really weird. Should I be worried? Is he reacting badly to these pills or something?"

"Well, let me pull up his file and see. One moment." Lexi explained in a friendly tone, and the hero heard clicking as her fingers danced along the keyboard. "Okay, it looks like Dr. Kaffee filed out a prescription for the drug Mirabilia. It's a mild painkiller the FDA just approved, but for NEXTs and you heroes it's apparently more potent. Something to do with varying blood chemistry. But, you said he's acting weird? How so?"

"Well…" Kotetsu glanced over to his friend.

Barnaby struggled to open his dresser drawer one handed to dig through the clothing. Soon giving up on it though, he crossed to his closet and, when he opened the door a familiar rabbit plush fell at his feet. Picking it up the hero stared at it blankly. Turning around, he simply handed it to Kotetsu and then went right back to the dresser to continue digging for his cellphone.

"Like he's lost his mind." The older man decided flatly as he gazed down at the stuffed toy, before looking up and calling out to Barnaby. "Bunny, come on, I doubt it's in there…" He tried to reason with his partner before focusing back on the phone conversation when he heard Lexi coo.

"Aww, you call him bunny?"

Kotetsu twitched at his slip up. Oops… Subject change time!

"Uh, anyway! His attention span is almost non-existent, and he only seems to remember things for about one to five minutes, depending. Keeps repeating things over and over too. A lot. It's like trying to talk to a toddler."

Lexi hummed thoughtfully. "I'm sure Dr. Kaffee would have only advised a dosage of one capsule a day… Yep, there's a notation here at the bottom of the page. It says: 'Mr. Brooks was given a single dose of Mirabilia for injury prior to morning discharge.' So, it looks like the poor guy probably, accidentally, took a second dose. Just monitor him to make sure he doesn't take any more today, and make sure he eats. The food will help absorb it. Worse case scenario, if he starts bringing up his food, bring him over immediately. But I don't foresee that happening."

"Really? So he's just high as hell? Well, that's a relief." Kotetsu had begun worrying if his friend had gotten brain damage or something else irreversible and horrible.

Nearby, Barnaby had now stopped digging through his dresser and was staring at one of several pictures stuck in his mirror. "Kotetsu, that's the one where you swallowed the bug, remember?"

"Pretty much. Poor guy. Do you have any other questions?" Lexi politely inquired.

"I think you covered it. I'll call back if I think of anything else, I guess. Thanks for the help Lexi." As they hung up and Kotetsu put his phone away again, feeling reassured that nothing was seriously wrong with his partner, he walked over to humor the blonde. "The one that what?" He asked, looking to where the other was pointing. To his surprise, he found himself looking at one of the photos he'd bought for them the day before when they were at the park. Seeing that Barnaby had not only kept the photos, but also had them sitting out like this made Kotetsu smile, any residual annoyance fading away. "Yeah, I remember that. We had some fun, huh?"

Barnaby gave an agreeable nod. "Yes, until I got shot."

Kotetsu winced at that blunt reply. "Er, yeah, sorry… I wasn't trying to –"

"I'm glad I didn't get blood on them, especially that one. It's my favorite because you made a funny noise when the bug flew down your throat." He glanced up and caught Kotetsu's eye. "Can we go again Kotetsu? Can we go again some time?"

Chuckling, Kotetsu couldn't help himself and reached up to ruffle Barnaby's hair fondly before clapping a hand on his good shoulder. "Sure Bunny, sounds good. Alright then, in the mean time lets find your phone, huh? I have an idea." Pulling out his own again, he held it up. "I'll call your number, and we should be able to follow the ringing right to it. Ready?"

The blonde hero nodded in anticipation and watched Kotetsu call his number. They could hear the ringing but were listening for the chime of Barnaby's red phone.

"Not in here, I guess." Barnaby conceded, and moved back into the living area close behind his partner. "Kotetsu, why are you carrying the rabbit?"

"Huh?" Kotetsu glanced down, and sure enough he had the stuffed animal tucked under his other arm. "Oh, whoops. Didn't' even notice I still had it. Here, you take it." He handed it over to Barnaby to hold with a smile. "It's yours, after all. Why did you have it in your closet? Don't you like it?" He half teased, but then realized the blonde would likely respond literally in his current state, and couldn't wait to hear what he'd say. He might have to take a little advantage of this situation to get other answers out of his partner while he was high as a kite.

"Yeah, I like it. Its clueless face reminds me of you at times. But it lives in the closet because I'm not keeping it on my bed. I'm not a little kid." Barnaby stared at the rabbit's deadpan, stitched on face. "All of you gave this to me for my first birthday as a hero. I never had any friends give me present before…" His head rose, eyes glancing back to his partner. "Hey, I got shot at then too, remember?" He smiled, recalling the memory. "That diamond guy almost beat us. You gave me your points after we beat him."

"I remember. You seemed happy enough with that, being as obsessed with points as you are. And because we didn't know how to deactivate that good luck mode yet, you had gimp toward the cops with the suspect on that extra big leg you had."

"Mm, that was annoying to walk on." Barnaby recalled out loud.

"So, why not put it in the living room?"

Barnaby inclined his head. "Keep what in the living room?"

"The bunny, Bunny." Kotetsu gestured to the stuffed rabbit with a smile. "That way, it'll have more space to, you know, hop around!"

"Oh." The blonde glanced back down and regarded the plush toy a moment. "Okay." He surprisingly agreed. Then, "Hey, did we find my phone yet?"

Kotetsu snorted, chuckling in amusement, still amazed at how the drug induced high was making his partner act almost child-like. It had the veteran wondering what a drunk Barnaby was like. Unfortunately the only time it had happened before, he didn't remember any of it upon waking up the next morning when Agnes pounded on the door.

"Not yet. Lets try calling it again." Calling the blonde's number for the second time, they listened a moment again before moving. "I think I hear it over there?" He said as he headed back towards the kitchen area. Sure enough, the closer they got, the louder the ringing could be heard, though muffled. But looking around, there was still no red phone in sight, which confused the heroes. There was no place Barnaby could have dropped it behind… Stopping as he passed by the refrigerator, Kotetsu backtracked and studied it a good moment, listening. "You gotta be kidding me…" He muttered as he opened the doors. There, sitting on one of the shelves in the freezer, was the phone. Its screen went dark as the ringing ended.

"Why was it in there?" Barnaby asked quizzically from over his shoulder, and nearly dropped the device after grabbing it, exclaiming, "Ah, cold!" He tossed it onto the countertop and in the same moment said, "Oh, ice-cream…" Sitting down, the blonde continued eating from the cup. By now its contents had melted a bit, making it easier to scoop without Kotetsu having to stand there and hold it for him. "This is good. Is there any more? You should have some too. Hey, hey, Kotetsu, come have some."

"There's a lot more, Bunny, no worries. I'll have some a bit later. How about something a bit more substantial than ice cream to eat? What are you in the mood for?" Kotetsu, in full parental mode, certainly was not about to leave the apartment while Barnaby was in the state he was, even if it were for a few minutes just to pick up food. There were plenty of good places that delivered. And, as complacent as his partner was today, getting a suggestion shouldn't be hard.

Barnaby tilted his head thoughtfully, and Kotetsu was reminded of a puppy. "Um…can you make fried rice?" He asked. "I like your friend rice."

Hearing that, the other hero beamed proudly. The request hadn't been expected, but it was certainly making his day now. His partner didn't want just any fried rice, but his fried rice! Kotetsu tried not to look too excited as he grinned at he blonde. "Of course, Bunny!" He flashed a dramatic thumbs up, hero pose and all. "It'll be the best fried rice you've ever had!" That said the veteran proudly began strutting around to set up, only having slight trouble locating a few essentials.

While waiting for the pan to heat up, his phone rang. At first thinking it was Lloyds, the veteran was a little surprised seeing it wasn't their boss, but Rock Bison. "Hey!" He greeted casually. "What's up?"

"Yo. So, what's the news on Barnaby?" Antonio asked. "Heard he got out of the hospital."

"Yeah. I'm here with him at his place right now actually. Bunny's looking a lot better. Since his arm is in a sling, I thought I'd help him out, at least for today."

"Yeah right." The other hero snorted. "You just want an excuse to fuss over him. What did I tell you about smothering him?"

"I'm not smothering!" Kotetsu replied indignantly. "I'm just making us something to eat for lunch."

"You gonna read him a bedtime story next, then put him down for a nap?" Antonio teased, clear amusement in his deep voice.

"I'll tell Bunny you said hi." Kotetsu stated flatly and then hung up, lightly tossing his phone onto the counter. He just knew his long time friend was laughing at him, the bastard. Well, let him. With a huff, the hero grabbed the bag of nearby rice nearby, getting ready to open it when the phone rang again. He snatched it up, answering. "Aren't you supposed to be working right now or something?"

"Talk about ungrateful! And here I thought I'd be nice and follow up to make sure your car was delivered this morning. You're welcome, by the way." Nathan sassed. "See if I pick your ass up late at night again."

"Ah, sorry." Kotetsu said with a slight apologetic wince. "I thought you were Antonio calling back to annoy me more about watching Bunny. I did get my car this morning, thanks for that." He wasn't going to dare bring up the little note the other hero had left for him.

"Good to know. I'll let you get back to looking after handsome then. Have fun~" He purred.

"Yep, bye." The veteran replied without much emotion and then hung up again. "Oi, Bunny! Antonio and Nathan say hi." He called over to his partner.

"Mm." Barnaby acknowledged with a hum.

For a time, the blonde watched Kotetsu bustle about the kitchen. When he finished the ice cream cup, Barnaby strolled into the living room with the stuffed rabbit in tow under an arm.

From where he was in front of the stove, the older hero heard the sound system turn on and some easy music trailed into the kitchen. It lasted all but a few seconds when the music then abruptly cut off, and the veteran looked up from his task. There was a moment of silence before the music came back on, then off, then on once more. It kept playing for a few minutes, before cutting off yet again. Kotetsu blinked, looking uncertain before moving the pan off the heat and turning the stove off to go check on his partner.

"Bunny? What are you…"

"The TV won't turn on." Barnaby explained in slight frustration when the older walked in, while gesturing to the remote in his hand and the big wall sized screen as he reclined in his chair, the rabbit lying on the floor by him. Assessing the situation, Kotetsu realized the problem relatively quickly and stepped over to give assistance.

"That's because you're using the wrong remote. That's your stereo. Here," He said as he picked up the correct remote and handed it over. "Try that one instead." When it successfully turned on the TV, Kotetsu waved over his shoulder as Barnaby thanked him, and went back to finish cooking.

It didn't take very long to finish his only signature dish, splitting it up on two plates. Humming to himself happily he walked back into the living room with them. "Here we go! One for you," He put his partner's plate down on the desk next to him, "And…I'm going to have to pull in a chair since there's no couch…" Shuffling back to do just that, the older man set it up near Barnaby's and plopped down. "You know, you really should invest in a couch some day soon. Your place is better for parties than mine since it's bigger. Which we should do some day, a party. Nothing big of course, just us heroes or something. Would be fun, don't you think?"

"This is good." Busily shoveling down the fried rice, Barnaby appeared to pause as though just processing what Kotetsu had said and gave the idea some thought. Or, as much though as he could at the moment. "You'd be there, right?"

His partner was being so cute right now, and Kotetsu chuckled. "Yeah, of course, Bunny. If you want me to be."

"Yes." The younger hero then went back to devouring his food with enthusiasm, only to pause a moment later to gaze back over to his friend. "Kotetsu?"

"Mm-hmm?" The older hummed, as his mouth was currently full of fried rice.

"This is good."

Kotetsu happily smiled over at him. "Thanks Bunny, glad you like it."

Nothing eventful happened the rest of the time they were eating. Since Kotetsu was the only one of the two with the use of both hands, he temporarily commandeered the TV remote. Barnaby offered no complaints. There was nothing of great interest on most of the channels, although they did spend about an hour cracking up as they watched a series of funny home videos on a family channel. Even Barnaby was laughing so hard at times that he was breathless. One pertaining to a cat attempting to attack fish in an aquarium for some reason really tickled the blonde's funny bone, so much he'd almost toppled out of his seat, which only had Kotetsu laughing even harder after grabbing him.

Once the program ended though, unfortunately a boring soap opera was scheduled next and they had unanimously agreed to change the channel. Back to surfing, they did end up pausing for a short time to check the score of a game. Barnaby kept forgetting what the score was despite how it was clearly depicted at the bottom left side of the screen, and considering the size of the TV screen, that was pretty sad.

After that, when Kotetsu left him for a just few seconds to take their dirty dishes over to the sink, he returned to find Barnaby poking at his injured shoulder again and frowned, walking up to pull his hand away.

"Bunny! I told you to stop touching your shoulder. It's not going to get any better with you poking at it." The blonde frowned.

"But I can't feel it at all." He protested, and tried to touch at it again. Kotetsu swatted it away. "I can't feel my right arm either. I can see it and I can touch it, but I feel nothing. It's weird. Has this ever happened to you, Kotetsu? I want my arm back. It's frustrating." Swinging his legs over the side of the chair to get up, as he'd had them drawn up, Barnaby nearly tripped over the stuffed rabbit. Thankfully his partner was there to steady him. "Oh. How did that get there?" He picked up the soft toy, looking it over briefly. "Hey, Kotetsu. Can we have ice cream?"

Sighing briefly, Kotetsu briefly pondered over how to answer. Really though, no matter how he replied, the younger hero was just going to ask about it again later. "You just ate Bunny, you can't possibly be hungry. How about a little later?"

Barnaby contemplated this and nodded compliantly before flipping open his cellphone to awkwardly text with one hand. Kotetsu caught a quick glance at the message on the screen and saw that it was being sent to Mr. Lloyds. It sent before he could see exactly what it was however. While the blonde was distracted by the TV again, he nosily took a peek at the text history.

His partner's text to their boss read simply: Hhii.

"Kotetsu," Barnaby started, making the older hero tuck the red cellphone behind his back guiltily, but the younger seemed to be mesmerized by some outlandish cartoon on the TV. "Kotetsu, I don't understand this. Didn't Mr. Lloyds make us guest star in some…anime or something? Why are we giving other people our voices? Our voices belong to us. Its silly." He changed the channel. "Oh, look, it's our stain remover commercial…"

"Oh yeah, I remember that one. Actually didn't come out half bad." Taking this opportunity while Barnaby was distracted, Kotetsu slipped the phone onto the nearby table. "Was still pretty silly though don't you think? I mean, I know we've gotten pretty popular now, but commercials are such a pain. We're not actors, we're heroes! We waste so much time on those other things when we should be out patrolling or saving people!" He was forgetting that ranting about this would be useless, considering his partner would most likely change the subject on a dime in the next moment anyway, but he couldn't stop once he got going. "Right? I mean, you can't like doing them so much either."

"Well, all the takes we had to do was tiring. You kept pretending to spray me and ruin the takes, but it made some people laugh, so it wasn't that bad. I'd rather be earning points." Kotetsu rolled his eyes at that predictable answer.

"Of course you would. You and your overrated points… Speaking of, I'm sure you'll be begging to get back to work by tomorrow. I know you don't like just sitting around like this much. Maybe tomorrow we can just go out on the town or something so you're not cooped up in here all day again." Granted, going out yesterday was what got Barnaby injured, but the veteran figured his friend wouldn't blame him for that, since he had admitted to having fun at the park.

Barnaby's response was a non-committal grunt as he was once again sucked back into the images playing across the screen. Who knew how long it would last however, before his drugged up brain changed gears again. But what could keep them occupied for the rest of the day?

An hour later, after trying several different distraction tactics, from watching more TV, reading, to finally caving and letting Barnaby have more ice cream, Kotetsu was out of ideas. The other hero just didn't have the attention span to stick to anything for longer than maybe ten to fifteen minutes max. Even worse, throughout each distraction attempt, the blonde had been stubbornly poking and prodding at his shoulder, and it was testing the limits of Kotetsu's patience. At one point, while Barnaby had been sitting in the kitchen with him as he cleaned their dishes, he'd started doing it again and the older hero had sprayed him with the faucet water by extending the hose, effectively getting his partner to stop the behavior as he startled.

"Stop. Touching. Your. Shoulder!" He punctuated as he pointed a finger at Barnaby, like some parent getting fed up with their child's erratic behavior. That wasn't entirely accurate, since the blonde hero was no longer a child, though he did sulk a little at being sprayed.

"I want my arm back Kotetsu. You have both of yours. I can't feel the fingers on my right hand, not even my little finger. It's like someone cut the whole thing off, but didn't, because its still there. Kotetsu, if I don't remind myself that its still there, I'll think its not there." Barnaby pillowed his cheek in his left hand, watching the other hero, who was watching him a bit warily, still armed with the faucet hose. "What? Do I have something in my teeth?" A troubling thought seemed to suddenly strike him. "Kotetsu, how am I going to floss with just one hand?" The idea seemed to instill him with panic. "Kotetsu, what am I going to do? I'll get a disease and die."

This was a whole new level of insanity.

Kotetsu honestly had no idea what to think, or how to respond to the other's current thought process. He just stared at his friend, blinking, until he heard his friend call out to him again.

"Kotetsu!"

"What, Bunny?" The older hero unintentionally snapped as he leaned on the counter.

Thankfully, Barnaby seemed unaffected by his light annoyance.

"Will you eat ice cream with me?" He popped a spoonful of chocolate ice cream into this mouth, keeping his green eyes pinned on his partner expectantly. "I want you to eat ice cream with me. No one's eaten ice cream with me in a long time."

Briefly the older wondered if Barnaby was doing this on purpose somehow, despite his current drugged state of mind. However, this theory was quickly abandoned as he saw the genuine hopeful expression on the blonde's face. Which also meant his own annoyance faded away again with a sigh, replaced by a gentle smile a moment later. How could he decline now? The dishes could wait. "Yeah, okay Bunny. I did say I would after all."

Walking over to the freezer, Kotetsu opened the door to glance over the selection. Pulling out a cup of mint, he retrieved a spoon and sat down beside his partner. "Okay, so," He said conversationally, unable to help digging into the frozen treat, "What do you want to do after this?" Coming up with activities wouldn't have been an issue if they could leave the apartment, but Barnaby's…condition, deemed that impossible. And while the thought of seeing the blonde acting this way in public greatly amused him, he wasn't so cruel as to actually let it happen. His friend would never forgive him for that embarrassment.

Barnaby ate another spoonful and shrugged thoughtfully, pausing when only one shoulder moved. When he remembered the injury, and the sling, he automatically raised a hand to touch the spot.

Wham!

Kotetsu's hand came down on the counter right next to the blonde, once more startling him. The veteran was all but glaring parental doom at his younger companion now.

"Bunny!"

The younger hero sighed dramatically and went back to eating his ice cream. A familiar announcer's voice sounded from the living room area, since they had left the TV on.

"Whoa! Are you seeing this, folks? If you're just joining us now on Hero TV Live, we've just been informed of a massive traffic pileup on the south suspension bridge. We do not know at this time what caused the accident, but it looks as though a big tractor-trailer veered way off course, taking up both lanes! From what we can see, it appears that one of the guardrails has been compromised and, oh no! A school bus is teetering dangerously close to falling off the edge! We haven't seen any heroes – my god, it's tilting! Phew, no, it looks like the bus is staying put, for now. Where are our heroes?!"

Barnaby left the ice cream and walked back into the living room to assess the situation.

There on the television was a big yellow school bus diagonally positioned on the roadway, and its back wheels were just hugging the rim of the bridge. He looked at his quiet wrist unit.

"Why aren't they calling us? Where are the others?" The young hero heard Kotetsu approaching from behind before hearing him speak.

"Well, you're off duty because you're injured and high on pain meds. Of course you can't be on active call like this. Not until you're back to full health. And I guess Lloyds let me have off too since, I'm here watching you for the day. That assistant must have suggested it." Though he would be lying if he said the situation they watched on the screen right now didn't make him nervous. It was instinct to want to rush out the door and help, especially when Kotetsu had been at the hero job so long. Children being involved only made him more anxious. The hero swallowed thickly and tried to hide the rising feelings as he reached over to put a hand on Barnaby's good shoulder. "Don't worry; the others will get there and handle everything. Even if we were able to go, we'd probably get there at the same time as them anyway."

It would turn out they wouldn't have to wait long.

On the TV, the school bus driver attempted to give the vehicle a little gas to remove himself and his young passengers out of danger, but only succeeded in making the bus slip further backwards. This time it didn't stop, tipping back, and back!

The children were screaming. Even the announcer seemed to have gone speechless in horror. Both heroes felt their hearts all but stop, until the bus halted, hovering in mid-air.

"Ah! It appeared as if the bus was going to fall, but all its passengers have been saved by none other than our King of Heroes, Sky High! What a great save!" The announcer cheered. "Lets go in for a closer look!"

The live cameras shifted to a different angle. Sky High breezed into view as the bus tipped beyond the point of no return, the jet pack boosters on his back on full throttle as he released a wind current to halt it's descent until he could reach it. Rising up under the rear of the bus and using the added momentum from the jet pack, the flying hero moved the bus back onto stable ground. "Incredible!"The announcer exclaimed. "This hero's timing is sublime!"

"Thought I would catch the bus!" Sky High said as he saluted smartly for the audience.

The announcer continued commentating after this, but the rest was lost to Kotetsu and Barnaby, as in that moment they both heaved huge sighs of relief.

The children were having mixed reactions to being saved, mostly crying, but several fans plastered their round faces to the windows with bright smiles and reached out their hands to the hero. They got crisp high fives as Sky High came around to the door and knocked. The stunned driver opened it. "Until we can clear the road," Sky High advised, "All the little ones should remain inside with you. Is anyone hurt?"

"Sky High rocks!" Cheered a little boy with glasses from the front window, enthusiastically waving an action figure of the hero, and was abruptly pushed out of the way by a girl with curly red hair done up in pigtails. She reached out the window to tap his shoulder and presented her best smile. One front tooth was missing.

"You saved my life! Will you marry me?"

"Uh…"

"Oh, wow," Said the announcer, "It appears as though our King of Heroes is struck speechless by his young admirer's request. Isn't that adorable, folks?"

Trying to bring some more levity, Kotetsu chuckled a bit and forced his body to relax. "See? Told you. Should have figured he'd get there first, since he can fly. What were you so worried about?" He teased. "Why don't you keep on working on that ice cream, huh Bunny? Before it gets all melted. Go sit in your chair and watch the show."

"There's ice cream?" When Kotetsu merely thumbed back to the kitchen, Barnaby wasted no time snagging the cup of chocolate he'd been eating and plopped back into his chair as instructed. "Go get one for you and eat it with me. Kotetsu, look. Hey, look; if I put it between my knees, it doesn't slid everywhere when I try and eat it." He demonstrated this, seemingly very pleased with himself as he focused back on the TV.

"Good job, Bunny."

Rock Bison had appeared on screen now, immediately setting to work righting overturned cars or helping people climb out of their wrecked vehicles as he and other emergency workers guided or carried wounded pedestrians into waiting ambulances that had arrived on scene. For those who weren't hurt, their cars were either jammed together or had stalled. Kotetsu and Barnaby also caught Dragon Kid in the background giving someone's car engine a jump so they could clear the area.

"Looks like there weren't any casualties, that's a relief…" The veteran hero thought out loud.

Sometime later, when some semblance of order had been restored, the screen expanded to reveal a lovely female reporter on the bridge. "This is Nicki Sinclair, coming to you live from the Southern Bridge, the earlier scene of a major traffic accident that could have been disastrous if not for the swift thinking of our city's heroes! I'm here with two of them now." The camera panned aside and the reporter moved with it. "Sky High and Rock Bison were the first responders. Let me just say, Sky High, that footage of you high fiving all those little kids was just precious. You're so cool."

"Thanks, and thanks again! I'm so glad I got here in time!" He looked directly at the camera. "If you don't mind, I would like to take a moment to give a shout out to our fellow hero, who is at home recuperating from a recent injury. We miss you in the field, Barnaby, and hope you're doing well!" He waved at the camera, and would never know that from the other end where the Barnaby was sitting, the blonde waved back. Kotetsu had to smother himself at the reaction, snorting. He didn't bother telling the younger hero their friend couldn't actually see it. He was also totally telling Keith later what happened, because he was a good friend.

"And with his partner looking after him," Bison interjected, leaning down to the microphone. "We probably wont see much of Wild Tiger either, since he's Bunny-sitting."

Kotetsu lost it at that one, almost falling over as he clutched at his sides.

"You mean baby-sitting?" The reporter corrected.

"No, I said it right."

"Oh man, you're so dead, Antonio! Bunny will kill you for that one." The older hero managed through laughter as he staggered back into the kitchen to get the ice cream he'd left on the counter. If Barnaby somehow remembered those teasing words later, Kotetsu would at least try to call his friend in order to give him some kind of warning before his untimely and cruel death by merciless kicking. The blonde only seemed to tolerate the 'bunny' nickname when used by him, and no one else. "Maybe someone should tell him he should start working on a will." He snickered to himself as he grabbed his treat to walk back to stand near his friend.

As they finished up watching the rest of the live show before it ended to get back to other news, Kotetsu glanced at his watch. It was getting well into the evening now, the sun setting as he turned to look out the window. It was always such a beautiful sight, he thought, seeing the sun sinking through the city. It was just as active and alive at night too. He wouldn't have it any other way.

The hero loved this city.

"The city sure is nice at night, huh Bunny?" He finally asked, smiling and turning his head to glance back at his partner. Blinking, he was surprised when he saw that Barnaby was fast asleep in the chair, his head tipped back and the now empty ice cream cup still wedged between his knees with the spoon inside.

How long had he been lost in thought looking out the window? Perhaps it didn't matter though. Kotetsu supposed he shouldn't be all that surprised that his friend had drifted off, after the busy day he had. Plus he was recovering from an injury.

Stepping over and taking the empty container, Kotetsu threw it away and finally managed to get the dishes done, though thankfully there weren't many left anyway. With that done, considering Barnaby would probably kill him if he'd left them there, now the older hero turned his attention back to the blonde. He couldn't in good conscience leave the younger there to sleep. But Kotetsu would have to be careful about moving him however, he realized.

So, slowly, as to not wake his slumbering charge, the older hero gathered Barnaby into his arms, making sure he did so in a way that kept the other's injured shoulder on the outside. His friend would remain blissfully asleep all the way down the hall to the bedroom, where he was gently laid down and covered comfortably. Kotetsu smiled as he observed for a moment just how young Barnaby appeared when he was sleeping.

Turning and heading back out, he paused at the door to turn the lights out.

"Sleep well, Bunny."

The first thing Barnaby registered when he awoke the next morning was that he was in bed.

How did he get there? And what time was it?

A glance at his bedside table clock told him it was just five past eight in the morning. Confusion swirled in his mind as he yawned, taking a care as he sat up, carefully cradling his right arm. He then noticed, as he glanced down at himself, that he wore the same clothes from yesterday. More confused, Barnaby rubbed the sleep from his eyes and tried to call on his memory from before. When had he gone to bed? The hero couldn't remember. In fact, firstly, why didn't he remember most of the previous day? Should that concern him?

And secondly, why was that stupid red rabbit plush tucked in beside him?

Swinging his legs over the bed to the floor, Barnaby received another surprise as his feet connected with the body of Kotetsu, who lay sprawled on the floor beside the bed with a pillow and blanket. The older hero only grunted from the light kick, but otherwise remained completely asleep as he gave a disgruntled little snore. For a moment the blonde just sat there staring, before giving the lump on his floor an experimental nudge with his foot. When said lump not only grumbled but rolled away from him, Barnaby ascertained that he was not imagining things, and his partner was definitely sleeping in his room, on the floor, by his bed.

But why?

No, it was too early to determine why just yet. Coffee. He needed coffee desperately.

Groping for his glasses and finding them on the bedside table, he slipped them on and carefully stepped over his snoring partner on the way to the kitchen. Once there, he nearly programed the coffee machine for one cup by habit, but, remembering his apparent overnight houseguest, Barnaby brewed up a pot and ordered his brain not to tick until he was sitting at the counter a few minutes later, a mug of the hot drink in hand. Stimulated by the caffeine, the blonde thought more in depth about his current confusion and missing memories.

Kotetsu was in his room, in his apartment, when the blonde had no memory of inviting him. But Barnaby was now able to recall snatches of things from the previous day, though nothing solid and he could only confirm that about half of them were real. Added to that, while what he could remember from yesterday seemed extremely strange in his mind.

Suddenly coming to the realization that he was starving, Barnaby considered his options a moment. He supposed toast would be easy enough to make with one arm, or bagels. Resigned, he ended up popping two halves of a bagel into the toaster and sat again to wait, idly sipping from his coffee mug, when he registered movement behind him.

"Good morning." Barnaby greeted after taking a drink from his mug. "I made coffee. Mind telling me why were you sleeping on the floor of my bedroom, Kotetsu?" He turned in his seat to face his friend.

The man he knew as Wild Tiger was standing there barefoot, having obviously removed his shoes and socks, as well as his vest, tie and cap the night before. His dark hair was mussed from sleep, and there was a fabric crease across one side of Kotetsu's face from part of the pillow. Barnaby wondered vaguely if his was a similar state, and subtly ran a hand through his hair.

"Oh thank god. You're back to normal." Was the first statement out of Kotetsu's mouth, and afterwards he gave a huge sigh of relief and smiled, the tension leaving his body.

Well, that wasn't the response Barnaby had expected. "What's that supposed to mean?" He asked, not enjoying feeling so confused this early in the morning.

Stepping around to look his younger partner over a moment, only after seeming satisfied did Kotetsu relax and turn to prepare himself a cup of the freshly brewed coffee, also snagging one of the halves of toasted bread as it popped up, handing the other to his partner. "Okay, well, what do you remember from yesterday?"

The slight topic shift caught him by surprise, but Barnaby reoriented his thoughts to answer the question anyway. "Hmm…I remember waking up in the hospital. Mr. Maverick was there. I called Aunt Samantha to tell her I was being discharged and would come by to see her in a day or two. She sounded really worried. We came back here…" He frowned. "Everything gets muddled after that, but I vaguely recall looking for something. I don't remember how you got here either." Abruptly, the hero sniffed the air; the coffee scent was the strongest in the kitchen, but there was another underlying one that rang a bell. "Did you make fried rice?"

The older man nodded. "Yeah, for lunch yesterday." He smiled wider at the memory. "You asked for it specifically, actually! Scarfed it right down too. You were pretty cute!" He ignored the scowl the other directed at him for that and went on. "Anyway though, uh… Yesterday was…certainly interesting." And that was putting it mildly. "You probably don't remember most of it because you were so high on those pain meds the hospital prescribed for your shoulder." Immediately noting the confused and perhaps slightly disbelieving look that came over the other's face, he smirked a bit. "Oohhhh yeah! You were high as a kite, Bunny. Once I found out there wasn't anything seriously wrong with you, and that you'd just taken another dose by accident, I relaxed, but it was so weird. Pretty damn funny now that I think about it, now that you're not driving me crazy."

As the expression on Barnaby's face shifted now to one of horror, he held up a hand. "Calm down; nothing extreme, but you were a real space cadet, going on about the most random things at times, with no filter. Oh, and obsessed with ice cream." Kotetsu grinned. "You had about two or three cups out of the dozen or so you demanded I bring over. I never knew you liked the stuff so much, as picky an eater as you are, Bunny~!" He teased playfully, the grin turning into more a smirk as the younger's scowl deepened.

"I don't, not that much. You're exaggerating." Getting up, Barnaby walked over to the freezer to disprove what he thought was an absurd accusation. A tiny white lie he was certain Kotetsu was pulling is leg with. However, the minute the blonde opened the door, an ice cream cup tumbled out to roll out across the floor. Several more sat waiting inside as well when he glanced back in. Barnaby stared, mouth parting slightly. "I…demanded all of this?" Kotetsu snickered in amusement at the other's discovery.

"Eh, pretty much." The veteran shrugged slightly, leaning forward onto the counter. "All you said when I asked what flavors you wanted was 'a lot', so I just grabbed a bunch. Figured you were bound to like at least some of them that way."

"Oh." Kneeling, the Barnaby picked up the ice cream cup that had fallen out, looked at it briefly, and put it back on the freezer shelf while meticulously replaying in his mind everything his partner just had said about his strange, drug-induced behavior. Suddenly, horrifyingly, maybe all of it seemed feasible. It definitely explained why most of yesterday was a blur in his mind.

"As for why I was on the floor in your room," Kotetsu continued, "I was afraid you might wake up and almost kill yourself if you tried to do something randomly in the middle of the night. Figured I could stop you if that did happen, but you were unconscious all night, thankfully."

"Yes," Barnaby agreed distractedly, still preoccupied with silent mortification. The expression he eventually turned to Kotetsu was flushed embarrassment, mingled with guilt as he quickly shuffled out of the kitchen, returning a moment later with his wallet. "Here, at least let me –" He fumbled with the leather before just placing it on the counter to fidget some bills free after a bit of a one-handed struggle.

Something else also slipped out. A piece of red and white ribbon, burnt black at both ends but read in bold letters 'Lets Believe'.

Barnaby's left hand quickly snatched up the ribbon a millisecond later and stuffed it into his pocket. "Anyway, here." He offered the money out to his friend. "That should about cover for all of them, for the ice cream. Thank you for humoring me while I was out of my mind." It would no doubt be a struggle, trying to convince his partner not to blab everything to the other heroes. Killing would be the last option he would stoop to on a long list of bribe ideas that unrolled like a scroll in his head, but if that's what it would take… So be it.

Looking at the bills, Kotetsu blinked, but in the next moment smiled and gently pushed the other's hand back. "Nah, don't worry about it Bunny. It was nothing." Barnaby shook his head.

"No, please, I insist. Consider it a bribe if you must, so that no one else…" His face paled again. "Kotetsu?" He began carefully. "No one else knows about this, do they? About yesterday? None of the others know…?" It sounded more like a prayer than a question.

Kotetsu tilted his head in thought. "About yesterday? No, the others don't know anything about it other than your taking time off to recover. Why?"

"Good." Barnaby exhaled. "I wouldn't trust them to keep that information to themselves." As though he were bracing for an attack, the blonde looked his partner dead in the eye. "Did I say or do anything else that I should know about? You would tell me, right? Geeze, this is so embarrassing…" He moaned, looking slightly pained.

"You're only human, Bunny. Despite what some fangirls think." Kotetsu tried to reassure, reaching out to pat the other's good arm. "I'm just glad that second dose of painkillers didn't send you back to the hospital. I'd barely recovered from the first heart attack you almost gave me at the park. Don't go making a habit of getting shot, huh? This old man can only take so much." Maybe if he gave his friend some bait to tease him with he would relax. It seemed to do the trick, as Barnaby then smiled a little.

"As much fun as it was, I'll try bearing that in mind for the future. The risk of heart attack due to excessive stress increases with age." He then offered the money again, ignoring the indignant look Kotetsu shot at him.

"Nope. Not happening!" He crossed his arms and turned away in refusal. So Barnaby instead just stuffed the bills down the back of Kotetsu's green shirt. The older hero yelped, immediately reaching back to try and grab at the blonde's arm.

"Hey! I said no! Bunny~!" He complained.

"I don't see why you just can't take them. You paid for the ice cream out of your own pocket while I was babbling like a fool on those pain meds, not to mention how you practically had to babysit me all day. It will make me feel better in the long run. So please Kotetsu, just shut up and take the –" He winced suddenly, the money battle forgotten as he reached to cradle his right arm. "Starting to come back..." He muttered after taking a careful breath and waiting for the twinge of pain to fade.

Frowning, Kotetsu became serious once more, automatically moving closer to put a hand on Barnaby's good arm to steady the other hero.

"Sit back down, Bunny. You're supposed to be resting. I'll go get the painkillers. To keep you from taking another one yesterday, I hid them." He offered a brief teasing smile before turning and walking out of the kitchen, returning a few moments later rattling the bottle in the air. Twisting it open, he shook out a pill and set it next to the blonde. "Just don't forget you already took one today, okay? I don't think I can handle you high on these two days in a row."

Barnaby huffed briefly and popped the pill, downing it with a swallow of coffee. "I hope it works quickly."

"By the way," The older started as a thought came to him. "If you used your hundred power to heal yourself a bit each day, you should be back to full health again in no time."

"Use my… You can do that?" Barnaby asked curiously.

"Yeah! That's what I did after my fight with Jake so I could get back to warn you, remember? You mean you don't know how to do it?" He asked bluntly.

"It never crossed my mind to try." The younger hero admitted with some embarrassment. "I've never needed to before."

Kotetsu grinned. "It's no big deal, Bunny. I'll teach you!" He happily offered.

"Will you?" Barnaby replied flatly, already looking disbelieving.

The sarcasm went right over Kotetsu's head, juiced up as he was getting. "If I can do it, it should come quickly to you, right? You'll be back to hopping around hoarding points before you know it!" He stated confidently.

"I don't hoard points." The blonde corrected indignantly.

"If not, you're certainly obsessed with them. But you do hop." Came the teasing reply as Kotetsu laughed a bit.

"Anyway," Barnaby said, interrupting anything else his friend planned on saying, "I suppose I should try now, before the painkillers kick in and I won't know if I'm doing it correctly."

"You know, I wonder if one dose will still make you dopey like you were yesterday, or just mellow." Kotetsu pondered aloud in amusement, smirking at the narrow-eyed look he got for it. "What? It was funny!"

"So you've said. Twice. Now be quiet, if you can." He smiled in satisfaction as his partner scowled and proceeded to sulk.

Taking a breath a few minutes later, the blonde's eyes blue before he closed them in order to concentrate. The hero concentrated on his damaged shoulder, which was currently throbbing steadily. Soon however, he realized he hadn't a damn clue of how to utilize his hundred power to heal himself.

His struggle must have been evident, because a second later he heard Kotetsu ask him, "Want me to walk you through it?"

"No." Barnaby immediately replied. If the veteran had figured this out on his own, surely he could manage just as well.

"Okay…"

It returned to silence until the blonde sighed in frustration a moment later. "What am I missing? It shouldn't be any different from the way I've used my powers in the past."

"But it kinda is." Kotetsu informed him. "The usual way we use our powers affects stuff mostly outside our bodies. But with this, it's what's in your body you're trying to affect. Get what I mean?"

"Only because I mostly understand the way you think, yes. I think."

He thought about what his partner had said, and almost instantly he could feel it. A tingling sensation as Barnaby felt his flesh knit back together slightly, but at an accelerated rate. Stubbornly he held back from making any noise out of reaction to the feeling, pushing his powers until eventually he could no longer stand it, and let go.

Opening his eyes to find Kotetsu watching him intently, expectantly, if not with a little pride, Barnaby said, "I think it worked, somewhat… Or the pill is absorbing into my bloodstream quicker than I thought and I can't tell the difference." Taking a moment to collect himself, feeling somewhat pleased to have used his powers for a new purpose, the hero could still sense his friend watching him and had to smile. The man could worry enough for ten people, at least, despite his seemingly carefree personality.

"Well at least if it didn't do much this time you can try again in an hour, right?"

"Right." Barnaby briefly thought of the ribbon he had tucked away in his pocket and wondered if Kotetsu even remembered that time Lunatic had singed his shoulder. It had been a nasty burn, but healed quickly, and now Barnaby knew why. And the older hero had only received that injury because he'd protected him from the vigilante's attack, and without a second thought. Even now Barnaby still could not believe it, but it was easier to accept now that they were friends.

"Kotetsu." He said quietly, and heard his partner hum in acknowledgement. "Think I could have a glass of water?"

"Oh, yeah, hold on." After remembering where the glasses were located, Kotetsu soon had one filled, and he set the glass down in front of the blonde.

"Thanks." After taking a gulp, he sat down the glass and began tapping at it with a finger contemplatively. "So, about what happened the other day, at the park…"

"Yeah?" Kotetsu asked, taking a bite of his bagel half.

"I'm no longer a helpless child. I'm a hero, like you. And when we're out patrolling the city, I'm more than capable of handling myself. But we're a team, so that means we have to work together and I believe we've mastered that, for the most part." Barnaby tapped the glass again, staring down at the water. "What I'm trying to say is that a likelihood of something like this, or something similar happening again is very high. Those are the stakes of our chosen occupation, the price for protecting the people of Sternbild. You've said so yourself, that as heroes it's our first priority, protecting people. Bearing that in mind, I'd still choose to go out there with you again, at any time, because despite what you say, you always seem to forget how you also fall under that category. Because…you are my favorite partner."

Kotetsu could only stand there and stare dumbly back at his partner, at a loss for words a moment. Had he just heard that correctly? Was Barnaby opening up to him once more and being honest about how he felt? It was quite the step considering that the younger was usually so stubborn and determined to show that nothing bothered him, or wasn't emotionally affected by anything. Of course the veteran had already seen just how well that usually went, with the fits of sudden rage, the near breakdowns, or lack of trust towards him previously. But each time, they had gotten through it. Together, as partners.

As friends.

The fact that this revelation was being admitted to him out loud like this spoke volumes to him. How should he react?

Usually Kotetsu tended to mess up situations like this, times where a little tact or critical thinking was necessary. Surprisingly though, the appropriately response came to him relatively quickly and, despite how excited he felt, he didn't have trouble holding it back as he chuckled warmly, sincere appreciation and affection shining in his eyes.

"I'm you're only partner, Bunny." With a grin, Kotetsu held up his hand, making a thumbs up, fisted towards the other hero. "And so would I."

Looking first at the offered hand, then up at Kotetsu, Barnaby shifted to meet his partner half way and lightly bumped their knuckles together, grinning as well.

"Exactly."