herotvlive | For Efflations: Come Fly With Me

Agnes's life is scheduled out for the next ten years.
It DEFINITELY does not include room for things like romance.
ESPECIALLY not with Sky High of all people.

Ship: Agnes x Keith/Sky High

Other characters: Kotetsu/Wild Tiger

Prior Events:

Irresistible Force vs. Immovable Object
Agnes is hurt on location. Cue massive guilt from Sky High. Contains several princess carries and numerous threats of being hit with crutches!

Dance Lessons
Tiger needs dancing lessons. Agnes volunteers Keith. THIS will go well!

Summer Wind
The Superhero Swing Party has arrived! Features dancing by Mr. Wild with Mr. Brooks and Agnes running out of contingency plans...

Warnings: Possibly eventual adult situations, swearing, absurd amounts of Sinatra

Current Mood: hyper
Current Music: "Come Fly With Me," Frank Sinatra

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

herotvlive

[By this time they've reached street level. Normally Kotetsu would just hit Hero's Bar, but they might run into the others there. Somehow, he doubts Keith wants an audience for this conversation.]

Come on. Let's try somewhere else tonight.

[It's a nice evening for a walk anyway. Kotetsu sets a hand under his chin, thinking.]

Romantic. Hmmmmm. I guess the last romantic thing I did was dancing but that wasn't even my idea!

[This is really more Blue Rose or Fire Emblem's area, isn't it? Though if Keith wanted to ask them he would have. So maybe he's not looking for the stereotypical "flowers/chocolates/promises you don't intend to keep" bit. Kotetsu can sympathize. He's had to do a lot of re-thinking on "romantic" lately!]

I mean, you think 'romance' and you think dancing or flowers and all that Hallmark crap but... not everyone wants that, you know? So maybe... Well, seems like anything could be romantic, if the other person likes it. It's more about the thought you put into it.

From:

efflations

[Keith had had the same concern about Hero's Bar so it's a relief when Tiger suggests trying somewhere else. He nods happily and follows, content to keep walking as long as Tiger wants.]

Really? Dancing? So...

[Mr Wild had said when they were first practising dancing that it had been several years since his last time. Did that mean he'd met someone at the party too? Or did he mean that the last romantic thing he'd done had been dancing with his wife? He didn't seem sad like Keith might expect if it was with Mrs Tiger he meant. Would it be OK to ask? If Mr Wild had met someone too then he wanted to know! But first, he had asked for advice and Mr Wild was being kind enough to take the time to help him.]

Anything if they like it.... That's true! You're right Mr Wild, you're absolutely right!

[He just had to figure out what things Ms Agnes liked. Or really, what things she liked that weren't work-related. She had seemed to enjoy dancing. When her leg was fully healed he could see about taking her out like that again. In the meantime he could try and think of other things they could do too.]

You said that you went dancing Mr Wild? Was this at the party too?

From:

herotvlive

[Agnes likes work and kicking other people's asses. Not necessarily in that order.

Dancing may also be acceptable.]

Well yeah - Come on, Keith, you were there!

[Kotetsu laughs, and then elbows his fellow Hero in the ribs.]

By the way, cut the "Wild" stuff, we're not at work! You know you can call me Kotetsu, right?

[Look, they're going out for drinks and to talk about Relationships. If that doesn't qualify for first-name basis, he doesn't know what does.]

From:

efflations

[So he should find a way to let Agnes borrow his powers so she can do both at once then? ...Might have to stick with the dancing.]

I was but I didn't see you dancing with anyone special that night...

[Tiger had danced with some of the other guests but the only person Keith had seen him with more than once was Barnaby. Unless something had happened while he was off with Ms Agnes?]

Right! If you're sure, Mr Wi- Kotetsu.

[It doesn't really matter what they're doing or that they're off-duty (and calling him Wild Tiger wouldn't help Keith's own secret identity any), using Tiger- Kotetsu's first name without permission would be rude. Kotetsu is his senior after all and a truly admirable hero too.]

Um, so who is she? If you don't mind my asking? That is, if it's OK to ask who she is?

From:

herotvlive

[Geeze, they've been friends how long? Come on, all of Sternbild knows who ~~Kotetsu~~ WILD TIGER is at this point. (Getting half your armor blown off and your partner screaming your name on live TV will do that.) No reason to stay formal, but then that's always been Keith's schtick. Heh, and people call Kotetsu the old-fashioned one.

He grins, wondering if Keith's managed to call his girlfriend by her first name yet. There's about to be some teasing there - but the next question throws him.]

Huh? Who who is?

[Great, now he's starting to sound like Sky High.]

From:

efflations

[He may have managed to drop the 'Ms' once or twice. With some encouragement. OK, probably not. It's just too heavily ingrained to treat Agnes with the utmost respect for the habit to be broken any time soon. Or ever.

As for Ti- Kotetsu's confusion, Keith matches it all too well, blinking at the other hero with a puzzled frown.]

Who the person you met at the party is. The special woman you danced with. When you said it was the last time you'd done anything romantic. I wanted to know who she is.

But if you don't want to tell me that's fine! I understand, I haven't said about myself and M- Um. The lady I've been seeing either. It's fine!

From:

herotvlive

[Kotetsu stops, and really looks at Keith.

He... really doesn't know?

Crap. Shit. How is he supposed to explain this without breaking him? Keith barely comprehends dating exists.]

Ah... Keith? I wasn't... talking about a woman.

[Awkward. Well, this IS the first time he's actually had to say this out loud. Everybody already knew.]

From:

efflations

[For someone who has worked with Fire Emblem for as long as he has you'd think Keith would be a bit faster on the uptake. Instead he just stares at Kotetsu uncomprehendingly, trying to puzzle out the answer.

There wasn't a woman? Then what had Tiger meant?]

No? I don't understand. I thought you said you'd met someone?

From:

herotvlive

[Fire Emblem is an outlier and should not have been counted in the sample size... ANYWAY.

Kotetsu reviews the conversation so far, rubbing the back of his head.]

Well, sort of? I mean, a long time ago?

[Kotetsu "Cannot Spit It Out" Kaburagi, everybody.]

Look, it's like - You're just going about things like normal, and then suddenly you just see someone differently? Only you realize you've been seeing them differently for a long time, but you finally GET it? It was like that.

From:

efflations

[But outliers can only be excluded if the proper statistical test has been performed. And it's such a small sample size to begin with that it's hard to justify the exclusion. And it would make Keith even slower on the uptake to do so.

They'd met a long time ago. And Kotetsu had just realised how he felt towards this person. And they weren't a woman.... It was almost just like with him and Ms Agnes. Someone who knew and worked closely with Wild Tiger then? But surely that could only mean-

Keith frowns at Tiger, studying him intently.]

Mr Wild.

[It's deliberate this time. A reminder. Wild Tiger is a hero and an adult and he wants to be understood on this.]

I know I can't tell you what to do but... Miss Rose is still very young. It would be terrible for her to get hurt by someone she looks up to.

From:

herotvlive

WHAT?!

[The shout is so loud the entire street turns to look at them. Kotetsu manages to dial it back, but he is no less shocked.]

Me and - WHAT?! Karina?! What the HELL Keith, I'm old enough to be her father!

From:

efflations

Exactly!

[Love is love and if two people have found it that should be enough but Miss Rose is still very young even if she's a hero and she does look up to Mr Wild, no matter what she says about him. It just seems like it might not be the best idea.]

So please, be careful. I know you wouldn't do anything to hurt her on purpose but...

[Do the other heroes know? Surely one of them would have said something to Tiger by now if they did. He can't be the first.]

From:

herotvlive

[This is getting ridiculous. There is NO way he would have missed TWO people feeling that way about him, alright?! He's not THAT thick!]

Keith - I am NOT dating Karina. I have never even THOUGHT about dating Karina! I CARE about her, but it is NOT that kind of caring, okay?!

From:

efflations

Oh. Really?

[Well Tiger- Kotetsu - wouldn't lie about it if he were so then-]

I'm sorry. Truly sorry, I just thought if it was someone you've known a while too but just realised how you felt- Sorry.

[Maybe it was someone who worked at Apollon Media then, someone he didn't know. It wasn't as though they could only date other people associated with HeroTV.]

Ah, do I know them?

From:

herotvlive

Nah, it's okay -

[He feels bad this is turning into a runaround. If you're dating someone, you should be proud of it, right?! You should be able to say their name! He takes a deep breath, and it all spills out before it can get tangled up again.]

I'm talking about Barnaby, Keith.

From:

efflations

Eh? Barnaby? Really?

[Wild Tiger and Barnaby? They're-]

Really?

[He stops, thinks back to the days following the party. Had the two of them been acting any different? Maybe not but now that he thought about it some of the other heroes had been. Knowing looks and jokes he hadn't gotten. He hadn't thought about it, too distracted by his own love life. Tiger and Barnaby?

Finally Keith focuses back on Kotetsu and grins.]

That's wonderful! Truly wonderful! You both deserve to be happy! Congratulations and again congratulations!

From:

herotvlive

[Maybe Keith didn't notice any changes in their behavior because they were already acting like they were dating?

Kotetsu laughs, and definitely does not blush at all. Not even a little!]

Yeah. Yeah, really. Thanks.

[Then he smacks Keith on the shoulder, happy.]

And thanks again, because if it wasn't for you who knows if I ever would have pulled my head out of my ass?

From:

efflations

[Oh right. That's why.]

Me? What did I do?

[Dancing. Kotetsu said it had been at the party and they danced. Tiger and Barnaby had danced.]

Ah! The party! Dancing together! That was how you realised how you felt?

[He hugs Kotetsu impulsively, thumping him on the back and still grinning with delight.]

I'm so happy I could help!

[Thinking about it, he's reminded of something else from around that time too-]

Is that why you were nervous about dancing with him?

From:

herotvlive

Oof!

[They're fairly evenly matched, physically, but Keith's enthusiasm is a force of nature! Kotetsu stumbles back, laughing.]

Yeeeeeeeeeah, that was why. We um... talked a long time, after you left. The party just made it kinda official.

[It was just talking. THAT time. He's confident Keith isn't going to go reading anything else into it UNLIKE SOME PEOPLE (every single other Hero.)]

From:

efflations

[All that time and he hadn't noticed? He hadn't even picked up that something had changed from how the others acted?

Oh well. It doesn't matter. They're both happy - or so he assumes. It's hard to tell with Barnaby if he's happier than he was before. Definitely happier than when he first became a hero but beyond that? No. He's happy and Tiger is happy and Keith is happy for them.]

We should all celebrate together! All of us! After Ms- after I've spoken to the others too. They do all know, don't they?

From:

herotvlive

[Bunny's... probably not going to go for that. Neither is Kotetsu, to be honest. But Keith looks so happy for now it's no good bursting his bubble.]

Bastards all claim they knew from Day One! Maybe Nathan did. And Agnes, but hey, Madame Producer knows EVERYTHING so she doesn't count.

[Liiiiiiittle bit of sarcasm there! Then he catches a convenient change of subject, and his grin shades a little evil.]

Wait, 'Ms.'? Ms. who?

From:

efflations

Eh? Ms- Ah. Um. Ms...

[What should he say? He can't lie - Kotetsu will spot it straight away. He can't tell the truth either, not yet.]

I can't say. I'm sorry Mr Wild but we were going to tell everyone together and so I can't answer. Please understand.

[It's not as though that's far more telling than a name, that the most obvious reason he can't give a name is that Tiger would recognise it. Maybe it would've been smarter to claim he doesn't know her name, like the girl in the park. That might have worked!]

From:

herotvlive

[Oh yes. Brilliant plan! Kotetsu would be SURE to believe that you don't know your girlfriend's name!

Aaaaaand we're back to titles again. Kotetsu sighs, then gets the door since they've reached the restaurant.]

Nah, I get it. Whevener you're both comfortable. You don't have to make an announcement about it, though! You're making it sound like a press conference!

From:

efflations

No! Nothing like that!

[Ms Agnes wouldn't - she wouldn't. She'd been the one to say it could be dangerous if people knew she was involved with Sky High, even the best ratings ever wouldn't make her do that. Right?]

No, it's just.... you do all need to know. Not just because you're my friends and I want to tell you either.

[He was sure none of them would have a problem with it but for the sake of fairness. And if they didn't get told he'd let it slip eventually. It would be too hard to keep a secret.]

From:

herotvlive

"Not just?" There's another reason?

[This is making less and less sense.

The restaurant is warm and crowded, the kind of place with red-checked tablecloths. The hostess greats Kotetsu by name - obviously he's a regular - then leads the pair of Heroes to a table in the back.]

Why would we need to know?