I'd been debating whether or not to deanon this for a while - not because of anything objectionable in the fic, but because the explanation for Barnaby's condition in this fic involved me anonymously disclosing some slightly personal information on the kinkmeme. The short of it is that said sexual condition isn't exactly made up from whole cloth, although there's some artistic liberty in that I'm applying the nerve miswiring in question to male anatomy.

Anyways, kinkmeme prompt for Barnaby and his significant other of choice (in this case, no surprise, Kotetsu) to find a way to work around his inability to enjoy penetrative sex.

When Barnaby woke up and looked at himself in the mirror every morning, he wondered why he was ever stupid enough to start a relationship with Kotetsu.

Oh, it wasn't that he didn't love Kotetsu. Definitely not because of that. He did, more than anything. Barnaby was fully aware of why he pulled Kotetsu aside that day two months ago and told him that. He didn't want to be his partner; he wanted to be his lover.

The only problem was that he actually couldn't.

He couldn't believe how often he'd forget it. So many times a week, there would be something about Kotetsu (a surprise kiss; an embrace from behind; a clumsy attempt to be cool that somehow worked) that would keep Barnaby thinking about him all day. So many times a week, Barnaby would take that thought home, slide a hand into his pants...

… And remember that he couldn't feel anything.

It wasn't that he was devoid of sexuality. Kotetsu stirred things inside of him. The right stretch or look would send a spark through Barnaby's spine. Parts of his body would respond, but they weren't the parts that needed to if he wanted to enjoy any of it. In those places he was numb, completely and absolutely.

This wasn't a new thing for him. Barnaby had known that he was like this since he was fourteen, when two parts curiosity and three parts simple teenage urges lead him to try masturbation. Twelve minutes, and the only thing he felt was a vague sense of pressure as his fingers touched his member.

The experiment failed, and a later attempt with going anal ended up downright unpleasant, but he wasn't terribly bothered by all of this. He simply took his inability to respond for granted. He didn't really care that he couldn't enjoy sex; there were infinitely more important matters to deal with. For most of his life, sex was just a thing other people did.

Then Kotetsu – clumsy, foolish, and inexplicably irresistible – inserted himself into his life, and Barnaby was suddenly aware there was something he could never have.

Barnaby opened the medicine cabinet. As he reached for the toothpaste, his eyes fell on a bottle and two small packets that would probably never go used.

Sooner or later, he was going to have to break it off – to come clean. Kotetsu may have been extraordinarily patient, but he wasn't asexual. Barnaby had caught the occasional hungry look he got in the changing room, and every time made him feel terrible. Intentionally or not, he was dangling the promise of sex in front of his partner with little confidence he could actually fulfill it. It was too cruel to a man who deserved far better.

The medicine cabinet closed, and Barnaby came to a decision: by the end of the day, he was going to correct the mistake he'd been making for two months.

This relationship was going to end.

"I don't get it."

"There's nothing to get, Kotetsu," Barnaby said with a frown. When he came over to tell Kotetsu's apartment to tell him the truth, the nonchalant reaction of the man lounging on the couch next to him was not the one Barnaby expected. "I can't have sex. It's unfair to you. I'm breaking up with you so you can be with someone who can actually give you what you need."

"And that doesn't make any sense." Kotetsu stretched and crossed his legs in a way that reminded Barnaby that they were about half a foot too long. Barnaby's eyes narrowed in a move to convince himself that he didn't like it. Breaking it off with Kotetsu would be hard enough without the older man seducing him – probably unwittingly – out of the decision.

"Why wouldn't it?"

Kotetsu gave a small chuckle at Barnaby's confusion, clearly amused to get a one over on his more conscientious partner for once. "Well, it's simple really," he said. With a drape of an arm and a light tug, Barnaby's shoulder made contact with Kotetsu's chest. "Why would I want out just because of sex?"

The touch made Barnaby chest tighten and his stomach burn, but he remained stoic. "I appreciate the sentiment, but you're being naïve. You can't last forever, Kotetsu, and there's not much of a point of continuing a relationship if-"

"I hope you aren't about to suggest that sex is a requirement for a romance, little Bunny," Kotetsu said, and gave a laugh a bit louder than the one before. "And I'll have you know that I can easily take care of my own needs, if it worries you so much." Kotetsu's hold on Barnaby loosened a little, and he turned to look at him. His amused expression developed just a hint of seriousness. "Besides, I'm more concerned about you."

"What do you mean?"

"I can handle myself on this, but what about you?" Kotetsu punctuated his question by sliding his hand along Barnaby's shoulder and up to more sensitive areas. "If you didn't want to do it, that would be fine, but it doesn't really sound like that.." A finger made its way up Barnaby's neck, which made him stiffen.

"I'm fine." He tried to keep his voice from cracking..

"Do you want to be able to enjoy sex?"

Silence.

"So, is that a yes or a no?"

Barnaby was hesitant to give a definitive answer. "There's no point in wanting something I can't have," he said, and his face went sour. It was infuriating how easily Kotetsu could read him at times.

"You don't usually give up so easily, Bunny." Kotetsu smirked devilishly, or he would if he was at all capable of being devilish. "What if I told you that I might have a solution?"

"I'm not keen on setting myself up for disappointment." Barnaby kept himself as cool as the situation would allow. Kotetsu's offer was dripping with temptation, but he resisted. As much as he would love for Kotetsu to come up with a magical fix for his condition, he had no intention of getting his hopes up for an answer that was doomed to fail.

Then Kotetsu dropped four simple but magical words.

"Trust me on this."

Barnaby's resistance disappeared.

The only thing in Barnaby's bedroom was the bed itself, but they wouldn't need anything else.

Kotetsu showed up on the doorstep with a goofy smile on his face and a leather satchel slung over his shoulder.

"Ready for your shining knight, Bunny?"

"Yes, but he still hasn't gotten here yet."

Kotetsu pouted and slumped. "You never let me be cool."

"Perhaps," Barnaby said, "But you were never very good at it. Just stick with cute. Now, come on. There's no point in wasting time."

The older man grumbled something about how tigers weren't supposed to be cute as he let himself in, but Barnaby paid little attention. Instead, he turned to set his eyes on his sparse apartment interior and briefly wished it held more than two pieces of furniture. The confident air he had when he answered the door began to evaporate. "So... how is this going to happen, exactly?"

He heard the rustle of Kotetsu adjusting his satchel. "Well, we can break out some wine and candles and try to set up some atmosphere first, or we can get right to the fun. It's your call."

"Drinks seem like they'd be unnecessary. I'd rather just start."

"Works for me." Kotetsu strode past Barnaby towards the lonesome chair that stood in the center of the room. Taking a seat, he opened his satchel and began to rummage through it. "You go ahead and get yourself ready for lovemaking. I'm just gotta make sure I got everything."

Barnaby eyed the satchel, then the bedroom door. "I already have... things in the bathroom that we can use," he said.

"You mean condoms and lube, right?" Kotetsu asked, not looking up from his bag.

"Yeah."

"Won't need 'em."

Kotetsu's dismissive comment was liable to raise an eyebrow, and it did. "Kotetsu, even if neither of us have sexually transmitted diseases, unprotected anal intercourse can easily lead to infections and-"

"I believe we've already covered the whole issue with anal yesterday: you probably won't enjoy it, and I probably won't be any good at it. Ergo, no anal."

"So, does that mean we're doing oral then?" Barnaby asked

"Of course not! The whole point here is to get you off. Given what you've told me, I doubt a blow job is going to do anything."

Barnaby knitted his eyebrows, confused with Kotetsu's reasoning. "Kotetsu, this whole thing is about finding a way for me to enjoy sex, correct?"

"Sure."

"I believe that requires actual sex to be involved."

Kotetsu laughed, which made Barnaby frown harder. "And here I thought you did your research," he said. "You see, little Bunny, today is the day you're gonna learn that not all sex involves sticks and holes. Now go and get yourself ready. I'll be there in a minute." He pulled out a small bottle of what looked like cologne and gave it a sniff.

Barnaby considered giving a token protest, but in the end he just sighed and headed towards the bedroom. "I hope you know what you're doing, Kotetsu."

"You'll see in just a moment that I know exactly how to go about this."

Why was he doing this again?

Barnaby fidgeted on top of the bed, half dressed and half regretting agreeing to this whole endeavor. Kotetsu had knocked on the door twice, and Barnaby had chickened out and asked for another minute both times.

First times are nerve-wracking. First times where you're not quite wired like everyone else and your partner has decided to toss out anything resembling standard procedure are terrifying. The chances that this wouldn't end in an awkward, screwed-up disaster were incredibly slim by Barnaby's estimate.

But when he factored in Kotetsu and his cocksure assurance that he was going to make things work, somehow that was enough for Barnaby to take the chance.

What exactly did that man do to his brain?

There was another knock on the bedroom door. "Are you ready for me now, Bunny?" asked a slightly annoyed voice.

Barnaby swallowed and decided to bite the bullet. "Yes. I think I am, at least."

"Thank god. I was afraid you were getting cold feet there for awhile."

It was a second later that the door slid open and Kotetsu stepped into the dimly lit room, starkly highlighted by light of the room behind him, and...

And...

… Goddamn.

Kotetsu was a contradiction of sorts: a man nearing nearing forty with a body he must have stolen from a man half his age and the energy of a boy half of even that. Both leggy and broad-shouldered, it was to decide if he was solid, lanky, or somewhere between. His features were sharp and mature, almost all traces of boyishness long gone, but the animation behind them was impossibly youthful. He had the grace of a dog on a glass floor, yet came with unpredictable bursts of catlike finesse – this very moment being such an example.

In short, he was a dorky, middle-aged fogey that could prove himself mind-evisceratingly gorgeous without a moment's notice, and usually with no knowledge of it

Except right now, in which he appeared fully aware of what he was capable of.

Whatever rational though Barnaby was capable of was completely obliterated.

Kotetsu's pants were still on, but his shirt wasn't. He slipped on the second of two black gloves, the first already in place. Barnaby briefly wondered what their purpose was, but then Kotetsu shifted his weight, and Barnaby's attention was immediately drawn to those infernal legs.

"Enjoying the view?" Kotetsu asked.

"...A-a little," Barnaby choked out, trying very hard to remain cool. He failed quite spectacularly at it.

Kotetsu chuckled. "Well, you're welcome to it for as long as you want. This wild tiger is yours to tame today."

The terrible line quickly snapped Barnaby back to reality. "Aaaand whatever you had going there is now completely gone. I must say that you're quite good at that."

"... I hate you."

"If you did, we wouldn't be doing this." The banter worked well to build up Barnaby's confidence that this whole thing just might work. It made the situation feel less alien to him, more natural. He made a gesture welcoming Kotetsu to join him. "If it makes you feel any better, you still look great."

"Coming from you, I'll take that as high praise." Kotetsu approached the bed in large strides, and got onto it with a quick jump. Along with him came the fresh scent of citrus. (So that bottle was cologne, it seemed.) As he drew closer, Barnaby's mind shifted back to the black gloves, which seemed to disappear into the dark sheets of the bed.

"What are those for?" He asked as Kotetsu crawled over to him.

"What are wha- Oh, these?" Kotetsu lifted one of the clothed hands before placing it gently on Barnaby's bare chest. "They're silk. I figured you'd like them better than rough ol' man hands." He punctuated the statement by drawing a slow line from collar to navel with a single finger. The shiver the motion created served only to prove Kotetsu right.

"So is that what we're gonna go? Fondle me with silk gloves until I come?" The a second glove joined the first, and they roamed across Barnaby's stomach, occasionally flirting with his sides. The gliding touch sent a charge through him, but it wasn't the unbridled, uncontrollable electricity that he'd come to expect from what he'd heard and read.

"Oh, no. This is just for the start." They were moving back up now, tracing the line just under his collarbone. "We'll get to the really good stuff when you're good and ready."

Barnaby wondered exactly what Kotetsu meant by that, but he became distracted when Kotetsu apparently decided his hands weren't enough and that he'd have to add his mouth to the equation. It took the hands' place at the collarbone, freeing them to spread across Barnaby's shoulder's and down his arms. The feeling they generated was growing a bit stronger, Kotetsu's hungry kisses bringing something that he didn't know he wanted.

Kotetsu came up to speak, messy bangs blocking Barnaby's view of his eyes. "Know where your erogenous zones are?" He asked. "Erogenous" wasn't exactly a sexy word, but Barnaby was willing to let it slide, as Kotetsu was doing quite well otherwise.

"I-I'm not sure." Kotetsu's hands were still moving, and it was getting more difficult for Barnaby to speak calmly. "I've never really both-" a sharp breath "-bothered with them before."

"Well, then we'll just have to find them, won't we?" Kotetsu gave a devilish smirk that, unlike all previous attempts, actually worked. He brought his hands back to Barnaby's chest and ran a finger over his nipples. "How's this?"

"Pretty good, but not much different from the rest."

The hands went left and right, finding the sides of his ribs. "How 'bout now?"

"A little warmer."

The inside line of his arms. "And what about h-"

"Holy fuck!"

"There we go!"

The slow climb became a rapid spike, and Barnaby's limbs started moving on his own. Arms shaky after Kotetsu's trace, he still managed to wrap them around Kotetsu's neck and pull him down for a kiss. The taste on his lips and tongue was unusual – plain chapstick and cinnamon gum, Barnaby guessed – but at the moment he wouldn't have preferred anything else. Feeling bold, Barnaby let his hands start exploring. One looped under Kotetsu's arm to reach his back. The other found its way into his hair – thick and course, but not so much that Barnaby couldn't enjoy the feel of it.

Kotetsu broke off the kiss. "I take it you're ready now?"

Barnaby was too breathless to speak immediately, so he simply nodded. Taking that as his cue, Kotetsu's rampant fondling stopped, and he leaned back to give Barnaby some room to breath. With a clearer view, Barnaby could see that he was erect. It wasn't a new experience; the number of boys who hadn't found their pants tented for little reason some time in their lifetime could probably be counted on one hand. However, it didn't occur often for Barnaby anymore, and he was somewhat surprised to see himself brought up through Kotetsu's work.

Then again, wasn't that the point of all this?

Kotetsu's fingers hooked themselves under the band of Barnaby's boxers and pulled them down his legs, while Barnaby eased the move by lifting his hips slightly off the bed. He was a bit cooled down now – certainly still ready for whatever Kotetsu was going to bring, but not too hot and bothered that he couldn't form coherent sentences anymore.

The boxers were off. Kotetsu readjusted himself, straddling one of Barnaby's legs but leaving the other free. Barnaby could see the older man eying his erection. He didn't know how many other men Kotetsu had seen erect, much less how he would have compared to them, but Kotetsu's appraising look seemed to mean that he didn't need to worry.

"I never thought you'd trim yourself down there, Bunny." Kotetsu ran his thumb across the point where Barnaby's inner thigh met the rest of him. The gesture brought a hot shiver, and the only thing keeping Barnaby's legs from snapping together was Kotetsu's presence between them.

He managed to reassemble himself quickly, however. "Planning ahead. You never know when the sponsors will ask for a nude photoshoot."

Kotetsu laughed. "God, you really do take this job too seriously for your own good."

"Maybe you should consider doing the same."

A pout. "I do! Just none of that side stuff. Anyways..." He ended the mock fight by returning to Barnaby's member and running a finger its side. "I'm going to take a wild guess and say you can't feel much of this."

"Yeah..." Even with Kotetsu's silk-clad finger, the touch felt as vague and dull as it always had.

"Expected as much, but may we as well have checked." Kotetsu turned to reach for something in his back pocket, and Barnaby could see the muscles in his side shift and tighten. He may have not been doing anything physical to him at the moment, but the older man was certainly raining hell on his mind.

Kotetsu snapped back instantly. "Ah, got it!" Held between his fingers was a... thing about the length of an extended hand. The length of it was green, and its tip looked to be clear plastic. Barnaby first guessed it was a flashlight, but it was too small and not quite the right shape.

And so he asked, "What's that?"

"This? A vibrator."

"It looks too small to be one."

"It's a pocket rocket. Somethin' like that, anyway." Kotetsu pushed down Barnaby's free leg. "Now, I'm gonna warn you that this thing's pretty strong – stronger than what you've probably felt at least. I just want you to brace yourself so you don't start flailing and poking one of us in the eye right when we start, alright?"

Barnaby nodded and locked his limbs into place. He felt the tip of the vibrator press against the inside of his pinned leg and Kotetsu's hand on his hip. The device's tip was soft and not at all cold like he expected. Looking to Kotetsu, he waited for what came next.

"If you want to stop, just tell me. Shout... um, 'no' or 'stop', I guess. Got it?"

"Yes."

An almost feral grin spread across Kotetsu's lips, and his eyes looked almost black in the dim light. "Alrighty then. Starting in three..."

The vibrator pressed a bit deeper into Barnaby's skin.

"... Two..."

Barnaby grit his teeth and tensed his joints.

"... One!"

With a click and a loud hum, the world as he knew it dissolved.

It wasn't just that the vibrator was strong – Kotetsu was hitting all the right nerves at all the right angles, and Barnaby went off. There were no longer any words in his head, just sounds and sensations and heat and oh fuck, what was that man doing? Barnaby's attempts to keep his muscles under control failed spectacularly as every joint melted and all that remained was fluid writhing. He felt silk again, making its way up his side, and a warm tongue was circling around his nalav... vanal... shit, where did his brain go?

The hum didn't stay at his hips. He could barely think places, but he could think directions. Up. Across A shaky line went down and right at once – a hot, thick streak in a sea of ice. It was just above above his cock now. Probably. Maybe. What was a cock again? He didn't know, and he cared even less. The swears and moaning were his, and the hazy voice in the background ("More sens...ive here... thought.") could only be Kotetsu's.

Clarity was haphazard. Barnaby could feel a hand slipping around his back and tickling his spine, but the bed underneath them may as well have not existed. He was aware that he was building to something, but not to what... Wait, no. Not building. Diving. Skydiving. All falling and adrenaline and waiting for that one frightening bit just before it's too late and now Kotetsu was doing that thing to his arm again and keep doing that, you brilliant fool..

Counting. Counting down. One hundred. Seventy. Fifty two. It wasn't much longer until release. Barnaby couldn't make out the humming, the licking, or the touches anymore; each was just one more drop in a sea of what was about to overflow. He could make out Kotetsu, though – dark hair and dark eyes and a dark, broad chest hovering just inches above his stomach. An evil grin. That beautiful bastard had complete control over him and new it damned well. It probably should bother him, but the only thing in his mouth and mind was, "Harder, goddammit!"

And so the humming device pressed deeper into his skin, and the end came into sight.

Twelve.

Seven.

Three. Two. One.

Barnaby saw a tiny flash of white.

Release.

And then it was over.

The world returned in slow pieces, and Barnaby realized how raw his lungs and throat felt. There was a crick in his back, and he could feel every wrinkle in the sheets underneath him. His arms still felt strengthless – lengths of loose rope instead of bone and muscle – but he was able to prop himself up on his elbows with some effort.

He saw that Kotetsu was sitting up again, still locked around one of his legs. Barnaby noticed there was a bit of milk-white fluid splashed on the older man's stomach and side, which he realized with some embarrassment was his semen.

Kotetsu looked down and noticed a thin trail of it trickling down his pants and laughed. "Maybe I should've taken these off first." Kotetsu gave one of those lopsided grins he was prone to. He quickly tried to wipe himself off with his hands, only to realize he was still wearing the gloves. "Shit, now I have to get a new pair of these as well." After failing to remove them normally, he pulled the gloves off by the fingertips with his teeth – and with absolutely no grace.

Barnaby blinked. Ten seconds ago, this man sent him effortlessly on a round trip to nirvana. Looking at him now – the goofy, clumsy man that he usually was – Barnaby had trouble figuring out how.

"And these were expensive too." Hands unclothed, Kotetsu tried to clean off the semen on him with minimal success. After the futile attempt, he looked back at Barnaby. "So, how'd I do?"

Barnaby had no idea how to give that question an adequate answer. He didn't need to, however, as they were interrupted by the sound of two alarms going off in unison – call alarms from their wrist communicators. Kotetsu answered his without a second thought (and, thankfully, without the video feed).

"Tiger, Barnaby. There's been a structural failure at one of the bronze stage pillars. We need everyone we can get for evacuation and damage minimization. Intersection G7, now."

Agnes didn't bother for a response before she clicked off. Kotetsu cursed under his breath as he turned off the communicator off. "So much for cleanup. Agnes probably already has the bus heading to the apartment."

Barnaby didn't hate work, but there weren't many worse times for a disaster to happen. "So we're gonna have to greet Saito drenched in sweat and smelling like sex? Won't this go wonderfully."

"You're not the one that has jizz all over him. Now get your pants on."

They had less than ten minutes to make themselves look like they didn't spend half the day in a bed with a vibrator before Saito showed up with their armor. Their efforts were only half successful.

Kotetsu's was not a smoking man, but after five straight hours of helping to keep a portion of the city from crumpling on top of itself, Barnaby couldn't help but think the man was in desperate want of a cigarette. The unsure frown he wore had been present since he lifted the faceplate.

"Hey, are you doing okay?" Barnaby asked, flipping his own faceplate open. He placed a hand on Kotetsu's armored shoulder. Kotetsu gave him a self-deprecating look in return.

"Down to thirty-six seconds now." His face went even more sour. "Can't help but think 'bout how much more I could have done with even a just minute."

"If today was anything to go by, you'll do okay without them." In the distance Barnaby saw a man – one Kotetsu rescued long after his powers failed him – nearly tackled by his relieved family. "Trust me."

"Guess I'm just gonna have to." Kotetsu gave sigh and a weak smile. It wasn't one of the cheerful, unbridled grins Barnaby would have wanted to see, but it would do for the moment.

The short conversation fell into a lull before Barnaby thought to bring up a new topic. "Kotetsu...?"

"Mmh?"

"About that..." Barnaby looked around to see if anyone was paying attention to them. Nobody was, so he continued, albeit cautiously. "The... thing we did earlier today?"

From the way Kotetsu's eyebrows rose, Barnaby could tell that he understood. "Yeah?"

"It... It felt good. Really good." Barnaby couldn't stop his face from growing warm as he spoke. "When did you learn to do that?"

"About fifteen years ago, or somewhere around there." Kotetsu rolled his shoulders and his unsure expression returned. "It's, er, one of those old widower stories with Tomoe."

Barnaby felt like wincing. "I'm sorry, Kotetsu. I didn't know..."

"Nah, don't worry, Bunny. It's not traumatizing talking about it, but I'd rather not do it in a place like this." Kotetsu gestured to the commotion surrounding them. "Try me later - probably when I'm less sober."

"I'll think about that." The conversation briefly lulled again. "It doesn't seem fair, though."

"Hm?" Kotetsu cocked his head. "What do you mean by that?"

"Well, you know how you said today was all for me?"

"Yeah?"

"It shouldn't have been. I came to you yesterday because I couldn't do anything for you. You've helped me so much for me, but... I'm still giving you nothing." Barnaby gave a frustrated sigh. He strained his features, a bit pained. "It just isn't right. I want to repay you for everything you've done for me, but I still don't really know how."

Barnaby didn't really know how he expected Kotetsu to respond, but he certainly didn't guess the man would blink and ask, "That's it?"

It made Barnaby frown a little. "I think it's a legitimate concern, Kotetsu. And I don't want to hear that you don't want anything in return."

"Well, for the record, I would like to mention that you writhing back there was about the sexiest goddamn thing I've seen in years. Thanks to that emergency call, I've got a hell of a case of blue balls."

A number of heads turned in the pair's direction. "Kotetsu, that language might not be appropriate for our current location."

Kotetsu glanced around and briefly gave an apologetic wince. "Er, sorry 'bout that."

"And that doesn't seem like it benefited you at all. Quite the opposite, in fact."

"Shit, that came out wrong. Let me try that again." Kotetsu pressed his hand against his lifted faceplate before starting over. "What I mean is you were doing something for me. I'm a pretty easy guy to please, Bunny. You don't need to do much more than you already. Just prod in the right place." He gave a grin far too wholesome and innocent looking for the topic of discussion. "It'll be easy. I'll teach you."

Barnaby's eyes drifted aside. "I still don't feel like I'm giving you enough in return..."

"God, you weren't kidding when you said you were hard to please." Kotetsu snorted. "You need to stop worrying so much about repaying me, but if you really feel the need..." The grin on his face went from goofy to outright evil, which made Barnaby a little nervous.

"Yes?" His voice came out almost as a squeak.

"...You could buy me a drink."

A beat.

"... A drink?"

"Or dinner." Kotetsu shrugged. "I've always wondered what what fried rice at a four star restaurant tastes like."

"... Kotetsu, you're utterly ridiculous."

One of those trademark dopey grins appeared on Kotetsu's face. "Wouldn't love me if I wasn't, Bunny."

"I disagree, but I'll take you up on your suggestion – though I'd honestly rather make it for you myself."

Kotetsu's grin grew broader. "Works for me."

Before the conversation could continue for any longer, however, the two were interrupted by one of the other second-leaguers – Chopman, Barnaby recalled. "Tiger! Barnaby! We could use a hand with cleaning up some of the rubble."

Barnaby turned to answer. "It's still a while before either of us can use our powers again, you know."

"It isn't anything that can't be handled by the suits. Still, they're blocking traffic, so Agnes wants them out of the way as soon as possible."

A sigh from Kotetsu. "Well, I'd rather us not get any further on Agnes's bad side than we already are. We'll be in there in a second."

The fellow second-string hero nodded and returned to his own duties. Barnaby returned to Kotetsu. "So, would that dinner be tonight, or...?"

"I've got what you'd need back at home, so whenever you want."

"Okay, so once we're done." Heat started returning to Barnaby's face again. "And I'd also like to thank you more... directly. If you can teach me, I mean."

"Well, that's something to look forward to. Actually, I've got this idea where-"

"Tiger! Barnaby! Get your asses over here now, or you're going to find your biggest screw-ups marathoned for a week!"

The sound of Agnes's megaphone-amplified voice ringing through the air made Kotetsu cringe. "Okay, we'll talk about this later," he said, and then pushed his faceplate down before running off to join the other heroes. Barnaby followed him with something in his mind not quite satisfied. As Kotetsu said, they could finish the conversation after work, but there was one thing that would itch at him.

So he asked, "Can I get a hint for that idea of yours?"

Kotetsu didn't look back, but he did give an answer that only served to bewilder him more.

"Feathers."

Barnaby had only the vaguest inkling of what he meant by that, but finding out was certainly something to look forward to.

-End-