Author's Note: I'm aliveeee!

I haven't written anything for ages, but after watching Tiger & Bunny two or three times now, I've realized that my creativeness and willing to write has been re-awakened. ;D I don't really know why I wrote this. Recently, one of my best friends got me caught up in her mini-Horoscope obsession, and when I discovered that Barnaby's sign was the Scorpio, I for some reason felt compelled to write about it. This will most likely be a collection of random drabbles - some cute and innocent, others much more raunchy - all centered about particular Scorpio mannerisms, attributes and things alike! I've italicized the Scorpio traits, too, so look out for those~ Credit to Zodiac Zone, Zodiac Fact and Xstrology on Twitter!

The story's Rated M for future chapters and just to be safe, and the first contains some Kotetsu/Barnaby undertones~

Please enjoy~ The first chapter's a bit long, I know. I had fun ;]

Chapter 01: The Scorpio and Jealousy

Time and time again, Barnaby had done everything in his power to convince Kotetsu that his invitation to dinner was not to be confused with an invitation to a date, but the veteran couldn't help that he was starting to believe otherwise. The first clue? The restaurant was French, which everyone knew to be the language of love, and the cozy environment emanated anything but a casual vibe. The second clue: the light, classical music echoing from the speakers overhead. Barnaby had told him that he had dined at the restaurant before, and thus he must have known the eatery's soundtrack of choice. And the third and fourth clue: the awfully romantic lighting, and where they had been seated – at a table alongside a large window overlooking a wonderful flower garden.

It all screamed "date" to someone like Kotetsu, and he was no stranger to such lovey-dovey occasions, having once treated a woman to romantic outings alike.

He was thankful that the conversation had at least been laid-back. They talked about work and most recent missions, and even playfully critiqued how one another had performed or made harmless remarks towards who had been the most dedicated when it came to training. The only thing that bothered Kotetsu was the fact that their voices never passed anything more than a murmur. It bought a sort-of romantic touch to their discussion, and it felt unusual.

Not to mention how there was no place else for his eyes to peer into besides that captivating, emerald stare of the blonde seated across from him, and he had to admit that his eyes were surprisingly striking, more so than he had remembered. There was no one else for him to give him attention to besides Barnaby, and he doubted the blonde could complain about all of the attention being showered upon him. He was the veteran's focus for the evening, just like a date would be. He was relieved when their hostess arrived to take their orders, and his eyes could at last glance elsewhere without his behavior appearing rude or ill-timed. He ended up telling the young woman both of the dishes the two of them wished to have for the evening, and even if he butchered the names horribly, he couldn't help but laugh at himself. He was pleased to see that his embarrassing mispronunciation of their entrées had brought a smile to the waitress' lips, and to, more importantly, Barnaby's lips.

He liked to make him smile, whether he fully realized it or not. Whether or not such fondness hinted at what could be the awakening of hidden feelings of romance towards the younger hero, he didn't know, and he supposed the thought did in fact scare him. Why would someone of Barnaby's class, elegance and poise concur to reciprocating loving emotions to a man like Kotetsu, who was, in more ways than one, his polar opposite? It didn't seem likely, and his lack of belief in the notion that he would ever have a thing with Barnaby was the reason why he tried his hardest to keep the feelings suppressed. There was no need to get his hopes up, and it wasn't like he could complain about the relationship he had now with Barnaby.

But, by the end of their evening, after they had conversed more and finished their dishes, the odd feelings of romance were once again churning through his stomach. Kotetsu wanted to blame the amount of wine he had consumed throughout the course of their meal. Maybe the drink he had ordered was much heavier in terms of alcoholic content than he had thought. But, despite his excuses, he came to the realization that whenever he looked at Barnaby, or whenever he made him laugh in that delicate chuckle, an unstoppable flutter would skip through his heart. He felt warmed, or even special, to be the one keeping his partner so content. Kotetsu could not recall a time when Barnaby had been in such high spirits when in his presence. Not once had he snapped at him or called him an old man. That was a first.

Kotetsu pretended to be mesmerized by the clearish liquid swirling in his wineglass, though he was, in all honesty, allowing himself a moment of thought while Barnaby made conversation with just another devoted fan that happened to magically recognize him from the other side of the restaurant. He mused over his own emotions, perhaps too much, to the point where he felt conflicted. It amazed him how much the wedding band on his finger made him hesitate. His doubts and questions were constant, non-stop, as he felt a devotion to his past love, and a sort of devotion to his current counterpart. The veteran ended his deep contemplation with a sigh and set his wineglass on the table, fingers pushing through his shaggy mane. This kind of thinking wasn't meant to be conducted during an evening where he was supposed to feel at ease.

The hostess returned to the table with the check, and he wasn't surprised to see that Barnaby was still caught up in what looked like an engaging conversation with just another starstruck female. Kotetsu took advantage of the blonde's distracted state and snatched the bill, adamant about paying for both of their meals. The thought in the latter made him realize how quickly their innocent dinner-date was turning into an actual date, with him treating his partner. He hoped he was just overthinking again. He was just being nice, and there was nothing wrong, or implicative, about being nice!

Of course, Barnaby would have a problem with him expressing such hospitality, and he braced himself for what he expected would be, within the next ten seconds, some sort of argument. However, the real argument that transpired wasn't about how Kotetsu insisted on covering for both of their meals. It was about the older hero's behavior, and about a seemingly subconscious sin the veteran had committed when the waitress had turned her back and started to waltz away from their table. The youngest of the pair had not been as distracted as his partner may have believed.

Barnaby did not hesitate to address the behavior, at once, as soon as he had graced his devoted fan with an autograph on her napkin and even allowed her to shake his hand. But, in an instant, his friendly façade vanished, and he practically glared at the man seated across from him.

Kotetsu, dumbfounded, stared. "What?"

"...What was that about, Kotetsu."

The veteran blinked, but soon glanced away, under the belief that his partner was referring to his odd gentleman-like behavior. In the process of sliding his credit card into the pocket inside the checkbook, he turned a pair of perplexed amber eyes up to the displeased face of his partner. "What was what about? This?" A hand waved the little black checkbook in gesture, and he made a goofy grin. "A-Ah, well...I know this whole thing was your idea, but I would feel bad if you -"

"Not that. Your eyes wandered."

Scorpio's are very possessive. They feel threatened if you even look at another person across the room.

Kotetsu blinked. Wandered? When had his eyes wandered? He and his horrible memory were convinced that his partner was hinting at the fact that he had looked away from him and down at the checkbook. Was Barnaby really that much of an envious person? He never would have imagined that he could be so envious, and so sensitive, especially around a person like him, the old, clumsy counterpart whose shenanigans he had to put up with on a daily basis.

Oblivious to his true blunder, Kotetsu laughed and attempted to wave off the younger male's discontent with a hand, and still the frown on Barnaby's face seemed to have permanently settled on his lips. "Bunny! I'm not...I'm not ignoring you or anything like that!" He leaned forward and flashed him a smile. "C'mon, you think I'm that rude?"

Barnaby had yet to crack a smile in return. He turned his face, wordless, and motioned to where their waitress now stood, at another table not far from their own. He then glanced to Kotetsu, wearing a frown that seemed more bitter than the last. "You were looking at her," he muttered, and then figured it would be best to clarify. "...Gawking, Kotetsu."

He would know exactly what he meant.

And the look of shock that plastered itself to the veteran's face suggested that the accusing words of his blonde counterpart had managed to instantly bring him the embarrassing realization. It was not difficult for him to recall the two minutes beforehand, when the waitress had handed him the checkbook and then proceeded to waltz away from their table in a stride he found to be the slightest bit tasteful – rather, quite tasteful. Sure, he had let his eyes wander a little, perhaps to parts of her body that were not supposed to be so obviously ogled at, but he couldn't blame her for having such a rhythmic sway to her hips when she walked.

Don't try flirting with other people– jealousy is a Scorpio's childhood playmate.

He hadn't even noticed the painful, guilt-ridden silence that had lingered after Barnaby had blamed him for staring. Kotetsu was a mess of unsightly stammers and stutters, a finger pointing from Barnaby to where the waitress now stood to the checkbook and back again, as he couldn't even put into words a proper explanation for his not-so-proper behavior.

Barnaby made a face at him, annoyed.

It was his cue to speak up and confess, while he had the chance. "...Th-There was something on her pants!" he blurted foolishly. "What was I supposed to do? She was ten feet away before I could even -"

Narrowed green eyes caught him in his lie.

He held his breath. His hands curled to fists in his lap, as nervousness settled inside of him and he felt like shrinking beneath such a sharp, unwavering stare. He never liked it when he looked at him like that, so cold and unrelenting. Such a strong gaze was practically pulling the truth right out of him. "Alright, alright," the admittance left him in a defeated sigh, his frame slouched and his face buried shamefully in his palms. "...It was innocent! Besides, you were so busy soaking up all of that attention from your fan. I didn't think you would even notice."

"I was still paying attention to you," he told him immediately. "You were staring much harder than you think. And the way you spoke to her was awfully enthusiastic."

The veteran made a face. "I was being nice!"

A glare in return.

Kotetsu motioned to his wedding ring. His tone quieted, serious. "You know I wouldn't forget the promise I made to a woman once in the past, right?" He smirked a little. "Call me a dirty old man, but I got a little sidetracked. M'sorry."

Barnaby seemed to ignore the latter. "There is a fine line between being friendly and flirting, Kotetsu. You happened to cross that fine line, and noticeably."

"I-I'm just a little behind the times, that's all! My etiquette isn't up to date..."

"And it never will be, at this rate."

Kotetsu paused to compose himself, to sigh and attempt to re-gather the little bit of confidence that Barnaby had seemed to shatter. As much as he did not like to admit it, he supposed he had been a little flirtatious with the younger waitress. He blamed her pretty face and impressive figure. Even if it had been a harmless flirt, he could imagine how uncomfortable Barnaby must have felt, watching out of the corner of his eye as his goofy partner donned an unusual charm and reduced the woman to a collection of adoring smiles and laughs.

Then again, a rather puzzling question happened to cross his mind: Why was Barnaby, of all people, upset that he had checked out a woman? It wasn't like they were dating. This evening wasn't even a date, despite how it felt like one. They weren't even romantically affiliated with one another. So, why all of the fuss?

The question begged to be voiced. Kotetsu shot a look at Barnaby, and he pointed at him with a look of interest that had mixed with an expression of humor and curiosity. "...Bunny is jealous," he murmured through a laugh. "Am I right? You seem kind of upset that I checked her out, huh."

Barnaby rolled his eyes in mock-disgust, attempting to elegantly veil the way his cheeks reddened faintly at the thought of his envy being exposed by lifting his wineglass to his lips. "Don't flatter yourself," he muttered before taking a sip. "It's embarrassing."

There was another laugh. "I think someone's blushing," the drawn out tease.

"That's enough."

He leaned in. "Huh? Look at you. You're definitely red."

Barnaby tried to lean away. "Now you're staring at me."

"So, you really are blushing."

Barnaby looked at him from over the brim of his wineglass. For a moment or two, he simply watched as the amused smirk on his partner's face only broadened and something twinkled in those amber eyes. Maybe it was victory, or maybe it was a fondness for the undeniably adorable look that crossed the blonde's usual stoic face. The veteran seemed to be happy that he had made someone as stiff as Barnaby feel a twinge of jealousy, but the young hero only shook his head, failing to hide the sly smile that did touch his lips.

"You're the one who kept asking me if tonight was truly a date," he murmured smoothly. "Perhaps I have been purposefully treating it as such all along." His tone of voice hushed to a toying whisper, whilst his emerald eyes donned a look that implied something a little sensual. And dangerously so, in a way that made the older man all hot and antsy in his seat. "You should know, Kotetsu, it isn't polite to stare at others when you're on a date."

The amusement on his face vanished. Kotetsu froze, with his mouth open in disbelief and his eyes rounded in surprise. A date. Had he been right all along? Who would have known that a person as poised and professional as his partner would prove to be the kind of person to find amusement in playing mind games? It wasn't like Kotetsu could say he minded. He loved this side of Barnaby, and felt his heart race at how near he was to the opposing pretty face. To his surprise, he didn't flinch when Barnaby dared to lean in even closer and lightly drag the brim of his own wineglass against the older hero's bottom lip, to toy with him and officially turn their innocent outing for dinner into an unexpectedly steamy date

Barnaby smirked as he whispered, "You're losing it."

Kotetsu could only muster a demure smile. "You're such a tease."

"Are you surprised?"

He chuckled. "I'm an old man! You should know better than to pull something like this!"

The blonde smiled, and watched as the other man mirrored him, with his gentle amber eyes crinkling at their corners. "It's fun to mess with you," the murmur. "Though, it shouldn't have ever been a surprise to the one who had known it all along."