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“Arrrgh.” Leaning against the recliner in Barnaby’s apartment, Kotetsu scrubbed at his face. “What am I going to do?”
“About?” Barnaby walked back from the kitchen, handing Kotetsu a can of beer.
“Kaede asked me to the high school first year’s father-daughter event at Hero Academy—which is gonna be awesome! I can’t wait to go and be there with her.” For a moment, Kotetsu had perked up, but now he slumped, expression crestfallen. “But there’s a dance. And i’m gonna suck at it. I’ll screw up and embarrass her, and she’ll end up hating me forever. I just know it!”
Sitting down next to Kotetsu on the floor, Barnaby pressed lightly against up against him. (God, this was supposed to be their date night, and here Kotetsu was ruining it by stressing out, great now he was a bad boyfriend and a bad father…) “You can’t dance?” He asked, sounding faintly surprised.
“No! Not a bit.”
Barnaby regarded him, curiosity in his gaze, “Didn’t you dance at your wedding?”
Kotetsu shook his head, “By the time we got to the reception, Tomoe and I were exhausted. And her dress’ skirts were all,” he gestured vaguely, “poofy?”
“Voluminous?”
“Flooffy. Or what you said, yeah.” Letting his hands fall to his knees, he sighed. “We pretty much just swayed in place. And we hadn’t gone to prom after we got together in school. The kids we were friends with, we were all, I dunno, too cool for dances or something?” Kotetsu shrugged. “Bunch of us just went to the beach and did a bonfire and grilled yakiniku. Then hung out at Antonio’s place for movies all night.”
Popping the tab on his can of beer, Kotetsu drank, then was silent for a bit, thoughtful. “So I think I’ve only got one option.” He nudged Barnaby’s shoulder with his, then did it again. “Bunny,” he begged, drawing the nickname out plaintively. “You gotta teach me to dance. Please?”
There was a weighty silence, and Barnaby was very still.
Kotetsu gaped at him.
“Um.”
“You don’t know either?!”
“I never had reason to learn!” Barnaby bristled, “My family was well off, yes, but I was just a child.”
“No no no,” Kotetsu interrupted, waiving his free hand. “I meant like, when you first debuted as a hero, they had you doing all that model-idol-pose for your fans stuff? I figured they’d’ve made you learn to dance, for hobnobbing at all those fancy parties.” They, meaning the network and Apollon Media, but also Maverick, who was a subject they both steered very clear of, even now.
“Oh. No, they never did.” Barnaby frowned just a bit, not upset, but his thinking face. “Though now that you mention it, I’m surprised they haven’t asked it of either of us.”
Then he stood abruptly, and Kotetsu flailed with a squawk from where he’d still been leaning against the younger man, bobbling his beer. Leaning over the laptop on the table next to his chair, Barnaby clicked something, typed a moment.
Soft music filled the apartment. A radio app player displayed on the big screen filling the apartment wall, and Kotetsu recognized the classical station Barnaby often listened to, especially late at night when they played opera. Barnaby turned back to Kotetsu and reached out his hand.
“Eh?”
“Come on, old man, we should learn together.” Grasping his hand, Barnaby helped Kotetsu to his feet, setting his can of beer on the table. “If we practice, you’ll feel better about dancing with Kaede at the father-daughter event. And we’ll be prepared if the network or our sponsors demand it.”
Well, that did make sense. ”Bunny, you’re so smart,” relief washing through him, Kotetsu smiled at Barnaby, who rolled his eyes a little but looked pleased. Right hand still held by his partner, Kotetsu slid his left around the younger man’s waist as Barnaby moved his other hand up to Kotetsu’s shoulder, then shifted it to rest behind his neck instead.
Huh. Or maybe this was all a scheme to get Kotetsu in his arms once the opportunity had presented itself—since this was their date night. Perhaps his little Bunny was a more of a sly fox after all. ‘Ha, Mr. Barnaby “Romantic” Brooks Jr.’, Kotetsu mused to himself, ‘who knew you had it in you?’
But then the thought flitted from Kotetsu’s mind as they carefully began to move with the music. Just swaying at first, like Kotetsu was used to, then stepping more deliberately.
It was awkward early on, but as one song changed to another, Kotetsu was surprised to find that…he actually wasn’t that terrible at it? It was easier than he’d remembered. He was also surprised that it was actually Barnaby who was the foot-stepper, to the younger man’s blushing chagrin. But Bunny was as persistent with this as he was when they fought NEXTs together, and unexpectedly quickly they were twirling around the room, still gingerly and cautiously, but more confidently with each passing song.
And eventually it stopped feeling like practice, became simply quiet, peaceful moments spent in the arms of a beautiful man Kotetsu cared for more than he could yet express, where holding each other was somehow a promise. Dusk darkened the apartment as the colors of sunset dimmed, then faded, with the liminal transition from day to night, until diamond stars sparkled outside the nearby window. Late into the night—even when they started to tire and were once again just swaying in place, foreheads touching as they held each other close—they danced.
-
Watching the dance floor, Kaede twisted her hands uncertainly, readjusting the corsage around her wrist yet again. It was a spray of rosebuds in shades of red and pink (that reminded her of Barnaby’s suit, though she wasn’t going to tell her father that, nope), and she loved it. Everything about the event was practically perfect: no heroes were called away by the network, her dad was super dressed up in a suit so nice she sort of wondered if Barnaby had chosen it for him, she was in her best, favorite dress, and the entire time, she’d had her father’s undivided attention. It was wonderful.
But now she was a bundle of nerves. All the other dads (and a few moms) and their daughters were dancing like it was their power. And ugh, if she messed up and looked like a doofus in front of her classmates….
Standing next to her, her father settled a reassuring hand on her shoulder, squeezing gently. “It’ll be fine, honey,” he murmured warmly. “Don’t worry. Your dad’s got you.” Stepping around her, he extended his hand to her with a bow and a wink, “Just follow my lead.”
-
Smiling so wide her cheeks almost hurt, Kaede laughed with delight as they flitted and whirled over the floor amongst all the other pairs of dancers. Everything really was perfect. Who knew her dad could actually dance?
Sometimes, her dad really was the coolest.
(Shh, don’t tell him. That’s her secret!)