Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The day before Kotetsu plans on moving back home, to be closer to Kaede and his mother, for the time being, something strange happens. He's taking a walk, just a final one while everyone else settles their new contracts after everything went down. Barnaby promising one day there would be a spot for Kotetsu too…

But it's alright, he thinks. He doesn't need to be a superhero anymore, he can just be a hero. He'll help people however he can. In whatever little way he can. Starting with that small countryside town.

Then, the strange thing happens. He finds Lunatic -- Yuri Petrov may be the correct name when he can see his face, actually. Finds him, somehow alive (though barely hanging in there). Rain drizzles down on both of them as Kotetsu stops in front of him.

"Oh," he says, quietly. "I wasn't expecting to see you here."

Yuri just looks up at him and then looks away. Kotetsu decides against trying to force him to say anything. Instead, he bends down and picks him up. Yuri tenses in his arms, but he doesn't stop - not when he's like this.

Running home with a criminal that vanished as far as everyone but he and Barnaby know is a bit scary, but he makes it. Places him on the couch, surrounded by piles of boxes for the move. He rummages around for his first aide kit.

When he finds it, he makes it back to the ex-justice (ex-vigilante? both?) and gets to work. Cleaning the wounds and covering any that seem like they still could bleed. He grimaces at how many seemed to have been cauterized with Yuri's powers.

"There we go," he says, smiling up at him. "About as close to as good as new as we can get. Might be a bit harder to hide who you are, but let me see what I can find…"

"Hide who I am?" Yuri asks, his voice croaks with dissuse. "What for?"

"You need healing," Kotetsu says and he doesn't just mean physically. "If you went to jail like this, you'd be spit up and chewed out. That's not what you need."

"Then what do I need?" He almost seems to be testing Kotetsu.

"Well," he replies. "I'm heading out to the countryside to live with my family. I think my mom and little girl could help whip you into shape."

Help him heal, too. See a family that isn't totally falling apart. See fathers who don't hurt their children. See a mother who wasn't hurt -- isn't hurt. See a family that has a future, one his family didn't have.

Maybe a family he could become an honorary part of, if he was on his best behavior. Kotetsu holds in a snort over that idea. It would probably not be taken well, at least not as things were right now. He didn't want to make this any harder on Yuri than it surely was already.

Soon he's back. An outfit and face mask and hat and even some sunglasses. Maybe overkill, but you could never be too careful if they wanna hide who Yuri is until they get there. Out there, they'll know of Lunatic, but not Yuri Petrov.

A fresh start, Kotetsu thinks he could use that.

"You'll have to force me to wear all that," Yuri says, making a face.

Kotetsu lets out a sigh, places his hands on his hips. "Alright, then. After a good night's sleep I will."

"I should have expected you to reply like that."

It had been a mess this morning, but they were on their way now. Kotetsu glances at Yuri through the rearview mirror -- he had clearly not wanted to sit next to him in the car -- before looking back to the road. Should only be another hour or two…

Thank goodness he had decided against taking the train. Having a car out in the countryside would be useful, anyway.

"I wonder what kinda face Kaede will make when she saw the gift I got her," Kotetsu chuckles. "I know she love's autographs from Bunny, but this time I got her autographs from everyone !"

Oh, she's gonna be so excited, Kotetsu is sure of it. It was a limited time poster they all signed, too. A last present to get her with his connections… Of course, they're all friends so he could just ask them about more… But a piece of him would feel weird doing that.

Maybe he would ask Barnaby to visit, eventually. When he figures out how to break the news about Yuri still being alive to him. He wonders if he'll be worried or happy or both. Neither had been happy to see him try to burn himself alive…

Kotetsu taps his fingers against the wheel. He frowns and tries to focus on the road, rather than the last goodbye with Lunatic. Now Yuri is here and he's alive. Burned in places, broken in others, but alive. Things can only go up from here.

That's what he tells himself over and over through the journey. Tells himself that as they pull up at his mom's place. He steps out and opens the door for Yuri. He stares at him for a moment, then gets out.

"You'll love them, I promise!" Kotetsu says, giving him a big grin.

"We'll see about that," Yuri says, and he looks away again.

He opens his mouth to say something else, but the time for that passes quickly.

"Dad!" Kaede comes running around the car, throwing herself around it. "You're here-- oh? Who's your friend?"

"Oh, this is Yuri! He needed to get away from the city, sweetie!" Kotetsu says, not a total lie. "Now come give daddy a hug!"

"No way!" Kaede moves out of the way. "I'm way too old for that, Dad! Give it up, already!"

"Not even after I lost my NEXT powers?" Kotetsu pouts. "You're so mean, Kaede!"

"And you're so dorky!" She shoots back, sticking her tongue out before turning to Yuri and holding out a hand. "I'm Kaede Kaburagi! Nice to meet you!"

Yuri pauses for a moment, and Kotetsu swallows hard. "H-hey, no need to shake his hand, honey!"

"Why not?" She looks at him with a frown. "It's only polite!"

"Trust me, honey, there's no--"

"You're a NEXT," Yuri starts. "Who copies the abilities of other NEXT by touching them. My ability is much too dangerous to risk that, I apologize."

"Oh!" Kaede shoots Kotetsu a look that says why didn't you just tell me, then nods. "I'm sorry for being rude, then! We should get my dad's stuff inside instead, then. Grandma's excited to see him too!"

"Where's Muramasa?" Kotetsu asked.

"At work, duh. He said he'll bring Aunt Monica and the kids over after to see you, though," Kaede says. "Now come on! Grandma is waiting!"

Chapter Text

"Kotetsu!" Anju smiles when she sees her son, but he can see the confusion coming when she notices he has a plus one.

Yuri has stopped humoring Kotetsu -- fair enough given they're now safely in the countryside. Hat thrown back at Kotetsu, face mask pulled down, and sunglasses clipped to the front of his shirt. It's still hard to recognize who he is if you're not looking for it, though.

"Mom!" He gives her a hug and gestures towards Yuri. "This is my pal, Yuri. He needed a break from the hustle and bustle of the city, so I brought him along, hope that's alright!"

"It's fine, but I wish you had told me sooner," she sighs, shaking her head. "I only prepared one room for your move, you know!"

"That's fine," Kotetsu says. "All we need is an extra bed roll, I'll set it up and everything! He can stay with me."

"Are you sure?" She raises an eyebrow.

"Yep, just between you and me, I'd like to keep an eye on him…" He leans closer, whispering. "He's the type that vanishes the minute you take your eyes off him."

"I can hear you, you know," Yuri says, shooting Kotetsu a look.

"W-well you weren't supposed to!" Kotetsu shoots back.

Anju and Kaede look at each other and laugh a bit, as Anju moves around her son and holds out a hand. "Well, it's very nice to meet you, Yuri. I hope we can make you comfortable."

"Ah…" Yuri freezes for a moment again, but does shake her hand. "Thank you, ma'am. I apologize for showing up out of nowhere."

"Oh, it's not your fault," Anju shakes her head. "I should have expected something like this, but with Kotetsu you never do know what to expect."

He looks towards the man, grunts. "I suppose you're right."

Kotetsu gives an awkward laugh, rubbing the back of his head. He sure hopes Yuri means that in a nice way, but with this man? It's kind of impossible to be sure. He decides to just hope it's in a nice way and work with it.

"So," he says after a moment. "Same room as usual, Mom?"

"Yes," She nods, turning to her granddaughter. "Kaede, dear. Will you help me get another bedroll for Yuri while the two move their things inside?"

"Sure, Grandma!" Kaede chirps, and the two vanish around the corner.

"Come on," Kotetsu gestures, picking up the bags he'd put down to greet his mother. Yuri mirrors the action, picking up his own share. "I'll show you our room."

"I would rather have my own," Yuri says, rolling his eyes. "But I suppose you truly don't trust me."

"Not right now, sorry," Kotetsu says, shaking his head. "I can't risk you running off and hurting yourself again."

Yuri grits his teeth as Kotetsu pushes the door to their room open. "I told you I don't want your help."

"Well, see, we're at an impasse there," Kotetsu replies. "You don't want my help, but you want me to stay true to my sense of justice. In case you forgot, that sense of justice means I don't believe criminals deserve to die. Especially not one like you."

Yuri sends a glare his way, but Kotetsu remains firm. "Like me?"

"You're a victim, too, right?" Kotetsu's voice is soft. "You told me what Mr. Legend -- what your father did. I'm guessing that scar on your face is from him, too."

"From when I killed him," Yuri says. "Does that change your opinion?"

"Not at all," Kotetsu says. "If anything, I wanna know how it came to that."

Yuri's lips forms a thin line, and he says nothing. That's alright, Kotetsu thinks. He can wait -- they'll have plenty of time together. Plenty of time to try and show Yuri he can trust him, can talk to him.

"Well, there's more still in the car," Kotetsu says after a long moment of silence. "Let's go. Can't take all day doing it -- Muramasa would never let me hear the end of it."

Yuri follows him out of the room. "Will he let you hear the end of it about bringing someone like me out here?"

"He doesn't know who you are, at least not the darker parts. Same with Mom and Kaede," Kotetsu replies, voice low. "And we'll keep it that way. You need a fresh start, not people afraid of you."

Yuri doesn't reply, he just refuses to meet Kotetsu's gaze. Kotetsu decides not to push it too much. He just hopes Yuri will come to agree, that he won't have to babysit him and keep him from spilling the beans himself.

They finish unpacking the car, the bags and boxes all in his room. The bedroll placed nicely in the corner. Kotetsu smiles, wiping his forehead, that went pretty well. He peeks at Yuri -- he certainly doesn't look nearly as happy.

That makes Kotetsu frown.

"Good work, you two," Anju's voice pulls Kotetsu from his thoughts. There she is, tea for the both of them. "Here, you must be thirsty."

"Thanks, Mom!" Kotetsu says as he takes his own and gulps it down.

"Thank you," Yuri says with much less enthusiasm as he sips on and off at it.

Anju smiles, holding the tray to her chest. "I'm glad you're back, Kotetsu. I'm sorry about what happened, but… Kaede's been excited."

"She'll be even more excited when she sees what I got her!" Kotetsu replies, puffing out his chest. "And when she hears what I'm planning on working towards."

"Oh?" Anju raises an eyebrow.

"I can't do what I used to," he says. "But I can still help people. That'll start here, of course, but… maybe I'll go back to school. Get a degree that'll let me help rehabilitate incarcerated NEXT."

Anju's eyes widen a bit. "Kotetsu, that sounds wonderful! Are you sure you can do it, though?"

"I'm sure!" Kotetsu nods. "Some of them might not be too happy to see me, but that's how it is. If I can help even one of them get back on the right track, that'll be enough for me."

"That sounds just like you," Yuri speaks up. "Never taking a moment to look at the dark side."

"I did that back when my powers first started declining," Kotetsu replies. "I've had enough of that… It's time for me to look the bright side, no matter what!"

"Hmmm…" Yuri closes his eyes. "I see."

Anju raises an eyebrow and Kotetsu shakes his head. A silent plea to talk about this later, maybe when Yuri was asleep. She nods and excuses herself, tells them dinner will be ready in a few hours and to make themselves at home.

Kotetsu waves her goodbye, and then, he and Yuri stand in silence.

Chapter Text

The silence goes on until Kotetsu decides to drag Yuri with him to the kitchen for a snack. A few hours is a long time, he insists. They didn't eat much on the way here, so they should have something small to tide them over now.

On the table are some fairly fresh-looking cookies, Anju notes she and Kaede made them to celebrate. Jam cookies weren't his favorite, by any means, but it was nice to see Kaede branching out.

"I definitely need to give her her present, oh man," he glances towards the door. "Mom, can you keep an eye on Yuri for me? I'll be back before you know it."

"You talk about your friend like a lost child," Anju chides. "But yes, I'll keep an eye on him, go ahead."

He starts off and hears just the beginning of a conversation about the cookies and mothers before he gets too far away to really hear anything. He finds the poster and makes for Kaede's room, not thinking all too hard on it. None of his business, at least not now. Anju would probably mention anything worrying if it came up, anyway.

He knocks, and Kaede peeks out. "Oh, hey Dad."

"Hi honey!" He chirps, poster behind his back. "Guess what Daddy got you?"

She opens the door fully, raising an eyebrow. "You got me something?"

"Yep!" With a grin, he holds it out. "A limited time poster, with a whole bunch of signatures from some of your favorite heroes!"

Kaede takes it with a smile, looking it over. "Thanks, Dad! But… there seems to be one missing."

"Huh?" Kotetsu frowns. "I swear I got everyone to sign it, though… Was it Antonio?! Oh if he didn't sign it to get a rise out of me--"

"No, nothing like that," Kaede shakes her head. "It's just… nevermind."

Before Kotetsu can question what she means anymore, she's back in her room with her door closed. He remembers that a girl's room is the last place one enters without permission, and so he leaves her to it after a few words of hoping she still enjoyed it.

Back to the kitchen he goes, but only Anju is there. He peeks around a bit, trying to make sure he isn't just missing something obvious, or that Yuri wasn't just trying to stay out of sight… But nothing, he wasn't there.

A bit of a panic causer, but Kotetsu needs to remain calm. No one else knows just why Yuri is here, and so he can't really panic and have to explain it now of all times. Stay cool and collected, he tells himself.

"Hey, Mom," he says. "Did Yuri get off to somewhere?"

"Oh, we chatted for a bit and he had one of the cookies, before saying he had a bit of a headache and wanted to lay down," Anju replies. "I hope it was alright for me to shoo him. He looked like he could faint at any minute."

"It's fine! Just wanted to know where I can find him! Thanks!" He waves with a smile, but when back in the hallway, he frowns. This doesn't seem good.

Yuri is in fact in the room they're now sharing, laying down with his back to the door. His shoulders seem to be shaking, almost as if he's crying. Kotetsu frowns, closes the door behind him as quickly as he can to mask any sound that could escape.

"Hey," he says, trying to keep his voice soft enough to not startle. "You okay?"

"Leave me be," his voice has the scratch of a man who has, in fact, been crying for a while.

"Well, that didn't answer my question," Kotetsu jokes, wanting to at least attempt clearing the air a bit. "Guess I have to come over there and find out."

"Do as you please," Yuri replies curtly.

And so Kotetsu does, coming closer and sitting next to him. His cheeks are tear-stained, a few noticeable lines of water still there. Without thinking, he reaches out and wipes them away. Yuri tenses for a moment, but not for long.

He puts a hand over Kotetsu's, and Kotetsu let's it linger for a moment. He wonders if anyone's ever done this for Yuri before. Having someone there who can wipe your tears, who can comfort you…

Kotetsu wouldn't have made it out of everything sane if not for people like that. He doesn't want to think about Yuri not having that. He has it now, at least, he tells himself. Kotetsu can try and offer that.

"Don't let me stop you," he says when he finally pulls his hand away. "If you need to cry, cry. Wouldn't be the first time a grown man's cried in front of me."

"That partner of yours?" Yuri asks.

"Rock Bison before we even became heroes," Kotetsu corrects. "Sky High and Origami Cyclone before Bunny, too! Really, you're probably just about the last one to beat him out in terms of holding out around me."

"You have an ill effect on people," Yuri sniffles.

"That or I help people be honest with themselves," Kotetsu offers, not very sure of his answer. "Or you could be right and I just have an ill effect on people. Didn't stop you from saving my bacon--"

"You already thanked me for that," Yuri says.

"Actually, I was thinking even further back," Kotetsu says. "When I was framed for murder. I thought for sure you planned on killing me for it, but you helped me out! Guess it makes sense that you knew I didn't do it, what with your connections and all."

Yuri just glances at him. "You being punished for a crime you didn't commit would go against my sense of justice."

"Well, yeah, but I can still thank you for helping," Kotetsu replies. "You did a lot of bad stuff, Yuri. But you did some good, too. I figured you deserved to be reminded of that."

Yuri says nothing, and Kotetsu thinks he's just fine with that for now. He is laying it on thick, after all. Maybe Yuri is just chewing on it, actually taking what he said to heart.

Without really thinking about it, he runs a hand through Yuri's hair -- something he remembers doing with both Tomoe and Barnaby when they were in the hospital. Not the most pleasant habit, but at least it usually seemed to be comforting.

"You're an odd man," Yuri finally says. "I can't decide if I despise you or not."

"Well, you'll have plenty of time to figure it out now!" Kotetsu chirps, hand still in Yuri's hair. "I look forward to hearing what you decide."

Yuri once again falls silent, and it stays that way for a while.

Chapter Text

"Wake up, sleepy heads!" Kaede's voice makes Kotetsu startle. "Uncle Muramasa and Aunt Monica are here and it's dinner time!"

Kotetsu stands up, stretching and groaning. He looks over and there's Yuri, pulling himself up as well. Giving him a smile, Kotetsu tries to act like his bones aren't aching from sleeping sitting up.

"Ready to go eat? You must be hungry!" He chirps.

"Mmm, I suppose I am," Yuri replies with a nod. "Lead the way, then."

Kotetsu makes it back to the kitchen first and, without thinking too hard on it, hides the cookies from view right before Yuri comes into the room. He sits him down before sitting down on his own and digging in. Dinner goes well enough, chatter here and there from all sides.

Except for Yuri, who keeps answers curt and vague. Never quite rude, but defintely not friendly, either. Muramasa is giving Kotetsu a look, one that tells him he has a lot of questions for him. All Kotetsu can do is smile with a promise of later.

"I found them sleeping together," Kaede says at one point, and he almost chokes on his drink. "I mean, who falls asleep right before dinner?"

Anju clears her throat, clearly trying to recover from the first words, too. "Well, they did travel a long way! They must have been tired."

"True enough, especially since Kotetsu never knows when to take a break," Muramasa says. "Probably extended to the move, too."

"You know me!" Kotetsu laughs. "Never the type to back down, even when it would probably be the smart thing to do."

"And we love that about you!" Kaede chirps.

"Aw, thank you, honey!"

He glances at Yuri, and thinks he sees the slightest phantom of a smile on his face. Either he's imagining it or it's a good sign -- he decides to hope it's the latter. No time to press on it, though.

Dinner ends without too much, and Kaede spends time with Anju, Monica, and the children. Yuri excuses himself back to the room, and Kotetsu finds himself dragged outside to chat with his brother.

Well, it is later, he guesses.

"So, who is that guy to you?" Muramasa gets right to the point. "Your boyfriend?"

"What?!" Kotetsu flusters, words hard to come by for a moment. "If this is about what Kaede said--"

"I know she meant literally, relax," Muramasa says. "I'm just trying to figure out what other reason you'd have for bringing a guy like that out here."

"A guy like that?"

"City boy who's been real damaged by it," Muramasa says. "Probably still holding onto some stuff that makes it hard for him to be away. Can't see him being all that happy about leaving unless you two are really close."

"I… don't know about that," Kotetsu admits, blue and green flames at the back of his mind. "He didn't seem to when we decided he'd come along."

"And how much time did you put into that decision?" Muramasa asks.

"Not… too little," Kotetsu says vaguely. "But trust me, Yuri needed this break!"

"Well, you sound sure, but you could have convinced yourself and not convinced him," Muramasa says. "He didn't seem like he wanted to be here to me."

Kotetsu can't tell him that Yuri likely didn't want to be anywhere. He had tried to kill himself for a reason, tried to burn himself away. He grits his teeth, where should he even go from here?

"I'll talk to him about it," Kotetsu says. "He's not exactly the open type, even with me… But I'll try and see what's going on in that head of his."

"Good," Muramasa nods. "It's not a good idea to force them somewhere where they don't wanna be, Kotetsu. You know that better than anyone."

"I guess so," Kotetsu sighs. "But I guess there's some places I can't just let someone go."

He walks back inside, Muramasa doesn't stop him. He can probably tell Kotetsu has a lot on his mind now -- he always can. He just hopes things go a bit better, a little less stewing and a lot more acting from the start.

The problem isn't with him directly, right? So he should be able to. A lot easier to put things out there when they aren't ones he can swallow down and ignore until they explode.

Kaede checks in on him when he sneaks back into the kitchen and puts the cookies back out on display. Somehow, someway, he plays it off. She seems to have something on her mind, too…

But like father like daughter, she brushes it off. Kotetsu worries, but he supposes he has to take this one thing at a time. Making sure Yuri wasn't resenting every moment of what was supposed to help him heal was probably a bit more important.

He would have plenty of time to work things out with Kaede now that he was without his job, anyway.

He tries not to let that thought sting him too much.

Back to his room, he opens the door. Yuri is sitting up and turned away from the door, but there doesn't seem to be crying this time. Just staring at a wall, hands in his lap and gripped together.

Kotetsu sits next to him and takes a deep breath. There's always something about disrupting a silence like this that hurts. It feels like the words are sharp knives, cutting through something important.

He's been on the receiving end of those knives before, too. It's not fun. He hopes that Yuri can forgive him for it, at least.

"So," he says after a long moment of prepping himself. "I think we need to talk. I didn't exactly give you much of a choice coming here, did I?"

"No, you didn't," Yuri says. "Just realizing that now?"

"No, no! I know that, it's just…" Kotetsu scratches his cheek. "I acted in what I thought was the best interest because I'm worried if I didn't…"

"If you didn't?"

"That I would have let you go and hurt yourself again."

Chapter Text

"If I had, it would have nothing to do with you," Yuri says. "What happens to me is none of your concern."

"That's how it should be, right? But I just… can't," Kotetsu shakes his head. "You've done a lot for me. As Yuri and as Lunatic. You've been hurt -- shared how you've been hurt with me even! How could I just leave it?"

"You're nosy," Yuri says, and nothing more.

"I guess I am, I always have been," Kotetsu says. "...Mom said it got worse after Tomoe passed, but I dunno. I just can't stand the idea of sitting by and letting someone get hurt when I can be there."

Yuri says nothing, just looks at him. Kotetsu wonders if maybe he's pouring his heart out a bit too much. Yuri doesn't even know if he likes him, and here Kotetsu is just unloading this all. Trying to explain why he can't just sit by.

Why he can't just come back to another corpse.

He squeezes his hands together, takes a deep breath. He's already in this deep, right? No reason to stop now. He wasn't the type to stop when he was ahead, no. In fact, he was the type to never stop if he could.

Unhealthy? Maybe. But now wasn't the time to think about that.

He sucks in a breath. "I already messed up, letting you jump like that. Not trying to stop you."

"You would have burned if you tried to stop me," Yuri replies, as if trying to excuse his inaction for him.

"Better to burn trying to help you than to just stand idly by," Kotetsu cuts off the excuse. "You might call that crazy, but that's just how I am."

Yuri looks away from him. "You should save that pity for someone who deserves it."

"It's not pity!" Kotetsu snaps. "It's just compassion and you deserve it as much as anyone else!"

"Your sense of justice really says a murderer like me deserves compassion?" Yuri sighs. "...I don't understand you."

"I don't agree with what you did -- I don't believe in ever taking a life like you did," Kotetsu admits. "I never will, but that's all the more reason I want you alive. You deserve to heal from the scars that made you like this."

He reaches out, fingers brushing against the hand-shaped scar on his face. Kotetsu still doesn't know where it's from, doesn't plan on asking. Yuri can tell him when he feels ready, or never tell him, really. Whatever worked for him, so long as he healed, was fine by Kotetsu.

But he has a feeling there's a history to it. Something connected to Lunatic and the look of the mask. The handprint mirrored on both faces. Surely, Kotetsu thinks. It means something, something horrible.

Something that tethers Yuri to his sense of justice. To his want to die.

Yuri doesn't flinch away. He simply looks down, refuses to meet Kotetsu's eyes. He supposes he doesn't blame him for that. Kotetsu bets he's a bit scary right now.

Pulling away, Kotetsu scratches his cheek. Where does he go from here? He feels like he'd just shoved his foot in his mouth badly. Ugh, he was kind of the worst at this! If only Nathan was here. They would know what to do.

"Scars don't ever go away," Yuri finally says, pulling Kotetsu from his thoughts. "They remain forever. Shape you into what you are."

"But that shape isn't ugly or evil," Kotetsu says. "You can heal, still. Sure, you won't be like you were before… But you're still worth it, still beautiful. Even if it's hard to see."

"You put more faith in me than I put in myself," Yuri replies. "This isn't something you can heal from."

"I think it is, it just isn't easy," Kotetsu's voice is soft. "But that's what help is for -- what I'm here for. To make it just a little easier, if I can."

"And what if you can't?" Yuri asks.

"Then I'm here to help pick you up when you fall," Kotetsu replies. "I needed picked up a lot when my abilities first started declining, you know. My family is good at the picking up part, though, so I was able to stand again. I wanna help you stand again."

Yuri takes a deep breath and lets it out, and Kotetsu notices the smallest bit of shaking in his body. "Even if I continue to fall?"

"If you fall a hundred times, I'll pick you up a hundred and one times," Kotetsu says. "Even if you get fed up with falling, I'll be there picking you up."

Yuri closes his eyes. "...You're stubborn."

"It can be a blessing or a curse, really," Kotetsu admits. "But I like to think it's a blessing this time."

The conversation with Kotetsu had died, eventually, the original topic of if Yuri even wanted to be here long forgotten. Yuri lays awake that night, staring at the ceiling and thinking about it. Unable to get the words out of his head. The way Kotetsu refused to give up on helping people.

How Kotetsu knew what being a hero truly meant. In a way his father and he himself never had.

Flames play at his fingers and he considers them for a moment. Considers allowing them to engulf himself once more. To finally finish what he had started, now that there was nothing tethering him down.

His mother was gone. The visions ailing him were gone. He was alone. Or, he supposes he had been alone. Now an annoying feral cat had found a way to wiggle into his life. Bringing older cats and even a kitten along with him.

Of course, only that first feral cat had made it into his home, so to speak. But the others were sure to follow soon enough, if said cat had his way. And Yuri isn't sure how he's supposed cat-proof his house or himself.

The flames lick at his fingers and he looks to where Kotetsu sleeps. Snoring peacefully. He snuffs out the flames for now, and tries to join him in sleep.

Chapter Text

Yuri wakes up before Kotetsu the next day, and he looks over at the man. Kotetsu snores softly, still. Laying there and sleeping the morning away. Yuri wishes he could sleep as peacefully as Kotetsu does, but he can't. And so, he gets up.

He slinks out of the room quietly, letting out a breath after he closes the door. Good, the last thing he wants right now is to wake Kotetsu. He'll be getting plenty of his attention later, anyway.

Apparently, though, he's not gotten enough attention from his daughter. Kaede is standing there, holding the poster Kotetsu had brought her awkwardly to her chest. She licks her lips and seems to think before speaking.

"Oh, hi Mr. Yuri!" She says with a forced cheeriness. "Is Dad up?"

"Not yet," Yuri says. "I wanted to get some fresh air while he's still asleep. Did you need something from him?"

"Well," Kaede drums her fingers against the back of the neatly folded poster. "I wanted to ask him to sign this."

"Oh? Did he not sign it?" Yuri asks, interest a bit piqued.

"Nope," Kaede frowns. "Don't tell him I said this, but I think he's taking the whole… not being a hero anymore thing really hard. But… he's my hero! I want his autograph, too!"

Yuri nods, he knows what it feels like to see your father as your hero. He only hopes for Kaede that Kotetsu continues to prove himself a better man than Mr. Legend was. "Well, I'm sure he'll be up soon."

"I wish he was up now," Kaede sighs. "I keep getting cold feet about asking him."

Yuri pauses for a moment. "Why is that?"

"Well, it's… embarrassing," she hides her face behind the poster. "And intimidating, I guess? I don't really talk to him as Wild Tiger the hero, but as Kotetsu the dad. You know?"

"I think you'll be fine," he says honestly. "Fathers… can be scary. But Kotetsu is about the best I've ever met."

"Wow," Kaede blinks. "Either you only know really bad fathers, or you really like my dad."

Yuri closes his eyes, thinks for a moment. "...I suppose it's a bit of both."

Kaede giggles a bit. "My dad does have a way of wiggling his way into others' hearts! He even wiggled into Barnaby's! One of his greatest accomplishments, according to him."

"Is that so?" Now, Yuri feels a bit awkward. He clears his throat. "Well, I wish you luck, then. If you'll excuse me…"

"Oh, sorry to keep you!" Kaede gives a small bow. "It was nice talking to you! Enjoy the countryside air! You won't find anything like it in the city!"

He mumbles a thank you and heads for the front door. The fresh air is different than anything in Sternbild, Kaede was correct about that. Almost sweet in a way. He sucks it in, eyes closing.

He doesn't think he'll ever get used to it, but for now, it's fairly nice. He sits down and soaks it and the sunshine in for now. He feels a bit naked like this, without a suit or the makeup that covers his first sin away… But there's so few people around, that perhaps that's alright.

There's a sound, and he glances back. Anju, Kotetsu's mother. She smiles at him and presents him with some tea and those cookies that remind him of mother. He wants to say no, but the words catch in his throat.

"Thank you, miss," he says instead. "How did you know I was out here?"

"Kaede mentioned you were going out for some air," Anju sits next to him, taking her own share of the tea and cookies. "I thought it would be nice to chat for a bit, learn more about my son's mystery friend."

Yuri hums, taking a sip of the bitter drink. "Do you do this often?"

"Usually, Kotetsu does the telling for me," Anju chuckles. "But I'd never heard of you, at least not in much detail. In fact, I think I know you better as the director than by your actual name."

"Ah, yes, after the… less than pleasant events, I did take over the direction of Hero TV Live," Yuri nods. "I didn't realize he'd mentioned that, though."

"He did, also mentioned the many times he saw you in court when he put more on his company in damages," Anju sighs, shaking her head. "I do apologize for that, he can be so reckless."

"I don't mind it, really," Yuri says. "He was just following his own sense of justice."

Anju laughs a bit, and Yuri looks at her with a furrowed brow. "Oh, I'm sorry. I just imagined most judges would be fed up with him showing up for the same thing over and over again."

"It did get predictable," Yuri admits. "At some point it became muscle memory to look through it and claim Apollon as needing to pay."

"That's more along the lines of what I was expecting," Anju smiles. "I think I'm already starting to see why he sees you so pleasantly, though."

"Oh?" Yuri asks, having not seen any himself. "Are you certain?"

She nods. "The way you talk about him. There's a warmth to it. You two must be closer than I thought."

"Ah," he looks away. "I… wouldn't say that."

"Well," Anju says. "Either way, I'm rooting for the two of you. It's always nice to see a friendship blossom."

"Ah--"

"There you are!" The door opens and Yuri doesn't even have to look to know Kotetsu is probably worried out of his mind. "I didn't expect you to get up so early."

"I've always been an early riser," Yuri replies, a bit glad the conversation was cut short."

"Well, you should wake me up, then," Kotetsu walks around him and sits at his other side. "I'd still like to keep an eye on you for at least a little bit, you know!"

"You don't need to treat me like a child," Yuri replies. "I'll be fine."

"Wh… I'm not trying to treat you like a child!" Kotetsu says. "I'm just--"

"Kotetsu," Anju's voice is scolding. "Give the poor man some space. You can't just smother him."

"Mom--"

"Come help me in the kitchen, now," she stands up with a grunt. "Come on, let's let him soak in the sun."

"Alright, alright…" Kotetsu stands and gives Yuri one more look. "You can come and find me if you need anything, okay?"

"Yes, I know."

They leave, and Yuri can't help but cry.

Chapter Text

"Hello?" It's only been about a week since he's seen him and only one and half days since Kotetsu left, but his voice still makes Barnaby smile. He'd missed it, even though it had been such a short amount of time. "What's up, Bunny?"

"I wanted to call and check up on you," Barnaby says. "We have just a little bit of time before the next season starts…"

"Oh yeah! Hope you're taking care of yourself," Kotetsu is quick to say. "That leg injury of yours--"

"It's fine, Kotetsu," Barnaby replies. "In fact, I'm feeling healthy enough I was thinking of visiting you, just for a day or two."

There's a long pause. One that sets off alarm bells in Barnaby's head. Did something go wrong with the move? Was Kotetsu upset by the idea? He's thinking about all the potential issues and swallows hard.

Being a hero had been a passion of Kotetsu's. What if he was taking it harder than he initially let on?

Eventually, the older man laughs. "A-ah, I dunno about that! Maybe the next time you have paid leave, instead?"

"Oh," Barnaby frowns, the worry still there. "Things too busy there?"

"Y-yeah! Still getting settled in and all that. I have so much to catch up on, I couldn't be a good host yet!" Kotetsu jumps on the excuse in a snap. "When things are calmer, though, I'll be sure to invite you down! How about that?"

Barnaby sighs. "Sure, I guess that would work. Feel free to call me anytime, though. I know this must be rough."

"I know, thanks partner," Kotetsu's voice is soft in a way that makes Barnaby's heart squeeze. "Ah! But I should go -- Mom's taking advantage of me being around and putting me to work!"

Barnaby chuckles. "Well, you better pull your weight! I'll talk to you later, see you."

"See ya!"

Kotetsu hangs up and Barnaby looks at the phone. He frowns, sighing before finally locking it and placing it back in his pocket. That could have gone better, much better. He can't help but feel Kotetsu is hiding something from him.

Or maybe, another part of him says, some one ? He had gone to high school with his wife, right? Who's to say he won't find someone else there? Who's to say there's not someone there for him to rekindle things with already?

It's not like Barnaby ever told Kotetsu how he felt. There was a chance it was requited, but there was a chance it was unrequited. He supposes he got caught up on that, as well as on everything else. It always seemed something came between them.

And maybe now it was too late. Maybe he should have acted sooner, rather than waiting. Here he was thinking he could confess now -- finally get it off his chest and clear any tension left between them.

He's… really not good at any of this, really. A side-effect of how he'd lived his life for so long, he guesses. Maybe he'll ask someone else for an idea of what to do. Someone who seemed savvy with this kind of stuff…

Nathan.

"You think he's hiding something from you, but want a second opinion?" Nathan raises an eyebrow. "Handsome, you two are the closest any buddy duo ever was! I would think you would trust your gut when it came to him."

"Well if it had to do with hero work or friendship, I would agree, but…" Barnaby trails off, his face heating up.

Nathan's mouth forms a small 'o' after a moment. "Handsome… Are you in love with Kotetsu?"

"I think I am, yes," Barnaby admits. "I… couldn't bring myself to even admit it to myself until recently, and I wanted to go see him and confess, but I think it might be too late?"

Nathan taps their cheek. "Do you think there's another person down there that he's into?"

"It's possible, but I could also be too nervous," Barnaby says. "So I wanted to ask you."

"Hmm…" They tap their cheek once more. "What I think is you are overthinking it. You know how important his hero work is to him! He's probably struggling with the change, and just doesn't want to worry you! You know him."

"He is the type to do that," Barnaby hums and nods. "I guess I was overthinking it. He still doesn't want me down there right now, though."

"He doesn't want you to go out of your way to go down," Nathan says. "So let's make it more than you and more of a… whim."

Barnaby raises an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"All us heroes -- let's go make sure he's doing alright because… well, why not?" Nathan suggests. "I can ask Keith, and the other ladies. You can hit the rest of the boys. What do you say?"

"Well…" Barnaby rubs his chin and thinks for a moment. "I think that would work, but do you really think they'd all come along?"

"Some of them are shy," Nathan admits. "You can always use that worry of yours as a weapon. Say you think he's hiding something and anyone not on board will hop right on!"

"You really think so?" Barnaby asks.

"Oh, handsome, I know so," Nathan replies with a smile. "We have plenty of snoopy types among us."

"You included," Barnaby points out somewhat jokingly.

"Guilty as charged," Nathan chuckles. "But that snooping is why I had any advice for you, don't you think?"

"I guess you're not wrong," Barnaby smiles a bit. "Thanks, Nathan."

"Any time."

Kotetsu sighs as he sits at the table, looking at his phone. Good thing he'd been able to convince Barnaby not to come, at least. He had more time to think on what to say and how to say it now.

But he has a bit of a bad feeling in his gut. Yuri passes him muttering about a stomach ache, too. He wonders if that's something he should pay attention to…

Eh, not like he's on the field fighting anymore. It should be fine!

Chapter Text

Kaede approaches Kotetsu when he finds an excuse to go check on Yuri. "Oh, hey sweetie! Do you need something?"

"It's about the poster," she says, and Kotetsu realizes she's holding it behind her back. "I… think you forgot to sign it."

"Oh…" Kotetsu blinks. "I didn't forget, Kaede. I… chose not to sign it, since I'm not a hero anymore or anything. I figured it'd mess up the value--"

"I don't care about the value!" Kaede huffs, holding it out towards him. "You're my dad and you're a hero, even if you retired from official work, right? So sign it!"

"Kaede…" Kotetsu feels like he's about to tear up. "Oh, you're the best, sweetie! Daddy will sign it right now!"

"I'll always be rooting for you, you know," she says, looking away. "It was really dumb of you to think I wouldn't want you to sign it in the first place!"

"Sorry, sorry," Kotetsu says, deciding not to mention it was partially because signing it would sting a bit for him. After all, he would be the odd one out when all was said and done with it.

It was easier to be the odd one out completely, rather than trying to blend in with everyone else. Maybe he really was getting old if he was thinking like that, huh? He's sure Kaede would say so.

But for now, he signs it. Kaede seems giddy and he ruffles her hair. "There you go, kiddo. Gonna hang it up now, eh?"

"Probably," Kaede nods. "Thanks, Dad! It… it really means a lot."

She rushes off towards her room and he smiles to himself. Well, that went well, at least. He still feels weird signing it, maybe with a side of stinging pain in his chest, but he can work through that. If it makes Kaede happy, it makes him happy.

Now, back to what he was doing before. He stretches, takes a deep breath, and heads to his room. Yuri is sitting there, flipping through some magazines Kotetsu had brought from Sternbild.

"See anything you like?" He asks, moving to sit down.

"Nothing interesting to me, no, besides this article," Yuri holds up the magazine he's currently holding and Kotetsu looks it over.

He nearly yelps when he realizes it's an article discussing Yuri's disappearance. Kotetsu and Barnaby had decided to keep things quiet -- with all they knew Kotetsu just wouldn't feel right dragging Yuri's name through the mud after his (thought to be at the time) death.

"O-oh jeez," Kotetsu mumbles. "I guess you are pretty important back there. Wanna go back?"

The last question is a joke, but it seems Yuri is actually thinking about it. Kotetsu watches quietly, he supposes it's fair if he does want to go back. He did get dragged out here without much of a say in it.

"...No, not yet," Yuri finally says. "I… don't think I could face anyone as I am now."

"You can face me," Kotetsu says. "Am I special or something?"

Another joke, actually. Yuri looks at him, though, and it sorta makes his heart skip a beat. Why the hell did that happen? He can't think about it for too long, or even at all, because Yuri is about to speak again.

"I suppose you are special."

His heart skips a beat again, and he flounders for words.

Yuri chuckles after a moment, and Kotetsu pauses. Is he being messed with? He didn't know Yuri had that in him, but that had to be it! He tells himself that, and brushes off the skipped beats of his heart.

"Who would've known you'd mess with me when we're both out of costume!" Kotetsu finally says with a chuckle. "And I didn't even get hurt this time!"

"I can change that," Yuri offers, and Kotetsu can't tell if he's serious or not.

"Yeaaaah, no thanks, Kotetsu shakes his head. "Both my arms already hurt enough from what you did. Your fire really hurts, even when it barely touches someone!"

"I know," Yuri replies, looking away. "It hurts worse when it directly touches you, though."

The jovial air Kotetsu had thought was building vanishes. He frowns, looks at Yuri even as he refuses to return his gaze. He drums his fingers against his knees, thinking of what to say.

"You know it really well, huh?" He finally settles on. "And I don't just mean that time at the bridge."

Yuri looks back at him. "You mean my face, don't you?"

Kotetsu nods. "I dunno when or how you got that, and it's none of my business, but… Yeah, I dunno. I just mean you know better than me."

"Do you enjoy the taste of your own foot?" Yuri asks. "You seem to, with how often you put it in your own mouth."

"H-hey!" Kotetsu pouts. "I'm doing my best here, man! I don't wanna overstep, but… Y'know…"

"I know?" Yuri asks, raising a brow.

"I don't wanna just let things pitter out, either!" Kotetsu huffs. "What? Would you rather I just say nothing or try and move on when you're pouring your heart out to me?"

Yuri closes his eyes. "I wasn't pouring my heart out."

"You were… letting a little drip out, then," Kotetsu scratches his cheek. "There's some heart being shared here, one way or another."

"I suppose you're right," Yuri says. "Something about you makes it easy to share, I suppose."

"Aha!" Kotetsu rubs his chin. "So that's what makes me special, eh?"

Yuri finally looks at him again. "Believe whatever keeps you happy, I suppose."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kotetsu asks, frowning.

"What do you think it's supposed to mean?"

"I don't like you messing with me, you know! You're in my house!" Kotetsu pauses. "The least you could do is show me some respect!"

"The fact I'm replying is a sign of respect," Yuri replies. "Trust me, anyone else and I wouldn't be speaking."

Kotetsu opens his mouth, then closes it. What does he even say to that…?!

Chapter Text

Kotetsu eventually stands and leaves without much of a word, and against his better judgement Yuri follows. At a distance, of course. Kotetsu being so quiet was strange, enough so he wanted to get a handle on this before actually saying anything.

He watches Kotetsu talk to his mother, and then head for the door. The only word he's certain he heard was graveyard, and… Well, he supposes he can't help himself. After all, if things had gone a bit differently, that's where he would be now.

"You're leaving, then?" He asks, making himself known.

Kotetsu looks at him, blinks twice, then nods. "Ah, yeah. I have someone I wanna visit, is all! Don't worry about it, you can hang out here! I'll be back before you know it!"

Given how much Kotetsu had hovered before, that certainly stands out. He frowns, but says nothing. At least, nothing for now. No point in arguing with someone as stubborn as Kotetsu, after all.

He leaves, and then Yuri looks at Anju. She looks back at him, and there seems to be a sense of understanding in her eyes. She sighs, though there's a small smile on her face.

"Let me get you directions, then," she finally says, moving to jot them down. "You want to follow Kotetsu, I'm sure."

"Yes, I am, thank you." It was nice not to have to say it.

She hands him off the written directions, and after checking them over a couple of times and giving Kotetsu ample time to beat him there, Yuri starts off. There's just something about this man that was always… interesting. And given his current position, interesting would be about the only thing keeping him going.

Not that Kotetsu was going to need to know that, no. He would keep that to himself, for as long as he could manage. It was too soon after everything to even risk being burned.

(Even if Kotetsu burning him was one of the unlikelier endings to the story. As long as there was even a chance, he couldn't risk it.)

(Or maybe, he just wouldn't.)

He shakes off the thoughts and continues down the path, looking at Anju's directions as he goes. It's strange, knowing Sternbild nearly as well as the back of his hand, but this small town throwing him off. It was so much smaller, less confusingly built, too… But, then again, Sternbild had been his home for so long.

The same goes for this place, in regards to Kotetsu, then… A piece of him wonders if he'll start getting used to it, too. He supposes it depends on if Kotetsu plans on keeping such a close eye on him he can't explore or not.

He decides Kotetsu leaving him be now is a good sign he won't be keeping that close of an eye on him in time. Hopefully following after him wasn't just about to ruin that for the both of them.

Finally, he makes it to the graveyard. It's nicely kept, few if any gravestones in disrepair. Different than graveyards in sternbild, where one could be pristine and the next nearly destroyed by the elements and time.

(He hopes mother's grave is well in his absence. He didn't even make it to the funeral.)

Kotetsu is talking to a grave, he forces himself to focus on that. Rather than the body on the table, cloth over her face. Forces himself back into the here and now, on the sun radiating light.

A sad light, but a light nonetheless.

He approaches, forces himself to move. Kotetsu doesn't even notice at first, but when he does, he stumbles over his words and stands. Yuri looks at the tombstone as he does so, reads the name on it.

Tomoe Kaburagi. The mother of his child, then? His late wife?

"Y-you followed me?!" Kotetsu croaked out. "How did you even find your way here?"

"Your mother gave me the directions," he replies, watching Kotetsu groan about it. "You were visiting a loved one, though. I apologize for intruding."

"No, no, it's okay," Kotetsu crouches down again. "I just figured you… wouldn't want a bunch of depressing stuff dropped on your lap. I kinda come here to ask Tomoe what she thinks and what I should do, you know?"

"I see…" Yuri hums and finally offers a little prayer towards Tomoe. "Putting stress on her even in death? Seems a bit rude."

"I tell her good things, too!" Kotetsu huffs. "She just always seemed to know what to say and what to do. Well, mostly, at least…"

"Was there a time she didn't?"

"Right before she died," Kotetsu says, voice somehow still steady. "She told me to go and that people needed me. Told me it would be fine… I didn't get to say goodbye."

Yuri swallows down the lump in his throat. Swallows down the pain enough to at least say the words to come to mind. Even then, it's hard. It comes out choked, strangled. Like he's not getting enough air.

"I understand what it's like to not be able to say goodbye," he hears himself say, but doesn't feel like he is. "My condolences."

"It's fine, it's ben years, so…" Kotetsu lets out a forced-sounding laugh. "I've gotten used to it. I, ah… I'm sorry you know what it's like, though. It gets easier with time, but…"

"If you're about to guess, then yes. It was recent," Yuri says. "Surely you remember the reappearance of Lunatic."

Kotetsu looks up at him, eyes widening a bit. "Those burglars…"
"Murderers," Yuri forces out. "My mother was one of the victims."

"I'm sorry," Kotetsu says. "I didn't realize, or I would have been less of an idiot when--"

"I didn't want anyone to know," Yuri replies. "I don't like letting anyone see my wounds."

"But then you shared that story about your dad," Kotetsu says. "Right after."

"It was stupid of me to," Yuri says, looking away. "I should have known better--"

"If anything, I probably should have known not to say all that stuff," Kotetsu rubs the back of his head. "I have a real bad habit of putting my foot in my mouth, and now I find out I did it right after you got such bad news! I… I'm sorry."

Yuri swallows. "Why are you apologizing to me?"

"Because it feels right to do," Kotetsu says. "I probably just added to your hurt. I'm sorry, Yuri."

Yuri says nothing. He simply looks back at Tomoe's grave and stands next to Kotetsu. He stands and he waits for the chatty tiger next to him to speak again.

Chapter Text

After coming back from the graveyard, Kotetsu feels like he should do something nice for Yuri. Maybe that's why he asks what his favorite food is -- not that just being told sugar does much to help…

Really, he's best at making fried rice so he was kinda hoping for that. But hey, he could work with this. All he had to do was make sweet fried rice, something possible and normal to want to make when using things like marshmallows and chocolate syrup.

"Dad, are you sure about this?" Kaede asks from the table, frowning. "Maybe I should just help you bake some cookies, instead."

"No, no cookies!" He still can't help but feel they upset Yuri before… Maybe he just doesn't like cookies even if he likes sugar? Then again, those criminals…

He decides not to think about the tin of cookies that seemed similar to the ones Anju and Kaede made to celebrate Kotetsu's return. Not right now, at least. He'll just ask his mom to not make those kind of cookies for a while later.

"This still seems like a bad idea," Kaede says, pulling him from his thoughts. "Rice with chocolate syrup sounds gross, dad. Isn't there a better way to make sweet fried rice?"

"Maybe, but he said sugar, not sweet!" Kotetsu replies. "And this is a surefire way to make sure sugar is involved, right?"

Kaede gives him a look. "You're crazy."

"So are you, since you're agreeing to taste-test it," Kotetsu points out.

"I get it from you," she huffs, crossing her arms. "If I get a stomachache, I'm telling Grandma it's your fault."

"Sometimes I can't tell if you're really on my side or against me," he whines, clearly just teasing. "How is Daddy supposed to tell, Kaede?"

"Figure it out, Dad! You're an adult," she says. "You should be able to."

"But," Kotetsu plates the horrible thing he's hoping will somehow taste better than it looks or smells. "I'm also old, I need some help to really understand the youth."

Kaede snorts. "You did not just say the youth, dad. Just say kids!"

"Well, I'm so old I wouldn't know I should just say that," he teases, placing it in front of her. "Now dig in."

She hesitates for a moment, and Kotetsu just watches. All his hope is sitting on this -- if Kaede doesn't like it, he's wasted a bunch of ingredients and time all for nothing. She looks at him, he looks back at her and nods.

Swallowing hard, Kaede takes a bite. Chews thoughtfully…

And spits it out, wiping her mouth and going for the glass of milk Kotetsu had poured for her. She spits and gags even after taking a gulp and Kotetsu finds himself fretting. He wasn't expecting it to be good at this point, but…

"That bad?" He rubs her back, trying not to let his disappointment show in his voice.

"Probably the worst thing I've ever tasted," she makes a face. "Stick to making your usual, Dad. Even if it's not Mr. Yuri's favorite he'll probably enjoy it more than whatever this is."

Kotetsu pouts. "Well, that was a waste."

"You should have just let me help you bake some cookies," Kaede says, sounding a lot like Tomoe used to when she told him so. "But no, don't listen to the kid who knows what she's doing because she's a kid."

"You know that's not it," Kotetsu replies as he starts scraping what remains into the bin. "I'm just stubborn, you had to get it from someone, right?"

"I guess so," Kaede gives him a small smile and stands, helping him with the scraping. "Make sure you take the bag right out after you do the dishes, it stinks!"

"I know, I know--"

"Ah, so you two made that smell happen," Yuri's voice makes Kotetsu's blood run cold. Why now, of all times? "Do you not cook often, Kotetsu?"

Kotetsu turns to look at him, placing the pan in the sink. "Well, I cook sometimes, and when I know how to cook it turns out great! This… wasn't something I knew how to cook."

Yuri snorts, and in any other circumstance, Kotetsu would be excited. But right now? He feels like he got caught with his hand in the cookie jar and Yuri found it hilarious. Not exactly a great feeling, if you asked him.

"Perhaps you should take some cooking lessons while doing your other studying," Yuri finally says, teasing at the edge of his voice. "It could do you some good."

"It could do all of us some good," Kaede places the plate in the sink. "When Dad messes up it always ends up stinking!"

"Kaede--"

"I know, I know," Kaede waves a hand in the air. "I won't embarrass you in front of him anymore, good luck with the rest of the clean up."

And with that, she excuses herself. Kotetsu turns to the sink and starts the hot water, soap soon joining it. He tries to ignore the way Yuri looks over his shoulder, clearly trying to figure out what he'd been cooking.

"Was it for me?" He asks after a moment.

"What?" Kotetsu does his best to not be thrown off by him noticing. "What makes you think that?"

Yuri sighs. "You asked me what my favorite food is, Kotetsu. Did you expect me to not catch on?"

Kotetsu flushes. "I guess that's a good point… Yeah, it was for you, but it was a bust, so don't worry about it."

Yuri looks into the trashcan and Kotetsu nearly breaks the plate he's holding in his hand. "...Is that fried rice with chocolate syrup ?"

"And marshmallows, and candy," Kotetsu mumbles. "I thought I could make it work."

Yuri chuckles again, though this leans closer to a full laugh than the last one. It still embarrasses Kotetsu in a way he doesn't want to admit. He decides against looking at Yuri's expression right now.

"You are a strange one, Kotetsu T. Kaburagi," he finally says. "I never know what to think when you're around."

"Well, you get used to it," Kotetsu says. At least Barnaby did. "So look forward to that!"

"We'll see if that's what happens," Yuri heads back towards the hall. "Oh, but I wish you luck with all that, Kotetsu."

For some reason, Kotetsu feels like he's still being teased.

Chapter Text

The train ride to Oriental Town is nerve-wracking for a number of reasons, but Barnaby keeps himself from being too obviously nervous. Antonio sits next to him, talking about some of his memories of visiting Kotetsu during high school, and Subaru sits across from him asking question after question.

Thomas is next to him, probably texting his sister. The aisle across from them has Ivan teaching Keith and Nathan some origami, while Ryan snores away. Karina sits behind Barnaby, doing Lara's nails while Pao-lin and Agnes chat about how excited the young hero is to visit Kotetsu after retirement.

He's still not sure how Agnes ended up coming along, but she was here. Maybe she figured she could get some heartwarming footage to use for the new season.

"Almost there," Antonio says. "I can't wait to see the look on his face!"

"It'll be funny, that's for sure," Barnaby agrees. "Hopefully he won't be too upset about all of us visiting…"

"Well, you're the one who said he's always nosy, right?" Subaru says. "He can't be too mad if we get nosy back!"

"True enough," Barnaby laughs. "Then I guess we should just look forward to it."

"So this is where Tiger grew up, huh?" Ryan asks as soon as they're all off the train. "That explains a lot."

"It's so nice and homey, just like him!" Lara says, probably missing what Ryan actually meant. "I can't wait to see his house…"

"I should be able to lead us there," Antonio says, rubbing his chin. "Let me see, from the train station I think we go… this way!"

The group follows after him, and Barnaby finds himself lagging behind a bit. He's still thinking about that call, and he really can't help but feel a bit off about this. What was Kotetsu hiding from him?

Nathan seems to notice him stewing on this and starts to hang back as well. They elbow him gently, a worried frown on their face. Ah, were they picking up on him being worried about this all?

"You gonna be okay, Handsome?" They asks, keeping their voice quiet.

"I should be," he replies, giving them a smile. "Just a bit worried. I can't help but think there's something bigger than his retirement at play here, no matter how much I tell myself that isn't the case."

"That so?" Nathan hums. "Any idea what it could be?"

"No, it's just a feeling that won't go away," Barnaby sighs. "I probably sound paranoid to you, don't I?"

"Well, he's your partner," Nathan replies. "You know him better than anyone else. If you think there's more going on… There just might be."

"I guess the only way to find out is to see him in person, though," Barnaby says. "So this trip should be worth it."

If he can get him to talk, that is.

Kotetsu opens the door and panic sets in the moment he sees who's there. Antonio and all the other heroes, plus Agnes. Basically the last people he would want to see here while he has a recovering Yuri resting in his room. His head is spinning as he tries to figure out what to do.

"Hey, Kotetsu!" Antonio grins, throwing up a hand. "We were thinking you might be crying yourself to sleep at night without us, so we came to visit."

"Oh haha," he forces out. "I was just heartbroken I couldn't see your ugly mug every day."

"And here I was thinking you'd actually be happy to see us," Antonio huffs. "Barnaby should change your tune, though."
"Bunny is here?!" His voice raises in pitch. "No way, no way…!"

He steps outside, pushing everyone back. There's mutters of confusion, but he can't show how freaked out he is while the door is still open. Someone might push through and find Yuri if he does that.

"Well, if you're already here, I guess I better show you guys around!" He chirps, doing his best not to look back at his house. "C'mon! Let's go get something to eat!"

He starts off, leaving them little choice but to follow him. He hears Karina whispering something to Agnes about this, but he has no time to worry about being judged. Barnaby soon enough makes it to the front of the pack, walking next to Kotetsu. He's frowning - Kotetsu knows what kinda frown that is, too.

"Kotetsu," he says, voice low. "Is everything alright?"

"I know you guys are worried about my retirement, but I've been fine!" He says, waving a hand in the air. "I don't need you guys babying me! I'm a grown man, you know-"

Barnaby puts a hand on his shoulder. "I mean things other than your retirement. Anything… odd going on?"

"N… nope," he shakes his head, trying to stay calm. "Nothing at all!"

Barnaby narrows his eyes. "You're lying to me."

"No I'm not," Kotetsu says, refusing to look him in the eye. "Even if I was, I figured you'd trust me to tell you when the time is right."

"So something is wrong," Barnaby says. "You just can't or maybe won't tell me."

Kotetsu doesn't reply, and just keeps walking.

Yuri sees the heroes outside, sees Kotetsu lead them away. He wonders if this was a sign - that he couldn't avoid this. He would be found eventually, whether he wanted to be found or not. He would have to face the future in Sternbild.

The cozy countryside life wasn't meant for him, he supposes he knew that much. He just tricked himself, for a short time, that this could be his life until he healed. Until he had some time to at least try.

He thinks he sees the youngest hero, Magical Cat, glance into the room once. Nothing about her expression gives away if she noticed him, though. He supposes it would be for the best if she wasn't the one to.

Maybe Kotetsu will give it away, he's not exactly a good liar. Maybe Barnaby will walk in here and find him, or Fire Emblem will pick up on something being off and intuit it. There's many choices, but they all lead to the same place.

He'll be found, one way or another. It's just a matter of how.