[OPEN] Happy...Birthday?

[baniichan]

Characters: Wild Tiger oyaji, Barnaby Brooks Jr. baniichan, and YOU
Date: 10/31
Location: W0-3A
Situation: After posting this train wreck of a party invitation, Wild Tiger manages to corral Barnaby back to his place for some cake and birthday shenanigans (like...sitting on the floor and eating cake).
Warnings/Rating: Two manchildren being lonely together??



Barnaby should have known. He should have known the moment he heard it was Halloween. And yet, somehow, it didn't occur to him that throwing an impromptu birthday party for him would be on Kotetsu's list of priorities.

Of course, he knew his partner better than just about anybody, and he knew that Kotetsu had a nasty habit of burying his head under the sand (and usually into someone else's business) if it meant not facing an unpleasant truth. That explained the sudden flood of network messages, the cake, and god knew what else.

Barnaby acknowledged that this was one of his partner's faults. The man still meant well at the end of the day, and that was also an important thing to remember. Of course, intentions didn't make it any less of a problem, but there was also the fact the man had been ripped from everything he knew, everyone he loved, and now had to cope with his new reality.

Considering the extreme circumstances they were in, it was a bit expected, really.

But it didn't mean Barnaby had to enjoy it, which was why he didn't look too thrilled as he sat in a wooden chair with his arms folded over his chest. He'd already given Kotetsu a piece of his mind for trying to organize a party ("trying" because he wasn't going to assume anyone would come), knowing full well that Barnaby had no use for things like that. Now, though, there wasn't much to say without sounding like a broken record.

Comments

[oyaji]

Okay, Kotetsu didn't really think anyone would come, but hey! There was nothing wrong with assuming the best in mankind wanting to help out a weary traveler on his birthday. He was just a bleeding heart like that.

So, alone, with the sun setting quickly behind, they sat at the older man's table while Kotetsu's foot taps impatiently against the leg of his chair.

"So... Should we cut the cake, or what?"

[baniichan]

"Sure," Barnaby answered, though he didn't think he cared one way or the other. Still, it was something Kotetsu went out of his way to get for him, so Barnaby figured they probably ought to enjoy some sooner rather than later.

"I still don't consider this my birthday, though," he pointed out after a moment. As he removed his glasses to blow some dust off of them, he continued speaking. "Although, we never got a chance to celebrate our return to Hero TV, so I'd be willing to count it toward that."

[oyaji]

"Well I do!" And that was that. He would hear no more about how this wasn't his birthday! The calendar said Halloween? Okay, then it was his partner's birthday! Pretty simple.

"Let me get it! I hid it upstairs!" Snickering at his own clever ingenuity, he scrambled up the stairs in his treehouse like an excited little boy. Not long, the heavy tread of his steps thundered back down the stairs as he proudly held out the cake.

"Happy Birthda~y to yo~u! Happy Birthda~y to yo~u! Happy Birthday, dear Bunn~y! Happy Birthda~y to yo~u!!" And with that last unfortunate note still echoing against tree bark, Kotetsu set it in front of Barnaby so he could see the handiwork. Written on top were the words Happy Birthday Bunny! with a pink blob that was probably supposed to be a rabbit.

He stood back with his hands on his hips to survey a job well done when he sudenly remembered something crucial. "I forgot candles! D'ah!" How could he have been so stupid?!

[baniichan]

It was a good thing no one had decided to show up yet, because Barnaby would have gotten a pretty good dose of secondhand embarrassment from all that singing. Thankfully, the song was mercifully short, and all that was left was slicing into the cake.

By this point he'd expected the birthday message, so Barnaby let it slide without comment. However, when Kotetsu began fretting over candles, of all things, he spoke up.

"The candles aren't necessary," he said. Because it's not my birthday, was the unspoken sentiment, but Barnaby pressed on. "Besides, you could wind up accidentally getting wax on the icing."

[oyaji]

"Well... Yeah, but! You can't make a wish without candles." Kotetsu visibly deflated after realizing that. And that was one thing they really needed right now. A wish could help them.

[baniichan]

Barnaby didn't look very impressed with that reasoning. "Why would I need to make a wish? And even if I did, why would I need candles?"

Superstitions were just that -- silly traditions that were ingrained into their cultural psyche in order to make people feel better about their daily lives. Not that there was anything wrong with doing something just for fun, but Barnaby didn't remember making any birthday wishes since his 4th birthday. There just wasn't any point in it, since wishes only came true if you were willing to put in the work to make them happen.

And, no matter how hard you tried, you couldn't bring the dead back.

Still, he knew that answer wasn't going to be completely acceptable to Kotetsu, so he figured he ought to offer a compromise. "If you're that set on it, though, we could go looking for a shooting star later."

[oyaji]

"Oh... Yeah, I guess that works." It wasn't candles, but he supposed shooting stars were better than nothing. "Let me get a knife..."

Wandering into the small kitchen, the older man found a short knife, two plates, and forks. He cut a thick wedge of cake from the pink side and gave it to Barnaby. It was a rich pink color with creamy white frosting. The flavor was something he'd never heard of, but how did he say no to a pink fruit? It reminded him of pomegranate, though a little more sweet.

"I, uh... hope you like it..."

[baniichan]

Reaching out, Barnaby accepted the plate of cake from Kotetsu. It was a much larger piece than he would have cut for himself, but that was to be expected at this point. The color scheme wasn't lost on Barnaby, though he couldn't help but be a little unsure about what kind of flavor Kotetsu had ordered.

After cutting off a forkful, Barnaby took a bite and allowed the smooth icing to mix with the moist cake. Sweet and creamy, the flavors flawlessly blended in his mouth. Barnaby's eyebrows raised in surprise.

"I've never tasted anything quite like this before," he admitted. "It's...delicious."

[oyaji]

"Right? That girl sure knows her stuff!" Too bad he still didn't know what it was going to cost him in the long run. He could only imagine the horrible, humiliating scenarios. Repaying her back with interest was probably the most beneficent outcome he could hope for.

"I figured you'd approve! What's not to like, huh?" Now that Barnaby was taken care of, Kotetsu cut himself a piece of cake and dug in.

[baniichan]

"I'm pretty sure there's no way we can eat this whole thing ourselves, though," Barnaby said with a ghost of a smile. Not before it went bad, anyway. They didn't have a freezer for the rest of it, so that made things a bit difficult in that regard.

Even part of Aunt Samantha's cakes had usually wound up in the freezer. Of course, that felt like an eternity ago now...

He slowly took another bite of cake, a pensive expression on his face.

[oyaji]

"Ha! That sounds like a challenge!" And Kotetsu always accepted a challenge (even if he technically made it up all on his own)! Another forkful of cake was stuffed into his big mouth as he stared hard at Barnaby.

"Ohm!" he squawked around the cake in his mouth. "I hab somkih ewl! Hab ohm!" And in a flash, he was gone, back up the stairs. Then he was back, taking the steps two by two with something in his arms.

"Look!" He held out a plain, black leather jacket. "Pretty nice, huh? I figured you'd need one," he explained with feigned nonchalance. Deep down he was waiting for the inevitable praise. He would be the coolest partner in 3, 2, 1...

[baniichan]

"It's rude to talk with your mouth full, you know," Barnaby reminded him, but Kotetsu seemed too excited by whatever it was he'd mentioned to care. As such, there was nothing for him to do but wait to see what the man wanted to show him. Considering this made-up occasion, part of him dreaded what was likely some kind of mystery gift.

His partner may have finally figured out that holding the "birthday boy" at gun point was in poor taste, but that didn't discount the possibility of something almost as bad -- like a pet.

Thankfully, that didn't seem to be the case, and Barnaby was actually surprised when Kotetsu presented him with the leather jacket. The design was old-fashioned, not at all something he would have picked out for himself, and yet...

After reaching out, Barnaby gently took the jacket from Kotetsu. The leather was soft underneath his pale fingers.

"Where did you get this?" he asked.

[oyaji]

"I have my sources," he bragged, crossing his arms over his chest in smug triumph. No, Barnaby hadn't outwardly praised him for his efforts, but the look on his face, the fact that he actually came closer... Yeah, that was a victory. His partner might as well have screamed for joy.

"You like it? I know you prefer to pick out your own clothes, but that kinda defeats the purpose of a present!" That, and they didn't have enough money to buy anything better. It was that jacket or rags, really.

[baniichan]

Barnaby slipped into the jacket, flexing his arms to test its maneuverability. It didn't fit perfectly, mostly because it wasn't a custom job like all of his other clothes, but he could still move easily enough.

"It's warm," he admitted, which was true. Since his body temperature was lower than normal, it meant getting chilly on nights like these. Of course, no one would ever know it just by looking at him, but he was sure Kotetsu had picked up on that little detail over time.

"Is this really okay, though?" Barnaby added after a moment. "You bought the cake, too, so this seems a little extravagant."

[oyaji]

Extravagant.... Yeah, a little bit, but he wasn't going to be telling Barnaby that any time soon. Kotetsu would just keep that sucker buried deep, deep inside until Stocking came to collect her favors.

"Of course! It's your birthday! They're supposed to be extravagant! Besides, you need one, right? It's getting cold around here."

[baniichan]

That was true (well, the getting cold part, anyway), but what did that mean for his partner?

"You'll need something to wear, too, though," Barnaby pointed out, not bothering to hide the mixture of concern and exasperation on his face. "Kotetsu, I really hope you didn't forgo clothes in order to arrange all of this."

[oyaji]

"Ah, no--I mean, y-yeah, but! That's okay! I didn't have enough money to pay for a whole outfit anyway! We'll figure something out! Don't worry about it. Let's just enjoy your birthday. That's the whole point of this!" If they had to talk about the issues later, then fine. But for now this time should be to relax and think about--Well, anything really.

"It looks good on you!" Yes, a perfect distraction! How can Barnaby suspect when he's being so wonderfully complimented. Though, to be fair, Barnaby was the kind of guy who would look good covered in mud, so it wasn't a hard sell.

[baniichan]

He would have at least had the money for a coat if he hadn't spent it all on Barnaby, but what was done, was done. As far as he was concerned, it wasn't really appropriate to scold a grown man for spending his own money, so Barnaby didn't press the issue further.

"...Fine," he sighed. The compliment didn't go unnoticed, either, and though Barnaby suspected Kotetsu just wanted draw attention away from himself, he still averted his gaze from embarrassment (and maybe a little happiness, too).

"I'll take good care of it," Barnaby added as he zipped up the front. "Thank you for thinking of me." Because, at the end of the day, Kotetsu had still done all of this for him with no thought of reward, and he knew he ought to at least acknowledge that.