Title: That's Showbiz!
Chapter: 1
Rating: PG
Word Count: 2161
Pairing: Kotetsu x Tomoe
Topic: T&B Anon Meme Prompt.
Type: AU, set in a steampunk early 1900's setting.
Genre: General
Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Tiger & Bunny. Tiger & Bunny belongs to Sunrise and their respective owners.
VTM: I regret nothing. :3

Warning: This is an AU fic in the setting of a more advanced 1920-30's type of era, like how Sternbild is an advanced version of the 1970's. Please take note that the characters are in different situations and living different lives than they are in the show. In this case many of them are performers, dancers, and actors. Hence why it is an AU, so if this kind of thing is really not your cup of tea then I'd advise not to read this fic. Other than that I really hope that you enjoy the show!

-o-o-

It was safe to say that there weren't a lot of places like Sternbild, a shining metropolis, decorated in lights that glittered like jewels. It had buildings that reached for the heavens, and towering statues of creatures and gods that have been all but forgotten in an age of science, reason, and even madness. Sternbild was a city of dreams, many would go there looking to make their fortunes, some were just passing through, fleeing their homelands and seeing the city as a gateway to a new world and a new life, and others would come seeking fickle things like fame, love, and power. But despite all the promises the city would whisper to those that would come to it, there was also a dark side with all the splendor and grandeur. It was easy to lose yourself in such a city, to have their light and all that made them human, snuffed out. Those very whispers of promises of fame, wealth, power, and love could easily lead a person into the crushing darkness that the city kept well hidden with its beauty.

Sternbild was a truly a city of dreams, just as much as it was also a city of nightmares.

The low rumble of thunder could be heard echoing through the sky, it had been raining the entire day. Threatening to storm; but never quite getting to that point. Raindrops hit against panes of glass in the windows of one of the practice rooms of a theater. Music was playing from an old record player; it was a jolly old ragtime tune. Two people were tap dancing to the music; the two were performers that were practicing a routine for the show there were to be performing in a show that was being held in the theater. One was a young woman with long dark brown hair and fair skin. Her dancing partner was a tan, young man, his hair was somewhat wild and was just short of shoulder length, and he had a pair of striking eyes that were the color of honey.

The pair danced very well together, their moves were in timed well, save for a few stylistic differences, and they seemed to instinctively know what to do when the other improvised a part or two. The young woman then jumped into the young man's arms, he then held her aloft as she stuck a graceful pose. She set down, but she held onto her partner's hand for longer than she meant to and accidentally threw off her partner's balance. One of the young man's tap shoes then suddenly slipped and he landed hard on the floor.

"Come on Kotetsu! You're not even trying!" the woman scolded her dancing partner. "We have a show tomorrow, so we have to be sure that we get this right, especially since there are going to be critics there. If we get a good review it could give us a good boost."

Kotetsu took a moment to fix himself into a seated position. "You know Tomoe, it probably wouldn't have happened if you didn't throw me off balance like that!"

"Don't blame me for your mistakes, you should have been ready." Tomoe said with a small huff. She was nervous; it was going to be a big show for the both of them. Tomoe knew Kotetsu was capable; the two of them had been performing together as a team for a couple years now. But lately something seemed to be distracting her partner and it had her worried.

"It was your mistake this time!" Kotetsu said in a more stern tone. "I'm not mad or anything, but you've been a little flaky lately. Are you okay?" He then suddenly received a wrap on the head from his partner. "Ow!"

"I am not a flake! And I'm fine; I've just had some things on my mind lately." Tomoe admitted. "And you're one to talk! You've been acting really strange lately, and it's starting to show in your dancing."

"W-well that's…That's another matter entirely!" Kotetsu said nervously, he then looked away from Tomoe.

"Ben's been saying you've been running off with Antonio a lot lately too." Tomoe pointed out. "You two better not be causing trouble, remember what happened last time? You both ended up in the police station holding cell and it took both of our pay to get you both out of there."

"Well you didn't have to pay for Antonio…" Kotetsu grumbled as he thought back on that miserable little incident.

"He's my friend too, Kotetsu." Tomoe said with frown. "We're all friends; neither of us would have left you to rot in there."

"…Yeah, I know." Kotetsu was then quiet for a moment, soon he gave a sigh. "Antonio's been helping me with something, that's all." He finally admitted. "I'm not telling you what it is yet."

Tomoe pursed her lips, Kotetsu keeping secrets like this was nothing new, but she still wished he'd tell her what was going on. To be honest, she was getting a little worried that he was searching for a new act. Tomoe would notice Kotetsu talking with Ben or with other agents that were seeking talent for them to represent. Tomoe would get plenty of offers too, some were even really tempting, shows on Broadway, opportunities to join famous dance companies, things that she used to dream about when she was still in dance school. But Tomoe wasn't going to just leave the act and she what she had with Kotetsu. They had worked so hard to get as good as they were now, they were a team, perhaps even something more than even that.

"Hello? Tomoe? Tomoe!" Kotetsu said as he snapped his fingers in front of the woman, he looked a little worried.

"W-what?" Tomoe said with a blink.

"You were starting to scare me a little there; you just went off into some dreamland." Kotetsu said with a weary smile. "I'm sorry for all the trouble, I'll work harder. But are you okay? If there's something on your mind, you can tell me, you know?"

"You're not exactly an open book yourself, Kotetsu." Tomoe pointed out. "You never like talking about your own problems, but you keep getting involved in everyone else's. Don't you think you're being a bit of a hypocrite?"

"Ouch, right where it hurts." Kotetsu said as he held a hand over his heart in mock pain. "You are so ruthless!"

Tomoe frowned at her partner's childish behavior. "And you're still a silly clown."

"Heh, I guess the circus never really leaves you." Kotetsu said with a small smile. However his tone betrayed him, it gave away that Tomoe hit a nerve.

There was then a long, awkward silence between the two. Tomoe bit her lip, she wanted to apologize, but at the same time she was being stubborn.

Kotetsu wasn't too proud of his earliest days in show business as a dancing circus clown. It wasn't as prestigious as going to a professional school of dance like Tomoe had the chance of doing. Kotetsu had to learn what he could from other performers back stage of the circus and vaudeville shows he'd do on the side. While he was proud of the fact that he was able to do it himself, in a line of work like show business people were more likely to laugh at such a background; even if many of the stars had similar backgrounds themselves. Show business took a lot of work and dedication, but it was also very vain and petty at the same time. Kotetsu had enough of being laughed at as a clown, so when Ben Jackson, an agent looking for some talent, approached him about forming an act with another dancer that would focus on tap and ballroom dancing he jumped at the opportunity. And that was how everything between him and Tomoe started.

"Hey Tomoe, how long have we been partners in this act?" Kotetsu asked suddenly.

Tomoe looked at Kotetsu a little surprised. "What brought that up?"

Kotetsu smiled a little. "I just want to know, I guess. Is that a crime?"

"I'd say about over two years now." Tomoe said in a matter of fact tone. She turned away from Kotetsu, her expression softened a little. Kotetsu had been asking all sorts of strange questions at the strangest times lately, it only continued to feed her suspicions that things between them were coming to an end. Tomoe remembered Kotetsu asking things such as how she felt about them being partners or why she's been turning down other more well paying contracts. She tried asking Ben what was the reason for Kotetsu's behavior, but he'd suddenly clam up and tell her it'd be best if she asked Kotetsu about it herself.

Tomoe tried to avoid that option for a while, but now was as good a time as any to get to the bottom of this. Even if it was an answer she didn't want to hear. "What's been with you lately? You've been acting stranger than usual; you've been messing up more during practice and asking all sorts of strange questions. Just tell me already, it's driving me crazy!"

Kotetsu seemed a little surprised that she brought the subject up; he then seemed to think it over for a moment. "Well, I've been just thinking, we've been together for some time now. Both of our careers are starting to take off." He then laughed a little at some of the memories. "It sure wasn't easy though, we argued quite a bit at the beginning. But you always kept me on track. I know I complained a lot, but I really appreciated it. When I think about it, I probably wouldn't have even gotten this far without you."

Tomoe felt her heart beat quicken slightly, she was starting to feel a little flattered and nervous at the same time. Hearing that he appreciated what she did meant a lot, especially since she'd worry a little if she was a little too harsh with him at times. But the unnerving part of what was being said was that Kotetsu was talking about things in all past tense. Did that mean that he didn't feel the same way anymore?

"We've been together for a good while now, I kind of want to try a new kind of partner-" Kotetsu stopped when he heard Tomoe sniffle. "H-hey, are you…are you crying? Why?"

Tomoe's face was red with her blushing; she looked like she was on the verge of tears. "…I don't want to break up our act." she finally said.

"…Huh?" Kotetsu looked completely confused. "Who said anything about that?"

Tomoe frowned and gave a stubborn sniffle. "That's what you've been trying to talk to me about all this time, wasn't it?"

"What? No! No! No! I've been trying to find a way to ask if you'd marry me!" Kotetsu froze for a second after the words left him. He then clapped a hand over his mouth, that wasn't exactly the way he wanted to tell her.

"W-what did you say?" Tomoe's eyes went wide; it took a moment for what she heard to click. "Marry you?"

It was then Kotetsu's turn to blush; he then scratched the back of his head and looked away from her. "S-so no, I wasn't thinking about breaking up the act. I was thinking that we could make it a more "permanent partnership"." He then bit his bottom lip, saying this was more painful than he thought it would be. He couldn't help but think that he probably sounded really corny.

Tomoe was quiet for a while, she no longer looked like she was about to cry, but she had an unreadable look on her face.

Kotetsu scratched the back of his head and gave a nervous, half laugh. "So I guess that must be a "no" then, huh?" He felt a little sick to his stomach, he was sure he had messed things up pretty good this time. But then Kotetsu found himself caught up in a sudden hug.

"Of course I will you idiot!" Tomoe said against him. She then pulled away a little so she could look Kotetsu in the eye. "But that doesn't mean I'll go easy on you, so come on, let's finish practice and we'll talk more about this, okay?"

Kotetsu blinked, looking a little dumbfounded. He couldn't help but laugh, he was so relieved. "I wouldn't want you to be any other way." He then leaned in and gave her a kiss on her forehead. "It's you and me, right?"

"That's right." Tomoe couldn't help but blush a little again; she then got back up on her feet. "Okay, enough of this mushy business! We got a crowd to wow tomorrow, so we have to get this routine right!" She then looked down at Kotetsu. "After all, we'll be debuting as the future Mrs. and Mr. Kaburagi!"

-End of Chapter-

Author's Note: If this chapter seems a little different than before, that's because I went through some of the previous chapters and gave them each some updates. Things from corrections, added and improved scenes, and better details. If you are rereading the fic, it might be a smoother read and maybe a little more fun. If you're new to the story, I hope that you will enjoy it! Thank you for reading!