"Oh, it's working." Bunny was probably better at that sort of thing. Kotetsu was good at making people underestimate him, that was a different skill set. Slightly. Anyway, both took their own pulling off. They had their ways with people, you had to as a hero. How you handled them played on your strengths. The fact he was a generally overall lovable dork didn't seem to be hurting his situation either. He might not have been sure about a first date, but he was steadily more open to the idea of a second. What?! He was enjoying the company, the attention. Could anyone blame him?
When you spent time with Nathan - especially drunk Nathan - just about everything could be taken multiple ways. It wasn't lost on Kotetsu either, who grinned just so at the comment. "You'll have to meet her sometime." In fact, she'd probably insist on it because that was just his mother. He'd talked with the kids some about their world, but Hawks knew the ins and outs of being a pro. It was nice to get the comparison. Really, they weren't all that different. "Slip of the tongue. Barnaby's my partner... ex-partner? Anyway, he hates it when I call him Bunny. His suit had ears, it was a whole thing." And maybe he was trying to get out of using the pet name for his partner while he was on a date... and from feeling a bit underappreciated.
It could be a touchy subject. Kotetsu had this habit of being kind of dumb, but he still noticed the shift in the mood. Not anything that ruined the atmosphere, just a heavier subject than their light banter and the bit of flirting. He listened to Hawks, busying himself with his ice water and cleaning off his hands. It seemed to him like villains and heroes were in shorter supply in Sternbild. NEXT were still the minority in the population and not everyone was happy about them being around. He knew what it was like though, just wanting a world where there was peace. It was all he wanted for Tomoe and Kaede. "It happens to the best of us. This place really is something else though, isn't it? Much different atmosphere." He'd yet to see a real villain attack like they were used to. It was nice, but there were times he missed it. Heroing. That's why he needed to fill his time. So he semi-adopted a bunch of kids. And was going on dates with much younger men.
"So then, retirement. How's it treating ya? What are you planning to do with all your free time?" He laughed some, looking to lighten the mood again. "Besides going on dates with me. Did you want anything else?" If not, he was going to wave over the waitress so he could pay. They could take a walk. Or fly. Whatever came after at this point.