It had been a long and exhausting day for Kotetsu and Barnaby. They started the day with a call to rescue children from a school bus accident, and ended the day with a call to evacuate an apartment complex after a fire had broke out in one of the mid levels and had blocked the fire escapes. Once they were finished and had their suits removed in the back of their transport Barnaby seated himself next to Kotetsu and leaned his head on the older man's shoulder.
"Do you think Saito would stop and order us Chinese if we asked?" Kotetsu asked,as he wrapped his arm around the younger man and pulled him closer. "I just want to go home with you, take a shower and curl up on the couch as we watch some movie from NetVids."
"Probably." Barnaby replied, as he stifled a yawn. "But then we'd have to walk to Apollon tomorrow…"
Kotetsu smiled and ran his fingers through blonde hair, as he watched Barnaby's eyes droop, and he started sliding down from Kotetsu's shoulder to his lap. The dark haired man, pressed on his call band and paged Saito up front, "Doc Saito. Can we stop and pick up some Chinese and drop the both of us at my place? Bunny's fallen asleep back here, and I don't feel lke driving back across the city to get to my place."
"I figured you'd ask that after this day, so I already called ahead and it'll be delivered to your place shortly after we arrive. Which will be in…" Saito looked down at his watch, "ten minutes. Don't let Barnaby sleep too deeply, otherwise you know how hard he'll be to wake up."
Kotetsu disconnected the call and smiled, that Saito always knew what was best for him and Bunny. He leaned his head against the side of the transport and took a deep breath in, before he shook Barnaby gently. "Bunny… Hey Bunny… I know you're tired but we're only a few minutes away from my place."
He repositioned the blonde man so he was in more a sitting position, and when they arrived at Kotetsu's place, he'd been unable to fully waken the blonde. "Do you wanna try walking in with me Bunny?" The older of the two asked, as he wrapped one of Barnaby's arms around his shoulder. With a sleepy groan Barnaby raised his other arm and wrapped it behind Kotetsu's neck. "Nnnn. Carry." He said sleepily, as he nuzzled against Kotetsu.
"I knew you were awake Bunny." Kotetsu replied, as he picked Barnaby up and stepped out of the transport and walked to his door. He pressed the switch on his keys which unlocked and opened the door and carried Barnaby in. He kissed the blonde's forehead and whispered, "I'll have plenty of experience carrying you over the threshold by the time we get married if you keep this up."
'Did he just say married?' Barnaby thought, as he pulled himself tighter to Kotetsu's body. He felt himself deposited on the sofa, and looked up at his partner who was pulling his shoes off before sitting down.
"We need showers once we eat." Kotetsu said, after he'd removed his shoes and started to undo Barnaby's boots. Just as he'd pulled the younger man's right boot off, he heard the doorbell ring. "Sorry Bunny, you'll have to take the other boot off. That should be dinner."
Barnaby watched Kotetsu walk to the door, and pay the delivery man as he sat up and removed his remaining boot. "What'd we get?" He called out to the other man who was carrying the bag of take out into the living room.
"Not sure." Kotetsu replied, and started pulling the take out boxes from the bag, before he plopped himself next to Barnaby. "Saito ordered it for us."
He handed Barnaby a pair of chop sticks and handed him one of the containers, "Here, let's start with this."
Barnaby took the box, opened it, and set it on the coffee table before he peeked in Kotetsu's and took one of the heavily battered items.
"Looks better than the container of white rice you gave me Kotetsu." He replied to the look his lover gave him.
"Mmmm. Shrimp." He said as he took and bite, and casually slung his free arm around the older man's shoulder, before passing a bite over to him.
"Bunny, did your little nap help?" Kotetsu asked after taking the bite that had been fed to him.
"Maybe." Barnaby replied, and slid himself closer yet to Kotetsu.
Once they'd finished eating, and the takeout boxes were stacked on the coffee table Kotetsu turned on the next movie in their queue and stretched out. Barnaby curled up next to him, and laid his head in the older's lap. As they watched the movie, Kotetsu started running his hand through the blonde's hair. Playing with the curls, lightly pulling them until they straightened out and watched them spring back into shape.
Reaching up for Kotetsu's hand that was still tangled in his hair, Barnaby smiled slightly and asked, "When you were bringing me in… Were you serious about marrying me?"
Pulling his attention away from the movie, Kotetsu looked down at Barnaby. "Uh… Yeah Bunny. Yeah I was, but I..."
"Don't continue that thought Kotetsu." Barnaby said sternly, and pulled Kotetsu down so he could kiss him. "I'll marry you. Whenever, wherever Kotetsu. I'll marry you."
Kotetsu's eyes widened in shock, and when he looked into the clear green of Barnaby's he could see the younger man's sincerity. "I've loved you for a long time Kotetsu." Barnaby said. "Probably longer than I realized…"
He pulled Kotetsu down for another kiss, and smiled as they pulled apart. "You're serious Bunny." Kotetsu said quietly, still in awe of how straight-forward the younger man's acceptance had been when he's been panicking over trying to find the right time to ask him. "I didn't think I would ever find the right time to ask you." Kotetsu said finally, "Especially not like this- tired, smokey, sweaty and curled up on the sofa watching movies with empty take-away cartons scattered."
Barnaby smiled as he laid his head back on Kotetsu's lap and threaded one hand through his lover's, "Kotetsu, I couldn't think of a better time than this. This is you and me, and I love you."
