Barnaby is going crazy, and Kotetsu doesn't know why.
The blond has taken to huffing around the house - well, more than usual, at least - flinging himself around the space until Kotetsu is ready to leap sideways at the flip of blond hair even out of the corner of his eye. He is leaving things in his wake: clothes, books, dishes, before sweeping out of rooms like he suddenly can't bear to be in Kotetsu's presence for a single additional moment, and Bunny never leaves things out. Usually it is he who is hissing at Kotetsu for leaving his socks at the foot of the couch or the toothpaste out on the counter. But for almost a week now Kotetsu can follow the other man's path through the house by the trail of objects he leaves behind him, and then when he reaches the end of the path Barnaby will be curled up, green eyes shining behind his glasses like he's about to cry, and when Kotetsu says "Bunny-chan?" he just looks up without protesting the name.
That's the most terrifying thing. Bunny gets like this occasionally, Kotetsu has learned, and usually the affectionate nickname is enough to snap the blond's patience into a fight that always resolves in sex and a much calmer boyfriend. But now he's not rising to the bait, no matter what Kotetsu tries, and he looks like he just lacks the energy to even have a fight.
Kotetsu's pretty sure Bunny has cancer and is trying to figure out how to tell the older man.
He's been convincing himself of this for days by the time Barnaby comes into the kitchen while he's in the middle of cooking dinner and announces, "Kotetsu, I need to talk to you."
"Sure," Kotetsu agrees without protest. "This is almost done, give me two min -"
"Now."
Kotetsu looks over his shoulder. Barnaby's arms are crossed over his chest and his chin is down, the warning so clear in his eyes that self-preservation wins out even over Kotetsu's appreciation of the way the other's dark t-shirt pulls tight across his shoulders, and the two together easily defeat his half-hearted attempt to finish dinner.
"Yeah, okay." He takes the pan off the burner and turns back around to face his apparently-irate boyfriend, brushing his hands clean on his jeans just in case physical comfort is required. At least Bunny's ready to talk.
"Kotetsu." Oh no. He's got his glasses tipped down his nose so he can glare over the top of them at the older man. That is not a good sign. Kotetsu draws back a half-step without realizing it.
"Yes?" He bites back the 'Bunny-chan' that tries to append itself. He does value his life, after all.
"Don't you want to marry me?"
There is a brief, ringing silence in Kotetsu's head as he tries to process the other's words. 'Marry,' 'want,' 'me'...there is something important in those, he's not quite seeing the meaning in…
"Kotetsu."
"What?" He blinks, refocuses on green eyes as the almost-understanding evaporates.
"Did you hear me?"
"Of course I did."
"Oh, good." Bunny's voice has taken on an edge that warns Kotetsu to brace himself for an onslaught of verbal abuse. "I thought possibly you were going deaf, given your advanced age."
"Hey, at least I listen," Kotetsu fires back. "Better than some people I - wait, no, stop, did you say you want to marry me?"
"No!" Barnaby rocks back as if Kotetsu has actually landed a blow. "No! I - asked if you wanted to marry me, that is entirely different."
"Implying that you want to marry me."
"Stop putting words in my mouth!"
Kotetsu gapes at Barnaby for a moment, then shrugs. "Sure I want to marry you."
"Then why haven't you asked me?" Bunny's arms drop to his sides, whatever anger was holding them firm disappearing. With his arms hanging at his sides he looks strangely undone and the fire in his eyes looks a lot more like the sparkle of tears than the bite of actual anger.
"Hey, Bunny-chan," Kotetsu says, reaching out to touch the skin of the blond's arm just below his sleeve, but Barnaby flinches back and he stops with his hand still extended and tries to recollect the thread of the conversation. "I didn't think about it."
This is the wrong thing to say. Bunny's chin comes up and his laugh is sharp with scorn. "You didn't think about it?"
"Well." Kotetsu brings his extended hand up to scrub at the length of hair at the back of his neck. "No. I mean, I've been married once already."
"I haven't!"
This is obviously true as soon as Kotetsu considers it, but he just...hadn't, before. "I'm sorry! I didn't think about it, I couldn't very well think about something I...hadn't thought about."
Bunny sniffs. "You should have thought about it," but his chin is up high now and he doesn't look so much like he's verhing on tears, and Kotetsu breathes a sigh of relief even before Barnaby huffs in what he recognizes as forgiveness. "Well, as long as you do want to."
Even then Kotetsu almost misses the cue. His thoughts are turning back to the abandoned pan, and he only catches on just before he starts to turn away.
"Ah." Bunny is still watching him, not quite expectantly but not moving away either, which for Bunny is the same thing. Kotetsu opens his mouth and just barely manages to turn the first syllable of endearment into the other's given name. "B-arnaby." It's worth it for the way Bunny's eyes go wide and his chin comes down, bringing his full attention with it. Kotetsu smiles at him, and steps forward, and carefully lower himself to a knee on the tile of the kitchen floor. Bunny's eyes go wide and his mouth comes open, and Kotetsu has a moment to savour the shock in the other's expression before he extends a hand and speaks. "Will you do me the honor of becoming my husband?"
Bunny makes a strangled sound in the back of his throat and doesn't move for so long Kotetsu wonders if he should repeat himself. Then he lifts his hand, jerky like he doesn't quite remember how his muscles work, and his fingers close painfully tight around Kotetsu's offered hand. Kotetsu doesn't protest, and when Bunny manages to get out "I guess," without bursting into tears he scrambles to his feet so he can pull the other in against his shoulder before the waterworks start properly. Barnaby's arms come around Kotetsu and blond hair crushes flat into the older man's shoulder, and Kotetsu strokes Bunny's back through the pulled-tight fabric of his t-shirt and waits for the other's breathing to steady.
"So you're not dying of cancer?" he finally asks, just to be sure.
"What?" Bunny's head comes up so he can stare at Kotetsu, and the older man laughs.
"Never mind." Kotetsu leans in to press a kiss against Barnaby's mouth; he can feel the tension of a suppressed smile under the other's lips. It makes him smile, too, not bothering to hold it back like Bunny does.
"D'you want a ring?" he asks into the blond's skin, bringing his head sideways so he can bump his nose against Bunny's ear. The younger man sighs and relaxes into Kotetsu's arms.
"That would be the polite thing for you to do, don't you - shit." The blond is moving before Kotetsu can react, coming sideways but pulling the other man in his wake so he tips back and nearly falls over the stove before Barnaby catches his shoulder to pull him back.
"You left the burner on, Kotetsu, I can't leave you alone for a moment."
"Hey!" Kotetsu protests as the younger man reaches past him to turn the stove off. "You interrupted me in the middle of cooking, you can't blame me for that."
Bunny huffs in disagreement, but when he starts to pull back Kotetsu catches his wrist. "I'll get you a ring, okay?" he offers, and this time Bunny can't hide the smile that breaks across his face.
"Okay," he says, and this time he's the one who leans into the kiss.
By the time Kotetsu comes back to finish dinner, the burner has gone cold to the touch. He can't manage to care.