DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN TIGER AND BUNNY AND I DID NOT THIS TO EARN ANY PROFITS WRITING THIS

With that said, enjoy~

Fried Rice and Beer

After a tiring day of Hero service, Barnaby was too tired to even move from his couch. Lately, criminals hadn't been giving him, or any of the other Heroes, a break, and so the task to save helpless citizens and return stolen goods fell upon them.

He would admit that Kotetsu had a very good way to just make him forget about exhaustion, but then he would have to admit he was also missing the damned old man, and that was more than he could handle.

Ding dong~

He groaned and took his glasses off, pinching the bridge of his nose, trying to ignore the impending headache. Maybe if he just stood still and did not answer the door, the person would go away. Please, he thought, just go away.

-"OOOOIIIIII, BUNNYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY! I KNOW YOU'RE THERE!"

Barnaby quickly sat up, not even knowing what to think or say. Kotetsu was ringing his doorbell. Kotetsu was knocking on his door as if there was no tomorrow, and Kotetsu was yelling so loudly, Barnaby was positively sure his neighbours would definitely complain in the morning, even if he was Barnaby J. Brooks, the King of Heroes.

Ding, Ding, Ding, Ding, Ding Dong~

-"BUNNY! COME! HERE!"

He usually didn't like having people tell him what to do, but they could hardly blame him for having responded to the order so quickly. Trust Kotetsu to make a very embarrassing scene, and he will, did the damned man know he is not supposed to do those kinds of things?!

Barnaby opened the door quickly, slightly flushed, and noticed how Kotetsu's appearance was disheveled. His tie was loose, his vest was open, his green shirt slightly torn, and his customary hat nowhere to be seen.

-"Heeey, Bunny!"

The blond groaned and closed his eyes, sighing in frustration.

-"Kotetsu-san… You're drunk."

Kotetsu merely laughed loudly, tripping on his feet and almost falling on the ground.

-"Hehehahahahehe, and ye're hot Bunny!"

Barnaby's cheeks were hot, but he glared at the other man.

-"Kotetsu-san, what do you mean by that?!"

-"What, Bunny?! I thawght we was talkin' 'bout stuff tha-Tha-Oh… It sounded more funny on my head."

-"Kotetsu-san…" –Barnaby sighed and grabbed the arm of the other man, pulling him inside, ignoring the 'hey, don't need to rush, we have all night' before closing the door.- "You need to take a good bath, drink black coffee, sober up and go home."

-"Sureeeee… Mind givin' me that bath then?"

-"Kotetsu-san!"

-"Kidding, kidding!" –Kotetsu shook free from Barnaby's grip and wandered into the Hero's living room with unsteady steps.- "Waaaa, I never get tired of seeing this room, Bunny!" –He started making weird noises, imitating airships and pretending he could fly.

Barnaby sighed again, but did not move to stop his former partner. A feeling tugging on his chest kept bothering him, and since he was tired, he was not stopping it. Instead, he just sat on the couch and closed his eyes, relaxing as Kotetsu basically had a personal rave on his living room.

Kotetsu, however, was not all that drunk that he did not notice Bunny acting in a weird fashion.

-"Hey, ya usually stop me, remember? 'Oh, stop that, ojii-san, you're being silly', bu-hu, and- Oi Bunny, you hearing?" –The drunk moved towards the couch and fell face-down on it, grumbling as he was unable to get onto the stupid seat on his own.

Barnaby was looking at him all the while, and couldn't help himself as he laughed at Kotetsu's misfortunes. The old man grumbled loudly, glancing upwards a few times, glaring at the blond.

-"Ya shouldn' laugh offother's…. Ahhh… Wha's th'a word….."

-"Bad luck, hardships, troubles, adversities?"

-"…I didn' ask fer a freakin' diary, Bunny…"

-"You mean dictionary."

-"You know what I meant, shut up! Oof!" –The drunk had finally been able to sit himself as properly as he could on the couch, always under the ever watchful eyes of Barnaby.- "Ahh, this couch is comfy… So much better than ma own, Bunny… Give it to me?"

-"No, you buy one for yourself."

-"No money."

-"Then don't waste it on alcohol."

-"As if ye're one ta talk! Ye're tha one who is King of Heroes, of course you get more cash! The Second League is tough, man, it's tough!" –He groaned and sunk further on the comfortable pillows. Barnaby's brow furrowed and he took his glasses off, putting them somewhere safe.- "How's it been? The Main League?"

-"I don't want to talk about it, Kotetsu-san. Please, go take a shower."

-"Bunny, don't run away from ourrr subject."

-"I'm not running away. You're drunk."

-"I know. You think, hic, I don't?"

-"Yes, I do."

-"You do what?"

-"Think you don't."

-"Don't what?! Be specific Bunny!"

-"Kotetsu-san, why are you here?"

Silence. Kotetsu looked at Bunny with a surprised look and then turned away from the blond, closing his eyes.

-"I'm happy for you, Bunny. I'm happy for all the Heroes. And don' go thinkin' I'm blamin' people fer my powers, 'm not, i's just…"

He sighed and stretched, not even minding if that only made sure a couple more of his shirt's buttons flew off. Barnaby had to contain another sigh.

-"It's been lonely. Especially without'you there, Bunny." –The blond looked at him, surprised, before adverting his eyes, flushing slightly.- "I thought, eh, maybe it's gonna be good, we'll each do our best in our own categories and we'll still be the best team ever!"

-"Kotetsu-san.."

-"No, wait, lemme finish. Now that I'm drunk, a'least lemme speak, okay?" –The blond nodded and breathed out deeply.- "I can feel the distance, and I'm pretty hardheaded, you know that! An' I know you're not one ta, ta come 'round and say 'hey, I'm lonely', okay?! And that's alright, 'cause ye're Bunny, and ya wouldn't be Bunny if you were like all giggly and stuff, and—"

-"Yes?"

-"I worry 'bout you, Bunny, and I miss ya." –Kotetsu laughed cheekily, trying to disguise his discomfort and the shiny little things on the corners of his eyes.- "Sorry, sorry, Bunny. Guess you still gotta take care of this ojii-san, eh? Hahahaha…"

-"Kotetsu-san."

-"Don't worry, don't worry, I'll be off soon to take me shower and sober up, don't worry."

-"Kotetsu-san!"

-"-Hai?"

-"You are…" –Bunny could complain, Bunny could say just how much Kotetsu was troubling and maddening, and frankly speaking everything was better since he had gone back to the Second League, but- It wasn't true. He was just mad because Kotetsu had something he didn't have, and he needed that thing desperately. He missed him, and working alone had never felt so sad to him before.

-"Bunny? Oi, you there? Everythin' alright or what?" –Kotetsu was waving his arm in front of Barnaby's face, leaning close to the blond, thinking what the heck was on with that kid.- "Hey, I'm the one who can space out here, remember? I'm the drunk one, not you, unless you've had a coupl-"

If Kotetsu said he was expecting Barnaby to hug him as tightly as he did, he would definitely be lying. And Kotetsu never lied – unless it was to avoid going shopping with Kaede, because what the hell were girls thinking.

-"O-Oi, Bunny…"

-"You are… " – 'the most amazing human being I have ever met…' The only thing Barnaby knew to be sure, at that moment, was that hugging this hardheaded old man did him good, a lot of good, and he did not want to let go soon.- "Don't ever change, Kotetsu-san."

-"B-But you're always tellin' me to put my clothes on the laundr—OUCH, WHAT WAS THAT FOR BUNNY?! Eh, Bunny? Bunny?! Why are you laughing?! O-Oi, Bunny, don' go mad on me here! BUNNY!"

-"I'll cook you fried rice old man, go take a shower in the meantime."

-"Oh, so you learned how to cook, did you? You sure ye're up to tha task?"

-"Kotetsu-san, I'm Barnaby Brooks Jr., fried rice is nothing compared to my abilities."

-"That wasn't what I heard last time you co-OUCH, OKAY, OKAY!"

The remainder of the night was spent with laughter and fried rice, and neither of them cared what the next day brought, because they knew that somehow they would always be there for one another.

Unless Kaede asked them to go shopping.

Crazy Corner~

WHELP, BREAK FROM MY HIATUS WITH SOMETHING UNEXPECTED. Worry not, I have other SaintSeiya related things ready to post~ I just need a bit more time T_T

I did this really quick piece for a friend because she's the cutest thing and hgierweogijIGJOWGEJIOIJ. She drew a perfect pic of Kotetsu to go along with this, and the link issssssssssssssss -

I hope you like this though, since this is my BunnyxKotetsu/KotetsuxBunny evur. REVIEWS ARE ALWAYS WELCOME.

Chu~