Author's Notes: This is shameless shameless Valentine's fluff and I make no apologies whatsoever. O:) At one point in the story, T&B will reference a fight they had "last night", which you don't need to know about to understand the story, but if you'd like, you can read about in "When We're Back To Back". So yes, this is sort-of unofficially a sequel to that story. If you want the music at the end of the story, youtube "Embraceable You" Billie Holiday (originally by George Gershwin). I swear I'm still working on CYH, I'm halfway through ch. 4, but I've been out of town and distracted by this. ^^;
With love for all of my T&B friends, and especially, for Bunny.
~K
"Hurry up and put this on!" Barnaby stares regretfully at the red and gold foil wrapping paper for a moment before ripping it off ungracefully, dropping it under the table and tossing a white cardboard box at his partner's head. The day's already off to a terrible start, and there's just no salvaging the moment he'd so carefully planned, so why bother trying?
Kotetsu catches the box, shaking out its contents with a frown at his partner's back as he quickly changes into their all-white attire. "I swear you didn't tell me this was on the schedule when we went over things Monday morning!"
"You simply weren't listening to me, as usual, old man," Barnaby tucks his feet into white shoes and turns to face the mirror, hoping not to be caught in the lie. He'd actually never said anything to Kotetsu about today's event, as it was intended to be a surprise. But of course, he has to go and goof it all up by making us late again…
"If you say so…" Kotetsu ties the lime green apron around his waist and shuffles over to stand beside Barnaby, watching their two reflections in the mirror. " But why are we always in the most ridiculous outfits? What are all these buttons even FOR?" Muttering under his breath, he adds, "And why are we filming a cooking show anyway? I'm a hero, not a chef…"
Barnaby ties on his own red apron, the corner emblazoned with the little bunny logo as Kotetsu's is with a tiger, and then reaches for a hair brush off the counter. "You know our fans love when we do this kind of thing…" he mutters defensively, pulling his blond curls back into a tiny ponytail.
"But then we're not out there doing our job…" Kotetsu protests almost automatically, fumbling with the scarf around his neck until Barnaby turns to him in vague annoyance.
"Stop, please," he says shortly, reaching towards him while eyeing the clock, knowing they are due on set in less than five minutes. There is definitely no way he's going to clue Kotetsu in to the meaning of today's event, not now, certainly, and after that commentary, perhaps not at all. This was a stupid idea.
Kotetsu lets go, studying the faint blush in his partner's cheeks as his nimble fingers work quickly to correct the inside-out improperly-knotted mess of scarf. Why does it seem like I just personally insulted him? Even though he loves Barnaby's hair, seeing it all pulled back into one cute curl is hard to resist and Kotetsu's fingers itch to reach out and tug it. "Your hair…"
"This is part of our job," Barnaby finally adds tersely, stepping back to look Kotetsu up and down before nodding in satisfaction. "So stop complaining, old man." He reaches up self-consciously to touch the ponytail for a moment, to which Kotetsu smirks knowingly, but then he turns on his heel and heads for the door. "Let's go, we're already late and I'm telling Agnes it's your fault."
"Bunny!" Kotetsu protests, grabbing the last piece of his wardrobe out of the crumpled box before chasing him out the door.
The kitchen set they're filming in is all gleaming white counters and polished steel appliances, elevated a few feet above the circle of cameras and assistants and production crew.
"We're already behind schedule!" A production assistant lectures them the moment they arrive on set, pointing at their marks behind the counter. "Agnes has called three times and just threatened to come down here herself!"
Kotetsu rolls his eyes when he thinks no one is looking and follows Barnaby up onto the stage, squinting into the bright lighting and looking much like a bull in a china shop. He's thankful someone in wardrobe had the good sense to give him the hat, though, and he tugs it on, cutting down on the lighting a little as he looks around.
There's a teleprompter with dialogue concerning the baking of the cake, as well as a very specific recipe taped to the counter, and so it's easy for Barnaby to take the lead. With one of his usual TV-ready smiles, he narrates to their audience as the crew begins filming, "First we'll separate the eggs with the yolks going into one bowl and the whites in a different bowl."
Kotetsu watches Barnaby carefully separate the first egg, half into one bowl and half into the other, but when he reaches for an egg to crack, his partner only slides the carton away. Oh, is that how we're playing today?
"Why don't you preheat the oven, Kotetsu?" Barnaby asks, pointing with one graceful hand before returning to the second and third eggs. His tight smile of please cooperate is easy to read.
"Sure thing, Bunny," Kotetsu says, ignoring whatever is actually written on the teleprompter. Do they really think I'm just going to start calling him Barnaby after all this time? Besides, he's now begun to suspect that something is up with his partner, and on camera or not, he's going to get to the bottom of it.
"This step is easy," Barnaby waves Kotetsu back to his side, pausing slightly for the camera to change angles before sliding one of the two bowls over to his partner. "Just add ¼ of a cup of sugar and beat the yolks until they're pale. At the same time, I'm going to beat the egg whites until they peak, then beat in the remaining sugar."
"Wait a minute," Kotetsu asks in genuine curiosity, taking a step closer to Barnaby to look over his shoulder and down into the bowl. "If you're beating eggs and sugar, and I'm beating eggs and sugar… why did we need to separate the eggs in the first place? It seems like an awful lot of work…"
Barnaby pulls the second bowl back towards him, thrown off by Kotetsu's rambling as it starts to confuse the teleprompter. "We're just following the recipe – and – and next, I'm going to fold the eggs back together."
"Ah, see! I totally don't understand the point of it," Kotetsu complains, amused when Barnaby takes a step away as he takes a step closer.
"Get the sifter, please!" Barnaby says, a little more sharply than he intends, but apparently their bickering is amusing the director, because beyond the glint of the lights, he can see another PA giving him big thumbs up signals. "We're going to sift in the flour and the cocoa…"
Of course, the process is extremely messy with Kotetsu involved, and before long, there's flour everywhere – their clothes, their faces, the counters, and possibly, finally, the bowl. "You've still got some right here, Bunny…" Kotetsu teases, leaning in to brush his fingertips across his partner's cheek, taking the excuse to then tug on the little ponytail that's been tempting him all morning.
The half-stirred batter splashes out of the bowl as Barnaby jerks in surprise, his cheeks coloring sharply, and in the quiet studio, several snickers can be heard from among the crew. "Lastly, we'll pour the batter into the cake pan and place it in the oven for thirty to thirty-five minutes, or until the top springs back lightly."
Kotetsu takes a step back to give Barnaby enough elbow room to pour the cake, but continues to grin widely, his eyes never leaving his partner's somewhat perturbed face.
"Stop staring at me, old man!" Barnaby hisses under his breath, the lights glinting in his glasses as he shifts past Kotetsu to place the cake in the oven.
"You can't really be that mad that we were late today," Kotetsu raises an eyebrow as he whispers back, but waits to say anything more until the director finally calls a cut. As the cleaning crew wipes down the studio from the flour explosion and sets up for the next step, Kotetsu follows Barnaby off the stage and to a large jug of water. "Especially not when you know exactly why we were up too late last night…"
"Not now, now here," Barnaby's head whips back and forth to make sure no one's overheard them and then he turns a glare on Kotetsu. His partner has only mirth in his eyes, though, and Barnaby can't help but feel warmth rise in his chest from the heat of that gaze. "Why are you teasing me so relentlessly?"
"Why are you being so awkward with me? Will you tell me what's really bothering you? Is it about last night? I thought we sorted some things out…" The mirth dims into concern and Kotetsu reaches out a hand for Barnaby's shoulder.
"No, it's not at all about last night," Barnaby shrugs him off and turns away, filling a cup with water before taking a long and purposeful drink. If Kotetsu would just believe that I'm fine…
"Aha! Then there is something."
"Can we please just finish this activity smoothly?" Barnaby avoids the question completely, tossing the cup in the trash and trying to brush past his partner.
Kotetsu catches Barnaby's arm, pulling him in closer, not about to be deflected so easily. "I still don't think you're telling me the truth. So… just know that every time I say your name today, I'm actually thinking about the way you felt last night, pressed up against the glass-"
Barnaby cuts Kotetsu off with a sharp and angry flick to the forehead and stalks back towards the set, no longer caring if there is still flour in his hair. "Stop being an ass, or I swear, it'll be the last time…" Barnaby can't even bring himself to finish the statement and it takes a deep breath to calm the urge to kick his partner straight up through the ceiling so that he can finish the cake alone. So what if his partner is making a mockery out of this day?
Kotetsu laughs all the way back to the stage, and in fact, is still trying to contain his snickers as Barnaby tries equally hard to maintain his cool through the next step. His partner isn't making it easy at all, anymore, though, finding every deliberate excuse he can to touch Barnaby – on the shoulder to look over him into the bowl again, on the hand with an offer to stir in the whipped cream, and even a graze across his lower back when the camera angle would not catch it, just because.
The mousse ends up terribly lumpy, but with an hour's time to "chill", production is only too happy to cut tape again and offer a perfectly prepared version for them to use in building the actual cake to frost and present as a gift to their fans. Barnaby is weary by this point, both from the tedious detail in preparing the raspberry sauce, and in dealing with the ever-frustrating ad-libbing teasing of his partner every step of the way.
Kotetsu is actually oddly skilled at frosting the cake, which he claims loudly is due to his love of mayonnaise-spreading, and by the time he's adding the finishing candies, he realizes he's actually had a really good time with this whole process. Maybe I should give Bunny a break… "Come on, Bunny – it turned out not that bad!"
Barnaby is nearly finished frosting the second cake of a dozen now sitting in rows behind them on the table when Kotetsu picks up the first to give the camera a closer look. To the blond's horror, he then swipes a finger right along the side to take a taste of the icing. "Oldman!" Barnaby darts towards him reflexively, knife still in hand, but it's too late – the cameras have clicked, freezing both of them in an undignified manner.
"It's delicious!" Kotetsu crows, licking the icing off of his finger and then looping an arm around Barnaby's shoulder for a second photo.
"We can't give that cake to anyone now."
"This one can be ours, then, eh, Bunny?"
Barnaby smiles long enough to give the camera a decent shot, and then he ducks out from under Kotetsu's arm, stalking off towards their dressing room without a word.
Kotetsu stands alone under the lights for a moment with a worried frown, the Tiger & Bunny cake still in one hand, with the feeling that he's somehow royally fucked up again. Setting the cake down, he follows Barnaby back to their dressing room, surprised to find it empty upon entering.
Their clothes are still piled in a heap on a chair, but in the center of the table, one of the pictures they took only moments ago is now sitting in a silver and gold frame.
Suddenly, the pieces of the puzzle start to click into place and he reaches down to finger the tiger symbol at the edge of his flour-covered apron. Wait a minute… The events of the day rewind themselves in his head, back through the cake-making, through the box being tossed at his head with the terrible chef's outfit, the traffic on the way over, the alarm they'd forgotten to set because they'd been distracted by their time on the balcony…
The box… the paper…
Kotetsu finds himself diving underneath the table for the crumpled scrap of foil wrapping, un-balling it to find the small note attached.
To:
Kotetsu T. Kaburagi,
Happy Valentine's Day.
From:
Barnaby Brooks, Jr.
The door opens behind Kotetsu, and Barnaby walks in with another cup of water, surprised to see his partner under the table on his hands and knees. "What are you doing?"
"Bunny!" Kotetsu jumps in surprise, banging the top of his head on the underside of the table before scrambling out. "You… planned this? The cake, the aprons…" Kotetsu trails off, lifting one hand to the thoughtful hat on his head that had just cushioned the blow and patting it affectionately. "It was all… a gift, wasn't it? And I…" I stomped all over it like an enormous idiot.
"It's fine, Kotetsu," Barnaby says with a sigh, setting his cup down on the table and reaching to unknot the scarf around his neck. "You don't need to make such a big deal out of it."
Barnaby doesn't get far in undressing, though, because Kotetsu is beside him in a heartbeat, taking his hand in between his own two with worried eyes and imploring words. "Bunny… Bunny, there's a bottle of your favorite wine hidden behind the old record player at home, just in case, honest… but I wasn't sure you'd even care, or that you were really the romantic type…"
"I don't know that I'm the romantic type," Barnaby says honestly, somewhat to interrupt the awkward confession, and though he doesn't pull his hand away, he doesn't make any eye contact either, his gaze on his shoes. "But… I know how you can be – that you love holidays and… and marking important moments, don't you? I've seen all the photographs."
"You set this up because…" Kotetsu trails off, thinking, indeed, of the happiest moments of his life, in freeze frame along the shelves of their apartment. Of the Halloweens and Christmases and New Year's he's already dragged Barnaby through… Only recently have newer moments joined those old ones on the mantle, but it's still the truth. Barnaby knows him too well. "I'm sorry, Bunny… I guess I thought it might be too much, too soon, celebrating… another milestone…?"
Barnaby's lips quirk a little at the overly wounded tone of his partner's voice, as well as the word choice, and he finally squeezes back the hand holding his, taking a note of pity on him. "Well, the fact that you view it as a milestone…" It's really all he needs to know, even if he's teasing Kotetsu a little, and it makes the effort worth it, even if the end result is somewhat askew from his original vision of the perfect Valentine's Day.
"And I really did enjoy today!"
"It was hard to tell at times," Barnaby pretends to scold him a little, finally lifting his gaze only to be surprised at the still-serious expression on his partner's face.
"I haven't done anything at all for you, not like this…" Kotetsu says regretfully, letting go of Barnaby's hand and sighing as he turns away. "Not that I didn't want to… I did, but then I thought, what if…"
"You should always do what you want to…" The last thing Barnaby wants is for his partner to actually feel badly about any of this, and he reaches to touch Kotetsu's shoulder from behind, keeping him from stepping away as he searches for something else to say. He can feel the frustration rolling off of his partner, and can't help but feel somewhat to blame. "…Sometimes things are less complicated or difficult than you think… and the little things you do every day…"
"Heh, what, like nearly getting us killed?" Kotetsu cuts him off to joke in his usual effort to lighten the mood, dragging up their fight from last night yet again. Maybe he isn't as over the issue as he wants to believe. "Like telling you just last night that you don't know what affection is, or how to care? When maybe it's me who's wrong - I haven't done anything right lately…"
"No, not at all…" Barnaby doesn't know how to finds words for the images that flit across his mind – every smile, every perfectly-timed joke, every corny line and every warm hug – Kotetsu's heart speaks to him in a million tiny little ways that Barnaby will never be able to explain in words, never know how to say thank you for... But the longer the silence between them drags on, the more frustrated he feels, until saying it plainly seems the only option to comfort his partner. "I love you, Kotetsu, you know, don't you? My ways are… different and I'm terrible at this…. but in the end…. it's the same feeling."
"What are you talking about, Bunny?" Kotetsu blinks in surprise, his eyes filling with sudden tears. "Your ways…when I'm the one who's really been terrible…" Why was I so careless? Why didn't I realize immediately? But Kotetsu knows, deep down, his reason for making light, for not noticing. There's still a small part of him that expects at any moment to have this taken away, whether through his own fault or just the fates. He spends far too much time doubting the things he claims to trust the most, and only ends up hurting himself and the people he loves by second-guessing. How many times do I have to learn this lesson?
"I don't understand," Barnaby starts in confusion as he sees his partner's shoulders shift in a telltale way. "Are you crying, Kotetsu? Why are you crying over a gift?" A note of frustrated panic creeps into Barnaby's voice. "I'm not angry with you for today, you didn't know it was a gift…" He can count on one hand the times he's really seen his partner cry over something (besides the typical fatherly drama over everything Kaede), and he isn't quite sure what to do with the display. "Kotetsu…"
"I should have thought better of you, Bunny…"
"Hmph," Barnaby disagrees, reaching now to wrap his arms around Kotetsu from behind, resting his chin on a strong shoulder. "If you didn't think I was capable of planning something like this, then it's my own fault."
"I'm just… really touched…" the words come accompanied by a particularly loud sniff.
"Touched in the head, maybe," Barnaby snickers a little, unable to help joking when Kotetsu is being…rather…cute. "Oh, come, now, you're being a little ridiculous, don't you think?"
"I don't care!" Kotetsu turns suddenly in Barnaby's arms and leans in, catching his lips in a lingering series of kisses. "…I love you too."
"Don't you get started…we're still in public…" Barnaby breathes into the kiss, but he can't help himself, really, especially not when Kotetsu's been teasing him for hours on set. When Kotetsu tugs on his ponytail yet again, grinning unabashedly into their kiss, Barnaby growls in annoyance. "What am I going to do with you, you silly, sentimental old man?"
"I can think of a few things," Kotetsu responds cheekily, the tears all but gone in favor of expressing himself in a different way. He steps back far enough to drag his other hand down Barnaby's chest suggestively, surprised when his partner grabs his wrist before he reaches his goal.
"I don't think so," Barnaby pulls his wrist away with a smirk. "You had your way with me last night, you teased me all day, then worried me with this tearful response… I think I deserve a little revenge." Enjoying the wide-eyed expression he receives, Barnaby backs Kotetsu the three steps into the counter, reaching with one hand to sweep the contents onto the floor.
"R-revenge?" The wide-eyed surprise quickly gives way to a lecherous grin and Kotetsu doesn't fight when Barnaby pushes him to sit on the counter, instead wrapping his legs around his partner's back to pull him in tightly. "I never complain when you get a little pushy, Bunny…"
"Sometimes I just have to keep you in line," Barnaby admonishes playfully, his hands reaching under the scarf to unbutton Kotetsu's shirt, pushing it apart to reveal warm skin underneath. He drags his fingertips over a nipple, pausing only when his partner catches his ponytail again and tugs hard. "Sometimes you just… talk too much."
"You don't talk enough," Kotetsu argues back, dragging Barnaby's face towards his by the grip on his ponytail. But the truth is that when Kotetsu takes the time to pay attention, he's always been able to hear Barnaby loud and clear. Just as in this moment, when the parted lips and narrowed glint of green eyes seem to scream Kiss me, you damn idiot.
Barnaby struggles not to get lost in Kotetsu's kiss, his hands faltering at the hot tongue sweeping demandingly through his mouth, while the grip in his hair keeps him in place for the plundering. Of course, he's going to make it difficult… But Barnaby won't let himself get side-tracked, and once he's pushed Kotetsu's shirt off to his elbows, one hand slides right down to his pants, unzipping them with a quick tug.
The rough fabric of the apron against Kotetsu's revealed cock is almost unbearable when it's Barnaby's touch that he really craves, and he groans a little, letting their kiss break as his partner finally yanks him off the counter by one elbow, turning him around. Placing his hands flat on the countertop, Kotetsu lets Barnaby pull the white pants down to his ankles, kicking them aside as one warm hand slides against the curve of his ass.
Barnaby knows that Kotetsu truly enjoys when it's like this - when Barnaby can't seem to keep his hands off of his partner, when he desires nothing but to bring them both pleasure, and lets himself have all that he wants with no reservations. When he finally snaps his hips hard against his partner's, the moan that Kotetsu lets out is unlike any he ever gives when their positions are reversed, and it only makes Barnaby want him more.
"Bunny…" Kotetsu chokes out when he feels his partner's hand wrap around from behind to stroke him in time with his thrusts. It's always sensory overload when Barnaby is in control, as if he knows every button Kotetsu has, and Kotetsu's heart is racing along with their frenzied tempo as he slams himself backwards to meet every thrust. "Bunny, please…"
"Sshh…" Barnaby murmurs, kissing the back of Kotetsu's neck affectionately and watching their reflections in the mirror over his partner's shoulder. He's used to being able to see the expression of pained bliss on Kotetsu's face in these moments, but what surprises him a little is seeing the wild and passionate look in his own eyes also reflected back at him. "Kotetsu…"
Kotetsu arches back against Barnaby, turning until they can just barely meet over one shoulder in a messy and open-mouthed kiss, and a moment later, he's coming hot into his partner's hand, gasping his name. "Barnaby…"
"Kotetsss…" Barnaby echoes his partner with a soft and high-pitched noise as he joins him, slumping forward onto his back, not afraid to let Kotetsu's strength hold them up and in place.
"Mr. Brooks? Mr. Kaburagi? The valet has your motorcycle waiting out front."
The expected knock on the dressing room door brings their moment to an abrupt and hasty end, and Barnaby calls back an acknowledgement as Kotetsu redresses himself with just a touch of awed sheepishness. Barnaby changes back into his own clothing as well, and though they say nothing, the little smiles tossed back and forth are more than enough to convey their mutual contentment.
Thankfully, they've taken so long that most of the crew has disappeared already, leaving the sound stage rather vacant for their swift departure. The ride home is comfortable and relaxed under the clear and cold winter sky, and they stop for Chinese take-out on the way.
As Barnaby sets everything out on the coffee table in their living room, Kotetsu searches behind the record player to retrieve the promised bottle of wine. Now is his own turn to get in just a little revenge.
When Barnaby looks up again to see his partner standing beside him with the goofiest grin imaginable, he realizes that, once again, Kotetsu has only given him half the truth. The bottle of wine sits in a basket with half a dozen red roses, and twined between the fingers of Kotetsu's other hand are two wine glasses etched with golden roses.
"But I thought…you said…" Barnaby stammers in complete surprise as Kotetsu hands him the basket and sets the glasses down on the coffee table, turning next to mess with the record player. Why did he act as if he had nothing at all planned?
"Did you really think I had nothing up my sleeve, Bunny?" he teases lightly at Barnaby's surprise, flipping through the records. Gershwin, maybe? "I only… hid it like a coward, in case you didn't…and well, you outdid me, anyway, as usual."
"Not at all…" Barnaby says softly, fingering the delicate petal of one rose before lifting the wine out of the basket. "But here we are, right back at neither of us being entirely honest…"
"But we were, in the end!" Kotetsu protests good-naturedly as he finally selects a record. "Well, it's not my clanging rock, and it's not your warbling opera…" he offers, setting the needle in place and then holding out a hand to his partner. "Maybe it's a compromise, and an old favorite, anyway…"
o/~ Embrace me
My sweet embraceable you
Embrace me
My irreplaceable you ~/o
The old music crackles out of the speakers as Barnaby approaches with two glasses of wine in the new goblets, hanging one to Kotetsu with a flushed smile of pleasure. "You're truly unbelievable…"
Kotetsu accepts a glass with a grin and then wraps an arm around Barnaby's waist, tugging him to sway with the music. "I don't know what you're on about, Bunny…" he grins, ruffling a hand through the now-freed curls. "This is just any old night in our heroic life, with Chinese take-out, wine and…"
Barnaby cuts Kotetsu off with a kiss, and then finds himself further surprised when his partner breaks away to take the two glasses of wine, setting them back on the table. "Kotetsu?"
"Dance?" Kotetsu holds out one hand and when Barnaby accepts, pulls him in close, one hand on the small of his back to guide as they turn in slow circles together.
"Romantic…corny… fool…" Barnaby murmurs in complaint against his partner's shoulder. …There's no way he's going to admit just how simple and yet… perfect… this moment alone feels.
"Eh, but we're both fools for each other, in our own ways…" Kotetsu grins, not the slightest bit sorry, and more than able to read between the lines. "Happy Valentine's Day, Bunny…"
"Happy Valentine's Day, Kotetsu…"
o/~ I love all
The many charms about you
Above all
I want my arms about you
Don't be naughty baby
Come to me
Come to me do
My sweet embraceable you ~/o