Title: Riot
Series: Tiger & Bunny
Summary: There is something wrong with his head. Barnaby-centric and DARK.
Warning(s): Dark themes and graphic thoughts of suicide. Please do not read if this disturbs you.
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There is something wrong with his head.
He can't escape the raw, coiled hate. It threatens to consume him, burning away at what's left of his resolve. It hurts.
What he's thinking isn't heroic in the slightest and he can just imagine the media's reaction: his name on the front of every newspaper and on every screen with the words 'DECEASED' below in big, block letters. Would they try to cover it up? Would they hide such an ugly thing?
He stands in front of the window, looking down on Sternbild. It's a jumbled, chaotic mess of roads and buildings and advertisements. How can he protect such a thing? His mind is splitting open, exposing how weak he truly is. Jake's face changes over and over again, a thousand different expressions staring back at him through the flames. The mark on his hand is now on Dr. Saito and now Karina and now-
Kotetsu's face twists into an inhuman grin, the light in his eyes alive and mad. Of all the visions, this one scares him the most. He thinks of his partner, of the way he smiles and dots on his daughter and complains about everything, and watches him morph into his tormentor, murdering his parents over and over again.
No. He can't rely on Kotetsu anymore.
Breathing deeply, Barnaby presses his forehead against the window and closes his eyes. He's tired. The thought persists, seeping in and corrupting his mind like a virus.
He watches Kotetsu morph into someone else and the bodies begin to blacken and burn. Is this his limit? He wants to be outraged, insulted by how weak he is, but there's nothing.
The gun in his right hand feels unnaturally heavy.
Slowly, he opens his eyes. Sternbild is under a bright blue sky and he admires the city one last time. He lifts the gun and presses it tight against his temple.
And then the fear sets in. It breaks him.
Pulling the trigger is devastatingly simple and his hand flexes, tracing over the gun. Sternbild is one massive blur of white and grey and blue. He doesn't hear the door slide open or Kotetsu's greeting or the sound of something falling and shattering on the floor.
Kotetsu is here with him in the silence and he can just feel his hands on his shoulders. He's muttering something into Barnaby's neck over and over again. His hands are warm, burning through the fabric of his jacket.
"I shouldn't be doing this," Barnaby admits and those hands dig into his shoulders.
Kotetsu is whispering for him to stop. Barnaby shakes his head and angles the gun, aiming just a bit higher. Kotetsu doesn't reach for it. He wants to ask why, but…
He knows.
He feels the smooth edge of the trigger and knows.
Because he's better than this. Because Kotetsu believes that he's better than this.
The moment is fragile. The fear seizes him again and Kotetsu holds on, whispering something long and desperate into his ear. It sounds like a confession, like the most beautiful thing he's ever heard. The faces in the fire still and fade into pure white.
"It's going to be alright, Bunny. I… I promise."
His hand shakes and Barnaby lowers the gun.
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A/N: Another kinkmeme fill. The prompt was: "Barnaby tries to kill himself. Kotetsu interferes." There was also a picture the prompt was based off of. If anyone's curious, it's available on part 2/page 16 of LiveJournal's t_and_b_anon.
As always, best of luck and thanks for reading!