A fill from the Tiger and Bunny Anon Meme. Prompt: Barnaby wants to marry Kotetsu, the love of his life, but because of Kotetsu's past, Barnaby is not sure if Kotetsu wants to marry again. He waits for his love to take the next step, but not without giving hints that he's ready to marry Kotetsu. Oblivious as Kotetsu is, he doesn't realize what Barnaby wants. Kaede, living with them, helps give her father a hint that even he can understand.
Happy Valentine's Day! :D
This is what bliss feels like.
Barnaby would not be so romantic and naïve to say that every single moment of his life was happy. His job as a hero meant routinely facing down Sternbild's most depraved. He then had paperwork to sort out after, dull and dreary. He still had public appearances, where he had to wear exactly the same expression for hours at a time. He'd still go out drinking with the heroes and, every so often, miscalculate and get a hangover. He still had moments where he worried: about the past stolen from him by Maverick's manipulation, about Kotetsu's dwindling powers, about that serpentine organization, Ouroboros, lurking just behind the shadows.
But in spite of all those troubles—or, perhaps, because of them—Barnaby knew that he now lived a life filled with bliss. He met Kotetsu five years ago, and they had been dating for nearly three. They lived in a cozy townhome they picked together, with Kotetsu's daughter, Kaede, now a fourteen-year-old student at Hero Academy. She still claimed to be dead-set on being a hero with her fearsomely strong yet unpredictable powers, though each day she came home gushing about her new favorite class, and it was never Physical Education. Barnaby and Kotetsu just smiled and nodded, awaiting the day she realized her passion lay outside the realm of reality entertainment. Barnaby loved running errands for the household. He loved the stupid nicknames Kotetsu invented for their seating configurations on the couch, to describe what sort of 'sandwich' they made that night. He loved whenever Kaede called Barnaby and Kotetsu her "dads."
He loved his life, and he knew why. Because he had Kotetsu, and he wanted to stay with Kotetsu for the rest of his life.
He wanted to call Kotetsu 'husband.'
Dreams about marrying Kotetsu were nothing new. Early in their relationship, of course the possibility crossed Barnaby's mind, but as nothing more than a 'someday, if this works out' fantasy. But as the years wore on and Kotetsu and Barnaby started building a life together, relying on each other more and more, Barnaby started to want the actual ceremony, the chance to stand before a crowd of their friends, make vows to each other, then throw a bouquet into a crowd, dance as newlyweds, feed each other a bite of snowy white cake, and maybe even tie tin cans to the rear bumper of the Double Chaser. He wanted that symbol, the wedding band, to look at each day, to remember he and Kotetsu would stay together until death do they part.
And for the whole thing to happen at all, Kotetsu had to propose. Barnaby knew how badly he wanted to marry Kotetsu, but he didn't dare propose, remembering Kotetsu already had a ring on his left hand. Through the years, Barnaby heard so many stories of how special Tomoe was, and how much she influenced Kotetsu's beliefs and formed the man he was today. Never in a thousand years did Barnaby want to invalidate or replace someone so special, and if he proposed, there was a chance Kotetsu would accept just so Barnaby wouldn't feel the pain of being turned down. He had to know Kotetsu wanted to marry again, so he just stood by, tense and longing, doing his best to determine if Kotetsu was ready for a second marriage the way Barnaby was ready for a first one.
After what felt like ages trying to read and interpret the signs, Barnaby gave up, and decided he'd go about it in a different manner: if he could properly encourage Kotetsu, he might just pop the question.
And so, Barnaby set on his new quest to get Kotetsu into the wedding mood.
The three of them went to a shopping center one day, searching for some rather bizarre and unlikely implements that Kaede needed for what she called a "group project." Barnaby had the sneaking suspicion the party balloons, nail polish, and shaving cream were for a prank rather than a project, but the list extended enough to potentially include some real school supplies.
The worry that Kaede might be about to cause a serious disruption at school slid from Barnaby's mind when they passed a jewelry store. He glanced to Kotetsu, then to the store, and then to his left hand, before announcing, "Just a minute, there's a store I'd like to check out."
"Eh? What's up, Bunny?" Kotetsu turned to follow, bringing Kaede in his wake, because no way was she about to continue tackling that giant list of hers without her dads to carry everything.
Barnaby set down his shopping and leaned over a glowing cabinet filled with diamond rings. The array of designs surprised him: Barnaby had always thought of an engagement ring as a single diamond (definitely not small, but rock-measuring contests just bored him) fitted in a silver or gold band. The jeweler boasted rings of all designs, colored stones surrounded by small white sparkles, a big diamond framed by two smaller ones, diamond chips wrapping all the way around the band… Though, he did see a few to his liking. I should guide Kotetsu toward those.
"Those are so beautiful!" Kaede cooed. "Hey, can I get married?"
"No," Kotetsu and Barnaby said at once, Kotetsu probably to protect his daughter's honor, and Barnaby because he wanted to get married first. Who would Kaede even get married to?
"But you're right, Kaede, these are beautiful," Barnaby pointed into the case. "That one, two from the upper left. A gold band with a single diamond. I really like that one."
"Yeah, looks good," Kotetsu agreed. "You'd wear that sort of thing?"
"Only if someone gives it to me. It's not an engagement ring if it's not given to me by someone else."
"Is that so…" Kotetsu looked up at the store sign, then at a few of the promotional flags, and then back down at the rings. Barnaby studied closely for the telltale glint of some meddlesome plan in the back of Kotetsu's eye, and he was not disappointed to see Kotetsu hatching some sort of scheme.
A clerk approached and asked if they needed any help, but Kotetsu waved him away and said they were just browsing, before jovially insisting they track down the last few items on Kaede's list, twelve rolls of paper towel and a fistful of crazy straws. Barnaby smiled, certain of success, as they left the diamond ring behind.
Days later, after a particularly difficult day dealing with an irate panel of teachers from Hero Academy (Kaede had been pulling a prank with her friends) and having a discussion about maturity with the perpetrator herself, Barnaby and Kotetsu found themselves a quiet moment to unwind together a few glasses of wine.
"Man, I never expected Kaede to be a prankster," Kotetsu said, tipping his glass back.
"You've been known to take a tasteless joke too far yourself."
"What? When?"
"My twenty-fourth birthday party."
"Fine, fine…"
Barnaby drank as well, then swirled the wine in his glass. "So long as she keeps it in check, we won't have to worry."
"Right," Kotetsu said, before suddenly setting his glass down and scurrying around to the other side of the room. "Oh! I know this wasn't the best day, but I've got something for you that I think you'll love!"
Barnaby suddenly didn't feel drunk anymore. Could it be? The proposal? Now hardly felt like the right time for that sort of thing, but they were alone, comfortable, and really, if Kotetsu wanted to cut out a lot of the usual fanfare, so be it, Barnaby just wanted the chance to call him 'husband' along with 'partner,' hell, even if he got the ring wrong—
Kotetsu took his seat on the couch and held out a black velvet box to Barnaby, emblazoned with the jewelry store's name, but already Barnaby knew, he got it wrong. Because the box in Kotetsu's hands was not a ring box, not at all, way too big.
He wasn't proposing.
Kotetsu flipped open the lid to the box and revealed a very nice watch, with a gold band and a very tiny but very bright diamond fleck embedded in the center point where the watch-hands turned from. A beautiful gift, and Barnaby wanted to love it so much more than he did. It wasn't the watch's fault for not being an engagement ring, and the design of the watch resembled the ring Barnaby pointed out just enough that he could see where Kotetsu went wrong.
Barnaby looked up at Kotetsu, and caught the smile on his face, so proud that he had done something for his lover. And Barnaby couldn't hate the effort at all. Was it what he hoped for? No. But was it something Kotetsu found while thinking of Barnaby and searching for a way to make him happy? Yes.
"It's lovely, Kotetsu," Barnaby said, leaning close for a kiss. "Thank you."
"I knew you'd like it," Kotetsu mumbled, and they didn't say much after that.
Barnaby had no intention of wearing a dress to his wedding. He understood that he was 'the pretty one' of their relationship, pretty enough for a flowing white gown, but he never had any concrete desire to wear women's clothing, and on a day as important as his wedding day, he didn't want to remember it for the way his legs brushed together under his skirt.
On the other hand, wedding dresses were an iconic symbol in the language of marriage, and could be used to turn Kotetsu's mind to the subject. They had a high chance of bringing up memories of Tomoe, but that might work to Barnaby's advantage. If Barnaby could remind Kotetsu of his wife, he'd be more likely to stay on track and think of marriage, and if the memories proved painful for Kotetsu, at least they might open a frank discussion rather than dancing around each other, something Barnaby didn't want to do himself for fear of making assumptions about Kotetsu's life.
So, Plan B: Bridal Gowns commenced. Bringing actual bridal magazines into the home would be way too blunt, so Barnaby did his best pointing out the magazines on the rack, before expanding his commentary into anyone wearing something fancy and white.
"That dress looks good on her," Barnaby would say, referring to some model or another. "White is a nice color, don't you think?"
"A little plain, though," Kotetsu often commented.
"Still. There are certain occasions that require white," Barnaby pressed. "I'd like to wear white someday, for one of those occasions, one that requires it…"
Barnaby did his best to keep the pressure up, never letting a chance slip by to complement someone in white: on the street, in pictures, on TV. It had to work—Kotetsu wore white to his own wedding, too, he knew it wasn't just a female color. He just had to be patient. Even once Kotetsu got the picture, he'd need some time to think it through, and to get the ring. Barnaby couldn't blame Kotetsu for taking too long. Patient. Just be patient.
Some time into his experiment, on a day when it was Barnaby's turn to cook dinner, Kotetsu joined him in the kitchen and leaned against a counter.
"Bunny, there's something I've been meaning to ask you about," Kotetsu began.
Barnaby set aside a spoon, his mind at war with itself. With an opener like that, all of the signs pointed to Kotetsu having noticed Barnaby's hints about white, and this was his response. But Barnaby was in a kitchen, in the middle of cooking dinner, on a weeknight, and that introduction did not sound very romantic at all. The likelihood of this being Kotetsu's proposal were even smaller than last time, and as the chance of proposal decreased, the chance of refusal or rejection increased. This did not look good.
"What is it?" Barnaby said in the most neutral tone he could muster.
"Am I out of style?" Kotetsu blurted.
That… had nothing to do with anyone getting married to anyone. Barnaby stared at him and asked, "Do you feel out of style?"
"You just keep going on about white clothes and stuff…" Kotetsu gestured vaguely with one hand. "So, is white the new 'in' color? I tried asking Kaede, but she says it doesn't matter, since she wears a uniform to school. She might have thought I was trying to shop for her. But Hero Academy uniforms are white, so she's already 'in!'" Kotetsu sighed, realizing he was just spinning his wheels. "So, I was wondering… Do you want to come shopping with me this weekend? I want to try and get something that's a little more up-to-date."
Barnaby looked down, then picked up the spoon and resumed stirring that night's dinner. So it seemed the way Barnaby couldn't ask for a wedding dress of his own backfired. By casting his net so wide and trying to focus on all white clothing, Kotetsu thought it was a fashion statement rather than a proclamation of love and commitment.
"You're too old to be chasing trends," Barnaby said at last, smiling at Kotetsu over his shoulder. "Besides, your style looks good on you. I wouldn't change a thing."
Kotetsu's lips wobbled as his heart melted, and he wrapped his arms around Barnaby and kissed him on the cheek. "I love you so much, Bunny," he said.
"I love you, too," Barnaby said, mentally crossing 'dresses' off the list and wondering what other tactics he had to catch Kotetsu's attention.
Barnaby had no other choice: he had to go for the bridal magazines. Rings had failed, dresses had failed, the only thing he could think of next was to show Kotetsu pictures of actual weddings and see if he finally got the hint.
He did his best to still keep the actual magazines from circulating in the house, so he wouldn't give any visitors false hope, in case something went wrong. He'd find magazines, tear out all the pages with full-page color photos of decorated chapels, beautiful bouquets, and tiered cakes, and then leave the pictures in conspicuous locations as he disposed of the rest of the magazine. He taped them on the wall near the home desk, tacked them on the refrigerator using magnets, even folded one up slightly so it could support its own weight and sit near Barnaby's computer (Thanks to Ivan for the origami lesson).
The pictures definitely caught Kotetsu's attention. At least, Barnaby noticed Kotetsu noticing them. He'd ask Barnaby some questions about where the picture came from, like the location, the types of flowers, or the flavor of cake. He seemed very interested when Barnaby described a vanilla-chocolate marble cake with lemon layer frosting, declaring with his usual flair, "Ah, man, I'm gonna start drooling! That sounds so good!"
"Wedding cakes are always delicious." Barnaby had no idea if he was even being subtle anymore. He felt like all the subtlety had been sucked out of him long ago. "Especially to the happy couple who get the first bite."
"Right! I get it!" Kotetsu said, winking at Barnaby. His heart skipped a beat.
Do you, Kotetsu? Do you finally understand what I want?
Barnaby felt jittery for the next week, anxiously awaiting the moment Kotetsu popped the question. One day in particular gave Kotetsu ample opportunity to prepare everything. Barnaby had to leave work early to go and pick up Kaede from ice skating, and the pair of them needed to run some errands until dinner. He knew he had left Kotetsu with a completely manageable amount of office work, giving the veteran up to two hours to make any lingering preparations. Barnaby's fingers drummed on the steering wheel just imagining that tonight might be the night Kotetsu proposed.
"Hey, um… Are you and Dad planning on getting married?" Kaede brought up.
Barnaby's jitters turned into an entirely different kind of nerves. "What makes you say that?"
"You two keep leaving wedding magazine stuff everywhere," Kaede said. "And the way you were with those rings a while back, and talking about white…"
Perfect. All of Barnaby's signals were crystal-clear to Kotetsu's daughter, but too confusing for Kotetsu. "The magazine pages are mine. Just mine," Barnaby confessed. "I'm trying to encourage Kotetsu to propose."
"Why don't you propose?"
"…Because I don't know if Kotetsu wants to get married again."
"So you're trying to make him ask you?"
"If Kotetsu takes the initiative, then I know he's ready to marry again," Barnaby explained. "We've already been together for a few years, and when you moved in with us, I really felt like we were a family. This is the happiest I've been in my life, living with you and Kotetsu."
Kaede glowed, ducking her face a little. "I like living with you and Dad, too."
"A while ago, I realized I want to take another step with Kotetsu. I want us to be husbands as well as partners. But in order to respect the memory of your mother, I want him to be the one who proposes. I'm just trying to send the clearest message I can that, if he's ready, I'm ready."
"And he's been getting it wrong, hasn't he?" Kaede asked, hitting the nail on the head.
"There's no rush. Kotetsu can take as much time as he needs," Barnaby said, reminding himself to be patient. Even if tonight had all the signs of becoming magical, Barnaby shouldn't assume.
"Well, if there's really no rush…" Kaede joked. "The City will declare you common-law husbands if you live together for ten years!"
"Will they throw us a wedding reception?" Barnaby asked.
"If they don't, I will. I'm going to be King of Heroes by then, y'know."
"Well, we look forward to your heroic party." Barnaby let the subject dropped and asked, "How are things going in school?"
"Great! Mr. McGill is the coolest, he's my Intro to Criminal Psych teacher, and he has so many awesome stories about the fight for NEXT rights…"
The pair arrived home before Kotetsu, so they started on some chores and homework, waiting for the moment when Kotetsu pushed his way through the door and said—
"I'm home!"
Barnaby and Kaede dropped what they were doing and ran to the door, seeing Kotetsu carrying a plastic tray of six—no, five cupcakes, alternating chocolate and vanilla base, with a pale yellow cream on top.
"I brought a special treat!" Kotetsu gestured to the cupcakes. "After Bunny showed me a picture of that cake, it just looked too delicious to pass up! They couldn't do the swirly marble thing with cupcakes, but there's a chocolate one and a vanilla one for each of us!"
"But there are five cupcakes," Barnaby said.
Kotetsu grinned sheepishly. "I ate my chocolate one in the car. It just looked too yummy! But there's still two for each of you!"
"Dad…" Kaede began slowly. "The picture that Barnaby showed you… Was it a wedding cake?"
"Eh? Well, yeah, it was, but how are the three of us supposed to eat an entire wedding cake?" Kotetsu laughed. "Cupcakes are a lot easier. Gotta say, Bunny, as far as having a sweet tooth goes, you're above and beyond the usual sugar cravings. It's cute."
Sweet tooth for wedding cake. Fashion for bridal gown. Watch for engagement ring. With so much evidence staring Kotetsu in the face, he couldn't possibly be misinterpreting at this point. A new answer presented itself in Barnaby's mind; Kotetsu could tell Barnaby wanted to get married, but Kotetsu didn't. So he willfully ignored the evidence and did his best to laugh it off, as if Barnaby's wish to marry Kotetsu and swear his everlasting love to him was nothing more than a big joke.
He had been expecting this, on some level. He knew if Kotetsu didn't want to get married, Barnaby would have to step back and just enjoy the life he had as much as possible. So why did Barnaby feel like crying?
"I'm sorry, Kotetsu, those… they look delicious," Barnaby managed. "But I've got a headache this evening. I'm going to go lie down."
"Aw, poor Bunny…" Kotetsu shifted the cupcakes in his arms and, standing on tiptoe, gave Barnaby a kiss on the forehead. "Feel better soon, okay?"
"Thank you," he mumbled, as he trudged his way to the bedroom and lay down, finally letting the tears fall.
Kotetsu was starting to get worried. Barnaby hadn't been himself the last few days—withdrawn, listless, sad. Everything at work seemed fine, their teamwork in the field remained excellent, Kaede had worked her way back onto the teachers' good lists, and Kotetsu loved Barnaby as deeply as ever. He tried to cheer up his partner with his best jokes and his most vigorous cuddles, and he even used the 'annoy' technique, figuring that dealing with an angry Bunny was better than a depressed one, but nothing could snap Barnaby out of his funk. He'd give Kotetsu a thin, fake smile, tell him not to worry, and go back to moping.
Like hell Kotetsu wasn't worried! If Barnaby wasn't happy, and there was a way Kotetsu could help, he wanted to help, dammit! Every time he had to look at the man he loved looking so sad, Kotetsu felt his own heart breaking a little more, and he couldn't take it.
First plan: date night. Pester Kaede about her plans with her friends and see if he can persuade her into getting invited to a sleepover, then take Barnaby out to a nice dinner with drinks, maybe see a late movie, come back home and just love Barnaby for the rest of the night. Make sure Barnaby knew how much Kotetsu cared about him, appreciated him, loved sharing his life with him.
Okay! Good plan! The hardest part was the first one: getting Kaede to open up about her plans with friends. Barnaby had decided he wanted to read that evening—mopey and boring—so Kotetsu looped around the corner to Kaede's room. The door was slightly ajar, but Kotetsu had long learned his lesson to knock first, so he rapped his fingers and waited for the "come in!"
"Hey, sweetie!" Kotetsu ducked his head inside and beamed as wide as he could. "Any plans for the weekend?"
"I dunno, I guess," Kaede said, with her arms folded. She sounded more and more like a teenager (which she was) each day. "I mean, I haven't asked if my friends are doing anything."
"Say, it's been ages since you had a sleepover with Terry, right? She's such a nice girl! Is she free this weekend?"
At the word 'sleepover,' Kaede raised one eyebrow. "What are you up to?"
"Nothing! Nothing, I swear!" Kotetsu tried to diffuse her suspicion, but she just glared harder. Realizing he'd get nowhere picking a fight with Kaede over this, Kotetsu relented. "Okay, fine, I'm planning a date with Bunny. He's just been looking really sad lately, so I want to cheer him up."
"Why do you think he's sad?"
"No clue! And that's the worst part!" Kotetsu scratched at his beard. "If I knew what was bothering him, then I could start there, but he's just clammed up!"
"How about this," Kaede said. "Why don't you think about what Barnaby's been talking about recently?"
"Recently?" Kotetsu repeated. "Like cake?"
"Cake, and chapels, and flower bouquets," Kaede listed. With each emphasis, she slapped one hand down onto the other one, adding harsh 'clicks' to her lecture. "And before that, he was talking about wearing white, and before that he went to a jewelry shop and pointed out his favorite engagement ring!"
Wow. That was a lot of wedding-talk out of his precious Barnaby… The truth dawned on Kotetsu, and his jaw dropped, excitement and happiness bubbling up through his chest. "Bunny's planning to propose to me? Why would that be a sad thing?"
"Oh my GOD, Dad, you are such an idiot!" Kaede snapped, and Kotetsu nearly stumbled back at the force of her exclamation. Aware of Barnaby still in the house, Kaede leaned closer and hissed, "Barnaby wants you to propose to him!"
"But—But why wouldn't he propose himself?"
"Because he doesn't want to be Mom's replacement!" Kaede told him.
Tomoe's replacement? Kotetsu looked down at his left hand and silver wedding band. Even ten years after her death, he never took it off, but it just felt like it belonged there now. It reminded him to stay strong, do his best, and keep his promise, and it sure as hell didn't stop him from falling in love with Barnaby or taking all those steps of commitment with him, like living together and taking care of Kaede. He thought Barnaby understood at least that much, but after all these years, did the ring scare him?
"Look, I don't mind if you and Barnaby do get married. But you need to tell Barnaby."
"Tell him what?"
"Whether you want to get married! Don't let him keep thinking you turned him down because you hate him!"
For a minute, Kotetsu said nothing, too shocked by the reveal that Barnaby wanted him to propose. It made so much sense now that Kaede spelled it out for him. And during those few seconds when Kotetsu thought Barnaby might be proposing to him, he felt so indisputably happy, he knew marriage was the right way to go. Once they were engaged, they'd have months to sort out the symbolism, like where Kotetsu would put his second wedding band or who, if anyone, would change names.
The only task left was to propose before Barnaby lost hope altogether.
Barnaby dropped Kaede off at Terry's house for a sleepover, returned home to spruce up for a minute, then he and Kotetsu left for dinner. Kotetsu had picked the place, a restaurant on the bay, and asked if Barnaby wanted to take a walk with him first, to see the sunset over the water. Barnaby agreed, but everything felt so hollow to him. He continued through his blissful life and felt none of it, too torn over the sensation that Kotetsu loved him, yet held him at a distance. And in his own research to try and tempt Kotetsu to propose, he grew so attached to the idea of someday throwing a wedding for him and the man he loved most in the world, only to realize that it would never happen.
Snap out of it. Kotetsu needs you. Kaede needs you. But that was easier said than done.
"It's beautiful here," Kotetsu said, pausing at a section of railing and looking out over the water. Barnaby dutifully stopped beside him, examining the beautiful orange sky and the rippling river.
"It is," Barnaby agreed, though the feeling didn't quite reach his voice.
"Can I think out loud for a minute?" Kotetsu asked. He folded his arms on the railing.
An odd request, but he might as well indulge Kotetsu. "Sure."
Kotetsu sighed nostalgically. "This is pretty close to where we met. It looks different, because Blue Rose had the place all frozen up. Remember that? We really didn't have the happiest first meeting, but I wouldn't trade it for the world."
Barnaby felt a stirring to scold Kotetsu for being overly sentimental, but he had asked for the chance to think out loud, so Barnaby withheld comment.
"We've had so many adventures since that moment, bad and good, and we always made it through together. Not even retirement could keep us apart," Kotetsu smiled. "I'm glad we have that kind of bond, the kind where I know I can always rely on you with a problem, and you can rely on me, too. It's the sort of thing that makes us the best partners in the world. It's one of the many, many reasons why I love you."
Barnaby looked away. In a strange way, it hurt to hear Kotetsu say he loved him now, and it was all Barnaby's fault. Why couldn't he stop being so fixated on marriage? He and Kotetsu lived like spouses, and Kaede was right, the city would legally marry them after another eight years of cohabitation. So long as he and Kotetsu loved and honored each other, they didn't need rings. Not really. No need.
"I'm always thinking about everything you've done for me through the years. You challenge me to do better, you scold me for being stupid, you're proud of me for being strong. Somedays, I can't even believe that someone as amazing as you loves someone like me, but when I most need reminding, you've always proved that you're here to stay. And I want to prove to you that I'm here to stay, too."
Wait. What? What was Kotetsu talking about? Because this sounded like…
Barnaby's eyes went wide. It can't be. I thought he didn't—is he really—will he really—
Kotetsu stepped away from the railing and reached into his pocket. He pulled out another velvet box, this one the perfect size for a ring. "I love you, Bunny," Kotetsu said. "With all my heart. And now, I have a question for you."
He suddenly dropped onto one knee, opened the box, and revealed the gold engagement ring with a single, sparkling diamond. Just as suddenly, Barnaby couldn't breathe.
"Barnaby Brooks Jr, will you marry me?" Kotetsu asked.
Trembling head to toe, Barnaby tried to move his lips and force the resounding YES in his heart out through his mouth and into the air, but nothing happened. Speechless, he did the next best thing and stuck out his left hand, nodding furiously. Kotetsu got the picture and slid the golden ring onto his fourth finger until it rested just above his knuckle, perfect as a star. Seeing that ring on his hand, Barnaby lost the ability to stand—he fell, and flung himself into Kotetsu's arms, burying his face in Kotetsu's shoulder as he started to weep with relief and joy.
A few passers-by, who had stopped to watch the spectacle, recognized a successful proposal and applauded. Kotetsu laughed, bewildered and happy, and returned Barnaby's embrace. Barnaby laughed a little bit, too, but he mostly cried, clinging to Kotetsu as tight as possible.
"Fiancé," Barnaby gasped when he regained use of his voice. To his own ears, he sounded so stupid, but he was too happy to care. "My fiancé!"
"That's right, Bunny," Kotetsu agreed. "I'm your fiancé."
It would be quite some time before Barnaby would get the chance to call Kotetsu 'husband.' In the meantime, he'd make up the difference by calling Kotetsu 'fiancé' every chance he could, and loving every minute of it.