Bunny slept for a solid two hours.

Kotetsu spent the time trying to occupy himself with the paperwork Barnaby had no idea he brought home, doing the dishes from both last night and this morning, and looking over Kaede's transfer papers, yet again, to Hero Academy. In the quiet of his room, he could admit that it scared the living bejeesus out of him, the idea of Kaede aiming to emulate her father's life. He would have never wanted the hero's life for her, even the slower, easier pace of Second League.

But she was learning to argue like her mother, and he might as well have a spine made of wet noodle when it came to that sort of needling. Hence his finally giving way to her incessant requests and agreeing that it was time for Kaede to ship off to HA. Finally, once the papers had frightened and depressed him enough, he went downstairs, plopping down on the armchair in the living room, sipping at a bottle of water, idly waiting for his partner to wake up.

It was one of his creepier moments, but there was nothing else quiet to entertain him and, under the joking and smug care, he was a little worried about Bunny. His own memories of last night were a little soft around the edges, but there was no way he'd imagined the tears that had silently slipped down Barnaby's cheeks, totally unnoticed, when he laughingly recounted the way his mother and father had gotten into an argument over the correct type of sprinklers to use on the front lawn and ended up hosing each other down. Barnaby had watched in wide-eyed surprise from the porch – what little kid didn't leap into mud at the first chance, Kotetsu wondered – until his father had dragged him down, claiming that if they were going to play in the mud, then their little piglet would have to join them.

It was a charming tale, and spoke of the character of Bunny's parents. But the reverent, quiet grief and obvious suffering that he still hefted around was frankly disturbing. No one should live like that, silently carrying all that agony. Kotetsu really had no idea how Bunny managed it. It made him sad that he had to try and manage it at all.

When Bunny stirred awake this time, much more gracefully than that morning, Kotetsu couldn't quite dim the smile that spread over his face at the sight of the blond emerging from his cocoon of the blanket and sleep.

"Well, hey there, Sleeping Beauty." Bunny blinked over at him as he slowly pushed himself upright, and, damn, he was beautiful. Kotetsu could admit that, objectively. The warm tint of sleep brushed his cheekbones, his mouth soft and relaxed as his verdant eyes slowly met his. Kotetsu told himself he wasn't worried that he appreciated his partner's looks; it was like admitting that a work of art was beautiful. And if that work of art happened to move and breathe and glare at him for being dumb, even better.

Or, in this case, roll his eyes at the lame greeting. Kotetsu thought he'd been funny, but if Bunny was rolling his eyes, then he had to be feeling better. He'd been worryingly accepting this morning. And what did that say when Kotetsu didn't like it when he and Bunny weren't arguing and poking at each other?

"Hello, Kotetsu. What time is it?" Barnaby said huskily as he rubbed his fingers over his eyes, back to his crisp, clever speech patterns. It was good to hear; he'd been a little strained that morning.

"About lunch time," Kotetsu replied brightly, trying to ignore the way Bunny's voice slid up his spine like smooth, smoky fingers. Since when?, he wondered to himself as he began the fixings for scrambled eggs.

Barnaby watched Kotetsu launch himself out of the chair and trot to the kitchen, heaving a sigh of relief once he passed. It was nothing new, one of them sleeping around the other. Occasionally, they took naps in the transport after a particularly rough mission, or took advantage of the couch in the office when they were especially exhausted.

So he wasn't sure why it felt so different to wake up today and find Kotestu there, like some happy guard dog. As he stretched and slid the hair tie from his hair, ruffling the still damp strands, Barnaby wandered to the kitchen. Kotetsu busily poured eggs and milk into the skillet with a hiss that made him smile like a little boy. Feeling much better, and actually hungry, Barnaby made his way to the fridge, pulling out a bottle of water before leaning onto the counter.

"I know you said that your mom and Kaede are away, but do you have any other plans today? I don't want to keep you from them." Kotetsu just glanced over at him with an easy grin as he fluffed the eggs.

"Nope. Muramasa's hanging out with his girlfriend's family," he explained, his tone clearly hinting at his enduring surprise that his stoic older brother was in a relationship with someone, "and everybody else is with family. So, it's just you and me today, Bunny." Barnaby sipped the water to hide his relief. He had always demanded being alone during the time around the anniversary of his parents' deaths. Kotetsu was extremely skilled, or incredibly lucky, at yanking him out of those throes of mourning and forcing him to function. He'd never appreciated it at first, and had been downright ugly in his protests. But despite his instinctive flinch from company, he'd come to realize he depended on it.

Barnaby silently pulled out plates and silverware, assuming by the sheer number of eggs Kotetsu had made that he was cooking for two – there was no way Barnaby could manage eating eight eggs. It was a rhythm they'd established some time ago when Kotetsu would occasionally come over to his place after work for dinner instead of going home after the babysitting incident with little Sam. It had irritated Barnaby to no end initially, but now they moved with an ease of long experience. That experience also told him that dinner would be up to him – it was only fair.

The eggs were good – they should be, since Barnaby had been the one to convince Kotetsu to open his cuisine horizons, and had also been the one to start teaching him. Relieved when the food put any lingering nausea to rest, he peeled the banana Kotetsu had deposited by his plate, realizing by now that everything his partner had fed him probably were the best things to eat after a hangover.

"So I'm thinking we go get some food and make ourselves a Christmas feast. What do you say?" Kotetsu asked around a mouthful of egg. Barnaby wasn't sure how he could think about food even as he ate it, but a quiet, atrophied part of him liked the idea. So he nodded, and listened as Kotetsu thought out loud.

"There's a little Mom and Pop grocery store over on East Bronze that's open every day of the year. Once we get what we want, we can go to your place and hang out." Barnaby allowed his brows to dip as he finished chewing, still in possession of enough manners not to talk with food in his mouth, unlike his partner.

"Why go back to my apartment?" Kotetsu just lifted a brow, smiling smugly.

"Because I don't have a state-of-the-art food processor."

"It's a juicer," Barnaby primly reminded him. Kotetsu had never let it go once he found out that Barnaby liked making carrot juice from actual carrots. In the month following the discovery, his Bunny teasing had been merciless.

"One of those too," Kotetsu said with a snicker.

He did have a point, though. Kotetsu's kitchen equipment was provincial at best, and if they wanted to make anything even approaching holiday food, they'd need Barnaby's kitchen. Not to mention, Kotetsu's pickings were a little slim. He'd just about run the full gamut of his capabilities in nursing Barnaby back from his hangover.

The thought kindled an odd tingle in his stomach, so Barnaby ignored it in favor of getting dressed. His own clothes smelled like whiskey and sweat, so Kotetsu lent him a pair of his slacks and a grey t-shirt. The man's ridiculously long legs made up for their height difference, his boots covering up the higher hems, and they were actually around the same size at the waist. Using a spare toothbrush from the multi-pack Kotetsu kept under the bathroom sink, Barnaby finally admitted that the shadows under his eyes probably wouldn't go away until tomorrow. Not unless he bowed to the ultimate vanity and used the concealer Agnes often shoved on him, reminding him ruthlessly that heroes didn't look tired. Ever. Shrugging on his leather jacket over the t-shirt, Barnaby brushed his hair into a half-hearted semblance of order before following Kotetsu out to their cars.

He'd discovered in his time as a hero that the more disheveled he was, the less likely it would be that people recognized him. The public expected Barnaby Brooks, Jr., their polished and pretty pet with sleek golden curls and perfect ivory skin. But Bunny, with his messy blond hair occasionally pulled back into a stubby tail and dark circles under his eyes, could just be a regular guy, and that was sometimes a definite relief, no matter how heavily Barnaby usually depended on the rigor of his grooming.

It worked rather flawlessly – no one in the tiny grocery store even hinted at the presence of a hero, which gave Barnaby and Kotetsu all the privacy they needed to argue over food. Since it was Christmas, Barnaby didn't want to see a single grain of rice, but relented by bribing Kotetsu with meat. They ended up settling on beef stew, which was one of Barnaby's favorite dishes anyway, and had a homey enough feel to satisfy any holiday cravings the two men had.

As they stood by the baked goods, Bunny seriously inspecting two loaves of bread for flaws, Kotetsu let his attention wander. As his gaze drifted up, he smiled wickedly. Always eager for a chance to tease the stoic Bunny, Kotesu bumped shoulders with him, jerking his chin up once he looked over with grumpily narrowed brows.

They were standing under a branch of mistletoe.

Bunny's reactions were so minute, that, had he not known him as well as he did, Kotetsu would have probably missed them. His eyes flicked up the berries, back down to Kotetsu, widened ever so slightly in an expression that smacked uncharacteristically of panic, and his throat jumped faintly. Then, he took a gigantic step away from Kotetsu.

"You're ridiculous," he drawled, turning his attention back to the two loaves of bread he was deciding on. Kotetsu just laughed, but he was pretty sure he caught a note of strain in Barnaby's voice under the sarcastic dismissal, his face that still, silent mask that was as cool as it was brittle. Finally, Bunny decided on the batch of bread that would better serve their needs and headed over to the produce section. As he trailed after, Kotetsu glanced over, noticing small dents littering the surface of the discarded bread where Barnaby's long fingers had been.

As Bunny started to select potatoes that measured up to his skyscraper standards, Kotetsu stood on the other side of the display, his arms crossed as he pondered Barnaby's reaction. Finally, after Bunny had almost selected all the potatoes they'd need, he spoke.

"Have you never kissed someone before?" Bunny's head jerked up at his question, his eyes crystalline and shocked, the glitter in them almost as if he was feeling hunted. Before his expression had a chance to morph into irritation or disdain, a faint blush bloomed along Bunny's cheekbones, and Kotetsu had his answer.

"You haven't, have you?" Kotetsu said wonderingly, his voice tinged with laughter on the edges. It was just so absurd – Barnaby Brooks, Jr., who, if he allowed it, could conceivably suffocate to death under the pile of women who threw themselves at him, had never locked lips with anyone.

"O-of course I have," Bunny immediately denied, the atypical stutter more damning than a simple admission. Kotetsu smiled, but he didn't feel like mocking Bunny, like he would if he found out something similarly strange about Antonio. Something about Barnaby's wide eyes and frantic swallow made him seem… fragile. So Kotetsu just shrugged, softening his smile as he held out of his hands, palms out in a sign of peace.

"Hey, it's no big deal. You move at your own pace, and you're ready when you're ready. No shoving or pushing is worth the worry. I was just a little surprised, that's all. After all, you are Sternbild's resident sex symbol." Whatever was throwing Bunny for a loop seemed to back off a little at what he said. He still looked flustered, but not genuinely distressed. Running a hand through the bangs that fell in his eyes, Bunny looked away, heaving a tiny breath of what Kotetsu assumed was relief before looking back with an almost embarrassed look in his eyes.

"I am not Sternbild's sex symbol." Before Kotetsu could argue, considering he'd been present at most of Bunny's photo shoots and knew personally that the man was sex on a stick, Barnaby smirked. It didn't quite have his usual glinting edge, but it was better than the fear – fear? – that had sparked in his eyes. "Imagine how hurt Fire Emblem would be if he heard you say that."

Kotetsu just laughed as he followed Bunny to a collection of celery stalks. "Don't worry; Nathan knows he's a god in select circles." After that, the tension slowly dissipated as they finished their shopping, but Kotetsu had to wonder. Was the reason for Barnaby's romantic inexperience the same as his social inexperience? That he'd been a tortuously lonely, grieving kid whose only support system had been the bastard who'd murdered his parents and graffitied his memories? But, regardless of the reason, Kotetsu was here for Barnaby now, and he'd do his damndest to see to it that his partner was never abandoned and abused like that again.

Punching Bunny lightly on the shoulder when he launched into a snobbish tirade on the importance of selecting the right carrots, especially funny because Barnaby was well aware of the rabbit connotations, Kotetsu resisted the urge to just sling his arm over Bunny's shoulders and tug the guy in close. He still seemed a little skittish after their kiss conversation.

During the drive home through tentative snow backed by an iron sky, Barnaby tried to shed the last dredges of tension that had suffused his body like electricity when Kotetsu had drawn his attention to that innocuous bunch of berries. It was a ridiculous reaction to an archaic tradition, but it was harder to slide behind his shield after years of Kotetsu firmly tugging him from out behind it over and over again.

He couldn't tell Kotetsu the truth – God only knew what it would do to their partnership. Besides, Barnaby had long ago realized that there was absolutely no point in dwelling on it – why make himself miserable for absolutely no reason? By the time he pulled into his building's parking garage and started gathering up groceries, Kotetsu quickly joining him to share the load, Barnaby had almost completely relaxed again. Years of forcing himself to function through stress and anxiety came in handy at the oddest moments.

By one in the afternoon, they were elbows deep in preparation. Moving from memory, one he couldn't quite trace to its origins, Barnaby directed Kotetsu, accepting his determined but occasionally clumsy help in chopping vegetables. It wasn't too delicate of a dish – Kotetsu did not usually lend himself well to finesse. But considering the silly guy could make him laugh on this of all days, Barnaby reminded himself that finesse wasn't everything.

As the crockpot, filled with meat, vegetables, and broth, simmered, Barnaby looked a little lost now that he'd accomplished their agreed-upon mission. So Kotetsu trotted back to the cavernous living room, sparing a brief glance at that lonely black chair before turning down the hall to the linen closet by the dim bedroom. Bunny slowly followed, the question silently forming across his face. Dragging pillows and comforters and blankets back out to the living room, Kotetsu dropped them on the oaken carpet of the sunken living room with flourish.

"Is there any particular reason why you're dumping my extra bedding on the floor, Kotetsu?" It was said with snarky disdain, but Kotetsu had learned to listen through that default defense, and heard the genuine note of curiosity and bewilderment in Bunny's smooth tone.

"Because we're going to watch Christmas movies until dinner's ready," Kotetsu announced, pleased with his idea. There was only that one chair in the living room, and Kotetsu didn't think it was a great idea for the pair of them to snuggle down in Barnaby's rarely used bed to watch some classic flicks. Not with the way his brain had been acting up today. So why not make a couple of nests out in the living room? He and Tomoe had done it once during a power outage, candles flickering as they cuddled in a mess of pillows and blankets as they ate ice cream so it wouldn't melt.

Quickly backpedaling from the romantic memory (Tomoe had been fairly certain Kaede had been conceived that night), Kotetsu cleared his throat, hoping his darker skin hid his blush as he returned to the closet for more pillows and blankets. Bunny still stood, his arms crossed as he leaned against the corner, now in a long-sleeved black cashmere Henley that was striking against his pale skin and gilded hair and lush designer jeans that, unlike his usual fare, weren't plastered against his muscles.

It was his rarely worn casual wear. Yet even at his most informal, Barnaby still looked glossy next to Kotetsu with old jeans worn white at the stress points, a hole in one knee and ragged at the hems. His white t-shirt was paint splattered from when he'd helped Kaede paint her room an eye-searing shade of magenta, his green sweater gigantic and soft from years of washings. Ruffling his hair a little at Bunny's continued silence, Kotetsu began divvying up the pillows, wondering where else he could steal them from so he wouldn't have to deal with a jacked-up spine tomorrow as he nudged more pillows towards the one he considered Bunny's pile.

Finally, Barnaby straightened with a sigh, pressing his palm against a panel in the wall. When it slid open, he retrieved a thick, six foot long pad and several blankets, tossing them into the pile Kotetsu had been making for him. Bunny then walked over and silently shoved all but three of the pillows back in Kotetsu's pile. He smiled winningly as Barnaby set about making his nest with exact precision.

It was only when Bunny was neatly tucking a sheet around the sleeping pad did Kotetsu realize that when he didn't sleep in his chair (because Kotetsu lectured him about it) and didn't sleep in his bed (because apparently he was still having issues with nightmares), Barnaby slept on this mini mattress. If that didn't suck the glee at the childish game he'd concocted right out of Kotetsu, he didn't know what could. No one should live like this – how could he allow his best friend, his partner, to be so miserable?

Determined to make up for it, Kotetsu quickly jostled his pillows and blankets into some semblance of a foundation before snatching up what he'd considered the prize from the undecided pile – a solid down comforter the color of cream at least three inches thick. Despite his tendency towards being colder than the average person, Barnaby often didn't think to up the heat in his place – Kotetsu found it comfortable, but there was a reason Bunny often wore long-sleeves or a jacket.

As Bunny settled back onto his heels, his assembly completed, Kotetsu strode over, snapping the comforter out over Barnaby's tidy set-up. Toeing over the last few undecided pillows and nodding at the cozy effect, he then marched off to the kitchen, returning with tall mugs of hot apple cider that Bunny had noticed in the grocery store and demanded was essential.

As the pair of them settled down next to one another, Barnaby tossed Kotetsu the remote, as he didn't have the faintest idea what qualified at a Christmas movie – he'd never seen one, or at least didn't remember ever seeing one. After scrolling through the channels for a few moments, diligently avoiding the HeroTV channel, Kotetsu triumphantly squawked, selecting a movie with an innocuously simple title, less than five minutes in. Sipping his cider as a deep voice eloquently and cleverly narrated four little boys pressing their noses up against the bitterly cold glass of a mall window before Christmas, Barnaby smiled as Kotetsu chuckled. Consciously, he made a serious effort to enjoy the film for its own merits, for Kotetsu's sake. There was absolutely no point mourning his complete lack of a childhood after his parents' deaths when Kotetsu was trying so hard to make the day at least pleasant for him.

While the two brothers wrestled over radio rights – which made it apparent to Barnaby that this movie was set at least sixty years ago – he allowed part of his mind to wander to when Kotetsu had added his finishing touches to Barnaby's impromptu bed. Samantha had always been worried about Barnaby being too cold – along with the comforter, she'd sent him several sweaters for his birthday about five years ago. It had been one of her more blatant attempts to get him to pay attention to his body temperature and adjust accordingly.

That's why he didn't use the high-quality blanket or wear the sweaters – they reminded him coldly of his deceased housekeeper. He hadn't wanted to spoil Kotetsu's obvious fun by demanding that he put the blanket back, so Barnaby just pretended he hadn't seen it, certain that once Kotetsu laid eyes on it, he'd leap at the chance to burrow under it. But, of course, Tiger then proceeded to give him the best blanket, apparently unsatisfied with Barnaby's utilitarian arrangement. And the determined look in his eyes told Barnaby that it wouldn't be worth the argument, no matter how his heart lurched as he stroked a hand over the smooth cover.

He glanced over at Kotetsu as the little boy onscreen plotted his rebuttal against a classic mother denial to his desired, dangerous Christmas gift while his younger brother limply shoved porridge at his mouth. His partner snorted, looking like a five year old in a pillow fort, content as a cat. Deciding to take his cue from Kotetsu, Barnaby finally relaxed under the blanket, warmed by the cider and Tiger's laughter as the movie's young main character slipped into a fantasy of rescuing his family from dangerous marauders.

It was a clever, entertaining film, Kotetsu flopping out of his den onto his back as he laughed like a hyena when then the younger brother was ridiculously wrapped for the winter cold, so bundled that his arms stuck out like sticks from a snowman and reducing him to a floundering whale in the snow when he fell over. Barnaby had a feeling that Kotetsu would have succumbed to foolish dares like the main character's friend, briefly entertaining the image of Kotetsu stuck to a frozen light pole by his tongue. The ridiculous lamp – sorry, award – wasn't completely out of the realm of possibility when it came to his partner, either. They groaned in unison at the swearing fiasco on the side of a freeway with a Christmas tree strapped to the roof of the family car, and Barnaby smiled like a loon at Kotetsu's cheers when the young protagonist finally got his lusted-after Christmas present, deliriously in love with it, despite a rocky first outing.

As the credits rolled, both of them sprawled contentedly in their makeshift dens, Kotetsu toyed with the handle his empty mug. There was a small, slightly sad smile on his face, and Barnaby wondered at it. The movie, despite the time of year it had been set, hadn't been remotely sorrowful – its tongue and cheek humor was very suited to Kotetsu. So Barnaby just stayed quiet as his partner wrestled with his thoughts. Finally, he spoke.

"Tomoe loved that movie." Ah, of course. Feeling his heart clench for his partner's loss, which he often forgot had ever happened, considering Kotetsu dealt with his personal tragedy so much better than he did, Barnaby straightened slightly from under the comforter.

"You really loved her, didn't you?" he said quietly. He knew that was the case, but had always admired Kotetsu's devotion to his late wife, though he'd never admit it, not even under torture.

"Yeah, I did. She was my girl," Kotetsu admitted quietly.

"You were always together?"

"Since high school," Kotetsu said with a little pride. Barnaby already knew that, and prepared to ease the subject away from the topic that clearly pained Kotetsu when his brows furrowed a little, a crooked smile easing across his mouth as his eyes shot to the side.

"Well, mostly." At Barnaby's raised brow, Kotetsu continued. "We took a three month break after graduation. Stretching our boundaries a little, I guess. Anyway, I… experimented a little." Trying to sort out the extent of experimentation that would warrant the kind of self-deprecating embarrassment that rang in Kotetsu's tone, Barnaby settled on the one that seemed most likely.

"Like BDSM?" Barnaby tried. He was inexperienced, not ignorant. Kotetsu flushed, scrunching up his nose slightly.

"What? No. Like… guys," he eventually admitted. The intense quiet that blanketed the room was interrupted by the jangle of commercials. Blindly scrabbling for the remote, Barnaby jabbed at a few random buttons, eventually lucky enough to land on the mute button, his eyes never leaving Kotetsu. This felt important, monumental. So he struggled to keep his reaction to a minimum.

"You've been with men?" he eventually managed, impressed that his voice sound normal despite the fact that it felt like he'd inhaled ice, freezing his lungs. Kotetsu seemed to be moving past his embarrassment know that he'd said it out loud, shrugging a little as he cuddled down deeper in the blankets.

"Yeah. I liked guys, but I loved Tomoe. Made it an easy choice. But, you know, no judgment. As long as everyone's of age and consenting, why should it matter?" Suddenly, his comparative ease around Fire Emblem made a great deal more sense. Not just because of his personal preferences, but because of his philosophy.

"You are a genuinely laid back man, Kotetsu," Barnaby observed quietly, reaching up to adjust his glasses to give his hands something to do. Tiger smiled over at him, relief like a sun gleaming behind the amber of his eyes.

"You're not quite as stuck up as you pretend to be, either, Bunny," he returned with a saucy grin. Flicking a strand of hair behind his ear, Barnaby reached for a calm, casual tone.

"I thought you said you were straight," he said. Kotetsu shrugged.

"I started thinking of myself that way after Tomoe and I got married. With her, I just wasn't as interested in men anymore. I had explored my wild streak, and knew there was a part of me that wanted that, but it just seemed to fade with time. And, honestly, it's a lot simpler to say that you're straight instead of fairly bi-sexual with heterosexual leanings. Sexuality is a complicated, tricky thing, my friend." With that, he pushed his way free of the blankets and wandered to the kitchen, rooting around for snacks. Barnaby took a moment before he stood to check on the stew to make sure he was fully in control of his faculties.

Kotetsu was kind of surprised at how well Bunny took his little bomb about his sexual orientation. He hadn't meant to bring it up – it'd been a long time ago, and he hadn't felt the need to seek out a man since, not to mention it had become habit to keep personal matters to himself. But it had just sort of flopped out of his mouth and into the air. He wasn't embarrassed about that time period – not really. God, a time when Wild Tiger had been truly feral. He had been safe (he wasn't completely stupid), but he'd quickly figured out the ins and outs of sex when there wasn't a female involved.

If the act of sex was a solar system, then sex with a man was a completely different planet from sex with a woman. The basic concepts were the same – drive and pleasure, but from there, it was a whole different game. His eyes glazed over a little as Kotetsu thought about it, silently munching on a bag of apple chips while Bunny fussed over the stew. He might be romanticizing it a bit with the distance of time, but damn, it had been fun.

Snagging a few more snacks to get them through the next film – they had another few hours before the stew was ready – the men settled back down, and Kotetsu began scrolling through the channels. Besides a few obvious choices, they always showed the weirdest stuff on Christmas. Catching sight of his brother's favorite holiday film, starting in another few minutes, Kotetsu chose the classic channel and muted the stealthy shoot-out on a small boat in black and white, turning back to Barnaby. He'd been cool with what Kotetsu had talked about earlier, but sometimes Barnaby's true reaction to something unexpected was incredibly difficult to read.

"You sure you're OK with it?" he said sort of out of the blue. Barnaby looked up from the container of avocado hummus he was opening, his golden brows slightly furrowed in question.

"With, ah, with what I said earlier," Kotetsu continued, trying to explain it in the most tactful way possible. Bunny's brows rippled faintly, his face still controlled and impassive.

"I have no issue what your orientation, Kotetsu. We're partners, no matter what." With that, he looked down at the packet of whole wheat crackers he'd brought with him and dipped one in the green spread. Kotetsu loosed a relieved breath, determined to believe Bunny's statement. He had no reason to lie – their teamwork would suffer if he tried.

So, as the opening credits started on the film, almost forty years older than the first one they'd watched, Kotetsu finished off the apple chips, allowing the sensation of family and homesickness to wash over him like warm, salty water over a wound. This was a much more thoughtful movie than the other one, prodding at the questions of regret and how the view of your life can narrow only to the bad, blinding you to all the good. Muramasa liked the more contemplative tale, looking at the effects of the character's life from a much broader view, from a point not at first obvious.

In a roundabout way, it always reminded Kotetsu of why he was a hero. He may break his bones and expensive buildings, and he may have to listen to lectures and deal with the media, but that was all incidental to the good. To the lives saved and changed, the positive differences made. The sacrifices were always worth the cost – he had to believe that, firmly, even if that wasn't immediately apparent. And it was nice once in a while to be reminded how much you matter, how different things would be if you weren't who you were at that very moment.

And damn if the main character's wife didn't remind him of Tomoe – sweet and smart and strong, knowing how to help her husband before he even knew how to ask for it. The lead actor was one of his mother's favorites, a tall, gangly fellow who expressed his character's joy and bitter disappointment with equal skill.

When the man returned to that fateful bridge, pressed his forehead to his knuckles and begged, pleaded with an intensity that always made Kotetsu's heart lodge in his throat, he saw out of the corner of his eye Barnaby's fingers dash under the rim of his glasses in a quick swiping motion. And when the man was again reunited with his family, surrounded by the townspeople he'd done so much for in turn supporting him in his hour of need, Barnaby smiled, laughing very quietly at the celebration of an angel earning his wings.

They sat for a while as the credits slowly flicked past, digesting the movie. Kotetsu had seen it before over the years, but it always demanded thought, respect. Just when he was going to poke Bunny about dinner to break the quiet and the tension, the buzzer in the kitchen chimed. Jerking a little, clearly startled out of deep thought, Barnaby unfolded his legs like a gazelle, striding to the kitchen to deal with dinner.

As Bunny doctored the stew, Kotetsu began setting the table, falling into the domestic rhythm Barnaby had operated under earlier. He was as at home in Bunny's stylish kitchen as he was in his own homey one. Sitting down with the steaming soup, warm slices of crusty bread, and glasses of rose wine, the two men chatted through the hearty meal. Kotetsu made an exaggerated impersonation of Lloyds, which almost made Barnaby snort his wine through his nose. Later, Bunny recounted an embarrassing tale about Antonio's newest, certainly creative attempts to deflect Nathan's teasing attentions. Kotetsu laughed so hard he had to push away from the table to hold his ribs.

Long after their bowls had been mopped clean by bread (which Barnaby had watched Kotetsu do in slightly horrified surprise before following suit) and Kotetsu had managed to convince Barnaby to just pack up the leftovers and leave the dishes for later, they sat at the table, chatting like old men. Barnaby had wisely limited himself to a single glass of wine during dinner, Kotetsu following his example. So they sipped at hot cider, lounging in their chairs, the comfort they felt in each other's company hard-earned. Suddenly, Kotetsu bolted upright, slamming his mug down on the table hard enough to send the cider slopping over the sides.

"Oh, crap! I forgot!" Barnaby looked at him askance as he efficiently mopped up the spill.

"Forgot what?" he asked calmly, eyeing Kotetsu's fingers, relieved to see them free of burns.

"Your present!" Before Barnaby could protest that he didn't need a present, Kotetsu stood and loped out to the living room. Moving to the kitchen doorway, he stood ready to call him back from rushing out to purchase a Christmas gift the day of. He fell silent, however, when Kotetsu pawed through his jacket, emerging triumphantly with a broad, flat box. Remembering Kotetsu's awkward dodge when Barnaby had offered to hang up his coat, he wondered at his lack of suspicion at the time. It must have been the groceries demanding his attention. Kotetsu presented the box, poorly wrapped in pleasant green paper.

Sighing, Barnaby walked past Kotetsu, leaving him puzzled, worried, and a little hurt. Before he could demand Barnaby to at least open his present or apologize for making him mad, he returned. Kotetsu's expression shifted into one of delighted surprise when Barnaby held out his hand, offering a small, cube-shaped box neatly wrapped in shimmering red paper.

Slowly the two exchanged gifts, standing with the other man's box in their hands a moment, inspecting them carefully without disturbing the paper. Then Kotetsu jerked his head, and they settled onto their respective blanket mounds, the presents glinting in their laps. Kotetsu flopped down into a cross-legged pose, Barnaby's arrangement of his legs much neater.

"You go first," Kotetsu demanded, excited and a little nervous to see Barnaby open his present. He'd gotten the idea while getting Kaede's present, and had been surprisingly stealthy getting the information he needed to order the correct one. Meticulously, Bunny slit the paper open at the folds, revealing a black garment box with a diagonal silver stripe. Looking up at Kotetsu from under his brows, Barnaby returned his gaze to the box and slowly lifted the lid.

Immediately, the soft scent of good leather drifted out. Slowly, Barnaby grasped the edges of his gift and lifted it out of the box. It was a leather jacket, cut slightly more square than his famous red one, but still extremely tailored. It was charcoal gray, accented with black and bearing red stripes down the sleeves. From where he sat, Kotetsu couldn't see the front, but knew that the lining was a crisp crimson, the same blood-red as the stripes on the sleeves.

What little of Bunny's face Kotetsu could see around the jacket was blank, his eyes mercilessly passing over the coat's attributes. Finally, Kotetsu started tapping his fingers against his own present, all but forgotten, now genuinely nervous about Bunny's reaction. Did he like it? Kotetsu still liked his red jacket, and knew that he had one or two others that he occasionally wore. But he'd seen that jacket at a fancy boutique in the mall, and had fallen in love with it for Bunny, sneaking into his locker during training to get his red one's measurements so it would fit his broad shoulders and lean waist. Finally, Kotetsu couldn't take the quiet anymore.

"So… do you like it?" Carefully, Barnaby settled the jacket back in the box, lifting his eyes up to Kotetsu. A small smile tipped the corner of his mouth.

"I love it, Kotetsu," he murmured quietly, his voice a little breathy. Now that he wasn't hidden by the shield of the jacket, Kotetsu recognized that look – it was a moved Bunny scrambling back to regain an appearance of control. Grinning broadly, he flapped his hands toward the box.

"Then try it on! I hope it fits." Deftly, Barnaby slid his arms into the sleeves, smoothing the collar and tugging at the zippers to make sure it fell correctly. Oh, boy. It fit him perfectly, and looked fantastic.

"Man, that is awesome. You look badass. Go check it out in a mirror," Kotetsu commanded, hardly able to contain his excitement. Barnaby lithely stood and padded into his bedroom. Kotetsu twisted and leaned back on his elbow, smiling smugly at the sight of Barnaby turning into a couple of his patented model poses to see the jacket from as many angles as he could manage. He came back with about as big a smile as he ever allowed himself, running his hand lovingly down the butter-smooth leather.

"This is amazing, Kotetsu. Thank you," he said quietly as he gracefully folded himself back down onto the pad, carefully taking the jacket off and setting it back in the box. Turning those gleaming eyes to Kotetsu, he gestured towards the box currently absorbing his excited energy.

"Your turn." With a grin, Kotetsu tore the paper off with a single crunch. The style of box should have given it away, but Kotetsu was cracking it open and catching sight of his gift before he had any idea what it was. The watch gleamed from a black velvet bed. The band was rich, thick brown leather, silver accents along the band glittering in the low light. Slowly removing it from the box, Kotetsu tilted it so he could examine the face.

"Is that…?"

"Tiger's eye for the face? Yes." Against the ripples of gold and amber, almost like the grain of wood, silver numbers glittered. As Kotetsu continued to examine it, rather taken with the exceptionally handsome watch, Barnaby hurried to explain.

"I commissioned Saito to make a few upgrades. It's wire-enabled like your old one. The band is also reinforced, so a lot less torque is applied to your wrist. You have bruises for weeks whenever you use your current one, so hopefully this will resolve that. I was starting to get a little worried about the band on your old watch, too – it's fraying a little, and I wanted to make sure you had something that lived up to its predecessor before it finally broke and got you killed. And-"

"Bunny," Kotetsu said firmly with a grin. Barnaby swallowed once before responding.

"Yes?"

"It's freakin' gorgeous. I love it." That seemed to satisfy Bunny, who smiled with obvious relief as Kotetsu removed his old watch and slid the new onto his wrist. The leather was soft, but solid, the golden stone face catching the lights.

"Thanks, Bunny. I'd say this was a damn fine Christmas." Apparently a little embarrassed by his own satisfaction, Bunny cleared his throat, gently setting the box containing his jacket on the table next to his chair.

"It was. Thank you again, Kotetsu. I'm going to go tidy up the kitchen." Too happy about the exchange to quite hear the desperation that had grated just under Barnaby's tone, Kotetsu did notice the frantic length of Bunny's stride. Frowning for a second, Kotetsu eventually struggled his way free of the blankets and followed Barnaby to the kitchen.

Dammit. Barnaby could hear Kotetsu getting up, padding after him in thick socks the color of concrete. He just wanted a moment to himself, a chance to tighten the seams holding him together after being loosened in the living room by a simple exchange of gifts. It was fairly ridiculous that he was so moved by a leather jacket, but it was obvious that Kotetsu had invested a great deal of thought in his present. And considering how well it fit, he'd found a way to measure one of his other jackets and taken the time to have it tailored. How he'd managed that particular bout of espionage without getting caught, Barnaby wasn't quite sure.

And the look he'd given the watch had nearly made Barnaby swallow his tongue. He wasn't sure why today was different, why this kind, simple intimacy on an important holiday was making Barnaby think of possibilities he rarely allowed himself to indulge in, wants that were so often ignored now flaming to hot, heady life. Yes, he couldn't have gotten out of there fast enough, running the water in the sink too hot and wincing as he plunged his hands in to hide their faint shaking as Kotetsu marched into the kitchen.

"I'll help," he cheerfully offered. Barnaby silently panicked before collecting himself enough to weed out the strangle from his voice.

"That's alright, Kotetsu. I'll be done soon." Instead of being deflected (Barnaby should have known better), Kotetsu sidled up next to him to the rinse side of the deep, divided stainless steel sink, already shoving up his sleeves.

"You cooked. Only fair if I helped," he determinedly pointed out. Desperate for at least some space to get himself together, Barnaby latched on the first thing his eyes landed on. Kotetsu's new watch.

"Why don't you dry? The watch is designed to be able to handle water, but there's no point getting the leather wet the first time you wear it." Apparently, Kotetsu agreed, and stepped over slightly, snatching up a navy blue towel, ready and waiting for the first cleaned bowl. At first, Barnaby moved mechanically, almost like the gears in his joints were millimeters from slipping. But as the warm scent of Kotetsu's cologne and skin was overtaken by ocean-breeze scented dish soap, Barnaby started to relax, daring to engage in Kotetsu's determined small talk as they neared the end of the chore.

Kotetsu wasn't quite sure what had gotten into Bunny – he'd gone stiff as a board after the gift exchange. Sometimes, he didn't have the faintest idea what was whirling around that blond head of his. He'd almost think something about it had upset Barnaby, but then Kotetsu remembered his expression when he'd finally assured Kotetsu that he did like his jacket. Well, if that was the worse it was going to be for Barnaby on one of the hardest days of the year for him, that wasn't so bad.

Folding the towel a little haphazardly and setting it on the counter, Kotetsu turned, crossing his arms as he stood hipshot, smiling over at Bunny in what he hoped was an expression that would encourage him to loosen up again. Barnaby stood on the other side of the sink, meticulously drying his long, pale fingers on another towel. He hadn't put on any jewelry today, Kotetsu noticed, not his black ring or gold necklace, his common public armor. Just as he opened his mouth to jokingly point that out, Kotetsu raised his eyes to Barnaby's. What flashed there made the words die in his throat before they even found the air.

He was used to that guarded expression, that thin layer of armor over the green of his eyes that hid his stronger emotions. Barnaby had learned long before they had met how much he should react and who he should be when in front of certain audiences. He was charming with the talk show hosts, strong and steadfast with the HeroTV cameras. He was obedient to his sponsors and their minions, arrogant with anyone he deemed unworthy. Even once comfortable with someone, Bunny showed a distinct discomfort with reacting to the full force of his feelings.

So Kotetsu knew that quiet regard, the glitter of watchfulness and the soft glow of caution. But when Barnaby glanced up from his hands over at Kotetsu, his eyes slid shut in an almost pained expression. When they opened, Kotetsu saw something he'd never seen before in Barnaby's eyes.

Something feral, dangerous, and hot enough to melt steel.

Before he could shift his face into anything besides bare-boned shock, Barnaby moved, wickedly fast. Bunny crowded him against the counter, his fingers digging into Kotetsu's hips as he yanked him back. The granite counter top dug into his lower spine, and almost made Kotetsu yelp. But he was stunned speechless by the molten heat in Barnaby's expression. Moving between Kotetsu's legs, which had slightly spread for balance when Bunny had first moved in near enough to force him back, Barnaby pressed close, and Kotetsu's eyes almost rolled back from the lightning crack of arousal that roared through his blood.

God almighty, it had been a long time, and never, ever like this.

Afraid his knees would go at any moment, Kotetsu's hands flailed, eventually latching onto the edge of the counter behind him, his knuckles going white as he caught the scent of his own soap on Barnaby's skin from where the pulse hammered under his sharp jawline. A sudden, wild urge to press his lips to that spot and nip tore through his brain, and Kotetsu fought it off as he closed his eyes, feeling vaguely as if that wouldn't be a good idea.

He opened his eyes again and tipped his head back to get a good look at Barnaby's face, to get some idea of what the hell was going on. He was so far from ready when Bunny's head dipped down. The kiss was hard, and as ungraceful as humanly possible. Lips rammed into one another, teeth clacking. The bright smack of pain on his mouth made Kotetsu jerk his head back more than anything else. Barnaby's glasses had been knocked slightly askew, breathing like he'd just sprinted a mile without Hundred Power.

"Ow," Kotetsu managed, still drowning under a wave of thwarted desire, unsure what he was going to do. Because damn if this wasn't a fine mess.

Ha ha. You know me. I have to screw things up royally before I fix them. I thought this would be an interesting place to stop things. Initially, this and the next chapter were all going to be a single piece but, again, in usual me fashion, it was getting rather large and in charge. So we'll see how this all plays out in the next chapter. Tee hee.

Three movies are mentioned in this chapter (I don't own them, blah blah blah). I'd love to see if you guys can guess what they are. Two are easy – one is a little more tricky.

I thought that Barnaby was kind of suited as a health nut. I'll talk about it later, but it seemed like a natural and interesting aspect of his character.

Hope you like it!

Love, Tango