Kotetsu sat down on his couch with a sigh. He had gone to record that commercial again today, with additional lines from Barnaby. When he got there Barnaby had already been and gone, his lines done in two takes. Kotetsu was so flustered with once again being avoided by Barnaby that he had muddled through 15 takes before they finally let him leave.
Why was Barnaby back to ignoring and avoiding him? Christmas hadn't been awful, sure Barnaby was a bit standoffish at times but overall they had a good time. Even the cake hadn't been a total bust.
He laid his head back on the couch and let out a sigh. He had to get through to Barnaby, make him understand that he didn't want anything to change between them.
He pulled out the travel book he had all marked up with post-it notes and tabs. He planned to take Kaede skating while they were here, something she had demanded actually. He also wanted to go see the lights with her up on Gold. Plus there was a special Christmas/New Year's fair happening in one of the convention halls here on Bronze, they were supposed to have real Reindeer and everything.
He flipped through the book. Museums, aquarium, indoor swimming pools, science centre… the city had a ton of things to offer, Kaede had basically said anything was fine as long as it wasn't for "babies" whatever that meant. Maybe it would be fun to go play laser tag? Would she be into that? Maybe he would let her go through the book and choose some things.
He set the book down and stood going into his kitchen. He pulled out a bottle of shochu and poured a small amount into a glass of warm water. He sipped at it as he thought.
Between keeping Kaede entertained and figuring out what to do about Barnaby he wasn't sure what to do. He would have to see Barnaby once more before Kaede left town, they had that soap commercial. He wouldn't be able to dodge him there, it was a joint shoot in their suits.
That was the day after tomorrow. So tomorrow he would take Kaede skating and to see the lights on Gold. Then she could decide if she wanted to come to the recording, he suspected she would since Barnaby was going to be there, plus she had never been to a recording studio before. After the shoot, he would let her pick what she wanted to do. That left just two more days with his little girl before she was heading back to Oriental town for school.
He spun the ring on his left hand. Tomoe, if you were here what would you tell me to do about all this. Ugh… she would probably have told him to be blunt and tell Barnaby about his feelings and that they wouldn't interfere with their friendship or partnership. She had never been one to beat around the bush. She faced things head-on. It was one of her best qualities, one that Kaede had thankfully gotten, the girl knew what she wanted and she went for it every time, no hesitation.
He finished his drink and set his empty glass down on the counter. He would have to get up early tomorrow, Kaede was an early riser. He turned the lights out in his kitchen and made his way up his loft stairs to his room. He hoped he would be able to fall asleep; he had never been great at falling asleep unless he was beat, not since Tomoe died.