A/N: I thought this chapter would wrap this up, but it kept getting longer and I kept getting more ideas, so I've split it and ended this chapter here. The fic's not done yet. Who knows, it might go on to ten chapters. Or more. I'm just writing as it comes to me! I'm having far too much fun with these two, and I'm glad that others are enjoying what I've written.

Showering together had been awkward, but for only the very best reasons. Reasons like getting hard all over again from being naked and in close proximity in a small, enclosed space with water and lather and months of pent-up lust yet to work through. And so the shower had taken longer than strictly necessary for hygiene, because they got dirty again halfway through. Barnaby didn't mind at all, because the old man had been incredible. He really did want to find out if he had any prior experience with men, because the way he sucked cock was mindblowing.

Somehow they had remembered to actually attend to the showering part of the shower before the hot water had run out. Good thing, because it would have been quite a disappointment to cut short their secondary activities in such uncomfortable conditions. There'd be time for it later, he reminded himself. Kotetsu was going to stay the night. He wasn't sure what prospect was most appealing to him, the thought of more incredible sex, or the intimacy of sharing the bed as a couple.

Because that's what they were, wasn't it? That's what all this meant, that they were together now, and the world had attained a rightness that was so obvious it made him wonder how he could have possibly missed it for so long. The thought gave him one of those delicious pangs in his chest and a tightness in his throat. Quietly he reminded himself that this was not some ultimate apex, and that if this was to be a longterm relationship, that there would be work involved in maintaining it. Just because everything felt perfect now didn't mean that it would stay that way. In fact, considering that the man he loved was Kotetsu, he was rather certain that there were going to be many fights.

And many opportunities for make-up sex.

"You're a very cute Bunny, wearing a smile like that," Kotetsu informed him. Barnaby looked up, catching the old man's reflection in the mirror and watching him search for his pants.

"Other side of the bed," he informed him. "I was a bit anxious when I removed them. And you know very well why I'm smiling like this."

"Ahhh, are you finally accepting the fact that you are so very kawaiiiii~?" Barnaby threw a towel at him. Kotetsu overreacted for dramatic effect, toppling onto the bed at the force of the impact and sprawling there. He made a disapproving sound. "Now who's being sloppy, throwing towels around?"

"You forced me to do it." He turned back to the mirror, working on fixing his hair, since he was ahead of the old man in the dressing game. Perhaps unfairly, since he'd just put on some clean clothes rather than collect what he had been wearing before.

"And bad excuses! Where's my shirt?"

"Somewhere in the vicinity of the couch, I'm not sure if it was dropped or tossed. Hang up that towel."

"Why? You're the one who threw it."

"You're the one who caught it."

"Bossy Bunny," he muttered. Barnaby was still watching Kotetsu's reflection as he actually did rise and hang it up, and he frowned slightly at the look of the pink burns across his abdomen. He'd tried to be careful, but it did seem like the old man was in a bit of pain. He must have caught that look of worry as he walked back, because he paused behind Barnaby and made a face at him. "Stop worrying about me, I'm fine. Better than fine."

Barnaby frowned. "So you say, but if you injure yourself again, we'll have to take it easy." It took a moment for the implications to sink in, and Kotetsu's face was comical in its dismay as he realized what that meant. He found it difficult to keep his expression impassive in return.

"Okay, okay, I won't push myself, happy?" he said with a scowl.

"Yes, actually," and Barnaby turned back to give him a swift kiss. "Now finish getting dressed."

He'd managed to dumbfound the old man with that, and he relished the temporary victory that it was as Kotetsu tried to work up some sort of reply. Finally he just grinned and shook his head. "Fine, fine. You know, I was thinking, if I'm going to stay the night, I might as well go get some things from my place."

"I'm surprised you haven't finished moving, honestly," Barnaby answered, his voice a bit uncertain. Their new-found relationship status didn't change the fact that Kotetsu was moving back with his family.

"I think I was procrastinating to give myself excuses. Anyway, I have some clean clothes there. I'll go get them, and pick up dinner on the way."

He lifted a brow, curious about what Kotetsu had started to say, but then pushed that aside for now. "And what do you mean by dinner?"

"Some sort of takeout. Sorry, I know that's not up to your normal standards."

Now he rolled his eyes. "Fine, old man. Get what you need to stay the night."

"Such a bossy Bunny," he said, shaking his head. "Where'd you say my shirt was?"

"Near the couch. And you're a senile old man."

"Senile!"

"Half-senile," he amended.

"Pfft, you're the one who started tearing my clothes off."

Barnaby made a small smile. "True," he answered, giving him another swift kiss. "Hurry up, I'm hungry."

"Oh really?" and the old man waggled his eyebrows ridiculously.

"Stop that."

"I'm pretty full, myself. Or I was." Barnaby felt a blush creep into his cheeks, and Kotetsu cackled. "Okay, okay, I'm going. Be back soon, Bunny-chan." His blushing cheek was now the recipient of a kiss from the old man, and he felt another one of those happy tingling feelings run through him all the way to his toes. He watched Kotetsu leave the room, and after a pause in which he must have found his shirt, he heard the door to the apartment close.

Alone with his thoughts again, but after several significant changes to his emotional state. Barnaby thought over the events of the day and the night before, shaking his head to himself. Admittedly, there'd been a lot that had gone unsaid between them for a long time, and it had been bound to come rushing out at a moment of pressure. But he still couldn't believe where it had all led. That they were still speaking, that they were still friends. That Kotetsu loved him.

Returning to the living room, he decided to work on cleaning up the mess from the night before while he let his thoughts drift contentedly. Yes, he was surprised at the depth of Kotetsu's feelings for him. They'd forged a friendship despite and because of their differences, they'd come to rely on each other as partners, but he hadn't thought it terribly likely that Kotetsu would feel any sort of romantic inclinations toward him. Knowing now that he did, and perhaps had harbored those feelings for some time, made Barnaby's heart flutter. There'd never been anyone before. He'd never allowed a place for it in his life, nothing that would distract him from his ultimate goal. Attachments like that weren't useful to his goal, so he simply didn't let it happen. He'd gotten a partner in Kotetsu, supposedly as a means of achieving that goal. He hadn't counted on an attachment to form, for trust to build the way to a friendship and an even stronger partnership. Now he couldn't conceive of a happy life without him in it. He'd even given up being a hero because it wouldn't be the same without Kotetsu.

One thing was becoming abundantly clear to Barnaby, as he put the empty bottles in a bag for recycling. If his life was now his own to call the shots, to choose what he was going to do and who he would be, he wanted Kotetsu in it. He wanted to know that reassuring embrace would be there for him when he needed it, because the old man was right, he was only just starting to recover from everything that had happened to him. Breakdowns were happening, and he knew they would continue, much as the thought gave him a flicker of discomfort and fear. There was absolutely no one he would trust with himself in such a state but Kotetsu.

He frowned at his thoughts as he picked up the wine glasses. All that had happened, and he was thinking in terms of the comfort that Kotetsu provided? Granted, it wasn't a trivial thing to him, the issue of how to handle his insecurities in the most effective way possible so as to minimize their impact. But for his thoughts to be going along these lines? He sighed, rinsing out the glasses carefully. No, this was definitely not a development that solved all problems. It handled some and created new ones.

For instance, how would he handle the distance that would soon form between them as Kotetsu returned to his family in Oriental Town? His fears during his earlier panic attack only felt sharper now that there was a new level of complexity on the surface of their relationship. He chided himself for being foolish. Of course he would handle it. He wasn't sure how at this moment in time, but he was sure a solution would come to him. It wasn't worth worrying over right now. Not with that tightness in his chest. No, not now. He pushed the thoughts out of his head, trying to keep composed.

In the back of his mind, there was a concern that maybe this was going to require some careful consideration rather than shoving away these uncomfortable twinges. Because wasn't this just the same pattern of avoidance that had led to today's most potentially-disastrous outbursts? He sighed, replacing the cleaned glasses where they belonged, and took a moment to lean against the countertop and focus on relaxing from the tension building inside. Too much upheaval, he hadn't yet begun to process it all. And of course it seemed far more dire as a looming task to undertake than it would when he'd actually made progress on sorting through it. Yes, he'd have to deal with these things, but he couldn't do anything about them now.

With cleaning up now complete, Barnaby sat back down in his chair, studying the Stern Bild skyline through his window. The city lights were augmented by colorful displays, and that reminded him of the upcoming holiday. He frowned and tried to shy away from the echoes of his earlier panic once again, wincing at how raw his emotions felt that such light brushes of negative memory could call up the panic that easily. No, it wasn't that bad. He'd handle it. He'd always handled it before. He had even more reason now to handle it, because he didn't want Kotetsu to be distracted from time with his family by worrying about him. A nagging little thought informed him that Kotetsu would be worrying about him anyway, but he ignored it, because he couldn't do anything about what Kotetsu chose to do. No, he'd just have to keep himself together. He had a lot of practice at that, so honestly, how hard would it be this time? He knew all the ways to keep up appearances.

Barnaby sighed. Alone with his thoughts and he went back to brooding, instead of lingering over the wonderful new memories this day had given. How very like him. He allowed irritation at himself to cover up his inner tension, and as he rested his head back against the chair, he decided to make an effort to recall those memories they'd made today. Like how it felt to really kiss Kotetsu, how it felt when Kotetsu was smiling into the kiss, those little throaty noises of pleasure that he made, the way he twined his hands in his hair... He shifted, feeling a blush warming his cheeks. Yes, these were much nicer thoughts to dwell on.

There really was a lot of comfort in Kotetsu's touch, he realized. And other things, but always comfort. The old man went to great lengths to put those around him at ease, even when it meant taking on extra, undeserved burdens for himself. One of the things he found so annoying and yet so endearing about him. And when they'd—his thoughts stumbled over the term—made love, Kotetsu had been attentive to him at every step, reading his body language for cues, and encouraging Barnaby with his own responses. Yes, there had been some awkwardness, but they worked so well together that it translated very well to this new situation. And then in the shower, when Kotetsu had teased him for being so bossy in bed, then turned the tables on him and offered to help him "take care of" the erection that had been inevitable in the circumstances. He hadn't expected that, but it had delighted him all the same.

The most comfort had been when he fell asleep in his arms. His chronic insomnia had resisted many of the ways he'd tried to alleviate it over the years, but he had slept so easily and peacefully in Kotetsu's embrace. He'd found a sense of security that had circumvented the usual avenues of his worried brooding, preventing them from keeping him awake. He wondered if Kotetsu knew what it meant to him. Maybe. After all, hadn't it been Kotetsu's ridiculous insistence that they share the bed last night that had started all of this? The old man was onto something.

All in all, Barnaby was looking forward to tonight. Because certainly there would be more pleasure shared before they slept, especially if he had it his way. He wanted to memorize each gasp, each hitched breath that indicated a flush of delight, every little sound Kotetsu made in response to what Barnaby was doing to him. He wanted to feel the crush of soft lips against his, the hand in his hair, the possessiveness and defensiveness when he held him. He wanted Kotetsu to show him how he felt about him with caresses and gazes, and tell him too, in a voice straining to force out the words between moans. He wanted to see the softness in those warm brown eyes when Barnaby told him that he loved him.

Yes. Tonight was going to be a very good night.