Barnaby was perched on the edge of the bed, sparing only a brief glance up at Kotetsu as he entered the bedroom. He quickly returned his gaze to his hands and swallowed self-consciously, feeling oddly torn between apprehension and a kind of numbed calm. He willed himself to keep still as Kotetsu sat beside him, even as his heart pounded with a sort of adrenaline rush he could not understand.

"Bunny," Kotetsu murmured, slipping an arm over his shoulder. "Relax, Bunny. It's okay."

He stiffened as the contact made his skin tingle, then willed himself to do as his partner said. "I'm sorry, Kotetsu. I don't know what came over me."

"You don't know- Oh, Bunny," and his voice was soft in his ear. "So that's what's got you so startled. Ahh, don't worry," and Kotetsu's voice warmed. "You didn't do anything wrong."

He shifted slightly, self-consciously, and remained silent. His heart was still racing, he still felt that nebulous ache, and it was only worse with Kotetsu so close to him.

The silence stretched for a few more heartbeats, and then Kotetsu spoke again. "Have you... Ah, I mean... Do you have any experience?"

He kept his eyes on his hands, clasped together in his lap. "No." He could feel the old man's jolt of surprise. "Just you."

"Bunny..." and his voice was so soft, so gentle, the sound alone wrapping him in a comforting caress. But he could also hear an aching pang in that voice, a pang that echoed in his chest. "Oh, Bunny. I didn't know. I didn't ask."

"I know. I didn't want to distract you from what we were doing. Because I wanted you, Kotetsu." He heard the small sigh, caught the smile on the old man's face out of the corner of his eye. It actually gave him some measure of relief, and he allowed a tiny smile to turn up the corners of his lips. He knew Kotetsu wouldn't miss it.

The arm around his shoulder squeezed him close. "Well. You got me," and now his voice was a rich chuckle. "But now, why so nervous, Bunny-chan? Why so sorry?"

He swallowed again, grateful for the reassuring squeeze Kotetsu gave him. "I... I'm not sure what I was feeling, when you...er, when you were holding me down. It was... I mean, it felt good." He was stumbling over the words in his uncertainty, and that gave him a short flush of shame. He needed to be more composed, more precise.

"So you did like that?" and there was a purr within Kotetsu's voice that gave him a completely delicious shiver, one that the old man could not possibly miss with his arm over his shoulders.

"Y-yes, I did... I think so, at least."

"You weren't afraid?"

"No," he said honestly, a bit surprised at the question. "Not of you. I trust you. I'm just not sure what it is I'm feeling."

Another squeeze. "I'm glad you trust me, Bunny. Because I think I know, and if it is what I think it is, then I will be able to make you feel very, very good, but only as long as you trust me."

His heart leaped. "I- Yes, of course, Kotetsu."

"Good. And if it stops feeling good, you tell me to stop, and I will."

He gave a slight nod, somewhat confused as to why this needed to be stated so explicitly. He had to admit it was good to have it spoken and confirmed, especially with everything so new and raw between them. But despite Kotetsu's encouragement, he still felt no closer to understanding what was going on.

The old man kissed his hair, then pulled back his arm. "Good. Now, let's take care of these clothes."

Barnaby fought back a tiny shiver of anticipation at those words. This was sounding more and more promising by the moment. The fact that his partner seemed to know what to do about his own nebulous neediness was reassuring all on its own, and this next step was one that gave his heart another one of those skip-then-flutter beats.

Kotetsu started with gently removing Barnaby's glasses, folding them and setting them on the bedside table with almost a reverence in his care. Barnaby stayed tense at the edge of the bed, yearning for the touch that made his skin come alive, and then feeling it as Kotetsu took him by his shoulders. He moved in to meet his partner's lips, closing his eyes as they began one of those slow, tantalizing kisses. While their lips touched and pressed and their tongues teased and swept, Kotetsu was pulling at his shirt. With that as the basis, a pattern was established: they kissed until forced to part for the removal of clothing, and then their lips were together again, soft and hungry kisses that rekindled that warm glow of desire in the pit of his stomach. He could never get enough of kissing Kotetsu, because Kotetsu didn't just kiss; he stroked his hair, he caressed his cheek, he nipped and lingered at his lips. And he managed to do this while also directing the removal of Barnaby's clothes in a very efficient manner. A flush formed in his cheeks when he realized that he was nude and his partner was still partially dressed, and he ventured a guess that this was all part of the old man's plan.

"Ahh, Bunny..." Kotetsu was gazing at him, and he felt another shiver as he recognized the desire in his eyes. That his partner would look at him in such a way...! It gave him that tightening in his throat, the one that made it harder to speak without stumbling.

And it made his voice betray his own longing. "Kotetsu..." he murmured, reaching for his partner's belt.

"Ah-ah, not yet, Bunny," and Kotetsu caught his hands, pulling him closer. Then they were kissing again, except this time with his partner's hands traveling all over his bare skin, teasing with featherlight caresses that made him shiver and tense. "There's no need to hurry..." But Barnaby heard a hook in those words, saw the sly smile, and then he knew that this was all part of the old man's plan. That he was trying to drive up the anticipation. He made a soft gasp he couldn't keep in, and Kotetsu's eyes flickered in triumph. Oh, that dirty old man! And the worst part was that it was working, very obviously working, and Kotetsu knew it. He twined his fingers through Barnaby's curls, down his neck to his jawline and chin, a gentle urge for Barnaby to meet his gaze.

With his heart fluttering, he did as his partner wished, searching those eyes and finding a reassuring softness there. Uncertain of his motivation but following an impulse (just as Kotetsu once encouraged him to do!), Barnaby closed his eyes and waited. He heard a soft intake of breath from his partner, felt his thumb stroking his cheek, then felt his lips kissing the corner of his mouth. "Good Bunny," he whispered in approval.

It made him tremble to hear that praise. Eyes still closed, he listened to Kotetsu shifting position, felt his hand trail away from contact, heard the sound of clothing being removed. Oh, this really was making him ache in longing, but it was a beautiful ache. He felt the shift of the mattress again, and heard more softly spoken words. "Lay back on the bed, Bunny. Keep your eyes closed." Intrigued, he followed these instructions, orienting himself on the bed and laying down along its length. "Good. Arms above your head. I'm going to try something. If you don't like it, say so, and I'll stop." He shivered but did as directed, then waited.

Moments passed, measured by his heart beating in an increasing tempo. Then there was an odd tickle where his hands were clasped over his head, a trailing touch. Fabric, he decided from the feel of the texture. And it was...wrapping around his wrists? He tensed, and it stopped.

"Are you okay, Bunny?" Kotetsu's voice was even but betrayed a soft concern.

He swallowed. "Y-yes. Just surprised. I wasn't expecting...what is that?"

"My tie," and there was a throaty chuckle. "So don't try struggling free, just ask instead. I don't want it ripped."

Struggling free? His heart fluttered. "You're...tying my wrists?"

"That's the plan. Are you okay with that?"

He had to think, because once again his heart was starting to race and his skin was starting to tingle, making it hard for any thoughts to work through the reddish haze that was clouding his awareness. "Y-yes, Kotetsu," he finally stammered.

"You're sure? Because this is to make you feel good, and if it's not feeling good, then we're going to stop."

"Yes," he repeated, his voice a bit stronger, surer. "I just wasn't anticipating this."

A soft chuckle, as the fabric started again to move around his wrists. "Then I'll keep going. Remember, Bunny, if it stops feeling good, speak up."

"I will," he promised.

"Such a good Bunny," he heard the Tiger purr, and he froze in place, a pang of not-fear rushing through him. Not-fear, because it felt like it, except that he wasn't afraid, he was waiting breathlessly for what would happen next. It was that adrenaline rush of before, the one that gave him no direction to follow and confused him so much. But now Kotetsu was taking care of that, allowing him to simply enjoy the trembling anticipation it gave him.

"Good Bunny," Kotetsu repeated in that rough purr. "Now, test that. Not too loose, not too tight?"

It took a few more rushed heartbeats for those words to work through his haze, and he flexed his arms, feeling where they were tied together at his wrists. "It's...comfortable. As being tied could be."

"That's the point, that you're comfortable." And Kotetsu kissed his cheek. "You can open your eyes now, Bunny-chan."

He did so, to see his partner's face next to him, expression soft with affection and lined with longing. Once again, seeing such desire writ so obviously was making his chest tight. He was the object of all that tenderness? Even still he could barely believe it.

"Ahh, Bunny... You are so lovely..." Kotetsu's voice had a quaver to it that surprised him, and his brow creased in concern. "No worrying, I'm just a sappy old man."

Barnaby smiled softly. "I guess we both feel lucky, then," he ventured. He was rewarded with Kotetsu's smile, a brilliance he wanted to bask in as long as possible. Kotetsu loves me, Kotetsu is looking at me with this love in his eyes, Kotetsu loves me, it's me he loves, he told himself in a stumbling rush, just to keep feeling the warmth those wonderful thoughts gave him. It was like a continuing wave of contentment, the likes of which he'd never felt before, and he didn't want the feeling to end, the knowledge that Kotetsu loved him.

It distracted him just a bit from the events at hand, so he was a bit surprised when he realized his partner had moved, undressed, and was climbing on top of him. He swallowed and shivered at the feeling of vulnerability that ran through him, tensing his arms to feel the hold of his tied wrists. Still very secure. He saw the smirk on Kotetsu's face and knew the Tiger had seen him testing the bonds, and the knowledge gave him another pang of desire.

Kotetsu moved in smoothly for another kiss, arms coming up to hold his own where they were tied together, bracing his weight on his knees on either side of Barnaby's hips. As he realized just how securely pinned the old man had him, he flushed and tensed while his hips arched involuntarily. It didn't go unnoticed. "You do like this, Bunny-chan," he murmured as their lips parted. "I'm glad, because I can use it to make you feel very good." He kissed him again, one of those slow, sensuous kisses that made his mind go fuzzy and his heart race, and it was even more pronounced because he was being held in place, unable to move, at the mercy of his partner. Kotetsu was right, he really did like this.

Understanding came to him in a sudden flash that stole his breath. He liked this because in accepting this vulnerability, it meant that he trusted his partner, and trusted him completely. He trusted Kotetsu enough to be this vulnerable in front of him. The realization ached in his heart. Had they really come this far? Of course they had, with all they'd gone through, they'd come this far and only become stronger. They were a team. They worked together with a rhythm that demanded a level of understanding deeper than conscious thought. This, somehow, was another extension of that, something made possible by their confessions of love, and that beautiful bond of trust.

"Bunny?" Kotetsu's voice, soft with concern, his gaze gentle.

"I'm fine," he stammered, to reassure him, his lips twitching into a smile. "More than fine. You're right. I do feel very good."

The old man grinned. "And I haven't even gotten to the best part. Now, where did you keep that lube..."

He flushed. "Second drawer. And I'd rather not answer questions about how often it's been used, considering what I told you earlier."

Kotetsu released his loose grip on his wrists to lean over and reach for the bedside table. "Then I'll tease you later, Bunny-chan," he promised as he pulled open the drawer. "Though it looks like it's still pretty full..." He leaned back with bottle in hand, squeezing out some of the contents into his palm.

Barnaby's flush deepened, but his stammered reply was cut off by a gasp as his partner wrapped his slicked hand around his hardness, and he felt that tantalizing cool tingle through the heat of his arousal. "K-Kotetsu," he managed.

"Surprised?" he asked with a grin, shifting his position over Barnaby's prepared cock.

"Y-yes, a little," he admitted, his mind swimming in the sensation. He hadn't really even thought that far ahead, but he'd half-expected that he'd be the one penetrated this time.

"I told you I'd show you a thing or two," he said with smug satisfaction, just before easing himself down onto Barnaby's twitching cock.

He closed his eyes and arched his back, driving further still into his partner's entrance, and through the roaring in his ears he heard the hiss of a gasp through clenched teeth. It was distant from him in his lust-fogged awareness, and yet it was immediate and intimate and overwhelming in more than just the physical; the sensation of his partner on top of him, taking him in, while he was pinned beneath, at his mercy. It was completely mindblowingly amazing.

"Oh Bun~nyyy, you feel so good," Kotetsu crooned breathlessly. "So good!" He was moving now, riding his cock, thighs tensing and flexing to take him into a relentless rhythm atop him.

He wanted to writhe, he wanted to shudder and gasp and squirm, but he was held so effectively by the man atop him and by his own will that he barely managed more than to arch his hips in time with his partner. It was so natural to find his pace and compliment it with his own, it was something he could do even when pinned down and lost in this haze of overwhelming need. But it was also just about the limit of what he could do, as most of his ability to act on what was happening to him had been taken from him by the sensation of being tied and pinned, and by the sheer weight of his desire.

Kotetsu more than made up for it, taking care of all that need. He was leaning forward, bracing one hand against Barnaby's chest, picking up speed, still wearing that expression of satisfaction. "Such a good Bunny!" he gasped, rocking on top of him. "Keep those arms still! I don't want to have to stop to tie them down," and he grinned as the words made Barnaby moan. "Ohhhh Bunny, yesss, you do like it!"

Moans turned to hitched whimpers, he couldn't focus his eyes, he was flooded with absolute need for his partner, the man that always took care of him, who held him in his breakdowns and touched him in ways that felt so good. The man who had seen his startled reactions to something unexpected and had taken charge of it, had used it to send him into this quivering state of desire. "Kotetsu, please, please-!"

"Please what, Bunny-chan?" was the reply punctuated by panting.

Oh he was infuriating! "Dammit, old man, y-you know what I need!"

"And I won't give it to you until you tell me," he crooned, actually slowing down.

"Nnngh! Kotetsu!" His throat was tight and raw. "Please, I need to, to-"

"You can do better than that, Bunny-chan!"

He made a choked sob, his heart hammering against his chest. "P-please!"

"Ahhh, you beg so nicely! Good, good Bunny, do you want to come? Then come for me."

With a gurgling cry, he lost the last shreds of his self-control, goaded over the edge by his partner's words and the incredible way he made him feel. His hands were clenched, his toes were curled, his entire body was overwhelmed by the incandescent surge of pleasure that was his orgasm. His heart was pounding near to breaking, his vision tunneled and red. Slowly he managed to control his breathing and take it down from ragged gasps, and he became aware of the tingling warmth of Kotetsu's release on his stomach. Somehow the knowledge that they'd both hit that peak was greatly reassuring to him, and he let himself relax and just drift in the amazing sensations still flooding his body.

Heartbeats or eternities later, he felt Kotetsu rise and release him there, only to lay beside him and rest one hand atop his tied wrists. "Okay, Bunny-chan?" was his soft whisper.

"Mmm. Yes. Very...very okay..." he murmured, lost in blissful lassitude. Opening his eyes was too much work.

Kotetsu chuckled. "You look like a very happy Bunny. Bit messy, though."

"Mmm...can take care of that later..." He didn't want to move.

"And you liked this?" and he felt fingers run over his wrists.

"Really liked it." Everything was wonderful. This was the best day ever and he had never been so content before in all his life.

"Good. Then I did what I set out to do. Here," and Kotetsu untied the knot, releasing his wrists.

Barnaby slowly lowered his arms, feeling a bit of stiffness in them from being held that way for an extended period. One arm naturally came into place over Kotetsu, pulling him close enough to kiss, relaxed and indulgent. As he ended the kiss, he murmured, "Love you."

He kissed his cheek. "I love you too, Bunny-chan."

He heard the words, but consciousness was losing its importance to him. Everything was so lovely, and he felt so good, he just wanted to soak up the afterglow and let this wonderful contentment just take over everything. Kotetsu loved him. There was nothing they couldn't handle together.

It was almost as if this was the best dream he'd ever had.