They dozed for a while. At least, Barnaby did, but he guessed that Kotetsu did, too. Not quite sleep, but close to it. In a way it was similar to how he often spent his nights, hovering near a state of slumber for short periods of time, but this was far more relaxing, because next to him was his partner, and he was still basking in the afterglow of their lovemaking. He knew that eventually they'd have to move, but he wanted to put that off as long as possible. How very unlike him. Then again, he was learning all sorts of interesting things about himself today.

"Blushing Bunny," Kotetsu murmured in his ear, which only made him blush more. "What're you thinking about?"

"You," he answered, and was pleased to sense he'd caught the old man off guard with his frank reply. "And what you did to me."

"Ohhh. You must have really liked it, then."

"Yeah...it was nice..." He covered his mouth for a yawn, then shifted, turning to face his partner and kiss his forehead.

"Sounded like more than nice, the way you were screaming."

He eyed him skeptically. "Screaming?"

"Okay, moaning, then. You were loud." Kotetsu grinned.

"I was not. You're exaggerating."

"I was there, no, I'm not, and yes, you were. Might have to do something about that..."

His brows furrowed, and then suddenly a thought drifted into his head, connecting that statement to what he'd done earlier with his tie. He blushed and glowered.

Kotetsu laughed, but it was a warm laugh, just as warm as the sudden hug he pulled Barnaby into. "You are adorable when you give me that look, you know."

"Stop it," he muttered, muffled against Kotetsu's shoulder.

"Stop what?" he teased.

"You know exactly what I mean."

"But I love you, and I could never stop loving you!"

"You're being ridiculous, old man."

"You like me that way, Bunny-chan." And before Barnaby could come up with another defense, Kotetsu had busied his lips with another kiss. His first impulse was to resist, to try to break free, but then again, the kissing was very very nice. Kotetsu seemed to sense his indecision, because he could feel the old man smiling into the kiss.

Barnaby pulled back, giving him a ruffled look. "We should clean up. What time is it?"

"Past ten, I think."

He sighed impatiently. "There's a clock on the bedside table."

"Then you read it!"

Scowling, he muttered, "I can't it with my glasses off."

Kotetsu shook his head. "You should get a clock with bigger numbers, then."

Biting back the irritated retort, Barnaby rolled over, pushing himself up on one arm and reaching for his glasses. He heard Kotetsu snickering behind his back while he adjusted them and then read the glowing green digits. "You were off. It's 9:48."

"Not by that much."

"You said after ten, and it's before." He sat up, swinging his legs off the bed and favoring the old man with a glare over his shoulder.

"That's not that far off, and you glaring at me when you're naked isn't really that intimidating, Bunny-chan." Kotetsu had his hands behind his head and was grinning at him.

No, this was not going the way he wanted. Sighing heavily, he got up, frowning at the state of clothes discarded everywhere and starting by finding his underwear. He heard Kotetsu shift on the bed, and he knew, he just knew, that he was watching him. Ogling him, even. Gritting his teeth, he steeled himself to ignore it. "It's late enough that we should probably get ready for bed," he told Kotetsu as he picked up the discarded clothing and dealt with each piece appropriately.

"It has been a pretty busy day," his partner admitted as he followed suit, getting to his feet and looking around the room. He laughed. "Second time I've gone searching for my clothing in your bedroom. I like that."

"You would," he muttered. "Tossing your clothes off, letting them land wherever. Weren't you the one worried about your clothes getting wrinkled last night?"

"That was last night, and that was totally different anyway. You wanted me to sleep in my clothes. I bet you have different ideas tonight."

He leveled a look at Kotetsu. "Because things are different tonight."

The old man grinned at him. "I like that part too."

Sighing, Barnaby left for the bathroom, followed by Kotetsu's laughter.

Their bantering continued as they each got ready for bed, the old man teasing him about his pajamas and offering his suggestion that he sleep in the buff, and Barnaby suggesting in return that there were other places Kotetsu could sleep. To which his partner returned to his argument of the night before, that the bed was plenty big enough for both of them. He seemed very pleased at being able to refer to those earlier statements in his own defense, which only made Barnaby pinch the bridge of his nose and sigh at him.

Deep down, Barnaby was grateful for this somewhat-usual state of interaction, because he still wasn't sure how to address some of the other ways he'd been acting. Erratic, needy, volatile... He'd been so tense and frightened, so infuriated, so heartsick and despairing, and all in just this past day. If he was going to be honest with himself, it was a sign that he was still under significant strain, that all he'd gone through had worn him down enough that he wasn't able to keep his usual collected calm. But through it all, there had been Kotetsu. And now they were closer than they had ever been before. As far as the developments of this past day were concerned, Barnaby was rather grateful about that one. It felt like something had been slightly out of balance but had been jolted suddenly into place, and that things that had felt uneven and wobbly were now starting to settle into a much more comfortable rhythm.

Hopefully that would continue. He knew this was just the start, and that they had a lot ahead of them. But it was rather like them, to make a real mess of the first steps.

"Cute smiling Bunny," Kotetsu teased, cutting through his reverie.

He shook his head at the old man's reflection in the mirror, realizing he'd been lost in thought. "Are you going to keep taking all these opportunities to call me cute?"

"Yes," he answered decisively. "Because so many other times you haven't been a very cute Bunny."

He shook his head. "Being cute isn't high on my list of priorities."

"It should be. You're pretty good at it." Kotetsu had come up behind him, and was now hugging him. Apparently he would be sleeping in briefs and an undershirt, if his current attire was his sleepwear. "You take a long time to get ready for bed."

"Or maybe you don't take enough time," he returned. "Maybe that's part of your problem."

"And you get mad at me for being late! If I took more time to get ready, I'd be even later!"

"Then you need to start preparing earlier, old man." He turned and kissed his cheek, cutting off whatever Kotetsu had been about to argue next. "Come on. I'm ready now."

"Oh are you?" And that ridiculous grin with waggling eyebrows.

"Dirty old man, haven't you had enough?"

"No. Haven't you?"

"For now, yes. It's bedtime."

He pouted. "You're no fun."

"You said otherwise earlier." Barnaby took his hand, tugging him toward the bed.

"True. Earlier was nice." He followed, then stood in contemplation of the bed, arms crossed. "If we make a habit of this, you do need some softer pillows."

"Noted," he informed him, straightening the disarrayed sheets before pulling them back and climbing into bed. "But if you keep complaining about everything, I'm not sure if we will make a habit of this."

"You don't mean that," Kotetsu objected from the other side of the bed, unceremoniously burrowing under the blankets. "You know I was right all along. This was a great idea."

Barnaby put his glasses on the bedside table, tapping the switch on the lamp to turn it off. As darkness flooded the room, he felt an ease of the tension that had insisted he maintain his composure in all ways. Somehow it was the darkness that convinced him he could really let down his guard, even though nothing else had changed but the amount of illumination in the room. He was in his bed, and he wasn't alone. Kotetsu was with him. Kotetsu, his partner, who loved him, had loved him for quite some time. And today he'd admitted, to himself and to his partner, that he loved him too. In the silence, he could hear Kotetsu breathing, and it comforted him.

He wasn't alone anymore.

Determined not to let tears sting his eyes for another time today, he turned to his partner and snuggled up close to him, clinging to him with a quiet desperation he hoped wasn't too obvious. He didn't want to lose control again, not now.

Kotetsu wrapped his arm around him, resting his hand at his waist and holding him close. "It's okay, Bunny. I'm here."

He clenched his eyes against the threat of tears, then sighed with a ragged edge and buried his head against Kotetsu's shoulder. "You'll be here when I wake up?"

"Promise." A shift of blankets, and then Kotetsu's free hand was lightly ruffling his hair.

Another sigh, this one tinged with relief and gratitude. He closed his eyes, listening to the calming sound of Kotetsu's breath, feeling the rise and fall of his chest. It soothed him. It kept him anchored, kept reminding him that he was no longer alone with the troubling thoughts that so often plagued his nights. He had a partner who loved him. As far as fixing things was concerned, it was a good start.

There was a soft chuckle in the silence. "You realize you said wake up, right?"

"Yes?" he responded and queried in one word, confused about what the old man meant with that.

"Then that means you're assuming you're going to get some sleep. So I was right."

Barnaby blinked, thinking back, remembering the drunken stumble into the bedroom. "I suppose you were," he murmured, smiling softly.

"Don't sound so reluctant to agree, Bunny-chan."

He chuckled at the old man's petulant tone. "I won't get any sleep if you keep arguing with me."

"Fine," he huffed. "But if you do have a hard time sleeping, I know a few things that could help with that..."

"Dirty old man."

"You like it."

"Yes, I do." He snuggled closer, getting into a comfortable position. Kotetsu hadn't commented on whether sleeping with him clinging to his side was going to be difficult for him, but Barnaby hazarded a guess that this would be like his earlier nap on the couch, when any discomfort was outweighed by enjoying the close contact. They'd work something out. They always had.

His thoughts were drifting. He was comfortable and content. He was loved. And this was only the beginning. Tiredly he pushed aside the nagging thoughts that reminded him there would still be much to do, that this was not a cure-all for everything that had gone wrong. He knew that, and right now was not for a new set of worries to keep him awake. It was for realizing what it felt like to sleep beside his partner. Kotetsu was right about more than just his innuendo, he realized. He did like this, a lot. He'd really like to keep doing it.

In the dark he heard Kotetsu sigh softly, felt him stroke his hair once more before his hand moved away. "Love you, Bunny," he murmured into the comfortable silence.

"I love you, Kotetsu," he responded, feeling a warm tingle through his body at being able to say and hear those words.

"Sleep well."

"You too."

A/N: Thank you so much to everyone who read, reviewed, faved, alerted, or otherwise enjoyed this fic. Sad to say that this is the last chapter of this fic, but I am by no means finished writing these two, and I have purposely left myself some openings for the next fic to start from. I hope that if you enjoyed this one, you'll also enjoy the follow-ups. Thanks again.