Title: When Waking a Tiger

Rating: M

Characters: Kotetsu/Barnaby

Chapter: 2 of 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Tiger & Bunny

Warning: Some explicit content. Possible spoilers if you haven't gotten through Episode 13 (the conclusion of the Jake Martinez arc); however, this is set at no particular point in time.

A very special thanks to calloutyoru for her help, guidance and inspiration in completing this.

Chapter 2

Inside of Barnaby's barren apartment, he and Kotetsu sat in silence. The older man looked at him expectantly, as if waiting for something.

"What is it?" Barnaby asked, irritated.

Kotetsu averted his gaze, casually looking upward at the ceiling. "Ah, well, you sounded like you wanted me to come here for a reason, so I thought you were going to tell me about something."

Barnaby inhaled sharply. What did I have in mind? he thought. That he would flee after being alone with me for a few minutes? Maybe that he wouldn't come at all?

He fixed his gaze on Kotetsu, his expression unreadable. He'll leave if it goes too far, I'm sure, he decided.

Taking a deep breath, he calmly rose to his feet and gathered his courage. "I suppose that's somewhat accurate, but I hadn't planned on telling you anything." He purposely placed extra emphasis on the word.

"Ah, what then?"

Barnaby walked up to the older man, who was casually leaning back in his seat. Barnaby learned forward until he was close enough to feel his breath. "I was planning on doing this," he whispered, and kissed him.

To his surprise, Kotetsu eagerly kissed back. Further, he reached out and placed his hand behind Barnaby's head, so that the blonde man could not pull away even if he wanted to.

Once again, Barnaby felt that adept tongue seeking passage into his mouth. He could not help but allow it. As it expertly hit all of the places that made him want to cry aloud, his guard began to slip and he forgot that his original plan was to make the other man want to flee.

Kotetsu finally let go of the back of his head. Realizing he was free, Barnaby started to pull away, but he missed his opportunity. Kotetsu grabbed him by his waist and pulled the younger man on top of him, so that he was straddling him.

Then he felt those same strong arms wrap around his back, holding him firmly. Now that his body was in full contact with Kotetsu's, his reason was slipping away. Barnaby reached forward and started to run his fingers through his hair, twisting the tendrils between his digits.

Barnaby began to move his tongue more forcefully, attempting to mimic Kotetsu. The older man let out a pleasurable murmur letting him know he approved.

He pulled away in surprise, gasping for breath, and started at Kotetsu's face in disbelief. They locked eyes for a moment, but then Kotetsu leaned forward and pressed his lips against Barnaby's silky neck.

Barnaby gasped loudly. The feeling of his mouth alternating sucking and biting on his sensitive neck was unbearable.

He nibbled at his ear gently. "Bunny," he whispered, his voice rumbling seductively in his ear.

The blonde man cried aloud, digging his fingernails into the older man's neck. Then he felt his tongue against his sensitive earlobe.

"Ko... Te... Tsu... San," Barnaby gasped, his pitch much higher than normal. He tilted his head backwards. His pupils were dilated, and he was having trouble focusing on anything.

"Mmm, Bunny," Kotetsu repeated, his mouth slowly traversing down from his neck to the front of his throat. Kotetsu started to unfasten the buttons on Barnaby's shirt, kissing the length of his chest. Barnaby raised a hand in front of his mouth, as though blocking the orifice would stop all of the embarrassing sounds from escaping.

Once he has undone all of the buttons, Kotetsu began to remove his own shirt. He pulled away for a moment, unbuttoning and pulling off his vest. After haphazardly discarding it on the floor, he kissed Barnaby deeply as he started with his the buttons on his own shirt.

As soon as the last button was done, Barnaby took the initiative and slid his hands up his firm chest until he reached his shoulders. He ran his fingers over his muscular arms, pushing the shirt onto the floor. Then he sat upright so he could pull his own shirt off.

Kotetsu watched him intently as he pulled away. They locked eyes, and the blonde man found himself unable to turn away, mesmerized by his lustful gaze. When his shirt was removed, Kotetsu reached out to grab Barnaby by the shoulders and pulled him back toward him.

As he lowered himself onto Kotetsu's lap, Barnaby could feel the older man's bulging erection; he wanted him just as badly as he. Kotetsu began to nip at his neck again, and he could feel the roughness of his goatee against his skin. Barnaby leaned in and pressed his lips against Kotetsu's neck, first planting soft kisses, and then gently raking his teeth across his skin.

Kotetsu moaned loudly. Suddenly he grabbed Barnaby by the arm and sat upright, forcing him to turn over until the younger man was pinned underneath him.

He kissed him with a desperate passion that made Barnaby feel like his heart was going to leap out of his throat. He slid his body up and down, and though they were still fully clothed from the waist down, Barnaby could feel their throbbing members brushing past each other. He reached downward and rubbed his hands against it. Kotetsu let out a low moan, pleasurable moan, encouraging him to keep going.

Kotetsu pulled himself slightly upward and started at him carefully. "Bunny," he said, a conflicting expression of lust and concern in his eyes, "is this what you want?"

Barnaby reflexively pulled his hand away, suddenly doubting himself. However, a moment of staying still made him realize his body was crying out for more physical contact with his partner, and he desperately reached out to pull him closer.

"Yes," he answered simply, unable to articulate anything further.

"Alright... I'm glad," Kotetsu smiled tenderly. He reached toward Barnaby's pants and started to unfasten his belt buckle. "If we go any further than this, I don't think I'll be able to stop."

I'll never love another.

The same dream again... the only dream that had ever plagued him besides the memory of his parents' deaths.

Barnaby awoke with a start, but as he started to jerk himself upright, he realized a heavy arm was wrapped around him, pinning him against the bed.

He gasped aloud as he turned to see Kotetsu was lying next to him. Memories of the night before came flooding into his mind.

The increasingly erotic expressions that Kotetsu made as they explored more and more of each other. The pleasurable moans that slipped out of his mouth. The feeling of his firm, muscular body grinding against his, eagerly coming together with him. The trickle of sweat on his forehead from his exertion. The sensation of his hands tenderly stroking every last inch of his body. The sound of their fervid shouts as they climaxed, clinging to each other desperately.

Yet even recalling this, bubbling to the surface of the torrent of thoughts was still the dream itself. Kotetsu's forced smile, the sadness behind his eyes, and his casual tone as he made such a heavy comment.

I'll never love another.

It was too much to take. He had to get away to go clear his head. Barnaby tried to slip away from the older man's grasp, but he was already starting to stir. His strong arms gripped Barnaby tighter, pulling him close.

Sleepily, Kotetsu opened his eyes, blinking a few times until his eyesight came into focus. "Mornin', Bunny," he murmured. He reached out and touched Barnaby's blonde curls. "Huh, even waking up, you look pretty good." He affectionately twirled a few loose strands through his fingers.

Barnaby felt a rising anxiety in his chest. He already knew the mistake he had made; he should not have let this happen.

I'll never love another, echoed Kotetsu's voice in his mind.

Kotetsu had not rejected his advances, but caught up in his confusion, Barnaby had forgotten the most critical piece of his dilemma: he was in love with his partner. As much as he wanted him physically, he knew his feelings were too strong for him to be satisfied with a one-sided love.

And he also knew there was no way he could ever make his way into the heart of a man with those kinds of scars...

Barnaby had to get away to hide his inner turmoil. He pulled away from Kotetsu's grasp and quickly sat up on the side of the bed, his back turned to the older man.

"I don't know what we were thinking last night, but we should probably get going and ignore that this happened," he said evenly, hiding any trace of emotion in his voice that would betray him.

Kotetsu sat up quickly, now fully awake. "Ehh?"

"You heard me." Please just go and don't make me speak anymore.

To Barnaby's surprise, his usually garrulous partner was dead silent. Seconds ticked by at an agonizingly slow rate. As much as he did not want Kotetsu to see his face, in case it betrayed any of his emotions, he realized he had to turn around. Maybe he fell back asleep, he thought uneasily.

He turned until he could see him out of the corner of his eye.

Kotetsu was sitting up, one knee raised with his arms propped on top of it. He rested his head on his arms, obscuring his eyes. All Barnaby could make out was his deep frown as he clenched his jaw.

"Kotetsu-san?" Barnaby asked, his anxiety temporarily forgotten.

The older man stayed in that position a moment longer. Then he sighed heavily, sat upright, and glanced at Barnaby.

"I'm sorry, Bunn—I mean, Barnaby. I am really sorry."

Kotetsu averted his gaze. Then he wordlessly stood up, got out of the bed, and exited the room. Stunned, Barnaby stayed seated on the side of his bed. He could hear Kotetsu moving around in the other room—presumably, collecting his clothes and dressing himself.

At the sound of his door closing, he jumped to his feet. He did not expect Kotetsu would leave without saying anything, so it took him by surprise.

If anything, his partner's abrupt departure left him even more confused about his feelings than he had been a few minutes before.

What the hell do I do now?