Work Text:
i’m not going without you (and you’re not going alone)
Kotetsu wakes up in a hospital bed.
The beeping of the heart monitor is louder than he remembers, ringing in his ears in a way that makes his head hurt. Opening his eyes is a mistake - why are the lights in here so bright? He squeezes them tightly shut, willing himself to remember how he got here.
He must have hit his head - everything after getting the call to action is a big blank.
He takes a deep breath, cataloguing how he feels in an effort to connect the dots. Everything hurts. His head especially, with the ringing in his ears and the unexplainable feeling that he has too many teeth in his mouth. There’s a shooting pain in his lower back - is he laying on something? He wiggles his fingers and toes, pleased to find that it doesn’t seem like anything is broken, despite the way his bones ache.
(Is he just getting old?)
He tries again to open his eyes, squinting against the bright lights and the white walls of his hospital room. Everything is blurry - he can make out the shape of a TV in the corner of the room, but it’s hard to figure out the details. It’s playing Hero TV, he thinks, and not an episode he recognizes. He blinks rapidly, trying to clear his fuzzy vision, and successfully manages to focus on the TV.
It is playing Hero TV, showing footage from the previous day. There’s no sound, but he can read the subtitles along the bottom of the screen if he squints. They were successful, from what he can tell - that’s good! But then, how did he end up here?
He watches a few minutes longer, pushing past the growing headache - why do his teeth hurt? - and growing more anxious by the second. He sees a Next he doesn’t know staring down Bunny, a blue-green light building in their hands-
Voices outside the room catch his attention, clear as day despite the distance between them, and so loud he squeezes his eyes shut again instinctively, as if that will keep them at bay.
“I can’t let you in there, Mr Brooks. He’s still unconscious and-”
“With all due respect, doctor, I don’t care. He’s my partner.”
Bunny? That’s definitely Bunny’s voice, accompanied by what sounds like someone stomping their feet on the floor. Huh.
He hears another voice, one that can only be Nathan, then the sound of retreating footsteps. His shoulders slump - he was looking forward to seeing Bunny.
But with one less thing to focus on, he’s able to just barely open his eyes again, still struggling to adjust to the light, but determined this time to keep them open. The TV seems awfully far away - did they put him in a bigger hospital room this time? Or maybe he just has a helluva concussion.
It takes several minutes, but he’s finally able to completely open his eyes, though it sends another shooting pain through his head. He hisses out a breath and - something is wrong with his mouth, did he get hit in the jaw, too?
If he could just get his eyes to focus on the TV he would be able to see what happened! Another deep breath - hold it, let it out slow, the way Bunny taught him - and he settles enough to pay attention.
The TV is showing the same clip again, this time slowed down, so Kotetsu gets to see in embarrassing detail the way he throws himself in front of Bunny just in time to take a hit of blue-green energy from the rogue Next. Embarrassing, not because he sees himself fall a moment later - clearly unconscious - but because it’s painfully obvious how he feels about his partner in that moment. Or, maybe it isn’t? He would do that for any of the other heroes, after all, and it’s not like anyone could see his face. To the outside world, he just (hopefully) looks heroic, and not at all desperate and scared.
The clip cuts off, replaced by a news anchor in a studio, giving their commentary on the battle. Kotetsu isn’t paying attention. He tries to move - to roll out of his bed and find Bunny or a doctor or to throw up - only to be hit by a wave of dizziness so strong he collapses into a heap on his bed again.
Maybe he’ll just wait here.
—
Never let it be said that Barnaby is not a patient man. He hasn’t been allowed to see Kotetsu for two days, forced to leave his partner alone in a hospital room behind a locked door for hours. Every time he so much as thinks about entering the room, a doctor or another hero is there to stop him.
This time it’s both.
The way he can’t help but stomp his feet at the doctor is humiliating, as is the way he audibly grunts at Nathan when she sets a hand on his arm to lead him away. She doesn’t let go, her grip firm on his arm, as she takes him back to the waiting room and forces him into a seat. He stomps both feet this time, loud enough that the nurse at a desk several feet away shoots him a strange look.
He doesn’t apologise - to the nurse or to Nathan. He’s anxious and angry and filled with an aching loneliness that makes him want to tear out his own hair.
He needs to see Kotetsu, to make sure he’s okay, and they won’t let him.
They keep telling him to go home, to get some rest, that someone else will stay nearby in case Kotetsu wakes up. Barnaby keeps refusing. It’s bad enough that he can’t be in the room with Kotetsu - they’d let him in when he first arrived, but Kotetsu’s heart rate had become so erratic the second Barnaby had walked in, he’d been banned from the room after that - he’s absolutely not leaving the hospital without seeing Kotetsu.
“Handsome-” Nathan starts to say, their voice low and soft in a way that would be soothing at any other time.
“Do not tell me this is for my own good.”
He knows they mean well, that they’re worried that seeing Kotetsu unconscious will hurt Barnaby more than help, but he’s heard that enough times since it happened; since Kotetsu - the absolute idiot - had thrown himself in front of Barnaby, taking a hit that was meant for him. And because it was Kotetsu, it couldn’t have been something normal like a punch in the gut - oh no, Kotetsu instead had jumped in and taken an unidentified energy blast to the chest instead. His armour seemed to deflect some of it, making the power spread from a concentrated beam into a sort of wave instead - the good news is, that probably saved Kotetsu’s life. The force of it was still enough to knock him out - and that was another thing, Barnaby hadn’t even been fast enough to catch him before he fell! - but it was better than the alternative.
The bad news is, the wave of power had grown outward, hitting the rest of the heroes in the vicinity as well. They don’t know what the power was initially intended to do, but Barnaby doesn’t think this is it.
The Next’s power affected all of them differently - leaving Keith with a pair of fluffy, floppy dog ears poking out of his hair, and a tail that wagged incessantly in Nathan’s presence. Ryan’s hair had lengthened and nearly doubled in volume, almost completely hiding the rounded lion’s ears on his head. Ivan’s transformation was easy to miss at first glance, just a smattering of scales along the sides of his face and neck - the way he kept turning himself invisible, was not. Nathan looks more or less the same, if you can ignore the delicate feathers mixed in with her already vibrant hair.
Barnaby himself, much to his chagrin, has ended up with a pair of large, pale blonde rabbit ears - their black tips a stark contrast to his fair coloration - and the irresistible urge to stomp his feet when someone irritates him.
He didn’t get a good look at Kotetsu before he was carted off to the hospital, but he’d seen enough to know his partner was given the striped ears and tail of a tiger.
“What I was going to say is that you should get some rest,” Nathan continues, offering him a smile that feels too much like pity.
Barnaby’s ears flick back, his shoulders tense - he digs his nails into his palms so he won’t stomp his feet at them again. Logically, he knows she’s right - he’s not doing anyone any good by staying here, picking fights with doctors who don’t know anymore than they did yesterday - but the logical part of his brain is not in charge right now, and he is so tired of hearing that.
“That’s easy for you to say, when your partner is a puppy dog and mine is unconscious in a hospital bed.”
Nathan flinches, just slightly, and Barnaby instantly feels bad. None of this is their fault, she’s just the one currently on babysitting duty. It’s not fair for him to take it out on them.
Barnaby slumps into his chair.
“I’m sorry,” He offers, truly meaning it. He chokes on what he wants to say next, unable to get the words out beyond, “I just-”
Nathan seems to understand, though. She takes the seat next to him, sitting close enough that their arms brush - she’s warmer even than usual. She's silent for a long time, staring down the hallway toward Kotetsu's room. He wonders what she's thinking about - if it's Kotetsu, in there now, all alone, or if it's about Keith, safe at home with his dogs.
"I know." She eventually says, and Barnaby lets his weary head rest against her shoulder.
—
It’s been a few hours since Kotetsu woke and started to piece together what happened to him. Long enough that he’s grown bored, and started to drift off to sleep again, for lack of anything better to do.
The sound of Bunny’s voice outside his room once more has him perking up - though he regrets it immediately when the vertigo returns with a vengeance, and the room spins around him. Ugh, this is worse than any hangover he’s ever had. It wouldn’t be so bad, he thinks, if the lights weren’t so damn bright and if everything wasn’t so loud-
A cool, familiar hand presses flat against his forehead. Kotetsu leans into the touch, rubbing his face against Bunny’s hand, all but purring at how immediately soothing it is. His eyes close of their own volition. He takes another deep breath, this one filled with the familiar scent of Bunny - the hand lotion he applies like clockwork, the metal of his armour, and underneath that, the smell of his skin.
It's a long time before either of them says anything, before Bunny's quiet voice breaks the silence, “How are you feeling?”
He sounds tense, worried, and Kotetsu has a sudden rush of anxiety, making his heart rate quicken. His eyes snap open and-
Everything comes to a stop as he takes in his partner. Bunny has rabbit ears poking out of his hair, soft and golden and incredibly tempting. For a second, Kotetsu is overwhelmed by the urge to pet them, and a sound he’s never made before - something like a breath huffed through his teeth - escapes him. He’s drawn back to the present when he reaches for them, only to have Bunny catch his hands in both of his and hold them.
Bunny is staring at him, green eyes narrowed behind his glasses - he looks tired - and it takes a second for Kotetsu to remember he asked a question.
"I'm fine!" He answers, torn between the desire to reassure Bunny and the desire to tell the truth.
It's clear Bunny doesn't believe him, judging by the way his mouth tightens, and his hands squeeze Kotetsu’s. Kotetsu redirects, "What about you? You're a bunny, Bunny!"
Bunny watches him, expression conflicted. "You don't remember what happened?"
"I, uh, saw it on the TV? Part of it, anyway, I saw the part where I saved you!" Bunny’s ears twitch, and Kotetsu can’t help the way he gets caught up staring at them again. If he could just touch them once-
He shakes his head, forces his still foggy brain to concentrate, and continues, "I don't see what that has to do with the ears, though? Are you just trying to cheer me up, little Bunny?"
"You're an idiot," Bunny replies - Kotetsu knows him well enough to know that even if he means it, there's fondness in his tone. He squeezes Kotetsu’s hands one more time, then lets them go. He takes a few steps away from the bed, moving toward the window, before coming back to the bedside - as if full of restless energy, but without anywhere to go. "What you saw was only the start of what happened."
Kotetsu tilts his head, his brow furrowing. Before he has to ask what that means, Bunny continues, gesturing to the rabbit ears.
"They gave us all - all of us in range, anyway - animal features. Everyone was… assigned something different."
Kotetsu stares, once again entranced by Bunny's ears. He just needs one second to-
"Kotetsu." He snaps his attention back to Bunny's face, giving him a sheepish grin.
"Hehe, sorry, little Bunny! You were saying that-" The meaning behind Bunny's words hits him all at once, and he tries to sit up without thinking, only making it half way before slumping back into the pillows again. "Wait! Do I have ears too? What am I? Is it something cool? Like a- like a big old papa bear?"
Bunny stares at him, eyes flicking between Kotetsu's own and the top of his head. He says nothing, like he's waiting for Kotetsu to figure something out.
Kotetsu wracks his brain, but it's hard to connect the dots when he's just now realising that everyone had been hit. When he’d jumped in front of the attack, he was intending for himself to be the sole target - it sure looked like it was only aimed at him - but somehow he’d gotten everyone else hit as well. He itches to get out of the bed, to be closer to Bunny, to see the others, to be anywhere other than this overstimulating hospital room.
"You're a tiger."
Despite it all, that simple sentence does fill Kotetsu with a childish kind of delight. He growls at Bunny, aiming for it to be playful and goofy, and startles them both when it comes out much deeper and darker than he intended.
Bunny's ears turn backward. Kotetsu hears the way his heart rate picks up. He shrinks into the bed, trying to make himself smaller.
He clears his throat. "Um, sorry?”
Bunny’s ears are still turned back - Kotetsu doesn't know a lot about actual rabbits, but he doesn't think that's a good sign - but he rolls his eyes, and fixes Kotetsu with another look that says he’s an idiot. Kotetsu doesn’t mind - it’s better than the way he’d been momentarily wide-eyed and frightened.
“Don’t think you’re not in trouble for being so reckless and throwing yourself in front of me-”
Bunny’s ears suddenly stand straight up, and a moment later Kotetsu also hears footsteps approaching, accompanied by familiar voices. Kotetsu’s own ears flick toward the sound - and isn’t that a strange feeling, now that he’s aware of it?
“Bunny?”
It’s Bunny’s turn to clear his throat now, looking decidedly embarrassed.
“I may have come in here before I was officially cleared to do so,” He admits, though he doesn’t make any move to leave. “And I may have done so by asking Nathan to get me a coffee, and then coming in while they were gone.”
Kotetsu finds himself grinning, a laugh bubbling up in his chest despite how sick he still feels.
“Bunny,” He asks, aiming for conspiratorial, or maybe sultry, and missing by a mile - between the way he can’t stop smiling, and the fact that he’s in a hospital gown. “Are you breaking the rules for me?”
Before Bunny can answer, the door swings open and Agnes steps inside, striding confidently toward the bed. Kotetsu catches a whiff of Nathan’s perfume, but she’s nowhere to be seen - he hopes she went home. If how tired Bunny looks is anything to go by, she probably deserves a break.
Agnes starts to say something, but Kotetsu doesn’t hear any of it. She’s approaching Bunny, standing too close and- Without his input, a growl rumbles up from his chest, deep and menacing. He can see the way Agnes raises an unimpressed eyebrow at him, but he can’t make himself stop.
“If you want to be released, Tiger, this is not exactly a ringing endorsement.” Agnes sounds like any other day, like she’s reprimanding him for going somewhere her cameras can’t follow, instead of growling at her from a hospital bed. “Barnaby, I do hope you didn’t break in here minutes before I came to tell you the doctors have cleared Tiger to go home.”
Bunny straightens up - he looks like he’s bracing himself for a fight. It sets Kotetsu’s nerves on edge, and this time he bares his teeth at Agnes, the growl rising in volume again. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knows he’s going to be mortified by his behaviour later, but that doesn’t matter right now. What matters is-
Bunny takes Kotetsu’s hands in his again, his thumb rubbing gently over the back, and the growl slowly fades away, replaced by something akin to a purr.
“Oh stand down, Barnaby. You’re not in trouble.” Agnes rolls her eyes, typing away at a tablet before signing something with the stylus in her other hand. “We’ve observed him for 48 hours now, other than the obvious, he’s in good physical health.”
Now she turns her attention to Kotetsu, and he suddenly realises he’s been butting his head against Bunny’s hip. He stills, his face flushing, the tip of his tail flicking, and stares at her.
She smirks, just a tiny quirk of her lips, and shakes her head. “You’re free to go, Tiger.”
—
“I’ll drive you home.” Barnaby says as they leave the hospital - a statement of fact, not a question. He should go home, he knows, but leaving Kotetsu right now is not an option.
“You really don’t have to do that, Bunny-”
Barnaby says nothing, just leads the way toward his car, trusting Kotetsu will follow. Sure enough, the sound of Kotetsu’s footsteps follow him through the parking lot.
He feels off kilter, anxious, like he’s waiting for the rug to be pulled out from under him again. After waiting all that time, being denied entry to even see his partner, he expected more of a fight to get Kotetsu discharged. Now that it’s happened - freely given, more or less - he doesn’t know what to do with all that energy.
He drives a little too fast on the way to Kotetsu’s apartment - the easiest outlet available to him.
The trip is quiet, not even a complaint about his driving from Kotetsu to break the silence. Barnaby can’t help but glance over at him repeatedly, trying to take in his partner’s new appearance. He shouldn’t be surprised - he’d seen his own transformation, and that of the other heroes - but it’s still strange to take in the slitted pupils, the fangs poking out of his mouth, and the, admittedly adorable, ears half-hidden in his hair. Kotetsu seems to feel the same way, his gaze is focused on his reflection in the mirror of the sun visor.
They arrive at Kotetsu’s apartment without incident, but as Barnaby steps out of the car and makes to follow him upstairs, Kotetsu holds out a hand to stop him. It doesn’t feel right to refer to his partner as “sheepish” while he sports the features of a tiger, but that’s the best way to describe Kotetsu’s expression.
“I, uh, I don’t think you should come upstairs.”
Barnaby raises an eyebrow at that, his ears tilting forward. He can’t possibly look so bad that Kotetsu is insisting he leave. “Excuse me?”
“I said-”
He doesn’t let Kotetsu finish, “There is not a chance I’m leaving you alone, old man. Let me guess - you want to drink a beer, eat a plate of fried rice, and fall into bed? You need something more nutritious than that after being in the hospital for two days. I’ll come cook for you.”
And without waiting for permission, Barnaby walks the familiar route upstairs to Kotetsu’s apartment.
“Oi! Bunny!” Once again, Kotetsu follows him, just as Barnaby knew he would.
He doesn’t wait to let himself into the apartment, either, using his own key to open the door. Kotetsu is still protesting as they close the door behind them and Barnaby takes off his boots, carefully lining them up on the requisite mat.
“Bunny!” Kotetsu repeats, some of that growl that Barnaby heard in the hospital returning to his voice, and Barnaby freezes instinctively. His ears flick back. Kotetsu visibly tenses, his own ears turning sideways, but doesn’t try to change tact. “I really think you should go home.”
Barnaby has to take a deep breath - in through his nose, hold, out through his mouth - before he can respond. (Along with rabbit traits, he seems to have inherited plenty of prey instincts as well, and they are becoming extremely inconvenient.)
“Why?”
“Well- Because you- And I-”
“Sit down, Kotetsu,” Barnaby tells him, the “let me take care of you” going unsaid.
He moves further into the apartment, toward Kotetsu’s kitchen. Knowing Kotetsu, there’s not going to be anything edible in the fridge, but they should check before making the decision to order in. At least the place isn’t a mess - who knows what they’d find after being away for two days if it was.
He putters around the kitchen for a while, managing to find the ingredients to make them a simple dinner - he’s not exactly a five star chef, but he knows how to make more than fried rice - all the while feeling Kotetsu’s eyes on him. His partner doesn’t say anything, so neither does he - still, he braces himself for more complaints about how he should be at home resting. He can get his own rest once he’s sure Kotetsu is taken care of.
It comes as a surprise when, instead of complaining, Kotetsu silently pads into the kitchen and drops his forehead against Barnaby’s shoulder. Barnaby stills, a knife in one hand and a carrot in the other, unsure of what is happening. His ears flick back toward Kotetsu. There’s a long moment of silence, and then Kotetsu begins to purr, rubbing his face against Barnaby’s sweater as he does so.
Barnaby can’t help the startled laugh that slips out. With his hands full, he can’t reach up and pet Kotetsu, although he finds he desperately wants to.
After ensuring Kotetsu is showered and fed, and that his bed is actually made, Barnaby agrees to leave, but not before Kotetsu promises to meet up with him the next day. They can’t go out in public looking the way they do but they can still go see the others at Justice Tower. There’s no reason to slack off on their training, just because they’re dealing with some unusual physical changes.
He lingers in the doorway far longer than he needs to. He should go, he knows. They’re both exhausted, and he still has to drive home, but- He only just got Kotetsu back, and leaving him so soon feels a bit like leaving the house without his glasses - not impossible, but disorienting. Wrong.
It occurs to Barnaby, not for the first time, that he loves Kotetsu with an alarming intensity.
Outside, someone honks their horn, and Barnaby visibly startles. It hits him then that he hasn’t slept since Kotetsu was admitted to the hospital. Anxiety over leaving Kotetsu or not, he has to go home.
“I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Good night, Bunny.”
If he doesn’t leave now, he’ll never be able to. He makes himself turn and walk away, jogging down the stairs to his car, hyper aware of the distance between them.
—
Kotetsu's not sure what he expects to see when they reach the training floor - to be overstimulated and out of sorts, maybe - but it certainly isn't all of the other heroes bearing various animal traits. They hadn’t all been out on that first call, when the Next got Kotetsu and Bunny, had they?
"Oi, Bunny- You didn't tell me that Next got everyone."
A look at Bunny shows that he didn't know, either - he's surveying the room slowly, taking in the others with a raised eyebrow.
"Last time I checked, they hadn't."
Kotetsu can admit to himself he doesn't know enough about animals to tell what everyone else is. Thomas has long quills poking out from his hair, and looks less than pleased that he can no longer hide under the hood of his sweater. Subaru, on the other hand, is having a great time, hanging from the rafters with his long, prehensile tail. Pao-Lin, unbothered by her fluffy red and white striped tail, is continuing her training as usual. Unsurprisingly, Lara is a cat - even Kotetsu can tell that much from her ears and tail. Karina has a hat pulled low on her head, but hasn’t been successful at hiding her own fluffy white tail. Kotetsu winces when he sees Antonio - there’s large holes punched through his favourite hat, where horns are protruding from it.
Nathan's brilliant red, orange and yellow plumage leaves a trail of sparks behind her as she walks, and Kotetsu is at a loss for what traits she's developed. A bird, obviously, but he can't tell if the fire is due to the transformation, or her own powers. Keith, with floppy golden ears the exact shade of his hair, follows close behind her, his tail wagging wildly.
"Good morning, Tiger," She greets with a smile, reaching out to tweak one of his ears, making it twitch. She's the first person to actually touch his new appendages and it's… strange. He can feel it clearly, but it's almost like it's happening to someone else - he doesn't think he likes it.
"You're looking in a better mood, handsome." Nathan reaches out to do the same to Bunny, and Kotetsu reacts without thinking - shoving her hand away, a deep growl rumbling up from his chest. Keith steps in front of Nathan, his ears pinned back against his head, his teeth bared in a snarl, and growls right back.
Kotetsu moves in closer - to do what, he doesn't know, he hasn't thought that far ahead - but before he can close the distance between himself and Keith, Bunny is grabbing the back of his shirt and yanking him backward.
Kotetsu blinks.
In front of him, Nathan is holding Keith back with a gentle grip on his shoulder - he looks mortified, with his ears and tail drooping, his eyes big and wet. For her part, Nathan looks a combination of concerned and mildly amused as she shares a look with Bunny.
"I'm sorry! And again, I'm sorry!”
Bunny releases Kotetsu, shaking him slightly as he does so, and Kotetsu snaps to attention.
"Uh, me too, yea. I'm not sure what came over me there."
Nathan "hmm"s softly as she taps a finger against her lips.
“No harm done, boys.” She says with a smile, ruffling Keith’s hair. Almost instantly, he relaxes, pressing his head into her hand and allowing her to rub his ears. She watches him fondly for a moment, then lifts her gaze to Kotetsu again and winks, “I’ll make sure to keep my hands off the merchandise in the future.”
Kotetsu splutters, “I- What- No- It’s not like that, Fire!”, but she just laughs.
It really isn’t like that, no matter how much Kotetsu wants it to be - though maybe it could be, if Kotetsu could work up the nerve to say something. He knows Nathan’s teasing is good natured, that they would make the same joke about any of the other buddy pairs, but it still has him fighting back a blush.
He turns to Bunny for support. “Bunny! Tell her!”
His partner is giving him a strange look, one that Kotetsu can’t decipher, and says nothing in his defence. He prides himself on understanding Bunny better than anyone else, but even he sometimes catches his partner with expressions he has no idea how to translate. Bunny’s entitled to his secrets, of course! But Kotetsu still wishes he could tell what he’s thinking. (He makes a mental note to look up “rabbit behaviour” later - maybe the ears will give something away!)
Bunny’s hand on his shoulder startles Kotetsu so badly his ears and tail stick straight up, the fur on the latter puffing up. He hears Nathan giggle, and turns to stick his tongue out at her.
“Kotetsu,” Bunny says, and Kotetsu can tell he’s also trying not to laugh. His ears are pricked forward again, which Kotetsu thinks is a good thing. “We should get to training.”
–
Training is only going well for about half of the heroes.
As it turns out, the Next who started this whole problem had made another appearance, and the unaffected heroes were dispatched to take care of them. They had managed to catch the Next, but not before they’d all been hit with their power as well, after it ricocheted off of Antonio’s armour.
This is the first chance they’ve all had to train together, with varying levels of success.
Karina, Pao-Lin, Antonio, Subaru and Thomas are all largely unaffected by their animal traits - they’re able to use their powers without a hitch, and don’t seem to be distracted by their new found instincts. Nathan is still bleeding sparks everywhere she goes, but they’re harmless enough - and it’s not exactly unusual to see Fire Emblem surrounded by flames.
The others, well- Ryan is unable to focus, all of his attention fixed on Karina and how best to get her attention. More than once, Barnaby sees Ryan throw himself onto the ground in front of her, rolling onto his back and presenting his stomach. Ivan’s powers have gone haywire, turning him invisible when startled and rendering him unable to use his normal mimicry - the current theory is that he’s developed the ability to camouflage and blend into the background rather than transform into other people. Lara’s powers are working just fine, and though she starts purring so loudly Barnaby is sure the entire building can hear it when Pao-Lin is near, it doesn’t seem to affect her focus.
And Keith-
Initially, Barnaby thinks he’s going to be fine. His powers are working normally, and aside from the wagging tail - he’s knocked over several water bottles just in the last hour - his animal traits haven’t been a hindrance. That is until, during a training exercise with Lara, Nathan walks by the open door and Keith whips his head around so quickly to look at her it looks painful. A second later, he takes a high powered stream of water to the side of the face and is knocked on his ass. He and Lara take turns frantically apologising, while Nathan tries unsuccessfully to stifle her laughter.
Barnaby himself feels fine, more or less. He knows he still needs to work on his fight or flight instinct kicking into “freeze” instead, but he’s improving steadily. He hadn’t even panicked when Kotetsu growled at Nathan earlier.
Speaking of Kotetsu- He eyes his partner from across the room, watching as he interacts with Antonio - if his wide hand motions are anything to go by, he must be recounting what he remembers of the first battle with the Next. He’s something Barnaby still hasn’t figured out. One minute he’s normal, and the next he’s threatening one of their friends with his fangs bared, and again in the next he’s butting his head against Barnaby, almost like he’s demanding to be pet.
He won’t say he doesn’t trust Kotetsu - he does, with his life - but he certainly doesn’t think he’s in any shape to go out on missions. He’s being run by his instincts far too much.
It’s not until Ryan approaches him, slinging his arm around his shoulders in a familiar manner, that Barnaby starts to put together the pieces. Even with the entire gym between them, Barnaby can see the way all Kotetsu’s muscles tense and his ears turn backward. He doesn’t need to be able to hear to know Kotetsu is growling again.
The common denominator here is Barnaby - that much is becoming obvious - but what exactly about him is triggering it? Kotetsu was fine when they were alone, only getting worked up when they’d been bickering. Is he simply being over-stimulated when they’re out in public?
Nathan is the one to answer the question for him.
After shooing Ryan away, she stands at a respectful distance from Barnaby, her smirk telling him she knows something he does not.
“What is it?” He asks, tearing his eyes away from Kotetsu.
“I just didn’t realise your tiger was such a jealous one.”
Barnaby frowns, glancing at Kotetsu - who seems to have relaxed again - and back to Nathan. He doesn’t bother to refute her use of the phrase, “your tiger”.
“I’m not sure I understand.”
Nathan purses her lips, staring at him for a long time. Barnaby isn’t sure what she finds in his expression, but eventually she nods and moves in close to him again. She wraps her arm around his waist and - in a move that would have had him shoving her away a few years ago - tugs him up against her side. Immediately, he sees Kotetsu stand up straight, watching them intently. When Nathan lets him go and steps back, Kotetsu calms again.
Barnaby arches an eyebrow. “Interesting, but it doesn’t exactly prove anything.”
Barnaby isn’t sure he believes Nathan’s hypothesis that Kotetsu is jealous, per se, but he can’t deny that she has a point. Something about Barnaby interacting with other people is the problem - whether that’s because Kotetsu is jealous or protective or something else entirely is beside the point. (He tells himself not to put too much stock into it. Whatever the trigger is, Kotetsu is reacting with animal instinct he can’t control, it doesn’t necessarily reflect his real feelings.)
The point is, he and Kotetsu can’t go out on calls together, and Barnaby is not interested in being a solo hero again. They can’t stay around the other heroes, either, and there’s no way to know if Kotetsu will react favourably or not to strangers. Barnaby also refuses to be cooped up in one of their apartments until they find a way to reverse the Next’s power, or it wears out on its own.
Well. They are overdue for a vacation, aren’t they?
In a stroke of luck that Barnaby is immediately distrustful of, Agnes and Director Petrov arrive almost as soon as he decides they’re taking time off. Agnes looks as she always does, put together and almost frighteningly beautiful, but Petrov has a pair of small brown ears poking out of his hair. Barnaby can’t place the animal they’re from, or why he would have them in the first place. When did he come into contact with the Next? Agnes is still unaffected, so it seems unlikely it happened after the Next was in their custody.
It takes several minutes to get the heroes assembled - longer than normal, when Kotetsu begins to growl at everyone who gets close to Barnaby, setting off both Ryan and Keith in turn, and even making Lara hiss. Agnes watches them, unamused, but Barnaby catches a glimpse of Petrov smiling, which is almost stranger than the ears.
Eventually, after a reminder that they are professionals and I will suspend you, Tiger, the group settles, albeit with two feet of distance between Kotetsu and Barnaby, and the rest of them.
“Our Next culprit was not very forthcoming, but we’ve gleaned that this,” Agnes explains, gesturing to the group. “Is not what their power normally does. Apparently, its actual purpose is to turn people into animals, not whatever strange hybrids you’ve all been turned into. It sounds as though your armour, Tiger and Bison, has interfered somehow. Unfortunately, all this means is that we don’t know how long it will take to wear off, though I’ve been assured that it will.”
The heroes wait, wisely staying silent.
“Those of you who can hide your features will remain on call for emergencies, the rest of you are on leave until further notice.”
Now, the group begins to talk at once- “I am not going out there like this! How am I supposed to hide any of this?”
“Awe, princess, I think you look cute.” - complaints and arguments about who should or shouldn’t go out all overlapping in a mess of noise that makes Barnaby’s ears turn back in an attempt to block it out.
Without waiting for them to finish, and before Barnaby has the chance to ask, Agnes fixes Kotetsu with a steely look. “That means you, Tiger, are going to be taking a vacation.”
—
Going on a vacation feels weird. Kotetsu can’t actually remember the last time he took one that wasn’t just a few days to visit his mom and Kaede - unless being out of commission in the hospital counts. (He doesn’t think it does.)
But it’s exciting, too! Bunny won’t tell him where they’re going, but he’s watched the scenery change from the familiar cityscape, to open fields of rice, to a forest that has been getting steadily denser and thicker as they drive.
(When he’d called Kaede before leaving, she spent a good five minutes cooing over how cute Bunny is - Kotetsu can’t blame her for that - before wishing them well on their vacation.)
Maybe Bunny is right - he usually is - and all Kotetsu needs to do is focus on enjoying their time off. This is a good opportunity to be alone together, to do some of the things they’ve been putting off - they still haven’t been out for drinks, and dinners spent together have been few and far between. He sees Bunny all the time, obviously, but this is different! This is them taking time to be alone together, purposely and intentionally. (And maybe, just maybe, this is the opportunity Kotetsu has been waiting for.)
He glances at Bunny, his eyes fixed on the road, his ears relaxed, and can’t help but smile. A purr rumbles up in his chest, rising with the warmth that always comes from spending time with Bunny. Kotetsu frowns. That’s going to take some getting used to.
It feels like a century before they finally pull off the highway, onto a long, gravel road that leads further into the woods, and even longer before Bunny finally guides the car to a stop in front of a small, wooden building. Kotetsu climbs out of the car without a second's hesitation, stretching his arms over his head, groaning softly when he feels something in his back pop. (He really is getting old, huh?)
Bunny comes to his side a moment later, and they take in the building together.
It’s a log cabin - beautiful in its construction, despite being obviously quite old. It’s been well taken care of over the years, and judging by the pathway leading up to the door being clear of leaves, someone has stopped by recently. There’s a small paper sign hanging off the door handle, but Kotetsu can’t read it from this distance.
“Where’d you find this place, Bunny?”
Bunny is already grabbing their bags from the back of the car, tossing Kotetsu’s to him and shouldering his own. He says nothing, locking up the car in silence and leading the way to the door of the cabin. It isn’t until he has the key in the lock, ready to open it, that he finally speaks, looking over his shoulder at Kotetsu, “Mattia recommended it to me.”
Kotetsu’s brow furrows, his mind burning with questions, a growl rumbling up - why did Bunny say it like that? With that weird hesitation and inflection? Did he come here before with Mattia? Why does Kotetsu even care if he did? Bunny is allowed to have friends! He’s even allowed to do things without Kotetsu! Hell, he should do things without Kotetsu, since they can’t even seem to plan drinks together-
Bunny’s hand finds his for just a second, squeezing gently. When Kotetsu focuses again, he finds his partner smiling at him and raising his eyebrows, looking incredibly smug.
“What?” Kotetsu huffs, feeling his tail whipping back and forth behind him.
“Nothing.” Bunny answers, his smile firmly in place as he turns and takes his first steps into the cabin. Kotetsu stands just outside the doorway, watching him go, feeling uncomfortably annoyed and wondering what Bunny knows that he doesn’t.
“You’re going to let the bugs in.” Bunny calls, and Kotetsu cracks a smile, brushing off his irritation.
“Awe, little Bunny, are you afraid of a few mosquitos?” He teases, as he obediently closes the door behind him.
The cabin isn’t very large - there’s a living room directly in front of them, with a closed door that he assumes leads to a bedroom, and off to the right the modest kitchen is tucked away in the corner. Despite the small size, the inside is just as beautiful and well taken care of as the outside, with cozy looking furniture, and a large fireplace nestled into one wall.
“It won’t be my fault if you get bit by a brown recluse spider.” Bunny answers him flatly.
“Awe, c’mon, Bunny! They don’t have those out here. Do they?” Bunny ignores him, instead heading toward the closed door to the bedroom. “Do they?!”
He follows, his duffel bag still slung over his shoulder. Bunny has stopped in the doorway to the bedroom, and Kotetsu can just catch the perturbed look on his face in profile.
“What is it? Did you find a spider?” He asks, craning his neck to look over Bunny’s shoulder.
The problem becomes obvious fairly quickly, and it isn’t a spider.
There’s only one bed in the cabin.
–
The bed isn’t even the problem.
The problem is that Barnaby should have been aware of it. Mattia should have told him and Barnaby should have planned for it! He shouldn’t be finding it for the first time and realising now - when they’re already out in the middle of nowhere and they are not going back to Sternbild - that he’s going to have to share a bed with Kotetsu.
He takes a deep breath, willing his ears to relax and stop trying to turn back to express his displeasure.
This is fine.
It’s a king sized bed - there’s plenty of space for the both of them to share. It’s not like this is the first time they’ve been in close quarters or shared an intimate moment - hell, they’ve fallen asleep together in the Apollon truck on more than one occasion! Sleeping together in a bed can’t be that different. (But how have they been friends and partners for years, and never shared a bed before? It suddenly seems baffling that this is not a hurdle they’ve jumped in the past.)
It’s fine.
They will just be two buddy heroes - two platonic buddy heroes who are absolutely not desperately in love with each other - sharing a bed. In what is evidently meant to be a romantic getaway for couples.
He’s going to kill Mattia.
“That’s alright, Bunny! The couch is big enough for me to crash on.”
Kotetsu’s voice so close, his breath fanning against Barnaby’s neck, makes him jump. (How does he keep doing that? Has he developed enhanced stealth, along with ears and a tail? If Barnaby is a prey animal, shouldn’t he be aware of when he’s being hunted? Does he simply feel so safe with Kotetsu, he can’t imagine being in danger when it’s his partner at his back?)
“What?” He asks with far more acid than he intended, and feels Kotetsu take a few steps back.
“I’ll take the couch!” Kotetsu repeats, already heading toward the couch and setting down his bag.
Barnaby watches him leave, bewildered.
“You absolutely will not.”
“Eh, it’s not a big deal! And you can’t sleep on the couch, Bunny- what about your leg?”
Typical old man, thinking about Barnaby’s well being before his own - as if Kotetsu doesn’t have a bad back. And of course he hasn’t considered any solution but the first one to pop into his head. After all this time, he’s still keen on self-sacrifice and impulsivity.
“I wasn’t offering to sleep on the couch,” Barnaby dumps his own bag inside the bedroom, then crosses the room to pick up Kotetsu’s as well. “We’ll share the bed.”
When Kotetsu doesn’t protest, Barnaby turns to face him again, and finds his partner watching him from his place by the couch. His expression is so soft, so impossibly fond, that Barnaby is unable to look away, despite the hot blush rising to his cheeks. It’s an expression he sees on Kotetsu quite often, and it never fails to fluster him.
He lets Kotetsu’s bag fall from his hand, landing on the bedroom floor with a dull “thump”, effectively breaking the tension and releasing Barnaby from the moment. Kotetsu’s ears swivel forward, then back, following and shying away from the sound in turn.
“Hey! Be careful with the merchandise.”
Barnaby raises an eyebrow. “I’m almost certain this bag is older than I am.”
“It’s vintage!” Kotetsu protests, and Barnaby laughs.
“I’ll be sure to ask Kaede about that the next time I see her.”
And just as quickly as it left, that fond look is back on Kotetsu’s face again. Barnaby turns away before he can get sucked in again - he doesn’t know what to do with all that affection focused on him, and he’s sure they have better things to do than stare into each other’s eyes all evening.
His back to Kotetsu still, he clears his throat. “Come on, the grounds are supposed to be quite beautiful - we can go for a walk before it gets dark.”
Their walk passes without incident, and they make it back to the cabin just as the sun is setting. Given how eventful the last few days have been, this feels like a new record - Barnaby actually considers popping a bottle of champagne to celebrate the lack of sprained ankles or poison ivy. They share dinner together - the cabin, much to Kotetsu’s surprise, is of course fully stocked with everything they may need - and retire to bed early.
He almost expects it to be awkward - it’s not like he’s never seen Kotetsu change clothes before, but this is different, isn’t it? - but the unease never comes. Instead, he and Kotetsu go about their nightly routines in comfortable silence, taking turns in the bathroom attached to the bedroom, before moving to the bed. They don’t even fumble when deciding who should sleep on which side - Kotetsu automatically moves to the right and Barnaby to the left, and they slide under the covers in almost eerie unison.
Barnaby sets his glasses on the bedside table and turns out the small lamp. “Good night, Kotetsu.”
“Night, Bunny.”
They settle on their respective sides of the bed, and Barnaby listens as Kotetsu’s breathing evens out as he quickly slips into sleep. Barnaby himself lies awake a while longer - on his side, facing Kotetsu, with his arms curled up against his chest. He longs to reach out and close the distance between them, to cross the chasm that is the mattress and tuck himself into Kotetsu’s arms, but it doesn’t feel right. Kotetsu is already asleep, and while Barnaby is confident he would be welcomed, it just isn’t the same if his partner isn’t awake to do the welcoming.
He watches Kotetsu, the moonlight catching on the lines of his face, softened in sleep but not gone. Not for the first time, he’s immeasurably grateful for the way his life has turned out, and for the wonderful man sleeping beside him.
—
Kotetsu wakes to the sun shining on his face, a warm, heavy weight on his chest, and Bunny’s hair in his mouth. Some time in the night, he and his partner have become tangled together - Bunny sprawled on top of Kotetsu, one of his legs between Kotetsu’s own, his head on Kotetsu’s shoulder. His ears - those oh-so-tantalising bunny ears - are brushing against Kotetsu’s face - he doesn’t know if he wants to shy away from the ticklish feeling, or drag his teeth over the soft fur.
He shifts as subtly as he can, tightening his hold on Bunny to keep him steady as Kotetsu tilts his head back and away, trying to dislodge Bunny’s hair from his mouth without disturbing him. He’s successful, and Bunny doesn’t stir, aside from his ears twitching before he settles once more.
Kotetsu closes his eyes once more, content to hold onto Bunny for as long as he’s allowed. He feels a little bad, cuddling Bunny while he’s asleep and doesn’t know any better, but it also feels good to have his prickly little Bunny curled up in his arms - warm and soft and content. Besides, he doesn’t really think Bunny will mind - the other heroes may think Kotetsu is oblivious, but even he can tell that he and Bunny are on the edge of… something, so close to stepping over a line into something new. The timing just hasn’t been right.
Sighing, Kotetsu noses Bunny’s hair, taking a deep breath and inhaling the familiar scent of his shampoo. He can’t pinpoint exactly when it became not only familiar, but comforting as well, but he doesn’t think that matters. What matters is that they’re here now, together, and Kotetsu doesn’t think he’ll ever be ready to let go.
He’s not sure how long he lays there, basking in the early morning sunlight, before Bunny wakes, mumbling something incoherent and nuzzling into his neck. Kotetsu doesn’t move, doesn’t say anything, allowing Bunny to wake in his own time.
The general public think their beloved BBJ is a morning person - that he rises with the sun like Keith and goes out jogging every morning - something that Barnaby has done nothing to dissuade in interviews. Kotetsu knows the truth. He knows Bunny only gets up early out of years of habit, and that it is neither an easy nor a happy transition from sleep to wakefulness. He’s been on the receiving end of a vicious glare more than once, when he’d been the one chosen to wake Bunny up.
Eventually, Bunny lifts himself up on one arm, peering blearily at Kotetsu - without his glasses, and with his eyes still clouded by sleep, he’s squinting adorably. His ears are tilted backward, pliant and relaxed amongst his sleep mussed curls. He looks beautiful, with the sun streaming over his flaxen hair and pale skin.
“Good morning, Kotetsu.” Bunny greets, his words slurring together slightly, a tiny smile curling up his lips. He’s so very close. Kotetsu can’t help the way his eyes move to Bunny’s lips, watching as his tongue darts out to wet them.
Kotetsu reaches up with one hand, mindful of his claws, and tucks a wayward curl behind Bunny’s ear - for once, Bunny doesn’t bat his hands away, allowing Kotetsu to touch his hair without complaint. He lets his hand linger, fingertips brushing over Bunny’s cheek bone, then across his jaw.
“Hi,” He answers, his own voice rough, and watches as Bunny’s pupils dilate, as he leans in a fraction closer.
They stay that way for a drawn out moment, on the precipice, so close to teetering over the edge, before Bunny’s nose wrinkles and he yawns widely. Kotetsu can’t help but laugh, letting his hand drop to his side, his eyes closing again. Bunny sits up fully but doesn’t go far, straddling one of Kotetsu’s thighs, their legs still tangled.
“Your morning breath is terrible.” He grouses.
“As if yours is any better, little Bunny!”
Bunny huffs. Kotetsu shoves him to the side, off of him and onto the bed, where Bunny struggles to free himself from the sheets, twisted and rumpled as they are.
—
Kotetsu stands motionless in the shallows, knees bent slightly, arms out in front of him - waiting. He’s been at it for nearly twenty minutes now, insisting that, between the tiger traits and his own “innate skill” he’ll be able to catch them a fish for dinner. With his bare hands. He hasn’t been successful, but, Barnaby thinks, he does make for a nice view. (Having a tail necessitates wearing his trunks much lower than normal, and Barnaby is most certainly not complaining.)
He wonders when he should tell Kotetsu there aren’t any fish in this lake.
As much as he’s enjoying the peace and quiet - and the sun on his bare skin, as he lounges on a large rock in his bathing suit - he can’t leave Kotetsu hanging for much longer. He rises slowly, taking a moment to stretch, then wades into the pristine water to stand next to Kotetsu. His partner’s ears twitch in his direction as he approaches, but otherwise Kotetsu doesn’t move.
“You’re scaring away the fish, Bunny!” Barnaby can hear the pout before he can even see Kotetsu’s face.
He leans in close, bending to be at the same height as Kotetsu, “There are no fish in this lake, old man.”
In hindsight, he should have expected retaliation.
As it is, it catches him off guard when Kotetsu suddenly grabs him, lifting him in a (by now familiar) princess carry. Barnaby hardly has the time to shout before the cool water is surrounding him, as Kotetsu tosses him into the lake. He kicks off the bottom, feeling the sand and rock shift under his toes, and surfaces a moment later to see Kotetsu’s smiling face, and hear his uproarious laughter.
Barnaby scowls, pushing his hair out of his face with one hand, his ears twitching frantically to rid themselves of the water that is most certainly inside of them. Thankfully, he had the foresight to leave his glasses safely in the cabin. With his free hand, he slaps at the water, sending a wave of it crashing over Kotetsu. The laughter stops abruptly, and Barnaby watches as Kotetsu’s pupils dilate. He has mere seconds to react, before Kotetsu lunges forward and dives under the water, heading straight toward Barnaby.
He retreats under the water as well, making a valiant effort to swim away, but only makes it a few feet before a familiar, calloused hand closes around his ankle and tugs him back. He kicks out, not intending to hurt Kotetsu, but determined not to lose. His foot catches Kotetsu’s shoulder and gives him enough leeway to escape, swimming as fast as he can to the centre of the lake. He surfaces, gasping for breath, scanning the surrounding water for a glimpse of Kotetsu. Without his glasses, he can’t make out much, just the sparkle of the sun on the clear water.
He treads water for a long time, his heart rabbiting (ha!) in his chest. He hasn’t felt this much like prey since this whole ridiculous situation started, but he’s far from being afraid. Something brushes against his foot, and he instinctively kicks out again. This time, he hits nothing. He spins in a circle in the water, searching again for Kotetsu - there’s still no sign of him. He’s beginning to worry - how long can Kotetsu hold his breath for? - when strong arms wrap around his waist from behind, and Kotetsu’s warm breath puffs against his neck.
“Got you.”
Barnaby shivers, goosebumps rising along his exposed skin. It costs him precious seconds, giving Kotetsu a chance to tighten his hold, but there is no way a little teasing is going to make Barnaby lose. He lifts his arms over his head, and successfully slides out of Kotetsu’s grip, sinking beneath the crystal blue water again. The element of surprise is on his side this time, and he’s able to make it all the way to the shore before Kotetsu can catch up. He hears Kotetsu’s laughter, jubilant and carefree, following him, muffled by the splashing of water as Kotetsu runs out of the lake after him.
—
Bunny takes off into the forest - miles of bare skin glistening in the sun, his ears flopping almost comically. Kotetsu sprints after him, pushing himself to catch up. Bunny has always been fast, but Kotetsu finds himself wondering if the rabbit traits are making him faster. He darts between the trees, obviously trying to lose Kotetsu.
Kotetsu does not plan to be lost.
He chases after Bunny for what feels like ages - he hardly sees the forest around them, focused as he is on Bunny, it’s a wonder he doesn’t run into a tree or trip and fall on his face. Still, it’s only a chance mistake that gains him the win. Bunny stumbles, and the second of hesitation is enough for Kotetsu to catch up. With one final push, he lunges at Bunny, tackling him to the forest floor. A bed of leaves breaks their fall, but Kotetsu still hears the strangled gasp as he knocks the air out of Bunny's chest.
Still, he holds him down, hands on Bunny's shoulders - his Bunny is wily.
"Are you okay?" He asks, leaning in close.
Bunny narrows his eyes at him, and that’s all the warning Kotetsu gets before he twists under him, using his - rather impressive - legs to his advantage and flipping Kotetsu off him. He lands in a heap on the mossy ground, and in an instant finds Bunny on top of him again, attempting to pin him down instead. Kotetsu almost doesn’t move - his ears tilt and flatten to his head, and he tips his head back further, exposing more of his throat. He’s not sure why, but he knows in that moment, barely the span of two heaving breaths, that Bunny has won.
He shakes off the feeling, baring his teeth at Bunny - no, he hasn’t lost yet. They grapple, each of them using all the strength and tricks they have up their sleeves - everything short of actually using their hundred power - to get the upper hand.
He may not be stronger than Bunny overall, but he does have one advantage here - he outweighs him. Once he gets Bunny on his back again, the game is over, as Kotetsu manages to pin him, holding him down with his full weight. He won’t underestimate Bunny again - this time he remembers to adjust his legs so Bunny can’t pull the same trick as before.
He grins down at Bunny, all teeth, and leans in close again. “I win.”
He fully intends to gloat, but then Bunny is looking at him - his pupils dilated, his lips parted so Kotetsu feels every breath against his own - and he forgets all about their little game. Kotetsu swallows, watches as Bunny’s eyes dart down to his throat, then back up to his lips and finally his eyes.
“Bunny-” He breathes, so close now that their lips are nearly touching, that every breath is shared between them.
Kotetsu’s heart beat is pounding in his ears, but he’s not afraid - not with Bunny here with him.
A branch snaps.
Leaves rustle as something runs through the nearby brush, and just like that, it’s over. Kotetsu’s head snaps toward the noise, laser focused on whatever unfortunate creature is nearby - he’s half way up, ready to chase after it, before he realizes what he’s doing. He stills, ears still cocked toward the noise, tail flicking, and turns his gaze back to Bunny. Bunny, who’s flushed and bright eyed and giving Kotetsu a look he’s never seen before on his partner’s face - he looks hungry, and suddenly Kotetsu feels like he's the one being hunted.
—
Barnaby feels like a fool when he stomps into the cabin, barefoot and trailing dirt and moss behind him, like a child gone too long without a nap. He knows his ears are tilted back, as tense as the rest of him, but he can’t help it. He can’t help the way he grunts at Kotetsu in response to his attempts at conversation, either, and the humiliation of not being in control of himself is absolutely not helping his mood.
He’d been a hair’s breadth away from kissing Kotetsu only to have it ruined by an actual rabbit. Now he’s left cold, damp, and covered in forest debris, while Kotetsu pretends like nothing happened. (He refuses to believe that Kotetsu didn’t notice, didn’t understand his intentions. Kotetsu knows him better than anyone, and even he isn’t that oblivious.)
He shuts the bedroom door in Kotetsu’s face, and stands in the darkened bedroom, breathing deeply until the urge to bite him fades away. (And isn’t that something - he doesn’t know if that urge is the rabbit instincts, or his own.)
When he eventually emerges, dressed and clean, feeling no less foolish but at least more in control of himself, he finds Kotetsu curled up in front of the fireplace. He’s still wearing only his swim trunks, but he’s spread out a blanket to lay on and has built up a roaring fire. He looks dry, now, and the fur of his tail is a fluffy mess.
Barnaby measures his steps carefully, being as quiet as he can, but as he approaches Kotetsu’s ears swivel toward him and he knows he’s been caught. He stands behind Kotetsu, looking out the large picture window and resolutely not looking at the fire.
“Bunny, I-”
“Kotetsu-”
Barnaby huffs out a breath. They’re both silent for a long time, until Barnaby sits down at the same time that Kotetsu sits up, and they find themselves nose to nose. Barnaby tries to cling to the annoyance, the shame, but he finds that he can’t - not with Kotetsu looking at him like that, like he’s something precious. “Go ahead.”
Kotetsu looks away, opens his mouth, closes it again, clearly trying to think of what to say - that’s just like him, to spend all this time waiting and still not decide what he wants to say. Eventually, he lifts his eyes to Barnaby’s again, then further up until he’s-
“Are you staring at my ears again?”
Kotetsu at least has the decency to look apologetic. He laughs, rubbing the back of his neck, “They’re just so tempting, Bunny! I can’t help it! I’ve never seen a bunny who looks like you before, and I just wanna-”
His fingers curl at his sides, like he wants to touch but is restraining himself. Hm. If Barnaby concentrates, he can make the ears move with his consent for once. He does so now, tilting them toward Kotetsu and watching as his eyes track the movement, his pupils dilating.
“That’s because I’m a hare, not a bunny.”
He can tell Kotetsu isn’t listening, his gaze is still fixed on Barnaby’s ears, watching now as he tilts them back until they’re laying flat against his head, relaxed. Kotetsu’s brow furrows - he obviously can’t see the ears well enough for his liking now. Barnaby cracks a smile.
With Kotetsu distracted, he takes the opportunity to touch Kotetsu’s ears, taking one between two fingers and rubbing gently. He’s not surprised, but immensely pleased, when Kotetsu immediately begins to purr and push his head into Barnaby’s hand, his tail swaying contently behind him.
“Not fair,” Kotetsu complains, his voice lower, sounding strange around the purr, but he doesn’t move, doesn’t make any effort to get away from the touch. Barnaby drags his fingers through Kotetsu’s hair, scratching at his scalp as he makes his way to the other ear, giving it the same treatment. Kotetsu’s shoulders slump, the tension melting away, as he leans into Barnaby.
Barnaby shifts, letting Kotetsu tuck his face against his neck and nuzzle there. Goosebumps rise all along his arms, thankfully covered by the sweater he’d pulled on after his shower - he’s had enough embarrassment for one day, thank you very much.
The angle is a little awkward, but if Barnaby cranes his neck a bit, he can get a close up look at Kotetsu’s ears. “Did you know these white spots are to help with hunting? They look like eyes to a tiger’s prey.”
Kotetsu hums noncommittally - Barnaby’s not even sure he’s listening until, slowly, he lifts his head and grins at him. “Little Bunny- did you go and look up tiger facts because of me?”
Barnaby scoffs, but doesn’t deny it. “Of course I did, old man, I had to know how this might affect you, and that seemed like the best start. You’re the foolish one for not researching rabbits.”
Kotetsu’s smile turns sappy, and he waves his hands to dismiss what Barnaby has said, “I didn’t need any books to teach me more about you, Bunny.”
It’s Barnaby’s turn to look away, his face flushing - if Kotetsu mentions it, he’s going to blame it on the fire. He shoves Kotetsu away, not with enough force to actually move him, but Kotetsu obliges and flops onto his back on the blanket, still smiling.
They sit together for a while longer, listening to the crackle of the fire, and the distant sound of crickets and frogs outside. Barnaby suspects Kotetsu is starting to drift off.
“What if we never change back to normal?” He asks quietly, not really expecting an answer.
The silence drags on, until finally, “Then we get to stay on vacation forever.”
“Kotetsu.”
“Yea, I know.”
It’s not what either of them want, and they both know it.
Barnaby doesn’t get time to dwell on it, as Kotetsu’s fingers close around his wrist and pull, and he finds himself tumbling onto the blanket with his partner. He ends up sprawled on top of him, a mirror of their position earlier, and blushing so intensely he feels feverish. Kotetsu’s pupils are wide, covering most of the golden-brown of his iris - this time, his gaze doesn’t stray from Barnaby’s. There must be something wrong with Barnaby’s instincts, he thinks, because instead of feeling hunted, he just feels wanted, desired, cherished - all the way down to his bones.
Kotetsu’s free hand comes up to card through Barnaby’s hair, claws dragging pleasantly over his scalp, then hesitantly - so gently Barnaby hardly feels it - they trail up the length of one of his ears. He can’t help the way he shudders, the startled gasp that escapes him at the barely there touch. Apparently spurred on by the noise, Kotetsu grips his ear more firmly, rubbing it from base to tip with two fingers. Barnaby’s lips part around a noise that’s almost a moan, and he sees the way Kotetsu grins.
“Kotetsu,” He murmurs, meaning for it to be a warning - don’t play with me - but sounding more like a plea - please don’t play with me.
He’s been in love with Kotetsu for a long time - long enough that he’s spent more of their time together in love with him than not. He knows this isn’t a game to Kotetsu, he knows - or thinks he knows - that Kotetsu feels the same way he does. There’s still the slightest hint of fear, a tiny part of his mind insisting that he should run, but he squashes it down viciously.
They’ve wasted enough time for one lifetime.
—
The thing is, Kotetsu isn’t oblivious. He knows what everyone says about him, and, okay, he can admit to being a little slow on the uptake - but he notices things just as well as anyone else, it’s connecting the dots that doesn’t always come easily to him.
Which is why it takes him a while - that is, the entire walk from the lake back to the cabin and the length of Bunny’s shower - to understand what that look on Bunny’s face means. But he thinks he deserves to be cut some slack! After all, who would ever think that Barnaby Brooks Jr would be interested in Kotetsu? (Okay, so maybe Nathan and Ryan and even Kaede had hinted at it, or outright told him so in the past, but Kotetsu doesn’t think he can be blamed for being skeptical! …He can maybe be blamed for taking so long to acknowledge how he feels about Bunny, though.)
It isn’t until Bunny is looking down at him, glowing in the firelight, warm and soft and beautiful - that it finally clicks for Kotetsu. The look on Bunny’s face was hunger, not because of this stupid Next ability, but because Bunny wants to kiss him. Because Bunny was expecting a kiss in the woods, and Kotetsu mucked it up by getting distracted. (Which, also not his fault - he’s doing his best with his instincts!)
Now that he understands, though, he’s happy to give Bunny what he wants! …Okay, so his palms are incredibly sweaty and even though he can’t really see his tail, he’s pretty sure all the fur is standing on end. He wants to kiss Bunny - more than he’s wanted to do anything in a long time - he’s even sure that Bunny wants to kiss him, too! And despite how long it took him to figure that out, he’s also pretty sure that Bunny wants more than kisses from him - that Bunny loves him the way he loves Bunny.
But that doesn’t mean that it’s not scary, that it doesn’t feel like he’s standing on the edge of a cliff, about to take a step into thin air.
He can be brave, he decides. There’s nothing he wouldn’t do for Bunny.
He tangles his fingers in Bunny’s hair, intending to do something but instead getting derailed by the velvety soft feeling of Bunny’s ears under his fingers, by the wrecked little noise Bunny makes at the touch.
“Kotetsu.”
Kotetsu’s expression softens, his instinct to hunt pushed aside by concern for Bunny - because he sounds nervous, like he somehow doesn’t know how precious he is, how important, how much Kotetsu loves him. Like he’s afraid that this is all a game, or all because of this stupid Next ability.
Kotetsu resolves to make sure Bunny never doubts him, doubts them, ever again.
He lifts himself up on his elbow, closing some of the distance between them, watching as Bunny’s eyes dart to his lips, and then back up. There’s no confusion, this time, and nothing to distract Kotetsu from his mission.
He pauses, bare inches between his lips and Bunny’s, feels as much as hears the tiny exhalation of breath, and then, smiling, presses his lips to Bunny’s in a long awaited kiss.
The first kiss is chaste - both of them holding back, nervous despite themselves - but their lips meet again, and again, growing braver and more heated each time.
“I love you.” Kotetsu murmurs, barely audible against Bunny’s lips. He has no idea if this is the right time to say it - if he should have brought Bunny roses and champagne and told him over dinner, or if he should have gotten it together years ago, and told Bunny when he thought he was about to die on the floor of Justice Tower - but he’s said it now, and even if he could take it back, he would never want to.
Bunny sits up straight, breaking their kiss, perching stiffly on Kotetsu’s lap. His eyes are wide, his ears tilted forward, his lips red and wet and all of it very, very tempting. Kotetsu waits, and waits, and continues to wait until he starts to think that maybe he misread all of this and Bunny is about to ask him to leave- and then Bunny is leaning in again, capturing his lips in a kiss that is passionate and messy and perfect.
“I love you.” Bunny echoes into the kiss. When he pulls away this time, his eyes are damp, and he’s grinning in a way Kotetsu isn’t sure he’s ever seen before. It makes something warm and impossibly tender bloom in his chest.
“I love you,” Bunny says again, pressing his forehead against Kotetsu’s. “You stupid old man.”
—
In the end, the Next’s power wears off on its own. When Barnaby and Kotetsu wake the next morning, tangled up in each other and - at least for right now, in this moment - without a care in the world, they find they’re back to normal.
It’s easy to let it all roll off them, to lounge in the quiet of the forest and leave the problems of Sternbild behind. They’re not expected back for the rest of the week. Kotetsu’s phone has died, left forgotten in the bottom of his bag with the battery run dry. Barnaby’s is on the way there as well, having spent several hours buzzing with unread text message notifications.
He makes one aborted attempt to reach for it, only for Kotetsu to curl sleepily around him and pull him snugly back under the covers.
“Whatever it is can wait.” He decides for them both, pressing a feather light kiss to Barnaby’s shoulder, and Barnaby immediately relaxes into the mattress. He can admit Kotetsu is right - just this once.
They could go home, back to their jobs as heroes, their separate apartments - knowing that, despite their appearances, something has been forever changed between them - but, why waste a perfectly good vacation?