And... Action!

Kotetsu found it comforting that things were back to normal. He wouldn’t say things were peaceful; are they ever in Sternbild? Though the routine he and Barnaby had was… nice, to say the least. It sure beat being a taxi driver, not that he wasn’t thankful for the opportunity to try something new, even if it was due to him being fired. Being a hero just suited him better, especially along Barnaby’s side. After all they’ve been through, maybe there was some merit to the idea that they were better as partners. Would he ever say that out loud? Absolutely not, but as he mulled with his thoughts, taking steady steps to their office, it was time he started being more honest with himself. Though he was reinstated, he knew, ultimately, he would have to officially retire, eventually, especially as he grew older, as his power grew weaker.

With that in mind, it was time he started to cherish these times even more than he already did. Maybe he should start scrapbooking? Oh no— he really was becoming an old man… He let out a sigh as he took a seat in his desk chair. The smell of freshly brewed coffee hit his nose, and he made a hum of pleasant surprise at the sight of a filled cup on his desk. He glanced over to his partner, noting the identical cup, and he couldn’t help but grin. Barnaby was getting soft, how adorable.

“Well, I didn’t take you as the charitable type! Thanks for the coffee, Bunny,” Kotetsu was happy to sing praise when Barnaby showed him his cute side. He grinned as he lifted the mug to his lips. He was taken aback once the flavor hit his tongue— just the way he liked it, too! Not too sweet, not too bitter.

“...What? I didn’t make that,” Barnaby scoffed, pushing the mug away with his fingertips. Seems he thought the same, only that Kotetsu made it instead. His firm, furrowed brow indicated he must have had at least a sip.

“Huh?” Kotetsu stopped, holding the mug, peering into its contents suspiciously. Could someone have sneaked into their office and poisoned their coffee—?! Well, if he was going to die, at least he got a good drink beforehand. Or maybe it’d be something worse, like that time he ate some old shrimp and—

“You guys are so easy to work up.”

That voice… Smooth, confident, and incredibly obnoxious…

“I even went out of my way to ask the other heroes how you liked it. I deserve some praise, don’t you think?”

Kotetsu and Barnaby turned towards the source— Lo and behold, Ryan Goldsmith nudged the office door open with his foot, holding his own matching mug, his other hand resting on his hip.
The two heroes stared at him for a few moments before turning around. They both knew giving Ryan any attention wasn’t nearly worth asking why the hell he was where.

“Hey, helloooo, can you guys hear me? Jeez, you’re both so cold. The least you could do is say hi,” Even still, Ryan didn’t look deterred and waltzed up to the two. He downed his drink, Kotetsu could tell from the scent alone it was sickeningly sweet, and placed his dirty mug by Kotetsu’s. Kotetsu let out an annoyed huff, to which Ryan took as a sign to continue talking, to their misfortune. “Thought I’d visit my two favorite partners while I’m in town.”

“What are you doing here? I assumed you were staying overseas. Permanently.” Kotetsu was surprised Barnaby was humoring him with a response, nevertheless a question. Barnaby looked over at Kotetsu then, giving him an apologetic glance, as if he had anything to be sorry for.

“Well, yeah, the money’s way better over there, but I got an invitation to join in on the documentary you guys are doing. How could I say no? Well, I would have, but the check they sent over was pretty nice,” Ryan explained nonchalantly.

“Huh? We aren’t doing a documentary,” Kotetsu mumbled, rolling his eyes as he reached for his mug again. He avoided looking at Ryan directly, lord knows he’d have that stupid smug grin. Where did he hear something like that? Maybe the guy got scammed, suits him right.

“Oh, sure you are, they just tweeted about it a couple minutes ago. You didn’t know? Barnaby even liked it.” Ryan angled his thumb to point at Barnaby, whose phone was in his lap, hidden under the shadows of his desk on the lowest brightness setting.

“Wh— Barnaby, come on! We’re supposed to be doing paperwork, and you’re on your phone?!” Kotetsu leaned over and shook his head, exasperated.

Barnaby wrinkled his nose in contempt, but rather than deter Kotetsu, Kotetsu just thought it was… cute. “If you weren’t so old fashioned, you’d realize maintaining an online presence is integral to our duties as heroes.”

Alright, not so cute anymore. He crossed his arms and sighed, slightly turning away from Barnaby. "You can’t be serious. You think tweeting is as important as stopping criminals? If that makes me old fashioned, then fine! The youth these days, I swear.”

“You know that isn’t what I mean. Do you enjoy twisting my words?”

“Why I oughta twist—”

“Alright, alright, calm down, gentlemen,” Ryan interrupted, patting both of their shoulders. He was the last guy Kotetsu wanted comfort from. “You guys are still like this, huh? It’s a little embarrassing at this point.”

“I’m not sure what you’re referring to.” Barnaby stated, and Kotetsu had to agree, with a raised eyebrow and tilt of his head.

“Seriously? Don’t you guys remember that awesome speech about you two being partners? I meant it! Bickering is fine and all, but don’t you guys leave any room for, you know…” He closed his hands together and touched his fingertips against one another, making his hands ‘kiss’, accompanied by a high-pitched ‘mwah’ noise, from a grown man, by the way.

Kotetsu and Barnaby turned their heads forward once more, ignoring him completely. It wouldn’t be the first time someone’s implied something… more intimate than their actual relationship entailed. Whether or not Kotetsu has thought about it doesn’t matter. Probably.

Ryan nodded, tut-tutting with his arms crossed. “Ah, I see how it is. Don’t you both worry your little heads, I’ll get this all sorted out, and you’ll both thank me later, I know it. But for now… I’ll see you both on set later, ‘kay. Bye-bye, Tiger, Bunny.” He patted on their shoulders again, much to their annoyance, then went on his way, sashaying his hand in the air to wave goodbye.

“...Hey, you left your dirty mug here!" Kotetsu grabbed it by the handle and furiously waved it up in the air. Of course, Ryan didn't react at all, and he set the mug back down. "Tch, what a jerk. Whoever invited him along should get their head checked.”

“You’re kidding me! I don’t need advice from Ryan, I’ve been in this business for years! I know how being a hero works, and I know how TV—”

If Agnes’ eyes could kill, he’d have his funeral scheduled.

Kotetsu quickly reconsidered his approach. “...Well, maybe not exactly how TV works, but…”

“There’s no ‘buts’ about this. If you’re to stand out, you need to change things up. You already have a fanbase, that I can’t and won't deny, but to maintain it, you’re going to need to add something new to your image. We can't have you making a return again without it growing stale.”

Agnes' advice always chipped away at his pride, but he knew better than to act like she didn't know what she was talking about. Didn't make it sting any less, though. “Well, Barnaby’s pretty popular. I can go and ask him, if I have to… plus, I don’t see you talking to Bison about this popularity stuff.”

“I’m not an idiot, Kotetsu," Agnes flipped her hair, then pointed a finger at Kotetsu. "If Barnaby tells you something, you go ahead and do the opposite. And seeing how you know nothing of show business, Bison’s unpopularity is part of his appeal. We’d lose the few fans of his we had if we had him imitating Ryan. Despite Ryan’s… attitude, he has a dedicated audience, and you asking him for help will make you appear more humble, along with boosting your relationship with him. We can use that during filming.” As she spoke, she drew closer and closer, until her finger was at his chest.

Kotetsu held his hands up in defeat (and fear). “Fine, fine. I’ll hear what he has to say, but if it isn’t anything good, then I’m going with what I know!”

“Wow, you missed me that much? I’m surprised! Flattered, even. But I’m not too interested. You’re kinda old for me.” Regardless, Ryan winked at him, to which Kotetsu immediately winced.

“Will you quit joking around? I’m not–... ugh, forget it.” Kotetsu huffed and took a heavy drink of his beer. He was starting to think that inviting someone like Ryan to a bar was a horrible idea.

Talking to Antonio or Nathan over a few drinks was one thing, but… well, he had a habit of letting too many words slip, even more than usual, with alcohol at his beck and call. He figured that if he was to have some semblance of a friendship with Ryan that this would be the best place to start, but…

To put it bluntly, Ryan didn’t look too smart, instead like a typical douche with an obsession with women and anything that glittered. Though, the longer Kotetsu hung around him, he could tell there was something deeper behind his shallow lifestyle. Kotetsu knew the type. Those green eyes longed for a hint of a weakness, a secret, anything to keep things interesting, and he had the tenacity to keep prodding until he got what he wanted. All he needed to do was to keep Ryan at bay, have a surface level conversation that led to nowhere so he could keep Agnes off his back.

“Not what? Into guys? I find that just a little hard to believe. No offense, but you aren’t exactly subtle. Everyone has their little denial phase, though, so I get it.”

The problem was that Ryan just said whatever the hell he wanted.

“Huh.”

“You and Barnaby? I mean… I think anyone with a brain knows about you two.” Ryan squinted, circling the wine in his glass, as if contemplating what to say next. “Maybe that’s what you’re going for, though… You know, that’s pretty smart, the guy on guy fanservice. I should do that, too. Nice idea!”

Kotetsu nearly fell out of his chair. He raised his arms and crossed them to make an ‘X’, repeating the motion multiple times. “Are you kidding me?! We’re not like that, and even if we were, that isn’t what I came to talk to you about!” He realized that he probably shouldn’t have said that last part.

“Hmmm. Yeah. Well, I’m not gonna listen, so you might as well humor me, yeah? I’ll buy you another round.”

Regrettably, Kotetsu wasn’t one to turn down free drinks.

“Nngh. Sometime’s… I thhhink. Barnaby’s… pretty. Too pretty. It hurts my eyes! And… my— heart.” Kotetsu remarked, rubbing his cheek against the cold wood of the bar table. The bartender was doing his best not to look, but it was obvious that he found it amusing, as he set down another glass by the older man.

“Yeah? You’ve said that, like, five times already. Sounds like you got it bad, old man,” Ryan replied as he typed away on his phone, not even sparing a glance in Kotetsu’s direction. He held his phone up high, angling it to get himself and Kotetsu in the frame. He stuck his tongue out and held up a peace sign with his other hand and pressed a button on the side of his phone, then went back to texting. If it weren’t for the flash, Kotetsu wouldn’t have noticed, but he was too drunk to make a fuss over it.

“But he— he wouldn’t. See me like that. I know that already.” Saying that on its own sobered himself up. Or maybe it didn’t, actually. He could feel the familiar wave of sadness threatening to wash over him, and he was one drink away from either bursting into tears or burying it all down. With his awful luck, it’d be the former, but that was a risk he was willing to take to make it easier to bear, that was until Ryan grabbed his mug and held it above his head. He shot a hand up to grab for it, but it missed and knocked into Ryan’s wrist.

“...Ah, man. Don’t get all sad on me. Tell you what, I’ll give you some advice, free of charge, since I’m feeling real charitable.” Ryan set the drink down, far away from Kotetsu’s reach. “Obviously I don’t know everything about you two, and, honestly, I don’t want to. Buuut. It seems like you guys got a lot of history, but you haven’t really talked about what it all means to you. Maybe start there, and get back to me.”

Kotetsu grumbled in response. It wasn’t that he was ungrateful for the surprisingly thoughtful words, it’s just… hearing it made him feel so stupid. Of course it was that easy for someone else, but for him… Somehow, whenever he reached out, he always managed to say the wrong thing.

“You didn’t hear it from me, but… all Barnaby ever talked about was you.” A loud ding rung from Ryan’s phone, to which his eyes widened, and he immediately stood up from his stool. “Oops— I gotta head out. Molly needs to get dinner, she gets all grumpy when I’m late! I’ll leave you my number and call you a cab, so you can tell me how smart I am later. Try not to die on your way home. See ya.” Once he made sure his belongings were all in order, keys, wallet, and the like, he brushed his hands through his hair and winked before hurrying along out of the bar.

Kotetsu couldn’t remember how he got home, but when he woke up, he found his head and heart were much heavier.

He decided to take the day off.

The filming for Apollon Media’s sponsored heroes was supposed to start today, but without Kotetsu’s appearance, there was little they could do. Regardless, they did what they could, which resulted in Barnaby doing interviews about his colleagues, along with a couple photoshoots with Ryan.

Most of what was needed of him was done, but they needed a few more mundane shots of him for future editing. In the meantime, he found a bench overlooking a nearby park. It was quiet besides the sound of children laughing and playing amongst themselves. It was rare that he was able to be in public without being asked for pictures or autographs, but he supposed the children were having too much fun beating each other with sticks to care about anything else. It made him laugh under his breath.

While he understood the purpose of a documentary, he failed to reason why it was necessary for all of this. There was little anyone could ask him that would reveal anything new, Barnaby’s entire life was practically broadcasted to the entire world, what more could be said? Then again, his own opinion of the matter wasn’t really what anyone wanted. He had his role to play, and he played it well, he knew that. Heroes were as much celebrities as they were the city’s saviors. Still, he had an itch to do something more, something to make sure these children’s smiles would never fade.

Ah. The old man was rubbing off on him.

“Hey, why didn’t you respond to any of my texts? I thought me and Tiger’s selfie would’ve done it for you.”

Barnaby didn’t realize he was smiling, but he certainly wasn’t anymore. Ryan took a seat beside him, though leaving some space in between them. Was he finally learning about the concept of personal space?

Barnaby saw the texts. It’s not like many people messaged him in the first place. He didn’t consider himself a rude individual, despite what others make think. Blunt was a better word. He didn’t go out of his way to ignore others, nor did he have the desire to send out any ‘signals’ to indicate his disdain. It was much easier to be upfront on anything interpersonal. He knew this, and yet… “I don’t have time to respond to your messages.”

“Ouch. Are you jealous?”

Barnaby glared. His lips parted to speak, but he knew that he was going to lose this conversation regardless of the answer he gave. He shook his head and pushed his glasses further up his nose, trying to ignore how tense his body felt. Jealous? It was ridiculous, but… Kotetsu had never deigned to invite him out for drinks.

Despite everything they’ve been through together, they hadn’t made it a habit to meet outside of work. Was it because Ryan was more outgoing? Perhaps Ryan had suggested it, and Kotetsu went along. Did he need to be more forward if he wanted them to be closer? Not that he had a desire to—

“Hey, stop with that scary face. You’re way overthinking this.”

“Ah.” He rubbed the wrinkles that had gathered between his brows. Was he frowning that hard? He took a deep breath. In. Out. “Right.”

“So. My proposition. Tiger’s got a hangover for sure, and we both know he’s just sitting at his place all sad and alone. I’ll tell the producers you had something to do, so you can go be a hero and get him some actual food and hang out. Deal?”

Barnaby already had his coat on by the time Ryan finished talking.

“Deal.”

Kotetsu knew it was best for him to stay at home, but his head was killing him. Every step he took sent an agonizing spike down his entire body. He needed to start taking better care of himself, Kaede told him that enough, but his brain and body spoke different languages. All that he loved and cared for was always at the for front of his mind, his regard for himself stored away for when it really mattered. Still, he did still curse at himself for not stocking up on any painkillers or microwave dinners.

He stepped out of the convenience store with two bags heavy of personal hangover remedies, looking pleased with himself. The winter air made him shiver, and he tucked his head further into his green scarf.

“Jeez, it’s cold—” A piercing scream brought him out of his thoughts, and he instinctively threw his bags down and ran to the source. He hurriedly reached into his pocket and put on his mask as he darted into a dark alleyway. There, a man had a fistful of a woman’s shirt in his hands. He looked desperate, inexperienced with confrontation, with how shaky his hands were. It was obvious he didn’t want to do this. He couldn’t even look at her in the eye.

“Hey, stop! Let her go. We can talk about this.”

The man jolted at the sound of Kotetsu’s voice. Kotetsu made his move while he was distracted and lightly pushed him, holding him against the alley wall.

“Stop— please, she— she did something to me, I just want it to stop!”

The woman flinched and glanced away. Something wasn’t right here, but Kotetsu didn’t have time to pry any further. Once she realized the man wasn't able to push Kotetsu off, she suddenly took off, tears running down her face.

“Wait! Ugh, jeez. This is way more than I expected to do today.”

The man squirmed, not in resistance, but in pain. He was panting heavily, and he was so sweaty and red that it nearly made Kotetsu doubt it was still winter. Realizing that the man was in no shape to be a threat, he let go of him. He dug into his pocket and pulled out of his phone.

“I’m gonna call you an ambulance, alright? They’ll be able to help you out.”

“…C-can stay with me? It hurts so much. I-I don’t think I can do this alone. I’m scared.”

Kotetsu held his hand until the ambulance arrived.

Thankfully, someone was kind enough to keep a watch of his bags while he handled… whatever that was. The paramedics didn’t give much information as they wheeled him into the ambulance, but he was expected to make a full recovery after some monitoring.

That woman… likely had a NEXT ability of some kind. He remembered what it was like, to have a power you didn’t understand, to have that fear of hurting someone, or, even worse, to actually hurt someone. He wished he could have spoken with her. No one should have to go through that burden alone. Even with his powers declining, he still was afraid, sometimes. Afraid of his powers disappearing completely, and afraid that his powers would put someone else in danger. He was sure he’d have those fears until the day he died.

He moved the bag he was holding with his right hand into his left to be able to find his keys. He pulled them out and swung them around his index finger as he whistled and continued down the street to his apartment. The whistling stopped as he noticed someone very familiar standing outside the apartment gates.

“Bunny?”

Barnaby lifted his head up. His glasses fogged up as he exhaled in surprise.

“Kotetsu.”

“What are you doing here?” He walked up to Barnaby, looking up and down. Was he hallucinating?

“I came to check up on you. You weren’t at the filming today.”

“I told the producers I wasn’t feeling well. Ryan and I got up to too much trouble last night, hehe…” Kotetsu sheepishly admitted.

“But you didn’t tell me.” Barnaby's usual tone felt colder, then.

An awkward silence drifted over the two.

“Yeah…” Kotetsu cleared his throat. “Sorry. I’ll keep you more updated, next time.”

The silence came once more. Significantly tenser, this time.

“Well, I’d hate for you to come all this way and not get something out of it, so… Do you wanna have dinner? I just got back from shopping.” Kotetsu raised the bags up higher. Barnaby took one into his own hand and briskly made his way to the apartment gates.

“Only if you make something good.”

“Is that a challenge?” Kotetsu ran up to him and elbowed Barnaby’s side. He got a playful glare out of it. “You’re in for the meal of a lifetime.”

The two continued to talk on their way up to Kotetsu’s apartment, about work, about themselves, about their friends. They were always able to fall into a perfect rhythm of banter. Kotetsu would push, and Barnaby would pull, and their lively arguing usually just ended up with them laughing. It was strange for Kotetsu to have any noise coming from his apartment, besides the television, but he didn’t mind it. Maybe… they should do this more often. Kotetsu didn’t know why he didn’t reach out to Barnaby, specifically. He supposed he just assumed Barnaby was either busy or not interested, but by the smile on the blonde’s face after he told a horrible joke, the latter wasn’t the case, at the very least.

Even as Kotetsu started cooking, they kept talking. Then again, it was always like this, wasn’t it? They could never keep their mouths shut around each other, especially when they started arguing. Sometimes Kotetsu wanted to shut Barnaby’s mouth with his own— Alright, no. That was a weird thought he was going to ignore— but god, he wonders what he kisses like—

Something was wrong. Kotetsu felt a warmth drift over him, and it slowly ignited until he could feel himself sweating, panting— Just like the man from before. He dropped the spoon he was stirring the rice with and nearly fell to the floor, only held up by his hands pressed against the countertop. Barnaby immediately was at his side, and he could hear him speaking, but he couldn’t make out the words… He could feel Barnaby’s hands on him, and he let out a whimper. Not out of pain, but out of need. Barnaby must have thought it was the former, though, and lifted Kotetsu up, one hand under his legs and the other on his back and darted to his bedroom. It wasn’t the first time he’s been carried like this, and he doubted it would be the last.

Thankfully, the bedroom door was open, and Barnaby quickly placed Kotetsu on the bed. He put the back of his hand against Kotetsu’s forehead to feel his temperature.

“You’re burning up.”

“Mm. The meat is… going to burn…”

“That’s what you’re worried about right now?” Barnaby sighed and shook his head. Kotetsu couldn’t help but laugh, even if it hurt to do so.

“I’ll get you something to drink—” Barnaby moved to leave, but Kotetsu’s hand shot out and wrapped around his wrist. The thought of being alone like this made his body ache. He needed Barnaby here. Every fiber of his being needed Barnaby to stay and touch him, please—

Barnaby felt tense under his touch. He could feel the strength in his grip beginning to fade, and his heart ached at the thought of not being able to keep Barnaby here. Even still, his partner’s back was all he could see. He whined as his arm fell to the bed, but that wasn’t the only weight that joined him.

Barnaby was straddling him; his face burning the same beet red. Barnaby always had an intense gaze, but this time he could sense something darker reflecting in those bright green eyes.

“Kotetsu—”

“Do it, Bunny. I feel it, too.”

Barnaby lowered his head, lips peppering his cheek down to the crux of his shoulder. “Don’t call me that. Especially now.”

Kotetsu arched his back; Barnaby’s kisses soothing against his achingly hot skin. He moved a hand to the back of Barnaby’s head, stroking his curls in encouragement. Barnaby hummed contently at the touch and continued to leave open mouthed kisses on his neck and shoulder. Soon that was proving not to be enough for Barnaby, and he lifted himself up, eyes looking up and down Kotetsu’s body. Kotetsu felt a little embarrassed, looking away from Barnaby’s stare and covering his body with the sheets. Barnaby furrowed his brows and ripped the sheets off him and the bed. Next to go were his clothes, shirt, pants, and all, as Barnaby tore from his body with a loud rip. His brute strength made Kotetsu’s cock twitch. “Barnaby?!”

“Sorry, I— can’t help myself.”

Kotetsu didn’t mind, really. More surprised, than anything. Oh, and horny, too. Now he was really embarrassed, though. His body wasn’t nearly as impressive as Barnaby’s, in his opinion. His body was littered with scars, from accidents and from work. His muscles were dense, yet soft to the touch, and while he prided himself on his strength, he didn’t look anything like the supermodels on TV or magazines—

“You’re beautiful.”

Kotetsu's eyes widened. “Huh?”

“I said you’re beautiful.”

“You shouldn’t be calling a man that— ah!” Barnaby pinched Kotetsu’s nipples between his fingers with an unamused look. He supposed that was his way of getting him to shut up, and it worked. Barnaby’s hands continued down his body, groping his stomach, his hips, his thighs, until he reached his cock. Barnaby’s nimble fingers curled around his shaft. Just the touch alone was enough to make his entire body lift off the bed, biting his lip to keep himself from making too much noise. Barnaby wasn’t pleased with that, apparently, and started to pump his fist, too fast and too rough. Kotetsu couldn’t stop himself from twitching and begging, sweet pleads and cries escaping his throat. The tip of his cock wouldn’t stop leaking precum, and it made Barnaby’s jerks that much faster.

He couldn’t remember the last time he sat down and got himself off, but now he wished he’d dedicated a little more time to some self-pleasure, just enough to build some sort of buffer so he wouldn’t be so sensitive. He was so overwhelmed that he didn’t notice Barnaby leaning in closer and closer until he smashed their lips together. All of Kotetsu’s self-control left then. He moaned into Barnaby’s mouth, their tongues twisting and curling around one another. He could feel himself on the edge of cumming, his bucks growing more shaky and desperate, body feverish beyond belief, vision growing thinner and thinner until all he could see was white. His toes curled, his hands held onto Barnaby’s shirt for dear life, and he moaned so loud that he was certain he was going to get a complaint about it later. He took trembling inhales of air as his body came down from the high.

His cock was still hard in Barnaby’s hand. It wasn’t enough. He almost wept. He looked down and nearly drooled at the sight of Barnaby’s own arousal tenting in his pants. Even now, his partner was as selfless as ever.

“Barnaby, I—nnneed you to,” he gulped, “to fuck me. Now.”

“What? I can’t—”

“You can, look.” Kotetsu spread his legs, pulled back his cheeks with his hands, trying his best to be as seductive as a man nearing his forties’ could. The stunned look on Barnaby’s face made him worry that it made the younger soften, but it did the full opposite. Barnaby pulled Kotetsu’s legs over his shoulder, undid the buttons of his pants, and pulled his hard cock out so fast Kotetsu wondered if he activated his powers. The thought made him laugh, and Barnaby tilted his head at the sound.

“What’s funny?”

“Nothing,” Kotetsu placed his hand on Barnaby’s cheek in reassurance, stroking the skin there with a thumb. He didn’t miss Barnaby closing his eyes and leaning into his palm with a small smile.

“Is this okay?” Barnaby opened his eyes then, though they didn’t look Kotetsu’s way as he spoke.

“Yeah. It is.” He patted Barnaby's cheek.

Barnaby’s gaze returned to him, and he nodded. “Do you have lube? Condoms?”

Kotetsu made a low noise as he thought. He couldn’t remember the last time he bought them, and even if he had them, he wouldn’t know where he stashed them. He lowered his hand from Barnaby’s cheek to the space between his legs, fingers collecting the slick that gathered around his cock and hole. He dipped a finger inside himself to test the feeling, surprised to find himself… loose. Whatever had taken hold over the both of them must be responsible. At least it was convenient. He wiped his fingers clean against the bed.

“I think I’ll be fine without them— woah!”

Barnaby’s restraint was dwindling, it seemed. He pinned both of Kotetsu’s hands above his head with one arm, the other hand occupied by tightly gripping his left thigh. The head of his cock nestled against Kotetsu’s hole, light pushes threatening to breach him open. His legs trembled with anticipation. Nothing could have prepared him for the push that finally split him apart. His mouth hung open as he groaned in delight, each inch that drove inside him made the ache in his body subside.

Barnaby stilled once he fully entered him, giving Kotetsu and himself time to adjust. Some of his hair clung to his sweaty, flushed face. Beads of sweat dripped down his neck onto Kotetsu’s chest. It was warm, comforting, to be so close to one another, Kotetsu wondered why they hadn’t done this sooner. He basked in the intimacy between them, letting his eyes flutter as the endorphins took over.

“I love you.” The words left Kotetsu’s mouth without much thought. He didn’t realize the significance until he felt Barnaby pull away. He gulped, the blood in his veins running cold. He expected the worst, that the declaration would sober them both up, and that their relationship would be ruined beyond repair, and—

“I love you, too.” Barnaby took off his glasses and placed them on the bedside table. “I have for a long time.”

Oh.

It was silent, for a moment. They both let their words hit their ears, head, and heart. Then Kotetsu pulled Barnaby back down and licked his bottom lip. Barnaby got the message and met his tongue, tilting his head to make their heavy kiss deeper. Barnaby’s hips started to move, and Kotetsu didn’t care to stifle his moans. Barnaby was gentle, at first, his thrusts slow and smooth, but as soon as Kotetsu got used to the pace, he let all his inhibitions go and fucked him like he was starved for it. There were likely going to be bruises on his legs with how hard Barnaby held tight, as if he let go for even a second, Kotetsu would disappear. Barnaby cursed and moan as he ravaged Kotetsu. How lucky he was to see the young hero so disheveled, for once. All over him. It made his heart swell.

Barnaby shifted his hips a little, as if he was looking for someth—

“Ah! Fuck!” Kotetsu grabbed Barnaby’s shirt so hard that it ripped at the seams. Barnaby looked pleased with himself, and the smug bastard kept ramming into that spot over and over. Kotetsu thought he was going to die. It was too good, too much, and he could feel tears at the corners of his eyes. “Yes, yes, please, ah, Barnaby, I love you—”

He would’ve been embarrassed at how fast he came onto his stomach if Barnaby wasn’t close behind, feeling his warm, thick seed fill his hole. He expected it to feel gross, but no, in fact, he wanted more of it. Just as he expected, his erection wasn’t close to going down. Barnaby’s dick hadn’t softened inside him, either.

“Another round?” Kotetsu lightly chuckled, petting Barnaby’s hair. Barnaby leaned down and nibbled under his earlobe. He supposed that was a ‘yes.’

He couldn’t remember how many times they fucked that night. He remembered Barnaby taking him on the bed, on the floor, and against the walls. He remembered how Barnaby left so many hickeys and bitemarks along his entire body, so much so that he had no idea how he was to hide them. He remembered Barnaby cumming into him each and every time, and how his moans ringed like songs. He remembered after the high finally left them, Barnaby held him close, and Kotetsu listened to his breathing as exhaustion swept over him.

They were going to have a long talk in the morning.

Kotetsu woke up alone. He stretched and grimaced as he listened to his body crack with his every move. What he was going to reason as a very vivid wet dream was crushed when he looked himself in the mirror. Jeez, that man went to town.

Did he expect this? Yes. Did it still hurt? Absolutely. Kotetsu was used to the solitude, but after getting a taste of how it felt like to be held again, it just stung more. He half heartedly went through his morning routine, starting with a lukewarm shower and finishing with pajamas lazily thrown on. There was no chance in hell that he was going out today, not with how sore and lonely he felt.

There was probably still a tub of ice cream in the freezer he could eat for comfort. He sulked his way into the kitchen. Just as he was about to reach for the fridge handle, his ears caught a hint of… the television? He must have left it on last night. He sighed, scratching his back as he moved to the living room.

Barnaby was seated on his couch, fully dressed, eyes glued to the TV. Though, when he heard Kotetsu make a noise of surprise, he turned his head.

“Good morning.”

“Uh… Good morning.”

Kotetsu moved closer and noticed a pen in his hand. There was a half written note on the table in front of him.

Barnaby looked away and cleared his throat. “I was going to leave a letter, but I didn’t think that would be right. It would be better coming directly from me.”

Oh, here it was. The awkward agreement to never speak of this again. He’d rather have just stayed in bed if he knew this was coming. The hurt was written all over his face, and Barnaby must have noticed, as he got up from his seat and slightly bowed.

“I’m sorry. I took advantage of you. I understand if you don’t wish to see me,” He paused, looking uncharacteristically nervous, ”…and if you would like to end our partnership, I will comply.”

Huh.

“Wait— hold on, hold on! I think you’re jumping to conclusions here, Bunny! You didn’t do anything like that! I, er… I liked it, and I wanted it, too. I figured you had regretted it—"

“No— I would never. I…” Barnaby stood up to his full height and hesitantly reached for Kotetsu’s hand. When Kotetsu didn’t resist, he gently took it, rubbing his thumb against it. “I meant what I said then. I love you.”

“...You really know how to sweep a guy off his feet. I might faint!”

“Get serious.”

“Alright. I love you, Barnaby.”

Barnaby’s heart nearly stopped, and his face lit up like a ripe tomato. Kotetsu thought it was extremely adorable, and he squeezed Barnaby’s hand. They both leaned in, and—

“Breaking news! Officials have caught and rehabilitated the NEXT inflicting what they call ‘Aphrodisiac Amplification’ onto Sternbild Citizens. The affliction is passed through touch and renders the infected with extreme physical arousal. One moment— What’s this? We have just received word that if you attempt to… subdue symptoms with another partner, it is vital to use protection, as pregnancy is possible, regardless of sex of either party! If you believe to have suffering from this condition still, it is highly recommended that you go to the nearest emergency room. This is Mark, signing off.”

Kotetsu supposed they still had much to talk about, now.

When Barnaby and Kotetsu failed to show up to filming, Ryan took the blame, to everyone’s surprise. The unexpected responsibility from him was soon forgotten, as immediately afterwards he caused a massive internet storm left for the company to handle with just a singular tweet.