Chapter Text
Barnaby was sitting on a couch across from Mattia. Mattia had previously invited him over for a hangout but it somehow turned into a questionably long rant about Kotetsu because Mattia made the mistake of asking Barnaby how Kotetsu was holding up after the fight with Audun.
“The thing is I know he’s in pain still but whenever I bring it up he always tries to dodge it like it’s nothing! He seriously acts more and more like a child…”
“It seems like you really care for him a lot. If I didn’t know any better I’d say you’re deeply in love with him.”
Mattia giggled at his own joke. He looked up and saw Barnaby’s face that was spaced out, facing the floor.
“Oh, I’m sorry I didn’t realize that you actually are…”
“No, it’s not that… I think…”
“So you’re not sure…?”
“Yeah. I’ve been thinking about him more lately… and my dreams are about him as well sometimes…”
“That definitely sounds like you have a crush!”
“I think that too but… if Kotetsu will even accept that”
Mattia felt deep empathy for Barnaby. He was a close friend to him and didn’t want him rejecting any hope for a man he very much clearly felt passionately about.
“Barnaby… you said that you know that you guys mean a lot to each other. And that you know that he cares a lot about you. I think that you two would have mutual feelings for each other.”
“Do you think I should tell him?”
“Absolutely.”
Barnaby walked to Mattia and gave him a tight hug.
“Thank you Mattia. You always know what to say. Is it ok with you if I leave early to go talk with him?”
“Go right ahead I don’t mind.”
“ thank you.”
Barnaby let Mattia go and rushed out of the building. Barnaby was driving through the street. Would Kotetsu really want to hear him out? It’s a Thursday night so hopefully he’ll be sober enough to process what comes out of Barnaby’s mouth.he probably should’ve called first to make sure he wasn’t busy or was even home.
Barnaby found himself standing in front of Kotetsu’s door. Heart beating fast and mind filled with endless possibilities for what could happen while Barnaby was waiting for Kotetsu to open the door.
The door is open. There he is.
“Hey bunny…”
“Kotetsu…? See you alright…?”
“Yeah why do you ask? Oh wait- I do look a little messy don’t I…? I’m sorry little bunny”
Great. Not only was Kotetsu intoxicated but he was so intoxicated that he started to call Barnaby the nickname that he despises worse than his main one. “ little bunny”. He hates that name. It makes him feel like Kotetsu’s stable mindset is completely gone. It also makes him feel like he isn’t being taken seriously. Barnaby was going to have to wait to tell Kotetsu how he felt another time. In the mean time, now, he was going to have to take care of Kotetsu.
Barnaby doesn’t ask to come inside of his home. He simply walks in and Kotetsu allows him to while stumbling backwards.
“ why must you continue to drink until you can barley think at all…?”
Barnaby storms around the apartment picking up all of the beer and alcohol bottles scattered across the floor.
“ bunny… what ya doing…? Just put all of those down k…?”
Barnaby tosses all the bottles in a bin and drags Kotetsu to his bed.
“Stay here and sleep this off.”
“Wait bunny what’s going on? What’s up with ya huh?”
“…I wanted to have a serious conversation with you and you’re so drunk you can’t even take two steps without wobbling!”
“Oh… gee I’m sorry… just spend the night… we can pick this up when we first wake up.”
“…I’ll be back in the morning…”
Barnaby left before he could hear any nonsense that he knew Kotetsu was gonna try to say to him. I didn’t want to admit it but he was furious that Kotetsu was like that. He never liked the fact that Kotetsu drank so much he couldn’t stand straight on his own. It wasn’t okay to Barnaby, and it made him want to throw out every bottle of alcohol that Kotetsu owned and stop him from drinking it all together. Not to mention Barnaby noticed that Kotetsu had been hard drinking a lot more recently over the past few weeks. If Kotetsu kept going as he did, then Barnaby would fear the worse for Kotetsu. Also noticing that Kotetsu had untouched bottles in his house also made him worry. Barnaby walked away from his car and back into Kotetsu’s house.
“ I’ve changed my mind I’m staying the night.”
“Really..?”
Barnaby looked at Kotetsu, who was at the bottom of the staircase.
“Where were you going?”
“dunno… to get more booze I guess…”
“ you’ve had well over your fair share of it for one night. Let’s go to bed.”
“ I’m not tired.”
“Ugh… I knew you were going to be difficult…”
“Hey!”
Barnaby gently pushed Kotetsu up the stairs.
“Hey…”
“Go to bed.”
“I said I’m not tired”
Kotetsu pushed Barnaby back
“Kotetsu I’m not going to play these games with you.”
“Come on bunny let’s have a drink together!”
“No, Kotetsu.”
“ ugh. You’re so boring…”
Barnaby spent all night trying to get Kotetsu to lay down and avoid drinking more than he already did. Luckily for him it only Kotetsu to trip onto the couch to knock out. Barnaby was concerned over the way he fell asleep but when Barnaby checked on him he was relieved to see Kotetsu didn’t have any marks. He picked up Kotetsu and carried him to his bed. Barnaby wanted to leave and go back to his own bed but it was 4 in the morning. Kotetsu wouldn’t mind if he slept on his couch right?
Barnaby put his glasses on the coffee table and laid down. Before he knew it, Barnaby woke up to the morning light. Except that it was 1 in the afternoon. I sat up and put on his glasses.
“Morning bunny. Had a nice nap?”
“…Kotetsu…?”
“ I gotta tell you I was really shocked when I walked down here and saw you knocked out in my couch. What happened the other night?”
“I was… I came to tell you something but you were really drunk so I stayed… to make sure you were okay…”
“Aw, you didn’t have to do that, I was perfectly fine. Besides I’m a grown man I don’t need anyone to look after me. But anyway, what did you wanna tell me?”
Barnaby was felt shocked and unprepared at his question. He came here to tell Kotetsu how he felt so what is the problem now? He couldn’t get the words out…
“ well I- …I just… never mind. Don’t worry about it.”
“ come on… you spent all this time here just to say never mind? Just tell me, I won’t hate you I swear.”
But that’s exactly what Barnaby feared what Kotetsu would do. Barnaby loved Kotetsu. He wanted to tell him how much he loved him. He wanted to hold Kotetsu and express his absolute concern for him without needing to hold back. But Kotetsu has a child. He had a wife that Barnaby was almost sure that he was still completely in-love with. And Barnaby was a man. As far as Barnaby knows, Kotetsu has never shown any romantic attraction towards a man or men in general so that already puts more doubt in how he would react to Barnaby’s confession.
“No it’s fine, really… I’ll tell you another time deal?”
“Fine… but I’ll be waiting on you to do it.”
“That’s fine. And also, are you feeling alright? You drank a lot last night.”
“ oh I’m fine. I do it all the time so it doesn’t really affect me that much.”
“ Kotetsu maybe you should stop that habit… it’s really not healthy for you.”
“Eh, I’m fine.”
“… okay…. I’m going to head out now. Have a good day Kotetsu.”
“Don’t want to stay a little and eat?”
Fearing that Barnaby would be too awkward to hide that fact that he was hiding something from Kotetsu, he denied the request.
“Uh, no thank you. I have to go home and freshen up anyways.”
“Alright suit yourself!”
Kotetsu yelled after Barnaby then heard the door shut.
Kotetsu was alone again.