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“Trick or treat! I want a treat, I think…tonight…after work…?” Kotetsu teased Barnaby, standing against his chair and using his tail to pat his head in a way that almost annoyed the shit out of Barnaby – almost.
It was hard for him to get TOO annoyed at his single favorite person on earth, after all.
“Uh huh. You only get a treat if you dress up,” Barnaby answered, trying to concentrate on the reports on his screen. Things were looking up for Stern Bild, even if it was only by a little bit. A bridge had been reclaimed from Ouroboros so the city wasn’t as horribly isolated, but only so much could come in or go out.
It meant that Kotetsu still couldn’t see his family. Barnaby felt selfishly happy about that because he couldn’t handle Kotetsu leaving for a few days after having him to himself a good couple of weeks. He would have a breakdown.
As he thought that, Kotetsu distracted him. “How dressed up do I have to be? I already have a tail!”
“Then I guess you’ll need some ears.” Barnaby cringed. He didn’t really like to pick on Kotetsu too much about being trapped as a tiger. Kotetsu seemed to have fun with it and never appeared hurt, but Barnaby didn’t want to go too far. “Sorry. Maybe you should just hide under a sheet and be a ghost.
Kotetsu lowered his head, his mouth next to Barnaby’s ear. “Only if you join me under that sheet…”
“You’re terrible,” Barnaby muttered but he glanced at the secretary, saw she wasn’t looking, and quickly kissed Kotetsu’s cheek.
Kotetsu grinned and his throat rumbled with a brief purr right before the door opened and one of the doormen from the building walked in with a box. Both men looked up, Kotetsu straightening up a little slowly. They weren’t a secret really, but they didn’t need to be caught being a couple at work.
“Special delivery!” the doorman announced and nearly lost his balance with the box. Kotetsu rushed to help him and the man looked surprised. “Hey, thanks man!”
Why were people always surprised? Kotetsu was never bad, never mean. “No problem!” Kotetsu answered and grinned. He most likely showed his sharp teeth, at least that was Barnaby’s guess judging on how the poor doorman paled as the box was taken from his arms. “What a huge box! …It’s not a bomb is it?”
The man laughed then. “No, no, probably flowers or something. It’s addressed to Barnaby and his fans like to send gifts.”
“Oh.” Kotetsu nodded and backed toward the desks with the box. “Cool! Um…am I supposed to tip you?”
The doorman laughed more. “No, no, it’s fine. I need to get back to my post now,” he said with a chuckle and waved.
Well, that was one less person afraid of Kotetsu. Barnaby sighed and stood up so he could investigate the box. It was huge. “Geez…hand me the scissors?”
Kotetsu handed them over so Barnaby could cut the tape and open his mail. “You really do get gifts?”
“Well, just a couple, after I returned from finding you. I guess I made an impact on fans.”
“You’re really hot.”
“…Ah yes, well I guess there is that. Anyway, before you got back on duty I got some stuffed animals and stuff. I donated them. What do I even do with gifts? I ate some of the edible decorations though.” He opened the box and looked in, blinking. There were a lot of cards on top, multi-colored…ah…the fans knew. That made him nervous.
He would have to tell Kotetsu someday, it was ridiculous for him not to know.
Kotetsu peeked in the box too. “Cards….? Looks like…actual cards, not just fan letters…is that sparkly confetti in there?”
Barnaby just looked in the box, not wanting to look Kotetsu in the eye. “Today is my birthday.”
“WHAT!?” Kotetsu yelled it so loud that Barnaby was sure the secretary looked up in surprise, but he didn’t take his eyes off the cards blurring together in the box. He felt ashamed for not talking about it.
Why should he, really? His birthday was merely a date that meant he was older. There was nothing to notice about it, especially by then. His parents were gone, Maverick was…well, Barnaby was pretty sure he was in jail, but the point was he wasn’t in the father role that year. He also had not heard from Samantha the whole month, even since he finished his investigation. He hadn’t been able to contact her…
“Bunny, why didn’t you tell me? The entire day could have started even better! I could have gotten you a present, and made plans…shit! Is it too late to reserve a table somewhere expensive? I…damn!”
“Don’t, don’t, don’t…” Barnaby pleaded, raising his hand to his hurting head. “I’m sorry, I’m really sorry.” He fucked up.
“Bunny…”
“Please, I should have told you, I’m sorry…”
A warm hand gently took the one Barnaby held to his forehead and squeezed it. “My Bunny? I’m not mad at you. I’m not mad at you at all.”
Barnaby looked up slowly, looking into the wild yet warm eyes of his lover. “You’re not? I should have told you something important like this.”
“You should have, but I’m not mad. That would be silly. I’m just frustrated because I would have liked to create the perfect day for you.”
“Ah, I don’t need that…” His perfect day was when Kotetsu became human again, when Kotetsu came back with him to his apartment
Kotetsu just closed his eyes and kissed his hand, before singing briefly, very quietly to a tune that sounded familiar. “If I had words to make a day for you…I’d sing you a morning golden and new…” He nuzzled his hand.
“Ko-Kotetsu…” Barnaby blushed. “Kotetsu I should probably get into this box….I…” What should he say in response? Kotetsu’s reaction and affection…he should be more used to it but he wasn’t, not that morning.
“Yea, I guess so, you must have some great little gifts…” Kotetsu opened his eyes, but he didn’t release Barnaby’s hand. “But later, I’d still like to…”
“Yes?”
“I need to make your day perfect.”
“No, Kotetsu, it’s really not-“
And then their call bracelets went off.
*******
It rained most of the day.
And the wind blew.
The mission was a long one involving a shoot-out with some members of Ouroboros. They tried to take back the bridge, and failed. It was a good day for the Heroes, but it didn’t end there. After that, Barnaby and Kotetsu were out of their suits maybe five minutes before their bracelets went off again and they had to rush to a bank to take care of some more common, stupid criminals. It would have been easy if they were in their suits but they hadn’t been able to get back into them thanks to some damages from the prior call.
They ended the bank incident soaked to the bone and not feeling too well, so they went directly home. Barnaby didn’t even open his box, not that he cared too much.
They got in and Kotetsu immediately stripped – and shook like an animal. Water didn’t go flying off him like it would if he had fur, making the shaking sort of useless even if some water did come out of his hair. Barnaby just stared at him without meaning to.
When Kotetsu realized he was standing in the living room over a pile of wet clothes and drying himself off in a ridiculous manner, he just nervously laughed and asked what time it was.
It was six in the evening, which meant it was relatively early! Kotetsu brightened at that, and suggested a wonderful birthday dinner. He mentioned the rain likely kept the trick or treaters and troublemakers at home, so they could have a nice time! But, Barnaby just wasn’t into it. He shivered. He felt miserable. So, Kotetsu suggested a bath.
Now that was perfect.
It was also a little dangerous, since just seeing Kotetsu naked made Barnaby need an ice cold shower in Antarctica on a normal day.
But since he also felt like crap, it was difficult to even think about trying to get some kind of sex out of Kotetsu. When he saw Kotetsu sitting in the bathtub, smiling up at him and reaching for him, he felt fondness instead of more raw feelings. He was too tired to even feel embarrassed about being naked in front of him, which he had been several times. He still needed to get used to someone’s eyes seeing every detail of his body like that, knowing that it was someone who would be touching him.
Barnaby stopped thinking about it and slid into the bathtub, his back to Kotetsu’s chest. “Cats don’t mind baths, huh?” he asked, relaxing as Kotetsu’s arms went around him.
“It’s actually a fact that tigers enjoy water,” Kotetsu said, voice deep and close. He kissed Barnaby’s neck and the back of his head. “Not as much as they enjoy bunnies…”
“You made that second part up,” Barnaby said, and then leaned forward, almost out of Kotetsu’s grip.
Kotetsu released him anyway, and started to rub his back gently. “Maybe I did. I don’t know, it could be true! So…um…how ya feeling?”
“Better than I was earlier. This is nice. I know you wanted to go out somewhere or do something special but, this IS special, to me.”
“Doesn’t seem special enough.”
Barnaby moaned a little as Kotetsu found a good spot on his back. “This is the first birthday I’ve ever spent with an…ah…partner, I suppose.”
“Boyfriend?”
“Whatever word you’d like to use, but that sounds like a term for teenagers.”
“Hmmm.” Kotetsu chuckled a little, his thumbs rubbing circles on Barnaby’s back. “Lover?”
That did sound more ‘adult’, and Barnaby nodded. “Yes. I have you. I never care about my birthday either but…” He had to admit it. “I’m finding I care a little more about it now that you know.”
“You don’t care about your birthday?”
“It really has never mattered to me much. I don’t have friends to celebrate with, and it’s just another date.”
Kotetsu was quiet as he rubbed his back more, finally bringing his hands to his shoulders. Barnaby could get that he was bothered about it. He felt bad for it, but maybe it helped that he was starting to care that year. Having someone there for the day who cared so much about him was worth so much more than presents or dinners.
“Kotetsu, I think you’re my birthday present.”
“Eh?”
“I’m going to guess that you’re trying to decide, even now, what to get me as a last minute present.”
Kotetsu laughed and ran his hands down Barnaby’s arms. That meant Barnaby was right.
“You are enough. You are more than enough. I don’t even deserve you.”
“Why would you say that?” Kotetsu asked quietly, leaning forward so he could hug Barnaby.
“You’re a wonderful person, Kotetsu. You care about people and I don’t, for the most part.”
“Despite being a hero?”
Barnaby shrugged. “I don’t care past saving lives, I guess. Don’t care about their life stories, don’t care if their day has been bad or good. I only care about you.”
“You’re a tad detached. Okay. You still aren’t cruel or bad; you help people and hell, you really helped me. You deserve so much, Bunny, and I wanna give it to you.”
“You are enough. You are all I want,” Barnaby said quickly and truthfully. He didn’t repeat that he still felt he didn’t deserve him. Barnaby didn’t think of himself as a deplorable person, but someone who was worthy of being loved by Kotetsu…he wasn’t sure.
He rarely allowed such depressing emotional thoughts, but before that month he also rarely had cause for them aside from thinking about his parents. He even hated himself at times for feeling lonely. Emotions were troublesome and he needed to control them.
He couldn’t control loving Kotetsu. But he was alright with that for the most part. He just didn’t think he deserved him.
It was hard to shake those thoughts, and he just tried to relax into Kotetsu’s arms. Kotetsu just held him. Amazingly, he didn’t speak, didn’t try to convince Barnaby to celebrate more, didn’t press on gifts. He just stayed close and shared his warmth in the water that had already started to cool.
When it started to cool a little too much, Kotetsu quickly washed his hair and Barnaby’s. Barnaby had gotten a bit of a chill so they both stood up and Kotetsu turned on a hot shower for them – well, for Barnaby anyway. He gave Barnaby a wet, sloppy kiss and jumped out of the shower to say he would be waiting for him.
Barnaby only stayed in about five minutes, not wanting to waste water. He warmed up, hopped out, dried himself off, and slipped into a short sleeved black top and red shorts. He was a bit cold again, which made him regret getting out of the shower, but he knew he had to.
He walked out of the bathroom to an empty apartment.
Barnaby thought Kotetsu would be naked in the bed or something cheesy like that, but he wasn’t. He wasn’t in the living room or kitchen, and Barnaby groaned. Kotetsu had gone off to buy him something after all, and with the rain still coming down, he couldn’t believe the foolish man had run back out into it.
Well, he could busy himself making something warm to eat. Barnaby searched in his freezer for something easy to heat up. The weather had gotten to him and he suspected he might get a cold. It made him just want to sleep…
He was eating some cheap and super tasty chicken when Kotetsu showed back up, announcing his arrival by closing the door a little too loudly. It made Barnaby startle and take a deep breath before taking another bite.
“Yo! Bunny!”
“You went back out?” Barnaby asked, without looking up as he finished his last few bites of chicken.
“Yes. I’m sorry. I know you kept protesting, but…”
“You went against my wishes.”
“Look, Bunny…” Kotetsu sighed. “I’m sorry. I know you don’t care for, well, STUFF, and don’t want a big deal made of this. But I really wanted to get you something. It’s what I do for birthdays. I promise it’s nothing major. I just wanted to put a smile on your face.”
It was hard to stay aggravated. Mostly Barnaby was just bummed Kotetsu wasn’t there when he got out of the shower. He didn’t want to fight, not with Kotetsu, he didn’t have energy. “Okay…”
“Stand up.”
“Hmmm?” Barnaby finally looked up, and Kotetsu was standing there – wet, but not soaked, must have actually used an umbrella – holding some sort of plastic covered…fabric? Barnaby couldn’t tell. He pushed his plate away and stood from the chair, shivering as the one movement made him feel cold.
Kotetsu raised an eyebrow. “I see I got you the right thing…”
Barnaby stared and Kotetsu stepped closer. He opened up the thing – which turned out to be a robe, pink and plush, very cozy looking – and put it around Barnaby. He didn’t even put his arms through the sleeves, just wrapped it around him like a blanket and kissed his head. “I know you caught quite a chill today, and noticed you don’t have a robe and well…I wanted you to have something in the case I’m out, maybe like just now, and can’t keep you warm.”
Barnaby rolled his eyes. It was dorky. …But it was sweet. “Thank you, Kotetsu,” he said tiredly.
“I almost got you a toilet seat warmer! But um…anyway.” Kotetsu stepped away and reached for a bag he had set down. He picked it up and pulled out a little box. Inside was a cupcake with black icing and orange hearts on it. “Um, this is probably more for a romantic Halloween, I suppose, but it looked delicious,” he said, setting it on the table. Barnaby looked at it, wondering why Kotetsu got him cupcake.
…He had to admit it looked good. “Thank you,” he said weakly, again. He didn’t know what to say.
The last thing Kotetsu pulled out was a small bouquet of roses, brilliant and red. He looked at them, and then held them toward Barnaby. “Happy birthday I got you flowers!” His tail twitched back and forth, almost looking like it was wagging. He was nervous, though. Barnaby recognized that, and he softened.
He reached out of the robe for his roses and finally smiled. He felt loved. He wasn’t sure how to handle gifts or respond and he felt it was unnecessary, but he felt loved and that outweighed everything. That was all he wanted, honestly. “Ah, Kotetsu, you didn’t have to do this…” he said, inhaling the scent of the flowers. It was amazing, and he really did feel warmed by more than the robe.
“I know.” Kotetsu smiled back at him. “I wanted to. I wanted you to have a nice gift for your birthday, and I wanted to put a smile on your face.”
“…You still don’t get that you already do that?” Barnaby asked.
“Heh…” Kotetsu just shrugged, and Barnaby remembered he had his insecurities and worries too in respect to being a valuable, worthwhile person.
They were somewhat of a sad little pair, but they made each other happy and that was the important thing.
“Split the cupcake with me?” Barnaby asked, picking it up from the table in his free hand.
“You sure?”
“Of course I’m sure,” he said, stepping close to Kotetsu who put an arm around him immediately to give him a squeeze. “Let’s go sit in the chair and just watch television, or something.” What he meant was, sit in the chair and snuggle but he was too embarrassed to say that.
“Ah, birthday cuddles.” Kotetsu said it and Barnaby blushed despite his efforts to avoid doing so. Oh well. “Of course!”
“Good…Kotetsu?” Barnaby looked up at him. “Thank you for everything, Kotetsu. You really are my gift this year. I could ask for nothing better. You make me happy.”
Kotetsu blinked and blushed, but he looked pleased. He opened his mouth to speak, but didn’t do so for a few seconds, as if he was finding the words. Finally he settled on smiling again and cupped Barnaby’s face with both hands, one finger stroking his cheek. “Happy Birthday, Bunny.”