Sleep Induced [5/9]
Title: Sleep Induced
Fandom: Tiger&Bunny
Pairings: Kotetsu/Barnaby
Summary: Kotetsu and Barnaby sleep in the same bed. Everything's fine until one mishap causes them to crash and burn.
The rest of the day went by with no further interactions between the two. Whenever they were in the same room, the atmosphere got thick with tension, choking whoever happened to be there as well. At their desks, they ignored each other, not even sparing a glance to their partner. At lunch, Kotetsu had hightailed it out of the building to "eat with his daughter" as a clever excuse. In the afternoon, Barnaby had had a photoshoot for a new Apollon Media-sponsored product concerning bedsheets. Neither had been good-humoured enough to snigger at the irony.
No words had been exchanged all day. Even this morning, after the harsh realization that what they had been doing for the last past months was weird and wrong, Barnaby hadn’t replied to the bewildered Kotetsu. He had passed him without a word or a touch, gaze focused on the exit.
As evening rolled around, Barnaby contemplated the situation as he drove his partner home. Getting out of the side-car, Kotetsu looked disappointed when he sped away, fleeing the awkward situation.
Let that old man worry alone, he thought. He kept his eyes on the road, forcing himself to not look back and meet the crestfallen expression he was sure to find on the other’s face.
Killing the engine, the blond entered his appartment, heart unusually heavy. It throbbed painfully when he realized his flat would be empty tonight, as well as tomorrow morning, evening even. Deciding to stop dwelling on stupid thoughts, he sluggishly undressed. Chest a bit too tight, Barnaby took a long shower, spending entire minutes just standing under the showerhead, hot water pelting his tense muscles. No appetite whatsoever, he skipped dinner and went to bed.
Sleep never came. The sheets were cold and the bed felt way too big with only him in it. Countless times, he had rolled on his side, his back, his other side, his stomach, and started all over again. To fight the cold, he had turned on the heater. It only resulted in heavy sweating and him feeling even colder. Curling up, he huddled the cover already tightly wrapped around him closer to his face as he remembered one of his chilly nights at Kotetsu’s.
His heater had been under the threat of being cut off for a week now. He hadn’t paid the bills for months and of course, they’d decided to cut it tonight, which was when Barnaby slept over. Figures.
He had light shudders running up and down his spine, the discomfort keeping him awake. His back facing Kotetsu, he felt amidst his dozing warm arms collecting him against a hard and even warmer chest. The shivering had instantly stopped, leaving place to soothing heat. The scratch of his beard along his shoulder as he buried his nose in the crook of his neck only served to make him relax more, greatly enjoying the warmth coming from tan skin and deep breaths ghosting over his collarbone.
His shirt had quickly gotten soaked, forcing the blond to throw the cover off and turn down the heat. He changed his top, going back to bed with a few more pillows and covers in hopes of filling the empty space. He had long since accepted that he couldn’t do anything against the cold. However, he was sure the room left in his bed could be physically occupied by something else than his partner’s body. His expectations rapidly dissipated though when he realized that fluffy pillows and soft covers couldn’t replace Kotetsu’s steady heartbeat thumping against his back on cold nights.
On the other side of Sternbirld, approximatively ten minutes after he had been dropped off, Kotetsu was still staring down the road. He had watched Barnaby barreling down the street until he had turned the corner and couldn’t see him anymore, only hearing the fading sound of the motorbike as more and more distance was put between them. Not paying any attention to the gusts of wind biting at his skin, his mind wandered.
How did they miss the possible implication of their situation?
How did they even get into this, this, this routine, for lack of better word?
Taking into consideration what others might say had never crossed his mind.
Why would it?, Kotetsu thought, a bit irked. He had always ignored the public’s judgement of him "as a reckless, good-for-nothing hero who relied on non-existant, old-fashioned veteran experience", the children’s proclamation of "You’re a lame-o, uncle!", and even his daughter’s heart-breaking "You’re not good enough, Dad" when she was upset with him. Everyone crossed him as a failure, a clumsy old man who should retire. And he didn’t care what they thought of him, and probably never would.
However, Bunny lived for the public eye. So, of course he’d mind if wrong assumptions of him getting involved with a man - his partner at that - ever made their way to the civilians’ daily gossip. He’d probably lose a good part of his fanbase, his popularity would rise for all the wrong reasons and and -
He wouldn’t be considered a hero anymore. They wouldn’t be considered heroes anymore. How could the population trust a couple to protect them? If one of the two got hurt, which would come first? Saving their partner or the city? Their duty as heroes should reassure Sternbild’s citizens that they undoubtedly have priority but…
He derailed that train of thought. They weren’t in a relationship. They just slept in the same bed, shared home-made meals and mornings wrapped in each other by some strange happening of events. It all came naturally and not once did he take a step back to question the recent developpement in their partnership.
Kotetsu caught the edge of his hat, lowering it over his eyes as he finally turned around to open the door. He was a bit tempted to call Antonio to go out and drown his sorrow in alcohol but the hangover he would assuredly have tomorrow wasn’t worth it. Stepping in, he removed his shoes, throwing his hat on the couch as he passed by and turned on the TV. He was used to silence - since he had lived alone for five years now - but today, he needed noise to fill the heavy quiet pervading the place.
Normally, as soon as Barnaby would set foot on the parquet’s living room, he’d complain about the mess littering the floor and furniture. Kotetsu would simply rub the back of his neck, clearly embarrassed by his sloppy living style. He’d then go to the kitchen to start dinner as Bunny cleaned up the house, unable to bear the sight of such evident sloth. Tonight however, no one complained, no rustling of clothes as a jacket flopped down on the back of a chair, no silent shuffling against the floorboards, no steps passing behind him for the bin, no water flowing from the tap to wash his white and delicate hands, no leather couch creaking with him sitting on it, no Bunny.
It made him feel like a void had opened up in his chest, welling up in his ribcage. A sigh escaped his lips, head tilting to the ceiling, eyebrows pinched in confusion while sadness etched across his face. His gaze dropped to fix itself on the window, his expression reflected on the lucid surface. It was one he was too familiar with. One he had worn when his wife had died, one he wore when Kaede didn’t want to see him, one he wore whenever Wild Tiger was belittled as useless. And the one he wore now, staring at his ghostly-like self in the glass, dearly missing his prick of a partner’s presence, was the exact same.
Kotetsu was used to rejection but he had forgotten what loneliness felt like.
Fandom: Tiger&Bunny
Pairings: Kotetsu/Barnaby
Summary: Kotetsu and Barnaby sleep in the same bed. Everything's fine until one mishap causes them to crash and burn.
The rest of the day went by with no further interactions between the two. Whenever they were in the same room, the atmosphere got thick with tension, choking whoever happened to be there as well. At their desks, they ignored each other, not even sparing a glance to their partner. At lunch, Kotetsu had hightailed it out of the building to "eat with his daughter" as a clever excuse. In the afternoon, Barnaby had had a photoshoot for a new Apollon Media-sponsored product concerning bedsheets. Neither had been good-humoured enough to snigger at the irony.
No words had been exchanged all day. Even this morning, after the harsh realization that what they had been doing for the last past months was weird and wrong, Barnaby hadn’t replied to the bewildered Kotetsu. He had passed him without a word or a touch, gaze focused on the exit.
As evening rolled around, Barnaby contemplated the situation as he drove his partner home. Getting out of the side-car, Kotetsu looked disappointed when he sped away, fleeing the awkward situation.
Let that old man worry alone, he thought. He kept his eyes on the road, forcing himself to not look back and meet the crestfallen expression he was sure to find on the other’s face.
Killing the engine, the blond entered his appartment, heart unusually heavy. It throbbed painfully when he realized his flat would be empty tonight, as well as tomorrow morning, evening even. Deciding to stop dwelling on stupid thoughts, he sluggishly undressed. Chest a bit too tight, Barnaby took a long shower, spending entire minutes just standing under the showerhead, hot water pelting his tense muscles. No appetite whatsoever, he skipped dinner and went to bed.
Sleep never came. The sheets were cold and the bed felt way too big with only him in it. Countless times, he had rolled on his side, his back, his other side, his stomach, and started all over again. To fight the cold, he had turned on the heater. It only resulted in heavy sweating and him feeling even colder. Curling up, he huddled the cover already tightly wrapped around him closer to his face as he remembered one of his chilly nights at Kotetsu’s.
His heater had been under the threat of being cut off for a week now. He hadn’t paid the bills for months and of course, they’d decided to cut it tonight, which was when Barnaby slept over. Figures.
He had light shudders running up and down his spine, the discomfort keeping him awake. His back facing Kotetsu, he felt amidst his dozing warm arms collecting him against a hard and even warmer chest. The shivering had instantly stopped, leaving place to soothing heat. The scratch of his beard along his shoulder as he buried his nose in the crook of his neck only served to make him relax more, greatly enjoying the warmth coming from tan skin and deep breaths ghosting over his collarbone.
His shirt had quickly gotten soaked, forcing the blond to throw the cover off and turn down the heat. He changed his top, going back to bed with a few more pillows and covers in hopes of filling the empty space. He had long since accepted that he couldn’t do anything against the cold. However, he was sure the room left in his bed could be physically occupied by something else than his partner’s body. His expectations rapidly dissipated though when he realized that fluffy pillows and soft covers couldn’t replace Kotetsu’s steady heartbeat thumping against his back on cold nights.
On the other side of Sternbirld, approximatively ten minutes after he had been dropped off, Kotetsu was still staring down the road. He had watched Barnaby barreling down the street until he had turned the corner and couldn’t see him anymore, only hearing the fading sound of the motorbike as more and more distance was put between them. Not paying any attention to the gusts of wind biting at his skin, his mind wandered.
How did they miss the possible implication of their situation?
How did they even get into this, this, this routine, for lack of better word?
Taking into consideration what others might say had never crossed his mind.
Why would it?, Kotetsu thought, a bit irked. He had always ignored the public’s judgement of him "as a reckless, good-for-nothing hero who relied on non-existant, old-fashioned veteran experience", the children’s proclamation of "You’re a lame-o, uncle!", and even his daughter’s heart-breaking "You’re not good enough, Dad" when she was upset with him. Everyone crossed him as a failure, a clumsy old man who should retire. And he didn’t care what they thought of him, and probably never would.
However, Bunny lived for the public eye. So, of course he’d mind if wrong assumptions of him getting involved with a man - his partner at that - ever made their way to the civilians’ daily gossip. He’d probably lose a good part of his fanbase, his popularity would rise for all the wrong reasons and and -
He wouldn’t be considered a hero anymore. They wouldn’t be considered heroes anymore. How could the population trust a couple to protect them? If one of the two got hurt, which would come first? Saving their partner or the city? Their duty as heroes should reassure Sternbild’s citizens that they undoubtedly have priority but…
He derailed that train of thought. They weren’t in a relationship. They just slept in the same bed, shared home-made meals and mornings wrapped in each other by some strange happening of events. It all came naturally and not once did he take a step back to question the recent developpement in their partnership.
Kotetsu caught the edge of his hat, lowering it over his eyes as he finally turned around to open the door. He was a bit tempted to call Antonio to go out and drown his sorrow in alcohol but the hangover he would assuredly have tomorrow wasn’t worth it. Stepping in, he removed his shoes, throwing his hat on the couch as he passed by and turned on the TV. He was used to silence - since he had lived alone for five years now - but today, he needed noise to fill the heavy quiet pervading the place.
Normally, as soon as Barnaby would set foot on the parquet’s living room, he’d complain about the mess littering the floor and furniture. Kotetsu would simply rub the back of his neck, clearly embarrassed by his sloppy living style. He’d then go to the kitchen to start dinner as Bunny cleaned up the house, unable to bear the sight of such evident sloth. Tonight however, no one complained, no rustling of clothes as a jacket flopped down on the back of a chair, no silent shuffling against the floorboards, no steps passing behind him for the bin, no water flowing from the tap to wash his white and delicate hands, no leather couch creaking with him sitting on it, no Bunny.
It made him feel like a void had opened up in his chest, welling up in his ribcage. A sigh escaped his lips, head tilting to the ceiling, eyebrows pinched in confusion while sadness etched across his face. His gaze dropped to fix itself on the window, his expression reflected on the lucid surface. It was one he was too familiar with. One he had worn when his wife had died, one he wore when Kaede didn’t want to see him, one he wore whenever Wild Tiger was belittled as useless. And the one he wore now, staring at his ghostly-like self in the glass, dearly missing his prick of a partner’s presence, was the exact same.
Kotetsu was used to rejection but he had forgotten what loneliness felt like.