The next morning, Barnaby was up early enough to see the sun break over Sternbild's tiers, splashing the banks of glass with pearly yellow light. Not all that surprising, since he'd hardly slept the night before and woke up wired at three thirty am. He labored in front of his closet for an hour, agonizing over wardrobe choices and the fact that he was agonizing over it at all. Finally, dressing simply in a white dress shirt and tailored navy jacket, arty jeans he was currently promoting accented by his favored white belt and boots designed to look rugged although they hardly knew the feeling of dirt, Barnaby set off to work. He took the long way, the streets drowsy and traffic mockingly light.

It was like they'd derisively made way for him, like they all knew he was insane, dragging himself to work three hours early over a man. Perhaps he had completely lost his mind, but it was his man, he reminded himself with pride. For now.

Barnaby had assumed that he'd have the office to himself – it wasn't yet six o'clock. Not even Lloyds came in that early. But as he strode into the office, he was startled by the ubiquitous presence of Ms. Carter, their account manager. She sat at her desk like she did every other day, busily writing or typing or murmuring on the phone. Barnaby didn't know exactly what she did, but he knew she churned out work at a rate that put even him to shame.

She glanced up at the sound of his steps, her brows quirking slightly. It was the only break in her otherwise stoic expression. Reminding himself that the only way anyone would know about the fragile new aspect of his and Kotetsu's relationship was if they allowed it to be known, Barnaby strode for the coffeemaker once he'd deposited his new steel gray jacket on the back of his chair.

"You're in a little early, Mr. Brooks," Ms. Carter observed, her voice throaty and a little suspicious. He couldn't quite decide if she was being polite or teasing him with her massive understatement. Measuring out coffee and water precisely, only realizing once it started to perk that if he actually drank any he might have an aneurysm from the jolt to his already skittering system, Barnaby eventually turned back towards Ms. Carter, wandering towards his desk.

"I didn't sleep very well, so I decided to come in a little early, catch up on my back log." Both of their eyes slid over to his desk, which was, as usual, pristine. He had a single sheet in his to-do box – it was a survey being passed around Apollon that most employees had simply tossed in the trash. Just as smoothly, Ms. Carter's eyes slid over to Kotetsu's desk, Barnaby's helplessly following.

Although his to-do stack wasn't quite as monstrous as it had been before Christmas Eve – maybe Barnaby simply hadn't noticed Kotetsu's progress through his own misery that day – it was by no stretch of the imagination even slightly organized. Their gazes met again, and he worked to keep his expression bland and a little haughty – his typical defense. With a considering purse to her lips, Ms. Carter leaned back slightly in her chair, tucking one of her ebony braids over her ear.

"Seems to me that if anyone needed to catch up on their back log, it isn't you, Mr. Brooks. Mr. Kaburagi planning on coming in today?"

"I'm sure he'll be in at his usual time, Ms. Carter," he returned smoothly, his breath only hitching slightly at the mention of Kotetsu's name. Even after four years of working exclusively with Tiger and Barnaby, Ms. Carter still insisted on addressing the men formally. She must know their first names, since it was splashed all over their paperwork, but she stubbornly refused to use them. Barnaby didn't mind in the least, but it made Kotetsu pout on a fairly regular basis. For that matter, Barnaby wasn't even sure he knew what Ms. Carter's first name was. He'd never heard it used in all the time he'd worked with her. Feeling bizarrely nervous, Barnaby lightly fluffed his hair, his fingertips passing over the stretch of skin where Kotetsu's fingers had pressed last night.

From zero to two hundred, Barnaby thought to himself dimly. That single, focused acknowledgement sent yearning splashing through his system. Collecting himself with determined effort, Barnaby strode for his desk, fully aware that his cheeks were hot and he must appear at least somewhat psychotic.

"You sure you're alright, Mr. Brooks? You seem a little… out of sorts," Ms. Carter murmured as he took his seat and yanked open the filing drawer he'd been toying with rearranging for the last week or so. Taking a long, smooth breath, commanding himself to get a goddamn grip, Barnaby looked back up and smiled slightly.

"I'm fine. Just a little tired, I suppose." She hummed in what he suspected was a note of disbelief, but went back to whatever work kept her here at all hours. Barnaby tackled his drawer like it had done him some sort of offense, focused on keeping his mind busy with sorting his chronologically ordered files into subcategories ordered by alphabet. There was absolutely no need to think about… anything else. He'd restrained himself all these years because he'd been afraid of what that step could change. Now that they'd decided to take it, he wouldn't completely disrupt their lives because he couldn't keep his feelings to himself. If there was one thing Barnaby was quite skilled at, it was keeping his emotions strapped down under layers of icy indifference.

He focused on busy work even after Lloyds bustled through the office, smiling and offering a few platitudes to get him to move on. Barnaby braced for the moment when Kotetsu would walk into the office, helpless to do anything but wonder how different it would be. He'd driven himself into a near-panic, but when Kotetsu walked in, Barnaby managed to control himself enough to slowly raise his gaze, his eyes slightly narrowed.

Something akin to fireworks lit up his system, but Barnaby kept his gaze steady on Kotetsu, who somehow looked better than usual in his uniform of black slacks and dress shirt rolled up at the elbows paired with a vest. Today's colors were mint green and charcoal gray pinstripe, accenting his favored saddle shoes. Now that he knew how amazing it felt, Barnaby really, really wanted to kiss him. Instead, he gripped the edge of his desk slowly, and kept his face smooth.

"You're late, Kotetsu," he said in a more clipped, sharp tone than usual. Kotetsu's brow just lifted as he pulled off his hat, and the corner of his mouth – don't think about how his lips taste – tilted up. Barnaby tried to ignore how ridiculously pleased he was to see Kotetsu wearing his new watch.

"Sorry. Up late last night," he offered by way of excuse with a tiny smirk before taking a seat at his desk and sighing hugely at the paperwork still waiting to be completed. Barnaby quickly dragged his eyes back to his own project, determined not to let them rest too long on Kotetsu's broad shoulders accented by his vest, quickly recovering from his shock at his partner's cheek.

"Seems to be going around," Ms. Carter murmured under her breath, and Barnaby had to work to swallow the snort. That woman was sharp as a scalpel – they'd have to be careful around her. Deciding that his filing project was the safest thing in the room, Barnaby worked to give it as much attention as he could, the fringes drifting defiantly towards Kotetsu.

Meanwhile, Kotetsu was glaring at his paperwork. If it had been a royal pain in the rear before, it was ten times more so now with a sexy Barnaby across the aisle, his tailored clothes accentuating a gorgeous body Kotetsu could almost still feel, those flaxen curls just begging to be tousled. Crinkling one of his reports a little when his fingers tightened on the paper like they wanted to in Barnaby's hair, Kotetsu dragged in a deep, quiet breath, keeping one eye on Florence, who seemed to know something without being told, and the other on Barnaby, who was hefting his ice shield with impressive success.

It had always pissed him off, frustrating Kotetsu to no end that his partner could be so unreachable, even after he figured out that it was a mask, not indicative of his actual personality. Now, it was tantalizing to know that a blast of heat could melt that to the ground. He was already missing that burn in Barnaby's usually cool green eyes – they could smolder like stars. And not from anger. Wasn't that just the craziest shit ever?

After about an hour of pointlessly poking at damage audits while Barnaby nearly worked the label maker into a lather, Kotetsu decided he needed to stretch his legs. He was pretty sure the pair of them could eventually figure out an office rhythm that wouldn't compromise anything – it was obvious that they'd tacitly agreed to keep their more personal relationship private. Until they knew where this was going, there was no reason to rock everything their world was built on.

But that easy deceit was not going to happen today. Not when Kotetsu was glancing over every couple of minutes and letting his brain fuzz over at the thought of Barnaby's shoulders rippling under his hands or what that delicate hollow in his collarbone, subtly displayed by the top two buttons on his shirt left undone, would taste like.

So, after muttering something about food, he pushed back from his desk, jammed his hat on his head, shoved his hands in his pockets, and all but stalked out of the office. Who would have guessed, Kotetsu thought to himself with thick incredulity, that after all the crap they'd slung at each other, all the ways they'd tried to push each other off the edge, that Bunny would drive him insane from sheer sexiness. Irony was a bitch, he decided.

Kotetsu stared blankly at the snack machine, his brain still back in the office twirling around Barnaby's long, clever fingers instead of the assortment of candies and chips. He was so absorbed in what he wasn't looking at, in fact, that he didn't hear it when someone walked right up next to him.

"You usually get the jelly beans." Kotetsu was pretty sure he was in trouble when Bunny's smooth voice didn't make him jump in surprise. It almost made him purr. Clearing his throat, Kotetsu glanced over at his partner, who stood at his shoulder with a pleasant, mostly blank expression on his face. Lifting his brow, he just rocked back on his heels before looking at the snacks again.

"Sometimes I go for Crackles." Barnaby's face didn't even flicker – he just hooked his fingers on his belt loops smoothly.

"Not usually in the mornings." True. Most of the time, he only went for chocolate when he was tired or stressed after a long day of being an attraction in the media's circus. But damn if he couldn't use a little extra bit of sweets to smooth his nerves now.

"Maybe it's just one of those days," Kotetsu persisted, reaching for the change that usually jingled in his pocket. Only to discover that his pockets were empty – he'd been sure to grab a nice pair of pants today, and had been too worried about his slate gray tie to remember to swipe the change on his dresser into his pocket. Bunny must have noticed his aborted motion, but instead of saying anything, he just smoothly inserted the appropriate change into the machine and keyed in the code for Crackles.

Silence reigned as the metal spiral sent the candy plunking into the dispenser. Bending over, Kotetsu retrieved the small green bag, tossing it in his hand as he looked over at Barnaby. With his good deed done, Bunny nudged up the tail of his jacket to tuck his hands into his back pockets, probably blissfully unaware of how that brought his chiseled chest and abdomen into relief through the thin, expensive fabric of his shirt.

"Thanks. I'll be sure to pay you back," Kotetsu managed around the way his mouth watered. Barnaby just jerked his shoulder in a motion that was both relaxed and elegant.

"Whenever you can. It's not a problem," he murmured, his eyes extremely intense behind the buffer of his glasses. Kotetsu could almost feel his brain unraveling under the silky, sneaky claws of lust. Speaking of payback…

"How about right now?" Kotetsu murmured too low for anyone except Bunny to hear, even though the hallway was deserted. Stuffing the candy in his vest pocket and latching his hand on Barnaby's wrist, he strode across the hall to a conference room. Nearly booting the door open, Kotetsu spared one glance as the pair of them dove in to make sure the place was empty. Silent as a tomb, he whipped around and once the door banged shut, slammed the dead bolt home. Pivoting, his and Barnaby's eyes met for a single moment, the flare in those green eyes instant and elemental, before they crashed together.

Hungry mouth met hungry mouth. Teeth nipped, tongues stroked, hands roamed. Kotetsu plunged his fingers into Bunny's silky hair like he'd been wanting to all morning. Barnaby's palms smoothed down his chest before one clamped onto his lower back and the other cupped the base of his neck. Last night, Kotetsu had purposefully kept the pace slow, trying to initiate Bunny as gently as possible. Today, though, he let Barnaby choose the pace, which suited him just fine at wicked fast and brutally hot.

Jesus, the guy learned fast, Kotetsu hazily thought, the kiss sending fire down his spine like a molten spike. Normally, he would have thought they'd be bouncing off the walls and furniture, wrestling for control. But their equal strength pitted them against each other, leaving them planted exactly where they'd connected, both wildly determined to take all they could. It wasn't his usual way, but Kotetsu liked it like that sometimes; selfish and greedy and messy.

Clamped together as they were, Kotetsu could feel every detail of Barnaby, and God, what he felt was fucking amazing. Bunny shifted slightly for a better angle, and there it was – the flow of muscle across his shoulders under Kotetsu's palms. His body couldn't decide if it wanted to go limp or ballistic, so it settled on ratcheting up the heat, pushing him to dive into the wet press of lips and tongues with renewed zeal. The top of one of Bunny's glasses lenses kept banging against Kotetsu's forehead, but he couldn't give less of a damn as the fire emanating from the two of them left him scorched and hungry. It shouldn't feel good, but it did, rendering him deliciously needy and sensitized.

Eventually, oxygen became a concern, and their lips reluctantly parted to fill their lungs with hitching gasps. With obvious, almost dazed reluctance, they drew apart, still maintaining lingering touches along arms and shoulders, hips and ribs. Barnaby looked at him for a second, cautious and unsure, before he seemed to reach a decision and leaned forward, nuzzling at Kotetsu's temple. Sighing softly, Kotetsu stumbled a little when Barnaby exerted gentle pressure, nudging him back with the light push of his fingertips on his hips.

Kotetsu thought Bunny was gaining some space, a little overwhelmed by the kiss, especially one as hot and aggressive as that one had been, and in their workplace, of all places. That was probably why he was ridiculously startled when the backs of his thighs bumped against an edge, sending him plopping down on the conference room table. His breathing was already stuttering from the surprise when Barnaby rested his hand directly on Kotetsu's sternum, the gentle press of his palm slowly pushing Kotetsu back until he was propped up on his elbows, knees slightly spread and his entire frame trustingly vulnerable.

Bunny lingered over him, his eyes bright like collapsing stars, burning hot and intensely alluring. He stood between Kotetsu's knees, one hand still on his chest while the other braced next to his hip once it had removed Barnaby's glasses, holding him only inches away. Kotetsu could feel the heat pouring off of him, seeping into his bones like honey. He held still, waiting, looking into those spooky, gleaming eyes. Kotetsu didn't want to push off the table – he wanted to see what Barnaby would do. He had that look again; bright and determined and a little feral. It was weirdly easy to let his muscles go lax, to allow Barnaby to do whatever he wanted, to let him lead the way and discover what he was capable of.

Leaning in, Barnaby brushed his lips against Kotetsu's once, twice. Instinctively, Kotetsu tilted up his chin to deepen the pressure to get more of that beautiful mouth, sending his hat flopping lightly on the table, but Barnaby backed off, cruising his lips along Kotetsu's jaw before he settled back again. This time, as he slowly pressed their mouths together, nibbling softly and trying several angles, Kotetsu struggled to stay still, to just feel. When Bunny ran his tongue a little hesitantly across the seam of Kotetsu's lips, he just sighed as Barnaby's tongue slowly swept into his mouth, exploring and testing and teasing.

As his partner continued his exhaustive, achingly slow assault on his mouth, Kotetsu could barely keep himself supported on his elbows, his blood howling for more and his muscles going plush, his brain feeling like it was leaking out of his ears. Barnaby tasted faintly of the berries he put in his morning smoothie, and Kotetsu could make out the faint scent of pine. He was a little blown away by the fact that he couldn't get enough of it. The hand on his sternum was a warm, welcome weight. When Barnaby stroked his thumb along Kotetsu's ribs, a strangely affectionate gesture when paired with the devastating single-minded of his kiss, Kotetsu's breath hitched and struggled to even back out.

It didn't take long for Barnaby to systematically find the things that triggered a response in Kotetsu, and he couldn't breathe for a good five seconds after Bunny slowly sank his teeth into his lower lip. He soothed the soft hurt with a firm, almost branding kiss, before finally drawing back a few inches.

"You have paperwork waiting for you," Barnaby said quietly, utterly serious, his eyes glinting but his face smooth. Kotetsu could only blink at him. What… the hell? Bunny finally stepped fully back, taking that clever mouth and warm hand with him. He slid his glasses back on, tugging his jacket straight before smoothing his hair, retreating behind that professional, controlled mask. Apparently satisfied that no one would guess he'd been making out with his partner in a deserted conference room, Barnaby pivoted, heading for the door.

He may have been more than a decade Barnaby's senior, but that didn't mean Kotetsu was anything to sneeze at physically. He laid there boneless for another second before lunging to his feet. Managing to outmaneuver and dodge in front of Barnaby, Kotetsu glared at his apparent nonchalance as he blocked him from leaving. That was not how Kotetsu planned this whole thing going. Yeah, they had to keep it locked up around other people, but would it kill the guy to display a little damn affection in private?

"Whoa, Bunny, what the –?" Before Kotetsu had much of a chance to get pissed, something crackled through Bunny's eyes like wildfire and he yanked him closer, kissing the daylights out of him with a heat Kotetsu had sensed simmering under that layer of exploration and control. His first thought was to melt against him, but Kotetsu's irritation shimmered into desire, and he aggressively returned the kiss, forcing Barnaby back one step.

Barnaby eventually turned his head away, struggling to catch his breath. Confused, his brain still murky with arousal, Kotetsu tried to catch his eyes – they were the easiest part of him to read, which wasn't all that easy, honestly. Finally, he saw something leak from behind that mask – wary alarm. Frowning slightly, Kotetsu puzzled over it for a few seconds.

He tried to remember his first few sexual encounters – since it had been Tomoe, that wasn't a thought he wanted to linger on for any length of time while wrapped up in a man's arms. But, considering the kind of guy Barnaby was, this was an awful lot to suddenly be feeling when he worked so hard to keep the actually feeling business of being human to a minimum. And Kotetsu had already seen what happened to Bunny when his emotions went on a rollercoaster ride, leaving him overwhelmed – nothing good. Panic, self-recrimation, and that ever dependable instinct to step back from connection.

As realization dawned, Kotetsu pressed a warm kiss to Bunny's sharp cheekbone before gently stepping away. The look of confusion on his face was pretty fucking adorable, not to mention the way he tilted his head slightly like some sleek, beautiful puppy. Giving himself a moment as he retrieved his hat from where it lay defenseless on the table, Kotetsu flicked open the lock on the door, smiling over his shoulder winningly.

"And you've got that filing project to finish. But this is far from over, hot shot." Tucking his hands in his pockets, he strolled away, whistling idly to himself. His lips still tingled a little, he thought as he skated his teeth over them. He was pretty sure he'd never been kissed quite like that before. Damn, this was fun.

Barnaby stood in the echoingly empty conference room for a few minutes after Kotetsu left. So many things had happened in the last few minutes, he wasn't quite sure which one should be prioritized as the most pressing concern. The fact that Kotetsu instigated a blood-burning kiss in their workplace in broad daylight? Or the way he'd surrendered under Barnaby's tentatively offered exploration? The way Barnaby had nearly lost the sweaty grip on his control when Kotetsu had gone pliant under him? Or the abominable way he'd finally lost that control when Kotetsu had confronted him, irritated for some reason Barnaby could not fathom?

The strangest of all was that gentle kiss on the cheek at the end. There was just no puzzling out what that meant, only that it left a warm fizzle in his stomach. Taking another second to make sure he looked presentable in the reflection of that deceptively innocuous snack machine, Barnaby headed back to the office. He used the walk to bring himself under command, trying not to wince at his regrettable behavior. Once Barnaby returned, it was like every other day at the office from all the years before.

As he passed Kotetsu's desk, his partner casually offered the open bag of Crackles. Normally, he'd say no, but considering he'd bought the things, and had damn well earned them, Barnaby plucked a single chocolate cluster from the bag. Their eyes met, and it was understood – a peace offering and uniting factor and gift all in one. As he sat at his desk and popped the chocolate in his mouth, Barnaby glanced down at his fingers at the smear of chocolate left behind. Apparently, the candy was a bit melted. Probably had something to do with being caught in the crossfire of a couple of heat waves. When he caught Kotetsu's eye as he used a tissue to clean his fingertips, they exchanged faint smirks. Florence just rolled her eyes and got back to work.

God, these guys are such goobers. I have the first volume of T&B coming in the mail to join the second one I already own, which will mean I'll be re-watching the series over the next week. I want a more thorough grasp of these guys' quirks before we get into the concept of actually dating.

Super interesting note: on TVTropes, they mention how Barnaby's late parents look like Michael Keaton and Michelle Pfeiffer. Which means Barnaby is kind of the son of Batman and Catwoman. Barnaby also lost his parents who were murdered tragically when he was very young, sending him careening down a path of vengeance that ultimately led to the life of a hero. OMG. Barnaby isn't just Batman Jr., he's Batman v. 2. Those clever bastards. How awesome is that?

By the by, I made Crackles up. They're basically Buncha Crunch.

Review, you gorgeous people. Please?

Hope you like it!

Love, Tango