Spoilers: Takes place mostly during the second half of the series, so there are spoilers all the way to episode 25.

Written for a prompt at the Tiger & Bunny fic meme - and boy am I glad I wasn't discouraged by someone else filling before I got the chance, because writing this was incredibly interesting to me. These boys have so many issues. I like boys with issues. :D

As mentioned on the meme itself, this story has three possible endings - three places I'd considered stopping, but in two of those cases I wanted to explore some more, so kept writing. Chapter Seven (according to the way the site insists on numbering things) is the fluff ending, Chapter Ten is the angst ending, and the rest of it is the messy-but-not-angsty-or-fluffy ending. So depending on what you want out of a fic, feel free to stop reading at any of those points.

In addition to the content on the meme, this version has an "omake" scene - something I thought about writing to go between the last chapter and epilogue, but I thought it might disrupt the flow of the story, and it wasn't long enough to be a chapter in its own right. But darnit, I wanted to write it anyway. So for those who have already read this and again, are reading!, enjoy a little bonus!

Love is Like...

Kotetsu wanted to say that it wouldn't have happened if they hadn't been drinking. Because they had been drinking, and that was how it started. Since the Ouroboros incident, though, it wasn't unusual for the two of them to get together sometimes - awkwardly at first, but gradually growing more accustomed to each other's company.

Barnaby smiled now, and laughed. Kotetsu was a little freaked out by it initially, but after a few weeks, it became clear that it wasn't a show he was putting on for Kotetsu, like he used to put it on for the cameras. Finding and facing his parents' killer, and ultimately defeating him, had truly eased the emotional burden on Barnaby. It wasn't all so simple, of course - there was the time early on, for instance, when Barnaby had shown up at his door late at night, just after Kotetsu had climbed into bed. He'd given no explanation, just asked if he could come in, and the anxious look on his face made it impossible for Kotetsu to refuse. Or to not offer him a drink. And though Barnaby never explained what specifically had caused him to stop by, he'd thanked Kotetsu and stuck around long enough to admit that he didn't know what he was supposed to do now.

"Isn't there anything you've ever wanted to do?" Kotetsu had asked, over his own beer, now wide awake. "Because you're pretty much king of the world right now - you can do just about anything you want."

"All I ever wanted was to find him," Barnaby admitted, his eyes cast down. "It's all I ever thought about... Everything I've done for the last twenty years was all to that end."

"Everything?"

"Everything." Barnaby set down his beer, folding his hands, and Kotetsu didn't know what to say in the face of a life as lonely and bitter as Barnaby's must have been.

Except that he could stop by anytime, and they'd find something to do. Maybe they'd find something Barnaby liked to do.

Their tastes didn't overlap that much, to be honest. Barnaby was cultured and refined, Kotetsu was casual. Eventually, though, Kotetsu came to appreciate that there was some seriously admirable skill and training involved in classical opera, just as Barnaby came to acknowledge that the classic rock Kotetsu favored was catchy and fun and sometimes involved a fair amount of skill as well. Barnaby may not have been as excited by the thrill of old HeroTV videos as Kotetsu was, but the history behind it and the evolution of NEXT from fearsome aberrations to celebrated heroes was interesting to him, having come of age in a time where they were more accepted. Being older, Kotetsu had about ten extra years of experience with that evolution that he could tell Barnaby about.

Barnaby's drinks were more refined, too, though he got used to drinking whatever Kotetsu had on hand eventually. That night, a few months after Ouroboros, there was a bottle of gin and two glasses on the coffee table in front of them. Barnaby seemed more tense than usual, even after a few drinks, but Kotetsu wasn't going to push.

Finally, after small talk that seemed as awkward as it had in the early weeks, Barnaby took a deep breath and set the glass down. "Kotetsu... I have to tell you something."

Kotetsu felt his blood run cold. Bad news, from the sound of it. He's leaving, was his first thought. He figured out what he wants to do, and it's not being a hero. He'd gotten used to their partnership, they were working well together nowadays, and the thought of going back to working alone left him feeling empty. "Yeah?" was all he said.

"I... don't know how to say something like this," Barnaby admitted, staring ahead at his empty glass rather than looking at Kotetsu. "I've never said anything like this. I don't want it to sound like it's so important that I'm willing to ruin our partnership over it. I'm not."

So it wasn't about not being a hero. Kotetsu was relieved, but also puzzled. "Well, good... What is it?" He frowned slightly. "If I did something..."

"No, it's not you at all," Barnaby assured him. "It's me." After a second, he managed to look up, meeting Kotetsu's eyes seriously. "Kotetsu... I... I don't know how this happened, but I'm... I've fallen in love." Kotetsu was left to wonder why this was so hard for Barnaby to admit, until a few seconds later, he added, "With you."

Kotetsu was almost sure he hadn't heard that right. But if he hadn't heard what he'd thought he heard, what else had Barnaby said?

"I know we had our differences, when we first met... and we still do. But you've been there for me in a way no one else has, even when I didn't deserve it. After everything I said to you, you were still there when I needed you most... and I didn't even realize I needed you until there you were, behind me. And you're still here, putting up with... someone who's so different from you. Someone who's really confused..."

Barnaby wasn't the only one who was confused. Between his confusion and the drinks he'd already had, Kotetsu said nothing.

So Barnaby continued. "It... took me a while to figure it out... why I kept coming back here, why I kept trying, why it made me feel better just to see your smile. I've never felt anything quite like this before, Kotetsu," he said, his expression open and honest. "I almost didn't recognize it. But I don't know what else it could be..."

And that... made sense, if Kotetsu thought about it. If Bunny had been focused on avenging his parents, if he'd never thought about romance, he wouldn't have a clue what love was when he felt it for the first time. But from what Kotetsu remembered about love, during his teenage years, there were a lot of things that could be mistaken for love. Lust, friendship, gratitude... and every time, it was different. Every time, it felt like this time, he must have gotten it right. The only difference when Tomoe finally kissed him was that... that time? He knew he'd gotten it right.

"I know there are a lot of reasons for me to keep it to myself," Barnaby continued, bowing his head a little. "We have to work together day to day, for one... We still don't see eye to eye on a lot of things, for another, and I don't even know if you could ever be interested in another man. But what I feel is so strong," he said, looking up to Kotetsu again, this time with brave determination, "I decided that if there was any chance at all that you might feel the same way, I needed to find out. Even if it turned out that you didn't, I... needed to know."

Kotetsu didn't know what to say. At all.

Barnaby broke eye contact again, reaching for the bottle and pouring more gin into his glass. "...Please say something, Kotetsu," he murmured after a quick swallow. "Anything. I won't be upset... I knew it was likely you wouldn't feel the same way. It's not knowing that hurts - I don't know why it hurts..." He chuckled softly, without humor. "This is all new to me."

Barnaby was a rational, pragmatic kind of guy; of course he recognized that the odds were slim that Kotetsu would feel the same way about him. It must have taken a lot of courage for him to say it anyway. Courage... or maybe desperation. He said he'd never said anything like this before, to anyone.

He considered Kotetsu his first love. And he was twenty-four years old.

He was looking up to Kotetsu again, his eyes scared and searching. Then, just like that, they seemed to turn off, turning distant and unreadable, just like they used to be all the time. "...I understand," he said, and turned his head away. "It's all right. You can forget I said anything. I'm sorry if I made things-"

"No." Kotetsu hadn't been speaking because he had been thinking.

Barnaby had been shifting forward to stand up, but then he hesitated and glanced back, his expression guarded. "No?"

"No," Kotetsu repeated, and he smiled, though it was probably an unsteady, somewhat sickly one. "It's all right, Bunny. You haven't done anything wrong."

"Of course not," Barnaby muttered, looking away again. "Only something poorly thought-out and stupid..."

"No," Kotetsu insisted, and reached out to take Barnaby's hand before he could try to stand up again. This time, when Barnaby looked up at him, there was a startled hope there - and it told Kotetsu he must be doing the right thing.

First loves never lasted. Usually they crashed and burned within a couple of weeks, the way Kotetsu remembered middle school. Everyone was trying to figure out what love was, they thought they had, and they were never right. Everyone was bound to make a few mistakes along the journey, but mistakes could be a good learning experience. Kotetsu had made enough mistakes in his life to be pretty sure about that.

All things considered, he was a pretty good mistake for Barnaby to make. He'd treat Barnaby right while it lasted, and when Barnaby inevitably realized that they couldn't possibly work out in the long term, Kotetsu wouldn't be hurt, because he already knew.

His hand tightened on Barnaby's. "It's okay," he told Barnaby again, with a smile that was a little more genuine. "I'm glad you told me."

The look of amazement in Barnaby's eyes... sort of hurt. "So... you mean, it's..."

Kotetsu nodded, still smiling. "Yeah. ...Stop freaking out and come over here, okay?" he suggested, opening his arms.

Barnaby fell into them gratefully, wrapping his arms tight around Kotetsu, burying his face in Kotetsu's shoulder. He was shaking - but then, a first love confession could rattle anyone, Kotetsu supposed. He squeezed Barnaby tightly in return, rested his head against Barnaby's comfortably. Even if this wasn't love, Barnaby needed this. He needed someone he could count on to be there, to support him. A good partner fulfilled that role, but the popular view seemed to be that love was stronger. Either way, Kotetsu was just fine being the person that Barnaby depended on, no matter what they called it. That wouldn't change, now or after.

When Barnaby tilted his head up to find Kotetsu's mouth, Kotetsu supposed he shouldn't have been surprised. It went with the territory. And, well, it wasn't unpleasant, being kissed by someone who thought he was in love. He just felt a little guilty...

"...Was that your first kiss?" he asked afterwards, as Barnaby rested his head on Kotetsu's shoulder again.

"With someone I love? Yes." Barnaby sighed faintly. "Altogether, no. I've known people who just needed to get through the night... and at the time, so did I. This is the first time it's counted."

Kotetsu felt just a little more guilty. More so when Barnaby raised his head and did it again. "It's much better," Barnaby murmured, with a smile Kotetsu had never seen on his face before.

"Good," Kotetsu murmured in reply, and hugged Barnaby tight against his chest in hopes he wouldn't do it again.

They'd both had enough drinks that Barnaby couldn't get home unless he called a taxi, and they both agreed that it was unnecessary, especially now. Kotetsu was willing to let Barnaby share his bed - "Just... we're sleeping, all right?" Kotetsu stated as they headed for the loft where his bedroom was. "That's all. ...I don't think we should take things too fast."

Barnaby nodded, sitting down on the edge of the bed. "With anyone else, I would have been impatient," he admitted, smiling at Kotetsu. "But if this is something real, then I'm willing to wait. There's so much to be happy about as it is - every smile, every touch... I'll take my time and enjoy every new experience - not just the ones that any two people can share."

Not knowing what to say to that, Kotetsu just smiled and reached out to ruffle Barnaby's hair fondly. Barnaby's smile deepened. "Like that one," he murmured.

It wasn't bad to have someone in his bed again, Kotetsu had to admit. Barnaby was warm and solid and comfortable, curled up against him in a sweet, trusting way. Like a child. Kotetsu couldn't say he was like a lover. Barnaby was just... grateful, or didn't understand friendship, or partnership... He'd sort this out before long - he was a smart guy. And for the moment, Kotetsu would indulge what he thought he needed.

In the morning, he snuck out of bed early, supposedly to find some aspirin for the headache. What in the world had he gotten himself into last night, he wondered as he sat down on the couch, staring blankly at the nearly empty bottle? But then Barnaby woke up, and the tired but brilliant smile when Barnaby leaned over the loft's railing to say good morning, still obviously contented and affectionate and regretting nothing... that was enough to remind Kotetsu why he'd done it.

The drinks might have helped. But to tell the truth, Kotetsu probably would have done the same sober.