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Please welcome Lisu! They're our incredible cover artist for the project and we're very excited for what they have in store 👀❤️‍🔥 @lis-cepu

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Under the Cherry Blossoms - A Barnaby x Kotetsu Fanfic

This fic was inspired by @lis_cepu ‘s gorgeous Kotetsu fanart over on Twitter and @lis-cepu here on Tumblr. Go and check out the piece and order a print of it if you can (I already did!). The title of this fic is based on the title of the fanart piece as well. That one uses the Japanese “sakura,” but since this fanfic is from Barnaby’s POV, I wanted to use “cherry blossoms.” 

Now, on to this fic that ended up taking on a life of its own. It wasn’t meant or intended to be this long, but that’s usually how my fanfic writing goes, they always end up being longer than I intended, lol. This fic takes place after Season 2 Part 1, so there are some slight spoilers for that. 

Anyway, I’m off to bed now. Enjoy! <3

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It was an unspoken thing - the two of us being together. Everyone in his family knew about us, even Kaede, who didn’t seem to want to think about it too hard. I couldn’t blame her for that. Even Kotetsu seemed to be aware that it might be a little awkward for her to realize that her and her father shared the same taste in men, or, well, me. But, even though we never talked about it, I treasured every time she called to ask me about something, or when she trusted me enough to open up about the real reason why she visited Sternbild with her friend a year ago.

That day was a big breakthrough day, not only with mine and Kaede’s bond, but also Kotetsu and Kaede’s. I think it was the day when he finally realized that she wasn’t a little kid anymore. That the four year old he had to leave behind at grandma’s wasn’t really there anymore. I could tell it hit him hard, could see it in the lines of his face later that night. But I also knew that he was proud of how Kaede was growing up and maturing. He grew a lot that day too, finally facing up to the fact that he hadn’t been as active in Kaede’s life as he should have been, and that he hadn’t been listening to her enough. But he took the growth in stride, and my admiration for him just grew.

I sometimes let it slip out how much I care for and admire him. But if he ever knew how deeply it actually went…That would too embarrassing to even think about or imagine…A part of me thinks he probably knows anyway, he always seems to know stuff like that. Like how he knew I needed a break.

So he asked me to join him and his family. They were going to do an event at the park near his mother’s place.

“It’s hanami!” was all he told me at first. I didn’t know what that meant. But then he explained, “It means ‘flower viewing,’ though, really, it’s just an excuse to have a picnic and get a little tipsy under the cherry blossoms.” Kotetsu could be horribly indirect when it came to some things, feelings being number one, of course, but not when it came to explaining words and aspects of his families’ culture like this. Then he was always direct and honest.

“Seems sushi is starting to take off here in Sternbild. You should try one of the fancy sushi restaurants in town, not my crap version of it. The only thing I’m good at making is fried rice.” He told me that about a year or so ago, accompanied by a laugh. The fancy restaurant sushi was better, it was made by actual sushi chiefs after all, but that one (and only) time Kotetsu made it, stuck with me. So that fancy restaurant sushi just seemed like a substitute.

There was also that time when he taught me the Japanese word for “Cheers!” It’s “kampai” and I finally got to use it with him when we went and got our drinks together a little while after the incident with the twins. “Senpai” was another word that he taught me. For some reason, he thought I would really like knowing and using that one…To be fair, he wasn’t wrong. But, of course, he doesn’t know that.

Earlier in the day, when we were packing up the food and drinks in the basket to bring down to the park, Muramasa’s wife and I began chatting. I brought up how Kotetsu was teaching me some Japanese, and how he was good at giving me easy and direct definitions and meanings. Muramasa’s wife just laughed and then said, “I wish *my* husband would do that for me! You’re so lucky!”

The way it was said, the way she worded it - it was unspoken, but everybody knew it. The baby resting in Muramasa’s arms, while his wife read to the children under the cherry blossoms, likely even knew it too…

That was a dumb thought. Probably the influence of Ryan.

He still stops by Apollon Media from time to time just pester the both of us. He likely knows too…It’s unspoken and everybody already seems to know…Even someone like Ryan noticed. No one ever said it, except the two of us, in the privacy of one of our bedrooms or even in the slightly more voyeuristic location of the men’s locker room at the training center. We knew, and everybody else knew, but we never said or showed it to anyone in public.

That was, until today.

“Hey!” Kotetsu caught my attention, “You should stand up and take a closer look at the cherry blossoms, Bunny. They’re really pretty!” He said it with a wink. A huge grin was on his face, his eyes twinkled with hearts and cherry blossom petals, his hands relaxed in the pockets of his trousers, and his green necktie just hanging there, So easy to just grab and pull, which was exactly what I did.

I reached out and took hold of his green necktie and pulled him to me. Gently and softly, of course, and then I kissed him. I heard Anju give a surprised, but pleasant hum behind me, Muramasa’s and his wife’s laughter, likely as a response to Kaede’s groan and sound of disgust. “Ugh, no! Get a room, you two! Parents kissing in public is so gross!”

What she said there didn’t really register until later that night, in the bedroom, when Kotetsu and I talked about the day’s events. Rooms were often where we said that unspoken thing and did various unspoken activities together. But today I wanted it to be spoken, I wanted one of those unspoken things to happen under the sunlight and cheery blossoms, outside of the room, where Kotetsu looked so beautiful and the moment just felt so right.

My kiss in that moment hadn’t been our first. We had many before that. But it was the sweetest.

After the shock, after the blushing, after the baby clapping away in Muramasa’s arms - I finally said those things that I wasn’t supposed to. Those things that were better left unspoken, “I love you. You’re my partner. So marry me.”

I didn’t ask it as a question, and Kotetsu didn’t seem to mind that. He had that oh-so-rare pensive look on his face, as he glanced down at the ring on his finger. He twisted and turned it for a moment, a flash of a melancholic expression flittered across his face, and then the big grin of his was in place again as he kissed me back.

“I love you too, Bunny. You’re my partner. So, of course I’ll marry you.” He sat down beside me on the picnic blanket, then he held my hand as he looked over at me, “What a silly thing to ask!”

It was a silly thing indeed, I couldn’t argue with that, but even more so than him saying “yes.” I was just glad that those unspoken things were finally spoken. It was long overdue and just needed to be said.

OH. MY GOD.

Tell me you haven't watched / truly paid attention to Tiger & Bunny without telling me you haven't watched / truly paid attention to Tiger & Bunny, a compilation:

Hello! I'm still working on commissions from the last bunch but due to some unexpected life expenses I'm opening emergency 3 slots for fullbody and half body paintings! Simple background as shown in the half body piece comes in with the price!

Please DM me if you're interested and thank you for all the support!

One more slot left!!

hello t&b nation 2nd season is almost a week away how are we feeling

Yoooo btw this work is available as a print on my inprnt! Feel free to check it out : D

TIGER AND BUNNY PRINT