It was a comfortable state of being he found himself in, having gravitated to it more times than he'd like to admit. Unfortunately without alcohol to accompany those pity parties, it didn't last long. There was only so many tears he could cry into his hands until he was tired of even trying. The silence was about as deafening as his own anguished sobbing. Eventually he pulled his hands from his face, rubbed what tears were left in his red eyes with the back of wrists, and stared back at Barnaby.
The voice in his head was soft, but it grew in volume until it moved him from the bed and onto his feet. It told him that his partner wasn't dead. Wallowing was doing nothing to help Barnaby, only mending old, festering wounds. There was always hope, Tiger had just lost sight of it. He saw his wife and it threatened to crumble him to whimpering pieces. But his partner did not share the same cruel fate as Tomoe; he was alive and he needed help.
What kind of help, the former Hero had no idea. Kneeling in front of Barnaby's bed, he patted a pale hand in a feeble attempt to wake the young man up, as if for some reason this one final contact would magically do it. "Bunny, please," he begged on his knees. "Wake up. You gotta wake up. I can't--I dunno how to fix you." And the worst part of it was that he was too afraid to leave him. He may not have succumbed to illness like his wife (not yet at least), but after missing her last moments, Wild Tiger couldn't stand missing Barnaby's. If he suddenly grew worse while the older man was out looking for a way to cure him, there was no way Tiger would be able to cope. He just couldn't.
He wouldn't leave his partner's side, not without some foolproof affirmation. So, if he wasn't going to leave him, all he could do was make sure the blond was comfortable. Checking his vitals signs again, he eventually pulled his domino mask off and let it drop to the floor. He couldn't exactly be Wild Tiger without Barnaby Brooks Jr anyway. "Bunny, if you can hear me... You gotta come back to me. I... I can't do this without you." It wasn't the self-pity talking, it was the reality of the situation. Without his partner, Kotetsu had little chance of leaving this place alive.
Checking his pulse once more, the former Hero stood up and checked the pulse at his neck. He felt no difference as he studied the seconds tick by on his watch and counted the even beat of his blood. Even his breathing seemed normal, but he checked every possible problem he could think of, just in case. Leaning over the blond, Kotetsu places his hand right above his mouth to feel the tickle of his exhaling breath. It seemed strong enough. What the hell else was there to check? If there was nothing abnormal about his breathing, then the older man was out of ideas.
Desperate for any sign, he pulled closer to listen. Just because he was breathing didn't mean it wasn't labored. His breath could be labored or ragged. It could have been shallow, which could indicate maybe he wasn't getting enough oxygen flow up t his brain, Kotetsu desperately rationalized. As he listened a hair's breadth away from his mouth and nose, he could see his vision becoming watery from a new onset of tears.
M12
The voice in his head was soft, but it grew in volume until it moved him from the bed and onto his feet. It told him that his partner wasn't dead. Wallowing was doing nothing to help Barnaby, only mending old, festering wounds. There was always hope, Tiger had just lost sight of it. He saw his wife and it threatened to crumble him to whimpering pieces. But his partner did not share the same cruel fate as Tomoe; he was alive and he needed help.
What kind of help, the former Hero had no idea. Kneeling in front of Barnaby's bed, he patted a pale hand in a feeble attempt to wake the young man up, as if for some reason this one final contact would magically do it. "Bunny, please," he begged on his knees. "Wake up. You gotta wake up. I can't--I dunno how to fix you." And the worst part of it was that he was too afraid to leave him. He may not have succumbed to illness like his wife (not yet at least), but after missing her last moments, Wild Tiger couldn't stand missing Barnaby's. If he suddenly grew worse while the older man was out looking for a way to cure him, there was no way Tiger would be able to cope. He just couldn't.
He wouldn't leave his partner's side, not without some foolproof affirmation. So, if he wasn't going to leave him, all he could do was make sure the blond was comfortable. Checking his vitals signs again, he eventually pulled his domino mask off and let it drop to the floor. He couldn't exactly be Wild Tiger without Barnaby Brooks Jr anyway. "Bunny, if you can hear me... You gotta come back to me. I... I can't do this without you." It wasn't the self-pity talking, it was the reality of the situation. Without his partner, Kotetsu had little chance of leaving this place alive.
Checking his pulse once more, the former Hero stood up and checked the pulse at his neck. He felt no difference as he studied the seconds tick by on his watch and counted the even beat of his blood. Even his breathing seemed normal, but he checked every possible problem he could think of, just in case. Leaning over the blond, Kotetsu places his hand right above his mouth to feel the tickle of his exhaling breath. It seemed strong enough. What the hell else was there to check? If there was nothing abnormal about his breathing, then the older man was out of ideas.
Desperate for any sign, he pulled closer to listen. Just because he was breathing didn't mean it wasn't labored. His breath could be labored or ragged. It could have been shallow, which could indicate maybe he wasn't getting enough oxygen flow up t his brain, Kotetsu desperately rationalized. As he listened a hair's breadth away from his mouth and nose, he could see his vision becoming watery from a new onset of tears.