That wouldn't have been half as painful if Kotetsu had just chewed and swallowed it the first time. But, honestly, that seemed to be a reflection of how he was in general. Ripping the metaphorical band-aid off in one go was the preferable way to go about doing those sorts of things, but some people just couldn't quite bring themselves to do it, making the whole process a lot more agonizing when all was said and done.

Which, when he thought about it, was why Barnaby had to corner Kotetsu tonight in the first place. What a mess...

"Let's keep an eye on your rash," Barnaby said, seeing little point in babying him about his brush with nearly throwing up. "It didn't take mine long to start fading."