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onemuseleftGetbackers fic. Why? Because that series has consumed my soul.
Ban had seen Ginji die before. Several times. Shot, stabbed, beaten, set on fire once. He'd watched it and not flinched because it was always the evil eye, and the real Ginji had always been close enough to hand that the images hadn't been able to hurt him.
So when Ginji fell, Ban caught himself looking to the side, looking for the real Ginji, the alive and unharmed and very much not dead Ginji. And maybe it was shock that made him stupid, in those first few seconds, because he knew it wasn't the evil eye and he still looked for Ginji.
Because this couldn't be real.
"That wasn't nearly as hard as they'd said it would be." He was a little guy, shorter and thinner than Ban and dressed like a businessman on his way to the office. He was completely unremarkable until you saw his eyes. Ban hadn't even noticed him until Ginji flinched. "I was told you two would be quite difficult to handle. It does make one wonder about the quality of those who came before me, doesn't it?"
"Who are you?" His feet feel like concrete. Like they've turned to stone and melded into the sidewalk beneath him and he's trapped from the knees down. He can't move. He should, because Ginji might not be dead, probably isn't dead even, because he's a tough son of a bitch to kill. But Ban can't make his feet move.
"My name is Yamamoto." He bowed slightly, ridiculous pleasantry, leaning over Ginji's motionless form as he did so and Ban had to swallow a sudden rage, clenching his fists to hold back – something dark and very, very big. Get away from him.
But it was the opening Ban needed. He dropped his sunglasses to the pavement and deliberately stepped on them, listening to the crunch of metal and plastic beneath his boot.
You should only have to lose so much, he thought a little insanely as he watched Yamamoto straighten, the man's shadow falling over Ginji like a blanket. There should be a limit.
Yamamoto straightened and Ban shifted. Not much, just a foot or two. Just enough to put him in Yamamoto's direct line of sight.
Whatever "they'd" told the man hadn't been enough. He wasn't even wearing sunglasses.
Ban caught his gaze, looked deep into Yamamoto's eyes. There was nothing real in there. In fact, there was nothing at all.
Yet.
***
Shido came for them, eventually. Ban didn't know why it had to be him specifically, and he tried to picture the discussion that must have taken place back at the Honky Tonk. But in a way, Shido was easier to face. Hevn and Pore wouldn't have understood. He couldn't have done it to Natsumi. But Shido...
Ban owed the son of a bitch anyway.
"He doesn't move, or react when we speak to him," the doctor explained, just the right tone of sympathy in his voice. Shido strode down the hall beside him, out of place in the antiseptic halls of the hospital building. He looked strained, tired. Ban wondered if he'd known what had happened before he arrived, or if he'd only just learned.
He didn't care that much.
"We have him resting in a private room at the moment," the doctor explained, pausing at a door labeled 314. "We think it's mostly shock. According to the police he and your other friend were mugged in broad daylight. There are... conflicting reports about exactly what happened after that." He hesitated, sounding unsure.
"Conflicting?" Shido spoke for the first time, and if his voice was a little rough Ban supposed he could be forgiven. The only good thing about Shido had been that he'd cared about Ginji nearly as much as Ban had.
"Yes. Several witnesses state that Mido-san and the attacker exchanged a few words, then the attacker suddenly began screaming and wailing. This went on for several minutes."
"Several minutes?" Ban can see awareness in Shido's face, like someone just switched on the lights. "Not just one?"
What are you thinking, Beastmaster?
The doctor gave him an odd look. "Well, I'm sure no one was counting the seconds, but I understand the attacker was in some agony until the police arrived several minutes later. Other witnesses seem to believe that Mido and the attacker spoke briefly before the attacker began to scream."
Damn. Knew I missed a few of them.
"They said he got away."
"The attacker? Yes. It is terrible, but I'm sure-"
"And Mido?"
"Just stood there. The medics could not get any response. I feel confident that it's stress and shock from seeing his friend killed. He should recover in time."
Shido turned the door handle and stepped into the room. A moment later he stepped out again.
"Sir?"
Shido smiled ruefully and laughed, an abrupt sound. "Doc, if he wakes up, I want you to call me." He jammed his hands in his pockets and started walking. "But I doubt it."
"Sir!"
"Funny thing, doc. When he left this morning, Ban Mido was 18 years old. That guy in there must be nearly thirty." Shido kept walking, didn't look back. "Must've been the stress, right?"
He waits till Shido is in the elevator, until the Beastmaster happens to glance up, his expression distracted, his thoughts a million miles away. The doors slide shut just as Shido recognizes his presence, then the elevator carries him away.
Maybe he'll get out on the next floor and come after him. Shido will want revenge, and possibly he won't be picky about who he gets it from. The Beastmaster might come back to help him, or to kill him. He might not come back at all.
Ban doesn't care, really. He'll be gone before then. And even if Shido catches up, well, the former Volt was never any good at avoiding his Evil Eye anyway.
In the meantime, Ban has other places to be.
Yamamoto had given him a name. Ban would find who it belonged to.
By the time Shido came back, it would be as if Ban had never even been there.
Two for one! Oh, the joy!
A long, long time ago, in a galaxy – okay, well in a post about a year back,![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
thevoices13 Extended an invitation to drabble. This is my belated response.
Drabble fic
Violence/implied m/m
"Though I must admit the prospect of dying does indeed intrigue me, I'd much rather experience death vicariously through you."
Ginji slips, the world falling past him as he loses his hold on it. There's something foul in his throat, the lingering taste of chemicals as the pill dissolves. "Drugs," he says. "You drugged me." A pill slipped into his mouth with the thrust of an intrusive tongue.
Akabane traces the blade of his knife against the side of Ginji's cheek, and he can just feel the cold slice of metal through his skin before he falls for good.
Ban had seen Ginji die before. Several times. Shot, stabbed, beaten, set on fire once. He'd watched it and not flinched because it was always the evil eye, and the real Ginji had always been close enough to hand that the images hadn't been able to hurt him.
So when Ginji fell, Ban caught himself looking to the side, looking for the real Ginji, the alive and unharmed and very much not dead Ginji. And maybe it was shock that made him stupid, in those first few seconds, because he knew it wasn't the evil eye and he still looked for Ginji.
Because this couldn't be real.
"That wasn't nearly as hard as they'd said it would be." He was a little guy, shorter and thinner than Ban and dressed like a businessman on his way to the office. He was completely unremarkable until you saw his eyes. Ban hadn't even noticed him until Ginji flinched. "I was told you two would be quite difficult to handle. It does make one wonder about the quality of those who came before me, doesn't it?"
"Who are you?" His feet feel like concrete. Like they've turned to stone and melded into the sidewalk beneath him and he's trapped from the knees down. He can't move. He should, because Ginji might not be dead, probably isn't dead even, because he's a tough son of a bitch to kill. But Ban can't make his feet move.
"My name is Yamamoto." He bowed slightly, ridiculous pleasantry, leaning over Ginji's motionless form as he did so and Ban had to swallow a sudden rage, clenching his fists to hold back – something dark and very, very big. Get away from him.
But it was the opening Ban needed. He dropped his sunglasses to the pavement and deliberately stepped on them, listening to the crunch of metal and plastic beneath his boot.
You should only have to lose so much, he thought a little insanely as he watched Yamamoto straighten, the man's shadow falling over Ginji like a blanket. There should be a limit.
Yamamoto straightened and Ban shifted. Not much, just a foot or two. Just enough to put him in Yamamoto's direct line of sight.
Whatever "they'd" told the man hadn't been enough. He wasn't even wearing sunglasses.
Ban caught his gaze, looked deep into Yamamoto's eyes. There was nothing real in there. In fact, there was nothing at all.
Yet.
***
Shido came for them, eventually. Ban didn't know why it had to be him specifically, and he tried to picture the discussion that must have taken place back at the Honky Tonk. But in a way, Shido was easier to face. Hevn and Pore wouldn't have understood. He couldn't have done it to Natsumi. But Shido...
Ban owed the son of a bitch anyway.
"He doesn't move, or react when we speak to him," the doctor explained, just the right tone of sympathy in his voice. Shido strode down the hall beside him, out of place in the antiseptic halls of the hospital building. He looked strained, tired. Ban wondered if he'd known what had happened before he arrived, or if he'd only just learned.
He didn't care that much.
"We have him resting in a private room at the moment," the doctor explained, pausing at a door labeled 314. "We think it's mostly shock. According to the police he and your other friend were mugged in broad daylight. There are... conflicting reports about exactly what happened after that." He hesitated, sounding unsure.
"Conflicting?" Shido spoke for the first time, and if his voice was a little rough Ban supposed he could be forgiven. The only good thing about Shido had been that he'd cared about Ginji nearly as much as Ban had.
"Yes. Several witnesses state that Mido-san and the attacker exchanged a few words, then the attacker suddenly began screaming and wailing. This went on for several minutes."
"Several minutes?" Ban can see awareness in Shido's face, like someone just switched on the lights. "Not just one?"
What are you thinking, Beastmaster?
The doctor gave him an odd look. "Well, I'm sure no one was counting the seconds, but I understand the attacker was in some agony until the police arrived several minutes later. Other witnesses seem to believe that Mido and the attacker spoke briefly before the attacker began to scream."
Damn. Knew I missed a few of them.
"They said he got away."
"The attacker? Yes. It is terrible, but I'm sure-"
"And Mido?"
"Just stood there. The medics could not get any response. I feel confident that it's stress and shock from seeing his friend killed. He should recover in time."
Shido turned the door handle and stepped into the room. A moment later he stepped out again.
"Sir?"
Shido smiled ruefully and laughed, an abrupt sound. "Doc, if he wakes up, I want you to call me." He jammed his hands in his pockets and started walking. "But I doubt it."
"Sir!"
"Funny thing, doc. When he left this morning, Ban Mido was 18 years old. That guy in there must be nearly thirty." Shido kept walking, didn't look back. "Must've been the stress, right?"
He waits till Shido is in the elevator, until the Beastmaster happens to glance up, his expression distracted, his thoughts a million miles away. The doors slide shut just as Shido recognizes his presence, then the elevator carries him away.
Maybe he'll get out on the next floor and come after him. Shido will want revenge, and possibly he won't be picky about who he gets it from. The Beastmaster might come back to help him, or to kill him. He might not come back at all.
Ban doesn't care, really. He'll be gone before then. And even if Shido catches up, well, the former Volt was never any good at avoiding his Evil Eye anyway.
In the meantime, Ban has other places to be.
Yamamoto had given him a name. Ban would find who it belonged to.
By the time Shido came back, it would be as if Ban had never even been there.
Two for one! Oh, the joy!
A long, long time ago, in a galaxy – okay, well in a post about a year back,
thevoices13 Extended an invitation to drabble. This is my belated response.Drabble fic
Violence/implied m/m
"Though I must admit the prospect of dying does indeed intrigue me, I'd much rather experience death vicariously through you."
Ginji slips, the world falling past him as he loses his hold on it. There's something foul in his throat, the lingering taste of chemicals as the pill dissolves. "Drugs," he says. "You drugged me." A pill slipped into his mouth with the thrust of an intrusive tongue.
Akabane traces the blade of his knife against the side of Ginji's cheek, and he can just feel the cold slice of metal through his skin before he falls for good.
