Slippery When Wet

Author: Kirabop
Rating: PG
Genre: Romance. One-shot.
Status: Complete.
Pairing: Ban x Ginji.
Summary: Ban and Ginji fight over some sushi...

"Yanno," Ginji began slowly, stripping his water-logged vest and leaving it in a drowned heap on the floor, "stuff like this wouldn't happen if we could, like, afford an umbrella."

Ban shot him a glare over the rims of his sunglasses, but the affect was somewhat less than threatening when he looked like someone had dumped a tank of water over his head and ran away cackling. Sighing slightly, he flicked a wet strand from his eyes.

"S'not a necessary commodity," he said matter-of-factly. "You rather buy an umbrella or food?"

"Well--"

"And anyway, even if we had one, don't think it would do much in that." Ban gestured out the window of the cafe, into the sheets of rain that had plummeted so abruptly from the skies and down on them. He doubted that they would look like they decided to take a night dip into the park fountain if they had been more than three blocks closer to the Honky Tonk when the rain came down. Not to mention if the car was not in impound...

Giggling, Natsumi held out a towel she ordinarily used for the dishes. "You look like a drown rat, Ban-san."

"Thanks," Ban muttered, snatching it from her hands and making a vain effort to mop up his hair. Paul, watching them from behind the counter, raised an eyebrow at the puddles accumulating on his floor.

"Hope you plan on cleaning all that up."

"Meh," Ban said offhandedly.

"Here you go, Ginji-san." Natsumi extended another towel to the blonde. Pressing a finger to her cheek, she eyed them warily. "You two will catch a cold if you stay in those wet clothes."

"Yeah," Ban growled, "nothing better than sitting out naked in the rain, too." The entire day was spent trying to gather enough money to pay for the impoundment fee of his car, but in the end, it was all for nothing. He and Ginji had grown accustomed to sleeping outdoors, on park benches or the stoops of apartments, sometimes even convincing Madoka to let them bum a room, but Ban drew a line at sleeping in his boxers outside in the pouring rain.

"Suppose you two could sleep here for the night," Paul interjected in his low, lazy drawl. "'bout to lock up here anyway."

"Eh, really?!" Ginji exclaimed, the towel over his head falling to his shoulders. "We can stay?"

Paul regarded the puddles splattered across the floor boards. "I think it'll take you guys awhile to clean up that lake you brought in along with you."

Ginji glanced around them and smiled sheepishly. "Ah, yeah..."

"The towels are behind the counter, Ginji-san," Natsumi chimed helpfully. She stood at the door, buttoning up her rain coat. Some came more well prepared than others, Ban thought absently.

"And," she continued, raising a stern finger, "I'll know if you two snatch food. Bye!" With that cheerful threat as her parting, she skipped out the door, hood and jacket protecting her from the falling rain.

"Hevn's a bad influence on that kid," Ban grumbled.

"Yep," Paul agreed. "Make sure you lock up after me."

"Don't worry," Ginji said, lifting a hand to wave after him. Paul followed suit after Natsumi, heading into the rain storm. Ginji inclined his head slightly. Paul never seemed to not be at the cafe, he sometimes forgot that the man had to have a life and home outside of the Honky Tonk...

Smiling slightly, Ginji shook his head. Ban would smack him for saying something like that aloud.

"... pfeh." Ban tossed his shirt to the floor. Paul was right, they had brought in a lake with them. He doubted there were enough towels to clean up the mess they dragged in after them.

Once he had stripped down to his boxers, he wandered behind the bar. Natsumi had told them not to steal food, but did she actually expect them not to? Paul had left them in a well-stocked, warm cafe for the evening. He planned on taking every advantage of that possible.

And as luck would have it, there was a sushi platter shoved back into the fridge. Probably Natsumi or Paul had brought it for lunch and forgotten about it. Or it was a good month or two old and the fish had gone bad. Either way, it was food, and when there were days and weeks at a time spent without a decent meal, one learned to be grateful for what one found.

One also learned that when it came to food, there were no holds barred.

"Hey!"

Shoving a roll quickly into his mouth, Ban glanced over his shoulder at Ginji. "What?" With his cheeks stuffed with sushi, however, it came out something more like, 'Mrmfh?'

"Ah!! Ban-chan! You jerk!"

Ban swallowed the lump in his throat. "Hey, man, you're getting kinda pudgy around the edges anyway..."

Ginji lunged for the counter. "Gimme some!"

"No way!" Ban ducked out of the way of the incoming hand. Ginji tended to lose his head sometimes when it came to food... and being as soaked as he was, Ban was not eager to have two hundred volts coursing through his body.

Ginji glared at him a moment, and Ban could see the wheels in his head turning as he thought of leaping over the counter and tackling him to the ground... but instead of coming for him, Ginji turned suddenly, swooped down to scoop something up, and then was by the door, opening it and holding out something dangerously close to the pouring rain.

Ban's pants.

"Ginji, what're you--!"

"Give me some sushi or your pants get it."

Or your pants get it? Ban thought, and it was hard to not burst out laughing at his partner when he was trying so hard.

Then Ginji was sparking in that lazy, non-threatening way, blue tendrils of electricity winding about his hand. He was going to use the rain to fry his pants into nothing.

And when Ban could hardly afford a can of juice from the vending machine, he had a feeling it would be hard to come by a new pair of pants.

"Ginji, if you..."

"Are you gonna share?" Ginji held them out further, taunting him.

"Dammit, Ginji, give me back my pants!"

"Nope!" Ginji said cheerfully, and he was grinning now. The bastard was enjoying this, Ban thought, restraining an urge to growl aloud.

Ban glared at him. Ginji continued to grin. Sometimes, it was too easy to forget how underhanded and sneaky Ginji could be when he wanted.

Letting out a long, explosive sigh, Ban set the sushi platter on the counter of the bar. "Fine. You win. Happy?"

"Yep," Ginji said, and he closed the door, bringing in the hostage pants with him. "See, Ban-chan, that wasn't hard--wh-whoa!!"

Ban saw it happen before Ginji even realized. His bare foot stepped into a puddle and slipped, causing Ginji to lose his balance and go pin-wheeling. Ban reacted quicker than him, too; he was jumping over the counter before Ginji hit the ground, sliding behind his partner and catching his partner around the middle before he could fall.

The only problem was he slipped on the same puddle, and not planning for that possibility, down both went in a tangled heap.

"... ow."

"Ow," Ginji echoed.

Ban lay flat on his back, a dull ache in his head where it had connected with the floorboards. Ginji was pressed against him, turned on his side, one arm tossed over Ban and the other pinned beneath him. Figured Ginji would have the soft landing. It was always the rescuee and not the rescuer that ended up in the worse position, Ban reflected dryly.

"You okay, Ban-chan?"

"Sure. Once the birds go away." He had the image of dancing Tweetie Birds and grinned in spite of himself.

Ginji sat up beside him, cross-legged in a puddle of water. "Y'sure you're okay? Didn't mean to fall that hard on you."

"S'okay." Blinking a few times, watching for the last of the white spots to disappear, he decided that they would not be making a visit to the hospital for a concussion. He glanced up at Ginji. "... you still have my pants."

Ginji looked to the pair of dark slacks he still held in his hand. "Oh, yeah." A slow grin appeared on his face. "What'll you give me for them?"

Somehow, Ban doubted sushi would be enough.

Lifting a hand, he curled his fingers around Ginji's neck, brushing through the short hairs there. Gently, he tugged his partner down to him. His lips were soft. Ban had kissed few people in his life. There were moments when someone warmed his bed, but he never kissed. Rarely allowed more touching beyond what was necessary. But even still, there was something different about kissing Ginji. Those casual, meaningless encounters could not compare.

He remembered kissing Ginji the first time. He had been drunk, and it happened so abruptly, he doubted either of them even realized what it was. Then Ginji had pulled away from him, staring with wide, almost frightened eyes, and Ban apologized. Midou Ban, who never apologized to anyone, never admitted to his wrongs, apologized.

'It's okay,' Ginji had interrupted him. 'I just... never been kissed before...'

Ginji was a quick study.

A hand came up, brushing wet strands from Ban's face, fingers tangling into his hair tightly. Ginji was warm, too, Ban thought almost lazily, teeth grazing over Ginji's lower lip. Soft and warm, unlike anyone else he had ever been with. Ginji was a comfort; they were casual and empty.

And if he continued what he was doing, fingers tracing Ginji's spine, the flood in the cafe would never be cleaned.

He pulled away slowly. "How's that work?"

Smiling, Ginji sat up. "It works." He paused. "... you taste like sushi."

"... gee, thanks."

Ginji leapt to his feet and bounded for the platter. "I'm not sharing," he declared, and so saying, he picked up a sushi roll, tossed it into his mouth, and munched smugly. Ban rolled his eyes.

He didn't think he was hungry anymore, anyway.

Well...

Ban grinned.

Not for sushi...