Summary: Kazuki comes to see Ginji, meets Ban for the first time. Sparks fly. What's a guy to do when Ban decides to get mischievous? BanKazuki.

Disclaimer: I do not own get Backers. If I did, Ban would be chained to my….ahem…never mind, let's move on.

Rating: T for language and adult situations.

That Familiar Stranger

-

-

Tease

-

-

-- Recap –

Kazuki stared at it. "Why did you ask Ginji to go to the kitchen for? There's water here…..and what the hell were you going to do with the lemons?"

"Get Ginji out of here, what else?" Ban leaned against the counter once more, glasses perched on the bridge of his nose, his eyes trained unblinkingly on Kazuki.

"What…but why would you want to do that…."

Ban smirked. "You're not very sharp, are you?"

"What! What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing….and everything."

Kazuki glared at him. He was fuming. His brows were furrowed and his lower lip stuck out defiantly. He was panting slightly from the fit of coughing he had just endured and contemplating what excuse he could give Ginji for murdering his partner…slowly and painfully. He had never felt so irritated with someone before. This guy was impossible. He was enjoying, enjoying the embarrassment Kazuki had felt when Ginji woke him up from his scrutiny of Ban and later when he made it obvious that he knew the cough was all an act. And now here he was…accusing him of being slow.

One thread. All he needed was one thread, and he'd have the Invincible Midou Ban-sama hanging from the ceiling, trussed up like a chicken. And what was with that title eh? Invincible Midou Ban-sama was inscribed on his coffee cup. What kind of stuck-up, conceited, arrogant jerk would get something like that written on a freakin' coffee cup? Kazuki felt he was going to burst if this continued. He had to get away from this ….thing. He turned away from the brunette and leaned on the counter, looking towards the kitchen instead.

Ban smiled. The carnival of emotions running across Kazuki's face had been extremely amusing to watch. He could tell the guy was probably imagining ways to kill him, cut him up or rather use those threads on him. Ginji had driven him crazy describing the string master's fighting techniques. Ever since he'd made that phone call a week ago, it had been Kazu-chan this and Kazu-chan that. Kazu-chan is so kind, Kazu-chan is so gentle. I wonder if Kazu-chan has changed. He'd been annoyed. Yeah, the great Midou Ban had felt a twinge of jealousy hearing Ginji go on and on about cute Kazuki was, how nice he was, how caring, gentle, blah, blah, blah. But now, having met the guy first hand, he could understand Ginji's adulation.

And of course it never hurt to be as beautiful as Kazuki. Everything about him was just so damn fine. Ban bit his lip slightly. He had honestly expected Kazuki to be a wuss. The real world didn't count gentleness as strength. Finer emotions and feelings were almost always trampled upon. Survival on the street depended on how tough you were and how effectively your feelings were kept under check. Kazuki, on the other hand, seemed to wear his emotions on his sleeve. He was slightly built and only a fool would back him up in a fight, if they didn't know who he was. But something in his eyes made it very clear that this was not a person to be messed with. Fuck around with Kazuki and there would be consequences. And that made him all the more intriguing.

He seemed to be irritated right now. He'd stiffened when Ban had touched him earlier. Seemingly lending a helping hand to a friend's friend but in reality, he had been delighted to find an excuse to hold him and caress that smooth back of his, if only for a few minutes. He wasn't sure if Kazuki was simply pretending not to notice the effect he had on Ban or he really was clueless.

Kazuki studiously avoided looking at Ban. He knew he was being watched. Kazuki didn't like this one bit. He started fidgeting with the tea cup, turning the handle left and then right with his fingers. He felt inexplicably nervous. He glanced at Ban out of the corner of his eye and found him staring at him again. What's his problem? Kazuki impatiently tapped his fingers on the countertop. He flicked his hair back, irritably.

"Ow", Ban said softly. Kazuki turned to look at him. Ban was gently rubbing his eye. He'd been stung by a lock of Kazuki's hair.

"Are you ok?" He blurted. He realized what must have happened. He bent his head to take a look at Ban's eye.

Ban whipped his head up suddenly. Kazuki gasped. He was barely two centimeters away from Ban's face. He jerked his head back, only to see Ban smirking again. "Were you concerned? I'm so touched."

Kazuki scowled. "Well, it's just common courtesy. But I don't suppose someone like you would know much about it."

"Is that right? And what would you know about someone like me?" He leaned closer to Kazuki who didn't notice that Ban had very smoothly closed the distance between the two of them.

"Enough to realize you're a conceited, self-absorbed idiot who doesn't realize how lucky he is to have Ginji in his life."

"Uh huh".

"Yeah, uh huh!" Kazuki retorted aggressively.

"What makes you think that?"

"It doesn't take a genius. You dismiss him so easily, and you made him run off on some errand that wasn't even necessary."

"I had a reasonable explanation for that."

"Oh sure! Like that explanation made any sense!" Kazuki was getting more and more upset. Ban's unruffled reactions to his words were grating his nerves. He'd said more than what was necessary but he wasn't satisfied. He wanted to upset Ban as much as he had managed to upset him. Kazuki prided himself on his cool temperament. He couldn't stand that he'd been riled by a guy he met for the first time and so easily.

"It made perfect sense. If you want to act dumb and ignore the signs, it's not my problem."

Kazuki slammed his hand down on the counter, making other customers in the café wince and stare. "What the hell kind of reasoning is that?"

"The only kind I know." Ban casually lit up another cigarette. Ginji would be out of the kitchen soon. No doubt the electric eel had started chatting up Natsumi and had conveniently forgotten about his friends.

"You! I…aww forget it!" Kazuki crossed his arms over his chest and sat scowling at the counter. He refused to speak anymore, content to silently fume and stew. Ban glanced at him and smiled. This is going to be too easy.

The two men sat side by side. One mentally beating the living daylights of the other, and his companion staring at him, trying to imagine him in various states of undress. Ban wanted nothing more right now than to grab him by the hand and drag him outside, somewhere, anywhere. He could show him exactly what kind of reasoning he believed in. And he promised himself…he wouldn't stop till he had Kazuki moaning and writhing under him. But, by the looks of things, he'd have to be a little more patient.

Ginji finally emerged from the kitchen; he had a Hello Kitty apron on and a glass of water in his hand. He rushed over to Kazuki, holding out the glass as if it were a live grenade. "Here you go, Kazu-chan!! Water!!" In his eagerness to get the water to Kazuki, he tripped over his feet. Ban's eyebrows shot up and Kazuki let out an exclamation of caution as the glass sailed through the air, water miraculously still inside, and landed on Kazuki's shirt.

!!!!SPLAT!!!!

The glass shattered into tiny pieces and Kazuki was left looking helplessly at his wet shirt. He was soaked to the skin. It had been slightly warm when he left so he hadn't bothered to carry a jacket. The material clung to his chest and that was a fact he wasn't comfortable with…not at all.

"Gomen ne Kazu-chan, I'm so sorry! I should've paid attention…." Ginji apologized immediately. His lips drooped at the corners and he looked absolutely crestfallen.

"Kono baka! Now look what you've done! How is he supposed to go home now?" Ban yelled at Ginji even as his insides were turning into jelly just looking at Kazuki. Thank you Ginji!! You're the best partner in the world. Oh god, I can see everything. Damn, I want him….

"I said I was sorry Ban-chan…"

"Well it can't be helped. Ginji why don't you get him a towel so he can dry off? I'll see if I have an extra shirt in the Ladybug." Ban pushed Ginji back towards the kitchen, and then turned around to face Kazuki, who was staring at the ground. He was tugging the shirt forward so it didn't cling to him. Ban chuckled.

"Well, well well, and here I was thinking you just looked like a girl, you act like one too."

"Shut up!" Kazuki's violent tone stunned Ban for a minute before he realized the man was just embarrassed. "You think this is funny?"

"No. I don't think this is funny at all." Ban was serious.

"…"

"Come on, I have a shirt in the car, let's get you out of this one", Kazuki stared at him incredulously. Ban rolled his eyes. "Oh please. You really think I would go down on you in such a clichéd place?"

"WHAT!!!"

"Relax. It's just a shirt," his smile widened, "although, I could probably back you up in this alley before Ginji came."

Kazuki didn't know where to look. He felt…no he knew he was blushing. His heart had started thumping. He finally understood. Ban's reasoning made perfect sense now.

Author Notes

Fastest update I've ever done!! Don't you all love me?

Read and review!!!