I've written several GB stories, and some of them make more sense when read in a certain order:
Closer To Me
Not Everyone
Strawberry & Vanilla Swirled
Sleep Talking
Breakwater
Of The Summer Sunshine
Art
Anytime
Only a few are uploaded here, and the rest can be found at my webpage:
www.kitarin.com
For my Ban-chan...
"Ban-chan!" Ginji hissed from the doorway of the pizza place. His brown eyes were wide and worried, and even as he called out, he turned to look back out into the street again.
Ban looked up from where he'd been casually leaning against the red and white counter waiting for their order and raised an eyebrow. When Ginji gestured for him to come closer, he slipped his wallet back into his pocket, making his way through the crowded sets of beat up wooden tables and chairs until he was at Ginji's side. "What's wrong?"
"Ban-chan, the car!" Ginji exclaimed, still holding the door open with one hand.
Ban's eyes now also went wide as he glanced over Ginji's shoulder to where the car was sitting, parked quite illegally in front of the pizza place. "What about the car?"
"Cop! Down the block! With a pad!" Ginji explained quickly. Ban understood the fragments immediately and grimaced. "We can't afford another parking ticket." No sooner had these words come out of his mouth when their pizza order was called. "Listen, Ginji..." he said, leaning closer as his glasses slid down his nose slightly. "I'll grab the pizza, you kill the lights, and then we'll make a run for it before the cop gets down here."
"Right, Ban-chan!" he enthused. "You get the pizza and I'll... but... wait! Why am I killing the lights?"
"Slight miscalculation of yen," Ban remarked as he sauntered over to the counter. "No time to explain."
Ginji's trust in Ban was unshakable, and despite a slight twinge of guilt at what he was about to do, he nodded, leaning casually against the doorframe, his hand spreading out along the wall. All he needed was just one wire close enough to...
The lights flickered once, and then with a spark and a crackle, the entire place went dark. Slipping out the door amid people's screams, he found that Ban was already inside the car revving the engine. Ginji leapt towards the car, catching the pizza as Ban tossed it at him.
The car streaked away from the pizza place just as the cop came running towards the screams, with Ginji hanging onto the sunroof for dear life. He managed to use the momentum of their screeching turn around the nearest corner to pull himself into the car, settling the steaming pizza on his lap. "Where are we going?" he questioned as Ban glanced in the rearview mirror.
"Anywhere as long as we're not being followed," Ban replied with a grin as he glanced over at Ginji. "Why?"
"Because...this....pizza..." he winced, lifting the box from his knees and shuffling it from hand to hand and back again. "Is very...very...HOT!"
Ban chuckled, sliding the ladybug into a parking space outside the gates of a local park. Ginji was a mere moment away from snatching the first piece from the box when Ban lifted it from his hands and jumped out of the car. "Well, I'll be glad to eat the entire thing if it's too hot for you."
"Ban-chan, no! That's not fair!" Ginji bolted after him as he made a mad dash into the park, past the slides and seesaws, away from the street lights. "You wouldn't starve your best friend! Baaaan-chaaan!" he wailed until Ban, still laughing, finally came to a stop at the edge of the sandbox. He set the pizza, now sufficiently cooled, down on the plank of wood, flipping it open and inhaling.
"Ah..."
Ginji was quick to snatch a piece, and then settled himself on a swing directly opposite the sandbox. They ate in silence, and after the entire box had been devoured, Ginji kicked off on his swing, rocking slightly back and forth and turning his gaze to the sky. Here in the center of the park it was dim enough to make out some of the stars overhead. Without meaning to, he found his thoughts drifting away.
"You shouldn't go alone."
"That's the point. I want to be alone."
"Ginji?"
"Nani?" Glancing at Ban seated on the edge of the sand box, Ginji smiled slightly.
"Daijoubu?"
Ginji nodded slowly. "I was only thinking..." When Ban did not say anything, he continued. "I've always loved the sky, day or night. I... I remember some nights back then... I would climb, up and out...up and out..." He lifted his eyes again, his brow furrowing at the memory. "When I was myself... when I wanted to get away..."
"You are away. No need to think about that," Ban replied shortly with a shake of his head, rising from the wooden edge of the sandbox and coming to stand in front of Ginji. He pushed at the chain of the swing, making it turn slowly from side to side, but Ginji was again lost in the whisper of an old memory.
"Everything...was dark, dirt, grit..." his voice had dropped away to a whisper. "But looking at the stars... guess it reminded me there was a world outside there."
Ban had circled behind the swing as Ginji spoke, finally laying a hand on his shoulder gently. "Then forget about that stuff and think about... right here and now." Without giving Ginji a chance to respond, he gave his friend a mighty push, sending the swing soaring into the air.
Ginji laughed in surprised delight, his hands wrapping around the chains as the swing soared so high it nearly flipped around the bar in a loop. "I'm flying! Ban-chan!" he called out, laughing, as Ban gave the swing a second push.
Ban grinned, glad to have snapped him out of his meandering. "We may be thieves, but not litterers," he commented, picking up the empty pizza box. Ginji was still laughing too hard to pay attention as Ban left him swinging to toss out the pizza box. When he returned a few moments later, he found that Ginji had left the swing to lay on his back in the spring grass, eyes closed, a smile still painted across his face. Ban sat down beside him silently and Ginji opened his eyes, looking up at him.
"...Ice cream! But Ban-chan...you said we had no yen...did you..."
"I only said we didn't have enough to pay for a pizza."
"But... there's only one ice cream cone!" Ginji realized as he sat up and leaned towards Ban.
"We only had enough for one," he grinned mischievously, taking a large lick. It was swirled strawberry and vanilla, Ginji's favorite, and he continued to smirk even at the pout Ginji wore.
"Not FAIR Ban-chan!" he cried, reaching out for the ice cream cone only to have Ban turn so it was out of reach. "Can't I even have a taste?"
"You want a taste that badly?"
"Hai!"
"SO badly?"
"Hai! Ban-chan! Please?"
Ban turned back to face Ginji's pleading eyes, teasingly closing his mouth over the top of the cone to snatch the entire top swirl of ice cream from it. Just as Ginji was about to protest again, Ban reached out to grab a handful of his shirt. He pulled Ginji so close their noses were almost touching, and then pressed his lips to the other's, his tongue parting Ginji's lips, slipping the cool taste of the ice cream between them.
Ginji was too surprised to resist, instead his hands rising automatically to find Ban's shoulders even as the other drew away. "B...Ban-chan..." he breathed.
Ban smiled just slightly, silently taking another lick of the ice cream cone before replying. "Was it that good?"
Ginji wasn't sure how to reply. Indeed, the ice cream had been good... but he had nearly lost sight of that as his mind replayed the feeling of Ban's lips, surprisingly soft, against his. "I... I'm not sure what I liked better," he finally stammered.
Now it was Ban's turn to be just a little surprised, and he peered at Ginji, trying to see whether or not he was joking. Ginji, never one to miss an opportunity, used the momentary hesitation to reach out and snatch the ice cream cone out of Ban's hand gleefully. "Ginji!" Ban exclaimed as his friend tried to make a run for it. He had barely gotten to his feet when Ban tackled him, sending the two of them tumbling back into the grass, what little was left of the cone flying away from them.
Over and over they tumbled in the grass, sparks flying as Ginji threatened to fry his friend, but ultimately it was Ban who came to rest on top of Ginji, pinning his hands above his head. "Ban-chan!" he complained. "We wasted the ice cream!"
Ban smirked down at Ginji as he struggled, shaking his head. "No... I don't think we did." Ginji gave up his struggle and stared up at Ban's eyes, the crystal blue evident even in the growing darkness of the night. "Ginji... did you mean what you said?"
"About what?"
"About..." Ban shook his head suddenly, letting go of Ginji and rolling off of him. "Eh, nevermind."
"But..."
"So we're sleeping under the stars tonight?" He flopped back into the grass, and after a moment, Ginji did as well.
"It's fine with me, Ban-chan..." he murmured after a moment's hesitation. Ban, hearing that tone of voice again, frowned, reaching out an arm to tug Ginji closer until his head rested on Ban's chest. He didn't need to see Ginji's face to know that the frown had melted away into a peaceful and sleepy expression.
"Ban-chan..."
"Hmm?"
"I think... that was the best ice cream I've had in a very long time."