Title: Blood of the Snake, a Get Backers fanfic
By: retroelectric
Warnings: Mature Themes, Vampirism, Horror/Supernatural, Strong Language, Yaoi, Alternate Universe
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Get Backers. This is a Get Backers fan fiction, ideas purely fan-made speculations based off the relationship between the Get Backers duo and infused with several elements inspired – and not stolen off the Vampire Chronicles Universe by Anne Rice. It is also important to note that this does not contain ANY of her characters, thus this is strictly NOT a Vampire Chronicles/Get Backers crossover. In this way I do not breach any of Anne Rice's policies regarding fan fiction on her work.
Chapter 23
"What is it that you've been doing, Ban?"
The question hung heavily in the air between Ban and Cadmus, stubbornly refusing to subside. Ban involuntarily stepped back, his head suddenly developing a very unpleasant throb. His feet stumbled a little from the pain in his wound, but that suddenly became nonexistent when he studied the look on Cadmus's face. He wanted to think of something plausible to say, he really did – but somehow Ban knew that even he would be unable to explain what he'd done just a few hours before, and he backed away even more from Cadmus. How was he supposed to convey it into words – how lovely it felt to have Shido possess his body, have him to worship him and still say he loved no one other than Cadmus and Ginji?
His back hit the solid wall of the café, and Ban cursed silently to himself – fuck, you just had to come here and be cornered by this enigmatic man whom you couldn't even reveal your innermost thoughts to, even after all those nights of pure bliss and pleasure and intimate bloodsharing...
Cadmus had stepped forward silently, effectively backing Ban into a corner. Ban suddenly felt claustrophobic. If he moved forward, just a little bit, he could manage to push the vampire out of the way, but that would hurt the other despite the rapid healing the vampire possessed. No, it was more of emotional hurt rather than a physical hurt, Ban realised, and the fragility of their relationship brought forth by none other than himself would make the situation even worse somehow. Ban knew that Cadmus was willing to love him and Ginji, was already in love with them, but it was only him who couldn't actually admit the love he felt for the two blond men in his life.
Ban's breath stuck in his throat when Cadmus's marble-like palm rested itself beside Ban's head, and he made a little strangled noise before he spoke. "No, Cadmus, wait, I can explain…"
"Explain?" Cadmus said softly, his eyes taking on a mysteriously melancholy look. "What for? It should be Ginji that you should be explaining to. Not me, it's fairly obvious you don't care much… for a man such as I."
Ban understood what he meant; he really did. "You know that I-" his throat hurt when he wanted to say it, but he forced it out desperately, "love you too, Cadmus, but this was something I had to do."
Cadmus's eyes flashed briefly to meet Ban's azure ones. He was eerily silent before speaking. "I don't understand what you mean."
"You have to understand, this was something I had to do before you turn me," Ban whispered, his voice suddenly hoarse. What if I've been wrong all along?
Ban could almost feel the other man bristle. "What makes you think that I'm going to turn you?" Cadmus hissed angrily, all of a sudden. His violet eyes seemed to change in intensity, but still beautiful, Ban distractedly mused, only the beauty came with a certain price and danger. And he, the Invincible Midou Ban-sama, had crossed a line with the vampire.
Cadmus's hand suddenly reached down in an unseen movement and pulled Ban's right hand up with considerable force. The hand which housed inhuman power – the Snake Bearer, Asclepius – twitched in Cadmus's grasp, and Ban's breathing suddenly became shallower. His eyes slid closed, and he willed his shaky body to not respond, and he let himself be vulnerable in Cadmus's arms. Cadmus could ever so easily tear his limbs off in this position, but he wanted to concede for now. Whatever happens will happen.
Shido only gave a cursory glance when he passed by Cadmus inside the café. He went over to Hevn to collect his share of the payment, but he was watching the interaction between the two men out of the corner of his eye. He knew something was amiss when Ban backed himself into the wall of the café – it was an obvious sign of accepting defeat, like a wolf baring its belly, but when Cadmus grasped Ban's hand in such a way that it even seemed painful to look at, Shido knew he had to step in. It was partly his fault after all.
He hesitated a bit upon seeing the vulnerable position Ban was in, and memories of the way he writhed in ecstasy beneath him just moments ago came to the forefront of his mind. "Cadmus," Shido said, carefully, from behind the blond vampire, "I think you've got something wrong here. We just-"
"Shi-Monkey Tamer, stay away," Ban gasped out, interrupting him. "Don't meddle. Please."
Shido couldn't help but to frown suspiciously at him and Cadmus. Cadmus looked to be so intent on Ban that he didn't seem to be acknowledging Shido's presence, so he carefully tested the waters again.
"Alright, I'll leave you for now, but-"
"Go away, Monkey Tamer." Ban murmured again in an uncharacteristically defeated tone, and Shido nodded, leaving it at that. Shido felt slightly terrible for the stolen passion he spent with Ban and what would Madoka and Ginji say if they knew? – but he couldn't rewind back the time and undo his doings, and he accepted it. Shido moved away and left the café with a heavy heart.
"Cadmus… don't do something that will hurt both of us," Ban whispered, still vulnerable when Shido left.
"You've done that perfectly well yourself." Cadmus said softly, backing Ban even further into the wall. Ban was caught in the proverbial trap like an injured fox, and Cadmus was the hunter.
Hevn saw the precarious situation Ban was in, cornered by Cadmus and she was about to intervene. She was about to say something, but her breath was caught in her throat when she caught the look on Cadmus's face – it was predatory, hungry and melancholic at the same time. She wasn't sure how that was possible, but it was, and she kept silent and watched.
"Cadmus…" Ban tried again, opening a blue eye to peer at the vampire. He was getting to be impatient waiting for him to respond – and it was the second time in a day that he caught himself being a submissive, vulnerable position and he wasn't quite sure that he liked it that much. He was beginning to tire of it. To his surprise, he saw Cadmus looking down at the floor with a sad look and at not at his face, and he wondered the cause of it.
"What's happened?" Ban asked, frowning slightly. He writhed in his position with his back to the wall, feeling uncomfortable. "I'm not the only reason that made you give this look, am I right? Is it Ginji?"
Cadmus finally looked up and met Ban's eyes with an icy violet stare. "It is about Ginji. He turned into Raitei when you were away with Shido." He ended the sentence with a bitter tone to his voice.
"WHAT?" Ban partly shouted. His body involuntarily jerked from his position when he heard the word Raitei. His breath quickened and stared at Cadmus calculatingly. "And you managed to make Ginji regain his senses? How? Don't tell me… you…"
"I did exactly what you thought I did, Ban. I had no choice."
"But… why did he suddenly turn into Raitei? You didn't put him in any bad situation, did you?" Ban asked again, suddenly angry at Cadmus and wary at the same time.
Cadmus looked around the interior of the café and his eyes fell upon Hevn who was staring at them curiously. "We are not having this conversation here."
Ban understood his implication and pushed himself out forcefully from his vulnerable position. Cadmus let him go and the both of them walked out of the café, the feeling of guilt and worry for Ginji overwhelming Ban's whole self. Great, he thought to himself sarcastically, you have just a knack for going to bed with one of your supposed enemies – on the same night your best friend and lover loses himself to his less desirable half. There couldn't have been better timing.
Ban was secretly glad to be out in the cold, open air which was less stifling than the atmosphere in the café. The icy wind slapping his skin shook him out of his still inebriated senses, and the wound on his leg moaned for attention. Cadmus walked alongside him, but not as close as usual – Ban thought bitterly to himself – that distance would of course be the aftermath of your lover finding out that you had slept with other people. The iciness which was of a wholly different sense from the wind - practically emanated from the vampire, and the silence between them was deafening.
"Cadmus, come on… talk to me. I'm sorry," Ban said, half-pleading. "Look, I'll tell Ginji the truth of what I did if it makes you happy. Just tell me what you want, and I'll do it." Just please don't ignore me, Cadmus…
"Keep quiet. Don't you even think of telling Ginji about it. Just knowing that he turned into Raitei and was about to hurt me is bad enough for him emotionally, I don't want to make anything as bad as it is."
What Cadmus said was true, Ban knew. He was about to reply something out of desperation when he realised that they'd reached their home and simply kept quiet when Cadmus unlocked the door to their apartment.
The first thing Ban noticed when he stepped inside was that Ginji was seated on the sofa, a blanket half-covering his frame. His head was buried in his hands, and Ban could hear faint hiccupping noises coming from his blond partner. When he lifted his head to look at who'd opened the doors, Ban realised with overwhelming guilt and sorrow that Ginji's cheeks were stained with tears.
"B-Ban-chan… What have I done?" Ginji murmured softly, in between sobs. His expression simply begged for Ban to hold him in his arms, and Ban feeling the guilt as he was, complied his partner and moved forward to gather Ginji in his arms. Before engulfing Ginji in his embrace, though, Ban noticed and saw evidence of the vampire's bite on his neck – the two small puncture holes which had took on a bruised, blue-black colour and it marred his peach-coloured skin.
The Jagan Master made soothing noises as he rubbed Ginji's back comfortingly, examining the look on Cadmus's face as he did so. The vampire's expression was dispassionate, and all thought of the vampire was replaced by Ginji as his electric partner buried his face in Ban's neck.
"I feel like I've done something bad… something horrible and unforgivable… but I don't know what it is," Ginji murmured sadly. "What have I done, Ban-chan? Have I hurt you? Have I hurt Cadmus-san?"
"Whatever it is, you don't have to worry about it since the three of us are still alive," Ban muttered quietly in return. Ginji tightened his embrace on Ban's frame, as though afraid that Ban would disintegrate into fine dust any moment and he wanted to savour this last embrace.
After several moments, Ginji unengaged his hold on Ban and turned his dewy eyes to Cadmus who was still standing at the door and staring at the two of them. "Cadmus-san…?"
Cadmus was instantly over to Ginji's side in a heartbeat. He took a seat beside Ginji, and smiled apologetically. "I suppose you want to know what really happened yesterday night, Gin-chan?" His voice was softly accented and melodic, and Ginji was suddenly remembered of the first time he met Cadmus.
Ginji nodded once. "I am sorry if this is painful for you, but I assure you nothing harmed me last night. You turned into Raitei," he paused respectfully, waiting for Ginji to accept the information, "And then Raitei said several things to me. He had to be taken down, and I hope you are not hurt because of it. I am so sorry Ginji."
Ginji looked aghast and his face became deathly pale for a moment. His fingers trembled when he looked down at them and a sudden wave of loathing came crashing over him. No, Cadmus-san, I should be the one to say sorry… if only I had been in more control. I'm really so stupid! Have I hurt him badly? Does that mean that Cadmus-san hates me now? His eyes widened at the thought, and he moved away from Cadmus, stumbling in his steps.
"N-No… Cadmus-san… I'm sorry, don't hate me," he whispered hoarsely, yet his feet were taking him away from the vampire and not towards to him. Ginji's face held a look of haunted terror and Ban was suddenly cautious at seeing the interaction between the duo. If Cadmus wasn't doing anything anytime soon, then he had to step in to make Ginji snap out of it.
Cadmus recognised this scene from before. Several times he had seen memories out of Ginji's mind of the aftermath when he turned into Raitei and had even thought of himself as a monster. Those were the exact same words which were running deliriously through Ginji's mind now, and Cadmus could hear them clearly, Ginji was like screaming to himself in his own mind, and he had to stop it.
He snatched Ginji's trembling hand. Ginji was even letting loose several sparks of electricity from his own overwhelming feelings of sadness and guilt, and Cadmus loosened his strong grip on Ginji's slender hand, enough for Ginji to feel his comforting presence and for him to look at him directly in the eye.
"If you are a monster, then let's be monsters together," Cadmus whispered. "I don't want our relationship to cease just because your other - negative - half chooses to rear his head in front of me. I don't care for him and I have taken care of him. The only thing I care about now is you and your wellbeing, Gin-chan, and I hope you know it."
Cadmus laid a kiss on Ginji's forehead, brushing the blond bangs out of his face. Ginji nodded again, and Cadmus felt relieved when he saw the brown and warm laughing eyes of Ginji's regain its place on his face, and Cadmus could feel the empty void that had carved a hole in his heart from Ban's unfaithfulness – fill itself back again.
"Thank you, Ban-chan, Cadmus-san," Ginji mumbled, wiping away his tears, and then he beamed at them both.
The feeling which threatened to topple Ban over when he saw the smile made him feel like crying.