A little-known fact about Midou Ban is that he snuggles in his sleep. It's an unconscious habit, just something he's always done. If a pillow or carseat headrest lies nearby, he will wrap his arms and legs around, curl up, and nestle into it. A very snakelike thing to do, actually. A therapist might tell him it is because of his lacking childhood. Were that they knew, his comrades would tease him about it relentlessly. No one does though; it is, after all, a little-known fact.
Ginji, of course, knows that if he tells a soul, Ban will kill him.
***
Midou Ban is like a snake, and one funny thing about snakes is just how many ways one can describe them. Snakes hiss, they coil, and they kill mercilessly. Snakes shine, they glimmer, and they gleam brilliantly. Though strong, they are crafty, manipulative, and intelligent, coaxing the enemy into defeat when brute force will not suffice. Their appearance is always sudden and menacing, and they strike without warning. Snakes are cold-blooded; they seek out light and warmth, clinging to it because its loss will slowly kill them.
"Ban-chan," Ginji laughs sleepily, "Wake up and let me go!"
Some snakes even smile.
***If there is one thing Midou Ban cannot stand, it is needless waste. Whether it is money, food, or just something so simple as drinking water, he always appreciates what he has and savors every drop. He wears clothes until they are ragged and fall off his wiry frame. The Ladybug's gauge is almost always pointing near empty. He never takes slumber for granted, catching every last bit of shuteye he can.
"Shut up and go back to sleep, stupid," Ban says, though his arms are unrelenting.
Ginji grins, closes his eyes, and relaxes.
Waste not, want not, he thinks.
***
Something Midou Ban has noticed is that every step of his life, every second of the day, he becomes less of a snake and more of an eel. Less of Ban, more of Ginji. One hundred words about himself quickly becomes ten about Ginji, then fifteen, then twenty-five. Ban is drawn to Ginji's radiant warmth; he no longer feels the murderous cold. By having seen the light, he can never let it go because a mind stretched can never return to its former dimensions. They are pieces of the same puzzle, closer than comrades or brothers.
Ban pulls Ginji closer.
-fin
Authors notes: Just some 100-word drabbles I cooked up to get better into Ban's head so that I could write Restless Dreams (), which I highly recommend any and all Get Backers fans check out. Especially if you like being scared senseless. )