Title:
Bathtime
Theme
#33 – Strange smells
Disclaimer: Get Backers & its characters are not mine; they belong to two wonderful, brilliant people—Rando Ayamine and Yuya Aoki, plus their publishing companies,etc. I'm just a lowly fanfiction writer with no money, a few of crazy ideas and sometime to spare.
Author's Notes: Because the JuKazu fans need a little sap and romance once in a while (even if it means a little OOCness…) Very rushed proofread, so please excuse the mistakes! Anyway, I've been feeling rather guilty for not updating in a while XD I would appreciate some reviews though, onegaishimasu yo!
Written
for the 30romances, a LiveJournal community.
For
my new LJ-friend and JuKazu comrade, Maldy-san 0 enjoy!
Juubei felt his presence long before he came into the room. It really did not have anything to do with his blindness that he was using his other senses now to become aware of everything that was around him…
Only that, when it comes to Kadzuki, all his senses would come into play, all wanting to be surrounded by the Thread Master: ears would perk at the sound of his light footsteps; skin would tingle and feel warm at the same time; mouth would go dry and taste buds would long for something sugary; nose would catch whiff of the mild, sweet scent of peach—
"Nyyyaaaarrrrghhhhhh! Curse that Ban Mido! Curse him!"
The front door of the apartment burst open with a bang, followed by Kadzuki roaring curses to the wind, then the sound of what must have been shoes hurtled onto the wooden floor in rage.
If it wasn't for the force of gravity that held everything down in place, Juubei could have sworn he'd gone flying to the moon from jumping too high in shock. For a few flustered seconds, he went scampering into the living room, searching around for Kadzuki – which supposedly, shouldn't be a hard thing to accomplish, since all he had to do was follow the Thread Master's angry bellowing.
"Damnit! It'd take months to get this much filth out of my hair!"
"Kadzuki? Kadzuki, are you alright? What happened?" So far, all that he was able to grasp was air… which was, he suddenly noticed, oddly tinged with a rather, foreign odor.
"I swear I'll skin him alive with the threads! Arrrghhhh!"
For as long as Juubei can remember, Kadzuki rarely lost himself to anger, cursing and shouting was never his way of letting it out, mild-mannered and level-headed that he was. But something -– or rather, someone, by the name of Mido Ban, had pushed the usually calm and composed Thread Master to the brinks of fury.
With still empty air in his hands, Juubei began to "sniff" Kadzuki out. But all he whiffed was a dreadful stench of rotting fruit and burnt rubber, which made him feel a little sick. And Kadzuki's voice was drifting in and out, which probably meant that he was moving across the rooms of the apartment.
Stomp, stomp, stomp. "Nyaaaagghhh!" A tap being opened, the sound of running water. Stomp, stomp, stomp. "Curse him!" Drawers being shoved open in rage, the sound of objects getting rummaged. Apparently, he was too preoccupied with his anger to notice Juubei calling.
"Kadzuki? Kadzuki! Where are you?" The whole room was reeking of that foul odor already. 'Where in heavens name is that coming from anyway!'
Still unsuccessful in getting Kadzuki's attention, Juubei followed the sound of running water instead, and eventually found himself inside the bathroom.
"Juubei! Ah, gomen nasai," Kadzuki had just entered, fumbling the containers on the lavatory counter, "I'm drawing a bath. That stupid partner of Ginji-san's—"
"There it is again!" Juubei almost blanched as the foul odor surrounded him, its smell intensified in the confined space of the bathroom. "What is that awful smell?"
Juubei did not notice the burning redness on Kadzuki's cheeks. But he did sense that the Thread Master began fidgeting, hesitating whether to answer Juubei's query or continue with the rituals of preparing for his bath. He moved a few steps towards him.
"T-that is…"
"Kadzuki..?" Juubei sniffed the air again. There was no doubt.
"No—wait, please Juubei—don't—don't come near me!" He can detect a slight embarrassment in Kadzuki's nervous tone. "I—I'm just going take a bath, ok? I'll tell you about it after I'm done."
But Juubei continued to move forward, hands reaching out for Kadzuki. Kadzuki, on the other hand, was stepping backwards, and failed to notice the slight cleft on the floor. As Juubei's fingers took hold of Kadzuki's shirt, Kadzuki tripped on that cleft—
Slip. Tumble. Crash!
"So, it is -you-, Kadzuki!"
+---------------------------------------+
"It's that damn Ban Mido's fault." Kadzuki sighed, as he snuggled inside Juubei's arms, which closed around him from behind. "He's so darn stupid! Letting that highschool girl boss him around."
Kadzuki continued cursing the Get Backer while he furiously washed his long tresses. His anger had dissipated significantly over the past hour, cursing once in a while, or attaching some dire words to describe Ban Mido. But for the most part, Juubei can safely say that the Thread Master was now gradually regaining his composure.
"If it wasn't for Ginji-san, I never would have agreed to sift through all that garbage looking for that darn briefcase!"
Juubei lazily caressed Kadzuki's smooth arms with soap while he listened to his rants. Somehow, he couldn't quite empathize with Kadzuki's annoyance at Ban's stupidity, in fact, he felt grateful for it – a bit ashamed, yes, for thinking that way (because he'd gotten Kadzuki in this mess, literally) – but still grateful. Juubei grinned sheepishly as he let his hands move gently onto Kadzuki's shoulders and began massaging them in slow circles.
"Ohh... Juubei, that feels so nice." Kadzuki let out a soft moan and a sigh, leaning on to his companion as he closed his eyes in relaxation.
Ban Mido's stupidity can be rather convenient sometimes. He really should thank that stupid Ban Mido one of these days...
Juubei smirked as he continued with his ministrations, while the sweet scent of strawberries and lilies wafted through the air, surrounding them both in the confined space of the bathtub.
FIN.