Title: Mission: Cycle
By: retroelectric
Author's Note: I've been stuck on the second half of Blood of the Snake. Like soap-won't-slick it-stuck. The ideas just won't come to me – so I've decided to write and amuse myself with a cracktastic Get Backers fan fiction on one of my interests, cycling.
Warnings: Crack! Fic, I suppose.
Disclaimer: I own nothing besides the Greek vampire Cadmus Baptiste; who is my creation, and the storyline of course, and that goes without saying.
Summary: Ban and Ginji, a mission retrieving a jade Buddha for a client. Two bicycles, what could go wrong?
The boy was making his escape with the stolen jade Buddha in agoddamn motorbike. Of course, out of many other alternative vehicle preferences, it just had to be a motorbike – a vehicle small enough to be able to weave in and out of the traffic. And it just was the Get Backers' luck to have their car towed right before their mission had started, so giving chase to the jade Buddha by means of the 360 was out of the question.
Ban growled agitatedly as he saw the boy and his stupid motorbike speeding out of sight. There was no way in hell he was going to give up this retrieval mission just because of a few minor setbacks - like having no car, and the fact that he was feeling a little tired from all the running around he did with Ginji today. It also didn't help that he was starving since he only had had coffee and a tiny sandwich today. Any normal person would have given up and gone home to sulk.
But Ban being Ban, he refused to let those depressive thoughts bring him down. He'd literally been to hell and back, and survived, after all. Ginji was making those defeated whiny sounds again, but he effectively blocked it out.
No use crying over split milk, Ban thought. Glancing around the street they were in, Ban looked for something, anything, that they could make use of to make them go faster and chase that stupid brat. Half a million yen was at stake. No one would ever give them that kind of money for nothing!
His sharp eyes spotted two bicycles, one a garish green and the other a rusty blue. Upon closer inspection, Ban found that they were surprisingly in good condition, nothing was out of place – and the best thing was that they weren't locked.
Ban didn't have time to smirk triumphantly as he straddled the blue bicycle. The gods above must like them, after all.
"C'mon Ginji, we're chasing that Buddha!" Ban enthused, with renewed gusto. He began to pedal quickly, his upper torso bent forward to increase his speed. In his haste Ban never did notice a look of unconcealed horror sliding onto his blond partner's face.
Ginji stared at the peeling acid green paint on the body of the bicycle, then to his dark-haired partner's slowly receding outline. What Ban didn't know was that he'd never learned how to ride a bicycle back in Mugenjou. It was impossible for one to ride a bicycle and not puncture a tyre the first few metres in the rubble-infested city.
Ginji hardened himself, determined not to let something trivial like not being able to ride a bicycle - ruin the chances of him getting a nice, hot meal tonight. He remembered Ban straddling the bicycle like that, and he duly imitated Ban's actions, gripping the handlebars with more force than needed.
He covered his fingers around the long metal things, not knowing what they were and thinking that they were part of the handlebar. Ginji placed his feet on the pedals – Why was the bicycle so wobbly? Ginji wondered – and pushed down them forcefully like he saw Ban do. It did not budge. Ginji humphed, and attempted again, using much more force. Not knowing that his hands were gripping the brakes themselves, he flew forward.
With a short scream, Ginji landed flat on his face onto the pavement.
Meanwhile, Ban, who was already hundred of metres away, belatedly noticed that his electric blond partner wasn't following him. He pedaled faster despite the twinge of hunger eating at his stomach – the invincible Midou Ban-sama never shows any weakness. Besides, he was beginning to catch up with that little thief!
"Wait there for me, Ginji, I'll go and catch that brat!" Ban yelled, knowing that Ginji would hear. Ginji did, his ears perked; but he sat down moodily on the edge of the pavement, silently wishing he knew more things like Ban did. Like how to ride a bicycle.
"I'm such a loser," Ginji mumbled, pouting and hiding his face behind his palms.
The mission was naturally, a success. Ban caught up with the young thief, his speed coming in handy and with a well-placed Jagan he was able to retrieve the jade Buddha from the boy's backpack.
They received their pay from the grateful client, and Ginji immediately recovered from his uncharacteristic moody spell with the prospects of a warm, filling dinner. They were able to get back their car from the police station as well, and that made both of them happy since it meant they wouldn't need to bunk out in the streets.
Life was good, Ban mused, since they were back in the Honky Tonk, having their well-deserved dinner. Something was missing, though, and that was Ginji's happy cheer. Ginji was surprisingly silent as he ate. The blond-haired boy usually had something to say during times like this. Somehow, the dark-haired male knew that Ginji's sudden moodiness had something to do with the earlier incident.
"Oi Gin," Ban said, reaching out one finger to tap lightly on Ginji's bottom pouty lip. They'd finished their dinner, and Ban patted his stomach contentedly. "Why in hell are you still pouting? You've had dinner, we've got our car back, no one died... Why are you still sad?"
Ginji gave a small smile and shook his head. Ban pressed on, he hated it when his partner was unresponsive like this.
"Ginn-ji. Come on, tell me what's wrong, maybe I can help." Ban insisted, fiddling with his Zippo lighter.
"I feel useless..."
Ban blinked owlishly behind purple lenses. He was startled, and stared at Ginji's chocolate brown eyes for some clue to his sudden depression.
"Aah? What for?"
Ginji's bottom lip trembled dramatically as he spoke. "I know that you think that it's not a big deal, Ban-chan... But the thing is, I can't cycle," He wailed. "A-And if I can't even do a simple thing such as cycling, then I can't even begin to think of the other things that I can't do!"
Ginji expected Ban to laugh at him, but he didn't expect Ban to pat his hand comfortingly. "You're right, it's not a big deal. Anyone could do it." Ginji pouted even more at this.
"And thing is, the things that you can't do, I'll do it for you; and the things that I can't do, you'd do it for me. It's a full circle," Ban said nonchalantly, flipping the lighter shut with a click. "That's why we're the Get Backers. So quit pouting."
Ginji smiled at this. "You're so wise, Ban-chan! Ban-chan..." He hesitated, then plunged forward, latching onto Ban's slender waist and looking at his partner with large, dewy eyes. "Can you teach me how to cycle? Pleease?" Ginji asked pleadingly.
Ban wriggled and attempted to pry Ginji's arms off his waist. "Let go, damn eel!" Ginji wriggled along with Ban and aimed his pleading, watery eyes at his partner. "I said, let me go – Look, I can't teach you if you're going to keep wrapping yourself around me!"
Ginji brightened. "Really? You will?" Ban nodded, grimacing slightly and finally managing to pry Ginji's arms off him.
"Wai! Ban-chan is going to teach me how to cycle!" Ginji cried, bouncing in his seat.
"So these are the brakes?" Ginji said wonderingly, tapping the handlebars. "Ooh. No wonder it couldn't move when I tried earlier on!"
"Yes," Ban said impatiently. "Now get on. You'll have to learn how to steady yourself on the bicycle before you start to do anything else."
Ginji did, and rested his feet on the ground. He looked at Ban questioningly, awaiting Ban's instruction.
"Now straighten your legs and keep them near the front wheel while I push you," Ban said. "Balance yourself." Ban kept his hand on the back of the seat, and pushed.
"Whoooaaa-" Ginji said, trying to keep his legs straight as Ban pushed from behind. His body swayed precariously. "This is fun, Ban-chan!" He grinned, keeping his hands on the handlebars.
Ginji turned his head to see Ban, only to be met with wide, blue eyes and a warning - "Look out, Ginji!" He whipped his head forward, and a fire hydrant was suddenly in the way, it seemed, so he swerved a little bit too roughly, forgetting to put his feet onto the ground and he fell from the seat, the bicycle falling on top of him.
"Ow ow ow..." Ginji muttered, rubbing his sore backside as he got up. He pouted accusingly at Ban, then at the bicycle.
"What?" Ban said amusedly. "No one gets it right the first time, Ginji."
They tried again, but Ginji was unsuccessful. Ginji's legs were starting to feel stiff from keeping it so straight for so long. He fell off the bicycle several more times, but he refused to feel disheartened by it.
It was only after a quarter of an hour passed that Ginji was able to maintain being steady on the bicycle. Ban knew that Ginji was beginning to get the hang of balancing, so he let go of his grip on the back of the bicycle.
Ginji made a small, panicked noise as Ban let go of him.
"Don't panic, Ginji. You won't fall, just put your feet onto the pedals and keep balancing like before," Ban instructed. Ginji did, and he felt like he was doing something right. The bicycle wobbled, but he tilted his body to the side a bit and everything seemed fine. Until...
"Ban-chan, how do I stop?!" Ginji said loudly, his hands wringing against the handlebars. The bicycle was slowing, and he felt like he was going to fall again.
"Use your hands to pull on the break and put your feet on the ground."
Ginji followed Ban's instruction, and halted to a stop. He blinked several times in shock, then jumped up and down on his seat. "Yay! I can balance on a bi-cy-cle!" Ginji sing-songed, grinning from ear to ear.
"Good, Ginji. Now you can start pedaling," Ban said, smiling fondly at his partner's achievement.
Ginji nodded excitedly and he steadied himself on the bicycle. Pushing down on the pedals, Ginji was startled to see he was moving forward. "Amazing!" Ginji exclaimed, as he pedaled faster.
"O-Oi Ginji, relax, don't go too fast!" Ban shouted after Ginji warningly. Ginji's only reply was a cry of glee as he pedaled faster and faster, the feeling of euphoria upon discovering a new talent overwhelming himself.
Ginji was so excited that he didn't notice that he was cycling straight into a bush. Upon finally realising his mistake, he attempted to clamp his hands onto the breaks but he was too late. He'd lost control of the bicycle, and he and the bicycle came crashing into the bush together.
He extracted himself from the bush and landed on his butt.
"Ow."
Ban rushed over in a flurry of white and dark, spiky hair. "Ginji? Are you okay? Anything important broken?"
Ginji smiled up at Ban and shook his head. "No, I'm fine, Ban-chan." Ban offered a hand instinctively, and Ginji accepted and pulled himself up. The next thing that Ban knew, though, was that Ginji had engulfed him in an exuberant hug, and was screaming several loud thank yous into his ear.
When Ginji had finally entangled himself from Ban, the dark-haired male smiled a rare smile at him.
"You're welcome, Ginji."
SELESAI
Hope you liked this! R&R welcomed and loved!