Romeo and Juliet � A Modern Tale of Love and Loss

Disclaimer: I don’t own the GetBackers, (manga or anime) I just like to imagine them in my own little world (which is totally of my imagining). No profits are made from this story, just gratuitous pleasure.

Summary: Ban, Gingi, Shido and Kazuki go on a retrieval mission, but something goes horribly wrong, and Ban thinks he has lost someone dear to his heart. What happens when Ban has to cope with emotional disaster? (Pt 5 of The Tangled Web series)

Rating: NC-17

Warning Codes: Angst, oral, anal, m/m, language, waff, yaoi, WIP,

Pairings: SxB

Author’s note: This is part 5 of the Tangled Web series.

Although each one can stand alone, they will make more sense if they are read as a series.

Feedback is appreciated. Your feedback is your gift to me. My gift to you is the story. Thanks to those who left me the wonderful comments.

Special thanks to HumanInfiltrator for letting me know about my little mistake!


Romeo and Juliet – A Modern Tale of Love and Loss

It was a late morning and Shido, for once, wasn’t awake before the other two. Gingi was up and in the shower and it was the running water that awoke Ban. Seeing the beast master still sleeping, Ban decided to launch a surprise attack on his unsuspecting body.

He slid down, pulled the sheet back, then gently grasped Shido’s cock, quickly closing his mouth over it, feeling the fullness of it against the back of his throat as Shido quickly became aroused. Ban relaxed and allowed almost the full length of it to slide deeply into his throat before it became fully erect.

At the first touch of the warm, wet mouth, the swirling, teasing tongue, Shido’s eyes had flown open, startled into complete wakefulness. He watched, mesmerized for the moment, as Ban did the one thing Shido always wished he’d do. Shido realized how hard it had to be on the retriever and tried to get him to back off from taking in his full length, but Ban refused to listen, sucking and moving his head to encourage Shido’s climax, relaxing his throat to let Shido's full length slide into it between the long licks up the vein in the back and the strong sucks accompanied by the teasing swirls of the tongue around the head of his throbbing cock.

“Baby, you’re gonna suffocate if you keep this up. Back off some,” Shido insisted, then moaned as Ban only took him deep into his throat once again.

Somehow, he was managing to take in Shido’s whole massive length, and it was driving Shido crazy. Then Shido felt one of Ban’s exploring fingers at the entrance of his body. After a bit of gentle probing, Ban slid a lube slicked finger deep into Shido, probing gently until he found Shido's sweet spot. Shido arched hard at the contact, the added pleasure increasing the sensations throughout his body. He could feel his balls starting to tighten, the fire burning in his belly as he neared climax.

“Baby, baby, I’m gonna come. Back off some,” Shido insisted, panting and gasping, but still Ban refused, only sucking harder.

With a strangle moan, Shido spilled his passion down the open throat of his lover, and Ban sucked until the was nothing left, finally releasing the organ from his warm, tight throat.

“Oh, god, baby! Wow! What can I say? That was awesome,” panted Shido. “You said you’d never deep throat me.”

“Yeah, well, I lied,” grinned Ban.

“Baby, you still have your finger in my ass,” Shido reminded him, shifting a bit.

“Yeah, and it’s lonely. It wants some company,” said Ban, sliding in the second, then the third after a few moments, much to Shido’s pleasure. He began to fuck Shido with his fingers, once more seeking the beast master’s sweet spot, rubbing over it, and grinning at the reaction from his lover.

“Are you gonna do what I think you’re gonna do?” Shido asked, writhing under the assault.

“Sure am, just as soon as I find the lube again,” Ban replied, trying to find where he’d dropped it.

“Use come, it’ll work alright,” gasped Shido as Ban hit his sweet spot again.

“You sure? I mean, about me doing you?” asked Ban.

“Yeah, do it. I’ll never be as relaxed as I am now. That was an awesome blow job, baby,” Shido told him, running his had through Ban’s soft dark hair.

“Thanks. I aim to please,” said Ban using the come from Shido’s orgasm to lubricate himself, then he guided his cock to the tender opening of Shido’s body. “You ready? It’s gonna hurt like hell.”

“Yeah, baby. Fuck me,” said Shido. “Fuck me hard, baby.”

Ban pushed into him, the muscle giving reluctantly before the insistent pressure from the tip of Ban’s cock, and the head slipped inside of the waiting channel. Sheathing himself fully, Ban waited until the beast master adjusted to the feeling, then started moving, slowly at first, then vigorously as Shido pulled him into his arms to capture his mouth. The pace was fast and furious and they were soon both breathing hard, mouths biting at each other, hands grasping hard.

The tightness of Shido's channel was amazing to Ban as he thrust in deeply, and the muscles ripple around him, pulling him closer and closer to the edge. Shifting his angle somewhat, he managed to hit the beast master’s prostate a few times, causing Shido's channel to clench around him even more. Ban could feel the burn in the pit of his stomach and knew the end was nearing for him.

“Shido, I’m gonna come, oh gods, I gonna come,” moaned Ban, thrusting desperately, wanting nothing more then to empty his seed into his lover, claiming him for his own..

“Give it to me baby, come hard, come deep,” Shido panted back as Ban arched into him with one final thrust before spilling his seed deep in Shido’s willing body.

Then Ban collapsed on top of Shido, lying panting on him and Shido’s arms held him tight, Ban still encased within his body.

“Baby, have I told you lately that I love you?’ asked Shido softly.

“Yeah, but it’s still nice to hear. I love you, too,” Ban replied, the two sharing a brief, sappy moment.

They were still lying together, kissing, Ban on top of Shido and Shido clasping him tightly, when Gingi walked in on them. He smiled a little at the sight. They usually reserved their most intimate moments for the times when he was asleep. Seeing the two in such a close embrace was nice, because Gingi sometimes felt it was only about sex for the two.

“Hey, Romeo, Juliet, we got a job. Hevn wants us the Honky Tonk ASAP,” Gingi called, then ran as Shido launched a pillow at him.

They could hear him laughing down the hall. The lovers kissed deeply a couple of more time, Shido seeming reluctant to let Ban go after the love making they had just shared, but knowing that no working meant no eating.

“Come on Juliet,” said Ban, getting up.

“Hey, I’m not Juliet,” retorted Shido.

“You are today,” replied Ban.

“Well, I’m about to fix that,” stated Shido. “You’re my Juliet, and don’t you forget it.”

Then he followed Ban into the shower, where he quickly proceeded to relegate Ban back to his role of Juliet, not that Ban ever complained. After returning to the bedroom to dress, they were just about ready to join Gingi in the front room when Shido caught Ban’s arm, pulling him back for another few kisses.

“Hey, Ban,” said Shido, between kisses, “thanks for the blow job. That was really special. Now I know why Gingi always passes out. That was like a little bit of heaven. I really mean that, baby.”

“Yeah, well, just don’t get all sappy on me, monkey tamer,” replied Ban, returning the kiss, “and don’t expect that all of the time. It’s not easy, you know.”

“I know, snake bastard, and that’s why I love you so damned much,” Shido grinned and gave him one last kiss before letting him go.

They walked down the hall to join Gingi, who was waiting impatiently.

“You guys are sure all love-love today,” Gingi complained.

“You’d rather we were fighting?” Shido asked, taking Ban’s hand as they walked out.

“No, but you usually save that stuff for the night,” replied Gingi.

“So, Gingi, we can’t be all love-love in the daylight?” asked Ban. “Or maybe you feel left out. Come on, you can be all love-love with me.”

Ban grabbed Gingi around the neck and pulled him close to plant a kiss on the protesting blonde’s lips, but he noticed Gingi didn’t leave the shelter of his arm. Ban smiled. He’d have to pay Gingi more attention. It was just that Shido was always so touchy feely, something Ban had not expected from the beast master. Well, he’d have to make a greater effort to be more affectionate to Gingi. Even this small gesture made Gingi glow.

~*~

They strolled casually into the Honky Tonk where Hevn waited, taping her foot impatiently.

“It’s about time. You guys are supposed to reliable,” she complained. “We don’t want to keep the client waiting.”

“Romeo and Juliet had to shower,” stated Gingi, smirking, then ducking to hide behind Natsumi.

Shido growled something unintelligible and Ban turned his back on his friend, pretending interest in something else. Hevn looked from Ban to Shido, her eyes narrowing with suspicion, but she said nothing because Kazuki walked in just then, diverting everyone’s attention.

“Kazu-chan,” Gingi yelled, dashing over with open arms. “Kazu-chan, I’m so sorry I haven’t been to see you for a while, but well, things have changed some, me and Shido and Ban and all and it’s all good and I really need to talk to you, let’s go sit and have some coffee.”

Kazuki just laughed at the rush of words that tumbled out at him, hugged Gingi and smiled.

“It’s alright. Juubie has been keeping me company lately. We can talk later. Hevn’s waiting for us,” said Kazuki, steering Gingi back to the group.

He took note of Shido standing very close to Ban’s shoulder, almost protectively, and smiled at them, but said nothing. Kazuki had said all he felt that needed to be said to Ban that afternoon in the park. It was nice to see the two so happy together, and, judging from the hickey on Ban’s neck that was just barely hidden, the physical aspect must be very good.

Kazuki was glad that Shido had found someone strong to stand beside him. It took a very strong person to be able to keep up with the beast master, and Ban Mido was one of the strongest men Kazuki had ever met. That Gingi was part of their trio was the only surprise, but maybe his soft fluff eased the sharp edges of the other two, letting them all live together peacefully. But Hevn was talking, and he was missing it.

“… retriever team of Ban Mido and Gingi Amano, and an independent retriever, Shido Fuyuki, and a guide and advisor, Kazuki Fuuchion. This is Ms Del Monaco. There is a small box located in the old Paradise Theater in the Munjuku district where Ms Del Monaco played on the stage many years ago. She’s not quite sure of it’s exact location, it’s been many years and there have been several major reconstructions inside the theater since then, but she can give you a general idea Kazuki.

“And Ban, I know that you and Gingi could probably do this all on your own, but I feel that Shido can be a real help, what with him being able to communicate with the rats in the building, so that’s why I’m including him, so don’t start to yell at me, Ban!” Hevn rounded on the younger retriever.

“I wouldn’t think of it, Hevn. Of course we’ll work with Shido to get this done as quickly as possible and get the client’s goods delivered to her,” replied Ban, with a great amount of dignity.

“You’re not going to object?” she asked suspiciously.

“Juliet wouldn’t go anywhere without Romeo,” Gingi quipped, then yelped as Shido hit him on the back of the head rather hard.

“Shido!” Gingi complained.

“Mind your manners,” said Shido sharply.

Hevn looked very confused, though Paul and Natsumi, laughing in the background, had a good idea of the turn of recent events. She shook her head, then continued on with the explanation. The client was a very old woman, who looked to be at least in her late eighties, and it had probably been at least forty years since she had been in the Paradise Theater, which had been shut down for about the last twenty years. It stood in the heart of the Munjuku district, in the very shadow of the Infinite Fortress. What had once been a beautiful theater that drew only the best crowds was now a rat infested derelict, so close on the verge of collapse, even the poorest of the poor wouldn’t live there.

“The box is small, maybe two inches by three, it’s black lacquered wood with sakura blossoms on the top,” she wheezed. “What is in it is very precious to me, and I will spend the remainder of my fortune to get it back before I die.”
She looked so old and frail, they thought death might find her before the retrievers found the box.

“Well, monkey tamer, let’s quite wasting time here and get this job done. Gingi? Let’s go, babe,” said Ban, holding out his hand. “String boy, got what you can about where it might be located? Good, this should be a walk in the park. Lets go get back that box.”

Ban was in high spirits as he herded the group out the door and on toward the hell hole of the Munjuku, the Infinite Fortress.

*~*

“So, Paul, what’s up with them?” asked Hevn.

“Oh, that’s right, you haven’t been around for quite sometime, have you?” said Paul. “Well, not so long ago, it seems Natsumi heard Shido asking Gingi for permission to date Ban.”

“What!!” Hevn exclaimed. “Shido dating Ban?”

“Yeah, Natsumi dropped two full cups of coffee on the floor when she heard,” Paul grinned at the still mortified girl. “After that, it appears that Shido has moved in with Ban and Gingi. I’m not really sure of all of the intimate little details, but Ban and Shido seem to get along a whole lot better these days. I think they’re a happy little couple within that trio, if you know what I mean.”

“Ban and Gingi, I figured that would happen one day,” said Hevn, “but Shido? And with Ban? So, whose the, you know, seme? And is it all three of them, you know, together?”

“Well, my guess with Shido and Ban would be Shido,” answered Paul, “but they really don’t go around shouting it from the roof tops. They’re pretty circumspect about it. As for the three of them together, no one is kissing and telling.”

“My, my,” said Hevn, “and didn’t I just look the fool, telling Ban off like that? That must have been what the whole Romeo and Juliet thing was about, I guess.”

The three sat to ponder the situation over coffee and cake, while the retrievers did their job. The client, meanwhile, dozed in one of the back booths.

~*~

The foursome located the old Paradise Theater fairly quickly. But the shadow of the Infinite Fortress was definitely casting a pall over them, as Gingi kept glancing in the direction of the fortress, almost as if he expected someone to come running out to drag him back into it. He moved closer to Ban, trying to keep him between the building and himself.

“Don’t worry so much about it. Don’t keep looking at it,” Ban said softly.

“I can’t help it, Ban-chan. It’s just so, there!” said Gingi, slight repugnance in his voice.

“Come on, I got the door open,” called Shido. “Watch the steps, they’re really rotten in the middle, stay close to the sides. The whole thing is about ready to crumble.”

Once inside, they consulted the map made from the old woman’s memories and determined that it was all but worthless. The only good thing about it was it told them they needed to look on the upper floor and that it was at the back of the theater.

At one time, it had been a gorgeous theater. The walls had been done in a deep red flocked wall paper, with heavy red draperies and thick red carpet everywhere. The grand, sweeping staircases off to the sides that led to the second floor balconies were made of what appeared to be mahogany with matching hand rails and a red carpet down the center. The open doors into the first floor auditorium were of carved mahogany as well, but they were pulled loose from their hinges, the screws barely holding them to the frames.

The drapes were in shreds and tatters, showing the filthy, broken windows behind them, the wallpaper hung torn off in sad strips where it had been chewed by generations of mice, rain seepage washing almost all of the deep red flocking off and the carpets were threadbare with only a whisper of their past glory remaining. And the beautiful staircases were so dry rotted, the lightest step threatened to bring them down.

The group paused at the entry way of the lobby to observe the sad, forsaken grandeur of the once splendid edifice, and Shido took the opportunity to call some of the rats to him.

“We need to stay to the sides. They say the floor is very weak and that there is a rather large hole, probably a storage area, under the main lobby here,” said Shido. “We need to get around the lobby and into the auditorium, then to the stage area and go up from there. Let’s spread out some, so our weight’s not all concentrated together.”

“Yes, that sounds like a good plan. I’ll go first, I’m light,” said Kazuki.

“Gingi, you go next, then me, then Shido,” Ban decided. “Shido, keep some of your little friends near so they can tell us of any other pit falls.”

“Sure, sounds good to me,” agreed Shido. “Let’s go.”

They moved out cautiously, taking rather longer then needed perhaps, but felt it was wiser to err on the side of caution where the old building was concerned. A nerve racking time later, they passed through the lobby and into the auditorium where they made their way down the rows of ruined seats to reach the stage. They saw, behind some thread bare curtains, the stairs at the sides of the stage that led up to the second floor. These, at least, looked a little more substantial then the other staircases in the main lobby had. They decided that Shido and Ban would take one side and Kazuki and Gingi would take the other, searching quickly and carefully for the dressing rooms the stars had used. Once they found the right dressing room, the rats should be able to help locate the box.

“Be careful,” admonished Shido, “and remember to stay by the outer walls, if at all possible. The centers of the hallways are all probably rotten, too. You don’t want to come down center stage if you can help it.”

Ban laughed, gave Gingi a quick kiss and a squeeze, then left with Shido. Gingi watched, a curious look in his eyes.

“Are you alright, Gingi?” asked Kazuki.

“Yeah, great,” replied Gingi, absently.

“Gingi, do you want to talk about them?” asked Kazuki, softly. “Are they treating you alright?”

“Yeah, they treat me real good, but, sometimes… I don’t know, Kazu-chan. They’re so good for each other,” said Gingi, insightfully. “Hey, I’m happy for them. Ban-chan, he needs all the love and support he can get, you know?”

Kazuki just nodded, realizing it would probably take Gingi sometime to get it all worked out to his satisfaction in his mind. Gingi wasn’t a fast thinker, but he was thorough, going over every detail. He’d get it all straight to his liking. Meanwhile, there was the job to do.

The four made it up with little mishap, Shido causing one board to crumble under his foot, but that was all. It was like a maze upstairs, dark and musty, smelling of dust and animal droppings. It took them sometime to find the room they wanted, but only a few minutes for Shido to find the location of the box from the rats there.

In the very center of the room, up in the ceiling rafters, of course. Since he was the lightest, Ban said he would work his way to the center and try to reach up. They knew none of them could reach the rafters the box was on, but if Shido could get a rat to push it off, Ban could just reach the tile it would land on. If he pushed the tile up, the small box would slide out.

It all went like clock work, right up to the point that the box slid out and Gingi jumped forward to catch it. As he landed, they could hear the ominous creaking and cracking of boards under his feet. He froze where he landed, but it was too late.

“Oh, shit, Gingi, what did you do?” asked Ban, going pale.

“I’m sorry, Ban-chan, I didn’t think,” Gingi whispered as the floor started to crumble under him.

Shido reached out a hand, grabbed his arm and pulled him back, then looked sickeningly at Ban, who stood just out of his reach. Then Kazuki grabbed Ban from behind, pulling him back to relative safety.

“Lets get out of here quick, it’s going to crumble fast,” yelled Shido, starting to move, but as he turned, he bumped into Gingi and somehow ended up with the box in his hands.

They ran, trying to stay by the walls, but it just wasn’t possible at times. Once Ban stumbled, but Kazuki pulled him up. They got safely to the stairs Ban and Shido had come up and started down quickly, but the weight was too much, especially on the place where Shido had already broken through on the way up. The stairs started to crumble under the combined weight. Ban and Kazuki had made it to the bottom, but a large section of staircase dropped just under Gingi’s foot about half way down and he pitched forward, falling the rest of the way. Ban caught him at the bottom.

But Shido was on the other side of the hole and the stairs were crumbling under him fast.

“Kazuki,” he yelled, then pitched the box. “Catch.”

Kazuki whipped out some string, caught the box in mid-air and pulled it in. Ban caught it and stuffed it in his shirt. Shido vaulted over the rail of the staircase and landed hard on the rotting boards of the stage. He rolled and scrambled off the rotten stage just before the whole thing crumbled under him, jumping at the last minute, landing squarely in Ban’s arms.

Ban pulled him tightly to him, not wanting Shido to see how scared he had been, but Shido felt him tremble. A quick squeeze was all he had time for, because at that moment, a large chunk of the ceiling and second floor came crashing down upon the former stage.

The four ran like they had never run before, floors falling under their feet, ceiling crashing down around their ears and the dust so thick they could barely breath, let alone see. But still they stumble forward blindly. They stopped at the exit of the auditorium and looked across the rotten lobby floor at the main entrance. They knew the time for caution was gone and they would have to chance the crossing.

Kissing Ban hard, Shido sent him sprinting across the floor with a hard slap on his ass. The he sent Kazuki and Gingi next. So far, so good. It had held. Shido took a deep breath and then ran for all he was worth. He almost made it. Just a few more steps. But his weight on the seriously weakened floor was too much. It crumbled behind him and he teetered on the edge, fighting for balance.

Ban turned back and took two steps towards his lover, hand outstretched, then a large chunk of the ceiling landed between the two. When the dust cleared, Shido was gone and all that could be seen was a gaping, dark hole.

Ban screamed incoherently and began to run back, but Gingi grabbed him and started to drag him away. By now, almost all of the ceiling was down and the balconies were bowing in. The whole building was on the verge of collapse.

Gingi and Kazuki dragged the screaming, scratching and crying Ban out of the main doors just as the rest of the building, with a loud groan, crashed in on itself. Then it was silent. For a minute.

Ban collapsed on the street, tears running down his face, screaming and clutching at his head. Gingi kneeled beside him, trying to hold him, but Ban fought him off like a spitting cat.

“NO! Shido! Shido!” he screamed. Then he turned on his best friend. “Why? You just let him die! Why? Why did you stop me? Why?”

“You would have died, too, Ban,” said Kazuki, softly. “It was too dangerous. We couldn’t let you go back in there.”

“I might have reached him. Or at least I would have died with him. Oh, Shido.” And Ban collapsed in a sobbing heap.

Kazuki and Gingi finally got him carried out and they returned to the Honky Tonk, battered, bruised and missing one retriever. Gingi let Natsumi take the sobbing Ban to the back and put him in a booth with a blanket over his shoulders, while he and Kazuki told Paul and Hevn the whole story. Gingi gave Hevn the box he had gotten from Ban and she promised to get back with him later with their payment. Right now, Gingi only wanted to take his poor Ban-chan home.

*~*

Once home, Gingi showered Ban and put him to bed, where Ban cried himself to sleep. It was several days before he got out of bed, refusing to eat in the meantime, demanding that Gingi supply him with liquor and cigarettes. Ban sat in the lonely quietness of their bedroom, grieving for the beast master that he never realized he loved so much.

He felt as if a part of his heart had died back there with Shido. How could one person come to mean so much that their loss felt like you’d lost a part of yourself? He and Shido had really come to mean that much to each other, and neither had truly know it.

Finally, Gingi forced Ban from the bed and made him dress and go with him to the Honky Tonk. It had been almost two weeks. Ban looked like a ghost, pale and weak, dark circles under his eyes. His hands shook constantly.

His friends all felt bad looking at the once vibrant young man, seeing the shell of the person he’d become. He barely even spoke to anyone. He knew they were all talking about him, they worried, but he didn’t care. A part of him was dead and would never live again. He left to go home soon after arriving and they all felt a guilty relief, hating to see what he had become.

Once he got home, though, he didn’t go into the empty apartment. There were too many memories there. He couldn’t face them. Not yet. He made his way to the top floor of the building, climbing a laborious eight flights of stairs and stepped out on the roof.

The breeze was cool, but the sun felt nice on his cold body. He hadn’t felt warm in such a long time. Gingi tried. He really tried, but the hole that Shido left in his heart was too big for anyone else to fill. He sat and smoked the last cigarette from his pack, feeling like this was almost an omen. As he ground out the butt, he stood and walked to the railing around the roof.

Ban stood looking over for a very long time, then it was as if he’d made up his mind. Hands on the rails and one foot raised, he heard a footstep behind him.

“Hey, Juliet, you’re not thinking of leaving me, are you?” said a soft, low voice.

Ban froze in place, afraid to turn around. He’d had this dream too many times in the past two weeks, only to wake screaming in the empty dark again.

‘Juliet, wherefore art thou, Juliet?
‘What light through yonder window breaks?
‘It is the east, and Juliet is the sun,’ came the soft words.

“My sweet Juliet, would you leave me, now that I’ve returned to you?” asked Shido.

Ban spun around, shaken, unbelieving.

“You got the line wrong. It’s ‘wherefore art thou, Romeo?’,” was all he could manage through his tears, then Shido had him in his arms.

“Hey, you weren’t thinking of doing something stupid, were you, snake bastard?” asked Shido softly.

“Shido, I just couldn’t go on without you any more. It was like a light went out in my life,” Ban said, tears falling as he clutched Shido tightly.

“Ah, Ban, I knew that you loved me,” said Shido, stroking his dark hair. “Hey, you don’t think something as paltry as a 10 foot drop through a hole in the floor and a two story building collapsing on me would actually kill me, now did you?”

“Hell, monkey tamer, I should have known your ass was too mean to die,” Ban sniffed. “I wanted to go back, but they wouldn’t let me. Said it was too dangerous.”

“They were right. It took the rats a week and a half to dig me out. That’s why I was gone so long,” said Shido. “You don’t look too good, baby. Let’s get you inside. I need to take care of you.”

They turned and started back in, but Ban, in his seriously weakened condition, collapsed, and Shido had to carry him down. He walked into pandemonium. Gingi was frantic, not being able to find Ban and he had Kazuki there, along with Juubie, and they just were getting ready to go out looking for Ban when Shido carried him in the door.

“Shido,” screamed Gingi, then “Ban-chan! Shido, is Ban-chan alright? I was so worried. Ban-chan?”

“Shhh. Hush, Gingi,” said Shido. “He’s fine. He’s just exhausted and he needs to eat. I’m going to go put him to bed. Why don’t you guys go out for a while and get some food to bring back.”

The three took the hint and left Romeo with his Juliet. Shido undressed Ban and then himself, then crawled into bed next to his lover, dirt and all, pulling Ban close, holding him tightly. Ban murmured softly and snuggled in close, feeling peaceful for the first time since that horrible moment.

Some three hours later, Gingi returned with food, going into the bedroom to see if the other two wanted to eat. He saw Shido, still cradling Ban, stroking his dark hair, a soft look on his face. He looked up as Gingi walked in, and smiled.

“You know, Gingi, it was the look on his face as I was falling that kept me going. I knew I had to come home, so I could take that look off of his face,” said Shido softly. “I guess I just love him that much.”

Shido sighed. It felt good to be home. Home. A place that you went, where people that cared for you were. Yes, he was definitely home.

*~*


Thanks for reading, hope your visit was a good one.

The next part of The Tangeled Web will be Against All Odds. The light in Ban’s life has gone out. Can the flame ever be rekindled? Ban’s reflections.