Squeak

by scribblemoose

Yohji looked at the list that Ken had just given him and sighed. It was long. Two pages of Kenken's untidy scrawl, all of it requiring effort and just reading it was making him feel tired. And it wasn't noon yet. It was inhuman, asking him to work at this hour.

Especially with Aya. A little fight with Ken would keep him awake, and Omi could usually be relied upon to provide him with a steady flow of coffee and cheerful sympathy. But Aya…

All he got from Aya these days was silence. Ever since their little misunderstanding over the panties in Yohji's glove compartment, he'd got the cold shoulder. Which in terms of Aya meant silence, cold stares, the constant threat of violence and no sex.

And most definitely no sympathy for a hangover.

With his best martyred expression fixed firmly on his face, Yohji slunk into the flowershop and set about his day's work.

"You're late."

"Good morning to you too, Aya. And how are you?"

Aya grunted and turned away, busying himself with the cash register. Yohji gave him the finger behind his back and turned to the worktable. He put Ken's list down and smoothed the pages out, squinting to decipher his handwriting.

He slumped down on the stool with another sigh. Life sucked.

Something squeaked. Damn stool, probably. That's all he needed, a day of Aya-wrought silence punctuated by…

Hang on. There it was again. And definitely not the stool.

Yohji shrugged. Ah well. He was probably having auditory hallucinations. Wouldn't surprise him. After whatever he was drinking last night. Drinks probably shouldn't have a worm in the bottle. Had to make you wonder what the worm died of.

"You'd better get started," said Aya. "Omi wants to get those deliveries done in his lunch hour."

"What? That's only…" Yohji peered at his watch. "Half an hour! Ken didn't mention that."

Aya had his back to him; his shoulders heaved.

And he squeaked.

"Aya?"

"What?" Aya turned and the full force of his glare hit Yohji head on.

"Nothing. Just… nothing."

"If you don't get them done on time you can-" and Aya made an odd sort of noise, somewhere between a snort and a snigger, or maybe a…

Hiccup. Aya had hiccups.

Yohji burst out laughing. He couldn't help it.

"What?" Aya scowled.

"You've got hi-"

"Just shut up and do some work for a change." Aya disappeared behind the counter as his shoulders gave a tell-tale shake. He muttered something that sounded like a curse.

"Hmm, hiccup cures…" Yohji started to pull together the flowers he needed for the first arrangement, considerably cheered up. "Cold metal down your back… hey, get your sword, Aya and I'll-"

Aya once again turned upon him with a deadly glare, and once again his dignity was demolished by a hiccup. "It's not funny. It's just a … just get on with your work, Yohji."

"I had a friend once who always got hiccups when he gave blowjobs."

"Really? How interesting," snarled Aya.

"I told him he needed a boyfriend with a bigger dick."

"I suppose you were happy to volun-hicsqueak-teer."

"Oh no, he wasn't my type. But thanks for the compliment," smirked Yohji.

Aya gave a squeaky growl of disgust and fished out the cloth and window spray from under the counter. A moment later he was polishing the glass shop front so hard Yohji thought it would break.

And still hiccuping.

"You should try holding your breath," Yohji suggested.

Aya just polished faster, but Yohji noticed his breath still a few moments later.

It didn't work.

Yohji slunk off his stool and headed for the back of the shop.

"Where are you going?"

"You''ll see. I'll be back in a minute."

"If you're trying to get out of your shift…"

"As if I'd do such a thing."

"You can't need a cigarette break-" and Aya hic-squeaked miserably "-yet."

"Not going for a cigarette break."

"Ah, fuck off then. See if I care."

Aya went back to polishing, window squeaking in counterpoint to his hiccups.

"Put it this way, Aya. Do you want to get rid of those hiccups or not?"

Aya grunted.

Yohji returned a few minutes later with a laden tray. Aya ignored him for the two or three minutes he probably thought he needed to retain his air of disinterest and whatever dignity he could maintain when his body shook and squeaked every few moments. Then he looked casually over at Yohji's worktable and the tray that sat there.

"Alright then," Aya said grudgingly. "What do I do?"

"Try this first." Yohji offered him a glass of water, trying not to look smug. "Drink it from the wrong side of the glass.

"What?"

"Like this." Yohji demonstrated, just about managing not to fall off his stool in the process.

"Are you taking the piss?"

"Just try it."

Aya took the glass and bent easily over it to sip from the side furthest from his body. Yohji got a glimpse of pink tongue and damp lips that shot straight to his groin.

Aya hiccupped.

"Okay," said Yohji hastily. "It doesn't always work. Here. Crushed ice, try that."

"What do I have to do with that?" Aya said, eyes narrowed in suscpicion.

"Just eat it. Although if you're looking for other suggestions…"

Aya scooped a palmful of ice into his mouth and crunched it with a casual indifference that made Yohji shudder. The man clearly had no feeling.

Although, casting his mind back a couple of weeks to a time when they'd spent most of their non-work, non-mission hours as a heated tangle of limbs and sheets on Yohji's bed, Yohji knew that wasn't true.

He really needed to clear out his glove compartment more often.

Aya's face was still. He almost looked pleased. For a moment.

Then he hiccuped.

"This is stupid." Aya snatched up his cloth, about to go back to torturing the already-gleaming windows.

"There's plenty more to try yet. Try a spoonful of sugar. Or suck on a lemon or-"

"Just. Shut. Up."

He glared at Yohji. Yohji glared back.

Aya hiccuped.

"Or you could give me a blow job."

"That's not funny, Yohji." And there was hurt in his eyes, enough that suddenly Yohji didn't think it was funny either. Any of it.

Aya stifled another hiccup and turned back to the window.

It wasn't that Aya didn't trust him. He couldn't blame him for that, with the reputation he'd so carefully maintained all these years. It wasn't that Aya was mad at him. Given the lack of trust, and therefore that Aya thought he'd been playing away, of course he'd be mad. It wasn't that Yohji objected to Aya's possessiveness, despite the fact that they'd never actually discussed how exclusive their relationship should be. Anyone who knew Aya would be perfectly clear that he'd never share.

It was just…

He missed him so damn much.

Aya hiccuped yet again; his shoulders slumped in misery and he rested his forehead on the window.

Yohji crossed the space bewteen them in a few long strides, grabbed Aya roughly by the shoulders and spun him around. Pressed his lips to Aya's, holding him tight around the waist, swallowing the next hiccup before plunging his tongue into Aya's mouth. Aya struggled briefly for a moment, then made a growling noise deep in his throat and clawed at Yohji's hair; not fighting him off but making sure he didn't stop.

They didn't stop. Not for a long time, not until their lips were kiss-bruised and their breath was short and the heat between them was tangible, unavoidable and stealing Yohji's reason.

"I didn't cheat on you," he stammered. "I'd never do that."

"I know," said Aya. "But it still…" The lust in his eyes was clouded for a moment with something darker, fiercer. "You're mine. I want you to myself. Not just now."

Yohji's eyes flared in recognition. Jealous. Aya was jealous, not of any current dalliance he might have suspected, but for those that were gone and done with. All of them.

"We have to close the shop," Yohji said, one hand gathering Aya's, the other fumbling for his shop keys. "I don't give a fuck what happens, I need to show you just how much I'm…."

"Mine." Aya pulled down the shutters with a savage yank and followed Yohji upstairs at a run.

Yohji's heart was pounding. This was it. This was the moment when he made it his mission to keep this difficult, complicated man. To bind him to himself in a way that left no room for doubt, or wonder.

Time to claim him, once and for all, and forever.

No more hiccups.

~owari~

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