Cleaning Up

A Café Kichijoji ficlet

By Arasoi

Taro twitched. Bottle of cleaner in one hand and rag in the other, he worked the surface of the table; cleaning it in broad strokes, and trying very hard NOT to stare across the room.

Spray, wipe, spray, wipe.

It was almost zen-like, how cleaning could sooth him and make him feel at peace—well, at least it usually had that effect. It didn't appear to be helping now, though, and there was only so much cleaning one could do of a single surface before the paint starting peeling away and the fumes clogged the lungs.

With a huff, Taro adjusted his glasses and glanced up. Maki was sweeping the floor, the same chore that he'd been doing since they closed the café fifteen minutes ago. That wasn't what was bothering Taro, however; after all, Maki was actually working. No, what was bothering Taro was the method in which Maki was executing said work.

Gripping the broom loosely, Maki would pull it toward himself, running his fingers up the handle until he gripped it firmly. He repeated the motion again and again until he had a small pile of dirt. Then, much to Taro's dismay, he would bend over to swipe it all into the dustpan…giving the rest of the room the perfect view of his ass. Blond hair swept up into those damn hair clips, he hummed a merry little tune while he worked—which is how Taro knew it was all a big show. Maki was NEVER happy to do work of any sort.

Taro shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. Damn it, this is work. Work, work, work! Do your job…you can punish yourself for lusting after your co-workers later. Unfortunately, the Gods of Productivity did not smile on Taro-- for just as he started on a new table, Maki walked by. Even over the thick fumes of the cleaner, Taro could smell his cologne. Looking over his shoulder, he watched Maki dump the dirt into the trashcan, then stretch; his arms flung up over his head and his back arched ever so slightly. It was no good. He was not going to be able to focus today…not until he worked this out of his system. Throwing his rag down in anger, he glared at the almost empty bottle of cleaner…when inspiration hit him.

Turning around, he called out, "Maki! Bring me a new bottle of cleaner!" Dropping the dustpan, Maki put his hands on his hips and yelled back.

"I'm not your slave, Taro! Get the stupid bottle of cleaner yourse…"

The rest of the sentence never made it out of his mouth. The empty bottle of cleaner that Taro chucked at him hit him square in the face.

"OWW! Son of a BITCH! One of these days, I'm going to have you arrested for assault, asshole!" Taro didn't respond-- he just picked up the chair closest to him, a deadly serious look on his face. Maki threw his hands up, shielding himself and surrendering at the same time. "Okay, Okay! Geez! I'll get your stupid bottle for you. You're such a child…" he muttered as he trotted to the back room.

Taro waited thirty seconds, then followed. He slipped into the storage room and shut the door behind him. Maki had his back to him, up on the step stool and searching through the bottles. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw Taro standing there. "I can't find the kind you use on the tables. And why the hell did you ask me to do it if you were coming back here anyway?"

Instead of answering, Taro grabbed the back of Maki's apron and pulled, yanking him off the ladder and throwing him into the door. Maki's breath left him as his back connected, and he had time to get the words "…the Hell…" out before Taro's mouth covered his, and Taro's hands were up his vest. Maki just went limp and let Taro take the lead, taking what he offered.

After several minutes of tongues, moans, and stroking, Taro came up for air. Maki just stared at him for a moment-- catching his breath, a slightly dazed look on his face. Then, a huge grin appeared. Reaching up, he pulled Taro's glasses off. "Why, Taro…" he said, his voice a strange mix of lazy and seductive. "In the storage room? During work? You're dirtier than people think."

Taro reached up and grabbed Maki's tie and pulled him in. Lips inches apart, Taro uttered in a low, breathy voice, "You have no idea." A small shudder swept through Maki's body, and Taro gave a small smile, pleased to get the results he had been after. Biting Maki's lower lip, Taro worked his fingers into Maki's hand, peeling his glasses away from him. Thrusting his tongue in for one last kiss, Taro pulled away, letting the tie slide through his fingers.

"Now…we need to get back before the others miss us." Taro turned back to the shelves and grabbed the correct bottle of cleaner as Maki pried himself off the door. With his hand on the handle, Taro turned back and looked Maki up and down. Mussed hair, flushed face, loosened tie, shirt un-tucked, small bulge in the pants—yep, he had accomplished what he had set out to do. Relieve his own sexual frustration while giving Maki some of his own. After all, he had to punish him somehow for starting all of this.

"By the way, those hair clips look stupid," Taro said as a parting shot and walked through the door. He turned around and nearly had a heart attack. Standing there, just outside the storage room door, was Minagawa, an unreadable look on his face. Taro clutched his chest.

"Good God, Hifumi…make a little noise!" Hifumi just smiled, looking at Taro, then the door, then Taro again.

"Did you and Maki find the cleaner okay?" he asked softly, the question asking nothing while saying everything. Taro just sighed as Maki came out of the room.

"Taro, what are you still standing h-EEE!" Maki jumped, startled to see Hifumi. Taro sighed again, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"Just go finish up in the café. If we hurry, we may be able to get out of here early tonight." Maki gave a look each to Hifumi and Taro, letting them know that he didn't like being dismissed like a child. Taro gave him a look that told him, in no uncertain terms, that he didn't really care what Maki liked or didn't like. They followed him down the hall and into the café.

"His hair clips are gone," Hifumi said conversationally, and Taro looked at him in surprise. He glanced over, and was a little stunned to see that Maki had, indeed, removed his hair clips. "You two started without me, didn't you, Taro-kun." Taro swallowed and looked at Hifumi. The baker just gave him an amused look. Taro grunted.

"Maybe just a little. The bastard was teasing me."

Hifumi gave a little "hmm". As they stood to the side and watched Maki sweep his hair into a high ponytail, exposing the flesh of his neck, Taro asked, "You bought the rope?"

"Of course. What do you take me for?"

"See you at home."

"I'm looking forward to it."

End

Author's Notes: Written for my friend Ashley, because when a fandom's as small as the Cafe Kichijoji one is, you have to help out your friends, yo. Cafe Kichijoji doesn't belong to me, but oh, how I wish it did.