{"id":62,"date":"2017-12-03T05:52:24","date_gmt":"2017-12-03T05:52:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/advent.starskyhutchcalendar.net\/2017\/calendar\/?p=62"},"modified":"2017-12-03T05:52:24","modified_gmt":"2017-12-03T05:52:24","slug":"december-3rd-the-cure-for-what-ails-you-by-dawnwind","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/advent.starskyhutchcalendar.net\/2017\/calendar\/?p=62","title":{"rendered":"December 3rd- The Cure for What Ails You by Dawnwind"},"content":{"rendered":"

Starsky pressed his lips together and turned his head, trying to drink water from his thermos upside down. The trouble was, he\u2019d never in his life managed the feat\u2014and besides, it was a dubious cure for hiccups at the best of times. He hicced in the middle of the sip, spilling water down his favorite red shirt.<\/p>\n

\u201cStarsky, what are you doing?\u201d Hutch asked irritably from the passenger side of the car. He took a quick photo of the quiet house on Camino Grande as if willing someone to walk out the front door.<\/p>\n

Starsky kept the next hiccup internal, his belly and chest bouncing with the force of the jolt. Less chance of needlessly annoying Hutch that way. It had been a long and very boring stake-out; four days of staring at the same boring house with no evidence or conclusive information about syndicate boss Alfred P. Sloan to show for it. He glanced sideways at his partner, understanding his irritation but unsympathetic. Hutch didn\u2019t have to deal with the damned spasms.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cTryin\u2019 to cure hic\u2014\u201c Starsky started, another onslaught interrupting with a loud hic.<\/p>\n

\u201cSugar,\u201d Hutch said succinctly, massaging his temples with the look of someone with a persistent ache.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhich we don\u2019t have readily available,\u201d Starsky snapped, smothering the next one with a hand over his mouth. Felt like a bomb went off in his chest. \u201cDamn,\u201d he muttered, defeated.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t drink so much soda,\u201d Hutch advised, pointing to the collection of brightly colored cans in the back seat.<\/p>\n

\u201cSoda has sugar in it!\u201d Starsky retorted. \u201cI thought you said sugar was good for hic\u2026\u201d He gulped air with the hiccup and burped.<\/p>\n

\u201cInvoluntary quivering of the diaphragm out of sync with your lungs,\u201d Hutch said.<\/p>\n

For once, there was none of the snotty know-it-all tone in Hutch\u2019s voice. \u201cHow\u2019d you know all that?\u201d Starsky asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cReader\u2019s Digest,\u201d Hutch snickered, cocking his head in sudden interest of the front of the house.<\/p>\n

\u201cSee something?\u201d Starsky sat up straighter, despite the hiccup that vibrated through his torso.<\/p>\n

\u201cMovement at the window.\u201d Hutch raised the camera with its high powered lens to focus on the upstairs. \u201cSomeone twitched a curtain, I think.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWatching us\u2014\u201c Starsky clamped his mouth shut to muffle the hic, causing him to bounce in his seat. \u201cWhile we watch them. Like a damned Mexican stand-off.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis isn\u2019t the OK Corral,\u201d Hutch said sarcastically, dumping the camera in Starsky\u2019s lap.<\/p>\n

Surprised by the sudden weight, Starsky had to clutch the expensive piece of equipment, and gasped when Hutch grabbed him by the shoulders, abruptly kissing him.<\/p>\n

Starsky opened his mouth to\u2014he wasn\u2019t sure what exactly. Not protest. Not at all. He surged into Hutch, wanting more, wanting something he\u2019d really never even thought about previously.<\/p>\n

\u201cStarsk!\u201d Hutch broke the kiss short, pushing him back against the car seat.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re the one who\u2026!\u201d Starsky began, then saw what Hutch was pointing at. After four days of surveillance, they finally had some action, exactly when Starsky had other matters in mind. The large metal gate to the property was opening with a rending creak that suggested it wasn\u2019t often used, and a man was climbing into a green BMW. \u201cIt\u2019s Sloan!\u201d<\/p>\n

His brain apparently unfogged by rampant lust, Hutch was already on the horn to dispatch to get a car tailing the BMW by the time it rolled out of the driveway. From down the block, a dark, unremarkable sedan pulled onto the road as if merely cruising for a parking spot.<\/p>\n

\u201cBack-up in place, dispatch,\u201d Hutch affirmed and hung up the mic.<\/p>\n

Stunned by the events of the last two minutes, Starsky sat back, making no move to turn the key in the ignition. He inhaled, staring at Hutch. \u201cWhat the heck was that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cStopped your hiccups, didn\u2019t it?\u201d Hutch gave him a fond, yet somewhat superior smile.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah.\u201d Starsky drew the word out into more than one syllable. \u201cYou coulda just scared me, y\u2019know, like Dracula.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWouldn\u2019t have been as much fun,\u201d Hutch said, curling his fingers around Starsky\u2019s lax hand resting on the steering wheel. \u201cYou can\u2019t tell me you didn\u2019t like it. I have that effect on people.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOn people?\u201d Starsky squeaked. He almost didn\u2019t want to admit that yes, indeed, he did want to do it again. \u201cWas like some kind of sucker punch!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou going to drive?\u201d Hutch asked, one eyebrow raised. \u201cWe probably need to write out reports.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd then?\u201d Starsky turned his palm so that he and Hutch were holding hands, there in the car. It felt more than nice. It felt perfect. He regretted having to let go so that he could turn the key. \u201cOnce we clock out?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYour call, babe,\u201d Hutch snorted a laugh. \u201cWe could go to Huggy\u2019s, have a beer, or to my place to practice our\u2026punching skills.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou got beer at your place?\u201d Starsky focused on steering the car towards Metro, his mouth so dry he could barely speak. What he needed was to exchange a little spit with Hutch\u2014on a regular basis.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know I do.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCause beer is carbonated.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is, at that,\u201d Hutch said as if it were news to him.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhich makes me burp,\u201d Starsky mused. \u201cAnd sometimes hiccup. What\u2019d you say caused that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cInvoluntary quivering of the diaphragm\u2026\u201d Hutch started.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah.\u201d Starsky nodded, satisfied. He and Hutch were, as usual, on the same page and it was a lot of fun. He didn\u2019t have to think any farther than that. Right now, they both knew what they wanted. \u201cI think I may start hiccupping again.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think I know what will cure that.\u201d Hutch smiled and winked at him.<\/p>\n

The end<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Starsky pressed his lips together and turned his head, trying to drink water from his thermos upside down. The trouble was, he\u2019d never in his life managed the feat\u2014and besides, it was a dubious cure for hiccups at the best … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,16,14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-62","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fic","category-safe-for-work","category-slash"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/advent.starskyhutchcalendar.net\/2017\/calendar\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/advent.starskyhutchcalendar.net\/2017\/calendar\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/advent.starskyhutchcalendar.net\/2017\/calendar\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/advent.starskyhutchcalendar.net\/2017\/calendar\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/advent.starskyhutchcalendar.net\/2017\/calendar\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=62"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/advent.starskyhutchcalendar.net\/2017\/calendar\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":152,"href":"http:\/\/advent.starskyhutchcalendar.net\/2017\/calendar\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62\/revisions\/152"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/advent.starskyhutchcalendar.net\/2017\/calendar\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=62"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/advent.starskyhutchcalendar.net\/2017\/calendar\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=62"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/advent.starskyhutchcalendar.net\/2017\/calendar\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=62"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}