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Warm, loud voices rang through the kitchen and dining room, filling up the tiny space with far too many people. The team had decided to book a hotel for their stay in Vienna, but Kiyoko-san and Yachi-san rented out a little airbnb apartment near the lake, so they had traipsed there for the preparations for Christmas dinner. It was ridiculous, because it was a two-person apartment, and there were fourteen people there (Coach Ukai and Takeda sensei decided to take a break and go to Australia to experience a summery Christmas). However, somehow, things were going remarkably smoothly.
“Yo, Ryuu, come help me make this gingerbread house!” Nishinoya’s voice was so loud that it carried over everyone else’s conversations, so Ryuu abandoned “helping” Kiyoko-san (he was hopping from foot to foot around her as she worked on stuffing the turkey on the dining table) and dodged past what looked suspiciously like Hinata trying to teach Kageyama how to dance. Noya was whipping a bowl furiously, brows furrowed in concentration. He looked very much like he did during games, Ryuu realised. Suppressing a chuckle, Ryuu reached for the icing ingredients and started mixing. It was about five minutes later when he saw out of the corner of his eye that Noya was staring at him. An odd feeling swept over him, and it made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. He paused, and looked down at his best friend. Noya was wearing a very strange expression on his face, which only intensified the odd feeling that Ryuu was experiencing.
“Uh, Noya-san? Yuu?” The use of Noya’s first name seemed to snap Noya out of it; he shook his head and blinked twice.
“Sorry, Ryuu. You just looked really good there,” the words slipped out of Noya’s mouth, as casually as though he was talking about the weather. A hot flush appeared at Ryuu’s neck, and he felt it spread to his cheeks. Cursing inwardly, Ryuu turned his attention back to the icing mixture. “Sorry,” Noya repeated, his voice unnervingly quiet.
Ryuu kept his eyes on the mixture, trying not to let his feelings escape him. Noya had said he looked good, which wasn’t something to get all flustered about, in all honesty. But for some reason, Ryuu could not get those butterflies in his stomach to stop fluttering.
“I’m so full I could probably die,” Noya stretched out on the sofa, yawning. Ryuu had collapsed next to Noya on the couch, equally full from the incredible feast that they had whipped up together. Yachi had fallen asleep on Kiyoko, her small head resting on Kiyoko’s lap, while the third year was curled up on the armchair. Ryuu smiled at the girls fondly; they were so happy together, snoozing peacefully. He felt a pang of sadness then, when Noya adjusted himself so that his head was resting against Ryuu’s arm. He wanted so badly to wrap his arms around the smaller boy’s frame, to cradle Yuu, to hug Yuu close to him. But Ryuu stopped himself. He couldn’t, not while he didn’t know how the other boy felt. Just when he thought of standing up and leaving, Noya mumbled something inaudible, before turning his body towards Ryuu’s, and wrapping one small arm around Ryuu’s waist. The boy buried his head in Ryuu’s chest, muttering something about “so comfortable”. A wave of panic hit Ryuu suddenly, but he did his best to not let his heart rate escalate too much, in fear that Noya would sense it.
“Ryuu?” the boy murmured, eyes fluttering open. Ryuu glanced down to look at Noya, who was gazing up at him with the softest look in his eyes. Without thinking, Ryuu lowered his head and kissed the libero. He tried to pull back once he realised what he had done, but to his surprise, Noya’s - no, Yuu’s- lips grabbed onto Ryuu’s, as though desperate to hold on. And oh, did Ryuu let him hold; he caressed his best friend’s face as they continued to kiss, not caring if anyone was looking or judging. Ryuu tried to remember and savour exactly what it was like, kissing his best friend for the first time, but it was difficult when Yuu made Ryuu forget most things in the heat of the moment. But he’ll probably always remember the distinguishable taste Yuu left in his mouth that night, in the happy years to come of many more kisses between the two of them. Yuu had tasted of Christmas - of cinnamon, of chocolate, of sweet gingerbread houses. And Ryuu would never forget that.