At Haru's begging request, Shizuku was taking part one of the most pointless and frivolous activities of the holidays; building a gingerbread house. Besides the fact the the gingerbread always goes to waste, stale and hard by the end of the season, the houses people built nearly always looked sloppy or fell apart. Judging by the way Haru excitedly tore into the kit, she could only assume that theirs would end up a shabby little hovel that could hardly be called a proper gingerbread house. He would never have the patience to let the icing harden between the pieces or correctly follow the instructions. Haru was too childish to build anything nice.
Shaking away the thought, Shizuku stepped up to the table as Haru sorted the various pieces, pulling out the gingerbread slabs and icing, as well as a large assortment of festive candies. She couldn't help her resigned sigh when Haru tossed the instruction sheet off to the side, clearly not planning on using it. She could already see the poor house, wall and roof pieces mismatched and in the wrong places, leaning precariously to the side.
Reaching across the table, Shizuku retrieved the abandoned instructions, trying to at least figure out which piece was which. If she was going to be a part of this, then she would do her best to keep Haru on track. He was already screwing the cap off the icing bag, eager to start.
"We need to put these pieces together first," Shizuku instructed, gesturing to two of the larger sheets of gingerbread.
"I'm on it," Haru chimed, taking a surprising amount of care to connect the two pieces, securing them with a thick line of icing. Just like Shizuku had guessed, though, Haru almost immediately tried to leave the pieces and they started to peel apart, falling away. Just before they could, Shizuku grabbed for Haru's hand, setting it back on the gingerbread in time to keep them from falling.
"You need to hold them until the icing hardens," Shizuku reminded, though Haru gave no sign that he had heard her. Instead, he was watching her with a somewhat surprised expression.
It wasn't until he flicked his gaze down to their hands, where her fingers still rested gently around his, that Shizuku understood. Quickly pulling her hand back away, Shizuku hurried in busying herself with the instruction sheet, trying to distract herself from the way heat rose to her cheeks. She had reached out and grabbed his hand like it was nothing, something she wasn't sure she should have even been capable of doing. Before, she had been conscious of every touch, whether it was him or herself who had initiated it. Everything had been purposeful and she had avoided contact with him as much as possible, knowing it would make her chest tighten and her stomach flutter.
"Shizuku?" Haru questioned, pulling her away from her thoughts and back to reality. "I asked what piece goes next," he added, giving her a quizzical look. It had always struck him as odd when she lost her usually razor sharp focus.
"Sorry," Shizuku replied, a bit frazzled. Taking a deep breath, inhaling the scent of spicy gingerbread and sugary icing, she looked out over the collection of pieces they had left. After a beat, she picked out another piece and handed it off to Haru, careful to avoid his hands. "This one attaches to the piece on the left," Shizuku said, keeping her voice flat and even.
Once again, Haru throughly glued to the two pieces together, holding them this time so the little structure didn't come toppling down. While he did, Shizuku picked out the next piece of gingerbread that would complete the walls. Laying it down, she watched with a small smile as Haru ever so carefully pulled his hand away from the structure like it was a house of cards, prone to falling at the slightest movement. When it stayed standing, he let out a breath, grin curving his lips up.
He carefully picked up the next piece Shizuku had picked out, squeezing a thin line of icing on each side to stick it to the already standing walls. Trying to find the best way to maneuver the piece, he eventually just turned his attention to Shizuku.
"Can you hold the other pieces together while I put this one on?" Haru asked, carefully considering the construction.
"Alright," Shizuku replied, setting the instructions off to the side to keep them clean from the mess of gingerbread crumbs and icing that had already started to collect. Carefully, she took hold of the pieces that formed the walls, trying to keep from messing up Haru's hard work. Though she really couldn't have cared less about the gingerbread house itself, she had no desire to ruin something Haru had jumped into so whole-heartedly.
Sticking his tongue out, all effort channeled into focusing on the task at hand, Haru slid the final wall into place. Working gently, he pressed it against the two joining walls, willing the icing to stick. When he finally pulled his hands away, Shizuku took that as permission to do the same. Reaching up to swipe at a stray hair that had fallen from its twin tail and onto her cheek, Shizuku brushed it back behind her ear.
Haru happily took the next two largest pieces, hoping to get a roof on the house. Attention waning some, he was more sloppy in his construction, but still stuck the pieces together, putting a slanted roof atop the little building. Holding the pieces in place, he glanced over at Shizuku, who was merely watching him with a somewhat bored expression. Shizuku, noticing the way his gaze locked on her face, gave him a confused look, head tilting ever so slightly. He took a step forward, closing the distance between them so Shizuku could feel the heat of his skin. Unsure, she froze where she stood, Haru leaning down over her.
For a moment, when his tongue ran across her cheek, warm and rough, she stayed frozen, wide-eyed and totally stunned. Processing what happened, a blush rose up on her cheeks, spreading across the tips of her ears.
"H-Haru!" Shizuku stammered as he backed away, a nonchalant grin on his face. Quickly, she scrubbed at her cheek with a sleeve, his saliva still clinging to her skin.
"What?" Haru asked, looking far too innocent. "You had icing on your cheek," he offered as an explanation, like licking it away was the perfectly normal response.
Averting her gaze to her shoes, Shizuku knotted her fingers in the fabric of her skirt, trying to control the racing of her heart. Face feeling too hot, Shizuku let out a breath when Haru turned his attention back to the nearly completed gingerbread house. Acting as though nothing happened, he went back to working on the chimney, building it from the remaining pieces. Shizuku worked to regain her composure, watching Haru work with a cool confidence.
It wasn't until a few moments later, after the house was totally put together, that Shizuku noticed a small spot of icing smeared just beside the corner of Haru's lips. A small part of her wondered if he'd done that on purpose, tempting her to lick it off the same way he had. Regardless of whether he had or not, she took it as her chance to retaliate. Inching closer to Haru's side, Shizuku leaned in closer, glad for the fact hat his attention was fixed on decorating the small gingerbread home. Blood pounding in her ears, Shizuku licked the icing off, tongue grazing the corner of his lips.
Before she knew what was happening, Haru had spun around and pressed his lips to hers. Mouth falling open in a surprised gasp, Shizuku reached up to Haru's shoulders, planning to push him away. She couldn't make herself do it though, her fingers tightening in the fabric of his hoodie while she started to reciprocate his movements. His hands made their way to her waist, gentle in comparison to the way he hungrily claimed her lips. Still, it sent a rush of fluttering heat through her stomach. His affections were drugging and dizzying, wiping out Shizuku's logical judgement. Instead, her mind was consumed with thoughts of making sure he didn't stop.
All too soon, Haru pulled away, though only for a beat to catch his breath. His lips had reddened slightly, eyes darkening too. Taking in the way he looked at her, all intense longing and adoration, Shizuku rocked forward onto her toes, not wanting to wait any longer. She met Haru's lips in an open-mouthed kiss, tilting her head in when he murmured her name against her lips. His hands sliding slowly up her sides, Shizuku shuddered at the feeling, a shiver running down her spine. A hand came to rest on her jaw, warm against her skin. Angling Shizuku's head in closer, Haru stepped forward, pushing her back until she bumped the table behind her.
Fingers still curled tight in Haru's hoodie, she pulled his chest flush against her own, craving the close contact. Then, he was capturing her lips with renewed hunger, taking her bottom lip between his own. A moan bubbling up past her throat, Shizuku felt her cheeks go hot for a moment before she forgot all about her embarrassment. Spurred on by her noise, Haru nipped lightly at her lip, pressing his hips to hers.
Suddenly, waves of adrenaline and pleasure were making her head fuzzy and light, heat surging through her veins. The sensations were intense, overwhelming her in a rush.
Feeling her knees wobble, Shizuku pulled her hands away from Haru's shoulders, reaching down to steady herself on the edge of the table behind her. Pulling apart, Shizuku let her head fall to the crook of Haru's neck, sating her air hungry lungs. Her chest rose and fell against his with heavy breaths, the warm, clean scent of Haru surrounding her.
"Haru," Shizuku murmured, the air leaving her lungs in a rush. She didn't even know what else she wanted to say, mind still feeling too foggy to think. Instead of listening, Haru simply wrapped his arms around her back, sweeping her up off the ground and sitting her down on the table. After a moment, waiting for any sort of protest, Haru pressed his lips to the underside of her jaw when she didn't give any. The new sensation sending fire dancing across her skin, Shizuku arched into Haru's touch. Briefly, she thought that she was glad he had set her on the table, knowing her knees would have given out from under her if he hadn't.
He trailed sloppy kisses down the column of her throat, leaving Shizuku to just revel in his touch, burying her fingers in his soft tresses. His teeth grazing a sensitive spot of her exposed skin, Shizuku clenched her hands in his hair, pulse spiking. Panting lightly, she let herself fall back to lie flat on the table, dragging Haru with her. Now leaning over Shizuku, Haru let his kisses trail lower to her collarbone before pressing back up. Her shirt and skirt were both riding up now, but Shizuku couldn't bring herself to care. Haru's lips were back on hers, his tongue slipping into her mouth, and it was all incredibly distracting. Everything was deep and passionate and intense. It was all so Haru, and she couldn't get enough of him. Hands slipping out of his hair, Shizuku brought them to the base of his neck.
As she tried to pull him in closer, Haru stepped forward, his knee hitting the table with enough force to jostle it back a couple of inches. Shizuku hardly gave it any thought, until a crash beside her head caught her attention. Pulling away from Haru, she turned to see their forgotten gingerbread house in a heap, completely toppled over with the pieces all torn apart. Shizuku laid her head back against the table, catching her breath. She couldn't help but giggle at their situation. They had started innocently, just making a gingerbread house together, but now she was laid back on his kitchen table, breathless, with swollen lips and a flushed face, her skirt hiked up over her knees. Not to mention the gingerbread house, their whole purpose, had fallen apart.
Haru, too, broke into a fit of giggles, an easy going smile on his lips. After a moment, their laughter dying out, he offered Shizuku a hand, helping her sit up. She hopped down from the table, stumbling into Haru's chest when her knees wavered under her weight. Her fingers sunk into his hoodie, trying to hold herself upright. Until she could steady her stubbornly weak knees, Haru snaked his arms around her waist, holding her tight to his chest, decidedly not helping the swooping feeling in Shizuku's stomach.
Pushing back against the dizzying haze in her head, Shizuku stepped back from Haru, casting another glance at the fallen gingerbread house. A smirk rose up on her lips when she realized maybe building gingerbread houses wasn't the worst holiday activity. All it took was a bit of icing on Haru's cheek and suddenly, it was a lot more worthwhile.
"Maybe we can do this again next year," Shizuku said with a coy grin, Haru's eyes lighting up in response.