Prologue:
It had started snowing gently a few miles before they reached Villa Weiss. Manx and Birman had sent the team off with a Christmas cake and an order to relax and have fun. It had become some kind of tradition for them to take that vacation and pretend they were just four buddies hanging out together instead of celebrating with the large crowds in Tokyo for Christmas and the New Year. It gave them time to put their other lives away and, especially for Omi, be the boys they never had a chance to be before.
They built snowmen and snow forts, staged epic snowball battles, and explored the Villa grounds until their fingers and toes were numb with cold. They roasted marshmallows and popped corn in the fireplace, telling ghost stories late into the night by candlelight. They drank peppermint tea in the morning instead of green, in honor of Christmas. Ken always convinced them to play soccer, and it always degenerated into a fistfuls of snow down your pants all-out brawl. And Youji always said, soaking wet with Ken and Omi sitting triumphantly on top of him, with Aya, arms crossed, looking on, a faintly amused expression on his face, Youji always said, "I swear, Ken, this is the last year I'm ever playing with you."
It had become tradition, and that was a good thing in their uncertain lives.
But this was the first year that Aya and Youji were lovers. A new dynamic suddenly existed in the group, and all four of them admitted (only to themselves) that time to adjust to this new division of relationships was a good thing too. They discovered, once they arrived at Villa Weiss, and unloaded the supplies, and bickered about who should light the fire, and who got which bedroom (Omi and Ken got stuck with the bunk beds), and made dinner ("Youji's special, coming up!"), that this new level of understanding between two of their number was a good thing, because Youji and Aya's quiet happiness in each other spread over Ken and Omi as well, until they were all feeling giddy.
After popping corn in the fireplace, they lounged around, content to bask in the warm flames in that state of half asleep-half awake, drowsily making conversation. Aya was leaning against Youji on the couch, eyes drooping as Youji ran his fingers through his hair. Ken was sprawled closest to the fire, turning over occasionally when one side got too warm. Omi sat sleepily on the floor, talking to no one about a new movie he wanted to see.
After a time of quiet, where the minutes seem to stretch on like years, and yet race by, Youji squeezed Aya's shoulder and said, "Time for bed."
Aya nodded in assent and they slowly climbed the stairs together as Omi covered the now snoring Ken with a blanket and followed them up.