Work Text:
He’s seen people getting food and drinks, small stalls opening for local delicacies, decoration— and still, it doesn’t hit him until he looks up and there’s snow falling down.
The years before, winter holidays passed him without even thinking about them. There was not even a fraction of space in his life — in his head — for something like that. He could barely think about surviving, about tomorrow, let stand about festivities.
The white specks falling down are thick, here to stay. He realises that there had been snow in the years before this one, probably. That he had maybe walked through it to get somewhere. Whatever. It’s all a blur to him.
He pushes his hands into his pockets as he watches a family, a young couple with a baby hanging on the husband’s belly, order amazake at a warmly lit stall. He has never had any. He remembers his parents getting it tradition wise every single year before they passed away. He remembers how Itachi got to try some, in one of the last years they were alive, even though he was too young to. He remembers being endlessly jealous.
Suddenly, he feels warm observing the village. Tired too, of who he is. He doesn’t realise for how long been watching until he notices the snow that has stacked up on his shoulder. He snaps out of it and starts walking to his rental, passing people near a fire, people sharing pastries, people taking off their thick gloves to hold each other’s hands.
His heart clenches as if that’s something he knows. Something he misses.
He doesn’t.
Sure, lately that space he’s felt has been filled with… a slumbering hopefulness. With bright smiles and bickering. Sometimes he’s walking for hours and without noticing it, his mind brings up stupid fantasies of tanned hands or warm hugs and it escalates them into fantasies of stupid fucking mornings waking up next to Naruto or leaning in for a kiss.
The cold isn’t helping. He thinks of the windows fogging up and snuggling. God he kind of hates doing better. Not really. He just doesn’t know what to do with these thoughts.
He doesn’t know if it’s the cold, or the village that’s one of the coziest one he’s been to, or the fact he’s at the border of the fire country, but when he gets to his small apartment — the upper floor of a minka, an old restaurant — he takes out paper and writes out a letter to Naruto.
Headspace be damned — he tries not to think about it for once.
He simply sends the letter out, lets the thoughts come after.
⋆˙⟡
The snow keeps falling. He doesn’t quite remember the fire country being under such a layer, even when he was young. He silently doubts if his letter is able to arrive properly. He, though he’d never admit it, doubts himself. Doubts Naruto. It’s the winter holidays; maybe there’s people for Naruto to meet, parties, dinners, and — the worst of all — someone else to keep Naruto’s bed warm by now. Someone who’s waiting for him.
Naruto arrives, though.
He arrives, grinning and completely soaked by snow that has melted on his clothes. He arrives beaming and yelling “Sasuke! So you’re here?” and Sasuke is pretty sure that his heart jumps and settles at the same time.
“Mhm—” Sasuke pulls Naruto inside. “Stay here.”
“Huh?”
“You’re soaked. Stand there.”
Sasuke pulls a shirt, a sweater and some sweatpants from his closet and throws them at Naruto. He takes the socks with him when walking back.
“Can’t you say hi like a normal person? I ran here! It was cold as fuck.”
“Hi.” Sasuke deadpans.
Naruto laughs. “Oh, fuck off.”
Sasuke waits until Naruto has pulled a shirt over his tanned stomach before handing him the dry socks. He takes the wet clothes and hangs them over his radiator, turns up the room’s temperature just a little bit so they’ll dry before Naruto has to get back.
He hopes he’ll stay, just for one night.
It’s almost dinner time.
“Ah, that’s better! Hey, why did you ask me to come? Not that I’m complaining, but, yeah— you know.”
“Amazake.”
“What?”
Sasuke walks up to Naruto, kind of feels like hugging him. Naruto often hugs him when he first sees him. As a greeting, or a way to let him know that he missed him. They’re crushing hugs that take too long. He hadn't, probably because of his wet clothes. The moment is over. It’s too late now. So.
So, Sasuke takes his coat from the rack. “I saw a stall that sells it. I want some.”
“So you— ah, I’ve never had any, actually.” Naruto buttons up his own coat.
Sasuke nods, opens the door and lets Naruto follow him outside. Back into the cold.
He’s been here for a few days, but he leads the way easily. They walk shoulder to shoulder, closer than they usually would. They pass couples, pass the firepit, pass the pastries. Naruto rubs his hands together for some warmth and Sasuke, feeling a little insane or maybe just brave, takes Naruto’s hand in his and pushes it into his pocket. Their hands interlocked.
They’re walking side by side anyway.
Naruto’s hand is cold in his. Calloused.
Naruto breathes out, moves closer to Sasuke. “How are you this warm? Unfair.”
“Fire affinity.”
“Fuck— lend me some of that.”
“I can send a fireball up your clothes,” Sasuke shoots back.
Naruto gives him a look — happy or surprised — and then starts laughing. “Actually! Nevermind! This is nice. Let’s stay like this.”
It is nice. Naruto absentmindedly runs his thumb over his hand because he can’t stay still and it sends shivers through Sasuke’s entire body. He drags Naruto along through the snow. Naruto’s feet slip a few times as if he’s not even trying to walk steady— his eyes following everything there is to see in the cozy village. All the lights and decorations.
“This place is nice,” Naruto mumbles.
“Mhm— yeah. That’s why—”
“That’s why? Were you in the holiday spirit? I thought you wanted amazake?”
Sasuke bumps Naruto against his shoulder, making the both of them almost slip in the progress. Again. “Idiot. Why would I want to drink amazake in a place that sucks?”
Naruto laughs and Sasuke feels light. He feels so light that he might start floating above the layer of snow, Naruto’s hand in his the only thing keeping him to the ground. He doesn’t remember ever feeling like this.
They manage to get to the stall without slipping. A fucking miracle.
There’s a small fire pit there too. Some music playing. They wait in line in silence. Naruto is still caressing his hand in his pocket. Less nervous and softer now. He’s also looking at Sasuke with a look that Sasuke doesn’t know— so Sasuke keeps looking at the line, at the stall and all of the small paper cups of amazake being passed over to customers.
When it’s their turn, Sasuke has to pull their hands out of his pocket in favour of getting out some money. He misses the contact right away. Even though the cup of amazake is warm against his hands.
He wraps both of his hands around his cup and follows Naruto towards the fireplace. They sit on a small bench, watching the people laughing and telling stories. Naruto is awfully quiet. Sasuke is about to joke about it, just to make him say something — anything really — when Naruto pulls one of his hands from his cup and carefully wraps it around Sasuke’s shoulder.
He’s blushing from his neck all the way to his ears.
It could be the fireplace, sure. The warm drink.
But Sasuke knows him. He knows it isn’t.
So he indulges and lets his weight fall a little bit against Naruto’s body. Leaning in slightly. Like that. Silently, they watch the fire. Naruto’s blush softly fading and making way for a smile. His heart, that had been jumping and jumping, leaning towards settling.
That is until Naruto takes a sip of his amazake and pulls a face. “Bleh, what the hell?”
He’s not surprised Naruto doesn’t like the taste.
“Is this… you know, how it’s supposed to taste?”
“Yes.”
Naruto’s face scrunches up. “That’s— do you want mine?”
Sasuke chuckles. “Mhm… sure.”
Naruto turns to him. “I’m getting something else. Maybe a hot chocolate or something.”
He nods as Naruto pulls his arm away.
“I— uh—” Naruto pushes the cup into his hand, but hesitates before getting up. He looks at the stall, back at Sasuke. “Okay—” he mumbles, nodding.
And with that, he presses a soft kiss against Sasuke’s lips.
It’s quick and soft. Sasuke can feel, even in that second, that his face was warm from the fire.
He can feel, in that second, that his heart is a fire burning and that this is how it’s supposed to be. That he’s the one waiting for Naruto.
That he can keep him warm.
That, maybe, they’re one of the stupid couples that have been walking around in this village all day. Holding hands. Sharing drinks. Kissing.
“Okay, I’m getting chocolate milk. Do you want anything?” Naruto rambles.
Sasuke chuckles a little, feeling light and stupid. He holds up his two cups. “I’m good.”
Naruto nods, then nods again as if to reassure himself. “Okay! Stay there. I’ll be back in a second. Chocolate milk.”
“Mhm, sure.”
“Okay. Yeah— I’ll— see you in a bit.”
“I’ll wave if you miss me too much. Just get in line, loser.”
Naruto laughs. “Okay, okay. You jerk.”