words: 2,276

prompts: mistletoe, christmas, sakura's parents not celebrating christmas, sleepover.

a/n - merry christmas guys ! for jaimie and kelli (: (aka sasucakes and narumuffin). random plotless, holiday fluff. enjoy!

.:: of mistletoes and spontaneous sleepovers ::.

Sakura smiles because it's not what she hopes for, and certainly not what she expects. And yet, she doesn't mind. Not at all.

Sasuke's sitting to her left, quietly eating his ramen. Not saying a word, but he doesn't need to because all he needs to do is be there. And Naruto is to her right, rambling endlessly, filling the silence with his gibberish, because he always tries to fill the silence.

They were awkward, she realized.

An awkward, awkward team. But really, she wouldn't have it any other way.

She wasn't all that surprised that Kakashi failed to show up on time. Her eyes settling upon the cold bowl of ramen that, if he showed up, would have been his.

But Naruto – all too ungraciously – slides the bowl over and starts shoveling the food down.

"You're quiet today, Sakura-chan." Naruto slurs through a mouthful of ramen. Sakura smiled, a little somber. She'd been in a daze, perhaps. She smiled, but wasn't sure whether or not it was real, and cleared her throat,

"Sorry, Naruto."

That reminder that she had to just hold it together.

She couldn't fall apart. For the sake of the team. It was her and Naruto that held it together, and Sasuke that really did nothing yet still mattered most.

Right now was their Christmas Eve dinner together.

And instead of going somewhere expensive, the three would much rather enjoy Ichiraku. It was a tradition. Something of sentiment.

Sasuke paid for the three of them.

"Thank you Sasuke." Sakura smiled warmly. Sasuke remembers how long it took him to make her smile at him like that again. She still doesn't call him Sasuke-kun like she used to, and that sort of upsets him, but he doesn't say anything.

Sasuke nods in reply, and stands, silently waiting for the two of them.

Naruto hooks his arm around Sakura's and reassures: "Don't worry, that asshole of a sensei will make it to your house, Sakura-chan."

And Sakura giggles, because he's still quite the optimist.

Sasuke can't help but feel a little left out, but he reminds himself that this is all his doing. That in his absence, Sakura and Naruto grew close. Almost too close. And he can't help but feel like, maybe, he doesn't belong. Because, when has he ever belonged? And just when he's thinking this to himself, Sakura turns back to look at him. When had they gotten so far ahead of him?

She smiles at him and silently asks, are you coming or what?

He doesn't hasten his pace, but they slow down theirs, in order for him to catch up. And Sakura takes his hand, sliding her fingers into his, and squeezes his hand.

We're here.

He doesn't voice his thanks. But Sakura knows that he is grateful. It's an unspoken form of communication that the three of them seem to have.

Everyone else thinks it's just so weirdthat the three of them just get each other. But they were on the outside, and they didn't matter.

As they walk back to Sakura's house, leisurely and relaxed, Naruto feels a wet drop of something land on his nose.

"Snow!"

Sakura releases Naruto and Sasuke's hand and runs ahead of them, arms out wide. She never really grew up, Sasuke muses. But he doesn't mind watching her.

"Guys, it's actually snowing on Christmas Eve!"

Sakura paused in her childish antics to peer up into the sky, as if trying to find where the snow originated. Almost like a spell, Sasuke felt compelled to do the same. And then Naruto.

There they all were, staring up at the sky.

"Kakashi can't come." Sakura stated randomly.

Naruto looked at her, a little baffled. "What do you mean?"

She looked back down at Naruto, a little sad. "He came to the hospital earlier to tell me. He got a mission, last minute."

"Oh." Naruto said, his words hanging in the air.

Sasuke noticed the sudden change of mood, and began to walk again. He walked ahead and stopped to turn around and look at the two of them.

Sakura smiled and ran, catching up to him.

"Hey guys, wait up!" Naruto struggled.

Sakura wondered how they ever got to be a team again. Because she really wasn't sure it would work out. She didn't think that things could ever go back to the way they were before, and really they hadn't. But they were better, almost.

Sakura's house was decorated for the season, and Sasuke could picture her struggling to hang up Christmas lights, because she's too short. Inside, her house smelled like warm vanilla, and if Sasuke was being honest, he didn't really prefer the scent.

Naruto – on the other hand – seemed to love it. "Sakura-chan, you're house smells amazing! And wow, look at your tree!"

Sakura giggled. "Well, since you're comparing it to your house, I would hope that my house smells good."

Sasuke sat down on Sakura's couch, and a nostalgic feeling crept up inside him. It wasn't his home, and yet he felt at home. He knew that these two were his family, but he'd never tell them.

"Hey, Sakura-chan, are those presents for us?" Naruto shouted, grinning and pointing under the tree.

Sakura smiled, coming from her kitchen with three cups of tea. She handed one to Sasuke and Naruto before taking a sip of her own. "Not all of them." She settled herself on the couch beside Sasuke, and watched as Naruto ran over to the tree to retrieve their presents.

Sakura placed her tea on the coffee table and took a cookie that was sitting on a tray there, eating it slowly.

Sasuke glanced at her from the corner of his eye.

"Hey teme, this one's yours!" Naruto smiled, giddy as he tossed a wrapped gift to Sasuke. He took one for himself and sat on the other side of Sakura on the couch.

"Ne, Sakura-chan, I forgot your gift at home." Naruto mumbled sheepishly. Sakura waved him off.

"You didn't even have to get me anything." She said easily.

Naruto smiled, "So I can open mine?"

She shrugged. "If you'd like."

Naruto, with skillful precision, unwrapped the gift quickly. He grinned. "Aw, Sakura-chan! How'd you know?"

Inside was a package of fifty different flavors of cup ramen, along with a gift certificate to Ichiraku. He bounced on the couch and engulfed Sakura in a bear-like embrace. Sakura smiled and hugged him back.

Sasuke stared down at his gift, not really expecting anything. He didn't think she'd get him anything after all he'd done to her. But here she was, proving him wrong countless times.

He touched the wrappings, and in an instant they were gone, revealing a dark blue scarf. On the end was the Uchiha symbol.

Sakura smiled shyly, "Since you don't have one…I figured."

He blinked, looking down at it. She had sewn him a scarf…

"Thank you." Sasuke murmured, holding the scarf in his lap delicately.

Sakura leaned back in the seat, quite content. The snow had picked up its vehemence, fully blowing outside as if it were a tornado.

"We're gunna have some work to do in the morning." Sakura murmured, glancing out of the window. Naruto nodded, smiling.

"We should have a sleepover!" he proclaimed excitedly.

"Dobe, don't be rude." Sasuke muttered, closing his eyes. Sakura turned to him.

"Do you want to?" she asked hopefully. There was a bright smile on her face as Sasuke opened his eyes to look at her. He knew that he preferred her smiles to her frowns, but he never understood how he could make her smile just by a simple gesture.

He shrugged, "Aa."

Sakura stood up immediately. "Alright, let me go get some blankets and pillows. We can all sleep on the floor, just like on our missions!"

Once she disappeared down the hall, Naruto turned to Sasuke. "You got her something, right teme?"

Sasuke looked at Naruto impassively. "Of course, you idiot."

Naruto gave a sigh of relief. "You better have."

Then he took their tea mugs and brought them to Sakura's kitchen, tossing them in the sink. He thought that he should probably wash them, but then realized that he didn't know how.

Sakura walked through the kitchen doorway just as Naruto was exiting, and they both stopped in front of each other. Almost at the same time, the two of them looked up at what lay overhead.

A mistletoe.

Sasuke watched on as the two of them blushed.

Naruto looked down at Sakura as she smiled innocently and reached up, placing a soft quick kiss to the corner of his mouth.

She pulled away as if nothing happened and turned to see Sasuke staring at the two of them. She narrowed her eyes knowingly, smiling a Cheshire Cat grin.

"You jealous, Sasuke -kun?" she teased, adding the affectionate suffix. Sasuke was inwardly surprised at her playful manner, and the fact that she called him Sasuke-kun again. Outwardly, he scoffed.

But Sakura walked up to him anyway and cupped his cheek, placing a kiss in the same spot she had kissed Naruto. Sasuke wondered if she noticed that she lingered close to him a few seconds longer than necessary.

"Hey, Sakura-chan! That's not fair! He didn't even deserve a kiss." Naruto complained, pouting. Sakura giggled.

"C'mere, Naruto. I need you to help me set up the blankets."

Sasuke stayed in place for a few moments, sort of in shock. When he finally turned around, there was a pile of pillows in place of where the coffee table was, with a blanket laid out on the floor, and one on the couch. It was a large comforter, and he wondered if they'd all fit inside it.

"How does it look?" Sakura asked him, noticing his gaze.

He nodded his approval.

Naruto stretched out, "Hey Sakura, mind if I use your shower?" he asked. Sakura shook her head.

"You know where it is." She told him as he flew down the hallway.

Sakura sat on the couch and flipped the television on. She pat the seat next to her, signaling for Sasuke to sit down beside her.

He did without hesitation.

"You know, this is kinda cozy." she murmured, snuggling up next to him. Sasuke didn't push her away.

She flipped through channels, bored.

They finally (well she finally) settled upon some Christmas movie.

"You know, when I was younger, I never had that sort of thing. My parents didn't believe in Christmas." Sakura whispered quietly, taking Sasuke hand in hers and fiddling with his fingers.

"Is that why you go over the top with Christmas now?" he asked, somewhat amused. She looked up to see him smirking softly. She punched his arm playfully.

"Shut up." Sakura rebuked affectionately.

After a few moments of silence, Sakura was surprised to hear Sasuke's voice. "My mom loved it."

She glanced up at him questioningly.

"Christmas," he clarified. "She loved Christmas."

Her gaze softened. Here Sasuke was, sharing a part of him with her. She squeezed him had reassuringly; gratefully.

She still loved him. Sasuke. She'd always love him. But she loved Naruto, too.

Sakura wasn't sure if she loved Naruto the same way she loved Sasuke, but it was love nonetheless. And she was happy with them. They both made her happy.

Sakura felt Sasuke's free hand on her chin, tilting her face up to meet his. His other hadn maneuvered out of her grasp and held up the mistletoe from her kitchen.

When did he…?

In the blink of an eye, his lips pressed against hers. Before Sakura could even register what was happening, he pulled away.

He stood, not making eye contact with her, and hung the mistletoe back up where it was before. When he sat back down on the couch – with Sakura still in a somewhat stupefied state – he said,

"You better wipe that stupid look off your face. It's not very becoming."

A smile spread across her face before she could even stop herself. She bit her lip, a small bubbly feeling welling up inside her.

"Hey, teme, stop stealing Sakura-chan all for yourself!" Naruto cried out, emerging from down the hall. His blonde locks were damp, and he had on his spare pajamas that he kept at Sakura's house.

He ran up to them and sat down on their makeshift sleeping bags, placing himself to the left. "Sakura-chan, sleep next to me." he patted the seat next to him. She giggled and got off the couch, jumping down next to Naruto. She tugged on Sasuke's leg from the floor.

"Get your butt down here." She commanded.

Sasuke sighed to himself. My teammates.

He complied, seating himself next to Sakura. The three of them lay down, watching the movie.

Sakura grabbed Naruto and Sasuke's hand underneath the blankets, unable to be any happier than she already was.

"Hey guys?" she asked, her voice small and quiet.

The two men next to her turned their heads to face her in response. Sakura responded by looking back and forth between them, a soft smile playing at the corner of her mouth. She squeezed their hands.

"Merry Christmas." She whispered.

"Merry Christmas!" Naruto echoed loudly.

Sasuke closed his eyes, smirking slightly. After a few moments of silence he repeated, "Merry Christmas."

fin.