Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, or any of its associated characters!

Summary: COMPLETE (new chapter up everyday - total of 3 chapters!). Sasuke hates Christmas. Sasuke is at a Christmas party. Sasuke is very, very unhappy. Modern AU, Sasunaru/Narusasu. Posted for Christmas!

A/N: I set a deadline and I actually managed to stick to it! Here's the first part of a three part fic - next chapter will be up on Christmas Eve, and the last will be on Christmas Day! Written as a gift to all of you: thank you so much for your overwhelming support this year! It's been amazing!

'Tis The Season

Chapter 1: As Cuddly as a Cactus

It was ten at night. Ten at night, in a house that wasn't his own, with an entranceway blocked by chattering drunks and everything else blocked by bobbles and wreaths and whatever fucking else somebody had decided their money was worth. The jingle bells had been fucking relentless—

It was ten at night, and Sasuke...had regrets.

He could have very easily clarified, with his boss, when she had offhandedly commented on the Christmas party that everyone went to. But no, instead, he'd assumed that the comment had been a roundabout order, and made absolutely zero motions to confirm that claim with any of the colleagues around him.

And then he'd promptly taken a cab here, despite barely bringing anything to drink, because that had been the smart thing to do.

Fuck his better judgement. He was a world-class moron. The Christmas music blared so loudly he could barely hear himself think, and if he bumped into a bunch of pine needles stuffed together in the guise of decoration one more time—

"Jeez," a voice interrupted his thoughts, and Sasuke nearly flung his drink into the air, "what'd that countertop do to you?"

Blonde—oh. The blonde, boisterous, life-of-the-party loudmouth—of all the people. Conventionally attractive, never without a smile...Sasuke made a point of stepping away from any and all supplies that he could have possibly come into the kitchen for. Let the man get what he needed from the kitchen. Sasuke had nothing to offer him.

"Not a party guy, huh?"

Still, the blonde turned away from him as he spoke—to pour his own drink. Small miracles.

"Not particularly."

The blonde laughed a little. Sasuke stared at the floor and did what he could to remember his name...U-something? Did it start with a U? No, that was his last name. Crap.

"And you still came?" The blonde turned around, resting his back against the edge of the counter. "You're too polite for your own good."

Well, Sasuke would give him that.

"Is it the crowd or the songs? If that one Mariah Carey song plays one more time, I'm gonna lose my mind."

Against his will, Sasuke snorted. The blonde's smile widened, and Sasuke distinctly saw his eyes flicker over Sasuke, as if looking for something—

"Need me to get you out of here?"

Sasuke blinked.

"You—what?"

"I'm pretty good at distractions. Is the door blocked?" The blonde trotted back over to the entrance, peering around it. "Oh, yeah. Okay. Huh—" he twisted back around to face Sasuke, "want me to take over? Karaoke would probably do the trick."

"You—is there even a machine?"

"You just start singing. Drunk people love it. This ain't my first rodeo, Sasuke."

Sasuke stared at him.

"I—" It was tempting. It was more than tempting. But the night had barely begun, and if he left early, then...then there would have been no point in coming at all. He was here. His night was already ruined. He may as well—

"Or you wanna kill as much time as you can, make a general positive impact and get the hell out?"

That.

Yes, that. Absolutely, that—how did he—

The blonde grinned and said a small "uh-huh", as if Sasuke had spoken—or maybe he had just read the look on his face—

"I can do that," the blonde stretched his arms up towards the ceiling, "if you want. I need a couple more drinks, though."

The blonde moved back to the counter, refilling his drink as if to stress the point.

"You got a drink, Sasuke?"

There was his name again. Shit. Uzu...something. That was the blonde's last name, but…

Sasuke held up his glass, resigning himself to not knowing the name of this...stupidly helpful blonde. Damn it.

"This is the last of it."

Which had made up about two drinks, and Sasuke remained feeling stubbornly sober. He didn't need the alcohol, but a dulled awareness of what time of year it was would have been...greatly appreciated. Still, he could do this. He wasn't a child anymore. He was used to this. He'd lived through it enough to be used to this—

"Want some more?"

The blonde held up his bottle, still uncapped.

Sasuke blinked.

"I…" he started, and the song suddenly switched—an upbeat, booming version of Jingle Bell Rock surged through the house and Sasuke felt his skin start to crawl, "yes. Please."

Sasuke downed the rest of what he had and passed the glass to the blonde. It burned down the back of his throat—sparking to a beat that was different than the one booming through the house, and Sasuke resisted the urge to close his eyes to focus on it, instead—

"What d'you mix with?"

Sasuke jerked back into reality.

"Straight is fine." The stronger it felt, the better.

The blonde eyed him for a moment longer, before his smile grew a little more knowing. What was with this guy?

"Mm, gross." The guy laughed at his own joke. "Ice or no?"

Sasuke prefered the word refined, or maybe acquired taste, but—

"...Yes."

"On it," the blonde winked, and a moment later, the drink was pressed back into his hand. It was...fuller than he had expected.

"You don't have to drink all of it," the blonde said, still that step closer to him. "No pressure. You seem like you need to relax, though."

Sasuke brought the drink to his lips to hide his scowl. What was with this guy and reading him so easily? He'd thought—

"I'm Naruto, by the way. If you didn't remember my name."

Fuck.

"I remembered your name," Sasuke lied through his teeth.

Naruto's disbelieving laugh filtered through the room.

"Well yeah, on that note, if there are anybody else's names you totally remember, let me know and I definitely won't say their name a million times when we're greeting them."

Against his will, Sasuke fought a smile.

"When we're greeting them?"

"Mhm," Naruto said, sipping his drink. "General positive impact and get the hell out, right? I can do that. You'll have to follow my lead, though."

"...If that lead involves karaoke, then—"

Naruto ducked his head and laughed.

"No! No, oh my god, Sasuke, I'm not an asshole." He paused for a moment. "...I'd maybe do that to Kiba."

That was...

"Kiba…?"

"Face tattoo."

Ah.

"Ah."

Naruto laughed again, as if Sasuke had somehow made a joke—

"Who else? Pink hair is Sakura, Ino's her girlfriend. She's blonde and super into make-up and hair and nails and all that. Kiba's into Hinata, she's got black hair—"

"I don't need the office gossip, Naruto." Sasuke's voice was harsh, and he nearly flinched as the words left his mouth. Naruto had been altogether polite—understanding, even, and there was no reason for Sasuke to—

But the blonde only burst into laughter.

"Sorry," he waved a hand over his face, "I'm totally overwhelming you with shit you don't care about—tell me to shut up anytime. I know I'm the worst with that."

But Naruto's voice was drowning out the music (the cheering and children and the fucking bells), and something about his laugh had Sasuke—

"It's fine."

Naruto looked surprised, but it was only a moment before his smile was back—happier than before, Sasuke could have sworn—

"So," Naruto said, leaning forward a little, "a hard liquor kinda guy, huh?"

Sasuke responded by raising the glass to his lips.

It made Naruto laugh again.

"I dunno how you do it," Naruto said, ducking away and then back again. "I can barely take a shot."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "You seem perfectly acquainted with alcohol."

Naruto laughed.

"You're such a dick! I love it. How long are you with us for?"

This man was...so strange.

"It's a six month contract," Sasuke said quietly. Ideally, it would turn into something longer—that was part of the reason Sasuke felt so pressured to make a good impact tonight, but—well—he really ought to have ruined that already, and yet—

"Six," Naruto said. "Okay. Long enough to get a feel of the place and see if you wanna stay, not long enough to be stuck here. You been here long?"

"In the area?"

"Yeah."

"No," Sasuke said, "I moved here last week." And his apartment was in a fucking state, as a result—

"No wonder you're so grumpy," Naruto laughed, and Sasuke—

"I am not grumpy."

"You're a little grumpy," Naruto nudged him with his hip. "You just moved here and the people are loud and obnoxious and they won't stop playing Christmas music…"

Naruto trailed off with a teasing grin and a raised eyebrow and Sasuke...couldn't help but laugh. This...

"Are you like this with everyone you meet?"

Naruto laughed and Sasuke took another sip of his drink as he watched him. He always threw his head back a little, as if everything Sasuke said was just hilarious—

"S'part of my charm, Sasuke." Naruto rocked forward, then back—if he was closer to Sasuke, he strangely didn't mind it. Maybe the alcohol was having an impact after all…

"Being a moron?"

The laugh was offended, this time, and Sasuke found himself smiling along as Naruto slapped his shoulder.

"You an ass with everyone you meet?"

The word was out of Sasuke's mouth before he could stop it.

"Yes."

Naruto laughed again.

"No wonder you're hiding out in the kitchen." He leaned back against the island, glancing back towards the entranceway. "Probably not the best hiding spot though, everybody's drinks are in here. You'd be better off in the fancy dining room or something."

"I'm hardly familiar enough with the house," or the people, "to snoop around uninvited."

Naruto's smile widened.

"Jeez, you really are too polite for your own good." It was said with a sway and a tilt of the head, the same way Naruto's grin slanted to a side—

"Are you advocating indecency?"

"Sasuke," Naruto laughed, "have you looked out that door?" He jerked his head back towards the kitchen entrance. "We all are."

Sasuke hid his smile in his glass.

As if on cue, the song changed. Sasuke found his mood rapidly fade, just as the music grew—

Naruto let out a breath.

"It's like it's getting louder." The words were muttered under Naruto's breath, but Sasuke heard him all the same. He watched as the blonde's eyes closed, his eyebrows furrowed and all hint of a smile left his face—and then, just like that, his pleasant expression was back.

"You a big Christmas guy, Sasuke?"

And Naruto smiled at him, then, but Sasuke's mind stayed still with that look on Naruto's face—

"I hate it, actually."

He hadn't planned on telling anyone that.

"Oh."

But the look on Naruto's face could only be described as...relieved.

"Oh," he said again, and that plaster of a grin fell into a small, soft smile that was far better suited to that face. "Yeah, I—I mean, that's a shame. Wh—"

"You hate it too," Sasuke interrupted, with a confidence built by idiocy and alcohol. "Why? You seemed perfectly at ease."

Naruto blinked, and then his smile grew—well, not wider, but almost...warmer. Sasuke's chest felt tighter, for some reason, and yet he didn't look away—

"Did I?" Naruto asked—his voice was quieter, now. "I'm glad. It's, um—bad memories, I guess. But, y'know, just 'cause I don't really like it doesn't mean I have to ruin everybody else's good time, too. People feel bad if you aren't having fun with them, so...I don't wanna hurt the traditions they like. Or that they want to do. You know?"

"Why is it your responsibility to keep everyone else happy?"

Naruto looked surprised.

"It—I mean, it's not, I guess," he ducked his head, smiling a little, "but it's still something I wanna do. I dunno."

There was a pause.

"Eggnog's good, though. I'll take that."

Sasuke stared at him, incredulous.

"Excuse me?"

"I mean, it's super sugary, but—"

"It's disgusting!" It was paste—sugary, thick slop in your mouth and Sasuke could happily live his life without ever living through the experience ever again—

"It is not!" Naruto laughed, slapping at his arm. "It's good!"

"You are objectively incorrect."

"You are objectively a dick, oh my god! Come on—what about like—minty drinks? Candy canes-flavoured stuff? Those aren't bad."

"If you're talking about peppermint syrup, absolutely not." Sasuke paused for a moment. "Candy canes are on thin ice."

Naruto laughed harder.

"Fucking hell, Sasuke, you're hilarious." He ducked back towards the counter, grabbing his bottle again. "Want another drink, asshole?"

He threw Sasuke a charming grin over his shoulder.

Sasuke dutifully passed him the glass, but not before—

"If you put eggnog anywhere near my glass, it will be in your face."

"Wow!" Naruto's laugh was mock-offended, again, and Sasuke found that he really quite enjoyed the sound— "You're so ungrateful—what happened to polite Sasuke?"

"You gave him alcohol," Sasuke pointed out, taking the refilled glass as Naruto passed it back.

Naruto laughed.

"Well, I'm gonna keep doing that, then. You're fun when you loosen up."

Sasuke felt his face heat up, and he turned away to sip at his drink. Really, he wasn't all that intoxicated...maybe a little. There was some sort of hum, buzzing over his mind—soft and calming and counteracting the strange things his heart seemed to be doing every time Naruto laughed his way…

"You loose enough to go greet the crowds?"

"Can you rephrase that in a way that doesn't sound like an innuendo?"

Naruto was midway through a sip of his drink, and immediately started coughing.

"Sasuke! You're too much," he laughed again, "c'mon. I think it's time to work on getting you out of here."

Naruto backed towards the entrance, beckoning Sasuke to come with him.

"And how am I managing that?" Sasuke asked, following nonetheless—

"Follow my lead. I've got this."

True to his word, Naruto had...the entire party under his control. It seemed entirely out of anyone's control, to Sasuke, but Naruto slipped in and out of conversations with ease, involving Sasuke without him ever having to say a word—people laughed and smiled along and acted as if Sasuke, too, was socializing—

He was almost...comfortable.

Which was impossible, because Sasuke hated parties. Sasuke hated all social outings, with almost every fiber of his being. Even if this hadn't been the worst time of the year, he should have despised every second of it, but this just felt so…

Easy.

"Okay, okay," Naruto laughed, tapping two fingers on Sasuke's lower back in a signal that Sasuke's fuzzy brain was starting to recognize as tapping out of the conversation, "you guys are nuts. I gotta talk to Hinata—y'know the thing I said earlier, Sasuke? About the time Kiba got that collar stuck—"

And Naruto chattered away from this conversation, easily leading Sasuke towards the next—all he had to do was stay quiet and listen, and that was something he could certainly do—

"—and then Akamaru was freaking out—did I tell you about Akamaru? Hey—Hinata!"

"O-oh, Naruto. Hello."

"Hey," Naruto grinned, letting go of Sasuke's wrist. When had he grabbed it? "Tell Sasuke the collar story."

The girl covered her mouth with her hand as she laughed, and then launched into the tale.

And all Sasuke had to do was nod.

The crawling feeling under his skin was all but gone—although, perhaps, that was due to the alcohol—and the music had faded in the face of Naruto's quick interjections, his laughter, his two fingers tapping Sasuke on his back—

"Kay, bye Hinata! Let's see—" Naruto glanced around the room, his voice getting quieter. "We got Tsunade already—we've covered most people, yeah? What do you think?"

"I think," Sasuke said, his first words in something around an hour, "you're a witch."

Naruto burst into laughter.

"Oh my god, Sasuke—" Naruto waved a hand around his face. "No, no, you gotta—gimmie, like, grand wizard—or elder witch of, uh, dreamliness. A title with a little somethin' somethin', y'know?"

"Eldest moron."

And Sasuke, who hated loud people and physical contact, smiled as Naruto shoved himself into him. His body was warm and his laugh even more so—Sasuke was suddenly entirely unsure as to how he'd managed to forget this dazzling blonde's name—

"C'mon, your assholiness, let's get you—uh, crap, everybody's still around the entrance. We can start moving that way, though, hang on—we can duck through another room. C'mon!"

Naruto turned, hand loosely sliding around Sasuke's wrist again, and Sasuke let himself be pulled. It looked like the fancy dining room that Naruto had mentioned earlier and Sasuke distantly registered the fact that Naruto was obviously familiar with the house—

"Whose house is this?"

Naruto, hand still on Sasuke's wrist, paused and turned around.

"Tsunade's."

Sasuke stared at him blankly.

"Our boss, Sasuke. Are you this bad with names? I s—"

"Her name is Miss Senju—why are you on a first name basis with our boss? You—"

"'Cause not all of us are Sasuke I'm-nice-until-you-get-me-drunk Uchiha," Naruto said, grinning as he hopped up on the balls of his feet to duck closer to Sasuke. "Being polite is bullshit."

"And yet you're here, celebrating something you hate out of respect for other people's traditions," Sasuke said, making no move to back away. "So which one is it?"

Naruto's eyes narrowed, but his smile didn't waver.

"You're too smart for your own good, aren't you, asshole?"

Sasuke felt his smile widen. It felt so satisfying to be the one being far too perceptive, for once, as opposed to the way Naruto had been reading him so effortlessly the entire night—

"Am I?"

Naruto's tongue darted out between his teeth, and then he stepped back.

"Dick," he threw back at Sasuke, although Sasuke wasn't altogether sure what that was referencing. "C'mon. We can skip half the crowd through these rooms."

And Naruto pulled him forward, again, with the hand that was pulsing warmth around Sasuke's wrist, through the doors of this room into the next. He dodged a table and chairs that Sasuke very nearly collided with, and twisted again to open a set of doors with his back—

"Here's hoping," Naruto said, smiling at Sasuke with sparkling eyes, and the doors burst open.

The music was just as loud, but Naruto was right in saying they missed some of the crowd. Still, they hadn't missed all of it. If anything, they seemed right on the verge of the thick of it, and—

The crowd was staring at them.

The crowd was—wait, why was the crowd staring at them?

"Oh, come on," said Naruto's voice, and Sasuke turned to see him looking directly above them—

Mistletoe.

Of fucking course.

But Naruto met Sasuke's eye with a sheepish, blushing grin, and the panic that had flashed through him for a moment settled into something much more—

"Still going to keep everyone happy, Naruto?"

Smug.

Naruto huffed and rolled his eyes, but his smile didn't waver. He stared at Sasuke for a moment longer before—

"Not my responsibility."

It was quiet and quick, said in the same moment Naruto stepped forward and placed a gentle hand on Sasuke's waist—Sasuke felt himself freeze as it pulled ever so slightly and then his eyes fluttered closed as Naruto leaned in and pressed their lips together—

They were just as warm as Sasuke had expected. Much softer, though, and the kiss was so gentle and delicate that Sasuke nearly stumbled as Naruto pulled away—but he was barely gone a moment before he leant in, beside Sasuke's ear, this time—

"Now's your chance."

And then he was gone, meeting the crowd as it surged forward, hollering and teasing and cheering and Sasuke thought—

Oh.

Now was his chance.

Now was his—

He moved towards the entrance, now clear—but paused just as the door was open, just to meet Naruto's smiling eyes, once more—

"Go," Naruto mouthed, and Sasuke did.

A/N: A little teaser for what's to come? Tomorrow's chapter is even longer, and the last chapter is double that! Happy holidays everyone - thank you so much for all of your support!

See you tomorrow,

- Kinomi