A/N: Hello~ This is my first Shokugeki no Souma fanfic, so I apologize for any Ooc-ness… It's just a quick, stress-reliever one shot with SouMegu fluff. ^^

Hope you enjoy it!

~LavenderIceCream

The soft twirls of snow lilted onto her head like powdered sugar, freezing into glistening crystals adorning her lapis braids. Megumi shivered as melted bits trickled down her spine.

"T-t-tadokora a-are you sure you're n-not c-c-cold?" Souma chattered, vigorously rubbing his arms. "Y-you c-c-could have my coat-t-t. I t-think." He slugged through the heavy drifts of snow behind her.

"I-I'm fine, I've lived here all my life." Megumi turned around, giving Souma a concerned look at his bluing lips and reddening ears. Yukihira-kun's the one who looks more in need of a coat, if anything, she thought.

Megumi turned back forward. As if on cue, the wind began picking up, kicking flakes from near their knees to their eyes. Her eyes began to water as stinging snowflakes hit them. Megumi blinked rapidly, and the snow-capped pines towering over them blurred for a second.

The wind rose from a murmur to a shriek, howling through the trees and flinging down snow from branches. Megumi bit her already chapped lips. We need to go back, this is bad, bad, bad…

"U-um, Tadokoro?"

But we're lost- No. I'm lost. Oh no, what if we can't get back, what if we're too far away from town, no, I-I need to calm down- but how can I?! What if Yukihira-kun gets hypothermia? He looks like it, and I'm not going to last out-

"Tadokoro?"

This is all my fault; I'm so stupid, I should've known better when I saw those clouds and I still thought we could just up and go get some vegetables in the mountains, I'm so stupid, so stupid, but I guess that's just me, since the only thing I actually am is a complete failure-

"Tadokoro!"

Megumi flinched and looked back. "Y-yes?" she whispered, her throat dry from the freezing cold.

Souma didn't say a word, only holding her gaze steadily. Megumi realized that her breaths were small, condensed pants of air, and she took a deep breath, the chill spreading through her lungs and down to the very tips of her fingers. She let it escape as a large fog. Head clearing, Megumi's golden eyes flickered open. Souma had a lopsided grin and attempted making a thumbs up with his glove. It ended up as him raising his hand and his fingers twitching slightly.

Souma gave a bashful laugh but before he could set his hand down, Megumi high-fived it.

"Remember?" she said, laughing herself.

Souma broke into a full grin. "Right," he replied warmly. "We'll get through this like then."

Megumi smiled, and her shoulder relaxed. As their hands slipped away, an offsetting pang filled her heart and her gaze lingered on his black glove. Wait, I'm staring! Megumi snapped away her gaze, her cheeks flushing a bit.

"Maybe we should make some shelter first," Souma suggested. He gave an uncertain look at the trees. "Maybe if I jump high enough…"

"Well, we could make something like an igloo," Megumi piped in. Her expression brightened. "We just need to pile some snow, burrow into it, and then it's actually quite warm. I've done it before with my neighbors."

Souma nodded, and the two set to work. As they began digging and padding together a rough mound shape, the clouds grew darker, the snow heavier, the cold sharper. And yet, as day sank into night and the thought of how worried her parents must be tried to plague her, Megumi felt… well. Happy isn't right… what is this? she wondered, vacantly patting down the snow. Pleasant? Comforting? This doesn't even make any sense, I should be panicking at least. Megumi paused for a second to wipe away the ice beginning to form on her bangs.

Souma snatched a glance at her from the other side. Her braids were frayed and she looked pale enough to melt into the snow, but she seemed happier than ever. She was taking a moment to brush off the snow on her bangs. I kinda liked them, they look like those ornaments on pastries… he mused absentmindedly before his eyes widened. Wait, what am I thinking, what am I thinking, stop, stop, stop, focus on the igloo. He shook his head violently, and hastily continued his work.

When they finally finished, the snow and wind had subsided into a light drift once again. Megumi and Souma squeezed in, managing to squish together. There was barely any wriggle room, and the two were curled together like refrigerated macaroni. The only light came from the opening, a dim gray light with nothing but swan-white snow shining outside. Megumi felt her heart beat faster as she heard soft breaths not her own above her head. She starting sweating nervously, and the small room suddenly felt too hot.

"I'm going to take off my gloves," Megumi blurted.

Souma jolted. "U-uh, sure, go ahead!" he said jumpily.

As Megumi slid off her gloves, Souma took off his own gloves and unraveled his itchy yarn scarf. He sighed in relief as the crusty scarf fell off, the ice on it melting.

… I guess I should break this awkward silence. "That was really hard work wasn't it-" Souma froze as he turned towards Megumi, who was unzipping her jacket. She stopped abruptly, eyes wide like a deer caught in the headlights. The gray light showed stark shadows across her body.

Megumi began stuttering. "I-I-I'm s-sorry, I d-didn't tell you I was taking off my jacket-"

"No! I mean, it's okay, I mean, it's not like it matters, s-so you don't need to tell me anything an-"

"Y-yeah! Oh, Yukihira-kun, y-you should also take off your jacket o-or you'll catch a cold! It's so easy to get hypothermia, up here in the north, it's just so cold and all," Megumi babbled. What are you saying, what are you saying?! her inner self screeched, and Megumi felt her cheeks begin to burn.

An awkward silence continued its merry way, uninterrupted except for the unnaturally loud sound of zippers zipping, and the shuffle of heavy winter coats sliding off.

When the two were left in sweaters and ski pants, the igloo was a storm of winter clothes and as claustrophobic as a badger den. Exhaustion sank down on Megumi at last, and she felt her eyes begin to droop. In the black and white and shades between, where she could only hear Souma's soft breath, his warm arm, and the sweet smell of both their sweat, Megumi felt herself lose tension. She relaxed and mumbled, "G'night" before closing her eyes.

Souma lay wide awake, sleep not gracing him yet. He held his breath until he heard deeper breaths and even a soft snore or two from beside him. He gave a small smile. She's like a teddy bear… From the dim light outside, Souma could only see the stark white of her face beside him, marble white, while the shadows on the contours of her face were stark black, onyx black.

Ah… A curl of hair slipped away from her braid and hung beside her ear. Before he could stop himself, Souma reached over and gently tucked it behind her ear. Wait, what the hell am I doing?! His mouth hung open as he realized what his hand just did. His face began to feel like he'd washed his face with fire. I can't believe I just did that.

But she looks so cute- Souma took a sharp breath. He snatched back his hand and clenched them at his sides. I-I-I mean, I don't… have any feelings like that towards her. No. I don't have time as a cook to have romance, be in a relation, fall… in… Another wave of embarrassment flushed his face.

But you do now, some part of him whispered. You're stuck here, where you can't cook.

W-well, I'm not someone who would do things to girls in their sleep! Souma let out an unsteady breath. And it's not like she likes me in that way. But not like that matters because I don't-

Souma tensed as Megumi snuggled closed and laid her head on the crook of his neck. Souma's mind blanked out into nothing but the warmth flooding from her pliant body. She nestled closer, and he shivered as her breath whispered into his ear. A braid slid down his chest, static crackling as it met his sweater.

His heartbeat thundered in his ears, and his clenched fists were becoming clammy. How did me visiting her during winter break end up like this?! Souma thought frantically. What do I do, what do I do, what do I do? I have absolutely no clue.

What do you want to do? the evil voice once again mumbled in his thoughts. You'll never get another chance.

I want to touch her, he thought immediately. And, as his face slowly grew redder and redder, I want her to… to reciprocate my... And… touch me. Like k…k... At this point, it was too much for Souma and he really couldn't continue without bursting from embarrassment. I need to stop being such a creep… distraction. I need to distract myself…

But as soon as he counted the first mouton, exhaustion weighed down on him and Souma drifted off to sleep…