"I almost have it! Just a bit more…"
Easy for him to say, my arms were already covered in pins and needles yet there he was… having some unimaginable faith in my ability to hold the hook up. "Ouch! Watch it Gaara!" A smirk escaped as I accidentally thumped the metal hoe into his head.
Granted, only the dull side, there would be no permanent damage.
Shame, I almost considered swinging it a bit harder the next time around. "There, I'm done. Are you happy?" I ignored his banter and dropped the tool I'd been using to feed the lights up to him. Uzumaki Naruto, a time-bomb without the blessing of a timer… The true blue eyes of a warrior somehow bound to the small life of a suburb man.
I held both arms out and let him dive into them from the ladder. He was heavy but I kept my footing firm and lowered him to the crunchy frozen grass, our noses near grazing. We always found ourselves so close… neighbors for near a decade and friends for half that, the fact that I found some sort of comfort in the blonde had proven a shock to everyone.
Mainly myself.
Yet there I was in the soft snow (nose redder than my hair I'd imagine) stringing Christmas lights much past dark until every digit I had was numb.
"Annnnnnnd…." The tan wonder-boy plugged in the contraption, illuminating the street with soft off-white iridescence. "Viola!"
My breath ceased but it was not the fault of any house.
No, what stopped my heart beating short was how Uzumaki had come to glow beneath it, his caramel color like warm coffee before a fireplace, sparkling azure orbs that stared at me and begged for approval… A quivering lip because no matter how excited he was to decorate the cold had still set in under his skin.
I had been enchanted.
"Look at your face!" he pointed and grinned near maniacally, "I told you you'd be impressed."
He didn't know half of it… heart thudding and lips frosty, I drew in to press my forehead against his. Despite the pelting wind he still felt warmer, warmer than I was at the very least. "I am impressed." I admitted faintly, letting his smile feed me like a battery recharging itself. Winter was deep but the sun left behind a sliver and his name was Naruto.
"Gaara?"
Suddenly I couldn't see him. Darkness blanketed the street once more and left us blindly searching with gloved hands.
The lights had gone out.
"What the-" I started only to be cut off. "Looks like one of the bulbs blew out."
Even in the dark I could see him pull a sleeve up with an expression of utmost determination. "Come on Gaara, we have to find out which one!"
I paled, putting the snow to shame.
"Are you serious?"
"The faster we start the faster we'll finish."
"It's eight degrees outside!"
"Keep moving we'll stay warm,"
"NARUTO!"