A little NaruSaku fluff, just in time for Christmas! ^^
Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own "Naruto" or any affiliated characters; all such belong to Masashi Kishimoto. :)

Kisses & Christmas Cookies

"Man, it sure is coming down hard out there, neh?" Naruto asked casually, referring to the snow falling outside. What had started as simple flurries had soon become the makings of a blizzard, an unusual phenomenon for Konoha. It was a mesmerizing sight; he'd already been sitting at the window, staring out at the swirling snowflakes for half an hour.

"Yes, and we're going to feel the brunt of its chill if you don't get the fire going," Sakura replied, stirring the contents of homemade cookie dough before distributing methodical amounts to a sheet of wax paper to await baking. Naruto tossed her a grin over his shoulder, gave a two-fingered salute, answering with a cheery, "Right!" before doing as she instructed.

Sakura shook her head, hiding her smile. Naruto had come over earlier—uninvited and unexpected—in the day to help her bake some Christmas snacks for the rest of their Rookie friends, but she didn't mind his intrusion. With Naruto, it never felt like intrusion, anyway. She'd become used to his frequent unexpected drop-ins since she'd begun renting her own apartment; in fact, there was rarely a day that went by that Naruto didn't appear and if he was absent, it was usually due to a mission that caused him to leave the village, or vice versa.

She didn't mind, though; they were best friends and she enjoyed his company, regardless of his occasional annoying qualities. Like eating the cookie dough when her back was turned, knowing they needed all of it to have enough treats…

"Naruto!" she growled without turning around. She heard him chuckle, smacking his lips together hungrily. When she tossed him a glare over her shoulder, eyeing the dough still on his bottom lip, he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Yes, Sakura-chan?" he replied innocently, blinking big blue eyes at her. Sakura bit the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling as she pointed her spoon at him, reprimanding, "Keep your sticky fingers to yourself, Uzumaki, or you'll be braving the blizzard to fetch me more ingredients." He whined at her but she sniffed, turning around to retrieve the current batch of cookies from the oven. The heady aroma of melted chocolate wafted around them, causing both to breathe in deeply and sigh with pleasure.

"Mmm, Sakura-chan, you're the best chef ever!" Naruto praised, eyeing the steamy batch of cookies all the while. Sakura smirked as she placed the pan on the cooling rack, replying, "Flattery will gain you nothing, Naruto." He immediately began protesting, waving his arms and shaking his head as though he had no idea what she was talking about. Chuckling, she whacked him gently on the top of the head with her spoon before tossing it in the sink to be washed later.

"Get that fire started yet?" she asked, one fine pink brow quirked.

"Yep!" he replied, giving her a thumbs up. "Movie is ready too, whenever you are."

Sakura smiled as she began bagging the Christmas treats; she and Naruto had started a tradition of sorts once he began hanging around regularly. Usually they'd spar or Sakura would prepare a meal if the time suited, but on days that the weather was unruly, they watched movies. They always took turns choosing one, normally from Sakura's collection but Naruto had steadily begun bringing his own as well, claiming that most of hers were too "girly" for his tastes.

"Sounds good. Just let me finish bagging these," she replied. Naruto disappeared into the living-room and she completed her task, piling each little gift in a corner of the counter and setting the last batch inside the oven before joining her blonde friend—bearing the gift of a plateful of chocolate-chip cookies and a large glass of milk. Grinning at his shocked expression, she set the offering on the coffee-table in front of the couch before plopping down beside him.

"I figured after all our hard work, we deserved a little reward too." She explained, taking a bite of cookie. Naruto grinned, taking one of his own as he teased, "You're so soft-hearted, Sakura-chan. I knew you wouldn't let me starve!" Sakura snorted in disbelief, muttering "As if you were anywhere near starvation. Now start the movie, baka, before I take my gift back." Choosing the wiser option, Naruto simply flashed another teasing grin before complying.

They settled contentedly against the sofa cushions, munching on chocolate-chip cookies and sipping milk, eyes transfixed on the movie with the fireplace emitting comfortable warmth. Sakura moved to retrieve the last batch of cookies halfway into the movie before Naruto stopped her, offering to do so himself.

"Alright, but keep those sticky fingers to yourself," she warned, though her jade eyes twinkled with amusement. Naruto feigned shock that she could think such a thing of him as he disappeared into the kitchen. Sakura drew a well-worn blanket from the back of the sofa, pulling it around her as she snuggled deeper into the cushions, attention once again locked on the movie.

Naruto returned, settling beside her again, resting an arm behind her on the back of the couch; unconsciously, Sakura leaned in until her head rested against his subconsciously-offered shoulder. Neither seemed to notice the change, too enthralled by the scene playing out on the television.

By the time the end credits began scrolling over the screen dusk had fallen, leaving Sakura cuddled against Naruto's side, dozing, and the blonde resting his head against hers comfortably. He smiled to himself; it was virtually impossible for Sakura to make it through an entire movie without falling asleep at some point, unless it was shown in theater. Granted, he didn't mind—it meant he got to cuddle with her, if only for a little while—but at the moment his tongue was still on fire from that cookie he'd snuck earlier…and the remaining swallow of milk looked like a saving grace.

Reluctant to lose the comforting warmth of Sakura snuggled against him, Naruto battled indecision for as long as possible. Finally, the decision was made for him when Sakura stirred, sitting up to stretch and yawn heavily.

"Damn," she muttered, rubbing at her eyes cutely, like a little girl. "I fell asleep again, didn't I?"

Naruto chuckled in response, unwilling to answer aloud before he could cool his tongue; he reached for the glass of milk and tossed back the contents, a sigh of relief escaping before the momentary reprieve passed, leaving his tongue feeling sore. He groaned in dismay, setting the glass down with a pout.

"Something wrong?" Sakura inquired casually. He met her green gaze slowly and shook his head, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly without replying. Sakura quirked a brow at him but said nothing, leaning forward to gather the empty plate and glass and take them to the kitchen to be washed.

"Want another glass?" she asked, glancing at him. He nodded eagerly and she smirked to herself as she exited the room. One glance at the cookie pan on the cooling rack confirmed her suspicions as to Naruto's sudden quietness. Rather than pour another glass of milk, she disposed of the dirty dishes before returning to the living-room, where Naruto now knelt at the blank T.V., removing the movie. She stepped up behind him and, without preamble, shoved him onto his back, straddling his hips.

The blonde yelped, startled, as he gazed up at the pink-haired kunoichi glaring over him. Gulping, he knew he'd been caught. Holding up his hands in a universal 'I'm harmless' motion, he offered her a guilty grin as an apology.

"Didn't I tell you to keep your sticky fingers to yourself?" she asked, tapping a finger to her chin in mock-thoughtfulness. Naruto shrugged, jolting in surprise when she leaned down, trapping his head between her hands.

"Cat got your tongue, Naruto?" she murmured, firelight reflecting in her jade orbs. Mesmerized by the sight, Naruto forgot he was supposed to be defending himself for a moment as he uttered unthinkingly, "Uhm…"

"Let's see the damage," Sakura sighed, pretty pink lashes momentarily shielding the emerald gaze from his azure one. She gave him a hard stare when he failed to react, still too stunned by their position and her eyes; ducking down, she caught his bottom lip between her teeth, applying just enough pressure to cause him to jump.

"Got your attention now, do I?" she smirked, releasing him. Naruto stared up at her, astounded.

"S-Sakura-chan, you just…why did you—?" he stuttered, completing discarding his silence strategy.

"You weren't answering me." She stated matter-of-factly. "You know I don't like being ignored. Or lied to." She looked pointedly at him and he chuckled contritely, shrugging again.

"What can I say? I already told you that you're the best chef ever," he answered good-naturedly, blue eyes twinkling with mischief. Sakura smirked at him, shaking her head before again requesting, "Let's see the damage. Open your mouth."

"Neh?!" out of pure reaction, his jaw dropped and she grinned, peering inside. Sitting up a little higher, she shook her head and tsked at him.

"Baka, did you shove it in your mouth right out of the oven?" she scolded, frowning at him. Naruto recovered enough to grin again, replying, "Well, uhm, something like that…" She sighed at him again, shaking her head as she murmured almost to herself, "Can't believe I'm about to do this, all for something so stupid. I ought to let you suffer."

Naruto stared up at her quizzically, head tilted to the side as he tried to decipher her meaning. Baby blues widened and he questioned quietly, "Heal me? Sakura-chan, that'd be a waste of chakra—" Sakura smirked as she leaned down so that they were nearly nose to nose again.

"I don't care," she replied softly, before closing her mouth over his. Shocked, the blonde gasped, giving the pink-haired medic above him the perfect moment for entry. She swept her tongue over his lips before delving into his mouth, caressing his burned one with hers; as she did so, she focused her medical chakra so that it flowed from her mouth to his, mingling soothingly against the tender muscle. Once she'd healed him, she drew back, gazing down at his shocked expression with only a slight tinge of pink adorning her cheeks.

"Feel better?" she asked, voice calm even as her heart galloped within her chest. She couldn't begin to count the times she'd daydreamed about her first kiss; they'd started when she was twelve, fawning over a certain Uchiha prodigy, but as time had progressed the image of the boy she'd wanted to give it to had evolved to comprise more of sunshine and summer sky rather than raven and night. She often found herself imagining him making the first move any of the days he visited—there'd been plenty of opportunities—but she'd never considered doing so herself…until now. The opportunity had been too perfect not to take advantage of.

Naruto blinked up at her, seemingly dazed, before testing his tongue to inspect for any lingering damage. He was quiet for a long time, simply gazing up at her with an unreadable expression, firelight dancing over his blonde hair and illuminating his eyes, though it didn't help Sakura decipher any emotion hidden in them.

"Still has a twinge," the blonde knucklehead finally replied, complete with a pout. "I expected better from Konoha's top medic, Sakura-chan." Sakura gaped at him, ready to give him a serious tongue-lashing—of the unpleasant kind—until she noted the gleam of mischief in his eyes.

"In that case," she murmured, dropping to her elbows so that she now lay chest to chest on the blonde. "I'll have to remedy that…Unless you'd prefer a different doctor?"

"Not on my life," Naruto whispered against her lips, grasping the back of her neck and pulling her down for the second of many kisses that would ensue the remainder of the night.

Hope you enjoyed! I'm not entirely satisfied with the ending at the moment, so it may be subject to change...not sure yet. Either way, thank you for reading and I hope you all have a fantastic Christmas and a happy New Year! :D

~Miah-Chan