Written for Day 15 of Sakura Month: The First Snow
"Mama, Momma! Mama, Momma, Mama, Momma!"
Ino rolled over without opening her eyes and buried her face in the pillow by Sakura's shoulder. "It can't even be dawn yet." she groaned. "Right now she's yours."
"It's at least seven." Sakura said reasonably, moving to sit up. Ino twisted to look up at her balefully and she had the audacity to laugh. "It's definitely past dawn."
"It's snowing!" Haruka cried as she darted through their bedroom door. "Momma!"
Ino groaned again as Haruka leapt onto the bed at her side, crawling up. "How can you be so awake at this hour? It's intolerable." she mumbled, reaching out vaguely to pat her daughter.
"Mama?" Haruka said, a little quieter, scrambling over Ino, mostly sparing her any knees and elbows in tender places.
"Good morning, my little flower." Sakura said, opening her arms, and Haruka grinned, hopping into Sakura's lap and snuggling into her embrace. "I hear it's snowing?" she confirmed, a bit of laughter slipping into her voice.
"The first snow of the winter!" Haruka agreed, bouncing. The entire bed shuddered along with her, and Ino sighed, planting her face fully in the pillow. "Can we go out and play in it Mama please?"
"All of us, or just you and me?" Sakura asked playfully.
Ino reached out blindly and swatted at her, but it only made her laugh again. A moment later Haruka had caught Ino's wrist - she gentled her movements immediately - and her daughter promptly snuggled against her side, warm and almost vibrating with excitement. Ino turned over a bit to let Haruka settle close.
"You'll come out and play too, won't you Momma?" Haruka wheedled quietly, nestling against Ino's collarbone.
Ino sleepily petted her silky hair away from her face. It was a dreadful tangle, and she had clearly not done anything to it once she rolled out of bed. "I'm sure I will, darling." she promised, then yawned.
"Why don't you and I go out to play for a little while," Sakura proposed, rubbing Ino's back, "and then come in and have breakfast with Momma and see if we can't all go out after? Maybe some of your friends will want to come and play later, too, mm?"
"You'll come out later?" Haruka asked, tilting her head up.
Ino smiled, brushing her hair away from her face and kissing her brow. "I'll come out after breakfast, in a little while, yes." Ino promised. "You go and have fun."
"Mm, we will." Sakura said, tugging Haruka up and bending to kiss Ino's cheek. "Laze about a while longer, love. I'll send her to wake you when breakfast is made."
"Bless you." Ino said, stretching and then tugging the blankets up almost over her head as Sakura rolled out of bed, propping Haruka on her hip. She was asleep again while her wife and daughter were still quietly talking about bundling up warm enough to play in the snow.
Ino wasn't sure how much more sleep she had actually gotten, but when she was woken again by Haruka bouncing on the bed next to her she lunged up and pounced on her daughter, knocking her onto her back and into the crumpled blankets. She was a giggling, kicking mess trapped under Ino's body, and she laughed as she pulled aside a thick pullover and blew a raspberry on Haruka's shoulder, drawing another shriek of Momma! and nearly getting a knee to the breastbone.
"Good morning, darling." Ino said as she knelt up again, patting Haruka's belly. "Breakfast?" she asked. Haruka nodded, still catching her breath, a bright grin stretching across her face. Ino slid out of bed, wrapping a warm robe around herself over her nightgown.
Haruka caught her hand and tugged her out of the bedroom and down to the kitchen, where Sakura - still flushed and slightly sweaty from playing outside - met her with a light kiss and a cup of coffee. Ino murmured her thanks and sank into her chair to attend her waiting breakfast. She and Sakura happily listened to their daughter babble about the games they'd already played in the snow as they ate.
Ino begged a reprieve after breakfast just long enough to braid her hair and pull on warm clothes. Once changed, she hopped out the bedroom window, succeeding in surprising Sakura and sending her wife tumbling back into a small snowdrift as she landed.
"Awesome, Momma!" Haruka cried, leaping up and scrambling up onto Ino's back. Sakura sputtered and dug herself out of the snow, sticking her tongue out at them.
Ino laughed and spread her arms wide. "You heard - I'm awesome." She preened theatrically, then dove, carrying Haruka with her, as Sakura launched herself at them.
Haruka was shrieking with laughter in Ino's ear, and she couldn't quite suppress her own as she kept moving, fleeing Sakura in a spray of snow.
"I'll get you!" Sakura threatened playfully. "Both of you!"
"Catch me first Mama!" Haruka called back, and clambered up as Ino paused atop a fencepost, springing from her shoulders to roll in the snow. Ino shook her head slightly, amused, watching as Haruka only seemed to be digging herself deeper into the snow.
"You realise you're not hiding, right?" Ino asked, because Haruka's hair - a few shades lighter than Sakura's own - stood out brightly in the snow even as she ducked her head lower, little limbs flailing.
"Shhh!" Haruka hissed, glancing up, and Ino raised an eyebrow, then looked at Sakura and yelped, hurriedly jumping into motion once more. She sailed over her wife's head mid-lunge and Sakura reached up, but missed grabbing her - she'd reached for where Ino's normal ponytail would have fallen, but her braid was shorter and heavier, and sooner out of reach.
Ino laughed as she flipped and regained her feet, twisting to face Sakura again. She moved a fraction too slow, and Sakura tackled her down into the snow, a solid body blow of barely cushioned muscle. It knocked the air out of Ino, and knowing she was in no danger she only ineffectually shoved at her wife as she struggled to catch her breath.
Sakura laughed, hands splayed over Ino's shoulders to pin her down. She pouted up at her wife and Sakura's eyes sparkled playfully. She shifted her weight astride Ino's thighs, then leaned down to kiss her, feather-soft and chill.
Ino sighed and reached up to cup her face, returning the light caress.
Then a loose deluge of snow hit them both in the face. "Got you!" Haruka cried as they bolted apart, shaking show and bits of ice off themselves and out of their hair. "Got you, got you!" she practically sang.
"I'll get you, you little monster!" Ino threatened, still shuddering and trying to flick the snow out of her collar. Haruka yelped, burst out laughing, and started running. Ino and Sakura glanced at each other, then moved to give chase.