A/N: It's been a very long time since I've updated, I know. School has been crazy, I'm sorry. And this isn't so much snuggling as Balder just braiding Yui's hair and being a sweetheart. The next chapter also probably won't be as touchy-feely as the first four have been. I'm very sorry for that, but please enjoy regardless!
Balder couldn't help but sigh as he paced back and forth in front of the open French doors in his bedroom. How was it he could have so many admirers, yet always feel so very alone? He was grateful for Thor and Loki. He truly was. But at the same time, Balder wanted variety in his life. His blood brothers meant well, but they could not be his entire world.
Yui understood that. She somehow understood how lonely Balder could be, and she didn't want to spend time with him because he was the god of light, but in spite of it. She made his burden feel weightless. He smiled gently as he thought of her before he stumbled over the edge of his bed.
"Ouch!" he hissed, rubbing the few toes that had collided with his bedpost, and a knock came at his door. Replacing the smile on his face, Balder went to answer. It was not uncommon for Loki to stop in Balder's room when he couldn't sleep. Opening the door, he looked down into Yui's tearstained face.
"Yui! What…what is wrong?" he asked, immediately reaching out to hug her.
"I'm lonely," she admitted, trying to stifle her crying. "I'm so sorry, Balder, I really don't have any right to complain because I know how lonely you are, but I…" Her cries choked the rest of her sentence, and she cried into Balder's shoulder.
"Shh, Yui, it's okay," Balder murmured, stroking her back gently. Yes, she knew how heavy the loneliness weighed on him, but he was a god. He could take that much pain, even though he didn't necessarily want to bear it. But Yui was far more fragile than he, even if she wouldn't admit it. Suddenly, Balder had an idea of how she could be soothed.
"Yui, in my country, there were small girls who would carry around plush likenesses of me and braid my hair." He swept the aforementioned hair out over his back. "Would you like to braid my hair? I've been told by many it's incredibly soothing." Yui had quieted her crying, but was still shaking, so Balder tried again. "Would you like me to braid your hair?" Yui nodded.
"I've never had it braided," she confessed, and Balder chuckled.
"It doesn't hurt, I promise. It will make you feel much better," he promised. With that, Balder's skilled hands began to gently weave a semblance of a braid into her violet hair. Yui relaxed under his touch, and gradually her shuddering stopped. It didn't take long to knot Yui's hair into a similar manner to Balder's usual hairstyle. When Balder finished, he tied his handiwork with one of his own ribbons, and brushed the braid over Yui's shoulder.
"What do you think?" he asked, and Yui smiled like a child being given her favorite sweet.
"Thank you, Balder. I look pretty," she giggled, and Balder smiled. Alleviating her loneliness was one of the few joys he had left, and he intended on making every moment with her count.