Sometimes, to get to see that smile, he did things on purpose. But sometimes, he just... Was himself, and he got it anyway. Though that didn't diminish the importance of the smile, or his feeling of pride that he had caused it.
It had been Kakashi's birthday just the day before, and with the celebration at Sakura's house (a small party of a few select people who didn't bore or annoy the masked man) that had meant that when he had politely refused the cupcakes that had been so carefully created for him, they kept their original place in the roseate's fridge.
And with the knowledge of sweets and leftover party food and a promise of a movie night, Naruto was found the following day on Sakura's couch, junk food splayed out on her coffee table and a cupcake in his hand while he whined about how long she was taking to get her drink. It might as well have been an hour since she started making her tea, and he wanted to start the movie. Something horror flick-y, to please her and scare the shit out of his imaginative self.
"Sakura-chaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan!"
"Shut up before I hit you," she scolded him as she walked into the living room, a cup of steaming tea cradled between her hands.
"Well, you were taking too long!" he whined further, only to be hit upside the head with a pillow when she had taken her seat next to him and set down the cup. He squawked, and glared indignantly before huffing and taking a bite out of his cupcake. Sakura only shook her head at him, and leaned forward to take a cupcake herself. It took the blonde a long moment to realize she was frowning at the pastry, and another to swallow the huge bite he had taken.
"You're supposed to eat it, you know," he commented lazily. She glared at him again.
"I put too much icing on them. I don't like a lot of icing," she retorted simply. Naruto looked at her cupcake, and it only made sense for him to lean over and use two fingers to swipe across the top, gathering in a glob just about the whole mess of icing. Giving her a shit-eating grin, he shrugged at the almost disbelieving look he was given, receiving an eye roll in return.
"You said you don't like it, so I solved the problem," he laughed. "I could have just smooshed the entire thing into your face instead—it would have been funnier." His bright blue eyes took on a more playful gleam, but the narrowing of her jade ones was almost threatening—if for the fact he really did think it would have been ridiculously funny.
"You wouldn't dare," she declared lowly, perhaps not realizing that in that moment—in that single statement—she had issued a challenge. Naruto sat up a bit, an eyebrow raised as he smirked.
"Oh you think so?"
And then the glob balanced on his fingers was hitting her cheek, and it was only her literal ninja reflexes that saved her from a complete icing facial.
"NARUTO!" she shrieked, grabbing his hand and in the process getting the icing all over her own. But she was only replied to with a laugh as he kept trying to regain ground, and mark her face further with the brown chocolate goodness. The battle ensued with laughter on both sides, but he slipped up and suddenly his face was decorated with the icing too—as well as a portion of his blonde hair, and a large streak on his pants.
But looking at the roseate, her wounds were obviously greater. With a whole side of her face coated in chocolate finger streaks and her nose tipped with icing, he would claim victory in the war that had just been ended.
Despite the icing dominating her face, though, what he noticed most was the absolute grin she was flashing him, making his heart skip a bit. It made his own widen even further.
"I should make you lick it all off, you baka," she laughed, standing up with her hands raised in front of her to protect her belongings from being affected by the icing there.
"Well, maybe you shouldn't have said I wouldn't," he teased in return, heading towards the kitchen to rinse the icing off of him, while she went to the bathroom. And no matter how mock-angry she would act in later days at what he had done—even swatting him for the little bit he had managed to get on the back of her couch, he would always think the daring move worth it, if only because she had been laughing with him the whole time.