title: It Was Always You
prompt: SASUSAKU MONTH 2014
rating: T-M

summary: o26: Sasuke regrets being a gentleman and giving his coat to Sakura in the middle of winter.

dedicated to: my girls reviee, DeepPoeticGirl, and SR :)

.o26.
Staying Warm

The only thing more annoying than the cold temperature was the sound of Sakura shivering madly. Sasuke almost wanted to laugh under his winter coat at Sakura, who had only worn a thin T-shirt and jeans. It was her own fault that she hadn't packed warmly enough, and now she was paying for it.

"You cold?" he teased, just to rub more salt in the wound. Sasuke did his best to stifle his grin when Sakura glared at him, her eyes raging with frustration and fury. He tried to take her seriously, he really did, but when he saw the little pink hairs on her arm stand up under her goosebumps, he couldn't handle it.

He chuckled.

"You find my pain amusing?" she asked. He noticed the shiver in her words as she tried hard to form a coherent sentence, but they both knew that it was no use. Sakura was already surrendering herself to the cold while Sasuke just watched under his down jacket.

"I find you amusing. Come on, now. If you keep lagging behind we're not going to get to Naruto's on time." He watched her with dark eyes, observing how she found the strength to put one foot in front of the other, the snow sinking into her thin shoes and right into her bare feet. Yet another reason, Sasuke mused, to laugh at her.

Sakura growled, eyeing his clothing enviously. "I hate you."

"Hn." He pulled Sakura's forearm and put a hand behind her back. "Let me help you so that you don't drag me down with you into the cold. Can you walk alright?"

She pried herself away. Her eyes narrowed, and she wanted to spit at him.

"I'm fine," she lied.

"No, you're not," Sasuke said. He sighed, realizing that the fun and games were over now, and that he was truly an asshole if he could keep finding humor in Sakura's misfortune.

"What are you—hey, Sasuke, what—!"

Sasuke unzipped his coat, biting his lip to prevent the curse from leaking out. He hadn't realized how chilly it was now that his coat was off his body, and he had a slight admiration for Sakura being able to withstand such temperatures for a long time.

"Spread your arms," Sasuke ordered. Sakura did so weakly, and Sasuke draped the coat over her body, zipping it up until it was at her chin.

"Feel better?" he asked, crossing his arms. He refused to show weakness and that he couldn't withstand the ice, but the familiar goosebumps that he mocked on Sakura were now forming on his skin.

Sakura nodded. "Yeah." Then, as she stuck her dry hands into the soft pockets, she murmured, "Thank you."

"Ready to go?"

"Yeah."

Sakura trailed slowly behind Sasuke. He bit his lip, chewing on the tender flesh, and forcing himself not to show weakness as the cold wind became daggers on his skin. He could barely see past the falling snow, and he hated himself for playing the gentleman card and giving away his soul.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura cried out. She struggled to catch up to him and nearly tripped in the process. Sasuke noticed that her flats were completely soaked, and didn't even want to imagine who cold her feet must have been.

"What?" he asked.

He had no idea why Sakura was hugging him. He could feel her thin arms around his waist and wanted to ask why she was touching him and what gave her the right to do so, but he felt the familiar warmth drape back over his shoulders once more.

They were both under his coat, and Sakura still kept her arms around him.

"There," she said. "Now we can both stay warm."

"How are we going to walk, then, smartass?" he teased. But that didn't really matter. And he didn't mind Sakura resting her thick skull onto his chest. In fact, it only made him feel warmer.

"I'll dictate. Right foot, left foot, right foot, left—"

He smirked. "Enough of that. Let's keep walking."

They stumbled awkwardly over the snow, trying not to trip. Sakura kept a grip around Sasuke's chest, which meant she had the extra weight on, but he didn't mind too much.

"Sasuke-kun," Sakura said, moving her leg according to his movements. "You make my heart feel fuzzy."

"You should get that checked."

She slapped his arm playfully. "Hey! I'm being serious!"

Sasuke looked down to see the stupid idiot in only a T-shirt looking up at him with a bright, red nose and eyelashes laced with frost. He forced himself to look up and saw Naruto's house not too far off in the distance, ignoring the blush heating up on his cheeks and protecting him from the cold.

"Don't let go," he ordered, pressing his body closer against hers. "I'm freezing, and if we're going to survive this, we're going to have to conserve body heat."

"Whatever you say, Sasuke-kun," Sakura grinned, her stupid red nose tempting him in ways he never knew she could.

kawaii desu ne