Sasuke awoke the next morning with a deep ache in his entire being. He was laying in an awkward position, and he was terribly sore from yesterday's endeavors. He looked up at the ceiling and saw fuzzy frost on some nails sticking out from the boards. The daylight was dim in the small cabin, so dim that if it weren't for the clock on the wall, he would've thought it was way earlier. A small fire rolled in the fireplace next to him. Naruto was perched in front of it, staring at the dancing flames solemnly.

He vaguely remembered collapsing next to Naruto after they had drank their teas, completely exhausted from the day. They were too tired to look for a bed, and the warmth of the fire was all too inviting. Actually, he really didn't remember falling asleep at all. Looks like they just laid right there on the floor in front of the flames, although that was probably the best place in the whole house to sleep. He did remember the feel of pressing their backs against each other to try and keep warm, huddled under a shared blanket. Or was that part a dream? He was too tired and cold last night to care about all that physical touch, and he vaguely remembered almost full-on cuddling with Naruto. But, now that he can think more clearly…it made him scowl to try and shove down the rising pink in his cheeks. Psh. Cuddling with Naruto. Which he scowled even harder, wondering why Naruto of all people was making him blush. "Tch." He muttered. How annoying.

Naruto turned towards him at the sound, breaking from his trance. "Oh you're awake!" He said with a smile, watching Sasuke sit up from the hard floor. "I made sure to keep the fire going for us….although I was pretty out of it most of the night, heheh." He rubbed the back of his head. "So, looks like we're stuck here."

"Yeah." Sasuke muttered, glancing around him. The windows were covered with frost, and he could barely see anything outside. All he saw was swirls of dull white, the sunlight barely even coming through. The wind still howled horribly, clawing at the house to get to them. Sasuke shivered in spite of himself. "I don't suppose I could send out a hawk to the leaf in this mess." He reckoned that they were far enough away from the Land of Snow that the hawk could make it back fine. But with how crazy it was outside, he would have to wait for it to clear up some. As for the two of them…

"Yeah, guess we gotta keep each other company for a while!" He giggled, and poked Sasuke in the ribs, causing a wave of ticklishness to earthquake through him. Of course Naruto thought this was amusing. He always saw the sun in even the darkest of times. Naruto grinned at Sasuke's reaction to poking him and did it again, causing the Uchiha to grit his teeth and flinch. "Sasuke! I didn't realize how ticklish you were!" Naruto giggled loudly and went for another poke, and Sasuke grabbed his wrist and jerked him forward onto the ground next to him, Naruto landing on the floor face first. That dobe was NOT going to make him feel any squiggly feelings today.

Naruto just grinned and looked at Sasuke knowingly, receiving a warning glare in return. Naruto knew he was going to exploit that weakness later. He just wanted Sasuke to not look so stoic all the time. Even a smile would do. Naruto tossed another log in the fire and jumped up. "I don't know about you but I'm starved!" He shouted loudly, trampling off to the kitchen. Sasuke just hummed. How did he have so much energy all the time?

Sasuke took this moment to take a good look around the cabin-like place. It wasn't really much of a cabin, more homelike. There was a couch and a table in the back of the room behind him. The kitchen was sort of built into the living room and had a small table to the side. There was a bedroom in the back hallway. One bedroom. One bed. Sasuke got a headache already thinking of Naruto's complaints that were bound to occur. That dobe. He got up and joined Naruto in the kitchen to see what they had to offer. Surely Naruto was going to come back with ramen or some crap.

There was some dried meats in the pantry, as well as rice, flour, potatoes, and various other things. There were also some pots and pans that could be used, and there was plenty of tea that Sasuke had seen last night. This should hold them for a few day. Naruto was particularly excited at seeing all of the instant ramen packets (figures), just waiting to be eaten. Sasuke didn't like taking someone's food, but they didn't have much of a choice. He figured that he could leave some money when they left, although they really didn't have much left at all.

Sasuke opened the door to gather snow to boil in a pot, the wind and cold snatching his breath away. He had never felt such cold, never felt such violent forces in nature. It almost felt like the same energy Naruto used against him when sparring. He realized he was just standing there, letting snow blow in like a dumbass. He hurriedly went back to the fire to boil snow for water and cooking. Naruto was already preparing their bowls of ramen, Sasuke noticed with an eyeroll.

They ate their breakfast silently, listening to the wind slam against the house. It was freezing everywhere else in the house that wasn't in the living room right next to the fire. The house walls were thick, but the cold still seeped in like water. Sasuke eyed the firewood, praying they would last until the blizzard was over.

"Wow, this is some good ramen!" Naruto exclaimed, slurping away. "Nothing like a warm bowl of ramen on a cold day!" His face was slightly red from wolfing down the piping hot broth so fast.

Sasuke just watched him, amused. Naruto always had a child-like glee, which Sasuke usually was annoyed by. However, he thought it was amusing now. "You're spilling it all over you, dobe." He told him, watching it dribble down his chin.

Naruto chuckled and wiped it off, looking over at the Uchiha. "Yeah you're one to talk Sasuke." He told him, noticing droplets on Sasuke's face now. Then, before Sasuke could react, Naruto reached over and wiped it off his cheek and lips in an ever so gentle motion.

Sasuke stopped breathing. His heart stopped beating. His body stopped moving. That small, gentle swipe of his thumb had caused all kind of sensations to shoot through him. Naruto had just wiped him in a way that brushed that ever so sensitive spot next to his mouth. That small gesture that held so much care behind it. Usually when people touch him, it's with punches or hard hits. Not gentle like this. No, he couldn't handle this. And then the dobe went back to his ramen like he hadn't just cause Sasuke to nearly lose himself completely.

Naruto shoved more noodles in his mouth and looked back at Sasuke, blinking. The Uchiha was still staring at him in mild shock, completely lost for words, mouth slightly ajar. "What's wrong?" Naruto asked with a mouthful of ramen, eyelashes batting almost a little TOO innocently.

Sasuke felt even more unearthed when Naruto looked into his eyes like that. He felt like Naruto was looking into his very soul. He hastily turned back to his ramen, trying not to think of anything at all. "Nothing." He muttered.

Naruto just blinked at him again, tilting his head a bit to the side. What a confusing friend he had.

The day stretched on without much to do. They went into the kitchen and rationed their food, finding that they could last at least a week if the worst happened. Naruto pestered Sasuke to let him eat more ramen, and that he was wasting away. Sasuke scoffed and said he'd be sorry if he was completely out of food and had to watch Sasuke eat. Naruto sulked, crossing his arms and jutting his lip out, turning away. Sasuke couldn't help but chuckle.

They spent most of the day sitting in front of the fire under a massive quilt and talking softly to each other. What else was there to do? Sasuke kept a finger's width distance between them, taking care not to press up against him. He was not wanting to repeat last night. Not wanting to feel that warmth that was Naruto. They talked about almost everything, even deep conversations that Sasuke wouldn't want to have with anyone else. He appreciated how Naruto would listen to him attentively, his eyes drinking every drop of him. It was nice, sitting there next to someone who cared so much about him, hidden away in the warmth where the cold and darkness of the outside couldn't get to them. It reminded him of the evening in the Land of Snow. How they had talked and talked in front of the fire with a warm drink keeping them toasty. Sasuke had never talked so much with anyone.

When the conversation finally died down, Sasuke turned to look at the windows, still desolate outside as ever. "This was what I was afraid of, you know." He said quietly, turning back to the flames. "I just….I had this feeling that something would happen. And I ignored it." He usually didn't like bringing up his moments of weakness, but the atmosphere there with Naruto was…comforting. He could feel his usual guard melting.

Naruto turned to look at Sasuke, his mind reeling at how the angles of his face were sharpened in the shadows. He forced himself not to think about that. "Don't be sorry, teme." He said softly. "Ninja aren't perfect, after all. Besides, I didn't even realize anything until too late anyways. You realized we were in trouble long before I did."

Sasuke winced at the memory of him yelling at Naruto, feeling guilt gnaw at him. "Sorry for snapping at you." He mumbled. "Also, thanks for getting us out of that storm. I…I kind of fell apart." He gritted his teeth. He still felt embarrassed for giving up. Naruto had been strong for both of them.

"Oh it really was nothing. I was just surprised we found this place and all. I mean, there's nobody for miles." He said nervously. He didn't like to think about what would've happened if he didn't plow into the side of the cabin with his shoulder.

"No, really Naruto, thank you." Raven eyes met blue ones. "You saved us."

Naruto turned a bit pink at Sasuke's rare show of vulnerability. He doesn't think Sasuke ever thanked him for anything in his life. He couldn't think, still staring into those eyes.

Sasuke's mind was doing flip-flops, staring at Naruto. Great, this again. Those eyes putting a choke-hold on his entire body. Would he ever be able to look into those eyes and not feel weightless? For a moment, they didn't hear the howling wind or the crackle of the fire. It was just the two of them, interlocked between space and time. And then….

And then Naruto glanced down at his lips in the quickest motion and then turned back toward the fire, avoiding anymore eye contact. Sasuke didn't know what to think, so he just turned toward the fire himself, still lost in the forest of his mind. He had seen that, hadn't he? Naruto glanced at his lips? Was there something there? He slowly wiped them with the back of his thumb, unsure what emotion he was even feeling at the moment. Naruto. Glanced at his lips. Did Naruto….want to….This was all so different for him. Someone actually caring about him the way Naruto did. He hadn't felt anything like this before.

And it scared him.

XoXoXoXoX

After poking around in closets, Naruto found some games and books. Of course, the dolt found the books uninteresting, but Sasuke was pleased. They played cards to pass the time, even thought it was hard to see. They played poker together, not "strip poker" like Naruto funnily suggested, laughing at how red Sasuke turned. ("How stupid," he had muttered, glaring at the dobe with warm cheeks) To no surprise to anyone, Sasuke had an exemplary poker face. Naruto wasn't horrible, but he had a habit of giggling ever so slightly when he had a good hand.

They played jenga, various board games, and more rounds of poker. Sasuke actually found the evening pleasant. He hadn't played these games since he was a child. It was nostalgic. And Naruto was a complete doofus and made things entertaining.

Naruto even brought a couple of his shadow clones so they could play an inappropriate card game, much to Sasuke's dismay. All of clones laughed and laughed at how embarrassed Sasuke was as some of the PREPOSTEROUS things the cards said. He almost refused to read some until he was made fun of for being weak, which pissed him off. He couldn't look the Narutos in the eye the whole game and felt incredibly dirty, face so red you'd think he was a tomato.

They tried to spar in the living room, pushing away furniture. However, they found it nearly impossible as the space was too small, and they kept hitting the walls. So that ended quickly.

At last the cabin got darker and darker until it was completely dark, and they both realized at the same time how incredibly cold the house was in the bedroom. This wasn't going to do at all. So, they both lugged the big mattress into the living room and threw it down on the floor, right in front of the fireplace. This would work great.

Naruto seemingly didn't care to share a mattress with Sasuke anymore. In fact, he seemed a bit TOO excited at it. They both fell on the bed together and huddled under a massive quilt for about 5 seconds before Sasuke got back up, restless. He went to the window and scraped some frost off, looking out across the forest.

"What are you doing, Sasuke?" Naruto cried out. "Get here and help warm up the bed!"

Sasuke couldn't see anything at all outside. Not a light or a tree. Not the moon or any stars. He realized the uncertainty of their situation and slightly sick to his stomach. They really were all alone in the middle of nowhere. He felt safe there with Naruto, but still felt uneasy being out in nowhere.

He finally crawled into bed with Naruto, pressing his back against the other's. He felt Naruto's warmth envelope him like a warm bath, chasing away the cold. Even chasing away his worries. He just felt so content there with Naruto. But this closeness didn't mean anything. No, this was just a way to reserve body heat. "I couldn't see any light outside." He finally said.

Naruto shifted ever so slightly. Sasuke could tell he didn't like to hear that. It meant they really were all alone. "Sasuke, that doesn't mean anything." Naruto said softly. "We could be right next to a town even. We just have to wait for the storm to let up."

"Or, we could be out in the middle of God knows where, completely lost." Sasuke retorted.

"I mean sure. But we've been lost before, right?" Naruto said carefully. "We are ninja. If we can survive the stuff we have, then we can make it through a snowstorm."

"Yeah I guess…" Sasuke mumbled. "I just hope we aren't just waiting for our deaths."

Naruto didn't respond. It wasn't like Sasuke to be so pessimistic. Sure he was a brood, but he usually had the confidence in himself. Sasuke had wondered if Naruto fell asleep already, not getting any response from him. But Naruto took a deep breath, preparing himself for what he was about to do, unsure about the reaction he would get and finally said, "We'll be okay Sasuke," And reached behind him to grab Sasuke's hand.

Sasuke felt his heart completely melt at such a soft gesture, full of care and love behind it. He could FEEL the care and concern in his hand. He remembered he had said that he and Naruto exchanged words through punches. Well this gesture was telling him everything he needed to hear. Warmth completely took over his body. Naruto's fingers laced with his and squeezed ever so gently. It made his heart beat crazily fast, so fast he felt it would burst from his chest. He was such a hardass of a man, yet those soft touches from Naruto made him completely melt into a puddle. Did friends hold hands? He didn't care. Naruto's hand in his felt so perfect. So right. And he didn't want to let go.