The sun is too bright, it hurts

Chapter 2

8 years old.

December.

Naruto is sitting in front of his TV, on the floor, surrounded by a thick orange blanket that his mother keeps in Sasuke's closet for the times he stays to sleep (because yes, there are many times that he stays to sleep. Sometimes his two parents have stay late at work, so Naruto stays and makes movie marathons with him before going to sleep. It's more fun than he wants to admit, and Naruto lets him choose the movie they're going to start almost always, so he doesn't complain so much) when Sasuke goes into his room. His parents are downstairs in the dining room talking and Itachi is helping his and Naruto's mothers with the food.

"Mom let me have some cookies," he says, leaving the plate on the floor and sitting next to him.

"Great!" Naruto doesn't take his eyes off the screen as he gropes for the plate. Sasuke takes a cookie and places it in his hands because, seriously, that could last for hours. "Thank you, teme." He smiles, putting the cookie in his mouth.

Sasuke takes a cookie too and looks at the screen. The truth is that is a bit cold there. Sasuke's socks are not working, because his feet feel cold. Maybe he should...

"I bet I would be awesome in Quidditch."

Sasuke turns to look at him.

"Hm?"

Naruto points to the screen, with another cookie in his hand. "Quidditch. I bet I would be awesome at it."

Sasuke snorts. "You like Harry Potter?"

Naruto blinks. "Don't you?" Sasuke remains silent for a moment, and it's enough time for Naruto to smile. "I knew you like it, you have a snitch on your bookcase. That's why I pick this movie."

Sasuke takes his knees and hugs them to his chest. He grimaces. "Are you always so nosy?"

"Well," Naruto says, shrugging his shoulders inside the huge blanket bubble. He smiles, "you're my only friend, I have to know what you like, right?"

Sasuke places his chin against his knees. "I guess."

You are my only friend.

Sasuke doesn't know why that phrase causes something warm to pull in his stomach.

"Hey, teme."

Sasuke turns to look at him. Naruto's big eyes glow with the brightness of the television screen. He stretches an arm and opens a hole in the tangle of warm blanket around him. "You are trembling."

Sasuke wrinkles his eyebrows. He should not...

"Come on, teme, it's getting cold in there too."

Sasuke says to himself that he does it because it is cold and because at his height he cannot reach the cover that is on his highest shelf, not because he wants to be closer to Naruto. Why would he want that anyway? And why does he feel like he's lying to himself? It doesn't make sense.

Sasuke crawls across the carpet and gets inside the blanket with him. Almost instantly, the cold disappears. Well, it was a good idea then.

In the end, they keep eating cookies and watching Harry Potter and then Home Alone (Naruto cries with that movie all the time. "He lost his whole family, teme!", "He didn't lose it, dobe, they just left without him.", "That's even sadder!") Until they are called for dinner.

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Sometimes, it's fun to hear Naruto talk. He is sitting in his living room as a little caterpillar surrounded by his blanket, just next to Sasuke, as he explains the huge plan to Capture Santa Claus number 3, because yes, Sasuke, Naruto Uzumaki can do it, and you will be my assistant.

Assistant? Sasuke is not anyone's assistant.

But of course Sasuke doesn't say it out loud, he just thinks it, and Naruto keeps talking and talking and he says how this can work and this can too and that they will need ropes and a bag and oh, but we have to give him ramen later, Sasuke, I don't want him to take our gifts for thinking that we are bad kids.

Sasuke smiles a little and pays attention to the gestures, to his enthusiastic way of speaking. He thinks about how he has become so used to him. Thinks about why he doesn't bother him so much anymore.

Seeing with the corner of his eye, he could see Itachi is sitting reading something, but by the smile on his face, it is obvious that he can hear Naruto too.

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In the end, Naruto's parents spend the night at the house, so he and Naruto can stay to "camp" in the room, as Naruto calls it.

They sit next to each other in the same couch while watching Disney cartoons on TV and listen to the characters talk about the Christmas spirit, while Kushina and Minato are comfortably reclining against the other corner of the sofa.

Itachi continues reading his book, sitting on the same couch as his mother. And even his father is quietly sitting at the table reading a newspaper.

There is peace. And to be honest, Christmas has been better since Naruto and his parents are there. Minato is amazing doing imitations and gives Sasuke the best gifts and chooses the best movies. Kushina cooks the best desserts, even better than her mother's (but it's not like he's going to say it) and she's always smiling and laughing and telling good jokes at dinner time.

And Naruto... well, Naruto is good company. Sasuke doesn't mind having him around. He likes to hear him speak. And he pays a lot of attention to Sasuke, which is great.

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Naruto doesn't stay awake after nine o'clock at night. And Sasuke laughs, because he already expected it, because it has always been like this in the past Christmas.

They never discover Santa Claus, by the way, because Sasuke doesn't stay long after, but being with Naruto there is more than enough for him.