More than mildly AU. I think the egg nog had a little more punch than I thought. Inspired only vaguely by the wait I had for my boyfriend to get his marbles together.

Direct all thanks (or blame) to wing-chan 01 for this piece. My gratitude for thinking I can write well, and in some weird way inspiring me to write another sasuxhina holiday oneshot.

---

Hinata blew at her steaming cup of coffee. The park was cold, and practically choking with Christmas commercialism. So her family hated her, her friends were drowning in their romantic interests, which just so happened to be other friends. In conclusion… she was all alone on the most celebrated time of year. It was almost enough to make her say "Bah, humbug" except she had cinnamony chocolatey coffee, so life wasn't that miserable. And top hats just didn't suit her. The one person who possibly could get away with playing Scrooge this year… well, she'd had a crush on him for years now. You'd think that like most of her friends, if she was going to have a high school crush, it would have been Naruto. Gorgeous blue eyes, pettable blond hair, such a warm personality, it was hard to miss when he came into a room. No, coal black eyes, midnight dark hair, and a magnetic attraction to corners and doorways. After a year, she couldn't ever meet his eyes, because no simple crush could ever define what she felt for Uchiha Sasuke. Every now and then she could feel his gaze on her, which was all the more incentive to leave.

Oh well… I'm all alone on Christmas, and given that… I'll just have to make the most of it. Which means that the ice rink is going to be seeing a whole lot more of me.

---

At the ice rink, exactly where he'd been expecting to find her. Uchiha Sasuke was not supposed to be shy, but something about this girl had, for the last four years kept his eyes wide open and fixed on her. Which meant his mouth had stayed closed for all this time. Uchiha Sasuke was not supposed to be an idiot either. And because he wasn't, he knew what she couldn't say, and he knew that it was time for a little Christmas cheer.

And possibly a Christmas miracle, because how the hell am I going to get over years of silence? A well placed sprig of mistletoe…

"Hi Sasuke!" Or a very well timed entrance… Yamanaka Ino and Nara Shikamaru had arrived. "Whatcha doing here, alone? It's Christmas Eve! You should be curled up in front of a fire with…"

"Ino, leave him alone, he's enjoying the view."

Ino turned, blond hair swishing as she saw what her fiancé was referring to. Her best friend skating like the delicate snowflake she was. She grinned, a smile not unlike a knowing smirk.

"Well then, shall we leave him to it? There's a shoe sale that's practically screaming my name!" Shikamaru opened his mouth. Ino didn't even look away from the ice as she hit him in the shoulder. "Say a word and guess who's going to be wearing coffee. Later, Sasuke!"

---

"Merry Christmas, Sasuke." Her eyes were focused somewhere over his shoulder. Three years, she had never looked him in the eye, and she saw him in a way no one ever would.

"All alone this Christmas too?" she asked, knocking ice off her skates.

"Yeah… I wait… you're alone? You're never-" The look she gave him sent anything else he'd been about to say skittering off into the bustling crowds of the mall.

"My family can't stand me, my friends are pretty much all absorbed in each other, and even though there's enough "Christmas cheer" to knock a reindeer over, I'm not feeling the holiday spirit." Those gorgeous grey eyes softened, clouded with her thoughts.

"Want to be alone on Christmas together? We can have commercially correct cookies and hot chocolate at my place."

Oh thank you for small miracles…

"Tempting. Do you have a tree?"

Screw the fire, that smile was enough to warm his cold frosty night…

"Yeah, it's in slightly better shape than Charlie Brown's, but not much. It lacks decorations though…"

Was that an hour's worth of skating catching up to her, or were his eyes sending her heart into convulsions?

"I'd love to help you decorate it. But first… tag, you're it."

Her hand brushed his shoulder, before she skated away, laughter ringing in his ears.

Her laughter renewed when he finally got skates on and cornered her.

"You win." She managed to say through her giggles.

"Win what?"

"I'll buy you coffee?"

"Hey! I said I'd buy you coffee." She glared at him… well… his ear. She wasn't quite ready to look into those deep black eyes that made her knees go… case in point.

"You said you'd buy me coffee. You are buying me coffee. I'm just paying for yours." He took advantage of her momentary speechlessness to thank the smiling clerk and hand Hinata's change back to her. They walked out of the little shop, and to his apartment.

"Oh huff. Fine. But I pay for the over-iced Christmas tree cookies."

Oh god, that smile was making her heart bubble.

"Wouldn't have it any other way, Hinata."

If he could, he would keep her forever, when he could have that blush and that innocent beauty all to himself.

"Well, going to open the…"

She was interrupted by Beethoven's 9th in polyphonic. Sasuke flipped his phone open, talking in a low voice, concern apparent. Sasuke turned back to her, pressing the key into her hand. "I'll meet up with you later. My brother is in a spot of trouble. Don't run out on me." He left then, but he heard her.

"Never, Uchiha Sasuke."

---

He came back to his apartment five hours later, fully expecting it to be empty and dark. He didn't expect his tree to be lit softly with lights and glass ornaments, neither of which he owned. She must have gone to her own apartment and brought them back. There was a plate of over-iced Christmas tree cookies on his coffee table, and an angel curled up on his sofa, wrapped in her jacket.

"Merry Christmas?" She offered meekly.

He slid onto the couch next to her. "Christmas miracle. Can I unwrap my present now?" His arms slipped around her, tugging the jacket off. He pulled her close, breathing into the shell of her ear.

"What, no mistletoe?" the smirk was almost tangible

She turned, ready to snap at him, regardless , but his mouth on hers put a small hitch in that plan, and in her breath. He pulled back, and she was panting slightly, rose dusting her face.

"Oh well, mistletoe is overrated, only guarantees one kiss" his lips traced her neck "you lose the element of surprise" she gasped as his teeth nipped at her collarbone "and I've had enough of waiting for you to be mine."

His hand cradled her cheek, losing himself in her eyes. He pulled her into his arms, resting his head on her shoulder.

"Merry Christmas, love."