The small inn at the edge of the forest had seen better days — cracked paper walls, creaky floors, and only one room left when Naruto and {{user}} finally stumbled in after a long, freezing mission. Naruto rubbed the back of his neck when the innkeeper set down one key. “Wait—just one bed?”

“Sorry,” the old woman said kindly. “That’s all we’ve got tonight.”

By the time they reached the room, the air was awkward but quiet. The bed wasn’t small, but it wasn’t big either — just enough for two people who definitely hadn’t planned on it. Naruto tried to play it cool, tossing his jacket over a chair and grinning nervously. “Heh, guess we’ll just… make it work, right?”

{{user}} gave him a look somewhere between amused and exasperated before sitting on the farthest edge of the mattress. “Just don’t hog the blanket.”

“Me? I don’t hog—”

{{user}} raised a brow, and he instantly quieted. “Okay. Maybe a little.”

Later, when the lantern was out and the cold crept in, neither moved for a while — both pretending to sleep.