Minato had always been a player. Ever since he had been in the academy he had never had less than two 'girlfriends' at a time. As a genin he had never brought a lunch from home because all of the girls made him lunch. And they all did what he told them to do! Even in his twenties, he always had at least one lady on each arm.
It was his natural charm, Jiraiya told him. Minato could have any girl he wanted. He would never 'settle down' because he could have it all. He would never have kids because it would get in the way of having it all. And it was true until he met her. Until he met the most beautiful and exotic girl he had ever seen.
Minato met Kushina Uzumaki through the foreign exchange program. She was tall, leggy, tan and a red head. He had to have her. It took a while, but he finally managed to convince her to go on a date. The date should have sealed it, should have made her HIS, but then Wednesday and Thursday, with their flat chests and small hips, had walked up and asked who the new Sunday was and put their thin hands all over him. Kushina had just laughed, said there was somewhere she needed to be, left, and never called him back. She had rejected him.
Nobody rejected Minato. NOBODY.
His obsession became obvious even to himself when he dumped all his girlfriends. He just couldn't believe he was doing this. But he had something to prove. He had to prove he was important.
"Minato, I like you," she had said. "But I don't like you enough to be number seven. You're not important enough for me to share. I think I'm good enough to be the only one and I'm willing to wait for someone who agrees."
Things were going well between them until she rejected him again on their fifth date for bringing another date.
"Fine," Minato thought to himself, "I'll just go back the way it was before." And he did- until he saw Kushina dating other guys. Then he realized that he maybe, kind of, just a little wanted her all for himself. And possibly, improbably he wanted her to want him all for herself too. He still didn't want kids, though.
Things had been going well between them for five and a half monogamous years until she rejected him when he came home from work. Suddenly, there was another man in their bed- a very short man, younger than Minato, with short hair who wore too much blue. His head was in the valley of Kushina's soft breasts, the same place he often put his head after a hard day. Kushina appeared to be sleeping, with one hand on the boy's back and the other resting on his butt, hardly troubled by the weight on her chest.
Minato stared. Even he had to admit they looked good together.
"Kushina, who is that?"
"Shhhhhhh… he's sleeping. The letter's on the table."
The letter on the table said his name was Neji Hyuuga, the infant son of a friend who had been sick in the hospital for some time and had just recently passed away. The father needed some time to get things set up at home and had asked her to take care of Neji for him.
Suddenly, kids were everywhere in Konoha. Getting popsicles, falling in the street, playing tag, trying to spy on him without being seen, practicing ninjutsu, eating at Ichiraku's and bumping in to him on the way home. And then when he went home there was Neji eating in his kitchen, sleeping with his longtime girlfriend, taking up her time, crying all the time and looking adorable. And then Kushina made Minato hold Neji, and Minato was done for. He began to think that it wasn't unthinkable that he wouldn't hate having kids with Kushina.
And then Neji was gone, whisked away to the Hyuuga compound by his many aunts and father. He was not there taking up Kushina's time, making her look flushed and maternal and in need of a nap. He was not there being bottle fed in the kitchen or sleeping in their bed or waking them up at ungodly hours of the night. He was out of their house and their lives. But there were still kids all over Konoha. All. Over. So he popped the question.
"I suppose you'll want one of your own now, huh?"
Kushina looked at him like he had grown two heads. Then she appeared to give it some thought.
"Actually…," he could feel the tattoo of his heart against his ribs pick up its tempo in anticipation. "No. I don't want one right now."
To say he was put out was putting it lightly. She had been such a natural and had been so good with Neji and he had just assumed that she would want that. It must have shown on his face because she smiled awkwardly up at him.
Then she said, "but nine months from now would be fine," and he knew she had been screwing with him.
His elation surprised even him when he picked her up and spun her around the living room, kissing her and laughing all the way to the bedroom.