So, this is a collab of sorts. Kia-B and I agreed on a prompt and then wrote a Yin-Yang version of it. I am obviously the yang in this, so buckle up, kids. Be sure to check out Kia-B's version! Enjoy x2!
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Prompt: Sasuke and Hinata are really good friends who talk about what their kids will call each other when they grow up, but then have a crisis when they end up sleeping together and Hinata gets pregnant.
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She breathed in slowly, deliberately, nervous yet impatient. "Is this...?"
He didn't finish it, didn't urge her to try. Instead, he smoothed hair away from her face and tried to ignore the slight trembling of his fingers. He attempted to respond with his usual 'Un'—something that had grown to give both of them so much courage and assurance over the years—but the sound was breathy, anxious. He wondered if it rattled her as much as it had rattled him.
She didn't say anything more—didn't know how or what. She stayed in position, hands gripping his shoulders with indecisive pressure. Pale eyes searched through dark ones, wondering if she was seeing the right answers.
This is okay.
This is okay.
I trust you.
He swallowed discreetly, using the surge of confidence he feared was short lived. "If you want to stop," he smirked, feeling a bit cheesy, "just say 'Uncle'."
She laughed, short but relaxed. "Sasuke," she said, using her lightened mood, "do you know what we're about to do?"
He tried to smile, but he didn't want to think too deeply about it. "Yeah."
"Are you... Will..." Her hands loosened, sliding to his chest then retracting completely. "This is going to change things, isn't it?"
"No." He took one of her hands; she intertwined their fingers herself. "Nothing will change."
She smiled, wanting to be comforted by those words. Her eyes met his again; she began to lean, her voice a little more assured. "Promise?"
"Yeah." He paused, leaning as well. "Promise."
And they kissed—really kissed—for the first time.
"Awww, there he is!"
"It's the birthday boy!"
Sasuke looked up just in time to see yet another round of party guests coming to greet him, allowing the hugs and slaps to the back.
Turning twenty-two hadn't felt all that different from turning seventeen, which hadn't felt too different from turning thirteen, if he had to be honest. No, what always seemed to change was the amount of guests who attended his parties.
This year was a generous turnout, he realized.
After he had received the ritual greetings, he was left in his adequately sized kitchen area. He looked around his apartment, taking in all the lively bodies of his peers and friends (and some people he was sure he didn't know) before looking back down at his phone. He stared for a moment, feeling like he wasn't the type to send a third text after not being answered, but quickly typed in his message.
'Are you avoiding me?'
He pressed 'Send' and pocketed his phone, walking to where most of his guests were gathered. Music blared and people jovially interacted and danced. An animated Lee had a small group of people gathered by the punch bowl, seemingly in awe by whatever he was saying with the occasional burst of (slightly impressive) dance moves. Sakura and Temari were near the gift table either fully enjoying or fully loathing a heated conversation. Ino and Tenten were in the middle of the room, dancing and catching the attention of those near by. Sasuke tried to locate other familiar faces (the males he knew concealed themselves well), but there were too many people, and they were all moving too much for him to focus. He made his way to his sofa—maneuvering really—and sat down, a bit exhausted.
"Hey!" Naruto plopped down next to him, leaning close and shouting slightly to be heard. "Weird to see you invited so many people!"
"I didn't."
"What?!" Naruto leaned closer, turning his ear towards him.
"I didn't," Sasuke repeated loud enough for Naruto to cringe.
"Well, it's cool either way! Where's Hinata?!"
"She's—coming."
"Huh?!" Naruto leaned close again. "I can't-"
The blond's name was called. He looked around, yelling something at Sasuke he hadn't heard, and got up to go to whatever source. Sasuke stayed put for a few short seconds before getting up himself and heading towards his bedroom. He walked down the hall and locked the door behind him, muffling the noise. It was dark, save for a bright red lava lamp he didn't remember turning on.
Hinata had given him that for his sixteenth birthday...
He pulled out his phone, seeing he had no new messages, but checked to see if his last message had sent, even though he knew it had.
It had been like this for two days.
Hinata wasn't answering any of his texts or phone calls, and she hadn't been at her apartment the one time he went to check on her.
The pit of his stomach twisted, telling him he knew exactly why this was happening. But that wasn't possible. Hinata wasn't the type to let her emotions fester for two months—he especially would have noticed—and they had been acting normally up until a few days ago. Something else must be wrong...
Of course something had to be wrong.
It was his birthday, and he hadn't heard a word from her?
She wouldn't forget today.
Sasuke grabbed his car keys off his dresser and swiftly left his room, gliding past all the party goers, and left his apartment with the vague hope no one would come out and ask him where he was going, if anyone noticed it was him who left.
The thirty minute drive to Hinata's apartment complex had been a stressful one. He hoped his phone would alert him to an incoming call or text and she would be beside herself with apologies and lengthy explanations as to why it took her so long to reply. He hoped the weird feeling in his stomach would just go away because things weren't as bad as he was making them out to be.
Hinata was probably...
She was probably tired. She must have been working too hard—maybe overtime at her job or she had taken on one too many people to tutor—and she was exhausted. She had probably gotten a break today and lost track of time and was still sound asleep in her bed.
Or-
"...just say Uncle."
Sasuke parked his car and got out, making his way to Hinata's floor. When he reached her door, he knocked, controlling the force behind it, and waited. He didn't hear any movement from within, but he knocked again after a while. When he still heard no movement, he didn't know what to think. Perhaps she wasn't home. Perhaps she left shortly before he got here; he hadn't searched for her car before coming up. He pulled out his phone again.
Nothing.
He raked a hand through his hair, sighing heavily, and debated on what to do next. He took out his keys and was a bit relieved he still had a spare key to her apartment, but did he really want to use it? Yes, he used it often, but that was only after he told her he'd be coming over and she gave him the okay. It was the same with her and the spare key she had to his place. There were emergency situations when that rule didn't apply, but the only emergency he currently felt was irrational.
Still...
Groaning, he let himself into her apartment. The deadbolt wasn't set in place, so the likelihood that she wasn't home seemed more plausible.
"Hinata," he called just in case. "It's me."
He listened, not hearing anything. Despite this, he closed the door behind him to tune out the outside noise. He still didn't hear anything, but he walked down the hall to her bedroom, feeling strongly urged. Her bedroom door was closed, which he thought was odd if she wasn't home, so he knocked.
"Hinata?"
There was a startled sound. "Nn-Nn- Sasuke?"
He hesitated, thrown off by her hoarse voice. "I'm coming in."
When he opened the door, paper was scattered around the dark room. Some were balled and crumpled while others were in various stages of being folded—or unfolded. Hinata was sitting in bed, her blankets and sheets scattered, and her hair was a mess. Frowning, he flicked on the lights to find she looked more disheveled than she appeared. She was in night clothes and her face was shiny and flushed, her eyes red and puffy.
He blinked a few times, eyes sweeping the room once more before settling on her. "What's going on?"
"I..." She wiped her face, looking like she would have a breakdown. "I didn't reply to your texts."
He didn't know what to do with that information. He wasn't completely sure he wanted to approach it anymore. To distract himself, he picked up the nearest piece of paper and looked it over. Stumped, he scanned the papers on the floor and realized they were all notes they had passed when they were in middle school and parts of high school. He glanced at Hinata, who wasn't looking at him, shaking.
Things between them hadn't changed much since they met in elementary school, so there could only be one reason why she was like this and why these notes were strewn about the room.
But...he thought things were okay with them.
It happened two months ago, and things just... It just felt natural crossing that line with her—crossing that line together. He had never planned for their friendship to get physical, but... He had hoped against hope neither of them would regret it.
He didn't regret it.
She...obviously did.
They never talked about it. Things were almost normal the next morning, so he didn't think they needed to talk about it. Or maybe he had just been afraid...
He didn't want things between them to change.
He sighed, the hand holding the note dropping. The feeling in his stomach was back again, and there would be no amount of rationalization to make it go away this time.
"I..." Hinata began, voice wavering. "We always said...we would be 'Auntie' and 'Uncle' some day. My... My kids were supposed to call you 'Un-Uncle Sasuke' s-some day." She laughed, a short sob escaping her. "A-and I was going to be Auntie to y-yours."
Sasuke took a step forward. "They can still-"
"I-I don't know what it's supposed to call you now, though!"
Sasuke halted, grimacing at what he thought was the end of their friendship, but then her words sunk in. His brows furrowed, clouded eyes looking at her for answers. "What are you talking about?"
Hinata was hysteric, not realizing Sasuke was lost. "I-it can't call you Uncle, can it?! But that's what we've always said! We ALWAYS said that, b-but now I d-d-don't know-"
"Hold on." Sasuke sat next to her. "Are you...you...?"
She didn't finish it; she didn't urge him to try. Instead, Hinata drew her legs up, wrapping her arms around her stomach, and bowed her head, still shaking. "I...I really needed to see you, Sasuke," she said, voice small and broken. "I really...w-wanted to tell you, but..." She broke down. "Y-You're my best friend, but I was s-s-so scared to face you!"
"Don't-" He cut himself off, throat tightening. He didn't want her to say that. For as long as they've known each other, she should know better than to think she couldn't go to him for anything.
And to be scared?
Of him?
Hadn't they been friends long enough for her to know he was the last person she should be afraid of?
But she had thought that... She avoided him because of it...
And the reason why she was scared of him was because...they were going to be...
"Auntie."
"Uncle."
They were supposed to be...
"Auntie Hinata."
"Uncle Sasuke."
But...but because-
"...just say 'Uncle'."
Sasuke exhaled shakily, his heart pounding, and he doubled over, his breathing shallow. He blinked multiple times, trying clear his blurred vision, but his head was hammering, spinning, making him disoriented.
He hadn't expected this to happen. They used protection—they thought it was okay—it felt so natural...
Sasuke sat up, his body numb, and turned to Hinata, who was crying harder. He cursed himself, forcing a hand through his hair, and pulled Hinata into a hug he hoped felt reassuring. She hugged him back, squeezing, sobbing, apologizing.
It hurt.
All the swirling emotions hurt, but he wasn't quite sure what aspect about all of this had them so nervous—so worried—so terrified.
"It..." He sighed, pressing his lips against the top of her head. "It's fine."
"Y-You're my be-best friend, Sasuke. I-I don't want to lose you."
"You won't," he said definitively. "You won't."
"But we said-"
"Things..." he murmured, feeling devastated for reasons unknown or impractical. "Things changed."
Hinata cried harder. Sasuke held her tighter.
It was more than just the title change, they knew that, but it signified so much in their friendship—so much in who they were.
Maybe they were scared this was the end of what they had built together.
Maybe they were scared the other didn't want to be anything more.
Maybe they were scared of taking it one day at a time from now on—of starting over.
Whatever the case, the only certainty was they would no longer be 'Auntie' and 'Uncle'.
Instead, they'd have to warm up to 'Mom' and 'Dad'.
Thank you for reading!
