Annyeong!
Thank you for all the reviews, favorites and stuff :3 Truly appreciate it~
Sorry for the errors too by the way
Here's the 2nd chapter for TDDUP! I really hope you like it
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto
Chapter 2:Challenges Await
The skies were already a shade of orange as the sun set in the late afternoon, with a certain Uchiha wearing a small frown as he drove along the streets. Thankfully there wasn't any traffic to trigger any more of his annoyance. He was currently on his way to a fruit bouquet shop that Sakura usually goes to.
Work wasn't the only thing tiring him out but also the constant text or calls he receives from his pregnant wife. She's already 2 and a half months pregnant and constantly craves different things. Just a while back she requested for him to get her some chocolate coated strawberries and even specified that she wanted the ones from the store she always went to. She already had about five requests for the day and he had to bring it to her, which was also part of her requests. Even if the hospital isn't too far away from the company, it's still exhausting for the also busy Uchiha. But Sasuke knows better than to reject her requests, especially now that she's more sensitive than usual. All hell just breaks loose once she gets furious and chaos is the last thing on the Uchiha's mind.
He sighed as he arrived to the store and hoped out of his car. He rubbed the back of his neck as he entered the shop. Different varieties of fruits were displayed near the counter. Fruit bouquets in several sizes and styles were also displayed in large refrigerators with glass doors wherein you could pick which ones you preferred. But if none of them suited your taste, they're happy to have one customized to your liking. Similar to the gift Sakura once gave Sasuke which was a fruit bouquet mostly made out of tomatoes.
He even managed to finish it before the day ended.
"Welcome sir!" The girl at the counter beamed at him. Sasuke casually walked to the counter, not failing to notice the slight tint on her cheeks as he stared at her.
"Do you have chocolate coated strawberries?" He asked.
"Yes sir! How many would you like?"
"Box of ten." He answered. The girl nodded and excused herself to get his order. The dark haired male put his hands in his pockets as he waited, glancing at the fruit bouquets displayed. He heard some giggling and noticed a pair of girls gawking at him. There were other females in the shop as well whose attention was all on him as they whispered to each other. But he just ignored them as he sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He could have sworn he heard a muffled squeal from one of them as he did so. But after what seemed like forever, the girl returned with the box of strawberries he ordered.
"Here you are sir. Anything else you need?"
"I guess I can also buy a fruit bouquet for her….In case of any more fruit cravings." He thought as he pointed to one bouquet he's been eyeing. "I'll buy that as well."
"Very good choice sir. That happens to be our best seller." The girl smiled and walked off to get the fruit bouquet from the refrigerator.
"Anything else sir?" She asked and Sasuke shook his head and reached for his wallet to pay.
"You're girl friend must be very lucky receiving all of this." The girl commented.
"It's for my wife actually." Sasuke replied without looking up from his wallet, missing the girl's jaw drop.
"Y-You're married?"
Sasuke just smirked as he handed her the money. For some reason people seem to mistake him as a bachelor quite often. The girl seemed to pout in disappointment as she punched the items in the cashier. But then a thought suddenly came to Sasuke's mind.
"….Do you have some tomatoes?" He raised a brow and the girl looked up and nodded.
"I do deserve a reward for my efforts."
The Uchiha arrived at the hospital, with the fruit bouquet and box of strawberries in hand, and was currently walking to Sakura's clinic. People would once again glance at him as he passed with all his presents but he continued to ignore them, used to people's stares and was sometimes annoyed with it. Finally he arrived at her wife's clinic and stepped inside. A handful of patients who were sitting in the waiting room looked at him, well more like gawked at him. There were about 30 minutes left before Sakura's clinic hours were up. He bowed a bit to them in greeting and casually walked to the desk of Sakura's secretary; Dasori.
"Good afternoon Mr. Uchiha." She bowed. "Miss Sakura is currently seeing a patient right now. But it won't be long till she's finished."
"Hn" Sasuke replied and decided to have a seat and wait for his wife. His stare was just focused on the wall as he waited, aware of the other patients' stares still on him as they whispered to each other. But his ears were still very sensitive as he couldn't help but overhear their conversations.
"Is he Dr. Sakura's husband?"
"Well duh her surname's Uchiha after all."
"He's so handsome!"
"I heard he's the CEO of a large company."
"Yeah!...was that the NU Corporation?"
"Dr. Sakura's so lucky!"
Sasuke suppressed a smirk as he continued to wait for his wife. Sakura's patients rarely see him come to her clinic. Usually, Sasuke fetches her by driving to the front of the hospital where she would be waiting. He would usually come to her clinic only for reasons such as if there's an emergency or if she was overworking herself again.
And aside from the intention of bringing her the strawberries and fruits, it's also because of the latter reason.
Sasuke became more protective of his wife now that she was bearing a child. He even requested her to lessen her long clinic hours for her sake. But the pink haired medic refused to, claiming that her patients needed her. He knew it was pointless convincing her otherwise; therefore, he adjusted his own schedule and left work earlier than usual to be able to go to his wife's clinic and watch over her until her clinic hours were up. If he still had work to do he just brings his laptop to the clinic and finishes it there, still keeping an eye on his wife and bringing her anything she needed. If she doesn't want to stop working, he could at least stay there and make sure she doesn't exhaust herself out too much.
Who knew that the cold Uchiha could actually be such a loving husband?
"Thank you so much Dr. Uchiha."
Sasuke looked up to see a pregnant woman exiting Sakura's office. Beside him was a tall man who Sasuke assumed was her husband. Dasori bowed to them as they left the clinic and she went inside Sakura's office. Sasuke looked around and noticed that he was alone in the waiting room.
"How long was I spacing out?" The Uchiha raised a brow. But his thoughts were interrupted when Dasori returned and smiled at him.
"You may come in Mr. Uchiha."
"Hn"
Sasuke picked up all his presents and entered Sakura's office. Dasori closed the door as he entered and he quickly went to Sakura's desk to put his presents down. His wife was currently inside the restroom so he took out a tomato that he bought and proceeded to eat as he waited, leaning against the side of her desk with his other hand in his pocket. Then there was the sound of the toilet flushing and the pink haired medic walked out of the comfort room.
"Sasuke-kun!" She smiled brightly and rushed to give him a tight hug. Normally Sasuke would have frowned at close physical contacts but of course, his wife was an exception…..and sometimes his blonde best friend as well who would tackle him for the heck of it.
"Hn. How are you feeling?" Sasuke asked as she pulled away.
"How many times do I have to tell you, I'm fine." She replied, rolling her eyes at her husband's over protectiveness. But deep inside she was touched with his actions. Then her eyes suddenly caught the fruits behind him.
"Is that for me?" Sakura beamed as she stared at the fruit bouquet on her desk. She only asked for some chocolate coated strawberries from the Uchiha and; therefore, didn't expect anything extra.
"Hn. Who else would it be for?"
"Aww thank you Sasuke!" Sakura smiled again and placed a kiss on his cheek. "I'm so lucky to have you."
"I know." Sasuke smirked. Sakura just rolled her eyes again at his comment as she took the box of strawberries and untied the ribbon, excitedly picking up a piece and taking a bite of the strawberry.
"This is so good." Sakura sighed as she kept on eating at a fast pace. Sasuke raised a brow as he paused from eating his tomato and stared at his wife gobbling down the box of strawberries.
"….Are you skipping any meals?"
Sakura shook her head as she picked up what must have been the sixth piece already. "You would have barged in here to scold me if I skipped a meal."
"True." Sasuke thought as Sakura continued to focus on her strawberries.
"Can you slow down? You're gonna choke on that." Sasuke frowned, scolding her.
"Don't worry Sasuke. I'm good." She winked. Soon after she managed to immediately finish the box and drank a glass of water. She then sat back in front of her desk and picked up some papers. She only managed to glance at one of them before a hand was placed on top of her papers, getting in her way.
"Sasuke!" Sakura glared, getting irritated when her husband wouldn't pull his hand away.
"You're clinic hours are up."
"I know. But that doesn't mean my work is done."
"I don't want you to overwork yourself again." Sasuke matched her glare with his own, also getting irritated with her stubbornness.
"But Sasuk-"
"Sakura." Sasuke cut her off, his tone stern. "Just finish it tomorrow."
Sakura was silent for a moment, staring back at Sasuke's glare that now began to soften. She sighed in defeat and stood up, walking towards her window to stare out into the streets.
"Fine." She pouted, crossing her arms over her chest. Sasuke stared at her and held back a chuckle at her childish antics. He slowly walked behind her and gently wrapped his arms around her waist, placing a kiss on her temple.
"I'm just looking out for you." He muttered in her ear as he nuzzled her neck. Sakura could feel a blush creep her cheeks at his gestures. Sasuke being sweet was just her ultimate weakness.
"I know…" She muttered back and reached out a hand, cupping Sasuke's cheek from behind.
"By the way, I hope you're not forgetting about tonight." Sasuke commented before kissing the palm of her hand.
"Tonight?" Sakura raised a brow, obviously forgetting about what was planned tonight. Sasuke kept silent as she pondered what their plan was. After a few minutes, Sakura gasped and turned to face the Uchiha.
"Oh my gosh, we have to go to Naruto's! I still need to get ready!"
She untangled herself from Sasuke's arms and started to fix her things in a hurry. Sasuke walked up to her desk as she finished arranging her things and put on her shoulder bag.
"Let's go?" She smiled brightly.
"Hn." Sasuke replied and picked up the fruit bouquet, turning towards the door.
"And Sasuke?" Sakura called out. Sasuke turned back to her, raising a brow in question before she suddenly gave him a chaste kiss on the lips.
"Thank you….for taking care of me." She smiled brightly again. Sasuke gave a small smile in reply as Sakura walked ahead of him to the door, wanting to talk to Dasori before they left.
"You're here!"
Sakura chuckled as the Uzumaki patriarch tacked her with a hug. Though Sasuke responded differently and frowned at his actions.
"Be careful dobe." He scolded him.
"Don't worry teme a hug won't kill the baby." Naruto taunted as he stepped aside and let the couple in. Music was lightly playing inside the Uzumaki residence as they stepped inside and the rest of the gang looked into their direction.
"Forehead!" Ino beamed. "You guys are finally here!"
The Uchiha couple greeted the rest of their friends staying at the living room. Similar to theirs, the Uzumaki residence was also pretty huge. It had a modern design to it with their house color being dominantly white and their furniture black, including their sofa. Their living room also had a fireplace and a red carpet decorated their living room floor. There were also glass cases containing glass figurines inside that Hinata liked to collect. Thankfully, her hyperactive husband didn't manage to destroy even one of it.
Ino had numerous ideas on how the twin's welcoming party would look like, all of them being grand and extravagant. But much to her dismay, Hinata preferred a small gathering exclusive to their group. Though she said she would use her ideas for the gathering they're going have with their relatives and other acquaintances, which is next week. But for now, she preferred something simple, which the blonde organizer respected.
"Where's Hinata?" Sakura asked, noticing she wasn't in the room.
"Just dressing the kids up." Naruto replied. "She'll be down in a sec. For now, why don't you guys get some food? I'm sure you're hungry."
Naruto pointed to a long table set up at the side of the living room, containing numerous dishes to choose from. There was also a dessert table with a chocolate fountain where Tenten was happily munching away on some chocolate coated apples.
"Oh my gosh." Sakura squealed at the sight of the fountain. "You have some strawberries?"
"Of course Sakura-chan! I know you love strawberries!"
Sakura was about to run off to the fountain when Sasuke placed a hand on her shoulder, stopping her.
"You should eat some dinner first before you go to your strawberries." He told her. "Sit down and I'll get you some food."
Sakura pouted again but knew better than to go against her husband. She sat down on the couch beside Ino and crossed her arms over her chest.
"Uchiha being very protective I see?" Neji smirked.
"Ever since Sakura became pregnant, it seems like the stick in teme's ass went in even further." Naruto frowned.
"You know I can hear you right?" Sasuke commented as he was putting some food on a plate.
"Well its better that you hear it!" Naruto snapped back. "I can't even give Sakura-chan a hug."
"Come on Naruto, you should be the first person here to know how Sasuke feels." Ino smiled as she sipped some wine. "Don't you remember how concerned and protective you were when Hinata was pregnant?"
"But I wasn't as overreacting as teme."
"Tch. You tackled Neji when he was just touching Hinata's belly to feel the baby kicking." Shikamaru spoke as he lay on the other couch with his hands behind his head.
"Well…that was more of jealousy…" Naruto muttered but was loud enough for them to hear. Neji was about to respond when they heard footsteps coming from the stairs.
"Good evening everyone" Hinata smiled as she went down the staircase with the fraternal twins in her arms. Almost instantly, the girls were gathered around her to see the two bundles of joy.
"They're so cute." Tenten smiled as the twins were peacefully sleeping in their mother's arms.
"So this is Boruto right?" Ino asked as she pointed to the baby with blonde hair.
"Yes." Hinata replied. "And this is our little princess, Himawari." She added, pertaining to the one whose hair color was similar to Hinata's lavender colored ones. The twins seemed to be a copy of the couple themselves. Though both of them had the whisker like marks on their cheeks similar to the ones Naruto has.
"Now ladies, don't suffocate the babies and let Hinata sit down." Neji smirked. The girls followed and all of them took their seats in the living room, each couple sitting beside each other, including Sasuke who had finished getting Sakura's food and handed the plate to the pinkette.
"Urgh…why are there so many vegetables." Sakura complained, poking at them with her fork.
"Just eat. You need those." Sasuke replied sternly, crossing his arms over his chest. Sakura just sighed in defeat and started to eat her food.
"Yeah Sakura, no dessert unless you finish your vegetables!" Ino taunted, like a parent scolding her child. Sakura just glared hard at her best friend.
"Hey Hinata, let me help you." Naruto told his wife as he gently took Himawari from her, knowing how difficult it is to carry the two babies at the same time.
"So how's parenthood going?" Tenten asked curiously. Since they are the first among them to have children, they were all ears.
"So far so good." Naruto replied. "Though mostly it's Hinata who stays home to watch over them."
"But how about work Hinata?" Ino asked this time.
"I can manage it here at home." The Uzumaki matriarch replied. "Though in case of emergencies, my parents would gladly watch over the twins for us since we're still looking for a nanny."
"Isn't it difficult to have twins?" Sasuke suddenly asked as well, earning the group's attention.
"Getting ready for parenthood as well Uchiha?" Shikamaru smirked, his eyes closed but was still listening to the group's conversation.
"Oh that's right! Sakura-chan is pregnant after all." Naruto grinned.
"Can I just have an answer please." Sasuke frowned, feeling embarrassed from the fuss his question was causing even if they were right about his intention.
"Well thankfully it's not that tiring since Himawari doesn't cry that much. It's mostly Boruto."
"Yeah this kid just cries non stop sometimes! I don't even know what he wants." Naruto frowned.
"So we usually take turns on who handles which baby." Hinata added.
"Do you think you'll have twins too Sakura?" Ino smiled, making the pinkette blush in response.
"Well...twin or not it's fine." She replied, putting a piece of broccoli in her mouth.
"I think they'll have a daughter." Tenten remarked, giving a small smile to the couple.
"What makes you so sure?" Ino raised a brow.
"Just a gut feeling." Tenten giggled.
"Tch. I bet Sasuke wants a son though. Right Sasuke?" Ino grinned at the Uchiha who didn't reply.
"Well whatever gender it is, we can match them up teme!" Naruto grinned. "If it does happen to be a girl, Boruto's here for her."
"That seems quite a powerhouse if the heirs of the Uzumaki and Uchiha clans do end up together." Neji commented. "It's a force to reckon with in the business world."
"Hold up. If we're talking about a business powerhouse here then there's no other person for Sasuke's daughter than the Nara heir." Shikamaru butt in, lazily opening his eyes.
"Hey! Stop stealing my son's future girl friend you lazy ass!" Naruto retaliated, thankfully not waking up the children with his yelling.
"My child's not even born yet and they're talking about marriage." Sasuke thought to himself, frowning at the idea.
"Let's not jump to conclusions since he or she isn't born yet." Sasuke told them. "Besides, I don't want my child to be part of a business deal."
"Well it's not all about the business Sasuke." Hinata spoke up. "I think it would be nice if any of our children did end up together and we could be in laws."
"In laws with the dobe?" Neji snickered. "Good luck Uchiha."
"Be thankful you're Hinata chan's cousin." Naruto glared at the male Hyuuga.
"Oh please. You know you're no match for me." Neji smirked, causing the blonde to feel more enraged. The two continued to bicker as Sakura took Himawari from his loudmouthed father's arms, not wanting her to be part of their childishness.
"Why don't you eat some dinner Hinata." Sakura told her.
"Can I hold Boruto for a while?" Tenten reached out, excited to have the baby in her arms as well. Hinata nodded and handed her the Uzumaki heir before going to get some food. The girls have decided to group together again, leaving the boys to settle their disagreements; Particularly the Uzumaki and Hyuuga.
A full moon lit up the skies as a gentle breeze blew in the evening air, setting off a peaceful ambiance in the balcony of the Uzumaki residence where the males were grouped together. Thankfully the quarrel between the Uzumaki and Hyuuga was over and the boys decided to have their own alone time while the girls were in their own little world with the twins back in the living room. They chatted casually as they sat in a circle and sipped some wine Naruto has taken out for them.
"It seems you've been quite stressed lately Uchiha." Hyuuga commented, sitting on his chair and twirling the wine in his glass. "Having some trouble in the business?"
Sasuke shook his head as he seemed to observe his own wine, its color looking brighter under the moonlight. "No. Business is doing better as expected."
"What is it then? The dobe perhaps?"
"Hey this time it's not me." Naruto frowned, putting some more wine in his glass.
"Let me guess….Sakura?" Shikamaru raised a brow. Sasuke sighed in response, signaling that Shikamaru was right.
"Why? You two fought teme?" Naruto asked, leaning closer to his best friend. Sasuke was silent for a moment, thinking if he should tell them. He knew he could trust them. And besides, who else would be there to help him other than his best friends for as long as he could remember.
"Just some concerns…with her mood swings." Sasuke frowned. "It's just making me…confused."
"Oh….Well who better to help you than the dobe." Neji replied. "I mean, he's the only one here that's been through that husband-of –a-pregnant-wife phase, Right Naruto?"
"Sure I'll help you teme."Naruto gave a small smile. "And I know what you mean. Handling their mood swings can be very exhausting. Even for a hyperactive one like me."
"Her demands...are just quite new to me. I don't know… It's quite hard to juggle everything. She isn't usually like that…"
"Well things are a bit different now Sasuke. It's not easily to have a baby growing inside you, you know." Naruto replied. "Hinata and I had our own fights back then. Especially when I wasn't able to give her what she wants. I admit there were times I almost shouted at her….Sorry Neji…"
"No it's ok. It's between you two as a married couple." Neji replied, motioning for Naruto to continue.
"But instead of making everything worse….I just decided to understand her. You know, being patient. Very very patient."
"That must have been difficult to handle for nine months." Shikamaru commented. Hinata was rarely upset but they all knew how terrifying she was once something managed to tick her off.
"Well…I didn't think of it as a task. It's something I had to do as her husband, being there for her. I know she needed me more than ever when she was pregnant. So whenever she was sad or upset, I did everything I could to cheer her up. Aside from not wanting to see her sad, it's the least I can do for her."
Sasuke contemplated on Naruto's words for a moment, slowly nodding as he took everything in.
"Just make her feel special. Make her remember that you'll always be there for her, whatever happens…"
"…Hn." Sasuke replied, acknowledging his friend's advice, which was actually a rare occurrence.
"Yeah Sasuke. You've been through a lot of her tantrums before. This shouldn't be something new to you." Neji added.
"Must be mixed with the stress from work." Shikamaru commented. " Even though business is going well, it's still troublesome running it."
"Well just remember what I said teme. I'm sure you two will get through this easily." Naruto winked. Sasuke just smirked in response and was about to tease him when the sliding door opened, revealing the Uchiha matriarch.
"Something wrong Sakura?" Sasuke raised a brow, feeling a bit alarmed since his wife looked pretty pale.
"Just a bit sleepy Sasuke-kun." She replied, covering her mouth from a yawn. Her husband clearly saw how tired she was and stood up, drinking down his glass of wine.
"We better get home. Sakura's been working all day and she needs her rest."
"Sure teme! It's getting pretty late actually." Naruto replied, standing up as well.
"Sakura isn't the only one who needs to rest Uchiha. You better charge up for tomorrow's business meeting as well." Shikamaru advised with a smirk on his features.
"Guess you've been charging the whole day." Sasuke smirked back.
"Nah. I was just conserving energy." Shikamaru smirked back. The group went down to the living room and the Uchiha couple thanked the Uzumakis for the dinner. It's not frequent that they have these reunions so it's pretty hard to say goodbye when you all still have a ton to talk about. But they know they'll still have more chances to bond in the future. After the much needed goodbyes, Sasuke and Sakura hoped in their car and drove off. It was already pretty late so there were almost no cars on the road, much to Sasuke's pleasure. He glanced at the passenger seat as Sakura yawned again and rubbed her eyes.
"You get some rest." Sasuke told her, reaching out and putting his hand on hers, his protectiveness once again showing.
"Maybe later." Sakura replied, her thumb caressing Sasuke's hand.
"But Saku-"
"SASUKE IT'S MCDONALDS!"
Sasuke jumped a bit in surprise and raised a brow at his wife. She was pointing at the fast food joint a few blocks away with a large grin on her face.
"What about it?"
"Can we have a drive thru? Please? I just want some fries." She clasped Sasuke's hand tightly and gave him a puppy dog look.
"Sakura you just ate." Sasuke gave off a small frown.
"But I really want some fries. Please? Just a regular one. Just this once." She begged even more. Sasuke was silent for a moment, pondering on whether he should consider allowing her. Soon Sasuke sighed and focused on the road once again.
"…Fine."
"Yay! Thank you Sasuke-kuuun!" Sakura smiled brightly. Sasuke turned towards the drive thru but suddenly paused in the middle of the drive way.
"Hm? What's wrong Sasuk-"
Much to Sakura's surprise, his lips were on hers. He put an arm around her waist and pulled her a bit closer to him, deepening the kiss. For some reason, it's only now that the words Naruto told Sasuke fully sank in. He's right; he should support her and tell her how much he loved her. And being an Uchiha, his actions always spoke louder than words. After a few moments, Sakura recovered from her shock and put her arms around his neck, returning the kiss. After a few moments of intense kissing, they pulled apart, their faces still inches from each other.
"What was that for?" Sakura asked curiously and Sasuke raised a brow at her.
"Do I need a reason to kiss my wife?" He asked. Sakura just giggled in response and playfully hit his arm.
"Just buy my fries already."
"Hn." Sasuke smirked back and put his hands back on the wheel. "Demanding."
Super duper sorry I took so long. Lot of school work happening especially since our Thesis defense is coming up .
Hope you like this chapter! I'll do my best to create even greater ones in the future 3
See you guys soon!