Fatherhood

Boruto was only five months so far, and in those five months, he'd never been so awwed at his husband.

Naruto was an odd man. And he had somehow become even odder when around his son. Sasuke yawned in comfort as he opened his eyes.

He could hear mock yelling and groaned softly. The loud child and father were awake. The man sighed and stood.

When he left the room, Gaara came out of the room with a yawn as well. He and Sasuke stared at one another silently through the noise.

Eventually, Gaara smiled at Boruto's absurd scream. "They're up, aniki."

Sasuke smirked and flicked the fourteen year old's forehead. "I know."

When they reached the bottom of the stairs, Sasuke sighed at the tension. Naruto was in the kitchen, cooking. Little Boruto was strapped to his chest, yelling loudly and hitting anything Naruto deemed good for him.

The blond strutted to the cabinet's, a hard glare on his face. "I don't understand why you keep hittin-"

"Abbbaba!" Boruto jabbed. He tried turning his heavy head, his lips puckering.

Naruto did not notice as he reached into the cabinet and grabbed the rice cereal. "Some mush of this would be good for you, eh, Rut?"

Boruto yelled gibberish once more and hit the rice from his hands. It poured all over the floor.

The blond growled and unstrapped his son, holding him in the air. "Why the hell you'd go and do that for?"

Boruto made a funny notion as if he were trying to stick his tiny tongue out. As if he knew what angered his father.

Naruto pouted in anger and looked away. Boruto kicked his legs out. "No. I'm not looking at you."

It was only when Boruto whimpered in some sort of pain that the man looked back. "What?" He hissed softly.

More whimpers from his son and Sasuke and Gaara nearly laughed when Naruto melted. "I can't say no to that face."

Boruto giggled loudly and boisterously, puckering his lips for a kiss. Naruto brought the infant close and kissed him quickly. "Daddy loves you, even if you are annoying."

The two laughed together and Sasuke stepped in. "I should have known you two would be causing a ruckus this early."

Boruto's eyes lifted to where his 'mother' stood and he squealed, making grabby hands at the one armed Namikaze. Sasuke smiled softly and Naruto sighed in exasperation. But it had been hidden in mild adoration.

The kind he only had when Boruto wanted to be near Sasuke; to feel the beat of his heart. Just five months Boruto had been here and in those five months, he'd never been so happy.

Naruto walked very closely to Sasuke as their family walked to the hokage tower. The raven held Boruto close to his chest as he walked and the child had no problem with it.

In fact, the boisterous baby lay quiet, his eyes open, listening to the thumps of Sasuke's heart.

Naruto watched as Sasuke waved politely to everyone and wished him and Boruto well.

The blond smiled. "You're so beautiful."

At his words, Boruto's head shot up and he stared excitedly at Sasuke's chest, shocked and surprised. Naruto believed it was the first time Boruto had ever felt a heart skip a beat.

He placed his hands on Sasuke's chest and opened his mouth, ready to ask in a language no one understood.

"Aaabaabababa."

Boruto was loud as he pat Sasuke's chest and stared at him.

The man shrugged. "It's not me. Your father keeps saying silly things. Say 'tou-san, what's wrong with you? Making kaa-san blush in public like this?'"

As if he understood, Boruto pushed his little butt up on Sasuke's arm to see over his shoulder. He smiled as he spotted Naruto.

"Want to feel it again?" the hokage asked.

Boruto simply put his ear and cheek back to Sasuke's chest and Naruto began.

"You're butt looks great in those jeans, Sas."

Sasuke blushed and Boruto squealed loudly.

"I want the world to see how wonderful you are, teme. You make me smile and you make me weak."

More squeals and eventually Sasuke let out a deep laugh. "Okay."

Boruto lifted his heavy head once again. He smiled toothless at Sasuke and placed a hand on his chest.

NSNS

Sasuke lay across the bed on his stomach, writing swiftly. It was Gaara's jounin nomination that would be held in less than a year. If one was under 17 and attempting to be a jounin, they were required to be nominated by five jounin themselves.

Boruto lay next to him on his stomach too. Staring at Naruto, who sat on the floor, as he sewed his brother's new clothes.

Gaara lay asleep in the chair after their long day of training. Naruto kept it in Gaara's mind that since he wanted to be a jounin, he'd work him like a summon.

Boruto whimpered a little, making his parents stop in their motion. When they looked however, Boruto had already stopped whimpering. He was now mindlessly drooling.

Sasuke stared for a moment longer, his brow raised, until he continued his work.

They worked quietly for a moment. A whimpering sound escaped Boruto again.

Sasuke put his pen down and looked over. "Wha-"

Before he smiled any further, Boruto pouted to hide his smile.

Sasuke laughed. "You faker."

Finally, Boruto began to giggle.

"You know you're a faker."

Sasuke couldn't be described as a mother, a father, or anything else. But his love was that of a mother's.

His love for Boruto was the ordinary kind. It is no more than any mother Naruto knew and respected. It was the kind of love that would move heaven and earth for his child if he had the power. It was the kind of love that said "I would give my life for my child any time, any place." That didn't make Sasuke unusual, he was only normal. It was the kind of love that would take on anyone, anyplace, anytime if they threatened the well being of Boruto. That was an ordinary love, the kind everyone had inside.

"I see that you've taken favor to Sasuke." Naruto pouted in anger. "Well fine. Because I raised a kid before you and I like him….very very much. Hmph."

Boruto stared at Naruto. "Don't look at me." He muttered. Boruto continued to stare.

"Fine, god dammit. I like you again."

"Ababa!"

"Who the hell do you think you're talking to!"

Boruto screamed even louder and Naruto stood mesmerize that a child could have so much power in his voice. It was just like his name. A lightning bolt, fueled like a creature, ready to escape vicious bonds.

The blond crossed his arms. "Fine. You win."

Gaara sat down. "He wins all the time."

"Don't listen to your uncle."

"So what are we doing today?" Naruto questioned.

Sasuke handed Boruto to Gaara and walked over to the stove. "No no no. Gaara and I are going to find him another sword and train. There's no we about it. You're watching Boruto today. What you do is up to you."

Naruto faltered slightly. "Wha?"

In these five months, Naruto had needed guidance. He'd never been completely alone with Boruto. And if he were, Sasuke was upstairs or in the next room. But Sasuke and Gaara was heading to Iron country. At first, Naruto wasn't ready for fatherhood because he was afraid, but then he was okay with that.

The problem was new now. He didn't want Boruto not to like him. Once they were alone, Boruto's eyes couldn't roam to Gaara, Neko, Itachi, Sasuke, and other people. They would be on Naruto judging him more than anything.

Sasuke sighed in a soft pity, knowing Naruto's frustration. "I promise you'll be alright. He'll love you, Naruto. I'm doing this for your own good. Gaara, get dressed, sweetheart."

Gaara stood with a smile and placed Boruto in his high chair. "Alright, aniki."

Naruto remained where he'd been, staring at the ground lost in thought.

Sasuke turned to the stove, stirring the rice. "Sometimes you're at work and I accidentally call Boruto by your name. He acts just like you and I think once you see that, you won't be afraid to love him."

"I'm not afraid to love him."

"You are." Sasuke murmured. "I know you. You like things that are concrete, like the ocean. You could point to it and know that it's there. And I think that's why you struggle with loving Boruto. Someone who looks like your father, who looks like Deidara. You can't touch Boruto without thinking about the massacre or what happened in your life. It's not the ocean. It doesn't give you reassurance that it won't change."

Naruto put his head down in shame. It was true. He couldn't love Boruto. Not in the way he loved his family. Not the way he loved Gaara. Not again. He wouldn't make the same mistake.

Deep in his mind, Naruto knew he was still the six, clinging to the red head child who'd lost his family the same day Naruto lost his. In his mind, he still believed Gaara was the last living of his true blood.

"I'm sorry." He said hoarsely.

Sasuke smiled in pity, his eyes watering. "Goddammit. Stop saying that." he whispered. "The world knows it isn't your fault."

"I wish I was stronger." Naruto murmured.

It was risky to love Boruto. Very risky. For someone in his shoes, to love anything that much was dangerous, especially if it was his children he had settled on to love. The best thing for him was to love just a little. So that when they broke the child, or shoved it into hell, Naruto would have a little love left over for the next one.

When he died, he hoped he didn't die hard. He hoped he could die soft as a cream. Because being alive was the hard part.

"After today, you will be. I promise you will."

Sasuke kissed Boruto all over his face. "I love you. I'll see you tomorrow. I love you. Yes I do."

Naruto smiled as the man came over to him. Sasuke smirked. "You better not grab me."

Naruto surrendered, putting his hands up. "I won't."

When the raven leaned in however, Naruto grabbed his waist and kissed his rapidly. Sasuke laughed and pushed him away. He was blushing and he fixed his clothing. "Dobe."

"Teme." Naruto whispered.

Sasuke laughed. "I love you."

"I love you too."

Gaara rolled his eyes. "You guys see each other everyday. Come on."

Sasuke handed Boruto to Naruto and turned toward Gaara, flicking his forehead. "Alright."

Naruto waved. "Love you, Gaara. Make sure you think about your bloodlines when choose. And Good luck."

Gaara smiled. "I will, Aniki. Bye."

When Gaara ran out the door, Sasuke waved once more. "Good luck, Naruto. I know you can do this."

With that he was gone. Naruto felt alone all of a sudden. And he knew soon, Boruto would feel that too.

Naruto breathed deeply, and clutched Boruto tighter to him. "It's alright, Naruto. It's alright to be scared. That means I'm about to do something really really brave."

"Ba babab ba baaaa."

He turned to Boruto. "Let's uh.. Let's get you cleaned up and we'll find something else to do, alright?"

Naruto had no idea why he cleaned up himself and Boruto. In less then ten minutes of washing, the man had found an old stone sun and was now desperate to show Boruto the beautiful colors of the world.

So they sat upon the living room floor, Boruto rested in Naruto's lap, a loose mask over his mouth and nose.

The mask prevented Boruto from smelling the paint fumes as well as attempting to eat the paint.

Naruto grabbed a can and brush. "This is yellow. A very bright color. You can see it in flowers, the sun, and even fruits."

Carefully, he guided his son's tiny arms and let his hands stroke the sun stone. "The sun is usually bright orange-yellow, but you can paint this one any color you want."

Naruto blinked deeply, thinking about his temporary blindness. "Boruto?"

The baby looked back at him, squealing and giggling at all the colors.

"Did you know that daddy could feel colors once?"

He placed a bit of paint on Boruto's soft finger, and let those fingers roam he sun. The lines poking from the circle.

"When you know it's the sun, you know that the color is yellow. Daddy was very very sad when he couldn't see. He had something important to do and he wouldn't do it. But guessed who helped him?"

"Aabb. ooooo."

"That's right. Mommy did. He helped daddy see colors and he helped daddy see again. But that's another story."

Boruto continued to copy Naruto in painting the sun. Naruto believed he was doing well. If Boruto's constant squeals of delight, and grabby hands were anything to go by. When they were finished, that sun stone had become something magnificent. It was mixed with reds and blues and pinks and browns and oranges and all kinds of colors.

Boruto and Naruto, in their hour of fun, had been splattered with paint. And Naruto felt so happy that he couldn't tell whether the sun was the masterpiece or he and Boruto.

The blond licked his thumb and wiped some paint from Boruto's brow. "We have more paint. What could we possibly do with it?"

The two sat there in deep thought. When Boruto kicked his feet out, the blond smiled brightly. "You genius."

The Namikaze mansion had ten rooms, four bathrooms, and three studies. Pein, Deidara, Gaara, and Nagato had their own rooms. Naruto and Sasuke had turned Kushina and Minato's room into their. Boruto's nursery was Naruto's old room.

That left four rooms. Naruto already had it in his mind that one of the rooms would become some sort of memory room. It would be full of pictures of the family.

"Say, Boruto. You haven't taken your first steps yet."

Naruto chose a room on the first floor. It was completely blank and the blond was happy to change that. With a smile, the blond dipped both his and Boruto's feet in the paint. He stood Boruto up with his hands and the two began walking all over the floor.

When their feet finally dried, Naruto picked up his son, watching in delight as the child giggled over the blue footprints on the floor, ranging from big and small.

The blond smiled. "We have to remember this." With care, he sat the child by the wall, knowing he was too tired to go anywhere. "Now stay there, Bolt. I'm going to write a message." Naruto grabbed a large brush and dipped it into the paint.

He kneeled by the first steps before the path and began. The words were easy to finish and when done, the man smiled and read aloud. "Boruto and Daddy's first steps."

He stood and smiled. "What do you think, Boruto?"

When he turned, he gasped. "Boruto!"

The child had dipped his hands into the paint and was crawling making spots all on the floor of his hands. He was giggling and there was this glint Naruto knew all too well.

Minato sighed. 'Okay, Naruto. You win! Come on out now!"

"Dad?"

The blond man turned in distress, finding his seven year old son. "Pein. Did you just get out of school?"

"Yeah. Nagato and Deidara stopped to bring you some ramen. Where's kaa-san?"

"At the market."

Pein nodded. "Tou-san?"

"Why are you looking for Naruto?"

The hokage sighed in exasperation. "We're playing hide and seek, but now he's not coming out of his hiding spot."

Pein's eye twitched. "Tousan."

"Hm?"

"Naruto is two." Pein stated in calmness.

When those words were said, Minato broke down. "I know. Please don't say anything to your mother."

"You better find him before she gets home.'

"Would you mind helping your old man, Pein?"

Pein smiled and gave a thumbs up. "I'll look upstairs."

When the boy ran upstairs, he could hear a silent thumping. He walking into the bathroom and opened the cabinet under the sink.

Naruto was smiling and shushing Pein silently, a mischievous glint in his eyes. He was crouched low, wearing only a diaper and a t-shirt.

Pein shook his head. "You sneaky brat." He whispered. He squeezed Naruto's nose and closed the cabinet.

It was an hour later that Minato found Naruto. The little boy was asleep under the sink, snoring loudly. And just as he laid Naruto in his bed, Kushina had arrived, wondering about the giggles that escaped her oldest sons and why Minato looked nervous and beat.

And it was later that night that Pein had stayed up. Later that night that Pein realized that his father couldn't find the silent Naruto until he fell asleep.

It was then he realized Naruto was concealing his chakra. The problem was….Naruto was only two.

How the hell did he do it?

Naruto grabbed the mischievous boy and kissed him softly, finding it overwhelming that Boruto was like him in some way.

"Thank goodness this is washable. Let's get you washed up again."

It was night when Boruto and Naruto lay exhausted in bed. They had just taken their third bath and were now ready to sleep.

He would deem today as a magnificent one. After painting, they had washed and left for a picnic. Naruto had shown Boruto spots and places he hadn't seen in Konoha. Then he took the child to the office and showed him the type of work he did. After that, he summoned his tailed beasts, gamakichi, and the foxes so that Boruto could speak to them.

But what astounded Naruto the most was that Boruto was him. He was everything Naruto and the blond felt embarrassed that this is what Sasuke had been trying to tell him the whole time.

Boruto loved Sasuke to death. In fact, Boruto may just want to be around Sasuke all the time. But that didn't change the fact that Boruto was just as loud, carefree, strong, and thinkful as his father.

Naruto had slipped into some sweatpants while Boruto just kept on his diaper.

"Your mother and uncle are going to be back in the morning."

Boruto whimpered slightly, staring up at the ceiling.

"What's wrong?" Naruto muttered. He thought they were doing well. Looking at Boruto, he found the baby trying to roll over on his own.

This made Naruto blush and grab the child. He laid Boruto on his torso. "My heartbeat isn't like Sasuke's. It's not so quiet and calming and I thought you'd be able to fall asleep well without it. My heartbeat is thunder and I'm sorry.

It's always been that way. Ever since things started to change when I was a child."

Boruto remained silent, tapping Naruto's stomach softly with his chubby hands.

"It's a hard thing to explain to somebody who hasn't felt it, but the presence of death and danger has a way of bringing you fully awake. It makes things vivid. When you're afraid, really afraid, you see things you never saw before, you pay attention to the world. Your heart beats like fire. You make close friends. You become part of a tribe and you share the same blood- you give it together, you take it together.

"Your parents love each other. We grew up together and we loved through thick and thin. We understood what terror was together. When I was afraid and alone, he helped me breath.

I wasn't human anymore. I was a shadow. I slipped out of my own skin, like molting, shedding my own history and my own future, leaving behind everything I ever was or wanted to believed in. I knew I would soon die. And I wasn't a hero and all I could do was whimper and wait.

But, Sasuke Uchiha was there. He pulled me back into the world.

I want you to know that your daddy was never more alive then when he was almost dead. I was a coward back then. I have memories I can't get away from. But sometimes remembering will lead to a story, which makes it forever. That's what stories are for. Stories are for joining the past to the future. Stories are for those late hours in the night when you can't remember how you got from where you were to where you are. Stories are for eternity, when memory is erased, when there is nothing to remember except the story."

Naruto inhaled and yawned. "I hope you understand. I'm sorry I couldn't love you then. But I love you now. I love you, you here?" He choked, but he would not cry. "I love you and I'm so sorry."

Boruto ceased in touching his father and tried lifting his head. When he did, the baby stared at Naruto, drooling on the tan chest.

Naruto smiled and wiped his face. "I do. I love you, kid. You know that?"

The blue eyes child smiled and laid his face back down, his hair tickling Naruto's chin.

He was like his father and that made Naruto smile. They were in the storm with one another. He was like the clouds drifting. Storms reminded him of fire. The dark grey clouds were like ash and soot while lighting was the memory of a fire that once burned bright.

And when Naruto fell asleep, Boruto noticed how in sync the fiery beating in the man's chest was to his own. It was so unlike the calm sea from his mother, but he still liked it.

There was a rage to the new shake and the baby wondered who this man really was. He wanted to know why life had deceived his father and how the man could be so scared of love.

But the beating of his heart was so fiery and strong that Boruto couldn't help but fall asleep right after.

"Daaa" He murmured before, clutching the man's blacks marks on his arms. His eyes fluttered close before he could finish.

When Sasuke walked in with Gaara the next morning, He smiled at the image on the bed. His two loud men were still asleep. They both lay drooling. But what Sasuke was most proud of were the smiles on the faces and the way Boruto held Naruto close, as if trying to comfort the large man.

"You did good, dobe." he whispered. "You did good."

And that's that, friends. Sorry it was late. I hoped you guys liked this more than the last chapter and I hope you all review. It means a lot if you could. Thanks.