Trying to Stay Positive
G2P0
Naruto loves his life.
He wakes up with Sasuke in his arms. Tries to initiate round two but as always there's not enough time. He showers, changes and then has instant ramen for breakfast. He chats with Sasuke about his plans for the day while the latter drinks his coffee. Chouji comes to pick him up and he leaves for the Hokage's office after giving Sasuke a quick peck.
Naruto meets and greets the fine citizens of the Leaf Village. He has lunch with Kakashi-sensei. Konohamaru gives him even more paperwork to do. The Seventh Hokage tries to come home before sunset. He comes home two hours after sunset. Sasuke greets him with a 'Welcome home' and the smell of tomato sauce coming from the kitchen. Naruto eats his spaghetti dinner happily as he complains about everyone who 'bothered' him today.
That night, Naruto is especially passionate. He is on a high as he finishes. He pulls Sasuke into him and falls asleep. Yes, Naruto is happy.
Sasuke is unhappy with his life.
He wakes up in Naruto's arms but there's never enough time. He wishes that he and Naruto could stay like this a little longer but, Sasuke being Sasuke, he doesn't say anything. Sasuke never complains.
As the raven fills the pot with water, he stares at the gold wedding band on his left hand. Uzumaki...Sasuke. Someone comes to pick up Naruto after breakfast and Naruto kisses him goodbye. Sasuke wishes it was more than just a peck but he doesn't complain. Before he knows it, Naruto is gone.
Sasuke changes into his uniform and heads towards the Konoha Police Headquarters. He's the only one that works there. He patrols the streets alone. He apprehends suspects (plural) alone. He eats alone.
He's characteristically efficient today and finishes his rounds early. For the first time in years, he visits the Uchiha compound. He doesn't stay long.
Sasuke makes dinner. Naruto is late...again. The two eat together.
Naruto fucks him hard that night. God knows Sasuke needs it. Needs to feel close to Naruto. Needs to feel his love for him. Needs to be enveloped by him. As the two lay in the afterglow of sex, Naruto is pressed up against Sasuke's back. Sasuke rolls over so that they're facing each other. The raven stares at his lover's face, studying it in great detail. The blond's eyes are closed and he's breathing softly.
"Naruto?" Sasuke finally asks.
"Mmm...yeah?" Naruto replies lazily without opening his eyes.
"Let's try for a baby."
Naruto calls out Sasuke's name before collapsing on top of him. The blond can't help but grin as the pair catch their breath together. 'Sasuke wanted to try for a baby so we're trying for a baby' Naruto thinks. He slowly pulls out causing Sasuke to hiss at the loss of connection. As he lays by his lover's side, Naruto admires him in the moonlight. He's so beautiful. 'Not that I'm complaining' Naruto admits to himself, enjoying the amount of sex they've been having lately. One thing that Naruto has always admired about Sasuke is the man's steadfast determination to accomplish any and every task he's ever set his sights on. Trying for a baby was no exception. Even in the oiroke form (and sober), Sasuke is as amorous as ever. With the way they were going at it, Naruto is positive it won't be too long before they conceive.
Sure enough, a few weeks later, Sasuke is pregnant again.
Naruto has never thought about being a parent before.
It's kind of hard to conceptualize parenthood when he didn't have parents growing up. Now the Seventh Hokage knew that his parents loved him but that didn't exactly make up for the childhood of loneliness he endured. He looks out the window of the Hokage's office, down to the Academy playground below. Even after all these years, he can still vividly remember what it was like sitting alone on the swings as people avoided him or worse, jeered at him. He sure showed them! Now here he is, the Seventh Hokage of Konohagakure, just like he always said he'd be!
Naruto never had a family. Well that's not true, Team 7 is his family. Kakashi-sensei taught him the meaning of friendship and the importance of never giving up on each other. Sasuke would test that theory for Naruto later on. From Sakura, Naruto learned how to tend to those you care about and to fight for the people precious to you. Sasuke would really test that theory for Naruto later on. From Sasuke, Naruto learned how to love. He determined very quickly that Sasuke was someone worth fighting for. It never occurred to him that the person he'd end up fighting would be Sasuke himself. When Sasuke left to join Orochimaru in the Sound Village in order to avenge his clan, he took a piece of Naruto with him. Naruto wouldn't feel whole again until Sasuke came back. In true Sasuke fashion, the dark haired boy came back kicking and screaming. Nonetheless, he came back. Naruto hasn't let him go ever since. Naruto loves Sasuke so much that it hurts and trust me, Sasuke has made it hurt before. Still, there was something so special about having someone who, superficially, was so different from him in every way but deep down (where it really matters) someone who is also alike. Sasuke understands his pain. Sasuke understands him.
The closest thing Naruto ever had to a parent was Jiraiya. Jiraiya, the pervy sage who took him to hot springs across the Fire Nation to peep on women. Jiraiya, who once threw him off the cliff to teach him how to summon Gamabunta. The same Jiraiya who would listen to him rant about how stupid Sasuke was for leaving him without complaint. The same Jiraiya who bought him a popsicle after a long day of training. Jiraiya taught him his ninja way of peace and it's something that Naruto has clung to and preached about ever since. Naruto still misses him.
The school bell rings to signal the end of the day. Naruto watches as children flood out of the Academy to their happy parents who have been waiting to take them home. Naruto used to watch enviously at the end of the day when all his classmates went home with their families and he was left all alone. Naruto likes children, partly because, despite being in his thirties and being the highest ranked ninja in the village, he still loves to play. Sometimes in the middle of the day, when he really should be focused on getting the giant pile of paperwork on his desk under control, he'll run outside to play ball with the students out on recess. It's because when he was a kid, the other kids would never play with him. Naruto will definitely be the kind of Dad that plays ball with his kid. Oh and they'd train together! And eat Ichiraku ramen together! Yum!
Shikamaru is always talking about some shogi concept regarding the king. Now Naruto may be the strongest ninja in the Leaf Village but he acknowledges that he might not be the brightest. Hell, he doesn't even play shogi. Darn what was it again? Something something the king being the children of Konoha who will lead the next generation. Maybe Shikamaru was onto something. Naruto loved teaching and his favourite student was Konohamaru. That little scamp first learned the Sexy Jutsu with ease and then later on the rasengan. Naruto can still see him now, the little shorty with an overly long blue scarf wrapped around him.
"You almost done boss?" Konohamaru asks as he enters the Seventh Hokage's office without knocking. It's hard to believe that that little punk was the twenty something year old man standing in front of him today. Man, time really does go by fast. "What's wrong?" the chuunin says when the Seventh Hokage doesn't immediately respond. Potentially because he was nowhere near being done.
"Hey, Konohamaru?" Naruto says.
"What?"
"Do you want to grab a popsicle?"
'Sasuke is Sasuke,' Naruto thinks as the couple spends the evening together in the living room. Konohamaru wouldn't cut the Hokage any slack when it came to his paperwork so he took some home with him. Sasuke is sitting on the couch reading a book. Naruto loves looking at Sasuke. Loves how his brow furrows as he becomes engrossed in whatever he's reading. Naruto simply loves everything about Sasuke. Sasuke, who never lets Naruto stare too long before calling him an "idiot" in public, lets him stare as long and as deeply as he wants to when they are alone together in bed. "Now that you have done your duty, no, I will not have sex with you," Sasuke says without looking up from his book. "Idiot," he adds in for good measure. All Naruto can do is smile. Sasuke is Sasuke after all. Sasuke, who doesn't even let Naruto hold his hand out in public, lets him kiss him however much he damn well wants to in the privacy of their own home.
"What are you looking at, dead last?" Sasuke says, finally looking up from his book. Naruto gets up real close to Sasuke. "You," the blond retorts before leaning in to kiss his husband. His hand finds its way down to Sasuke's belly. Naruto knows that Sasuke will tell him that it's too soon for him to be able to feel anything but he doesn't care. He promised Sasuke that he would spend the rest of his life with him (heck he even promised he'd die with him at one point) but maybe... just maybe, that included another life too.
A week later, Sasuke miscarries again.