"I think something's going on with Kabuto."

"Why do you say that?"

Sasuke turns on his side, focusing his attention on Neji from their positions in their lounge chairs. "I just feel like he's hiding something."

Neji pulls his shades up, resting them on his head. "Has he been acting weird to you or Karu?"

"He's been wanting to have sex more. Get me pregnant. I'm not on birth control, but my heat refuses to happen. I may have to go to the doctors." He says. "And with Karu, he's been bringing him to work more often. Karu was excited after seeing his first dead body the other day. Now, half of his stuffed animals have been ripped open."

Neji grins. "Kids are weird." He begins. "But do you want more kids?"

"Eventually. I'm in no rush. Kabuto knows that, but we've been having sex non stop."

Neji sits up, shifting sideways on the lounge chair, his feet smack against the concrete of the pool area. "Boo hoo. Sasuke's mate wants to fuck him, and now he doesn't know what to do." Neji mocks him.

"Shut up." Sasuke throws a lime slice from his drink at Neji, who continues to laugh at his suffering.

Neji waves his hands in surrender. Inhaling a few times to calm down his giggles. "I'm not sorry." He moves out the way again when a lemon slice is thrown. "Sas, what's really going on? Are you regretting this arranged marriage?"

"No. Do you regret your and Shikamaru's?"

"This isn't about me, and no I don't. His ass is lazy, but he's the only Alpha I've met on my level intellectually."

"He is smart." Sasuke mumbles.

Neji takes pity on him. "Maybe you should start working again. Since having Karu, it's been home living. Maybe your inner Omega feels smothered by him, and that's why your heats aren't coming."

He has thought about putting Karu in a daycare or leaving him with his Mother more often, but the thought of leaving his child to another person makes him sad.

He wanted to wait until Karu started school to try again, that felt like a reasonable age difference for his kids. Though, these irregular heat have him concerned.

Could too much mothering, and stagnation be the culprit?

"Remember back in college, you wanted to be a tattoo artist?"

Sasuke does. Neji was his first guinea pig. In their college dorm, he tattooed a small sun on Neji's ankle. He was an apprentice for a while before giving it up to focus on economics.

His Father chose that for him. Thinking it would be a good asset for the family business. After getting his Master's, he was married off, only using it scarcely during meetings.

He retained the information, but no motivation to use it.

This would be a good chance to return to his first love.

"I do." Wondering if the shop he used to work at was still open. "I have an anonymous account, where I post my artwork." Charcoal was his favorite medium.

Neji raises an eyebrow, reaching under himself for his phone. "On Instagram?"

"Yeah." He coughs slightly in embarrassment at the screen name he chooses. " momwiththecakes0223"

"Really Sasuke, and with Karu's birthday." Neji is looking through his phone. "Got it." He was silent for a moment.

Sasuke didn't know what to make of it.

"Is that a picture of your ass in bikini undies?" He's laughing again. "I remember when I had to fight you to buy omega clothing, and now you're posting it online. Showing the cheeks." He purrs.

"There are two pics on there of that." He knows his ears are red. "I gave you that to show my artwork, now ignore that."

Neji dismisses him with a wave. "Hold on, mama cheeks." He snorts. "Alright. Hmm."

Sasuke sits upright on the chair, mirroring Neji's posture. He rested his elbows on the arm rest, waiting for Neji to say something.

Neji turns the phone toward him. "I like this." It's a drawing of a canyon with someone looking down from the top. "What inspired this?"

"I had a dream of myself looking down into a canyon. There were figures down there calling out to me, and I felt drawn to jump down. But I was scared."

"What about this?" It was a picture of a demonic beast with a samurai, slicing their soul. "This would be a good Yakuza tattoo."

"Huh."

Neji looks away from his phone. "What?"

Sasuke wants to face palm himself for not thinking of this sooner. "I didn't even think of doing Yakuza tattoos. My goal was to open a small shop, tattooing drunk people."

Neji levels him with a stare. "You've been sheltered too much."

Sasuke is upset to not have more fruit at his disposal.

"I'm following you now. Tattoo me first when you're certified."

"I have to talk with Kabuto about it first." Karu will have to go to daycare, and that may not be a fun transition for anyone.

Neji puts his phone down, leaning back into his previous position. "I understand. Shikamaru won't let me work full time at the hospital since Shiko was born, plus we'll have another soon." Neji pats his stomach.

"Really?" Sasuke gets up, moving to sit on Neji's chair next to his extended legs.

"Yeah." He says. "Confirmed this morning."

Sasuke looks at Neji's flat stomach. "A lot of changes may be happening." Sasuke felt there would be more than just him going back to tattooing.

"Think we'll be ready?" He's not used to hearing uncertainty in Neji's voice.

"Life is too short to not try." Adjustments are a part of life. Being Yakuza brats, they know it to be true.

Neji makes lunch for them after that. Shikamaru comes home early with Shiko running through the house for Neji. Sasuke is sitting at the kitchen bar watching Shiko talk to Neji by the fridge. He drew something at school, and wanted to show Neji, who put it on the fridge.

"Hello, Sasuke." Shikamaru yawns while greeting him. He sits next to Sasuke.

"Hello, and congrats."

"For what?"

Sasuke points at Neji.

"My hot mate?" He says dryly. Using a bottle opener to pop the beer top off.

"He's pregnant." Sasuke says. Enjoying the rare glimpse of emotion on Shikamaru's face. Shock.

Sasuke leaves soon after that. Shikamaru started holding Neji, without speaking as Shiko was pulling on his Dad's pants, wondering why Shikamaru was ignoring him.

Neji told him before that Shikamaru likes to keep his emotions for family only. So he felt it was time to go. Give them the opportunity to celebrate in their own way.

On his way out, he sees another car pulling up.

It's orange and gaudy.

Naruto.

Sasuke walks up to the driver's side, leaning over, he says."Don't go in yet. Shikamaru just found out Neji is pregnant. They're having a moment." He warns as a greeting.

Naruto taps his fingers on the steering wheel, nodding with a grin. "I will." Naruto smells really good up close. "Do you need a ride home?"

Sasuke shakes his head, running his fingers through his hair. "I drove, but thank you for offering." He means it.

"I keep telling you. Just ask and you'll have it." He reaches out, resting his hand on Sasuke's wrist.

He's starting to feel warm.

He thinks of his and Neji's earlier conversation. Naruto would easily know Yakuza tattoo artist, but the longer he stands here, the more he knows he needs to leave.

"Naruto, can I call you later?" His stomach is starting to cramp.

Naruto looks at him with worry. "Sasuke of course. Is it serious?"

Sasuke straightened his posture, when Naruto's hand fell from his wrist, the cramping subsided. What the?

"I have something I want to talk to you about."

Naruto's eyes are shining. "You can't leave me like this without knowing." He pleads.

"Naruto." He begins. Resting his hand on his stomach. "I need to go." Through gritted teeth, he walks to his car behind Naruto.

Starting it up quickly and driving off.

It isn't until he's home that he realizes there was a wet spot on the back of his pants.

His heat started.