A/N: I was reading the comments about how my readers were sad about Fugaku growing up too fast. I soon felt that way too and decided to write more about baby Fugaku!
Enjoy!
"Long time ago, there was a boy who lived on his own. He was strong minded, but very lonely."
A pair of sheer pink lips talked about a story long time ago.
Her listener blinked his large grey eyes and sucked on his tiny beach ball toy. Hinata just loved looking at how Fugaku's dark, fuzzy eyebrows would furrow in concentration. His eyebrows looked like tiny wisps of black clouds on his tiny, round face. And his dark grey eyes were so big and serious that he looked so cute in her eyes. And his nose was so flat his profile looked funny and munchkin-like.
"One day, he saw a bright light shooting down at a mountain, and he followed."
Hinata was draining the hot water from the rice noodles as she told her baby son a story.
Today's dish was simple-stir fried flat noodles. Slightly spicy. Just the way Sasuke liked it.
"If it's for our anata~, I could cook anything~" she sang lightly. She was temporarily distracted from her story telling.
The baby was playing in the living room that was connected to the kitchen. She didn't need her byakugan to see what her son was doing. All she had to do was turn and see her son playing on the light blue play mat.
But because Fugaku was becoming very active, Hinata decided to sit him in the bumbo chair.
She lifted her baby up with her hands beneath his shoulders. He made gurgling noises and smiled at his mother, wide eyed. But his smile vanished as soon as she placed his bum on the bumbo chair. He looked at her as if his angelic mother has given him the biggest betrayal. His grey eyes looked up to her in mild panic.
But she just gave him a sweet apologetic smile and turned around to go back to the kitchen.
The bumbo chair was made for babies who can't support their own necks while sitting up yet. Sometimes, sitting on the bumbo chair makes the babies look as if they have to stretch out their arms and legs. Before getting one from a neighbor, Hinata was surprised to see how babies actually looked comfy on that plastic chair. But then she supposed that lying down must get old for babies.
Fugaku was displeased with his mother locking him in the chair. The chair wasn't uncomfortable to sit on and most of the times, he didn't care, but he was in an active, squirmy mood. He protested his mother's arms with squirms and frowns, but he lost. He looked defeated as he bowed his head and pouted, but it was a lost cause already.
But the baby was not pleased. He wiggled his arms. When that didn't work, he called out in gibberish to his mother, asking her to let him roam free. Let me go, mama!
"Dear, dear Fugaku~ who could've upset my sweet little boy?" She cooed, feigning innocence.
So Hinata gave him some toys to play with. So her baby won't get too restless. Then she returned to the kitchen and resumed her story telling.
"And he found a pearl where the lightning hit. And there was a tiny woman in it!"
She was dicing green bell peppers on a wooden board.
It was usually Hinata who was excited to tell Fugaku stories. Fugaku sometimes listened, but these days, he liked looking and sucking at toys a lot more. After all, he barely understood the story.
"And then the pearl cracked, and the woman became big!"
She meant her story to be climactic, and she turned to her son in expectation. Her long hair swayed as she turned, falling softly on her back.
But Fugaku was busy sucking on a bronze bell while sitting on his bumbo chair. He was drooling a lot and he tried to get his mouth on almost anything.
His pouty lips opened and sucked on the tiny beach ball that tried to slip from his tiny plump hands.
His round grey eyes glanced at his mother and then stared back at his jingling bell. A thin shiny string of saliva connected to the shiny toy.
Hinata sighed at her son lacking interest in her stories as usual, but decided to just continue her story telling.
By the time she got to "happily ever," she was done with her stir fry.
She wiped her hands on her apron and looked at the living room, "Fugaku, are you ready to see daddy?"
She looked at the empty and upturned bumbo chair. It looked as if somebody kicked on it. "Fugaku?"
Panic settled on her stomach, "Fugaku?!"
She was so shocked that the thought of activating her byakugan completely went over her head.
'Where could he be?' She wondered.
There was absolutely no way for babies to escape the bumbo chair. The bumbo chair looks like a potty, but it actually keeps babies who can't sit up in a snug position, locking their shoulders and butt.
Hinata quickly activated her byakugan, "Fugaku! Fugaku, where are you?"
Then she saw an outline of a small, pudgy body with a round head underneath the long rectangular mahogany coffee table.
Another wave of panic swept through the young mother as she scambered to the coffee table and knelt down and looked underneath.
The long table had short legs, so Hinata and Sasuke would sit on the floor and have tea.
If the table had longer legs, she would've been able to just swoop her son up. But the shorter table made it necessary for her to move the entire furniture.
"Fugaku! How did you get in there?" She called out to the baby who was lying down on his back, his nose facing the bottom of the table. She wondered how her son was not getting claustrophobic by how close the table was to his face.
The baby turned his face to his mama and made a wide, toothless smile. His dark grey eyes crinkled adorably, with a smile showing how proud he was of himself. He seemed to be thinking that he and his mother were playing 'hide and seek.' You found me, mama!
But Hinata was worried. What if she accidentally hurts her son while moving the furniture?
"Fugaku, I'll get you out of there, sweetie. Just wait a sec-"
But then she saw the table magically lifting and in a second, her husband was lifting the table with one hand and grabbing his son's right ankle.
Then he dragged the baby out from underneath the table.
Fugaku's eyes widened as his father dragged him on the playmat. He just saw the scene changing from the dark wooden table to an eye opening view of the ceiling and his father's grim face. Fugaku blinked.
His father scowled at him as if he was a bothersome nuisance, "Causing so much trouble already."
Then he swooped his son up and glared at him in eye level. Fugaku's tuft of dark hair that would usually cover his forehead was stuck up in a cowlick. And there was a red round mark on his forehead, as if he bumped his head on something. A kind of red bump that would cause most babies to cry in pain. His son either had a high tolerance of pain or just dull senses.
Then Sasuke said out loud what his younger self would never dream of saying, "You've been a bad boy."
When his baby looked at him, curiously maybe, but not repentant, he uttered, "Not okay.
Stern obsidian eyes met large, puppy like grey.
"Not okay." He uttered again lowly. His brows snapped down in disapproval.
Fugaku merely looked at his father and let out a long sticky drool from the side of his lips. Then he looked at the floor and flailed his pudgy little arms.
When he saw his son lacking any remorse, he smirked evilly "I guess I'll have to punish you."
"A-anata, please," Hinata turned pale, "you can't possibly mean to...to do that?" Her husband has been telling his big plan for Fugaku, but Hinata always turned aghast at the idea.
Fugaku glared at his father with an impressive look of challenge on his adorable face. Bring it on,old man. I'm not scared of you. Sasuke smirked.
At six in the afternoon, when it got dark enough for ghosts and spirits to dwell, the living room was where Fugaku had to go through his father's torture session.
Sasuke couldn't help but let go a small muffled laughter as he stuck an outfit that looked like a burgundy rouge colored pumpkin over his son's head.
Fugaku's little, slender arms and legs popped out from the holes of the round, velvety outfit, and Sasuke sniggered, "pfft"
As he turned into a stuffed colorful pumpkin with needles stuck on the rind, Fugaku's brows furrowed in a frown as he looked down at his voluptuous, colorful body, no, pa, no!
He looked desperately around, save me, mama!
Meanwhile, his mother was not helping but was gushing how cute he looked and taking pictures on a camera Sasuke got from downtown.
Overwhelmed by how cute her son looked, she was snapping photos and photos away.
If that was not mortifying enough, Sasuke took out a white lacy collar from his leather bag and hung it around Fugaku's neck (which was barely visible by the way, because he was still a baby).
When Sasuke was done, he took a step back and crossed his arms in quiet admiration of his own work. His baby has turned into a deep red silk human pin cushion.
At first, Hinata staunchly objected to Sasuke's Halloween costume idea, fearing that the needles will hurt the baby or others. But thankfully, Sasuke used common sense and didn't use real needles, but metallically colored cotton swabs.
The cotton swabs were colored delicately with silver, so they looked like deadly, lethal needles. And the cotton parts were colored with vibrant jeweled colors like sapphire blue, purple, and emerald green.
The not-so-last Uchiha has toiled hours on the outfit in his workshop, ensuring that the needles won't come off, break, or drive deep into the velvet outfit. He came with the clever solution of cutting the swabs into half and sealing the bottom of each needle with an adhesive that had a velvety texture. Cotton swabs wouldn't hurt a child, but for his baby, Sasuke couldn't let even a smallest detail get away from his attention.
Pleased with his work, Sasuke held Fugaku in his arms and the couple left their house. Sasuke was lazily dressed in his usual work outfit. He hung a brown suede apron around his waist and pulled up his sleeves that showed his arms. He strung a little actual pin cushion on his apron strap, and wore a white handkerchief around his neck. He made absolutely no effort to dress himself.
Meanwhile, Hinata dressed in a turtle neck collared silver dress with long elegant sleeves, calling herself a 'needle.' She wore a thin shiny silver hair clip over her side swept bangs. Compared to the ridiculously cute pin cushion, she looked like a fairy tale princess. The dress didn't show much skin due to the long sleeves and the turtle neck, but the metallic fabric stuck to her butt and chest.
When they arrived at the Main Street, they were bombarded with squeals of adoration, "Oh, myyy! What a cuuuuute little thing!"
"What a doll!"
"So adorable, I could just eat him up!"
Fugaku's pouty lips started to frown and his eyes widened in agitation, when the ladies attempted to pinch his rosy cheeks.
The baby glared at the smiling, excited ladies with barely concealed fear in his grey eyes. Some of their lips were painted dark black and their faces looked really scary. He didn't have any idea where these monsters came from.
He couldn't help holding onto his mother with a vice grip, mama...
But he was trying to be brave despite the cooing, loud women that weren't his mama. He even had his tiny fingers gripping on his mother's silver knit sleeve as his agitated eyes wandered from the weird painted faces. Even when his mama heartlessly left his side to praise her student and her mom's halloween costume, he kept himself from reaching for her and throwing into a fit of tears.
Swallowing the impulse to tear up, he held onto his father, the next best person to be with.
And he was doing really well. It was the destiny of all unbearably cute, introverted babies to endure unwanted, lavish attention in holidays. It was not his fault that he was so cute!
"What a beautiful baby~"
Like the stoic baby he was, he proudly endured the strangers' overzealous praises and requests to take pictures of him and his father.
While his father fended off the pesky fans, Fugaku's grey eyes wandered around in yearning, where are you, mama?
In his baby mind, he was scared if his mother decided to leave him and his father forever, and separation anxiety was kicking in.
But then when he has let down his guard, to the baby's horror, he felt a big wet smooch on his rosy cheek. Sasuke has let down his guard in front of their favorite restaurant owner's mother-in-law, thinking that Fugaku would be okay. The obachan adored Fugaku and was one of the few women the baby would allow to hold him.
But that was Fugaku's final straw. Usually, if the scene was calmer, he wouldn't have minded the sweet obachan's kiss, but he was overwhelmed and stressed. Plus it has been three hours since he was fed, and he was getting tired already.
His big dark grey eyes widened in shock and his plump bottom lip quivered as if the oba chan did something terrible like pinching his plump arm. His huge grey eyes started shining with tears as his face reddened in mortification and rage.
'Oh, no,' Sasuke paled, 'there will be tears to pay.' His father's guts told him.
Then he saw the three big signs of Fugaku about to throw a tantrum. It was not often he pulled a scene, but the signs were unmistakable.
One...scrunched up baby fuzz eyebrows...Two, quivering lips that pursed in together...Three, an unnaturally bright red face.
Fugaku closed shut his eyes, and big fat dollops of tears rained down his cheeks. Then he made a call of distress that is almost always effective in stopping people from whatever they were doing.
He took in a deep hiccup-full breath and wailed in his baby battle cry—there will be tears to pay! I hate uuuu—
Hearing her baby's doleful cry, Hinata quickly excused herself and rushed to Sasuke. The tall man was wiping his baby's tears with a white handkerchief but was otherwise not doing anything effective enough to stop the baby from crying.
The obachan looked dreadfully sorry, surprised that the usually calm, cuddly baby would show such signs of distress. Fugaku was the kind of baby you lay down on the floor with a mirror toy, and he'd be happy for hours.
Hinata smiled apologetically to the obachan, "I'm sorry, Mrs. Haiqin. Fugaku is close to his nap time, and it is his first time to see so many strangers."
When Hinata held Fugaku in her arms, instead of calming down, Fugaku buried his face onto her chest and convulsive sobs racked his tiny body.
His tears soaked her knit dress, and Hinata skillfully pulled out his favorite pacifier from her pouch.
She then plopped the paci into his mouth.
Even when sucking on his favorite pacifier, Fugaku was looking up at his mother accusatorily —-
don't you ever do that again!
His grey eyes would've looked fearsome if it wasn't his constant suckling baby mouth.
His tiny hands clung to her shirt like his life depended on it. A fat drop of tear rolled down his cheek.
His mother sweetly cooed and patted his butt, but he was sulky. Hinata placed her soft cheek on her baby's forehead and swayed side to side. He has stopped crying, but he seemed pouty and disgruntled.
His brows were slanted down and his eyes fiercely darted around. Suck suck suck he went on his paci. Hinata sighed.
Sasuke stated, "he is mad that you left him."
Hinata's eyes widened , "but Fugaku isn't this clingy. This is unusual." She pulled out the paci from his mouth, and Fugaku settled into a frown.
"He was holding so tightly on you, but you left him to look at other children," Sasuke said matter-of-factly with his neutral face, "So he got mad."
Sasuke noticed that despite being a baby, Fugaku was very territorial of what he considers his. He can't even crawl yet. Sasuke sighed and shook his head. Why did his son have to be like him?
Then that was when the elderly lady Haiqin got an idea. She pulled out a wrapped candy bar from her Jack-o-lantern goody basket and held it towards Fugaku, " sweet pea, there, there. Don't be mad at your pretty mama. Here's a little treat for you."
That was when Fugaku's wet, glistening eyes peered beyond his mother's shoulder and he eyed the bright colored candy bar. His fearful grey eyes wandered from the candy bar to the lady's wrinkly face in uncertainty. He looked like a baby deer unsure about taking a treat from a human's hand.
Then like most babies, his hand gravitated to the candy bar and he took it. Curiosity got the best of him. His tiny stubby fingers touched the plastic wrap in marvel, and he was about to put the wrap in his opened mouth.
The old lady laughed and pulled his fist away from his mouth, and Fugaku stared at her confused. But he didn't cry. He was merely confused why the lady would stop him from enjoying his treat.
Hinata thanked the lady. "He isn't ready for solids. Fugaku hasn't started his weaning yet."
The baby's mood was definitely uplifted thanks to the experienced granny, and Sasuke and Hinata got to enjoy their little fun. Fugaku kept touching and sucking on the colorful wrapping while they looked around.
After they came back, Sasuke and Hinata started putting their detective hats on.
Fugaku was fast asleep in his crib, and Sasuke and Hinata were wondering how on earth did their son manage to escape the bumbo chair and get underneath the coffee table.
After the 'walk of shame' his cruel father made him go through, Fugaku instantly passed out on his bed, much to his parents' relief. As he was growing day by day, he was getting more and more mischievous and unpredictable. Nobody would guess by just seeing his round, cute mochi face and placid, angelic eyes.
Hinata cupped her chin, "He can't crawl yet, so it's a mystery."
Sasuke crossed his arms, "And it is not the power of the rinnegan either." What kind of powerful rinnegan would free a non crawling baby from his bumbo chair?
"And the bumbo chair is just fine," his wife added. Surely, there wasn't even a single crack on the bumbo chair.
"Where did he get such a nasty boo-boo?" Hinata whined dolefully as she stroked Fugaku's soft feathery hair from his forehead.
Sasuke saw the red round bruise on Fugaku's forehead that reminded him of a pepperoni.
Then he had an epiphany.
"Hinata."
"Yes?" She was still staring sorrowfully at Fugaku's ouchie.
"Did the bumbo chair look as if it was tipped over?"
She looked at him, wondering how did he know.
"Yes. At first I thought somebody kidnapped him. I was so scared."
"So that's what it was." Sasuke could almost snort at how simple Fugaku's method of escape was and how it was not obvious at first glance.
When Hinata didn't get it, he visualized Fugaku's prison break in detail.
"Fugaku used his weight to tip over the bumbo chair. He fell face flat on the floor, but because he didn't cry out loud, he escaped your notice."
"So that explains the bruise on his forehead! But he can't crawl. How could he have moved that far? He barely learned how to turn on his belly."
Then a spark of lightning flitted through her mind,"unless…"
Sasuke nodded, "He can't have much mobility if the only thing he knows how to do is turning on his belly. But he does know other tricks...like turning on his belly and then turning onto his back."
Hinata started imagining a cute picture of her chubby, little baby turning on his belly first and then slumping on the floor on his back again. And then twisting his back and turning on his belly again.
That was it. Her baby could move by 'rolling' like a tiny sushi roll.
Sasuke then pulled out the final clue, "And I saw how he could turn around like a clock by squirming on the floor"
Then everything dawned on Hinata. That was why Fugaku was never on the same position when she places him on his crib. She already knew that. But when her baby got close to the edge of the coffee table, he managed to get underneath without rolling and bumping his head on the table...because he squirmed on his back.
Hinata's reaction to "The Case of the Mysterious teleportation of Baby Dino" was…
Kissing Fugaku's ouchy forehead, "poor baby…"
"Hnn, it was his doing." Sasuke scoffed.
Hinata shot up straight and glared at him in reproof.
He looked at her with calm apathy.
Then his lips drew into a half smirk, "It tells me he has a chip on his shoulder."
Then he lowered himself, until all she could see was his lips. Feeling the temperature of her face rise, she closed her eyes quickly. His lips pressed onto hers firmly and his big hand crushed her front flush to his chest.
"Umm!" Hinata moaned from her throat in surprise, and she felt his lips curve upward in a satisfied smile. Embarrassed and angry at his shamelessness, she beat his shoulders with her fists.
Her hands that gripped his forearm trembled, and all she could think of was 'too hot...hot...'
The inside of his mouth was hot. His upper lip was cool like the crescent moon, and his bottom lip like the sun, and his tongue was like lava.
Her husband's work clothes smelt like fine leather and sandalwood and sawdust. And the warmth of his skin amplified the scent of spice. His rough hand grabbed the back of her neck, supporting her as she craned her neck to recieve his persistent kisses.
Hinata finally pulled herself away, and Sasuke's lips tried to follow after hers. A thin viscous strin of saluva hung between her lips and his white teeth. But she placed her hand on his chest, "a-anata, i-it's late..."
He growled, "that never stopped us before." He was not known for his patience.
He pulled her closer to him. And nibbled on the shell of her ear.
She bit down on her lip to stop herself from crying out-"I thought we-we were going to sleep tonight-" she protested.
His voice came out as breathless, "we could always make a second-"
His hand impatiently made its way into the neckline of her silver dress.
And he lunged at her for another kiss, but he happened to have glanced at the crib.
Then he froze.
A pair of big grey eyes blinked once.
Cool obsidian eyes blinked back.
Dead silence filled the nursery as the baby looked up to his parents with a mysteriously vacant expression.
Fugaku's dark eyes looked at his mom once, and then his dad. And then his mom.
Hinata sweated bullets and cooed at her baby, "my little man~ are you awake?" She clasped her hands together amd made a nervous laughter.
To her relief, Fugaku made a familiar smile and reached for his mother.
That night, Fugaku got his revenge.
Dad 1. Son 1.