Hinata was happily eating her dinner, looking forward to dessert. Itachi had made sure that all her cravings were fulfilled so their kitchen was constantly stocked with a variety of food. She didn't constantly gorge in sweets; the health of her baby was always on her mind. It was a balance between treating herself and making sure her baby was getting the right nutrients.

But her weight still bothered her. It was obvious that she was going to get larger but it stunned her just how much. Mentioning it offhandedly, she was surprised by Sasuke's reply.

"Maybe you're having twins," Sasuke joked as he finished his plate. "It's kind of early for you to be this big if you're only carrying one, right? Have you been eating right?"

Itachi coughed violently as he wiped his mouth. "Sasuke!"

"Huh?" He stared up to see an infuriated Itachi and trembling Hinata. "I'm only saying it out of concern not just because she's fat or anything-"

She quickly stormed out followed by Itachi who returned just to smack Sasuke upside his head. "You know how crazy and hormonal she gets," he scolded him. "Any little thing sets her off. Just-"

"You think I'm crazy and hormonal?!" They both winced as she shrieked in outrage. Hinata huffed back to the dining room and pointed at them accusingly. "M-m-maybe I should just move out until I have this baby. I won't be a bother to you anymore. Tenten has a spare room and-"

Sasuke stared awkwardly as Itachi profusely apologized and begged her not to leave. Hinata then apologized for her outburst and they headed to their room. "Weirdos," he muttered under his breath. The only thing he hated about her pregnancy was how she could be sweet and caring one minute and angry the next. Thankfully it was left to Itachi to deal with it, but he was still collateral damage.

The next day Hinata remained frosty to him; wishing him a good day at work but not with her usual smile. It bothered him greatly since he felt like they had built a strong bond. She was an Uchiha, carrying the next generation. Making amends was crucial. However Itachi told him not to worry about it since she had heeded his advice and was going to schedule an appointment with her doctor. "Its fine, I'll take the day off," Itachi replied to his offer to take her.

Some guilt melted away yet Sasuke still felt like he could've approached it differently. He was glad that he had arrived earlier than his brother and found Hinata huddled on the couch, covering herself with a blanket.

"Hey…what are you watching?" he asked cautiously. She grumbled and displayed the info guide for a few seconds before exiting the menu. Hinata was obviously still upset at him. "Cool…so I brought some cinnamon rolls. Want one?" He waved a bag.

"Why? Is it because I'm fat?" She bitterly asked. "Do you think everything will be okay because you can appease me with food?" However Hinata snatched the bag and pulled one out. "This doesn't mean I forgive you. I'm still mad."

Sasuke nodded and headed to his room. He knew he'd just make things worse if she saw him smirk after she bit into one. But it still troubled him that she was distraught just because of something he said. In all the books he has read, stress was implied to be detrimental to the mother and baby. As soon as they found out that she was expecting, Itachi wasn't the only one who dove into research. Of course no one knew he had these books stashed under his bed.

Stressing her over every little thing wasn't something that he could overlook. Itachi had mentioned to him that he was deathly afraid of losing her. It turned out that Hinata's mother had died during childbirth and no matter how much their doctor assured them that everything looked fine, Sasuke could see how anxious his brother was. To soothe his concerns Hinata resigned from her job, promising Itachi to be mindful of her limitations.

When he was informed that he was right about her pregnancy, Sasuke boasted about it to Itachi's face. "I knew it! I fucking knew it!" He pumped his fist up. "I was right!" Everyone looked at him like he had lost his mind. "Oh shit, we only have one crib. We only have one of everything!"

"Relax, we got it." Hanabi nodded to Tenten who pulled out her phone and called the store where they bought most of their stuff. "Another one…yeah… well set it aside!" The brunette pulled the phone away from her ear. "Fine we'll be there in an hour."

Sasuke shot Itachi another smug look before noticing the look on his face. His brother tried to express excitement as Hinata giggled but Sasuke could see how concerned he truly was. Even with the advancement in medical care and technology, he would view the pregnancy as twice as risky.

If anything happened to her or his nephews, it'd devastate the two brothers. Itachi deserved happiness and he'd make sure that they have it. I have to do something nice, Sasuke thought. Something that really amazes them.

.

.

"That's the fifth time this month that he's gotten a package," Hinata said. Normally Sasuke would tell Itachi to distribute the mail but now he'd get pushed aside as Sasuke gathered everything. "He's acting weird don't you think?" she asked. "I hardly see him around the house anymore."

"Sasuke's always been independent," Itachi yawned as he wrapped an arm around her. "Besides you know that being a cop doesn't allow him to be around even if he wanted to."

Scrunching her nose, she leaned into his chest. "I guess." Hinata couldn't feel like there was more to it. Aside from helping her around the house, Sasuke remained aloof. It felt like he was closing himself off from both of them and it was messing with her head. After being told that there were indeed two heartbeats, she would've thought that he would've kept bragging about it.

Since she was also curious by nature, Hinata decided to keep a closer eye on her brother in law. Unfortunately as nosy as she was, he was even more paranoid and made it harder to pry into his activities. She finally caught a break when she arrived early from her birthing class.

"Do you think it's big enough for my stuff?... How much a month?...That's actually really cheap," Sasuke said. He froze as Hinata stared at him, quickly moving to close his door. "I'll call you later."

Hinata knocked on his door. "Sasuke?" She heard him shuffle things around his room. "I'm going to make some brownies. You want some?"

"Nah, I'm good." She grumbled under her breath. "But I can help. Itachi would probably freak if you were using the oven unsupervised."

She brightened up, ignoring the fact that they doubted her capabilities. "Great!" He opened the door and she narrowed her eyes, quickly scanning around his room before he hastily shut it behind him. They stared at each other for a few seconds before he motioned towards the stairs. "Oh sorry," she tried to grin.

Staring at her out of the corner of his eye, Sasuke cursed himself for letting his guard down. Hinata was getting closer to her due date but things weren't ready yet. Add that to the amount of snooping she was doing, and Sasuke knew that he had to speed things up. He noted internally to schedule the move for when Hinata was out for the whole day.

When he returned to his room, Sasuke retrieved the package from his locked closet. He opened it, gently inspecting the contents and comparing one item to the photograph in his hand. "It's not an exact match…"

.

.

During the next couple of days, whenever Sasuke was home he remained in his room. She could hear the unmistakable sound of packaging being opened. His room was like an impenetrable fortress; locked even if he wasn't home. The one time he rushed out to be on time for his shift, he left without closing his door; she peeked in and was stunned by what she saw.

Itachi looked up from where he sat. "Hinata, I can tell when something is on your mind." She had been complaining about sore feet and he quickly offered to massage them for her. "Is it the babies?" Hinata shook her head. "Are you sure?" he pressed. "I can call Dr. Senju if you want."

"We just came from the doctor's office. Everything looks good," she assured him. He kept his phone beside him, just in case.

"Then what is it?"

Hinata sighed. "His room is emptier."

He snorted. "Good. It's about time he got rid of that clutter." Itachi heard her sniff and looked up in panic. "What? Sweetie, what's wrong?"

"Do you think he's going to move out?"

Furrowing his brows, Itachi thought about it. "I'm not sure. Is that what you're worried about?"

"If he wants to leave then I wouldn't hold him back. I just don't want him to assume we want him out." Hinata bit her lip. "Maybe we should do something nice for him. I mean it's been all about me and our babies, maybe he feels left out."

"You're making it seem like he's jealous," he scoffed. She shrugged. "Oh c'mon Hinata, he's a grown man. If anything, he's just thinks we're going to tell him to leave."

Her eyes widened and she looked upset. "But we're not!"

Itachi sat beside her and rested his chin on her shoulder. "Hinata, for your sake just stop over thinking it. If you're really worried I'll help you with whatever you want to do for him. We'll make him feel like he's not some unwanted stray and welcomed to stay as long as he wants, okay? Why don't you get some rest?"

.

.

To say that they really went all out was understatement; Sasuke looked in amazement at the spread laid out before him. It was mostly his favorite foods and immediately he knew something was up. Hinata beamed proudly and Itachi pulled out a chair for him.

"Okay?" Sasuke skeptically said. But he began to fill his plate.

"Sasuke?" He looked up to see Hinata and Itachi look at him expectantly. "You know we love you, right?" His brother struggled out. It was always hard for them to express affection like this.

Dropping the serving spoon, he rolled his eyes. "I'm heading out."

"Sit," Itachi ordered him. "We just wanted to assure you that while there are some big changes coming, we aren't kicking you out."

"I didn't think you were," he slowly replied. Itachi shot Hinata a knowing look and she pretended to not notice. "Wait…are you? Do you guys want me to leave?"

"No!" Hinata shouted. "We would never! We love you, Sasuke."

"Can you stop saying that? I know okay? You don't have to keep telling me," Sasuke muttered. "Is that why you were meddling around?"

Hinata poked her fingers together. "Well, I heard you talking on the phone about moving and cheap monthly rates. What else was I supposed to think?"

Sasuke burst out laughing. "I wanted to wait until tomorrow but I guess it might be best to do it now before you stress out over nothing. C'mon."

They followed Sasuke into his room and he pulled out a large box out of his closet. Hinata tried to peek in but then he took something out of his dresser and handed it to his brother.

"Is this? How? I thought we broke it," Itachi said. His fingers traced the small music box, a near identical match to the one he remembered from their childhood. "Mother cried so hard that day."

"I remember…" Sasuke replied. "She would always leave it in our room whenever we had a nightmare. It didn't take much to lure us back to sleep." He took the box from Itachi and wound it up. A soft medley started playing and the two brothers could almost hear their mother's voice, singing the words she made up to go along with it.

Hinata stared at them fondly, clasping her hands close to her heart. Noticing this, Sasuke cleared his throat and rummaged through the box before handing her a book. She smiled at him before opening the cover. "It's the one my mother used to read me!" She covered her mouth in shock. On the inside was the drawing of a sunflower her mother had done along with Hinata's name written, by her four year old self, in blue crayon. "Look!"

Itachi looked over her shoulder and chuckled as she went through the book, pointing out the stories behind the smudges or doodles. She closed it and held it against her chest before noticing that some of the things inside the box resembled those from her childhood. Those that were unfamiliar were probably from Itachi's.

She looked back at Sasuke. "You did this? Oh my god…" Hinata hugged him tightly and he looked at Itachi for help. However he also rushed forward and trapped him.

"Please get off!" He pleaded but eventually gave in.

"We thought you were leaving us!" Hinata wailed. "I saw some boxes in your car and thought you were packing up your stuff…" she couldn't continue as she began to sob.

"But I am," Sasuke said. Hinata looked at him with fearful eyes. "I'm taking some of my old stuff into storage because I wanted to make some room for them. I've baby-proofed my room too. Now there's space for them to play while I watch them in my room when you guys are too tired."

"But we have the nursery." His older brother pointed out. "You didn't have to get rid of any of your stuff."

"It's done already and besides I like how less cluttered it is. I might move out eventually but if I do, it won't be anytime soon. You guys are going to need my help." He pulled out his wallet and proudly handed him a card. "Check it out, I'm certified in CPR and first aid. Perk of the job. So you know who to come to first whenever you need a babysitter. Is Neji, the architect, certified? I don't think so."

Itachi ruffled Sasuke's hair. "Okay, okay. How about we enjoy that meal we've prepared for you." The two walked out, before he looked at his wife. "Hinata, aren't you coming? What's wrong?"

She started shaking and he rushed over. "Baby, what's wrong?" he asked nervously.

"Baby… babies!" she said and Itachi slowly nodded. "They're coming. My water broke!"

.

.

Sasuke stared as Itachi happily rocked Haru. He noticed that Kazuki was beginning to whimper and not wanting to wake Hinata up, he picked up his nephew. "Thanks," Itachi whispered.

"Hn." Kazuki yawned and blinked at Sasuke. Dark eyes stared back at him. "Hey buddy. Between the two of us, I'm kind of glad that you guys don't have icy Hyuuga eyes. Neji's eyes."

"You'd love them either way," Itachi retorted then raised an eyebrow. "And don't you mean Hinata's? Not that there's anything wrong with them." He looked lovingly at her.

"No." To Sasuke, there was a difference. Every other Hyuuga he met has a hostile expression, amplified by their pale eyes. Yet Hinata's have always conveyed warmth and compassion. She will be a great mother, something his parents would've agreed.

"You know, the least you could've done is name one after me," Sasuke said. He shot him a look of betrayal, to which Itachi rolled his eyes.

"You do realize they're our children," his brother emphasized.

"And I thought we were all a big family," he muttered as he rocked his nephew. "But I guess…"

"What about their middle names?" Hinata sleepily asked. Itachi kissed her forehead and told her not to encourage him. "Can you help us think of some names?"

Sasuke nodded in agreement and turned around, trying to hide his smirk. He would hold this over Neji's head forever.

"I mean, you can choose one and Neji can choose the other. He already feels like I've abandoned him and it's only fair. Maybe we can have him over more often so he knows he's part of our family…" Itachi nodded along while Sasuke drowned her out in annoyance.

"He's not even your uncle, more like a first cousin once removed. I'm your uncle," he muttered to the infant. "And I'll be the best uncle ever."

.

.

Itachi was absolutely captivated by Hinata and he was grateful that she kept adding joy into his life. After lowering Kazuki onto his crib, he turned on the crib soother. He wanted to use the music box for special occasions. Haru was already knocked out and Itachi stood between their cribs, still amazed that he was a father. "I love you," he whispered.

They might be a handful as they grew up, but right now, everything was perfect. His family was doing well and he couldn't ask for anything else. Even Sasuke had surprised him with how welcoming he was to Neji.

Itachi quietly closed the door, realizing a few minutes later that he forgot his phone. Upon returning, he heard something strange. "You are Uchihas and loved," Sasuke's voice joined the soft music. "Your mother loves you, your father loves you, and Uncle Sasuke loves you." Bewildered but tired, he decided to keep the soother on since it didn't seem to bother the twins. He wanted nothing more than to snuggle next to Hinata. This could wait until tomorrow.

Then he heard more of Sasuke's rambling or brainwashing as he now considered it.

"Uncle Sasuke is better than Neji. I love you much more than he does and you love Uncle Sasuke more than Neji." Itachi shook his head and turned it off. He'd get the thing replaced and talk to Sasuke in the morning. He did admit it was a gutsy move for him to tamper with one of Neji's gifts for his benefit.

AN: Chalk this one as finished. :) Hyuuchiha stories give me life.