"Naruto," Sasuke says one afternoon. "You haven't taken anything out of the new account yet,"
Naruto, who's munching on some curry buns and washing it down with tea, seated comfortably on the couch with a book balanced on his belly, looks over at Sasuke. "Oh, well, I'm still getting paid by the tower, so it's okay!" he grins at his mate. "No need for it quite yet. We're still in budget,"
"In budget." Sasuke repeats blandly. With all the diapers Naruto has been buying to stock, they were still in budget?
"Yeah! Since you pre-paid for the apartment, we've got lots for food and everything! I paid the electricity and water, and we even have extra for snacks! I got you those bitter green tea squares you like, and I got me a new haori, hakama, and a bigger yukata the other day from the thrift shop down the road. Oh, and I got the big bucket of detergent, so we don't have to get some for a while. Don't worry, I asked the oji-san there to carry the bucket for me. Um, I went to the veggie stand earlier and got you some tomatoes, and I can make you that tomato salad you like for dinner later! I'm going to set aside some for a bento so we can bring it to Kakashi-sensei and Iruka-sensei—"
"Naruto, slow down," Sasuke chukles as he takes a seat beside his mate.
"What? Why are you looking at me like that?" the blond asks, taking a bite of the curry bun.
Had it been so difficult for Naruto, that he couldn't afford snacks when he was living on his own? Was that why he grew up on instant noodles? He hopes Saruobi Hiruzen is suffering in the afterlife. "What do you think of ramen tonight?"
Naruto gasps, then hurries to swallow. "Really!"
"We'll flag down a rickshaw for you to get to Icharaku,"
"Really!" he grins, sets down the bun next to the glass of tea, and throws himself at Sasuke and peppers Sasuke's cheeks with curry flavored kisses.
"You're gonna have to suck it up and tell Teuchi-san you're getting half a bowl this time, for the first time in your life,"
Naruto frowns. "I don't get to eat as much of anything as I want to anyways," he sighs, peeling himself off Sasuke.
Despite having gained a healthy amount of weight, Naruto still isn't up to what he's supposed to weigh. He is also able to eat more by eating smaller portions frequently than eating three big meals a day like most would. He'd have a small breakfast, lunch, and dinner, then snacks in between like buns and rice cakes, often with cold tea.
"Half a bowl, no extra meat, and a soft egg, and eat slowly,"
Naruto groans.
"I'm not eating your leftovers, usuratonkachi. Last time I felt like I didn't digest properly after eating your extra chasu,"
"You can eat me later,"
That's shuts Sasuke up. "You're treading a thin line, Naruto."
"So how do I snap it?"
"No, no," Sasuke gets up, cheeks growing pink. "I don't have the control, right now. You're not allowed penetration and I'm literally this close to losing it,"
Naruto giggles.
Naruto wakes up in the middle of the night with a start, turning on the lampshade, panting and sweaty as he throws the blanket off him.
In the light of the moon pouring through the half-drawn curtains and the soft glow of the lampshade, Naruto sees there's no blood between his legs. Just a nightmare.
He gasps, clutching his belly, feeling a terrible cramp seize him.
"Sasuke!" Naruto hisses, pulling at Sasuke's pajamas.
Sasuke wakes, immediately hovering over his panicked mate. "What?"
"It hurts!" Naruto blurts out, hands shaking, "I'm cramping!"
Sasuke almost forgets he's only got one arm. "Arms around my neck, hurry," he says, slipping his arm under Naruto's legs, and his stump supporting Naruto's back as best as it can, as the omega grips tightly around his shoulders, whimpering through the cramps.
He portals to the hospital's emergency triage.
"Dare ka!" Somebody! he half yells as he steps through, and nurses and waiting patients gasp as a barefoot, topless shinobi in pajamas appears as if out of a blackish purple hole in the air. "Help us! Please alert the Godaime!"
"What… happened?" Sasuke asks Tsunade later, when Naruto is stabilized and sleeping in one of the free rooms.
"A particularly strong false contraction, several of them," answers the hokage. "He's had these contractions since the first bleed, it was probably why he bled the first time. He must have panicked at the length and intensity, since most of the time, these false contractions are light and ebb away immediately. He was given some relaxants to ease the contractions, which has drowsiness as a side effect,"
Sasuke nods. It must have been terrifying to experience this kind of pain alone, when neither the body nor the child are ready. And Sasuke… was just as terrified as Naruto. Danger is a thrill, adrenaline, a challenge to shinobi, but this time… this time, Sasuke's never been so terrified in his life, and not one jutsu he has can fix or get them out of it.
"I apologize for interrupting your rest,"
"I promised you two exclusive care. This is my duty as a doctor and his grandmother," says Tsunade. "He'll be fine. Treat this as his checkup for his 30th week. His mucus plug is still there, cervix is shut, pink, and healthy, the baby's heart rate is good, he hasn't dropped, there's a healthy amount of amniotic fluid, there is no bleeding whatsoever, and his blood pressure is normal. The child is at the right weight and size judging by the size of Naruto's womb, though he's still a little underweight for how far along he is but he's improved greatly,"
"Thank you,"
"You know, Uchiha. This child really wants to be born. Never seen a child with a grip on its mother so tight," Tsunade almost lets herself sound excited for Naruto. "You can take him home in the morning,"
He nods, and when Tsunade leaves, he asks a nurse to look after Naruto so he can arrange for help. Because he knows Naruto will never ask for help.
"I need you to trust me, Naruto," Naruto recalls Tsunade's instructions as he waits for the rickshaw Sasuke arranged to bring him back to the apartment as they leave the hospital. "Do not see Sakura for a long while."
He wonders if it had something to do with the scenting incident.
Sasuke instructs the puller to take it slow and avoid any bumps in the road so Naruto wouldn't be jogged around too much. Sasuke is already waiting at the apartment building entrance when Naruto arrives.
"Sorry for the drama last night," says Naruto as they step out of the elevator onto their floor. "It's never been that bad before,"
"Naruto," says Sasuke, his keys jingling as he unlocks their door. "I am your alpha, your mate,"
Naruto blushes at the declaration. They step into the genkan and Naruto toes off the slippers the hospital gave him.
"Anything that happens to you is my business. Anything that happens to me is your business. Anything that happens to the baby is also my business because I am his father. Don't ever be afraid of asking for my help because it's my duty to you as your mate. I will carry you to the ends of the earth with this one arm if I have to,"
Naruto pulls Sasuke in and presses their foreheads together. "Akihiko is so lucky to have you as his Papa," he whispers.
If you ask Sasuke, Akihiko is lucky because he has Naruto for a mother.
"Ah, there you are!"
Naruto looks up to see Iruka emerging from the washroom. "I've got lunch ready, and I hope you won't mind me staying over for a couple of days!"
"Eh?"
Sasuke leads a confused Naruto into the dining area, where lunch of rice, pan fried salmon, miso, and fermented vegetables are served.
"A couple of days… what for? What's going on, Sasuke?"
"You're not in the habit of asking for help, so I asked for you," Sasuke tells him as he lowers Naruto down at the table. "I still have to oversee the house and the property, so I asked Iruka-san to come and look after you,"
"I've got some accumulated days off, so I immediately jumped on it. It'd be nice to spend time with you again. And you might not know, Kakashi might even spend a night or two!" says Iruka, patting Naruto's cheek. "And I'm so very glad you're okay,"
Naruto let out a shuddered breath, leaning into Iruka's touch and reaching for Sasuke's hand. "I was so scared," he took in a sharp inhale, attempting to force the tears back.
"We're here for you," says Iruka, "And we'll take good care of you and the baby. Me, tou-chan, and Sasuke-kun. So don't you worry,"
Naruto pulls Sasuke's hand to his chest, clutching it like a lifeline, and Iruka presses their foreheads together, scents mingling together. "Thank you,"
Kakashi arrives just after three in the afternoon, when Sasuke and Iruka are having tea. Naruto is taking a nap.
"Sorry, Hokage-sama just let me go. Where is he?" Kakashi says as Sasuke brings him in.
"He's sleeping and doing much better," says Sasuke, "I think the relaxants are still in his system. Hokage-sama says it causes drowsiness, so he'll be resting for a while,"
"Good, good," Kakashi nods, setting his duffle bag down by the genkan. "Did he eat well?"
"Tea?" Iruka offers as Kakashi sits at the table, Sasuke beside him.
"Yeah, that's good," Kakashi nods, pulling his mask down.
"Not too much," answers Iruka as he pours Kakashi the cold tea and offers him a stick of dango from the takeaway container in the middle of the table. "He had a little bit of the fish and miso soup. Rice might have been too heavy for him, and he may have been too tired to eat. If he wakes, I'll make him something light,"
"Everything is okay now?" he asks again, setting the glass of tea down after a few gulps.
"They're both doing well," says Sasuke. "The Godaime says, and I believe Naruto's been keeping this, that he's had these false contractions since the start, and they have caused bleeding before, hence the panic last night. It was especially intense last night, though,"
Kakashi sighs audibly. Their poor boy.
"Sensei!" Naruto greets Kakashi cheerfully, having woken up from his nap. "Are you going to stay over, too?"
"Yep!" Kakashi tries to return the same amount of glee Naruto seems to give him every time they see each other. "Iruka and I are gonna crash on your guest room for a while,"
Naruto waits for Sasuke to catch up with him to the table so he's able to lower himself onto the seat with Sasuke's assistance. "Does that mean you and Sasuke will work here?"
"Only for a few hours a day. Sasuke seems to be getting the hang of it and Shizune gives a lot of good pointers,"
"I can help!" Naruto grins.
"No working, remember?" Iruka taps his forehead and hands him a glass of cold tea.
"Yeah, but I'm so bored!" Naruto frowns, grabbing a stick of dango from the takeaway box and biting the sticky balls off the bamboo skewers. "Besides, I could totally teach you stuff, too!"
"No means no," says Kakashi.
Naruto huffs and pouts. "Fine!"