*IMPORTANT NOTICE!* As of 1/31/15, this chapter has been EDITED (a little) to abide the FFN guidelines. To view the entire, unedited and much better version, links are available on my profile.
I am abiding by FFN ratings and removing-anything overtly dark or violent, and the scenes of complete and unrepentant smut that are considered MA, from this site. I do this in order to protect reviews linked to my stories and account that I want to keep from anyone with an email account, hate for my stories, and want my account banned for whatever their weak excuses may be.
Warnings: Contains adult language, themes, and suggestions. It is not suitable for anyone below the age of 16 per FFN guidelines.
Chapter Notes: In matters that pertains to this chapter-technically, Obito killed Biwako and Taji when Naruto was born but I don't like that at all so I've brought them back. Also, props for the name at the end of this chapter goes to One Strange Onion!
October fifteenth, the twenty-third week,
"Alright, do we have any questions on how to properly swaddle your child?" Biwako, the instructor asked. Baby Basics was held in the maternity ward of the hospital, in a classroom filled with picture of babies throughout the months of pregnancy and informational posters. The first time Sasuke had been here he had found it a little overwhelming but after attending the class a few times, he'd read every poster and knew all the information they held.
Now though, he moved back to his seat, having returned from the bathroom and sat down in front of his baby doll. The thing already swaddled in the blanket Sasuke had been given before he went to the bathroom. Naruto's eye was twitching in frustration as he struggled to hold all edges of the blanket together and keep his doll from moving. With a sigh, Sasuke set his hand on the first fold of the blanket, helping his blonde step by step as the instructor went from table to table.
"So when do you go on maternity leave?" Biwako asked as she stepped up to their table. She was definitely older. Her hair graying at the roots and pulled up into a high ponytail, crows feet at the corners of her eyes and worry lines on her forehead but she had a kind smile. What Sasuke like most about her, and respected her for, was she didn't talk down to him or Naruto when they asked questions and seemed to be genuinely concerned with teaching them, rather than who they were.
"What?" Sasuke blinked, realizing that the instructor had asked him a question.
"Maternity leave, did you forget about it?" Naruto asked. The blonde nudged the Uchiha with his elbow, grinning as Sasuke gave him a dismissive glance.
"I'm starting my leave in a month as of right now but the Hokage knows that might change depending on how fast the baby develops." He answered. Biwako nodded and looked over to Naruto's swaddled baby doll.
"Very good, Sasuke." She complimented and raised an eyebrow at Naruto. "Make sure you practice at home, so you can do this without help." The blonde nodded and smiled as he placed his hand on his doll. Biwako moved on to the next row of tables behind them and Sasuke pointedly ignored the tables of women in front of them who were quietly talking and watching the instructor move around the room. It had taken a few classes to get used to being the only men in the room but he still refused to go to the class alone.
"I didn't bring any food." Sasuke leaned closer to his partner as his stomach growled quietly.
"Hungry?" Naruto whispered back. The Uchiha nodded and moved to unwrap the blanket from the doll. He might as well practice while they had a few moments of free time and paused when Naruto sat back and dug his hands into the pockets of his jacket.
"Here." Naruto pulled out a plastic bag and set it down on the table between them.
"Carrots." Sasuke stated. He didn't know if he should be grateful or annoyed the blonde had brought them, grateful that he had brought food for him or annoyed that it was plain, raw, carrot sticks inside the bag.
"It's a healthy snack. What I would have given for my husband to think about those kinds of things when I was pregnant." A woman at the table in front of them spoke up. Sasuke cocked an eyebrow at her and reached for the bag, pulling it into his lap so he could eat with some amount of privacy.
"If you don't mind me asking," Naruto leaned onto their table, closer to her. "Why are you taking this class if you've had kids before?" Sasuke opened the bag of carrots and looked up
"It's a good refresher course but mostly it's because we're curious." The woman blushed and looked to the woman next to her who nodded unabashedly.
"Curious about what?" Naruto asked. He looked between the two women curiously with a friendly smile and the Uchiha watched as all the women in front of them looked to them and could feel more stares coming from behind them.
"Us, idiot." Sasuke elbowed him in the ribs and focused his attention on the carrots in his lap so he wouldn't meet any of their stares and glare at them.
"Oh." Naruto's eyes widened as the realization hit him. The Uchiha shoved a carrot into his mouth as Biwako walked past their table, back up to the front and cleared her throat to grab everyone's attention.
"Are we ready to move on?" Biwako asked. When no one raised a hand she continued. "Alright, the next lesson is how to properly feed and burp your child. Does anyone need a refresher on breast feeding before we move on to bottle feeding?" The instructor looked around the room and was greeted by silence and the sound of Sasuke chewing on carrots.
A knock on the door stopped Biwako from continuing on and Sakura popped her head into the room. "Biwako-sensei." She stepped into the room, bowing to the older woman respectfully.
"Sakura-san, what can I do for you?" The instructor turned to her as Sakura straightened.
"I'm sorry for interrupting your class but is it all right if I borrow Naruto and Sasuke for a moment?" She glanced to them as Sasuke cocked an eyebrow curiously and Naruto was already preparing to stand.
"Of course." Biwako looked to the only two men in the room and jerked her head to the pink haired woman. Sasuke wrapped the bag up and stuffed the carrots in his pocket as Naruto darted to the door quickly. The dark haired male nodded to their instructor as they left the room. "Does anyone have any questions? Questions about the class, not his pregnancy, Kohada." She spoke to the group of women as Sasuke shut the door and the Uchiha felt his face heat up.
He and Naruto didn't know any of these women personally and he didn't know if he should be irritated that they were so curious about them or glad about it. It meant they weren't scared of him but that also meant they were brave enough to ask about his pregnancy. Sakura had moved a few steps away from the door and was standing next to a woman that the Uchiha knew was familiar.
"Naruto, Sasuke, this is Taji. She's one of our most experienced medics." Sakura introduced the woman. Taji gave a small bow and both men mirrored her, Sasuke placing a hand on his stomach as he did so.
"You helped us sign up for the class." Naruto smiled widely and held out his hand for her to shake. "It's nice to meet you again." Taji took the blonde's hand and smiled over to Sasuke who nodded to her.
"You too, Naruto. I'm glad you're both going to the classes, are you learning a lot?" She asked.
"We are, it's a lot to take in sometimes but we're managing." The blonde glanced to the Uchiha for confirmation and the dark haired male nodded.
"Hn." Sasuke added. Sakura rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest.
"I wanted you to meet Taji because she's volunteered as your obstetrician when it's time to give birth." Sakura explained.
"What does that mean, exactly?" Naruto cocked his head to the side and looked between their pink haired friend and Taji in confusion.
"I'd be preforming the Caesarean section and delivering the baby." The older brunette smiled and motioned to the Sakura. "Of course, Sakura will be assisting for her to get some experience and hopefully, for your peace of mind." Sasuke let his gaze wander to the other side of the hallway as a group of nurses passed by them, their stares unabashedly on his stomach.
"I'm sure she's always wanted to cut me open and see what's inside." Sasuke muttered. He looked back to Sakura and gave a glower that they both knew wasn't meant for her but at the women who were still staring at him.
"That's not nice, Teme." The blonde nudged him. Sasuke cocked an eyebrow and Sakura shook her head a little and smiled. Naruto watched the pink haired woman smile and relaxed, his shoulders drooping as the nervous tension left him.
"It's your decision," Taji ignored their quiet squabble as she looked between the three of them. "There are quite a few experienced doctors in the village, any of them would be a good choice and who you allow in the delivery room is entirely up to you, Sasuke." The Uchiha blinked in confusion.
"I would be honored if you were my obstetrician." He answered. For a second, the Uchiha and Taji stared at each other, the older women smiling and he not knowing if he should say anything else.
"Alright then, I'll get a copy of your medical file from Sakura and we can go over details of the procedure the next time we meet." Taji smiled and Sasuke nodded, still unsure how to respond.
"Isn't that a little early? He's still in his second trimester." Naruto pointed out.
"It's best you're both prepared as early as possible, there's always a chance of a premature birth." Taji responded. When the blonde jerked his head to the Uchiha, she raised her hand. "I wouldn't worry, Sakura has been keeping a close eye on him. If he starts to experience any symptoms she'll have him in here before he can blink." Sasuke looked over to the blonde and nodded in an attempt to reassure him.
"There's no need to worry." Their female teammate chimed in. Naruto nodded but he still looked Sasuke over, as if waiting to see Sasuke go into labor at any moment. "Thank you again, Taji." Sakura said with a small bow.
"I start my shift soon so I'll find you later, Sakura." The older woman nodded to her and then to Naruto and Sasuke again. "And I'll be seeing you two in a few days." Taji smiled and bowed. Naruto and Sasuke both bowed in return then watched her walk away.
"See, Sasuke? You get to decide who's allowed in the delivery room. So I wouldn't be able to cut you open and see what's inside if you didn't want me to." Sakura set a hand on her hip and settled her weight on one foot as she grinned. Sasuke glanced back to the pink haired woman.
"But you would never want to cut Sasuke open in the first place, right?" Naruto asked. "Cause you're too good of a friend to do that." The blonde smiled weakly.
"If that's what helps you sleep at night, Dobe." Sasuke smirked and Sakura adopted the same expression, she looked almost evil. The blonde physically shivered and stepped away from his fiancé and teammate.
"Oh relax, Naruto. We're only messing around." Sakura giggled. She smiled warmly and Sasuke reached his hand out, took the blonde's hand and intertwined their fingers. Bringing their hands up, the Uchiha pulled Naruto closer, kissing the back of the tan hand.
"I'd be allowed to be in the delivery room, right?" The blonde asked. He relaxed when Sasuke squeezed his hand and Sakura raised her eyebrows in surprise.
"You're an idiot if you think I'm going anywhere without you when our baby is ready to be born." Sasuke responded with a blank stare. Naruto laughed in relief and leaned in close. He lifted his hand to Sasuke's face and turned the pale chin to kiss the Uchiha on the lips. The Uchiha let him, ignoring the stares he felt from the people passing them by in the hallway.
"Love you." Naruto murmured. He leaned back and Sasuke held his gaze for a moment, wanting to respond in kind.
"Alright, enough of the sappy love shit. Get back to your class." Sakura interrupted their moment and made a shooing motion at the blonde. Naruto cracked a grin and raised both his hands up to the back of his head as he stepped back.
"Okay, we'll see you at home for dinner, right?" The blonde asked. She nodded and watched him turn to go back into the room, Sasuke turned to follow him but stopped when Sakura brushed her hand across the Uchiha's arm.
"Sasuke," Sakura reached for the Uchiha's hand and held him back as Naruto stepped back into the classroom. "I also received a notification from Tsunade-sama, she finally got the last clerk in the scroll rooms to sign off on having you in there. You'll need to see her for when you can start searching for information on the seals."
"Thanks." Sasuke nodded to her. When she didn't let go, he tilted his head slightly and waited for her to continue.
"Also, she wants to know when she'll be officiating your guys' wedding. That little rumor has spread just as quickly as the one about you opening the compound." Sakura dropped her hand and regarded him carefully. For a moment, the Uchiha considered the news and shrugged his shoulders. He had known the Hokage would want to marry them; she had had a soft spot for Naruto since before Sasuke had even met the woman.
"Both are true." He responded finally. Sakura nodded and leaned against the wall.
"So have you guys picked a date?" She asked. He shook his head and stuck his hands in his pockets.
"Before the baby's born would be best. I don't think we could plan it in time though, even a small one. It's not exactly traditional for an Uchiha to have a child out of wedlock." Sasuke murmured with a grin. Sakura's eyebrows shot up in surprise.
"I don't think anyone will really care, you're relationship with Naruto isn't exactly traditional." The pink haired woman shifted her gaze to stare down a nurse that stared at them as she passed them.
"People will care," The Uchiha started and paused, thinking about what he really wanted to say. "I didn't want to get married at first, but Naruto convinced me otherwise."
"He has the tendency to do that." Sakura chuckled. "Go save your idiot from the curious gossips. I've got work to do." She pushed herself off of the wall and smiled as she made her way down the hallway and Sasuke returned to the Baby Basics classroom. The women were giggling when he stepped inside, Biwako standing in front of the classroom, arms crossed over her chest and her expression was pitying. Said blonde was squirming in his seat, face redder than a tomato and most of the women were staring at him expectantly. Naruto's eyes met his and he nearly jumped out of his chair when the Uchiha moved forward.
"What have I missed?" Sasuke asked quietly when he sat down.
"I asked Biwako-sensei what I should do in case of an emergency and they ganged up on me, asking me if you were going into labor." Naruto mumbled.
"Then now they know the answer." Sasuke responded and looked up to their instructor. He pulled out his bag of carrots and set them down on the table, if he was going to deal with these women, he was going to do it on a full stomach.
"They have a few questions for you." Biwako gestured around to the women in the room. Naruto shifted uncomfortably in his seat and turned his head to the Uchiha, probably wanting to bolt out of the room and all he needed was the go ahead.
"It's so Biwako-sensei can focus the rest of the classes on what you two need to know." One of the braver women called out. Sasuke raised an eyebrow as he looked in their direction. That was a fairly good excuse to get all the information they wanted about his pregnancy.
"How far along are you?" Another woman asked. Sasuke reached into the baggy to pull out a piece of carrot and inspected it as he briefly thought about his answer.
"Twenty three weeks give or take a few days." He finally said. Biting into his carrot, he looked over to Naruto and raised an eyebrow at the blush that was reappearing there. It's not like he had to answer the soon to be embarrassing questions about his body.
"How did you do it?" A young woman in the front asked. She raised her hand and then lowered it slowly when Sasuke looked to her. "I mean, what seal did you use?"
"I made the seal myself," Sasuke answered. He tried to keep a straight face as he said it but the blonde next to him started to squirm in his seat again.
"The specifics of it are classified information, am I correct?" Biwako called out as the woman opened her mouth again. Sasuke nodded in the affirmative. He had tailored the seal to his genetic makeup and used more than one technique that was not approved for civilian use. Turning his gaze to the young woman in the front, he watched her hopeful expression disappear and Biwako stepped forward to rest her hand on the woman's shoulder. The only thing he could think of was she was unable to have a child naturally and her options of seals were limited. A pang of remorse hit him and Sasuke looked away, feeling guilty.
"Do you know if it's a boy or girl?" The woman sitting next to Naruto asked. Sasuke glanced over to her as he willed away the negative emotions.
"We decided we didn't want to know." Naruto spoke up. The Uchiha was glad that was one topic that the blonde was always adamant about since Ino.
"Have you had any of the symptoms of being pregnant?" Another asked. Sasuke stuck his hand back into the baggy and looked down when he didn't touch one immediately. He was eating through them quickly and was still hungry.
"Nausea, morning sickness, swollen ankles, I'm always tired." He answered before biting into a piece of carrot, satisfied with the noise of the raw crunch.
"He couldn't stand the smell of ramen, or food cooking for a few weeks." The blonde chimed in.
"Are you two really engaged?" One woman asked. Looking down, he could see count the carrots on one hand and tried to slow down on his munching to make them last.
"What does that have to do with his pregnancy?" Naruto asked with a frown. Sasuke leaned onto the desk and didn't bother opening his mouth to say anything on that matter.
"When is the wedding?" A woman in a seat behind them asked. Naruto leaned onto the table, drumming his fingers on the table and looked Sasuke to see what he'd answer. Sasuke just shook his head and refused to answer.
"What about opening the compound?" Another asked. The Uchiha rolled his eyes and looked to his fiancé to answer that one. He was the one who wanted to do it but the blonde just shrugged his shoulders and continued to drum his fingers on the table.
"Ladies please, keep it to his pregnancy. That is what this class is about." Biwako scolded them gently. Silence reigned for the next few seconds as the women reconsidered their questions and the two men in the room waited for them.
"Have you started thinking about baby names?" A woman sitting at the table on Sasuke's side asked. Naruto and Sasuke glanced to each other, trying to see who would answer first.
"Not yet." Sasuke stated with a frown. He looked away from his blonde and looked to the woman who had asked. They would have to get started on that soon as well. There was so much he and Naruto needed to do and he was already in his second trimester.
"Have you made a list of baby items that you have? If you bring it in we can expand on it and give some tips." An older woman in one of the first row of tables spoke up.
"Yeah, that'd be really helpful. We could use the advice." Naruto nodded with a smile. Sasuke tilted his head in acknowledgment; it was a good idea, especially if it meant they could pick the brains of these experienced mothers.
"Any other questions before we move on?" The instructor called out.
"Do you two still have an active sex life?" Someone called out. Sasuke nearly choked on his last carrot mid-swallow and Naruto stilled so quickly the Uchiha glanced over to him to make sure he wouldn't faint.
"Kohada!" Biwako called out angrily. Some of the women looked away in embarrassment and others tried to look like they weren't looking at them, curious as to the answer. Most of the women had turned towards one another and started whispering, the room filled with quiet conversations.
"This is so embarrassing." The blonde mumbled under his breath. "I knew I should have taken an extra perimeter shift today." Sasuke scowled and swiveled in his seat, lifted his leg and kicked the blonde off of his chair.
"Hey!" The blonde cried out. "I brought you carrots!" He whined. The Uchiha glared at him from his seat and turned back to their instructor, glowering darkly.
"Everyone, quiet!" Biwako called out loudly. She gave Sasuke a repentant look before glaring at every woman in the room one by one until they were silent. Naruto eventually stood up and sat back in his chair, glancing to the Uchiha every now and then as the dark haired male crumpled the empty bag and stuffed it in his pocket. "Alright, let's move on to properly prepare milk for bottle feeding." Biwako motioned for someone to come up and help her pull empty baby bottles out of a closet in the front of the room.
"Don't worry, I'm sure you're going to make a wonderful daddy." The woman sitting at the table close to the Uchiha murmured softly.
"Father, I'm going to be a father." Sasuke corrected her. A strange fluttering started in his ribcage, he inhaled deeply to try and quell it but it didn't fade.
"He doesn't like to be called daddy." Naruto whispered with a wide smile. The Uchiha looked to him for a brief moment before kicking his shin. He grunted in pain, wincing as he reached down to rub the spot where he'd been kicked. "You didn't have to hit me so hard." The blonde whispered loudly. Of course he didn't, but it certainly made the sensation in Sasuke's chest seem lighter.
"Naruto, Sasuke, my previous order to remain quiet included you as well." Biwako called out as she moved around the room, placing bottles on tables. The women started to snicker again as Naruto blushed and Sasuke refused to meet their instructor's gaze.
"Don't, Naruto. You know he's going to be pissed when he wakes up." Sakura's voice roused Sasuke into consciousness.
"Oh, come on Sakura. He's never been so deeply asleep for this long before." Naruto's excited voice roused the Uchiha even further and he opened his eyes, wondering how he had fallen asleep and why he had done it on their couch. Looking around, he could see sheets of paper on his chest and remembered he had been trying to figure out how to word a lease agreement.
"He's going to hit you when he sees what you're doing." Blinking, Sasuke looked over to where the voices were coming from. Of course, the first thing he saw was Naruto kneeling in front of him and looking over his shoulder, a calligraphy brush wet with black ink in hand. Still sleepy, he tried to contort his face into a glare as the blonde looked back down at him.
"Naruto." Sasuke grumbled. He lifted his hand up to grab the papers on top of him so he could sit up.
"Oh shit, Sasuke!" The blonde cried out in surprise. Sasuke watched him topple backwards on his ass and stared when the blonde looked back at him with a shit-eating grin before he broke out laughing. Naruto dropped the brush on the floor and it rolled away, leaving ink marks in its wake.
"Why do I have to keep reminding you that you need to sleep on your side?" Sakura chuckled. Sasuke sleepily looked to her to find her smiling at him, her cheeks puffed out as if she was trying hard not to burst out laughing.
"I wasn't planning on falling asleep." The Uchiha responded grumpily. He raised a hand up to his face as he sat up, careful of his burgeoning stomach. His fingers touched something wet on his face as he swung his legs over the edge of the couch. "What-?" Pulling his hand away, Sasuke frowned when he saw the black, very ink like substance that had come from his cheek. Almost immediately, Naruto began scrambling backwards, still grinning as the Uchiha quickly concluded to the reason behind his actions.
"Now, Sasuke." The blonde chuckled nervously. Sasuke raised an eyebrow menacingly as he stood up and began to stalk the crawling man around the room. "Let's be reasonable. I'm your fiancé right? Um, the father of our unborn child?" Naruto pleaded as he backed himself up against a wall. Staring down at his mischievous lover, the pregnant male watched the blonde attempt to keep at least a straight face but his lips continuously twitched upwards. He almost felt sorry for Naruto; he was trying so hard not to smile.
"Give him a break, Sasuke. He's been picking up extra perimeter shifts and taking more missions." Sakura sighed. Staring down at the blonde, he narrowed his eyes into a cold stare at him.
"Trying to get out of going to our classes." He snorted. The blonde opened his mouth to say something but their friend beat him to it.
"So he can call in favors and be able to go to the classes." Sakura corrected him. Raising an eyebrow at the pinkette, he watched her break out into another fit of giggles.
"Hey, that's not true!" Naruto looked between Sakura and Sasuke, he put his hands on the wall in an attempt to raise himself up on his feet. The Uchiha raised his foot and pushed the blonde back against the wall, refusing to let him up. "I mean, come on, Teme!" Naruto whined. He looked between Sakura and Sasuke both, looking caught between wanting to tell the truth and attempting to lie.
"What are you planning?" Sasuke cocked his head to the side and put more pressure on the blonde's chest. By the way Naruto's eyes widened and his ears started to redden, he knew he had uncovered the start of a secret his fiancé was trying to hide.
"Leave him alone, Sasuke. You should probably go wash your face before it dries. You'll be stuck with smears if you wait any longer." Sakura called out. She walked around the two and sat down on the couch, making herself comfortable. Reluctantly, the Uchiha stepped off of the blonde's chest and turned to Sakura.
"I'll get him to tell me. One way or another." Sasuke muttered threateningly. He could hear Naruto let out a sigh of either relief at the reprieve as he passed their friend on the couch with a silent glare.
"What are you planning, exactly?" The pink haired woman asked quietly. Sasuke had to pause in the hallway to listen.
"I don't want to spoil the surprise." Naruto responded softly. "I don't even know if he's going to like it." Feeling slightly guilty about listening in, Sasuke quietly made his way to the hallway bathroom and turned on the light to see what damage the blonde had done.
'DADDY' was written on his forehead, Uzumaki clan swirls were on both his cheeks and Naruto had had the audacity to paint half a mustache on him. A streak of black ink was drawn on one side of his upper lip that made the clan seal look like an extravagant mustache but the other side of his lip was missing the connecting line. Obviously he had been awakened before Naruto could finish his artwork.
Glaring at his reflection, Sasuke flipped the faucet water on hot and leaned over. He splashed the water on his face and then started to scrub at the ink on his forehead, hoping it would come off easily. When he looked up again, the ink on his forehead had washed off and was running down his face, making it look like he was crying a watery black color. Moving to his cheeks, he found that those had been the first things Naruto had drawn on his face. They were already drying on his skin and he spent more than a few minutes scrubbing at them. Sasuke's cheeks were red when he finished with them and the baby had started to kick in earnest after a few minutes of his bent posture, his bladder was screaming for release.
After taking care of that biological necessity, he left the bathroom, in a slightly grouchier mood than he had been just after waking up. Naruto had moved onto the couch, leaning forward onto his knees and looking off into space distractedly. Sakura was walking back into the room, a glass of water in hand and she walked towards him, meeting him right next to the couch as Naruto looked up at them.
"Drink." She commanded. "You haven't had anything to drink since you came back from your class." Sasuke stared at the glass in her hand before shaking his head.
"I'm not thirsty." He answered. Attempting to sidestep his friend, she followed him, refusing to let him pass her.
"Drink it anyway, for the baby." She smiled knowingly and Sasuke rolled his eyes but took the glass from her. It wasn't until he took several gulps of the room temperature water that the strong willed woman let him pass so he could sit next to his blonde. "So how's the lease writing going?" She sat down on the armrest of the couch and watched Sasuke set the glass of water down.
"Hn." He responded shortly. Naruto wrapped his arm around the Uchiha's shoulders in an attempt to comfort him. Sasuke leaned towards him without even bothering to fight about it; he found that he was enjoying the touches.
"He's been working on it for a few days, seems a little stressed out about it." The blonde responded for him. Sasuke pressed his cheek against the blonde's shoulder and sighed. He could see Sakura frown and look to his abandoned glass of water.
"Why not ask your old landlord about it, maybe he could let you look at his for an example?" Sakura asked. The dark haired male tilted his head upwards to glare at her.
"Sasuke's still upset about the old hag helping us out with getting the compound running again." Naruto spoke up when Sasuke didn't answer right away.
"What's your issue with asking for help? Besides, that was ages ago." She asked. Wanting to ignore her questions, the dark haired male grabbed his glass of water pointedly.
"I think it's more about when the old hag did all that stuff so we could get the compound livable again." Naruto played with cloth of the Uchiha's sweater as Sasuke took a short sip and rolled his eyes. "Before he asked."
"I didn't ask for her help." The Uchiha finally spoke up for himself. He watched Naruto sigh and Sakura lifted both of her eyebrows.
"Sometimes you don't need to." Sakura told him sincerely. Naruto raised his hand to the Uchiha's raise, running his fingers through the naturally rising spikes and Sasuke refused to look up at Sakura. "Okay, let's get dinner started, it's my turn to cook." She stood up and dusted off her behind and moved toward the kitchen.
"Why do we let her make dinner here? She has her own apartment now." Naruto muttered into Sasuke's ear. Tilting head to look up, the dark haired male glared softly at him.
"Because she cooks for us?" Sasuke retorted. "It's worth it, even if she invites Apricot, Iruka, and Kakashi over." The dark haired male added. Naruto exhaled loudly before nodding. He tilted his head downwards and placed a kiss on the pregnant male's temple.
"I like the group dinners too, it's a whole new experience." Naruto tugged on Sasuke's hair gently and smiled when he received a glare.
"Guys, I need some help in here tonight, Yamato said he'll be coming too." Sakura called out. Their eyes met and they both appraised each other, wondering if the other would volunteer themselves first. As Naruto opened his mouth to say something, Sasuke spoke up.
"You do it." He smirked as the blonde made a noise in the back of his throat before he stopped and leaned back to frown at the pregnant male.
"Why me?" The blonde complained. Sasuke raised an eyebrow at him and quickly thought of an excuse, he could hear Sakura listening to them and heard her walk back into the room.
"My feet hurt." The Uchiha crossed his legs, lifting his foot onto the blonde's lap and gave him an innocent look. Naruto looked down at the pale foot on his lap and then up at Sakura who crossed her arms over her chest and was looking at the Uchiha skeptically.
"That doesn't mean you can't get up and walk into the kitchen." The pink haired woman spoke up. "You can sit down and cut vegetables while Naruto starts the rice." Sasuke turned his attention to their friend and scowled at her. The blonde laughed and put his hand on the dark haired male's ankle, starting to massage it gently.
"You're ruining his fun, Sakura." Naruto called out good-naturedly with a smile. Sasuke raised an eyebrow, surprised that the blonde was going along with his antics knowingly.
"He's just being a baby." The pink haired woman rolled her eyes and motioned back to their kitchen. "Let's go." She watched the blonde set Sasuke's foot down and moved to stand up. Sasuke exhaled softly but set his feet down and pressed his hands onto the couch seat so he could push himself up.
"Maybe because I'm having a baby." He grumbled halfheartedly. Sakura grinned as she stepped out of the doorway to let the two into the kitchen before following them in.
"Yeah right." Sakura snorted. Sasuke and Naruto both went to wash their hands before the Uchiha picked up the vegetables, a cutting board, and a knife, and sat down at the table. Naruto went to the cabinet they kept the rice in and Sakura went to the fridge to pull out whatever meat she planned on cooking for dinner. They heard the front door open and soft footsteps made their way into the house.
"Sasuke?" Kyoko's voice called out suddenly. "I finished organizing those keys and leases like you told me to do." Sasuke looked up from the vegetables to see Apricot tentatively stepping into the kitchen.
"You've got her working?" Naruto asked in surprise. Sasuke shrugged his shoulders as he to chopped vegetable after vegetable. The blonde dumped rice into the bowl of their cooker and went to the sink again to pour water into it.
"What else is she going to do? She can only do so much training in a day." The Uchiha paused and looked over his shoulder to the blonde and then to Kyoko. "Would you rather train than work?" He asked. Apricot blinked once and then shook her head vigorously, she hadn't exactly fallen in love with Kakashi's teaching style.
"Well since you finished the job Sasuke gave you, why don't you help us cook dinner?" Sakura asked. She smiled and nodded her head for the girl to come further into the kitchen. Naruto set the bowl in the rice cooker, placed the lid on it, set the timer and leaned against the counter.
"Or she can just watch, I'd like to be able to eat something that's actually edible." Naruto muttered good-naturedly. Apricot moved to sit next to Sasuke, sticking her tongue out at him as she passed. Naruto returned the gesture childishly and Sasuke rolled his eyes but found himself to be in too good of a mood to call him out on it.
"Dobe," Sasuke started. He waited until the blonde looked to him before continuing. "We should start making lists for baby names."
"Oh, hey." Sakura looked over her shoulder and smiled at the Uchiha.
"Ooh!" Apricot leaned into Sasuke's space for half a moment before backing away at the pregnant male's glare. "Lists, like one for boy names and one for girl names?" She asked in a calmer tone.
"Not unless you want to combine the girl names and boy names on the same list." Sakura told her sarcastically. "Have a boy, name him Nanami. Have a girl and name her Hiroto." She gave Sasuke a grin and turned back to her cutting board.
"I don't like those names. Nanami just doesn't sound right." The blonde spoke up. Sasuke tilted his head to agree with him, they were not naming their baby Nanami, boy or girl.
"Okay, should we start with girl names or boy names?" Naruto asked. He pushed himself off the counter so he could sit next to Sasuke, with Apricot on the other side.
"Girl's names." Sakura called out. She moved to the sink to wash her hands before picking up her cutting board of meat and turned to the stove. "Where do you keep the wok, Sasuke?"
"Lower cabinet on your right." The Uchiha answered. He set his knife down and motioned for Apricot to grab the inedible bits to toss them out and she did so with only a moment's hesitation. Sakura took out their wok and placed it on the stovetop, she leaned down to eye level with the old-fashioned stove and flipped the knob to the stovetop to light the burner.
"Okay, anyone have any names in mind already?" The blonde questioned. All three at the table watched as Sakura straightened and looked around the counter for something to season the meat with.
"Mei, Koharu, Airi, Rin, Yui, Yua, Aoi, Yuina, Hina and my name, Sakura." Sakura listed off. She glanced over to the three at the table and motioned to them for the vegetables. Sasuke pushed the cutting board to the blonde and nudged him to take it to her.
"You got those from the most common name list at the hospital!" Naruto pointed to the pink haired woman. She didn't even turn around to admit to the accusation as the blonde stood up and picked up the vegetables and set them down on the counter next to Sakura's meat.
"Let me guess, you've got the top ten boy names memorized too?" Sasuke asked. Apricot shifted in her seat and watched Sakura pour oil into the wok, checking how hot it was before she dropped the meat into it. It sizzled to Sakura's satisfaction and she glanced over to the Uchiha with a grin.
"Hiroto, Ren, Yuuma, Minato, Haruto, Shota, Yuuto, Haruto and Souma." She answered almost off-handedly as she tossed the meat in the wok.
"What about Kaname?" Apricot spoke up.
"Or Haku." Naruto added. "In memory of our first C-ranked mission."
"Apricot, can you get the soy sauce?" Sakura reached for their wok ladle and continued to stir the cooking meat. "Shouldn't we be writing this down?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Go get a piece of paper, Usuratonkachi, and a pen." He jerked his head to their living room and Naruto dutifully went to fetch the items with an excited grin.
"Haku." Sasuke murmured. He set a hand on his stomach as the baby started to kick and wondered if it was a name they could live with, if it would be a good name for a baby girl, or maybe even a baby boy.