*IMPORTANT NOTICE!* As of 1/31/15, this chapter has been EDITED to abide the FFN guidelines. To view the entire, unedited and much better version, links are available on my profile.
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Warnings: Contains adult language, themes, and suggestions. It is not suitable for anyone below the age of 16 per FFN guidelines.
October twenty-second, the twenty-fourth week,
"You're not allowed in there!" The shout surprised Sasuke and he jumped a little, lifting his head up from the scroll he was reading.
"Oh relax, I'm only going to stand in the doorway." Sakura's voice replied as the door to the scroll room opened. "Hiding from me, eh?" The pink haired woman raised an eyebrow at him, gave him a teasing grin and leaned against the doorframe. She was dressed in her usual ninja gear, which made the Uchiha feel slightly out of place in his long sleeved shirt and casual sweatpants.
"Sakura." He sighed and closed the scroll. The pregnant male then raised his hand and ran his fingers through his hair, which was getting to be too long again. "What are you talking about?"
"You cannot be in here." The old man behind Sakura huffed indignantly. He looked between Sakura and Sasuke angrily but knew he really couldn't do anything but wait for them to comply and then complain to the Hokage the next chance he got.
"You need another haircut. I'll cut it shorter this time so it'll take longer to grow out again." The pink haired woman stated. She ignored both the elder man behind her and the Uchiha's question as Sasuke set the scroll back on the shelf in its proper place. When the dark haired male finally stood up, she motioned for him to come closer and Sasuke did so with one hand on his belly, which was prominent now more than ever before.
"The Hokage will hear about this!" The clerk threatened. Sakura waved her hand at him and stepped out of the doorway so Sasuke could leave the room. Sasuke rolled his eyes and shut the door behind him, leaving the clerk to lock it as the pink haired woman led him away.
"I wasn't hiding from you." He murmured. "I just needed to get out of the compound for a few hours." She glanced over to him and shrugged her shoulders in response.
"I know, Naruto's clones were running me ragged too." She sighed. "But I actually was coming to get you for your checkup. Kusushi and Taji are looking forward to seeing you and the baby again." Sasuke looked to her blankly as they headed for the stairwell and started up the two flights to the ground floor.
"Did Naruto try to drag you into organizing all that stuff?" The Uchiha asked.
"No, I got tired of listening to him fight with himself and took charge of organizing everything." Sakura answered. "Then I left him to it and came to find you." Sasuke opened the stairwell door for Sakura and they continued on their way out of the Hokage tower.
"What about Kakashi and Apricot?" The pregnant male asked. They quietly walked out the front doors and into the cool breeze of late October air.
"He's teaching her something, Kakashi'll do anything to get out of helping Naruto with the heavy lifting." Sakura shrugged her shoulders. Sasuke didn't respond and they walked the rest of the way to the hospital in a companionable silence.
"Do you know if this is going to take long?" He asked when the stepped through the front doors of the hospital. The woman at the front desk looked up and smiled at them, Sakura waved and Sasuke nodded to her. She was definitely in his Baby Basics class and it wouldn't do to pretend he didn't recognize her.
"Why? Suddenly in a rush to get back?" His old teammate gave him an incredulous look and Sasuke shook his head in response.
"I still have research I need to do." The Uchiha answered.
"Oh come on, Sasuke. You're supposed to be taking it easy." Sakura berated him. She reached out to place a hand on his shoulder, which he tolerated.
"I'd rather be in the scroll room doing something productive than sitting at home with my fiancé's clones fussing over me." He answered. The pink haired woman dropped her hand but leaned closer to him.
"Getting used to that term? Fiancé." Sakura grinned and the Uchiha narrowed his eyes at her.
"I am." Sasuke responded calmly. "It gets Naruto all hot and bothered." The pink haired woman made a gagging noise in the back of her throat, making several people turn their heads at her in concern as they walked past.
"Ew. That's way too much information. Revenge for telling you about Iruka-sensei being loud?" She asked. Sasuke turned his head to her so she could see his smirk before he dropped it in a mask of indifference. "Touché." Sakura murmured before stopping at a door. The Uchiha stopped behind her as she opened it and he took it, holding it for her.
"Sakura," Taji called from inside the room happily. Sasuke walked into the room behind her and shut the door quietly. "And Sasuke, good to see you two again. I was just talking to Kusushi here about your ultrasounds." The older woman was sitting on one side of the room, hands in her lap and looking over to the sonographer who was leaning over a table on the other side of the room.
"Nothing bad I hope." Sakura leaned against the wall by the door and looked between the two older adults and the pregnant male. Sasuke found himself focusing on what Kusushi was looking intently at, an open file with sheets of paper neatly stapled inside, most looked like medical forms from what the pregnant male could see.
"No, no, nothing bad. You're twenty-four weeks along, isn't that right?" Taji motioned for the dark haired male to sit in the only available chair in the room and he moved towards it.
"Yes." Sasuke answered. He sat down and gripped the edges of his sweater to take it off, knowing the routine. Kusushi hummed wordlessly and closed the file, tapping his pointer finger against it as he continued to contemplate on something.
"So the baby's reflexes are starting to develop, fingerprints and footprints are already formed, has the baby been moving regularly?" Kusushi looked up from his chart to meet the Uchiha's gaze as he spoke.
"Almost every morning, sometimes when Naruto gets loud." The Uchiha stated. He looked over to Taji who nodded and he pulled his shirt up and over his head.
"Good, that's good." The brunette man pushed his glasses up on the bridge of his nose as Sakura leaned forward to take the Uchiha's sweater to hold. Sasuke handed it over with a nod and leaned back, his arm coming to rest along the curve of where his stomach met his ribcage almost naturally.
"Has the morning sickness come back?" Taji asked. She turned towards him and assessed his body with a critical gaze.
"No." He answered again. Kusushi turned back to the table and flipped open the file again, taking a pen out and scribbling something down.
"How's his weight gain?" The older woman questioned with a clinical tone.
"Really good, Naruto's been taking good care of him." Sakura responded.
"I'm right here." Sasuke grumbled. He glared at Sakura who ignored him, completely unaffected by his glare.
"What were his GCT test results?" She asked instead. The pink haired woman craned her neck to try to see into the folder over Kusushi's shoulder.
"Was that the sugar drink?" Sasuke questioned sarcastically. Taji gave him an amused smile and the sonographer snorted softly.
"Sounds like it's time for your nap." The older woman chuckled. He averted his gaze so he wouldn't glare at Taji and instead glowered at the wall.
"He passed." The brunet male spoke up. Sasuke glanced to the only other male in the room but Kusushi was still focused on his file.
"Alright, let's get you checked out so you can get out of here." Taji tugged up her sleeves to her elbows before rubbing her palms together to warm them. "Do you know when Naruto is going to have the compound ready?" She looked up for the answer.
"Probably by tomorrow morning." He answered and blinked at her when she nodded. Watching her, the Uchiha pulled his hand away from his stomach and set it down on the armrest. Once Sasuke nodded to the older woman, her hands started to glow green with her chakra and she gently set her hands on his baby bump.
"Everything feel normal?" Kusushi looked up again and this time turned his body to face Sasuke.
"Heartbeat is strong, the extremities seem to be forming nicely." Taji moved her hands from one side of his stomach to the other with a smile quickly forming on her lips. "Looks like the little tyke here is in the clear." She pulled her hands away as the glow of chakra faded and sat back, pleased with herself.
"And so is the soon to be father." Sakura pushed herself off the wall and held the Uchiha's shirt out for him to take. He took it, moving to sit at the edge of the chair so he could pull it on. "Are you sure you still want to head back to the records room? Or can I convince you to come to lunch with me?"
"Go get lunch, spoil yourself a little. I know Sakura can be a strict dietician." Taji crossed her arms over her chest and watched the Uchiha stand, straightening his sweater. He nodded quietly, not really knowing if he was agreeing with the older woman or agreeing to go out to lunch.
"I learned from the best." The pink haired woman retorted as she headed for the door. "Thank you again, Taji, Kusushi." She bowed and Sasuke did the same, more to Taji than Kusushi.
"I'll contact Sakura later in the week for our next appointment." Kusushi pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose again and closed the file as they both straightened from their bows.
"I look forward to hearing from you." Sakura opened the door and ushered Sasuke out into the hallway. "So, where do you want to go for lunch?" She asked after shutting the door.
"Hn." Sasuke answered. He wasn't exactly craving anything at the moment and Sakura would automatically veto any place that served foods that weren't all that healthy. Sasuke slipped his hands into his pockets as they left the hospital, the woman at the front desk waving to him again on their way out.
"Do you think Naruto will be mad if we go to Ichiraku's without him?" She asked. They paused outside the gates of the hospital and Sasuke tried to stop his body from shivering at the chilled breeze.
"You really need to ask?" Sasuke questioned with a raised eyebrow. Sakura crossed her arms and rubbed her arms vigorously to warm herself.
"Right, he'd be pissed." Sakura sighed as if she had known it all along. She glanced to him and grinned. "So we're going, right?"
"I think I have a craving." The Uchiha replied with a snort. He took the lead and led his old teammate towards Ichiraku's, ready to eat. "Revenge for not telling me what he's up to." Sakura blinked rapidly for a moment as she tried to figure out what he meant.
"You mean the thing about him taking extra perimeter shifts?" Sakura questioned. Tilting his head in an affirmative motion, Sasuke watched the pink haired woman contemplate the idea. "You do know Shikamaru is in charge of setting up the perimeter shift schedules, right? If anyone knows anything about what our resident idiot is up to, it's him."
"Naruto probably bribed him to keep his mouth shut." Sasuke grumbled.
"Then I guess you'll just have to wait to see." Sakura chuckled.
He found himself lying in bed, staring at the ceiling. Shouldn't he have been doing something? Sasuke couldn't remember and moved to lie on his side, knowing Sakura would yell at him for sleeping on his back. Raising his hand to his stomach, he stopped short and inhaled sharply. He couldn't feel his stomach sticking out. The moment of panic was brief, looking down to see his flat stomach as a cry rang out in the silence.
Unsure, Sasuke sat up to look around the room and pressed his hand to his flat abdomen. Another cry rang out, nearly making the dark haired man jump in surprise but it continued into a long wail and he found himself moving to stand. It was his baby, he realized when another wail rang out and he knew he had to find his child. The only sound in the house was the baby's crying, which made the house seem emptier than he knew it was. Sasuke left the main bedroom and stepped into the hallway, wondering where his baby was in the house. He followed the crying down the hallway into the guest bedroom and was surprised by what he saw. The last time he had been in the room, it had still been a guest bedroom but now it was completely redone
Curtains were hanging over the window and the walls had been repainted white. A crib had replaced the bed; a rocking chair had been set up in the corner, a small baby pen in another corner and a box of baby toys had been placed under the crib. He had paused to look around but the baby's wailing grew louder and he moved towards the crib. There, squirming ruefully was a baby, with a head full of black hair in a white onesie. His child. Almost fearfully, Sasuke reached down and brushed the backs of his fingers against the soft cheek of the red-faced crier. The baby continued to squirm and Sasuke grew more confident, reaching down with both his hands to lift the baby into his arms. Still crying, the baby's arms flailed as the Uchiha settled his hand under the head and righted his child against his body like he had been taught in class.
"Shh, hush now. It's alright." The Uchiha whispered in his poor attempt of a soothing tone. Automatically he started to softly rock his body from side to side, in the exact motions he had learned in the Baby Basics class but his child continued to wail loudly. "I've got you, why are you still crying?" He asked in a quiet murmur. Continuing to sway, he set his hand gently down the back of his child's head, feeling the downy soft hair and warm skin beneath his fingertips.
"-doesn't love you." Naruto's voice broke out over the sound of the crying. Turning his body towards the door, he saw the blonde leaning against the doorframe.
"What?" Sasuke whipped his head to the blonde. He watched as the blonde man came closer and reached his hands out. His arms stretched out towards him, towards their child in Sasuke's hands.
"Our baby," Naruto looked up from their child and frowned as he met the Uchiha's gaze. "Doesn't love you." Sasuke watched in horror as his soon-to-be husband plucked their child out of his hands and stepped back, the baby's wailing ringing in his ears.
"Why would you say that?" He asked. Taking a step to follow him and stopped when a pair of icy blue eyes glared at him.
"Because," Naruto turned his attention to the baby in his arms and started to rock his arms from side to side. Their child immediately quieted, as if realizing that Sasuke was no longer holding him. "It's the truth. What child would love someone who killed their own brother?" Something broke inside of him, hearing the man he loved say that. Sasuke felt his throat constrict and he squeezed his eyes shut, refusing to let himself begin to cry. He looked down to their child and the broken feeling inside started to crumble and spread in his gut. Their baby had the blonde's eyes; those bright blue eyes icily staring at him in the same expression as Naruto was.
"Teme?" Naruto's voice called out hesitantly. "Sasuke, are you alright?" Sasuke inhaled sharply and became aware of his body's prone position, realizing that he was lying on his side. That he had been asleep. Warm hands wrapped around his chest and gently lifted his upper body off the bed. He opened his eyes and tried to will away his nightmare as the blonde's body slid under his and lowered him down again. "Did you have a bad dream?" Naruto murmured softly.
"I dreamt the baby had already been born, that they hated me." He opened his eyes and turned his head into the blonde's chest, relishing the warmth of his fiancé. Hot hands wrapped around his shoulders, moving in a soothing motion and the Uchiha sighed softly. He'd deny it in front of anyone else but in this exact moment, he needed the comfort.
"Our baby could never hate you. Why would you think that?" Naruto raised a hand to run his fingers through the Uchiha's hair and waited patiently for him to respond. When he didn't, the blonde sighed and pressed his face into his fiancé's dark hair. "Sasuke, you do realize that kids are programmed to love their parents, right?"
"That's not funny, Dobe." The Uchiha shifted and sat up. The blonde let him pull away, watched him shift into a different position and leaned back again. He pulled Naruto's hands around his waist and set them on his pregnant stomach. "Where did you hear that lie?" Sasuke looked down to his stomach and stared at their intertwined hands for a moment, wondering whose skin color the baby would have.
"It's true, I swear." Naruto chuckled. "You're being stupid, thinking that our child will hate the parent that carried him or her around for nine months." The blonde pulled his hands away and the dark haired male dropped his hands onto the bed.
"They won't remember that, Usuratonkachi. I'm the one that killed his own brother." Sasuke let out a small grunt as the baby started to move and kick and Naruto gently felt across the dark haired male's stomach. The baby moved a few more times, not really kicking but enough that Naruto moved his hands around, searching for more.
"And I have the nine-tailed fox demon sealed inside of me. I think I win in the most hate-able parent category, and the most dangerous. Stop worrying about it." Naruto pressed his face into Sasuke's hair and dipped his pointer finger into the Uchiha's belly button, teasing his lover.
"Hn." The Uchiha murmured. Naruto wasn't wrong and he restrained himself from saying something even more disparaging. He attempted to rid himself of the dream and his fears, he'd deal with it when it happened. If it happened, he reminded himself. They were silent for a moment, Sasuke content to keep cuddling for as long as the blonde could stand to sit in one place and attempting to put the nightmare out of his mind.
"Do you think I'll make a good father?" Naruto suddenly spoke up. Surprised, the Uchiha blinked once and then frowned as he thought of his answer.
"You?" Sasuke tilted his head to look behind him and gave the blonde an incredulous look. "You were born to be a father."
"Teme, I'm being serious." Naruto grumbled. Sitting up, Sasuke turned his body so he was facing his fiancé and forced the blonde to set his hands in his own lap.
"So am I." The Uchiha stated pointedly. He met the blonde's gaze and watched as Naruto's face turned red.
"You really think so?" Naruto looked away embarrassedly and fiddled with the cloth of his pants. It took a fair amount of restraint to keep from raising an eyebrow at the blonde; they both had their doubts about the impending parenthood.
"If you're not a good father, I'll kick your ass." The Uchiha stated. He reached up and cupped his partner's cheek in his hand and Naruto leaned into the touch and sighed softly.
"That's always a good incentive." His blonde partner hummed sarcastically with a smile.
"Would you rather have me put you in a timeout in the corner?" Sasuke teased. Naruto raised an eyebrow as the dark haired male let his hand slide down a tan neck and onto the blonde's chest. "Or I could spank you."
"I like that idea much better." Naruto's voice had gone husky.
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"What are you going to punish me for?" Naruto asked. He gave the Uchiha a teasing smile.
"Two good reasons are you taking extra perimeter shifts and more missions than you're required to every week." The Uchiha said without missing a beat.
"Sasuke." Naruto called out in alarm. "Let me explain!"
"But I'm punishing you because you refuse to tell me why you're doing it." Sasuke retorted in response.
"I'm doing it because I love you." He tried to explain and Sasuke sighed.
"That's what I'm talking about. You deflect my question with half-truths and change the subject. It's like you're lying to me." Naruto's big blue eyes widened almost impossibly before he sat up.
"You know I would never do that." The blonde murmured soothingly. He took the Uchiha's face in his hands and they were staring into each other's eyes. "Please, Sasuke. Let me keep this to myself, just for a little longer." Sasuke couldn't blink as Naruto's big blue eyes practically screamed 'trust me' at him and he felt his resolve start to crumble, not for the first time.
"Fine." The Uchiha sighed and tried to turn his head away from the blonde. Naruto's hands tightened on his jaw line, forcing Sasuke to continue looking up at him.
"I don't want to spoil it. I want it to be special." The blonde stated. Sasuke could practically feel the emotions rolling off of Naruto that he could see in those expressive blue eyes.
"You do know that only makes me more curious." He heard himself saying. His half thought out attempt to diffuse the seriousness seemed to work and the blonde let out a breathy chuckle.
"Sorry," Naruto grinned and leaned forward to give Sasuke a quick peck on the lips. "Let me distract you." He whispered.
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"I should call in sick." Naruto sighed. Still breathing heavily, the blonde flopped his arm down on his bed partner's leg. "Want to stay here, with you." Sasuke snorted. "Did you know the baby's gender in your dream?" Naruto suddenly asked.
"It was just a dream, Dobe." Sasuke let his gaze move from the hand on his thigh to Naruto's face, giving him a raised eyebrow look.
"I know but maybe your subconscious has a clue." The blonde moved to sit up and raised his hand to the swell of his fiancé's belly. He pressed his cheek into the Uchiha's shoulder and smiled hopefully.
"So you do want to know the gender?" Sasuke asked. The dark haired male raised an eyebrow and watched Naruto lean closer, kissing him on the mouth.
"No, I mean, I want to know what you think the gender is." He moved to kiss Sasuke's cheek back down to his shoulder, nuzzling it with his cheek.
"I don't know." The Uchiha murmured. Raising a hand, the pregnant male ran his hands through blonde hair and began to pet Naruto's head.
"If you had to guess." Naruto said softly. He thought about it for a few seconds, debating how he would respond.
"It could be a girl or a boy." Sasuke finally answered. The blonde raised his head and furrowed his eyebrows at the dark haired male. When the Uchiha only raised his eyebrows in response, Naruto puffed out his cheeks and pouted.
"You're really no fun sometimes." He muttered. That made the pregnant male chuckle and he flicked a finger against one of Naruto's ears before continuing to card through soft, blonde hair.
October twenty third, still the twenty-fourth week,
"I guess today's the big day." Yamato did a full turn in the middle of the street, getting a full view of Naruto's hard work. Furniture was neatly organized from the gate to nearly the end of the street; full dining room table sets and bed sets were closest to the gate. Almost completed sets were next, followed by similar furniture and then the odd and random pieces at the very end.
"Yup, finally got everything ready." Naruto laced his fingers behind his head and grinned exuberantly. Sasuke remained silent and all three men started to walk forward, the blonde pointing to the first street on the left. Apricot was sitting at a desk that had been pushed just barely onto the side street, a large corkboard propped up against the side of the house next to her.
"You're going to have her help?" The older male asked in a disbelieving tone.
"Only to keep an eye on the keys." Sasuke responded. "No one will dare to go near her which means I don't have to keep an eye on them." Apricot smiled nervously at them before drumming her fingertips against the solid wood. "Naruto will do the rest of the work." Nodding, the blonde raised his hands in his favorite signs.
"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" He cried out. Puffs of white smoke surrounded them and Sasuke blinked in surprise at the amount. Over a hundred clones surrounded them, all grinning at the three of them.
"Where's Kakashi?" The brunette male questioned. Sasuke waved at the clones and watched them start to disperse, a dozen or so running straight to the end of the street, probably to stop anyone from venturing any farther. A few jumped onto the rooftops, half a dozen slipped out the gate, and the rest dispersed throughout the street.
"Out on a mission, Iruka's teaching at the academy." Naruto answered. They started to follow the clones that had run to the end of the street and the dark haired male readjusted his sweater, it was starting to get colder.
"I'm going to go hide out in my apartment until this all blows over then." Yamato sighed and pressed his fingers against the bridge of his nose. They continued past the clones, making it to the end of the street and stopped. Yamato might have been on his way to his apartment but both Naruto and Sasuke were staying.
"Good idea, I was thinking I'd do the same myself." Sakura called out. She was a few yards away from them and waved when they glanced in her direction. "It's going to be strange having so many people in here for once." Naruto wrapped an arm around Sasuke's waist.
"We're hoping that it'll stay that way, right Sasuke?" The blonde pulled the pregnant male's body closer, his fingers brushing against Sasuke's pregnant stomach.
"Hn." He answered. Both Sakura and Naruto grinned; Yamato raised his hand to rub at his eyes, sighing under his breath.
"Go home, Yamato. It looks like you could use the sleep." Sakura tilted her head, looking the older man over and clinically assessing his appearance. "How are you doing, Sasuke?" She turned her head over to the pregnant male and gave Sasuke a once over.
"As good I was yesterday." The Uchiha said. Sakura seemed satisfied with the answer; she nodded and turned her attention back to Yamato.
"Hey!" One of the Naruto clones yelled from the gate. "People are heading this way!" Yamato raised his hand to the clone and then nodded to the younger men.
"I'll see you all tomorrow." The older male stuck his hands in his pockets before he started walking away and Sakura started to follow him, smiling at Naruto and Sasuke.
"Have fun dealing with the civilians!" She called out to them. Sasuke watched the blonde wave goodbye to their old teammate and waited for the pink haired woman to completely turn around before resting his cheek on Naruto's shoulder.
"You okay? Warm enough?" His fiancé questioned. The two men turned back to the street, the clones watching them as they returned to the first side street where Apricot was sitting. Kyoko lifted her head from the desk when she heard them walk up and straightened in her seat. "You have that extra jacket I gave you?" Naruto asked.
"Yeah, here." Apricot turned her upper body around in the chair and pulled a black fleece jacket off of the back of it. She stood up, leaning over the table to hand it over to the blonde who took it.
"Thanks." Sasuke murmured as Naruto moved to help the Uchiha put it on. He zipped it up, nearly sighing in relief when it fit over his six-month pregnant stomach and was still baggy. "Think you can handle the hagglers?" The Uchiha pulled at the hem of the jacket down as he looked up and gave his fiancé an appraising look.
"There won't be any haggling, the prices are take it or leave it." Naruto raised both his hands, making quotation marks. "We're 'selling it all for practically nothing, anyway', or so Kakashi told me." The blonde rolled his eyes and let his hands drop down to his sides again.
"Good." Sasuke responded softly. "I guess that leaves me to show people interested in renting around the apartments and houses." He frowned at the idea and turned away from the redheaded girl, intent on finding a comfortable chair to sit in nearby.
"Hey, it won't be so bad." Naruto tried to comfort him. Sasuke looked to the blonde and gave him a cold stare before sitting down in a chair. The blonde wasn't deterred as he got down on his knees and smiled happily. "If anything, you can just distract them with pregnancy talk." He gently set his hand on Sasuke's stomach and leaned forward to press his lips to the fleece jacket.
"Usuratonkachi." Sasuke half-heartedly admonished. Naruto's hand moved across his stomach, reaching for the Uchiha's hand as he shifted in his kneeling position. Taking Sasuke's hand in his own, the blonde brought it to his lips to kiss the pale knuckles. He held Naruto's gaze curiously, knowing immediately that he was up to something and nearly missed the feeling of something metal slip onto his finger. Shifting his gaze, Sasuke stared at the plain metal band and blinked but the ring remained on his finger.
"This is why I was taking on extra perimeter shifts." The blonde explained. He kissed Sasuke's fingers a second time and sat back, nervously biting his lip. Sasuke had to remind himself to breathe as he watched Naruto play with a second band of metal now around his own finger and felt his awareness of the world close in on the blonde.
It was almost a surreal experience, he could feel his body moving to stand up and watched as Naruto did the same, looking concerned. Reaching up, Sasuke took Naruto's face between his hands and mashed their lips together. He pressed his body against the blonde's and for a long moment, Naruto didn't respond. Slowly, tentative hands were placed around Sasuke's waist and the blonde finally started to move his lips.
"Oi! Did you give it to him yet?" One of Naruto's clones called out. Sasuke ignored the clone in favor for letting his hands descend down Naruto's shoulders to interlace their fingers together. The rings pressing against their hands sent goosebumps down his arms and he found himself fervently attempting to suck the blonde's face off. When they pulled apart, Sasuke inhaled deeply and his eyes went immediately down to their hands.
"I-do you like it?" The real Naruto asked breathlessly. For a few seconds, his lips twitched uncontrollably before he gave up the pretense and smiled. He watched the blonde light up in relief, as if a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
"Idiot." Sasuke responded. The blonde looked down to their hands, a blush spreading across his cheeks.
"You don't have to wear it if you-" Naruto had started to say. The Uchiha immediately leaned in again, kissing his fiancé hard to shut him up. When he leaned back, the blonde was staring at him with wide eyes.
"I don't need a wedding," He raised his hand up and looked Naruto in the eye. "All I need is this, knowing that you will always love me." Sasuke lowered his hand and stared at the blonde adamantly. He watched the way those baby blue eyes softened and the pregnant male couldn't stop himself from looking down to his hand again.
"Got it." Naruto murmured softly. Sasuke glanced back up and realized that he had just made a huge confession. His face started to heat up and crossed his arms over his chest in an attempt to hide his embarrassment.
"Go on, we have the compound to open." The Uchiha jerked his head to the gate and then took a quick glance. While they had been, distracted by their conversation, people had started to trickle in. It seemed the clones had been making sure they weren't disturbed but more than a few civilians were watching them with great interest. The blonde leaned in and pressed a quick kiss to the Uchiha's cheek before stepping past him.
"And this time, it's open for good." Naruto stated with a grin. Sasuke lifted his head in acknowledgement as he sat back down in his chair. He looked down to his hand and started to play with the metal band around his ring finger. It was going to take some getting used to.