*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: When I was researching traditional Japanese weddings, I found that the civil/nonreligious ceremonies have recently been modeled on western traditions and since I have never been to, or seen a traditional Japanese wedding, describing one in great detail would have been a research project all on it's own. I did take my own initiative to combine some traditional (stereotypical) American wedding vows as well as common civil marriage vows so if you don't like it...I'm sorry in advance.
November fifth, the twenty-sixth week,
"Guess what today is?" That was the first thing Sasuke heard as he was waking up. What he felt was Naruto's hand on his stomach and warm breath brushing against his exposed skin. "Today is the day your daddy and papa are getting married." Sasuke was wide-awake at that, opening his eyes and attempting to keep his breathing even so he wouldn't scare the blonde. Naruto pressed his cheek against Sasuke's stomach, kissing a path up the expanse of pale skin.
"Your daddy is gonna be nervous today but don't worry, I'll make sure he remembers to eat and stay rested." The blonde continued to whisper against the Uchiha's stomach and Sasuke blinked in confusion. Their room was dark and he could only see the shadowy outlines of their closet and bathroom.
"Dobe, what are you doing?" He asked. Feeling the blonde look up, he watched those wonderfully blue eyes in the darkness widen in surprise that the Uchiha was awake.
"Talking to our baby." Naruto answered hesitantly. Sasuke gave the blonde a strange look and watched his fiancé smile apologetically.
"And I'm daddy?" He moved to sit up and the blonde pulled his hands and face away. Resting against the headboard of their bed, the Uchiha pulled down his sleep shirt set his hand on the side of his stomach. The baby had started to move as he did and a small pressure grew on his bladder.
"Um, yeah." Naruto murmured. He eyed Sasuke's stomach but kept his distance, probably in fear that his fiancé was mad for being called 'daddy'. "I was kinda hoping you wouldn't wake up." Sighing, Sasuke raised his hand and motioned for the blonde to come closer. Naruto smiled and leaned back down, flopping his arm over Sasuke's stomach and resting his head on his fiancé's chest.
"Today's the day." Sasuke voiced softly. He let the idea sink into his conscious thoughts, but a week of getting used to the idea hadn't been enough. His stomach started to flutter at the idea and he tried to imagine how he would feel the next time they woke up together. Married.
"Did Tsunade tell you when we needed to be there?" The Uchiha asked quietly. Lifting his hand, Sasuke brushed the back of his fingers against the nape of Naruto's neck gently. He felt the movements of the baby start to slow and Naruto's hand started to stroke his belly.
"The old hag told me to be there at four this afternoon but I've got to be at the gate for perimeter shift this morning." Naruto responded. Sasuke blinked and looked to their window, finally noticing that it was still dark outside.
"What time is it?" The pregnant male asked. He paused in his ministrations to adjust himself, trying not to disrupt his soon-to-be husband's position.
"Really early." Naruto responded. He lifted himself up as the Uchiha resituated and kissed Sasuke's stomach as soon as he settled down again.
"Couldn't sleep?" Sasuke questioned. Feeling the blonde's head nod against his sweater, the dark haired male had to wonder when Naruto actually did wake up, or if he'd slept at all. Replacing his hand, Sasuke carded it through soft hair and closed his eyes.
"Not a chance. Way too nervous." He could hear the grin in Naruto's voice and started to smile a little himself. "What about you?" The Uchiha started to shrug his shoulders before he remembered that Naruto's head was pressed against his stomach and wouldn't be able to see the movement.
"Trying not to think about it." The Uchiha hummed.
"You're much calmer than I thought you'd be." Naruto responded. He seemed to be in awe at his bedmate's calm demeanor but there was something in voice that made the pregnant male uneasy. It wasn't something he could place and he brushed the feeling away, attributing it to his tiredness.
"Hn. Maybe I'll go back to sleep and wake up at a decent hour." Sasuke said right before he yawned.
"Tired?" The nearly whispered question made the dark haired male want to close his eyes and nod.
"Hn." He responded again after a moment.
"Roll over, you gotta sleep on your side." Naruto reminded him. Grunting softly, the dark haired male moved away from his bed partner and onto his side. The blonde moved behind him, his hand slipping under the Uchiha's sweater and onto the warm skin of stomach. Sasuke didn't think too much of it as his mind started to wander it's way back into unconsciousness. It was when the hand quickly started to move south that Sasuke opened his eyes and had to refrain from sighing.
"Dobe." He grunted in sleepy annoyance. The hand immediately stopped in its tracks and he could feel Naruto press his forehead against the back of his neck.
"Are you mad at me for calling you daddy?" Naruto asked. His voice broke mid-sentence and the Uchiha wondered just how much Naruto had slept and how much time he had spent thinking. That feeling that something wasn't quite just right returned, stronger this time.
"We'll have more than enough time for that after we're married." Sasuke responded. He set his hand over the blonde's, over his sweater. Feeling Naruto stiffen behind him, the pregnant male frowned and tightened his grip in response.
"You're not going to back out?" The blonde questioned hesitantly. He didn't believe that Sasuke was going to go through with getting married. The idea of sleep slipped away as anger ripped through his awareness. Eyes snapping open, Sasuke let go of the hand in his grasp and knocked it away as he awkwardly rolled onto his other side, facing his doubting fiancé. Raising his hand up, he closed his fingers around Naruto's neck angrily and leaned in close.
"Do you really think I'm going to leave you standing there?" He hissed. The desire to squeeze the life out of his idiot was nearly overwhelming. After everything they had been through, Naruto still didn't believe in him? "In the Hokage's office with everyone there by yourself?"
"I don't know." He gasped out. Sasuke loosened his grip at the sound in fear that he had been the cause but Naruto let out a choked sob as his body practically vibrated with bottled emotions. "I just-you don't want to get married and I practically forced you into this." The blonde was starting to hysterically babble and the Uchiha listened, his anger dissipating rapidly. This was where the lack of confidence in him was coming from, it wasn't him but what Naruto thought he was forcing him to do.
"Idiot. You're overthinking things." He murmured softly. Leaning forward, he moved his hand to cup the back of the blonde's head tenderly as their foreheads touched. "You've got the wedding jitters and not enough sleep." Sasuke felt his fiancé press closer to him, nearly squashing their bodies together.
"But-" Naruto started to protest. Tilting his head, the Uchiha pressed his lips to the blonde's. He kissed him slowly, forcing Naruto to focus on the kiss and to slow down his tired mind.
"You're not forcing me into anything. Stop stressing yourself out. It's going to be okay." He whispered soothingly when he pulled away. Naruto's hand settled on his back, holding Sasuke close as he could.
"Maybe we shouldn't get married." Naruto whimpered quietly. Sasuke let out a sigh and reached out, pressing his fingers against the lower half of the blonde's face. He had been aiming for the lips and was satisfied when he got two fingers on Naruto's lips. His other fingers pressed against the scarred cheeks and he could feel the wet streaks of tears.
"You're going to regret saying that in the morning. Shut up and go to sleep." The Uchiha huffed. He did his best to wipe away the wet streaks from his fiancé's face as Naruto took several deep breaths. It took another few moments for him to calm down and Sasuke waited, wanting to make sure Naruto fell asleep.
"I'm sorry." The blonde sighed dejectedly. Snorting, the Uchiha kissed his fiancé's cheek and gave him a light slap on the back of his neck.
"Don't be. I would have been worried if you weren't nervous about today." Sasuke replied in a soft whisper. "Just as long as you don't leave me standing in a room with everyone." Naruto chuckled softly and shook his head, his hair brushing against the Uchiha's forehead.
"Never." The blonde replied. Sasuke didn't think to respond, listening to the blonde's breathing even out before his body posture finally relaxed. He waited a bit longer, making sure his soon-to-be husband had fallen asleep before he closed his eyes and let himself drift off again.
"You're papa, that's me," Sasuke heard Naruto say softly. It wasn't quite a whisper, as if he had been whispering for some time and had grown braver when the Uchiha hadn't awoken. "Loves your daddy very much. I was so worried earlier that he would be the one to freak out today that I started to panic. Daddy talked some sense into me though." Refusing to have a physical reaction to Naruto's words, Sasuke kept his eyes closed and breathing even. He could see light from behind his eyelids and knew it was actually morning this time as the blonde set a hand down on his hip. The baby started to move, putting pressure on his bladder and he had to force himself to stay still. Naruto's hand moved over the expanse of his stomach, feeling the little being inside of Sasuke move.
"Yeah, you know daddy's awake too but he's pretending to be asleep again." The blonde whispered against his stomach and this time Sasuke opened his eyes in surprise. "You were snoring a little before you woke up." Naruto explained when the pregnant male looked down at him.
"I don't snore." The dark haired male countered. He moved away from his fiancé and slowly got off the bed, walking to the bathroom. Sasuke could hear the blonde shifting on the bed, either flipping over to watch or getting off to follow him.
"How can you be sure? You're asleep when you're snoring." Naruto called out from the bed.
"I don't snore." Sasuke iterated plainly. He did his business and washed his hands in silence, reevaluating how he felt about today. They were getting married that afternoon, in only a few short hours. As final as it was, Sasuke found he wasn't all that concerned. Returning to their bedroom, his gaze landed on his fiancé who had propped himself up on his side with a grin. Their blanket was noticeably covering his lower body, leaving his chest bare for Sasuke to admire.
"Thanks, for reassuring me last night." Naruto stated softly. Sasuke let one of his eyebrows shoot up, his eyes roving over the blonde's chest as he came closer. "I kind of lost it a little bit." Slipping into the still warm bed, the dark haired male pulled the blanket up to his shoulders and got comfortable again.
"I told you were going to regret saying that." The Uchiha responded. He watched his fiancé smile and shift closer to him.
"Mhmm." Naruto agreed. His smile waned as he looked at the Uchiha. "Do you mind me calling you daddy?" He sounded uncertain, probably wondering if the Uchiha really cared about the name.
"Hn." Sasuke muttered and debated for a second for just leaving it at that. "I mind it when other people use it to tease me."
"Not me?" Naruto's smile brightened immediately. Leaning forward, Sasuke closed his eyes and kissed him in response. As he leaned back, the blonde leaned forward and kissed him again. He felt a hand reach over his ear, fingers slipping into his hair to keep him from moving away again. A tongue traced his upper lip and Sasuke let his own tongue flick out at it, playfully teasing the blonde before turning his head.
"When does your shift start?" Sasuke asked. Naruto sighed and pressed his lips to a pale cheek.
"Sooner than I'd like." He responded almost unwillingly. "If I don't get up now I'm going to be late." The Uchiha smirked at Naruto's procrastination and playfully pushed at his chest.
"Go on then." Sasuke told him. Naruto smiled as he quickly kissed the dark haired male one more time before leaving the bed. He'd made it to their closet when they heard the front door to their home opening.
"Anyone home? I brought you guys something!" Sakura's voice exclaimed in excitement. Sasuke's first reaction was to pull the blanket over his head and hope the woman left him alone. It was more likely that she would come in and pull him from his bed like a child, he wondered if a few extra minutes in bed would be worth it. But, saner heads prevailed. The Uchiha slipped out of bed and joined his sooner-rather-than-later-to-be husband in front of the closet. "I know you guys are in there, are you both decent?" Sakura called out again.
"So it begins." The pregnant male sighed as he looked through his clothes, wondering if he should change or not to bother with it. He took a quick glance at Naruto, watching him literally hop into his pants before deciding it would be too much effort.
"Just focus on the end goal, tonight will be our wedding night." The blonde grinned. "And our honeymoon the days after it." He reached for Sasuke's hand, lifted to his lips and brushed them against pale knuckles. It was a simple, innocent gesture but Sasuke felt his face flush as the blonde's lips brushed over his ring. Naruto grinned at him, dropping the Uchiha's hand and turned back to rifle through their closet for a shirt. He debated for quick second if he should respond with his own teasing but decided against it. Naruto had had a rough night and was going to have a long day ahead of him, working at the gate. So he'd let him off for now, maybe. Leaving their room, Sasuke made his way to the living room where their old teammate was waiting for them. She was relaxing on their couch, two clothes bags draped over the back of it.
"Cute, I like the bed head look on you." Sakura teased when she looked up. He raised an eyebrow at her, walking past her and into the kitchen. "Is Naruto here? I have his outfit." The pink haired woman got up and followed him. Determining that the search for something edible was more important than answering, he took his time looking around the kitchen.
"You didn't have to get us clothes for this." He opened the fridge to glance through it before deciding on one of the bananas sitting innocently on the shelf for a not so innocent reason. Sakura made a face at him and pointed back at the couch as he began to take off the yellow peel.
"Don't even start. It's a wedding, if I can't convince you into proper traditional clothing or suits, I can at least get you into those." She explained. "Besides, I think you're going to like them." There was a soft banging noise coming from the bedroom and Sasuke moved back into living room, lifting the banana to his mouth. Sakura watched him in confusion but followed him and watched the scene unfold.
"Hey! Good morning, Sakura." Naruto called out before he made it down the hall. He'd pulled on his flak jacket, had his headband in hand and was rubbing his shoulder with a small wince. Sasuke lifted the banana to his lips and wrapped his lips around the tip as he glanced down. The blonde's socks were uneven, one pulled taut up to his calve and the other just barely pulled over his heel. He had seen this more than once and knew from experience that in his rush, Naruto had fallen over as he tried to pull on his socks.
"The clothes bag on top is yours, bring it with you so you can change when you get done working." Sakura told him. Sasuke lifted his gaze to see Naruto pause in the doorway, his mouth dropping open as he spotted the banana in the Uchiha's mouth. The blonde recovered quickly, walking up to his fiancé and glanced to their old teammate with a smile.
"Can't wait for tonight." He murmured before kissing Sasuke's cheek, picked up the top clothes bag and backed away, heading for the front door as he attempted to tie his headband to his forehead with one hand. "See you later, Sakura!" Biting into the banana, Sasuke turned to Sakura as he heard the front door close and watched her roll her eyes.
"You two are meant for each other, really." She told him sarcastically. The Uchiha shrugged his shoulders as he chewed and motioned to the clothes bag that was left on the back of the couch.
"We are getting married," Sasuke responded before taking another bite of the banana. He watched her roll her eyes but she didn't say anything more as they sat down on the couch. Pulling the clothes bag towards them, Sakura unzipped it and smiled at its contents. Curious, the pregnant male watched her pull out a large dark blue cloth that was apparently, what he was going to wear to his wedding. It looked like a haori and Sasuke found himself looking for the hakama that would inevitably go with it.
"Don't worry, it only looks traditional. I wanted to make sure you had the three kamon." Sakura told him reassuringly. She set the article of clothing on her lap and ran her hand over it, admiring the cloth.
"I don't need the Uchiha crest on it." He murmured. Continuing to eat his breakfast, he sat back and made sure he kept the peel away from the probably expensive clothing.
"It's not just your family's crest." Sakura pointed out. She pointed to one of the sewn in symbols, which was the red and white Uchiha fan, and then to another, which was the traditional Uzumaki black spiral in a red circle. "I thought this was a nice touch too." Sakura lifted the haori like jacket up and turned it over. To his surprise, the back was dominated by a large sewn in crest, a colored replica of the image on his shoulder.
"This is my seal." He murmured in awe. Reaching out with his free hand, the Uchiha traced the black outline, then the spiral to the middle of the kamon. The crest was the Uchiha colors, the top half red and the bottom white. It was perfect. "This is on Naruto's too?" The dark haired male asked.
"Yes it is." Sakura nodded with a smile. She was obviously pleased that Sasuke liked it and set it over his knees so she could pull the rest of the outfit out of the clothes bag. "A nice dress shirt to go underneath it and a formal pair of pants, both black. Is it up to your standards?" There was a sarcastic bite to her question but no real venom and Sasuke started to smile as he looked up from the crest.
"I'll wear it." He finished eating his banana as Sakura took the haori like jacket back, stowing the clothes into the clothes bag and tossed it onto the back of the couch again.
"Okay, now we've got that out of the way." Sakura held her hand out for the Uchiha to take, helping him stand. "Time to set up for the reception, I've already roped Yamato and Apricot to help out. Iruka said he'd be by after classes at the academy get out too." Sasuke's enthusiasm waned as the pink haired woman led him to the front door and then outside to the front porch.
"How long is this going to take?" He asked. It was colder than he thought and he briefly regretted the fact that he didn't put shoes on or throw away the now empty peel in his hand. Yamato and Apricot were carrying fold out tables and setting them against the side of the house, the red headed girl noticeably wearing her shoes.
"Don't worry, I'm not going to make you do anything strenuous. Besides, the more hands we have to help the faster it will get done." Sakura stated. "Ready to start."
"I'm going to go change first." The Uchiha muttered. He turned to go back into the house, running his free hand through his hair. It was going to be a long day.
Sasuke had been put to work almost as soon as he had come back outside, covering fold out tables with cheap plastic tablecloths, curling an endless amount of ribbon for table decorations. They had spent over an hour just watching Apricot jump between two rooftops with several fabric bolts and over a dozen strings of lantern lights. It was almost like a drama, watching Yamato slowly break down into frustrated yelling as Apricot messed up with one thing or another. Finally taking pity on her, Sakura went to the redhead's rescue and took over for her. The younger girl dropped down into the street, careful to avoid landing on a table, and made her way over to sit at the same table as the Uchiha.
"Sasuke? My seal," She trailed off. He glanced to her, taking in her nervous posture as she clenched her hands into fists and then consciously loosened them.
"Let me see it." Sasuke gestured for her to come closer. The redhead obediently lifted her shirt up to show him her stomach, stepping in front of him and knocking her hip against a back of a chair. The edges of the black ink were noticeably cracked now, far more damage than when they had just come back from Suna. Still, it wasn't nearly as bad as when he first saw the seal during the Chuunin exams. "How do you feel in close proximity to Naruto?" Leaning forward, he inspected it closely, taking note which parts were weakening faster compared to other parts.
"Like a, a pressure I guess? I think it might have started yesterday but I definitely felt it this morning." Apricot answered. She dropped her shirt and looked down nervously to the pregnant male. "Do you know if you're going to be able to fix it?" Nodding his head at the table, Sasuke waited for her to sit down before he tilted his gaze above them. He watched Sakura throw a bolt of cloth across the street to the opposite rooftop for Yamato to catch.
"I haven't found anything useful yet, Sakura says the Hokage hasn't heard much from her seal experts either. The best we can do right now is just strengthen your seal when it becomes too weak." Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the girl's shoulder drop.
"Oh." Apricot murmured. "Sorry. For bringing it up, I mean, on your big day." She quickly explained.
"It's better you tell me when it happens, keeping track of the physical symptoms will be beneficial in the long run." So they wouldn't be surprised when Kyuubi attempted to kill the girl and escape, again.
"Right." The redheaded girl answered softly. They continued to watch Yamato and Sakura work in a comfortable silence. Slowly but surely, the street's view of the sky was hidden by a number of colored fabrics, red and orange interspersed with an azure blue and white. In all honesty, the combination of his and Naruto's trademark colors looked strange but Sakura had already told him not to worry about it.
"What are you going to be doing while Naruto and I spend," He paused, thinking of another way to describe the seven days he and Naruto would hopefully be spending in bed. "Our time off?"
"I know what people do on a honeymoon, I'm not a kid." She snapped childishly. Raising an eyebrow, the Uchiha stared at her and watched her quickly flounder under his scrutiny. "Um, Umino-sensei said I should learn how to write and read properly and Sakura says I should know more medical ninjutsu." Sasuke turned his attention back to the rooftops, watching through the openings between the fabrics as the pink haired woman jump across with what looked like the end of the line of string lanterns.
"Both will be time consuming." He responded absentmindedly.
"I won't have much to do after your honeymoon is over too." Apricot continued. "It's not like you can take missions to watch me when I do my missions when you're on maternity leave." The Uchiha watched as the lanterns dropped under the stretch of fabrics before jerked violently. They didn't fall and it wasn't long until they stopped moving as if they were being pulled on, a few seconds later, Sakura emerged from the narrow alleyway on the side of the house.
"More time for me to focus on researching your seal." Sasuke answered with a quick glance to her. Sakura was quickly walking towards them and Apricot raised one of her legs to her chest as Sasuke gave the work above their heads one last look.
"I can't believe I almost forgot!" The pink haired woman exclaimed as she sat down at the table. "We need to go over what you want said at the ceremony! I mean, I know Tsunade said you could say your own vows but do you want too?"
"I haven't thought about it and I doubt Naruto has either." He answered. Apricot shifted in her seat, looking uncomfortable in her silence.
"So it's okay if Tsunade does it?" She asked. Sasuke nodded quickly and watched as his old teammate leaned in closer over the table. "Do you want her to go all out with the address and vows or do you want it short and sweet?"
"Short, preferably not filled with mushy shit about love." He answered without much thought. After he said it, he wondered if Naruto would have disagreed with him and then hoped they would have enough time to talk it over before the ceremony started.
"No mushiness got it." Sakura leaned back with a nod and a smile. Sasuke watched her gaze drift over to the redheaded girl before she nodded to her. "Is Apricot invited?" The pink haired woman questioned. As Sasuke tried to think of the answer, he realized that he and Naruto had never asked her if she wanted to.
"Do you want to go the wedding?" The Uchiha looked over to the younger girl and watched her freeze as the attention of the conversation turned to her.
"Um, I've never been to one." Kyoko answered softly.
"And you probably have nothing to wear. Alright, you're coming with me when I go talk to the Hokage so we can get you some nice clothes." Sakura decided with a smile. Apricot stiffened even further in her seat, her wide green eyes darting to the Uchiha almost immediately.
"You'll be fine." Sasuke told her. She didn't seem all that convinced but her posture relaxed and the Uchiha felt that it was good enough. Yamato appeared out of the alleyway that Sakura had come from and weaved his way through the tables towards them.
"I finished with the lights, is there anything else we need to do?" The brunette male asked. Sasuke shrugged his shoulders and looked to Sakura who had been their taskmaster all morning. She shook her head and stood up, pushing the chair back under the table as she scrutinized the work above their heads.
"Who's up for a quick snack?" The pink haired woman asked with a satisfied smile.
It had been a joke. Sasuke hadn't been serious in questioning his fiancé's resolve this morning. Now though, looking anywhere but at anyone in the Hokage's office, he was regretting not being more serious about the issue. Naruto was twenty minutes late. Tsunade had gotten tired of standing and had taken to leaning against her desk, Shizune next to her shifting her weight from one foot to another. Everyone else was clustered together on one side of the room.
Kiba, Tenten, Neji, and Rock Lee were all in ceremonial clothes but Ino, Sakura, and Hinata had gone all out with their kimonos and hair. Shikamaru, Chouji, Shino, and Yamato had on their uniforms and flak jackets while Kakashi and Iruka had come in dark colored sweaters and black pants. Sakura had probably bullied Apricot into the light green silk shirt and black dress pants that she was wearing and was attempting to hide behind Iruka and Kakashi. She was obviously still afraid of being around larger groups of people and he wondered if the redheaded girl had said she'd come out of politeness. Ayame and Teuchi had promised to be at the reception with freshly cooked ramen and Kurenai and Asuma had politely declined being at the wedding, also promising to be at the reception. Six and a half months pregnant dressed in the clothes that Sakura had given him and he was being stood up on their wedding day in a room filled with all of their friends.
He was going to kill Naruto.
"Find someone to go check the perimeter, something must have happened." Tsunade murmured softly. Sasuke glanced to her, watching her lean away from Shizune who was nodding her head at the order. The Uchiha's stomach started to flip uncomfortably. It was as Shizune stepped past Sasuke towards the doors that they banged open. Everyone turned their heads to see Naruto burst into the room, an orange replica of Sasuke's jacket haphazardly pulled on over his long-sleeved undershirt, his uniform pants and headband all still on. The blonde's cheeks were red and smudged with dirt, chest heaving and eyes darting around almost wildly.
"I'm here! I'm here," Naruto cried out. He stopped just a few feet into the room and bent over, hands on his knees as he gasped for air. Everyone in the room seemed to relax and Sasuke exhaled slowly to keep himself calm.
"It's always better late than never but way to make a grand entrance." Kiba called out with a cheeky grin. The blonde straightened, his eyes going straight to the Uchiha and he smiled brightly.
"Got caught up in a small scuffle at the perimeter." He explained with a quick glance to all of his friends. Sasuke watched Sakura raise her hand up to her face, pretending to wipe at her cheek which the blonde caught and raised his own hand up to mimic her. He wiped at the smudges, brushing away some of the dirt.
"Everything alright?" Tsunade questioned. Naruto nodded as he walked across the room to stand next to Sasuke in front of the blonde haired woman.
"Yeah, no problems." The blonde answered with a grin. He looked to Sasuke and smiled brightly. "Sorry I'm late. Did I worry you?" Naruto whispered.
"Hn." The pregnant male answered without looking his fiancé in the eye.
"Okay, let's get this over with. We're late enough as it is." Tsunade called out. She got up and reached for a scroll sitting on her desk, opening it and jerking her head for Sasuke and Naruto to come closer. "This, is your marriage license and I'm going to need you both to sign, right here. Before you ask, yes it's set up so that you'll both keep your last names." She pointed to two lines at the bottom of the scroll as Shizune held out a pen for one of them to take. Naruto eagerly took the pen and wrote his name down gleefully in his hasty scribbles. When he finished and lifted the pen for Sasuke to take, the dark haired male took it hesitantly. Taking a deep breath, he exhaled as he leaned over and carefully wrote his name on the open bottom line. When he straightened and handed the pen back to Shizune, he was quickly ushered back a step.
"Ready?" The blonde whispered. He was grinning excitedly, practically bouncing on the balls of his feet. Tsunade waved at the group behind them, motioning for them to move over to the center of the room, behind Sasuke and Naruto. With some shuffling and a minimal amount of murmuring about stepped on toes, they settled where they stood. Ready to watch their friends tie the knot.
"I was ready twenty minutes ago." Sasuke teased back. The corners of his mouth slowly curved upwards and he gave Naruto a small smile. There was a small commotion at the back of the group and the Uchiha felt the urge to glance over and see what was happening. He didn't want to look away from his idiot, if he did, Sasuke didn't think he'd be able to look at him in the eye for the rest of the night without blushing in embarrassment.
"Cut the crap, Inuzuka. I'm trying to officiate a wedding here." The Hokage growled. "Before we start, does anyone object to these two getting hitched?" Everyone waited in silence for her to continue when it seemed that no one was going to speak up.
"So, we are gathered here today to recognize and witness the union between these two people and their decision to journey forward in their lives as marriage partners." Tsunade looked between Naruto and Sasuke for a long moment, her lips twitched upwards and she seemed to debate what she was going to say next. The Uchiha feared for a moment that she would continue with the address and get to all the stuff about their love being abundant and to let it inspire each other. He inwardly shuddered at the thought.
"Do you, Sasuke take, Naruto to be your partner for life? Do you vow to be his faithful partner in sickness and in health, in good times and in bad, and in joy as well as in sorrow? Do you promise to walk by his side forever, and to love, help, and encourage him in all he does? Do you promise to love him unconditionally, to honor and respect him, and to cherish him as long as you both shall live?" Tsunade spoke the questions confidently as she stared the dark haired man down. He could see the seriousness of her expression out of the corner of his eye as Naruto's dazzling smile softened, waiting for the Uchiha's answer.
"I do." Sasuke responded with conviction. His statement rejuvenated Naruto's smile, he was smiling so much that the pregnant male wondered if his cheeks were getting sore.
"And do you, Naruto take, Sasuke to be your partner for life?" The Hokage turned her head to the blonde, her voice softening just enough to be noticeable. "Do you vow to be his faithful partner in sickness and in health, in good times and in bad, and in joy as well as sorrow? Do you promise to walk by his side forever, and to love, help, and encourage him in all he does? Do you promise to love him unconditionally, to honor and respect him, and to cherish him as long as you both shall live?" It was Sasuke's turn to feel nervous, his heart beating loudly in his chest as the baby started to kick.
"I do." The blonde responded almost breathlessly. Sasuke raised his hand to his stomach as relief shocked his system. Naruto tilted his head, glancing down to the Uchiha's stomach
"Alright, show me your hands because you two are already wearing your rings." The blonde woman motioned for them raise their hands. Sasuke glanced to her for the briefest moment, raising his hands halfheartedly as he looked back to Naruto. He grabbed Sasuke's hands excitedly and the Uchiha felt his face heat up, suddenly embarrassed. 'Cute' Naruto mouthed silently and squeezed the pregnant male's hands, making Sasuke's face turn even redder.
"Sasuke, repeat after me: Naruto, this ring is a token and pledge," Tsunade spoke as if she hadn't watched the interaction and Sasuke shifted his gaze to her quickly, hoping his blush would fade. Unfortunately, the woman tilted her head with a raised eyebrow towards the blonde male in front of him and Sasuke reluctantly flicked his eyes back to Naruto.
"Naruto, this ring is a token and pledge," Sasuke focused his gaze on his lover's hands, moving his fingers to toy with the simple band on the tan finger.
"As a sign of my love and devotion. With this ring, I thee wed." Tsunade continued.
"As a sign of my love and devotion. With this ring, I thee wed." Sasuke repeated after her. He swallowed thickly and felt the blonde squeeze his hand in reassurance.
"Naruto, repeat after me: Sasuke this ring is a token and pledge," The Hokage turned her head toward the blonde as she continued on.
"Sasuke this ring is a token and pledge," Naruto's fingers were tugging on his ring as the Uchiha had done moments before.
"As a sign of my love and devotion. With this ring I thee wed." She droned on, already tired of repeating herself.
"As a sign of my love and devotion. With this ring I thee wed." Naruto responded with more emotion than he had before. His bright blue gaze was intense when the dark haired male dared to meet it, filled with emotion. Sasuke's ears felt like they were burning and to his surprise, his blood started to run south, his length twitching. He cursed Naruto for having that effect on him, how could he be aroused and embarrassed at the same time?
"By the power invested in me, I now pronounce you, Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki, married. You may now kiss your husband." Tsunade exclaimed. The group, which had been quiet for the entirety of the ceremony, had started to make noise, some of the people behind them were clapping and Sasuke could hear Kiba whistle. He blinked in shock when Naruto leaned forward when it occurred to him that they were supposed to kiss. Sasuke tilted his head upwards just enough and let his husband, place a chaste kiss on his lips. His husband, it was official.
"Aw, come on!" Kiba called out when the blonde pulled away. "I wanna see some tongue!" If the Uchiha's blush had dissipated before, it was back full force now.
"Shut up, Kiba." Naruto called out to the dog lover and gripped Sasuke's chin. He planted another kiss, this one harder and with a quick lick of his tongue across the Uchiha's lips. Pushing the blonde away, Sasuke scowled as he turned his head to glare at the Inuzuka. Ino had jerked her elbow into the dog lover's side and Kiba was looking between her and him with a cautious grin, rubbing where she had hit him.
"Right, well let me be the first to say congratulations," Tsunade stepped forward, placing a hand on Naruto's shoulder and the other on Sasuke's. "Now let's move this out of my office. Sakura, if you could be so kind and lead the way." She pushed them to face the group, urging them towards the door and jerked her head at Sakura.
"She just wants to start drinking." Naruto whispered under his breath. Sasuke smirked and turned to him, watching as the Hokage reached up and pulled on his ear. The blonde automatically tilted his head, whimpering in pain. Everyone was still watching them as they parted for the newlyweds to lead the way with Sakura and they watched in amusement.
"I can hear you, you know." Tsunade growled. "You're lucky you tied the knot today." She let go of his ear and stepped closer to Iruka and Kakashi, both she and Sasuke watched Apricot freeze up before darting away from the three older adults.
"Come on, husband." Naruto chuckled. He grabbed Sasuke's hand and tugged him into the center of their friends as they moved out of the Hokage's office and out of the building.
"It looks nice." Sasuke motioned to the fabrics above their heads. The lanterns had been turned on, bathing the street in a warm glow of light. It was early evening and the air was growing cooler as the sun disappeared. The small group had moved immediately from the Hokage's tower to the dressed up street in the compound and had spent the last few hours celebrating. Sasuke had grown tired standing and had pulled away from the conversations to sit down and Sakura had followed him to a nearby table.
"See, I told you not to worry about." Sakura replied before taking a sip of her drink. Naruto, who had been having a vibrant conversation with Rock Lee, slid into the seat next to Sasuke. He leaned in close; his hand draped across the back of the Uchiha's chair and kissed his husband's cheek before whispering in his ear.
"What is Sai doing here?" Naruto asked. That caught both Sasuke and Sakura's attention, their heads turning as they looked for the dark haired male.
"I invited him." Sasuke answered. The blonde frowned and watched the pregnant male search for Sai. He found his look alike talking to Yamato, watching him and Naruto with a blank expression.
"I thought you said you didn't want him here?" Naruto sat back, scrutinizing his husband. Sakura, who knew Sai was always a touchy subject between her two teammates, watched them over the rim of her glass and chose to stay out of it.
"I didn't want him at the wedding. I didn't say anything about the reception." Sasuke explained. He wasn't surprised to see the blonde's frown deepen.
"You did not." It was the pregnant male's turn to frown; he leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest, daring to be disagreed with.
"Dobe." Sasuke replied. They stared at each other, neither one wanting to concede. The Uchiha raised an eyebrow at Naruto, wanting to win their first 'fight' as a married couple and watched his husband attempt to do the same, both his eyebrows rising instead of just one.
"Boys, no need for a lovers spat!" Iruka called out as he slid into a seat on the opposite side of the table. All three turned their heads in surprise at the teacher's tone but from the seemingly permanent blush on his cheeks and the way Kakashi was hovering over him with two beers in hand, it was easy to figure it out. Iruka was more than a little tipsy, probably closer to being drunk. "Tonight's your wedding night!" Giving Naruto a sidelong glance, they both nodded to the teacher's statement.
"How is it that he's always the first one to get wasted?" The blonde whispered to his pregnant husband. Kakashi, who had been standing behind Iruka, moved, setting the two beer mugs down on the table before pulling out a chair to sit down.
"He can't hold his liquor, one drink is all it takes." Kakashi answered. The teacher's smile fell and he looked around, his smile returning as if he just realized Kakashi was there with him. Sakura raised her hand to hide her smile but she couldn't do much to hide her giggle. Sasuke had to agree, it was adorable how obviously besotted the man was in his tipsy state. Kakashi reached for one of their beers and Iruka's focus shifted to it, his smile widening as the white haired male turned away to pull down his mask and take a drink.
"Come on Naruto, have a drink and relax!" Iruka called out happily. He picked up the other mug and held it up in example. It was the blonde's turn to chuckle and he leaned forward, shaking his head softly.
"Nah, it's okay. Sasuke can't have any so it wouldn't really be fair if I did." Naruto explained. The Uchiha watched their old teacher blink slowly, working through the blonde's reasoning.
"Or fun." Sakura added. She grinned and gave the newlyweds a knowing look and Naruto had the decency to blush with a cheeky smile. Iruka continued to smile, looking between the two of his old students as he brought the beer to his lips, taking a long sip.
"What did I tell you? He's whipped." Sasuke heard Ino tease behind him. He looked behind him and found Ino and Hinata walking towards them.
"Congratulations to the both of you." Hinata spoke up softly. Naruto turned around in his chair, smiling brightly at the dark haired woman.
"Thanks, Hinata." The blonde replied. "You look stunning in your kimono, by the way." Hinata blushed and turned her head with a silent nod of thanks.
"Sakura, come join us." Ino told the pink haired woman cryptically. As all weddings went, there could only be one or two things they still had to do. Sakura's grin changed slightly as she stood up, tucking the seat of her chair under the table and taking the arm that her blonde friend held out for her.
"Boys." The pink haired woman nodded to everyone still sitting at the table and let Ino lead her and Hinata away. Sasuke watched them go, hoping they weren't planning something devious. When he turned back to the table, Iruka was leaning with one elbow on the table, watching Kakashi with an adoring gaze. Kakashi was looking back at his partner with his one visible eye calmly, his hand still on his beer.
"You okay, Iruka-sensei?" Naruto called out. Iruka turned his head to the blonde and shook his head, still smiling.
"Hatake won't take off his mask." The teacher responded. He reached up to his nose and scratched at his scar as he looked back to the white haired male.
"Why do you want Kakashi to take his mask off?" Sasuke questioned. The jonin shifted in his seat, glancing to the Uchiha with his one visible eye as if reprimanding him. He could practically hear Kakashi in his head 'why are you encouraging him?'
"So I can kiss him." Iruka answered without looking away from his lover. Naruto chuckled and sat up in his seat, leaning into his husband and kissing him on the cheek.
"That's pretty sappy stuff, sensei." Naruto teased. The tipsy teacher didn't seem to hear him, still staring doe eyed at the white haired man next to him. "I'm kind of glad Obaa-san didn't do all the lovey dovey stuff that's normally in weddings. It would've been a little embarrassing." Sasuke gave the blonde a sidelong glance, remembering the conversation he had had with Sakura earlier that day.
"Sakura asked me earlier today if we wanted the 'lovey dovey stuff', I told her no." He explained. Sasuke hadn't been too worried about it and any uneasiness he had slipped away when his husband directed another smile at him.
"Good choice." Naruto leaned in and kissed him on the lips this time. As the blonde pulled away, the Uchiha could see both of the men across the table looking curiously at something behind him. Wondering what they were staring at, the pregnant male made the effort to turn around in his seat. It was when he saw Ayame pushing a small cart with a two-tiered white cake on it that he realized it had been missing.
"Okay, time to cut the cake!" Sakura called out. She turned and helped Ayame pick the cake up as Ino and Hinata practically appeared out of nowhere next to the two newlyweds. Ino practically yanked Naruto out of his chair by his arm as Hinata gently gestured for Sasuke to follow her. The Uchiha stood carefully, nodding the Hyuuga who walked beside him. "Where is the lovely couple?" The pink haired woman called out, she and Ayame set the modest cake down on a table that had been cleared of its ramen bowls and chopsticks.
"Ow, Ino! No need to yank me." Naruto cried out as he was hauled forward. Their friends started to move, gathering around them and the table. The blonde male jerked his limb away from Ino, frowning at her as he fixed his clothes and looked to Sasuke. Said male calmly stopped next to him, smirking as Sakura turned and started to fuss over plates that Ayame and Teuchi were setting up.
"Here we go, if you two would do the honors." Sakura turned to hand Naruto a knife before stepping away. Sasuke looked to his husband who was already watching him and rolled his eyes before moving towards the table. They stepped closer together, the blonde wrapping his open hand around his pregnant husband's waist.
"Let's get this over with." The Uchiha murmured. Naruto let out a soft snort and raised his hand with the knife, positioning it over the bottom tier of cake. Without needing any encouragement, Sasuke placed his hand over the blonde's and they easily slid the knife through the spongy cake. Clapping erupted behind them, Sasuke even heard at least two of their friends whistling and he knew at least one of them was Kiba.
"Look at how cute they are." Iruka gushed just loud enough for the Uchiha to hear and he smiled, his shoulders twitched as he tried to stop from laughing. Quietly, they lifted the knife and cut through the cake again, cutting out a piece. Naruto squeezed Sasuke's hip and the Uchiha pulled away, lifting his hand from the knife to let the blonde plate the piece.
"Where do you think you're going? You still have to feed each other the cake." Sakura berated the Uchiha, motioning for him to stay where he was. The Uchiha gave her a deadpanned stare but stopped and turned back to the cake.
"Have a little fun. You did just get married." Neji called out. Turning his head, the pregnant male met the Hyuuga's gaze calmly.
"You just want to see him shove cake in my face." He replied. Almost everyone around them laughed, Shikamaru snorted but the Uchiha could see his grin. Naruto's fingers brushed his arm and the dark haired male turned his attention back to him. The blonde was holding a fork out for him to take. Sasuke took it and shifted so that he was facing his husband and watched him lift up a plate with a single slice of cake on it. With a grin, Naruto grabbed another fork and immediately dug into the yellow cake and white frosting, pulling away a decently sized piece. Sighing, Sasuke dug his fork into it, taking a noticeably smaller bit away and watched the blonde's eyes started to glint with mischievousness.
"Don't you dare." The Uchiha murmured in all seriousness. Immediately, the blonde's eyes widened in mock innocence and he shook his head.
"I'm not, I'm not!" He promised, lifting the fork up to Sasuke's mouth. Sasuke did the same before reluctantly opening his mouth. Naruto's jaw dropped and they both carefully fed each other. The Uchiha continued to eye his playful husband as they chewed, listening to their friends start to clap again. Carefully setting down his fork, Naruto glanced down and Sasuke couldn't help but do the same to find he was looking at the plate of cake in the blonde's hands.
Just as he realized what Naruto was planning to do, before he could even look back up, the cake was shoved into his face. The frosting was cool, the soft cake squishing as the blonde wiped the cake off the plate and onto his husband's face. Sasuke backed away from Naruto, raising his hands to wipe the cake from his eyes as he heard their friends laughing. He flicked the cake off of his hands, carefully opening his eyes to glare at Naruto and jerked his head back when he saw the blonde's hand was reaching up to his face.
"Relax, it's just a napkin. Let me wipe it off." Naruto explained. He looked contrite as he wiped the napkin over the Uchiha's nose and under his eyes. Sasuke let him, his glare turning on everyone he could see that were still smiling. Ayame had replaced them in front of the cake, rapidly cutting out pieces and setting them on plates. "Sorry, I just couldn't help myself." The blonde apologized but the grin told the Uchiha he didn't feel bad about it at all.
"Remember that sex we were planning to have, ever again?" Sasuke tried to sound irritated but his husband only grinned at the threat. He leaned in to lick the cake and frosting off of the Uchiha's cheek and Sasuke let him, returning Kiba's catcall with his middle finger without looking away from his husband's intense gaze.