Naruto feels her laugh before he can even hear it.

"I don't think y-you'll be able to feel anything y-yet." Hinata covers his hand with hers and Naruto moves his thumb over her stomach. It is barely noticeable, but there is a bump in her abdomen that was not there before.

His baby is in there.

He has found himself in a better mood than he thought possible. His pain is a mere afterthought and he has begun training without a problem. Kiba had joked with him the second time his ass had touched the ground.

Eyes wide, surprise evident on his face. "The mind really does wonders, don't you think?"

Sakura worried he might be forcing himself too much. "There should be a limit." And yes, but also no.

He had limits before, and now those limits are broken. He feels himself with a newfound power, with a newfound purpose.

Until his father sits him down in a room -just the two of them again- in order to check his seal. And then, like a bucket of cold water, he remembers. The ordeals he had to endure, his child should endure. The pains he went through, his child would go through. He ought to protect his child, and yet…

He locks eyes with his father for barely a second and his father gives him a reassuring smile. He knows nothing of what Naruto is thinking, because he has not shared these worries with anyone else, and yet, Naruto knows with certainty that his father would understand.

Out of everyone in the clan, out of everyone in his family. Out of everyone ever. He had to endure these same feelings alone.

And Naruto has never ever thanked him.

His father made it seem like Naruto's hardships were just a part of life. Unavoidable and something to be tackled on. And with his father by his side, nothing seemed too much of a hurdle.

Naruto owes this man everything and then some.

And he is terrified of going through this with his child.

Minato moves his hand with expertise and startles and stops the moment Naruto says, "I don't think I've ever told you this, dad, but thank you."

Minato tilts his head in confusion and Naruto feels a bubbly laugh wanting to come out. "You know… for everything you've done for me."

"Son…"

"I have never thanked you, have I?"

Minato's hands come to his thighs and he frowns. What is there to thank? If anything, Minato feels like he owes still, owes so much he will never be able to repay this debt. "There is nothing to thank, son."

Naruto stays silent for a second, feeling his tongue stiff and heavy inside his mouth. "How am I supposed to care for a child that will have to go through… what I went through?"

It's a whisper. A confession. And if there is anything Minato can do for his son right now, is to reassure him. That whatever he went through will somehow make him fitter to raise his child than Minato could with him. That… knowing what happens to the body will be an asset when his child starts to grow. That, maybe, by some miracle, this child will be exempt from this. That everything will be all right. Minato wants to utter these words and feel satisfied, but he knows those would be lies or half-truths. And the way Naruto is looking at him, with a semblance of calm that cracks every now and then, lets Minato know that he wants the truth. And although Minato looks down, ashamed of himself, he knows at least this is the one thing that helped him overcome the many nights where he cooed Naruto to sleep, where his whimpers accompanied Minato through the nights, where his worsening condition kept him up until the sun would rise and he would have to wipe down his tears and face a new day.

Because sometimes he also needed to reassure himself that he was not a monster. That he wasn't a bad father.

"I am sure you will try your best raising your child."

Naruto looks somewhat disappointed, as if he was expecting some kind of secret that could lift the heavy rock sitting on his chest. As if expecting more was his mistake. What kind of wisdom did he really want? Lies, he realizes. And his father is giving him the truth. Like always. He ponders a second, and although he understands, he worries still.

"You think that will be enough?"

"... do you resent me in any way?"

Naruto whips his head in disbelief. If he resented him? His father? Minato? Him? How on earth would he ever resent the man that did his best…

A wave of nostalgia and relief washes over him as he realizes that, well, it seems to be enough. "I would never," Naruto whispers, and Minato hides his eyes from him, writes down on the notebook next to him. A long winded paragraph that doesn't seem to end. Naruto can't read what's in it.

And Naruto realizes that in the same way that he had things he had never talked with his father, there seemed to be questions his father had never seemed to be able to ask him either.

"I would never resent you, dad. I am forever grateful."

His voice breaks and he has to look up to keep the tears from falling. A hundred thank yous wouldn't suffice. A day kneeling to show gratitude wouldn't be enough. His chin trembles and he whimpers a thank you he thinks he should have said sooner.

Minato grabs Naruto's hand, brings it to his face and shakes his head no. Eyes closed and a painful expression on his face, he says nothing. He is unable to say anything.

And Naruto is just glad to have said those words now.

⁂⁂⁂

Hinata stares at her reflection on the mirror. The bump on her abdomen is noticeable when she is naked now -although it is still mostly hidden when she is clothed- and she can't help but stare.

Her hands travel to her abdomen and she moves them up and down, to the sides, she covers the bump and then she locks eyes with herself in the mirror.

Pregnant.

She is pregnant with Naruto's child.

Her child.

She had heard the words and taken the news with nonchalance. It hadn't really registered. With Naruto's condition up in the air and her mind elsewhere, she had just nodded along. She hadn't really understood. Even now, she is only beginning to.

She puts on her robes and heads to bed. She misses Naruto, but knowing he's now able to take care of the clan business as usual fills her with reassurance. He's fine.

He's fine. He's fine.

At least for now.

Lord Minato and Sakura still keep checking in on him and Hinata has seen with her own eyes how Naruto is now able to fight like before, but… there is a deep seated worry buried inside of her that only rests when he brings her into his arms. And Hinata is terrified to think too much about it.

She realizes she fell asleep the moment she startles when her husband comes into bed.

"I woke you up?" He whispers, still unsure if he did or not. Hinata rustles and moves to be able to see his face. "Sorry about that, go back to sleep."

He kisses her temple, her forehead, and then accommodates himself next to her. His hands travel around her body and he brings her head to his chest before sighing. His other hand rests on her stomach, where he has made it a habit to rub his thumb over her bump before sleeping.

But Hinata is restless. Because she misses him in a way that a hug just makes her hungrier.

"N-Naruto?"

He hums as an answer.

"Are you t-tired?"

He misses the longing in her voice and he mistakes her question as worry over his well-being. "Nothing to worry about, love."

So Hinata stays with her eyes open, staring at his chest. And she tries again. Her hand to his chest this time, "S-Sakura said we could be i-intimate…"

Naruto has his eyes closed and it takes him a second to understand what Hinata is trying to say. Yes, Sakura said that. And Hinata had kept her eyes glued to the floor when Naruto had asked whether they could have sex or not. The memory makes him chuckle, and then Hinata's mouth finds his neck and Naruto's brain understands everything immediately.

It takes him less than a second to press his hands into her body and bring her even closer to him.

He's hard already.

"If you feel," he starts, as his mouth bites and sucks on her skin, "If you feel anything weird, you gotta tell me."

Hinata shudders as his hands start touching her beneath the clothes and she nods and mewls a yes as his body raises over hers.

"If," Hinaya moans, "if you're t-tired-"

"Love, I thought you meant tired as in getting back to work," his hands find her breasts and Hinata's head shoots back with her mouth open, "Why would I ever get tired of touching my wife?"

His mouth falls to her chest and Hinata grasps his hair, her nails drag over his scalp and Naruto moves upwards, gives her open-mouthed and sloppy kisses that only make him more impatient.

He brings his hand between her open legs, but Hinata stops him.

"Ah, now," she gasps, her breasts rising and falling under the moonlight, shining with Naruto's slobber over them, "can we- c-can you just p-put it in?"

Naruto drags his hands over her legs, her thighs.

"I m-m-miss you."

And he has to reign over himself not to throw himself over his pregnant wife. He undoes his belt and brings himself closer to her. His penis shines with precum and he slides it over her, the friction alone could be enough to make him cum.

"I love you," he whispers, soft and low. Hinata's hand covers his own hand over her thigh and Naruto feels the urge to cry.

"I l-love you."

Naruto brings his hand down and guides himself inside. The feeling is familiar and warm and new and everything he needs right now.

Hinata raises her hips to accommodate herself and Naruto moves in and out a couple of times. "You all right?"

His voice is coarse and low and it sends shivers down her spine. She nods.

"You can go f-f-faster."

Naruto closes his eyes and he looks like he's in pain. His hips move faster, and Hinata feels herself contracting around him.

Her legs cross behind him and Naruto's hands dig into Hinata's thighs. The sound of their bodies is enough for Hinata to lose herself.

She's moaning, she's sure, and she can't look away from Naruto's body. Slightly leaner, but still very much full of strength. The muscles on his torso tense and relax as he moves and Hinata finds it mesmerizing. His sweat finds its way down his muscles and Hinata wants to lick him clean.

She finds herself surprised at the turn her brain has taken, but then Naruto presses into her, then leaves and presses harder, and she knows he's about to cum.

His release feels warm inside of her and the way his hands cling to her waist make her want to eat him whole. He stays inside of her a while, as his breathing calms down, as his hips give a last couple of lazy thrusts.

He brings Hinata's hand to his lips, then pulls out and sits on his heels. Hinata's legs close together, in a slow movement Naruto finds terribly sensual. After a couple of seconds, sure enough, his seed spills and he stares.

He moves to Hinata, peppering kisses along the way, touching everywhere he can. His hand rests on her stomach and he rests his head on his palm.

"How do you feel?"

Hinata chuckles at his worried face, her hand drags over his whisker marks. "I feel v-very good, thank you."

He laughs at her attitude, then buries his head on her neck, earning a string of giggles as he brings her body closer to him.

"How d-do you feel?"

Naruto feels the chilly air around him, can hear the rustling of the leaves outside, can even hear some footsteps far away from them. He feels great. But then he feels her heat, and her sweaty skin against his, her eyes on him, and Hinata's eyes squint as she smiles, his erection against her leg.

"Oh, I feel fantastic," Naruto shares and Hinata covers her face as she laughs at his antics.

He kisses her through her hands, on her hands, on her hair. "Can we go again?"

Hinata hooks her arms around him, kisses him with fervor before whispering a yes. Time and time again, yes.

Hinata starts to turn around, but Naruto stops her mid-way. One of her legs resting on the ground, her other hooked around Naruto's waist.

"Gotta practice for when you get bigger," he smiles, as his hand travels around her abdomen. "Everything all right?"

Hinata rests on her side, turns slightly to look at him, "Yes."

It feels tighter. Not uncomfortable, not weird. Just tighter. And both of them moan as Naruto penetrates her. His hand grabs her leg tight to himself and the other he moves from her stomach to her clitoris.

Hinata's head shoots back the moment his hand touches her there. Naruto brings the fluids from where they are connected upwards and he begins to massage in tandem with his thrusts. He earns himself red markings on his thigh, as Hinata grabs onto himself to keep her from screaming out.

From here he can see her bump clearer, and knowing he is the reason for that is enough to make him want to thrust in deep. Deeper. Her breasts bounce and he leans over, he catches Hinata mid-moan.

He doesn't stop moving his hand, and when Hinata falls as her arm gets too tired, Naruto buries his head on her chest, moaning against her skin.

Hinata comes first. She hugs Naruto as she does, and her hips move as she rides her high down. Naruto comes as she clamps down on him, he groans and bites down on her skin, and brings his face to hers, he attempts to kiss her as he squeezes out every last bit of semen he can. He doesn't need to, he does it anyway.

They snuggle and Naruto hugs his wife from the back. Rests his hands on her abdomen. He makes sure she's comfortable, he makes sure she's warm.

He gives her one last kiss on her cheek. "Good night."

Hinata hugs his arm and accommodates herself to stay the closest she can to him. His hand drags over her stomach and Hinata joins him.

Their baby.

Our guest Tomo left a comment that really encapsulates Naruto's life. It said that it was unfair that life kept telling Naruto that he's gonna die young and then kept on giving him reasons to want to live, and, well, Tomo, you hit the nail on the head with that one.

We also now have another guest! Couldn't answer you to tell you thanks for leaving a comment, so here I shout it! Ciao, too, new guest!

And to all the lovely people who leave comments, follow and favorite, thanks for all the love you show this story.
You really make a difference regarding this story keeping its schedule lol
Take care and see you next week! (❁´◡`❁)