Day 28: Pregnancy
SasuHina Month
↳ Day 28. Prompt - Pregnancy. Normal Universe, Post-War.
"Welcome back." Those were the words that greeted him the moment Sasuke stepped inside of his house, slipping his shoes off by the door. He hadn't seen his wife yet, but she had clearly been expecting him - the space was spotless from top to bottom, left to right. For a few seconds, he observed the place, full of pointless ornaments she had been adamant on purchasing. Whereas he had preferred the simple over the complex, the plain over the lavish, she had longed to settle in what would become a domain full of vibrancy, as was that place she'd called 'home' for so long. She insisted that it would bring him 'cheer' and 'good will'. These were qualities he didn't seem to possess - but he relented despite himself, allowing her to have it her way. Who was he to deny her? But something today seemed off. His partner, whom normally greeted him at the door, still hadn't emerged from the depths of wherever she was in hiding, nor had she spoken since her first call barely two minutes ago. This struck him as odd. Usually, the petite figure would be settling herself in his arms by now, tutting at the dirt on his clothes and relishing in the bittersweet taste of his lips. Moving out of the entrance, Sasuke slipped silently to the area that he believed her to currently be inhabiting (which, by the way, was the bathroom). He'd suspected that she'd went to retrieve bandages. How many times would he have to relay to her that he should be expected home unscathed? It was an insult to his ability ... Well, when it was anyone else. His wife's doting care could never be considered an irritant. It was his surprise, then, when the bathroom lights turned up inactive, wooden door ajar. There was no-one inside. The bandages were untouched, tucked away on a shelf by the faucet - just as they were when he had initially departed. He blinked slowly, betraying no emotions to this find, as he turned around to leave the area - but then, a small sound gathered his attention. A sneeze. Her sneeze, the cute kitten sneeze she would emit after desperately crinkling her nose in vain efforts to delay the inevitable. A 'loud' one such as this could only mean she'd been trying to restrain herself for quite some time. A good couple minutes he'd been stood there, he should think. Doubling back, his gaze fell to the left, where their living room was located. A second 'a-a-achoo!' confirmed his suspicions. He started towards the noise without another thought. Tension could be felt radiating off of her in waves, long before he had reached her side. So she had been hiding from him, huh? It wouldn't be the first time. His sweet wife had been at odds with him on previous occasions - just, not like this. Sasuke was already mentally listing a million possible reasons behind her punishing silence, wondering which of those was the cause. If any were reason enough to negate a welcoming kiss, or if it had been something else he'd missed entirely? No matter. Whatever the reason was, Sasuke knew she had every right to be angry. He couldn't blame her for some short-lived distance. Had she been anyone else, hell, Sasuke suspected she'd have long since walked out the door - but his sunshine was patient. So tolerant, always poised, the picture of perfection, and she remained by him. Faithful. Kind. Loving him day by day, minute by minute; second by second. He supposed it was her upbringing - Never mind. Her upbringing? Oh, that's a laugh and a half. "Hinata." The Hyuga - sorry, Uchiha - didn't look at him. She clasped her knitting needles in her palms, the wool stretched between them as though she'd been mid-stitch when he entered. Glancing down at her work, and then at the various books scattered around her, Sasuke arched a brow. Pressed flowers were everywhere. Various scarves and other garments found themselves strewn about the place, hanging over the backs of chairs in piles. So this was how she'd been passing her time without him? He could almost laugh - making to survey every stem, leaf and petal there was to look at. But he didn't have time - a small click, two wooden pieces clacking against each other, registered that Hinata was leaving her seat. He caught her wrist before she could take more than two steps past him. He was done playing around. "Are you not going to answer me?" She watched the floor as if it was interesting, gaze fixated on the ground. Long locks of indigo hair shielded her profile from him, and she remained, having stopped still in her tracks. Not a whisper escaped her, frozen, and the frustration of the situation had Sasuke suddenly spin her, arms encircling her waist, gripping her hips, pushing her up against him, sharing in her warmth. Up close, he felt something different about her. A certain glow that hadn't been present the last time he'd laid eyes upon her figure, bathing her in a warmth that was new. Refreshing. Somehow, her features seemed softer, gentler - skin looking so tender, he lifted his right hand to her cheek, caressing it with his thumb. It felt just the same as it usually did. That was only to be expected, he thought, as he rested his forehead against hers, timing his breathing so their pattern synced. Quieter now, the words he whispered were born of a love only Hinata could coax from the stoic Uchiha. "I'm sorry, Hinata." The man murmured, lips brushing against her nose as he felt her breathing hitch. A small chuckle emitted from his throat at the look of sheer surprise gracing her, before her pale eyes warmed, with the rest of her features remaining stubbornly Hyuga-like. If not for the thinly pressed line that had become of her mouth, it would have been oh so easy to forget where she came from. Where she'd been raised. Mentally, Sasuke took note that such expressions simply didn't suit. This type of scowl appeared as though it should belong to him. Never her. "Sasuke ..." his wife let loose a breath she'd been holding, as though bracing herself for impact," ... It's not me you need to apologise to." For a few seconds there, Sasuke was struck dumb. Only when Hinata's face contorted, a small whimper of pain trembling on the bluenette's lips, did he think to turn his gaze from those pearl eyes he held so beloved, to the protruding curve of her stomach, where a small being had kicked out to be noticed. He didn't understand how he hadn't spotted it before, but then again, she'd done a pretty good job in concealing it. Hinata always did have practice shielding her body from the world, making every (beautiful) tuck and flare almost invisible. This time, it was by a large sweater she'd decided on settling into. His sweater, adorned with the Uchiha crest. Hiding their baby from his sight. Their baby. He almost couldn't believe it. The evidence was right there in front of him - he could feel it as she removed his palm from her face, bringing it instead to her swollen belly, allowing him to caress her in a way that roused unfamiliar feelings. Was this what fatherhood felt like? It definitely wasn't a large bump, not yet - but he knew it was going to grow, expanding to make room for their unborn child. Their little blessing. Inwardly, the male had to admit he was quite uncertain on how he should react, her unhappiness at his disappearance now beginning to make even more sense. Perhaps she had thought that he'd known, alerted by her altered chakra (that was so clearly infused with his, now that he'd taken enough care to notice), and decided to abandon his duties to her. The thought made his stomach churn with, dare he say, guilt. Should he apologise? She was one of the only good things that had ever happened to him (aside from the baby, of course). He didn't wish for her to feel as though he didn't care, but ... He didn't know. Sasuke hadn't had very many blessings before. Sliding down onto his knees, one palm clasped hers, while the other remained on her stomach. Sasuke found his forehead pressing against her belly, speaking as though addressing a little person, whose invisible tears he could see falling in his mind's eye. Disappointed their parent had abandoned them so soon after they were conceived. "I'm sorry." he whispered, this time not to their mother, but to the tiny Uchiha he had not physically met, yet felt so connected to. Vaguely, Sasuke felt Hinata's free hand stroking his head reassuringly, and found comfort in her touch. With her fingers furled in his short tresses, her hushed, angelic voice soothing his ongoing cries, the father-to-be let slip his guard. Letting news of hope found within her shed light on the deeper reaches of his heart, where both love and hate resided, for the first time in a long time - Sasuke wept.
Here’s my little ... thing. For SasuHina month, since I haven’t been participating (believe me, I wanted to). It was supposed to be a quick five-minute thing I came up with, but I’m very particular and so it ended up a lot more than that.
I was debating on whether or not Sasuke should cry, but then I realised - he lost his entire clan at such a young age. Now, he’s expecting a child with the woman he loves, his wife, his sunshine. Of course he’s going to cry. He’s human too. He’s cried before. I feel as though the Boruto series did his character injustice. He’s not a robot, guys - remember that.
Anyway, thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed this excerpt for @sasuhina-month !
Many thanks - Suhana













