(A/N: Check out the cute Baby Sora Picture!!)
A couple months have passed by. The blond which they have been waiting for had just disappeared.
No one knew where he was, with him gone the scandal slowly died out. Sasuke and Sāra both made jokes about the incident. Denying anything happening between his best friend and girlfriend but Sasuke couldn't convince himself that it didn't bother him.
The paparazzi waited and waited but even the best of them couldn't get a single lead on where Namikaze Naruto had disappeared to.
In the confines of a quiet clinic room, Naruto was sitting with his son on his lap.
He was reading him a story. Kushina kissed her son's forehead.
"I have to go for a bit. Do you need me to get you anything?"
"Okay" he smiled "no we're fine, Shikamaru is coming by with everyone else. I'll be dismissed this afternoon..so I'll just see you home ok?"
"Okay sweetie, bye bye SoSo-Chan" she waved at the toddler.
"Bye bye!" He smiled and turned to his dad. "Papa, what next?" He pointed at the story.
"Mhm right. Where were we?" He looked at the text until he found the paragraph and continued reading the story.
He chuckled as his baby jolted a bit when he heard the big bad wolf ate the little red riding hood. But then when he heard how a big strong hunter saved her he clapped.
"Papa...this is you" he smiled pointing at the cartoonish hunter picture in the book.
"You really think so?" He kissed his son's cheek "so you're my little red riding hood?"
"Yes" he got under the cover and peeked holding it like a hoodie.
"It's not red" Naruto chuckled.
"I am witto gween widy hood" he flashed him a smile.
"The cutest riding hood ever" he kissed him and fixed his hair for him knowing how he likes it.
"Papa when we home, can we make cake?"
"You want cake?" He asked "we can buy one, what flavor do you want?"
"No...make cake togethew"
"Sure sweetie, we can bake a cake together."
"Then we go Mako-chan biwthday"
"Is it Makoto-chan's birthday today?" Naruto looked at his son as he just went through the pages of the story book. "Why didn't you go to the party with the rest of your friends?"
"Because You is hewe, papa." Sora said it so naturally as if it was a normal thing to miss on events to be with his dad.
He was colouring in the book. Naruto on the other hand, clicked a button to call a nurse.
He went through his dismissal documents, signing them quickly and he got Sora-chan dressed.
"We will make cupcakes, chocolate and rasberry, her favourites right?"
Sora nodded closing his coat.
His dad gathered his clothes and sat down on the bed waiting for his personal driver to get there.
Half an hour later the man was by the door. He had taken Naruto's stuff to the car. Naruto followed slowly towards the parking lot. Until he saw couple news network vans pulls out. Naruto picked up Sora and shielded him from the camera immediately.
"Papa?"
"I'm the big strong hunter right? It's okay" he gave him a kiss and kept him covered up from the cameras.
"Namikaze-san, is that you and Rōnan-san's son?"
"How long have you been secretly dating?"
"Did Sasuke confront you about your relationship?"
"Please-..." Naruto never liked crowded and loud areas. The flashing lights, the voices mixed and questions thrown at him. None made sense.
He felt dizzy, his heart raced and his wrist watch beeped once as a warning.
Tetsuya had no way of reaching Naruto. He pushed around the able bodies of reporters to no avail.
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Sāra was in the set of her new movie, getting ready when her manager showed up.
"Do you have a son?" He asked.
"What?" She chuckled but saw how serious he was "no, what makes you think that?"
"Well they found the mystery man...and he has a little toddler with him"
He showed her a little clip of the live.
"I don't have a son. And I don't know why they're in a clinic"
Sasuke was in the middle of his tour when he saw he received a message from an unknown.
"They lied to you about what happened that night."
Sasuke was about to ask who was it when he received a video. He played it.
It was the night of the big gala event.
His then girlfriend helped out of the car, clearly drunk. Then Naruto taking time to get of the car, taking his driver's tux top to wear, clearly naked under.
He watched from a different angle as they shared a kiss. Then it cut to the view of the penthouse. It zoomed in on, his now fiancée undressing for Naruto. From the point of view, Naruto looked around worried someone could see them and slid down the automatic curtains walking towards the naked Sāra.
"No...no..no" Sasuke "stop the car...stop the fucking car!!!" He got out before it fully halted and called her.
"Hey baby-.."
"Don't 'hey baby' me! What the fuck did you do with Naruto that night?"
"What? I told you nothing happened" she chuckled "come on you're not gonna ask me if the kid is mine too. That's ridiculous"
"Sāra, you didn't tell me you kissed him, you didn't tell me...you...did you cheat on me with him?"
"He...told you? He promised me he wouldn't. No no baby I swear nothing happened. I was really drunk, I don't even remember that"
"So you offered yourself to him...he just didn't want you, right? You just...tried to sleep with my best friend...and instead of telling me you keep it a secret...what the fuck? If nothing happened why didn't you tell me?!"
"Because I was scared you'd blow it out of proportion!" She yelled back.
"We're through....we're through Rōran" he hung up. Sasuke couldn't shake it out of his mind. He got so angry that he smashed his phone against the asphalt.
The look on Naruto's face, though it was distant, haunted him. Sasuke hated to admit it, he was jealous. He was still in love with that blond, so much so that the thought of him being with someone else made him nauseous.
"Uchiha-san?"
"Take me to the airport" Sasuke ordered as he got back in the car.
It was a mistake, it was all a mistake. Giving Naruto up and moving on with someone else was a mistake.
Sāra had arrived angrily at the house she was told Namikaze lived in. Her bodyguards kept away the papz as she walked to the door.
A maid had let her in, thinking she was one of the guests. Sāra spared no time going straight to Naruto with the intention of attacking him.
"You did this on purpose! You waited until The news died out...and then....you just.. you fucking bastard!" She cried her heart out.
"Sāra-...what are you talking about? Did something happen with Sasuke?"
"You happened!! You promised you wouldn't tell him."
"I didn't tell him. Gaara?" Naruto, though still confused was concerned things were falling down between Sasuke and his new fiancée.
"Don't look at me...it's what got you in the hospital in the first place. Why would I?" He retorted.
"You told him! Don't play me!" She lunged herself at Naruto but a certain Shikamaru got in the way.
"Troublesome."
"Sasuke knows" the room went quiet when they heard the second beep, though it was only Naruto who knew it was the second.
Even Sāra stopped trying to break free from Shikamaru's hold as a memory flashed.
I don't know how I got here or where here is. Just that I am naked and cold. I could hear the sound of water so I followed it. Hopefully it's someone who can offer me some warm clothes.
I walked in and stood there looking around. A plain looking room, unused canvasses around. Then soon a person was in front of me.
"Oh you scared me" he stated, the beeping sound of his wrist watch soon followed. He didn't bother look at it to see what it was. "Are you feeling better?"
"I'm cold" I stated blatantly. Though in my drunk state I had flashed him my breasts as if it were a normal occasion.
He made a comment about something I don't remember. Then he threw me a hoodie. I forgot myself and let go of the blanket going to the closet as he gave me permission.
I wore sweatpants and the hoodie he gave me. I was warm, full and comfortable. So I jumped on bed next to him.
"Sasuke never told you..."
I looked at him, my eyes closing heavily partly because I was too drunk and partly because I was tired.
"He and I were together...we were engaged"
His lips were moving, his eyes fixed on the ceiling. I kept zoning in and out. Barely listening but hearing what he had to say.
"Sāra, I'm dying."
I remember my eyes were too heavy to keep open but I heard every single word he said to me. How he wanted me to look after Sasuke.
Shikamaru didn't know why all of a sudden, Sāra broke down into a fit of tears but he thought perhaps she just got too tired of trying to break free.
Naruto had texted Sasuke but received no reply. His call didn't reach and so he just thought his ex was angry and blocked him.
He quietly got outside his house. The crowd went wild. Obviously whomever had told Sasuke shared the news with them.
"I'd appreciate if you all stop asking stupid questions. Rōnan-san had made a mistake that night. She was having a hard time and got a bit carried away. No, she didn't cheat on Sasuke with me. The kiss was supposed to be nothing but a friendly peck on the cheek that due to her drunk state was falsely placed on my lips. Yes I saw her naked...more than once that night. But she had wanted me to make her a nude painting. I declined since she was not in a state of giving consent. At no point had she tried to sleep with me, asked or done anything that would have made me think she was interested in me sexually. Even if that were the case, I wouldn't have slept with miss Rōran because I am Gay. Now would you all just kindly fuck off."
Naruto walked back inside slamming the door.
"Did Naruto just...told them to fuck off?" Gaara could feel the anger bubbling up inside of Naruto. It sent shivers down his spine. He had met the blond's mom and this anger was very reminiscent of Kushina.
"Guys, I hope you don't mind. I promised Sora-chan to take him to Makoto's birthday party" he casually switched it up as if he hadn't just casually given an unrehearsed statement to the press.
Shikamaru cleared his throat "I'll go with you"
"Okay" he started packing the cupcakes. "Sāra, I hope to see you when I'm back okay? If you need anything, make yourself at home." He smiled at her. Though he was troubled about how things would go with Sasuke, he tried to push that thought away and hoped that the press statement would somewhat calm Sasuke down.
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Naruto held his son in his arm, the gift in the other. Shikamaru held the two boxes of cupcakes.
The paparazzi would have made noise but none dared even snap a picture as he glared at them. He was still the kendo legend who, as far they know, can kill a person with one punch.
It didn't help that the earlier encounter in the parking lot ended up badly. When Naruto was stuck in that situation, his baby was crying distraught. He had taken his ultimate defense stance and many people just lost control over their hands as Naruto hit their pressure points.
So of course only a fool would dare risk their precious expensive equipment for a picture.
"How's that for your big hunter?" Naruto smiled putting his son down and holding his hand.
"Papa's amazing!" He walked along and tried to put his hoodie up as it was blown by the wind. "I got it" he fixed it triumphantly.
"I'm proud of you" Naruto extended his hand for his child and continued the walk.
"So, you told the world" Shikamaru didn't need to specify for his friend to understand that he meant coming out.
"It hasn't been a secret since I was sixteen." Naruto shrugged moving to the issue that nagged him "She didn't try to-...She was drunk. So anything she did that night...I wouldn't even consider it to be anything. She fought with Sasuke over me. She asked him if he loved me. He never told her about us and she...she...Sasuke still loved me back then"
"If he is flying over...he still does"
"Why do you think I made the statement?"
"You want him to make a choice"
"I want him with her." Naruto took a deep breath. His heart pounded hard and it hurt so much he dropped the gift he was holding in his hand.
Shikamaru reacted adequately, supporting the man before he plunged against concrete head first.
"Papa" the little kid held on to the hem of Naruto's jacket.
"Don't think bout that now okay?" He advised and Naruto nodded taking few deep breaths. "You ok?"
"Hurts to breathe" a few tears escaped his eyes. "I promised Sora we're going. He can't miss it...not because of me"
"You can stay here, I can take him and come back"
"Sora-chan, go with uncle Shikamaru... I'll catch my breath and follow you ok?"
"No...I stay hewe" he hugged his dad.
"I promise I'll be there.."
"You pwomise, papa?" His big blue eyes begging for comfort.
"I promise" Naruto reassured him. If his father had promised then he was going to deliver.
Sora looked back a few times until Shikamaru had told him something. He held onto the box which was about his size and arrived at Makoto-chan's place.
"Hi, Sora-kun" the woman smiled "Shikamaru, how's Naruto?"
"Not...well but he's coming for Sora's sake. He made some cupcakes for her birthday"
"Oh he shouldn't have troubled himself." She took the boxes and watched as the kid removed his shoes and removed his coat, scarf and hat handing them to his uncle to hang.
He was the most well mannered toddler she had ever seen.
"I'm gonna go get your papa okay?" Shikamaru informed Sora who nodded. He still sat by the step and waited.
"You want to wait for him?"
"Yes"
"He'll be here" Shikamaru kissed his forehead and flashed him a friendly smile before leaving.
As soon as the front door closed, Shikamaru ran to where he had left Naruto. He saw him barely standing.
Naruto felt himself picked up.
"I'm not going to argue. I know whatever I say you'll just keep saying you promised. So I'll take you there. Just don't push yourself okay?" Shikamaru had carried his best friend effortlessly to the house.
He sat him down at the front door. "Thanks, Shikamaru"
"If the pain gets worse, tell me."
"Yes, sir" Naruto stood up with his help.
The lady opened the door to see Naruto for the first time in almost three months. His once sunkissed skin was sickly pale.
"Papa!!" Sora smiled now a bit relaxed to see his dad standing.
"Naruto-kun, it's good to see you. Please come in" she allowed them in. Naruto sat down and Sora helped him right away.
"It's okay. I got it. You just go play with your friends" he gave him a kiss. "I love you"
"I love you too" Sora hugged his dad but instead of it being a small one he stayed in his dad's arms for a long time.
"Sora-chan?"
"Thank you, papa. I'm sowwy. You okay?"
Naruto looked at the two adults next to him. He knew just how smart his child was, he heard something he was sure of it and it troubled him deeply what is it he overheard.
"I'm fine. I promise okay? You have nothing to be sorry about. Go have fun with your friends"
Naruto smiled at his kid and watched him walk away.
"Okay. I did not know he overheard us" Shikamaru confessed, he felt guilty for troubling the little kid.
"I'll let it slide." Naruto stood up and hung up his clothes in the closet with the rest of the guest's clothes.
Shikamaru followed closely by. "Is it just us?" The lazy Nara couldn't help but notice that there weren't other adults there.
"Mimi-san, do you need help with anything?" Naruto got to the kitchen.
"Yes but no, I don't want to trouble you. Is your friend...good with kids? I booked but the weather is so bad he cancelled last minute."
"Shikamaru?" Naruto looked back at him and saw the unentertained look on his face.
"Troublesome"
"Don't worry Mimi-san, we'll take care of it"
"What a drag" Shikamaru whined to himself but his best friend didn't seem to care one bit.
In fact, Shikamaru did not even have an idea what the father in front of him had planned. If he knew he'd have said more than just troublesome. Shikamaru might have even ran off from there.
Instead he waited until Naruto pulled him to the side.
"So uhm I'm gonna need you to go to an art store and get some face and body paint."
"What do you plan to do?"
"Paint faces...while you be a clown for them."
"No"
"It's Makoto-chan's birthday and doing this makes your the coolest uncle in the group"
"Tempting but no"
"Pleaaaaaase, Shikamaru"
"I'll do it on one condition"
"Name it!"
"If Sasuke asks you out...be fair to him and to yourself"
"Shi-..."
"That's my only condition."
"Okay" Naruto gave in. He was certain Sasuke wasn't going to ask him back. Well, Almost certain.
There was doubt and with that doubt hope that he might be in the arms of the man he loved.
Naruto could swear he was even longing for it. To even be looked at the same way Sasuke used to in past. But Naruto never noticed that Sasuke had never changed the way he was looking at him.
Naruto heard Mimi struggling with the kids and turned his attention to them.
"Okay who wants to hear a story!!" He clapped.
"Me!!" They smiled and gathered around him in the living room.
Naruto sat in a crisscross.
"It's Makoto-chan's birthday so she gets to pick"
He smiled as his son sat on his lap, he was the youngest of the whole bunch.
"I want a princess story" Makoto smiled.
"Oh come on that's boring!" Some of the kids whined.
"Well I know just the story. In a far far away land, lived the most beautiful princess. Her hair pink and her eyes sparkly green. But she was no regular princess." Naruto stopped getting the attention of the kids who did not want a princess story "She was a dragon slayer. Dattebayo?"
"Woah" they all leaned in eager to hear about this dragon slayer princess.
Mimi cleaned up in the background and prepped the sitting area for when she brings the cake.
Before she knew it an hour had passed and Naruto didn't falter for one second to capture their attention.
All she could hear was the sounds of amazement, shock and screams of terror from time to time as they were fully immersed in the story.
Shikamaru came back. "Sorry I took so long"
"Naruto's got their undying attention." Mimi took the supplies his bought.
"Uhm...I need the second bag...it's got the costume" he sighed cursing himself for doing this.
He snuck to the bathroom and gotten dressed.
Naruto couldn't help but laugh when he saw his best friend in that costume.
"I should have had more conditions" he felt ridiculous but he tried to play it off when the kids saw him.
Needless to say, he only ended up scaring them. They huddled up closely to Naruto. Shikamaru dropped the hat and went to the bathroom to change back. He wanted his dignity back.
"Alright...I think the clown is just a little bit grumpy. So I'm gonna go help a bit okay?"
"Oji-san, can you finish the dragon princess story when you are back? Pretty please?"
"Sure" Naruto smiled "as long as you behave while I'm away. Mimi-san will tell me if anyone misbehaved" he winked at the woman who nodded and he went to the bathroom.
"I'm leaving" Shikamaru stated as soon as he saw his friend.
"Come on, I need you." Naruto got the supplies. "Try and relax a bit."
"I can't handle kids....they make me nervous"
"You do just fine with Sora. He likes you, just be like that with them and they'll like you too" Naruto started putting on face paint on Shikamaru's face drawing a friendly goofy clown's face.
"Sora's different...he's not troublesome..."
Naruto sighed stopping his painting on his best friend's face "if you don't wanna do it that badly..."
"Temari's pregnant" Shikamaru cut him off "We found out a couple of days ago...she's two months in. And I don't know what to do...I feel like I can't breathe...I'm not ready for a kid, Naruto. What if I ruin their life? What if they'relike me? What if-..."
"Shikamaru, you're having a kid with the woman you love. All those what ifs you will have her by your side to figure out. Trust me, that moment when you hold your child in your arms, the world stops. Nothing else matters, you breathe for them, exist solely for them. you would give everything for them. When you hold them no matter how unready you think you are you just become ready"
Shikamaru needed to hear exactly that. Because his fiancée did not understand what he was so scared of. She thought perhaps he didn't want any kids at all.
"Okay don't cry you will ruin the face paint" Naruto smiled wide "congrats, man" a slight smirk danced on the blond's face. "Took you long enough" he joked.
Following that conversation, Shikamaru got out of the bathroom with newfound confidence.
Naruto smiled as his baby came over.
"Hey sweetie, what mask do you want?"
"I want kitty like Papa" Sora tapped his dad's cheeks.
Naruto painted the whisker's on his son's cheek. Sora when he was just a baby had the whiskers just like Naruto but they have faded as he got older and now they were barely visible.
Naruto chuckled as his son went to show his friends his cool face paint.
Then as Naruto got the gear out. He asked them to let the birthday girl go first.
One by one he gave them what they wanted.
Then it was time for cake.
After that Naruto finished up the story and let them paint his face whilst they were waiting for their parents to pick them up.
9pm clocked in pretty quickly with some kids falling asleep while waiting for their parents.
In all honesty, Naruto-kun too had fallen asleep.
Shikamaru called the driver to come over.
"Papa, we go home" Sora rubbed his eyes tiredly.
"He's tired Sora-chan" Shikamaru picked him up "I'll get papa you wait in the car okay?" Shikamaru handed Sora his stuff and then opened the door watching him get in the car.
"Tetsuya, can you get him in the carseat?"
"Yes sir" the man helped the toddler up.
Shikamaru took Naruto's clothes and helped him get dressed.
"Thank Naruto again for me"
"Will do" Shikamaru smiled and picked his friend up, getting him in the car. "Are the Paparazzi still outside the house?"
"Yes, sir. Uchiha Sasuke had just arrived a couple minutes ago."
"Perfect fucking timing." He grunted "Tetsuya, park the car in the Garage. I don't want them seeing Naruto or Sora"
"Yes sir" the man got in the car and drove off once Shikamaru told him to.
He was hoping things wouldn't get out of hand once Naruto arrives home.
A/N:
Sooo... As I was casually going through this chapter to correct mistakes here and there. An insect finds its way into my safe space.
Now I don't about you but I have entomophobia and I know some people might find it funny to be afraid of a small insect but goddamn the little bastards are scary!!
I have sprayed the room, locked it and taken refuge in the living room for the time being.
Pray that I may win this war.
P.s: Thank you for always reading, commenting and voting! Always makes my day!!
P.p.s: we reached 4k reads!! Ain't it amazing! If my calculations are correct we are 11 chapters away from the end!