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The small family of three sat around the dinner table, enjoying each others’ company after a rather long and arduous day. Sasuke had spent the majority of the day in the Hokage Tower, meeting with Naruto and Kakashi on issues involving their nation’s security. Top secret kind of stuff, obviously. Sakura was readjusting to working at the hospital again after returning from maternity leave. She wasn’t working full days yet, but splitting her time between her 11-month-old daughter and wide array of patients was tiring.
However, neither of them could complain; they both loved their work and the little family they’d created together. Sasuke was sitting across from Sakura, who was feeding their fussy little girl. Normally she was happy with her smashed peas, but tonight she was not pleased. She’d push away the spoon in her mother’s hand or feign whimpers as if her mother were feeding her poison rather than mushy green vegetables.
Sakura had been weaning Sarada off of breast milk for the past couple of months, primarily breastfeeding late in the night when her daughter would awake and cry out for her mother, wanting comfort. However, some days Sarada was not content with this new development in her life; the solid foods her parents were trying to introduce her to did not hold the allure of drinking straight from her mother’s warm chest. Sarada enjoyed breastfeeding. She could hear Sakura’s heartbeat, and it subconsciously reminded her of still being in her mother’s womb. The act had bonded the two together so tightly. This is why Sasuke internally swore up and down that Sarada’s first word would be “mama.”
But that didn’t stop Sasuke and Sakura for betting on which word Sarada would say first: “papa” or “mama.” Sasuke and Sakura were a competitive couple; they were both top-notch shinobi who rarely lost in a fight these days, not that anyone would actually pick a fight with them. They were well-known for their involvement in the fight against Kaguya and the Infinite Tsukuyomi, so anyone who would dare cross them clearly had a death wish.
This meant that there little competitions often occurred between themselves. Sometimes they’d spar with each other, teasing each other when one would pin the other. They hadn’t been able to spar in a long time, though, as Sakura had gotten pregnant on their journeys together. Becoming a mother had taken some of a toll on her body, and Sasuke would rather spend his time worshipping the form that brought Sarada into this world than throwing punches at it (even if he would pull those punches, nonetheless).
So their competitions would often come in the forms of little bets–like how long it would take before Kiba’s new girlfriend came to her senses or when Kakashi would start dozing off in their jonin meetings, turning instead to the infamous book laying open in his lap.
This competition was different, though. Still light-hearted in its intentions, but there was more at stake. They both knew that their daughter loved them, and they would bring heaven and hell to its knees if it meant protecting their Sarada. However, her first words were a big deal.
Sometimes, Sakura would walk into the living room to see Sasuke sitting on the carpet with his child, dotting on her as she played with her stuffed Dino-chan and other toys. So enthralled in the little mini-me that sat before him, he wouldn’t always know that Sakura was standing behind them. And it was in these moments that Sakura could hear Sasuke nearly whispering to Sarada, “Come on, Sarada. Say ‘papa.’ I’m your papa.”
Though he wouldn’t admit it, he needed this win! Parenting came naturally to Sakura, and although Sasuke was a kind and loving father, he was always really hard on himself. When Sakura had first told him about her pregnancy, he felt this overwhelming feeling of joy; he also felt sudden and crushing fear. Would he even be a good father? It’s not like he had any good examples in his own life, save for the deviant Hokage/sensei who had always tried to reach out to him in his youth. Kakashi was just as emotionally constipated as Sasuke, though.
Eleven months in, Sasuke had done all he could to be the father Sarada needed. He held her when she cried, fed her at meals, and would bathe with her. He opened himself up to her at a speed he’d never done with another human being; she was his world. And to receive validation for his efforts through her first word would bring him such joy. Not that he wouldn’t treat her this way if she said “mama first.”
Sasuke knew, however, that this was an uphill battle. Nothing could come between the bond of mother and child. Sakura had carried Sarada within her own body for months, and she’d spent nearly a day and half in labor to bring Sarada into this world. Sakura also had the quality time that came from breastfeeding and diaper changing (something that Sasuke could do but was especially difficult for him with only one arm; Sakura often took over this duty).
What Sasuke didn’t know was how much Sakura also wanted Sarada’s first word to be “papa.” She’d seen how tough Sasuke had been on himself, how he’d chastise himself for not being able to soothe Sarada’s cries quickly enough or for sometimes holding her awkwardly due to his lack of a second arm. Being a father was a constant learning experience for Sasuke, one that he embraced wholeheartedly. He was just used to things coming to him naturally, though, so this was a blow to his ego and Sakura wanted to give him some reassurance. Their late-night pillow talks, though well intentioned and full of love, never fully quelled his anxieties.
So, whenever Sasuke was out of their home at the Hokage Tower or out on a mission, Sakura would work with Sarada on saying “papa.” Sakura even enlisted her mother, who would watch Sarada when Sakura was at the hospital, to say the word around Sarada occasionally. She’d feign her competitive nature in this bet whenever he was around, encouraging her daughter to say the word “mama” at the dinner table. But she’d spend their mother-daughter time working on “papa.” She often was his emotional rock, but this was one comfort that needed to come from their little girl.
So one night, as Sasuke laid on their bed with Sarada on his chest and Sakura by his side, he nearly choked on his own saliva when he heard the word slip from his daughter’s mouth. She was not tired, not like her parents at least; she was sitting up on Sasuke’s chest, playing the neckline of his shirt. It was at that moment that Sarada squeaked, “Papa!”
“What did she just say?” Sakura said, becoming more alert at the realization that her daughter had finally concluded their little bet.
“I-I think she just said papa,” Sasuke stuttered a bit. “Sarada, say that again.”
“Papa,” Sarada squealed in her high-pitched voice. “Papa, papa, papa, papa!”
Sasuke couldn’t believe how good it felt hearing that word come from his daughter. After a lifetime of uncertainty and pain–losing his entire family in a single night and his ability to allow himself to grow closer to others–Sasuke had found his way back to what he’d lost. And hearing his daughter utter her first word sent a warm sensation from his chest all throughout his body. All he could do was beam down at her with tears threatening to spill from his eyes and say, “Yes, Sarada. I’m papa.”