Chapter Text
As soon as he arrived home, Sasuke made a beeline to the bedroom, avoiding the servants who were offering to help him strip from his armor and prepare his bath. There was only one thing on his mind: to see his twin sons.
Once he reached their bedroom, the light was already put out, indicating that the two were already tucked into bed. Still, he entered the room and pulled a chair to sit next to their bed. They were still too young and small to sleep in individual beds so they shared on the large one and it seemed to be enough for the two. They slept peacefully and still with tiny snores that can be heard from one boy.
Sasuke watched his sons as they slept, taking in their appearance and burning it into his memory. As one of the important officers of the Fire Nation, he was often away from home for long hours and came home super late. While he doesn't show it on the outside, Sasuke feels conflicted that he was missing important moments of his sons' lives.
He adjusted the blanket so it covered his older son's, Sōsuke, leg while his other son, Daisuke, was sleeping in a fetal position, fully covered.
"They tried to wait for you." A familiar voice said from behind. Sasuke turned around to see his wife standing by the door, watching him with a gentle smile on her face. Hinata was dressed in her night attire with a light robe over her shoulders.
"They're two," Sasuke mumbled as he got up from his seat. "They couldn't have stayed up that late, even if they tried." Sasuke walked past Hinata and headed towards the living room with Hinata right behind him. He could hear Hinata tell the servant girl to bring them some tea and then retire for the night.
He entered their living room and immediately sat down on the plush cushions that were laid out on the floor. He had stripped off his armor and Hinata helped him put it to the side.
Hinata poured him a cup of tea and offered it to him. Sasuke accepted it with no comment and drank with her.
She watched him for a moment before asking him. "Is there something wrong?"
"What makes you think something's wrong?" He said into the cup of tea.
She looked at him with a knowing expression and a raised eyebrow. "I know my husband well. And I can tell when something is wrong."
Their marriage was an arranged one but they made it work. They were a quiet couple that kept to themselves, not showy and not often affectionate to outsiders. But there was a certain harmony when it comes to their marriage as they knew what the other needed and wanted and acted accordingly. Hinata was warm, caring, and kind, which comes in direct contrast with Sasuke's stoic and often cold demeanor. As they were married for a few years now and have two kids together, Hinata and Sasuke knew each other very well. Sasuke could tell when Hinata was feeling stressed, which was something she doesn't show externally. Hinata could tell if Sasuke was feeling a form of sadness that he thinks she doesn't notice. While they were a couple brought together by their families, they had grown to care for one another and love each other.
"What's wrong?" Hinata sat closer to Sasuke with her hand over his. Her eyes pleading for him to tell her what was on his mind.
Sasuke sighed and thought back to the day's events. "The Fire Lord challenges Prince Zuko to an Agni Kai."
"An Agni Kai?" Hinata juggled the thought in her head before her eyes widen. "But...he's a child. The Fire Lord wouldn't–"
"But he did," Sasuke interrupted. "And he showed no mercy."
He could still recall the sight of the young prince pleading for his father, the Fire Lord, for mercy and forgiveness. And then the aftermath in which the Fire Lord used his fire to burn the side of the prince's face in front of hundreds of officials to see.
Hinata poured him more tea and Sasuke thanked her and took a sip. She waited for him to finish and gather good thoughts and speak.
"It was...terrible. The prince looked so confident until he saw his opponent, the Fire Lord."
"His father." Hinata said sadly and shook her head at the sole thought of a father facing his own child. As a mother, she couldn't handle the idea of one of her sons being in a deadly match.
"He begged for forgiveness and mercy," He breathed as he remembered the events that happened before him earlier that day. "And the Fire Lord answered by burning the side of his face."
"Oh no." She gasped and Hinata's hands flew over her mouth. "Why was he challenge him to an Agni Kai?"
Sasuke sighed and looked at his teacup, counting the tea leaves. "The prince spoke out of line at a war meeting and speaking out in the Fire Lord's room means he insulted the Fire Lord. Prince Zuko didn't know that." Hinata rubbed his hand, comforting him.
Though he was not there at the meeting, he had heard through the rumor mill of what transpired in the Fire Lord's presence. Not to mention the Agni Kai itself was a spectacle for the members of the army to see and embarrass the young thirteen-year-old prince.
"I don't know. I was just thinking about our children and how things will be for them. I don't know why but I saw them in the prince. I just...I don't know." Sasuke noticed that he was starting to ramble, something unlike him.
Hinata shook her head. "I understand, Sasuke."
She came up to his side and leaned her head onto his shoulder. Sasuke wrapped his arm around her and naturally, they melted together into a hug. Hinata breathed in his musky scent and Sasuke's hand went to brush her soft long hair.
At the beginning of their marriage, displays of endearment or physical touch was a bit of a rarity. Affection started to grow around the second year mark with little gestures, extended hand-holding, and a tenderness that he had shown her in his subtle ways. It only deepened with the birth of their sons. They had grown to see each other as partners, companions for life, and lovers.
Hinata looked up at her husband, his dark eyes showing a tingle of sadness. She placed her hands on the sides of his face and raised herself up to meet his lips which he returned immediately. A gentle kiss on the lips that shows the desire to comfort one another and take away the stress and hurt he was experiencing. Hinata wished she could do something but knows there is nothing she can do.
Perhaps just being by his side would be enough. She wanted Sasuke to leave the military when they knew they were expecting and live a simple life, one that was away from the war. But that was impossible with their families interlocked with palace politics.
They broke away and wrapped each other in an embrace, tender and full of love.
"Mama?"
The couple looked up to find their sons standing at the entrance of the living room. They were stumbling as they walked into the room as they had just started getting used to the motions of walking on their chubby legs. The boys' eyes were half-open with sleep still remaining as they had just woken up from their slumber.
Hinata released her husband at the sight of her children and immediately went into mother-mode cooing at her babies. "Did we wake you boys up?"
One son, Daisuke, shook his head but looked more like a sway while the other plopped on his butt, still sleepy.
"Mama, wha is wrong?" Their son babbled.
Hinata looked over at Sasuke who shrugged.
"Your father had a bad day today. I was trying to make him feel better," Hinata smiled gently as she went over to her boys and patted their messy hair down. "Why don't you hug him to help him feel better too."
The two nodded and waddled their way over to their father who welcomed them with open arms as they slammed into his chest. The two young boys nuzzled into his shoulders and sunk into their father's embrace. Over their tiny heads, Sasuke made eye contact with Hinata who was watching the scene with a gentle smile but her eyes had a sort of sadness that matched his.
They had to protect these two and the little family they built for themselves.