Chapter Text
“Boruto! Did you pack your rain jacket? I don’t want you getting cold,”
“I have a jacket at dad’s!” Boruto yelled from upstairs.
Hinata sighed. Her children had clothes over at their father’s, but she worried about them not having the right ones for specific weather or occasions. She suspected that was why Himawari always wore her rainboots over there, because Naruto probably didn't have the sense to buy them. Given that, she made sure to pack her children’s bags full even if it was just for the weekend.
“Ma! I said I already had one,” Boruto huffed as he picked up his overstuffed bag.
“It never hurts to have an extra, just in case,” Hinata reasoned gently. Boruto stuck his lip out in a pout as he slung his backpack on over his shoulders.
The walk to Naruto and Sasuke’s home was familiar, if not daunting. Her [ex]husband had moved into Sasuke Uchiha's house a few months before they both got divorced. Actually it was before Naruto had even served her the divorce papers, Hinata recalled. The house sat at the far end of the old Uchiha compound, about as far as one could get before the land was no longer considered part of Konohagakure. Hinata suspected Sasuke liked that. The house wasn't very remarkable. It was smaller than the house her and Naruto had shared, more modest. It was characteristic of many of the Uchiha homes, with its red tiled roof, white exterior walls, and shoji at the sides of the house to provide privacy.
Over the years, Naruto had made it a personal mission to restore the former district to something that was inhabitable and semi-functional. Even before he became Hokage, he doggedly pushed Kakashi to make the necessary restorations. Naruto would always say that Sasuke deserved to have something to his name in the village that had hated him for so long. Hinata had admired Naruto's dedication. She even felt sympathy at the time for poor Sasuke Uchiha and his sad, sad life. And now Naruto and Sasuke shared their lives together in that very compound.
The first time Hinata had dropped the kids off, it was a tumultuous incident. Aside from the indignity of dropping her children off at her ex-husband's love nest, the house had also been in disarray. The roof had been missing section of tiles, the fence was falling apart, and she spotted cracks on the front door as she delivered her children. Naruto had answered the door flustered and haggard, like he wasn't fully ready to receive his children. She could smell something burning, probably Naruto’s attempt at cooking. In the entryway, she could see there were cracks and chips in the walls and scuffs in the floor from where Naruto and Sasuke had probably attempted some home improvements. She hadn't entered the house then, and to this day she still hadn’t. She had no interest in seeing any more of her former husband's new, happy life than she needed to.
Knocking on the door, Hinata waited with her children on either side of her as they stood on the porch to Naruto's home. Even after months of this arrangement, Naruto usually was still slightly frantic when he answered the door. So Hinata was surprised when instead of her ex-husband, a distinctly tall, darker figure answered the door.
The Uchiha stood there, imposing as ever with a dark aura seemingly surrounding him. He looked down at Hinata, a full head taller than her, with his signature mop of back hair and stony face. It took Hinata a moment to process what was happening before her children broke her out of her daze.
“Sasuke!” both Uzumaki children exclaimed and rushed to hug the Uchiha. Sasuke let out a quiet ‘oof’ as both children hugged him, but smiled lightly, patting both their heads a little awkwardly.
“Good to see you two again,” he chuckled and stepped aside to let them in the house, “Go ahead and put your stuff in your rooms,”
“Where’s Naruto?” Hinata interrupted, pulling her kids back to her, earning an exasperated look from Boruto and a confused one from Himawari.
“He went to the store,” the raven-haired man answered simply. Hinata still wasn’t satisfied.
“He’s usually here when I drop our kids off,” And you usually aren’t, they both understood the actual meaning of her words.
“We were out of cabbage,” Sasuke responded, looking straight at Hinata.
The two were at a stalemate, neither knowing the other’s next move. Hinata already hated the arrangement enough as it was, handing over her children to her cheating ex. But at the very least, she was still giving the children to their father. Handing them over to him felt like the final insult as a woman scorned. She had already suffered through the humiliation of her husband’s affair and divorce, and having to split custody of her children. She would not一could not, hand over her kids over to Naruto's lover. It would be like she was condoning everything that had happened. After a lot of intense eye contact, Sasuke was the one to finally break the silence.
“Want to wait inside for him?” he asked, “I can put some tea on for us,” he bent down to Himawari’s level, “And maybe someone can have those special tea cookies,”
“Yesyesyes,” Himawari gasped and hopped into the house. Sasuke followed, leaving the door open in case Hinata decided to get off his porch and come inside.
Hinata was still gripping Boruto’s shoulders tightly. Her son finally shrugged away and walked in, waiting for his mother to follow. Hinata took a deep breath before stepping over the threshold into the house. An initial sweep of the entryway showed that Naruto and Sasuke had cleaned up from the last few times she had bothered to peer into the house. Along the hallway, pictures of family and friends were hung on the creme-colored walls as well as some artwork that must’ve been Sasuke’s, since Hinata knew Naruto never cared for art. The interior was a mix of blues, blacks, and orange, all colors that would not seem like they went together, but somehow worked in the house. As she walked further into the house, she saw a photo of Sasuke and Naruto on a side table near a horrendously orange couch. The two men were sat together in matching yukata in front of what looked like a botanical garden. Naruto had a big smile on his face, one arm slung around Sasuke while the other was holding up a peace sign, and Sasuke could be seen with an exasperated smile next to him. It would’ve been a lovely photo if anyone else had seen it.
Himawari was giggling as Sasuke lifted her up onto the kitchen counter and handed her a cookie in a napkin and told her to mind the crumbs. There was a spread of ingredients in the kitchen along with a few pans out on the stove. It looked like Sasuke was making dinner. The idea of Sasuke Uchiha, the hardened war criminal, the last of his clan, the man who’d once vowed to destroy the village, now being a homemaker was difficult for Hinata to wrap her head around. Himawari reached for another cookie, but Sasuke pulled the tin away and stuck it up on a shelf out of her reach.
“You’ll spoil your dinner,” he reasoned to the young girl before lifting her off the counter, “Now go put your things away,” Hima rushed upstairs to her room, leaving Sasuke and Hinata alone.
Sasuke put the kettle on and pulled out the tea box, along with the milk and sugar. Hinata didn't know if the Uchiha felt as uncomfortable as she did. If he did, he was masking it far better than she was. The same sullen, annoyed look graced his features like always, betraying nothing. The silence that settled over them was agonizing. While she had no desire to make small talk with Sasuke, being in his presence was always nerve-wracking. Hinata kept looking between Sasuke and the stairs where her children had both scampered up to. It made her anxious not having them near her in a place she didn't trust. For all she knew, her children were running around with scissors up there or getting ready to jump out the window.
“I should check on Hima and Boruto,” Hinata said, making to follow the children up the stairs. She didn't care if it meant seeing more intimate details of the house.
Sasuke's attention snapped up to her. She visibly startled, not expecting such a quick response from him, verbal or not. He didn't give her enough time to see the tension in his body before he was calling out to the kids.
“Boruto! Himawari! Come down here!” both Uzumaki children were downstairs in a jiff, much quicker than anytime Hinata or Naruto had tried to get them anywhere, “Play down here,”
“Why?” Boruto groaned.
“Because I said so,” Sasuke answered, pouring two mugs of hot water for him and Hinata. Boruto frowned, but flopped back on the couch and went back to his video game. Hima was holding one of her many stuffed animals and coloring at the coffee table. She almost hated how well behaved they both were. She could never get them to act this calm or listen to her so swiftly. They were probably scared of Sasuke, or didn't feel comfortable enough to act themselves. At least that’s what she told herself.
Sasuke turned back towards the fridge, pulling out various ingredients. He’d already had a couple things out, but now Sasuke pulled out a large spread of vegetables. She wondered what he intended on doing with that; her kids hated vegetables. Sasuke pulled out a pack of curry cubes.
“Naruto doesn’t like curry,” Hinata felt the words tumbling out of her mouth. It wasn't her place to say such a thing, but it happened before she even realized it. It was something they'd discussed during their marriage many times. She hadn't made curry in a while since Naruto never ate it, even though she loved it.
Sasuke spared her a glance, barely.
“He likes it when I make it,” the Uchiha shrugged absentmindedly, his back turned. Hinata blinked.
That said everything didn’t it? He likes what I have. What you could never give him. When Naruto had told her about the affair, her mind had swarmed with thoughts of what Sasuke could provide that she couldn’t. She had given Naruto everything, how could anything Sasuke had be better than that? Simple: Hinata could never be Sasuke, and therefore she would never be good enough.
“I’m back!,” a loud, familiar voice shouted from the doorway, “I didn’t know what kind of cabbage you wanted, so I just got all of them!”
Naruto came into the kitchen with a brown grocery bag, his big smile dropping when he saw Hinata standing across from Sasuke. Hinata could see the nervous sweat appearing at her ex-husband’s hairline. Sasuke came over and took the bag from Naruto, thanking him.
“The kids are over in the living room,” Sasuke told Naruto. Naruto nodded, looking again between Sasuke and Hinata before hesitantly leaving to greet his kids. When Naruto was out of the room, Sasuke turned back to Hinata, “Satisfied?” he asked, his gaze darkening as he suddenly stared her down.
“E-Excuse me?” she stuttered, more so confused by the quick change in demeanor than out of fear.
The mask of indifference and composure slipped quickly, quicker than Hinata ever could have anticipated. Sasuke's eyes stared her down, his sharingan still suppressed, but his rinnegan was pulsing. His remaining hand was clenched against the counter, knuckles white and shoulders tensed as his upper body taut. Taut with anger? Anger at what? What could he possibly have to be angry about in this situation?
“You didn’t want to leave the kids here alone with me,” Sasuke spat, “Well Naruto’s here now, so are you satisfied? Or should I prepare a plate for you so you can stay and monitor how I take care of my family?”
My family. Hinata’s fists clenched at those words. The gall of this man to treat her like she was a nuisance, as though he hadn't come in and wrecked her whole life, stolen her husband, and apparently was now trying to steal her kids. She had half a mind to hit him with her gentle fist. She hated him. She’d never felt more rage than what she felt towards Sasuke Uchiha; towards the man that was the source of everything wrong in her life.
“Everything okay in here?” Naruto appeared once more, stepping subtly between the two of them. Hinata could imagine how the scene looked to Naruto; his ex-wife and current partner at odds with one another, poised like they were in battle. Sasuke rolled his eyes and turned back towards making dinner.
“Will you walk me out?,” Hinata stood up, grabbing her purse and heading towards the door, not before she and Sasuke managed to trade one more venomous glance.
Boruto was still laying on the couch with his gameboy. Hima was now putting stickers all over her stuffed bear. Hinata swooped down and kissed her daughter’s forehead, hugging her tight before turning to Boruto. Her pre-teen son was getting to that age where he was embarrassed of everything, including his mother's crushing hugs.
“Ma! Ma! You’re messing up my game!” her teenager squawked.
Hinata ignored her son's complaints and hugged him until he finally managed to squirm out of her grip, blushing and huffing. Her kids weren't trying to hurt her, she knew that. She should be glad they're adjusting so well to the new living arrangement. But still, all she wanted was to hug them close and never let go. She reassured the kids that they’d just be apart for the weekend and that she’d see them again on Monday when she picked them up from school. Naruto stood behind watching her, likely knowing better than to try and soothe any of her fears. The kids may have gotten used to the arrangement a while ago, but it was Hinata that was always nervous about leaving the kids with their father.
When Hinata finally extracted herself from the kids, she glanced at Naruto, silently ordering him to follow her. The two made their way out of the living room to the hall. As Hinata was slipping her shoes back on at the door, she noticed a window charm that escaped her view when had first entered the house. Reaching out, she cupped the clay insignia of the Uzumaki clan. Strung below the Uzumaki swirl was the fan of the Uchiha clan, both linked together with a red string. Destiny and eternal love. Naruto cleared his throat, prompting Hinata to let go of the charm. Naruto walked his ex out of the house, closing the door behind him.
“You need to be here when I bring our children,” Hinata crossed her arms, frowning up at her ex-husband.
“Eh?” Naruto nervously looked down at her, “I just went to the market. Sasuke was here一”
“I’m not leaving our children with him, Naruto,” Hinata hissed.
Naruto looked taken aback at the anger in her voice. Their whole marriage, Hinata had always been soft-spoken and malleable to whatever her husband needed. She was stern when she needed to be, but ultimately never refused Naruto. Standing there now, Hinata watched her former husband's eyes roam over her, analyzing. Then his features morphed into something that made her feel even more enraged: sympathy, pity.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t here this time,” Naruto tried to reason, “but…Hinata, Sasuke’s alone with the kids all the time. He’s good with them,” Hinata glared at him.
“I don’t bring them here to spend time with your lover,” Hinata flushed at the word, “I bring them here so they can spend time with you: their father,”
“We do spend time together,” Naruto justified, his annoyance coming through, “They spend time with Sasuke too because he’s my partner,” Hinata’s eyes darkened.
“He’s not their father. He’s not their parent," Hinata's voice rose, "And he doesnt respect me as the mother to your children! You should've seen him earlier! He一"
Naruto cut her off.
"I'm sorry if you guys were uncomfortable. He hates people in his space, and he's just standoffish, you know?"
So quick to defend Sasuke. So typical of Naruto.
“And...Hinata, he’s not not their parent,” Naruto cringed as he tried to get his words out, “I mean, he helps them with their schoolwork, he makes sure they do their chores, he cuts Himawari’s vegetables into fun shapes so she’ll eat them一you should try that by the way,” the blonde smiled as he imagined his family, “If that’s not a parent, then I don’t know what is. I think this is the natural next step,”
“Nothing about this is natural," Hinata stated, "I’m already uncomfortable enough with the arrangement as is. We don’t need to confuse Hima and Boruto more by forcing them to have a third parent,”
Naruto sighed, seemingly defeated, or at least unwilling to continue fighting. Hinata wasn't completely irrational. She knew in her heart that Sasuke would never hurt Boruto and Himawari, and Naruto would never let anything happen to them anyways. But they were her children too, her family, and Sasuke had no right to butt in where he didn't belong.
"You either be here the I drop our children off, or I won't drop them off at all. You're their father. Make time for them like you seem to be able to do for him," on that note, Hinata left, choosing not to acknowledge the sigh of relief she heard from Naruto.