Work Text:
“Can I hold her?”
“No.”
“Just for like…five minutes.”
“My answer still stands, no.”, Mikoto glared at him, holding her baby granddaughter close to her chest. Her eyes were narrowed to slits. “I don’t trust you.”
Obito sighed, clearly frustrated, and crossed his arms over his chest like a stubborn child who didn’t get his will.
“She’s my family too, you know.”, he muttered, attempting to convince her with pouting. Which usually worked. Well, at least it had worked in the past when he had won her over with big teary eyes and a little ‘please auntie’ while asking for a cookie.
But it seemed like those grandmother-instincts were really hitting her hard.
Due to Obito’s misfortune.
“Even Shisui said to keep you away from children. Sarada will be staying with me.”, Mikoto stated and she did not look like she was going to change her mind anytime soon.
The little baby girl was holding her grandma’s shirt in a small fist, looking between the two people with curiousity in her big dark eyes.
This little thirteen-months-year-old lady was absolutely adorable.
And that’s why everyone in her family wanted to hold her and take care of her.
And everyone means literally everyone.
Sasuke had thought it would be a good idea to bring Sarada with them for Easter brunch, for the very first time (well, actually it had been Sakura’s idea since she had been thinking about a ‘nice get together with the baby’) and now he wondered if he should intervene.
Because his mother didn’t let go of Sarada, no matter how much Obito convinced her. And as far as Sasuke knew Mikoto…she wouldn’t let go anytime soon.
He wouldn’t mind it, his mother was great with babies and he wouldn’t mind her taking care of Sarada for the rest of the afternoon. But unfortunately, all the other Uchihas were waiting for their turn as if holding Sarada was an attraction on the fair.
“What if you hold her head wrong, what if you don’t support her legs? Or worse, what if you drop her?”, Mikoto started listing off every possible thing that could go wrong with Obito holding little Sarada, probably because she intentionally wanted to make him nervous.
And it worked.
Obito was standing but he seemed to shrink with every scenario Mikoto brought up.
“Do you even know how to hold a baby?”, she asked and looked at her nephew sternly through thin rimmed glasses.
Obito opened his mouth…closed it again. Thought for a second.
“Well, yeah! I just hold her like this-“, he did an awkward looking motion with this arms, “and I’ll hold her head, as you said!”
Mikoto didn’t look convinced. If anything, she looked even more concerned about her granddaughter’s safety.
“That’s not how you hold a baby.”
“Mikoto-san!”, Obito practically whined and Sasuke rolled his eyes so hard, he was surprised he couldn’t see the inside of his head.
Sasuke reached for his beer for the fourth time in ten minutes and took a sip that was definitely not fitting into any etiquette before leaning back in his chair. He had been watching the chaos for quite a long time already and was more than tempted to intervene, grab his daughter and wife and just leave.
Meanwhile, it seemed like Mikoto had given Obito a chance. She was currently trying to teach him how to hold Sarada. She had gently transferred the baby into Obito’s arms and the joy on the man’s face was unmatchable. Mikoto however wasn’t ready to let go just yet, her eyebrows pulled together in a frown.
“Hold her head in your palm. Place your hands under her lower back and hold her against your chest to keep her stable. And hold her tight. Don’t you dare drop her.”
Obito actually had the audacity to roll his eyes now.
“Relax, auntie, she’s gonna survive…I’m doing it correctly, see?”
Mikoto of course wasn’t convinced by that and when Obito held the baby girl in his arms without any other help from her side, she watched with hawk eyes, her fingers twitching as if ready to catch Sarada if Obito dropped her.
And knowing Mikoto, she probably would catch her. But Sasuke had to admit, as much as he didn’t like Obito, he was handling his daughter with care, being careful with her which was pleasing. And he looked so excited so where was the harm?
“Hey, you.”, two warm arms placed themselves around his shoulders before Sakura gave his cheek a little kiss. “What are you up to?”, she asked, taking a seat in the chair next to him.
“Nothing. Sitting here. Drinking.”, he took another swig of his beer. “And watching my mother fuss over our daughter.”
“Oh, tell me about it.”, Sakura sighed, grabbing his beer bottle to take a big sip of it.
Sasuke just stared at her for a few seconds before he decided she can have it and let out an almost inaudible snort.
It seemed like Sakura was a little fed up with his family as well and honestly, he couldn’t blame her. He was definitely very annoyed.
“It’s almost like Sarada’s getting passed around like a blunt.”, Sakura murmured into the bottle but her husband picked it up nonetheless and actually smiled a little.
“That’s a weird metaphor.”, he commented which made his wife scoff.
“It’s fitting.”, Sakura argued back immediately, shooting him a mischievous look.
Sasuke immediately forgot all he’d wanted to say. So he chose to let his silence do the talking instead, as he normally would. He could barely take his eyes off Sakura if it wasn’t for the fact that all the Uchihas were suddenly getting louder in the middle of the living room, discussing a very important topic: his daughter.
“Obito, you’ve had her for so long now, it’s my turn!”
“She clearly likes me, it would be cruel to make her part!”
“Oh, don’t be ridiculous, she’s barely tolerating you!”
“I think I should have a turn, I’m her uncle.”
“What about, I’ve never held her before!”
Sasuke was too exhausted to even intervene. He sat there, cheek resting against his fist while he watched the chaos unfold. Sakura beside him groaned and took another big swing of his beer. He was sure it was empty by now.
“Guys, GUYS.”, Sakura suddenly interrupted everyone with her loud, firm, no-bullshit voice.
“Why don’t we let Sarada decide who she wants to be held by? She can walk, after all. So why don’t we let her walk to the one person she wants to be held by?”
Sasuke perked up. That was actually a decent idea. Surely Sarada would walk to him or Sakura. Then all the chaos would be over.
The rest of the family stopped their doings as well, each of them thinking about that suggestion for a movement before they decided it was a good idea, a good way to stop the fight that had been going on.
And so Obito set Sarada down on her little legs, which she was still a little wobbly on but could manage. Every single family member stood by the couch, lined up, waiting. Everyone thought they’d be the chosen one. Sasuke was convinced Sarada would choose one of her parents. There was no way she wouldn’t.
The little baby girl just stood there for a moment, looking at all the silly adults with an amused face but she wasn’t walking yet. She clearly found all of them entertaining.
And that made the said adults wonder.
“Are we…complete?”, Itachi asked, looking at everyone who was standing in the living room.
“I don’t know…”, Shisui murmured, raising an eyebrow. “If not, who’s missing?”
“Honey? Do you know where we put the keys to the back door-“
Fugaku walked into the living room the very second, stopping at the sight of his family lined up with Sarada in front of them, wobbly on her feet.
“What the-“
An excited shriek interrupted the silence and everyone’s eyes went down to the youngest Uchiha. And what happened was wholesome in the worst way possible.
Sarada started walking towards the very confused clan head still standing in the doorway, arms reached out and face scrunched up in joy.
Fugaku looked down to his feet and to the approaching baby girl and let out a soft sound of surprise before he eventually picked her up.
“Hey there.”, he greeted his granddaughter in a whisper with a little kiss on her head while every single Uchiha that was left just stared at the pair.
Sasuke couldn’t even believe his eyes. His daughter, his child, had chosen his stoic ass, never-smiling father over him.
“I don’t understand what you guys are doing but it seems to be stupid.”, Fugaku stated dryly.
Obito looked genuinely heartbroken.
“How?! She chose him over everyone else?!”
“I’m sorry, what?”, Fugaku asked, even more confused.
“That’s right.”, Sakura said, a little smile on her face. Her husband didn’t understand what was there to smile about. “She chose you, Fugaku-san. We were all lined up here like idiots, trying to find out who Sarada wants to be held by and she walked straight to you.”
“Oh.”, Fugaku’s eyebrows raised as the information registered in his brain. He looked down at his granddaughter in his arms, who was now snuggled against his chest in bliss. And then he had the audacity to actually look a little smug.
“Well, seems like she has good taste.”
“Oh please.”, Mikoto sighed, massaging the bridge of her nose.
“It wasn’t even intentional of her! She just walked to him because he came into the room!”, Obito suddenly exclaimed and murmurs of agreement followed.
Fugaku blinked a few times.
“Are you questioning Sarada’s choices?”
And the quarrelling broke out once again. Sasuke still stood there, a little frozen. But…the sight of his father with little Sarada content in his arms?
How could he be mad?