I saw a post from @kia8088 thanks to @newrageinc and then THIS happened. One shot unless it comes to call again for some reason. Just having fun. I haven’t written in weeks so… rusty. 

Thanks Kia, thanks NewRage. Prompts for the win, dears. 

---

“What, exactly are you trying to say?”

His tone was lethal, the very epitome of sharp. Across from him sitting with his eyes focused on the papers before him Itachi smiled, just the barest rise of his lips at the corner that set Sasuke Uchiha’s blood to boiling. 

“Well, being exact and all, Father wants you volunteering somewhere.” He looked up finally, meeting his younger brother’s laser beam glare with a half moon smiling gaze of his own. 

“I suggest a daycare, perhaps.”

Sasuke remained frozen in the growing pit of venom that seemed to be consuming him. Words were choking him, monstrous angry growls cage fighting in the tangled ring of his vocal chords. 

A daycare?

“Well, you are going to be working with our newest recruits. And many of them are recently married. You know this, you know what the meetings have been about. You’ve been sitting in on them every week for months now. The initiative to make Uchiha Corporation one of the best companies for growing families requires you to be an advocate for working parents-”

Sasuke spluttered. A first in his life. The words cage fighting in his throat made a bee-line for his mouth all at once, spewing sounds instead of articulated indignation. 

Itachi smiled at the attempt on his brother’s part to express himself. “Don’t you have a friend who owns a daycare anyway? It should not be so hard to spend some time with some kids and learn some of the struggles of the working parent, surely?”

Eyes narrowing, the younger Uchiha leaned back in the unreasonably comfortable office chair across from his older brother. It always made him uneasy how caring Itachi really was when it came to people he dealt with at work.

HIs office was homey. It had been decorated with calm tones and soothing pictures in expensive frames. The windows were open and staring out into a vast blue sky dotted with white clouds. 

Meanwhile, inside himself Sasuke brooded like the pouring rain. 

“You want me to just… spend time…” Speaking was costing some monumental effort and he paused, before he started spouting nonsensically again. Itachi waited patiently, lacing his fingers before his face, elbows on his desk, hiding his smile. 

“I think that if you just saw what it was like, dropping kids off at daycare, rushing to work, picking up, rushing home- you know… the real stuff, I think you would understand them and maybe have some good ideas for the intern scheduling and programming. You have a lot of say. It’s not like you not to want to investigate a subject thoroughly before engaging in-”

“I get it, I get it.” Sasuke snapped, standing abruptly and adjusting his suit jacket with fingers he was working meticulously to keep from shaking. “When will I need to hand in a report?" 

Itachi’s grin was no longer small enough to hide behind his hands and giving up he laced his fingers instead behind his head, leaning back languidly. "Oh… two weeks? How long do you think it will take you to master being maternal,  darling little brother?" 

Flipping him a finger elegantly Sasuke slammed the office door. 

---

Choni was the most ingenious of the four year olds. She had long lashes that framed dark brown eyes like melting chocolate in the hot summer sun. Cheeks round with a perpetual supply of raisins from her pocket were often flushed with exertion at her antics and when her mother had the time and energy to put effort into her daughter’s presentation her hair was in adorable pig tails, sometimes a little askew. 

Hinata watched her from across the room. Standing at just thigh high the four year old was all mischief shoved into a small body, and she was making a systematic attack on the locked snack cupboard behind the heavy wooden teachers desk at the end of the room. 

In the chaos of the two dozen children she had good cover, Hinata could give her points of cleverness. Beside her Tenten raised her hands up and up over her head and the other 23 children in attendance lifted them with her, eyes wide and awed as Miss Hinata’s best friend Miss Tenten led them through the yoga exercises for the afternoon Circle Time. 

"Breathe in until your lungs are like big hot air balloons!” Tenten gasped, pretending to suck the air loudly. The kids giggled and Hinata craned her head so that her black hair cascaded along her side, watching with interest as Choni glanced back at Tenten over her shoulder and tried the cupboard with one chubby sticky hand. 

Smirking a little Hinata waited, interested to see the toddlers next move after finding the cupboard locked and inaccessible to her greedy fingers. 

“Miss Hinata, are you paying attention?” Tenten’s chiding made her snap her eyes back and the kids all giggled. Everyone was now in downward dog, butts in the air and she was still in Sun Salutation, arms up, looking silly. 

“I’m very sorry, Miss Tenten.” Hinata laughed sheepishly, bending down to mimic the yoga move. 

“Miss Hinata.” Tenten scolded from her position in a beautiful downward dog, muscled arms hardly straining at all. 

The bell rang then, announcing a visitor and Hinata craned her neck to look between her legs to the door, expecting Ino with a delivery of coffee and tea much needed after a long day. 

Instead she met the raised brows and bemused eyes of Sasuke Uchiha. 

Hinata promptly fell on her face. 

The giggles and laughter gave her a chance to laugh half heartedly and straighten her clothes and hair while the kids hopped up and down, pushing and shoving and generally being loud. Tenten, still laughing herself waved her hands in a “Calm down” motion. 

“No, no, no everyone deep breaths, remember! Or the hot air balloons are gonna deflate! Quick, breathe iiiiiin.”

Muffled giggles and general attempts at quiet resumed and Hinata finally turned to the very out of place young man by the door, now leaning with arms crossed on the door frame, suit immaculate as usual.

Her eyes did not miss the pinched tightness of his mouth, an attempt she knew, to not smirk too widely. 

“That was very graceful.” He began by hello. 

Hinata wrinkled her nose, feeling her ears flare like fireflies beneath her dark hair.

“Ha.” Drawing in a long breath she crossed her arms tightly. “Just… come to tease me? Or was there something else?” Trying to be testy with Sasuke was something she still needed to work on, but even her fledgling attempts made him smirk involuntarily and watching that plump mouth turn upwards was one of her favorite things. 

Shoving all these thoughts under she blinked rapidly at him, interested in his suddenly tense shoulders. 

“Well, actually.” He cleared his throat and behind her Tenten floundered audibly, clearly eaves dropping.

“And everyone push….on- up. Push up, like a Cobra. Do you guys know what a Cobra is?" 

Loudly, all the toddler voices rang out. "A snake!”

“Maybe we should all hiss.”

Amidst the hissing, HInata cocked her head just a little, frowning.

 "What is it?“
Sasuke’s gaze slid past her, towards the class and Hinata stilled, wondering for a moment if he was eyeing Tenten’s lean body pushing up on the carpeted floor. 

The thought sank like a great big stone into her gut, making her press a hand to her stomach in surprise. 

"I have a very strange request.” He cleared his throat again, turning back to her.
Before he could continue however a voice rang out in the sudden growing silence as the hissing snakes behind her quieted into a different yoga pose.  

“AHA!" 

Crinkling wrappers being ripped apart made Hinata and everyone else in the room turn towards the back, where sitting triumphantly in the corner Choni now sat with a pile of fruit gummy snacks across her lap, her face stuffed and victorious. 

Sighing loudly Hinata let her shoulders droop. "Choni! That’s the third lock this week!" 

Behind her Sasuke’s face pinched as he watched the little girl stuff another fistful of gummies into her mouth, chewing with wild abandon, even as she grinned. 

---

Dinner with the crew was usually loud, obnoxious and had for the longest time been something he tried to avoid. Of course that was until Hinata Hyuuga had appeared in his office one morning on an autumn day tinged heavily with winter breezes. 

She was familiar the way that all the people who seemed to orbit around the blazing scorching sun of his best friend seemed to be. 

That was of course until her gray eyes had smiled tentatively at him. 

This of course was not a love at first sight sort of story. Sasuke’s returning expression to those dewy smiling eyes had been an eyeroll and a sullen glare at his phone while they rode the elevator up towards his floor. 

It wasn’t until she was actually in his office, with the might of the Hyuuga backing her and her legs crossed in a very tantalizing way that he had been mildly irritated and amused at once. 

When he had tried to bully her into changing parts of the agreement between her family’s company and his own and been solidly, unshakably rebuffed he had finally admitted he was curious. 

When she had finally bitten his head off, gently and with a lot of very polite words he had smirked, wide as he had ever and realized- there in front of him was friend material. 

And the rest was history. 

"It’s only every two weeks.” Hinata slid out of the very expensive car the youngest Uchiha loved almost as much as his family. He had on more than one occasion reminded Naruto that he would trade him for the car, should the car ever be taken hostage. Naruto had only ever half laughed, because it had been half true. 

“Two weeks is much more often than I would like to see this… mob.” Sasuke grumbled, waiting patiently as she adjusted her skirt with her fingers and slid her purse onto her shoulder before shutting the car door behind her. 

“You love them.” It wasn’t said teasingly. Hardly paying attention at all, Hinata flipped through her phone before tucking it into her purse at her side. “They love you.”

“Can we talk about something that won’t make me feel sick, please?” Eye twitching slightly he followed behind her as they approached the busy entrance to Ichiraku’s, bypassing the line up with ease. Their table was always reserved, their orders already placed, and as they entered the warm delicious arms of the building the sound of their friends assaulted them both. 

“There they are!” Ino’s shout was as usual, legendary. “What the heck, guys? We’ve been waiting forever!" 

"Sorry!” Hinata called, dragging the ever reluctant Uchiha along by the arm. “Just took a bit to close down the daycare after we…discussed…some stuff… ”

The tables that had been shoved together made a hodge podge of nakpkins and cutlery, drinks and discarded straw wrappers. Sitting together the mess of young men and women waved and shouted things, enveloping the Uchiha and Hyuuga into their fray as they found seats. 

“About bloody time!” Naruto grumbled, waving at a waitress frantically while Sasuke settled beside him. “I’m starving!" 

"When are you not?” Sasuke grunted, scooching over to make room for Hinata to settle beside him. 

“I have some news!” Tenten shouted from the other side of the table, waving a hand over her head. 

Sasuke stiffened as she grinned viciously from afar and beside him Hinata pressed two fingers to her lips firmly to try to keep her grin from overflowing. “Uh oh.”

“Ugh.” Sasuke began in reply, cut off by everyone’s voices crying out for Tenten to dish as she winked at the Hyuuga and Uchiha at the end of the table. 

“Are they finally dating? My god-” Kiba grumbled around his straw. Beside him Shino nodded. 

“FINALLY!” Choji agreed, while Ino and Sakura yelled things incoherently. 

“Sasuke Uchiha is officially the new summer intern at Hinata’s Daycare!” Tenten shouted, trying to drown out all the things being said that were making Sasuke pale and Hinata in turn flush crimson. 

The news had the desired effect of derailing all thoughts about dating and pining. As one the group spun around to look at the two silent figures hunched over in differing but still defensive slouches. 

“Now do you understand?” Sasuke muttered to Hinata softly while everyone demanded answers and the food was being placed before them by chagrined waiters. 

“Well…” Hinata dared, her breath whispering by his ear as she tried to reply above the din. “I said they loved you. I never said they weren’t obnoxious." 

Startled, but amused Sasuke glanced at her, gifting a small ghost of a smirk. 

"Fair enough." 

---

The first day was a beautiful. Sunshine, white puffy clouds drifting lazy and hot over the world scorched to burning by a star too bright. 

The playground shimmered in the heat waves and beneath hats, doused heavily in white creamy sunblock miniature people frolicked and ran, their squeals of laughter and banter ricocheting off the metal play structures and through the chain link fence that kept them caged. 

For animals they surely were. 

Sasuke watched from the corner of the building with his arms crossed and a decided scowl on his face. The little mongrels were fierce, he had watched with a disquieting sort of fascination as a group of three manhandled a bush from the flower bed before one of the daycare teachers noticed their plotting and managed to stop them. 

Their muscles had tensed and the cords of their small insignificant arms had pulsed with determination. He had not thought they were capable of such organized destruction, nor that they could exert such force. Until recently he had considered them on par with chihuahas.

 Annoying, loud, small. 

Easily kicked out of the way. 

"Sasuke?” Hinata’s voice caught him off guard from grimacing at a little boy plonked in the middle of the playground sand box. The sand had not been fascinating but he did find digging in his nostrils interesting enough. 

“Hey.” Stuffing his hands into the pockets of his jeans the pale Uchiha wandered out into the glaring sun, wincing at the onslaught of light as he opened the gate and crossed the chalk covered cement to where Hinata stood smiling at him, hands clasped behind her back. 

“Were… you hiding?”

“Hiding?” Sasuke asked, brows rising into his dark hair. “Hiding?”

A twitch of her lips made him realize he was not lying successfully and sniffing slightly he nodded at the nose picker. “Are they contagious?”

Turning to look HInata let out a laugh, pulling a wet wipe out of a pocket from her apron, which he was noticing everyone above knee height was wearing. They were decorated, with hand painted rainbows, Tonka trucks, street lights and butterflies. The names of the people wearing them were on the belly right at proper reading height for the people they cared for. 

Hinata’s was covered in tiny adorable white sheep with big eyes. 

Wiping the little boy’s face and hands with the wet wipe she shook her head. “To be honest, you will probably get sick.”

This was surprising enough that Sasuke froze behind her, hands pushing deeper into his pockets to keep them from touching anything.

 "I beg your pardon?“

"I think it took me a year to work up the immune system to fight off all the nasties these little people carry around.”

“You… you’re joking right now.”

“I had fevers.”

“Hinata." 

"A couple really nasty flus.”

“This isn’t funny.”

“The colds are the worst though. You really have to watch out for pneumonia with those chesty coughs." 

Turning to look at him she grinned, watching his unnaturally pale face pinched at her like he was holding in a sneeze. 

"I never knew you were evil." 

Her laugh exploded, like a dozen wind chimes frolicking in a wild wind. 

"See, the funny thing is, you still think I’m kidding.” Pushing herself up gently, little boy in arms she marched towards him and without giving him a moment to compose himself pushed the child into his grip. 

Sasuke gasped, eyes widening like he had been handed a tarantula without being asked if he’d like one and holding the child away from his body he stared.

The boy was approximately two, a little dazed from the heat and looking more asleep than awake. They stared back and forth for a moment while Hinata wiped her own hands clean and then slowly the little boy offered a tentative smile. 

“It’s baring it’s teeth at me.” Sasuke scowled. 

The chortle that the child responded with made Hinata giggle, stuffing the wipes into her apron pockets calmly. “They do that. Don’t be scared.”

“Funny.” Sasuke scowled some more, flashing his dark gaze at her only for a second. If he looked away perhaps the child would puke or spit or do something else vile. 

Hinata’s smile only grew on her soft face and patting his shoulder she slid her hand along his back as she passed by. 

“You still think I’m kidding, don’t you?” It was hardly a question and Sasuke didn’t get to ask her to clarify because she started clapping in a one-two, one two three rhythm that had all the little bodies in motion growing still and turning  to look at her. 

Suddenly awed, Sasuke too stared. The playground had been chaos, screaming crying children, balls being thrown, bodies swinging, shovels digging.
Now everyone waited patiently for Hinata to speak, poised to her voice. 

“It’s time for snack and then we have a special project to do today! Let’s line up by the gate and get ready for going inside please. Two by two, darlings. Hold hands!" 

Hardly above a normal speaking tone she waved towards the gate and obediently the children hopped and trotted to do her bidding, laughing and shouting but obeying. 

Mouth agape Sasuke stared as she turned back to him, blinking. 

"How… did you do that?" 

With a wink, Hinata trotted towards the gate where her brood stood waiting. 

"Magic, Mister Sasuke!" 

It was only after they had all started the trek out of the playground enclosure that Sasuke realized he was being left behind, with a grinning two year old still in his hands no less. 

---

“Boys and girls.” Hinata half sang as she passed napkins around the tables where all the small bodies were now sitting politely. “Today we have a very special person joining us who will be here for a while. Has anyone noticed him yet?”

Hands flew up as though suddenly electrified and Sasuke blinked at them all, uncomfortably aware of the little body suctioned to his side. Any attempt to put the child he had been handed down had been met with failure. Solemn and calm the boy had clung on tightly with every inch Sasuke got him closer to the floor, raising his feet up to avoid touching down. 

Unsure of what else to do he now stood awkwardly away from the many faces turned towards him, small human thing stuck to him like glue. 

“The grumpy man.” A little voice called, one of many. Another nodded. “The frowny man.”

Hinata’s laugh was quietly strangled in her throat as she straightened. “Would you all like to be called grumpy?”

A sing song chorus of voices called back as she placed her hands on her hips. “Noooo." 

"Would you all like to be called Frowny?" 

"Noooo, Miss Hinata.”

“No, indeed. This is Mister Sasuke. Can we all say hello?” She turned to him then, waving a hand in his direction which brought all the little shining eyes back to him. 

He had a sudden vivid memory of a National Geographic episode he had been forced to watch as a child on meerkats. All their small faces snapping in one direction together. 

He had never felt quite at ease about the meerkats. 

“Hello Mister Sasuke!" 

The silence stretched for a long beat while the kids looked expectantly at him and clearing her throat Hinata nodded her head at him encouragingly.

"Oh.” Sasuke began, shifting his weight awkwardly with the lump of human on his hip. 

“Hello.”

Giggles fluttered through the room as the kids eyed him with suspicion and interest alike, receiving their lunches with divided attention. 

Once all the little people had been served and all the cries for "More water, please!” had been responded to Hinata wandered back to him, extending her arms for the child he still held. 

Happy to hand him over Sasuke sighed in relief, watching her shifting the toddler easily against her body. 

“I could not do your job.”

The smile which had graced her face upon sight of him earlier had yet to leave and it only widened at his words. 

“We shall see." 

---

The hands on work began the moment lunch was over. 

He was handed paint, in varying shades of gaudy colors, an apron white and pristine and itching for smears, brushes, wipeable table cloths and half a dozen doe eyed children. 

"Choni is a very good artist.” Hinata began, pushing the little girl forward towards him. “She can paint a beautiful blue sky, and has real talent with clouds." 

"Hinata.” Sasuke balked at the desperation in his voice as Choni reached up on tip toes and grasped one of the brushes in his over crowded arms. “I like green clouds.” She explained. 

Hinata’s laughing gaze made him suck in a breath that hurt all the way in and all the way out. She was only walking to the other end of the long wide room where the other dozen children were sprawled ready for story time and yet he still felt like he was being left on an island alone with potentially cannibalistic creatures. 

“Green is my favorite. I think you like black.” Choni’s enthusiasm for painting had her pulling colors from his arms and reluctantly he lowered himself, and lowered himself some more onto the tiny daycare chair, feeling like a bull in a china shop.  

“I…do…like black.” Sasuke admitted very slowly, watching as the four year old took brushes and handed them to the other children following her example and settling at the table cautiously.

“Like your eyeballs.” She pointed at his face with a brush then and giggles erupted from the others, making her grin in satisfaction. 

“Hm.” Sasuke hummed back non commitally. 

“Black is for night time.” A shy little blonde murmured from beside Choni, nose twitching like a rabbit. “And for raisins.”

“Raisins aren’t black.” A boy snapped back, frowning. “They’re brown.”

“They are almost black.” Choni shot back. 

“Hey.” Sasuke began carefully, halfway through squirting blue paint onto the plate in front of him. 

“They are brown.” The boy whispered, shooting a furtive glance at Sasuke obstinately. Sasuke fixed him with a smoldering stare that he met with surprising ease. 

“Raisins are actually grapes so technically, they’re green… or purple or whatever.” What was he saying? He had no idea. But something had to be done or he was going to have a full on brawl on his hands if these kids were even remotely like he and Naruto had been. Glancing at Choni who had her fists balled tight and her eyes flashing he did not doubt it. 

His words however had a magical effect. 

“Raisins… are…what?” The shy little one started, eyes wide. “Raisins are grapes?”

Blinking at them all Sasuke turned his gaze slowly from face to face, watching as interest lit on all the small features. 

“Grapes.” He frowned. “What do they teach you at this place? Raisins are dried grapes, they just-” He paused as Choni leaned forward on the table, face flaming with awe. “You. Know. Everything.”

Agreement burst from everyone and collectively brushes began dipping into the offered paint on paper plates before them, smearing on Sasuke’s once pristine white apron spread on the table top. 

“Purple raisins, and green raisins!” Choni shouted, dotting the white material energetically.

“No, grapes. They’re grapes until they dry up and get wrinkled-” Sasuke tried to correct, although the tsunami of voices gleefully shouting was hard to match. 

“Wrinkled like my grandma!?" 

Wild laughter ripped from his corner of the room and throwing his hands up in defeat he leaned back, arms crossed, watching as the toddlers engaged in animated conversation, talking over each other bossily as they worked. 

It was strangely familiar. Much like dinners he sometimes loathed being part of every two weeks. Smirking at the comparison he glanced over, catching Hinata’s gaze lingering on him with interest, her smile slow but filled with mirth. 

The thought that perhaps this wasn’t quite so bad, tolerable even,  had just taken root in his brain when Choni’s hand landed hard at the edge of a plate covered in pink paint setting it catapulted straight into his face. 

---

"Wow.” Ino sipped on her coffee, blinking rapidly as she studied the daycare center. Parents had been flooding in to gather their children as the end of the day finally started to come in through the windows in shafts of blazing gold dusk light. 

There were still however the usual stragglers. Choni’s mother was a nurse and sometimes was unable to leave work until someone relieved her of her duties. As a result Choni, like the half dozen others left were sprawled on Sasuke’s back. 

After being coated in pepto bismol pink Sasuke had given up any semblance of cleanliness and sporting his grape covered apron once it dried he had ended up on the ground with the kids, their hands tugging on him to read a book, play with a truck, watch a summersault. The demands were endless and it seemed that it didn’t matter how many kids there were crowded around him, as more left the few left behind made up for it by demanding more rapidly to fill the void. 

“Your ears are pink!” Choni laughed hysterically as she shifted Sasuke’s hair around his head, able to reach because, exhausted he had flopped onto the floor, face buried in his arms as though asleep. 

“It’s the paint.” His muffled reply did not hide the slight grumpiness in his tone but Choni and the others were unfazed. “Mister Sasuke likes purple raisins. And pink.”

Ino’s slow expanding grin was all teeth. 

“Pink what, exactly?”

“Pink.” Choni retorted absently, as though it was obvious. “Just, pink.”

“Oh, when Naruto hears about-” Ino smirked at Hinata who sipped daintily at her tea, wincing only a little. 

“Ino. Don’t.” Sasuke growled from his prone place on the ground. “Just. Don’t.”

“Sasuke. Just. Pink.” Ino sang back.

The bell ringing behind them made Hinata smile and as she welcomed another parent for pick up she glanced back in time to see one of the left over little ones come hurtling forward, face beaming with excitement. 

“We got a Mister Sasuke today, Daddy. Mister Sasuke got ALL pink, and then-” As the door slammed on the conversation Sasuke’s groan was suddenly audible. Sitting comfortably on his back were three toddlers. The fourth was on his ankles, untying his black high tops. 

“Considering how much pain he seems to be in, he’s doing quite well.” Ino contemplated then, glancing at Hinata who was not quite smiling, her eyes distant as they gazed on the scene. 

“Yeah.” Her answer was absent minded and wistful. “Really well.”
Ino blinked slowly, taking in the flush of her cheeks, the dreaminess of her gaze the soft sigh at the end. 

“Huh.” she mused, sipping her coffee again. “Interesting.”