The benefits of music on babies, but also on couples.

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Written for NaruHina week 2019 - Day 3

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Once she had thanked and said goodbye to her friends, Hinata opened the gate of the Uzumaki property. From where she was standing, she could hear music coming from the house.

Naruto and Boruto were back home, too.

She went up the front stairs and unlocked the front door. No sooner had she opened the door than loud music came to her ears.

"Tadaima!"

She quickly closed the door behind her and removed her shoes as The Four Seasons by Vivaldi started. No other sound welcomed her at the entryway.

She then had a quick look at the ground floor, expecting to see Naruto appear at each corner, but all the rooms were empty.

Therefore, she went upstairs and noticed Boruto's bedroom door wide open. She came closer without making any noise since it was still nap time normally, and glanced inside.

In this huge baby bedroom, was Naruto, sleeping among the toys and play books scattered on the floor. He was lying on his son's bottle green carpet while his head was leaning on the chest of drawers.

In his orange one-piece, Boruto was lying on his stomach, arms and legs on each side of his father's torso. Given the fillet of drool escaping his mouth, Hinata understood her son had been sleeping for a while now, not at all bothered by the classical music still playing in the room.

A few months ago, as Hinata was breastfeeding Boruto, Naruto had come back from a short mission with flowers, a magazine, a CD and a music player in his hands.

On his way home, he went to Ino's shop to buy a bouquet for Hinata and he had been surprised to hear classical music filling the flower shop.

"Why did you put on this music as background noise?" he asked once the bouquet of lavenders in his hands.

"I've read in a magazine that classical music stimulates the baby's senses and makes them more interested in everything around them when they're listening to it while sleeping."

Ino had pointed behind her and Naruto had seen Inojin, being sound asleep in his baby seat.

"Really?" He was really interested by this information.

"There. You can borrow my magazine if you want."

After this discussion, the blonde had read the article really seriously before going to a music shop. What a relief that the article gave a ranking of the best classic music CDs because without it, Naruto wouldn't have known what to buy.

There was so much choice.

Once his shopping was done, he'd come back home and had explained everything to Hinata who seemed to not really agree with his idea.

"But, how can he rest if there's music in his ears?"

"Don't worry, Hinata. It's nothing like Killer Bee's music." Her husband joked.

"I don't know, Naruto-kun."

"Okay, but for real. Look. They say that 'music can help relax' and that 'slow music can stimulate the baby to sleep instead of encouraging him to stay awake.' Plus, they say that 'music gives a good mood to the baby when he's been awakened.' I say we should try."

Hinata had nibbled her finger, but had eventually agreed due to the insistence of her husband who had said that it could only help them solve Boruto's sleeping problems.

While Naruto was gently patting Boruto's back for him to make his burp, Hinata had placed the beautiful flowers in a vase and put the CD into the music player.

If she would let Naruto do it, he would've taken the music player and smatched it on the floor to make it work. Technology was still a mystery for them from time to time.

When Hinata had pressed the play button on the player, the song Prelude in C by Bach echoed in the sitting room.

Indeed, it was nothing compared to the rap she was used to listening to when they were visiting their friend from Kumo. She was amazed by the softness emanating from the beginning of the song played on the piano.

She'd then sat down next to Naruto, who was rocking Boruto in his arms, and she'd let her head gently lean on her husband's shoulder. Quietly, they'd stared at their son who blinked a few times in front of their eyes.

Thinking it was a new game, Boruto had smiled and held his arms out to catch Hinata's long hair brushing against the sole of his feet.

"Maybe we should ignore him." Naruto whispered, noticing that nothing was happening.

He'd stood up and laid his son in his secondary bed next to the armchair

"Now it's time to sleep, Bolt." Looming over him, he'd put the thin blanket over his son, and seeing him struggling to show that he wasn't ready to sleep yet, Naruto had sat next to Hinata again.

While waiting for the effects of the music to carry their child to his dreamland, Naruto had told her about his mission. Then, Hinata had told him about all the last events which had taken place in Konoha.

Speaking like that, in a low voice while touching each other with soft caresses, had made them remember the nights during which Naruto had sneaked out to enter inside Hinata's bedroom without altering anybody from the Hyuuga compound.

After a while, they hadn't heard Boruto's babbling in the background anymore and Hinata had taken a glance towards the bed. Squeezing his teddy bear in his tiny hand, Boruto had eventually fallen asleep with his mouth wide open, sign that he was completely relaxed.

"I think it's the first time I see him sleeping so peacefully." whispered Hinata.

Naruto smiled, happy that his idea had worked. He would have to think about something to thank Ino, but for now, he had something else in mind. "Wanna dance?"

"What?"

Hinata had seen him stand up and held out his hand towards her. "Dance with me." he'd asked with his toothy smile.

With her red cheeks, Hinata had slid her hand against Naruto's and he'd pulled her towards him, keeping her close to him as he started to follow the rhythm the music in the sitting room had set.

At regular intervals, Naruto had landed towards her to kiss her lips before quickly pulling away, not letting her time to kiss him back and in doing so to prevent them from losing the pace at which they were dancing.

It still happened he'd act like a mischievous child, which would fill Hinata's heart with love and make her as much a tease as he was from time to time.

With two different kinds of smiles on their lips, they'd parted, ran and spun before meeting again halfway, hand in hand and bodies pressing against each other at the center of the room.

However, she'd really messed up with their dance step and rhythm when she'd taken the reins then made Naruto tilt backwards in her arms. Breathless, he'd blushed furiously as he'd realised their shift in position.

"Hinata," he complained. "I was trying to be gallant here." She'd released him and he'd taken advantage of the situation to catch her and carry her bride-style. "I'm still the strongest." He'd grinned teasingly.

"Yes," she'd felt his bicep while fluttering her eyelashes in his direction. "You are."

Blushing deeper than earlier, Naruto had hidden his face in the crook of her neck, "You're not playing fair. You're too cute."

She hadn't been sorry about it.

Back on the sofa, they'd kept cuddling innocently until the CD player played the last notes of the last song. Seeing the time, they'd been surprised to notice that the afternoon was about to end.

Pushing her hair back behind her shoulders, Hinata had kissed her husband to thank him for this sweet moment together.

And to top it all, they'd witnessed the benefic effect of music on Boruto who wasn't bitter at all when Hinata had awakened him.

Since that day, he was able to sleep whenever the time, wherever the place and in every position possible and thinkable, and to wake up with a smile.

The memories still fresh in her mind, Hinata stepped in the bedroom, dodging the toys dangerous for the sole of her feet. She approached Naruto who might have a torticollis if he stayed lying like that a minute longer.

She lowered the volume of the music, turning it into a pleasant background noise, then she gently took Boruto in her arms to lay him in his bed without waking him up.

A caress in his blond hair and she came back to her husband who seemed to wake up little by little. Half conscious, he felt his stomach with his hand, surely looking for the weight he'd carried a few minutes earlier.

Hinata knelt and caressed his short blond hair.

"Naruto-kun..."

He blinked a few times to get rid of the cloak that sleepiness kept wrapping around his brain, then he smiled when he saw his wife's pearly eyes.

"Hinata? ...Okaeri..." he greeted with his low sleepy voice.

"You'll have a neck ache if you stay like that." she whispered. "When did you fall asleep?"

"I've no idea." Naruto confessed while sitting up and massaging his neck. "We were playing then I saw Boruto rubbing his eyes, but he was way too excited to sleep so I put some music on and we must have fallen asleep without noticing it."

He looked at her and saw an adorable worried expression on her tired face. He slid his hand on her cheek and simply kissed her lips, aiming to ask about her lunch with her friends, but she spoke before him.

"Maybe you should go to our bed and rest a bit if you're tired. I-"

She was cut off by Naruto who pulled her towards him this time. Sitting on his lap, she instinctively held tight on his shoulders to not lose balance. She was about to remind him that Boruto still needed a couple hours of tranquility, but her words faded on her tongue when she met his intense blue eyes.

He cupped her face, his fingers travelling on her cheeks. "Hey."

"Naruto-kun..."

"You seem to be the most tired one, Hinata."

She shook her head and changed the subject. "How was lunch at Iruka's?"

She always had that way to put others' well-being first to the point of being able to forget about her own health. Too bad for her, Naruto never gave up on anything.

He breathed against her skin. "It went well. He says 'hi'."

The caresses of his month went up her neck to land on her lips and give her a slow yet passionate kiss, turning her mind blank. When he let go of her, Hinata was completely breathless and stayed speechless before Naruto's smirk.

"I missed you, Hinata."

She cleared her throat and felt her cheeks turn crismon. She then shyly looked towards Naruto, playing with the join of fabric at the collar level of his t-shirt. "I wasn't gone for long." she murmured.

"Still. Boruto asked for you when we came back home. But now that he's sleeping, you're all mine... So you're gonna come with me."

Not waiting for her answer, he slid his arm under her bottom to keep her close to his chest and Hinata bit on her lower lip to keep her surprise scream from escaping when he got up.

"But... Boruto?"

As he was walking towards their bedroom, Naruto grabbed the baby intercom.

"As long as the CD keeps playing, we're good. Now tell me, why do I feel your body so tense? You know what? It's the perfect time to use those relax creams we received as wedding gifts."

No need for him to tell her more, she had exactly understood what Naruto had in mind.

Yet, he kept saying, "And once I'm done taking care of you, I'll make love to you, slowly and tenderly" he whispered against her ear, deepening her blush even more.

As Naruto closed their bedroom door with his foot, the CD came back on the first song of the playlist, allowing the couple of love birds to enjoy each other's company before their responsibilities as parents catch them again.