17. Family
Iruka wasn't sure when he had stopped looking forward to ramen night and simply accepted it as part of his life. Not that he didn't enjoy these nights because to the contrary, there was nothing he enjoyed more. As he watched the members of their little troupe he realized that this was where he belonged...with the people he held dear, with his family.
Nothing warmed his heart more than watching Naruto slurp away at ramen while bantering playfully with Sasuke. Iruka was pleased the two had come to an understanding. In the practice arena they were bitter rivals, in battle they were teammates in perfect synchronization, and here at their table eating ramen they were simply companions. On the far side of Sasuke sat a smiling Sakura, listening in to the boys' conversation and occasionally tossing in a bit of wit herself. Her fan-girl obsession with Sasuke had faded with time and her compassion and strong sense of morality had come to act as the cement binding the three genin together. Iruka knew that they were more than teammates, they were friends. And he couldn't be more proud of that.
But his little family wouldn't be complete if not for the calm presence currently sitting to his right. His relationship with Kakashi had started off difficult at best. Over the years the man had earned his trust as a friend not just as a colleague. And more recently, that friendship had become something more. Iruka was loud, hot tempered, and well-known for an unyielding work ethic. Kakashi was almost his polar opposite. The silver-haired jounin was quiet, mild mannered, and notorious for his apparent laziness. The school teacher had learned with time that Kakashi's mild demeanor hid a passionate and intense inner core, a fact that still amazed him whenever that intensity was focused solely on him. Kakashi mellowed his temper, his intelligence and surprising wit delighted and intrigued him, and his passion made him tremble. He felt alive in the company of the other ninja, more alive than he had felt in years, if not his entire life. And he knew that he was as needed to the other man, a thought that never failed to bring a light blush to his features.
As if on cue he felt the reassuring presence of Kakashi push closer, the tiny hairs on his neck tingling as the other man's breath brushed across them, "What are you thinking about Iruka?"
The blush deepened and not for the first time Iruka cursed that little quirk of his. He inclined his head slightly so as to answer without taking his eyes off the children seated across from him. "I'm thinking…that I'm happy."
When there was no response Iruka turned his eyes towards the other man, his warm brown eyes meeting a lone silver-blue iris. Even with the mask Iruka could tell Kakashi's face held a thoughtful expression. That startling pale-eyed gaze shifted past him to focus on the three genin beyond him before sliding back to the school teacher. The corner of that single orb crinkled as the older man smiled beneath the mask.
"You're right. I'd forgotten how good it felt to be a part of a family also."
Iruka's heart thumped warm and heavy in his chest. He wasn't sure if it was the softly whispered words or the brush of a warm, firm hand against his thigh that caused the dizzying feeling but he knew it didn't matter. What mattered was the man sitting next to him and the children across the well-polished table. Somewhere along the road of his life they had become his family. He would give up anything, even his life, for any one of them and he knew now that Kakashi felt the same.
Sometimes, Iruka thought as he claimed Kakashi's hand under the table and turned back to watch Sakura tease 'her' two boys, the bonds of the family we choose are stronger and more binding than that of the family we're born to.
He smiled, knowing he wouldn't have it any other way.