The outside is cold. His apartment is cold. So, no harm, no foul, freezing his ass off the in the hallway.

His charging phone is waiting in his lap. He drums his hands on his thighs. It's boring. But he's excited.

Both for a new job, and to talk to Hinata.

"Naruto?"

He's startled to hear someone say his name down the hall. Iruka is walking up, close to his door.

Naruto waves a little sheepishly.

"What are you doing out here? It's freezing." Iruka asks.

A valid question.

But of course, a mortifying answer.

Naruto's face wrinkles a little as he rubs an eye. "Just, uh, charging my phone." He moves to rub the back of his head, but it's covered his hoodie. He laughs nervously.

Iruka has grocery bags in his arms and he's fussing with his keys. Iruka already knows why he can't charge his phone in his apartment. He knocks on his door for him for work after all. This time though, Iruka looks a little more hesitant to just leave him to his own devices.

"Hey, Naruto? Do you want to come inside?"

Naruto's first instinct is to reject the offer. He's just being nice. He doesn't actually want Naruto in his apartment.

"It's warm." Iruka is trying to entice him.

He's really sweetening the deal. Naruto doesn't know the last time he's been warm. Even at night, he's a shivering mess, unwilling to disturb the blankets.

"You can charge your phone in here."

He's sold.

Iruka's apartment is a similar set up to Naruto's own. It's just decorated so differently that it's almost unrecognizable.

There aren't any pictures of families though.

That's what Naruto always looks for. Family pictures are interesting. He has none. It's always telling though, who a person is in their family photos.

Hinata has a lot of them. She stopped looking happy in them at five years old though, when her mother died. She kept them around the apartment though, before she left.

Naruto has glimpsed Sasuke's before. He was seated in between in mother and his brother and not even trying to be close to his father. Some dad issues would probably have been forgotten under all the trauma though. But whose he to say?

Once he went to Sakura's house and saw her's. She looked happy enough but she's an only child. Spoiled. Annoyed by her parents love. An ungrateful bitch. Naruto had listened to countless tirades of Sakura complaining about how much she hated her parents, which is really awkward and uncomfortable for someone who doesn't have any.

"Are you hungry, Naruto?"

Iruka has no family photos.

Naruto shrugs.

He's starving.

He's been eating cereal out of the box or dried, crushed up ramen since his power has been shut off. Can't cook. Can't use the fridge. Sometimes he gets pizza from Teuchi but it's also cold, by the time he gets it home.

"I was just going to make dinner." Iruka looks at him knowingly. "Do you want chicken and potatoes or spaghetti?"

Naruto feels a little embarrassed about his neighbors generosity, so he just shrugs his shoulders.

"Chicken and potatoes then." Iruka decides. "What do you normally eat for dinner?"

Naruto grimaces a little and shrugs his shoulders again. He doesn't want to answer. But Iruka isn't looking at him, he's getting things out and putting things away and busying himself with food prep.

"I don't know how to cook anything. Hinata always tried to teach me… but…"

He didn't listen.

He should've. She was always right. Always just trying to help him.

"I could teach you a thing or two. If you like." Iruka says it so nonchalantly that Naruto is caught off guard.

"What? Really?"

"Yeah. I'm not the best or anything but I'm sure I could help you out a little."

Naruto doesn't even know what to say.

"You don't have to-"

"Hey, common, come wash your hands." Iruka urges him over to the sink.

Naruto's throat feels tight, so he tugs off his sweatshirt first, and leaves it with his charging phone, on Iruka's couch. The place is hot enough anyways.

"So what are you going to call Hinata about?"

Naruto blanches. "I didn't say I was gonna call her!"

Iruka laughs.

"Mr. Umino!" Naruto tries not to blush as badly. "Well, actually. I got a job today. I think. It was pretty weird."

"Really?" Iruka sounds almost rudely shocked, but he's always so nice to Naruto that he lets it slide.

"Uh, yeah. His name is Kakashi Hatake. He's running for some government thing?"

"Oh, I've heard his ads. He's running for a house seat."

"A chair?"

"No. The House Of Representatives. Naruto, how did you get this job?" Iruka sounds worried.

"Oh, there was this group of preps pissing off that homeless man a couple blocks from the park. There was a meter cop and I didn't want trouble, so I basically just pushed him across the street. Then, I was still pretty ticked off, so I went off on the group. And then, it was weird cause he asked me for directions." Naruto rubbed the side of his cheek, trying to remember in more crisp detail. "I deliver down there ya'know, so I told him his directions were fucked, and a faster way to get there. And, that's that."

"Huh." Iruka shrugged. "I guess pizza delivery would give you some more insight on the logistics for canvassing the area. Do you know anything about politics?"

"Uhhh… Nah."

"He's a democratic. Do you know your political affiliation?"

"Hinata voted for Tsunade Senju, when we were in college. She used to have a little poster in her dorm room. Plus, liberals hate poor people less, right?"

He actually makes Iruka laugh hard enough for a little tear to come out.

"I'll go over his platform with you after dinner." Iruka finally stops wheezing. "How about that?"

"Are you sure you're not done laughing at me?" Naruto grumbles.

"We'll see."

"Oh, shit!" Naruto freezes. "I need to get to Good Will before it closes. I have to have a button up for tomorrow."

"You can just borrow one of mine. It will probably fit. Well, good enough at least." Iruka offers,

Naruto leans back on the counter. "Really? Mr. Umino?"

"Of course. What are neighbors for?" Iruka shrugs him off. "You'll need slacks too. And a jacket."

Naruto's chest feels tight. Iruka really is something else. He was already being neighbor of the year by knocking on his door everyday, to help get Naruto to work on time. And now, this? He almost feels sick to his stomach, but in a better way. It's hard to explain. He's not used to people caring about him. Or wanting something good for him.

"Thanks Mr. Umino. I don't know how to pay you back." He swallows.

"No need. But pay attention. So, before you cut potatoes, you always have to..."