Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and I am making no money writing fanfiction.

A. N. RL is kind of still messed up right now, but I'm back. Sorry it took so long. Bisous!

…..0…0…0…..

As Kakashi and Iruka made their way into the kitchen, they saw Naruto already sitting there, staring morosely at an empty bowl and spoon on the counter in front of him.

Kakashi chuckled. "What are you doing?"

Naruto turned a deadpan stare on him. "You have no cereal."

Kakashi smiled. "I don't eat cereal."

Naruto glared. "Well, I don't cook."

Kakashi patted him on the shoulder as he passed. "Why didn't you just ask?"

Naruto regarded him incredulously. "You're—you're kidding, right?"

Kakashi turned back towards him, puzzled. "It's not like we're strangers. We spend half of everyday together. I don't mind getting you food."

"Ha!" Naruto barked, waving a finger at him accusingly. "You're loud."

Iruka understood immediately and began to blush scarlet, but Kakashi was still having a rough time catching on, "I'm using an indoor voice, Naruto."

Naruto watched him with a serious expression, then, "No. You're loud. As in, I know what you were doing and there is no way I was walking in on that to ask for breakfast."

Kakashi opened his mouth to respond, finally caught on, and paled as he snapped it shut. "Oh."

Naruto plopped his head down dejectedly on the counter beside his empty bowl. "Yeah. Oh."

"Sorry."

Naruto propped his chin up to look at the silver-haired man. "Uh-huh. I'm dying."

Iruka shook his head. "You're not dying, Naruto. You're not even starving."

"Yes I am!"

Iruka sighed and made his way over to the kettle, filling it with water for tea.

Naruto watched, a sullen expression on his face. "I'm so hungry, I almost ate the dog's food."

Kakashi couldn't help himself, he barked out a laugh involuntarily. "You what?"

Naruto pouted. "It's not funny. Can't you see, I'm wasting away?"

Iruka tutted as Naruto pulled at his orange shirt, trying to prove he was fading into nothing. "Naruto, you're such a drama king!"

Naruto pouted some more. "I'm bored, too. The dogs went back to sleep after I fed them."

Kakashi laughed. "Yeah. Thanks for feeding them but they get like that in the winter. Lazy little buggers. They're better in the summer. They run agility courses and everything."

Naruto brightened up a little. "They do?"

Kakashi nodded. "Yup. I train them myself. They're quick as ninjas and almost as smart too, I'd say. If you're that bored, you could always call over and see if Hinata and Neji want to come over. They're close enough that it wouldn't be too hard."

Naruto huffed. "I don't want to spend time with that jerk face! And I don't think it's a good idea to expose Hinata to the two of you—she might walk in on you going at it. Then what? I bet she'd faint—she's kind of got that innocent thing going, you know?"

Iruka raised an eyebrow and chastised his brother. "Naruto, it'll be the middle of the day, I think she's safe from walking in on us."

Naruto shrugged. "Does she like to play video games?"

Kakashi paused to think about it. "I'm not too sure, actually, she usually only plays with the dogs while Neji checks on the horses, unless her dad's over to talk business. Then she'll have tea with us."

Naruto sighed. "Promise you guys'll behave if she's over?"

"Naruto!"

Kakashi chuckled as he watched the pair. "Now, which one of you is the older brother again?"

Iruka punched him on the shoulder as Naruto laughed heartily.

…..0…0…0…..

After a home-cooked breakfast (spinach, mushroom and Swiss cheese omelets, with cinnamon buns on the side—Naruto decided Kakashi was as good a cook as his brother, maybe even better), Kakashi rooted around for the Hyuuga's phone number and handed it off to Naruto, who made quick work of inviting Hinata over.

To be polite (or rather, because Iruka made him be polite) Naruto included Neji in the invitation, and Hinata asked if her younger sister could tag along too.

They decided on a board games day, and lit the fire in the living room, picking out about half a dozen board games to choose from and setting out snacks like popcorn and hot chocolate. Naruto grumbled as they got ready, thoroughly convinced video games would be better, but went along with it anyways.

Hiashi agreed to drive the kids over, so when the doorbell rang after about half an hour, everyone went to greet their guests.

Kakashi welcomed them into the foyer and began making introductions. "Hiashi, this is Naruto, he's one of my students. We figured," he slipped an arm around Iruka's waist, "that he could use some company, and since your kids are about his age and they met already, we figured they might like a games day."

Hiashi smiled as Neji disappeared into the living room, stoutly refusing to do anymore socializing than absolutely necessary and responded, "Well, I hope it does my nephew some good. He really hasn't been in a good space since his father died."

Kakashi nodded in sympathy and continued, "And this is Iruka." he pulled him a bit closer.

Hiashi nodded and shook his hand. "So, Kakashi, if you don't mind my asking, you rarely have guests over…. So two guests and a get together are a bit out of the ordinary?"

The implied question hung in the air as Kakashi considered. "I know I'm not that social," he began.

Hiashi smiled, "You can say that again!" At this, Naruto and Iruka both laughed as well.

"Actually, Iruka helped me out by taking me in when my car broke down and I couldn't get home."

Hiashi nodded, then glanced down at Kakashi's arm slung around Iruka's waist. "You seem to know each other pretty well. How come we haven't met before?"

Naruto snorted, then answered for them, "They've known each other a long time but never used to get along very well. My brother comes to all of my school stuff and they used to fight like crazy. Now they're an item though," he rolled his eyes.

Hiashi smiled. "Well, then I suppose I'll be seeing more of you then." he smiled at Iruka, then nodded to Kakashi, "Call me if you need me to pick them up…. Or if Neji gives you any trouble."

Kakashi nodded. "Will do, sir. Thanks for letting them come over."

…..0…0…0…..

Once Hiashi was out the door, Naruto turned to Hinata and rolled his eyes. "They're a pair of lovesick fools," he pulled her by the arm and lowered his voice, "heavy on the fools part."

Hinata nodded sagely, "Why?"

He snorted, then threw back at the pair, "You're going to have to get used to introducing each other as your boyfriend, you know. Not everyone will be patient enough for you to stutter through stories about snowstorms and Jeeps and rescuers. Especially after this weekend, when the storm is gone."

As Hinata introduced her little sister, Hanabi, to Naruto, they overheard him add, "They're disgustingly cute. I say they're too old for that romantic crap, but they won't listen to me and keep making googly-eyes at each other when they think I'm not looking."

Hinata's little sister, Hanabi, giggled as she followed into the living room and Iruka growled at the retreating form of his brother.

Kakashi played with the hem of Iruka's shirt. "Well?"

"Well what?" from the tone of his voice, Kakashi could tell Iruka was still a little miffed at his brother.

"What do you think of…. you know?"

Iruka looked at him with an eyebrow raised. He sighed. "Well, Naruto's half right— about you anyways. I'm no fool and you are going to have to get used to it." He smirked, "Because I'm not in the habit of sleeping with guys who aren't my boyfriend and I have no problem saying so."

Kakashi beamed. "Me either, lover boy!"

Iruka shook his head indulgently. "Mmhm. That's not gonna fly, unless you want me to call you my boy toy."

Kakashi nodded quickly. "Got it. Thought I'd try though." he smiled sheepishly, and Iruka smacked him on the shoulder. He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

…..0…0…0…..

After a morning full of games, they had decided to turn lunch into a competition too. Kakashi and Hinata versus Iruka and Hanabi in a cook-off (Iruka knew his brother was awful in the kitchen and Neji was too hoity-toity to deign to participate).

Naruto stared across the kitchen counter, eyes glazed over and almost drooling. "I think I'm in love," he sighed dreamily.

Neji snorted and pushed him off the stool, to an indignant snort from the blond and a snicker from Hanabi. Hinata herself, the object of his declaration, was bright red and trying to occupy herself at the stove to avoid his gaze.

Iruka snorted from the table. "And you think we're fools?"

Naruto turned, as best he could from his new position off the stool and on the floor, and glared petulantly at his brother. "You don't understand! This is THE BEST RAMEN I HAVE EVER TASTED, Iruka. It's better than yours and it's better than mom's and it's better than Mister Teuchi from the restaurant's!" he dragged his palms down his face, leaving red marks in their wake.

Hanabi nodded sagely. "My sister is a very good cook, Mister Umino."

"My cousin is not permitted to date urchins," Neji added his two cents.

Naruto looked up at him desperately. "I don't want to date her, I am going to marry her!"

Hinata eeped and pots could be heard falling to the floor.

Kakashi chuckled from near the counter, where he leaned over to pick up said pots. "You're sixteen, Naruto."

Naruto pouted, slumping over. Then his face brightened and he peeked around the counter at Hinata. "Do you want to marry me in five years?"

"Um…. n-no?" She looked like she was going to pass out.

He slumped again. "Why not?"

Neji glared. "You just met her."

Naruto glared right back. "So? I said in five years. That's a long time. Jeez, don't have a sense of humour, much."

"Hmph."

He perked up again. "Will you be my best friend then?"

Kakashi smiled again. "What about Kiba?"

Naruto shook his head. "He can't cook. He just eats. Even more than me."

Neji looked down his nose at him. "Do you choose all of your friends based on whether or not they can cook?"

Naruto thought about that, for a long time. "Well, no, not always."

Neji snorted derisively, "You're so boorish."

Naruto hopped up, radiating anger, and scoffed, "Well, not everyone can pull off arrogant bourgeois like you!" He accentuated his statement by poking a finger in the taller boy's chest.

Raising an eyebrow and removing said finger delicately and wiping off his own hand as if getting rid of imaginary dirt, Neji intoned monotonously, "Do you even know what any of that means, you half-wit idiot?"

Letting out a ferocious battle cry, Naruto launched himself bodily at Neji, toppling him off the stool with a crash. The stool rolled to the side as Hinata gasped, Iruka shook his head, Hanabi whooped and Kakashi grinned.

When Iruka went to intervene, Kakashi pulled him back. "You could feel this coming, Ruka, let them get the frustration out and settle their differences."

Hinata stared in wonder as the smaller boy, with the odds seemingly against him, was still managing to beat her cousin into submission. Hanabi's cheering just got louder as she danced around, cheering Naruto on.

"You get him, Blondie! Neji, you so had this coming you arrogant ass! Go Blondie, go!"

Hinata gasped, "Hanabi! You sh-shouldn't use such language!"

"Oh, bugger off, sis, Neji needs his butt handed to him or he's just going to get worse. You should be happy—he picks on you the most. Enjoy the show!" She crowed and danced a little closer to the pair rolling on the floor.

"Yes. Well." Hinata cleared her throat and tried to avert her eyes from the scuffling, tousling boys, but not quite succeeding.

After about two minutes, (within which Naruto had managed to pin Neji's hands under his knees and was straddling his chest, hands gripping his collar and pulling back to deliver another punch—of which he'd landed several already) Iruka gently dislodged Kakashi's fingers from his arm and bodily picked up his brother around the waist.

Hanabi pouted and Hinata let out a relieved sigh, but Neji back-pedaled on the floor, scooting well away from Naruto, who was glaring at him wickedly from his brother's hold.

"What the hell, man, you could have killed me!" he shouted, all composure and eloquence seemingly gone, as he pointed at the blond, "You fight like an animal!"

Naruto's glare only intensified, heating up the entire room. "Don't ever call me an idiot," he growled.