Naruto was heading out for breakfast, Neji had already left for work. He was doing as much mission work as he could now, so later when he might need time off he'd be entitled to it.
Naruto was heading towards Ichiraku when he spotted a familiar face.
"Iruka sensei!" he called, waving to his old teacher. It took a second for Iruka to recognise him, which Naruto thought was weird until he remembered the sexy jutsu. "It's Naruto!"
"Oh, hey Naruto. Of course," Iruka smiled, walking over to meet him. "How are you?"
"Great," Naruto grinned. "What are you doing now, sensei? Let's get ramen!"
"Sure," Iruka agreed. "I guess I could fit a bowl in before I start work for the day."
"It's your shout," Naruto grinned, knowing his sensei wouldn't refuse buying him breakfast even though he was an adult now. Still, he ran off to Ichiraku before Iruka could argue just in case.
They sat next to each other, like they'd been doing since Naruto was twelve and Iruka sensei became his first friend.
"What'll it be?" Iruka asked.
"I'll have the special!" Naruto grinned.
"Two specials," Iruka requested, before turning to him. "So Naruto, how's everything going?"
After Naruto's graphic wake up call, they had told a few other people, including Iruka sensei, what their plans were. It was nice to have the extra support around them should they need it.
"Good," Naruto answered. "I mean, we're trying, but nothing yet. I feel good though, I'm keeping the jutsu up on my own so far."
"That's impressive. I guess you always did have a lot of chakra."
"Yeah. And I'm kind of used to it now, being a girl. I mean, the boobs took a bit of getting used to, they're big and always just kind of right there..." he mused, looking down at them curiously and poking one. "See?"
Iruka sensei blushed and kept his eyes decidedly up.
"Naruto..."
"What?" Naruto laughed. "They're not really me, you can look."
"Stop it."
"Okay, okay... How have you been going, anyway?"
"Oh you know me, Naruto. Nothing much ever changes."
"Yeah…" Now that he thought about it, Iruka was still single like he always had been. "Hey, Iruka sensei. You should get a girlfriend!"
Iruka sensei blushed again.
"It's not as easy as just deciding you want one."
"Why not? You're a nice guy. Plus, you're cute. I bet you could have any girl you wanted."
"I really don't have time for it," Iruka tried to avoid.
"Well, you should make time. It's pretty awesome having someone to share your life with. Plus, you don't wanna be too old when you start having kids, you're in your thirties now."
"Only just," Iruka defended.
"Still, you won't know how great it can be until you try."
Iruka was left with that to think about when their food arrived.
"Ramen! Hehe…"
Naruto's mouth was watering as the cook sat the bowl in front of him, but as soon as the smell of the broth hit him, a nauseous wave rolled over in his belly, and he thought he might be sick. He jammed his hand over his mouth.
"Naruto?" Iruka frowned. "What is it?"
"Gotta go," Naruto managed to say as the bile rose and he took off. He only made it around the corner into an alley before he was puking his guts up. It's the wrong time of the month for this, and I've never actually puked before…
Once he finished heaving, he heard footsteps and Iruka's voice.
"Naruto? Are you okay?"
"Huh?" he said, wiping his chin. "Yeah, I dunno the heck what that was."
He straightened up and looked at his teacher, who was giving him a weird smile.
"It's not funny," Naruto sulked. "I love ramen! What's wrong with me?"
"Nothing's wrong," Iruka said, still smiling and handing him a cup of water. "If I had to guess, I'd say you're pregnant."
"Pregnant..." he repeated, letting the idea sink in. Had they done it? Were he and Neji going to be parents? "A baby!" he exclaimed, throwing his arms around Iruka in excitement. He was finally going to have a family of his own.
"Congratulations," Iruka laughed, hugging him back. "Do you think Neji might like to know about this?"
"Neji? Neji! Yes! I can't wait to tell him! I've got to go! Bye Iruka sensei!"
"Bye Naruto!" his teacher called after him.
x
Between A and B rank missions with Team Guy, Neji was taking extra C and D ranked missions inside the village. They were going to need to buy a lot of new things for the baby, plus he wanted to be able to take as much time off as he needed when their baby did eventually arrive.
He was weeding a garden, when he heard shouting.
"NEJI!"
He looked up to see Naruto running towards him.
"Neji! I puked! In an alley behind the ramen shop! Iruka sensei said it means I'm pregnant!"
It was only because Neji was shinobi that he managed to catch Naruto when he flung himself into Neji's arms at full speed.
"We're gonna have a baby!" Naruto gleefully declared.
Even though it was planned, it all seemed to be happening very suddenly, and Neji felt a bit shellshocked. Naruto sensed it, pulling back and frowning.
"Aren't you happy?"
"Of course, yes. I will be. I just need to be sure first. Let's go see Sakura this afternoon when I'm finished."
"Okay," Naruto agreed. "But I'm telling you, being pregnant is the only reason ramen could ever make me puke."
x
Neji had completed his mission in record time, which meant he and Naruto were able to head to the hospital just after lunchtime.
They found Sakura there, doing her rounds, and informed her about Naruto's symptoms. She wanted to do a blood test to confirm their suspicion.
"How long is that gonna take?" Naruto complained.
"Okay, fine," Sakura said, picking up a test kit and handing it to him. "Pee on this."
"What?!"
"Honestly, Naruto," Sakura said with a roll of her eyes. "Just do it."
Naruto looked up at him wide-eyed, appealing for help.
"It's fine," Neji said. "Go on."
Naruto disappeared into the bathroom leaving Neji alone with Sakura. Sakura was Naruto's Tenten, so Neji understood how important they were to each other.
"Do you think he's likely to be pregnant?" Neji asked, feeling himself start to sweat a little.
"We know his body is working like it should, so I can't see any reason why he shouldn't be."
He swallowed nervously and nodded. We have so many hopes riding on this now.
She smiled gently and touched his arm.
"It's alright to be nervous, Neji. It's only natural."
Hearing her say it actually did allow him to relax a little. Things would unfold in their own time, and whatever the case, they would still have each other.
x
It was so much harder to control the direction of his pee now, but somehow Naruto managed to get some on the stick.
He returned from the bathroom, clutching the little test that was about to dictate his future.
How can all our hopes now depend on this little thing?
"Give it here," Sakura said, holding out her hand expectantly.
"Gross," Naruto said, crinkling his nose. "I just peed on that, you know."
"I'm aware," she huffed. "Now hand it over."
"Well, okay. You asked for it."
Naruto handed it over and then took a step back, settling himself under Neji's arm to wait.
"I love you," Neji murmured into his hair. It was one of the things Naruto loved about Neji, how he always made sure to tell him how he felt about him, how he wasn't afraid to admit the importance of their love. He always felt completely assured in Neji's love for him, it made him feel safe and valued in a way nobody else had ever managed to.
They both watched Sakura, until her lips began to curl in a smile. Naruto's heart threatened to beat right out of his chest.
"Sakura!"
She looked up at them, looking happy for once.
"Congratulations boys! You're pregnant."
"Pregnant..." Naruto echoed. "Pregnant!"
Neji picked him up and spun them around before they kissed, smiles pressing together with joy.
"You did it!" Neji said, giving him a rare grin.
"We did it!" Naruto corrected, pressing his mouth to Neji's again. "We're gonna be a family. A real family."
Neji understood exactly what that meant, and wrapped him up in a tight hug.
"Naruto, you're extraordinary," Neji told him. "I love you so much. We love you so much."
"Huh?"
Neji rested his hand on Naruto's belly.
"We."
It really hit him then, family went from being an abstract idea, to a real person who would become part of their lives.
Suddenly there was a lump in his throat and tears in his eyes, and he was burying his face in Neji's hair.
Neji stroked his head, and spoke softly.
"I know," he soothed. "I know it's a lot. We've both waited a very long time for this."
"Now," Sakura said, obviously growing uncomfortable with their display of affection. "I still want to do that blood test. Also, we should schedule some regular check-ups and update your diet plan. This stuff is important, Naruto. Everything you do from now on affects you both."
Naruto let his hand wander down to rest on his belly.
"So, we're a team?"
"Yeah," Sakura said. "I guess you could think of it like that."
"Uh-huh…" Well, little one, you're in luck, because there's nothing I won't do for my teammates.