I mutter under my breath, irritated. "Fucking Sakura. She's such an idiot sometimes."
The blood from the small cut she left on my cheek still stings as I swipe it away. During our shuriken target practice earlier today, Kakashi Sensei made it clear—if you aren't 100% sure you can hit the apple on your teammate's head, don't take the chance. But Sakura, of course, had to show off and left me with this ugly cut.
I fumble with my apartment keys, still seething. Finally, I unlock the door, greeted by the familiar scent of pizza and the sound of laughter coming from the living room.
"Could you at least text first?" I grumble, kicking my shoes off by the door. I walk into the kitchen and spot Iruka Sensei and Asuma Sensei lounging on the couch, beers in hand, engrossed in a card game.
"I'm seriously going to take your keys away if you guys keep barging in here uninvited," I joke, heading to the fridge to grab a beer.
I only have two left.
"Seriously, you guys can at least restock the beer after raiding my fridge!" I roll my eyes.
Iruka glances up, his smile a little guilty, but he quickly looks back down at his cards. Asuma snorts loudly.
"Didn't I buy you that beer?" he teases with a raised eyebrow.
I take a long sip, smiling to myself because yeah, it's true. It was nice of them to buy it, considering I'm still a few months shy of 18.
"What happened to your face?" Asuma blurts out, concern flashing across his face. Iruka glances up as well, his brow furrowing in worry.
I touch my cheek, the reminder of my anger at Sakura flaring up again.
"Sakura," I mutter, and both men immediately know exactly what happened.
Iruka gets up and heads to the bathroom, rummaging through my medicine cabinet. He's such a dad sometimes.
Taking advantage of the moment, I snatch his spot on the couch next to Asuma and grab his cards from the table. I flash them quickly, earning a sly wink and smirk from Asuma.
"Ami, I know you're helping Asuma cheat!" Iruka calls from the bathroom.
He comes back with a warm rag, some ointment, and a band-aid. I stick my tongue out at him playfully.
"Ignore me all you want, Iruka. It's fun to mess with you," I say with a grin.
He rolls his eyes and sits down in front of me. I get comfy on the couch, and Iruka starts cleaning the cut on my cheek. It stings, but I don't let it show.
"Asuma, you spoil Ami way too much," Asuma mocks, lighting a cigarette and leaning back.
Iruka blushes slightly, clearly flustered, and I can't help but smile. He's always been so caring, stepping up as a father figure ever since my parents died when I was five.
I lay my head in Iruka's lap, feeling a warm, comforting sense of security. He and the others—Asuma and Kakashi—they all took care of me and helped raise me after that tragedy. Even when my older sister, Kurenai, died, they were there.
Kurenai had raised me to be strong and independent. Losing her was devastating, and for a while, I lost myself to my pain. But those three men were there, pulling me out of the darkness. They weren't just friends—they became everything to me. And they helped me become the best shinobi I could be, to honor Kurenai's memory.
"Hello? Ami, are you in there?" Asuma's voice snaps me out of my thoughts. I glance up, annoyed.
"What?" I grumble.
"Text Kakashi before he gets here. Tell him to bring the drinks."
I sit up, reaching for my phone, but Iruka gently presses my head back down.
"Stay still for a moment," he says, his tone soft but firm.
I roll my eyes but stay still as Iruka continues tending to me. Asuma grabs my phone, quickly sending a message to Kakashi.
"Where the hell is your phone?" I ask, already knowing the answer.
Asuma's notorious for snooping through my stuff.
"I can't get Kakashi to bring anything if I ask, but he'll bring whatever you ask for," Asuma smirks.
"Stop being gross," I snap back.
Iruka finishes applying the band-aid and gently taps my cheek to signal he's done. I sit up and make my way back to the couch, taking a swig of my beer.
"Thanks, Iru."
He smiles at me warmly. "Don't go causing trouble with Sakura again, okay?"
Asuma snickers, and I kick his leg.
"Are you sexting Shikamaru?" Asuma suddenly blurts, catching me off guard.
"What?!" I exclaim, eyes widening.
"Ha! I knew it!" Asuma laughs, holding my phone out of my reach. Before I can grab it, he pins me down on the couch, laughing as I struggle to get it back.
Iruka and Asuma cackle, both enjoying the sight of me trying to wrestle my phone back.
Suddenly, the front door slams open, and Kakashi steps in, bottles of alcohol in hand. He freezes when he sees the scene unfolding before him—Asuma sitting on the couch, holding my phone high above my head while I awkwardly straddle his lap trying to reach it.
"What did I just walk in on?" Kakashi asks, amusement and irritation evident in his voice.
Asuma glances at him, still laughing, and I take advantage of the distraction to snatch my phone back.
I flick Asuma on the forehead and stand up, heading into the kitchen to check out what Kakashi brought.
"You're so annoying," I mutter under my breath as I walk past Asuma.
"Hey, Kakashi, did you know Ami talks dirty to one of my students?" Asuma grins, his words teasing.
I stop in my tracks and spin around. "Seriously, Asuma?"
I walk into the kitchen to see Kakashi unloading the alcohol bottles on the counter.
"What are we trying to do, die from alcohol poisoning?" I ask, eyeing the bottles he brought: two bottles of vodka, rum, and Patrón.
Kakashi chuckles. "I figured you could use a drink after holding back from taking Sakura's head off today."
I smile and grab some shot glasses.
It's moments like these that remind me why I love being around them, even if it does make everything so damn complicated. Kakashi, Asuma, and Iruka—they're more than just mentors. They're my family.
And sometimes, being stuck between the line of student and friend? It's harder than I ever imagined.