Work Text:
While holding his paints in his hand, he looked out of the window (if it could be called that since it was only a small hole in the wall without glass), admiring the trees and the huge flowers in his garden, full of colors so bright that sometimes it seemed surreal. But it wasn't. His flowers he had grown with a lot of love and a couple of magic powders to scare away the pests were his pride.
His peace was interrupted by a little tug on his sleeve, looking down, meeting small black eyes, smiling at the sight of one of apprentices (aka children) wanting to get his attention.
«Yes?»
Sai simply picked up a small canvas to put on a low tripod, pulling out a couple of watercolors from one of the many drawers in the studio and looked at the canvas for a couple of seconds before dipping one of his brushes, tracing a blue line.
Iruka, getting the message, resumed his own painting, humming a cheerful song as they both calmly painted.
Master and apprentice were focused on their work, content to simply be in each other's company, sometimes listening in the distance to the laughter of their other apprentices who were playing in their garden, very careful not to step on his crops.
However, a small fuss startled him a bit, seeing that Sai had knocked over a jar of lapis lazuli paint. Sai looked distressed but Iruka simply pulled out his wand and tucked the paint back into place, cleaning up the small mess, bending down to be at his apprentice's level, removing a small watercolor stain from his cheek in the process.
«It's all right, things are always fixable, remember that, okay?»
Sai smiled a little, nodded his head and let out a couple of chuckles, taking his canvas in his hands to show him his progress.
- It's us, Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke, master Kakashi, me and you - He pointed one by one of the members of his improvised family. A kitsune boy, the only descendant of a lost clan, a girl with a temper capable of breaking rocks in half, a silver-haired werewolf, a boy capable of bringing paintings to life and a simple wizard who took care of everyone.
«You and me. The "me" goes at the end» Iruka corrected him, caressing his hair affectionately «It looks very nice, when you finish it we'll hang it in the living room, would you like it?»
Sai smiled even more, leaving his canvas on his tripod, resuming his paintings.
«Someday I'll be as good as you, sensei » he said.
Iruka stroked his little head again, smiling, touched by his words.
«You will»
The studio was enveloped again by the soft sound of brushes against canvas, the birds and the laughter of his family.