Chapter Text
Gai hurried through the treetops. The weather had turned cold, wet, and nasty, and he couldn’t wait to get home – though that had nothing to do with the weather after all.
Kakashi had whisked him away during New Year’s Eve. High up on a rooftop, they’d stolen moments that weren’t theirs to share. But the scolding they’d both gotten from the Hokage had been worth it. Their relationship becoming something akin to common knowledge had been worth it. Getting sent out – on his birthday, nonetheless – immediately after having been found out had been worth it.
The mission itself, however… Gai pulled a small face as he jumped from one tree to another. It had been boring. It had been tedious. And most of all, it had been lonely. Kakashi had been sent back where he’d come from, the opposite direction of where Gai was now coming from. They’d been apart again for over a month already. And with Gai’s luck, Kakashi was getting sent back out right now, just as he was getting close to home.
He'd encountered a team from Konoha a few days ago. They were on their way through, but they’d stopped to chat for just a minute. They’d told him Kakashi was back in the village. They’d also asked him loads of questions about Kakashi, about Kakashi and Gai, about what happened on New Year’s Eve.
Gai had answered exactly none of them.
The walls of Konoha were in sight now. Exhausted as he was, Gai picked up speed, hoping beyond hope that Kakashi would be there, that they could spend at least a few hours together. Maybe even a whole night.
He thought back on the look on the Hokage’s face. Maybe not.
Of course he could postpone checking in until tomorrow morning.
Gai frowned. If he was considering stooping to such lows, he must really be getting too desperate. Kakashi would scold him for it, too. Actually, after what he did… probably not. A small smile played around Gai’s lips as his feet touched the ground. He walked the last distance to the Gate, knowing better than to startle Izumo and Kotetsu. They’d delay him even more.
The two guards were lost in conversation as Gai entered, and for a moment, he was tempted to keep walking and deny any record of his return. But he couldn’t do that. It would be too unethical. So he signed his name to the sheet on the table and moved on, ignoring the way Izumo and Kotetsu looked at him.
Gai headed toward Hokage Tower, dread sinking in deeper with each new step. He was going to get sent out again. Kakashi had been sent out the moment he signed in at the Gate. They were both about to get summoned for another lecture and then sent back out. In opposite directions, of course. He sighed and shook his head. There was no point in thinking about all the ways their lives were going to get messed with. The Hokage was sure to be more creative about it than he was. Gai’s mood soured even further as he walked into Hokage Tower.
“Ah, Gai. Just the man I wanted to see,” a voice said as an arm gently came around his shoulders. Gai looked to his left to see Genma’s warm smile.
“What do you need, Genma?” He knew his old team mate well enough to know Genma wouldn’t bother him like this without a good reason.
Genma’s smile widened a little. “It’s about Kakashi, he asked me to relay a message if I saw you come back in. Don’t worry—” he added quickly as Gai felt his heart rate spike. “He’s fine. Well, kinda fine. Sorta fine. He’s in the hospital, but doing—”
“Let me guess,” Gai interrupted with a sour smile. “He’s doing fine.”
“Well, yeah. I mean, he overdid it a bit. Spent too much chakra. He told me it was because he was trying to get back before you got sent back out again, but I wasn’t supposed to tell you that, so please pretend that I didn’t okay?” His smile returned, warm and inviting, the Genma that Gai knew so well, yet seemed to show himself so rarely nowadays. “Anyway. He’s been back for a few days now, and he’s been exaggerating how bad he feels to the nurses so they’ll let him stay in the hospital. As long as he’s in there, he says, he won’t be getting sent back out and he can wait for you. It’s all painfully romantic, I say.”
Gai suspiciously glanced around the empty hallway. “Shouldn’t you be keeping all this to yourself?”
“How can I keep it to myself and tell you at the same time? You silly goose.” Genma chuckled and shook his head. “Don’t worry. Most everyone is gone for the day already. They knocked off at three o’clock – and those were the stragglers. I’m just here to catch you for Kakashi, since the man can’t exactly stalk around these halls himself, what with him wearing naught but a hospital gown and all.” Genma’s smile turned a little naughty and his eyes shimmered with barely concealed delight.
“Hey,” Gai said with a light chuckle. “I’m the only one who’s allowed to get excited at that thought.”
“What? Oh, no. It’s not like that,” Genma said. He shook his head a little and chuckled again. “Iruka and I had a little fun earlier. Rai’s in the hospital too – a training injury, it’s really not that bad. They’re just keeping him overnight because one of the nurses is, uh, well, let’s just say Rai doesn’t mind his night nurse, if you catch my drift. Anyway, Iruka distracted her while I switched the clothes they’d set out for after his little sponge bath.” A boyish grin appeared on Genma’s face, and Gai already had a pretty good idea of what the Konoha pranksters had been up to. “He’s got this really nice thong now. And junior gets to stuff the trunk of an elephant. We stayed and listened in for a minute; he’s wearing it. The nurse thought he did it for her. You know, cus it’s Valentine’s and all. I daresay he won’t be wearing it all night, though.”
While he talked, Genma had casually steered Gai out through the backdoor and across the courtyard. They were now headed down an alley that had no doors on either side. Gai almost laughed; Genma had gotten pretty good over the years.
“So… this nurse…” Gai egged him on, not wanting Genma to realize he’d figured out where they were headed yet.
“She’s totally got the hots for him. And he’s been talking about her for –” hesitating slightly, Genma quietly counted for a few seconds. “Literally hours, now. Ever since I brought him in around two.”
They walked a little further. The rain had stopped its constant drizzle, but the water still dripped from the balconies overhead. Suddenly, Genma stopped. “Whelp, this is as far as I’ll go. I’m sure you know where to go from here. I have a date waiting.” He clapped Gai on the shoulder one last time before turning away. After a few steps, Genma turned back one last time. “Hey Gai.”
Frowning, Gai turned his gaze from the balcony above back to Genma. “Yeah?”
“You might need this.” Tossing him a small package, Genma’s boyish grin returned. “Oh, and go easy on him. He may say he’s been exaggerating, but the doctors wouldn’t have kept him in the hospital if he didn’t actually need to be there…” Genma’s expression turned worried for just a moment, but he covered it up quickly. “Now, if you’ll excuse me. I do really have someone waiting for me.” Scurrying down the street, Genma headed back the way they’d come. Gai only watched him for a short moment before looking back up at the balcony where Kakashi had been waiting for him on New Year’s Eve.
There was no Kakashi there. No Bisuke. No Guruku. In fact, the balcony was empty and wet. Dripping, even. Someone had left a Konoha forehead protector tied around the balustrade. Kakashi’s, Gai instinctively knew. What a stupid, careless thing to do. What a Kakashi thing to do. Flagrantly waving his hospital escape in front of anyone with eyes to see. Gai chuckled and jumped up. He spent a minute or two untying the impossible knot in Kakashi’s forehead protector before stuffing the item into his pack. It wouldn’t do to leave it here, given that Kakashi was, in fact, supposed to be in the hospital.
Gai couldn’t resist a glance through the window – the same window he’d stepped through to find Kakashi waiting for him on New Year’s Eve – before his next leap set his feet securely onto the roof. Gai frowned and – without so much as a thought – jumped back down.
Genma’s living room. Or rather, the living room of the apartment he shared with the other two members of the Hokage’s guard squad; Raidou and Iwashi. Raidou was in the hospital. If Genma was to be believed, he was currently getting down with one of the nurses. Where Iwashi was, Gai didn’t know, but from the look of Genma and his date, he certainly wasn’t home. Gai muffled a snicker as he watched a short brown ponytail bop up and down between Genma’s legs. Two sets of Kohona flak vests laid discarded on the floor. Gai shook his head and returned to the roof.
Kakashi gave him a lazy smile as he sat in the opening of what could only really be described as a cocoon. It looked somewhat like a wasp’s nest, build between the two dormer windows. No longer just blankets, someone had built a proper wooden structure, with an actual functioning door. It wasn’t the exhausted-looking Kakashi who’d built it, that much was clear.
“So, Genma finally made it home, huh?” Kakashi asked with a cheeky smile. “He made this for us, by the way. Apparently his bedroom is on this side,” Kakashi waved vaguely to his left. “And Raidou’s bedroom is on that side,” he waved toward his right. “Iwashi’s is on the other side of the building. He’s not home tonight.”
Gai raised an eyebrow. No wonder Genma had opted to entertain his date in the living room if Kakashi was right here. “How are you feeling?” he asked softly.
Kakashi shrugged. “Meh. Tired. Drained. Like I haven’t slept in weeks. Sore, too. But happy. Happy because you’re here. Happy because we finally get to spend time together again.”
Gai nodded. He glanced back at the impressive shape of Hokage Tower. “Nervous about getting caught again?”
Kakashi shrugged once more. “Not so likely if you get in here. Leave your clothes in the entrance though, I don’t want everything getting wet. Well, not wet from the rain, in any case.”
Gai nodded and lowered his head to get through the low doorway. There was a tiny little genkan, offering just enough space for two pairs of sandals. A hook on the side already held Kakashi’s flak vest. Across from it, another hook was still empty. Gai easily stripped out of his flak vest and suit, left his sandals on the floor, and moved forward.
The inside of the cocoon was rounded on all sides. There was a nest of warm blankets on the floor, and another blanket swayed back between the genkan and the main room the moment Kakashi let go of it.
There were no windows to alleviate the darkness, but Gai’s eyes quickly got used to it. The thing that was harder to get used to, was the heat. Outside, the February air was chilly, but in here the air was as hot and humid as a mid-summer day.
“Sorry about that,” Kakashi muttered. “I know you’re probably steaming, but I’m still cold.” He pressed himself up against Gai, touching bare skin to bare skin. Kakashi’s was cold and a little clammy, Gai’s warm and already sweating.
He wrapped his arms around the shivering body and held Kakashi close. “It’s fine,” Gai murmured. “I know of ways to warm you up.”
Kakashi nodded, kicking away the clothes he’d shed while Gai was in the genkan. “Still very tired though,” he muttered.
Nodding, Gai gently helped Kakashi sit down on the pile of fluffy blankets. “I’m tired too. And happy to be back with you.” He sat down next to Kakashi, his arms still around the other man.
Kakashi sighed contentedly and rested his head against Gai’s shoulder. “Things have changed,” he said. “In the village, I mean.”
Confused and a little worried, Gai tucked Kakashi’s head under his chin. “Nothing’s going to happen tonight, Kakashi. We can just stay here.”
“Yeah, we can.” He took a deep breath and snuggled up a little closer. “Everyone knows about us now.”
Gai swallowed a little nervously. “We’ll deal with it in the morning. For now, just rest.”
“Oh, I’m not too upset about it,” Kakashi said, sounding a little drowsy. “It’s just weird. And Izumo and Kotetsu suddenly wanted to talk to me, too. They even came to my hospital room, but the nurse kicked them out before we could talk.”
Gai felt Kakashi shrug, and shrugged in reply. “Whatever it was they wanted to talk about, I’m sure it can wait.” A thought occurred to him and he moved his head to try and look at Kakashi. “Just how much chakra did you burn?”
“Everything. I was unconscious by the time Genma and Iruka found me in the woods.”
“Genma and Iruka were—” a memory surfaced in Gai’s mind. A short brown ponytail bopping up and down. He shook his head and smiled. “Alright. All of that just to come see me a little sooner?”
But Kakashi shook his head. “That’s what I told Genma so he wouldn’t worry so much. Truth is, I barely made it out alive. It’s my own damn fault for thinking I could take him on.”
“Take who on?”
“A Missing Nin from Kumo. I was prepared for his Lightning Jutsu, but I didn’t know he was so proficient in Earth Style.” Kakashi shrugged and snuggled up a little closer. “He’s dead now, though.”
Gai nodded. “Then you did good.”
“I got lucky, that’s all. His reserves were far greater than mine. He just didn’t recognize me until I released the Sharingan. Either way, he’s dead and I’m barely alive. I didn’t fully lie to Genma though, I did spent whatever energy I had left trying to get back to you.” Kakashi looked up and placed a soft kiss on Gai’s chin. “If I didn’t have you to come back to…” He didn’t finish the sentence; he didn’t have to.
Nodding, Gai held him a little closer. “I wasn’t due back for another two weeks, probably. Just didn’t want to be without you any longer.”
“Good thing,” Kakashi said softly. “In another two weeks I’d probably be sent back out. I can only feign incapacitation for so long.”
“Feign it?” Gai raised an eyebrow at the darkness.
“I could function if I had to,” Kakashi explained. “And in another few days or so, I’ll be able to go out again. I’ve been told I’m to remain in the hospital for another week, though.”
“Uh-huh, which is precisely why you’re not there.” Gai chuckled. Of course Kakashi wouldn’t stay where he was told to stay. That would be far too obedient for the man.
“Genma offered,” Kakashi said quietly. He sounded like he was barely awake and his body lightly trembled in Gai’s arms.
Gai took a slow breath. He’d had slight hope of something more, but he pushed the thought away now. Carefully supporting Kakashi, he laid the man down before stretching out beside him and reaching over to grab a handful of blanket to cover Kakashi with. He knew all too well the discomfort of expending too much chakra – he’d done it plenty of times in wasted efforts to catch up to Kakashi. The genius. The natural. The fraud.
Kakashi trained until his body gave out, same as Gai. Only Kakashi did this in secret. Only Kakashi pretended to be too lazy to put forth such effort. Only Kakashi wouldn’t be caught dead on the training grounds.
No, he’d rather retreat into the woods for a few days at a time. He’d climb mountains, move mountains, destroy mountains. And then he’d come back once his chakra had replenished, pretending he’d been around the whole time and had just gotten caught up in his book. Yeah, right.
He stuffed the blankets a little tighter around Kakashi, leaving most of his own body uncovered – it wasn’t much better, but at least without the blanket, he didn’t quite feel like he was suffocating. Next to him, Kakashi’s breathing slowly evened out, and Gai smiled. He brushed a stray lock of silver hair to the side, taking care to ensure the Sharingan-eye remained closed. Kakashi smiled in his sleep, lips silently forming around Gai’s name. Gai loved the sight. He loved being allowed to see Kakashi’s unmasked lips. He loved even more the sight of them moving around his name. Or his cock. Either was great.
Murmuring soft, soothing words, Gai stroked Kakashi’s hair. He wasn’t entirely certain what he was saying, just that it sounded comforting. A comfort he didn’t quite manage to feel himself. Things have changed, Kakashi had told him. Gai took a slow breath and tried to ignore how those words scared him. What had changed exactly? And what would that lead to? Gai didn’t know. He wagered Kakashi didn’t quite know either. Kakashi had said he wasn’t worried about it though. Gai shook his head. Maybe Kakashi was just too drained to worry right now.
Sighing softly, Gai tried to make himself a little more comfortable on the warm blankets. There was no point in worrying about anything other than Kakashi right now; he hadn’t the energy to sustain it.
He awoke suddenly, to fresh air in his lungs, sunlight tickling his eyelids, and something else. Gai smiled excitedly but refused to open his eyes just yet. His hand traveled down, stroking soft hair and feeling it tickle between his fingers. “Hmm… Kakashi,” he breathed. “Gods, every time you do that…”
A soft hum was his only answer, or rather, his only verbal answer. Kakashi’s tongue was otherwise occupied, intensifying its strokes and finding just the right spot on Gai’s wanting cock. Gai couldn’t help a low moan and his fingers tightened around Kakashi’s head.
He could feel Kakashi’s lips widen in a happy smile – right before his tongue did something so mind-blowingly amazing that Gai felt his entire body stiffen before releasing it all in one breath, one shudder, one flash of white.
Kakashi straightened. His finger deftly wiped something off his lip before a pink tongue dashed out to sample. “Good morning.”
Gai, still panting, smiled up at him. “Good morning to you to. I see you’re doing better.”
“Oh, I just needed to get a good meal in me, that’s all.” Kakashi smiled. “I have breakfast too, if you’d like some.”
Gai was up on and back down between Kakashi’s legs before the other man had finished his sentence. The scent of warm bread filled the small room, but Gai pretended he didn’t notice just yet. “I’d like some of that,” he said, gently pushing against Kakashi until the other man sat back on his knees. Then, he immediately dove between Kakashi’s legs, taking hold of Kakashi’s stiff cock and giving it a few, teasingly gentle tugs before sealing his lips around it.
Gai was certain he wasn’t as good at this as Kakashi was. He couldn’t be, Kakashi was basically a god. But, at the very least, his efforts were appreciated because Kakashi panted and moaned above him. Two hands were in his hair, pushing Kakashi deeper into him while at the same time massaging his scalp in near-desperation. “Gai, oh gods, please don’t stop, please, please don’t stop…”
As if he ever would.
Kakashi’s hips rocked as he attempted to increase the friction. Gai found himself sputtering just barely as he tried to get enough air. Eventually, he managed a deep breath, after which he allowed Kakashi to do as he pleased. Hands gripped the sides of his head, moving it in time with Kakashi’s thrusts. Kakashi’s cock burrowed deep inside him, twitching as it made itself ready to spill its seed. Gai could feel the tip sliding in and out of his throat, nearly, but not quite, pushing in too far.
Suddenly, Kakashi’s hold on him tightened. He shoved his cock into Gai even deeper, held still for a moment, then trembled immensely for a moment before finally releasing him.
Gai couldn’t help but cough as something trickled down his throat, seemingly inhibiting the intake of air. Above him, Kakashi chuckled lightly. “I do believe you said you’d have some of that,” he joked.
Gai smiled. He took a few deliberately slow breaths before responding. “I did. And I always will.”
“Hmmm, good.” Smiling back, Kakashi reached for a paper grocery bag that stood at the edge of the genkan. “I’ll be happy to share whenever.”
Gai smelled the bread before Kakashi pulled it from the bag. Then watched as Kakashi pulled out some butter, fruit, and a thermos of coffee. Suddenly he frowned. “Where did all that come from?”
Kakashi shrugged. “Genma’s balcony. He set it out for us. I think he’s trying to tell us to stay put. He still has company over.” Winking, Kakashi handed him a piece of buttered bread.
Gai raised his eyebrows and nodded. “From what little I saw last night, I’m not surprised.” He frowned and shook his head, deciding he’d rather not think about it. “How are you feeling?” he asked instead.
“After that?” Kakashi chuckled. “Very good. As for my chakra, I’m okay. Much better than I have been. It probably helps that I haven’t slept this well in weeks.”
Gai took a bite of his bread and nodded. “I haven’t either. I hate knowing that we’re going to get pulled apart again soon.”
“We won’t though,” Kakashi said as he poured two cups of coffee. “That’s what I meant when I said things have changed around here. Though the Hokage is kind of insisting that one of us give up our apartment, says there’s a bit of a housing crisis and they can’t really justify two people who’re hardly ever home in the first place each having an apartment when they spend all their time together anyway. I said we’ll take your apartment. It’s nicer than mine.”
Gai nodded again, barely processing Kakashi’s words. “Yeah, sure.”
“Genma says we can’t keep meeting up here, either. Something about thin walls.”
Gai barely heard him. “Yeah, sure,” he said, his mind finally coming back around to the part where Kakashi said they were moving in together.
“He says it’s better than porn, but a little awkward to jack off to,” Kakashi continued, a cheeky smile on his face. Gai didn’t even hear him.
“Yeah, sure…” He pondered the idea of living together some more, coming to the realization that, aside from it being one of the scariest propositions he’d ever heard, he liked the idea.
“Raidou said that if we’re gonna be loud enough to jack off to, one of us should try to sound more like a girl.”
“Uh-huh… Sure.” He’d have to buy a bigger bed. The few times they’d managed to spend the night together at his place, Kakashi had basically ended up sleeping on top of him. Not that that was undesirable, per se, but if it happened every single night it might become a little uncomfortable.
“I gather that should be you.”
“I can do that…” Gai said, his mind still on his earlier thoughts.
“You’re not listening to me,” Kakashi deadpanned, and something in his tone made Gai look up.
“I’m sorry, Kakashi. I was still thinking about us moving in together,” he said truthfully. “If we do that, it will be like Asuma and Kurenai – everyone in the village will know.”
Kakashi shrugged. “They already do. You should know by now that rumors spread like wildfire around here.”
Gai pulled a small face. “True.”
“In any case, I’m going to be refusing to return to the hospital. But as good as last night – and this morning – was, I’m still not at a hundred percent. So I could use to live with my nurse anyway.”
Chuckling, Gai reached for his coffee. “I’ll bet. Does your nurse get to have a say in sleeping arrangements?”
Kakashi nodded seriously. “You can sleep underneath me, or on the floor. At least until we get a bigger bed.”