The Way He Wears his Hitai-Ate
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Summary
He paused in the doorway, eyes taking in the sight in the bathroom mirror.
"My hitai-ate is backwards.”
“Is it?” His mother asked, a touch amused. There was something else there in her words though, in the way she looked at him.
Whatever it was, it made Genma realize that maybe he was wrong to dismiss her actions.
"I’m still wearing a hitai-ate." He told her, eyes locking with hers in the mirror. “And I guess, since I am wearing it, I’m not breaking any of the rules about how to wear it.”
* * * * *
Why Genma wears the hitaeate the way he does, and how Gai is there to help him with it.
Series
- Part 2 of Genma Week 2021
- Part 2 of Steel and Spandex
- Part 1 of The Way He Wears his Hitai-Ate
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Summary
Genma opened his gift.
It consisted of a series of wooden sticks, a small shelf underneath them all, and a bright white cloth—embroidered with white lilies—folded neatly in a packet.
He looked up at Gai and Dai-san confused.
“It’s a shrine!” Gai explained. “I noticed, and Papa noticed, you don’t have one for your mother. We thought we would get you one! And we can help you build it too if you’d like?”
* * * * *
Series
- Part 6 of Genma Week 2021
- Part 5 of Steel and Spandex
- Part 2 of The Way He Wears his Hitai-Ate
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Summary
Gai always celebrated his birthday with his father for as long as he could remember. They stayed up till midnight on New Years Eve at which point his father would present him with a plate of mochi he’d bought earlier that day. They would share that plate over smiles and laughter, his laughter reminding him to be youthful, a warm smile on his face. And Gai would always feel his heart bursting from the love he felt in that moment.
It had always been that way, until the day his father sacrificed himself before the swordsmen from Mist.
Series
- Part 3 of The Way He Wears his Hitai-Ate
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Summary
“. . . I think your team might like me to train with them now too. Especially the girls."
Genma watched Gai turn the shower on, ducking his head under the spray, washing the dirt and dust that had accumulated on his body and hair from the road.
Gai hummed as he poured shampoo into his hand. “Oh, girls you say? I hope you’re not making fun of Neji again, Genma.”
“Not Neji.” Genma answered as Gai shampooed his hair. “I’m talking about Kakashi’s kid, you know the pink-haired one: Mebuki nee-san’s Sakura.”
Gai’s hand faltered for a moment before they resumed their task. “I should have told you.” He stated carefully, referencing the fact that he had known about Kakashi’s sudden disinterest in his third student following the departure of his other two.
“Yeah, you should have.” Genma affirmed, inflecting just enough annoyance in his voice to show Gai he was angry at the man withholding the information, but not so upset that he wasn’t forgiven. “We promised we’d discuss taking care of him if he slipped up again.”
Series
- Part 6 of Steel and Spandex
- Part 4 of The Way He Wears his Hitai-Ate
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Summary
All the times that Gai ties Genma's hitai-ate around his head.
And the one time that Genma ties Gai's around his waist.Series
- Part 5 of The Way He Wears his Hitai-Ate
- Part 7 of Steel and Spandex
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Summary
Genma learned to cook at his mother’s side, her hands guiding his as they measured the seasoning and stirred the broth.
The next time he learned a recipe was on a routine camping trip with Choza-sensei.
The third time he learned a recipe was after a long day of training.
The next important recipe Genma learned was while he was working as part of the Yondaime’s Guard.
The recipe he learned with Gai was his favorite. For Gai, he’d cook all the recipes he’d learned over the years, and hopefully, learn more new ones along the way.* * * * *
Part of "The Way He wears the Hitai-Ate" universe.
Series
- Part 3 of Steel and Spandex
- Part 4 of Genma Week 2021
- Part 6 of The Way He Wears his Hitai-Ate
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Tags
Summary
For as long as Genma had known, his birthday was celebrated in a special way.
It was a welcome routine he cherished because, after he’d lost so many important people in his life already, every birthday celebrated with his two teammates marked one more year he was able to spend with them. Every birthday marked one more year of friendships and laughter, of shared memories and experiences. Every birthday celebrated marked one more day he got to spend with his two trusted friends.
On his thirty-sixth birthday, Gai asked for a change of pace, and Genma-obliged. And when Gai finally collapsed on his side, Genma turned to his lover, a soft smile on his face, brunette hair askew and falling into his eyes.
“I could do this with you forever, you know?” he whispered against Gai’s lips, silencing Gai with a kiss before pulling away a little to look him in the eyes. “Would you be okay with forever, Gai?”
Series
- Part 8 of Steel and Spandex
- Part 7 of The Way He Wears his Hitai-Ate