Work Text:
Full moons can be beautiful, but new moons allow the stars to shine brighter.
And tonight, the stars shone brighter than Kakashi could ever remember. The sky was alight with them - hundreds of them sparkling in various shades of white, blue, and yellow - and the faint purpleish-blue hint of the Milky Way stained the otherwise dark navy sky behind them.
Kakashi stared out the window of his apartment at them, amazed that they were bright enough to enjoy from inside. He thought briefly that he should want to go outside to the woods perhaps to view them better, but he had no desire to leave this room.
Because why would he, when Tenzo was in bed beside him.
Kakashi tore his eyes away from the stars outside to look at Tenzo’s radiant face, somehow brighter than the brightest light in the night sky. Tenzo had been looking at the stars too but glanced at Kakashi and smiled gently when their eyes met.
It was moments like these that made Kakashi glad to be alive.
Despite everything that had happened with the war, he was alive. And more importantly, Tenzo was, too. There had been a significant chunk of time that Kakashi didn’t think Tenzo was alive. When he had gone missing during the course of the war, Kakashi’s entire being broke with the knowledge that his love was dead. And when he found out he wasn’t, it was like Kakashi had been reborn. Like it was he who had been brought back from the dead. He’d been given a second chance at life and he had no intention of ruining it now.
So he filled every possible moment of his life with visions like this one - Tenzo’s face, smiling warmly from their shared bed. He made sure to kiss Tenzo every chance he got now - because he had come so close to never getting to kiss him again. He had known before the war that he and Tenzo could both die at any given moment, but it wasn’t made real for him until Tenzo had been captured. And he thanked the gods every single day that he’d been given the chance to make up for all that wasted time.
“What are you staring at?” Tenzo asked softly. Kakashi chuckled.
“You know what,” he said, pleased by the way Tenzo blushed. No amount of time together seemed to soften Tenzo’s adorable flush every time Kakashi was even remotely affectionate with him. And Kakashi loved it.
“What are you thinking about?” Tenzo pressed on. Kakashi sighed. He knew what he was thinking about - Tenzo, how lucky he was to have him, how perfect he was. But it was more than that too.
“Just…” he started, lost for words. “I love you.” Tenzo’s smile deepened.
“I love you too,” he said.
Kakashi had heard the words hundreds of times before, and yet today they set a warmth through his chest, a comfort and assurance that he hadn’t realized he needed tonight. Tenzo sat up enough to kiss Kakashi gently on the lips, running his fingers through his silver hair as he did. Kakashi kissed him back eagerly. He hadn’t realized how much he needed that, too.
“I can’t help but feel like there’s something on your mind that you’re not telling me,” Tenzo said as he pulled away from the kiss. Kakashi sighed. Leave it to Tenzo to read him like an open book.
“I guess I’ve been thinking about the future,” he said, shrugging. Tenzo nodded.
“Yeah, me too,” he said. “With you being named as Tsunade’s successor, things are going to change. But for the better, I think.” Kakashi smiled.
“I think so too,” he said. Tenzo raised his eyebrows in surprise - Kakashi had been reluctant to accept the role of Hokage, and he hadn’t talked about it very positively up until now.
“Well I’m glad to hear that,” Tenzo said. “I know it’ll be an adjustment, but I’ll be here by your side to help you.”
“Forever?” Kakashi asked. Tenzo chuckled.
“Of course,” he said. Kakashi looked back out at the stars and saw Tenzo do the same, and used that opportunity to roll over and grab an item off the ground he’d be saving for the right moment. When he rolled back onto the bed Tenzo was looking at him curiously. “You okay?”
“Yeah,” Kakashi said. “When you say forever, what do you mean?” Tenzo scrunched up his face in confusion, then seemed deep in thought.
“Well, I mean just that. Forever,” he said. “I mean I’ll be by your side for the rest of my life and beyond, if I can help it.”
“Good,” Kakashi said. Tenzo cocked his head to the side and raised one eyebrow.
“Why, what do you mean by it?” he asked. Kakashi held out the box he’d taken off the floor and opened it to reveal a gold wedding band.
“I mean forever,” he said. Tenzo’s face did nothing to hide the emotions he was so clearly feeling - shock, surprise, happiness - and Kakashi was glad for it. Despite having planned this moment for weeks he found that he still felt a nervousness gnawing at his stomach now. Because while he and Tenzo had talked a little about getting married, it wasn’t a subject they dwelled on. And Tenzo had no clue that Kakashi had been eyeing this gold band in the window of a jewelry shop for weeks, dreaming about how it would look on Tenzo’s hand and the future it symbolized. Tenzo didn’t know that Kakashi had bought the band weeks ago and put in under the bed, waiting night after night for the perfect moment to bring it out and share it with Tenzo.
Kakashi’s started to feel a bit concerned as the seconds dragged on and Tenzo remained silent, staring at the ring with a smile on his face, his eyes shiny from happy tears.
“Well, aren’t you going to ask me?” Tenzo said finally. Kakashi chuckled at his own stupidity.
“Oh, right,” he said, all feelings of doubt and concern washing away at the look of joy on Tenzo’s face. “Tenzo… will you marry me?”
“Yes,” Tenzo said. There was no hesitation or doubt in his voice. His expression was serious, somber even, as Kakashi took the ring and slid it on his finger. Tenzo lifted his hand to look at the ring for a second before gently placing his hand on Kakashi’s cheek and leaning forward to kiss him. “I love you, Kakashi.”
“I love you too, Tenzo,” Kakashi said. “And I will, forever.”