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Kakashi spotted Gai over by the refreshment table, helping himself to another slice of cake. And he was finally alone. People had been stealing Gai away from him all night despite his best efforts to keep him tethered to his side. His social meter was running dangerously low from the obligatory mingling he had no choice but to partake in tonight, and he was seriously going to lose it if he didn’t get some alone time with Gai soon.
Kakashi maneuvered his way through the crowd, careful not to get cornered by another one of his friends, or god forbid, Tsunade, who had somehow gotten her hands on more sake after he'd told the venue staff to keep her on a strict limit.
He kept his eyes trained on his target as he crossed the room. Gai looked absolutely stunning. Kakashi hadn’t been able to keep his eyes off of him all night, really. He was energetic and charming as usual, lighting the room up as he always tended to do. Kakashi had kept one eye trained on him as Gai laughed with guests and accidentally ran over people’s toes with his wheelchair as he tried to dance. Now that he was alone, Kakashi had the perfect opportunity to whisk him away and be able to properly bask in his light.
“You know, this wedding is turning out to be such a drag,” he drawled, sneaking up on Gai’s side. “I don’t suppose you want to get out of here?”
Gai turned to him, flashing his sunshine smile, bright and loving eyes looking straight into Kakashi’s. He felt himself getting lost in that deep gaze, those long lashes fanning his high cheekbones. Gai was gorgeous in his green hakama, sporting his usual bowl cut that Kakashi could finally admit he’s secretly liked all these years.
Kakashi felt his breath catch. He’d been doing that all day, he realized. Looking at Gai as if it’s the first time he’s laid eyes on him. He felt butterflies for god’s sake, which was silly for a man his age. With all these emotions rushing through his body and making him feel weak in the knees, he felt like he was falling in love all over again. This wedding was making his thoughts turn disgustingly sappy, and he desperately needed to go outside for some fresh air.
“Oh?” Gai raised an eyebrow, his smile playful. “And where do you suppose we’d go?”
“Anywhere we like. We could sneak out right now. No one would even notice.”
“Kakashi, I’m sure we’d be found out soon, considering it is our wedding.”
“C’mon, we’ll just go for a short walk. No one will even miss us.” Kakashi was already grabbing the push handles of Gai’s wheelchair and planning their escape route. “I would like to spend some uninterrupted time with my husband on our wedding night.”
Gai was now his Husband. The realization made him feel like he was floating.
“And what will we say when our guests notice we’re missing?”
“We’ll tell them we got lost on the road of love, of course.” Kakashi began pushing Gai toward the back entrance.
“But my cake!”
“Bring your cake to-go.”
Kakashi took a look around the room as he made their escape. Sasuke had come back to the village for the wedding, though he looked like he’d rather be anywhere else in the world at the moment as Sakura had somehow pulled him to the dance floor and was trying to teach him how to slow dance. Naruto was laughing as he chased after a group of giggling children who were way too hyper after having so much cake. Over by the bar, Tenten was downing a drink with Gaara. Lee was asleep next to them, head resting on the bar table after he’d accidently taken a sip of sake and had taken out half the decorations Hinata and Ino had spent so much time putting up with his drunken fist. Luckily, they’d been able to subdue him before he destroyed the whole place.
Tenzo was the only one who seemed to notice them leaving, and he shot Kakashi an eyebrow raise. “Trying to ditch your own wedding?” He could practically hear Tenzo saying with that disapproving look. 5 minutes, Kakashi gestured, earning an eyeroll from Tenzo.
The venue was small and filled with all their favorite people. Gai had wanted a grand wedding, “one befitting a former Hokage,” as he put it. Kakashi wanted nothing of the sort. This, being surrounded by their students and the comrades they had spent a lifetime fighting beside, was all he needed. He would be happy even if he and Gai were the only two people here.
In all honesty, he and Gai had been practically married in every sense of the word for over ten years now. He never thought they really needed the title. Their relationship has always transcended them.
Gai has been many things to him over the years: an endearing annoyance, his best friend, comrade, closest confidant, lover. A lifeline when he was drowning in the dark. A reminder of everything good in the world. His Eternal Rival. The love of his life.
None of those words, not even ‘rival,’ could ever fully explain what Gai was to him. He was a part of him now, the part that made him happy and free. The part that made him feel alive.
But the more years he’d spent with Gai, the more he realized he felt a happiness he never knew he was still capable of feeling. He’d realized that he wanted more, wanted to give Gai everything. He did want to be Gai’s husband, but not when he couldn’t fully give him the life he envisioned for them. And now that he was finally free of the constraints of his job as Hokage, he was able to spend the rest of his days being the husband Gai deserved.
The back door led outside to the garden. It was beautiful, bursting with bright and vibrant flowers. The moon was glowing in the sky, a gentle breeze surrounded them, and stars decorated the sky. It was a beautiful night for a wedding, complete with a perfect view.
Kakashi parked Gai next to a bench and sat down. As Gai transferred himself onto it, Kakashi grabbed his waist and pulled him to his lap, earning a laugh from Gai. Kakashi arranged them so that Gai was sitting sideways, his legs resting on top of the bench. Kakashi relished in Gai’s familiar weight resting on top of him. They sat in silence for a while, simply enjoying each other’s presence. Gai marveled at the flower garden, but Kakashi couldn’t get his eyes to wander away from the beautiful man on his lap. He reached out to trace the curve of his cheekbone and run his fingertips along the underside of his strong jaw. His fingertips explored Gai’s face with a soft touch, making their way back up to brush through a thick, pillowy brow. Gai’s eyebrows might be the softest things in existence, Kakashi thinks.
His other hand came up to run his thumb along Gai’s bottom lip. He gently turned Gai’s face to him and broke the comfortable silence.
“You know, I had to sit through an almost ten-minute drunken rant from Tsunade about how she couldn’t believe that I’d had the balls to finally propose to you, much less that you’d actually said yes. She’s right, of course. People keep telling me I’ve accomplished so much as a shinobi, but I think my greatest life achievement is that I suckered you into marrying me.”
Gai laughed again, the sound bringing back those damn butterflies in Kakashi’s stomach. “Rival, it is the honor of my life to be able to call you my husband. I am very much looking forward to an eternity with you.”
“Eternity is a long time.”
“I’m counting on it!”
“You sure you’ll be able to put up with me for that long?”
“I’ve had years of practice.”
That pulled a smile from Kakashi’s lips. He and Gai had grown together, been through so, so much. They lost fathers, comrades, students, and even themselves at some points. And despite the way the universe always seemed to be against the two of them ever finding true happiness, they made it here. To their happy ending. If someone had told a younger Kakashi he would be still be here at nearly 50, alive and in love, he would have scoffed at them. Kakashi had never taken the ‘eternal’ part of their rivalry seriously before, had thought of it as an empty word for so long. But the fact that he and Gai were still here proved that the word held all the weight it implied.
“I’m looking forward to eternity with you too, Gai.” He lowered his mask to place a kiss on Gai’s lips that ended all too soon because the two of them couldn’t stop smiling. Oh well. They had a lifetime of kisses ahead of them.
Gai started digging into the cake he brought, and Kakashi opened his mouth to accept when he offered him a bite. The cake was way too sweet, but he would indulge him tonight. Besides, food always seemed to taste better when he was being fed by Gai.
Everything was better with Gai. Kakashi was glad he finally got to call this man his husband, and he was excited for the future they had together.