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When Gai first woke up, he was greeted by the lovely scent of jasmine flowers, blooming from outside their window. The rays of early morning sun shone through the glass, pleasantly warm on his face. He sat up slowly, his short black hair messily clinging to his skin, and stretched his arms. Taking in the new, exciting day.
Since today was going to be particularly special.
His eyes wandered back out the window. When he had moved in with Kakashi in their shared apartment, they had sought out help and renovated the quaint small yard. There were many different kinds of plants - ranging from minimalistic arrays of lilies to large, unkempt bushes of roses - as well as maple and cherry blossom trees. And there, in the center of it all, was a serene little pond.
While the new garden had been a shared view, discussing the details of it had caused the biggest fight between Pakkun and Ningame that either of them had ever seen. Thankfully, this arrangement seemed to please them both.
Hearing soft noises from his side, Gai smiled to himself. After living together for a few years, Kakashi's sleep schedule was steadily improving. His nightmares became less and less, he no longer woke up every few hours and he hardly ever stayed up the whole night. Safe to say, Gai was proud of his rival.
He leaned over to his side and pressed a quick kiss on Kakashi's cheek.
"Good morning, Eternal Rival."
"Mm, morning," Kakashi groaned lazily, uncaring of the way his sleep mask had slipped awkwardly. "Let me go make us some breakfast."
Once he was finished with his food, Gai took a sip from his cup of tea. Still pleasantly warm, it had a hint of lavender and hibiscus along with the familiar taste that most all Assam tea had. He drank it slowly as he studied the man sitting across from him. Despite seeing his rival every day now, he could never grow tired of admiring his beauty.
Simply put, he loved Kakashi. Every bit of him, every part of his being. Every scar, freckle - and the small wrinkles that started to appear across his skin.
To him, Kakashi was perfect.
Gai smiled to himself as he dutifully cleared the dishes from the table, before turning back towards the other.
"Would you mind handing me the list of groceries?"
Kakashi, in turn, blinked a few times in confusion. Still holding the teapot in his hands.
"What do you mean? I'll be coming with you to the shops."
"There is no need, my dear rival, for I am perfectly capable of making such a trip myself," he quipped back with a wide grin, desperately trying to not let his true intent be seen past it.
"I know, and that's not what I meant. I just know you'll just pick up another turtle on the way."
Gai's mouth fell open in faux shock. "You're one to talk! How many dogs do we even have?"
"Fair point," Kakashi chuckled softly. "But I'm still tagging along."
Gai could fight Kakashi, no problem. He could argue his determined decisions and point flaws in his logic.
But he could never say 'no' to his rival's soft puppy eyes.
And Kakashi knew it, of course: the way he hummed cheerfully as he pushed Gai on his wheelchair told everything one needed to know. Frankly, Gai didn't mind spending extra time with his dearest friend. Quite the opposite! He was thrilled to have as many hours of the day together!
But today, it did put strain on the super important secret plans he had made.
To his luck, as they approached the nearby corner shop, Gai saw two familiar faces - Sakura and Ino, merrily chatting along underneath the vibrant bloom of an apple tree. The delicate white petals encircled the ground around them like a halo, with some even finding their way on top of the girls' heads. When they turned to look over at the approaching duo, Gai locked eyes with the pink-haired girl.
Now, Sakura was a clever Shinobi, may no one underestimate her. From the quick glance they shared, she knew exactly what to do. Smiling, she called out to them:
"Kakashi-sensei! I'm so glad I bumped into you! I needed to share some details about my latest mission!"
As he walked closer to chat, Ino sneaked near her other sensei. Side by side, they watched their partners.
Ino sighed, dreamily. "She's incredible, isn't she?"
"Why, of course - but do not sell yourself short! You're equally as amazing, and your youthful love only strengthens your power!" Gai's voice boomed in his way of honest appreciation.
She chuckled. "Thank you, sensei. Now, how may I help you?"
While Sakura kept Kakashi occupied, they went over his detailed little plan. Ino nodded as she took notes, her sweet smile growing evermore.
"Got it! We'll make sure everything's perfect!"
"I knew I could count on you," Gai chuckled, giving the blonde a sly thumbs-up before Kakashi could catch it.
Once they reached the market, Gai conveniently realized he'd forgotten the grocery list at home.
However, Kakashi wasn't too bothered about it. There wasn't anything urgent they needed - they'd remember it even without a list otherwise - and Gai's suggestion of getting takeout for dinner was fairly tempting.
He was the previous Hokage, a war veteran, and a retired Jounin.
He had been through enough in his life that stressing about little everyday things felt pointless by now.
Instead, he took in the different scents of the fresh fruit and vegetables, some recently collected herbs as well as several rows of different cut flowers, tied in vibrant bouquets. The bright, mesmerizing colors were meant to catch one's attention, to invite them closer - and they certainly did the job. Kakashi plucked a single blue hyacinth flower from the cluster.
"Hm?" he suddenly glanced up when he noticed a familiar figure in the corner of his eye. "Shikamaru, is that you?"
The Nara heir, who was just done handing cash over to Kazumi, the elderly shop owner, spun around to greet Kakashi with a small bow.
"Afternoon, Lord Sixth."
"Oh, don't you start with that," the older man groaned, rolling his eyes. "I get that enough from… everyone else, really."
"Sorry," the ravenette chuckled a quick laugh. "But as the new Hokage's Advisor, I need to maintain some professionality. As dull as it might be."
"Speaking of which," Kakashi began, waving his hand in a gesture to move away. "I need to exchange a few words with you. In private."
Shikamaru gave an apologetic look to Kazumi, who only smiled before mouthing a subtle "I'll wait" to the boy. The two moved off to the side of the street, blending into the crowd to share news regarding the Hokage's current duties.
Taking his chance, Gai moved closer to the shopkeeper, casually sliding over an envelope filled with money accompanied by a sly grin.
"So, is our agreement still in place?"
Kazumi giggled behind their hand. "Oh, most certainly! I'll have one of my children deliver the desserts on the dot."
Gai clasped his hands together, his eyes lit with excitement.
"Wonderful! I cannot thank you enough!"
"Oh, don't you worry about it," they hummed cheerfully. "You deserve your share of happiness, dearie."
Before he could say anything else, Shikamaru walked back with Kakashi in tow. The ravenette rushed over to finish his shopping, while Kakashi returned to Gai's side. It came naturally, like he had never even left.
"Thank you for that, Shikamaru," he called out, his tone firm yet honest. "Retired or not, I should keep myself up to date."
Shikamaru nodded, when his eyes widened slightly in realization.
"Oh, right. Temari also briefed me on the new pact with Suna, as Lee has yet to return. I can go over that with you later."
All three shared a knowing look. Maybe there'd been an attempt to keep the relationship a secret, but since Lee is, well, passionate and honest, it was bound to be discovered soon.
"Ah, young love…" Gai mused as Kakashi began pushing them forward once again. Shikamaru waved them farewell, continuing on as well.
Eventually, after some heated discussion and a round of rock-paper-scissors, the two decided on picking up some Ichiraku Ramen.
Despite the large renovations done recently - with the new Hokage's gracious funding - walking over to the restaurant always had a delightful, nostalgic feel to it. Gai could understand why Naruto liked visiting it so much. The air around the restaurant booth always smelled of spices, of savory treats and casual atmosphere.
In a way, it had the scent of home.
After placing their order, the two went back outside to take in the cool, fresh air. Well, at least that was the excuse Gai had used to have them placed in the right place at the right time. Luckily, Kakashi had no objections against waiting outside, but his eyebrow did furrow in mild suspicion toward Gai's strong insistence. In response, he just tried to not look completely obvious to his rival as he kept peeking at his old watch.
Maito Gai was usually a more patient man, but today was not a usual day.
Fortunately, his perception of time didn't fail him: after a minute, TenTen and Hinata walked over to them hand in hand. The brunette called out from a distance, waving her arm to catch Kakashi's attention as well as his own sensei's.
Kakashi nodded politely. "Hello Hinata, TenTen. How are things? I hear you've been helping Naruto settle in with his new position."
"We've had to, since he's already making pretty big changes", TenTen sighed, a smile still on her lips. "I'm still in disbelief that he actually fired the entire council and all the advisors."
"Truly the most unpredictable ninja of all time," Gai teased while the brunette just rolled her eyes.
"Although I can't fault him, really," Hinata added, her soft voice barely above a whisper. "After every horrible thing they did to Sasuke-kun and his brother, Tsunade-sama, and so many more."
"That's fair," Kakashi nodded in agreement. "Maybe it's time for some changes."
The Hyuga girl nodded, her eyes keening with passion. "I trust Naruto-kun's judgment wholeheartedly." She paused before adding: "A-and his husband's."
Kakashi raised an eyebrow, but didn't get to ask where his knuckleheaded students had found the time to elope already - when Teuchi called out to him, asking something about his order. Shrugging his shoulders, he walked back into the restaurant. Leaving Gai alone with the two ladies.
Hinata's eyes beamed with unbridled joy as she moved to block them from Kakashi's direct line of sight. TenTen turned to her sensei with a smug grin and immediately dug into her little backpack. It didn't take long for her to find what she sought. Tossing the small ebony box to her sensei, she giggled:
"Go get 'im."
He pocketed the item without question before pulling them both in for a bear hug.
"Thank you so much, you two," he choked out, fighting back his manly tears of gratitude and fatherly pride.
"O-of course," Hinata gasped out.
"Yes, yes, we get it," TenTen huffed out once she managed to struggle away from the steely hold. "We're happy for you, dad ."
Unfortunately, the nickname only wound him up further - and TenTen soon found herself wrapped up in another crushing embrace.
The sun was already setting once the two found their way home. Gai had suggested the longer route, which offered a good view of the village in its entirety. It was nice to just idle by, on a day when you have nowhere to rush, and observe the peaceful life in the Hidden Leaf.
Their food had already cooled down, but it didn't matter. It was good no matter the temperature, and heating it up wasn't a real chore either.
However, once they made their way through the front gate, Kakashi stopped in his tracks. Gai turned to look at his rival.
"Is something wrong?"
"There is something in the garden," Kakashi furrowed his brow. "There was movement just now. Wait here, I'll see what's going on."
Gai hummed in agreement, but could no longer keep his warm smile hidden. Thankfully, it went unnoticed as Kakashi rushed over to the backyard, in the wake of the trail that Kazumi's daughter had snuck in and out through. He could tell it was her: the fresh prints on the soil were surprisingly small, but the mouthwatering scent of fresh delicacies - dango, onigiri and shio pan - was unmistakable.
He allowed the other some time for himself before following suit, moving over into the garden.
Gai's breath hitched.
Despite all of this being his idea, the result was better than he ever could have imagined. Their small pond was full of freshwater lilies, ranging in any colors one could imagine. Along with them, small tea lights floated calmly in the water. The surrounding trees had been decorated with lanterns, illuminating even the smallest detail in the garden's new glory. There were dark red tulips planted around the yard, forming the shape of a heart when observed from a distance. Over on the windowsill were the desserts - still piping hot in their casing - and above them were painted banners full of congratulations and words of encouragement.
Kakashi simply stared at it all, quiet as ever. With his neutral stance, it was often difficult to say what went on in his mind. But when they locked eyes, it was clear he was taken aback. His eyes were welling with unshed tears, and his expression was somehow pleading.
Gai knew, deep down, that his rival could guess already, but just wanted him to say it out loud.
"Wow," Kakashi finally managed to choke out, his voice almost breaking as he did. "Gai, I'm- what is all this? Is there an anniversary I'm forgetting?"
"No, not yet at least." Gently smiling, Gai moved closer, reaching into the pocket on the front of his yukata. He opened the box to reveal a beautiful metallic ring, with several white gemstones and a single green emerald.
"Hatake Kakashi, will you marry me?"