Work Text:
It's too loud. Everything is too loud today. Too much talking, laughing, children crying. Why was there so much noise?
Gai slapped his hands over his ears, the only thing he could do to block out all of the noise. He didn't care that his team was giving him weird looks, or that lee was tugging in his arms trying to get his attention.
It was all too much.
"I will see you all tomorrow." He declared, ignoring the defeated look tuay fell onto Lee's face at his announcement. He needed quiet.
He needed peace.
He needed Kakashi…
He gave his head a shake. There was no guarantee kakashi was home, he took on so many missions of his own that he could be anywhere. No, he just needed to go home and rest.
He'd be fine after a good sleep. He had gotten barley any on the mission, intent on making sure his students were well rested instead. He could fight sleep deprived, they weren't quiet at that stage yet.
"Tomorrow, 8am sharp!" He declared, slapping Lee and Tenten on the shoulder. It didn't even cross his mind to touch Neji. The young genin had made it clear that he wasn't ready for such affections quiet yet.
"Bye Sensai!" Tenten's voice trailed after him, another voice soon lost in the jumble of noise.
Home, he had to get home. Nice warm bed, comfortable clean cloths and if he was lucky he'd have the added bonus of kakashi's warm body against his.
The village was a blur around him. Nothing more than noise and faces he could never hope to remember. It didn't matter, he remembered the people who mattered.
Well, that was being nice to himself. He remembered no more than his students, his old team, the hokage, and kakashi. Kakashi always made sure to remind him who his other friends were when they were together. A habit the silver haired jonin had gotten into when he realized gai's difficulties with remembering faces.
His bedroom window was easy to find, the small tortoise statue that his team had given him a month ago for his birthday sitting proudly on the ledge. He loved that kakashi had put it there so that he could always find the right window (it was really embarrassing when he was so tired he couldn't focus properly and found himself entering the wrong room. Specifically, asuma's room while the man was changing. It only got worse when he attacked the poor man thinking that asuma was the intruder.
Landing on the window ledge, he reached down and slid the window open. His bed looked so welcoming and warm. He couldn't wait to pass out in it.
"Gai?" His head snapped up. That was Kakashi's voice. Kakashi was there, in his apartment. He was safe.
Screw the bed. Gai stumbled into his tiny bedroom and headed right for the door, pulling it open just in time to see Kakashi reaching out for the other side of the handle.
"Gai!" It took a little more strength than he would like to admit to not punch his boyfriend, reminding himself that this was in fact Kakashi's voice, even if the usual mask was gone and he didn't quite recognize that handsome face.
Why couldn't he recognize that face? He had kissed it hundreds of times, seen it eating beside him since he was a kid. It should be a face he remembered damn it.
It also took an equal amount of effort to prevent himself from collapsing into kakashi, opting instead to hug him as tightly as possible and bury his face into his neck.
He missed this. The smell of Kakashi's skin, the feeling of those careful hands on his back.
He wanted nothing more than to just stay there, warm and safe in kakashi's arms.
"Come on," kakashi slapped his back and moved out of his embrace slowly, laughing when Gai grunted in annoyance. "I made dinner."
Oh god, food. Kakashi's cooking was so good, amazing. He never failed at a dish and it was always the most amazing food Gai has ever tasted, but the last thing Gai wanted right now was food. All that mattered were cuddles and sleep. Thankfully, kakashi picked up on that fact quickly.
"Alright, you didn't sleep at all, did you?" He sounded a little annoyed by the fact, the hypocrite. Gai knew without a doubt that Kakashi rarely ever sleep when he was on a mission. "Come on, you can rest on the couch while I finish dinner."
The couch sounded good. Comfortable, warm, and he had definitely slept there before.
It sounded very good, until Gai caught sight of the monstrosity that Kakashi had gotten him for his birthday.
He loved it, he really did, but Kakashi had gone overboard with his little joke.
A turtle shell pillow was one thing. A turtle shell pillow that had an adult human size opening, allowing anyone to physically sleep inside of it…
Well that was a little over the top.
He dove for it, crawling into the opening and poking his head out to glare at Kakashi when he heard the other man starting to laugh.
"I'm sorry." Kakashi held up his hands in surrender, another laugh boiling inside of him when Gai retreated into the safety of his pillow. "I'll be there once dinner is done. Sleep well, turtle."
Gai hide his blush away in the safety of his pillow, sighing as he sank into the plush bottom of the ridiculous monstrosity.
He had the best boyfriend ever, even if he was a little shit.