sunshineverse | [closed; past things]

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[closed; past things]

Who: Rock Lee and Maito Gai
Where: Lee's apartment
When: Backdated - Year 68, September 4th, shortly before noon
Notes: Gai runs to tell Lee of his relationship news!

Lee had finished up his morning training session with vigor and had been about to head home when he noticed a new message on his scroll. His sensei wished to speak with him at his earliest convenience; it appeared there was something important that needed to be said. Feeling there could be some gravity to whatever news Gai had, Lee had responded immediately and bid him to visit at the top of the next hour. That gave him plenty of time to get home, shower, and be read for his sensei's news.

But Lee was a fidgety one. He couldn't just sit still and await his sensei, even if there were barely minutes to spare. Taking those few moments, Lee stood in the middle of his one-room apartment and practiced shadowboxing. The small exercise helped relax him and took his mind off whatever it may be that was to come.

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Gai was so ecstatic, so overcome by emotion, that he could hardly wait to tell any of his students, --but Lee was of course going to be first to hear the good news and waiting for the top of the hour was enough to drive Gai crazy. What would he do with all that time? Not that he expected his students to drop everything to see him, but--!! How to tell them, too! Naturally they were going to be thrilled, it was a long time coming, even if they weren't terribly familiar with Obito or Kakashi in that context of Gai's life.

Oh! This was so amazing. Surely Obito and Kakashi were busy telling their important people the wonderful news as well, right? Gai was bursting with excitement and so, punctual as always, Lee received a very hearty and hardly restrained knock on the door at exactly the top of the hour.

Lee stopped mid-swing at the sound of that distinctive knock. He rolled his should as he walked towards the door, a smile working its way onto his face.

He threw the door open and grinned brilliantly. "Gai-sensei!"

He didn't even wait for an invitation, wrapping his arms around his visitor in a hug. Then he remembered this may have been a grave occasion and tried to return to seriousness. He cleared his throat and stepped aside. "Please, come in."

Gai bundled him up in a firm hug, dismayed when his student stepped back so seriously. Oh. Maybe Gai should have been a little more clear about the nature of his visit, but he had been too excited to go into more detail in the missive. He would fix that soon enough! And then Lee could celebrate with him.

He closed Lee's door behind him, allowing them that privacy (just in case word of this shouldn't get out, for Obito's sake), then he swept Lee up in another tight hug, spinning him around. "There is no need to look so serious, Lee! I bring wonderful news!" Tears were already starting to flow as Gai returned Lee to his feet. "I am in love!"

That type of news was much better than the seriousness Lee had feared it would be. Much, much better! Lee laughed, happy in his teacher's embrace. But being in love... Lee suddenly wondered what all that entailed.

He blinked up at his sensei once the world stopped spinning and tilted his head. "Gai-sensei! I am so happy for you! Have you been on a date with your special someone yet?"

Lee had been in love before but that didn't mean his feelings had ever been returned.

His eyes welled up with tears just thinking about that! He had been on a date! With Kakashi and Obito! It was official! "We have!"

Gai considered it a date, anyway! Sure, lunch was not uncommon for him to share with Obito or Kakashi before their relationship status changed, but that did not mean that their declared first date did not count! Besides, looking back, were not some of those lunches before a sort of courtship? "It was only one lunch, but there is the promise of many more to come! And there will be many because I do not intend to waste another moment after having taken so long to realize my feelings for them!"

He put a hand on Lee's shoulder and looked at him seriously, determined to impart this wisdom on his very wise, youthful pupil. "Lee, you must promise me that you will trust your heart and when you love someone, you will tell them!"

His sensei had been on a date! How exciting! Lee had several times wondered why his sensei had never really had anyone special when he was so obviously deserving and kind and caring. Now he had someone and Lee realized he was happy for Gai as well as somewhat relieved. Apparently the possibility of Gai being rejected had crossed his subconscious at least once...

"Me?" But his sensei was giving him advice and Lee always took that seriously. He gave Gai a salute. "O-of course, Gai-sensei! I will never hold back from my passions!"

But he didn't have a special someone. And speaking of... "Gai-sensei, may I ask who your precious person is?"

"Good!" He gave Lee a fatherly hair ruffle before laughing. Surely Lee saw it, right? The admiration and love Gai had all these years for them? If not, he was determined to make sure Obito and Kakashi were an even larger part of his students lives. They were all so important to him; he could not imagine that they all would not get along beautifully! "Is it not obvious?" His eyes sparkled. "My heart has always belonged to my Beloved Hokage and to my Eternal Rival! I was just blind until recently to the depth of theirs, and my own, feelings!"

It hadn't occurred to Gai yet that anyone--especially his students--might not be okay with, or at least accustomed to, the nature of his relationship. That men together might be odd, or that a group of three might be less than conventional. At this point, the relationship was still so new Gai himself had yet to figure out how a threesome might work in a more practical, less theoretical sense, but so far he was certain that his feelings for his two friends (Boyfriends!) was enough to keep the bond strong as ever! Their date had been splendid! And now he had even more excuse to spend time with them!

Lee accepted the hair-ruffle with the grace of a prized student. He loved these kinds of affectionate gestures; they always served to remind him just how special his team was, from his sensei to Neji to Tenten and even himself and how precious they were all to each other.

But Gai's words were confusing and Lee's lips moved into their natural pout as he thought on what they could all mean. "Hokage-sama... and Kakashi-sensei? Both of them?"

Sure, Gai was always getting up in their business and they seemed pretty amenable to his pestering (despite some friendly protests). Both were very good candidates for his sensei but both together? Was that... allowed? That kind of thing had never really occurred to Lee before.

"So... you are all three together? At the same time?" Large eyes blinked questioningly up at his sensei.

His face turned a little pink at that. Lee wasn't obviously asking that (even though the how of that had crossed Gai's mind at least once), his youthful pupil never would ask that! so Gai nodded.

"Of course! If you love someone enough, these things will work out! I love them both and they love me! "Kakashi and Obito were teammates, and their friendship runs deeper than blood. And then there is my Rivalry with Kakashi, and the deep bond of friendship between myself and Obito. We are not afraid of sharing each other's affections because we know none of us will be short-changed. The love is all equal!"

He had loved Kakashi forever, cherishing him and their bond, always certain that Rival and Friend was what Kakashi wanted and needed him to be. And Obito, he had known Obito was attracted to him, but things had gotten confused over the years. He certainly wasn't going to tell Lee that for a moment there, he wasn't sure Obito would say yes if Kakashi didn't. Those were fears not to be shared with one's precious and impressionable student. Gai knew they loved him and those fears were in the past, conquered and moved on from!

"The heart can be complicated, Lee, but sometimes you are lucky enough that it is mutual and that you can pursue the challenges of love together!"

Ooooooooh. Explained that way, it all made perfect, working sense! If everyone is in accord then there would be no issues.

"Well, I am ecstatic for you, Gai-sensei!" Tears were starting to tickle at Lee's eyes but his grin was only widening. "Does this mean you will all be getting married sometime soon? Then you can all be together forever!"

Lee wanted to experience love like that someday, where you were just so head over heels for someone and have them like you in return. But somedays he wondered if that was possible for him... But it wasn't something to dwell on while he should be focusing on his sensei's good news.

"Thank you, Lee!" But...Marriage?? Gai hadn't quite thought of that yet.

"We have only begun to date officially... But I would not be averse to marrying them!" He made a determined and dramatic fist. This was really a matter of what Obito and Kakashi wanted. Obito was well settled into his Hokage-ship, and Gai had long been suggesting that Obito go on dates (with other people, at the time) and marry...but Obito obviously hadn't done so and Gai wasn't sure if that was because of Obito's feelings for them, or because it was not something the other man wanted. And Kakashi...well, Gai assumed Kakashi was not interested in marriage.

"We are together forever without marriage, though!" he assured Lee with a proud thumbs-up, not wanting his student to think that the relationship was anything lesser if Gai never did get to marry them. He was quick to try and diffuse the thought; pressure, even from an adorable and irresistible youth like Lee might scare Kakashi away. If only Kakashi wasn't so skittish. Obito was less so, but only time would tell as to what either wanted. "My Rivalry is Eternal, and though I have not found as eloquent and simple a title as Eternal Rival yet for my love for Obito, I have never the less pledged him my heart forever. Do not fear, Lee. We will be together forever!"

Marriages were fun and over-the-top and brought everyone together to share in the happiness of a couple, but Lee could only imagine that in a larger loving relationship it would only make the occasion more grand. So many well-wishes and friends and cake and presents and...! But it seemed he was getting ahead of himself. Lee tried to rein in his imagination from spiraling completely out of control.

Lee blinked. Marriage seemed like the inevitable ending to courtship. That was why it was called courtship, wasn't it? But the way Gai described it, it seemed that it was true. Any relationship could last a lifetime and beyond as long as one was determined to keep it.

"Wow, Gai-sensei! I feel like I learn something from you every day, even though we do not get to train together as we used to!" Sometimes they did, but lately they had been left to their own missions and agendas. It was a little lonely sometimes but Lee hoped it would all turn them all the more into better shinobi than they were before.

Lee clenched his fists, staring up at his sensei with determination. "The bounds of one's heart is nothing that can be dictated by tradition! It has endless potential!"

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[closed; past things]

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