Read to Me

Kakashi hears him when he comes up to the door; Gai’s enthusiastic greeting of hello ringing loud and clear on the pathway leading up to their house. He can picture it in his mind: Gai wheeling over and pushing open the door to their shared house, moving over to the shoe rack they keep in the genkan. He would dutifully place his outside shoes into the cubby specifically designated for those and then cross over into the house proper to speak to him about the day. The wheelchair has a particular sound—a specific click of the mechanisms, the wheels squeaking just the smallest bit on the tile flooring. Kakashi pays careful attention to it as always, tracking Gai’s progress in their house as the other man tells him about his day, waiting for him in the bedroom as he always does. “The weather is lovely today, Rival.” Gai calls out as he stashes his bag on the end table, still using the affectionate nickname even now. “Would you like me to open the windows? Or perhaps we can go to the patio?”