Maito Gai has always been very jealous of his best friend, Hatake Kakashi, and Kakashi knew that. He noticed years ago, the very same day they met, when they were seven.
Gai had noticed him in the park where Kakashi was reading quietly, he went next to him, only to announce himself.
''Hello! My name is Gai and I challenge you!'' He exclaimed with his high-pitched voice, which already annoyed Kakashi, who sighed, but replied to him, lowering his book.
''And what challenge would that be?''
''The one that gets the higher on the swing!''
''And why would I do that?''
''Because if you don't, it'll just prove me right!''
''What about?''
''That I'm better than you!'' He grinned with all his too-white teeths.
Kakashi lifted an eyebrow and dropped his book on the floor, ''okay, then,'' he said as he followed the other boy to the set of swings. He took the time to properly look at the other kid, he had a very weird haircut and he wore green pants and a killing orange tee. It was horrendous, but very original. Kakashi got on the swing and waited for Gai's signal to start swinging. When Gai gave it, Kakashi started to lift himself with his feets up in the air. He wasn't really trying, but he knew that the other kid was trying his hardest, but Kakashi still had the adventage. After a couple of minutes, Kakashi sighed and stopped himself.
''I won, stop trying,'' the silver-haired boy said. Gai also stopped himself, tears comming in his eyes.
''Nobody ever beat me,'' he said, sounding hurt, ''who are you?''
''Who cares?''
''I do! Please, please, tell me your name!''
Kakashi sighed again, giving up, "'m Kakashi, alright?''
''From now on, we are rivals! I'll try my hardest so that you will never beat me again!''
And Gai really did try his best over the years, but he never quite achieved to beat Kakashi at anything. And Kakashi had to give him that. Maybe that's why, even though the other boy was very, very annoying, he was also his best friend. Kakashi always liked his determination, it made him truly smile underneath his mask, which happened rarely, when it's not because of the raven-haired boy.
When they were eleven, Gai challenged Kakashi again, which happened at least once every day, but this challenge was different than the others.
''I challenge you, Rival! The first one to kiss someone will win, and the other one will do everything the winner says for a week!''
Kakashi truly considered this challenge and he accepted it, ''okay. But I don't really plan on kissing someone really soon,'' he said calmly, making a weird face that only kids do when confronted about anything related to girls, or boys if they were girls.
''Me neither, ew!'' Gai replied, looking disgusted, ''but in the future, you know.''
''Yeah, I know. We should write this one, to not forget.''
''Great idea, Rival! I will win this challenge for sure, though!''
But Gai really was devastated when, a couple of years later, Kakashi announced that he kissed a girl from their class.
''What?'' Gai had this pained expression he had everytime he lost a dare or a challenge, but this time, he looked even more hurt, which was weird, ''when?''
''Couple of weeks ago,'' Kakashi shrugged.
''And you didn't even told me?'' He sounded truly hurt. Kakashi sighed and went near Gai, bringing his hand to the other's back, a little smile on his lips underneith his mask.
''Because it wasn't important.''
''Of course it was!'' Gai exclaimed, ''such a significant moment of your youth! And I thought I was your best friend, that you could tell me everything!'' Tears were now in his eyes. Kakashi could swear this guy was too dramatic for life. He sighed.
''You are, it's just, I didn't tell you because it was a really bad kiss, is all.''
''At least you had one..'' Gai whispered, looking at the ground.
''Come on, your time will come!' Keep having faith!'
Gai looked up to his friend and muttered, ''how I wish I was you, Kakashi,'' as he wiped his tears. Kakashi blinked a couple of time, his expression completely blank, not knowing what to say at that. Gai never said anything like that before, it was a first and it made Kakashi speachless. Gai suddenly got up and exclaimed, as if he never said anything, ''then now I'll challenge you again! The first one to have sex!''
Kakashi snorted as Gai continued, ''and this time, I'll win!''
Which lead them to right now. Kakashi was sixteen and Gai fifteen. They were in the park they met all these years ago, on the set of swings where it all started. Gai was talking about something, Kakashi couldn't even hear him, in his thoughts, when he blurt out what was in his mind these last few days.
''I had sex.''
Kakashi felt Gai's big eyes on him, so he faced the raven-haired boy. His face was completely blank. He was emotionless, which was a first, because Gai was the most emotional person ever. After a dozen of second of them staring at each other, Gai moved his head, looking in front of him, in space.
''Don't you have anything to say? You're always talking,'' Kakashi finally said as he got annoyed by the silence.
''What do you want me to say, Kakashi?'' Gai said, his voice as calm as ever, ''that you are, again, better than me?''
''This is not a matter of being better or not at something. This is about something else entirely. I am not better than you, especially not about this, okay?''
"Of course you are," he laughed. Kakashi frowned.
"Why would I be?"
Gai scoffed again, still looking in front of him, "because here you are, not a virgin anymore, you also kissed a lot of girls an-''
"I did not kiss a lot of girls. I kissed about three in my entire life."
"Which is, and will always be, better than me."
Kakashi frowned again, "what do you mean?"
"I've never even kissed anyone in my life yet and I'm almost sixteen, and it's most likely that I will never kiss anyone."
Kakashi saw Gai looking defeated for the first time ever, it's like he already gave up, and it made Kakashi angry, "come on, don't say that!"
"It's the truth, Kakashi," Gai looked at him this time, staring right in his eyes, "I'm not you. I'm not cool, neither am I gorgeous. Nobody ever wanted me, and nobody ever will. I am not you, Kashi," he repeated, "I am not irresistible, I am not even good looking, and you say it yourself all the time, I am annoying as fuck. Why would anyone want me or even kiss me for that matter?"
The more Gai talked, the more it made Kakashi furious, "stop talking like that about yourself!'' He almost screamed, which made Gai bolt by surprise. "If you're to talk like that about yourself, do me a favor and shut the fuck up! You're the most amazing person I've ever met and it's not because girls or anybody can't seem to see that right now that they never will! Someone will eventually realised that who you truly are is amazing and will like you for that, just like I do!" Gai had tears and sparkles in his eyes, he was looking at him as if Kakashi was the most precious person ever. "And as for that kiss,'' he got up from his swing and went in front of Gai as the raven-haired boy followed every of his moves with his eyes.
"Close your eyes," Kakashi commanded.
"Bu..but why?"
"Don't ask, just do it."
And Gai obeyed, he closed his eyelids slowly as the silver-haired boy lowered his mask and closed the lid between his and his best friend's lips. Gai's lips were really soft, softer than every other girl Kakashi's ever kissed, and he actually felt something in this kiss, which never happened before.
If Kakashi didn't believe Gai that he never kissed before, now he would be a hundred percent sure. The guy didn't even make any move yet, it was like he was rigid, so Kakashi moved his lips softly against Gai's to seek for any reaction. And he got one. Gai started to kiss back, which made Kakashi smile in the kiss. Gai hesitantly put a hand in Kakashi's hair as the silver-haired boy put a hand on Gai's neck. They kissed chastly for a minute or so until Kakashi got a milimeter away from Gai's lips, whispering against them.
"Please, keep your eyes closed," to what Gai nodded. Kakashi put his mask back in place and he told his friend that he could open them again as he got back on his swing. Gai harbored the most idiotic smile ever on his face and Kakashi wanted to kiss that smile restless but smiled back instead.
"Wow.." was all Gai said. Kakashi let himself show that he cared in his eyes for once, as he replied to Gai.
"See? Someday you'll find the right person who'll make you feel even better than that kiss did, and that person will make you feel like the most important person on this planet, they will make you feel so important, something you don't seem to feel right now, but you'll see. We are still in our youth," he heard Gai's laugh at the use of that word and he smiled, "but you'll see that it'll be worth the wait. Just have faith in you, like I do."
Only hearing these words made the tears come back in Gai's eyes as he sank in Kakashi's words. He looked at the silver-haired boy like he was one of the seven Wonders of the world.
Which he probably was in Gai's world, Kakashi realised.
If anyone would ask Gai if he was jealous of Kakashi, Gai's answer would be yes. Yes, because everything seemed so effortless with him, yes because Kakashi was the most good-looking person on the planet, yes because Kakashi, even though he showed that he couldn't care less, gets all the attention. Gai had always been jealous of that attention, but then, Gai realised a couple of years ago that even though all the attention was on Kakashi, all of Kakashi's attention was on him. Even though it was only because he was his best and almost only friend.
And Gai couldn't help but think something that broke his heart and made it beat harder at the same time.
I only hope that someone'll make me feel as good as you make me feel, Kakashi.
I just wish that this person will be you, but it's not like I will ever have you for myself.