They were red. A deep red, so dark that any blood splatter would barely be noticeable. The material was the strongest she had ever felt but at the same time it was soft. She knew they'd be comfortable to wear and as she slipped them on, she was proven right. The sun reflected on the small metal plates on each glove, bringing attention to the engravings Sakura. They were breathtaking with just the way they looked and the way she could feel her chakra humming through the fabric was amazing.
They were beautiful and she was speechless as she looked up at the man who had given them to her with the casualness of a wave. "Kakashi…"
He pulled his arm back behind his head and crinkled his eyes in that signature embarrassed look of his. "It's not really that big of a deal, Sakura. You needed a new pair and you can…consider them a late gift for your promotion to jounin if you want to."
Sakura couldn't help her smile as she looked back down at her hands. She could feel a warmth growing in her chest. "I became a jounin five years ago."
"Mah, well I do have that habit of being late." She could practically hear the shrug in his voice, how he wanted to play it off. He didn't want her to see too much into it. But she couldn't help it. They had to have been expensive and Kakashi had hardly ever given her any presents over the years. The gesture stuck out in her mind. It meant something even if he didn't want her to think so.
"They're incredible, Kakashi. Honestly, I – I don't even know what to say." Sakura laughed lightly as she looked back to him. She could see his smile through his mask, the apples of his cheeks causing adorable wrinkles at the corners of his eyes. He was looking at her in a way that made her heart skip a beat.
She'd meant to say a simple thank you, but the words slipped out of her mouth almost without her permission. "I love you." She realized it seconds after she spoke and watched as Kakashi's eyes widened in shock. She could feel her skin redden and chuckled nervously. She wasn't even aware of how her hand went to the back of her head in an almost mirror of Kakashi from earlier. She corrected herself as smoothly as she could, "T-Them. I love them. Thank you, Kakashi."
Before he could react, she gave him a quick hug before disappearing from his side in a swirl of leaves. She appeared just a few streets over from where they had been standing, outside the hospital. She leaned her back against the wall and gazed down at her new gloves. Kakashi's shocked face flashed through her mind and she felt herself laughing. She didn't feel as embarrassed as she had seconds ago and was happy that she didn't regret saying it.
She walked through the hospital doors to get ready for her shift as she carefully took off the red gloves. She felt light as she walked like she had finally let something go. It was a good feeling and she had a warm smile on her face that stayed the whole day. Well, that was one way to tell him.
***
Sakura was happy she wasn't embarrassed about what happened, because it was so much more fun to watch Kakashi be embarrassed. They didn't talk about her slip the other day and Sakura went on with her life as usual. But Kakashi, obviously couldn't forget about it. He would randomly blush at times and Sakura made it a daily goal to see how red she could get those pale ears to turn. Sometimes, she would feel his eyes on her and when she would look at him, he'd simply turn away. But she could feel him staring at like she was something he couldn't figure out.
A flustered Kakashi was more amusing than anything in her book. So, she was willing to wait it out. Whatever it was, was up to Kakashi. She guessed by the blushes and how he didn't avoid her since her confession, that he felt some inkling of what she felt. It was just a hope, though. She did have a voice in the back of her mind telling her Kakashi was just embarrassed and didn't know how to reject her so he kept putting it off. She ignored that voice as often as she could and tried to enjoy her flustered Hokage.
She only had to wait a couple of weeks until he finally said something. She'd just returned from a mission and it was nearing six in the morning. She was dead on her feet and wondered if she'd be able to drag herself to the Tower if Kakashi wasn't Hokage. Even if she still could, he was definitely some incentive.
After giving their report, Kakashi dismissed her team but asked her to stay. She relaxed after Genma and Sai left, but stayed in her spot just feet from his desk. He stared at her for a moment and she could see the bags under his eyes. She wondered if it was stress or because he hadn't been sleeping lately, maybe both. But then, she put her worry away for later since now was not the time to nag him like a mother.
Kakashi sighed and looked away from her, out the window where the sun was barely peeking out above the village. "Sakura, what did you mean?"
She looked at the side of his face blankly and feigned ignorance. "What does what mean, Kakashi-sama?"
He shot a glare at her, but there wasn't any heat behind it. "Sakura."
Sakura chuckled and stepped towards him with a soft smile. "I love you? It means that I'm in love with you." He was silent as she walked around the desk and stopped in front of him. "That you were the only thing I thought about as I dragged my ass to your office. That I learned how to make miso soup with eggplant just so I could cook it for you. That I tease you just to make you blush because I can't get over how adorable you look. That…I just do."
She leaned forward with her hands on the sides of his chair and asked him with a coy smile because she could see the pink lining his mask, "Are you happy now, Kakashi? Is that what you were hoping to hear?"
"Yes." Sakura's smile almost dropped in shock when Kakashi pulled down his mask. But she didn't have any other time to react before he grabbed the back of her head and pulled her down to meet his lips. Sakura's surprise was quickly replaced with how good it felt to finally have Kakashi like this. His touch was gentle as he held her face but he was also a bit desperate as he kissed her.
She was in an awkward position with just leaning over him so she moved to straddle him in the chair. One of Kakashi's hands moved to her waist and she didn't know if it was in warning or encouragement. She decided the later and didn't make any effort to move when their kiss finally broke. She smiled when she opened her eyes to see that beautiful face he had always kept hidden away. To finally see his soft mile matched with his warm eyes filled her with a satisfaction she hadn't known she had even been looking for.
"You know, I don't just buy gloves for any woman," he told her and leaned his forehead against hers. He glanced down at said gloves with a lopsided smile.
Sakura laughed and stroked her thumb across his cheek affectionately. She knew Kakashi had never been that good at expressing his feelings. But she was fine with that. She could read him without him having to show her the pages. "Yeah, I know." The simple words thank you escaped her again and she added, "I love you."