Work Text:
Emerald Eyes by Anson Seabra: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Z4gKL2XAfQ
Kakashi could not avert his eyes from the figure next to him. The sunset light painted the sky and her skin in soft colours — yellow and orange, purple and blue, red and pink — and the soft summer breeze blew a couple of leaves and petals their way, lightly ruffling his hair.
He had decided that today would be the day he told her of his feelings. So, he had picked her up when her shift at the hospital ended and had taken her to this place on the outskirts of Konoha and close to the place they had seen each other first all those years ago.
It was common knowledge that he and Sakura had been going out for some time now and even though both of them had feared everyone’s disapproval, neither of them had wanted to keep their developing relationship a secret. So, once they were sure, they started making appearances together without questioning and no one had found it odd.
All their friends were supportive since their teacher -student-relationship had long been over and Naruto in particular thought they both deserved to find happiness. It still took some getting used to, especially the two of them, and Kakashi was sure he would definitely never get used to having Ino questioning his intentions with her best friend or interrogating him about their love life, but he knew the blonde was probably one of the most supportive of the lot.
But right now, Kakashi did not want to think about Ino or any of their friends. Right now, he had a plan.
He was still looking at her, amazed by the woman she had become over the years. She had her eyes closed, a smile on her lips and enjoyed the cooling summer breeze caressing her face and softly blowing through the strands of her hair, fully relaxed.
He took her hand again, having dropped it after leading her here, and his calloused fingers slowly intertwined with hers. Seeing her smile become a bit wider, he was sure she was happy right now. So was he and to be honest, he could not think of any time in his living days when he had felt this way. Up until now, his life had been full of darkness with only a few rays of light that faded away too quickly. Those rays of light had been his team — Minato, Rin and Obito — but their lights had faded just like their lives. Sakura’s presence shone brighter every day, though. Slowly, he felt like he was beginning to see what his life could be like without all the darkness.
Both of them turned to each other, almost out of instinct and she stepped a little closer, putting her arms around his middle as he did the same. She leaned her head against his chest and let him put his chin on top of her head, closing his eyes as well. The two of them were a perfect fit. They started moving, slow dancing to the faint song of the birds without the need to communicate.
Having forgone his flak jacket, he could feel her hands on his lower back while they kept on dancing slowly. Kakashi hooked a finger under his mask to pull it down and let it pool at the base of his neck before he moved his head to put his nose into her hair. Her sweet smell made this moment even more perfect, and he breathed her in deeply. He was not worried about her seeing his face anymore. If he had ever wanted somebody to fully see him, it was her.
Feeling her straighten herself, he loosened his hug and bowed down a little so he could caress her forehead with his lips. He knew she still thought her forehead was too big, but he disagreed. He could feel the softness of her breath against the side of his neck and shivered slightly.
Sakura stretched even more in his arms, and he finally opened his eyes when he felt her forehead against his own. After loosing his Sharingan and becoming Hokage, he did not feel the need to wear his forehead protector all the time and had deliberately left it at home with the rest of his gear today, wearing his usual Jonin-shirt and pants.
When Kakashi opened his eyes now, he realised she had done the same, returning his look. As always, he got lost in her emerald eyes.
He had looked into those eyes a thousand times before.
Every time he looked into these eyes now, he had the feeling that she could see straight through him, all the way into his soul. And even though the thought should have scared him, he didn’t mind her looking into him like this. If anything, he felt at peace, finally.
He had taken some time to think about how he could have missed her turning into someone he could not live without, only realising this a few weeks ago.
When she was younger, he had his hands full training Naruto and Sasuke. Having trouble socialising in the first place, he had been happy to dive into training the boys as he somehow found it easier than dealing with a teenage girl. Still, she had always been important to him, and he had felt a strong need to protect her from the beginning on.
After she had started training with Tsunade, she did not need his protection anymore and became a valuable asset to Konoha and himself instead. He appreciated her being on his team frequently not only because it was always wise to have a skilled medic nearby but also because he wanted to have her nearby. If he was being honest, he had started to develop feelings for her back then but kept pushing them away as he didn’t know whether she felt the same.
Today, he knew that everything he could ever want and need was standing here right beside him on the grass.
They continued their slow movements and Sakura let her hands run over his chest to lock her arms behind his neck, bringing her even closer to him. He felt her nose right next to his, felt her fingers caressing his neck and her breath on his lips as she got even closer. None of them had spoken a word since he had picked her up from the hospital. Silence had always been comfortable between them.
He kept his hands where they were but closed the distance between their lips to kiss her intimately. She sighed silently and he felt his heartbeat getting faster, pounding against his ribcage.
A few moments later, their lips separated, and both of them were slightly out of breath. Still, they held the other one close and Kakashi opened his eyes to find her looking at him yet again.
When they had first looked at each other like this, he had the strangest feeling in his chest, and it wasn’t until he had talked about it with Genma later on that he realised what it was. His friend had looked at him, shaking his head full of bewilderment and said: “Bro, do you really need me to tell you that you’re in love with Sakura?”
Having thought about it for a bit, he found that Genma had been right but neither him, nor Sakura had used the word just yet. Today, he had decided that needed to change.
Still out of breath, Kakashi’s forehead still touching Sakura’s, he used the tip of his tongue to quickly wet his lips, never letting his eyes stray from hers.
Being with her felt like home. And he never wanted to leave her again.
“Sakura…,” his voice was a bit rough after not speaking for quite some time, “… I love you.”
He was surprised at how easily those words slipped from his lips. He had never been one to talk about his feelings. Obviously, that had changed with her.
She laughed softly. It was music to his ears. “I love you too, Kakashi.”
And then, they kissed again.