Work Text:
The sweater was hideous. The sleeves were too long by at least five centimeters each and there was a spot in the middle of the hem in back where she'd had clearly miscounted her stitches and not noticed until it was too late to go back and fix. Plus, as she stared at the spare jacket that hung in their closet, Ino realized it was entirely the wrong shade.
Hinata loved lavender, not amethyst.
But it was December 26th, and all the shops were already closed for the night. There was nowhere she could run out to get a backup gift before the next morning.
“Motherfucker,” she swore as she heard the telltale noise of the blow dryer stop.
Hastily, she folded the monstrosity as neatly as she could and tucked it into a gift bag that was then shoved into the corner of her lingerie drawer. (Sometimes, Hinata teased her for needing a whole drawer just for that, but she quickly changed her tune whenever Ino modeled one of her many sets.)
“Ino-chan, the bath is ready,” Hinata came into the bedroom, looking heartbreakingly adorable in her baggy pajamas and matching fuzzy socks (all with paw prints–a previous gift from Kiba… Ino supposed dog breath could do a few things right, sometimes).
Ino couldn't help but pull her girlfriend in for a kiss as she moved past her. Some of her fraying nerves started to feel a little less frayed at the small gesture, and she managed to get through her nightly routine without breaking down in the frustrated screams she had so wanted to let out earlier.
Still, curled around the love of her life as they drifted off later that night, she couldn't help but feel a little dread at having to give Hinata such an imperfect gift.
“I'll never have the patience to create stuff like you do, Hinata.” Ino sighed as she handed over the gift bag the next morning as they sat in a cozy little corner booth of an Akimichi-owned cafe, waiting for their brunch orders to come out.
She watched with the same measure of dread as she had last night as her girlfriend carefully placed the gift bag on the table and pulled the sweater out.
After unfolding it, Hinata gasped.
“Ino-chan, you made this for me? By yourself?”
Ino felt like she was going to be sick as she nodded. No one ever made her want to apologize for her shortcomings, or even admit that she had shortcomings, like Hinata. And now her girlfriend was going to break it to her nicely how inferior her work was and—
Hinata was suddenly standing up and taking off her lavender jacket and putting the sweater on over her cream-colored turtleneck.
And then she slid into the booth beside Ino and wrapped her in a hug.
What?
“... What?” Her thoughts slipped out unbidden.
“I love it so much, Ino-chan. You worked so hard and it looks so good! You even remembered I complained about how cold the office with Neji-san is, and made the sleeves long enough to cover my hands while I work!”
She darted forward to press a kiss on Ino's cheek, her own cheeks dusted pink with self-consciousness at the public display of affection.
Ino hadn't thought about that when she was making the sweater, but she wasn't about to point that out to her girlfriend (she had a ring, a clan heirloom, already waiting in a hidden spot for their romantic Valentine's Day getaway to Tea). Instead, she narrowed her gaze and pointed out the other flaws.
“But it's in the wrong color! Your jacket is lavender! And there's a hole in the back where I missed stitches!”
Hinata reached out and plucked up one of Ino's hands, grasping it gently in hers (after shimmying the too-long sleeves a little bit further up her arms).
“The hole isn't even noticeable. Besides, wasn't this the first thing you ever knit?” She waited for Ino to nod, then smiled.
“Do you know how impressive that is? The first thing I ever made was a sock, and it was so bad that I had to give it to Akamaru as a chew toy instead of using it. it was so bad I didn't even bother making the second sock.” She giggled at the memory, and Ino's stomach fluttered.
“But the color—”
“Ino-chan, do you know how I know you were really thinking of me when you got the yarn?”
Ino shook her head.
“What color is the stone in the ring you have sitting in your bedside table?”
Ino didn't have to be gazing into her lover's eyes to know what shade of purple her Byakugan were tinted.
“Amethyst.”
Understanding dawned on her as soon as the word left her mouth, and her mouth dropped into a perfect O.
Then, she realized something more important, and scowled.
“Hey! That was supposed to be a surprise!”
Hinata giggled, and suddenly Ino was flying.
“If it helps,” Hinata said, shoulders still trembling lightly, “I'll say yes.”