Chapter Text
“Alright Obito, take a breather and switch out with Rin,” Minato calls out.
Obito groans and flops onto the ground, chest heaving, and muscles burning from the exertion.
When he finally feels steady enough, he sits up against a tree and watches as Kakashi delivers a particularly strong round-house kick at Rin.
It's textbook perfect, and annoyingly enough, Obito can’t help but admire his form. The pinpoint-accuracy, the hidden feints, those lovely thig—
He slaps himself in the face, ignoring Minato’s alarmed yelp.
“Sensei,” Obito says, wincing from the burn, and trying to distract his thoughts. “Does he really have to be so rough with her" he says gesturing to where Rin was on her knees. "We’re his teammates. Not some training dummy.”
Minato wisely chooses to ignore his display of self-harm and simply raises a brow. “Tell me Obito, would you like it if Kakashi held back on you while sparring?”
“I–no” he admits, “but it's not like he even bothers apologizing either!”
Minato looks down at him, a smile on his lips, and Obito can’t help but feel small under his knowing gaze.
“I understand you're upset on Rin's behalf. Tell me, you like her don't you,” he says, gesturing to where Rin and Kakashi continued to spar.
Obito shakes his head, flushed, because shit, that would have been so much easier.
Horrifyingly, he finds his eyes trailing towards Kakashi’s slim figure, and quickly looks away in alarm.
Minato, to Obito's dread, picks up on it. For a moment he looks almost stupefied. “Oh,” he chokes out, and Obito wants to run for the hills. “That’s certainly…unexpected.”
Stop talking Obito wants to screech. Not another word.
Instead he lets out a pitiful whimper.
“Sensei..” Kakashi’s voice suddenly drawls out from behind them, aloof and composed as ever. Obito does not squeak. “We’re done sparring,” he says, pointing at Rin’s limping figure. “May I leave?”
Minato blinks, caught-off guard. “What–Oh yes. Just drop by later to pick up that scroll you requested.”
Kakashi nods and body-flickers away, and Obito is left sitting there in mortification. He nods absent-mindedly as Minato stutters his way through a motivational speech, too busy picking up the scraps of his dignity to really notice.
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Like with all things in life, Obito comes to Rin for help. In hindsight, it's a mistake.
She paces around her room for a while, and keeps stopping occasionally to stare at him in incredulity.
"You like him." She says, like its not the 5th time she's asked him to clarify.
"Yeah."
"But you're always insulting him," she splutters.
"Yeah" Obito nods sagely.
"…And you're always picking fights with him."
"…Yeah" Obito says, sighing. Where was Rin trying to go with this.
Rin stares at him for a moment, and then her face turns an adorable shade of pink. "Oh," she squeaks. "I um, I'm sorry—I didn't realize you were into that sort of stuff."
Obito blinks. He might need a bit more context. In the silence, Rin's face flushes even further, and suddenly the meaning sinks in.
"What!" Obito screeches. "No you've got the wrong idea, I'm not some—some sort of masochist!"
Rin gives him a placating look. "I—It's okay Obito. Everyone has their um…preferences. I'm not going to judge." She tops it off with a satisfied smile, like Obito's supposed to feel relieved from her reaction.
"No" he moans, mortified. "This can't be happening."
Rin pats him on the back in what's supposed to be a comforting gesture. She seems to have given up on hearing him out, and stuck firm to her assumption "Hey, don't feel discouraged, what you're feeling is more common than you think. If you want, I can borrow some books for you from the Library in regards to it."
Obito shakes his head and furtively prays for a quick death.
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Sometimes he wonders what he’d done in his past life to suffer such a cruel fate. Honestly, having to fall for Bakashi of all people was something he wouldn't wish on his worst enemy.
His teammate had the emotional range of cardboard, and had the uncanny ability to constantly act like a dick.
It didn’t help that Obito was the one who had to suffer the brunt of his scorn and disdain. Beat down, over and over and over again.
Contrary to Rin's belief, Obito was not some sort of masochist, but it begged the question of what exactly he found worth liking in Kakashi.
He ticks off his mental checklist.
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Kakashi was hot. Probably. What lied under his mask was still anybody’s guess.
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He was good at cooking. (Yes Obito had followed him home once.)
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Personality aside, he was pretty fucking strong. When Obito becomes Hokage, it’d be good to have Kakashi by his side.
Obito's no stranger to the whispers that follow him. Clumsy, dead-last. An Uchiha? Him? Really?
He clenches his fists. One day he'll show everyone, and then Kakashi will finally respect him; will view him with something other than condescension.
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“Obito, you’re late again.”
“It wasn’t my fault!” Obito cries out, pointing a finger at Kakashi. “There was a granny who was struggling with her groceries and asked me for help. I couldn't just leave her!”
And it was true for once. It wasn’t Obito’s fault that he was the beacon of hope for all the elderly in the village.
Kakashi gives him a look that oozes utter bullshit. “You said the same thing yesterday. And the day before that.”
Yesterday the elders had lectured him over what a disgrace he was, uncaring of how late he'd be to meet his team. The day before that, he'd been subjected to cleaning the compound. Bottom of the pecking order, Obito had bitterly thought at the time.
Like hell was he going to tell the truth to Kakashi. “What are you, my mom? If Sensei doesn't have a problem with it, I dont see why you should."
"Minato-sensei is too lenient with you," Kakashi says, scowling. "In a real mission, your tardiness could compromise our success." And then he mutters under his breath, just loud enough for Obito to hear. "What a lost cause."
Obito sees red, anger pulsing through his veins. It's a pity that it's not his sharingan. Atleast that would have made the elders happy. "You bastard," he hisses, ignoring the stinging in his eyes. "Can't you act like less of an asshole."
He's used to Kakashi's jabs and insults, the easy way in which he brings Obito down. But sometimes it hits too close to home, words eerily similar to what his clansmen utter towards him
Being with his team was supposed to be an escape from the disdain and scorn of his Clan, not a continuation.
Rin's voice cuts in, clear and firm. "That's enough you two. Give it a break, or Minato sensei will give us another lecture."
Obito watches as Rin starts scolding Kakashi who stays silent for once, not defending himself.
When she's done, Kakashi steps back and glances at him with an odd look. Even with that stupid mask of his, Obito thinks he can see a bit of regret on his face.
Like a switch though, his expression suddenly goes back to neutral, any traces of regret wiped from his face. "Tch. Whatever, Obito, just stop making a habit of this. Atleast try to put in a bit of effort."
It's not like I enjoy this, Obito wishes he could say. Can't you see I'm trying.
Obito rubs his head and grins. "Yeah, yeah Bakashi, can't offend your delicate sensibilities now can I."
Rin gives him a concerned look.
if Obito's smile is a bit too wide, too fake, well, it's not like Kakashi would ever notice. Not like he'd ever payed much attention to Obito to begin with.
But maybe he'd sense something was wrong, a hopeful part of him whispers. Maybe he'd call Obito out on it. A flicker of sympathy in his gaze.
Obito takes the chance and glances over at him.
Kakashi's already staring, but when they make eye-contact he rolls his eyes and walks away.
Obito looks back down, flushed and ashamed. His eyes burn. The truth stings.