Working

Disclaimer: Naruto isn't mine.

OK. I can do this. It's not too much… I can manage. Maybe? Obito swallowed, mouth dry and heart thumping in his chest, as he stood in the middle of the slightly busy high street. He'd picked kind of a shitty place to wait since everyone was walking into him and he was getting irritable but it was providing a little bit of a distraction from what he was about to do.

Because he knew he could be kind of a fool at times when it came to doing what should be done, he'd made sure to contact Kakashi as soon as he could to arrange a meet up. This would force Obito to actually say what he needed to say instead of avoiding the issue like he normally would.

I mean, this is a good thing. He'll be happy that I like him. He won't be mad that I've taken so long to work it out or have moved on already or anything like that…. No. Definitely not. He stared off into space and gulped. Shit. He's not here yet, right?

He looked around through the mass of people to confirm that, indeed, there was no sign of the white-haired boy. So it's not too late. I could go home… Maybe I could text him and tell him that I've been sick or had diarrhoea. He can't complain about that.

He was just removing his phone from his pocket and attempting to unlock it with sweaty hands when he was poked in the side of the head. With a very gruff and totally not high-pitched yelp, he jumped away.

"How are you actually early? I'm impressed." Too late. Cannot abort. Shit. Emergency! He stared at the slightly tilted smile of Kakashi and inwardly panicked. His mouth couldn't remember how to form words and his mind definitely couldn't make any connection to turn any kind of thought into something communicable. This was not a good start. I've been quiet too long. This is looking suspicious. He's starting to stare. Oh god, I look weird. Shit. Say something idiot! Anything!

"It's nice! To see you! Um…" That hadn't exactly worked. Kakashi just blinked, and his face clearly showed he was thinking that he was an idiot.

"If you're finished yelling at me, could we move? All these people are getting on my nerves." This was something he did like about Kakashi; he was so used to Obito acting odd that he just ignored it.

"Yeah… This way?" Honestly, he hadn't made much of a plan. All he'd decided on was; meet up with Kakashi, confess. Everything else was very much up in the air at this point.

Why don't I actually think things through? I could have at least picked a place! It had to be somewhere private enough that they wouldn't be overheard (he didn't want anyone else to witness this incredibly awkward attempt at expressing his feelings) but somewhere he could make a quick escape if things got too bad.

He eventually settled for a small green patch in one of the side roads, with a couple of benches and some flower beds. The benches weren't exactly fully functional and the flower beds were full of crap but it would do. And no one ever went there because it was kind of shitty. The kind of place that only gangs of 'shifty teenagers' hung out. Obito and Kakashi were what was expected so no one gave them a second glance as they passed.

Obito sat himself right at the end of one of the benches and Kakashi, after pausing to look at the dirty, graffiti covered bench with disdain, sat himself down further along. Now that the location was worked out, he just had to decide what he was going to say. Why didn't I make a list of bullet points? Stupid!

"You wanted to come and sit here? Really?"

"Yeah… It's, err…." Quick. An excuse. "Scenic."

"Scenic."

"Yes." Fucking dumbass.

"Right." Kakashi made a point of kicking a nearby can across the grass. "We're just going to admire the view then?"

"That's one of the things…"

"And the other thing?"

"Um… I thought, we could talk…" Now he'd said it, he couldn't exactly turn back.

"About?"

"Err… Work?" That sounds like I'm just asking a question now.

"Well it's a place that we go to in the hopes of earning a small amount of money to spend on whatever we want whilst still young and in school." Kakashi was clearly smirking.

"Hilarious."

"Well what about work? Or were you just saying something?"

"Um…" You have something! Wait. "I was only supposed to be working there for a few weeks…" Technically he'd been there a little longer.

"Oh? So you're quitting?"

"I don't know…" He hadn't wanted to do the thing at all but he had gotten to know Kakashi… And it wasn't the worst thing in the world. "I kind of like doing the job."

"Then stay. You're not the most annoying co-worker I've ever had."

"I'm both flattered and intrigued… Who was the most annoying?" It would have to be someone really irritating.

"This really stupid guy who was obsessed with sports and wore too much green. Stupidly competitive. He would've stuck it out like the persistent turd that he is but he was forced to give up so he could actually do his school work." Kakashi shuddered. "He was so much worse than you. He actually asked questions about my books."

"That sounds awful?"

"It was." He looked so annoyed about this that Obito was having to hold in the laughter. "It's not funny asshole."

"It kind of is." He could feel some of the tension melting away as he snickered at his friend's misfortune.

"If you want me to level you up to most annoying, carry on laughing."

"OK, OK. I do not want to be on the same level as that guy."

"No you really don't."

"What was his name anyway?"

"It's Gai."

"No, I mean, what's his name."

"That is his name."

"The guy?"

"Yes. It was Gai."

"…He's a guy called Gai?"

"Yep."

"…Suddenly my name feels awesome." Obito found the idea of this Gai person both terrifying and amusing.

"Just make sure you don't quit because then I could end up with that bastard again."

"Alright, I guess I can stay." If Hiruzen will have me back.

"Good. Now is that really what you wanted to talk to me about?" Well. I'm screwed. Either Kakashi was just super perceptive or he was stupidly obvious about his thoughts. He was willing to bet he knew which one it was too.

"Um…" He froze up and tried to will his mouth into actually forming usable words instead of sounds that indicated uncertainty.

"Don't rush it, I can wait." Kakashi sat back in the bench and surveyed the area, avoiding looking directly at Obito. Like a stray dog, it was better not to intimidate him but to let Obito come to him.

I don't know what to do… Um….His mind was rushing around and he could almost feel his eyes moving around in his sockets.

"I… Um…"

"Yes?"

"Well…" He swallowed and licked his lips, his mouth ridiculously dry. "Err…" Kakashi stayed silent; somehow this gave him even more pressure than speech. "I don't know how to say this."

"Why?"

"Because I think you'll be angry…" Correction; he knew he'd be angry.

"Why would I be angry with you?"

"Um…" I can't even look at him anymore. "I just know you will be."

"How do you know?"

"I would be."

"Well I can try not to be angry?"

"Can you promise that?"

"I can promise to restrain any anger." This was probably the best thing he could get.

"So yeah… You remember the err… time you told me that you liked me?" Just mentioning it was enough to get him feeling worse again.

"How could I forget?"

"Anyway, you know I said that I didn't reciprocate?"

"That's a pretty long word for you."

"Hey! Dick!" He remembered that he didn't want to insult Kakashi today and coughed awkwardly. "Anyway…"

"Are you trying to tell me that you've realised you love me?"

"Err… Yes?" He squeaked out the last part, hunching over and attempting to make himself as small as possible.

"Oh. So that's all?" What?! Obito swung round to stare at Kakashi who was just watching him levelly.

"What do you mean 'that's all'?!"

"Well, I already could kind of tell if I'm honest." Oh. Well. Fuck this. Obito started to sink down, from the bench to the ground, on his knees and with his face to the dirty ass ground. He didn't bother thinking about everything that could be touching it, too busy was he lying here. "What are you doing?"

"Trying to sink into the ground." It felt cool; maybe it would be less embarrassing than staying up here.

"That is filthy."

"I am trash so I am becoming one with my kind…"

"Obito don't be an ass." He couldn't see Kakashi's face currently but his voice sounded amused.

"Well I feel stupid." More than stupid; he felt completely useless. "How long did you know?"

"…Not for a while. I just kind of guessed."

"Ugh. I suck." It was almost funny to him really.

"You don't suck; you just needed some time to work out how you felt. There's nothing wrong with that." It sounded so sensible when Kakashi said this and it made perfectly good sense to him. But there were still the lingering feelings of doubt.

"It feels like something is wrong. I left it a while!"

"You really thought about it, I'm not going to complain about that."

"I've been such an idiot though!" He was still keeping his face down on the ground where he didn't have to make eye contact with anybody.

"I think it's stupid that you're still keeping your face down on the ground. Seriously, you're going to get an infection."

"I can't really be bothered to move." It does kinda smell down here though.

"Right." This sounded ominous. Sure enough, a pair of hands gripped his waist and pulled him up to his feet before he could really react and shoved him back onto the bench.

"Um…" Kakashi raised an eyebrow.

"You can stop saying that now."

"OK…" He was still struggling to make eye contact but he was able to have fleeting glances at Kakashi's lower face. "What should I say?"

"You should say 'Kakashi, I'm sorry and I love you, please date me'." He's taking the piss. Well, Obito wasn't going to back down from a challenge.

"Kakashi, I'm sorry and I love you, please date me."

"OK." And that was unexpected.

"What?!"

"I said OK. I accept."

"Oh…" What just happened? Had he just acquired a boyfriend? Or was this some kind of joke?

"And as we are officially dating, I'm telling you, as your boyfriend, that you need to have some kind of shower. Seriously, you kind of stink."

"Yeah… Maybe I should…" What that hell? "…So we're dating?"

"Yes. It's what we both want so shouldn't we?" It made sense of course, but he still had some kind of self-doubt about him.

"So you still want me? You haven't found someone better?" Kakashi blinked and then his face softened.

"You are exactly what I want Obito Uchiha. You're weird and strange but that's apparently what my taste is."

"Even though I annoy you?"

"You annoyed me because I'd seen you before and thought you were kind of cute." Even though he had nothing in his mouth, he started spluttering.

"Wh-What?!" He thought I was… Obito was sweating all over like the anti-social little nerd that he was.

"I'd seen you around before and I did think you seemed like a dumbass." Of course. "But you did look cute. You always seemed pretty happy."

"…So you were watching me for that long?"

"Yeah… I didn't really like you until I got to know you though."

And now I guess the way he was always acting makes sense… Obito sort of sat in a daze for a moment trying to let what had just happened sink in. So I've got a boyfriend now… So I'm gay? No. I'm not going into any more details right now.

"You're over-thinking again aren't you?"

"No…" Bastard can read minds.

"Well stop it. Fool." Kakashi poked him on the head. "It'll all be fine."

"OK…" I can trust him. I just have to stop being stupid.