Chapter Text
Obito didn’t know how it happened, but they were holding hands. He and Kakashi were holding hands, like, really holding hands. They had their fingers laced together and everything, and Obito’s heart really couldn’t take much more or it would give out.
He was supposed to be watching his students. He was supposed to be training them, helping them learn chakra control, but here he was, holding hands with Kakashi and trying not to lose his mind. Obito pulled his gaze away from where it had latched onto their connected hands to little Sakura, who had wandered over after getting bored of climbing trees. She was a natural, no doubt.
Sakura looked at their hands, then up to Obito. Then at Kakashi. Her brows furrowed and her lower lip jutted out. “Are you guys together?” She asked, and if Obito’s face wasn’t red before, it certainly was now. “Like how my mom and my dad are together?”
“Uhh,” Obito said, looking everywhere but Kakashi. “I mean, no, we’re just friends–”
“SAKURA!” Naruto shouted from far up in the trees. He had his arms and legs wrapped around the trunk, completely stuck. “DON’T LISTEN TO HIM! THEY’RE FAGGOTS!”
Obito’s jaw dropped in disbelief. He looked at Kakashi, who wore a similar expression, then at Sakura, who looked confused. Sasuke, in the tree next to Naruto, face palmed.
“We’re not–” Obito started, then began to panic. If Kushina and Minato found out about this, they would kill him. “You can’t use that word, Naruto!”
“But it’s true!” Naruto yelled, starting to shimmy down the tree. “You’re fags! Both of you look at each other all lovey–dovey all the time! You should really hear what my mom and dad say about you.”
Obito was panicked, embarrassed, and completely out of his depth. He was getting called out by a twelve–year–old. A twelve–year–old who was calling him a slur. He really should be more focused on that.
Sakura tugged on Obito’s sleeve, looking up at him with her big green eyes. “Obito–sensei, what’s a faggot?”
Obito was at a loss. He swallowed, then let go of Kakashi’s hand to put his hands on Sakura’s shoulders. “It’s a bad word for gay people, Sakura. Don’t use it, okay?”
Sakura blinked. “What’s a gay person?”
Obito’s head dropped. When he decided to become a Jounin–sensei, he had no idea he would be faced with something like this. “It’s when two guys like each other.”
Sakura seemed to understand. “So like you and Kakashi?”
Obito smiled, but it was more like a grimace than anything. He pulled his hands away. “Not exactly. Kakashi doesn’t feel that way about me.”
Sakura looked confused again. “But you like him like that, right?”
Obito’s stomach dropped. “Let’s stop talking about it.” He said, then briefly looked at Kakashi, who was watching him with wide eyes. Obito pulled his gaze away.
Naruto had managed to climb down the tree without falling, somehow. He ran over to them, Sasuke at his heel, until they were standing in front of them.
“Sakura, you have no idea. You should see the way Kakashi looks at Obito–sensei, he’s totally in love with him, I swear. I just don’t know why they won’t admit they’re fags and kiss or whatever.”
Obito felt like he needed to lay down. “Naruto, where did you learn that word?”
“From Sasuke.”
Obito wheeled on Sasuke, who put his hands up in surrender. “That’s what me and Itachi call each other, okay? He taught me that word.”
“Of course he would.” Kakashi muttered, the first words he’d said in a while. Obito glanced at him before looking back at his students.
“I don’t want to hear any of you say that word again, okay?” Obito said seriously.
Naruto looked up at him. “But we can still say it behind your back, right?”
Obito looked up at the sky, wishing that Kami would just strike him down already. He turned his gaze back to Naruto. “Fine.” He sighed. “Just don’t let me catch you.”
Naruto grinned. The look on his face then turned mischievous, and Obito dreaded what was to come. “But still, you haven’t admitted that you and Kakashi are in love with each other. My mom and dad keep saying that one of these days you guys will stop being stupid and get together.”
The thought of Kushina and Minato talking about his and Kakashi’s love lives was something Obito never wanted to think about. But here he was, thinking about it.
“You guys,” Obito said, unable to keep his voice from shaking. “Kakashi doesn’t feel that way about me. We’re not–”
“I never said that.”
Obito’s breath caught. He looked over at Kakashi, whose hands were back in his pockets. His face was flushed pink, and Obito didn’t think it was just from the sun.
“What?”
Kakashi huffed, like this was something Obito should’ve already known. “I never said I didn’t feel that way about you.”
Obito turned to look at him. “You never said that you did.”
Kakashi shrugged. “I thought you didn’t feel that way about me.”
“Wasn’t it obvious?” Obito said, the rest of the world falling away until it was just him and Kakashi. “I– I’ve been in love with you for years, Kakashi. Since I got back from the cave.”
Kakashi’s eyes widened. “That long?”
“Yeah.” Obito said, unable to look away. “But I kept it to myself. I never thought you’d feel the same.”
“I do feel the same.” Kakashi said. “I’m in love with you, Obito.”
Obito and Kakashi stood there in silence, staring at each other. They didn’t move until Naruto clapped his hands together, startling them out of whatever daze they'd fallen into.
“Finally.” Naruto said happily. “Now you can do all those things that couples do. Like hug and kiss and that other third thing my parents won’t tell me about.” He said, and Obito’s face flushed once more. “But not around me, okay? There’s only so much I can take.”
“You got it.” Obito said, struggling to keep his embarrassment in. “You guys can go. We’ll continue training tomorrow.”
Naruto cheered, and the three of them ran off. Obito and Kakashi were left standing there, hesitantly making eye contact.
“Other third thing,” Kakashi said, repeating Naruto’s words. He looked up into Obito’s eye. “Want to try it out?”
Obito’s face flushed harder than it ever had before. He stepped forward and grabbed Kakashi’s wrist, then his hand. He started walking. “Let’s go home.” He said, and Kakashi followed, both of them eager for what was to come.