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Deidara, for some reason, insists that they should walk the rest of the way back.
“But the birds can take us,” Tobi says.
“No, I’m tired,” Deidara replies.
Tobi hurries to Deidara’s side. He inspects him all over, but he finds nothing wrong. “Is it your wounds again, senpai?” he asks.
Deidara is quiet for a moment and then he says, “Yes, it is, yeah.”
“Oh,” Tobi says, “I understand. You should rest them a little while.”
“That’s what I’m doing, you idiot,” Deidara mutters.
Tobi places a hand over his heart. “That’s hurtful, senpai,” he says. “I was just trying to be nice.”
Deidara scoffs. They continue to walk in relative silence. Obito runs his hands through the shrubbery around them, taking a deep breath.
He finds that they are nearing the hideout already. Obito turns to Deidara and finds him already staring.
“What’s wrong?” Tobi asks.
Deidara turns away. Obito walks a little closer to him, letting the back of his hand brush against Deidara’s. “What’s wrong?” Tobi asks again.
He doesn’t get a reply, but instead, Deidara slips his hand in his. Obito intertwines their fingers together and squeezes once, then runs his thumb across his hand.
“’Live every act fully, as if it were your last,’” Deidara says.
“Huh?”
“Have you ever heard that, Tobi, hm?”
“No,” Tobi says. “Is it another one of your life philosophies?”
Deidara laughs, making Tobi turn back to him. It is a strange kind of laugh – it’s one of those that makes Obito smile and his heart clench. “I wish it was,” he says, “but no, someone else told me it. I find it very relatable.”
“Of course, you did,” Tobi says. “It’s very much like your own point of view, isn’t it?”
“Yes, well,” Deidara says and clears his throat, “I didn’t think that in the beginning, yeah.”
“You didn’t?”
“No,” he says. “I thought it was a little ridiculous because it can’t apply to everything.”
“What do you mean?”
“Not everything is worth your fullest amount of effort,” Deidara says. “There are just some things that you shouldn’t even try, since people like me… Well, I’m not the type to live long.”
Tobi remains quiet.
“At first, I struggled a little because of this thought, but…” Deidara trails off. “But then, I changed my mind, hm.”
“About living every act to the fullest?”
“About pretending it’s my last.”
“What’s the difference?”
“Tobi,” Deidara says.
“Yes?”
Deidara squeezes his hand. Obito squeezes back.
“Back at the festival…” he mutters. “You were supposed to admire the fireworks.”
“I was,” Tobi replies.
“You weren’t, yeah.”
Tobi shrugs. “I don’t know what you want me to say.”
“I think I like you.”
“What?”
“I said,” Deidara cuts himself off and clears his throat. “I said, I think I like you, hm.”
Obito feels a rush of heat go to his head, then it spread down his chest and he feels like he is walking on air. Still, he steadies himself and holds Deidara’s hand tighter. “You think?”
Deidara tries to let go of his hand again, but Obito holds on. “I’m just teasing you, senpai,” Tobi says. He pulls Deidara closer and Deidara grunts. “What made you say that you think you like me?”
“At the festival,” Deidara starts but then he pauses again. He looks like he wants to keep going, but Tobi thinks that it’s enough.
“I get it,” Tobi says. “I think I felt it too.”
“Do you…” Deidara trails off.
“Well, we’re supposed to do everything as if it were our last time, right?” Tobi laughs. “Why not?”
They stop at the entrance of the hideout, turning to each other.
“Then, I guess that was a date, yeah,” Deidara says.
“Aw,” Tobi says, “I wanted to give you a better first date!”
Deidara raises an eyebrow and then turns away, heading into the hideout. “Then I guess we can have our first date tomorrow, hm.”
“Really?” Tobi asks, following him. “I’ll make tomorrow the best day ever.”
Deidara laughs. “Sure,” he says, holding his right elbow with his left hand, “you can make tomorrow the best day ever.”