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“Who is Iruka-sensei?” Obito asks when Kakashi comes back with two ramen bowls.
It startles Kakashi and he blinks at Obito like he asked about something out of the blue.
He did. That’s not the point.
“He’s Naruto’s Academy teacher,” Kakashi replies. “He’s like... his older brother and father figure.” He must have noticed Obito’s frown because he continues, “He’s a chuunin, also works at Mission’s Desk.”
That still doesn’t answer Obito’s question. He asks again, this time to clarify, “Who is Iruka-sensei to you?” Even Kakashi’s ears go red at that and his left palm makes a fist for a moment. “Why haven’t I met him yet?”
After the war, when Obito somehow survived, he and Sasuke took different paths to atone. One Uchiha outside of the village and another stuck inside. Kakashi is supposed to be getting the hat from Tsunade but instead he acts as Obito’s handler slash bodyguard slash guide in this new Konoha. And still, after spending a couple of months already as a free man, Obito hasn’t met the one person whole village talks about as if he and Kakashi are a thing.
He can’t recall Kakashi mentioning him even once during all these months. He heard his name a few times when people hadn’t realized he was next to them and they felt free to gossip. It was surreal to hear the name and the guessing what would come first, Kakashi’s Hokage inauguration or his nuptials to the famed Iruka-sensei.
Looking at Kakashi now Obito thinks the nuptials won’t happen. He sits frozen, eyes open wide in horror, all the blush gone from his face that’s now white as a sheet.
Obito slurps his ramen. “Did you fuck it up?” he asks. He wants to ask “did you taking care of me fucked it up for you” but Kakashi is a big boy and he should have allocate his time accordingly. If he neglected this aspect of his life, if he compartmentalized the issues he had to take care of after the war and put this Iruka-sensei so far out that he literally forgot...
“I think I did,” Kakashi replies, getting his elbows on the table and jamming the meat of his palms into his eyes. His hands squeeze into fists and he takes a trembling breath in.
He doesn’t say anything else for a while.
Obito eats. He has no idea what could he even say in this situation. He doesn’t know what kind of situation this really is. Were there promises made? Was it something fragile and new? Was it an untold understanding?
Were there only glances and smiles, nothing concrete, only hopes and dreams?
Like the ones in Infinite Tsukuyomi that were abruptly ended when the God Tree fell?
Obito hisses. “Oh, you fucked up bad,” he murmurs. If the whole village talks about Kakashi and Iruka as Kakashi-and-Iruka, then there had to have been something there. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that Kakashi was featuring heavily in Iruka’s Tsukuyomi dream, then.
And Kakashi hasn’t mentioned him for the two months Obito’s been out of prison, not thinking about the months before that, right after the war ended.
So this is why the gossipers he overheard were fighting about it, they had no idea if the relationship still exists.
“So, where’s he at?” Obits asks after slurping the last of his ramen. Kakashi looks up and it’s rough. His eyes are red and wet, face sunken. Ramen bowl still full. Obito sighs. “Hey now, what’s this, Crybaby Hokage is such a bad moniker to add to your titles.”
Kakashi snorts and looks to the side to wipe away the tears. Obito takes this chance to make some clones and send them on the missions. One to Yamato, to let the ANBU know that Obito will be strolling through the village alone. Second one, well, it stays with Kakashi.
Obito goes to the Mission’s Desk.
He feels it when the mokuton user catches up to him and is grateful that he doesn’t join him, just watches from afar. After a few moments the clone’s memories come and Obito smirks; Yamato was with Gai when the clone found them and Gai decided do reconnect with Kakashi. Neither Obito nor Yamato bought it, they both knew he wanted to be a part of the situation but as a loyal friend to Kakashi, he decided to aid him instead.
While the Hokage Tower isn’t out of bounds for Obito, seeing him enter without a guard makes some of the shinobi uneasy. It doesn’t go away once Yamato casually strolls a few paces behind him but the tension is noticeably lowered.
There’s no Hokage on the shift right now, but there are three others. There’s Genma, looking at Obito with interest, there’s a kunoichi Obito doesn’t know, and then there’s a chuunin with a ponytail and a scar across his nose.
The chuunin pointedly doesn’t look at Obito but he’s aware of him, alright.
He also glances at the door like he’s expecting someone else to come in.
Too bad. Obito has to gather some intel first before he arranges a meeting.
He gets in Iruka’s line and observes him. The chuunin doesn’t back down from other muttering chuunin, is stern when the genin whine, lectures when jounin think they’re hot shit. It’s plain to see he’s in charge here and Obito wonders if Tsunade’s presence would even change that.
When it’s Obito’s turn to speak with Iruka, he grins. Iruka sighs. “Hello, Obito-san,” he greets him. “Since you don’t have a mission to report or new one to accept, do you mind not blocking the line?”
How polite.
“I’m sure no one is mad about it,” Genma says and there are some agreeing murmurs from the shinobi in the room. Ah, shinobi and their gossip.
It didn’t take Obito the whole way to the Tower to realize that since Kakashi was seen with him and not with Iruka these couple months, the rumor mill had to churn some interesting stuff about the three of them. Only about half of the way. The rest was spend thinking what could he do about it.
His presence at the Mission’s Desk has to be the great source of entertainment for shinobi.
“I’ll be just a minute,” Obito says to Iruka. His hands are in his pockets and he’s rocking on his heels. “I was just wondering how much did he disappoint you.”
“Excuse me?” Iruka knows well enough what and whom Obito is talking about, it’s plain to see. “I’m not disappointed in him.”
“I mean,” Obito hums and tilts his head. “It had to sting. Being forgotten and abandoned.”
The silent gulp Iruka does is admirable. The way he’s red all over and almost steaming from anger is starting to be hilarious.
But then, the chuunin deflates. “No one was... abandoned,” Iruka explains. “If anything, we gained more. You should know that better than anyone.”
“Oh, I do. I owe my life to Naruto and him.”
“Right.”
“Right.” Obito leans over the desk. “So what, now that he has his old teammate back, he threw you away like nothing and discarded everything between you and him like a worthless trash? He broke whatever promise has been made and selfishly took what he wanted—”
The slap isn’t what Obito thought would happen so it takes him by surprise. Iruka hits him across the face with his right palm open but using the side with knuckles. He fully ignores Obito’s blind spot on the left and goes less for the bullseye and more to hurt the pride.
Obito thought he would get hit by a fist or a jutsu. This is a surprise.
Iruka is standing and leaning close to him. “You will not be talking about him like that ever,” he hisses quietly, just for Obito’s ears. “He’s not selfish, he’s not cruel, he’s not...” The chuunin deflates. “There was no promise to break. Apparently, there was nothing to discard. So, no, I have no right to be disappointed I wasn’t chosen.”
Obito looks at him for a moment. The rooms is silent, waiting for his reaction, and he can only look at Iruka and analyze.
He took too long, because the chuunin gathers himself and breaths deeply. “I apologize, Obito-san. Please leave the room and let me work.”
“Hm,” Obito sighs. “I don’t think I will.” He winks at Iruka but leaves his line before the chuunin can say more. He steps back and sits on the floor next to Yamato, who’s leaning on the wall.
He lets his clone go.
The memories he gains are of Kakashi and Gai talking about their rivalry and the clone acting stupid like he doesn’t understand the concept of their challenges. Obito chuckles at the way the men became more and more agitated.
Yamato sighs and makes himself a chair. He doesn’t react when Obito turns his pleading eyes at him from his seat on the floor even though he looks right at him. Scary bastard.
They don’t have to wait long; Gai had to tell Kakashi immediately what is going on because it takes only a couple of minutes before both of them show up. Gai stays by the door and Kakashi doesn’t even look around, just goes straight for Obito.
He doesn’t even look at Iruka even though the shinobi in his line all step aside.
“What’s that.” Kakashi asks, eyed boring into Obito’s cheek. He had to get hit harder than he thought.
“Oh, just some protective shinobi being mad at me for trash talking the person who scorned his love,” Obito exclaims and glances to the tables. Iruka looks like he swallowed a lemon. “But I don’t hold the grudge for Iruka-san for that.”
The confirmation of the culprit is what makes Kakashi look.
Everyone looks.
Iruka is clutching the mission scroll from the shinobi closest to his desk, reading it whole and not just skimming to check if all is filled correctly. It belongs to a young kunoichi, probably as young as Gai’s students, which means it’s filled perfectly or not at all. Obito doubts Iruka could tell right now.
This thinking underestimates the chuunin again, because he turns his head to the kunoichi and shows her the scroll to explain, “You have to sign it in two places, not just one. This type of missions requires it.”
“No one’s love has been scorned,” Kakashi says quietly, eyes back on Obito. “This time was... busy.”
“Busy?” prompts Obito.
“I had to get you and Sasuke out.”
“And you did. Couple months ago.”
“I had to get you acclimated.”
“Where? In the village you yourself don’t know, because it’s brand new after the Pein?” Obito snorts. “You forgot.”
No one is making any noise in the room. It’s torture – for Kakashi, for Iruka. But Obito thinks this is necessary. He has to show Kakashi that he doesn’t want him to stop his whole life because Obito has to catch up. The greater the distance the more fun.
“N-no, I—”
“Forgot.” Obito goes for the kill. “So it wasn’t really that important if you forgot.”
The tiny gasp from Iruka’s mouth could as well be a scream.
“No,” hissed Kakashi. This time he doesn’t just glance at Iruka, he takes a step in his direction. “It’s not like that.”
“Hm.” Genma’s hum is full of doubt. And pity. It helps and Obito grins in his direction.
Iruka shoots both of them a dirty look. He knows he won’t get the shinobi back to work if he doesn’t end this. So he will have to say his side of the story. And Kakashi will be amazed that the chuunin understands him so much and they’d make up.
Obito will maybe get some new babysitters and new possibilities.
For fun. For getting to know himself. For getting to know Konoha and it’s people.
“I understand,” Iruka states and Obito focuses back on him. “It was a lot. Obito back, Sasuke back, Rokudaime title... and me. Something had to take priority. Something had to be... put away.” And then the chuunin does something that makes Obito understand why Kakashi is so enamored with him. The courage it takes to ask, “Is it my time now?” is enormous. Even bigger, “Or do I wait more?”
Gai is ugly crying. Yamato is hiding his blinding smile behind his hand. Kakashi....
Kakashi looks at Iruka like he just promised him the moon. He’s flushed to his ears, his eyes sparkle and he’s trembling all over.
Obito stands up, closes Kakashi’s jaw and pushes him a little more in Iruka’s direction. “Don’t let the poor man wait anymore, Bakakashi, go for it before he changes his mind.”
“Never,” murmurs Iruka like he doesn’t have Kakashi on a leash already.
“Sap,” Obito murmurs when Kakashi sighs at Iruka’s promise and glides to him quicker. “My job here is done. Let me out.”
“Nope,” Yamato says. Smiling. “Look at what you did.”
Obito turns to the spectacle that is Iruka and Kakashi clanking their hitai-ates together and... not doing anything more. It’s sickeningly cute.
“Just like that?” That’s Genma, chewing his senbon with a frown. “He throws you away for so long and all is forgotten because he decided to come back? Not even that, he was made to come back?”
He has a point. Obito would like to not hear it said out loud, it can destroy his hard work!
Kakashi gets smaller at those words because he does understand social norms and knows Genma is right. Kakashi’s social behavior needs work.
Or not, if it doesn’t bother Iruka.
Kakashi is a second away from stepping back but then Iruka grabs his left wrist and reaches under the glove, taking out— his own hair tie.
He had to have known it would be there so Kakashi had to have been walking with it all the time.
Saps, both of them.
“I wasn’t thrown away,” Iruka says to Genma. “I was tucked away. I would want to have been kept informed about the decision making here, you’re not getting out of that,” he adds to Kakashi, who is rightly scolded, “but I knew what I got myself into by involving myself with him,” he ends and they go back to looking at each like they are the only ones here.
Obito is so jealous that Kakashi gets to have this, at the same time he’s content about it. And to be fair he would rather not experience this first hand, seeing them both act this way makes him shudder.
“Iruka-sensei, you’re at work!” he calls out. “Don’t let that good for nothing jounin corrupt you!”
Iruka flushes and looks away, leaning back from Kakashi, who turns and glares at Obito. Obito puts his hands behind his back.
“Am I wrong?” he asks, faux innocent.
Genma snorts at that but he agrees with Obito because he starts rounding the shinobi to where they were before. Meaning Iruka has to go back to work, gossipers have to spread the word, Yamato and Gai can—
Apparently, they can grab Kakashi and Obito to go drinking with them while Iruka is still on shift, to celebrate Kakashi’s hipfulness. Which is ridiculous because if someone should be celebrated here it's Obito.
Seeing Kakashi smile when Iruka joins them a few hours later is worth it, though.
“I did good,” Obito murmurs. He can imagine Rin agreeing with him and it’s enough.