Working

Disclaimer: Naruto isn't mine.

Obito had not had a good night. Not only did he have to phone Asuma to help him lock up the shop, he had spent the entire evening lying on his bed and worrying about Kakashi. Ok the boy was a prick but he had been seemed really hurt. The anger he'd felt yesterday had been gradually replaced by guilt.

By the morning he'd had a total of an hour's sleep and had bags the size of bin bags under his eyes. His face was practically drooping into the cereal.

"What happened to you?" Sasuke poked him with his spoon. "You look like death."

"Shut up Sasgay." His cousin kicked him under the table which started a short kicking war. One slap from Mikoto later and he was on the way to work. This was the part he was dreading the most. It was going to be so awkward being around Kakashi. It was only for the morning luckily but that was one half day too much. But when he walked into the shop, Kakashi was nowhere to be seen. Instead there was a boy (he thought) with long blonde hair in a ponytail staring intently at a piece of paper. Obito stood there for a while and they hadn't noticed he was there.

"Hi?" The boy looked up and stared.

"Are you the new guy?"

"Yeah. Obito."

"Deidara." He pointed at himself and continued playing around with the paper.

"…You're the one who does the notes."

"You've seen them?"

"Kakashi showed me." Mentioning Kakashi reminded him of what he'd done. No! Don't feel guilty!

"You like?" Deidara looked pretty proud of himself.

"They are pretty funny."

"What do you think of this?" He held out a piece of paper with a moody looking cartoon figure with a mask on his face and his arms crossed. The scowl was unmistakable.

"Oh my god! It's perfect!" He couldn't help but laugh.

"Finally someone who appreciates my humour. Sasori just nags all the time."

"Sasori?"

"He collects dolls." Deidara shuddered. "I think that says it all."

"Oh." Obito gulped. There was something he needed to know. "Wasn't I supposed to be working with Kakashi today?"

"Yeah but he called in sick."

"I see.." I'm a terrible human being. Why else would he avoid coming in if he wasn't angry?

"How do you deal with him? Everyone says he's an asshole."

"I really don't know. Wait… How'd you draw him? Have you ever met him?" Kakashi had only mentioned hearing about Deidara and finding his notes scattered around.

"I've seen his picture on the security tapes." He'd pulled out another piece of paper and was starting a new doodle.

"You look at the security tapes?" Obito hadn't even noticed the cameras and he gulped.

"When I'm bored. You see a few interesting things." The way he raised his eyebrows and smiled wasn't a good sign. Obito went beetroot red.

"What do you mean?"

"What were you doing with the trash mag the other day?" Obito spluttered.

"Umm…."

"It seemed like a pretty serious fight."

"…It's complicated." This was too stupid a fight to explain. Even he wasn't sure why they'd done it.

"You wanna watch yesterdays? Me and Sasori were on in the morning, then I think it was you two."

"I'm not sure." He didn't want to see how much of an asshole he was.

"Why? Was it embarrassing?" If anything he looked even more eager.

"Well…"

"It's ok! You can tell your uncle Deidara everything. Every sordid little detail." He's loving this.

"I kind of… pulled Kakashi's mask off." For a moment Deidara looked taken aback. Then he ran out of the room. The reason for this odd behaviour soon became clear when he returned with his eyes glowing, holding up a VHS. It was the first one Obito had seen in a decade.

"No! We are not-! Wait, they actually use video tapes?"

"Hiruzen is an old fashioned guy. Now, stand aside!" Before Obito could stop him, Deidara had opened a cupboard under the counter to reveal an old TV. He shoved the video in and started fast forwarding.

"Wait! It makes me feel like an asshole! I don't want to see it." It didn't take long for them to find the right point.

"Woah." Deidara hadn't even been listening to Obito's pleas. "Why does he need a mask?"

"I don't know. I didn't get the chance to ask." He could see Kakashi's face paused on the screen. Alongside the anger he could see that the boy was pretty upset.

"I think you broke him."

"Yeah…" Oh god. I should just curl up in a hole somewhere…

"So what are you going to do?" Deidara was staring at him now.

"What do you mean?"

"Are you gonna go and apologise?"

"I'd like to… but…"

"But?"

"I'm definitely the last person he'll want to see right now."

"Maybe. He can't escape if you get him at his house though." Obito was so taken aback he knocked the chair over.

"But he hates me!"

"Do you know how long he's been working here?" Obito shook his head. "Like three years. And he's never talked to anybody. Seriously I've watched him on here, he just sits there till they leave. He probably likes you."

"But he's always such a dick!" It seemed weird that anyone could befriend Kakashi. The guy was so unapproachable.

"I could give you his address?"

"How?"

"I could look at his details."

"You're gonna go on their computer?" The more time he spent with Deidara, the more convinced he was actually a criminal.

"He keeps it in a filing cabinet. Because he is that old-fashioned."

"Oh." This really said something about Hiruzen.

"Give me thirty seconds." Deidara dashed off. At least the chances of a customer coming in were practically minimal. When he returned he slammed a piece of paper down on the counter in front of him. "Here- Kakashi's place. You could go there after work."

"I think I will." He could apologise and then all guilt would be gone. "Why are you so keen on helping me anyway?"

"Something to do? You guys are fun to watch anyway. Asuma and Kurenai suck each other's face and that's about it."

"I see…" Glad to know I'm entertaining somebody. Deidara smiled and handed him the piece of paper he'd been drawing on earlier. "What do you think?"

It was a cartoon of him wearing his goggles and grinning, his hands held up and doing the v for victory symbol.

"You're good at these."

"I know."

-Page Break-

It had seemed like a good idea when leaving work but now he was actually in front of Kakashi's house he was freaking out. It was likely that he was going to have the door slammed in his face anyway so part of him didn't see the point in being here. The only reason he'd made it this far was because his guilt was dragging him there.

Just apologise then run away… Easy. Obito gulped and made his way to the front door. His legs felt heavy as lead. Before he could change his mind he reached up and knocked on the door. It was a pretty average looking semi-detached house with cream coloured walls and a white plastic door. It was pretty much the same as any other house on the street. He stood there for a while feeling awkward and more embarrassed. It seemed unlikely that he'd get in and so he turned to leave. Just as he did this the door opened. Kakashi was just as surprised to see him and held his hand up instantly to his mask.

"Why are you here?" The hate was even stronger than it usually was.

"I just needed to talk to you…"

"Well I don't-." Kakashi froze. Obito turned to see what he was staring at. A man was zigzagging his way up the street. A man who looked a lot like Kakashi.

"Is that your dad?" It was a good guess.

"…" Kakashi ducked behind the door.

"Ok…Well I'll just be going then." Seconds later, Kakashi had reappeared and rushed out the door, grabbing Obito by the arm and pulling him down the road.

"What are you doing?"

"Just walk!" Kakashi kept glancing behind him. The man hadn't noticed them so they were safe to quickly duck behind a car.

"If that's your dad, why are we hiding?"

"Shh!" They watched until the guy had gone into Kakashi's house. "You mention this to anyone and I will kill you."

"Why are we hiding from your dad?"

"It's none of your business." Ahh. It's nice to have Kakashi back to normal.

"Fine. Whatever. I just came to say I was sorry."

"What?" This momentarily distracted him from whatever the problem was.

"For pulling the mask off. And saying a lot of bullshit things. I was an asshole and I'm sorry." At least now any problems wouldn't be his fault.

"Ok… Fine. I forgive you. Now go."

"Gladly." He went to leave but the irritating part of his brain that had kept him up all night made him pause. "Are you ok?"

"I don't see what it has to do with you."

"I'm being nice you asshole!"

"And I am fine."

"You sure? Don't need any help?"

"Why are you acting like a good Samaritan all of a sudden?"

"Because my aunt raised me right!" Storming off was getting more tempting.

"Your aunt?"

"Yes, my-. Is this really the best place to be having a conversation?" Standing behind a random person's car looking like a thief.

"You don't have to be here."

"Well do what you want, I'm going home." He'd done what he'd came here to do anyway. Kakashi watched him walk before starting down the same direction. "Why are you following me?"

"I'm walking this way!" They walked in awkward silence for a while. Obito wasn't exactly sure how long this was going to go on for.

"Why don't you just go home?"

"I don't feel like it, ok?"

"If you weren't such a dick I'd invite you back to mine."

"If you weren't such an idiot I'd accept your offer." They gave each other hateful scowls.

"As I'm the bigger person, I will kindly invite you to sleep on our sofa." He was never going to accept.

"And as I'm desperate, I'll accept." What? He hadn't expected this. Kakashi noticed the look on his face. "Problem?"

"Not at all." This was said through clenched teeth. I have just shot myself in the foot there.