Isn't it sad when you get hurt so much that you can finally say "I'm used to it"?
He could hear her chatting with the other nurses, her voice ringing clearly in his mind as he attempted to push off the bed without any assistance.
He could say it now, had been practising for days.
Today was the day.
Wobbly at first, teetering on the edge of standing-falling, Obito held firm and tilted forwards. Bracing himself on the railing of his bed, he took a few hesitant steps towards the door. When he didn't fall backwards, he became more confident and his pace evened out.
I love you.
He would say it, and it would be today.
He exited his room, his pale face even paler from the exertion and painfully, determinedly, he made his way to her voice.
It chimed, strummed his heart and soothed his thoughts like no amount of anxiety medication could.
I love you.
He stumbled a bit and she turned the corner, saw him and opened her mouth in surprise.
"Obito! What are you doing out of bed? You know you're not supposed to go anywhere unattended!" her tone became less shocked and more disappointed, and she made to approach him.
He abruptly motioned her to stop. He would walk to her, not the other way around.
She stopped. "Obito?" she asked hesitantly.
He reached her, slowly but surely, and she waited with nearly bated breath.
It was something in his eyes that made her suddenly self-conscious and very aware of the nine inch height difference and the broad shoulders (emaciation notwithstanding), the raw emotion in his eyes pinning her fiercely, speaking words and feelings she wanted, needed, to understand.
Her cheeks flushed, and she had no idea why.
He stopped before her, head bent down to look her in the eye. They sparkled with something that wasn't just the overhead light.
She smelt of lavenders and sweet dreams.
He opened his mouth and a few strangled syllables made their way out.
"What?" she whispered.
"I…love…y—"
"Rin!"
Their gazes suddenly startled to the tall man standing at the other end of the corridor, silver hair messily covering his left eye and body lazily leaning to the right.
He was holding a bouquet of purple-shaded flowers in his right hand, which he promptly gave to Rin after he'd traversed the distance between them.
Obito felt lost as Rin smelled the flowers and thanked the man sweetly.
She turned to Obito, looking equal parts guilty and relieved, with a hint of frustration and something quite very much like love, and apologetically began, "Sorry Obito, what were you saying?"
He shook his head at her. The moment was gone and his throat hurt. No more words out of him today. He indicated at the man and silently asked who he was.
"Oh! This is Kakashi. He's my fiancé. I was going to tell you after you got out of hospital in a couple of days so that, you know, you could attend the wedding."
At his broken expression she hesitantly said "Sorry it's so sudden Obito."
He tried valiantly to smile at her reassuringly, but found he couldn't.
He wanted to scream.
He couldn't.
He wanted to hit something.
He couldn't.
He hurt.
At least that much he could do.
"It's nice to meet you Obito."
Silence greeted him.
And silence stayed with him all night.
There was a bitter taste in Obito's mouth.
It tasted like betrayal and loss.