Stay. Obito x Reader

         Wide awake, despite the fact that it was nearly three in the morning, you threw off your covers and swung your legs over the side of your bed. You had gone to bed terribly early after returning from a mission the previous day, so it was only natural that you weren't able to sleep through the night. Rising to your feet, you lifted your hands high above your head and stretched. “Well, there's no use laying around in bed if I'm not sleeping anymore.” Full of energy, you rushed through your morning routine, then sat down at a small, desk-like table you kept in your room to draw. As you scribbled messily on your canvas, you started to hum in an attempt to break through the early morning silence. Though you didn't mind the quiet most days, this morning it felt a bit eerie. Just as you started to shake off the uncomfortable feeling, you heard a creaking sound coming from outside your room. Instantly on high alert, you shot out of your seat and stood completely frozen in place. “What was that?” Holding your breath in your chest, you heard the sound once more. Someone was definitely in your home and they were getting closer.

In a slight panic, you scurried around your room, searching for anything you could use to defend yourself. Though leaving your room when you knew someone was in your house sounded like an idiotic idea, you had to remind yourself that you were a ninja. Surely you could handle any intruder that you might come across. Now standing at your bedroom door with your hand tightly on the knob, you swallowed hard. “Here goes nothing.” Not wanting to alert your intruder to the fact that you were awake, you turned the knob slowly, making as little sound as possible. When you opened the door, however, it let out a loud, squeaky whine, reminding you that you still hadn't oiled it, even after weeks of telling yourself to do just that. Hoping the squeak hadn't actually been as loud as it sounded, you stealthily began making your way through your pitch black home. As you turned a corner, you found yourself face to face with the intruder. Shocked and unprepared for this, you let out a loud scream, then proceeded to hurl your makeshift weapon, a shoe, in the intruders direction.

Your shoe hit him directly in the chest, but he didn't seem deterred by this. “A shoe?” Kneeling down, giving you ample opportunity to attack or defend yourself, he picked up the flimsy purple house shoe and scoffed. “You call yourself a ninja, yet out of all the things you could have used to attack me, you chose a shoe?” Slipper in hand, he stood back up, causing his face to come into the light of the full moon. “Pathetic.”

“O-Obito?” Relieved that it was only him, you tightly clutched to your shirt and tried to catch your breath. “You really have to stop sneaking up on me like this.” Once the fear had abated, you felt yourself growing embarrassed. Trying to hide this fact, you ignored the fact that you had tried to use a fuzzy house slipper to defend yourself and changed the subject. “Why are you in my house, and at this hour?”

“I came back for what's mine.” Staring down at you in the darkness, Obito took a step towards you. You weren't sure if he was trying to intimidate you or not, but he was. “I thought you might be less trouble if you were asleep.”

You were honestly surprised that he was still so focused on this. By now, you thought that he would have let it go. “Again? I already told you that I'm not going to give them back. I don't want you to de-”

Obito raised his voice over yours, quickly cutting you off. “I know what you've told me. I don't wish to destroy it.”

You didn't believe his claim, even for a second. And since you were sure he already knew this, you didn't even try to hide that fact from him. “O-oh?”

Perfectly aware of your skepticism, Obito gave a short, to the point explanation. “Yes. I took some time to think on what you said during our last meeting. Now,  that I have done this, I want them back.”

Despite what he said, you weren't sure that you could trust him. Still, the goggles were his, even if he had given them to you. Not only that, but if he was this determined to have them, you doubted that he would just give up. Knowing that caused your resolved to crumble a bit. What completely shattered it was the idea that he might keep sneaking up on you when you least expected it. Sure you couldn't handle this kind of scare again, you sighed. “Well, I guess if you really want them, I have no right to keep them from you.”

Not expecting you to give up so easily, Obito cocked a suspicious brow. “You're just going to give them to me, without a fight?” Crossing his arms over his chest, he continued speaking, his tone just a bit more sarcastic and cynical now than it had been before. “No wise words or lessons on morality and life? How very unlike you.”

“No. Nothing like that this time.” Blushing slightly, you turned around and signaled for him to follow you. “Follow me. They're in my room.” Once in your bedroom, you retrieved them from a hook on your wall. Trying hard not to second guess yourself, you turned to face him and held the goggles out to him. “Here you go.” Though they were really never yours, the idea of losing them made you feel a little sad. For some reason keeping these goggles close made you think. They reminded you that every decision you made affected not only your future, but the future of those around you. As Obito reached out and claimed them, you felt a sudden emptiness in your chest. “Well, there you go. Now you have what you came for.”

After taking a moment to make sure that the goggles were actually his, and not just a convincing replica, Obito turned his eyes to yours and stared. Just seeing his unusually mix-matched eyes was enough to make you shiver, but having him stare at you like that actually made it hard for you to breathe. “Are you kicking me out?”

“W-what?” His question confused you. Did he actually want to stay, or was he just trying to make you feel guilty? “N-no, it's just that you came here for your goggles, and now you have them. I didn't really think there would be any reason for you to stay.” Looking down to your floor, you let out a quiet sigh. “After this, I probably won't ever see you again, and I'm really no good with long good-byes, so I didn't want to make things awkward by dragging this out.”

“I see.” With a nod, he turned away from you without the slightest hint of apprehension or emotion. “I'll be going then.”

“W-wait.” Before he'd even managed to turn around fully, you found yourself clinging to his sleeve in a weak attempt to keep him from leaving. Now that you had his attention, however, you found your words stuck in your throat.

Unsure why you'd stopped him, Obito halted himself, just in case what you had to say was important in some way or another. When you didn't say anything after a few seconds of waiting, he gently prompted you. “Yes?”

Awkwardly releasing his sleeve from your hold, you looked up at Obito, using your thick canopy of lashes to hide your eyes. “Will I see you again?”

“You answered that question yourself not even a moment ago.” Turning only his eyes to you, Obito slowly shook his head in a way that almost looked sad. You told yourself that this sadness was more than likely nothing more than your own imagination playing tricks on you though. “Probably not.”

“Right.” Not ready for him to go, despite there being no real reason for him to stay, you made him an offer you hoped he would accept. “If that's the case, then maybe you should stay a little longer. Just long enough to have a cup of coffee. It's still really early, so you should still be able to leave the village before everyone else wakes up. You know, just in case you're worried about anyone else seeing you or something like that.”

“Are you sure?” Because of his large, upturned collar, you couldn't be completely positive, but it almost looked like he was smiling. This was an expression you had not yet seen from him, and it instantly warmed your heart. “You're going to turn this into a long good-bye.”

“I think I can manage, just this once.” A bit flushed due to the smile that may or may not be resting on his lips, you nodded. “So, I'm sure.” Happy that he'd agreed, though not outright, you smiled wide and gently pulled him out of your room, towards the kitchen. “Now come on. Let's go get that coffee.”