Crybaby

[kasarin]

TITLE: Crybaby
AUTHOR: kasarin (kasarin/kasarin)
FANDOM: Naruto
RATING: General Audiences
CHARACTERS: Obito, Temari
RELATIONSHIPS: Obito/Temari
TAGS: AU - Modern Setting, Established Relationship
SUMMARY:

Obito believes some anniversaries will always be difficult. All he can do is grit his teeth and wait for the anniversary to pass.

Temari believes otherwise—and she's determined to prove it.

Crybaby

The anniversary of Obito's accident is always difficult. Every year, he thinks it will be easier; every year, he retreats into himself, sinking into a spiral of memories. When asked, he calls it a "funk." That's the easiest label to apply. A funk is something he can shake off; a funk will eventually pass; a funk can be denied.

Temari doesn't buy it. Not after the third year, when she watches his gradual withdrawal with furrowed eyebrows and pursed lips, realization seeming to swim behind her eyes. Obito isn't fooling her. Truth be told, he isn't even fooling himself. But what can he do about it? How can he change something that he lives with every single day?

The fourth year they're together, Temari takes the day off work—something Obito notices only when she wakes him fifteen minutes after she usually departs.

"What is it?" he asks, groggy and confused, his voice thick with sleep.

"Get up," she repeats, standing over him with her hands on her hips. "We're going out today."

Obito rolls onto his back, rubbing the sleep from his eye. "Don't you have work?"

"Nope," she says, deliberately popping the p. Then she turns from the bed, striding to the closet and opening it with a flourish. "Get up, get showered, and get dressed. Our tickets won't last all day."

"Tickets?" He touches her side of the bed, finding that it's still warm—but only just. When did she get tickets, and for what? How long has she even been awake?

"That's right. Now hurry up, or I'll eat your breakfast."

Obito watches her march from the room. Then he closes his eye, considering his options. He could ignore her and go back to sleep. But trying to ignore Temari is about as effective as trying to ignore a hurricane. Sure, he could manage it, but she would still rip off his roof and tear his house to the ground.

Sighing, Obito flips back the blankets and drags himself to the shower, resolving to get this over with as quickly as possible.

⁂

As it turns out, "quickly" isn't on the cards. Temari ushers Obito into the car, then she takes the wheel and sets off. An hour later, she still refuses to tell him where they're going. As Obito watches fields, trees, and small towns roll by, he wonders if this constitutes kidnapping. Should he try texting Temari's brothers? See if she's had some sort of nervous breakdown?

Obito glances his girlfriend's way. She appears as indomitable as ever, absorbed in driving and lip-synching to the song blaring from the radio. No, she hasn't had a breakdown—which means there's no way Kankuro or Gaara will help him out.

Grimacing, Obito resolves to try and get answers yet again. "Temari—"

"Still driving," Temari interrupts in a sing-song, not even glancing at him. "Still focused on the road. Still not gonna spoil your surprise."

Obito scowls and leans back in his seat, shutting his eye against the sunlight.

He must eventually drift off because the next thing he knows, Temari is cheerfully cursing as she maneuvers them into a parking spot. Blinking owlishly, Obito hauls himself from the car, stretches, then looks around.

"… Temari," he says slowly. "Why are we at an amusement park?"

"Because you're gonna have fun today, Obito." Temari locks the car and steps to his side, linking her arm through his. "We're gonna ride roller coasters, laugh at the stupid faces people make, and eat gross food until we feel sick. And if you're good, maybe we can kiss under the fireworks."

Obito looks down at the top of her head, realization dawning. Quietly, he says, "This is because—"

"Because I wanna have fun with my boyfriend? Because we're going to have a good day? Yes, it is." She looks up at him, one eyebrow arched. "Now, are you gonna walk, or do I have to drag you?"

Technically, she isn't lying. But Obito can see what she isn't saying; he knows why it's so important to her that he has a good day.

Swallowing past a sudden lump in his throat, Obito nods. Temari beams up at him, then reaches up to tap the end of his nose.

"Come on, Crybaby," she murmurs, infinitely fond. Then she starts forward, and they make their way to the amusement park arm-in-arm.

⁂

Surprisingly, the amusement park's food is decent, so neither Obito nor Temari gets a stomach ache. But the rest of Temari's prediction proves entirely true. She drags him from one attraction to the next, her eyes shining, her smile so bright that Obito can scarcely look away. They ride the tallest roller coaster, then laugh at the pictures snapped during the ride. (Then, because they want an even funnier photo, they ride it again.) Obito buys a silly hat; Temari one-ups him with sillier sunglasses. They complain companionably about long lines, then ditch the lines entirely to people-watch. Temari declares she can read lips, coming up with ridiculous dialogue for strangers, making Obito laugh so hard that he snorts soda out his nose—and then she laughs even harder, an obnoxious guffaw that draws disapproving looks.

People stop looking when Obito leans in to kiss her, each of them trying to smother the other's laughter. As always, it seems public displays of affection earn them more privacy than politeness.

When the sky darkens, they find a grassy spot by a fountain, flopping down with their sweatshirts bundled beneath their heads. Temari cuddles into the crook of Obito's arm, her hair poking his chin, her chatter and laughter exchanged for quiet humming. Obito trails his fingers up her bare arm, smirking as he leaves gooseflesh in his wake.

"Well?" he asks, his eye on the sky, picking out faint stars amid the twilight. "Do I get to kiss you under the fireworks?"

"I dunno." Temari scooches until she can roll onto her front, looking down at him. Then she brings a hand up, tracing his jawline with her fingertips, touch gentle as ever over his scars. "Did you have a good day?"

Obito smiles, his chest warm and tight, tears threatening to prick the corners of his eye. It's not just her touch, smile, laughter, or spirit that moves him. It's all of her; it's everything.

"Yeah," he says, voice thick despite his best efforts. "I really did."

Temari grins, tapping the end of his nose again. "Crybaby," she whispers. Then she leans in, pressing her lips to his, their kisses only interrupted by their smiles.

Far above, fireworks light up the sky, the great booms barely drowning out Obito and Temari's laughter—but only barely.

Author's Notes:

crossposted to ao3 here.