𝗡𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧𝗙𝗔𝗟𝗟, 𝗈𝖻𝗂𝗄𝖺𝗄𝖺.

Five

Obito's spoon hung suspended in the air, captured mid-bite, as his ebony eyes shifted upward to meet Kakashi's gaze. His curiosity seemed almost palpable, an ethereal bridge between their souls.

"Kakashi—"

"Why are you always so clumsy? Why are you always so late? Why are you always so stupid? And most importantly, why are you always so cu—" Kakashi's words danced on the precipice of a revelation before he clamped a hand over his own mouth, a muffled gasp escaping from beneath his fingers.

"So... what?" Obito inquired, the quiet calm in his voice shrouded in inquisitiveness.

For some inexplicable reason, anger didn't swell within Obito. Instead, he bore the insult with a serene patience, waiting for Kakashi to divulge what he had intended to say.

"Never mind it. You better eat before the food gets cold," Kakashi offered before leaving the room, a trail of mysteries lingering in his wake.

Obito exhaled a sigh, the spoon once again becoming his ally as he resumed consuming the fried rice, thoughts racing in tandem with the mysteries left unanswered.

Late in the evening, around 9:25 p.m., Kakashi returned to the room, finding Obito cocooned in the embrace of a deep slumber on the generous expanse of the bed. The silver-haired boy watched him with quiet contemplation.

"He looks so peaceful when sleeping, but when he's awake, he becomes one hell of an annoying person. How cute..." Kakashi mused silently. He gently closed the door behind him, then slid onto the bed beside Obito. Gradually, his own eyes fell shut, and he succumbed to the tranquil lull of sleep.

The following morning, at 6:00 a.m., in the guest room:

Kakashi stirred awake and realized that Obito was no longer nestled beside him. Perplexed, he sat upright and surveyed the room, but the raven-haired boy had vanished.

"He's probably in the bathroom," Kakashi speculated, climbing out of bed with quiet anticipation. He proceeded to investigate the bathroom, only to find it vacant. Bafflement gnawed at him, compelling him to expand his search to the lower level of the house.

As he descended the stairs, he stumbled upon a sight that left him stupefied. Obito, in a scenario Kafkaesque to Kakashi, was feverishly orchestrating culinary symphonies in the kitchen, a culinary maestro lost in his craft.

Kakashi could not contain his astonishment and, in a moment of impulse, tapped Obito on the shoulder from behind. Obito, startled, leaped in response.

"Oh my God, Kakashi! You scared the hell outta me..." Obito's voice trembled as he attempted to regain his composure.

"What the hell are you doing, Obito...?" Kakashi inquired, bewildered by the sudden transformation in Obito's demeanor.

"I'm obviously cooking, can't you see?" Obito retorted, turning to face Kakashi, his response marked by matter-of-fact simplicity.

"Minato-sensei didn't just send us here to look after his wife, but probably to help with the household chores as well, to ease her burden," Obito explained with unwavering determination.

Kakashi sighed, still grappling with the astonishing turn of events. Obito had not only risen early but was now orchestrating breakfast?

"Why couldn't you sleep? Is it because of last night?" Kakashi's voice was colored with a curiosity that pricked Obito's defenses.

Obito's eyes widened at the unexpected inquiry, his gaze locked onto Kakashi's face. He hadn't expected the silver-haired boy to revisit their earlier altercation. Did Kakashi still hold a grudge?

"Bakashi, I'm over it. The real question is, are you still mad at me?" Obito's typically playful countenance held a rare seriousness.

"I think you got the wrong idea. I was never mad at you in the first place," Kakashi replied with a knowing smile, closing the distance between them.

"But you were yelling at me, didn't you?"

Kakashi smirked softly, his eyes narrowing as he leaned dangerously close to Obito's right ear, his whisper an intimate secret.

"It was all an act, Obito. I could never ever get mad at you, remember that."