"I might be equal to the both of you in our friendship, but in terms of romantic intention, I am.." He sighed quietly, putting a hand into his hair, fingers gripping onto the fabric of his headband as he tried to puzzle out where Obito's head was at. "You and Gai have years of history behind you - you've practically been together all this time - and now I'm somehow in the mix?"

He shook his head a little and avoided looking at Obito as he spoke now. "It's not leaving me out if I'm not a part of this, you know. What would you be missing out on, after all? Having a boyfriend you can't even spend time with because he gets so paranoid that he'll mess up around you that he'd rather spend weeks at festivals, in neighboring villages.. This is the first fight we've had for a long time, and it's all because I can't handle anyone depending on me like that right now. I can't be that vulnerable..." He swallowed, then flicked his visible eye to Obito. "I can't be that vulnerable around you, at least not now."