Disclaimer: The characters, items, places etc of Naruto are property of Masashi Kishimoto. These objects are used without permission for entertainment only, not for making money. No infringement is intended.

So, this happened. Set five years on from My Big Gay Path Wedding, and gives you an idea of where the future Path fic is placed. This is just a snapshot into that future, while I work on the main fic. If you've never read the Pathverse fics, all you need to know is Itachi and Deidara are in an established relationship.

There is sex in this fic. It isn't lengthily written or excessive, but that wouldn't be my style anyway. This isn't something I normally publish, but I have made everyone wait for five years. Forgive me? ;)

A Different Kind of Path

By Nanaki Lioness

Three thirty pm on a Friday was one of Deidara's favourite times of day. Kids were rapidly swarming off the school site heading into the weekend, and it left him alone in his classroom to contemplate two days of freedom. More importantly it left him in an art room, which was begging for him to pay attention to it. The school kept their art supplies stocked and plentiful, and he couldn't wait to dive in. There were cupboards of paint, pencils, different types of paper, even a pottery kiln! But as always, the basic paints were what he decided to lavish his attention on.

The head teacher knew what Deidara liked to do before leaving on a Friday. So did the janitor, who would pop by later to let him know that he wanted to lock up. It gave him about an hour, and he intended to use it wisely.

He'd just finished setting up his easel, pencil in hand to start a rough sketch, when the door clicked open behind him. He smiled to himself, knowing exactly who it was. "Hey, Itachi."

He didn't get a reply, so he turned round to greet his partner again. Itachi was leaning up against the doorframe, looking exhausted. He gave Deidara a half hearted wave, tugging at his tie around his neck to loosen it. "Can we just go home today, Deidara?"

Deidara took a moment to study his husband carefully. His shirt was un-tucked and his dark tie was now loose, looking much less smart than he had when they'd left for work that morning. Wearing a suit wasn't mandatory dress clothing, but Itachi did it anyway. He took his job as a geography teacher much more seriously than Deidara took his teaching art. Art was about being spontaneous and having fun, which often involved paint splattered everywhere anyway. Smart clothes were pointless if they were just going to get messy. He wore black jeans and a figure-hugging top instead.

"Tired?" He finally asked, sympathetic.

"Mm. I was up late last night marking assignments."

Deidara looked between his easel and his husband, the choice clearly difficult for him. Itachi gave him a look that seemed to border pleading, but it was ignored. Instead, Deidara was weaving a wicked plan in his mind.

"Not yet," he replied airily, picking his pencil back up. "You'd better make yourself comfortable."

Itachi watched him, waiting for any sign that he was joking, before finally leaving the room. Deidara let him, secure in the knowledge Itachi wouldn't leave without him. He'd be back with an armful of assignments to mark soon enough.

He was right. When Itachi did return it was with assignments, coffee, and an air of brooding that Deidara steadily ignored. The only sounds to be heard were the scratching of Itachi's pen, and the resonance of a paintbrush on an easel.

"Are you angry at me?" Deidara finally asked when silence had reigned for well over thirty minutes. When he didn't get a reply he put the paintbrush down, jumping up onto the desk next to Itachi. Itachi looked up at him, but didn't chastise his choice of seating. "You're definitely cross. I'd say sorry, but I wouldn't mean it."

Itachi put his pen down, sighing heavily. "Are you trying to make me feel less irritable? You're doing a bad job of it."

Deidara slipped down off of the desk, throwing himself down into the seat next to Itachi. "Maybe you'd feel better if you knew I had a plan," he said quietly, putting one hand on Itachi's thigh. Itachi looked at him, confused, until Deidara started to bring his hand up slowly- so slowly, so softly, fingers raking into the skin beneath Itachi's smart trousers.

Itachi roughly shoved his hand away. "That's your plan? This isn't an appropriate place."

"You are so boring," Deidara reprimanded. "You have no sense of adventure, yeah."

"I'm sure we've had a discussion like this before, and it resulted in you tearing up a map. I'm so glad I have a phone with Google maps now. Keep your hands to yourself."

Deidara knew it was going to be a hard sell. This was all part of the game. "Would you feel better if the door was locked?"

"Classroom doors don't have locks on them, Deidara, and your classroom is no different. That isn't relevant."

Deidara captured him in a kiss, smirking as he pulled away. "The janitor won't be back for a while. We have time."

Itachi glared at him sharply. "Have you lost your mind? If we get caught, we both lose our jobs. That kind of risk isn't worth it to fulfil whatever fantasy you have in mind."

It wasn't worth pushing anymore right then- Deidara knew it, so he backed off and went back to his painting. Everything was still going to plan. He stayed that way, Itachi stayed marking papers, and neither of them spoke. Time ticked by, and only when the janitor poked his head around the door did Deidara look back up.

"Time to pack up, Deidara."

Deidara did no such thing. "Thanks. You can go, though. We'll let ourselves out." Itachi looked up at him, eyes wide and pen stilling in his hand. "We'll jump out the window, then climb the fence," Deidara continued, eyes still firmly on the janitor. "I'm not done with this painting, yeah. We'll be fine."

The janitor looked unconvinced. "You're crazy," he sighed. "But I should know that by now. Your husband doesn't look too pleased at the idea, though."

It was on secret to staff that the two of them were married. On the other hand, the school pupils had no idea. "He'll manage. Won't you, Itachi?"

Itachi, who had most definitely worked out what Deidara's plan was, simply looked at him with sharp eyes. Yet he didn't speak, so the janitor just shrugged and chuckled.

"Fine, if you insist. Turns the lights off when you're done. See you on Monday."

He left them to it, closing the door behind him. Deidara had to restraint to wait a couple of minutes before carefully laying his paintbrush down. Itachi wasn't marking papers anymore, staring into space with an unreadable expression on his face. Deidara sat next to him, grinning from ear to ear.

"You had the chance to speak," he whispered into Itachi's ear. "You could have said no."

Itachi gave him a sly look out of the corner of his eye. "Maybe I didn't want to say no. I'm not convinced this isn't a terrible idea, though."

"Oh? So how do I convince you?" Deidara mused, putting one hand back onto Itachi's thigh. This time Itachi didn't push him off, glancing between Deidara and the door a couple of times before standing up. He opened the door, checking down the corridor a few times, as Deidara stood at his side.

"He's gone, yeah. If he wanted to lock up, so is everyone else. It's just us."

Itachi closed the door again, letting Deidara take his wrist and lead him across the room. He jumped up onto Deidara's desk as Deidara sat in his chair, slowly unbuttoning his shirt. It was too slow, and Itachi too beguiling- watching was torturous, but Deidara made himself do so. Once the buttons were open, Itachi leaned back on his hands and gave Deidara a seductive smile.

"You warmed up to the idea quickly," Deidara praised, a wicked smirk tugging the corner of his lips as he admired Itachi's toned chest. "What happened to your sensibilities?"

"You destroyed them the moment you made this depraved suggestion," Itachi admitted. "The only reason I'm agreeable is because I know we're completely alone. This doesn't give you the right to accost me at other times of the school day."

"I only need to experience this once to remember all the details," Deidara promised. He took his top off, throwing it to the floor before slipping his hands underneath the unbuttoned shirt; warm hands meeting cool flesh as he gently wrapped them around Itachi. They shared a kiss, and then another, before Deidara could no longer stand it and reached forward to pull Itachi into his lap. Itachi held a hand up to him to stop him, slipping off the desk onto his knees on the floor.

"What are you doing down there? You should be bent over my desk," Deidara chided, even though he knew exactly what Itachi was doing. Itachi simply looked up at him with dark, smouldering eyes that drove Deidara wild. He was unzipping Deidara's jeans, so Deidara certainly didn't protest any further. A blow job at his desk was still more than he ever expected to get from Itachi at work, and he wasn't about to jeopardise it.

Itachi's mouth was warm, and he was deft with his tongue. Deidara marvelled that it was one of his many talents as he gasped, throwing his head back and closing his eyes. The man knew exactly where to lick, where to bite lightly, where to suck, to drive Deidara completely wild. Desire overtook him as he writhed in his chair, gasping and moaning as quietly as he could manage. Even though they were alone, he couldn't bring himself to be so vocal in his classroom.

Itachi brought him to the precipice of pleasure's door much quicker than he expected, and he pushed his partner away quickly to still it. Itachi didn't complain, standing up instead and giving Deidara a cocky, confident smile. Deidara loved the transformation Itachi took on when he felt that he was in control.

Deidara grabbed him and span him around, roughly pushing him up against his desk. Of course, Itachi wasn't as in control as he wanted to believe he was, but that was half the fun. He grabbed a fistful of Itachi's dark hair, yanking his head back so their eyes met.

"I said you should be bent over my desk," he reminded before letting Itachi go sharply. Itachi gasped for breath, hands on the desk and panting slightly as Deidara shed the rest of his clothes. Then he removed Itachi's, leaving them naked and wanting as he leant up against Itachi's back.

"Are we really- your classroom-" Itachi tried to say, but he was cut short by Deidara's slick fingers. Instead he writhed against him, letting Deidara prep him carefully with long, nimble digits.

"You're asking that now?" Deidara said breathily. "Yes, my classroom, and you're loving every second aren't you, you diva?"

He didn't give Itachi a chance to respond, sliding inside him instead. Itachi yelped in that breathy, sharp way that always drove Deidara wild, bracing himself against the desk before laying his chest across it. Deidara clutched at his slender hips, thrusting until Itachi's moans were frantic. He slowed down slightly, wanting to draw the experience out, but Itachi shook his head frantically.

"Don't do that," he demanded. "Don't stop!"

"You're so needy," Deidara purred, but he picked up the pace again. "Ah- fuck, Itachi, you're faultless. You feel amazing."

Itachi couldn't reply, too caught up in gasps of pleasure. Deidara could tell he was close, but he was probably closer- this time, he let himself ride over the edge of orgasm, waves of pleasure rolling over him and turning the world into white noise.

When he was done he slowly withdrew, feeling Itachi panting beneath him sharply. He collapsed back into his chair, leaning his head back and attempting to catch his breath. Itachi caught his first, turning around to face Deidara finally. His bangs were slick with sweat and his cheeks were flushed. Deidara could almost see the shame emanating off of him, and fixed him with a confident grin.

"Don't even pretend you didn't enjoy that, yeah."

"You can clean up," Itachi told him instead of answering, which Deidara took as an affirmative 'yes.' He watched as Itachi dressed himself before opting to do the same, chuckling as Itachi attempted to smooth his crumpled shirt out.

One bucket of water and some paper towels later, Deidara was happy that all evidence of their tryst had been removed. Itachi kept to his word, idly marking papers again while Deidara cleaned.

"Are we really going to have to jump the fence to get out?" Itachi asked when he was half out of the art room's large window. Deidara grabbed his arm to help him through it, pushing the window shut when his partner was safely on the ground next to him.

"Nah. I have the janitor's number. I'll text him to open the gates. We need to get the car out too, remember?"

"So you just made me climb out of a window for no reason?"

Deidara gave him a smile. "Such a wonderful experience needed a memorable end, right?"

"I think that's going to be pretty memorable without it," Itachi muttered to himself, folding his arms over his chest. "That's the first and last time that happens, Deidara."

"What about your room?" Deidara mused as he flicked his fingers across the keypad, texting. "Your classroom is nice."

"No. My room is off limits. I'll never be able to concentrate otherwise."

One text later, Deidara was standing by the vehicle gate looking sheepish as the janitor arrived with the keys. Itachi had moved the car, waiting, and was choosing not to get out to greet him. Deidara had pointed out just how dishevelled he looked with his tie missing, shirt creased and the telltale flush of afterglow still on his cheeks.

"Forgot about your car, did you? I was watching Game of Thrones."

"Everyone dies," Deidara supplied helpfully.

The janitor laughed at that, unlocking the gate and pushing it wide open. Itachi drove through and stopped the other side for Deidara.

"Thanks, yeah. See you Monday."

"Later, Deidara."

Once the gate was safely locked again and they were on their way, Deidara spoke up again. "Are you still feeling tired?"

Itachi glanced across at him, one eyebrow raised in amusement. "I can't say I am. Why?"

"Want to pick up takeout on the way?"

Itachi smiled at that, nodding in agreement. "Sure, we can do that."

"The DVR will probably have finished recording Game of Thrones by the time we get back, yeah."

"Mm, probably. Have fun with your hour of abject misery, then. I'll pass."

Deidara folded his arms crossly, sinking back in his seat. "You're no fun."

Itachi laughed sharply at that, shaking his head with a sigh. "Deidara," he said firmly. "You have absolutely no right to say that to me today."

Deidara laughed too, giving his husband a smile. "I suppose you're right, yeah. Maybe not today."

-.-.-

Some small changes/notes on the state of the Pathverse:

# Itachi has upgraded his car to a black Mazda. Deidara can now also, finally, drive, but Itachi usually defaults to it out of habit. Deidara is also terrified of crashing such a nice car, in case both Itachi and Sasuke murder him for it.

# They're working in a secondary school (high school in America.) They've only been there a few months when this fic occurs. During the five year gap, they both went to university and completed all the relevant studies and placements for teaching.

# Itachi swore off of Game of Thrones after the Red Wedding. Deidara remembers that evening as the time where Itachi threw a pillow at the screen in anger before stalking out the room.

It's been five actual real-world years. Sorry about that. Future Path is coming, though! It's running full steam ahead after a long lull, where I couldn't really find time to write. If you're still here reading my fics, thank you so much.