Don't Tell Mum and Dad

To haters (since I know there will be as soon as die-hard Deidara fans read this):

Now, I know that a lot of you guys hate gender-bending, and me, but calm your butts down. I didn't write this for you, so don't read it. 8D It got me out of my major writing block, people. Give me a damn break and cut the crap, please. xD

Otherwise, enjoy.

..::::..

The tile floor was hard and cold beneath Deidara's bare legs; her dress had risen to her hips as she had squirmed and fought against Sasori and 'Dad' as they had tied her down to the small heater against the wall, and the raw contact of her skin to the floor was all the more unpleasant.

But that was at least three hours ago. She had watched the sun set from the window of the kitchen, where she was tied. It had to be at least eleven o' clock, by now. She couldn't look around the fridge to get a look at the clock that hung on the wall to be sure.

Deidara pulled at her hands again as they were tied firmly over her head; the chains rattled against the heater noisily, on accident, with the motion. She instantly quieted her attempts; the last thing she needed was to call attention to herself.

Her left eye was swollen and aching. Her lower lip was split, and when she licked at the cut, it stung and she tasted blood from where it had clotted the wound shut. Countless other pains racked her body; her arms, her back, and her legs all throbbed nearly constantly from all of the intricate cuts drawn across them.

She felt like she wanted to scream, but didn't much feel like facing whatever consequences that would come from that decision. And she definitely didn't want anymore of that mess Mum had injected into her throat; that had taken away her voice for what felt like it might have been a week.

Crying was another option, but she simply wouldn't let any tears flow. She didn't want to show any of these people just how scared she really was.

She had to get out.

She would get out.

- - -

Deidara fell in and out of sleep for the next hour or so, her head slumping against her shoulder every now and again. She was barely straightening out her spine into as comfortable position as she was able, when she heard the sound of a doorknob turning.

Instantly, the blond jerked awake as she heard the familiar creak of the stairs as someone walked over them.

Her body tensed, then fell into small shivers, which she worked desperately to repress.

Was it Itachi? Mum? ...Dad?

Deidara shivered against at the possibilities, and bit at her lip lightly to make the shaking stop. Her lip started bleeding again, but at least she calmed herself, just a little, by concentrating on the pain instead.

The light in the hallway was flipped on, and she winced against the sudden ray of light that was thrust onto her face.

Soft footsteps could be heard; bare feet against tile floor.

Deidara forced her eyes up to see whom it was standing in the doorway.

She almost breathed out in relief at seeing Sasori. She instantly felt a lot more at ease; he wouldn't harm her. Throughout her whole hellish ordeal here, Sasori had never once hurt her--touched her--on his own accord. It had always been Tobi (mum) who had instructed him to either hold her down, or tie her to her bed.

The redhead looked tired, and as if he were in pain. But then again, he always looked that way. He had such a sad aire about him. Not that Deidara blamed him, of course, given where he was cooped up and with whom.

Deciding that he wasn't a threat to her safety, Deidara breathed out a light sigh and leaned her head back against the heater she was tied to, shutting her eyes.

She heard Sasori move further into the kitchen, and figured he was going to get a drink of water or something. Well, as long as he left her alone...

When his footsteps stopped abruptly, she found that wasn't going to be the case; he made no noise to be opening any shelves, of the fridge. Looking up, the blond found Sasori standing over her, staring at her with his dull, brown eyes. Not having expected him to be so close, she made a startled movement and curled her legs closely beneath herself.

Mutely, Sasori only stared at her, his expression unchanging. Deidara wondered in a distant, distracted kind of way, what had made Sasori mute; maybe it was that awful stuff that Mum had injected her with. Had Sasori been given so much of it that he eventually just lost his voice for good? She shivered, hoping that that wasn't so and that the same wouldn't happen to her.

When the redhead failed to move, or to do much else other than stare down at her with those saddened eyes of his, the blond finally spoke up, her voice in hushed tones. "What do you want?"

Sasori blinked in response. Deidara wondered if he was even really listening to her, and was going to repeat herself, when Sasori suddenly turned away from her and went to the fridge.

She kept her eyes on his movements closely, watching him pull put the tall, glass pitcher of ice water from inside of the box; she wet her lips with her tongue.

Sasori grabbed a cup from where the clean dishes had been left out to dry and poured a generous amount of water into it. He set the pitcher back into the fridge, and shut the door, but only after he had pulled out one of the sandwich boxes that he and Itachi took with them to work.

The blond watched him with envy. He must have come down here to torment her, mentally.

Her throat was raw, and dry, and she hadn't gotten to eat anything for lunch, or dinner; the beating that Dad had given her had actually worked up her appetite. Must have been the blood loss.

Seemingly finished with what he had come down for, Sasori turned back around, the glass of water in one hand, and the other holding the sandwich box. He walked past around the table, past the fridge and...paused in front of Deidara again.

Well, she was tied right near the exit, so she didn't think much of it. She avoided looking at him, though, and squirmed a bit more against the chains on her wrists, trying to get comfortable so she could try and rest a little.

She had to look back up when she heard Sasori moving--and not out of the kitchen. When she saw him again, he was settling into a kneeling position directly in front of her. He set the glass of water down by his side, and then opened the sandwich case, carefully, so as not to make too much noise.

Deidara didn't know what to do. She figured he really must have been trying to taunt her, though she never imagined him to do this sort of thing. Out of all of them, Sasori seemed the most sane, as well as the most humane.

The sandwich smelled like tuna salad...

- - -

All at once, she had a feeling of nostalgia hit her. At the airport, where she and Sasori had first met, cleaning, he had offered her some of his food when she commented on how it looked good. He had been so quick about it, and he hadn't hesitated with the silent offering.

It was the same way now, as he knelt in front of her, holding half of the sandwich just beneath Deidara's nose.

He wasn't there to tease her with the food? No. He was giving it to her. The blond felt like crying.

She looked up at Sasori's face, catching him staring back at her in return. He didn't move. He kept his hand just inches in front of her face as he held the food out to her. His eyes held something similar to sympathy.

Reassured by this, somewhat, that he wasn't just toying with her, Deidara looked down to the sandwich offered, and slowly parted her lips, leaning her head down a bit to take a bite. The tuna was a bit salty, and it stung her dry, split lips, as well as her cut tongue, but it tasted so good, she didn't even care.

She had been hungrier than she had imagined, and before ten minutes had past, she was finished eating the whole thing; she had even licked off some breadcrumbs and a bit of mayonnaise from Sasori's fingers.

"Thank you, yeah." Deidara whispered, looking back at Sasori and nodding her head faintly. "Thank you..."

The redhead blinked at her, then nodded his head once as well, his face still as readable as a blank wall. He closed the box the sandwich had come in and pushed himself to his feet. He threw it into the trashcan, pushing it deep into it so that no one would guess what he had been up to.

As Sasori returned to her, he fell back into a crouched position. This time, he grabbed the glass of water and inched closer to the blond with it. Reaching out with his free hand, he slid a finger beneath Deidara's chin, pushing her head back a bit as he put the glass to her lips.

When Sasori had tilted the cup, and the icy water had slipped into her mouth, Deidara instantly began to slurp it all down, ignoring it when some of the liquid would dribble down the side of her mouth and slide down her throat, making her shake with its cold.

It was such a relief. Deidara felt at least ten times better than she had just a while ago. When the glass was finally emptied, she almost begged for more.

Moving without warning, and almost robotic with his actions, Sasori got back up and took the glass to the sink. He was quiet about washing it underneath the tap water and putting it back on the rack to dry, and after he had finished his task, he turned back to look at Deidara.

Looking gratefully up at him, Deidara watched Sasori walk back around the table, past the fridge, and pause only briefly in front of her. He looked at her--really looked--and then nodded his head, as if to confirm something to himself. He started to head back towards the stairs. He really had a calm energy about him, now.

"...Sasori." Deidara said in a whisper. She couldn't see him as soon as he stepped out of the kitchen, but she knew he was listening, since his footsteps had stopped somewhere outside of the room. "...Thanks."

Silence echoed all around her inside of the small, dark room, and she listened closely. For a few moments, there was nothing, and then Sasori's footsteps started up again, slowly, as he crept up the stairs.

And slowly, feeling further away from death than she had been before, Deidara slipped into sleep--uncomfortable, yes, but sleep none the less.

- - -

She had to get out.

She would get out.

And Mum, Dad and 'family' be damned, Sasori would be by her side when she did.

..::::..

PLOT-LESS STORY IS PLOT-LESS.

I watched the movie "Mum and Dad" for the second time a while back and got re-inspired to write. xD So this came from it.

The cast (how I imagined it): Deidara as Lena. Sasori as Elbie. Itachi as Birdie. Tobi as Mum. And Zetsu as Dad. xD

...Uhm, yeah. All in all, though, hope you enjoyed it. x3