Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or its characters.
AU
Fireworks and Summer Nights
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"It was just one tremendous explosion. Just, boom! Nothing like you've ever heard."
David Owens
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It was a customary event - to go view the fireworks that lit up at twilight, year-round, on the Forth. It was a time when families congregated and sat beneath the darkness that blanketed over a grassy field, enjoying the display before them. Children roamed about with sparklers in hand - parents attentive - couples held one another fondly on a blanket meant for one, and patriotic music played softly in the distance.
Yes, this was a nice time of year, but for Deidara it was all about the fleeting art of fireworks.
When news of the fireworks display at the local high school reached him, he called up Sasori, possibly a tad bit too enthusiastic, and asked if he wanted to come along. It wasn't much of a surprise, or let down, when he turned the idea down. Apparently fireworks, or any kind of "combustible paraphernalia", were not regarded as "art" in the eyes of his friend. He droned on about art being "eternal" and shit like that.
And so, that was why Deidara was awkwardly awaiting for Sakura Haruno on her front porch.
Deidara wouldn't acknowledge it, but he had slight feelings for the girl. Very slight feelings, none the less. Regardless of him only asking her because Sasori wouldn't go, and the rest of Akatsuki - excluding Tobi - he was, in a sense, glad he invited her.
But to tell her she was merely a backup was just suicide.
Deidara made a mental note to make sure Sasori guaranteed his silence. And by that, Deidara meant if he dared to even utter a single word about it, Sasori would become his grand masterpiece. Sasori, of all people, would have no greater pleasure, besides working on his art, than to see Deidara become nothing more than a sad excuse for a lump on the ground.
Deidara began to shift his weight back and forth between his heels and the balls of his feet in a rhythmic rocking motion. He puffed out his chest and exhaled.
Prior to Sakura's father answering the door, everything was going swimmingly.
Her father was considerably broader and higher in stature than Deidara, almost like a brick wall. He eyed Deidara questionably before he grimaced.
Why?
He took one look his hair, long and tied up in all its glory.
Deidara could sense that he wanted to say something; there always was some kind of remark made to him, but none came. Instead, Sakura's father practically slammed the door in his face, almost taking Deidara's nose with him, and began to yell up the stairs for his daughter.
Deidara concluded that a snide remark would have been better.
Growing increasingly impatient, and seeing more of his Danna in him every second, Deidara peered through the window next to the door and simultaneously paled. It was only his back, but he caught a glimpse of Sakura's father. Quickly throwing himself flush against the house, Deidara decided that if he wanted to live he best wait patiently.
How a man like that could have a daughter like Sakura would forever more remain a mystery to Deidara.
It wasn't much longer till Sakura stepped through the doorway, dressed in a minty green sundress and white sandals. Her father was close behind and glared at the young teenage boy from behind his daughter's head. Deidara inched his way en route the stairs as inconspicuous as possible.
"We should get going... best to get there early. You know... so we can get a good spot, yeah." Deidara smiled nervously and tried to laugh, which came out more like a strangled cry.
"OK," was all Sakura could muster between her fits of giggles, fully aware of what was bothering him. She kissed her father lightly on the cheek before stepping up to Deidara's side. "Let's go."
The walk to the school was not a long one, but with all the people on the sidewalk it was definitely slow moving. Deidara began to think it was probably best that Sasori didn't come. He would just complain the entire night, something along the lines of, "I hate to be kept waiting." Impatient bastard.
"Deidara, are you even listening?" Sakura's question had caught him by surprise. It brought his attention away from his feet, which had become very intriguing for the majority of their walk, and that lead to him tripping over the curb in a very undignified manner. Deidara had to grab hold of Sakura's arm to steady himself, earning an eye roll.
He cleared his throat before answering calmly, "What did 'ya say, hmmm?"
"I said, 'Do you want to sit in the grass?'" Deidara groaned. He forgot a blanket.
"Uh, we can just sit on this, yeah," he said, tugging on the edge of his jacket. His favorite jacket and the one he practically wore every day. All of his friends had one - a black jacket with red clouds outlined in white.
What was he supposed to say? 'Go find your own fucking jacket to sit on'? It would come across as him being a selfish ass and that was the last thing he wanted. That fell under the category of committing suicide.
Sakura tested the waters a little further. It was either sink or swim for Deidara. "You sure? We could just sit on the blacktop." She raised a brow at him.
Yes, she knew precisely what was going through the mind of the young pyromaniac. Did she care? Of course not.
"Yeah," he said with a wave of his hand and even forcing a laugh. "I don't care."
Oh, but he did. Deidara couldn't help but care. And when he laid his jacket tenderly onto the grass, his fingers instinctively twitched to pick it back up. He was already imagining the grass stains that were sure to mix with the red and white clouds.
Deidara swore to himself that this would be his last good deed. Ever.
They found their own patch of grass that was directly across from the soccer field and the farmer's field that would be shooting off the fireworks.
A fantastic seat, Deidara pondered with a smirk and a growing feeling of satisfaction. And with the slight hill, it made it easier to sit up. Another plus.
Since the show began at dusk, Deidara and Sakura had some time to saunter through the few stands that were set up in the parking lot. There wasn't much; raffles, glow sticks and sparklers for sale. So when they felt they saw everything, even though there was nothing worth seeing, Deidara and Sakura sat back down in the grass to chat. Their less-than-engaging conversation died shortly after it had begun, resulting in two, socially inept teens.
With a sigh, Deidara fell back onto the grass and began to comb it between his fingers. Sakura seemed to be off in her own world, resting her hands in her lap and letting her head bow down.
"Hey, Sakura." As soon as Sakura perked up her head, a fist-full off grass flew into her face, resulting in her going into a sputtering fit. She brushed her hands frantically against her face, still feeling the grass tickle her cheeks.
"Why would you do that!" The girl jumped to her feet to brush off the grass that fell onto her lap. She let out a sound of frustration.
She turned a bright shade of scarlet when she came to realize that some of it managed to go down her front. There was no way she was digging it out in front of Deidara, though. She had to grit and bare it, as itchy as it was.
"Do I have to have a reason? Maybe I was just bored, yeah," Deidara retorted with a sly grin. Sakura huffed as she sat herself back down, her back to Deidara.
She stayed silent for a moment before saying, "Deidara...," almost shamefully.
"What is it n-" In mid sentence, Sakura chucked her own hand-full of grass and managed to get Deidara right in the mouth.
Sweet success.
He spat a few times till he was sure all of it was out. He could taste the dirt that lingered on it. He felt like gagging.
"That's disgusting, yeah," he said with his tongue out, picking a blade of grass off it that he missed.
Sakura casted a sideways glance at Deidara and shrugged. "It is, isn't it?"
"It's not funny," he huffed.
Silence. And then it was announced over a loud speaker that the show would begin in five minutes.
"Well," Deidara began, putting his hands behind his head and leaning back onto the grass lazily. "Time to get situated." He emphasized the last word with raised brows.
What happened next was quite unsuspecting.
Sakura draped his jacket over his middle before resting her head against his side, which was insanely ticklish to Deidara, being that she was right on top of his ribs. His squirming beneath her dissolved any chance of having a pleasant and peaceful moment.
"Hey, Sakura you're gonna have to-" She sat up a little further, rubbing painfully against every bone. "Whoa! Seriously, you can't lie there, yeah!" He bolted upright, arms clinging around his chest in a protective manner.
Sakura's head thudded against the ground, a small pout forming on her lips. She rubbed the back of her head soothingly as she sat back up, mumbling, "I need something to lean on."
"Does it have to be me, yeah?" She nodded and Deidara grumbled.
Of course it did. Why did he bother asking? One reason being there was no one else around. Lying on a complete stranger would surely go well and he couldn't say no, not when she was looking up at his with those eyes - ones that held such longing.
Deidara had to look away.
"OK, fine! As long as you don't lay on my ribs…" A scowl adorned his face, but that did not take away the color in his cheeks. And it did not pass without notice.
He received a sweet smile, one he did not know for certain was fake or not, from Sakura, who was quite content with herself being able to get Deidara to allow her to curl up next to him, her head on his thigh.
That really wasn't any better for many reasons, but at least it didn't tickle. Hell, if any of his "friends" - he couldn't really consider them as such when they found new was to torture him - found out that poking him in the sides would cause him to flip his lid, it would surely be the end of him.
Especially if it was Tobi.
Deidara shuddered.
Their eyes started to droop and heads nodded forward from their extended wait until a loud "Boom!" erupted in the distance, signifying the beginning of the fireworks. Deidara felt a jolt of excitement within him and Sakura felt more awake than ever.
They started off slowly. Typical rings and stars of gold, greens, and purples exploded in all directions in long intervals. A few were a little too "Christmas" like for the time of year, not like it actually mattered.
Sometimes you could hear the rocket shooting upward, or see a stream of gold follow after it, like a great, golden serpent. Deidara's heart would stop when there was that small pause, just a second of silence, before the explosion of light and the ringing explosion. Sometimes it resembled more of the crackling of Velcro or wood breaking under pressure.
And then they really started to take off, and not in the literal sense.
Blue spheres took off into the sky before they split into multiple streams of gold. They gently faded as they fell to the ground, like dust, earning "Ooos and "Ahhhs" from the audience.
"Wow," sighed Sakura.
One of the more intriguing fireworks of that night were baffling, to say the least.
"Is that...?" Deidara squinted and pushed himself up slightly.
Sakura gasped. "They're smiley faces! See the face?" she said in complete wonder, outlining the shape in midair. Sure enough, within the ring of green was a red smile and eyes.
At one point, a family behind Deidara and Sakura began to play a game in which you call out a firework before it shoots off. If you call the best looking one, you win. It was kind of stupid, if you asked Deidara. All of them were perfect works of art. Though, there was one that really stood out to him.
They went up without a sound and without a glow, but, once they broke open, a cascade of gold streamed itself onto a canvas of black. It descended gracefully, while multiple ones were shot up to join the first. Everyone held their breath, as if any sound would take away from their beauty.
A woman in the background murmured that it was like a waterfall of gold, and Deidara couldn't agree more.
-:-
The air became thick with smoke and the stench of sulfur drifted, earning a few outbursts of complaint. Fireworks may look beautiful, but they sure as hell don't smell it. Sakura masked her face with Deidara's jacket. Deidara pulled up the collar of his shirt in an attempt to prevent some of the foul odor from assaulting his nose.
They mingled with the crowd that was on their way to the main parking lot. Conversations were completely revolved around the show that night and how breathtaking it was. Though, there was one group of teens that were complaining about the long walk to their car.
As they walked past the announcers tent, a slow and soulful "America the Beautiful" was playing. There were a few who sung along painfully off key and time, but no one seemed to notice, or just simply care, for they joined along and swayed their hips.
Deidara could see that Sakura glancing over. When their eyes connected, she looked away before bringing her attention back over to the tent. He was fairly certain he knew what it was she wanted, so he took her hand, gripping it loosely in his own, and brought her so she stood centered under the tent. He laced his fingers with hers and began to sway back and forth gently.
A light blush inched its way up her neck, much like the color of her hair.
"What are you doing?" she asked as she moved with the melodic tune, following Deidara's lead.
"Dancing with you, yeah. What else?"
"Why?" He shrugged, and at the same time pulled on her hands so that her forearms rested on his shoulders. His hands found their place at her waist.
"Do I need a reason? Hmmm?" Sakura contemplated this for a moment, her brow furrowing and her lips curling downward.
"Well, I-" The abrupt kiss Deidara landed on her still moving lips cut her off.
Her mind was at a blank. Sakura was sure she started leaning into him because she forgot how to stand, and that her arms wrapped around his neck to hold her up. But there was one thing she could not explain.
Why was she returning the gesture?
And this is what it truly boiled down to: who needs reason?
END
A/N: Happy 4th of July! Yes, I know I'm a day off... Hope you liked it~
Edit 12/31/11