WARNING: Contains mentions of drugs, alcohol, and stupid teenagers. Haden doesn't condone underage drinking or drug using.

Genre: Romance

Rated: M

Naruto © Kishimoto

Story © Happii Haden

Title comes from the song by LVTHER

Turning eighteen was a big deal. Correction, is a big deal. At least Deidara thought so. A young high school senior was getting ready to celebrate his eighteenth birthday. He was so eager to start his celebration. There was just one problem - he really didn't have any friends. Well, he did, kind of. He had two friends, but he didn't really care for them. They had only become friends because they all sat next to each other in all their classes. Deidara and his friends were considered the loser group. No, not all of his friends. Kurotsuchi wasn't a loser, but she chose to hang out with them. He attended a small school within a small town. Everyone knew everyone and one small rumor could spread like fire. Deidara hated it.

The blond knew he wanted his eighteenth birthday to mean something. He didn't want to spend it in his crap hometown or with his kind of friends. He just wanted to be as far away as possible from this place. In order to obtain that, Deidara asked his parents if they could go camping for his birthday. They went every summer anyways, so Deidara thought that they could just go earlier. He didn't actually like camping too much, but it was the best alternative. At least his parents agreed happily.

The birthday event was set in motion. They'd be staying for a week - which was longer than Deidara expected. Normally their vacations were longer than that, but his dad had to work a bunch throughout May. So, having a week for his birthday was pretty cool. When deciding on where to have the camp, Deidara picked out somewhere new. It was much further out than their normal campsite, but the blond wanted to see a new place.

The place he chose was very mountainous and had a great lake. The site looked so beautiful to him. When they arrived at the park entrance, Deidara could hardly contain himself. He walked ahead of his parents, leaning into the gate to get a good view of the area. Although it was just the entrance, Deidara could tell it was going to be a good place to camp for the week.

From the entrance they had to hike up to the camping grounds. One thing Deidara hoped for was that it wouldn't be too crowded. There were a lot of cars in the lot.

The first grounds they found were packed to his horror. However, a nice family suggested that the grounds further east should be clear. Deidara's family took this into consideration. They guessed that the first lot was probably the best, which is why everyone picked there. Deidara didn't want that though. He wanted quiet and relaxation. Somewhere where he could create his art without getting in trouble or burning down the whole forest. Which is why when they reached the east grounds, Deidara suggested that they go off the trails and further into the woods.

His parents were reluctant at first, but slowly agreed as Deidara pointed out that it was his birthday. Further they went into the forest. It didn't take long before the sun started to set and just when his parents were about to complain, Deidara found the perfect spot. It was a small clearing surrounded by trees. Sure they weren't next to the lake, but Deidara liked this spot more.

With all of their efforts combined, they managed to set up the tents and start a small campfire. They roasted hotdogs and marshmallows over the fire, joked around, talked shit about their annoying neighbors, and even told some scary stories. It was a successful first night. When they had finished off the rest of the evening, Deidara stayed awake. With only a small battery operated lantern and his art supplies, the blond began to paint. It wasn't something he did often, but the night country sky was worth it. Secretly, he had a bunch of night sky paintings stashed away.

When morning came, his parents suggested a hike after breakfast. Deidara wanted to object and just sleep some more - he had been up all night painting - but didn't want to upset his parents. Brushing off his sleepiness, the blond pulled on his pants and laced up his hiking boots and followed his parents behind on the trail. As they trekked through the forestation, Deidara recalled his night time painting. He hadn't intended to stay up so late, but one painting was not enough. Not too far from his camp, somewhere within the trees, a thick, sweet smelling smoke rolled in like fog. The weird thing was that it was so vibrantly colored that it stood out in the dark. The blond didn't know what to think. He considered it to be some weird dream or hallucination. However, he painted the image, preserving it on paper to remember. He enjoyed the weird fog - it only lasted so long before it disappeared. With all his thinking, the blond ended up tripping and falling face first over an extended root. His parents were at his side immediately.

"Are you alright, Dei!?" his mother asked in worry.

"You need to pay attention to where you're stepping, son," his father scolded lightly.

Deidara groaned and got to his feet, ignoring his mother's hand to help him. "I'm alright, really. What did I even trip over, yeah?" the blond asked, looking around.

His mother gasped, "You're bleeding!"

Deidara blinked in surprise and looked down at his knees. Yeah they were a bit scuffed up, but nothing too bad.

"We should head back and patch you up," his father stated.

Sighing, the blond reluctantly followed his parents back to the campgrounds. There was no use in trying to dissuade them. His mother was already leading him back with his father ahead of them telling them where every root, branch, and pebble was. It was rather annoying, but Deidara just kept quiet.

Back at the camp, his mother attended to his wound while his father cooked some lunch. He sat on the log with a pout. Although he was about to be eighteen, he felt like a child. His parents still treated him like one. Always cleaning his wounds, cooking him food, doing his laundry, and even calling him every time he left the house. He really was a spoiled, sheltered child. His parents did everything for him, but it was the last thing he wanted. For the sake of the trip, however, Deidara tried to ignore it.

It was when they were enjoying their nice, quiet lunch that something interesting finally happened. The blond's dad was just about to tell another boring office story when obnoxious music started playing. While his parents complained about the noise, Deidara recognized it as EDM. It wasn't really his type of music, but a lot of kids at his school were into it. Especially those weird hipster kids.

"Honestly, who is playing such racket in such a tranquil place? I'm pretty sure it's against the park's regulations," his father complained as he tracked the source down.

Deidara followed behind, interested in seeing who was playing the hyper music. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion as the source led straight to the weird fog patch from last night. Like hunters, Deidara and his father quietly - and unnecessarily - snuck between the trees. Diving behind some bushes, the two blonds peeked out to spy on the noisy noisers.

Deidara's eyes widened at the sight. It was a bunch of… teenagers! Just like him - except there were no parents around. The boy felt slightly jealous. He heard his father grumble and start shuffling away. With a frown, he followed his father back to their camp, music still blasting away.

"Well?" his mother asked upon their return.

"It's a bunch of kids."

The blond's mother frowned, "Kids? Their parents were okay with them playing that music so loudly?"

His dad shook his head, "No parents. Just them. They were around Deidara's age."

Deidara suddenly felt like he was in the spotlight.

"You should have told them to turn down the music," his mother sighed.

"Kids like that? There's no way they'd listen to me."

"Why don't you go and tell them then, Dei?" his mother asked, looking at him expectantly.

His father did the same.

Deidara's eyes bugged, "Ehh!? Why me?"

"They'd listen to you before they'd listen to one of us," his mother reasoned.

The blond shook his head, "No way! Just get the park ranger or something!"

"I think we can handle this ourselves. Besides, the rangers are at the designated camp spots. If they find out we camped off site, then we'd get in trouble," his father added.

Deidara pouted, "But… what if they beat me up or something?"

"They won't do such a thing. Just go ask them nicely, dear."

His father agreed, "Maybe you'll even make some friends."

That was one way to add salt to his literal wounds. Deidara groaned and looked over his shoulder, peering back at the hidden location of the noise. "Can't we just wait it off?" he asked in a measly voice. The look his parents gave him told him "no". With a defeated pout and grumble, the blond reluctantly walked through the woods. Just as he was about to enter the newcomer's campground, he remembered that he was patched up like a small child. Ripping off all his white fluffy bandages, he cautiously pushed past the tall bushes and into the camp.

The music was much louder up close and felt like a live concert going on. It was apparent that these teens had a really good radio system. As he pushed past the brush, attention was drawn to him immediately. He could feel his cheeks heat up from the awkwardness of the situation. Taking a few steps further in, he noticed that there was at least four teens. One teen - who was too friggin tall in Deidara's opinion - was messing around with some fishing poles, seemingly trying to untangle them. He was fairly tan and had deep blue hair. Deidara could also make out the amount of muscles on the guy thanks to the tight tank top. He'd really hate to get in a fight with that guy. Far from the tall guy, was another male. Deidara had to do a double take. It looked like he had been covered in blood. Thankfully, he had spotted the red paint bucket a couple feet away. The guy was very pale and even had oily silver hair slicked back. He seemed to be painting shapes on the ground. Away from them, was two other guys who were sitting near the boom box. They seemed to be perfectly chilled passing a cigarette between them. One guy had bright red hair and the other had bright green hair. Deidara thought they looked like a bad christmas mashup. Overall, the characters he saw were interesting to say the least. Unfortunately for him, the one covered in red paint was the first to approach him.

"What the fuck are you doing here, Goldilocks? You get lost on the way to the cottage?"

Deidara's voice caught in his throat. He wasn't ready for the deranged looking teen to insult him. "Uhm, I... " he swallowed hard.

The albino's eye twitched, "C'mon, Rapunzel, I ain't got all fucking day. I got a squirrel to sacrifice and you're interrupting my ritual with your bitch ass."

More anxiety and fear filled the blond's body. Sacrifice!? The guy was sacrificing a squirrel!? He had to be joking right? The blond glanced down at the other teen's hands and nearly threw up. Without realizing it, he covered his mouth in disgust and gagged.

The male laughed at his reaction and grinned maniacally. Raising the dead animal up, he shoved it closer to the blond's face. "Haven't you seen roadkill before, blondie? It's just a fucking rat, really."

The blond shook his head, physically sick. "L-Look, my family and I are c-camping just nearby. We can hear your music and they sent me over to t-tell you…" He flinched as the albino flung the rodent over to his paint circle and crossed his red coated arms. "C-Could you please turn the music d-down, yeah?"

The teen snorted, "Fuck you! Like hell we'll turn the music down. We were here first. Why don't you just run back to mommy and daddy and go kiss their asses. We're not doing shit."

Feeling a spark of anger suddenly, Deidara lashed out at the albino. "No, fuck you! Turn down the shitty music or we'll call the ranger."

The albino glared, his teeth grating together. "Yeah right! You're too much of a blond bitch to do anything!"

"Shut up, yeah! I may be a blond bitch, but at least I'm not a fucking psychopath like you!" Deidara yelled. He had only a few seconds to react, but the male somehow managed to avoid a punch to the face. Deidara hadn't realized what kind of mess he got himself in until the albino whipped out a pocket knife. His blood ran cold at the sight of the steel. Not really thinking, Deidara just stood there for a second. The blade just passing by his face. It left a stinging sensation.

Luckily for him, the albino didn't have a chance to attack him further. It seemed that the tall guy with the fishing poles managed to sprint over to them and tackle the other teen with the might of a football player. He could hear the grumbled swears of the albino from beneath the big guy.

Looking back at the other two males, he met eyes with the redhead. He wore a bored expression as he calmly gestured the blond over. As much as Deidara wanted to leave, he couldn't resist the pull of the redhead. Glancing back at the males on the ground, he made sure that the albino wouldn't spring back up and kill him.

"Don't worry, I got 'em," the tall male smiled.

Taking a deep breath, Deidara ignored the two on the ground and approached the two sitting on lawn chairs. As he got closer, he could smell the scent of a certain plant. He recognized it from the countless walks past the back of his school. The blond stood in front of the two, now seeing each male up close.

The redhead, who was wearing a sleeveless turtleneck to Deidara's surprise and distaste, passed the joint to his friend with the green hair. With his new point of view, he could see that half of the male's body was tattooed in black ink. To avoid staring, he watched the drug between the guy's fingers until it was passed back.

"Are you just going to stand there and waste my time?" the redhead asked after taking a drag.

Deidara furrowed his brows, eyes still not looking up at the two. "Your friend nearly killed me and that all you have to say?"

He saw the male's shoulders shrug, "He wouldn't have killed you… probably."

The blond scoffed, "You guys are messed up, yeah."

"Tell us something we don't know," the tattooed man laughed.

When the blunt was passed back to the redhead, the teen held it up for the blond offering him a free smoke.

Deidara scrunched up his face and shook his head, "No thanks. That's not really my kind of thing."

The redhead shrugged, "Suit yourself."

The blond's eyes followed the blunt to the boy's lips.

"So, what did you want?" the male asked, smoke leaving his mouth.

Deidara looked away to the radio beside them. He had somehow become adjusted to the loudness. "My family wants you to turn it down… and so do I," he added just as an extra measure of assertion.

The tattooed male snorted with laughter again, but made a surprised noise when the redhead actually did as he was told.

The redhead was calm as he turned the knob. "Is that all?" he asked.

The blond nodded, somewhat embarrassed. He had nearly gotten into a fight with the first guy over the radio. However, this guy was a lot more calmer and reasonable. It made him feel silly for not walking away from the dumb albino. "Thanks…"

The male's lips quirked up in a sort of smile. "Not a problem."

Just as Deidara was about to turn around, the redhead stopped him.

"Hey, sorry about Hidan. He can be a real mess sometimes. He's not really that bad of a guy."

The blond nodded, "Uh, sure."

The redhead wasn't done. "You should hang out with us later."

"I'll think about it…" the blond muttered. No way was he coming back here. Quickly turning around, he tried to leave the camp in a rush. He didn't make past the brush. From behind him, he could hear the sound of someone jogging. Fearing that it was that albino psycho, Deidara turned around, ready to hit him. He did land a punch. Just not on the right person.

"Geezus, fuck," the redhead groaned as he stumbled back. "You really pack a punch, huh?" He held his nose with one hand and clutched something in the other.

Deidara immediately felt bad, "I'm sorry, y-yeah! I thought you were that crazy guy coming back for round two!" The blond reached up and moved the guy's hand and felt ten times worse at the sight of blood dribbling down his nostrils. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry - really sorry, yeah."

The male seemed confused at first, then used the back of his hand to wipe at his nose. He stared in shock at the blood.

Gross, the blond thought to himself at the redhead's actions, but mostly ignored it. "I really didn't mean to hurt you, yeah. If you want, I can give you something for it. We have a med pack at our camp, yeah. We're not that far away."

"You say "yeah" a lot, don't you?" the male asked.

The blond pouted.

"Don't worry about me. I'll be fine," the redhead sniffed with a wince. Wiping his bloodied hand off on his shorts, the redhead reached into his pocket and pulled out a small tube. In his clutched hand was a thin strip of paper.

Deidara stood there, watching as the small hands fumbled with the paper. He soon realized that the male was applying ointment to a band aid. The hands were near his face, thumbs pressing gently against his cheek.

"You'll have to forgive me for not noticing just a bit ago. I'm a little stoned," the redhead admitted. "Zetsu pointed it out though and told me I was rude for not offering you a band aid." He kept his thumb pressed to the boy's cheek, smearing the tiny droplets of blood away.

The blond stood speechless. Here was the somewhat shorter redhead apologizing for not giving him a band aid, completely ignoring the fact that Deidara had punched him in the face and he now had a bloody nose. "Thanks, yeah…?"

The redhead gave him one of those small smiles again. "Yeah."

Deidara blinked a few times and jabbed a thumb backwards, "I gotta go."

The other teen licked his teeth, "I'll see you later?"

Feeling unable to really answer, Deidara nodded and ran off before the conversation could get any weirder. He pushed past the brush and trees until he finally made it back to camp. He came out of the woods like a wild animal - a bit frightened and out of breath.

"You alright, Deidara, honey? They didn't hurt you did they?" his mother asked with a frown.

Deidara shook his head.

His father smiled, "See, I told you he could handle it. I told you you could handle it."

The blond nodded again.

"We found a small nearby lake," his father continued to talk. "I figured we could swing by it and get washed up. You up for going now?"

Deidara bit his bottom lip, "I'm actually pretty tired, yeah. I was thinking I could take a quick nap first. Then we could do some fun family stuff when you guys get back? I can clean up later tonight, if you don't mind…?"

His father went to say something, but his mother smiled and agreed. "That's alright. Me and your father can relax in the lake for a bit. Wash our dirty clothes too. If you want to get changed real quick and-"

"I got it, yeah. I can clean it later…"

His mother seemed surprised, "Okay. We'll be back in an hour then."

Deidara waved his parents off before ducking in his tent. He could really go for a nap actually. Plopping down on his small air mattress, the blond soaked in the feeling of relaxation. His muscles ached at the release. Reaching up to his cheek, the teenage rubbed the bandage gently. Reaching over into his bag, he pulled out his pocket makeup mirror and turned his head to get a glimpse at it. What the hell… he grumbled in a pout. Out of all the bandages the redhead could've had, he possessed the Hello Kitty brand. The guy just stuck it on his face with no concern at all. Grumbling to himself, Deidara ignored the adhesive on his face and put his mirror away. He definitely deserved a nap.

Later that day, after the blond rested and spent time with his family, he decided to wash up. They had just finished having a small dinner and the blond promised that they could play a game or something when he got back. The heat had finally caught up with him and he felt rather sticky and sweaty. Following the directions his parents gave him, Deidara found the small lake with no problems. He was surprised that his parents managed to find the clearing. He wasn't complaining though.

Stripping off his clothes, the blond jumped into the lake. His toes curled at the refreshing feeling of the water covering his body. He kept his hair up and out of the water. The last thing he wanted was for it to get tangled. He could manage with dry shampoo for a week. Even though he told his parents that he wouldn't take too long, Deidara decided to take his time. When he finished bathing, he dried off and slipped on some clean clothes. Instead of leaving, however, he sat down near the lake and watched the sunset reflect off of the water. It was just his luck that his peace was disturbed.

Loud cheers of excitement bellowed from the other side of the lake and soon the sound of splashing followed after. Deidara watched in disbelief as the psycho albino from earlier cannonballed into the water. Not far behind was the one who tackled him, ripping off his clothes, and made an even bigger cannonball. Following them was the tattooed guy and the redhead. The green haired male was mostly unclothed, exposing his tribal like tattoos. As he shrugged off his pants and boxers, Deidara felt his face heat up. He shouldn't have been here watching. His face lit up even more when the guy spotted him and elbowed the redhead beside him. The teen looked over at Deidara and gave a cheeky grin. Following his friends in example, the redhead slowly pulled his turtleneck off. It fell somewhere on the ground. The guy didn't drop his gaze as he dropped his pants. The blond felt his mouth go dry as the redhead shimmied out of his briefs with no shame. Deidara honestly tried not to look, but couldn't help himself. He was sure his face looked sunburnt by now. Since the lake was so small, Deidara could see everything - even the smug wink and wave before the redhead jumped in the lake, joining his friends. The blond couldn't take it anymore. With a huff and red face, he gathered his dirty clothes and briskly walked out of the clearing. He could hear the laughter and splashing as he left. The blond was definitely not going to hang out with those weirdos!