Stargazing
The night sky stretched out before him, stars speckling its vast surface as it rippled from horizon to horizon, lapping peacefully around the silver disk of the moon as she chased her wayward partner. The sun itself had long since set, leading its trail of clouds away with it, leaving him with a perfect view of the stars. A small shuffle caught his attention and he looked to the left, where his partner Tobi leant casually beside him, putting his weight on his forearms as he craned his neck to look at the sky. His orange mask gleamed dimly in the light, fixed, as ever, around the brown haired boy's head. Deidara frowned slightly at the sight and pulled himself up into a sitting position, sparing the stars no backwards glance as he fixed a frown on his partner.
"Why did you call me out here, un?" He asked, crossing his arms over coat.
"The sky's pretty clear tonight, don't you think, Sempai?" Tobi asked happily, ignoring the question and continuing to gaze at the spectacle overhead. "You can even see Orion!" He raised a hand and pointed to the left hand corner of the sky, at a collection of constellations defined by the straight line in which three were placed. Deidara's eyebrow twitched as he resisted the urge to unleash a small platoon of birds at his partner's head, fighting to control his anger as Tobi continued to point out a series of other constellations before subsiding once more into silence. They stayed like that for a while, Deidara's scowl growing ever deeper as his oblivious partner just stared at the stars, before-
"Do you like star gazing, Deidara-sempai?
Deidara blinked, startled from his mental blow-by-blow of exactly how easy it would be to end Tobi's life then and there by the unexpected question. The boy just gazed back at him, head tilted in the usual questioning way, waiting for an answer. Feeling the usual twinge of annoyance – how old was he, five? - the blond looked away, before glancing up at the stars with a sceptical expression.
"Not really, un." He replied, lowering his eyes once more. When Tobi continued to watch him, obviously waiting for him to continue, he sighed, scowling a little as he complied. "They're just not very interesting, un." He informed him, shuffling into a more comfortable position. "Just a bunch of far off lights that get covered by a cloud every once in a while. A bit pointless, un."
"You think?" Tobi returned his gaze to the heavens, contemplating them in silence for a while once more. Deidara watched him with a slightly raised eyebrow; this was not usual Tobi behaviour.
"I've always thought of stars as being wishes," the boy told him, not moving his gaze. "And that if you watch for long enough you'll see when a wish comes true."
Deidara's other brow raised and he glanced at the stars again. A bunch of random specks dotting a boring, black sky. Never moving, never doing anything other than just being there. What was so special about that?
"Look, there's one!" Tobi suddenly exclaimed, sitting up fully, pointing at something with unconcealed excitement. His partner followed his gaze, bemused, sharp eyes just catching a trace of silver as a meteor darted across the sky. His breath caught slightly as he watched it disappear as quickly as it came, a single flare of beauty that bypassed its surrounding stars by far. He blinked.
"Did you see it, Deidara Sempai?" Tobi was quivering excitedly besides him, looking at him eagerly. The Iwagakure missing nin nodded slightly, distracted, and the boy beamed right back. "Beautiful, wasn't it? It's a sign that somewhere, someone's wish has come true! A good luck charm." Tobi's eyes returned to the sky, scouring it intently as he sank back to his elbows. "If we stay alert, we should be able to see a couple more before sunrise."
Deidara mentally shook his head, fervently disagreeing with his partners beliefs. Wishes? He contemplated leaving then and there; this was obviously the reason why Tobi had called him out, and he'd been looking forward to sinking into his new bed. But another streak of silver caught his eye and he delayed that hope for another day, instead laying back and considering the sky with begrudging curiosity. Single blue eye flared with interest as he watched another piece of silver trail across the sky, shining out for a brief second before disappearing forever. So much like his art, a piece of beauty, a single moment of silent fury that had the ability to change something, someone, irrevocably.
I guess I was wrong, he thought, shifting into a more comfortable position besides his partner. He watched as Tobi flashed him a truly happy smile, certain he was positively beaming behind his mask. Deidara couldn't stop the smile that played across his lips as he placed his arms behind his head, regarding the sky once more. There's much more to stargazing than I originally thought.
End.