As if I really should be starting a new story, considering my lack of updates for all my other work, here's something a little different than usual. Set in a modern time period, it takes place in a city setting. There is only one OC aside from those extra characters mentioned in passing, and that would be Jer, Deidara's older brother. It's necessary for him to be there at the beginning of the story, because he will play a major part in a future plot development. I only mention his existence because I myself dislike stories that involve OC's and I'm sure I'm not the only one. Enjoy!
Word Count: 2,017
Smoke billowed from the stoned chimneys of the Hollow Bough,an illegally managed casino that was passed off as a restaurant to the common crowd and cops during the daylight hours. At night,the Bough housed drunkards,gamblers,and the occasional night owl looking for a place to call home,if only for a little while. A cab pulled up sharply against the curb directly outside the establishment,the tires skidding against the blacktop and leaving marks against the pavement. The driver thrust the gear into the "park" position and shut off the ignition. His client,so to speak,would be out in a few minutes,as he was an employee at the Basin. What was it he did,again? Oh,yes. He was the assistant manager,if Hidan remembered correctly. Manager, he scoffed silently to himself,the poor bloke can hardly manage his own life,let alone a restaurant!
Kicking up his feet so that they rested on the cab's dashboard,Hidan pulled out a lighter and a cigarette and lit up. He rolled down the window a crack in order to air out the smoke. This was,of course,against the rules listed in the manual he's so conveniently forgotten to read,but then again,the owner of the cab company had given up the notion of explaining this to Hidan long ago. The cigarette smoke wafted gently upwards into the sky,where it mingled with the overcast,gloomy sky. Judging by those clouds,it was probably going to rain soon. Lovely. Now the cab would smell of smoke and wet upholstery. Just because Hidan's manager didn't enforce the rules of the manual,that didn't mean he didn't seize every opportunity to bitch about his disobeying them. A moldy cab seat definitely wouldn't be helpful or conducive to Hidan's rocky friendship with Pein. That friendship was the very reason he'd been hired at all.
Hidan glimpsed a flash of yellow from the corner of his eye and smirked. It was about time he showed up! The silver-haired cab driver tilted his head towards the approaching figure,whom,for the record,did not seem remotely pleased by Hidan's presence. He walked up to the cab and,reluctantly—and in a manner that suggested that he was about to bolt in the opposite direction—yanked the door open and slid into the passenger seat. The door slammed as he closed it. He eyed the zealot with well-practiced admonishment and ill-disguised irritation. Smirk widening,Hidan flicked the cigarette butt out the window and shifted into drive.
"You'll end up starting a fire that way."grumbled the blonde passenger resentfully.
"It won't be my fault if I do,though,now will it? It'll be the cigarette's fault."
The blonde snorted and looked away.
"Aw,what's wrong,Dei? You told me just the other day your car broke down,so I figured I'd give you a ride home."
"Not to mention the fact that you're avoiding Kakuzu and all." Deidara added snidely.
"Shut up! At least you got something out of it,blondie."
"Don't call me that." Dei snapped harshly.
"Okay,Dei."
Deidara shot him a murderous look. The meaning behind it was clear enough.
"Fine. Deidara." Hidan assented humorously.
Deidara's jaw clicked in finality,and he turned his attention to the streets,watching as buildings and trees flew past in bright flashes of color,only holding his interest for moments at a time. That was how things were meant to be,that was why fashion was such a big deal nowadays. A being or object should only be allowed enough attention to be acknowledged in the world,however briefly that acknowledgement may be. Trends came and went,most of them in explosions of colors and styles,and then went out of style a short time later,only to be reintroduced years or so later. That was art,but not in its truest form,according to Deidara. He preferred art that literally exploded,and so he created his own. Clay bombs that took the form of centipedes or birds and were highly,chemically unstable. He found joy in allowing them to erupt into colorful masterpieces in the night sky,and because most people thought they were just fireworks,he was not apprehended for his actions. He vaguely realized that he hadn't sculpted in days. Maybe he'd do that once he got home. That was,if danna didn't have…other plans for tonight. He let himself delve deeper in thought in an attempt to tune out any further comments made by the man whose head looked as if it were wrapped in aluminum foil.
Hidan gave his friend a sidelong glance,taking in the teen's slouched posture and obvious lack of attention. The teen was clad in faded black chinos and a T-Shirt with "Bite Me" displayed on the front,in bold red lettering. The shirt itself was black,and,much like the chinos,slightly faded but not in a way that suggested it was worn or old. His hair was tied up loosely and fell in cascading locks down his back,some of it draping over his shoulders. Despite his being blonde,this kid was actually pretty bright. From what Hidan knew,Deidara dabbled about in the Arts,especially in those such as sculpting and painting. However,sculpting had become a passion for him,and many paintings were lying about his house,unfinished or otherwise abandoned. Music was his weak point,though—his singing voice was dreadful and very much off-key. To top it all off,he was normally a very bright person,though he always snapped at Hidan simply out of habit. His very posture was a tell-tale sign of his weariness and overall inattentiveness. Hidan had been a senior when Deidara had entered High School as a freshman,and once he'd graduated,he and Deidara had still kept in touch and found ways to hang out together on weekends. He'd seen enough of the blonde's behavior to know what to look for.
"Got someone on your mind,eh?" he asked,wiggling his eyebrows suggestively as they rounded the corner.
"Well,it's certainly not you." Deidara retorted bitterly,briefly picturing an imaginary thought bubble popping feebly in the dark recesses of his mind. To him at the moment,it was the saddest sound in the world…
"Well you're being particularly nasty today. I hope you've got some Midol at home."
"As a matter of fact,I do,but it's not for me,it's for danna."
"Ouch. I'll be sure to tell him that next time I see him."
"You do that. It's your word against mine,after all. Haven't you realized by now that I've got him wrapped around my finger like this?" Dei crossed two of his fingers tightly together as a demonstration, "He might even castrate you if I ask nicely."
"Yeah,yeah,well…I…uh…" Deidara waited silently for his words to sink in. Hidan's pale skin appeared to have gotten even paler.
"But…but,of course…you wouldn't really do that,would you,Dei?"
Deidara flashed him a mischievous grin.
"D-Deidara?" the blonde did not reply.
Fifteen minutes passed unceremoniously,unless you counted the fact that Hidan had managed to keep quiet for more than ten minutes of said allotted time—(A major breakthrough! His parents would have been so proud…)—while the other five minutes were spent cursing and shouting insults in an hour's worth of traffic. Having never been the patient type,Hidan had instead driven over the concrete slab that divided the road according to the direction of traffic and made an illegal U-turn in the opposite direction—(Don't worry,there were no cops around at the time)—and used a back road instead. A few choice curse words and a few flattened trash cans later,the cab pulled in abruptly at Deidara's driveway. Sighing in mingled relief and exhaustion,he clambered out of the vehicle and met Hidan's expectant look.
"What?" Dei snapped.
"The fare?" Hidan inquired fervently.
Deidara gave him a blank stare. "The fare." He repeated dully. "You picked me up,supposedly as a favor,practically begged me to punch the crap out of you,and most nearly got me killed,and you want me…to pay you…money. For what,exactly? Because in case you'd forgotten,favors are supposed to be free."
"I showed up,didn't I? And you didn't even have to ask! That's worth something,right?"
"But—but…all I've got is a five!"
"That works for me!" the silver-haired man was beaming,his violet eyes ablaze with the defiance of a practiced mischief-maker.
"…You're unbelievable." Muttered the blonde,fishing out five dollars and shoving it into Hidan's outstretched hand. Grinning widely,Hidan gave a dismissing wave and backed out of the driveway. "Don't worry,blondie,I'll be there again tomorrow,same time!" shouted the zealot before speeding away.
"It's Deidara…" he muttered to no one in particular. Huffing irritably,he turned on his heels in the cobblestone driveway and started toward his house,jumping the three small steps that led to his door. Who really needed them,anyway? All they were really good for was tripping over when you were fumbling in the dark for your keys at night. Even during the day,the damned things were hazardous. Kouhé,Deidara's cousin,knew that from experience. He came around Thanksgiving each year to spend time with his distant relatives,that being Deidara and Deidara's older brother. Deidara had no parents,as they had both died at relatively the same time. His mother had died in a car crash,and his father,overcome with grief,had drunk himself to death,all while Deidara had been very young. Jer,his brother,was the closest thing he had to a father,and there were times when he was a pretty good mom,as well. He did motherly things—packed his lunches,nagged him about the importance of homework,knew exactly when and what he wanted to eat without him ever having to say anything in advance,knew his school schedule by heart…and this guy was,what,27? Deidara often wondered where he'd be without him.
Deidara had barely begun to paw through the contents of his backpack in search of his keys before the door opened for him. He only realized it had done so after fishing said keys out of his jeans pocket
"You could have said something,Jer!" grumbled the teen.
A taller boy with sandy brown hair streaked with black grinned in amusement.
"Where's the fun in that?" he asked. His voice always carried a hint of laughter,no matter how serious he was trying to be. He'd gotten in trouble numerous times in High School for that,as the teachers thought he was deliberately being rude. Then again,Jer was known to be a troublemaker when he felt inclined to be so,which meant that half of the teachers' accusations had probably been justified.
At age 27,Jer was tall and lean,with lanky legs that threw the rest of his body slightly out of proportion,but in a way that fit him and his personality. He towered over most people,with a height of around 6 feet or so,and was therefore deemed intimidating by those who didn't know him. Today,he wore baggy cargo jeans,a long-sleeved shirt with Jack Skellington's face printed on the front,while the shirt itself was black and gray striped with a hoodie attached. He had one lip piercing,a hoop that adorned his lower lip,and his hair was infamous for its inability to appear tidy,no matter how much jell he slicked into it. His eyes were almost cobalt with the help of contacts,but his true eye color was a murky slate blue color.
Deidara pushed his older brother playfully as he went past,receiving a light thump on the back of his head in response. Luckily,he had no homework left to do,and he was done with his job shift for today. Hopefully that meant he could drop by Sasori's house later. Jer never restricted Deidara's privilege to do so unless he had unfinished homework to attend to. He approved of his and Sasori's friendship more than any of the other friends Deidara had. His least favorite was probably Hidan,due to his bad influence on others,but he had learned,like many other people before him,to live with the infuriating little bastard,and occasionally even to enjoy his presence.
Sasori's house could wait,though,at least for a little while. Before anything else,Dei needed sweets and he needed them now. With Sasori being a health fanatic,it was unlikely that he'd find anything good at his house,but Jer…well,Jer was another story all together.
"So Jer,are you gonna tell me where your stash of sour gummy worms is,or am I gonna have to find it myself?"