Winters Magic

"…Must be freezing."

The sparkling snow stuck in golden tresses, the world blindingly white around us. The shy looking boy sitting at the bus stop seemed to be the only thing visible. Snow fell gently from him as he turned his head. He smiled softly at me.

"No, I'm fine." His blue eyes shined, standing out against the light blonde hair and the pure, clean snow that continue to fall around us. He kept smiling. Anyone else would have thought his answer was sincere, but I could see it. My family is trained to be alert to everything. Despite the lonely blonde's unwavering smile, I could see the sharp, unceasing convulses of his body.

I sighed quietly. I think he was determined to freeze to death out here… I won't allow that.

"Don't lie," I said, stretching out my hand to him. His Smiled disappeared as he stared at my hand. He looked hurt.

"I'm…I'm waiting," he said quietly, his voice soft. He looked away, desperately trying to close himself off from me. I could see how hurt he was. He stared down silently at the snow. I knew there was something more to this than he said.

"How long have you been waiting here?" I asked. His eyes widened and he jumped. His expression melted completely and the hurt was even more visible. I'd never been able to handle people who were sad, and I'd had enough as soon as I saw the tears in his eyes. With a sigh, I sat beside this freezing, blonde creature, wrapping my arm around him gently. The still boy gasped and glanced over at me, slightly tinted red.

"…I knew it, you're cold. I can feel it." I got up, grabbing his arm and pulling him with me. I gave him a look quickly to silence any objections he had. He followed quietly as I walked him to a small, enclosed alleyway. As soon as I'd dragged him around the corner, I pulled him tightly against me, holding him close.

In different circumstances, I wouldn't do something like this to someone I just met. I would have just taken them to my house to warm up. But this time, two things were in play that most circumstances didn't hold. One being I could see how terribly freezing this boy was, and I knew he'd been there for hours.

Two was…this shy boy was such a beautiful stranger. It was the beautiful hair, the shining golden colour it held, and his bright blue eyes, as rare as a blue moon. It was his soft smile on such beautiful pale lips and the light pink dusted upon his tan skin from the cold. Even if this one meeting was our only one, I would at least be able to get this close to him.

He tensed in my warm embrace, shaking harder than he had been before. But to my amazement, his body stilled and he nestled his head into my neck and wrapped his arms loosely around me as well. I held him tighter, smiling at this young boy's reaction.

"I'm Itachi Uchiha…thought you'd want to know," I said. He shook slightly with laughter.

"Deidara…" he said softly against my skin. I kept holding him there until his shivering ceased. With him warmer now, I grabbed his arm again and walked him back to my warm home. He stayed quiet the whole way, but the smile he held never faded.

I tried to stay quiet when I walked in, knowing how my family would react to this stranger.

"Hey, who's that?" my little brother popped out of nowhere, startling the boy at my side. I glanced over at the small raven, the curiosity in his eyes apparent.

"Deidara. He was freezing outside," I said dully.

"Oh." He jumped over to Deidara. "Hi. I'm Sasuke. Nice to meet you." My younger sibling smiled and took Deidara's hand. I smiled at the younger boys behaviour, and the gentle smile on the blonde's lips. "'Tachi, mom and dad are out for a bit, and I have friends over, so you're kinda in charge."

"You can take care of yourself, you're fourteen."

My younger sibling rolled his eyes. "I meant the house." He smiled. A sudden yell from the kitchen interrupted us and signaled the approach of our young cousin.

"Sasuke! Naruto took my Shogi piece off the board and won't give it back!" the youngest Uchiha boy pouted. Sasuke sighed and left with the boy, mumbling his way back to the kitchen.

I looked over at Deidara who was laughing at my families antics. "Yeah, my family's weird. Let's go to my room." I took him upstairs to my room and at him down to brush the snow out of his hair. He was quiet, his mind was obviously somewhere else. I had something I wanted to know, however.

"How long were you waiting out there?"

He tensed and looked down at the floor. That's obviously a touchy subject. How can I get this beautiful blonde to open up?

"… See those?" I pointed to a shelf on the wall covered with small, glass figurines. Deidara nodded, staring at the shiny glass pieces on the shelf. "I collect those. I like looking at them. And I put that shelf just so, so that if I open my curtain at night, the moonlight hits them directly."

"Really?" he asked, his expression bright. I nodded and he shied away a little again, but kept his bright smile. "Maybe…I could stay and see that…" I looked at him with a smile. He unintentionally confessed that he felt a connection to me. Whether or not it was as strong as I felt was still waiting.

"Maybe, but weren't you waiting for something?"

He closed completely. I was too excited, I should've known it wasn't time yet. He mumbled a quiet "yeah," and kept staring down at the floor. Now what?

I got up and took one of the fragile figurines off the shelf and went back to sit next to Deidara.

"This is one of my favourites." I handed him the small glass lion, painted with gold mane, the mane being the only thing coloured. "It shows courage and bravery. Lions also have beautiful golden mane."

Deidara smiled, sliding his finger over the golden mane of the lion. "Just like me…" He looked up at me with sparkling eyes. For a moment I was lost in deep blue pools, still coated with shyness, but sparkling with joy. He truly was a beautiful person.

"'Tachi, mom said if aren't back by five, I should make dinner. So, what do you want?"

I almost glared at him but I stopped myself. It wasn't his fault, he was just thinking of hid older brother. I sighed and took the lion from Deidara to put back on the shelf. "You can make what you want," I told him.

"Okay, curry then?"

"Oh." I turned to the blushing source of the noise. Deidara smiled shyly and looked away from us. My sibling and I both smiled.

"I guess I'm making curry. I'll come back when it's done."

Once my brother left I turned to the blonde with a smile.

"…I really like curry," he said shyly. I smiled wider and sat next to him again. He glanced at the window and back up at the shelf of fragile pieces.

"We have to wait. It's not time yet," I said. He nodded, his gaze never leaving the shelf. I couldn't tell at this point if he was just curiously staring or avoiding looking at me.

I had to find a way to make him feel comfortable, to stop shying away and talk to me. There was something on his mind, I could see it in his expression.

"What's the weasel for?" he asked, jolting me out of my thoughts.

"What weasel?"

"That one, the stuffed weasel."

"Oh. My little brother gave me that."

"Aw, your brother must love you." He smiled at the plush animal sitting on my dresser.

"It was a joke," I said.

"What?" He looked to me.

"The weasel, he got it as a joke. You know. Itachi…weasel."

He giggled at that. "Yeah but still. At least he was thinking of you." He must always find the love in everything. With that said, he brought his feet up to rest on the frame of my bed and hugged his knees to his chest. He was still closing himself off, but he was getting comfortable. "You're room is nice."

I smiled. "It's just a room."

"But it's your room. I may not know you, but I can tell you've made sure this room wouldn't be home for anyone but you." He looked at things in behavioural ways too.

"What's your room like then?" I asked. He brightened a bit.

"Heh. You can tell an artist lives in it."

"Really?" I scooted a little closer to him. "You're an artist?"

That completely lit him up. "Yeah. I love art, but I see it differently. I think that true, beautiful art is fleeting. Here for a moment, and gone in an instant."

"Like a mysterious stranger I almost left outside?" He smiled at me.

"Shut up. Besides, I'm not gone. I never left…but I guess that isn't true art, is it? Me staying here is." His expression fell as he finished. Would he tell me this time?

"Why do you say that?"

His eyes darkened and he was quiet. "…Apparently true art is everlasting, existing forever. Eternal beauty…at least that's what Dana thinks…"

"Dana?"

He sighed before continuing. "Sasori Dana. He's…my best friend. We've never agreed on artistic views. It wasn't ever a problem for us, though, we just agreed that our different views made us unique." He stopped, staring down sadly at the floor.

"…So? Why does he make you sad? If it's not the art views."

"How do you know he does?" he asked, looking at me somewhat nervous. I gave him a sideways smile and he looked away in understanding. He fell quiet again. I sat closer to him, practically shoulder to shoulder, and brushed his hair away from his face.

"You can tell me. Who am I gonna tell?" I spoke softly, hoping to comfort him.

He sighed and hid his face in his arms, hugging his knees tighter against his chest. He looked like he was hiding again. Maybe he never would tell me. Maybe he was always shy like this.

"He was supposed to be out there today…" he spoke softly, just below whispering. He lifted his head and continued. "He said we were supposed to go to the city his family lives in for Christmas. I don't have my own family, I live by myself. So he wanted me to have the full effect of a family Christmas, I'd meet his family, get my own presents and have good food to eat. He told me it would be a lot of fun and I'd enjoy it. So we agreed that I would sit on that bench at one o'clock and he would come get me… So I waited…three hours…" By then Deidara was crying. I didn't know if he could finish the story, but he continued. "Then…then you came and found me…if you hadn't I…I probably would've frozen, I wouldn't go home."

Deidara hid his face in his hands, mostly because he was upset, but I think it was a little because he was also embarrassed. I felt how hurt he was, Christmas was two days away and he was left out in the cold for three hours by his best friend. That had to hurt bad. I leaned closer to the poor blonde who threw his heart-tearing story at me and wrapped my arms tightly around him. I rubbed his arm gently and closed my eyes, just listening to his sad sounds. To my surprise, he took his hands away from his tear soaked face and held onto my arm.

I let him cry until he had run out of tears. We sat in silence and I cleaned the tears and makeup off his soft skin. Once I was done, he grabbed my hand and held it against his cheek. Somehow I managed to get this shy boy to not only open up his thoughts to me, but his heart too.

I suddenly remembered my brother was supposed to come back up when he was done cooking. It would be awkward if he walked into an emotional cuddle session between his older brother and a random stranger. I slowly pulled away from him so he didn't think I was just trying to leave him. I got up and walked over to my dresser, snatching the soft toy weasel off of it and returning to my spot next to the now confused blonde.

"Sorry. Here, have a weasel." He smiled and took the toy. "I just don't want my brother to come back up and…" I trailed off, hoping he understood.

"Oh." He blushed and quickly wiped his eyes with his sleeve. When he was sure he was clean enough, he hugged the plush toy to his chest. I smiled at him now. Still shy.

Right on cue, my brother opened the door. "Hey. Whoa, Deidara are you okay?" he asked, his expression deeply concerned. Deidara smiled and nodded. My brother didn't accept that. He came and kneeled in front of the blonde boy. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just had a long day…" Deidara answered.

"Hmm… You know what would make you feel better?" He looked over to me and started to pull Deidara to his feet, which I helped him do. "Some nice curry. C'mon." My brother and I walked Deidara downstairs to the kitchen where Naruto and our cousin were already waiting at the table. I sat next to Deidara, who sat at the end of the table, with my cousin on the other side. Sasuke, of course, was the one to introduce the table.

"Deidara, this is my friend Naruto and that is mine and Itachi's cousin, Dame."

"You can call me Greed-Ling, though," the youngest Uchiha said, glaring at Sasuke for calling him by his real name.

"Right. Guys, this is Deidara." Deidara waved shyly at the two boys while Sasuke passed a plate out to everyone.

"So, not to sound rude, but what are you doing here?" Naruto asked. Sasuke smacked him and was about to yell at him until Deidara interrupted.

"I was outside and I didn't really have a place to go, so Itachi brought me here," he said.

"Oh. Makes sense, Itachi's always helping people." I shot the loud mouth a look and he shrugged.

"You shouldn't be embarrassed about being nice," my brother said.

"I'm not embarrassed…" I mumbled. Deidara was listening to us and eating his curry quietly, trying to not draw attention to himself.

"Deidara, where are you from?" my little cousin asked. Deidara looked over at him.

"Um, around here. Kind of on the other side of town," he answered.

"Oh, okay."

"Technically, we're in a big city, not a town. And you go to the other school, right?" Sasuke asked. Deidara nodded. "See that's why we don't know him."

"Well duh," Greed muttered. Deidara smiled, then looked at me and laughed.

"Hey, Sasuke, why don't you tell Itachi how many times I beat you at Shogi today," Greed said, smiling. Sasuke glared at him. This was payback for saying his real name.

"I thought you always beat him," I said.

"Shut up!" Sasuke whined. Everyone laughed at the young raven.

"Ow!" Everyone turned to Deidara who immediately dropped his chopsticks and covered his mouth. He blushed deeply.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"Yeah, I just bit my mouth…" He laughed, despite how embarrassed he was. "Sorry, accident prone."

It's okay, he is too." Sasuke pointed at Greed, who glared at him.

"Shush."

Deidara seemed to be enjoying himself. He laughed at the crazy antics of my family friend of the family. I was glad everyone was getting along so well. Once we had finished eating, Deidara convinced me to stay and watch a round of go between the two younger Uchihas. It was a long game, but I expected it to be.

"How do they know when they're winning?" Deidara whispered to me.

"When Sasuke quits," I whispered back.

"Shh! Sasuke glared at me. Deidara giggled and watched quietly from then on. We sat watching the master movements they both made. My brother and cousin were really good; very skilled. They played a lot and, despite my teasing, Sasuke won a few games against him already. He can win against me quit often too.

"I win," my red haired cousin announced.

"Damn it! Really?!" Sasuke yelled. Deidara laughed at him.

"Do you think you could show me how to play some time?" Deidara asked.

"Yeah sure. We could play right now if you want," Sasuke offered. Deidara shook his head.

"No, I wanna relax for a bit before I go home." He gently took my arm and started toward the stairs, waving to the two other Uchiha boys and Naruto. We walked back to my room and the not-as-shy blonde immediately threw himself on my bed and stretched out across it. I stared at him, smiling.

"Your bed is comfortable."

"I know." He grabbed the weasel again and curled his body around it. I laughed and went to sit by him on the bed. "Lost your shyness, Deidara?"

"Yes," he said softly, rubbing hid face against the plush toy like a cat.

"You're silly."

"Maybe. Can I stay here for tonight I don't really want to go home…" he said. I smiled and gently stroked his head, hoping he'd understand. Considering the calm expression on his face as he closed his eyes and sighed happily, he understood. "Hey, is it time yet?" he asked impatiently.

"Not yet, just a little longer."

He pouted and rolled on his back, squeezing the soft weasel to his chest. With his shyness gone, he was completely adorable, like a young child, especially with the toy held against him. His golden hair framed his body, sparkling blue eyes looked up to me cutely through his bangs. I was hypnotized by those eyes. Lost within him, seeing his soul, his thoughts, his high emotion. The happiness his eyes held shimmering like the moon. I was so mesmerized by him I didn't realize I had over him and was staring into his deep, blue irises.

"Itachi…" Deidara breathed softly. I snapped back to reality and realized my closer position. I moved to get up, but the blue-eyed blonde grabbed my arm. "…do I need to know something?" he asked, his voice soft and quiet. I couldn't think of anything to say. I didn't know if I should just tell him or make an excuse. If he didn't feel the same way, then this may not go so well. But if he did, how would I know?

So, I took a chance. I leaned down further, slowly pressing my lips against his soft ones. As soon as I was pressed against his awaiting mouth, the boy beneath me completely melted, His immediate moan signaled his affection, and at the same time broke me down, cutting through to make my heart ache and jump with so many emotions. I drank up every moan he sounded, drowned in every tempting arch his body made. I slowly pulled away from him to let the blonde beauty sit up. As soon as he sat up, he quickly turned toward me and captured my lips again. He was so wonderful, so breathtaking and delicious. I wrapped my arms tightly around his waist and pulled the younger boy up onto my lap.

Deidara moaned, allowing me to slide my tongue inside his moist cavern. I rubbed his sides gently before sliding my hands down to his hips. His sweet sounds became louder, destroying all my senses. At that moment, I realized what time it was. I slid my hands up to his back and laid him back on the bed. I reached up for the curtain, pulling away from the delectable blonde. I quickly threw open the curtain and sat back, letting the moonlight flood the room. The boy beneath me wasn't effected yet, but once I got up and turned the light off, he came back to the real world to see how wonderful it could be.

His face was filled with wonder, his eyes lost in the magic, as I sat down beside him. He reached out and laid his hand on my leg, hid eyes never straying from the bright, shimmering figurines casting spells of light on the walls. I grabbed his wrist and held him against me.

"Isn't It magical?" I whispered softly in his ear. He nodded, leaning his head against my shoulder. This was something I could definitely get used to… "Deidara?"

"Hmm?"

"Will you always stay with me?"

The blonde smiled and hugged me tightly. I promise I will…" That was good enough for me.

Yay! Finished my first story of my OTP. ^^ This is a Christmas present for my own sweet Itachi. (even though it's late)

Merry Christmas, my Kensei-sama!