Honestly, I couldn't sleep.

Not that I didn't want to. It was just . . .

Okay. I didn't. Not when he was by me.

I was sitting cross-legged next to him, the other completely unaware that I was mere inches from him.

Deidara looked so calm and at peace when he was asleep. Almost child-like. Well . . . Technically he was still a child. I doubt he was older than eighteen. It didn't matter.

There were no imperfections with him. Not even his short temper. It all added character, it added interest.

I looked at the clock. One-thirteen in the morning. I thought I had been in this room for hours, when in reality, it was seventeen minutes. Time ticked slower than I last remembered. I knew I wouldn't be able to leave if I didn't do this.

"Deidara-Sempai?"

I stood up in a heartbeat, knowing he would find it odd I was so close to him. He didn't reply, and then I had to say, in a staccato manner, "Sempai, are you awake?"

I held my breath for a moment, backing up even further when he shifted into a more comfortable position. The walls resounded with his detached voice.

"No."

I gave a slight frown.

"Oh. Well, Sempai, you need to wake up–"

Deidara cut me off with a glare. "Tobi, that was sarcasm, un."

I adverted my gaze from him— not like he could tell. My earlier, less intelligent words were still fresh in my mind, an unsavory feeling on my tongue.

I had nothing else to say. "Oh." I had an afterthought, one about the mission that I planned today. "Wait. Sempai, I forgot to mention, we have a mission today so—"

He cut me off again, this time opening his mouth to speak. "So you woke me up at one-fifteen A.M." He had also glanced at the clock.

Time was much too slow.

"Yeah."He gave a disappointed look. "You're one messed-up person, un."

Indeed I was.

Deidara sighed and gave a short signal of my dismissal. I took the hint and exited the room, happy to be free of that siren. His looks were the deadly song that would send me over the edge, and I wasn't about to be fooled.

- - -

I wasn't about to let Deidara take a glimpse at what I was really hiding. I paced myself many yards away from the blonde, fake heaving and gasps giving myself the true effect of useless.

"Tobi!" I heard Deidara yell at me. Whatever else he said I chose to ignore.

"Coming, Sempai," I said, just loud enough for him to frown at and turn back around. He had closed his eyes and shook his head at me.

Now was the perfect time to sprint ahead. I easily caught up to him in a quick, undetectable manner. I was in front of him, and Deidara was awkwardly staring at me.

"How did you . . ."

"How did I what?" I asked in a smartass remark. I saw him twinge with a bit a hatred toward me.

"Jackass."

I thought back to earlier this morning, and gave an inward sigh. "Sempai, when can we rest?"

"You asked that ten minutes ago, un," he said flatly. However, he looked to the setting sun, gave an almost-visible smirk, and said, "On second thought, un, it'd be better to wait until dawn to continue."

I cried out in a bit of surprise and shock. I didn't expect he'd agree.

"Really?" I said, more than a little anxiety in my voice.

"No, un," he said.

I had to frown at this, but he continued.

"I'm just going to tease you, because you're cute. You idiot!" I got lightly smacked over the head.

I had no comment for the truth.
"Whatever, un. Let's ... Let's just find a secluded area to rest." His voice was acrid and detached.
Something told me I would make a stupid decision later tonight. I agreed.

- - -

"What are you doing, Deidara-Sempai?" I had been keeping my gaze on the boy, who was occupying himself with untangling his hair. He was ignoring the fact I was there, and continued to run his fingers through, frowning at every knot he came to.

Without even thinking I calmly strode over and began to help him, lightly picking and the tangles and brushing out the dirt. Deidara hadn't noticed me until maybe three minutes later, when our hands touched.

"Tobi."

I was barely in my own mind. "Hmm?"

"What the hell are you doing."

His voice was icy and calm. I felt as if I was struck across the face with reality.

"Uh."

What was I doing?

"'Uh.'?" he repeated, the sting in his tone fading.

I sheepishly let go of his hair, and put distance between him and myself.

- - -

"Tobi? Why haven't I seen your face before, un?"

Deidara was busying himself molding a clay spider, making it's spindly legs writhe and twist to his desire.

Everything he did was a drug to me.

"Because," I started to say, then shut my mouth. Was I about to tell him? Was it really that easy for him to manipulate me like he was doing to the clay in his palm? I re-fixed my mask to look at him clearly.

"Because . . . ?" He asked, his visible eye slitted in annoyance and curiosity.

"Because it's a secret," I half-lied.
"Can't you give me a straight answer, un?" Deidara cried in frustration.

"Depends. Can I ask you a question?" I shot back.

"You already did, un."

Touche, Deidara.

"What is it?"

I didn't remember what I was really going to ask him, so I blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

"Can I play with your hair again?"

Oh, shit. Wrong move. Very wrong move. I expected to be mauled with that spider that was dangerously poised in his cupped hands, but instead, he parted his lips and uttered a single word.

"Sure..."

Had I heard correctly? Did he really say that? I crawled over to sit behind him, unsure of what had reached my ears. 'Sure'? I guess he wasn't thinking clearly, it was night after all. Or maybe he didn't mind it. Whatever the reason, he didn't protest to my hands touching any part of his body– for now. He was a drug.

And I was addicted.