A week had gone by when Chiyo visited and Sasori had no idea it would be so soon. Of course the first thing she said was, "So where is he?"

"Away on a trip," Sasori replied as he closed the door behind his grandmother. "He leaves every once and a while to do so."

Chiyo barked a laugh. "Seems typical of a performer. And leaving you stuck with the child."

Sasori's brow furrowed at the disdain in her words. "You don't seem very happy to be visiting. You didn't have to come."

"Ah, just trying to spend some time with you until I kick the bucket," Chiyo said as she waved him away. "But I would love some tea at the moment."

They both went to the kitchen where Naoki was laying on his blanket and gnawing on Deidara's shirt. Chiyo eyed the garment but said nothing. Sasori got the tea ready and they sat at the table, not speaking to one another.

"So you still plan on keeping him then? Even though this isn't what I meant when I said I wanted a great-grandchild?" Chiyo asked and Sasori was glad Deidara wasn't here or else there would be another shouting match between them.

"I'm just doing what you wanted of me."

Chiyo scoffed at that. "You've never done so before, so why now?"

"To fulfill your dying wish," Sasori replied. "I thought that once it was delivered that you would die."

Chiyo laughed at that. "What a cruel boy you are. You best hope that Deidara comes back or else this child will turn out as cynical as you."

"I don't see why he wouldn't," Sasori replied swiftly.

"We'll see," Chiyo said from behind her teacup and it sounded like a bet.

–

Sasori hadn't expected any visitors after his grandmother, but it was only three days later when an old friend came to see how he was doing. She was beyond excited to see him, but nearly began screaming when she saw Naoki in his arms.

"Oh, my goodness, Sasori, you have a baby!" She squealed like this was news to Sasori as well. "I had no idea that you were even in a relationship."

"I'm not, Konan, I got him out a deal." Naoki was holding onto Sasori's shirt and eyeing Konan wearily, probably from the noises she made.

The witch looked at him in amazement. "Really? Those are rare to come by, especially with how protective parents are nowadays."

Sasori quickly agreed and let her inside so they could catch up. "How was your trip?"

Then Konan gushed on for an hour on how many different countries she visited, her love affairs but how she stuck with one man, and then began to speak of him. Meanwhile, Naoki was improving his crawling skill and went to whatever perplexed him, but every once in a while, Sasori would hold him and make him stand in his lap. Naoki enjoyed that often and it didn't fail to please him that time either.

That caused Konan to stop her long-winded story to stare lovingly at Sasori and Naoki. "Aw, he's so cute. Naoki was his name, you said?" After Sasori nodded, Konan asked how he came by it. "Well, his parents chose it and Deidara was the one who stuck with it, so I did, too."

"Deidara? Who's that?"

Sasori groaned and it was his turn to complain about how his deal hadn't been as clean cut as previously stated. He began with how he first met Deidara, and continued on with how many shenanigans they had been in. Deidara begging to stay, then Sasori begging for Deidara to stay (but of course he downplayed that part), and how they finally got to where they were currently.

"Deidara is Naoki's primary caretaker, but since he's gone, Naoki has to deal with me." The child was sitting in his lap, sucking on his hands and Sasori took that as hunger. "Would you like to hold him as I make a bottle?"

"Of course," Konan cooed, her eyes glued on the child. Naoki was a bit reluctant to being held by someone else, but he settled down after a minute. As long as Sasori was in his field of view, he seemed fine with it.

They all went to the kitchen and continued to catch up, but Konan wanted more details on Deidara. "So," she drawled. "Have you made a move on him yet?"

Sasori didn't know why so many women were so intent on thinking that he and Deidara were a couple. Sure, he now liked the other warlock's presence, and he took care of Naoki, but Sasori didn't have any romantic feelings for him. If anything, he was a companion.

"Konan, you know that I don't do relationships," Sasori replied as he began putting together ingredients for Naoki's bottle.

"You just seem too scared to try," Konan retorted as she sat down, Naoki now in her lap.

"Or you could say I lack the interest, either way I don't want to be in a relationship, both romantic and..." he looked back at Konan to see her smirking. He rolled his eyes at that. "Yes, that kind of relationship, too."

Konan began to brush Naoki's curls. "Well, either way, Deidara sounds like a nice person to be around. Fun, if not."

"Annoying," Sasori supplied.

"Which is just another word for fun in your vocabulary," Konan teased. She then began gently squeezing Naoki's stomach in the form of tickles, causing the baby to squeal with laughter. "I bet Sasori thinks this is annoying, but it's fun, right, Naoki?"

Sasori rolled his eyes once more but he gave a small smile before turning back to the formula. A few minutes passed and it was ready for consumption. Konan offered to help feed Naoki and Sasori had no problem with that. The only issue that arose was when once Naoki finished his meal, he yawned and began rubbing at his eyes.

"We should put him down." He took Naoki and held him against his chest as they went back to the sitting room.

Konan spotted the crib and asked, "Where will he sleep later on?"

"That seems to be the main topic of conversation with a lot of people," Sasori said as he laid Naoki down, not even bothering to swaddle him. Naoki protested briefly, but once Sasori moved Deidara's shirt closer to him, Naoki calmed down nearly immediately.

Both Sasori and Konan went back to the kitchen to talk and Konan asked, "Why was there a dirty shirt in there with him?"

This caused Sasori to exhale slowly. "It's Deidara's shirt. That's the only way that Naoki gets to sleep mostly, but I don't know how long it'll smell like him."

Konan didn't say anything at first, but her cheeks were turning red. "That is adorable," she rasped and Sasori was just happy that she was keeping her voice down.

"I know you think it is but it's a huge pain in my ass. I'm supposed to take care of this kid for another month and a half, but he isn't too keen on letting me do that. It's really an understatement when I say that he's attached to Deidara."

Snorting, Konan said, "Of course, you made a deal that Deidara takes complete care of the kid, what did you expect?"

"I help out," Sasori argued but he knew that it was always Deidara who got up at night to take care of Naoki and the one who could calm him down in an instant.

The look on his face must have given him away because Konan was smirking at him again. "Okay, sure you do, but apparently Deidara did so more." After a moment, her smirk went away and she asked, "Where did he go anyway?"

"He never specified, just that he needed more supplies and wanted to see what other things are out there, perhaps pertaining to his entertaining. Fireworks," Sasori supplied quickly as Konan looked confused. "He also said he wanted a break and I don't blame him to be honest. He doesn't seem like the type to stay in one place for long. He's more of a wanderer."

"And yet you made him stay here," Konan accused playfully. "Trapped," she exclaimed dramatically.

Sasori shrugged. "I offered him a place to stay, and he took that offer."

Konan hummed and looked down at the table, smiling softly. "I wonder if he's rejected that offer now?"

He wanted to say no, but Sasori himself wasn't sure, so he let the comment slide.

–

More time passed and life continued on per usual. Sasori was nearly used taking care of Naoki while doing chores around the house as well as making potions and spells. Going into town wasn't that much of a problem anymore besides the fact that he didn't have the use of both of his arms. The thought of at least getting a cart entered his mind multiple times.

But in the meantime, he found a carpenter who had agreed to make an extra room for the house and had already drawn up plans and showed Sasori the estimates. Sasori would be owing the man for a few months but it would be payed off easily if work continued.

Sasori had also been buying more milk for Naoki as he didn't need to have formula all the time now. And even though it was a mess, Sasori fed him things like oatmeal and rice cereal. Naoki especially enjoyed splashing his food hard enough for it to splatter in Sasori's face.

The only problem that Sasori had encountered was when there weren't any more of Deidara's worn shirts. There were clean ones but they had been next to Sasori's long enough now that the smells blended together. It was a change for Naoki and in the beginning, it was hard to calm him down quickly, but Sasori managed to do it anyway.

To compensate, Sasori brought in those Summer flowers and placed them in a vase by Naoki's crib, and it was surprising how much Naoki was soothed by the smell. It wasn't the same by any means, but it was something.

Soon two months rolled around and Sasori expected Deidara to come back any day, but as more nights passed with no other visitors besides Konan and Chiyo, it was easy to suspect what happened.

Sasori liked to imagine different scenarios: Deidara had enjoyed his reborn freedom and wasn't coming back, even though he had a right to the child just as much as Sasori. Or Deidara assumed he had given the child back to his parents. Perhaps Deidara wasn't interested anymore and just decided to not come back.

Plenty of options came to Sasori, but they could only entertain his newfound feeling of loneliness so much. It was a feeling new to Sasori, but he pushed it aside as it served no good purpose to think about. But it was hard to push nothing away, especially when it was present in his bed.

–

One afternoon while Sasori worked in the garden with Naoki beside him, the baby underneath a parasol, he heard someone walking up the path in front of the house. It wasn't the usual hobble that signified Chiyo, nor the familiar light steps of Konan. Sasori stopped raking weeds out of the ground and picked Naoki up from his blanket incase it was someone unwanted.

It shouldn't have shocked Sasori to see Deidara walking on the path that led to the backyard, but it did. Any possibilities of Deidara coming back had left Sasori's mind and he didn't even realize that he was happy to see the warlock.

Deidara was grinning, but his eyes were locked on Naoki who was staring back at him, but clutching Sasori's shirt. "Hey, sorry I was gone longer than planned, un," Deidara said, glancing at Sasori before reaching for Naoki. At first, Naoki resisted, but it only took a minute for the baby to realize who was holding him. In no time, Naoki was giggling and holding onto anything of Deidara's. His cloak, hair, and he even reached up to grab his ear.

Deidara had laughed along with him and for some strange reason Sasori felt completely alienated. He didn't have that kind of relationship with Naoki, and Deidara didn't seem to enjoy his company like he enjoyed Naoki's. It was easy to feel like an outsider, but he had been one his whole life, so it shouldn't have been any different. But it was, and Sasori didn't know why he was so affected.

"Sheesh, you look upset to see me, un," Deidara commented as he placed Naoki on his hip.

Sasori shook his head so quickly that he could feel his hair brushing against his ears. "No, it's not that, I was just... you came back."

Deidara frowned, probably feeling insulted that he was accused of leaving. He looked lethal with Naoki in his arms, protective even. "Yeah, I said that as long as you kept Naoki I would be back, un. But you don't seem happy that I am."

It was now Sasori's turn to become angry. "You were gone for nearly three months, and you've never been wrong with your trips before. You hadn't even sent a message that you would be longer than previously stated."

Glowering at the logic, Deidara said, "Well, I'm back now, so you can calm down, un." Naoki's giggling and searching hands had stopped and that's when it became clear that there was tension. Deidara's countenance relaxed and he exhaled softly. "I'm tired from the trip, so I'll... go inside, un."

Sasori let Deidara take Naoki back inside and didn't even bother asking Deidara if he wanted any food, he just went to the kitchen to prepare something for the both of them. When Deidara came to see what Sasori was making, he tried to set Naoki down only for the baby to begin crying. Sasori saw Deidara smile softly at that before holding him close again.

"He's gotten so big, un," Deidara marveled, staring down at Naoki. "Can he crawl yet?"

Sasori nodded and turned back to the food. "Also pull himself to stand with the coffee table. It gets a little frightening when he tries to walk. He's likely to fall, so you have to watch him often."

"So adventurous," Deidara said as he stood next to Sasori. "You look older, too, un. I can count at least three more gray hairs, and your crows feet got deeper. Did you actually bust a gut and laugh for once in your life?"

That made Sasori crack a small smile, but he kept it hidden. "How old do you actually think I am, you brat?"

Deidara hummed obnoxiously against Naoki's forehead, causing the baby to giggle at the vibrations. "Well, when I first saw Chiyo I honestly thought she was some ex of yours because who else would visit a crotchety old man like you besides to take revenge for a broken love."

Sasori couldn't help but chuckle at that. "Hilarious, and when I first saw you falling through that window, I thought that you might be the firstborn that I would be taking."

"I'm the youngest in my family, so that wouldn't work, un," Deidara pointed out and it was just another realization that Sasori and Deidara barely knew each other.

"Well, I'm only twenty-seven, so I am not as old as you think."

"Oh," Deidara said softly, faking at being taken aback. "You must have an incredibly stressful life to look so old."

"And you must be only a few years old to have so much baby fat on your face."

"Why thank you, twenty-one is the new five, un."

Neither of them even realized that Sasori had stopped his chopping of fruits and their banter continued on until Naoki had fallen asleep and was woken up by Deidara laughing loudly from Sasori's jab at him.

They moved to the bedroom to let Naoki sleep on the bed for a bit, but neither of them moved from the bed, and even ended up laying on it with Naoki between them. They spoke to each other softly, mostly about Deidara's trip.

"I visited every major city in the country first, un," Deidara started, still staring at Naoki. "I saw what other people had to offer and enjoyed all the shows, became a spectator. I bought a few things in each city, both for you and Naoki, but most of it will be delivered here soon because I couldn't carry most of it, un."

"Dear lord, you're going to spoil him," Sasori said and Deidara shrugged with a look as if to say, "I can do what I want."

"I went to the next country, visited a few cities there but I was mainly there to see my family, un."

Sasori was nearly glad to hear more about Deidara, finally getting the opportunity to know him better.

"I haven't seen them in over five years, my parents and siblings, un. They were happy to see me, too." Deidara paused to glance at Sasori before going back to Naoki, brushing his fingers through his curls. "I told them about you and Naoki, and even though they wanted me to stay, I told them I would visit again soon." He then made full eye contact with Sasori. "I was going to ask if you wanted to meet them, un."

"Then ask," Sasori prompted.

Deidara nudged his shin in a small kick. "Do you want to visit my family soon, un?"

"I would have to clear my schedule, but a change would be nice." Sasori's eyes were drawn to Naoki as he twitched in his sleep but settled down again.

"Everything will still stay the same," Deidara retorted. "Like always, you'll bitch and moan about something stupid and I'll be there to save the day, un." He then looked down at Naoki again. "And he'll be there to lighten the mood because that's all he can do, un."

Sasori would say that his and Deidara's roles should be switched, but he was just content on having Deidara back, as the balance was finally fixed. With all of them on the bed, he didn't feel so lonely and he fell asleep as easily as Naoki when he was near Deidara.

–

Their trip was settled in about a week, with Konan watching the house and overseeing the construction for Naoki's bedroom. Both she and Deidara got along better than Sasori ever did with her, but he didn't take it to heart as Deidara had that effect on people. Sasori was a prime example of that.

Chiyo was told about their traveling agenda, but the old woman mostly wanted to know when they would be back. "My only family is leaving for relatives that aren't even his." Deidara had tried to ignore her, but Sasori could sense he was irritated.

And for the trip, Sasori had taken Deidara's advice and rented a mule and small cart that would hold their things as they traveled. On the last day of getting ready, Naoki was overly alert, as if he clearly knew something was important was happening. Sasori was the one holding him at the moment as Deidara was talking to some people from the post who had a few of the packages he had ordered.

As soon as Deidara and Konan had brought everything in, Deidara took Naoki and Sasori went to load the cart. The act got him thinking about what Chiyo had said when he told her about the trip without Deidara present.

"Are the two of you finally in a relationship?"

"No," Sasori said and he had to stop himself from saying that he was just with Deidara to raise Naoki, because it wasn't about that anymore. Deidara was his companion and partner in raising Naoki, but there was no romance, no lust. Sasori was unsure of what Deidara felt for romance, but Sasori never seemed to experience it even when he tried. If he had to describe their relationship with love it would have to be with philia. They merely had a deep friendship, but Sasori couldn't just call it mere.

So he left the topic to stand for his grandmother to ponder. But he couldn't contemplate it any long either as Deidara came around with Naoki.

"All done, un?"

Sasori felt Deidara standing next to him, their arms touching and he nodded, placing the last bag into the cart. Naoki was staring at the mule nearby in wonderment.

"You know, when we first met, you were an asshole and never missed a chance at mocking me–"

"As you still do to me," Sasori stated and Deidara agreed, before continuing.

"But you're much more quiet now, un. Almost more reserved."

"That's how you know he likes you," Konan said as she walked up to them. "He lets you speak and doesn't take every moment to make a fool of you."

"Did the two of you just become friends to gang up on me?" Sasori inquired as he leaned against the cart. They would be leaving any minute now.

"Of course not, if that were the case we would have found each other much sooner." Konan came on the other side of Deidara and gave him a half hug. "Make sure to have a safe trip?"

"That's no fun, un," Deidara countered. "Safe is more along my man's stream." Deidara nudged Sasori softly at that, bringing a smile out of Sasori. "I ride the river of danger."

"Not with him your little man, you're not," Konan cooed at Naoki who finally turned his attention to Konan's cobalt hair.

"For him, I'll be safe, un."

After their conversation ended, Sasori got the mule ready and hooked up to the cart. Deidara made sure to have Naoki's things nearby in the cart in case of emergency snack time, but besides getting extra food and diapers ready, they were all set to go. They rode away from the house where Konan was waving and even Sasori took a glance back at it.

"It'll be different when we come back, un," Deidara commented lightly.

"But it'll still be there, which is what matters."

Naoki was already giggling from the rocking of the cart even though he was secure in Deidara's lap. "Like us, I suppose. We'll stay together, even as we change."

Sasori enjoyed hearing "we" from Deidara and he said, "I couldn't agree more."

Deidara then scooted closer to Sasori so their legs were touching before he leaned into him. For Sasori, he hoped they stayed like that with little change.

The End