Sakura glared at her reflection in the mirror. She had told Deidara that she had to pee, that it was an absolute emergency. But she didn't have to pee. She had to get the garbage that was rotting away in her stomach out, and now. Deidara had forced a Big Mac with large fries down her throat. She had begged and begged to let her get a diet coke, and when she said she simply liked the taste better he gave her a look. In the end she sucked down the chemical filled drink with sheer joy and happiness. At least I won one battle...
She could feel the grease swimming in her stomach, and she lifted up her dress to examine her bloated stomach. Sakura sighed. She was hardly used to eating at all, let alone this kind of food. She turned to the toilet, slumped over, stuck a finger down her throat and vomited. She had become a pro by now, and emptied her stomach with ease. She flushed, washed her hands, rinsed her mouth with some water and popped in a piece of gum. Deidara would never know.
Sakura waltzed back to their table with a small smile on her face. Deidara was sitting alone, playing with his phone, his eyebrows knitting furiously.
"What are you doing?" Sakura asked, trying to peer over his shoulder to see what was making him so frustrated. Deidara snapped his phone shut with a grin.
"Nothing, yeah. You all done? Or do you want seconds?" His smile cut ear to ear while Sakura rolled her eyes.
"Hardly. What are you doing for the rest of the day?" She waved for him to follow her out the door and on the street. Deidara followed, opening the door for her.
"You, yeah." He spoke with ease. Sakura freezed.
"E-excuse me?"
The two froze. Deidara erupted in uncontrollable laughter while Sakura stood, shocked and horrified. What a pervert!
"Sorry, sorry, yeah! I meant you as in your sculpture. Don't worry I don't want to... uh... Molest you, yeah." Deidara's laughter died as he saw Sakura still frozen, a small pout on her face. He patted her back gently. "Unless you want me to or something, yeah." Sakura realized the kind of face she was making and drew her lips out to form a thin, tight line.
"Let's just go back to your place and see how the sculpture is doing." She spoke clearly and slowly. Deidara sighed and took hold of Sakura's hand, leading the two in the direction of his apartment.
"But my car is back by the gallery..."
"Sakura. If you park your car in my neighborhood you will never see it ever again. Ever, yeah. We will walk. I will walk you back to your car, yeah, ok?" Sakura weighed her options and decided to walk with Deidara. She noted how he continued holding her hand all the way down the street, crossing the intersections, and along every street until they got to his house.
She also noticed how his hair seemed so damn soft and silky compared to her own. And how his hands were so strong yet smooth yet calloused from constantly working with them between painting and sculpting and working around the house. Sakura wondered how many other girls had felt his hand in theirs, playfully pulling her along until they reached their ultimate destination: his house.
"Why didn't you eat today, yeah?" Deidara asked suddenly. Sakura was thrown off by his question.
"I did eat." She answered shortly.
"I know you didn't eat, Sakura." He continued. How did he know? "Don't take this the wrong way, but you do appear to be very thin. Do you eat enough, yeah? Are you sick?" Sakura felt her anger swell.
"I'm not thin. And I do eat more than enough, thank you. I am not sick. I'm fine! I'm just not hungry a lot and I get full really easily... I just have a small stomach and fast metabolism is all." Sakura had spoken these lies time and time again.
"I'm going to be totally honest with you, Sakura, yeah? I had a friend who was a lot like you. Strong willed, determined, intelligent, beautiful and got stressed out very easily-"
"I do not get stressed out easi-"
"Let me finish, yeah. She also had a lot of issues with food. For months she hardly ate or threw up," He shot her a knowing glance. "and she lost a lot of weight. And she pretended she was absolutely fine. Do you know what happened to her, yeah?"
Sakura sighed. "What happened to her?"
"She ended up in the hospital and almost died, yeah. She could hardly fucking walk by the time they put her in extreme care. It was terrible and it was hard as fuck to watch her go through that. So can you promise me something, yeah?"
"What."
"Can you please try to eat? Please, yeah? I don't want you, or anyone, to end up like she did."
Sakura was quiet. She could feel the tears beginning to well up in her eyes. How could Deidara notice when no one else had?
"O—okay." She spoke quietly.
"Are you crying, yeah?" Deidara tilted her chin up, looking into her eyes.
"No!" She proclaimed, beginning to bawl her eyes out. Deidara chuckled and picked her up again, carrying her to his room.
"You don't have to cry, Sakura, yeah. Just help me help you. Do you want tea or coffee or something?" Sakura nodded her head. "A cigarette?" Sakura shook her head yes. Deidara smiled, handing her a stick and a lighter.
"You're something else, yeah." Deidara spoke, sitting down next to the girl laying beside him. She took a drag and he lit up a cigarette for himself. "Just relax and lay back, yeah." He did as she did and laid back on his bed. He saw her shiver and placed a warm, wool blanket over her body. Sakura smiled in response. "Thanks." She croaked finally, turning on to her left side, a trick she had learned a long time ago in order to 'aid digestion'. Sakura was never entirely sure if laying this way actually did help all the minimal shit she put into her body leave her system any quicker, but it had soon become a habit.
Sakura took a deep breath, remembering why exactly she had come here, yet again.
"Well, where is it?" She spoke, clearing her throat and emitting one last defeated sniffle. Deidara pointed to his room yet again.
"My room, yeah. I pretty much have your hair and face down. Now I just to start working on your body." He began, giving the pinkette a quick glance-over. "Why don't you just relax for a bit, yeah? You are clearly a bit... er... stressed out today."
Sakura puffed her cheeks out ever so slightly. Relaxing was not a word found in her vocabulary, nor did she believe in it. Hard work was what got her in the position she was in, why would she shift into a lower gear or pump the breaks now? Working harder would just produce a better life for her and her loved ones. Not that she currently had any loved ones left.
Deidara plopped down next to the petite form resting on his bed, his hands working along Sakura's tight neck and shoulders.
"Fuck, you're tight." He groaned.
"Uh, excuse me?" Her head spun to face his own, a scowl on her face. Deidara smirked.
"Your neck and shoulders are tight, yeah. Relax. I'll be keeping my hands up here, princess." Deidara laughed to himself as Sakura grumbled something about hell-yeah-I'm-a-princess-and-don't-you-forget-it. His hands untangled the knots formed over years and years of perfection and late nights, of skipping meals to finish that deadline and fake smiles plastered for the sake of the customers.
"Why do you try so hard?" Another knot came undone under his firm hands.
"What do you mean?" Sakura's lids had begun to feel very heavy as she felt a familiar soreness in her throat.
"To be such a people pleaser. Why do you work so hard? Why do you try so hard to be the spitting image of perfection, yeah?"
"Because I have to be." She answered simply. Deidara frowned.
He placed a light kiss on the top of her head. Sakura drifted off into a dreamland, though her nearly-sleeping heart couldn't help but flutter at the feel of Deidara's soft lips on her face.
/
Deidara's fingers untwined from her soft, pink locks when he heard her breathing turn slow and even. He sighed, eyeing her up and down.
"Idiot. You need to give yourself a break, yeah." He whispered to himself, tucking her petite body into the blanket once again, being careful to avoid her chest and ass. He didn't need her to wake up and kick his ass, which he was pretty sure she could.
The blonde turned towards his clay blob, which currently consisted of a beautiful face set upon a five-foot clump of clay. He closed his eyes as he approached where the sculpture's neck and shoulders would appear, remember the delicate feel of Sakura's bones and muscles beneath his rough, undeserving hands.
Deidara lit another cigarette and got to work.
/
"She's fucked up, yeah." Deidara said, downing another shot with ease. His partner downed his in record time as well, placing the miniature glass down gently in front of himself before pouring them both another round.
"I could have told you that." Sasori mumbled, screwing the cap loosely back on the handle of rum. "It doesn't take an idiot to notice a few cracks in a foundation. Just someone who isn't entirely self-absorbed."
Deidara sighed before arching his head back, eyes now on the ceiling. Why was he also so drawn to trouble? As if drinking, drugs and smoking weren't bad enough, Sakura had to be thrown into the picture as well. Those fucking eyes could lead him anywhere.
"You were right, yeah. She needs to get laid."
"So fuck her. It would probably make my job a lot easier, too." Sasori shrugged, never a man of complications or complexities. Sasori generally did what he pleased, so long the end justifies the mean. Screwing three women at the same time? No biggie as long as he used protection and didn't lead them on or give them false hope. Drink during the day? Who cares, as long as the rent is paid. Deidara could hardly imagine Sasori understanding the situation at hand.
"But she needs a therapist more, yeah."
"You are capable of listening and fucking at the same time, Deidara. It isn't all that difficult, you can handle it."
Deidara snorted. Fucking Sasori.
"Look," Sasori began, finishing the shot in front of him. "If you don't do it, I will. I have plenty of opportunities to work my charm on her, trust me. We have plenty of meetings regarding my sculptures, and she obviously finds me pretty talented. She knows I have quite a decent amount of money. It will be easy."
Sasori got up, slinging his jacket over his shoulder. He left a wad of bills on the bar table in front of him. Deidara finished the shot in front of him, filling another one up for himself. He stared towards Sasori, a neutral look on his face.
"So do it," He smirked at the blonde. "before I do."
He began waltzing towards the door, phone in hand.
"And you know I will."
Deidara saw the red head open his flip phone with a click. Sasori grinned at him while answering.
"Hello, Sakura..." He breathed, opening the door into the crisp, cool night air in front of him.
/