As the night drew to a close, Deidara sighed with relief. He had made it through the night without any major incidents and no texts from Hidan. Deidara had a slight feeling that Hidan was also in some kind of relationship with the raven that was there the other day as well, not that it bothered him. He'd rather Hidan be with Kakuzu. If that happened, then it would get the silver haired male away from himself. He just shook his head. He knew thinking such a thing was nothing but a hopeless dream. Deidara was putting the last thing away before he left but it was unfortunately on a high shelf. Groaning a bit, Deidara stood up on his toes to try and reach where the item was supposed to go. He cursed himself for being so damn short and didn't want to waste time finding a step stool. He could have just left it but decided against it.

"Let me help you with that." A deep voice said from behind the blond. Deidara instantly froze and slowly looked over shoulder. He was relieved to see that it was just Madara.

"Um...thank you…" Deidara muttered softly. He had expected the raven to take the box from him, but instead he found himself being lifted into the air by the waist. He was being held gently but firmly so he wouldn't fall. Once he finally slid the item on the shelf, he was sat down with a dark blush on his face.

"Are you alright?" Madara asked while tilting his head to the side, allowing his bangs to uncover his right eye. Now Deidara could see both of the other's beautiful dark eyes and it only made him blush more.

"Um...yes I'm fine… Thank you again." Deidara quickly looked at the ground and placed a hand behind the back of his head. Madara couldn't help but think of how cute the smaller blond was but he quickly shook that thought away. They had just met after all. He couldn't be having such thoughts yet. Not only that. The bruising all over the young kid scared him. Konan had been telling him that the blond who worked here was a force to be reckoned with but now that Madara had seen him, he didn't feel that was true. In his opinion, Deidara looked a bit fragile.

"So um...do you need a lift home? Konan says you walk all the time and it is pretty late." Madara scratched at the back of his head, hoping the blond would accept. After hearing Madara's offer, Deidara hesitated slightly. He feared that Hidan would see him getting into some other guy's car but at the same time, he also feared that Hidan would jump him on the way home. He thought it over for a few minutes before finally deciding.

"Yeah...I'd appreciate a ride home…" The blond said sheepishly. Madara grinned a bit when he heard the blond accept his offer. After the two of them locked the store up, they made their way to Madara's car. The raven walked around to the passenger side and opened the door for him. 'Such a gentleman…' Deidara thought to himself as he slipped in the car. Once the door was closed, Madara was on the driver's side in a matter of seconds. The blond gave the older raven the directions to his house and the raven drove off.

"Deidara, tell me a bit more about yourself." The raven suddenly said after a few moments of silence.

"Oh um… Well there isn't too much to tell. I've been working at the store for about two years now. I started when I was fifteen. At first they didn't really want to hire me because of my age but when they found out my situation, they hired me instantly. I'm grateful for that. I'm also a senior in high school, majoring in art hopefully. My birthday is May 5th, so I'll be turning eighteen right before I graduate…" The blond continued to talk slowly, telling Madara whatever he wanted to know. The whole time, the raven sat there and listened to the other with a gentle smile on his face. He could honestly listen to the teen all night but at the same time, he knew he was unable to do that. "...But that's enough about me. I haven't asked you anything about yourself."

"Hm? Oh, you want to know some things about me?" Madara asked. He honestly hadn't expected it. He was perfectly fine with not talking about himself at all but he figured that since the blond told him several things, he may as well open up as well.

"Yeah, I feel rude not asking about you." Deidara giggled a bit and gave the other a gentle smile.

"Very well, I'll tell you a few things. I'm twenty one years old and currently in college. I actually graduated high school a year later than I was supposed to because of bad grades. I wasn't exactly a well behaved kid in high school but that's besides the point. My birthday is December 24th, so right before Christmas. I usually don't celebrate my birthday though. It's just another day to me." Madara continued to speak the rest of the way home. He told Deidara about his relation to Itachi and Sasuke and how they were really the only ones in the family that accepted him besides his younger brother Izuna, who he barely saw anymore. He honestly missed his brother but didn't show it.

After what seemed like forever, they came to a stop in front of Deidara's small apartment. The blond had left out the fact that he didn't have any parents and he left out his situation with Hidan. Though when the next sentence came out, he couldn't help but let one of those two things slip.

"Well...hopefully your parents won't mind you being a bit late." Madara said as he parked the car.

"Oh...there's nothing to worry about… My parents are actually no longer among us. They passed away when I was fourteen." The blond said softly. After those words left his mouth, Madara mentally slapped himself.

"I...I'm really sorry to hear that...and sorry I said anything without thinking." The raven muttered softly but Deidara only shook his head.

"You didn't know. It's okay. Anyways, thank you for the ride home. I'll see you when we work together again." Deidara quickly got out of the car and flashed Madara one more adorable smile before he hurried off to his apartment.

Madara waited until he saw the blond go inside safely before he put his car in drive and drove off down the road. He was honestly glad he had met the blond. He had failed to tell the other that he had actually seen him around town though. It was probably best to safe that for next time. However, as he drove, he still couldn't shake the feeling that Deidara was hiding something. He just hoped that whatever that thing was that it wasn't too bad. He knew the blond looked fragile, so he decided to start monitoring his behavior. It would start with the next time he'd see the other.


Hello everyone! I just wanted to give you all a fair warning and let you know that the next chapter of this story will contain rape. So once it's posted, proceed with caution! Also, thanks to all of you who have looked at this story! The fact that it's getting any views at all is helping me keep up with it. Also thank you to those who have left a review! That's extra motivation! I really appreciate it too! Thank you!

~~MaskedNinja