A/N: I know it's strange to say this now but I honestly can't wait to finish this so I can write the sequel, and then the epilogue. Like I'm SO stoked it, I've changed the ending like fifty times already but I'm finally satisfied. *internal squealing* I know you guys will love it (well I hope). It made me a little emotional and all I did was imagine it in my head, lol. I have some serious problems I think… ahem…

Anyway, I should probs stop getting ahead of myself since we're only like halfway in lol. With that said, enjoy the update!

SWEET LIKE CINNAMON

By Kirschstein

Chapter 10: Nowhere Left To Run

Sasori could feel Sai's eyes on him like a hawk. Piqued, he sighed and let his pencil drop to the paneled rooftop beneath them.

"What?"

Sai just studied the boy, looking rather pensive as he scooted closer. The soft caress of autumn wind blew his hair about his face and Sasori was reminded just how handsome Sai actually was. Biting his lip, he hugged his sketchbook to his chest.

"You've been acting rather strange." The raven pointed out, "Since this morning you've seemed… off."

Sasori cursed mentally. Of freaking course. He should have known better. Sai was no idiot; in fact, he was quite the opposite. It was silly of Sasori to think he could hide something from him, even though he'd always been pretty good at it. The fact that they'd known each other since primary school seemed to work to Sai's advantage. He sighed again.

"I told you I ate something undercooked when I was out with Deidara." Sasori tried to play it cool, and he was sure he seemed composed, but the mere mention of that idiot's name was enough to make his insides churn. And disturbingly enough, not with disgust. Ever since he'd woken up from that dream Sasori had been feeling a certain way about Deidara. It was a rather dastardly thing to admit, even within the confines of his mind, but he couldn't help it. The boy found himself craving Deidara in a way he was sure he'd never craved anyone else before. That alone was enough to make him question his sanity.

He watched Sai's head tilt and a pale hand rake through his hair. He averted his eyes for just a second before he returned his attention to Sasori, sitting with crossed legs on the rooftop.

"Sasori," He started, a contemplative look on his face, "There's something I want to talk to you about. It's pertaining to that…. blond fellow you came home with last night."

Sasori tensed and a lump rose in his throat. Oh God. Sai couldn't have noticed, could he? He thought back to a few hours prior, and that strange look he'd given him. It wouldn't be too farfetched to assume that Sai knew what was going on, even if Sasori did everything he could to conceal himself and that… unfortunate problem. The fact was, Sai always had a knack for reading people; something he'd likely adopted from being friends with Sasori for so long. Perhaps this would even be a proud moment, under different circumstances. But now, Sasori just felt small under that smoldering gaze of his.

He huffed and moved his sketchbook to the space beside his thigh. "What could you possibly have to say that involves him?" Desperation was not a familiar feeling for Sasori, but he was certain that was what was lodged in his throat as he peered back at the other boy. He almost didn't want to hear his answer.

Sai seemed to be taking care in choosing his words, which unsettled Sasori all the more.

"I'm your best friend, Sasori." He spoke slowly, "It's okay to confide in me when you have feelings for someone."

This was definitely one of the times Sai said something he really shouldn't have. Sasori resisted the urge to bury his face in his hands and instead he leaned back on them, staring at Sai with squinted eyes.

"Come again?" He blinked.

The black-haired boy's expression retained its stoicism. His hand stretched and he brushed Sasori's fringe back with soft fingers. Sasori knew this game; he wouldn't disarm him with affection, the boy was too smart for that. But it still felt awfully nice. Instinctively, his lids began to lower.

"You two were about to kiss when I opened the door." Sai said, and Sasori could've sworn his entrails dropped to the base of his stomach. "I'm right, aren't I?"

His hand closed into a fist and he glanced to the right of him, at the tangerine sun that was tucking itself behind the distant buildings. Soon dusk would settle and Sasori hadn't even finished his sketch yet. That was frustrating, but not nearly as frustrating as the interrogation Sai was giving him.

"…You're right." He gritted out, not even entirely aware he'd said it. It was quite distressing the kind of affect Sai had on him. "But does it matter?"

He watched Sai purse his lips. "Well… If I'm not mistaken, we spent an entire twenty-minute Skype call where you ranted and ranted about how much of a pest he is." He said matter-of-factly, "So I think it does matter."

Sasori averted his gaze at his words. He remembered the conversation rather well, which probably only made the situation worse. It grated him that Sai could undo him so easily, but instead of chewing him out like part of him wanted to, he looked back at the boy and sighed.

"And what exactly are you getting at?" He asked, arms folding defensively.

Sai's head tilted. "I know you, Sasori. Possibly… even better than you know yourself." Wrong. "And I know you don't just open up to people emotionally. For you to want to kiss someone would mean… you must feel pretty strongly about them." His gaze was obstinate as he stared at Sasori, but he also looked sort of… pained? The boy would have wondered why, but his brain was too busy trying to cultivate a response to Sai's very scarily correct deduction.

He pouted some and glanced off to the side. It was unlike him to give up, but more than he wanted to spend their time denying his feelings, Sasori wanted his best friend. And he wanted to talk to him about it, seriously. So, with a deep breath, he lowered his arms and stared into Sai's eyes.

"I don't even know what I should say…" Sasori shifted and bent his legs, sitting on his thighs with his weight resting on his hand. "I suppose… I should start by saying you're right." God, just admitting it was enough to make warmth rush to his cheeks. He cursed inaudibly.

Sai didn't reply, which only made things more difficult. Sasori sighed softly and closed his eyes, going over and over in his mind if telling him was even a good idea. His thoughts, however, were interrupted by a chilled hand touching his own.

"You can talk to me, Sasori."

When the boy's eyes opened he sighed again. He supposed this was his subconscious way of stalling, because he really was terrified of admitting his feelings. Sai was clearly trying to put his mind at ease, and he appreciated it. But this would be far less difficult if the raven just pried it out of him.

"You…" His voice dropped to a murmur. "You were right in what you said earlier. I do… feel… a certain way about him." He swallowed thickly. "I've just been really anxious about admitting it, even to myself…" Sasori lifted his hand and clutched his chest, blinking with scrunched lids.

"I can see that." Sai chuckled. "You look as if you might have a stroke."

"Shut up, Sai." Sasori pouted at him, his hand returning to his side. "This is hardly a laughing matter. You of all people should know…"

"I know. I'm sorry." Sai said, and Sasori knew it was genuine. The boy inhaled and momentarily glanced to his lap.

"It's just hard, you know? When you like someone and they're a complete and irrecoverable dumbass." He groaned softly. "And not to mention a toolbox."

A slight smirk took Sai's lips and he shook his head. "Honestly, Sasori, he looks like he just walked out of Hot Topic. I'm surprised you give him the time of day."

A small wave of ire washed over him at his friend's words. He couldn't understand it; Sasori could conjure up a myriad of insults to throw at Deidara, but somehow hearing someone else speak that way didn't sit well with him.

I think I need to revisit my psychiatrist. The boy clenched and unclenched his fingers, his stare unrelenting.

"He doesn't even like Hot Topic." He stated, "His favorite store is actually Karmaloop." Sasori was unsure why he felt so stimulated for sharing that bit of information, but he was certain he was going insane.

"Either way." Sai's features returned to their usual hollowness and he tipped his head up to the cloudless sky above them. "You've a got it bad for someone who dresses like a street-goth stripper."

Sasori opened his mouth to retort, but shut it again when he realized Sai was right. He snorted lowly and sunk his head into small hands, letting out a few muffled whimpering sounds.

"How could I stoop so low?"

Sai petted his head in a flimsy attempt at assuaging the boy. "Perhaps I should move here and keep you in check, hm?"

Sasori was about ninety-percent certain Sai was joking around, but still he lowered his hands and glanced at his friend with droopy, doey eyes.

"I would love that." He turned around, sitting next to him and hugging onto his arm. "Except…" Sasori nested his cheek in Sai's shoulder and tilted his neck to look at him. "I'm pretty certain Deidara hates you."

"I fucking hate him."

Deidara lay on his stomach, oceanic eyes fixed on the wall with his hand covering his mouth in case he were to be plagued with another bout of sneezes. He was currently sandwiched between Itachi and Hidan on the floor of the Uchihas' living room, whilst The Little Mermaid played on the flat-screen and they each took periodic handfuls from the bowl of seaweed chips before them. Hidan seemed to be the only one truly watching the movie, though; Deidara was far too busy sulking and Itachi's face was turned down into his phone screen.

"I mean…" The blonde continued his rant, folding his arms on the blanket and resting his chin on them. "I know we've only spoken two words to each other, but he's a fucking prick. Hm."

Hidan groaned under his breath. "Dude, don't you have shit else to talk about?" He sipped on his beer, eyeing Deidara closely in the darkness of the living room.

"Screw you." Grated, the blonde reached into the bowl and tossed a chip at the side of Hidan's face. "I'm going through something. Try and be sensitive, jackass."

Hidan just bared his teeth at him before returning his eyes to the television.

"Both of you need to hush." Itachi sighed softly, not bothering to look up from his phone as he addressed them. "The best part of the movie is coming up."

The silver-haired man scoffed. "Are you even paying attention? You ain't even lookin' at the TV." He grabbed a handful of the chips and shoveled them into his mouth, chewing loudly. "Your eyes've been glued to your phone since Ursula took Ariel's voice."

Deidara peered over to steal a glimpse at Itachi's phone screen. When he caught wind of what he was doing, he sniggered slightly. "Psh. He's texting Nagato. I'm not at all surprised, hm."

Hidan made an unnecessarily loud screeching sound, a wide grin spreading over his lips. "Aw shit. Looks like Itachi's boolovin'." He leaned across Deidara in a futile attempt to peek at the Uchiha's phone, which caused him to raise his eyes. Itachi slid the pillow from beneath his stomach and held it up, an aggressive look on his face.

"Don't doubt for a second that I won't smother you two."

Deidara and Hidan simply laughed in response to Itachi's threat. When they turned back to the TV, Itachi gave one last glance to his phone before following suit, the irritation in his features ebbing away.

"Sebastian's fuckin' annoying." Commented Hidan, when the crustacean's face appeared on the screen. "Like bro, just let Ariel live her life."

"He's King Trident's advocate. What do you expect, hm?" Deidara snorted.

"Excuse you, Hidan." Onyx eyes narrowed a tad as Itachi lifted a chip to his mouth. "Don't insult my favorite character. I still have a mind to smother you with this pillow." He balled his fist and rested his cheek on his hand.

Hidan chuckled, purple eyes rolling. "Ya'd think talking to Nagato all day would put you in a better mood, Uchiha."

And suddenly, Deidara's mood dropped. He lowered his head again, staring wordlessly at the blanket for a few seconds before he heaved a sigh.

"At least…" He bit his lip. "Itachi gets to talk to the person he likes..."

Hidan grunted at him. "C'mon Dei. Don't turn into a whiny bitch on us now." He reached over and patted the blonde's back a little rougher than he needed to, but it got him to look up. "If you wanna talk to Little Red, just call him. Shit's never stopped you before."

Deidara lifted his hand and nipped lightly on the pad of his thumb, looking a bit unsure. "Yeah but… if Sai's there—"

"Fuck Sai." Hidan interrupted him with a particularly loud munch on his chip. "He's just the best friend. You're like… the boyfriend." He smirked. "You get to tap that ass and all he gets is his hand. So by default you win, bro."

Deidara lowered his thumb and pursed his lips thoughtfully. "I don't plan on tapping anything until I get him to admit his feelings for me. It needs to be… special. Hm."

"Says he who lost his virginity to that senior when he was fourteen." Hidan snorted lowly and took a large swig from his beer.

Deidara turned on his side. "That's different and you know it." He sighed, pushing a few locks of his hair back from his face and taking a handful of chips. "I actually like Sasori. And if it's with me – which I know it will be – I'll make sure he remembers it. Hm."

Hidan shook his head and clapped his hand onto Deidara's shoulder, tsk'ing quietly. "Dei, you're fucking whipped."

"Me?" Deidara reached over and snatched Hidan's phone, pressing the hold button and lighting the screen. "At least my girlfriend isn't my lock screen background." He grinned.

Hidan immediately took his phone back and looked at it longingly. "Sue me for wanting to look at this goddess every chance I get."

"…Goddess?" Deidara bellowed out a hearty laugh, rolling onto his back and clutching his abdomen with his hands. "Dude, no." His laughter died a bit and he flinched when Hidan smacked his face with a pillow, but he continued to snicker quietly.

When a vibration was heard a little ways over, Deidara promptly sat up on the blanket. He looked and saw that his phone had lit with an incoming call and his brows knitted as he grabbed it.

Baby doll. That was the name adjacent to the small, circular icon of a selfie he and Sasori took the day before. Deidara softly gasped, clutching the chest of his UNIF t-shirt.

"Well, look at that." Itachi pointed out, amusement clearly evident in his voice as he shifted onto his side to face him. "It's fate."

Deidara smiled fondly at his phone. ""My baby must be thinking about me too. No wonder I was sneezing earlier. Hm." He stood up, swiping a finger over the lower part of the phone to answer the call.

"I was just thinking about you." He said, carefully stepping over his friends' bodies so he could exit the den.

"I'm not at all surprised." There was a tiny hint of playfulness in Sasori's tone. "I bet you're curious as to why I called, yes?"

Deidara grinned. "Hmm… you couldn't go more than twenty-four hours without hearing my voice?"

"Hardly." Deidara could practically see Sasori rolling his eyes then. He smirked. "I just… wanted to remind you that I enjoyed myself last night." He cleared his throat, his voice quieting some. "…On our date."

Oh my God, can you get anymore adorable? A smile wiped over Deidara's lips as he leaned on the wall of the corridor. It was pretty obvious Sasori had an ulterior motive in calling, but he'd play along for now. "That's all, hm?" He asked, feeling sufficiently smug. "How sweet of you, bae."

"I know right? I'm impossibly sweet." Sasori's voice was stony as he said this, which caused Deidara to chuckle.

"Sweet like cinnamon, yeah." The blonde nodded, feeling damn pleased with himself for being so witty.

"Did you just… quote Lana Del Rey?" Sasori sighed to himself. "You're so lame."

"If that's synonymous to 'charming and awesome', then yes, I actually am. Hm."

Sasori snorted into the phone. "Sure, whatever. You're gonna make me take back what I said earlier."

Deidara just smiled inwardly and shook his head, lifting his eyes when he noticed one of the house's servants had entered the hallway. He squinted at her and shooed her out with a wave of his hand.

"Oh, baby doll…" He took a lock of his hair and rolled the strands between his fingers. "There's something I need to ask you, hm."

When the maid was gone, the blonde began pacing down the hall towards the kitchen.

"Then ask."

"So like…" He breathed out, entering the spacious room and stepping onto the linoleum flooring. "What exactly is the deal with you and Sai?"

It was a long while before Sasori said anything, and that made Deidara anxious. He began chewing on his lip as he walked towards the island counter and perched on one of the bar stools.

"What do you mean?" Sasori asked after a pause. "He's my best friend."

"And that's all?" Deidara blinked and grabbed a raspberry Blow Pop from the candy dish. "Honestly?"

Sasori scoffed slightly. "Are you jealous?" He was probably meaning to sound annoyed, but Deidara definitely heard an amused undertone in the boy's question. What a fuckin' sadist…

"Of course I'm jealous." The blonde grumbled, nimble fingers unwrapping the treat. "You already know I like you, hm." He stuck the lollipop into his mouth and pouted faintly.

"You really are an idiot, Dei." The boy said, "Sai's just a friend. But even if he was more, would it matter? It's not like you and I are dating."

Deidara almost choked on his candy at his words. A frustrated sigh left his lips as he raked a tanned hand through his hair.

It really is a wonder how I continue to put up with this shit. "Well do you want to?" He tilted his head to the side. "Like, date, I mean."

Sasori huffed loudly and waited a moment before he responded in a low murmur. "…I don't know."

Deidara couldn't help himself; he smiled brightly and rolled the tip of his tongue over the sucker. "That's a whole lot better than just saying no. Hm."

"But it still isn't a yes." Sasori corrected, then he sighed in exasperation. "Stop smiling. I can hear you smiling, dingus."

Deidara laughed a little and pushed the candy back into his mouth. "Can't help it, babe. You've made me a happy man." He smirked. "So... does this mean you'll go out with me again? Perhaps we can go to the beach this time. Hm."

He heard Sasori hum softly. "Don't get ahead of yourself. I think you'll have to work for another date."

"…You're kidding, right?" Deidara wrinkled his nose and hopped off the stool. As he paddled towards the refrigerator he saw Itachi enter the kitchen out of the peripheral of his vision.

"I'm dead serious." Sasori replied, a smirk in his tone.

Deidara opened the fridge and grabbed a can of beer from the middle shelf. He felt a presence behind him when he straightened his back, and he pulled the phone down a little as he spun around.

"What is it, Tachi?" His question was slightly distorted by the lollipop.

The Uchiha's hands slipped into the pockets of his jeans. "Yahiko called and asked if everyone wanted to come over for a movie night."

"Oh?" Deidara raised his eyebrow. "Everyone meaning…?"

"Sasori." Itachi nodded towards Deidara's phone and crossed one foot over his ankle. "And ask him to bring Sai along as well. Hidan and I would like to meet him."

"Oh fuck no." Deidara practically growled as he kicked the fridge door shut. "He's definitely not coming. Besides, don't you think he'd be uncomfortable in a room full of people he doesn't know?"

"Actually, we'd love to come." He heard Sasori chime in, much to his dismay. Deidara had a strong inkling the boy was only going along with this to upset him further. He sighed heavily, nudging passed Itachi and back toward the island.

Itachi followed him with light paces. He leaned over the counter and plucked the phone from Deidara's grip.

"Sasori? It's Itachi." Holding the phone to his ear, he stuck a hand into the bowl and took a lollipop for himself. "Deidara and I will come pick you two up in a short while." He paused, then his lips parted and a quiet laugh escaped. "Oh yes, of course. I'll see you soon, then?" He waited until the call ended before sliding Deidara's phone across the counter to him, then occupied himself with unwrapping his treat.

"You're a bastard. Hm." Deidara muttered, pearlescent blue eyes narrowing at the Uchiha. "You call yourself my friend and then you make plans with the one person I despise the most!" The blonde was actually far more hurt than he was angry, and it bothered him that Itachi could clearly see that. His hands closed into a tight fist.

Itachi took time licking over the sucker before he actually got around to answering Deidara's words. "It may seem that way now." He said, smirking faintly as he petted the blond head. "But remember, I did give you a tangible excuse to see Sasori again, didn't I?"

Deidara instantly shied away from the touch. Scowling, he lowered his candy and took a few, long swigs of his beer.

"You're still a fuckin' bastard. Hm."

Fuck him. I hope he gets rained on by hot oil.

Deidara grumbled loudly, sitting with his arms folded on the couch in Yahiko's garage. He was sure he hadn't stopped scowling since they left the Uchiha estate, but he was also sure he wasn't going to anytime soon. Not with this infuriating scene playing out in front of him.

Everything had been fine for the most part – well, as fine as it could be with Sai cockblocking him left and right – they were all lounging out in front of the TV. Sasori was wedged between him and Sai on the couch, while the others took spots on the floor. Itachi had yet to return from picking up Nagato. He insisted the movie be started without him, though, so no one was really complaining about it.

Then it all turned to shit when his fucking stupid cousin had gotten up to make a run to the fridge. Incidentally, she spied some book poking out of Sai's messenger bag that clearly interested her, because she said, "Hey, that looks just like the sketchbook I got Dei for his birthday!"

And of course, at the mention of a sketchbook, Deidara had whipped his head over to see what she was talking about. He saw a disturbingly pale Sai rubbing the back of his neck with his eyes closed, smiling toothlessly.

"Oh, that's nothing. We're in the middle of a movie, aren't we?" He grabbed the bag and pulled it safely into his lap. "I'd rather not cause a disruption."

Now that should've been enough to deter her. But, like Deidara said before, Ino was fucking stupid. She flipped her hair over her shoulder and perched herself on the armrest of the couch.

"We've all seen this movie before." She said, blond head tilting to the side. "I saw that design you did on your phone case. It was really good!" It wasn't that fucking good. Hm. "Can you at least show me one of your sketches?"

He watched Sai open his eyes. They were black like a crow's, and equally as glassy. He parted his lips to respond but then a small hand landed on his forearm.

"Don't be modest." Sasori was saying, scooting closer to him on the couch. "We both know you're amazing."

By then both Deidara's hands had balled into fists, and his jaw clenched. He was damn certain Sasori had seen his art before, and never once had he called it "amazing". When he made Ino that sculpture for her birthday all the kid had done was hum and nod his head. What the fuck. I bet Sai's not even a real artist. Fucking shit fuck asshole.

"Oh my God, is that Sasori?" Ino chirped, pointing a false nail towards the open sketchbook that was balanced on the raven's thighs. "How adorable." She said through a soft laugh. "You should, like, draw me."

At her words, a sheepish look crossed Sai's features, and he glanced away. "Oh, I—"

"No he, like, shouldn't." Deidara groused, not even fully aware he'd said it aloud. When he caught Ino's crystic gaze he just shrugged. Deidara didn't feel the slightest bit of remorse. Why should he? He was definitely the one being victimized.

"I know this is hard for you," His cousin's eyes narrowed at him as she gracefully slid off the armrest. "But can you stop being an asshole for like five seconds? Sai hasn't done anything to you."

Deidara's fingers tightened inside his fist and he turned to Sasori. The boy was peering over Sai's shoulder, wine-colored eyes glued to the sketchbook page with an unreadable look on his face. Deidara started to reach for him, but he stopped, shook his head and sighed.

It's no use.

"The movie ain't on for no reason. Some people are actually tryna watch it." Hidan was twisted around from his position on the floor so he could glare up at them.

Ino sent him an apologetic smile. She quickly swiped Sai's sketchbook from his unassuming grasp, then presented it to her boyfriend.

"Sorry baby, but look at this! Isn't he so talented?"

Hidan's eyes noticeably widened whilst they scanned over the sketch that wasn't even that fucking good, if Deidara gave his honest opinion. It looked distorted, and there was hardly enough detail put into it. Why Hidan and Ino were both so impressed with his mediocrity was beyond him.

"Shit!" Hidan's mouth formed an 'o'. "That looks just like Little Red. Bitch face and all."

No it doesn't. Deidara rolled his eyes. Hidan turned back around and nudged the orange-haired man that was seated next to him.

"Guys, look!"

And then it snowballed. Yahiko, Konan and Kisame all shifted to look at Sai's sketchbook. Sasori had this maddeningly proud look on his face as he wrapped an arm around his friend's shoulders and showed him off like he was some kind of prized pageant winner. Then before Deidara knew it, all his friends were fawning and gushing over Sai and his not-even-actual-art work. He'd never felt more like an outlier than right then.

"…Need to piss. Hm."

Shoulders slightly clenched, Deidara stood up and skirted round the rear of the couch to the door that led into the main part of the house.

"Bring a bag of ice when you come back, eh?"

The blonde didn't even acknowledge Hidan's request as he pulled open the door and exited the garage, but he did make sure to slam the door behind him.

Some fuckin' friends. Hm.

He'd been in Yahiko's house enough to know his way around without really paying much mind. A few paces through the hall and Deidara found himself in the parlor, faced with the shiny wooden piano that was at the opposite wall. This was where Yahiko composed Akatsuki's songs, he knew. Taking some steps across the braided carpet he sat on the stool, lifting the hood and revealing the sleek monochromatic keys. Deidara couldn't remember the last time he'd actually played, but he knew it was probably a while. Still though, when he ran his fingertips over the keys he found himself idly playing the tunes of nameless songs he'd written over the span of the last few weeks.

The lot of them was about a certain redhead, which made this all the more depressing.

Deidara halted after a minute, briefly glancing up at the textured ceiling before his lids shut and he began to play the start of Ellington and Coltrane's "In a Sentimental Mood". The song always reminded him of Itachi, and the Uchiha's strange love for classic jazz. But more specifically, it reminded Deidara of the night his uncle kicked him out. He'd shown up at Itachi's and that song had been playing on his record player, he distinctly remembered that.

Part of him actually wished the Uchiha was there right then. Deidara figured at the very least Itachi cared more about his feelings than the rest of them, and wouldn't screw him over. He sighed, lifting his hands off the keys and bringing them back down as his eyes slowly opened. He flinched when he felt someone approaching him from behind.

"That was quite a dramatic exit."

He recognized the soft voice quite clearly, but he was in disbelief. Deidara turned and glanced over his shoulder at the redheaded boy that was making his way towards him. Sasori had his arms folded with a pensive look on his face as he leaned against the side of the piano.

"You came after me. Hm." It was more of a question than anything else.

Sasori's eyes momentarily dragged to the side. "Not really. I was just curious as to why you left."

"S'not really rocket science, is it?" Deidara asked, letting out a rather bitter chuckle. "I guess it was getting kind of suffocating in there. Hm."

"So… the attention's not on you for five seconds and you get upset." Sasori rolled his eyes, but despite how he may've been feeling he settled down next to him on the plush stool. "You really are an idiot." The boy brought up his hand and pressed his pointer finger against a white key.

"It's not that." The blonde said almost instantly, sinking his teeth into his lower lip. When he turned back around he could feel Sasori's eyes practically burning into the side of his head, and he grumbled.

"Screw everyone else. But you… it stings a hell of a lot more when the person you like just—"

"Just what?" Sasori scoffed. "Sai's my best friend. But that's all he is." He sighed, drawing his hand back with a shake of his head. "I'm getting really tired of repeating myself."

Deidara's gaze cast down as he listened to Sasori speak. He knew he should just believe him, but it was difficult. He briefly thought back on his previous relationship and how it'd ended, and his shoulders stuttered.

"I'm sorry." Deidara huffed and glanced back up at him. "Don't hate me, okay? I…" A tentative hand reached out and took Sasori's. The redhead stiffened for a fraction of a second but then he relaxed his fingers, exhaling.

"You're an idiot, like I said before." He snorted.

Deidara chuckled again, shrugging his shoulders. "Yeah, I guess. Hm." He gently traced his finger along the boy's palm, then moved to the dips between his fingers.

Sasori watched him. He sucked in a shaky breath as the blonde fitted his fingers through his own, lacing them together.

"…Sai's probably…" He ran his tongue along the seam of his lips. "Wondering where I am."

Deidara quirked a small smile and rested his chin on the boy's shoulder. He was thankful Sasori's eyes were on the piano, because when he glanced to the doorway of the parlor he noticed the guy in question standing there, onyx gaze boring into them intently (more specifically their joined hands).

Sai and Deidara locked eyes for a few, long seconds before the raven eventually left the doorway, and a sick sense of superiority swelled in the blonde's breast. He laid a soft kiss on the boy's shoulder and grinned to himself.

"Meh, he'll be fine. Hm."