Chapter six
Itachi was driving towards what he believed was Deidara's house.
After he had decided to clear the air with Sasori, he realized he had no clue where Deidara lived.
They had always gone to his place, instead of the blonde's. Itachi had not realized this before, but now that he wanted to talk to Sasori, he once again found out there were things about Deidara he just didn't know.
Eventually he found out by calling the school and telling them Deidara had left a really important assignment at his place and he needed to bring it over.
Being the head of his class, he was granted such things easily, because who would not believe Itachi.
He himself was stunned at first at how easily had lied, but it was for a good cause.
Itachi eventually ended up at a pretty shabby looking apartment building. He hadn't expected Deidara to live in a mansion, but this was a little shocking.
It was also in one of the worst placed in the entire city.
Itachi suddenly felt glad that Sasori had decided to move in, because the idea of having Deidara here alone was quite frightening.
Itachi got out of his car, feeling eyes on him from the people smoking outside the building.
He ignored them and got inside, going up the stairs until he was at apartment 14b.
He rang the doorbell.
At first, he got no answer, so he rang the doorbell again.
Then, after a little waiting the door opened and Itachi came face to face with a surprised looking Deidara.
"W-what are you doing here yeah?" He asked, completely taken aback.
"I came to talk." Itachi said, studying Deidara's movements.
The blonde was nervous, Itachi could tell by the way he was fidgeting with his hair and shifting on his feet.
"Ok." Deidara said. He doubted but then opened the door so Itachi could come in.
Itachi was once again slightly shocked. Deidara's home was a studio and a small one at that.
There was a very small kitchen, a couch and an old TV and a bed. He could see a door to what he presumed was the bathroom, but that was pretty much it.
He did notice the easel in the corner, with a pretty magnificent painting. A realistic one, something Itachi thought Deidara didn't create.
"I'm sorry, we didn't clean up yeah." Deidara said apologetic, in the meantime picking up some things and putting them away.
"I'm sorry I came over unannounced." Itachi told Deidara, suddenly feeling guilty he overwhelmed the younger boy like this.
Deidara shook his head.
"It's fine." He said. "How did you figure out where I live anyway?"
Itachi was about to answer, but at that moment, Sasori showed up from the bathroom.
He stared at Itachi for a second, then glared at Deidara before moving towards the two.
"What is he doing here?"
Itachi could tell they were done with trying to be polite around each other, because the animosity was clear in the redhead's voice.
Before Deidara could answer, Itachi spoke.
"I'm sorry for coming over so suddenly, but I want to talk to you Sasori."
It was better to just get this over with.
Itachi saw Deidara becoming completely confused and rather panicky from that statement.
Sasori looked at Itachi suspecting, but then nodded his head.
"We'll be outside for a while Dei." Sasori told the blonde, who just nodded but seemed rather worried.
The two older males stepped outside.
Sasori crossed his eyes and waited. Itachi took a breath.
'Here goes nothing.' He thought to himself.
"I'm in love with Deidara." Itachi said. Sasori was clearly shocked by that statement, but Itachi continued.
"But that doesn't matter, because he is in love with you." Itachi kept his eyes on the smaller guy.
"Deidara has no idea either, I just want to be his friend. I promise I would never do anything to him or anything to break up your relationship. He doesn't like me that way."
Sasori eyed him and crooked his head.
"Continue." He said. Itachi nodded. Apparently, this worked, because Sasori seemed less angry.
"If you're ok with me spending time with him, I think he'd be happier. He just wants a friend."
Sasori stayed silent for a while, then sighed.
"Alright." He said, much to Itachi's surprise. He had expected a fight. "He's a good kid, I guess he deserves his own life as well."
Sasori was very mature, more mature then Itachi had thought. It also seemed he had Deidara's best interests in mind.
"But if you so much as touch him I'll kick your ass."
Itachi chuckled. Ok, maybe not that mature.
"Don't worry about it. I just want Deidara to be happy."
The two nodded at each other and even though Itachi felt a knot in his stomach because he pretty much ruined any chance he might have had with Deidara, not that that was much, he was happy that Sasori and him had cleared the air.
So easily at that too.
They walked back to Deidara's apartment and Sasori went back inside. Deidara got in the door opening, looking like a nervous wreck.
"What did you say to him? You didn't fight yeah? Oh god please tell me he didn't threaten you or anything."
"You're free to go with Itachi whenever you like Dei." Sasori was suddenly standing behind Deidara, who got a scare from the sudden statement.
"As long as you don't forget he's waiting for you here at home." Itachi said and smiled.
Deidara had never looked so confused before and Itachi found it rather hilarious. If he'd had a bigger imagination, he would have seen question marks appear near Deidara's head.
"I'm confused yeah." Deidara said, looking from Sasori to Itachi with a suspicious look on his face.
Sasori patted Deidara on the back and then went inside, turning on the tv.
Deidara frowned, then turned to Itachi.
"What did you do to him?" He whispered.
Itachi chuckled.
"Nothing much. Go back inside and enjoy your evening."
He then walked away, leaving a very confused Deidara behind.
Itachi was sitting at his dinner table, together with Deidara, Sasuke and Sasuke's friend Naruto.
Exams were coming up, so the four of them were now studying.
Itachi had offered to help Deidara study, especially since he had learned the blonde was failing biology, history and mathematics.
Deidara had protested at first, but agreed when Itachi had pretended he would tutor his little brother as well.
That had irritated Sasuke, because he was cocky and said he didn't need any help.
Sasuke had only agreed when Naruto told him he would come too.
So that brought the four to sit at Itachi's table, a menace of books on the table.
"Honestly, why do I need to know who did what in what year yeah." Deidara said bored, his head resting on his hand.
Itachi smiled.
"It's important to learn about the past so we can do things better in the future."
"I already know what I wanna do in the future and king Henry IV has got nothing to do with it yeah."
Itachi chuckled at that, then pointed at Deidara's book.
"Just read that chapter." He said, earning an annoyed look from the blonde.
"And when I'm done?"
"You read it again, so you will remember." Itachi focused his attention to his own book now as he heard Deidara growl, but knew he was reading anyway.
By now, Deidara had biology down, Itachi was sure he would ace that test. Mathematics was halfway through, but Deidara had nearly gone crazy and demanded they do something else.
He had been mad when Itachi had suggested to get started on history since it was 'five days away', but agreed when Itachi said he would make him a great lunch afterwards.
As Itachi scanned his own history book, he realized he already studied this before and looked at the side.
Sasuke and Naruto weren´t studying for the same exam, since Sasuke had taken up advanced mathematics a year early.
They were in the same class, but Sasuke was doing significantly better in any subject then his blonde friend.
The advanced math was their dad's idea, because he thought Sasuke needed a challenge.
Itachi was glad Sasuke was doing well in school, his dad could pressure the both of them so hard, it wouldn't have surprised Itachi if his little brother had decided to rebel.
That would've been a disaster.
"It's not that hard. Look." Sasuke said and explained the formulas to Naruto.
It was also good Sasuke had such a reliable friend.
Had it not been for Naruto, Itachi was sure Sasuke would refuse to do anything according to law.
He had been caught for shoplifting and setting things on fire before, but after having befriended Naruto, that had all stopped.
Itachi was grateful for that. Naruto might not be the brightest star in the sky, he at least knew how to work hard for what he wanted.
Sasuke looked up and saw Itachi looking. Raising an eyebrow, he asked:
"What are you staring at? You're looking the wrong way." Nodding his head at the blonde sitting across from Itachi.
Itachi saw that smug look on Sasuke's face but it didn't last long as Naruto gave Sasuke a soft punch.
"You need to help me out here." The blonde said and Sasuke apologized irritably, after calling Naruto an idiot.
Itachi smiled at that and then focused on Deidara again, who was still reading and mumbling something.
He could see Deidara losing focus on the subject at hand. They had been studying for hours now, Itachi figured they could use a break.
He leaned over the table and closed the blonde's book with a smile.
Deidara looked up confused.
"What now yeah?" He asked.
"How about that lunch?" Itachi suggested, lifting Deidara's spirit.
The blonde got up enthusiastic and cheered, before heading over to the kitchen.
Itachi chuckled, then turned to the two boys still at the table.
"Should I prepare lunch for you too?"
"Hell yeah, I'm starving." Sasuke said, leaning back in his chair, obviously done with studying.
"All right. Naruto?"
"That'd be nice Itachi, some food for the brain!" Naruto exclaimed while pointing to his head.
He saw Sasuke roll his eyes amused.
Such a weird couple of friends those two were.
Itachi nodded and then headed into the kitchen, where Deidara was already looking in the fridge for some food.
As they had decided on making omelets with several ingredients, Itachi began cooking.
"So, what's up with your brother and his friend yeah?" Deidara said, mimicking the air quotes with his fingers at the word friend.
Itachi looked at him, not understanding what Deidara meant by that.
Deidara was looking at the two boys from the kitchen, then turned to Itachi again.
"Come on, you can't convince me they're just friends." The blonde said and now looked at the ingredients Itachi put in the pan.
"They are." Itachi answered plainly.
"But look at them. They're sitting so close, laughing, teasing. Obviously, they're flirting with each other. Look yeah."
Deidara dragged Itachi to the end of the kitchen and pointed at the two.
Itachi had to admit they were awfully close and glancing at each other.
But Sasuke had told him so many times he was straight, he went out on dates too, that Itachi was pretty convinced Sasuke told the truth.
He himself had wondered about the two friends as well before, but they had been friends for a long time and nothing seemed to change.
"Not everyone's gay Dei." Itachi teased and went back to the stove.
Deidara gave a last glance to the other two boys, then stood next to Itachi, one hand on the counter, the other on his hip.
He smirked.
"I'm pretty sure you're not, otherwise you'd never had been able to resist me yeah."
So cocky the blonde was.
And so right too.
"Sure." Itachi shook his head chuckling and the two continued cooking.
"So, whatever happened to that girl you were into then?" Deidara asked, breaking the silence.
Itachi mauled his brains over what to answer. He could tell him the truth now, but that was a no go really.
He could also tell Deidara that the girl had found someone else or that she just didn't feel the same way.
Instead, he settled for another option.
"We weren't compatible. I'm over it." He had no idea why he said that, because it surely wasn't true.
Maybe he said it because he wanted to get over it. He wanted to get over the hurt every time he looked or even thought of Deidara and Sasori together.
"Oh. Well. Too bad yeah." Deidara said.
Itachi frowned, because Deidara seemed so insincere in that moment.
"Well anyway, is that omelet done already?" Deidara leaned over the pan and Itachi pushed him back smirking slightly.
"Pretty much." The two of them gathered four plates and sets of cutleries before getting back to the dining area.
Deidara hit Itachi in the elbow as Sasuke and Naruto suspiciously sat further apart when the two entered and Itachi rolled his eyes smiling.
"Just saying yeah." Deidara muttered proudly, before sitting down at the table, happily throwing books of the table.
The four of them sat down for lunch, chatted some and ate.
Itachi thought they were really happy times and hoped he could enjoy these more in the future.
For now, being friends with Deidara was fine, because he had to face it, Deidara had single handedly made his life so much brighter.
-.-.-
Deidara was sitting on his bed, relaxing after the final day of exams was over.
Itachi had really helped him out with his studying, he just knew he had nailed most of them.
Maybe not history because it was simply too boring, but the rest had been fairly easy.
The blonde was now waiting for his boyfriend to come home, so that they could celebrate with a special made treat.
Deidara was very proud of the pavlova he had managed to create (all thanks to some help from Itachi of course) and could barely wait.
As Deidara waited he drew random doodles in a sketchbook. About half an hour into sketching, the door opened and Deidara smiled.
The redhead pulled of his coat and shoes, then walked over to the bed, kissing Deidara on the mouth.
"Welcome home yeah." Deidara said as he put the sketchbook away.
Sasori merely looked at him.
"How did math go?" He asked as he sat down on a chair.
"Well, I think. Itachi really helped out." Deidara responded happily, then sat down on Sasori's lap.
Sasori sighed softly.
"So, you and Itachi are doing well?" He asked.
Deidara nodded.
"Sure we do yeah."
"He didn't do anything to you?"
Deidara frowned. What the hell was that about? Sasori was looking rather weird too.
What did he have to hide?
"I'm not following yeah." Deidara said, taking a bit more distance from his boyfriend. What could Itachi possibly do to him?
"Nothing." Sasori said, making Deidara frown even more.
Sasori pushed Deidara of his lap gently and then proceeded to the kitchen, leaving Deidara confused.
The blonde sat on his bed, wondering what that was all about, then shrugged and proceeded doodling in his sketchbook.
He didn't hear Sasori getting back and didn't notice him sitting down on the bed until his sketchbook was pulled out of his hands.
"Hey!" Deidara protested, but when he looked at Sasori, he was met with a very angry face.
Now Deidara was really confused. Sasori was mad often, but normally Deidara could see that it was his own fault or what the cause was at least.
Now it made no sense at all.
"What yeah?" Deidara asked carefully. Maybe Sasori had a rough day at work and just needed someone to talk to.
But that seemed so trivial and his redheaded boyfriend looked pissed.
"Do you even see what you're drawing all the time?" Sasori asked, pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance.
"Huh? They're just doodles." Deidara answered confused. He looked at his own sketches. Really, they were nothing more.
"A lot of hearts, black cats, black dogs, black everything, the letter I."
Deidara shook his head, not getting what Sasori was getting at, or why he pronounced that letter I with such venom.
"You're even more stupid than I thought." Sasori mumbled as he threw the sketchbook back at Deidara.
Deidara caught it and then stood up angrily. That always pissed him off. Sasori would call him stupid all the time and yeah maybe sometimes he was, but it still annoyed him to no end.
"That's not fair yeah. You're being cryptic." He spat at Sasori.
He knew they were going to argue again, but whatever. Sasori had it coming for that remark.
"I'm not. You're the one always talking about Itachi and even drawing him in every sketch you make." Sasori argued back, taking Deidara by surprise.
He wanted to say something, but Sasori wasn't done.
"Ever since I told you you could spend time with that guy, you've been talking about him nonstop. Everything's about him. And those drawings, god I hate those drawings."
Deidara was confused now, and angry. Very angry.
"My drawings have nothing to do with Itachi yeah! And I talk about him because I spend a lot of time with him!"
"Exactly, you spend all your time with him then come home and talk about him to me!" Sasori yelled back.
Rarely raising his voice, Deidara slightly cringed, but he wouldn't back down.
"What is your obsession with me and Itachi, I told you we're just friends! I'm not into him and he's not into me!"
How many times had he said this before? It hurt him to have to repeat this over and over.
Even if part of it wasn't true.
"But he is into you!" Sasori yelled back, the both of them now standing across from each other.
Deidara's eyes widened for a second, then he narrowed them again.
"What the hell Sasori, we've been over this. He is not yeah."
"He is. Trust me, he told me himself."
Their fight seemed to be cooling down suddenly, but this confused Deidara.
"He did not, stop making things up." He said, but didn't sound really convinced. Sasori never lied.
"Tell me that if he did say that, it wouldn't matter." Sasori said, dead serious, Deidara could tell.
However, Deidara didn't know if he could say that.
Because what if Itachi had said that? What if the raven-haired liked him like that? What would he do then?
Deidara looked at the floor, biting his lip in thought.
"I thought so. Honestly Dei, you need to figure this out."
"I love you yeah." Deidara said in panic, looking at Sasori.
"I know and I love you too. Maybe we just need to work on this."
Deidara sighed. Honestly, he knew Sasori wouldn't just up and leave him. He'd stay no matter what.
Which only made Deidara feel worse, because that meant that if their relationship won't work, he'd be the one to break it.
He'd be the bad guy.
"We'll get through it." Sasori sighed. "Right now, I'm going out for a walk."
Deidara nodded and saw Sasori out the door.
When Sasori was gone, the blonde sat down on the bed, then sighed and put his hands in his head.
This was messed up. He should be thinking about how to fix this and make his relationship better. How he and Sasori could work on this and get over their problems.
Instead, all he could think about was Itachi and if what Sasori said was true.
He really had a lot of thinking to do.
-.-.-