AN: Thanks for the favourites and follows ^_^

OOO

"Why are we walking, un?" Deidara gave Sasori another nervous glance and squeezed his hand a little tighter. With every white-puff of the red heads breath, Deidara imagined his warmth slipping along with it. "Your ring could've just portalled us"

"I forgot how lazy you can be"

"Not lazy. Efficient. It'd be quicker, you'd be warmer, there would be less chance of us getting tailed and consequently ambushed. We'd go from my hallway, to your bedroom. If that's not efficient, I don't know what is, un"

Sasori held in a laugh and squeezed Deidara's hand, their fingers interlocked.

"Unless it's the Human Thing again" Deidara added thoughtfully, turning to inspect the others reaction. A twitch, a glance away and a dipped chin - definitely the Human Thing. Deidara left it alone.

Sasori was raised between worlds which was something that not a lot of people, supernatural or otherwise, were able to do. He spent the first nine years of his life as a damn-good human, keeping his ability under perfect control - as expected from the grandson of Chiyo - one of the most influential supernatural healers of their time, (she was also doing ground breaking work in the human realm too); she was the reason for the flexibility that Sasori had between worlds.

Anybody else had to apply - or do it illegally and risk being caught. Or, you know, have a powerful magic-worker of some sort conveniently on their side - such was the case in Sasori's oddball family.

"You're not moaning" Sasori said carefully, wondering if he'd rather the blonde grumble about the 'uselessness' of it, or how 'not-efficient' human things can sometimes be. Like Christmas. And Sasori loved Christmas.

"I ache too much to complain" Deidara murmured, and Sasori wondered if perhaps the blonde looked paler than normal. He was naturally fair, so it was harder to tell. "Something's off"

"You're probably hungry" Sasori reasoned.

"Hm"

They were quiet until they reached Sasori's latest residence. It had been his longest stint yet - a whole eight months in one place. Granted, he'd been warned repeated by his Family that it wasn't a good idea, but it was an ideal location and within a walk's distance from Deidara - even quicker on his bicycle (in his panic, he'd simply run to the blonde's apartment instead and completely forgot that he could use his ring to portal him; his brother would throw a fit that he'd picked up too many bad human habits).

They both slowed as they reached the building, checking their senses for any sign of intrusion or tampering. Deidara gave a nod and Sasori didn't feel any doubt - agreeing that the building was safe; Sasori moved to the door.

"I'll pack up" Sasori unlocked the door and immediately went to his bedroom to get a bag and gather his things. He was thankful for the automatic heating - coming on when the room's temperature fell below twenty degrees. While packing, he briefly heard Deidara's own bags fall to the floor and then the front door close. As his focus shifted onto what he needed to take and what was immediately necessary, he left Deidara to his own devices.

He'd been shifting from room to room, eventually stocking up on the instant hot-chocolate sachet's when he sensed he was being watched. His skin tingled in warning, like fur would rise on an animal, and he turned to look behind him.

Deidara opened the door to the fridge, finding a recycled bottle filled with blood.

"Smells like you" Deidara reached for it and sniffed it for good measure, but the displeasure was there on his face. "Have you been feeding strays or something?"

"Yeah, totally been selling it on a stand for some extra cash" When the blonde didn't seem at all amused, Sasori smiled to ease him. "It's my emergency backup"

"For what? A blood transfusion?" Deidara pulled a face. "It'd do no good in a fridge, un"

"For you, brat. It's my emergency back up for you"

"Why?"

"Because" Sasori left it at that and continued packing, but Deidara wasn't convinced and kept eyeing the bottle like it was a newfound wonder. Sasori didn't expect him to pour it down the sink. He watched it go, gobsmacked.

"What the fuck? I bled that out for emergencies! Like now!"

"No" Deidara refused and Sasori groaned in frustration. In all the time they'd known each other, Deidara had refused to take even a lick of Sasori's blood. The red head had gone through thinking of the blonde's reasons, that it was 'icky' blood, that it was somehow tainted because of his odd ability, or that it was a control thing, or that Deidara had been bribed or threatened by Sasori's family not to lay a tooth on him. Deidara had never given him a straight answer as to why.

Sasori had the genius idea a few weeks ago and had been horribly looking forward to a dramatic occasion where Deidara would be so injured, so in need of blood, and Sasori would be so prepared that the blonde would just have to finally taste it.

He just hadn't expected Deidara to be so stubborn about it.

"I'm going to hunt" Deidara murmured, already going for the door. Sasori wondered if that was how he'd picked up on the blood in the fridge - sniffing everything out because he needed something to drink. If that was the case, then Deidara would go - regardless of whether or not his body was fully healed and able. Vampires were predators, they'd rather die gathering food than from the starvation that'd come if they didn't.

"Please don't come back with it" Sasori had once shut himself in his bedroom until all trace - smell and all - had vanished from that poor dog that Deidara insisted had been roadkill before he'd even got his teeth in there. "Just like take-away, un". Sasori didn't see it that way, and would forever remember the way Deidara brought the animal back, slung over his shoulders like a hulking scarf, his fangs drinking from its neck like he'd drink through a straw. He'd been horrified.

"I won't be far; if I'm not back in half an hour, leave"

"Hurry back" Sasori waved a hand at him and continued to pack. The movement kept him warm and he was glad when he could still zip up the bag despite its contents. He put on another jacket and checked the time. Five minutes until Deidara said to leave. He always said things like that and Sasori always thought he'd be cheeky and wait anyway - but Deidara was always on time and Sasori never had to worry about it.

He caught Deidara's scent, half-smothered by something else and knew that his blonde was returning. The door was knocked - more as a warning - and Deidara came in, his hands crusted with blood but hidden mostly in his sleeves.

"Smells like pig" Sasori murmured, fiddling with the ring on his finger. "But I don't know where you'd find a pig in the city" It was hard enough finding a patch of woodland for the blonde to entertain his hunting skills - never mind a farm for him to sneak a few meals from.

"Slaughterhouse" Deidara licked a bloody tongue over his fang. Sasori watched it with jealousy. "I hunted a poodle; you should've seen it"

"Did you kill it?!" Sasori gaped.

"Pft, no. It got carried away like a baby - its legs were shaking so bad it couldn't walk" Deidara had said that each vampire has an individual preference; some like their blood straight from the 'tap', alive or dead or somewhere in between. Mammals or reptile - some had peculiar preferences and suffered because of it, but Deidara had never told Sasori what his unique preference was.

Sasori had seen the blonde drink it hot, warm and chilled and iced. He'd seen him drink from dead and live animals, unsuspecting humans (twice, because he had no choice). He didn't seem to be too fussy, but if there was one thing Sasori knew that the blonde enjoyed, it was the hunt.

Sasori could understand that - the thrill of the chase and gaining a prize at the end of it. Though more often than not Deidara would abandon his 'prize' and leave it traumatized out of fear. Perhaps that was his preference. The mental torment of his not-food. Once the chase was over, a meal was secured elsewhere. Sasori didn't understand it and Deidara never explained it. It was just an oddity that the blonde seemed to have.

"Are you done?" Deidara asked, standing toe-to-toe with the red head and looking more refreshed. His hair was a touch lighter and livelier. His skin had its porcelain look back, his eyes vibrant and shining. His wounds from before had even started to heal more - a sure-sign that he was recovering. If only it worked that well for Sasori.

"Yeah" Sasori nodded and snuck a kiss on Deidara's jaw, glad that he wasn't in a grump any more. He sidestepped over to the nearest wall and pressed his ring into it, an oval looking shadow appearing. His other hand was outstretched moments before Deidara took it with both their bags in his own hands, their fingers laced together as they stepped through the portal and into Somewhere Else.