AN: I hope the chapters aren't too long!
OOO
Over the next few days their routine adapted. Sasori had been sleeping during the night out of habit, and he assumed because of the attack that his body needed the recovery time. He gradually adjusted his body clock to stay awake at night, spending more time with Deidara, and sleeping during the day with him in the basement.
It was things like this that his family didn't approve of; Kisame would throw a fit at the blonde for 'refusing to let the boy be a boy and not a freakin' night owl'. Or something along those lines. In Sasori's mind, it was safer and meant they could spend more time together.
They were into their first week and Sasori had taken to researching online while Deidara went out to hunt. He couldn't find much, and refused to ask his family for help for a myriad of reasons. The main one being that they would immediately haul his ass away from Deidara if they suspected anything in the way of 'danger'. Also, any threat to his life would probably result in isolation and his family probably had enough on their plates already. He wouldn't bother them with simple research; Besides, sometimes Sasori liked the research. It reminded him of school and human things.
OOO
"Come out with me, un" Deidara flopped onto Sasori's lap, covering the smaller red head and blocking his view from the laptop.
"You hate hunting with me" Sasori frowned, abandoning his work and leaning back. He had been at it for a while.
"I've already eaten" Deidara laced his fingers through Sasori's hair, tugging it slightly. "I meant into town or something, un" North Dakota was all Deidara knew about where exactly they were. He wasn't sure about the town name, and the only thing he knew for sure was that Sasori wouldn't have chosen a house that wasn't more than a fair walk away from the nearest town or village - they couldn't assume every house would eventually have a car - and he'd quickly realised that Sasori had barely left the house. If at all.
"Why?" Sasori asked, ever the introvert.
"Because you need a break. You're healing up, some fresh air might do you good. And you can't live off soup n' noodles, yeah"
"I can" Sasori scoffed, not wanting to admit that maybe he was missing the full hearty meals that were taken for granted at Home.
"I won't let you live off soup n' noodles, un" Deidara slipped off Sasori's legs and closed the laptop lid down. "Get your coat" Sasori might have protested a bit more if he could think of any other excuses - he was an introvert after all, there should have been more of them.
"Pizza is fine too, ya'know" Sasori kicked the chair under the desk and went to shove on his shoes. "Something quick and easy, or pasta"
"Or steak, un" Deidara frowned suddenly. "Do you even know how to cook meals?"
"Of course I do, brat" Sasori glared as Deidara made sure that his scarf was on and his hands were gloved and his jacket zipped well up. He felt like a child being dressed for The Great Outdoors by his parent. At that thought, he swatted away Deidara's hands and raised his eyebrow.
"Sorry un, just making sure" He snuck another kiss before they left the warmth of the house and went into the chilly air. It was closing in on winter - if not damn near almost there. "If it gets too cold, we'll stop and get a drink, un" Deidara promised, waving the small wad of cash that had probably come from the safe. Each house was prepared with its own necessities - the currency of the house's location and any other details were all in there. "Don't be a man and hide it, ok? I can deal with you better than I can your other half"
"Why? Can't get my lead on?" He teased.
"I can smart-mouth you back like this" Deidara snagged Sasori's gloved hand and grinned as he swung it back and forth. "Your wolfish self isn't as cooperative with my arguments"
"Nobody is" Sasori smiled sheepishly. "I'm the only one stupid enough to put up with you"
It wasn't as late as Sasori thought it was. The time occurred to him when they reached the little town and the main food stores were still open; having checked his watch, he realised it was only just half ten.
"You were up early" He said. "It's not even midnight - I thought it was later"
"The nights are earlier here, un" Deidara nodded. "Besides, you wouldn't come out here on your own during the day, and any later would mean the shops would be closed" They ducked into a shop and Deidara swiped a basket.
"Don't get fresh stuff; I won't eat it" Sasori murmured, eyeing the fruit and vegetables as Deidara approached them hopefully. Deidara took some oranges and apples and proceeded to pick up most of what Sasori didn't want. Sasori knew the effort it took to cook a decent meal and he wasn't prepared to waste time doing it. "Don't even think about it" He grabbed Deidara's arm and steered him away from the fish counter.
Deidara picked up all kinds of fresh meat, arguing his case the whole time that Sasori needed a balanced diet and some decent nutrition.
"Yes but you're not going to be cooking this shit" Sasori grumbled, as Deidara picked up some pasta and easy sauce things.
"You know I can, un"
"Oh I know you can. And you'll make me do it to prove a point"
"Un" Deidara smirked knowingly. "Nothing like watching your housewife cook a good meal, un"
"You're heading for dawn, you know that?" Sasori threatened.
"Kill me later, un. Pick your pizza" Sasori chose at least eight and was satisfied after that. They stocked up on a few bathroom things and went to pay without a fuss. Deidara kept his eyes down, though, and Sasori noticed. His long hair shielded his dud eye but the shop lights were bright. Maybe he was getting another headache.
Once they were out of the store, they wandered back through the town and noted a few of the bars and restaurants. The temperature had dropped and Sasori was cold, not freezing or dangerously close to shifting-point, but getting a bit uncomfortable for him to ignore. He gripped Deidara's jacket hesitantly and glanced at the still-open restaurant-thing they were walking past. Of course he wasn't going to admit weakness.
"We can't stay long, un" Deidara held up the bags to prove his point; the fresh food would need to be stored, the meat put away.
"We'll just get it to take out, then" Sasori headed for the building, glad to be wrapped in warmth as he made the most of it by walking slowly up to the counter.
"There's a fire over there, un" Deidara tugged him back and redirected Sasori to the heat. "What do you want to drink?"
"Hot chocolate" He said instantly. "Milk, not water" Deidara nodded and took the bags with him, leaving Sasori to sit near the fire. Every now and then he snuck a glance back at his boyfriend with the bar staff; he supposed Deidara was rather charming when he wanted to be, but Sasori was longing for his drink. He walked back to Deidara and grinned at the barman, who was smiling all too happily at Deidara with not a hot chocolate in sight.
"You must be the boyfriend" The barman said, and all the built up pre-hate vanished.
"Yes" He said curtly, and the barman popped the take-away cup of hot chocolate on the counter with a wink.
"On the house" He winked at Sasori and the red head tried not to gape. Usually Deidara got the freebies, the little compliments, the sexy winks that he couldn't (shouldn't) reciprocate. The barman then turned to Deidara with a small grin. "He is a little cutie, isn't he?" They both had the audacity to smile and laugh to themselves and Sasori chuckled humorlessly.
"Thank you for the drink" He said to the barman before taking the cup and turning on Deidara. "This little cutie will be sleeping alone tonight" He heard the barman stifle another laugh followed by Deidara's usual complacent sigh.
OOO
They'd found the alchohol in the back of the cupboards. Sasori had come across them while putting away some of their shopping, and had ended up drinking half a botte of red wine before he thought about how much it'd go to his empty stomach. Sober, Deidara made something quick and 'sturdy' and Sasori managed to eat it - finishing the bottle of wine completely and much to Deidara's annoyance.
"You're going to be sick tomorrow, un"
"You called me cute" Sasori grinned, aiming for another bottle to open.
"I've apologised more than once" Deidara reached and pulled his giggling boyfriend back into the living room - away from the alcohol. "Why did you finish the bottle, un?"
"Because you don't like it when I'm drunk" Sasori shrugged. "Aaaaaand you called me cute"
"So this is my punishment" Deidara concluded, and Sasori nodded with severe finality.
"I could think of nothing else" He admitted seriously. "As soon as I saw the bottles, I was like, shhhhwwwoooom" He made hand gestures, aiming for the bottes in the kitchen. "Good idea" He concluded, nodding to himself.
"I'll remind you of that tomorrow morning, un" Deidara held him fast, trying to keep the wriggling red head in his arms. In a burst of neglect, he freed Sasori and regretted it a second later.
Sasori was a playful drunk, the best kind to be drunk with, but not necessarily to cater for. He'd refuse to sit still until he'd sobered up, there would be inevitable table-top dancing (Sober-Sasori didn't know how well Drunk-Sasori could dance) and the usual trip or two - maybe a few mishaps with clothes before Sasori would eventually calm down.
If he was prepared and in the mood for it, Deidara would humour all of Sasori's drunken whims and play along - but his body was weary - perhaps his hunt hadn't been enough - and his head was splitting with a migraine larger than blunt force trauma to his skull. He debated locking Sasori in the basement for a while until he thought of all the things in there that he'd probably start to mess with - and in the end, he settled for waiting it out and following after him like an overprotective parent. He was going to punish his red head severely once he was sober enough to know about it.
OOO
Sasori was sick. He blamed the alcohol entirely - and then he blamed Deidara - of course it wasn't his own fault for drinking that much and as his 'elder', Deidara should have taken the alcohol away before it got that bad - but he couldn't stay mad at the blonde for long.
He'd rubbed his back as he'd thrown up in the toilet, he'd held him steady as he showered and then helped him wash, keeping the noise levels low at all times.
Deidara had also relit the fire a few hours ago and it was at full height as Sasori sat in front of it, mulling over its comfort and wondering why Deidara hadn't exacted any punishment.
There was something bone-warming about a real fire, something primal and very secure. He'd stripped off both of his jacket and his socks by the time he smelled Deidara cooking something, the repetitive stirring making it likely to be soup. Ironic, considering they now had all sorts stocked up in the cupboards. When the blonde came to serve it to him, he eyed the off cast clothing with caution.
"I'm warm enough" Sasori took the soup and changed position, now cross legged with the large cup of soup balanced where his legs met.
"I can tell, un" Deidara flicked off his own jacket and curved his body onto his side, the furthest away from the fire's heat but still within arms distance from Sasori. "Is it making you feel worse?" Deidara eyed the soup and Sasori realised he was trying to avoid eating it or breathing it in.
"I'll give it a few minutes" He grumbled. Deidara was watching him with a hint of sympathy, but he was masking it very well. "Don't look at me like that, I know you're secretly smirking inside" Deidara rolled onto his back and laced his hands behind his head. "Can vampires get sick?" Sasori asked, testing the heat of his soup, but he put the mug back down and curled his lip at it distastefully. It wasn't appealing to him.
"No. Vampires don't get sick" Deidara sighed.
"Not at all?"
"Not pathetically" Deidara said slowly. "We don't get colds" Deidara then said. "We don't get flu or stomach bugs or…. Pneumonia" Sasori peered over in interest, his soup mug still covering half of his face as he tried again to eat it. "If and when we get sick, it's usually something to do with contaminated food. But it's more like a bad reaction than being sick"
"Like… vomit-sick? You can chuck it all back up?" Even as he said it he wasn't sure. Humans vomited what was in their stomach, and Sasori was sure that any blood consumed didn't just sit in vampires' stomachs and wait to be digested. Could vampires even be sick? How did they get rid of the bad blood?
"Why are you asking, un?" Deidara asked curiously. Sasori distracted himself by pretending to drink more of his soup before answering this time.
"I just wondered what'd happen when you get hungover"
"Ask a doctor" Deidara smirked. "I haven't a clue, un. You probably drink more alcohol than I do, yeah" Sasori tried to imagine a hung over Deidara and simply had an image of a drama queen.
"I think you, hungover, would be disasterous. You, sick, would be possibly cause the apocalypse" Sasori grinned. Deidara laughed.
"You'd know if I was really sick, un"
"Yeah?" Sasori said quietly.
"Hn" Deidara nodded. "But you'd never see it. I won't allow it"
"That's not fair - you stayed with me the entire time I had the flu"
"If I get sick, it won't be the flu" Deidara reasoned. "You won't be wiping my head with a cold cloth or pushing my hair from my face while I upchuck yesterday's dinner, un"
"So…you don't throw up?"
"I won't get sick, Sasori. Enough"
Sasori grew agitated. Yes, he supposed it was a human thing to take care of eachother while the other was sick, and he might've been a little bit annoyed that he was the only one who seemed to be in the weaker positions and he couldn't care for the blonde in any way at all - wasn't it right of him to want to know the details? To be prepared in case anything should happen, that he knew how to care for him?
"Is that why you won't drink from me? Is my blood bad or something-"
Deidara moved quickly, spilling Sasori's soup all over the carpet having pinned the red head down.
"I said, enough"
"No" Did he just whine?
"Yes" Deidara leaned closer, his cold hands against Sasori's pulsing wrists. "Drinking from you is an entirely different argument I won't have with you tonight, un"
"I just want to treat you like you did with me; you're pale, Human's go pale when they're ill-"
"I'm always pale" Deidara ran his tongue over his fang for emphasis. Perhaps it was just the light that was causing Sasori to think that anything was different.
"I'm sorry" He whispered, not wanting to anger the blonde - it hadn't been his intention.
"You shouldn't wish for me to be sick, just so you can play nurse. We have a bedroom for that. We can play there" Sasori was quiet, thoughtful. Roleplay was fun, but that hadn't been his point. "Truth?" Deidara said after a few seconds. His grip left Sasori's wrists and he sat back on his heels, still straddling Sasori's chest. "If and when, on a very rare occasion, a vampire might get sick, they aren't sick for very long"
"That's cool, I guess" Sasori said, trying to turn their conversation around.
"Do you know how often blood circulates around our system?"
"Every day" It made a full rotation around the body within that time. Sasori waited for Deidara to continue but when he just got that 'look' back, he knew he was meant to figure it out for himself.
When vampires get sick, they aren't sick for very long.
The blood circulates around their systems every day.
"You're sick for a day?" He grimaced, remembering his week-long torment attached to his bed and confined to his room during the flu. It was hardly fair. "Just a freakin' day?"
Deidara smiled and leant in, kissing Sasori's forehead.
"If I ever get sick, I won't be anywhere near you"
"Did you just miss the entire point of this conversation?"
OOO
The night started off normal; they rose as the sun went down and Deidara geared up for a hunt. While he was gone, Sasori researched, and when he came back - Deidara was grumpy.
"You didn't eat anything" He frowned at the lack of evidence in the kitchen and Sasori tried to lie.
"I already washed it up and put it away"
"In half an hour?" Deidara scoffed. "I'm not stupid, Sasori" The red head frowned at his boyfriends tone; either he was grumpy, in pain, or worried. The three aways sounded the same to Sasori so he saved what little research he'd done and shuffled bravely into the kitchen.
"How was your hunt?"
"What do you want to eat, un?" Deidara was at the fridge, peering inside and ignoring Sasori's question.
"I don't know"
"Don't be a grump. Come here" Deidara had the pans out seconds later, meat sizzling in minutes and the accompanying foods laid out to be prepared, all with harsh, purposeful movements.
"I'm not going to eat all that; it's too much"
"You can freeze it for later, un" Deidara sighed at him and Sasori withered just a bit. "The instructions are here" A book was placed in front of him, open and easy to read. "I'll be watching you from over here. Go" Deidara moved away so he had plenty of room. Sasori might've been okay with it if his boyfriend hadn't seemed so annoyed.
Deidara hopped up onto the other counter, pulled his legs underneath him and fiddled with the ends of his hair. "If it's edible, you'll get dessert" He added quietly.
"We didn't buy any" Sasori grinned coyly for a split second; Deidara's own slow grin giving him doubt.
"Not the kind I was thinking of, yeah"
"Oh, you're happy about that are you?"
"Meaning?"
"What's with the attitude?"
"What attitude, un?"
"That attitude"
"Make your fucking food, else you won't get your dessert" Sasori gaped at the blonde, all pale and fierce and damn well determined - his eyes like blue-rimmed coal.
"I'm not sure I want dessert if you're going to be like that"
"No?"
"No" Sasori seized the book and preoccupied himself with following the instructions, leaving Deidara to simmer and boil and burn himself over on the counter by himself.
As he moved, he realised that he couldn't smell the usual blood-dirt-outdoorsy smell that he often caught post-hunt. He glanced at his blonde, not a trace of dirt on him, or blood - or even satisfaction. Was it possible for a vampire to look paler than normal?
Sasori froze when he felt Deidara's eyes on him, like he'd been harpooned in the back. His body tingled, the hairs on his arms rising to attention as his spine prickled with anxiety. Was Deidara hunting him? Or playing? He held his breath as he heard him move, slipping from the counter out of the corner of his eye.
"Dessert first" Deidara decided.
"You told me to eat first" Sasori said defiantly, heart speeding up. "You can't have it both ways-"
Sasori's body stiffened as Deidara hands tugged his jeans down and then hoisted Sasori right out of them - all but throwing him out of the kitchen and into the dining room.
"The food!" Sasori protested, if only because he hadn't burnt any of it yet and it was actually smelling quite good. And it was still on the hob, and in the oven, cooking. "Dei-"
"Won't be long, un" Deidara pounced forwards and Sasori reacted, lunging around the other side of the table, the adrenaline spiking in his veins.
Sasori backed out of the room trying to keep his composure, as Deidara all but hugged the table in the centre with his limbs ready to launch. The game was on. He was almost cat-like, eyes wide and body poised for attack as he watched Sasori for as long as he could - the red head inching backwards out of the dining room and into the living room.
Sasori had worked out long ago that playing the 'chase game' didn't work because Deidara was so fast and kind of impatient, so it became a game of 'chase, catch and release' - an endless cycle of being hunted, caught and toyed with, and let go again. Sort of like how Deidara hunted the food he didn't end up eating - but that was an upsetting thought.
By the time Sasori made it around the 'safe' side of the sofa, his heart was beating erratically, Deidara was a whole different type of hungry and Sasori was very attracted to it - he couldn't lie about that. Deidara feigned a move and Sasori kept still, waiting for the right moment to react. Only Deidara was impatient, and he sucked at the 'chase' game and had him pinned against the sofa's arm seconds later.
"I'm gonna' have you so many different ways, un" Deidara promised, his eyes alight with intent.
Sasori laughed, gathering his breath and his courage. He knew that look - Deidara would go all night if he'd allow it.
The blonde shirked off his T-shirt and turned Sasori around, his hip bones digging into the inner structure of the sofa as Deidara bent him over it, pressed him into it. One hand crept lower as the other one cupped his jaw with freezing fingers, a thumb stroking his chin as Deidara's chilling lips pressed butterflies across his back. Sasori arched into it and then shifted - legs apart a little further.
"Did we ever christen this, un?" Deidara murmured, his hand crossing from Sasori's chin, around his neck and back up through his hair. Sasori's head lolled down against the arm rest, his whole body on fire with each of Deidara's freezing touches.
"Can't remember" He admitted, but in all honesty he was sure they had. Deidara 'hmm'ed and the cold touches left him completely, all until one swift lunge had his back arched, head up and gasping his breaths moments later.