Hey guys, I'm so sorry, has it been half a year? IM SO SORRY. I was busy and all and... I had no inspiration. FORGIVE ME. But I'm back now, so (: Thanks Envyyyy, MitchiMarra, HerpyDerpy, Akatsuki Fatale and XDaraku-Shita-TenshiX for reviewing! :D
Kakuzu tore down the dark street, his eyes searching the night for the crazy troublemaker. Where the fuck did Hidan go? Kakuzu hoped the silver haired man hadn't found his seat in a bar and was chugging down alcohol by the bottles now, because that would be a lot of trouble indeed.
The thought of Hidan following someone else home mistaking them for himself made Kakuzu disastrously mad. But he didn't even know why. Who cares if the idiot follows someone else home…? He groaned and clutched his head, quickening his pace. Hidan… I'm going to fucking murder you.
He was about to turn into an alley when he heard someone curse further up front.
It was Hidan, continuously kicking a lamp post and chanting his daily menu of vulgarities like a mantra.
Kakuzu narrowed his eyes.
"Where the fuck do you think you're going!"
Hidan started and whirled around, horrified, as Kakuzu stalked towards him.
Fuck.
He back stepped and started to sprint. He tried to channel all his energy to his legs, willing himself to run faster, and further away from the enraged Kakuzu, who was stomping his way down the street, the occasional glow of street lamps on his face highlighting the fact that his level of anger was way over the norm.
Bastard Kuzu. Why can't he fucking leave me alone? Stop. Following. Me.
"Hidan, if you don't stop right there, I'll—"
Oh yeah? What are you going to do? You can't—
"—Stop sponsoring all your shit."
The silver haired man had no choice but to stop. Even he knew that if Kakuzu stopped helping him, he would end up as a hobo on the streets.
I sound like I'm only friends with Kuzu for his money. I feel like such a fucking leech.
Kakuzu's footsteps drew nearer, and softened to stop. Hidan could actually feel himself trembling. The echo of his heart beating thundered through his body, filling his head and ricocheting around his seemingly hollowing skull.
I'm turning into a fucking sissy.
"What were you running from?"
Lavender eyes widened. "R...running? What— I'm not running... from anything." It was getting hard to breathe. But he was running. Because of Kakuzu. No... Not Kakuzu, but what Kakuzu made him feel.
And he didn't like the invoked feelings at all. It made his chest tight and pulse race, it made his thoughts jumble and his knees weak. But worst of all, it made him think of how he would feel if he someday lost Kakuzu. And he didn't like that thought either.
"Liar." Kakuzu took another step closer to him and lowered his tone. "You think you're such an expert at that but I'm not falling for it."
Oh, and also, Hidan couldn't stand Kakuzu's voice— it was sometimes too soft, too gentle, and it made him want to give up and surrender— but the silver haired man hated to lose.
Clenching of fists and a sharp intake of breath. Hidan turned around, no longer sure if he was angry, scared, or if he only wanted to deny whatever Kakuzu made him feel. Making him feel.
Startled by the sudden movement, Kakuzu blinked once, twice.
"Screw you, Kuzu. What is your damned problem? Why can't you just leave me alone when I need to be alone? I can't fucking think when you're standing less then one fucking foot away from me. I don't know why but I can't! My head feels messed up and then I can't even fucking breathe properly without feeling as if my chest would explode, and you fucking know what else? I can't stand normally, for fuck's sake! My knees are like jelly! And I know I have enough calcium so! Stop messing with my brain!"
Kakuzu stared at the rambling man in front of him. His violet eyes were flashing in a swirl of mixed emotions. Irritation. Anger. Desperation. Anxiety. Fear.
"That's because you're in love with me."
Hidan balked visibly. "What the f—"
"You're in love with me," Kakuzu repeated, with a hint of disbelief, with amazement even, and Hidan could detect it.
"Don't go jumping to conclusions, you fucking retard. Why the hell would I be in love with you? Fuck, stop it. Just stop whatever it is you're doing to me, because I'm not used to feeling so screwed up about myself every second of every minute of every hour of every fucking day." He was exasperated, and Kakuzu's expression didn't show any signs of change. If any, the amazement intensified, and Hidan felt as if he would collapse any time if his knees trembled any more. "What the fuck are you staring at, Kuzu? Will you fucking cut that out—"
Kakuzu grabbed him by the front of his shirt and cut his sentence off, pressing their lips together.
Stunned, Hidan stared into Kakuzu's open eyes, his heartbeat hammering into maximum, and if not for Kakuzu's arm around him, he was hundred percent sure that he would have crashed to the ground. What the fuck is going on?
Hidan watched Kakuzu, their faces not an inch apart, until the latter leaned back, but not loosening his hold around Hidan's waist. "Wh...what did you do that for?" He choked out, mortified.
"Promise me that you'll never get drunk unless you're with me."
"What the... I thought I was only allowed one can of beer and one shot of alcohol a day? How the fuck am I supposed to get drunk with that? And why the hell can't I get drunk with anyone else?"
"I don't want you biting anyone else, or sucking their fucking blood."
"And this concerns you why?"
"Because your mouth can only touch me."
A scarlet blush flared upwards from Hidan's neck to his cheeks. "Bastard, you're—"
"—in love with you."
Hidan clenched his fists and scuffed his sneakers on the ground. "You could... at least, you know, close your eyes."
"When I kiss you? Why? When else will I see you shut up?" Kakuzu let go of Hidan, and the purple eyed man stumbled two steps before regaining balance and glaring at him.
"You know what, Kuzu? Fuck you."
Kakuzu grinned slightly. "Ah, sure. When we get home. Impatient, aren't you?"
"...Fuck you."
"Of course, it'd be the other way around."
"ENOUGH IS ENOUGH, KUZU."
It was quiet as they walked back to their apartment. Deidara kept his head tilted up towards the faint glow of the moon and soft light of the streetlamps. With his hands shoved into the pocket of his jeans, the blonde stole a quick glance at Sasori, to find the redhead already watching him with his unreadable eyes.
Startled, Deidara looked away and continued walking, the one second of eye contact causing his heart to race. Could I get any more obvious, un?
"I can't shake off the feeling that something is wrong."
The blonde held his breath. "What?"
"I'm not forcing you to tell me, but I'm serious. If you have problems, you should talk to me." Sasori's voice was low, and Deidara could detect the slightest rare bit of concern lingering in his words.
"I…"
The redhead looked up, almost expectantly.
"I know, un."
"…Good."
Silence.
"Danna?"
"Hmm?"
"I realized that you're actually kind of nice, un."
"Did it take you that long to realize that, brat?"
"…I change my mind."
When they finally escaped from Konan and Pein's apartment, Kisame was half dead. He felt dehydrated from all the loss of water through cold sweat, and half fried from the intensity of Konan's ceaseless interrogation. How the hell does Itachi keep his cool?
He stole a sideways glance at the stoic figure walking beside him. He didn't even seem the slightest bit bothered about all the questions the crazy couple were throwing at them. Right, because the questions weren't even aimed at Uchiha fucking Itachi, they were all pelted at Kisame. And he almost drowned in them.
Pein and Konan are too observant for their own good. They could have aimed their focus on something else, like their studies, maybe. They should just leave me alone.
Kisame let out a loud sigh, forgetting himself.
"Are you all right, Kisame?"
The blue tinged man jumped nearly three feet into the air, somehow managing to make his already red face turn even redder. "I'm fine! I'm fantastic! I'm magnificent!"
"If you insist…" Itachi stared at Kisame. He was not very convinced.
Sasori and Itachi sat across each other in the café. The sky outside had dimmed significantly from the bright it had been when Sasori entered, but yet the Uchiha had not uttered even a single word. The redhead blinked his tired eyes, and stopped tapping his fingertips on the tabletop.
"I believe that the reason we are here in the first place is because you said that you needed to talk?" Sasori's attempt at being obvious instantly failed as he said what he really wanted to say.
Itachi gave a slight frown. "I know."
"So, what is it?" The redhead liked to think that he had been very understanding, but for an impatient person, Itachi had really pushed his limits.
"It's about Kisame."
Sasori raised an eyebrow. Kisame? What about him? "And...?" he prompted.
"I am convinced that he is facing some problems, but he doesn't seem to have any intention of talking about it. He has even started to avoid me."
...what?
"He leaves home earlier than me," the Uchiha frowned, "and returns to the apartment past midnight. When I ask him about his whereabouts, he completely and utterly ignores me."
"You seem irritated," Sasori blinked at the increasing volume of Itachi's ramble. What am I supposed to do about that?
Sasori had his own problems too after all. Deidara used to go out every weekend, but he had recently started staying home and the redhead more often than not found him staring blankly at something while absentmindedly messing with his clay, or in the bathroom taking a shower. The redhead's eye twitched. The water bills have become ridiculously high these few months...
"Of course I'm disturbed," Itachi growled. "Does Kisame not think of me as a worthy enough friend to share his problems with?"
"I'm sure he has his reasons..."
"And he doesn't even go for the hospital appointments I make for him," the Uchiha continued. "He—"
"I think," Sasori interrupted, "that you're being a little too overprotective about this. Kisame's not a little kid, he can take care of himself. Why are you so hung up over him not wanting to report in to you his daily life?"
Itachi blinked, startled. "Report to me his daily life?" he repeated. "I'm showing concern."
Sasori almost choked on his coffee. Concern? Uchiha Itachi? The redhead stared, half shocked at the man opposite him. "Of course..."
"I have already observed his changing behavior from a few weeks back. It was strange enough. There was once I found his talking to himself outside the door for a whole fifteen minutes. That was when I made the first appointment for him but he didn't go for it. I thought that was troublesome enough, but ever since that get together at Pein and Konan's apartment, he's become worse. He jumps at the slightest sound and he refuses to make eye contact with me. What I don't understand is why." Itachi clasped his hands together on the table, tapping the base of his coffee cup with his pinky.
"All right…"
As both psychological students attempted a stare down, on the other side of the cafe, one blonde and one blue tinted man were locked up in a heated discussion. A heated one-sided blabber.
"So..." Deidara rested his chin on his palm, his other hand slowly stirring his mocha, "basically, you have this huge, life threatening crush on Uchiha Itachi, and you're dying?"
Kisame's pale face immediately heated up into a raging red. "Wh...wha..." he spluttered. "I n-never—"
"Save it, un." Deidara propped both elbows on the table and leaned closer to the blubbering man, making air quotes with his fingers. "Let's see, hmm. 'I can't breathe when he's around', 'his eyes are electrifying, they freak me out', 'his voice is way too sexy it should be forbidden', wow." The blonde's smirk practically dripped sarcasm. "You're smitten, buddy. You're head over heels, un." Just like me. I know how you feel.
"I AM NOT—"
"Will you shut up, un! We're in a fucking cafe here!"
"—in love with that prick," Kisame hissed.
"Who said you were in love? I only said you had a crush on him, un. You mean the feeling goes deeper?"
"Good God, Deidara."
"Uh huh."
Deidara leaned back in his seat and sighed. He had spent three hours listening to the big guy talk about his endless affection for the Uchiha, and he had to admit, Kisame had it bad. Very bad.
If I think that Kisame's got it bad, what am I?
He self consciously tugged his sleeves lower to cover his wrist. He didn't want anyone to find out. Not now. Not ever. He never, ever, wanted Sasori to know.
What is it called, to fall in love with your best friend but not being able to tell them how you feel for fear of losing their friendship?
Deidara had always thought that those people who didn't dare to confess were idiots. Why not? Just go up to them and tell them "I love you", and let fate decide the rest. But he realized, now being in the same situation, that it sounded a million and one times easier than it seemed. Years and years of friendship, shattered because of the three words that were supposed to be beautiful. Was it worth it? Was it worth it, really?
"Stop judging me! You don't know how I feel!" Kisame wailed.
Deidara felt his fists clench and his jaw harden. I don't know? "How would you know how I feel, un?"
Kisame's stunned face signaled to the blonde that something was amiss, and he realized, with slight horror, that in his anger, he had stood up and slammed his hands on the tabletop. Now everyone in the cafe had turned to look at him.
"Are you... okay?" Kisame stared at him, taken aback by Deidara's almost violent reaction.
"I... I'm fine. I think I'm tired, un. I... See you tomorrow, yeah?" The blonde grabbed his phone and left.
Itachi had heard the banging of tables and turned around, effectively breaking up the stare down. "What was that?"
Sasori followed Itachi's gaze. Deidara stood opposite a shell shocked Kisame, fists on the table and posture rigid.
"Is that Deidara?" Itachi coughed, "and Kisame?"
"Deidara?" Sasori frowned. What is the brat doing? The redhead stood up, and started to walk towards their table, but the blonde turned around and disappeared out the cafe door before he could take another step. "Itachi, I'm just going to..." Sasori trailed off. The Uchiha was already on his way towards the unsuspecting Kisame. That bastard... Never mind, that works for me as well.
He pushed the glass door opened and ran down the street, leaving the chime to tinkle as the door slowly closed.
Deidara crashed into the bathroom and leaned back against the wall, letting the coolness of the marble seep into his burning skin. He had almost lost it. How could he have been so careless?
"Screw this..."
There was a click as the blonde opened his Swiss army knife and positioned it over an unscathed part of his arm. He pressed it down, hard.
"I never asked for this, un."
The thin line of blood welled up from the cut, dark and thick.
A teardrop fell on the bubbling slit, mixing with the blood and running down the side of Deidara's arm like diluted paint.
"Hey, brat?"
The blonde's head snapped up. Fuck no. HELL no. Shit.
"Deidara?"
The door to the bathroom opened.
Deidara had forgotten to lock it.
A/N: HOW WAS IT. Have my writing skills rusted? Please review! And maybe some suggestions? But I've already written the climax of this multi chap, I'm just trying to connect it to the rest of the fic :D REVIEW PLEASE! THANKS. Cookies and lollipops for you!~