Cherries

"New Awakenings."
.

The exotic birds inhabiting the Land of Fire woke up Tobi that morning. They tweeted so loudly, their chirps could be heard through the wooden walls of the inn he was sleeping in. He sighed. While it was not necessary for him to sleep, it felt nice doing so. Tobi couldn't recall the last time he dreamed, it was always a soothing stretch of black nothing. There was no manifest or latent content for him to conjure up. This may have been for the best. The unconscious repression of ill memories was done in favour. Imagine having to relive every nightmare this hell offered. He 'tsked', rolling his eyes under the swirly, orange mask.

He turned over, mask still plastered tightly to his face. There was Deidara, fast asleep. Both of their infamous Akatsuki robes had been stripped off: the Uchiha's folded to perfection, Deidara's thrown over a nearby chair. And while Tobi slept dressed head to toe in black, Deidara had ripped off his navy shirt and let his hair down. Those were such adorable, endearing habits.

Defined, sun-kissed limbs were sprawled across the tiny bed, with a single arm hanging loosely off the edge. Tobi gazed at his serene expression under the delicate drapes of golden strands. He was beautiful.

Tobi carefully sat up, thankful the bed did not creak with his movements. With faithful trust in his circadian rhythm, Tobi deduced it was well past dawn but still morning. It was a bit late for him to wake up. More often than not, his eyes snapped opened before daybreak. Deidara, on the other hand, loved his beauty sleep. He glanced around, running a hand through his hair. The sunlight brightened up their solemn room, but that wasn't what caught his interest.

Before moving to sit on the floor next to his senpai's bed, Tobi stretched his muscles, eye never leaving Deidara's form. The boy did not snore, but saliva trailed down the corner of his lips. Did Tobi mention how exceptionally adorable the brat was?

Deidara was what snared his thoughts, wrapping sticky cords around his mind and trapping him. Tobi had fallen victim to his own web, getting tangled all for a taste of the rueful fruit fly that had been lured and deceived. How dreadfully ironic.

That slumbering face, it warmed his very essence. Right then, in that moment, Tobi was happy. And he was – he was... smiling.

Deidara's breathing was slow and steady, a rhythm Tobi could never tire of. He did not want to possess strong feelings, especially for Deidara of all people. The man was a wild horse, one that could never be tamed.

And then when Tobi finalized his decision, Deidara had to go about suggesting something so out of this world, Tobi was left breathless. "Add sugar." Well, if the boy thought it was a good idea, he'd certainly try. His bitter soul needed some sweetening. With quivering hands, Tobi grasped onto a fair lock, caressing it between his fingers. But just how much sugar would he need to even out the taste?

Even when Deidara's eye opened, blinking away sleep, Tobi continued smiling. This was happening more often, the silly grins and simpers. It shouldn't be happening, but it was. Through his tiny mask hole, he stared at Deidara, not caring about the man's reaction. The boy would, with out a doubt, be unhappy waking up to see him hovering over him. As expected, the single blue eye had widened in surprise, before confusion and anger swiped over it. Such a sight to behold, Tobi thought.

"Tobi, what are you doing?"

He was so beautiful. From the core of his guts, to the flesh on his bones. The man twirled the golden threads between his fingers, wishing he weren't wearing gloves. Tobi was no artist, but he knew Deidara was a work of art, a masterpiece.

Deidara seemed to have noticed the blond hair in Tobi's fingers, because an embarrassed blush plumed that tan skin. The boy was muttering, "You're being a freak, hm. Stop playing with my hair, idiot."

Beneath his swirly, orange mask, Tobi still smiled. He stood, "I'm sorry, senpai! You just looked so pretty with your hair down! Like a girl!"

Deidara was out of bed in seconds, clutching onto Tobi's shirt and pulling him down to eye-level, "What. Did. You. Say?"

Oh, a blow to his manly pride. Deidara was just too cute. Tobi poked his flushed cheek, "You're all red too! Are you wearing makeup?"

"I'll kill you!"

Tobi placed a bowl of cherries on the table. It was breakfast for the two of them, which meant Tobi would have to slip off his mask to get a bite. Grabbing a cherry, Deidara waited for Tobi to do the same, tapping a foot against the floor. Neither of them were armed, rather carelessly leaving their gear and cloaks back in the bedroom. But for all Deidara knew, Tobi had weapons hiding under his shirt. Ha! As if.

After waking up to see the blockhead staring at him – God knew for how long – through a tiny hole and petting his hair, it was safe to say he was rather confused. When he was confused, it resulted in immediate frustration.

Pearly teeth sunk into the dark flesh of the fruit, its juices oozing into his mouth. Deidara groaned in bliss. Cherries were freaking delicious! It was the only good thing about this morning. Tobi could destroy it all he wanted, but the first bite of breakfast would always lift up anyone's mood.

Deidara spit out the pit and glanced at Tobi, wondering why the man was so silent. Tobi was still staring at him! It wasn't as though there was anything on his face. Deidara glared, reaching for the bowl of cherries and grabbing a handful. The brat was still soundless, watching. The arsonist knew Tobi was staring at him, even though he couldn't see through that black hole, where the eye should be. It was beyond irritating. Deidara chewed onto the cherries, expertly avoiding the fruit pits with his skilled tongue.

And that was when Tobi spoke, "Will you teach me art today, senpai?"

"No," the proffesional artist crossed his arms, wiping his mouth, "You need to feel art – which you don't."

"Please? Pretty, pretty please? With a cherry on top?" Tobi had grabbed a cherry, extending his hand out in offering.

Tobi wasn't going to give up on this, that was for sure. The idiot never did, he was stubborn – at least until he saw something shiny or 'pretty'. But Deidara would admit he was actually very pleased that Tobi was finding interest in true beauty.

It looked like Deidara was seriously considering it. Uh oh, he was going to say yes, wasn't he?

Well, damn. He was seriously going to regret this.

Deidara took in a deep breath, "Fine. But you're not wasting my clay. For now you can draw a picture."

"Can you draw pictures too?"

Tobi had sounded so curious and stupid, Deidara almost felt bad for him. He sighed, "Yes, Tobi. I can draw, hm."

"Then let's draw together!"

vvv

They had grabbed their stuff, walking out of the inn with a few more belongings than what they walked in with. Deidara had stolen several sheets of paper, a book from the lobby, and writing utensils, while Tobi had snatched the cherries. Of course, as they were criminals, Deidara insisted on not paying for their stay. Tobi, however, had to be the dumbass he was and not only cover the bill, but pay a hefty tip too. So really, they weren't stealing.

Now they were sitting in a plain field outside of the forest's treeline, artist supplies sprawled all around them. Deidara, while unhappy there would be no explosions, enjoyed these activities. He smoothed out a sheet of paper on the book he stolen, using it as a hard surface.

"Right. We can start now, hm," Deidara coughed, "But before we start drawing, I want to know what you think art is, Tobi."

Tobi laughed, "That's easy, senpai! Art is an explosion."

On any other occasion, that answer would have satisfied him, but it didn't sound right, coming out of Tobi's mouth. Deidara frowned, "That's my philosophy. What do you consider art to be? Tell me what your core believes. Actually think about it, hm."

Everyone had their own opinions about art, Deidara could accept that. But they were wrong if they didn't believe in the beauty of it being fleeting. Artists like Sasori, those who wanted their work to last forever, were foolish. Nothing lasted forever. People feared death, they feared the end. Deidara chose to embrace it, love it, cherish it.

Deidara was expecting some clueless response from Tobi, but was rather surprised when the man said, "Art is an expression of thought. Art should feel. It should breath. If I go blind, I should hear it sing. If I go deaf, the sight of it should take my breath away. I don't know if that's right, senpai. Was that the right answer?"

Woah.

Did Tobi really just say all of that, or was he dreaming? He sounded intelligent.

Lips parted, Deidara ignored how dry his mouth suddenly felt, "G-good enough. I think we can start drawing now, hm. Grab whatever you need and draw whatever you want."

Tobi reached for the paper, grabbing a black marker, "Will you be testing me, senpai?"

Deidara nodded, leaning back to stare at the sky, "Of course."

"Uwa, so scary! You're going to be tough on me aren't you?"

"Of course."

"And if I do bad – ."

"Just draw something, Tobi."

Deidara could already feel a headache forming. Why had he agreed to this anyway? Both of them were behind schedule. Deidara had promised Pein they'd arrive at the main base by noon. And judging from the position of the sun in the sky, noon was around... now. He sighed. It wasn't like he cared about deadlines and what not, but the sooner he got to base, the sooner he'd have some alone time.

Around half an hour passed, with Tobi's back turned to Deidara. In the mean time, he ate the cherries Tobi had brought, enjoying their addictive flavour. All fruits were tasty – hell, almost all food was good. For once, today it didn't serve as a good distraction. Something was scratching the back of his mind. It was that Tobi, the one who had made the effort in obtaining the crimson fruits, did not eat a single one. Did Tobi not like cherries? Skipping out on breakfast like that, wasn't he starving? No, he probably didn't eat because of his mask. It didn't matter, anyways. Deidara couldn't care less.

It was quiet. Tobi must have been pretty focused on his drawing. The kid would likely end up drawing poorly drawn stick figures and a geometric sun in the corner of the paper. Still, it didn't hurt to give the guy a shot. Practice did make perfect.

While understanding that one should never interrupt an artist at work, the bomber felt the need to break the silence. He spoke, voice rising in curiosity, "How are you getting along?"

Tobi froze, twisting his head over his shoulder. Deidara stared at the swirly, orange mask, waiting for a response. But he never got one. Blue eyes narrowed, "Well?"

"Um, Tobi doesn't know what to draw."

Then why didn't he just say anything? Half an hour dumped in the trash. Biting back a string of curse words for all that time wasted, Deidara breathed in deeply, "Alright, my patience is wearing thin. Draw dango, or sunflowers, or all that other shit you're constantly blabbering about. Just draw something you feel strongly about, sound easy enough?"

He watched as Tobi's gloved hand touched his mask; it was a thoughtful gesture. Tapping the swirly, orange mask with his finger, the black haired man muttered, "Something I feel strongly about? Hm..."

Tobi looked extremely childish doing that. In a way it was sort of, well, cute, but that only made everything about the brat all the more repulsive. Deidara was an ex-nin, a powerful, skilled artist who could destroy acres of land and its inhabitants in mere seconds. He had no interest whatsoever in 'cuteness'. Art was cool, bombs were cool, but cuteness was not! Urgh, no! Tobi was not cute. Not. Cute.

Great, now Deidara could feel his cheeks getting warm. Fucking fabulous, he was blushing.

And then Tobi's hand fell to his side and he spoke calmly, "Then I'll draw you."

Deidara's breath hitched.