Pomegranate
"Pull."
.
He sees it. There, deep within the valley, where the edge of the frozen water met with land, hidden underneath a thick sheet of snow and behind a dense cluster of pines. It sent a jolt into his heart. It was built from wood, though it was near impossible to be certain with the amount of snow covering every surface.
Never having utilized more stealth before in his life, Tobi used Kamui to weave himself indoors. Before he had a chance to take note of anything else, one thing was evident: the silence seemed to try and suffocate him. The structure did not creak; it did not groan. It was dark inside, but he expected nothing less. The likelihood of power running was slim, and water would only freeze in piping even if it were built. Obito had been beneath the earth, had risen and died, and there had been more comfort there than Tobi found here.
He inhaled, the movement sharp.
Flaxen hair spilled over the tatami, the golden colour he knew so well somehow shining paler in the darkness. The body was still—too still.
That awful voice in his head screamed at him, sounded like Obito, little Obito, who was supposed to be gone.
Something with too many edges tore through his heart, seizing him, and in that moment, Tobi lost himself.
Dead. Dead. Dead.
He took a step forward. Before he the thundering of his heart reached his ears, and he remembered himself.
He's breathing. I can see it.
His chakra is flowing.
He's only... asleep.
He exhaled the breath he had been holding, chest quivering. Still unsure if he was ready to wake him, Tobi didn't dare move. But if he had bothered to try, he would find himself incapable of doing so. The fear he had desperately been avoiding had caught up with him in an instant, settling into his bones, and rooting him to the ground. He felt heavy.
Deidara was there, in front of him. After so long.
And like a torrent, memories crashed to the forefront of his mind. He could hear it: the deadly silence that came as his art fell from the sky, the sound of air tearing itself apart, the whispered, "Tobi". Shouting, dango, and a sunset. Dancing. Peaches. His lips. He recalled a time when the man was younger, a baby really, yet still capable enough to warrant the Akatsuki's attention. Thick stitching. Deidara smiling at nothing, one with the wind as they flew over endless mountain ranges. His eyes.
Tobi took a step back.
What was he doing?
Deidara didn't want him.
It didn't matter how much he craved the man. Deidara was untouchable in ways Tobi wasn't.
For the second time that night, he froze.
Something cold pressed into his throat—a kunai. The blade sliced into his skin because he allowed it, because it was Deidara who was wielding the weapon. The scent of clay and ash gave him away. Once he came to the realization that he'd been fooled by a Shadow Clone of all things, the body lying on the floor disappeared with a puff of smoke.
"Learn to knock, you dumbass, hm," someone spoke into his ear, voice rich, low, and above all else, familiar, and it had Tobi's knees go weak.
"Deidara," was all he could say.
The edge of the kunai left his neck, so Tobi turned around to face the only thing in the world that mattered.
It was Deidara's turn to take a step back, his blue eyes wide. Tobi was bluntly reminded of how attractive the man was, and having spent so much time away from him, Tobi forgot how difficult it was to not stare. Even under the darkness' cover, Deidara was glowing. He was also speaking –
"You – Te – Tobi!" he stuttered.
It was quite nostalgic to be addressed as 'Tobi' again. Kami, he hadn't heard his name in so long. Madara. Uchiha. Akatsuki. He was sick of it all. But anything was better than Obito.
Maybe someday, Tobi would belong to only Deidara. To everyone else, he'd be someone else. It was a concept that had crossed his mind before, and at this rate, it would be true soon enough.
The man was looking at him with something strange in his expression. Shock? Tobi couldn't identify it for what it was, and this set him on edge. Nothing good ever followed when Tobi did not understand. The past decade was evidence of that.
At least his mistakes led him here, to him.
"What is it?" he asked, tense.
"Your mask, man!" Deidara reached forward as if to touch it. But before he did, he hesitated, then dropped his arm and said more quietly, "It's broken."
Hm. He'd forgotten about it. Tobi let his fingers run over it, across the ridges and up and up, until his hand grazed over jagged edges. He observed, "So it is."
"And your arm's gone, Tobi. It's - where's the rest of it? What happened? Who did this?" Deidara's tone rose higher and grew louder with each passing word, "How did someone manage to land a hit on you?! Has it started then? The war?! You're fighting. I thought you were untouchable – !"
"Hold on—hold on," Tobi raised a hand in an attempt for him to slow down, "It doesn't matter anymore. I – ."
"Of course it matters, hm! Don't think I don't notice, Tobi. You're always trying to dodge the subject – especially when it matters. I don't..." he trailed off, a helpless look crossing his face.
For the brief moment it was there, Tobi's insides squirmed. Regret and guilt ate him alive, and he had to fix everything, he had to. He tried again, "Deidara."
"Why are you here, anyways?! I thought I told you to stay away from me!"
Tobi stepped forward, not denying it, "You did."
The shallow anger that had begun to show suddenly grew into something sullen, and with it, Deidara's calm voice, "It – I hate being confused, yeah? I know what I want, and you – you just – You can't show up here and expect me to kiss your feet. I'm not going back on what I said, hm."
"You rarely do," Tobi wanted to smile – because this was pure, honest, too-good-to-be-true Deidara – but the air was too heavy, and he couldn't do it no matter how much he wanted to, "But I did."
Deidara didn't say anything, and wanting to make sure he was clear, for once, Tobi stated firmly, "I will not return to the Moon's Eye plan. Nothing will change my mind."
Then to Tobi's relief, he rose a brow; however, doubt remained evident in his features, "Seriously?"
Tobi nearly missed it, but he picked up Deidara's slight tremor. The man's fists were clenched, and his arms were crossed too tightly to be relaxed. The man's body language was clear – he was cold. It was a strange time to be having these observations, but it wasn't as if he had to look hard. Deidara was barefoot and wearing a black, sleeveless top in below zero temperatures.
If Tobi hadn't been soaking wet from rain water that had partially frosted over, he would have slipped off his own torn Akatsuki cloak to share – he wouldn't need it anymore anyways. Unashamed to admit he retained Deidara's set, he used Kamui to return it to this dimension.
Deidara had flinched at the ripple, and Tobi briefly wondered if Deidara thought he was leaving.
When the shift in space ceased, Tobi caught Deidara wordlessly regarding the thick fabric that now rested on top of his gloved hands.
Before the man could protest, Tobi threw the cloak over the set of quivering shoulders and rested his hand there too. The movement had pushed the man's golden hair to the side, revealing his missing scope and a set of eyes that gave him the motivation to keep going. He made sure Deidara met his gaze and did his best to convey his honesty through an eye that's purpose was to lie.
"For all the benefits in sight the Sharingan has given me, I've been a blind fool," he continued without mentioning the last few moments, instead stepping closer to Deidara, and spoke the truth, "The world is insignificant if you're not in it. I've known this all along but have denied it time and time again."
"Me, or the version of me you made up?" Deidara rose his chin, bravely staring him down, despite how high Tobi towered over him, how much bigger he was sure he seemed when he was this close.
If Tobi's sight could detect colour more precisely under the cover of night, Deidara's red face would be apparent. Unfortunately for him and fortunately for the other, Tobi remained oblivious. He dragged his only hand down Deidara's chest and pointed, pressing against the skin covering Deidara's heart.
Their eyes connected. He finally answered, "You. You, the man right here."
"How do I trust you?" Deidara whispered; he sounded sceptical.
But his heart was thundering, something Tobi could feel pound under his fingertip, through his glove. Focusing in on the touch, his thoughts grew hazy, and for the first time in a long time, Tobi felt freedom. He simply spoke without thinking, without planning or considering, "You don't. You can't force it. That's not what I want. I... I will earn it back, if you will let me. "
Tobi could have given reasons, his rationale. He could have played with Deidara's emotions, be it his guilt or his curiosity, until he agreed. He could have begged. But once he thought it over, he was sure that was what he wanted. Deidara's respect had to be earned.
Tobi was taken aback again when Deidara declared, "You already have it, you fool."
There was no one alive who would trust Tobi. Not even he trusted himself. He had to take a pause.
Carefully, quietly, he asked, "How?"
"I just do," Deidara looked away, tugging his old cloak tighter around himself, "And. And you always come back, hm."
"Senpai!"
Deidara would watch impassively as Tobi's back shrunk further into the distance.
"Katsu!"
And Tobi would return with his usual goofy grace.
Deidara would ditch him, praying for mercy – praying Tobi would stay away. But he never did; he always showed up, waving his arms in excitement.
Tobi would leave in the middle of the night, and Deidara laid awake until he felt his partner's presence back in the campsite. With his eyes wide open under the moon's light, he would wonder why he never heard even the slightest crunch of dead twigs under such a noisy shinobi's footsteps.
Or Deidara would do something to get the Uchiha's attention – and to this day, he still wasn't exactly sure what this something was – and Tobi would tell him things that weren't meant to be told. Then he'd regret it and push Deidara away time and time again. Deidara found himself chasing him anyways, like an energetic dog after a big stick.
But even though he was pushed away, in the end, Tobi had come back, again and again, bringing more each time, until he was someone else entirely. Someone who had been there all along, yet was never there to begin with.
The Uchiha was meant to die that fateful day, body crushed by a boulder and mind later shredded by humanity. But he had returned to the living, though he was not quite the same as before. Maybe he resembled a caterpillar, abandoned by everyone and quickly forgotten, until one day he unravelled his wings to prove them all wrong.
Tobi had dedicated half of his life to his mission, yet he still attempted to relinquish it for Deidara. He tried – Deidara was sure he tried.
In the end, he failed and returned to his original path—then veered off track again and showed up in the middle of the night, soaking wet and broken, but with a determination that wasn't there before.
Tobi, who could disappear and reappear at will, both in body and mind.
But he always came back.
And he came back greater.
It was a cycle that didn't seem to end. And if things stayed true, Tobi would leave again. Deidara couldn't predict when or why or how – reading the future wasn't his specialty – but he knew that in that moment, Tobi had returned, and nothing mattered more.
Deidara wasn't really mad about their spat anymore, either. He'd gotten over it a long time ago.
There had been a point where Deidara thought Tobi was grounding – focused – and he was, in a way. But when he stepped back and looked closer, it was clear Tobi was just trying to find his course. The Uchiha was lost and willing to follow whatever path had direction, even if the signs were not pointing in the right direction.
Not to say Deidara was the "right" way, but well, he was pretty damn close.
Ever since Deidara had split his ties with the Akatsuki, he'd been brooding non-stop over Tobi. He had months to contemplate this enigma of a man.
And Deidara saw it now. As in control as Tobi liked to pretend to be, he was absolute chaos. Deidara had always though his own emotions were a bit overwhelming, but they seemed awfully linear when he compared them to the tangled mess that was his old partner.
It was actually kind of hot? Deidara felt bad thinking that, because the man was clearly struggling. He couldn't help it, though. Tobi was a work of art, truly.
He had missed this idiot. Too much. And seeing him in the flesh, standing in front of him – touching him – staring into his open eye – did all Uchiha's have thick eyelashes or was it just this bastard – speaking with him, saying these things – his voice... it... it –
"Deidara," Tobi said his name at that low, wispy timber that was all him and not Tobi-Tobi or Madara or Obito or who-ever-the-fuck-else Tobi pretended to be.
Blood pounded in his ears.
"Deidara," Tobi repeated.
The man's fingers left his chest, but they never left him. Deidara, who had been warmed in more ways than one by the Akatsuki cloak, absolutely trembled when Tobi's gloved hand cupped his jaw.
Tobi told him, "You're not breathing. Breathe."
So he did. Deidara sucked in a shuddering breath.
"I missed you, more than anything," Tobi didn't let go, "That's why I came back."
And stay. Stay, you bastard. Stay because I love you.
This was it. This was the time to tell him.
"I...," Deidara started. Though he'd been dodging Tobi's intense stare for a while, this time he couldn't help but be drawn deep into that cursed red eye. It was a decision he regretted, because whatever words he had at the tip of his tongue vanished in an instant. What came out instead was a muttered, "I missed you too, Tobi. Hm."
He wanted to say it, but goddammit – ! He was too scared to, alright?!
How was Deidara meant to say something equally sappy and weighty at a time like this? What if Tobi only saw him as a friend? What if Deidara pushed him away – what if Tobi pushed him away?
The man had chipped at Deidara's trust countless of times, but even still, he didn't want to break Tobi's. Not now, especially not now. Not only would he leave, but he'd probably do something stupid, like try and rule the world again. And then die.
They said distance made the heart grow fonder, and he'd always scoffed at the words in the past. He might understand them better now.
Over the time they spent apart, Deidara had thought his feelings would go away, that he'd stop thinking about Tobi – if not in general, then at least romantically. Maybe them being around each other nearly every hour of the day led to Deidara's mind wandering into intimate thoughts. But his feelings didn't go away. If anything, they got worse. Oh, but the first week away, he was angry – livid, disappointed. But then the hurt withered away, and a different kind of pain took its place. The longing was agony. He wanted him so badly, it was driving him mad.
After a month had passed, Deidara didn't think Tobi would return. He'd reluctantly accepted it because it was Tobi's decision; however, he refused to go crawling back to the Uchiha when his loyalties fell elsewhere. He wasn't going to beg for attention. Deidara was stronger than that – he was better than that.
Abruptly, Tobi cut him off from his internal dilemma, "I'd been tricked. He groomed me to be his tool. He... he set everything up. That man is everything he taught me to hate. You tried to warn me, but I did not listen."
Madara.
Any previous musings dropped in an instant, and his mind switched gears without hesitancy.
He had a feeling that someone was pulling strings from up above.
To have it confirmed pissed him off.
"That piece of shit," he hissed, "I'll kill him, hm."
Tone dropping thickly, dangerously, Tobi promised, "No. This Uchiha is mine."
Tobi's Sharingan seemed to flare to life; it distorted into an iridescent vermillion, his pupil dilated, and the tomoe spun wildly.
In awe at the change that came out of no where, Deidara stared, fascinated.
Pressure.
The word floated through Deidara's mind as he was reminded of the monstrous ferocity in Tobi, the sort of hate that did not belong in a human body. Yet for this man, it had been confined for too many years, oozing out when he could no longer keep it at bay. The rest of the world saw it as a force that could not be stopped, yet Deidara was convinced it was something that remained still.
Even prisoners could grow to believe their cages were their homes, when enough time passed.
"Oh, uh – okay, hm."
He couldn't really say much else to such calm ferocity.
Despite the evident rage, Tobi's hand was still gentle on his jaw. It wasn't a time to be noticing these types of things, but Deidara was a man who lived in the moment. He'd enjoy what he could get.
To be fair, he always had been attracted to danger.
He took in the cracked orange mask and scarred skin.
"Thank you," the Uchiha spoke, sounding openly grateful.
Deidara wanted to say that it wasn't a problem, but his mouth was dry and stuck together.
The way Tobi was looking at him—it was doing things to him.
He swallowed, the movement thick.
Deidara couldn't even put the blame on the Sharingan anymore, as neither Itachi or Sasuke had him react this way. It was as if his body forgot how to respond to a threat; he just froze like a hare about to become prey to a wild animal. He could either bolt or be torn apart and eaten alive.
And under the heavy presence that came from the void of light, darkness etching deeply into the scars of Tobi's skin and mask, he seemed like a shadow on the hunt. And now free from the mask's depths, Deidara could see the Sharingan in a new light. More often, the glow was a red brighter than spraying blood, yet it would then burn vermillion, and when it hit moonlight, it would pale to a soft, warm pink that sent more chills down his spine than any other hue. But Deidara didn't think it was the colour that did, more so the depth of the gaze itself.
It was like looking up into the night sky. It made him feel incredibly small and insignificant in the grandeur that was time. When immeasurable eyes settled on Deidara like that, as though there was nothing else in the world – well, standing up on two feet suddenly became a difficult task.
Deidara, who hadn't even realized Tobi had all but pressed him into the wall up until now, had to lean back against it to hold himself up.
He tried not too look to deep into it. Tobi was an intense guy; he made everything more dramatic than it had to be. Getting all close and personal was what he did.
Right?
God, emotional attachment was such a chore. No wonder why so many shinobi considered relationships to be taboo and actively avoided them.
"You need to sleep," Tobi said, not unlike a parent.
"No shit," Deidara replied, though there was no bite to his words, "Not all of us half Senju, hm."
Tobi's eye crinkled, and really, what did Deidara do to deserve this? The man was smiling, and while Deidara couldn't see his lips, he could the mirth in his eye. Deidara's heart rate spiked again.
Why, why did he have to be so... so –
He huffed, annoyed for no specific reason.
The air was tense; it wasn't comfortable, but it didn't feel all that bad either. Deidara couldn't explain it. He'd felt this before; he's sure of it. Right? Yeah. With Tobi, probably. God, only ever Tobi. It was Tobi who could put him on edge without the added unease of being threatened.
They stared into each other's eyes for what had to be ages, both still and unmoving. Deidara couldn't think, mind blank and heart thundering.
Thankfully, the Uchiha broke eye contact before Deidara's poor organ gave up on him.
Tobi ran a hand through his hair, muttering so quietly Deidara almost didn't hear, "Distracting—you've always been so distracting. ...Fuck."
Deidara flushed bright red, from head to toe, against his consent.
That.
That did not sound platonic.
At all.
Freaking Tobi and his stupidly hot voice always knowing what to say – even when he was goddamn stumbling over his own words.
And this all brought back his confusion again. Did Tobi care about him as a brother, like a friend, or whatever word you wanted to use, or... or was there something else?
Tobi's awful social ques were as good as Deidara's. So really, Deidara had no idea of what to make of Tobi's mixed, back-and-forth signals.
Could Deidara hope?
Was it even worth it to try? What if Tobi disappeared again and left Deidara to the dust? For good?
Would he scare Tobi away? What if it was his own fault Tobi left the next time, and not because of some dumb plan to rule the world? What if Tobi was disgusted by the thought of them, together? Deidara didn't think he could handle that sort of revelation.
It wasn't common for men to get together with men, and while Tobi wasn't exactly traditional, his history implied he preferred women. The sort that were soft and kind, dainty and sweet. The type that cleaned the dirt from under their nails and smelled like flowers when they sweat.
Deidara wasn't any of that. Besides his hair, there was nothing conventionally feminine about him.
And the last time he checked, men couldn't get pregnant to extend the clan line and possibly make more Sharingan to add to the collection. So, Tobi wasn't likely to see the appeal there either. Tobi never gave any hint of wanting to pursue a healthy wife at reproductive age, but Deidara wouldn't completely reject the possibility. To give the man some credit – or to take some away, depending on your perspective – he did assist Itachi with murdering all of them, so it didn't seem like Tobi cared much about the Uchiha clan. And he already had a hefty stock of Sharingan at his disposal.
He was overthinking this.
If there was any competition, it'd be that girl Tobi fell for when he was a kid, but Deidara didn't want to think about her. She was dead, and it was pathetic feeling jealousy over a deceased child.
It was more likely that Tobi wouldn't want to get that close to anyone for the sake of not wanting to lose them. Deidara, who was nothing more than his colleague for over a year and recently developed friend, caused enough anxiety over Tobi's evident fear of loss. There was no way Tobi would trust anyone enough to give them his heart. This was especially true for shinobi, who could lose their lives at any moment.
Maybe it was best not to let Tobi know of his feelings. It was likely they weren't reciprocated. Deidara would only end up losing what they had.
Except, he was damned tired of being unsure. It just wasn't his style.
And he was an all or nothing guy. He didn't want to have anything to do with Tobi if the man wasn't ready to give him everything in return.
Deidara's thought process came to a crashing halt, and numbly, he recognized the familiar squeezing sensation in his heart that had been there this whole time.
...He couldn't lie to himself.
The past few months had been absolute hell without his partner. And now that he was back... Deidara would scramble to grab any little crumb Tobi left for him. Not only because he wanted what was offered, but like an addiction, Deidara could not be without. Tobi had become his normal, and like in a constant state of high, he did not know what to do without his fix.
This was why Deidara believed in his philosophy.
This was what it meant to enjoy the bliss of what was fleeting.
Because now that Tobi was back, here, standing in front of him, Deidara could not describe how undeniably happy he was. He had no words, no thoughts, that could bring out the pure joy that settled deep inside his heart.
There was nothing more tempting than the beauty of a single moment—and as much as it scared him, Deidara couldn't deny the excitement of not knowing how long he would have with Tobi. It made him want to make every second they had count. Why had that been so hard for Tobi to understand?
But as he brushed over the mild, insignificant fears tumbling inside of him – what if he ruined what they had, what if Tobi didn't want him back, what if Tobi said goodbye, what if he went back to his plan and fucking died because Deidara let him go again – Deidara found himself in Tobi's shoes, and suddenly he understood where the Uchiha was coming from.
When you cared about something, you didn't want to see it go. Not for good. Because not everyone was like Tobi, who had a bad habit of coming back.
Some were like himself; some never looked back.
Despite the man being inches away from him, his yearning for Tobi hit him harder than before. The burning need to get closer seemed to envelope him.
Tobi was everything to him. He didn't have to give anything to be that. Love had no conditions, but at the same time, he didn't want to see Tobi suffer. He didn't want that plan to come into action because there was nothing good about it.
Deidara hated this. He didn't want to love anyone, but here he was, still struggling to accept that he cared about something that didn't detonate.
A cheesy voice in the back of his head reminded him that love was an explosion, so he had no excuses.
Seemingly forever unable to tear his attention away from the figure in front of him, Deidara breathed in deeply, purposefully taking in the combined scent of the cloak wrapped over his shoulders and the man who gave it him. Tobi smelled of old rain, explosive powder, blood – war – and faintly underneath, everything that encompassed him.
Was he really going to do it?
Hesitantly, slowly, he raised his hand, trailing it up Tobi's arm, touching the fabric under his fingers with a gentleness he forgot he had. The muscle underneath rippled, and Deidara could feel Tobi tense under his touch. He settled his grip above the elbow and below the shoulder.
At his touch, Tobi's expression had darkened. But he didn't pull back.
No – no, his breath had hitched too. Deidara heard it. It was a soft sound, though unmistakable.
Wondering, Deidara peered up at him.
Yeah...
Yeah. He could do it.
There must have been something in his expression that gave him away, because Tobi was moving. He's stepping back, and no – Deidara thinks. No.
No, no no no no no.
Those insignificant fears suddenly felt very significant. He was going to lose Tobi for good this time. He'd been too forward – too soon – it'd be his fault this time.
Shit.
Stop him.
Speak, goddammit!
Except words never left his mouth. His lips felt like they've been glued shut, and he didn't know what to do.
But when the adrenaline spike plateaued, he saw that Tobi had crouched down and wasn't swirling away in his complex Kamui technique. He was still there.
Seemingly oblivious to Deidara's internal meltdown, Tobi slipped out of his shoes first.
Then, his mask came off entirely.
As in. Holy shit this was Tobi's face.
Unfortunately, he wasn't hideous at all, not like Deidara imagined he'd be when they'd first met.
Tobi was gorgeous.
He wasn't only handsome; he seemed to be ethereal, a being from a difference universe. He was glowing, like the stars that hid from brightness, seen only when one dared to bathe themselves in the dark.
The scars didn't hide the infamous aristocratic Uchiha features he carried. They only enhanced everything he offered: a strong jaw, thin eyebrows, thick never-ending lashes, a sharp nose, high cheekbones... They were all there, with elegant features in all the right places.
He wasn't some shinobi who stole the Sharingan like Hatake had. As far as Uchiha's went, he was the real deal. If Deidara had any doubts that Tobi was lying about his lineage, they were squashed now.
Deidara, not having realized his gaze had found its way to Tobi's mouth, dragged his eyes up only to double-take. Tobi had opened his other eye, which Deidara only then realized had been closed the entire time.
Understandably shocked, he breathed out, "The Rinnegan... hm."
Deidara had stood before Pein; he remembered it for what it was. Anyone could feel the eye's power even from afar. It seemed to radiate, the chakra contained yet still able to grind into his mind like metal plates scraping against each other over and over again. He could hear the screeching, the buzzing. The Rinnegan was unlike the Sharingan, which remained deathly silent in its threat.
And now Tobi had both.
Just how strong was he? He'd heard the rumours – those eyes relied on a crazy amount of chakra. And they didn't just appear out of no where. Could it be Pein's eye? But then, where was the other one?
To his dismay, he was now confronted with the reason why he'd avoided Tobi in the first place. From his understanding, the Rinnegan was necessary for that blasted plan.
Or well, Tobi could just be looking for power like Deidara was, but there was a reason why shinobi didn't steal doujutsu left and right. It wasn't easy. It took heavy willpower and strength to maintain another's bloodline limit.
Deidara was wary. Tobi would need a good reason to have strove for it, to be using it.
Unsurprisingly, Tobi read him like a book, "This eye will be put to use against the puppeteer. I've only pulled the thread. Until I unravel the mess I've created, there will no safety for either of us."
Deidara blinked, thoughts shifting. He greatly disliked something about Tobi's tone of voice – something about the way he said I, as if he expected Deidara to watch from the sidelines.
"I'll fight along side you, hm," he said, watching Tobi carefully.
"No," Tobi didn't hesitate, "You can't. He's too dangerous. And I can't... you can't distract me until Madara's corpse is a corpse."
Deidara would have been a bit more annoyed of Tobi refusing him, if he wasn't so awestruck by his face. He marveled at the way his mouth moved, the clench of his jaw, the way his eyes shifted and narrowed...
It was all within the span of a second, but there was something about the way Tobi's expression then melted so subtly, softening, when he continued, "You're powerful, Deidara, but you won't be used as a tool any longer. Knowing you are alive is my strength."
"If I choose to fight our enemies, that's my choice, hm," Deidara retaliated, unable to tear his eyes away, "Don't underestimate me."
They held each other's gaze steadily, and Deidara could both see and feel Tobi searching for something in his own expression. Tobi, who wasn't saying no because he could, but because he was afraid. Deidara could see it plain as day without that mask in the way.
But Deidara saw no problem in helping Tobi clean up the mess he left behind, even if it meant his own demise. He wanted to help him. He wanted Tobi to get his vengeance on that manipulative piece of shit.
And... and Deidara didn't want to see him fail.
On occasion, during his training over the past few months, he'd catch himself staring at his palms, wondering if Tobi was already dead – if he died while Deidara had been eating breakfast or flying through the smoke left by his bombs.
Sometimes his mind would get carried away, and his imagination would become too wild. He'd have to stop entirely because he'd catch himself crying and in pain – in crushing agony – over a loss that hadn't happened yet.
Deidara didn't want to think about losing Tobi.
He didn't want to think about the only person he's ever needed unmoving, becoming a lifeless corpse, and Deidara doing nothing to stop it.
That was it, he decided. Tobi wouldn't be alone anymore.
Besides, he'd get to help defeat the strongest Uchiha in history. If that wasn't a fuck you to Itachi, then he didn't know what was.
Deidara reminded Tobi, "We're partners, hm."
We're more than that, damn you.
Tobi might have been thinking along the same lines because Deidara was pulled into him, into that warmth that was all Tobi.
He knew he was as red as a tomato, but he couldn't bring himself to care. Like a starving man, he'd take the servings that were offered, no matter how little the crumbs were.
The Uchiha leaned in, resting his forehead into the crook of his neck. For a moment, he felt a spike of something hot and cold all at once, something like longing. The suddenness of the feeling almost suffocates him. It takes everything in him to not clutch at his chest because just maybe, he could reach inside and squeeze the hope away.
Did Tobi feel it like he did?
Deidara shivered as cold breath tickled his skin and lips hovered over and almost brushed against his jaw.
Holy shit.
"Promise me..." Tobi began, and Deidara couldn't stop the thrill that ran up his spine at the feeling of air moving against his skin, "Promise me you'll try to live."
He could read between the lines. Promise me you won't try to die, Tobi didn't say.
"Yeah, yeah, okay, hm," Deidara said, not unsure, and his grip tightened its onto the fabric of Tobi's shirt, "I promise."
And it wasn't a lie. He wanted to live now. At least for little while longer.
"Hey, Tobi."
"Yes, senpai?"
Deidara rested his head on Tobi's own, staring at the opposite wall. Heart hurting, he finally said, "...Never mind."
He couldn't say it.
Why?
Why?
With Tobi seemingly oblivious to Deidara fuming at himself, they fell into a silence, which Tobi eventually broke, "I'm left wondering. Are you still angry with me?"
"When aren't I angry with you? Hm."
Tobi let out a breathy, "Haha."
At the Uchiha's genuine near-laughter, and the feeling of his smile against his neck, Deidara was bound to turn into a stuttering mess, "But – but I mean – I guess I can forgive you, hm. If you forgive me, yeah."
"Oh? For what? You've done nothing wrong."
"I left you, hm," Deidara didn't regret it, he didn't, "I should have tried harder to get you to stop being an idiot first."
"Stop? That's impossible," he threw back smoothly, and just like that, the tension pressing down on them washed away.
Deidara felt like he could breathe again, "Ha! You finally admit it, hm!"
Tobi was looking into his eyes now. Deidara wanted to shrink under that intense stare. It didn't help that there were now two striking doujutsu boring down on him now. Before, he was faced with a blazing red sun that hid in the dark depths beneath his layers of masks. Now, the edge of the moon had joined it, giving him light and confidence and the rest of him too.
Somehow, despite the harshness of the eyes that were modelled for war and the annoying, neutral expression etched deep into his face – what was it with these Uchiha's – Deidara didn't find any indifference in their locked gaze. He couldn't pinpoint what emotion the man was conveying, but his eyes were warm and inviting and so unlike anyone else's that Deidara knew they'd be okay.
"You didn't answer, hm. Do you forgive me?"
He'd unconsciously licked his lips, and he wouldn't even have noticed if he hadn't been so focused on the other, but Tobi's eyes had dropped down at the movement. The man didn't even seem to notice that he was staring.
Deidara did it again, this time on purpose.
Tobi's jaw clenched before he abruptly exhaled, sounding distracted, "Yes."
"Then I forgive you, hm," he replied, still watching him, except now Deidara felt like he was on fire.
Tobi tore his eyes away from somewhere about his chin to meet him directly, and to Deidara's absolute horror, he smiled, "I'm glad. We've come to an agreement then."
Deidara couldn't look away even if he wanted to.
Brilliant.
Tobi was brilliant.
And he trusted Deidara enough to let him see this side of him.
Deidara knew he was blushing, but went on as if he wasn't, "For now, hm. Give it an hour. You'll do something stupid by then, hm."
The Uchiha leaned back, raising a brow in question, "Like?"
Deidara answered seriously, "Like leaving while I sleep, hm."
"Missed your senpai that much?" he teased.
His face burned, "Fuck off, yeah."
"Since you asked so nicely," Tobi continued, "I suppose I shall stay."
With an edge to his voice that might not have been entirely playful, he said, "Wise choice, hm."
Incredibly, it wasn't awkward seeing Tobi again. They fell back into easy conversation as if they hadn't been apart for nearly half a year. There was something a bit... forced about the way he spoke, which made sense, given everything he knew about him. Tobi was still trying to find his place in the world as if he just recently came out of the womb. It was nearly impossible to package Tobi's personality and stick a label to it—which, Deidara believed, was a great thing. Tobi was predictably unpredictable.
Gazing at the sparse floor, the Uchiha commented, breaking Deidara from his thoughts, "You don't have a futon."
"Yeah, hm."
"Or food. Or water," he added, "Heating."
Deidara looked around, imitating Tobi's movements, then scoffed, "A minor inconvenience."
"Why here?"
"This is a temporary location, hm," Deidara explained, "I've already worked through some counters against lightning style, close combat, and more Sharingan genjutsu. Now I'm exposing myself to extreme climates, hm."
"Why?" he didn't sound judgemental, only genuinely curious.
Unbothered by the questioning, Deidara answered, "To test my art, hm. And to maintain my stamina."
"Your stamina has always been excellent."
Unless Deidara wanted a thousand of his own questions to start racing through his head, he didn't acknowledge it as a compliment, but as a statement of truth, "I know, hm."
Tobi's eyes wandered to the side as Deidara assumed he was thinking the situation over. Then, the man nodded, "I see. There is strength in remaining in unfavourable conditions when there is an obvious way out."
"That wasn't... Well now that I think about it, that too, hm."
There was a brief silence, in which Deidara remembered he was still shamelessly hugging Tobi. As casually as he could, he detangled himself and sat down on the floor, crossing his legs.
After a moment, Tobi mirrored him, then insisted, "Tell me more about your training."
This position might be worse, Deidara thought, because now Tobi's face – his face – was directly in front of him.
Once again, he was ensnared by those eyes, so he shared what he'd been busy with over the last few months. He didn't mention how he had second-guessed his decision and nearly packed up to return over a handful of times. He also didn't mention that he'd spent a lot of time thinking about Tobi, and how half of it was sweet enough to give him a toothache, and the rest, a sickening mixture of fear and frustration.
"At one point, I had Suna on my tail. They recognized me even without the Akatsuki cloak, hm," Deidara chuckled, "I guess they didn't appreciate what I did to their Kazekage."
"I take it you took care of them?" the corner of Tobi's mouth quirked into a hint of a smirk.
Deidara ripped his eyes away, "Heh. It was insulting, the level of shinobi they were sending, hm. But it's been quiet recently."
"Understandable. Tension is rising between the nations."
Figuring him out immediately, he sighed, exasperated, "You again? I swear, it always leads back to you, hm."
"Then I've done my job," Tobi closed his eyes, leaning back and resting on his elbows.
When his chin raised, the wet fabric that clung to his skin stretched even further over his body, emphasizing a well-defined frame that Deidara rarely got to see. Tobi wasn't looking, so he raked his eyes over strong arms, broad shoulders, and long, long legs. God damn. Tobi looked good like this, sprawled out and without his cloak in the way.
It was then that Deidara registered a peculiar detail. At some point, Tobi's arm had either popped out of nowhere or fully regrown. Most parts of the flesh were a pure shade of white, not like the alabaster of his face or where the elbow began and ended. It was like the reverse of his own limb, which had darker pigmentation in the preserved appendage he borrowed. And where Tobi's skin was smooth and the transition between flesh natural, Deidara's was leathery and harshly sewn in.
More importantly, Tobi had nice arms.
Tobi shifted, and thick muscle rippled with him.
Deidara's brows twitched.
...Really nice arms.
Of course, he prided himself in fast reflexes, so when Tobi opened his eyes, Deidara's focus was on the wall behind him. He spoke, before Tobi noticed something was amiss, "I'm getting tired, hm. Are you even going to sleep tonight?"
When Deidara snuck a peak, he noticed Tobi's expression was unreadable when he replied, "Yes."
It was Deidara's turn to be surprised that night, but he didn't let it show, "Cool."
Most surprisingly, Tobi fell asleep first.
Deidara's mind slowly cleared away its fog as he came to. The familiar smell and weight of Tobi surrounding him was like an anchor pulling him back into sleep. Once again, they were tangled in each other's arms, much like the countless mornings they once shared.
The nostalgia hit him like a tidal wave, and he suddenly felt sick. Deidara wasn't one to get hung up on the past, but sometimes he really missed the way things used to be – when he was basically Tobi's babysitter, and life was somehow simpler. Now he wanted things, things he couldn't have. It took everything in him not to crawl deeper into the warmth, and not because he was cold, but because he was a dying man ravenous for something he couldn't put to words. Tobi would wake up too, if he already wasn't, and Deidara wasn't in the mood to explain himself.
And as his thoughts grew more into focus, dread began to fill him. What he'd first assumed was the floor under him was in fact not. It was Tobi. He didn't have a chance to hope he was imagining things, because it quickly became apparent once Deidara felt the steady rise and fall of the man's chest clash with his own.
Of course, it was Tobi.
It would have been fine if it was Tobi on top of him, because that would have implied it was Tobi's fault, you know, as usual. But it was Deidara on Tobi. Deidara was the one who sought out Tobi in his sleep.
A spike of fear shot through him. What if Tobi was awake?
Deidara didn't understand why this made him worried – so what if Tobi was awake! It wasn't like this was the first time they woke up like this. And besides, Deidara probably grew cold in the middle of the night, and the human body was an excellent source of heat.
Maybe he was worried Tobi would look too deep into it. Maybe he'd realize Deidara wanted this, wanted more. – Which was ridiculous because what you did in your sleep was usually an accident!
But didn't he also want Tobi to find out?
Deidara carefully raised his chin to peer up at Tobi.
He nearly flinched.
The smallest and only window in the shack gave them daylight, and despite his awe, Deidara's heart clenched tight.
Tobi was so fucking beautiful.
Deidara looked away, feeling a foreign pain that he couldn't pinpoint. He slowly rose his head, and the Akatsuki cloak draped over him slipped down with his movements.
Inevitably, when he chanced a glance, Tobi's eyes were on him.
He had to act casual. He had to.
"G'morning, hm," he said gruffly, voice still thick with sleep.
Tobi was quiet, his gaze heavy and like glass all at once.
Deidara waited for a reply, confused. And just as he began to wonder if Tobi had gone brain-dead, the set of arms loosely wrapped around his waist stiffened.
"Good morning."
He seemed a bit drowsy. As if he'd just woken up. As if he actually slept, for once.
"Did you..." Deidara began, just as Tobi asked,
"Did I fall sleep?" his brows furrowed.
Tobi's expression contorted, and he looked to be so genuinely baffled and in disbelief that Deidara's own self-control cracked. He burst into laughter, which only made Tobi look even more confused.
"Why are you laughing?" Tobi asked, still looking a bit dazed.
"I'm not, hm," he managed to say with a straight face.
Tobi's brow raised as if to say, really.
And the expression was attractive enough to remind Deidara of exactly who's body he was currently sprawled over. Heat found its way to his cheeks, but he ignored it in favour of playing it cool, "You don't sleep much, do you?"
"I don't need to."
"In that case, let's eat something, hm. I'm starving," Deidara announced, pushing himself up – and he even took a brief, discreet moment to appreciate how solid Tobi's chest was – to roll over and stand up. When he glanced back down, Tobi didn't seem to be making any moves to get up.
"What's for breakfast?"
There was something... off. About Tobi. He couldn't put his finger on what it was. Ignoring the apprehension boiling in his gut, Deidara frowned, "But you don't need to eat, hm."
His face remained neutral, annoyingly enough, when he retorted, "What if I want to?"
"Then get it yourself."
"But senpai – "
Deidara nearly flinched but thankfully held it back as Tobi switched while Deidara could still see his flat expression.
" – I'm hungry too!" Tobi finished and with minimal changes in his features – as though his voice didn't raise an octave and sound bubbly and childish. Childish like the world was made of rainbows, and he wasn't allowed to touch.
It was Deidara's turn to quietly stare at him. Tobi only stared back, face unreadable. The air wasn't awkward, but it was uncomfortable and alarming, if not a bit surreal.
Without the mask, Deidara could see the years of bitterness, raw pain, and the hidden fury of a seasoned shinobi in him. Couple with the childish façade... it had his hairs rising. There was something truly sinister about the old Tobi, something he couldn't explain.
His hunch told him that the Uchiha clan had a hidden talent for staring contests, so Deidara broke their moment, doing his best to hide the waver in his voice, "How did you pull off this Tobi so well for so long? You look like you hate it, hm."
Tobi closed his mismatched eyes, giving Deidara reprieve from the powerful gaze, when he spoke, "I did. I hated it, despised it. I hated everything about anything. However, he is a part of me now."
"You are pretty annoying as him though, you have to admit, hm."
"Ha," the corner of his lip shifted ever-so-slightly, "Angering you has always been a favourite pastime."
"Ass."
"Senpai!" he squeaked, but this time he faked an affronted expression instead of looking indifferent, and Deidara found it a million times less weird, "Don't use bad words!"
"Do you want to die?!" he threatened, mostly out of reflex.
Tobi's higher tone disappeared, "That's my line."
Okay, that had a bit of bite to it.
Deidara didn't doubt the man had a lot of insecurities, which wasn't a bad thing – it beat vanity any day. It was kind of... hard? To see Tobi like this.
Deidara frowned, "I'm ready for death. I've accepted it as reality, hm. But I don't want to die anytime soon. So don't worry about it."
Obscure, mismatched eyes looked at him from under heavy lashes, scrutinizing him. And after a moment, Tobi relented, "I believe you."
Tobi ran a hand through his hair, muttering as if angry, "I was – he – I'm Obito. Too."
Without the mask, the man – no, a man was exposed – a stranger. Tobi was under the orange. Tobi, a confusion of who he used to be, who he pretended to be, and who he wanted to be.
Having a feeling he'd be doing this often from now on, Deidara crouched down, looking him directly in the eye to make sure he got his point across, "All of you is you. You're you, hm."
It was distressing, seeing Tobi vulnerable like. Deidara didn't want Tobi to bottle everything in anymore. He has me now, his mind supplied. He wanted Tobi to be able to rely on him.
"I'm me," Tobi confirmed.
Deidara didn't think he'd ever truly understand. He didn't think Tobi understood either.
Deidara gave him one final look before he lifted himself up and made his way over to a corner of the scarce cabin. A hatch door was embedded into the wooden floorboards, and he had no troubles opening it. Inside, he'd stored some packaged bread and exotic fruit that he'd stolen from some Suna shinobi's traveling pack.
Deidara tossed one of the fruits to Tobi, who deftly caught it with one hand.
"A pomegranate?" he questioned, propping himself up.
"Yeah. You don't want it?"
Tobi twirled the large fruit in his hand, studying it as though it might have been poisoned, "No... No, I want it."
Deidara's eyes were drawn towards his hands as he pulled off his gloves and slipped out a kunai. There was something about the way he held the weapon, any weapon, that Deidara was quickly becoming addicted to.
When the blade broke through the fruit's skin, red juice spilled out, drenching his hands and splattering next to his lips.
Tobi's fingers wrapped around both sides of the fruit, and he snapped the pomegranate in two. More juice flew out, and with it, several of the seeds fell to ground.
Deidara didn't know why, but it felt like he was watching something he shouldn't.
His trance was broken when Tobi held out one of the halves for him to share. The grains were a deep, glistening red, resembling some of the many gems thieves sought after.
Deidara dug in, uncaring if his dirty fingers touched the fruit. Tobi joined him, eating the seeds quietly. Many of them burst in their hands, especially in Deidara's, who's extra mouths grew excited whenever he held anything.
Again, Deidara found himself unable to tear his eyes away from Tobi's bare hands. His fingers would wrap around a bunch of seeds, and then he'd bring his stained, sticky hands up to his lips. Skin would graze against skin, and the red would disappear between them. He ate slowly as if he was savouring the flavour, as though he would never taste anything ever again.
He'd come to realize that Tobi didn't do anything that wasn't necessary. Deidara wondered when the last time was that Tobi ate anything at all.
For some reason, at this point, watching Tobi eat fruit – with his bare fingers – was enough to drive him mad.
Peeling his eyes away from the inexplicably explicit sight, Deidara ate his bread and pomegranate like a normal person.
When he checked back, because his eyes had no damned sense of control, Tobi was studying him.
He didn't seem to notice Deidara's embarrassment at being caught when he said, "I forgot how enjoyable food could be."
"Yeah, hm. It's a pain being hungry, but when you finally get to eat..." Deidara grinned, "It feels amazing."
"I can imagine how satisfying it would feel to sate a craving," he said casually.
Except, Deidara was well aware that Tobi never said anything without a reason. Voice just as light as Tobi's, he replied, testing the waters, "Do you have any?"
"Cravings?"
"Yeah. Besides vengeance, hm. That's a given," Deidara added, "You don't need to eat or drink or sleep, right? But do you ever just... want something?"
Like me? Deidara's mind helpfully supplied.
Tobi took a moment, playing with the fruit in his hands. Finally, he admitted, "Rarely. But when I do, it consumes me entirely."
Deidara noticed how he didn't directly answer the question. He also noticed that he was noticing these moments more often than before. And from his previous experiences with Tobi, he was well aware that he wouldn't get answers if he didn't push. So, this time, he didn't shy away from him, "What about now?"
"Hm..." the Uchiha looked up at the ceiling as if it would give him an answer, "I thought I wanted peace. There was a time when I truly believed world peace would give me inner peace. But now I understand that won't satisfy me."
"But what about now?" he edged on.
"I am unable to put a name to it, but," Tobi said vaguely, "I have a thirst that cannot be quenched."
Suddenly annoyed, Deidara side-eyed him, replying harshly, "Why? Because you don't have what you need, or because you can't take a sip?"
And just like that, Tobi's features sharpened like blades, his posture turning prickly in defense.
It was amazing how much easier it was to read Tobi without the mask. As chilly as the Uchiha's were, Tobi had been relying on the mask for a decade too long, and compared to it, his expressions could be read like a book.
Deidara, seeing him rigid and on edge, went on, "We're human, Tobi, hm. We want things. We always want things. When we get what we've been chasing after, we either get bored and look for something new, or we enjoy it so much we have to have more. Hm. And what's the point of living if you have nothing to challenge yourself with? If everything you ever wanted was handed to you on a plate? That gets old, quick, hm. Go after what you want, Tobi. Make our short lives the best they can be. Just don't do stupid shit, yeah?"
Like the Moon's Eye Plan, he didn't say.
"Right," Tobi eventually said.
Feeling a complicated mixture of emotions – and them nowhere near as potent as Tobi's likely would have been – Deidara watched him pick up the cracked, orange mask and secure it over his face.
And when Deidara saw the tension in his posture deflate and his shoulders slacken, he couldn't bring it in himself to be annoyed anymore. The mask, as broken as it was, continued to be a part of him. Deidara found he didn't mind or particularly care either way. It wasn't his business if Tobi wore it or not.
He didn't feel pity either, thankfully, given how unsavory and repulsive that emotion felt. There was nothing to pity. As much of a mess as he was, Tobi carried on with his head held high, and Deidara thought there was strength in that.
It was a pity, however, that he wouldn't be able to enjoy Tobi's face for much longer.
Tobi shook him from his thoughts, "He's going to go after the Rinnegan."
"Who, Pein?"
Tobi looked at him, "No, Pein's dead."
"What? Who got him?" he asked in disbelief. If this side of Tobi had a sense of humour, Deidara would have doubted him. Pein had the Rinnegan.
But that made sense, didn't it? How Tobi got his hands on one. Pein was defeated... By who, though?
"He killed himself."
This was getting even more confusing, "Why?"
Deidara grew immensely curious when he heard Tobi sigh softly, "The nine-tailed jinchuuriki used his words."
"That kid again?" Deidara recalled vermillion chakra and raw rage, "Huh."
The world really was changing.
"Truthfully, I'm amazed you weren't aware. Konoha was decimated," Tobi then added, "Pein used the last of his life energy to return the lives he stole."
If there was one thing he learned through this past year, it was that a slippery tongue and a careful ear could be more dangerous than raw strength. It was pretty hard to imagine someone as set on their goals as Pein was managed to be persuaded to give up. It was also a real shame that he didn't get to see the battle in person. All of Konoha? Now that would have been a sight to see.
"What about Konan? Aren't those two attached at the hip? Hm."
"She's alive. She, too, was pulled by the jinchuuriki's words and betrayed the Akatsuki."
Deidara heard the edge to his voice, realizing, "Konan was the one who managed to land a hit on you, hm."
"Unfortunately. She and Pein were aware that I was not Madara. They knew I did not carry his strength, so they kept a careful eye on my abilities to find a weakness. I have to commend her for getting as far as she did," Tobi paused, "If it were not for her final words, I would not have pieced together Madara's tricks."
Deidara didn't like the surge of jealousy that struck him all too quickly. So what if it was Konan who got him to realise his stupidity. So what.
It was also a great time to remember that Tobi was interested in women, at least in one point of his life.
Tobi went on, "She may have been watching you, perhaps because she recognized that I was desperate to see you again. I believe that if things did not go her way, she would have used you against me."
"Does that mean that I'm your weakness?" Deidara grinned, feeling quite flattered and a bit too hopeful.
"If anything, you've made me stronger."
"Oh."
Deidara flushed, the heat on his cheeks unmistakable. The man was too suave for his own good – and the infuriating part of it all was that he didn't even realize it.
Deidara said ominously, "By the way..."
The man didn't move his head, but a red eye dropped down and landed on him in question. And holy hell was the Sharingan extra beautiful when it was framed by a glimpse of Tobi's face. God, he'd seen the bloodline limit while on the same and opposite side of the battlefield, but it had never looked as unearthly as it did on Tobi when his body was at ease and his mind sharp, focused... deliberate.
"What is it?" the Uchiha relented, breaking their silence.
Deidara hadn't meant to leave a dramatic pause – Tobi's gaze didn't require a genjutsu to muddle his sense of time. He figured he could roll with it. Deidara smirked, "Well, I have a surprise, hm."
Tobi said flatly, "How... unsurprising."
"Shut up," he would not pout, "Your jabs aren't so sly anymore, Tobi."
"But at one point, they were?"
Shit. "...No, hm."
Tobi let out a little huffy laugh that drove Deidara absolutely crazy right before he said, "Admit it. You think the other Tobi's funny. Hilarious even."
"Okay, fine, whatever. It's not like you had much competition anyways, hm. Rocks have a better sense of humour than Sasori-no-danna."
"But you like rocks, senpai!"
Deidara took the switch in stride, "And what gave you that idea?"
He explained, "Well, you're from Stone! And your clay is basically rock, right?"
"No! No, it's not! And I left Stone. Because I didn't like it, hm. And – and how do either of those things have anything to do with liking rocks – how does liking rocks have anything to do with liking your sense of humour?!" Deidara felt like screaming.
"So, you do like – "
"If you finish that sentence, I swear, Tobi!"
"You're no fun, senpai," he whined.
"Hmpf," Deidara's angry expression fell apart, and begrudged, he admitted, "I wasn't lying. You're really fun to be around, yeah. Hm."
Tobi was back – scratch that, he was always there, but Deidara was still trying to wrap his head around it all – and Deidara saw the shift before he heard it, "Likewise."
Tobi was fiddling with the wooden floor of the shack, and something about the movement was all wrong. It was a bit out of character for him, seeing as from what Deidara knew, Tobi had astonishing control of his body – down to the finest muscle at the bare minimum, and maybe even at the cellular level, thanks to his Kamui use and Senju DNA. Tobi wouldn't be fidgeting unless something was up.
It took Deidara a few moments, but that was when he noticed Tobi's bare hands. His gloves were off. His fingers were still stained a sticky pink from the fruit. And, wow, it must have been a long time since Tobi had last touched anything. No wonder why he all but caressing the floor. Tobi was finally comfortable enough to show another sliver of skin, and while it didn't seem like that big of a step in the right direction, it kind of really was.
It felt a bit counterintuitive doing this now, but he'd worked hard on it.
"Here."
Yeah, still alive.