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Description
Sai had left Konoha quickly, as he tended to do whenever he made an appearance, so most artists tried to lay low, not wanting to show anything for fear that they would be compared to the prodigy. This gave Sasori at least two weeks of free time, and even though the money stopped coming in for those two weeks, it gave him time to work on his own hobbies.

Sasori liked to work with wood mostly, being taught at a very young age how to make puppets, but when he was feeling creative he would try his hand at painting. Granted it wasn't as structured as he was used to, it was something that kept him open-minded which, let's be honest, he wasn't ever.

It was around noon when Sasori was cleaning up, paint staining his hands as he frowned down at his fingernails, tinges of greens and blues hiding deep in cuticles. He left his spare room to see that Kuro was pawing at the door and meowing for all her worth.

Sasori narrowed his eyes and walked over to the sliding glass door, leaning against it as he peered down at the feline. "Will you come back this time?"

Kuro continued to yowl, hell bent on ignoring Sasori. Rolling his eyes, Sasori opened the door and closed it once Kuro had slipped through the tiny opening he had made. He continued to clean up, washing his paintbrushes in the kitchen sink while also scrubbing at his fingernails.

Ten minutes had passed and Kuro hadn't come back from her little expedition and Sasori knew that he would have to look for her soon in about a half hour. In the meantime though, he finished tidying up his home and even started another review on Sai's new paintings as soon as he had finished revising the last one. The last painting he had made was obviously connected to family and what Sasori assumed was an estranged sibling, though no one knew anything about Sai, so anything was possible.

Sasori had another ten minutes before he had to look for his feline friend when there was a knock on the door. Sasori considered his options carefully. No one ever bothered him often and he wasn't even late on the rent this month. With how many times scam artists have tried to con Sasori, the critic found it best to not answer the door. If it was important, they would knock again.

Precisely a minute later, the knocking started again and Sasori wanted to know who was so persistent as to keep bothering him. Walking through the kitchen, he went to the door and stood over the 'guest' imposingly.

"Hello, un. Your cat came to my door."

Sasori nearly deflated once he saw it was Deidara. He had all ready forgotten about him to be honest, and even their plans for that night. A strange transition from his behavior before.

He then noticed that Kuro was struggling in Deidara's arm and yowling, probably asking Deidara why he had brought her back to her now previous owner.

Sasori quickly took Kuro from Deidara, sending her a glare that should have set the fur ball on fire but she scampered out of his arms and into another room before anything ever happened.

"Sorry, I was letting her out for some air and was going to look for her in a little bit. When did she stop by?"

"About a half hour ago, un," Deidara said.

Sasori noticed Deidara's nose twitch and his neighbor almost turned his head towards the scent.

"Were you just painting, un?"

Sasori's eyes went a little wider than his usual half-lidded stare. "Yes, I was. Excuse me for asking, but when I came over I saw that you had clay left out, the kind of clay from the store on Second. Are you an artist as well?"

A grin grew on Deidara's face and Sasori could practically feel the excitement pouring off of the man. "Un!" Sasori realized that was Deidara's yes. "I didn't know that you painted, un. Aren't you just a critic?"

Sasori nodded his head as he answered. "Well, yes, that's what I do for a living, but I also dabble in arts myself, but mostly woodwork. Puppets to be more precise."

Deidara wanted to say more but he cut himself off. "Uh, sorry I'm getting off topic, but I actually came over here to tell you that I can't do dinner tonight, un."

Sasori smirked. "Not to return my cat?"

"That, too," Deidara confirmed with a small pout.

"Well then do you want to go out to lunch? We could talk some more," Sasori offered and Deidara was obviously trying to compose himself and not let his enthusiasm show too much.

"That'd be great. Could we go in about ten minutes, un?"

"Sure, I'll come get you then." Sasori felt Kuro nudge his leg and he pushed her back inside.

"Okay, see you in a few, un," Deidara called as he walked back to his apartment.

Sasori closed the door and sent a furious scowl towards his cat who just stared back with equal disdain. "You little shit, why the hell did you fucking go over there?" he rarely swore, but this fur ball was really starting to grate on his nerves.

She just gave him a look that said, "I did what I had to do." and pranced off to the living room, probably to destroy Sasori's furniture.

Ignoring Kuro, Sasori changed into something more appropriate than paint-stained sweats and a worn t-shirt with his old college logo on it. He didn't want to get dressed unless it was something he actually called for.

Soon, he was in jeans and a non-descript purple t-shirt. He left some food for Cat before he scrubbed at his fingernails harder, trying to get the paint stains off. He had planned on having a shower before going out with Deidara, but that plan was gone now because Sasori couldn't control his fucking impulse to be near Deidara. He had almost forgotten his first impression of him. Almost. And Sasori still felt like a dick.

Maybe that's why I'm getting close to him. To show him that I am not a total asshole and proving it to him. Sasori thought even though he knew Deidara did not read his mind and immediately think of him was a jerk. He still veered to the side of caution.

Before Sasori headed out, he made sure that Kuro had water but the feline just regarded him with a cold stare. When Sasori got to Deidara's apartment, he knocked and waited a minute for his neighbor to come out.

"Sorry, I was on the phone with a friend, un," Deidara said as he walked through the doorway, cane in hand. He locked his door and turned towards the exit. "So where are we going, un?"

Sasori began walking and Deidara followed after two steps. "Have you ever had a gyro?" Sasori asked as he opened the door for Deidara.

"God, yes. I can't remember when I haven't had one, un," Deidara answered with a hum.

Sasori gave a small smile as they stopped at a crosswalk. "Well we don't have to take the bus to get some, but the walk is a little over fifteen minutes." He pushed the button and waited for the little sign to show when it was safe to walk.

"That's fine, more time to talk, un."

So they talked. Sasori tried to steer the conversation towards Deidara, wanting to know more about him, his clay, why he had such an interest in art as well. In the little gaps when neither of them talked, Sasori took the chance to look at Deidara.

He ignored most of the physical characteristics besides his countenance. Deidara's expressions were so animated that Sasori knew that it would take hundreds of brush strokes to capture the whole magnitude his enthusiasm. A lot of the time, Deidara's hands would move as well and sometimes his cane would smack into a pole or a trash can while they walked.

Sasori wasn't worried for Deidara's safety, he knew that the man could take care of himself but one time it was necessary to jump in when a biker was coming up the sidewalk so quickly, that Sasori barely had enough time to move out of the way, pulling Deidara with him.

"The hell was that, un?" Deidara asked in poorly concealed fear that soon turned into anger. He was gripping Sasori's arms so tightly, the critic wouldn't even have to look at Deidara to understand his shock.

"A biker who wasn't using the bike lanes," Sasori said, a scoff soon following it. "You okay?" he asked, looking down at Deidara who managed to detach himself from Sasori.

"Yeah, just scared the shit outta me, un. People like that piss me off."

Sasori nodded as they got back onto the sidewalk, standing a little closer to Deidara than before. And if Deidara noticed it, he didn't say anything which was just fine.

As soon as they stepped into the Greek restaurant, Sasori led Deidara to the counter. "Have you been here before?"

Deidara shook his head. "What kind of meats do they have here, un?"

Sasori listed off a half-dozen and Deidara chose chicken whilst Sasori selected lamb. They chose a table to sit at as they waited for their food to arrive. Even though they talked most of the time, Sasori could not prevent his leg from bouncing, his index finger tapping against the table top as well.

Deidara tilted his head a little, his eyes not quite on target. "I'm guessing you don't like waiting, un."

Sasori stopped his movements and Deidara snickered.

As they began to talk, Sasori noticed little things about Deidara. He had a great sense of humor, followed by passion for many things but his art was nearly at the top of the list. He wasn't necessarily a smart-ass but he had wit, Sasori would give him that. Another thing that Sasori noticed was that he was always smiling. It made him wonder what had made Deidara so upset the time he fixed his thermostat. It couldn't have just been that his apartment was too cold.

Five minutes later, their gyros came and the pair ate in content. Sasori hadn't had real food in nearly a week, living off of raw fruits and veggies with the occasional bowl of instant ramen noodles. Sasori had to pace himself as he ate so he wouldn't become too full too quickly, but Deidara ate with vigor, moaning as he did so. The sounds nearly sent Sasori jolting out of his seat.

After they had finished eating, Sasori had a little over a quarter of his gyro left, but Deidara's was nearly gone, a few scraps left over. They had spoken in between bites and once the bill came, Sasori grabbed it and stuck his credit card in as the waiter took it away.

Deidara's eyes narrowed. "Did the bill just come, un?"

"Yes," Sasori said smoothly. "Now you were saying something about ephemeral–"

"Sasori, I could have paid for myself, un," Deidara hissed and he reminded Sasori of a very upset cat.

"I know you can, Deidara, I'm paying because you spent nearly eight hours taking care of my cat, and I didn't even pay you. This was supposed to be compensation."

Deidara appeared to be a little less upset, but Sasori could tell that he was still unsettled. "So you didn't really want to just hang out, un?"

Sasori immediately picked up Deidara's mood. His posture was slighter slouched, his arms crossed, head turned away from Sasori. Insecure, guarded, unease or distrust in Sasori. Deidara was not very skilled at schooling his emotions and Sasori saw how much this situation bothered him.

"I did," Sasori said with a level tone, nearly monotonous. "But I just needed an excuse to do so."

Deidara's posture loosened up slightly and he turned towards Sasori, just a fraction. He was blushing. From anger, embarrassment, or just plain infatuation, Sasori didn't know. He blinked at the last suggestion. Sometimes he didn't even catch himself thinking strange things at times.

"Do you still want to hang out or did you have plans later on?"

Deidara felt his wrist watch, his brow furrowed. "I actually need to start heading back now. My sister will be over in about a half hour, un."

"That's fine," he replied as he got his credit card back. They left with full bellies but unsettled minds. Deidara seemed almost uncomfortable now and Sasori honestly didn't know what to do. It nearly hurt him to see that Deidara was back to this gloomy self of his.

It will pass, Sasori assured himself. Why he needed to reassure himself in the first place, he didn't know.

Five minutes into their walk, they were back to their previous conversation.

"Your view on art is very… I'm sorry, but I feel like I cannot even call it art," Sasori confessed and Deidara gave an exaggerated gasp.

"Aren't you supposed to, I don't know, keep on open mind about other artists, un?" Deidara smacked his arm with the back of his hand.

"Hey, I just write about what I see. Sometimes I ask the artist about the piece and try to see it from their point of view. But sometimes it doesn't seem like they put much effort into it, or they just made it out of boredom. No soul, if you will. And that's why I think that destroying something isn't art. What's the point of putting so much effort into making something when you just break it in the end?"

Deidara's exhale almost sounded like a chuckle. "God, in your reviews you sounded like an asshole; I can see that it's true now, un."

They had to stop at a crosswalk and Sasori took a chance to take in Deidara's expression. He didn't seem worried, like he had given something away, but Sasori knew that he was trying to act cool.

He smirked. "So you've read some of my reviews?"

Deidara rubbed the back of his neck as he craned his head to some sound across the street. "A few, un. My sister, she works at a this printing press in Iwagakure, and sometimes she'll look through a few magazines or newspapers that she thinks I like. She prints them in braille for me, un. I've read a couple of your reviews on some artists and I have to say–" Deidara breathed a laugh before continuing. "A little harsh, but the detail is amazing, un. Sometimes it's like seeing again," he said something akin to wistfulness.

Sasori's smirk died down into a light smile, filled with mirth. "I'm glad that they make you happy. At least that makes one person," Sasori joked as he elbowed Deidara lightly, the man seeming to remember where he was and jolting a little bit. "A lot of people don't like the reviews I make about them, but then again, I'm always spot on."

Deidara cleared his throat, now seeming to be back in the present. "Sorry, I wasn't trying to act like a stalker, I just really liked your writing, un," he said quickly.

Sasori shrugged his shoulders as the light finally turned green for them. They began to walk. "Well you didn't know it was me when you came knocking on my door. Not stalkerish at all, just a very lucky coincidence if you ever plan on stalking me. I'm flattered by the way," Sasori said smugly.

Deidara snorted. "Yeah, you're an asshole," he confirmed. "Plus I think there would be a problem with stalking you, I'm not as agile as I seem, un." Deidara waved a hand in front of his eyes, grinning like an idiot.

Sasori rolled his eyes and pulled Deidara closer to his body with his shirt so he wouldn't trip over the curb which was higher than usual. "Little details, I'm sure we'll make it work."

Deidara's shoulders shook with laughter. "Maybe I can tie a string to you, un? You wouldn't notice, would you?"

"Nah, I don't think I would."

They continued to joke a little bit more and Sasori tried not to worry of what Deidara thought about him. He knew him before they even met. Sasori knew that people read his columns and reviews but he mostly assumed that they were hipsters or shut-ins like him. Deidara wasn't extolling over him like a crazed fan, he had merely said that he had read his organized thoughts. It made Sasori think about the night before, when he had told Deidara his opinion about Sai's new work. Someone was interested in his writings. It nearly made him nervous.

When Deidara was just about finished with describing his view on art, they came to the apartment building. Sasori was shocked to see that someone was already at Deidara's door.

"There you are! We're supposed to be at Mom and Dad's in like ten minutes…" she trailed off when she saw Sasori. "Did you go out?"

Deidara scoffed and stopped in front of his door. "Yes, I went out to lunch with a friend, un. This is Sasori. Sasori, this is my sister, Ino un. And I can't get ready if you're standing in front of my door, like a blond bimbo."

The tips of Ino's ears flushed with anger. "God, you're such a dick sometimes. And you wouldn't even know if I had blond hair anymore, stupid."

"The last time you dyed your hair, you told me as you were getting it dyed. How you managed to get your phone to work in that machine, I will never know, un. Now scoot." He used his cane to smack her away to open the door. Ino huffed, and ignored him before introducing herself to Sasori.

"Hi, sorry about that, we're kind of in a hurry and I thought he would be here by now."

Sasori inclined his head lightly. "Sorry for the delay, we just went to get a bite for lunch since dinner didn't work out."

Ino turned a clever eye to Deidara, a leer lighting up her features. "Dinner?" she raised a brow, her tone insinuating every possible thing that would involve an intimate relationship.

"Go get my jacket, un," Deidara ordered as he pushed Ino into his apartment. She just laughed as she began walking towards his bedroom.

Deidara turned back to Sasori. "I'm not even going to apologize for her bad attitude, un."

Sasori chuckled lowly. "It's fine, though I can see the similarities between you two; mostly the bad attitude."

Deidara gave a faux gape. "I have been nothing but kind to you, Sasori, un."

"Sure," Sasori replied, seeing Ino coming back in the corner of his eye. "It seems that you have to go now, but we should hang out again soon. Preferably before my cat claws my face off," he said with a light tone, though no smile lit his face.

Deidara laughed gently. "You're a lot funnier than you sound. I bet if you smiled more, you would get better, un."

Sasori opened his mouth to ask how Deidara knew if he was smiling or not, but Ino closed the apartment door and grabbed Deidara's elbow.

"'Kay let's go."

"Bye, Sasori," Deidara waved before turning around and heading out the exit with his sister.

Sasori let himself ponder a few more thoughts about Deidara before heading back into his apartment. A good day so far.

–

A week and a half passed before Sasori had seen Deidara again, and it was just a passing in the halls of their building. Sasori didn't know what occupation Deidara had, because he had never bothered to ask, but he saw that Deidara had at least a backpack with him most of the time.

Sasori wished that his thoughts weren't plagued with Deidara anymore because it wasn't only starting to affect his non-existant life, but also his work. He still had to make two more reviews on Sai by the end of the day for two separate magazines, but he couldn't get his head focused, especially with Kuro yowling at the sliding glass door. He was going to get a complaint from a neighbor soon.

He had turned off his cellphone and avoided looking at his emails from his agent, Konan, so he could have some peace and quiet while he sat at his laptop and type something, anything out. Ten minutes passed by and he had nothing.

In the end, he ended up ignoring his work to pay more attention to his puppets. The smell of varnish nearly soothed him, but he usually had to have a window open if he didn't want to pass out from the fumes.

He was blowing some woody dust from an arm that he just sanded when Kuro jumped onto the table, right next to his circular power saw. He ignored the cat in favor of staring down the wood to see if it was smoothed out completely, not noticing that the feline jumped off the table, knocking over the saw and switching it on, startling Sasori. If the noise didn't make him jump, then the saw cutting into him did.

"Fucking hell!" He jumped out of his seat and he clutched at his left forearm as blood gushed from the wound. The saw still raged on the table, destroying the arm he had been working on and he kicked at the plug in the wall with his foot, until it fell out.

He was panting harshly and wincing as blood slipped through his fingers and dropped onto the floor. He moved his hand a little to see the damage and the blood fell in puddles. He covered his arm again, wincing harshly as he looked for his phone.

Kuro was nowhere within sight and he assumed that the noise scared the living daylights out of her as well. Poor thing.

Sasori managed to find his cellphone on the coffee table but when he flipped it over with his foot, he saw that it was powerless. A sweat was beginning to break out on Sasori's forehead and he knew that he couldn't really dial the hospital with his laptop, at least he didn't know if it was possible. He went to the kitchen and found a dish towel worthy enough of covering his arm for the meantime.

He saw Kuro at the sliding glass door and she stared at him before pawing at it. Swearing, Sasori opened it and she jumped out, automatically going to the porch three doors over. Sasori knew that he should just go to the front office, but if he got blood on their carpets as well, he knew that he would be fined.

Shaking his head, Sasori found his keys and somehow got them into his pocket, before going through the door to follow his cat. When he reached Deidara's porch, the man was already opening the door as Kuro slid past his legs.

"Sorry, she just wanted to get out," Sasori apologized, before hissing, "or in, I suppose." his arm ached in pulses. "Hey, can you do me a favor?"

Deidara seemed slightly startled with Sasori's abrupt approach but he just hummed an affirmative.

"Can you call me an ambulance? Or at least find someone to take me to the hospital?"

Deidara's eyes widened. "What happened, un?"

"I think my cat is the reincarnation of the devil, is what happened. She managed to turn on my saw and my arm is pretty torn up." he breathed through his nose carefully and Deidara immediately jumped into action.

"Holy shit, get in here before you fucking bleed out, un!" Deidara moved out of the way as Sasori stepped in and Deidara leg him to his bathroom where he got a towel. Sasori moved the rag and took the new towel, pressing it to his arm, groaning as he did so.

"I'm going to get a phone now… stay here, un," Deidara ordered and Sasori rolled his eyes with a hum.

Deidara came back a half minute later and he dialed a number which redirected him to the hospital. When he explained the situation, Sasori leaned against the wall and tried to ignore the blood soaking through the towel. More pressure.

"They're on their way," Deidara confirmed, his voice slightly tremulous and Sasori looked over at him. His hands were shaking and his forehead was beading with perspiration.

"Thanks," Sasori said as he stood by the sink so he wouldn't get more blood on Deidara's things. "My phone was dead and I don't think any cabs would take me the way I am."

Deidara was biting the knuckle on his finger. "I'm sorry that I can't do anymore, un."

Sasori looked back at Deidara and he frowned. "This is enough, trust me. The bill will kill me but I'd rather not lose an arm."

Deidara hummed and he shifted a little to the side and Sasori saw that Kuro was rubbing against his neighbor's leg. If looks could kill...

"You said your cat did this, un?"

Sasori sighed and knew that if he had enough blood, he would be blushing. "My power saw is very sensitive it appears, but yes she did and I wasn't paying attention." he continued to stare at Deidara and he could barely stop the words from spilling out of his mouth. "You never told me what you did, by the way."

Deidara seemed jolted out of his thoughts and his brow furrowed. "What, un?"

Sasori bit his lip knew that he was just being a creep now. "A job? I don't know, I'm trying to distract myself."

Deidara crossed his arms and turned his face to the right a little, away from Sasori. "Uh, I-I'm an accountant." he cleared his throat. "Not the funnest job but I have a head for numbers believe it or not," he chuckled with little humor. "I would like to make a living off of sculpting but it's hard to make it big or even sell a stupid thing- are you sure you're okay, un? Do you need anything else?"

Sasori winced and he tried not to show how shallow his breathing was becoming. "Another towel, and I know this is a weird to ask, but my other hand is becoming numb and I can't hold the towel anymore."

Deidara snapped to attention. "Yeah yeah, un." he quickly grabbed another towel and Sasori moved the first one in time to have Deidara press the fresh one on. Sasori could barely feel it. Luckily Kuro had left the room so Sasori couldn't kick her.

Deidara wrapped the towel around his arm and he applied pressure. "That good, un?"

Sasori's eyes were starting to droop, and he wasn't sure if the blood loss was making him soporific or not. "Mhm, do you mind if I sit down?" he was already sliding down the wall, Deidara following him to the floor, making sure to keep the pressure tight.

Deidara began to talk, telling Sasori about his job, why he moved to Konoha, mostly to get away from family. He told him about some sculptures he actually didn't destroy and that they were in his room at the moment. Deidara made him talk as well, to show that he was still alive and at times, the critic would give his opinion on some things as well. "Maybe you add too much water?" "That happens when you try to use your oven as a kiln for that type of clay." "If you want my cat, you're free to take her." the last one made Deidara laugh.

Deidara ended up telling Sasori about how he became blind, trying to reassure him that what Sasori did wasn't as stupid as what the sculptor had done in the past. "I've always loved fireworks, and when I was eight, I decided to get into my parents stash that they had for New Years, un. I went outside had everything ready, but the fireworks were faulty, and they went off too early. The next thing I remember was being on the ground and hearing my mom screaming from the house, but what shocked me the most was that I couldn't see the sky, un," Deidara said, his voice trailing off, like it was that moment that ruined him for life. "I loved the sky, un…"

It was nearly fifteen minutes later when the paramedics came and Sasori was so out of it that he barely noticed that he was being put on a stretcher. He vaguely heard the conversations between Deidara and the paramedics.

"Does he live here?"

"No, he's my neighbor, un. He came over because his phone wasn't working."

Sasori could almost hear the paramedic's speculation. "You dialed the hospital?"

Sasori began laughing, knowing that Deidara was going to get offended in a few seconds. "Yes, believe it or not, I can do that. Now is he going to be okay, un?"

"Yes, we just need to get him to the hospital quickly for some stitches and possibly a blood transfusion, but he will be fine. Thank you for all your help."

Sasori didn't remember anything else.

Description
Sai had left Konoha quickly, as he tended to do whenever he made an appearance, so most artists tried to lay low, not wanting to show anything for fear that they would be compared to the prodigy. This gave Sasori at least two weeks of free time, and even though the money stopped coming in for those two weeks, it gave him time to work on his own hobbies.

Sasori liked to work with wood mostly, being taught at a very young age how to make puppets, but when he was feeling creative he would try his hand at painting. Granted it wasn't as structured as he was used to, it was something that kept him open-minded which, let's be honest, he wasn't ever.

It was around noon when Sasori was cleaning up, paint staining his hands as he frowned down at his fingernails, tinges of greens and blues hiding deep in cuticles. He left his spare room to see that Kuro was pawing at the door and meowing for all her worth.

Sasori narrowed his eyes and walked over to the sliding glass door, leaning against it as he peered down at the feline. "Will you come back this time?"

Kuro continued to yowl, hell bent on ignoring Sasori. Rolling his eyes, Sasori opened the door and closed it once Kuro had slipped through the tiny opening he had made. He continued to clean up, washing his paintbrushes in the kitchen sink while also scrubbing at his fingernails.

Ten minutes had passed and Kuro hadn't come back from her little expedition and Sasori knew that he would have to look for her soon in about a half hour. In the meantime though, he finished tidying up his home and even started another review on Sai's new paintings as soon as he had finished revising the last one. The last painting he had made was obviously connected to family and what Sasori assumed was an estranged sibling, though no one knew anything about Sai, so anything was possible.

Sasori had another ten minutes before he had to look for his feline friend when there was a knock on the door. Sasori considered his options carefully. No one ever bothered him often and he wasn't even late on the rent this month. With how many times scam artists have tried to con Sasori, the critic found it best to not answer the door. If it was important, they would knock again.

Precisely a minute later, the knocking started again and Sasori wanted to know who was so persistent as to keep bothering him. Walking through the kitchen, he went to the door and stood over the 'guest' imposingly.

"Hello, un. Your cat came to my door."

Sasori nearly deflated once he saw it was Deidara. He had all ready forgotten about him to be honest, and even their plans for that night. A strange transition from his behavior before.

He then noticed that Kuro was struggling in Deidara's arm and yowling, probably asking Deidara why he had brought her back to her now previous owner.

Sasori quickly took Kuro from Deidara, sending her a glare that should have set the fur ball on fire but she scampered out of his arms and into another room before anything ever happened.

"Sorry, I was letting her out for some air and was going to look for her in a little bit. When did she stop by?"

"About a half hour ago, un," Deidara said.

Sasori noticed Deidara's nose twitch and his neighbor almost turned his head towards the scent.

"Were you just painting, un?"

Sasori's eyes went a little wider than his usual half-lidded stare. "Yes, I was. Excuse me for asking, but when I came over I saw that you had clay left out, the kind of clay from the store on Second. Are you an artist as well?"

A grin grew on Deidara's face and Sasori could practically feel the excitement pouring off of the man. "Un!" Sasori realized that was Deidara's yes. "I didn't know that you painted, un. Aren't you just a critic?"

Sasori nodded his head as he answered. "Well, yes, that's what I do for a living, but I also dabble in arts myself, but mostly woodwork. Puppets to be more precise."

Deidara wanted to say more but he cut himself off. "Uh, sorry I'm getting off topic, but I actually came over here to tell you that I can't do dinner tonight, un."

Sasori smirked. "Not to return my cat?"

"That, too," Deidara confirmed with a small pout.

"Well then do you want to go out to lunch? We could talk some more," Sasori offered and Deidara was obviously trying to compose himself and not let his enthusiasm show too much.

"That'd be great. Could we go in about ten minutes, un?"

"Sure, I'll come get you then." Sasori felt Kuro nudge his leg and he pushed her back inside.

"Okay, see you in a few, un," Deidara called as he walked back to his apartment.

Sasori closed the door and sent a furious scowl towards his cat who just stared back with equal disdain. "You little shit, why the hell did you fucking go over there?" he rarely swore, but this fur ball was really starting to grate on his nerves.

She just gave him a look that said, "I did what I had to do." and pranced off to the living room, probably to destroy Sasori's furniture.

Ignoring Kuro, Sasori changed into something more appropriate than paint-stained sweats and a worn t-shirt with his old college logo on it. He didn't want to get dressed unless it was something he actually called for.

Soon, he was in jeans and a non-descript purple t-shirt. He left some food for Cat before he scrubbed at his fingernails harder, trying to get the paint stains off. He had planned on having a shower before going out with Deidara, but that plan was gone now because Sasori couldn't control his fucking impulse to be near Deidara. He had almost forgotten his first impression of him. Almost. And Sasori still felt like a dick.

Maybe that's why I'm getting close to him. To show him that I am not a total asshole and proving it to him. Sasori thought even though he knew Deidara did not read his mind and immediately think of him was a jerk. He still veered to the side of caution.

Before Sasori headed out, he made sure that Kuro had water but the feline just regarded him with a cold stare. When Sasori got to Deidara's apartment, he knocked and waited a minute for his neighbor to come out.

"Sorry, I was on the phone with a friend, un," Deidara said as he walked through the doorway, cane in hand. He locked his door and turned towards the exit. "So where are we going, un?"

Sasori began walking and Deidara followed after two steps. "Have you ever had a gyro?" Sasori asked as he opened the door for Deidara.

"God, yes. I can't remember when I haven't had one, un," Deidara answered with a hum.

Sasori gave a small smile as they stopped at a crosswalk. "Well we don't have to take the bus to get some, but the walk is a little over fifteen minutes." He pushed the button and waited for the little sign to show when it was safe to walk.

"That's fine, more time to talk, un."

So they talked. Sasori tried to steer the conversation towards Deidara, wanting to know more about him, his clay, why he had such an interest in art as well. In the little gaps when neither of them talked, Sasori took the chance to look at Deidara.

He ignored most of the physical characteristics besides his countenance. Deidara's expressions were so animated that Sasori knew that it would take hundreds of brush strokes to capture the whole magnitude his enthusiasm. A lot of the time, Deidara's hands would move as well and sometimes his cane would smack into a pole or a trash can while they walked.

Sasori wasn't worried for Deidara's safety, he knew that the man could take care of himself but one time it was necessary to jump in when a biker was coming up the sidewalk so quickly, that Sasori barely had enough time to move out of the way, pulling Deidara with him.

"The hell was that, un?" Deidara asked in poorly concealed fear that soon turned into anger. He was gripping Sasori's arms so tightly, the critic wouldn't even have to look at Deidara to understand his shock.

"A biker who wasn't using the bike lanes," Sasori said, a scoff soon following it. "You okay?" he asked, looking down at Deidara who managed to detach himself from Sasori.

"Yeah, just scared the shit outta me, un. People like that piss me off."

Sasori nodded as they got back onto the sidewalk, standing a little closer to Deidara than before. And if Deidara noticed it, he didn't say anything which was just fine.

As soon as they stepped into the Greek restaurant, Sasori led Deidara to the counter. "Have you been here before?"

Deidara shook his head. "What kind of meats do they have here, un?"

Sasori listed off a half-dozen and Deidara chose chicken whilst Sasori selected lamb. They chose a table to sit at as they waited for their food to arrive. Even though they talked most of the time, Sasori could not prevent his leg from bouncing, his index finger tapping against the table top as well.

Deidara tilted his head a little, his eyes not quite on target. "I'm guessing you don't like waiting, un."

Sasori stopped his movements and Deidara snickered.

As they began to talk, Sasori noticed little things about Deidara. He had a great sense of humor, followed by passion for many things but his art was nearly at the top of the list. He wasn't necessarily a smart-ass but he had wit, Sasori would give him that. Another thing that Sasori noticed was that he was always smiling. It made him wonder what had made Deidara so upset the time he fixed his thermostat. It couldn't have just been that his apartment was too cold.

Five minutes later, their gyros came and the pair ate in content. Sasori hadn't had real food in nearly a week, living off of raw fruits and veggies with the occasional bowl of instant ramen noodles. Sasori had to pace himself as he ate so he wouldn't become too full too quickly, but Deidara ate with vigor, moaning as he did so. The sounds nearly sent Sasori jolting out of his seat.

After they had finished eating, Sasori had a little over a quarter of his gyro left, but Deidara's was nearly gone, a few scraps left over. They had spoken in between bites and once the bill came, Sasori grabbed it and stuck his credit card in as the waiter took it away.

Deidara's eyes narrowed. "Did the bill just come, un?"

"Yes," Sasori said smoothly. "Now you were saying something about ephemeral–"

"Sasori, I could have paid for myself, un," Deidara hissed and he reminded Sasori of a very upset cat.

"I know you can, Deidara, I'm paying because you spent nearly eight hours taking care of my cat, and I didn't even pay you. This was supposed to be compensation."

Deidara appeared to be a little less upset, but Sasori could tell that he was still unsettled. "So you didn't really want to just hang out, un?"

Sasori immediately picked up Deidara's mood. His posture was slighter slouched, his arms crossed, head turned away from Sasori. Insecure, guarded, unease or distrust in Sasori. Deidara was not very skilled at schooling his emotions and Sasori saw how much this situation bothered him.

"I did," Sasori said with a level tone, nearly monotonous. "But I just needed an excuse to do so."

Deidara's posture loosened up slightly and he turned towards Sasori, just a fraction. He was blushing. From anger, embarrassment, or just plain infatuation, Sasori didn't know. He blinked at the last suggestion. Sometimes he didn't even catch himself thinking strange things at times.

"Do you still want to hang out or did you have plans later on?"

Deidara felt his wrist watch, his brow furrowed. "I actually need to start heading back now. My sister will be over in about a half hour, un."

"That's fine," he replied as he got his credit card back. They left with full bellies but unsettled minds. Deidara seemed almost uncomfortable now and Sasori honestly didn't know what to do. It nearly hurt him to see that Deidara was back to this gloomy self of his.

It will pass, Sasori assured himself. Why he needed to reassure himself in the first place, he didn't know.

Five minutes into their walk, they were back to their previous conversation.

"Your view on art is very… I'm sorry, but I feel like I cannot even call it art," Sasori confessed and Deidara gave an exaggerated gasp.

"Aren't you supposed to, I don't know, keep on open mind about other artists, un?" Deidara smacked his arm with the back of his hand.

"Hey, I just write about what I see. Sometimes I ask the artist about the piece and try to see it from their point of view. But sometimes it doesn't seem like they put much effort into it, or they just made it out of boredom. No soul, if you will. And that's why I think that destroying something isn't art. What's the point of putting so much effort into making something when you just break it in the end?"

Deidara's exhale almost sounded like a chuckle. "God, in your reviews you sounded like an asshole; I can see that it's true now, un."

They had to stop at a crosswalk and Sasori took a chance to take in Deidara's expression. He didn't seem worried, like he had given something away, but Sasori knew that he was trying to act cool.

He smirked. "So you've read some of my reviews?"

Deidara rubbed the back of his neck as he craned his head to some sound across the street. "A few, un. My sister, she works at a this printing press in Iwagakure, and sometimes she'll look through a few magazines or newspapers that she thinks I like. She prints them in braille for me, un. I've read a couple of your reviews on some artists and I have to say–" Deidara breathed a laugh before continuing. "A little harsh, but the detail is amazing, un. Sometimes it's like seeing again," he said something akin to wistfulness.

Sasori's smirk died down into a light smile, filled with mirth. "I'm glad that they make you happy. At least that makes one person," Sasori joked as he elbowed Deidara lightly, the man seeming to remember where he was and jolting a little bit. "A lot of people don't like the reviews I make about them, but then again, I'm always spot on."

Deidara cleared his throat, now seeming to be back in the present. "Sorry, I wasn't trying to act like a stalker, I just really liked your writing, un," he said quickly.

Sasori shrugged his shoulders as the light finally turned green for them. They began to walk. "Well you didn't know it was me when you came knocking on my door. Not stalkerish at all, just a very lucky coincidence if you ever plan on stalking me. I'm flattered by the way," Sasori said smugly.

Deidara snorted. "Yeah, you're an asshole," he confirmed. "Plus I think there would be a problem with stalking you, I'm not as agile as I seem, un." Deidara waved a hand in front of his eyes, grinning like an idiot.

Sasori rolled his eyes and pulled Deidara closer to his body with his shirt so he wouldn't trip over the curb which was higher than usual. "Little details, I'm sure we'll make it work."

Deidara's shoulders shook with laughter. "Maybe I can tie a string to you, un? You wouldn't notice, would you?"

"Nah, I don't think I would."

They continued to joke a little bit more and Sasori tried not to worry of what Deidara thought about him. He knew him before they even met. Sasori knew that people read his columns and reviews but he mostly assumed that they were hipsters or shut-ins like him. Deidara wasn't extolling over him like a crazed fan, he had merely said that he had read his organized thoughts. It made Sasori think about the night before, when he had told Deidara his opinion about Sai's new work. Someone was interested in his writings. It nearly made him nervous.

When Deidara was just about finished with describing his view on art, they came to the apartment building. Sasori was shocked to see that someone was already at Deidara's door.

"There you are! We're supposed to be at Mom and Dad's in like ten minutes…" she trailed off when she saw Sasori. "Did you go out?"

Deidara scoffed and stopped in front of his door. "Yes, I went out to lunch with a friend, un. This is Sasori. Sasori, this is my sister, Ino un. And I can't get ready if you're standing in front of my door, like a blond bimbo."

The tips of Ino's ears flushed with anger. "God, you're such a dick sometimes. And you wouldn't even know if I had blond hair anymore, stupid."

"The last time you dyed your hair, you told me as you were getting it dyed. How you managed to get your phone to work in that machine, I will never know, un. Now scoot." He used his cane to smack her away to open the door. Ino huffed, and ignored him before introducing herself to Sasori.

"Hi, sorry about that, we're kind of in a hurry and I thought he would be here by now."

Sasori inclined his head lightly. "Sorry for the delay, we just went to get a bite for lunch since dinner didn't work out."

Ino turned a clever eye to Deidara, a leer lighting up her features. "Dinner?" she raised a brow, her tone insinuating every possible thing that would involve an intimate relationship.

"Go get my jacket, un," Deidara ordered as he pushed Ino into his apartment. She just laughed as she began walking towards his bedroom.

Deidara turned back to Sasori. "I'm not even going to apologize for her bad attitude, un."

Sasori chuckled lowly. "It's fine, though I can see the similarities between you two; mostly the bad attitude."

Deidara gave a faux gape. "I have been nothing but kind to you, Sasori, un."

"Sure," Sasori replied, seeing Ino coming back in the corner of his eye. "It seems that you have to go now, but we should hang out again soon. Preferably before my cat claws my face off," he said with a light tone, though no smile lit his face.

Deidara laughed gently. "You're a lot funnier than you sound. I bet if you smiled more, you would get better, un."

Sasori opened his mouth to ask how Deidara knew if he was smiling or not, but Ino closed the apartment door and grabbed Deidara's elbow.

"'Kay let's go."

"Bye, Sasori," Deidara waved before turning around and heading out the exit with his sister.

Sasori let himself ponder a few more thoughts about Deidara before heading back into his apartment. A good day so far.

–

A week and a half passed before Sasori had seen Deidara again, and it was just a passing in the halls of their building. Sasori didn't know what occupation Deidara had, because he had never bothered to ask, but he saw that Deidara had at least a backpack with him most of the time.

Sasori wished that his thoughts weren't plagued with Deidara anymore because it wasn't only starting to affect his non-existant life, but also his work. He still had to make two more reviews on Sai by the end of the day for two separate magazines, but he couldn't get his head focused, especially with Kuro yowling at the sliding glass door. He was going to get a complaint from a neighbor soon.

He had turned off his cellphone and avoided looking at his emails from his agent, Konan, so he could have some peace and quiet while he sat at his laptop and type something, anything out. Ten minutes passed by and he had nothing.

In the end, he ended up ignoring his work to pay more attention to his puppets. The smell of varnish nearly soothed him, but he usually had to have a window open if he didn't want to pass out from the fumes.

He was blowing some woody dust from an arm that he just sanded when Kuro jumped onto the table, right next to his circular power saw. He ignored the cat in favor of staring down the wood to see if it was smoothed out completely, not noticing that the feline jumped off the table, knocking over the saw and switching it on, startling Sasori. If the noise didn't make him jump, then the saw cutting into him did.

"Fucking hell!" He jumped out of his seat and he clutched at his left forearm as blood gushed from the wound. The saw still raged on the table, destroying the arm he had been working on and he kicked at the plug in the wall with his foot, until it fell out.

He was panting harshly and wincing as blood slipped through his fingers and dropped onto the floor. He moved his hand a little to see the damage and the blood fell in puddles. He covered his arm again, wincing harshly as he looked for his phone.

Kuro was nowhere within sight and he assumed that the noise scared the living daylights out of her as well. Poor thing.

Sasori managed to find his cellphone on the coffee table but when he flipped it over with his foot, he saw that it was powerless. A sweat was beginning to break out on Sasori's forehead and he knew that he couldn't really dial the hospital with his laptop, at least he didn't know if it was possible. He went to the kitchen and found a dish towel worthy enough of covering his arm for the meantime.

He saw Kuro at the sliding glass door and she stared at him before pawing at it. Swearing, Sasori opened it and she jumped out, automatically going to the porch three doors over. Sasori knew that he should just go to the front office, but if he got blood on their carpets as well, he knew that he would be fined.

Shaking his head, Sasori found his keys and somehow got them into his pocket, before going through the door to follow his cat. When he reached Deidara's porch, the man was already opening the door as Kuro slid past his legs.

"Sorry, she just wanted to get out," Sasori apologized, before hissing, "or in, I suppose." his arm ached in pulses. "Hey, can you do me a favor?"

Deidara seemed slightly startled with Sasori's abrupt approach but he just hummed an affirmative.

"Can you call me an ambulance? Or at least find someone to take me to the hospital?"

Deidara's eyes widened. "What happened, un?"

"I think my cat is the reincarnation of the devil, is what happened. She managed to turn on my saw and my arm is pretty torn up." he breathed through his nose carefully and Deidara immediately jumped into action.

"Holy shit, get in here before you fucking bleed out, un!" Deidara moved out of the way as Sasori stepped in and Deidara leg him to his bathroom where he got a towel. Sasori moved the rag and took the new towel, pressing it to his arm, groaning as he did so.

"I'm going to get a phone now… stay here, un," Deidara ordered and Sasori rolled his eyes with a hum.

Deidara came back a half minute later and he dialed a number which redirected him to the hospital. When he explained the situation, Sasori leaned against the wall and tried to ignore the blood soaking through the towel. More pressure.

"They're on their way," Deidara confirmed, his voice slightly tremulous and Sasori looked over at him. His hands were shaking and his forehead was beading with perspiration.

"Thanks," Sasori said as he stood by the sink so he wouldn't get more blood on Deidara's things. "My phone was dead and I don't think any cabs would take me the way I am."

Deidara was biting the knuckle on his finger. "I'm sorry that I can't do anymore, un."

Sasori looked back at Deidara and he frowned. "This is enough, trust me. The bill will kill me but I'd rather not lose an arm."

Deidara hummed and he shifted a little to the side and Sasori saw that Kuro was rubbing against his neighbor's leg. If looks could kill...

"You said your cat did this, un?"

Sasori sighed and knew that if he had enough blood, he would be blushing. "My power saw is very sensitive it appears, but yes she did and I wasn't paying attention." he continued to stare at Deidara and he could barely stop the words from spilling out of his mouth. "You never told me what you did, by the way."

Deidara seemed jolted out of his thoughts and his brow furrowed. "What, un?"

Sasori bit his lip knew that he was just being a creep now. "A job? I don't know, I'm trying to distract myself."

Deidara crossed his arms and turned his face to the right a little, away from Sasori. "Uh, I-I'm an accountant." he cleared his throat. "Not the funnest job but I have a head for numbers believe it or not," he chuckled with little humor. "I would like to make a living off of sculpting but it's hard to make it big or even sell a stupid thing- are you sure you're okay, un? Do you need anything else?"

Sasori winced and he tried not to show how shallow his breathing was becoming. "Another towel, and I know this is a weird to ask, but my other hand is becoming numb and I can't hold the towel anymore."

Deidara snapped to attention. "Yeah yeah, un." he quickly grabbed another towel and Sasori moved the first one in time to have Deidara press the fresh one on. Sasori could barely feel it. Luckily Kuro had left the room so Sasori couldn't kick her.

Deidara wrapped the towel around his arm and he applied pressure. "That good, un?"

Sasori's eyes were starting to droop, and he wasn't sure if the blood loss was making him soporific or not. "Mhm, do you mind if I sit down?" he was already sliding down the wall, Deidara following him to the floor, making sure to keep the pressure tight.

Deidara began to talk, telling Sasori about his job, why he moved to Konoha, mostly to get away from family. He told him about some sculptures he actually didn't destroy and that they were in his room at the moment. Deidara made him talk as well, to show that he was still alive and at times, the critic would give his opinion on some things as well. "Maybe you add too much water?" "That happens when you try to use your oven as a kiln for that type of clay." "If you want my cat, you're free to take her." the last one made Deidara laugh.

Deidara ended up telling Sasori about how he became blind, trying to reassure him that what Sasori did wasn't as stupid as what the sculptor had done in the past. "I've always loved fireworks, and when I was eight, I decided to get into my parents stash that they had for New Years, un. I went outside had everything ready, but the fireworks were faulty, and they went off too early. The next thing I remember was being on the ground and hearing my mom screaming from the house, but what shocked me the most was that I couldn't see the sky, un," Deidara said, his voice trailing off, like it was that moment that ruined him for life. "I loved the sky, un…"

It was nearly fifteen minutes later when the paramedics came and Sasori was so out of it that he barely noticed that he was being put on a stretcher. He vaguely heard the conversations between Deidara and the paramedics.

"Does he live here?"

"No, he's my neighbor, un. He came over because his phone wasn't working."

Sasori could almost hear the paramedic's speculation. "You dialed the hospital?"

Sasori began laughing, knowing that Deidara was going to get offended in a few seconds. "Yes, believe it or not, I can do that. Now is he going to be okay, un?"

"Yes, we just need to get him to the hospital quickly for some stitches and possibly a blood transfusion, but he will be fine. Thank you for all your help."

Sasori didn't remember anything else.