Black Fingernails, Red Wine

Chapter 31

Summer.

It still felt strange to look forward to summer. He had spent two decades dreading it. It meant he had to stay home more, had weak excuses to go to the library and hide from his father. Now… Now he had friends. He had his mother and brother. He had the garage. He had Deidara. A smile spread across his lips that would not have appeared if he had been in public. He had told everyone not to expect him for another week or so. He had wanted to surprise Deidara.

He had only one more semester. Just one more and he was free until he took on the masters programs. He had taken classes during summer breaks so he could finish sooner. That had meant that his last year didn't necessarily require him to take summer classes. So he could have the scorching months free to spend with his family and friends.

And it was scorching. Like it had been at the end of the long summer before his life changed.

As he parked the car across the street from a familiar building, he was almost tempted to stay inside in the cool air conditioning. Daichi's garage would be awfully warm, but he still stalked across the street, head bent against the summer sun. The building was clean as ever and wide open, letting in air flow that smelled of cars and oil. It had become a smell of home. Itachi felt a little guilty, but he enjoyed being at the garage more than his mother's house. He always came to visit, but generally spent the night here unless it was too hot to sleep in the bunks. Inside were a few cars being worked on. One in particular had the cutest ass hanging out of its engine, heavy docs barely keeping contact with the cement ground. Best thing about summer was Deidara with his thick hair amassed in a mess of a bun and his shirt off. Deidara with his hair in a mess of a bun and his shirt off while working on a car was just too much sometimes.

"That's a nice welcome home sight," he said, giving him a good spank causing the blond to jump and drop the tool he was using with a loud clatter.

"Itachi! You're not supposed to be back for another week, un!" Deidara exclaimed, trying to turn around to face him, but Itachi had him pinned against the car. He missed this, too. Deidara fit perfectly against his body. All those nights spent in his dorm room with an empty bed made him appreciate this warm body so much more. It was hard to imagine how just a few years ago he hated the idea of anyone sleeping in his bed with him – except Sasuke, who had broken his heart when he announced that, as a seven years old, he was too old to sleep with his big brother after having a bad dream which he had been doing since he was big enough to climb out of his crib.

"I know," Itachi murmured, pressing his nose against the blond's shoulder. "I wanted to surprise you, and I missed you. Are you surprised?"

"Very," Deidara said, wiggling his hips against him. "If only I could see you to say hi for real, un."

"Nah," Itachi smirked, pulling his hips closer against him, dirty thoughts flooding his mind. He was so happy mentally and physically to have him in his arms again he could have taken him right there on top of the open car engine. After this summer, he had to go back for one more semester. Just one and he was done with his first degree. After that he would transfer to another school in the city for his second. That way he could see him, his family, and his friends every day instead of once or twice a month. He could work for Daichi to earn money so he wouldn't feel like such a burden to his mother. "This is fine. Right… like… this," he purred in his ear, smirking as the blond gave a little shiver under him.

"Not on the car," came an exasperated voice behind him, spoiling the moment.

"Hey, Daichi," Itachi greeted, pulling Deidara off the car to face the man. "Sorry, I just saw this ass hanging out of the engine and couldn't resist."

"I was working," Deidara grumbled, pushing loose strands of hair off his face.

"Wow," Itachi joked, leaning back so the blond's feet left the floor. "You actually working, now that's something new. A whole shift?" Deidara nodded and he glanced at the clock on the wall. "Isn't it about time for a hardworking man to clock out for the day?" he asked Daichi, smiling at him as he swung Deidara's legs back and forth a few inches off the ground.

"Sure," Daichi told them, smirking a bit. "Welcome back."

"Thanks," Itachi said, lifting Deidara into a fireman's carry to take them through the doors leading to the bunks. Deidara was struggling to be put down, complaining and trying to get a decent kick in, but the angle was bad and Itachi held on tight, looking for an unused bunk. Deidara's was too high for him to climb and the one he had used during his three month stay looked occupied. Instead, he tossed him into an unused bunk and crawled over top of him, smothering his neck with kisses. "Mmm…I missed you so fucking much. I never hated school before I met you," he groaned softly against his skin. "You're a bad influence."

Deidara's throat vibrated with his chuckle. "At least let me shower first. I'm covered in sweat and engine grime," he said, showing him his hands.

"I know, I think it's sexy," Itachi told him, grinning deviously. "You know how much I love cars, and how much I love you. Put those two together," he clicked his tongue, "I just lose it."

"Haha! I can tell, un!" Deidara laughed as Itachi burrowed his nose into his neck, nibbling at his sweaty, tender spots. "Seriously Itachi! What the hell! This isn't like you, un."

"Shh," Itachi whispered, nosing his ear. "I've been waiting to see you for weeks." This semester's final weeks had been full of massive project that kept him from traveling home to visit him. Lifting his head, he grinned down at the blond, pushing the loose strands of hair away from his face. Even covered in dirt and engine grime, Deidara looked beautiful to him. He'd stared at Deidara for long hours when the blond was asleep, or moments like this when he got him to sit still long enough. Asleep was always best. He was already starting to squirm. "Sit still, you," Itachi teased. "I want to stare at you."

"Gross, un!" Deidara said, pushing his dirty hands against his face to get him away. "Get off me. I gotta shower."

Itachi gave an unhappy noise, but the blond had wiggled out from under him to roll out of the bed. Propping his head up, he watched the blond kick his shoes off and saunter into the shower room. Nice ass. He smirked. Oh yeah, like he was going to just let him shower on his own. He waited a few minutes before jumping up and hurrying over to the door. Deidara's apartment had been full of the nosiest people Itachi had ever met, but those who lived in the garage were more private. Itachi appreciated that about them. Because of that, he didn't feel as uncomfortable being undressed in a place several people used. Quietly closing the door, he stripped off his shirt and pants, leaving them folded with his shoes by the door and walked over to the shower stall with steam fogging up the air around it. Peering inside, he grinned at the sight of Deidara lathered up and scrubbing ferociously so as to finish quickly.

"I should help you," he purred, wrapping his arms around the blond hanging on tight as he jumped in surprise.

"Fuck! Itachi! Why the hell do you keep sneaking up on me, un?" Deidara snapped, twisting more easily in his arms since he was all soapy. "If you wanted to come too you could have just said…"

"Sorry," Itachi said, giving him a soft kiss. "I just missed you a lot. I'm happy to see you." Taking the washcloth from him, he began gently scrubbing his skin. Deidara gave a grunt in mock irritation, but only rolled his eyes and kissed him back when he leaned down, walking them into the stream of water.

"Missed you too, dumbass," Deidara said, standing up on his toes so he could wrap his arms around him and give him a deeper kiss. He still smelled faintly of the garage, as he remembered. He wasn't so much of a stick anymore and his muscles had become more defined from working in the garage instead of spending his time drinking and partying. He felt less delicate, more like a man now than a teenager. "Should I give you a shampoo?" Deidara asked, smirking a little.

"Nah," Itachi whispered, nuzzling his nose against the blond's. "I showered before I left school. I should make sure you're nice and clean…everywhere," he smirked, reaching around to grab a handful of ass. "Ooh. Nice. Working on cars have been good for you," he purred, massaging his handful as he pulled his hips against him.

Deidara let his head fall back in a laugh. "Are you saying I used to have a flabby ass?" he questioned.

"Absolutely not," Itachi replied, very seriously. "This has been my favorite ass since the first day I saw it. It's only gotten better." Lifting him up, he pressed him against the wall and kissed into his neck. Deidara wrapped his legs around his waist and leaned back as Itachi moved the washcloth down his chest.

"You should get clean too," the blond said suddenly. "It's weird if it's just me. I mean…. I'd rather do you, un. It's just weird."

Itachi smiled a little, mentally sighing. Same old. Itachi practically had to tie him down to let him do anything that didn't involve both of them or just Itachi. It used to bother him a lot, knowing Deidara couldn't bring himself to trust Itachi not to use the blond's pleasure as a leverage on him. Of course Deidara did trust Itachi, but bad experiences were hard to forget, especially physical ones. One day he would let him without hearing him whine and complain the whole time, but for now it was just 'weird'.

He gave Deidara's ass a firm smack. "Ruin my fun," he complained, but he was smiling. "I just love seeing you squirm."

"Hey, you two. Some people also want to shower," came a voice from the door.

"Without listening to you two," said another. "Unless you're going to invite us in there with you. I'd love to tap your ass again, Deidara."

Itachi started to turn to irritably tell the men to leave, but Deidara nearly made him drop him as he squirmed out from his pinned position so he could stick his head out the stall door. "In your fucking dreams," he snapped. "Worst night of my life, un!"

"Dei, I'm going to drop you," Itachi warned, flexing his arms to hold them still, trying to hang onto the slippery blond.

Deidara pulled himself back in and smirked at him as he gave his nose a small poke. "You'd never drop me," he purred confidently, planting a deep kiss on Itachi's startled lips. Ah, here was the Deidara he knew. Maybe he had just caught him off guard with his surprise arrival. He was about to start kissing him back when Deidara threw himself to the side to glare out the door and he was struggling to hold him again. "What the fuck are you still here for? This shower is occupied, un."

Itachi forcefully jerked Deidara upright again and moved to peer out the door too. Shigeru was standing at the door with his arms folded stubbornly, the other had apparently contented to wait. His head was shaven on the sides and his visible skin was extremely tattooed. "Either you finish up and clear out or I'm coming in there," was the reply. Itachi held back a grin at Deidara's startled squeak of confusion. Usually people backed down with Deidara's demands, but maybe he was losing his crazy edge since he had cleaned up his act a bit. He resisted the urge to pat his feisty boyfriend on the head.

Before the explosion he could practically feel rising up in the blond could come out, Itachi pulled him back into the shower and set him back down. "We'll be done in a moment," Itachi said, sticking his head out of the stall again. "Please give us a bit a privacy."

"Hey!" Deidara snapped at him, his irritation coming out on Itachi now. "He can't tell us what to do! We were here first, un! I'll fuckin—"

"Shh," Itachi pushed a finger to his lips, smiling a little. "It's fine, Deidara." He leaned down to give him a soft kiss on the cheek. "We'll continue this later when we can't be interrupted."

So easy to satisfy. The ear to ear grin returned and the blond let him push him under the steady stream of the shower, rinsing the soapy suds off his body. "Fine," he said, pushing the wet strands of hair that had fallen from its tie off his face. "Let's go have some fun, un."

Shutting the water off, he grabbed his towel and stepped out of the shower. "Hey, fuck off, Itachi asked you for privacy. This ain't a free show," Deidara snapped, his voice echoing in the tiled room. Apparently Shigeru was still there. The blond quickly dried himself off, then tossed the towel to Itachi and strode out of the room in all his naked glory. Itachi peeked out to watch him, unable to resist. Deidara was much thicker than he used to be – muscles instead of skin and bones. Yep. That ass just kept getting better.

Climbing up into his bunk, Deidara sat down and began digging through his duffle bag. It was nearly out of clean clothes. He'd have to borrow Mikoto's laundry room again. He pulled on a pair of jean shorts and a tank top, then tugged on a plaid short sleeve shirt over it, but left it unbuttoned. He hurriedly stuffed the duffle bag full of his dirty clothes to take with him since Itachi would certainly have a car so he wouldn't have to lug the bag all the way to the Uchiha house. Reaching out, he gave the fluffy tail sticking over the mound of his pillow a gentle pull. Milkshake gave a questioning 'merp?' and stretched himself out of his nap and came out. He wasn't a kitten anymore, but was still on the small side for a cat, but he made up for it in attitude and fluff.

"Hey you," he said, giving the kitten a little scratch. "Time to go." Milkshake made a slightly grumpy sound, but hopped up to latch his claws into Deidara's shirt so he could ride him down the stairs – despite the fact that the cat had discovered methods of getting up and down from the bunk by himself now that he was bigger and less of a klutz.

Itachi was waiting for him, dried and redressed, at the bottom of the ladder, looking at him in dismay. "You are a jean killer, Deidara," the brunette said mournfully, eyeing his pants. "Aren't those the jeans you got over spring break?"

Itachi's eye for detail was frightening sometimes. Deidara wasn't exactly sure when he bought these jeans, but they were definitely less torn up than the others so it was highly possible they were the ones Itachi spoke of. "Probably," he said, with a shrug after looking down at the pants covered in tears and stains from catching on metal and worn thin from overuse and sharpee'd reminders from when he didn't have paper handy. Did it really matter? Clothes were meant to be used. His eyes narrowed at a mark just under his pockets. 'M3 F80'. He gave a slight huff of annoyance and rolled his eyes. His boyfriend was so boring.

Milkshake happily leaped onto Itachi's shoulder and purred loudly, rubbing his fluffy head against Itachi's in greeting. Itachi pet him affectionately even though he winced, not used to his claws as Deidara was.

"Where are we going, un?" Deidara asked as the two of them walked out of the garage with a wave at Daichi. Spotting Itachi's car, he didn't wait for the Uchiha to answer him before dropping his bag and ran over to throw himself onto the hood of it. Oh, how he adored this car! This beautiful sleek Mazda with all its modifications and sexy leather interior. Way sexier than an M3. "I missed you, too," he murmured fondly before he was peeled off.

"Hey," Itachi warned, setting him upright and giving him his bag again. "What are you doing? You're not driving."

"I know," Deidara replied, swinging the bag over his shoulder. Milkshake dropped down onto the street and followed Deidara to the side of the car. "I was just telling it hello."

Itachi rolled his eyes and let the blond into the car – Milkshake hopping in himself and went to find a comfortable place on the dashboard so he could stare out the window. When Itachi got in, Deidara adjusted his seat so he could lean closer. "So where are we going, un?" he asked again.

Itachi turned the car on, shifting gears to pull out into the street. "Sasuke's getting out of school, so I thought we could go pick him up as a surprise. Then go say hi to mom. After that we can do whatever you want…" He trailed off when he saw Deidara smirking as pleasure swelled inside him. Itachi gave a snort, knowing exactly what he was pleased about. "Yes, I came to see you first," Itachi said, exasperation in his voice. "You're that special."

Deidara cackled and reached out to turn the radio on, pushing as many buttons as he could before he found a song playing he liked. He chatted over the music about things Itachi had been missing out, even though they had talked nearly every day. Deidara couldn't come visit anymore, but Itachi had tried to come every weekend. Truthfully, he didn't want Deidara to come. Professor Williams had been watching him for quite some time after he returned from school as if she wanted to make sure that he wasn't sneaking Deidara into the school. He finally told her that he wouldn't let him because he didn't want Deidara to see her anymore – didn't want her to hurt him anymore, and that he was intending to transfer out of her school because he didn't want to see her either. He had stopped signing up for her classes and saw her as little as was possible. He had told Kisame that he was transferring as well and was pleased to discover that his roommate had been thinking about transferring to get his next degree as well and had been accepted into a university close to the one Itachi was going to. They made plans to compare schedules so they could still go to a gym together.

Speaking of gyms. "Have you been working out?" Itachi asked suddenly, glancing down at Deidara as they pulled into the street their old high school stood on.

"What?" Deidara asked, distracted from folding a piece of paper he found on in the console in an unknown origami shape.

"You. Working out," Itachi said, reaching out to give his arm a little squeeze. "There's no way that's all from fixing cars."

Deidara's face turned pink and he turned to stare out the window. "Just a little," he mumbled under his breath. "I just wanted to be able to, you know, pick heavy things up in the garage. Plus it looks cool, I think." He made a valiant effort to recover from his embarrassment by flexing his muscles. "Unless you like tiny stick boys."

"I like this guy same as I did when he was a stick," Itachi said, giving his hair a little tug as he pulled into the parking lot and idled in the pick-up area. "Maybe more. I like that you're healthy now. Wanna come work out w—"

"Hell no," Deidara cut him off, folding his arms obstinately. "I am not getting up at any unnatural hour, un."

"Worth a try," Itachi smiled.

Deidara gave him a mischievous smirk, and flexed his arms again. "Do you like it?"

"Yes," Itachi grinned, spotting Sasuke coming out of the school. "Very much."

He contemplated giving a honk, but Deidara had already rolled the window down and shouted out an insult that caught Sasuke's attention instantly. He looked pissed until he recognized the car and hurried over, grinning. "Hey," he greeted happily, peering in passed Deidara at his brother. "I thought you weren't coming home for a week or so."

"Surprise," Itachi said, smiling back at him.

"Lemme sit in the front," Sasuke demanded, opening the passenger door.

"Uh, no," Deidara scoffed and Sasuke glared.

"Come on, he's my brother, I never get to sit in the front," he demanded. "You always get to see him."

Deidara glared at him, then turned to look at Itachi who didn't look pleased to have been selected to make the decision. He leaned forward, mouth close to Deidara's ear and murmured, "I'll make it up to you twice what it's worth."

The blond heaved an unhappy sigh and climbed between the seats into the back bench, yelping when Itachi gave his butt a firm swat. Sasuke tried to sit down, but Milkshake hopped into the recently empty seat and refused to move until Itachi moved him for his brother with an apologetic scratch of his chin before handing him back to Deidara.

When they arrived at the Uchiha house, Deidara crushed Sasuke as he crawled over the seat to be able to get out first, just to annoy the younger Uchiha. He heard Itachi say something soothing to his brother as Milkshake hopped out and followed the blond up to the front door. He loved visiting the Uchiha's, even though the thrill of possible death had left with Fugaku. Mikoto always made sure he was well fed and usually sent him home with more food.

He felt Itachi come up behind him on the stoop and slide his fingers down his back pocket, rubbing his ass through the fabric. "We'll go shopping to get you some high quality jeans," Itachi whispered in his ear. "One day I'll make them last longer than two months. What did you do? Get stuck on a fence?"

"I think it was the junkyard, un… I was looking for pieces for a project," Deidara said, glancing down at himself. How should he know? He was an extremely active person. It wasn't his fault they hadn't made Deidara-proof jeans yet. He glanced at Itachi who looked like he just walked out of a magazine and grinned a little. Itachi's wardrobe had been so dull when he first met him and he used to think people who always had nice clothes were lazy and boring because they never did anything to mess up their clothes. Itachi did things and his wardrobe had improved since he began to care about how he looked rather than simply dressing to look nice. And Deidara found him to be wildly fascinating, though Itachi never seemed to understand why.

"Are we going in?" Sasuke asked behind them.

Deidara glanced back up at Itachi and saw him pause. "It feels a bit weird," he finally admitted.

"Eh? Why?" Deidara asked, tilting his head at him.

"Just," Itachi began, then looked away. "It just seems strange… since the trial…"

Throwing his head back, Deidara burst out laughing, startling the brothers. "This isn't a horror movie, Itachi. The house isn't going to kill you cause the Head of Dick-police is gone, un."

"I know," Itachi said defensively.

"And your mom will feed us," he reminded him.

"I feed you."

"Your mom is a better cook."

"Have you been exploiting my mother for free food?" Itachi asked, frowning though it wasn't angry.

"Maybe," Deidara grinned and threw open the front door. "Mikoto!" he called into the house. "I brought you a present, un!"

"Hi, Deidara!" came Mikoto's voice from somewhere in the lovely air conditioned house. "Come on in, I'll be down in a minute."

Itachi smiled softly at Deidara and his beaming excitement, kicking off his shoes – at the door instead of halfway into the room, Mikoto had given him several stern lectures about dirty shoes. The blond bounced on his toes, fidgeting with the hem of his shirt that made the frayed edges worse. Itachi watched him, wondering if the blond had ever gone to see a non-Sasori doctor about his inability to contain his mind and body into stillness. He could use medicine to stay calm, but then again, Deidara had worked hard to stay clean of drugs and he didn't want to put that in jeopardy. Even if it would help him, Itachi found his excitement to show him off to his mother something delightfully cute. He did love his eccentric nature that complimented his own so nicely, in his own mind.

"Sorry, I was—oh! Itachi!" his mother's excited gasp stopped his thoughts briefly before familiar arms and nostalgic smells enveloped him. His mother wasn't that much taller than Deidara, so he had to bed down a little to get the full embrace as she pulled his head onto her shoulder and squeezed him tightly. "We weren't expecting you come for another week! What a great surprise!"

"He wanted to go out, but I told him he should come say hi, un," Deidara said, looking smug.

"No, he didn't," Itachi said, returning his mother's hug. "He's just pleased I saw him first, and I wanted to pick up Sasuke from school… sorry mom."

"I understand, dear," Mikoto said, giving him a gentle kiss on the cheek. "I know how much you've missed each other. Deidara has been pining for you ever since he last saw you."

"I have not," Deidara insisted, ears reddening.

"And Sasuke's been marking off the days till you come back for a month," she added.

"Mom!"

Itachi smiled at their embarrassment. "Nice to know I was missed," he said.

"I didn't miss you, un!" Deidara raged, storming away to the kitchen. His mother gave his back the smile she'd give to Sasuke when his brother insisted that he didn't want his mother to pack his school lunch. He knew the blond missed him, but it was cute to hear about him going to pieces in his absence.

"I kinda missed you," Sasuke admitted, with a half shrug. "Oh, guess what." He grinned broadly in a way that let Itachi know he was incredibly pleased with himself. "I am top of my class and I turned down the valedictorian position, and I got accepted into University."

"Congratulations," Itachi replied, an eyebrow raising. "Why did you turn down the position?"

Sasuke gave a shrug. "Cause everyone expected me to do it," he replied. "And I can't top Deidara's speech. The family was pretty mad. Dad sent me a letter," he added with a great roll of his eyes, spoken under his breath so their mother couldn't hear him as she went back into the kitchen. "Said I was disappointing him and shouldn't go by way of the riffraff you let in the house."

Itachi raised his other eyebrow. "Oh?"

"I sent him back a picture of dog shit," his little brother replied, his expression empty of remorse.

Resisting the urge to plant his hand over his face, Itachi heaved a sigh and placed an arm around Sasuke's shoulder leading him into the kitchen where Deidara was munching on a sandwich, his ears still a little pink. Itachi sat down next to him and leaned over and Deidara held out the sandwich for him to bite into. Deidara gave him a suppressed grin and proceeded to stuff the rest of the entire sandwich into his mouth at once.

"Do you two have plans for the summer?" Mikoto asked, setting a light sandwich in front of Itachi and Sasuke.

Deidara made a string of noises that might have intended to be words but was unable to get passed the sandwich. Mikoto gave him a disapproving look and he gave a sigh and began chewing through the bread. "Daichi's taking everyone from the garage to the beach later in the summer, un," he repeated.

"Otherwise, just hanging out and working on cars," Itachi said with a shrug. He wasn't exactly fond of the beach, but Deidara had been excited about it.

"Deidara, perhaps Itachi can help you get ready for fall," Mikoto suggested with a smile.

"Get ready for what?" Itachi asked, turning to look at the blond in surprise.

"I haven't told him yet, un," Deidara mumbled, picking at the crumbs on his plate.

"Oh," she said in slight dismay. "Sorry, if I spoiled your surprise."

"It's okay, I just wanted to tell him in person, un," Deidara said with a grin.

Mikoto smiled knowingly and nodded. "I saw Daichi's face when you told him. You really are going to send him into an early grave," she said, though affectionately.

"He says I'm penance for his past sins," the blond told her gravely, which made her laugh. He looked pleased about it.

"What are you talking about? What is this surprise?" Itachi asked, nudging the blond impatiently.

The blond drew himself up proudly and smirked at Itachi. "You," he began, "are one step closer to buying me a new motorcycle, un."

It took a moment for Itachi's brain to catch up with Deidara's before he looked at him in surprise. "You're taking classes?" he asked, eyebrows climbing.

"Not yet," Deidara said with a raise of his shoulder, as if it didn't really matter, but the corners of his lips were twitching and his leg was bouncing with the effort to keep still. "I just got accepted into the university. Starting in the fall, un."

"Congratulations," Itachi said, beaming proudly at him. And then what his mother had said came to mind and he looked wary. "What will you be studying?"

This, it seemed, was what Deidara was most excited about and why he waited to tell him in person. He turned his whole body to face Itachi and held his hands out as if bestowing a great and wonderful secret. "Did you know," he said, eyes dancing with glee, his grin splitting his face in half, "that you can get a degree in pyrotechnics?"

Itachi tried to smile, but, like Daichi, felt a few years, possibly decades, get shaved off his life. "Oh yeah?" he replied, his voice and octave higher than normal and hoping Deidara wouldn't be angry for his lack of enthusiasm.

"Yeah!" Deidara exclaimed. "Like, I can get a degree in actual art, un! I did all the research and everything. I found a school that's in the city that offers it as a degree and even went to talk to the program advisors and got to show off some of my art for them and did everything and the guy at the administration office says because of my income I get lots of money from the city and he gave me a list of all these scholarships. And because I've got such a woeful past," he said this with a dramatic gesture, "I applied and won some of them too, so I don't have to pay for classes at all. It'll be awesome. I could get paid to make art, un!"

"That's pretty cool," Itachi said, taking the opportunity to finish his sandwich and not be forced to comment further.

The blond was snickering at him. Not angry but amused that he was fearful for his life now. Deidara never feared for his life, something Itachi felt was something extremely important to survival, but it had served Deidara quite well. They spent the afternoon chatting in the kitchen and then helped Mikoto with dinner and dishes and then retreated to Itachi's room – Itachi dragging the blond up before he could make some comment about what they were possibly going to do to each other when Sasuke asked where they were going.

Itachi was lounging on the bed petting Milkshake, watching Deidara, who had wedged himself into a comfortable position on the window seat, show off his newly gained skill of impossibly twisting string into shapes between his fingers for Itachi's entertainment when Mikoto knocked on the door about an hour later.

"Come in," Itachi called, sitting up and turning to the door, Deidara having just shown him a complicated design that looked impossible to have been accomplished so easily.

"Hey boys," she said, peeking her head in first with a small grin. "Are you two busy?"

"No," they both answered, Deidara untangling the string far easier than it should have been. Itachi gave the string a suspicious look. Deidara looked smug about impressing him.

"Good," she said, clasping her phone between her hands. "I have a surprise for the two of you."

"A surprise?" they answered in unison, Deidara's voice a little more excited than Itachi's.

"Yes," she said, smile widening. "It's not quite finished yet, but I just got the confirmation," she waved her phone, "and I think you will really like it. We can go see it now if you'd like."

Itachi exchanged a glance at Deidara, wondering if he knew what she was talking about. The blond gave an exaggerated shrug then got up and pulled his shirt back on – it had been removed sometime during a kissing session after dinner. He slipped passed Mikoto to go downstairs, always ready for a surprise, but Itachi stood up a little more slowly.

"What is it?" Itachi asked, following his mother back down stairs.

"It's a surprise present for you – and Deidara," she told him, reaching up to brush his bangs off his face. "A graduation present."

"I haven't graduated yet," he reminded her with a slight frown. This sounded a little dangerous.

"You will," she said, pride very audible in her voice. "And you will graduate from your second school and I will be equally proud of you. You're turning into the successful, strong willed, handsome man I always you knew you would. And I'm so happy you found someone special to be with you."

Itachi felt his cheeks darkening slightly and he averted her gaze by look into the kitchen where he could see Deidara trying to stuff as many marshmallows as possible into his mouth at once. He snorted softly, "yeah… 'special'."

Mikoto turned to see what he was looking at and chuckled. "Deidara, please don't do that, you'll choke," she scolded as he waved her off. "I'm actually rather excited," she added as she went to slip on her shoes. "You've never driven me before, Itachi."

The brunette stopped short, pausing in thought. That was true… mostly because she had her own car or had ridden with Fugaku. He looked at her apprehensively, suddenly self-conscious of his speeding and drifting, but Deidara strutted passed them and smirked. "Your momma ain't no stiff, un," he stated, putting his shoes on and walking out the front door. "You should see her on a bike."

A sputter came out of Itachi's mouth before he could stop it, staring after Deidara, then back at his mother, a little alarmed, but she only laughed at his expression. "Deidara took me to work on his bike a few times," she told him. "I haven't been on one since before you were born."

"What?" Itachi started, staring at her wide eyed.

She pursed her lips and nodded thoughtfully as though he had merely been making a filler comment instead of reacting to this startling revelation on his mother's past. He kept staring at her as they put their shoes on and followed Deidara out to the Mazda and climbed in. Deidara got into the back seat without being asked and they pulled out of the neighborhood. At the first stop sign, Mikoto sat up and turned to give Deidara a hard look until he sheepishly put his seatbelt on and she sat back and began asking Itachi questions such as his last few days at school and why he was home early. Itachi explained that the things he had to do were just a few simple things that he could do online or were not time consuming – like taking out the trash and signing up for next years' classes. He glanced up at the rearview mirror at Deidara who was grinning in anticipatory excitement as he stared out the window wondering where they were going. That adorable grin was the reason he rushed to finish things so he could come home early. All his classes finished, all his work turned in, finals finished. Everything else were just things that were limiting his summer time with Deidara. He hadn't told the blond when classes were finished, only when he was coming home because he knew the blond would plague him to come home early and this way he had given him a present.

"So where are we going?" Deidara asked after Itachi gave his fingers a little flick as they began snaking between the seats towards his crotch.

"You'll see," Mikoto said cheerfully. "It's a late birthday present and early graduation present for both of you."

"I like presents, un!" Deidara announced happily. "Especially when it's not my birthday."

Itachi wasn't as excited. "Mom, you didn't have to get us anything," he said quietly, turning as she pointed.

Mikoto gave a gently laugh and shook her head. "I know that, and you know your dislike of presents has never stopped me from giving them to you." Deidara leaned between the seats and piped up again that he liked presents, she reached back and brushed his bangs out of his face. "I know you do," she told him. "Up this road, Itachi… And right here, park over there please."

Obeying, Itachi turned the car off and pulled the emergency break before getting out and looking around as he waited for his mother and Deidara to get out as well. They were on a nice street with overhanging trees. They had passed a few houses, but none of them were very close together and all had nice looking gardens that gave the neighborhood curb appeal, but also provided decent privacy. Mikoto slipped her arms around both the boys' and they crossed the street to the beginnings of a driveway in front of the only house now visible. They stood in front of it for a long moment before Deidara began to fidget. His cobalt eyes glanced over at Itachi, who gave him an equally confused look.

"Is it inside the house?" the blond asked, shifting from one foot to the other.

"No, dear, it is the house," Mikoto said, smiling up at it.

Itachi's stomach felt like it just dropped to his feet as did any words he could possibly come up with. In fact, he felt like his feet were sinking through the asphalt driveway too, until Deidara's voice snapped him out of the mortified blankness of his mind. "What do you mean, 'the house'?" Deidara asked, his voice laced in confusion. "I don't understand. How do you give someone a house, un?"

"Mom," Itachi breathed out in disbelief. "You bought a house? You bought a house…for us?" Deidara repeated his words, much louder than Itachi had now that the information seemed to click.

"No," she said, giving his arm an affectionate squeeze. "I know you would never forgive me if I did that. All I've done is put the down payment in and laid out the payments for the next three years. Once you've finished your schooling and get yourself firmly on your feet, you'll be doing the payments yourselves." She beamed at him and led him up the driveway, gesturing to different aspects of the house and yard. "I picked this one because it's close to the mountain roads you like to drive, and close enough to the city so you're not so secluded from your friends. It also has a big garage so you can keep your car and Deidara's motorcycle inside instead of in the drive. It also has outdoor space so you can invite friends over and entertain. It is within yours and Deidara's budget as well."

"How do you know what our budget will be?" Itachi asked her with a small laugh as he looked down at the slate stone walkway.

"I manage money for a living, Itachi," she reminded him, grinning. "I know."

As they reached the door, Mikoto reached into the mailbox and produced a key, which she handed him. Hand shaking slightly, he inserted the key and turned the lock. Inside the front of the house was as open and airy as his mother's home, though lacking in furniture and homely touches. The foyer was tiled, but entryway and what he could see of the living spaces were dark stained hardwood and the door frames thick with decorative molding. He wandered in slowly, taking in the entryway, what he could see of the living room and the large open hallway towards the back of the house, and the wide staircase that twisted in a slow curve to the second floor.

"Mom…I…" he stammered, turning to stare at her, that mortified feeling coming back. She was obviously pleased with herself. "I don't know what to say…"

"That's alright," she told him, brushing his bangs off his face. "I know you like being independent and I understand how uncomfortable it is at the house for you. And that you and Deidara miss having private space. You are my baby, Itachi. I'm going to spoil you until I die whether you like it or not."

"Thanks, Mom…I'll do my best to live up to your expectations," he murmured, leaning down when she stood on her toes to kiss his cheek.

"You already have, sweetheart. Oh," she turned and looked around. "Where's Deidara?"

Startled, Itachi went to the door and looked out, seeing the blond still standing at the end of the driveway where they had left him. Deidara had a strange expression on his face as he approached, beginning to fidget under Itachi's concerned gaze. "Dei, what's wrong?" he asked.

He looked up at him, then gave a wide eyed stare at the house. "Your mom got you a house. That's… insane," his voice was quiet, not like him at all. "Who does that? Who has money to just be like 'hey, here's a house I got you'?"

"Yeah," Itachi said, gaze dropping to his feet. Deidara had once mocked him relentlessly out of spite for how much he was provided for because of his family's wealth. Even with only one income, it hadn't changed his mother's ability to make sure that he was provided for. "Dei," he added, his voice a little gentler than what the blond usually accepted, "she bought it for you, too. I mean, it's not really bought, but when I get out of school, we'll still have to pay for it and stuff… but it's for you, too. You don't have to stay in Daichi's garage, or couch surf when you're feeling uncomfortable there, and can have privacy again. Don't you want to live with me?"

"…Yes?" Deidara said, still looking a little dazed and confused.

"Do you like the outside?" he asked the blond with a smile.

"I like the trees," the blond commented, hands shoving into his back pockets and looking up. "Good climbing trees."

Placing a hand at Deidara's back, he gave the blond a little shove and led him up into the house. The blond looked like he felt completely out of place in his old, second hand boots and torn jeans standing in a spotless house with two decently dressed people. Itachi loved him for it. "What do you think?" Mikoto asked him.

Deidara gave a shrug, still looking dazed. "It's a house?" he replied uncertainly. "I mean… I live in a capsule bed in a mechanic's garage right now, so…" He gave her an apologetic look, but she didn't seem fazed.

Mikoto slipped her shoes off and the two followed suit. She began leading them around the house, pointing out the possibilities in certain areas of the house: the living room where they could have a nice sofa and chairs facing the fireplace with a future TV and video game storage, a dining area in an open kitchen, the back deck for entertaining and then proudly gestured to an in-ground pool. Deidara got over a bit of his uncomfortableness at that and snapped his head around to mouth the four letter word to Itachi. Deidara did love pools. Every time they decided to put together their money to rent a hotel room for a night to get some private time, Deidara subtly suggested one with a pool until Itachi began choosing one before he asked.

"How about," Mikoto said as they came back into the kitchen – a decent sized one with new looking appliances and an island with room for breakfast bar seating, "I call a cab and leave you two alone to explore the upstairs? I don't want to spoil your first day back. I know you want to spend time together." She beamed at them, looking extremely pleased with herself.

And then she was gone.

The two of them stood stunned in the foyer after she shut the door behind herself. Itachi didn't even think to stop her and tell her to wait in the house for a cab, or that he'd take her home first. The house didn't have the air on, but it was at least a little bit cooler inside than out. The whole thing was surreal. How long had she been planning this for him? He wondered why she hadn't said anything, though, in reality, he knew that he would have tried to stop her if she had. They should have started out with a cheap apartment or something, not a house… He was too spoiled. He knew he had been privileged before he met Deidara, but he had never really understood exactly how privileged he was. It was almost embarrassing. He distracted his thoughts by looking down at the blond who was still staring outside at the covered pool. "Dei, you okay?" he asked.

It took him a moment to answer, but he finally turned to give him an odd look. "Are we really allowed to be in here, un?" he asked.

Itachi held up the key. "Seems like it," he replied, smiling. "Hope you don't change your mind and want to keep living at Daichi's. Watching movies by myself in that living room would be kind of lonely."

He blinked up at him, looking partially terrified and partially suspicious. "I can live here?" he asked.

"Of course," Itachi gave a small laugh and tilted his head to the side. "Didn't you hear? It's for both of us."

The blond looked at him a moment longer, then seemed to forcibly compose himself as he slipped past Itachi to look at the rest of the house. "Cool," was the last thing he said before he turned the corner and disappeared.

Itachi smiled after him, feeling as though he understood what was wrong, but would let Deidara tell him when he was ready. For now, Deidara was expressing enough excitement for the both of them. He yelled like a child about a huge garage, then came into view again on his way to the stairs. He called for Itachi to watch him slide down the wooden bannister – which he did twice – laughing before he bolted up the stairs to shout about the huge rooms on the second floor and the huge bathroom. Itachi grinned up the stairs then glanced around one more time at the first floor. There was another room next to the hallway that would make a good office space like his mother had at home. Deidara appeared at the top of the stairs again looking impatient and beckoned him frantically, so he complied and climbed the stairs. He pushed him into the main bathroom to show him a large bathtub and showering area before they went to the master bedroom.

Deidara cursed colorfully and stepped inside to stare around. "This is the biggest fucking bedroom I've ever seen, un!" he cried, looking skeptically at Itachi. "How the hell can someone live in a house like this?"

"Comfortably with a loud blond boyfriend living here, too," Itachi said. He tried to wrap his arms around the blond, but he slipped away and threw open the other doors in the room.

"Holy shit, we get our own bathroom," the blond said, far too loudly. "And a massive closet!" he added nearing a shriek. "Holy crap, this is bigger than your closet. This is almost as big as my whole apartment!"

Ears starting to hurt a bit, Itachi finally caught the blond and dragged him back into the room and wrapped his arms around him tightly, giving a soft shushing noise. "It'll look nicer with a bed, and there's a big window over there with a seat like my room," he added, turning him around so he could see it. "Milkshake would like that."

"A huge bed!" Deidara said, throwing his hands out to demonstrate since his arms were pinned. "I wont have to sleep on top of you anymore, un."

Itachi scoffed. "We both know you'll still be sleeping on top of me," he said. Deidara was a sleep cuddler. He nuzzled his nose against Deidara's ear, smelling his favorite shampoo and hints of the garage still lingering after his shower. "I think a small bed would look strange in a room this size, but I don't want a really huge bed."

"Yeah, I hate king size beds," Deidara said, nodding like a bobble head in agreement. "It's like sleeping in two different countries together, un."

Itachi laughed and bumped his knees from behind to force him down to the floor. "Different cities has been too far, I think countries would be unbearable," he told him, squishing him with his weight to his knees, but Deidara didn't fight him. His fingers slid up Deidara's back, gently forcing his shirt up. The air was warm in the house and Deidara's skin was hot with a slight sheen of sweat. Itachi kissed the salty skin anyway, sliding the shirt over his head, giving him space to kiss the back of his neck. Soon Deidara was rubbing his hips against Itachi's and smirking back at him. Placing a hand on the blond's hips, Itachi urged him onto his back and crawled over top of him to crush him against the floor and kissed him deeply. Fingers trailed down his skin, remembering everything about his body. He felt the small lines and bumps of his scars, but they didn't take away from how much he loved the feel of him. He really was much more muscular than he remembered and grinned a little, thinking of the blond working out and being concerned about whether or not Itachi would like it.

Deidara suddenly gave a slight explosion of laughter, flinging his arms out and startling him. "Holy shit we don't have to lock the fucking door anymore, un!" he cried, still laughing. "We can fuck all over the house and who the fuck cares?!"

Itachi laughed with him, resting his forehead against the blond's chest. "You are ridiculous," he commented, giving the corner of his mouth a kiss then slowly slid down his body, leaving kisses behind. Deidara's chest trembled with laughter, but slowly changed to soft moans of approval. He smirked a little, waiting for the blond to realize what he was doing. All it took was a touch at his pants for Deidara to push himself up to grab at Itachi's shoulder. Before he could get a word out, Itachi pushed him back down, hand on his chest to keep him from sitting up again. His smirk grew as Deidara protested, but the blond ignored him as he worked the fastenings of his jeans apart and tugged them off his hips. Deidara may not like sexual attention focused just on him, but that didn't mean he wouldn't get and enjoy it. Itachi was determined on that point. His fingers gripped him tight, allowed himself to relish in the deep moan the blond gave despite how he was fighting weakly against Itachi's hand.

"Come on, Itachi," Deidara whimpered quietly, gasping as he stroked him. Itachi just smirked and waited for Deidara to get some blood to his brain. "Damn it, Itachi! Fuck...! You too…"

Chuckling softly, Itachi leaned down and ran his tongue down his length, the guttural groans music to his ears. The blond's hips raised off the floor, trying to push himself closer to Itachi despite himself. Itachi glanced up as Deidara lift his head to watch him, looking embarrassed, but unable to resist the pleasure as he squirmed against his hand. His free hand and mouth explored his groin with torturous patience. It was for Deidara, and honestly it was for himself as well. In truth, he wanted nothing more than to tear his own clothes off and have skin on skin contact on top of and inside him. He resisted, letting his pants grow more and more uncomfortable as Deidara voiced his reactions of his movements. When he was sure Deidara wasn't going to pound him into the carpet, he let the blond sit up. His fingers went tight in his hand to try and control those movements on his dick.

Breath escalating in pleasure, Deidara's body clenched against him in release before he slumped back on his elbows, panting softly. "I fucking hate you," he huffed, but Itachi only leaned up to kiss him roughly. Irritated as he was, Deidara still clawed at Itachi's clothes, pulling them off and tossing them somewhere onto the floor. Breaking away from him, Itachi pushed his pants off and crawled out of them and back onto Deidara, stretching his neck so the blond could get the closeness he wanted, groaning softly as Deidara sunk his teeth into his skin. Gripping Deidara's legs, he pushed them up around his waist as the blond's fingers dragged down his bear back. God, he missed him so badly. Every time he left he felt the same painful loneliness he had never felt before he met Deidara. Every time he returned, he fell back into his arms again. He never got tired of the feeling of him, the warmth of his skin against his own. It wasn't just amazing sex, it wasn't the blond's remarkable relationship skills (he had none), it was also the personal things they had shared. Deidara saved him from his life, and something about himself made Deidara change too. He didn't know what had happened. Or what had clicked in that crazy brain of his, but something about himself had made Deidara change too. The way Deidara's face brightened when he saw him told Itachi that blond was just as happy to be around him as well.

When they were finished, they both leaned back against the wall, sharing one of Deidara's cigarettes between them.

"I missed you," Itachi said, leaning against the blond's hot and sweaty body, the contented feeling of after sex hanging in the room.

"I missed this, un."

"Hah, more than me?"

"That's not what I meant."

Itachi smiled, planting a kiss against Deidara's temple. He understood. He could see the blond looking around the room, now that the distraction was gone, and seemed to realize where they were and what was gone on was coming back to him. He reached for his pants and pulled out a rag to clean himself off – though it didn't appear to be thoroughly cleaned of engine grime, or maybe it was just stains. Itachi didn't bother mentioning it.

"You're not that great at head."

Itachi bristled, feeling his face heat up and sputtered out defensively, "maybe I'd get better if you'd let me practice more."

Deidara gave an amused scoff. "You could ask a prostitute for advice. That's what I did, un."

Itachi gave a huff and inhaled the cigarette. "Deidara."

"What?"

"Got any tips?"

The blond's laughter echoed a little in the empty room, his shoulders shaking as he snatched the cigarette from Itachi and took a deeper inhale. "Can I stay here while you're at school?" Deidara asked, legs stretching out in front of him as he blew out the smoke.

"It's your house, too," Itachi reminded him again, taking the cigarette from him. They had no ash tray so they made due by eating the last few of Deidara's mints so they could use the container.

"Doesn't feel like it, un," the blond mumbled quietly.

"It is," Itachi assured him, offering him the stick back. Deidara accepted it with an unconvinced grunt.

"I'll pay the bills and shit while you're in school," Deidara said, wiggling his toes a little.

"You don't have to, I'll take care of it," Itachi replied, realizing too late that it was the wrong thing to say. Deidara glared darkly at him, thrusting the cigarette back into his hand to get his own. "It'd be really expensive. I don't want you to use all your money like that," he rushed, trying to explain. It did nothing except to make it worse. "Half," he offered when Deidara continued to glare at him.

"No," Deidara insisted. "You won't be here for like half a year, un."

"Half," Itachi repeated, stubbornly.

"No," Deidara snapped again, his voice growing angrier. "I'm not your fucking property, Itachi. I can take care of myself, un!"

Reaching out, Itachi grabbed Deidara's wrist to keep him from throwing his cigarette, or leave, or whatever angry thing he was about to do. "You have never been my property," he insisted firmly. "Half is what being a partner is, Deidara. We split it, evenly as possible. I like taking care of you, Dei. You're my boyfriend, and it makes me feel good to take care of you."

"I don't care," Deidara said bluntly. Itachi smiled, his head dropping back against the wall. Deidara was such a selfish asshole sometimes. Actually, most of the time, really. His smile seemed to aggravate the blond more and he had to yank him over his lap to keep him from fighting his grip. Careful not to burn him with his cigarette, he wrapped his arms around him and squeezed until the breath – and fight – seemed to leave the blond.

"How about this," Itachi began. "You pay half and I pay ha—ah! Listen to me," Itachi cut him off. "We both pay half, but you have to buy half the furniture, too. We'll need a lot for this size house and I don't think we'll be filling it soon. My mom invests my savings and stuff, but I don't have enough for the whole damn house, and I don't want to depend on you when I visit on breaks. And you can pick out the bedroom furniture. Doesn't that sound fair?"

Deidara continued to glare at him, trying to mentally force him into submission, but Itachi wouldn't budge on the subject. He understood how much Deidara hated being dependent on others for anything. Understood that to him, the situation sounded like one of his clients, buying him things to win his affection and attention. Deidara didn't like associating them with Itachi, but also hated middle grounds. He didn't like sharing, and liked taking care of things himself. This was something he'd have to get over though, because it was only fair to split it and Itachi liked to spoil the blond whether he liked it or not. Finally, Deidara scoffed and pulled away to slump against the wall again, signaling Itachi's victory.

"You may need to learn to cook while I'm gone," Itachi said. "It'll be cheaper than buying conbini food all the time. Otherwise, when I graduate from that school and come to live here, I'll have to hire a personal housekeeper and that never goes well when there's a successful lawyer in the house…"

Deidara scoffed again, but playfully this time. "You got a thing for housekeepers, un? Should I just walk around the house in just an apron?" he smirked and Itachi grinned at him. "I can cook," he added, insistently.

"Can you?"

"Can't be that hard," Deidara replied with a shrug.

"Shit," Itachi said, feigning horror, but laughed as Deidara punched his shoulder.

"Let's not have lots of people over at first," Deidara said, breaking the silence that followed. "I mean—…Daichi and Rin can. And Sasuke and your mom. Sasori will want to know, but he'll never come over though, un."

"That's fine," Itachi said, reaching over the crush the cigarette in the mint tray. "Our house. Just us and the cat." He watched Deidara look around the room then get up to look out one of the windows again.

"A fucking pool," the blond gave a soft moan of longing.

Itachi grinned and watched him for a moment, knowing he was scared of this big move. A huge step for the blond. "So you've been working for Daichi? How do you keep your money safe from all those crazy roommates?" he asked.

Deidara turned back to him and gave him a sheepish grin. "Your mom," he replied. "She's been taking care of my money. Like… that stuff she does where she makes it get bigger and stuff. Managing it and all. I have a savings account now." He laughed under his breath at the ridiculousness of that fact.

"Wow," Itachi agreed, getting up and going over to him. It felt odd walking around a strange place naked, but it was theirs and he might as well get used to it now. He wrapped his arms around him and grinned. "A bank account and everything. I'm so proud of you, working so hard."

"Ew, don't say gross things like that."

"You're getting to be such a big boy now."

"Stooop!" the blond laughed.

"You've become a man."

"Oh, my god, Itachi," Deidara cried, laughing harder. "You're so stupid, un! So was I a boy before?" he asked, still laughing. "Is that what turned you on, hm? Am I not so attractive now that I'm old?"

Itachi smirked and turned the blond to face the mess they made of clothes, the perfectly vacuumed carpet no longer in uniformed lines. "I think that is proof that you are," he purred, hugging him against him tighter. "I've always been turned on by you, you slippery bastard," he added, kissing into his neck. "You're the dick that always played hard to get, remember?"

"Hmm," Deidara hummed, glancing innocently away. "I don't remember that."

"Liar," Itachi accused, reaching down to pinch his ass. "You were such a fucking asshole, and I was nice to you."

"I have a vague memory of you throwing a phone in a fit of rage. Super nice…"

He smiled against him then stepped around him to grin and kiss him. "I assure you, you're worth every damn frustration."

"So cheesy," Deidara commented, rolling his eyes.

"I love you, my crazy firecracker," Itachi told him.

"Stop that, for fuck's sake."

"I love you."

"Shut up!"

Smirking, Itachi began tickling Deidara's sides mercilessly. The blond shrieked and tried to get away, but Itachi tackled him to the ground, still tickling him as they wrestled and rolled around. Every time he nearly got away, Itachi would grab his ankles and drag him back, tickling places that weren't ticklish, but enjoying Deidara's reactions just as much. As he ground his hips against Deidara's naked ass, he smirked and nudged his face to look back at him. "The things I'm going to do to you now that no one can interrupt us," he whispered huskily in his ear. "We'll get a bed with really strong posters...and headboard. I hope you like being tied up," he groaned softly, nibbling on his ear.

Deidara smirked and arched his hips up against him, knocking Itachi off of him and crawled up to sit on his chest. "Who says I'm the one that's going to be tied up?" he asked, grinning deviously.

Itachi stared at him with stoic blankness that conveyed he would definitely not be the one tied up. He'd been tied up by the blond before and he did not like being unable to defend himself. When the blond kept grinning, he gave a short shake of his head and pushed him down off his chest so he could sit up a bit. "No way," he said, rubbing the top of his head to mess up the blond mass tied off his neck.

"Let's go get a bed and find out," Deidara said, grinning.

"I don't think we can sleep here tonight," Itachi admitted. "A nice bed would have to be ordered and delivered and we need other things. I don't know if the water and electricity if turned on… But we can do all that stuff tonight if you want to…?"

Deidara leaned back against Itachi's knees and thought for a moment while Itachi smiled and ran his fingers up his legs affectionately. The sun was finally starting to set, but the summer evening was still light enough to keep the room decently lit, though the shadows were creeping. "Let's do that tomorrow, un," the blond finally said. "It's hella hot."

"Yeah," Itachi said, grinning up at him. "Let's go back to Mom's and sleep in my comfy bed." Deidara nodded and rolled off him to retrieve his clothes.

They didn't returned home straight away, but went to see a movie Deidara noticed on a sign as they drove passed the theater. When they finally arrived home it was passed 11 and they slipped upstairs to fall asleep in the cool air of Itachi's bedroom. The next morning, they stumbled into the kitchen half passed noon and Mikoto set out breakfast for them. She had been sitting at the breakfast bar reading the paper and watching a news feed on her tablet. Deidara was so tired he could barely get his toast into his mouth as Itachi described their plans to pick out a bed and begin deciding on furniture, talking about something on the lines of electricity and water. They had mentioned when they crawled into bed about going out early to shop for furniture, but clearly that early thing wasn't going to happen.

Deidara had spent the better part of the last fifteen hours in a state of mental confusion, allowing himself to be physically consumed in Itachi's presence, but his mind couldn't settle. He hadn't slept at all last night. This was a very large step in his life and it terrified him enough to not want to take it. It horrified him and went against his very existence. He'd moved many times, sleeping mostly on couches, or even a bus bench if it was late enough. Having his own home wasn't something he'd ever thought of for himself. His apartment hadn't been a home, it'd been a place to crash. The garage was as close to a home as he could have thought, but it wasn't his and he could leave without consequences. He would never have thought of having his own home. Nor would he ever have expected to be sharing such a thing with someone. Deidara didn't think ahead. He lived in the moment. Having a house, making payments, that meant long term. Somehow he'd gone from two day relationships and couch surfing at the cost of some drugs or a quick fuck to patiently waiting for the end of semesters, working out to impress Itachi, fixing cars for income instead of selling himself – he hadn't told Itachi that he'd quit that yet. He still went to clubs, still danced at night and spent too much on alcohol and a good time, but when company's touches became less playful, he would leave. Still, he sometimes had been woken up to someone not Itachi crawling into his bunk to be shoved out. Then Mikoto would find him sleeping in Itachi's bed, having climbed into the window from the tree outside, despite the fact that she had given him a key to the house.

What happened?

He tilted his head, resting sleepily on his elbow, to look at Itachi, who was much more awake and drinking coffee. How did this happen to him? Every part of him wanted to tell Itachi he didn't want to do this. He had debated it for hours on how to tell him while the brunette was sleeping, arms wrapped affectionately around him as he used his shoulder as a pillow. Yet, a small part of him liked the idea of having a private place. A very terrified part of him. He didn't want to think of the house as something for both of them. Perhaps it was just temporary, like the apartment had been. It wasn't his house. It was Itachi's. He could leave at any time, or Itachi would make him leave when he got tired of him. Everything was temporary. Everything in life was. You never knew what was going to happen tomorrow.

The worst part was that he suspected Itachi knew exactly what was going on in his head. Which meant if Deidara told him no, he'd understand a little too well. The bastard. He had come to the conclusion that he should pretend he was okay with this without saying one way or another. When the time came to leave, he could.

"I want a mattress like yours," he said quietly when Itachi and Mikoto paused in their conversation. "It's the best bed I've ever slept in, un… But we can't take yours… in case we want to visit…"

Itachi grinned at him, nudging the coffee closer to him. He took it and sipped it as Mikoto turned over a legal pad. Apparently she'd been making a few lists while he was day dreaming and nibbling on toast with jam, it looked like a list of stores and items. "Sleepy head," Itachi said affectionately, poking his knee under the counter. "You want to do this today, or save it for another day?"

"We can do some of it today, un," Deidara said, biting at the edge of the mug.

"I'll get the electricity and water turned on," Mikoto said, laying her tablet flat so she could type something on it. "If you boys want to move in as soon as possible, you'll need a bit more than a bed."

"What's wrong with the house how it is?" Deidara asked with a frown.

"Well, it has no toilet paper to start out with," Mikoto said, laughing at the startled look on his face. How the hell was he supposed to have thought of that? "Just a few other things. We can go to the store together if you'd like."

The first week of Itachi's return had them running all over the place looking at furniture and making decisions. Sasuke had been forbidden from coming after he got on Deidara's already fried nerves and they had a massive argument in the middle of a store. Mikoto was permitted to come, if only because she was a calming and practical presence because even Itachi was a bit on edge. Mikoto had also pulled their money for them – Deidara proudly showing an impressed Itachi the numbers in his account; Itachi had never actually looked at his savings account since it was something his parents had started and deposited money into. Mikoto decided with her money managing skills that they had enough to get the bare minimum of furniture and supplies. At night, they relieved the stress of the day by joining friends at clubs to dance or at the races. Deidara bet on cars while Itachi stayed under the hoods to discuss engines and parts. They raced a few times, but Itachi was out of practice and there was only so many times Deidara wanted to show off. During the day, Itachi joined Deidara at work, but Itachi refused money from Daichi, saying he just wanted to learn. When the handful of pieces they bought were delivered, they took off work to set them up. It was a very long and frustrating task of putting it all together, changing their minds on where to put the items are realizing they were now too heavy to move. They'd stormed out a number of times to angrily chain smoke on opposite sides of the house. When they finally had the bedroom set up in a way they could both agree with, they were too tired to put any special details such as sheets and blankets and just collapsed on the bare mattress together.

Spread out on the mattress, Deidara stared at the ceiling with a cigarette dangling loosely in his fingers. The air con was pumping out cool air now and keeping out the summer heat. They needed a vacation after this stressful week and it really wasn't over since they had only managed to put together the bed and two nightstands. At least they were going to the beach soon.

His jaw clenched and he turned to look over at Itachi, eyes closed, lips parted slightly as he dozed. He could leave if he wanted. Itachi wouldn't stop him if he truly decided to leave… No… he couldn't leave. It would break Itachi's heart, tearing a piece of himself away. He couldn't do that. Itachi was important to him. This being his home wouldn't destroy himself. He had fallen very slowly into this lifestyle, Itachi wasn't trying to change him. He could still do all the things he wanted. Daichi's garage had been steadily becoming less of a home for him as he got older. It was work now.

His eyes passed over the room, growing dark as the sun set. Milkshake was perched on the window seat, staring outside at something he couldn't see, tail flicking back and forth. There had been an empty hole in him for a long time, never having the right thing to fill it with. Not that he hadn't tried to fill it. He had tried with drugs, with alcohol, with self-destructive fun, with people he got tired of quickly, selling himself. Nothing worked, just left him empty as the day he knew he'd been abandoned. Without him noticing that bloody torn hole his mother's rejection had left in his heart was getting stitched back together.

Taking a deep breath, Deidara let it out slowly, a small smile crossing his lips. Next to him, Itachi rolled over and snuggled up against him with his arm slung around the blond's waist.

"Deidara?"

"Hm?"

"I love you," Itachi murmured, kissing his shoulder gently.

Deidara hesitated for a moment, then replied, "love you, too."

He felt Itachi smiling against him as he gave him a grateful kiss. "Welcome home."

~The End~

Thank you very much for reading.

This story first began a long time ago in 2007 with my very good - and much more knowledgeable about cars - friend suggesting we play something together involving cars. It made me really happy to revisit it and I hope you've enjoyed it. Please let me know what you think! I read (and reply if possible) all your reviews still

~ ShullieQ