Out of every nukenin that had joined the Akatsuki by now, whether they were dead or alive, there was no doubt in the fact that the artistic blond by the name of Deidara was the one who occupied your heart the most. Whether it was the singular bright eye staring at you with excitement gleaming within it, sometimes joined by the other peeking out from behind strands of his blond hair, or the delight poisoning his way of speaking, you did not know. Neither could you ignore the upward tug of his lips, the same one that gave him a glow like no other, one that had him appearing almost ethereal to you.
For a man who was utterly infatuated with his own art, he seemed to miss the fact that the greatest artwork was indeed himself and not anything he could craft delicately with his hand. When his brows dipped into a furrow, blond hairs coming to meet in the middle, it was as though each emotion he portrayed showed off more and more of his never ending beauty.
Deidara was a sight for sore eyes, and one from which you could not keep your gaze away. He was bound to notice your constant traveling eyes at one point, but still, you could not stop them from wandering over to look at him and him only.
"Why are you staring at me?" He looked over at you with the furrow of his brows that was so gorgeous. His lips parted to continue speaking, his words becoming something you fixated on. "I don't have something on my face, do I?"
It took you a moment to get out of the trance he had caught you in. You were so occupied with trying to hide the growing warmth of your cheeks that you did not notice that he reciprocated your wandering gaze.
You shook your head more than you probably needed to, again, missing his delicately sculpted facade dropping. "No you don't."
A teasing smirk began tugging at his lips, the facade slipping back onto his features. Still, the slightest of pink flushes peeked out from underneath it, not that you noticed.
"Why were you staring at me then?"
Deidara couldn't keep his growing curiosity from gnawing at his throat, the question yearning to push past his moving lips. Hope began glimmering deep inside, flowing through his veins and traveling to his heart, making the rhythm it beat change to something more drastic with more repetitions.
No matter how much he tried, Deidara could not keep himself from reacting to any kind of attention you dedicated to him. As a young child begged for the attention of their mother, so did he claw for yours, for him to be the one you mainly focused on. As if it were the sole thing keeping him alive and moving, he needed the attention.
He strained to hear your reply, his heart eagerly beating against his chest.
But before you were even able to form the words you meant to speak, the sound of something exploding rang in your ears and ultimately also cut you off.
Deidara could feel his stomach drop and the disappointment form in it.
"Again, seriously?" You grumbled with obvious annoyance, not hesitating to throw your head back with a loud groan. "How many are there of these guys? Can't they, just like, stop?"
Deidara hummed in agreement, the words getting stuck in his throat at the sight of you. The wicked grin growing on your features had him falling for you all over again.
"Are you ready?" You asked. Deep down, you knew that you did not need to ask, it was why the two of you worked so well together, after all.
He nodded. "Whenever you are, (Name)."
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***
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On the not so rare occasion, you manage to intimidate Deidara. From the moment he had met you when Pein had gone ahead and introduced his new partner to him, he knew that you were quite the force to be reckoned with. Underneath your fingertips grew power, an unbelievable amount of it that you were able to use fully to your will.
No master of the storm he had seen back in Iwagakure could compare to what you were able to do with the kekkei genkai part of your genetics.
In your own way, you were creating art.
Past your lips pushed an unstoppable onslaught of storms, all directed at your shared opponents. It did not take you long to create saud whirlwinds, your chakra infused into it and further strengthening the storms. Not only were they a perfect recreation of nature's disaster, but also breathtakingly gorgeous, so much so that for a moment, Deidara merely watched.
That was, at least, until you called out to him.
Once you had created the storms, it was his cue to act. It was you who trapped the enemies within the strong winds so Deidara could take his time to form his perfect explosions, his short lasting art. For the two of you, this tactic had always worked and proven itself to be more than just quite successful.
(Partially, your impeccable teamwork had to do with the fact that he liked your presence so much.)
In some way other Akatsuki members might consider to be weird, Deidara put in more effort to make his art even more fashionable than it already was, just to show it off to you. So when he threw several of his crafted explosions, it had been no surprise to him that the explosion looked utterly magnificent.
What made his heart soar however had been the loud cheer you let out and you then throwing your hands into the air as you celebrated.
"We did it! Finally."
Deidara could only agree with your joyful sentiments, his heart yearning to spend some time with you. That was at least, until his heart stopped at your next words.
"That was awfully romantic, was it not?" You asked as you faced him, your pretty lips tugged into a smile as your finger tapped against them.
A choked noise left his throat.
The sigh you let out could be described as wistful. "The couple fighting together against us. Standing hand in hand, living their final moments out with one another."
Weren't the two of you doing something similar to said couple? Standing together, by one another, as you faced any kind of danger.
"I guess?" He was unsure of what to say, feeling as though all of his emotions for you were about to burst out all in one.
It wasn't difficult to like you, not at all. Rather, it was the opposite. He thought that falling for you had been as easy as breathing in air, as allowing for it to travel into his lungs. Neither had he held his breath and hesitated, instead, he allowed himself to fall and fall and fall until he could not tell anymore when he had begun to feel for you in such a manner.
Strong and unshakable, the person who had unsurprisingly caught his affections.
"Aw, are you jealous, Deidara?" You teased, unaware of the frown tugging at his lips.
Deidara scoffed, "Why would I ever be jealous when I have my beautiful art to keep me company?"
You let out a small snort, "Come on, admit it, dating me would be better than that."
His heart skipped more than just one beat.
"Please, you and my art are incomparable, (Name)."
Your hands rested on your hips, a gasp leaving your lips. "And why is that, Deidara? Enlighten me."
This was his chance.
A flush began creeping up Deidara's neck, his voice becoming quieter. "I'd never blow you up." It was as close to a confession as he'd make, or so he thought.
Obviously surprised, you took a step back and said nothing at first. The smile gracing your stunning features tugged into a frown as your brows furrowed, the words running through your head again and again.
It had been a long time ever since Deidara had so much fear coursing through his veins. What were you going to say, and why was it taking you so long? The anticipation building up within him was almost painful.
"I hope you wouldn't," You finally said. "Not that I would let you anyway. But, well, I wouldn't like blasting storms at you either, if you must know, Deidara."
"You wouldn't?" He repeated in a small voice, his eyes widening at the words. To him, they were beyond unbelievable.
The laugh you let out was gorgeous to him. "Why would I? I like you too much to do that."
You like him. You like him. You like him.
The words sounded like a lie in his ears.
"Deidara, how could I not?"
If his heart could physically burst from all the joy he was feeling at that moment, it would have done so without a doubt. His mouth merely stood agape, but no words came out.
When he still said nothing, you rolled your eyes. "I like you, Deidara. As more than a friend. So if you would stop mindlessly staring at me and would say something, I'd really appreciate that."
"I like you too." Deidara managed to bring out.
"Good, then is everything settled then," The step closer that you took toward him felt as though it took an eternity to make. But as you stood before him, as beautiful as ever, he could feel his breath being taken away. "Not much more to say then, Deidara."
Words could not describe how it felt for your lips to press against his.