Naruto Oneshots + Imagines

Complications (Itachi Uchiha x Deidara)

Deidara hates Itachi Uchiha. He always has and he always will- or, that's what he tells himself. He's in tune with himself enough to know that, at times, he can be hot-headed or jump to conclusions without any real reason to do so, but when it comes to Itachi? Well, he has plenty of reasons, and they all make sense in his head.

It's a cold December day. Some stupid bug has been going around and Deidara has been cursed with it. Itachi has been, too, it seems, but apparently the Uchiha has one thing or another wrong with his immune system that makes him more susceptible to the symptoms of illnesses. Everyone else is out on missions, leaving them both alone in one of the rooms in the base. He thinks it's Itachi's. Pein demanded that they quarantine there to keep everyone else from getting sick. He also demanded that, since Deidara only has a cough and a slight fever, he should be the one taking care of Itachi to minimize the risk of anyone else getting it.

Deidara hates the thought. He hates that he became free of the Stone Village and the control they tried to have over him only to be forced into the Akatsuki so he could be controlled there, too.

Thankfully, he at least has one solace; his art. He sits on a wooden stool at Itachi's desk, making statues out of his clay. He doesn't dare blow them up with Itachi in the room, though. Whatever the older man has seems like it's a respiratory ailment, and Deidara doesn't want to make him breathe in the smoke from his explosions while he's trying to recover.

Wait.

He shouldn't care about that.

Deidara shakes his head. Maybe it's just because he's trying to follow Pein's orders; take care of Itachi while he's sick, quarantine, and don't make it worse. He clears his itchy throat and looks around for something to distract him. He follows Itachi's charcoal eyes to a framed photo that sits on his nightstand. There's Itachi in it, though he looks a lot younger; fuller face, brighter eyes, a small smile, even. In front of him is a little boy with a similar face and navy hair. To his left is an older teenager with ash-hued hair and stress lines akin to the one Itachi has now, and to his right is a young girl with long hair and a beauty mark. She has her arms wrapped around Itachi's shoulders. Her smile is bright and radiant.

It's a little too quiet. That's one thing that Deidara hates about Itachi; the fact that the Uchiha is so comfortable with silence. If he didn't know better, he would say that Itachi revels in said silence because it unsettles those around him. To break the calmness in the air, Deidara speaks.

"So, who's all in that picture with you?"

"You despise me," Itachi says with a sickly rasp. He coughs and sits up just enough to shoot a glare in Deidara's direction before flopping back down. Apparently, he's grumpy when he's sick- the opposite of Deidara, who usually becomes very affectionate. "Terribly so, in fact. Why are you acting like you want to get to know me now that we're in a situation such as this? You've been talkative all day. It's bothersome."

Deidara pauses. The sharp words from Itachi's end make his chest hurt, though he tries to ignore that like he tries to ignore all the other god-awful things Itachi has made him feel since they met. This has been the most talkative that Itachi has ever been with him, and of course, it's because he's sick and annoyed by Deidara's presence.

"I was just curious, hm," Deidara shrugs.

"Izumi, Shisui, and Sasuke Uchiha... Those are their names... Ah, never mind, I shouldn't get into it. I don't know why I even told you any of that, actually."

Deidara's eyes flicker back to the framed photo. He knows the many stories about Itachi Uchiha, the man who single-handedly murdered his entire family- spare his little brother. If all of it is true, that means that half the people in that picture are deceased due to Itachi himself.