Counting the Stars [SasoDei Fanfic]

Marionette

Opening his eyes slowly, he felt a sharp pain in the back of his head. He groaned and bobbed his head groggily trying to force the side effects of the poison away. A fire crackled before him, but he shivered from the cold breeze due to the lack of his usual cloak.

"Looks like someone's awake," a taunting and drunken voice drawled. "Feeling comfortable down there?"

The blond squinted his eyes, attempting to focus his vision, but failed miserably. He pulled weakly at the ropes tied around his wrists, letting out a low growl while doing so.

"Oi, answer me you brat," the same voice demanded. "Or do you need sumthin' to wake y'up?"

Tilting his head to the side, Deidara noted that he was lying on the earthy ground a few feet away from a campfire. He slowly processed the words the guard gave him and came upon a conclusion: "I like the way Danna says brat more," he thought to himself, letting out a quiet chuckle.

"Wuz so funny, en?" The guard stood up and marched heavily towards the half-conscious male. "If sumthin's funny, ya say it to me face!" He pulled his foot back and forced it into his prisoner's stomach, causing the blond to convulse in pain and cough up blood. With tears in his eyes, he watched as the guard waddled away and settle himself onto a mildly uncomfortable looking log. Deidara rolled over and realized that there was nobody else around - it was just him and the guard.

"If I can get these ropes off, there's a chance I'll be able to get away..." Deidara frowned in thought as he formulated his escape plan.

After the guard had fallen into a drunken daze, the young Akatsuki set off to remove his restraints. Rubbing his wrists against a jagged rock, the rope gave way in a matter of minutes. Albeit free from the cuffs, Deidara struggled to get to his feet; feeling the poison subside but still pulse through his veins.

Grabbing hold of the nearest tree, he stumbled into the forest, knowing that he stood no chance against the fairly larger man in his condition.

About half an hour of laboured struggling later, Deidara heard a large crash behind him followed by a blood curdling scream. Eyes widening in fear, he moved as quickly as he could in his sick state and managed to duck behind a tree just as a battle axe twice the size of his head swung at full force towards him.

"How dare you leave me alone!" his captor howled in a frenzy, swinging the axe about with no target in particular. "YOU SHALL PAY!"

The heavy weapon whistled as it sliced through the air, aimed at the blond's chest. Closing his eyes in fear, Deidara prepared himself for the pain, but it never came.

"When do you plan on opening your eyes, brat?"

The younger man recognized the soft voice immediately and cried tears of joy. "DANNA YOU CAME FOR ME!" Suddenly, the effects of the poison subsided as he danced towards his partner. At Sasori's feet laid the dead guard with a kunai jutting painfully out of his neck.

Deidara reached out for a warm embrace, but the puppet grabbed the blond's elbows and his eyes shifted to the wounds on his wrists. "What happened?" he said monotonously.

"That was just me, un." Deidara chuckled while grimacing after noticing how badly the rock had cut his skin.

"You should be more careful. Humans are fragile," Sasori said simply whilst staring at the younger man's hands. Looking at his partner, Sasori noticed how helplessly beautiful the latter was. His frail body and seemingly perfect hair made him look like a doll. "Is this why I find him attractive?..." Sasori pondered. "Because he looks like a doll? Like a marionette?"

Attempting to pull away from the puppeteer's grasp, Deidara realized how tightly the redhead was holding onto him. "Danna?" He raised an eyebrow in confusion as he searched his partner for any signs of emotion. None.

"You're freezing," he stated in reply, looking up into his partner's ocean blue eyes. Letting go of the blond's bloody wrists, he held a hand up to the taller man's forehead, earning a surprised gasp from said male. "You're sick."

"I-I might be..." Deidara mumbled, his face reddening due to his confusion of Sasori's actions.

There was a moment of awkward silence between the two until Sasori slipped his cloak off and wrapped it around the other's shoulders like he had done so the night before. "D-Danna?" Deidara managed to stutter.

"Shh." Sasori hushed as he scooped his partner up bridal style and carried him towards a nearby cave. Deidara blushed a dark shade of crimson and nuzzled his face into the crook of the Suna nin's neck.

Soon after, the puppeteer set Deidara down on the ground as he started a fire. As Sasori struck the match, a flame formed, engulfing the small stick and the puppet master couldn't help but think of Deidara's so-called art. "Maybe it isn't that bad..." he thought to himself.

As the fire crackled to life amongst the coal and old firewood, Deidara held out his hands, attempting to warm them up. He edged closer to the burning embers only to be pulled back by a pair of strong, slender arms.

"Danna~" the bomber groaned.

"That's not safe."

"But I'm cold."

"Then let's cuddle." Sasori stated matter-of-factly.

Deidara gaped at the older man and thought over his response. "Y-you meant huddle, right?"

Sasori gazed deeply into Deidara's azure blue eyes which contrasted greatly with the reflected orange of the fire as he replied, "Did I stutter?"

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Finally done the chapter! ^_^ I actually liked this one tbh

Hope you enjoyed the fluff! Please vote or comment any suggestions ❤️