Strings of Detonation

Don't Push It

The path narrowed as they moved deeper into the woods, branches knitting overhead and casting mottled shadows across the ground. Deidara walked a few paces behind, his grin still lingering from earlier. The memory of Sasori's flushed cheeks, his raised voice-it replayed in his head like a victory banner, bold and bright.

He couldn't resist.

"Y'know, un," Deidara said, his tone light but baiting, "that little outburst of yours earlier? Real cute. You almost sounded alive."

Sasori's shoulders stiffened, his pace never faltering.

"Oh, don't gimme that cold shoulder. I'm just sayin', yeah-it was refreshing. Finally gettin' somethin' real outta you."

"You.." Sasori said flatly, warning laced in the single word.

But Deidara wasn't done. His grin widened, his voice tilting smug. "So... what were you gonna say before you shut yourself up, hmm? Must've been juicy, un. Afraid I'll think less of ya?"

That was the breaking point.

In one swift, almost fluid movement, Sasori spun on his heel. His hand shot out, gripping Deidara's collar and shoving him back against the rough bark of a tree. The impact rattled through Deidara's frame, but it wasn't the slam that made his breath catch-it was the closeness.

Sasori's face hovered inches from his, eyes sharp, burning with a heat Deidara hadn't seen before.

"Don't. Push. It."

The words were low, steady, but the weight behind them was crushing. For a long second, neither of them moved. The world seemed to hold its breath-the birds had gone quiet, the rustling branches stilled.

Deidara's smirk faltered, not out of fear, but out of sheer awe. His heart hammered in his chest, the thrill of danger and intimacy tangling into something heady. Sasori's grip wasn't crushing-it was controlled, precise, like everything else he did. Yet the tension in his hand betrayed the storm beneath his calm.

Eyes locked, and for once, neither of them looked away.

Then, just as suddenly, Sasori released him. He stepped back, cloak swaying, turning sharply as though the moment had never happened.

Deidara stayed against the tree, chest rising and falling, a grin slowly creeping back onto his face.

"...Heh. Got it, un," he murmured, his voice breathless but laced with delight.

Because now he knew for sure. He was getting to Sasori.

And he wasn't about to stop.