Title: Patience
Author: FantasticFoxkin
Summary: It's been forty eight hours and exactly twenty seven minutes since Naruto was conscious.
Rating: K
Pairing: SasuNaru
Disclaimer: I do not own anything relating to or contained within Naruto. No profit is being made from this.
Author's Note: This is a birthday present for Xenothium. I changed the ending several times because I fuss over this stuff way too much. I hope you like it. More of the dreaded H/C :p Read & Review please. x
It's been forty eight hours and exactly twenty seven minutes since Naruto was conscious. In medical terms, that's not unexpected or unreasonable for someone who has sustained injuries as serious as Naruto's are- and Sakura says that his body needs time to recover from the shock and the pain, that it's better for him to be asleep right now. If it was anyone else lying in that bed, then Sasuke would agree. This is not just anyone though; this is Naruto Uzumaki. This is the man that pushes all limits to the extreme and comes out on the other side with barely a scratch. He's witnessed him complete missions with the kinds of injuries that would stop even the most professional of ninjas. Naruto heals at a ridiculous rate and is often seen training literally hours after being in hospital.
He should have woken up by now.
It both annoys and frustrates him that Naruto can make him worry like this. He promised himself that he wouldn't get attached to anyone ever again; that he wouldn't put himself in a position to lose everything all over again. It's clearly all Naruto's fault that he is feeling this way; Naruto with his stupid big smiles and grand gestures. Any sane person would have left him alone after he abandoned the village but no, not Naruto. He just had to chase Sasuke down like his life depended on it, had to beg for him to come home like he couldn't live without him. If anyone is to blame for the mess that he's in right now, then it's Naruto Uzumaki.
Naruto is supposed to be the one person he can depend on. He's the one person that Sasuke felt comfortable putting his trust in. The blonde is an idiot, but he's kind hearted and caring; the kind of person who wouldn't knowingly hurt a fly. There isn't a single thing that he's tried to hide from Sasuke and he appreciates that. It's a rare thing for someone to be so open and passionate about everything, especially for someone with a childhood like Naruto had. In some ways Sasuke can't understand how Naruto can be that way he just knows that he is.
Fear isn't something that he ever admits to. It makes sense to protect yourself by never appearing weak to anyone. At times, he finds it difficult to show how he feels, even to Naruto. Perhaps that's why their relationship is so incredible because Sasuke don't have to say anything; Naruto just knows. They don't always talk about it but knowing that someone understands and is there for him ... well it's more than he ever hoped that he would have. That's the wonderful thing about being with Naruto - he's not just the man he's dating, he's also his best friend.
That's why this is so difficult. He's scared and angry but the one person who would know how he's feeling right now is the one causing him all the pain. He hates watching him like this, but he can't tear his gaze away.
Naruto looks so pale. He's quiet and fragile and nothing like the man he loves. Part of him simply wants to shake him till he wakes up, to kick his ass for putting him through something like this. Part of him wants to walk away so that he doesn't have to deal with these emotions anymore. And yet he knows that if he wasn't here when Naruto wakes up then he would never forgive himself. If he wasn't here if Naruto dies...
The thought makes a lump rise in his throat.
He's pessimistic by fault, can't help but image the worst case scenarios. Every minute he sits here his brain creates new and interesting ways to torture him. The truth is that Sasuke doesn't know how to exist in a world that doesn't contain Naruto. He doesn't want to exist in a world that doesn't contain Naruto. Without that idiotic blonde, there really isn't anything left for him in this world. He's simply a part of history, history that Konoha would love to erase from existence. They didn't want him to come back, in fact he's pretty sure that they wanted him dead. He's the last Uchiha and if he dies then the clan dies with him. In a way he gets a kind of grim satisfaction knowing that his existence pisses them off. But it's not enough of a reason to continue living. Naruto became that reason and taking care of him is all that matters to him now.
Another quick glance at the clock tells him that another hour has passed and, still, there is no change. Every minute is made to feel like hours, long and drawn out. He wonders if this is how Naruto felt after one particularly brutal mission left him in a coma. Did Naruto sit by him until he woke up? He never asked him because he was too busy being pissed off at himself for being so careless; being annoyed at how long his recovery had taken. He never considered how Naruto must have felt, watching him lay here without knowing if he was going to live or die.
Yawning slightly he wipes his hand across his eyes to rub at them. The lack of sleep doesn't bother him too much, he's gone far longer without rest but he'd be lying if he said he wasn't starting to feel exhausted.
He must be tired because he could have sworn that Naruto's hand just moved.
For a few minutes, he doesn't do anything but stare intently, willing it to happen again so that he can't just pass it off as a cruel trick of the mind. The long fingers curl and uncurl, the way they do when Naruto's waking up from a really nice nap. And he lets out a breath he didn't know he was holding as Naruto's eyelashes start to flutter. Trust the idiot to wake up as though he's just being lazy and had slept right through till lunchtime.
There's no sense of urgency either. He never normally takes this long to get up. If he didn't know any better, he'd swear Naruto was doing it on purpose. Still, he can't help the relieved smile.
It's been forty nine hours and thirty seven minutes.
And Naruto's worth every damn second.