Disclaimer: The list of things I own are regrettably slim and nowhere on that piece of paper is there anything to do with the possession of the Naruto characters. They belong on a much bigger list that is not only unfortunately hard to steal but comes with a big, fat, heterosexual stamp on it. Life sucks that way.
Full Summary: Naruto gets severely injured saving Sasuke's life on a mission and even with his healing he's still in the hospital two weeks after the incident. The only way he can be allowed out is if someone's willing to take care of him. Sasuke may just be offering himself up for the task - but what's the catch?
Pairing List: Sasuke/Naruto
Chapters: 3/8
Updates: Each chapter should be posted every four days after the previous one unless outside interference prevents me from reaching the internet/computer to upload it.
Beta: This chapter actually had the efforts to two betas. The lovely and sweet FlyingTackle and the amazing and awesome Lady Ivvy so let's give it up for both these fantastic ladies! *hugs them both*
A/N: Alright, first off I want to thank everyone who reviews and puts this on their alert list, it always makes me happy to see this story is like. But my gratitude aside, I just want to mention that this is a short chapter, but there is a reason for it and the next chapter will be up to my usual length. So don't fret, they won't be staying this small.
And since that's all the notes I have for you at the moment, I hope you enjoy this :)
Chapter 3
Naruto woke up with a groan and a pounding headache.
"Fuck." He brought a hand up to his head, only then realising he was lying in a bed - one that was much more comfortable than both his own and the hospital's, he noted. "What happened?"
"You fainted," Sasuke stated from somewhere to his right.
Opening his eyes - and internally cheering when nothing spun or was hard to focus on - he turned his head slightly to look at Sasuke. "No shit, asshole. I want to know why I fainted."
"Be more specific, then, idiot." Naruto let out a slight growl at the response. Sasuke just rolled his eyes before continuing impassively, "Your body wasn't prepared for the sudden shift in location or for the strong amount of chakra to your system, so you collapsed."
Naruto frowned. "But Tsunade and Sakura have used their chakra on me, right? Why didn't theirs have a bad effect too?"
Sasuke's look was one of slight irritation as he responded, "Medical ninjas have a much higher level of chakra control; they would have been using less invasive ones so you wouldn't react negatively. Medical jutsu and teleportation jutsu are in entirely different categories." He paused and gave Naruto a condescending look. "Don't you pay attention to anything?"
Turning away from Sasuke and sitting himself up, he used his examination of the room as an excuse to not continue the conversation.
The walls were a dark blue, and the furnishings were bland and uninteresting: a wooden desk, cupboards and a built in wardrobe. There was also the blue upon blue upon blue linen that covered the double bed he was in. He noticed a door to the bathroom behind Sasuke and Naruto was sure it would be just as boring and blue as his new bedroom.
"Is this where I'll be staying?" He asked while scanning the room again, cataloguing all the places he could add things to give the room some damn colour and life.
"Yes, this is one of the guest rooms. It's two doors down from the room I'll be occupying."
His response made Naruto turn to the other with his nose scrunched up. "Occupying? Can't you speak like a normal person and just say it's your bedroom?"
Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "My bedroom is on the second floor. It will be easier for you to be on the first floor, and since I need to be close to you in case something happens, I moved myself to one of the other spare rooms."
It was just for a second, but Naruto felt the overwhelming urge to apologise and then maybe hug Sasuke tightly in gratitude for all he was doing. Naruto knew that Sasuke was an extremely private person, and that he hated accommodating others. He did things his own way. Yet for some reason that Naruto still wasn't sure of, he was doing all this for him.
Naruto knew he'd probably end up paying for the gesture later, but for the time being, he could at least pretend Sasuke was doing it from the goodness of his heart. So, plastering on a teasing smile, he said, "Damn, Sasuke. How many rooms does this place have?"
Crossing his arms, Sasuke just let out a 'hn' in response, making Naruto roll his eyes before glancing around the room again. "So bastard, where's my stuff?"
"Your clothes are in the cupboards and in the wardrobe," he paused for a moment, and Naruto turned to look at him curiously. Sasuke looked decidedly uncomfortable. "That hat thing of yours is under the pillow."
Naruto brightened and turned, burying his hand under it to pull out his old, childhood sleeping cap. It was a little frayed here and there and had been stitched up a few times, but he still wore it to bed every night he was in the village.
Placing it beside him on the mattress, he flashed Sasuke a smile. "Did you bring anything else of mine?"
Sasuke shook his head. "No. You shouldn't need anything else for the first few days you're here. If you require something more, it won't be hard for me to retrieve it."
"Alright then," Naruto agreed amiably, but even as he said it, he was already planning on getting Sakura to grab him a few things so he could… decorate his room when Sasuke was otherwise occupied. "So what are we going to do?"
Sasuke looked at him blankly. "What?"
"I'm bored, asshole. You're here to look after me, so entertain me."
"Fat chance," Sasuke stated.
Naruto fixed a pout on him. "Come on, Sasuke. This is our first night together, you've got to show me a good time!"
If Naruto didn't know better, he would swear Sasuke was blushing, and maybe even a little flustered. His voice, however, was the same emotionless tone, so Naruto figured he was probably just imagining things. "No."
"Why not? It's not that hard. Hell, I'll settle for a TV[1] and some movies."
Sasuke crossed his arms. "The only TV in the house is in my room."
"Well, plug it in here!" Naruto said happily.
Once again, Sasuke looked uncomfortable, and it took him a few moments under Naruto's expectant stare before he admitted stiffly, "I don't watch much TV."
Naruto blinked. "What does that have to-" he cut himself off before grinning gleefully. "You don't know how to set it up, do you?"
Sasuke glared. "I was never one to sit down and spend hours wasting away in front of an idiot box."
Rolling his eyes, Naruto ignored the thinly veiled insult towards his intelligence. "Whatever. Just get it in here and I'll show you." Naruto was almost vibrating with enthusiasm by the time he finished, "Then you can get some movies from my place and we'll have a marathon with dinner."
Sasuke still didn't look particularly pleased with the idea, but he stood up nonetheless. "I'm picking the movies."
"Well duh," Naruto replied, "you're the one going to my apartment."
"Dumbass," Sasuke muttered, and on instinct Naruto threw back his customary 'bastard' as Sasuke made his way out of the room.
When Sasuke was out of sight, Naruto leant back against the pillows with a smile. What was Sakura worried about? Living with Sasuke was going to be a piece of cake.
-break-
"For fuck's sake, Sasuke, I said the yellow hole, not the blue one! I know you're partial to the damn colour, but an electrical shock is really not worth fulfilling this obsession!"
Spinning around to snarl at Naruto, Sasuke held up the wire in his hand while growling out, "You never said this plug went in the yellow one! You said it was in the one next to the red hole. How the hell am I supposed to know which one you mean when your instructions suck?"
Naruto glared. "My instructions are fine! If you could actually see and distinguish one colour from another, we wouldn't be having this problem!"
"I'm praised for my eyesight, dumbass," Sasuke snapped, "You're the one with the half-assed directions who's known for his idiocy."
Frustrated, Naruto picked up the remote and hurled it at Sasuke, only getting angrier at his muscles' inadequacy as it landed on the floor somewhere between them.
Sasuke raised an eyebrow and smirked scornfully. Naruto crossed his arms and turned away from the Uchiha slightly. "If I'm so useless at helping you, then why don't you just use your Sharingan to memorise the manual, huh?"
"I don't have a manual," Sasuke's voice sounded strained, like he was trying to keep a grip on his anger and not come over and throttle Naruto.
Naruto let out a large huff of air before turning back to face Sasuke. He was still standing in front of the TV, but now he was glaring at it while he absently twirled the cord between his fingers.
"Okay," Naruto said, summoning up whatever vestige of calm still remained inside him, "let's try this again." Sasuke looked at him with slightly raised eyebrows, but Naruto ignored his disbelief. "If we put the yellow plug in the wrong hole, we just have to find the right one."
The smallest scowl began to form on Sasuke's face, and Naruto almost groaned. He was just waiting for the rebuttal saying that he got it wrong, not Sasuke, or even how it was obvious that's what they had to do. The superiority complex that was Sasuke just had to correct him.
"Fine."
Naruto straightened in his seat, blinking at Sasuke's back in incredulity as he started fiddling behind the TV once again. "Wait, wait," Naruto said, making Sasuke look behind his shoulder at him, "you're just going to agree?"
"Contrary to popular belief, Naruto," Sasuke answered, "I don't enjoy fighting with you every five seconds over pointless things. If you're actually going to use some of the small amount of intelligence and restraint that you possess, then I'm not going to challenge it."
Naruto was silent for a few moments. "I'm not sure whether that was an insult or a compliment."
Sasuke groaned, his shoulders slumping over the TV slightly. "I take it back; you're still a complete idiot."
"Hey!" Naruto protested, "I'm not the one who doesn't know how to install a TV!"
"Whatever." Sasuke muttered, "We're almost done anyway."
Frowning slightly, Naruto had to silently concede the point when the TV suddenly came to life, and a news program began airing. Moving away, Sasuke picked up the remote from the floor and causally tossed it to land beside Naruto.
Shoving his left hand in his pocket, Sasuke headed for the door. "You hungry?"
Naruto's stomach rumbled loudly at the question, and Naruto gave Sasuke a slightly sheepish smile. "Yeah, how about you get some food and pick up the movies from my place, and then we'll eat up here?"
Sasuke paused before his eyes flicked to the bed and the TV before landing on Naruto. There was something on his face that just… it had Naruto's stomach knotting nervously, and he didn't know why. When Sasuke turned around and away from him, Naruto almost wanted to call him back so he could try and distinguish whatever that look had meant.
He didn't, though, and Sasuke just continued out the door, throwing his agreement over his shoulder. "Whatever."
Naruto frowned a little once the other disappeared. What the hell was up with Sasuke lately? He'd been weird ever since Naruto had woken up. It was starting to annoy him, especially when he had no damn clue what was causing it. He was going to go insane if he spent a month with a confusing Sasuke on top of a bastard Sasuke without knowing why the first one was anywhere near the second.
Wait. Naruto paused as he re-thought his previous sentence and blushed lightly. Two Sasukes on top of each other? Oh great, now Sasuke's weirdness was starting to rub off on him.
"Damn it," he muttered, pressing his right hand to his forehead as another innuendo passed through his mind. He blamed Jiraiya for the corruption of his once innocent thoughts; he was normal before he started training with that pervert.
But no, all of that aside - definitely forcing all of that aside - it didn't change the fact that Sasuke was still acting strangely.
Determination started to surge through and practically radiate off Naruto as he sat up straighter and declared, "If I'm going to be stuck with that bastard, I'm going to find out what's wrong with him and figure out a way to fix it!" He paused, an amused smile starting to form as he added his childhood catchphrase for the first time in years, "Believe it!"
A/N: Yes, yes. So you've figured it out. This story is mostly just stupidly cliché and cute. Does anyone have a problem with that? No? I didn't think so. *smirk*
Number Notes:
[1] - Now, I personally hate "modern inserts" and whatnot and it's something that will easily make me click out of a story, but when I asked around and did some research it was proven that Sasuke has a TV in the manga. [My link was from Onemanga, but since they shut down, I have no proof. *SHAKESFIST* Sorry.] So, I figure that since it's official, I could use a TV in my stories :)
