Naruto shifted on the hospital bed. It wasn't that the bed was uncomfortable. It was a strange plastic mattress filled with a foam-like material. The problem was that it just was not a real mattress. A real mattress was thick and plush with a thick down filled mattress pad...not that he had ever had a premium mattress before, but a fella could dream.

"Are you listening to me, Naruto?"

Naruto's jerked his eyes back to where Itachi Uchiha stood at his bedside, chart cradled in hand. "Yes?"

He could have sworn he saw the corner of Itachi's eyes twitch. The motion was nearly unperceivable and he almost didn't catch it. If not for years spent watching people, he probably would not have.

"And I thought the airhead blond rumor was just that."

"Hey!" Naruto sat up in the bed, instantly regretting it as the blood seemed to rush from his head and his eyes crossed as the world began to spin. He had definitely risen a bit too quickly to that baited quip.

"Idiot," snapped Sasuke as he jumped from where he sat and moved quickly to Naruto's side. "Are you trying to stay here on a more permanent basis?"

Naruto shot Sasuke a pout. "I've just been lying here too long."

"And you're going to lie there even longer if you don't have this procedure," interrupted Itachi. "Your heart is not in good shape, but you're not to the point of being sick enough to be placed in UNOS, at least not yet."

"I know." Naruto dropped his head and stared at the thread count of the sheet spread across his lap. "It's just..."

Sasuke's eyes widened visibly. "You're scared."

Naruto felt a wash of shame work through him. He always put up a brave face, but in the face of a procedure that might kill him prematurely, he couldn't stop that dark tendril from working through him. Death was an inevitable part of his life. He knew the smell of it after having spent a large portion of his childhood in beds beside other very sick children. Some of them survived...some didn't.

"Implanting a pacemaker is a standard procedure. I've done more than I care to count and have yet to have anyone die on me."

"Then you're statistically due, right?"

Sasuke stiffened slightly and turned to his brother. "Itachi, can we have a moment?"

Itachi frowned, but nodded and exited the room. The two were left alone with the silence and artificial lighting.

"Were you all talk about not fearing death?"

Naruto shivered slightly and lifted his gaze. "I know I'm going to die, just like I know you're going to die. And Itachi will die. And everyone in this hospital will die. I suppose, the threat of it happening sooner rather than later has me a bit on edge. I've never had anything to really live for, not really. There was Jiraiya, but that was different."

"And now?"

"Do I have to shout it out?" Naruto pouted. "You in my life has changed everything."

"I hope that's a good thing, because that is how I'm going to take it."

Naruto's smile faded and he clutched at Sasuke's hand, perhaps a little too fervently. "I don't know if it's a good thing or not."

Sasuke frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I'm sick. I've always had this idea that I would die alone, in a hospital...younger than should be allowed. Having someone in my life...someone permanent, well, it changes things. Sudden, I'm very scared. I'm scared and I don't know how to recover from that fear."

Sasuke's hands lifted to cup Naruto's face. "Scared of dying?"

Tears leaked from Naruto's eyes and trickled slowly down his face. "Scared of living."

The truth of his words was an almost tangible thickness between them. Their gazes never parted and their breath puffed slowly between their closely arranged faces.

"I'm scared too," said Sasuke.

"Why?"

Sasuke shook his head. "I don't know. Finding something I never expected. Hurting you. Losing you so soon."

"If you're scared and I'm scared, who's going to be the brave one?" said Naruto with a small smile.

"Itachi?"

A small laugh burst from Naruto. "Yeah, he seems pretty fearless."

"I used to want to be him. I followed him around everywhere when we were children. We used to go to the Caribbean during the summers with our family. There was this guy, he was a little older than us, but he would hang out with us and showed us all the local places. We became pretty good friends and still keep in touch. Those summers were amazing."

"I've never been to the Caribbean," whispered Naruto.

Sasuke swallowed thickly. "If you get well, maybe we'll go some day."

"Well...that's the thing." Naruto's hands lifted to Sasuke's chest and then slid around his neck. "I'm not going to get much better."

"You'll get a new heart eventually."

The only response Naruto gave to Sasuke's words was a slight fluttering of his lashes. He pushed back the feeling of dread that pooled in his stomach whenever he thought of the endgame. Itachi talked about receiving a transplant as if it was a certain eventuality. Naruto knew very well that it wasn't.

When he was fifteen, he was hospitalized for tests. It wasn't a new experience and he embraced it like he always did, with a grin and a shrug. He had shared a room with a boy on a transplant waiting list. Shin had been a few years older than him, but they had struck up an easy friendship. His brother, a boy named Sai, was a bit of a weird duck, but not too bad all around.

During their time together, their similar situations had eased them into friendship. Shin had possessed a deep hope and assurance in his doctors and the system. Despite the statistics, he was certain he would receive a transplant. Throughout the hospital stay, Shin's heath continued to decline until finally, he passed away under the mournful eye of his stepfather, Sai, and Naruto without ever receiving that much wished for news from his doctors.

The experience had been a sort of eye opening experience for him as he realized that he would soon be in that position. The only difference between him and Shin was that their timetables were slightly different. Either way, he had little doubt he would die waiting for a heart just as his friend had.

Staring at Sasuke, he could not find it in him to verbally affirm what he knew was his eventual fate. He could not stand to see that firm belief visible in those amazingly dark eyes fade away. So, he made the decision. He would not put his faith in getting a new heart, but instead enjoying every moment he could with Sasuke.

"Yeah, I'll get a heart," he lied. God, he hated the taste of it on his tongue. But for Sasuke, he would lie a thousand times.

"And the pacemaker?"

Both turned to see Itachi leaning against the door, a small smirk on his face. Sasuke was on his feet and storming across the room. "What the hell, Itachi? I thought I asked you to leave."

"I left as Naruto's doctor, but I'm standing here as your brother. I don't want to see you get hurt, so as your brother, I'm going to push for your...significant other, to listen to the advice of his doctor."

"Don't you think that is strangely self-serving since you are my doctor?" asked Naruto with an arched brow. "That doesn't make you a very nice person."

"Perhaps, but I never said I was a nice person." Itachi moved more fully into the room. "So, you'll have the procedure? Without it, I can guarantee that you will be on the UNOS list within six months as opposed to longer with the pacemaker. It will make it easier for your heart to keep a somewhat normal rhythm."

Naruto nodded wearily. "It's two against one, then?"

"We aren't against you, Naruto." Sasuke moved back to the bed, but instead of sitting, laid down beside him. "I'll support whatever you decide."

"And if I don't want the operation?"

Sasuke swallowed, his Adam's apple visibly bobbing up and down. "I'll be pissed, but it's your decision."

Naruto grinned. "You know that giving in is the same as enabling, don't you?"

"Would you rather I slugged you and tied you down until you signed the forms?"

A sparkle of interest twinkled in Naruto's eyes. Now that idea had possibilities. Oh, if Sasuke only knew how very kinky Naruto could be, at least in his mind. His body prevented him from acting out any of his more sordid imaginings. "The thought has promise," he purred.

Itachi rolled his eyes and took the papers he had set aside and handed them to Naruto. "I would prefer to stay out of your sex life as much as possible. But if you don't have this procedure, you won't have much of one."

"Will we—" Naruto trailed off and grew red in the face. Since when was he ever embarrassed about sex?

Itachi's eyes sharped and the smirk on his lips grew in prominence. "What was that? You'll have to be more direct with your question if you want me to answer."

Naruto glanced to Sasuke, whose face was growing redder with each passing moment. "You fucking asshole. You know what I mean."

Sasuke lifted a hand to his face. "God, Itachi. Why, for once, can't you be impartial?"

"Because even though Naruto is my patient, you are my brother. It is my goal in life to torture you in any form or fashion I deem appropriate. If that involves embarrassing you with sex questions, then so be it."

"You're such an ass."

Itachi's lips twisted in a grin and his attention shifted back to Naruto. "To answer your question, yes. You'll have the same restrictions as before, but you will be able to resume sexual activities, provided I release you after evaluation of your condition following the procedure."

Naruto nibbled his lip before nodding. "Give me the damn paper."

"Making a sick man fill out paperwork," he grumbled as he began signing and initialing throughout the pages.

Handing them back to Itachi, he slumped back in sudden exhaustion. The worry. The truth. The fear. All of it was weighing heavily on his constitution. If the pacemaker could give him a little longer with Sasuke, he would be a fool not to take it. The risk was low enough that Itachi seemed unconcerned.

"I'll get this filed and arrange for the procedure. You'll probably be out of here in a couple of days if everything goes well."

"Good, because I have things to do," grumbled Naruto. It wasn't necessarily a lie. He had called the suicide hotline and talked to his boss about his current hospital stay, but he really wanted to get back to it. Until Sasuke, talking people through a low part in their lives was something he found surprisingly fulfilling since he had been there. And there were still days when depression made it hard to find any strength at all.

"You'll be fine," said Itachi as he was leaving the room.

"You've got an ass for a brother."

Sasuke nodded his head. "Agreed."

"I hope it's not hereditary, because I feel bad for his future kids." Naruto started picking at his nails and focusing on random odds and ends in the room. "Sasuke?"

"What?"

"Stay with me until they take me away for the procedure. This is usually the point when they get scared and leave. I guess the fear and stress get to them."

Sasuke's eyes darkened and his hand shot out to grab the hand not housing an IV port. "I won't leave you. They were all stupid because they don't realize what they gave up."

Naruto smiled. "I think I'm the lucky one. If they hadn't left, I probably wouldn't be here with you."

"No, we'd still be here because you still would have landed on your ass outside Itachi's office. The only difference would be that I would have had to...convince your boyfriend to vacate your company."

"Oh really?" Naruto chuckled. "And how would you have done that?"

"I'll leave that to your imagination," answered Sasuke.

"I have a pretty wild imagination."

Sasuke smiled and laid his head on Naruto's shoulder. "I'm glad. Once you're better, I fully intend to take advantage of that."

"You fiend," growled Naruto. "You would tease a sick man who is unable to do anything?"

"No," chuckled Sasuke. "I'll tease you."

Naruto laughed, already feeling himself relax. He prayed for the pacemaker to be a miracle fix for him. Now he really did not want to leave Sasuke's side ever.

The tap of fingers on the keys of a Sasuke's lap top distracted Naruto from the show playing mutely on the wall-mounted television. The problem was that the rhythm was off, as if Sasuke's heart was not really into what he was doing.

Naruto felt this was an appropriate time to interrupt him. "What are you writing?"

"A story about a boy and his dog."

Naruto blinked and stared at Sasuke. "Seriously?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes and slid his black rimmed glasses from his face. "No, you idiot. I was being sarcastic."

"Hey, there's no need for name calling."

Sasuke released a chuckle that sounded a little too forced, and stretched his legs outward. "But it is so much fun."

Naruto pouted and glanced at the laptop. "Seriously, what are you writing?"

Sasuke sighed. "It's an look at life during the Great Depression, the struggles and how the world changed as a whole during that time."

"Really? Sounds boring, kinda like something I would be forced to read in school. Why don't you write something interesting, like a story about space pirates or hell, even that boy and his dog would probably sell to the masses that wanted a dumb read."

Sasuke wrinkled his nose. "I don't write 'dumb reads' as you put it. I'm respected by my publisher and by my reader base."

"Reader base? What, all five of them. God, Sasuke, for someone as sexy and smart and fun as you, you write boring ass shit."

A scowl pulled down Sasuke's brows and he slammed his laptop closed. "Stop being an ass."

"I will if you will." Naruto grinned and flopped back on the bed.

Sasuke snorted and popped his neck a few times. "At least I don't have to wear a hairnet."

Naruto lifted a hand to touch the little hat used to keep his hair coming free and interfering with the sterile room. The nurse had brought it in for him to wear several minutes prior and he decided to pimp it for all it was worth. This wasn't his first rodeo after all, even if it was his first major bought with surgery.

"Hairnets are the latest style. Move over lunchroom lady, Naruto Uzumaki is bringing the sexy back." Naruto's grin widened at the sound of Sasuke's chuckle rolling over him. The closer it came to the time for the procedure, the more nervous and jumpy Sasuke became. Every time the door to the room opened, Sasuke would jolt and pale.

Naruto felt it was his duty to relax Sasuke as much as possible. It was rather funny that Sasuke seemed more nervous about what was going to happen than Naruto...and it was him that was having the procedure. Now it was just a matter of waiting until they took him down to where Itachi was prepping for the procedure. God, with the way Sasuke was acting; he was going bring about a heart attack on himself before the end of the day.

The silence that fell between them wasn't working so good for Sasuke. He didn't want to even think of what sort of thoughts were running through Sasuke's head to bring on that sudden pallor spreading across his cheeks. Naruto was being forced to turn into a one man act just to keep Sasuke's mind away from the bad thoughts obviously making a place in his mind. Thank God he was not a woman and pregnant; Sasuke would obviously be one for sympathy contractions.

A grin teased the corner of his lips at the thought. Well, seeing Sasuke panting and pushing down during his 'labor' was an amusing thought. He would file that one away for later amusement.

"You'll be going down soon," said Sasuke, finally breaking the silence.

"I think the surgical floor is up."

Sasuke shot him a deadpanned look and Naruto shrugged. "What? It's the truth."

With a roll of the eyes, Sasuke stood and moved to the bed, taking a seat on the edge. "Are you nervous?"

Obviously not as much as you, he thought, but instead answered with a small nod. "A little."

"I'll be here when you wake up." Sasuke words sounded almost as were spoken as much for himself as for Naruto's sake. A warmth spread through his chest and he lifted his hand to his heart. The organ, piece of shit that it was, recognized Sasuke as someone who had wormed his way inside. It was more than before. Sasuke was more.

He picked at the thin material of his hospital gown and tried to find some words to say, anything. It did not matter if they were stupid; he just wanted to say something to him. "Why do these things let your ass hang out? Have you ever wondered, because I have? I've been in a lot of hospitals and they all leave your asses floating in the breeze. The nurses are always on you to walk down the hall but, geez, every time I do, my ass just about freezes off. Contrary to popular belief, I'm not particularly keen to show off my ass to everyone and their grandmother."

Sasuke arched his brow. "You could just put them on properly."

"I don't care how you tie these fuckers; a breeze slaps your ass like a coach in a football player's locker room every single time."

Sasuke relaxed a little more. "You could always walk around the room if you want to stroll."

"You're just saying that because you want a chance to ogle my sexy ass." Naruto twisted in bed just enough to show a bit of hip to Sasuke. "Admit it."

Sasuke's smirk was back and his eyes gleaming dark gems. "I would not be opposed to that suggestion."

"See." Naruto leaned back into his bed. "I was right thinking you were a pervert."

"It takes one to know one," retorted Sasuke.

"I fully admit and accept my pervert side."

"I'm not sure that is something you should admit publicly."

Both turned to see Itachi standing in the door wearing green hospital scrubs and relaxed expression. The man looked as if he was not the least bit concerned about the upcoming procedure. Seeing him so calm and unconcerned relaxed Naruto, but Sasuke was another matter. Instead of relaxing at his brother's entrance, his body went tense. Naruto could see the panic beginning to return to Sasuke's eyes.

"Hey, Sasuke, think Itachi would let us walk to the O.R.? I kinda feel the need to feel the wind on my ass."

Sasuke blinked and stared at Naruto before giving a small huff. "Idiot.

Itachi inclined his head and stared at the two. "I would rather not look at anything below the waist. I'm afraid that is not my area of expertise."

"Yeah, I get you," replied Naruto. "There is a lot of sexy in this body. It's hard to deal with it at first."

Sasuke snorted and stood, walking slowly to his brother. "Itachi."

Itachi's gaze shifted to his brother. "Sasuke."

"Take care of him. I need him."

Itachi's eyes widened slightly as Sasuke returned to the bed. Naruto was slightly speechless as lips were pressed his in a rather deep kiss. He couldn't help but respond, lifting his arms to grasp onto Sasuke's broad shoulders as he was kissed senseless.

"I'll be here when you wake up," he repeated as he finally pulled away. "I'm going to go get some coffee."

The remaining two in the room watched Sasuke leave before Itachi shifted his attention back to Naruto. "I never would have believed my brother could be...whatever the hell that was."

"Me either," replied Naruto slowly, his tongue darting out to lick at his lips in search of some of the taste of Sasuke. "Damn, now I'm horny."

"I would say you should deal with that now, but I would rather you not have a heart attack before we get your pacemaker in place."

"Does that mean I'll get to deal with it later?"

Itachi gave a small cough. "Contrary to what I said yesterday, what you do with my brother is not something I care to know about. I'm still not sure what I think of you other than you are a loud, somewhat obnoxious pain in the ass that my brother is completely in love with. If anything happened to you, I'd have to deal with the fallout."

"Does that mean your hand won't accidentally slip during the procedure?" Naruto grinned up at Itachi. "Because I'm sure Sasuke wouldn't like that."

"No, he most certainly would not." Itachi stared at Naruto, his eyes narrowed and calculating. "I wish I had an easy, permanent fix for you, but your road to health is going to be very bumpy."

"It's not the destination, but the journey. Isn't that an old saying they toss around?" Naruto sighed and slumped against the bed. "But, I really wish it wasn't one I had to take."

Itachi's face softened. "I wish that as well."

The nurses came in moments later and released the locks on Naruto's bed and began pushing him from the room, bed and all. He watched as Itachi followed behind, something in his eyes that wasn't there before. Was it compassion?

The operating room was cold as he was transferred from his bed to the table. He ignored the cold air brushing his bare ass. It never failed that his ass was going to get cold at least once while in the hospital.

"Good morning, Naruto. I'm Dr. Kora. I'm your anesthesiologist." The woman's eyes smiled as she set about hooking up a drip to Naruto's IV. "You're going to start feeling really tired."

"Hey, Itachi?" Naruto mumbled as the drugs pulled the darkness teasing the edge of his consciousness in like a warm blanket.

Itachi stood over him, mask and an unusually colorful head covering in place. Damn, he looked weird as hell, so different than before. "Yes, Naruto?"

"What...did you...do with that bitch?" He fought back the pull to give into the darkness. He wanted to hear what Itachi said.

A mask was pressed over Naruto's face and gas flowed into his lungs just as Itachi answered. "I fired the bitch."

Satisfaction was the last thing he knew before everything went dark.

Naruto groaned and shifted on the bed as he came into full awareness. He had a very vague recollection of waking up in the recovery room with a vague pain in his chest, for once having nothing to do directly with his heart. He recalled asking for Sasuke, but being too out of it to recall what the nurses said to him.

His head still carried a bit of that fog and his chest still hurt, the pain a little less vague and more localized. A dry tongue licked at equally dry lips in a futile attempt to moisten them. He shifted his gaze around the room until it landed on where Sasuke was dozing in the chair at his bedside with his neck contorted in such a way that he was sure to have one hell of a stiff muscle when he finally woke up.

Opening his mouth to speak, only a small croak escaped. Damn, he sounded like a frog. He was certain they had done the operation on his chest, not his throat. Another futile licking of his lips and he tried again, this time a bit more successful in his endeavor. "What's a guy...got to do...to get a drink?"

Sasuke's eyes flew open and he sat up quickly. "You're awake."

"Captain Obvious here." Naruto slumped back against the pillows. His brain was so foggy, that lame line was the best he could come up with.

"Do you need anything?"

Naruto would have chuckled at Sasuke's ignoring of the comment. Instead, he licked his lips and nodded. "Water."

Sasuke grabbed a styrofoam cup of water and brought the straw to Naruto's lips. The water was room temperature, but given how dry he felt, it was the best thing that had ever crossed his lips. He tried to gulp it down, but Sasuke being the bastard that he was, pulled it back after only a few sips.

"More," grumbled Naruto, only to be denied.

"You shouldn't drink too much too quickly. It will make you sick."

Naruto heaved a sigh; he was too tired to fight, though he managed to get in a muttered 'bastard' before his heavy eyes fluttered closed once more.

When next he woke, it was to the sound of quietly spoken words. "You know, if you're going to talk about me, you could at least leave the room."

Both Itachi and Sasuke turned to Naruto. Sasuke sent a small smile in his direction and Itachi maintained an almost emotionless stare.

"Glad to see you're awake." Itachi moved to his bedside and tore a strip of paper from the ECG. "The pacemaker is working perfectly and the procedure went through without a hitch."

There was a smug undertone to Itachi's words that caused Naruto to roll his eyes. "So, when can I get out of here? Sasuke and I have to make up for lost time."

"I'm going to keep you here for a couple of days to monitor you." His dark eyes shifted between his brother and Naruto. "No funny business."

Naruto pouted. Not that he would ever try to hump Sasuke in the hospital. That was just wrong.

When he and Sasuke were alone, Naruto grinned and relaxed against the bed. "I bet Itachi is watching my monitor from the nurse's station just to make sure we aren't fooling around."

Sasuke arched a brow. "Probably."

Naruto's brows bobbed up and down. "Want to fool around?"

Sasuke looked torn between reprimanding him and laughing. "Do you even feel like fooling around?"

"I always feel like fooling around." Naruto moved over in the bed and patted the white coverlet.

Sasuke smiled and settled with him on the bed. "Let's wait until we get home to fool around."

Naruto gave a low, playful whine. "Spoilsport."

"I don't want to deal with Itachi. Like you said, he's probably watching."

The chuckle that rumbled from Naruto's chest caused his small surgical scar beneath his collarbone to ache slightly. "He comes off as a pervert. It's always the quiet ones you have to look out for."

Sasuke sighed as the laid together on the small bed. "Naruto, I was thinking about some things while you were in surgery."

"What's that?" Naruto sensed the seriousness of Sasuke's tone and a small trickle of fear worked through him. Sasuke couldn't be preparing the words to leave him. He said he wouldn't and Naruto had finally accepted that Sasuke was in it for the long haul.

"I was thinking that it might be more convenient if we moved in together."

Those were certainly not the words Naruto was expecting to hear. "Come again?"

"I want you to live with me. You bitch about how my apartment has no life, well why don't you change that? Itachi and I are independently wealthy. We don't need to work. I can afford anything you want. We can go pick out furniture and whatever else you want to make my apartment less bare."

Naruto floundered for a moment before speaking. His mind, usually quick to analyze was suddenly very empty. Sasuke wanted him to move in with him? He wanted them to live together?

His heart picked up its pace, the sound suddenly very loud in his ears. "Sasuke...are you sure?"

"I wouldn't have asked if I wasn't."

Naruto swallowed the thick lump in his throat. "You do know I suck at cooking, right?"

"I'll cook for you, that way I can make sure that you don't eat a lot of junk food."

"I've a bad habit of drinking out of the milk carton."

Sasuke smiled against Naruto's chest. "So do I."

"You're really, really sure?" asked Naruto.

Sasuke lifted his head and stared into Naruto's eyes. "I'm sure."

Sudden Naruto felt as if he had come home. For the first time since his grandfather had died, he felt as if he was finally where he belonged.

AN: Next update will be on Wed/Thur. I hope you all enjoy.