Just a Little Closer

Even though their last assignment had been relatively easy, Naruto found that he'd been given some downtime with no clue as to when he might be contacted again other than Tsunade's parting words of, "We'll be in touch." So it was, in the ninja world. He didn't mind though as being ready in a moment's notice and expecting the unexpected were taught as beginning lessons in the academy.

He spent the day after their return sleeping in late and then crashed in on Kakashi-sensei's household to play with the twins. He was still enamored with the fact that his two teachers were now parents but felt slightly guilty for intruding into their lives.

However, not twenty minutes after he'd arrived and been given a brief rundown of how to handle the children, the couple were passed out on the couch, sleeping hard. He looked at them then, Iruka with his head on Kakashi's shoulder, a slight puddle of drool forming, and Kakashi's head tilted at such an angle that only Iruka's body kept him from falling over, and he could only smile and shake his head. Looked like their first night as parents had been rather rough.

"Try to go a little easier on your dads, ne?" Naruto whispered to Kaiya in his arms. Her only response was to kick a foot somewhere in the depths of her own slumber. He liked to think that maybe she'd heard him.

Yet, upon the rise of the next day, he realized he hadn't seen Sasuke at all the day before. Tch, it wasn't like he was the boy's keeper or anything, and he'd left him some medicine. He should be fine now. Sasuke liked to be left alone anyways.

But who the hell was he kidding? Even if Sasuke was antisocial, they at least would've crossed paths in the street. And then a very quiet voice added, If you two are dating, shouldn't he want to see you if possible? It sounded to him as being weak and needy and he stamped it down immediately. Still though, the fact remained that Sasuke had not made a public appearance in over twenty-four hours. Maybe Naruto would drag him out to do the training exercises from that book so that he could stop being nagged about it.

Instead of knocking on Sasuke's door, he took full advantage of the uniqueness of being a ninja to hop up to Sasuke's balcony. It was only a small space with a clothesline across it for hanging out laundry to dry, but it was currently empty. The curtains for the sliding door were pulled shut so he wasn't able to peek inside. No matter, he pulled at the handle, surprised when the door opened up. Well, that certainly wasn't safe. Even if Konoha didn't have a high crime rate, it was always best to make it as hard as possible for anyone to gain access. Then again, woe be it to anyone who wanted to trifle with Sasuke.

Inside, the house was dark and quiet. Hmm…maybe he actually had left out. Perhaps he'd just missed him. The balcony had led him into the living room, but he peeked around the corner into the kitchen to find that it was also empty. There was one change though from the last time he'd been over. On the stove was a pot of what looked to be soup but if it had come from a can, it wasn't enough to fill the can once again. His minimal deductive abilities told him that meant that the rest had probably been consumed. He looked to the sink for any bowls but the sink was empty. Interesting…

He sleuthed his way instead down the hallway. There were only two rooms. One was open, showing itself as the bathroom, meaning the other had to be the bedroom. Pausing only momentarily, he pushed against the door gently so as to make as little noise as possible.

There he found his target. Once again, Sasuke seemed to have bundled himself under the covers, though his face was visible this time. On the nightstand was the same bottle of cough syrup he'd given him along with a half empty cup of tea and…the solution to the missing soup. It looked rather untouched, judging by how full the bowl was.

"Sasuke?" he called quietly, kneeling down beside the boy to shake him lightly on the shoulder.

Sasuke's eyes opened slowly. The concern Naruto had previously felt was now threatening to expand to full-blown panic. He had hoped that Sasuke was only faking to be asleep, like last time. If he'd honestly not heard him when he came in and had left his door unlocked, anyone could've made short work of him. Something was seriously wrong.

Naruto put a hand to his forehead, but he really didn't need to. It was clear Sasuke's previous cold had become more severe. "Damnit, would it kill you to ask for help," he muttered, trying to sit Sasuke up. "You must have a death wish or something!"

"Naruto, don't…" Sasuke croaked, and flinched, putting a hand to his throat.

"We're going to the hospital, whether you want to or not." Turning back to the door, Naruto flipped on the light switch, though felt a bit bad when Sasuke instantly closed his eyes against it. He'd live, though. Right now, he needed to help find some clothes for him to throw on. From what he could tell, Sasuke actually still had the same pajamas on that he'd worn when he had come over. His fear ticked up yet another notch.

In the dresser, he pulled out some clean items and returned to the bed to again try to get Sasuke to sit up. Still protesting, Sasuke was pulled into more or less a sitting position. He began to pull at Sasuke's sweaty, sticky shirt to change it, but suddenly, the boy turned to the side as though refusing to be touched. "We don't have time for this, Sasuke," Naruto said impatiently, again reaching for him. He'd only just got the shirt up and over his head when Sasuke again turned, but not fast enough to avoid vomiting over the front of his jacket.

"…Shit, I'm sorry," was all Sasuke said, but it came out as more of a pathetic whimper and from a place of deep mortification.

Naruto's own stomach lurched, but he used every ounce of control to hold himself back. Avoiding looking down, he chuckled weakly as he slipped out of the jacket. "Well, that's a first." He dropped the other clothes to the floor and took his own into the bathroom to wash it out. This really wasn't good. Maybe he should call someone? But there wasn't much anyone else could do that he couldn't do himself. This was going to be one hell of a challenge, but he'd been through worse. And…Sasuke was certainly worth it.

Coming out of the bathroom, he dumped his jacket in Sasuke's washing machine before returning to the bedroom. Surprisingly and not surprisingly, Sasuke had dressed himself, but was still sitting on the bed and clutching his throat. Naruto's first thought was the tea, but he figured it'd waste time to reheat it. Continuing as though nothing had happened, he knelt down to slip on Sasuke's shoes. Sasuke didn't protest, sitting there almost like a child. Once finished, he helped to pull him to his feet. "Um…do you still feel queasy?" he figured he'd ask. "Sure you won't get motion sickness on the way there?"

He could make out just the tiniest grunt before Sasuke whispered, "I keep telling you I'm fine."

Naruto turned his back to him to hide his smile, draping one of his arms across his shoulder. He was starting to think that "I'm fine" was Sasuke's way of saying that, no, he wasn't fine. Instead of going out the front door, Sasuke's bedroom window faced in the direction of the hospital. He adjusted the boy to make sure he had a tight hold before throwing it open and putting a foot up. He wanted to make this as quick as possible.

Using as much chakra as he could, he pushed off. Sasuke's apartment was thankfully on the top floor, meaning the roof across from it was lower than his room window. After landing, he assessed Sasuke again. Other than closing his eyes, there didn't seem to be a change. Hoping that was a good thing, he continued on his way. Sasuke was nearly dead weight against him, not outputting any chakra and only expending enough energy to stand on his feet whenever they landed. That was fine though; Naruto didn't need Sasuke to contribute.

When they landed in front of the hospital, a couple of nurses that were outside on break ran over, their hands immediately glowing with green chakra. "Where's he wounded?" one of them asked, his eyes darting all over Sasuke's body.

"He's not, he's sick," Naruto said, pulling the two of them inside. He took only a moment to look around before following the signs that pointed to the waiting room.

Still following them though, another nurse asked, "Was he poisoned?"

Naruto shook his head. "No, just a fever," he answered, finding two chairs next to each other that were clear. He slowly lowered Sasuke into one of them where the Uchiha promptly began to shiver and grab his throat again. "And…something's wrong with his throat," Naruto added, perplexed.

The first nurse that'd spoken went to the front counter to speak with the receptionist while the other knelt down, putting a hand gently on Sasuke's arm. "Can you say 'ahh' for me?" she asked, giving a bright, cheery smile that'd make anyone want to smile right back.

Of course, Sasuke Uchiha was impervious to all things happy. He did comply though, opening his mouth for her to peer in. "Hmm…I'm gonna call it as strep but we'll have to run some tests to be certain. You just hang in there and we'll get you to a room for some further examination, okay?" she said encouragingly.

Sasuke stared her down without blinking. Realizing he was not going to give a positive response, her face fell and she backed away from him. "We'll…um, see you shortly…" she stammered and quickly walked from the room.

"Aren't you just the charmer," Naruto muttered. Sasuke made a quiet noise that sounded like a chuckle but he wasn't sure.

The second nurse walked back over with a clipboard and a pen. Handing both to Naruto, he said, "Just fill this out and return it to the front desk and they'll get you taken care of." He quickly walked away, which prevented him from seeing Naruto's quiet protest.

"This isn't for me, I don't know any of this stuff!" But he was gone. There were very few other patients in the waiting area and the receptionist was busy behind her computer. Naruto looked down at the clipboard, swallowing the many other complaints he wanted to make. Alright then, he'd start small. Let's see…name. Sasuke Uchiha. Date of birth…when the hell was Sasuke born?

"Hey, Sasuke, what's your birthday?" he asked.

He received his answer as another quiet whisper: "July 23rd."

Naruto wrote it down with a snort. A Leo with fire chakra. How fitting. But he instantly hit another snag. Things like Sasuke's social number, medical history, his family's medical history. He realized then that anytime he'd ever gone to the hospital, someone else had always filled out this information for him as no one in the village expected him to know half of it since his parents had died shortly after his birth. Half these questions, he'd never been asked before at all.

"I know you're not feeling good, but…you're gonna have to do this," Naruto whispered back. "I don't know your social number or any conditions that run in your family…"

"Five, five, five, seven, two, five, nine, six, four, one. No conditions in my family other than blindness caused by overuse of the Sharingan. Don't write that down though," Sasuke informed him.

Naruto immediately began to scribble on the paper and checked off "none" for any known medical conditions. "Thanks! And…reason for visit." He glanced over at Sasuke, who had slumped himself in his chair. Taking advantage of his large shirt collar, he'd pushed his face down and had even pulled his arms into his sleeves, making him appear almost like a turtle pulled into its shell. It was a bit chilly in the waiting area and considering Sasuke's current sensitivity to anything that wasn't sweltering hot, he regretted not having brought him a sweater. He would've even shared his jacket if he'd still had it.

He jotted down all of the symptoms he could think of over the last three days, and then checked over the form one more time to ensure he hadn't missed anything. It was rare he even did that with his own forms but he wanted to make sure he got everything right this time. Once finished, he went back up to the front counter and passed over the clipboard. "Great, we'll call you in a bit!" the woman said, making eye contact just long enough to take it from him.

He nodded quietly and went to sit back down. The moment he was seated though, Sasuke put his head on his shoulder, still with his arms and face tucked away. Naruto thought at first he'd fallen over, but when Sasuke adjusted himself to become more comfortable, it became clear it was intentional. For once, Naruto didn't feel the need to rebuke him for touching him. It was embarrassing, sure. And yes, they were in public…but nobody was paying any attention to them. There was something about Sasuke's current weakness that made him feel stronger and he found himself patting Sasuke's lap while leaning his own head against him.

For a while, he could feel Sasuke tremble every time he swallowed but soon enough even that stopped. Sasuke had fallen asleep on him once more. Every ten or fifteen minutes, someone else was called by a nurse and the person would shuffle through a door. Most would return again but a few didn't. He too drifted off for a bit until at last, he heard a voice call, "Uchiha, Sasuke?"

Sitting up caused Sasuke to open his eyes. "They called for you," Naruto informed him. Tenderly, he helped to pull Sasuke's arms back through his sleeves and to stand him up.

At the door, the nurse looked between them both and asked again, "Uchiha, Sasuke?"

"He's Sasuke," Naruto informed, pointing.

She nodded to him but then glanced down at the clipboard in uncertainty. "Um…are you a family member of his?"

"Er…no?" Why should that make a difference, he'd brought him to the hospital, hadn't he?

"I'm sorry, but only family members are initially allowed back. Once we have him examined, then you'll be allowed to see him," she bowed apologetically. She held the door open for Sasuke to pass through, but Sasuke didn't move.

To his credit, Sasuke managed to draw himself up just enough to become menacing. "What rock have you been living under?" he said, still whispering but that was enough. "My entire family is dead."

She gasped, covering her mouth. "I…I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be insensitive—"

But Sasuke was on a roll. "Even if I'm still technically a minor, I have independent status meaning I don't have to have a family member with me. He is pretty much my next of kin," Sasuke told her, jabbing a finger behind him to Naruto. "As my boyfriend, I give him access to accompany me wherever I go. Is that going to be a problem?"

"No sir, I didn't know—"

"Good. Let's not make this mistake again." He brushed past her and down the hallway. Naruto was still reeling from the boyfriend comment but felt horrible for the nurse. She was only doing her job, although how anyone born within the last decade could forget the slaughter of the Uchiha clan was beyond him. He bowed to the woman on Sasuke's behalf before quickly following after.

The examination was shorter than their time in the waiting room, the result coming back that the nurse from earlier was right. The doctor looked over the results and clicked his tongue, then looked up. "I hate to say this, Sasuke, but while we'd usually just prescribe some antibiotics and send you home, it seems you've entered an advanced stage. We'd like to keep you here, at least for a few days to watch your progress."

"Bull. Give me the meds and I'll cure it at home," Sasuke threatened. Naruto sighed; Sasuke really needed to work on his people skills.

"We also have a statement from Naruto himself that you were highly unresponsive today. Extremely high fever, barely able to stand, much less walk. Nausea. As a medical professional, there's no way I could send you home with a clear conscious." He took off his glasses to rub his eyes, slipping them back on in time to see the glare Sasuke was giving Naruto. "It takes about a week to clear up so long as you regularly take the medicine but all I'm asking for is two days, three at the most. I've already sent someone ahead to tell Lady Tsunade to take you off of any missions. And…Naruto as well."

At that, Naruto immediately stood up. "Hey, why's that? I'm perfectly fine!"

Instead of being upset, the doctor gave him a patient stare, a face full of wisdom. Perhaps it was the man's age, but it reminded him of the late Lord Third. "Strep's quite contagious so we'd like to make sure you don't develop symptoms. And most find extended stays in the hospital to be rather monotonous. It's always good to have a loved one by your side," he smiled at him.

Naruto wanted to continue with his righteous anger, but the feeling was no longer there. At that statement, he didn't dare look at Sasuke. "Um, I get it. I guess…that's fine." There was no point in fighting it if the request had already been passed to Tsunade.

Within the hour, they were in a private room on the fourth floor. It seemed what fire was left in Sasuke to also argue had burned out into nothing more than smoldering ashes. Now, he only clicked his teeth when handed a pair of gray sweats to change into and only winced in aggravation when an IV was inserted into his arm. Maybe they thought they were doing him a favor by putting it in his left, but Naruto knew that while Sasuke could use both, he favored the left hand. Sasuke hadn't said anything though so he didn't.

Once everyone had left, they simply sat together in silence. Other than the turned off TV in the corner, there was nothing of interest in the room. Naruto kept his eyes on the steady IV drip but discreetly watched Sasuke as he looked out the window beside the bed. He didn't seem to be focused on anything in particular and soon enough, he looked over at Naruto without turning his body. "You don't have to stay here, you know. You heard the man; I'm highly contagious."

Naruto smiled at him. Yet again, Sasuke being tough. "Yeah, but they also said it's good to have someone here."

"…A loved one," Sasuke repeated, his dark eyes not leaving Naruto's.

He felt his stupid stomach give a flutter. His eyes looked away first, unable to hold the contact.

They lapsed again into silence with him going back to looking at the dripping medication but he saw a shift on the bed slowly move his way. Sasuke's free hand inched across until it'd captured Naruto's, squeezing the fingers lightly. He'd turned his face though to the ceiling and this time did not look over. "Naruto."

The blonde flickered his eyes at their clasped hands, then looked back to Sasuke. "I'm here."

"I know. Thank you."

That was more than enough. With only the two of them, he tightened his grip back, holding Sasuke just a little closer.