Naruto shifted on the bed and groaned when he saw the neon green numbers visible on the digital bedside clock. With a small shift into the thick down comforter, he tugged the edge over his head and buried himself into the bed.

He hated mornings...with a passion.

And of course, there was no longer a warm body pressed tight against him. Didn't he realize that mornings were meant to be lazy? Fucking Sasuke and his early rising ass. The asshole actually got out of bed early every morning, despite working out of his home. How did he do it? No matter what time Naruto went to bed, he could barely drag himself from bed before nine unless Sasuke made him, and even then, he was a zombie for at least a half of an hour.

Lately, it seemed as if he was having more and more trouble getting up and going in the mornings. Regardless of whether he went to bed at ten or two, by the time it came to wake up, he felt as if he was being pulled from a thick fog that was slow to dissipate.

As much as it annoyed him to do so, he spoke with Itachi about his sluggishness and was told it was simple a sign of his progressing heart failure and to be expected. The pacemaker was doing its job as best it could, and he was relatively healthy considering his situation. Even with the little device, his abilities were limited and would continue to be so until he received a heart transplant.

They didn't talk about it, but he suspected that Sasuke noticed his increasingly sluggish movements in the mornings. He didn't act as if anything was wrong, and Naruto was glad for that. His weak heart was like the giant elephant in the room that they both worked around, yet never really talked about. It would only bring worry into Sasuke's eyes and he did not like seeing that at all. He would ignore it completely if it kept that shadow from Sasuke's face.

"I heard that groan." Sasuke walked into the room and pulled back the covers from Naruto's previously toasty body. "Go ahead and get up."

"You're a sadist," whimpered Naruto as he snuggled his face into the pillow in his arms. "Go away."

"I'll make you breakfast while you get a shower and dressed."

Naruto debated. He dreaded telling Sasuke he wasn't hungry. His appetite had been flagging a bit in recent weeks along with his energy. He was good at hiding it and ate as much as he could stand of what was placed in front of him.

"More of that heart healthy shit? I'll pass. That crap is not worth getting out of bed for." He reached for the covers and tugged them up around him once more, this time leaving his head uncovered to stare at Sasuke.

Sasuke arched a brow at Naruto. "Heart healthy food isn't bad."

A snort he did not even try to stop escaped Naruto. "The soups you force down me taste bland and everything else tastes like cardboard. Don't even get me started on that Shredded Wheat crap. Yeah it's healthy, but seriously has no flavor. And Grapenut...I never knew cereal reproduced because it seems to grow in my bowl."

With a roll of his eyes, Sasuke tugged the covers away and tossed them on the floor. "Get dressed and I'll let you have eggs and toast this morning."

Naruto perked a little at the offer. "With butter?"

Dark eyes narrowed. "A little."

Pushing a false grin to his face, Naruto drew on all his willpower and jumped from the bed. He rushed into the bathroom, closing the door behind him and leaning against it before he keeled over. The familiar little jolts from his pacemaker brought him out of his weariness and he walked to the shower.

Standing beneath the warm spray, some of the fog and lethargy left him. He still wasn't hungry, though the chance to eat a real breakfast for once wasn't anything to throw a stone at. He was scrubbing at his arms when he felt a wash of cold brush over his bare ass as the shower door opened and Sasuke stepped inside.

"Hey! You should be cooking my breakfast. Get back to the kitchen, wife!"

Sasuke gave a growl and wrapped his arms around Naruto, burying his face in his neck. "I thought we could go out for breakfast, but call me wife again and I'll beat the shit out of you before force feeding you plain oatmeal."

It was Naruto's turn to have his brows reach into his hairline. "Come again? You'll actually let me eat eggs and bacon cooked by some stranger who's only thought is getting as much grease into the meal as humanly possible before serving it to the customer?"

"No bacon," grumbled Sasuke.

"Spoilsport. Bacon makes life worth living."

He felt Sasuke give a huffing chuckle before hands drifted around to rub on his stomach. He was a guy, after all, and the touches brought with them the trickle of arousal. Sasuke was always so careful to arouse him slowly. It was both endearing and annoying. He wasn't going to drop dead, even though their first attempt at sex had been nearly disastrous with Naruto passing out from interrupted blood flow. Sasuke should have taken that as a complement instead of taking sex with extra caution.

The pacemaker had helped prevent a repeat of that horribly wonderful first time, but Sasuke was still cautious. Naruto couldn't fault him. Sex might not be wild and kinky, but at least it was good. Sasuke was definitely a master in that department.

"What are you doing?" he asked when Sasuke took the cloth from his hand and began to rub it over his body, ignoring the part that was now standing at attention.

"Taking a shower."

Naruto rolled his eyes and leaned his head back on Sasuke's shoulder. "Is that what this is?"

"Could be," purred Sasuke into his ear.

The hand began rubbing again. The smell of body wash, water, and musk filled the space. He didn't care what Sasuke called it, it felt amazing to have those hands washing away the world around them.

The heat of the shower and the warmth of Sasuke's body pressed against him lulled Naruto into a relaxed state. He was aroused, that much was obvious considering the way his penis jutted out from his groin and bobbed with every shift of his body. It was a minor problem when considering the relaxed state Sasuke had put him in.

When he felt the press of soap slicked fingers against his anus, he barely gave a twitch. Even those muscles seemed to have fallen under Sasuke's spell and he slipped easily inside.

It wasn't that stretching was perfectly necessary. They had sex enough that he wasn't as tight as a virgin, but Sasuke was the paranoid sort. His fingers pressed and massaged and stretched the flesh.

Naruto moaned and leaned forward to press his face into the folded pillow of his arms and press back. Water beat firmly around them and the heat never faded. When he felt the press of Sasuke's erection, he hissed at the faint stinging of stretched muscles opening up to take in the girth.

The discomfort was miniscule when compared to the delight of being filled. He never tired of the feel of Sasuke's body inside him, or his inside Sasuke. He had been with guys who were protective of their asses and refused to bottom. Those were the guys in the closet who still feared the label of homosexual. If they strictly topped, then they weren't really gay. Like who topped who really mattered. It was still two guys.

Naruto gave a snort, followed by a grunt when Sasuke's hips gave a particularly satisfying jab. His tongue lapped at his lips before his teeth bit down lightly into his forearm as Sasuke pulled out moments before pushing back inside. Stopping the moan from escaping his throat was an impossible feat and one he did not even consider.

"Feel good?" whispered Sasuke against his ear. Warm breath mixed with the steam of the bathroom and ruffled the wet hair dripping over his ears.

Naruto released a low whimper when Sasuke pulled out, only to push back inside with a bit more force than before. Slow did not have to mean boring. Nothing with Sasuke could ever be considered boring...except maybe his choice of writing topics.

"More," mumbled Naruto against his arms.

He groaned as Sasuke pressed back inside, this time inch by painfully slow inch. "Bastard."

"What was that?" asked Sasuke, the amusement in his tone evident even through the thickness of his arousal.

"You heard me," snapped Naruto.

Sasuke chuckled and pulled completely free from Naruto's body. "Would you like me to stop?"

Naruto, aroused and irritated by the emptiness he felt at Sasuke's retreat, twisted around and latched his hands around Sasuke's neck. Fingers fisted into wet hair and forced their mouths to meet. Lips ate at each other while tongues dueled and teeth nibbled. Breathing became a secondary need when compared to the need to devour each other whole. He could feel his pacemaker firing in his chest and groaned into Sasuke's mouth. The tingling little shocks were a willing price to be paid where the pleasure of being with Sasuke was concerned.

"Please," he whispered.

Sasuke stared deeply into Naruto's eyes before pressing him against the tiled wall and lifting him. He used his body to brace him while his hands adjusted himself enough so that he could press back inside.

The spreading fullness was returned and Naruto wrapped his legs around Sasuke's hips. The penetration wasn't as deep as before, but having access to his lover's lips more than made up for the change in position. Sasuke was a strong bastard.

Sasuke's hips jerked hard and fast while Naruto panted against his lips. His heart struggled to keep up a losing battle and began to palpitate wildly. His pacemaker felt as if was nonstop shocks which added to the pleasure in that moment instead of taking away.

Naruto growled against Sasuke's lips and pressed a hand between their bodies to rub and stroke the erection that had been ignored for far too long. His body cried out for relief and Sasuke turned his face to bury it in Naruto's shoulder.

The touch of teeth on his flesh was enough that his body locked up and his hand tightened almost painfully on the erection it grasped. Breath stilled in his lungs and his heart thumped irregularly against the wall of his chest. His brain went gloriously blank as his body contracted and spilled gobs of fluid between their bodies only to be washed away under the spray of water from the dual shower heads.

On some vague plane, he felt Sasuke go rigid and grunt against his neck. There was additional warmth inside him and the quickly shrinking girth of Sasuke's penis was being tugged free of his body as they pressed tight to each other to ride out the haze of pleasure that lasted far too short of a time.

"Fuck," snarled Sasuke before he pulled away and settled Naruto's unsteady feet on the tiled floor before forcing their gazes to meet. "Naruto?"

Naruto's mind was still recovering from his orgasm when he lifted his eyes to meet Sasuke's half-panicked gaze. He couldn't talk, the endorphins were spinning through his bloodstream and his muscles were completely lax in the haze of his post-orgasmic release. He could have stayed in this state forever if not for Sasuke's panic-tinted voice.

"Do I need to call Itachi?"

Mentioning of Sasuke's brother effectively dispelled the remainder of the pleasure brought on by the release. "Why the fuck did you have to bring him up?"

Sasuke relaxed slightly and pressed forward to bury his face in Naruto's neck. "I was worried."

"Try to keep him from the bedroom, if you please. One Uchiha in my bed is more than enough."

A snort escaped Sasuke. "I shouldn't have lost control like that. Your heart can't take it."

"My heart is fine for today and tomorrow, and probably the next day too. I think I'm a better judge of what my heart can take than you." Naruto pushed away from Sasuke and stepped more fully under the spray. The remainder of soap trailed down his body and he grabbed a shower head so to rinse out Sasuke's semen from his ass. It was bad enough having the stuff slowly leaking out.

"Naruto—"

Naruto glanced over to see Sasuke staring at him. He couldn't stay mad at him for long. Time was something he had learned to cherish, especially after he and Itachi had spoken at length at his last appointment. Itachi continued to argue that he preferred not to give estimates, but felt it appropriate to show Naruto a timetable of sorts concerning the average person in his situation and what to expect from his illness as it continued upon its natural progression. The gist of the talk was simple and to the point.

Time was running out.

Oh, he had a year or two before it got really bad. With how sluggish he was feeling in the mornings, he was leaning more toward the year than the two.

He moved to Sasuke and nuzzled his face into the flesh under Sasuke's jaw. The bastard was lucky. Genetics saved him from the pain of having to shave daily. He shaved every two days while Naruto had the joy of having to deal with stubble every damn day.

"Are you alright, Naruto?"

He nodded and gave a small lick to Sasuke's Adam's apple. "Sorry for snapping at you."

"I just don't want to be the cause of you getting sicker."

Naruto wrapped his arms tightly around Sasuke's waist and pressed their bodies as close together as they would go. "I'm going to get sicker, regardless of how you baby me or not baby me. I'll deal with the shitty food and the exercise and the careful sex, just let me enjoy life too. You know as well as I that I might not get a—"

"Stop," interrupted Sasuke. "You'll get a heart. You don't have a crazy blood type and I'm going to make sure you're as healthy as possible. You'll get a heart. My brother is a genius in his field."

Naruto kept quiet. Sasuke was very particular of what Naruto ate, how much sleep he got, and the amount of exercise he clocked. He hadn't been surprised that Sasuke was micromanaging his life in order to ensure the end was as positive as possible. And he didn't mind. The food wasn't that bad, though he missed salt and greasy food like a drug addict missed his heroine. The fact that ramen was now utterly forbidden to him was almost a crime against nature. He had gorged himself on the stuff when he had been conserving his money. Now that he wanted it, he couldn't have even a small bite.

Pulling back, Naruto stared directly into Sasuke's face. He saw the worry and the stress eating away at him in the shadows of his eyes. Smiling, he pressed their lips together in a slow and leisurely kiss meant to soothe both of their souls.

As he pulled away, he did his best to put on the most pitiful of looks he could manage. "Do I still get a real breakfast?"

Naruto sighed and settled into the passenger seat of Sasuke's car. God, he loved this car. One day he would convince Sasuke to let him drive it. He could already feel Sasuke wavering. Soon this baby would be his and he would pamper her like the lady that she was. The day he had first settled in her supple leather seat, he had known it was love at first sight. Now he had two loves in his life, Sasuke and Sasuke's car. He'd even thought up a name for her...Scarlet after her brilliant red color.

"What have I told you about fantasizing about my car? If I didn't love you, I might actually be disturbed by your unholy interest in it."

Naruto shot Sasuke a grin. "There is nothing unholy about love."

"There is when it is directed towards a piece of metal and leather."

"Aww, Baby, are you jealous of Scarlet?"

Sasuke shot Naruto a wide-eyed look of shocked exasperation. "You named my fucking car?"

"Well, a girl this pretty should have a name."

"I'm not speaking to you," snarled Sasuke and he started the engine. "Not only did you name it, you made it into a girl."

"Jealous," shot Naruto. "Think of it this way, Sasuke. If it's a girl, at least you know I don't want to fuck it."

Sasuke rolled his eyes and Naruto chuckled. Sasuke knew he was first in his heart, such that it was. They both enjoyed these little arguments. It kept their relationships spicy.

Naruto pressed his head against the window and tried to relax. He was really tired today. The shower sex had sapped his energy. He hoped he had enough left to eat some breakfast or an appetite for that matter. There was no telling when Sasuke would let him have greasy food again. Oh to have a bowl of homemade ramen noodles or a greasy hamburger and fries.

As he stared out the car window, he noticed the hearts on nearly every store window display. His brow furrowed and he cocked his head before understanding dawned on him. It was February and that meant Valentine's Day—his least favorite holiday of the year.

Now, the actual meaning for Valentine's Day didn't bother him. Lovers should hold that day sacred as should close friends. But seeing hearts floating around like no one's business irked him enough that he stayed in a foul mood until the decorations came down. Each time he saw a heart, it reminded him that he was living on borrowed time because his heart was a shitty piece of worthlessness. He and Sasuke might not have the chance to spend years exchanging gifts and cards on a day created to be about love. Even though Itachi declared him healthy for the moment, his heart could give out at any time. The pacemaker could only do so much and if his heart stopped, it would not resuscitate him.

He could feel himself drooping and his interest in going out diminishing. Suddenly, he had no desire to do anything but return to the apartment and veg out on the sofa. He hated this time of year.

Yes, it was irrational and even a little bit silly, but he would like to see any healthy person have their health taken from them and stand perpetually at Death's door; then he would ask them to act rationally about everything. No one could understand until they had lived it. Groaning, he sighed when Sasuke pulled into a quaint little restaurant. It wasn't the Waffle House that Naruto had grown up around, but he figured the food would be better, though it would take a lot of effort to beat Waffle House's "All The Way" hash browns.

"Hey, you alright?"

Naruto turned back to face Sasuke and realized he'd gone silent. He could see the worry in his lover's eyes and immediately plastered a happy expression on his face. It was something he had mastered throughout his life.

"I'm fine. I just got lost in my thoughts."

Sasuke relaxed, but that worry never completely left his gaze. "Maybe we should head back home."

"Absolutely not." Though he would have liked to have taken the out Sasuke offered, refusing would only worry him more. This small sacrifice was what they both needed. Naruto needed a distraction and Sasuke needed to see Naruto in some facsimile of normal.

"You're sure?"

Naruto grinned and nodded. "Yeah. Let's go get breakfast. And you better not let it slip to the server that I have a heart issue. I want a real breakfast. I won't add any extra salt because I don't want to make you have an aneurysm, but at least let me have this treat and enjoy it."

Sasuke rolled his eyes and exited the car. "No bacon."

"Damn it!" cursed Naruto as he followed him into the restaurant.

The place was of the standards Sasuke generally insisted upon by Naruto's initial assessment. He was quite sure he would never see Sasuke inside the doors of a Waffle House. Maybe one day he could convince him to take him to one. He would add that thought to his bucket list. Sasuke eating with him inside a Waffle House—it definitely had an amusing ring to it.

"Mr. Uchiha." A petite server walked up to them as they entered. "We haven't seen you in so long; we thought maybe you had found somewhere else for breakfast."

Naruto snorted loudly. "Yeah, at home making sure I eat all my cardboard."

Sasuke jabbed an elbow at Naruto's arm before turning his attention back to the girl. "I've had things come up. I thought Naruto might enjoy having breakfast here."

The girl turned her attention to Naruto and blushed prettily when he grinned broadly at her. "If you'll both follow me, I'll seat you."

Naruto smirked and gave Sasuke a playful jab in the ribs. "I think I stole her love from you with only a smile."

"You stole my heart with a smile, so I can relate," purred Sasuke as he took his seat across from Naruto.

"Nope, I never stole it. I like your heart right where it is."

Sasuke chuckled and opened his menu. Naruto followed in suit. The breakfast options were extensive. Everything from the traditional eggs and toast to specialty oatmeal to various quiches filled the menu. For the first time in ages he felt his stomach rumble at the choices.

"The oatmeal looks good."

Naruto barked out a laugh at Sasuke's comment. "You're on crack if you think I'm getting oatmeal, regardless of the fruit or flavoring they put in it."

"You're still not getting any bacon."

Naruto stuck his tongue out at Sasuke before turning his gaze on the menu. The server returned and he ordered eggs in a basket and hash browns. To keep Sasuke from blowing a gasket, he opted for fresh orange juice and a small side of sliced fruit to go with it. It was really more than he would be able to eat, but at least it wasn't damn oatmeal or shredded wheat without the frosting or Grapenut. Anything was better than those choices.

Sasuke ordered poached eggs and toast, with a side of fruit as well. He sipped at his coffee while Naruto grinned happily at him. "Well, I didn't order any bacon."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "What you did order isn't much better."

"Well the only thing you forbid me to order was bacon, so I stayed within the realm of your requirements."

Naruto snickered at the roll of Sasuke's eyes. His gaze flicked around the restaurant and saw that it was not immune to the lure of Valentine's Day either, though a bit more tastefully done than some places. The place probably did good business on that day.

Lowering his gaze, his hand twitched with the urge to press it to his chest. Why did he allow this to bother him so much? It would be so much easier if he were able to let it wash off him like water from a duck.

"Naruto?"

"It's nothing, and before you ask, my heart is fine...or as fine as is possible considering that it's held together with duct tape and a prayer," he snapped without thinking.

The instant the words left his mouth, he could see the wheels in Sasuke's head turning. The ass probably thought he was angry about something that he'd done and was trying to figure out what it was.

Just as Sasuke opened his mouth, the server girl arrived with their food. The wonderful smells wafting from the plate dispelled Naruto's anger and he sighed happily. His stomach actually rumbled at the smell. Damn, he was going to enjoy this meal. Even Sasuke seemed to relax and enjoy the meal. That damn elephant remained in the room, but at least it was being pushed into the very background instead of shoved to the forefront. They really needed to talk, but Naruto figured he would wait until after Valentine's Day. After then, he would be in the right mindset to give the topic the attention it needed without jumping onto Sasuke for the least little comment.

"How is it?" asked Sasuke.

Naruto took a bite and sighed. It was heaven. Whoever cooked this was his new god.

"That good?"

"I hadn't realized I was starved for this until just now."

Sasuke smiled and dropped his gaze. "I know you're not eating like you should. Itachi suggested taking you out some time and letting you splurge. I know I'm a bit controlling about what we eat but..."

Naruto swallowed the bolus of food in his mouth. "You know?"

"Did you think you could hide that you weren't eating by pushing food around your plate. I'm not an idiot."

Naruto shrugged. "I guess I hoped you wouldn't notice."

Sasuke half stood and leaned over the table to press their lips together. "I love you. That means I watch you. I notice everything about you, even that idiotic way you give little snorts in your sleep."

"You saying I snore?"

Sasuke smirked and settled back into his chair. "I don't know if snore is an appropriate way to describe the sounds you make. I'd lean more toward speaking in the tongue of pigs."

Naruto's jaw dropped. "You ass."

"If I'm an ass, and you're a pig, what's Itachi?"

A scowl worked over Naruto's face and he pouted. "The devil."

With the air a bit less tense, Naruto relaxed a bit. He still felt on edge with the decorations and the impending day of hearts, but at least his stomach had loosened up enough to allow him to resume his eating enough to satisfy Sasuke, though his enjoyment of the meal had diminished significantly. This year seemed to be worse than usual. Knowledge of his limited time left shortened his tolerance of it. He could feel Sasuke's gaze on him and didn't bother to answer it with his own.

"Naruto...tell me what's wrong."

Naruto kept his gaze fixed on his plate of half-eaten food. "You'll think it's stupid."

"You aren't stupid and nothing you do is stupid. You're an idiot sometimes, but that's what I like about you."

Heaving a sigh, he lifted his eyes. "It's Valentine's Day."

"It's a minor holiday. What's your point?"

"It's not the day I hate, but the decorations. All the hearts. They make me feel...annoyed. There are hearts everywhere and not one of them will help me. I'm not alone anymore and the damn hearts are haunting me." Naruto sifted his fingers through his hair. "See, I told you, it's stupid."

Sasuke was silent for a moment, before shaking his head. "It's not stupid."

Sasuke's hand darted across the table. "It's not stupid," he repeated, "and even if it was, I wouldn't care."

Naruto smiled and plastered that broad fake grin on his face. "Thanks."

He missed the worried look crossing Sasuke's face when he turned around to signal the server for a refill on his orange juice. When he turned back, Sasuke's face was once more schooled into relaxed blankness, but the wheels were already beginning to turn behind those intelligent dark eyes. This wasn't the end of this conversation for either of them.

AN: These next two chapters fall next in the timeline for our two guys and takes place some time after they have been together. Like I said before, this story is several short stories and one shots. The chapter titles will have the names and parts of each segment.