Hey ya'll. I know its been a long time since I updated and I apologize. I literally and shamefully admit that I forgot about this story. However, I don't want to keep you from the story so please read on. And remember…REVIEW!
WARNING: yaoi, if you don't know what that means, you may be in the wrong place. Also there is violence and other such things a story just cannot be without.
Disclaimer: I gots my computer and a set of wonderful characters…my life is complete. Oh wait…Naruto isn't mine! NOOOOO! * falls over*
Saving You
Ch. 8: Random Breakdowns Are the Best Catalyst
The swish of cloth rubbing against itself filled the air along with the clatter of wheels turning and feet running. These sounds reigned supreme as doctors and nurses ran down the hallway, pushing a gurney with a still, pale body on it. Their scrubs rustled and the wheels squeaked in protest to the rushed pace, but none stopped to appease them. Time was everything and they were out of it.
"…palpitations…need to stabilize…"
"Defib! We need to defibrillate! NOW nurse!"
"Clear everybody! CLEAR!"
"..can't get his heart started…"
"Sir, please. You need to stay here. The doctor will take very good care of your friend."
Sasuke trembled against the arm that blocked him from following Naruto into the Urgent Care Center, his frantic mind barely comprehending the words being spoken to him. Shaking his head, he moved against the nurse talking softly to him, not caring that he wasn't allowed where the blonde had to go. He needed to be with him. Needed to.
Just as he made it past the protesting nurse, a heavy hand fell onto his shoulder. "Sasuke. Stop."
Finally a voice penetrated his crazy mind. Unfortunately it was not the one that he wanted to hear. "Itachi…" he attempted to growl but it came out more of a whimper.
He heard a heavy sigh before his brother pulled him around, his grip tightening on his arms, gripping hard enough to bruise.
"I know you want to be with him right now but you need to calm down. There's nothing more you can do for now. So you need to pull yourself together. I have to go. You called right in the middle of…the night. Control yourself and for god's sake do not tarnish the name of our family! Or I will have you sent to the bottom of a dark, dank pit filled with crap and blood thirsty piranhas. And while they eat your legs off I'll have Deidera at the top of the pit throwing bombs at you." As Itachi spoke, he shoved him slightly, bringing the eyes that had strayed towards the emergency doors back towards him.
Seeing the glazed look over the boy's eyes, Itachi reached up a slapped his brother across the face, hard. Focus slowly seeped in to the onyx gaze and Sasuke eventually nodded slowly. Heaving a huge sigh, Itachi walked Sasuke over to a row of chairs nearby and shoved him down in one.
"Focus Sasuke. Don't embarrass me and for God's sake stay here!"
When all he got was a soft grunt in reply he shook his head and walked away. As he was heading out the doors all that nearby nurses could hear was him grumbling about killing someone.
Despite the abrupt departure of his brother, Sasuke could do little more than think of the blonde he had grown accustomed to having around. It was all he could do to stay in one spot as someone had told him. If he were to be asked a question about the past hour since he had found Naruto there was no way he would be able to answer it. All he could think of was how this was all his fault. If he hadn't thrown Naruto out of his house the dumb boy would never have been put on the street and have to sleep in some tunnel in a park where he di-!
No! He wouldn't, couldn't think like that. Naruto would live. He had to. Even is Sasuke had to drag him back on the fucking operating table. He wouldn't let Naruto leave him alone.
He shouldn't have kicked him out! There was no excuse for how rash and stupid he had been. God! And he had screamed at Naruto. Ugh! It was all his fault. Now they were here in this stupid hospital again. He would give anything to have their positions reversed. He would rather wake up to find himself dead, or stuck in the hospital, which was worse in his mind, every damn day for the rest of his life if it would keep Naruto alive.
He had never meant for any of this to happen. GOD! He shouldn't have kicked him out. He shouldn't have. This was entirely his fault!
His fingers dipped into his hair, dragging it back from his face in a fit of agony. He couldn't believe this was happening. His elbows propped on his knees as his head hung, clasped between his hands in a display of pure anxiety. He tugged roughly on the strands clasped between clenched fingers, a whimper of frustration caught in his throat as he struggled not to let it out. His life was, dare he say, decent once Naruto came into it. Granted they had secrets and skeletons left deep in their respective closets but life had been working. The stupid, idiotic moron had actually brought some semblance or normalcy into his life.
He groaned, deep and low, as his thoughts continued to whirl in a never ending circle. He kept coming back to the fact that this was all his fault. Nevermind the fact that it wasn't he who had made Naruto collapse or stay out ridiculously late or not rent a hotel or something. It was still all his fault.
So lost in his thoughts was he, the Sasuke jumped slightly in his seat when someone near him spoke. Looking up at the murmured, "Excuse me.", he jolted to his feet when he saw that the voice had come from a short nurse with a pretty face and kind hazel eyes.
"Oh! Um…were, were you the one who came in with the young blonde earlier this evening?" she asked softly, eyes blinking furiously after as she stared at the handsome man in front of her.
Swallowing hard Sasuke nodded, trying to hear what she was saying past his rapidly thumping heartbeat.
"The doctors were able to restart his heart but they are keeping him back for a little it longer just to make sure everything is working as it should be. They have gotten him mostly stabilized but just to be sure they are running a couple more tests."
Gulping shallowly, he nodded, his breath finally rushing in to fill his lungs for the first time since he saw the blonde mop hanging out of the tunnel. It took all he had not to drop to his knees and send up a prayer of thanks to every deity listening. Mentally shaking himself, he focused back on the woman in front of him.
"…but they'll be bringing him into a room soon, so if you are family I can bring you up and you can wait for him there."
Quickly nodding, Sasuke made to walk around the lady. However he was stopped, once again, by an arm in front of him.
"Forgive me for asking but are you family? Cause you definitely don't look like it."
Staring at her, Sasuke narrowed his gaze into a glare, as if daring her to say one more word against him. "Yes."
Though she looked dubious, she kept her mouth shut and turned to walk down the hallway to the elevator. The entire ride up was silent though the nurse did keep throwing fervent glances his way, a young wistful yearning in her eyes. However, the young man seemed immune to her looks. She sighed softly before facing forward as the elevator reached the fourth floor.
As the doors swept open, she gestured him forwards quickly telling him, "He is to be placed in room 425 and should be there very soon. If anyone asks who you are just let them know you are family and tell them Sakura sent you here."
Nodding once in acknowledgement of her words, he stepped out of the elevator watching as she waved goodbye as the elevator closed on her before turning and striding hurriedly down the hallway.
418…419…420… The numbers flicked by, their speed increasing as his pace did so as well until he was practically running through the hospital. Jesus, where was the flipping room? Finally after rounding a corner he stopped rather abruptly. Room 425 sat in front of him.
As he stood there, heart beating a freaky rhythm due to an irrational fear that had sudden sprung up in his chest. Taking a step closer he froze as he heard voices emanating from the room. One was complete foreign to him, deep and gravelly, while the other struck a chord in his chest when he heard its melodic tones. It was still deep but where as the other sounded like it had been sucking down cigarettes for the past 45 years of its life, this once was similar to the deep rumble of thunder that you could still hear after a storm had passed. It was dangerous and yet sent an excited thrill throughout his entire body. The smooth way it wove its way around Sasuke's body, as though it were alive, seemed very familiar. Like he had had this thought before…Suddenly images began to flash in his mind.
'Sasuke, can you hear me?" An oddly soothing bass rumbled into his ears, making him turn towards the pleasant sound with a contented sigh. The sound shook him to his core, sending adrenaline pumping from his heart into his veins at the very sound of it. He giggled quietly when the sound came again, sending shivers up and down his spine…
…A brilliant smile spread across Sasuke's face as he watched the boy in front of him. Soon a hoarse sound managed to push its way out of his dry throat, "Naruto..."…
…Leaning forward, he pulled on the hair in his hands, dragging their faces close together and with a contented sigh, pressed his lips against the soft, luscious lips in front of him.'
Sasuke stumbled backwards, catching himself against the wall with one hand while holding his head with the other. His breath came in rasping gasps. What the hell was that? His heart was once again pounding out an abusing rhythm in his chest, except this time he couldn't tell if it was fear or…excitement? What the hell was happening to him? He had no memory like that, and he would never, NEVER act like that when he was in his right mind. The only time he was so relaxed was when he was doped up on painkillers or something. But he hadn't…
Shit! Last time they were at the hospital he had been given drugs. Ugh, his life was so fucking messed up. No wonder Naruto had looked so uncomfortable during his check up the next day. To think he had been freaked when Naruto just kissed his cheek, and here he had been nearly molesting the poor boy.
Pushing himself off the wall with shaking hands, Sasuke stepped towards the door again, schooling his face as that wonderful reached him again. Pushing open the door with a hand that only trembled slightly, Go Sasuke!, he moved inside silently. Standing in a nearby corner, he observed what he could see of the blonde beyond the large build of the doctor who blocked him mostly from view.
From what he could see the blonde looked alright, but considering all he could see was part of the halo of blonde that surrounded the man's head and a bare foot that peeked out from under the covers. Edging sideways anxiously, he tried to get a better view but the damn doctor was so huge he blocked every angle Sasuke could see from unless he wished to alert them to his presence. Biting his cheek in frustration he began paying attention to what was being said.
"So Naruto, have you been doing good? I know we just went over the medical reports and everything but they don't always tell the whole story. So I want to hear it from you. How've you been feeling? You haven't been back here in a while which I'm assuming is a good thing."
Here the doctor paused and Sasuke shuffled again, trying to see Naruto when his voice began to ring out again.
"I've been doing good. In a lot of sports and there's been no injuries really. Only minor stuff that you'd expect from any kid like me. Been eating good like ya told me to do so my weights stabilized. My bruises still stay around for quite a while yet but it's whatever. Can't do much about those so I just wait em out. Um…yeah… Can't think of anything else."
Sasuke's brows furrowed as he listened to Naruto speak. He had never known that the blonde had health issues. Hell, he fought like a demon so there was no way for him to have known. However, a slight pain in his chest alerted him to how betrayed he felt that Naruto hadn't told him. But as he listened to the end of his statement, his head cocked to the side. That hadn't sounded like the truth. Naruto was hiding something. And if the doctor didn't catch it, he would force the boy to tell him, even if it came back to brute force. He wouldn't let the boy harm himself.
Oddly enough, Sasuke found absolutely nothing wrong with that statement. The boy couldn't hurt himself but he could if not doing so would hurt him more…? Sasuke's mind was messed up.
Thankfully though, the doctor either was well acquainted with Naruto to know that he was lying or he had caught the way the boys eyes turned to the window in his lie.
"What about sleeping? It doesn't look as though you've been sleeping enough. Is your insomnia acting up again?"
Naruto shifted in his bed, alerting them to his hesitation in answering before he finally spoke. "Uh, yeah I guess so. I mean, its hard to sleep with the hours I'm working and school put together but when I have the time it just doesn't happen. My mind won't shut up so I just go running or something. Keeps them nasty thoughts away ya know?"
"What about your pills? Have they been helping?"
"…yes?" he let out an awkward chuckle, which quickly morphed into a wet, hacking cough. The doctor moved forward swiftly, holding a cloth over the boys' mouth as he coughed, rubbing circles on his back as he supported him.
Seizing this opportunity, Sasuke moved, hiding himself within the shadows given off by the bathroom door. He knew it was wrong to eavesdrop, having had it beaten into him at a very young age, but he couldn't help himself. Some perverse sickness was hiding in him, pushing for him to learn more about this ridiculous walking Rubik cube, even if he could lose any sort of relationship they had forged so far. He was learning more about the other boy in this hidden corner than he had in their entire lives. He wanted, no, needed, to know more.
"Better?" The doctor asked, reaching for a glass of water that he helped the boy to sip from.
Naruto nodded, and the doctor pulled back, resuming the questioning as if nothing had happened.
"So why the question mark when I asked about your pills? You have been taking them right?"
"Yeah, I was but…I- I haven't gotten it refilled lately. No money ya know? Since it didn't seem to be hurting anything, I figured I would push it out. I'll get em, I promise!"
The doctor sighed, reaching up to run a hand down his face. "How long has it been since you took them?"
"Hehe…about…a year and a half? Maybe more?" Naruto responded with a wince, knowing it wasn't the response that the doctor was looking for.
"Naruto! A YEAR! Jesus-! Okay, I'm writing out the prescription and having one of the nurses go get it. You will take it with you when you leave and I'm going to write a note to the pharmacist to call me when the prescription runs out so I know that you're getting them. Do you need the pills for your heart as well?"
Looking down at his clasped hands in shame, Naruto nodded.
"How long have you been going without those?"
"Not long! I swear! Seriously! I thought I had some left when this last attack hit! But then…when I pulled the bottle out of my pocket, they were all gone. I'm so serious right now! It's the one thing I always refill. Cross my heart." He swore, making a cross over his heart.
The doctor studied him long a hard before looking away, beginning to scribble on his pad. "Alright. I'm gonna give you the amnesia pills, the arrhythmia pills and a 7 day pack of corticosteroids to bring down the inflammation in your lungs. It's why you passed out. Got to stressed out and gave yourself an asthma attack which in turn led to your bout of arrhythmia. I'm going to go put these in the system alright? Be back in a few."
Naruto nodded as the doctor left, pulling the door behind him. There was a suspicious lack of the click of it pulling into place but neither really paid attention to it.
The doctor paced down the hallway, taking a quick right and stopping at the computer kiosk that resided there. He typed in his id and code, waiting for it to load. Accessing the prescription link, he typed in what he needed and sent it down to the pharmacy, with all his notes and such. Closing out of the page, he logged off. Leaning back against the wall behind him, he rubbed roughly at a crick in his neck. Lord knows he loves his job but sometimes it really tested him. Especially Naruto…he was such a sweet kid that he been through enough and yet, here he was, back in this same flipping hospital not five years later. It just didn't seem fair.
Letting out a hot breath of air, he rubbed his eyes before straightening up as the computer beeped at him, letting him know that it had successfully logged him off. Opening his eyes he let out a yell and jumped back. Standing before him was a young man with deep black hair and a pissed off expression on his face. Taking a deep breath, he calmed his racing heart before speaking.
"Jesus kid. Give a dude some warning next time or something alright? Now beat it. You're not supposed to be back here."
Instead of doing as he said, the kid just looked at him with an arrogant sneer. "What's wrong with Naruto?"
The mention of his patient brought his head round to the young man with a snap. "I don't believe that's any of your business. Now please, return to the waiting room, or I shall have security escort you from the building."
Silence rode heavy in the air for a minute or two, emotions warring behind the ebony eyes before finally, the boy spoke. "I'm a…friend of his. My brother and I brought him here. We…I, just want to know that he's going to be okay…..Please." he added on as an afterthought, as if he wasn't used to saying the word.
The doctor stared at the boy in front of him. He knew he shouldn't give away patient information however… "I shouldn't be doing this. Confidentiality and all that you know. You say anything to anyone about this and I'll deny ever even meeting you. Got it?"
When the boy just stared at him, he took that as confirmation.
"All I'm gonna tell you is that when he was younger he didn't get the nutrition he needed so his body has some problems from that. His poor physical health ended up resulting in a few minor mental blocks but he's survived and is working through them. A couple accidents when he was younger gave him some ongoing problems to battle but he's dealing with them. Nothing to get your panties in a twist about. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a patient to see."
That said, the doctor walked around the silent boy and down the hallway. Looking back over his shoulder he saw that the boy was following him, an extremely concentrated if not slightly frustrated look on his face. Despite the fact that he was halfway down the hallway from him, it still gave him chills. Running a hand that shook for some weird reason, through his hair he took a moment to compose himself before pushing open the door to Naruto's room.
"Alright kid. The prescriptions are in and should be ready by the time you're discharged."
"Which will be when?" Naruto asked anxiously, fidgeting in the bed. He was tired of sitting here doing nothing.
The doctor checked his watch. "In about…two hours. I want to let that IV finish dripping and make sure your heart is doing what it should be. Oh yeah, I added a pain killer for your bruises so take them if you need them. Don't try to tough it out. Your body has been through enough already. And please take all those pills this time. They don't do any good just sitting on your bathroom counter."
"Don't worry. He will be."
Both Naruto and the doctor yelped and jumped as the quiet voice spoke from the doorway. Naruto nearly fell over as he scrambled to the edge of the bed, carelessly ripping out the IV that was in his hand. Wincing at the pain, he leaned around of the doctor, unable to believe that the person whose voice he had heard was actually here.
"SASUKE?"
Sasuke winced at the loud volume being emitted from one person. "Jesus dobe, calm down."
"BUT-! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?"
"Naruto." Sasuke spoke sternly. "Calm. Down. Who else do you think brought you here?"
Flinching back at the sharp tone in the other's voice, Naruto settled back onto the bed, grumbling as the doctor grabbed his hand and refitted the IV, before muttering, "I'll leave you two alone. Naruto I'll be back in a bit to discharge you. Try not to pull out the IV again."
Nodding absently, the blonde sent a wave in the doctors' direction, all his attention still focused on Sasuke. As they waited for the doctors' footsteps to fade away, an awkward silence descended between the two. Naruto fidgeted awkwardly underneath the silence, realizing that Sasuke had yet to look at him. Finally he couldn't take the quiet anymore and stuttered out the first thing that came to his mind. "Why aren't you looking at me?"
Sasuke tensed immediately, gaze frozen on the floor.
"Sasuke…Sasuke! Sasuke! Look at me!"
Sasuke flinched everytime he heard his name uttered by that sweet voice, his mind instantly flitting back to the memory he had just discovered. Immediately his face began to flush.
"Sasuke! Teme!"
The instant the supposed curse was uttered his head snapped up. Looking at the blonde sitting so innocently on the bed, Sasuke couldn't believe that he was becoming excited as he listened to his name being spoken over and over again, especially since it was being said in anger. "God! Fine dobe! Happy? Just shut up for once." He growled out, fighting to push down the ever-rising blush as the memory of him kissing Naruto continued to play over and over in his mind. Unfortunately he was losing that battle.
Silence was once again king, before being shoved down by the ever vocal boy. "Sasuke-teme…are you…Oh my god… you are! Sasuke! You're blushing!"
The moment that Naruto brought attention it, Sasuke lost his battle and the flush rushed over his cheekbones and down his neck. Even his ears began to turn pink.
Seeing the almighty Uchiha blush was amazing for Naruto. He couldn't help but fall over laughing, not even stopping when the IV pulled harshly on his hand, secured there by the triple taping the doctor had done.
"Shut up dobe." Sasuke muttered. However, there was no real heart behind it. Instead he watched the blonde laugh on the bed. He couldn't believe the change that had take place since the last time he had seen the blonde. He was used to seeing him as strong and buff, ridiculously athletic and healthy looking. But now…The blonde seemed to have lost thirty pounds overnight, leaving him looking like a scarecrow, or worse, Sasuke himself. The image was helped along by the sallow tone of his skin. Sasuke found himself swallowing hard, not at all pleased at the thought. Naruto just shouldn't look like this. There were deep bags under his eyes that he hadn't noticed before. That, combined with his now gauntly appearance, made him look so similar to a cadaver it was scary.
The real thing that stopped his heart was revealed as Naruto rolled around on his bed, laughing himself to tears.
When admitted to the hospital they had taken his clothes and give him a hospital gown, one that was little more than a sheet that tied in the back. So of course any sudden movement would reveal some skin that most people would be embarrassed about having shown. However, Naruto either didn't realize this or simply didn't care as he continued to roll about, flashing body parts for the whole room to see. Thankfully Sasuke was the only one there.
At first when the skin was shown, Sasuke's mouth had gone dry at the sight of the all the smooth skin on display. Though the blonde was little more than a shadow of himself right now, there was still enough of a promise in that body that it had his heart racing to win the Kentucky Derby. However, as the gown shifted sideways it revealed more of the boy's torso. And it was this view that had Sasuke's breath catching and his heart falling flat just as it reached that 10 meter line in the final stretch of the race.
Covering virtually every inch of the blonde's stomach and chest were a multitude of bruises. They varied in color, ranging from the deep purple of an egg plant to the sickly green yellow that would hurt only if poked. It was truly saddening to see that they blended into one another. Whatever was causing this was certainly giving the blonde no peace. The thing that hurt Sasuke the most was that there were some that looked as if they just happened minutes ago; a deep, startling red that was raised above all the others.
Swallowing back a cry of alarm at their appearance he coughed slightly to get the blonde's attention. There was no chance of him laughing at him as the blush was completely gone. The sight of those bruises had taken all coloring out of Sasuke's face and threatened to bring his stomach out along with it. Still chuckling softly to himself, Naruto straightened up, adjusting the gown merely out of habit. One look at the raven's face quickly brought his humour to a halt.
"Dobe…where did you get those bruises?" he asked quietly.
The moment the question was uttered, Naruto's back went ramrod straight and his gaze was glued onto his lap. Moments passed, a tense silence settling between the two, only to be abated when Naruto answered that question. However, it didn't seem to be waved away soon as Naruto was refusing to talk or even look at him.
"Dobe! Answer." Sasuke growled, taking a threatening step closer.
"No! I don't have to tell you shit teme, so go fuck yourself!"
Sasuke snarled at the insult, lunging forward. He vaulted onto to bed, pinning the struggling boy there with his hands encircling his wrists. "Tell me! NOW NARUTO! If someone's beating you it's not okay! I'll beat them within an inch of their lives, so help me!" Keeping his wrists pinned with one hand, Sasuke reached down with the other and tugged the gown up, disregarding the fact that he was baring the other to the room. He traced the exposed bruises lightly before looking back up at the blonde. "Tell me."
Naruto twisted underneath the smaller man, knowing that he was stronger than he looked but jeez! "Ouch! Let go teme!"
"Not until you tell me! Who the fuck's been doing this to you?"
"What the hell do you care? It's not like you haven't done the same!" Naruto screamed back, pressing up against the harsh grip on his wrist.
Sasuke reeled back as if the boy beneath him had punched him physically. "That's-"
"What?" Naruto basically screamed, tears threatening to spill over onto his cheeks. "It's not the same? How is it not? Just cause one is you and the other isn't? So it's alright if you beat me but not if someone else does? How fucked up are you? Now let me go!" he bucked his hips upwards, catching the raven off guard and successfully knocked him off top and loosened the grip on his wrists.
Sitting up Naruto shoved Sasuke off him entirely. Unfortunately he had either used too much force or Sasuke was totally caught off guard by his previous statement as the other went tumbling backwards off the end of the bed, catching the metal tray elevated there. The loud clang that ricocheted through the room was accompanied by swift footsteps approaching the room in the hallway.
Naruto quickly righted his gown, scurrying back under the security of his clothes. Having his bruises exposed…it made him feel dirty, ashamed. Especially since it was Sasuke that had seen them. He didn't know why it made such a difference but it did. It hurt to know that someone he knew had seen what he saw as one of his biggest failures.
Just as he reached up to wipe away the tears that had finally begun to make tracks down his cheeks, the door was wrenched open. His doctor stood in the door gazing from him on the bed, wiping away tears, to the spot on the floor where Sasuke had landed he assumed. Speaking of Sasuke…why hadn't he popped up already? Leaning toward to end of the bed, where the doctor was now kneeling, he saw a blur of red.
Holy shit! Falling back onto his bed, he quivered as the doctor slowly helped Sasuke back onto his feet and over into a chair. The pale boy's face was covered in blood. It spilled down his face in rivulets from a split in his eyebrow. Naruto swallowed hard as he watched the doctor clean the blood up and inspect the wound.
"Hm, I'm going to have to give ya a few stitches. You want numbing or not?"
Sasuke just shook his head, holding Naruto's gaze with him own during the entire thing. Not even flinching away when the doctor began to stitch him up. Just gazing into those deep blue eyes that began to shimmer with tears halfway through the doctor's quick job.
"Alright you're good. So who wants to tell me what happened? Naruto?"
The blonde just shook his head, turning away from the man and laying down on his side, burying his tears in the pillow.
Just as the doctor opened his mouth to pester the blonde more Sasuke spoke. "I tripped over his IV stand and hit the table. He's just a wimp and was crying because the IV got ripped out again."
The doctor looked at Sasuke's blank face and raised an eyebrow. "Uhuh…Naruto, is that what happened?" he asked the moping lump on the bed.
The mop of blonde moved slightly as he confirmed Sasuke's lie.
The doctor gazed between the two of them, obviously doubting the two but unable to prove otherwise. "Mm…then why was I informed that there was yelling coming from this room?"
Casting a sharp look at the bed Sasuke saw Naruto freeze, before rolling over quickly, opening his mouth. "I want to know why he has bruises covering the entire expanse of his torso."
Th doctor's brows furrowed before his gaze flew to the blonde. "Naruto, slide down your shirt."
"But-"
"Now." He uttered with complete seriousness.
Gritting his teeth and glaring at Sasuke, who looked back smugly, Naruto reached back and untied the gown, letting it gather around his waist. The doctor sucked in a sharp breath when he saw the number of bruises covering his body.
"Naruto…these are not from your blood vessels bursting. There are far to many for that. Why didn't you mention it before. What's happened to you?" he asked, pressing gently on various parts of his anatomy to make sure nothing was broken.
Naruto sucked in a gasp when the doctor hit a particularly sore spot. "Nothing! I fell okay? Can I go now? I'm tired of being accused of things."
The doctor frowned but moved away. "Mm, fine. But if you start coughing up blood or feeling any sort of pain go straight to the emergency room. Take your pills and try to take it easy. This much stress is just too dangerous for your body right now. And you," he said, pointing a finger at Sasuke. "Make sure he actually does these things alright?"
Sasuke nodded an affirmative, his gaze still locked on the stuttering blonde. Shaking his head, the doctor left the room.
"Let's go dobe. Get dressed. We have things to do." Sasuke finally muttered as he stood, clutching the wall for support as his head throbbed before walking out the door to give him some privacy.
Naruto sat gaping at the door, unable to believe what had just happened, until Sasuke's voice called through it. "You have five minutes. If you're not dressed and ready in that time I'm dragging you out of there whether you're clothed or not."
Hearing the very real threat in that statement Naruto leaped into action. Quickly scooting off the bed he allowed the untied gown to slide off his body to gather in a puddle of fabric at his feet. Grabbing the clothes that had been given back to him at some point, he struggled into them, holding a groan behind clenched teeth as he arched a way his body didn't want him to. Just as he was pulling his underwear up, he heard the door give its tell-tale click, alerting him. Whipping around he tripped on his underwear and ended up in a groaning heap on the floor with his boxers around his knees. And that is how Sasuke found him, when he walked in carry a bag full of prescription bottles.
Sasuke's gaze instantly found Naruto splayed out on the floor, boxers hanging well below where they were supposed to. This led to the second time Sasuke had blushed in one day, a rare occurrence, but rather than whipping around and declaring how stupid the blonde was for not even being able to put on his underwear, Sasuke stared.
He had never seen another man's penis beside his own. He was shocked to find that the tan that covered Naruto's skin was indeed, all-covering. Naruto was also slightly smaller in length than he was, but made up for it in width. He couldn't image that going the places sex ed told them about. His mouth went dry as Naruto's cock twitched slightly in a breeze the swept through the room from the open door.
Suddenly it clicked in his mind that he should not be staring at his classmates' penis. It was weird and awkward. So, with great willpower on his part, he tore his entranced gaze away from Naruto's penis and up to his face. He was amused to find that it was beet red and hidden slightly within the crook of his arm.
Suppressing a laugh at the blonde's ridiculous behaviour, Sasuke walked over to the blushing boy. Honestly, what dude when completely exposed chooses to cover his face? Squatting down by his side, Sasuke leaned over and swiftly and professionally pulled the boy's boxers up. Naruto, feeling the other's hands near his groin quickly sat up, pushing Sasuke's hands away with a blush, avoiding his gaze.
"I-I got it. Thanks."
Sasuke nodded in acknowledgement before wrapping his arm around Naruto's shoulders. "Come on, I'll help you dress. Or balance you." he added quickly when he saw the boy was about to protest. "You're obviously still too sore to be doing it by yourself."
Naruto blushed at the sexual content of Sasuke's statement but accepted gratefully none the less. Truth be told, it hurt like a bitch to even bend in the slightest. While he was pretty sure nothing was broken, there were definitely some bruised ribs to go with the set on his skin. Silently, the two maneuvered him into his clothes, Sasuke acting completely professional, before he moved away. Despite his completely blank façade, underneath his was fighting back the completely irrational urge to touch the blonde. Finally he turned around and grabbed the bag he had brought in before.
"I got your meds. Let's go."
Nodding, Naruto slowly followed the raven out down the hallway and through the lobby. Upon reaching the pick up spot, Sasuke pointed to a bench before walking away, presumably to get his car. Wincing in discomfort Naruto made an effort to sit before giving up all together and stood waiting for the car.
Within minutes Sasuke was back, hopping out of the drivers' seat to open Naruto's door and ease him into the passenger seat. Grumbling under his breath, "not a girl bastard." Naruto leaned heavily on the arm Sasuke lent before he sat carefully in the seat. When nothing protested too violently he relaxed into the cushiony seat, closing his eyes.
Moments later Sasuke was seated in his own seat and the car was moving. The gentle rocking of the car as it maneuvered through traffic was the best drug Naruto had. However, he struggled against it, his head bobbing as he fought to stay awake, something that literally never happened.
"Sasuke.."
"Hn."
"Where are we going…"
"Home."
"Home..?" he asked blearily, not understanding what Sasuke meant. He had no home.
Sasuke stiffened, realizing his mistake before quickly murmuring, "My house. You have to go there due to our punishment remember?"
"Oh yeah…hey Sasuke?"
"Hn."
"Thank you…"
Sasuke blinked before asking, "For what?"
When there was no reply, he glanced over only to find the blonde asleep in the seat, head lolling against the window. Unbeknownst to him a small smile crept its way across his lips as he turned back to the road.
Little did he know, the blonde wasn't actually asleep. In his mind Naruto answered the question, 'for caring enough to come for me.'
XxXxXxXxX
Roughly a week had passed since he had been rushed to the hospital and to Naruto it was one of the worst weeks of his life. Ever since Sasuke had found out he had health troubles he had been babied. It was the worst thing he had experienced. Seeing the pitying look in the usually unforgiving and hardass Uchiha's eyes made him want to cringe. And nothing he did could wipe it out. Purposely picking fights with him simply got him a scoff and an eyes roll. Using up all his expensive hair gel, nothing. Breaking the most expensive vase he could find in the whole house hold, nada. Setting the kitchen on fire? A stare. A stare for god's sake! He had tried to burn down the house and all he got was a stare! And a stare filled with pity and compassion, things he did not want.
Thus he avoided the house like it was the plague. He had skipped one day of school, and thanked the heavens above for the four day weekend that they had. It allowed for him to go without seeing the stares and hearing the whispers that would echo through the hallway as he walked through them. But since he couldn't go to school, Sasuke's house or even his house due to the punishment he spent nearly every hour of his day at work.
When he first began working all day long, Jiraiya had pulled him aside, and questioned his purpose but when the blonde just shrugged and muttered something about needing the hours, the old man had decided to leave it alone. He could use all the help he got, gave him more time to research. The way Naruto figured it though, he was preparing to take over for when the old man kicked the bucket.
As he bussed tables, his mind continued to whirl, always coming back to the stupid Uchiha that had somehow managed to wiggle a way into his life. He hadn't been back to the Uchiha's house in nearly four days considering he was the first to open the restaurant and the last to close it. Put in the hours that the shop was open most days and it left him with about four hours to sleep, but he hadn't done so. Instead he would wander the streets, thinking things he had already thought about, trying to come to a conclusion about what to do. It never worked. Instead he wound up back where he started, working in the restaurant, smiling happily at the customers as he took their order and then taking out his fury at the turn his life had taken on crusted on noodles and cheese when he worked in back. If he had to take a guess, he would bet that Sasuke finally realized that something was wrong mainly due to his continued absence.
He bent to pick up a napkin that had fallen and instantly experienced a bout of vertigo. Clutching at the table he eased himself into the seat, dumping his bucket of dishes onto to table. Resting his head on his folded arms, he attempted to regulate his breathing. Quickly running through the hours in his head, he began to fumble through his pockets for his pills. True to his promise he had been taking them. Unfortunately he could actually tell that he was needing them now. Lately he could feel his heart skipping and waves of dizziness overtaking him, just as he had just experienced. The pills were meant to help prevent the attacks but there was only so much you could do to help your body along when you began to put it through what he was forcing his to endure.
Swiftly popping a pill into his mouth, he swallowed it dry, tilting his head back against the booth's wall to wait out the vertigo. Finally feeling the dizziness recede, Naruto stood up and grabbed his bucket beginning to bus tables again as if nothing happened. Filling up his tub with ease, he strode into the back to empty it and head back onto the floor once again. Unfortunately, a strong hand around his bicep make him stop in his track.
"Naruto. You've been here since five this morning. Take a break. Eat something. I made you shrimp stir fry ramen, so you better eat all of it." Chouji, the spoke, shoving a huge bowl into Naruto's hands in exchange for the busing tub which he easily confiscated.
Sighing, Naruto nodded and headed into the break room that resided in the back. Collapsing into a seat, he began to eat the ramen, groaning as the first bite made its way into his mouth. He quickly began to shovel the food into his mouth. He hadn't realized how hungry he was until the first morsel had touched his tongue. It had been at least three days since he had eaten. It helped that Chouji's cooking was practically sinful it tasted so good.
Slurping up the last of the broth and shrimp bits he let out a long moan that belonged more in a bedroom than in a meal. It had been so long since he had ramen that good. He would have to remember to compliment Chouji, and perhaps put in to have his pay raised, especially if he could like this all the time. Leaning back in his chair, he rubbed a hand over his eyes, feeling the weight of his sleepless nights and days pressing behind his eyes and yet knew he wouldn't sleep. Licking his lips he grunted once more at the delicious flavoring before standing and turning to head back to work. But as soon as he stood his breath caught in his throat and he froze on the spot.
Standing in the doorway to the break room, leaning so casually against the frame it seemed he was a regular in this place, a worker's boyfriend come to collect her from work, was Sasuke. Naruto took in the sight of the person who had been on his mind for five days now. Dark jeans clung to his legs, showing the muscles in startling detail while a red hoodie covered his upper body, shielding it from the cold that was creeping upon the town as winter moved it. He looked perfect in Naruto's mind which was exactly why he had avoided the house for the past couple of days. He shouldn't be thinking like that.
"I didn't know you could make those noises for ramen alone. I swear, it sounded more like a porno." Sasuke teased, a eyebrow quirking upwards in his humour.
Naruto simply swallowed hard, staring at the other. "Why are you here?" he asked, ignoring the only joke he had ever heard Sasuke utter.
Sasuke's smirk faded, replaced by a serious look of determination and he stepped inside the room, closing the door quietly behind him. When Naruto heard the click of the lock, he moved towards to door, reaching to open it. "I have to go. I need to get back to work."
"Naruto."
Upon hearing his name spoken so quietly, the boy flinched, dropping his hand from the handle, head bowed to his chest.
"Why are you avoiding me?"
Rather than avoiding the issue, Sasuke decided to dive right in.
A dangerous silence filled the break room, broken only by the blonde's erratic breathing. There was nothing he could do, nowhere he could go. He had tried to distance himself but the stupid man kept following him. Working insane hours hadn't worked as someone had told Sasuke were he worked, as its location was previously unknown to the raven. As his breathing continued to increase, Naruto realized in the back of his mind that he was going to give himself another asthma attack. Stumbling over to the couch, he sat down heavily, putting his head in his hands as he began to count the moments between each breath. Slowly but surely he began to calm down.
Hearing a creak, he looked up and saw that Sasuke had taken a seat upon the table in front of him.
"You wanna know why I'm avoiding you? You're freaking pity. I hate it. Ever since you saw me at the hospital you've been treating me like I'm a china doll. Look at me! I don't need to be pitied! I've worked all my life and been super independent so no one would do that. I've worked to prove that I can do anything everyone else can. When I saw you in the hospital did I freak out and treat you like a baby for weeks afterwards? Pampering you? Not letting you pick up a toothbrush for yourself? No! Cause I fucking know that it was annoying.
"I just want to be treated like every other teenager; one with no problems or worries. No one else knows about this and I can just bet you that by the time I go back to school, it'll be all over. Every single person, even the ones I don't know, will have heard of Naruto Uzumaki, the kid that has that disease. I can't stand that thought of that!" he cried, lifting his head from where it had fallen into his hands.
"I'm so tired of worrying, and crying and I'm just so tired of all of it. I want all of it stop but it's not going to. My life is all about other people. What they think, what they do and what I can do to make it better. But in this I can't do anything to make it better. I can't change this! I've spent my whole life away from people, being shunned for being the different kid. The one who couldn't do what everyone else could and now that I can, the past might come back to bite me in the ass. My entire life depends on one person. You. You have the ability to tear my life down and you are fucking pitying me!
If I wanted your pity I would fucking act like it! But until I do, just treat me like a normal person!" Naruto sobbed, clenching his hair tightly in fists. "Just wanna be a normal person…" he whimpered out, falling forward.
Throughout the entire confession Sasuke had sat there in silence, listen to what the blonde was unknowing telling him, absorbing every detail. When Naruto began to cry though, he felt like he had been hit by a bus which then proceeded to back over him. However he sat quietly, letting the boy spill his frustrations. But when the blue eyed boy fell forwards, collapsing into his lap he couldn't sit idle.
At first he locked up, unsure of what to do but then he relaxed, leaning forward to wrap his arms around shaking body in his lap. Rubbing circles on his back, Sasuke rocked Naruto back and forth, making soothing sounds in his throat. As Sasuke continued to do what he had seen everyone in his life do, pressing his forehead against the top of Naruto's, he found himself shocked by how much he enjoyed the close contact with the boy who he had been beating on for three years. It puzzled him but he decided to push it aside. There were more important things to attend to at the moment.
Eventually Naruto's sobbing slowed, leaving Sasuke with a sniffling, red-faced blonde. When Naruto tried to pull away in embarrassment, Sasuke just pulled him to his feet, brushing his wet cheeks with his thumbs. Naruto flushed at the gentle touch, turning his gaze to the side, avoiding Sasuke's warm eyes.
"Come on dobe. Let's go."
Sniffing roughly, Naruto rubbed at his itchy eyes. "Why?"
Sasuke grabbed his hand, tugging him along behind him as he opened the door and walked out in the hallway. Gently shoving Naruto towards the punch out box, he grabbed the blonde's coat and nodded at the old man that stood in the hallway watching them. Pushing the coat into Naruto's arms they walked out into the parking lot as the blonde struggled to pull his hoodie with their rushed pace.
Falling into the warm interior of the car, Naruto buckled himself in as the car started up and instantly passed out.
XxXxXxXxX
Waking to the chirping of birds had to be the most annoying way to wake that Naruto had ever experienced. Groaning lowly, he rolled over and buried his head underneath the pillow that his hands captured. When it did little to alleviate the annoyance he reached over to find something to throw at them. But instead of finding something to throw at the damn birds, his encountered something small and soft and warm.
His mind suddenly started to work, the fuzz that encompassed it wiped away in his alarm. He didn't sleep! So where the hell was he? Holding his breath, he rolled over slowly opening his eyes, which widened in shock.
Laying only inches away was Sasuke. As Naruto stared in shock he felt Sasuke's cool and spicy breath flow across his face. Shuddering at the feel he let out a breath, the hand that had touched Sasuke by accident now reaching up to trace the clean line of his nose. Sasuke was so…beautiful. How had he never noticed before. His heart clenched as he continued to gaze at the other man, his eyes following the angle of his jaw into his shoulder and down the slope of his waist till it disappeared under the sheet. It was something that he didn't appreciate and felt himself being tempted to move the sheet.
Then Sasuke grunted slightly in his sleep. Naruto's gaze flew back to Sasuke, his hand snapping back to his side. Fluttering, Sasuke's eyelids opened, his gaze unfocused as he woke up. Unsurprisingly he gathered his wits much faster than Naruto had. Looking back into the ocean blue gaze, he stared at the other, both waiting to see the other's reaction.
Blinking repeatedly, Naruto held the serious gaze before clearing his throat. In a voice still jagged with the longest sleep he had had in a long time he whispered, "Hey…"
Sasuke stared at him a moment before blinking slowly and smirking. "Dobe…" He rolled over onto his back, and threw and arm up over his eyes, breath evening out as if he intended to fall back asleep.
Naruto fidgeted in his spot, unsure of what to do. "Sasuke…"
Before he could find the words to say he was interrupted.
"Dobe…just go make our breakfast." Sasuke murmured, rolling his head to the side slightly as he looked at the dobe out of one eye.
Naruto scoffed at the demand, leaning over to punch the teme in the stomach, though not as hard as usual, before he kicked off the covers. "Don't tell me what to do teme."
As the blonde began to walk across the room, he heard Sasuke fake a groan of pain and though he grumbled all the way out of the room, he couldn't hide the smile that broke across his face as made it to the hallway. Things were finally back to normal.
Or…as normal as they ever were around the two of them.
Yay! I finished it. This is officially the longest chapter I have ever written. I discovered the other day that I have been working on this story since 2006. It's the longest I've ever stuck with a story. I know that there are huge gaps between updates but hopefully since it's summer I'll be able to update at least two more times. I just have to think of what happens next. If ya'll have any suggestions, let me know in a review!