A/N: You know the feeling when you write a story, and you kind of like it, but then you re-read it and completely re-write 70 percent of it, and then you kind of like it again, but you read it a third time and re-write something else, and you keep that vicious cycle until it becomes a shadow of the story it once was? Yeah, this story is kind of like that. I think I kept doing that vicious cycle because I, myself, am sick. Just like poor Naruto in the story. Yeah...um... enjoy?
One-Shot #35
Sick
Kakashi teleported himself to the bridge, after standing in front of the memorial since dawn, only to find two of his three genin waiting for him. He was late, which was nothing new, and he expected to hear his two more vocally inclined students to make it well known. Instead, he was greeted by only one of them.
"You're late, again, Kakashi-sensei, as usual. And don't give us that 'lost on the road of life' excuse, because it's never the truth and we're tired of hearing it!" Sakura was shaking her finger toward him, making the jounin forcefully hold in a chuckle.
"Ah, okay." Looking around the genins in front of him, he raised an eyebrow. "Where is Naruto?"
"We – well, I – was wondering that, too." Sakura glanced at Sasuke, who was wearing his emotionless mask, as she answered her sensei.
Kakashi's eyebrow rose further. "No one has seen him?"
"No." Sasuke moved from leaning on the bridge to standing somewhat beside Sakura as he spoke. "Not since yesterdays training."
"Come to think of it, he left early yesterday, didn't he?" Sakura said, more to herself than anyone in particular, as she tapped her chin.
"He was a bit sluggish yesterday, too. Even Sakura was faster than him." This comment earned Kakashi a stern glare from Sakura. He shrugged it off and let his visible eye settle on Sasuke for a moment. The raven-haired boy looked almost worried, the expression flickering on and off his face. If it wasn't for Kakashi's careful studying of the boy, he may have never seen it. Sasuke was concerned for Naruto.
"Sasuke, go to his apartment and check on him."
Sasuke's head snapped up to look at Kakashi in the eye. "Why?"
"Because I asked you to, Sasuke. Besides, you're a boy and he's a boy, it would make more sense in case something…inappropriate happened."
"Something…inappropriate…" Sasuke's eyebrow raised high, enough to almost enter his hairline.
"Eh, it's Naruto. One would never know what he got into."
The walk to Naruto's apartment was spent with Sasuke glaring at everything in sight. He blamed the highly not enjoyable experience on the pavement at first, and then on the leaves that fell at his feet and on his shoulders. Finally the entire predicament was blamed on Naruto's front door. He silently hoped his glare would melt the door so he wouldn't have to touch it. But no such luck. He took a few deep breaths before raising his pale hand and, upon closing it into a fist, knocked firmly on the not-melting door before him.
There was a long pause before he heard someone walking clumsily toward the door. He heard a muffled 'humph' as a body slumped against the door in an attempt to open it. Once open, he was greeted with a very pale, very sick Naruto.
"What?" The blonde croaked out, apparently annoyed at having to move, or speak.
"I guess that's why you weren't at training today." Sasuke surveyed the blonde before him. His skin was ghostly pale with a hint of flush covering his cheeks, which he guessed was a high fever. His body was shaking as if it was cold, and he was covered in a cold sweat. By the way Naruto's big blue eyes were staring at him, unfocused; Sasuke guessed he was dizzy too.
"Yeah. That it?" Naruto leaned his forehead against the cool wood of the door, sniffing loudly and rubbing his nose with his hand. This simultaneously made Sasuke feel concern and nausea; a feat only Naruto could accomplish.
"Did you take anything for your ailment?"
"Don't have nothing."
Sasuke raised his eyebrow at Naruto's hoarse answer. "What do you mean you don't have anything?"
"Exactly what it sounded like, bastard. Now can I go back to bed? I'm getting really dizzy standing here." Naruto, not even bothering to shut the door, just turned around and walked, slowly and not straightly, back to his small bed. The zig-zag pattern Naruto's steps made were making Sasuke worry even more. The blonde was really sick.
Not caring Naruto needed some alone time, Sasuke just walked in the door behind him. "You need medication, Naruto, a doctor even. You are sick." Naruto just shrugged in return.
"Fine, idiot. If you are too damn stubborn to take care of yourself," Sasuke grabbed Naruto's apartment key off his end table that was beside his couch, "then I'll do it for you."
Naruto looked at him, raising an eyebrow. The loud voice Sasuke had used just then made his head ache. He tried to open his mouth to say something, an insult perhaps, but instead just jolted up from his bed and ran for his bathroom, slamming into every table, wall, or other obstacle along the way. He barely made it in time before throwing up what little he ate for breakfast.
Sasuke stood in the doorway, watching the blonde heaving into his toilet. His concern doubled and he walked over to the blonde, bending over to help him off the floor. He only had Naruto by one arm, so when the blonde's legs couldn't hold him up and he began to fall, Sasuke had to hurriedly grab him around the middle with his other arm for support. With Naruto's arms reaching out for anything he could get a hold of, they wound up in an awkward hug, both profusely blushing.
Once safely back in his bed, Naruto felt Sasuke's hand touching his forehead and cheeks.
"You're burning up, baka. I need to get you some medicine." He walked into the bathroom and came back out carrying a wet wash cloth. He folded it and sat down beside Naruto on the bed, placing the cloth on Naruto's forehead. "What all is hurting?"
"Everything." Naruto croaked out. "You don't have to take care of me, Sasuke. I'm used to doing things on my own."
Sasuke looked a little taken back, but didn't comment on it. Instead, he stood up and dug Naruto's key out of his pocket. "Stuffy nose, fever, dizziness, nausea…anything else?"
"Sore throat." Naruto whispered, his eyes already drifting shut.
"Alright, I'll be back."
Twenty minutes and about six different bottles of medicine later, Sasuke returned to Naruto's apartment. The first thing he noticed was the blonde's wheezing, yet even, breathing as he slept. The covers were pulled up high, held tightly around his body by white-knuckled hands. Sasuke smirked at the death grip he held on those covers, as if someone would snatch them away in his sleep. The next thing he noticed was the shaking the blonde was doing, as if he was extremely cold.
He walked up to the bed and felt Naruto's forehead. The fever was still there, but maybe a little higher than before. He went to the kitchen to get the blonde a drink, but all he had was milk – outdated milk. Deciding it wasn't the best thing on Naruto's already upset stomach, he figured the dobe would have to settle for water. The older teen returned to Naruto's bedside, sitting gingerly on it as to not startle the blonde.
"Naruto." Sasuke whispered, placing a hand on his covered shoulder and shaking it slightly. The blonde stirred and opened one eye slowly.
"What?" His voice was hoarser than before.
"Medicine." Naruto shrugged and sat up slightly. He took whatever Sasuke gave him and drank some of the water before lying back down. "Trusting, aren't you?" Naruto smirked sleepily, pulling the covers up a little higher.
Sasuke spent the next three hours in Naruto's small apartment with nothing much to do but watch a little TV and re-wetting the cloth on the blonde's forehead. Finally, the fever broke and Naruto stopped shaking. And, within another hour, the blonde finally woke up.
"…'suke…" Naruto's sleepy drawl shook Sasuke from his daze.
The raven-haired teen walked over and took a seat on the bed beside the blonde, feeling his forehead almost out of habit. "What, dobe?"
"My stomach hurts, like I'm hungry."
"You can't have ramen." Sasuke smirked at the lazy glare Naruto gave him at that. "Something bland so your stomach can handle it." He was still touching Naruto's face as he spoke, tracing the whisker marks on Naruto's cheeks. When it finally dawned on him he was still touching the blonde, he quickly withdrew his hand and turned to get up, trying to hide his blush.
He stood in the kitchen, trying to work Naruto's bright orange toaster. The toaster's bright color made Sasuke whisper "go figure" and smirk. It was entirely strange, the situation he found himself in. Why he decided to stay and care for the blonde was beyond him. His entire body seemed to act on its own. It was as if they were back in the village with the bridge builder. When Haku was trying to kill Naruto and Sasuke took the full attack, saving the blonde. His body acted on its own there, too. And, like now, it confused him. His body seemed to do that most of the time he was around that idiot. Something made his body do things they wouldn't normally do. Like how he constantly had the need to feel his skin today. It was driving him crazy, and at the same time he felt happy, almost at ease.
He walked back into the room Naruto was in, carrying a small plate with buttery toast. Naruto raised his head eagerly, but frowned at the lack of ramen.
Sasuke, practically reading his mind, sat the toast down in front of him and smirked. "I said something bland. And highly salty ramen isn't bland."
"You are mean, bastard." Naruto scoffed, taking small bites of the toast.
"You're annoying." Sasuke retorted, sitting beside Naruto, watching him eat.
"Yet you are still here." Naruto smirked. His voice was still hoarse, but color was beginning to come back to his cheeks. Sasuke sighed and reached out for the medicine he left sitting on Naruto's bedside table. "Again?" Naruto asked, watching Sasuke pour the orange liquid into the tiny cup.
"Yeah, every four hours. Actually, you're overdue, but I didn't want to wake you."
Naruto took the medicine, with a lazy yet stern glare at the Uchiha handing it to him, and finished his toast. By the time he was finished, the medicine kicked in and began making Naruto drowsy. He watched Sasuke twist around the bed, putting the now empty plate on the nightstand. He took this as an opportunity and laid his head down on Sasuke's lap. Sasuke froze, watching the blonde head snuggle into his lap.
"What are you doing?" Sasuke's voice jumped an octave having the blonde head that close to a very important part of his anatomy.
"Sleepy…'suke's comfortable…" Naruto whispered his voice thick with sleep.
"You are on my lap, dobe."
"Yeah…I know…" Naruto buried his face in the blankets to hide the smirk slowly crawling over his face.
"Get off." The raven haired teen's voice was squeaking with nerves as he spoke, but he didn't want to just push Naruto off of him, he was still sick.
"Nah…I like it here."
"…annoying…" Sasuke muttered, leaning back against the wall and trying to get comfortable. He conceded that Naruto indeed won that one, because he wasn't the type of guy to push a sick guy on the floor just to regain his dignity. Or was he?
Naruto breathed in the scent of Sasuke and felt the comfort of sleep drift over him. His mind raced, as it does when you are sick, with images of Sasuke's soft eyes and warm expressions. The way he was acting was a lot kinder than Naruto was used to seeing him. He knew he was sick and all, but he really liked it. It might just be the sickness talking, but he could have sworn he saw the Uchiha smile once. Nah, he had to be seeing things. The sickness was making him hallucinate. Naruto took a deep breath and decided to ride this whole thing out. He was immensely enjoying himself, despite the illness.
"I like you, Sasuke. I like this Sasuke." The Uchiha's eyes just stared at Naruto's blonde hair in his lap, his face buried in the soft blue blanket that had orange swirls all over. "You should act like this more often. You would surprise people."
Sasuke really didn't know what to say, so he just sat silent. It wasn't long before the blonde's breathing became deep and even, signaling sleep had finally taken over. Raking his fingers through the blonde hair (another act his body did on its own), Sasuke took a deep breath and smiled. He really didn't think he could act this way with anyone except Naruto, so maybe he'd share this side of him for that one person. As Sasuke, himself, drifted off to sleep, keeping his fingers tangled in the messy blonde hair in his lap, he tried to picture the awkwardness of this situation in the morning. The blonde waking up, fully aware of his actions, in Sasuke's lap was going to be amusing. As the last bit of consciousness drifted off, Sasuke sent out a silent 'thank you' to Kakashi for forcing him into this in the first place.
I have come to a conclusion about my writing. I HATE MY ENDINGS! There, I said it, now maybe I can begin to heal.
I can just see Emo-Boy standing here with that annoyed look on his face and telling me I'm "not worth the effort of tolerating" anymore... and then he sicks Demon Naruto on me... For Shame, Sasuke, For Shame! (Yeah, I'm high on some serious Tylenol Cold & Sinus meds. I think I'm seeing little Naruto's dancing around my head with little Sasuke banging a big drum... we're not going there either.)
