JUU-GO

"Lack of sleep, dehydration, malnutrition, head injury, and blood loss. Excuse my language, but it's no fucking wonder he passed out," the doctor remarked too casually for it to be taken on a whim. "Is he living under a rock? No? Then, why does he appear to exhibit the markers of precivilization? This isn't the goddamn Stone Age."

"Damn, Sasori. You don't pull your punches, do you?" Kyuubi snarked on the sidelines.

"It's Sasori-sama to you," the red-haired man corrected with a tinge of annoyance.

"Why'd they call you in anyway? What happened to the other doctor?"

Sasuke watched as multiple irk marks appeared along the man's temple. "If patients acted like patients, I wouldn't have been pulled from my break to deliver such pitiful news."

"We get it. You're irritated. Tell us something we don't know."

Sasori huffed. "His CT scan did come back unremarkable and his vitals are stable, so aside from what I mentioned, he should be on his way to recovery. Since he did hit his head, we'll keep him overnight just in case," he said, turning to leave. "Also, here's a thought: have the patient be a good boy and keep those IVs in him until they are completely drained. We're looking to rehydrate him, not separate him from his dearest."

Even though that statement was definitely for Itachi, who was currently asleep in the hospital bed, Sasuke flushed at the man's words, embarrassed by any ridiculous actions his Aniki had taken prior to his arrival.

"Thank you, Doctor," he said, receiving a nod before the red-headed man stepped out.

"Chibi, you haven't eaten since lunch, right? It's almost eight," Kyuubi said, glancing at his watch. "I'll head out and get us some dinner. Is there anything to your fancy?"

Sasuke shook his head. "Anything's fine. Thanks, Kyuubi." He gave the blonde a small smile of appreciation.

"Okay, I'll be back in a half hour or so. Are you planning on staying here with the bro-con overnight? Sasori said he could make an exception."

Sasuke had not budged from his Aniki's bedside since running out to get the doctor hours ago, not even when Itachi was being stitched up, but the only reason he wasn't ushered out was because his Aniki had awoken briefly and latched onto his hand, refusing to let go of his vice grip in spite of his unconscious state.

"Yes, I'll stay."

The blonde nodded and stepped out, closing the door quietly behind him, leaving Sasuke to stare down at their hands resting together on the bed. Initially, his Aniki had grasped onto what he could of Sasuke's hand: his ring and pinky fingers. However, some time during the seconds after he did, he was resolute in weaving his fingers through Sasuke's and clamping down.

So as he sat down and stared at the foreign display, it occurred to him that, coupled with their awkward encounter that morning, his Aniki was most likely anxious that Sasuke would leave his side again and was proactively seeking out a way to prevent it. So much so that, even in an unconscious state, he refused to release his hold on him.

Thinking back to the moment he awoke that morning, Sasuke had been behaving like a coward, avoiding interactions with the one person he loved so dearly because he couldn't face the things he, himself, had done. Then, when the news that Itachi was hospitalized reached him, a cold, deep terror penetrated his core, drilling holes into his soul.

In a blink of an eye, his Aniki could have been robbed from him. He could have died.

Immense guilt ransacked his entire being, and Sasuke found himself bowing his forehead to rest atop their entwined fingers and the white hospital sheets beneath grew damp with his tears.

"I-I'm sorry f-for being a-a brat. I'm s-sorry for walking out th-this morning. Sorry, ugh, sorry for i-ignoring you…. 'niki… 'n-niki… p-please for-forgive me… don't h-hate m-me."

I'm sorry for being unsatisfied with what we had.

Sasuke must have cried for another few minutes before the sheets rustled and a large, warm palm gently tousled through his hair before resting on his head. With a gasp, his head jerked up, showcasing a streak of smeared tears to the world.

"Don't cry," Itachi whispered, the kindness in his gaze mixed with a sadness he only reserved for when Sasuke was upset. "It's okay."

Even though Itachi was the one who was nearly killed, even though he was the one who was hospitalized, he was the one trying to reassure him everything was fine. In spite of Sasuke's recent behavior, his Aniki still looked at him like that. Like he was his entire world.

Sasuke choked on another sob as he threw himself on top of Itachi, only to retract when his Aniki hissed in pain. Immediately, he jumped back, stopping short when the grip tightened on his hand.

"No, I'm fine," Itachi insisted. "Hug me again."

Sasuke's eyes grew wary as they darted to the blanket covering the man's abdomen, unsure if he was telling the truth. His Aniki must have seen the look on his face because he smiled warmly, tugging him forward as he scooted over and patted his hospital bed.

"Lie down with me, Otouto," Itachi coaxed. "Come. This side."

Sasuke hesitated, feet rooted in place. "B-But you're hurt," he mumbled.

"It'll make me feel better if you do."

Sasuke was the recipient of a kind smile, one he did not deserve, but did give into. He gingerly climbed into the bed, sliding into the spot that Itachi had lifted his blanket away from, before he settled in stiffly on his back and folded his hands on top of his stomach.

Itachi covered him with the blanket and patted Sasuke's hands over the thin sheet. When he lay back down, his hand did not budge from its position.

"How are you feeling?" he asked quietly.

"I'll feel a lot better if my sweet Otouto looks at me," Itachi responded.

Sasuke swallowed thickly and turned on his side, immediately being pinned down by his Aniki's obsidian eyes. "Tell me," he whispered, voice hoarse.

He felt the tickle of the man's fingertips brush along his flushed cheek before it was cupped and a thumb ran across it. "I'm okay, Otouto," his Aniki soothed. "It doesn't hurt anymore."

"Liar," Sasuke hissed, tears springing from his eyes again.

"It hurts me more to see you cry," Itachi murmured.

Sasuke's eyes closed when his Aniki pressed a kiss to his forehead, leaving his lips to linger against his skin for longer than he anticipated, and when the warm pair of lips lifted from him, Sasuke thought it was over and regained his sight, only for his lashes to flutter again as his Aniki kissed away his tears.

And he lied there, letting him, without a single fuss. He tried to soak it all in while he ignored the bathump in his chest.

When they finally dried up, Itachi withdrew, and Sasuke was collected into his arms. "I'm sorry I couldn't pick you up from school. It wasn't my choice to leave you there," he lamented. "They wouldn't let me leave."

"It's okay…. Kyuubi called me," Sasuke mumbled, grasping onto the front of his Aniki's hospital gown. "But he wouldn't tell me anything. I thought," his voice dropped to a degree it was nearly inaudible, "I… thought y-you died and left me all alone." Sasuke could barely manage to finish his words before he was reduced to silently bawling against his Aniki's chest. "I–I didn't know what to do."

"What silly thoughts are going through that head of yours, Otouto?" Itachi murmured gently, rubbing his back. "Leave you? Aniki would never do such a thing. You know that, don't you?"

More cries and whimpers left Sasuke's lips as he inched closer to his Aniki, as close as he could get, and rubbed his face against the base Itachi's neck. "I-I… hic… I c-can't live in a– in a w-world without y-you," Sasuke said, a wretched sound leaving his vocals. "I won't survive."

The hand on his back paused, then restarted again, rubbing downward in long strokes. "Is that really how you feel, Sasuke?" Itachi asked quietly.

Sasuke nodded his head vehemently, fingers fisting his Aniki's shirt tightly, as he rushed to inhale the man's scent. Even though his eyes squeezed shut, more tears escaped with ease, but the soothing scent that filled his nostrils allowed him to control his breathing.

"Do you feel that way because you love me?" his Aniki asked, his tone sounding rather odd.

"Y-Yes, I love you," Sasuke said without hesitation, his words muffled against Itachi's chest. "Aniki, I love y-you so, so much that, sometimes, I– I can't control it. So don't die. Please d-don't die."

Sasuke couldn't handle it. As he spoke more words, his tears, which he thought were finally stopping, grew erratic again, staining his reddened cheeks and making a mess out of Itachi's hospital gown.

"Shh… shhhh. I'm right here, my sweet Otouto. I won't die. The only place I'll be going is home with you, so don't be sad. It's okay. Aniki's okay."

"Un… I– I, hic, l-love you…. I love y-you… hic."

Sasuke found his chin being tilted up and when his half-lidded eyes reached Itachi's and saw the glimmer of acceptance and warmth in his Aniki's eyes, a batch of butterflies fluttered in his stomach.

"I love you dearly, my beautiful Otouto," his Aniki told him with the smile that Sasuke loved so much.

He whimpered and, as if possessed, he glomped the man, planting kiss after kiss along his Aniki's cheek and jawline. He felt the rumble of the man's chuckle as his head was cradled, and Sasuke was allowed to do as he pleased.

Much to Sasuke's surprise, his Aniki had tilted his head and gave him room to express himself. He left a multitude of wet kisses along Itachi's neck, pausing briefly over his Adam's apple to nuzzle it with his nose.

"It's rare when you give me kisses," Itachi murmured, seemingly pleased with his obsessive behavior. "And so many at once. Like an affectionate puppy."

Sasuke froze at that, eyes widening in horror at his actions, and he slowly pulled away. "S-sorry," he stuttered as he shifted away, desperation leaving his body as quickly as it had manifested.

He chanced a glance at Itachi, hoping his feelings were not revealed in his moment of impulsivity. His Aniki looked upon him fondly as if he had just allowed a cub to gnaw at him for play, but he didn't look put off or disgusted. In fact, he looked like he was teasing him.

"No need to be sorry, Otouto. Aniki will accept all of your kisses with open arms."

Sasuke flushed harder and looked away. He wiped away the remnants of his tears, the jut of his lower lip evident. "Don't tease me," he mumbled petulantly. "You're supposed to push me away if I do something weird."

"Weird?" Itachi repeated. "What's so weird about my Otouto loving me? I feel blessed."

"Don't do that," Sasuke whispered. "Don't normalize things that aren't normal."

"What do you mean, Otouto? There's nothing sweeter than your kisses… well, except when I see you smile. They're both as sweet as candy."

Good lord, there he went with the sappy stuff again. Sasuke wanted to crawl into a hole and hide away for eternity.

A knock on the door had him sitting upright in a second flat with his legs swinging over the side two seconds after.

Kyuubi walked in balancing three paper bags and a bag from the convenience store. "Chibi, I got you some goodies," he said as he kicked the door shut with his foot. "I didn't know what you'd like so I got a bit of everything: burgers, takoyaki, a pesto and turkey sandwich, and a bento. Oh, I also got some drinks for you at the conbini, so you won't turn out like– oh, you're awake, Itachi!"

The blonde had been so busy fitting everything on the nightstand that he neglected to look at either of them until he had freed his hands.

"That's too much food, Kyuubi," Sasuke said as he walked over to inspect the items.

"It's cool. I'll eat whatever you don't," the blond said with a grin.

"He's a garbage disposal," Itachi muttered in the background. His Aniki was slowly sitting up on the bed, annoyance as clear as day on his face.

"That's why I'm so healthy and strong," Kyuubi piped, showing his muscles. "But hey, none for you, man. You've already got your goodies in there," he said, inclining his head at the dripping IV.

Itachi glowered, but said no more. He sat there brooding, watching as his Otouto chewed on a burger and laughed at Kyuubi's dumb jokes.

"Otouto," he mumbled, barely containing his growl. But Sasuke was just laughing at something the blonde had said and didn't hear him. He considered doing something about it, but, with how tragic things have been between them, he didn't want Sasuke to think bad of him, especially not when things between them seemed a little better after his accident.

After nearly going out of his mind from sitting there for a straight twenty minutes watching the lively emotions dance across Sasuke's face from someone other than him, he damn near threw a fucking parade when Kyuubi stood and declared it was time for him to head out.

His sweet Otouto even walked him to the door, telling him to drive safe because it was dark.

Enough was enough.

He threw the blankets off his lap and wheeled his IV drip with him as he padded to the door, the stitches tugging along his sides with each step.

"Otouto," he mumbled as he inched closer.

Sasuke finally turned around and closed the door, startled by him walking over, which indicated he didn't hear him.

"Oh no, Otouto," Itachi groaned, fed up with being ignored.

Concern blanketed the boy's face as his eyebrows jumped. "What's wrong, Aniki?" he responded, eyes darting down his body to find the problem.

"My side hurts," he murmured.

"What?" His Otouto's eyes widened adorably. "Then, why are you up on your feet?" he chastised.

Sasuke wrapped his arms around one of Itachi's and helped him back to bed.

He was so cute, his brows furrowing and his pink lips twitching as they twisted left and right. From up close, Itachi could see the shadows of his long eyelashes, which dusted across his cheeks every time he blinked, and his fair skin and cute button nose.

Itachi was struck with the sudden thought that, no matter what he was doing, his Otouto possessed the kind of beauty that crowds flocked toward- ethereal, which was why he had no trouble believing that someone was always out to get into his pants.

He sighed as he was sat down in the hospital bed and his IV drip was wheeled back in place.

"Stop neglecting your health. What were you thinking: getting out of bed when you were stitched up only a few hours ago?" Sasuke grumbled.

"I wanted a hug," Itachi murmured. "But you were too busy flirting with Kyuubi to hear me calling you."

He watched as Sasuke's lips parted as if he'd been surprised. When his mouth closed, the boy sighed, scrubbing a hand over his face with a sigh. "Aniki, what do you want from me?"

"Is it him? I want you to tell me–"

"No, I mean, what do you really want from me?" Sasuke interjected.

"I want you to give your attention and affection to only me. I don't want you to share it with anyone else," Itachi answered immediately.

"I'm not sharing it with anyone else."

"That's not what I heard and saw," Itachi said, eyes slightly narrowed.

Sasuke hesitated. "Your request…. That's not a typical thing to say."

"What do you mean?"

"It's… It's no different from what a boyfriend would demand."

"It's different," Itachi said gruffly, eyes hardened like steel. "It's different because you don't need one."

"…Why?" his Otouto whispered, looking down at his feet.

"You're too young."

"Then, when I get older," he insisted.

"You'll always be too young!" Itachi growled.

Sasuke startled at his outburst and Itachi had to grit his teeth.

"A boyfriend is not what you need," Itachi repeated firmly.

"Then, what do I need?" Sasuke asked quietly.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm what you need. Only me. Just me." Itachi's eyes flashed dangerously as he grew frustrated that he had to say that aloud. He thought it was always a given.

His Otouto stayed silent for a solid minute and, when he spoke, Itachi detected a hint of confusion.

"Aniki… can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"Hypothetically, if someone confessed their love to you, what would you say?"

Itachi's brows furrowed. "Why are you asking such a thing? Why would I even entertain the thought of dating anyone? That would mean I'd have to spend more time away from you, and that's a dealbreaker for me."

Sasuke paused, then remarked, "You should just date me then." When he realized he was on the receiving end of Itachi's intense, unblinking stare, he flushed and exclaimed, "I'm joking!"

Itachi remained unmoving as his gaze drilled into Sasuke's own. Initially, the idea had baffled and startled him, but that was just a short burst of indecisiveness from the abrupt comment. But then, it settled into his bones and brewed up a storm.

"Better me than someone else," he finally said almost too offhandedly.

H.J.

Sasuke thought he heard wrong. "Wh-What?" he stuttered. "D-Don't say that!"

His Aniki tilted his head and eyed him.

"I can give you everything you need," Itachi spoke seriously, clearly not knowing what kind of eyes Sasuke had been looking at him with for years now.

"Stop…" he whispered.

"But I can."

"Stop. Stop it," Sasuke heaved, feeling his lungs jump into his throat. He took a step back, suddenly feeling claustrophobic underneath his Aniki's intense, unwavering stare. "I– I need to go to the bathroom," he muttered, stumbling toward the door.

"There's one here–"

"I'll be back!" he said quickly, jerking open the door and slamming it shut after him. The physical need to run down the hall didn't dissipate, the need to expend his jittery energy evident, and in a blink, Sasuke found himself in the stairwell, his own breaths echoing in his ears as he hunched over and clutched his knees.

Stupid, he hissed in his brain. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

He'd made an outrageous comment without realizing it, and he could have blown up their entire relationship. What was worse was that Itachi agreed to go along with it in some chivalric form of knighthood as if proposing some scandalous relationship was righteous and noble and acceptable.

It was crazy enough that Sasuke was so off the rails that he'd rather kill himself than reveal what he'd done to his Aniki in his sleep, but for the man to hop on the crazy train in some misguided intention to hold onto their once platonic relationship was blasphemous.

Sasuke bit down on his lip as his body trembled without his permission and circular stains pitter-pattered onto the cold, cement floor. The sudden freezing temperature of the hospital stairwell collided with his miserable, unspeakable affections, causing him to release one gasping sob. The rest was reeled in, and Sasuke spent another few minutes in that hunched over position before he collected himself, cleared his throat, wiped away the stains on his cheeks, and straightened up.

His hand rested on the knob longer than he anticipated, but he finally opened the door leading to the floor.

And that's when he heard the screaming.

"I CAN'T FIND HIM! WHERE IS HE? WHERE DID HE GO? WHY CAN'T I FIND HIM? WHO TOOK HIM? "

The screaming words had the same effect on Sasuke as the blood-curdling scream of a banshee. Anger bled through them like blood from an open wound, but it was unable to mask the fear and desperation, which echoed throughout the hallways and bounced off Sasuke's quivering soul.

Itachi's head thrashed left and right as he stomped down the hall, fingers in his tangled tresses. Sasuke froze; the sight of such a distraught Itachi was incredibly foreign to him, but he snapped out of it as he noticed three burly male nurses approaching him quickly.

"No, wait!" Sasuke screeched at them, the scary looks on their faces and the syringe in one of their hands making him jump in front of Itachi.

The moment he shielded his Aniki, a set of arms shot out from behind and cinched around his waist. Sasuke gasped as he was squeezed tightly against a very well-defined and familiar chest.

"Where did you go?" Itachi whispered fiercely in his ear as his embrace grew tighter.

Sasuke could only pat the folded arms around his waist as he gave an apologetic smile to the nurses. "He's okay. He's okay," he told them. "We're sorry for the commotion. I'll take him back to his room."

The nurses traded a wary look before their tense bodies slowly grew lax and they stepped aside.

Sasuke attempted to remove the arms from his waist, growing red when his Aniki refused in front of the crowd that had gathered. With a sigh, he began walking toward the room and Itachi's footsteps trudged behind him.

When the door shut, Sasuke found himself pushed against the door, a set of arms caging him to it. He caught sight of Itachi's narrowed eyes as the man's face drew incredibly close to his, making him shrink back.

"Answer me," his Aniki demanded. "Where did you go?"

"I told you. I was going to the bath–"

"Don't lie to me, Sasuke," Itachi hissed, his palms slamming once against the door.

Sasuke flinched.

"I checked the bathroom. Both of them on this floor. You weren't there. So where did you go? Why do you keep leaving me?"

"I– I wasn't leaving you," Sasuke murmured. "I would never leave you, Aniki."

"You're so confusing," Itachi whispered as his hands slid off the door. "You tell me you can't survive without me. You tell me you love me. But you're always leaving my side. I don't understand."

Sasuke opened his mouth, but no words came out.

Itachi's head dropped, the angle and his bangs shielding his countenance, so when he spoke again, Sasuke could only gauge his emotions from his hoarse words.

"Have I done something to make you avoid me all of the time?" he said thickly. "Tell me, and I'll fix it. I'll change anything you want me to. Just please… please stop running away from me. Stop avoiding me. Stop leaving me alone. I can't take it. I really, really can't take it."

"A-Aniki…" Sasuke called quietly, the man's words slicing his chest open.

When his beloved Aniki finally looked up at him, Sasuke's heart dropped, because silent tears were dribbling down his cheeks.

H.J.

When Sasuke was born, Itachi took one look at his tiny, vulnerable body and made a promise to himself to love and cherish him forever. It was his Otouto who made that incredibly easy.

Sasuke was the epitome of a sweetheart. He was so sweet and kind, adorable and happy. He would giggle at everything Itachi did and follow him around like a shadow. One of the most blissful sounds growing up was the sound of his Otouto's tiny footsteps plodding toward him from meters away when Itachi came home from a long day at school. His wobbly legs would take him surprisingly fast across the room, where his buck-toothed grin and unruly spikes would fill Itachi's vision and serve as an antidote against stress-filled days.

Then, when his Otouto latched onto his leg and blew raspberries on it as a form of sharing kisses, it was impossible for their kaa-san to persuade him to leave his side for the remainder of the day. His Otouto stuck to his side as if Itachi was emitting the oxygen he needed for survival.

If that was his Otouto's reaction to him, Itachi's behavior could only be described as much, much worse. The unhinged kind of worse. Ridiculously so for someone his age.

Itachi didn't know if Sasuke remembered, but when they were much younger, Itachi would scare away all of his friends. His methods varied and were not honorable in the slightest, especially toward the ones who proposed sleepovers. Those were the worst of the lot.

When he took his Otouto out trick-or-treating or to the annual summer festival, he made sure to be on guard against lechers and lingering eyes, because even though Sasuke was his Otouto, Itachi already knew that he was the most beautiful person he'd ever lay eyes on. That only made him more protective. He was perfectly willing to dip his hands into a melting pot of questionable deeds if that meant Sasuke remained as he was right next to him.

With his behind-the-scenes meddling, Sasuke was able to safely enter high school, and that was when his attention began to stray. Things that they once did together began to dwindle. Sasuke would reject movie nights with him, stating he was too busy with his studies. Itachi was disappointed, but he bit his tongue. He thought to himself that, once the school year settled down, things would return back to the way they were.

That bold-faced lie cursed him, because since then, Sasuke began to avoid him. It started off with small things: not greeting him when he came home, occasionally not looking him in the eyes, and cutting conversations short.

However, it grew exponentially bigger, leading to an avoidance of any form of affection, giving and receiving. He'd freeze up if Itachi tried to enact some skinship. He'd put more distance between their bodies when he sat down next to him. He even stopped giving Itachi hugs.

He was devastated. So devastated by the cold persona his beloved Otouto had put up that he began agonizing over every little detail of it until his anxiety grew so big that, coupled with his coursework at uni and his self-identity, which was built around his Sasuke, it manifested into the kind of insomnia that even pills couldn't treat.

That was around the time when Itachi, too, began to act strangely in return. At first, he tried to stay in his room for long periods of time, hoping that his absence would incite Sasuke's curiosity. However, he'd never make it more than a couple of hours before his desire to physically see his Otouto outweighed the entire point of the exercise.

Then, by no intentional means of his own, he started drinking heavily on a few occasions, one of which was so bad that Kyuubi had to physically carry him home. He couldn't remember his Otouto's reactions on those nights, but he certainly remembered the look on his face the next morning. That was enough of a reason to stop drinking altogether.

When all failed, he began staying on campus later, partly due to his coursework, but partly because of his overwhelming desire to grow a mean bone in his body and interrogate the boy to spill the beans as to why he was treating him as if… as if he didn't love him anymore. But when he thought of that scenario, of what would be said to him, he wanted to vomit the contents of his stomach.

Looking back on his behavior now, it was evident that he was throwing a childish tantrum. He was screaming to the high heavens, 'If you don't pay attention to me, then I'll make you pay attention.'

The last straw was the day he found his precious Otouto sporting the marks of a madman all over his body. His pristine, pale skin was littered with ugly hickies, which could have only been made by someone's mouth on his body. His neck, chest, and even his thighs were littered with them, which meant someone had put their mouth on those parts of his Otouto's body.

That was inexcusable.

When he realized that wasn't where it ended, Itachi didn't know what to think. He never wanted to grind someone into a meat paste more than in that given moment.

He thought he'd given Sasuke everything he could ever want, only for the boy to declare that the man who did such vulgar things to his body did it out of love. Itachi had scoffed so hard in his head that the echo of it was still reverberating in his mind weeks later. His Otouto was a precious jewel among pebbles and rocks, yet he foolishly believed that the man who violated him was the shimmering gemstone instead.

If he wanted to be loved, why didn't he just come to him? Itachi would have given him all the bear hugs in the world.

At the time, Itachi did not know why it was so important to him that Sasuke chose him. All he knew was that the result of not being his Otouto's number one anymore stung more than rubbing salt over his disfigured heart.