Adult-FanFiction.org : Naruto

Soup's On	By : OfFansAndFlames Category: Naruto AU/AR > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 1793 -:- Recommendations : 4 -:- Currently Reading : 3
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters mentioned. I make no money on this fiction.

Chapter List
- 20
- 21
- 22
"I'M. AN. American badass. Watch me kick. You can roll with rock, or you can SUCK MY..."

Upon hearing the garage door creak upwards, Sasuke muted his computer, Naruto's singing only carrying on a couple seconds afterward. These days, it wasn't uncommon for Sasuke's room to be filled with singing of sometimes questionable quality. When Sasuke was in a good mood, he turned a blind eye. When he was in a bad mood, Naruto took a pillow to the face.

"What the hell, Sasuke?! That was the best part!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"Didn't you hear the garage? Or was it too difficult to hear over your wailing?"

"Aw!"

Naruto pouted. Itachi was home, which meant near silence for the rest of the night.

"Don't whine."

The raven pivoted his desk chair to face the bed, inclining Naruto's face and kissing him. Lips barely touching, their tongues quickly slicked over each other before they parted. Naruto was smiling, appeased by the gesture. Sasuke enjoyed this, being able to slip kisses to the other so casually. There wasn't always a need for anything more - just an affectionate reassurance of what they meant to each other.

The front door creaked open as Itachi entered, only to be slammed shut behind him. Distracted, Sasuke instinctively looked over his shoulder. Itachi was ordinarily such a gentle, polite sort of guy. This wasn't like him.

"Dude, what's up with your brother tonight?"

Sasuke shrugged.

"I don't know. Maybe he just stumbled."

And taken the door with him? Possible. Not entirely convinced, Naruto nodded.

"Yeah, you're probably right."

Sasuke attempted to scroll through the e-mail, finding himself unable to concentrate.

"I'm hungry," Sasuke lied.

There was probably nothing amiss, but all the same, he figured that there was no harm in checking. How could he be sure that Itachi was okay?

"Want me to bring you anything back up?"

"Hmmm..." Naruto paused, staring towards the ceiling lackadaisically before returning his eyes to Sasuke. "A bag of Fritos, a taco, a carrot, a roll of duct tape, a tangerine, and a stapler. Oh! And an ice cream bar."

Sasuke knit his brows, staring at Naruto a moment before replying.

"I'm not even going to ask."

Sasuke descended the stairs, deciding to sneak Naruto's grocery list up to his room later, after Itachi had left the main room and kitchen area. Itachi was sitting in front of the closet, taking off his collared wool coat and setting his briefcase away.

"Hey Itachi"

"Hi."

Sasuke halted, his eyes drifting back to his brother. Itachi hadn't even looked back at Sasuke when he responded. He merely stared forward into the back of the closet, long after his business there was complete.

"You're being weird."

Itachi's face fell down, and his shoulders tensed before Itachi finally faced his brother, a rigid smile on his lips.

"I'm fine, Sasuke."

Sasuke would think that as bright as his brother was, he would have managed how to tell a decent lie by now. The man almost looked dizzy. Usually, when he tried to pull off a smile, he managed to be more convincing than this. Sasuke sighed, refusing to let Itachi off the hook.

"Stop spacing out and sit down. Come on."

Obediently, Itachi followed Sasuke into the kitchen in silence. No response? No protestations? This was strange behavior, to say the least. He wished his brother would just speak up and relieve him of his suspense. He sat next to him at the kitchen table.

"What's up with you?"

A trembling sigh issued from the elder brother.

"I got fired."

This was a tough blow, indubitably. But why would it garner such a strong reaction from his brother? Sure, it was shitty luck. But this was Itachi. Itachi, who seemed so untouchable to Sasuke even upon losing his parents and being burdened with...well, him.

"...I see."

What would this mean for them? They were already tight on money, and Itachi had taken out several loans to pay for their living expenses, Sasuke's psychiatric care, and Itachi's exorbitant tuition. Given the loans and Itachi's generous wages and fee remissions from his job, they would break even until Itachi's graduation in two years. Then, finally making the salary of a UCLA attorney, Itachi would be able to pay the loans back and support both himself and Sasuke. It would work out perfectly.

At least that was the plan. But Sasuke doubted that Itachi could borrow much more from the bank than he already had. Sure, things would be fine once Itachi graduated. He'd be bringing home some big money. But what would they do until then?

"It's not all bad. Your boss was a dick, so maybe you can find a better job."

Itachi shook his head.

"No... It's not the same. It's not just the wages. I'll lose the tuition reductions, and our health insurance. This is all my fault."

Sasuke pat Itachi's shoulder a single time, his hand just slightly rough. Seeing Itachi falter like this... It unnerved him. Itachi was always so brave, the one who knew all the answers and had the big plan. But this was all the more reason for Sasuke to exude confidence.

"I know you, and I know you did everything you could. Don't worry about it. We'll be fine."

Itachi nodded. Sasuke could have sworn he saw his brother's black eyes glass over with tears, though his cheeks were dry. After their parents died last year, he had only seen Itachi cry twice. This situation was suspicious.

"Yeah... Right, we'll be fine."

The Uchiha respired, regarding Itachi with equal portions of impatience and concern. It was obvious that Itachi did not believe his own words.

"I get the feeling there's something I don't know about."

Itachi shook his head, his pony tail jostling along with him.

"It's nothing."

What was the use? This guy was tight-lipped as a clam. It wasn't uncommon for Itachi to push him away like this. "A parent should never burden their child with their adult woes and stresses." That was Itachi's mindset. But that wasn't them. Their parents were gone, and no one could fill their shoes - not even Itachi. Sasuke inhaled, doing his best to remain calm.

"Itachi, look... You're not my father. You're my brother. It's not your job to hide problems from me. We used to be a lot more open with each other, and I don't see why that has to change."

The elder glanced up from his lap, bewildered. Sasuke had hinted that he felt this way many times before, but he had yet to say it so directly.

"I ask because I want to know. I can handle it, so don't get fussy about it."

The smile on Itachi's face was much milder, but it also seemed genuine.

"I suppose you had to find out eventually... I'm sorry to burden you with this, Sasuke."

He had to appear perfectly serene, even though he felt his heart flutter and his stomach freeze. What was Itachi talking about? His mind darted from scenario to scenario, each less pleasant than the last. Would he just get to the punch already? The way Itachi cautioned, the way he padded his words... Sasuke knew that whatever he was going to hear was not going to be good, to say the least.

"I'm going to get a little sick, but then I'm going to get better. The doctor told me that my chances of surviving the surgery at this stage are in the nineties, percent wise, so don't worry about me going anywhere, okay?"

Visibly torn, Sasuke heard his own breath rasping in and out of his chest. It was loud - too loud. The fact that Itachi had started giving him survival statistics before even getting into the specifics unnerved him. Figuring a 95% probability, his brother, his last family member on the planet, had a one in twenty chance of dying. Sasuke's brain had done the math involuntarily, and he was plagued by the same figures that were supposed to reassure him. And what about the outcomes as bad or even worse than death?

Perhaps Sasuke was being pessimistic. After all, the likeliest scenario by far was that Itachi would live. But what was Itachi talking about? He hated how vague Itachi was being, as if he didn't know if Sasuke could take the truth. What did he mean by "sick"?

"What exactly is wrong with you?"

Itachi cleared his throat before continuing.

"I have...a growth on my stomach, which has attached itself to some other organs. It's not cancerous, but it's been growing more quickly over the past couple weeks. I need to have a surgery to remove it."

What? Was this really happening? No, not so soon after he had lost his parents. Life had never been so unpredictable in the past. Why was Itachi in jeopardy now?

"A growth? You mean like...a tumor?"

Itachi smiled at Sasuke reassuringly, which only made Sasuke feel guiltier for how shaken he was sure he appeared.

"Yes."

Words like sick, survival rate, tumor, surgery... They careened and collided between Sasuke's ears, leaving him disoriented, constricted, and frightened. The constant "low-grade" sicknesses, the nausea, the fact that he'd been seeing less and less trash in the garbage can... They made sense now. He thought that Itachi had just been tired and overworked. He thought that he was eating at school. Fuck.

Sure, Itachi would probably live through this. It would probably become a distant memory. But his brain wasn't so forgiving. His breathing was beginning to feel shallow. What would happen to Itachi?

This. This was exactly why Itachi always hesitated before sharing things with him. He was afraid that Sasuke would overreact, just like he was tempted to do now. He would have to stay cool. He'd have to be strong for his brother. He counted silently in his head, calming his breath so that he would not hyperventilate. Sasuke grounded himself.

"What are the risks, other than the obvious?"

Itachi paused, staring at a wall far into his periphery.

"Well... There's a small risk that the tumor could become malignant. It's attached itself to my intestine and pancreas."

Sasuke stared, gaped openly. He couldn't help it. Malignant? That meant cancer. Cancer was bad enough in the stomach and intestine, but if that cancer were to spread to his pancreas... Itachi would be lucky if he had a single year ahead of him. Dammit, he had to show some discipline, to pull himself together. Back into his familiar expression.

"What's a 'small risk'?"

Itachi shrugged.

"My doctor seemed kind of vague when it came to that, but he said that it wasn't all that likely."

He didn't like this. He didn't like the uncertainty. Where were the percentages, the reliability? What did "all that likely" mean?

"How long have you known?"

Itachi's head lopped downwards.

"A couple months."

Months? He'd kept this from him for months? Sasuke's voice was clearly baffled, and even a little hurt.

"Why would you keep this from me?"

Itachi's eyes were pleading and apologetic.

"I know, Sasuke, I know. But you've gone through more than anyone your age should ever have to. You worry over me so much as is... I just couldn't do this to you."

Itachi's words stung. Sasuke had made his own issues so evident that Itachi felt obligated to shove his own turmoil aside...even something like this. God, even something as simple as Itachi showing up an hour late to pick him up could make Sasuke fly off the handle. No wonder Itachi kept this to himself. His brother needed his help, and Sasuke had been too egocentric to even realize it.

"I'm not the only one having a hard time. We're supposed to have each other. That's how it's supposed to work. What did you expect to tell me when you had the surgery?"

The long-haired Uchiha shrugged.

"I would've just told you right before, I suppose. Less time for you to worry."

Sasuke had approached Itachi because he looked stressed, desperate, and overwhelmed. Sasuke had pushed Itachi into confiding his troubles in him. Like hell would he add consoling a brother nearing a panic attack to that list. He had to be strong.

"I... I would've had it earlier, but so much was happening."

Sasuke's eyes slumped to the ground. Was this his fault? Had he caused such a ruckus that he'd prevented Itachi for seeking help when he really needed it? Had he relied on Itachi that profoundly? He had so cluelessly been endangering Itachi's health.

Itachi's eyes immediately broadened as he shook his hand.

"No no, not you, Sasuke. I guess that was a part of it, but it was such a horrible crunch period at work, and I had this huge case study to present for my liability tort class... I should have had the surgery when I could."

Itachi was making excuses, surely. He didn't want Sasuke to feel guilty. Even Itachi had admitted that Sasuke had been "a part of it." And this was supposed to be his last family left, someone for whom he would give his life...

"When are you having the surgery?"

Itachi smiled sadly, shaking his head.

"That's the thing. When I got fired today, I lost my health insurance. And with my pre-existing condition, I'd have to pay an arm and a leg to find something new. They want about twenty-five thousand for the surgery, and they said I'll probably need a follow up operation too."

Sasuke was disciplined, remaining composed yet empathetic. This was bad. From what Sasuke had assessed, this surgery was crucial to Itachi's wellbeing, and even his survival.

"Whatever the case, Sasuke, I can find a way to have the surgery. I might need to stop going to school for a while, maybe sell the house. But that will take time, and I...don't have much time to spend."

Itachi's forehead fell to his palm.

"At this point... I just don't know what to do..." Itachi trailed, his voice cracking.

Sasuke paused. Itachi was near tears, and it shook Sasuke to the core. He knew that for Itachi to show this vulnerability, the situation had to be dire. All the more reason for Sasuke to ensure that he detracted from the problem rather than contributed to it.

"What about my college fund?"

Itachi gaped.

"No, I can't take your college fund. You need that."

Doing his best to lift Itachi's spirits, Sasuke smirked.

"I didn't say I was giving it to you, asshole. Consider this a loan. You can pay me back when you're some hotshot lawyer."

Although Itachi was reluctant to accept the money, he seemed relieved.

"When I'm some hotshot lawyer, I'll pay it back with interest. That is...a tremendous help. But there's still a lot more to scrounge up."

Sasuke sighed. What would they do? He'd always been such a burden on his brother. It had been a rather one-way arrangement, Itachi always giving and Sasuke always taking. He hated watching this happen to someone so special to him.

He hated being so young. He hated being a child. Useless. Powerless. This situation was out of his control. What could he do? Well, there was...one thing.

"I'll figure it out."

Itachi perked a brow, staring at Sasuke in disbelief.

"What?"

Sasuke was fully aware of how preposterous this sounded, but he didn't care. He knew what he was capable of. Maybe others would underestimate him, but Sasuke would not make this mistake.

"Get as much cash as you can for the surgery, and I'll take care of the rest."

Itachi's arms dropped as he stared at Sasuke, full of dry skepticism.

"You're telling me that you're going to raise five thousand dollars?"

Sasuke didn't waver.

"Yes."

Itachi seemed torn between laughing and simply shaking his head.

"Sasuke, you're fifteen years old. How do you expect to make that kind of money?"

Sasuke frowned, hating how his age always bit him in the ass like this. He felt so much older. He felt like he was adult. He had certainly had lived through enough, and he sometimes felt like he was an old soul, tired and overwrought. Yet the world would never view him this way. Still, he knew just how he was going to do this. He had seen how lucrative it was firsthand. Yet this was a necessary secret.

"I will. Just don't expect it overnight"

"But Sasuke..."

The younger Uchiha simply shook his head. He was aware of how ludicrous this plan seemed, but there were things Itachi didn't know.

"Ever since our folks died, it's all been about me. You're always taking care of me, worrying about me, and fighting for me. So for once, I'm going to take care of you, and you're going to deal with it."

Itachi simply stared. He couldn't think to do much more, his bottom jaw opening and closing with silent words. In a gesture Sasuke was all too familiar with, Sasuke held his pointer and middle fingers together and nudged them between Itachi's eyebrows.

"We'll get through this, Itachi. Just like we've always done."

Sasuke sounded dauntless and certain, but his insides were writhing against each other. The misting of sweat on his chest felt cold. There were two people who took the vast majority of his affections: Itachi and Naruto. One of them had a tumor in his gut and urgently needed a surgery they couldn't afford, and the other was molested at knife-point a couple weeks ago.

Sasuke's mind returned to one of the first nights he'd ever spent with Naruto. Itachi had been late to pick him up and didn't answer his cell phone. He'd fretted, catastrophized, and immediately lashed out at Itachi the moment he took the passenger seat. Again, when Naruto was forced to leave the park, he fought bitterly with his friend and spent hours that night fretting. But compared to his current situation, these were minor hiccups.

He knew that he could be paranoid, that his mind liked to run away with itself. Still, didn't he have a right to be? It wasn't rare that he was actually right. Given Sasuke's anxious disposition since the fire, the stress was so great that he could hardly react. Yet this was not a time to lose his head. People were counting on him.

Itachi wiped at a moist eye. From the beginning of their conversation, it seemed that Itachi was close to tears. However, he'd successfully avoided crying. Thank god. That would've been a thoroughly disturbing experience, and Sasuke didn't know how much more he could handle in one night.

"Thank you, Sasuke."

Itachi reached towards Sasuke, wordlessly soliciting a hug. Hugging his brother? That was weird. The two of them were close, but they didn't exactly have a hugging sort of relationship. All this mushy stuff... Unintentionally, Sasuke's nose twitched as he hesitantly gandered at his brother.

What the hell... He leaned towards Itachi, their arms bumping against each other as they gracelessly tried to decide whose arm would be on top, on which side. Their faces nearly collided as they slid past each other. After a couple muttered eh's and um's, they held each other, both bodies rigid and tense. As they parted, Sasuke cleared his throat, and Itachi tucked a long strand of hair behind his ear.

"That was...really weird, wasn't it?"

The younger brother nodded slowly.

"Yes. Let's not do that again."

Itachi chuckled, lifting his hand to his mouth. Having been present for all fifteen years of Sasuke's life, he knew well how to take his candor.

"No?"

The teen shook his head and smiled.

"No."

With a shoulder pat and a good night, the brothers parted. The raven had gently closed the door behind him and was now sauntering over to his swiveling chair.

"Hey! Where are my tangerines?"

Plunking himself down, Sasuke placed his right hand at the keyboard but quickly lost himself in thought. He inhaled. Exhaled. Inhaled. He counted the seconds, determined to keep his cool.

"Sasuke..."

Naruto tugged Sasuke's sleeve, and the Uchiha stared back at him listlessly and devoid of attitude.

"Hey, is everything okay?"

What was wrong with Sasuke? Sasuke was always so clever and observant, but now he seemed dazed. A deep sigh escaped from Sasuke's chest. It seemed that his body had clung to it involuntarily. At the sound, Sasuke jerked into consciousness.

"Yeah. Everything's fine."

Sasuke couldn't tell Naruto what happened. He didn't want to think about this anymore, let alone explain it to someone. He didn't want Naruto trying to leave because he felt guilty about burdening him. Most importantly, he didn't want any questions when he did what he knew had to be done.

AN: Ah, so this is why the last chapter was so light-hearted...

Sorry it's a little late. I could've sworn I posted it earlier Sunday.

What do you think of this chapter? What's Sasuke planning? What's going to happen to Itachi? It's truly enjoyable from my readers. You all know how I love my reviews.
- 20
- 21
- 22
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Soup's On