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
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Sasuke's alarm clock announced itself, familiar rock music jarring both boys out of slumber. It was six in the morning, and Sasuke planned on getting to the hospital before eight. Dr. Sannin told Sasuke that staff would take Itachi back to prep for surgery by about half past nine. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, quickly getting out of bed.

Itachi had told him personally, when Sasuke came to visit him the day before yesterday. Dr. Sannin seemed to have made her decision to operate quickly. He was hopeful yet anxious, and Sasuke did his best to allow the former to conquer the latter.

The last number Sasuke recalled reading on his alarm clock before slumber was 4:38. Thoughts of today's events kept him tossing and turning, and he was constantly estimating the exact number of minutes until today's big event. Naruto grumbled as Sasuke had already begun to dress, yawning as he sat up in bed.

"Go back to sleep, Naruto."

Instead, Naruto stood as he yawned and cracked his neck, sifting through Sasuke's closet.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm coming with you."

Sasuke arched a brow. Naturally, Naruto waited until the morning of to inform Sasuke of this with a stubborn smile. Naruto knew how to get his way.

"No."

"Yup."

Logically speaking, Sasuke pondered, there was no justification for this. It was a risk with no real gain. Sasuke would be fine, of course. Why would he need someone to be with him? He could deal with the situation just fine by himself.

"We've got social workers, Itachi, and doctors all in one place. If just one of them recognizes you…"

"And how's Itachi gonna find me, huh? A sixth sense and a wheelchair with jets?"

"Dr. Sannin could mention that I was with someone."

Naruto frowned.

"Sasuke, I'm not letting you go alone."

The younger boy rolled his eyes.

"If I need moral support that desperately, I'll call you. What's the difference?"

"I'm going."

"Why?"

What Sasuke had said when Itachi was first admitted had not slipped Naruto's memory. Sasuke's last remaining family member was having an operation in the same hospital Sasuke's father had died in last year.

"Because I said so."

Sasuke resented the clichéd explanation, sick of being spoken to like a child. Still, he would appreciate Naruto's presence. Naruto knew Sasuke well enough to realize that he would never accept such a luxury without it being forced upon him. Sasuke was more torn up than he'd admit, and the surgery was forecasted to take up to three hours.

"If you get in trouble, don't say I didn't warn you."

But Naruto merely grinned back at him. While they were getting ready, Sasuke was silent. As they waited for the bus, still, Sasuke was silent, every one of Naruto's attempts at conversation dying on the vine. When the proper bus arrived, Sasuke merely indicated with a cock of his head. They sat together at the back, Naruto yawning.

"How are you holding up, S'uke?"

"I'm fine," he answered curtly.

Naruto stared at Sasuke closely, catching Sasuke's eyes an instant before Sasuke looked away.

"C'mon," Naruto whispered, though the bus's noisy rumble would have made him inaudible to any eavesdroppers regardless. "Talk to me."

"What did you want me to say?"

"What's going through your head? I haven't gotten a word from you."

"How do you think I feel?" Sasuke snapped, sick of being prodded.

"Hm… Like a ball of nerves, I'd suspect," Naruto replied, refusing to be fazed by Sasuke's shortness.

Sasuke grunted in response, hardly acknowledging Naruto as he looked out the window. His lover was making detachment quite the difficult task. He was surprised when he felt Naruto's hand grip his own, their fingers intertwining so suddenly. Naruto beamed at him.

"He's gonna be okay, Sasuke, I know it. My hobo senses are tingling."

The left side of Sasuke's lips rose in what wasn't quite a smile.

"We're almost there," he stated.

Naruto clasped Sasuke's hand as they entered the hospital lobby. Sasuke reminded himself that he didn't need it, that he could've done this alone just fine. Still, there was nothing shameful about finding comfort in it. They parted with a quick nod when Sasuke reached the elevator.

Sasuke numbed himself as he rode the elevator and found his mind a perfect blank once he neared Itachi's room. This had been his technique this morning, trying to avoid memories of what had happened here a year ago. He had hardly felt present in the bus, save for the warmth of Naruto's hand grounding him. He opened the door to find Itachi looking better than ever.

"Good morning, Sasuke."

"Morning."

"How are you feeling?" Itachi questioned.

Sasuke tried not to look exasperated. Why was everyone asking him that? It was becoming white noise to him these days.

"I'm fine. You better have gotten a good night of sleep."

"Slept like a baby. I haven't felt this good in weeks, so I guess it's fitting they're going to cut me open in a couple hours."

Sasuke wondered if Itachi was just trying to calm him.

"But you don't look like you can say the same. You look like shit."

"What, because I'm not decked out like you?" Sasuke answered, pointing to Itachi's machinery.

Itachi chuckled quietly.

"I'm sure this will all be fine. Honestly, I'm more concerned about the things I might say when you talk to me afterward." He frowned, his eyes knitting as he leaned towards Sasuke, speaking quietly as if he were surrounded by eavesdroppers. "I don't remember a single word of that conversation we had."

"Why?" Sasuke smirked. "What are you hiding?"

"Kesha was only the beginning, Sasuke."

"I'll protect you from Kesha at all costs."

Itachi chuckled, and for several seconds, the only sounds in the room were those of nurses traversing the hall from outside and Itachi's machines.

"I think you're right, Itachi," Sasuke spoke quietly, now looking into Itachi's eyes. Although Itachi wouldn't make it apparent, Sasuke was sure he would also benefit from a little reassurance. "You're going to be fine."

"Yeah… I just feel dumb for getting myself here in the first place."

"It was dumb. But this surgery was unavoidable regardless."

"You know, should the unthinkable happen…"

Sasuke frowned. "The unthinkable" didn't deserve to be thought of, but that certainly hadn't stopped his brain before.

"I've got something to get off my chest."

Sasuke perked a brow, quietly directing Itachi to elaborate.

"Do you remember Mr. Squoobles?"

At such a time, Itachi mentions this? Surely this was a rhetorical question. Of course Sasuke remembered Mr. Squoobles. Mr. Squoobles had been the second Uchiha pet, though the first one that Sasuke had selected himself. Mr. Squoobles' adoption proceeded that of a cat whom the six-year-old Itachi had named Ferret with no real explanation. Mr. Squoobles was a product of his mother's efforts to appease Sasuke's jealousy at being the only household member never to choose their own pet. …Or at least the jealousy Mikoto believed she could perceive from her two-year-old son.

The stately hamster stood a mere four inches on his hind legs, a muddled mix of brown and white. His cage was located next to the television. Sasuke would spend commercial breaks watching Mr. Squoobles run on his wheel, the light sound punctuating his favorite shows. Young Sasuke attempted to translate the squeaking sound of the quickly churning wheel to English, from whence the creature's name was created. His mother joked that Mr. Squoobles had become Sasuke's favorite family member, the hamster frequently the subject of Sasuke's drawings and chatter.

"Remember how he kind of…er…died unexpectedly?"

"Yes?" Sasuke answered with suspicion.

Mr. Squoobles lived a long life for a hamster, dying at four years of age. Ferret had well outlived the hamster, as expected, but perished in the fire last year. What had bothered Sasuke was how quickly Mr. Squoobles passed, transitioning from what Sasuke could only guess was perfect hamster health to a burial in a day. At least Ferret's death made sense. What was Itachi getting at?

"Well… Mom told me that they were gonna start spraying the lawn with pesticide Thursday while I was at school, after which it wouldn't be safe for Mr. Squoobles. So Wednesday after school, I took him out on the lawn to enjoy while he could."

Sasuke nodded.

"Except… It wasn't Wednesday after all. It was Thursday. I'd mixed up the days."

"You killed Mr. Squoobles?"

"I did," Itachi sighed.

Sasuke couldn't prevent the look of surprise on his face.

"I thought I killed Mr. Squoobles. I felt horrible!"

"To my defense, I did tell you it wasn't your fault."

"I thought you were just trying to make me feel better!"

Sasuke had blamed himself for Mr. Squoobles' demise on every level. It was for this reason that Sasuke refused to get another hamster until two years later. He did not wish to inflict his horrible pet ownership skills upon some innocent and unsuspecting rodent. Itachi frowned, his brows knitting together.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke. I should've told you, but you were so upset. I felt so guilty I had nightmares on and off for weeks."

Itachi thoroughly remembered his brother bawling on his mother's skirt until near exhaustion, both brothers' minds laden with guilt. Sasuke really had loved Mr. Squoobles. Even at Sasuke's young age, he trained the critter to stand, jump, and beg. Said training miraculously disappeared when no treats were present, though Sasuke was sure to become fussy should anyone draw attention to this. Indeed, Mr. Squoobles had been a marvelous hamster.

"I wasn't that upset," Sasuke grumbled.

"You were!" Itachi insisted. "You cried for hours…for days."

"That's an exaggeration. I might've cried a tear or two."

Itachi shook his head.

"You refused to go to kindergarten the next day because you were too upset."

Sasuke glanced at Itachi skeptically, "I seriously did that?"

"Yes. You had your face stuffed in a pillow all morning. The only time you took it away was to tell Mom in this dramatic voice, 'Tell my teacher that there's been a death in the family.'"

Sasuke still didn't know whether he believed Itachi or not. This certainly didn't sound like Sasuke's standard behavior, or at least the memory Sasuke had of his own behavior. However, Itachi certainly was no liar.

"Sasuke…" Itachi said gravely, in all seriousness. "I really am sorry for killing Mr. Squoobles."

Sasuke shook his head, laughing quietly. How odd that at such a time this would be the topic of their conversation.

"Don't laugh! It seems silly, now that we're adults…" Itachi's eyes caught Sasuke. "Well, almost adults."

Sasuke huffed. He believed himself to be far more adult-like than anyone gave him credit for.

"But that was seriously traumatic for a kid my age."

"I forgive you for killing Mr. Squoobles. It was an honest mistake."

"Thanks. I kind of miss Mr. Squoobles. Ferret too. They were good pets."

"Yeah…" Sasuke trailed off.

"So," Itachi continued, a knowing grin on his face, "Do you have anything to confess to me?"

Itachi's confession had seriously been this? That he accidently killed a hamster a decade ago? Sasuke felt his conscience grow a little heavier. He had plenty to confess to. In fact, should he do a proper job of it, he wouldn't know where to start. Perhaps, in the unforeseeable future, Sasuke might issue a confession of his own. Regardless, now was not the time.

"Nope."

Itachi chuckled, knowing full well that Sasuke must have some dirt on his conscience. After all, of the two of them, Itachi had always been the better behaved. Still, Sasuke was confident that his older brother hadn't a clue.

"Whatever you say."

Sasuke glanced at the clock uneasily. Their time was running out.

"Yeah… It is getting late," Itachi remarked, noticing Sasuke's restlessness. Itachi was beginning to sound nervous, though no one but Sasuke could've detected this.

"I'll be waiting for you out there the whole time. You'll just close your eyes, and then I'll be there to pester you when you open them."

"Of course," Itachi answered, as if there had never been a doubt.

Itachi's slightly defensive tone led Sasuke to suspect that Itachi felt guilty that Sasuke was reassuring him. Sasuke and Itachi were silent now. Neither of the brothers was particularly verbose, though even more so at this time, words were unnecessary. They communicated silently, their presence more than enough for each other.

Finally, a nurse opened the door only to quickly say, "About five minutes 'til prep."

Itachi nodded, after which the nurse quietly shut the door. The silence resumed for a couple minutes, though Sasuke was first to break it. He was compelled to do so by a slippery dread in his chest that feared that would be his last time hearing Itachi's voice.

"I'll be waiting for you out in the lobby. When you're out, I'll come as soon as I can."

"Alright."

Sasuke refused to leave now. He would stay with Itachi until the last minute.

"Be tough. I need you around."

Sasuke's tone was bossy, which he much preferred to sounding frightened.

"I'm not going anywhere, trust me," Itachi answered with a smile.

"I love you," "get better soon," the standard… Those were all things they had already told each other with their silence. Each of the brothers knew how the other felt. The same silence passed until another nurse entered the room.

"Alright, Uchiha Itachi?"

"Yes."

Sasuke's heart quickened. In their shared silence, he had calmed himself, but now his hand grasped a concealed rod in Itachi's hospital bed so tightly his knuckles whitened. It was time already?

"Okay, we're going to take you back now."

Sasuke let go of the rod reluctantly and inconspicuously. The nurse turned to Sasuke.

"Go ahead and wait in the hospital lobby. We'll keep you updated."

Sasuke wordlessly walked towards the door.

"Dr. Sannin is a wonderful doctor. Your brother is in good hands."

"Good," Sasuke stated simply, almost awkwardly. It was difficult to speak now, and god forbid his voice falter. "I'll see you in a few, Itachi."

"See ya."

Sasuke sighed as he left the room, numbly walking towards the elevator. It would be best not to think about it if he had a choice in the matter. What good would worrying do at this point? He couldn't even remember riding the elevator when he saw Naruto's face again. Apparently Sasuke was now in the hospital lobby.

Naruto looked more nervous than Sasuke had, fumbling his hands obviously as Sasuke watched him from the other side of the room. He jumped up as Sasuke noticed him.

"How'd it go?"

"Fine."

"Yeah? Did he get emotional?"

Sasuke shook his head.

"No, he doesn't really do that," Sasuke responded, pausing briefly. "But he did admit to accidentally killing our hamster."

"That bastard," Naruto answered with feigned shock.

Sasuke snorted.

"Did you get emotional?" Naruto asked, more quietly this time.

"No. You should know by now that I'm not the type to lose my head."

"Yeah, I know, I know. Just checkin' up on you."

Sasuke had been awfully cranky today, though it wasn't as though Naruto could blame him. He could have never been so composed in this situation, though Sasuke expressed his stress in more unconventional ways. Sasuke merely nodded, quietly expressing gratitude.

Naruto would not demand conversation from Sasuke as the minutes passed. He wanted his presence to reassure Sasuke, not overwhelm him. He marveled at how Sasuke could sit still for so long without fiddling, especially in this situation. He wished he could fake calm half as well as Sasuke could. He wondered what Sasuke was thinking. Was Sasuke thinking anything at all? It almost seemed like his lover was no longer present.

Naruto continued to page through a nearby magazine, resigning himself to the least uninteresting article he could find. He glanced over at Sasuke, who had begun to slump slightly. His eyelids seemed to have lowered.

"Sasuke…"

Sasuke made no response.

"Sasuke."

Sasuke jerked, turning over to Naruto.

"What?"

"Are you okay?"

Naruto's voice had begun to blur, growing faint and then quickly louder, along with the sounds around them.

"Yeah… I think so."

Naruto quickly translated this to "no."

"What's up?"

Sasuke shook his head dismissively.

"I'm fine. Just a little light-headed."

"How come?"

"I think it's just hunger. It'll pass."

Naruto moved his head into Sasuke's field of vision, refusing to be dismissed.

"And when's the last time you've eaten?"

When was the last time he'd eaten? The last time he remembered had been early yesterday morning, though he could've grabbed a small and forgettable snack since then. He had other things to worry about.

"How should I know?"

"Sasuke..." Naruto stated, tugging at Sasuke. Sasuke wouldn't move. "C'mon, let's get you something to eat."

"I can wait until after I hear from the doctor."

"This surgery is three hours, and we've only been here for like half an hour! We'll just go for a few minutes."

It was beyond the food at this point. Yes, Sasuke certainly needed to eat. The exhaustion was clear on his face, and Naruto's anxious mind feared that Sasuke would even faint. But more than that, he thought that Sasuke needed to move and stretch his legs to get his mind operating. Sitting so still like this, bottling everything up at such a time… That couldn't be healthy.

"No."

"Sasuke, seriously! You're burning yourself out. C'mon, let's just grab a pretzel or something. For me?"

"Whatever," Sasuke sighed.

Naruto followed the signs towards the cafeteria, Sasuke following behind him. Generally, Sasuke was the one leading the way. Perhaps he was too drained to so this time?

"The food here is always shit," Sasuke stated.

Naruto nodded quietly, noting that this was the first time Sasuke had referenced his history here. Of course, Sasuke could have been referring to a meal he'd eaten after Itachi had been admitted, but Naruto had a hunch that this wasn't Sasuke's intent.

"What hospital food isn't?"

"This place has the hospital food to end all hospital food," Sasuke stated as he followed Naruto. "But I assume a pretzel wouldn't be that bad."

Naruto was glad that Sasuke had begun to speak. Finally he seemed more like a person and less like a mannequin. Naruto was pleased when he reached into his pocket and had just enough change to treat Sasuke to a pretzel. Sasuke had done the same for him on many occasions, and he had long been waiting for the opportunity to repay him.

"You look like a moron right now," Sasuke remarked, taking the pretzel and noting the large grin on Naruto's face.

"This moron got you to eat, didn't he?"

Sasuke grunted, biting into the rather dry and chewy pretzel, which tasted as if some Styrofoam had been mixed into it. At least it wasn't horrible. He offered Naruto a bite.

"Nah, I'm good."

Naruto hadn't eaten this morning either, had he?

"Hypocrite," Sasuke teased.

"Yeah, whatever," Naruto responded playfully, ruffling up Sasuke's hair.

Sasuke was already beginning to feel better as his blood sugar returned to normal range. His headache seemed to dwindle as well.

"Dude, Sasuke… Check out the tuna they're serving. What the hell did they do to it?"

Sasuke arched a brow, peering around strangers at the splintery fish.

"It looks like it's made from plastic."

"Ugh, god, you're right. It does."

"I wasn't lying about the food here."

"Damn, poor Itachi," Naruto spoke, quickly cursing his brain for being outrun by his mouth. He looked at Sasuke nervously, and Sasuke instantly read Naruto's thoughts.

"'S fine. I'll just have to take him somewhere nice when he's better."

Naruto smiled at Sasuke, glad that he'd responded so optimistically.

"And cooking for him is out of the question?"

"I can't cook that well."

"Yeah, you can."

"No, but compared to you I'm Iron Chef."

"Bastard, I was giving you a compliment!" Naruto complained with a slight chuckle in his voice.

"How has that been working for you lately?"

"You're such a fucking asshole. I don't even know why I'm so smitten here."

"But how could you not be?"

Sasuke was finally coming back to life, it seemed. Naruto began to laugh, relieved.

"Oh wow, Sasuke. Good question ya smug little son of a bitch."

Sasuke snickered, swatting Naruto's hand away as the blond tried to yank at his ear.

"Seriously though, you should cook for him. Even if it's not like…gourmet dining, I think he'd appreciate it more."

He nodded, wondering if Naruto was really right about that. Sasuke wasn't a bad cook, but he believed that Olive Garden had him beat.

"Maybe."

Sasuke looked at his watch. They'd been gone for almost ten minutes.

"I think we should get back."

"Alright," Naruto sighed. "But don't be so stiff, okay? Relax."

"I am relaxed."

"Dude, no you're not. You looked like one of those British royal guards with the chimney cleaner hats that aren't supposed to move."

Sasuke was actually flattered by that. He was glad he'd managed to pass himself off so well.

"If the whole doctor thing flops, you should really look into that as a life calling."

"I'll consider it," Sasuke smirked.

After returning to his seat, Sasuke continued to effortlessly antagonize his boyfriend. As far as Naruto was concerned, this was a perfect success.

But their conversation fell to a rapid halt as they noticed a woman with a white coat and gargantuan breasts approaching. Sasuke hadn't been expecting to see Dr. Sannin for at least another half hour. Why was she returning so quickly? Naruto followed Sasuke's eyes towards the woman. Could this really be Dr. Sannin?

Sasuke watched her closely, examining every motion, even her body posture to search for subtle signs of success or failure. He wished that Tsunade would walk more quickly, finding it difficult not to race up to her himself. Tsunade caught Sasuke's eyes. She was smiling.
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Soup's On