All the Small Things

Disclaimer: Not ours. Bummer.
Summary: Life in the ER is hectic. Lives hang in the balance, tempers rise and emotions abound. Dr. Uchiha and Dr. Uzumaki deal with the tensions at work every day. And then they go home and deal with their own relationship. SasuNaru

Author’s Note: Actually, I don’t really have anything to say beyond a sincere ‘thank you’ to everyone who reviewed and to those who pointed out my –cough- mistakes. I did go back and re-edit. No more late night editing for me!
Also, I should have chapter eight of ‘The DMZ’ up tonight so don’t hunt me down. I promise it’s still on the front burner, but these silly little ER doctors wouldn’t leave me alone. Oh, and it’s not Roely’s fault. Honest.

All the Small Things
Chapter 3

Sasuke rested his head against the back of the supply closet door. The memories of Naruto confronting him yesterday in the locker room ran through his mind. Naruto had known he was hurting and regardless of his own pain and feelings toward the situation, he had sought Sasuke out, cornering him, forcing him to talk and accept his comfort or he would kick Sasuke’s ass.

Kick your ass.

The dark head came up and Sasuke adjusted his lab coat before running pale hands through midnight locks. He smirked. “Okay, dobe, we’ll do it your way.”

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The conversation with Aya had been painful, for both of them, and Naruto sighed heavily as he made his way up the flight of stairs to the roof. His hand trailed the railing, feeling the chips in the paint as he walked.

When Naruto had left, Shikamaru and Shizune had finally arrived having been delayed by an emergency somewhere else in the hospital. Naruto smiled. Who knew emergencies happened outside of the ER… was that even allowed?

Naruto had made his excuses and left as quickly as possible after assuring that Aya was comfortable. The pair had looked at him with unmasked concern flooding their eyes. Naruto shook his head. He wouldn’t be surprised if they had already said something to Sasuke.

Sasuke.

Naruto stopped and sat down on a step somewhere between floors eight and nine. His elbows rested against the step one up from where he sat and he allowed his head to fall back before rolling it slowly side to side, feeling the gentle stretch ease the ache in his shoulders.

Sasuke would confront him. That much was assured. The dark haired man wouldn’t let this go… not this time. Naruto shook his head. What was with him recently? He had gotten over this… okay, maybe not totally, but he had gotten control of this. He hadn’t been lying when he told Shikamaru that he knew becoming a doctor, a pediatrician, would be good for him. Every time he saved a child, comforted a child or just made a child smile it had slowly allowed Naruto to start healing. He was happy and he was hopelessly naïve and optimistic. That wasn’t an act. That was the child inside finally being allowed to express himself and feel safe.

This was all in no small part due to his dark haired teme.

Yes, being a pediatrician had helped him exercise his demons, along with the help of good friends like Shikamaru and no small amount of therapy, but the one thing that allowed him to triumph over the darkness was Sasuke. Sasuke was the paragon of strength in Naruto’s eyes. That is not to say that he didn’t know that Sasuke was capable of being hurt, experiencing fear and understanding loneliness… he was human and an Uchiha. Naruto quietly scoffed. They were a whole different brand of messed up.

Leaning forward Naruto rested his elbows on his knees. Just being around Sasuke made him feel safer, stronger and more competent. He had never told Sasuke about his childhood beyond the bare basics because he didn’t want that to change. He didn’t need another person to comfort him, especially when just one of Sasuke’s smirks or mumbled ‘dobes’ was equivalent to any amount of time spent lying on an uncomfortable couch in a dim room.

Sasuke had his own demons and Naruto would like to point out that it’s not as though he had sat Naruto down and cried about his emotionally unavailable parents and their nearly stifling obsession with the medical field. Naruto didn’t pressure Sasuke for more details. He simply made sure that he was always available should Sasuke need to talk or rather, available to force the bastard to when he needed it… regardless of Sasuke’s feelings on that matter.

Naruto blinked and pushed himself up. Maybe that was the problem. Naruto was always there to comfort Sasuke, but he never allowed for the reciprocal to happen. He started climbing the steps again. But Naruto hadn’t wanted to burden Sasuke with his own fears and worries. What if Sasuke didn’t want to handle Naruto’s issues? But worse, what if Sasuke didn’t know how to handle it and pulled away from Naruto in his fear of hurting him? As he had said, Sasuke wasn’t exactly up to date on being emotionally available.

Reaching the top of the staircase, Naruto pushed the heavy door and shielded his eyes against the midday sun.

“Funny meeting you here, dobe.”

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After leaving the supply room, Sasuke had seen and closed three more patient charts before slamming the remaining pile on the counter of the nurses’ station, glaring at the ER chief who had his feet up on a short file cabinet while eating a sub sandwich.

“Oh, Sasuke. You were so quiet. I almost didn’t see you there.” Kakashi looked down and pulled free a circle of red onion before flinging it into the trash with precision like accuracy.

Sasuke leaned up against the counter but then changing his mind walked forward, kicking Kakashi’s legs aside before sitting on the cabinet. “Enjoying your lunch, boss?” Sasuke asked the pleasantness in his tone sending two approaching newbies and one veteran doctor, who shall go unnamed, in the opposite direction, much to Kakashi’s amusement.

“Truthfully, I am. Barring the onion and the mayonnaise and the roast beef when I asked for turkey,” Kakashi tossed another onion, “I think the new management in the cafeteria is really working out. Don’t you?”

“How the fuck would I know? I don’t remember the last time I got to eat in this shit hole. While you have been critiquing the cuisine available, I’ve been doing… well, hold on.” Sasuke stood up and flipped the white board with barely restrained frustration. The board now showed a list of patient names, their complaints and finally their attending doctors’ names.

“If I could just direct your attention to the right hand side of the board.” Sasuke hissed. Kakashi twirled his chair slightly and put his feet back up on the cabinet.

“Please continue, Doctor.”

“Uchiha, Uchiha, Sabuka, Uchiha, Uchiha, Uchiha, Sabuka, Uchiha, Umino, Umino, Uchiha, Uchiha!”

“You missed that one Uzumaki… or was that some form of Freudian slip on your part?”

Sasuke turned to look at Kakashi and seeing the man lazily turn the page of the magazine in his lap, Sasuke threw the marker at the man’s head.

“What? Sasuke, you know I have attention issues. Please do get to the point.”

Sasuke stalked forward and kicked the man’s legs again. He reached over the counter and dragged the pile of charts closer to him before picking them up and plopping them forcefully onto Kakashi’s lap.

“The point is, boss,” Sasuke sneered, “I’m going to lunch!” Sasuke stalked in the direction of the stairwell door without looking back.

Kakashi gingerly picked up the charts to see his sandwich smashed beneath them. “And this is why I hate mayonnaise.”

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“Hey, teme. What brings you to the roof?” Naruto asked as the door closed behind him. He stepped forward still blinking, his eyes trying to adjust to the light and smiled up at Sasuke. The taller man looked like a damn angel. He was the stereotype of a fallen angel. He was tall, dark, handsome and pale like polished marble. Yes, an angel, his fallen angel.

“Well, Kakashi kindly gave me some time for lunch and I thought I might meet you up here.” The hair on Naruto’s neck immediately stood up. Warning sirens blared in his mind… that was like eighteen words when the Sasuke that he knew could have said it in two. ‘Hn. Lunch.’ Or was that one and a half?

“Oh, I see.” Naruto said walking slowly toward the edge of the roof, “What did you have? Did you save some for me?”

Sasuke ran a hand through his hair. Fuck this.

“Naruto.” The blonde didn’t say anything but the stiffening of the man’s shoulders told Sasuke that he had heard. “I think it’s time you told me.”

Naruto tilted his head to the side, still looking over the city, “Told you what?”

Sasuke was on him in a second, turning him around by his shoulders, “Tell me whatever the fuck makes you act the way you do sometimes. I am a doctor, dobe. A fucking doctor. Do you imagine for a moment that I don’t recognize the signs?”

Naruto lowered his head and blonde spikes fell to cover his eyes even more. “Teme, is right now really the time?”

“Yes, you son of…” Sasuke’s words were cut off by the noise of a helicopter as it neared the rooftop. His black locks swirled around his face and his hard, black eyes bore a hole into Naruto’s. Naruto swallowed… and the angel becomes a demon.

“Tell me what happened to you! Tell me so that I can stop imagining scenarios, each worse than the last. Tell me so that I can help you!” Sasuke screamed over the rotating blades in the background. Throughout it all, Sasuke had been shaking Naruto’s shoulders until the shorter man’s head was snapping back and forth.

Naruto shoved Sasuke away from him and took a deep breath, “There’s nothing to tell, you bastard.” Naruto yelled, attempting to sidestep the enraged doctor.

Sasuke yanked him back by his wrist and leaned in until his mouth was near Naruto’s ear, “Tell me, dobe. Are you scared? Fucking tell me!”

Again Naruto pushed him off, “Whatever you imagined, bastard… whatever your stuck up, pampered, Uchiha mind can imagine… it was that and WORSE!” Naruto screamed.

The helicopter now hovered over the landing pad and Sasuke watched fascinated as the tears that fell from Naruto’s eyes were caught up in the wind produced by the blades and swept away before they could even dampen Naruto’s flushed cheeks.

Sasuke reached out and pulled the man toward him by his lab coat until their bodies touched and he held Naruto’s head against his chest. He placed kisses in the silken gold and ran soothing hands onto Naruto’s trembling back. Finally, he reached down and gently lifted Naruto’s chin.

“All I ask is that you trust me!” Although it was yelled over the noise, Naruto knew that had they been alone, Sasuke would have whispered it. The deep tone of his voice would have wrapped around him like it always did and Naruto would melt into the arms of man who was both his tormentor and his savior. Naruto nodded and pale lips descended against his, quickly laying siege and gaining entry into the warm, sweetness of Naruto’s mouth.

“Doctors?!” A voice yelled in the background. Sasuke growled when Naruto whimpered and leaned into his warmth. Sadly, ignoring the annoying voice wouldn’t make it go away.

The blades finally stopped and Sasuke leaned his forehead against Naruto’s, “Tonight.”

Naruto nodded, his eyes closed as he took shaking breaths to calm himself.

“Tonight, dobe. Promise me.”

Crystal blues eyes opened and Sasuke’s heart skipped a beat. Oh god… was this what had been missing?

“I promise, Sasuke. Tonight.” Naruto turned and ran toward the helicopter his voice already firing out questions.

Sasuke closed his eyes… thank god… he had seen trust.

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There was almost a bounce to Sasuke’s steps as he came down from the roof. After entering the ER and collecting his charts, he spied Shikamaru talking to Shizune and decided to go see if Aya’s case has been cleared. It soon became clear to him, by their not so quite discussion, that there was going to be trouble.

“I want to know what is happening with Satou-san?” He demanded, not caring if he had rudely interrupted them.

“Dr. Uchiha, you know that we can’t give you details about her case,” Shizune said in a regretful voice.

“She is still under my care and if anything were to upset her and send her running again, I would not be too happy,” he threatened, dark eyes narrowing into dangerous slits. Shizune shivered but stood her ground, she wasn’t going to let Sasuke intimated her.

“Why do you always have to be so troublesome?” Shikamaru asked his tone full of annoyance as he loosened his neck tie. “You’re a good doctor but we don’t owe you anything concerning Aya unless it concerns her health.”

Sasuke smiled, a cool dangerous smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes and he held his charts in front of him calmly.

“The fact that she was raped and molested as a child concerns her health. The fact that she is lying on a hospital bed because she has contracted HIV, as a direct result of her home environment, concerns her health. Therefore, anything about Aya concerns me.”

There was no doubt in either Shizune’s or Shikamaru’s mind who had won the argument. They looked at each other, Shizune shrugged. The doctor would have found out about it soon anyways. She nodded giving Shikamaru permission to inform him about the new turn of events.

“Her mother and step-father will be arriving soon. We contacted them and Aya will be released under their custody,” Shikamaru rubbed a weary hand over his tired face.

“We simply have no proof that what Aya is saying is true. We cannot let this girl, who is HIV positive, out on the streets again to possibly infect more people,” Shizune explained.

Sasuke turned to Shikamaru ignoring Shizune completely, his expressionless mask not revealing any of the turmoil and anger he was feeling inside his raging heart.

“You think she is telling you a lie?” He asked tentatively as he searched the long hair man’s face, finding only guilt and helplessness.

“No, I believe that she is telling the truth but the authorities won’t see it that way and social services can’t keep her when her parents are perfectly respectable citizens who had done more than their share to look out for her. What can I tell you, Doctor Uchiha, it’s out of our hands.”

“The bottom line is that proof and evidence are not ready available. It is totally a case of he said, she said, with ‘she’ being a sixteen year old homeless girl who sold herself for money. Of course, we will discreetly talk to the parents and make sure that they know of their daughter’s accusation. After that, we will gauge the reaction from both parents but I’m afraid she will still have to be released into their care if nothing presents itself at that time.”

“What if I don’t want to release her?” Sasuke asked.

There was a tense silence and Shizune and Shikamaru stood nervously under Sasuke’s dark, unwavering gaze.

“I see.” The doctor said curtly. “When will these two saintly candidates arrive?” He asked mockingly. They glanced from Sasuke to each other and shrugged. What could Sasuke do?

“In less than ten minutes they will be checking in at the desk and immediately taken to see Aya.”

Sasuke nodded and abruptly turned away, leaving them a little bit more anxious but relieved. If they knew nothing else, they knew that Sasuke would somehow make it better. The doctor, who had a reputation for a hard and harsh personality, also had a reputation for caring about his patients, not that anyone ever told him to his face. They valued their lives.

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Not wasting anything more time with those bureaucrats, Sasuke hurried to the reception desk and found Sakura, Ino and Chouji updating charts and the schedule. He gave them his friendliest smile, that unsurprisingly looked more predatory than friendly, but they were veteran nurses and use to his evil, strange ways.

“I need a favor.” He looked at all three of them with a serious expression. “That includes you,” and he pointed rudely to the receptionist.

“When Aya Satou parents asked for her, have me paged.” The receptionist quickly nodded. He inclined his head towards the board were patients were assigned to doctors. “I need you three to cover for me,” he told them.

Sakura gave him an uneasy look. “You know nurses can only do so much, doctor.”

“I understand that, Sakura, but you three are in charge of assigning doctors to the patients and I just need an hour or two free,” he voice took on a pleading tone and his eyes grew wide. It was Sasuke’s version of the ‘puppy dog eyed look’, which for the dark haired man came out more like a ‘damn sexy dog look’ and it melted Sakura’s and Ino’s heart right away.

“Of course, doctor,” they gushed at the same time.

Chouji rolled his eyes, opening his mouth to tell him, ‘no way’, but Sasuke knew his weaknesses as well.

“I’ll take you to an all you can eat barbeque.” He drawled looking directly at the stout nurse.

Chouji’s very enthusiastic nod almost made Sasuke smile.

“Good. Thank you.”

He turned on his heel, his next case was a simple one and then it would free him up to make sure that he would be there to greet Aya’s mother and step-father. He was going make sure that Aya didn’t go home to be abused any further. It wasn’t his job but sometimes the system needed a little push. He didn’t care what Shizune or Shikamaru said. He’d be damned if he let that bastard damage her further.

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He eyed Aya’s parents critically. Her mother was a small mousy thing but the step-father, however, struck him as a very aggressive man, a strict man with control issues. He knew that type.

“I don’t understand, I thought we were supposed to be meeting with Doctor Nara?” The mother asked and there was a bewildered look in her eyes. Her eyes shifted nervously towards her husband, who stern face didn’t even flicker to look at her.

“We want to take her home right away,” The step-father said and his voice broke no argument. Sasuke gave him his best ‘good doctor’ smile.

“Of course, you do,” Sasuke saw the way the Aya’s step-father stiffened. “Come, I’ll take you to her.”

The look in Aya’s eyes when they entered the room reminded Sasuke of the look Naruto had earlier when he was sitting on the floor. It was the wild, desperate look of a cornered animal. Sasuke’s jaw tightened and he gave her a reassuring smile.

“When can we discharge her?” Satou-san asked, watching mother and daughter reunion.

While the two were busy, Sasuke took the opportunity to set his plan into motion. He knew he didn’t have much time, Shizune and Shikamaru would eventually figure out what he had done.

“Does it make you feel like a big man having molested and raped a little girl?” He asked the man in a soft voice, turning to look straight at him.

Aya’s step-father’s eyes flickered to the two hugging women. “She is a lying bitch, I didn’t touch her!” He shouted, not caring who was listening. Aya sobbed, clinging to her mother tightly.

“Danzo, what is going on?” Aya’s mother turned frightened eyes to her husband. Sasuke walked toward the two women, keeping a careful eye on Danzo. He smiled down at Aya before making eye contact with her mother.

“Before I go into the details of Aya’s condition, I want you to listen to your daughter, really listen and not just brush off what she has to say like you did two years ago.”

“Aya?” Her mother’s voice trembled and the older woman reached out to take her daughter’s hand.

Those big, brown eyes of Aya’s were awash with tears, “He raped me, Mama. He raped me when I was fourteen and befo-before that he molested me! I swear. Please believe me!”

“NO, no, please, not this again. Aya, please don’t!” Her mother pleaded. She never wanted to believe her daughter because she never wanted to face the truth.

“Don’t listen to her Benika. She’s lying!” Her husband screamed making his way towards them. Aya screamed in fear, trying to scramble away from her mother.

Sasuke got between the approaching man and the women, “Are those the actions of someone who’s lying?” He asked the now softly sobbing Benika, who gathered her daughter in her arms.

“It’s true, isn’t it?” Benika asked her daughter, who had buried her head in her bosom.

“FUCK YOU! Benika, if you believe her then you can forget about me and my money!” Danzo threatened, taking a dangerous step closer to Sasuke.

“If you don’t believe her, then you’re not much of a mother. At least give her the benefit of the doubt, Satou-san. But that’s least of you problems. Aya has been diagnosed with AIDS.” He was bluffing of course, although Aya had been deemed HIV positive, he knew that most people’s response to information like that was to panic.

“You bitch, you whore and God help you if you have given me AIDS!” Danzo screamed, a desperate worried look in his eyes.

Aya’s mother gasped. It was the truth from the son of a bitch’s own mouth. Sasuke almost smirked with triumph but the door flung open and he knew the jig was up.

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Naruto had helped the other doctors as they moved the patient from the helicopter. It wasn’t an emergency, per say, the elderly man was stable and simply being transferred to KCH for heart surgery. They might be a poor hospital, but Jiraiya was the best.

Afterward, Naruto headed back towards the ER. He had thought about stopping in on the twins but he knew he should probably clock some time into the ER before Tsunade blew a gasket.

“Naruto.”

Naruto stopped, one foot hanging in the air as it swung to the next step. His face twisted into a cringe, not Tsunade, but nearly as bad.

“Iruka! Hey. It’s been awhile since we talked but just now I am heading down to the ER. Fully prepared to join my fellow worker bees in order to make the hive thrive and…”

“Stop,” Iruka said climbing the last several stairs to reach the blonde haired doctor, “Sit.”

Naruto let out a breath and sat next to the brown haired man. He shifted so that his back was against the wall and Iruka turned so that his was against the railing. Iruka didn’t say anything just looked at Naruto, his brown eyes clearly saying, ‘Tell me… now.’

“Right,” Naruto began allowing his head to hit the gray cement behind him, “What do you know?”

“Why don’t we assume I know everything and you just bring me up to speed,” was the man’s instant reply. Iruka looked at the young man before him and although his face showed signs of exhaustion, his eyes were alive, bright… relieved maybe. From what Shikamaru and Shizune had told him, he had not expected that.

“Okay… you must have talked to Shikamaru and Shizune,” Naruto muttered something that sounded suspiciously like ‘traitors’ and continued, “Twins came into the ER yesterday. Their parents died and they are all alone… Ruka, I can’t get them out of my mind. I think about them all the time. I know there’s nothing I can do, but,” Naruto ran a hand over his face, “I want them.”

Iruka’s eyes grew wider, “You want them? Like, take them home?”

Naruto nodded, not meeting Iruka’s eyes. “It’s stupid and I know it will go away. I just feel drawn to them I guess. My god, they are beautiful, smart and they make me feel… Huh?” Naruto’s eyes seemed to be seeing something far away and Iruka fancied that if Naruto were a cartoon, a light bulb would be flashing over his head.

“What, Naruto?”

“I just described my feelings for Sasuke. Funny, huh?”

Iruka swallowed. Oh shit.

Naruto shook his head, “But that’s not even the big news.”

Iruka leaned heavily against the railing and nodded to Naruto to continue.

“I’m going to tell Sasuke everything tonight.” Naruto’s blue eyes met and held Iruka’s.

“Really?” Iruka said and cursed himself for his stellar communication skills. Iruka had known Naruto since the blonde had moved in with the Sarutobis when he was sixteen. The boy had been small for his age, skittish and painfully shy. He trusted no one. It took one full year of continual attention, love and support for the boy to open up to even one quarter of what he was today. Iruka didn’t know everything, not many did, but he knew that once Naruto had come to terms with his childhood, he rarely shared it with anyone. Including the man he had loved for nearly ten years. When Grandfather Sarutobi had asked why, Naruto would always say that it was his past and it was over. He didn’t want to play the ‘poor me’ card. He wanted people to know him, like him and love him for what he was today, not out of pity for the baggage he carried.

No amount of assuring changed the blonde’s mind.

“Yes, I think he needs to know. Or rather he wants to know and has made it clear that I no longer have an option.” Naruto shrugged, “Now that I have promised to share, I feel better. Like a weight has been lifted. I think Sasuke will understand. I don’t think he’ll make a big deal out of it, you know?” A smile split across the tan face, “Actually, I don’t know why I waited to tell him. The bastard would have probably said something like, ‘Hn, dobe. Stop being a whiner baby and do we have time for a little fun?’”

Iruka nodded and gave Naruto a warm smile before standing up and brushing his pants off. Naruto followed suit and rubbed the back of his head, “So, are we done then?”

Iruka chuckled lightly, “Yes, Naruto, we are. You know that I’m always here if you need to talk, right?”

“Yeah, I do.” Naruto wasn’t surprised when Iruka pulled him into a hug before he started walking up the stairs. Naruto turned to walk down when Iruka cleared his throat.

“Naruto, as your friend, I think you are making a great decision. Sasuke is a good man. He loves you and will always support you,” Naruto nodded. “And Dr. Uzumaki, as your boss, get your ass downstairs. I don’t remember the last time I saw your face down there.”

“Yes, sir.” Naruto saluted cheekily and took the rest of the stairs two at a time.

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Naruto entered the ER and immediately headed toward the patient board. He physically winced when he read all of the Uchihas written down the right side. Damn… All the sudden airing out his skeletons sounded bloody brilliant, much better than listening to the bastard whine about doing all the work around here and where the hell was everyone else and without me…

“You bitch, you whore and God help you if you’ve given me AIDS!”

Naruto jumped, turning around to see Sasuke in Aya’s room with two adults. Oh shit.

Running to the door, he flung it open. The whole room’s occupants turned to look at him and he noticed that Sasuke’s face went from smug to worried in less than a second.

Running a hand through his blonde spikes, he smiled and nodded to Sasuke, “Dr. Uchiha.”

Sasuke nodded in return and stepped closer to his dobe. “Dr. Uzumaki. These are Aya’s parents.”

Naruto nodded and stepped toward the bed, shaking the older woman’s hand, “It’s a pleasure to meet you.” He grabbed the chart at the end of the bed and began flipping through it, seemingly ignoring the quiet sobs of the mother and daughter and the tension pulsating from Sasuke and the girl’s stepfather.

“Hmmm… yes, I remember. Aya Satou, age sixteen, homeless.” He flipped several sheets while chewing thoughtfully on his lower lip. Sasuke clinched his fists. He wanted Naruto out of here. This was not part of his plan. He wanted to grab the dobe and force him out of the room. But there was something about Naruto’s face, his voice and his posture that kept Sasuke glued in his spot. If he had to put a name to the feeling, he would have said fear.

“Right, HIV positive.” Naruto mumbled, still flipping, his fingers white with the grip they had on the chart, “Ah, yes, final diagnosis,” Naruto looked up a smile on his face, blue eyes crackling, “Dead beat, child molesting, baby raping stepfather. Cure?” A blonde eyebrow raised in mock question, “Fifteen to twenty, no chance for parole.” With that he snapped the chart shut.

“Who the fuck are you?!” Danzo screamed, spittle punctuating each word. The bulking man turned on Sasuke, “Who the fuck is he?! Who have you been telling your fucking lies too?!”

Before Sasuke could answer, Naruto stepped into the man’s space. Sasuke felt his heart stop. Danzo stood above his dobe by at least a head. The man was twice as wide and his face was beet red with barely restrained anger.

“I am the man who will be testifying against you in court, Satou-san. I am the man who will make sure that the best psychiatrists are called in to collect evidence against you. I am the man who will clap as you are lead off in leg irons. And finally, I am the man who will sleep better tonight knowing that not too long from now, in the middle of the night, you’ll be screaming for your mother while your new roommate makes you relive exactly what you forced on an innocent fourteen year old. Any questions, you son of a bitch?”

Sasuke knew it was coming and still couldn’t reach them in time. Danzo’s beefy fist connected with Naruto’s face and the blonde was sent flying onto the hospital bed while Aya and her mother screamed. Danzo made a move toward Naruto to finish what he started but not before Sasuke tackled him to the floor, arms, legs and curses flying through the air.

In the commotion, no one noticed the door opening until the security guards had dragged Danzo off of the dark haired doctor.

“Troublesome!” Shikamaru sighed and Naruto could have sworn he heard frustration and not just a little bit of concern in the bored tone.

Naruto pushed himself up to sitting, moving his jaw tenderly, his eye already swelling. Turning to look at the mother and daughter he said, “I don’t know about you, Satou-san, but I for one, will be pressing charges.”

Benika held her daughter against her chest and slowly nodded her head. “Yes, I will be too.”

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Sasuke and Naruto stared at Kakashi with hard eyes as the normally cool man continued yelling at them. It really was a waste of time. They were not about to apologize for helping Aya, not when the results have been very satisfactory for both of them. Sasuke stepped and inched closer to Naruto, who was standing beside him in front of Kakashi’s desk. He slipped his hand into Naruto’s, holding it tightly, his eyes looking straight at Kakashi.

The silver hair man’s face was turning several interesting shades of color. He had gone from deathly pale to outraged red and then to a sickly blue with disbelief as the guards, Shikamaru and Shizune explained exactly what had been going on.

“We could be sued. You could lose your license!” Kakashi shoved his chair violently back, coming around to stand in front of the two doctors. Sasuke felt Naruto tremble and he squeezed his hand gently to assure him. They wouldn’t lose their license to practice medicine. Being an Uchiha guaranteed that and more.

“What the hell do you have to say for yourselves?!” Kakashi screamed at the top of his lungs, his stoic poise forgotten in the face of possibly losing two of his best ER doctors.

“Naruto had nothing to do with the Satou. He just walked in at the wrong moment.” Sasuke explained, protecting his dobe even if it meant that Kakashi might suspend him. Sasuke felt Naruto urgently tugged at his hand but Sasuke ignored him.

“That’s not true, bastard, it was as much my fault as it was yours!” The blond exclaimed and it took all of Sasuke’s will power not to tell him to shut the fuck up and let him fix this mess.

“You know, I’m starting to believe that I can’t have you two working in the same ER.” Kakashi didn’t beat around the bush when he was happy and he certainly didn’t pull any punches when he was angry.

Naruto eyes blazed, “I can’t believe you would say that! We are the best at what we do!” He pulled free from Sasuke and slammed his palms on Kakashi’s desk, “This has nothing to do with my relationship with Dr. Uchiha, sir!” Sasuke flinched but stayed quiet. He knew how to deal with Kakashi but the dobe was making it harder on both of them.

Kakashi ignored Naruto outburst. He had been expecting that from him but what he couldn’t ignore was Sasuke’s out of character behavior concerning Aya Satou. Sasuke did not get emotionally involved further than trying to save their lives. There was more to it than just feeling guilt for hitting the girl. Sasuke never championed anyone else’s cause unless that person was Naruto.

“Why, Sasuke? Why get involved so personally?” He asked and wasn’t surprised when Sasuke kept quiet.

Kakashi sat back down on his desk and Naruto backed off returning to his place next to his silent lover.

“I have no choice, really, but to suspend you both for three days,” he held up a hand to stop Naruto’s spluttering protest.

“I have to report this to Tsunade and then a board of your peers will decide if you are capable of remaining doctors.” He sighed, rubbing his eyes tiredly.

“I don’t have to tell you how disappointed I am in both of you. I am especially disappointed in you, Doctor Uchiha,” he said wearily.

Sasuke flinched. Kakashi was as close to a ‘real’ father as he had ever had and it hurt to think that the man was disappointed in him. But this was about Naruto. He couldn’t bear to see the same disappointment and defeat on Naruto’s face, if he had to tell him that Aya was going home to her stepfather, the same man that had caused her so much pain. For Naruto, he would gladly suffer any punishment, just so long as he never had to see the darkness in those crystal blue eyes.

“Go home, boys. I’ll call you soon.”

They left Kakashi’s office quietly, going to gather their personal belongings from the locker room. Sasuke led an unusually quiet Naruto out of the hospital and into the parking lot. He was glad that the day was over, but he had a bad feeling that the storm was just beginning.

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Sasuke opened the door to their apartment. He could tell that the dobe had something on his mind and it didn’t take a genius to imagine it was related to the promised conversation from earlier. Turning, he eyed Naruto’s black eye angrily. That damn son-of-a-bitch had gotten a good punch in before he was able to interfere.

He pulled the strangely quiet Naruto into the kitchen sitting him down on one of the kitchen chairs before opening the fridge to grab an ice pack.

Sasuke straddle Naruto legs, placing the ice pack carefully on his left eye. Naruto winced, shivering from the cold.

“Talk to me, dobe. Do not shut me out. Being all broody and angst-y is usually my department but lately you been more hormonal than a pregnant woman,” he joked, smiling slightly down on Naruto.

“Funny… bastard!” And Naruto grimaced in pain as Sasuke pressed down on the ice pack.

“I’m so sorry, Sasuke. It’s my fault that you got suspended!” His blue eyes filled with tears and Sasuke held in a groan. He really hated to see Naruto cry, hated it with a passion. His love was not meant for tears. No sadness or anything else that wasn’t pure, light and happiness should ever grace those features.

He gave him a quick kiss on the nose, “Don’t cry, idiot. Please, Naruto.” He begged placing the bag on the table and cradling the man’s face with both hands as he kissed him desperately on the lips. Sasuke swallowed a sob that made its way from Naruto’s throat and he plunged his tongue into the warm cavern of Naruto’s mouth, running it along the blonde’s teeth and gums.

Naruto’s arms clutched his shoulders, grabbing them tightly, his nails digging deep into the skin under Sasuke’s shirt.

“Naruto, Naruto, Naruto,” Sasuke moaned against his lips, slowly pulling away. He smiled gently at Naruto and Naruto caught his breath. Sasuke never showed his kind, gentle and loving self to anybody but him and he was so proud to be on the receiving end of Sasuke’s love. He would make damn sure that nobody else ever saw this passionate, loving side of Sasuke. It was all his and when it came to Sasuke he was very possessive.

“God, Sasuke, you don’t know how much I love you, need you,” he said in a shaky voice.

Sasuke smirked at him, “I think I have a good idea, dobe,” he placed his hand between their two bodies, gently caressing the bulge in Naruto’s pants.

“Do you think we can play?” Naruto whispered longingly, suddenly wanting nothing else but to feel Sasuke deep inside of him. He was disappointed when the taller man shook his head.

“No, not that I’m not tempted, Naru,” Sasuke smirked almost predatorily down at him, “but we need to talk. We need to clear a few things that lately have been coming between us and then I promise you, baby, we can play all you want.”

Naruto nodded. He had been equal parts dreading and looking forward to this conversation. It was time and he just hoped that Sasuke wouldn’t look at him differently when it was over.

“Come on, dobe. Let’s get more comfortable and then we’ll talk.”

Naruto nodded and gave Sasuke a brilliant smile. Sasuke gave a soft one in return. Only Naruto could have a nearly swollen shut black eye and still look adorable, breathtaking… perfect.

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Sasuke pulled Naruto into the bathroom, not unlike the blonde had done to him just that morning. He slowly undressed the man and made quick work of losing his own clothing as well.

They showered in nearly complete silence, washing each other with gentle hands and lingering touches. It was nothing like this morning’s experience and the intimacy of it was almost over powering to them both. By the end, Naruto wasn’t sure he could handle it. His chest ached for Sasuke, not for sex and not for ‘playtime’, but for Sasuke… just Sasuke. He leaned his tired head against the strong, pale chest and felt the warm water run down his back. Sasuke’s arms were wrapped loosely around his waist and his chin rested on his head.

“I love you.” Naruto whispered, placing tender kisses against the skin available to him.

He felt Sasuke kiss his wet hair and he could hear the smile in the reply, “Hn. Dobe.”

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They were both dressed in comfy sweats and oversized sweat shirts. Sasuke had made them coffee and they were currently on their balcony overlooking the city at night.

Sasuke lay back on an overstuffed lounge chair with Naruto between his legs, the blonde’s head resting against the taller man’s chest. Naruto had wrapped them in a heavy wool blanket and their coffee sent light tentacles of steam into the night air.

Naruto shifted until he was being held in Sasuke’s arms almost like a child. Sasuke’s fingers carded through blonde silk and he relished in the feeling of holding Naruto in his arms.

“Are you ready, dobe?”

“Hmmm… yes. No. Yes. Yes, I am.”

Sasuke smirked, “Just so long as you’re sure.”

“Teme!” Naruto pouted and reached for his coffee, taking one last procrastinating sip before setting the cup down. “You know, that’s perfect. Just right.”

Sasuke sighed, but allowed his dobe the extra moment, “Of course it is. It’s as simple as realizing that you like a little coffee with your sugar and cream, that’s all.”

“It’s good. Thank you.”

“Hn.” Once again they fell into silence but for the cars and the planes and the people and the…

“You know that when I was three my biological parents died and from then on I floated from foster home to foster home.” Sasuke’s heart skipped and he almost found himself wishing they were still discussing sickeningly sweet coffee. “As an adult, I know that children are most likely adopted if they enter the system between the ages newborn to four. So, I still don’t understand why, really.”

Naruto pulled the blanket up to his neck, snuggling further into Sasuke’s chest. Sasuke wrapped his arms around the dobe, rubbing his hands over Naruto’s back.

“For some reason, I just didn’t ‘stick’ anywhere. Maybe it wasn’t me. Maybe I just had the bad luck of being given to families who eventually, for reasons totally separate from the blonde orphaned kid, couldn’t keep me. By the time I was seven, I had been in five different homes and my ‘marketability’ was quickly fading.”

Naruto heard the growl in Sasuke’s chest even if it didn’t reach the man’s lips. It made him smile. “At one point, I spent time in an orphanage. I was eight. I know that most people think of poor little Oliver Twist, but really, the caretakers there were okay. Overworked, underpaid… not nearly enough of them.” Naruto sighed running a hand over his face, “That was probably when it began. My education into real life.” Naruto had a smile on his face, but Sasuke didn’t doubt for a moment that it was to hide something worse. “We were separated into wards. By age, you know, and gender. But at night, the older boys would come in and ‘watch’ us they said.”

Sasuke’s grip tightened to painful. Naruto closed his eyes. Was this fair to the dark haired man? Total disclosure seemed cruel. When the grip didn’t ease up, Naruto squirmed, “Sasuke.”

“Sorry. Continue.” Sasuke said his voice devoid of emotion. Typical Uchiha.

“They would make us watch as they undressed and touched themselves and soon they would t-touch us and the first time… the first time I threw up on an older boy, his name was Botan… I kinda wish I could forget that. I spent three days in the infirmary afterward.”

Naruto stopped and Sasuke didn’t comment and so he pressed on.

“I was there until I was twelve and the place shut down. Not enough funding. Teme, in the interest of full disclosure, they tried and did touch me again and forced me to touch them, but they never raped me… there.”

Sasuke nodded stiffly and Naruto couldn’t read anything in his face with the shadows falling across his pale profile like a storm cloud.

Naruto nodded in return, “I was sent to a foster home with another boy. His name was Haku.” Naruto squeezed his eyes shut. “We were there for four years… I left. Haku died.”

Again the grip became painful but this time Naruto allowed it, enjoying the reminder that he was here with Sasuke and not back in that house, with Haku’s bloody body in his lap.

“My foster family was upper-middle class. They both worked. I still have no idea why they wanted to foster kids… I mean, maybe I do, but even now I can’t wrap my mind around someone premeditating child abuse. Planning it. Filling out the papers, going through the system. Doesn’t it seem like a lot of work?”

Again Sasuke didn’t respond verbally but Naruto felt him press his lips against Naruto’s head.

“They were a husband and a wife and it was like living with Jekyll and Hyde. They fed off each other. She would make us…”

Naruto stopped for such a long time Sasuke didn’t know what to think. “Dobe.”

The blonde turned sharply in Sasuke’s arms and straddle his waist, “Are you sure, Sasuke? Do you want me to tell you everything? Because,” Naruto started shaking his head back and forth rapidly, almost frantically, “Because I really don’t want to tell you. I don’t want it to change how you feel. I didn’t want to do…”

“Hn. Dobe. That’s enough.” Pale hands stopped the shaking head and pulled Naruto’s face down until their foreheads rested together, “Tell me.”

Naruto rested his head against Sasuke’s chest and listened to the heartbeat for a moment. “She would force us to ‘pleasure’ her and when he found out, and they planned it so he always did, he’d beat the shit out of us. Now, as a husband wouldn’t you just send us away? But no. That wasn’t how they worked I guess. So then he would force us to…” Naruto fisted Sasuke’s sweatshirt, “Sasuke…” Naruto whimpered.

“He would rape you,” came the cool reply.

“Yes.” Naruto whispered. “And then she would beat the shit out of us. And then, when Haku and I were lying in the bathtub, because they wouldn’t tolerate the blood stains, we could hear them going at it like rabbits through the walls. We were a game. Part of a kinky sex game that the state was paying them for.”

“One night, when we were both sixteen, things got out of control. He was coming at me and he was angry… I don’t know why. Normally, he did his deed and then yanked her into the bedroom, but that night he came at me angry. Ready to hurt me. Kill me. Haku jumped him when I stopped getting up and he kept attacking me. I don’t remember what happened. I just remember sitting there with the police lights flashing through the windows holding Haku in my lap. He was beautiful. Oh god…” The sobs ripped from his chest and Naruto couldn’t stop it, he didn’t want to. If Sasuke wanted everything, then that included when Naruto fell apart as well.

“Dobe.” Sasuke whispered and Naruto almost smiled. He didn’t ask Naruto to stop crying, he didn’t try to fix it. He just let Naruto know he was there.

They set like that for an eternity before Naruto calmed down to the point where his breaths came out in little ‘hicks’.

“Who were they? The p-people who did this to you?” Sasuke said, tilting Naruto’s chin up and meeting watery blue eyes.

“It doesn’t really matter.” Naruto said and before Sasuke could insist, he continued, “They are dead.”

“How?”

“Haku had a boyfriend, Zabuza… he came in at the end. The police had to kill him to stop him. He was uncontrollable. I could hear them screaming while he… but I just sat there, petting Haku’s hair.”

“Dobe.”

Sasuke’s arms tightened again and Naruto let out a sigh of relief.

“After that I was placed with the Sarutobis. Uncle Asuma was the officer on call that night.”

Silence followed and Naruto had never felt more tired or relieved in his whole life.

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Sasuke suppressed a sob and he forced his tears back knowing that Naruto would panic and that was the last thing he wanted. His Naruto had suffered so much in the hands of strangers and he wasn’t there to protect him. How he wished that he had been in Naruto’s life earlier. He wished that he could erase everything that happened to him but he knew he couldn’t and a feeling of helplessness invaded his heart. He slowly turned Naruto in his arms and kissed those watery blue eyes closed and then covered his face with desperate butterfly kisses.

“Naruto, Naruto, God, baby, I’m so sorry! I thought it might be something like that but…” he shuddered wrapping his arms tightly around the smaller man.

Naruto sobbed, “It wasn’t your fault. I thought if I told you, that maybe you wouldn’t want me.” He confessed solemnly, his cheek pressed into Sasuke’s chest. He could hear his angel’s heartbeat racing and then felt a long shuddered going through his body.

“How can you think that? I want you all the time! Don’t you get it Naruto-dobe, you’re stuck with me whether you like it or not.” Two dark possessive eyes looked down on him. Naruto whimpered, thankful for the love of his life.

“God, I feel like a woman!” Naruto exclaimed, pulling away from Sasuke slightly.

“Glad you know your place in this relationship, Naruto,” Sasuke teased, laughing when Naruto glared at him, indignant.

Naruto opened his mouth to retort but his stomach chose that moment to give a loud protesting grumble. He closed his mouth blushing with embarrassment. Sasuke laughed.

“Let’s get you to bed and I’ll bring you some soup.”

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There was nothing better in the world, Naruto thought as he devoured the soup that his teme made him, than a good hot soup in bed. Sasuke sat next to him, slowly eating his soup, eyeing Naruto with a smile as the dobe ate.

“I was hungry,” the blond said, smiling at Sasuke who just shook his head complacency.

“So was I, for more things than just food but I guess we have three days for that,” Sasuke wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

“Pervert!” Naruto blushed deeply.

“Come on, dobe, you know you love it.” There was a slight teasing tone to Sasuke’s voice with an underlying of thread of desire.

Sasuke took both empty bowls to the kitchen and Naruto took the opportunity to think of ways that he could ask him about the twins. He really felt that the toddlers could add so much to their lives, but worried that Sasuke might not want them. Take one step at a time, Naruto thought to himself. Tomorrow… tomorrow he would talk to Sasuke about the twins. He snuggled deeper underneath the covers, closing his eyes. Tonight had been tiring enough without adding to it. He yawned as Sasuke slipped in beside him and gathered him in his arms. A kiss was pressed to his forehead and he smiled into Sasuke’s chest, smelling his fallen angel’s clean scent. Tomorrow was another day but right now all that Naruto wanted and needed had his arms wrapped tightly around him.

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