Chapter Text
"Aplastic anemia?" Tsunade quirked a blonde eyebrow up at Naruto.
He gave her a determined nod, keeping her eyes locked on her own.
Tsunade let out a long sigh. "I don't know. Seems kinda farfetched."
Naruto gave her a frown before turning quickly, looking up at the giant bookshelf that stood before him. Carefully but swiftly, he scanned the titles as fast as he could until he found what he was looking for. He reached up and grabbed a book from the middle shelf.
Without saying anything, he flipped through the pages frantically until he found what he was looking for. He placed the book down in front of her and crossed his arms over his chest. "Read."
"Don't tell me what to do, brat." She scowled at him before looking down at the book in front of her. With some hesitation, she grabbed the book and brought it closer to herself.
She frowned as she looked over the page. "Naruto, it could be anything. Not necessarily this. It's very rare."
"And it could also be fatal if left untreated." Naruto pushed back, glaring at her. "We can at least do more tests to rule it out. Nothing else was just adding up."
Tsunade let out a sigh. "Alright. Fine."
Naruto gave her a grateful smile. "Thank you."
"We'll start with a simple blood test. If his red and white blood cell levels are low along with his platelet levels, I'll go ahead and do a bone marrow biopsy."
Naruto nodded. "I'll let Sasuke know."
"You're not going to be his nurse, Naruto." Tsunade frowned. "I appreciate you bringing this into consideration but from here on out, you are not to be involved with his diagnosis or treatment. You are simply his husband. Understood?"
Naruto grumbled under his breath, once again crossing his arms over his chest. "Yeah, yeah." He turned to leave her office. Before he was fully out the door, he quickly turned back to her, mouth open to ask a question.
"First thing in the morning, Naruto. I need to get some rest." Tsunade answered before he could get a word out.
Naruto smiled brightly at her. "You know me so well!" He laughed before heading back to Sasuke's room.
He felt lighter as he walked down the familiar corridors. It was also bittersweet and he felt his smile turn sad as he realized what this meant for Sasuke; pain, and a lot of it.
He turned the corner and ran a hand through his blonde locks as he let out a sigh. He stopped in front of the door where Sasuke was lying behind it.
With a determined look, he nodded once at the door before opening it and stepping inside.
When Sasuke awoke again, there was light shining in the room. He squinted as his eyes tried to adjust to the brightness.
When he finally got his vision back, he looked around the room. He saw Naruto propped up in the armchair that was placed near the head of his bed. He smiled warmly at his husband and slowly reached out to him. He placed a hand on tan cheeks and held it there, relishing in the soft skin.
The blonde had to have been exhausted. Usually even a gentle touch was enough to stir him from sleep, if only for a second or two. Sasuke sighed as he placed his hand back to his side. He looked up to the ceiling, unsure of what to feel.
"Good morning, Sasuke."
He slowly glanced over to see Naruto's boss, Tsunade standing in the doorway. He gave her a nod. "Morning." His voice came out raspy and he tried to clear it, only to find his mouth and throat felt terribly dry. "Water?"
She nodded before stepping out of the room. It was only a few seconds before she came back in with a water bottle. She walked over to his bed and handed it to the grateful Uchiha. "We're going to do some more blood tests today. Depending on the results, we'll work from there. I already informed Naruto about him not being involved on this anymore. So no begging to him will change anything."
Sasuke gave her a smirk. "Of course." His smirk turned into a neutral expression. "So then what do you think I have?"
Tsunade let out a sigh. "He came up aplastic anemia."
Sasuke raised an eyebrow at that. He's heard plenty of people who have anemia and they lead regular lives. He relaxed a little, feeling better about the situation. "That's not too bad then."
Tsunade visibly flinched and the movement did not go unnoticed by the raven. "We'll discuss it more on what the tests results say."
He narrowed his eyes at her in suspicion. "Should I be worried?"
She gave him a light shrug. "It's pretty rare. It's more to make sure to check all our boxes per say."
Sasuke nodded and leaned back in his bed, turning to look at the blonde, once again a small smile overcoming his face. It's just like him to be so concerned for him.
"He has a good heart." He heard her comment behind him. "You're lucky to have him."
Sasuke felt a warmth in his chest and his smile grew. "You have no idea."
A loud snore came from the sleeping blonde that turned their sweet moment into one that shocked both of the awake occupants in the room.
"I guess I didn't realize how exhausted he really was worrying over you." Tsunade shook her head. "Alright, I'll be sending in a nurse to take those blood samples so stay put." With that being said, she left the room.
"Ngh." The sleeping blonde groaned and Sasuke turned his attention to him. He watched with amusement as Naruto slowly began to wake up, fidgeting constantly. "Damn." He muttered as his blue eyes finally opened.
"Morning, dobe." Sasuke smirked.
The nickname that was more endearing at this point, caused Naruto to look up at the raven. He sat up in his seat and looked him over carefully. "How long have you been conscious?"
Sasuke frowned as Naruto instantly went into Nurse Mode. He gave a light shrug. "I don't know. Fifteen, twenty minutes?"
"Do you remember anything?"
"Bits and pieces. Mostly just waking up in pain only to fall back asleep."
"Do you-"
Sasuke cut him off with a growl. "Enough with the questions, Naruto."
Naruto frowned at him in return. "Don't get pissy with me, teme. I just want to make sure you're okay. You've been in and out of consciousness for five days now. I'm just worried."
At his husband's confession, Sasuke felt guilty for his outburst. He ran a hand through his dark locks and let out a sigh. "I know you're worried, but you're not my nurse." He paused and Naruto stayed silent knowing there was more that the raven wanted to say. "I want to talk with you as my husband."
The small blush and the slight pout on Sasuke's face made Naruto break out into a wide grin. It wasn't that rare for Sasuke to be childish and pull a pout when things didn't go his way, but it made Naruto smile every time. "Aw, why didn't you just say so?" He grabbed the pale hand and placed a light kiss on his knuckles.
Sasuke turned away and Naruto snickered as the blush got darker. "You never gave me a damned chance to ask."
Naruto didn't respond to the comment, instead focusing on the hand held in his own. He traced the prominent veins gently with his thumb and let out a content sigh.
Sasuke watched the blonde from the side until he felt the heat in his cheeks subside. He turned to him. "I love you."
Naruto looked up before smiling softly at him. "I love you too."
There was a light knock on the door and they both looked to see Tenten standing in the doorway, smiling brightly at them. "Hey guys! I'm here for your blood, Sasuke."
Sasuke gave her a nod.
She walked over to the side of the bed and pulled the stool that was next to the nightstand up to the side of the bed.
Naruto and Sasuke watched as she set up what she needed to take his blood. "Only a few more months till your wedding, huh?"
"Yeah, I know!" Her smile grew as she examined Sasuke's arm, trying to find a vein. "It only took us like 3 years." She laughed. She then wiped at a spot on his arm with an alcohol pad before sticking him with the needle and began to fill up the vials she needed with blood. "Neji and I just didn't agree on some things in the beginning and then his work got in the way, or my work. But finally things are falling into place. We only need to find the perfect cake and then some last minute decorations."
"That's not so bad." Sasuke commented as he watched Tenten work.
She shook her head as she got the last vial. "Here, place your finger." She quickly pulled out the needle as soon as Sasuke pressed the gauze in place. She then placed a bandage over the spot. "There we go!" She stood up. "I'll send these to the lab and Tsunade should be back in a couple of hours with the results."
"Thanks Tenten!" Naruto smiled brightly at her as she left with a wave. He looked back at Sasuke who was staring at the spot where Tenten took his blood. He placed his hand on top of his other arm. "You up to get something to eat in the cafeteria?"
Sasuke slowly raised his head to look at the blonde. He thought it over before nodding. "Yeah, that sounds like a good idea."
"Yeah, alright! Let's go!" Naruto jumped up from his seat, practically bouncing on his toes. "Here, I'll help you up." He moved to the side of the bed and held out his arms for Sasuke to grab onto.
After carefully pulling him up and getting him standing, using his IV pole to help him balance, Naruto guided the two of them out into the hall and into the elevator.
Sasuke groaned as he stretched his arms up as the elevator doors closed on them, bringing them down. "You have no idea how great it feels to walk around. My muscles feel like they're withering away."
Naruto giggled as he latched himself around Sasuke's arm. The raven leaned against the wall of the elevator and used his other arm to pull the blonde closer to himself. "It's only been five days! There shouldn't be...that much...change." Naruto frowned as Sasuke's words registered in his head. He felt his heartbeat speed up and his stomach drop. He didn't want his diagnosis to be correct.
"Hey, dobe, you okay?" Sasuke gave him a light push, trying to get him back into reality.
"Huh?" Naruto blinked quickly before looking up at Sasuke. "What'd you say?"
Sasuke just responded with a smirk and placed a kiss on his forehead. "I think you need some rest if you're already spacing out."
"Haha, very funny." Naruto pouted as the elevator dinged, indicating that they reached their desired floor. "Let's go eat."
Naruto once again guided them to the cafeteria and soon they reached it.
It was pretty empty for it being close to lunch. And Naruto quickly sat Sasuke at a nearby table and asked what he wanted.
Sasuke watched as Naruto walked up to the counter, ordering their food animatedly. He smirked as Naruto turned to him with a wave as they began to prepare the food. Naruto couldn't stay still if his life depended on it. With a sigh, Sasuke rested his head on his knuckle and patiently waited for Naruto.
He soon arrived, tray in hand, with their food. He set it down with a happy grin. "Bon appetit!" He sat down next to the raven and started to eat.
Naruto talked about anything and everything, as long as he kept his mind busy, so he wouldn't be stuck worrying about Sasuke.
They finished lunch but stayed put talking until the lunch rush came in.
"Let's get outta here." Naruto commented as soon as the line began to reach out the door.
Naruto took his time taking Sasuke back to his room. The raven had trouble even keeping up with Naruto's slow pace.
"Shit, I'm already exhausted." Sasuke groaned as Naruto helped him get back into his bed.
Naruto frowned. "You need me to get you anything?"
Sasuke shook his head. "No, I just need to lie down."
Naruto nodded, staying quiet. He walked over to his seat on the other side of Sasuke's bed and sat down.
There was a knock at the door and pair looked at each other in confusion, unsure about who it could be.
"Come in!" Naruto called out.
Deidara and Itachi walked in, the blonde carrying a vase of flowers. "Hey there, Sasuke. How you feeling, un?"
Sasuke nodded at the couple that walked in greeting. "Better than when I first got here,though I'm still tired."
"Any diagnosis yet?" Itachi asked as he sat down on the edge of Sasuke's bed. Deidara moved to sit on the stool that Tenten sat on earlier.
Naruto bit his lip but Sasuke quickly answered. "No, not yet. But Tsunade thinks its anemia."
Naruto didn't have the heart to correct him about what she really said, hoping not to worry anyone in case it was nothing.
Itachi nodded. "That would explain things."
"What's been done so far?" Deidara asked.
Sasuke just shrugged. "Just some blood tests. We're waiting on the results, Tsunade should be coming back with the results any moment."
"So, how have you guys been?" Naruto quickly changed the subject, anything to keep his mind off of Sasuke's condition.
Deidara and Itachi looked at each other, Deidara broke into a large smile and Itachi nodded, sporting his own small smile. Deidara turned to look back at Naruto. "Well, we're thinking about having a baby sometime soon."
Both Naruto and Sasuke's eyes widened in surprise. Naruto soon broke out into his own grin. "Congratulations! But isn't it a little soon? You guys only got married a little over three months ago."
Deidara nodded. "We did take that into consideration. But we've also dated for eight years, living together for six of them. We were practically married already. Besides, I want a big family, better to start sooner than later, am I right?"
Naruto giggled. "That's true." He grabbed Sasuke's hand and gave it a light squeeze.
"So, when will you guys give me a little niece or nephew?" Itachi asked, giving the younger couple a smirk. "You guys have been married three years now."
Sasuke shrugged. "We're taking our time, I still want the dobe to myself."
Naruto blushed at Sasuke's words but smiled at his brother-in-law. "Don't worry, you'll have one some day."
Itachi gave them a pout, crossing his arms over his chest. With a huff, he turned away. "I sure hope so."
The two blonde's laughed at Itachi's reaction while Sasuke rolled his eyes at the dramatics.
Another knock interrupted their laughter and the four of them saw Tsunade in the doorway.
At Tsunade's grim look, Naruto's stomach dropped and he felt himself stop breathing. It wasn't until he was being gently shaken by Sasuke that he realized Tsunade was talking to all of them. "Sorry, can you repeat that?"
Tsunade let out an irritated sigh. "I know it's been a long five days, Naruto, but listen, I'm not repeating myself again."
Before she began again, Naruto took a look around the room and at the grim faces of his in-laws. He didn't dare look at Sasuke, for fear of bursting into tears. He nodded his head and waited for her to continue.
"As I said, Sasuke's blood and platelet levels are way below the level they need to be at. With that being said, I would like to go ahead and do a bone marrow biopsy. For this, I'll just be taking a small sample of the bone marrow from your hip bone and looking at the sample under a microscope."
The room was silent as everyone took in the information.
"So, what would my treatment be like if I did end up with this anemia thing?" Sasuke asked, breaking the silence.
Tsunade cleared her throat. "Well, we can either do blood transfusions or if its severe, we can do a bone marrow transplant."
Sasuke nodded at her answer.
"So when will you be doing the biopsy?" Naruto asked.
"I'm just going to grab the necessary equipment and we'll do it right in here. Give me fifteen minutes." She left the room and they could hear here heels clicking down the fall, fading away.
Itachi let out a sigh. "I guess that's our cue to go." He stood up from the bed and placed his hand a top Sasuke's head. "Let me know when you find out."
Sasuke nodded and watched as Deidara stood up and followed Itachi out, giving them a wave.
Naruto groaned and threw himself back into his seat. "I don't believe this."
Sasuke turned to Naruto, an eyebrow raised. "What?"
"That this is happening!" Naruto whined, not sounding like himself. His worries felt like they were consuming him. "This shouldn't be happening!"
Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the overreacting blonde. "Naruto, calm down, this isn't like you."
"We should be in Italy right now! Enjoying ourselves!" He began to hyperventilate.
There was a loud, echoing 'smack' as Sasuke slapped Naruto across his cheek. "Get a hold of yourself, Naruto!"
Naruto looked on in Sasuke in shock as he held his stinging cheek. He sniffled, not realizing his hysterics led him to cry.
"Now listen to me, Naruto." Sasuke pulled on Naruto's arms, causing the blonde to fall into his lap. The raven adjust the two of them so they lay more comfortable. Naruto quickly snuggled into his side. "No matter what my diagnosis is, we'll get through this, together. Thick and thin, sickness and health. Those were our vows, right?"
Naruto nodded, staring at Sasuke.
"So as long as you're by my side, nothing can stop me, I'm invincible, alright? Just me and you." Sasuke captured Naruto's lips in a kiss.
The kiss lasted a while before Naruto reluctantly pulled away. He wiped gently at his eyes and smiled. "Thank you, Sasuke."
"Dobe." He breathed into his blonde locks.
A knock at the door, and Tsunade entered rolling a small metal tray into the room. "Alright, Sasuke lie down flat and stay absolutely still. This shouldn't take long."
Sasuke did as he was told and followed her instructions. True to her word, she made it fast and painless.
"Alright, give me an hour and or so and I'll be back with your results." She left the room quickly.
"As least she's doing it quickly for us." Naruto commented as he climbed into the bed after Sasuke situated himself.
"Hn." Sasuke replied, suddenly feeling tired. He shut his eyes as Naruto rested his head atop his chest.
Naruto looked on in concern. "Take a nap, Tsunade will wake you up-" a yawn cut off his sentence as he felt tired himself. "When she gets..." he trailed off, falling asleep.
Sasuke let out a soft snort as Naruto's gentle snores already reached his ears. "Dobe, practice what you preach." He mumbled to himself as he drifted off himself.
It wasn't long before Sasuke felt himself being shaken awake. He scrunched up his face, unwilling to open his eyes.
"Come on, Sasuke. Tsunade has your results." He frowned as he heard Naruto's voice, it was soft and sad. Whatever Tsunade had to say, it wasn't going to be good. He opened his eyes to see a very small smile on his blonde's face. "Hey."
"Hey." He sat up with a grunt and gave his full attention to Tsunade.
With a sigh, she bowed her head and then gave the two a serious look, masking any emotion. "It's what Naruto predicted, Sasuke, you have aplastic anemia."