The Life of a Dead Man

Eight

"How is he doing?" Kaname asked as he watched Yuki blankly make herself a cup of coffee. She hadn't slept in days, and her brother would be lying if he said he had slept any either. Zero had basically locked himself in his room, telling every nurse that came by that he just didn't feel up to it. Yuki was worried about him but she knew that he must be going through a battle.

"I don't know, I'm hoping he'll let me in today. I just need to know he's okay, mentally, so that I can rest a little easier. Being in that room will kill him faster than anything I'm afraid." she told him as she leaned against the counter. Kaname knew what he wanted to do, but getting Zero to agree to it would be the hard part.

"Can we go see him? I have something to ask him." Kaname bit the inside of his jaw, waiting for an answer. Yuki simply shrugged deflatedly and nodded to his door. The brown haired man walked to the door and knocked. "Zero? It's Kaname, I wanted to talk to you about something." He said, full of hope. A few minutes later, the door opened to reveal a very sick looking Zero.

His hair was disheveled, his eyes were red and had bags around them, and his pale skin was even more pale. The sick boy didn't even make eye contact as he walked back to his bed and crawled onto it, covering himself up with the thin white sheets.

"How are you?" Kaname forced out, the heartbreaking sight in front of him seeming to be overwhelming. The white haired boy didn't reply. "I was doing some thinking while I was away-"

"That's dangerous." Zero said absentmindedly, signaling that he wasn't really meaning to respond. Kaname snorted.

"Anyway, I've been thinking about some things and I was wondering if you would like to come stay with me? I have plenty of room for you." Kaname said while sitting in the chair next to the bed. That statement caught the boys distraction dead in its tracks, skepticism becoming clear on his face as he looked at the man.

"And just why, exactly, would I do that?" Zero asked finally after a moment or two of observation in order to see if he could detect something other than seriousness. Kaname didn't falter.

"Because why the hell would you want to stay in this shitty place any longer if you don't have to?" he asked as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Zero was not going to let his guard down.

"And why would you want me at your house?"

"Why not?" Kaname was unmoved by Zero, in fact he was rather ecstatic. Zero narrowed his lavender eyes at the man.

"What the fuck are you playing at, Dickwad?" Zero asked once more, finally letting his suspicious demeanor get the better of him. Kaname's enthusiasm dropped a bit.

"What do you mean? I simply wish to have you at my home." he stated once more. "Is that a sin?"

"No, but it is bloody mad. What kind of person, specifically an entrepreneur like yourself, would want a cancer patient in their home?" Zero asked.

"I have told you time and time again, I do not see you as a sick man, but rather now a friend in which I would like to help."

"You can't help me."

"Maybe." Kaname said at last. "Maybe I cannot help you but I can at least try and allow you to live as full a life as possible." he explained finally, allowing Zero to see what it was that he was getting at, rather than simply acting out of character completely.

"You would have to take care of me. Medicine, cooking, helping me get around sometimes." Zero said, hoping that he could talk him out of his crazy imagination.

"I would do it without complaint." Zero grunted.

"You would have to learn how to check certain things, make sure I was hydrated and eating, keep me from getting fevers, which medicines I took at which time of the day, figure out how to launder clothing so it doesn't irritate my skin, purchase things that could cost lots of money, you would basically have to take care of me like a sick child."

"I would learn, and money is no object." Kaname said without hesitation. Zero was undoubtedly tired, and he had never put much effort into resolve anyway.

"You're not going to give up easily, are you?"

"No, no I'm not." Zero sighed. "Look, all I wish to do here is make the rest of your life the best possible. And whether that be two days, or forty years, my mind will never change. I want to do this, not because I pity you but because you deserve it." he spoke softly this time, gently in a sense, and had a sincere look upon his features.

"And your work? How are you going to be able to continue with that and take care of me all of the time? It would prove to be a burden." Zero curled up on the bed with tired eyes looking at the man beside him. Kaname pulled a piece of the silver hair away from the dull eyes.

"You, Zero, will never be a burden to me." his words were tender almost. They were comforting to Zero that made him feel almost normal again; almost. "My business is fine without me, as well. No business is more important than helping a friend to me. I would do anything to keep you happy for the rest of your life."

"Do you promise?" Zero asked, not entirely explaining all that he was asking. "Do you promise that you won't get tired of all of my issues after a while?"

"I would never get tired of you. Your 'problems' are what make you, well you. Whatever you need, you'll have. Whatever you want, you'll get. You will never have to worry about another thing." Kaname told the man, sending a warm feeling through Zero at his words.

"You must be one hell of a friend."

"Actually I'm an asshole. Just feels right for me to do this." he snorted.

"I'm not doing the chemotherapy anymore." Zero said suddenly, making Kaname's frown reappear.

"W-Why? That could give you-"

"Yeah I know. Honestly though, I don't want to spend two weeks out of each month wishing I was already dead just so I could be done with it. I want to feel less like shit and more like a normal human being. If I can't be healthy then I can at least be happy."

"Well, then I guess that if that's what you want to do." he responded, his chest twisting up painfully at the news. "Have you told her yet?"

"How can I? It nearly broke her hesrt just for someone to say I'm going to die. Honestly I don't think even I could tell her that. She wants so badly for me to miraculously get better but she knows it won't happen. She's been there for me through every test, every appointment, every cooperation, every flatline-"

"You've flatlined before?" Kaname asked, eyes wide and shock clear on his face.

"Yeah, a few times. It happened like three times in the first year I was in the hospital. It hasn't happened in a while, but it's not my favorite thing to do." he tried to joke, but Kaname just clenched his jaw. "Convinced to not let me live with you yet?"

"No, fuck off it's not going to change my mind." Kaname said, but in a joking way. Zero smiled, looking down at his sheets before his eyes met Kaname's once again. The brunet swore that he could see that smile and every problem that was nagging him would go away as soon as it had showed up.

"So, I guess we're roomies then?"

"Hell yeah."