The Summer After | SNS

3. {pt.2}

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A Fall Festival and a Libra's Birthday

Chapter Three: Part Two

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A/N: I did not edit like 4k of this...? Hopefully it's not obvious which scenes lol. And I hope those of you who are reading enjoy. I cut a portion of it but I don't think I'll delete those scenes, maybe post it with Chapter 4 later on.

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Leaving Naruto alone in the library felt more profound to Sasuke than it actually was. It felt like it symbolized the end of their friendship or something, and after that, Sasuke practically could feel Naruto caring about him less.

It felt stupid to be bothered by it, even a little. After all, wasn't he the problem, wasn't he the reason Naruto was deciding to finally stop pestering, seeing him unannounced, and even texting him? He can't act like this is a surprise, this is the consequence of his own doing so why does he feel...bad?

Naruto is his best friend, but does he need to change that statement to past tense? Are they still as connected as they were in high school? Maybe even that version of them wasn't as deep as he thought.

Naruto didn't really know him, he made an effort to make it so that Naruto talked more, he always knew what Naruto was up to and it was only when things were really really bad did he notice, but Sasuke didn't want him to.

He wanted Naruto to be his sanctuary, his place to go to in order to forget how shitty his life actually was. A family that hardly functions, a...disorder...and crippling perfectionism with who even knows what else? There were so many things Naruto was that he wasn't. Itachi was that he wasn't, and things he will never be no matter how hard he tries. So isn't it better he stop pretending, stop trying to make Naruto his safe space, as if the only reason he existed was to be a crutch for him.

This was a result of his own inability to deal with his issues, and Naruto didn't deserve to be around him if he kept bringing him down by just being there.

Fuck isn't he just so pathetic? Making Naruto think he was hurting instead of helping. Not tell him anything because he was too scared to learn what that would mean. He was much more comfortable shoving things aside, ignoring them and it seemed Naruto was no different. Well at least one of them would come out of this better than they were before it, and it wasn't him.

So in a few long minutes of cold, heart-stopping dread, Sasuke whittled his minds way over to acceptance. Acceptance this his friendship was dead, it was his fault, and there was no reason for this to change course. Hopefully, Naruto would have realized this too by now and just let it happen.

Frankly, it was for the best.

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"God, you look like shit."

Suigetsu, ever the honest one, tells Sasuke like it is the next morning. Sasuke doesn't say anything to them in the morning.

Actually, it wasn't even morning, it was an hour past noon and Sasuke had skipped his first class. Half because he truly couldn't make himself leave his bed so he just let himself press snooze and slept through it. Ok, maybe that was entirely the reason. He did so knowing he'd feel guilty about it later, but later was here and he didn't feel guilty, he felt more apathetic than anything.

Were things worse? Maybe not feeling meant things were worse.

"Today is a shit day, I get you," Sasuke can tell he's in one of those moods where he just likes to ramble. He'll let him, "It's cloudy, and like, muggy, and I feel like I need to sneeze as soon as I step outside. It's not even winter?!"