Better Than Before (A NARUSASU FANFIC)

CHAPTER 29: Coping Mechanisms

A/N: Hello!!
Welcome back to me!!...and you all as well!!...
＼(^-^)／
Ok, ok, I'm really sorry for going missing for the entire January. But here I am, back with a chapter for you guys! 🥹
Honestly, I don't know if you all will like this one because I'm writing one after so long, but I really do hope that it's not extremely bad.
(^∧^)
Anyway, enjoy~

A FEW DAYS LATER~

Promises were kept as hearts were broken, and the once pulsating garden of love that was blooming inside the two was now but a withered memory.

Since that day, a lot had changed between Sasuke and Naruto. The two were once inseparable, but now, they rarely saw each other, and when they did, they refused to acknowledge each other's presence.

Naruto avoided the raven due to the extreme sense of guilt that had begun eating away at him the moment Sasuke had departed from his home after being rejected.

Sasuke, on the other hand, was doing everything in his power to stay away from the blond. He knew that if he didn't distance himself from Naruto, then he would never be able to let go of Naruto.

However, the love that Sasuke had groomed over the days was so intense that he was failing to suppress it.

The young Uchiha's heart felt like it was being crushed under the heavy weight of love with each passing day. He neither knew how to face Naruto after what happened nor how to care for his shattered self.

Even the smallest glimpse of Naruto's blond hair would cause Sasuke to feel immense pain and despair. The mere mention of his name would make him feel suffocated.

Naruto was always like an unachievable dream... he was near, but never his. Sasuke still loved the blond, and he was unable to deal with it. He had always known the outcome of his confession, and yet here he was, crying over the man who chose his dead lover over him.

'Why would he even choose me...?'

Sasuke would occasionally think. His mind refused to give him a break from self-degrading thoughts. He had begun thinking that he was never good enough for Naruto.

'How can I even compete with Sai... it was a lost cause from the very beginning...'

Such were his 3 a.m. thoughts. He knew he was lacking in many ways, and he had decided that Naruto was never going to choose him.

'Naruto would never be mine...'

Just the thought of not being able to love the blond in the way he wanted to was breaking Sasuke every day. His heart longed for Naruto, and such desires were making him weaker and weaker.

Never in his life had the Uchiha felt so dejected and overwhelmed with negative emotions. Domestic abuse was something Sasuke was used to handling, but heartbreak? This wasn't an everyday routine for him.

Sasuke would only eat enough to keep himself alive. His appetite had taken a turn for the worse, and his meal timings were going haywire. On some days, he would have two meals, and on others, he just skipped eating entirely.

After avoiding Naruto at school all day, Sasuke would go to Naruto's apartment every afternoon and stand in front of the building, staring at the door of Naruto's room from the ground. He did this to remind himself of the intense heartbreak he had suffered when he had walked out of that very room a few days ago.

'Yes... He can never be mine...'

He would think while standing there. He would stay for a while and return home when the evening began to set in. At home, he would go directly to bed, just lying there awake for as long as he could.