CHAPTER 27: A Difficult Choice

A/N: Five thousand reads, huh... FIVE THOUSAND!! OMG!! I am so happy you all are giving time to this book! I can't describe this feeling in a word... All in all, thank you so very much! 🥹🧡💙However... I really don't know how to feel about this chapter. It took me longer than usual to type it because I was stuck to the point that what I wrote wasn't making any sense, even to me 🤐 I wasn't even sure about posting this one, but here we are... (;ﾟ∇ﾟ)Anyway, I still hope that you all like this one 😅😁

ONE WEEK LATER ~

Sasuke had been coming to meet Naruto without fail for the past seven days, but Naruto still hadn't opened the door for him. It had become a new routine for him.

He came every morning to leave a healthy breakfast at Naruto's doorstep before going to school. During lunch, he would somehow manage to sneak into the sports room to leave a bento for the blond since he knew that Naruto wasn't going to eat with him at the rooftop anytime soon. After school ended, he would go and wait outside Naruto's house for him to open the door. He would keep talking, sometimes with the wind, or the sky, or even Kurama, whoever kept him company. But when the evening would settle in, the raven would go back home, cook some dinner, and walk up to Naruto's house yet again to deliver him the last meal of the day outside his door.

Every time Sasuke came around to drop off Naruto's food (that he specially cooks for him), he would knock on the door in false hopes that Naruto would open it and let him in, and he would leave disappointed everytime. He wasn't expecting Naruto to open up to him anytime soon. However, he knew that he wouldn't have much time for Naruto very soon.

Since there was no reply to any text messages or missed calls that Sasuke had left, every meal that Naruto got from the Uchiha always had a message on a sticky note stuck to the lid of the bento, just like today.

"Oi, Dobe,If you at least tell me what's wrong, I won't be so annoying and leave you alone. But you acting like some saint in seclusion is really pissing me off."

Naruto read what was written on the small, yellow paper out loud for himself.

"He really is bipolar, dattebayo..."

Naruto muttered under his breath. He knew that Sasuke wasn't aware of the fact that he had been listening to him talk all these days.

The tone Sasuke uses when he's talking while sitting outside Naruto's house and the one he used in the notes were way too different.

Naruto placed the paper inside the drawer of his side table, in which lay all the other notes that had come with his meals. He walked back to the kitchen and opened the bento, only to find steamed rice, miso soup, pickle salad, and some fresh berries inside it.

"He really gives it a lot of thought, doesn't he?"

Naruto smiled at the food before looking for the creature he was talking to, the creature being Kurama again, who was sitting beside the table leg. Kurama purred in response, which was succeeded by a loud whimper.

"Ok, ok, I know you're hungry! Take it!"

Naruto tossed the berries to the fox, who collected them in his mouth before going away to find himself a comfortable spot to eat.

Naruto sat in his chair and, after an enthusiastic "ittadakimasu," he relished his breakfast in peace, or at least he wished he could have. While he ate, he couldn't help but remember the past week he had spent going back and forth between Earth and Hell.

Every time Sasuke came and talked, Naruto would feel guilty, and sometimes it overwhelmed him so much that he entered a state of panic.

Even after the raven would leave, it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows for the blond. No, it was quite the opposite, because when he wasn't busy feeling guilty towards Sasuke, Sai would definitely haunt his thoughts, demanding an explanation from him about those dangerous feelings that Naruto was in denial of, feelings that had something to do with Sasuke.

In short, Naruto was sick of it all. He loved Sai, so he understood why he couldn't let go of him. However, he couldn't figure out why Sasuke was so invested in him.

It was precisely because Sasuke was being overly sweet to him that his love for Sai was wavering and causing all these problems for him.

'I can't let this go on for long.'

He knew he couldn't keep his newfound feelings hidden under denial, so he had to deal with them. His love for Sai was unquestionable, and anything that could make Naruto doubt them must be eradicated. And so, Naruto had made his choice.

He stood up and left the half-eaten breakfast to rest on the table as he retired to his room, deciding not to go to school today.

'I'll have to talk to him today.'

He, for the first time after so many days, was ready to face the raven with all the questions as well as answers.

*TIME SKIP* DURING LUNCH BREAK~

Seeing that Naruto had not come to school, Sasuke had run to Naruto's apartment to deliver him today's lunch. Sasuke had pledged to himself that while Naruto was feeling low, he wouldn't let the blond miss any of the meals.

He was able to reach Naruto's apartment in time, so he left the bento on the doorstep and knocked on the door, as he always did.

"OI, DOBE! YOU DIDN'T COME TO SCHOOL TODAY, SO I CAME TO-"

Sasuke paused when he heard some shuffling on the other end of the door. He stared at the door for a minute before it clicked open to reveal the magnificent blond Sasuke had missed so much.

"You... opened..."

Sasuke was stunned. He had not expected for even a second that Naruto would open the door for him so abruptly, especially at the worst timing when he had to go back to school.

'School can wait for today, I guess...'

Sasuke was not wasting this chance to be with his blond crush, not after he had let him in after so many days. Sasuke wished he could admire more of the whiskered man in front of him; however, the Uchiha was quick to notice the bags under his eyes and his pale skin, which caused his relief to turn into worry.

'Had he applied makeup or what?'

Sasuke remembered that Naruto looked much better yesterday than he did now, and his guess was right. Naruto was applying makeup for school, which was a regular habit of his considering all the sleepless nights he had due to his panic attacks even in the past.

"Come in."

Naruto spoke monotonously as he turned around and walked inside while Sasuke closely followed him.

'Something is wrong with him...'

Sasuke could practically see how gloomy the environment around him was. It scared him to see Naruto surrounded by such an overwhelmingly sad and distant aura.

Sasuke followed Naruto to the kitchen and sat on the chair at the table, which was now clean of any leftover food from the morning.

Naruto was silently washing the bento that Sasuke had left for him in the morning because starting a conversation with the raven about their current situation, especially when Naruto had his wild guesses on the matter, was too difficult for him.

Meanwhile, Sasuke could feel that the silence wasn't pleasant at all.

"*coughs* So, dobe, you seem to be doing just fine to me."

Sasuke tried his best to lift the awkwardness between them, but he wasn't prepared for what came next.

"Why are you here?"

Naruto's voice was so cold that it sent a chill down Sasuke's spine. He was still facing away from the raven as he waited for a reply. The moment Naruto asked this question, he knew that today wasn't going to end well.

"What do you mean?"

Sasuke really couldn't understand what was happening. It was supposed to be obvious why he was there...right?

"Why are you here when you're supposed to be at school?"

Sasuke scoffed at the blond, who had now turned around to face him.

"To give you your lunch, of course."

"And why do you care?"

Naruto immediately spat back at Sasuke, who was now losing his patience as well.

"What the hell are you saying? Friends need a reason to care for each other now?"

"This isn't how friends care, dattebayo."

It hurt Naruto to talk to Sasuke like that, but he knew what he was doing. He had to get the truth out of him, now.

"What?! Then how do they care? Kindly do the honors and teach me."

"Even this has to be taught to you?"

Sasuke was hurt when Naruto said that, while the blond regretted opening his mouth as soon as he realized what he had said, but there was no point crying over spilled milk.

"Oh, well, yes 'cause I haven't had friends all my fucking life unlike someone. You should be an expert at dealing with friends, right? That's why you kept me waiting outside in the cold every day."

Sasuke didn't want to send Naruto on a guilt trip, but he wanted the whiskered man to know how hurt he was.

"Sorry... I didn't mean to say that, but just think about it, Sasuke. Was it me who asked you to stay outside all day?"

That shut Sasuke up. He couldn't give an answer to that because he knew that it was his personal choice, so he couldn't blame Naruto for not letting him in.

"No, right? So why did you do it?"

Naruto was extremely well aware of how harsh he was being, but he also knew that he was very close to breaking Sasuke.

"I- I did it because I was worried... Isn't that a good enough reason?"

Sasuke calmed himself down before he answered because he knew that any more provocation from Naruto would lead him to confessing things he didn't want the blond to know as of yet.

"No, it's not. Not even Kiba or Shika, who have been my friends since high school, take care of me like this, dattebayo. So why? Is it because you have pity on me? If yes then-"

"What?! Pity?! You think I do all this because I pity you?! I didn't do it because of pity! I did it because I..."

'Because I love you.'

Sasuke couldn't believe how outrageously wrong Naruto's reasoning could be.

"Because what, Sasuke?"

Naruto knew that he was extremely close to the truth. He was glad that Sasuke wasn't pitying him like he had guessed earlier, but he still wanted to know what was going on in the Uchiha's mind. He had to keep pushing the raven to his limits if he wanted him to speak the truth.

"B- Because I feel guilty! Because I know that I am the reason why you're like this..."

"And what the hell do you even know about me, huh?"

Naruto's aggression was so clearly conveyed that Sasuke had to stop his tears from leaving his eyes. He could only pray for his voice to not shiver with how his emotions were all over the place.

"I know everything... whatever you've told me... and whatever you've tried to hide, including Sai."

Sasuke's heart was racing frantically as he confessed. He knew that he just had to be honest about it. He couldn't let Naruto's interrogation go on any further, so the only way to shut him up was to give him a little taste of what he wanted: the truth.

'He knows everything...?!'

Naruto wasn't expecting Sasuke to know literally everything, and yet he wasn't actually surprised by it. He was just unable to accept the fact that Sasuke knew all that Naruto was trying so hard to hide from him.

"Dobe...? Are you okay?"

'What will he think of me now...?'

Naruto had tuned out Sasuke's voice as his brain was filling up with more concerning thoughts. He had turned pale as he began breathing faster than normal, and his heart was racing.

'He'll think of me as a murderer...'

The thought was enough for Naruto's brain to start working its psychotic magic.

'Well, there is no harm even if he thinks of you as a murderer, isn't it, Naruto? It might even turn out to be for the better. He'll leave you and then nobody will come between us.'

Sai's voice reasoned with the blond in his head. This was a red flag.

Naruto didn't know why, but he just couldn't bear the thought of Sasuke hating him, even for a second.

Naruto was about to reply to Sai's voice when his trance was interrupted by another voice, a deeper, panicked yet harmonic and peaceful voice.

"NARUTO! Are you ok?!"

It was Sasuke. He was trying to bring Naruto back to normal by talking to him and slightly shaking him by his shoulders. He didn't know how to help Naruto, who now had tears streaming down his face as he panted in Sasuke's hold.

Naruto was soon able to regain his senses, but he knew it wasn't for long. He could see that Sasuke was saying something to him which he couldn't figure out. His only attention was on how frail and gaunt Sasuke's features looked.

His cheeks had sunken visibly, and his lips were chapped due to the cold. His eyes had huge eye bags under them. He looked exhausted...almost as if he hadn't eaten or slept in days.

Naruto could feel the balloon of guilt growing inside him as he kept observing Sasuke's condition from up close.

He wished he could touch that pale skin which had lost its luster. He wanted to caress those cheeks that would turn pink anytime he was even close to the raven. He wished to kiss those eyes that were staring at him, glistening with worry. He wished he could claim those cold lips and warm them up-

'Don't you think you're too close?'

Sai uttered to Naruto yet again, alerting Naruto of what he was doing. The blond realized that he was just inches away from Sasuke's face, so he harshly pushed the raven away from him.

Sasuke stumbled and almost fell on his back but was able to regain his balance somehow. By the time Sasuke stood up properly, Naruto had already taken a few steps away from him. His cerulean orbs were expressionless and were now boring holes at Sasuke with their gaze.

"What's wrong, Naruto?"

'You said you'd deal with it, Naruto. What are you waiting for?'

The two voices ringing in Naruto's ears were driving him insane, as if giving him a choice.

"*sigh* Go home, Sasuke."

Naruto had managed to calm himself temporarily, just so he could send Sasuke away. The blond knew that he would soon descend into his worst nightmare, and before that happens, he needed Sasuke to leave.

"But why?"

Sasuke was not going to give up on Naruto so easily. He knew he was emotionally hurting the blond terribly by doing all this, but he was an Uchiha. He only knew how to desperately fight for what he wanted, be it revenge or love.

"You don't have to feel guilty about anything. It's not your fault, dattebayo, so just go."

Sasuke could see how desperate Naruto was to get him out of his house, but he wasn't having it. Not today.

"Really?! We both know that I am the cause, so who are you lying to?! Also, you can't expect me to leave you like this!"

"YOU YOURSELF SAID THAT YOU ARE THE REASON WHY I AM LIKE THIS, SO WHY CAN'T YOU LEAVE ME ALONE? YOU REALLY LIKE SEEING ME SUFFER LIKE THIS?!"

It was very unlike Naruto, but the man was losing his patience. Yet, he tried one last time to talk to Sasuke as calmly as he could manage at the moment.

"*inhales deeply* Why are you so persistent on taking care of me? I don't need it!"

"Because..."

"BECAUSE WHAT, SASUKE?!"

"Because I like you, you usuratonkachi!"

Sasuke's eyes widened, and he turned crimson upon realizing what he had just said.

'What the heck did I just say...?!'

He looked away because he did not have the courage to face Naruto. His heart was ready to leap out of his chest at any moment. He knew that what awaited him was only disappointment and heartbreak, yet for once, he wished that he was wrong.

"What?"

Naruto could only manage to say so much. His brain had gone completely blank as soon as Sasuke's words had fallen upon his ears.

"What 'what'?"

Sasuke was blushing madly with an annoyed expression. He turned his head a little to meet Naruto's eyes, but the blond's expression sent a shiver down his spine.

"You... like me?"

Naruto looked terrified as he waited for Sasuke to reconfirm what he had just said.

'I hope I just misheard it.'

Because if he hadn't, he was already dreading the choice he would have to make in the future that was very soon going to turn into his present. Looking at Naruto, Sasuke didn't know if he should continue with his confession or just play it off as a joke.

After a long silence, Sasuke finally chose to be honest with Naruto. He had been hiding it for too long, and there was no point in going back on his word when the cat was already out of the bag.

"Ugh... I've said it already. I- I like you, dobe. That's why I can't leave you alone like this. I really want to help you through this. I... I am really bad at this, but I-"

Sasuke was interrupted by Naruto's restrained voice.

"Stop."

"Stop what?"

"Stop saying all this... it's not helping, dattebayo."

Sasuke knew that by telling the actual truth to Naruto, he was putting him in a very difficult position.

'But we can't avoid it for long, dobe...'

With that last bit of motivation, Sasuke continued after taking a deep breath.

"Uzumaki Naruto, you have to listen to me. I like you. I really, really like you. Uchihas aren't cowards, but this is the first time I, Uchiha Sasuke, was hesitating in telling this to you. I was, and am still scared of the answer you might give me because I know you have your own issues. You're free to be brutally honest with me because I already knew what awaited me since long ago."

Naruto was pretty determined in the morning about drawing a line between him and Sasuke, but now, his determination was wavering.

Naruto wished that he had some control over his tears, for they were falling out of his eyes without his permission. He wished he could love this raven in front of him, but his heart already belonged to someone else, according to him.

His morals and his feelings were battling in a life-and-death match when Sai's voice spoke right into Naruto's ears, giving him a clear view of the entire situation with just a single question.

'So, who are you going to choose, Naruto?'

A/N: Is this what we call a cliffhanger? 🤔Anyway! This chapter isn't very good, I know, so don't beat me up for it. I had a real writer's block, which was so very frustrating...f(^_^)BUT! I really did give it my all to write this chapter down, it's just that my efforts didn't yield as well a result this time😅I'm sorry for this one but I promise to write the next part better! Anyway, see you all in the next chapter!Author sound out ~ ✌🏻