Post it Notes
Chapter 2 Wine Bottle
Shifting in bed, Sasuke drew the duvet over his ruffled bed hair, attempting to block out the bright summer sunlight. From where the sun had cut across the room there were tiny dust-motes dancing in the wall of light, a reminder to Sasuke that he had to dust his room at some point. Sighing heavily, Sasuke kept his eyes firmly shut as he clutched his pillow. Today was Monday, it was currently three minutes past seven, he had one hour and twenty seven minutes to get ready and worst of all today was a school day. Not just any school day either, the first school day back.
"Good morning, otouto," a voice called out as they threw the door open, its hinges rattling as it bashed against the wall. A large figure dashed into the room, landing on top of Sasuke.
"Aniki…" he wheezed as he tried to shove his brother off of him to no avail. His brother stayed firmly on him, wriggling to sit up so he could proceed with the next stage of his plan: removing the duvet. Despite his luck of catching Sasuke off guard, Sasuke was still strong enough to put up a fight. No one pulled the duvet off Sasuke or it would leave a very stroppy Uchiha in its wake. Everyone in the house knew that…apparently.
The cotton navy blue duvet was snuggly wrapped around him like a cocoon to a caterpillar. If his brother was planning to remove his duvet anytime between the next twenty minutes then he was sorely mistaken. Sasuke didn't want to get out of bed, let alone go to school.
"-and how are we doing today, little brother?"
Growling, Sasuke went to grab his pillow to cover his head however was thwarted by his brother, who was a lot quicker than him in the mornings. Attempting to pull the duvet over his head but to no such luck seeing as his much heavier, stronger older brother was on top, he ended up punching himself in the eye.
"My, my, little brother, now wasn't that a silly thing to do." Itachi mused, his eyes narrowing as he held the pillow high above his head.
Seeing Itachi's thought process like a short animation clip, Sasuke threatened "Itachi, if you dare-
His words were empty as Itachi swooped down with the pillow, hitting him point blank in the face. Whilst shoving the pillow in his face, Itachi manoeuvred his body so he could grab the duvet. With one successful tug the duvet was off, leaving a pyjama clad Sasuke revealed. Smirking in satisfaction to his brother's complaints, Itachi sat up, smoothing his dishevelled hair and walked out of the room, calling out as he departed "See you for breakfast, otouto!"
Moaning, Sasuke looked around his room. The duvet was in a heap on the floor, along with the abused pillow which had been trying to smother him at one point. Turning, he looked at his alarm clock. The time was quarter past seven. Sighing, he rolled off the mattress and into a standing position, stretching for a moment before venturing out into the hallway. The vile smell of burnt toast was drifting upstairs, enough for Sasuke to wrinkle his nose and a sudden queasiness pooling in his stomach. Who over had decided to neglect their toast was in Sasuke's bad books today. Although something told him it was his older brother's fault, seeing as he'd been the one tasked with waking him up.
Trudging down the hallway Sasuke turned into the bathroom, locking the door behind him so he could shower in peace. He usually loved showers, getting rid of the grease and dirt from his skin but it'd recently turned into a time to think. Thinking was dangerous Sasuke had learnt, whilst in the shower. So quickly stripping and diving into the shower without a second thought, he quickly scrubbed himself and washed his hair. Already his mind was beginning to wonder to the past, the park…the laughter-
Biting his tongue Sasuke quickly finished showering and jumped out, drying himself off with a towel. As he walked out, the towel firmly wrapped round his waist, he let out a sigh. That was close, too close for his comfort. Returning to his room he was surprised to see his bed made and his fresh, warm school clothes were laid out. Drying off his legs he quickly tugged on some boxers before tugging on his school trousers and his socks. Sighing he picked up the towel and ruffled his hair with it, glancing in the mirror on top of his dresser. His dresser was usually kept to a minimalist however a watch was on it, along with various CDs and jewellery, the jewellery not even belonging to him yet another thing he had accumulated in the past month.
He kept one picture frame on his dresser; it was a black frame with a picture in it. However the glass had been broken a week ago and he hadn't bothered to fix it yet, so the picture remained face down for now. His eyes lingered on the frame, debating on whether to pick it up but decided against it. Finishing towel drying his hair, he watched in mild amusement as his hair immediately started to curl up into points at the back of his head. On numerous occasions he'd been told it had looked like a ducks butt, especially when he was walking as it looked like it was waddling…
Blinking, Sasuke slapped himself on the cheeks lightly as he felt the lump in his throat begin to form. Shaking his head, he walked over to his bed and tugged his shirt on, buttoning it before tying his tie, adjusting it slightly before pulling his navy blue jumper over the top. Picking up his watch he quickly buckled it on before striding over to his bedside table.
Startled, Sasuke froze with his arm outstretched to lift a plain black music box. His hand quickly retreated, his mind frantically thinking what to do next, so he busied himself with packing his school bag. What the hell had he been about to do? Didn't he already know the circumstances regarding that box, the fact that it was a no go? Shaking his head he reminded himself to stay on the ball, he couldn't slip up like that again.
Grabbing his bag and shoes, he tore out of his bedroom, shutting the door behind him, and going downstairs. There he was greeted by three pairs of eyes staring back at him. Frowning, he placed his bag and shoes next to his chair before setting about making some toast, feeling suddenly a bit self-conscious.
"Morning, honey, did you sleep well?"
Tilting his head to see his mum walking towards him he nodded, busying himself with putting two pieces of bread into the toaster. After placing them in and pushing down for them to cook, he set about grabbing a plate and knife.
Smiling, Mikoto grabbed the butter for him and set it down next to his plate and knife, she then moved back to the fridge and grabbed the tomato juice, pouring it into a glass. She briefly wondered if Sasuke was going to be okay going to school but she had to remind herself that he wasn't a child anymore. Yet, she still felt like something wasn't right…
"Sasuke, have you done all your homework?" Itachi asked, midway biting through his burnt toast.
Tensing, Sasuke sent a glare in his direction. Itachi must have figured it out by the fact his books were still on the desk and were so disorderly, damn him.
"How's the burnt toast?" he retorted, smirking as his popped up a golden brown.
Dryly, Itachi finished his toast as he answered "Crispy, just the way I like it." As he walked past Sasuke he purposefully shoved him in the shoulder, one of the slices of toast slipping from his grasp and landing on the floor.
Irritated, Sasuke turned around, yelling "What the fuck, Itachi?"
Placing his plate in the sink, Itachi turned around, quirking a perfectly arched eyebrow, as he asked "What's wrong now, little brother?"
"You bumped into me on purpose!" Sasuke replied, his hands clutching into fists.
"Did I?" Itachi drawled, looking down at his younger brother.
"That's enough, you two!" Mikoto warned, setting down a cup of coffee in front of her husband. She couldn't understand why the two were arguing, Itachi knew better than that.
"You know you did, you fucking dickhead!" Sasuke argued back, his face inches from his brothers.
Mikoto gasped, however before she could retort Fugaku stood, banging his fist on the table as he scolded "Boys, that's enough! I expect you to listen to your mother, to respect the fact that it's only seven thirty in the morning and that this particular language is unacceptable!"
Whilst listening to their fathers scolding, both boys stood still in their tracks like deer caught in head lights. Itachi eyed his brother discreetly, trying to work out what he was going to do. His brother was trembling in anger, his fists clenched as his hair hung over his eyes. Itachi prepared himself for an out lash, however was taken aback when Sasuke threw both slices in the bin, threw on his shoes, grabbing his bag in the process and stormed out.
Mikoto called out after him, "Sasuke, where are you going?!"
With the only reply of the front door slamming, she slumped back into her seat. Sighing, she dejectedly fiddled with her tablecloth as she said "Itachi, you shouldn't have wound him up like that. You know how he is now, especially with today being the first day back-
"What do you expect mother? For me to baby him like the both of you do?" Itachi retorted, frowning as he included "Father ignores him and you give him cocoa in the middle of the night, expecting to warm him up to talk about it. Sasuke's stubborn; he's not going to easily open up. The only way to do that is by pushing his buttons and making him."
Glancing towards his mother, Itachi mentally bit back the guilt at seeing how upset she was. He knew his mother meant well but Sasuke wasn't an easy case, you had to be firm with him. His father wasn't doing any better, completely ignoring him was only worsening Sasuke's attitude. Sighing, he bowed slightly and excused himself, grabbing his bag as he went.
"Itachi,"
Pausing, about to leave the kitchen, he tilted his head as he listened
"Look out for him at school."
Smirking, Itachi nodded towards his father as he replied "Why of course, what else are big brothers for?"
As the door slammed shut behind him, Sasuke shoved his hands deeply into his pockets. Itachi was always the one starting the arguments, it was so annoying. First he'd ripped off his duvet, then he'd made him drop his breakfast on the floor, what was it all for? Was that his goal in life, to try and ruin Sasuke's?
Growling, Sasuke quickened his pace. This morning had set him up for a foul mood, whoever was going to be facing him today better have a death wish. He was going to have no patience with anyone today.
Unfortunately for him, the walk to school only took fifteen minutes. Checking his watch he realised he still had half an hour to kill, so he decided to head to the massive oak, which was out by the outdoor basketball gym. It was always quiet round there, meaning he was out of sight if those eyes and he could attempt to do some of the homework he'd been assigned.
Sitting under the tree, Sasuke sighed. His brother knew how to wind him up and that irked him even further. Opening his bag he fished around before his hand clasped his iPhone, tapping the middle button. Frowning when the screen didn't light up he pressed the switch, hoping his phone had just turned off. No matter how hard he pressed the phone didn't stir, remaining dormant. Grunting in annoyance he put his phone away and settled on closing his eyes, clearing his thoughts.
First things first he had assembly, which consisted of Sarutobi, an old rather short man who happened to be the head teacher, talking about how they should all be recuperated and back ready to learn. He then would go on to mention any sports or academic clubs progress in tournaments or in general, an update on the school curriculum, teachers expectations and-
Snapping his eyes open, he quickly sat up. Sarutobi would have to know, someone would've informed him… Paling slightly, Sasuke swallowed, his throat suddenly feeling like sandpaper. What was he going to do now? He could just not show up…
"Hey, Uchiha, you look like you've seen a ghost or something!"
Jolting, Sasuke smoothly replied "No, it's how I usually look when I see you, an ever present reminder that I have to put up with you for the next few weeks."
Slumping onto the grass, Kiba shivered as he replied "Man, still go that icicle wedged up your arse I see."
Glaring, Sasuke leant against the tree again. He'd just have to skip assembly, so he'd hang around here for another thirty minutes. Shaking his head, he looked Kiba over, rolling his eyes, as he noted that his shirt was already untucked and his tie looked more undone then actually on. His hair was a mess, sticking out at odd ends, a clear tell a tale sign that he'd rolled out of bed and thrown on his uniform.
"So, what're you doing here so early?" he inquired, making small talk. He may not always see eye to eye with Kiba but the idiot knew how to talk nonsense, something that only the masters of idiocy could do.
"Ah, well my mum's paranoid with it being the start of term; she doesn't want me missing anything. You should have seen her this morning! It was like one of those demons from paranormal activity or some crazy shit like that! She was all-
Tuning out of Kiba's explanation and animated gestures Sasuke turned his eyes to look around the field. A teacher was having their final smoke of the morning as they loomed around the fire exit, nervously tapping their foot and glancing around. Over by the shed, where outdoor equipment was stored for PE, there were two seniors doing some odd actions mostly consisting of their tongues being shoved down each other's throats. Last time Sasuke checked, he was pretty sure that wasn't a sport.
"Kiba! Sasuke!" a feminine voice shrieked as they rounded the corner, followed by three other people.
Narrowing his eyes, Sasuke could just make out obnoxiously bright bubble gum hair, platinum blonde hair and two other darker sets of hair. The blonde shoved the pink haired one, her stumbling and nearly losing her balance and loudly complaining about something.
'You really do need to get your eyes checked out.'
Freezing, Sasuke bit his lip. Damn it. Shaking his head he let out a breath, trying to cool down.
"Don't shake too hard, Uchiha. You don't want to damage any of those precious brain cells." Kiba joked, chuckling as Sakura, Ino, Hinata and Neji arrived. Kiba waved, energetically jumping up and planting a kiss on Hinata's cheek, which earned him a bright cherry blush from her.
Feeling slightly queasy from the intimate moment, Sasuke looked away and narrowed his eyes, trying to give off the impression that he was looking at something far off in the distance.
"Urgh, I'm so tired!" Sakura complained, plopping down in the grass next to Sasuke. Her short black skirt riding up, showing off creamy thighs.
Ino slapped her thighs, tugging the skirt down as she joined her on the grass. "Well, forehead, you wouldn't be so tired if you hadn't kept me up asking how you should style your hair today. It's the same as every other day," Ino complained, rolling her eyes as she checked over her baby blue nail varnish.
Slapping her on the shoulder, Sakura retorted "I'll have you know I used a different conditioner!"
Watching as the girls began their usual banter, Neji leant against the tree, his arms crossed, as he mentioned "The bell should ring soon, we have assembly first don't we?"
The question was left hanging in the air, Sasuke having been the only one who had heard him. Kiba was entertaining Hinata with a long, overly exaggerated story of bathing Akamaru, his abnormally large dog, and Hinata was half-heartedly nodding and laughing. Sakura and Ino were still going on about whatever had happened the night before, so Sasuke was left answering.
"You do,"
Raising an arched eyebrow, Neji asked "You don't?"
Scowling, Sasuke looked away trying to figure out a reason as to why he wasn't but came up blank.
'You shouldn't scowl like that; you'll get wrinkles, y'know?'
"I've decided to skip; I need to ask a teacher about an upcoming test." Sasuke answered, swallowing thickly as he waited for Neji's reply.
The Hyuga seemed to mull it over, debating whether or not that was a good excuse, before asking "What test? None of our teachers told us we had one."
"Kakashi," Sasuke lied, smoothly "he mentioned something about a pop quiz on the way into school."
"Alright then, if you say so" Neji replied, sounding suspicious as he frowned.
Before Neji could say another word the bell rang. So, whilst Sasuke stayed where he was the others got up and headed off to assembly… Second thoughts raced through Sasuke's mind like a whirlwind. Maybe he should just bunk off; he didn't want to answer any questions that they'd most definitely have after. Contemplating the idea, Sasuke hadn't even realised someone approaching him from the other side of the field.
"Skipping are we, little brother?"
Looking up, Sasuke scowled as his brother came into view. His arms were crossed, his eyebrow arched as he looked down at him.
"So what if I am?" Sasuke scoffed "It's only a stupid assembly. Besides, you are too."
Smirking as he gave that knowing look, Itachi ignored him as he stated "So, Neji tells me you were off to go speak to Kakashi-sensei about an upcoming pop quiz."
"What are you doing out here, Aniki?" Sasuke pursued, ignoring Itachi's comment about the pop quiz. Itachi was smart enough to know a lie when he smelt one, so it was best to keep the direction of the topic straight forward.
"Looking for you, actually," he replied, sitting down on the grass "Mother was worried when you stormed out like that."
Huffing, Sasuke pulled at the grass, his eyebrows furrowing as he grew agitated. The assembly would be starting now, how long would Sarutobi leave it until he broke the news? Would anyone care? Would everyone come after him, wanting answers and explanations which he couldn't give?
"Hn,"
"Mother and father both knew how hard today was going to be for you, so they wanted you to know that if you need anything to come and ask me." Itachi supplied, filling the silence as he watched his younger brother carefully. The irritating thing with his younger brother was that he always bottled everything up, never sharing what he was thinking or feeling. At times that was fine, he could deal with stressful situations like revising for tests however it was also a dangerous weapon.
Sasuke was like a bottle of wine, the cork screwed on as tightly as it can be. The bottle representing Sasuke, the cork representing every emotion he'd pushed into it. It was okay bottling it up, however when shaken it was only time before the explosion, the cork flying off.
"I'm fine, Itachi," he insisted, standing up as he brushed off some stray grass that he'd plucked from the ground.
Standing also, Itachi looked his brother over as he watched him walk away.
"You may seem it, little brother, but just how tightly is that cork screwed on?"
A/N: Dun, dun, dun! Well, Sasuke is certainly in a bit of a pickle. Why's he so worried about the assembly anyway? Why's Itachi looking out for him when Sasuke's a straight A student and more mature for his actual age? Why does Sasuke not want to go to school? Is he afraid of something? Wait, this is Sasuke Uchiha we're talking about! Of course he isn't…or is he?
Find out!
I'll be posting a chapter when I receive 5 reviews!
Honey-Emily98
