"…and another thing, if you EVER dare to-!"
All yelling stopped as Sasuke entered the room. Though he had done so quietly, all three sets of eyes were still directly on him. After quickly averting his eyes from his parents, he looked apologetically to his brother, who bore a read mark across his cheek from obviously being slapped. Sasuke winced slightly, knowing that must have been his fault.
"Sit." Fugaku commanded as Mikoto took her place beside her husband at the square table in the center of the kitchen. Itachi, who had previously been standing, grumbled something hateful under his breath and reluctantly took his seat, shoving a chopstick-full of rice into his mouth and chewing on it angrily. Sasuke stared for a moment, not moving, till all three sets of eyes were on him once more, causing him to inch slowly to the table as the eyes followed him, a pressuring and uneasy aura about him. As he sat, Itachi glared at him.
"Surprised you could even make it down the fucking stairs." He hissed under his breath, clearly piqued. Sasuke bit his lip, tugging at the already torn flesh. Though he wanted to apologize, no such words could pass his mouth.
The next five minutes passed in silence as the eldest Uchiha kept his eyes dead-set on his youngest son while Mikoto and Itachi munched avidly, a near tangible air of discomfort swirling about them.
"Well?" Fugaku finally spoke, eyeing his youngest son from across the table. "Aren't you going to eat?"
Sasuke only then realized he had been sitting there for nearly ten minutes staring at his plate through a haze. As he blinked slowly up to his father, the teen shrugged gently, being careful not to give a direct no as an answer, but rather a tone of indifference.
Though he didn't look, Sasuke could feel the man's fists clench, his patience dwindling.
"If you're not going to eat, go to your room." The hypocritical innuendos slowly surfaced within the man's vocals. A shiver ran the length of the teen's body as something snapped in his mind.
"Why are you ignoring it!? Why can't you confront me!? Why aren't you yelling at me!? Yell at me, damnit! DO SOMETHING!" Sasuke's voice broke as his syllables raised to a desperate scream, hot tears burning the corners of his eyes. When no one said a word, the boy choked back a sob before shakily getting to his feet, bracing himself on the table. "…why won't you yell at me?" He whimpered weakly, nails scratching at the wood of the table. Calmly, Fugaku got to his feet.
"Why can't you just be more like your brother?"
The words cut into the boy, causing both eyes to widen as the tears stopped flowing. "Wha…" He breathed softly.
"Not only have you disgraced the family name to the fullest extent, you've disrespected your mother and I, and you have absolutely shattered the good habits we have worked so hard to instill in you from birth." Slow and articulate, the words fell from the man's mouth in a pattern of stern disappointment. Sasuke let out a breath he hadn't known he had been holding. "Failing school, skipping class, wearing that god-awful clothing, and now drinking? I'm surprised you haven't dropped out and had a kid with a damn hooker!" As the man's amplitude and wording began to morph styles, Sasuke took a step back, swallowing. Fugaku narrowed his glare at the other. "A delinquent like you belongs on the streets. Get out."
"Fugaku!"
"Dad!"
Mikoto and Itachi both stood at once, panic stricken in both sets of eyes. The man didn't change his gaze, ignoring the two on the sidelines as the path between him and his youngest son was highlighted clearly.
Sasuke felt himself lose his breath, a lump caught in his throat as he stumbled backwards submissively, a pressure in his chest bearing down on his heart. As his mouth dried, the tears began to fall again, burning hot streaks down his cheeks.
Why can't he just yell at me…like a normal parent…why can't he just ground me…where will I go…doesn't he care…? Why can't we just fight like a normal family!?
"I'm sick of seeing your failing grades. And now this has just crossed the line and put it over the edge, Sasuke."
No…no, don't say it…
"I don't want to see your pathetic excuse of an existence till you've gotten your grades back up to A's and you've decided to be an adult instead of acting like the childish brat you are."
…oh, god…stop it…stop it!
"Sasuke…"
No…
"Get out of my sight."
Sasuke spent the next few hours in a daze beneath the fluorescent lighting of the city's street lamps. Shibuya did, indeed, have a busy nightlife, though the boy barely even noticed the slue of cars rushing past him as he padded along the sidewalk in stupor. Once or twice, he even found himself crossing streets on green lights only to realize it when cars would stop and honk their horns at him. He barely even recognized the foreign noises.
It seemed as though he had walked for miles, a bag over his shoulder with clothes, his phone, and his laptop. He hadn't even thought specifically of what to bring; yet those items stood out to him most as Itachi had sat silently beside him, helping him get things together.
It all seemed like a blur to him now as he passed beneath another street lamp, the muffled sound of loud, obnoxious laughter coming from bar rooms barely even registering in his mind. He hadn't a clue where his feet were taking him. All he knew was that this road seemed familiar to him.
He didn't find out where he was going till he ended up at Naruto's doorstep, buzzing the electronic doorbell with what little strength his shaking fingers had left.
"Coming…!" A voice sounded from far away. It sounded groggy, yet loud enough to be clearly annoyed. Sasuke glanced at his phone; 1:23am. Had he honestly spent that long wandering around aimlessly? Slowly, the boy's dazed onyx orbs turned back to the door as several locks clicked open, revealing strands of golden and hues of cerulean.
As their eyes met, Sasuke could no longer withhold the tears he had kept hidden for the past few hours.
"Naruto…"