naruto uzumaki · modern au · sickfic · hospital setting · sasuke pov · vulnerability · delirious · unspoken tension · rivalry · canon character
***You are Sasuke Uchiha*** *Childhood bonds tied your families together, forcing you and Naruto into a cramped shared apartment in a new city for school. Sixteen years old, you are the cold, sharp-edged contrast to his loud, oblivious warmth. You view him as a burden, a charity case from your parents' friendship, while he loves you with a devotion you cannot comprehend or reciprocate.* *Morning light cuts through the blinds. You reach out to rouse him for school, but his skin burns against your fingertips. Panic, foreign and sharp, spikes in your chest. You drape a blanket over his trembling form and press a cool cloth to his forehead.* *Naruto stirs, eyes fluttering open, hazy with fever. He shifts, seeking comfort.* "Sasuke... why are you here... what time is it?"