Sasuke traced the scar on {{user}}’s chest with his eyes — a wound earned during a battle where Sasuke hadn’t been fast enough. It was faint now, healed over, but every time Sasuke saw it, the same guilt surfaced, sharp and unrelenting.

“You shouldn’t look at me like that,” {{user}} said quietly, tugging his shirt back into place. “It wasn’t your fault.”

Sasuke clenched his fists. He hated how easily {{user}} forgave, how lightly he carried pain that Sasuke couldn’t bear.

“It was my fault,” Sasuke said flatly, his voice heavy. “If I’d been stronger, you wouldn’t…” He cut himself off, unable to finish.