Disclaimers: Naruto is not mine, sadly. This is purely a fanfic using someone else's characters.

Warnings: This story includes non-consensual elements, strong language, violence, sexual content (yaoi), & angst.

Blind Sighted

Chapter 23: Pent-Up Anger

"If you could only see the way [he] loves me, then maybe you would understand."

- Tonic

--

"Christ, will you just calm down already?!"

Naruto tried to shake his arm free, but Sasuke just tightened his grip and jerked him forward. Naruto tripped over himself and barely kept his footing, and his boyfriend still refused to change his pace.

"Nnhn. Dammit, Sasuke- slow down!"

Sasuke had no intention of doing that. He wasn't sure he even could at this point. His anger had full control over him, leaving him blind to just about everything else.

The stubborn raven continued to drag his blonde after him, roughly forcing his way through the crowds. He didn't even bother avoiding town this time- it wasn't necessary. His sharingan was spinning with rage, daring them to test his crumbling reserve, itching for a fight that no one was interested in giving him. They might underestimate just how protective he can be over Naruto, but no one was stupid enough to intentionally face off against a sharingan.

Naruto growled in frustration and gripped the insistent hand on his arm. He tried to pry his fingers off of him, but his boyfriend refused to let him go. "Sasuke! Just talk to me, dammit! Why are you-"

Another sharp yank sent Naruto stumbling along after him. "This is ridiculous. I don't even know why you're so mad!"

"I know" Sasuke snapped. "That's why I'm pissed off!"

Naruto stared into the darkness incredulously. "That- that doesn't even make sense!"

Naruto griped the entire way back. He tried to coax answers out of the obstinate raven, which got him nowhere. And he vented his frustrations at being manhandled across town, which also went ignored.

By the time they got to Sasuke's front door, they were both fuming. The Uchiha was just as heated as ever, and Naruto was extremely tempted to punch his stupid silent mouth. He even considered lightly maiming him, maybe a burn or two, but Kurama already made it clear that he wouldn't be part of their 'lovers quarrel' and kept quiet in the blonde's anger.

"Sasuke, stop" he tried for the hundredth time. "Will you just talk to me?"

Nothing he said seemed to matter.

Sasuke was hellbent on getting them home before saying anything, and that is exactly what Naruto was trying to avoid. Arguing this- whatever this was- out in public would at least force both of them to keep their anger in check. Behind closed doors was a different story.

Which is probably why he wants to wait until we're home.

Naruto rolled his hazy eyes.

Fucking teme..

Sasuke unlocked the door and dragged his blonde inside before kicking it closed behind them. Naruto tripped over the landing on their way in and careened forward, but Sasuke grabbed his arms and quickly switched his momentum. He shoved him back hard, slamming him up against the door.

"Nnhnn" Naruto groaned. He glared up into the darkness. "What the hell is your problem?!"

"You're my problem" Sasuke snapped. "What the hell were you thinking?!"

"I don't know what you're talking about!"

"How could you agree to do that?!" Sasuke shouted down at him. His grip was like iron around his blonde's arms, locking him firmly in place against the door.

Naruto wasn't going anywhere until he heard what he had to say- until he finally understood.

"Weren't you even listening?!

Naruto tried to push against his grip, but Sasuke just slammed him back against the door. "Nnhnn. Of course I was, asshole! Will you just-"

"Then why the fuck would you let them do that to you?!"

"Because I can take it!" Naruto shouted back.

"Well I can't!!"

Naruto's eyes widened. "What are you talking about?"

"Christ- how many times do I have to fucking tell you?!"

Sasuke lowered his head and brought their faces level as he spoke, hoping it would finally sink into his baka's thick skull.

"I can't just sit back and watch you suffer, Naruto. What don't you get about that?"

"Sasuke.. I-"

"When you jumped in front of that jutsu.. the way you screamed.."

Naruto dropped his gaze.

Sasuke moved one hand up to lift his chin, finding his cloudy eyes once more. "Naruto, I can't watch you go through that again. For hours.."

He shook his head in disgust. "I can't let that happen. And it pisses me off that you even considered it."

Naruto swallowed. He couldn't help but feel guilty. He was still irritated with him for flipping out like this, but he could hear how worried he was. How hurt he had been.

He'd have to be a complete monster not to be moved by it.

"Sasuke, it's not even happening" he said quietly. "You don't need to freak out like this, ok? I already told her I'd wait."

"But you wouldn't have if I didn't stop you."

His blonde sighed heavily. "Does it really matter? It's not happening- just let it go."

Sasuke was trying. He really was. But he couldn't get the image out of his head- of Naruto throwing his head back and shrieking in agony, his screams ripping through his chest and going straight through Sasuke's. He could still see him frantically clawing at his face, thick bloody tears slipping between his fingers as he convulsed in pain. It tore at him.

Naruto shouldn't be so willing to face a pain like that again.

"I need you to care more about yourself" Sasuke said. His hands slipped away, falling back to his side. Naruto shivered at the sudden cold, as much from the draft pressing against the door as from Sasuke's voice as he pulled away from him.

"Sasuke.. I-"

But his boyfriend wasn't interested in what he had to say. He didn't want to hear him explain this away or dismiss his concerns, and he didn't trust that he would actually find fault in himself. So, without a word, Sasuke grabbed his wrist and pulled him down the hall and over to the living room. He led him over to the couch and as soon as Naruto sat down, he walked away.

Naruto was surprised, and turned to stare after Sasuke as he stormed off. He heard his bedroom door slam shut and the unmistakable sound of a lock sliding into place.

Great.

Naruto flopped down on the couch and sighed at the inky blackness closing in above him.

That's just great.

--

Sasuke didn't come back out, and Naruto could only handle the silent treatment for so long. It was driving him to madness and his pride just wasn't worth losing his sanity over.

"Ughhh.. fine."

He pushed himself off the couch and crashed his way through the living room. He eventually found the hallway and came to a stop in front of Sasuke's door.

He took a deep breath then knocked. "Sasuke? Can I come in?"

No answer.

He tried the handle, but the lock was still in place. Naruto could feel his forehead twitch. "Come on, Sasuke- will you just open the door already?"

Still nothing.

"You know I can break it down, right? And I'm crazy enough to do it."

He could hear an exasperated sigh and quick steps. Here we go. The door suddenly flung open, and a hand roughly yanked him inside.

Naruto gasped as he was once again dragged forward, another door slammed behind him.

"Sasuke-"

"Shut up."

Naruto's face reddened. "Don't be a jerk. I came here to apolog-"

He was suddenly shoved down on the bed, and Sasuke dropped down to join him. "Will you just let me talk?!" Naruto shouted.

Sasuke propped himself up beside him and clapped a hand over his blonde's incessant mouth. "No" he said, his voice far calmer than his body seemed to be. "I don't want to hear it, Naruto. I really don't."

"Mmnpph!"

Sasuke kept his hand firmly locked over his mouth as he leaned in. "Will you just listen to me for once?"

"Mmpph!!" Naruto brought a hand up and flipped him off, his cloudy blues glaring at him with the utmost contempt.

Sasuke sighed. Stubborn as ever.

"Please, Naruto" he said.

He sounded exhausted and dejected enough to pull Naruto's attention away from his own anger. He paused and slowly lowered his middle finger.

"I don't want to fight with you" Sasuke said quietly. "Can we just lay here for a while?"

Dammit. Why is he always so good at making me feel like the jerk, Naruto thought.

He's the one who started it! How am I the bad guy in this?

But he didn't have the heart to tear into him when he already sounded so sad. It wasn't like Sasuke to show this side of himself, and he didn't want to discourage him from doing it again.

Naruto forced himself to calm his fury, as difficult as that was, and gave Sasuke's hand a light pat- letting him know that he gave up. He would let him win this one.

For now, at least.

Sasuke slowly pulled his hand away, clearly not trusting his blonde to not freak out the moment his mouth was free. But Naruto surprised him. He just silently stared up at him, waiting. It was the calmest he had ever seen his blonde and he was having a hard time trusting it. He raised a brow, eyeing his boyfriend warily, waiting for him to implode. And when he didn't, he layed down beside him and took his hand, intertwining their fingers together. His pounding heart finally steadied, and he closed his eyes- shutting out the world, his worries, and everything that wasn't his boyfriend's hand in his own.

"I love you, Naruto" he said quietly. He knew it wasn't the right time for it, but he just couldn't hold it back anymore. "And I won't let anyone hurt you."

Naruto's breath caught in his throat. He jerked his head to the side, eyes wide as he searched for Sasuke in the dark.

Naruto already knew that Sasuke felt this way- he had let it slip before- but hearing him say it like that.. It felt completely different. Just those few words sent his heart ricocheting through his chest. Naruto shivered as a chill went through him, despite the sharp heat crawling up his throat, and the darkness around him suddenly felt heavier- more stifling than it had before. All of these feelings were so foreign to him that he couldn't process them all at once.

He opened his mouth, but he wasn't exactly sure what he was going to say.

"I.."

Sasuke reached out and placed a finger over his lips, silencing whatever he meant to say next. "Not yet" he said quietly. "I don't want to be rejected right now.. and I don't want you to say something you don't mean. I just wanted you to know."

He let his hand slip away and drop back down on the bed. And, once again, he was surprised when Naruto actually listened to him.

He gave his blonde's hand a light squeeze, then closed his eyes and surrendered to the darkness. Welcoming it. With Naruto by his side he wouldn't be terrorized by nightmares, his or his blonde's, and with the void closing in he wouldn't have to face anything else. He could forget his anger, his fear, his growing insecurities- for a little while at least. And he could keep his blonde safely by his side.

Sasuke smiled.

And a dreamless sleep took them both.

--

"Three days. Three whole days and still nothing." Naruto sighed "I can't believe I ever listened to you."

Sasuke shot a dark look his way. It didn't matter that he couldn't see it- he was sure he could feel it. "Don't piss me off, Naruto."

Naruto dropped his head on the table with a heavy thunk. "Everything pisses you off" he grumbled, his voice muffled against polished cedar.

Sasuke's eye twitched.

"I'm still blind because I listened to that teme. Probably gonna be blind forever.."

Sasuke's eye was basically spasming at this point. "You're driving me crazy, Naruto."

"Hmph. Listening to Sasuke is stupid.." the blonde mumbled, mostly to himself but Sasuke was definitely meant to hear his complaints. "Zero out of ten, would not recommend."

"Are you done yet?"

Naruto turned his head and gave a dramatic pout. "No."

Sasuke eyed his whining dobe- from the angry red mark on his forehead where it collided with his dining room table to his full lips on display, not meant to be enticing but somehow doing the job anyways.

"If you keep talking shit I'm going to kiss you."

Naruto's pouty lips dropped open. "H-how is that even a threat?!"

Sasuke raised a brow and grinned over at his baffled blonde. "Are you saying you want me to?"

"No!" Naruto shouted, popping up in his chair to make his point clear and likely to fend off the advances of a restless, and constantly horny, Uchiha. "I'm saying people don't make threats like that, you psycho!"

"A psycho, huh?"

Naruto swallowed.

"Remember what I said about talking shit, Naruto?"

"Don't even think about it, teme. I'm not in the mood."

Sasuke grinned.

"I think I can fix that."

Author Note:

That last part actually comes from a moment I had with my boyfriend a few days ago. He was making fun of me and I said, "if you keep talking shit about me I'm going to suck your dick." He was very startled and it was one of my finer victories.

So basically the end of this chapter was for me. Because I love including bits of real life in my fiction. I feel like it makes the feels more believable. And hopefully you enjoy it more because of that.

I mean, who doesn't love a good 'based on a true story' moment? ;)