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Whenever Naruto saw people in shows say 'it all happened so fast' when speaking about self defense, he'd always scoff and wonder why they always used the same line every single time. But when the sight he was met with sent every single sense into overdrive and the first thing he could do, before it had even registered to him as to what he was doing and the metal pipe was swinging,
Naruto understood the truth behind those words.
What they never told you was enjoying it.
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The moment he left the store with a smile and a wave to the cashier to the empty space where his boyfriend should have been waiting for him, the chills down his spine wouldn't leave. The smile slipped off and a sense of fear fell over him. It felt like deja vu or a sixth sense, the way the hair on his arms stood up and there was this lingering feeling that something was wrong. setting the bag in his hand onto the ground, Naruto took a step forward to spot what looked like - blood?
There was a droplets of fresh blood leading into the alleyway beside the store. The cold shiver worsened and all his senses were sent into high alert.
Immediately, there was a shout, then an audible whimper which was gone quickly. The voice was familiar, although brief, Naruto knew who it was. Blood pumped through his body and he felt heat lick flames up and down his spine. Crouching down, he avoided the garbage littered across the ground and creeped up, hoping he wouldn't make a sound and alert whoever was there. In the haze of anger, there were still survival instincts in play. He couldn't play this out like a dumbass, running in there with just his fists. Who knew what they had on them?
His boyfriend was in danger and knowing so angered him with the tinge of fear. What did they fucking want? There was a common occurance of the drunk bothering people in this area, and he'd guessed that might be the problem. Growing up here, he had gotten used to it. The crime, however, he'd never gotten used to. This was the bad part of town, where crime rates were higher than average. Where rumours floated around to avoid this area around dark. It was dangerous to walk in the night, and Naruto had the fleeting thought it was going to be worse than a simple bothersome drunk person.
But, the thought of Sasuke getting hurt sent hot flashes of anger through him. moving at a quick pace, he padded into the dark alley to see a tall shadow hovering over what looked like-
There.
Sasuke.
Hurt.
Naruto lunged. Fuck it. There was truly little his lithe frame could do against a grown man, especially with only his fists and no weapon, but he could try.
Seeing Sasuke cornered by a man, blood dripping down his forehead and angeled in such a way that he was clutching a hurt arm - it made his blood boil. Everything he was thinking was thrown to the side. Fuck survival instincts, Sasuke was hurt. fight kicked in before flight could and Naruto was always someone who acted first, dealt with the consequences later. The sight of Sasuke in pain, the perpetrator looking down on him, panic and anger rushed through him and the surge of adrenaline that pumped through his veins made his common sense blur. The man looked up, finally noticing him. Naruto grabbed the man, tugging him away from his boyfriend.
There wasn't much time to think before a beefy arm slammed into him and pushed his back against the dirty wall. A shout - Sasukes - came from somewhere in the dark alley, and he saw the other try to stand up before the awkwardly angeled arm was jostled and a strangled sound ripped through his throat before he once again fell to the ground. Naruto's eyes involuntarily shut at the sight of his hurt boyfriend and the arm that was slowly adding pressure to his throat, causing any thoughts to shoot to a frenzied panic. Painted nails came up to claw at the arm pinning him down. The corners of his vision were slowly fading to black as his airway was cut off and his head spun.
"So the little bitch has a boyfriend. You come to his rescue like a white knight?"
Hot, humid breath, mixed with the scent of alcohol and tobacco, fanned over his face. The mixture was gag inducing, and Naruto tried his best to stop the heave that came up, even without any air intake. The words were slightly slurred, answering his suspicions that the man was out of his right mind. He moved his arm away from Naruto's throat, letting his airway free. Spots danced in his vision as he took in huge breaths of air. His throat hurt like a bitch. A hand came up to slap his cheek, as if trying to wake him up.
"Oy, fucker, open your eyes. Look at me."
In the hazy fear of Sasuke getting more hurt if he resisted, he complied. The mans beard were in scruffy patches, as though he'd shaved in the dark and without a mirror, with hair cosplaying a rats nest. There were bruises littered around the mans face and where Naruto could see in the dim light, a few missing teeth. it was like the man dragged himself out of a dumpster to come terrorize them. Regardless of the appearance, he held unnatural strength. Even as a grown man, Naruto couldn't get his arm off his throat and that was saying something.
His voice shook slightly, raspy from where his airway was cut off. "What do you want from us?"
"Me?" The man laughed, as though something was amusing. There was a glint in his eyes, a look that showcased the mans unstable self. "Oh I just wanted to have some fun, but your little boy here didn't want to play with me. Its saddening really. If he just stayed still, let me do what I want, he wouldn't have gotten hurt."
"Dont talk about him like that, you fucking sick bastard."
He mouthed off before he could help it. He responded before his brain could catch up to him, advising him not to further anger the unstable man in front of him. But - the words spoken so carelessly about his Sasuke were sending fire licking through him. Naruto would rather take the worst physical pain ever over anything to do with Sasuke being hurt or spoken about so lowly. He could understand the implications of what the man wanted to do with Sasuke and his heart throbbed at the thought of it.
The man simply grinned at the words, unlike what Naruto imagined would set him off, a devilish smirk coming over it. "Ah. Looks like I caught myself a better prey," as he leaned down to whisper in his ear. "Im going to take my time with your little boy, let you watch while I destroy him."
"Naruto! Watch out!"
His eyes widened at Sasuke's strangled shout, His brain lagging before it realized what the other had said. He looked down to see a knife catching the light from the streetlamp, glinting under the moons watchful eye. The sharp blade made its way to his cheek, the cold metal resting on it while the man looked on with a crazed expression of mania and glee. His heart was pumping at a rapid speed, and it felt so loud that he thought it might start echoing off the alleys walls.
Naruto was not new to knives and weapons. Growing up in a town like this, you're bound to see a few illegal things. What he was new to was having said weapons in his face. He trailed it down his face and Naruto held his breath, feeling as if he even moved it would plunge into his flesh. he felt paralyzed to his spot. There was a familiar sting that he winced at. The knife was cold, so different from the pulsing heat he felt running through him. Drops of blood trickled down his face and onto the ground.
His eyes trailed behind the man to see Sasuke attempt to get up once more.
"Sasuke, no."
He could tell Sasuke wanted to help but - no. He couldn't let him get hurt, not again and not anymore. He could see the anguish in the others eyes, but trying to do something now, with a blade being held up against the vulnerable parts of his body would turn out worse than better.
"But-"
The man almost growled. "Listen to him boy. You don't want me to accidently slip, do you?"
Although the knife sent fear to every crevice of his body, what made him want to bash the mans head in was the other hand trailing down his body to stop above his ass. It felt disgusting. He was revolted, arching away from the appendage. The hand was heavy on his body and it felt like if it was there any longer, Naruto was going to be a few seconds away from throwing up, preferably on the man in front of him. The feeling of it resting on his body, without a care, it made his stomach turn. There were tears springing to his eyes, it felt so humiliating and dehumanizing.
Its not Sasuke
Someone who wasn't Sasuke was touching him - anger and disgust and fear and - fuck - everything was on high alert and in his mind all he wanted to do was fucking bash this guys head in.
But, Sasuke.
As if he could read his mind, the man started talking once again, lips much to close to his face, rancid breath fanning over. "You look so fun to play with, but im sure theres something else you'd hate more."
The words were whispered into his ear, only for him to hear, at which he shivered at. "You'd take anything to protect that little boy of yours, huh?"
He stilled at the words. The breath in his lungs left in one fell swoop.
It was true. The only reason he wasn't moving wasn't out of fear for himself, but in fear that he would move on to Sasuke and do the same things. He would take anything to protect him - his boyfriend who was so painfully watching helplessly in the dirty road of the alley, puddles of muddy water seeping through his clothes in the cold autumn weather.
The grin made it back on his face, a toothy grin that displayed all - most? - of his teeth. "That's it, isn't it? Thats fucking it!" It was as if the best joke was ever told, the way the man broke out into raspy laughter. He turned his back to Naruto, who took it as his chance. He pushed off the wall and aimed a hit to his head. It landed, and before Naruto could go for another, the breath was being knocked out of him again. Sharp pain coursed through his head, something wet trickling down his face. The man was a shadow in his vision, the world spinning.
"No, no, no, please - fuck, stop! Stop fucking-"
Sasuke's voice tore through the night, breaking the silence. A car honked in the distance, the sound so far away from the underwater sensation Naruto was drowning from.
The blood in his body turned to ice at Sasuke's tone. The pure fear in it - fuck - it made him tremble with anger. The hot and cold sensations were lighting him aflame.
Thats all he felt.
The fire in his bones licking at his skin, the cold anger that was seeping through him and - god - it burned but it was so frigid at the same time and Naruto wanted to scream and cry and do everything he could to save his Sasuke from the terrible fate and-
He stretched his hand out, flailing around the damp alley floor, looking for anything. His fingers curled around a cold object and-
The sob from Sasuke ripped him apart from the inside and tore him to pieces as-
The object was brought down on the larger mans head with an audible crack. It was brought down a second time, then a third, a fourth, until the number of times began to blend in with the blood trickling down the alley. The man collapsed and Naruto took it as invitation to climb over him to continue his assault.
If anyone asked him, it wasn't genuinely Naruto that did it. You could blame it on another divine entity that took his body over, the way he felt an out of body experience. His hands didn't feel like his and so the actions weren't either.
The mans face couldn't even be recognizable anymore. Where there should be white in his eyeballs, they were instead red, capillaries bursting when Naruto raged and choked the life out of him, reveling in the light that faded from those eyes. There were indents in his face in places a face shouldn't have, teeth holding on in the mangled mouth for dear life. It felt like a masterpiece that he wanted to nail to a public wall to say 'look! lay a fucking hand on whats mine and you will be the next'. It was only when his boyfriends voice broke through the haze that Naruto, with blood splattered clothes, finally looked towards his boyfriend. Sasuke was pale, the moonlight radiating off him, but there wasn't an ounce of fear in his eyes. The other chuckled, - the sound so out of place - giving Naruto a sign to come closer. Shaking his hands of the blood that tainted his skin, he moved towards Sasuke. Crouching down, Naruto put a hand on his beloveds face, streaking blood across it. "Told you I would do anything for you."
A choked sob tore out of Sasuke, pulling him closer and diving his head right where the shoulder met his body. Sasuke gripped him so tightly with the unhurt arm, their bodies melding so closely together that a passerby could see them and picture them as one body. "I didn't know this was in the fineprint."
"Fuck, is this right to say? Naruto - that was. That was so hot."
Naruto barked a laugh at the nature of the comment. He expected fear, disgust, pity - anything but that. But what could he say? Sasuke was his other half. He just killed a man and Sasuke found it hot.
The hand, wet from freshly spilled blood, ran through Sasuke's hair, rubbing his scalp in circular motions.
"Im sorry, I shouldn't have let this happen. Fuck - your arm - its all my fault. Let me see it." Naruto was in borderline hysterics as he pulled away slightly to get a better look at Sasuke's arm. He ever so slightly touched it, pulling the sleeve up and keeping an eye on Sasuke's face to make sure he didn't hurt him. The adrenaline must have kept Sasuke from screaming and crying in pain, because Naruto could see a hint of white bone. It sent another wave of anger coursing through him and if Sasuke wasn't in pain at that moment, Naruto would've gotten up and went for round two on the body laying on the alley ground behind him.
Sasuke's other arm came up to clutch at Naruto, pulling his attention away from the grotesque sight and grounding him to reality. "Naruto. It wasn't your fault. Look - hey - look at me." His chin was forcefully tugged to maintain eye contact. "You saved me, alright? Yeah, don't close your eyes on me. You did. That man - who knows what he would've done. You did the right thing. He snuck up on me, got me when I wasn't paying attention. Thats not on you."
Naruto nodded, in a daze as the events of the night rushed up to him. He felt encased in something, only now thawing through and having the memories crash into him at full force. Sasuke touched the bruises on his throat, making Naruto swallow. He stroked them with the soft pads of his fingers - not tainted with blood - before making eye contact with Naruto.
"Lets go. You know how this area is, theres no security cams or police patrolling but take the pipe with you, just in case. I don't want to be a prison wife." Sasuke spoke in such a soft tone, it felt like he was being lulled to sleep. "Help me up and - Lets go home, yeah? No hospital. They'll have too many questions."
Naruto nodded. He blindly searched the ground for the cold object, making contact before he wrapped his arm around the lithe waist of his boyfriends and pulled him up, pointedly not looking at the lifeless body behind him.
"Naruto."
Naruto's eyes locked onto the almost pitch black of his boyfriends. A small grin broke out on his beautiful face, so unsuitable for the situation but - mesmerizing all the same. Sasuke tightened his grip around his shoulders, before he pulled Naruto in for a kiss. It was second nature to Naruto as he immediately melted into the familiar touch. Their lips moved in tandem, holding onto each other like they were each others lifeline and - in a way - they were. The way Sasuke licked into his mouth felt like he was rinsing away the foul mans touch from his body, claiming Naruto back as his. They pulled apart, a small spit trail connecting the two. Sasuke searched his eyes for something, before he softened.
"Lets go."
Naruto smiled, ignoring the pangs of ache in his head, torso, legs - everything - in favour of nodding. He held onto his boyfriends waist even tighter, beginning to walk. He was covered in blood, walking out of the alley with a positive body count and yet, Sasuke looked at him with eyes that sparkled with gratitude and love.
And - Sasuke knew. Sasuke knew from then on that Naruto would do anything for him.