THE BLOW

Summary: Naruto is fed up with his work-a-holic boyfriend, Sasuke. Ever since they moved in together he’s never home. Naruto decides to take matters into his own hands.

Note: Contains acts of self-harm.

The Uchiha walked in through the door of his suburban home. It was 11.p.m.

The lights were out throughout the entire house. He assumed that Naruto was already in bed.

He sighed.

Dropping his briefcase on the foot of the stairs, he walked into the dark kitchen. He flipped the light switch on and saw Naruto standing over the sink.

“Naruto, you’re awake.” He pointed out.

“What time is it?” Naruto asked his back to his boyfriend.

“Naruto I-”

“What time is it Uchiha?” his voice was venomous.

“It’s 11.” Sasuke responded.

Naruto turned to him. He carried a sharp chopping knife in his right hand.

“Naruto-”

“You’re late.” The blonde cut more skin on his left wrist. He hissed at the pain, watching the blood flow to the surface.

“Naruto!” Sasuke shouted running to him. He snatched the knife from his hand and threw it in the sink. “What are you doing?” He hovered Narutos’ wrist under the running tap water letting the blood wash out. He noticed that he had already made two cuts before that.

“You’re 3 hours late.” Naruto removed his arms from Sasuke’s grip.

The raven rolled some paper towels opting to cover Naruto’s wrist.

Naruto moved away.

“Dinner’s at 8. It’s 11. I had to eat dinner alone, again!” Naruto looked at him.

“Naruto, I’m not in the mood for this.” Sasuke grabbed his arm placing the paper towel on it.

The blonde retreated. “Do you even care?”

“You hurt yourself, of corse I care.”

“The only person that can hurt me is you and you’re doing a great up job at it!” Naruto scowled leaving the room. “Dinner’s in the fridge; I’m going to bed.”
Sasuke watched him walk out with no words to say.
… … … … …

Naruto entered the bathroom and got some spirit and cotton, from the cabinet, for his cuts.

“I thought we were over this.” Sasuke had followed him.

Naruto did not respond.

“Why are you cutting yourself again?”

It’s been 5 months ever since Sasuke asked Naruto to move with him. The first month went just as Naruto imagined but then Sasuke got a new job and started spending most of his time at work, rather than at home with him. A month later Naruto got fed up and gave Sasuke an ultimatum: “If you’re not home by dinner time, 8 o’clock, I will cut myself for every hour that you’re late.”

Sasuke didn’t believe it at first but when he got home that night Naruto showed him the clear evidence on his face. He was 6 hours late. Naruto now has 6 scars on his face; 3 on either cheek as a reminder to Sasuke.

The blonde’s plan worked for a month or so before Sasuke started returning home late again.

“You know exactly why I’m doing this.” Naruto told him wrapping his wrist in a bandage.

“Let me help you.” Sasuke reached for his arm.

“Leave me alone.” Naruto retreated. “You’re already good at it.”

“You saying that really hurt.”

Naruto didn’t respond.

“Damn it Naruto, it’s not my fault that Orochimaru always demands extra time!”

“Then maybe you should’ve asked HIM to move in with you.” Naruto bumped his shoulder with his own on his way out.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Sasuke frowned turning to him. “You don’t trust me?”

“Is that what I said?” Naruto looked at him changing into his pajamas.

“It was implied.”

“Since you enjoy spending so much time with your employer why don’t you ask HIM to move in with you?”

“Are you accusing me of something?”

“Did it sound like I was?” Naruto looked at him.

Sasuke didn’t respond.

Naruto shook his head, walked to the bed and got under the sheets.

“I’m sorry okay?! I missed dinner again.” Sasuke knelt down before him.

Naruto turned away from him.

“Naruto…” Sasuke held his shoulder.

“Are you bored of me Uchiha?” Naruto asked. “Is that why you don’t like coming home?”

“What?  No, why would you think that?”

Naruto turned to him. “When was the last time that we were intimate?”

Sasuke was taken aback.

“I don’t remember, do you?” Naruto asked.

“Naruto-”

The blonde turned his back to him again.

The raven leaned into him nibbling his ear then kissing his neck. Naruto pushed him away.

“I’m tired.” was his excuse.

Sasuke sighed.

“You’re hungry, go eat.” Naruto told him his back still facing the raven.

“I’m sorry.” Sasuke saddened.

Naruto covered his head with the bed sheet resisting the urge to embrace his raven. He wanted to forgive him but the thought of being with Sasuke, because of Sasuke, was taunting.
... ... ... ...

The next morning, Naruto had overslept and awoke from his slumber after Sasuke had already left for work. He found a note on the bed side table: Left for work, you were asleep I didn’t want to wake you. I left breakfast in the fridge for you. Love you. –Sasuke

Naruto sighed before heading to the bathroom.
... ... ... ...

At 7.p.m, Naruto made a phone call to Sasuke’s secretary as he made dinner.

“I need you to take a message.”

“Hold on.” The assistant looked for a pen and paper. “Alright.”

“Write exactly as I say.” Naruto said.

“Okay.”

Dear Sasuke, I found your gun in your drawer. By the time you’ll be reading this, it will be passed 7.p.m. Dinner is at 8. If you’re not back by then, the only bullet in this thing is going into my head. I’ll be on the roof at exactly 8. You say you love me, prove it. Don’t be late-or else you’ll know how it feels to be at home alone all day. –Naruto

Before Sasuke landed the business job with Orochimaru, he was a police force as a private investigator. He got off the job because it didn’t pay much but he was allowed to keep the gun and the badge just in case.

“What time did he call?” Sasuke looked at the secretary.

“At 7.”

Sasuke looked at the note. “You don’t think he’s actually going to do it…?”

The secretary shrugged then went on with is work.

Sasuke bit his lip.

“I’ll call him just to be sure.” Sasuke reached into his pocket then pulled out his phone. He dialed Naruto’s number then placed it on his ear only to be sent to voice mail.

He cut the phone.

His heart began to race.

“He wouldn’t do that to me...” He murmured. “He wouldn’t do that to himself.” He frowned. “Would he?”

He looked at the letter again feeling agitated. He looked at his wrist watch: 7:15.p.m.

“Maybe I should go home just in case.” Sasuke said returning to Orochimaru’s office.

“I hope everything’s alright, not that I care.” Orochimaru said once he walked in.

“I need to leave, right now.” Sasuke told him.

“I would ask why if it mattered to me but… you’re not going anywhere Sasuke.” Orochimaru told him. “Now, there’s a client-”

“Naruto has lost his mind, I need to leave.” Sasuke said.

“I don’t care about your lover Sasuke. You work for me, not for him.”

“But-”

“Get to work!” Orochimaru commanded.

“No.” Sasuke turned on his heel and walked out.

“Excuse you!” Orochimaru stormed to the door. “Uchiha! You walk out of here, don’t bother coming back!”

“That’s fine, I quit!” Sasuke entered the elevator and tried calling Naruto again.

He went to voicemail.

“Naruto, I’m coming home, don’t do anything stupid!” he bellowed into the phone. “Do you hear me? Don’t do anything stupid!”
...

Naruto sat on the couch with his legs crossed carrying a glass of red wine in one hand and the loaded gun on the other. His phone vibrated on the coffee table but his excuse being-“My hands are full.”-He didn’t pick it up.

He was determined to make Sasuke suffer. He wanted him to feel the pain of being with someone and yet, still feel alone in the world. He wanted Sasuke to know how it felt to lose someone that he’d do anything for. He wanted Sasuke to feel, what he felt.
...

Sasuke got into his car and started the engine. He had forty minutes to get to his place that was forty minutes away. He was sure that he would make it in time. Unfortunately, fate had different plans.

Everybody was heading home after a long day at work. It was rush hour on the roads. Cars had completely stopped moving. Red break lights shone throughout the entire city. He looked at his watch and unfortunately, time didn’t stop along with the city.

Knowing that he had no time, he turned off his car engine, opened the door and jolted out. He ran. He ran as fast as he could. Passing by the stationary cars one by one, he never looked back.
...

At 7:55.pm. Naruto had finished cooking and the dinner table was set for two. He had stood by the window in the living room waiting to see Sasuke’s car drive up the driveway. When he didn’t, he set the wine glass down on the coffee table and replaced his empty hand with the gun.

He headed up the stairs to the roof.
...

‘5 minutes left…’ Sasuke thought to himself as he ran. Having taken a couple of shortcuts through allies, all that was left was for him to do was to run down the neighbourhood sidewalk, to his house. Even so, it wasn’t a short run.

He had ditched his shoes in one of the allies during his run. His coat and tie were in a dumpster somewhere. The usually tidy looking Uchiha had never looked so ruffled up before. His elbows and palms were scared having fallen down a number of times during his run but he couldn’t feel the pain anymore, his body was numb.
...

7:59.p.m. Sasuke’s still not home yet, Naruto’s on the roof. The gun in his hand was pointed at his head and his eyes were closed. He took deep breaths preparing for the bullet.

30 seconds left… soon turned to 20 seconds left…

Sasuke was in the house running up the stairs but Naruto didn’t know.

10 seconds left…

Sasuke kept on running.

5
.
4
.
3
.
2
“NARUTO!” Sasuke burst through the door.
1
The gun sounded. Naruto had pulled the trigger.

Time had finally stopped for the Uchiha at that moment. Seeing Naruto fall to the ground was all too surreal.

He ran to his side.

“Naruto, wake up!” Sasuke shook him sobbing. “Wake up…”

He saw a bit of blood on Naruto’s arm and was too scared to turn him around to see the evidence of his tardiness.

“Naruto…” Sasuke cried. “I’m here, I’m home. It’s 8 o’clock now, its dinner time. Naruto wake up. Please…”

“I knew you’d make it.”

“Huh?” Sasuke looked at what he thought was Naruto’s lifeless body.

“I knew you wouldn’t let me go.”

“Naruto…” Sasuke sat and turned the boy around by the shoulder onto his lap.

He was wide awake, but shaken. Turns out, when he heard Sasuke’s voice, the pointed the gun upwards, then, pulled the trigger.

“What I didn’t know though was guns are really loud.” Naruto smiled. His ear was bleeding from the sound that the gun made.

Sasuke sighed with relief, this time crying tears of joy.

“You made it.” Naruto said. “You came home.”

“Yeah…” Sasuke nodded with tears still running down his face. He cupped Naruto’s cheek. “Yeah I did. And I quit my job too.”

“You did?” Naruto smiled.

Sasuke nodded crying. “I was so scared that you did it.”

“I would never leave you alone.” Naruto reached foe his cheek. His hand was shaking. Sasuke held it up for him.

“You’re shaking.”

“I’m so terrified of guns.”

“Then why-”

“I’m psychotic.” Naruto replied.

Sasuke chuckled then leaned in to kiss him.

“I love you Uzumaki.” said Sasuke.

“I love you too.” Naruto smiled.

“Let’s go eat dinner, together this time.”

“Can we go eat at the hospital?” Naruto asked. “My ear is killing me.”

Sasuke chuckled. “Yeah…” he nodded. “It’s a date.”

Naruto smiled up at him. Sasuke smiled back.

THE END