Archive of Our Own ^beta

“Baaaaaaeeeee!” Boruto came running to her, holding on to his phone, calendar app open. “Bae, bae, look!” He shoved the screen up her face, forcing her to put her book away. “Look what day it is!”

Sarada knew well what day it was. Friday the thirteenth, which meant he was probably looking forward to an all day and all night horror binge. One she would not be sticking around for. “Yes, I see.” She sighed, never understanding the fascination. “I was honestly hoping you wouldn’t notice.” 

“How can you not notice?” Boruto gasped. “You’re always on top of everything, but you don’t notice this? ” He put a hand over his heart and pouted. “Bae, how could you forget?” Those blue eyes looked moist. 

She rolled her eyes at his dramatics and moved to get off the couch. “You know how I feel about those ridiculous horror movies. But I’ll let you have your fun, I should get home anyway.”

“Wait, what?” Boruto held on to her wrist, just when she was about to get off the couch. He plopped down and dropped his phone in favor to hold her hand in his. “I’m talking about my birthday.” He blinked at her, lips moving but no words spilling through. “Don’t leave, you can stay the night with me.” 

Sarada blinked at him in surprise. “Your birthday? But that isn’t for another two weeks…” He mentioned what day it was today, so of course, she thought of the actual date first. “So then you’re not going on a horror binge?”

“Well…” he pouted. “We can if you want to. Don’t worry,” he grinned and then winked. “I’ll keep you safe.” 

“What?” She huffed and swatted his chest. “Of course I don’t want to! Never. You can’t keep me safe.”

“Are you saying you think ghosts can get you while you’re in my arms?” Boruto scoffed. “I don’t even let living people take you away from me, ya know?” 

The mention of ghosts had her leaning into him and swallowing hard, fear already creeping up on her. “B-but…” She couldn’t even say anything, could barely hear over the steadily thickening beat of her heart. Her hand clutched at his shirt and she rested her cheek on his chest, hoping he wouldn’t scare her more. 

His brows rose. Sarada had always hated horror movies or anything scary, but if it meant mentioning scary things would make her this clingy, he made a mental note to scare her a little more often. Just a bit. Boruto wound his arms around her and stroked her back. “See? Better you stay the night here.” 

He was right… Sarada didn’t want to have to drive home… alone… on Friday the thirteenth. “Then you—you won’t watch those scary movies?”

Boruto hummed. “Maybe just one. Friday the Thirteenth for kicks,” He teased. “Don’t worry, I’ll hold you the entire time, bae.” 

“No way!” Sarada shook her head against him. “I’m not even listening to that. I’ll have to leave.” Or at least go to another room, but then she’d be alone and thinking about ghosts and killers. She shuddered just at the thought. 

“Okay, okay.” Boruto laughed and pulled her closer to him, tugging the blanket off the back of the couch to put over her. “A Disney movie, then?” 

Heart fluttering, Sarada slid her arm around him and hugged him tightly. “A princess movie?”

“Sure,” Boruto flicked through Ninflix, looking at their selection. “I know you like Frozen, but I’m a Rapunzel fan.” When he found the movie, the trailer played, and he looked at her, waiting for approval before playing the movie. 

“Rapunzel is good.” She murmured, not moving though she did peek at the TV. “We can watch Frozen after?”

“Okay.” Boruto clicked play and picked up his phone, placing an order for dinner. “Thunder Burger okay with you for dinner?” He grinned. 

Not wanting any arguments, Sarada nodded. “Yeah, that’s fine. You know what I want, right?”

Boruto scoffed. “Bae, come on. I’m right here.” 

“What?!” Sarada shrieked, cheeks heating up. “Not you!” She was getting hot and tried to pull away from him, but he wouldn’t let her budge. “Boruto, you know that’s not what I meant. Stop teasing me!”

He pouted and faked a sob. “Damn, you don’t have to be so cold about not loving me, ya know?” Boruto squeezed her in a tight hug, that fake sob intensifying. He was such a good actor—it looked too convincing. 

“Stop it!” Sarada smacked him again. “You’re always picking on me.” And never considering how she felt about all of his teasing. Boruto was very important to her—he was her talent, but Sarada couldn’t have herself falling in love with him and getting her heart broken. 

“Sarada.” He looked at her gravely. “I always pick you.” 

“What?” She blushed even deeper and pushed against him to try and get free. “You’re so annoying! Stop it or I’m leaving.” Even though she threatened him, she didn’t mean it. She wasn’t going anywhere. 

“Nooo!” He whined and shook her a bit. “Baaaaeee noooo staaay!” Boruto picked his phone up from the couch but kept his other arm wound around her. “Fine, I’ll order.” He sulked. “Being so mean to me when it’s my birthday.” 

“It’s not your birthday yet!” She argued, even though if it was she wouldn’t change her attitude. “Don’t try to make me feel guilty when you’re the one giving me a hard time.”

Boruto gaped. “Wh-what? Rapunzel is on, not a horror!” Even if the movie was playing, no one was paying attention to it. “And it almost is!” He argued. “Two weeks left, bae. I want a party!” 

Sarada almost smacked him for real. “You… you’re joking… tell me you’re joking.” 

“Why would I be joking?” He huffed. “It only happens once a year, and I want to celebrate!” Boruto grinned and flicked her nose. “Come on, it’ll be fun. We can have it on a yacht and invite everyone .” 

Panic was about to set in for Sarada. No way was he mentioning wanting a party two weeks before his birthday… on a yacht… with everyone. “Oh my god, you’re serious.”

“I am!” The excitement was clear in his eyes. “Think about it, we can have a band and everything! It’ll be fun, we can sail to the other side of town, and have an afterparty on The Leaf’s Penthouse suite!” 

Sarada had always been confident in her ability to make things happen. But this… two weeks? “You want all that?” He hadn’t asked for so much the year before, and definitely not on such short notice. She was worried now, but even having doubts, she knew she would pull it off for him no matter what.

He nodded. “Yeah! We have time, right?” 

No, they didn’t. “Um… I’ll get to work right away.” If she didn’t, she’d never succeed and she didn’t want him to be disappointed. 

“I can help.” Boruto smiled. “Just tell me what you need. I don’t want you to stress about it too much, ya know? Your birthday is coming up, too. Wanna fly out for it?”  

“I’ve got it, don’t worry.” She said, separating herself enough to get her phone. “And no, I don’t want anything like that. I will probably be going to visit my parents because of mom’s birthday.”

As soon as her phone was in her grasp, Boruto wrapped his arm around her middle, making her lean back on his chest, not wanting any space between them. His brows furrowed. “Oh, right. Auntie Sakura’s birthday is right after mine… We can take her and your father out of the country too, ya know?” 

“Don’t worry about that! Mama just likes doing things at home. Papa already asked me to go spend that weekend with them. I think it will be nice.”

He pouted and rested his chin on her shoulder. “Well… fine. I’ll go with you.” 

Sarada paused one her already frantic search for yacht rentals. “To stay at my parents’?” She asked in surprise. “It will be your birthday weekend though, and we’re… boring.”

“It’s more boring without you,” he muttered through pouted lips. “And yes, it’s my birthday weekend and I want to spend it with you.” 

“Well… if you really mean that… I’m sure it’s fine.” It made her happy to know he wanted to be with her, but she couldn’t focus on that when she now had a million things to do. “Only if it’s what you really want, okay? For now, though, I’ll focus on your party.”

He nuzzled a little closer to her. “Yes, I want to spend the weekend with you.” 

It was touching that he wanted that and it honestly made her happy. Even if she wouldn’t admit it, Sarada wanted Boruto to be with her on her birthday as well.

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Planning a birthday party should have been a simple task. But planning one last minute for an actor who knew exactly what he wanted to happen was proving to be quite difficult for Sarada. The things Boruto was requesting should have been handled months in advance. Even securing the yacht rental had taken her hours because not many suitable yachts were available on such short notice. And then came the fact that Boruto wanted a large gathering. Thankfully, Sarada had secured a yacht that would do perfectly, but she wasn’t able to feel relieved. 

The next thing on her to-do list was the invites. Boruto said he wanted everyone so Sarada needed to reach out to all the people he wanted as soon as possible considering they were already throwing this together. Truthfully, Sarada was feeling guilty. Even if she would make sure that Boruto had everything he wanted on his special day, she knew she should have been thinking ahead. 

She should have asked him about his birthday. She could have already had all of it planned and settled and not been on the verge of pulling out her hair over formal invitations. Not everyone would make snide remarks, but she wasn’t a fool. Some people would have things to say about receiving such late invitations. That wasn’t something she could dwell on, needing to focus so she didn’t forget any important people. 

Surprisingly, the last of the guests to enter her mind was Boruto’s own family members. That increased her guilt even more, but it was so rare that Boruto mentioned them. In fact, she couldn’t even remember if they visited him on his last birthday. Boruto was so busy all the time, of course, he didn’t get to spend much time with anyone other than her, but she couldn’t go without inviting them. She felt she was being far from personable by sending them the same formal invitations as everyone else, but she didn’t want to cross any lines by contacting them directly herself, so she decided against that. If Boruto decided to call them, that was his decision. 

Just tracking down everyone’s addresses was a feat Sarada wouldn’t soon forget. She worked for hours before she’d finally finished with the invitations and moved on to her next tasks. Catering was important. Many of his guests were high-class individuals so Sarada wanted to be sure they were all fed accordingly, but it was Boruto’s birthday and so that meant she also had to cater to his stomach. 

Boruto would want Thunder Burger before anything else. The food wasn’t as difficult to handle, but just thinking of the ‘after party’ he wanted to have was making her brow twitch. She’d been so busy working that she hadn’t even called to check on him—or taken the time to check Ninstagram. Realizing that had her bolting to her feet and grabbing at her phone, pulling up the app as quickly as she could. 

She opened up Boruto’s profile, the first photo looking harmless. It was a selfie he took from the gym that morning. He didn’t take them too often, but he was excited to show his progress off. Boruto was shirtless, and flexed his other arm, smirking at the camera. The photo itself made her blush, but the caption made her turn as red as a tomato. 

“ Inspiration? Bae. ” 

The next photo was him in bed, looking ready to sleep. It looked harmless but judging from the previous photo, the caption was what she had to prepare herself for. 

“ I miss sleeping with Bae. :( “ 

Sarada didn’t know it was possible to turn this shade of red, but it was the comments that had her shaking. 

‘Sleeping??? Bruh, that manager is above and beyond.’ 

‘What a slut. Idk if I’m talking about you or bae.’ 

‘Damn, you’re so hot. Sleep with me instead!’ 

Sarada was going to kill him. Boruto was never going to see his next birthday. 

She was so angry that she didn’t even take the time to log on and delete them—as if the posts weren’t already nearing a hundred thousand likes. It didn’t matter how much she preached to him, he just wouldn’t listen. Now here it was, early evening and Sarada was already on her pajamas and her favorite robe, but she was snatching her purse and gathering her things. She wasn’t going to let him get away with this. Sarada wouldn’t be able to calm down until she yelled at him in person. 

Not even bothering to change her clothes, Sarada slung the strap of her purse up her arm and over her shoulder, stomping her way through her home and shoving her feet into her shoes by the door. However, as soon as she opened her door to leave, she caught sight of his car pulling into her driveway and her purse fell to the floor. If he was anything, he was brave. 

Sarada let out a breathy, highly unamused laugh and crossed her arms—waiting right where she was. Sometimes he was good, going as far as saving her the trouble of driving over to put an end to him. Now she could do it right away. 

Boruto killed the engine and exited his car, a bright smile on his face. He even had the audacity to wave at her. He held up his hand, then opened up the back, and pulled out a light pink box with a huge bow on it. On the other hand was a basket, covered with tool. “Baaae! Look, look.” 

He handed her the pink box, it was heavy . “It finally arrived, and I wanted to give it right away, and look, the director sent me wine and a full cold cut platter.” He lifted the basket, a grin on his face. “You like cheese, right?” 

There was nothing she despised more than him being so annoyingly cheerful when she was angry with him. “Come in.” She muttered, stepping back and kicking her shoes off, not wanting to let herself think about the box she was holding. 

“I was hoping to get here before you changed to pajamas,” He walked right into her kitchen, unwrapping the basket. “Open the box! I know you’ll love it.” Boruto grinned. 

“Don’t you hate on my pajamas!” Sarada snapped, walking over and setting the box on the counter. “I’m not opening this! Don’t you try to pretend like you’ve done nothing wrong.”

“I never said I hated your pajamas, bae.” He put the bottle of wine down and looked her over and smirked. “I like it. Makes you look sexy.”

She wasn’t even wearing ‘sexy’ pajamas so she took his words as teasing. He was always teasing her. Boruto was never serious. “Stop making fun of me!” She huffed, stomping her foot and willing her face to cool down. “I’m so mad at you!”

Boruto’s brows furrowed, voice quiet. “Why? What did I do?” 

“You know what you did,” Sarada said, the words heavily laced with her frustration. “How many times do I have to tell you not to post things like that on social media?! You’ve got people thinking… thinking we—well… you know…”

He rolled his eyes. “People need to be informed you’re my bae, ya know? Some people just don’t get it. Don’t think I don’t see those comments under your photos.” 

“What you need to be worried about are the comments under yours!” Sarada stepped over to him, but only to snag the bottle of wine before distancing herself again. She wouldn’t give him the chance to touch her. She knew Boruto liked to play dirty. “Post yourself all you want, but stop talking about me and calling me bae.”

“Wh-what else am I supposed to post about if it isn’t you ?” Boruto wasn’t dumb. In fact, he was a genius. But times like these, she really wondered if he cheated his way through school. 

“ Anything. Anything else. Please take your career into consideration, Boruto.” She shook her head on her way to the cupboard where she kept her wine glasses, grabbing two even if she wasn’t going to hand him one. “This has been going on too long now. Some people really believe we’re together.”

“Good!” Boruto snorted. “Then maybe you’ll start believing it, too.” He pulled the cheeseboard out of the box and removed the wrapping. “Aren’t you going to open my gift for you?” He peeked under his bangs. “I know you’ll like it.” 

Sarada poured the wine, filling both glasses halfway before carrying them over to the counter. She set the one for Boruto down out of his reach as if she didn’t pour it for him and refused to look in his direction at all. “A gift is not going to make up for your troublemaking.”

“I didn’t get it for that,” he muttered, pouting at her. “I got it because I know you’re stressed and I want you to relax.” 

She didn’t sip her wine, Sarada drained the glass in one go and then turned to glare at him. “Why am I stressed, Boruto?”

“Because…” he looked at her fully now. “Because you’re planning the party.” 

“No!” She really wanted to smack him now. “You know that’s not the issue here.” And even still, Sarada knew Boruto wasn’t going to stop. This had been ongoing for months. Almost seeming as long as she could remember, and it was only getting worse. “Ugh. Whatever.” She didn’t even want to think about it anymore. There was no sense in her getting so worked up every time he did this. 

Even if she dropped it, Boruto still didn’t look too pleased she was angry with him. He put the food down and carried the box over to her, opening it himself. He didn’t say anything, but looked at her and waited for her reaction. 

Knowing he wasn’t going to give up, Sarada sighed in exasperation and moved to sit on the stool closest to him and the box. She was curious, even if she didn’t want to be. “Give it.”

He pushed it over to her and took a seat on the stool next to hers. Sarada peeked inside, feeling her anger melting away instantly. The box was filled with bath salts, candles and so many self-care goodies that she had the urge to pamper herself right away. Now his comment about her pajamas made sense and even if she shouldn’t have, she smiled at him. 

“Boruto, this is really sweet. Thank you.”

He smiled softly at her. “Anything for you. I can run you a bath.” 

“Ooh!” She would love that, easily getting excited. But she toned her enthusiasm down and shook her head. “I shouldn’t… I had one earlier.”

“But was it a bubble bath?” He leaned in, a smug smile on his face. “Come on, I’ll hand you another glass of wine when you’re in.” Boruto took the solution and the candle, walking into her bathroom. Sarada could hear the tap running, and Boruto came back outside, empty-handed. “While waiting, we can eat this.” He pushed the cheeseboard towards her and picked it up with his bare hands. 

“Well, it’s not like I have much of a choice in the matter.” Giving in wouldn’t be bad at all. It would only be rewarding. She could scold herself later. That cheese really did look good and the knew the bath would be amazing. “Sorry I yelled.”

Boruto didn’t look too bothered. “It’s okay,” he popped a piece of ham in his mouth. “You can give me a kiss and I’ll forgive you.” 

Sarada snorted at that as she looked over the variety of cheeses, trying to decide which to eat first. “I’m not that sorry.”

He pouted and sighed. “Fine, it was worth a shot.” 

“Nice try.” Sarada patted his arm and then finally reached for a piece of cheese. “We need to discuss your after party. Are you wanting a different guest list for it?”

He hummed and picked at the cheese. “Well, if people are late to the yacht, they can follow. But I’m not really sure. Is there anyone you wanna invite, though?” 

“Me?” She frowned. “This isn’t about me, but no. There isn’t. I just want you to have whoever you want.”

Boruto nodded. “Yeah, but like, I want you to have fun too, ya know? Did you invite Chocho and Sumire?” 

“I did. I thought you would want them there.” Sarada said, taking another piece of cheese for herself. 

“Are you sure you don’t have people you want to invite?” He asked again.

With a quiet sigh, Sarada slid off of the stool to her feet. “This is your birthday party, Boruto. I don’t care about anyone else, as long as you’re there.”

A light blush came on his cheeks and Boruto looked away. “R-right. I’ll check on your bath.” He slid off the stool and hurried into the bathroom. He didn’t come back after a few minutes, still looking a little flushed. “It’s almost ready.” 

“Okay. I should go on ahead so I can get undressed.” Sarada had one more piece of cheese and then grabbed her wine glass to hand it to him. “You’ll still bring me some?”

“Of course!” His face turned a deeper shade of red. “A-anything you want, bae.” 

“Thank you. Just give me a few minutes.” She smiled, always feeling good when she got to see him blush like that. It was almost enough to make her think his ‘feelings’ were genuine. But she knew better. 

Boruto stayed in the kitchen until she called for him. He then poured some wine into the glass and walked over. The bubbles were thick, covering herself entirely, and even some suds on the top of her hair. He smiled at her and sat down on the floor next to the tub, handing her the glass. He didn’t stay long, wanting her to enjoy her bath. Before he left, he lit the candle. 

Sarada sighed. Sometimes it was nice being spoiled. 

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Whenever Boruto wasn’t shooting, he was following his Bae around like a lost puppy. Sarada was constantly on the phone, talking to suppliers and the caterer, as well as answering some of his guests’ questions. It was exciting, but he didn’t like seeing her too stressed, and often got mad at her for skipping meals whenever she forgot. He made it a point to stay with her in the evening, making sure she would put her phone away to sleep. 

And she said he was bad. Sarada was worse. 

It took everything in him to keep his party a secret from his fans. The last thing Sarada wanted were his fans flocking to the dock or to the hotel and having to handle the situation. As much as he would have wanted to let his fans—even just a few—come party with him, he knew Sarada didn’t need that kind of stress. Besides, her birthday was also coming up, and he wanted to share this party with her. 

Sarada was stubborn, not wanting to invite her friends. Boruto had to take it in himself to stalk her social media, looking for people who looked important to Sarada. He didn’t want to risk inviting the wrong people, though. She almost never talked about herself, or her friends, since she had been too busy taking care of him. He sent a text to Sumire and Chocho, asking if they knew any of her friends, and who she might want to come. He had to be sneaky about it, though, Sarada knew his passcode and would be angry if she found out he tried to reach out to her friends. 

Sarada kept asking him about his preferences, and although he knew what he wanted, he always asked what she wanted. And Bae being bae, always made it difficult to get what she wanted out of her.

“I asked what you wanted,” Boruto sipped on his iced coffee.  

“And I told you this wasn’t about me.” She shot back, eyes never leaving her phone. “You want alcohol only at the after party, right?”

“All throughout!” Boruto grinned. “But maybe the good stuff on the yacht. Like champagne.” 

Sarada hummed, pausing her scrolling to peek at him. “Then I highly recommend you be a little more thoughtful of your after party guest list. I’m sure you wouldn’t want just anyone seeing you be drunk. You’re a clingy drunk.”

“You’ll be there, right? That’s fine,” he pouted. 

“Well yes, but…” she paused, pondering her next words before asking carefully, “even your family?”

“I—what?” Boruto put his drink down. “What about my family?” 

“You want them at the after party too? I mean… I don’t know how conservative they are, but I don’t want you to have to deal with any trouble when you’re trying to have fun.”

Boruto stayed quiet for a while as he continued to look at her. “You invited them?” He asked. “Did they reply?”  

Sarada smiled and nodded. “Yeah! I got confirmation that the four of them will be coming.”

He blinked once and grinned at her. “Great, then. I don’t think Mom and Dad will want to come to the after party but my siblings might.” 

“Alright. I’ll just leave that open to you. You can just mention it to them at the party if you want.” Sarada seemed pleased to have that decided, looking back to her phone and having a sip of her frappe. 

Boruto didn’t say another word, only took a sip of his coffee before asking again. “You don’t have anyone you want to invite?” 

“Boruto!” Sarada groaned though she laughed instead of getting mad. “No, now stop asking.”

“Fine,” he grumbled. “You can choose which band you want.” 

“Band!?” Sarada screamed. She had forgotten all about the band. “Oh no! Who do you want?”

“I said who you want.” 

“Excuse me, I need to make some phone calls.” Sarada got up from her seat and ran off with her frappe and her phone before he could stop her. 

“Baaaaeeee!” Boruto whined and got up to follow her. “Bae, I can invite Yodo and her band, it’s fine.” But he shut up real quick, remembering he wanted Sarada to choose. “I mean, just an option. You can pick who you want.” 

“Yodo!” She gasped. “You’re okay with that?”

Crap. He really should have just shut up. “I mean, yeah, Shikadai’s coming, right? I’m sure he’ll be taking her and she can take the rest of her band with her but like…” He looked at her. “Who do you want to perform?” 

“Yodo would be amazing if it’s fine with you. I’ll contact her right away!” She grinned at him, already doing a quick search through her contacts. She would be able to call Shikadai herself to get through to Yodo.

His brows shot up, an amused smile on his face. “I didn’t know you were a fan.” 

“I didn’t know you were… well, aside from being friends. Not like enough to have her perform. She’s got a different and unique tone though. I’m sure it will be great. I’m calling Shikadai now.” She was still smiling brightly as she raised her phone to her ear. 

Boruto smiled, seeing her this happy and excited was almost too much for his heart to handle. 

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After two weeks of quick preparations, the day of Boruto’s birthday finally arrived. Sarada had given in and stayed the night with him, both of them staying up well after midnight to bring in his birthday before falling asleep together on the couch. 

The party didn’t begin until six in the evening, but they would need to be there a little early and before that, Sarada wanted to make his whole day special. When she woke up, she wiggled around and removed herself from him as carefully as possible so she wouldn’t wake him. Once she was off the couch, he stirred and she was quick to tuck the blanket around him and run her fingers through his hair until he calmed. 

Breakfast came first. Sarada cooked his favorite morning meal, pancakes, and bacon, and brewed a pot of coffee before finally waking him up. He hadn’t moved since she left him and was always the cutest thing when he slept, making her smile as she leaned over him and stroked his cheek. 

“Wake up, birthday boy.”

Boruto groaned but cracked an eye open. A sleepy smile spread on his face. “The best person to see on my birthday.” 

Sarada giggled and leaned down closer, giving him a soft kiss on his forehead. “Just because it’s your special day.”

Boruto’s face turned red but was quick to wrap his arms around her and pull her against his chest. “More!” He laughed. “One for each year of my life.” 

“Let’s not get carried away.” Sarada laughed, not trying to break away from him just yet. She only let her head rest on his chest while she played with his hair. “Maybe you can have another if you don’t get in any trouble today.”

He huffed. “Fine, can I give you a kiss? One for each year of my life.” He smirked. 

“Definitely not,” Sarada mumbled, frowning at the way she shuddered at the idea of him doing something like that. Kissing her?! “I made breakfast. It’s time to get up.”

“Just one.” He pouted. “Please?” He asked, giving her puppy dog eyes. 

Sarada rolled her eyes and lifted her head so she could look at him. “Fine. One. And not on the lips. I mean it.” 

Although he pouted at her, those blue eyes lit up. “Okay, fine.” His fingers brushed her hair away from her face and leaned down slowly to place a kiss on her forehead, the same place where she kissed him. 

The kiss was sweet, making Sarada hold her breath and her heart go a little crazy. She was blushing as she averted her eyes and scrambled to get off of him, hand going to her forehead. “G-go eat. I’ll be there in a minute.”

“I want to eat with you, though,” he said slowly. 

“I’ll join you.” She promised, waving him off. “Just… need to go to the bathroom.” 

Boruto would have probably protested more, but she scurried off before he had the chance, taking the time in the bathroom to calm herself down. Sometimes Boruto made her feel a lot of things that she didn’t want to feel and it wasn’t always so easy to be professional with him—which is why she did things like cuddle and sleep with him. It didn’t mean anything. To Boruto it was just a thing, and Sarada wanted it to be that way for her as well. However, sometimes she feared she may get caught up in his teasing. 

They had breakfast together, sipped their second cups of coffee after while talking about the upcoming party. Now that Sarada could relax, she was really looking forward to it, but before then she wanted to give him her gift. It wasn’t much, but Boruto was a guy who had everything he wanted and he didn’t need anything. Her gift was simple, and a little embarrassing, but Boruto was so ridiculous that she knew he would like it. 

“I got you something.” She said as they sat on his patio together, enjoying the warmth of spring. She was feeling a little nervous, even though she knew it wasn’t a big deal. “It’s not much, okay?”

“You got me a gift?!” He coughed, having been mid-sip of his coffee. “I told you, you don’t have to get me anything.” 

“Yeah, I tell you that all the time and you never listen.” Sarada mused. “Even when it’s not my birthday.” She had the gift in the pocket of her robe, unwrapped. “Close your eyes and hold out your hand.”

As much as he tried to look angry, he couldn’t help the excitement that bubbled up in his chest. He held out his hand and closed his eyes. Sometimes he could be good and follow. Sometimes.  

“You’re not allowed to judge the gift either.” She mumbled, feeling a bit shy as she pulled the small keychain out of her pocket and looked at it. Then she placed it in his hand and took a deep breath. “Okay, you can look.”

Boruto opened his eyes and blinked, looking at the small item in his hand. There was one silver key and a keychain with a photo of the two of them on it. “Oh my god!” He exclaimed. “It’s us!” Boruto pulled the keychain closer, inspecting the photo, seemingly not even minding the key attached to it. “We look so cute here. Well, we always do.” He snorted. 

“Yeah, I guess we’re pretty cute.” Sarada smiled, admiring the picture as well. 

“Bae, we always are.” Boruto chuckled and reached for her hand to hold it in his. “And what’s the key for?” 

“To my place,” Sarada answered easily before realizing how that must sound and her cheeks flushed scarlet. “I mean, just in case you ever need me and maybe I’m sleeping and my phone is on silent.” 

Boruto balked at her. “Y-your place?” He whispered. “Really?” 

“W-well, it’s not a big deal, is it? The real gift was just the keychain.” She whispered, beginning to regret the gift. “I just thought… if you ever came by, you wouldn’t have to knock… and… well… I don’t know.”

“Sarada…” Boruto looked at her with so much adoration in his eyes. “This is the best gift ever. Thank you.” 

Somehow, her cheeks burned even more and Sarada looked away from him. “It’s not even great or anything.” It barely cost her anything and wasn’t extravagant at all, but he looked and sounded like he really meant that. “But… um… you’re welcome.”

He held her hand up to his cheek and leaned on it. Boruto didn’t say anything to her, just confined to look at her face with that same look on his face, his thumb stroking against her knuckles. “I also have a gift for you, but it doesn’t compare to yours.” 

“For me?” She pouted. “It’s your birthday, not mine!”

“I know.” He grinned and helped her up, still holding on to her hand. “You were so busy, I figured you’d need me to take care of this for you.” 

“What? But I took care of everything. Didn’t I?” She frowned as she started thinking over everything, certain she hadn’t missed anything. 

Boruto led her to the spare room in his house, one that he often used to store items from his shoots or gifts from his A-list friends. There was a rack with two things hanging on it, both covered in a black dust cover, with a logo and name on it. 

INOJIN YAMANAKA 

Boruto carefully opened the first one, and it revealed his suit. It was black with a dark gray undershirt and a red tie hanging in the middle. “This is what I’m wearing later.” He grinned. “You like it?” 

“Oh, it’s lovely.” Sarada beamed at him. “I’m sorry I didn’t take care of that for you.” It had completely slipped her mind. And worse, she hadn’t even thought of what she would wear. 

“Don’t be sorry,” Boruto squeezed her hand. “Besides, this is Inojin’s gift for me. And this,” he pulled the zipper down on the over item hanging on the rack. And Sarada’s eyes widened as the zipper was pulled down, revealing a sparkling red gown with an unusually shaped cleavage. It almost looked like lava. “Is my gift for you.” 

“Boruto,” she breathed, amazed that he would do something so wonderful for her while he had only given him a small keychain. “It’s amazing. Oh, it’s gorgeous. I can’t… no way I can accept this!”

“What? Why not?” He pouted. “I always get you things like this.” Boruto hated it whenever she would reject his gifts. “Look, we match.” He pulled his tie out and held it close to the dress. “Plus, you would look so hot in this. And no one is wearing red to the party—except us.” 

“You don’t know that!” She gasped. “And oh my god, where’s the back? And goodness, I would be showing off a lot of leg in that. It’s way too sexy.”

“A sexy lady deserves a sexy gown.” Boruto nodded. “No one is wearing red. I told them not to. If anyone is wearing it, they’re not allowed inside.” He scoffed. 

“You told them— Boruto!” Sarada couldn’t believe him. “And I’m not…” Her cheeks burned hot. “I’m not sexy. Stop messing around. I’ll look ridiculous in that.”

“No, you won’t,” he grumbled. “I’m actually afraid you’ll look too good and have to hit someone later.” Boruto tossed the tie over the hanger and looked at her. “I asked Chocho’s assistants to come by later to fix you up, too. You don’t have to worry about it.” 

“You… you’re too much.” Sarada sighed, but she knew he did this because he wanted to, so she relented and decided to let herself get dolled up and wear the sexy gown just for him. 

.

.

.

Boruto was already dressed and sitting in the living room, fighting off the want to get on Ninstagram. His notifications were blowing up, his friends tagging him in photos to greet him. As much as he wanted to feature them on his stories, he held out, wanting the first thing on his story to be of him and Sarada in their matching outfits. While waiting, he replied to some texts and other personal messages. 

He could hear the assistants and Sarada vaguely chatting in his spare room, one that the assistants were quick to turn into a vanity and set up all their equipment. Boruto felt like he was waiting on important test results from school, or whenever he anticipated getting a call if he got a role or not. 

Inojin had outdone himself this time, the gown looked beautiful on the mannequin and he was sure it would look even better on Sarada. It was a sexy gown, and Boruto mentally chided himself for not thinking ahead—someone was bound to hit on his bae, and when that happened, he might find himself on the cover of KNH the next day for beating them to a pulp—on his birthday, no less. 

He sighed and took a deep breath, anxiety eating up at him. 

“Sir, you have to see her!” One of the assistants rushed out excitedly. 

Boruto was on his feet in an instant, swallowing before following them into the spare room. What he saw took his breath away, and he was sure his heart stopped for more than a second. 

Oh god. Sarada always looked good. But nothing ever came close to how beautiful she looked now. 

Her long, dark hair hung in loose curls, all swept to one side and held on by a sparkly clip. Her eye makeup was dramatic, but it wasn’t over the top, just enough to highlight her charcoal eyes. And damn , that dress. 

The red dress hugged her body perfectly. The slit on the right side showing off her leg shy of her panty line. The sweetheart cut hid just enough, but the cleavage cut down low and swept off to the right. The back of her dress was open and only covered her starting from the small of her back.

To say she looked hot was an understatement. 

“Sarada…” he breathed. This was almost better than getting a key to her house. Almost. “You look—“ he tried to find the word, but there was really none that existed to express how perfect she is. So, he gaped instead. 

“Ridiculous?” She prompted, worrying her red lips. 

“I-umm…” Boruto kept stuttering, trying to look for the right word. 

“Beautiful.” The assistant supplied. 

“Show-stopping.” The other one added. 

“Perfect.” The last one laughed. 

“All of it.” Boruto breathed, totally not caring he had been staring at her unabashedly. “Sarada… I don’t even have the words. You look amazing. And… and—“ shit. Was he really going to have to share her tonight? “Forget the party. We’re not going.” 

Sarada blanched and stared at him in disbelief. “What? Why would you say that? Of course, we’re going.”

Boruto shook his head and walked around her, taking all of her in. “No, no way.” He stopped in front of her, his cheeks turning red when his eyes automatically dipped lower. Boruto forced himself to look at her in the eyes. “I might kill someone tonight, ya know?”

“Oh my god, you’re being ridiculous.” Sarada huffed. “We’re going and you’re going to have fun and not do anything reckless.”

He pouted at her and took her hands in his. “Fine, but you gotta promise me something.” 

“What?” She sighed, staring up at him curiously. 

“You stay by my side all evening and if someone asks, you’re mine.” 

Sarada’s face flushed red as her dress and she scowled at him. “Boruto!” She eyed the assistants and huffed. He was always putting her in these situations. “Don’t be brash.” She said under her breath. “You don’t have anything to worry about.”

“Sarada, none of my guests are blind .” Boruto rolled his eyes. “If anyone tries me, I’m throwing them into the sea.” Boruto scowled. “I have a bunch of guests that might.” 

“As if that would ever happen. It’s your birthday and nobody is going to notice me. We should get ready to leave.”

“Promise me.”

Sarada looked at him, brows furrowing at seeing he, for once, was completely serious. “If it means that much to you, fine. I promise I won’t leave your side tonight.”

“And say you’re mine.” He huffed. Boruto handed his phone to one of the assistants and asked for a photo. Once that was done, he took another of Sarada with the three of them and handed them invitations. “You guys come and enjoy, too.” He grinned. Boruto took Sarada’s hand in his and led her to his car. 

The sun was hanging low in the sky, casting gold and orange hues in the sky. It looked beautiful and Boruto was excited that the weather was looking good. But not as good as his bae. He kept stealing looks at her as he drove and held on to her hand the entire time. For once, she let him, as she texted with her other hand, doing some last-minute checks. 

When they reached the dock, Boruto’s excitement tripled when he saw the yacht. He gave his car to the valet and opened Sarada’s door, helping her out. Boruto immediately took her hand in his again and looked at the yacht. “It’s perfect, Sarada. Thank you for arranging this.” 

“I’m glad you like it. I’m happy if you are. You’re the birthday boy, after all.” She smiled warmly at him, giving his hand a little squeeze. 

Boruto looked at her and softened. “I’m just happy you’re here to celebrate with me.” 

“Well, I’m glad to be here. I hope everything is okay. I need to do a quick check.”

“Okay, I’ll come.” He didn’t let go of her hand and followed her wherever on the yacht she needed to be. 

Sarada walked around with Boruto, checking on everything, speaking with the caterers first and then coming across Yodo and Shikadai. Their whole band had arrived and were setting up, coming early just as she requested. She was quick to thank them all, including Shikadai for being the messenger and helping her out so much. 

Boruto grinned at them, and spoke for a while, before wandering around the yacht and found the master’s bedroom. “Damn, bae. You even got a room for us ready?” He teased. 

“What?” Sarada gasped, quickly smacking him. “Oh well, you wanted an after party at the Leaf’s penthouse, remember. Not here in this room. Maybe you should have thought that through.” 

“The penthouse has a room, right?” He grinned cheekily at her and nudged her cheek with his nose. “I’m not picky as long as I have you.” 

Sarada hadn’t considered that and now she was blushing and shifting on her feet nervously. “You’ll forget. Once you get drunk.” This was the biggest party he’d had since she met him and Sarada was certain that once he got into the swing of things and all his friends were around, he’d forget her. 

“I doubt that. You’re like the only person in my mind when I am.” He laughed, thinking of all the times he ever drunk called her, even when she was right there next to him. 

Boruto pulled her out of the room and to the front deck to watch the sunset. A server came by, offering them champagne. He took two and handed her the other. It was still early, and a few guests started coming on board, but having the sunset before him and Sarada next to him now, he wished he had just asked for a private vacation with her instead. “Cheers to us.” He smiled. 

Sarada laughed, rolling her eyes but clinked her glass against his. “To us.” She said and they both had a drink from their flutes. 

As Boruto drank, his eyes never left hers. This party was starting to sound like a bad idea when all he wanted was to keep his bae to himself. 

“Borutooo!” Chocho walked over to him, with another girl by her side. “Happy birthday!” 

“Heya, Chocho. Thank you.” He grinned. “Sumire, I’m happy you’re here.” 

“Happy birthday,” the girl smiled and turned to Sarada. “You look beautiful.” 

Chocho seconded the motion. “Giiiirl I was wondering why Boruto texted not to wear red and now I see why.” She smirked. “You’re totally matching! Who’re you wearing?” 

“Inojin is the designer,” Sarada explained with a smile. “He’s amazing.” Though he was really flexing when he went to town on the dress she was now wearing. 

“Ooh!” Chocho walked around them, gaze drifting up and down. “Sumire!” She squealed, “Come here and look at the back!” 

Boruto laughed and drowned out what the two girls were going on about. He enjoyed seeing Sarada’s cheeks flush at all the attention. “I told you.” He leaned in and winked. “You’re gonna be the star of the night.” 

Sarada quickly shook her head. “No, you,” She argued, squeezing his hand. Sarada never liked being in the spotlight and she hoped that Chocho and Sumire were only complimenting her because they were all friends. Too much attention would have her losing her mind. 

“ Us ,” He corrected and wrapped an arm around her waist. “Excuse us,” he told the girls. “I think we have some other guests to greet.” 

Normally, the birthday celebrant wouldn’t come out until all the guests arrived, but Boruto hated sitting still. Besides, if he were to stay inside, that meant Sarada would be wandering around on her own, and he didn’t want that at all. He led Sarada around and introduced her to people. Some were really just acquaintances but they were part of the film he was shooting and he wanted everyone to be there. 

“Who’s this lovely lady?” A producer asked. She had wild dark hair and auburn eyes. 

“That’s Sarada, dear.” Her husband laughed. 

“Sarada?!” She gasped. “Oh, I’m so sorry. I didn’t recognize you without your glasses.” 

Sarada laughed and waved her off. “Yeah, it’s not often I’m out without them.” She said, knowing good and well the lack of glasses wasn’t what had her looking so drastically different. 

The producer was still embarrassed. “I thought you were a new Star Boruto might be dating.” 

Boruto laughed. “Why would I when I have bae?” 

Her husband nodded. “Certainly. Sarada, if you want to model, I have an agency to recommend.” 

“Model?” Sarada asked, taken aback. “Oh no, don’t be silly.” She laughed, but only to try and hide how uncomfortable she was. She was far from model material or being a star who could act with Boruto.

Boruto smiled tightly at them. “Bae’s got a lot on her plate handling me, ya know? Excuse us.” Boruto led her away, grumbling under his breath. “What a bastard. Right in front of his wife, too.” 

“W-what did he do?” Sarada asked, thinking she’d missed something. 

“He was hitting on you.” Boruto deadpanned. “I told you, this is why you can’t leave my side and tell people you’re mine.” 

“He was?” She paled, releasing his hand to wrap both her arms around his. “Okay, I promised.”

“He was. He’s not invited next time,” Boruto grumbled and made a mental note not to even have a party next time. The next guests he introduced Sarada to were a lot nicer and easier to deal with. More people recognized her, too, but there were some who were surprised to see her so dolled up. 

“Is it about time to go?” Boruto asked anxiously. He hadn’t seen his family yet and was half hoping they won’t even show up. 

“Boruto, all of your guests haven’t arrived. Let’s give it a few more moments. Your family isn’t here either.” She gave him a reassuring smile and then let her eyes wander around. “Oh, some guy is looking at you.”

“Where?” Boruto looked around and wrapped his arm around Sarada’s waist. He spotted a few people looking, but one person caught his eyes. “Oh, it’s that princely bastard.” 

“Princely guy?” She asked, peeking at the guy. He was handsome and had a charming air about him, and a lovely smile. “Oh, he looks nice.”

“ Nice ?” Boruto spat. “Yeah, I guess. I can’t hate him but I will if he hits on you.” 

“He wouldn’t.” Sarada scoffed. He didn’t look like the type at all. “But I think he’s coming to greet you.”

Boruto sulked but prepared himself. He didn’t hate the guy at all. They went to the same university and he pursued a career in politics. “Kagura.” 

“Boruto. Happy birthday!” He flashed a perfect set of white teeth and held up his flute. “You just missed the other guys, we toasted to your health.” 

“Thanks.” He nodded. “Kagura, this is Sarada, my bae. Bae, Kagura. We went to uni together.” 

“Hello,” Sarada greeted him with a smile, letting Boruto have his way without her fighting him. She promised. 

Kagura smiled the most charming smile as he shifted his gaze towards her. Sarada could practically see the sparkles around him. He extended his hand for a shake. “Charmed.” 

Sarada places her hand in his and continued to smile, seeing that Kagura really was nice and respectful. “Yes, it’s nice to meet you.”

Kagura pulled her hand to his lips to kiss it. “You look beautiful, Sarada. I have to say, I’m jealous, Boruto.” Although he smiled, Boruto did not return it.

His face looked red and he scowled at him. “Quit it.” 

Sarada’s cheeks were red too, being surprised at having her hand kissed like that. Princely. She didn’t know what to say, but she nudged Boruto with her hip and pulled her hand away from Kagura. “Don’t be rude.” She whispered. 

Kagura laughed. “Still the same Boruto.” 

Boruto rolled his eyes. “Yeah, and you haven’t changed tactics either.” 

Sarada looked back and forth between the two, feeling as if some secret conversation was happening. Kagura didn’t seem upset, but Boruto did. “Um, can we go get another drink?” She asked Boruto, feeling the need to get him away from Kagura before he offended him. 

“Sure,” Boruto tore his gaze away from Kagura and swept her away with him, cursing under his breath as they walked over to the kitchen. “I swear, that bastard hasn’t changed a bit.” 

“Why do you sound so upset about it?”

“He was hitting on you!” Boruto shouted in a whisper. “Even after I told him you were my bae. That disrespectful little shit.” 

“Boruto, no he wasn’t and there’s really no need to use such vulgar language.” Sarada sighed. “You’re getting worked up for nothing. He said you were still the same too… what did he mean?”

“Nothing,” Boruto grumbled. He didn’t want to talk about Kagura and their old rivalry. Maybe when he was drunk he would. 

Sarada frowned, not liking his dismissive tone. As much as she wanted to, she wouldn’t say anything though. Today was his day. “Hey, don’t be angry,” she told him, stopping on their way to give him a quick hug. “let’s just get our drink together.”

Boruto wrapped his arms around her and rested his cheek on the top of her head. She was right, he shouldn’t be letting anything ruin his night, not even Kagura. “Yeah, you’re right.” He muttered. But he really hated it whenever people were taking a pass at his bae. It was worse because she didn’t even notice. “Could you try to be less oblivious though?” He pouted. “I’ve already lost count how many people were staring at you.” 

“You’re mad at me?” Sarada pulled back to look at him, looking worried. “Oblivious? I wasn’t… I don’t understand.”

“I’m not,” he muttered. “It’s not you that I’m mad at, it's them. They want to take you from me.” 

“Boruto,” Sarada huffed, bringing both her hands up to cup his cheeks. “Nobody is taking me away from you. I’m right here, aren’t I?”

He was still pouting but she did have a point. “You’re right.” She always was. About most things, at least. 

“Yes, now be nice.” She smiled and then started searching for more champagne with him when she spotted his family talking to some other guests. “Oh! I see your parents there!” She looked at him, tugging his sleeve excitedly. 

Boruto hesitated for a moment but seeing how excited Sarada was, he put on a smile for her and followed her, drinking all the contents in his flute in one go. 

“Oh, you go ahead and greet them. I’ll just grab our drinks from right over there.” She said, pointing to one of the servers walking nearby. 

Boruto sulked. She already forgot her promise but he let her go. His family would most likely just embarrass him anyway. The four of them were talking, all holding on to their own drinks, save for his mother. 

As he approached, he wasn’t sure what they would say. Boruto was surprised they even went. “Mom, dad.” Boruto greeted them first and kissed his mother’s cheek. He then turned to his siblings to greet them, too. “Thanks for coming.” 

“You look nice, Boruto.” Himawari smiled and Naruto hummed. 

“Wouldn’t have been surprised for you to be in jeans and a T-shirt.” He mumbled. 

Boruto rolled his eyes and stuffed his hands in his pockets. “Not today, dad.” 

“Be nice, dear.” Hinata chided and Naruto looked completely impassive. 

“What? I was giving him a compliment.”

Damn. And this was why he never invited his dad. Boruto didn’t care if he was the mayor. “Sure, dad.” Boruto looked around. “Where’s that bastard?” 

“Kawaki?” Himawari asked, pointing over her shoulder. “He’s over there talking to that girl.”

Boruto turned around so fast he felt he might have whiplash. He knew it, he fucking knew it. His bastard for a brother slipped away and was talking to his bae. Oh no. Not on his watch. “Bastard!” He growled and hurried over. 

Sarada was looking stunned, holding onto a fresh flute in each hand and relief washed over her once she spotted Boruto. “Boruto!” She breathed, inching over to him as quickly as she could. 

Kawaki barely spared Boruto a glance before his grey eyes were trailing back down Sarada’s figure. “She’s with you?” He snorted, finally locking eyes with Boruto. “How’d you make that happen?”

Boruto scowled and pulled Sarada to his side, unhappy with how spooked Sarada looked. “She’s my girl and that’s none of your business, bastard.” 

“Yeah, I don’t believe it.” Kawaki chuckled, eyes already back on Sarada, shifting between her face and her cleavage. “She’s out of your league.” 

“W-wait a min—” Sarada began, hands trembling as they held onto the flutes. 

“Then that means she’s way out of yours by miles.” Boruto rolled his eyes. “And it doesn’t matter what you think ‘cause she’s mine .” 

Kawaki looked like he wanted to say more, but Sarada had had enough. “You’ve been awfully rude. I never expected Boruto’s brother would behave in such a way. But he’s right. I’m… his bae.” 

Boruto felt his stomach flop. She said it, she actually said it! He wrapped his arms around her waist and couldn’t help the grin on his face. “See, Kawaki? Told you.” He wished she would say it again, and this time, he would record it. 

“Yeah, I think you’re both lying. Even if you aren’t, it would never last. You couldn’t satisfy her for long.”

“Excuse me,” Sarada cleared her throat, grip tightening on the flutes. “Today is Boruto’s birthday and I will not stand here and listen to you disrespect him. I think you should leave us. And if you don’t, I won’t hesitate to soak you in this champagne.”

Boruto froze. He had seen Sarada be angry about a lot of things and even mad at him, but he had never seen her like this. It was turning him on. “Damn.” He breathed, arms still wound around her. “Bae, you’re scary.” 

Kawaki just scoffed and walked away and Sarada smirked. “Well, he made me really mad talking about you like that… and what he said…” she cut herself off, knowing it was a mistake to say even that much. 

“What did he say to you?” Boruto felt his temper rising again. He knew Kawaki had no filter, but he couldn’t imagine what he might have said to Sarada. To say it was embarrassing to be related to him when he hit on girls was an understatement. “How lewd was it? I told you I might kill someone today.” 

“D-don’t worry about it.” Sarada stammered, holding up a flute for him to take. “Please don’t even think about it. Okay?”

Boruto pouted and accepted the flute. “Fine. I’ll just throw him overboard next time I pass him.” It didn’t sit well with him at all to know she had gotten this upset. Nearly nothing shook Sarada—except horror movies. 

“No, you won’t.” Sarada laughed quietly and leaned against him just as the captain announced their departure. “Oh, finally. We can eat whenever you want, Boruto. You’ll find some of your favorites.”

“Thunder Burger?” He asked, eyes wide and expectant. 

“You think I’d let you down on your special day?” She grinned and then took his hand to pull him away. 

“You never let me down, ya know?” He laughed and squeezed her hand, as he followed her to the dining area.Yodo and her band were already set up and doing a test. Boruto forgot about all the mishaps earlier and looked forward to eating his favorite food while listening to good music and being with Sarada. 

There was an assortment of burgers around, as well as some other fancy food that Boruto liked to indulge in. The crew let the two first and piled their plates with food. Boruto chose the table up front, where Inojin and Shikadai sat, and saved some space for Chocho and Sumire. 

“There you are!” Inojin stood and made Boruto turn around, inspecting his work. “Damn I’m good.” 

Boruto snickered. “I should be saying that to you. Did you just get here?” 

“Right when the captain was about to depart,” he smirked. He then turned his attention to Sarada and pulled her dress down a little more, holding the fabric at her waist. “There you go. Don’t be shy with the cleavage.” 

“Inojin!” Sarada gasped, smacking his hand before hurrying to pull the top back up, maybe even a little further. She had turned red all over. “I can’t believe you!”

“It’s supposed to worn lower!” He argued and tried to pull the dress back down. 

“Hey, get your hands off bae!” Boruto shoved Inojin away. “She’ll wear it however she wants to.” 

“Don’t be so rough,” Sarada chided him, covering her breasts with her arm. “It’s just his job… I just… I’m not comfortable showing any more skin.”

Boruto huffed and sat next to her, putting space between her and Inojin. “Do you want my coat?” He asked. 

“Really?” Sarada asked, looking hopeful. “I—I mean no. You look so great.” 

“If you want it, just tell me.” Boruto smiled. “And are you saying I won’t look good without the coat?” He snorted. 

“No, that’s not… I just mean… I really like the suit as a whole on you.” She always did love to see him dressed up, even if she thought he looked great no matter what. 

“Thank you. I’ll keep it on, then.” 

Shikadai rolled his eyes and sighed. “Get a room.” 

“Since when were your two this mushy?” Inojin squinted. “Don’t tell me you’re actually together now.” 

Chocho passed by behind Inojin and smacked the back of his head. “It’s his birthday , Inojin.” 

“Ow! What the fuck, Chubbs?!” 

She and Sumire took a seat and started to eat, just as the band started. Boruto enjoyed his food and music. Some of his guests came over to talk to him, but never lingered for too long. At some point, Inojin disappeared and when Boruto looked around, it was because he was over there, talking to his sister. As much as Boruto wanted to pry them apart, he listened to Sarada and walked around the yacht instead, talking to more of his guests. 

The time flew by quickly, and Boruto was already feeling a little hot after drinking more champagne. Sarada pulled him to the second floor, and into the master’s bedroom, in order to go outside on the balcony for some air. 

“It feels a little hot,” Boruto whined, not wanting to remove his jacket because bae said she liked seeing him in it, but also wanting to remove it because he felt like he was burning. The city was coming closer, and they would have to dock soon. 

“Your face is so red.” Sarada giggled and moved her hands to the buttons on his coat, working them open. Once she finished, Sarada walked behind him to remove the coat, moving much slower than necessary. “M-maybe this will help.”

Boruto let her remove his coat, and once it was off, he turned around to face her and leaned against the balcony’s railing. “Stripping me already? I won’t object.” He smirked. 

“Tch.” Sarada turned her nose up, hugging his coat to her chest. “Yeah right. You wouldn’t even be able to handle it.”

Boruto wrapped his arms around her waist and whispered at her ear, “Wanna bet?” His normal teasing was never that brave. He blamed it on the alcohol. 

Sarada shivered. “I—I know you wouldn’t. You just think so right now.” She replied quietly. 

Boruto groaned and rested his cheek on her shoulder. “I wannaaaa!” He whined. “But only if you want to.” He wasn’t drunk, but he certainly was hit. If he started drinking the hard stuff soon, he might not even last halfway through the party. “Gotta… sober up.” 

“You… want me to smack you?” Sarada asked, grinning to herself. “Or I could kiss you.”

“A kiss?” He straightened up, looking at her expectantly. “I want that.” 

“Okay, but not right now. Only if you sober up first.” She thought teasing him now was more appealing than ever before. “If you’re too drunk, you might forget it ever happened.” 

“Wh-what?” He blinked. “I’d never forget when and where you’ve kissed me.” 

“You don’t know for sure… being under the influence.” Sarada held back her giggles and leaned her head back to smile at him. “But I guess I could kiss you, later.”

“Promise?” He pouted. For sure he would never forget Sarada’s kisses, but he also wanted to be sure. She had a point—bae always did. “If that’s the case, then I need you to stop me from drinking too much and help me sober up.” 

Sarada nodded, agreeing to help him so he could get his kiss. “I suppose you can drink more at the after party. After you get your kiss.”

“If I don’t drink…” He swallowed. “Can I get more kisses?” It was hard negotiating with someone who was too good at it. “Or like… maybe I can limit it.”

“Let’s just focus on the first kiss for now, okay?”

“Okay,” he muttered. “I need to sober up. It’s really hot.” 

“We can go into the bedroom. There’s a bathroom, I could get you a cold, wet washcloth. It should help.” 

Sarada didn’t want him getting sick on his own birthday, so she grabbed his hand and pulled him back inside the room. She stopped by the bed just long enough to force him to sit, then laid his coat next to him and sauntered off to the bathroom. 

When she returned, Boruto hadn’t moved. He was still flushed and just watching her silently. She had gotten what she was after and smiled as she stepped in front of him and started wiping his face with the washcloth. “This should feel nice.”

Boruto hummed and leaned into her touch, the washcloth feeling good on his face. It helped him cool down, but the rest of him was still feeling hot. While she wiped his face, his fingers moved up to his tie to loosen it and open up the buttons on his shirt. “Could you go a little lower?”  

Rolling her eyes, Sarada wiped down his throat and just over his collarbones. “I think you’ll survive. I mean, if you’re this bad off, maybe we should skip the after party and that kiss so you can sleep.”

“Nooo!” He whined and held on to her wrist. “I just need you to take care of me.” Boruto was always attached to Sarada, and he liked being clingy to her. But it’s his birthday and he wanted to be a little more selfish than usual. 

“But you asked for a party, remember?” She smiled softly and leaned down to kiss his forehead. “There, now smile and let’s go get a snack to sober you up more. It’s almost time for us to be docking.”

He smiled and closed his eyes, relishing the feel of her lips on his face yet again. The blush on his cheeks was still evident, though he had a feeling it wasn’t from the alcohol. “That makes me feel so much better.” Boruto peeked at her and fiddled with his tie. “Help?”  

Sarada hummed, happily taking over for him and fixing his tie properly. He looked amazing, even without the coat and now she had reason to wear it. The two left the room, Sarada slipping on the coat once they were outside. They went for snacks and after eating a bit more, Sarada could tell that Boruto was feeling much better and the alcohol wasn’t affecting him as much. The ship soon docked after that and it was time for everyone to move on. Some would be going home, others would be joining them for the after party. 

“Give me the keys,” Sarada said to Boruto as they walked closer to his car. She didn’t very much fancy driving in her dress, but Boruto had drunk far more than she had even if he had sobered up. 

He hesitated but fished it out of his pocket. There was an added keychain and key on it. “Are you sure you want to drive?” He gazed at her heels for a moment. “Your feet might hurt.” 

“I’m driving.” She nodded, unlocking the car and rounding it to the driver’s side. “Though I think I’ll take them off for the ride.”

“Okay.” Boruto nodded and got in on the passenger’s side, adjusting the seat and pushing it back to get more legroom, smiling to himself how tiny she was compared to him. He held out his hand, waiting for her heels. 

There was a slight struggle thanks to the dress, but Sarada finally managed to get her heels off and hand them over to him. The drive was actually relaxing and quiet, though the two of them still spoke along the way, Sarada was relieved to have some time alone with him between the party and the after party. There were things she wanted to discuss with him, but they could wait for another time. Tonight, she just wanted him to have a good time without her ruining it. 

Once they parked at the Leaf, Sarada cut the engine and turned her head to look at him, a pretty smile on her face just for him. “How are you feeling?”

“Better,” he replied quietly and turned to face her. “You think people are already there?” 

“Maybe.” She shrugged. “Some were following us. But we can wait for a little bit if you want.”

He nodded and took her hand in his. “Just a bit.” 

“Are you really okay? You’re not feeling sick are you?” She asked worriedly, reaching over with her free hand to feel his forehead. He was still warm, but not hot and he wasn’t sweating. “Do you need to go home?”

Boruto pressed her hand to his cheek and smiled. “I’m okay. You’re so cute when you worry about me.” He grinned. 

Sarada blushed and sank down into her seat. “Well… I have to worry… I’m your manager.” She threw it out there so quickly she hadn’t had the time to remember her promise, but when she did, she meekly added, “a-and your bae.”

His grin widened and he chuckled. “I really need to record you saying that and make it my ringtone.” 

“Please don’t make me hit you and ruin the moment.” She groaned. 

Boruto laughed and turned his head to kiss the palm of her hand. “I’m not ruining it, I mean it.” 

“Well, I’d never allow it.” Sarada huffed. “I’m sorry your night hasn’t been the best… I really feel bad.” 

“What’re you talking about?” Boruto brushed his lips on her hand. “You were with me the whole night, how could that be bad?” 

“B-because…” she pouted. “I was oblivious and making you uncomfortable. And I obviously look like… like a… like…”

“Like what?” Boruto’s brows furrowed. He knew what she was going to say next, but it was unlike her at all to believe any of it. “Who said—did someone say that to you?” Whoever it was, they were getting pushed off from the penthouse. 

“Well, not in so many words.” She sighed. “But I’m not used to dressing so sexy. I’m not used to getting so much attention… unless it’s from you. And well… I don’t know what to think, but I feel bad for you being upset half the night.”

Knowing she was upset was the worst thing that could happen for Boruto tonight. And now she was taking the blame for those bastards riling him up. “You did nothing wrong, Sarada.” He didn’t mean for her to feel this way at all or make her uncomfortable. “If you don’t want to wear the dress, I’m sorry, we can get you something else.” 

“I love my dress,” She quickly replied. “I just wish that nobody else could see me in it. I’m just going to keep your coat… if I can.”

“Of-of course. Whatever you want.” She could keep the coat, hell if she wanted to, Boruto would find the nearest shop to dress her in whatever else she wanted. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. Maybe he shouldn’t have gotten her the dress in the first place. 

“Please don’t be! I love it so much. And I… I like it when you look at me in it. It was just—that stupid brother of yours…”

“Fuck, I knew it!” Boruto wanted to punch that bastard. “What did he say to you? Don’t listen to him. He’s a bastard. We’re not even blood-related. He’s adopted.”  

“Just… some indecent things… don’t be mean. Don’t stoop to that level no matter what anyone else does. Okay?”

“ No one talks bad about you and gets away with it, okay?” Boruto squeezed her hand. “I swear, I’m gonna—” 

They were interrupted when someone knocked on Boruto’s window and peered in. “Boruto?” 

Boruto jumped and felt his heart leap to his throat. He looked at the window. “Fucking hell, Mitsuki. You scared me!” He pressed the button to let the window down. “Are you trying to kill me on my birthday?!” 

Mitsuki smiled that creepy smile of his. “Happy birthday. Hi, Sarada.” 

“Hey, Mitsuki. Go ahead inside and enjoy yourself. We will be in soon.” Sarada smiled but gave him a look that meant she would not be tolerating any argument. 

He smirked and nodded. “Alright, I’ll see you.” Mitsuki stood up and walked into the hotel, disappearing from their sight. 

“Damn, bae.” Boruto breathed. “You’re really scary tonight. I like it. It’s sexy.” 

“You only don’t like it when I’m scary to you, huh?” She laughed and rolled his window up for him. “We’ll see him inside. This is our time… for a few minutes.”

Boruto shrugged and grinned. “If that’s what turns you on, well, I can give it a try. I’m not picky.” 

“What turns me on?” Sarada gawked at him. “I’ll have you know that that doesn’t happen to me.” She crosses her arms over her chest, complexion matching the red shade of her dress almost perfectly. 

He laughed and leaned back on the chair. “Okay, okay. I was just teasing.” When he settled down, Boruto looked at her face and that same look of adoration was in his eyes. “This is nice. I like spending time with you, Sarada.” 

“We always spend time together.” She rolled her eyes playfully, laughing as she rested her head against the seat and watched him. “Must be why you’re so happy all the time.”

Boruto wasn’t going to deny that. “Yeah, for sure. You always make me happy.” 

“Not drunk anymore?” She asked, wondering if he’d forgotten all about the kiss. 

“Nope, I’m sober. And you, ” He pointed, “Will be holding my drink because I want those kisses.” 

“Just a kiss. As in… one.” Sarada felt her heart palpitating, but she was steadily leaning closer to him. “Isn’t that enough?”

Boruto also leaned in, gravitating towards her. His blue eyes falling to her lips. “Depends where,” he whispered. 

“Fine, your choice. Just one, if you choose the lips. Or you can have as many cheek and forehead kisses as you want. Which do you prefer?”

“If I choose now,” Boruto spoke cautiously. “Will these options present themselves to me again later if I’m good?” 

“That’s cheating.” Sarada accused, checking the time on the clock. It was only ten. “You have two more hours… I may consider it before your birthday is over. And that is a hard maybe.”

He sucked in a sharp breath and sighed it out slowly. “You’re such a tough negotiator, bae.” He smiled, feeling both proud and a little letdown. Usually, Boruto would take the risk, but these kinds of opportunities almost never presented itself to Boruto. And this was coming from Sarada. “You’ve never given me these kinds of choices before.” He sighed. It was impossible to choose. But he had to. 

“Alright. I know what I want.”  

“Okay,” she whispered, her heart beating hard and fast in her chest. “What is your choice then?”

Boruto leaned closer to her, his hand cupping her face. “Just a kiss.” 

She swallowed hard and licked her lips in anticipation. She never ever thought she would let him kiss her for real. That she would be kissing Boruto on his lips and yet… she was pleased with his choice. “Okay… kiss me.”

He swallowed and parted his lips, inching closer to her. Boruto never thought this day would come. He had dreamt about it, even wondered how she would taste. With every inch of space that he crossed, Boruto felt his heart fluttering and coming apart. He closed his eyes and let his lips brush against hers. Softly, first. And it felt even better than Boruto ever imagined. She was so warm and tasted sweeter than honey. Boruto pressed his lips a little more, losing his breath as he did. 

Sarada was blown away by how soft Boruto’s lips were—how gentle his kiss was. Each little touch was like the most tender caress, slowly making her melt into him. He was really taking his time and she wasn’t sure if this kiss could be considered only one, but regardless she knew she didn’t want it to end. She never wanted it to end. Actually, she wanted more—a lot more and she was the one who kissed harder, leaning impossibly closer to him and sliding her hand into his hair. 

Boruto was eager to kiss her more, but didn’t want to step on any boundaries she might want to leave between them. He thought about pulling back, but when her hand slipped into his hair and a moan escaped her throat, Boruto knew there was no going back. His hand slid down to her neck, pulling her closer to deepen the kiss. Tentatively, he swiped his tongue slowly over her lower lip, asking for permission to take it one step further. 

The touch of his tongue had Sarada’s lips parting automatically, granting him access and when their tongues touched for the first time, there was nothing she could do to prevent a quiet whimper from escaping her. Sarada wondered how she had ever gone so long without this. How she had ever spent so much time denying him and herself the luxury, but for now—just this once, they didn’t have to hold back. So she didn’t hesitate to slide her tongue across his in between kisses that were growing deeper and more passionate by the second. 

The sounds she was making seduced Boruto further, moving his body towards her and letting his other hand cup her face while the other stroked her hair. It was mind-boggling, how a kiss from Sarada could send sensations all over his body and work him up so much. His stomach flipped and his heart raced. Boruto never felt this way whenever he kissed someone—only with Sarada. Their tongues reached for each other more, the kiss growing in intensity and Boruto wanted nothing more than to eradicate the space between them. 

Sarada was feeling hot and breathless. But she made the rules. If they parted, it would be all over and she didn’t want that. Then again… maybe the rules didn’t matter and they could both cheat and have more. Boruto was an amazing kisser, making her feel so many wonderful sensations, so many new feelings and if it hadn’t been for being confined in her dress as she was, Sarada didn’t doubt she would be in his lap by now. Little pleasured hums kept falling from her lips and Boruto swallowed them all, both of them tilting their heads to get better angles and enjoy the kiss as much as possible. 

It took all of Boruto’s strength not to part from her lips in order to transfer her to the back. There was so much space between their bodies and he wanted to have her flush on him. But if he did that, the kiss would end. This was just a kiss. One kiss—but that kiss could stretch on forever and that’s exactly what he wanted. There was no way he was going to part from her lips now that he had a taste of her. If anything, it only left him wanting more of her. He groaned when Sarada captured his lower lip between her teeth and lightly sucked on it. 

Sarada knew she was getting carried away and acting as if she actually knew what she was doing when she truly had no idea, but she still wanted more. Even with her dress being tight and the console being in the way, somehow she was trying to crawl her way over to him, one hand still holding tight to his hair while the other had a firm hold on his tie. 

Boruto’s hand slid a little lower, going down from her neck to her shoulder and further to her petite waist. It was only then he noticed she kept trying to inch closer, but the console was in the way. He dropped his other hand to her waist, while the other stroked her thigh and skimmed down to her knee, wanting to slide his hand under. Sarada didn’t protest when his hands roamed, so he moved closer and tried to carry her over to him. 

Not wanting to be broken apart from his lips, Sarada was quick to wind her arms snug around his neck, keeping herself close and her lips locked on his while he helped her maneuver over the console and into his lap. Her legs remained over the console, but she was comfortable against him, loving his strong arms around her. Being wrapped in his warmth, his scent, his touch, his kiss. It was all so intoxicating. Much better than anything she’d ever experienced. 

The struggle was worth it and Boruto made a mental note to thank his trainer for all the arm days he put Boruto through. Finally, the space between them was gone and he wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her to lean against him as they continued their kiss. It was intoxicating to be this close to her, to have her body so close to his, her soft skin under his fingertips and her scent seeping into his very being. Boruto wished it would never end, and right now, it didn’t have to. He let her have her way, alternating between sucking on his lip and pressing chaste kisses. Sarada was driving him crazy and he wanted more of it. 

Sarada’s hands worked into his hair again, gripping tightly as she kissed and sucked on his lips, taking everything he was willing to give her as if she’d been the one asking to be kissed all along. She was breathing frantically through her nose, but it wasn’t enough and soon she began to feel lightheaded. Though whether it was from lack of oxygen or pure bliss she wasn’t sure. 

Boruto never wanted this kiss to end, despite his struggle to keep himself in check and even breathe. He wanted to keep on going but jumped when someone knocked on the window. Again. 

“Boruto!” 

He gasped and pulled away, wrapping both his arms around Sarada to protect her from whatever startled him. When he turned to the window, his face fell and quickly contorted into angst. “Dammit, Mitsuki!” He yelled. “I’m busy!” 

“Yes, I can see that,” he nodded, voice muffled since Boruto refused to open the window. “People are looking for you.” 

Boruto grumbled. “I’ll be up in a minute!” Be shooed his friend, and when he was away, leaned his head back on the headrest and groaned. “Dammit, I didn’t want it to end!” He kept his arms around her waist and leaned on her shoulder as he pouted and sulked some more. 

Sarada was desperately trying to catch her breath, but she was sulking too, depressed that her kiss had been stolen from her. “Maybe… later… one more?”

His eyes widened and immediately he stopped his whining. Did he hear that right? “We can have one more?” This was too good to be true. 

 “Maybe… I mean, if you’re good.” She smiled lazily and hugged him, burying her face in the crook of his neck. “It is your birthday after all.”

Boruto hugged her back and grinned. “This is the best birthday ever.” 

They stayed in each other’s arms a few moments more before they parted and smiled at each other. Sarada helped fix his tie, while she was on his lap and Boruto couldn’t help but smile as he watched her. She did so much to take good care of him and he loved having her around. It didn’t matter anymore that people riled him up earlier, or that he was probably going to get teased for his puffy lips during the afterparty. 

Today, he got to spend it with Sarada by his side and got the best gifts from her. He even got a kiss, and a grin spread on his face thinking there would be more for later. 

This really was the best birthday ever.