Chapter Text
The air was thick with the perfume of Summer. The humidity held tight to the heat of day and fireflies drifted lazily from the grass as the final purples of twilight faded on the horizon. Lanterns glowed red and gold from the trees and happy couples laughed in their light as they came and went. Boruto stood in the park on the edge of the crowd, waiting. He was wearing a pink and white yukata and, as he waited, he was grateful for the light fabric in the lingering heat.
If he felt nervous, he refused to admit it. This was nothing. It wasn't weird. He was just going to the matsuri with his best friend. There was no reason for his hands to tremble or for his stomach to feel like he had eaten a bowl of butterflies. At first, this was supposed to be a group outing. Then Denki had cancelled citing that his father needed him for... something. Boruto hadn't paid much attention to his excuse. It wasn't a big deal, after all.
Iwabe had dropped out almost immediately after Denki did but Boruto still wasn't concerned; until it proved to be the opening of the flood gates. Before he knew it, everyone had cancelled and it was just Mitsuki and himself going. If he were honest, he didn't feel much like going anymore but he couldn't bail on his best friend. Not after Mitsuki stated that he was really looking forward to going.
There was nothing wrong with this but, looking around at the dozens of other couples, he couldn't help the feeling that people would get the wrong idea. He took a deep, steadying breath. This wasn't a date. He was just taking his best friend to the summer festival. No big deal.
"Boruto!" The gentle voice made his heart skip and his spine involuntarily snap into alignment. Far too late, he forced himself into a relaxed position before he turned to greet Mitsuki. He opened his mouth but his voice caught in his throat. Mitsuki looked beautiful. He was wearing a light blue yukata which was accented with shades of navy. It was a perfect compliment to his golden eyes and colorless skin.
"Hi Mitsuki!" Boruto finally managed to say, his voice overly loud. "You look... good." He finished lamely. Mitsuki was unbothered by his awkwardness as usual.
"Thank you, Boruto. You look nice as well." He said with a smile and a tilt of his head.
"Thanks." Boruto muttered. He felt his cheeks warm with a blush as his eyes fell to his toes and he habitually scratched the back of his head. "Anyway, we should get going." Boruto said quickly. Eager to leave this awkward moment behind, he turned and took off in a random direction.
"Yes, my Sun." Boruto almost missed Mitsuk's words softly spoken behind him before his gentle footsteps hurried to keep up. He walked quickly through the crowd with Mitsuki in tow. His heart was beating much too fast and his palms were sweaty. He desperately willed himself to calm down before he could make things with Mitsuki even more awkward.
"Boruto!" Too late. Boruto looked back to see that he had gone too fast and he could barley see Mitsuki through all the people.
"Mitsuki!" Boruto called as he elbowed his way back to his best friend's side. "Sorry about that." Boruto apologized to his toes which were wiggling with his embarrassment in his old geta sandals. Mitsuki was quiet and Boruto jumped when he felt Mitsuki's cool fingers intertwining with his.
"Perhaps, it would be better this way, Boruto. Now we won't get separated so easily." Boruto felt the color rising in his cheeks again but he wasn't completely opposed to the idea. Something about the feel of Mitsuki's hand in his made his chest feel warm and eased his anxiety. He glanced around at the crowd. It was full of smiling couples holding hands and, more importantly, he didn't see anyone he knew.
Boruto looked back at Mitsuki and nodded his consent. Mitsuki appeared to relax slightly as he smiled his closed-eyed smile. Boruto blinked. Had Mitsuki felt nervous? After a heartbeat, he wrote it off to his imagination and pulled Mitsuki deeper into the crowd.
The festival turned out to be a lot of fun. He hadn't had this much fun at a summer festival since he was a small boy. He wasn't sure if it was the night or the honest wonder in Mitsuki's eyes but he loved every second. Somehow, being with Mitsuki made it all feel magical again. He was so engrossed with Mitsuki, he didn't see that the crowd had slowly begun to disperse.
"Boruto! Mitsuki!" The familiar voice sent cold electricity through his body, driving away every trace of his contentment. Without thinking, he threw Mitsuki's hand away as he turned to face Sarada and ChouChou.
"What's going on here? Were you two holding hands?" ChouChou asked, zeroing in like the romance bloodhound she was.
"It's nothing!" Boruto cried far too quickly and in a voice that was at least two octaves too high. Sarada and ChouChou stared and Boruto felt Mitsuki's body stiffen beside him. There was a long moment that felt cold in spite of the heavy summer heat.
"I'll see you later, Boruto. Thank you for tonight." Before Boruto understood what was happening, Mitsuki turned and left. Boruto stared after his retreating back with his mouth slightly open.
"Gee, what did you do to him?" ChouChou asked around a mouth full of potato-chip.
"What did I do?!" Boruto almost shrieked, "It was you that started interrogating us! That's what made him leave!" He finished angrily.
"I'm not so sure, Boruto." Sarada cut in, "He looked upset when we got here." She mused as she watched Mitsuki disappear. As irritated as he was with them, he had no response to that. The thought of Mitsuki upset made his chest twinge uncomfortably.
"He was?" He asked quietly. Sarada gave him her "really?" look.
"Maybe he didn't like the way you let go of his hand." ChouChou supplied helpfully. Her words were like a solid punch to his gut.
"Or how you said it was nothing." Sarada added. Boruto was feeling smaller by the second. He hadn't meant to hurt Mitsuki's feelings. He just hadn't wanted the girls to get the wrong idea about them.
"I'll go talk to him." He muttered. Sarada nodded her approval smugly. Boruto did his best to ignore her and hurried after Mitsuki. He was eager to find him and to put distance between himself and the girls.
It took a while to find him. Boruto let out a frustrated growl as he searched. Everything had been fine until they decided to show up, he thought bitterly. For a painful moment, Boruto wondered if he had gone home.
It was the moon that lead him to Mitsuki. It was full and glowing bright just over the horizon, casting its fine silver light over a hill close by. A person was sitting at the top and was leaning against a lonely tree. They appeared to glow with the silver moonlight and Boruto knew immediately that it was Mitsuki.
"Mitsuki!" Boruto called as he scrambled up the hill. Mitsuki jumped slightly at the sound of his own name. He turned his golden eyes over his shoulder and fixed them on Boruto.
"Boruto." He said softly as Boruto settled in the grass beside him.
"Why'd you leave?" Boruto asked, deciding that straight forward would be best. Mitsuki turned his head and looked out at the moon.
"I thought you would feel more comfortable if I left." Mitsuki said in a voice barely above a whisper.
"Why would you think that?" Boruto's startled words were out of his mouth before he could think better of them.
"The way you acted when Sarada and ChouChou saw us. You weren't comfortable with me." Mitsuki explained sadly.
"NO, no, Mitsuki!" Boruto denied quickly as he waved his hands in front of him for emphasis. "I just didn't want them to get the wrong idea." Mitsuki turned back to Boruto. His brow knit as he tilted his head.
"What idea, Boruto?" Mitsuki asked with genuine confusion. Boruto's cheeks burned as he looked away and scratched the back of his head. He reminded himself that he could do this.
"They'd... probably think that, you and I were..." Boruto's voice stalled as he realized he was wrong; he couldn't do this.
"Having fun together?" Mitsuki finished for him. Panic was stirring inside Boruto. This was rapidly going from bad to worse but he forced himself to stay quiet. He had learned from experience that there was no situation he couldn't make worse so he didn't trust himself to speak. Instead, he pretended to be fascinated with the scenery. Mitsuki allowed the silence to hang for a short bit before he spoke again.
"When we were holding hands, it seemed like you were at peace." Mitsuki said gently. Boruto stiffened and his breath hitched but he didn't turn. He didn't want to meet those golden eyes he knew were fixed on him. Mitsuki continued, "You looked so happy and bright. It seemed like you were enjoying it. What is wrong with people seeing you enjoy something?" Guilt gnawed at Boruto's insides.
"It's not that..." He tried again but he could't finish.
"Then what is it?" Mitsuki asked, a hint of impatience in his voice this time.
"It's... I..." Boruto stuttered. Involuntarily he looked at Mitsuki and again he felt like he couldn't breath. Mitsuki looked so beautiful as he waited patiently for him to explain himself. Suddenly, this was all feeling very stupid. Even if he couldn't articulate his anxieties, he could at least apologize for hurting his closest... friend? That word didn't feel right anymore but he didn't want to dwell on what that could mean right now. He pushed it all away for later review, the way he did with all of his unusual feelings when it came to Mitsuki. Right now, he needed to focus on apologizing.
"It's nothing. Look, you're right. I'm sorry for the way I acted. I shouldn't have done that."
"Thank you, Boruto." Mitsuki said as he smiled his squinty-eyed smile. Shimmering light followed by a deep boom came from somewhere behind Boruto. Mitsuki was a little surprised by it and turned towards the sound. Boruto smiled as Mitsuki's eyes grew wide with wonder. The fireworks display had begun. Boruto stretched his legs out and leaned back on his elbows so he could comfortably watch the display and Mitsuki's reactions.
As the show went on, Boruto found himself watching Mitsuki more than the display. The different colors tinted Mitsuki's porcelain skin as they burst and twinkled into nothingness. There was something wholesome and deeply endearing about Mitsuki's awe and childlike delight as he watched the fireworks illuminate the sky. Something warm was blooming in his chest as he watched his... Mitsuki enjoy the display.
What that warm feeling was, he didn't know. He didn't want to focus on it but the feeling refused to be ignored any longer. He found himself yearning to inch closer to Mitsuki, maybe even put an arm around him. There was a stray piece of silvery hair sticking out at an odd angle and Boruto found himself longing to tuck it behind Mitsuki's ear.
At any other time, such feelings would cause him deep panic. Somehow here, alone with Mitsuki beneath the twinkling lights of the fireworks, he felt he could indulge his feelings instead of being afraid of them.
Boruto caved slightly to his desires and inched closer to Mitsuki. If he noticed, he didn't show it but soon, Boruto was close enough to lay his head on Mitsuki's shoulder. Just as he had almost worked up the courage to, the final firework shimmered and rained back down over the earth. Mitsuki hummed his happiness and turned to face Boruto. It was then that he realized just how close they were. Their noses were only an inch apart and Boruto could feel Mitsuki's breath on his face.
For a heartbeat, neither of them moved. Boruto wondered if this was making Mitsuki uncomfortable but he didn't move away. He kept staring into Boruto's eyes with a look of deep awe. Then reality returned. Boruto jumped backwards away from Mitsuki. He felt his cheeks explode with his embarrassment as he flailed.
"Yeah, um, we should get going." He said while keep his eyes carefully trained on the grass. Mitsuki sounded like he was chuckling to himself as he watched Boruto struggle to his feet and started to descend the hill. Then he rose gracefully to his own feet and hurried to follow. They hadn't gone far when Boruto heard a snap and his ankle rolled violently, shooting pain through his foot and up his calf. His leg buckled and he fell unceremoniously forward.
Boruto closed his eyes and braced for impact with the rocky ground but it never came. He cracked his eyes open to find that Mitsuki had caught him and was holding him close.
"Are you okay, Boruto?" Mitsuki asked with concern. Boruto could feel himself blush from his collar bone to his hairline as he stared up into Mitsuki's worried face.
"I'm okay." He said quickly as he wriggled in Mitsuki's grasp, trying to get back to his feet again. He glanced at his feet and saw that the strap of his right geta had snapped which had caused his fall. Mitsuki helped him to stand but he did not let go. Boruto tried to take another step but he hissed with pain and promptly collapsed again.
Mitsuki'd had enough. Boruto felt his arms change position on his body. One wrapped around his back and waist while the other hooked under his knees. The next he knew, they were soaring over the rooftops with his body cradled bridal style in Mitsuki's arms. He felt like he could easily faint from the force of his blush.
"Mitsuki! Where are we going?!" Boruto cried the first coherent question that came to his flustered mind.
"You need medical attention so we are going to my apartment. I have the necessary supplies there." Mitsuki replied seriously. His tone was final so Boruto didn't protest. He guessed it couldn't be helped. His ankle was killing him after all and, although he would never admit it out loud, it was nice being carried by Mitsuki. For the first time that evening, he allowed himself to relax.