Chapter Text
Sarada was no stranger to crushes. Her best friend went through those at least twice a day. She’s heard more than one whispered comment about that cute someone or rumours of who’s dating who. And she wasn’t going to lie; she was a hopeless romantic at heart. So yes, she was well equipped with every bit of knowledge about crushes.
That didn’t mean she expected to have one shannaro!
When her mother told her to get the door for her guests, she didn’t expect to see his face there.
“Ah, welcome!” She greeted, hoping the shock was not obvious on her face. She moved aside to let him and his family pass, trying her best to avoid staring. But who could blame her because what was Boruto doing at her house?
“Oh Sarada, hello!” Boruto’s father greeted back as she led them further into the house. “You’ve grown to look even more like Sasuke, you know.” And his son had grown to look even more like a carbon copy of him .
“Oh yeah, I get that a lot.” She chuckled nervously, though her attention was not really on the conversation.
She tried to not let her eyes wander towards Boruto, but she couldn’t help herself. What was he thinking about being at her house? Did he know he was coming over to her house? Gosh, what was he thinking about her? She glanced back at him to catch his reaction when they locked eyes. Ah, that was not supposed to happen!
She darted her eyes back to the front; her face turning the colour of her family crest. Mortification prickled at her skin and she vowed to keep her eyes to herself. Gosh, did he really have to look right then?
“Mama, they’re here.” Sarada called out to her mother, who was finishing up the last of the lunch they’d been making all morning. Her father simply gives them a nod before going back to finish making their house more presentable—not that there is any mess to begin with, but the Uchiha are nothing if not attentive to details.
“Oh, Sarada, could you look over the cooking while I go say hello?” Though her mother was already halfway to the Uzumaki family, as she said it. “Naruto, Hinata! I can’t believe it took you three whole months to come by after you came back, but how are you all? Hello Boruto, Himawari.” Her mother greeted, hugging her two friends tightly. Sarada hoped they could breathe under her mother’s classic bone-crushing hugs.
“We’re great Sakura! We were just busy with my job and unpacking, not to mention the kids starting a new school…” Boruto’s father said more, but Sarada tuned the whole conversation out, focusing on plating the array of dishes her mother had made. Now, where were those plates?
Sarada searched the cabinets for the plates they’d saved for special occasions like this, rummaging through when her eyes caught them in one of the top cabinets. She sighs to herself, wondering why on Earth her father had put those plates up there. Sure, just about nobody in the house uses them, but still!
She searches the pantry for their small stool, hoping the elevation will do her some good in reaching the plates. She reaches out to grab the plates, rising to the tips of her feet. As she clutches the heavy plates to herself, she feels the stool sway and creek beneath her feet. Her eyes widen in panic and she grips the plates tighter—the last thing she wants is to break the expensive plates. Though as she tries to stop herself from falling, she feels sparks race through her body when warm hands grasp her waist, steadying her.
“You okay?” She knows that voice from hearing it shouting about jokes and if the plates were any less expensive, she would’ve dropped them. She freezes in place for a moment before coming to, ignoring the way goosebumps erupt across her skin at his breath fanning across her neck.
“Y-yeah perfect!” She is far too cheery, but all she wants to do is get away, save herself the embarrassment. “I’ve got it! Why don’t you um go take a seat?” She tells him when he tries to help with the plates, swiftly coming down from the cursed stool to begin plating. She can hardly look at his face, knowing her own face is a curtain of red. Did she really have to lose her balance on a stool? In front of him? Though she can’t deny that she isn’t savouring the feel of his hands on her waist.
“Oh, um…if you’re sure.” He tells her, scratching the back of his neck. He walks away, but not before she catches his eye when he turns back to look at her for a moment. Gosh, did he have to look right then?
All throughout the lunch, she can only think of their awkward encounter, how it is unlike the fantasies she had of talking to him for the first time, how she’s sure she’s scared him off. Not that it matters, of course. She is far too busy with her last year of high school to be distracted. Though it is a rather handsome distraction…ah what is she thinking? She could hardly believe those words were in her head!
Despite her wanting to be focused, it seems the universe can’t help but want her to be distracted.
“So, um, do you two have anything you, erm, want to do?” Sarada asks the Uzumaki siblings, their parents, off sitting in the downstairs lounge doing who knows what. “I have some board games. Maybe we can head out to the backyard or even, erm, watch a movie.” Sarada lists off some ideas.
“Oh! A board game please!” Himawari suggests, and when Boruto shrugs in agreement, Sarada starts listing off some board games. “Oh, what’s Cluedo ? I’ve never played that!”
“Oh, well, let me go get it for you and then I can explain it.” Sarada says quickly, eager to retreat to her room even for just a moment. But when she entered her room and saw the board game, she let out an inward groan. Oh, for the love of…she sighed and headed back to the upstairs lounge. Understandably, the Uzumaki siblings were confused at her hasty return and empty hands.
“Um, do you not have it…?” Himawari trailed off, and Sarada simply shook her head.
“No. No—I mean we do have it…it’s just placed on top of my wardrobe so I was, um, hoping one of you could get it for me…” By one of them, she meant Boruto. Of course, that wasn’t intentional, Himawari just happens to be shorter than her, so naturally that only left Boruto.
“Yep, I can get it!” Boruto hurriedly volunteers himself, jumping up from the sofa to follow her.
“It’s right up there.” She points, moving to stand in front of the wardrobe to better show him. “If you stand here, you can—” Her words falter when she feels him move to stand behind her, feels his warmth even though they do not touch. His body cages her in and a small part of her can’t say she minds.
But what is he thinking? Is he going crazy like her? How can he be so calm?
“Um, what were you saying before?” She turns her face to look up at him. He is the picture of serenity. How can he be so calm?
Fine, she also won’t let it affect her!
“Right, um, if you stand here, you can see it better—” She moves back just an inch, but it is enough for their clothes to graze. She feels his sharp intake of breath on her hair and her eyes widen. “Um, j-just try not to let all the other board games fall on you!” Her voice comes out wobbly and far too high, but she is far too focused on controlling her blush, so she hardly notices.
“Okay.” He says and what she would give to see his face right now. “It’s funny how we used to be the same height and now you’re asking me to get things for you, you know.” He mumbles into her hair and she only catches a few words and it isn’t enough to make out exactly what he’s saying. Her mind whirls trying to figure out what he said.
Though that train of thought immediately stops when he places a hand against the wardrobe and leans forward to grab the board game. Wait, he isn’t going to tell her to move? She wants to move—really she does—but his hand cages her on one side and the other…
His front presses against her side, stopping her from moving. Though her body does that for her already too, her mind is only on that one spot where they are touching, electricity buzzing through her veins. She isn’t quite sure how she’s functioning.
Oh gosh, she’s become hopeless!
The pieces in the board game clatter inside and as she feels him bring the game down, she plucks up the courage to turn to him. His eyes find hers almost immediately. Her breath hitches and for a moment she’s absorbed into those blue eyes. It’s almost unfair how beautiful they are.
“T-thank you for getting it.” She mumbles as the silence is prolonged, far too much for her comfort, her voice still somewhat lost. She grabs hold of the game from between them, but he doesn’t let go quite yet.
“You're welcome—huh?” He stops midway, his eyes roaming her face. “Wow, you’re really red, you know!” He blurts out. It doesn’t help the supposed redness.
“W-wha-what? No, I’m not!” She stutters out, indignant. If the board game wasn’t in her hands, she would’ve crossed them.
“You’re practically a tomato, you know.” She hates how attracted she is to the smirk that overtakes his face.
“Impossible. I hate tomatoes.” She remarks, trying her best to keep her face neutral. And less red.
“Oh, really?”
“Yes, really.”
Her eyes widen when his finger pokes at her face, tracing her skin before he cups her face with the curve of his hand. She freezes in her spot, her eyes unable to move from his face. What is he doing?
“Nope, it’s real. You’re really red.” He says, but he’s lost some of his bravado.
“You’re no better!” She fires back. Anything to take the spotlight from her.
“Huh?” And just to prove her point, she pokes her finger at his face.
“See, you’re really red. It’s real.” She mirrors his words. His hand unconsciously tightens on her face, his body frozen in place with his eyes boring into hers. Lost in blue, her hand unconsciously begins to slowly trace his unusual birthmark and even when she realises, her beating heart and the consequences aren’t enough to stop her.
“It isn’t, you know.” He mumbles, all bravado truly lost as his breath comes out shaky. She moves her hand to his other cheek, slowly tracing the birthmark there too, and tilts her head to her side when she notices his reaction. A small triumphant smile tugs at her lips. His eyes don't fail to notice her small smile.
“I think you just got a little redder.” She teases, unsure what part of her is making her act this way. Maybe it’s simply his presence that has her acting all weird. It certainly wouldn’t be the first time.
“Says you.” He mutters, eyes looking away. “Hey, can we—” He started, and that became the only moment she didn’t want to hear her mother’s voice.
“Sarada? Boruto? Hey, we’ve all decided to head down to the beach, so do you two want to get down here so we can go?” Her mother shouts from down the hall.
Boruto practically jumps away from her, his hands fisted at his sides as his eyes roam her room, landing on anywhere but her.
“R-Right. Okay, we’ll be down there!” She yells back, holding onto the board game for dear life as her mind recounts the past few minutes in perfect detail. Oh, curse her perfect memory!
“We should um get down there.”
“Yep. Yeah, um yeah, we should.” As she watches him lead the way, her mind remains on one thing.
For the love of almighty, what on Earth was he about to say shannaro?
The three of them walk behind their parents, the silence only filled by Himawari’s inputs of conversation.
"Hey Sarada, didn't you and Boruto go to the same primary school?" Himawari asks suddenly to fill the silence. "Well, for at least the little bit of time we were in Konoha."
"Oh right, I do think the two of them went to the primary school around the corner from here, didn't they?" Boruto's mother speaks up, turning her head back to look at them.
"Yes, yes, I think they did! So, do you two remember each other from back then?" Her mother perks up, turning back to look excitedly at Sarada. Sarada just wants to melt back into a corner.
"Um…" Sarada trails off.
"Yeah, do ya? It'd be amazing if you two could be friends again. Running around, playing and everything you know!" Boruto’s dad suddenly adds. Her father gives the blond man a thoroughly unimpressed look.
"We don't run around playing anymore." Boruto mutters, stuffing his hands into his pockets as he gives his father a thoroughly unimpressed look.
"Alright, alright my bad!" His father holds up two hands in surrender. "But do you remember her, Boruto?" His father asks. Her shoulders perk up at the question, holding her breath as she awaits his answer.
"I, erm, don't know. Maybe? Not really I-I don't really remember much from back then." Boruto looks away as he speaks, scratching the back of his head. Her shoulders drop, but she tries to not let it get to her. She didn't talk to him much back then, too shy to be around his loud group…it makes sense that he forgot her.
"Oh, well, that's too bad." His mother says, but she's giving him a funny look that Boruto is adamant on avoiding.
"That's okay, but what about you, Sarada? Do you remember much of Boruto from back then?" Her mother asks. For some reason, Sarada is truthful.
"Um, yeah, I think I do." She mutters quietly to the group. Who was she kidding? Of course, she remembers him. Not just because she perused through her primary school yearbooks after he came to her high school, but because… "You used to be the annoying prankster back then, didn't you?" The words are out of her mouth before she can fully think about them.
"Sounds like me." Boruto nods. Himawari is trying to muffle a laugh between them. Their parents are sharing amused glances—minus her father, of course.
"Ah-I um I mean you just—" She starts trying to get her out of this mess. And also dig a hole so she can crawl into it and never come out.
"Seriously, it's fine." He's laughing. How can he just laugh? "I really was an annoying brat back then—"
"You still are!" Himawari inputs helpfully, though, despite the cheeky words, her eyes are full of love.
"Oh, yeah?" Boruto questions, hooking an arm around her neck as he ruffles her hair. "How do you like that, huh?"
"My hair!" Himawari cries, but she doesn't bother fixing too much other than brushing a few strands away from her face.
"But seriously, Sarada." He starts looking at her. Gosh, she'd never thought that hearing her name come out of his mouth would be so sweet. "Don't lose sleep over it. I personally think that was funny!" He exclaims, smiling at her. If their parents weren't there, she would have shamelessly stared at his lips, memorising that bright smile.
That smile remains on her mind as they walk when she abruptly bumps into her mother's back.
"Mama?" Sarada questions, looking at her mother as she claps a hand on her forehead.
"Ah, I forgot the other bag!" Her mother exclaims. "It had the sunscreen and everything!"
"Well, do we need sunscreens and whatnot? The sun's going to go down—" Boruto's father starts when her mother interrupts him.
"Sun protection is no joke, Naruto!" Her mother scolds the blond man who has to endure a lecture about UV, the ozone and cancer. "It's fine. I'll go back and get it." She sighs.
"It's okay mama, I'll get it. It's a short walk and I want you to enjoy your time with your friends." Sarada offers, which her father shakes his head to.
"It's okay Sarada, I can go get it. Like Naruto said, it's getting dark. I don't want you going by yourself." Her father says, but she's stubborn.
"I got it, papa! Jeez, I'll be safe. Plus, this is around the time I get back from school, anyway." She counters. Her father is just as stubborn, but before they can head into a back-and-forth argument, Boruto's father speaks up.
"Well, Boruto and Himawari can go with her to keep her company. Plus, they can get to know each other, you know!" He says and her father eventually relents—despite the not-so-subtle glares sent at the blond man for helping Sarada go by herself. Sarada sighs. He can be so overprotective shannaro!
"Yeah, yeah, we can go." Boruto says before sending a weird glance at his sister, who simply sighs.
"Um, I don't know if I can walk much more…these shoes are too small, I think." Himawari tells the group. Sarada sends a sympathetic glance at the girl. She's been there too many times.
"Oh, you okay Himawari? I can carry you if you want, you know!" Himawari's father offers, a little too keen.
"Dad!" She laughs. "I'm too old for that, you know!"
"Ha yeah, I suppose you have grown." He says with a sad nostalgic smile on his face.
"Well, come on Sarada." Boruto says, already beginning to walk away when his sister coughs, not too subtly. "Right, right, I didn't forget." He murmurs, walking back. Sarada watches with knitted eyebrows as he digs into his pocket, grabbing his wallet to hand twenty dollars to his sister. What the-why did he just do that?
"Aw, you're the best." Himawari smiles mischievously, sending a funny look at Sarada. Sarada can only send a confused look back.
"Okay, we're off—for real this time." He announces, and Sarada follows his lead, confusion etched into her features at the Uzumaki siblings' bizarre interaction. Is that what siblings act like?
“So you remember me from primary school?” Boruto asks suddenly.
“Um yeah…” She trails off, unsure where he is going with his words.
“And you remember me as the prankster?” He asked again. “—Not that I mind, you know!” He quickly adds when he notices her horrified look.
“Well, yeah…you used to pull pranks, and I just didn’t like it. That’s all.” She chuckles self-consciously, rubbing her arm as they head back towards her house.
“Fair enough.” He says. “But to be fair, I never used to pull any pranks on you. You were so shy I didn’t want to scare you off, you know.”
“True but—” She starts but stops dead in her tracks as she realises his words. He turns when he notices that she has stopped.
“What?” He questions, tilting his head.
“I thought you said you didn’t remember me.” She tells him, eyebrows knitted. His eyes widen as he looks away, scratching the back of his head.
“I…” He trails off, mouth opening and closing as he tries to form words. Finally, he looks away as he mummers. “I, um, didn’t know if you’d remember me…so I didn’t want to come off weird, you know.”
“Oh.”
“But yeah, I never forgot you.” He confesses, and she stares at his blushing form, his eyes refusing to meet hers. She wants to yell at him to look at her. Yell at him that he can’t say things like that. Did he think her heart could handle that?
“I didn’t um didn’t forget you either…and if it helps, I-I did say that I did remember you um so…” She pulls on her sleeve as she awaits his answer.
“Yeah. Yeah, that helps.” He sends her a small smile. “I’m glad we remember each other, you know.”
“Me too.”
Bag in hand, Sarada walks back to the beach, focusing on Boruto’s words so that they may help her ignore the biting cold brushing against her skin.
“You know we can head back to get you a jacket, right?” Boruto pipes up from beside her, eyeing her shivering form.
“I’m in long sleeves. I’m fine.” She tells him stubbornly, brushing off his concerns. “Plus, we can see the beach from here. I don’t want to turn back around now.” And thankfully, to prove her point, their respective families notice them and wave them over.
“Fine, if you say so.” Boruto sighs as they walk towards their families.
“Wow. It’s beautiful.” Sarada exclaims as sand bends beneath their feet. Golden and blue hues mix to create the perfect picture, one that leaves Sarada's breath taken. Boruto comes to stand beside her, eyes on her. “Isn’t it?” She turns her head to look at him, a content smile spreading on her lips. The cold ghosting her skin is almost worth it.
“Yeah.” He hums. She turns to face the serene view, but his eyes still linger on her. “It’s beautiful.”
They enjoy the rolling waves and sparkling sand for a moment longer, letting the salty wind swirl around them. The laughter carried from their families brings both a smile to Sarada’s face but also a reminder that she is still holding the bag.
“We should probably take this over there.” She tells him, holding up the bag while she hopes he doesn’t notice her shivering.
“Yeah, I’ll do that.” He says, leaving her no time to react as he grabs the bag from her hands. “In the meantime, wear this.” He thrusts his jacket into her hands and runs off before she can so much as offer a complaint.
“That Boruto…” She sighs, biting back a smile. She stares at the jacket in her hand for a moment, unsure if she should really wear it. It wouldn’t be right, would it? Though her thoughts are interrupted when she hears the shifting of sand.
“You guys took your time, huh?” Himawari teased, but before Sarada could offer a valid explanation—because, in all honesty, they took the appropriate amount of time to get from the beach and back—Himawari’s eyes dropped to the jacket in her hands. “Oh? Did Boruto leave behind his jacket?” She asks, curiosity shining in her eyes.
“Not really?” It’s more a question than a statement and a bad one at that, which leaves Himawari’s head tilting as she tries to grasp what Sarada is saying. “What I um, what I mean is that I was cold, so…so Boruto gave me his jacket to wear.” She can’t bring herself to look at his sister, wondering if Himawari can tell how she feels about Boruto.
“Oh, did he? That sneaky little…” Himawari giggles to herself, her eyes shining. Sarada’s eyebrows knit in confusion.
“Um, what's going on?” She finally asks when Himawari gives her a funny look.
“Oh, nothing. He just never lets anyone touch his favourite jacket, that's all.” She says matter-of-factly, and Sarada’s eyes widen in horror. His favourite jacket? There is definitely no way she can wear it now!
“Ah! I-I didn’t know that um. What should I do with it?” She asks, looking at the jacket like it’s going to eat her alive.
“Well…aren’t you going to wear it?” Himawari says it like it’s the most obvious thing in the world when it, in fact, is not !
“What? There is no way I can wear it!” She exclaims when she hears a sigh. She looks up to see Boruto’s unimpressed expression. When had he gotten there?
“Stop being so stubborn, will ya?” He says, grabbing the jacket from her hands and draping it across her shoulders. “Right, do you need me to put your arms through the sleeves or are you good?” He raises a questioning eyebrow.
“What? N-no, but this is your favourite jacket…I-I don’t want to accidentally ruin it!” Sarada explains.
“You won't, so just wear it for me, will ya?” When he looks at her like that, how can she say no?
So against her best judgement, she gingerly places her hands through the sleeve, sighing as warmth envelopes her. It’s far too big for her. Her hands aren’t out of the sleeves and her smaller frame is engulfed by the larger jacket, but she cannot complain. She’s always loved her jackets to be oversized, so this was perfect.
And the fact that it’s his makes it just a little better.
She looks up to meet his gaze when she spots the weird look on his face as his eyes roam her body. He scratches the back of his neck, which had suddenly turned red. His eyes look away when he notices her looking.
“Is something wrong? I-I can take it off—”
“Nope, nope. Keep it on. You are keeping it on.” He tells her, cutting her off. “Nothing’s wrong…it looks better on you than me, honestly, you know.” He admits softly. They both look away, faces flushing as they try to gather their wits.
“Oh, thanks.” She mutters, unsure how she is able to talk properly.
“Anyway, um can go closer to the shore…Himawari’s been staring at us funny all this time.” Boruto tells her, and she has to do a double take to remind herself that Himawari never left. Himawari, though, simply gives them a sweet smile.
“Still here, you guys!” She reminds, pleasantly.
“Ah, sorry, Himawari.” But the younger girl laughs away Sarada’s worries, so she turns to Boruto. “Um, yeah, I don’t mind that, actually.”
“Good.” He says as he grabs her hand to lead her closer to the shore. “I, um, I want to get to know you more, if that’s okay with you?”
“I’d like that. A-a lot.”
“There you are! I’ve been looking everywhere for you, you know.” Boruto exclaims, coming up from behind her as her drink is deposited from the vending machine.
“What are you doing?” She asks him curiously, picking up the drink from the vending machine.
“What do you mean, what am I doing?” He asks back, equally curious.
“No, I um just mean that we didn’t erm usually talk at school before so…” She trails off, letting him fill in the blanks.
“So you thought I wouldn’t talk to you? Even after we became friends?” He raises an eyebrow in question.
“Okay, maybe that sounds bad when you say it like that…” She winces.
“Jeez Sarada. I’d never do that, you know.” He says, leaning against the vending machine. “Plus, you’re really special now. Since you’re taking care of my jacket and all.”
“And you only let special people take care of your jacket?” She laughs sceptically, even as she smothers a smile at being called special to Boruto.
“Yep.” He grins before it falters for a second, his eyes drifting away as his cheeks redden. “Actually…speaking of my jacket...can you, um, wear it on our field trip tomorrow?” He rushes out, but she catches each word with a magnifying clarity.
“Wha-but people will, people will assume things I…” She says, redness adorning her cheeks now too.
“So let them assume things.” He says, leaning towards her. His hand reaches out as he brushes a stray strand away from her glasses. “I don’t mind. Do you?”
“No.” Her answer is quick. His eyes widen at her hurried response, his hand faltering for a moment in her hair before a wide smile takes over his face.
“Good. I can’t wait to see you in my jacket again.”
Boruto buries his head into a pillow, a giddy smile overtaking his features.
He hadn’t been able to sleep. Not even when his body is crying from exhaustion, even when he feels as though his limbs may fall off. He is far too rejuvenated from the thoughts of Sarada in his jacket.
Gosh, Sarada in his jacket. In his jacket. She had worn it like it was the most natural thing in the world, his family crest proudly displayed on her back. He wants to scream into his pillow.
Did he mention that Sarada had worn his jacket?
He couldn’t believe it. He never thought he’d be able to talk to Sarada, let alone be her friend, and now she was walking around in his jacket like…like they were something. Surely they had to be something . They had to.
He tosses and turns in his sleep, buzzing emotions running through his veins as Sarada plagues him even as he tries to fall asleep. As sleep takes him, one goal shines in his mind.
He’s going to be Sarada’s boyfriend, no matter what!