It had been a joke at first. Nothing more, nothing less.
Just a joke.
"Hey, Boruto. Marry me." Shikadai had said when they were five.
"Why?" A five year old Boruto had asked in confusion.
"Because if we marry now we won't have to deal with dating and all that when we're older. It can just be us, nice and easy. I already have 'ta look out for you anyway…" Shikadai drawled like it was obvious.
Boruto just blushed in embarrassment and slapped his friend's arm. "You're so lazy!"
The adults who had witnessed it never let the boys live it down.
When they turned eight and started at the academy, the joke continued.
"Man those fangirls are crazy!" Boruto panted as he hid with Shikadai on the roof. "Just because I'm the hokage's son, dosen't mean nothin'. They should just back off!"
"I could get them to back off." Shikadai tells him.
Boruto looks over at him disbelieving yet hopeful. "How?"
"Marry me. Gotta look out for you anyhow since your mom asked me to."
Boruto just laughed. Shikadai smiled.
At twelve, the joke got a bit more serious.
One of the last classes they had to take and pass before graduation was health. It was there that they got their fill of what it meant to become an alpha, beta, or omega.
Shikadai had already hit puberty and ended up an alpha, Boruto was a bit late to the party though.
"I'll probably end up a big strong alpha, and if not then a beta like mom." Boruto yawned as they walked out of class one day.
"But what if you end up an omega?" Shikadai questioned.
Boruto cracked a grin.
"Won't happen."
"But if it does?"
"Then I'll just have to stick close to you for protection."
Shikadai smiled.
"You saying you'd marry me?"
"You gotta protect me anyway right? Mom told you to." Boruto laughed.
Shikadai didn't find it so funny.
At fourteen it wasn't a joke anymore.
"Boruto, marry me."
"Why?" Boruto asked grumpy. He had not only been a late bloomer, but turned out to be an omega as well, and had only just ended his first week the day prior.
"Because I have to look out for you."
Boruto snorts in annoyance.
"Just because my mom asked you to look out for me when we were kids, doesn't mean I should marry you."
Boruto walked away after that. And Shikadai just waited for him.
At sixteen Shikadai had become persistent.
"Marry me."
"No."
"Marry me."
"No."
"Boruto, marry me."
"Why?"
"Because I have to look out for you."
"Then no."
"Marry me."
"I said no."
"I heard you. But you aren't hearing me. Marry me."
"Why?"
"Because I like you. And I have to look out for you."
"I don't need anyone looking out for me just 'cuz mom asked them to!"
"I still like you, and I have to look out for you because I like you not because your mom asked."
That one had stumped Boruto.
"Huh?"
"I said I like you. I want to protect you because I want to. Not because I was asked or because of nature. You're so reckless you could get yourself killed, and I don't think I can live without you. So just marry me so I can protect you from you for my own sake!"
Boruto bit his lip.
"Have you asked my father for my hand yet lover boy?" He asks finally, hoping Shikadai would say no and back off for a while.
"Yes, both of your parents, and mine. They all said yes."
The blonds jaw drops a little.
"Don't do that." Shikadai tells him, closing his jaw for him with the tip of his finger. "It make's you look to cute and there are other people around, only I should get to see that level of cuteness from you."
Boruto turns as red as fire at that.
"And if I refuse again?"
"Our parents are more than willing to set up arranged marriages for us, mostly because you're the only person I would marry by choice. If you reject me then you'll be married off to the adopted alpha son of the kazekage, and I'll probably end up with your cousin Kyo on your mom's side of the family."
"Seriously?" Boruto squeeks.
"No, just wanted to see what you'd say."
Boruto glares at that.
"So, will you marry me?"
"Why should I lazyass?"
"Because I love you."
"Ask me again."
"Boruto, marry me."
"Yes."
"Yes?"
"Yes, I will marry you, you lazyass Nara… But first you have to take me on a date, a real date."
"Deal."
At sixteen they were married. At eighteen, a new joke had been made.
"I love you."
"I hate you."
"I love you."
"I hate you."
"I love you."
"Then make your spawn get out of me faster." A very pregnant blond omega screeches at his alpha.
"You still have half a month left."
"It's uncomfortable though." Boruto whines. " Why? Why did you do this to me?"
"Because you wanted a baby." Shikadai answers with a chuckle.
"Why did I want one though?"
"Because you thought giving birth to a Nara baby would be easy since we're all so lazy. And I need a heir to be leader of the clan which, while you were in heat, you were 'happy to give if I just-'."
"Don't you dare finish that sentence!"
"I love you so much."
"I hate you."
"Love you."
"... damn it, lose the hurt fawn eyes. I love you too, more than anything. And I love our baby too… Even if I hate being pregnant."
"Maybe it'll want to marry Sarada's kid to spread the love a bit?"
"Oh god, not that again."
"Marry me?"
"We're already married!"
"I know, but given the chance, would you do it again?"
"No, because that would probably mean I'd have to be pregnant again, and I hate you for making me love you enough to do this, you persistant, annoying, lazyass!"
"Weird, that's what my mom use to scream at my dad sometimes…"
"That's because, given what I've heard and seen, all Nara alphas are persistant, annoying, lazyasses!"
"And your my hardass, loud, crazy, impulsive-"
"I hate you."
"I love you."
"I hate you."
"I love you more."
"Hate."
"Lov-"
"Oh, the baby's coming!"
"What!?"
"Not really, but that face you just made was worth it!" Boruto laughs.
Shikadai sighs. "It's a good thing you're cute and I love you so much regardless."
The baby was born happy and healthy, and they all lived happily ever after… or at least as happily ever after as a family of ninjas can get.
I was having trouble sleeping the past couple nights and hammered this out. It was cute, or at least I thought it was, so I decided it was worth publishing. Also, I'm really starting to ship these two, hopefully I'm not the only one.
Hope you liked it, thanks for reading.