A/N: We are back to the canon chapters!
We don't own Naruto/Boruto.
Turns out Valentine's Day wasn't such a bitch after all.
Okay so, the day was crappy, but the night was more than Boruto could have ever hoped for. He was worried about Sarada getting sick and fussed at her about it several times before he finally let it go.
He didn't want to fuss too much—he was too happy for that.
She baked him strawberry cheesecake and oh it was delicious. Almost as good as her. She waited for him so long and he could see how much she missed him. It felt good to know that she still wanted him around her. She didn't want to let him go and he didn't want to have to miss her anymore.
Life wasn't the same without her. It was crazy. It hadn't taken her long at all to wedge her a place in his life—a big place. Boruto didn't think he would ever be so infatuated with someone. Then Sarada had stormed into his life and made him feel and think all these things.
She was the cause of so much frustration.
But she made him happy.
The thought of her suffering loneliness without him around made him more determined to keep her in his life. It was obvious she was the one for him. A true friend. Somebody he was completely at ease with. Boruto felt lucky to have her in his life, even though they weren't together. He didn't need a title or a confession to be content.
They spent the entire weekend together, not wanting to part from each other any sooner than they had to. Monday, however, came much sooner than they would have liked and it was back to work for them. It was normal now though, the stress and the uncomfortable atmosphere are gone and replaced with the easy and natural environment they had before.
Boruto wasn't avoiding Sarada and she wasn't avoiding him. Their professionalism never faltered, at least not while there were others around and work was work, but they were free now. Always smiling, always finding each other's gazes. Normal stuff that anybody would do with a friend.
On Wednesday, Naruto called Boruto to his office and he knew he was walking in to hear news about his future and Sarada's too. He wasn't nervous and he was sure his dad would have everything worked out. It was for the good of everyone.
"Dad?" He called as he poked his head into the office, walking in right after. Naruto was at his desk as usual, finishing up a phone call and Boruto took a seat to wait. He could be patient. Sometimes. "I assume you have news for me?" He asked as soon as Naruto hung up the phone.
"Yes," Naruto sighed. "Two months, son. That's the best I can do. You can start turn over in March but we won't be announcing it until April, and you can leave a few weeks after it. Konohamaru will take care of finishing her offer up, and we will expect your resignation letter to formalize."
That was longer than he hoped but he supposed it couldn't be helped. At least he knew what he was looking at now. "Fine. No sense in arguing about it." He knew he wouldn't get anywhere.
Naruto let out a sigh of relief. Good thing his son didn't fuss about it anymore. He was also in an unusually good mood… "anything interesting over the weekend, Boruto? You didn't come by the house."
"I was with Sara—I was at home. I didn't feel like leaving the house. More thrillers and beer. Lots of beer. And junk food." He just couldn't keep his mouth shut. It was truly a curse.
"Ah," Naruto grinned. "I see you made up." He rested his head on his palm, still grinning at Boruto.
"Made what up?" Boruto huffed, averting his eyes. "I never made anything up."
Naruto laughed teasingly and straightened up. "Don't tell Sarada yet until we work out her package. You can also have a look at it before we show her."
That was easier said than done. "No problem," Boruto grumbled, reminding himself not to do any word vomiting. "Is that it then?"
"Business as usual until March 1." Naruto nodded. "Oh!" He perked up. "Your mother wants to know your plans for your birthday. I think she wants to cook for you. Why not invite Sarada?"
Invite Sarada? "That's… it's so far away. And I don't know… let's not get hasty or anything." He stood up and quickly shuffled to the door. "I'll call Mom later."
Naruto watched him leave his office and picked up his phone, texting his wife that things were finally okay for Boruto.
The rest of the week was as normal as it could be and even though Boruto was with Sarada every morning and every night, he'd somehow managed to keep the word vomit down. He was starting to think he could keep the secret and that made him proud of himself.
He was staying over late but hadn't let himself stay the night, at least until the next weekend came around. Somehow it had come up between them and decided he would stay over with her. He was really looking forward to another calm and wonderful weekend with her, only this time they would be at her place instead of his.
Friday night, they went out for dinner and then lazed around on her couch, watching TV and cuddling close, not wanting to get cold. They really just wanted to be close all the time.
It was normal. For friends.
They slept in Saturday morning, even Boruto. When they finally dragged themselves out of bed, Boruto cooked breakfast and they sipped coffee, chatting about Inojin's crush on Himawari that Boruto was far from happy about. The conversation dragged on as they ate, Sarada giggling every time Boruto muttered a complaint.
He didn't want to think about Inojin and Himawari like that, much less talk about it, so as soon as he finished eating, he shut her up with a kiss. Sarada didn't mind one bit, in fact, she took him by surprise with the way she threw her arms around him and kissed him back so eagerly. It was the kind of kiss that was quick to progress, especially when Sarada was taking things further, nails raking up his back as she pulled up his shirt.
The shirt dropped to the floor and Boruto cradled her face with his hands, tilting his head as their tongues met excitedly. It was starting to get hot and Boruto's brain wasn't working right anymore. He was focused solely on what was about to happen.
Then a knock sounded on the door.
Boruto tore his lips away from Sarada's with a growl, brows narrowing in annoyance. Who the hell is that? If it was Kagura, Boruto was undoubtedly going to lose his shit.
"I'll get it," He said, hating to be interrupted. The sooner he opened the door, the sooner he could send whoever it was on their way.
Or so he thought.
When Boruto opened the door, standing on the other side were Sarada's parents. At first, Boruto didn't even notice her mother, too busy staring at her father's face, swallowing hard at the glower he was receiving. His heart stopped completely and he felt as if all the blood in his body was draining.
Holy shit.
Nobody prepared him for this.
Meet the parents of his not girl?
Oh shit no. Boruto wasn't ready.
"Are you going to stand there like an idiot or let us in?" Sasuke asked, his tone smooth but terrifying at the same time.
Boruto's heart started working again, double time. "S-Sorry." He stepped back, wishing he was anywhere else in the world. Wishing he hadn't gotten the door. Wishing he hadn't been so close to getting naked not even a moment before.
"Boruto?" Sarada called from the living room. "Who was at the door—Papa!" She screeched.
Sakura came right behind Sasuke and even gave him a warm smile and wave before entering the home. "Darling, we brought food." Calm and cheerful, yet Boruto felt like she was worse than Sasuke.
"Mama!" Hurried footsteps came to her, and Sarada took the large container in her hands. "W-why didn't you call me to say you and p-papa were coming?" She looked just as surprised and frightened as Boruto did.
Shit.
"Oh, we were so worried," Sakura said, moving things around her kitchen. "You didn't call or text and you were so upset the last time we left you. Your father wanted to cancel our trip and stay with you during Valentine's, you know?"
Boruto watched them from the edge of the living room and paled when Sasuke picked up his discarded shirt on the floor and gave him an icy look. "Is this yours?"
All eyes went to the shirt, and then to Boruto. He'd never been so mortified before in his life. "Yes, sir." He said nervously and took his shirt back, quickly putting it on.
Coming back to her senses, Sarada stood next to Boruto and formally introduced him. "Mama, Papa, this is Boruto. My… friend." She then looked at Boruto and quickly added, "My parents. Sasuke and Sakura."
Sasuke rolled his eyes and crossed his arms across his chest. Sakura grinned at him and said something sweet.
It was confusing.
"Umm…" Sarada hooked her arm in his and pulled him into her room. "We'll just get changed, make yourself at home!"
"Okay, Sarada," Sakura sang before Sarada shut her door.
"Shit, Sarada." Boruto groaned. "This is bad. This is so bad. Not the first impression I would have liked to make… or the second."
Wait… why was he freaking out? Surely it wasn't that big of a deal.
No, it was. It definitely was.
"Oh my god, he fucking hates me." He whined, grabbing Sarada by her arms and shaking her in his panic. If Sasuke didn't approve of him, he wouldn't have a chance with Sarada.
Not that he wanted a chance or anything, but he should at least have the option.
Sarada cradled his face between her hands and made him look at her. "Stop it, it's not helping!" Her dark eyes were just as panicked as his, but she took a deep breath and sighed. "My parents aren't even that scary." She paused and pursed her lips. "Yeah, okay, no. They're scary. But they'll like you!" Sarada bit her lower lip and groaned. "I just really wish it wasn't today." She slumped on the bed with him and leaned. "The last time they were over I was crying… my papa can hold a grudge. Mama… is happy as long as I am."
"Crying why? Hold a grudge? What does it have to do with me?" He panicked even more.
Sarada groaned. "Because you're so annoying!" She got up on her feet and started looking for clothes to put on. "Hurry and get changed!"
Boruto frowned, not wanting to let it go but deciding to so he could get dressed. He opted for a pair of jeans and a pink button-down, casual but decent enough to hopefully make him more presentable and maybe even make Sasuke forget how he found him.
But he was a grudge holder.
Sarada got changed into a turtleneck sweater dress. It hung to her knees and looked ridiculously cute on her. Cute enough for Boruto to forget how much shit he was in. But then Sarada pulled him back out of her room and made him stand face to face with the man who more than likely wanted him dead. He was too nervous to say anything.
This never happened to him before. Part of him wanted to bolt, but the majority of him just wanted her parents not to hate him. He really wasn't so bad, at least he didn't think so.
Sakura was in the kitchen, heating up the food they brought and Sarada went over to help her, leaving Boruto to sit at the table, across Sasuke. He was so nervous he'd started sweating and he found it impossible to stare the older man in his eye. Boruto wasn't good at these things, it seemed. He couldn't keep his mouth shut around his own father, so to have to talk to Sarada's… he was already one foot in the grave.
Maybe if he could shift the focus away from himself, everything would be okay. "Um, w-what kind of work do you do Mr. Uchiha?" He asked hesitantly. It seemed like a safe enough topic, but that didn't scare him any less.
Sasuke fixed Boruto with a hard stare, not answering for a long moment, giving him time to sweat some more. "I work with the Konoha police division as a Forensic investigator." He finally said, turning amused when Boruto paled even worse.
Impressive. What did he expect from Sarada's father?
"Wow." He cleared his throat and fiddled with his thumbs in his lap. "Very important work." He commented lamely.
"And you… you're Sarada's boss?"
Sasuke said it as if it was far from a good thing and Boruto stiffened in his seat. "Y-yes, sir." He stuttered, mentally cursing himself with every passing second. "That's true…"
Sasuke leaned back in his seat, never taking his eyes off the fidgeting blond. "How was the hiring process? Any roadblocks?"
"Oh no, it wasn't bad at all." He smiled, trying not to let his nervousness show. It was far too late for that though.
"Hn." Sasuke sipped his water and muttered under his breath, "I wonder why."
Sakura came back with plates and set them down on the table, making another trip back for utensils. Boruto quickly got up to set the table properly, wanting to make himself useful and hopefully get out of being roasted by Sasuke. Once he finished with the plates, he went after Sakura to collect the utensils and didn't take his seat again until the table was ready.
Sakura put down a potholder in the middle of the table and Sarada came out wearing oven mitts, carrying a glass container full of lasagna, setting it right on the potholder.
"Careful, it's hot," Sakura told the boys, as she took her seat next to her husband.
Sarada sat down next to Boruto and placed a serving utensil on the lasagna, her finger accidentally touching the edge of the pan. She let out a short scream and withdrew her hand, the utensil clanking on the table. Boruto's heart lurched into his throat and he quickly grabbed her hand to examine it. Her pretty finger was already red and it broke his heart to see it. He raised it to his mouth, placing a soft kiss just over the burn.
"Are you okay?" He asked, voice filled with concern.
Sarada blushed, pupils blown wide. She didn't withdraw her hand from his hold, or say anything. She only nodded her head. Boruto kept her hand in his, and rested it on his lap. As soon as he turned to face her parents, they were looking at each other.
Sakura had a small smile on her face, and Sasuke was still impassive but nowhere near half as cold.
"Do you need me to take a look at it, dear?" Sakura asked her daughter.
"I'm fine, thank you." Sarada was still blushing, and leaned over to Boruto to tell him, "My mom's a Doctor."
Family of overachievers. "Wow, that's amazing, Mrs. Uchiha." Boruto smiled. "Are you sure she shouldn't look at it, Sarada?"
She smiled at him. "You already kissed it better."
Boruto's heart skipped a beat and his eyes brightened. "Okay… if you're sure." He smiled almost shyly and then looked over to find Sakura cooing at them and Sasuke looking scary again.
"I'm fine," Sarada assured. "Let's eat."
Face flaming red, Boruto immediately turned his attention to his food, saying his thanks before digging in. If his mouth was full, surely he couldn't embarrass himself anymore. Sakura was an excellent cook and she seemed so sweet—even appearing to take a liking to him which truly relieved the blond.
Why, he didn't know. It wasn't like he was trying to get close to them or anything.
.
.
.
Sarada's parents were not in any rush to leave. Boruto's nerves were still high and he'd poured himself into cleaning after their lunch, trying to keep himself busy. Their visit made him so anxious that he seriously considered leaving, but he couldn't. Sarada wouldn't want that, probably. After lunch, the four of them sat in the living room together, exchanging small talk that ultimately led to them learning more about each other.
Boruto didn't like it. He feared that everything he said would be wrong, and he was stuttering way too much, but they hadn't sent him packing yet and Sasuke hadn't killed him. The man was terrifying and Boruto knew with him being a forensic investigator that he could definitely get rid of his body and make it where no one would ever find him.
They talked about dinner plans and Boruto was nervous once again, having no choice but to agree to go out to the restaurant of their choosing. He could do this.
He was going to do this.
For some reason, Sarada seemed even more flustered than him. Once they were out and about, he found himself having to grab onto her hand, remind her to watch her steps and even chide her softly a few times. It wasn't like her to be such a scatterbrain, but it amused him.
She was always most perfect when she wasn't even close to being.
That's when she really drove him crazy with all those damn not feelings.
He hated it.
Sarada was all off-balance, not even able to stop fumbling with her overly large purse. What the hell could be in there anyway?! Boruto sighed as he swiped the thing to carry it for her and shit it weighed a ton. The thing had to have some of everything inside of it.
"Are you crazy, carrying this thing around?" He huffed, taking her hand once more and tugging her closer to his side. He leaned his head down until her onyx eyes flicked over to meet his gaze. "What's going on in that head of yours today?" He asked, clicking his tongue even though he knew.
He just needed to pretend he was okay.
Sarada clung on to him and shook he head. She really wasn't her normal self, and Boruto felt bad seeing her so stressed. He laughed lightly and moved closer to gently rub their noses together in a soft and sweet Eskimo kiss. His blue eyes stared down at her, full of tender affection and mild amusement.
"Smile for me."
Her cheeks reddened, but her face did break out into a big smile. She leaned on him and thanked him quietly. "I'm sorry they ambushed you."
"I'm sorry I wasn't prepared," He grumbled with a nervous laugh, but he supposed things were going well considering. "Swear I can feel your dad glaring at me every second though. He's scary."
She giggled. "Papa always does this. He's overprotective. You should meet my uncles, though."
"Are you saying they're worse?" Boruto frowned worriedly, holding her hand a little tighter. "Though I suppose I'm glad you have them looking out for you. Wouldn't want you getting tangled up with anyone else."
Wait, what?
Sarada looked away, surprised with what he said last. "Do you mean that?"
Absolutely. "I uh… I mean, ya know… you can't um…" he felt his neck heating up and couldn't help but turn his head away from her. "Is it a bad thing?"
"I don't think so," she muttered, and then shuddered from the cold. They'd been walking in the snow for a while, but they were coming closer to the restaurant that Sakura wanted to eat in.
Boruto frowned at realizing she was cold and they still had a couple of minutes of walking left. He released her hand to instead wrap his arm around her, holding her close enough to share his warmth with her.
"Almost there, Princess."
Sarada clung on and walked right by him, feeling shy that her parents were right behind them, but also not wanting to let go of Boruto.
Sakura cooed and held on to her husband's hand tighter. "I have never seen her like this with her other boyfriends, Sasuke-kun. They're so cute together!"
"Boruto is not Sarada's boyfriend," he replied quickly.
"You caught him without a shirt on. What do you think they were doing?" She asked smugly.
Sasuke's breath hitched and his eyes narrowed further on the blond holding tight to his daughter. "Nothing if he knows what's best for him." He scoffed.
She giggled and leaned into him. "Oh, darling. You say that like you're any better."
And he wasn't. But he wasn't going to admit that. "Hn."
Finally, they arrived at the restaurant and were taken to a table. Boruto helped Sarada remove her coat after setting her purse down, letting it rest on the back of the chair which he pulled out for her. After she was settled, he removed his own coat and took his seat next to her, taking her hand to hold, finding it as cold as he expected.
Boruto took pride in warming her up.
"I've never been here before. It seems nice." He commented casually, smiling as he looked over to the parents.
Sakura smiled at him and picked up the menu. "They have good sushi here, as well as other rolls. Do you like steak?"
"I love steak and I haven't had a big variety of sushi before… what do you recommend?" He asked excitedly.
Her green eyes lit up. "Oh, I have a few."
Sarada shook her head, an amused smile on her face. She whispered to Boruto, "she's going to order half the things on the menu. I hope you're hungry."
"Oh, I love to eat." He grinned and nudged her with his elbow playfully. "We gotta make sure you eat well most of all though."
Sarada nudged him back. "Stop making me fat."
"No way, you need some meat on your bones. Then maybe you won't be so cold." He mused, poking at her tummy.
She shied away from him and held on to his hand to stop him from poking her. "Alright, alright."
When the food arrived, Sarada hadn't been joking one bit. Sakura ordered four plates of different roles and sushi and a large rack of ribs. There was also salad and rice. It all looked so good and Boruto was admittingly excited to try new things, including the house sake. It was the best Boruto ever had and he was surprised when Sasuke ordered some as well. Maybe they could get along...
He drank slowly while sampling different sushis and watching Sarada eat happily. It always pleased him to know she was eating properly, even when she was eating weird things like chicken and waffles. Her cheeks were rosy, dark eyes sparkling with every delicious bite and Boruto soon found that he couldn't tear his eyes away from her—not even with her father fixing him with a cold stare.
Boruto was completely infatuated with his not girl, she was special after all. He couldn't resist being close to her, never hesitated to wipe her mouth for her or tuck her hair behind her ear when it threatened to get in the way. He really loved her hair. Anyone would, it smelled so good, felt so silky smooth. He often played with it, enjoying doing so just as much as she did.
Even though he wasn't expecting to meet Sarada's parents so soon—or ever, because he'd never even thought about it—Boruto had a surprisingly good day. Flustered and nervous as he was, he still felt at ease with them and was sure they didn't quite mind him being around.
No matter how Sasuke acted.
It was a good day and once they returned to Sarada's apartment, they bid her parents goodbye. They had planned to visit for longer, but Sakura was quick to announce they were not needed and Boruto was pleased to know that she accepted him, even giving him a warm hug before she left.
Sasuke just gave him a look, as frightening as any of them. Scared or not, Boruto knew he had to prove himself, for no reason other than his own pride, surely. He swallowed hard and extended his hand to the older man, locking his eyes with those that mirrored Sarada's.
"It was a pleasure to meet you both officially," Boruto said, blushing slightly at remembering the first night he'd seen Sasuke.
When he'd had to kiss Sarada's forehead instead of her lips.
And then run.
"Hn. Make sure you're properly dressed next time."
The blood drained from Boruto's face at that and he faked a laugh, heart pounding as Sasuke gripped his hand firmly. He may have been sweating a bit, but he didn't back down and he squeezed Sasuke's hand back just as firmly, staring into his hard black eyes.
"I just want to take care of her, ya know?" Boruto told him honestly, speaking softly so as not to be overheard.
Sasuke looked at him for a while and then nodded once, slowly. "I'm counting on you, then. Thank you."
Heart soaring and face showing his relief and elation at Sasuke's response, Boruto nodded quickly. He joined Sarada at the door, the pair waving them off. Until they were pulling out of the driveway. Then Boruto slammed the door and dragged Sarada into his arms.
She owed him big time for this.
A/N: We are officially back to the canon chapters! There will be a bunch of fast updates as Boruto and Sarada's birthdays near, and maybe some one-shots (more fillers, yay!) since we have written some fics in this AU for BoruSaraWeek2020 (Please do join, that's happening in March 25-March 31 on Tumblr and Twitter!)
More announcements soon.
Cheers,
Kairi and Tyy
