Boruto didn't know how long he was asleep but when the darkness lifted, he woke to much the same scene as the first time. The only real difference was that this time, Mitsuki was awake. Once again, the Serpent Prince tended to his needs but towards evening, he was starting to get cabin fever.

"Boruto, I don't think it's a good idea for you to move so much." Mitsuki protested as Boruto attempted to get out of bed.

"I'm fine, Mitsuki. I just want to look around a bit." He put both feet on the smooth hardwood floor and stood; then he promptly collapsed. Mitsuki stepped in immediately so Boruto's body slumped against his instead of crumpling to the floor. Mitsuki gave him a knowing look but Boruto just grinned back.

"Thanks, Mitsuki!" He said cheerfully, "Help me through the door, will you?" Mitsuki looked like he wanted to refuse but Boruto widened his smile, knowing Mitsuki couldn't resist. He savored his triumph internally as Mitsuki remained silent but wrapped his arms more firmly around the blonde to better aid his movement. Leaning heavily on Mitsuki, Boruto was able to navigate the room and through the squeaky door.

There, he found himself in a short hallway. To the right was a large, well-lit room with a polished wooden table positioned in the center. A sizable floral area rug adorned the clean wooden floor beneath the table. The walls were made of wood and stone and a huge stone fireplace took up the majority of the left wall. Cooking pots and pans hung neatly from the mantle and wood stood stacked to the right of the hearth. A fire was crackling merrily in the fireplace and a pot hung low over the tall red tongues. The smell of cooking food mingled pleasantly with the scent of fresh air from the open windows in the right wall. Shelves filled with well-dusted jars, flowers, blankets and other knickknacks dotted the walls. Everything about the home screamed comfort and peace.

An elderly man sat on the opposite side of the table, facing Boruto. The man, Boruto thought, could only be described as 'gruff'. He was bald but his shiny head was somehow balanced by his heavy salt-and-pepper handlebar mustache. His eyes were all but hidden behind a pair of overlarge and bushy eyebrows that perfectly matched his mustache. His face was square and his skin not covered by facial hair was worn to leather by the sun. His elbow was resting on the table as he leaned on it casually. His large hand, gnarled from hard work, was resting on the handle of a metal mug, which lazily wafted white steam into the air. He was dressed in overalls that were worn but clean and a pair of heavy boots was just visible under the table.

Sarada sat next to the old farmer with her hat sitting on the table while she spoke with him. They were so deeply engrossed in their conversation, neither of them noticed the Princes' entrance. The old woman Boruto had already met was flitting around the room, cleaning what was already clean and preparing vegetables for dinner. When she spotted Boruto, she stopped her work immediately.

"Your majesty!" She cried as she shuffled forward, wiping her hands dry on her apron, "Are you sure you should be up so soon?"

"I'm okay, really. And please call me Boruto." He said, feeling a little embarrassed about being addressed so formally. Their exchange quickly drew the attention of Sarada and the woman's husband. The old man studied Boruto from head to toe. He looked like he wanted to say something but Sarada got there first.

"Boruto, you idiot! Just what do you think you're doing?!" Sarada scolded as she rose to her feet.

"Relax, Sarada! I just got bored and wanted to look around." He said with a roll of his eyes. Truthfully, he was glad she was back to yelling at him. Seeing her cry had been way too weird.

"Don't you feel the least bit bad about using poor Mitsuki as your personal crutch?" Sarada pressed, determined to argue as usual. What Boruto was going to retort with, he didn't know but he was cut off before the thought formed by Mitsuki's arm tightening around his waist. Boruto looked at Mitsuki in time to see the angry look he was giving Sarada. Without a word, he maneuvered Boruto to the door on the right side of the room and out into the twilight.

Mitsuki sat him down carefully on a low stone wall and turned to stand so that Boruto couldn't see his face. Boruto felt shocked. Mitsuki had never been so cold to Sarada before. Typically, he was either politely amused or completely neutral towards the fire mage. He wanted to ask what was wrong but the words wouldn't form.

"You are upset." Mitsuki stated suddenly as a matter of fact. Boruto blinked. Maybe Sarada was right and he was easy to read.

"Not so much upset as just wondering what's wrong." He said as gently as he could. Mitsuki stood as still and silent as a statue. A cool breeze ruffled his hair and his clothes but Mitsuki acted as if he couldn't feel it. The seconds passed slowly but Boruto remained silent, resolving to let Mitsuki come to him.

"I'm sorry, Boruto." He said at long last but that just confused Boruto further. Mitsuki didn't need to apologize. All he wanted was to know why he was behaving so strangely.

"Why?" He asked. It was a solid minute before Mitsuki answered.

"I was rude to Sarada." He stated.

"Oh, you have nothing to be sorry for. I was just wondering why. She usually doesn't get to you." Boruto said with a chuckle, feeling relieved that this wasn't more serious.

"I did not realize you two were so... close." Mitsuki said quietly.

"Yeah, we grew up together. We fight a lot but we also care a lot about each other." Mitsuki turned to face Boruto with a small, sad smile on his face.

"I'm glad you have someone you care about that cares so much about you." Something about that sent uncomfortable chills through Boruto's body.

"Mituski, what's going on? You... you almost sound like you're saying goodbye or something." Boruto spoke automatically, hearing it for the first time with Mitsuki, cold dread growing in his chest with each word. Mitsuki didn't respond but continued to give him that sad look. The panic was threatening to overwhelm him. What was going on? Why was Mitsuki talking this way? All this just wasn't adding up. It was almost like he was...

Then it clicked.

"Mitsuki, you know that Sarada and I don't like each other like that, right?" His words hung in the air. Mitsuki's face slowly turned from sad to confused.

"Like that...?" He repeated, tilting his head as he spoke.

"You know..." Boruto said, searching for the words and gesturing with his wrist as he did, "We aren't interested in each other... romantically." Mitsuki continued to stare at him for another second. Then, before his eyes, the tension bled from Mitsuki's body and the beautiful warm sparkle slowly returned to his eyes. He gave Boruto his adorable squinty-eyed smile. Boruto's heart was simultaneously soothed by that smile and ached with how much he had missed it. He realized, with dismay, that he hadn't seen Mitsuki smile since they were in the Wastes. He also recognized that they were finally alone.

"Come sit with me, Mitsuki." He invited, patting the stone wall with his left hand. Mitsuki came to Boruto and settled smoothly beside him. He was so close, Boruto could feel the warmth of his body in the cool of the evening. Boruto hesitated for half a moment but then gave into his desire. He draped his arm around Mitsuki's shoulders and pulled his body against his own. The pale Prince did not reject his touch but accepted it eagerly and pressed himself against Boruto's body in return.

They sat in silence together, gazing up at the night sky. The greens and blues of twilight were fading fast into black. Bright stars adorned the velvet black and was complimented by a perfect crescent moon. Boruto watched the sky, then looked at Mitsuki who was snuggled into his shoulder with a look of deep contentment. His pale skin and hair glowed in the weak light and his scales twinkled like the stars above them. He thought for what felt like the hundredth time that Mitsuki was devastatingly beautiful.

"The Moon is beautiful tonight." Boruto almost whispered. Mitsuki face snapped up from his shoulder, meeting his eyes with golden pools full of wonder and awe. They twinkled softly with the warm light from the windows of the farmhouse, captivating him. Finally, he allowed himself to do what he had been craving since they met. He brought his right hand to Mitsuki's face and gently stroked his scaled cheek. They felt smooth to the point of being slick, just like the ones on his hip. They felt hard too but not overly so, like hundreds of tiny interlocking fingernails with no tips or edges. He explored them, enjoying the sensation of the scales flexing and bending fluidly beneath his thumb.

Mitsuki's eyes fluttered closed. He hummed his appreciation and melted into Boruto's touch. Boruto couldn't help but be reminded of a cat as Mitsuki covered his hand with his own and pressed his face into his palm. He breathed Boruto in deeply, like he was drinking in his life energy from his wrist and palm. Once satisfied, he opened his eyes half way and gazed up at Boruto with open adoration. Boruto couldn't help himself. He moved his fingers to Mitsuki's chin and slowly began to close the small distance between them. Mitsuki's eyes widened but he did not pull away. Apprehensively, he started to move to meet Boruto, his eyes drooping again.

"Boys? It's time for dinner!" The old woman's kind voice might as well have been a wild shriek from the way Boruto's heart responded. He released Mitsuki and made an admirable attempt to leap for the stars. Realizing it was just the farmer's wife, he collapsed back into Mitsuki who supported him and gave him an amused smile.

"Oh, okay." He said shakily, barely able to hear himself over the pounding of his heart, "Thank you, we will be in shortly." The old woman smiled warmly and turned to go back inside. Boruto watched her go as his breath steadied, then a thought occurred to him. "Do you know her name, Mitsuki? I really don't want to call her 'old lady'." He asked as Mitsuki smiled after her.

"I don't know her name." Mitsuki answered as he helped Boruto to his feet. "She told me to call her 'grandma'."