A/N: In case anyone was wondering, I'm envisioning these characters' ages to be around 14-15. So old enough to grasp the semantics of innuendo, but still young enough to be hella awkward about it.
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Inojin and Sarada walked back to the Yamanaka house with no further discussion of Boruto's strange behavior. As the structure came into view, the pair were surprised to see an abundance of bouquets scattered about the lawn and nearly bursting through the front door. Not to mention the yard was also overrun by a small group of women who appeared to be debating with one another and trying to match fabric swatches to each arrangement.
"Whoah!" exclaimed Sarada, "What's going on, here?"
"Oh, great," sighed Inojin. "Mom's having another bridal consultation."
"All this for a consultation?! That's such a waste of flowers!" Sarada groaned in disapproval.
"Don't worry," said Inojin, "They're all fake. This happens from time-to-time so she keeps sample bouquets in storage. Be thankful this bride didn't request the caterer to be onsite, as well, or this place would be a real nightmare to get around."
"No kidding," Sarada agreed.
Inojin led the way to the backdoor and the pair entered through the kitchen, which was also overrun by silk flowers and ribbons splayed in front of a variety of colorful vases. Ino was sitting at a cluttered kitchen table fumbling with some pliers and a massive spool of wire.
"What's going on, Mom?" complained Inojin, "I thought you weren't doing this until next week." Ino kept working as she replied.
"Sorry, honey, some things got shifted around and I had an opening. Do you need me for anything?"
"No, that's ok, Sarada and I are just going to keep studying for our test. Do you know where the practice dummy is?"
"Ms. Ino!" a voice interrupted them from afar, "We're ready to look at some more centerpieces!"
"I'll be right there!" Ino shouted back. She returned her attention to Inojin, "Oh, I think I shoved that thing under the sink somewhere. I'll be in and out the door until my clients leave, but I'm here if you need me." She gave Inojin a peck on the cheek and finished loading some freshly assembled arrangements into a crate before carrying it out the door. Sarada took a moment to appreciate the woman's craftsmanship while Inojin retrieved their fake fish.
"Guess we're going upstairs," he said, "Hey, can you grab me a soda?"
"Yeah, yeah," said Sarada, "I guess that's the least I can do." She pulled two cans from the fridge and followed him, careful not to trip over any of Ms. Ino's storage boxes on the way there.
Sarada reached the top of the steps and sneezed.
"Sheesh, what's with the temperature change?"
"Doors are open downstairs so the AC is trying to balance it out. I probably have a jacket or something you can borrow if you need it."
"Yes, please!" Sarada's eyes twinkled in appreciation.
When they reached Inojin's room, Sarada set their drinks down on the dresser and took the fish dummy from Inojin so he could rummage through his closet. He tossed a navy blue hoodie emblazoned with the text and logo of the Konoha Police Department in her direction. "Here," he said, "It's a little small for me so you can keep it if you want."
"Inojin, you are the actual best, right now." Sarada threw the hoodie over her head and snuggled into the warmth.
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Meanwhile…
Boruto finally left the Thunder Burger, but was still wallowing in his thoughts as he walked down the street, flip-flopping back and forth on what he should do next.
'I just need to be blunt,' he thought, 'Corner Inojin and get him to fess up, man-to-man! But what if Sarada gets mad at me? No, wait, I should be mad at her; or, except I SHOULD STAY MAD AT INOJIN. How long has this been going on? Why is she sleeping at his house? Why do I care so much if she is?!'
"Yikes, Boroto, what's with that look on your face? New burger not agreeing with you?"
Boruto stopped in his tracks and slowly turned around with stressed out tears streaming down his cheeks. When he saw who it was that was talking to him, however, his eyes lit up and he felt relief for the first time since last night.
"Iwabe!" Boruto exclaimed, "You're a man! I need you!"
Iwabe was taken aback and suddenly became hyper aware of how much attention Boruto was attracting. Panicking, he grabbed Boruto's hand and ran away from the crowded shopping district, and away from prying eyes.
"What's going on, Boruto? That was so embarrassing!" Iwabe wiped his brow and took a deep breath.
"You're older than me," started Boruto, "So let me...ask you something...please. Man-to-man." Boruto looked off to the side and blushed. He wanted confirmation from someone else before doing anything. Someone that wasn't Mitsuki, and someone that might be able to relate the gravity of the situation.
Iwabe furrowed his brow.
"Um...sure, I guess. What is it?"
Boruto took a deep breath and gulped.
"In your opinion...what does it mean when a girl sleeps over?"
Silence.
Iwabe felt his cheek tick. Boruto looked dead serious.
"Like...a slumber party?" asked Iwabe, silently praying to all the Hokage that that's what he meant.
"No," replied Boruto, "I mean...like when a girl sleeps over...at a guy's house."
Iwabe started to sweat.
"Boruto?"
"It's not always a bad thing, right?" Boruto laughed nervously. "I just want someone to tell me if I'm reading too much into it or if it's something I need to worry about. You know?"
It was Iwabe's turn to gulp.
"Boruto...who's sleeping at whose house?"
Boruto fidgeted and shifted his feet. He did a quick glance side-to-side to see if anyone else might be eavesdropping nearby. The blush on his cheeks intensified.
"It's Sara-"
"Oh, would you look at the time! It was nice talking to you, Boruto, but I've gotta go. Big, BIG mission with Denki and Metal coming up; yep, that's it! Later!" And with as much speed as he could muster, Iwabe ran away leaving a trail of dust behind him.
Boruto's head drooped in defeat. "Never mind," he said, and he stuffed his hands in his pockets and walked sullenly in the opposite direction, trying his hardest not to let his imagination get the best of him.
'I should just go home and try to forget about it. Maybe Shikadai and them are right. Nothing's happening to even worry about it - I'm just imagining things. There's no way Sarada and Inojin are hooking up.'
Boruto wandered back onto the main road of the shopping district. He would have made it out, too, if not for the TV in the electronics store window that caught his attention and made him pause. It was playing an episode of the newest cheesy soap opera that Cho Cho was obsessed with. The heroine seemed to be in a handsy argument with this season's villain.
"Oh, Kise, how could you! You know I'm in love with your twin brother Koji!"
"You're my girl, now, got it?! You don't want him finding out about your dirty little secret, do you?"
Boruto felt his gut clench.
'Unless...blackmail?' he thought. He started restlessly jogging in place.
"I HAVE TO KNOW!" he yelled. The people nearby stopped to stare, and without wasting another moment, Boruto sped off toward Inojin's house.
A new mountain of thoughts began barraging his mind. Did Inojin trick Sarada into a bad situation? Is he taking advantage of her? He has to be, right? Why else would she be with him? She didn't...like like him...did she?
"Crap, crap, crap, CRAP!"
Sweating and out of breath from the stress more than actual physical exhaustion, Boruto flung the gate open and almost collided with a group of occupied women arguing about tablecloths. He expertly sidestepped and weaved around the unusual amount of clutter, and for a moment he almost forgot why he was there. He peeked his head through the front door and saw Ino shifting boxes in the coat closet.
"What's going on, Ms. Ino? Are you having a party?"
"Sorry Boruto, I'm at work, right now. Inojin and Sarada are upstairs."
"Upstairs...together…?" Boruto's worst fears were becoming more realized with every passing second, "And you're...ok with that?" he asked cautiously. He barely got the words out before a loud crash from outside interrupted him.
"Hey, be careful; those are fragile!" Ino yelled, and she sprung into action leaving Boruto to his own devices. Slowly, he approached the staircase. It was now or never. He carefully tiptoed all the way to Inojin's room and felt his chest tighten when he approached the shut door. Heart pounding, he thought about abandoning his mission for the briefest of seconds, but he'd come too far to turn back now. He shakily lifted his knuckles to knock.
"Oh!" Sarada gasped from behind the door. Boruto froze.
"That's it! Keep going!" exclaimed Inojin.
"I'm so close!"
"You got this!"
"YES!"
Boruto couldn't believe what he was hearing. Heat stung his cheeks and it felt like his soul was being forcibly removed from his body. Time slowed down…
"Oh, my gosh," Sarada continued, "I'm exhausted. That's enough exercise for one day."
"See, all our hard work finally paid off," laughed Inojin.
"That's because I have a good teacher," Sarada giggled.
Boruto's mouth went dry while the rest of him was laced with a cold sweat.
'I shouldn't be here,' he thought, panicking.
"Inojin!" Ino called from downstairs.
"Coming!" replied Inojin, and then he shifted his voice toward Sarada, "I'll be right back. Mind pushing my desk back in place?"
"Can do," said Sarada.
The slight sound and motion of a turning doorknob finally sent Boruto flying. He lunged through an open door on the opposite side of the hall and escaped through the bathroom window. He landed on the ground and crouched behind a flowerbed while simultaneously trying to calm his heart, which was beating at an unprecedented rate. All of his skin, not just his face, had to be completely vermillion by now.
'What were they doing on that desk?!'
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A/N: Well, this is a surprise. I honestly didn't think I'd write more than two chapters for this, but I'm not quite ready to wrap it up, yet. I'm going to keep adding chapters until I feel like Boruto has suffered enough, lol. So definitely one more chapter after this, which may or may not be the end; we'll see. Kukuku, how long do you think it'll take for him to crack?