A/N: Just popping in real quick to say hi, I love and adore you all so freakin much, and thank you for being so patient with me and my random updates! I will be back next chapter with a longer authors note!
warning(s): mentions of underage drinking and the ~zesty~ scenes at the end of this chapter
Two weeks passed and Sarada still hadn't heard from Boruto. He most likely did get his phone taken away and it was worrying her to the point where she was completely spacing out during dinner. How did it go with his parents? Was he hurt at all? Would she even see him again?
"Sarada, what's on your mind?"
Sarada snapped back to reality to see her father looking at her inquisitively. She said nothing and stabbed the fork into her bowl of rice. But what was new, they'd had rice every night for a week straight now.
Every morning was waffles with syrup, lunch was cheap white bread and sandwich meat, then dinner was rice with seasonings and eggs. Her mom stopped buying fruit and other snacks, her dad was home more often than not, and he was driving her mom's car. His challenger was nowhere to be seen.
Even Sasuke's birthday, which had been a couple days ago, wasn't anything memorable. He practically glazed over the entire day until Itachi showed up with a party hat and a present and took them out to dinner.
Things had seemed much more tense, and it was bugging her. Sarada wasn't one to complain hardly ever, but things seemed very different. There was absolutely no communication in all facets of her life.
Finally, Sarada spoke.
"I haven't heard from Boruto in a while."
Sasuke nodded. "Is that so?"
"He was grounded, so I'm worried about him."
Sasuke simply blinked. "What did he do?"
Sarada scratched her head. Well, besides them almost getting caught at that party and then falling asleep at her house, he really hadn't done much in terms of getting in trouble this summer, at least to her knowledge.
"It was from when he accidentally fell asleep here."
"Ah." Sasuke shrugged. "Well, if the roles were flipped, I probably would've done the same."
Sarada raised a brow. "What do you mean?"
"Well, if I had a son, or if you had fallen asleep over there, I would've grounded you too." Sasuke took a sip of his coffee. "But since you're Sarada and you're too scared to get in trouble, you make parenting very simple."
Sarada's mouth dropped and Sakura laughed. There was a slight smirk across Sasuke's features, and Sarada hit him lightly.
"Dad!"
"That's a compliment." He said with jest, then ruffled Sarada's hair, only to head upstairs right after.
Sarada sat with a pout and finished her rice, albeit unwillingly.
Minutes later Sasuke then came down from the stairs in different clothes and picked up his dish to bring it over to the sink. He gave Sakura a kiss on the cheek, then grabbed his keys from the table and headed to the door.
"You're leaving?" Sakura asked.
"Yes, I'll be back." Sasuke said, closing the door without another word
Sarada stared at the door, looked at her mom, then looked at the bowl in front of her, then back to her mom.
"Okay, mom, what is going on?"
Sakura looked at Sarada. "What do you mean?"
"Why has dad been acting so weird?"
Sakura blinked. "What do you mean, honey?"
"He's always home now, his car is gone, you're working full time again, and we're having white bread for lunch every single day." Sarada's nose curled up. She'd scraped too many pieces from the roof of her mouth to even enjoy the thought of it anymore. "We've only ever had twenty grain. Dad hates white bread!"
"Sarada," Sakura frowned. "We're just… trying to cut down expenses. Food was our biggest bill and now we're just trying to save for a bit, it won't last forever."
"Did something happen that you guys aren't telling me?" Sarada asked.
With a sigh, Sakura walked over to the table and pulled the chair out next to Sarada. "It's been a rough time for all of us lately. Your father…" She hesitated, "well, he was laid off from his job a while ago. We had enough savings to stay decently comfortable for this long, but now it's starting to catch up to us."
"Wait, what?" Sarada was completely in shock. "Dad lost his job? Since when?"
"Your birthday last year he got a phone call. They shut his business down."
"Why hasn't he been trying to find a job?"
"He has." Sakura said firmly. "It's very hard for him to find someone who will take him with all his qualifications."
"Are you serious?" Sarada was dismayed.
Her dad had been jobless for a whole year and she didn't even know? What was that trip to Italy then last year and all the other random mini trips they took?
"He tried everything he could to negotiate internationally." Sakura continued. "He begged the company he'd founded in Italy to help fund them again, that's why I went with him, but they declined his offer, saying they didn't want to invest in our country anymore because of the economy."
This all seemed so surreal. All those business trips weren't really for business after all; they were Sasuke begging the businesses he created to give his job back. There was a very uneasy feeling beginning to bubble in her chest.
"He didn't want to tell you because he didn't want you to become unfocused with school. You seemed to be having such a good year and he didn't want to ruin it by stressing you out."
"Then how did you guys get me a car if we're running out of money?"
"He sold his car." Sakura said evenly. "And your uncle helped pitch in while we put the rest in savings."
Sarada stared at her mother incredulously. Her dad sold his car to buy her one, then since he didn't work, he drove Sakura's car when needed. Everything was starting to make sense now. They had stopped going out to eat and going on trips unless Itachi was with them, and of the one and only time Sakura took Sarada shopping, she had a small budget.
Her world suddenly seemed like a bundle of muddied uncertainty. What would become of their family if Sasuke didn't have a job?
"We're still fine. We still have our home, a car to get places, there's food on the table, and I'm working again." Sakura smiled reassuringly at her daughter, but the sentiment was lost in Sarada's brain. "Everything will be okay as long as we have each other."
"Yeah...um, thanks for dinner." Was all Sarada said, then rinsed her dish off in the sink before putting it in the dishwasher, then went upstairs to her room and laid on her bed.
Not knowing what was next was a scary feeling. Before, Sarada knew she'd always come home to dinner ready, her homework due, her father in his office or staying late at work, her mother cleaning, sometimes Itachi visiting, then going to sleep and doing it all over again.
But now, the anxiety of feeling like they could lose their house at any moment, one day she might come home to no food on the table, no electricity, no heat in the winter, or not even a room to sleep in. It was all too much.
Her mind was on permanent pause and her body had no will to move. It was almost as if in that moment she wished she could be anyone else that wasn't in this situation. Chocho's family was well off, she'd love to be her. Even Mitsuki – his dad was gone more than hers and Boruto's dad combined but at least he knew he'd still have a roof over his head in a few months' time. She curled up in a ball, squeezing her legs to her chest.
She didn't know what to do or how to feel.
XxX
Luckily, the aftermath of Sarada's birthday party didn't bring on too much consequence other than a couple visits from the police to get the stories straight. Yes, Boruto's car had been there and his license had been written down, but since it had been parked down the street adjacent to where the party had taken place, there wasn't any probable evidence that would be incriminating other than he left once the cops showed up.
No one claimed anything about him nor said he drank anything, so he was left with a slap on the wrist from the cops about "being more responsible about where he spends his time" and that was that.
So, in essence, he got really lucky. But that didn't mean he would be each time something like this happened.
But of course to top it all off, what was a little mishap without a verbal berating from his dad about how irresponsible and how much of a disappointment he was? It was expected, and with no surprise his grounding was extended.
So, the next two weeks passed by in a horrible, agonizingly, boring haze. And this particular evening, Boruto was wiping down the kitchen table when his dad walked through the front door, papers in his hands. He set his briefcase down on the table and sat with a sigh, making Boruto scowl. He'd just cleaned the table and now that dirty gross briefcase was getting germs all over it!
"I'm so tired. I need a break." Naruto said, letting his head fall back with a sigh. Boruto rolled his eyes and went to throw the rag in the sink.
"How horrible that you have a nice paying job."
Naruto scowled. "What's been up with you lately?"
Boruto felt a slight twinge of regret with what he'd just said, but it only stemmed from fear. His dad already slammed him into a wall and swore at him repeatedly the past couple weeks, there wasn't much worse he could do that Boruto couldn't handle. Boruto shifted his weight onto one foot.
"Nothing." He held his hands up. "But don't take that as me talking back to you, because it's not. I scrubbed the whole kitchen and vacuumed. You're welcome."
"Bolt, wait," Naruto stood up to stop him, but Boruto only yelled, "don't call me that!" and walked right up the stairs. He passed his mother on her way down, and she held a hand to her chest. Naruto sighed and made his way back to the table. Hinata went down the rest of the stairs and sat next to him.
"He hates me." Naruto said.
"I don't think hate is the right word," Hinata said carefully, "I think he's just upset about everything."
Naruto pressed his palms against his temples. "Well if he's mad about Sasuke not having a job there's not much I can do to fix that."
"Not necessarily," Hinata set a hand on his shoulder. "but what if they're struggling more than they're letting on?"
"I don't know, I feel like he would've told me when we last talked." Naruto said. "I've just been so consumed with my clients that I can hardly think about anything else. I don't even know what day it is."
"July twenty-fifth."
"The twenty-fifth? Wait, shit. Sasuke's birthday is–"
"Passed already." Hinata said solemnly.
He almost couldn't believe it. He'd missed his best friend's birthday? And how close had Boruto become to the Uchiha's anyway? He hadn't even noticed how much time his son spent with them, or even when Sarada came over here. Maybe he was so used to him bringing people over all the time to hang out that all their faces blurred together?
Naruto was so lost.
"Wasn't Bolt dating Choji's girl?" He asked.
"That was last year, honey."
"Dear Lord." Naruto scrubbed a hand down his face. "What about Himawari?"
"Sai and Ino's son, Inojin."
"Right. Jeez, I'm so out of it." Naruto shook his head. "What is wrong with me?"
"You just need to reassess your priorities, that's all." Hinata sat next to him. "You spend a lot of time at work, why not take less clients and start spending more time at home? Our kids are growing up faster than you realize. Himawari is going into high school this year."
"What?!" Naruto exclaimed. "There's no way. She's still eleven, isn't she?"
"No, dad," Himawari's soft voice chimed from the stairs. She peeked her head around the railing. "Boruto turns seventeen in December, I turn fifteen in January."
Naruto's expression fell. "Hima, you're getting so big, come here." He held his hands out and she approached him slowly, wrapping her arms around him. "I'm sorry I haven't been around lately. I miss out on so much."
"Why can't you just be home?" Himawari asked. "It makes us sad when you're gone all the time."
"I know, I'm so sorry." Naruto hugged her tighter. "I haven't been as attentive as I should be. You kids deserve so much better, and I'm going to do that. I promise from now on I'll do my best to be here for you, and go to all your art shows and piano recitals."
"Dad, I stopped taking piano last year."
Naruto froze, then let out a halfhearted chuckle. "Oh yeah, you're right." The look Himawari gave him was unconvincing, and he squeezed her hand. "I'll do better."
"Tell Boruto that. He's the one who misses you the most, that's why he's so mad at you all the time." Himawari said. Naruto's gaze fell to his shoes.
"Yeah, I will."
There was no need, because Boruto had been sitting at the top of the stairs the entire time, hidden from their view. A tear dared slip from his eye but he wiped it away before it could.
He spaced out the rest of their conversation and went to his room. His window was cracked open, letting a slight breeze whisk through his hair. Without his phone, he'd felt so disconnected with his friends, it was making him depressed.
Ultimately, he was grounded with no phone or friends until school started, then him and his parents would reassess. His mom negotiated that he could at least have his Xbox, but that wasn't even fun either because Boruto could never text his friends and tell them to get online the same time as him, which resulted in him playing single player most of the time. Occasionally, he'd catch one of the boys online and chat with them there, but that was it.
Recently, he spent his days creatively trying to avoid his boredom by cleaning the house, gardening with his mom, baking, running errands with Himawari, taking her out for lunch or shopping or pedicures, and practicing soccer in his backyard with his sister as the goalie. He even created his own makeshift net because his dad threw away his old one. It got repetitive, but there wasn't much he could do.
Also, he hated to admit it, but he missed Sarada. He hadn't seen her in so long and it only got worse with each passing day. There were less than two weeks of summer left, and he couldn't say he felt fulfilled at all. He hadn't done anything stupid or daring, at least not in copious amounts. Sarada's birthday party was the last edgy thing he did, and he was craving adventure. It killed him to stay cooped in his house all day. He vaguely wondered if Sarada had texted or called him at all asking where he was. He doubted it, but he was itching to see her and get out of the house.
If he snuck out, his family would hardly notice. He stayed in his room playing Xbox all night anyway and not once did anyone walk in when his door was shut.
Well...
Within three seconds, Boruto shoved his window wide open and jumped out. He landed on the grass with a thud, and let out a helpless laugh as he caved underneath his own weight. He stood up and took off sprinting down the street.
God, this felt so good. His blood was pumping with adrenaline as he ran faster and faster. It felt so freeing to do something like this after so long! And he knew exactly where he was going.
Upon reaching the Uchiha's house, he saw the lights were on, which meant someone was home. Good. Their next door neighbors had a pretty flower garden growing in their front yard, and Boruto got an idea.
Hopping the back gate and rounding the backside of the garage, Boruto saw that Sarada's curtains were closed but her lamp was on, and his heart pounded. He felt the excitement coursing through his veins.
Climbing up the garage vines, he nimbly pulled himself onto the roof and sidled to her window. With a soft knock on the glass, he waited in a crouched position.
A few moments later, the curtains were drawn, and Sarada gasped. She quickly unlocked her window.
"Boruto?!"
"Hi." He said with a wave, and hopped through her window.
Sarada seemed appalled at the mere presence of him, and he examined her closely. Obviously she hadn't been expecting to see anyone based on her appearance. Her hair was tied in a messy bun, she was wearing Boruto's hoodie and some leggings with criss cross stitching by the ankles, and her glasses were slightly smudged.
He smiled and held forward the flower he had picked from the garden. "This is my apology for getting grounded and not talking to you for weeks."
She stared at him, then the flower, then him again, then tentatively took the flower. Tears welled in her eyes, and Boruto was confused. Why was she sad?
Suddenly, she scowled and smacked his arm, making him yelp.
"You're such an idiot!" She exclaimed, but then her expression dropped, and her fiery demeanor fell to one that was more gentle, more meager. "I–I didn't know when I'd see you again."
Boruto pulled her in for a hug. Either she had gotten shorter in the past two weeks or he'd grown a couple inches, because no longer did they see eye to eye – he actually was seeing past the top of her head now.
Taking in a deep breath, Boruto took in her scent; he hadn't realized how familiar and comfortable it had become. He hugged her tighter.
"Sorry. I honestly had no idea how I could talk to you since I got my phone taken away, and I'm not allowed to leave the house."
Sarada pulled away. "You've really been grounded this whole time?"
Boruto nodded, and they sat on the bed. They were about a foot away from each other, but he was worried she could hear his pounding heartbeat inside his chest. It'd been so long since he'd been in the same proximity as her; he still got nervous every time he saw her. He wasn't quite sure how to act now that he was here, he just knew he wanted to hug her and never let go.
"Wait," Sarada said, "so how are you here if you're not allowed out of your house?"
"I snuck out." He replied cheekily.
She gasped. "Won't that get you in more trouble?"
Boruto shrugged. "Honestly I don't really care at this point, I was losing my goddamn mind. All I've been doing is cleaning, gardening, and taking my sister out for girly things like shopping and nails. Do you know how expensive gel polish is? I had no idea."
Sarada snorted. "Yeah."
Her usual witty responses were nonexistent tonight, so Boruto suspected something was wrong. Usually she was much more elated to be around him and used sarcasm with no mercy.
"What's up?" He asked.
"Huh?"
"Something's wrong. I know it."
Sarada scooted back to the wall and pulled her knees to her chest, rolling the flower stem between her fingers.
"My dad… lost his job."
And, oh. Her parents had told her then. That explained her rather unhappy, down in the dumps demeanor. Boruto's heart hurt for her.
"I'm so sorry."
Sarada shook her head, a wave of emotions suddenly crashing over her. She wiped her eyes. "It's fine, I mean, it happens right? It's not a big deal. My mom said we're still fine."
"Well, still, it's a big change." He turned so he was vertical with the bed and pulled her closer to him by her ankles. She was then sitting between his legs, her calves squeezing his waist. His hand absentmindedly trailed up and down her outer thigh. "When did you find out?"
"Today. My mom told me at dinner." She took slow, even breaths, and kept fiddling with the flower between her fingers. "My dad sold his car to buy mine and put money in savings, and I literally had no idea."
Boruto took the flower from her and gently set it off to the side. Sarada repeatedly wiped away her eyes, and Boruto made a move for both of them to lay down. She sniffled once her head touched the pillow, and he lightly touched her cheek. Her eyes were bloodshot and heavy, and he could clearly see that she was trying to hold herself together even though the uncertainty of her future was draining every bit of energy left inside of her.
"You'll be okay, your parents care so much about you they'd never let anything bad happen." He wiped away some stray tears and pushed back the baby hairs that had fallen out of her bun. "And I'll do everything I can to help you too."
The look she gave him was almost like an arrow to the heart. She clearly didn't believe him, for obvious reasons, Boruto already knew. This was one of those scary adult things that happened in life and as a teenager, you don't really understand the full gravity of it until you grow up. You just had to put your trust in the hands of whoever was in charge – be in the parent, a guardian, or whoever, and hope that your future dreams and goals weren't ripped away from underneath you.
"I promise." He insisted. "And when have I ever broken a promise with you?"
Her gaze softened significantly, and she wiped her eyes with her palm. "Never."
"Okay." He said softly, rubbing circles on her knees. She sniffled, then laid on her back, her eyes fixed on the ceiling. Boruto slowly slipped out from her legs and loomed over her. The moonlight glistened in her eyes.
"You're pretty when you cry." He said tenderly. "Not that it's something I want to see all the time, 'cause that means you're sad, but– like– nevermind. You get what I'm saying."
Sarada laughed lightly, a rosy blush dusted her cheeks. "Shut up."
He smiled fondly, then his eyes darted across her face. She looked to his lips, and he looked at hers. The electricity was crackling between them, and Boruto felt all sorts of things as he gazed at the girl beneath him. Oh how he'd missed her. Her voice, her smell, her small quirks, her calming aura; even in the midst of his living hell back at his house, she made him feel at home.
He laid next to her once more, and they started talking about everything and anything. Mainly ranging from what they'd been up to the past two weeks, and throughout their conversation, Sarada was really starting to feel like she was seeing the real Boruto. Kind, genuine, sharp-tongued, and definitely still a tease. But nothing like what he was in public around his friends. He cared about her and her feelings, and her problems, and made it seem like he could fix every single one of them. He hardly ever complained about the big, important things, and in fact was more than willing to do something if someone simply asked. He just put forward a front that made him seem like he was disinterested and unwilling.
The way he spoke of his sister showed that he was gentle and cared deeply for her more than anyone. They had spent a lot of quality time together recently so had grown to know her in this different, more grown up phase of her life. She was going into ninth grade, so high school was a big step for her. Apparently her and Inojin were wanting to call it official, but he didn't want to quite yet because he felt she was still too young. Boruto seemed a little stiff as he talked about his sister and his friend, but glazed past it like nothing was wrong.
Sarada just listened and admired him while he spoke, and the entire time Boruto's fingers didn't stop lightly dusting across her skin. It shot tingles up and down her neck repeatedly.
"So how has it been with your dad, then?" She asked softly. Boruto looked away.
"I don't know, I don't really like talking about it."
Sarada frowned. "Why not?"
Boruto shrugged. "I hate him, but I guess I'm also scared of people judging him. He's still my dad, and even though he's a pretty shitty one, I just hope one day he changes. So I don't want people knowing all the horrible things he's done to my family in case they hold it against him."
Sarada touched behind Boruto's ear softly. "You know I'm the last person to judge someone. My dad isn't perfect either."
Boruto gave her a doubtful look. "Yeah, but is he an alcoholic that swears and physically hurts you?"
"He beats you?" Was the only question Sarada could muster.
"No," Boruto said quickly, "I mean, like, he used to get pretty physical with my mom when me and Hima were little, but then she kicked him out. I'm pretty sure I told you that." Sarada nodded in confirmation. "But since then he hasn't laid a finger on her – he just gets really aggressive with me sometimes. He'll yank me around and push me against walls and stuff when he's mad, but he's never hit me."
"Oh," Sarada said in relief, but she was still on edge about the whole thing. "Um, well, no. My dad has never done that."
Boruto shrugged. "Yeah, see? So I just kinda keep it to myself."
"I mean, like, are you in danger? Aren't you scared of your dad?"
Boruto looked at her and didn't know what to say. He rolled on his back and stared up at the ceiling.
"I'm not in danger, I've been dealing with this since I was little." Boruto brushed off, but then he felt his insides bubbling with emotion, and he swallowed the lump in his throat to try and get it to go away. "And I guess… I kinda am." He said, his voice cracking. "But I wish it wasn't that way. So I guess that's why I have the stupid hope that he'll decide to change. No one wants to be scared of their dad."
Sarada squeezed his hand and rolled onto her back. She never knew Boruto had hope for his dad, she just had always thought he didn't care. But again, she was really seeing the true side of him tonight, and it was really showing her something.
People usually assumed the first heartbreak in someone's life was caused by a young relationship gone bad, or some type of unrequited love. But no, heartbreak could come from all types of persons or situations. Boruto's first heartbreak just happened to be his dad, and it didn't seem like this one would heal any time soon.
"I'm sorry." Sarada said, and Boruto scoffed.
"Don't say sorry."
"Okay, well, what else do you want me to say?" Sarada snipped back, and Boruto squished her cheeks between his fingers.
"Just listen to my horrible sob story and internally pity me." He got really close to her face. She shook his hands off her face and chuckled.
"You're so dumb!"
He laughed and poked one of her sides. Her body twitched and she poked him back. He grabbed her wrist before she could do it again, and held it away from their bodies.
"If you try to tickle me I will throw you off this bed."
Sarada looked very tempted, but also knew better, so swore on her life she wouldn't. After a moment, Sarada thought of something quite sardonic.
"Wait, I'm the girl here, aren't I supposed to have the daddy issues?"
Boruto started laughing. Sarada stared at him.
"What? I'm serious!"
"And I'm the dumb one?" Boruto pulled Sarada closer to him. "No, Sarada. You don't want daddy issues. They're horrible and will have you in therapy for a decade."
Sarada's brows furrowed. "But you're not in therapy–"
"Shh," Boruto covered her mouth. "Just stop talking."
Sarada scowled behind Boruto's palm, and she pulled his grip off of her. They laughed together for a moment before it died down, then another thought crossed Sarada's mind.
"Oh yeah, I was also gonna ask, was there any backlash from the party? Like did anyone get in trouble?"
Boruto let out a long sigh. "Well, my license plate was written down, so the cops came to our house a couple times to get the stories straight. Everyone that they questioned never claimed I was there, though, so that kinda ruled me out. We got lucky – it's not often that happens. I just think someone snitched."
Sarada frowned. "Really?"
"Yeah. But we're both in the clear, so we don't have to worry about it."
Sarada let out a sigh of relief. Well that was good, at least. She didn't want her crystal clear reputation being tarnished somehow. It was her sixteenth birthday, so she was allowed to be crazy just that once, but it wasn't going to become a habit.
Since Boruto had been grounded, her life definitely had seemed a lot more reserved and calm. He brought this untamable energy into her life and always knew how to rock the boat one way or another. He definitely kept things interesting, and it certainly drew Sarada in like a magnet. She had missed that flame beneath her feet telling her to feel more, run faster, push harder, and do everything three times as much as she normally would. It was an intense craving she hadn't known she'd been drowning in since he was gone.
But now that he was here, it was clear to see that she truly had very strong feelings for him, and he made her feel alive.
There was a slight shift of the air between them, and Boruto picked up on it quickly. He looked her features up and down, his eyebrows furrowing as if trying to piece together the puzzle, then asked,
"Can I kiss you?"
Sarada's heart raced, and she smiled.
"I thought you'd never ask."
Boruto grinned, and placed his hand against her cheek, slowly bringing their lips together. It felt just as exhilarating as the first time, Boruto had never felt this way about someone before. She was like that first gulp of fresh air when swimming up from deep waters, or stepping outside after being cooped up inside all day. She kept things fresh, and interesting, and honestly Boruto just couldn't get enough of her.
For some reason, when it came to her, everything was so simple. She made him want to be better, be more integritous, try harder in school, and be someone selfless and thoughtful. He wasn't this because he was being forced; it was because he genuinely, wholeheartedly wanted to.
Their soft kiss turned into something more dramatic, more needy, and Sarada looped her arms around Boruto's neck to pull him closer. He flipped her body so she was underneath him and she gasped, then he nudged her face upwards and his lips strayed from hers, moving to her neck. She let out a breath as his lips caressed her ear, and he smirked.
"What?"
"That tickled." She said breathlessly, and, noted. Boruto was almost tempted to do it again, but instead he moved back to her lips.
"What's the farthest you've gone?" He asked in between a kiss. Sarada paused.
"Um, honestly, this is it."
Well, there was a double edged sword to that. Expected, but also surprising too, since her and Metal had dated, what, four months? Boruto touched their noses together before leaning back on her thighs.
"What's wrong?" Sarada asked, afraid she had said something wrong. Boruto smiled.
"Nothing, I just don't want to take it farther than it needs to go."
Sarada raised a brow, and he huffed.
"What's that look for?" He asked.
"What about you?"
He blinked. "What about me?"
"How far have you gone?"
He should've known she'd throw the question back at him. He had to remember that if he didn't want certain questions asked about himself, don't ask her the same thing. Much to his chagrin, farther than he's ever wanted to go with girls he certainly didn't remember nor cared about, but he didn't want to lie to her.
Begrudgingly, he said, "All the way."
Sarada's eyes widened the slightest bit, but that was about the only reaction he saw.
"With who?"
"I don't think you'd know them." He said hesitantly, taking his body off her and leaning against the wall, his legs bridged over hers. Guaranteed she'd know all of them, this town was small as hell and they all grew up together – but he didn't feel like naming them off one by one. This topic was definitely one he avoided like the plague, but they had come this far; he wasn't going to lie to her. "I've done things with a lot of girls but only slept with three."
Three, Sarada mused. That wasn't too bad, and now what Mitsuki had said a while back made sense. Boruto really didn't hook up with everyone, then. They were all just rumors after all.
Now knowing this, it didn't change the way Sarada viewed him or put any negative feelings towards their possibly developing relationship. She knew for sure she was more than likely not up to par with any other girl that he'd been with, but if that's all he wanted then he would go find an experienced girl who could give that to him since there were obviously plenty.
But, since he was still here, and they'd spent this long together without doing anything other than a kiss here and there, and as of tonight making out for a few seconds, he wasn't in it just to get laid. And that alone was enough confirmation for Sarada that he liked her as a person, not for how good the sex was.
But, she was very curious about one thing. She felt severely awkward bringing it up, but it had been eating at her since last year.
"So...um, with Chocho… what did you guys do?"
Boruto seemed just as uncomfortable as she did. "Pretty much everything but sex. I would've rather broken my leg before sleeping with her."
Sarada was taken aback. "What was so bad about her?"
Boruto sighed, "I don't know, it's like you let a girl touch your dick once and she thinks she owns you. We never actually had sex, she just told people hooked up all the time and I never wanted to fight over it 'cause it would've caused way too much drama."
"So why did you stay in it so long if she was that crazy?" Sarada asked.
"You know, I honestly don't know." Boruto said, laying next to her. "But I don't want to talk about her. She's with Mitsuki now, and it's fine between us. Let's talk about something else."
"Okay," Sarada said, albeit still having a thousand questions running through her mind, "what do you want to talk about?"
"You." He said, a passionate glint in his eyes. "There's just something about you that makes you so different. You see right through me. No one ever has before like you have."
His hand stopped on the small of her back, and she flinched forward, causing her hoodie to move up so his fingers were pressed against her skin, and further pressing their bodies even closer than they were before. There was that expression in Boruto's eyes that she couldn't read again. He pressed his hand flat against her skin. It felt icy cold.
Truly, this girl in front of him was something else. He didn't know how to explain it, but he felt eminently grateful for all that she'd taught him in the time they've spent together not only about life, but himself too. And also for her unwavering, wholehearted advocate for being true to himself.
He'd never had that kind of support in his life growing up. He always had to be the big sibling, the adult one taking care of his little sister, the man of the house while his father was gone, and so on. It got exhausting, and eventually it's what caused him to start spiraling in his never ending resentment for his father. Feeling like he was only being raised with a mother caused bullies to come out from the woodworks, making fun of him for having a deadbeat dad and being a useless addition to this world if he was being raised by a woman because he could never truly become a man.
Then one day, it was as if something had snapped inside of him after being called a slew of insults, and he beat the bullies to a pulp, his fists pounding against their bloody broken noses until he was forcefully yanked off of them by the recess attendant.
After spending all day in the principal's office with a call to both his parents, he was suspended for weeks, then when he came back, was supervised closely at every moment of the day. Any time someone began to bully him, since he wasn't allowed to physically harm anyone, he resorted to words; manipulation, rumors, drama, and blackmail. Anything to destroy self esteem, because his body was able to take all the hits and kicks and spit, but the words were driven deep into his mind. Words are what destroyed him, so he used them to destroy others too.
Eventually, everyone in the whole school knew not to mess with Boruto Uzumaki. Even when he went into middle school, all the upperclassmen knew he was not someone to be trifled with or taken lightly. One off handed comment or strange look and their reputation was done for. Boruto had money, the vocabulary, and enough of a cognitive grasp of how humans' self worth and esteem were measured, especially at their age, and was able to use it to his advantage.
For a long time, it had been him against the world. He had to keep people in place, because if he didn't have control over something in his life, he didn't know what he'd do.
But now, he didn't feel that was as much. It didn't matter to him anymore.
Boruto curled his fingers against Sarada's back, feeling her tense up the slightest bit.
With one last caress, he gently closed the gap between them.
At first, the movements were slow and sensual, then as his hand slowly trailed up her back against her bare skin, she unintentionally pressed against him again, causing a pressure to swell up once more. He had missed her so much, he ached to be closer to her than he already was. If only he could take it further…
Her midriff was exposed, Boruto noticed, as he moved to the side of her face again, trailing his lips down her jawline. He felt her bra strap, and slowly followed the fabric to the wire in front. Sarada's movements became more rigid, and he paused.
"Is this okay?"
Sarada seemed rather conflicted, all sorts of emotions running across her face. Again, he had to remember she'd never gone any further than making out, so he had to take it slow.
Instead of going straight into it like he'd intended, he trailed one finger across the bottom of her bra and up and down her toned stomach to help her adapt to his touch. She didn't seem to have any qualms so far, so he dared to rest his thumb on the padding. She looked nervous, but so far wasn't saying anything.
Slowly, he moved his whole hand on top of it, and her lips parted. Damn, she already looked spaced out and they'd only got to half of first base? It made Boruto eager to keep going further. He wanted to see all the facial expressions Sarada hid from the world and would only show to him in private.
Once teething against her neck, he moved up to kiss her again, positioning her up so his hand could reach the back of her bra. Nimbly, he unclasped the strap, and judging by the look on her face she seemed rather impressed he did it one handed. Even though he was dying to speed things up, he wanted to respect Sarada's experience and take it slow for her. So, he trailed his hand to her side and rested his palm flat against her ribcage. She seemed less hesitant than last time, and even he felt his heart drumming in his chest.
This girl made him feel so many things it almost drove him crazy. She made him happier, more gleeful and thankful for his life than anyone in this world ever had, but she also annoyed the shit out of him and frustrated him to no end. Then, there were other emotions he'd never felt before like a real, genuine connection, and actually missing the presence of someone. Not only did he love spending time with Sarada, but he wanted to spend every moment with her, waking and sleeping. That was only scratching the surface of all these new things she made him feel, but most importantly right now in this moment…
She made him feel uncontrollably horny.
When he moved his hand up, she gasped once he was fully touching her. It was a thrilling experience. To think Sarada had never been touched like this before and Boruto got to be the first – he knew what came with first times, and instead of that scaring him away like usual, he wanted to be her first.
"Are you okay?" He asked, and she smiled.
"Yeah." Was her breathless reply, so Boruto let his hands roam.
He left the hoodie on for her sake, because if he was in charge it would've been thrown across the room the second he crawled through the window. But, he found he liked seeing her dressed in his hoodie and making those facial expressions. From now on, he wanted to lend her any clothes of his she liked, he didn't even care as long as he got to see her in them, and possibly take them off of her. But that came with time.
He was curious to see how far Sarada would allow him to go. He wanted so much more, but would only stick with this for tonight. He didn't want to rush her experience – there was so much more involved once becoming physically intimate. Boruto was almost worried that things may be awkward between them after this. He cared so much about her he didn't want to take it too far to where she couldn't forgive him. It was a fine balance that he knew when to stop and give her time to decide whether it was something she'd like to continue doing or to stop completely.
But at the same time, fuck it. He was horny. All coherent, respectful thoughts were out the window. He wanted a piece of her, now.
He brought his lips down to her stomach, and she flexed impulsively. He never broke contact with his palm and her breast, and Sarada suddenly pieced together what was about to happen.
Boruto looked up at her for permission to continue, and she seemed too dazed to comprehend that this was actually happening right now. She laced her fingers in the back of his hair and closed her eyes, awaiting the unknown pleasure she'd never experienced before.
Boruto took it so slow Sarada almost forced him to hurry up, but at the same time, was grateful he was allowing her to have time to adjust or decline. Her head was spinning, and when his tongue made contact, she gasped silently.
She felt Boruto smirk against her skin, and almost wanted to smack him for being a cheeky bastard, but was too caught up in the pleasure of him gently sucking and licking that she had no idea what to be mad about. After a few moments, he moved to the other side and it was a whole new dish of bliss. This was her first time ever having this done and it was gratifying to the very last moment. She could see herself taking it further, but then logic took over and she knew she wasn't ready yet. She wanted to know that her and Boruto were a sure thing before they did anything else.
But for right now, this damn well was perfectly fine.
He began kissing back down her abdomen again which tickled, and she started giggling. Boruto smiled deviously and pressed his fingers into her sides, making her burst into laughter and writhe beneath him. It was a full blown tickle war after that, and even as much as Sarada attempted, he pinned her down every time. He was much stronger than he looked, Sarada thought it was attractive.
She was on top of him, straddling his hips, the tickle war momentarily subsided, then quickly brought her hands to his sides. He yelped and grabbed her wrists, flipping her on bottom and pinning her hands above her head. A feeling arose inside of Sarada she'd never experienced before, and she wrapped her legs around him and pulled his body to hers. They kissed fervently, tongues swirling together and one of Boruto's hands still pinning both of her wrists, while the other went up her hoodie again.
With all three things happening at once, Sarada gasped for air, about to ask for something, but then another thought became more prominent.
"B-Boruto, when do you have to be home?"
His lips stopped against her neck, and he sat up straight. "Oh shit."
Simultaneously, they both scrambled off her bed, Sarada adjusting her clothes while Boruto climbed out her window onto the garage roof. He poked his head back in and Sarada was too busy fixing her disheveled hair to notice.
"Hey, come here!" He said breathlessly. Sarada approached him slowly and he pulled her in for a kiss.
"I'll see if I can come over again soon." He said. "Bye."
"Bye…?" She was still dazed, and he swiftly climbed down the vines and hopped her side gate.
Sarada's brain was still a mashup of bliss and thoughts and processing said events, and as she fell to her bed, her eyes trailed to the flower lying on her nightstand.
She had no thoughts, just a complete empty head that had one word on repeat:
Wow.