Author's Note: Sorry for the late update, guys! I could've sworn I posted this chapter last week and just now realized I hadn't.
But here it is and I hope you guys enjoy!
Chapter Five: Curveball
ChoCho entered Thunder Burger Saturday night and found Inojin, Mitsuki, and Shikadai sitting at their usual booth as she walked over to join them.
"'Bout time you showed up, Chubs."
"Don't call me that."
"You know I say it with love," Inojin snickered and Shikadai just rolled his eyes.
"I happen to think your chubbiness is beautiful," Mitsuki stated, smiling at the girl next to him. ChoCho blushed at his well-meaning compliment.
"Okay. Let's get to the point already," Shikadai commanded. "What're we gonna do about Boruto and Sarada?"
"Well, I happen to know that Sarada had a not so innocent dream about Boruto the other night," ChoCho said with a smirk.
"She had a sex dream too?"
ChoCho gaped at Mitsuki. "What do you mean 'too'?"
"Boruto had a wet dream about Sarada," Inojin explained.
"That's perfect!" She exclaimed. "That proves it then!"
Shikadai scoffed. "Yeah, it may confirm they definitely don't hate each other, but try telling them that. They're both the most stubborn people I've ever met. And that includes my mother."
"Well, we'll just have to make them see it," ChoCho said matter-of-factly.
"And how do you propose we do that, Chubs?"
The redhead just smiled. "You have a game this Sunday, right Shikadai?"
The boys looked at her inquisitively, interested to find out what sort of plan she was scheming.
"Tell me again why we're here?" Sarada asked ChoCho.
They were in the bleachers behind the pitcher, watching as Konoha's baseball team jogged onto the field and took their positions while the Suna team lined up to bat.
"Because the cheerleading squad doesn't come out to baseball games. So I figured we'd come cheer them on and show our support!" Sarada looked at her skeptically. "Also I lost a bet to Inojin the other day and this was the punishment," she explained with a shrug.
"What was the bet?"
"Oh, he bet me that I couldn't eat ten super spicy jalapeño burgers. You know how I am with spicy foods." She made a face, scrunching her nose up at the thought.
Sarada just smiled. "Why'd he want you to come out here though?"
"Who knows. He's such a little weirdo."
Just then they both heard someone shouting their names.
"ChoCho! Sarada! Hey!"
Mitsuki waved at them as he made his way up the bleachers followed by Inojin, Iwabe, Metal Lee – Captain of the Martial Arts club, and… Boruto.
Sarada's breath caught as she saw her blonde rival. "You didn't tell me he was gonna be here!" She whispered harshly to her friend.
"Those boys are inseparable. Of course he was gonna be here." ChoCho looked at the Uchiha with a curious eyebrow raise. Sarada avoided her accusatory look.
Iwabe came up and took the seat to Sarada's right. "Hey Sarada. What're you doin' here?"
"Believe me, I'd rather not be."
"Oh, don't be like that! You're here because you're my friend and you would never leave me alone with this group of ruffians," ChoCho said, pulling the brunette to her side.
"Get off! It's too hot for that kind of sucking up!" She wasn't really mad at ChoCho. More like nervous. It was like she didn't know how to be around Boruto anymore and it made her feel on edge.
The announcer yelled for the start of the game and the boys soon became engrossed in what was happening on the field.
Sarada sat in the stands jiggling her leg. She was glad that there were four other people between her and Boruto. That's good. I can't even see him, she thought with relief.
But after the first inning, Inojin got up and asked, "anybody want snacks?"
"Oooh! Get me a chili cheese dog. And some nachos!" ChoCho requested.
"Sarada?"
"Just a water, thanks."
"Come on. You guys can help me carry everything," Inojin said, motioning for Iwabe and Metal to follow him.
"How much food do you plan on buyin' where you need the both of us?" They heard Iwabe ask as the boys walked down the stands.
Mitsuki was now the only one separating Sarada from Boruto. She didn't like that she could see his yellow hair so clearly now that the other guys weren't obstructing her view of him. She focused her gaze on the ball diamond, trying to avoid seeing him out of the corner of her eye and struggling.
"I gotta go to the bathroom. I'll be right back," ChoCho stated, standing up to leave. Sarada grabbed her friend's arm, muttering desperately for her not to go. "Relax. You'll be fine. Gosh, Sarada, get a grip," she whispered.
Mitsuki stood up as well. "I gotta go too."
Now it was just Boruto and Sarada.
They were quite a distance away from each other, but they could still feel the awkward air between them. Neither had yet to come to terms with all the things that had had happened that week. Especially their dreams. And they didn't want to accept what their friends kept telling them about how they each felt about the other. It was just too preposterous.
Boruto was staring off to the side, trying not to look at the girl to his left. And Sarada was twiddling her thumbs as her leg continued to bounce anxiously.
"Would you stop moving your leg," Boruto demanded after awhile. "You're making the whole seat shake."
"Well then, maybe you should go sit somewhere else," she retorted.
Sarada was surprised when he didn't give her a snappy comeback, instead standing up and marching over to her. He stopped right in front of her, the fabric of his cargo shorts brushing up against her exposed legs from her own short shorts. And then suddenly both of his hands were on the tops of her thighs, his body leaning over her small frame, effectively immobilizing her.
"Stop it. It's infuriating," he growled. He stared down at her, his annoyance making him unaware of the position he just put them in.
Sarada's breath caught. She stared back, her eyes wide and her face feeling like it was on fire.
A blush dusted over Boruto's cheeks as he realized what he was doing and his fingers reflexively flexed on her thighs, his gaze still trapped with Sarada's.
Sarada gasped as he squeezed her, the feel of his strong hands on her making her heart pound. The sound of her gasp went straight to Boruto's groin, making him groan low in the back of his throat.
Shikadai was chugging some water when he saw ChoCho and Mitsuki waving to get his attention. "Hey. How's it going up there?" He asked conspiratorially through the fence behind the dugout.
They all three looked up to see Boruto standing in front of Sarada with his hands on her thighs, their foreheads almost touching with how close he was leaning over her.
"That's bold of him," ChoCho said, slightly shocked.
Out of the corner of his eye, Shikadai saw the others coming back towards the bleachers with their snacks. "No! Dammit!" He muttered, not wanting them to interrupt what was happening between the Uchiha and his best friend.
They continued to watch the pair up in the stands. The two hadn't moved an inch. And they didn't seem to have any idea the rest of the group was making their way back from the concession stand. They held their breath, only able to observe.
After what felt like an eternity, Sarada finally spoke.
"Please take your hands off me."
Boruto blinked at her. She had said it so meekly. There wasn't the usual venom behind her words and it unnerved him. He immediately released her and stepped away, going back to his spot at the end of the bleacher. Sarada could still feel the heat of his hands on her thighs. Neither said a word about what just transpired.
Iwabe and the others returned then. Boruto and Sarada both let out a silent breath of relief, glad their friends hadn't caught them in their previous compromising position.
"Here's your water, Sarada."
"Thanks," she mumbled quietly, accepting the bottle Iwabe handed her.
His eyes scanned her and Boruto curiously. "Anything happen while we were gone?"
"No," they both said, a little too quickly, making Iwabe smirk. But he left it alone.
Inojin sent his three friends down below an apologetic look for having come back so soon, sure they had just ruined a potential moment.
—
The game ended with Konoha winning 11/7.
The team had decided on celebratory burgers and that is how Sarada found herself squeezed into a booth with ChoCho, Mitsuki, Inojin, Shikadai, Iwabe, Metal, Denki – the team's student manager, and of course, Boruto.
Sarada was against the window, ChoCho to her right and Boruto in front of her. Iwabe, Metal, and Denki all sat in chairs brought up toward the table while the others claimed the rest of the booth seats. The entire restaurant had been completely taken over by both members of the Konoha and Suna baseball teams.
"That was a good game," Denki said.
"Sure was!" Iwabe shouted, thumping both Shikadai and the manager on the backs.
They chattered animatedly about the saves and outs and fouls of the day's game, but Sarada wasn't listening. She just stared out the window, watching people walk along the street or go in and out of shops. She knew her friends purposefully sat her in front of Boruto – it would've been too obvious to try to sit them next to each other – that way she couldn't easily avoid him. But hell if she wouldn't try.
Boruto had long since drowned out the noise around him. He was picking at his half eaten french fries, ignoring his friends as they discussed the intricacies of Shikadai's performance today, something he would've normally jumped in on to give his opinions. But he just didn't feel like it, his brain too consumed by the girl sitting in front of him.
What the fuck was I thinking?! He couldn't believe he touched her like that. And that damn gasp again! He couldn't help but remember how soft her skin was. How warm she felt. How big he seemed compared to her. He hadn't really realized how tiny she was. Until he was leaning over her, his hands gripping her thighs.
He put his head in his hands, cringing at the memory. At how she had to ask him to let go of her because his self-control had gone out the window apparently, his brain short-circuiting so he hadn't been able to move.
He blamed her. Her and that ridiculously sinful gasping of hers.
"Hey Boruto, you alright?" Metal asked him, bringing him out of his thoughts.
"Yeah. I just got a headache. It's stupid loud in here."
He caught the movement of Sarada out of the corner of his eye. Her head turned slightly toward him, looking at him from the side while her chin still rested on her palm. He shouldn't find the pose so inviting.
"I'm gonna head home. I think the heat got to me today," he said, trying to shove the others out of the booth so he could leave. But they wouldn't budge so he ended up just standing on the vinyl seat and jumping over the table. "I'll see you guys later."
"What's gotten into him?"
His best friends just shared a look then shrugged.
Sarada watched Boruto exit the restaurant and traipse down the street. She saw how he bowed his head as he walked, his shoulders hunched. Maybe he really was sick… She hated how she felt so concerned for Boruto's wellbeing.
—
When Boruto opened the front door to his house, he was barely able to call "I'm home!" before his little sister was barreling toward him.
"Boruto!" She screamed as she launched herself at him, hugging him around the middle.
"Gosh Hima, you're getting too old to be doing that!" He ground out, having trouble breathing as she squeezed him.
She ignored what he'd said and looked up at him with those big, round eyes of hers. "Guess what! Dad's home!"
Boruto's eyes grew wide as his mother and father came around the corner and smiled at them. His dad hadn't been home this early in probably months, so it really was a surprise to see him. And he hadn't really been around since their talk the other night.
"Dad…"
"Come on you two," Naruto said, looking lovingly at his kids. "Let's sit down for dinner before the food gets cold."
Himawari and Boruto smiled at each other, neither able to hide the excitement at actually having a meal with their entire family present.
"I'll be home for the next three weeks. Forced vacation," Naruto explained while they ate. He looked toward his wife with a small smile on his face, knowing she had had something to do with his counsel members telling him to take time off.
"That's awesome, daddy!"
"You're way too old to be calling him that," Boruto told his sister. She just stuck her tongue out at him.
Naruto placed his hand over his wife's and smiled at her again as they listened to their children bicker across the table. He hadn't experienced this in ages and it brought him so much joy. This time with his family was long overdue.
Boruto and Naruto cleaned up after dinner since Hinata and Himawari did all the cooking. He also suspected his mother just wanted to give her boys some father-son bonding time.
"So how's school going?" Naruto asked. He cringed inwardly at how old and awkwardly-dad-like he sounded.
"Fine."
He looked over as Boruto dried a spoon and put it in the drawer.
"Did anyone give you much trouble when you went back?"
"I mean the rumors were flying of course, but I just brushed them off. And practice had been rough."
"And did you end up talking to Sarada?" Naruto watched his son's cheeks turn pink at his question.
"No," he said as he bowed his head.
Naruto just smiled at his son's bashfulness. "Well, I'm sure you guys will work things out eventually." He went back to scrubbing at the dishes in the sink.
It was quiet for a beat before Boruto said, "hey dad. Can I ask you a favor?"
"Sure."
"Can I stay home tomorrow? I'm just not feeling all that great."
Naruto inspected his son. He did look a little pinkish. But he had other suspicions as to why his son was trying to get out of going to school. And being sick wasn't one of them. "Okay."
Boruto looked up at his old man. He hadn't expected it to be that easy.
"On one condition."
Spoke too soon.
"You tell me the real reason you want to stay home."
Boruto fidgeted under his father's gaze. "I just… need time to process some things."
"Well, lucky for you, I'm here."
Boruto looked up at his dad confused.
"I'd be more than happy to help my beloved son through the trials and tribulations of teenager-dom!"
Boruto rolled his eyes at the ridiculousness of that statement.
He wasn't sure if he should be thankful for his dad's offer or if he should just tell him to forget about it. He felt apprehensive and embarrassed and just plain weirded out at the prospect of telling his dad his troubles – you know, the usual things a teenager feels when their parent offers to talk.
What he did know was that understanding, goofy smile of the old man's was bordering on creepy.
—
Boruto didn't show up to school on Monday.
"Guess he really had been sick." Sarada overheard the guys talking. Her chest felt weird. She took out her notebook and started reviewing to take her mind off it, chalking it up to anything other than her possibly being worried about Boruto.
A/N: Things are getting interesting! Did ChoCho's plan work?
Also, I really can't resist writing these father/son moments. I just love the Sunshine family so much!
I'm just a sweet cinnamon roll so please be kind :)
