Sarada's first impression was that the Konoha Hurricanes stadium was ten times nicer than that of the university, but then again it could be because the ticket Boruto sent her granted her access to the VIP floor where special box suites were located. She walked down the hallway lined with autographed memorabilia, framed news articles, and photographs. She double-checked the suite number Boruto texted her and then walked inside.
Sarada's eyes widened as she took in the luxury of the suite. Plush leather seats with cup holder armrests, more akin to couches than traditional stadium seating faced out a huge window-like opening that gave the perfect view of the bright ice rink. A pair of tv screens were mounted on opposite walls and playing coverage of the game which felt a bit redundant, but Sarada supposed that no matter where you stood in the suite you could always have a clear view of the action.
She didn't think she was late, the game hadn't started, but everyone else already seemed to be there. Boruto, Sumire, and a few of the guys she recognized from the hockey team.
Sarada was dressed in an oversized, long-sleeved Konoha Hurricanes shirt, a tight pair of jeans, and some boots. She felt fine about the way she looked when left her house but suddenly felt frumpy compared to Sumire's exceptionally styled outfit and hair. Why she even cared, Sarada didn't know.
"Hi, Sarada," Sumire greeted, jumping up and surprising Sarada with a hug.
"Hey," she smiled. "Cute outfit."
"Thank you!" Sumire beamed as she hit an adorable little pose. "I like your shirt!"
Sarada looked down at herself. That was a pretty generous compliment considering the shirt she was wearing was much too big for her small frame and a rather masculine design. "Thanks, it's actually Boruto's, though," she chuckled.
Sumire's smile faltered, but she didn't get a chance to reply because Boruto walked over and threw an arm around Sarada's shoulders. "You made it!"
"I made it," Sarada repeated, smiling as she observed Boruto, who had to have been at least a few drinks in already.
"Of course, you know Sumire, then we have Shikadai, Iwabe, and Denki," Boruto said as he pointed out the boys in the room.
"Sup," Shikadai waved. Iwabe lifted his beer in greeting.
"It's nice to meet you!" Denki called.
Boruto turned her around to face a small kitchenette in the back of the suite, the counter lined with various snacks. "Help yourself to anything you want. We got all sorts of food, and beer on tap, but if you want anything in particular just let me know and I'll order it, alright?" he smiled.
"Cool," Sarada nodded before walking over to grab herself a drink and inspect the snack selection. The boys had returned their attention to the ice as the lights in the arena dimmed to announce the starting line up for each team. Sumire grabbed Boruto's hand and pulled him over to the seating area.
Sarada followed shortly after with a beer and a plate full of fries. The loud music hyped up the crowd as a booming voice announced the Hurricanes players. Everyone cheered especially loud when Naruto's name was called, it was obvious he was a crowd favorite.
The game began and Sarada tried to follow along with the action. Her comprehension of the game was still pretty low, but she still enjoyed all the upbeat songs that played over the arena's loudspeakers and crowds chanting.
Each time she glanced over at Boruto, Sumire was scooting closer and closer until she was just sitting right on his lap. The two of them kept whispering to each other and the frequency of Sumire's giggles was grating on Sarada's nerves.
There was no way whatever Boruto was saying was that funny.
Sarada told herself to not let them annoy her, that she should just enjoy the game and the free booze.
She tried to chime into Shikadai and Iwabe's conversation but their comments about the game were full of jargon and referring to players Sarada wasn't familiar with. Thankfully they tried to include her, explaining different aspects of the game and why people in the crowd were cheering.
It quickly became apparent that she wouldn't be hanging out with Boruto much that evening with Sumire monopolizing his attention.
Sarada contemplated starting her own personal drinking game, every time Sumire cooed some exaggerated comment about how funny or cute Boruto was, take a sip. She would be shit faced in no time.
Sarada rolled her eyes, she didn't know why she was being so petty.
She pushed up from her seat the moment she noticed her drink was empty and walked back toward the kitchenette where all the food and drinks were, surprised to find a girl with long indigo hair. She was stacking a plate full of all the snacks and Sarada vaguely wondered if she snuck in there just to steal their food.
The girl turned around at the sound of Sarada's footsteps. She was young, probably still in high school. Her eyes, the same shade of blue as Boruto's, brightened as they noticed her. "You must be Sarada!" she grinned.
"Yeah… Hi," Sarada replied, surprised not only that this girl knew who she was but was able to identify her. Then again she probably knew the others in the room and it was just a process of elimination.
"From your expression, I can tell you don't know who I am, which means he never mentioned me! How rude!" she cried, but then laughed in the same carefree way Boruto always did.
It didn't take a genius to deduce she was his sister.
"Himawari Uzumaki," she introduced.
"It's nice to meet you," Sarada replied, about to introduce herself back when she remembered that Himawari already knew her name. "How did you know who I was?"
"Is that really so surprising?" Himawari chuckled as she added another snack to the collection building on her plate. "You guys are together all the time for figure skating practice, of course, your name would come up."
Sarada's eyebrows rose in surprise. When she had asked, Boruto acted like he wasn't going to tell a soul about him figure skating, and yet Himawari mentioned it like it was nothing new.
"You know about him being my figure skating partner?" Sarada asked, her voice lowered.
"Oh, of course," Himawari said as she turned to face her. "Boruto had tried to complain to me when you first sent him that schedule, but don't worry I set him straight," she winked. "I told him if he made a promise to you, he can't go back on his word!"
Himawari grinned before adding, "that's something we say in our family."
Sarada couldn't help the genuine smile that spread across her lips. Himawari was super sweet and Sarada was desperate for someone to talk to. The boys were wrapped up in the game and Boruto and Sumire were wrapped up in each other.
"Are you staying and hanging out with us?" she asked, hoping she would.
"Oh no, I actually prefer to sit center ice, that way I can be right next to the glass when my daddy smashes guys against the wall," Himawari beamed.
Sarada was slightly disturbed by how cutesy she said something so violent.
"Hima! Why didn't you say anything when you came in?!"
Sarada and Himawari both turned to see Boruto approaching them. He scooped Himawari up in a big hug and she let out a cheerful laugh as he lifted her feet off the ground.
When he set her down, Himawari eyed Sumire who was still sitting on the couch watching the game. "Oh, you know how I hate to interrupt you and one of your million girlfriends," she teased.
Boruto gasped, pretending to be scandalized. "You know you're my number one girl!"
"Yeah, yeah!" Himawari giggled with a dismissive wave. Sarada watched as Boruto and his little sister interacted, thrown just by how sweet he was to her.
Boruto looked at Himawari's plate. "Did you want me to order anything specific for you?"
Sarada immediately recognized the mischief that sparkled in Himawari's blue eyes. "Well you could order me... a strawberry margarita," she said, batting her eyelashes sweetly. Boruto frowned.
"Hima," he warned. "You know mom would kill me if she found out I was buying you alcohol."
"Fine, be lame then," she sighed as she flipped her indigo locks over her shoulder. Himawari grabbed her plate and a bottled water before strolling out of the suite. Boruto stared at the door she exited, pursing his lips in contemplation.
Sarada was about to speak up and say he made the responsible decision when Boruto strode over to a phone hanging on the wall.
"Hi, yes, this is suite 707. Can I get a pitcher of strawberry margarita and a to-go cup please?" Sarada's mouth fell open. "...yeah, just put it on the tab… thank you."
Boruto turned to find Sarada's shocked expression. "What?"
"You just told her no and then completely reneged on the decision!"
"I don't want to be lame!" he defended as if that was a justified reason. Sarada just laughed and shook her head. She could hardly believe what a doting brother he was, literally just folding to Himawari's every whim.
A server came into the room with his order a few minutes later, and Boruto carefully poured the cocktail into the to-go cup to disguise it as a soda.
"Walk with me?" he asked with a nod of his head toward the door.
Sarada shrugged, following him out of the suite and down a long escalator to the bottom-most floor of the massive arena. As they navigated through the hallways it was obvious he knew his way around. Blazer-clad security guards eyed them, but Boruto pulled some special badge out of his pocket and they immediately moved out of the way.
They found Himawari sitting center ice, and Sarada was quick to understand the appeal. It was right up in the action and being surrounded by the other cheering fans really added to the energy and experience of the game.
Himawari beamed at an approaching Boruto as he held out the cup. "What's this?" she asked innocently.
"You know what it is," Boruto replied with a straight face. Her smile grew wider as she reached for the cup, but he pulled it away at the last second. "What am I?" he asked.
"The bestest, coolest big brother a girl could dream of," Himawari replied. Boruto smiled and finally handed her the drink.
"And don't you forget it!" he said with a wink.
Sarada was still laughing to herself as they got back on the escalator up toward the suite level. She couldn't believe Boruto, who walks around like he's hot shit, would do anything just to get his little sister to confirm he's cool. "You're so lame," she muttered, even though she found it kind of sweet.
Boruto placed his hand on the railing behind her and leaned in close as they made their slow ascent. "What? Are you trying to get me to buy you a drink too, Sarada?" he smirked, blue eyes observing her features.
Sarada exhaled a small laugh as she met his gaze. She didn't bother to take the bait, and for some reason, she didn't protest his proximity.
When she didn't reply right away, Boruto spoke up again. "Did you notice this is the first time you've hung out with me without me having to use a request?"
Sarada's expression shifted from amused to surprised. She actually hadn't noticed, but she was determined to play off any interest he was suggesting she had in him. "It was only because I was curious about the difference between college and professional hockey," she lied. "And it's not like you and I are really hanging out anyway."
"What? Are you jealous or something?" he asked with a raised brow. The corner of his mouth curved up. "Did you want to sit on my lap, Sarada?"
"Oh please." Sarada rolled her eyes with a scoff. "Are you even hearing yourself? Not every girl wants you, Boruto."
"I didn't say every girl wants me, I just said that you did."
Dark eyes narrowed, as Sarada schooled her features to express how ludicrous a claim that was, but Boruto just maintained that smug grin of his.
Suddenly, Sarada stumbled as the escalator ended and she mentally chided herself for getting so lost in Boruto's gaze that she wasn't paying attention. He helped steady her with a hand on her waist.
"Are you always this clumsy? Or do you just get nervous when you're with me?" he teased.
"You wish," Sarada scoffed.
The moment they walked back into the suite, Sarada noticed the way Sumire's head whipped around to look at them. "Where'd you two run off to?"
She said it with a smile and a light tone, but Sarada knew from Sumire's questions that one day at Boruto's practice that she was threatened by their relationship. Sarada didn't know why it was so hard for Sumire to believe that she wasn't interested in pursuing Boruto romantically.
"We just went to-" Sarada began, but Boruto interrupted her with a finger to her lips.
"Sarada needed to go to the bathroom, so I went to show her where it was," he answered.
Sarada stared at him for a moment, confused why he felt the need to lie, but then again maybe the fewer people who knew that Boruto was out here providing alcohol to a minor was for the better.
"Right," Sarada said, turning back to Sumire. "I get lost so easily."
She could tell from Sumire's expression that she knew that was a lie. The bathroom was just down the hall and they were gone for a while, but she didn't argue.
Boruto was quick to change the subject ushering Sumire back over to the seating area. "So what'd I miss? What's the score?"
Sarada grabbed her glass off the counter of the suite's kitchenette, having forgotten about her refill when she met Himawari. She pulled the lever and watched as the beer from the draft filled her tilted glass, hoping it was the right angle to prevent too much foam, but having mild success.
Sarada sipped at her drink, leaning against the counter and wondering if it was Boruto's intention to make Sumire jealous of her.
But what would be the point of that? Sumire was already so infatuated with him. Then again, based on their conversation on the escalator, it was possible Boruto was trying to make her jealous of Sumire.
She snorted a laugh before taking another swig of beer. 'Good luck with that one, Boruto,' Sarada thought to herself. There was no way she would get jealous over him.
Spirits were high as the game ended and the Konoha Hurricanes brought home the victory. As the fans began filling out of the stadium, Boruto and his friends hung back in their VIP suite waiting for the crowds to thin out.
"Look who's here!" Himawari called as she burst through the door of the suite, hanging on Naruto's arm.
"Hey! You guys enjoy the game?" Naruto grinned. He looked freshly showered with his slightly damp hair and he was dressed in a Hurricanes tracksuit.
Sumire, Shikadai, Iwabe, and Denki launched into a chorus of praises of Naruto's performance in the game and gratitude for renting out this suite for them. Sarada didn't know enough about hockey to give a real compliment, so she settled on, "I had a lot of fun!"
She couldn't help but smile at Naruto's humble replies and how he said he was happy to pay for Boruto's friends to come watch the game in style.
Everyone subtly looked to Boruto, who was leaning up against the back of the couch with his arms crossed over his chest, waiting for him to chime in. "You were alright," he shrugged at his father.
Sarada shot him a strange look. Even with her limited knowledge of hockey, it was obvious Naruto was the star player of the team, but Naruto didn't seem bothered by the comment and laughed, "Boruto has always been my toughest critic!"
The others chuckled like that was a well-known joke.
"Fine! You were good... for an old man," he added under his breath.
"What was that, Boruto?!" Naruto said, stepping forward with a challenging smile. "How about you say that to me again after I slap you around on the ice?"
Boruto stood up straight to meet his father's height and scoffed. "I like to see you try, old man!"
"Now, now, let's settle down!" Himawari interrupted with a hand on both their chests. Sarada had a feeling she regularly played referee in these two's arguments. "Daddy, did you get to meet Sarada Uchiha?"
Naruto's face brightened as he turned to her and smiled. "Oh, of course, Sasuke's daughter, the figure skater."
"Yeah, hi," Sarada nodded, somewhat surprised he was well aware of who she was. "But I'm sure my dad wished I played hockey though," she joked offhandedly.
"Pfft, I couldn't imagine you playing hockey," Boruto snorted.
"You're lucky I don't play hockey, or I'd be teaming up with your dad here to slap you around the ice, Boruto!" Sarada declared with a glare in Boruto's direction.
Naruto snickered at her comeback before his voice softened, saying, "Sarada, you don't have to play hockey to impress him, your dad is already so proud of you."
Sarada couldn't help but blush as she absorbed his words.
She knew her dad loved her, maybe even that he was proud of her. But Sasuke wasn't really the type to go around making those declarations all the time. The idea that he told his friends that he's proud of her, made her heart so happy.
"Thanks, Mr. Uzumaki."
"Oh please, call me Naruto," he said. His warm smile was so infectious that Sarada could help herself from smiling back just as big. "By the way, Boruto isn't giving you too much trouble is he?"
"Dad!" Boruto protested, a hint of embarrassment coloring his cheeks.
"Oh, he gives me trouble every damn day!" Sarada laughed and Naruto grinned watching as she and Boruto made faces at each other.
A/N: thank you so much for reading! this one has probably been one of my favorite chapters to write so far, I can't wait to hear what you guys think! I so appreciate your comments and words of encouragement! they help keep me motivated to write and update frequently!
