Sarada smiled when Inojin accepted her movie invitation. With their bellies full and studies out of the way, she wanted to have fun, tonight. "Come on; let's go!"
Without thinking too much about it and completely missing Inojin's wide-eyed discomfort, she pulled him up from his seat, looped her arm around his, and took the lead.
Even with Cho Cho gone, her words still haunted Inojin. Looking at Sarada, he started noticing things that he hadn't noticed before: her lips looked a little fuller; her eyes looked a little deeper; and her hair looked a little softer. The weight of her arm around his felt comfortable and supportive, and he caught himself wondering why a girl like her would attach herself to him. She'd already experienced a part of life that was still beyond him, but according to Cho Cho he was next on the menu.
'Keep cool,' he thought, 'Don't make it weird.'
"I can't remember the last time I went to the theater," said Sarada, "I don't even know what's playing, right now."
"Hopefully there won't be anyone making out," replied Inojin. 'Idiot!'
Sarada burst out laughing, "Don't worry, I wasn't planning on dragging you to a romance. I'm not in the mood for that, anyway."
"Oh, right!" replied Inojin a little too quickly. He looked off to the side, blushing toward the ground. "We can...see something scary. I mean, if you want to! And if you're nice I might even let you hold my hand."
Sarada stopped in her tracks and let go of his arm. She threw her hands over her mouth and feigned shock.
"What?" he asked, completely caught off guard.
"Oh. My. God." Sarada looked side-to-side in an exaggerated motion, "Are you telling me...that THE Inojin Yamanaka...Konoha's resident sensitive art boy...is actually going to let a little nobody like me hold his hand? ME?!" Sarada started fanning herself.
"Well, I know how you are, so it can't be helped." Inojin felt his jaw clench and put one hand on his hip and ran the other over his hair, trying to look aloof. "Unlike some people, I give back to my community," he joked.
Sarada fell into another bout of laughter and lifted her glasses to wipe away the tears. "This is why I love you," she said, trying to calm herself down. Inojin laughed with her - all his worries suddenly felt miles away. He re-offered her his arm, and she wrapped herself around it once more, this time leaning on his shoulder while they walked. It was nice.
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The mission...
Sitting amongst the branches of a well-manicured tree just a short distance away were the girls, a.k.a. Red Team. Cho Cho was positioned to send and receive signals from Blue Team while Wasabi and Namida were facing the opposite direction and absolutely gushing over how Sarada interacted with Inojin. Wasabi had her cat cloak activated and was in charge of listening in.
"OhmygodOhmygodOhmygod!" she exclaimed, grabbing at Namida's hands, "She just dropped the 'L' word!"
Namida gasped. "Do you think she'll ask us to be bridesmaids?"
Cho Cho rolled her eyes and pushed the button on her earpiece.
"Blue Team, this is Red Team. Do you copy?"
"Blue Team copies, Red," replied Denki, "We're securing a gift, now-"
Cho Cho interrupted him. "Forget it," she said, "Tell Boruto if he still wants to shoot his shot then he needs to intercept them before they get nice and cozy in a dark movie theater. Inojin is smoother than I thought."
"On it!" replied Denki, and that was the end of their communication.
With that out of the way, Cho Cho signaled to Wasabi and Namida, and the three girls dispersed.
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
To the theater!
If anyone had told Sarada, yesterday, that she would be spending an entire day with Inojin - and having fun - she would've thought they were on something. But now that she was here, arm-in-arm in the public eye with one of her oldest friends, she felt content.
Guys and girls can absolutely be just friends, but Sarada wasn't stupid. She knew what it looked like when she and Inojin walked side-by-side by themselves. So maybe that's why she leaned into it - owned it - and why she also felt relief when Cho Cho was available to join them for dinner. If any onlookers wanted to make assumptions, then she would make sure she controlled the narrative.
It didn't have to be anything. She was just enjoying spending time with him. In the back of her mind, Sarada promised herself that she'd make more of an effort to hang out with him in the future because he really was a cool guy.
Unbeknownst to Sarada, however, Inojin's short sting of confidence had faltered, and he was currently having another argument with himself while on the verge of a panic attack.
'Does my breath smell? What do I do with my hands? Am I walking too slow? Am I walking too fast? Is she having a good time?'
The movie theater then came into sight, and he let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding. The two of them were about to get in line for tickets when a green blur suddenly slid across the ground in front of them, kicking up a trail of dust and stopping them in their tracks. The rapid, unexpected movement caused Sarada to squeak and stumble. Inojin grabbed her waist before she fell down.
"Hey, Metal, watch where you're going!" he yelled. A shocked Metal stuttered an apology.
"I-I'm s-sorry! I-I do-don't know what I-I was th-thinking!"
The poor boy looked like he was about to dry heave from embarrassment.
Denki arrived on the scene shortly after. When he caught up to his teammate, he doubled over, rested his hands on his knees and started breathing hard.
"Metal, I...told you...to wait...for me," he panted.
Iwabe suddenly swooped in from the other direction and addressed his partners in crime. "Oi! Did you find 'em, yet?"
"Find who?" asked Sarada. She had let go of Inojin and was adjusting her glasses. Iwabe froze in place and his face paled.
"Oh, um, Boruto! That's right, we were looking for Boruto! He was just with us, but we got separated and, uh, have you seen him around anywhere?"
"Not since this morning," bit Sarada with a slight frown on her face. "Is he still being a prick?" A moment of silence passed, but before it got too awkward she sighed and quickly changed subjects. "Are you guys here to catch a movie, too?"
"Yes!" replied Iwabe, "We are! Boys' night out, and all that, haha."
Inojin pouted, "Gee, thanks for the invite."
'Crap!' thought Iwabe. He rubbed the back of his head. "Oh, well, we knew you were busy today and didn't want to bother you. No hard feelings?"
"Well, I don't see Shikadai or Mitsuki anywhere, either, so I guess I can forgive you."
Iwabe was about to reply when the last member of their group finally arrived.
"Phew! There you guys are. Sorry I'm late I just, ah, well, you know!" laughed Boruto.
Sarada started to throw a glare in his direction, but it was cut short and replaced by a look of surprise.
"Boruto, is that you?" asked Sarada, inspecting his new outfit piece by piece. "What's the occasion? You got a date or something?"
"Well," he crossed his arms over his chest, "I guess that depends on you."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Sarada raised a brow.
"Oh, nevermind. I'm uh- I'm just trying out a new look. Too much?"
"Well, it explains why you're the only one dressed up," she said.
Boruto grinned in response and Inojin eyed him suspiciously.
"So, what movie are you seeing?" asked Boruto.
"We're not sure, yet. Kind of decided on a whim," replied Sarada.
"Well, do you want to join us?" Boruto asked hopefully. Sarada pushed her glasses up her nose.
"I wouldn't want to intrude on Boys' Night," she said. Boruto looked past her, confused. Iwabe's rapid hand signals helped him connect the dots well enough.
"And I," said Inojin, "wouldn't want to crash a party I wasn't invited to, but don't worry! Can confirm that Sarada is a much better date than any of you."
Inojin grabbed Sarada's hand and the two of them got in line. Refusing to be tossed aside so easily, Boruto and company followed suit and slipped in line behind the pair before anyone else could cut in and separate them.
"Actually," said Boruto, "I'm kind of surprised to see you two here. I figured you'd be busy all day." He was testing the waters.
"Things finished a little earlier than expected so here we are," replied Sarada.
"Inojin finished early?" said Boruto, "Why am I not surprised?" He smirked.
Inojin's jaw dropped as he turned around to look at Boruto with a mix of shock and offense. Sarada didn't seem to notice the jab and looked at Boruto, unimpressed.
"That's a little condescending coming from someone who always finishes first."
With the flip of a switch, the boys' roles were reversed. Boruto's eyes widened in horror, and Inojin stood taller and grinned mischievously, feeling victorious. Sarada paid no mind to their exchanges.
'I swear,' she thought, 'he was always the first one to finish his tests at the academy, and now he turns in mission reports like they're nothing. For someone so smart he sure has a bad attitude toward anyone that actually puts in the extra work.'
She ignored the growing atmosphere of awkward tension thickening behind her and kept her eyes forward, studying the different movie titles on the board until they reached the ticket booth.
"Two for The Tilted Room, please," she said, and she fished out her wallet to pay. With tickets in hand, Sarada and Inojin didn't bother to wait for anyone else and headed inside to get in line for snacks.
"You know I was joking about seeing a scary movie, right?" asked Inojin.
"I know," she replied, "but gorey horror is different from psychological horror - I should be ok. Besides, I remember seeing the trailer for it on TV." She put her finger on her chin and recalled the memory. "Plane crashes and haunted video games in a found footage format, all hidden behind the guise of a wealthy businesswoman." Sarada smiled, and her smile made Inojin feel warmer in the chest than he was ready to admit.
"What's this movie about, anyway?" asked Boruto, coming up behind them and staring blankly at his ticket.
"You bought tickets without even bothering to ask?" Inojin frowned.
"Hey, we came here on a whim, just like you!" spat Boruto as the members of Team 5 joined them in the lobby. "And what's the deal with Sarada buying your ticket? I thought you were on a date." Inojin blushed and was about to say something, but Sarada cut in.
"Well," said Sarada, "If you must know, I bought his ticket because he did something for me, so now I'm doing something for him. Honestly Boruto, just when I thought you were done being an ass for the day-"
Sarada wasn't able to finish her thought as the couple in line in front of them disappeared and the cashier waved for the next customer. Boruto was tempted to follow them and show up Inojin by buying whatever Sarada wanted, but deep down he knew it would make her uncomfortable. So he settled for watching the pair like a hawk until it was his turn in line.
Snacks and drinks in hand, Sarada and Inojin went ahead of their other friends to find seats. Her eyes lit up when she entered the nearly packed theater.
"There's WAY more people here than I thought there'd be!" she exclaimed, "This movie must be really good!" Sarada skipped up the stairs, and Inojin was unnaturally concerned with her tripping over herself in excitement. Luckily, they found some empty seats toward the top, but unluckily for their impromptu group there were never more than three seats in a row available. Sarada and Inojin squeezed through one of the rows, and made themselves comfortable. Boruto, Iwabe, Metal, and Denki had ascended the stairs on the opposite side of the theater. Iwabe patted Boruto on the back, and the two exchanged a knowing nod. Boruto entered the row where Sarada and Inojin were, and the Team 5 boys settled in about two rows above them.
"Mind if I sit here?" asked Boruto, pointing to the empty seat next to Sarada. Sarada and Inojin looked up at him.
"It's a public place, sit where you want," said Sarada cooly, sipping on her water.
"...Right," replied Boruto, and he sat down. The air suddenly felt awkward, again.
Sarada sighed and turned to him. "I'm sorry," she said, "You've been rubbing me the wrong way-"
Inojin choked on his water.
"-all day, and you've obviously got something on your mind. Want to talk about it?" Sarada reached over and gripped Boruto's hand, squeezing it for reassurance. She looked genuinely concerned, and Boruto felt a small blush creep onto his cheeks while an army of butterflies throttled his insides. He adjusted his gaze downward and twiddled his thumbs, trying to find the right words.
"Well…" he began. The room suddenly darkened.
"Shh!" Sarada's attention immediately shifted and her eyes were already glued to the screen. And just as quickly as her hand was on his, it was gone. Their fellow movie-goers in the room all simultaneously quieted down with the dimming lights.
The movie was...intense...to say the least. It started out harmlessly enough, but as time went on the glitches became grittier, and the characters and their realities became more warped and complicated. Popcorn went flying when the first jump scare popped up, and Sarada latched on to both of her seatmates' hands in a death grip until the sudden rush of adrenaline dissipated. Both men immediately lost interest in the movie during this moment, catching each other's gazes in a sort of mini standoff. Sarada eventually let go of them, and ran her hands over her face, patting down her cheeks and snapping herself out of whatever trance she was in. Regardless, her attention remained fully focused on the screen. Boruto had to give her credit; she was handling herself remarkably well given her history with horror films.
Then they got toward the end of the film.
Sarada felt sick. Even though the movie was advertised as a psychological thriller, there was still a significant amount of blood, and the montage of faceless characters that were cutting out their own eyeballs with a kunai sat a little too close to home for her. She needed air. Before she could tap out and jump from her seat, however, she felt a pair of arms wrap themselves around her, pull her into a warm embrace, and cradle her. Boruto had instinctively reached out and shielded Sarada's view of the screen until the self-harm scenes had passed.
Inojin, on the other hand, was wide-eyed and tight-lipped, had his palm pressed against his heart, feet digging into the floor, and looked like he was trying to put as much space as possible between himself and the screen.
Sarada's heart rate calmed in conjunction with the rest of the audience's verbal cues, and she didn't so much as bat an eye when she stayed cuddled into Boruto's side for the remainder of the film. When things got too much, her safety net was just a quarter-turn away.
Boruto shifted them into a more comfortable position, and smiled.
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A/N: I just want to reiterate how much fun I'm having with this story. It's been very freeing and relaxing, but I am trying to keep this around 10 chapters or less because the story ends when the characters' night ends. I've already written the ending, and I think it really brings the theme of this entire story full circle.
Thank you for reading! And please leave a review if you have a chance. It helps me know what you're all thinking or if I need to clarify anything, and if you want to leave predictions for which embarrassing things will befall our characters next, then that's fun, too.