Sweeter Than Chocolate - BoruSara, DYF AU
Genre: Romance / Fluff / Humor
Rating: K
Written for D3 for @borusaraweek2020: Boruto’s Birthday
…
Her grip on the small pouch of pink tightened by the tiniest bit. Sarada bit her lower lip and took a shaky breath.
Why am I so nervous? It’s just Boruto…
She closed her eyes and listened. He was already at the clearing, running around a pile of gifts he had received for his birthday from the party his pack—and the entire village—threw for him. Boruto was chattering excitedly to himself, dragging out presents from the wagon he used to help them carry it all.
Tentatively, Sarada peeked from behind the tree and her eyes widened at the sheer amount. She leaned back on the tree and looked at the small pouch in her hands. She forced herself to wake up late in the afternoon to be able to have enough time to make these for him… her mother only ever made them once a year and would give it to no one else other than her father.
Her papa hated sweets, but he always seemed so happy to eat them. Sasuke let her have a piece before when her mama wasn’t looking, and it was delicious, nothing like she had ever had before. Surely, Boruto hasn’t had these before, too. Her papa always said in all of his travels, no one ever made chocolates like her mama and they were simply the most special things in the world.
She peeked at Boruto again and caught him opening a box of pastries. Judging by the smell of it, the baker probably gifted it to him.
It was the baker’s profession to make sweets. And basing from the sweets that Boruto had brought her from their shop, they were all delicious. Her gaze dropped to the pouch in her hands again and she frowned.
It took her three tries to get it right, and although her mama offered to help, Sarada was stubborn and refused. This was a gift from her for Boruto, for his birthday. One that she worked hard to make, just for him. It had to be special, and it was… wasn’t it?
“Sarada?” Boruto called. “I can smell you, ya know?”
She pouted and hid the pouch behind her back, under her coat. Her face stayed puckered even after she had stepped into the clearing. Now that she was closer, the mountain of gifts seemed even bigger and it made her pouch of chocolates feel even smaller and insignificant. What was she thinking, making him something when it wasn’t even a skill she had? Well, a skill that definitely wasn’t up to par with the baker’s at the very least.
“You got cinnamon rolls from the baker?” Her eyes locked on them, wanting a bite.
“Yeah!” Boruto grinned and picked up the box. His wolfie ears were upon his head, tail wagging. He presented the box to her expectantly. “He said I could have a box of anything I wanted in his shop and I asked him for these. They’re your favorite, right?”
Sarada’s eyes widened. It was his birthday, he could have asked for the jelly tarts or meat pies that he liked from the baker… but he asked for cinnamon rolls for her? “Boruto…”
His ears dropped and his tail stopped wagging abruptly upon seeing her forlorn expression. “W-what? Don’t you like cinnamon rolls?” He grimaced and whined. “I knew I should have asked for the strawberry shortcake instead!”
Sarada brought a hand up to her mouth, an attempt to stop the fit of giggles from overtaking her. He was so silly.
Boruto sniffed the air, ears perking up and tail slowly wagging. “What’s that smell?” He persisted on his quest to find what the new smell was, making him take tentative steps closer to Sarada. His nose poked at her hand, breath tickling her skin. “It’s coming from you.” Big blue eyes flicked to meet her dark ones. “What did you touch?”
“N-nothing!” Her cheeks flooded with heat and she averted her gaze, hands flying to her back pocket, holding on to the pouch of sweets. The pouch suddenly felt ten times heavier. She never could hide anything from him. Darn him and his sharp werewolf senses!
“You’re lying to me,” he deadpanned. “I can hear your heart beating faster.”
Sarada released a short shout of frustration, face turning a deeper shade of red. “Ugh, fine!” She shoved the pouch into his hands. “H-Here! Just take it!”
The young werewolf held on to the pouch, eyes wide and inquisitive. First, he held it up to look at it and then brought it closer to his face to smell. His tail started wagging, slowly at first, and then the speed picked up when he asked, “Did you make this for me? It smells good.”
Her arms crossed across her chest, nose up in the air. “I did.” Although she wanted to appear proud, her heart was racing and the pink tint on her cheeks refused to leave. “Happy birthday.”
A big, bright grin spread on Boruto’s face, whiskers curling and eyes forming half crescents. “Thank you, Sarada.”
Although she was looking to the side, she peeked at him, watching as he unraveled the light pink ribbon and wound it around his wrist before sticking his index finger and thumb into the pouch. He pulled out a small piece and looked at it as if it were the most fascinating thing in the world. “What is it?”
Chocolate was a rare commodity, but Sarada was also astounded he didn’t recognize the scent. Or perhaps, she didn’t cook it right and that’s why he didn’t know what it was. “It’s chocolate.”
“Chocolate?” Boruto’s ears perked up. “I’ve seen and heard about it but I’ve never had it before.”
“What?” Sarada blinked. “Why not?”
“Yeah,” Boruto sat down on the grass and crossed his legs in front of him, still inspecting the little piece of chocolate and giving it a tentative lick. Instantly, his blue eyes went wide and a grin spread on his face. “It’s good!” Boruto flicked the entire piece into his mouth. And then another, and another, soon, he was emptying the pouch into his mouth, cheeks puffy and his eyes bright with delight.
Sarada’s mouth twisted. “Y-you’re not supposed to eat it all in one go…” her father only ever had a piece every so often and would take a few days to finish it. Even if Sarada didn’t need food to survive, she liked taking little bits of sweets every now and then.
“But it’s so good!” What he said was barely recognizable, as he was still chewing. Finally, he swallowed and his tongue licked around his lips, capturing every little bit left. “That was delicious, Sarada. Thank you!” He beamed. “I don’t understand why dad never let me have any. Or… anyone in the pack for that matter. We’re all missing out.”
Sarada tipped her head to the side and walked over to sit on the grass next to him. “What do you mean your dad never gave you any?” That sounded awfully weird… and mean. Chocolates were good and Naruto seemed like the type of dad who wouldn’t hold back giving Boruto all the good things he could get his hands on.
“I don’t know… he just never really did. Said something about it’s not good for me and like, he also doesn’t eat it, ya know?” Boruto shrugged. “But that was my first taste and you made it. It makes it even more special. Definitely the best gift I got, ya know?”
Her lips parted and dark eyes went wide. “Best… gift?”
“Yeah!” Boruto grinned brightly. “Thank you.”
Sarada was feeling so happy that she didn’t mind when Boruto tightly wrapped his arms around her and peppered her face with kisses, and then, he was licking her. She laughed, asking him to stop but he kept on licking her face. Gradually, his small pink tongue felt rougher and a little wider. Boruto pushed her down on the ground and morphed into a wolf before her eyes.
She giggled seeing him morph. It didn’t matter how many times she saw it, it still amazed her every single time. Sarada rested her hands on his warm muzzle, and Boruto settled for languidly licking her face and plopping down on the ground to nuzzle her. He sighed and a small content whimper escaped his throat. Sarada petted his head, and stroked down until his neck, her hand disappearing into his thick coat.
‘Come on, Sarada!’ he gushed. ‘Come look at my other gifts, look at it!’
Although she heard him loud and clear in her mind, the large wolf was whining and barking in excitement, pushing his bum up in the air and wagging his tail furiously.
“I don’t know if you want me to look at these gifts or play tag.” She laughed.
‘Both! Yeah, both!’
“Whatever you want.” Sarada grinned and leaned her forehead on his. “It is your birthday, after all.”
The two of them huddled over by the wagon, Sarada picking at the half-opened boxes and looking through Boruto’s presents, briefly wondering how heartwarming it would be to receive gifts from people on her birthday. She’s already had a few decades on her, and the only people who ever gave her gifts were her parents. To be fair, her family had been traveling and she barely made any friends. Unlike Boruto, who had lived in this town and grew up with people and a pack. He was always surrounded by others, unlike her.
“Do you like them?” Boruto grinned, peeking over her shoulder. He turned back into a human, although his wolf ears remained on his head.
“Me?” Sarada asked, looking back at him, faces mere inches apart. “W-Why me? They’re yours.”
“They gave it to me, but I’m sharing it with you,” he shrugged. “That means they’re ours now.”
“Why…” she gaped. “Why would you share it with me?” Boruto had never been stingy with sharing his belongings with her, but for him to tell her that they were as good as hers… it made her heart skip a beat.
“Because what’s mine is yours,” he grinned.
Her cheeks flooded with heat. “Boruto…”
Gruuuumble
Sarada blinked. “What was that?”
Boruto looked down at his bare stomach with a puzzled look on his face. “Ummm….”
Gruuuuumble
He gasped and held on to his stomach, suddenly feeling sick. “Oof. That hurts,” he winced and fell on the ground, rolling on his side, and getting into a fetal position. Boruto groaned and shuddered when a wave of pain hit him, tummy making more weird sounds, reverberating throughout his body. “I think I’m gonna be sick.”
Sarada covered her mouth, scared and not knowing what to do. She had never seen Boruto get sick before, much less this in pain. “I-I’ll go get help!”
.
.
.
Naruto carried Boruto to bed and chided him. “I told you to stay away from chocolates, Boruto. They’re poisonous for us, ya know?”
Boruto groaned and held on to his tummy, face more green rather than its usual beautiful tan color. “You never told me!”
Sakura placed a wet towel over his head and placed a concoction of herbs next to him. “And you ate the entire thing,” she giggled. “Who knew chocolates could make a werewolf fall on his knees.”
Naruto chuckled and scratched the back of his head. “Kinda lame, I know. But it’s why the whole pack and I genuinely stay away. It won’t necessarily kill us but it does make us sick for a few days depending on how much we ate.”
Sarada sat on the side of his bed, eyes downcast. It was her fault that Boruto got sick. It was her handmade chocolates that made him sick!
“But it was so good,” Boruto mumbled and looked at Sarada, forcing a weak smile on his face.
“I’m sorry…” she whispered.
“At least now you know, darling.” Sakura stroked her hair and looked at Boruto. “I’ll come in to check on you a little later.”
“Thanks, auntie Sakura,” Boruto muttered.
Naruto showed her the way out, leaving the two in the room.
“I’m sorry,” Sarada repeated again.
“Don’t be sorry,” Boruto placed his hand on hers. “It was really good, and I loved my gift.”
“But you’re sick!” Sarada screeched. “And on your birthday! This is all my fault.”
“Hey,” Boruto looked at her pointedly. “I ate it all in one go, and you didn’t know. Besides, you made it for me. This is worth it.” He patted his stomach and smiled at her. “I’ll get better faster if you stay here and nurse me back to health, ya know?”
Sarada puffed her cheeks and averted her gaze. “Fine. It is your birthday after all.”
Boruto made room for her to sit next to him in bed. “Read me something?”
“Okay,” Sarada smiled and picked up the first book on his bedside table. She settled herself under the covers with him, immediately feeling so much warmer. She opened up the book and cleared her throat before she started reading aloud.
Things might not have worked out exactly as she planned, but they got to spend more time together, and that’s all Boruto wanted for his birthday.
...
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