Twisted

The Definition of a Hug

Sarada's mind was a blur of thoughts, her limbs seemingly waterlogged, everything hazy and spinning. Through brief lapses in her vision, she thought she saw Tsunade hovering over her, and... Looking her in the eyes. Warm hands cupped her face, a damp cloth cooling her pounding head.

And for just a moment... She wondered if maybe it was all real.

But when she fully regained consciousness, a chill raced down her spine. The moment she shuttered, something warm and soft wrapped around her, encasing her in a comfort she'd never quite felt like likes of before.

"It's gonna be okay," a gentle voice whispered into her hair. "You're gonna be fine."

Sarada turned her head upwards, albeit slightly, her throat much more dry than she realized as she croaked out his name. "Boruto?"

Her voice echoed along the cave walls, cold stone under the soles of her bare feet.

"Mm?"

When he nuzzled his chin against the top of her head, she suddenly realized their positioning. She was sitting in his lap, her side leaned up against his chest. One of his arms supported her back, the other curled around behind her neck to support her head, his soaking wet vest draped over her like a blanket. Her injured hand was tied in his pale pink handkerchief, and the slowly quickening thud of his heart was right against her ear.

He must've carried her in here overnight. But instead of setting her down, he just left her in his lap.

Blush bloomed up her neck, but she tried to remain composed. "What... What happened?"

"Oh, you're actually awake now."

Her face flushed further. Had she been moaning his name in her sleep?

"Your cut got infected," he said casually, shifting her slightly as she lifted her head. "You had a really high fever."

"...I... Did I look at you?"

"No..." Boruto pulled her closer to keep her in his lap.

Sarada wanted to call him a pervert and pull away. She was certain her face would spontaneously combust at any minute from all of this physical contact. But the cave floor was cold under her bare feet. And he was warm. And his heartbeat was now soft and slow. He was relaxed... If he hadn't tried to hurt her yet, he likely wouldn't now.

So hesitantly... She laid her head back into the crook of his neck and decided to solve one of her other mysteries. "Hey Boruto..."

"Hm?"

"Is this... A hug?"

He was silent for a moment. And then he lifted his head. "This... Is just me holding you," he said, unwrapping his arms. "But this..." He lifted her slightly, twisting his upper body to be in line with hers until their shoulders were facing. He wound his arms around her, one around her waist, the other against the back of her head, pressing her face into his neck. "This is a hug."

Warmth stung the backs of her eyelids. "Oh." She knew that hugs involved arms, and wrapping, but the only time she attempted to hug Tsunade was when she was still to small to cling to anything but her leg. And even then, it felt more like clinging and less like the hugging she read about in her stories. Tsunade always told her to save the hugs for her parents. But she had a feeling she'd never see them again. If this was hugging... She was certain she'd never experienced it until now.

"It feels nicer if you put your arms around me too, ya know."

As her bottom lip pushed into her top one, Sarada mimicked his arm placement, hesitantly sliding one shaky arm around his lower back and reaching the other one up to the base of his neck. After getting over her fear of not doing it right, she realized...