The Prince and the Serpent

Jealousy

It was a long moment before Sarada answered Boruto. He was starting to feel frustrated and was about to ask again when she finally spoke.

"You collapsed before we got out of the Wastes." She said in a quivering voice. Boruto remembered that part. It was getting harder and harder to breath and his whole body was throbbing from the heat. Then his legs had crumpled out from under him and he had hit the water face-first. He didn't remember much after that. "Mitsuki carried you out," She continued, "We thought you would start to recover, like I did, once we were out but, you didn't." She wasn't looking at him anymore. She was standing straight and looking down, her black eyes glassy from unshed tears. "You wouldn't wake up. You had a fever. We went looking for help and found this place. We barely made it in time, Boruto." Fat tears were flowing from her eyes, down her cheeks and falling freely to dot the wooden floor. She held a hand to her face, trying to stop the stream of tears and control her sobs.

Boruto was floored. He had never seen her cry before. The only time he could remember her doing something like it was when she missed her father when they were both very young. She was always so strong and now here she was, crying for him of all people.

"It's okay, Sarada. I'm okay now-" He tried pathetically but she cut him off.

"We thought you were going to DIE! I was so scared, you IDIOT!" She yelled miserably before dissolving completely into uncontrollable sobs. Boruto decided to take pity on her. He sat up in the bed, grabbed her wrist and pulled her down to sit beside him. She offered no resistance to his pull and plopped down onto the bed where he put a comforting arm around her. She then buried her face in his shoulder and let it all go. He waited patiently in silence for her cries to subside. When she started to calm down, he rubbed her shoulder firmly up and down, offering brotherly comfort.

"I'm sorry, Sarada. I didn't mean to put you through that." He said honestly.

"I did better than Mitsuki." She sniffed, "We couldn't get him to leave your side. He wouldn't eat or sleep. He never even spoke. I was starting to worry about him as much as I was about you!" She finished with a mad laugh. Boruto couldn't help but chuckle too.

"I'm glad you're finally warming up to him." He said with a cheeky smile.

"Shut up." She said as she playfully elbowed him in the ribs, making him laugh. She looked at him and smiled beneath her tear-stained face. "He really cares about you." She said quietly. Boruto blushed and looked away but he didn't feel like hiding it anymore.

"You really think so?" He almost whispered, without looking at her. He could feel her eyes boring into the side of his face.

"Boruto, I am always astounded at how someone can be so smart and so dense at the same time." Boruto felt his blush darken, "And it is obvious that you are just as crazy about him." She finished smugly. He rolled his eyes at her but she just smiled wider.

Suddenly, the door swung open with a loud creak. Mitsuki stood in the doorway holding a tray with what looked like a bowl of stew and a small loaf of bread. The door closed behind him and he stopped abruptly as he took in the sight of Boruto and Sarada. His face was still an unreadable mask but there was an odd glint in his golden eyes as they scanned Boruto in bed with Sarada sitting beside him. His gaze lingered on the arm Boruto still had around Sarada's shoulders. Realizing how this must look, Boruto felt his face light up. He immediately lifted his arm off of Sarada, curling his fingers as he awkwardly took it back. He was more than aware that the damage was done.

It took longer than he expected for Sarada to realize the irreparable damage she was doing to his love life. When it finally hit her, her face exploded red. She leapt from the bed and rushed to leave but Mitsuki was blocking her way.

"Mitsuki! Thank you for bringing Boruto some food!" She practically shrieked in an unnaturally high voice. She did her best to slip past Mitsuki to the door, making herself impossibly thin as she slid along the wall towards her goal. His eyes followed her every move until Boruto could no longer see the look he was giving her. "I'msureyoutwohavealottotalkaboutsoI'lljustbeleavingnow" She said in one breath as she fumbled with the door handle.

Boruto was waiting for her face to burst into flames. He could almost see the smoke pouring from her ears as she simultaneously withered under Mitsuki's gaze and struggled with the door for freedom. At long last, a deity somewhere took pity on her and the door squeaked open. Sarada slid through the tiny opening (impressing Boruto) and the door clicked closed again behind her.

The silence that followed her departure was far too loud. Mitsuki stood staring at the spot where Sarada had disappeared while Boruto silently willed himself to become one with the mattress. After what felt like an eternity, Mitsuki turned, his face still unreadable, and sat down on the bed beside Boruto in the exact spot where Sarada had been. He set the tray in Boruto's lap then took the spoon, scooped a half a bite of stew and held it up for him to eat.

"Mitsuki, it's okay! I can do it myse-" Boruto started to protest but stopped himself halfway when he saw the look in Mitsuki's eyes. It was so soft and pleading, he could not refuse. He sighed deeply, then allowed Mitsuki to feed him. The basilisk could be so weird sometimes, but if this is what it took to comfort him, then Boruto would do it. He sat quietly and ate his stew a half spoonful at a time. Honestly, he was barley able to stomach it when he looked at Mitsuki. He looked more ragged than he had ever seen. Even after the fight with the monster in the Wastes.

"I'm sorry, Mitsuki." He muttered. Mitsuki gave him a questioning look. "Sarada told me everything. I didn't mean to put you through all this." He explained. Mitsuki studied his face for a long time.

"I don't understand, Boruto. Why are you apologizing? It wasn't your fault." Boruto didn't have an answer that made sense, but it didn't stop him from trying.

"I... I feel bad for worrying you." He managed. Mitsuki looked down at the mostly-eaten stew.

"You are well now, Boruto. That is all that matters." He said in a voice so low Boruto almost didn't hear him. He didn't know what to say to that, so he stayed quiet. Once the small meal was finished, he felt exhaustion creeping over him again. He laid back down while Mitsuki set aside the tray with the now empty bowl. Once Boruto was settled, Mitsuki pulled the quilt taught and smoothed out the wrinkles. Then his golden eyes fell on Boruto's right hand and his carefully crafted neutral mask cracked.

"It's okay, Mitsuki." Boruto said, trying to comfort him as best he could. he had never been good at providing comfort, but for Mitsuki he had to try. The Serpent Prince sat down in his chair and took Boruto's cursed hand. His slender fingers ghosted over his skin, careful to avoid the marks.

"It's getting worse, Boruto." Mitsuki said without making eye contact.

"It will be okay, you know? It has only spread to my wrist. Your dad said it has to cover my whole body before it will take effect. We have time." Boruto said with an awkward smile. Mitsuki still didn't look up.

"Sarada did not succumb to the poison the way you did. I believe the curse is sapping more of your energy than we previously thought." Boruto pondered that for a minute. Sarada did say that she had recovered quickly, but he had almost died. He looked down at his cursed hand which was still cradled in Mitsuki's light grasp. Could the curse really be the reason for his illness? As much as he disliked the thought, it made sense. Orochimaru had said it was leeching away his magic power so it would make sense that it was steadily weakening him. But, if that were true, when where had the arcane blast come from? He could barely cast a single arcane spell and yet he had released a huge amount of arcane energy. Enough to kill the basilisk.

The unanswered questions were all making his head pound painfully. He didn't want to think about it anymore. The atmosphere was peaceful and the stew felt warm and comforting in his stomach. The warmth was spreading quickly throughout his body, forcing him to relax into the sheets. The exhaustion was fast overtaking him now and his will to fight it was drifting away along with his consciousness. He felt Mitsuki's hand give his a gentle squeeze.

"Rest, Boruto. I will be here when you wake." Comforted by Mitsuki's soft reassurance, he let go and allowed the darkness to take him. He couldn't be sure, but just as he was starting to drift, he thought he felt a cool hand on his face and soft lips on his own.