Disclaimer: I do now own Naruto or Boruto or any of the characters in this fic.

A/N: They're around 20 in this fic.

She was Sarada.

The smart and studious girl he'd known since, well, probably since before he could even walk. It wasn't hard to imagine their moms letting them play together in the same crib or his father carrying both of them in his arms. Not hard at all, really.

Himawari loved her to bits, almost more than she loved her own brother. He couldn't blame his sister, though. When you get used to the almost too-responsible attitude, semi-constant nagging (which he admittedly deserved) and occasional demonic punch and stare, the Uchiha was pretty fun to hang out with.

She was just there. A constant part of his life, it seemed. He caught himself groaning and smiling at the thought─if that was at all possible. Mitsuki would certainly be amused with his current state of confusion. His mind was a mess.

Sarada Uchiha was going to be the next Hokage. The Hachidaime. Boruto was sure of it. It was her dream and he wholeheartedly supported it by being a reliable teammate and someone who'd pull her back down to earth whenever she was acting too high and mighty. She wouldn't hesitate to do the same for him were their roles switched and Mitsuki wouldn't even hesitate to pull them back down to earth if their heads ever get stuck in the clouds. It was a team effort.

And when that time comes, he's even more sure that he'll be there to protect and help her in any which way he can. Be it as an ANBU, a teammate, childhood friend and perhaps something more? After all, if she was going to take care of the whole village, someone had to take care of her. Right?

Boruto very well knew that Sarada could take care of herself but that didn't stop him from wanting to ease some of the burden off of her as whoever she wanted him to be in her life. It wasn't as weird as he thought it would be... realizing that he was head over heels in love with the stuck-up girl he's known for as long as he can remember. It felt familiar, most likely because he's felt like this before, he just didn't know what to call it exactly. In his defense, kids don't usually go about thinking about this stuff.

Every time they raced, sparred or trained was just right. Every time they'd stand back to back against opponents was just natural. Every time they'd vehemently deny Mitsuki's implications about their relationship was nerve wracking. Every time he'd caught himself staring at her piercing eyes whenever she smiled was downright intoxicating.

It didn't help that they were know much more mature mentally and physically. Her father would have killed him if he saw how Boruto reacted that one time Sarada's was in a swimsuit and had her hair in a ponytail. He could feel blood rushing to every part of his being. It was hard enough when she was just that beautiful every day, but in a bikini, really? He was glad no one was there to kill him for it.

He didn't know when it started to be normal for her to just be there like she was a part of him. All he knew was that he was really happy and possibly happiest when she was there. He was more confident whenever they had each other's backs.

She was the only one who could calm him down at times. She was the only one, apart from Mitsuki, who could keep up and complement his fighting style even though the were polar opposites. She was the only one, aside from his mom, who could scare the ever living crap out of him. She was the only one who would stay back and watch over him carefully as he blew off steam on the training grounds or tried a new jutsu. She was one of the few people Boruto knew he could rely on. She was just there, right beside him, and he had a feeling that she'd always be there whether he liked it or not. He really wouldn't have it any other way.

He wasn't mistaking comfort for love, not at all. For the longest time, he mistook love for comfort and he had never laughed at himself more than the day he realized it.

The day all his clones looked at him and said in varying tones and volumes how he/they were in love with Sarada Uchiha.

A/N: Thanks so much for reading! Sorry if it was a bit OOC. I'll fix any errors and improve this chapter sometime next week. I hope I finish this multi-chapter. I'm really in love with BoruSara right now. Thanks again for reading! God speed!