Lover Boy

Chapter 1: Feeling

You see a room filled with people. You don't know many of them, but these are the people that will be a part of your life in one way or another. It's the cashier from the place you sometimes buy your food and there's the woman who will lie next to you in the hospital, when you're old and your hip is broken. And it's the people that are close to you, the people you love and care for. When you see this room, you will be surprised how many people you interact with. You can't count them.

What would you do if you knew who those people would be, even though you never met them?

We zoom in, and there you are. You know who you are, you know that face. Sometimes you're sick of it, but most of the days you don't even think about it. You have your faults but you are also kind of great. Really great, some will think.

One who will someday think that is the boy over there. You see him? The one with the dark hair. I can see you don't believe me, but it's true. One could think he's the complete opposite of you, but you two are more alike than you can imagine. But that's for later, first you will fall in love.

You see that girl over there? And that red-headed boy? Take a close look at them; they will play a part in your life.

Everyone will.

He was awakened by his own snores.

He was laying on the sofa in his living room, the TV was still on showing some lame British cooking show, and he was drowning in sweat. He slowly opened the shirt he was wearing and released a content sigh when cool air hit his skin. His throat was dry and he swallowed a few times and licked his lips. It was nice, waking up like this, alone and numbed with sleep. He was warm.

He closed his eyes again and covered his eyes with his arm, putting it over his face and blocking out the light. It was early spring, and he wasn't yet used to the light this time of the day. Just weeks ago it would be pitch dark, and he would've been able to go back to sleep again. He sighed and sat up on the sofa, scratching the side of his head as he yawned loudly. He shut off the TV and made his way to the kitchen, scrunching his face when he felt the dirty floor underneath his naked feet. Crumbs stuck and he walked in something sticky which he cleaned off by rubbing his foot into the kitchen carpet. He opened the hollow refrigerator and drank from the last milk carton, some of it dribbling down his chin and neck. He put the carton back and wiped himself off.

He remained in the kitchen for a while. He wasn't sure how much time passed, but he was satisfied with just standing there, doing nothing. Feeling his body cool down, hearing his slow breathing underneath the sound of the clock. He inhaled and let out a sigh, not really troubled by anything but in the need to release something. Naruto smiled with small force and decided that he surely still was too tired to do anything today, and went to bed early.

He could see Sasuke from his hiding on the rooftop. He could actually see a lot from there, but somehow it was always Sasuke that his eyes sought out.

Sasuke wasn't even anything special, at this distance. If Naruto hadn't known his looks so well, he would've never known it was him. Sasuke was currently playing soccer – the outside activities had started uncomfortably early this year - and he was faster than anyone on the court. Naruto wondered if he would ever be able to keep up with Sasuke, but he doubted it.

It wasn't like he would get a chance to try either.

The wind ruffled his hair and he closed his eyes, enjoying the feeling. It was still cold outside, but a brave sun warmed the earth and air so it was still pleasant to be outside. It smelled like spring, a fresh smell with a tint of flowers and snow. The cold air was pleasant against his eyelids, cooling his tired eyes though the thin layer of skin. He couldn't restrain from smiling. He remembered something and dug deep into his pocket and found some candy he'd been given by Gaara the day before. He sucked one into his mouth, enjoying the sweet bit against his tongue. He returned to watching Sasuke again, who now was talking to his teacher. He nodded a few times before he ran back to the field, and Naruto tilted his head as he watched the bouncing man. He leaned his head on his hand and looked up to the sky, not knowing what to think of himself. Naruto smiled faintly and stretched, putting his arms high in the sky.

"Oy!" Naruto's head snapped towards the voice, and saw the gym teacher looking at him from the ground. The teacher held one of his hands over his eyes to block the sun, but there was no mistake that he had seen Naruto ditching class on the rooftop. Sometimes, Naruto damned his blond hair that made him so easy to spot. The teacher waved him down, and Naruto knew better than trying to get away. He dragged his feet as he walked inside again, slowly taking the stairs to the first floor, and he wondered what the punishment would be this time.

Naruto wondered why he hadn't been himself those last couple of weeks. Everything about him just felt odd, and he couldn't put the finger on it. It wasn't like something had changed, not really.

Perhaps he was just more aware of himself.

Sometimes it felt like he could feel every particle of his body, the clothes he wore and the way he held himself. He was aware of the way others looked at him, or didn't look at him; why did they look and why didn't they? Was something wrong with him?

Well, of course it was. It had always been, but it had never been a problem, at least not like this. Before, he hadn't cared at all.

Sasuke had a brother, an older one. He also had a father and a mother as far as Naruto knew, but he had only seen the older brother. They looked a lot like each other, though the older one looked more worn out. He had seen them together once when Sasuke had been picked up after school, and even though they had been arguing Naruto could still see some sort of love between them.

Gaara too had siblings, one older brother and one older sister. He'd seen them during some school-event once, but he didn't know more because Gaara never talked about them. Gaara and he just didn't talk about that sort of things – they barley talked at all.

Thinking of what a family would feel like wasn't any unusual. Something most other people had but Naruto. Naruto wondered if he would've played basketball with his sibling if he had had one. He dropped the ball and it bounced towards the entrance. Naruto made no immediate move to catch it; he just watched it as it began rolling and then stopping in front of a pair of left-behind shoes. Naruto sighed and continued to clean up the gym. The echoing sound of his own movements soothed him at the same time they reminded him that he was alone. He started some music and put the earphones in, and the soft thumping of drums filled his head along with some strings and piano. His mouth moved together with the lyrics and it wasn't until the third song ended that he noticed Sasuke holding the ball within his hands and wearing the neglected shoes. Naruto tried his best to ignore him and continue with his ministrations, but god was he aware of the other boy in the room.

Sasuke said something, and Naruto wanted to die. He wasn't sure what one was supposed to do in a situation like this. Hell, he wasn't even sure what the situation was or why he was feeling this way. Completely awareness filled his whole being, and the faint wind that caressed his arm as Sasuke passed him swiftly made him shudder. Sasuke threw the ball in the net with grace and he jogged towards it and bounced it a couple of times before keeping it in his hands. His mouth moved, but Naruto didn't hear a thing and it wasn't because of the music.

Why was his heart beating so fast?

The ball came flying towards him before he had time to reflect, and he caught it somewhat unguarded. He looked at it dumbly and then at Sasuke, who stood in defense position with the basked behind his back.

Naruto had never sucked as much at basketball as he did this time. He dropped the ball, he missed the net, and Sasuke stole it from him more times that he cared to count. But it was fun. It was the most fun he had had in a long time, and even though he was so nervous that his hands shook he still felt great. It was embarrassing though, having his ass kicked by Sasuke like this, especially since he knew he could do a lot better normally. But everything was worthwhile, because now and then his body would brush against Sasuke's, or they hands meet briefly as Sasuke stole the ball. Every time something flared inside Naruto's belly.

Sasuke won, not surprisingly. Naruto felt heat gather in his face as a superior smirk graced Sasuke's lips. He pulled the earphones from his ears and pushed them down his pockets.

"I think you have to train…a lot," Sasuke said, pressing the ball between his hands. Naruto felt like pouting, and he crossed his arms in an attempt to look…well, cool.

"I was not really in the mood for playing today, that's it. Next time…" Naruto held his tongue before he said something more.

"Next time I will beat your ass like I did this time," Sasuke continued his sentence and threw the ball at Naruto. Naruto missed it and it went all across the gym. Damn his shaking hands. He felt a hand on his shoulder quickly, and then Sasuke was walking out of the gym with a small wave.

Naruto breathed out, relaxing his shoulders. Sasuke had said there would be a next time, but Naruto didn't hope for much. Sasuke was Sasuke and he was Naruto, and that was it. Sasuke was popular, good-looking, dating the most popular and (what Naruto had heard) the most beautiful girl in the school and he was born in a wealthy family. He was what Naruto wasn't.

He finished in the gym quickly and carelessly before hurrying out of the door. He walked over the school-yard through the drizzle leaving the sky, wishing he was already home so he could shut the rest of the world out and forget about everything. After making a turn around the building, he stopped in his tracks and watched. The car owned by Sasuke's brother was parked in front, and he could see Sasuke walking promptly towards it, his girlfriend walking next to him, watching Sasuke with every step. Through the window he could see Sasuke's brother behind the steering wheel. Sasuke's hair was slightly wet from the rain, but he still looked as stunning as he had done in the gym. He looked down in the ground, biting his bottom lip, and in the corner of his eyes he could see the car drive away.

Sometimes he wondered if it was alright to cry for something he never had.

To be continued

This fanfiction will be in 5 parts, and this is somewhat a slow start. It will be drama, romance and angst - and of course NaruSasu/SasuNaru! I hope you will like it, because I'm really pouring my soul into this...!

Reviews make me really happy, so push that button down there!

Thank you for reading!

/bevino