The four men sat around Mathias' kitchen table, sipping beers as the entrancing melodies of Danish pop rock played through the apartment. Mathias was sitting lazily, one arm draped over the back of his chair, the other bringing a bottle to his lips. He drank greedily as Lukas scoffed. The Norwegian was sitting to the right of Mathias, fiddling with the label on his beer. Across from these two sat Berwald and Tino, holding hands under the table. Berwald's ears were bright red, a side effect of drinking excessively. Tino much preferred to be sober, so he brought a few sodas for the night. The box of beer Mathias had bought earlier was nearly empty, mostly consumed by himself and Berwald. The night sky outside was perfectly clear; a dark gloss that seemed to stretch on forever.
"So," Mathias began, setting his bottle down on the table. "I have a great idea."
"Thanks for the warning," Lukas said, rising quickly from the table. Mathias caught his arm before he could leave, bringing him back down to his chair.
"Today is Saturday night –"
"No shit," Lukas interrupted, earning a sharp bark of laughter from the Dane.
"Thanks, Luke." The Norwegian scowled as Mathias continued. "What I was getting at is that the nightlife in Copenhagen is fantastic on Saturday nights. I know my way around the capital pretty well, so I was thinking of taking you guys out to see some of my favourite bars."
Berwald unlaced his fingers from Tino's to glance at his watch. "'t's alm'st 1am," he said.
"Which is the perfect time to go out," Mathias said eagerly.
"I don't think so," Lukas sniffed, rising from the table once more with his empty bottle. "I think we've drank enough tonight."
Mathias let out a loud groan. "You guys have to see it," he said, turning to Tino and Berwald instead. "Copenhagen is awesome, trust me!"
"I believe you," Tino said gently, a wane smile on his face. "But we have things to do tomorrow, so –"
The Dane held up a finger as polished off the rest of his beer. "How about we only go out for an hour," he suggested, after swallowing the rest of his drink. "I'll take you guys out long enough to see the town, but not so late that you're tired tomorrow."
"Th't's…" Berwald looked up at Lukas, who was leaning on the doorway to the kitchen, eyebrows raised. "Th't's n't a bad idea."
"Perfect," Mathias grinned. "That makes two of us. Tino, wanna make it three?"
He looked to the ceiling before letting out a quiet sigh. "Sure." Lukas' mouth fell open as if to say something, but he quickly shut it when Mathias turned in his chair to face him. His mouth was stretched into a glowing smile, waiting for Lukas to say something. Finally, he threw his hands into the air.
"Fine! But so help me, Dane, if you don't have us back by 2am -"
"No sweat," he beamed, getting to his feet. "Let's go guys, we haven't a moment to lose!"
After a five-minute cab ride, the fantastic four had landed in Nyhavn. Mathias walked through the crowed easily, ducking under raised glasses and stepping over fallen drunks. Lukas followed on his heels, trying to ignore the rich smell of tobacco and special tobacco that wafted in the street. Berwald clutched Tino's hand, making sure he didn't get too far. The Dane brought them to the first pub that had an empty table outside. The sounds of loud singing and guitar could be heard inside, which explained the lack of people on the patio.
"Traditional Danish music," he explained to Tino, who was bobbing his head to the tune. "I'll teach you the song sometime!"
Lukas, Berwald, and Tino took their seats as Mathias went to order beers. Lukas sat with his arms crossed, surveying the scene. He honestly thought it was a beautiful area of town, though he would never admit that to Mathias. Tino was on cloud nine, smiling and waving to all the men and women who stumbled past. The Swede pulled Tino closer, narrowing his gaze to anyone that seemed a little too interested in his 'wife'.
Mathias suddenly returned with four large glasses of Danish brew, and set them down in front of his friends. He raised his glass before anyone drank, and toasted the night.
"To great friends, and an even greater city. Skål*!"
Tino cautiously eyed his beer. He looked up at Berwald, who leaned down and planted a kiss on his forehead.
"S'alright," he murmured. "One beer won't h'rt ya."
As the music picked up inside, the atmosphere of their table changed. Lukas and Berwald relaxed into their chairs and listened as Mathias told them great stories of history and battle in Denmark. Tino's attention span slowly began to waver as he drank deeper and deeper into his pint. He could already feel the effects of the alcohol starting – the edges of his vision became a little hazy, and his body was buzzing lightly. This is why I don't drink, he thought to himself. Nevertheless, he drank the rest of his pint and smiled up at Berwald.
"I feel great," he giggled, toying with the Swede's hair.
"One drink sh'ld do ya," he replied, taking a swig of his own. "Yer a l'ghtw'ght."
"Break it up, guys!" Mathias teased. "We've got a few more stops to make and we don't have a lot of time left. Let's get going."
Tino got up to his feet, feeling uneasy. Berwald took his arm firmly, eyeing him suspiciously.
"Do ya w'nt t' go b'ck n'w?"
"No, no," he replied, gently pushing the Swede's hand away. "Only one more stop, then we can go back."
Berwald took hold of Tino's hand and began leading him up the street, following Lukas and Mathias to discotheque. Tino was absolutely giddy, wound up by the contagious atmosphere and the delicious beer in his belly. It was hot inside the disco, lit only by the colourful laser lights that flashed through the dense crowd. The music here was loud and thumping, a constant rhythm that made it easy for intoxicated dancers to follow the beat. Lukas shuffled close to Mathias to avoid a scantily clad woman that staggered past. Mathias grinned and wrapped his arm around the Norwegian's slender waist.
"Hey there," he purred. "Can I buy you a drink?"
"Get off," the Norwegian hissed, pushing away from Mathias. The Dane laughed and grabbed a round of drinks, sliding a pint into Lukas' hand. He quickly left him standing there with a cold drink while he gave the other beers to Berwald and Tino.
"Oh boy, another drink?" Tino quickly took the bottle from Mathias and chugged a mouthful. Mathias laughed and Berwald's eyes narrowed.
"Easy," the Swede warned. "Yer n't built t' be dr'nk'n this m'ch."
"Aww, don't worry Berber," Tino wrapped an arm around him. "I'll be fine!"
"Have fun, lovebirds!" Mathias waved. "Lukas is at the bar, I'm off to see him." Without another word, the Dane had vanished into the crowd. When he appeared back beside Lukas, he gave him a playful wink.
"Hey sexy. Maybe after we could head back to my place and –" Mathias made a series of hand and body movements that made Lukas smack him upside the head.
"Don't do that in public!"
The Dane massaged the back of his head, his smile unbroken. "In private is okay though?"
"This may be the alcohol talking," Lukas began, tracing his hand teasingly across the lip of his bottle as Mathias's eyes followed every movement. Lukas smirked, his voice dropping to a whisper that only Mathias could hear.
"I'll meet you in your bed tonight."
"Skål": Means "cheers" in Scandinavia.