A/N: A little project of mine that became not-so-little. Took me longer than I expected, sorry! I'll update my other stories as soon as I can!
Enjoy!
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Mathias Køhler was one strange kid.
That, Lukas knew. From the moment their eyes met, he saw how different this kid was from the others. And he knew that this child would be a huge part of his life.
What he didn't know, of course, was how difficult Mathias Køhler would be to figure out.
.
When the Dane first transferred into his primary school in the third grade, he had waved and grinned, uniform wrinkled and tie loosened, wild hair all over the place. His bright blue eyes fixed on everyone, one by one, before he opened his mouth.
"Hej there, everyone! I'm Mathias Køhler, the best thing that ever happened to you!"
A stunned silence.
Lukas nearly laughed, but then looked up at the boy. He was serious.
Their teacher, a petite young woman with soft, curly, brown ringlets that framed her face, chuckled nervously, looking pointedly at Mathias to elaborate.
He did.
"We can hang out at the local pub! The beer there is hella good!"
Her jaw dropped, the first time the students had seen her break her 'cuddles and smiles' expression.
That was clearly not what she was expecting.
Lukas actually laughed, and the Dane's grin grew impossibly wider.
After class, every child crowded around the newcomer, asking about his funny accent and hair, about Denmark, about the pub. A few curious little rascals asked if they could come to the pub, which Mathias replied to with, "Hell no! You're too young to drink!"
Lukas decided not to press on the fact that Mathias was the same age as all of them. He had stood on the sidelines, as he was never a social person.
Mathias noticed him, and pushed through the swarm of children, grinning.
"Hej there, kid! You're pretty! Wanna have it?"
Lukas merely blinked, tilting his head.
"Have what? Ice cream?"
The Dane shook his head, and leaned in closer, golden spikes pressing into Lukas's face.
"Y'know. Sex."
"What's that?"
Mathias's eyes widened, and he backed away, running his hands through his hair. "S-sorry!" he spluttered. "I thought you w-were like me!"
Lukas was confused. Wasn't Mathias human?
"But... I'm a human too!" he squeaked defensively, tilting his head.
"Y-yeah... Sorry." The Dane had nodded, turning to the other kids again. Lukas had felt crestfallen; he had ruined his chance to get a friend.
.
In the fourth grade, their teacher had gotten pregnant, and was ranting to the class about what a beautiful baby girl it was.
Mathias raised his hand.
"Yes, Mathias?" the teacher called, smiling.
"How was it?"
The teacher's face morphed to one of confusion. "What-?"
"You know! The sex?" the Dane questioned innocently.
"Køhle- TO THE OFFICE! NOW!" their teacher's face was beet red, and she trembled with fury. "Bondevik- take him there and make sure he stays there!"
With a 'yes ma'am', the two boys exited the classroom, heading down the hallway to the dreaded principal's office. Lukas glanced his side, where Mathias looked unworried, whistling a merry tune.
"A-aren't you scared that they're g-gonna call your parents?" the Norwegian spoke up, frightened of even the thought of it.
Mathias looked at him, and offered a shrug. "Don't have any."
Lukas gasped.
No parents?!
How did he manage?!
Before he could ask, though, the dreaded bright yellow door was in front of them, and Mathias went in, saluting to
Lukas.
The door closed.
After a few hushed tones, Mathias came back out with two suckers and a wide grin.
"Want one?" he held one out to Lukas.
"Thanks," the Norwegian boy took it, unwrapping the candy and popping it in his mouth.
They wandered the halls companionably.
.
In fifth grade, Lukas could barely interact with Mathias.
They had declared themselves best friends since fourth grade, drawing on their arms with permanent marker to make it official. Of course, the marker soon washed off; that didn't bring them down one bit. Mathias had suggested permanent tattoos, but Lukas's parents banned that until they were mature enough.
But now, it seemed that they were drifting apart.
Mathias was wildly popular, tall and athletic, with a crowd of loud, friendly boys just like him. The girls all adored his accent and he was going out with one every time Lukas actually got to talk to him. The teachers even liked him; he was helpful and a great role model in their eyes.
Lukas, however, was a skinny, nerdy, quiet boy with a high voice. His clothes were too baggy and too short, and he had absolutely no fashion sense. He usually hung out with other misfits. The girls all sneered at him, calling him gay and possessive of Mathias. The teachers usually didn't even know his name.
When Lukas finally found a time to talk to his so-called 'best friend', it was at lunch, when Mathias had stood up and walked to the line to get a snack, alone. Lukas immediately walked to the line, getting behind Mathias.
"Hi," he peeped.
The Dane turned around, tilting his head. His eyes lit up when he saw Lukas. "Oh, hej, Luke! How've ya been?"
Lukas's ears turned pink. When did Mathias's voice get so low? And why did it appeal to him so much?
"G-good..." he managed.
"Great!" Mathias laughed loudly, smacking Lukas on the back in a gesture of friendship. Lukas flinched.
"So, what brings you to this humble ol' lunch line? Doesn't your mother make you Norwegian food?" the taller continued, hands clasped behind his head.
"O-oh..." Lukas struggled to think of an excuse. "I was still a bit hungry..."
"Me too!" Mathias laughed, snatching a bag of chips and a sports drink.
Lukas smiled nervously, grabbing a small whole grain bar.
As Mathias 'checked out' his items, the Dane turned to Lukas and winked. "You gotta eat more! Get all nice and strong, y'know?"
With that, he was gone.
.
As sixth years, they had only one class together and different lunches. Mathias had been dating the same girl for a whole grading period now, and Lukas started developing feelings for the other boy. He tried to keep them hidden, but they refused to be ignored.
One day, out of the blue, he marched up to Mathias, who was currently having a make-out session with his girl. He placed a cool hand on the girl's bare shoulder, and she leaped up in surprise.
"Go away. He's mine," he snarled, lips pulled back in a sneer.
The girl, a rather pretty brunette, scoffed, and sashayed away, giving Lukas the stink eye as she did so. She would probably text all her friends when she got around the corner.
Mathias gaped blankly at Lukas, lips looking so very kissable.
"The hell, man! I was havin' a good time with her too! Now I'll hafta apologize to her and everythin'!"
Lukas noticed that the Dane's accent had grown thicker, maybe because of the making-out, maybe to better charm the ladies.
Mathias turned away with a huff, ready to go after his girl, before Lukas placed a hand on the other's lower back.
"Stop. I didn't do that for nothing."
The taller turned back around, surprised. "Whaddya want?"
"A kiss."
"H-huh? What?!"
"Did I stutter?"
"I have a fucking girlfriend, Luke, and you want a kiss?"
"I remember in third grade, you were all too eager to have sex."
"You still remember that?!"
"A kiss."
"No. I can't. Sorry. It'll ruin my reputation... And I fear I'll be stuck here forever..." Mathias's eyes flickered with sadness for a second, before he turned away again. "I was so naïve back then..."
And then he was gone, around the corner.
Lukas didn't know what to think.
.
In grade seven, Mathias was top in band and in sports, the ideal jock. He was voted 'Biggest Flirt' and 'Hottest Guy' in the yearbook, along as 'Cutest Couple' with the same girl that Lukas had scared a year before.
Lukas was top in orchestra and in class, the epitome of a nerd. His yearbook was signed only by ten people, and two of them were from Mathias.
Speaking of Mathias, the Dane had hosted the end-of-year party, at the fancy, luxurious park near his house.
Everyone in the grade was invited, and Lukas was absolutely jittery at the thought of mass crowds of sweaty, writhing preteens. He went anyways, hoping to get to jam with Mathias.
Throwing on a sweatshirt and jeans and slipping into comfortable shoes, he hopped onto his bike and rode to the park, which wasn't too far away.
He could hear the party roaring from a block away, and he had to force himself to continue pedaling.
Locking his bike at a bike stand, he strolled over to a picnic table filled with snacks and sodas, filling a plastic plate with a little of each.
He looked around for a place to sit. He spotted Mathias, alone, with his head in his arms, as if sleeping.
He headed there and placed his plate across from the Dane, speaking up.
"Can I sit here?"
Mathias lifted his head up with difficulty, eyes lidded.
"Huh?"
His voice was slurred, and just then did Lukas notice the empty bottles of vodka littered on the table. He didn't know whether to feel impressed or dismayed.
"Never mind," he sat down, and started into his food.
Mathias turned his gaze to the stage at the edge of the park, and stood up, stumbling over to it. Lukas watched as he climbed the steps and leaned heavily on the podium.
"Welcome to the afterlife," Mathias spoke into the mike, words barely comprehensible.
A few nervous chuckles from the crowd, who had stopped dancing to listen.
"I hope you enjoy it here... You'll be staying for a long time..."
And then the Dane slumped into a heap and fell off the stage.
A roar of laughter and applause.
Lukas sighed, and polished off his potato chips, bringing his cup of water to the Dane.
He poured it on him.
"Let's go. You're raging drunk."
Lukas dragged Mathias away from the stage and out of the park, towards Mathias's house.
The taller was a dead weight, legs dragging along behind him, and all but laying on Lukas. He didn't seem to be conscious.
Lukas opened the door of the Dane's house, which was unlocked, and quickly changed the drunk boy. He then lay him in his bed, tucking it in.
He started to shut the door, when Mathias spoke up, surprisingly clearly, "Are you an angel...?"
"No. I'm Lukas. Goodbye."
He shut the door and left the house.
.
The next year, when they were in eighth grade, Mathias had a sudden bout of sickness, leaving him bedridden for two months.
Lukas and some of Mathias's friends visited periodically, but the Dane usually was too busy coughing his guts out to notice.
One day, Lukas had come over one a particularly good day, where Mathias was alert and sitting up in bed, able to stifle his coughs. Those days were rare, and Lukas had begun to cherish them.
He came in through the back door as usual, and headed up the stairs to Mathias's room. The wracking coughs that filled the halls the day before were gone, and he started to get worried.
When he opened the door to the boy's room, to his relief, he found Mathias with his nose buried in a book or Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tales.
It brought a smile to his face.
"Mathias, I've brought your favorite! Danish Butter Cookies!" Lukas cooed, as if speaking to a small, mentally unstable child.
The other's head snapped up, eyes alight at the words, and he closed the book excitedly. "Oh boy!" Mathias cheered, voice raspy and hoarse from coughing, yet still filled with the childish amusement it always had.
Lukas set the tin on the bedside table, already opened, and sat down in a chair by the bed. "How've you been?"
He got no answer at first, the wild-haired Dane was too busy stuffing his face with cookies. After a few minutes, though, he finally received one.
"Better. But it still hurts like hell."
To prove his point, he swallowed with a wince.
"It'll be over soon, I promise," Lukas reassured, ruffling Mathias's hair fondly. He had taken over the role as nurse and caretaker, checking on the Dane at least once a day at his house to check in on him.
"But it feels like I've had this pain for years..."
Mathias looked so tired and pitiful just then, he wanted to do something to help. He knew, though, that this was psychological rather than physical pain, and there was nothing he could do.
"Just a few more days, Mathias."
"Okay."
Silence.
"C-can you tell me a story, Lukas?" the Dane curled in on himself, covered in blankets, eyes wide.
"Of course," Lukas replied, and took a deep breath. "Once upon a time, there was a handsome prince that everyone adored who had a big secret. He couldn't tell anyone this secret, no matter what, even though it caused him so much pain."
"There was a poor peasant boy, who had a huge crush on the prince," Lukas continued, "But they were so different in ranks and the same gender, he knew he had no chance, so he hid it."
The Norwegian took a long, sharp breath.
"But one day, the peasant boy's luck turned. The prince was sitting alone at the marketplace, dressed in commoner's clothing. It didn't fool the boy, though, and he rushed over to the prince.
'Your Highness! What are you doing here?' the boy asked, and the prince shushed him desperately.
'I am hiding from the evils that haunt me,' the prince replied sadly, looking at his feet.
'Evils? What evils? You are a prince! Your life is perfect!' the peasant boy exclaimed.
'I would give anything to switch places with you," the prince said, and walked off slowly."
He paused, looking to the bed. The Dane was half-asleep, and he continued.
"The peasant boy was very confused. He thought it over for a while, and when he finally figured it out, he went to tell the prince at the castle that he would help him. Unfortunately, it was too late; the prince had long since faded away."
Lukas finished, a tear making its way down his cheek. He looked down at Mathias, weak, sick, Mathias, and whispered, quietly, "Get well soon, I love you..."
With that, he fell asleep as well.
.
In the ninth grade, Mathias receded into the shadows, having been not at school for nearly a full year. He took to drugs and smoking, drinking and skipping class. He was known as the cool kid, and people hung out with him to try to impress their friends.
Lukas became a boy that girls daydreamed about, filling out into a handsome young man, the president of the student council.
He found Mathias outside one day, while he was on patrol. The Dane was leaning against the building and just taking long drags of a cigarette. When he heard Lukas coming, he merely waved a hand halfheartedly.
"Skipping class, detention," Lukas teased, miming writing something down on a pad.
"Like I give a shit," Mathias replied, offering a cig to him, which he declined.
"Yeah, what happened to the 'I'm the star' Mathias?"
A long drag. "Hhhh," the Dane breathed out the smoke. "He's gone now."
"I miss him," Lukas sighed, sitting down on a bench.
"Yeah, me too."
"You think you can try to go back to being like him someday?"
"Maybe, but I can't fake the happiness."
"I know."
.
In tenth grade, Mathias stole the show again, becoming even more popular than he was before. Girls blushed at the mere mention of him, and boys nearly hung off his shoulders.
Lukas's appeal had faded slightly, but he didn't mind.
Mathias and a Hungarian girl were voted 'Duke and Duchess of Prom' and they each received a crown.
Lukas was happy for them, hanging in the corner with some fellow Student Council members.
When the girl scampered off to her friends, Mathias strode over, grinning lopsidedly while adjusting his crown. "Pretty, ain't it?"
"Yes it is," the Norwegian agreed.
A cheesily slow song came on, and the Dane smirked, bowing. "Care to dance, m'lady?"
"Oh, of course, what a gentleman!" Lukas played along, latching onto the taller's rather muscular arms.
They slow-danced, smiling at each other crookedly, around in a circle with the rest of the crowd.
When the song ended, Lukas couldn't help but feel disappointed.
Mathias bent down and kissed him on the hand. "Thank you for the dance, young lady. And gorgeous dress."
"My, thank you!" Lukas giggled.
They both laughed.
.
In eleventh grade, Mathias applied for the army, and the whole school held an assembly in his honour. He gave a speech that was lighthearted and funny, and all too soon the ceremony was coming to an end.
Lukas ran up to the Dane, and hugged him, catching them both off guard.
"Oh, hi Luke."
"Please don't leave me! Don't leave!"
Mathias's voice was hard and sure when he replied, emotionless.
"It's my duty, peasant Lukas. My secret."
Lukas was taken aback, and he felt tears springing to his eyes as he saw the grim smile of the taller. Mathias's eyes were burning with a harsh fire, and the messy hair that Lukas loved so much was cropped short, close to his head.
"Y-you...?"
"Let's hope you find it out before it's too late. You're a smart boy, Lukas, you'll go far in life. I'm proud of you."
Mathias bent down, and their lips met for a split second, before they separated.
The Dane waved, his last goodbyes lost in the crowd, before disappearing.
Lukas sobbed.
.
In twelfth grade, Lukas was reduced to a nervous wreck, crazed from waiting for letters about Mathias or from Mathias, anything. He fell behind in his studies, but he really didn't care.
One day, he finally received a letter that put together all the pieces.
He ripped open the seal, hungry, and hastily unfolded the fragile sheet of parchment.
It read:
Dearest Lukas,
Not a day passes by when I don't think of you. I like to think that you're the only thing keeping me alive. Because guess what? It's broken! Gone, I'm free to go now, I can get shot and just shrivel like a normal person! Oh joy, wouldn't that be amazing, after centuries- anyways, don't be sad. I'm happy now. Maybe next time.
Your Prince, Mathias
Lukas nearly choked. He made shaky hands reach into the envelope again, and pulled out a crisply folded paper. He slowly unfolded it, and took a deep breath.
I am sorry to say that Lieutenant Mathias Køhler died of a fatal gunwound on June 5.
He will be sent to his address to be buried.
The tears ran freely, soaking the small slip of paper.
Stupid, stupid, stupid.
So stupid.
.
And as he sat in the cemetery five years later, he finally realized that although Mathias was selfish, he was finally free.
Lukas looked up at the sky and laughed.
.
Yup. I sort of rushed it, because I needed to finish it but wanted to move on so...
Like it? Hate it? Reviews might encourage me to update my stories.
Yeah. So.