"No-r! This class is bo-ring! Let's skip next Thursday!" a 2nd year Education student whined, with his head slumped on the tiled workplace of the lab, his spiky blonde hair glistening in the sunlight, & and a hand stretched out to the arm of the person in front of him. Said person slapped the outstretched hand and replied in a monotonous voice,
"Nei, Dan. You know that this is a major class. I want that extra points for complete attendance. Also, I want to study hard and keep my grades up to fulfil-"
"Fulfil yer promise with yer mom so ya could stay here with yer dad 'nd lil bror, I get it, jeez!" the blonde finished.
Just then, the teacher announced that they'll have a quiz, "Okay guys, that's all for today. Now, as I've said earlier, we'll have a quiz, so take a piece of paper." He then pointed at the blonde, whose head snapped at attention when his name was called, "Mr Kølher, I hope that you're listening and not pestering Lukas again," he then turned to the person in front of Kølher, "And you, Mr Bondevik, I would greatly appreciate it if you won't supply answers to Matthias, seeing that you're both Nordics and are close friends, so close I might have second thought about your sexuality," he laughed raucously at his own joke and then wrote the questions on the board.
The two of them finished the questions quickly, and nobody was surprised when the papers were checked, Matthias Kølher and Lukas Bondevik got the highest scores. After telling the class the schedule of their prelim exam, the teacher dismissed them.
While Lukas was stuffing the big worktext that they're using in his bag, Matthias is chatting with some of their classmates using the local dialect of the place. Having lived in the country for more than eight years and also a half, Matthias is more than an expert in using the dialect, one thing that Lukas secretly liked about the man; also, the shift from his usual Danish to the lyrical dialect is quite a marvel for him.
Matthias is heaven-sent for Lukas, who knows nothing about the country he moved to; he was unsure if he could even fit in and make friends, with his usual blank expression and lack of knowledge of the place, until he met the blonde-haired Dane. It was just an accident that they met; they bumped into each other after the general orientation of their college. He quickly apologizes in Norwegian, forgetting that no one speaks his language. Lukas was about to translate what he said in English when the Dane lit up like tinsel on a Christmas tree and replied "No one got hurt, so it's fine," in broken Norwegian. After the fated meeting, the two of them became inseparable, with the same course and major being a great reason for them to have almost the same schedule.
After making sure that all of his things are accounted for, Lukas slung his bag and walked towards Matthias. When he was close to the Dane, who seems to be discussing about the presentation that they're doing the next two weeks, he couldn't help himself but to admire the man, handsome, smart, and friendly, he's a perfect person for Lukas, although his grin and goofiness sometimes irks him. Tapping the man's shoulder to get his attention, he motioned at the exit with his head when he noticed Lukas, embarrassed because he couldn't speak to him directly, even though he could just use English.
Getting the message, Matthias smiled at Lukas, turned to the girl, and bid goodbye, "Sige, bwas na lang ta istoryahanay sa Chem tapos exam." He then turned to Lukas and placed his arm on the Norwegian's shoulder, which the other slapped away, and smiled his usual smile, "So Norge, let's have lunch?"
The two of them walked to the canteen, talking about the opening of Christmas lights later and their exam for their Chemistry class. When they've reached the canteen, they have already decided to meet up later at school rather than Matthias fetching Lukas at their apartment. They entered the building, ordered some food, and found a place to sit down and eat. While eating, Lukas was counting the people coming in and exiting, and as for Matthias, he was scrolling through his phone ("Got a message from a friend on FB, so I'm waitin' for his reply.") when his head immediately shot up and stared at the Norwegian. Lukas, sensing the pair of blue eyes on him, looked at the Dane with a raised eyebrow and a question, "What? Is there a problem, bror?"
"Norge, did you know that the feeling of being in love is because of the neurotransmitter dopamine flooding certain areas in our brain?" the Dane asked seriously.
Even though it is not evident in his face, Lukas was taken aback by the question, "Yes, I know about that. Why do you ask?" Yes, he knew that and he surely knew that the Dane knows that he knows about that information, which made him think 'what's in that Dane's mind?'
A tint of pink blossomed on Matthias' face, and his hand went directly to his nape, a sign that Lukas knew all too well, the man's hiding something. "Well… That's… um… Never mind that," he said hastily as he stood up & picked his bag, "I need to go to the library! See ya in class later!"
'That's weird,' Lukas thought as his eyes trailed the back of the tall blonde as he walked away, the key chains on his bag (a Danish flag, a LEGO brick, and a cinnamon bun) making quite a racket, he knew very well that Matthias doesn't go to the library. The rest of the afternoon was weird for him as well; during their class on principles of Education, Matthias, who would usually focus on the class, kept on glancing at his seatmate while the other was not looking, and when Lukas turns his head, the other would avoid his gaze. Lukas tried to talk to him about what's wrong after class; Matthias just smiled and replied, "I'm fine Norge! No need ta worry 'bout me!"
The next class, P.E., was the same as well. The Dane tried to focus on hitting, throwing, or catching the softball ball, but all the time, he would either not hit or would get hit by it; all of this, made Lukas worried. After class, while the two of them are counting the equipment they've used, Lukas tried to talk to Matthias again, "Hey, what's bothering you? I want a straight answer, and don't you dare give me that 'I'm fine, Norge!' crap, I want to know what's wrong."
Matthias just stared at the ball in his hand, "Lukas… I… I have somethin' ta tell ya tonight. It's very important."
He looked at the Dane with curiosity, "Okay, I'll come. Promise me that you'll tell me what's bothering you, 'kay?" Now Lukas was very much intrigued with what was bothering the Dane's mind, he never called Lukas by his name, it would always be 'Norge', reason behind is because he came from Norway.
"I promise to tell you what's bothering me, pinkie swear" Matthias said and raised his pinkie.
"Pinkie swear?" the childish gesture made the Norwegian chuckle, but he still wrapped his pinkie to the Dane's own.
After their last class, the two of them separated and went home to prepare for their plan for the evening. But, even though he tried not to, what Matthias said to Lukas was the only thing in his mind the whole time. His brother, Emil, sensed this and talked with his brother.
"It looks like you've got something heavy in your mind that you never noticed that you're wearing my lopapeysa. What's wrong, Lukas?" the teen asked as he lounged on the other's bed.
"Nothing," Lukas weakly answered as he shed the sweater and searched for other clothes. He dug through his closet and found the shirt that was important to him. He instantly wore it and showed to his brother, "How about this?"
With one look, Emil immediately knew what's bothering his brother. He heaved a sigh and pointed at his brother's jeans, "If you want to wear that shirt, change that jeans and take my perfume and use it, oh, and also, use grandma's gold cross hair clip as well."
Lukas thanked his brother and followed what he said. After asking permission from his father, Lukas was ready to go when suddenly, a car horn blasted from outside their house. Lukas took a peek at the window and saw Matthias outside, leaning on his car, a small smile on his face when their eyes met.
"I thought we're going to meet at school. Why are you in the front of our house?" Lukas asked when he went out of their house, a smile playing on his lips.
"I jus' thought ya need a ride," Matthias said as he straightened up and opened the passenger door.
"What a gentleman you are, Matthias," Lukas said with a smirk as he entered the car, "The school's not that far, I could just walk, you know."
Matthias grinned, said 'thanks' and proceeds to the driver's seat. The drive to their school was a quiet one. When they've reached their destination, Matthias quickly looked for a parking space, and when he found one near one of the old buildings, he immediately parked and went out to open the passenger door. The two of them walked to the stalls and kiosks that they've passed earlier and bought snacks, with Matthias treating Lukas. Lukas, who was observing the man's actions, really find it weird; Matthias is quiet and being a gentleman the past few minutes, which he knew is out of the Dane's character, and as the two of them are sitting on the grass of the soccer field and waiting for the fireworks show and the turning on of the lights, the Dane was quiet. Lukas was about to ask about his actuations when Matthias suddenly spoke,
"I… have something to ask you, Lukas. Do you remember what I said at the canteen earlier?"
Of course Lukas remembered, that was the time when Matthias started acting weird, "About the biological response of the brain when the person is in love?"
"Yes, that. Did you know, every time I'm with you, my brain is flooded with dopamine, it's like there's no inhibition at the amount at all," Matthias said, his bright blue eyes looking at the sky.
Lukas' blushed at what Matthias said and tried to hide it by looking at the ground. 'Does that mean… he loves me?' He asked himself. When he looked at the Dane, he was surprised to see blue eyes staring at him, and he also noticed the blush on his cheek.
Their faces moved closer to each other slowly, and, when they were about an inch closer, light from the sky bursts and all around them, colourful lights glowed to life. The two immediately turned their head skywards and watched the fireworks, drinking in the fleeting beauty of the pyrotechnics.
"Me too," Lukas said and wrapped his hands on Matthias' own, his eyes gleaming with delight as he watched the fireworks, "My brain's flooding with dopamine every time we're together, and tonight, I think I passed the limit fit for the human brain, it feels like being on drugs, not that I have any experience."
"Well, shall we continue what we're about to do?" Matthias asked and looked at Lukas.
"With pleasure," Lukas replied and pulled Matthias for a kiss.
-End-
Translations:
Nei, Dan: No, Dan (Danmark=Denmark)
bror: brother
Sige, bwas na lang ta istoryahanay sa Chem tapos exam: 'Kay, let's just talk tomorrow after our Chem exam