A/N: Gosh, it's been ages since I posted a story here! It's really embarrassing to go back and re-read the fanfics I wrote back then, and then compare them to how I write now.

Anyway, here, have this. It was inspired by an anonymous post on tumblr, which said: "The Czech Republic is the country that has the most beer consumption per capita. Ok so a Denmark vs Czech battle. I need this. She may be smol but she could probably whoop ass." It was posted on the blog belonging to Dorkdenmark, and I hope I'm not offending anyone in anyway by writing this.

Libuše - Czech Republic, Mirek - Slovakia, Feliks - Poland, Toris - Lithuania, Mathias - Denmark, Lukas - Norway, Berwald - Sweden, Tino - Finland, Emil - Iceland.

"Excuse me? Repeat that again?" For a second she left her lunch in favour of glaring across the table to where Lukas sat, together with Mathias who once again had spoken a little too loudly and care-freely.

He groaned inwardly. Here we go again.

"I said", Mathias said, leaning back in his chair with a smirk, "that I can hold my liquor longer than any other girl around the dorm."

Libuše's eyes narrowed slightly, and Lukas could see the gears turning in her head. "Fine", she eventually stated. "I'll meet you in the pub by the square. This evening, at 8 PM. I'll prove that I can hold my liquor perfectly fine." She wrapped up her lunch, getting up from the table. Her friends, Mirek, Feliks and Toris, immediately followed.

"No problem!" Mathias replied, grinning. "I can't wait to see you passed out!"

Before she could reply, Mirek grabbed her by the shoulders and steered her out of the cafeteria with Feliks and Toris at their heels.

Lukas turned his attention back to Mathias and the others. Tino was shaking his head slowly, either at Mathias' stupidity, or in wonder. Berwald was as stern as usual, while Emil had his face buried in his hands, peeking through his fingers. Everyone were watching Mathias.

"What?" Mathias asked. "Come on, guys. I can take her! No problem!"

"You've had brighter ideas", Berwald stated.

"Agreed", Lukas said.

"What a woman …" Tino muttered. He then smiled at Berwald. "If I hadn't been dating you, I'd for sure had a major crush on her by now!"

"Please", Emil snapped, before turning to Mathias. "Do you have any idea of what you've gotten yourself into? Have you heard the stories? They say she of some reason challenged Professor Bonnefoy to a drinking contest! With wine! And she won! Do you seriously think you can take her?"

Mathias rolled his eyes, grinning. "That was luck. I bet Bonnefoy had a bad day!"

"You know what?" Emil shot up from the table. "I'll go buy medicines for the hungover you'll have tomorrow. But I don't want anything to do with it. Lukas, you take care of him."

Lukas nodded slightly.

"We'll localize a bucket!" Tino also got up, grabbing Berwald's hand in the process. "See you at the pub!"

"What?" Mathias exclaimed, turning after them as they left the cafeteria. "Come on, it's not fair! You should support me when I'm having rough times! That's what best friends do!" He glanced back at Lukas who was still sitting across from him. "You think I'll take her down, don't you?"

"Someone once said, that the difference between best friends and enemies, is that enemies treat you better."

...

Lukas scanned the pub the moment he entered. There were people everywhere, laughing and shouting. Mathias was already making his way towards the counter. Libuše was sitting there, her legs crossed and leant back in the high sea – the perfect image of relaxed. She obviously knew how to play it.

Beside her, sat Mirek, Feliks and Toris. Feliks was leaning back against Toris, playing with his fingers. They weren't officially a couple, but as good as. Mirek's gaze met Lukas', and he shrugged, as though to say, "This is stupid, but hey. Why not let ourselves be entertained?" Lukas tilted his head slightly with a small shrug in return.

"About time you decided to show up", Libuše said from her high chair.

Mathias took the seat beside her. "A winner arrives when a winner means to."

"Where'd you find that? In the trash can?"

Feliks laughed, apparently paying some attention to what was going on after all.

"I could ask the same about your blouse."

Lukas whacked Mathias' head. "After this session, I'll make sure to teach you some manners. Or maybe I'll ask Professor Kirkland to give you extra lessons."

Mathias took the threat to heart, and ordered the first drinks. Three pints of beer to each of them. They both swallowed it with no problems whatsoever. More drinks. About an hour passed. At the eleventh, Mathias was boasting with admirable self-confidence how well he was faring. At the twelfth, Libuše was laughing loudly, proclaiming to everyone within earshot, how she was obviously going to 'beat the idiot into his shoes'.

Lukas watched while Mathias' good mood hit the top, then dropped. And the moment it began dropping, the fall was long. He became more and more solemn. His usual smile fell away, and his gaze became nearly intimidating while his face went blank. Nearly like Berwald, when Lukas first had met him. However, then Mathias had taken away the edge of the glare by telling plenty of embarrassing stories from their childhood. Now there was no one to remove the edge.

Libuše was growing louder and louder by the pint, laughing. Her face was even reddening slightly.

Lukas pulled forth his cell phone and quickly texted Berwald and Tino.

At the nineteenth pint, Mathias was staring down into his half-filled mug of beer. "Y'know, Lukas?" he muttered. He then fell quiet, as though he lost his line of thought. After some while, he lifted the mug and downed the rest of the content, before turning fully to Lukas. His glazed-over eyes were dropping. "I think … I really like ya …" He fell forward, his head landing on Lukas' shoulder.

Lukas barely caught himself against the counter, quickly catching Mathias in the process before the stupid Dane could fall off the chair and get hurt. Or worse, pull them both down. "Don't you think you've had enough now?"

"I mean … I love ya …" Mathias muttered. He smelled of beer, and even through the shirt, Lukas felt how hot his face was.

"That's it", Lukas decided. "You're drunk. We're going home."

Libuše whooped, holding a pint and grinning from ear to ear. "Guess who won't have to pay anything tonight!"

"You're not much better yourself", Lukas said, getting off his chair while supporting Mathias. He pulled Mathias' limp arm across his shoulders, wrapped an arm around his waist and steadied him as they made their way towards the exit. "Don't get too carried away by this", he called back across his shoulder.

Mirek patted her lightly on the shoulder, saying something Lukas didn't catch.

He turned his attention back to Mathias who was stumbling, nearly tripping in his own legs. They climbed the stairs to the door, one step at a time. Behind them, people were still laughing and shouting, and some were obviously drunk. A few cases had already been kicked out for causing a havoc.

Lukas pulled up the door and they took the last step out in the fresh evening air. It was dark, except for the street lamps and water fountain in the square that lit up in red, blue and green. Mathias tripped, falling face-first towards the pavement. Lukas barely managed to catch him as the door swung shut behind them.

With a sigh, he lifted Mathias up. He coughed slightly at the smell of beer that came with every one of Mathias' exhales. Surprisingly – or not so surprisingly after all – the idiot was already sleeping. Laying in Lukas' arms, he nested his head into Lukas' neck. A wave of heat washed across Lukas' face.

Slowly he made his way along the shopping street, towards the parking lot where Berwald and Tino hopefully were waiting with the car, so they could get Mathias back to the dorm and in bed.

His gaze drifted to Mathias' face, which was partly covered in shadows. His face was red from the amount of alcohol, but although it annoyed Lukas that Mathias didn't take better care of himself, he also found it slightly endearing.

As he reached the end of the street, he saw Tino jogging towards him. At the sight of Mathias in Lukas' arms, Tino stopped short. "Is he all right?" he asked, a worried look passing across his face.

"Yeah, just drunk."

"Of course." Tino shook his head, chuckling. "I don't know what else he thought would happen."

Lukas shrugged as best as he could, and they headed to the car. They climbed in, somehow managing to get Mathias in as well. The drive back to the school and the dorm was barely ten minutes, with there being no traffic this late in the evening. When they arrived, Lukas was again forced to carry Mathias, while Berwald and Tino created a distraction to keep the night watch too busy to notice two people that had been out after 11 PM without consent, of which one was obviously drunk.

Thankfully, Mathias' room was only in third floor, and not in fourth as it could have been. Berwald and Tino caught up with him as he was trying to unlock the door. Quickly Tino pried the keys from Lukas' hand, and helped him unlock the door.

"Do you need any help?" Tino asked while Lukas laid Mathias down on the bed.

"No", Lukas said. Then he thought about it. "Or could you bring a mattress, my duvet and pillow?" He held up the keys to his room.

"Of course!" Tino grabbed them and disappeared with Berwald in tow. Within a matter of minutes, a bed was laid out at the opposite side of Mathias'. A bucket stood close by the bed, together with a roll of paper and some medicines.

Berwald and Tino headed to bed, leaving Lukas alone with the drunk Dane. Carefully, he removed Mathias' shoes and put them by the door. After a moment of hesitation, he began unbuttoning Mathias' shirt as well.

"What'cha doing?" Mathias' voice was drowsy, and his eyes were barely open as he spoke, but there was a small smile at his lips.

Lukas' face flashed with heat again. "Removing your shirt. Don't think too much about it."

"What else'll ya gonna remove?"

"The belt. You can't sleep with it on."

Mathias' smile grew a little. "Fair 'nough", he said.

Silence settled. Lukas finished unbuttoning the shirt and pulled it off Mathias arms. He draped it across the chair to keep it from getting wrinkled. As he had said he would, he removed the belt. Then the socks. He pulled the duvet out from under Mathias and pulled it up to his chin.

"Stay …" Mathias muttered, his hand finding one of Lukas' hands.

Lukas squeezed his hand gently, then let go. "I'll brush my teeth and change. I'll be sleeping just across the room."

Mathias said nothing more, and Lukas went to the bathroom. As he watched his reflection in the mirror, his thoughts flashed to the moment in the pub. "I love ya." His hand went to the cross. It was a communicational device, but it had been Mathias' idea, and a gift.

He finished in the bathroom and returned. Quickly he changed to his sleeping attire – just a plain t-shirt and boxers. As he was about to slide under his covers, a rustle from Mathias' bed made him turn.

Mathias held up his duvet slightly. "Sleep with me?"

They had done it thousands of times before, but suddenly it had a whole new meaning. For the first time in his life he felt awkward before Mathias. Without thinking, he rubbed his neck and glanced down at the floor. The carpet looked like a Persian one, in red, dark blue, creamy white and brown, with beautiful patterns. He had one of those at home, under the table at the living room.

"Please?"

Lukas sighed and crossed the floor. "Fine, but I'll sleep on the inside. If you get sick, there's a bucket beside the bed." He climbed across Mathias' body and slid into the small space between him and the wall.

Mathias shifted and rolled over on his side so they lay face to face. It gave Lukas a lot of new space. For the first time, he noticed a spray of freckles across Mathias' nose and under his eyes. Those eyes were closed.

"Good night", Mathias murmured.

"Good night", Lukas replied after some while.

Silence settled.