There was nothing Mathias hated more than that no good dirty rotten plan canceling Swede and his little adorable Finnish piece of ass. Nothing in the world made his eyebrow twitch in irritation and make him want to dunk his admittedly shitty cell phone in his beer and be done with it. His hands flexed for a moment with the thought of doing it, but he was more attached to the piece of technology than he would have ever been prepared to admit. It can't be helped though, he thought as he reread for the twentieth time the message that Berwald sent him naught twenty minutes after he hauled his ass downtown.

sorry tino and i cant make it tonight well see you another time

Not even a decent goddamn excuse either, Mathias lamented, shoving his phone into the pocket of his black trenchcoat and downing his second beer of the night. He waited for twenty minutes for those dicks to show up after driving all the way down here, and then they cancel on him. Good riddance, then, he was going to have a great time without them.

And by great time, he was going to get disgustingly sloshed and then attempt to drive home at five in the morning. He peeked around the bar for a moment, attempting to find someone, anyone, to start a conversation with so he could not feel like a creeper or an idiot or, as he really was, someone who simply got stood up by his friends. The tap of his fingers on the bar was drowned out by the loud music and the obnoxious chattering that he was hankering to become a part of sooner rather than later.

After a little more liquid courage in the hatch and Mathias stood from the bar and made his way to the section of the floor where a few pretty girls and a couple of ugly dudes were dancing. One of the girls, a pretty brunette, caught his eye and gripped his hands, tugging him bodily towards her. Now Mathias wasn't usually one to brag, but he was generally the most attractive catch at this particular bar downtown. He'd frequented it enough to know that for a fact and it was never hard to get a little action from a drunk patron nearly every time he'd come.

He never took it far though. Just a couple of minutes of copping a feel or grinding on each other or a sloppy make out session in the darkest corner of the establishment. Once or twice he'd gone home with someone he was really feeling it with, but there was something about the thought of a one night stand that tended to make him cringe.

Mathias pulled away from the girl as she started to lose her balance, not wanting to stick around for even a small chance of puke making its way onto his clothes, and took a seat at the bar again, ordering himself another beer and cracking the lid off with his teeth. Tino always exclaimed that he was going to destroy his teeth doing it, but it was a neat party trick that could break the ice if he ever needed to.

The seat beside him was filled suddenly, and a quiet and light, though commanding voice said, "One Newcastle." Mathias tilted his head just to get a glimpse of the new person at the bar. It was a man, judging by the shape of his face, but he had such a girlish prettiness to him that it was a little disconcerting. His hair was blond with side swept bangs that were held in place by a shiny silver cross shaped hair barrette, though they slightly shadowed a pair of the deepest indigo eyes Mathias had ever seen. His cheekbones were shapely and high and he was incredibly slender, but he could tell there was a certain amount of strength to be contended with.

The man received his beer and took a deep swig of it, one that impressed Mathias. This man was definitely not one to be underestimated. "Can handle your beer huh?" he asked conversationally, taking a deep swig of his own and smacking his lips afterward, completely satisfied with the concoction and all the benefits associated with it. Those indigo eyes met his and the man said nothing for a moment as he regarded Mathias coolly.

"Don't be stupid," he commented, his voice a dull monotone and took another drink. "I'm Norwegian, I was born for this." The Norwegian had finished the beer in four swallows exactly, and Mathias found himself even more impressed than he had been previously.

Before he could order himself another one, Mathias called to the bartender, "Oi, another couple of Newcastles over here." The man didn't seem surprised that a drink had been bought for him but Mathias didn't let that bother him. This could actually end up being a pretty interesting night for him despite Berwald and Tino's incredibly appalling betrayal of friendship. "I'm Danish," he said with a grin, clanking down one of the bottles in front of the blonde man and shaking his own slightly. "Everyone knows that Danes can out-drink anyone else by a fucking mile." He downed half of his bottle in a show of bravado and slammed it on the bar. "Germans, Irish, and even Norwegians!"

A slim eyebrow was raised as the Norwegian picked up the beer and tilted his head very slightly. "You really are an idiot." He pressed the bottle to his lips, sending a rather indecent thought through Mathias's head and finished the beer in one sitting. Mathias watched his Adam's apple bob up and down with each swallow, slightly allured by the motion. He placed the bottle back on the bar a lot gentler than the Dane did, but with a sense of confidence that he simply couldn't deny was incredibly attractive. Mathias chugged the last half of his beer in record time, determined to not be outshone, and this time it was the Norwegian that ordered the round, making him grin.

"For someone so damn cocky you're sure interested in seeing who'll be the winner of this little contest, ain't ya?" The sidelong glance from the Norwegian spoke volumes to him, though the man seemed to rely on an ability of remaining aloof. The slight twinge of the eyebrow, furrowed down in a slope of what seemed to be irritation that was not actually directed at Mathias. Instead of answering, the blonde lifted the beer before him and waited for Mathias to do the same. They started to drink together, and finished together, placing the bottles down hard and loud in unison, gasping for air. Mathias started to cackle loudly. "I'm Mathias," he offered, nudging the other man in the arm with his elbow.

For a moment he seemed like he wasn't going to tell him anything in return, until finally he said, "Lukas."

"Nice to meet ya Lukas! Barkeep! Another round!"

...

Mathias was sure he had never been so drunk in his entire life. He was nearly laying on the bar, his head spinning and his stomach feeling like it was about ready to send itself and everything inside of it up through his throat. "Nah, nah Lukas, I got this," he slurred after a moment, the beer in his hand nearly empty. Lukas stared at him, his face completely blank and a hand resting against his cheek. He didn't even seem a little bit drunk, and they had the same number of drinks. It was impossible. The Norwegian was such a tiny guy, how could he possible handle his booze better than Mathias? He was built like a football player, tall and broad and muscular, and had been drinking since the day he was born.

"I think you're ridiculous and you need to stop before you kill yourself," he replied in annoyance, his voice a soft sigh as he finished one final beer and told the bartender to stop giving Mathias anything else. "How are you even going to get home? Did you even think that far ahead, you idiot?" Mathias was ready to tell him that he had because he planned to drive home after he had sobered up a while, but that was before he got into this spontaneous drinking contest with the most attractive man on earth.

"Sure I did, duh," he mumbled into his shirt sleeve, waving his hand before Lukas's face with gusto. "I just didn't actually expect to be drinking this much tonight." Lukas placed his face in his hand though Mathias chose to mostly ignore it because he was sure if he moved any more he would most likely puke.

After a moment of what seemed like contemplation, Lukas pulled out a credit card and paid for the drinks. Mathias wanted to protest, but before he could say anything, Lukas gripped him by the collar of his jacket and heaved him slowly from the bar. "I'm driving your stupid ass home," he said simply, tugging him towards the door. The temperature had dropped considerably since he had last been outside, and the cold wind sobered him up enough to the point where he could mostly use his feet to get himself to Lukas's car.

The Norwegian roughly pushed him into the passenger side seat and slid gracefully into the driver's side, starting his car and pulling out of the driveway. Mathias took about five minutes to properly say his address between giggles and smacks upside the head from Lukas, who didn't actually seem as frustrated as he was trying to lead him to believe. The car ride, though, was pretty silent for the most part, as Lukas didn't turn on the radio and wouldn't bother answering any of the asinine things that Mathias let spew from his mouth.

Lukas pulled up into the driveway and parked the car, glaring at Mathias before asking, "Do you need me to tuck you in too?"

"I got it," he grumbled, reaching for the door handle and leaning out of the passenger side seat. Well, he thought he had it before he threw up into the flowerbed lining the right hand side of his driveway. Oh man, he was really embarrassing himself now, it had been years since he'd gotten sick from drinking. A soft hand touched his neck, kneeling down next to him and keeping his clothes out of the way of the projectile puke. "I don't got it," he admitted, leaning heavily into Lukas and feeling like total shit. The Norwegian reached into Mathias's pockets and pulled out a jingling set of keys as he dragged him to the front door, trying each one in turn until the was able to get the door open.

"Where?" he asked quietly, and Mathias pointed up the stairs. Lukas was a lot stronger than he looked, being able to heft Mathias up the stairs. He entered the master bedroom and lowered the man onto the bed and then left the room. Mathias wanted to call him back, but he was certain that the man was probably incredibly sick of taking care of his ass by this point. When the door creaked open again, he was surprised to see Lukas back inside, a glass of water from the kitchen in his hands. "Drink this," he ordered, pressing the bottom of it against his forehead until Mathias sat up and accepted the glass.

He mumbled, "Thanks a lot, Lukas, for helping me out like this. You didn't have to." Lukas said nothing as he sipped on the glass for a moment and then placed it on the nightstand, laying back against the bed. Some time passed but Lukas did not leave his spot sitting on the edge of the bed, and Mathias watched him closely before shaking his head and yawning. "Bedtime," he slurred cheerfully, struggling to move under the covers.

Lukas rolled his eyes and began to unbutton Mathias's trench coat for him, tossing it aside along with his boots. His hands were warm against him and Mathias was too incredibly drunk to accept the fact that Lukas had simply stopped undressing him like that. He reached out and took the Norwegian's hands, holding them in a tight grip, though his muddled brain wasn't quite sure what he was trying to accomplish. "I'm still wearing stuff," he offered in confusion and Lukas's eyes widened just the tiniest bit.

"Whatever that is supposed to mean," he replied back bitingly, trying to tug his hands away. Mathias didn't want Lukas to leave just yet and he did the only thing he could think of at that moment to do. He pulled Lukas towards him and crushed their lips together sloppily. He was usually more of a smooth operator than this, but twelves beers was more than he should ever drink in a three hour period and a lot of that went towards lowering his suave abilities.

Much to his surprise, Lukas did not balk from his advances. Instead the man pushed Mathias on his back and was straddling his hips, their mouths still connected as Lukas gripped his shirt in one hand. It felt like a strange dream as he watched their clothes pool on the floor and the night simply slipped away from them.

…

The sun was glaring.

Mathias wasn't used to hangovers, that much was for sure. The throb of his head and the growl of his empty stomach were an unfamiliar experience for him. HE groaned loudly and rolled over, expecting to feel the warm body of his conquest from the night before laying beside him, curled in the sheets with nothing on but that golden hairpin. But when he reached out, there was nothing there and the spot on the pillow where Lukas had rested his head after they were done was bare except for a long, find strand of blond hair. It tickled his nose and he plucked it from the pillow, his stomach feeling empty because of more than just the food.

He shouldn't really be surprised right? He met a man in a bar, they went home together, fucked, and then he'd never see him again. That's how it was supposed to work, right? If that was the case, then why did it affect him so adversely? It had been a long time since he'd woken up with another warm body in his bed and it seemed like it was almost too much to ask for.

Sitting up, Mathias noted the glass of water on his bedside table from the night before and another pang of sadness hit his chest. Lukas cared enough to make sure he was all right at least, he mused, taking a sip out of the glass to wet his dry mouth. He had thought, for a moment at least, that maybe he and Lukas had made some sort of connection. What a stupid thought.

Mathias checked his bedside clock and grimaced. It was nearly four in the afternoon; he had slept through his entire Sunday. He took a quick glance out the window and saw that Berwald and Tino's cars were still in the driveway and rejoiced. Someone needed to take him to go get his own car from where it still sat downtown at the bar. He pulled on a pair of red jeans and a black shirt before bursting through the door of the master bedroom, taking the steps two at a time until he found himself before the aperture to the kitchen.

A soft moan met his ears and when he entered he walked in on Tino and Berwald precariously perched on the island in the center of the kitchen, their pants pooled in a pile on the floor. A pair of Finnish flag boxers stared him in the face and he took in the entire scene with gusto. Berwald was on his back on the counter top with Tino kneeling between his legs on the marble counter top, the Swede's head thrown back. Why didn't this revelation surprise Mathias in the least?

The sight sent him into a fit of loud hysterics, causing his two roommates to look up sharply. The sudden motion sent them careening from the island to the linoleum of the kitchen floor, opposite from where Mathias stood and hidden by the cabinets. "You two are so gross!" Mathias crowed gleefully as the two scrambled on the floor the clothe themselves. "We eat there!"

"We thought you weren't home!" Finland cried out, popping up from behind the counter like a plastic rodent in a whack-a-mole game. Berwald had yet to emerge, though Mathias was sure the Swede was a bundle of embarrassment behind the counter. "Your car wasn't in the driveway so we thought you went to see Alfred or Gilbert or something after we couldn't make it last night."

Mathias continued to laugh heartily as Berwald finally showed his face, the flush of red still evident on his neck and cheeks. "Nah, I found a hot piece of ass at the bar last night and he drove my drunk ass home," he explained, sitting at one of the chairs near the dining room table once he was certain his friends were sufficiently dressed. "But I need one of you sex fiends to drive me to go pick up my car."

Tino and Berwald exchanged glances, their embarrassment subsiding momentarily. "Uh," Tino said quietly as they silently decided between the two of them who would take Mathias down on this little trip. It's not like he bothered them with this sort of thing regularly, though, it shouldn't be that much trouble! I mean, once Berwald had to bring him the spare key when he locked himself out of his car at work a couple of weeks ago, and there was that time Tino had to help him change into his spare tire because he and Gilbert had accidentally thought it was a good idea to run over something weird in the middle of the road.

But seriously, it wasn't that much trouble!

Before they could come to a conclusion themselves, he mentioned offhandedly, "I think Tino. Might be hard for Berwald to sit down for a while." The taller man's face grew drastically more crimson and he quickly made his leave of the room. Tino gave Mathias a disapproving frown.

"You're an ass," he said simply, retrieving his car keys from the hook by the door and heading outside. Mathias followed with his grin still in place and climbed into the passenger side seat, choosing to ignore the putrid pile of vomit from the night before on the side of the driveway. The smaller man climbed into the driver's side and turned the vehicle on in silence. A loud ABBA CD started to play and Mathias groaned, though he doubted Tino could hear over the loud music. The ride down was uneventful and Mathias ruffled Tino's hair in thanks for the lift before climbing out and heading for his own car.

As Tino pulled away, Mathias decided to duck into the bar for a moment just to see if he could spot Lukas anywhere inside. A quick scan of the interior told him that wishful thinking didn't really help much and he sighed in regret.

The drive home was slow and Mathias pictured Lukas in his mind. He'd never had such an amazing night with someone before, that was for sure; while at the bar and afterward in his bedroom. He ran a hand through his hair and lamented the fact that he hadn't been more sober during his night with Lukas. There were bits and pieces of things he could remember. Lukas's indigo eyes staring into his, the pale white of his skin pressed flush to Mathias's own, the softness of his lips. Mathias wanted to kick himself.

You are never seeing him again, he told himself.

AN: One chapter left after this! :)