Number Game
By: Frozen Meatballs
DenSu Week 2016 Day 4: "First Comes Love"
Asking for your crush's number was never an easy feat.
DenSu Week Event Blog: densu-week .tumblr. com (remove spaces)
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"You can do this, Matthias. You can keep your goddamn hair upright for 12 hours straight and you're saying that you can't ask for this cutie's, whatever his name is, number?"
"The name's Berwald, you're even the one who told me that. And did you just call him a cutie too?!"
"500 bucks if you don't do it within an hour."
"What the fuck man."
Matthias gaped at his childhood friend Lukas as he watched him sip the espresso he ordered in the café they always hanged out at. It was their umpteenth time to visit the café that they were considered regular customers already. Matthias claimed that he always went to this very café because of the very homely ambiance and the great coffee they served, but Lukas knew the reason was none of those. He'd always known that the reason behind Matthias'sudden interest to this coffee shop radiated from the man a few meters away from them.
Barista Extraordinaire Berwald Oxenstiernia.
Lukas nicked off some nice money off this helplessly in love friend of his before him just for that name he simply asked from his classmate that also worked part time in the café.
"Stop getting mental boners from the smell of the coffee he makes and get your ass over there." Lukas settled down his cup while peering from the corner of his eye Matthias' subject of affection.
"You're really getting out of hand, Lu. And holy shit I ain't your personal ATM machine." Matthias complained to his friend as he was rubbing his temple due to the slowly developing headache he was having. He has had enough of persuading from Lukas to ask for Berwald's number. Similarly, Lukas has also lost patience to the one sided tension and pulled out his wallet to take the amount of money he presented in his recent bet with Matthias regardless if he agreed or not and slapped it on the table.
"Tick tock, an hour is ticking."
"Bro, we look like we're having illegal transactions!"
"Oh, I thought we were? "
"Lukas!"
"I want to be the best man."
"Gahhhhhh" Matthias banged his head lightly on the table due to sheer frustration. He tirely raised it back with a bill of money sticking on his forehead which Lukas removed and placed back on the table. "Look Matt, I'm tired of watching you swoon over that man and being so helpless. It's so unlike you. So if you don't stand up there in 5 seconds, I'll be the one to ask."
"What?! What happened to the hour?!"
"Five"
"Oh my god Lu-"
"Four"
"You aren't even listening."
"Three"
Matthias forcefully covered his hand on Lukas' mouth which earned them a few stares from the other customers. He smiled at them weakly to tell that everything was fine. "Okay Fine! You win. I'll do it! But I can't just waltz there to the counter and fucking ask him!"
"Dearest Gods of the North, Matthias Køhler, triumphant King of hair gel, has finally lost it. Who knew all it would take was a random barista." Lukas groggily mumbled through Matthias' hand that was still on his mouth.
"Will you please lose the sass for a minute? So genius how do I do it? "
Lukas made a rare smile that slightly gave Matthias goosebumps. This is not good. This. Is. Not. Good.
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"Hey Ber, there goes your favourite customer again rambling with his friend." the cashier personell informed Berwald while he applied whip cream on a recent frapuccino order he received.
"Boyfriend. And he's not my favourite customer. I treat them all fairly." Berwald corrected his colleague. He's had a crush on this customer Matthias for quite sometime now. But he never saw him alone in the café and always with this man who liked strong coffee so he assumed that he was not single which forced him to yet again keep his petty feelings down.
The cashier guy chuckled. "Yeah keep telling yourself that. And could you keep an eye on the counter? I'll just be going to the comfort room, okay?"
Berwald nodded in agreement then watched him leave. From the counter, he discretely watched everyone enjoying themselves in their café. However, a few glances later, he saw Matthias stand up.
"Oh shit no." Berwald whispered under his breathe. Matthias was approaching the counter. When he arrived, Matthias smiled at him unsteadily and Berwald composed himself to say the usual greetings to customers, not noticing the light shaking from the man before him.
"Hi, may I take your order?"
"uh-" Matthias gulped. "Yeah! I-I'd like my usual order hehe. Cappuccino with a teaspoon of sugar,p-please. Oh and can you please put it in a travelling cup? T-thank you"
Berwald wrote down the order then pushed some buttons on the cashier. He informed Matthias of the amount needed to be paid which Matthias obliged. Mathias took some bills from and placed it on the counter. Berwald took the bills and counted it when he noticed a piece of folded paper among the bills. On the outside was written "Keep and read it a bit later."
"Uh sir, there's some-" confused with what he saw, Berwald looked back at Matthias from counting the money but all he saw from the man was a nervous smile and at his back, his strong coffee lover companion was waving at him and made a gesture of keeping it in his pocket. Berwald obliged albeit very unsure of what was happening. He informed Matthias that the transaction was done and he could just comeback for his order later when his name was called which Berwald did not ask anymore since Matthias was a regular and he knew his name by heart. He then watched Matthias hurry back to his seat and his companion giving him a thumbs up. Coincidentally, the cashier man went back from his trip to the comfort room.
"Hey, everything fine? "
"Yeah" Berwald answered then went back to his usual post by the coffee makers. He made one more glance at Matthias who was leaning his head on his hand that acted like a stand on the table and looked outside before he took the paper from his pocket and read its contents.
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"I wanna die. I wanna die. I wanna die. I WANNA DIE. "
"Shut up, Matthias."
"I wanna strangle you."
"You can thank me later. Now calm down and be a good boy as you wait for your coffee."
His heart was pounding hard and mentally sweating hard. What would he do if he got a negative response? Holy shit, what did happen to him? Asking women before for their numbers was a breeze to him. Why was he so nervous now? Was his now regular intake of coffee making him lose his cool and start being nervous? Matthias had a lot of questions but adding more just added more pounding to his heart. He looked at the scenery, smelled the cofee and felt the ambiance to digress himself of what may happen. Thankfully, Lukas stayed silent and was now texting someone. Probably his boyfriend Lars. How the fuck did that guy handle Lukas? Oh wait, Lars was probably always high that he didn't mind Lukas' sass. Or maybe Lars was secretly as sassy as Lukas was that they cancelled out each other. Matthias, for the second time, slammed his head on the table.
A few moments later, the bell from the counter was ringing through his ear and his name being called. Lukas poked Matthias' head with the edge of his phone. "Wakey wakey big baby." he mumbled.
Matthias looked up while his head was still leaning on the table top and gave Lukas a middle finger. Lukas snickered at him and pointed at Berwald that was looking at them to call their attention that Matthias' order was done.
"Here goes." he sighed.
Matthias quickly made his way to the side of the counter where Berwald was waiting for him to take his coffee. They both smiled awkwardly at each other as he took his cappuccino and went back to Lukas.
"Well?" Lukas asked as he looked through the receipt in case a number was written there.
There was none. The paper Matthias gave was also not present.
"Ugh! See I told you it's hopeless! He's probably not even bi or gay!" Matthias was feeling so bad.
Lukas frowned. He wasn't expecting this. He was picturing an image of Matthias beaming in delight like he always were. Sighing, he picked up the money from the table and placed it in his pocket.
"I'm really sorry Matt, I wasn't expecting this. And come on, it'll heal. I promised Lars we'd meet after this." Matthias sadly nodded and picked up his things then left the café with Lukas.
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They met Lars near the port where he was having a mint scented vape. Lukas loved that smell and inhaled the smoke when the three finally met.
"Hello drug lord." Lukas greeted his boyfriend.
"Hello fairy, so how'd your little trick go?" Lars inquired to the both of them but they remained silent.
"Hmm. Didn't go well. Sorry to hear." he finished and inhaled another vape.
They walked a few more meters beside the port area when Matthias fished for his wallet and produced 500 bucks and offered it to Lukas. "Here, you won. "
"Shit Matthias. I was joking. It was a one sided bet." Lukas explained while Lars simply watched them and observed the scene.
"Regardless, I accepted and you won." he kept shoving the money at Lukas and the latter continued to decline.
"I don't need that money Matthias. You know I'm fairly well off and I never really say it unless needed. "
"This is probably my last coffee from that shop. I can't go back and let him see me again. It would be a shame." he took one last sip from the cup and was about to approach a nearby garbage can. Lars was staring at the cup Matthias was holding and quickly stopped him when he saw a small piece of paper sticking out of the heat reducer included on the body of the cup."
"Hey Matt, wait isn't that a paper or something on that cardboard of the cup?" he suggested.
Lars looked at it and pulled it from the heat reducer when Matthias raised the cup to see for himself then Lars handed it to him.
Matthias curiously opened the paper that led him to what he originally written at it that instructed Berwals to keep the paper and read it later. He flipped it over to see that Berwald written something and his eyes widened in delight to what he saw.
Hi, can I get your number? :D
Wait isn't this Lucas your boyfriend? I kept it tucked inside the cup so he won't be angry that you're trying to cheat on him but oh god I might have been mistaken. Please dont text me if I'm right. +45************
Matthias burst out laughing at what he read and handed it to Lukas for him to read.
"Dear Odin, he thought we were boyfriends so he made the paper hard to find? !? And he even had the gall to mispell my name! The nerve! " Lukas fumed and almost ripped the paper before Matthias stopped him and took back the paper he placed neatly in his breastpocket. After that he made hand gestures of asking Lukas the money he won, laughing harder all the way.
Before them, Lars observed the scene, understood not a single thing and feeling a bit heartbroken at the 500 bucks his love had lost.
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A/N: Throwing some love for my second /Norway OTP NedNor. And I'm sorry if Denmark and Sweden doesn't fit anyone's standard. I'm actually not a fan of DenSu and usually just write about them through requests of a certain someone, but hey I wanna spread the love :D
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