"How are you feeling today, brother?"

The hospital was usually quiet this time on weekdays, when parents were at work and couldn't visit their sick children, and Lukas Bondvik's room was no different. His parents were wealthy entrepreneurs that were constantly working an barely had time to stop by, and his little brother was only able to spare the trip on his way home from school every few days or so. When Emil did visit, he brought Lukas books on the Norse gods he was so fascinated with, and shoujo manga his friend Kiku leant him. Lukas appreciated his brother's effort to keep him entertained, but he didn't mind being alone. He was used to it by now.

Lukas had lived with a terminal illness for practically his entire life. He was only a few months old when his parents realized that something wasn't quite right with him, when he would scream as though in pain when nothing seemed to have hurt him, or when he would refuse milk or any kind of baby food. Upon taking him to the doctor and after countless tests, they discovered that Lukas was terminally sick and likely wouldn't live to see adulthood.

Lukas practically grew up in a hospital. He never had as much energy as normal kids his age, but around the age of ten doing normal things like walking and playing became too taxing on his frail health, and he was sentenced to constant bed rest. Not long later his family moved from their home in Norway to the United States, to a special hospital that cared for children like him. Eight years later and Lukas was still in the same hospital, had never even seen the house where his parents and brother now lived, had never been outside, had never walked more than a few steps away from his hospital bed.

It was obvious Lukas was sick to anyone who looked at him. His skin was the pale, unblemished color of snow, having never been exposed to sunlight. His blue-lavender eyes were dull and glassy. His arms and legs had no muscle definition whatsoever, and he was very thin. Though his condition hadn't changed much in the last few years, Lukas knew that his time was short. After all, he was eighteen now, and the doctor's had always said that he wouldn't live to be an adult.

Surprisingly, this didn't bother Lukas. He hadn't lived like a normal boy long enough to develop any hopes and dreams, any expectations of a normal life he would never be able to live. He had always just sort of been waiting for the death he knew was rapidly approaching, preoccupying himself with books and idle chat with his little brother until that time came.

Lukas turned his gaze away from the window, spotting his brother in the doorway, fresh from school was his backpack still over his shoulders and everything. "Same as always." He said with a delicate shrug, folding his hands over the pale, colorless hospital blanket in his lap.

Emil let his backpack drop on the floor, making his way over to the chair next to his brother's bed, the heels of his knee-high white boots clicking on the tile floors. He slumped in his seat, propping his beloved boots up on the side of Lukas's bed, retrieving a stick of gum from his pocket and pushing it between his teeth. He didn't even bother offering Lukas a piece anymore, knowing he would refuse like he always did (Lukas hated any kind of artificial flavoring).

"School?" Lukas asked, pressing the button on the remote next to his bed, the top half of the mattress lifting a little more to adjust into a comfortable sitting position. If it were spring or summer the window would have been cracked, letting in a pleasant breeze and the lyrical chirping of the birds. Today was a crisp October afternoon, however, and any breeze would be too cold for Lukas's sensitive body, and instead of birds the only sound that could be heard were the ever-present beebs on the monitor next to his bed.

"Fine." Emil said, blowing a bubble and popping it with a loud snapping noise.

Lukas liked his brother, they were very much alike. They could communicate entire conversations with one-word phrases and simple body gestures, unlike their parents who never stopped running their mouths. People like that drove Lukas insane, but he didn't see his parents often enough to let it get to him. Another thing he liked about Emil was that he seemed to feel the same way about Lukas's illness as he did. He had been born after Lukas, so he had been raised knowing that his brother wouldn't live a full life. If he was going to die, why cry about it? That wouldn't stop it from happening.

"Books?"

Emil nodded, dragging his backpack across the floor and unzipping the pouch, pulling a thick, heavy volume on Norse mythology. He passed it to his older brother, watching Lukas flip through the first few pages, eventually nodding his approval.

"I got it from the school library." Emil explained, running a hand through his platinum hair. "Think you can read it in two weeks?"

Lukas nodded slowly, his eyes already darting across the first page, greedily drinking in the small, bold black text. "Two days." He corrected. He was a fast reader; something this big he could devour easily in just a few hours.

Emil nodded and sat there silently for a few minutes, then stood, retrieving his bag from the floor. "I'm leaving." He announced.

"Bye." Lukas said, not looking up from the book.

Emil turned and left the room, leaving his brother to finish the story.

.

"Here, take this to room 416." The nurse instructed, pushing an ugly brown dinner tray into the awaiting arms of a tall, eighteen year old boy.

"Sure thing, honey buns." He purred in a distinct Danish accent, winking flirtatiously at her and pivoting on his heel, strutting down the hall.

Mathias Køhler was spending his first day doing community service at the hospital by his high school, his punishment after getting caught spray painting a Danish flag on the side of the school, as well as his other 'questionable' behavior throughout the school year.

He was extremely tall, so tall that his spikey golden locks nearly brushing the ceiling. He wore a pair of dark skinny jeans with tears over the thighs, and a combat boots laced up to his knees, a few metal chains swinging from his hips. He wore several thick bracelets with different charms and band logos around his wrists, and a black hoodie overtop of his red t-shirt. His sea-green eyes seemed to glimmer with mischief, his lips quirked into an ever-present smirk.

He followed the pattern of room numbers as he made his way down the hall, eventually coming to a stop outside room 216. He raised his fist, knocking on the door. He heard that the hospital was for terminally sick kids, people came from all over the world just to have their children there. He felt bad for whatever poor little kid was inside.

"Come in." the voice made him hesitate. That definitely wasn't a little kid, and the accent wasn't American. Curious, he opened the door a crack, peeking in before entering completely.

If Mathias hadn't known better, he would have sworn that whom he saw inside was an angel. The boy's face was perfect, narrow and perfect like a porcelain doll; his skin was unblemished and white and looked soft to the touch. His hair fell over his left eye, a delicate ash-blonde color with one particular curl that seemed to hover in midair behind his right ear. He stared at Mathias with long-lashed, inhumanly beautiful amethyst eyes, his face expressionless. He was absolutely the most beautiful, elegant thing Mathias had ever seen.

The boy sat up a little straighter, slowly folding book in his lap. He frowned at Mathias, the most perfect, enticing frown the Dane had ever seen. "What are you looking at?" he asked, his pale eyebrows creasing. "You have my dinner tray, right? Bring it in. I'm hungry."

Mathias fought the heat rising in his cheeks, nudging the door open with his hip and striding not-so-confidently into the room. He set the tray down on the little wheeling table-thing and turned it to face the angelic boy, feeling those haunting eyes follow his every movement.

"You don't look like a nurse." The boy said finally.

"I'm not." Mathias said, chuckling nervously and stepping back. "Uh, community service. Got in some trouble at school."

"Hm." Was all the other said in reply, opening the book in his lap again and returning his attention to it. It was a sign for Mathias to leave, but he didn't take the hint.

"Soooooo, what's your name?" He asked, peering at him curiously.

He didn't look up from the book. "Lukas."

"Uh, sweet! I'm Mathias!"

"… Okay."

"What are you reading, Lukas?"

Lukas sighed, closing his book and turning to look up at him. "Norse mythology. Why haven't you left yet?"

Mathias completely disregarded the question, dropping into the seat next to his bed. "You like Norse mythology? Are you Norwegian? I thought I recognized the accent!"

Lukas sighed touching a hand to his forehead and sweeping his long bangs out of his eyes. "Yes I'm Norwegian. And what are you? You're definitely not American, though you are just as loud and obnoxious as one."

Again Mathias's selective hearing kicked into gear, completely disregarding the insult. "I'm Danish!" he told him proudly. "Moved here when I was twelve."

"Okay." Lukas said, clearly disinterested.

Mathias watched him returning to his book again, completely captivated. All of Lukas's movements were deliberate and graceful, his beautiful jewel-like eyes darting across the pages at lightning speed. He was completely ignoring Mathias, but the Dane hardly noticed. Eventually he realized that he had spent much more time in Lukas's room than he was supposed to, and that if he didn't get back to the nurse's station they would tell the school he had been slacking off.

He stood up quickly, hesitating before making his way to the door. "Will you be here tomorrow?" he asked the Norwegian finally.

Lukas didn't look up from his book. "Every day until I die." He said with an indifferent shrug, but somehow the force of his words pushed Mathias the last few steps into the hallway, because he realized the meaning behind them. Lukas was at a hospital for terminally ill children, and even though they had only just met, knowing that made Mathias feel sick to his stomach. He turned around quickly, fleeing the room as fast as he could, feeling as though he somehow left his heart behind.

A/N:

No. Nonononononononono.

I shouldn't have done this. I really shouldn't have started another fanfiction, and I have another new one planned as well. But, this idea came to me last night and it felt like it was gonna burst out of me unless I wrote it right away. I don't know why, but DenNor has quickly becoming my OTP. I blame the fact that my Norway wig is on its way and me and my friend are working on Denmark and Norway cosplays.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. Please review and tell me what you think. Reviews= faster updates.

Credit for the title goes to my sister, who is ten and is already a yaoi fangirl. (I AM SUCH A PROUD SISTER ^3^)