Chapter 2, Part 1
Picking Wildflowers

There was something that nobody knew about Toki. He kept it a carefully hidden secret. Even if you watched him closely all day you'd never be able to know. He knew it was sort of a stupid, childish habit, but one that he couldn't get rid of. Sometimes when he was out in the overgrown, wild parts of the Mordhaus gardens he'd pick wildflowers. He had a sort of fascination with the weeds ever since he'd first came to America. Of course there were plenty of wildflowers in Norway, but the ones in this country were different. He liked them much more.

In Lillehammer, it was snowing quite often, so most of the flowers and foliage were leafless or covered in blankets of white. Sometimes in the summer they could grow again, but mostly they were too late in bloom before it was winter again. That was why after storming out of the house he proceeded to walk slowly over to his wild patch of overgrown grass—the only spot in the whole yard the Klokateers missed trimming.

He sat down amongst the tall grass and peered up at the fresh morning sky; it felt nice outside. It was the beginning of Spring and the weather was wonderful. Distractedly he plucked up a clover flower and played with it, gently running his fingers along the soft little petals. Just as his mind was beginning to drift there came the sound of shoes walking over grass. Toki looked around and was surprised to see Pickles making his way over to him.

"Pickle? What the hell ams you doing?"

"What am I doin'? What are you doin'?" the drummer asked as he plopped down on the ground next to him. "Why're you all the way over here? The grass is almost as tall as me!"

"Nos it ams not. You're just too short."

He grinned and glanced over at the guitarist. "Maybe I am. Anyways, what's up with you and Skwisgaar? You two gat in a fight last night or something?"

He immediately shook his head and lied unconvincingly, "Nos, we ams just as good as ever. I loves him."

Pickles shrugged and said nonchalantly, "Sure you do." and then became silent. He knew that Toki would tell him the rest when he was ready, and that was one of the reasons that the Norwegian really did love him dearly. Pickles never pushed him or treated him like he was a small child like everybody else. He actually felt like he was an actual adult when he was with the drummer.

"Wells," he finally said with a labored sigh, "He gots mad at me last night."

"Again?"

"Ja, because I didn't wants to...anyways, he gots mad and he...he..."

"What, Toki?" the drummer asked, his green eyes shining with worry. "What'd he tell you?"

"He saids he would break up with me, so I-"

"Why do you care so bad?" he interrupted. "I know you love him, but Gad; he puts you thru shit, you know 'dat?"

The Norwegian nodded. "Ja I knows, but you don't understands what me and him have been thru. He's always beens with me and he ams by best friend. He loves me."

"Y'think so, huh?"

Toki glanced over at him and asked quietly, "You don'ts thinks so?"

Pickles thought for a moment before answering carefully, "Look, we all love you—me, Nathan, Murderface, and Skwisgaar. We really do, like you're our little brother, but you've gotta realize that there's a difference between love and being in love."

"But I ams in loves with him, so why ams he not in loves with me back?"

"Because he's...I don't know." he said, trying hard not to hurt Toki's feelings. "Maybe he is, he just doesn't know how to show it. Some people are like that."

"Or maybes all he cares about is fuckings someone." the guitarist said, glaring down at the little flower he held in his hand. "I don't even know whys I put up with him."

"Why do you put up with him?" Pickles asked.

"I don'ts really know. All I know is that I haves to or I'll be sad."

"Why'll you be sad?"

" 'Cause I'll be alones."

The drummer frowned and shook his head. "No, 'dat's not true. You won't be alone. I mean, you can always talk to me and Nathan, right?"

Toki gave him a sweet little smile and stood up. "Ja, sures. Pickle, cans I ask you something?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"Why you cares so much about me?"

Pickles got up and shrugged. "I dunno. You're like my friend or something, and Skwisgaar's been pissing me aff."

"But I ams still not going to break up with him." Toki said, his smile fading slightly. "I'lls never leave him, 'cause we were made for each other."

"Why do you think that?"

"Because," he said, staring up wistfully at the sky. "For a while we were the only things the other had. It was just us. Didn'ts I ever tell you how we mets? Don't you knows the story?"

Pickles shook his head. "Nah, you told me about 'dat. I only remember the time I met you."

"You wants to know?"

"Sure." he said, sitting back down. "Tell me."

And that was another reason why Toki loved Pickles so much—the drummer would listen to every word he said, no matter how ridiculous or serious. He listened to Toki's words as if they were the most important thing in the world. Yes, he really did love that.

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Chapter 2, Part 2
Another Punishment

To understand how Toki came to meet Skwisgaar, you'd have to hear the Norwegian's story from the beginning. It really all started with a stranger and a guitar on a very cold, very brutal night in Lillehammer. Toki was alone. His parents had gone to church for a late night service. They had left their sixteen-year-old son to sit alone and shivering inside of the small little house.

He watched the fire in the fireplace licking and eating up the wood, praying that it wouldn't devour the logs too quickly so that he wouldn't have to go outside and fetch more. Outside of the windows a thick layer of snow was coating the ground, covering yesterday's winter white blanket. Toki sighed and closed his eyes, trying to forget about the cold for a moment, but just as he began to drift off to sleep there came a knock at the front door.

"Who is it?" he called, quite irritated at the interruption. A muffled voice came thru the door. Toki rolled his eyes and got up. He went over and opened the door, struggling hard to keep an annoyed look off his face. A man stood outside, his dark clothes greatly contrasting to the white of the snow. As soon as he saw Toki standing there in the open doorway, he pushed his way inside the house and took off his black jacket.

"Thanks so much. It's freezing out there."

"Yeah, I know," Toki said, closing the door. "It's Norway; it gets like this every night." and he glanced down at the snow the man had tracked in and sighed. He'd have to mop that up before his parents got home or he'd get punished. "Please, sir," he said, getting down on his knees and beginning to wipe up the mess with his blanket. "You can stay and warm up for a while if you need to, but my parents are out. They're-"

"Did I bring that snow in here?" the stranger asked. He went over, hauled Toki up, and mopping it up himself. "Sorry, kid. I didn't mean to-"

"Don't call me kid. I'm not a kid. I'm sixteen."

"Yeah," he smirked. "Right. Anyway, I'm sorry if I'm troubling you, but I've just come here from Oslo. My cousin lives here, and-"

"Yeah, that's fine. Just hurry up, please." Toki interrupted, casting a nervous glance out the window. His parents would be home any moment and if they saw this stranger in their house, they'd be furious. The man stood up and frowned.

"Something wrong, ki-"

"My name's Toki."

"Okay. Something wrong, Toki?"

"Yeah, my parents. They're-"

"You sure do seemed worried about them." the stranger commented, glancing over at the kitchen. "Would you mind sparing me something to eat? I'm starving."

"Yes, I would, actually. We can hardly afford our own food, so if you would please-"

"Tell you what," the man said, taking something off his back. Toki hadn't noticed it before, but the man had a black and white guitar slung over his shoulder; he walked up and handed it to the teenager. "If you give me some food, I'll give you my pride and joy."

He arched a brow and took the instrument. "If you love it so much then why would you just trade it away?"

"Priorities, kid, priorities." the man said, striding into the kitchen and digging thru the mostly empty cabinets. "You've got to have your priorities in line; if I don't have food, I can't really live, and if I can't live then I can't play the thing anyway. It's all about prioritizing, you see."

Toki went into the kitchen clutching the guitar and sat down on the counter. "Sure, I get it."

"You're a smart kid. I'm sure you can figure out how to play it, right?"

"I guess so."

The man nodded, dug some bread out of a cabinet, and slapped Toki on the shoulder. "Sure you can, Toki. Thanks for the food and warmth. I appreciate it." and he went back into the living room area, ate the bread, and put his jacket back on. "Good luck and goodnight, kid."

"Don't call me kid." Toki repeated, holding the guitar close. "I'm no kid."

"Sure you're not." the man walked out the door, gave him one last wave, and said, "Thanks again."

Once he had left Toki's parents came walking into the house. They both looked around with troubled looks on their faces. Aslaug glared at his son."Who was that coming down the driveway?"

"It was a man. He needed a little food, so I gave him so-"

His father slapped him sharply across his cheek, making him let out a hiss of pain and surprise. His mother just went over and sat down by the fireplace holding her head in her hands, praying that the beating would be a swift one tonight—last night when Toki had received his punishment he had let out a loud, chilling scream. It had made her so ill that she had been forced to step outside into the nipping wind and cry.

Aslaug just took his son by a handful of his long hair and hauled him up the stairs and to his room, neglecting to notice the guitar that the teenager was holding so securely. "Why did you let a stranger into my house?" he demanded, throwing his son into his room. Toki was crying now, trying not to completely lose himself. "Answer me!"

"I...I may have made a mistake..." His father hit him again, this time harder. Toki fell back against the wall with a hand pressed to his face. Color quickly rose to his cheeks and he was beginning to taste blood. Somehow thru it all he managed to sputter, "H-He was about to freeze! What did you want me to do, leave him outside to die?"

"Do not yell at me! Do not—what is this?" Aslaug questioned, reaching for Toki's guitar. His son flinched away and let him have it, desperate to get out of the situation with as few bruises as possible. His father observed it for a moment before throwing it to the ground and demanding, "What is it? Toki, answer me..." his voice was a deadly warning.

"I-It's a guitar, father. The man traded it to me for some food.

"You gave him our food for some stupid guitar? Do you even know how to play the damn thing?"

Toki shook his head and bit back a sob as he cried, "No, but I'll learn! I'll learn anything if it might give me any hope of getting out of here! I hate you and I hate this house! I hate how you always hit me and-"

"Toki, shut your mouth." his father cut in, glaring at his son hatefully. "Shut your mouth and listen; you are not a child anymore, so it's time I stopped treating you like one. It's clear to me that you've forgotten the lessons that I've thought you when you were young, which means that you will have to relearn all of them."

"No, father. I didn't forget, I swear!"

"Obviously your memory's poor if you think that shouting is acceptable in my house." Aslaug said coldly. "Or if you think that letting strangers into my house is permissible. It isn't Toki, it isn't acceptable at all."

"But I-"

"Come, Toki. It's time to learn your lesson."

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Chapter 2, Part 3
The Warning

"And what happened then?" Pickles asked, focusing intently on the Norwegian.

"Wells," Toki began. "After that I sorts of-"

"Tokis, what the fucks ammnest you doings out here?" Skwisgaar asked, coming over to them. He had a look of severe annoyance on his face as he climbed over the tall grasses. "I've been lookings for you everywhere! Next time you gos somewhere why don't you tells me?"

"I'm sorry, Skwisgaar." he said submissively, his pale eyes flitting down. "I forgots."

"What? You forgots that you was my boyfriends? Just how stupids are you?"

"I don'ts...maybe-"

"Gets up off your stupids ass and come inside with me. I told you that we haves a date today, didn't I?"

Toki's eyes shined with excitement as he jumped to his feet. Pickles watched him go over and hug the Swede tightly; Skwisgaar just patted him gently on the shoulder lightly and rolled his eyes. "Goods Toki; down. Comes on, get the fucks off of me."

"Hey, dude," the drummer said, feeling a bit of anger at the guitarist's harsh words. "Tone it down, 'kay? He's just happy to see you, 'dat's all. You don't have to-"

"You shuts up!" the Swede snapped before pushing Toki off of him. "Comes on, let's go inside and spends some time together."

The Norwegian's face gained a look of disappointment. "Do we haves to?"

He nodded and said curtly, "Ja, we dos. I'll pay for the stupids dinner-meal if you gives me somethings else."

Pickles felt color rising to his face. He shouldn't have to hear this! What was worse was that Toki shouldn't have to put up with this, but it was his life to do with—or waste—as he wished. The drummer knew he had no control over it and this was none of his business, so as he got to his feet and prepared to walk away, he just nudged Toki's shoulder and said quietly, "Dude, don't forget what I told you; you're never lonely, okay?"

"Ja, okays. Thanks for listening, Pickle."

"Sure. Can we finish that story later, do you think?"

Toki grinned. "You wants to hears me talk?"

Pickles cast a worried look over to Skwisgaar, who was glaring at him. "Yeah, sure. Any time you wanna talk you know where I am."

"Thanks."

"Yep." and he turned and walked away as coolly as he could manage. Toki watched him go, affection shining in his pale eyes. Skwisgaar noticed this and a deep frown came on his face; he seized the Norwegian's hand and held it tightly, as if trying to return Toki's attention back to him.

"Hey, dildos? You ammnest payings attention to me?"

"Oh yeah, Skwisgaar. We ams going to dos it, right?" he sighed tiredly and begged, "Buts coulds we please not? I really, really-"

"Sures, we don't haves to if you don't want." he said almost smugly. "I won'ts makes you fucks me no more if you don't talk to Pickle no more."

Toki's eyes grew wide. "Not talks to Pickle? But why not?"

"Because," the Swede said, letting some of his blond hair fall over his skinny shoulders. "I don'ts likes how you two are always togethers."

"But we ams just talking!"

"Too bads. I still don'ts likes it. Why don't you ever wants to talk to me, huh? I'm not goods enough for you or something?" Toki shook his head and went to give Skwisgaar a kiss, but the Swede backed away and glared at him. "Don'ts pull that shit with me. You knows what I said—if I ever sees you talking to him like that again, I swear I'll break up with yous."

Toki's eyes filled with fear as he shook his head. "No, please! I didn'ts mean...we weren'ts..."

"Then just don't talks to him again." Skwisgaar said, smiling brightly. "It ammnest simple. Now comes on, let's go inside."