Monday started quite normally for Lukas.
No sooner than he had stepped inside the school gates he could sense the annoying Dane approaching. He must have some sort of a sensor that alerted him every time Lukas entered a certain radius. Lukas on the hand was so used to it that he didn't even have to see Mathias to know that he was close.
This time, however, Lukas felt like he wanted a hug. To be honest he had felt like he needed one since the episode in the forest, but he couldn't just ask someone to hug him. For the first time Mathias' greeting seemed convenient for Lukas, and instead of avoiding or pushing Mathias away he let the Dane wrap his arms around him. He didn't lean into it or hug back, but it did feel quite good. Not that he'd ever say it out loud. It ended soon, though, as Mathias stepped back looking worried. He kept his hands on Lukas' shoulders.
"Hey, what's wrong?" he asked seriously, without the trademark grin.
This was one of the reasons that Mathias was his friend. He might be an annoying idiot most of the time, but he knew when something was wrong and could be very reasonable and level-headed when he wanted. Most importantly he cared. Lukas' lips formed a small smile at his thoughts.
"Okay, now you're really scaring me", Mathias said with a slightly terrified look. Lukas narrowed his eyes at him and saw that he was indeed serious. Come on, his smile wasn't the end of the world or anything.
Lukas got annoyed and smacked the Dane's head.
"Step back, idiot", he said. But to show his gratefulness he didn't hit as hard as he usually did, and there was a fraction of softness in his expression. Mathias seemed to pick up on this as he grinned happily and complied, giving Lukas some space.
Lukas nodded his greeting to Berwald, who was having a one-sided conversation with Tino, and grabbed the latter one's sleeve to drag him to the math class. He had some unfinished business with him, and he was impatient as they would have to present their work on the second lesson.
"See you around", Lukas waved a greeting to the two remaining friends. They stared after him, but Tino seemed to pick up quickly as Lukas didn't have to drag him anymore and he followed Lukas without questions.
When they arrived in front of the classroom's door, the halls were still empty. Lukas could never figure out why others wouldn't arrive before the last minute, but he liked the space and calmness, so he wasn't about to complain. He was about to start about their assignment, but to his delight Tino had already pulled out his notes and showed him how he had thought to complete their project.
"I made this yesterday, hope you don't mind", Tino said with a smile. Lukas shook his head; Tino had done good work.
"Quite the opposite, I think that's a good idea. Let's do it", he said with a nod. Tino beamed at his approval, and Lukas had to turn his head away slightly to avoid the mental blinding that smile seemed to cause him. He still thought of wonderful, stuffy pillows when seeing Tino's smile.
"And now we don't have to be edgy the entire lesson because we know what to do", Tino said as if reading Lukas' intentions. He gave a nod, as that had indeed been his line of thought when dragging Tino away. Yes, he could have explained it to everyone and leave with Tino. But that's not the way he did things and messing with his friends was always worth it.
Nothing spectacular happened during math class. Lukas spent in actually doing his work, and didn't face any major problems he couldn't solve. He kept stealing glances at Tino, though, but that was nothing serious. Tino was still seated next to Eduard, and the two looked like they were plotting something but Lukas knew better: they were really just that excited about math. Crazy people, he thought, but each to their own I guess.
Lukas didn't exactly feel anxious about presenting, but he didn't like it either so the next class came by way too fast. He sighed and headed to English, hearing Tino saying goodbye to Eduard as he came to walk beside Lukas. For some reason that made Lukas happier, and the corner of his mouth twitched a bit. But it took just a short look at Tino for the same corner to pull down in concern.
Tino was looking pretty normal, but 'pretty' wasn't enough for Lukas and the small bit out of place didn't go unnoticed by him. It was hard to pinpoint what was different as Lukas couldn't get a clear reading from Tino, as usual. Therefor it wasn't an easy task, but Lukas narrowed his eyes and took the challenge. Tino was putting up his too perfect wall just like any other day, but by closer inspection it was a little cracked now and then, like it would be more straining than normal to keep it up. Now that he thought about it, Tino did seem to have a little more tired look on him than normal.
"Are you alright?" Lukas asked him, making him start a bit. The question was quite sudden breach in their comfortable silence.
"Yes, I'm fine. Why?" Tino replied with a questioning smile. Lukas could detect no sign that it was a lie, but he was skeptical. They arrived to the classroom and headed for their seats.
"You seem a bit strained. Did you not sleep well?" Lukas asked. He really did care about Tino, and was genuinely concerned. That was nothing special, though, as he did care for his friends when something was wrong. He could be a sarcastic evil creature the rest of the time.
"No, I didn't sleep all that well. But I'm still fine, you don't need to worry", Tino said and flashed Lukas one of those extra-soft smiles that he wanted to make a pile of and sleep on it. He nodded at that, believing his companion. If it was just lack of sleep, it probably wasn't anything dangerous.
Then they had to shut up for the time being as the lesson started. Both of them grew stiff as their doom (presentation) approached.
Their presentation wasn't a complete catastrophe, Lukas could give them that. Mr. Germania had clearly been amused and the class had regarded them with you-cannot-be-serious looks. Needless to say, Lukas had fun telling the storyline in such way that it seemed completely insane with a perfect poker face and a deadly serious voice. It also appeared that Tino could hold a poker face almost as well as Lukas, and being serious about funny things came as a second nature to him. Together they managed to confuse their fellow classmates completely. Lukas counted it as a wonderful success.
He spent the rest of the lesson listening to others and trying to catch good books to read. He had to fight a smile when Arthur and Vladimir had chosen Dracula; it was such an obvious choice for a Brit and a Romanian with an interest to fantasy and folklore. Sadly none of the other books were really of any interest to him, varying from romantic drama to humor. The most interesting was Ludwig's and Feliciano's presentation about a book on strategies – Lukas was quite sure that Ludwig had made that decision. The German seemed to be the type to enjoy such a book, and the Italian was a happy fellow who usually just went with whatever, and often somehow messed things up. Still they were good friends, for unknown reasons.
Tino seemed to be even more tired after the lesson, but lack of sleep kind of did that. Lukas pondered what would cause Tino to lose sleep like that and tried to evaluate how serious it was. He wasn't going to fool himself to believe that Tino would just come and tell him if something was wrong, so as they were exchanging brief goodbyes he said:
"If something is bothering you so that you lose sleep over it, you can tell me about it, you know."
Lukas had thought Tino's smiles to be soft before, but they were nothing compared to the smile of pure happiness that those words got out of him. It looked exactly as soft as every child imagines clouds to be to the touch. It also made Lukas' insides feel funny.
"Thanks. But all is good, I wasn't feeling that well in the evening and that's why I lost some sleep. As you can see, I'm better now", Tino replied, but it was clear that Lukas' words had made him really happy. Lukas nodded, but based on what he knew about Tino and his habits, he was going to keep an eye on the Finn in case he wasn't fine.
"We are going to be late if we don't go now. Enjoy your Norwegian class", Tino said and turned to go to his computer class. Lukas looked after him for a moment before heading his own way. He was definitely going to enjoy the class; Norwegian was his favorite subject. Of course Tino would know that somehow.
Just as Lukas had suspected, Tino did definitely not look 'fine' when they met again in the lunch break. He looked even more strained and his eyes were slightly out of focus, and Lukas noted that he didn't move quite as smoothly like he usually did. It was clear that Tino was trying to put up a front, and Lukas did not have enough meanness in him to call him out in front of Mathias and Berwald. He was really way too nice to Tino. But as soon as they'd be alone he wouldn't be as silent anymore.
After they had taken their trays away Lukas stopped to wait for Tino, who was a bit further down the line. He leaned casually against the wall and watched his surroundings, when he saw something quite interesting: his little brother. For some reason Emil had adventured to the high school side of the building and he looked determined as he marched through the mass of people, clearly looking for someone. Lukas almost called out, as whom else would he be looking for than his big brother, but then Emil spotted who he had been searching and marched straight up to him – it was Tino.
Lukas raised one eyebrow at the scene. Emil had crossed his arms and was saying something to Tino, who looked like someone hit him over the head. Slowly, Tino gave a nod and stared as Emil marched away as quickly as he had come. Lukas wondered what was said, and was about to ask when Tino came up to him but he didn't have to.
"We might have a problem", Tino stated still looking a dazed. Some of the look probably was because he was not fine, but the talk with Emil seemed to have shocked him back to a sharper state. Lukas simply raised the other eyebrow as well in form of an unspoken question.
"Emil did suspect something and put his puffin on patrol on Saturday. The puffin saw me leave on Sunday morning and apparently Emil made his own connections from that. I think I just received a shovel talk from your little brother", Tino answered to Lukas.
Lukas wasn't sure what to feel. On one hand he was very embarrassed that Emil thought they were involved romantically, and on the other he was touched that his brother cared enough to give a shovel talk. He was also worried what would happen now as there weren't that many believable possibilities for Tino's escape through the window. Then there was that small part of him that seemed to melt and wiggle at the idea, but he mentally stabbed it to silence. He was badly enough confused without it.
"Well, that's a problem. If we tell him otherwise, he'll want to know why you were in my room all night when I was supposed to have a headache", Lukas mused out loud.
"Exactly. What do we do now?" Tino asked. He sounded worried but not overly so; Lukas was glad that the idea of dating him didn't seem to be a disgusting idea for Tino.
"We'll think about something. But now, you are not doing that well. Don't think that I haven't noticed", Lukas stated and crossed his arms. They could agonize over their 'relationship' later, right now Tino's health was more important.
"It's not that bad, I'll manage", Tino said with a shrug. Lukas didn't believe him.
"I don't think so. You should go home to rest", Lukas demanded. However, Tino shook his head.
"I don't want to fall back on school work. It's not that bad", he responded. Now it was Lukas' turn to shake his head. He reached out his hand and placed it swiftly on Tino's forehead. Tino winched away from the touch but Lukas followed him; he wasn't that surprised that Tino was startled from it as what he'd gathered someone had not been treating him well.
"You're running a fever. You are going home", Lukas stated without room for arguments, but Tino still refused and tried to brush it off. Finally Lukas got enough and grabbed Tino's arm to drag him to the nurse's office. Tino protested, but a glare from Lukas had him fall silent and comply with a sigh. Good.
As Lukas had predicted, Tino got sent home. No wonder as he looked to be almost dead, not that he really was. Apparently he suffered from exhaustion and lack of sleep, but nothing more serious so he should be able to return the next day if he rested now. The thing was, Tino lived a bit farther away and he could not be let go without monitoring, so Lukas was sent home with him. Just his luck.
Seeing where Tino lived was a plus though, and he was curious so he went without a complaint to anyone else but himself.
He supported Tino as they made their way through the snow and crispy air. Some houses had already been decorated with Christmas lights as the holiday seasons approached. Tino was lightly leaning on his shoulder, which didn't bother Lukas. It did bother him that it didn't bother him, though. He actually liked the feeling and the light smell that reminded him of summer, which seemed to come from Tino. He enjoyed the slightly romantic feeling, but when he realized what he was thinking he had to shake himself. There was nothing romantic about someone being sick and needing help. Not to mention that it was the decorations and snow making it romantic, definitely not Tino.
When they finally arrived at Tino's house they were both exhausted; Tino wasn't exactly heavy, but it was still a long walk to support someone. The house wasn't that small but it wasn't big either, and it was a pleasant shade of light blue with a brick roof. Tino fumbled with his pockets before pulling out a key and unlocking the door. Lukas heard him take a deep breath before he opened the door to let them both in.
Straight would be the word Lukas would use to describe the house. It was so perfectly in order with everything looking like placed with a ruler. It was also modern and in no way unpleasant, but it did make one fear of knocking something out of place or dragging some dirt inside. Tino led him to the other side of the house, and on the journey Lukas could see glimpses of the nice looking kitchen and orderly office. The door to Tino's room opened.
It was simple and in order, but not as strictly as the rest of the house. A wardrobe, a bed, a desk with a wooden chair and a narrow bookshelf could be found from the room, but apart from that and the deep blue carpet there was not much more. A laptop was sitting on the desk. Lukas could imagine the room fitting Tino quite well.
"Go to bed", Lukas commanded after Tino just stood there for a while without a move. Tino sighed and went to his wardrobe. Lukas was about to comment before he realized that Tino was changing to more comfortable clothes. Lukas didn't bother turning around; they had seen each other change many times in the lockers and he didn't think Tino would be changing his underwear. He was right.
When Tino got to bed Lukas turned the chair to face Tino and sat on it.
"Will you tell me now what has exhausted you to this point?" Lukas asked with crossed arms. He was not too happy that Tino didn't take better care of himself.
"It has to do with a surprise I'm planning. I've worked on it for a while and got lost in it for the past night. I didn't feel too well either, so I guess it was some sort reaction from both", Tino responded with a shrug. Lukas shook his head but didn't ask more. Tino would tell if he wanted to.
Tino shut his eyes and looked to be ready to sleep, but then his eyes opened again.
"You don't have to stay, you know. You were just supposed to take me home", Tino said.
"Yeah, and when I'd leave you'd just go back to work on that surprise of yours instead of getting rest. Not going to happen", Lukas stated. If he was completely truthful, he didn't want to leave, either. He chalked it up on being tired.
"Fine, then. But I do have to take out my contacts before sleeping", Tino said and rose to a sitting position. Lukas' eyebrows shot upwards at that.
"You have contacts?" he asked, surprised. Tino chuckled.
"Yeah. Not for vision, though. I just want to fit in", Tino said and reached to take the contacts out. Lukas turned his head a bit as watching people poke their eyes made him feel uncomfortable. He did wonder about Tino's statement, but when he looked back at him he understood.
Tino had violet eyes. Not the hazy-breezy violet that Emil had, more of a mix of amethyst and blueberry, but violet still. To say Lukas was surprised would be an understatement.
"Wow", he said, and not completely out of surprise. The violet really suited Tino's face, making him look more innocent and cute than he already was. Lukas wanted to hug the hell out of him. Damn cuteness.
"Sorry I didn't tell you. Violet eyes just stand out and I didn't want that", Tino said sheepishly. Lukas shrugged at that.
"It's not really important, no need to apologize", he replied and continued, "But if you won't go to sleep you will have some apologizing to do."
Tino rolled his eyes but complied and fell down on his bed again after placing the used contacts on his nightstand that Lukas had not seen before as it was hidden on the other side of the bed. Lukas waited and watched for his breath to even out. Tino was really tired so it was no wonder he fell asleep fast.
Lukas thought briefly of leaving, but decided to stay. Tino would wake up at some point and he would need food. Lukas was still needed; he could go home later. He just hoped that Tino's foster parents weren't too unhappy for him being there. When he was absolutely sure that Tino had fallen asleep, Lukas started to hum a deep, soft lullaby his father had sometimes sung when he was still small. He knew that Tino wouldn't hear him, but it seemed like something he should do.
Monday might have started normally, but it sure didn't end so.
I'm terribly sorry of being this late, but I've had rotten luck the past few weeks. My computer breaking was just the tip of the iceberg. I replaced it so now I can write again and hopefully not leave this big gaps between the updates. The next one might take a while, though, as I'm running ragged with work and National Archery Championships. Expext it next week.
Anyway, something is definitely going on. I'm sorry that this chapter sucks. I will bring more fluff next time.
