ERMEHGERD! Mis amigos! I am back with loads more motivation! I had gotten my laptop taken away for bad grades and such (*glares at "Motivational" report card from last marking period*) but hey, I'm back now! Before I go on with this long awaited for continuation of this story, I just have to say that I am so happy this story became so popular with you guys. Hell, it's my most popular story to date (with Cat's Cradle ranking as a close second). Plus, I'd like to thank the awesome and generous person who added my story to its first community, Nordic Cross Unlimited. This chappie goes out to all my loyal fans that have waited faaaaaar too long to see this story continue. Mint-chan, I'm sure you've been waiting far too long as well, so enjoy! This may or may not have yaoi goodness yet, but ENJOY NONETHELESS, MY FELLOW YAOI CRAVING VULTURES!

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I honestly had no idea whatsoever how to respond to Mathias' question. Sure, he's the general definition of a Class-A idiot, but this is a question that can't go unanswered! If I leave right now…

Wait…

If I kick Mathias out of the house right now, that'll only raise questions in the future. If there's one thing I want to avoid it's this wing nut asking me questions about our "sexual tensions" 24/7.

He looked about to ask the question again from that impatient glint in his eyes, so I quickly said, "Was it a romantic 'I love you' or was it a drunken 'I love you' you say to friends for no apparent reason?"

It really was a shock to see that brightness in Mathias' eyes turn into a crestfallen look of despair and confusion, but the rest of his facial features didn't portray any of the emotions his eyes were letting on. "I uh… I have no idea. That's why I'm asking."

Something inside me wanted to punch this dolt in the throat but another was telling me that it wasn't uncalled for. For once in my life, my plan wasn't thought out very well. Getting drunk wasn't necessarily a totally fool proof idea; the video Mathias had brought here was proof of that. Was this what Tino was trying to warn me about?

"Luke?"

I winced at the nickname despite it not being as bad as "Norge" was. I guess it was because I wasn't expecting that little pet name to be how he got my attention.

"What?"

Mathias' eyes narrowed, the normal jubilation in them hardening to that of pure suspicion. "You're avoiding me and I don't know why. This totally isn't cool. Answer me already."

"I can't really remember since I don't handle liquor well. You're going to have to resort to your own memories for this one." I spat out. I wasn't really planning on responding. It just sort of slipped out. By the look he gave me after I said this though, my mistake worked out for my favor.

"I guess… It was a drunken one."

"Then that answers your question right?"

Mathias just shrugged, running his hand through his already terrible-yet somehow alluring-hair. "I guess…" He blinked and looked back up at me, putting on a smile made of 100 percent false emotion. "Well, that's cleared up."

I sighed with relief and leaned back on the sofa, arms crossed. "Sure does…"

There was a heavy silence floating in the air between us, a silence that wasn't like any other I've ever sat through. This was like sitting in a doctor's waiting room; the walls echo every single noise within a mile's radius because no one talked, tense because they have no idea what unwanted news they could possibly receive while surrounded by absolute strangers. It was really unnerving actually. Normally I wouldn't care and would just deal with whatever silence life threw at me. But this… this was just unnatural.

Eventually, Mathias cleared his throat, which ushered an unconscious response on my part. "I think you should go, Mathias."

He glanced at me with a slightly surprised look but regained his awkward composure. "Yeah, I should."

"Take the video and burn it while you're at it."

Mathias stood and nodded once. "Sure." His sentences seemed so choppy, short and awkward now. Before, it was hard to get him to shut up or at least lower his voice. But now he seemed almost like Berwald where he tried to say as much as he can with as few words as possible to avoid the situation.

He over to the television and hit the EJECT button, sitting cross-legged on the floor as the tape slowly poked out of hiding. As soon as it did though he snatched it into his hands and stood, nearly knocking the VCR to the floor in the process. I wanted to scold him for being careless but couldn't find it in me to do it; he just looked so heartbroken.

His eyes looked in my direction but not at me, more like at the upholstery of the sofa next to my head. "Guess I'll see you around, huh?"

I shrugged. "Maybe."

His shoulders slumped as he stood there, numbed by my statement. "'Kay…" Finally, he dragged his feet towards the front door, the only sound symbolizing his absence the gentle click of the door shutting. Again, I was met with the doctor's office silence I dreaded now. Did I just make the biggest mistake of my life by letting him walk out like that?

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As soon as I shut the door, I let out the breath I was holding for far longer than I would have ever expected. Luke-no, Lukas-officially told me he didn't love me and that last night's proclamation was pretty much a hazy lie. He told me flat that we have no romantic relationship at all and to burn the evidence of what was a fun night.

Well, it was nice having that thought haunting my life for a little while. At least we're still friends, right? Now I need to figure out what else to do with myself… Try harder or get drunk off my ass?

I looked to the left in the direction of my house; I can sulk there and eat ice cream while watching Les Miserables. Maybe I can down a few beers, jack off to some internet porno and go to bed in my boxers. Maybe I'll wake up tomorrow morning and go on with my life like this fiasco never happened. Y'know, just continue hitting on Lukas to no end until he loves me or kills me while I try.

I looked to the right in the direction of the bar; I can drown my sorrows in cheap booze, score some cash from the pool table, meet up with Gilbert or Alfred and harass the guys they both had a bit of a one night stand with then go home and pass out for maybe two days.

….

I walked down the little nicely made walkway Berwald must have spent days slaving over and turned right once hitting the sidewalk. On the way down the block, a cat with long flowing hair tied over to the side was picking at the garbage cans with a skinny looking kitten looking lazily but expectantly up at it. As I walked by, I tossed the tape in the can with the long haired cat and kept going.

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Call me weird, but after questioning myself about the morality of my let down, I got up and watched Mathias stand on the edge of the porch for a few minutes, just staring off into space with his now empty blue eyes. It actually pained me a little to see him look left, right, then down at the tape in his hands before he stepped off, slouched over in his depressive state and marched on while taking a right turn.

He was obviously more than upset; probably because I let down every chance of him actually being able to rub his victory in my face. If that's the case, then he can mope all he wants. I'm sure he'll bounce back to life anyway. With that, I set my normal firm look on my face and drew the curtains back to let in some light.

The din of the house roared to life as the morning droned on. I had sat in my chair at the dining room table and read my Norse fairy tales like always, sipping my coffee while Emil watched Lazy Town again with his more than compliant puffin. Tino paid no mind to my silence and acted as if I was totally normal. I have to say, I was doing better than Bella Swan could ever dream to be at hiding her true emotions from the world. I was a born natural.

It wasn't until I looked for something for lunch that I came across trouble. Just as I entered the kitchen, Berwald came inside from his backyard workshop. He stopped when the backdoor behind him closed and continued to stare at me. At first, there was nothing wrong with this at all, just another routine stare down. But as I stepped towards the refrigerator, Berwald spoke up. "Wha's wrong?"

I looked up at him, honestly dumbfounded by his question. But being the emotionless person I am, I looked back into the fridge and said, "What do you mean?"

Berwald didn't seem to pleased by this if the grunt he made meant anything. "Don' lie."

"Who's lying?"

"Yoo."

With a roll of my eyes, I looked up and closed the door, giving Berwald the same glare he was giving me. "I'm not lying, Berwald. What do you mean by 'What's wrong'?" While I was asking this, he was looking around for a clean rag to wipe his oily hands with. After finding one, he glanced over his shoulder at me with an all knowing look.

"Ah mean there is somethin' wrong with yoo. Yer eyes tell th' story." He put the rag on the counter, his muscles tensing even with that little action. I was never able to get over how his muscles seemed to ripple like that. Tino seems to really enjoy it. I, on the other hand, am not a huge fan of it. He may have been big back then, but he was never this ripped in high school.

"My eyes tell no story." I continued my search for food in the cabinets, only finding the many boxes of Quaker oats Emil eats all the time. "Besides, I'm not an open book Berwald. Quit reading me like one."

"Hm" was his answer for everything. Sure, he did much except for grunt occasionally, but those Neanderthalish grunts and hums can really tug at the nerves. I had been hearing that "Hm" of his since grade school and it never bothered me before. But now… Now his little "Hm" made me literally fly off the handle and slam the cabinets shut. I wheeled around to face him, certain my anger was showing on my face by now.

"Look, Berwald. Even if I did have any problems right now, I wouldn't go to you for free psychological analyzing. I don't need a psychiatrist for my problems! My problems consist of being basically a mother to my own little brother, living with my cousin and his big, burly boyfriend I've known for years-a.k.a you- and having no love life whatsoever." Berwald blinked, unfazed by my rant so far. "But if you think for once second that I'm worried to death about Mathias going off and doing something stupid in his depressive state, think again, you cave man vocabulary using dingbat!"

Maybe insulting his accent was a little harsh, but I was angry and I can say a lot of things when I'm that steamed. Berwald stared down at me, his eyes showing no hurt at all, his face looking completely blank. He then opened his mouth, a little smirk growing and said, "Ah never mentioned Mathias in mah questions."

My heart literally dropped to my feet when he said that. I just poured out my issues to him without meaning to. He basically Bugs Bunny'd me into say it too! I really don't think things through, now do I?

I said nothing to him and as a result he too said nothing. I could feel Emil's little eyes looking into the room Berwald and I occupied with his childlike nosiness and Tino's worried stare on my face. I never knew silence could ever be louder than words, but now the sense of having no sound at all was piercing my eardrums with a terrible vengeance. Berwald just continued to stare, as did Emil and Tino. I looked around to verify my feeling and, sure enough, I was right. Tino's eyes were wide with both worry and curiosity and Emil looked at me with a classic "Lukie's in trouble" face.

I shook my head in my search for an answer but couldn't find one. Berwald was waiting for my comeback, probably anticipating it. But I've come up dry.

The fat lady has sung.

Or at least I wish she did to break this deafening quietness. On instincts and instincts alone, I hightailed it to the front door and stormed out, completely forgetting that it was almost the middle of December and most likely cold outside. But I didn't really care at the moment.

I just had to get out of that quiet house.

XXXXXXXXXXX

The lake in the park had successfully frozen over. People were already taking risks and waltzing right over the ice like it was a foot thick. I, on the other hand, wasn't enjoying this natural occurrence of nature. I was the one sitting on the park bench in jeans and a skin tight T-shirt freezing my ass off.

Neither Berwald or Tino have rolled around to bring me back home, so the must have assumed I needed to blow off steam by myself. If they did, they assumed correctly. But by "blowing off steam", I don't think it means sitting in ten to twenty degree weather in casual spring or autumn attire. I had been sitting here for nearly an hour from the last time I heard the local church bells but it had felt so much longer than that. The time seemed to drone on while I worried about Mathias more than myself, strangely making myself more and more numb with the passing minutes. My brain had shut down all other sources of food for thought just thinking about it.

The metal bench was starting to make my butt really cold but I didn't move an inch. The time for self pity wasn't now. It was time to worry about how the Hell I was going to fix things now.

"Dear God, chap. You don't look too good." My head snapped up at the voice I assumed to be aimed at me. The thick British accent of the voice didn't really throw me off, but the dapper suit he had on the thick blazer and plaid scarf he had on certainly did. In spite of myself, I was jealous of his warm clothes. I felt like such a hobo. "You look ready to turn blue."

I shrugged and looked down at my feet, hugging myself for warmth. "Well, I didn't really have the time to put my parka on."

The man shook his head, his sandy blond locks brushing against his unnaturally thick brows at this. "This is unacceptable. A person such as yourself shouldn't have to freeze the arse off in the cold." I was a little shocked to see him shrug off his scarf and blazer at first until he wrapped the scarf tightly around my neck and hung the blazer over my shoulders. At first glance, it may have been just for solidarity. But his eyes told a different story. He was just being gentlemanly to a freezing stranger in a park.

These British guys are nuts.

"Thanks…" I mumbled. I didn't really feel like it but it was the only thing I could do for the moment. He passively held up a hand, silencing me.

"It's no trouble really. You were obviously in bad shape. What else was I to do?"

Again, I shrugged. "You could have passed by and not cared like Americans do."

His emerald green eyes stuck to my own for a minute, clearly disgusted by what I said. "The saying may be, 'When in Rome, do as the Romans do'. But this is America. Do you really expect me to do the idiotic, outlandish things American's do on a daily basis?"

I chuckled despite my better judgment. His accent and vocabulary put together was just a riot to listen to. "True, true."

"So what brings you out to this neck of the woods, eh? You don't seem like you want to be here."

Right on the money. I sighed and shook my head. "You're right. I don't want to be here."

"So why are you here?"

"Why do you ask so many questions, stranger?"

The man rolled his eyes and put out a hand, smiling teasingly at me now. "Arthur Kirkland. It's a pleasure to meet you." I stared at his hand for a few seconds before shaking it.

"Don't expect a life story now that I know your name."

"I wasn't really. But maybe if you would join me for a cuppa tea or coffee just around the block, maybe you'll be more compliant?"

My eyes narrowed at him, Arthur's expression unchanged from when he asked me. What sounded suspicious was apparently a true blue friendly offering.

Yep. These British guys are really nuts.

"I won't enjoy this, but I bet you won't stop badgering me if I say no." He smiled warmheartedly at me and stood, reaching out a hand to help me up.

"A nice hot beverage will warm you up nice and quick, chap."

As I took his hand, something dawned on me. I learned to trust Mathias when he was a complete stranger a few weeks ago and now I'm trusting this British Arthur character?

I never really learn from my mistakes, do I?

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ERMEHGERD! *head explosion* I don't feel like this chappie is good enough for you guys as far as length goes. So far, Lukas met Mathais, went to the movies with him, had a wet dream, read a brochure about Denmark with some pervy stuff in it, realized he loves Mathias, got drunk and did karaoke and let him down not so easily after realizing his plan was a total failure. Good enough recap, guys? :P Anyway, sorry for epically trolling you with this let down of a chappie. I really think it sucked, especially since I had all that rest from writing. Anywho, comments and constructive criticism are much appreciated! I apologize for any grammatical or spelling errors! From my computer to yours, this is Wurstlover178, signing off! ¡HASTA LUEGO, MI GENTES!

PART TWO OF THIS CHAPTER WILL BE OUT SOMETIME AFTER CHRISTMAS DAY, IF NOT DIRECTLY ON THE DATE! ALSO, TO CELEBRATE MY APPROACHING 100 COMMENTS, THE USER WHO COMMENTS THAT LUCKY NUMBER 100 WILL RECEIVE A FREE ONE-SHOT OF ANY PAIRING FROM MOI AS A THANK YOU! CONSIDER THIS MY PROBABLY LATE CHRISTMAS GIFT TO ALL MY READERS OUT THERE!

MERRY CHRISTMAS, FELIZ NAVIDAD, HAPPY HANUKKAH, HAPPY KWANZAA, HAPPY NEW YEARS AND ALL THAT JAZZ TO MY READERS AROUND THE WORLD! HAVE A GREAT HOLIDAY! (And don't talk to British strangers offering you tea and coffee. XD)