I'm back for more, guys! Enjoy!

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Is it weird what the symbolism of the bar did for me? It was empty, almost no one in sight. I never really paid any attention to symbolic crap like this, but today I must have been observant for some reason. The beer wasn't that good, but it was just as shitty as my day turned out to be so no worries there. Gilbert sat to my left, still guzzling down the bitter foreign drink in his beer stein while Alfred sat to my right, somehow drunk off his ass already with his head buried in his arm on the counter.

"Dudes, now I know how Iggy feels…" He hiccupped and tried to pick up his head but failed miserably, forehead slamming into the wood of the counter like a lead pipe. Gilbert winced slightly, taking another sip of his beer.

"That must have hurt."

I nodded once. "Yeah. Must have." It really did hurt. And here I wasn't talking about Alfred; he can take a hit. I was talking about myself. Lukas had no intention of taking our relationship further (for what it's worth, we didn't really have a relationship). We may have known each other for only a few weeks, but sitting here without making that little ball of fury pout somehow was really a major downer.

Gilbert raised an eyebrow at me and poked my shoulder. "You alright?"

I shook my head. "Far from it, man."

Alfred somehow managed to hoist his head up and cradle it in his hand, frowning at my sorrow. "Come on-hic!-dude. You're being more of a downer than Iggy."

I rolled my eyes and glared at him. "Would you quit mentioning that one night stand of yours? He obviously doesn't like you that way."

Gilbert scooted away a little at this while Alfred's face fell. "I'm sure he does. He just has trouble expressing it."

I laughed once, hard and mockingly, at him. "Yeah, that's what I thought." I sipped my beer again and turned towards him, slamming my bottle down. "They refuse to talk to you, treat you like dirt, say they love you once and then stomp on your heart. That's how you feel, right? Well welcome to my world, you self-serving prick." A side long glance at Gilbert after I turned around told me that even when half-drunk that comment was a little harsh. But hey, Alfred has no right to complain.

Said American scooted towards me and, with a shaky finger, traced a heart in the condensation of my beer bottle. "Our worlds are pretty similar, huh?"

My eyes hardened at the heart now pretty much in my hands. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"We laugh, we kid around, we play our football or soccer or whatever rough, he love and then we get let down." He giggled and hiccupped again before continuing. "It's the Circle of Life, dude. We can't have good things without the bad."

I blinked at him, looking over his features several times. Something wasn't right with this guy. He seems smarter than usual… "Are you high?" I finally asked.

He chuckled and nodded. "Just a little. But not in the way you think, man!" His arm was slung around my shoulder as he waved a hand in front of us. My now partially hazy vision made it look like he was wiping the world away. "On love. Love is powerful, dude. You got to embrace it, take it by the hand, fuck it a few times and put a ring on it. Otherwise it'll be a single lady forever!"

Beyoncé may be catchy sometimes, but Alfred is just obsessed with that song.

Gilbert laughed next to me while getting a refill of beer. "I know I did." He flashed us the wedding ring on his left hand, boasting telekinetically that he got hitched a few months ago. "Mattie's louder than you'd think when you get him riled up."

Alfred glared. "Don't talk about my bro that way, bro."

"What? It's true. Like you said, embrace it, take it by the hand, fuck it a few times and put a ring on it. That's literally what I did! I proposed in the after glow of long, hard sex!" He snickered his signature snicker and patted my shoulder. "But the point is, dude, be awesome, get over this-"

"And fuck him!" Alfred exclaimed.

"No… Though that would be fun." He gazed off into space for a minute then brought himself back down to Earth with a shake of the head. "My Mattie taught me a lot over the past few years. One: Pancakes are amazing. Two: Maple syrup makes for awesome foreplay. And Three: stay diligent and keep your head up."

I looked between them, one drunk as all Hell and the other talking sense for once now that he has a man to go home to everyday. Honestly, should I really believe them? I shrugged their arms and hands off me and took another sip of my beer. "Thanks guys, but Lukas won't exactly like my advances."

"And why's that?" Alfred asked. He threw his empty bottle over his shoulder, the shattering of glass causing the bartender to curse us out even though we ignored him.

"He's made it clear that we're just friends if anything."

Both Gilbert and Alfred made pained faces like they got hit in the stomach. "Ooo. Harsh, dude." Alfred said.

"Maybe you should just deal with it for a while. I'm sure he'll see you as more in a while."

I shook my head. "Doubtful. He has no interest in me, I'm sure."

"How could you know if you don't try it?"

"Because he's Lukas and I'm Mathias. That's our dynamic apparently."

None of us talked for a little while after that. Alfred passed out somewhere down the line and was snoring loudly on the counter, drooling like a dog. Gilbert was just now getting wasted while I was close to being on my way out. My vision went from hazy to foggy, almost black. I never bothered to check the time so I had no clue what time it was when I walked in or what time it was now. I honestly didn't really care. The longer I spend in here, the better the hangover I'll have to keep my sadness away.

Gilbert said he should take Alfred and himself home and asked if I wanted a ride back to my place. I declined, only getting a frown in return. "You really need to get over this and be your awesome but not as awesome as me self. It's depressing. I have enough to deal with when Alfred's here."

Alfred snorted loudly as if on command. We both stared at him only I shrugged while doing so. "I'll walk home. I'm not that wasted."

Gil sighed and put Alfred down on the counter. At first, I thought he was just going to give me another failed pep talk. Boy what a surprise it was to see him pull his fist back and clock me in the jaw. I fell off my stool and rubbed my probably dislocated jaw and bruised cheek, staring up at him with wide eyes. He cracked his knuckles before picking up Alfred again. "Seriously, get up off your ass and do what you have to do. Otherwise I'll try to beat it into you until you do." Alfred hiccupped and gagged, not a good sign for Gilbert who had a nice shirt on today. "Think of it this way, you don't get what you want by sitting on your ass all damn day and moping. You want Lukas?"

I nodded for fear that he would hit me again. In my current state, I was in no shape to fight back.

"Then go get him!"

I nodded quickly and stumbled to my feet, bolting out the door as soon as I got half my balance. Gilbert followed calmly after me and headed in the other direction.

Where was I going, you ask? I was booking it to Lukas' place. I need to tell him at some point I can't stand not having him to talk to. Whether or not it's romantic now, our relationship will get there eventually!

"I WILL HAVE YOU EVENTUALLY, LUKAS BONDEVIK!" I shouted to the air. Each step I made nearly made me trip. I did at one point too; right into the road. My jaw is getting all sorts of abused today. But I got straight back up and stumbled on. As best as I could run, I started running. Anything to get to my precious Luke! My Norge, my Lukie for crying out loud!

I thought I was close to passing out right then and there. Two bright lights, shiny, white and piercing, were the only sign I had to my impending sleep for the night.

Those lights hurt a lot more than I thought they would… I think I heard my arm snap on the way down.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Honestly, I think I found a new friend. Surprising, maybe. But this Arthur character is very educated, somebody I can talk to without dumbing down my sentences. The coffee shop he led me to was pretty upscale, so he obviously had a job that could pay for the expensive coffee I was drinking and he was as polite as the stereotypical British man was supposed to be. Where was this guy when I needed him before?

I eagerly continued to sip my coffee even though it burned my tongue and throat on the way down. The latte was close to ten dollars, but it was so worth it in the end. Since I forgot my wallet, Arthur offered to pay for the entire bill plus tax. I told him I would pay him back for my half of it, but he blatantly refused and told me not to worry about it.

"You shouldn't have to pay for an act of hospitality. It simply isn't the proper thing to do." He said, an unbreakable but slightly out of place smile brightening his features. I just nodded and accepted it for now. I had shivered with my last, most pleasing sip of Joe. The act made Arthur sit a little straighter, more observant. "Are you still cold, mate? Do you want another cuppa?"

I shook my head fiercely. The last thing I want was even more guilt to deal with later. "No, no, no. I was just shivering from the warmth. It's refreshing."

He let out a sigh of relief. "Good. I'm glad to have helped." He leaned forward, hands clasped together with a sudden interest in his eyes. "Now what led you to nearly get frostbite in the first place?"

I fixed my eyes down on the table, rubbing my thumb against the coffee cup still in my hands. "Well… I'm not so sure…"

"Not sure about confiding in me or not sure what's wrong?"

"The first one."

"Ah." He leaned back and tapped his chin a few times, deeply in thought. "Well, I'm nearly out of cash, so I have no other way to bribe it out of you." He looked out the window next to us at the bar across the way, looking dazed for a second before looking back at me. "Well look at it this way, if you can't tell me, who can you tell?"

I quirked an eyebrow at him, somehow managing to smile. "Well sorry for not trusting a stranger."

"Are you still on that? I'm pretty sure we've gotten past that by now."

"Not really, Arthur. I don't know enough about you to call you a friend. More like an acquaintance."

He smirked. "Well allow me to change that." He leaned forward again and looked deeply into my eyes, not perturbed in the slightest by their dark shade of blue. "I'm twenty-three, homosexual, work at the library here, study foreign folklore and don't currently have a boyfriend. More like a friend with benefits who wants more."

Not that I really wanted to know he was gay, but okay. Whatever floats his boat.

"Is that good enough for you? Are we more than just acquaintances?"

"I guess…" I mumbled. He smirked gloatingly at me.

"Now what's wrong?"

I really didn't want to have to tell him. He still isn't someone I should confide my love life with being we're still more or less strangers to each other. But maybe if I tell someone I can get over it and move on. "Just some guy trouble."

"By 'guy trouble' do you mean you have feelings for someone and they don't share it or they have feelings for you and you don't share them?"

I shook my head, keeping my head down while tracing the outline of my cup. "Sort of both but not really."

He raised an eyebrow at me. "How so?"

"Well," I sighed. "We met at the bar after my cousin dragged me into the one he worked at. Since then he's been flirting with me and I've been denying any feelings until recently. He doesn't know I that I've realized I do love him after all. I haven't talked to him since this morning, sure, but it's almost too quiet without him since he's so loud."

I seriously thought I sounded like a drama queen straight out of a soap opera and that Arthur would say "That's it?" But instead he nodded with an understanding smile. "Your predicament sounds a bit like my own."

In honest to goodness curiosity, I asked, "What's your problem?"

Arthur looked outside the window next to us and stared at the bar across the street. It wasn't the one Mathias worked in, but I'm pretty sure it was their competition. He pointed towards it and said, "We met in the pub over there. He came up to me, asked if I wanted to dance and I accepted. Next thing I knew I was in his apartment and sweating enough to fill a kiddie pool." Ew… Okay, too much information. "But he seemed like a nice guy so we met up a little more frequently. He would constantly 'sext' me but I had no issue with it. It was erotic for a time, enjoyable." Seriously, we're in a public place. Is he really telling me about his sex life in a coffee shop? I blame myself for asking.

"He would even want me to top at times-" I shook my head quickly and waved my hands in his face.

"Alright, alright. I get it. Get to the point already."

He looked at me a little angrily, but he must have understood he was going a little far. "The other day he asked if I wanted to take things a little further and move in with him." He blinked, looking like he was lost in his own little world for a moment and slowly shook his head. "The bloke was going too fast for my taste, so I said no. We haven't talked since."

Now that he actually got on with the story, maybe I can get something out of this. "Did you like him?"

"That's the thing, isn't it? I honestly have no clue. He's good looking and all, good in the sheets. But he's annoying otherwise. Loud, obnoxious, doing unsightly things to me in public. It's just too much, you know? There has to be some redeeming qualities to him, but I'm just not sure."

"Well maybe you should go and talk to him."

"I could say the same for you."

We stared at each other for a minute, examining each other's faces as far as I could tell. What else was there to look at really? His lips flattened into a line and I'm pretty sure mine did too. We really were kind of alike. He has what sounds like a loud obnoxious guy hanging around, I have Mathias. He's having love troubles with said man, I'm having issues with Mathias. Where was this guy I needed him years ago? High school certainly would have been a lot easier.

Eventually, I held out my hand. If he told me his life story, I should tell him mine. "Lukas Bondevik. I'm eighteen, gay, have a little brother, enjoy Norse fairy tales and legends and have a guy who is depressed because I pretty much rejected him."

Arthur took my hand and stood up. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Lukas." Again, he looked outside but this time not at the bar. "We should take our leave now. It's getting a little late. I can drive you home if you want."

I shrugged for what must have been the hundredth time today. "Whatever. I could use the ride if I don't want to freeze on the way home."

He smiled, letting go of my hand and emptying his wallet of all the money he had. He had said something about letting them keep the change because he was being charitable, but I was only half listening. I was still thinking about what I would say to Mathias if I ever see him again. Should I tell him flat out my feelings for him or beat around the bush and leave little tid bits for him to pick up?

The next thing I knew, we were in a pretty beat up car that I suppose must have been Arthur's. He started it up and got the inside nice and toasty before saying, "I got my license taken away for DUI, but I have a permit now. That should be good enough."

I stared at him disbelievingly. He DUI'd? What is this world coming to and why am I in a car with a perfect example of human morality gone to the gutters? "You sure?"

Arthur looked back as he started to reverse into the road, tongue sticking out a little in concentration. "Of course I am!" He started moving forward in the direction of my house. His eyes were shut with glee, probably still reveling in the fact that I know about folklores like he does. "Who can be more sure than-"

My eyes widened, pointing at the person stumbling into the road. "WATCH OUT!"

"What- HOLY SHIT!" Arthur skidded to a halt but not fast enough, the person wrenched forward, rolling across the hood of the car and falling back upon hitting his head on the windshield. Both Arthur and I stayed frozen in our seats for a few minutes, watching to see if the blond now lying in the road would move. He never did. "Stupid drunken bugger! Who walks in the middle of the street like that?! You obviously can't control your liquor!"

"Are you seriously yelling at this guy? What if he's dead?!" I shouted. This guy is nice and all but damn is he irrational!

"Preposterous. No one can die like that. I was going at forty miles and stopped. He probably just got a concussion."

"Which people sometimes die from!"

With a sigh, Arthur rubbed his temples. "Get out and see if he's okay…" He commanded.

"You're the driver! You go check!"

"Okay, fine, fine! We'll both look." With that we stepped out and slowly made our way to the quite possibly dead man in the road. Luckily, his chest was moving up and down, so he was breathing. But after stepping within a foot radius of the body, the red shirt, the black pants and tie loosely hanging off of him… The little black hat sitting next to my feet, seemed all too familiar for comfort. I bent over and picked up the hat, staring at the messy head of hair he possessed, flatly sprawled across his face and the asphalt beneath him.

"… Arthur. You ran over Mathias…"

I am so dead.

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Love is like a speeding car driven by a Brit, huh? XD Now what's Lukas going to do? Will Mathias be okay? Will these two lovebirds ever get together? And will Arthur ever stop getting sexts? FIND OUT NEXT TIME ON I'LL HAVE YOU EVENTUALLY! (Okay, maybe the last question won't get answered…)

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!

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