Disclaimer: I do not own The Book Thief.

Please note, The narrator, Death, writes in bold.


Update 4/5/20: Done with chapter 19!

AN: Here's what I got :)

A/N #2: PLEASE NOTE IN THIS FIC: LIESEL IS NOW 16, BETTINA IS 14, VIKTOR IS 18 AND RUDY IS 16 YEARS OLD!


Chapter 20: Lessons

The next day Liesel meets Viktor at the usual spot. The Amper Bridge. She is going to teach him how to ride a bicycle for sure this time. Liesel walks to the spot where they have hidden the bicycles behind the stones beneath the bridge. The stones are up high and she needs Viktor to reach them for her. She is on the shorter end of the spectrum. He doesn't make any move to remove the stones for her.

"I need you to take the bicycles out." Liesel states matter of factly.

"Are we really going to pretend that's what we came here for today?" Viktor teases her with a childish smirk on his face. His eyes light up like lightening. He doesn't look half bad when he is smiling, but that smirk is still infuriating to her. Liesel flushes. She knows he is referring to their semi make out from yesterday.

"Maybe afterward." She chokes out a bit embarrassed, shocking herself at her own forwardness. Was there something in the air today making her act so strangely honest with him? Viktor walks closer to her causing her heart rate to accelerate a lot more than she would prefer it to be. It was pounding in her ears the same way it did yesterday when he kissed her. She feels herself stiffen with tension. She doesn't know if it's from terror or excitement. Her body is expecting it. Craving it even. To kiss him. Viktor extends his hand toward her hair, pulling on her dark locks. He seems to be enjoying torturing her like this. He brings a strand to his nose and inhales. She feels her heart skip a beat. Is she really going crazy over a guy sniffing her hair? She is really losing it. She wants to step back and chide him for getting so close to her and being so foreward. But she can't. Instead she's feeling woozy inside and as if her knees were about to buckle.

"What if I want it now?" Viktor asks directly, never lifting his gaze from the strand of hair he is still holding gently. Liesel is feeling hot. It's getting hard to breathe. She fears that her voice may come out like some kind of pathetic stutter if she were to answer him, if she even could.

"We c-can't." Liesel stutters quietly. She hates herself for being affected by his charms. Was he always this sexy? She knows her answer is weak. He is going to push his way in and just take what he wants. That's what he always did.

"Why?" Viktor asks, finally meeting her eyes. She can see it in his eyes. His want for her. It was loud and clear that he wanted her and he wanted her now. No questions asked. But could she really trust him if she were to give into him so easily? She had given in to Rudy and he took advantage of her. She shouldn't be so easy, lest another thing like that horrible night happen again. She had brought it upon herself anyway. If only she hadn't followed him. If only she hadn't gone out so late at night. It was all her fault. She began to feel her depression return. Viktor doesn't seem to notice her emotional state and continues.

"Why? Are you just going to go berserk on me like you did in the mayor's library?" There's humor in his voice. He's teasing her again. It draws a smile to her lips. He usually did that to cheer her up. He did notice. She starts to feel better again. She playfully pushes him away after placing her hands on his chest.

"I didn't go berserk, dummkopf." She laughs. Viktor's eyes widen in mock shock. He grabs his chest tightly as if he were hurt. "Oww! That hurts you know! You called me a blockhead! How could you... you... you wench." He acts like he is dying, even grabbing her in the process and spinning her around in his death throes of agony.

"Ahhh! Haha, let go of me dummkopf!" Liesel cries out between bursts of laughter. After awhile she is grabbing at her sides trying to contain the laughter that won't stop at his ridiculous antics. Who knew he was such a clown at times?

"Let go of me!" She laughs squirming out of his arms. She spins out of his arms.

"That's some monkey dance there, huh?" Viktor laughs. Liesel ignores his insult and picks up the bike lying crestfallen. She is determined to teach him how to ride today. It takes some time, but after a few hours Viktor is able to ride the bicycle. Although, his balance could use some work. He rides wobbly. He makes a short round across the bridge. He tries to show off, by pedaling standing and swiftly comes crashing down. Liesel comes running to access his damage. The stupid fool.

The wheel is still spinning when she reaches him. She lifts the bicycle from atop him so he can get his bearings. She eyes him in concern asking the silent question are you okay?

***HIS RESPONSE TO HER UNSPOKEN QUESTION***

"Alles gut."

***GERMAN NOTE***

Could be taken a few ways, but in his case he either said "Don't worry." or "All is good."

Liesel nods at his response. He gets up and takes out a cigarette. It's rolled sloppily and brings a wistful smile to her face. She has dear memories of her Papa rolling his cigarette and showing her how to roll it. Viktor raises his eyebrows in question. Liesel holds out her hand expectantly to him. "You smoke?" He asks in amusement as he hands her the cigarette. She takes it and breaks it open over the bridge's stone railing. "No, but I roll." She rolls the cigarette in record time. Like he would ever admit that. She hands it back to him. He gladly accepts and soon lights it up. He takes his first drag. "Not too shabby." He remarks between puffs. She just rolls her eyes, knowing her rolling skills are far superior to his. "Want to try?" He hands her the cigarette and she takes. What's the harm? Her Papa always did. "You just inhale and blow out after you hold it for few seconds so you can get a good high." He explains. She gives him a pointed stare to let him know an explanation isn't necessary. "Alright... alright." Viktor raises his hands palms first like he didn't mean any harm and shrugging in defeat. "You know everything, huh?" With a small gloatful smile, she puts the cigarette to her lips. Then inhales the same way she'd seen her Papa do a hundred times. She then proceeds to cough up a lung. Nonstop coughing and Viktor doubling over laughing between gasps of "I told you so." She looks like a smoke breathing dragon with her crazed coughs and later large burp expelling air from her stomach. An even more ridiculous sight to Viktor. "You smoke like a forty year old man." Viktor laughs at her, hitting the nail right on the head. She gives him a death glare. In a short moment of laugh sobriety, Viktor finally calms down enough to explain what she had done wrong. "You swallowed the smoke." Her glare hardens at him. "That's what you're supposed to do." Viktor face palms at her naivete. She is so innocently cute and so dead wrong. He wants to kiss her flushed face until it is red from something other than anger. "No, you inhale and then exhale, dummy." He says gently. Liesel frowns, finally realizing her error.

"Want to try again?" Viktor offers.

"Nein, it tastes like ass."

Viktor laughs again. "You would like a cigar. You don't inhale, it's smoother and it tastes a thousand times better."

"You don't inhale it?"

"You can. People do, but you don't have to."

"What are you like the cigar spokesperson?"

Viktor chuckles again. "Do you want to try or not?" Liesel, not being one to back down from a challenge agrees to smoke one. She asks him to pull one out. He shakes his head in disagreement. "I don't have them on me. They're worth quite a lot so I keep them at my house. You'll have to come over."

Her frown returns. "You just want me to come to your house."

He grins. "And?"