Pushing the door of his workplace open around nine-thirty, Emil observed the barflies blowing out air past their wet, tight lips. Catcalling was nothing new to him since working at a club and bartending. His naturally good looks, despite him being insecure, were his strengths at work. He didn't want the attention from old perverts sitting around the bar, though.
"Emil," Vlad slithered over to hook his arm around the shorter male's slender waist, "I missed you."
Clicking his tongue at Vlad's charming words, he detached himself from the offending hand that suggestively rubbed his side. Chuckling nervously, he stepped back to collide against a solid figure. His head bounced off their sternum.
"Sorry! I didn't see you…" his words trailed off, gazing up in confusion at Luca. "Huh? Luca? Why are you here looking like one of us? It's not making any sense."
"My brother," he grinned down at Emil's adorable face, "decided to let me work here since I visited so much and the regulars know me." The cleaning towel in his hand rubbed off the water specks from a wine glass.
Emil simply nodded. He didn't mind Luca's presence; as long as he didn't blabber too much about his scandalous affairs.
"You two know each other?" Vlad asked incredulously, stepping over to greet a new customer nearby. "What can I get you, honey?" His devilish grin made the busty girl swoon. "Sex on the beach?"
Blushing furiously, she cried out with a wad of cash in her hands. "Yes, I would love to!" They flirted back and forth, making Emil stifle a knowing chuckle. Vlad was an astonishing actor.
The day that Emil could switch up his flirtatious side for a female would be the end of Vlad's career. Neutrality is what he felt for women, but some men had his knees shake. Like Lukas. He makes me feel tingly. This silent confession made his cheeks tinge a light pink.
Lukas had a vague notion of Emil's new workplace and waited for the destination's announcement over the overhead speaker. It felt like a ticking time bomb; his chance to mend the previous wounds caused a plethora of conflicting emotions. Could he admit his mutual feelings or would he balk at the possibility? Holding his forehead with one hand, he stood up when the subway came to a halt at his stop.
"It should be around here," his eyes darted around the area until he caught the flashing sign. "Well, it's now or never, I guess."
Sidestepping a goofy couple, his footsteps quicken their pace toward the relatively lengthy line of club-goers. Overlooking the bouncer, he wheezed when a strong hand yanked him backwards.
"Lukas? 'M surpris'd ye 'ere. Go 'head." The strong Swedish accent boomed politely paired with a steely appearance. Sending his gratitude, Lukas was ushered past the irritated line of impatient twenty-somethings.
Good thing we are still on a good note. He navigated through the rowdiness and deafening music to the bar. There he is.
An overflowing amount of patrons screamed out their orders at Vlad, Luca, and Emil. The three bartenders were managing the uproar and working together flawlessly. Vlad and Luca realized that Emil was entertaining to pester. Not only were the guests leaving tasty tips with their total bill, but they literally threw dollar bills when Luca lifted Emil's ass up onto the countertop.
Lukas's eyes followed Luca's large hands wandering over Emil's leather clad cheeks and Vlad unbuttoning his black button up to display a mouth watering amount of his pectorals. Noticing the discomfort on his roommate's flushed face, he shoved past the drunkards who were crowding around to slip twenties into Emil's pants.
"Emil!" His Norwegian accent carried into tipsy ears, causing him to twist around with his thighs parted for everyone to gaze upon. He looked wasted, cheeks a full blown reddened blush.
"Lu…kas?" He slurred out, leaning forward to wink awkwardly at his concerned crush. "I… I'm so hah… happy ta… see ya!"
Vlad's arms encircled the panting Icelander who was crawling across the bar countertop. Lukas held his breath at their close proximity, but it was short lived. Emil was stolen back by the Romanian bartender and pressed over to the other side of the bar.
Returning to the blonde beauty, Vlad huffed out when he saw Luca approach him with flirty eyes. "Hey, I remember you!"
"I want Emil," Lukas told him firmly, ignoring his playfulness.
He chuckled. "Doesn't everyone?" Luca beamed at Lukas's low, furrowed brows.
This was a stupid mistake. Lukas gave up, wishing Mathias was here to bark at them for disregarding his preference.
"Let me get a shot of Bacardi 151," he handed over his golden credit card with a disgruntled look, "in a chilled shot glass."
Luca narrowed his eyes at Lukas's attitude, snatched the credit card, and strolled over to Emil's swaying figure.
Handing Emil the card to swipe, Luca told him the order. He ignored Lukas and stormed off to replenish garnishes and bottles of alcohol. Their supply was dwindling at a fast rate. Luca was not feeling Lukas's sour vibe.
A light stream of Bacardi flowed into a chilled shot glass. Emil glanced up and over at his somber crush. The shaky shot glass pinched between his fingers traveled over to Lukas.
Cradling his cheek with averted indigo eyes, Lukas was lamenting over his missed chance to tell Emil something important. Suddenly, the contact of glass to the marble countertop roused him for his ruminations. Ashen blonde tresses bounced slightly when their eyes connected in a powerful stare.
"Cheers!" Emil said before he was tugged into another direction to greet a lonesome girl flagging him down.
She perked up at who she deemed to be the cutest bartender in the building.
"I'm paying with cash," said the girl when she passed her ID to Emil. Organizing it into a plastic box next to the POS, he skipped back over to her.
They shared words and Emil prepped the cocktail. He made it a double as requested and delivered it to her ready hands.
"Enjoy," he stuck out his tongue with a wink, emulating Vlad's tactics. She squealed, thoroughly enjoying the undivided attention from the young bartender.
Pop music and echoes from jumping feet on the dance floor bounced off of the walls. Lukas beckoned Emil over, eyeing the revealed skin that was shamelessly exposed from earlier when Vlad and Luca were entertaining their guests.
"Ya wanna take a shot… together?" Lukas was feeling the effects from the overpowering alcohol content in the rum shot.
"With you…?" His face heated up once again, "What'd ya… have in mind?"
"You decide," he fluttered his lashes enticingly at Emil, "I trust you, Emil." This elicited a closed smile on Emil.
Gently clashing the shot glasses together, Emil and Lukas shared identical "cheers" before throwing their heads back. Emil wiped his drooling mouth with the sleeve of his shirt. Lukas released a giggle and covered his face in embarrassment.
Filling up a glass with iced water, Emil carried it over to his tipsy roommate. He cared about Lukas's wellbeing; his safety was crucial to him.
A slow song started playing when Lukas greedily gulped down the freezing yet refreshing water. Emil prepared to pivot his heels until Lars grasped his thin shoulders from behind and spun him around.
"Are you giving away free drinks?" His stern voice and dark glare shattered his mood instantly, sobering him up an inch.
"O… of course not. Lukas is payin' for 'em. Right?" His eyes switched to his roommate nodding with a silly grin plastered on his normally poker face.
Lars raised his brows at Lukas, eyes glimmering with astonishment. Releasing Emil's shoulders, he swaggered over to Lukas. Extending his hand, he waited for Lukas to take it.
"I've seen you before," Lars commented sheepishly, relishing the soft skin that grabbed his hand.
Their handshake was swift due to Lukas letting go. This man was not unattractive in the slightest, but he would have preferred contact with Emil instead.
"What do you want to sip on?" He couldn't help but stumble uncharacteristically in front of Lukas. "It's on the house."
Emil stood there briefly, conflicted with the scene unfolding. Was this the 'brother' that Luca was talking about interested in Lukas at the coffee shop? A glare found its way onto Emil's face. I don't like this.
"Emil," Lars reprimanded the unproductive bartender, "get back to work."
Sighing out, Emil continued his shift in his tipsy state. Throughout his bartending, he watched as Lukas was drinking with his uptight boss. Checking the clock, it was about ten minutes until one in the morning. He only had a couple more hours until he could get off work. The previous glow on Lukas's face had dimmed once Emil was replaced with Lars.
"Thanks… for the drink. I… I think 'm done,'' Lukas rejected another shot of liquor, however, Lars was persistent in his motives.
"Com' on… you're too pretty… too pretty…" he picked up the shot and leaned forward to press the rim against Lukas's lips, "to deny me."
Grunting at what Lars said and did, he hastily stood up and regretted it. He stumbled backward, losing his balance. Another patron asked if he was ok. He mumbled something back as he tried to grab onto something. His knees buckled, arms flailed, and a gust of air left his gaping mouth. Darkness consumed his world as soon as his head collided with a puddle of spilt beer. Partiers collectively gasped at the unconscious blonde splayed out on the floor. Someone screamed for help.
Through hazy vision, Emil threw his head in the direction of all of the commotion. What the hell is going on?
"Somebody call the ambulance!" Another person shouted out when surrounding drunkards pressed the record button on their cellphones. Lars silently cursed to himself; a lawsuit was on the horizon now. If only he would have accepted the shot, then he would have taken him back to his office.
Peering over the bar counter, Emil panicked when he witnessed two people lifting his roommate to sit up from the floor. He flung himself past the low, swinging door that separated the customers from the bartenders.
"Move! Move!" He ordered, watching the two people wait for him to take their place. Emil cradled Lukas's motionless head in his lap and combed his fingers through the wispy blonde tresses stuck to his sweaty forehead. His shiny cross pin was falling out. He unclipped it and stuffed it in his front pocket.
Vlad and Luca were too busy mixing drinks to notice the scene. Lars scurried back to his office to delete the recording of what happened. There was no way that his new business was going down in flames. Sure, Lukas was eye candy, but not long-term material. Too bad he couldn't meet the owner's standards.
Tino lowered the music, alerting the dance floor of something serious happening. "One last call for alcohol!" Others were complaining that it was only one in the morning. The music selection was slower and quieter to make the clubbers forfeit their partying one by one.
Ambulance workers poured into the club with a gurney, breathing mask, and frantic eyes. Emil's eyes watered, studying Lukas's serene face and shallow breathing. The rise and fall of his chest let him know that he was still alive. Before he could touch Lukas's numb lips with his thumb, an ambulance worker shoved him aside and another lifted the limp body onto a gurney.
"Back away, son. This is an emergency!" One of the lady emergency workers removed him from Lukas's side. She secured a breathing mask around his head and nodded to the other two workers. "Let's go."
Emil trailed after them, neglecting his guests, their credit cards, IDs, and his tips waiting on the counter. Luckily, he could trust Vlad to assist him when their eyes met before he was dashing out of the club. He didn't want to lose sight of Lukas.
"Are you a family member?" One of the emergency workers questioned Emil outside of the club. The patient and panting young adult did look similar in appearance. Aware that if he said 'no', they would disregard him immediately. He nodded automatically, sweat beading at his brow. He was allowed to board the red emergency vehicle and clasped his hand around Lukas's relaxed hand. His head was spinning and things were unclear around him.
There was a silhouette shielding the excruciating fluorescent light from above. A voice that Lukas knew was mumbling something incoherent that he couldn't quite discern. It was aggravating not being able to understand what was being said to his paralyzed mind.
"...and I've always wanted you to know that I lo-"
"Em… Emil?" Lukas croaked out in a raspy voice, not catching the words that left Emil's mouth. He watched the other's cheeks burn a cherry hue through his murky vision. Looking down at his hand being held by Emil's hand, his head fell to the side of the pillow. The exhaustion took over. It was a drowning feeling to not be able to return a squeeze of his hand.
"Please, Lukas, you have to pull through," begged Emil. A hefty nurse entered the room after hearing Emil's cry. She began to inject Lukas with medication and placed a hand on Emil's shoulder.
"Emil, dear, I suggest that you go home and wash up. You've been here for the last two days and-"
"No!" He shook his head defiantly and grasped Lukas's hand tighter. "I can't." Tears welled up in his eyes, "I can't leave him."
Sympathetically frowning at the loyalty he had for Lukas, she nodded and sighed out with the clipboard in her hand. "You need to eat something at the very least, then."
"Fine. Can you bring us some food?"
"Mr. Bondevik will be okay in regard to eating and drinking. What would you like to eat, Emil?" The nurse was kind to help Emil without brushing him off to go to the hospital's cafeteria himself.
"I suppose a burger will do. Thanks." His attention never swayed from Lukas. The nurse departed quietly in search of the cafeteria.
Once the coast was clear, Emil took one extra glance over his shoulder before leaning over Lukas. He gingerly cupped his clammy cheek as if he were made of porcelain. Gazing intensely at Lukas's parted lips, he slowly took a deep breath. Gently licking his chapped lips, he squeezed his eyes shut as he released his hold. Lukas's face fell to the side and Emil leaned in to press his lips against his cheek.
"Ah? Is this how you feel?" The words were barely above a whisper in Emil's ears. His eyes widened at being caught, fumbling uselessly for his excuse.
"Um, uh, I... I didn't know anyone was watching," the eighteen year old admitted sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. A simple smile graced the nurse's lips when she placed the tray on the small table next to where he was sitting.
"If I were you, I would want to wait for him to wake up. You'll thank me later," she winked and left to give them privacy.