Mid October, 1943, Stockholm, Sweden

Lukas was on dishes duty at the base one night as he listened to the radio. He was listening to one of the stations that was in English. It usually had really good music playing, but there was a specific song that he liked whenever it came on. He liked it for a specific reason. The song reminded him of Mathias.

Then he heard it, the familiar guitar melody that introduced the song "If I Didn't Care" by The Ink Spots. A familiar voice began to sing through the crackling speakers. "If I didn't care more than words can say,

If I didn't care, would I feel this way?

If this isn't love, then why do I thrill?

And what makes my head go 'round and 'round while my heart stands still?"

Lukas began to hum along with the music as it kept going and he scrubbed at the trays and silverware in the sink. He could get lost in that song so easily. Music was intoxicating to him, especially when it was a song that meant as much to him as this one did.

"And would I be sure that this is love beyond compare?" he sang

"Would all this be true if I didn't care for you?"

Mathias walked in. "You have a nice singing voice, Lukas," he complimented.

Lukas turned a deep scarlet and nearly jumped out of his skin. "Mathias! Don't scare me like that!" He turned down the radio so he could hear Mathias better, but Mathias only turned the radio back up to where it was. "Why did you do that?"

"I want to hear the song," Mathias casually answered. "I haven't heard it before, but I like it." He began to sway in time with the music as his eyes shut. "I like it, though." His voice began to softly hum along to it. "So you know this song?"

"I do," Lukas answered slowly as he began to scrub at the trays once more. He didn't see where Mathias was going with this and wasn't sure if he wanted to, for that matter. "Why?"

"Sing it to me," Mathias encouraged.

"Are you out of your mind?" Lukas scoffed. "No way." He scrubbed harder at the tray in his hand. "There is no way I could sing in front of someone if I know that they're there…"

"Not even if they were your best friend?" Mathias asked. Lukas didn't have to turn toward him to know that he was smiling that stupid, cocky grin of his and batting his eyelashes.

"Not even," Lukas confirmed, nodding. He turned and saw the grin, though. Immediately his stomach was turning inside his gut. He felt it twist in a knot as he tried to ignore it. "Stop that," he snapped. "It's annoying."

"Why does it annoy you so much?" Mathias asked, smirking.

Lukas tried to act like it didn't bother him, but that smirk was going to be the death of him one day! "It does, now just knock it off!" He was so frustrated. How did Mathias not frustrate anyone else like this? It irritated him to no end! Why was it just him?

"Why are you getting so mad?" Mathias asked him, smirk fading. "I'm only messing around with you. It's just out of fun is all."

"We're best friends," Lukas said, hoping that his red blush will be mistaken for red rage. "That means I can get mad at you for anything and you'll understand no matter what because we're best friends."

Mathias looked as if he were thinking it over for a bit. "I suppose you're right," he decided. "But you sure choose the dumbest things to get angry over, Lukas."

Lukas frowned at him and huffed out, splashing him with the dishwater. "I can get mad over whatever I damn well please," he huffed at him.

"Look, feel free to get mad about whatever you want," Mathias told him. "I just don't understand why you're always mad at me. You never seem to be mad at anyone else, so why is it always me? It's like you're always frustrated with me, and I just don't get you."

Lukas blinked in surprise. He didn't realize that he had been so obvious that Mathias would have noticed it as well. "I don't try to be," he said. "I really don't. I just can't explain why right now. It's weird." He turned back to the sink as the song ended. His hand reached up and switched off the radio. "The song's over anyway, and that's the only one I know that regularly plays on the radio. Perhaps I'll sing another time, Mathias."

Mathias smiled to himself. "Yeah, perhaps," he said. He turned to leave the dishroom, but then turned back. "Do you need any help, Lukas? This will take forever by yourself."

Lukas felt his breath catch in his lungs. "Huh?" he asked. He held his breath for a moment before letting it out. His pulse sped up as he thought of him and Mathias along in here for longer as they washed trays and silverware and cups together. He thought of their hands possibly touching under the water and he stopped breathing for a moment. He couldn't handle it. "No," he quickly said. "I'm fine, Mathias. Really. I'll be okay. I can handle this. There's only a few left." His hand brushed the many trays under the water. It would take forever, but he knew he had to do it alone. "I'll catch up with you when I'm done."

Mathias shrugged. "If you're sure," he said. He went to the door. "I'll talk to you later, Lukas." With that, he left.

Lukas placed his hands on the side of the sink, realizing his arms were the only limbs of his that were currently supporting him. His legs were trembling beneath him, threatening to give way at any second. It was too much for him, so he lowered himself to a crouch against the far wall of the dishroom. He held his head in his hands for a moment.

What was wrong with him? Why was Mathias turning him into a wreck like this? It was so aggravating! He wanted things to go back to the way they used to be, but when the hell had they changed was what he wanted to know! When did Mathias start doing this to him? And when did he allow Mathias to have this sort of affect on him?

.

"Damn, that took you forever!" Mathias complained when Lukas joined him in the common area of the base. He was sitting at a free chess table that he had been occupying so he and Lukas could play against each other. "I've been sitting here for almost two hours!"

"Sorry about that, I got distracted," Lukas quietly murmured, sitting across from him. He looked across the board at Mathias. "Since I was late, I will allow you to make the first move, Mathias."

"You're too kind," Mathias scoffed, moving his pawn in front of his king. "What took you so long anyway? I know there weren't that many trays. You must get distracted easily."

"I do," Lukas muttered, taking his own turn. He didn't want to say what he was distracted by, what he had nearly hyperventilated over for almost half an hour. That wouldn't matter to Mathias anyway. Besides, men weren't supposed to react that way to other men. That was a fact.

"I'd say," Mathias sighed to himself. He exhaled, sighing once more as he took another turn. His foot tapped softly against the floor as he began to hum to himself, the tune of the song Lukas had been singing earlier. "You know, I can't get that song you were singing out of my head, Lukas. What's it called again?"

"'If I Didn't Care' is the title," Lukas softly answered, taking his turn. He couldn't trust himself to let his eyes leave the chess board for longer than three seconds. He couldn't let that happen. If he were to let it happen, he knew he would end up crouched against the wall somewhere, struggling to breathe once more. "I really like that song."

"I could tell you did," Mathias answered, causing Lukas's heart to nearly skip a beat. "I pay attention to people. The way you were singing it told me that you really do like that song and that it holds a lot of meaning to you. Maybe it means you're in love with someone. Either way, the person that song reminds you of is someone your heart holds dear to it."

"Is that so?" Lukas asked. He had never thought of it that way. His heart held Mathias dear to it? That was a new way of looking at why he acted so stupidly whenever Mathias was around, or when thinking of Mathias. "I never thought of it that way."

"Isn't that song about being in love?" Mathias asked. "It's about caring about someone, being in love. If you didn't care about the person, then all the things happening to the person singing the song wouldn't be true. I listened to the lyrics, Lukas. I thought you knew them."

Lukas could feel himself blushing. "I know them," he quickly said. "I just never paid attention to what they were really saying is all." He felt like an idiot that Mathias knew the song better than him after only listening to it once. "Maybe I should…"

"You should," Mathias encouraged. "It's a great song!" He began to hum the tune louder now. "I'm glad I heard it today. It's very catchy!"

"That's why I like it," Lukas admitted. "It's an American song, sung by a group of -what was the word for it?- colored men."

"Colored?" Mathias asked, confused.

"African," Lukas said. "That's what they call it in America, I suppose." He shrugged. "America has such strange wordings for things. I think I'd rather just stay here in Europe. At least things are somewhat the same. That's why I'd rather fly for the British than the Americans, but they're technically the same…" Lukas sighed.

Mathias smiled. "And I'll be on the infantry for the British if you're flying for them. You can count on me. You'll be the eyes in the sky, and I'll be the eyes on the ground."

Lukas smiled back. "Sounds like a great team to me."

"Only the greatest," Mathias assured. "All the other teams will be jealous of the way we will work together."

The way Mathias had said the word together made Lukas almost tremble in his seat. He hadn't realized how sensitive he was to some of the things Mathias could say. His stomach was clenched tightly inside of him once more, about ready to let loose and spiral out of control again.

"Lukas? Are you all right?" Mathias asked, raising an eyebrow. "You look pale. Are you sure you're not getting sick on me? You know your final flight is coming up, right? Are you nervous about that? If that's what's going on, you're going to do fine. I watch you fly every time you go up. You can handle it. You're one of the best."

Lukas wanted to beg him to stop, but didn't know how to ask him to. He always wasn't sure how Mathias would react. If only Mathias wasn't saying only the most perfect things to him at that time. If only Mathias wasn't so perfect all the damn time it would be easier to shut him up.

"Mathias, please," Lukas quietly said. "I need to concentrate on my move." He gestured to the chess board.

"Right," Mathias quietly said. "Sorry."

The Norwegian almost couldn't believe how simple that was as he stared at the board and pretended to contemplate his next move. He was almost to the point of wanting to look up and admire Mathias, but he knew he couldn't do that. He had to hold himself together and suppress all desires like that. It would be hard, but he knew he could do it. His fingers grabbed a piece and skillfully moved it to another spot on the board.

"Good move, Lukas," Mathias observed. "But I'm afraid it may not be good enough." He moved his piece and took the one Lukas had just moved. "Come one, you usually have a sharper eye than that. Are you just letting me win?"

"You wish," Lukas scoffed. He crossed his arms over his chest and huffed, scanning the board through narrowed, focused eyes. "I can still kick your ass."

"Tough talk for a man whose queen was just taken because of a careless move," Mathias scoffed back.

Lukas glared across the board at him. "I'll still beat you, Dane. You just watch!"

Mathias grinned. "I love it when you get all hyped up and competitive over chess! It makes it so much more fun to play!" He scooted closer to the board as his grin widened.

Lukas's heart began to beat wildly in his chest at the sight of Mathias's grin. He was glad that he could have an excuse to only look at the board. After all, he had to kick Mathias's ass in chess somehow. He didn't care how long it took, he had to win this game.

Nearly a half hour later, Lukas stood from the game triumphant while Mathias gaped in horror with an exclamation of, "How the hell did you beat me again?! You only had two pieces left and I had seven!"

"It doesn't matter the amount of pieces on the board," Lukas sighed. "The amount of knowledge in your head is what matters." He smiled to himself as he turned his back on Mathias and looked out the window. It was snowing outside, which would make flying more of a challenge in the morning, but Lukas was up for another challenge. "We should get to bed, Mathias. It's going to be a long day tomorrow, I guarantee it."

"Why do you say that?" Mathias asked before looking out the window. "Holy shit, that's a lot of snow!" He ran over to it. "Look at all of it! You're going to have to clean the hell off of your planes tomorrow morning!"

Lukas groaned. "Don't remind me," he sighed. "And you'll have to clean it off of your tanks, Mathias."

Mathias groaned louder than Lukas did. "That's going to be the death of me! Just kill me now, Lukas!" He threw his head back and groaned again. "I think I'm going to head to bed. I'm not looking forward to the morning."

"Neither am I," Lukas agreed as the two of them began to set off toward the sleeping quarters. He was happy they slept in the same general direction so the conversation didn't have to abruptly end right then and there. Then again, he was never that great at keeping conversation anyway.

"My aunt always made sure I had a lot of pairs of wool socks for weather like this," Mathias sighed. "It's a good thing I listened to her. I wear two pairs when it snows to keep my feet warm. Do you have any, Lukas?"

Lukas looked at him. "What?"

"Wool socks," Mathias said. "Do you have a pair of wool socks?"

Lukas shook his head. "I don't."

Mathias nodded toward his sleeping quarters. "Come with me," he said. "And don't worry. You won't get in trouble." He led the way to where his bunk was and pulled out two pairs of really warm-looking black socks. "Two pairs of wool socks for you, Lukas. Since you're up in the high altitudes in the sky, you'll probably need them more than I will," he laughed quietly, careful not to wake anyone. "Here, wear them. They'll keep your feet warm. I guarantee it."

Lukas didn't know what to do as the socks were thrust into his hands. He knew he had to accept them, so he did. "Takk," he softly said with a nod.

"What's socks between friends?" Mathias said, grinning widely. "Now get to bed, Lukas. You've got a plane to fly in the snow tomorrow."

Lukas walked back to his sleeping quarters, confused, but he held onto those socks. He put them with his flight gear and uniform for the morning. The socks looked so warm and he was happy that Mathias had given them to him and that it wasn't anyone else who had. At least that was something to look forward to about the next day, seeing Mathias.

.

Lukas slipped the two pairs of wool socks on before putting on his boots the next morning and they really did make a difference while he was flying! His feet had never been more warm when he was up in the sky! It was perfect! He would definitely have to thank Mathias when he landed!

Once training was done, he went and changed into the normal relaxation clothes he wore around the base, just one pair of socks and regular shoes. He looked around for Mathias and was concerned when he couldn't find him. But he eventually found him by their usual chess board.

"I'll beat you today, Lukas," he said, which was his usual greeting.

"Are you so sure of that?" Lukas asked, sitting down across from him. "If you're so certain, then I'll let you have the first move."

Mathias started out with his usual first move. "So how did the socks work for you today?"

"They were great on my feet," Lukas said, an almost smile playing on his lips. "Thank you very much, Mathias. Were you warm enough on the ground?"

"Of course!" Mathias answered so carelessly. "I always have about eight pairs of the wool socks, so my feet were nice and warm. My coat got a tear in it today, though, so I'll have to ask my aunt to patch it up as soon as she's able to."

"I can sew," Lukas offered. "My mother taught me to do that so I can patch up my own things while I'm here in case something like that were to happen. She even sent me a sewing kit a few months back when a sock I had needed mending."

Mathias whistled lowly to himself. "Leave it to Elsa to think of everything," he said admirably. "My aunt is an angel, and your mother is a saint," he concluded.

That wound up making Lukas smile. "You can say that again." He moved a piece and waited patiently for Mathias to take his turn. "Just bring the coat to me, and I'll fix it for you, okay? It'll be no problem, especially after all you've done for me."

Mathias's grin was so wide that Lukas was surprised at how it could fit on his face. "Thanks, Lukas! You're the greatest, pal!"

"Thanks," Lukas said, smiling a little to himself. He liked receiving words of praise from Mathias. They made him feel better than any words of praise from anyone else. That was for sure.

.

Mathias went and got his coat sometimes later and Lukas got his sewing kit as he did that. The two met back up in the common area and sat on a couch together, Lukas resting his sewing kit on the cushion between them so they weren't too close on there. He wouldn't have been able to stand it otherwise. He probably would have hyperventilated.

"Good as new?" Lukas asked as he handed the coat back. His careful stitching was barely noticeable. He had made sure of that.

"Wow!" Mathias enthused, looking at it. "You can't even tell that it was sewn up! You sewed right along the seem! Thank you, Lukas!"

"You're welcome," Lukas told him, putting the needle and thread back into the sewing kit. He just hoped that Mathias wouldn't come to him for every single thing that needed patched up, Then again, deep down, he would love to have Mathias depend on him like that.

Mathias stood up. "You're the best out there, Lukas. I mean it."

Lukas's heart swelled up at the compliment. If only Mathias knew how much that truly meant to him. Maybe one day Lukas could tell him how much that meant. Until then, Lukas would have to hide those feelings away. That was just the way things had to be, and he hated it.

"Thanks," Lukas quietly said, unable to hide his blush. "I'm going to go and put this sewing kit away." He got up and held his sewing kit in his hands. "I'll be right back." He rushed from the room, hoping that Mathias didn't notice how red his cheeks were. That would have been humiliating. He kept having to mentally chide himself for his feelings. No, Lukas! He told himself. Men do not feel that way about other men! They cannot! They do not! They will not! So why did he?