I own an iTunes card that my mother found behind my TV, stuck inside a Christmas card from my cousin. However, Hetalia was not with it... Perhaps if I look behind my bookshelf? *checks* Cobwebs, dust, an old copy of Marie Claire... Damn, no Hetalia :/
"Dude. Dude. You have no idea how much we've missed you. Man, so good to see you! C'mere, Luke!" The American hugged Lukas tightly, completely disregarding the way he was almost choking the younger man.
"Alfred... Get off... Can't... Breathe... Get off, you idiot!" Lukas gasped, trying to shake him off.
Alfred let him go, clapping him heavily on the back. "Oh, sorry, dude... Hey, who's this?" Jones finally saw Matthias, who had been standing behind Lukas, leaning on Arthur's dining table.
After unpacking, Lukas and Matthias had joined Arthur downstairs to find Emil asleep on the sofa and another visitor in the kitchen, arms wrapped around the punk - no prizes for guessing who that was. Upon setting eyes on his ex-student, Jones had immediately begun to disregard any kind of personal space rule - typical American behaviour, in Lukas' opinion.
"This is Matthias, my boyfriend... Your Danish double..." The latter was said somewhat more quietly than the rest, so that only Arthur was able to pick it up and snicker.
"Hey, dude! Great to meet you! I'm Alfred F. Jones, hero!" Lukas had forgotten how Alfred didn't quite know how to speak without shouting...
"Hey, man, great to meet you, too! You're Mattie's bro, right? That's so awesome!" Matthias yelled back.
"Oh, god, they're as loud as one another..." Arthur groaned.
"I hate to say 'I told you so'..." Lukas replied, watching the two hug each other enthusiastically.
"Why, Lukas? Why couldn't your boyfriend be quiet and sweet?"
"Speak for yourself..."
"Anyways, Lukas! Dude! How was Denmark?! Did Mattie kill you in that hockey game? What was the final score? Finally found someone who could beat you at something?! How is Matt, by the way? God, I haven't seen him in ages! Still haven't met this boyfriend of his! We'll have to get them out here sometime! Didja meet Francis? That guy's so creepy, always gives me chills, I swear! And how's Emil? Wait, is he asleep?! Dude, why's he sleeping? Jet lag after an hour's flight? Man, that dude is one quirky kid! I missed having him in my class! You two and Artie were my fave students, y'know! You practiced while you were over there, right? Gotta keep that talent of yours honed! Out on those slopes tomorrow for you, my friend! Has Matthias seen you ski? Dude, what am I even saying? Of course he has! You're world-famous, mate! Gonna go in for the Winter Games in a few years? Twenty-eighteen, South Korea, baby! Lukas Bondevik of Norway, winning gold for his country! But, dude! Which event would you go in for? Cross-country? Slalom? Mate, you're good at everything! You were born with skis on your feet! I love you, man! Missed you so much! You know what, we should hit the slopes together tomorrow, I'll drag out my board and see if I can keep up! Might get Artie and Vlad to join us, as well! Can Matthias ski? Or snowboard? Does Emil wanna join? Oh, dude, you gotta meet this guy Artie's got looking after his lil' bro! Y'know in that English film, Chalet Girl or something, the Finnish boarder? Dude, we've totally found him! A crazy Finn who can snowboard! Man, he's adorable! His boyfriend's a little scary, though - don't know how Pete isn't scared of him! Doesn't seem to mean any harm, though! Real quiet, though, and this thick Swedish accent - god, you have to meet them! Hey, Artie, when's the trio comin' back?"
Lukas took the fact that he could follow Alfred's top-speed rambling as a bad sign.
"Tino, Berwald and Peter should be back in about fifteen minutes..." Arthur replied. Clearly, he was in the same terrible, dark, hopeless place as Lukas. What horror.
"Great! Dude, you will love these guys! Seriously, though, what was the score?" Alfred asked over-excitedly - for just 'excitedly' would be insufficient an adjective in this case.
"Twelve-one," Lukas admitted, looking down guiltily, not exactly proud of his result against the Canadian.
"Dude! You scored a goal?! That's amazing!" Alfred slapped him on the back again - had it not been for Lukas' impeccable sense of balance, the Norwegian would be crumpled on the floor from the sheer force of it.
"Er, thank you...?"
"No problem! Anyway, dude - Vlad should be over soon, Artie told us you were arriving, crazy vamp's barely shut up about it! Hey, Matthias, dude, d'ya like sport?" It was almost alarming how quickly Alfred jumped from one topic to another...
"Kinda, yeah. Not crazy about it, but I don't mind snowboarding."
Alfred's eyes lit up, and he threw an arm around the Dane. "Duuuuude! No way! That's it, when T gets here, we have to hit the slopes! That okay with you, Luke? You're not to tired from travelling and stuff?"
Lukas sighed. "My name is Lukas, you arse... But yes, that's okay with me, if the others don't mind. I'm not tired. I'll have to unpack all my gear, though."
"Awesome, dude! Where's Vlad, though? He should have been here like, five minutes ago!"
"Like you can talk, idiot..." Arthur murmured.
"Awww, Artie, you know you love it!" Alfred took his arm off Matthias and hugged Arthur tightly, kissing his hair and pinching his cheek, much to the shorter man's embarrassment. Lukas just rolled his eyes, this being a common occurrence between the two.
"Kirkland, Jones, control yourselves. We are in the presence of my younger brother and I'm sure he would like to keep his innocence, so please, I implore you, don't take this any further..."
"He's asleep," came the muffled reply, "and we're only hugging, dude!"
"At the moment, you're 'only hugging'. Don't think I've forgotten those messages."
"Duuuuuude, that was an accident!" Alfred whined plaintively.
"I don't care, it was disgusting."
"You're just jealous~!" Alfred sang, still hugging Arthur, who was blushing so hard that he was beginning to resemble a tomato.
Lukas raised an eyebrow. "Why the hell would I be jealous?"
"'Cause you wanna do that with Matthias!"
Now Lukas was the one resembling a tomato. "What?! That's preposterous! I barely knew Matthias at that point! And I'm perfectly happy with keeping my sex lifeprivate, thanks."
"Ah, you prude~!" Alfred sang. "You're eighteen, Luke, at your age I was in bars from five 'til five and sleeping with someone different every night, then tellin' the class about it!"
"Alfred, you're only four years older than me... And does Arthur know this?" Lukas questioned dryly.
"Yes, unfortunately, he's shown me the bloody pictures," Arthur grumbled.
Lukas just shook his head in disbelief. "Why am I friends with you?"
"'Cause you love us!" Alfred yelled happily, letting go of Arthur and glomping Lukas, who rolled his eyes and firmly pushed the American away.
"Wasn't Vlad meant to be here soon? And these friends of yours?" He questioned, firmly drawing the subject away from the topic.
"Yes, they should be here..." Arthur said, brushing off his jacket. "Alfie, be a dear and go and see where they've got to?"
Matthias and Lukas exchanged a glance. 'Alfie'? Ugh... Quite sickening...
"Will do!"
It wasn't long before Alfred came back, one familiar and three unfamiliar figures in tow. As the former saw Lukas, red eyes lit up and soon, the Norwegian was once again being choked by an overly-tight hug.
"Lukas! You're back!" Vlad cried, ruffling Lukas' hair.
"Get off, idiot... What is it with you people and trying to kill me with your hugs? Andget off my hair, you imbecile!"
"Awww," Vlad cooed, "is little Lukey grumpy?"
Pulling out of the hug, Lukas hit the laughing Romanian over the head. "My. Name. Is. Lukas. What is so hard to remember about that?!"
"Sorry, Luke, didn't quite catch that," Vlad smirked.
"Do you want to be buried alive?"
"Ooh, someone's got her period!"
"Vladimir. If you don't shut up, so help me I will strangle you with your own cape that we all know you keep in your wardrobe for the day you get over your fear of blood and become a 'proper' vampire."
Alfred cleared his throat. "Ladies, please! You're both pretty, but we have guests!"
Vlad laughed and apologised cheerfully, while Lukas let out a low growl, icy blue eyes narrowed at the strawberry blonde.
"Just ignore him, Lukas - he knows that if he doesn't shut up, he won't be invited for dinner, and he loves Berwald's cooking," Arthur said, trying to preserve Vlad's life.
Lukas glanced at Arthur at the unfamiliar name, then set eyes properly on the three strangers for the first time. He was surprised to see that the notorious Peter that Arthur had wasted no time in sugarcoating bore great resemblance to the punk. His other brothers shared only the large eyebrows with their English sibling, from what Lukas had observed. His gaze then moved to the couple that were accompanying the young Kirkland, taking in the pale blonde hair and entwined hands. The shorter of the two beamed happily at him, while the taller nodded curtly, eyes steely behind glasses.
"Hello! Lukas, right? I've heard so much about you! I saw you ski a few years ago, as well - you're really talented! Oh, I haven't introduced myself! Oops! I'm Tino Väinämöinen! And this is Berwald Oxenstierna!" Tino said, grinning brightly.
"It's good to meet you," Berwald added, hard gaze softening a little.
Lukas nodded in greeting. "Pleasure to meet you."
"Tino, dude! We have to hit the slopes today! Lukas has to see you snowboard, man!" Alfred intervened, grinning equally as brightly as the Finn.
"Sure, that sounds great, Al! Can't wait!"
Lukas turned to Matthias. "Do you want to borrow one of mine or Alfred's boards? Or rent one?"
"I guess I'll rent one..."
"Great!" Alfred said happily. "Artie, Ber, you joining us? And what about Emil?"
"I suppose..."
"Okay," Berwald said shortly.
Lukas glanced at his brother, who was still sleeping on Arthur's sofa. "Emil still seems to be recovering from the early start, so I suppose we'll just leave a note. He knows where we'll be. Besides that, are the things I left here still around, Arthur?"
"Of course. Garage, where you left them."
"What did you leave here, Lukas?" Matthias asked, interested.
"Just some stuff," Lukas said hastily.
"Just a load of sports gear and a bunch of trophies, you mean," Arthur said.
Matthias' eyes lit up. "Can I see?"
Lukas sighed. "That was exactly what I was trying to avoid. Yes, I suppose you can..."
"Yay~!"
"What are you, a child?" Lukas asked exasperatedly. "I need to get some stuff from my bag, but I'll use some of the gear I left here... I knew I'd be coming back, you see. Arthur kindly let me leave the things I wouldn't need in his garage."
"It was nothing, honestly. I have no qualms about seeing a sea of prestigious awards every time I enter my garage, believe me," Arthur teased, receiving only a not-all-too-serious glare from Lukas as he went to fetch the aforementioned items.
A few minutes later, Matthias, Lukas and Arthur found themselves in the garage while the others organised themselves.
"Wow... Lukas, you have so many medals and stuff!" Matthias said in awe, admiring the collection that the athlete had built up over the years, now condensed into a single shelf and a few boxes.
"Yes, well... I enter a lot of competitions," Lukas said distractedly, rummaging through another box.
"And wins them, obviously. He's like some sort of god at the resort."
"Arthur, shut up. Now."
"Yes, sir," said Brit smirked.
"Why don't you like it when people say stuff like that, Luke?" Matthias asked, blue eyes wide.
Still searching for some unknown item, his answer was once again slightly distracted. "Lukas. I'm just a normal person, it makes me sound like I'm above average or something. I'm not. I'm just a normal person who happens to enjoy skiing."
"He's always been this modest."
"Arthur."
"Sorry, sir."
"But you aren't a normal person. You're a genius musician who also happens to be the best skier in his country."
"Don't tell him that, though. He can't take a compliment. It's quite funny, actually."
"Arthur. What have I told you about shutting the fuck up?"
"Lukas. Hurry up and get your gear," Arthur imitated.
"Is it just me, or did you get more annoying in my absence?" Lukas questioned.
"Just you. Others don't find me annoying."
"Yes," Lukas grumbled, "and that's because they don't see this side of you."
"Yes, yes. You know you love me really. Just get your things, you're taking ages."
"I've nearly got everything, just be patient. I just want to find that jacket-" Lukas broke off as he pulled a jacket out of one of the storage boxes. "Got it. Let's go."
"Finally!" Arthur exclaimed, leading the three back up into the main house. "I fear I shall never understand you athletes."
"You're not supposed to understand them. They're weird. Believe me, Alfred's brother is just as strange," Matthias chipped in.
"Hey. 'You athletes'? 'Them'? You make us sound like a different species or something. And don't put me in the same group as Jones. Matthew is okay, nice even, but his brother is an arse," Lukas said defensively.
Arthur's eyes widened in mock horror. "Lukas! Did you just call someone nice?! Are you feeling okay?"
"Arthur."
"But, Lukas! Are you ill? You look really pale - oh, wait, that's normal for you - are you feeling faint? Did the Ice Princess just refer to someone in a positive light?!"
"That's it. Arthur Kirkland, you are not my best friend anymore. Jones has now replaced you," Lukas said, sticking his nose in the air haughtily.
Arthur clutched his chest, as if in pain. "What? No! Lukas, I'm sorry! You can't just leave me like this! Not after everything we've been through! Don't you remember that night Paris? You can't leave me after that! Don't do this to me, please!"
Lukas gave him a cold glare. "I have no idea what you're talking about. I've never been to Paris."
"But you promised, Lukas! You swore we would be together forever!"
"I promised nothing."
"Lukas, I'm sorry..." Arthur looked straight into Lukas' eyes, hand still resting over his heart, their faces mere centimetres away from each other. "Forgive me?"
"...only if you swear to never cook again."
To the surprise of Matthias and the rest of the room (sans Alfred and Vlad) - for the trio had just rejoined the congregation in Arthur's kitchen - the two then burst out laughing.
"...what the hell just happened?" Matthias asked.
"Don't mind them, they're just weird like that," Vlad said. "You get used to it after a while."
"Yeah, don't worry about it, dude, they're just being really weird friends as usual. So guys, we gonna hit the slopes now?"
The American received nods and cheers from the room in general - excepting the still-asleep Emil, of course. A note had been placed in his line of sight for when he woke up, explaining their location and where the food was for when he realised he was starving - which, considering the fact that he was, in fact, only human, and a male, teenaged human at that, was more than likely to happen.
With an enthusiastic cheer from Matthias, Vlad, Alfred and Tino, the party made their way to the ski resort - which, of course, was not a great distance away at all.
When he arrived there, Lukas was welcomed back like some sort of hero. He allowed himself to be hugged by his fellow athletes and high-fived by others; it was, in all honesty, like being welcomed home. And really, he was home now. As they moved out onto the mountains - Arthur and Vladimir deciding to leave them for a while and join later - he truly felt like he had returned to where he belonged. With his friends close by and his lover at his side, Lukas was not just in his element. He was in paradise; a sense of exhilaration washing over him and bringing out his best.
Captured on camera from afar by Arthur and Vladimir, Lukas' performance that day was one of his best. Despite months of sub-par training, despite hours of travelling, despite all he had faced recently, his skiing was fantastic. Showing off a little for Matthias, but mainly just enjoying doing what he did best.
He wore a rare - yet bright and sincere - smile. His generally emotionless eyes sparkled with joy. Those watching who knew him, who knew who he was, knew of his absence, knew any part of the story smiled with him.
Lukas Bondevik was, at long last, home.
A/N
Well, that's the end. Your thoughts? There is still the epilogue - it's not completely over yet. Was this too fast? Too cliché? Too short? Tell me how to improve for my next story, please!
Which brings me to the next news - I have told a few of you this, I know, but I have started writing my next multichapter story. It won't be uploaded yet - I'm giving myself a few weeks to get used to writing a different genre, pairing, universe etc - but when it is, it will be a HongIce and will be named Attraction of Opposites. I will be attempting to write some proper humour, but knowing me, it will be very dry. As is my true sense of humour - yes, I'm that kind of person. You know, when I can actually get the confidence to do something other than laugh nervously or just stare at the ground in social situations... But I digress.
Thank you all for the support you have given this story! Honestly, every time I get an email saying someone has left a review, followed or favourited this, I really do feel very happy. Add up all my reviews, favourites and follows, and you will find out just how happy you have made me - if you can't be bothered to do the mathematics, VERY. Look out for the epilogue and the oneshots I am planning to write at some point!
I also thank anyone who has followed me on Tumblr - I've gained about five followers in the last week, which is a huge amount for me! Now, to end this monster of an author's note, I present you with an uncharacteristically cheerful hasta luego!