Chapter 14: "Help, I've fallen in love and I can't get up!"

A/N: I am seriously so sorry about the length of this chapter. I originally wrote it to be longer, but I didn't think some of the chapter was fitting so I moved some paragraphs from this chapter to another. I suppose I could have added more into this, but I didn't think it was necessary. So here is a baby.

Lukas knocked on Mathias' door. His mother answered with a big, forced smile. She ushered him and said, "Happy Valentines day! Do you have something for Mathias?" She nodded at the things in his hand and he nodded back, looking up the stairs. He raced up them before his mother could say anything else. He barged into the room and stared at him. He was sitting up in bed and now staring at him with wide eyes. "Lukas? What are you doing here?"

The smaller boy breathed out a sigh of relief and sat on the bed. "I was scared you were really sick," he said. He gave him the valentine and the chocolate bar with a blush, but Mathias was still darker thanks to his fever. He took the card and smiled at it, then set the chocolate on his nightstand, far too sick to eat it.

Mathias looked sick, too. Pink cheeks, clammy, bags under his eyes, and it was obvious he wasn't enjoying sitting up. Lukas grabbed his hand and said, "Are you okay?" The boy nodded. It was just a little flu, after all. Nothing he couldn't handle. Besides, he was already taking medicine for it.

"Mathias, I'm so sorry!"

Mathias coughed into his arm and said, "For what?"

Lukas hugged him and said, "I should have forgiven you."

Mathias just shrugged and patted Lukas' back, not knowing what to tell him. He almost felt like he deserved an apology from Lukas after all he'd put him through. I mean, he had really meant he was sorry and Lukas had been so stubborn about it. So he didn't deny it.

"You look really sick," Lukas said, clutching the taller boys cheeks and leaning in far too closely. Mathias blinked a few times. "Uh, yeah. I'm sick. Like, pretty sick. I don't want you to catch it, either."

Lukas stepped back and pointed at the Valentine. "Did you read it?"

Mathias opened the card and scanned the words.

Mathias,

Sometimes you say stupid things, but I like you a lot and you're my best friend. Happy Valentines Day.

~Lukas Bondevik

He smiled at the first part, then looked up and hugged Lukas. "Thanks. I got you something, too. I didn't expect to be sick. Here, let me get it," he said, standing up and nearly falling over. He shuffled over to his dresser and picked up box of chocolates and a bundle of paintbrushes. "Here, I know you like art and stuff. Plus, everyone likes chocolate." He handed the gifts to him with a weak smile and sat back down on his bed.

Lukas stared at the items and looked down. "I don't deserve this," he mumbled. Mathias leaned his head back warily and looked at him through half-closed eyes. "Just enjoy it. Gifts are a good thing." Lukas opened his mouth to argue, but thought better. "Thank you, Mathias," he said, clutching the paintbrushes. He looked back at Mathias, who looked like he was about to fall asleep.

He didn't want to leave. It was Valentines Day and he wanted to stay with Mathias. He hesitantly laid down next to him and tapped his shoulder. He glanced over at Lukas, but didn't say anything. He didn't have the energy to talk him out of laying in the bed, even though it would probably make him sick if he wasn't careful.

He just looked at the smaller boy for a second and smiled a little. It was always nice to see him. Lukas had a really pleasant face. Everything about it was aesthetically and physically attractive. Plus he was wearing a big sweater and it made him look really cute. He didn't understand how one person could look so good. And it wasn't look good like a model in a magazine looked good, it was just... he looked good in every way.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Lukas asked, resting his head on Mathias' pillow. He just shook his head in response and grinned. "It's nothing. Just glad you're not in Norway anymore," he said. Lukas could feel his face burning and he looked for a distraction. He picked up the book of jokes he'd given him from the nightstand and flipped to a random page.

"Why did the stadium get hot after the game?"

Mathias took the book and closed it, setting it back down. "Because the fans left. I've read that whole thing and you're trying to find a distraction. Also, you're super red because you're blushing."

Lukas rolled his eyes and got up. "I don't blush, stupid."

Mathias actually laughed at that. Hard. If he had a dollar for every time he'd seen Lukas blush, he'd have enough for a new video game. "You do all the time. But it's really cute!" Lukas had to look away. He slapped his cheeks, pulled on them, and groaned dramatically. "Betrayed by my own face," he muttered.

Just then, his mother came in. "Mathias, honey, you need sleep. Lukas, I'm sorry but you'll have to come back some other time," she said. Lukas turned to Mathias and sighed quietly. "Okay. Bye, Mathias. Happy Valentines Day."

"Yeah, you too. Thanks for coming by."

With that, Lukas left.

"What happened to you and Gilbert, sweetie? I thought he was your best friend," Mathias' mother said as she sat down at the end of his bed. She gave a weak smile and pulled his blanket up anymore. He just rolled his eyes. She cleared her throat and asked again. Mathias finally looked at her and just shrugged. "Does it really matter?"

"Well, you didn't just drop him, did you?"

Mathias shook his head and rolled his eyes again. His mother sighed and got up. "Fine, I'll leave you alone. I hope you aren't dropping Ned, too. He's a good boy."

Mathias curled up and pulled his pillow over his head. "Yeah, right. Like I'd ever just drop Ned," he mumbled into the pillowcase.

He felt the weight on his bed lift, then heard his door shut. He stared at the wall with squinted eyes. He couldn't have told her why he dropped Gilbert. Besides, she didn't even ask. Figures. She didn't actually care, she probably saw bringing it up at all as some sort of weird motherly obligation. He scoffed and turned his television on, looking to get lost in something other than his own situation.

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