Chapter 20: "Birthday Boy Bonus"

The house looked cleaner than it had in a while because Lukas' grandmother was coming over from Norway to see him. He was excited to see her, too. He hadn't seen her in almost a year now and he missed her a lot. He cleaned up his room, too, since he figured Mathias would be in there. Once he thought everything looked perfect, he went downstairs and waited, practicing his violin to relax more.

His grandma was the first to show up. He hugged her tightly and grinned. She talked with him for a while about school and other things like that. He showed her some of the drawings he'd been working on and she picked out things she liked about each one. Sometime in the middle of showing her art, Mathias showed up. He quickly set his gift down. Lukas waved him over and said, "This is my grandma. This is Mathias." He shook her hand and smiled.

"Mathias, it's good to see you," his mother said as she put eleven candles into a round cake on the table. He nodded and said, "Good to see you, too!" His father was playing quietly at the piano while all of this was happening and Emil was in his grandmothers lap talking to her about a weird bug he'd seen once.

Lukas looked anxiously at the gifts and his mother handed them to him. First, it was the one from his parents. He always got money from them and a card, which was good because he liked to pick his own gifts. His grandmother had gotten him clothes, which was never a fun gift to get, but he thanked her anyways. He took the card off of Mathias' gift first and read it.

"Don't mention the book much. Just say it's a book of fairy-tales. Don't mention the bunny, either. Just pretend I got you the book. Trust me!"

Lukas shrugged and took out the book. The cover was worn and it was clearly fairy-tales, as he'd said. He did what Mathias told him to do and put it all in his room when he was through. He came back downstairs and his mother lit the candles on his cake. They all gathered around and Lukas leaned in closely to the cake while they sang for him. His father was in the living room plucking out notes lazily on his piano.

Lukas smiled and looked at the candles, thinking about his wish. He wasn't sure what he wanted exactly. He felt like he had everything he wanted. Maybe a bike? He'd really wanted a bike ever since he'd moved here since he had to leave his last one in Norway. He looked at Mathias and thought about what sort of wish could be related to him. He hadn't gotten a lot of hugs lately, but it seemed silly to spend his wish on more hugs.

While they were singing, Mathias couldn't take his eyes off of Lukas. He looked truly stunning. The lighting was dim but the candles were bright, illuminating his face, especially his eyes. They were glossed over and each flame created it's own sparkle. Mathias had never drawn a good looking thing in his life, but if he ever wanted to draw anything, it was him at this very moment. His smile, his eyes, the way his nose scrunched when he was happy, the way his hairs were falling into his eyes and he just let them stay. Little things that were really so big.

Lukas blew out all of the candles in one try and smiled over at Mathias, who watched him in awe, a look of blatant adoration frozen on his face. He stared at him for a moment as his mother took out the candles and cut the cake, dishing slices out onto plates and passing them around the table. But Lukas was still looking at Mathias, and Mathias was looking back. He only looked away when his mother said, "Do you like the cake, Lukas?"

They had all been staring at him. He cleared his throat and took a bite. "Yes. It's very good," he said. Mathias followed suit, shoving a particularly large piece of cake into his mouth. It was probably the best cake he'd ever had. He ate two slices and thanked his mother. They all crowded into the living room afterwards. Lukas drank coffee, which surprised Mathias. They offered him some, too, and he drank a cup while listening to them speak in Norwegian with Lukas' grandmother.

Lukas felt a little bad about mostly speaking in Norwegian since Mathias clearly was having a little trouble with understanding every word, so he occasionally leaned in and told him jokes and silly things like that to make him feel like less of a stranger. When it was time for his grandmother to leave, Mathias shook her hand one more time. She was the type to use both hands to shake and he really liked that. She kissed Lukas' head, then Emil's, then his mothers, and finally patted Lukas' father on the back. Lukas walked her out to her car, then came back in and smiled at Mathias. "Explain the card."

Mathias grinned and started up to Lukas' room. They both went in and sat on the bed. The smaller boy reached for the red gift bag and pulled out the old-looking book. "I have this," he said, pulling his own copy of the fairy-tales out. Mathias just shook his head and said, "It's a first edition. My mom helped me pick it."

Lukas stared with huge eyes, then flipped through the book tenderly. "This is too much," he muttered, setting the book on his dresser as carefully as possible. He then looked into the bag and saw something else. His eyebrows furrowed as he pulled out a pink stuffed bunny that also looked older. He gave Mathias a quizzical look.

"This is really cheesy, but that was mine. I mean, my grandparents got it for me when I was five and I used it all the time. It's just been sitting on my bookshelf for a while and I figured it got me through some pretty hard times, you know? Got me through my parents divorce and I'd like you to have it. Sorry if it's super cheesy, also, but when my grandparents gave it to me, they put one of those funny little plastic hearts in its chest. I don't know, I guess that always made me feel better," he said nervously. Lukas looked at it, then glanced at Mathias.

"This is too, too much," he said again. "I can't take it if it means so much to you." He tried to force him to take it back, but he wouldn't grab, no matter how much Lukas pouted and pushed.

"It would mean so much if you would take it," Mathias finally said. The other nodded and gave a soft smile as he held the pink bunny close to his chest. "Thank you," he said, standing up and setting the bunny atop the book on the dresser.

Mathias rubbed the back of his neck and gave a cool smile. "No problem! I mean, it's your birthday and all so..." He looked down at Lukas and stopped talking. Why was he looking at him like that? He watched as he stepped closer and stood up on his tiptoes. Oh. Mathias leaned in and gave him a kiss. Lukas let out a sound of disapproval and crossed his arms. Oh no, what did I do, he thought.

Lukas looked at him expectantly, but the other had no idea what he was supposed to be doing. The smaller boy rolled his eyes and said, "Hug me and kiss me at once. Like they do in films." Mathias raised both eyebrows and pursed his lips. Who was he to turn him down on his birthday, anyway? He pulled him into an embrace and kissed him again. He didn't let go of him after the kiss, either, and that seemed to be perfectly okay with the two of them.

"Mathias?"

He glanced down at Lukas and brushed his bangs out of his face. "Huh?"

Lukas paused before saying anything. He cleared his throat and glanced at the floor before looking back up at him with big eyes. "I love you." He looked down again and kept his cheek pressed to his chest, holding on for dear life as the other contemplated his reply.

Mathias definitely loved him. There was no doubt. He loved Lukas so, so much. He didn't know when it began, but he was sure he didn't want it to end. "I love you, too, Lukas!" He kissed the top of his head, hoping that was the right move. Finally, Lukas said, "Mathias?"

Mathias grinned and looked down at him again. "What?"

Lukas looked back up at him and shrugged. "You're my boyfriend, aren't you?"

Mathias hadn't actually thought about that, but he supposed he was, so he nodded. "But if I'm your boyfriend, are you my girlfriend?"

Lukas blinked and thought about that, then said, "No, I'm your boyfriend."

"We're both boyfriends?"

"What time is it?"

"Past twelve."

"What do you want to do, birthday boy?"

Lukas shrugged and grabbed an extra pillow from his closet. He tossed it to Mathias, then said, "What do you want to do?" Both boys looked at each other for a second, then Mathias pointed to the book on his dresser. "Read to me."

In all honesty, Lukas loved reading out loud. He was a good reader and he liked people to enjoy stories he enjoyed. "Will you be bored?"

The other shook his head, then laid down on the bed. "I'm ready," he murmured. Lukas nodded and opened the book, then sat at the foot of the bed. He read for a while, then looked up when he thought Mathias was asleep. "Mathias?" He was still awake. He sat up and looked at him curiously. "Huh?"

At this point, Lukas was tired from reading. He looked at the bright pages drowsily and laid down next to Mathias, who took the book from his hands. "You want me to take a turn reading?" Lukas eagerly nodded and pulled the blanket up. Within minutes he was completely asleep, mouth open a little and hair covering his cheek. Mathias leaned over, flipped out the lamp, and laid next to him again.

"I love you, Lukas," he said again. "I really, really do."

May 1st rolled around and the weather was beautiful. Spring was in the air, which meant love was spreading rapidly along with the fever all warm weather brings. Lukas and Mathias threw all care out the window with the cold, and when they sat in class, their hands found each other under the desk, and for the entire lesson they would stay that way.

Lukas had never been so happy in his entire life. He smiled more, talked more, laughed more. Everything was so much brighter. When there was bad, there was a shoulder to lean on, and when there was good, there was a shoulder to be raised on. He was proud of Mathias for letting go his reputation, which he officially did on the Monday after his birthday.

When he came into school and sat at his desk, he smiled and asked Lukas how he was. It wasn't like he normally did it, either. It was much more loving, much more caring. When he was outside with him, he would hold his hand. People stared, people talked, and neither cared. Gilbert and Ned didn't even care. They knew what kind of person Mathias was and that was all that mattered.

Both gained a few friends from it, too. The other students thought it was interesting, some even wondering if they were allowed to do that, to which Mathias would say, "If you want."

Word spread quickly, and soon even the girls building knew that there were two boys who were together, and they were all intrigued. They waited for the rides and hoped to see Mathias and Lukas. When they spotted them, they would smile and point, some sincerely, others mockingly, but again, neither cared.

Soon enough, it wasn't just the students who pointed. It was teachers, too. Some said that it was cute. Others were bothered by it. Some had no opinion. Not that it would have mattered anyway. It didn't effect them. Usually.

After about two weeks, there was so much gossip and rumors that the teachers had to do something. Some voted to do nothing, but others labeled it as a distraction. The counselor was eager to talk to the boys, as she found their situation interesting. The janitors heard it, too, and because the janitors heard it, Mr. Vainamoinen heard it, and though the boys didn't know it, they had him rooting for them.

What really broke the camels back was a quick kiss Mathias had given Lukas after orchestra. It had just been a peck, that's all, but the orchestra teacher had spread the word around along with a few students in the orchestra. All the teachers knew about it and grew more and more concerned. Eventually, it came to the point where both Lukas and Mathias were called down to the office.

They sat down in the uncomfortable blue chairs and looked around nervously, prepared to say or do anything to prove that this was a right they held. Whenever they felt like buckling, they thought of their ex-teacher and they stood strong again. The principal smiled a little and pulled out the same yellow notepad he always pulled out when he asked incriminating questions.

"I hear you're a couple?" He said. They both nodded and did nothing more. He raised both eyebrows and wrote in his notepad. "I've heard a great deal about it. You could say it's become a bit of a distraction."

Quicker than lightning Mathias replied, "Gilbert Bielschmidt and Liz Hevedary have been a couple since the dance in February. He kisses her in the front of the school, then she goes to class. When school is over, they both meet in the library. They kiss goodbye. So why is it a problem if I do the same?"

The principal was now flat out frowning with no response ready for use in his yellow notepad. He wrote down what Mathias had said. "I'm going to start enforcing a no PDA rule. Nobody gets to perform public displays of affection. It's all distracting and this is a place for education, not for courting." They both nodded, then Mathias said, "I see, sir."

Lukas had been helping him control his anger, and it was really coming in handy. People treated him a lot better when he treated them better. The principal even nodded and wrote them a pass back to class, knowing that there was nothing else he could do. When they were out, they both smiled, grasped each others hands, and headed back to class.

When Mathias came home that day, his mother led him right to the couch and had him sit. "Honey, I got a call from the principal today," she said, a worried look in her eyes. He inwardly groaned and sat next to her, crossing his arms firmly across his chest. He knew she was just going to talk about how concerned she was.

"He says you have a boyfriend? Is that true?" He pursed his lips and nodded. The cat was out of the bag now, anyway. No use lying about it still. To his surprise, though, she pulled him into a hug. He stared at her, his eyebrows furrowed. "What?"

She gave him a loving squeeze and said, "Just know I love you no matter what. Okay? And it'll take me a while to fully accept, it really will, but sweetie... I love you, you know that, don't you?" She looked like she was going to cry and he felt so bad. He hugged her back tightly, mumbling quietly. "Mom, I'm okay! Really. I know you love me and I... I love you, too."

He was so shocked. He thought she'd be mad. He knew his father would be outraged. He pulled away and looked at her with widened eyes. "Mom, you didn't tell dad, did you?"

She shook her head. "Hell no, sweetie." He laughed a little, relieved. "You know I'd never tell him that. If you ever want to tell him, it's up to you," she said with a little giggle. She pulled him into a hug again and said, "If you ever need anything, just ask me." He smirked and hugged her tighter. "I always do, mom."

When Lukas came home that day, his mother flashed him a wide grin and gave him a high-five. "I got a call from your principal today, Lukas. You've got a boyfriend now, huh?" He stared up at her and blushed, but nodded nonetheless. She smiled and patted his head. "That's why you've been so happy, right?"

He smiled and nodded. Emil looked up at him with a grin. "I like Mathias, too! He's super nice!" Lukas smirked and lifted his brother up onto his back. "Lukas, he tells good jokes, too!"

"Stupid jokes," he corrected with a smile. His mother shrugged and said, "You'll have to keep me posted. Tell me how it goes."

He rolled his eyes, but still smiled all the same.

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