Work Text:
1969
“You’ve…never gone hiking before?”
“Never. Not of this altitude, anyway.”
“Oh, please. This is nothing.”
“This is exhausting.”
Lukas laughed as Mathias heaved and tried to even his breathing. He followed him up the steep hill – no, mountain – they were climbing and wondered when or if they’d ever come to a stop. At the vigorous speed Lukas was going, it seemed unlikely.
It was eight in the morning, and it was hot. Mathias felt the sweat drip from his hair to the base of his neck and settle in his clothes. He was dressed in a simple shirt and shorts, and boots, although not of the hiking variety. He silently worried over wounds from prickly thorns and bugs, which were just as big a threat as the sun that sweltered in the sky and burned his skin. He looked up and watched Lukas marching ahead of him, wearing long pants and even a long-sleeved shirt. Better than Mathias’s choice of attire to prevent sunburn, but was he not sweating to death?
Lukas had arrived at his house two hours ago, knocking on the door relentlessly until Mathias stumbled downstairs to answer. He’d nearly thrown a fit over being woken by some ridiculous fan or magazine editor, but had quickly brightened up once he saw who it was. When Lukas insisted they leave right at that moment to go hiking, his mood soured just as fast.
“What did you take this time?” he asked, deadpanned, knowing Lukas’s enjoyment for recreational drugs. Lukas wouldn’t normally be awake for another four hours–why was he here, asking for Mathias to join him in the mountains? There was hardly a logical explanation.
“I can assure you I’m sober,” Lukas answered matter-of-factly. Mathias had given him an uncertain look, and Lukas had punched him, lightly, in the arm. “I am! I swear it. Now will you come with me or not?”
Mathias leaned against the door frame and looked out at the horizon, where the sun was steadily making its way into the sky. He was still tired, and it was going to be so warm that day. “I don’t know, Lukas…”
“Please?”
He discovered quickly that his lungs were not made for the strenuous activity that encompassed hiking. But Lukas seemed to be enjoying himself, so he obediently followed with as little complaint as possible.
The narrow trail they walked on led to a small, shaded area that overlooked the town. It wasn’t designed to be a stopping point, but years of foot travel caused the grass to be dead and dry. It was a cozy little spot, bushes and trees providing a comfortable amount of privacy for those looking for a break. This is where Lukas stopped, and promptly threw himself down on the ground, sprawled out a little too close to the ledge of the mountain for Mathias’s liking.
Nevertheless, he was happy for the pitstop, and took a seat on the grass. The sun poked through holes in the leaves above and shone on Lukas’s face, making him seem ethereal. Mathias watched him in silence for what felt like hours, until Lukas sat up and turned around. “Come here,” he waved him closer.
Mathias remained, knees to his chest, like a wary child. “I don’t know, it looks like a big fall.”
“You think I’m gonna push you over or something? Come here.”
He did, and while the cliff wasn’t as high as he thought, it was still relatively tall. He shuffled himself closer to Lukas, and admired the scenery around them. Everything was mountains and sky, and far in the distance, the city that they had escaped earlier that morning. If he squinted, he could see the hints of cars carrying people to work, and billboards advertising the latest product or movie to be released. A good third of those billboards probably promoted Mathias himself, but he hardly paid any attention to them.
It was so quiet, so peaceful. So naturally, he had to break it.
“Why’d you want to do this?” he asked.
“Why?” Lukas asked playfully. “Do you want to go home that bad?”
“No! I’m just curious,” he replied with a chuckle. Lukas combed his hair back with his fingers and sighed, smiling to himself.
“Can’t you just appreciate the time we get to ourselves?” Mathias looked over and studied him. Reaching his mid-thirties, Lukas’s youth never wavered. His face remained smooth, stubble-free, not besmirched by wrinkles or acne. His eyes held their mischievous glint, and his lips stayed soft and pink. He was beauty in every sense of the word, from his physique to his charismatic voice to his sarcastic and down-to-earth personality.
“Oh, I can appreciate it,” Mathias said, leaning in to kiss him softly. He couldn’t think of another time where they could be themselves in public, but there was no one around for miles, and he was going to take advantage of it. Lukas seemed to be on the same page.
They sat there for a long while, playing with each other’s hair and basking in the quiet stillness of the morning. Mathias would have stayed for eternity if he could have. He was starting to not even mind the heat.
“Did you go hiking a lot when you lived in Norway?” Mathias asked after a while. They were farther back from the ledge, leaning against each other and listening to bugs and critters call to one another in the bushes.
“Mm,” Lukas confirmed, “Hiking in the summers and skiing in the winters. Had a pretty nice trail a little ways from our house.”
“Do you miss it there?”
Lukas seemed to ponder over that for a moment. His eyebrows were knit together as if deep in thought, and he opened his mouth several times without saying anything at all. Lukas didn’t often speak of his life in Norway, having moved to California in his early twenties, as soon as he could afford it. Mathias didn’t know why he left, or who he left behind. He remembered when, years ago, paparazzi tried relentlessly to figure him out, to learn about his past life and family, to squeeze the details out of him like juice from a fruit. They never succeeded; Lukas refused any and all related questions with a practiced Americanized accent. Mathias learned better than to question Lukas himself.
“I miss the nature,” he said at last. “Norway’s quite beautiful.”
“So I’ve heard,” Mathias replied. Mathias was born in California and never so much as stepped foot outside the United States.
“Norway was my home country,” Lukas continued, “But it was never home. I miss the long summer days, longer than they are here. I miss the cold, sometimes. But I don’t miss it enough to return any time soon.”
Mathias sat and considered that for a minute. He thought he understood. He too missed the scenery of his home town, although it was a lot less towering mountains and deep fjords and more small houses and shops as his little hometown started to take on its unique style to match that of a country far away. And while he had a strong connection to his life before his career, he had no real desire to go back. He’d grown to like his work, and the rewards that came with it. Lukas was one hell of a reward. And whatever his reason for leaving Norway, he had chosen San Francisco and fell into the world of auditions and networking parties and social mingling like he was born for it. And somewhere along the way Lukas had chosen him.
He felt pretty damn good about that.
“So, safe to say that you’re more at home here?” he asked.
“I’d say that’s accurate.”
“What do you like about living here?”
Lukas scoffed goodnaturedly. “I have a house worth seven million dollars, a private beach, and more money in the bank than I could ever imagine. Does that answer your question?”
Mathias was satisfied, but not entirely. “And you have me,” he reminded him.
“And I have you,” Lukas remarked sarcastically. A smile broke out on his face, and Mathias kissed his rosy cheeks.
“What would you do without me?” Mathias asked when he pulled away.
“Live in peace?” Lukas said. He laughed at Mathias’s mock offense.
“Hey. You woke me up at six this morning to climb a mountain.”
“Yes, I did. Do you have any regrets?”
A soft breeze picked up and mixed with the warm air. Tree branches rustled and leaves danced above them, as Lukas’s hair blew across his eyes. He brushed it away with his hand. He looked just as beautiful in hiking clothes as he did in a tuxedo, when his hair was flowing messily as when it was tight with hairspray. He exceeded expectations every time, and Mathias was always as mystified as his thousands of swooning fans.
So maybe he lost an hour or two of sleep. He definitely considered it a price worth paying to see, to hear, to feel a side of Lukas that the cameras couldn’t.
He gazed at Lukas endearingly. Lukas returned the look, waiting. Did he have any regrets?
“Not at all.”