(no subject)
Chapter 56
They didn't wake up until nearly nine the next morning, though the sun was already shining into the bedroom. Lukas was the first one to wake and when he did he was confused for a moment. He stared at Katya's sleeping figure next to him, shock and surprise freezing him. They'd had sex last night, and then he'd stayed over and slept in her bed.
His thoughts immediately went to Bastian, and he felt like the worst person in the world. What was he doing? What had he done? He couldn't wrap his head around the fact that he'd been able to allow himself to sleep with her. He hadn't even thought about Bastian yesterday - especially not about the fact that he was supposed to meet with him last night. What was he supposed to tell him now? What excuse could he possibly give?
And what was he supposed to say to Katya? He wasn't even sure anymore what he actually wanted. If he was going to be honest, the easiest thing in the world right now would be to break things off with Bastian and be with Katya. It would be so easy, so simple! She already had his parents approval, and if their sex would always be the way it was last night, he'd be set for life.
But he knew the moment he looked at Bastian, the moment he locked eyes on him, that he'd probably change his mind. Hadn't that happened last week, after all? He'd gone home thinking about Katya, and how wonderful she seemed, and then Bastian had looked at him with that intense stare and everything had reverted back to how it had been before he'd gone for dinner with her.
He didn't know which relationship he would prefer. Of course he had history with Bastian, and Bastian got him the way he'd never expected anyone else to get him. But yesterday, with Katya, she'd seemed to really get him too.
At that moment she moved, stretching out and turning over on her side to face him, blinking open one eye and grinning. “Good morning!” The way she smiled and the way she looked at him (which he finally noticed drove him wild because it was the exact same aggressive and predatory way that Bastian looked at him) brought a smile to his lips and purely out of instinct he reached out for her, pulling her closer to him and kissing her. That warning voice was back in his head this morning (for now, at least) but he chose to ignore it. At least until he figured out what he really wanted.
“Did you sleep well?” She asked, pulling back just slightly and propping her head up on her hand.
“I did,” he answered, matching her pose. “Did you sleep well?”
She nodded, before grinning deviously. “Feel any different this morning?”
“Am I supposed to?” He answered back, not entirely sure why she was asking him that.
She laughed and leaned over to press a kiss to his cheek. “Oh come on, are you telling me that article in Bild was unfounded?”
Then he realized what she was talking about, and he frowned. “I should have known!”
She laughed again and rolled onto her stomach, pressing her forehead to his. “For what it's worth, you were fantastic for your first time.” She kissed him again and even though he wanted to remain annoyed with her for the joke, he couldn't. Soon enough he was smiling again and pulling her down on top of him, his hands running over her skin. Could he really, possibly give this up if he chose Bastian? It just felt so right.
“You hungry? How about we go get some breakfast?” She pulled away from him and got out of bed, standing and stretching. His eyes didn't leave her body (mainly because she hadn't bothered wearing anything to bed) and he could feel himself growing hard again just looking at her. He cursed the timing because he didn't really have time for sex again (and he shouldn't even be thinking about sex again, given his predicament) but she really drove him crazy. She didn't bother putting anything on as she left the bedroom, and he took that moment to search the room for his underwear, before remembering that she'd divested them of all their clothes in the living room. Just as he was about to contemplate going out to get them, she reappeared and tossed his clothing on to the bed. She winked at him before leaving again, and he was grateful for the moment alone to get dressed. He wasn't sure what she'd do if she saw him as hard as he was.
Quickly getting dressed he left the bedroom in search of her bathroom. As he splashed water on his face and washed he looked at himself in the mirror, torn between being happy and being disappointed in himself. He should have controlled himself better last night. He never should have let things go that far. But what if that was just fate intervening, telling him that he ought to choose her?
Putting all thoughts of fate and the future out of his head, he left the bathroom to join her in the kitchen, where she was busy making waffles and cutting up fruit. She saw him come in and smiled, and he was grateful that she'd gone and put some clothes on (because he wasn't sure if he'd be able to handle that distraction). “I'm making waffles! That good enough for you, or do you require something more healthy?”
He knew she was mocking him again and he shook his head before walking up to her and sliding his arms around her again. As long as he was here for breakfast, he might as well enjoy her company to the fullest. “Waffles are good.” He let her go and walked over to the fridge, pulling it open and eyeing the contents, looking for something to drink.
She watched him and shook her head, amused. “Well, it's nice to see you feel at home already,” she joked, before returning to cutting up the fruit. She was dicing strawberries and pineapple, and finished just in time to check on the waffles.
He'd decided on milk and as he was pouring himself a glass, he glanced out of the corner of her eye and noticed that the waffle maker was red. “You're not making Bayern Munich waffles, are you?”
She laughed and opened the waffle maker, peeling them out of the iron cast. “No, it's just a regular waffle maker. I only make Bayern waffles on game days.” She glanced at him and winked.
Lukas grinned and poured her a glass of milk as well before putting it back in the fridge. “Good to know.” They took their food out onto the balcony, sitting in the warm morning air and eating. Lukas couldn't help but feel like this was such a perfect start to the day, and that he almost didn't feel like leaving. But he had to, because he had a plane to catch today.
After making the comment to his mother last week, Bastian had actually been happy at the idea of taking a trip to New York, and they were going to be leaving today. Lukas couldn't help but wonder if the trip was going to be awkward for him, or if he would be able to push this new thing with Katya to the back of his mind until they got back to Germany. After all, he didn't want to ruin their vacation. The truth could wait until they were back in Germany. Lukas was sure Bastian would appreciate it.
“So,” Katya mentioned, “I guess I won't be seeing you for another two weeks, huh?” His mother had mentioned his trip during lunch yesterday, which Lukas was grateful for now.
“Yeah, can't reschedule and let Basti down.” Lukas grinned and took a sip of his milk before cutting another piece of his waffle off.
“Never been to New York, only place in the US I've ever visited was San Francisco. Now that is a great city, if I had to move anywhere in America, it would be there.” She paused for a second, looking at him and grinning. “I especially love the surrounding Napa Valley, did a winery tour while there. We started out on bikes, ended on a bus.”
Lukas laughed at her comment, not having any trouble visualizing that. “You and your wine, just like Basti and his beer.” Lukas didn't really realize that he'd made a comparison between them.
“Well, they're both excellent in their own rights. You're missing out, Lukas!” She grinned and couldn't resist teasing him.
“Yeah, I know, everyone always tells me that. But, you know, there always has to be that one person who can drive cars and make decisions at the end of the night. Might as well be me!”
“Better you than me, I guess. Driving cars and being responsible is highly overrated.” She grinned at him and they both laughed, and Lukas thought that he was really going to miss her while he was gone. He just hoped that he'd be ready to make a decision when he came back.
He'd walked home after finishing breakfast with her, checking his phone on the way and feeling guilty when he saw a few messages and missed calls from Bastian. What was he possibly going to say? And what would he do if Bastian was already over at his place? He was a little worried about going home, but he'd have to make something up, because he certainly couldn't tell him the truth.
When he finally made it and walked into the apartment he called out to Bastian, holding his breath when he didn't get an answer. Had he not come over, then? Lukas took off his shoes and walked through the entire apartment, finding no trace of him. He breathed a tiny sigh of relief - this would at least make things a lot easier. He sat down on his bed and dialed Bastian's number, wondering how he would sound.
“Hello?”
“Basti, I didn't wake you up, did I?” Lukas tried to sound as amused as possible, he tried to make it sound like he hadn't spent the night in someone else's bed.
“Where have you been? I was calling you all night, what happened? I would have come over, but I didn't know if your parents decided to stay longer or what.” He sounded a little annoyed and Lukas couldn't blame him.
“Sorry, it was a bit of a long day,” his mind scrambled for an excuse, “their plane was delayed, so they were put on another flight later that night, around eleven thirty. But even that was delayed, and my mom was worried so I stayed at the airport with them to make sure they got on okay. You know how she gets when she flies.” He hoped it sounded believable.
“Oh shit, really? I guess that's what you get when you fly on a Polish airline,” Bastian teased, and Lukas felt immediately relieved. “Are you packed for the trip?”
“Yeah, I'm ready to go. How about you?”
“All packed! Lena's going to drive us to the airport.”
“Lena?” Lukas was a little confused. “I thought Dani was going to drive us?”
Bastian was silent for a moment before answering. “Yeah, well, that changed. I'll tell you about it when I get over there. Speaking of that, I'll leave now, okay? We can have an hour together before we go, I need something to tide me over before that flight.”
Lukas laughed automatically, without really meaning to. “Yeah, I feel the same way. Definitely needed after the past few days.” They said their goodbyes then and hung up, and Lukas got out a bag and started hastily packing some things for the trip. He wasn't worried about bringing too many clothes - he could always buy more there, since he was sure Bastian would want to go shopping. His thoughts strayed to Daniela for a moment, wondering what had occurred during the week. Had the pair finally decided to officially give their relationship a public ending? Lukas hoped they hadn't. Maybe, if they were still open to the idea of getting back together, it might make this whole thing easier for him to decide.
The plane ride, to be quite honest, had actually been okay. Worried about being overheard, Bastian and Lukas had spent some time writing back and forth to each other (by using paper and pencil) regarding the Daniela issue. Bastian was clearly bothered about it, and Lukas didn't blame him (nor would he even be allowed to anymore). She'd been a big part of his life, and now that she finally wanted to move on, the loss impacted him on an even deeper level. Lukas wished she had taken a little longer to decide.
In the end they had decided to simply tell people that they'd grown apart, realizing that they were more like friends than lovers, and that their time apart had really made the change apparent to them. Everything about it was a lie (because neither of them thought of the other as only a friend, as much as neither of them wanted to admit it) but it was the friendliest way they could think of to end things. It also made Lukas and Bastian's vacation together seem less strange to everyone else.
After they'd stopped writing they'd watched a movie (one of the movies offered was 300, which they'd both been meaning to see) before discussing their plans for things to do while eating the offered meal. They hadn't really made many plans, with the exception of going to see the New York Knicks. Lukas wasn't even sure what hotel they were staying at (knowing Bastian, it was probably something fancy downtown) and he actually wasn't even sure if they were staying in New York for the duration of their trip. Bastian had mentioned maybe checking out Los Angeles too. Lukas would have preferred the beaches in Florida, but this trip needed to be whatever Bastian wanted it to be. Lukas thought that he owed him that much.
“Hey, maybe we should go check out a New York Red Bulls game,” Lukas suggested from his spot on the bed, stretched out and reading a city guide.
“Who?” Bastian asked, coming out of the bathroom.
“The Red Bulls, apparently they're New York's football team,” Lukas answered, reading about them.
“I thought they were called the Giants?” Bastian leaned against the door, a little confused.
“No, that's their American football team. The Red Bulls are their real football team. You know, our kind of football.”
“Oh!” Bastian understood finally, but still looked perplexed. “I didn't know they had a football team. I know they had one back in the 70s, or something. Metros, or something?”
“Metrostars,” Lukas read from the book. “Well, they have a new team now. Want to check it out? Might be good for a laugh,” he grinned.
Bastian shrugged and grinned back at him. “Sure, why not? I wonder if anyone will recognize us?” They both laughed and Lukas wrote it down on their list of things to do.
“Hey, do you want to go and see a Giants game too? And how about the Yankees? I know baseball is kind of boring, but why not, since we're here.” Bastian made the suggestions, and Lukas nodded and wrote them down.
“All sports, all the time! Who needs to see the Empire State Building anyway, right?”
The first game on their agenda had been a Yankees game (since there was an alarmingly high numbers of them, they found). They were sitting in what was supposed to be a good section (between third base and home) that they'd had to spend a small fortune to get, but what did that matter to them? They had the money.
Bastian was currently eating a jumbo hot dog and washing it down with a beer, while Lukas was eating a bag of pop corn. As he watched a few crazy fans (who he thought may be able to rival some football ultras with their devotion) he leaned over to Bastian and grinned. “It's no wonder that there are so many fat Americans, everything is super sized over here! Just look at your hot dog!”
Bastian grinned back at him, amused and grateful no one spoke German. “I know, it's almost as big as my dick, right?” They both burst into laughter, which earned them a few odd stares from people in seats nearby, clearly annoyed that some foreigners were here watching their team and not even paying attention. Lukas contemplated throwing popcorn at them, but decided against it at the last second. They really didn't need that kind of press.
The third inning break had just started now and Lukas had found watching the crowd to be far more entertaining than watching the game. Bastian nudged him and he looked up, his eyes going out to one of the big screens around the field that Bastian was pointing to. Something was being announced over the speaker, but Lukas couldn't really make it out. But he did see the words “Kiss Cam” appear on the screen, and soon enough both of them were staring in shock at the screen, watching as the camera panned around the stadium, settling on different couples. Every couple kissed and some kisses were more entertaining than others (particularly the one when the people didn't appear to know one another and the woman smacked the guy in the face after he kissed her). Lukas and Bastian spent a fair bit of time laughing at concept, finding it to be kind of ridiculous.
Bastian finished his beer by the end of the fourth inning and waved for another one. After taking a sip he turned to Lukas. “American beer is total crap.”
“Then why are you drinking it?” Lukas laughed at him, amused at his complaint.
Bastian shrugged. “I don't know, I guess because it's there? You'd think they'd get some decent beers in the stadium. I don't know if there's even any alcohol in this.” He waved the cup in Lukas' face. “In fact, you could probably drink it!”
Lukas laughed and pushed his hand away. “After the game we'll go and find you some good beer. They must have some somewhere.”
“Hopefully,” Bastian added. “I don't want to have to get Tobi to ship me some over.”
It was early in the evening now and they were sitting on a patio at some restaurant, waiting for their food and still amused by everything that had gone on at the baseball game. At one point in the sixth inning a ball had been hit that had wound up coming up into their section. They'd watched on in equal parts amusement and horror as a legitimate brawl broke out between three men (and a woman!) over the ball. All four participants were escorted out of the stadium (two with bloody noses, one with a split lip) and the ball had gone to a little kid who'd been directly in the middle of the altercation.
They were still bringing it up and laughing about it hours later. After the game had ended they'd taken the train back into the city and walked around for a bit, before finding a restaurant that advertised Beck's. Bastian had looked at Lukas and shrugged before saying that he supposed shitty German beer was better than shitty American beer, and so they'd ended up coming in and being seated on the patio.
They'd ordered gourmet hamburgers (Lukas' had goat cheese and bacon, while Bastian's was actually made of lamb and was topped with prosciutto and spicy Havarti cheese) and Bastian was on his second glass of beer. It was a nice evening and they were under a patio umbrella, so the sunset wasn't in their eyes yet.
They were in the middle of discussing the oddities of the city they'd noticed so far when they were interrupted by the familiar sound of their own language.
“So sorry to interrupt, but what a shock seeing you here!” They looked up and their eyes fell upon an older couple, a man and a woman. The man was actually wearing a Bayern Munich jersey. The boys looked at each other and grinned. It figured that the first person who would recognize them was a German tourist.
“Hello! It's nice to hear someone else speaking the language,” Bastian stood up and stuck out his hand, not minding the interruption at all. It was nice to have a little reminder of home.
“Indeed so! I'd say congratulations on the good end of the season, but I'm sure you came here to get away from that!” The man grinned and shook Bastian's hand eagerly.
“Yeah well, we'll forgive you.” Bastian winked at him and greeted the woman as well, while Lukas also stood up to meet the pair.
“Are you from Munich, or just a fan?” Lukas asked him.
“Born and raised there, but the wife and I just moved to Regensburg to be closer to our daughter. She just started a new job there, and since we're retired and she doesn't have a car, we thought we'd move closer to help her out.”
“Very admirable! Good luck to her,” Bastian raised his glass in a toast, before taking a sip.
“Well we won't bother you two, just wanted to say a quick hello!”
Bastian shook the man's hand again and said it had been a pleasure to see them, and that he hoped they enjoyed the rest of their stay in New York. Moments after they left their food was brought out, and the boys dug in to their meals, both in good spirits.
It was nearly one in the morning and Lukas was currently on his knees in front of Bastian, in the middle of sucking him off. Every night they'd been here so far they'd fooled around, and Lukas wasn't sure if it was due to guilt over what he'd done with Katya (or if it was simply the liberation of being in a foreign country where almost no one recognized them) but he'd been noticeably more active and much less inhibited. This was the third day in a row he'd given Bastian a blow job, and he was feeling much more comfortable with the act now. He still wasn't about to let Bastian come in his mouth (because he honestly wasn't sure if he'd ever feel comfortable with that) but the act itself didn't make him feel quite so ill anymore.
Besides, Bastian was grateful, and Lukas had told himself before they'd left that this trip was all about Bastian and whatever he wanted. Right now Bastian apparently wanted him up off the floor, because he was pulling on his arms.
“What?” Lukas asked him, kissing his neck.
Bastian grinned and pushed Lukas up against the wall. “Why are you being so nice to me?” Bastian asked, before leaning in and kissing Lukas' neck. “That's the third day in a row.”
Lukas shrugged, a grin on his lips. “I can stop if you want.” Bastian laughed at the comment before crushing his lips against Lukas', their tongues meeting. Lukas trailed his hands down Bastian's back, forceful and aggressive and rough. Bastian's hand were doing the same thing.
“I want to fuck you,” Bastian said, and Lukas had been ready for it. They'd done nearly everything else so far on this trip, and he'd been anticipating that Bastian would eventually ask for this. Lukas was much more ready for it this time than he'd been the first time.
“Do you?” He asked, one hand sliding in between Bastian's legs and grabbing his dick.
Bastian moaned just a little when Lukas grabbed him before looking at him again and nodding. “Yeah, I do. You okay with that?” Underneath the aggression and lust, Lukas could see a little uncertainty and concern, and it made him smile.
“I guess so,” he said, with a smile that made it obvious that his hesitation was only meant in a teasing manner. They walked over to the bed and Lukas laid down on his stomach as Bastian fumbled to find lube and a condom.
As Bastian got himself ready, Lukas had a brief flashback to Munich a week ago, lying in bed under Katya. How different this was, and yet in some regards strangely similar. In both relationships he'd allowed his partner to be dominant. He supposed that would change over time, but for now he found it kind of interesting. Things had also gone exactly how he'd imagined they would when he saw Bastian again. As much as he'd left Katya's apartment feeling that she was the only match for him that made any sense, the moment Bastian had walked into his apartment and looked him in the eye, Lukas had fallen for him all over again.
It was confusing, leading this double life. He really wasn't sure what he would do when he got back to Munich. How could he possibly decide between two people who both made him feel perfectly happy?
He wasn't able to think about it for very long, though, because seconds later he felt a finger probing at his opening, and he forced his mind off of Katya and onto right now. He owed this to Bastian, and he was going to try his hardest to enjoy it as much as possible.
They didn't wake up until nearly nine the next morning, though the sun was already shining into the bedroom. Lukas was the first one to wake and when he did he was confused for a moment. He stared at Katya's sleeping figure next to him, shock and surprise freezing him. They'd had sex last night, and then he'd stayed over and slept in her bed.
His thoughts immediately went to Bastian, and he felt like the worst person in the world. What was he doing? What had he done? He couldn't wrap his head around the fact that he'd been able to allow himself to sleep with her. He hadn't even thought about Bastian yesterday - especially not about the fact that he was supposed to meet with him last night. What was he supposed to tell him now? What excuse could he possibly give?
And what was he supposed to say to Katya? He wasn't even sure anymore what he actually wanted. If he was going to be honest, the easiest thing in the world right now would be to break things off with Bastian and be with Katya. It would be so easy, so simple! She already had his parents approval, and if their sex would always be the way it was last night, he'd be set for life.
But he knew the moment he looked at Bastian, the moment he locked eyes on him, that he'd probably change his mind. Hadn't that happened last week, after all? He'd gone home thinking about Katya, and how wonderful she seemed, and then Bastian had looked at him with that intense stare and everything had reverted back to how it had been before he'd gone for dinner with her.
He didn't know which relationship he would prefer. Of course he had history with Bastian, and Bastian got him the way he'd never expected anyone else to get him. But yesterday, with Katya, she'd seemed to really get him too.
At that moment she moved, stretching out and turning over on her side to face him, blinking open one eye and grinning. “Good morning!” The way she smiled and the way she looked at him (which he finally noticed drove him wild because it was the exact same aggressive and predatory way that Bastian looked at him) brought a smile to his lips and purely out of instinct he reached out for her, pulling her closer to him and kissing her. That warning voice was back in his head this morning (for now, at least) but he chose to ignore it. At least until he figured out what he really wanted.
“Did you sleep well?” She asked, pulling back just slightly and propping her head up on her hand.
“I did,” he answered, matching her pose. “Did you sleep well?”
She nodded, before grinning deviously. “Feel any different this morning?”
“Am I supposed to?” He answered back, not entirely sure why she was asking him that.
She laughed and leaned over to press a kiss to his cheek. “Oh come on, are you telling me that article in Bild was unfounded?”
Then he realized what she was talking about, and he frowned. “I should have known!”
She laughed again and rolled onto her stomach, pressing her forehead to his. “For what it's worth, you were fantastic for your first time.” She kissed him again and even though he wanted to remain annoyed with her for the joke, he couldn't. Soon enough he was smiling again and pulling her down on top of him, his hands running over her skin. Could he really, possibly give this up if he chose Bastian? It just felt so right.
“You hungry? How about we go get some breakfast?” She pulled away from him and got out of bed, standing and stretching. His eyes didn't leave her body (mainly because she hadn't bothered wearing anything to bed) and he could feel himself growing hard again just looking at her. He cursed the timing because he didn't really have time for sex again (and he shouldn't even be thinking about sex again, given his predicament) but she really drove him crazy. She didn't bother putting anything on as she left the bedroom, and he took that moment to search the room for his underwear, before remembering that she'd divested them of all their clothes in the living room. Just as he was about to contemplate going out to get them, she reappeared and tossed his clothing on to the bed. She winked at him before leaving again, and he was grateful for the moment alone to get dressed. He wasn't sure what she'd do if she saw him as hard as he was.
Quickly getting dressed he left the bedroom in search of her bathroom. As he splashed water on his face and washed he looked at himself in the mirror, torn between being happy and being disappointed in himself. He should have controlled himself better last night. He never should have let things go that far. But what if that was just fate intervening, telling him that he ought to choose her?
Putting all thoughts of fate and the future out of his head, he left the bathroom to join her in the kitchen, where she was busy making waffles and cutting up fruit. She saw him come in and smiled, and he was grateful that she'd gone and put some clothes on (because he wasn't sure if he'd be able to handle that distraction). “I'm making waffles! That good enough for you, or do you require something more healthy?”
He knew she was mocking him again and he shook his head before walking up to her and sliding his arms around her again. As long as he was here for breakfast, he might as well enjoy her company to the fullest. “Waffles are good.” He let her go and walked over to the fridge, pulling it open and eyeing the contents, looking for something to drink.
She watched him and shook her head, amused. “Well, it's nice to see you feel at home already,” she joked, before returning to cutting up the fruit. She was dicing strawberries and pineapple, and finished just in time to check on the waffles.
He'd decided on milk and as he was pouring himself a glass, he glanced out of the corner of her eye and noticed that the waffle maker was red. “You're not making Bayern Munich waffles, are you?”
She laughed and opened the waffle maker, peeling them out of the iron cast. “No, it's just a regular waffle maker. I only make Bayern waffles on game days.” She glanced at him and winked.
Lukas grinned and poured her a glass of milk as well before putting it back in the fridge. “Good to know.” They took their food out onto the balcony, sitting in the warm morning air and eating. Lukas couldn't help but feel like this was such a perfect start to the day, and that he almost didn't feel like leaving. But he had to, because he had a plane to catch today.
After making the comment to his mother last week, Bastian had actually been happy at the idea of taking a trip to New York, and they were going to be leaving today. Lukas couldn't help but wonder if the trip was going to be awkward for him, or if he would be able to push this new thing with Katya to the back of his mind until they got back to Germany. After all, he didn't want to ruin their vacation. The truth could wait until they were back in Germany. Lukas was sure Bastian would appreciate it.
“So,” Katya mentioned, “I guess I won't be seeing you for another two weeks, huh?” His mother had mentioned his trip during lunch yesterday, which Lukas was grateful for now.
“Yeah, can't reschedule and let Basti down.” Lukas grinned and took a sip of his milk before cutting another piece of his waffle off.
“Never been to New York, only place in the US I've ever visited was San Francisco. Now that is a great city, if I had to move anywhere in America, it would be there.” She paused for a second, looking at him and grinning. “I especially love the surrounding Napa Valley, did a winery tour while there. We started out on bikes, ended on a bus.”
Lukas laughed at her comment, not having any trouble visualizing that. “You and your wine, just like Basti and his beer.” Lukas didn't really realize that he'd made a comparison between them.
“Well, they're both excellent in their own rights. You're missing out, Lukas!” She grinned and couldn't resist teasing him.
“Yeah, I know, everyone always tells me that. But, you know, there always has to be that one person who can drive cars and make decisions at the end of the night. Might as well be me!”
“Better you than me, I guess. Driving cars and being responsible is highly overrated.” She grinned at him and they both laughed, and Lukas thought that he was really going to miss her while he was gone. He just hoped that he'd be ready to make a decision when he came back.
He'd walked home after finishing breakfast with her, checking his phone on the way and feeling guilty when he saw a few messages and missed calls from Bastian. What was he possibly going to say? And what would he do if Bastian was already over at his place? He was a little worried about going home, but he'd have to make something up, because he certainly couldn't tell him the truth.
When he finally made it and walked into the apartment he called out to Bastian, holding his breath when he didn't get an answer. Had he not come over, then? Lukas took off his shoes and walked through the entire apartment, finding no trace of him. He breathed a tiny sigh of relief - this would at least make things a lot easier. He sat down on his bed and dialed Bastian's number, wondering how he would sound.
“Hello?”
“Basti, I didn't wake you up, did I?” Lukas tried to sound as amused as possible, he tried to make it sound like he hadn't spent the night in someone else's bed.
“Where have you been? I was calling you all night, what happened? I would have come over, but I didn't know if your parents decided to stay longer or what.” He sounded a little annoyed and Lukas couldn't blame him.
“Sorry, it was a bit of a long day,” his mind scrambled for an excuse, “their plane was delayed, so they were put on another flight later that night, around eleven thirty. But even that was delayed, and my mom was worried so I stayed at the airport with them to make sure they got on okay. You know how she gets when she flies.” He hoped it sounded believable.
“Oh shit, really? I guess that's what you get when you fly on a Polish airline,” Bastian teased, and Lukas felt immediately relieved. “Are you packed for the trip?”
“Yeah, I'm ready to go. How about you?”
“All packed! Lena's going to drive us to the airport.”
“Lena?” Lukas was a little confused. “I thought Dani was going to drive us?”
Bastian was silent for a moment before answering. “Yeah, well, that changed. I'll tell you about it when I get over there. Speaking of that, I'll leave now, okay? We can have an hour together before we go, I need something to tide me over before that flight.”
Lukas laughed automatically, without really meaning to. “Yeah, I feel the same way. Definitely needed after the past few days.” They said their goodbyes then and hung up, and Lukas got out a bag and started hastily packing some things for the trip. He wasn't worried about bringing too many clothes - he could always buy more there, since he was sure Bastian would want to go shopping. His thoughts strayed to Daniela for a moment, wondering what had occurred during the week. Had the pair finally decided to officially give their relationship a public ending? Lukas hoped they hadn't. Maybe, if they were still open to the idea of getting back together, it might make this whole thing easier for him to decide.
The plane ride, to be quite honest, had actually been okay. Worried about being overheard, Bastian and Lukas had spent some time writing back and forth to each other (by using paper and pencil) regarding the Daniela issue. Bastian was clearly bothered about it, and Lukas didn't blame him (nor would he even be allowed to anymore). She'd been a big part of his life, and now that she finally wanted to move on, the loss impacted him on an even deeper level. Lukas wished she had taken a little longer to decide.
In the end they had decided to simply tell people that they'd grown apart, realizing that they were more like friends than lovers, and that their time apart had really made the change apparent to them. Everything about it was a lie (because neither of them thought of the other as only a friend, as much as neither of them wanted to admit it) but it was the friendliest way they could think of to end things. It also made Lukas and Bastian's vacation together seem less strange to everyone else.
After they'd stopped writing they'd watched a movie (one of the movies offered was 300, which they'd both been meaning to see) before discussing their plans for things to do while eating the offered meal. They hadn't really made many plans, with the exception of going to see the New York Knicks. Lukas wasn't even sure what hotel they were staying at (knowing Bastian, it was probably something fancy downtown) and he actually wasn't even sure if they were staying in New York for the duration of their trip. Bastian had mentioned maybe checking out Los Angeles too. Lukas would have preferred the beaches in Florida, but this trip needed to be whatever Bastian wanted it to be. Lukas thought that he owed him that much.
“Hey, maybe we should go check out a New York Red Bulls game,” Lukas suggested from his spot on the bed, stretched out and reading a city guide.
“Who?” Bastian asked, coming out of the bathroom.
“The Red Bulls, apparently they're New York's football team,” Lukas answered, reading about them.
“I thought they were called the Giants?” Bastian leaned against the door, a little confused.
“No, that's their American football team. The Red Bulls are their real football team. You know, our kind of football.”
“Oh!” Bastian understood finally, but still looked perplexed. “I didn't know they had a football team. I know they had one back in the 70s, or something. Metros, or something?”
“Metrostars,” Lukas read from the book. “Well, they have a new team now. Want to check it out? Might be good for a laugh,” he grinned.
Bastian shrugged and grinned back at him. “Sure, why not? I wonder if anyone will recognize us?” They both laughed and Lukas wrote it down on their list of things to do.
“Hey, do you want to go and see a Giants game too? And how about the Yankees? I know baseball is kind of boring, but why not, since we're here.” Bastian made the suggestions, and Lukas nodded and wrote them down.
“All sports, all the time! Who needs to see the Empire State Building anyway, right?”
The first game on their agenda had been a Yankees game (since there was an alarmingly high numbers of them, they found). They were sitting in what was supposed to be a good section (between third base and home) that they'd had to spend a small fortune to get, but what did that matter to them? They had the money.
Bastian was currently eating a jumbo hot dog and washing it down with a beer, while Lukas was eating a bag of pop corn. As he watched a few crazy fans (who he thought may be able to rival some football ultras with their devotion) he leaned over to Bastian and grinned. “It's no wonder that there are so many fat Americans, everything is super sized over here! Just look at your hot dog!”
Bastian grinned back at him, amused and grateful no one spoke German. “I know, it's almost as big as my dick, right?” They both burst into laughter, which earned them a few odd stares from people in seats nearby, clearly annoyed that some foreigners were here watching their team and not even paying attention. Lukas contemplated throwing popcorn at them, but decided against it at the last second. They really didn't need that kind of press.
The third inning break had just started now and Lukas had found watching the crowd to be far more entertaining than watching the game. Bastian nudged him and he looked up, his eyes going out to one of the big screens around the field that Bastian was pointing to. Something was being announced over the speaker, but Lukas couldn't really make it out. But he did see the words “Kiss Cam” appear on the screen, and soon enough both of them were staring in shock at the screen, watching as the camera panned around the stadium, settling on different couples. Every couple kissed and some kisses were more entertaining than others (particularly the one when the people didn't appear to know one another and the woman smacked the guy in the face after he kissed her). Lukas and Bastian spent a fair bit of time laughing at concept, finding it to be kind of ridiculous.
Bastian finished his beer by the end of the fourth inning and waved for another one. After taking a sip he turned to Lukas. “American beer is total crap.”
“Then why are you drinking it?” Lukas laughed at him, amused at his complaint.
Bastian shrugged. “I don't know, I guess because it's there? You'd think they'd get some decent beers in the stadium. I don't know if there's even any alcohol in this.” He waved the cup in Lukas' face. “In fact, you could probably drink it!”
Lukas laughed and pushed his hand away. “After the game we'll go and find you some good beer. They must have some somewhere.”
“Hopefully,” Bastian added. “I don't want to have to get Tobi to ship me some over.”
It was early in the evening now and they were sitting on a patio at some restaurant, waiting for their food and still amused by everything that had gone on at the baseball game. At one point in the sixth inning a ball had been hit that had wound up coming up into their section. They'd watched on in equal parts amusement and horror as a legitimate brawl broke out between three men (and a woman!) over the ball. All four participants were escorted out of the stadium (two with bloody noses, one with a split lip) and the ball had gone to a little kid who'd been directly in the middle of the altercation.
They were still bringing it up and laughing about it hours later. After the game had ended they'd taken the train back into the city and walked around for a bit, before finding a restaurant that advertised Beck's. Bastian had looked at Lukas and shrugged before saying that he supposed shitty German beer was better than shitty American beer, and so they'd ended up coming in and being seated on the patio.
They'd ordered gourmet hamburgers (Lukas' had goat cheese and bacon, while Bastian's was actually made of lamb and was topped with prosciutto and spicy Havarti cheese) and Bastian was on his second glass of beer. It was a nice evening and they were under a patio umbrella, so the sunset wasn't in their eyes yet.
They were in the middle of discussing the oddities of the city they'd noticed so far when they were interrupted by the familiar sound of their own language.
“So sorry to interrupt, but what a shock seeing you here!” They looked up and their eyes fell upon an older couple, a man and a woman. The man was actually wearing a Bayern Munich jersey. The boys looked at each other and grinned. It figured that the first person who would recognize them was a German tourist.
“Hello! It's nice to hear someone else speaking the language,” Bastian stood up and stuck out his hand, not minding the interruption at all. It was nice to have a little reminder of home.
“Indeed so! I'd say congratulations on the good end of the season, but I'm sure you came here to get away from that!” The man grinned and shook Bastian's hand eagerly.
“Yeah well, we'll forgive you.” Bastian winked at him and greeted the woman as well, while Lukas also stood up to meet the pair.
“Are you from Munich, or just a fan?” Lukas asked him.
“Born and raised there, but the wife and I just moved to Regensburg to be closer to our daughter. She just started a new job there, and since we're retired and she doesn't have a car, we thought we'd move closer to help her out.”
“Very admirable! Good luck to her,” Bastian raised his glass in a toast, before taking a sip.
“Well we won't bother you two, just wanted to say a quick hello!”
Bastian shook the man's hand again and said it had been a pleasure to see them, and that he hoped they enjoyed the rest of their stay in New York. Moments after they left their food was brought out, and the boys dug in to their meals, both in good spirits.
It was nearly one in the morning and Lukas was currently on his knees in front of Bastian, in the middle of sucking him off. Every night they'd been here so far they'd fooled around, and Lukas wasn't sure if it was due to guilt over what he'd done with Katya (or if it was simply the liberation of being in a foreign country where almost no one recognized them) but he'd been noticeably more active and much less inhibited. This was the third day in a row he'd given Bastian a blow job, and he was feeling much more comfortable with the act now. He still wasn't about to let Bastian come in his mouth (because he honestly wasn't sure if he'd ever feel comfortable with that) but the act itself didn't make him feel quite so ill anymore.
Besides, Bastian was grateful, and Lukas had told himself before they'd left that this trip was all about Bastian and whatever he wanted. Right now Bastian apparently wanted him up off the floor, because he was pulling on his arms.
“What?” Lukas asked him, kissing his neck.
Bastian grinned and pushed Lukas up against the wall. “Why are you being so nice to me?” Bastian asked, before leaning in and kissing Lukas' neck. “That's the third day in a row.”
Lukas shrugged, a grin on his lips. “I can stop if you want.” Bastian laughed at the comment before crushing his lips against Lukas', their tongues meeting. Lukas trailed his hands down Bastian's back, forceful and aggressive and rough. Bastian's hand were doing the same thing.
“I want to fuck you,” Bastian said, and Lukas had been ready for it. They'd done nearly everything else so far on this trip, and he'd been anticipating that Bastian would eventually ask for this. Lukas was much more ready for it this time than he'd been the first time.
“Do you?” He asked, one hand sliding in between Bastian's legs and grabbing his dick.
Bastian moaned just a little when Lukas grabbed him before looking at him again and nodding. “Yeah, I do. You okay with that?” Underneath the aggression and lust, Lukas could see a little uncertainty and concern, and it made him smile.
“I guess so,” he said, with a smile that made it obvious that his hesitation was only meant in a teasing manner. They walked over to the bed and Lukas laid down on his stomach as Bastian fumbled to find lube and a condom.
As Bastian got himself ready, Lukas had a brief flashback to Munich a week ago, lying in bed under Katya. How different this was, and yet in some regards strangely similar. In both relationships he'd allowed his partner to be dominant. He supposed that would change over time, but for now he found it kind of interesting. Things had also gone exactly how he'd imagined they would when he saw Bastian again. As much as he'd left Katya's apartment feeling that she was the only match for him that made any sense, the moment Bastian had walked into his apartment and looked him in the eye, Lukas had fallen for him all over again.
It was confusing, leading this double life. He really wasn't sure what he would do when he got back to Munich. How could he possibly decide between two people who both made him feel perfectly happy?
He wasn't able to think about it for very long, though, because seconds later he felt a finger probing at his opening, and he forced his mind off of Katya and onto right now. He owed this to Bastian, and he was going to try his hardest to enjoy it as much as possible.