Lukas left the house in a hurry, knowing Emil was hungry and not wanting to dissapoint the soon-to-be birthday boy. He scurried down the street for a few minutes before entering the town center. He saw a few neighbors on his way and gave quick nods, desperately trying to avoid conversation. 

Upon entering the grocery store he completely forgot what Emil had asked for. Soup? Salad? Pizza? He let out a groan, annoyed at himself for failing at the simplest task. He was still so flustered from the candy store that it was clouding his mind. With a sigh, Lukas slipped his phone out of his pocket and rang Emil, hoping the teen wouldn't be too annoyed. He picked up quickly. 

"What?" Emil asked rather curtly, shocking Lukas on the other line. 

"Uh- just wondering what you wanted again? I'm at the store" Lukas replied. Emil let out a sigh on the other end. Lukas could practically hear the boy rolling his eyes. 

"I don't really care. Just get ingredients for sandwiches" Emil shot back, "And text me next time you freak..." Lukas rolled his eyes at the sass before walking past the vegetable section and noticing a man with suspiciously familiar golden locks browsing the bell pepper section. Lukas suddenly realized who it was and ducked behind a display of apples. 

"Oh my god it's Mathias" Lukas muttered under his breath, entirely forgetting he was still on the phone.

"What?" Emil questioned. Lukas flushed as he realized he had just zoned out on the phone and quickly tried to think of a response. 

"Nothing- there's a sale on- uh- those mathematics workbooks that little kids do. Was just reminiscing on old times!" Lukas blurted, still crouching as he tried to avoid running into the handsome man. "Anyway, if there's anything in particular that you want just text me a list. Bye!"

"Okay...Bye?" Emil replied, still confused by the sudden frantic demeanor Lukas had taken on. Lukas hung up and shoved the phone into his pocket before slowly emerging from behind the apple display. Luckily, Mathias was now examining a container of strawberries. Lukas turned and strode over to the dairy section, grabbing cheese and some sliced ham for lunch. He knew they had bread at home and also tomatoes, but they were missing lettuce and a few other vegetables. Unfortunately, all of the items he needed were in Mathias's direct line of sight. He did feel a little immature avoiding him, but he just had not prepared for social interaction, nevermind flirtatious social interaction on his trip to the grocery store. 

He suddenly felt his phone ping and looked at the screen to see a text from Emil. He wanted ice cream. Lukas let out a sigh of relief. Now he could waste time getting ice cream and stop standing  in the middle of the produce aisles like an idiot. 

The Norwegian swiftly strode through the aisles until reaching the ice cream. From what he remembered, Emil tried green tea ice cream a few years ago and fell in love. They hadn't had the ice cream in the grocery store in the past but Lukas had put in a request for it a few weeks ago for Emil's birthday. The owners of the store had known Lukas since he was quite young and always ordered things for him specially when asked. 

He was pleasantly surprised to find an array of different brands in the ice cream section that carried green tea flavor. Lukas smirked. The owners always went above and beyond for him, regardless of his slightly awkward and unsociable demeanor. It was nice to know someone else was looking out for him other than Emil. Being in charge of the house left Lukas little time to socialize with people his own age, and it wasn't like their parents were still around to watch over them. Lukas often felt alone, so little things like the grocers taking time to order ice cream for him made him feel better about his situation. It wasn't easy being a young adult taking care of a teenager. He was practically a kid himself. 

Suddenly feeling grateful, Lukas picked a random brand and turned back in the other direction, hoping he wouldn't suddenly run into Mathias. He approached the vegetable section cautiously, and let out a small sigh of relief when the coast was clear. With his shopping basket in hand, Lukas collected the vegetables he needed and a few herbs for dinner. He rushed towards the checkout line and greeted the grocer with a wave. 

"Thank you for ordering the ice cream. Emil's birthday is in a few days and I wanted to make the week a bit more special" Lukas said. 

"Oh no problem at all love. I cannot believe how big that boy has gotten. How old is he turning?" she asked as she continued scanning the items. 

"17" Lukas replied.

"Wow! I remember when he was just 3 feet tall. Crazy how time flies" she exclaimed, seeming to trail off as she recalled times past. "Then again, I remember when you were that small as well. Not too long ago. Good on you- taking care of that boy."

Lukas suddenly became uncomfortable at the praise. He let out a polite smile and nod, cutting the conversation off as she finished bagging the items. He paid swiftly and thanked her again for the ice cream before grabbing his bag and heading out onto the street. He hated on dwelling on the fact that he was raising his younger brother. His plan had always been to move to Oslo and study biology at university, but he had to put his plan on hold once their parents passed. Until his brother graduated high school and moved onto university, Lukas was stuck working as a public relations intern at the small village's government center. 

Upon arriving back home, Lukas set the brown bag down on the counter and called Emil's name.  Figuring the boy probably had his headphones in, Lukas unpacked the bag and made him a sandwich before sliding it onto a plate. He called his name again and sighed when he didn't get an answer. 

Taking the plate with him, Lukas walked upstairs and knocked on the teenager's door. No response. He knocked harder before hearing a loud sigh. Moments later, Emil swung the door open with an annoyed look on his face. He had one earbud in, and one dangling. 

"What?" he asked rudely before noticing the sandwich in Lukas's hand.

"I made lunch" Lukas replied monotonously, slightly angered by the boy's attitude. 

"Oh- I'll come downstairs in a few minutes" Emil uttered, suddenly feeling guilty at his rudeness. Lukas nodded and walked back downstairs before setting the plate down on the dining table. Heading back into the kitchen, he fixed himself a sandwich with a slight frown. He remembered being a teenager because it was only a few years prior, but he couldn't remember being so angry all the time. He was starting to think there was something bothering Emil, but he wasn't going to bring it up. The two of them were not the best at expressing emotions. 

When the boy finally emerged from his room and sat down at the table across from his brother, he looked over with the faintest hint of a smile. "Thanks for lunch" he let out, obviously still feeling a bit bad about snapping at Lukas. Lukas nodded in acknowledgement and bit into his sandwich, not realizing how hungry he had been. 

After sitting in silence for a few minutes, Lukas suddenly remembered the ice cream. "Oh! I forgot- I got you something!" Lukas exclaimed, jumping up from his chair and running into the kitchen to grab the pint. 

"You're scaring me. I've never seen you move that quickly in my life" Emil let out, smirking slightly at the sight of an excited Lukas. 

"Close your eyes!" Lukas demanded from the kitchen. 

"This better not be fucking weird" Emil replied, nervously closing his eyes as Lukas emerged from the kitchen. 

"Hold out your hands" Lukas said before placing the pint in the boys hands. Emil flinched at the cold surface of the container before opening his eyes. 

"Green tea ice cream! Oh my god- where did you get this?" Emil asked, his eyes lighting up in excitement. Lukas admired the genuine grin on the boy's face with adoring eyes. 

"Found it at the grocery store. The grocers must've overheard someone talking about it" Lukas lied, still savoring the look on Emil's face. 

"I can't believe you even remembered I liked it. Last time I had it was like two years ago" Emil exclaimed, looking at Lukas with an amazed expression. Lukas smiled, looking on as Emil examined the carton further. 

Lukas would live in this moment forever if he could. He would do anything to make Emil happy. Hopefully, tomorrow's birthday festivities would prolong the cheerfulness.  

Hey kiddos. What's good. Love how I update once a year? Me neither. Alright. Anyway, see ya'll when i update next. Thank you for reading! Hope you enjoyed (: