This was it. The day had finally come, and there was a slight bit of excitement bristling under Lukas' usual stoic expression. His bags were packed and waiting by the front door; two large suitcases stuffed to the brim with everything he'll need for the next eight months. His backpack was slung over his shoulder, filled with things he might need on the long train ride. He slid his feet into his sneakers, not even bothering to properly tie them.

Emil was standing behind him, leaning against the wall. His face was crumpled and his eyes were tight, trying to hold back tears that threatened to spill. Lukas straightened up, and turned to say goodbye to his brother.

"I'll be back at Christmas," he promised, pulling the younger man in for a hug. It was unconventional for the Nordic pair to be so touchy-feely, but this was an exception. Emil grabbed on to the back of his brother's shirt, hugging him tight. Lukas returned the gesture, resting his hands gently on the back of Emil's trembling back.

"I'll miss you," the Icelandic man whispered, breathing in his brother's scent. "It'll be lonely here without you."

Lukas pulled back and placed his hands on Emil's shoulders, his dull blue eyes locking onto the other's violet ones. He sighed, trying to think of something to say.

"You'll still have mother," he finally managed. "Even though she isn't here often, she'll care for you."

"I doubt it."

"Hey," Lukas chastised, dropping his hands. "She's the only source of income for this household. If you want to make it through these next two years, I suggest you at least try to respect that."

Emil shrugged, sniffing heartily. He let out a shaky breath before nodding, offering Lukas a weak smile.

"I'll see you at Christmas, then."

"I'll call you when I get there," Lukas replied, shifting his backpack so he could pick up his suitcases. "Take care, Emil."

"Bless, big brother."

The train ride was going to be long and boring, as expected. Luckily, the seat next to Lukas was empty, allowing him more room to place his bag, or rest his feet should he need it. He watched out the window as the familiar scene of his hometown flashed past his eyes. Once the last of the suburban houses disappeared, he turned to his book for some comfort. He still had nine hours left till he reached his destination, and he was hoping to finish his novel before he got there. He adjusted himself to find a comfortable position before cracking the spine on his book and turning to the first page.

The train came to a shuddering stop while Lukas was on his last few chapters. He grumbled as he put the book in his bag, blinking rapidly to try and see straight again after being so focused on the pages. He had been slipping in and out of consciousness for the whole day, earning about 3 hours of sleep in total. When he was awake he spent most of his time reading, and the rest of the time walking up and down the isles of the train, stretching his legs, and having some of his snacks. He was grateful to finally get off the train, inwardly cursing himself for choosing a university so far from home. He struggled as he hauled his stuff off the train and onto the platform. It was nearing dinnertime, and Lukas' stomach let out a wail, pleading for food. He pulled an apple out of his backpack and sunk his teeth into it, holding it in his mouth as he readjusted himself and started to walk towards a map. It was all written in Danish, but he managed to understand the gist of it. He looked it over briefly; memorizing the path he would need to take to get to the university. When he was confident enough that he wouldn't get lost, he turned and made his way to the exit, tossing his apple core in the trash as he walked.

Lukas hated to admit it, but the university was beautiful. There was a ton of green space, quaint tables outside for studying, and even a fountain in the center of the courtyard. The buildings were clean; walls of clean metal and glass windows made it look very modern and stylish. A colored map greeted him when he made it on campus, labeled with the different buildings and residences. He scanned the map until he found what he was looking for. He grumbled as he continued his walk, occasionally tripping over his untied shoelaces.

When Lukas finally made it to the main office of the residence building, he was a mess. His shoulders ached from dragging all his belongings, and his face was covered in sweat. His bangs were sticking to his forehead, and he impatiently pushed them out of the way.

"Hello," he panted, approaching the front desk. "I'm Lukas Bondevik, I'm here to check in to my dorm."

The woman behind the counter smiled at him, a weary look in her eyes as she studied his disheveled state. "Of course," she says, a little too sweetly. "I'll just look through the system for you. Can I see some ID?"

Lukas fished through his bag, bringing out his wallet. He handed over his ID, which the woman studied quickly before handing it back to the Norwegian. He shoved everything back in his bag as the secretary began printing out some forms. She laid them on the counter in front of Lukas.

"These are just some agreements for living in residence," she explained. "It has some basic rules, maintenance tips, and numbers you can call if you need help." She flipped through the stack of papers until she reached the last one. "This is your timetable. You'll be starting on Monday." She ducked under the desk and pulled open a filing cabinet. She fingered through the tabs until she found the folder she was looking for. She took it out and opened it, revealing two keys, one of which she handed to Lukas.

"This is your room key. You're in building C, room 303. You have a pre-assigned roommate that will get the second key when he arrives." Lukas tried hard not to scowl at her words. A pre-assigned roommate?

"And these—" the woman said, handing two unmarked plastic cards to Lukas. "These are cards for the laundry and for the main cafeteria. You need to swipe the card to use the washing machines and the dryers, The food card is used to enter the main cafeteria; the card covers three meals a day."

"Sure," Lukas replied, taking everything off the counter and carelessly dumping it into his backpack. The secretary's smile faltered a bit, but she quickly recovered.

"Let me know if there is anything else I can do for you."

"There isn't anything. Thank you."

Lukas juggled his bags and pushed out of the office. Luckily, building C was visible from where Lukas was standing. He let out a sigh of relief before trudging across the courtyard and into his new home.

Lukas paused outside his dorm room, trying to collect himself before pushing inside. He grit his teeth and put the key in the lock, grateful that it turned without a hitch. Upon entering the room, the first thing Lukas noticed was how simply designed it was. It almost looked like a stereotypical hotel room; two beds against one wall, each with a night table on one side, and a dresser on the other. On the wall opposite the beds, there were two desks, complete with wobbly office chairs. And then, on the wall opposite the door, was a large window. Lukas claimed the bed closest to the window, tossing his backpack on the bare mattress and letting his heavy suitcases drop to the floor. He laid back on the mattress, too tired to care about what potential germs and bugs could've been crawling on the surface. He was still for a few minutes, the only sound being the rattling of the A/C that was sitting under the window. Eventually, it became too much for Lukas to handle and he shut it off with an aggravated jab to the switch. He cast a glance to his bulging suitcases, and with a groan, decided it was time to settle in.