~Chapter 3: Let's Make A Deal~

The Scandinavian grinned and turned his head to the side, amused and curious by the nervous actions the American was admitting without even realizing it. "Ja, I think I know how." He said cooly before closing his eyes and leaning down.

Alfred's eyes were already the size of saucers and couldn't get any wider, so he started to let them slowly fall closed as he watched the man above him lean in and feel the ghost of his warm breath over his lips.

All that Alfred could feel was warmth. Solid and pure heat radiating off the man, it feeling insanely fantastic compared to the chilly air the night had brought upon. Instinctively, Alfred parted his lips a little, letting the other's breath tickle his own and ghost into his mouth.

Seconds passed and Alfred was getting nervous, or was it impatient? He couldn't really tell what exactly he was feeling at the moment besides the weight of a professional snow boarder perched over top of him, who wasn't that light. A moment ago the situation was completely severe, and now it was more intense, but in a different kind of way. There was a certain rush that was coursing through his veins that quickly replaced fear. He didn't know exactly when the feeling had been replaced, but he had an impression it was when those dark blue eyes changed their perception over him.

Alfred could have sworn he felt the soft touch of another's flesh on his lips, but it faded just as quickly as it had happened. He went still, and waited for what was to happen next with his eyes still closed, nervous to look and see for himself.

It went quiet, for a moment, and then the heated air around them dulled and the tense atmosphere broke. Then abruptly there was a short, amused snort that came from above followed by a few curt chuckles.

Alfred snapped his eyes open in puzzlement to discover that the Scandinavian was no longer centimeters from his lips. He was still near, but not as close as he was before he went to close his eyelids.

"Oh ja, you are definitely an American!" the man on top of Alfred snickered then closed his eyes and bit his bottom lip, as if trying to keep himself from laughing any more than he already were.

Alfred was stunned at the action. H-How did he? What was going on!?

He blushed and diverted his eyes swiftly away. "How did you know? You didn't even do anything." he muttered and turned his gaze back up onto the amused Scandinavian.

"Did you want me to do something?" he grinned sideways and peered down tauntingly.

"Wha-!" Alfred stammered then turned his eyes away again, not able to openly lie while gazing into the others eyes. "Don't twist my words…"

The other laughed and rolled off the American and threw himself into the snow patch right next to him. He stretched his legs out and leaned back on his elbows relaxing, no longer finding the younger to be of any form of threat to him like before. "American's are unbelievably easy to tell apart from any European, trust me." he guffawed then turned his head towards the one that was still laying in the snow, like in some trance with the stars.

"Your looks could almost pass for European, but your innocence gave you away. That's how I figured you out." He finished then turned his head to his coat and started messing with the zipper on it causally.

"My innocence?" Alfred finally came to and asked what he was thinking aloud. The other blonde just hummed in response.

Not getting a good enough answer caused Alfred to promptly lean up, snow falling off his coat and making his back instantly feel warmer. He crossed his legs and stared at the snow in the middle of them while trying to understand how his actions gave him away. He already understood the part about him looking partially European thanks to his dad being one, but how did their actions differ from theirs exactly?

"My innocence towards what?" he asked more specifically again and turned his head at the older blonde who was finding interest with the departments of his coat, as if inspecting them all for the first time. Alfred watched until the other paused and looked up at him, smiling cunningly while doing so.

"That ice melting moment we just shared moments ago." He winked and Alfred blushed and turned his head away embarrassedly. The snow boarder just let his head fall back and laughed up at the sky. "That is precisely what I mean! You Americans get flustered so easily it's almost ridiculous! Almost makes me feel shameful for playing such a trick on someone so naïve and inexperienced." He scanned his eyes up and down the American's back while he was still turned away. "Not really for sure how someone like yourself is still so pure though. You seem and act young, but way past the age where one begins to experiment first with themselves," he stated causally and noticed the others back stiffen and he smiled. "then with others."

Alfred didn't even realize that his body was still capable of producing heat while still stranded out in the cold. His face was heating up so much that he was sure he would soon start sweating and have his head explode. How the hell did it all end up to this? He just wanted to figure out who'd been sneaking around in the woods near his house, not expecting to find his favorite professional snowboarder at the end of the hunt or find out that he was a total pervert! All those years of looking up to a guy who had much less snowboarding thoughts up in his head all that time. He didn't even want to think what else was up there whenever he wasn't on the slopes. And to think that they were almost about to kiss…

Kiss… Alfred's brain swirled around that word until it formed an image of two lips almost touching, just barely ghosting over each other. What if they actually did kiss though? He would've kissed his favorite pro snowboarder… That predicament never crossed his mind when leaving his bedroom earlier. He still couldn't get over the fact now as he sat just inches from the Danish blonde. A part of him wanted to ask for an autograph while the other just wanted to go back home and crawl into his warm bed and forget everything that he'd just seen, probably what the other wanted of him to do anyways.

Ready to say his goodbyes and make his way back home, Alfred turned his head once he was positive that the blush in his cheeks went down enough that they could pass for wind lash.

"Look, Mathias," he swallowed nervously after saying the name, not fully believing that he was using the name to address the very person and not just talk about them as a fan. "I know you could get in big trouble for practicing extra hours and privately, so I won't tell anyone about it, but…" he paused again, frightened how the other might react to what he was about to say. Alfred turned his body all the way around and made sure that he had the others full attention. "you have to promise me that you won't continue doing this from now on." He declared and let out the breath he'd stored up to get that sentence out in one quick statement.

Mathias just stared blankly at him, the smile on his lip flat and the joyful look in his eyes deserted. Alfred wanted to leave, heck he wanted to run but he knew he had to get the man's promise that he'll agree to his request. But what if he didn't agree? Or worse…what if he killed him because he's the only one that knows. The though sent a shiver down Alfred's spin and feel the need to rise to his knee's in case of a quick escape.

"I can't do that."

The confession made Alfred freeze as if he found the response shocking. "W-Why not?" the blonde asked and watched the other grimace and turn their head off to the side. He looked almost…sad…

"I just can't." he sighed and his eyes fell onto the snow. "Sorry that I can't fulfill your request, but you're asking something impossible of me."

The statement threw Alfred back in a whirlwind of confusion and slight guilt. He knew that the other needed to practice for the competition, but the way he was doing it was against the games rules. He could get kicked out, which could lose him a chance of making of making his country's Olympic team. Alfred didn't want to be the one to get his favorite rider kicked out of the competition and ruin a chance of a life time of going to the Olympics, but what he was doing just wasn't right.

"You can practice in the mornings just like the other riders. You're team-"

"I said I can't!" he shouted angrily and Alfred caught his breath as his eyes drew wide and frightened. The Scandinavian was glaring at him from his spot in the snow, his broad shoulders heaving up and down with his deep breathing, giving Alfred the thought of just how large the others body was and how he could easily over power him like before.

The American clutched his snow pants and looked away defeated. "Fine. I hope you're happy when you win deceitfully and become a big fraud to all of your fans. Including me…" Alfred felt the heat rise to his face, this time as anger and dejection played over his emotions. He felt the corners of his eyes tear up and his lip beginning to quiver like it did when he truly got upset over something. Not wanting to let his once idol see him, he sharply stood up and turned to leave. His hands were balled up into fist at his sides as he marched through the snow and back onto the path that would take him home. There was nothing more he wanted than to alone and try not to dwell over being let down by two big people in his life.

"Stædig skide knægt…" Mathias muttered to himself as he watched the American abruptly stand up and leave after saying something like he did. He groaned and hurriedly got to his feet and went after him.

"Ay! Kid!" he heard him holler and realization that he was actually pursuing him made Alfred speed his pace. There was no point in trying to run because they would just end up in the same predicament as they did before.

"Wait up!" he heard him call out to him again but Alfred just kept his head on the snow and marched onward, not even knowing if he were going in the right direction. He at least hoped he chose the right way.

"Stop will you!" this time the voice was right behind him and Alfred almost flew out of his boots when he felt two hands place themselves on his shoulders. He didn't have time to remove them when he was suddenly spun around and forced to look up at the heavy breathing Dane.

Mathias swallowed and shook his head back and forth before taking another large breath in. Alfred tried to shake off his hands from him but he just held on to him tighter. "Look," he started and tried to plead with the boy who was about a foot shorter and glaring up at him heatedly. "I know what I'm doing is wrong, totally get what you're to say, but I just can't do it." He dropped his head and closed his eyes. Alfred watched curiously, more questions piling up in his mind for the unexplained reason. "It's personal and I don't really feel comfortable telling the story to strangers, so you're going to have to trust me. Now that I think about it I don't even know your name." he tried smiling to lighten the mode.

It never struck Alfred that he had never shared his name. He knew the others, so he didn't really see the point on sharing his own.

Alfred crossed his arms and relaxed his posture. "It's Alfred." He grumbled and perched his lips puzzlingly as the snowboarder's smile grew a little wider. His heart seemed to react as well to the expression.

"So, Alfred," he leaned up to his full height and removed one hand from the American's shoulder. "Let us make a deal."

Alfred watched the playfulness spring to like in the others eyes and the cheeky smile broaden. It made Alfred nervous all at the same time excited to his idol back to his old self, the one he'd watch hundreds of interviews of on the Sports Network.

The younger blonde shifted from one foot to the other and raised a curious eyebrow up at the proclamation. "What kind of deal?"

"Do you by chance know how to snowboard?" Mathias asked and grinned wider when he saw Alfred's unimpressive glare drop and his eyes widen. Even his crossed arms fell limp to his sides.

"I-I no, I mean I don't. I don't know how to snowboard." Alfred could feel his heart beating rapidly against his chest. He couldn't believe what he was hearing, thinking that maybe his ears were just playing tricks on him.

"Great!" Mathias used the hand that was already on Alfred's shoulder and began patting it jollily. "You don't give away my secret and I, Mathias Køhler, will teach you how to snowboard." He said confidently and peered down at the shell-shocked teen whose mouth had fallen open. It only gave the cocky Dane more assurance that his plan would work.

"So," removed his hand from the boy and crossed his arms over his chest. "What do you say?"

AN: Short chapter but at least I got another one out!

Translations:

Stædig skide knægt: Damn that kid..
Ja: Yes