The contents of the bottle vanished quicker than Lauri liked, so he opened another out of spite. Every bottle came to its end faster than the one before. Each new day passed by as if his life was nothing more than a song on repeat.

An entire month ran its course, yet Lauri was unaware of everything except his memories, pain, tears, and never ending fountain of liquor. He had given the hotel his credit car numbers upon checking in and instructed the lobby bar to bring him bottles hourly until he sent word for them to stop.

The cleaning staff was sent away daily, and anyone who happened to catch a glimpse of the room when Lauri opened the door only long enough to accept the bottles from room service could tell. Empty bottles, some broken other not, covered the floor and lined the walls. They alone stood silent witness to the once beautiful man's destruction.

Draining the remained drops from a tequila bottle, Lauri once again began to cry. His eyes narrowed first, followed by the shaking of his shoulders as the tears began to flow down his pale cheeks. He threw the bottle at the wall causing the glass to rain down like glitter. The site was both beautiful and horrible, triggering the memories Lauri sought so hard to kill.

That Christmas had started beautiful. Lauri had woke up to Aki nibbling ever so gently at his ear, his breath warm and sweet against his throat. As Aki removed Lauri's clothes he had felt like he was in heaven. The touch of Aki's skin against his own was electrifying. His taste alone almost brought him to a magnificent orgasm. Aki made love to him slow and powerful, dragging the pleasure out unbearably long before submerging himself completely into his Lintu. Lauri had never felt such a tremor or screamed quite as loud as he did as Aki and he came simultaneous.

The next hour had been spent recovering in Aki's arms as his lover's fingers toyed with Lauri's hair.

"I love you," Lauri remembered hearing Aki whisper as he gently caressed his lips with his own.

It was almost noon by the time both men finally showered and came down stairs. Pauli's eyes sparkled when the two entered the living room hand in hand.

"Well, no one needs to ask what Lauri's favorite Christmas present was," he said as he smiled at them.

Aki squeezed Lauri's hand gently, locking eyes with his love.

"I haven't even given him his gift yet, Pauli."

A faint blush gathered upon Lauri's cheeks as he looked away from Aki, slightly embarrassed.

"Were we really that loud?" he muttered looking at the floor.

"Oh yeah," Eero laughed entering the room, breaking the brief awkwardness. "Merry Christmas, everyone."

They all opened presents and laughed happily the few times someone would get caught under the mistletoe. It was perfect.

A light snow began to fall, replenishing the cheer to the dreary slush the previous snow storms brought by winter had left behind. Of course they had to mess it up with snow angels and footprints.

Pauli suggested a snow war and two large forts were constructed, but every battle ended up in Lauri's team winning because Aki refused to hit him or a make out session between team members.

Once back inside, faces still red from the cold, they all agreed on going out to dinner. Lauri disappeared upstairs to dress, and Eero insisted on mopping up the snow brought in by boots and coats. This left Aki and Pauli alone by the fire talking.

"You guys are so perfect together it's sickening," Pauli stated as he sipped on a mug of hot chocolate.

"Maybe," Aki replied, staring into the flames.

"Something bothering you?" concern edged Pauli's voice as he watched Aki.

Aki shock his head slowly before saying, "I love him so much, Pauli. I just wish we could tell people with out worrying about if it will be accepted."

"As long as he knows you love him, Aki, no one else's opinion matters. No one, fan or not, can change what you feel."

From his eavesdropping spot at the top of the stairs, Lauri smiled widely.

"It's perfect," he whispered to himself before going into his room to get dressed.

Time at the restaurant passed by all to quickly. Aki held Lauri's hand under the table the whole time and Lauri even risked laying his head on Aki's shoulder while they waited on the others to finish eating.

"You having a good Christmas, Lintu?" Eero asked watching the interaction between the lovers.

Lauri closed his eyes, breathing in Aki's scent before responding, "It's perfect, Eero. Just Perfect."

Because the others had all had at least one drink, Eero drove home. The roads were slightly icy and one needed to be extremely alert to avoid an accident.

Lauri slipped out of his seat belt and laid out across the backseat of the car, his head in Aki's lap. He unconsciously ran his fingers along the seams in Aki's pants leg, zipping and unzipping one of the useless zippers as he fell into a dreamlike state.

He did not see the car that ran the red light, but neither did Eero. The two vehicles collided in the middle of the ice intersection spinning out of control like two lovers dancing. As the car flipped into the ditch, Lauri was thrown into the floorboards, still gripping tightly onto Aki's hand.

The next thing Lauri remembered was waking up in a Meilahti area hospital, his mother asleep in the chair near his bed. He was confused and drugged as he struggled to clumsily move his hand out to her.

Joy and thankfulness filled her eyes when she awoke to her son's hand. She took him into her arms, hugging him as best as she could without disturbing the many wires connected to him.

"The told us you might never have woken up," she cried as she rocked her only son back and forth, her tears dropping onto his cheeks. Without warning her tears turned from those of joy to those of complete tragedy.

"Mom?" he asked, tears forming in his own green eyes.

She only shock her head, and he knew exactly what she could not bring herself to say.

His screams alerted the nurses that he had awoken for the first time since they tragic accident that had occurred over a month ago, the horrid event in which he had been the only survivor.

Lauri was jerked back to the present as yet another bottle slipped from his limp fingers, crashing to the floor. The contents of the bottle seeping out all over the floor. Only this time an empty bottle of Oxycodone also fell to the floor as broken green eyes closed for the last time.

"I'm coming, love," he managed to form the words, however slurred they might have came out and then he was gone. Gone to find his love in the next world, whether that be in heaven or in hell.

.:+Lost&Dreaming+:.
.:+Works of the Quill+:.
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