“Do you want to tell me why you’ve suddenly decided you find me sexually attractive after centuries of being friends?” Lasse asked as he bit into a huge double steak and bacon burger. Thor was all for hitting the clubs early, but after his disaster with alcohol the night before, Lasse wanted something in his stomach first. “If you’ve got me pegged for a pity fuck, forget it.”

“I didn’t get laid last night, and you did spend a lot of time under me today. You need to keep up with your training.” Thor grinned around his own food, but then his expression turned serious. Putting his burger back on his plate, Thor leaned forward. “Look, I’ve been thinking about this mates business.”

“Yes?” Lasse drawled slowly, unwilling to admit how much just hearing the word made him hurt inside. How the hell could you miss someone you didn’t even know? “You’ve been telling me for as long as I could remember that you never wanted to be tied to one person.”

“And that hasn’t changed…sort of.” Thor took another bite of his burger, so Lasse did the same. His friend was never any good at keeping things from him, so Lasse could afford to be patient. Thor’s behavior had been odd all day though. He wasn’t known for being an affectionate guy and yet Lasse could barely take a piss by himself without Thor nudging his shoulder as he aimed at the urinal.

It was only after the plates were clear, Thor took up where he left off. “You’ve got to admit, you were shocked when you saw who your mate was, right?”

“He might not have been the twink I thought I’d end up with, like Abraxas’s mate Jordan or Nereus’s sweet Raff, but if the Fates deemed him perfect for me then I’d have accepted him in a heartbeat if he’d given me a second glance.”

“He was an idiot for sending you packing.” Thor’s hand landed on his where it was resting on the table. “But maybe that’s given us an opportunity. I was thinking, with our positions and all that, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if we shacked up together.”

Knock me over with a feather duster. That was the last thing Lasse expected to fall out of his friend’s mouth. “You and me? Bond mated – together for eternity? You do know mates are faithful to each other, don’t you? And we’re both from the god line. What if one of us got pregnant? And yes, it could be either one of us. Don’t think just because you’re stronger than me, that I’d be happy spending eternity receiving for you. I always believed my mate and I would switch.”

Thor wrinkled his nose. “Okay, I confess I might not have thought the whole thing through properly, and admittedly I might have to make some concessions about some aspects of my life, but can you admit, hand on heart, you’ve never ever thought about it? About you and me together? We’re damn good friends.”

Looking down at where their hands were joined, Lasse thought back over his long and involved friendship with the God of storms. He’d barely reached his adult form when Thor appeared in the sky over the sea where he lived. He’d been trying to create a storm of his own; unsure at the time how much of his powers and abilities stemmed from Poseidon, or his other father who was one of the horses of the sun. Thor laughed at his efforts, and incensed beyond measure, Lasse sent up a wave high enough to drench him. They’d been friends ever since.

As a specimen of manhood, there weren’t many more perfect than Thor. His gray eyes, which darkened with his moods, always looked on Lasse fondly; his face was finely crafted, and they were a perfect match in height and size. Thor’s confidence was droolworthy in itself, and from a purely physical perspective, sleeping with his best friend wouldn’t be a hardship. If Thor had said something a week earlier, Lasse would have been tempted out of sheer loneliness.

But things were different now.

“We’d drive each other nuts in a week,” Lasse said at last. “And I know I didn’t answer your question but think about it some more. Do you really want me to answer that? What would you say if I asked you the same thing? Have you ever fancied me that way?”

“Eww, yeah, that would be awkward.” Releasing his hand, Thor leaned back in his chair. “If I say I did, and you didn’t, then that would be mortifying. If I say I didn’t and you did, then yeah, equally bad. Forget I ever asked about past attraction. But look. Try and see where I’m coming from.” Thor looked around before leaning forward to whisper, “what if the Fates stick me with someone I don’t like? You know those women get some strange ideas at times. Your mate’s a classic example.”

“Ah,” Lasse understood now and could relax. This was more like the Thor he knew and loved as a brother. “Self-preservation. You’re terrified the Fates will pair you with a darling little twink who’s only weapon is a nail file and who isn’t more than a hundred pounds soaking wet. Someone like Sebastian’s cute mate, Madison, before he became leader of the Hellhounds.”

“Exactly.” Thor shuddered. “I’d break him in half before he was claimed and how on earth could someone like that share any of my interests? He’d probably faint at the sight of blood. His idea of a good time would involve beading my hair. Oh, my gods, what if he likes going to those free open air concerts on Sunday afternoons?”

“We’ve been to a few concerts in our time,” Lasse laughed. “Quite a few of them from memory.”

“Heavy metal ones where my clapping thunder becomes part of the show,” Thor agreed. “But what if my mate likes country and western music and heaven forbid, line dancing?”

“He’d better have the world of patience if that’s the case,” Lasse said, pulling his wallet from his pants pocket, folding some bills in with their receipt on the table. “The whole world knows you’ve got two left feet and don’t get me started about your singing.”

“See you know me so well.” Thor tilted his head and batted his eyelids. “Fancy a ride on the storm? Wanna play with my lightening rod? Think you can handle my thunder down your underpants?”

“Knock it off,” Lasse laughed harder as he stood. “If those are your best lines, you seriously need to work on them. Let’s get out of here before someone thinks we’re a couple.”

“Oh, you wound me,” Thor said dramatically, throwing his arm over his face. “See,” he said at a couple of waitresses watching them from the serving counter. “My friend told me I have two left feet. Can you believe it?”

“You look pretty perfect to me,” the older one said, and Lasse was pleased to see she was laughing too. “But yeah, get your delicious booty out of here and leave me and my friends to drool about what we’d do if we were single and ten years younger.”

“I understand completely,” Thor swept into a low bow. “Ladies, enjoy your lust-fueled evening. Come along, you horrid friend. We’ve got clubs to visit.”

Lasse let Thor link their arms and they strode out of the diner, laughing hysterically. Well, the hysterics were mostly on Lasse’s part. There was a part of him super touched by Thor’s clumsy offer, but all it really did was remind him of how much the man the Fates had picked for him didn’t want him. If only I could see him outside of the ring. Maybe then he’d talk to me and realize I wasn’t being judgmental about what he does – that I was just shocked at finding him at all.

“Lasse, can I talk to you a moment?”

Lasse froze. The softer version of the voice he’d heard the night before seeped through his ears and made his spine melt. He couldn’t move; too worried he was having a hallucination. It was Thor who turned to face the speaker. “Well, well, well, you finally caught up with us. I was wondering when you were going to show your face, Ja. Oh yes, I remember you. Cerberus, what strange friends you have. I’d warn you against consorting with someone like Ja here; he’s not known for his positive outlook on life.”

That caught Lasse’s attention and he grabbed Thor’s arm. “You know who my mate is, and you didn’t say anything?”

Thor’s face went bright red. “I wasn’t sure last night, but yeah, since he’s been trailing around after us all day, I recognized the signs. We’ve fought a war or three together, not always on the same side.”

Lasse didn’t know what to do or say. So many questions were fighting for dominance in his brain. Why was Jason following them? Is he sorry? Has he changed his mind about us? Why did Thor call him Ja? Why didn’t Thor tell me Jason was around all day? Fuck, did he see me and Thor at the gym? What the fuck was Cerberus doing on the earthly realm looking as though his favorite pet died?

“Lasse, please.” It didn’t help that Jason, or Ja, or whoever he was, had a whiskey soaked voice that sent tingles through his balls. “I promise I’ll explain everything in good time, but your uncle’s friend is here for a reason. Can we go somewhere privately and talk?”

Talk. He wants to talk. I can do that. For my mate I’d spin freaking cartwheels. Dropping Thor’s arm, Lasse grabbed hold of Jason and Cerberus before translocating them all to his own house. To hell with the public and Thor for that matter. If Thor wanted to follow he could transport himself. Lasse was sure not spilling the beans about his mate went against the bro-code and when he had the time he planned to have words with his friend about his behavior. But for now, he had more important things to think about. My mate wants to talk to me.