The Winner Takes it All

Part X

Lukas inspected the ballroom. Everything was meticulously decorated. Everything was perfect and in its place. He sighed. It had been a year since he had his troubles with Matthias. He had not seen the man since, just as he had ordered. Matthias always was obedient...

He had no time to be reflecting on his- no, Matthias' past mistakes. It was the company's holiday party, and the guests would be coming any minute. Faced passed, and the room soon became flooded with a sea of people. Employees, their families and friends, Lukas' friends, everyone seemed so happy just to be with each other. Why wasn't he? Through the crowd he caught a glimpse of a familiar face. A pair of crystal blue eyes, still glittering with childish wonder. It was Matthias, but he didn't look sad at all. Lukas' eyes scanned a little further to the right, to see his hand clasped in that of another, a slender man with silvery hair and ruby red eyes, his employee Gilbert Beilschmidt. His heart sank. He was too late.

Lukas walked up to Matthias. For a moment, it seemed as if the whole world only consisted of the two of them. The look in Matthias' eyes was irreplaceable. "It's been far too long," whispered Lukas.

Matthias' eyes fell to the ground. "Lukas..." was all he could mutter. He let go of Gilbert's hand and led Lukas to a less crowded corner of the room. "Aren't you happy now, Lukas? Isn't this what you wanted?"

Lukas shook his head. "It's not what I want. But it has to be this way."

"Why, Lukas? Those rules don't mean anything."

"I have a name, a reputation."

Matthias looked into Lukas' eyes. "Wouldn't you rather have a reputation for being someone who loved who they wanted to? A reputation for being someone who is happy in life? You chose this, Lukas. I can't change you."

Those words haunted Lukas. They were killing him softly, mocking every inch of his being. But he was stronger than this. Matthias was the root of his problems. He was a glitch in his master plan. "You drive me to madness. And now, I'm here to finish this, once and for all. Don't you understand? This is my game. You've lost, and I've won. And in my game, the winner takes it all."

Heavy footsteps left the ballroom. Sapphire eyes glittered with tears, blinking out the snow that tried to penetrate them. This is what he wanted. He chose this.

Indeed, the winner took it all.

But was it worth it...

-The End-