Was it really possible for someone to enjoy working at a furniture store? Sure, all the lifting of raw wood and losing the random little nails amongst the sawdust was certainly a pain, yet to a man by the name of Berwald Oxenstierna, these little experiences only made his day a million times better.
He had been working at Ikea for about ten years now, and was held in high regards from his dedication to the company. Never had he missed a day of work- with exception of the one week in which the flu had blew through his entire house. Not only was Ikea his practical family, but outside of work he had his own loved ones, besides his precious furniture. He had married a very outgoing little Finnish man named Tino a few years back, and together they had decided to adopt a younger boy, who insisted on being called Peter. They also happened to own the cutest little puffball of a puppy, named Hanatamago (he could never pronounce it right).
They were a picture perfect family. No complications at all, besides a few times Peter had gotten into trouble at school. Built on a foundation of love, the Oxenstiernas lived off of the trust they had for each other, along with their strong bonds and all the memories they had made.
Nothing could ruin that, right?
"Need some help with that..?" A certain Dane was struggling with carrying a few planks of oak, having decided to hoist them under his arm rather than up on his shoulder. Since it was Monday, Berwald had taken a bit of pity on his bitter rival, Matthias Kohler. They had clashed about once a week, holding huge competitions ranging from who could produce the most chairs in a day, to who could build the absolute best box fort. Their coworkers even called the pair 'Mathwald' when they were duking it out. Though he won most of the time, Berwald always worked extra hard after these contests to avoid trouble with his boss, while Matthias just slacked off so he could plan the next battle.
"Uh? Oh, sure dude." Matthias was a little taken aback by the offer, but gladly accepted. He let the Swede remove a few planks, then watched as he motioned off towards a much larger stack. They would be loading a truck which was to leave for another warehouse, because this location was somehow supplied with too much oak. Personally, Berwald didn't have a problem with it. He found that the oak was easier if he was to carve out certain patterns, plus he enjoyed the smell.
After the men had stacked up all the extra wood, Matthias retreated back to his little corner of the warehouse, naturally. Who knows what he did back there? Meanwhile, Berwald went above and beyond expectations, and started checking the planks for any obscurities, like termites or large cracks. A couple always slipped past the inspection crew, so Berwald liked to double check.
Of course, he found a couple which obviously weren't up to code. He'd have to remember to kick some asses later. For now though, these planks would have to be destroyed, like all of those before them. A certain machine that Matthias had nicknamed 'The Hungry Hungry Wood Machine' ate up all the bad planks, turning them straight to sawdust. It was really useful after he got used to the loud roaring noise, and the jagged sharp teeth within the entrance.
Now was the time to bid this wood goodbye. He wasn't really sure what the sawdust was used for, just as long as it wasn't all bagged up and thrown away. Berwald used his free hand to pull the rusty lever that started the metre tall conveyor belt, which would feed the planks to the machine so that the man wouldn't have to risk getting an arm taken off. That would suck. Though, sometimes he did get ideas. As he watched the machine devour the wood, a small smirk formed on his usually blank face. This would be a perfect idea for another Mathwald contest. So the man cupped his hands around his mouth, directing his head back towards where the Dane spent most of his time. "Hey Matthias!"
It took him less than thirty seconds to appear in the room, looking immediately at Berwald, who was resting his hand on the lever for the always hungry machine. "You plan all the Mathwalds… now it's my turn…" he commented, throwing the stick of metal to the side to switch the machine in gear. "We have a bad shipment according to the inspection crew… so let's see who can feed the beast faster…"
His counterpart only blinked, before striding over to the Swede and flipping the switch back to its regular position. "See, this is why I don't let you plan. Your ideas blow, worse than Lukas does," Matthias said, giggling under his breath. "Why don't we up the antics a bit?" After concluding with a sly wink, he walked up to the conveyor belt, hoisting himself up onto it before placing his hands on his hips. "Turn it on."
"Wha-?"
"I said, turn it on." Gods, he was persistent. Unless he wanted to hear about it for the rest of his days, he really didn't have a choice here. So the lever was switched, and Matthias started running, his face growing red whilst his expression became even more riveted towards his current activity. "It's called, don't get eaten!"
Idiot. "If you fall.. you get eaten, dumbass…" The other merely ignored him and kept running, nearing the safe edge of the makeshift treadmill. "Yea! So don't fall!" Luckily, Matthias had been on the track team back in high school, so he flipped himself off the edge, sticking his landing while he pumped his fists up in the air.
Berwald was seriously impressed. His eyes had only widened slightly at the Dane's performance, but that signaled that he wasn't taking the little fiasco very lightly. This was right before Matthias wiped his forehead with the back of his hand, then motioned towards the conveyor belt. "Your turn, tough guy."
Now, maybe if Berwald hadn't lost the last two Mathwalds, he would've just slapped Matthias to sleep and be done with it. But he needed to restore his rep as the Mathwald king. Was he just going to let this challenge go unnoticed? Sure, he had his doubts about the whole thing, but he wasn't going to voice them. An Oxenstierna would never back down from battle… not the Swedish side, at least.
With a heavy sigh, Berwald swung a leg up onto the stilled belt, feeling his heart begin to race a bit. Yea, he was nervous. Who wouldn't be? "Ready?" Matthias asked, setting his hand down onto the lever. He took a shaky breath, then narrowed his eyes and looked ahead, towards the finish line in which his friend had laid out for him: the end of the beast's tongue. "Ready…"
Never in his life had he moved his legs so fast. Less than ten seconds in, and he was already breaking a sweat. He may be able to lift hundreds of pounds of wood, but he rarely ran. But this was still pretty easy. Matthias had his eyes trained down at his watch, timing Berwald as he ran whilst he kept a hand on the jittering lever.
No way he would beat Matthias's time, since the guy was practically born to run. But, he was still going to cross the finish line. There was no way he would wimp out now, since he was nearing less than a metre from the end. Only way he would get there would be to jump. So he slowed his pace a bit, smiling whilst closing his eyes and counting down from three in his head.
Three.
Two.
One.
Victory. He kept his eyes shut, basking in his own glory for a bit, because the intense running had really tired him out. Since he was on his back, he figured that he must've slipped and fell, because his lower half was feeling a little sore. A little sore meaning- completely on fire. Something wasn't right here.
Before he opened up his eyes, he grunted and brought a hand up to wipe his forehead, as Matthias had done before him. Yet to his surprise, his hand felt sweatier than his cranium. Strange, he hadn't really perspirated that much, had he? The only thing that was really troubling him, was that his slightly sticky liquid didn't really smell like sweat.
So he opened his eyes.
Matthias was there at his side, crying his eyes out, on the phone with someone in who he was talking to in rapid Danish. As soon as he caught sight of his newly awoken friend, his breath suddenly hitched, and his conversation only sped up as he reached an arm out and placed it on Berwald's left shoulder. Was his arm supposed to be all red like that? An intense wave of pain answered his question, so sudden that it caused him to cry out, and push his head back into the ground. No, conveyor belt. He was still on the conveyor belt.
This wasn't even the finish line.
Quickly, Berwald's hand shot out to grab Matthias's wrist, startling the man a bit and almost causing him to drop his phone. The Dane squeaked and leaned down a bit, covering his mouth and coughing before he returned the other's icy stare. After Berwald had taken in as big a breath he could, he growled deep in his throat, slipping his eyes shut before beginning to slightly shake. "Did I get eaten?"
"B-Ber, I di-" Matthias ended up coughing hard again, too distraught to even form a coherent sentence. So the Swede tightened his grip, which at least ebbed the pain a bit. "I said, did I get eaten?" Silence, until the sniffles were reduced to almost nothing.
"Y-Yes.."
At that moment, the paramedics burst through the door, wheeling in a stretcher stock full of medical supplies. They pushed Matthias away, surrounding the Swede and immediately sticking a mask over his nose and mouth, forcing the oxygen into his lungs and helping him to relax. Two were already working down by his legs. Oh, his legs. Berwald didn't even know how bad his situation currently was. So before his personal nurses could stick a lollipop in his mouth and tell him it would be okay, he lifted his head up to train his now watery eyes down towards the beast.
Red. Red was all he saw. His torso was red, the belt was red, the machine's mouth was red. There was so much of that shiny Swedish blood covering it all that anyone could convince him it was just a child's finger painting. Yet to complement the crimson bodily fluids, he could see hunks of his own skin, his muscles, shredded pieces of bone. It had all combined in this soupy, mushy mess, comparable to a bowl of melted ice cream. Even pinkish strands of his skin decorated the gleaming teeth of the machine, almost mocking him in a way.
Long story short, he already knew that his appendages wouldn't be saved. So he let out a long sigh, trying not to pass out before he could lay his head back down again. "Mm.. let the Dane back over here…" he mumbled, looking up at the closest paramedic. No way was he just going to lay here without his best friend, especially since he heard the guy blaming himself.
Matthias literally fell to his knees at the Swede's side, now with a horrid case of the hiccups. His face was probably redder than Berwald's, considering he still had hot streams of tears running down his cheeks. "Berwald I-" He was quickly silenced by Berwald lifting a hand up, groaning whilst he felt what nerves could be salvaged being messed with. "I don't… don't want an apology… it had nothing to do with you.." The other only cocked his head to the side, whimpering and turning to cough again. "But-"
"Shut up…" At least that got him to listen. Clearing his throat, he stayed silent for a bit, refusing to look down towards the paramedics. The sight was too much for the both of them, and quite frankly, Berwald was surprised he hadn't passed out yet. Right about that time, he caught the word 'shock' from one of his helpers. He figured that this adrenaline rush was helping him to survive, or he'd be as dead as a doornail.
"Berwald, I c-called Tino. He sh-should be here soon." Thank the heavens, yet curse them as well. Tino was the first and last person he wanted here. He needed the comfort of his wife, yet he would most likely have a panic attack upon seeing Berwald. And if he brought Peter with him…
"Mr. Kohler, can you step back for a minute please?" Both men were a little surprised by the authority of this voice, but the Dane ended up listening, only scooting back a few feet. Now, Berwald found a lighter-haired man standing over him, young looking, and obviously terrified. This must be his first real emergency. "Uhm.. though I may not sound the part, I very deeply regret to inform you of your options… of getting out of this," he recited, patting the machine.
Options? "Go on…" Berwald answered weakly, now starting to feel his adrenaline boost wear off. The younger man shook his head a bit, muttering a few choice curse words under his breath in what sounded like Icelandic. "Okay, s-so. Either, we work to pull you out, giving you a little more time to live, but with more pain. Or… we can start up the machine.." Berwald raised an eyebrow, thinking about both of his choices, and noting that they both would end up killing him. "And the option to save me…?"
If it was possible for the paramedic's face to get any paler than it already was, it had just faded into the fiftieth shade of white. "You- just.. please decide quickly, and say your goodbyes." With tears welling up in his eyes, he turned away, retreating to his crew. After he had moved, a familiar cry was heard from the other side of the room, along with the Finnish accent which seemed to calm him, no matter what kind of situation he was in.
"Tino…" Berwald turned to the side, only to see his beloved rushing over to his side, dragging the youngest member of the family along with him. "Oh gods, Berwald!" The Finn sighed dramatically before kneeling down beside his husband, gently placing his smaller hand on Berwald's reddened cheek. "M-Moi, darling," he stammered, forcing a smile before the tears had started gushing from his violet eyes. Seeing Tino like this, it was more likely to kill Berwald than the actual machine was. "Hej… oh, I've never been more thrilled to see you…" Berwald responded, before sitting up just a tad and coughing out into his hand. Blood, of course. He had severe internal bleeding, but that wasn't going to stop him from seeing his family.
Tino then proceeded to whine quietly at the sight, reaching over to take Berwald's hand in his own. What a nice feeling, being able to hold his lover's hand again. Berwald tangled their fingers together as Matthias walked over, carrying a very pale Peter in his arms. "Poor thing doesn't even want to look at you, Waldy," he said, running his hand through the boy's hair to relax him. Peter had his head buried in Matthias's shirt, which was damp from his own sweat along with Berwald's blood. The child was only wetting it more with his tears.
Leaning closer to the Swede, Matthias held out Peter, so Berwald could feel him with his free hand. "Peter… I want to see you.." he said, placing his hand on his son's back as gently as he could. "I want you to look at me… and I want you to see where the stupid decisions in life are going to get you…"
It took a minute, but Peter finally gasped softly, then turned to glare at his father, squeezing his eyes shut after glancing down at the silent machine. "Papa… you're an idiot," he choked out, before breaking down, and returning to his hiding spot in Matthias's shirt. Berwald only sighed softly, before lightly nodding and loosening his grip on Tino's hand. "I know… trust me, I know.. but Peter… can you- hnnn, consider doing me a favour…?" His eyes drooped, looking hopefully towards the boy.
"What do you want?" he asked, voice muffled by the shirt he was hidden in. Time was running out, and so was the blood to Berwald's brain. No longer could he clearly think for himself. Just… easy.. promise me that you won't do anything stupid… ever…"
Silence. Probably the longest in which the family had ever waited. Until-
"P-Papa, I promise." It was like the entire room had let out a relieved sigh. Literally, the words sounded so golden to the man's ears. A smile graced his face, before he uttered a silent 'thank you' to his son. That was all he needed to hear from Peter. That was all he cared about. Now, his attention could turn towards the man he fell for so many years ago.
There was so much he wanted to say to Tino, more than whatever time he had left would allow him to say. But all he could muster, all he could even think up, was contained in such an intimate action, something that could explain more than words ever could. "One.. last.. kiss…?"
The Finn had to wipe his eyes before performing such an action. He didn't want to look like a total wreck, since this would be the last time Berwald would ever see him. "Mhm… I'm going t-to miss this m-most." Tino then leaned over and removed Berwald's oxygen mask, marveling at how he somehow still maintained his handsomeness, even like this. It was Berwald who sat up and pressed their lips together, relaxing completely and bringing his hands up to rest on the sides of his partner's face, smiling into this last kiss.
Berwald then fell into this sort of bliss. Everything became lighter, brighter, warmer. The good kind of warm, the kind of warmth and protection that a blanket offered. After all that pain, all those tears, all the stupidity, it had all dissipated, just like that. He felt so good, so incredibly good. It was almost like he was floating, or flying. There was no way to describe it, he simply called it heaven.
That machine didn't need to be turned back on. Berwald had already gone out in his own way, while sharing his favourite moment with his favourite person in creation.