Author's note: Tumblr prompt was window. The car I sort of winged it with because I didn't have Internet and so couldn't find a historically-accurate car for 1905 to reference more clearly. Sorry.
Also I just had to google the past tense of "wing it". My truthiness senses say wung is right but the Internet decided it's winged.
Window
From the window he watches Lukas's back move further and further away. In the back of his mind Berwald had always known this day would come.
He'd known Lukas long enough.
Had been in unions with him before.
And had been there when the disunions inevitably came.
He'd always known this day would come, Lukas's head held high as he makes his way down the stairs and to the car. There's a young man in the backseat, Emil barely containing his grin as his brother approaches. Christen steps out from the front passenger seat, helping Lukas place his bags in the boot of the car before hugging the stiff Norwegian. He mumbles something, the Dane's eyes sweeping over the house. Berwald shifts to hide behind the curtain; not that he cares what Christen thinks, but right now he'd rather not be seen.
Christen gets back in to the car, slamming the door. The engine starts up again, disturbing a passing horse whose owner tries to soothe it.
This time Lukas sweeps the street, up and down, everywhere but the house he had just left, before he sighs, setting his shoulders, and turns around.
He loves him. He still loves him. Lukas is so beautiful and Berwald hates that the Norwegian cannot see that. Hates that Christen doesn't appreciate him the way he should be appreciated, that Emil is still too young to understand everything his brother has done for him. And when those indigo eyes sweep the house Berwald does not try to hide. Because he is so beautiful and he is so in love.
Their eyes meet, for just a moment. They're both aware of it, both wearing faces that perhaps come off as too harsh, too uncaring, for what they are truly feeling behind the masks.
He loves him. He still loves him. Lukas had told Berwald that, that he still loves him but that he needs his freedom. The Swede had understood, that if you love someone you have to let them go. He'd done that with Timo; at the time it had hurt so much but with passing years and Lukas, the pain had lessened. He could no longer be selfish with the Finn.
But as those eyes finally leave his, dropping in sadness, Berwald's heart skips a beat and he knows this is a pain that will never lessen. He wants to be selfish, wants it so much, to keep Lukas with him forever. They could go north again, hide somewhere where the sun never rises in winter and never sets in summer, watch the aurora and sit by the roaring fire. He wants that, wants it like he's never wanted anything else, like he never wanted freedom or Timo or respect.
He's wanted it for a thousand years, wanted it the longest.
And yet he stands by the window, Lukas stepping delicately into the car and pulling the door closed.
Like that he's gone, moving further and further away.
Berwald had always known it would come to this. He'd also always known he could never prepare his heart for it.