This is the last place I want to be, Berwald Oxenstierna thought to himself. His friends, Mathias and Lukas, had dragged him to some club in downtown Helsinki. Well, it was mainly Mathias that had forced him to go. But who brought him to the place wasn't really what mattered.
At that moment, he was sitting at one of the tables, sipping a gin and tonic and waiting for his aforementioned friends to say that they were ready to leave. They'd given him a ride, which was the only reason he was still there.
The club was dimly lit, and the air was heavy with the smoke of what seemed like thousands of cigarettes. Small tables like the one Berwald was seated at were scattered around the small stage at the front, where a few people were setting up instruments and the like. At said tables, there were a few other bored looking souls like himself, but for the most part, they were empty. At the bar, people talked, laughed, drank, smoked, and had an infinitely better time than Berwald was having.
After about an hour, the idea that he could just take a taxi home struck Berwald, and he got up to find Lukas, since Mathias was probably drunk as hell, despite the fact that they hadn't been there all that long. It didn't take long for him to spot his friend, who was trying to keep Mathias in place, something which took quite a bit of effort, considering how rowdy the Dane could get when alcohol was involved.
" 'M just gonna go home," he told Lukas as he attempted to confiscate his boyfriend's drink.
"But Berrrrr, how will you get back?" Slurred a very inebriated Mathias, who must have overheard him.
"There's these things called cabs, you idiot," Lukas said, getting annoyed.
"Oh, don't be like that, Norgie," he said, calling the man by the pet name that he hated with a passion.
As Lukas snapped at him for using the nickname yet again, Berwald turned and headed for the exit, grateful that he was able to leave. Just as he neared the door, he heard a voice over the speakers.
"Hey, I'm Tino Vainamoinen, and I'm going to be singing for you guys tonight."
Curious, he turned around, and saw what had to have been an angel on the stage. He was fairly young, probably somewhere in his mid twenties. His skin was milk white and his hair was golden. But the feature that stunned Berwald most of all were his eyes. They were a striking violet color that he knew he'd never seen before, for surely he would have remembered eyes like that. Needless to say, Tino was by far the most beautiful thing he'd ever laid eyes upon. But even that couldn't have prepared him for what happened next.
The back up band started to play the first song. It was slow, dreamy, and sounded old, like something from the nineteen fifties.
And then, Tino started to sing.
"Darling
Hold me
Hold me
Hold me
And never, never, never
Let me go"
The lyrics certainly weren't anything amazing. They sounding like what you'd hear in your standard old-timey love song. But the beauty of the song itself, combined with Tino's voice was one of the most heavenly sounds Berwald had ever heard. Like a sailor hearing the song of a siren, he was utterly enchanted by the young man's performance.
"Lock my heart
Throw away the key
Fill my love with ecstasy
Bind my heart
With you warm embrace
And tell me
No one will ever take my place"
Yes, Tino Vainamoinen's singing was by far the most amazing thing he'd heard in his thirty years,
"Darling
Tell me
Tell me
Tell me
You'll never, never, never
Never, never, never..."
The music slowed, and the song came to its end. There was a smattering of applause, Berwald being one of the people who clapped the loudest. Tino smiled, said a quick 'thank you', and then the band started up the next song.
At one point during another slow number, his eyes met Berwald's, and the singer's lips curled into a small but still noticeable smile. It drove Berwald mad in the best way possible.
He stayed until the very end. By that time, even Lukas and Mathias had left, and only a few people remained in the club. He had absolutely no idea what time it was, but he didn't especially care. Part of him wanted to go and speak to him, but another part told him that no, that would just be awkward for him. He didn't even know the guy.
But that didn't change things. He still wanted to converse with him.
After a long debate with himself, he decided that yes, he was going to talk to Tino. Cautiously, he walked over to him. He was chatting with a bespectacled man who looked to be around his age. By the time Berwald reached them, the guy with the glasses was walking away.
"Bye Eduard!" Tino called after him.
"Oh, uh, hi," he said as he turned and saw Berwald standing in front of him.
Oh God. What was he going to say? He hadn't thought about that. Talking to Tino had seemed so easy in his mind, but now he wasn't so sure about that. So he said the very first thing that came to mind.
"Ah liked your singing."
"Thank you! That really means a lot to me. Most of the people actually paying attention to me were just friends of mine. But I don't think we've met before, have we?"
Berwald shook his head. "We haven't."
"It's always nice to see a new face. That doesn't happen often. What's your name?"
"Berwald. Are ya goin' t' be performing again soon?"
Tino nodded. "Mmm hmm. You know that new bar just down the street from here?"
"Yah."
"I'll be doing a set there two weeks from today. Why, do you want to hear me sing again?"
" 'Course I do. You're good."
The smaller man blushed. Berwald thought it was adorable.
"Thanks."
Neither spoke for a moment of indefinite length. Finally, Tino broke the silence.
"Well, it's pretty late. I should be getting back home. It was nice to meet you, Berwald."
He turned and started to walk away. No, no, no! He couldn't let him slip away like that!
"Wait," Berwald said, not even sure if Tino had heard him. Luckily, he had.
"Yes?"
This was it. He was probably going to get rejected and look like a freak, but it was a chance he was willing to take.
"Would... would ya like t' maybe get d-dinner? W' me, I mean."
The Finnish singer flashed Berwald another one of his stunning smiles.
"Absolutely."
I really don't know what made me write this. It was kind of a spur of the moment thing. I don't know if I like it either, Sweden and Finland both seem sorta OOC to me. The song that Tino sings in this is Never Let Me Go by Judy Bridgewater. It's a really pretty song. Anyway, thank you for reading, and don't forget to leave me a review!