Shooting Star

Pairing: Tino Väinämöinen/Berwald Oxenstierna (Finland/Sweden)

Summary:

Berwald knew he was never one to fit in. And so, he takes on a journey without destination, without any clue of where this journey will take him. He's always thought of how useless he was; unreasonable his life was... but crossing paths with Tino changed all that...

A/N: As of the moment, this is still random fluff... actually... I don't even know if it's gonna be fluff at all...

Based from Boyzone's song: Shooting Star. If you see the lyrics, you'll pretty much know what this is all about.

Prologue.

The evening was very cold tonight, colder even than the cold ones which have just passed recently. But for Berwald, it was nothing. He didn't care.

He watched closely as some particles sparked in the fire he made. He sat close to the said fire for warmth, not because he was cold or because he felt secured with it near him. To Berwald, the heat from the fire was simply... a substitute, he supposed, for the warmth he's felt with his loved ones before; for the warmth which has been long gone, which has long left him. It was a substitute for a company he's been yearning for, a company he's never had ever since everyone left him. He thought that the pain would go away if he'd feel a little warmth— that was what he was trying to do... Sadly, it was not working. Never did.

Berwald slightly shook his head before he reached for some soil he's been putting aside to kill the fire with. Once the fire was out, he spread out his sleeping bag, lied down, greeted himself good night, and closed his eyes.

Such a lonely life... How Berwald wished there was something more to his meaningless world...

After a few minutes, or probably hours, Berwald realized he still could not fall asleep. Probably, he thought, it was because of the distant moaning he could hear— moans which were of pain and not of pleasure, he took note. He slowly stood up from his place and warily looked for where the sound was coming from. Not so far from his bivouac tonight, Berwald saw an unconscious man behind some bushes, and even though he was unconscious, his terrible wounds all over his body were probably just too painful to let him be. Berwald took a few steps closer and crouched down to check this man and thought that this could be the most beautiful person he's ever seen, save for his state at the moment. His shirt was entirely bloody, and there was a big cut by the chest, exposing his fresh open wound that seemed to be from a dagger or a sword or something long and sharp. It was a big cut.

Berwald carried this man and took him to his bivouac. He set up the fire again and took out from his bag a medical kit. He kept one because he knew wounds and diseases were inevitable.

He first took some water from the river just meters away. He removed the man's bloody shirt and cleaned his torso before disinfecting the wound, stitching it up, and covering it with bandages. The man stopped his whimpering once his wound was cleaned.

Berwald exhaled... Goodness.

...

It was a few more hours later and Berwald still could not sleep. He was sitting on a log at the moment, his eyes darting from the fire to the man in his sleeping bag, to the dark sky with twinkling stars, and then back again. He sighed inwardly. He did not even know why he still bothered. On normal circumstances, Berwald would just ignore the sounds he'd heard a while ago and would just leave. He wondered why he helped this man... Was Berwald hoping that he'll come with him once he wakes up? But he shouldn't... he shouldn't wish like this...

The blond man stirred and Berwald knew he was starting to wake up. The latter just moved his irises to the corner, but he pretty much did not move. He watched as the stranger roused to consciousness and as he sat up slowly and looked at his torso and searched probably for who helped him. He noticed Berwald right away, and Berwald noticed, too, that this man had a very afraid look on his face.

"`m not going to hurt you," Berwald mumbled as his eyes turned to the fire. He can't bear to see such scared expression directed at him, really.

"Um, you... you did this?" the stranger asked. Berwald just nodded for an answer, and in just a matter of seconds, silence was taking over again— only to be broken by the wounded man for the second time. "Thank you. I never thought someone would actually help me."

"Does it hurt?"

"What?"

"Does it still hurt?"

The man slowly shook his head. The expression on his face was also slowly changing, his lips curving upwards to a grateful smile. "I'm Tino, by the way. And you are?"

Tino. So Tino is his name. Berwald looked at Tino again, now seeing him smiling. Berwald thought he was even more angelic now...

"`m Berwald," he said. He was glad Tino was now all right, but he just could not bring himself to speak. He looked away again.

"Berwald? Well... thank you, Berwald. What are you doing out here anyway?"

"You? What're y'doing 'ere?"

So Tino explained that he was travelling and that he was attacked by bandits and everything he had was stolen, plus, the bandits even left him a remembrance. Berwald nodded, understanding it all and suddenly becoming furious of whoever those bandits were.

"Planning to go somewhere?" he asked.

"I don't really have anywhere to go to," was Tino's answer. "And without my stuff... I don't think I'll last long..."

"Y'could come with me `f y'want."

Berwald saw how Tino's eyes widened and lit up at the sound of the words, and how excited the latter has suddenly become at the invitation. And even though Berwald did not know how to smile, he knew in his heart he was sort of happy with this as well, because... oh how long has he searched for someone to be with in his journey.

"You're serious? Is it really okay?"

"Yes. `m more than glad... but... y'should rest f'r now."

Tino looked at where he was at the moment: sitting up but still on Berwald's sleeping bag. "But this is yours, right?"

"Doesn't matter. Y're wounded. Have to rest."

"But—"

"Please."

"Where will you sleep?"

"I won't. Can't."

Berwald heard the other sigh. He saw as Tino's eyes fell in disappointment and he knew right then that he might not have a choice but to...

"If I stay there with you, will you sleep?"

"Um... okay."

It could accommodate two people, anyway.

"Please rest. Good night."

...

To be continued...

* I know I have some stories I'm supposed to be taking care of right now but... to me, this is one form of writer's block. I won't be able to continue my other stories without pouring this one out...

:D