"You know…" Tino rolled his eyes.
"It's a dare! You have to answer!" Elizabeta chimed, rubbing her hands together greedily.
"Like, tall." He looked around the gym, nervously, "I dunno, pale, broad shoulders, short hair- definitely short hair." He closed his eyes, rolling them around behind his closed lids. Humming contentedly, he continued, picturing his crush and describing his features to his friend. "Sharp features, like an unconventional hotness. Oh he's kinda quiet too-"
"He?!" Elizabeta exclaimed, clapping a hand over Tino's knee and startling him from his sweet thoughts. "So let me think… Who fits this description…"
Tino smiled wryly, a soft nervous whine halting the conversation between the two. Locking his eyes with Elizabeta's, he exhaled deeply and considered his options. He could beg and plead for Elizabeta to not think about it, he could just tell her and get it over with, or he could… He didn't even know. Either way, she was going to find out and then she'd try to get them together… Which really wouldn't be so bad…
But Tino didn't know if his crush liked him back.
"I don't even know what he thinks of me, Eliza…" Tino cast his eyes down to the bleachers. Worry crept over him until he heard his friend sigh.
"Tino, who wouldn't adore you?" Elizabeta patted him on the back, smiling, "Now who is he!" She squealed, giggling and bringing Tino out of his mope.
"Ah, take a guess…" He smiled, looking to the basketball court before them. Tino's arm was still healing from the fall he took playing last week, so he'd been benched until his arm got better. Searching the court for his crush, Berwald, he was slightly disappointed to see he wasn't at school today.
"Well I've seen him before, right?"
"Yep." Dryly, Tino commented, watching Alfred play keep-away from Arthur and a sort-of longing to toss the ball with them clouded his thoughts.
"You're no fun!" Elizabeta snapped him back to their conversation as she waved, acknowledging Gilbert's fervent cries for her attention.
"You know they both like you, right?" Tino tried to turn the conversation off of whom he likes.
"Not gonna happen, Tino. Now, who could this mystery man be?" She hummed, planting her chin within the palm of her hand.
Tino whined, yet again, and refocused his attention on the court, now absolutely thankful Berwald wasn't here today.
"Please tell me it's not creepy Ivan." Elizabeta nearly whined, subtly pointing to where Ivan was, shielding himself from Natalia's too-forward advances. "Please, Tino that's just sick."
"Oh God no, never." Tino retorted, nearly bursting out in laughter.
"Phew!" Elizabeta smiled, and returned her attention to their class before them.
"Mathias? He's tall and stuff but not really quiet…" She looked to him with indifference, as if already knowing that Mathias wasn't Tino's secret crush.
"Nope." Tino repositioned himself on the hard plastic bleacher, wondering if he could get away with texting Berwald quickly before a teacher saw and took away his cell phone.
"Well I highly doubt he's Alfred… Oh my gosh. I know who it is." Elizabeta grinned and her eyes sparkled, she clapped her hands together and pursed her lips, pausing for dramatic effect.
Tino couldn't tell if he was excited or nervous, he felt jittery and his heart was racing. There was no way. No way. His palms began to sweat and a nervous smile found it's way to his face. There was no way Elizabeta could pick from the crowd. Berwald wasn't even in the crowd.
"Ludwig." Elizabeta pumped her fist, as if confirming her guess, "He's it, tall, broad-shouldered, short hair, quiet, pale…" Suddenly, her face fell and her excitement ceased, "Oh. Now I know what you mean about not knowing if he likes you back, Ludwig is totally in love with Feliciano…"
"N-no! Eliza! I don't like-like Ludwig!" Tino whispered harshly, nudging her with his shoulder, trying to emphasize his reaction of her guess. "It's not Ludwig." He mumbled, feeling his cheeks heat and grinding the rubber of the soles of his shoes together, imagining Elizabeta saying, 'Berwald?! He's totally in love with you!'
"Well you're definitely thinking of him, whoever he is, Tino you're too cute!" She bounced lightly on her seat, smiling gleefully and not at all deterred by her consecutive wrong guesses. "Who could he be…"
Tino only smiled at Elizabeta, looking past her at the heavy metal doors, wishing to see Berwald swing one of them open and walk into the gym. Sighing heavily, he returned his attention to Elizabeta, who was waving someone over to them. Before he had time to look, he noticed the door he was just looking at swing open, and he swear his heart stopped when he saw a tall, lean shadow pass through it's pillars.
Leaning forward slightly, he could feel the excitement building in his gut as the mystery person's frame slipped through the doorway.
"Berwald!" Elizabeta rejoiced gleefully, successfully snapping Tino out of his trance and with only a second to spare, he noticed it was only Vash that walked through the door.
How did Elizabeta guess it? There was no way she could tell! Berwald wasn't even here today! She must be much more observant than he previously thought.
"Okay! You got it! Please, please don't tell him!" Tino pleaded, noticing Elizabeta's grin widen and gleam more with each word, with each second passing and nearing. "Please, I'm begging! I don't know if he likes me back, and I don't want to ruin anything that we have…"
"Hey." A deep, familiar voice called out from out of Tino's view. So familiar, it sounded exactly like Berwald's… Tino turned around, glancing one last time at Elizabeta's mischievously grinning face, before seeing none other than his crush, standing before him.
"Hey, Ber!" Tino nearly squeaked out. Smiling cheekily and instantly worrying that Elizabeta might say something compromising.
"Please, sit." Elizabeta gestured to the spot on the bleacher beside Tino.
Berwald nodded his head and sat beside Tino. Elizabeta grinned and said she had some business to tend to, then stood and promptly left the pair sitting next to each other.
"How's yer arm?" Berwald asked, concern weaving his brows, he looked at the black sling that held Tino's arm in constant suspension.
"Oh," Tino glanced down to his arm, happy that Berwald cared enough to ask, "It's better. I should be out of this thing in a few days…" He laughed, optimistically.
"That's good." Berwald faintly smiled, it made Tino's heart flutter.
"You were late today," Tino looked up to make eye contact with him, happy that they were sitting together so selectively "is everything okay?"
"Ja…" Berwald looked out to the court, and Tino thought that it was no more than wishful thinking that he should want to stay next to him, on the boring bleachers. "I jus' woke up late." He sighed, and returned his attention to Tino, their eyes meeting.
"I-uh," Tino took a breath, he could feel the heat coming to his cheeks and he desperately tried to control it, "you don't have to sit here with me."
"Don't wantcha to be all 'lone." Berwald nearly mumbled, picking at the hem of his gym shorts and focusing his attention on his knees.
"Well," Tino smiled and playfully nudged Berwald with his uninjured elbow, "I do enjoy your company."
Berwald simply turned to look at Tino, his cheeks and ears tinged slightly pink. "Like yer comp'ny too." Tino giggled lightly.
"You're sweet." Tino commented, mindlessly smiling. It wasn't until after he said what he did, did he realize the meaning behind his words. Shocked, he looked at Berwald, who looked stunned, his cheeks a slightly darker pink. He seemed to swallow heavily, and look questioningly into Tino's eyes. "Ah! E-erm… What I mean is, you- you're really nice, and you are patient with me and that's really nice too. So yeah, you're sweet, Berwald."
Berwald ran his fingers through his hair, his mouth slightly agape. Tino couldn't have been more nervous, what was he thinking? Now he's ruined everything with Berwald and there's no chance for him ever.
"S-so I was thinkin'," Berwald scratched the back of his head, and did a nervous double take between Tino and the court, pressing his hands together between his legs. "Prom's, uh, comin' up."
"Yeah, I don't know if I want to go." I only want to go with you. Tino replied, purposefully looking ahead and not at Berwald. After what he just said, what he just admitted to, there was no way he had enough confidence to even attempt eye contact.
"Oh." Berwald sounded as if he cut himself short. He fidgeted with his ear before cracking his knuckles on his right hand, "Was hoping I'd see you there."
"You were?" Tino turned to face Berwald, hope lining his thoughts and playing games with his heart, causing his face to grow into a smile and his cheeks to warm, his eyes to dance, and his previous insecurities to fade.
"Yeah." Berwald managed a smile, leaning his body closer to Tino's. He appeared as if he were going to say something, but stopped himself, and swayed away from him back to his previous position. He cleared his throat and cracked the knuckles on his left hand. "The couples ti'kets 're cheaper than buyin' full priced ones…" He looked forward to the court, Tino was unable to clearly see his face, "...could go togeth'r… 'Cause it's cheaper, y'know?"
Finally, Berwald turned to Tino, pressing his lips to a firm line and trying with all his might to not seem too nervous about Tino's response. Trying his hardest to not betray any emotion. Incessantly tapping his foot, Berwald exuded nervousness.
"I," Tino smiled and brushed a lock of hair behind his ear, scooting closer to Berwald with new found confidence-because he was pretty certain Berwald just asked him to prom in a goofy, adorable way, "Tha-"
" 'n maybe we can get dinner before. I can pick ya up, too." His voice sounded stressed, as if he wasn't sure of his words, but that he just needed to say them. He looked to Tino, his stoic mask completely gone, his brows furrowed, and lips formed into a worried line.
"Berwald," Tino placed his only useable hand on Berwald's thigh, "you're the only person I would want to go to prom with."
Berwald didn't say anything, only laced his fingers with Tino's, his previous foot tapping, and worried face completely slipping away.
A/N: For the past like 2-3 months I literally have not been able to write anything and actually get it somewhere close to where I wanted it to end. So I'm cautiously leaving this here in hopes that some of you will enjoy it and maybe just as a way to physically make myself publish something so I can get myself through this total mental road block.
I don't know what's wrong with me but I literally have seven or eight other stories that I started in hopes of doing what I've just done with this and now hopefully I can get them posted and hopefully then I can move back to working on my chapter stories. I mean I don't know what's wrong but my gosh I hope I can post what I wrote.
Thank you to each and every one of those who read this! Reviews feed my soul and are like chicken soup for writers block, so please review! ((muah!))
Xoxo, OurGloryDays