Berwald never regretted meeting Matthias.
But he did wish that he would stop calling him. They hadn't spoken in years, and they would never be as close as they once were. After Matthias's fifteenth? attempt, Berwald decided to humor him.
"Hello?" Berwald spoke into his cell phone.
"Hey! Ber, how's life been for ya?" Matthias spoke loudly, and his slightly abrasive voice was endearing.
"Matthias, why have you been calling me so much?" Berwald inquired - tactfully making Matthias unable to beat around the bush.
"I missed ya! Also, can I stay at your house for a few weeks? My roommate kicked me out."
Berwald sighed. With Matthias, there was always a catch.
"Sure, I guess."
Berwald never regretted meeting Matthias.
It was the last day of Berwald driving Tino to work, and this upset Tino. The Finn had pondered for hours the night before, and they had hardly come to a conclusion. It wasn't until their phone in a soft, round case began to buzz with a phone call from Feliks, that Tino came up with a plan.
"Hey Tino, like, have you heard from Eduard? I can't, like, get in touch with Toris," the Polish man went on, only to remember that Toris had accidentally left his phone at Feliks's house. As Feliks spoke, Tino realized that this was their chance.
"Hey, Feliks, I'd like to set up an appointment for tomorrow," Feliks was a manicurist; Tino had known him since Feliks was a closeted preteen in middle school, stuck with doing girls' nails during lunch and gossiping in secret.
"Oh sure! You aren't scheduled for, like, another two weeks; why the change?"
"I, uh, just wanted a new nail polish. You know how it is, right?" Tino stumbled on their words, and the ever intuitive manicurist noticed.
"Er—I gotta go! Have a good day, Feliks!"
"Okay," Feliks drew out the word suspiciously.
Berwald had really liked their routine.
Berwald knocked on Tino's door, as was tradition, and waited to hear them stumbling towards the door. Tino opened the door, and as was tradition, hugged Berwald.
"Did you put on cologne, Ber?"
Berwald blushed and answered in the affirmative. Tino sighed happily and breathed in Berwald's comforting scent. Tino was dressed in a soft, pink camisole; it was as dainty and cute as the ever delicate Finn.
"Oh sorry! I'm still in my nightclothes, Ber, let me go shower and change, so we can go," Tino stated this softly, crossing their arms to hide the small breasts beneath the thin fabric.
"Go on," Berwald mumbled, feeling the vibration of his phone in his pocket.
do you still live in the same apartment complex?
Berwald replied to Matthias, and told him to stop messaging him. He hung his head in his hands, filling himself with resolve. Resolve for what, he did not know. He heard the shower turn off, and he became a bit more comfortable on Tino's powder blue loveseat.
Berwald had really liked their routine.
After their shift at work was over, Tino stepped into their car, in which Berwald was the driver. The two sat wistfully, both disappointed that it was the last day of their arrangement. And then Tino remembered.
Berwald hardly made it to the nail salon on time, as Berwald was not the most familiar with places as these. And Tino, of course, could be of no assistance when it comes to directions. Eventually, Berwald did find the nail salon, and he decided to wait in the car while Tino had their appointment.
Their plan was nothing too grand; they merely wanted more time with Berwald. Tino stepped into the salon and was greeted by an exuberant Polish man.
Berwald sat in the car and googled the nail salon. The head manicurist was called the "Polish polisher" on the company website.
Hilarious.
Tino sat and waited for Feliks to come with a color selection. Today, however, he brought only one bottle of polish. When Tino asked why, Feliks stated that he was certain Tino would love it.
Feliks began to clean Tino's hands and asked about the "man candy" that was in the driver's seat of Tino's car. Tino blushed and said that Berwald was just a friend.
"Oh come on Tino," Feliks pushed, "I can tell you like him."
Tino blushed and countered him, "What makes you so sure of that?"
Feliks was a very intelligent person - this was evident as he explained his reasoning for believing that Tino was romantically interested in the Swedish man in the driver's seat of their car.
"To start, I figured that Berwald is, like, your substitute caregiver, correct?"
Tino nodded.
"Next, I know that Toris will be returning tomorrow. So that, like, means this'll be your last day with Berwald - perhaps you want extra time with him so that you can make a move?"
Before Tino could disagree, Feliks shushed them and began polishing their nails.
"If you like him, go for it. What are you waiting for?"
Tino pondered this. I won't have much of a chance after this, Tino thought.
"Well I'm done. Call me if you need, like, relationship advice or something," the manicurist joked.
Feliks finished Tino's nails and walked them to their car. "Thanks, Feliks."
"Anytime, sweetie. Now go get 'em."
Tino rubbed their nails, feeling the rough texture of the sequins that Feliks had decorated the clear polish with.
They reached for Berwald's hand carefully. The sun was setting. Tino's mouth was dry.
"Berwald, there's something I need to talk to you about."
