Chapter 2 - Let's get to work

On Friday the same week, Tino was going to start work with his new clients. He felt a little awkward going there, after Mr. Oxenstierna was acting weird around him. However, Tino had little choice in choosing who he worked for, hence he had no other option but to get up from his bed and start getting ready for work. He dragged himself out of the comfort and safety of his own bed, and walked slowly, tripping over his own feet, towards the bathroom. After a quick shower and a breakfast consisting of corn flakes with cold milk, he walked back to his bedroom to get dressed.

Meanwhile, Berwald was already up for two hours; he made breakfast for his family and was about to leave the house to drop his sons off to school. Desiré left few minutes before they did, as she worked a little while from where they lived and she was trying to avoid the morning traffic. At 9:30 A.M Berwald was already home, he sat down in front of the TV and turned on the first channel that came to his mind, not really caring what was on it right now anyway. All he could think of was Tino.

All of this was way too strange. A dream that happened many years ago, foretold most of his life. Tino. That was the biggest shock factor. Not only did he exist in the real life, but he was a gardener too and was exactly everything Berwald remembered about him. This couldn't have just been a normal coincidence. It couldn't have been just coincidence, right? However, a loud knock at the front door of his house prevented the Swede from thinking about it any further. Berwald haven't even felt the time flow while he was contemplating the true meaning of all this.

It was 10 A.M and Tino was behind the door. Berwald, although he had a hard time sleeping lately, hence was quite tired, got up quickly and walked up to the door, opening it fast to reveal a slightly nervous little Finn, standing in the cold with a bag, full of small gardening tools.

"Hello" he said shyly, offering a small smile to try and calm himself down.

"H'llo" answered Berwald, moving out of the way so that Tino could come into his house.

Berwald closed the door after Tino and walked after him into the living room. He gestured for the Finn to sit down on the sofa while he went into the kitchen to make some coffee.

"Do ya like c'ffee or do ya pr'fer tea?" He asked while taking out two cups out of the cupboard.

"Coffee will be fine, thanks."

The Swede made two cups of coffee and returned to his gardener. He handed him his cup of coffee and sat down next to him. Berwald looked over at Tino from time to time, smiling at how soft the smaller man's face looked. How delicate his features were; so feminine and soft. Tino felt slight discomfort once he realized that Berwald was looking at him and the way he was doing it too. Although it was much softer and kinder than how his boyfriend looked at him. The one Tino was with always looked at him with lust and overwhelming dominance in his eves, while Berwald's gaze was soft and loving. Even though both men were probably the same hight and strength, Tino felt strangely much safer around the Swede he barely knew, rather than his own boyfriend.

Tino didn't return any of Berwald's smiles or peeks this time, he finished his coffee and got up. "Thank you, sir." Tino smiled politely, got his bag up from the floor and started walking towards the backdoor exit to the garden, aka his work place.

Berwald followed Tino, which made the Finn somewhat awkward again. "Mind sh'win' me wh't ya'll do t'day?" He asked in a tender tone.

Tino only gestured with his hand for the man to follow him and walked into the garden silently. He seemed rather melancholic today, but for a good reason too. There was something that changed in his boyfriend lately, and the small Finn was too scared to talk to him about it; maybe he'll find the courage later.

Tino walked around the garden once, Berwald following close by. The Finn showed him everything he'll do for the next three or four weeks, before there'll be nothing for him to do till early spring hits. Today Tino was going to focus mainly on cleaning the garden of all the dead plants, leaves and twigs that littered the lawn. When the smaller man finished explaining everything, Berwald just nodded and went back inside, leaving his gardener to his own work in peace and quiet.

Berwald started working in his own office, till he got bored and decided that the best thing to do now, is to go up to Peter's room and spy on Tino. Of course, the Swede didn't think that it was extremely creepy to do so, hence after making a cup of Lady Gray tea, he sat by the window and watch Tino work around the garden. After about twenty minutes or so, the Finn noticed the blond man sitting by the window staring at him. Tino didn't look at him directly, he just pretended he didn't notice at all and carried on picking up the twigs and such from the lawn, trying to stay as calm as he possibly could.

"He's a psychopath... He'll rape me one day, then kill me and burry me in his garden..." He thought to himself as he fought with his mind not to get the fuck out of here. "Or he'll kill me first then fuck my corps and bury me... Or not bury me, but cut me into pieces and make me into a meal and serve me to his family or something!" Tino was trembling by now, he was close to tears and his own thoughts made him sick. He was so taken back with his thoughts of his soon-to-come death, that he did not realize the man in question was gone from his observation point, nor did he hear the footsteps behind him.

Tino screamed and fell to the ground, he had no clue as to what just happened. Was he already dead? No. It certainly didn't feel like it. Berwald came out the house with his thick hoodie and a cup of hot chocolate. He'd set the cup on the garden table, then walked up to Tino and gently put the hoodie on the smaller man's back, the long sleeves going over his shoulders.

Berwald knelt by Tino'd side and gently put his arm around the Finn's shoulder. "Are ya alright?" He asked in a worried tone. "I didn't mean to st'rtle ya." Berwald's voice get even softer and more apologetic, Tino could swear that he heard it crack slightly, as if the taller man was about to cry.

The Finn quickly forgot about all the stupid scenarios his imagination made up about ten seconds ago, as he turned his head to face the Swede. "Yeah, I'm sorry" he said sheepishly.

Tino felt almost guilty for thinking that way about someone so gentle and surprisingly fragile. Berwald really didn't look like it, but he was actually the gentlest, most fragile person ever; really cuddly too, but Tino didn't know that, yet.

Berwald helped Tino stand up and guided him to the garden table where his cup of hot chocolate awaited him. The Swede just sat silently across from Tino and smiled while looking at him drinking his thick, sweet drink. Tino surely felt much more confident and better now. He had no reason to think of his customer in such a way. Unless all this was just a trap and Tino was right about everything, or at least one of his nonsensical, made up, paranoic stories. However, before Tino got a chance to thank the man or say anything, he vanished back into the house and into his office to finish his own work.

Tino worked hard for another two hours and before he knew, his time for today was up. Most of the garden was already clean, except for a small section in the back, which he could finish next week. He packed his gardening tools and went back into the house.

"Mister Berwald?" Tino stood awkwardly in the living room.

Berwald appeared seconds later. "Ja?"

"I'll be going then. I've done my work for today, there's only a small section in the back that needs cleaning. I'll do it next week. Is that okay sir?"

"Ja, d'n't worry" he smiled softly. "And please d'n't call me m'ster or sir, it m'kes me feel old. B'rwald is fine."

Tino nodded and walked to the front door, he opened it and spun on his heel to say goodbye to his customer. "Well then, I'll see you next week, Berwald" he smiled a little.

"Ja. N'xt week" the taller man smiled kindly and watched as Tino walked out the door and to his van.

At the same moment Tino got into his van, Desiré came home. She saw the way her husband looked at their gardener and was already pissed off. "H'llo, love." Berwald said, kissing her cheek gently.

"Yeah... Hi" her tone was much colder than Ber expected and it hit him hard.

"Wh't's wr'ng?" He asked confused.

She slammed the front door behinds her and walked angrily into the living room, leaving a wet, muddy trail behind her. "Why the fuck do you keep looking at him that way?!"

Berwald sighed. Not only did he mop the floor earlier today, but he knew exactly where this was going. About ten minutes later and the Swede was perfectly right about his prediction, this will be another day of heavy, silent, thick tension between them. And another cold and uncomfortable night for him on the sofa.


~Author Notes

First of all, thank you all for following/favoriting/reviewing on the first chapter. It gave me a tone of encouragement and made me think more about the story line, adding a few great things I didn't think of before.

Sorry for the two day overdue. I had some unexpected things to take care of, hence the delay. And yes, I'll be updating every two weeks.

I don't own Hetalia, but I do own this story.

Please leave a review if you're kind enough, they really help me get through my day, especially now before my second year in college start! Reviews are love!

~Alexandrite-Raven