Author's note: o3o; Damn, I'm sorry for not getting this out earlier. I've been in kind of a rut, emotionally and chronologically. Luckily, I'm on spring break and can hopefully write more and update more often. I know this is a somewhat short chapter, but it is a cliffhanger that will continue in the next ;D Again, sorry for the wait and I hope this chapter makes up for it.
Tino pressed his head against the Taxi's window, relishing in the cold chill from the glass. His body felt warmer than usual, especially around his eyes. How could Berwald do this to him? How could he have sex with Denmark? Tino felt tears well up in his eyes again. He tried his best to blink them away, only a couple sliding down his red cheeks.
"You all right?" The gruff Taxi driver asked, taking his dark green eyes off the road for just a second to stare at the blonde. Tino, somewhat startled, but still wanting to maintain his pride, shook his head. He let out a dry laugh.
"N-No. I'm fine." He lied, giving the driver a cheeky smile. The driver cocked a brow.
"Why ya cryin' then?" He asked, a red light coming up.
"Oh, my, uh, sister is getting married soon. She's moving out of country and it's a bittersweet feeling for me. Always makes my eyes water." He smiled softly. The taxi cab driver's eyes remained focused on him.
"You're a terrible liar." He finally said, the light flashing green. Tino's heart stopped.
"Excuse me?" He stuttered out.
"I can tell you're lyin'. I can see it in your pretty eyes." He said in a low voice, dark orbs flicking from the road to Tino. The Fin felt a flush rise to his cheeks. Pretty eyes?
"I….I…" He stuttered out. He gave a sigh.
"I…just found out my husband was cheating on me." Tino watched as the Taxi driver blinked and turned a corner.
"I'm sorry to hear that…Care to talk about it over a cup of coffee?" The man offered. Tino's eyebrows furrowed. How odd…It didn't sound like a bad idea though. A nice cup of coffee and someone to vent to sounded great to his broken heart.
"I…sure." He said a bit hesitantly. The cab driver gave a charming smile and made another turn, driving down a route in which Tino wasn't familiar with. He waited patiently in the back, resting his head back against the window.
Tino blinked a couple of times, yawning as he woke up from his short nap. Panic rose up within him at the unfamiliar surroundings and the new darker atmosphere. Where was he? The cogs in his brain meshed together until he began to remember. He agreed to go out for coffee with the cab diver. That's right. A nice little outing with the nice cab driver. No big deal, right? It's not like it was date or anything, not that that was considered cheating anymore. Tino stretched his arms out, letting out a small gasp of surprise as the door he was leaning on opened. He caught himself and sent the driver a cheeky look.
"I'm a little klutzy." He grinned, the driver nodding and helping the blonde out of the small car. Tino noted that it was now sometime around 8pm. He had been picked up this morning around 10am, the drive back to Helsinki being a good 14 hour drive. Good. Only 4 more hours of driving left. Tino felt the driver's hands on his side, helping him out of the cab.
"It's 'k." He grunted, making sure Tino was stably on his feet before leading him into the small café.
Tino was immediately greeted by the warm, earthy scent of fresh coffee as he entered the homey store. A soft, light glow seemed to both give the place life and made the place feel comfortable. It was lovely. He moaned lightly, suddenly reminded the of the sauna's at home he was so found of. The sauna's he and Berwald were so fond of.
Tino winced at the memory and shook his head, now noticing a warm pressure around his neck and shoulder. He looked up at the driver, blinking a couple of times in confusion. The driver gave a soft smile, one which made Tino's heart flutter, and shrugged, tightening his grip on Tino's left shoulder.
"You looked a little cold. Thought I should warm ya up." He grunted out softly, taking a step forward. Tino smiled and turned his attention to the front of him, somewhat struck by the man's word. Those words were almost exactly the same one's Berwald had said to him when they first escaped together. He felt a shiver course through his spine, making his shoulders shake and making the driver huddle closer. He unconsciously leaned into the warmth, forcing himself to forget about Berwald and focus on having a nice time. The driver ordered two plain coffee's, which Tino was fine with. He enjoyed plain over any other kind anyway. If you wanted coffee, you ordered coffee. If you wanted milk and sugar, you ordered milk and sugar. The diver led them over to an empty table, letting go of Tino and sitting down. Tino sat parallel to the man.
"I don't believe I caught your name." The blonde began, lacing his fingers and setting his chin atop the them. The man looked up, shrugging.
"Kenneth. M' name's Kenneth, but I would like ta be called Ken." He spoke, bringing the cup to his lips and sipping lightly at the fresh brew. Tino nodded, smiling. Kenneth was a nice, strong, manly name. Very fitting for a guy like Ken. Tino's eyes scanned over the man, really taking his feature's in.
He had gorgeous, forest green eyes that had a gold ring around the pupil. His skin was slightly darker than his own placid color, seeming to be tanned by the sun. Dark, almost black, locks fell just above his eyes, styled into a neatly combed looked. His large shoulders hung from his thick neck, what lay under the skin obviously being muscle, not fat. Though he couldn't tell from the shirt Ken was wearing, Tino knew that under the baggy hoodie were sculpted pecs and abs from hours at the gym. A small flush came to Tino's cheeks, forcing his mind to only think about Ken's torso and face, not what lay below.
"You 'k? You seem a bit dazed." Ken commented, quirking a brow. Tino let out a slight laugh and nodded.
"Just thinking is all." He said with a smile. Ken's broad, defined shoulders shrugged.
"Don't think I got your name either."
"Tino." He said. Ken's eyebrows furrowed for a couple of seconds before he shrugged again. Tino didn't say anything, but kept that gesture in his mind. Did Ken find his name odd?
"So, your husband left ya, huh?" He said after a few moments of silence. Tino's eye widened, the comment bringing him back to reality. They were here to talk about that. He wasn't here to oogle at Ken like some horny school girl or to worry about what the other thought of him. Tino let out a soft sigh and nodded.
"Yeah…We were on a vacation this weekend and he told me last night. I stormed out and walked for a couple of hours before I waved you down." He said. Ken nodded.
"My wife cheated on me 2 years ago." He said, taking a swig of his coffee, smacking his lips from the heat. Tino immediately gave a sympathetic look.
"I'm so sorry." He whispered, index finger tracing the rim of his otherwise untouched coffee cup. Now it all made sense. When Tino mentioned it in the cab, Ken knew he could relate, so he offered some help. It wasn't odd; It was just this guys way of helping. When he had to go through his experience, he probably had to go it alone. Tino's eyes glazed over.
"I'm sorry…" He repeated, lifting his dull violet eyes up to meet the other man's. Ken shrugged.
"Nothing no one can really do about it. We agreed in the beginning that there would be no cheating and yet there she was, fuckin' m' best friend on our couch." He added the last detail sourly. Tino winced, not even thinking of that possibility. He would be twice, no four times as mad if he found Berwald and Denmark fucking somewhere. He probably would lift and throw whatever they were doing it on. He clenched his eyes closed, trying not to think of what he would do if that was the way he found out.
"I…I…" He began, not sure what to say. What do you really say to something like that anyway? 'Oh, I'm sorry you found your wife moaning and screaming your best friend's name on your favorite couch?' Tino ignored his cynical side, eyes staring somberly at the other. He shrugged again.
"Don't need to say anything. What's done is done. It's best just to move on." He replied with a certain casualness that made Tino's stomach churn. He couldn't just move on right now without some type of closure. He still loved Berwald…
"I…I'm not so sure I can do that just yet. I…still love him and have a child with him." Tino's eyes widened at what slipped out of his lips. Peter. Their Peter. His Peter. How would he react to this? Tino hadn't even thought about his son until now. He put a hand to his forehead.
"Dear Lord. Peter…" He breathed out, startled. Ken raised an eyebrow, but didn't question it. It wasn't any of his business really. He leaned forward on his elbows, green eyes boring into Tino.
"I know it may be hard now, but you'll get over it eventually." He said in a soothing tone, reaching out to lightly caress Tino's hand. Tino stared at the larger hand rub his palm, feeling somewhat uncomfortable, but made no move to sink away from it. Ken was just trying to comfort him is all.
"And the kid. You could always get custody of 'em. No big deal. He'll learn to get over it to." He murmured. Tino felt his lips twitch upward. Ken really had a way with words, despite his gruff outward appearance. Tino's feelings of doubt and unease seemed to melt away at those words added to the soft strokes on his hand. Tears came to his eyes as he smiled softly.
"I…Thanks, Ken. It…It really means a lot." He sniffed, withdrawing one hand and wiping his eye. Ken gave a gentle smile back, removing his hand from the Blondes.
"Anytime." He smiled, leaning back into the chair. He put a hand to his chin, face tilted to the right as he stared at the growing night.
"You know…" he began, turning back to look at Tino. "It's getting late and I don't think you have any money."
Tino blinked. Now that he thought about it, he didn't. He didn't bring his wallet, considering Berwald offered to pay for anything. He gave a small smile and scratched the back of his head.
"I…guess I forgot my wallet when I stormed out." He lied a bit, wanting some of his masculinity to still be intact. Ken gave a small smile back.
"If you want, you can stay at my place and just pay me when we reach your place tomorrow." He offered. Tino almost immediately accepted. Ken had been so nice and kind towards him, how could he refuse. The only thing that kept him from agreeing so quickly was a small pang of…panic, was it? Perhaps it was a foreboding feeling? Whatever the negative feeling was, Tino pushed it aside. Ken was too nice to do anything bad. Tino nodded in agreement, Ken standing up and wrapping an arm around Tino before they both exited the café and drove off to Ken's apartment.
"Home sweet home." Ken murmured under his breath as he unlocked the door to his 4th story apartment. Tino smiled and walked into the nice sized room, eyeing everything carefully. It was somewhat messy, but nothing to be ashamed of. Everything was a nice, neutral color, giving off a pleasant home type vibe. Tino liked it. He stepped inside as Ken flicked the lights on.
"I don't have a guest bed, so the couch or floor are your options." He said, hanging his hoodie up, now officially shirtless. Tino blushed, for he had been right. Ken had a sculpted body, bronzed and muscular. He looked away to the couch. He smiled and walked over to it.
"I guess I'll take the…" He paused in mid sentence, letting his luggage fall to the ground as he remembered Ken's story. Was this the couch his wife…? His thoughts were interrupted by Ken's robust, warm, laugh. Tino practically melted at the sound, suppressing a moan. That was…
"No, that's not the couch my wife and best friend fucked on." He grinned. "I moved here after the incident. The fabric's clean." He chuckled again, watching Tino give a sigh of relief. Tino put his suitcase on the couch, grabbing some sleeping pants and a loose shirt from it. He sent Ken a glance. Ken's eyebrows rose but nodded.
"I'll be in my bedroom if you need me. Last door to the right. Bathroom's the opposite. Blankets and pillows are in the small closet near my room." He said with a shrug before disappearing down the hall. Tino smiled, changed quickly and headed off to find the blankets. This was actually very nice. He was really glad to meet someone as nice and compassionate as Ken, especially in his time of need. He would really need to thank Ken by treating him to dinner or something. Tino found the closet, pulled out a couple of fluffy blankets and pillows, heading back to set up on the couch. As he turned the lights off and pulled the covers over himself, he couldn't help but feel that ominous feeling again. His gut told him to get up and go find a hotel, but he shook it off as he rolled over.
'Nothing was going to go wrong. Nope. Not a thing. Nothing…' Tino's thoughts drifted into oblivion as his fatigued mind gave into sleep.
Tino awoke in the middle of the night, feeling something crawl on his leg. He groggily threw the covers off examining his short, pale, hairless legs. He frowned as he found nothing, pulling the covers back over him.
"Going to bed so soon?" Ken's voice rang, sending chills down his spine. Tino, wide eyed and panicked, looked up and saw Ken hovering over the back side of the couch. His green eyes had a mischievous, almost evil glint in them that broke through the darkness. Before Tino could respond, Ken hoisted himself over to the other side of the couch, grabbing Tino's side and lifting him up. Tino let out a shriek of surprise and fright, clenching his eyes closed as he felt him self bouncing with each step. He grunted and gasped as he was slammed up against a wall, Ken's hand leaving his side to hold his left shoulder against the plaster. Ken's lips were close to his ear, his hot breath sending unpleasant shiver's down Tino's frame. He yelped as he felt a tongue caress his lobe.
"You really are pretty." Ken breathed huskily, his other hand leaving Tino's side and instead moving to caress Tino's inner thigh. Tino let out a scream and tried to push away. Tears stung at his eyes as Ken proved to be stronger, holding him in place. No. This…This was not happening.
