Early June, 1940, Stockholm, Sweden

"So when should Berwald and I think about opening a business?" Tino asked Sigrid one morning. "I mean, we've made enough figurines to start selling some or at least display them. Should we open a stand in the next outdoor market they have?"

"That doesn't sound like a bad idea, Tino," Sigrid softly stated. "You could also advertise it in the newspaper if you'd like. I've set aside some money for you two to start up your business with when I realized you were serious, and you could use it however you'd like. I would suggest you start advertising soon, though. The season for sales will slip past you if you don't."

Tino nodded. "I'll talk to Ber about it," he said as he went back to his drawing he was doing. It was one he was doing for fun of him and Berwald reading The Little Mermaid together. That story would always hold a special meaning to him since it was the first thing the two of them had ever bonded over. He smiled down at his drawing and then up at Sigrid. "He's in his workshop out in the shed right now. I don't ever disturb him because I wouldn't want to startle him and have him accidentally lose a finger or two because of me."

"That sounds like a good plan to me," Sigrid said with a nod. She smiled a Tino's drawing. "Why do you two love that story so much? I hear you two talk about it so often that it nearly makes my head spin."

"It's because that's the first thing the two of us bonded over," Tino said. "It was the day I got here. He welcomed me by saying I could read his book of fairy tales and proceeded to tell me that it was his favorite for the same reason that it was mine." He smiled. "Berwald has such a good heart. He's a diamond in the rough that I was just lucky enough to stumble upon."

Sigrid smiled. "I'm glad that you see him as such. He really is a precious jewel. There is no mistaking that. It's just that people never give him a chance because of his tough exterior. He tends to scare people. I'm just so glad that he never scared you."

"I'll admit that I was slightly scared of him at first," Tino softly said. "But he was so kind to me that I couldn't help but be attracted to him. He always tried to soften his voice whenever speaking to me at first. He always took great care not to upset me or anything like that. He's a wonderful person. I think that's what drove me to falling in love with him."

"I'm glad that you're in love," she stated. "I've been waiting for years for Berwald to fall in love, and I'm glad that it finally happened. I don't care that it's with another man. As long as my little boy is happy, that's all that matters to me. That's all that should matter to any parent, as far as I'm concerned. As long as their child is happy, they should be allowed to love whoever they would like."

Tino smiled widely. "I'm glad you see it that way, since most people wouldn't." He kissed Sigrid's cheek happily. "You're a wonderful woman, Sigrid Oxenstierna."

"I'm glad you think so, Tino," she said, smiling. "I love you so much." She hugged him close and kissed the top of his head. "You'll always be like a son to me, especially now that you're my son's partner."

"I like the sound of that," Tino said, smiling. "I like being considered Berwald's partner. It makes me sound important. It could be taken in any way as well. Business partner, bedroom partner, who knows?"

"Bedroom partner," Sigrid laughed. "Tino, you make yourself sound so dirty!"

"What if I am?" he laughed. "You would never know."

"I wouldn't?" Sigrid laughed. "I hear you two sometimes. Although I wish that I didn't."

"Can't help what can't be helped," Tino sighed out before going back to his drawing. He smiled as he finished the shading in it. It looked just like them, and that pleased him. He almost wanted to run to the shed and show Berwald, but like he told Sigrid, he didn't want to startle the poor dear, so he left him alone.

"Is it finished?" Sigrid asked, smiling. She peeked over Tino's shoulder and gasped. "Tino, it's beautiful! I love it!"

"You really do?" Tino asked, smiling proudly. He loved it too. He was very proud of it, though he wouldn't admit it. It was his favorite drawing so far that he had done. "I want Ber to make a sculpture of it just for me if he could."

"I bet he'd make one for you if you asked him," Sigrid said, smiling. "He is very partial to you. Honestly, I think my son would do anything for you if you'd just ask him to." She sighed. "He loves you so much, Tino."

Tino smiled to himself. "And I love him, too," he admitted. "I love him more than I've ever loved another person. I want to be with him forever and never have to think of what life would be like without him." He looked up at Sigrid. "Is that what it means to be in love?"

"Why are you asking me that?" Sigrid asked.

"Because you were in love with Berwald's father," Tino answered. "You know what it's like to be in love. I know I'm only sixteen years old, but I'm pretty sure that I'm in love. A lot of people say that when you're young like me you don't truly know what love is, but I'm pretty sure I do. I'm pretty sure I found it with Berwald."

Sigrid smiled warmly at him. "I'm pretty sure you've found it as well, Tino. But only time can tell, no?"

"Yeah, you're right," Tino said, his smile widening. "Only time can truly tell, but I'm pretty sure this is love. And I'm so glad that it is. I'm certain that I wouldn't want to be in love with anyone but Berwald."

"And I know that Berwald feels the same way, Tino," Sigrid softly said. "After all, he's never shown any kind of affection for anyone but you."

"Really?" Tino asked, blinking in surprise.

Sigrid nodded, humming in confirmation. "Berwald has always been a bit standoffish, if I may. He's never shown an interest in anyone until you came along. Once you got here, he was suddenly at your beck and call. He wanted to do everything for you, even though you were perfectly capable of doing things yourself. And then whenever you were upset with him, he would just get so mad at himself. I'd watch him beat himself up over you being upset with him over something stupid like the bathroom stool, and he'd try to find ways to fix it." She smiled widely. "It's cute."

Tino blushed. "I didn't know about any of that."

"Mathias wasn't wrong when he said you changed him for the better," Sigrid softly said. "You did change him. He needed an adjustment to how he used to be. He used to be so reserved, and now he actually talks to people. That's all thanks to you, Tino. Ever since you started talking, so did he."

"Really now?" Tino asked. "I guess I didn't notice because he always talked to me."

"That's because he was always smitten with you," Sigrid said, smiling a knowing smile at Tino. "Berwald is in love with you, Tino. And I'm so happy. He couldn't have chosen a better person to fall in love with."

Tino blushed. "Thank you, Sigrid. I appreciate that." He looked down at the drawing and gazed at his drawn Berwald. It was so perfect, and Berwald was captured so perfectly.

"You know, Tino, for an extra profit, you could even draw portraits of people if they would like them," Sigrid said. "Some people like portraits as well as sculptures."

Tino thought about it. "I might do that actually. If it will help mine and Berwald's business, then I'll do it." He smiled as he thought of Berwald slaving away to make the sculptures, knowing that he could reduce the stress of that by drawing portraits to bring in extra money for them. "Yes, I'll do it, Sigrid."

Sigrid smiled. "Tino, a talent like yours comes along maybe once in a lifetime. Hold onto it and do everything that you possibly can with it. It's a gift, a gift that you can share with the world."

"The world, you say?" Tino asked, violet eyes wide. "You really mean that?"

"Who knows?" Sigrid said. "Maybe one day, the whole world will know your names. You never know what the future holds for you two."

Tino's eyes were wide with wonder. "That's true, Sigrid! I never thought of that!" He thought more about how that sounded, smiling to himself. "The whole world," he mused. Just the thought of it excited him so much that he wanted to run out to the shed and tell Berwald immediately, but he knew better than to do that. Besides, if he kept it a secret until they were being intimate, it would make everything better and more steamy between them. He shivered with delight at the thought of it.

"Are you cold, Tino?" Sigrid asked, noticing the shiver. "It is pretty cold in here, isn't it?"

Tino turned bright red, knowing that he would never admit why he shivered. "Yeah, it's a little cold," he lied, though he didn't think it was cold at all. In fact, as he thought more and more about Berwald, he began to feel more and more hot. Almost unbearably hot. He almost couldn't stand being away from Berwald at that point in time. It was nearly too much.

The front door suddenly opened and Berwald walked in. Just by the look of him, anyone could tell that he had been working hard all day. His face was red and nearly drenched in sweat as he wiped it with the towel that Sigrid immediately offered him. His blue-green gaze immediately went to Tino, who bit his lip. Whenever Berwald looked that way, Tino found him instantly irresistible.

Tino's violet eyes were wide as he jumped up from the table and ran to Berwald. His arms were instantly around him as he breathed in his scent. His lover smelled of oak wood and sweat and some sweet scent of Tino's favorite cologne of his. In other words, Berwald smelled astoundingly arousing to Tino. So arousing that Tino just wanted to take him straight to the bedroom.

Berwald was a bit surprised as he looked down at Tino. Sometimes Tino ran to Berwald, but never like this, never inhaling his scent and smiling widely the way he did just then. "Tino?" he cautiously asked. "Is everything okay?"

Tino gazed up at him through lust-filled eyes. "Everything is fine," he said. "Just fine." He ran his hand down Berwald's chest, eyes wide. "I just…"

"You just…?" Berwald asked, confused. "Tino, I'm sweaty and gross."

"But so fucking arousing at the same time," Tino whispered into his ear, standing on his toes as Berwald leaned down a little. "If you take a bath, I want you to count me in."

"Tino, you can't do that," Berwald said. "We haven't even...you know…"

"Then why not today?" Tino asked him, cocking his head to the side cutely. "It's about time anyway. We've been together for how long now? I think I'm ready for it."

Berwald's eyes widened. "Are you sure about that? I mean, I don't want to take advantage of you if you suddenly change your mind."

"As if I would change my mind," Tino whispered, eyes filled with lust. "I'll go draw the bath and wait for you." He pecked his cheek. "See you there, dear."

.

Berwald walked into the bathroom five minutes later with his and Tino's bathrobes and two towels. He smiled at Tino, who was waiting by the bathtub in his boxers. Berwald stripped down to his boxers as well as the water finished pouring into the tub. He then stopped the water, removed his boxers, and got into the bathtub.

Tino giggled and removed his as well after locking the bathroom door. He then got into the tub and sat between Berwald's legs. His smile was radiant as he turned a little so he could see Berwald and kiss him. "You're so arousing right now," he said, trying to cover his own erection between his legs with his hands. "I just think you're amazing."

"So are we just going to take a bath and then do it later?" Berwald asked.

Tino thought about it for a moment. "I could stimulate you in the tub and we could do it out of the tub where we'd have more room. Besides, I doubt water is that great of a lubricant and I feel like that would hurt." He winked at Berwald. "I found some cold cream in the cupboard in here. We could use that if you'd like."

"That could work," Berwald said, having never had sex before. He had no idea how this was going to play out. "Do you have any idea what you're doing?"

"Yeah," Tino softly said. "I've made love to someone twice before now. It was to an Estonian boy who visited on holiday…" He blushed madly. "But let's not talk about that right now. It wasn't that wonderful of an experience and I want to forget it…"

"Then we'll forget it," Berwald replied. "If it was that unpleasant then we'll never speak of it again."

Tino nodded, frowning. "It's just that I wasn't in love with him. I just wanted to know what it was like. I feel like it would be different if it was with someone you were in love with. And your mother and I were talking about it while you were in the shed. I'm in love with you."

"I'm in love with you as well, Tino," Berwald said, smiling. "I've always been in love with you, since the day I met you." He kissed Tino's cheek. "And I'm certain I'll be in love with you until the day I die. Maybe even after that, if you believe in such things."

The Finnish boy's eyes widened. "I love you, Berwald," he softly said before turning his body to embrace Berwald and kiss him. "I love you so much!"

Berwald smiled. "I love you too, Tino."

.

Tino waited patiently while Berwald dried off a little from the bath, jar of cold cream in his hand. "Are you ready?" he softly asked.

Berwald thought it over. As much as he wanted to make love to Tino so desperately, he was so tired that he could barely keep his eyes open. He reached over and grabbed his robe from the hook on the door. "Tino, how about we do that another day?" he softly asked. "I'm exhausted. As much as I would love to, I want to do that on a day that we would both remember and cherish until the day we die."

Tino nodded and put the cold cream away, breathing a sigh of relief. "You know, I was honestly hoping you would say no," he admitted. "The more I thought about it, the more I wanted to back down, thinking I wasn't completely ready."

"Oh?" Berwald asked.

"I wasn't ready when it came time to do it with Eduard," Tino admitted, "but I didn't deny him because he was on holiday and I would never see him again in a few days. So I agreed to it. Now I wish I would have saved my first time for when I was with you."

"We can pretend that it is," Berwald said. "Listen, Tino, I don't mind that I'm not your first. You're still my first, and to me, that's pretty damn special. I'm just not ready yet. And I'm incredibly tired. Perhaps we can just sleep side-by-side."

Tino blushed. "I'd like that. More than I'd like to have sex with you, Ber."

Berwald smiled. "Me too."

.

That night as they lay side-by-side, Berwald did a lot of thinking. He was in love with Tino, yes, but he wasn't exactly sure he wanted to have sex with him for awhile. He didn't mind fooling around with him, by any means, but when it came to intercourse, he just didn't exactly want that yet.

Tino was thinking about the same thing. He couldn't get Eduard, the Estonian boy, out of his head either. All he wanted to do was forget the thought of him. He wanted to forget the fact that he lost his virginity to him and move on, but things weren't that simple. He couldn't change the fact that he lost his virginity to Eduard, but he wanted to lose it again to Berwald. Though he wondered if he lost his chances with Berwald by mentioning Eduard.

Berwald burned with jealousy where that Estonian guy was concerned, but more of an angry jealousy. He had met Tino first. He was intimate with Tino first. But didn't Berwald get to have Tino in the end? That was enough for him.

"Berwald?" Tino timidly asked, rolling over to face Berwald in the small bed.

"Yes?" Berwald asked, rolling to his side to face Tino. He smiled warmly at him. Even though he wasn't wearing his glasses, he could still make out Tino's facial features, and his poor lover looked troubled. Was it because of the denial of sex earlier?

"Are you mad at me?" he softly asked.

"Why would I be mad at you?" Berwald asked, confused.

"I figured you would be angry with me because I'm not a virgin," Tino softly said. "I figured you would find me disgusting and no longer want to be with me. Am I far off?"

"You are miles away, darling," Berwald assured. "I really am tired. It's just that I'm nervous about having sex. It's just not what I want right now. I just hope that you understand that right now."

"Of course I do," his lover softly answered, looking at him. "Why didn't you just say so in the first place?"

"I just didn't know what you'd say," Berwald admitted. "I didn't want to say anything that would make you think otherwise."

"But your silence was what made me think otherwise," Tino softly said. "It bothers me when you're silent like that after I say something as serious as that."

"I will remember that," the Swedish boy said. "I'm sorry for making you worry that I was upset with you, Tino. I wasn't upset with you, though. Maybe slightly distressed, but not upset."

"What were you distressed about?" Tino asked, violet eyes wide as he scooted closer. He placed a hand over Berwald's own and smiled at him. "You can tell me."

"I was distressed over the fact that you weren't a virgin," he softly admitted. "I couldn't believe that you're my first, but I'm not yours. It was a little devastating to me, but it's okay. I'm okay with it."

"You don't seem okay with it," Tino said, frowning. "You really don't seem like it at all."

"Maybe I'm not," he said, "but I have to be or else it would only bring trouble between us. It's not you that I'm upset with. It's him, the other man. I'm glad he's not around anymore. If he was, then I don't know what I would do."

Tino yawned. "I don't know where he is anymore. I just hope to never see him again. After all, I love you. You're the only man I've ever truly loved. Please believe me when I say that."

"I will unless you were to ever prove otherwise," Berwald told him.

"And that's something that will never happen," Tino said, smiling. He kissed Berwald softly. "Goodnight, Berwald."

"Goodnight, Tino."

.

Summer, 1937, Helsinki, Finland

Eduard Von Bock smiled at Tino from across the picnic table. His smile turned to a smirk as he looked at the Swedish-speaking Finn. "So what kind of thing do you have planned for the rest of your summer?" he asked Tino, adjusting the wire-rimmed glasses that were perched on the bridge of his nose.

Tino shrugged and peered up at Eduard. "I'm not completely sure," he admitted. "I want to remember this summer forever."

"Well I have an idea to make this summer one to remember," Eduard said, smiling. "I think you may agree to it."

"What is that?" Tino asked. And before he could think straight, Eduard was kissing him. He was so overwhelmed that he went along with it. At that point, he could just go along with anything that Eduard suggested. After all, Eduard was the first boy to ever show him romantic attention.

.

Early June, 1940, Stockholm, Sweden

Tino sat up in a cold sweat, breathing heavily. He then looked all over the room, searching for the Estonian boy he would never find. His eyes landed on Berwald and his heart stopped racing as he started breathing normally.

He felt at peace for a moment. All he wanted was to be there with Berwald forever and never see Eduard again. He never wanted to be with anyone with Berwald ever again, and maybe never even have sex again after sex with Eduard. He wanted nothing more than to be happy with Berwald. Forever.