Still Berwald, but it will go back to Tino later in the chapter (after they hit the gas-station…) Oh, and I looked up the daylight weather patterns in Sweden in November and found that the sun sets around 3 pm, so I hope this disclaimer clears up any confusion caused later in the chapter! Enjoy! ;3
Together they ate, cheese pizza to be precise, but that's beside the point. Berwald had two major things on his mind- one that ring, that perfect ring, and two- tonight. To be completely honest, Berwald couldn't help but think of all that he had planned for the night. He couldn't help but hold back a slight grin as they ate, Peter blissfully unaware of the things that Berwald had intended to go down.
By all means, yes, Berwald was a romantic. He might not be able to tell you just what it was that he wanted to say, but he could damn well show you, and he knew that fact well. He was excellent with planning and executing meetings and presentations and the like for the leaders of his country, so why wouldn't he be good at simply showing… Expressing to Tino that he was ready to formally take the next step in their relationship? The fact of the matter is that he would be good at it, and he knew that.
"Ber… Are you okay?" Tino asked Berwald, as they sat, staring at his wife the entire time the family was eating.
"Yeah, papa, you've been really, really quiet…" Peter added, and Berwald wasn't sure if his son was hinting at something or if Peters interest was genuinely piqued.
"Mmm. Ja, I'm ok." Berwald replied, taking another monstrous bite of his pizza.
"Okay, well, seeing as how we're all almost done here, I'm going to use the restroom and I was wondering if you wouldn't mind paying?" Tino asked, still not sure of what was buzzing around in Berwald's mind. He stood from the table, taking his winter coat and folding it over his forearm. "And then after that we'll all head over to Raivis's, okay?" Tino called over his shoulder as he headed to the men's room. Berwald did a double take (or his barely noticeable flick-of-the-eyes equivalent to a double take), as his eyes settled on the object that Tino's winter coat had hidden from him this entire time… His supple ass, which rose and fell with each step that Tino took. Berwald felt his cheeks redden considerably as he swallowed his bite of pizza, raised his eyebrows slightly and felt the crust of the pizza slip through the tips of his fingers. He didn't even look to where it fell, not really caring, but mostly not wanting to miss this sight. Tino's grey skinny jeans hugged him in all the right places, and Berwald didn't wish to look away for a second. He was so ready for tonight…
Wait. Hold on. What did Tino just say? Berwald was utterly confused. He didn't sign up for this. He was supposed to go back home… Go back home and get things together, get them ready and prepared for… And then Tino goes and says "we'll all head over to Raivis's" Hold on. Stop the train.
"C'mon papa. We gotta pay and go! There's not enough time, or else we'll be late to Raivis's!" Peter whined, already standing at the register with their server ready to ring them up.
"Ja…" Berwald stood, grabbed his coat and the bag that Raivis's present was in and headed to the register.
He paid and decided not to take the remainder of the pizza home, and then father and son waited for 'mothers' return.
"Will you actually get that ring?" Peter whispered to Berwald, curious and obviously paranoid that Tino might hear. Berwald looked down at him, not meeting his eyes, but rather a forward-looking Peter, who was smiling for the oblivious Tino who was nearing them.
Tino walked over, glanced at the lady at the register, then looked to Berwald, "Are we ready to go?" He questioned, smiling with his perfectly supple lips.
"Yes! Hurry or I'll miss the party!" Peter called, hurriedly rushing Tino and grabbing the man by the hand, jostling him out the door, where the frigid air bit at his not-yet-coated torso.
"Peter- Peter please just let me put on my coat!" Tino retracted his hand from his son's and stopped his walking, stopped his walking just in front of the little window that the ring was so delicately set. Noting this Berwald's eyebrows perked and he sped his lagging pace to stand between Tino, the window, and the perfect ring.
He made it just in time, because as soon as Tino had his coat on, he looked to his left, eyeing the new shop.
"Huh. I haven't seen this place before." Tino barely glanced over the shop, buttoned up his coat, and then decided that it was time to move on, extending his hand out to hold Berwald's.
Together they walked back to the car, Tino and Peter getting in as Berwald brushed a tiny layer of frost off the front windshield. He wasn't going to say anything about driving to Raivis's, especially in front of Peter… Berwald could only think of how awkward of a conversation that would be, as he imagined it in his head.
"Berwald, honey, you have been awfully quiet since we left the restaurant…" Tino would place a delicate hand on his own cheek, taking a sidelong glance at Berwald.
"Hm." He decided he would grunt in affirmation.
"What is on your mind?" Tino would continue his questions until he got to the root of the matter, just as he did so many months ago, when the matter in question were Berwald's scars.
Berwald would grunt again, affirming that nothing was on his mind.
"Oh, but are you sure?" Tino cooed.
"No. I planned to take you home, pillage and ravish your body in every way you so desired, then, eat dinner, preferably naked and licking it off of your ivory skin, and then continue selfishly merging our bodies into one until the sun rose." If only... If only, Berwald thought.
By the time his inner-rant had calmed, and he finished clearing the windshield of its opaque outer layer, he tried to reduce his perma-scowl, and get situated into the half warm, half cool car. Peter was making requests for certain stations on the radio, Tino was denying any that spat out too many profanities, and Berwald was adjusting his glasses and eyeing his rearview mirrors before expertly pulling out of the little parking spot. They drove for about twenty minutes before the car was warm enough to begin to shed the thick winter coats.
Peter's went first, followed by Tino's, and lastly Berwald's, who had gotten Tino's help removing his jacket because he was driving. Tino placed their coats on the floor of the seat behind him, and at some point during the car ride, after Tino had opted for radio silence, did Peter pick up the jackets and make a pillow out of them, presumably falling asleep.
They still had a while to go, and the sky showed signs of another promising snow to come. Berwald tried not to think of it as he stopped at a small gas station to fill up his tank. From the outside he peered into the backseat's window, eyeing Peter, watching how his chest rose and fell, admiring how strong and healthy his son looked, when the sound of a car door opening interrupted his gas-pumping thoughts.
"Are you mad at me or something?" Tino blurted, closing the car door behind him and standing to face Berwald. "You haven't said one word this entire car ride. Nothing. You didn't even pick a side when Peter and I were arguing about the whole radio thing!"
Oh, man, was Tino cute when he was mad. His cheeks would go red, and only his cheeks. He would stand tall and straight, tensing his muscles and clenching his jaw. No, of course Berwald wasn't mad, if he were mad he'd let it be known. It was more like Berwald was intensely sexually frustrated and didn't like it when things didn't go his way.
"No, T'no." Berwald made a move to wrap an arm around Tino's waist, but Tino stepped back, blocking his advance, and silently demanded that Berwald stop lying. It was all in the eyes with his little Finnish man, and Berwald had come to learn every gesture with accuracy. "Jus'… I wan'ed ta make tonight special." He mumbled out, retracting the pump from the gas tank, happy he was wearing gloves and that he didn't have to place his hands on the nozzle.
"Special?" Tino rebutted, crossing his arms over his chest and motioning that he wanted to stop inside the convenience store attached to the gas station. Berwald locked their car, sure that Peter would be fine for a few minutes, and they headed in.
"Ja…" Berwald trailed off, not entirely wanting to elaborate because he still wanted to drink champagne and give all of those roses to Tino.
"Oh. So, you didn't really want to drive, did you…" Berwald could hear the defeat in Tino's tone. He took it upon himself to let Tino know that it was okay by coming up behind the man, and wrapping his arms around his torso, pulling the Finn's back to his chest gently before allowing his arms to drop to Tino's waist. "Guess I should have asked… I bet there are more amusing things you'd rather be doing on your day off..."
" 's fine. Like bein' with you." Berwald almost shyly commented, as he placed several pecks at the base of his wife's neck. He was glad that the shop's only apparent employee currently had his back to the couple, as he was mopping the floor.
Tino giggled. It was a sound that made Berwald's mind empty and his world feel right again.
"You know, we can just get something to drink at Eduard's house, I don't need anything in here." Tino commented, turning around in Berwald's hold and wrapping his arms around the man's neck, whispering, "I love you," before allowing their lips to join.
They walked back out to the car, Tino lightly smiling, thinking about how adorable Berwald could be when put in the 'dog house.' Tino wondered to himself, silently, as to what exactly Berwald had meant about wanting the night to be special, but decided to not delve too far into it since it made Berwald a little upset, he really wasn't in the mood for an argument today.
Tino watched as Berwald bent over slightly to open the car door for him, he watched the man's long arm extend forward, fingers slipping perfectly under the door handle, and as he was about to open the door, Tino's eyes flicked from his hand to Berwald's strong arm, watching as his muscles moved under his perfectly fitted long sleeve shirt, almost glad that they braved the cold, allowing Peter to sleep amongst their winter coats. Tino smiled lightly to himself as tainted thoughts began flowing into his mind.
Tino watched as Berwald got in the car, watched as the man's core rose and fell with each breath, revealing the slight creases between the muscles of Berwald's god-like abs. It made Tino tense and he had to bite his lip – hard - to get his mind to stop wandering. He could taste the faint irony taste of blood and decided that he was biting to hard, and he simply began sucking on his lower lip, and looking out his window.
Tino fell asleep. He was tired. He and Berwald had been up all night, and then along came Peter and the scars and the drama, and then for some strange reason Tino's internal clock decided it was a good idea to get up early that morning. So he slept, he slept until he felt a hand on his thigh, gently shaking it, and Berwald's voice calling out to him.
"T'no..." His rough voice was now reduced to nothing but a whisper, calling out to Tino in a sweet, almost torn tone, as if the Swede didn't want to wake the sleeping man either. Tino's eyes fluttered open, his violet gaze looking to the night sky around him, and then turning his head to meet Berwald's eyes. Berwald's hand removed itself from his thigh and placed itself behind his neck, his body leaning forward to plant a light kiss on the man's forehead. Tino smiled and blushed simultaneously, causing Berwald touch their noses together for a moment before kissing the tip of Tino's nose and turning off the car.
"You're going in too, Ber? Just don't frighten Eduard too much…" Tino questioned, looking to the back seat to wake Peter from his sleep.
"Ya were sleepin' so I took Peter in. Ya looke' too peaceful ta wake." He casually announced, when Tino met him with confused eyes, as to why Peter wasn't in the back seat. Berwald unbuckled his seatbelt and got out of the car, standing in front of it waiting for Tino to get out. Tino followed suit, releasing himself from the seatbelt and stepping out of the car. He met Berwald in front of the car, and together they walked up the short path to the door, their coats in hand.
While Berwald was unlocking the front door Tino turned around to look at the moon's peaceful glow on the snow, just as he did that morning and decided that today had been quite a good day, with the comment that Berwald had made of 'just wanting today to be special' all but slipping his mind.
As soon as Berwald had the door opened, little Hanatomago was yipping and dancing around the men's heels, and it dawned on Tino that he had not been let out since Peter took her out earlier that afternoon. Tino felt a little bad for making Berwald shovel the snow, and then dragging him into town, and on top of all that, drive in the hazardous and tiresome snowy-road conditions, so he slipped his coat back around his shoulders, and announced to Berwald that he would take Hana out.
"'kay." Berwald simply grunted in reply, looking as if his mind was elsewhere.
"What do you want for dinner?" Tino asked as he crossed the kitchen in order to retrieve Hana's leash.
You, Berwald was almost tempted to let that simple word slip through his lips, "Mmm somethin' hot." Was all he managed, adding emphasis on the hot aspect of his words, trying hard to enunciate it correctly, all the while not being able to banish the dirty thoughts from his mind.
"No, really?" Tino deadpanned, as he slipped out the door.
The scenery really was beautiful, and as much as Tino loved the sun and sunny days, there was always a calming feeling about the shortened winter days, and moonlit walks at only five in the evening. The moon and stars luminescence caused the tops of snow coated trees to glisten in a whole new way, making Tino feel as if he were in a winter wonderland.
Hana, still as indecisive as ever, and refusing to go in the same place she went in earlier that day, dragged Tino almost all the way over to the side of the road, a good distance between him and the house, and Tino could see the beginnings of smoke pluming out of their chimney. The night was without a single breeze, without a single cloud. There was no parallel to the silence that ate up this night, with the only sounds Tino could hear coming from his and Hana's movements.
Hana wanted to cross the street, but that was where Tino drew the line, he didn't want to have to walk that far, and tried cooing Hana into just taking care of her business. Eventually it worked, and Tino felt proud, thinking that his words actually worked, and made sense to the little fluff ball.
Tino and Hana languidly made their way back to the house, both feeling content for the peaceful night and relatively easy day. They made it to the front porch, Tino kicked some clinging snow off his boots and Hanatomago shook herself off a bit.
When Tino opened the door, a dimly lit house greeted him, and upon surveying the living room and kitchen, from his little spot right next to the door, he found quite the display. Berwald was a man full of surprises. He had steady fire lit in the fireplace, small candles lit on the coffee table in table in the living room, rose petals spread at his feet and leading into the kitchen, and oh. The kitchen. Tall, brilliantly red, long stemmed roses lay across the counters, also dotted with tiny tea-light candles, finally bringing Tino's eyes to the kitchen table, where a single rose stood, in a sing vase, with two tall white candles on each side of it.
Tino didn't know what to say. He stood there, mouth slightly agape, Hana's leash still in hand, eyes open wide. Tino could feel his mind stuttering and his cheeks heating and he could hear his heart pounding in his head, or wait, were those footsteps?
Yes.
Berwald had just entered the room, a bottle of champagne in one hand and two champagne glasses in the other. He stopped, and stared at Tino, and stood frozen in place slightly fearful that Tino might think this display was a little too much.
Tino dropped Hana's leash and the dog scurried up the stairs.
The crackling of wood burning and the sound of the men's breathing filled the room, both slightly uncertain of what to say to the other.
Okay, I just had to break this up. Personally it's hard for me to read really long chapters, and I'm sorry for the wait, it was (is) mostly the second part of this that took me so long, this was done a little while ago.
I'd like to thank everyone for all of your reviews and favorites and alerts, they mean so much and really give me motivation to write more!
Thank you to my awesome beta as usual! :D
Xoxo, OurGloryDays