Tuesday

I urged the clock to tic faster all day, watched as the hands slowly pointed closer and closer to two o'clock. I could have sworn that it would take minutes backwards when I wasn't looking. But, finally, after serving hundreds of cups of coffee, and an ungodly amount of sweets, it was time to close up shop. I could tell that Eli knew something was up, but she did me the friendly courtesy of not mentioning it. I was quick and sloppy with my closing duties, but she let me go anyway, and I ran out shouting a goodbye over my shoulder as I attempted to pull my coat on at the same time as I was tugging on gloves.

Of course, in my rush, I had failed to remember that he had said 2:30, so there had been no point to me rushing. I still had fifteen minutes to kill. Sure enough, the street outside of the cafe was deserted. I sighed, locating my favorite blue bench a few paces to the right of the shop and sitting down. My pride wouldn't allow me to sulk back into the cafe after such a rushed exit, so I was going to brave the cold, my frozen toes be damned.

Luckily for me, Berwald knows me pretty well, and about five minutes later I could see him turning the corner. I grinned, standing up and meeting him halfway. He was bundled up almost as much as me, his coat long and royal blue. It suited him, for sure, made his eyes stand out against his pale face even more.

"Hei! You're early!" I greeted, bending down to give him a small kiss. He returned it, his hand reaching up to cup my cheek. His lips tasted pleasantly like coffee, and I had to admit that I might have to start drinking it more often.

"Ah figured ya'd rush to ge' done, so Ah came early. Looks like Ah was righ'." He said, a hint of smugness in his voice.

"Or, you know, maybe I'm just that awesome, and I got everything done super fast!" I retorted, trying to sound menacing. But I failed, and ended up laughing at myself. "Alright, joo, I rushed. But I'm excited! Like I said, I get to spend time with you AND the puppies? What more could a Finn ask for?" I exclaimed, standing back up to my full height. "Are you ready to go?" I asked, smiling. He nodded, gesturing for me to lead the way. I did, but he kept pace with me, staying at my side the whole way there.

I initiated some idle chit-chat, reminding him that I was going to be making dessert and asking what he might prefer I make. After much consideration, we came to the conclusion that some shortbread cookies would suffice. So I made sure he had all of the makings stored somewhere in his kitchen, and everything seemed in order.

The Humane Society wasn't too far from work (pretty much nothing is.) so we arrived within a few minutes. The dogs were in the outside pens, getting a bit of frosty sun time, and they began to bark with excitement when they saw us walking their way. I waved happily, trusting that they knew I was coming to walk them in a few minutes.

The receptionists seemed a bit surprised when they saw Berwald, but they were professional and kept a smile on their lips, welcoming him. I explained that he would be joining me in my volunteer duties, and they seemed to warm up to him a lot more after that. They gave him a few instructions, then decided they would leave it to me instead, and shooed us in the direction of the dog pens. I giggled, and he followed behind me obediently.

We were greeted by a chorus of barks and yips, even a howl or two. I grinned, saying hello to all of my canine friends before grabbing some leashes from the rack.

"Alright, well, the first thing I do is take them for walks." I began, hooking a few of the smaller dogs, catching an extra for Berwald as well. He raised an eyebrow.

"...All of 'em?" He asked, sounding doubtful.

"Yes, all of them! It wouldn't be very fair if I only took a few!" I reasoned, handing him the leash and leading him out of the enclosure. He followed, much like you might expect a puppy to do, still looking a bit mistrusting of my words.

About ten dogs later, he was looking significantly less doubtful, and was more incredulous as I handed him yet another pair of leashes. But he didn't complain, and the dogs were quick to fall in love with him. After our last trip, I frowned, glancing around. I was disappointed that there was no little white fluffball to be found.

"Aww, it looks like Hana got adopted, I don't see her..." I was cut off but a high-pitched yip, one that brought my attention downwards. Lo and behold, there was Hana-Whatever, running at me as fast as her pudgy little legs would carry her. Upon a second glance, I noticed she had something in her mouth, and a worker chasing behind her.

"Tino! Catch her! She has my pen!" She cried to me, and I recognized her as Elise, one of my favorite receptionists. I knelt down, grabbing the cotton ball as she tried to bolt past me. She didn't seem too worried about being caught. In fact, she wagged her entire bottom with excitement. I gave her what I hoped was a scolding look and removed the pen from her teeth. She let it go with minimal struggle, and even licked my fingers after I had taken it. Elise finally caught up and came to a halt in front of me, taking a moment to catch her breath. It seemed she had been in pursuit for a while.

"T-Thank you. She's quick! I've been after her for nearly half an hour! I don't know how she got out, but the next thing I knew, she was taking off with the pen I dropped! I mean, the pen isn't important, but I didn't want her eating it. Anyway, I better get back to the desk. Thanks again." She waved, taking the pen from my hand before she returned through the door she had come. I chuckled, using my free hand to ruffle the pup's white fur. She whined a bit, wiggling in my arm. I let her down, and watched as she took a running leap into Berwald's lap.

"...Can Ah assume this is her?" He asked, letting her sniff at his fingers.

"Yep! I'd try to introduce her, but I can't remember her name to save my life. So I guess I'll just stick with Hana. Much easier." I decided, getting down on my knees in front of him so that I could join in his petting of her.

"Hmm." He agreed, scratching her behind the ears. She leaned her whole face into, wagging her butt with joy at the attention she was getting.

"God! You are soooooo cute!" I whined, my lips pulling into a pout. "I would totally adopt you, but my apartment doesn't do pets!" Hana turned my way and growled. "I know right? Ridiculous! But rules are rules. Anyway, hope you're ready for your walk! Let's go!" I hooked a leash to her collar and transferred her back to the ground. She scuttled obediently to my side, looking up at me expectantly. I began walking, but stopped when I noticed that Berwald wasn't following. I turned to send him a questioning look.

"Uh... Ah nee' to use the bathroom." He admitted. I smiled, nodding.

"Oh, well why didn't you say so? Just go through that door, and take a left. It's at the end of the hall." I directed. He nodded, turning to head that way. "Just come back here when you're done. It shouldn't take me long to finish with Hana's walk." I turned as well, opening the gate and heading out, leading the pooch to her favorite tree from last time. Sure enough, as soon as she was near it, she squatted. Again, I averted my eyes politely, as I would hope humans would do for me were I a dog.

I walked her around a bit more, making sure she had no leftover 'business' to take care of, then headed back towards the shelter. I was a bit surprised to see that Berwald had yet to return. I guess he didn't specify what exactly he was doing in the bathroom... It wasn't any of my business anyway, so I put it from my mind, letting Hana off of her leash and grabbing the big bag of dog food.

It wasn't until I had filled all of the food bowls and replenished water that Berwald finally returned. I did my best not to mention my concern for him. After all, it probably wasn't something that he wanted to talk about. What one does in the bathroom stays in the bathroom, for the most part.

"Wha's lef' to do?" He wondered, and I shrugged.

"Well, my work went exponentially faster, thanks to you, so there isn't really anything else to do, unless you want to go and mess with that cats. If you do, you're on your own. I'd like to go home unscarred, thank you." I spat, looking at the door with disdain. I had yet to have a good experience with a cat.

"Nej, Ah'm goo'. Are ya ready to go then?" He asked. I thought it over once more, making sure I hadn't forgotten anything, then nodded.

"Yep, I think so! Bye puppies! I'll see you all Thursday! Hana," I turned to her seriously, and she paused in her attempts to catch her tail to look at me. "You be good!" I warned, pointing at her. She sneezed, then ran to jump on Berwald's lap again. "Hei! What did I just say about being good?" I demanded, wagging the same finger. Berwald wove his fingers into her curly fur, much to her enjoyment.

"Don' worry, Ah'll make sure she behaves." He promised, hooking a leash onto her little pink collar. I blinked stupidly for a good five seconds before what he was saying registered in my mind.

"W-Wait, you don't mean that you..."

He cut me off by holding up a small folder that I hadn't noticed in his lap before. I stared at it, then at him, then the dog in his lap, then back at the folder.

"You really adopted her?" I asked stupidly, for the answer was being held right in front of my face. He nodded his head regardless.

"Ah really di'." He agreed, letting her down on the ground. I stood gaping for a bit longer, then finally shook myself out of it. When I did, a huge grin found my lips.

"I love love love love LOVE you!" I exclaimed, throwing my arms around his neck, effectively smothering him with a hug. "I'm so happy! Now I don't have to worry about whether or not she found a good home! Oh my gosh, you are the best boyfriend ever!" He didn't reply, only patted my shoulder, with increasing force.

"Teeno, an' eeth." He mumbled, his words muffled by my body.

"Huh? What was that?" I asked, pulling away a bit.

"Can' breath!" He repeated, this time louder. I jumped back, releasing him on the way.

"R-Right, sorry! I'm just so excited! Oh, let's go get her food and stuff! I definitely have to visit now! Did you hear, Hana? You get to live with Berwald! I'm totally jealous..." I squealed, picking her up and cuddling her to my chest, giving her a little Eskimo kiss. She returned it with a lick to my nose. I giggled, putting her back down. Berwald waited patiently for me to be done gushing, then gestured for us to leave.

We were out the door and halfway to his house before it dawned on me.

"Hei! You didn't go to the bathroom at all!" I shouted, earning me a few stares from other people on the sidewalk. I ducked my red face away, horribly embarrassed by my outburst.

"...Ya jus' figured tha' ou'?" He asked, one eyebrow just slightly quirked.

"O-Oh hush! When your boyfriend says he's going to the bathroom, you believe him!" I snapped.

"Even when he's gone for almos' fifteen minutes?" He questioned.

"I don't know what you do in the bathroom!" I grumbled, crossing my hands over my chest. "You oughtn't lie to your significant other." I pointed out. He rolled his eye.

"Alrigh', Ah won' lie to ya again. Figure' I' was a goo' kin' of lie." He replied. I pouted for a few more seconds, then sighed.

"...It was. Thanks." I whispered, stooping down for a kiss. Lucky for me we had reached a street that we needed to cross and had stopped already. He returned it, then led me across the street. To my amazement, there was a Petco, right in front of us. "Wow... I had no idea this was even over here! Let's go!" I sped up my pace, flying through the automatic doors. Berwald wasn't far behind with Hana, who he scooped into his lap before she could wreck any havoc.

"Alright, so you're going to need food, and dog shampoo, and if you don't want her in your bed, you should probably get her a dog bed, and a tag would be good, so they can bring her back if she ever runs away. And she seems like a trouble maker, so it's probably for the best. And you might..."

He cut me off with a single gesture. I shut my mouth, then opened again, prepared to apologize for rambling again, but he apparently anticipated this, and pointed to distract me. I looked to where he was pointing, and found a row of carts. I smiled sheepishly and retrieved one.

"Um, how about you take the lead?" I suggested, and he nodded, going in the direction of the food. He contemplated a few different bags, then finally decided on a huge bag full of smaller bites; considerate of him seeing as Hana was a smaller dog with a smaller mouth. I could tell he was about to grab it, but I beat him to it, hoisting the giant bag and plopping it in the cart. He looked like he was about to protest, but I did my best to cut him off this time.

"I don't doubt your ability to lift it OR get it in the cart. But you have Hana on your lap. It's best if we don't crush her, right?"

He opened his mouth to argue, but thought better of it and closed it again. I smiled at my small victory, following him down another aisle. Here we debated about which of the several beds would best suit the little furball. I won that one, after much persistence, and placed the adorable, sky blue bed with white fuzz on the inside on top of the bag of food triumphantly. The only thing that could have possibly made the bed better would have been Moomins, and I knew that that was just a bit too wishful.

It took us about twenty minutes to locate a brush, some chew toys, bowls for her food and water, and shampoo, as well as to get an engraved tag that had not only her full name (which, as I found out from the papers was Hanatamago) but Berwald's address as well. Feeling accomplished, we checked out.

It wasn't until we had reached the point that I was returning the cart that I realised that we had a HUGE bag of food, and had come on foot. While his house wasn't too far from here, I doubted I could make it all the way back carrying that monstrosity. As much as I hated to admit to it, I wasn't made of tough enough stuff. I stood, wondering what we were going to do, when Berwald shooed Hana off of his lap, and then held his hands out.

"Here. Ya can' carry tha'. Hold her leash, and pu' tha' on mah lap." He commanded. I hesitated, but obliged, taking the leash from him and hefting the bag out of the cart.

"Are you sure? It won't hurt you?" I asked, already struggling with the weight of it.

"Ah'm sure. Now give i' to me before ya hur' yerself."

I did as I was told, putting it down as gently as I could. He didn't seem affected by it all, so I decided not to worry about it. I'd have to trust him with what he said. I grabbed the remaining bags, and we were on our way to his house. A few crossed street, a short potty break, one more corner, and we were upon his house. He let me in, and Hana followed as if she had lived there all her life. I chuckled, putting the bags I had been carrying down on the table.

"Is it alright if I let her off the leash?" I asked, and he nodded. I bent down, undoing the clasp. As soon as it was off, she dashed off, tearing through the house at top-speed. I shook my head at her amazing amount of energy, then turned back to Berwald. I pulled the heavy bag off of him, setting it down on the ground. "Still not regretting it?" I asked, and he shook his head.

"I's no' so bad. Mind helpin' me ge' everythin' ready for her?" He requested. I smiled, beginning to pull things out of the bags.

"Just tell me where you want me to put things."

So I spent the next few minutes putting things where Berwald wanted them, and eventually we ended up snuggling on the couch. I couldn't say that it was a bad way to spend an afternoon. And it got even better when a certain ball of fluff decided she was done running rampant through the house and wriggled her way into the cuddle pile. We accepted her warmly, rumpling her curly coat with our fingers, cooing at her. It seemed like she had always been a part of this though, part of us.

We lazed about for a few hours, just spending time together, but I decided to take my leave around six. I had work the next day, after all, and I didn't want to overwhelm him with my presence. I'd be seeing him the next day, after all. Of course, he offered to (read: refused to let me leave unless I said he could) walk me home, and Hana wasn't too keen on the idea of being left behind. So we all headed back out, making the short trek to my apartment. We talked about our plans for the future on the way there. Though I said them jokingly, I truly did crave the things I was telling him about. A home that actually had heating, a cute little puppy like Hana, a kid or two. I guess that's what you call the good old "American Dream" huh?

I was a bit sad to see my apartment building, but bit the two goodbye, passing around a few kisses before entering and heading up the stairs. Needless to say, it was icy cold in my apartment, and no amount of leaving the oven open after cooking my frozen pizza could warm the place up. My shower was pleasant, until I had to get out, at which point I practically froze my dripping wet ass off. I rushed to dry off and ran to bed, wrapping my shivering body in the covers.

Someday, and this I swore to myself as I shook pathetically, I would sleep every night in Berwald's warm arms, in his warm house, with a warm child to call my own. This was decided, and I wouldn't go back on it, for sure. Now just to convince him to let me move in... That would take some doing.

A/N: Sorry, pretty short and off-beat chapter. But hei, at least it's here! This was kind of a down day for them, but I hope it was at least a little fluffy, as you guys seem fond of that sugary stuff...

Well, for those of you that tried to watch the livestream... Well, I apologize that it failed epically. Like I've said pretty much everywhere, I ran tests prior to it, and it worked fine. But then... I guess the internet didn't want us to have a livestream that night. Perhaps our awesomeness would have been too much for you guys to handle? (Haha, okei, sorry, had to.) Anyway, thanks to those that stuck with us and went to the chat site! We did shoot the video afterwards, but I have some major editing to do before it goes anywhere. But I believe someday, that video will rock the world. (Ah, and nobody caught the Avatar joke, did they? Oh well, I'm a super nerd, it's true.) I'll send you guys a link when I finally get it up! Thanks for your understanding.

So, um, joo, just wanted to let you guys know, I won't be getting a lot of work done this week. My grandpa died today of Lung Cancer, so I'm going to be pretty busy with all that comes with a death. It's strange... It hasn't really hit me yet, I haven't even cried... But it's definitely coming. Trust me. I don't know when it's going to hit, but when it does, I'm doing to be out for the count for a few days. Anyway, I'm not looking for pity or anything, just some understanding; I'm going to be going through a rough patch the next week or so. I need some time to get a handle on everything and mourn. But you can trust that I'll bounce back. Trust me.

So, one more thing before I leave you to your devices. Uh, just wanted to remind you guys that there are indeed ask pages, and they feel very lonely! Nobody has been asking questions! That's how I distract myself at times like this! So if you have any questions, for Fourteen Days, NSTAC, or any of my other stories, please, feel free to ask. I know it's been a while since I last put the links to them, so here they be:

ask-nstac. deviantart (These answers will be drawn. You should check my journal here for random updates and whatnot.)

asknstac. Tumblr (These answers will be text only, for the most part.)

Okei... Well, that's all for this time. Thanks guys, and see you again! (I hope!)

KuroRiya