Chapter 11- Family

Tino heaved open the door as he and Berwald rushed into the café they had chosen for lunch, his light laughter filling the entranceway at something Berwald had said. It had begun to pour with rain while they were on their way out of the offices and neither of them had an umbrella. Luckily the café wasn't too far away, and Tino had held his coat over his head the entire way as a makeshift umbrella, almost running down the street at one point and Berwald had to take large strides to keep up with him.

As the pair stood dripping in the entrance way, Berwald took his glasses off and wiped them dry on the bottom of his shirt the server approached them.

"Wow this rain really came out of nowhere, huh?" she said, "Table for two?"

Tino nodded and made small talk with her as she lead them to an empty table and he and Berwald peeled off their wet coats and hung them on the backs of their chairs as they sat. After leafing through the menu and placing their orders with the server, Tino sat back in his chair and sighed in content.

That morning had gone well for a Monday, despite it being hectic. Lukas had met with Francis first thing about the Marcon signing that would take place on Wednesday and Tino had been rushed off his feet organising the itinerary for the day and communicating with the events and social media marketing team down on the 20th floor as they got the word out about the signing to make sure it would be well attended. Of course it was a very last minute decision to have a book signing as well as the interview, but Lucille was a very popular author and according to Eduard from accounts they had already sold over 100 tickets in a few hours. Tino was relieved when 12pm finally rolled around and had headed to Berwald's workshop with a spring in his step pretty much exactly as the clock struck noon. He found Berwald covered in sawdust and dressed head to toe in a blue safety suit, as he had obviously lost track of time. Tino waited patiently for him to change before they clocked out of the office for the hour.

"Well, this is nice." Tino said, smiling over to Berwald, whose hair was still quite wet and he had slicked it back with his hand to stop it dripping on his face.

Berwald nodded and poured himself and Tino a glass of water each from the pitcher in the middle of the table.

"So," Tino leaned forward, placing his elbows on the table and resting his chin in his palm, "I'm curious, why do you work for Icon?" he said, though once his words had left his lips he realised that he might be prying in something that wasn't his business and could've kicked himself for being so nosey, but Berwald just laughed a little to himself as he unfolded his napkin and laid it on his lap.

"If you're wonderin' what a boring guy like me is doing working for a fashion magazine then I can't really help ya there because I wonder the same thing sometimes."

Tino felt face heat as he hurried to correct Berwald, "No I didn't mean it like that! You're not boring, but I guess you just don't fit the uh, Icon employee stereotype?" he said, though he knew he was just digging himself into a deeper hole. He reached for his glass of water and took a long sip.

Berwald shrugged. "Neither do you. I wasn't much different from you I suppose. I finished college and needed to get out of my part time job at a home DIY store so that I could support my fam-" he quickly stopped himself, and Tino glanced at him over the rim of his glass, "so I could support myself better." He finished his sentence, avoiding Tino's gaze. "The salary is good an' I live nearby, so I didn't really see a reason to leave."

Tino wondered what Berwald was going to say before he stopped himself, but didn't think too much of it as their food arrived. The server put down Tino's sub sandwich and Berwald jacket potato and asked if they would like anything else before she left the bill on the table and took her leave. The two ate in silence for a few minutes before Berwald spoke again.

"What about you? You always been into fashion?" he asked Tino in between mouthfuls.

He felt a little flattered that Berwald thought of him to be fashionable, or at least interested in it. Usually people leaned more towards thinking of him as being unfashionable. Tino held up a hand to cover his mouth before he spoke, an autonomous habit while he was eating that he developed when he first had his braces fitted in case there was any food stuck in them.

"Not really, I studied English and Journalism at college and nothing to do with fashion, but I've always been into wearing loud colours since being a child. Luckily my parents accepted who I was from an early age. I mean it was painfully obvious that I wasn't like all the other boys anyway." Tino said and then laughed at something he remembered.

"This one time when I was about 5 or 6, I had a thing for tutu's, and we needed to go grocery shopping. I had a bright purple tutu on over my clothes and refused to take it off so my mom just let me go to the store with her like that. Lots of people commented on what a cute little girl she had as we did our shopping! But she didn't seem to care, as long as I was happy." Tino finished with a small smile.

Berwald and Tino continued to chat as they ate, and they were both nearly finished their meals when Berwald's phone began to vibrate on the table. He reached for it and glanced at the caller ID on the screen and sighed.

"I know it's rude, but do you mind if I take this?" he asked.

"Of course not!" Tino said waving a hand in dismissal, and Berwald gave him a faint smile.

"Hi honey, are ya okay?" Berwald said into his phone as he rose from the table and made his way outside for some privacy, leaving Tino alone.

Tino was surprised at how those words Berwald had said to the person on the phone had made him feel as he sat there as if a rock had been thrown at his stomach. Although it could have been anyone on the other end of the phone, but why would he call them 'honey' if they weren't his partner? This whole time Tino had just assumed that Berwald was single, and didn't really think much of it. It wasn't as though he had a crush on him as he barely knew the guy, but something about the thought that Berwald wasn't single bothered Tino a lot more than it probably should have.

Fiddling with the napkin by his plate, Tino looked around the café, trying to focus his thoughts on something else but it was no use. Why was this bothering him so much? Suddenly with a loss of appetite, Tino took his phone out of his pocket and opened the front camera and held it up so that he could see himself on the screen. Flashing his teeth at the camera, he noticed that there was a large chunk of lettuce stuck in his braces on the bottom row of his teeth. Rolling his eyes in annoyance, he busied himself by picking it out and observing his features in the image of himself on the screen in front of him. He looked into his own dull eyes, he hated that they were a muddy brown, and then noticed his mouth misshapen from the braces pressing underneath his lips, which were dry and chapped, as he further observed his face.

"Sorry 'bout that." Berwald said as he slid back into his chair opposite Tino, who fumbled to quickly lock his phone and shove it back into his pocket.

"No problem! Everything okay?" he said, smiling a little too widely at Berwald.

"Mmhm. Just got to sort something out later." Berwald nodded, then hesitated a little before speaking again, "Tino, you've got something stuck…"he trailed off, pointing to his own teeth and Tino pursed his mouth shut, now wanting nothing more than to go back to the office and bury himself in his work.

The rest of Tino's work day had passed in a haze as he threw himself into his work after he got back to the office after lunch. Berwald had insisted that he paid for both of their meals and even offered to walk back in the rain by himself to the office just to get his car and then drive back to pick Tino up so he didn't have to get wet. Tino had given in to letting Berwald get his lunch, but there was no way he was letting him make such a journey just to stop him from walking in a bit of rain. Both gestures were extremely kind, and if they had occurred before Berwald's phone call then Tino would have been elated, but now he couldn't shake the feeling that he had got way too ahead of himself. He hadn't even realised it before now, but obviously in the back of his mind somewhere he had thought that Berwald might want to get to know him as more than a friend or work colleague.

Tino kicked an empty discarded soda can away from under his feet as he walked down the street on his way home and tried to carry on walking, but his nagging good conscience stopped him as turned around to pick it up. Angrily, he tossed it into the next trash can that he walked past and inwardly scolded himself. Why didn't he just ask Berwald who was on the phone, or if he was single? Sure, it was a bit of an awkward question but it was save Tino the trouble of exhausting himself in overthinking.

Although it was only 5:30pm, the winter sky was already dark and the streetlamps had flickered to life, casting pools of light down onto Tino as he walked with his hands now firmly shoved into his pockets. The rain had stopped earlier that afternoon, leaving puddles all over the sidewalk. When he turned the corner he was happy to see the lights glowing warmly from inside his home and he felt instantly better knowing that he would be able to pour his thoughts out to his best friend.

The security light above the door to the back of the shop lit up as Tino approached and took his keys out of his pocket, his fingers numb from the cold. As he opened the door he glanced to his left and noticed that a car was parked next to Lukas's fiat that he didn't recognise. Puzzled, he stepped inside and locked the door behind him, and heard the scraping of a chair across the tiles of the kitchen above followed by a loud crash. Unzipping his coat and slipping his scarf from around his neck, Tino hurried up the back stairs and let himself into the apartment.

"I knew it would end up like this!" Lars's voice boomed through the apartment as Tino threw his coat and scarf onto the hook on the wall.

"Well I didn't ask you to buy it! I'm not being ungrateful!" Lukas shouted back.

Running down the hall and into the kitchen, Tino found Lukas and Lars stood in the kitchen. As he appeared in the doorway, Lukas turned to face him, his expression full of hurt and rage which quickly changed to surprise as he glanced between the clock on the kitchen wall and Tino stood in the doorway.

"Oh, Tino…" he said miserably, before sighing and leaning against the countertop.

"And living with a fag isn't helping you either!" Lars jeered, pointing sharply at Tino.

Tino took a step back and help up his hands, narrowing his eyes at Lars,

"Hang on a minute, who the fuck do you think you're talking to?" he said, then marched around the table to stand by Lukas.

"Lu, what's going on?" Tino demanded, but Lukas didn't say anything and just stood rigid, glaring at Lars.

Lars laughed somewhat hysterical, "I'll tell you what's goin' on, Lukas is determined to fuck up this family, and brainwash Emil too while he's at it!"

Lukas dragged his hands over his face and sighed heavily in exasperation,

"He bought me a new car, but only so he could go behind my back and offer to drive Emil to that fucking concert that he insists on going to with Leon because he technically owns the car and-" he began, his eyes locking with Tino's, but Lars interrupted him and slammed his hands down on the table in front of him, causing Lukas to flinch.

"Because I don't understand what your problem is Lukas! The kid is 17 and you still dictate whether or not he can go to a concert in the city with his friend? Just last night while we were having dinner you pulled him up for having bad manners for pointing with his knife, and a few days ago you corrected him for the way he talks? You're so stuck up that it's infuriating! You don't let the boy breathe!" Lars was red in the face and had his fists clenched tightly by his side. Lukas on the other hand was pale, and all colour had drained from his face.

"I always had suspicions that you weren't mine, Lukas… and Jesus that's confirmed by seeing who you've grown up to be." Lars continued, and Lukas just stood there without saying a word or even trying to interject, taking a lashing from Lars vicious tongue as if it didn't hurt at all.

Just as Tino was about to cut in and tear Lars a new one, the three of them turned to face the kitchen doorway as they heard a thump as something hit the floor tiles behind them. Emil was stood there with Lars's bags and coat infront of him where he'd gathered and dropped them in a pile.

"You need to leave, Lars. But first let me show you something." Emil said. Although his voice was calm, Tino could see that his small frame was visibly shaking. Whether this was from anger, frustration or anxiety Tino wasn't sure, but Emil had gone from calling Lars 'Dad' to using his name all of a sudden.

Lars looked to Lukas for a moment, who was still stood leaning against the countertop staring at Emil in a stunned silence, before shook his head muttered something under his breath while walking over to his youngest son. Emil led him into the living room and stopped by the wall by the window. He pointed to a photograph that was framed and hung on the wall along with many others.

"See this photo? This is me at my primary school graduation, the year that Mom died and you lost custody of me to Lukas." Emil said, then pointed to the next photograph, "And this one? This is me and Lukas on a camping trip in summer a couple of years ago. Tino took the photo."

He carried on across the next 6 or so photographs', describing to Lars what was depicted in the snapshot. One was a picture of Lukas by himself mid-laugh with a paper hat on his head at Christmas caught by Emil, another was Tino and Emil posing with sunglasses on at the beach, and finally a recent selfie of Emil, Lukas and Tino together at a theme park.

Then once he'd finished, Emil turned to Lars, "See how you're not in any of them, Dad?" He said, saying the word Dad as if it left a bad taste in his mouth. Tino and Lukas were hovering in the hall as Emil nodded toward them both,

"Lukas is a business owner and has kept a roof over my head and supported me for years, why aren't you proud of that?" Emil had an incredulous look on his face as he said this, looking up at his father with a sneer on his lips.

"He let you into our home after all you did to him. I know I was young, but not young enough to not realise why he would crawl into bed with me and hold me close when you were downstairs ranting and raving late at night, and not young enough not to realise that when he had a bruise on his arm it wasn't because he was clumsy…" Emil trailed off, and moved to stand by Tino and Lukas.

"Whether you like it or not, we're a family without you. Right, Big Bro?" he finished speaking and looked up at Lukas, a sincere smile now on his face as he regarded his him with an unmistakable affection. Lukas's face crumpled on the verge of tears as Emil swung his arm around him, now his turn to protect his brother.

Lukas closed his eyes for a moment, savouring Emil's embrace before they fluttered open again and he grinned,

"You know it, ya punk." He said, and ruffled Emil's mop of hair.

Lars stood in the middle of the living room, his arms dangling loosely by is sides with a look of both anger and defeat on his dishevelled features.

Tino, who wanted to scream from the top of his lungs with pride for the usually quiet and not outspoken Emil, sauntered over to grab Lars's belongings from where Emil had left them in the kitchen and dropped them at his feet.

"Well, shall I call you a taxi then?" he said, the words rolling overly sweet off his tongue.

After Lars had left, Tino, Lukas and Emil had sat and talked for a very long time. It was rare that the three of them were serious or sincere when together, but after Lars's performance over the past two weeks it was better to get everything out in the open.

Tino told Lukas what he had heard Lars say to Emil about coming to live with him in Norway, and Lukas was furious. But when Emil explained that he hadn't even considered the offer he soon calmed down again. It took some time to get it out of him, but Emil eventually admitted that he wasn't sure what to do after he'd graduated and he was debating getting a job and taking a year out. Lukas was fine with this right away, and had said that he would support Emil with whatever it was that he wanted to do. Clearly, Emil had not expected this as he burst into tears, feeling a huge weight and the pressure he had put on himself suddenly disappear from his shoulders.

Once Emil had fallen asleep on the couch a little while later, Tino and Lukas had shared a bottle of wine between them, neither of them caring that it was only Monday night.

"Hey T?" Lukas prodded Tino in the arm, slightly merry from the wine.

"Mmm?" Tino hummed in response.

"D'ya think I'm stuck up?"

Tino was silent for a minute while he thought how to answer, and only the sound of Emil's soft snores filled the small living room.

"No, you're not stuck up, you're just proud. There's a difference." Tino said, finally, finishing the last of his glass, "And you should be. Emil loves you more than you know, and you've raised him to be the wonderful, if not slightly strange, boy that he is by yourself."

Lukas shook his head, "Not by myself, I have you. God, what a weird Trio we are, huh?" he said with a laugh.

Tino raised his empty glass to Lukas, and when Lukas raised his back, he clinked them together, "I like being a weird Trio."

A/N: Bit of an angsty chapter this one huh? I just really wanted to write some whale bros cause I loooove Emil so much.

I hope you enjoyed, please review or favorite if you can, it's nice to engage with readers!

See you next chapter x