FINALLY! Finals are over. Back to the fluff.

I couldn't even look him in the eye. We'd since moved from Berwald's car to my living room and each took a seat on the couch, him on one side and me on the arm of the other. My guest was taking in my confession and processing it. Overall, he didn't believe me. I took the piece of paper we were using and wrote another line.

'It is true.'

That is impossible.

'It's very possible.'

…I haven't even written anything.

'You don't have to.'

At this point Berwald was starting to realize what I said was truer than he thought. He looked up at me with his brows low and calculating. Wait, you are responding to my thoughts? If you are, ummm…what number am I thinking of?

'27.' He blinked in surprise when I got it right. 'Please don't be angry.'

Why would I be angry? This is…this is amazing!

Memories of those I've told went through my head. That was the same way each of them responded at first. It meant nothing more than an initial reaction. 'It is kind of scary though. I wouldn't blame you for thinking so.'

How is that scary? It's just… A thought dawned on him and he gave me a wide-eyed look similar to the one he had when I kissed him, but with more panic. Wait, if you have been reading my mind this entire time then you've known from the start that I… I didn't even get to answer before his hands went over his face. The man often so composed and stoic was pressing himself into my couch cushions praying pitifully that they would eat him alive and save him from the awful embarrassment plaguing him at that minute. I couldn't see his face but the red pigment staining his skin was so dominating it was going down his neck while he groaned in agony. This is the most physical expression I have ever seen from him!

"Oh, Ber! Please calm down, it's not as bad as you think!" I slid off my perch so I could be next to him and tried to take his hands away. They wouldn't budge and he even leaned away from my touch.

Oh no, this is terrible! This whole time I thought I was being secretive when he knew all along! What does he think of me? I bet he thinks I'm a creep and a liar, I can't believe this!

"I don't! I…" my voice trailed off when I remembered he couldn't hear me and his eyes were covered. Berwald was blaming himself for everything from freaking me out to global warming. There wasn't anything I could say that could reach him, so I went with something else that was sure to get him to at least look at me.

"Berwald, get a hold of yourself!" I swung a leg over his and sat down with a heavy plop. He finally allowed me to take his hands away so he could stare in shock at my face suddenly inches from his as I sat on his lap in a desperate plea to be recognized. The square glasses on his nose were starting to fall down and I slid them back up into place with a finger so nothing could get in the way of him reading my lips. "Berwald, you didn't freak me out. Well…you might have at first, but I swear it is okay! If you really did bother me that much I wouldn't have let it go on this long."

"…B' why'd'it…"

"Use your head, I can understand you better that way."

…But why did you? I might as well of worn my thoughts on my sleeves and you let me think I wasn't!

Now it was my turn to be silent. My shoulders slumped a little as I tried to come up with the words I needed. "…I never thought…"

Thought what? That I would care if you were reading me like a book? That you could watch me make a fool of myself without me even knowing it? Is it funny to you?

Oh no, here it comes. The moment I was dreading. The next thing out of his head would be anger, or fear, or the pure disgust of someone as low as me. I had to tell him the truth before he could storm away. With any luck, he would listen. But I know how bad my luck usually is.

"…I never thought it would go this far. Berwald, please…understand me…I never meant for any of this to happen. But before I knew it, I was…I'm…"

What is he saying? I knew he meant that he wasn't reading my slightly quivering lips very well but it felt like something else that made my heart twist painfully.

"I love you," I mouthed. He understood that one for sure. It kind of just came out…but I didn't doubt it. I think I am coming to love him. "If it weren't for my ability I probably would have been totally freaked out and wouldn't have talked to you, but because of it I know there isn't anything scary about you!"

He…he loves me… Nothing scary…this is the first time anyone has ever said that to me. Tino, how did you not think I am creepy for being so obsessed?

"You weren't obsessed, you were hopeful and…sweet," I had to refrain from biting my lip at this point. Saying sappy stuff like this doesn't come naturally to me. "I understand you."

I don't understand you. Berwald instantly felt regret for thinking that. It isn't like he can stop himself. I'm sorry, I didn't mean that. I mean, I meant it but…I don't want you to think-

"-That you don't want to? I know you do. I know." So far so good. Berwald had calmed down and he wasn't running away just yet. He was struggling to wrap his mind around it but he wasn't about to give up. He wanted to understand which is different from the other reactions I have gotten. Berwald was different, which filled me with hope. I spoke slowly and clearly hoping to get my message across. "You have to realize that I couldn't just tell you something like this right off the bat. That isn't how things work, it shouldn't be. There are rules to the ways people interact with each other and I try my best to follow them. You would think that knowing what people are thinking would make it easy but it only makes things harder. The mind is a sacred place and I do my best to keep it that way. Do you understand now?"

Berwald couldn't decipher everything I said but he got the gist of it. A little. You confuse me so much.

"I'm sorry," I apologized. I felt his hands go to my cheeks and he cupped them gently, moving a stray lock of my blonde hair away from my eyes looking down into his.

It isn't your fault. You know, I have always been the one nobody could understand. I guess I've just felt a little out of place being on the other side of the spectrum.

I gave him a small hopeful smile. "But have you liked it?"

…It is strange…but I have.

I let out a breath I have been holding for days. There was something hot pricking at the corners of my eyes and I fought not to let it out, but it was really hard not to. It's just that I've never had this before… This is the first time I have ever told anyone my secret and they didn't run away or get weird! How would you expect me to react? When the tears forced themselves past my willpower I put my hands over Berwald's and used them to cover my face. What? I don't like people seeing me cry! It makes me feel stupid… Berwald didn't really know why I was crying and thought I was sad about something he did.

"T'no?"

"I-I'm sorry, I'm a big dumb baby and I know there isn't really anything to cry about but I can't stop and it's probably just that I haven't eaten much today or had much sleep and I'm tired so-"

"T'no, c'n't u'derst'nd yah." Oh yeah, I was still burying myself in his and my palms. I wanted to explain but I really didn't want to show my shameful face so he could read my lips. Damnit, if only my telepathy could work both ways! (On second thought, that would be terrible.)

It was about then I realized I was still on Berwald's lap which was kind of awkward, but I didn't feel like moving until I could calm down. I took slow breaths of air through warm fingers and listened to Berwald's inner ramblings while I composed myself.

Did I say something strange? I don't think I did. If I could see his face I would ask but…wait a minute, he can hear my thoughts. He's probably hearing them right now. Gosh this is weird! Uh…Tino? What is wrong? Can you tell me? I shook my head no. Berwald wasn't ready to take that as an answer. Look at me, Tino, or I'll make you look at me. He pried his hands and mine away from my face. Great, now he could see my red teary eyes and embarrassed flush clear as day! But he didn't seem to notice them. Ah, he's smiling. So he isn't sad, he's happy.

"O-of course I'm happy! I just can't believe this is real…this isn't a dream, is it?" He shook his head and smiled back at me. It was one of those rare genuine smiles I've only seen once or twice before. I loved it. "I'm so sorry for making you so worried and upset earlier, Berwald… I won't hide anything from you, okay? Can you still love me even if I'm not what you thought I was?"

Berwald shook his head then came forward and closed the distance between us. You are everything I thought you were. If anything you are even more amazing than I thought.

Never has a kiss meant so much to me. I wanted to ask how but that would mean breaking it. I knew I would know eventually, though. Berwald can't hide anything from me.

000

I would like to say things got easier after that but that would only be half the truth. On one hand it was a whole lot easier to communicate with Berwald. I didn't have to decipher his broken speech anymore and he was free to talk to me like he hasn't to anyone in a long time: in complete sentences and clarity. All I needed was his mind.

But with that came a kind of insecurity in Berwald. I could hear everything he was thinking, even the things he didn't want me to know, and it was kind of getting to him. The man didn't have the freedom of his own head anymore. Not that he ever did anyway, but now he was aware of it. I had to constantly reassure him that it wasn't about what went on in his head but what he did outside of it that I paid attention to. We all have our private thoughts. I try not to ignore them, though, because they do not make you who you are or define you in any way. It was a hard concept to grasp for others like Berwald.

"Boo," said a low voice from behind when my vision went black. I chuckled and sat back from where I was reading my book in a comfortable library rocking chair. The hands over my eyes came away and Berwald took a seat next to me. Surprise you? he signed. When in public he would do sign language so it wouldn't confuse people as to why I was talking to a silent man. I would answer as usual.

"Nope." I could hear him planning this a mile away.

Darn. Some day I will surprise you for real.

"I'll be waiting," I said with a wink. "When you do, I'll give you a reward."

Berwald's mind instantly kicked into overdrive. Reward? What kind of reward? An 'I'll pay for dinner' kind of reward or… It was when his involuntary thoughts started getting precarious that he had to remind himself that I could see everything he was picturing and he shook his head to clear them away. S-sorry, Tino…I wasn't trying to be a perv or anything, I just…Ugh, I'm an idiot.

Although the imagery made my ears burn I managed to laugh instead of get angry like he thought I was going to be. In all honesty, what he pictured wasn't even that bad. It was actually kind of charming in a way. Berwald looked at me cautiously like a guilty child. I grabbed the paper and pen I'd set on the desk in preparation for his arrival and scratched down a few words.

'Don't worry, you can't help it. I'm not mad.' Berwald isn't the only one who has a wandering mind. You would be surprised how much people think of things of that nature on the first date. His behavior was normal. Actually, no. It wasn't normal. It was downright endearing how innocent his thoughts always were about me. Even if he slipped a little and had a quick involuntary fantasy, it was never unpleasant. They range from us holding each other in the shade of a tree in the park to him slightly lifting up my shirt with a gentle hand to feel the smooth skin of my stomach as he kisses my lips. Because they were thoughts of love and not lust I could call it flattering. Of course, Berwald didn't know I had the difference mapped and was always worried about me misunderstanding him finding me attractive for something else.

He lifted his hands and signed his response. I wish I could help it, though. I don't want you to think I'm like that.

'That's the great thing: you aren't and I know it. You really don't have to worry when I can see all sides of you. There are many sides to a person and none of them define you alone.' He read my words and tentatively accepted them. I paused before adding something else below what I wrote above. He watched me scribble it down noticing the slight change in my demeanor. 'Besides, you were on the right track anyway.' This is flirting, right? I'm not very good at it but I'm learning it can be fun.

The right…track… I was bombarded with another involuntary image from the pondering one next to me. This one was a little different and picked up with us on a couch, he was straddling my legs and kissing me down my naked chest, slowly…

"N-no! No, no, no, not anything like that!" I practically yelped and shook my head furiously. Berwald stopped and shot me another apologetic look.

Your fault this time! He accused. But there was a slightly teasing quality to his inner voice. I could sense a smile in it. He did that on purpose just to see me flustered, which he thinks is embarrassingly adorable. Oh, the torture I endure just for his amusement!

"You dick," I said and stuck my tongue out. He chuckled low in his throat and his arm found itself around my waist. Berwald pulled me in and he gave me a kiss on the temple and I didn't know I could get any redder than I already was. "B-Ber! Don't do that here!" I hissed through my teeth and quickly pulled away. He let go but didn't take it personally. He knows I don't like public affection. Luckily there wasn't anyone who saw this time…not like last time he did something like that and Elizaveta was right there to drop her jaw. The thoughts from that woman when she sees us together have never been the same.

Still, I worry that it might get boring. How are you able to live with knowing my every move? Am I unable to be spontaneous like a good boyfriend? You can, but I feel terrible that I can't.

Berwald has been asking himself the same question for a week. Every day when we met in the library he would greet me in a different way. Whether producing a hot cup of coffee from his back, giving me a simple hug, or even a peck on the cheek (which I was embarrassed as hell to receive in public), his goal was the same: somehow get his motifs out of my radar. He was really worked up about it not because he didn't want me to notice but because he knew an important part of any relationship is to be impulsive. That was how he liked to be romantic and if it wasn't an option, he didn't quite know what to do.

I tried my best to explain that I was very used to it. It was natural to me therefore he had no need to worry about whether I wanted anything other than what I was adapted to. But the problem was that it wasn't natural to him.

'You do surprise me. All the time.'

I do?

'Yes.' I tapped my chin with the pen while I thought of a way to explain what is common knowledge for me. 'People plan surprises but they also don't. When someone really cares for another they don't think about it when they help or do something nice. I'm more aware than others so I pick up on the little things and they aren't so little to me.'

I see…but I still want to plan a surprise for you.

'I'm sure you can find a way.'

Shorter chapter, but hopefully filling. I think the next one is the last…