Hey, hey, hey! Guess who's back?

Berwald: I got a job

Sent: 9:47

Tino: u did? omg congrats! where at?

Sent: 9:49

Berwald: Ikea. I'm a mover.

Sent: 9:51

Tino: thats awesome we will have to celebrate :)

Sent: 9:53

Berwald: Got any plans for the rest of the day?

Sent: 9:55

Tino: no

Sent: 9:56

Berwald: Come to the library today at 1

Sent: 9:58

Tino: is this a date? :)

Sent: 9:59

Berwald: Maybe…

Sent: 10:01

Yeah, it was a date. I didn't have to read his mind to know that. We've done this a few times where we meet up at the library and he takes me somewhere or (most often) I take him somewhere to hang out and have fun. Berwald is on a budget and he has a problem with making me pay for everything so we rarely do anything that involves more than buying coffee or hot chocolate from a stand at the park. I wasn't expecting much more than that for this celebratory date, but now that he has a job I can expect to be taken to a nice dinner very soon without him getting worked up about me paying the whole thing. Then I will be free to treat him, and so on and so forth. Ah, normality! Well…as close as it gets for us, anyway.

But it wasn't like I minded our low cost dates in the meantime, because they made me feel quite rich. That is, I didn't mind at all as long as it was me and Berwald in a nice quiet place away from the bustle of people and enjoying each other's presence…

Yeah, my head has been a little sappy recently. Sue me, I'm in love.

It isn't something I'm used to but I definitely like it. I find myself on my cell phone late into the night, texting back and forth with Berwald and pausing to look at the picture that shows up whenever I get his replies. His sky blue eyes stand out the most, though my camera phone is terrible quality making him seem paler than he really is. Still, it is enough for me to remember how amazing the man I am dating is.

Though his face may look stern and intimidating sometimes, I can't ever find myself scared of him when Berwald is such a teddy bear. I mean, seriously, the guy is strong enough to lift me over his head if he wanted yet every time his arm protectively comes around my shoulders or he reaches over to sweep away a lock of my hair to plant a kiss on my forehead, he couldn't be more gentle. Like he thinks he will break me. Actually, he thinks he will scare me away which is ridiculous. I meant what I said a few weeks back: there isn't anything scary about him.

I set off for the library when the time rolled close and walked to the end of my driveway and along the road. The afternoon held crisp blue skies that remind me of river ice, the memory from my childhood of such a place lingering in my mind and making me smile as I walked down the sidewalk towards town. It would be a twenty minute walk but I didn't mind. Walking was how I got places anyway, unless it was raining. It was good exercise considering my job requires me to sit at a computer screen in a dark room for most of the day.

The library was pleasantly vacant, though that was normal for the place in the middle of a Tuesday afternoon. Most people were at work or school right now. As I went in, I felt the various quieted thoughts of those reading and browsing the shelves along with the smell of paper and ink. Ah, it was good to be home.

As my feet took me past the counter I gave Elizaveta a quick hello like I always did.

"Hi Tino. How are you today?"

"In high spirits. I won't be here long." A quick mental scan of the area told me Berwald wasn't here yet. Something clicked in the librarian's head and she remembered something with a quick 'oh!' and I watched her dig around in her desk and pull something out.

"I have something for you, by the way." What she produced was a book. When my eyes inspected the title, I found it was on an old Chinese emperor. Elizaveta saw my confused look and shrugged. "Big-tall-and-scary was in here earlier and asked if I would hold it for you. I'm not sure why, he didn't say. Or maybe he did…I don't know, I can't understand him."

"Berwald was here earlier? When?"

"Not too long ago." Damnit. Did I miss him? Was my clock off? "I was surprised he wasn't with you. He just came in, grabbed this book, and handed it to me. He told me to give it to you and left." I was so busy pondering what this could mean that I nearly didn't catch it when her thoughts turned somewhere else. It was like there was a bubble inside of her and she was doing her best to contain it as she tried to appear nonchalant. "So…how are you two, by the way?"

"We are fine… Great, actually. Berwald finally found a job and we are supposed to celebrate today. But if he was here earlier than I guess I missed him…but I'm pretty sure the message said one…"

"You were going to celebrate, eh? Right here in the library?" Why do I never have a camera around when I need it?

"N-no, uh…we were going to meet up here and go somewhere," I said quickly. Maybe too quickly. Elizaveta leaned in a bit over her desk.

"I see…" Now her purring voice was starting to put me on edge. "Where do you two usually go, anyway?"

She was digging for information, though I couldn't place any reason why she would want to know. She already knew from sheer observation that Berwald and I were in a relationship. "Oh, around… To the park sometimes, movies…"

"Do tell."

"…I thought I was?"

Elizaveta rolled her eyes and tucked a lock of her long brunette hair behind an ear. "No you aren't, I want the details!" The juicy details. "Give me a little more to work with, I am trying to paint a picture in my head of you guys."

"And why would you be doing that?"

The woman stuck out her bottom lip innocently and bat her eyelashes. "Because I need to make sure my little Tino isn't getting hurt! Berwald is a…uh…strange choice for someone like you," or anyone for that matter. "You seem a little too soft for him, no offense."

I frowned at her. "On the contrary, Eli. It's him that is the soft one. If you keep judging him by how he looks then you won't be able to see how sweet he really is."

"Like how?"

"Well…" I tapped my chin and resurrected a few memories of the past few weeks that would prove my point. "When we were in the park for a picnic, it started to rain on us. Neither of us had an umbrella and the car was parked a ways away but he made sure to hold his coat over us until we got there. And another time when he was at my place I was doing something in the kitchen and he came up from behind and kissed my neck really gentle…oh, and there was this one time he-" It was about then that I suddenly came to the realization that Elizaveta wasn't just listening to my words, she was imagining them. No, this was far too detailed and discrete to be imagination. This was fantasizing. I turned red as false images of Berwald and I thoroughly soaked kissing passionately in the rain and him pinning me to a kitchen counter to lick up my neck and nibble on my earlobe went from her head directly to mine.

Hmmm… If it is like how Tino says then maybe they do look good together after all. Strong and dangerous Berwald bending over backwards for kind and caring Tino…yeah, that could work. He's the only one that Berwald allows to see his sensitive side, and Tino can somehow understand his mumbling and signing as if fate brought them together… I've got to write this down and give it to Kiku! He needs some new material.

I tried to control my body temperature and think of something to say so I wouldn't look like a stuttering idiot when I caught a glimpse of something falling out of the book in my hand. It was a small piece of paper and I bent down to pick it up, thankful for the distraction. "It looks like someone left their bookmark…" Wait, it was a small envelope. And there was a T on the top.

"That doesn't look like a bookmark," Elizaveta said with a smirk when she caught sight of it. "Go on, open it!"

I looked at both sides to see the letter T was the only marking on it and carefully lifted the top which had not been licked shut. Elizaveta watched with eyes just as curious as mine as I brought out a piece of folded paper and opened it. There was writing (Berwald's writing, duh) in the center and I instantly read the note aloud knowing my friend behind the counter would beg me if I didn't.

"Tino, can you please return this to the history section for me? I am sure you can find its place. You are a genius at finding addresses." She waited quietly, expecting me to go on, and I had to disappoint her. "That's all it says."

"How weird."

She accompanied me to the history section so we could solve this mystery and I turned down the narrow isle past rows and rows of books in all different colors and sizes, my eyes scanned the call numbers until I was in the right spot and I slowed down to find a telltale gap in the digits. I didn't have to look very long because there was something there wedged between the books right where this one was supposed to go. It was a plush toy…a Moomintroll. And under it was another white envelope.

What the heck is that thing? Isn't that one of those creatures from that children's book I had to stack over there? Ah, Tino is smiling so it can't be too bad.

"He remembered that I like Moomins!" I couldn't help but exclaim and give the toy a little squeeze. How long ago did I mention that?

"It came with another note," Elizaveta handed it to me impatiently wanting to know what it said. I took it and opened the envelope to find another piece of paper with Berwald's writing inside.

"I wish I was there to see you find him. I told him to make sure you get on the one-twenty bus. Hopefully you will get the message… Don't lose him, he is your ticket."

"D'awwww!" Elizaveta practically squealed. "How exciting! A little unorthodox, but isn't that something?" I guess Tino was right. Berwald really is a sweetheart after all! I wonder what he has in store? I really wish I could come with! Damnit, why doesn't Roddy ever do this kind of surprise thing with me?

Surprise. In an instant I realized what this was about and I internally kicked myself for taking this long to figure it out. Berwald was still trying to surprise me, and he was doing a pretty good job so far. I could only imagine what he was planning! This was…unexpectedly exciting.

Oh yeah. Bus. "Um, Eli? What time is it?"

The woman checked the time on her cell phone and her eyes widened a little. "Woah! One-ninteen! Tino, you need to get your butt out to the bus stop before they take off without you!" She grabbed my arm and before I knew it, I was being hauled to the doors. Her outburst was not very librarian-like and caused a few heads to turn, in which I turned a little pink and tried to make her calm down. But that wasn't easy when I was freaking out a little bit too.

I ran outside to see the bus was already at the stop just in front of the library and I made a run for it. Elizaveta was right behind me, and I just barely got to the doors right when they were about to close. I stepped on noting how weird I must have looked panting and holding a Moomin toy and went to my coat pockets to find some change. I wasn't expecting to come on the bus today and I really hoped I had some quarters…

I'll pay his bus fair if he doesn't-

Eliza's thoughts were cut off by another person on the bus sitting at the front. He was a rather short man with very pale blonde hair parted by a white cross barrette and a look that spoke of absolutely nothing. Why was he so familiar to me? "Take a seat," he said rather flatly. If I couldn't read minds I would have been a little ticked at how rude that was. Didn't he see me looking for my money? A little patience please! But his mind tipped me off that he was not just a random guy telling me to get my butt to my seat. This must be Tino. He is a little different than I imagined.

I looked around the bus and there were only three people there, none of them Berwald. But obviously this man knew Berwald and it doesn't take a genius to know he was part of the unfolding plot. Still, I had to act dumb so that me instantly trusting a stranger wouldn't look suspicious. "Huh? But I haven't paid yet…"

The man pointed to my Moomin. "You are Tino right?" I nodded. "Go ahead and sit down. I am supposed to get your fair." He stood up and dropped a dollar-something into the till, the bus driver nodded, and then gestured for me to sit down next to him. I gave Elizaveta a confused wave goodbye and her eyes were practically twinkling as she saw me off.

This is getting good! I'll have to interrogate Tino tomorrow and get the juicy details.

It is amazing how quickly her opinion of Berwald turned around.

The bus pulled away from the library and I took my seat next to the person who still seemed so vaguely familiar yet I am positive I have never seen him before in my life. He settled down and pulled out his cell phone to text someone, not caring enough to even spare a thought about how confused I was, and I couldn't help but fidget nervously. I know this is supposed to be a fun surprise for me planned by Berwald, but…I was starting to get uneasy. I knew I wasn't supposed to pry or ask what was going on because that would ruin all the work Berwald put into this, but I couldn't help myself and finally turned to the man at my left.

"Uh…so…who are you, exactly?"

His thumbs didn't stop tapping on the keypad and he answered my question simply. "My name is Lukas." He then gave me a sideways glance. "I've heard a lot about you from Berwald."

"Oh, you're his roommate's boyfriend!" I realized with a smile. No wonder I recognized him, I have seen vague blips of memory from Berwald featuring him and Mathias here and there. By what I remembered, Lukas is the one that doesn't annoy him.

"…Yes," Lukas replied in a mumble. I guess I said that last part a little loud and now everyone on board was sparing little looks at us. "He talks about us?"

"Yeah, a little."

Lukas went back to his cell phone and hit the send button, then put it back in his pocket and returned his cool gaze back to me. His thoughts were as impassive as his demeanor. I'm not surprised. Mathias and I are among his only friends. How come someone like this isn't afraid of him? He better not be trying to use Berwald…but something about Tino tells me he's genuine. I've always been told I was a good judge of character so I guess I can trust him. For now. "It is good to meet you, Tino. I assume you don't know where we are going?" I nodded. "Then we are in the same boat."

"Wait…you don't know where we are supposed to go either?" I blinked at him. Lukas shrugged.

"Don't ask me. I was supposed to be here to make sure you could pay your till. He said to get off at the stop with a yellow balloon on it. I don't even know where that is. Any idea why he's being so secretive about all of this? I couldn't get him to tell me what this was about for the life of me."

"No, I don't. I just know he wants to surprise me with something… You must be a really good friend to do something like this for him."

"Yup." And I lost a bet with him awhile back and owe him a favor. It really could be worse. I'm glad to finally be meeting Little Tino.

He's still calling me that! Didn't I say I would sock him in the jaw if he ever said that out loud? Well…I probably wouldn't, but at the very least I could give him a hard glare. But he would probably think it is cute because I tend to puff out my cheeks when I'm angry and he'd just chuckle and kiss me on the forehead. Berwald is a sweetheart but he can be frustrating sometimes.

Anyway, back to the moment at hand, it looked like all the stops were being pulled to make sure I was kept in the dark. I like the mystery, but…I'm used to knowing everything before hand, you know? It was kind of scary being without a clue. But I knew I shouldn't be worried because I trusted Berwald. And Lukas, too. He seemed responsible enough.

The bus went by a few stops until we neared the park. I was looking out the window fiddling with the ear of my Moomin toy when something bouncing around in the breeze ahead of us made me sit up. It was the telltale yellow balloon! I nudged Lukas and he nodded, pulled the bell, and the bus came to a gradual stop. I nearly ran into the doors before they could open and went immediately for the balloon tied to a post at the bus stop. Was there a note? A sign? Anything? …No. Just a balloon. I turned back to ask Lukas if he knew anything else but he didn't.

I took a glance around the area and let my telepathy extend, hoping to hear one familiar voice among the others. It was mostly garble from passing cars and playing children, and Lukas.

Is he okay? Tino looks kind of sick or something.

I quickly shook my head of the concentration and was about to say something when the bus pulled away from the stop and, to my relief, I saw something behind Berwald's friend. It was another balloon on the other side of the street tethered to a park bench. And behind that, another one attached to a bush leading to the park trail. Lukas turned around to see what I was smiling about and he nodded.

"Alright, looks like we are in the right place. You first."

This will either be a very cute romantic surprise, or the set up for a horror movie.

I've been working on this one off and on for weeks! School has clogged my life and done away with most of my free-time recently. It isn't so bad, though, 'cause at least the stuff I'm doing is fun. So forgive me for disappearing for awhile. (At least it wasn't a cliff hanger I left you guys on.) I was writing one or two lines here, and a few more the next day, and then another word or two a week after that…teehee. But the good news for you guys is that this is NOT the last chapter like I said it would be. Whoo!

BTW - I'd like to thank you guys again for all the reviews and love and support this story has gotten. :)