The next day was lazy. As I'd guessed, we woke earlier than we normally did, as we'd gone to sleep before it was even entirely dark out. Berwald stirred first, and woke me as he tried to get out of bed. I yawned loudly, alerting him to my wakeful state, and he offered me a smile as he leaned down to plant a kiss on my lips. We exchanged morning greetings, then he shuffled into the kitchen to make some black-drink of energy. I could smell it from the bedroom.
I could guess from his lack of loud noises that the egg hadn't hatched while we slept. Therefore, I took my time, eventually dragging myself from the bed and locating some clothes to wear for the day. It was then that I joined him in the kitchen, accepting a glass of orange juice and leaning against the counter while he made pancakes.
He gave me the first batch, stacking them on a plate and handing them to me. I fished the syrup out of the fridge, a gift from Matthew. I frowned, realising I hadn't returned the favor yet. I pondered what I could give him as a gift as I began eating. I wanted it to be something homemade, like the syrup he'd given me. He'd gone on a trip to visit his family in Canada, and had made too much syrup while there, explaining the bottle he gifted to me.
But I didn't really know how to make much besides a lunchbox. Would that do? Probably not, but it was really all I could do. Berwald sat down, having finished his own stack of pancakes. I chewed my bite before I inquired of him.
"I think I'm going to stop by Matthew's today." I announced. He looked a little worried at the news. "I won't be out long. And, trust me, that egg has a while yet. The baby will start tapping at it when it's about to come out, which it hasn't done." I explained. Berwald nodded.
"You mentioned tha'." He recalled.
"Good. So it'll be alright if I leave for a bit. I'll hurry back, promise." I offered, taking another bite.
"Alrigh'. Probably feelin' cooped up anyway." He agreed, and I smiled.
"Joo. Well, anyway, I wanted to tell you, so that you'd be expecting me. I'll make your lunch and stop it by on the way back." I said, taking my empty plate to the sink, rinsing it off so that it'd be easier to wash later.
"Okej." He replied, sucking down some more of his drink. "Ah'll be expectin' ya. Ya can stay an' eat with me, if ya wan'." He added. I smiled, nodding quickly.
"I'll pack for two then." I agreed, sitting back down next to him, offering conversation while he finished eating. I let him get dressed in peace, and he joined me for the tail end of an episode of the Moomins, then he was off, kissing me goodbye. Once he'd left, I got to work on the three lunches I had to prepare. One for Matthew, two for Berwald and I.
I made pretty much everything I knew how to, packing it all away as prettily as I could. It took me until about eleven to get it all done, and I decided that was as good a time as any to head over to Matthew's house. I checked on the egg before I left, lingering for a few minutes just to make sure there was, indeed, no tapping noises. When none came, I took my leave.
It felt like it had been ages since I'd been out and about. It was nice to feel the wind through my hair again, the fresh air filling my lungs. I walked pretty briskly, knowing I'd end up talking to Matthew for a while, and still wanting to make it in time for Berwald's break. I made it to the familiar house rather quickly this way, ringing the doorbell and hoping that Matthew would be at home.
I almost left, dejected, when he finally opened his door, peeking out before widening it and smiling at me.
"Hey, I haven't seen you in a while Tino." He called, and I offered him an apologetic grin.
"I've been... Busy. I'll tell you about it?" I suggested, and he nodded, waving me in. He led me to the living room, gesturing for me to have a seat. The first thing I did was hand him the lunch. He was clearly confused, but nodded understandingly when I explained that I was repaying him for the syrup. He promised to eat it later, not liking to eat when others weren't.
"So, what's kept you so busy?" He wondered. I smiled nervously.
"Well, um... Ber and I are having a baby soon." I replied, excitement lacing my tone. He quirked a brow, sitting back.
"I'll take that to mean that you're adopting soon." He supplied quickly, and I nodded. "That's wonderful, Tino." He said, smiling softly. I nodded eagerly.
"I can't wait! I wasn't sure if I was ready for it, but now I know I am. I'm so excited!" I gushed. Matthew laughed.
"I can tell. And as long as you feel ready, then I'm sure you two will do fine." He agreed. "Are you adopting an older child, or are you adopting a new born?" He wondered.
"A newborn." I said, quickly. He nodded again.
"Do you know the gender yet?"
"No, not yet."
"Any names picked out?"
That one made me think. Should we be picking names out? Hmm...
"No... I'll have to talk to Berwald about it." I decided. Matthew chuckled.
"It's alright not to have things entirely figured out. A lot changes when you see your baby for the first time. My parents were, originally, going to name me Winston. Thank god they changed their minds when they saw me. Alfred, my brother, was going to be Aaron. Just give it time. I'm sure you'll think of something perfect." He promised. I grinned, nodding. "You'll have to invite me over when you get everything sorted out. I'd love to meet your child."
I promised to do just that, then excused myself. I still had to make it over to Berwald's office. Matthew saw me to the door, waving as I left, promising to return the Tupperware next time we met. Then I was walking again, quickly, towards the company building. I arrived a little flustered, but on time, and they let me in, shooing me towards Berwald's desk. He smiled at me when he saw me, beckoning me over and tugging me down for a kiss. I giggled, then followed him into the break room, taking out everything I'd brought, and getting to work on eating my half.
We shared a bit of conversation, but that came to an abrupt halt when Mathias, who I recognized from the few times I'd seen him, sat down across from us.
"Mathias... Yer break isn' till later." Berwald pointed out, fixing the man with a hard stare. He didn't flinch, a grin spreading across his face.
"Elizabeta asked to trade with me. Wants to call her husband during her break, but he's working till later." He explained, shrugging as he took out a lunch of his own. Berwald looked annoyed, and I tried to sooth him by offering him half of the sandwich I was currently eating. He took it, kissing my temple. Mathias quirked a brow. "Ooh, right, I forgot that you had a boyfriend." He laughed, nodding his head towards Berwald.
"Ja, Ah do." He replied, voice very steady. Scarily steady. Berwald, definitely, didn't like Mathias.
"That's kinda surprising. He's even cute! How'd you score yourself someone so great?" He wondered. I winced. Did he realise how rude he sounded?
"Berwald is lovely." I offered, feeling a gentle squeeze on the arm, courtesy of the one in question.
"Yeah?" Mathias wondered, scrutinizing his coworker. "He seems pretty boring to me." He admitted, shrugging. "Maybe he's surprisingly good in bed or something."
"He is." I agreed. A little noise escaped Berwald's throat, and I looked up to see him very red in the face. I smiled, patting his shoulder. That didn't seem to help. Mathias cackled.
"Imagine that. I like your boyfriend." He announced, looking at Berwald. "He's got spunk, I can tell." He laughed, his brows rising and falling quickly. "And he's a looker too. Such pretty hair, and eyes. What color are they?" He wondered, looking closely. It was my turn to shy away.
"Um... Violet." I replied, nervously. He didn't seem phased, nodding.
"That's a really interesting color. You don't see it very often." He said, smiling at me again. "Sorry, you'll have to remind me of your name."
"Tino." I offered quietly. He nodded, tapping his forehead.
"I'll remember." He assured me, though I had a feeling he wouldn't. "Waldy talks about you a lot. Well, for him anyway. Makes me pretty jealous." He joked, laughing heartily. "I hear you two are expecting."
I smiled, nodding happily.
"Yes! Sometime soon." I said joyously. Berwald took my hand for a moment, squeezing my fingers.
"It must be nice to be so domesticy. The guy I'm living with won't even give me the time of day. He's pretty violent, actually. He's given me a decent smattering of bruises." He shuddered as he told us. "He's definitely my type, but he's so focused on finding someone, he doesn't even look at me. Some charity case he is." He grumbled, stabbing the last few noodles of his lunch, shoving them in his mouth. I frowned, feeling bad about his hardship.
"I'm sure he'll come to his senses soon enough. Just be there for him." I suggested. Mathias seemed surprised I'd said anything at all, but he eventually grinned.
"Thanks little guy." He said, standing up and ruffling my hair as he headed back towards the desks. "I'll do my best." He called over his shoulder.
Berwald and I were quiet for a moment in his absence, then he sighed heavily.
"Ah'm so glad Ah don' usually share a break with him." He announced. I smiled wryly.
"He doesn't seem so bad." I tried, but he only gave me an incredulous look.
"Ya haven' had to work with him for years." He groaned, and I laughed, nudging him with my shoulder.
"You ought to be nicer to him, and maybe he wouldn't annoy you so much." I pointed out.
Seemingly too soon, his break was over, and I bid him goodbye, heading back home. The egg was just as I'd left it, so I went back into the kitchen and cleaned up after myself, not having bothered when I was preparing lunch. It gave me something to do, for a little while at least. After that, I settled in for a Moomin Marathon, watching one of the DVDs that Eduard had given me. I'd already seen it a few times, but it was never enough for me.
I ended up falling asleep after about five episodes, waking to a gentle shaking. I opened my eyes, finding Berwald hovering over me, shaking my shoulder gently. When I smiled at him groggily, he shook his head.
"Mornin' sleepy." He said, sitting down in the small space left near my tummy. I giggled.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to sleep." I yawned, rolling over to lay on my side instead, making a little extra room for him. "Did you just get home?" I wondered. He nodded his head.
"Ja. Gonna make dinner, if ya wan' to sleep a little more." He offered, but I shook my head.
"No, that's alright. I've been asleep for a few hours already. Help me up?" I implored, and he rolled his eyes, standing and then taking my hands, tugging me first into a sitting position, and then into a standing one. I laughed as I nearly lost my balance, Berwald twirling me a few times as he caught me, as if to make it seem like that'd been his intention the entire time. I rather liked spinning with him, so I began singing, softly at first but louder as he got the hint and started dancing.
Dancing with Berwald was always fun. He'd clearly been trained to dance the correct way, while I was still pretty new to walking. My steps were clumsy as his were perfect, but he didn't seem to mind, smiling when I accidentally stepped on his foot or nearly lost my balance. Eventually, he decided it would be easier if he did the moving, and he lifted me, setting me back down on his feet. It went a lot smoother then, and I giggled as he maneuvered me around the furniture and into the kitchen, finally sitting me down at the island. I continued to sing to him while he cooked.
"What're ya always singin' abou'?" He asked as I trailed off, voice a little tired. I smiled.
"It depends who I'm singing to." I replied.
"What were ya singin' abou' just now?" He specified.
"How much I love you." I said, without any hesitation. He seemed a little surprised, but it quickly melted into a happy look, and he came over to steal a kiss.
"Yer wonderful." He cooed, and I chuckled.
"So are you. I owe you everything, Berwald." I realised the truth of it as I said it. "I... I wouldn't even be alive if not for you. If you hadn't fished me out... That hunter would have killed me. And even if I'd managed to escape, what kind of life would I be living? Hiding in a cavern full of Mer who hate me almost as much as the rest of the population hates them. The only one that cared was my bedmate, and it was more of a... A survival relationship. There was more to be had if we shared. But..." I paused, taking a breath. "But I love it here. I love you. I love our child. And everything is wonderful because of you." I finished.
He seemed to have forgotten about dinner, rounding the counter and pulling me into an embrace, kissing every bit of skin he could find. I nearly fell over because of the force, but managed to keep myself on the stool, kissing back when I could. He didn't pull away till the fire alarm was going off, at which point he had to start over, having thoroughly blackened what was supposed to have been our dinner. That was alright though. I loved that about him too.
A/N: I didn't want to post it till I had another written... But it's valentines day. What better way to celebrate than with some gooey SuFin? I might write a little JeanMarco oneshot or something too. The world needs more of those.
Anyway, it's a bit short, as it's only meant to serve as something of a bridge to the next chapter. We get closer and closer to the climax every time! It should be within the next two chapters, if I'm not mistaken! (I could very well be mistaken, don't hold me to it.)
Not much is going on for me today~! I've been going to school like a good girl and working hard in hopes of having some spending money for planet comicon. I'm working on a new cosplay though! I'm doing Anna from Frozen! I jumped on that bandwagon super fast, can you tell. I really tried not to like Frozen, but it was too perfect for me not to.
Speaking of, I'm still advertising Frozen Heart! That's the collaborative Frozen AU that Tora-Star and I are working on. It's only at two chapters so far, as school attacked the both of us before we had a chance to get much done. But it should be updating pretty soon. I wrote chapter two, and will be writing chapter four as soon as Tora gets chapter three up. It's a really fun project, and if you like Frozen, you'll probably like it. I mean, how perf is Tino as Anna?
Alright, happy Valentines or Singles Awareness day, whichever you celebrate or don't. If you don't celebrate anything, then happy update! I'm gonna get back to work on my Anna skirt, so see you next time!
KuroRiya
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