Home Visit [Berwald]

[Timo Väinämöinen]

Timo was pleased when Berwald reached out for him, leaning into his touch a little. At least the awkwardness between them had gone now, and as Berwald stuttered like that, Timo watched him adoringly. He was so cute. Really, how had he been so scared of him? Smiling brightly at Berwald at the compliment. “You don’t have to try. I’ll try harder to make you smile!” He said, happily. That was what he did anyway, so it wouldn’t be any kind of hardship to him.

“Hmm? Don’t wake up early to make me breakfast!” Timo blushed, touched by the idea, but not wanting to steal any more of Berwald’s precious sleep away from him. “Half five is early enough to give us time to cook together.” And that sounded nice too. Domestic. Still, as his friend snuggled in, Timo did too. What was the point of pretending when they both knew that they were going to wake up curled up again? He took a breath in the darkness, and then scooted in, so that his bare legs were against Berwald’s, their noses inches from one another on the pillow. It wasn’t as close as they had been when Timo woke, but comfortably close. Just one thing was missing, but Timo was hesitant to do it. It seemed just a little too intimate, even for the naïve young man. But with their arms awkwardly between then, it seemed the most comfortable way for them to lie. He wiggled, but then slowly reached out and lightly draped his arm over Berwald’s side. There. That was better. He smiled, and then closed his eyes, relaxing along side his friend. This was nice. “Good night.”

In such a comfortable position, it didn’t take long for Timo to fall asleep again, a soft smile on his lips. He really was more comfortably than he could remember being in years, and since he was still so tired as well, it wasn’t surprising that he fell into a deep, restful sleep. He obviously needed this, and it’d probably do him a lot of good. At the very least, it was nice for him to be able to sleep next to his friend like this, and as he slept his hand curled gently into Berwald’s shirt, holding onto him as though he was scared he might leave.

[Berwald Oxenstierna]

Berwald felt a strong rush of affection for Timo sweep over him as he heard his kind words. He honestly had no idea what to say. He was terrible with words at the best of times so he considered staying silent like usual but, for some reason, he really wanted to convey to the younger man how much his words meant to him. It quickly became apparent that his vocal chords wouldn’t cooperate with him so he decided to try something else. He fleetingly brushed his hand against the other blond’s smaller one, and as he took in his bright expression, he let a tiny, warm smile curve his lips.

“Mm, ‘lright, then… Cookin’ t’geth’r sounds fun,” the older blond said as he fumbled around for his phone once more so that he could reset it to alarm at 5:30 AM instead. After getting the device sorted out, he settled himself under the covers again. Feeling Timo move in closer to him, he found it difficult to resist doing the same. He let out a soft, pleased sigh as he felt the other man’s legs lightly press against his. He had to admit to himself that this was probably too close and too intimate for friends but, in all honesty, he didn’t care. Back when they’d still been teenagers, they had woken up even closer than this several times. And he hadn’t been conscious when Timo had gotten up earlier but he was sure that, in their sleep, they’d somehow ended up curled against each other again. This was their first time doing this while they were both properly awake but did that really make things any different? Well, he did find it a bit more embarrassing this way but it still felt really, really nice.

Heartbeat quickening, Berwald blushed faintly as he felt Timo wiggle a bit before draping an arm over his side. He couldn’t deny that the small blond’s actions were slightly unexpected but they certainly weren’t unwelcome. He found that he could relax better this way and he… liked the feeling of his friend’s arm around him. He couldn’t bring himself to close his eyes yet so, with a small, fond smile on his face, he watched his friend drift off rather quickly. When he was sure that Timo had fallen asleep, he gently brushed his fringe out of his face. He took in the other man’s peaceful expression, absently thinking to himself that he couldn’t remember the last time he had felt so content. It wasn’t much longer before he fell into an easy sleep.

Hours later, the tall blond groggily blinked himself awake. It took him several moments to realize that he and Timo had edged even closer to each other in their sleep. Their legs were practically entwined now and, somehow, they had even swapped arm positions. The younger man’s arm was no longer around him because he now had his draped over his sleeping friend’s waist. He experimentally moved back half an inch and then felt more than saw the small hand that was clutching onto the front of his shirt. He blinked a few more times and finally noticed how close Timo’s face was to his. He would’ve blushed if he wasn’t so charmed by the small blond’s expression. Cute, he thought to himself dazedly. He unintentionally stayed like that until, a few minutes later, his phone started ringing. He jolted slightly, quickly using his free hand to grope around under his pillow for the gadget. He hurriedly stopped the alarm before it was able to fully rouse Timo from sleep. He didn't want the other man waking up to noise.

Berwald carefully moved his arm from around the younger blond’s waist to his face. He lightly brushed away strands of hair that had fallen onto the other man’s cheeks. “Timo,” he said gently, his voice a little raspy with sleep. “Timo, s’time ta wake up.”

[Timo Väinämöinen]

There. Timo blushed as he watched Berwald smile, resisting the urge to reach up to touch his cheeks. He really was handsome. Whatever girl he ended up with would be a lucky one, and he felt a touch of sadness at that. Hopefully he wouldn’t loose Berwald when he did fall in love, but in any case he’d just have to enjoy his company while he had it. He was pleased that Berwald gave into him as well, he didn’t want to have another fight so soon after their first. It was bad enough that Timo had already woken him from his sleep, he wouldn’t have been able to stand Berwald waking up early in order to cook for him as well.

It was nice not to feel Berwald tense or flinch as he wrapped his arm around him – in fact, the reverse, Berwald relaxed, and that helped Timo to settle as well. Maybe it wasn’t so bad being this small, Timo thought sleepily, as he seemed to tuck into Berwald just right. It was that thought that caused the content smile to form on his lips as he drifted off, almost immediately curling in a little more to Berwald’s warm form. There was no doubt that once again they’d wake up curled in close.

Settled and warm in Berwald’s arms, Timo looked a little more rested, even though he hadn’t woken yet, and was more relaxed in Berwald’s arms. It was no doubt that he’d needed the sleep, and hopefully now he’d have the energy to carry forwards. He made a sleepy noise as the alarm went off, caused more by Berwald’s sudden movement than the noise, but then turned into the gentle touch to his cheeks. “Mmm…” He murmured, sleepily, pressing in closer, then finally opening his eyes and looking up. He wasn’t startled or surprised to find himself so close to Berwald, just freeing the older man’s shirt to rub his eyes, trying to clear the sleep out of them. “Morning.” He mumbled, before snuggling in closer, hiding his face in Berwald’s neck. He smelt good, less like pine and more musky, and Timo found himself in danger of drifting off to sleep again. Reluctantly he pulled back, but he didn’t sit up yet, reaching up to brush his fingers through Berwald’s hair instead. He’d wanted to do that for years, and like he’d imagined, it was soft. “Did you sleep all right?” He asked, worried that the disturbance would have meant he had a restless night.

[Berwald Oxenstierna]

A small, lazy smile curled Berwald’s lips faintly as he watched Timo rub the sleep from his eyes. He honestly had to wonder if the small blond was aware of how adorable he was. “Hn, mornin’,” he greeted back drowsily. He made a soft, pleased sound as he felt his friend snuggle in even closer to him. He closed his eyes and gently nuzzled into the younger man’s hair, trying his best to ignore the sudden urge to fall asleep again. A short moment later, his eyes fluttered open of their own accord as he felt the other blond pull away. He was unhappy about the loss of contact but it at least prevented him from accidentally drifting back into sleep. He was about to suggest that they get up but his words abruptly died on his tongue due to the pleasant sensation of Timo’s fingers carding through his hair. The tall blond’s eyes slipped shut once more as a low, content rumble sounded from the back of his throat. How could such a simple action feel so good? His mind was barely able to register the other man's next words.

“Mmm, huh? Yeah, slept really well… How ‘bout you?” the older man questioned back, inwardly hoping that the small blond was able to get enough rest. If it seemed like Timo wasn’t up to cooking breakfast with him, he’d just offer to do it by himself. For some reason, though, he had a feeling that his friend would insist on helping him, whether he’d slept enough or not. “We should… get up now ‘r yer gonna be late,” Berwald said gently as he finally opened his eyes again to look at the younger blond. He affectionately took both of Timo’s hands in his larger, calloused ones, lightly squeezing them before reluctantly pulling away to sit up on his bed. He then instinctively reached out for his glasses and put them on.

Now that the tall blond was able to see clearly, he shifted his gaze back to the other man. A few soft chuckles rumbled past his lips as he took in Timo’s sleep-mussed hair. Cute, he thought to himself fondly. However, he didn’t have to look at his own hair to know that it was in even worse disarray than his friend’s so he didn’t hesitate to pat down the locks he felt were sticking out the most strangely. Berwald hid a small yawn behind his hand as he moved to stand up. “Need coffee,” he mumbled, his tone somewhat distracted. He was actually feeling a lot more well-rested than usual, though, so he didn’t particularly require a kick from caffeine to properly wake up. Still, considering how he hadn’t gone a morning without at least one cup of coffee in years, he just had to have some in his system so that he could function properly for the day. “Y’can go ahead an’ use the bathroom first,” he told Timo as he kneaded the sore muscles in his arms and shoulders. He was inwardly grateful that he didn’t have any deliveries to make until later in the afternoon.

[Timo Väinämöinen]

Timo giggled softly when Berwald let out such a content noise. He was like a big cat, a panther or a lion. He smiled affectionately, briefly rubbing the back of Berwald’s neck before pulling his hand away, reluctantly breaking contact. “I slept really well.” He said, happily. He decided it was best not to worry Berwald by letting him know it was the best nights sleep he’d had in years, even though he’d love to let him know how nice it had been to sleep with him again. To be honest, he didn’t much care if it wasn’t normal for two men their age to sleep together like this, it was too nice not to do more often, even if Timo couldn’t see it happening again any time soon. It was nice when Berwald took his hands in his as well, and Timo marveled at how big they were, but then squeezed back, before letting Berwald pull away.

He didn’t sit up immediately, rolling into Berwald’s warm spot and stretching again, arching his back and then yawning into the pillow, mussing up his own hair. Finally he rolled over and sat up. “Coffee sounds good.” He agreed as he finger combed his hair flat, although he didn’t manage to completely settle it. He noted how Berwald was rubbing his arms and frowned to himself. All of the physical work that the older man did must pay a huge toll on his body. Timo would love to be able to pay for Berwald to have a massage to help him relax no doubt aching muscles. Perhaps for his birthday. He’d offer to try and give Berwald one himself, but he’d never tried giving someone a massage before and, besides, it seemed like a bit of an odd offer to give, even to his best friend.

“I won’t be long.” He promised as he stood, a little less energetically than he normally did during the day. Like Berwald he was suffering without coffee, and it’d take a cup or two to get him to his normal levels of perkiness. Grabbing his clothes he smiled at Berwald before disappearing into the bathroom. It didn’t take him long to quickly wash down and dress, and he wetted down the last few stray strands of his hair before returning to Berwald’s side and handing him his shirt back, now neatly folded. “Do you want me to start on breakfast? What do you want?” He offered.

[Berwald Oxenstierna]

A pleased shiver ran down Berwald’s spine as Timo lightly rubbed the back of his neck. He let out another throaty, content sound, slightly surprised at how strongly he was reacting to the small blond’s light touches. He was able to hold back a disappointed noise, though, when he felt his friend’s hand pull away. The older man was a little embarrassed by how much he wanted to just stay in bed with the other blond. He understood that it wasn’t exactly befitting of two men their age to be doing this sort of thing but… he couldn’t bring himself to care. Timo was special. Sharing this level of physical intimacy with anyone other than him was completely unthinkable. The two of them hadn’t been this intimate as teenagers, of course, but the younger man had always been able to give Berwald peace of mind by simply being near him.

The tall blond found himself wandering over to the corner of his room where his work desks were as he waited for Timo to finish up in the bathroom. Noticing again that his carving tools were haphazardly strewn about the two long tables, he made a mental note to tidy up later. He picked up his smallest carving knife and softly traced a finger over its tiny, gently curved blade. Normally, there’d be at least one block of wood up here in his room but he’d been so focused on finishing Timo’s reindeer that he hadn’t been carving anything else lately. Well, he had finished the figurine two days ago already so he figured that he’d have to bring home some wood from the shop soon. He specifically carved figurines just for leisure which was why he had this small station in his room. His carving tools in the woodwork shop were of a much higher quality, though, which was why he finished the younger blond’s present there.

Hearing the other man leave the bathroom, Berwald put his carving knife back down and turned around to face him. He took his shirt back with a soft grunt of thanks. He then placed it on his bed, deciding to put it in the laundry hamper later. “Eggs’d be nice. Jus’ go an’ poke ‘round the kitch’n fer now, though. ‘f y’see anythin’ ya wanna eat, put it on the count’r. We’ll cook whatev’r ya’ve picked t’geth’r,” he said, nodding decisively. “Oh, an’ help yerself ta the coffee. Jus’ press the red butt’n on the m’chine an’ it’ll heat the coffee pot up. Mugs’re in the cab’net ‘bove the sink. ‘ll follow in a bit,” he said as he made his way to the bathroom. He didn’t take long to wash up but he ended up making his bed before heading for the kitchen.

[Timo Väinämöinen]

“Okay!” Timo agreed cheerfully, as he cleaned Berwald’s beside table off of the rest of his belongings. He turned around just in time to watch the other’s broad back disappearing, and smiled to himself. This was nice. A little odd, and very domestic, but nice. Part of him felt like they had been doing this for years, despite the fact that it was so obviously not the case, and that made him wonder. He pushed that thought away, though, as he headed downstairs, bare feet almost silent in the dark, still house. He didn’t want to disturb Atalie and Emil after all.

He was pleased to see that the kitchen didn’t seem to have changed much, and he wasted no time in turning the coffee maker back on. While he was waiting for it, though, he took a couple of minutes to nose around, smiling happily to find that almost everything was in the same place that it had been all those years ago. Oddly enough, it felt familiar, homelike, and without really thinking about it, he selected two mugs and poured coffee for himself and Berwald, preparing both of them and sipping from his, before pulling away to start making breakfast.

Eggs sounded good to him as well, so he selected a couple from the fridge, and stood in front of it, deliberating what could go with them. He eyed the cheese, humming thoughtfully. It was a luxury that he hadn’t really had for years, and he glanced upstairs towards Berwald’s room, wondering if it would be all right to use it, but decided that just a little would be all right. He also selected some mushrooms and butter; he’d make garlic mushrooms as well. He would have started cooking on automatic if he hadn’t heard Berwald leave the bathroom then, and remembering his words, Timo left the ingredients out and instead started to lay the table for both of them.

As he heard Berwald come down the stairs he picked up the older man’s mug and held it out for him as he came in, like a patient wife. “I thought we could make an omelet to share?” He suggested, as he turned back to the kitchen, picking up his own coffee and sipping from it. Berwald could look over everything that Timo had assembled and make up his own mind about what he wanted. Timo was happy enough to change his mind if Berwald decided he wanted something different, anyway. Breakfast was something he so often had to go without these days.

[Berwald Oxenstierna]

As Berwald accepted the mug of coffee with a pleasantly surprised murmur of thanks, something inside his heart clicked into place. He realized that home felt even more like home with Timo around. He smiled into his coffee. Anyone would have said that it was just a small one but it was the widest smile he’d had on his lips in a long, long time. It crinkled his eyes and filled them with unmistakable happiness; the inadvertent harshness that was usually in his gaze vanished completely in that short moment. He couldn’t explain the sudden surge of contentment swelling in his chest but he figured that he didn’t really have to. His smile softened as he quietly sipped from his mug. He couldn’t be sure whether his current blissful state of mind was interfering with his taste buds or not but he felt that this morning’s coffee was probably the best he’d had in years.

“Mm, tha’ sounds good… Thanks fer settin’ the table ‘lready by the way,” the tall blond mumbled gratefully as he walked over to the counter to look at what Timo had picked. He hummed appreciatively when he spotted the cheese but, in the end, he decided that he wanted to add a couple more ingredients to their omelet. He set his coffee down and then wordlessly moved towards the fridge. After selecting a tomato and an onion for the omelet, he lingered in front of the machine, wondering if he should take anything else out. After a short moment of deliberation, he went with an almost finished loaf of bread since he particularly liked having toast with his eggs. “Fer the om’let,” he said to Timo as he placed the tomato and the onion on the counter with everything else. He put the bread on a cutting board and set it next to the toaster; he’d slice it later. “Beat the eggs fer me, please,” he requested as he turned to face the younger man again.

Berwald moved around the kitchen quickly and efficiently, taking several things – a frying pan, a spatula, a bread knife, a small chopping knife, etc. – out of various drawers under the counter. After sorting out everything he’d just taken, he decided to work on the chopping first. He rinsed the tomato in the sink before putting it and the onion on another cutting board. Judging from his deft use of the chopping knife, it wouldn’t have been obvious to anyone that he rarely did kitchen work. It came rather naturally to him for one reason or another and, in any case, he supposed that all his experience with woodworking helped in a way. Chopping an onion was virtually nothing next to sawing a plank of wood. When he finished, he placed the cutting board near the stove. The bespectacled man then moved on to slicing the loaf of bread. “Two pieces ‘nuff fer ya?” he asked the younger blond as he carefully cut the bread into thick, even slices. “Oh, d’ya want jam on yers? We’ve got the lingonb’rry from last night an’ some strawb’rry, too.”

[Timo Väinämöinen]

That look almost took Timo’s breath away. He knew that Berwald was handsome – he’d know that for years, since the first time they’d shared a bed and Timo had woken before Berwald and seen his sleeping face. He saw it sometimes even when he wasn’t asleep too, when Berwald wasn’t looking and he relaxed, and when he smiled, but this, this was something else. He felt his heart flutter, and didn’t know what to make of it, except for to reply with an even brighter smile, and a little spark of hope that everything would turn out all right. Somehow with Berwald beside him smiling like that Timo found it easy to believe that things weren’t as bad as he thought sometimes – that Timo wasn’t as useless as he felt. As long as he could make Berwald smile like that then there was at least some use for him.

“It’s all right! I was going to start cooking, but you said you wanted to do it together, so I did that instead.” Timo said, happily, watching as Berwald deliberated over what else to add, and he made an appreciative noise at what the taller man eventually picked. They’d taste great with what they had. “All right!” Timo took a quick sip from his coffee before fetching a bowl and carefully cracking the eggs into it, beating them with a fork. He kept an eye on Berwald as he worked, admiring the ease with which he handled the knife. He still hadn’t gotten to taste Berwald’s cooking properly. He’d have to suggest they cooked together more often. Or at least when they got the chance to.

The question broke him out of his thoughts and he seemed a little startled. “Two slices is great, thank you!” He said, quickly. The suggestion of jam had him licking his lips, as he stole Berwald’s chopping board and started to slice the mushrooms. “Lingonberry jam sounds amazing!” With Timo’s odd sense of flavour it wasn’t surprising that he was thinking about literally having it with his omelet. Once he was finished with the mushrooms, he put the frying pan on, letting that heat up so they could cook, and then standing back, letting Berwald do the actual cooking. He finished his coffee and went to pour himself a second mug, glancing at Berwald’s mug on the way past to see if he needed more as well, as at home in Berwald’s kitchen as he was.

[Berwald Oxenstierna]

Berwald couldn’t stop himself from chuckling softly at how Timo started a little at his question. He would have felt bad for laughing but the small blond was just too cute! Even when they’d still been teenagers, his friend had had that adorable quirk of randomly spacing out. He simply nodded in response to the other man as he set aside the bread he had just sliced for toasting a little later on. He walked back to the fridge and took the jar of lingonberry jam out. He then grabbed his mug again and drank deeply from it as he placed the jar on the table. Watching Timo set the frying pan on the stove, he finished his coffee off quickly, already looking forward to a second mug. He’d probably put more sugar in it this time. It already tasted great the way it was but he did have a bit of a sweet tooth so he was sure that four or five more teaspoons of sugar would really do the trick.

The tall blond set his empty mug down and moved towards the stove. Reaching out for the butter and a butter knife, he vaguely noted that he’d never actually cooked an omelet before… He had no intention of letting Timo know that, though, so he stayed quiet. It didn’t seem that difficult so why not, right? Besides, he really wanted to cook for the younger blond. He hummed softly, thinking to himself. Folding the omelet was the last step, obviously, so it made sense to cook the other ingredients first. He put some butter in the pan and spread it quickly before adding everything else. The kitchen was suddenly filled with the sound and smell of frying food, and Berwald’s mind unconsciously drifted to his sleeping parents. He hoped the noise wouldn’t end up waking them. They always stayed in bed later than usual on the days he didn’t have morning deliveries to make.

When the ingredients finished cooking, the bespectacled man set them aside for later use. Eggs next, he thought to himself decisively. He put more butter in the pan before taking the eggs and adding a dash of salt and pepper. He used a fork to mix the contents of the bowl a little more and then carefully poured everything into the frying pan. He lowered the heat of the stove before moving away to get the cheese and a grater. The top part of the eggs still looked runny while he grated the cheese onto it but that was just as well since he still had more ingredients to add. Using the spatula, he lightly lifted the edges of the omelet to make sure it didn’t stick to the pan. So far so good! When the eggs looked like they were getting a little firmer, Berwald grabbed the bowl of ingredients he’d cooked earlier and spread them evenly onto the omelet, using about three-fourths of what was in the bowl. Okay, time for the part he was most anxious about. He very carefully used the spatula to fold one side of the omelet. He did the same for the opposite side and then slowly rolled it closed.

With a satisfied huff, he turned the stove off and placed the omelet on a plate. He put what was left of the other ingredients on top and grated a bit more cheese onto it as well. “All done,” Berwald announced, sounding rather pleased with himself. He set the omelet on the table before moving to the bread he’d sliced earlier. He popped two pieces into the toaster and then opened a drawer to take the sugar out for his coffee.

[Timo Väinämöinen]

Timo watched Berwald, enjoying watching his concentration. He loved seeing the way his brow furrowed when he was working like this. All right, so he looked just a little scarier than normal, but he could ignore that now. He wondered why Berwald was having to concentrate just that much, though. Maybe he didn’t cook omelets that often? He seemed to be doing fine, though, so Timo snagged his cup and refilled it for him. His thoughts briefly went to Berwald’s parents as well, wondering if they should leave some coffee for them. Well, if they had this second cup each there was still enough for a cup each for Emil and Atalie. Hopefully that would be all right.

Checking on Berwald again, he smiled to see that he was doing fine. He brought both of their coffees over to the table, and then washed up the chopping board and knife, setting them to dry. When Berwald announced he was done, Timo was just drying his hands, and he let out a quiet cheer before hopping over to have a look. “Smells good.” He said, appreciatively as he pulled his chair out and sat down, slicing the omelet in two for them and serving it up. He waited for Berwald rather than starting though, wiggling his toes a little impatiently.

“Should we make breakfast for your parents before we leave as well, or will they not get up for a while?” He suddenly asked as another thought occurred to him. It would be nice to bring Atalie and Emil breakfast in bed! But then again, the pair of them were retired and it was still early in the morning, so maybe it would be better to leave them to their well deserved lie in. Timo smiled contentedly. Maybe one day he’d be retired and get to spend all morning in bed with his loved one. Of course, first of all he’d have to find the person that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with… maybe he should ask Atalie and Emil one day how they knew it was each other that they should marry. It seemed so difficult to know when you could love a friend so much anyway. What was the difference between a lover and a friend? How could you tell? He’d find out one day, Timo decided, tucking his legs up underneath him and turning his attention back to Berwald.

[Berwald Oxenstierna]

“They prob’bly won’t be up ‘til almost noon,” Berwald said, sounding faintly amused. He set a strangely large container of sugar on the table before fetching a small plate for their toast. “Moth’r an’ Fath’r’ve made it a hab’t ta wake up with me when ‘ve got mornin’ deliv’ries ta make. On the days ‘ve got none, they sleep in,” he explained, his eyes fixed on the toaster as if staring at it would make their bread toast more quickly. Less than a minute later, their toast finally popped out of the machine and the tall blond promptly plated them before putting another two slices of bread in. His stomach then aptly chose that exact moment to grumble quietly so he decided to come back for the rest later. He set the plate of toast in front of Timo and hummed appreciatively upon noticing that the younger man had refilled his mug for him.

Though Berwald could already feel a bit of discomfort in his stomach from drinking coffee without eating something first, he didn’t take a bite of food right away. Instead, he decided to add four teaspoons of sugar to his mug before having a taste of the omelet he’d cooked. He took a small sip of his probably over-sweetened coffee, licked his lips in a contemplative manner and then added two more heaping teaspoonfuls. He happily sipped at the dark liquid again, letting out a soft, pleased noise at its sweetness. “But I would like ta cook fer ‘em… Maybe aft’r ya leave an’ aft’r ‘ve had a show’r,” the bespectacled man said musingly, voicing his thoughts out loud for once. He definitely wouldn’t be able to make it to the woodwork shop by seven if he cooked breakfast for his parents but, to be perfectly honest, that wasn’t really a big deal. He’d just have to text Aleksander. It suddenly occurred to him, however, that time wasn’t actually the biggest issue… “Hm. Moth’r’ll have m’head ‘f I do ‘nymore kitch’n work, though. ‘m technic’lly not allowed ta do anythin’ in here,” he said sheepishly. His mother probably wouldn’t scold him too badly for cooking breakfast for Timo since he was their guest but… if he went ahead and cooked breakfast for her and his father, he’d never hear the end of it.

The tall blond stirred his coffee a few more times before finally picking up his fork and taking a bite of the omelet. He couldn’t help humming approvingly as he chewed. He didn’t want to brag about his cooking skills, even if it was just to himself, but the omelet was surprisingly really good for a first attempt. Huh, maybe he should try convincing his mother to let him cook more often… If he could get more practice in, he’d be able to cook something really special for Timo someday.

[Timo Väinämöinen]

Timo chuckled fondly, as he watched Berwald bring the sugar over. “I guess they’ve earned their retirement and their lie ins.” He said, happily. “When I’m retired I’d want to spend all morning in bed with my loved ones as well.” He watched in slight disbelief at the amount of sugar that Berwald added to his coffee. “Would you like some coffee with that sugar?” He asked, amused, as he spread jam on his toast. He’d always preferred the sharpness of black coffee. “You’ll rot your teeth if you’re not careful.” No doubt Berwald had heard the warnings before from his parents, but it was still fun to tease him affectionately. At least that explained the over sized sugar bowl. No doubt it disappeared fairly quickly.

Taking a bite of the omelet, Timo closed his eyes happily. It tasted so good! They didn’t stay closed for long, though, and he looked at Berwald again, smiling affectionately. “That’s not fair, you’re a good cook.” He said, but at the same time he understood where Atalie was coming from. Since Berwald was the main breadwinner of the house, it was only fair that he didn’t have to do chores. Still, it wasn’t cooking that was a chore in Timo’s opinion, it was cleaning up afterwards! “If they’re not going to wake up for a while, then anything you cook will get cold.” He pointed out, trying to dissuade Berwald from tiring himself out. “Maybe you should cook for them another day.” He almost said ‘we’ because, well, he wanted to help, but of course he wouldn’t be there to help. He couldn’t afford to let this happen again, as nice as it had been to wake up with Berwald.

As the toaster popped up again, Timo stood so that Berwald didn’t have to, putting it on a plate and then bringing it over to his friend. Then, taking his seat again, he put a bit of omelet on his jam covered toast and took a bite with a small noise of pleasure. The odd mix tasted good! Holding it out, he smiled at Berwald, wanting to share his discovery. “Here, try this!” He said, eagerly.

[Berwald Oxenstierna]

Berwald made a soft noise of agreement, a tiny smile lightly curling his lips. Before he had dropped out of college and taken on the responsibility of being his family’s only breadwinner, his parents had pretty much been working their entire lives. He strongly felt that they deserved to stay retired no matter what. There had been a handful of times in the past when he’d had to struggle to make ends meet. During times like those, it only took half a heartbeat for his parents to offer to work again. “Come on, jus’ let me help ya a little! S’not like I’m gonna go back ta buildin’ houses, Ber!” his father had argued once. “You won’t have to work a second job if I take on one myself!” his mother had tried to reason a few years ago. But the tall blond was more stubborn than both of them combined. He would sooner take on five jobs than have his parents go back to work.

A peculiar emotion filled the older man as he tried to picture Timo resting peacefully in bed with a faceless girl. He really wasn’t sure how he felt about that image, which was very strange because, in the case of his friend finding love, he was supposed to be happy for him. Maybe he was just scared that a girl might come between their friendship, somehow cause them to drift apart… Well, it wasn’t something he had to worry about right now anyway so he went back to focusing on his coffee. Berwald let out an amused chuckle in reply to Timo’s teasing question, and then, with a tiny smile on his face, he hummed noncommittally at his undeniably reasonable warning. “Can jus’ get those fake teeth fer old people so s’fine,” he joked before taking a sip of his coffee. No milk, dark and syrupy sweet was just how he liked it best.

Feeling slightly nervous, the bespectacled man couldn’t stop himself from watching the younger blond take his first bite of the omelet. When it became apparent that his friend liked his food, he let out a soft breath of air he hadn’t noticed he’d been holding. He returned the other man’s affectionate smile with a tiny one of his own. After a short pause, Berwald found that he couldn’t think of anything to say in reply to Timo’s compliment so he settled for shrugging his shoulders modestly, a faint blush on his cheeks. He nodded contemplatively at the younger man’s next words, seeing his point. “Some oth’r day, then. Maybe next time ya come ov’r. Wanna cook fer ya, too,” he admitted, a hint of shyness in his tone.

“Thanks,” the tall blond mumbled appreciatively as the other man handed him his plate of toast. He took a few tomato slices from his omelet and placed them on his first piece. There was an audible crunch as he bit into it. Timo was basically doing the same thing but when Berwald realized that there was also jam on the small blond’s toast, he shot him a look that was halfway between amused and puzzled. He laughed quietly upon hearing the younger man let out a genuine sound of delight at the taste of such an odd combination of flavors. As he inwardly wondered why he found such a bizarre quirk so adorably endearing, a tiny but warm smile softened his normally harsh gaze. When the other blond looked at him enthusiastically, however, his affectionate expression shifted into one of moderate alarm.

‘He can’t be serious,’ Berwald thought to himself incredulously. When he saw the expectant look in Timo’s bright eyes, though, he knew he had no other choice. It was impossible for him to say no to the small blond. Instead of taking the piece of toast from his friend, he simply leaned in close and took a bite from it. The older man struggled to keep his face straight as he chewed. It tasted… well, it wasn’t completely horrible or anything but it was definitely weird, definitely something he wouldn’t try a second time. “Uh. Tha’ was… int’restin’,” he commented after swallowing.

[Timo Väinämöinen]

Pouting a little at Bewald’s insistence, Timo shook his head. “No one will love you if you have to take your teeth out at night.” He said, teasing. He knew that he still would, but that was a different kind of love, right? Taking a sip of his own coffee, Timo let out a content little noise. Really, Berwald didn’t know what he was missing out on. This was so much better. Berwald could keep his sweet coffee. “As long as you brush your teeth, I suppose you’ll be all right.” He gave him a little smile, but it almost faded as Timo realised that that meant that if Berwald did ever come to his flat he’d have to buy sugar. Ah well. It’d be worth it for Berwald.

It sounded nice to cook for Berwald’s parents together, and Timo hummed happily, thinking about what would happen next time. Hopefully they could actually plan things in advance and he wouldn’t fall asleep on Berwald again. Although he had to admit that it had been nice to sleep in Berwald’s shirt. It was soft, and smelt of the older man. “I’d like that, but I want to help! Maybe next time we should offer to cook dinner for them.” He didn’t mind pitching in to help, and it’d be nice to treat Emil and Atalie like that even if he couldn’t invite them home.

Timo laughed brightly at Berwald’s expression. He was so cute. “You could have said you didn’t want to try.” He said, but he was affectionate in tone. Honestly, Berwald was such a sweetheart. It was too obvious that he hadn’t exactly enjoyed it. “I wouldn’t have been offended.” Still, Timo was quick to load another forkful of omelet onto his toast and munch on it himself. He liked the odd combination of flavours, it was exciting. Thankfully for Berwald, though, when he ran out of toast he went back to eating the omelet plain, enjoying it just as much that way.

“Do you have much to do before you’re ready to leave for work?” Timo asked, trying to keep his voice late. He didn’t want to rush. He didn’t want to leave. But he was aware that he’d already missed one shift, and he couldn’t afford to be late for another. Still, he had no intentions of pushing Berwald out of the door. He could always jog home if needsbe. It was just a shame he didn’t have money for the bus. He played with his second bit of toast, ripping a bit off and then nibbling on it with a little sigh. Even after the panic and the almost argument last night, he didn’t want the visit to be over. It felt like he was going back to normal life, almost like things might never be this good again. What if his rent just kept going up and he never did get the chance to spend this sort of time with Berwald again? Timo would have to find the time to let Berwald know how much he loved spending time with him before he had to go.

[Berwald Oxenstierna]

Berwald chuckled quietly at Timo’s teasing, an amused look in his eyes. “Someone who really loved me wouldn’t care ‘bout m’teeth. Ev’n if they were fake,” he countered in a playful tone. Of course, the tall blond had no intention of letting his teeth rot anyway. He loved eating sweet things but, like most people, he didn’t want to go through the pains and complications of losing his teeth until he was much, much older. “Mm, I take good care’f ‘em so no worries,” he said, smiling lightly before taking another sip from his mug. As much as he enjoyed overly sweetening his coffee, he actually didn’t mind taking it completely black. In fact, he preferred it that way if he had sweets or pastries to go with the dark liquid. After all, even someone with a sweet tooth could only take so much sugar at once.

“Mm, cookin’ t’geth’r sounds good. Maybe we could ev’n bake somethin’ fer dessert,” the tall blond suggested, his mind already rifling through a rather sizable list of his mother’s favorite baked treats. He was no expert at baking but judging from the times he had baked with his mother, albeit few, he seemed to be pretty good at it. And if he and Timo worked together, he had no doubt that they’d be able to bake something complex like a layered cake – provided that they had a detailed recipe card with them, of course.

The bespectacled man made a noncommittal sound, waving his hand dismissively as if to say “it doesn’t matter if I could’ve said no, I wanted to for you.” And that was the simple fact of the matter. If he had been the one with… slightly questionable taste in food, he would’ve appreciated anyone who’d be willing to try whatever peculiar creations he might’ve come up with. To be honest, though, Berwald wasn’t too enthusiastic about finding out where he’d have to draw the line. Timo was his dearest friend but if the small blond someday offered him something too weird, he’d just have to decline as politely and as apologetically as possible.

“Not really. Jus’ have ta show’r,” he replied before taking a bite of his toast. Well, he had to clean the kitchen up, too, but that was pretty much a given. He glanced at the wall clock near the fridge and vaguely wondered if he’d be able to make it to the woodwork shop on time… Probably not since he had a habit of drawing out his morning showers. His inevitable tardiness didn’t worry him or anything, however. He was always punctual when it came to his delivery job but, as long as he didn’t have any big projects going on at the woodwork shop, Aleksander wouldn’t pester him for not coming in on time.

“‘ll see ya off aft’r we’re done eatin’. You’ll be late if ya wait fer me ta finish gettin’ ready fer work,” Berwald said, meeting his friend’s gaze again. The moment those words left his lips, however, he remembered something important. “Ah! Almost forgot ‘bout the deliv’ry van… If I show’r quickly ‘nuff, I could jus’ drive ya t’yer flat,” he said, not caring about how far away Timo’s home was and how much gas it’d cost to get there and how late for work he’d end up. Aleks and the others would just have to wait.

[Timo Väinämöinen]

“I wouldn’t care if your teeth were fake.” Timo laughed. He wouldn’t. Berwald would still be Berwald. “I’d be worried that it wouldn’t be as good for you, though.” And besides, Timo wasn’t going to be his wife. Hopefully when Berwald did find someone to fall in love with they wouldn’t be the kind of person to care about that either, because Timo liked to think that Berwald would be looked after by whom ever he ended up with. Maybe they would end up just growing old together as bachelors. Timo thought that that wouldn’t be so bad. As long as he got to stay close to Berwald, he didn’t need anyone else.

“I’d like that.” Timo said, brightly. “I’m sure if we worked together we could make dessert. Besides, making dessert is the best bit!” If they worked together it’d be easy. Together, the load would be halved and they could get everything done. Timo did love to bake, though, or make sweets of any kind, so if they were going to cook together he’d definitely make sure that they left time to do that. “Maybe we could make a cake, or some pastries.” He considered, kicking his feet a little as he thought of all the things that he’d like to cook with Berwald. “Or we could make cookies together sometime!” …all right, that wasn’t even part of a meal, he just wanted an excuse to cook with Berwald.

Timo looked at Berwald, but then quickly shook his head. “No, it’s fine. You’ll be too late if you do that.” Besides, his area that he lived in wasn’t exactly brilliant, and he wasn’t sure he wanted Berwald to see. Maybe another time. If he showed Berwald where he lived, what if he just came round one day? Timo wouldn’t be able to turn him away then and Berwald would just end up worrying. He had too much to worry about already. And as much as he would have liked to, he didn’t deny that leaving once they finished eating. He would have liked to stay so they could leave for work together, but he needed to go. “I’ll tidy up for you, though.” He promised with a smile. Berwald had done most of the cooking so he’d wash up. That was only fair. “How long will you be in the shower? I could clear up while you’re in there, and then we could still leave together.” The hot water on his shower had a tendency to cut out, so Timo’d gotten used to showering as quickly as possible.

[Berwald Oxenstierna]

“Well, tha’s a relief, then. ‘m bound ta lose a few when I get old ‘nuff,” Berwald said, chuckling softly. Quite frankly, though, he didn’t think he could ever be attracted to someone who was so superficial that they’d be put off by something as trivial as fake teeth. In any case, he very rarely thought about actively seeking out a partner to be with for the rest of his life. Sure, it had always been a silly, idealistic hope of his that he might someday settle down with the man of his dreams and adopt a kid or two but he didn’t think he’d mind if he never found love. He had a job he was passionate about, he had his parents and, of course, he had Timo. What more could he ask for? What more could he want? If he was meant to find love, then it would happen in time.

With a noticeably fond look in his eyes, the tall blond intently listened to his friend talk. It was just… really, really nice to see him so cheerful and excited. Heart fluttering as he watched Timo light up so completely, Berwald genuinely felt that he would do anything to make the other man happy. “S’there anythin’ ya want ta eat in partic’lar? What’s yer fav’rite?” he asked. He had initially thought of baking one of his mother’s favorites but after listening to Timo speak so brightly about making dessert together, he now wanted to bake something the small blond would especially enjoy. Besides, there was a very good chance that the younger man’s favorite kind of baked dessert would also be one of his mother’s favorites. She had so many favorites that he had to wonder if there even existed a single kind of pastry or cookie or cake that wasn’t her “favorite.”

“Ya sure?” Berwald asked, a hint of uneasiness in his voice. “S’okay if ‘m late,” he added honestly. The other man seemed very certain of his decision, though, so the tall blond reluctantly considered that it might be for the best if he didn’t drive him to his flat. After all, it was extremely likely that the delivery van would break down on the way. Most of the time, he could fix the vehicle’s faulty engine quickly but, occasionally, the breakdown’s cause would be a more complicated one and fixing the ancient thing would take him much longer. He wasn’t sure if it was worth the risk. The small blond had missed an entire shift last night because of him; he wouldn’t be able to bear it if he made him late for his next one.

“Guests aren’t s’pposed ta do the cleanin’ up,” the older man said, echoing his mother’s words from last night. “Y’can help me clear the table but leave the actual washin’ up ta me. S’the least I can do since I can’t drive ya home,” he reasoned out. “S’alright, y’don’t have ta wait fer me. I’d like fer us ta leave t’geth’r but we’d have ta split up right away anyway ‘cause I have ta take the van back ta m’boss,” the tall blond explained, looking a little sad. It would’ve been nice to walk with the younger man for a little while. Oh, well… There was always next time. “‘ll jus’ see ya off b’fore I start on the dishes, ‘kay?”