Precarious - Chapter 3
Title: Precarious
Rating: PG13
Pairing: Sweden/Finland
Summary: People keep secrets even from those they love the most. But at boarding school it is easy to forget about the rest of the world. Gakuen Hetalia AU.
I need to write a better summary for this.
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It could be argued that the first day of school is the most stressful of the entire school year, particularly to a new student. Being unfamiliar with the campus lead to a lot of students getting lost in the first few days as they attempted to locate their classrooms. Very few students had the forethought to tour the school themselves in the days before instruction started. At least the school building was not difficult to navigate. In the castle the rooms were in number order and there was only one hall on each floor. Tino was lucky that all of his classes for the first term were within the castle and not in any of the outlying buildings; this made his life quite a bit easier.
The alarm in Tino and Eduard’s room went off loud and jarring at six o’clock on that Monday morning. The clock sat in the middle of the desks between their beds. It was too far for either of them to reach from within bed, which forced at least one of them to get up to shut it off. On the first day of class this was a necessity which prevented either of them from hitting the snooze button indefinitely until they were both late to class.
Groaning, Tino rolled over and pulled his pillow over his head in an attempt to shut out the shrill beeping of the clock. It did not work very well. But it helped, and in the end he lasted longer than Eduard, who climbed grumbling out of bed to shut off the alarm clock. And then he shoved Tino’s shoulder, “Get up.”
“No,” Tino grumbled, and attempted to burrow deeper into the blankets.
“Get up,” Eduard said again, and shook Tino’s shoulders. “Time for school.” Tino only mumbled something in Finnish and curled up tighter. He was not a morning person. Eduard groaned, wondering if this was going to become a problem. “Fine,” he muttered, and decided to leave the Finn alone for now. “I’m going to take a shower. If you are not up by the time I’m back I’m going to breakfast without you.”
While Eduard was down the hall in the bathroom Tino managed to haul himself out of bed. Still half asleep he staggered over to the sink in the corner and splashed water on his face. That helped to wake him up slightly, but he still felt groggy. It was simply too early in the morning, and Tino did not function this early without caffeine. What he would not give for a coffee maker in his dorm so he would not have to walk all the way down to the dining hall to get some.
Tino was brushing his teeth when Eduard returned from the bathroom, his hair damp and a wet towel over his arm. He gave only a brief greeting to Tino and hung up the towel on a hook on the back of the door, then went over to his dresser to change out of his pajamas and into his school uniform.
Today would be the first day Tino wore his uniform for more than a few minutes. And after washing his face one more time to try and wake himself up properly he changed into it. Blue and grey plaid slacks, a white button-down shirt and a black tie were the staples of the uniform; required during any official school function. Tino slipped these on, fumbling slightly with the tie before managing to knot it somewhat evenly, and stared at himself in the small mirror above the sink. He had never worn a school uniform before. It felt very strange, though he had to admit it made it very easy to decide what to wear in the morning. To protect himself from the morning chill Tino pulled on a tan sweater, then grabbed his book bag and headed out with Eduard.
It was nearly seven by the time the boys left their room. This left them with just enough time to get breakfast before they had to get to their first class.
In the dining hall Tino served himself a heaping bowl of porridge-with extra sugar-and a cup of coffee-no sugar-and then joined Eduard at a table. There was very little conversation over breakfast, just the devouring of food at a rate which can only be achieved by teenage boys. After two cups of coffee Tino’s mood had improved remarkably, much to the surprise of his roommate.
“Are you going to be like this every morning?” Eduard asked as he watched Tino from across the table.
Tino finished off his last cup of coffee before replying, “Probably. I’ve been drinking coffee every morning since I was 10.”
“Is that healthy?” Eduard asked.
“… Probably not,” Tino replied with a shrug. “I’m just used to having it there every morning, ready when I wake up. I’m not used to having to get dressed and drag myself this far from bed before getting some. I’ll adapt eventually.”
“For your sake, I hope so,” Eduard said earnestly.
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Although the first day of classes can be the most stressful, it is also when the least amount of work gets done. As though the teachers know that none of their students will be able to perform on this day, there is very little homework assigned and very little material covered. Tino is relieved that most of his teachers have spent this first day going over homework schedules and talking about how amazing they think the assigned textbook is. It was an easygoing day as far as schoolwork was concerned. But even so Tino was beginning to get tired and bored, not to mention hungry, at the start of fifth period. It was noon already, but lunch would not be for another hour.
As he was sitting at his desk in room 307, in the West wing of the castle, Tino wondered who had designed the schedule for this school, which demanded students be finished with breakfast before eight o’clock, but did not allow them to eat lunch until one in the afternoon. It was sadistic, in his opinion.
But thankfully Tino had a distraction. His fifth period class, Western Literature, was also the fifth period class for Mathias. Tino had been a bit hesitant to judge the Dane’s character when they had met at dinner the night before, and so he spent almost the entire period trying to figure him out. They chatted softly when the teacher was not paying attention, quietly complaining about the number of books they would have to read. This class was not a favorite for either of them. And Tino found Mathias to be quite pleasant when he was not being jarringly loud and excited.
All the same, though, when class was dismissed Tino was eager to get to the dining hall for something to eat. Only an hour for lunch seemed hardly long enough to stop the rumbling in his stomach. He packed up his notebook, slinging his bookbag over his shoulder, and headed out of the classroom with Mathias.
“We’re having a start of school party on Saturday night,” The Dane informed Tino as they headed to lunch.
“You celebrate the start of school?” Tino asked with a short laugh.
Mathias chuckled also. “Well, I guess it’s more to celebrate surviving the first week of classes and seeing all our friends again. Or making new friends, if you’re a new student,” he elaborated, grinning. “Doesn’t matter! You better be there.”
“I will be,” Tino assured. He was already anticipating the party.
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Finally, Saturday rolled around, marking an end to the longest week of Tino’s life. A six-day school week was difficult to adjust to, and it felt like so much more work than he had ever had at school before. Of course, that was what they said about this academy. And Tino’s friends assured him that it was par for the course.
As soon as he was back in his room after dinner Saturday night Tino stripped out of his school uniform and began digging through his dresser for something suitable to wear to a party. But he was not even entirely sure what would be suitable. He only knew he wanted to be out of that uniform. On most days he did not bother changing-except to remove the tie-until he got ready for bed because there was simply no point. But this was not most days, even if there was a high probability that this Saturday night event would become routine. After all, Saturday night was the only night on which they did not have to worry about classes in the morning. But with a school-wide curfew of midnight it was impossible to leave campus.
The apartments, Tino was assured, were the next best thing. Situated away from the main building students in the apartments enjoyed slightly more freedom than those in the dorms. There was no chance that a teacher might wander past.
After staring at his wardrobe for nearly five minutes Tino finally decided what he was going to wear. For the first party of the year he felt he had to make a good impression, make some more friends. So he chose a tight fitting black t-shirt and a pair of blue jeans that fit just right. He smoothed down his hair with his hands, making sure every golden strand was in exactly the right place.
“Are you done primping?” Eduard asked from the doorway. He had finished getting ready for the party nearly ten minutes ago.
Tino’s face burned in embarrassment and he pulled himself away from the mirror. “Yes,” he said quickly, sheepishly. “Sorry for making you wait.”
“It’s okay,” Eduard assured him, and they began down the hall. “You always going to be like this?”
“Maybe,” Tino was embarrassed to admit that he probably would. “I just want to make a good impression.”
“Don’t worry about that,” Eduard comforted. The hosts of the party already liked Tino, and that was really all that mattered. If Mathias and Nicklaus approved of Tino then it was likely everyone else at the party would get along with him as well.
They walked through the school building and out onto the grounds. A paved path ran down the hillside to where the apartments were situated. They were small clusters of buildings, slightly more modern in appearance than the rest of the school architecture, but designed to fit in with the overall look of campus. Instead of being built of stone as the castle and its additions were, these were plaster-sided buildings seated on stone foundations, the same style as many of the buildings in town.
Eduard led the way down the hill and into the small complex. They passed one building, and then headed up the stairs of another, up to the second floor and then down to the last of three doors. The door was wide open and as soon as the reached the top of the stairs Tino could hear the party. Music was playing, some song Tino did not recognize, and he could hear people talking over the sound of the stereo.
As they entered the apartment Tino recognized about half the people, either from class or from his dorm. They were all milling about, chatting in pairs or small groups, and nearly everyone had a drink in their hand.
It was a tiny one-bedroom apartment. The living room was a fairly good size, housing some comfortable looking sofas and a coffee table. To one side was a tiny kitchenette, but it was barely more than a microwave, coffee maker, sink and refrigerator. Tonight, the counter was covered in plastic cups and glass bottles. Tino’s eyes lit up when he saw the spread. He had expected some cans of beer and maybe one bottle of spirits. But there were drinks of all kinds. Beer, wine, rum, vodka, whiskey, sodas, and juices. Tino had never had much opportunity to try these things, his parents were not big drinkers and he had found that their choices of drink were not particularly to his tastes. But he was always eager to try new things.
Not a moment after Tino had spotted the beverage table he and Eduard were spotted by the party’s gracious host. Mathias was holding a beer bottle in one hand, his hair even more outrageously style than normal, if that was possible, and he was wearing a pair of jeans that already sported a wine stain. “Tino, Eduard!” He cheered when he saw the pair and made a b-line for them. “Glad you could make it! Can I get you a drink?”
“No thanks,” Eduard quickly turned down the offer.
Mathias made a face. “I forgot; you’re a responsible young adult,” he said melodramatically. Eduard punched him in the arm.
“I’ll have one!” Tino interrupted enthusiastically before the two could start arguing. He had learned quickly that Mathias could start an argument with anyone about anything whether he was trying or not.
“Fantastic!” Mathias cheered, and grabbed Tino’s arm. He pulled the willing Finn over to the counter and swept his hand over the display of alcohol as though he were showing off a game show prize. “What’s your poison? I got nearly everything you could want.”
Tino looked over his choices, but there were simply too many. He wanted to try everything but he did not know where to start. “I don’t know,” he answered, and chewed on his thumb nail as he tried to decide where to begin. “I haven’t done much drinking before.”
“What?” Mathias exclaimed, and then grinned even wider. “You have been missing out, my friend. I bet you’ll want to try everything now you have the chance. Where to begin? Anything you know you don’t like?”
“I never liked my parents’ wine,” Tino said, though he knew it was not terribly helpful.
“Right,” Mathias did not seem discouraged, though. “Probably only let you have the cheap stuff, but we can ignore that for tonight. Let’s just start you off with something easy, shall we? Have a beer, and if you aren’t feeling anything when you’re done we’ll get you started on some mixed drinks.”
Tino grinned and nodded, accepting the bottle that Mathias pressed into his hands eagerly as Eduard looked on with some concern. Mathias, he knew from experience, did not know the meaning of restraint. He would not stop handing out drinks until everyone was gone or he was passed out drunk himself. And Eduard worried about leaving Tino in his hands; Tino who was so eager to make new friends and have new experiences; Tino who probably did not know how to say ‘no’. But Eduard knew he did not have the authority to stop Tino. They were roommates and good friends, but not good enough for this.
At least if Tino got himself drunk enough to regret it in the morning it would be a learning experience. And by now getting drunk at one of Mathias’ parties was probably as much a graduation requirement as passing all their classes.
So Eduard decided to let his roommate have some fun tonight. He would make sure to stay sober enough to get Tino back to their dorm later that night. That was the least he could do.
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Four hours later Tino could barely stand up or hold his plastic cup without spilling. He had gone from beer to shots of tequila and whiskey, a gin and tonic, more drinks that no one could keep track of, and was now nursing some concoction that was part vodka and part fruit juice, but probably mostly vodka.
It was starting to get late and partygoers were beginning to head back to their own rooms in time for curfew. Less than half of the crowd remained at this point. Nicklas, one of the few people who had stayed sober throughout the entire evening, climbed up on top of the coffee table and shouted to get the attention of all the remaining students. “Everyone!” he shouted over the chatter of the crowd, “It is now 11:30. You have half an hour to get back to your rooms. So I suggest you leave now.”
Immediately after he stopped speaking the majority of the partygoers set down their drinks and headed for the door. The only ones that did not were too drunk to realize what his words meant. One of those was Tino.
“Come on, Tino,” Eduard took hold of his roommate’s arm and slung it over his shoulders. The Finn could barely stand upright and getting him back to their dorm would be a challenge. He just prayed that Tino did not pass out halfway there.
Tino staggered as Eduard half dragged him out of the apartment. “Why d’we have to go?” he whined, slurring his words. “I’m havin’ fun.” Then he lapsed into Finnish for a few phrases that Eduard only half understood. “Wanna stay.”
“Yes, but it’s time to go home. We have to be in bed in fifteen minutes,” Eduard explained, although it was futile. Tino was past the point of caring about curfews and school rules. Normally being a few minutes late was no big deal, but they were caught drinking that was another story entirely. Tino could get in big trouble for being as drunk as he was. Alcohol was allowed in the rooms of students who were of age, but drinking in excess was not.
Very slowly Eduard began to lead Tino down the stairs. To keep his balance as the wobbly Finn leaned on him, Eduard kept one arm around his roommate and the held tight to the railing. They made it to the bottom of the stairs without incident, but now they had to head back up the hill to the castle.
And Tino was beginning to nod off.
“You need to stay awake, Tino,” Eduard said as he lead his roommate down the path. But Tino was not listening to him. The Finn dragged his feet and grumbled, alternately holding his arm out to balance himself and rubbing his eyes. They did not make it more than 10 meters before Tino became deadweight, falling into unconsciousness. Unable to hold him up or continue on, Eduard was forced to lower him to the ground. He tried to wake Tino, but the Finn was out cold.
Eduard cursed to himself and pulled out his cell phone, calling one of the few people he knew was sober and would care enough. “Nicklas,” he said when the call was answered. “It’s Eduard. Tino passed out…. We’re barely past the building. Can you come help me carry him back to the dorm?... That’s fine. Thanks.” He hung up after the conversation ended and sighed. At least he would have a very interesting story to tell Tino in the morning.
Eduard waited for about five minutes, sitting on the sidewalk beside his unconscious roommate and wondering whether he should worry about Tino catching cold. But it was not Nicklas who showed up after all that waiting. It was Berwald.
“Where’s Nicklas?” Eduard asked as he got back up to his feet.
“Makin’ sure Mathias throws up ‘n the toilet, ‘n not on the floor,” Berwald replied.
Eduard nodded in understanding and bent to help Berwald pick Tino up off the ground, but the Swede did not give him a chance. Berwald picked Tino up as though he weighed little more than a sack of potatoes, and began walking up the hill. He did it so quickly that it took Eduard a moment to realize what was happening. When his brain had caught up - perhaps he was more tired than he realized - he trotted after Berwald, quickly catching up to the Swede’s long strides. “I can help carry him if you need,” he offered. Berwald always looked somewhat angry or annoyed at the world, and it was impossible for Eduard to tell whether he actually was or not.
“’S not that heavy,” Berwald said blankly and kept walking without even glancing at Eduard. He certainly did not look like he was having any trouble carrying the unconscious Finn, so Eduard shut up and fell into step beside him as they headed up the hill.
It was one minute to midnight when they finally arrived at Eduard and Tino’s dorm room. Berwald waited patiently while Eduard fumbled with his keys to get the door unlocked, then carried Tino over to his bed and set him down.
“You should get going, you’ll be late for curfew,” Eduard said as he watched Berwald. “I can get him from here.”
The Swede glanced over at Eduard and then back down at Tino. The Finn was sound asleep now, his mouth open slightly and snoring softly as he lay atop his sheets, oblivious to the waking world. “Kay,” Berwald agreed, “Make sure ‘e drinks somethin’ when he wakes up. ‘N might wanna leave the garbage by th’ bed.”
Eduard nodded, “I know,” he assured. “I’ve dealt with this before. Thank you for helping, though.”
“Welcome,” Berwald mumbled in reply. “G’night.”
“Night,” Eduard replied, and he watched as the other student turned and walked away. He had known Berwald for a year and he still did not entirely understand him. It was impossible to tell what went on in his mind, and his trouble with English meant he was not very forthcoming with words. At least he was friendly.
He closed the door after Berwald left and then headed back to the bed. Tino was out like a light and probably would not wake until the morning. Eduard did not even try. Instead he just pulled off Tino’s shoes, tossing them into the closet, and maneuvered him under the covers. It was passed midnight by the time Eduard shut off the light and climbed into bed himself.
Rating: PG13
Pairing: Sweden/Finland
Summary: People keep secrets even from those they love the most. But at boarding school it is easy to forget about the rest of the world. Gakuen Hetalia AU.
I need to write a better summary for this.
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It could be argued that the first day of school is the most stressful of the entire school year, particularly to a new student. Being unfamiliar with the campus lead to a lot of students getting lost in the first few days as they attempted to locate their classrooms. Very few students had the forethought to tour the school themselves in the days before instruction started. At least the school building was not difficult to navigate. In the castle the rooms were in number order and there was only one hall on each floor. Tino was lucky that all of his classes for the first term were within the castle and not in any of the outlying buildings; this made his life quite a bit easier.
The alarm in Tino and Eduard’s room went off loud and jarring at six o’clock on that Monday morning. The clock sat in the middle of the desks between their beds. It was too far for either of them to reach from within bed, which forced at least one of them to get up to shut it off. On the first day of class this was a necessity which prevented either of them from hitting the snooze button indefinitely until they were both late to class.
Groaning, Tino rolled over and pulled his pillow over his head in an attempt to shut out the shrill beeping of the clock. It did not work very well. But it helped, and in the end he lasted longer than Eduard, who climbed grumbling out of bed to shut off the alarm clock. And then he shoved Tino’s shoulder, “Get up.”
“No,” Tino grumbled, and attempted to burrow deeper into the blankets.
“Get up,” Eduard said again, and shook Tino’s shoulders. “Time for school.” Tino only mumbled something in Finnish and curled up tighter. He was not a morning person. Eduard groaned, wondering if this was going to become a problem. “Fine,” he muttered, and decided to leave the Finn alone for now. “I’m going to take a shower. If you are not up by the time I’m back I’m going to breakfast without you.”
While Eduard was down the hall in the bathroom Tino managed to haul himself out of bed. Still half asleep he staggered over to the sink in the corner and splashed water on his face. That helped to wake him up slightly, but he still felt groggy. It was simply too early in the morning, and Tino did not function this early without caffeine. What he would not give for a coffee maker in his dorm so he would not have to walk all the way down to the dining hall to get some.
Tino was brushing his teeth when Eduard returned from the bathroom, his hair damp and a wet towel over his arm. He gave only a brief greeting to Tino and hung up the towel on a hook on the back of the door, then went over to his dresser to change out of his pajamas and into his school uniform.
Today would be the first day Tino wore his uniform for more than a few minutes. And after washing his face one more time to try and wake himself up properly he changed into it. Blue and grey plaid slacks, a white button-down shirt and a black tie were the staples of the uniform; required during any official school function. Tino slipped these on, fumbling slightly with the tie before managing to knot it somewhat evenly, and stared at himself in the small mirror above the sink. He had never worn a school uniform before. It felt very strange, though he had to admit it made it very easy to decide what to wear in the morning. To protect himself from the morning chill Tino pulled on a tan sweater, then grabbed his book bag and headed out with Eduard.
It was nearly seven by the time the boys left their room. This left them with just enough time to get breakfast before they had to get to their first class.
In the dining hall Tino served himself a heaping bowl of porridge-with extra sugar-and a cup of coffee-no sugar-and then joined Eduard at a table. There was very little conversation over breakfast, just the devouring of food at a rate which can only be achieved by teenage boys. After two cups of coffee Tino’s mood had improved remarkably, much to the surprise of his roommate.
“Are you going to be like this every morning?” Eduard asked as he watched Tino from across the table.
Tino finished off his last cup of coffee before replying, “Probably. I’ve been drinking coffee every morning since I was 10.”
“Is that healthy?” Eduard asked.
“… Probably not,” Tino replied with a shrug. “I’m just used to having it there every morning, ready when I wake up. I’m not used to having to get dressed and drag myself this far from bed before getting some. I’ll adapt eventually.”
“For your sake, I hope so,” Eduard said earnestly.
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Although the first day of classes can be the most stressful, it is also when the least amount of work gets done. As though the teachers know that none of their students will be able to perform on this day, there is very little homework assigned and very little material covered. Tino is relieved that most of his teachers have spent this first day going over homework schedules and talking about how amazing they think the assigned textbook is. It was an easygoing day as far as schoolwork was concerned. But even so Tino was beginning to get tired and bored, not to mention hungry, at the start of fifth period. It was noon already, but lunch would not be for another hour.
As he was sitting at his desk in room 307, in the West wing of the castle, Tino wondered who had designed the schedule for this school, which demanded students be finished with breakfast before eight o’clock, but did not allow them to eat lunch until one in the afternoon. It was sadistic, in his opinion.
But thankfully Tino had a distraction. His fifth period class, Western Literature, was also the fifth period class for Mathias. Tino had been a bit hesitant to judge the Dane’s character when they had met at dinner the night before, and so he spent almost the entire period trying to figure him out. They chatted softly when the teacher was not paying attention, quietly complaining about the number of books they would have to read. This class was not a favorite for either of them. And Tino found Mathias to be quite pleasant when he was not being jarringly loud and excited.
All the same, though, when class was dismissed Tino was eager to get to the dining hall for something to eat. Only an hour for lunch seemed hardly long enough to stop the rumbling in his stomach. He packed up his notebook, slinging his bookbag over his shoulder, and headed out of the classroom with Mathias.
“We’re having a start of school party on Saturday night,” The Dane informed Tino as they headed to lunch.
“You celebrate the start of school?” Tino asked with a short laugh.
Mathias chuckled also. “Well, I guess it’s more to celebrate surviving the first week of classes and seeing all our friends again. Or making new friends, if you’re a new student,” he elaborated, grinning. “Doesn’t matter! You better be there.”
“I will be,” Tino assured. He was already anticipating the party.
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Finally, Saturday rolled around, marking an end to the longest week of Tino’s life. A six-day school week was difficult to adjust to, and it felt like so much more work than he had ever had at school before. Of course, that was what they said about this academy. And Tino’s friends assured him that it was par for the course.
As soon as he was back in his room after dinner Saturday night Tino stripped out of his school uniform and began digging through his dresser for something suitable to wear to a party. But he was not even entirely sure what would be suitable. He only knew he wanted to be out of that uniform. On most days he did not bother changing-except to remove the tie-until he got ready for bed because there was simply no point. But this was not most days, even if there was a high probability that this Saturday night event would become routine. After all, Saturday night was the only night on which they did not have to worry about classes in the morning. But with a school-wide curfew of midnight it was impossible to leave campus.
The apartments, Tino was assured, were the next best thing. Situated away from the main building students in the apartments enjoyed slightly more freedom than those in the dorms. There was no chance that a teacher might wander past.
After staring at his wardrobe for nearly five minutes Tino finally decided what he was going to wear. For the first party of the year he felt he had to make a good impression, make some more friends. So he chose a tight fitting black t-shirt and a pair of blue jeans that fit just right. He smoothed down his hair with his hands, making sure every golden strand was in exactly the right place.
“Are you done primping?” Eduard asked from the doorway. He had finished getting ready for the party nearly ten minutes ago.
Tino’s face burned in embarrassment and he pulled himself away from the mirror. “Yes,” he said quickly, sheepishly. “Sorry for making you wait.”
“It’s okay,” Eduard assured him, and they began down the hall. “You always going to be like this?”
“Maybe,” Tino was embarrassed to admit that he probably would. “I just want to make a good impression.”
“Don’t worry about that,” Eduard comforted. The hosts of the party already liked Tino, and that was really all that mattered. If Mathias and Nicklaus approved of Tino then it was likely everyone else at the party would get along with him as well.
They walked through the school building and out onto the grounds. A paved path ran down the hillside to where the apartments were situated. They were small clusters of buildings, slightly more modern in appearance than the rest of the school architecture, but designed to fit in with the overall look of campus. Instead of being built of stone as the castle and its additions were, these were plaster-sided buildings seated on stone foundations, the same style as many of the buildings in town.
Eduard led the way down the hill and into the small complex. They passed one building, and then headed up the stairs of another, up to the second floor and then down to the last of three doors. The door was wide open and as soon as the reached the top of the stairs Tino could hear the party. Music was playing, some song Tino did not recognize, and he could hear people talking over the sound of the stereo.
As they entered the apartment Tino recognized about half the people, either from class or from his dorm. They were all milling about, chatting in pairs or small groups, and nearly everyone had a drink in their hand.
It was a tiny one-bedroom apartment. The living room was a fairly good size, housing some comfortable looking sofas and a coffee table. To one side was a tiny kitchenette, but it was barely more than a microwave, coffee maker, sink and refrigerator. Tonight, the counter was covered in plastic cups and glass bottles. Tino’s eyes lit up when he saw the spread. He had expected some cans of beer and maybe one bottle of spirits. But there were drinks of all kinds. Beer, wine, rum, vodka, whiskey, sodas, and juices. Tino had never had much opportunity to try these things, his parents were not big drinkers and he had found that their choices of drink were not particularly to his tastes. But he was always eager to try new things.
Not a moment after Tino had spotted the beverage table he and Eduard were spotted by the party’s gracious host. Mathias was holding a beer bottle in one hand, his hair even more outrageously style than normal, if that was possible, and he was wearing a pair of jeans that already sported a wine stain. “Tino, Eduard!” He cheered when he saw the pair and made a b-line for them. “Glad you could make it! Can I get you a drink?”
“No thanks,” Eduard quickly turned down the offer.
Mathias made a face. “I forgot; you’re a responsible young adult,” he said melodramatically. Eduard punched him in the arm.
“I’ll have one!” Tino interrupted enthusiastically before the two could start arguing. He had learned quickly that Mathias could start an argument with anyone about anything whether he was trying or not.
“Fantastic!” Mathias cheered, and grabbed Tino’s arm. He pulled the willing Finn over to the counter and swept his hand over the display of alcohol as though he were showing off a game show prize. “What’s your poison? I got nearly everything you could want.”
Tino looked over his choices, but there were simply too many. He wanted to try everything but he did not know where to start. “I don’t know,” he answered, and chewed on his thumb nail as he tried to decide where to begin. “I haven’t done much drinking before.”
“What?” Mathias exclaimed, and then grinned even wider. “You have been missing out, my friend. I bet you’ll want to try everything now you have the chance. Where to begin? Anything you know you don’t like?”
“I never liked my parents’ wine,” Tino said, though he knew it was not terribly helpful.
“Right,” Mathias did not seem discouraged, though. “Probably only let you have the cheap stuff, but we can ignore that for tonight. Let’s just start you off with something easy, shall we? Have a beer, and if you aren’t feeling anything when you’re done we’ll get you started on some mixed drinks.”
Tino grinned and nodded, accepting the bottle that Mathias pressed into his hands eagerly as Eduard looked on with some concern. Mathias, he knew from experience, did not know the meaning of restraint. He would not stop handing out drinks until everyone was gone or he was passed out drunk himself. And Eduard worried about leaving Tino in his hands; Tino who was so eager to make new friends and have new experiences; Tino who probably did not know how to say ‘no’. But Eduard knew he did not have the authority to stop Tino. They were roommates and good friends, but not good enough for this.
At least if Tino got himself drunk enough to regret it in the morning it would be a learning experience. And by now getting drunk at one of Mathias’ parties was probably as much a graduation requirement as passing all their classes.
So Eduard decided to let his roommate have some fun tonight. He would make sure to stay sober enough to get Tino back to their dorm later that night. That was the least he could do.
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Four hours later Tino could barely stand up or hold his plastic cup without spilling. He had gone from beer to shots of tequila and whiskey, a gin and tonic, more drinks that no one could keep track of, and was now nursing some concoction that was part vodka and part fruit juice, but probably mostly vodka.
It was starting to get late and partygoers were beginning to head back to their own rooms in time for curfew. Less than half of the crowd remained at this point. Nicklas, one of the few people who had stayed sober throughout the entire evening, climbed up on top of the coffee table and shouted to get the attention of all the remaining students. “Everyone!” he shouted over the chatter of the crowd, “It is now 11:30. You have half an hour to get back to your rooms. So I suggest you leave now.”
Immediately after he stopped speaking the majority of the partygoers set down their drinks and headed for the door. The only ones that did not were too drunk to realize what his words meant. One of those was Tino.
“Come on, Tino,” Eduard took hold of his roommate’s arm and slung it over his shoulders. The Finn could barely stand upright and getting him back to their dorm would be a challenge. He just prayed that Tino did not pass out halfway there.
Tino staggered as Eduard half dragged him out of the apartment. “Why d’we have to go?” he whined, slurring his words. “I’m havin’ fun.” Then he lapsed into Finnish for a few phrases that Eduard only half understood. “Wanna stay.”
“Yes, but it’s time to go home. We have to be in bed in fifteen minutes,” Eduard explained, although it was futile. Tino was past the point of caring about curfews and school rules. Normally being a few minutes late was no big deal, but they were caught drinking that was another story entirely. Tino could get in big trouble for being as drunk as he was. Alcohol was allowed in the rooms of students who were of age, but drinking in excess was not.
Very slowly Eduard began to lead Tino down the stairs. To keep his balance as the wobbly Finn leaned on him, Eduard kept one arm around his roommate and the held tight to the railing. They made it to the bottom of the stairs without incident, but now they had to head back up the hill to the castle.
And Tino was beginning to nod off.
“You need to stay awake, Tino,” Eduard said as he lead his roommate down the path. But Tino was not listening to him. The Finn dragged his feet and grumbled, alternately holding his arm out to balance himself and rubbing his eyes. They did not make it more than 10 meters before Tino became deadweight, falling into unconsciousness. Unable to hold him up or continue on, Eduard was forced to lower him to the ground. He tried to wake Tino, but the Finn was out cold.
Eduard cursed to himself and pulled out his cell phone, calling one of the few people he knew was sober and would care enough. “Nicklas,” he said when the call was answered. “It’s Eduard. Tino passed out…. We’re barely past the building. Can you come help me carry him back to the dorm?... That’s fine. Thanks.” He hung up after the conversation ended and sighed. At least he would have a very interesting story to tell Tino in the morning.
Eduard waited for about five minutes, sitting on the sidewalk beside his unconscious roommate and wondering whether he should worry about Tino catching cold. But it was not Nicklas who showed up after all that waiting. It was Berwald.
“Where’s Nicklas?” Eduard asked as he got back up to his feet.
“Makin’ sure Mathias throws up ‘n the toilet, ‘n not on the floor,” Berwald replied.
Eduard nodded in understanding and bent to help Berwald pick Tino up off the ground, but the Swede did not give him a chance. Berwald picked Tino up as though he weighed little more than a sack of potatoes, and began walking up the hill. He did it so quickly that it took Eduard a moment to realize what was happening. When his brain had caught up - perhaps he was more tired than he realized - he trotted after Berwald, quickly catching up to the Swede’s long strides. “I can help carry him if you need,” he offered. Berwald always looked somewhat angry or annoyed at the world, and it was impossible for Eduard to tell whether he actually was or not.
“’S not that heavy,” Berwald said blankly and kept walking without even glancing at Eduard. He certainly did not look like he was having any trouble carrying the unconscious Finn, so Eduard shut up and fell into step beside him as they headed up the hill.
It was one minute to midnight when they finally arrived at Eduard and Tino’s dorm room. Berwald waited patiently while Eduard fumbled with his keys to get the door unlocked, then carried Tino over to his bed and set him down.
“You should get going, you’ll be late for curfew,” Eduard said as he watched Berwald. “I can get him from here.”
The Swede glanced over at Eduard and then back down at Tino. The Finn was sound asleep now, his mouth open slightly and snoring softly as he lay atop his sheets, oblivious to the waking world. “Kay,” Berwald agreed, “Make sure ‘e drinks somethin’ when he wakes up. ‘N might wanna leave the garbage by th’ bed.”
Eduard nodded, “I know,” he assured. “I’ve dealt with this before. Thank you for helping, though.”
“Welcome,” Berwald mumbled in reply. “G’night.”
“Night,” Eduard replied, and he watched as the other student turned and walked away. He had known Berwald for a year and he still did not entirely understand him. It was impossible to tell what went on in his mind, and his trouble with English meant he was not very forthcoming with words. At least he was friendly.
He closed the door after Berwald left and then headed back to the bed. Tino was out like a light and probably would not wake until the morning. Eduard did not even try. Instead he just pulled off Tino’s shoes, tossing them into the closet, and maneuvered him under the covers. It was passed midnight by the time Eduard shut off the light and climbed into bed himself.