[Fic Fill]: A Trip to the Sauna
TITLE: A Trip to the Sauna
AUTHOR: box-of-doom/C-chan
RECIPIENT: pau_panda
CHARACTERS/PAIRINGS: SwedenxFinland
RATING: PG13
NOTES: mentions of sex, nothing graphic at all
SUMMARY: Berwald has never been a fan of sauna like his wife, but Tino keeps inviting him anyways. Somehow, it's still always worthwhile.
Berwald had never been a fan of sauna like his wife. He couldn't see there; it was too uncomfortable to wear his glasses, and even if he could, they would fog up instantly, either way he'd be all but blind. He couldn't breathe well; the humidity made the air feel thick in his lungs, and made him light-headed. Altogether, it made him uncomfortable and exhausted; it only took a few minutes for the heat to get to him, while his wife would want to sit for long stretches at a time, even without counting the breaks in-between. No, if you were to ask him, Berwald couldn't say he really enjoyed the experience much.
Still, his wife loved it, and it wasn't uncommon at all for him to be invited along. Often, he would grunt or shake his head in the negative, but every now and again, particularly in the dead of winter, or when they visited their Finnish summer home (a comfortable log cabin they had built together, just outside of a small town near Satakunta), he would accept.
This time, it was one of those hot, sultry summer days in Satakunta. Tino had asked while they were still cuddled in bed in the morning... awake, but still not wanting to move. Maybe it was the proximity, maybe it was the time of day, or maybe it was the way Tino had pressed sleepy a sleepy kiss against the junction of his neck and shoulder while he asked, but Berwald had felt like he just couldn't refuse. And so it was set. That evening, they would head to sauna together, just the two of them.
The day went quickly. Even if Berwald wasn't looking forward to going to sauna in the evening, he couldn't help but notice Tino's humming, and the extra spring in Tino's step. It seemed just knowing that it was going to happen, and he would be joining him, had made his wife happier. If that was the case, he supposed, maybe it would be worth it. Maybe.
After they'd taken care of the dinner dishes, and given their food some time to settle, the two head together toward the sauna, located in a separate building a stone's throw from the main house. He thinks he could already feel a rise in temperature when they enter the dressing room, even if Tino has assured him a thousand times that the doors and walls were built to be quite heat-proof.
Berwald had planned to get undressed alongside his wife, but Tino gently guides him to sit down on the bench with the sheepish explanation of, if he couldn't see him well in the sauna, he may as well see him now. He doesn't make a show of it, as he would if they were in the bedroom, but the sentiment is still certainly there. Blushing in modesty, Berwald lets his wife help him undress as well, and draw him in for a kiss as soon as the glasses are taken off.
The last things the pair removes are their cross necklaces. The two are identical - plain and unadorned sterling silver crosses on chains, bought to symbolize both their connection, and religion - the latter at a glance, the former to themselves. (Some part of Berwald has wondered if, one day, they were to purchase rings, they could wear them like this as well, if Tino objected to wearing them on fingers....) Once these are reverently tucked away with the rest of their clothing, the two enter the sauna proper and into the heat, hand in hand.
Usually Tino sits as high as he can in the sauna and relaxes up there while the damp, thick heat washes over him. Today, he stays low where the heat is less intense so he can sit beside Berwald. Their hands remain entwined for a while, and they squeeze and caress each other's from time to time, until both are too sweaty for it to be comfortable. Berwald keeps his eyes closed for a good portion of the time, but he can still feel Tino as he touches his arm or leg every now and again. He hears Tino too, as the two go between having light conversation (mainly one-sided with the Finn chatting away while the Swede grunts a reply or nods his head), and simply sitting in silence.
A kiss or two are planted against his cheek, his temple, his forehead. He returns them in kind. If it wasn't so goddamn hot, he might have pulled the Finn into his lap for hugging and cuddling, but he figures the extra body heat wouldn't be worth it, and might be the death of him instead. It would never go beyond hugging and kissing in here anyways - sex was somewhat of a taboo topic inside of sauna, as was politics. Grudges and hardships were kept out, as was the general lust, in attempt to keep the atmosphere light and relaxing. Berwald could never be quite sure if he was glad of this or not. After all, on top of the lack of eyesight, he was sweaty, overheating, and the heat was zapping him of energy and would probably make him dizzy or light-headed soon (really, how did Tino find the heat relaxing?). Still, the heat affecting him would allow his wife a wonderful opportunity to overpower him. The Finn could be rather insistent when he wanted to be, and there was something tempting about a revitalized Tino flipping him over so the benches could be used for leverage and taking him right there. And he would gladly go willingly to his wife's ministrations, even if.....
A hand on his shoulder, and Tino's voice calling his name snap Berwald out of his daydream. The Finn's blue eyes are wide and worrying as they look into his own. It was only after his wife asked if he was okay and pressed a hand to his forehead that he realizes he had been blushing.
They agree that this would be a good time to end the first round. He takes his wife's hand and follows him out into the dressing room, which now seems much cooler and fresher. From there, they take towels and head outside and in the general direction of the lake, where they jump in. Both seem glad to breathe in the air which seems relatively cool compared to inside the sauna, even if the day was balmy. There was a slight breeze in the air, and Berwald couldn't help but relish the feeling against his soaked skin.
Berwald did not grab his glasses on the way out - there is little use for them in the water, where they would just get wet, get lost, or get in the way, just as they are useless inside the sauna proper. However, he doesn't need glasses to imagine how Tino looks - smiling and laughing, enjoying the feeling of being chill-alive in the water just as much as he had enjoyed the seemingly stifling heat. Being near the water, near these woods, always seemed like a natural place for Tino to be... it reminded him of when he had first met the shorter blonde. tending to his reindeer on the bank of a river. They had both been very young then, as they had been when Berwald had taken the boy home with him.
He feels a splash, and lets the corners of his lips turn up (it was a smile, really) as he splashes back in the general direction of the Tino-blur. This escalates to an all-out war momentarily, before just as quickly dying down. The two spend a moment longer enjoying the chill (much better than the heat in Berwald's opinion, not that he would complain to his wife), before Tino leads him back inside.
Berwald has to admit that the cool of the lake makes the heat initially seem less drastic against his skin, but it still feels just as stifling in his throat. He sits on the bench and waits patiently while his wife prepares a vihta by the hot rocks. After a few moments, the heat begins to make him feel drowsy, his eyelids going from squinting to drooping shut. Before he could completely doze, Tino returns to his side and asked if Berwald would like him to use the vihta on him first. He nods, and shifts so his wife may better have access to swat at him with the vihta, and beat him from head to toe. The hot air was definitely getting to him, but he still feels the tingling as Tino carefully covers his own body. It feels good againt his skin.
Tino asks if Berwald would like to return the favour, but he shakes his head. He feels too much like a pile of hot, light-headed, tingly goo to be an effective vihta-wielding husband. They end the second session there.
Berwald thinks he can feel the water better against his sensitized skin when they return to the lake. It feels cool and inviting, and he relishes the feeling. There was no splash war this time, but he is somewhat glad for this - his head is still somewhat fuzzy.
He isn't sure if he could take a third round, but Tino insisted, so he goes back inside one more time. Maybe it was the löyly, or maybe the rocks really were heating up, but it feels as if the sauna has become hotter with each round, leaving him sweltering now. Tino does sit above him this time, and Berwald leans back against him a bit as his wife pets his hair and rubs his sweat-slick shoulders.
Tino wants a fourth round as well, but Berwald knows he was done with the third, so he lets his wife enter the sauna without him. The light-headed Swede chooses instead to sit in the dressing room, and let his eyes droop shut to the rhythmic sound of Tino beating himself with the vihta from within.
By the time Tino comes out, and wakes him with a kiss to his forehead, he is feeling somewhat better. The shorter man presses kisses to his temple as his necklace is slipped around his neck and the clasp reclosed, and two more agianst his eyes before the glasses finally are slipped on his nose, and his sight is returned. The two get dressed, and leave just as they came - hand in hand.
~~
Berwald has never been a fan of sauna like his wife. He cannot see there; it was too uncomfortable to wear his glasses, and even if he could, they would fog up instantly, either way he'd be all but blind. He cannot breathe well; the humidity made the air feel thick in his lungs, and made him light-headed. Altogether, it made him uncomfortable and exhausted; it only took a few minutes for the heat to get to him, while his wife would want to sit for long stretches at a time, even without counting the breaks in-between. No, if you were to ask him, Berwald couldn't say he really enjoyed the experience much.
Still, his wife loved it, and it wasn't uncommon at all for him to be invited along.
In the end, with the way his wife treated him during sauna and after, and the way he smiled when Berwald was there with him, maybe it was worth the discomfort, after all.
AUTHOR: box-of-doom/C-chan
RECIPIENT: pau_panda
CHARACTERS/PAIRINGS: SwedenxFinland
RATING: PG13
NOTES: mentions of sex, nothing graphic at all
SUMMARY: Berwald has never been a fan of sauna like his wife, but Tino keeps inviting him anyways. Somehow, it's still always worthwhile.
Berwald had never been a fan of sauna like his wife. He couldn't see there; it was too uncomfortable to wear his glasses, and even if he could, they would fog up instantly, either way he'd be all but blind. He couldn't breathe well; the humidity made the air feel thick in his lungs, and made him light-headed. Altogether, it made him uncomfortable and exhausted; it only took a few minutes for the heat to get to him, while his wife would want to sit for long stretches at a time, even without counting the breaks in-between. No, if you were to ask him, Berwald couldn't say he really enjoyed the experience much.
Still, his wife loved it, and it wasn't uncommon at all for him to be invited along. Often, he would grunt or shake his head in the negative, but every now and again, particularly in the dead of winter, or when they visited their Finnish summer home (a comfortable log cabin they had built together, just outside of a small town near Satakunta), he would accept.
This time, it was one of those hot, sultry summer days in Satakunta. Tino had asked while they were still cuddled in bed in the morning... awake, but still not wanting to move. Maybe it was the proximity, maybe it was the time of day, or maybe it was the way Tino had pressed sleepy a sleepy kiss against the junction of his neck and shoulder while he asked, but Berwald had felt like he just couldn't refuse. And so it was set. That evening, they would head to sauna together, just the two of them.
The day went quickly. Even if Berwald wasn't looking forward to going to sauna in the evening, he couldn't help but notice Tino's humming, and the extra spring in Tino's step. It seemed just knowing that it was going to happen, and he would be joining him, had made his wife happier. If that was the case, he supposed, maybe it would be worth it. Maybe.
After they'd taken care of the dinner dishes, and given their food some time to settle, the two head together toward the sauna, located in a separate building a stone's throw from the main house. He thinks he could already feel a rise in temperature when they enter the dressing room, even if Tino has assured him a thousand times that the doors and walls were built to be quite heat-proof.
Berwald had planned to get undressed alongside his wife, but Tino gently guides him to sit down on the bench with the sheepish explanation of, if he couldn't see him well in the sauna, he may as well see him now. He doesn't make a show of it, as he would if they were in the bedroom, but the sentiment is still certainly there. Blushing in modesty, Berwald lets his wife help him undress as well, and draw him in for a kiss as soon as the glasses are taken off.
The last things the pair removes are their cross necklaces. The two are identical - plain and unadorned sterling silver crosses on chains, bought to symbolize both their connection, and religion - the latter at a glance, the former to themselves. (Some part of Berwald has wondered if, one day, they were to purchase rings, they could wear them like this as well, if Tino objected to wearing them on fingers....) Once these are reverently tucked away with the rest of their clothing, the two enter the sauna proper and into the heat, hand in hand.
Usually Tino sits as high as he can in the sauna and relaxes up there while the damp, thick heat washes over him. Today, he stays low where the heat is less intense so he can sit beside Berwald. Their hands remain entwined for a while, and they squeeze and caress each other's from time to time, until both are too sweaty for it to be comfortable. Berwald keeps his eyes closed for a good portion of the time, but he can still feel Tino as he touches his arm or leg every now and again. He hears Tino too, as the two go between having light conversation (mainly one-sided with the Finn chatting away while the Swede grunts a reply or nods his head), and simply sitting in silence.
A kiss or two are planted against his cheek, his temple, his forehead. He returns them in kind. If it wasn't so goddamn hot, he might have pulled the Finn into his lap for hugging and cuddling, but he figures the extra body heat wouldn't be worth it, and might be the death of him instead. It would never go beyond hugging and kissing in here anyways - sex was somewhat of a taboo topic inside of sauna, as was politics. Grudges and hardships were kept out, as was the general lust, in attempt to keep the atmosphere light and relaxing. Berwald could never be quite sure if he was glad of this or not. After all, on top of the lack of eyesight, he was sweaty, overheating, and the heat was zapping him of energy and would probably make him dizzy or light-headed soon (really, how did Tino find the heat relaxing?). Still, the heat affecting him would allow his wife a wonderful opportunity to overpower him. The Finn could be rather insistent when he wanted to be, and there was something tempting about a revitalized Tino flipping him over so the benches could be used for leverage and taking him right there. And he would gladly go willingly to his wife's ministrations, even if.....
A hand on his shoulder, and Tino's voice calling his name snap Berwald out of his daydream. The Finn's blue eyes are wide and worrying as they look into his own. It was only after his wife asked if he was okay and pressed a hand to his forehead that he realizes he had been blushing.
They agree that this would be a good time to end the first round. He takes his wife's hand and follows him out into the dressing room, which now seems much cooler and fresher. From there, they take towels and head outside and in the general direction of the lake, where they jump in. Both seem glad to breathe in the air which seems relatively cool compared to inside the sauna, even if the day was balmy. There was a slight breeze in the air, and Berwald couldn't help but relish the feeling against his soaked skin.
Berwald did not grab his glasses on the way out - there is little use for them in the water, where they would just get wet, get lost, or get in the way, just as they are useless inside the sauna proper. However, he doesn't need glasses to imagine how Tino looks - smiling and laughing, enjoying the feeling of being chill-alive in the water just as much as he had enjoyed the seemingly stifling heat. Being near the water, near these woods, always seemed like a natural place for Tino to be... it reminded him of when he had first met the shorter blonde. tending to his reindeer on the bank of a river. They had both been very young then, as they had been when Berwald had taken the boy home with him.
He feels a splash, and lets the corners of his lips turn up (it was a smile, really) as he splashes back in the general direction of the Tino-blur. This escalates to an all-out war momentarily, before just as quickly dying down. The two spend a moment longer enjoying the chill (much better than the heat in Berwald's opinion, not that he would complain to his wife), before Tino leads him back inside.
Berwald has to admit that the cool of the lake makes the heat initially seem less drastic against his skin, but it still feels just as stifling in his throat. He sits on the bench and waits patiently while his wife prepares a vihta by the hot rocks. After a few moments, the heat begins to make him feel drowsy, his eyelids going from squinting to drooping shut. Before he could completely doze, Tino returns to his side and asked if Berwald would like him to use the vihta on him first. He nods, and shifts so his wife may better have access to swat at him with the vihta, and beat him from head to toe. The hot air was definitely getting to him, but he still feels the tingling as Tino carefully covers his own body. It feels good againt his skin.
Tino asks if Berwald would like to return the favour, but he shakes his head. He feels too much like a pile of hot, light-headed, tingly goo to be an effective vihta-wielding husband. They end the second session there.
Berwald thinks he can feel the water better against his sensitized skin when they return to the lake. It feels cool and inviting, and he relishes the feeling. There was no splash war this time, but he is somewhat glad for this - his head is still somewhat fuzzy.
He isn't sure if he could take a third round, but Tino insisted, so he goes back inside one more time. Maybe it was the löyly, or maybe the rocks really were heating up, but it feels as if the sauna has become hotter with each round, leaving him sweltering now. Tino does sit above him this time, and Berwald leans back against him a bit as his wife pets his hair and rubs his sweat-slick shoulders.
Tino wants a fourth round as well, but Berwald knows he was done with the third, so he lets his wife enter the sauna without him. The light-headed Swede chooses instead to sit in the dressing room, and let his eyes droop shut to the rhythmic sound of Tino beating himself with the vihta from within.
By the time Tino comes out, and wakes him with a kiss to his forehead, he is feeling somewhat better. The shorter man presses kisses to his temple as his necklace is slipped around his neck and the clasp reclosed, and two more agianst his eyes before the glasses finally are slipped on his nose, and his sight is returned. The two get dressed, and leave just as they came - hand in hand.
~~
Berwald has never been a fan of sauna like his wife. He cannot see there; it was too uncomfortable to wear his glasses, and even if he could, they would fog up instantly, either way he'd be all but blind. He cannot breathe well; the humidity made the air feel thick in his lungs, and made him light-headed. Altogether, it made him uncomfortable and exhausted; it only took a few minutes for the heat to get to him, while his wife would want to sit for long stretches at a time, even without counting the breaks in-between. No, if you were to ask him, Berwald couldn't say he really enjoyed the experience much.
Still, his wife loved it, and it wasn't uncommon at all for him to be invited along.
In the end, with the way his wife treated him during sauna and after, and the way he smiled when Berwald was there with him, maybe it was worth the discomfort, after all.