In Want of a Wife [part 11]
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Chapter Eleven: "So hold my hand tight. Hold my hand with confidence. For this love can last forever. For this love we shall share together." Shelby Dawson
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Berwald was waiting outside of Tino's door.
He had fifteen minutes. He didn't know what to do with himself.
Outwardly, he didn't show any sign of impatience. And it's not like he was impatient-he had been ready two hours early, after all, and Tino had changed his schedule on a very short notice and was being very accommodating in exchange for gelato-but he couldn't exactly pinpoint where he was emotionally.
It wasn't that he was anxious; he wasn't worried enough. It wasn't exactly nervousness, either. There was a bit of unease, yes, probably caused by the fact this was Tino.
Beautiful, gorgeous Tino who happened at this very moment to be changing inside of his dorm room, meaning that he might possibly be naked right now. Berwald stared hard at room 311's door.
And then it hit him. He was eager. He wasn't experiencing an irritated impatience, it was a breathless expectance.
He couldn't wait. No wonder he had been ready so early.
Berwald ran through a quick checklist in his head: he had brushed his teeth, he'd combed his hair, and he'd made sure a condom was in his wallet (because you never know, and safety first!). He pulled out his phone and quickly browsed through the list of activities he'd checked earlier while talking to Toris. Getting gelato wouldn't take a full two hours, and Berwald had discovered something very important regarding gelato anyway. Something that would lead to continued contact with Tino over the weekend.
His thoughts came into focus when he heard the door open. Tino stepped out, and froze at Berwald's location right outside his door.
"I shouldn't be surprised to find you standing right here." Tino said with a slight roll of his eyes. "I really shouldn't-"
Berwald shrugged and decided to interrupt Tino's train of thought. "Do you want to go to the gelato festival?"
Tino stopped mid-sentence, gaping at him.
"There's a gelato festival?"
"This weekend. Ten euros for seven scoops."
"Seven?" Tino replied dreamily. "Hell yes."
Berwald smiled a bit and held out his arm. Tino stared at it.
"No."
"It's a date." Berwald argued.
"I'm not holding your fucking arm."
"But it's a date." Berwald countered.
"Only girls hold guys' arms!" Tino complained.
Berwald let his arm fall with a frown. Then he held out his hand.
Tino stared at it and sighed. "Berwald, I've known you for a week-"
"What a great week."
"You aren't going to let this go, are you?" Tino said.
"No. It's a date."
Tino sighed. "Can we wait until we leave the dorms?"
"Why?"
"Well, you know." Tino gestured at the other dorm rooms, trying to hint at the fact they were surrounded by gossipy people.
Berwald blinked, still holding his arm outstretched. He wiggled his fingers in an attempt to persuade Tino. "Mm?"
Tino sighed again, giving in and taking Berwald's hand. "You're kind of hopeless."
Berwald shrugged.
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Holding Tino's hand as they walked towards the gelato festival was very, very good. Berwald couldn't help but memorize all the little things: Tino's hand was smaller than his and fit perfectly in his own. Tino's skin was slightly fairer, a little bit cooler, and Tino's nails were choppy at the end.
"Do you bit your fingernails?" Berwald asked as they jumped onto the sidewalk to avoid a car.
Tino turned towards Berwald, confused. "How do you know?"
Berwald lifted their joined hands and pointed at Tino's fingertips with his free hand.
"Choppy." He said.
"I guess they are. Fortunately, no one gives a fuck."
"Mm."
Tino looked up at him, a small and questioning smile on his lips.
"Why do you care?"
"It's bad."
"Why?"
"Mm." Berwald replied, eyeing Tino's fingers. "Unhealthy."
"Explain."
"Germs." Berwald felt this was a satisfactory explanation.
"Germs." Tino repeated, slightly amused. "Would you like to elaborate for the rest of us?"
"You're putting germs from everything you touch into your mouth. That can cause illness."
"Okay, that is a gross thought."
"Yes."
"I should probably stop."
"Yes."
"Will you buy me something if I stop?"
"Mm." Berwald shrugged. "I'll buy you something anyway."
"Don't say that!" Tino punched Berwald on the shoulder. "I was joking. You shouldn't spend your money so carelessly."
"It's not careless. It's for you."
Tino didn't reply, so Berwald squeezed his hand as they walked.
"I think your nails are beautiful anyway." He reassured his companion.
Tino looked back up, that small smile that Berwald adored on his face.
"Thanks."
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"Gelaaato." Tino sighed happily as he and Berwald approached the crowded piazza. "What kind of flavors do you think they'll have?"
Berwald shrugged. "I like lemon."
"That's sorbet. It doesn't count."
"It's still good."
"Yeah, but… you get seven scoops. You aren't just going to get seven scoops of lemon, are you?"
Berwald turned his head and raised a brow. "What do you think?"
"With you? No idea."
"I'll get raspberry, too."
Tino laughed. "Still sorbet! You have to try adventurous flavors… like, like," he rolled up to the balls of his feet to peer at the flavors. "Salad flavor?"
Berwald blinked. "What."
"Cheese, tomato, and lettuce. Delicious." Tino said mockingly. "I don't think I'm that adventurous today."
Berwald tugged on Tino's hand, pulling him towards the counter to buy two festival tickets.
After Berwald bought them, Tino bounded off back towards the brightly colored tent. Berwald followed at a more sedate pace.
"Ooh, mango? And mint! Stracciatella! Chocolate!" Tino moved down the display with absolute joy. Berwald thought it was very cute. "Oh god, dark chocolate and white chocolate. And pistachio! But nutella. I want nutella first for sure." Tino decided enthusiastically. "What are you getting, Ber?"
Ber. Berwald decided he liked that nickname.
"Lemon."
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He and Tino got three scoops in a bowl before they carried their ice cream away from the festival to a less crowded piazza in order to find a seat. Tino ended up with nutella, tiramisu, and he broke down and got the salad flavor just because.
Berwald had two scoops of lemon and one of raspberry.
They decided to sit on the stairwell in front of Florence' cathedral, facing the baptistery.
"I like Italy." Tino said, taking a bite of salad flavor and scrunching up his nose. "Cheese gelato is weird."
"I'd imagine so." Berwald replied. "I like Italy, too."
"I hadn't been here before. I mean, before university and all. I just accepted because I mean, you can't not accept, you know? But Italy is really nice. It's kind of hot."
"Mm."
"By 'kind of hot,' I meant really fucking hot. But we're from the north, too, so that's probably why it feels like my skin will melt off."
Berwald blinked. "I have sunscreen in the dorm-"
"Oh, me too. But have you seen the cost of sunscreen here? It's like, twenty euros for a little bottle of SPF 30! They have tons of bronzer after-sun crap, but no preventative care!"
"It's Italy." Berwald said in explanation.
"I know we're in Italy, but what a rip-off." Tino whined. "I'm going to just have my dad ship me some."
"You can use mine."
"I meant when I run out." Tino elaborated. "It's racist."
"It's not racist." Berwald rolled his eyes.
"It's twenty euros! Only pale people buy it! Therefore, racism!"
"That makes no sense."
"It makes total sense."
"You're talking about the kind at the grocery?"
"No, I went to the pharmacy."
"That was child sunscreen. Italians have children."
"I know they have children!"
"So it's not racist, it's targeted at parents."
"So… Italians don't like pale babies."
"That's not it at all. Where do you come up with this?" Berwald asked.
"In my head. By the way, the aloe at the grocery was nine euros but I bought the same damn kind in the train station in Rome for fifteen! Rip. Off."
"You bought it at a train station. In Rome."
"That's besides the point." Tino huffed. "I want my six euros back."
Berwald reached into his wallet and pulled out six euros. He passed them to Tino.
Tino stared at the money, and then looked up to Berwald with a dumbfounded expression. "I was just venting, Berwald."
"Oh?"
"Keep your money. I'll spend it on steak."
"Oh."
Tino had completely devoured his gelato while Berwald ate at a more paced speed. In fact, Berwald was very impressed with the way Tino could carry on a conversation and still manage to down three scoops of gelato so quickly.
Tino sucked on his plastic spoon, sadly eyeing his empty bowl.
Berwald held out the rest of his gelato. Tino froze, then looked at his companion with surprise.
"Really?"
"Mm."
"Thanks." Tino took the offering and happily downed the rest of Berwald's sorbet.
Berwald watched him amusedly.
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"So, um, this is a kind of nice place." Tino replied, following Berwald's lead into a smaller restaurant on the corner of a quiet street.
"Mm." Berwald replied, happy that Tino seemed to get a good first impression.
"How'd you find it?"
"Was recommended."
"Really, by who?"
"A friend."
"Oh." Tino seemed to accept that answer. Berwald honestly didn't know what to say-could one simply explain, "I Googled it" for these type of questions, or was that against the rules? Was Google romantic? "Googling" kind of had a dirty vibe to it?
Berwald decided to let it go. The most important thing was that he was here, with Tino, on a date.
The waiter brought them to one of the only tables by a window but not near a door. Berwald had requested this specifically-he and Tino got the view of the street, but also escaped the Italian heat in favor of air conditioning.
"Can you imagine what it'd be like to live here with no air conditioning?" Tino quipped as Berwald pulled out his seat for him.
"It'd be hot." Berwald responded.
"Well, yeah…" Tino sat down. "Thanks."
Berwald nodded and moved to the other side of their two-person table. "I'd imagine you'd need to invest in fans."
"I'd have to have a hundred fans." Tino joked.
The two mulled over the menu.
"No steak." Tino said sadly.
"Veal." Berwald leaned over the table, pointing to the dish in question.
"I thought veal was lamb?"
"No, it's calf meat."
"Oh god." Tino placed a hand over his heart. "I can't eat a baby cow. It's a baby."
"Maybe fish?" Berwald suggested.
"Definitely fish."
Berwald settled on swordfish, while Tino decided he wanted ravioli stuffed with swordfish. The two decided to get a mussels appetizer and the restaurant's white wine.
The mussels arrived swiftly, and were very delicious even if messy.
"This isn't really great date food." Tino commented, cracking a shell further open with his hand and using his fork to scoop out the meat.
"Why isn't it good food for a date?" Berwald commented. "Do you not like it?"
"No, this is delicious. It's just messy." Tino looked at his hands, slightly embarrassed. He wiped them on his cloth napkin.
"So?" Berwald shrugged, prying at a mussel and smirking down at it in satisfaction when the shell broke completely apart.
Tino watched him with a small smile of his own. "You're right."
Dinner came and went, and Berwald paid with his credit card. The two stopped by the men's restroom to wash their hands and then headed back to the dorm.
Berwald had been very happy when Tino didn't even comment when he intertwined their hands. Berwald had squeezed, and to his complete surprised Tino actually squeezed back.
"So… it was not unfortunate?" Berwald asked.
"What?" Tino blinked.
"This." Berwald gestured at the space between them. "This is not unfortunate?"
"No, it isn't." Tino smiled a bit. "It was good, Berwald."
Berwald let out a huge sigh of relief. "You'd go out with me again?"
Tino looked away, but Berwald was delighted to see a light blush on his face. "Yes."
"Wow." Berwald said, slightly in awe.
Tino laughed. "Really?"
"You are just that special." Berwald squeezed Tino's hand again.
Tino's blush deepened, and he didn't even look away in an attempt to hide it.
They walked in comfortable silence, their hands swinging between them. When Berwald could see the Hetalia academy sign ahead, he felt a question building and he knew he wouldn't be able to rest until he got an answer.
"Tino?" He began.
"Yes?"
"Does this mean, I guess…" Berwald took a deep breath. "I was wondering…"
"You were wondering…?"
"Are we dating now?" Berwald asked, painfully hopeful.
Tino stared at him.
"Are we… dating now." Tino repeated.
Berwald nodded earnestly.
Tino let out a little huff and smiled. "I suppose we are."
Berwald grinned. He grinned. Tino stared, but his smile grew as well.
"Does that mean, on Facebook, do we change our relationship status now? From 'single' to 'dating'?"
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Toris fidgeted, staring at his phone.
It was about ten-thirty. Berwald was still out on his date, and Feliks hadn't called. Not that Toris was surprised Feliks hadn't called, because Feliks hadn't called in awhile but Toris was kind of hoping that maybe things would have blown over by now…?
Apparently not. Toris took a deep breath and decided he'd better man up and call Feliks instead.
Feliks was the first number on his speed dial, not that he ever used it. He tentatively pressed the number and then held his phone next to his ear. Listening to the ring of the phone was maddening.
"H-Hello?" A laughing Feliks picked up.
"Uh, hey Feliks…" Toris began.
"OW. Stop that!" Toris heard giggling, and other male voices in the background. "Sorry, I'm kind of-hey!-I'm busy right now and I'll call you back later, okay? Okay! Ciao!"
The line went dead. Toris stared at his phone in disbelief.
What had just happened?
Chapter Eleven: "So hold my hand tight. Hold my hand with confidence. For this love can last forever. For this love we shall share together." Shelby Dawson
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Berwald was waiting outside of Tino's door.
He had fifteen minutes. He didn't know what to do with himself.
Outwardly, he didn't show any sign of impatience. And it's not like he was impatient-he had been ready two hours early, after all, and Tino had changed his schedule on a very short notice and was being very accommodating in exchange for gelato-but he couldn't exactly pinpoint where he was emotionally.
It wasn't that he was anxious; he wasn't worried enough. It wasn't exactly nervousness, either. There was a bit of unease, yes, probably caused by the fact this was Tino.
Beautiful, gorgeous Tino who happened at this very moment to be changing inside of his dorm room, meaning that he might possibly be naked right now. Berwald stared hard at room 311's door.
And then it hit him. He was eager. He wasn't experiencing an irritated impatience, it was a breathless expectance.
He couldn't wait. No wonder he had been ready so early.
Berwald ran through a quick checklist in his head: he had brushed his teeth, he'd combed his hair, and he'd made sure a condom was in his wallet (because you never know, and safety first!). He pulled out his phone and quickly browsed through the list of activities he'd checked earlier while talking to Toris. Getting gelato wouldn't take a full two hours, and Berwald had discovered something very important regarding gelato anyway. Something that would lead to continued contact with Tino over the weekend.
His thoughts came into focus when he heard the door open. Tino stepped out, and froze at Berwald's location right outside his door.
"I shouldn't be surprised to find you standing right here." Tino said with a slight roll of his eyes. "I really shouldn't-"
Berwald shrugged and decided to interrupt Tino's train of thought. "Do you want to go to the gelato festival?"
Tino stopped mid-sentence, gaping at him.
"There's a gelato festival?"
"This weekend. Ten euros for seven scoops."
"Seven?" Tino replied dreamily. "Hell yes."
Berwald smiled a bit and held out his arm. Tino stared at it.
"No."
"It's a date." Berwald argued.
"I'm not holding your fucking arm."
"But it's a date." Berwald countered.
"Only girls hold guys' arms!" Tino complained.
Berwald let his arm fall with a frown. Then he held out his hand.
Tino stared at it and sighed. "Berwald, I've known you for a week-"
"What a great week."
"You aren't going to let this go, are you?" Tino said.
"No. It's a date."
Tino sighed. "Can we wait until we leave the dorms?"
"Why?"
"Well, you know." Tino gestured at the other dorm rooms, trying to hint at the fact they were surrounded by gossipy people.
Berwald blinked, still holding his arm outstretched. He wiggled his fingers in an attempt to persuade Tino. "Mm?"
Tino sighed again, giving in and taking Berwald's hand. "You're kind of hopeless."
Berwald shrugged.
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Holding Tino's hand as they walked towards the gelato festival was very, very good. Berwald couldn't help but memorize all the little things: Tino's hand was smaller than his and fit perfectly in his own. Tino's skin was slightly fairer, a little bit cooler, and Tino's nails were choppy at the end.
"Do you bit your fingernails?" Berwald asked as they jumped onto the sidewalk to avoid a car.
Tino turned towards Berwald, confused. "How do you know?"
Berwald lifted their joined hands and pointed at Tino's fingertips with his free hand.
"Choppy." He said.
"I guess they are. Fortunately, no one gives a fuck."
"Mm."
Tino looked up at him, a small and questioning smile on his lips.
"Why do you care?"
"It's bad."
"Why?"
"Mm." Berwald replied, eyeing Tino's fingers. "Unhealthy."
"Explain."
"Germs." Berwald felt this was a satisfactory explanation.
"Germs." Tino repeated, slightly amused. "Would you like to elaborate for the rest of us?"
"You're putting germs from everything you touch into your mouth. That can cause illness."
"Okay, that is a gross thought."
"Yes."
"I should probably stop."
"Yes."
"Will you buy me something if I stop?"
"Mm." Berwald shrugged. "I'll buy you something anyway."
"Don't say that!" Tino punched Berwald on the shoulder. "I was joking. You shouldn't spend your money so carelessly."
"It's not careless. It's for you."
Tino didn't reply, so Berwald squeezed his hand as they walked.
"I think your nails are beautiful anyway." He reassured his companion.
Tino looked back up, that small smile that Berwald adored on his face.
"Thanks."
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"Gelaaato." Tino sighed happily as he and Berwald approached the crowded piazza. "What kind of flavors do you think they'll have?"
Berwald shrugged. "I like lemon."
"That's sorbet. It doesn't count."
"It's still good."
"Yeah, but… you get seven scoops. You aren't just going to get seven scoops of lemon, are you?"
Berwald turned his head and raised a brow. "What do you think?"
"With you? No idea."
"I'll get raspberry, too."
Tino laughed. "Still sorbet! You have to try adventurous flavors… like, like," he rolled up to the balls of his feet to peer at the flavors. "Salad flavor?"
Berwald blinked. "What."
"Cheese, tomato, and lettuce. Delicious." Tino said mockingly. "I don't think I'm that adventurous today."
Berwald tugged on Tino's hand, pulling him towards the counter to buy two festival tickets.
After Berwald bought them, Tino bounded off back towards the brightly colored tent. Berwald followed at a more sedate pace.
"Ooh, mango? And mint! Stracciatella! Chocolate!" Tino moved down the display with absolute joy. Berwald thought it was very cute. "Oh god, dark chocolate and white chocolate. And pistachio! But nutella. I want nutella first for sure." Tino decided enthusiastically. "What are you getting, Ber?"
Ber. Berwald decided he liked that nickname.
"Lemon."
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He and Tino got three scoops in a bowl before they carried their ice cream away from the festival to a less crowded piazza in order to find a seat. Tino ended up with nutella, tiramisu, and he broke down and got the salad flavor just because.
Berwald had two scoops of lemon and one of raspberry.
They decided to sit on the stairwell in front of Florence' cathedral, facing the baptistery.
"I like Italy." Tino said, taking a bite of salad flavor and scrunching up his nose. "Cheese gelato is weird."
"I'd imagine so." Berwald replied. "I like Italy, too."
"I hadn't been here before. I mean, before university and all. I just accepted because I mean, you can't not accept, you know? But Italy is really nice. It's kind of hot."
"Mm."
"By 'kind of hot,' I meant really fucking hot. But we're from the north, too, so that's probably why it feels like my skin will melt off."
Berwald blinked. "I have sunscreen in the dorm-"
"Oh, me too. But have you seen the cost of sunscreen here? It's like, twenty euros for a little bottle of SPF 30! They have tons of bronzer after-sun crap, but no preventative care!"
"It's Italy." Berwald said in explanation.
"I know we're in Italy, but what a rip-off." Tino whined. "I'm going to just have my dad ship me some."
"You can use mine."
"I meant when I run out." Tino elaborated. "It's racist."
"It's not racist." Berwald rolled his eyes.
"It's twenty euros! Only pale people buy it! Therefore, racism!"
"That makes no sense."
"It makes total sense."
"You're talking about the kind at the grocery?"
"No, I went to the pharmacy."
"That was child sunscreen. Italians have children."
"I know they have children!"
"So it's not racist, it's targeted at parents."
"So… Italians don't like pale babies."
"That's not it at all. Where do you come up with this?" Berwald asked.
"In my head. By the way, the aloe at the grocery was nine euros but I bought the same damn kind in the train station in Rome for fifteen! Rip. Off."
"You bought it at a train station. In Rome."
"That's besides the point." Tino huffed. "I want my six euros back."
Berwald reached into his wallet and pulled out six euros. He passed them to Tino.
Tino stared at the money, and then looked up to Berwald with a dumbfounded expression. "I was just venting, Berwald."
"Oh?"
"Keep your money. I'll spend it on steak."
"Oh."
Tino had completely devoured his gelato while Berwald ate at a more paced speed. In fact, Berwald was very impressed with the way Tino could carry on a conversation and still manage to down three scoops of gelato so quickly.
Tino sucked on his plastic spoon, sadly eyeing his empty bowl.
Berwald held out the rest of his gelato. Tino froze, then looked at his companion with surprise.
"Really?"
"Mm."
"Thanks." Tino took the offering and happily downed the rest of Berwald's sorbet.
Berwald watched him amusedly.
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"So, um, this is a kind of nice place." Tino replied, following Berwald's lead into a smaller restaurant on the corner of a quiet street.
"Mm." Berwald replied, happy that Tino seemed to get a good first impression.
"How'd you find it?"
"Was recommended."
"Really, by who?"
"A friend."
"Oh." Tino seemed to accept that answer. Berwald honestly didn't know what to say-could one simply explain, "I Googled it" for these type of questions, or was that against the rules? Was Google romantic? "Googling" kind of had a dirty vibe to it?
Berwald decided to let it go. The most important thing was that he was here, with Tino, on a date.
The waiter brought them to one of the only tables by a window but not near a door. Berwald had requested this specifically-he and Tino got the view of the street, but also escaped the Italian heat in favor of air conditioning.
"Can you imagine what it'd be like to live here with no air conditioning?" Tino quipped as Berwald pulled out his seat for him.
"It'd be hot." Berwald responded.
"Well, yeah…" Tino sat down. "Thanks."
Berwald nodded and moved to the other side of their two-person table. "I'd imagine you'd need to invest in fans."
"I'd have to have a hundred fans." Tino joked.
The two mulled over the menu.
"No steak." Tino said sadly.
"Veal." Berwald leaned over the table, pointing to the dish in question.
"I thought veal was lamb?"
"No, it's calf meat."
"Oh god." Tino placed a hand over his heart. "I can't eat a baby cow. It's a baby."
"Maybe fish?" Berwald suggested.
"Definitely fish."
Berwald settled on swordfish, while Tino decided he wanted ravioli stuffed with swordfish. The two decided to get a mussels appetizer and the restaurant's white wine.
The mussels arrived swiftly, and were very delicious even if messy.
"This isn't really great date food." Tino commented, cracking a shell further open with his hand and using his fork to scoop out the meat.
"Why isn't it good food for a date?" Berwald commented. "Do you not like it?"
"No, this is delicious. It's just messy." Tino looked at his hands, slightly embarrassed. He wiped them on his cloth napkin.
"So?" Berwald shrugged, prying at a mussel and smirking down at it in satisfaction when the shell broke completely apart.
Tino watched him with a small smile of his own. "You're right."
Dinner came and went, and Berwald paid with his credit card. The two stopped by the men's restroom to wash their hands and then headed back to the dorm.
Berwald had been very happy when Tino didn't even comment when he intertwined their hands. Berwald had squeezed, and to his complete surprised Tino actually squeezed back.
"So… it was not unfortunate?" Berwald asked.
"What?" Tino blinked.
"This." Berwald gestured at the space between them. "This is not unfortunate?"
"No, it isn't." Tino smiled a bit. "It was good, Berwald."
Berwald let out a huge sigh of relief. "You'd go out with me again?"
Tino looked away, but Berwald was delighted to see a light blush on his face. "Yes."
"Wow." Berwald said, slightly in awe.
Tino laughed. "Really?"
"You are just that special." Berwald squeezed Tino's hand again.
Tino's blush deepened, and he didn't even look away in an attempt to hide it.
They walked in comfortable silence, their hands swinging between them. When Berwald could see the Hetalia academy sign ahead, he felt a question building and he knew he wouldn't be able to rest until he got an answer.
"Tino?" He began.
"Yes?"
"Does this mean, I guess…" Berwald took a deep breath. "I was wondering…"
"You were wondering…?"
"Are we dating now?" Berwald asked, painfully hopeful.
Tino stared at him.
"Are we… dating now." Tino repeated.
Berwald nodded earnestly.
Tino let out a little huff and smiled. "I suppose we are."
Berwald grinned. He grinned. Tino stared, but his smile grew as well.
"Does that mean, on Facebook, do we change our relationship status now? From 'single' to 'dating'?"
-&-&-
Toris fidgeted, staring at his phone.
It was about ten-thirty. Berwald was still out on his date, and Feliks hadn't called. Not that Toris was surprised Feliks hadn't called, because Feliks hadn't called in awhile but Toris was kind of hoping that maybe things would have blown over by now…?
Apparently not. Toris took a deep breath and decided he'd better man up and call Feliks instead.
Feliks was the first number on his speed dial, not that he ever used it. He tentatively pressed the number and then held his phone next to his ear. Listening to the ring of the phone was maddening.
"H-Hello?" A laughing Feliks picked up.
"Uh, hey Feliks…" Toris began.
"OW. Stop that!" Toris heard giggling, and other male voices in the background. "Sorry, I'm kind of-hey!-I'm busy right now and I'll call you back later, okay? Okay! Ciao!"
The line went dead. Toris stared at his phone in disbelief.
What had just happened?