A breath of air [open]

Shrugging his coat to shield his neck from the wind, Berwald resumed walking. Now he regretted not taking his scarf from the rack. He's heard from his sister, that it was already starting to snow back home. Strange, snowing in November. He turned his head up to the grey sky above him. He wondered when it would start snowing here. But he waon't complain if it doesn't snow at all.

He looks around, trying to think of something to do until the photoshoot tonight. It was still- He pulls his sleeve back and looks at his watch- 10 in the morning. Well, he'll probably walk around the city for a while. Find a coffee house to have lunch at then maybe go shopping for some clothes and maybe a few good books.

Dammit. Why is it when he does have free time, he almost never knows how to use it? Sure he does a mental list of things to do, but whenever he does get the time off, he never gets a single thing on the list done. His hand fiddles absently with the phone in his coat pocket. Should he call? No, he's probably busy at work.

Berwald finds a bench after his feet start to protest. Leaning back against the wooden back, a gust suddenly blows past him and he curses himself for forgetting his scarf, again.

[just jump in >w< sve needs more friends]

((Seeing as this hasn't been replied to in over a month, and you said I could... This is alright, yeah?))

Tino shivered as he stepped outside of the studio and hurried along the path. It was bitter cold out, and he only had a thin jacket. He wasn't sure why, but now felt like a good time to go for a walk. He turned swiftly into the park at the nearest entrance and slowed down. This was slightly nicer, because trees still had leaves on them, and the flowers were still battling to stay alive. Tino tucked his hands underneath his arms to keep them warm, strolling along the path.

The fountain was frozen over, it was that cold, and Tino was reminded of Finland and how the vast lake near his house would freeze, so he would slide along it. Now that he thought about it, that was a rather dangerous thing to do... He giggled and touched an icicle. They were so pretty, like nature's christmas ornaments! He moved along, looking at the various things which made him smile.

Eventually, he came across someone on a bench who he thought he recognised. "Uh..." Going up to the man, he gave a small wave. "Hello! I'm Tino Väinä--..." Now that he was upclose, the man looked much more intimidating. Tino shivered, giving a nervous laugh. "V-Väinämöinen... Are you... A model? Ahehe..."

Berwald turns his head when he hears a voice. He wonders why the man had decided to say hello. Perhaps he recognised him? He seemed to know what Berwald works as. He supposes that the man had seen him during one of his photoshoots. Tino. He doesn't recognise the name, he feels bad that he doesn't. He shifts in his seat and gives the younger looking man a nod, " Berwald Oxenstierna," He tells Tino and turns his head towards the frozen fountain. Berwald feels awkward. He doesn't usually introduce himself to a person that he has just met at the park. But it only seems fair as Tino had already given him his name.

Tino nodded. "Mm, I've heard that name before..." Tino smiled slightly at him. "I've... Just started modelling recently. I'm really new here." He tentatively sat down on the bench at the very edge and shivered slightly. He smiled at Berwald, letting out a small, awkward laugh. Swinging his legs, rather immaturely and nibbled his lip. Come on, Brain, get those cogs moving. There must be something you can talk about! He yelled at himself in his head.

Glancing over at the man repeatedly, Tino eventually blurted out, "So how long have you been working here? ...There. You know." Well, it could have been worse he supposed. Tino made sure to stare at his swinging legs rather than look Berwald in... That... Scary face... He bit his lip. He wasn't even that good at interacting with people in the first place...

Tino seats himself beside him. For a while, Berwald watches him but quickly pretends to be interested in the birds that had decided to hop past his feet. He listens as Tino speaks, then, waits for the silence to pass. It does pass, but he isn't the one to break it. Tino speaks again, this time asking him a question. He has to speak, " Few months. Been m'delling fer 'bout 2 years," He answers, hoping that the man will be satisfied with the answer. At the side of his eyes, he notices the Tino had the typical scared, flustered face that most people usually give him. He finds it cute, somewhat. The man had a boyish face and it was bad enough the weather had tinted red on his cheeks. Something in him smiles, but he turns away and shuffles his legs around for a moment.

"Modelling for two years?!" He squeeked, spinning around and placing his hands on Berwalds leg to lean up close to his face - But not too close. He stared in awe. "You must be really good at it then! I'm so new, I just about finished my first photoshoot! ...I fainted because of the hot lamps, and that I didn't eat for two days because I was so scared... But Mr Braginsky was nice to me and gave me food and turned down the lamps and stuff..." He flushed slightly in embarrassment. He realised where his hands were quickly enough, and pulled them away, sitting back at the edge of the bench and swinging his feet. "But... I bet you never made stupid mistakes like that, right?"

Sighing slightly, he fiddled with a loose thread on his sleeve, embarrassment and dismay at his own stupid actions. Maybe... If he pretended it never happened, it could just be forgotten about? Yeah...

Berwald had to hold himself from jumping when Tino suddenly put his hands on his leg and leant forward . As the other talked, Berwald simply stared, speechless. Should he tell him to give him some space? He should. Dammit voice. Where are you? Thankfully Tino realises where his hands were and quickly drew them back. Berwald lets out a breath, relieved. A moment passes, then, Berwald remembers what Tino had said and asked him, " Mm... 'veryone makes m'stakes a' first," He tells Tino, " Ye learn,"

"I-I suppose they do, yeah... But Mr Braginsky was real nice about it all!" Tino smiled slightly, not missing the growing tension around them... Tino forced out a small laugh. "But I was really stupid to not eat for two days...! Speaking of which, I'm really hungry now... D'ya wanna go to a cafe with me?"

Ah, the last time he said that, he was asking someone out on a date. It hadn't gone well... He shook his head to rid himself of those thoughts and smiled at Berwald. Now that he thought about it... The man was kind of a hunk. Underneath... The creepy. And the glasses just added to the creepy, the way they flashed in the light.

But he was tall, and had a deep, manly, baritone voice that made Tino shiver... Or was that the cold? It was extremely cold and Tino shook, hugging himself in an attempt to warm up. Why hadn't he brought a thicker coat? This jacket was flimsy and unhelpful...

It would be rude to turn down and invitation, so Berwald nods his head once, pushes himself off the bench and stands. He takes a step along the concrete path before stopping and turning his head around to wait for Tino, " Shouldn't stop eatin'," He says, trying to avoid another uncomfortable period of silence, " Jus' need t' find the right balance," Tino looked cold, doesn't he? Hungry and cold. And it didn't seem that the sun was going to help them stay warm either. It looked like it was going to start snowing. Berwald let out a small sigh. Well, until they get to a cafe for a large mug of hot chocolate, " 'Ere," Berwald pulls his coat off and drapes it over Tino's shoulders. A slight miss fit, but it doesn't matter as long as it helps keep him warm, " Anywhere in p'rticular ye have in mind?"

Tino blinked when he felt a massive coat wrap around him. Gosh, it was heavy! Tino felt himself sagging under the weight... But it was so warm! It must have his body warmth still in it, too! Tino felt a smile spread over his face. What a sweet gesture! He grinned up at Berwald in thanks, though half of his face was hidden by the massive coat collar. "Oh... Thank you, Berwald. That was sweet... And I know I shouldn't stop eating, I just lose my appetite when I'm nervous..." He clutched the coat around himself and walked with the other.

"Anywhere in particular? No, not really... Just one of those quaint kind of cafes you see in the movies!" He nodded, pleased with himself.Eventually, he found that he was drifting gradually closer to the other man. He wasn't sure why, in fact, if he'd been thinking, he would have stayed a nice distance away from that scary face, but... Berwald wasn't really mean, and Tino didn't like judging people by appearance. All the same, when their arms were close enough to brush together, Tino decided to keep it at that.

(( ;n; Be active... ))

He tucks his hands in his pockets and gives Tino a small nod before turning around to start walking. A cafe'. The closest one is about 5 minutes from here, but he would prefer to go to a nicer one which was maybe 10 minutes from the park. He decides to go for the 10 minute one. Then he realises how close Tino was now, but only close enough to have their arms brush against eachother. Tino looked smaller than he is now that he was wearing the coat. Hm. A thin smile appears across his face, which he quickly gets rid of as soon as he noticed. They cross the street and make their way past shop windows. Berwald pulls his hand from his pocket and checks his watch.

Tino didn't miss a beat. He saw the smile on Berwald's face, even if it was gone in a flash. Grinning, he fluttered his eyelashes a little. Not to be flirty of course, just to... test his standards. He supposed. Tino... Wanted to hold his hand. It was large, and looked warm and firm. Ok! Tino let the back of his hand brush Berwald's, hoping that at some point they'd just over lap and accidentally hold hands... Yes, that sounded like a great idea! He nibbled on his lip, waiting for something to happen. While he did, he noted that Berwald seemed to know where he was going, which was good... He blushed slightly. Ok, now that he thought about it, Berwald wasn't as scary as one would think... He was much sweeter, and... muscly. So... Muscly. And hot... TINO! Bad Tino! Thoughts're going the wrong way here! He tried to shake the idea out of his head and went back to his hand scheme of things.

Berwald tucked his hand back into his pockets. When he gets to the cafe' what should he do? Would he simply buy Tino a large mug of hot mocha and have an awkward chat before excusing himself? But if he does that? What should he do after that? The origianl plan was to go do a bit of shopping then drop by the apartment for a bit before heading off for the photoshoot. But since it was about to snow, and asking Tino to return his coat will be.. well, he was sure that it wouldn't be considered rude. It was, afterall, his coat. But Berwald felt that it wasn't right. He didn't know exactly why.

He let out a soft sigh. Well.. he supposed it wouldn't hurt to just sit and (try to) talk with Tino. Maybe for an hour or two. Berwald glanced at the corner of his eyes and noticed that Tino was starting to get tense, the sort of tense that someone gets when they're trying to not think of something.

" Ye okay?"

Tino jumped, Berwald's baritone voice crushing any thoughts Tino was currently having. "Hm? Me? ...I suppose yes, I am. Ah, I bet it's the coat making me feel better. Thank you for that." Clutching the thick coat protectivally, Tino wondered if the Swedish man was getting cold instaed, which made him feel guilty. He also thought about just giving up. Berwald's face was set back to scary-mode, and Tino would wish he'd stop, squeeking and trembling slightly. Perhaps staring at his feet would be the best idea? Hm... Yes, that sounded reasonable.

His gaze drifted downwards and towards his shoes and the pathing stones underneath them, watching himself walk. Huh. His shoes next to Berwald's were very nice. It was like they matched or something! ...Why exactly that made Tino feel pleased, he wasn't sure. Still, he stared downwards, deep in contemplation about the man next to him, a small smile on his face. Lost in his own world, however, Tino didn't notice a stray bump in the floor, causing him to stumble, but regain his balance..

"Ah, woops..." Tino blinked and looked around, careful not to be too close to traffic, lest he fall into road. Ok. That was it. This man was causing Tino to lose concentration. It had to stop... Or not, you know, it can go on! ...Because Tino was running out of things to say, and he didn't want Mr-Scary-Face to emerge again. "L-Let's just get into the closest cafe, yes?" Tino asked, and without waiting for confirmation, began walking at a fast pace, hoping for Berwald to follow along.

(( If this makes little sense... It's because I kept dozing off while writing it. I kept getting lines like "Tino considered the zebra needs to sleep now"... ))

Well. He was quiet. A bit too quiet. Berwald played with the insides of his pockets, trying to keep his fingers warm as he walked into the wind. He's starting to get worried. Tino had gone silent. He wondered if he had scared him. Suddenly his arm reach out towards Tino as he sees him trip out of the corner of his eye. Thankfully Tino didn't fall face down or stumble off the sidewalk. But his hand doesn't touch the smaller man. Just there.. as a simple reaction. Precaution. He was taken by surprise. BEfore he can ask TIno the same question he had asked a minute ago, Tino turned redder than he already was and starts walking.

Closest...Berwald slowly lets out a sigh and quickening his strides to catch up with the smaller man before the next corner, where he turns and walks into a smaller street. They pass a few shops before he stops and looks around to smile softly at Tino, " 'ere," He tells him before pushing the door open and entering the cafe'. It was nice. Cozy. Small, but the important thing was it was away from the cold and it was warm.

Tino didn't miss the hand that had shot out to catch him, even if he was ok by himself. What a sweet gesture. It put a smile on Tino's face at least. And he continued to amble along with the taller man, quicker, so as to reach the cafe more quickly, because when he's sitting, he tends to have less accidents. And less accidents were good. So he kept close to Berwald and attempted to battle with his blush. The shops they walked past were fascinating enough to glance through the window at, full of pretty hats and cakes. What a quaint little road... And when Berwald stopped in front of the cafe he'd been taking Tino to, it seemed to fit right in. Small and quaint, just like everything else. Even the birds were cute.

"Here? It looks fabulous!" Tino nodded, smiling brightly. Walking in, he found it so warm, and nice enough to remove Berwald's coat... Though he was reluctant. It smelt like Berwald. And Tino didn't want to let go because of that fact. But that would be rude, and rather stalker-ish, so he slipped it casually off his shoulders and handed it back. "Thank you so much for your coat, I was freezing out there!" A small laugh to add to the statement to make Tino feel a little less awkward. But... For some reason, he didn't feel too awkward in the first place. Berwald's prescence was just as comforting as it was frightening. And his deep voice was... Well, orgasmic. It made Tino shiver and giggle internally, like a schoolgirl.

Instead, he kept his cool and led them to an empty table, sitting next the wall and expecting Berwald to take the opposite seat. Kind of like a date! But... Not like a date. Hm. He should ask Berwald something that'd been on his mind for a while now...

"Hey, Berwald. Can I ask you something?" He didn't really wait for any sort of confirmation before continuing, "Are you, ah... Single? Or taken?" He didn't see a ring anywhere, at least. That was a pretty good sign.

(( Yo, you need to supply me with some sort of messenger. MSN. Skype. Anything. Cos, dude, we need to keep in touch more than simply in RP threads. *Nodnod* ))

BErwald took a seat opposite Tino at a table near a wall. He prefered if they had taken the seat at the windows, but he supposed the back of the cafe' was a little bit more cozy. Berwald nodded at a waiter and turned back to Tino, Bringing his hands up on the table to rub them together. He thought of something to say just to keep things from getting awkward. He opens his mouth to ask what Tino worked as, but before his voice could reach his throat, Tino speaks, and Berwald quickly closes his mouth nods and quietly listens to the question.

" T'ken," He answers simply. Perhaps bluntly. Tino was interested in him. Cute.

[ o u o w-well i don't have my own comp right now.. so for a while i won't be on msn ( larxene93@hotmail.com ) but uhm... the highest chance for me seeing messages i guess is on Twitter 8U i-if you have one.. just message me on there ( @flavoured_cheez ) sorry D8 ]

Berwald did take a seat where Tino'd expected, which caused him to smile slightly. The hands which appeared on the table, he eyed. They were large and muscular, just like the rest of Berwald. Such a manly person he was! But he had to quicky shake any thoughts about where those hands might roam, because his question got answered quickly. And he didn't like it. Taken...? Taken?! Damn! Damn, damn, damn! What luck. Tino sighed and tried to restrain from yelling out loud in frustration and slight hurt. He had no right to feel hurt, the man had a girlfriend or boyfriend, fair and square. Not like Tino seemed to have had much chance anyway, Berwald just didn't give out a very good vibe. Still.

Tino curled up slightly, a small and slightly faked smile on his face. "Is that so? Well, good for you, then." But bad for me! Oh, this is too unfair, damnit! Instead of bring up any more awkward questions... Tino ordered a coffee. There, that was a nice way to excape that conversation. The awkwardness made him feel like ripping chunks of hair out... Only not, because then he'd loose his modelling job. Unless they supplied him with a wig, which he really doubted they'd do.

...That was off topic. What he really needed to do was find a safe topic of conversation, or let Berwald pick it. Because obviously he wasn't very good at that.

Probably putting that so bluntly wasn't the best idea. Tino looked frustrated even through that oh-so-fake-smile. Berwald sighed and looked away, mentioning his coffee order to the waiter. IT was starting to get awkward again. Tino looked like he was going to die from it. He should say something. He hated doing this.

" Ye should stop tryin' too hard," Berwald started, " Should calm down. A guy ye like will come 'round soon 'nough," He stopped and nodded a simple thanks to the waiter as he placed the two mugs on the table.

Oh god, this was so embarassing. He just... Made his infatuation apparent, didn't he? So painfully obvious... And when Berwald spoke, telling Tino the things he did... Tino's cheeks flaired up red and he let his head fall to the table in shame and embarassment. This was definitely not the way he wanted it to go. It was supposed to be a passing comment, but obviously, it didn't have the right effect.

He whined in embarassment to let Berwald know that he didn't appreciate his comment. Because it was Berwald who he wanted, not someone else. And he didn't even know Berwald for too long. Damn. Acctually, now that he came to think about it, it made sense why he wasn't single. He was damn hot.

Perhaps now would be the perfect time to develope some sort of ability to melt into the floor.

"... Yeah. I guess."

Well.. that didn't make things any less awkward. Berwald saw how red Tino's face was before he hid it. What else should he say? Tino looked really embarrassed now, and it looks like his advice wasn't helping the situation at all. Then again, saying nothing doesn't help either. Sigh. Well, he night as well try to make the other feel less bad about himself, " Tino," Berwald started, leaning forward slightly, " We've only known each other fer m'ybe 20 minutes," He says, before adding a short laugh, " Slow down," Berwald waits for a moment, to see how TIno responds to his words before putting a hand on the others head.

" Ye dunno 'nything 'bout m'," He continues, " An' I dunno 'nything 'bout you," Berwald gives Tino's head a gentle pet before leaning back into his chair, " 'm sorry.. but... 'm not th' easiest person t' know," Berwald shakes his head and raises his mug to his lips. He smiles; apologetically, before taking a long drink from the mug, the coffee burning the insides of his cheeks as he did. He stops, and waits, " So.."

Tino took a couple of deep breaths to calm himself, face slowly cooling down. The hand on his head was soothing in a way, and he shut his eyes, kind of enjoying the feeling of it being there. Berwald was right, they knew nothing about each other. But Tino would have liked to get to know him, it wasn't like he was asking the other out, just finding out his current status... Ok, Tino, stop fooling yourself, you were asking for one reason alone and you know it, He scolded himself mentally. He squirmed when Berwald apologised, as though he understood anything. He didn't! ...Mostly. Sort of.

Tino slowly lifted his head to look at the other, cheeks no longer cherry coloured, and shrugged. "So... Um..." Damn awkward coversation. If only their food would come sooner... "Um... I'm going to go to the bathroom!" That's a good excuse to slip away! He dashed off to the men's room... Well, he sort of had go in any case. So he did.

(( ... Pff, damn. How can Tino fight Berwald's boyfriend? How will this plot develop? How ANYTHING! *Rolls around* I mean. *Cough* ... c: ))

And with that, Tino was gone. Berwald wondered if the smaller man really did mean that he was going to the bath room because he needed to or if he needed to just get away from the awkward air around the table, or to climb out the bathroom window. Berwald turned his attention back to his coffee. Well either way, now he has time for himself. A part of him felt bad for feeling amused at how flustered Tino was. It was cute. But... Asking someone a question like that after 20 minutes of knowing each other. No one asks that so early, well not as a serious relationship question anyway, as a one time fling; yes. The food arrives and the waiter sets the plates on the table. Berwald glances towards the bathroom again, wondering if Tino will re-emerge.

( w-well. o u o i- hope you don't mean like figth fight cause like ... Finland is scary. Anyway. Lets just past this cafe' bit. And i'll bring the boyfriend into the thing at some point in this scene thing. THen we'l see what happens then we go along with it lalalala. ohcomonyouknowthetakenfactoraddsdramaintothis e u e )

Tino splashed cold water on his face and sighed, staring into the mirror. His face had cooled down significantly and the red had dissapeared from his cheeks. He got the impression Berwald's social skills were very low, if they existed at all- That was harsh of Tino... Berwald was nice at least. Very nice. And Tino'd like to get to know him, boyfriend or just friend. But after that display of stupidity, maybe Berwald wouldn't want anything more to do with Tino... And if he did, would it be awkward between them? Tino didn't want it to be awkward between them...

While he was there, he fixed his hair - A very important part of a model - and smoothed out his clothes. Who was this person who'd stolen his-- Er, stole Berwald from him anyway? Lucky bastard. Berwald looked like the kind of person who'd be awkward in bed but once he'd got into the swing of things he'd be an animal! A lusty... Sexy animal... with a huge-- Tino fumbled for the tissues, holding them to his nose. Damnit, nosebleed... He hated them. He didn't like seeing blood, it made him feel dizzy, and this nosebleed didn't seem to be letting up any time soon. It had better, because he didn't want Berwald giving up hope and leaving while he was still in the bathroom... Leaning over the sink, Tino pulled the tissue away. His nose continued to bleed. No fair! He'd just have to try and stop it...

He replaced the tissue and sighed.

(( Yes, yes. *patpat* ))

BErwald takes another drink from his coffee. He looks at the food infront of him. He doesn't want to start without Tino. Not that he cares about being polite.. but ..It just felt strange to start eating without him. Berwald sighs and leans against his chair, glancing once more at the door Tino had disappeared behind. Where is he? TIno was taking a while. He probably ran off. Maybe. Berwald stares at his coffee as he idly stirs it. Maybe he should go and check on him. What if something had happened to him? BErwald stands and makes his way to the mens room. He pushes the door open, " Tino?" He mumbles as he enters. By the sink. Tino had a bunch of tisues over his nose. Berwald sees the blood. A nosebleed? " Ye allright?" He asks slowly, moving towards the other to pull his hand away and look at the nose. Nosebleed, " Mm.. how long has it been like this?"