[Event 2] It's a Small World || Ber, Tino

[Alfred F. Jones]

it's a

revolution

Word count: 957

Tags: Berwald, Tino

Notes: Hope this is ok. Berwald Oxenstierna, Tino Väinämöinen

Alfred's shoes crunched noisily against snapping twigs and crackling leaves, just as they'd been doing for the past hour.

It was really the only sound that filled the cold air. Summer was quickly drawing to a close. Already, Alfred could feel his shoulders sagging at the prospect of having to endure the cold. Winter sucked. Snow was great, but it was so damn cold in Russia.

Alfred glanced around him. He didn't like the woods much. He rarely came to them, rarely wandered in this direction at all. They sent an eerie chill down his spine, as if there was something inherently unnatural about the whole place. It was so quiet too. Alfred could appreciate silence...but he'd much prefer to talk.

Looking to his right, Alfred resisted the urge to ask Berwald yet again if this was where they were supposed to be. He had been reluctant to come here in the first place, particularly since Ber had been suspiciously quiet about exactly whose place they were going to. Alfred's stomach tumbled in uneasiness. It could be a trap.

Tino. That was all Ber really told him. No last name, no description, nothing. Tino could be anyone. Tino might not even exist, for all Alfred knew.

Every inch of him told him that he should not be here, that he should tell Ber no, he couldn't do this. But he'd promised.

After a few weeks of hiding the mutant, Alfred trusted him. Mostly. Kinda. Ber had never shown any inkling to want to turn Alfred in at all. He'd been running from the police the first time they'd met. Logically, if Ber wanted to, he could have Alfred behind bars by now. There was plenty of evidence that Alfred wasn't exactly an ordinary citizen. At the very least, it would have been obvious that he was FF, or at least disagreed strongly with the government. With Berwald's super strength, he could easily overpower Alfred, send him to jail. But he hadn't done so.

So when Berwald brought up Tino, Alfred's first instinct had been to trust him. Then logic had kicked in.

Berwald said Tino was kind. Had bought him out after promising to, after taking the time to actually talk to him. Unusual for a buyer, which gave Alfred an inkling of hope. But Ber hadn't said much past that. He didn't even know exactly where Tino's house was. Said it was somewhere in the woods. Fairly isolated. He said that he'd be safe there.

It did sound better than having Berwald stay with Alfred. He did live in a fairly populated area after all, and having Berwald cooped up wasn't something that Alfred enjoyed. He was probably being watched more carefully than this Tino, though Alfred suspected that since no one had come knocking, they were too busy with the breakout crisis to mind him. That was good. Even with Berwald under his roof, he could sleep easier.

It could still be a trap. Gain Alfred's trust and then lead him into an ambush. But...no. Berwald wouldn't do that, would he?

Alfred hoped not. Having Berwald stay with him had been almost a relief in a sense. He hadn't realized how much he craved company until he'd taken Maëlle in, and then Ludwig, and now Berwald. Hadn't realized how much he needed someone else. The apartment would be quieter now, without Berwald. Just him and Maëlle again.

If he had been less paranoid, if Alfred had been wondering less about exactly who Tino was and why Berwald seemed to trust him so much, he would've realized he would miss Ber. Though there was still so much unsaid between them, so many questions unasked and unanswered, they were almost friends. Almost, because Alfred wasn't sure if he could put the label on yet, but it seemed almost right.

Alfred sighed. His gun was in his jacket...just in case. Not that it'd probably have much use, but...just as a precaution. Nothing wrong with being careful. He'd learnt that the hard way.

They turned deeper into the woods. Alfred looked nervously at the sky. If it got darker, he'd have to turn them back. Partially because he secretly feared whatever wandered the woods at night, partially because there would be no point in searching in the dark.

"Ber—" Alfred began when out of the corner of his eye, he spotted it.

It was just a little random house in the middle of the woods, really the middle of nowhere. This must be it; there wasn't anything else in sight, probably not for miles and miles. It looked plain, ordinary but clean and not too terrible of a place to live in. At least it wasn't a rundown shack, because that would've been a certain sign that it was inhabited by ghosts.

...He...really needed to come to terms with that fear. Stupid, completely (well, maybe not completely) irrational fear.

"So...that's it, huh?" Alfred looked around him. Nobody to ambush him, nobody waiting in the trees. It seemed safe, almost suspiciously so.

There wasn't too big of a clearing...ah, fuck it, he had to get this over with...

Alfred stepped out with Berwald, quickly crossing over until he reached the front door where he hesitated for just a second.

He glanced over at Ber and remembered how much the man had always simply believed that Tino was trustworthy. There hadn't been any doubt in Berwald's eyes, though since Ber wasn't exactly much for expressing emotion, it could be difficult to tell.

So really, it came down to whether or not Alfred trusted Berwald. And he did.

"Alright then," Alfred muttered to himself. "Let's do this."

Reaching out, Alfred knocked twice on the door.

i suppose

by Worldie for Leia

[Berwald Oxenstierna]

I never meant for you to fix yourself.

Ever since Berwald had gotten out from that God forsaken prison, the "underground." He didn't know why, but Lady Luck had been visiting him way too much now almost; Berwald was fearing for what might be in store as the catch for all of this. Things couldn't go too smooth without being a backside of it all, Berwald was not a person this Lady Luck liked to visit, or at all.

Yet first he had been bought by that kind human; he whom had kept his promise and Berwald had actually enjoyed his time together with him. He had done that so much that his previous worry about being a mutant and his horrible powers had disappeared long from his mind; he had been seen as a normal human..

And when he had gone back, he had been more miserable than ever, he was caged, a mutant, a disgrace to the human race again. Hated and used, looked down upon.

That was until the flooding happened, and he was free again.

Yet Berwald knew he wasn't safe out there alone. He was tall, well-built and was quite famous down in the underground. A mutant without any special powers, just being strong and having the endurance, yet he won almost every game, and he was as loyal and obedient as an old dog; he was very famous all around.

Never thinking that he would make this out alive; the hounds would tear him apart, or the guards would catch him and beat him until he forgot his name and never dared to leave his cell. It had been quite the adventure, and Berwald had been afraid the whole ride along.

And then Alfred came along.

It wasn't really strange that the Swede had been terrified when he had found him after all. A mutant on the run, he still wore his clothes that was recognised with the underground, he was bound to get turned in for the money, and who would ever feel safe when someone like Berwald was loose on the streets? He had the looks of that kind of person your mum told you to stay away from.

But the American had been.. Kind, and he had actually taken him in, protected him and being so nice to him. He had been confused, very withdrawn at first, and doing exactly as Alfred commanded him to, being like a perfect, obedient mutant at first, until he relaxed enough to actually get civil with him, when he did realise that Alfred was not going to turn him in; abuse him, sell him out or even be the slightest mean towards him.

And when he had said that he could take Berwald to Tino, a few questions to it, but nothing too much, Berwald knew that he liked this person, and he considered him a good human, and the Swede would not mind to meet him again. Often he had pointed that out as well, showing gratitude, being thankful and telling him it; just so the American knew that if he ever needed anything, he'd have Berwald by his side to help.

So that's why; during the late hours in the evening, they were out here, trying to find the house that he had helped to fix up; and the man who had held every promise he had ever made to the mutant. And did he even dare to think that he had also been the one to make his heart beat faster, his body become warmer and just.. No, it was stupid to think, silly, it was forbidden and he shouldn't go there.

As they walked, Berwald stayed close to Alfred, making sure to protect him in case anything happened, and so neither would get lost. It was tricky, since Berwald didn't know the proper way either, as he hadn't been walking it too many times to know of it. The place was perfect; at least for runaways and for a spot to be alone.

"I can't thank you enough for actually doing this.." He mumbled towards Alfred and gave him a sincere look, wondering if Berwald would ever be able to get to show those words. "You've been a good... Friend." He decided to add that, to show that he thought of him as a friend, at least, and if Alfred didn't like it, then he would have to change his view.

But when the house came into view, he lost all of his confidence, and went ahead to step behind Alfred. It probably looked rather silly; the large mutant trying to hide behind the smaller male, which didn't go all too well, and held his breath as Alfred stepped up to knock on the door. "Maybe this is a bad idea.." He whispered for himself. What if Tino got angry? And had just been nice previously? What if he denied their so called 'friendship' all along? And what if he called the police on them? He would never be able to forgive himself or Alfred.

And yet the Swede stood there, trying to melt in behind Alfred, hoping this was not the bad idea he thought it would be.

[Tino Väinämöinen]

cause I lie, not because i want to

But I seem to need to all the time.
Yeah I lie
And I don't even know it
Maybe this is all a part of my
Flawed design

Chaos. That was the perfect word to describe the present situation in Archadia.

Tino pinched his fingers together, squeezing the bridge of his nose as he tried to focus on the pages sprawled out in front of him. He’d been working almost non-stop for the past two weeks, wrangling up mutants that were careless enough to wander from their hiding places, but never under his friendly face. No, he continued his shifts in the Underground to not rouse suspicion.

He glanced over at the gasmask and cloak he had dumped haphazardly last night, not finding the energy or motivation to put it away. He wore it at night, disguising his face and body from prying eyes as he searched buildings, apprehended suspicious humans that were suspects of harbouring mutants. It was long, grueling work, and Tino spent only a few quick hours each night resting. Food came from cans, stands, wherever was quick and convenient.

Things were easing up somewhat as of late. All the mutants that had not found adequate shelter or allies had been caught, rounded up, and congregated back in the Underground. Now came the difficult part; finding the careful humans that were attempting to own a mutant without paying their rental fee. Not all mutants had been tagged, and sadly, Tino knew a lot of the ones occupying the missing list.

In particular, one.

Berwald Oxensterna.

Tino stared at the file, something he had been pouring over for the past two hours. The profiling was the same, classifying his mutation, his risk, combat… but looking into Berwald’s report didn’t help him. He knew it page by page, word by word, but nothing in the file could tell Tino where Berwald was. The Fin had honestly expected Berwald to come to him, when he had heard about the breakout (he had been at home at the time). He left the door open, everything in order, even left a can of surstromming on the countertop.

But… nothing. There wasn’t a trace of the burly mutant to be found. Tino looked far and wide for him; he wasn’t exactly easy to miss, but there were no reports of a large, broad-shouldered man wandering about. No one even saw him when he broke out, or what direction he had fled.

Tino sighed and rubbed his eyes. It wasn’t like he was worried or anything… but he was a little bothered by the fact that Berwald had not in fact come to him. Was that not the point of building a friendship with him? To hopefully one day use those ties to his advantage? Yes, it was a favourable contract and Berwald appeared to trust him earnestly, so where the hell was he? Tino glanced down at the profile again. If Berwald had made a beeline for the woods, there was a good possibility that he had made it. If he had in fact breeched the forest, he probably was not geared to orient himself. Was he wandering the woods? Tino had checked the proximity around the underground and had found no recent traces of activity.

Where was he?

Tino sighed. Sitting her fussing didn’t help. He’d wasted enough time and had no real progress to show. He should have just slept. Collecting the folders up, he walked across the floor until he reached a particular floorboard. Popping it up, he stashed the files away before pressing the board back down and working the dust and grit around it to hide the fact that it could be removed. He yawned, walking over to the fireplace to poke at the coals. Looks like his can of spaghetti was about done (he was too lazy to remove the noodles from the can, instead opting to pop the lid open and let the rubbery pasta and salted tomato paste heat in the container. He grabbed a fork on the way, using a tea towel to handle the can as he brought it onto the floor. He couldn’t be bothered to eat at the table.

Then he heard footsteps, and after a moment, knocking.

Violet eyes narrowed as Tino rolled onto his feet, pulling his handgun from his waistbelt. Who the hell would be this far out, knocking on his door with such hard knocks? Wasn’t Berwald. Couldn’t be. The Swede would be tentative, hesitant, and the knocks would be almost silent and easy to miss. These were not. They were clear, but not loud. This was not a government official, not urgent enough.

Question was, who the hell was it? Tino had no friends, no allies. Any mutant looking for help wouldn’t do so with such boldness. Tino glanced at the mask, debating hiding behind it. No, that was rash. He tossed the tea towel over it. Tino lived here, not that masked man. He didn’t want the images connected.

…But, if someone were here to put a bullet in his brain…

Tino approached the door carefully, glancing to the window to take note of any shadows. No movement… they were waiting. Tino decided if there was any rash move, he’d shoot to the side and have his gun firing bullets before they could even aim. Tino inhaled once, then twice. He opened the door.

To Alfred Fucking Jones. Tino’s eyes widened in surprise and he made no motions, but he was so close to yanking his hand up and putting 6 rounds through the stupid sonnava bitch’s skull. How had he found him? He was always so careful breaking into his apartment, erasing tapes, walking in the blindspots of cameras. Shit, he hadn’t checked on Alfred since the breakout. Tino had to make a quick choice. Kill him or not. But in the millisecond from when Tino had opened the door and seen his face, Alfred made no advances or hadn’t drawn a weapon. Tino decided to play dumb and to disarm him if he makes a threatening move.

“…Can I help yo-…” Tino cut himself off when his eyes fell beyond the American. His focus had been on Alfred and reading him, not on the individual behind him. Backup? An ally to help Alfred apprehend Tino?

No, Tino knew those broad shoulders and flax coloured hair. Was that…?

“…Ber?”

CODED BY ELECTRIC OF GANGNAM STYLE

[Alfred F. Jones]

it's a

revolution

Word count: 795

Tags: Ber, Tino

Notes:

Berwald stuck close to Alfred, never more than a few feet away. Whether it was because the mutant was frightened (it was hard to imagine Ber, who towered over even Alfred, being frightened, but fear wasn't beyond anyone) or because he wanted to stick with Alfred, Alfred wasn't sure. Whatever it was, he was glad for the reassurance.

"I can't thank you enough for actually doing this..." Ber's words broke the silence that had settled between the two of them. Alfred glanced up, surprised as he looked at the mutant. "You've been a good...friend."

It was hard to read Ber. The man was so stoic. Even when he was happy, there was little more than a soft smile on his face. Whether the man was naturally that way or it had simply been ingrained into him and was a matter of self-control, Alfred had no clue. But the statement was genuine, that much Alfred could sense.

"So have you," Alfred said quietly. "And...well, just...if I don't see you again after this, good luck."

Berwald didn't speak after that, shrinking a little and stepping behind Alfred. As they stood in front of the door, Alfred heard the man whisper quietly. "Maybe this is a bad idea..." Already though, Alfred had knocked. Too late.

It took a long while for anyone to answer the door, so long that Alfred thought that perhaps there wasn't anyone there. Perhaps they had come all this way for nothing. Alfred stared at the door in front of him, before glancing back at Berwald. The man looked nervous, or as close to nervous as Berwald could ever look.

Did he really believe in this man? Because there was doubt in Ber's eyes, doubt that made Alfred nervous. He shouldn't have been so willing to come out here, so willing to believe in someone. It was stupid, a stupid decision, he should've asked more questions, should've made Ber swear—

The door opened.

Alfred's mouth opened, the words he had prepared already slipping off his tongue. "Hey I brought your fr—" Alfred began when he noticed who was standing there.

Blond hair, violet eyes, short...

Alfred stared at the Underground guard in front of him, who stared back with wide eyes.

"You?"

Shit.

It had never crossed Alfred's mind that whoever 'Tino' was could be someone Alfred had met. He didn't socialize too much outside of cons and trying to scout out for potential Freedom Fighters. But...

Fuck.

His eyes darted back towards Berwald for a second, his thoughts automatically shifting towards the gun in his pocket. Was this a trap? Alfred had convinced himself it wasn't. Ber had even just told him he thought of him as a friend.

Fuck. He'd been stupid and naive and now he was going to pay for it.

No. No, calm down. Alfred could still remedy this situation if he played it right. Just had to play along with whatever came his way. He'd been in worse situations before, he could do this. Tino...Alfred had met the man when he was looking for Matthew...he'd been so frazzled back then...but that was okay, he could figure a way out of this.

Ber. He couldn't just drop Ber and leave. Regardless of how 'kind' Tino was, he was still a guard. Tino would turn Berwald in. Shit.

If this was a trap, it was one for both of them.

But what if Ber was in on it? What if this was all just some set up to get Alfred caught? Ber knew too much about Alfred, far too much.

It took all of Alfred's willpower not to run, to turn on his heel and bolt. But he took a breath and stayed. Running would only look more suspicious.

Tino's gaze shifted from Alfred, to Berwald who stood just behind him, trying to make himself smaller than he actually was.

"Ber?"

There was no anger in the man's voice, only surprise. No negative reaction...yet. Maybe Ber was right about Tino...

...This man was a guard. The only one that had seen Alfred down in the Underground that day, and as kind, as innocent as Tino seemed he could not be...could not be just that. He was a guard. There had to be a reason.

Perhaps he was desperate for money. He was living in the middle of the woods after all. Perhaps...but...

Still...

Doubt pounded in Alfred's mind. He couldn't hand Berwald over to someone who might just hand him back to a cell.

Berwald trusted this man...

How far did trust go?

Alfred cleared his throat. "I brought your friend back," Alfred said, finishing the sentence he'd started earlier. "You're...Tino, right? Ber said that you'd take care of him."

i suppose

by Worldie for Leia

[Berwald Oxenstierna]

I never meant for you to fix yourself.

In that moment he stood there, Alfred had knocked on the door to the familiar cottage he had help rebuilt. Up from a horrible state to a nice, homely place where Berwald felt at ease; it had become like a sanctuary to the giant mutant over the time he had spent there. And those moments back in the underground where he had wished, been dreaming of returning to that special place again.

Tino himself had also helped him into that feeling. The man, despite being a guard that was supposed to keep him trapped in the underground, had been nothing but kind and gentle towards him. Not ever raising a hand or weapon, he had.. Treated him equally, like one of them, like he was a human.. It had left him confused at first, why would a human, a guard no less, benefit from being kind? Why not tame him when he was out of there and no eyes to see? Yet he was surprised, humans do have a good side.

And Alfred had also helped him to prove that; meaning that there might be good humans out there after all.

As the small seconds passed when there was no sound, or not activity from the house, Berwald became more and more nervous. What if Tino wasn't even home? What if he was out trying to gather mutants back to the underground? What if he thought it was morally wrong to hide Berwald as well? And that he would just send him back quickly and overlook their time together? What if he... What if he hated the time they had? And never wanted to see Berwald again?

Close to a panic attack as he tried to take calm breaths where he tried to hide behind Alfred, he was so pathetic, stronger and bigger than the two men combined, yet he was more afraid of them than they were for him. It was laughable, he sometimes didn't deserve the powers he had. Why be so strong when you where nothing but a whimp?

But as soon Tino opened the door, his heart froze in his chest. There he stood, just being.. Him. And when he spoke, Berwald felt how his frozen heart shattered. Was he ignoring him? Did he try to act like they didn't know each other to keep his facade as the bad underground guard who had no close connection to a mutant, ever? It made Berwald regret himself even more, this was a bad idea..

But the word that he barely caught in the middle of his inner-ranting made him stop again, and his heart got alive again, beating hard in his chest and the giant glowed up a bit more, as if he started to work once again. Yet he didn't move; he stood firmly in his place, eyes just wide, yet a soft expression over the otherwise so harsh face. He wanted to reach out, hug the man and hold him close to him, and never ever let him go, or walk away from that place.

But he didn't move; he could feel Alfred being uncertain of the other, and the tension between them. There was definitely something going on here, and Berwald didn't want to whirl something up that he couldn't handle.

"Tino.." A longing in his voice, his words spoken softly and more melodic when it was spoken in his native language, his precious gruff voice as gone when he spoke his name.

Looking down on Alfred, then up at Tino, down again and then up. Biting hit bottom lip, proving he was unsure. He shouldn't be, and yet with the outbreak and promise of money, otherwise punishment if they didn't deliver the mutants. Would Tino really risk his job just for a foolish mutant as Berwald himself? When they didn't even have such a close relationship, only in Berwald's mind.

Taking a step forward, so he was standing next to Alfred, his fingers were playing with the hem of his sleeves, looking down on them for a moment, to hide his hesitations and try to gather himself. "I'm sorry.. I just..You where the first and only one I could think of.." He mumbled as well, why was he sorry? Maybe because he didn't expect to end up here, that Alfred would find him, or even that he would ever get out again. Maybe because he was bothering him to knock his door late at night, asking for his trust and to break the law, for him. It was selfish, he had to agree to that, maybe it had indeed been a bad idea.