I bit my lips and looked at the dark pine forest. It was the safer path, but not as easy as the one by the frozen river.

The chill pressed my cheeks as I dashed through the pine trees.

The town burned behind me. The shots echoed through the valley.

I got lucky. Everyone in the village must be dead by now.

But I ran away.

He is after me.

My life. Their lives.

I wasted them.

I'm such...

...a coward...

. . .

. . .

"...and found him..."

"..."

"I know, it's..."

Berwald woke up enveloped in warmth, his pounding headache numbing his senses. He winced at the bright light when he opened his eyes. Even though his skin was warm, the chill ached in his bones. Berwald felt it. He was tired. And he was alive.

So much for going through that glorious death scenario.

"Mmmh..." his swollen face muffled every breath he took.

"Shhh, he's awake!"

Oh. Voices. Voices?

Was he caught? No way he's gonna let them get him again! No way! Every muscle in his tired body screamed as he tried to pry away from...from...from whatever's restraining him in the place...why the hell can't he get up?

"No, no, no, don't move!" kind voice pleaded, two small hands trying to push him down. "Don't move."

Berwald obeyed. He desperately tried to focus his vision, but everything was blurry without his glasses. He was too weak to talk, let alone fight the hands that peeled the thick blankets of his body.

"Well, I'm off!" a slightly irritating voice reached Berwald's ears.

"What? Now, Eduard?"

"Yup."

"Now, when he's finally awake and needs active care?"

"You're the man for the job, Toris. Good luck!"

"But you're just..." the door slammed shut "...avoiding the real job."

After a few moments of silence the sweet voice huffed.

"Well...let's get you...up!" Toris mumbled as he lifted Berwald into a upright sitting position. Berwald groaned.

"Eh...And I guess you'll need these!" Berwald's vision suddenly sharpened.

"M'...glas's" Berwald eyed the small bare-footed man standing next to him wearing a long frilly tunic. This Toris guy was very strong for his size.

Still confused, his head pounding, he took a long look at his surroundings. A comfortable bed? Smell of smoked meat? Warm cozy fireplace? His broad shoulders relaxed. It was a small wooden cottage. He was safe. For now.

"Hello!" a brown-haired head popped out in front of him.

"Umm...you're hands and cheeks are quite frost-nipped...so you shouldn't move much"

Berwald nodded staring blankly.

"You're lucky you didn't freeze to death." he continued "My name's Toris, by the way."

Was he the one who saved him?

"...uhm...I..." Toris was taken back by the lack of response "I'll go get the soup, you must be hungry!" with a polite smile he ran to the kitchen.

What had happened? He remembered the shots. And explosions. He remembered running for his life, being extremely cold, wriggling his fingers every time he stopped to take a breath, so they wouldn't freeze. He remembered the sensation of the cold snow. The waltz playing, a sweet voice telling him to hold on...

Toris cheerfully entered the room, putting a dangerously hot steaming bowl next to Berwald "...hot soup is just what you need..." and his green eyes froze, meeting the large man's stare.

"B'rw'ld"

"Uhhh..."

"..."

"Yes?"

"...'s my n'me"

Toris pressed his palms to Berwald's cheeks, surprising him. "Oh, you poor, poor man! You can't even speak right!"

"Actu'lly...th's is how I nor'm'lly..."

"But don't you worry, my famous cabbage soup will make it all better!" Toris announced, dangling a spoon in front of Berwald's mouth "Now c'mon... Niam niam!"

"I..."

"You need to restore your strength!"

A few minutes passed in silence, -or was it hours- Berwald wondered, as the weak boy determinedly shoved hot liquid into a big mouth, carefully watching his every move. The soup was ...unpleasant, to say the least. But, Berwald ate it anyway, he didn't mind eating just about anything, and he certainly didn't want to insult his little host. He liked the attention he was getting. Every now and then, Toris would stop and brush his cheeks with a warm cloth, treating the frost nips with care. Smiling slightly. It was a little disappointing, though, that the soup had no meat at all.

"Th...Thn'k you" Berwald broke the silence as he swallowed the last spoonful of the 'famous soup', biting his tongue in the process "Ow..."

Toris chuckled nervously pressing a warm cloth on Berwald's cheek once again.

"What?"

Berwald took the boy's gentle hand in his own rough frostbitten one. Pain jolted trough his body.

"I s'id...Thn'k you...fer sav'ng meh...I owe you...my l'fe..." he shot a long meaningful gaze in the boy's direction.

"Uh...ah..." the twitchy boy became even more nervous "...um, well, I didn't..."

The front door slammed open. "Aiii!" Toris yelped and snatched his hand back.

After a violent gush of snow, a figure bundled in jackets entered carrying part of some kind of animal on his shoulder, probably a leg. He quickly closed the door behind him.

"I'm back!" Berwald recognised the voice instantly "And boy, are we having a nice dinner tonight!" It was him.

"Welcome back!" Toris greeted.

The figure turned towards Berwald. Narrow opening between a thick scarf and a hat revealed two beaming violet eyes.

"Hey! The lump is finally awake!"

. . .

A/N: This chapter was...harder than I imagined it would be. It turned out a little dry. :P
Maybe I should rewrite it before I continue? You tell me.
Or maybe I should just stick to one-shots, huh? Haha.
Yeah. orz

Aaaanyway... Niam niam -Lithuanian for 'om nom nom' :)

Comments and critiques? I bet there's a lot of grammar/word order mistakes here...I'm sorry. :P

Also, cabbage soup sucks.