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qisnutz · 7 years

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Raua Needmine

APH Rare Pair Week, day 2

Prompt: Music

Characters: Estonia & Finland (OCs).

Kalju Salumäe (Estonia) belongs to @brothuania, Jaakko Järvelä (Finland) belongs to me. Also available on ao3. Enjoy! c:

"Jaakuke, have you made any plans for the evening already?"

Mua paholainen vaanii joka kulman takana, missä vain mä kuljen, kuiskii kieli katala. Sen silmät mua katsoo olutlasin pohjalla; sen hymyilevän huomaan vieraan tytön huulilla.

The Finn had spent the entire day wearing nothing but checkered pajama bottoms, safely tucked in a huge blanket, devouring copious amounts of snacks, and binge listening to at least ten years old Finnish schlagers. In other words, he did not quite resemble someone who wanted to leave his safe nest for no good reason. Thick blond stubble on his cheeks and chin, reaching upper parts of his neck, clearly indicated that Jaakko had not shaved for about two days. A water jug, together with a few coffee pots, all empty, awaited being delivered to the dishwasher. The man was again in the doldrums he hadn't expected but was not shocked by in the slightest. At any rate, the last week was subtracted forcibly from his life.

Jaakko set aside his skull-shaped mug he was holding before he tentatively examined the Estonian now leaning against the doorframe with a difficult to read facial expression. He was certainly not in the mood, neither for riddles nor Kalju's stupid inquiring.

Mua paholainen vaanii joka kulman takana, minne vain mä kuljen, on tuo tunne mukana. Kaikenaikaa onneni on vaakalaudalla; jos se ei käy sisälle, se oottaa ovella...

"Was that a rhetorical question?" Trying to sound angry came to naught because the pinnacle of Jaakko's vocal possibilities at the moment was a slightly shaky, clearly exhausted undertone. To muster up a coherent reply was truly an accomplishment on the Finnish man's side and somewhere deep, Kalju was immensely proud of him.

"Not at all. I was just wondering whether you'd be willing to accompany me tonight somewhere." He paused, awaiting a reaction, though in vain. Not being one to give up easily, he continued. "It breaks my heart to see you in that miserable state, you know? I intend to drag you out from your depression cave."

Luoja auta, pidä kurissa! Kaidalla tiellä, poissa kiusauksista. Luoja auta; vaikka tukista! Pidä mieli kirkkaana ja paita puhtaana.

Noble as it was, it couldn't work out, not according to a rough draft of the rest of the day Jaakko had sketched already in his head. His idea was not grand, not in the slightest, though it did not include leaving the bed. Let alone the entire house. It felt like all the demons he strived to avoid at all costs would get to him the moment his foot crossed the threshold. Something inside him twitched uncomfortably – that was not the desired scenario. In the end, his place was here, namely among cushions, blankets, woolen socks, cozy clothes, and vintage music with lyrics he knew by heart. And his beloved black dog by his side. Musti nestled himself comfortably in his owner's lap as he awaited caresses and promises he's a good boy.

"Not going to say anything? At all? Don't make me take your silence for consent."

"Voi ei..." Short and to-point, as always. Jaakko was not a particularly exhaustive interlocutor, at least not before a few shots of vodka sent him on a self-discovery trip to his inner source of endless, often one side-centered, chatter. His lips formed a thin, tightly sealed line as if he feared to slip out any more words. He wasn't really in the mood to start getting ready or, God forbid, actually socialize with real people. In the stubbornness contest between the two of them, however, there was no clear winning and losing side division, and this could mean only one thing.

"Jaakuke. Palun."

"Tä?" *

"I promise you won't regret going with me. It means a lot to me, and I want you to be present there. Please, kullake. It'll be fun."

Tuo varjo aina auringosta osan piilottaa, kauneimpiinkin uniin siipinensä liihottaa. Tänään kuljen hymyillen vaan tiedä tulevaa, pelimme kun etenee vain päivä kerrallaan.

Jaakko's hand kept brushing Musti's fur lazily, almost nonchalantly. Much like his favorite human, the dog wasn't up to changing the position. Several raindrops, first signs of the incoming rain, hit up against the windows. The weather acted on his advantage, giving him more reasons why he would stay home.

"I can't go out. It's raining, can't you hear that?"

"The rain won’t kill you. It's just a drizzle, and we have umbrellas. Come."

The singer's warm and soothing voice was slowly lulling him to sleep as if this depression nap he took earlier today wasn't enough.

Mua paholainen vaanii joka kulman takana, minne vain mä kuljen on tuo tun--

Suddenly, the music stopped. Unsure what happened and what to blame for that intrusion, the Finnish man frowned, suspiciously puzzling around. In the meantime, Kalju casually locked his phone and slid it into the back pocket of his pants, unbothered by future Jaakko's reactions. Truly, any response would be cordially welcome. As of late he wasn't receiving many of those.

"How the fuck-- did you do that, the laptop's on the desk, and--"

"Jaakuke, I can use the mobile app to navigate Spotify on a desktop. The future is now. Come on, get dressed, shave this thicket off your face, or just trim it at least, and get in the car with me. I'm going to be pestering you until you agree, take my word for it."

The Spotify-related revelation caused the Finn to gape in an utmost unflattering fashion, but soon enough it dawned on him it was, in fact, possible. How could that slip his mind? His glance met Kalju's eyes, gentle, strangely encouraging. Much as he appreciated the thought and his boyfriend's diligence in pursuit of the goal, the Finn still didn't quite feel the urge to abandon his safe hideout.

"I promise we'll get some booze on the way back home," the Estonian resorted to bargaining, hoping for reaching a potential agreement. When the alcohol came to play, it was always much easier to convince the other man to cooperate. This method had proven to be effective many times before, and Kalju sincerely hoped it would work today too. He couldn't bear the sight of his loved one being this miserable for a few consecutive days. "We can refill the snacks drawer, too. And we'll binge watch a Netflix show of your choice."

Jaakko was as confused as unhappy with this turn of events, but he had no strength to further argue with the other man. Kalju simply knew his strengths and weaknesses and on top of that, knew how to make a successful bait. Gently shoving Musti off his lap, he proceeded to untangle the blankets tied in the likeness of a Gordian knot. Once he was free from the bed trap, the Finn sat on the verge of the mattress and dragged hands down his face.

"No niin, mennään nyt,**" he mumbled, sniffing himself and flinched with disgust. "I might be in need of a shower though, so you have to give me some extra time."

"You can have all of it. Almost, because we have to make it to our destination before six and it's reaching half past four."

"I don't even know what to wear," Jaakko complained. The entire room resembled a battlefield and, in a metaphorical sense, functioned as one during the past six days. No matter how often Kalju would clean it up, the mess would return double as intense. But having endless patience for the Finn made it much easier to cope with continuous cleaning. "I haven't done the laundry in so long..."

"This is why you're lucky to have me. I've prepared and ironed an outfit for you already. It's waiting for you in the wardrobe. All you have to do now is just get ready. I'll be waiting for you in the living room."

All the witty replies seemed to have abandoned his head. There was no use in fighting that statement, and Jaakko knew all too well Kalju was right. A short nod followed by an attempt at a weak smile had to work as thanks. But what would make the Estonian truly happy was the Finn lumbering to the bathroom, and Jaakko decided it won't hurt to comply with this humble request. Maybe some soap and running water will help cleanse his mind at least a bit. A small sauna session when they're back would be lovely, too... Nothing clears your mind better than steam and sweat

"There. Where are we even going? I haven't worn this shirt in ages. It almost feels weird."

Jaakko looked much better with his small beard nicely trimmed, clean, combed hair, and in a more decent attire than pajamas that had long since outlived their glory days, even if said shirt looked like someone had forcibly removed it from the eighties and placed in a wrong century. The full outfit contained a jacket as well, but Jaakko casually ignored it. Shifting from foot to foot, he awaited commentary.

"Well, judging by the look of it, I'm inclined to believe that," Kalju chuckled, much to the other man's embarrassment. "Last time I wore a shirt like that was about fifteen years ago."

"I'm here to remind you that it was you who picked it for me to wear tonight."

"Because the rest looked even worse."

"Look, if you keep roasting me, it's still possible for me to go back to bed and I will not hesitate before doing that."

"Sorry, you look great. It compliments your eyes. The shirt itself might not be the latest vogue, but somehow you two make a great team. Chin up, Jaakuke. Are we ready to leave now?"

"Yeah, I suppose. Can you explain why all that fuss is necessary? I could just wear a T-shirt."

"Of course you could," the Estonian agreed. "but I doubt you'd feel comfortable attracting all the disapproving glances of people present there. We go to a place where the dress code is in force."

"Namely where?"

"It's a surprise. I won't spoil it. Don't worry, you'll love it, or so I hope at least."

All the following incoherent grunts and mutterings were silenced down by a kiss from Kalju who had gotten up and came up to Jaakko to grab him by hand and usher him to the car waiting outside. The Finnish man was still wary. Of course, he trusted his boyfriend would always wish only good things for him, but old habits die hard. Even sat in the front passenger seat he was feeling weirdly anxious about the unknown destination of their -- was a date a correct term for that? Neither of them seemed to be willing to resume a conversation from earlier, so Jaakko turned on the radio without asking. An Estonian song, lyrical and a bit melancholic, quickly replaced the silence between men in the vehicle. The thought that the tune was perfectly fit for current weather - the rain had picked up significantly - crossed Jaakko's mind as their car made its way through the streets of Tartu. He recognized several buildings they passed by, the stores, cafes that remembered their little cliché coffee evenings, tenements in front of which he stood as Kalju was taking a touristy picture of him.

One of the many university buildings was on the horizon. An unpleasant chill went down his spine at the mere recollection of returning to work tomorrow, as his sick leave lasted only until then.

He liked his job, all the young, open-minded people around him were hungry for knowledge, and he was more than willing to share his experience with them. He wasn't ready for social interaction yet, and working as a lecturer was an occupation that required a lot of it. Jaakko will have to grin and bear it for some time before he feels comfortable again.

A few other songs passed before the news report at five thirty. The speaker spoke fast Estonian, and even despite being nearly fluent in it, Jaakko had issues with understanding certain words. He would have to ask Kalju about those later, granted he remembers. The car stopped in the parking lot mid report about a piece of news on Estonian IDs. The engine stopped, so did the radio. The trip was over, and Jaakko had to become a person again, as opposed to a recluse with his head in the clouds. Fleeing from an actual downpour that developed during their car ride, both men hid inside a small but cozy white building.

"Here we are. Do you recognize this place?"

"Not really," the Finn replied according to the truth. He was unsure whether this answer will be satisfactory or a disappointment to the other man, but there was no use lying. Wet hair strands were glued to his forehead, he tucked them behind his ear and glanced around. "Where are we?"

"Can you wait a bit more? I'd love to show you around, but I can't now. We've arrived just in time. I must attend to something now. When I'm done dealing with that, I'll take care of you."

"So what you're saying is you dressed me up in those fancy clothes and dragged out of the house just to ditch me in a random place in Tartu, Estonia," Jaakko cocked his eyebrow and made a face. "I don't know a soul here, Kaljuke, why are you doing this to me?"

"Can you please relax for a bit? No one will talk to you there. We didn't invite any audience for tonight."

"We? Audience?" The Finn was startled. "Can I still retreat to the car?"

"Not at all. If this helps, you're not supposed to be on the stage. Not you, me."

Before Jaakko could ask at least one additional question, he realized Kalju was pulling him towards large frosted glass door. Behind it, seemingly endless rows of (indeed empty) chairs faced a stage with a few strangers on it. They were holding paper sheets and forming two rows, taller men standing in the back while shorter guys occupied the front. He'd have to be completely ignorant not to realize who they were and what they were about to do in a few. A shy warm feeling filled his heart.

"I thought you quitted--"

Jaakko didn't finish the sentence because his interlocutor had suddenly gone missing. Shaking his head, he proceeded to take a seat in one of the front rows. Someone brought a drum and carried it until everyone was ready to start. Kalju wasn't present among the lined up men. Instead, he occupied an honorary place before them together with a blonde who seemed to be his good acquaintance. Making sure the microphone works just fine and smiling politely at a joke, as Jaakko assumed, the Estonian adopted a straight up position, visibly awaiting the right moment. He resembled a violin string, filled with pride and ready to be played by a skilled musician. They were puzzle pieces of something bigger, something noble. Part of the choir.

The man who brought the drum, hit it, therefore announcing the beginning of the spectacle. One row responded immediately, and the second joined after hearing the drum again. The low rumble turned up, masculine voices violently resonated in the hall. They were so loud Jaakko would hear them clearly if he sat in the last row and the audience was full. Closing his eyes, he let his mind absorb all the lyrics chanted by the choir. The perfectly synced machine had two outstanding performers, one of them being no one else but Kalju himself.

Käisid kolme ilmaneitsit, taeva tütarta tulista, lüpsid maale rindasida, soo peale piimasida.

He sunk into his seat and with a dreamy expression transferred himself into a part of his brain where the glass was still half full. The lyrics were grim, it's true, but he couldn't care less for that. It was a crucial part of his heritage, and Kalju's group paid respect to it.

Üks see lüpsis musta piima, sest sai rauda pehme’eda, teine valgeta valasi, sellest tehtud on teraksed, kolmas see veripunasta, sellest malmi ilma tulnud.

It's been a while since Jaakko felt that special. He could not remember when was the last time someone honored him that way. At this moment the only thing he wished for was a pair of those lips to linger on his own, to mark the line of his jaw, to whisper sweet nothings against his skin. He knew that if he peeked at Kalju now, particularly at his mouth, he would be damned. It was okay. There will be a lot of time for that once they return home.

'... oi Luoja, kuinka häntä mä rakastan.' ***

Some translations again:

* - What? (Huh?) ** - Alright, let's go now. *** - cheesy warning: oh God, how I love him

Songs mentioned: Marko Haavisto & Poutahaukat - Paha Vaanii Veljo Tormis - Raua Needmine

#aphrarepairweek2017 #aph estonia #aph finland #estfin #id like to thank Mar for proofreading that #skogkljslkdgj I made it in time #at least for me since it's still 11th for like 13 minutes only

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