Archive of Our Own ^beta

Horangi couldn't help but laugh as he watched König look over various blogs on how to ask someone out as he tried to get an idea of how he was going to ask you to be his Valentine's date. "It's in a week you know," he said, his mask pulled down as he sipped his drink. "Most of the restaurants will be booked up with reservations by now and the flower shops are probably booked up for orders they can't fill." He watched as his friend glared at him, another chuckle escaping his lips as he watched the mild panic in König's eyes grow. "Oh course, you have to ask her out first."

König tossed a crumpled up napkin at him before he went back to his phone, searching for ways to ask you on a date. Horangi chuckled again before taking his glass and standing up. "Just ask her out and plan something nice at the base. I will make sure you're left alone. Hell, if you actually ask her tonight I will even help you set up something to make it look like you had been planning this for weeks." König looked up, a little hope in his eyes as he silently pleaded for his friends help. Horangi grinned as he took another sip of his drink and turned to walk away, "Tick tock König. Time doesn't wait for anyone and neither do I."

König watched as his friend left the mess hall. Part of him wanted to wipe the stupid smirk he had on his face off but a bigger part was thankful for the offer of helping him set something nice up. He groaned as he closed out the blog he was viewing, put his phone in his pocket, and got up. He needed to get it over with. He wasn't sure what he was scared of more, actually asking you out or the possible rejection he could be met with.

...

It took him over an hour to locate you on the Kortac base. You weren't in your office or in your room. No one had seen you in the last several hours, not even Hutch who was always in your office getting permission some new equipment and upgrades for his computers and seemingly knew where everyone was at all times. Instead he found you out walking the grounds enjoying the quiet night. He stood back by one of the trucks watching you quietly as he gathered the courage up to walk over and ask you. He was fidgeting with his gloves as he watched you. Just walk up and ask her. Will you go on a date with me. It's not that hard. It's not like you haven't done this before.

He was lost in his thoughts when you poked his arm, surprising him and making him jump back. "Ah, sorry. Didn't see you there," he said as he chuckled nervously and scratched the back of his neck. He silently cursed himself for getting so lost in his thoughts that he lost track of where you were and that you had noticed him. "Just getting some fresh air," he said quickly when he realized you had raised an eyebrow and was looking at him slightly confused.

You smiled softly up at him as you laughed, a sound that made his heart melt. "It's fine. Just not used to seeing you out this late and you're not on watch duty tonight. Just wanted to make sure you were alright," you said.

He chuckled nervously again and nodded. "Ja, all good." He lied. He was glad it was dark outside, it made hiding the blush that crept across his cheeks easier. He watched you smile for a minute, seemingly illuminating the area with just your presence. He turned and looked up at the stars that dotted the night sky, most hidden by the lights further in on the base. You were right there. Now was a perfect chance to ask you. But he still couldn't find the right words, couldn't figure out how to go about asking such a simple question.

"I'll leave you to it then," you said softly with a smile as you turned to walk away, going back down the path you had been on that would lead you back to the base's entrance.

"Hast du eine Minute?" he suddenly asked, making you stop in your tracks and turn around. "Umm, sorry. Do you have a minute?" He quickly switched back to English, knowing it was your preferred language as you weren't as fluent in his mother tongue as you were in other languages. You just nodded as you turned to face him, taking a couple steps back towards him. It's now or never, he thought to himself as he decided to just go for it.

"Do you have any plans for Valentine's?" he asked as he stood by the truck, fidgeting with his gloves again.

"No," you said slowly, drawing out the word in both confusion and curiosity. It wasn't like König to make plans for a romantic holiday from everything you had learned about him. He normally kept to himself and as everyone around you was busy making plans with someone or making plans to video call back home to spend some time with their partners he had been unusually quiet on the topic. All you had heard him say was that it was just another day. You had quickly dropped any idea of asking him to join you and few others that had no date out to a local bar that was hosting a singles night for the evening, assuming he would turn it down.

There was no backing out now and inside he was panicking. Scheisse he thought to himself as he watched you looking at him, a brow slightly raised and a curious half smile on your lips. "Neither do I," he said quickly to fill the silence.

"There's a small bar in town that's going to be hosting a singles night. I was thinking of joining some of the guys and going. You're welcome to come," you said quietly. You watched as he chuckled nervously, making you raise your brow more.

"I was thinking..." he paused as he struggled to find the right words. Out with it, he heard Horangi's voice in the back of his mind. "We could do something here. Just us." He breathed a sigh of relief as he finally got it out. Now he waited for your response, bracing himself for the rejection.

"Like a date or..." You asked as you left the question hanging in the air, curious to see what his response would be.

"A date," he said softly.

You couldn't hide the smile that spread across your lips. Deep inside you were overjoyed. The little crush you had been harboring on the goliath of a man suddenly felt all too real and you struggled to control your expression. "Sure," you said, your voice a little higher then you had intended, unable to contain your excitement. "Send me the details later?" you asked.

"Ja," was all he could respond with as a smile spread across his own face. His cheeks were flushed red as he watched you nod and turn to walk away. He waited until you were a little ways away before he pulled out his phone to text Horangi.

...

The next day in the mess hall Horangi sat next to König and talked quietly. "Look at you, doing the impossible. Proud of you man," he chuckled as he took a bite of his lunch. König rolled his eyes as he pushed some of his food on his plate with his fork. "Don't worry. We'll get a small table, some flowers or something, a bottle of wine. It'll be simple."

"The question is where," König said, more stating then asking. "One of the offices by hers is empty," he said as he mulled over possible locations on base he could set something up. "There is also the abandoned sheds that were used to hold the old trucks and supplies before they got damaged in a storm during the autumn."

Horangi shrugged as he gave the larger man a side glance. "We could go in and start cleaning it up that office tonight. Shouldn't be too hard. But you know..." Horangi trailed off before he nudged Köing in the arm. "You should at some point take her to the roof."

"Why?" König asked as he turned to look at his friend with a raised brow and a confused look on his face. "Did you forget it is currently freezing outside?"

"A chance to be alone, some stargazing. You can be a proper gentlemen when she gets cold and offer her your jacket," he said as he took another bite of his food, not bothering to look at him.

König pushed another piece of food with his fork before he stabbed it and took a bite. "Ich werde darüber nachdenken," he said quietly as he turned his focus to his lunch. Horangi just shrugged as he kept eating. The rest of their lunch was eaten in silence as it normally was. No one gave them a passing glance as people came and went from the mess hall, everyone now used to the site of the 2 of them seated at the same table quietly eating their food.

Later that night Horangi met König at your office, unsure which one he had been referring to when he had mentioned an empty office nearby. Köing pointed it out, a few doors down with the door unlocked. As they stepped inside they both stood their quiet. It was being used as a supply closet. There wasn't much in the room besides a few boxes that had a variety of office supplies in them and a couple of old filing cabinets. Horangi patted the larger man on the back. "Well, looks like you're going to be moving some stuff around big guy."

Köing sighed as he stepped further into the small office. "Ja. Give me a minute."

He looked around the room trying to figure out how to best go about everything. The light was dim and overly yellow. Everything had a thick layer of dust on it. There was one window with that didn't close properly allowing a draft into the room. The walls were an odd color of beige that he couldn't tell if it was on purpose or due to the dirt and dust in the room from the space's lack of recent use. The floor was bare concrete. And anywhere he moved the cabinets and boxes in the room would be an eyesore for what was supposed to be a romantic first date, on Valentine's Day of all days. The room was better suited for a quick fuck then something sweet and romantic.

He sighed as he walked over to the first cabinet, giving it a push to see how heavy it was and noting that it felt empty. He raised a brow before he opened it up, going through each drawer and seeing that nothing but dust and cobwebs were in it. He turned his attention to the other cabinet and opened each drawer of it, only finding a handful of old files left behind from the previous occupants of the base before KorTac moved in. "Horangi, can you see if there is another empty office nearby that these can be moved into? There isn't anything of value in these cabinets."

Horangi hummed before he turned and exited the small room. It would be easier to work in the room over the next several days if nothing was in it.

...

You sat in your room, pulling the last curler from your hair when your phone dinged, the pop up showing it was a message from König asking you to meet him outside the building your office was in. He had pulled you aside earlier in the day outside of the mess hall to tell you when to be ready and wear something nice. You were assuming he had planned something more traditional like a reservation somewhere so to meet him at your office building was rather surprising. But then again, him asking you on a date was surprising in and of itself. You quickly responded to his message confirming you would be there and went about finishing getting ready. You had a little under an hour left and even though it was considered fashionable to be late for a date or party, König was still ex-military and this was a mercenary group. Being on time meant you were late.

The time passed quicker then you wanted it to and you found yourself rushing to grab your heels and coat as you rushed out the door to meet him but you still managed to arrive 5 minutes early. He was standing outside the building already, waiting for you. Though you had seen him without his mask a few times around the base, it still shocked you to see him without something covering at least the lower half of his face. He was dressed in a pair of nice black slacks with a what you thought was a dark navy blue button up on. A heavy coat that on anyone except König would go down to their knees but on him would fall just below his hips was draped over one arm and his hair that was usually somewhat messy and barely met standard military regulations was neatly trimmed and styled. He held a small bouquet of flowers.

You called out to him as you hurried your way over, the cold biting through your jacket and making you rethink wearing a dress even with the fleece lined tights you had on under it. You watched as he smiled widely and breathed a sigh of relief that you were actually there. You couldn't help but feel a little bad at his reaction and it made you wonder how many times he had been stood up on a date in the past.

"Glad you made it here... ugh... not frozen," he said with a nervous chuckle as he quickly looked you up and down. You watched as he swallowed hard and you could see in his eyes that he was questioning if he was under dressed for the date. "You look schön... Umm sorry... Again. You look beautiful," he said with another nervous laugh.

You smiled up at him warmly. "Thank you. You look wonderful as well." You watched as he blushed slightly. "I'm not used to seeing you so cleaned up," You chuckled as you watched his blush get darker.

"Well, I didn't think being covered in 2 weeks of dirt and blood would be appropriate for the evening, you know." He smiled and relaxed some when you giggled at his joke. "Ah! Let's go inside. It is far too cold to stand here for long."

You nodded as he opened the door for you and motioned for you to enter first. You quickly rushed inside the building, thankful to be out of the wind and cold as the door closed behind him. "I feel bad for everyone having to wait outside in this frigid cold for their table to be ready," you said you shook the cold off of you and let out a relieved sigh.

"Ja. I would be miserable waiting outside and I think I qualify as a living furnace," he said causally as he offered you his arm to hold.

You took it and walked through the all too familiar commons area and down the hallway that led to your office. Silently you wondered if he had set something up inside your office after you had left for the day but quickly dropped the thought as you walked past it, the door still closed and no light peaking through the bottom of the door. You looked a little further ahead to see a soft light pouring from one of the offices a little further up, one that had been empty since KorTac came in to occupy the space.

König pushed the door open when you reached it and you looked in. Inside sat a small table for 2, a bottle of wine chilling in a small bucket and 2 meals covered to keep the plates and food warm. The overhead lights had been changed from the old yellow lights to a softer white light and there was some string lights that glowed a soft blue color. The window was covered with a frosted glaze and the windowsill was shut tight and held in place with a bar that was mostly hidden behind an array of flowers. The floor was covered in a soft plush rug with petals spread around the table and in the corner sat a small radio on a side table, the soft classical music playing echoing slightly in the small space.

You stood there amazed as you stared at the scene in front of you. You weren't sure what you really expected when he said to meet you at the office building but it certainly wasn't this. "These are for you," König said softly as he drew your attention back to him, holding out the bouquet of flowers. Just like the flowers on the windowsill, it was an odd array of flowers consisting of roses, daisies, carnations, and lilies. You smiled as you took the flowers. The bouquet was wrapped in red tissue paper and you couldn't resist the urge to smell them, their sweet fragrance making you hum softly as you thanked him.

He walked you to the table and pulled the chair out for you. Before you could sit he moved behind you and reached for your shoulders before stopping himself. "Would you like to take your coat off first?" he said as he pulled his hands back to his side. You nodded and pulled your coat off, about to hang it on the back of the chair before he stopped you, taking it and motioning for you to sit as he hung it on the chair for you before he made his way over to the other side of the table, hanging his own coat on the back of his chair and taking a seat.

"It's not a 5 star Michelin restaurant but those can be overrated anyways," he said with a nervous chuckle as he pulled the covers off the plates to reveal a hot and homecooked meal.

"It smells amazing," you said as looked down at the dish in front of you. "Is it a stew?" you asked as you looked up.

"It's similar. A beef goulash. A more traditional Austrian dish," he said with a smile. "It's my mothers recipe."

You smiled widely at him. "You made this?"

He chuckled and nodded. "Ja. I figured something warm and a little more filling would be better then a meal that you would leave you hungry again in an hour." You watched him as he smiled. "Like I said, some of those fancier restaurants can be overrated, no?"

You chuckled and nodded in agreement. Although the food was usually delicious, some were by far over priced for how little the portions were and when you thought about it, with how cold it was outside, a hot and hearty stew did sound far better then a small slab of steak and some steamed vegetables that may or may not be steamed to your liking. You watched as he grabbed the wine bottle and popped the cork like it was nothing before pouring you both a glass.

You picked up your glass and swirled the wine in it smelling it, a sweet red. You smiled as you held out your glass to toast him. "Well, here's to good food and better company." He smiled brightly as he held his glass out and lightly clinked it against yours before you both took a sip. You couldn't help but to smile at how gentle he was with the simple motion. He was widely know as a mountain of a man and had been referred to as a living battering ram on more then one occasion when his job within both KorTac and his previous military experience came up.

...

An hour had passed and you had both finished your food, a meal you found yourself really enjoying, as you sat and talked when a soft knock came at the door. You looked up surprised, having assumed no one knew you and König were there. He excused himself as he got up and went to answer the door, opening it and speaking just low enough you couldn't make out what was being said and to who. After a moment the door closed and he returned to the table. "Sorry about that," he said with a soft laugh. He sat a small covered plate down in the center of the table and cleared away the now empty dishes that had sat in front of you both. When he pulled the cover off of the plate you were surprised to see a cake covered in whipped cream, caramel sauce, and strawberries, just big enough for 2 people to share. You instantly recognized it as a small dessert that you loved from back home.

He watched as your eyes got big and he smiled. "I'm sure it's not as good as that café back in your home town but I remember you mentioned it once and went into great length about how good it was. I found a recipe and wanted to try it."

You looked up with an eyebrow raised and chuckled softly. "I mentioned it once months ago."

König let out a nervous chuckle as he sat back down. "Some things stick out more then others you know. Like spending a half hour going into great detail about a specific cake from a place you only go to once in a while. Especially when you only go there for the dessert because... How was it you put it... Everything else on the menu was bad?" He chuckled again and you couldn't help but to nervously laugh with him. He wasn't wrong. You had spent far too long telling the people you had sat with that day about a little cake and how it was the only good thing at the café.

He poured you both another glass of wine, the bottle now almost empty, before you both went in to try the the cake. It wasn't like the café's, the cake wasn't as rich but it was still delicious and you found yourself enjoying a small slice of your home when you were far away from it. You were sure the main dish was similar for him and just as you had enjoyed trying something he was familiar with and loved, he seemed to enjoy trying something that you were familiar with and loved.

It wasn't long before it came down to the last bite. You offered it to him politely and watched as he scooped it up only to offer you the spoon with a smile. "I insist," he said softly. For a man that spent his life on the battlefield and kept mostly to himself and was well known to be awkward around most people, he was more of a gentlemen then several others you had gone on dates with in the past. You found it hard to believe there wasn't someone special in his life as you leaned over and took the bite. You weren't going to complain though if it meant you could be that special someone for him.

It wasn't long before there was noise coming in from other parts of the base as people returned from their night out. You both agreed that now was probably a good time to call it a night and return to your rooms. König got up and offered you his hand to help you stand before he grabbed your coat and draped it over your shoulders. He offered you his arm again and you both left the office. The temperature had dropped outside and as soon as you stepped back out into the night you found yourself quickly putting on your coat properly as you shivered. You had barely made it 5 steps from the building when heavy coat was draped over your own, pausing to look back as König smiled down at you, trying to hide his shivering as he gave you his coat. You smiled as you pulled it closer, catching the subtle hint of cedarwood and ginger cologne.

You both rushed back to the living quarters, not wanting to be out in the cold any longer then absolutely necessary. Although you could have walked back to your room and let König go his own way he insisted on walking you to your door, your arm locked with his the entire time. A few people that were heading into their own rooms gave you both a second glance with raised brows as they watched you both walk down the hallway. You paid them no mind and judging by the flow of light conversation that König continued he wasn't paying them any attention either. You didn't let his arm go until you reached your door.

"I had a lot of fun tonight," you said with a smile on your face. "It was nice getting to know you more. I didn't take you for the romantic type to be honest so I was surprised." You laughed softly as you looked up at him.

He chuckled nervously as he rubbed the back of his neck and smiled. "I guess I'm full of surprises," he said softly, a light blush creeping across his cheeks. "I really enjoyed tonight as well."

"We should do this again."

König looked down a bit surprised before he smiled and chuckled lightly. "I would love that," he said softly.

There was an awkward pause for a moment as you both tried to figure out how to say goodnight and part ways. You finally smiled up at him as you motioned towards your door. "See you tomorrow?" you asked as you pulled his coat off your shoulders and handed it back to him before you pulled out your keys and unlocked your door.

"Ja. I have briefing sometime tomorrow but I'll be around base."

You pushed your door open and dropped your keys on a small table inside right beside the door. "Well, feel free to come say hello. I'll be in my office handling another one of Hutch's upgrade requests for the security system."

You took a step into the room and turned around to face him again. Instead of being met with a small wave and awkward goodbye you found yourself being pulled in closer, an arm wrapping around your waist as König's other hand cupped the side of your face. Before you could fully register what was happening he bent down and pressed his lips softly against yours. It took a split second for you to realize what was happening and you quickly wrapped your arms around his neck as you returned the kiss sweetly. He tasted like the spices from the goulash mixed with the sweet wine and you were sure you tasted the same. You heard a soft hum escape his mouth as he pulled away, smiling down at you. Your weren't sure if the wine had prompted him to kiss you or if he had planned it, but you certainly weren't complaining regardless.

"Have a goodnight," he said softly.

You nodded as you felt your cheeks turn red, "You too König." You quickly went into your room and lightly closed the door as he turned to walk away, a grin spread across his face as he made his way back to his room 2 floors down.

When got to his floor he was met with Horangi waiting for him, leaning against the wall next to his door. "I take it by the look on your face everything went smoothly," he said with a low chuckle. König waved him off as he opened the door to his room and walked inside still smiling widely. "You're welcome for the help," Horangi chuckled as he stood upright and turned to walk down the hallway.

"I appreciate it," König called out as he closed the door behind him.