Archive of Our Own ^beta

You had a long day–a long week, even. Finally, it was Friday evening. You drop your bags onto the dining table by the front door and breathe a sigh of relief; both from no longer carrying the weight of them up the many stairs that lead to your apartment door, and also feeling like you dropped the weight of your work week. You glance around your living room and connected kitchen, searching for your cat. You call for her, but she doesn’t come scurrying at the familiar sound of your entrance. You walk to your bedroom and find her snuggled in the basket of clean clothes you forgot to fold the night before. You let out a quiet, breathy laugh and squat down to pet her.

As you’re finding comfort in your furry companion, you look up and notice a snazzy, striking, sensual deep red outfit hanging in your closet that you haven’t worn in a while. It gives you an idea as a small smile grows on your face. I haven’t been to a bar in a while.

You eat a dinner of leftovers from this past week and an hour and a half later, you’re all dressed up. You’re wearing the deep red outfit, complementing shoes and jewelry, and have a small black bag that contains your phone, wallet, pepper spray, a small mirror, and products to touch up your face throughout your night out. You take a couple selfies in a long mirror, say a short goodbye to your cat, and head out. There’s a local bar about a 10 minute walk from your apartment. It’s not super popular but is often decently crowded on weekends.

As you’re walking, you think about what you’re planning on even doing. This was definitely not a thought out decision, you don’t go to bars often for a reason. You decide on mingling and dancing. Maybe you’ll meet someone new.

When you finally make it to the bar and enter with your ID, you’re immediately hit with the sounds of bustling city life. Patrons chatting, music, glasses clinking, and cocktail shakers fill your ears, almost overwhelmingly. It’s dimly lit with inviting lighting coming from long ceiling lamps that fall gracefully from high ceilings. There’s a small dance floor that’s made of glowing LED tiles that shift slowly between different colors and a DJ booth that matches the colors of the dance floor.

You find an empty barstool and order your usual drink. You sit and observe the bar, noticing other lone patrons with their drinks and the people up and dancing. To your surprise, not many catch your eye. A few people approach you and you give them the usual small talk that you dish out to strangers, but none stick out to you.

At this point, you’re halfway done with your drink and are wondering if this was a good idea. But the devil on your left shoulder can’t help but scream, “It’s you, you’re no fun!”, into your left ear. You decide to stick it out a bit longer. It’s only been about an hour, and you have nowhere to be tomorrow morning. Just as you’re thinking about getting up to dance, a group of men walk in. They’re in casual military wear, seeming like they just came home from deployment. This is the last place I’d want to be if I just busted my ass on the field.

You can’t lie, though. Uniforms are hot. As the eye candy strolls in, one particularly large man catches you by surprise. His height is almost unbelievable. Your eyes widen as you find yourself accidentally staring in absolute shock, also noticing the mask he’s wearing. It’s a long black cloth mask, but it was unusual to see someone wearing one like that in public. You look back down to your drink, but steal glances to see where the group sits.

They settle at a large booth. The tall man you noticed is sitting in a seat that faces your back. Of course. Being the nosy person you are, you continue to steal glances at him over your shoulder. He notices. You can’t tell his expression due to the mask covering his face, but you don’t notice any positive signs. You do notice how he averts his gaze every time you turn your head. Your brows furrow slightly. Maybe he’s shy. You decide to slow down and not insert yourself where you aren’t wanted, but you can’t help but look over a little bit. The next time you do, you notice the men whispering to the tall, masked one. They look at you. Fuck.

You turn your head back to your drink and stop yourself there. You feel a tingle of embarrassment in your cheeks, knowing you probably shouldn’t have stared like that. Clearly he didn’t want attention, with the mask and everything. Maybe this is your sign to take your leave and go home for the night.

You’re sipping your drink when you notice someone taking the stool next to yours. You don’t pay much attention until you glance over and see that it’s the man in the mask. You gasp through your nose as you’re engulfed in complete panic for a moment. In the second you got to look at him next to you, he was even bigger when you were directly next to him and he had poor posture with his shoulders slouching inwards. You didn’t want to appear intimidated, though.

You then remembered his fleeting eyes and unreadable expressions and decide you should probably take the lead here, feeling a sudden surge of confidence. You turn to look at him.

You try to speak as invitingly as you can with a smile while still being loud enough to be heard over the sounds of the bar in front of you. “Hey you, what’s a handsome guy like you doing here at a little bar in the city?”

He only awkwardly laughs, clearly unsure what to say. It’s okay, you tell yourself, this is savable.

“Hey, I promise I won't bite,” you say a bit more gently this time. It takes every part of you to hold back your immature want to continue with, unless you want me to. “I’m interested in you,” you say bluntly. Your usually witty mouth shut down in the moment of panic you had earlier.

His cheeks become noticeably pink before he speaks. Cute.

“Uhh, my name is König, and yours?” His voice is a little uneven from feeling very nervous about the situation his friends put him in.

You smile brightly when he speaks, noticing his accent. You decide to look between him and your drink so as to not overwhelm him with eye contact. “I like your name. My name is y/n, it’s wonderful to meet you.”

“Thank you, y/n… I like your name, too.” He smiles softly, not apparent unless you looked at the way his eyes crinkled slightly.

You eye over his outfit, seeming like he just came from a military base. You take the opportunity to notice his physique. He’s muscular, but still somehow slim? You shake your head slightly to rid your mind of tenacious thoughts of his body, pushing it to the back of your mind to think about later. “You’re a soldier?” You ask inquisitively.

“Yes, I’m a soldier. I volunteered when I was 17 years old and have been serving at my unit ever since.” König glances around the bar as he speaks. “What about you?”

You listen intently, taking notes on his body language and the little snippet of his own history he shared with you. You decide not to pry, but mention his honorable work. “Wow, that’s really young. I can imagine it’s been tough, but that’s really respectable. I’m a psychotherapist.” You pause for a moment, deciding if you want to share more. “You know, I once considered being a medic. In the military, I mean. The thing that stopped me was all the training I would have to do.” You chuckle to yourself, feeling a little embarrassed at admitting your unwillingness to do what he’s done for many years now. You wonder about another lifetime where you could have met under different circumstances.

He perks up at the mention of you considering being a medic. “Oh yes, I remember my training being very difficult… But the camaraderie makes it easier,” he says as he turns his head to look at you. He’s trying to look tough in front of you, hoping you’re impressed by his resilience. “That’s awesome, you’re a psychotherapist! I’ve heard that kind of work can be quite difficult, how do you manage?”

You shrug and take a sip of your drink. You think for a moment and sigh before you speak. “It is pretty difficult, I won’t lie. But I know people need help. I struggled a lot when I was a kid, so I want to be the person I needed when I was younger.” You find you opened up briefly as you rambled, but change the subject quickly. “Do you want anything to drink? It could help you relax,” you say casually, hoping he knows it’s only out of consideration.

He pondered your offer for a moment. “You’re right, it might help me… Do you think they have apple cider?” He looks casually at you, seeming to become more comfortable.

You wave over the bartender and ask about apple cider. The bartender pours a glass and hands it to you, which you then slide over to König. You look between him and the glass of cider. “Apple cider is really good. Do you not drink alcohol?” You ask curiously, noticing his drink of choice at a bar was non-alcoholic.

König takes the glass and watches the surface of the cider as he swirls it around in his cup for a bit. He feels a wave of shame when you mention alcohol. I hate how I feel after drinking.
He turns towards you and sighs, “I guess I don’t have a good relationship with alcohol, but I am willing to try a little bit with you.”

He raises his glass and nods to you.

“Cheers.”

You bring your glass up to tap it against his, a satisfying clink! ringing out. You take a sip and set your glass down again. “Hey, that’s fine. Nothing wrong with that. You don’t need to like alcohol, it’s not for everyone, so I’m not judging,” you say reassuringly as you smile at him.

His face lights up as he takes a sip of cider, the sweet and fruity taste relaxing his senses. He takes in your comfort, becoming curious about you. Y/n is really nice, and so considerate, too? I don’t think a stranger has cared for me this much before. He takes another sip, coming back to the conversation. “How long have you done therapy for?” He asks, trying to make conversation.

“Not too long. It takes a while to get your doctorate, which I only got a couple years ago. I’ve been doing therapy for children and adolescents since then.” You look into his eyes as you speak, trying to read them but you’re not exactly sure what for.

“What made you want to work with kids?” He asks, genuinely interested in your story.

You internally sigh a breath of relief that he didn’t remember you accidentally opening up unwarranted. “I wanted to work with kids because I remember a lot of my friends and peers struggling growing up. So, I wanted to be the person they needed. Obviously I can’t help their teenage selves now, but I hope I can help the current and upcoming generations of children with the problems they had,” you say casually, trying not to make a big deal out of it.

“A noble endeavor,” he comments, feeling inspired.

“And what about you? Did you have any plans besides the military?” You know he volunteered very young, but you knew you wanted to be a therapist at a young age, so it wouldn’t hurt to ask.

“No, not really. I’ve always known I wanted to serve. That’s what my father did,” he answers honestly. You notice his mention of his father, speaking of his service in the past tense. You take note of it.

“That’s very brave of you,” you say endearingly. “I’m sure your father is very proud.”

You take a sip of your drink, letting the silence fill in the blank in your conversation as you both seem to be wondering about the other.

König’s mind starts to wander, thinking of a more personal question. He has a battle in his mind deciding if he should ask, and ends up going for it.

“So… Do you have a partner?” He looks down towards you, anxiously awaiting your response. I hope that wasn’t an inappropriate question…

You smile and chuckle, looking down into your drink. How flattering!

“I don’t. Are you seeing anybody?” You ask, now smirking a little as you look at him. You assumed he didn’t since he was asking that question, but thought it would probably be polite to ask anyway.

König catches your smirk and realizes he walked right into that question. His cheeks started to gradually fill like a canvas with a bright red. “No… I’ve actually never had a partner.” He thinks to himself. I must look so stupid right now.

Your face wears an expression of shock for a moment. He’s been in the military for practically his whole life, so it makes some sense. “That’s a little surprising, but I understand. You seem like someone who normally keeps to himself. What has you talking to me, then?”

König looks away for a second, trying to think of a lie or excuse. After a moment, he decides to be honest. “My comrades noticed your interest in me and encouraged me to approach you, because I am interested in you, too. But, you’re also really nice. Not many people have shown me this much interest,” he says as he tries to look back to you and smile. He seems like he’s feeling nervous about being so forward.

Your eyebrows raise slightly as you smile to yourself. “Really? Aren’t I lucky, then,” you say with a small giggle before looking towards König again. “That’s surprising, though. You’re so sweet, I’m shocked you haven’t been swept off your feet yet.”

“Yes, I suppose you are!” He says as he flashes you a grin. His cheeks are still flushed and his face grows hot at the compliments. Why is it so hard to look at them? They’re so beautiful, he thinks to himself. “I have a hard time being outgoing, I guess,” he explains honestly, trying to explain his lack of romantic experience.

You smile and try to give him a sincere look. “That’s alright. You wanna know something about me?” You lean in dramatically, smirking at him.

“Of course,” he says, smiling at you. He, too, leans in with anticipation.

“I’m not really this outgoing, either.” You lean back to your normal position. “I don’t normally talk to strangers. Sometimes I can be shy or anxious. But I came out of my shell, just for you.” You smile and take the last sip of your drink. Your cheeks are feeling a bit warm, and you can’t tell if it’s from König or the alcohol.

“Oh… Well, I feel honored you’d do that for me,” he says with another soft smile. “Why are you usually anxious?” He asks, wondering what he can do to help you. The last thing he wants is for you to be uncomfortable or nervous around him.

You look at the ice in your empty cup, thinking about how you want to answer. “I don’t know… You never really know who to trust, I guess?” You pause for a moment, thinking of your words. “But I wanted to get myself out a little more. I’m happy I did, since I got to meet you,” you say with a smile.

König notices your comment about trust and begins to feel a little bad for bringing it up. You seem comfortable, though, so he continues. “You do not know who to trust?” He asks innocently, inquiring to get to know more about you.

You tense a little at his wording, feeling rubbed the wrong way. You relax quickly after, not taking it personal. “I guess you could say that, but it’s whatever,” you say calmly and dismissively. You decide to change the subject to avoid the weird feeling. “Are your friends going to be worried that you’re gone for so long?”

König’s heart sinks a little at your dismissiveness. Did I do something wrong?
“They might be,” he says as he takes another sip of his cider. “But they know I’m okay to handle myself.” He looks down at the table and thinks of his comrades. “I’m the oldest of all of them and sometimes I feel like I have to take care of all of them,” he says as he looks over his shoulder to the group of men.

You tilt your head at the mention of his age, becoming curious. You ignore the thought for now, instead focusing on your original goal. “Then, how about we go somewhere else? The bar doesn’t seem to be your typical setting.”

König feels his heart start to race as you mention leaving the bar. He wonders what you had in mind. “Sure, where would you like to go?” He asks excitedly. I wonder what a night out would be like with you…

You think for a second. “We can walk around together, if you want? It’s a weekend, I’m sure lots of places are still bustling.”

He gets a look of anticipation on his face and nods eagerly. “Yeah, that sounds really nice. Are there any spots we should go first?” He suddenly becomes aware of the distance between your bodies, mind wandering and thinking if you’ll get closer. He’s already liking the idea of spending more time with you.

You smile up at him before hopping down from the barstool and standing up, beginning to put your coat on and grabbing your bag as you speak. “There’s a really cool vintage shop we could check out. What are your thoughts?” You look into his eyes, seeing if he’s comfortable.

“That sounds great!” He says with enthusiasm. König downs the rest of his cider and follows suit and hops–or rather, steps–from the barstool alongside you. He begins to feel nervous again, but still excited as he feels the heat of the moment. He can’t help but smile down at you.

You smile brightly back up at him, noticing his height again. Jesus… What did they feed him as a child? you think to yourself, blushing a little at the height difference from how it’s almost mind-blowing. “Let’s go, then! Should you go tell your friends you’re leaving?”

König nods his head, “Yeah, that’s a good idea.” He looks around and finds his comrades sitting at the same table, now going at plates of food. He gives them a quick nod and a thumbs up, and they smile at him. “Okay, let’s go,” he says quietly but confidently as he turns back to face you.

You link your arm with his, placing your hand gently on his forearm to stay at his side. You guide the both of you out and feel the cold air hit your face and body, sending goosebumps up your back and shoulders. “It’s not too far from here, we can walk.”

König’s heart starts to beat a little faster at the touch of your hands. He doesn’t often get physical with people, even his close friends, so this is almost a foreign feeling for him. He gets a little nervous, but lets it happen since he wants to get closer to you. König only nods with a small awkward smile, trying to act casual with you.

As you walk, you look down at yourself and the outfit you chose for the evening. Naturally, you wonder if you’re really König’s type or if he’s only reciprocating the interest you’re showing him. “Hey, König? What’s your type? You know, romantically,” you ask innocently, speaking very bluntly since it kind of slipped out without you thinking about what you were going to say. You ignore that, continuing to appear natural like you meant to ask that.

He looks down at you and starts giggling. He did not expect that random question. “Well…” he pauses to think for a moment. “Honestly, I’ve never given it much thought. Probably someone who is intelligent, kind and… Someone who likes to read,” he replies as he looks at the sidewalk in front of him. “What’s your type?” He asks in return, still giggling a bit as it dies down.

You felt a little self-conscious at his laughing, chuckling to yourself. “Sorry, was that a silly question?” You’re taken aback a little at his response, not expecting him to interpret it as a personality question. You decide to answer similarly. “My type is someone funny, smart, and witty,” you respond. You decide to continue your answer with your original intention by asking. “As for looks, I kind of like when they’re at least a little taller than me. I also think strength is attractive,” you explain as you look him up and down for a moment. A perfect candidate.

He smiles as you continue walking. “I’m sure you can tell that you’re a perfect match for what I describe…” He looks down and sees you looking up at him and he smiles nervously at you. Still, he can feel himself becoming more comfortable, his nerves slowly thawing from your warmth. ”Why someone taller than you?” He asks curiously, returning his gaze to the sidewalk and road in front of you.

You chuckle to yourself when you think of your answer. “It’s a little silly. I’ve just found I’ve dated a lot of short people, and I got tired of that. I wanted a change of pace.” You look up at him again. “And you’re definitely not lacking in that department,” you comment softly, giving him an almost alluring tone.

König laughs, thinking that’s a good enough reason. “Yeah, there’s definitely not much room to complain there…” He looks down to you again, meeting your gaze. His heart skips a beat. “Do you like this height gap?” He asks with a quiet voice. He’s being considerate, but you almost hear a suggestive or teasing tone? He looks at your face to find an expression to examine.

You continue to stare into his eyes, suddenly being made aware of how he towers. Your mind wanders, thinking about what he’s thinking about behind his gentle eyes. You clear your throat, an action to also clear your mind. “Yeah… I do. I like it a lot,” you say, almost a whisper as to not have your voice crack as you feel yourself becoming flustered.

König realizes he might have made you nervous, and gives you a reassuring smile under his mask. “I do too,” he says kindly. His heart flutters as he notices you’re still holding onto his arm, relieved and happy that you’re still comfortable touching him when he assumes he made you nervous a moment ago.

You look back to the road in front of you and see the store coming up. “Hey, here it is,” you say while distracted by your excitement to go in. You open the door and let yourself in with König following closely behind.

It’s warm and comfortably lit with yellow lighting. It smells like old dust. There’s only a few people inside, but you know it tends to be busier during the middle of the day. The store is absolutely filled to the brim with vintage items and antiques, shelves almost reaching the ceiling and tables filling up the space in the middle of the store. You glance around the shop and want to explore, finding a desire to hold König’s hand as you go around together. You look down at your hands still on his forearm, and slowly and cautiously bring your hand down to gently hold his. Your touch is feather like, testing the waters. He’s alerted by this and quickly looks down at your now connected hands. He relaxes, gripping gently onto your hand. You let out a small sigh of relief through your nose and start to walk around the store.

König’s mind races as he feels his rough hand against your much softer one, at least in comparison to his. He tries to calm his ever persistent nerves with some small talk. “Nice shop. What do you usually do here?” He asks politely. He has many more questions he wants to ask you, but decides on just focusing on being with you here.

You continue to look around as you speak, slowly guiding him through the store. “I usually just browse, but I’ve bought a couple things before. I think it’s interesting how time, use, and the effects of life change things.” You look at an old telephone, a rotary dial one from the 50s. “Isn’t that cool? You can see the paint chipping more where people held the phone and spun the dial. This probably has a lot of memories,” you say quietly, as if to not disturb the memories that the telephone holds. You take the tip of your index finger to gently touch the edge of the wheel that surrounds the numbers.

König looks at the telephone and notices your interest and excitement. “That’s actually really cool,” he admits after a moment of silence. “Is that why you like antiques and vintage items? Because they have so much history?” He asks as you move onto the next item.

You smile softly to yourself. “Yeah, you’re right. I think it’s a sweet thought. I wish I could learn about all the memories everything here has,” you say, still distracted by everything around you. You look at a vintage tea set. “Look at how pretty these teacups are! They match the pot,” you light up as you speak, examining the intricate floral design on each cup.

He looks at the cups with you and takes notice of your enthusiasm again. Adorable...
“They look like they are from a different time.” He begins to feel inspired by you and appreciates the beauty. He also notices how comfortable you seem with taking the lead and that somehow makes you more attractive in his eyes.

You continue to walk hand in hand, noticing and examining other interesting items around the store. You spend an hour there, talking and wondering about the things you see, creating stories for the older items you find. You come across a sweater with your home city’s name embroidered into it and decide to buy it. You walk out of the store and back into the sharp cold air, still holding hands. “How was that? Did you enjoy it?” You look up to him with shining eyes, eagerly awaiting his thoughts.

König smiles widely before he takes one last look at the store. “I loved it! Thank you. I really enjoyed our little adventure in there,” he says as he raises his arm to rest on your shoulders. “What did you think?” He asks and looks down at the sweater you bought. “Is that for you?”

You smile excitedly, happy he likes the store as much as you do. You lean into the arm on your shoulders, feeling warmer in contrast to the crisp cold air hitting your exposed skin. “I’m glad! I go to that store pretty often, so I enjoyed myself.” You hold up the sweater so he can see it. “Yeah, I thought it was cute. I wonder who owned it before me,” you ask rhetorically, looking at it again with a small smile.

“I really like the idea of old things having memories from the past. It’s somehow comforting, isn’t it?” He comments, looking at your face with a content smile. “What do you think your sweater’s memories include? Do you picture the original owner or do you imagine something different?”

You look at the new–well, old–sweater and narrow your eyes as you ponder his question. “I wonder what the original owner looks like and what they did in this sweater,” you finally say. “They could have had their favorite vacation in it! Or maybe they went to school in it? This sweater has seen a lot of places, I’m sure.” You look up to König again, smiling widely.

“Or maybe it’s a family heirloom and there’s so much history and memories behind it!” He says excitedly, excited to see the beauty that old antiques have. The little sparkle in your eye is charming to him.

You look back to the sweater for a moment before putting it back in the bag the store gave to you, curiosity growing in the center of your mind as you ponder the possibilities. “Yes, it makes me happy to think about,” you say conclusively. You look around as you think, not wanting the night to end just yet. “Do you want to get some ice cream? I saw a little parlor on the way here.”

The mention of ice cream immediately grabs König’s attention, getting a gleam in his eye. “Of course!” He says excitedly as he thinks about the different flavors he wants to try. “What’s your go-to?” He asks as you start walking back in the direction you came from. “I normally get chocolate chip.”

Your heart flutters in your chest at his enthusiastic response. He must be enjoying this date as much as I am.
“I love chocolate chip, but I usually get chocolate chip cookie dough. I love the pieces of dough. Do you get it in a cup or cone?” You look back up to him and hold his hand once again as you walk. You love looking up at him, even if it’s only his eyes that you can see.

“I normally get a cone,” he says excitedly as he glances around to search for the ice cream shop. “What about you? What kind of toppings do you usually get? I’m a big fan of sprinkles.”

You giggle at his excitement and his love for sprinkles, thinking it’s rather cute for a grown man like him to find so much enjoyment in something like ice cream. You can’t blame him, you like ice cream a lot, too. “I think I get it in a cone pretty often, too. I’m more of a hot fudge or nuts person, but I think sprinkles are fun!” You reply with as much enthusiasm as him. You look into his eyes. “Cute…” You whisper under your breath, accidentally saying it out loud, admitting it to yourself more than you’re complimenting him.

König notices, though. He blushes a little at the compliment, not used to hearing such things like that being said about him. His chest fills with a sense of pride and warms with joy. “Really? You think so? I’ve never really thought of myself as cute,” he says a bit nervously, not really knowing how to respond to compliments. “I think you’re really beautiful… And smart,” he adds on, reciprocating the compliment. You round the corner and find the ice cream parlor.

You look down and give his hand a gentle squeeze. “Thank you… You’re such a gentleman.” You walk into the parlor and get hit with a gentle cool breeze and the scent of cream and sugar.

“Thanks,” he says breathily, becoming distracted by the ice cream options. You get into the line of a few people and find yourself smiling, excited to be with König and of course, the ice cream. König finds he wants to smile too when he sees you smiling. “Thank you for coming with me tonight,” he says as he looks between you and the ice cream, becoming a little nervous again at being so open and honest.

You smile up at him warmly. “Of course, I really enjoy being with you. I’m glad you’ve enjoyed it too,” you say casually before ordering your ice cream and taking it from the employee behind the glass. König orders his ice cream, taking it and already beginning to take out his wallet to pay. You give him your thanks and walk out of the small parlor to find a bench to sit with him.

You both start to lick at your ice cream. It’s pretty good, better than the large ice cream chains scattered around the city. You notice as König lifts the lower part of his mask, exposing his jaw and lips, but don’t pay much mind to it to respect his privacy.

“So, tell me about yourself,” he says open-endedly. He’s wondering how to start a conversation, still a little nervous, trying his best to come up with something to say.

You sigh a bit, thinking about how to respond to such a question even though he was just being polite. You list a few of your hobbies, big and small, and even the mundane things that bring you little bits of joy. You lean into him a bit, trying to stay warm against the cold night and chilling ice cream. “I live in an apartment around here, and I have a cat,” you add on.

König listens intently to your list, then decides to speak. “Do you like to bake as well? Since you cook dinner often,” he asks mostly to keep the conversation going, but also out of his own curiosity. He takes a small bite out of his ice cream. He notices you leaning into him, accepting the closeness.

“Yes, I bake sometimes. I’ve mostly baked cookies, because they’re simple and delicious. I’ve also baked bread and attempted some more challenging pastries.” You tell him this and take note of his interest, thinking about baking together. “What are some of your hobbies?”

“Wow, I like cookies also!” He smiles as his mind wanders to the varieties he likes. “I like reading, video games, spending time with animals, listening to music,” he lists, saying pretty usual hobbies. Not that that’s a bad thing. He might have not been prepared for the question. “I also really like working out,” he continues, “I love the feeling of working my muscles; it’s almost therapeutic… I’m guessing you don’t really need to work out in your line of work,” he says as he examines your body, exploring your curves with his eyes as he thinks about the differences between your bodies and work lives.

You stare into him with an interested expression as he lists his hobbies. You look down at your body, chuckling. “Yeah, I don’t need to work out. But I try to stay active.”

“It’s really nice to work out; not just for building muscles but for your mind also. It does wonders for staying positive and clearing your mind,” he explains with a smile.

You smile at his clear passion, but can’t help but laugh to yourself. I’m a therapist, I know this already. “Yeah, that’s why I try to stay active, for both my mind and my body.” You think for a moment and remember his mention of video games. “I like some video games, too! What do you play?”

König gets lost in thought for a moment. “I personally like RPG games the most, especially when they have a lot of story! I like to get immersed in the world and characters and learn all the lore,” he says as he looks at you excitedly from behind his ice cream.

“RPGs are nice. I like getting pulled into a good story,” you say, giggling softly to yourself.

“Are you a fan of the Elder Scrolls series?” He asks, thinking of games he enjoys. “I also really like Minecraft! I can be a huge nerd when I play it, though,” he adds with a laugh, admitting to that side of him.

You smile and think about playing with König, thinking about seeing him again. “We should play together sometime,” you say excitedly as you continue to lick at your ice cream. If you want to see each other again, you will need each other's contact info…

You take a breath before speaking. “König, can I get your number?” You ask quickly, trying to act casual about it, but you’re a bit nervous for his reply.

He nods his head excitedly at your suggestion. “Yes, we should totally play together!” He says with an eager smile. Then, he hears your question about his number. He seems surprised about the question, surprised someone such as you would want his number, let alone see him again. “Here, give me your phone,” he says as he pulls out his own phone and takes yours. “I’ll put my contact in your phone,” he says, smiling from ear to ear.

You take his phone to give him your number, unable to hold your smile. You were excited, already thinking and hoping for more time with him. “There, I put my number in your phone,” you say with a shining smile.

“Perfect,” he says with a smile, handing your phone back to you.

You check the time and your expression drops a bit. “It’s getting late, I should go home,” you say while fighting back a frown.

König immediately notices your expression drooping and focuses on your eyes. “Hey,” he says softly while giving your hand a slight squeeze. “I understand,” he reassures with an earnest smile. “I would love to go out with you again, if you’d be open to it?”

You give him a small smile and squeeze his hand back and start to rub small circles with your thumb. You appreciate his reassurance and willingness to see you again. “Of course I am, I want to see you again and spend more time with you.” You look into his eyes with sincerity.

His hands begin to tingle at the small strokes of your thumb, and there’s a flicker in his eyes. “I also want to spend more time with you…” He says, almost a whisper, as a wave of emotion hits him. His heart is racing again now that you’ve admitted to liking each other.

You begin to stand and stretch, looking around and scanning your surroundings. “My apartment isn’t too far from here, could you walk me home?” You ask, feeling a bit vulnerable this late at night.

König nods and stands, offering his hand to you to take. “Of course,” he says happily. He enjoyed having an excuse to extend your time together, and he wanted to keep you safe. He gives your hand another comforting squeeze as you guide him down the street in the direction to your home. You walk in a comfortable silence most of the time since both of you are still finishing your ice cream, save for the little small talk you give each other between mouthfuls. When you finally see your building in sight, you slow down and turn to König.

“König, I really enjoyed being with you tonight. I had a lot of fun, please text me soon! I want to see you the next time we’re available,” you tighten your grip on his hand as you speak, so he knows you mean it.

He nods at your words of honesty, relieved and feeling fuzzy at the fact that you feel the same way as him. “I really like you as well, I’ll message you tomorrow!” He gives your hand a squeeze, slowly becoming a non-verbal sign of affection and vulnerability between the two of you. “Get home safe,” he calls out as you walk towards your building. He stands and watches until the door closes fully behind you, ensuring your safety, and smiles as he turns to walk himself back to the bar to find his group of friends. He pulls his phone out to look at your saved contact, feeling giddy.

When he makes it back to the bar, he finds most of his comrades still sitting at the same table they occupied before he left. He took a seat with a sigh of relief as his legs got a break from the walking. Like a dam just got broken by his presence, he is flooded with stares and questions from his friends. He gives them the nitty gritty and completely ignores the disrespectful questions regarding your looks and… sexual activity. He has to assure them that you both did not go to anyone's house multiple times. I’m more of a gentleman than that… They even said so.

~

You unlock your door and sigh. You immediately start getting ready for bed, suddenly feeling exhausted after your heart and brain relaxes from the excitement of your evening. Your mind still buzzed with thoughts of König, but the physical exertion of mingling could finally drip from your body and evaporate from the floor.

You look at König’s saved contact and get butterflies. When you turn in bed, you find yourself falling asleep as your mind fleets around thoughts of König.