Archive of Our Own

Working as a medical EMT in a near active battlefield was nothing new for you. You’ve seen almost all of it– from gaping wounds to broken limbs. There was nothing that could surprise you at this rate, besides the fact that many of the operators you’ve worked on were very very attractive. Nonetheless, you keep it all professional and work as swiftly and efficiently as possible.

Tonight, however, is a bit different.

While you worked mainly with task force 141, it wasn’t uncommon for them to join with other branches of special forces to get their operations done. You were informed by the other nurses around you that the 141 would be working with someone from KSK tonight, which wasn’t what piqued your interest in the slightest. Just to keep everyone’s mind in light spirits in such a dreary situation, murmurs of harmless gossip spread around about some of the operators.

The subject of tonight’s gossip was the supposed mountain man, König. You didn’t have a clue of what he looked like, and neither did anyone else. According to a more experienced EMT who has seen him, he always had a sniper hood over his face with smears of a reddish stain streaking down the eyeholes of the cloth. It was almost similar to Ghost, you thought, except a bit more crude.

Even with all the gossip and little giggles about his stature, nothing would prepare you for the real deal. It didn’t take long for the operators to start rushing into the tent, all six medics, yourself included, readied at their stations.

The mountain man himself had to bend down completely to even get into the tent. He held a large gloved hand to his equally massive bicep, icy blue eyes shining even under the dark hood he adorned. As all stations were full, you were the only one open just near the back of the tent. “Over here!” You called with a hand raised, catching König’s attention almost immediately despite all the commotion.

He was huge.

Like- Extraordinarily massive.

It almost took you by surprise, never seeing anyone even close to his size, and yet he had a rather small air to him. You were a bit afraid that he wouldn’t even be able to fit in the makeshift hospital bed they had set up, but you also knew this was most likely something he was used to as he slipped right into the stretcher with a grunt and a hiss.

You assessed the damage in standard procedure, or tried to with his hand still very much gripping his bleeding arm. A soft huff escapes you, not in frustration, but more in the rush of things as it always feels that way when you work. “Need you to move your hand, big guy,” You smile softly, an assuring action with a gentle hand on his gloved one, which dwarfed in comparison. You pushed the thought to the back of your mind, now catching the strain in his icy eyes that showed concern and worry, not really something to be intimidated by.

A gentle squeeze to his hand finally had him sliding down, exhaling slowly followed by a murmur of what sounded like a German swear just based off of his gruff tone. The wound was a lot more gnarly than it probably was with all the blood and grime surrounding it. You safely assumed it was a deep laceration, definitely needing some stitches, but thankfully not a wound with a bullet lodged into it. “Looks like a minor casualty for you, hm?” You chuckle to keep a lighter air, and to your delight it also earned a strained little laugh from König.

You learn quickly that he’s a man of few words, not that you minded it. You were used to some of the banter with Soap and even Ghost, not afraid to throw a couple insults here and there with them, though it was a nice change of pace with König. As you cleaned up the deep slash with a towel and some saline solution, you couldn’t help but feel König’s gaze on you. It wasn’t anything intense or scary, but it had you curious. “It really is nothing bad, big guy,” You found a liking to the nickname clearly, “just a laceration… Though, I am gonna have to stitch this up. Think you can handle that?” It sounded like a rather unnecessary question that should come with an obvious answer, but it never hurt to ask even if this is something he’s used to.

You gazed up at König when silence followed your question, tilting your head slightly as an indicator for an answer. “Ah- Oh! Yeah, that is fine,” König nodded, his cowl swaying with the rapid movements and his eyes lowering to meet yours. You grin softly for his peace of mind, setting the dirtied towel down on the table next to you to start threading the needle.  Even in your attempts to keep everything as professional as possible, you couldn’t help but find his voice- hell, even his accent was endearing. You schooled your features quite well, but such a gruff yet warm and light voice was not something you were expecting from a man of his caliber.

König seemed to surprise you every chance he got, and you only met the guy no less than five minutes ago, and all he was doing was sitting up on your stretcher waiting to be fixed up. You shake your head slightly as if to rid the thoughts from your mind, nursing him back to health being your first priority before your own feelings. “This’ll sting, but only a little bit.” Those were your last few words before you got to work with stitching him up.

You kept a steadying hand just below the laceration as you stitched him up as carefully and swiftly as you could just to minimize any pain as König was coming down from his adrenaline high. He expressed his disdain in the quiet grunts and deep breaths he took, catching the way his bloodied hand scrunched up around the bottom edge of his vest.

In the midst of such a simple procedure, you could feel your vision blur just at the corners, the dryness in your eyes causing some slight irritation, blinking rapidly in hopes to keep your focus. It was definitely one of your unlucky nights, with lack of sleep from the night prior and some light dinner just before being dispatched, your hand was not as steady as it ought to be. In fact, you blamed the majority of your wandering thoughts about all the heat König radiated and how large he was– on your poor sleeping schedule. 

The daydreaming and bleariness was leading to the unfortunate result of pushing the needle much too deep, earning a yelp from König and a reflexive hand grabbing at your own in full force. The action took you by surprise, everything happening in a blur as your hand snapped up, leaving the needle hanging just outside of his wound. “Scheiße-! Be careful, will you?” It came out in a strained hiss, your own cheeks heating up as the commotion created a beat of silence in the tent. “Fuck- Sorry- I’m not usually this clumsy,” You huff out all in one breath, heat rushing to your cheeks in your embarrassment.

You were definitely awake now.

Especially with that gloved hand gripping yours so tightly.

You swallow softly, gazing up at König sheepishly after such a clumsy mistake, though it seemed he couldn’t hold your gaze either. Or maybe he chose not to, you weren’t too sure. “Still need that other hand..” You murmur softly in your nerves, soon relaxing your tight shoulders as his hand jerked away to grip the edge of the stretcher instead. “Please.. Let’s not do that again,” He sighed heavily, clearly exhausted from the brunt of the mission that he was just on.

“Right.” You nod finally, placing the same steadying hand just below his wound and going back to stitching him up with no mistakes this time. You could practically feel the way his eyes bored into your head, trying to push back the tinge of heat that traveled down the nape of your neck. You knew he was just staring for precautionary measures, but it didn’t make you feel any less smaller.

You only managed to catch his gaze once you cut off the tail end of the thread, raising your head to meet curious lighter eyes and all you could muster for a good minute was a slight smile. “See? No mistakes this time. ‘M not usually one to make mistakes like that,'' You sigh softly as you take the gauze from your tray to wrap him up as an extra precaution. You learned quickly that these big and bad operators just loved reopening their wounds somehow. There was a deep chuckle just above you, snapping your head up with a slight tilt and a playful quirk to the corner of your lips.

“Something funny, König?” You question almost in a teasing manner, watching as his hood swayed with the shake of his head. “Nothing- It’s nothing,” He grew rigid like he was found doing the inexplicable, eyes now averted and his body tight. You were just getting used to his eyes through the dark, ragged holes of his cowl and the warpaint, and now with some newfound curiosity and motivation (maybe it’s the lack of sleep?), you decided to play your hand of wild cards.

You still knew nothing about König after all.

“Aww c’mon big guy, was it something I said? Humor me a little,” You sang out the last few words, the smile stretching over your face when you finally caught those lovely icy blues of his. You never minded a bit of conversation while you worked, in fact you preferred to make conversation to keep both you and your patient at ease. Plus, it was a bit of fun when you were able to joke around.

“Well?” You tilt your head in anticipation, pressing down on the gauze and cutting off any excess while you wait oh-s0-patiently for him to speak up again. König sighed softly, finding no way out of speaking so he finally dropped the wall. Just a bit, at least.

“It’s… You are just so- So tiny.” You sputtered with the words you thought you had, eliciting yet another insulting yet adorable lighter chuckle from König. “Well everyone is tiny to you, mister mountain man. Seriously- What the hell are they feeding you operators?” You scoff with a tinge of playfulness in your tone, of course not meaning anything rude by it, and you were relieved when König loosened up with the way you chuckled almost in disbelief.

You knew you weren’t even half the size of any of the soldiers you’ve worked on and König just made you so hyper aware of that size difference whether you liked it or not. “Mmm we are fed quite well,” König nodded in confirmation to your question, gently patting his stomach in his satisfaction like he was thinking about the last meal he just had. To say that wasn’t the cutest fucking thing you had seen all night amidst all the blood and accidentally stabbing him with a needle would be an absolute lie. It really took everything in you to not scream and grab him in all of your cuteness aggression feelings bubbling up in your core.

Instead you let out a laugh hidden just behind your fist, turning away from König in your uncontrollable giggling. “Oh-? Did I say something funny?” There was a slight uptick in König’s voice, genuinely curious as he has been since you first met him no longer than twenty minutes ago. “No! No- Well- Okay, you kind of did-” It was hard to speak in between your laughter, turning back to look up at him all squinty eyed and smiley.

König really was a good change of pace from all the things you’ve seen throughout your career. You found him so.. Endearing, despite the dreariness and the weight of his work. He was quite closed off, not in a cold way and not exactly because he was brooding, but somehow still had that carefree attitude on his shoulders. Seeing the way his eyes gleamed when he looked down at you, giggling at how adorable you found him, it had your chest squeezing in its warmth.

Before König could question why you were laughing so much, a much louder voice cut through the light conversation. “C’mon, König. Lights out at ten, you know the drill.” You smile and wave to Ghost, who just so happened to be the source of their interruption, but you had no qualms about it. “I must get going. Thank you for taking care of me.. Maus.” You could almost hear the slight smile in König’s voice, about to protest about the newfound nickname, but you just so happened to put two and two together a little too late.

You watched as König followed on out with Ghost and the rest of the squad, sighing softly with shoulders drooped just a little bit. A little saddened that your interaction with the mountain man was cut short, all you could do was clean up and just hope you got to see König again some time or another.

A week has passed since that night.

You tried not to let it get to you; the fact that you haven’t seen König much besides in times of passing through the base. You would catch each other’s gaze only for a second, maybe even muster a slight wave, but no other exchanges beyond that. You now sit in the base's infirmary twirling a pen between your fingers, waiting for anyone to come stumbling through that door with some kind of injury.

Anyone.

Okay, maybe someone.

Perhaps a certain someone with blue eyes.

…Specifically someone with a sniper’s hood that looked suspiciously like the same material as a raggedy t-shirt.

…

Yeah, you were waiting for König.

You couldn’t even pinpoint why he’s suddenly become all you can think about. He was just like every other operator, you thought. Except.. He wasn’t really. You’ve met your fair share of flirty or charming soldiers, but none of them hit quite like König, and he wasn’t even flirting! The two of you didn’t exchange many words until it was just a little too late.

Maybe it had something to do with how.. Unexpected he was. Every assumption you had about him was completely shot down, any basis on first impressions almost entirely altered. König was just so… So endearing that it has you groaning and dropping your head down onto the cool surface of your desk. The way König has encompassed your every passing thought felt inexplicable.

“He’s just like any other operator..” You grumble softly to yourself, wanting to convince yourself that König really was just like every other soldier you’ve met throughout your time as an EMT medic. Yeah, he was like everyone else. He was big and strong, intimidating and tall..

With the softest laugh and such a light voice..

The prettiest eyes, full of curiosity and worry…

The largest, warmest hands..

And the door slamming open was your only escape from your ever wandering mind, snapping you back to reality as you straighten up in your seat and toss the pen off to God knows where. “What seems to be the issue?” You smile politely like you weren’t just off daydreaming for the past hour about the man-

Who happened to be standing right in the goddamn doorway.

“Oh- Hey, König.” Your voice cracked in the middle of his name, but he seemed more than happy to see you rather than surprised. Perhaps it was a pleasant surprise. “Ah! It is good to see you again, maus,” König sounded as cheery as ever as he made his way into the infirmary with a hand suspiciously in the same spot you stitched up no less than a week ago. However, your mind was not on his injury as it should have been.

“Don’t call me that,” You huffed out, but a laugh escaped you before you could push it back into the recesses of your chest. You just found him stupidly adorable, how his eyes smiled behind the darkness of his hood and the way his small laugh shook in the span of his shoulders. It was stupid! So stupid how adorable he was, with a body as big as his and a stature as tall as his. “It seems you have figured out what the word means,” He chuckled where he stood in front of your desk, needing to lean back completely in your seat just to meet his eyes.

“It’s not that hard to figure out when it sounds almost exactly like the English word, König. Now go sit on that stretcher so I can assess the damage,” You rolled your eyes at him, hiding your evergrowing smile behind your fist while you stood from your chair. He obliged even in his playful attitude, sitting where he was told to and looking quite chipper despite being just a little banged up. “So.. What are you in for today, big man?” You raise a brow at him in your questioning, stepping towards him to get a better look.

And really, curse the man’s size for the nth time, because even sitting on the stretcher he was taller than you while you stood in your full height just a good foot away from him. “Just the reopened wound, I’m pretty sure.” You narrowed your eyes at him as he sounded far from disappointed or in pain for that matter. While the laceration was nothing to worry about, you were still expecting some disdain from König, even a little bit. “You sound a little too happy to be reporting your injury,” You smile openly this time just out of pure amusement, but admittedly the feeling was rubbing off on you.

“Well it’s hard not to be happy when you win a sparring match,” König spoke with so much vigor that you were almost afraid that his ego would take up the whole room.. But it was cute, so you let it slide for now. “Ahh is that so? Let me guess, Ghost?” You snickered out mostly as a joke, but your joke earned a lively nod from König himself where the jerky sways of his hood only added to his clear excitement. “Ja! I mean- It took a couple tries, but I took him down easily in the end! He is a very strong and intelligent soldier, but also a very good fight,” He nodded in his praise, chuckling softly as he leaned back to rest on his hands.

Relaxation looked really good on König, and the thought alone made you forget where you were only for a split second. “Sounds like you won, but at what cost?” You smile playfully, gently prodding his arm just below where his wound reopened. He only argued back with his own laugh, “A win is a win.”

That was definitely one similarity that pretty much all operators had– they just never knew when to stop. Though, you had to give it to them for their resilience either way, they were soldiers after all. “I just hope this doesn’t become a habit of yours while you’re still here,” You sigh playfully. “Hmm.. No promises,” König eventually decided after some contemplation that really only lasted a few seconds and a couple taps to his chin over the cowl. “You’re a real piece of work, König,” You shook your head as you walked off to grab the first aid kit, thankfully not having to deal with anything too serious for today.

As you were cleaning up the reopened wound, you noticed the way König picked at his face from under his sniper’s hood. “Any knicks under that cowl of yours?” You glance up at him just as you start rewrapping up his arm, watching the way he abruptly paused to catch your gaze only for a second before averting his eyes. “There might be a cut on my lip,” He mumbled softly with his fingers over his lips.

“Don’t pick at it then. Might make it worse for you,” You chuckle softly at your own scolding, feeling like you were a babysitter sometimes whenever you tended to these operators. Suffice it to say that their self-preservation skills were almost little to none in some cases, but that’s what you were there for after all. You stepped aside to stand in front of him, finding the height difference to be more problematic now than ever, and somehow that gave König the perfect opportunity to be a piece of shit.

“Hello there, maus,” His teasing tone and the little mischievous glint in his squinty eyes didn’t go unnoticed. It just felt comical and ridiculous as you trudged towards your desk to grab the small step stool that was not usually used for being at eye level with your patients, no not at all. “Keep speaking like that and you’re leaving this infirmary with that cut lip of yours,” You scoffed out in a fruitless threat, stomping right onto the small step stool that finally had you at eye level with König.

Instead of demanding with your voice, because God forbid you’ll even be able to speak properly with all that amusement dancing in König’s eyes, you simply jutted your chin upwards as a nonverbal way of telling him to put his hood up. Even without words, König could tell you were radiating annoyance. “Alright alright. It is quite annoying anyways,” He sighed softly, it actually showing some disdain since he first came into the infirmary.

Admittedly, you were a bit surprised that König was so willing to remove part of his hood. The first time you had to ask Ghost to remove even just half of his mask took a lot more coaxing than you’d bargained for, but despite your surprise, you were relieved that König wasn’t as strict about his identity. However, even just a half reveal could not prepare you for the flutter in your chest when you finally saw him.

The rest of his face was still covered of course, but now you were met with a stubbled jaw and chin, cheeks and neck covered in scars both old and new, and wouldn’t you know it, there was a split that spanned across his slightly chapped lips. A beat of silence followed the reveal before you finally uttered a couple words. “Looks like he got you good,” You mutter softly, shifting to grab a wet wipe just to clean around the area.

“Eh, not the worst I’ve gotten,” König shrugged nonchalantly as you were cleaning the area, gently patting the wet wipe over the cut gently while he talked. You could only offer a hum in response, not trusting your voice at the moment when you were in such close proximity with him. The silence fell over the two of you like a weighted blanket, because while you usually didn’t mind the silence and even found it comforting, you couldn’t help but feel the slight tinge of tension.

It took one peek of his eyes for you to feel that heat bite at your cheeks. It looked like a storm in there, like he was thinking of something, but you couldn’t exactly put your finger on it. Instead you channel your energy back to the cut on his lips, placing your hand just under his chin to tilt his head up just for a better angle. Then he did something that nearly knocked off all sense of equilibrium in your brain.

König rested his chin in your open hand.

Like a little puppy.

You lean back just to get a better look of him. He looked so… Calm, so content to be where he was at this current moment. It’s as if you two weren’t teasing each other back and forth just five minutes ago, like he wasn’t so high and mighty when he first walked in. This mountain of a man was settled in the palm of your hand, so willing to let you tend to his wounds not because it was your job.

Because he wanted you to.

Now you were just being delusional, but the thought didn’t stop the slight flutter in your heart and the way you held a firm yet comforting grip on his jaw to continue with your task. You didn’t even move your hand off of his chin, using one hand to grab and pop open the container of vaseline all because you didn’t want that expression to leave his face any time soon.

You were gentle as you worked, using the pad of your finger to apply the vaseline over his lips, maybe even caressing his jaw a little bit with your thumb like you really were petting a puppy. And maybe your finger lingered over his bottom lip a little while longer, testing the plushness there with curious fascination, snapping out of it just a little too late. 

“Finished?”

König’s voice cut through the haze of your thoughts, your hand jerking back once the realization dawned on you. You swallow hard, trying to regain as much of your composure as possible while still being in such close proximity with König. “Mhm just- Uhm, did you have any other places that need to be cleaned up?” You ask in a much smaller voice, doing your very best to push down any panic that seemed to be rising in your throat because seriously what the hell was that? Now was no time for distractions like that, or any time for that matter.

At this point, König could very well clean up himself, though it looked as if he didn’t plan on leaving any time soon, which you saw as a good sign despite what you were just doing. Without much of a response, he pushed his cowl and balaclava a little higher to reveal a slit across his crooked nose bridge. With something else to pay attention to, you let out a soft sigh of relief for another distraction from all these confusing feelings. “Does Ghost have pointy knuckles or something?” You mutter more to yourself as you rip open the packaging for an alcohol pad just to clean it up.

“..Or something,” König smiled sheepishly, his nose scrunching up instinctively the second you swiped over the cut. “You said you won, hm? Meaning you won one match out of several?” You sighed playfully, easing back into the familiar banter you were used to instead of the silence that felt a little too warm to settle into. “I take what I can get,” His voice deepened in the air you were just getting settled into.

It sounded serious, like his words were being said in a different context, but you didn’t find it in you to ask about it. You simply hum in understanding, nodding as you took one of several Hello Kitty bandaids from the first aid kit, because of course you had boxes of cartoon bandaids handy. It added a bit of fun and color to the kind of sights you were used to seeing, plus it was cute overall to see these big and bad operators with pink Hello Kitty bandaids plastered over their smaller wounds.

Gently, you placed the bandaid over the small cut and smoothed it down his face, finally being able to step off the stool once you were completely finished. “And my job here is done. Let’s meet under better circumstances, shall we, König?” You smile playfully with a little tilt to your head, stepping aside to pack away the kit and toss away any trash that laid around. You noticed the way König seemed to perk up at your question, as if insinuating seeing each other again was something to look forward to.

Maybe it was.

But that was wishful thinking on your part. Did it really hurt to think on the brighter side of things? Maybe not. Not when König was looking at you with brighter eyes with his hood now completely covering his beautiful features. “I think I’d like that,” He nodded as he stood, “Thank you for your care.”

“Any time, big guy.”

You were back on the field two weeks after.

You were informed that it was a simple recon mission, but it was always better to be safer than sorry in these cases. The stars aligned this time around and you were able to get proper sleep the night before, and getting dispatched was a walk in the park.

Unfortunately for the task force, things did not go as well as they’d hoped. More than half of the soldiers that filed in had major injuries of some kind from multiple bullet wounds to open gashes and lacerations. Your eyes immediately caught Ghost’s as he made a beeline for your station, still as intimidating as ever and something you could never get used to, but you prepared yourself nonetheless.

Even before he made it to your stretcher, you could very clearly see a knife lodged into his side and it made you wonder just how long he had that stuck in him. “Jesus christ-” You mutter to yourself, about to stand to usher him into the stretcher only for Ghost’s journey to be intercepted by König.

What?

“What the fuck, König?” Ghost hissed, his voice gruff and irritated like usual, or maybe more than usual as you looked between the two. “My injuries are worse than yours, lieutenant,” König stated as if it was a matter-of-fact, and that statement alone had you gaping at the two. This couldn’t be happening, right? This was ridiculous-

“What the hell are you on about? Get the fuck out of the way-” Ghost all but growled, making attempts to shove passed König, but he didn’t budge at all. You weren’t sure if it was even safe to intervene, and every other EMT was either busy with their own patient or also too afraid to get between two of the largest and most intimidating motherfuckers in the team.

“No.”

“König I swear to God-”

“I’m going to them.”

“You’re fucking joking.”

“I’m not laughing.”

Ghost blinked slowly behind the darkness of his mask, looking to be a mere seconds away from stabbing König with the knife that was currently lodged into his damn side. “All you’ve got are some petty fuckin’ bullet wounds. Get. The fuck. Out. Of my way,” Ghost glared in his snarling, and if looks could kill, König would have more than just “petty bullet wounds” in him. 

Really, you were surprised these two even had the energy to argue the way they did with the injuries they lavishly fashioned. “Hey guys-” You try to squeak out, slowly standing from your seat to attempt some kind of intervention, but your ass was saved by none other than the Scottish mediator himself.

“Aye, lads- Lads! There’re many medics to go ‘round, yeah? Now quit leaving blood puddles all over the damn tent and get to a stretcher, will ya? Steamin’ jesus..” Soap sighed heavily as he managed to hook an arm around Ghost’s to drag him off. You shot Soap an apologetic smile as he glanced over his shoulder, mouthing a soft “thank you” to him to which he held a thumbs up before stepping off to an open station with Ghost trudging along. Now, you were left to tend to König who made himself oh-so-comfortable in your stretcher.

While you were aware that this was a matter of emergency, you were still quite stunned at the scene you just witnessed. Now, you were used to adrenaline high scuffles of the like, but nothing nearly as insane as what you just saw. It was almost laughable how insistent König was, earning a slight chuckle and a shake to your head as you plopped back down in your seat to start getting to work. As you gathered all your tools and slapped on some gloves, you narrowed your eyes at König who was acting a little too natural.

“Was that really necessary, König?” You muttered, finally turning to him to assess the damage he had. As mentioned by Ghost himself, he did suffer a couple bullet wounds to his right shoulder and two more down his side along with a couple surface scrapes and scratches, though König only looked slightly irritated by it. As he looked down at you, you could tell straight away that he was far from sorry, and he didn’t have to utter a single word about it.

“..You’re a little shit, d’you know that?” You chuckled softly, getting to work on his bullet wounds once you got the OK from the man himself. “Did you find it funny, at least?” He finally spoke up, and that alone was enough to make you laugh considering it’s the first thing he’s said to you at all tonight, “In all honesty, I found it a little scary. Not exactly used to soldiers going against LT like that.” You knew Ghost had a reputation of some kind, no explanation needed when you never saw him without a mask at all times anyways.

But to see König just? Speaking against him like that was admittedly, very attractive, but also terrifying for König’s sake. Even if he had height in his favor, that had nothing to do with strength, or maybe they were both on the same level you aren’t too sure yourself. “Scary? Hmm.. Ghost isn’t that scary,” König shrugged with his uninjured shoulder, “Intimidating, yes, but only scary when you get on his bad side.”

His last statement had you pausing after you managed to grab out the second bullet off of his side, squinting up at him. “Was.. That not you getting on his bad side? Like- Am I supposed to take that scuffle as light banter or something?” You barely spoke above a whisper considering Ghost was just a station away from yours. “It’s fine. I’ll be fine, we are friends.”

You raise your eyebrows high, side-eyeing between him and Ghost just a few times to get some form of confirmation before chuckling out, “You have a very interesting way of making friends, big guy.” You eventually got the last bullet out, now giving you the time to clean up the wounds, stitch them, and wrap them up as per routine.

“I will say, that is the first conversation we have had outside of our usual uhm.. Tactical planning conversations,” König stated, and really all you could do was shake your head in your continued disbelief. “I can’t say I’m surprised, König. You give the lieutenant a hard time?” You snicker softly, gazing up at him with genuine curiosity. 

You don’t usually stick around 141 to hear all about their conversations if you ever find them together, so you really don’t know how they all interacted with each other outside of the medic tent. “Not all the time. At least, I don’t believe so.” König actually contemplated your question as he glanced around like he was recounting each interaction he’s had with Ghost, and you let him while you patched up his wounds and cleaned him up, not without a bit of giggling here and there.

“Something funny, maus? Humor me a little.” König chuckled behind his hood, barely catching the fact that he used your own words against you. You rolled your eyes slightly as you were cleaning the scrapes just on his arms, though you couldn’t hide your laughs any longer, “You, König. You’re funny. And you don’t even try, do you?”

König caught your smiling eyes with an amused expression, or as much as there was with the way his eyes widened and how his shoulders raised. “But.. I didn’t tell a joke, did I?” He asked, tilting his head and– good God, he sounded so genuinely concerned that it had you laughing in your own amusement. It wasn’t meant to be offensive, but the ever growing need to pinch his cheeks was at an all time high and it took everything in your power to keep your hands working at whatever scar you could find.

“I mean- You didn’t but.. I dunno, you’re just really funny- In a good way! It’s a nice change of scenery to everything we experience, you know?” You expressed your sentiment in the animation of your hands, waving them around in reference to “everything” before letting them rest on König’s bandaged arm with a warm smile spread over your face. “..I think I get it, yeah. It’s nice with you,” König spoke softly, so soft that you could hear the crackle in his deeper voice.

And suddenly it felt like you two were the only ones in that tent.

There was a moment there, a feeling you couldn’t shake off when you gazed up into König’s eyes, how they showed a sense of tenderness and care almost. Then his eyes shifted to something more melancholy, a mirthful chuckle escaping him as he leaned back against the stretcher. “Though, it seems we can never meet under better circumstances.” And there you understood the emotions swimming in his unwavering gaze.

You smile almost sadly at his words, shrugging slightly. You knew what you said then was just wishful thinking, but it never hurt to wish on the stars that didn’t necessarily care about you. “It’s nothing to feel bad for. Our line of work doesn’t exactly allow for “better circumstances”, after all,” You cleaned up your station as you talked, not quite meeting his gaze as you did.

This was the one thing that always caused concern, and the main culprit to your poor sleeping schedule on most nights. Just like all the other medics in this tent, you’ve grown fond of the soldiers you worked on, taking a tender liking to the rest of task force 141. Of course, you kept it professional, swift and efficient, but after some time it takes a toll on your emotional and mental state to constantly see the people you care about constantly get hurt for the sake of protecting the greater good.

“Next time.”

You perked up at König’s voice, furrowing your brows in your confusion. “What about next time?” You questioned, slowly standing from your seat just to meet his eyes better. He looked determined in whatever he was about to say, sitting up straighter to make his statement as clear as possible. “Next time, we’ll meet under better circumstances. Promise,” König’s voice was uncharacteristically softer with that same crackle in the deepness of his words. There was movement just between you two; a gloved hand closed in a fist, pinky extended.

A pinky promise.

It was a childish act, something so lighthearted for a promise that didn’t hold well, but it was an act that warmed your heart to a steady yet heavy beat. You knew better than to latch onto something that was far from concrete, but when you looked into the determination of those ocean waves shrouded in dingy black war paint- did you really have any room to deny him?

“..Promise?”

“I promise.”

The second confirmation came as strong, so strong you could feel it in the thrum of your throat. You let out a quiet laugh just to ease the tension, finally linking your pinks with his and squeezing as tight as you could. “I don’t take promises lightly, König,” You found it appropriate to say, and König clearly took it to heart with how he squeezed your pinky back. “That makes the both of us, maus.”

Soon the scenery sparked back to life, now more aware of every sound and person that was in the medic tent. König stood from the stretcher after unlinking pinkies, but the roughness of his glove lingered against the delicate skin of your finger. You gave him your best smile just as he looked back at you from over his shoulder, waving in your silent goodbye, but not necessarily a goodbye forever.

“Bis später, maus.”

A blur of red.

Ringing in the ears.

Gloves drenched, too hot.

Bated breaths.

Sharp inhales.

Cold sweat.

Burning eyes, just pitiful.

Muffled voices.

Lifeless.

Tears and guilt and hands at your throat-

A shock that sends you gasping for air and gut punching you back into consciousness, to the current reality that was the fuzzy darkness of your room and the grating cotton of your blanket tangled around your body. You thrashed until the blanket fell to the floor, panting with your head in your hands and a tremble in your shoulders.

A nightmare.

Another fucking nightmare– it’s like you had them every other week. Just when you thought you were okay, thinking that all your mental checks were at just the right times and the right place, they were for naught. Without fail, you still had those vague nightmares that also felt a little too real.

How you could feel the sickening warmth in your hands.

The sticky sweat on the back of your neck.

How your lungs burned with every breath taken.

You huffed in your frustration, scrubbing at your face with the sleeves of your sleep shirt before forcing yourself out of bed. It didn’t do any good to wallow in it– these were just nightmares. “Just” nightmares that could very well happen, but still a figment of your sick and twisted imagination. It took a couple deep breaths and a final wipe down your face for you to finally move, stepping out of your room as quietly as you possibly could knowing this was some ungodly hour to be awake at.

Shuffling down the hall, you made your way down to the common lounge, sniffling and rubbing your swollen eyes. Despite the common occurrence, it never became any easier to wake up to. It’s always so hazy and confusing, leaving you panicked for a while until you’re inevitably left with lingering frustration that you were too tired to properly deal with.

You kept your head low, eyes still bleary from the stray tears and your arms wrapped tightly around yourself for some form of security. You barely registered the light being on just in the common lounge kitchen, only realizing it when you bumped right into something solid. “Fuck- What-?” You blinked up at what you thought was the wall, only to be met with König’s piercing eyes gazing down at you through his balaclava with so much concern.

To him, you looked as small as ever. Granted, that size difference wasn’t going to change any time soon, but how you were still trembling in your own grasp, eyes puffy and bloodshot and cheeks flushed, his worry wasn’t out of place.

“Are.. You okay?” König spoke softly, his fingers twitching slightly at his sides the longer he looked at you. He sounded as if he just woke up as well, and it had you curious as to why he was awake in the first place. A beat of silence passed you both before you finally answered in a slight whisper, “Yeah- Yeah I’m fine.. Just need some water.” You did your best to smile up at him, but it barely reached your cheeks.

No further words were exchanged as you shifted aside to step towards the cupboards. It seemed König wasn’t quite fond of the silence between you both, making it to your side in one swift stride where he grabbed a cup for you before you could even try to reach for one. “Hey-” You started, voice cracking in the middle of the word, and that alone was enough for König. “I can get it for you. Maybe you should sit down instead? You look quite exhausted,” His voice carried on in that softer tone, but there was no pity in it.

There was nothing in his voice that made it seem like he felt bad for you. He cared about you, wanted to look out for you in this quiet moment of the night, and you really were too tired to protest against it. “Fine,” You sighed, any argument dying on the tip of your tongue as you trudged into the common lounge and slumped right onto the couch. You realize then just how exhausted you actually were, practically melting into the worn down cushions while you stared at the ceiling with half open eyes.

You tuned into the little sounds König was making in the kitchen, focusing on his heavy steps and the quiet murmurs to himself. It was comforting to know it wasn’t just you lingering in the common lounge this time, putting you at ease with another warm presence not too far from you. Your hazy train of thought was gently nudged aside as König slowly sat next to you, the couch creaking under his weight and causing just a slight chuckle to escape you.

“Here is your water, maus.” König held out the cup towards you, slowly sitting up to take it from his hand with a thankful little smile. For once, you weren’t too opposed to the nickname, in fact you secretly never were. It was that small sense of normalcy that kept your mind at bay, now sipping at the cool water that grounded you just enough to stop your body from trembling with nerves. “Thank you, König,” You murmur softly, still not meeting his gaze.

König knew something was wrong, but he also knew he wasn’t exactly the best at consoling people. All he could do was watch you with your legs folded up close to your body while you looked into the half empty cup. “It was a nightmare,” You finally spoke up, propping your chin on your knee just so you could look at him. There it was again, the concern pooling in his eyes as he gazed at you, nothing but tenderness and void of pity.

“Ah, I see. I’m sorry to hear that.” You shake your head slightly at König’s apology, leaning forward to set your cup down before folding back in on yourself with arms securely hugging your knees together. “It’s okay… I’m.. I’m actually glad you’re here, big guy,” You smiled softly to yourself, starting to find the name endearing rather than teasing at this point, “Usually, I find myself alone on this couch when I do have nightmares.. You’re really changing my scene huh?”

Even in the haze of the dim kitchen light behind them, you could see the way König’s eyes shone with a sense of pride– so happy that he was making someone else feel at ease. “Well.. I did promise that we would meet under better circumstances. I’m sure this counts, right?” The very subtle shift in his voice, quieter and almost a whisper as if someone could be listening in on both of you right now and you couldn’t pinpoint why, but it had your chest bursting in all of your emotions.

Maybe you were still sensitive from the nightmare, maybe it was the exhaustion sitting in the pit of your stomach like a pile of bricks, maybe it was the desperate need to just be for a mere five minutes– Whatever the case may be, it had you laughing and crying at the same time. König’s eyes widened, wanting to console you in any way, but hesitating to touch you as large hands hovered around your shoulders, “Ah-! Bitte- I-I’m sorry I didn’t mean to upset you- Verdammt.” You shook your head quickly, sniffling as you wiped away the tears that just continued to fall down your already reddened cheeks.

“No I.. God- I’m sorry it’s just.. Thank you, König. Really you’re like- The best person to be around right now.” You smile still with tear tracks down your face, loosening up your posture as you turned to face him, and he did just the same. “A-Are you sure?” He asked in his uncertainty, twiddling with his thumbs on his lap with eyes casted down. You couldn’t help but soften at nervousness, shuffling forward to place your hands on his and squeeze as hard as you could.

“I promise, König. I’m glad I bumped into you.. Not exactly the best time, but it is “better circumstances” just like you promised.” Relief washed over you when his shoulders dropped and his hands unclenched from its grasp, taking your assurance to heart with a sigh. “I’m glad,” König spoke with just a bit more confidence, a bit of lingering nerves in the slight tremor of his voice, but you paid no mind. Soo,n a silence laid over you once again, but this time it was welcomed.

Turning back just to sit against the couch, you leaned right into the comfortable silence just as you leaned your head on König’s inviting shoulder. He stiffened up at first, about to move just so he wasn’t uncomfortable, until you felt a warm hand gently pat your head. “Is this comfortable?” He turned his head to look at you, very close to passing out again just by resting there. “Mhm. Very comfortable.”

You made no plans to move, and neither did König as he relaxed into the couch as well. You glance down where your hands rested, then glanced over to where König’s hands rested. It was the first time you were seeing his hands; they were scarred and very rough around the edges, a few looking crooked assuming they were broken and healed several times, his nails a bit unkempt and skin dry like the calluses of his palms.

Without much of a word, you slowly reached over to grab one of his hands with both of your own. You felt out the rough palms, smoothing over the few calluses on his fingertips, tracing the scars that spanned over the back of his hand, around his fingers, between them. All the while, König let you. You weren’t exactly sure how König was feeling, but just by the way his breathing steadied and how his body slumped further into the couch, he was calm and relaxed while you played with his hand. Feathery touches along the lines of his palm had his fingers twitching to close around yours, smiling slightly at the subtle movement.

In all honesty, you could probably spend hours and hours just playing with König’s hands if he let you. It was soothing somehow to just trace all the little scars and let your fingers slip between his, growing more and more curious the longer you examined all the grooves of his scars and hands. “What are you doing, mäuschen?” König spoke softly, his words dragging along in his sleepiness and causing his accent to sound just a bit stronger.

The newfound nickname had you curling into his side, feeling all sorts of warm just cuddled up against his arm. “Just.. Looking, examining…” You murmured softly, your own words trailing off as you traced a particularly larger scar just between the flesh of his thumb. You could feel the rumble of his voice just being this close to him, glancing up at him with a slight smile. “Are you curious about my hands?” He finally asked in his rumbling, his thumb gently stroking over the softer part of your palm.

It was such a stark contrast; calloused fingers now tracing over the lines of your palm, brushing his knuckles against your hand, even cupping your hand in his own. Both hands have gone through so much– All the care, the violence, the tenderness, the stress, the gentleness, the blood. There was a story there, though you could only zero in on all the scars and crookedness of König’s hands.

“Mmm.. Maybe. Y’gonna tell me all about it?” You finally ask, allowing your hand to rest in his where he simply held you. There wasn’t much of a firm grasp, it was loose, yet it felt so safe and warm just being there with your hand in his. “..Sure. So this big one here…”

You didn’t anticipate for just how exhausted you were as you listened to König speak. His voice was still rough and a bit heavy on his accent, but it was also so warm and kind. He told all the little stories about each and every scar and broken finger he got, and you listened carefully to each story with a quiet hum in return. Eventually his voice sounded more like the softest lullaby, a rumble in your ears that had you falling asleep in no time.

König slowly stopped talking once he realized you had fallen asleep, glancing down at you with a slight smile hidden just behind his mask. He was glad that you could sleep next to him, so soundly and peacefully. It warmed his heart seeing how comfortable you looked, how relaxed you were with your body slumped right into his side. His fingers gently brushed against your cheek, memorizing the softness and warmth under his knuckles.

It was something he wanted to protect– Someone he wanted to keep safe and sound in his hands. The hands that were trained to kill, trained to be the heavy hitter. Those same hands now held someone that he very quickly found to be precious in rougher hands. He sighed softly in the slurry of his emotions, slumping down into you and letting his head rest on top of yours, just reveling in the soft feelings for just a bit longer until his eyes fluttered shut.

“Goodnight, mäuschen.”

Being dispatched at nearly 3 in the morning was not your cup of tea.

Really, being awake at nearly 3 in the morning was never your treat at all, but being an EMT on the field wasn’t an easy feat to begin with. You kept busy and awake by making conversation with the equally as tired medics around you, everyone doing their best to keep spirits high. Even while talking to the other medics, your mind was elsewhere.

Ever since that night you slept on the common lounge couch with König, he really hasn’t left your mind at all. That morning, you unfortunately woke up alone, but you had a blanket over you and a pillow tucked under your head. You smiled at the way his kindness and care still lingered despite not being there to see him in the morning. However, König didn’t quite leave you alone– He left a little note by your half empty cup of water. The scribble was nearly unintelligible, but once you figured it out, you had those words etched in your heart before you knew it.

“Have a good day, mäuschen - K.”

It was such a simple set of words of marker on a crumpled piece of napkin, but it warmed you down like he was giving you a hug. The napkin crumpled between your fingers right in your pants pocket, antsy as you waited for the soldiers to arrive. The anxious feeling never went away, but you found yourself getting used to it. It was simply a part of the job, so long as it didn’t stop you from performing well.

Within the next five minutes, the task force started filling into the tent each with gruesome wounds of their own. For most, they looked much worse than the last time, and unfortunately you weren’t exactly informed what kind of mission it was, but late night missions tend to be the worst ones of the bunch.

While your mind was off thinking about someone else, Soap found himself grunting and grasping at his side right in your stretcher. As you turned to look at him, eyes wide as if you were surprised to see him and not a certain someone, Soap caught it just before you could school your features and get into EMT mode. 

“Someone doesn’t look too happy to see me. Ya expectin’ someone else?” He chuckled softly through all the pain, forcing a little laugh of your own as you shook your head to rid yourself of all those distracting thoughts. Now was not the time to be playing favorites when you had Soap on your stretcher with what looked like several bullet wounds and a couple lacerations.

“Why would I when my favorite Scotsman is right here?” You smile playfully, though that usual smile in casual banter didn’t reach your eyes like it usually would. Now, Soap was quite the observant man, and you knew that as well as he did, but he was also kind enough not to pry.

At least, not until he was taken care of.

You could practically hear the gears turning in Soap’s head, choosing to ignore it as best as possible while you worked on his wounds with exceptional focus. Unfortunately, that didn’t last too long with how good you were at stitching, barely getting to wrapping his wounds before he spoke up. “..Bet you were expecting the big fella, aye?” Soap chuckled hoarsely, his laugh coming out strong when he noticed the flush in your ears.

“What of it?” You muttered softly, purposely tightening one of his bandages and earning a satisfying grunt from Soap. You merely assumed that König sat himself in another station, and you didn’t mind that especially if he could get to a medic close enough with whatever wounds he suffered. “Hate to be the harbinger of bad news but..” Soap sighed softly as he slumped down into the stretcher, and that tone alone had you freezing before he even spoke again,

“We lost comms with him in the scuffle.”

The way your head shot up said it all, and for once Soap didn’t have the urge to tease you for your constant worrying. There was a swarm of emotions in your eyes, you could feel it in the churn of your stomach like your heart dropped several meters down. It was the first time Soap had ever seen you so.. Distraught.

In all honesty, it was the first time you felt this sick to your stomach over someone. You knew König was strong enough to handle himself, he was well over 6 feet and built like a shit brickhouse for fucks sake– But the mere thought of him being out there alone, maybe captured by whoever they were fighting against, possibly getting tortured–

It had your chest in knots.

“Hey, woah- We’re gonna get him back, no worries. König’s a big lad, aye? He can handle himself just fine,” Soap smiled softly in all of his good nature, allowing you to smile in return despite the queasiness in your stomach. “Right- Yeah, that’s.. He’s a soldier, an operator and all that..” You spoke and nodded as if you were trying to convince yourself of something– Convince yourself that he will be alright. Logically you knew that to be the case, but with all these confusing feelings mixed in with your dizzying worry, it had you in a fit of anxiety.

Why were you so concerned about König?

This wasn’t the usual anxiety you got. You knew deep in your heart, as much as you cared for the rest of 141, that you wouldn’t be up on your toes about them going missing as much as you were about König. There was a fondness there that grew so much stronger than you could ever imagine, and only now could you feel that crumpled up napkin burn in the pocket of your pants.

“By Jesus- What have you two been up to for you to be so worked up this way?” Soap chuckled softly, more curious rather than teasing. The question alone had the heat traveling up the nape of your neck and curling around your cheeks, not even fighting the churning feeling in your stomach anymore. “Nothing in particular..” You frowned slightly, sitting back against the edge of the stretcher with your own arms wrapped around yourself.

Nothing in particular . You didn’t even know if König felt the same way towards you. To him, you could very well just be another medic. Then again, that scene with Ghost didn’t make it seem like you were “just another medic”. All the stolen soft glances were there with every passing moment, the lingering touches behind the closed doors of the infirmary, that quiet moment in the common lounge– What became of it?

With Soap being the closest to you, he knew he struck a nerve as he watched how you closed up on yourself with your fingers digging into your arms. He sighed softly, shuffling around to sit next to you and throw a heavy arm over your shoulders. Instinctively you leaned into Soap, melting right into the familiar warmth of his assurance. “We’ll get him back safe and sound, just like I said. Ain’t that right, LT?!” Soap yelled just over his shoulder, holding you tighter in his exclamation.

You smile softly at his antics, glancing over your shoulder at wherever Ghost may be, eventually hearing that telltale grunt in response to Soap’s question, “See? Got nothin’ to worry about. We’re a team. Aye- You might even see him by t’morrow afternoon if all goes well.” Soap squeezed your shoulder in his assurance while you aimlessly nodded along to every word he said. As much as you appreciated his sympathy, worry still consumed you with anxiety simmering behind your eyes.

It took a good amount of solid Scottish consolation and a gentle hug for you to finally get back on your feet, cleaning up your station and closing out for the night with the rest of the team. On the way back to the main base, you could only bear to think about König’s eyes; how they were always so soft when they laid upon you, or how curiosity stirred in the waves of blues each time you tended to his wounds whether big or small.

The softer thoughts kept the uneasy feelings at bay for some time, allowing for a moment of reprieve just for your own mental health, but it was still stuck in your throat. By the time you made it back on base, Soap wasn’t about to leave you alone until you made it all the way to your room, even despite the injuries he suffered from.

“Soap- Seriously you don’t have to walk me back to my room,” You laughed meekly as you jostled in his arm, and he clearly had no intention of leaving as he shook his head a little too enthusiastically. “I know I don’t have to, but I’d like to. Gotta make sure the head of the medic team isn’t out lingerin’ in the common lounge like ye always do,” Soap smirked in all of his playfulness, rolling your eyes at him as you slumped into his side in pure defeat. There was no use in fighting his jolly stubbornness, which you’ve learned the hard way over time. “Not my fault I have a hard time sleeping,” You mutter with your head heavy on his side while you two walk with booted steps echoing through the emptiness of the hall before stopping in front of your room. 

Soap turned to you with a soft sigh, gentle hands now holding your shoulders with another one of his assuring squeezes. “I’m wit’ ya there, but you have to try tonight at least, alright?” He smiled warmly, his gaze just as gentle as his hands when you glanced up at him. Silence fell over for a moment, but the stutter of your own breath had you choking up the words that were caught in your throat just moments ago. 

“I-I just want him to be okay-” You croaked as your shoulders shook in Soap’s hands. He didn’t hesitate to pull you into a tight hug with a protective hand over the back of your head as you finally let everything out. You were a mess of tears and sobs, incoherent words melding in between in a desperate attempt to even try and articulate how you were feeling. Soap could only hold you close and rub your back gently, murmuring the occasional “it’ll be okay” in the softest tone he could muster.

“We’ll get König back, I swear by it. I can’t promise he’ll be without a couple holes in his body, but he’ll be here in one piece,” Soap chuckled halfheartedly just as you were quieting down to light sniffles, finally pulling away from his chest to wipe your eyes as you nodded. “Right- Yeah. Swear by it,” You say quietly, gazing up at Soap with swollen but grateful eyes, and in return you receive a light smile from him. “Swear by it, and you’ll be the first to know when the big fella’s back.”

With that solid promise, you finally duck into your room and collapse right into bed. The emotional turmoil had you physically exhausted, not bothering to change out of the clothes you wore out. Any energy left was used to toe off your shoes and curl into bed with a heavy sigh.

Sleep didn’t come easy this time around.

You come to find yourself in the infirmary room halfway into your second cup of coffee, and even then you were still exhausted. It felt as if you barely got a wink of sleep before you were informed to work in the infirmary for the day. Hours before was nothing but tossing and turning, the sheets feeling too hot and rough on your body, your breathing sounding too loud, and the morning sun looking a little too insulting as it casted between the space of your curtains.

And now you were here, in and out of consciousness with your head in your hand as you stared into your cup of coffee. The anxiety still stewed in your stomach with what little you knew about König’s whereabouts and his wellbeing. You couldn’t bear to even check the time knowing you’d just grow more worried with every passing minute.

With the base holding such a small amount of people, it didn’t take long for everyone to practically feel the upset air around the infirmary while you were there. A couple of your medic friends came by to check on you, even offering some snacks throughout the day just to make sure you were eating something at least. You took everything with a small smile and soft “thank you’s”, but the tiredness in your eyes didn’t seem to go away.

You tended to any of the recruits that came by with their light injuries either from training or sparring, and even they could tell something was wrong. If you had the capacity to feel bad for making people worry, you would’ve made an effort to apologize, but that wasn’t a necessity at this point. You worked almost brainlessly with each patient, speaking from the memorized script from beginning to end until you found yourself sitting at your desk to ruminate on your thoughts.

You weren’t sure how much time had passed until you heard another knock on your door, not even bothering to look up as you did your usual greeting. “Hey, what seems to be the issue today?” You spoke up almost monotone, downing the last of your coffee before tossing the disposable cup away from your desk.

“We got him back.”

You froze in your spot, processing with your melted brain the familiar voice that filled the small space of the infirmary and now the familiar visual standing just at the threshold. “Well don’t just sit there. C’mon, König has been refusing all help from every other damn medic in the tent,” Soap huffed out like it was all a nuisance, and granted it had been considering the lengths they all went through to bring him back, only for his battered body to refuse help from already available medics.

Once everything fell into place, you finally stood from your seat and rushed just past Soap at the doorway. He followed close behind just as quickly as you left, and while he rambled on about König’s stubbornness and whatever injuries he currently fashioned, you were barely paying attention to it all. You had a one track mind almost, making a beeline for the medic tent just outside with full intention to finally see König again.

You caught something about how Ghost had to pop König’s shoulder back in place in the midst of ripping back the flaps of the tent to be met with none other than the man himself. He wasn’t too far from you, laying in a stretcher surrounded by other EMTs as well as the rest of task force 141. There was a rather frustrated looking Price off to the side and an equally unimpressed Ghost just next to him, but as their gaze fell on you, there was a bit of relief in their shoulders.

“König,” You breathed out, rushing to his side the second you were given the space to do so. With how your emotions were leading you, you immediately dove in for an embrace with arms wrapped tightly around his neck. König grunted in surprise, but no amount of bullet wounds and broken bones stopped him from circling his arms around your smaller frame. With his sniper’s cowl and balaclava slashed and ripped near the bottom, you could feel the warmth of his face burrow into your neck.

There was a collective sigh of relief from everyone within the tent. You could feel how König relaxed, his entire body seemingly melting against yours where his shoulder dug into your chest and your face nestled into the cloth of his torn hood. You didn’t have a care in the world about whatever blood may be seeping into your clothes or how he reeked of all the pain and frustrations he went through overnight. König was here, he was okay. Of course, just barely breathing, but here in all of his stubbornness and hardheadedness.

“Hi.. mäuschen,” König sighed into your neck, his arms sliding down from your waist as he leaned back heavily into the stretcher. Finally getting to hear his voice had you grinning stupid, laughing softly at the ridiculousness of it all. You let your own arms fall from his neck, resting both hands over his where you squeezed just as a reminder that he really was there. “..You’re a real fucking piece of work, you know that?” You laughed wetly, only realizing now that you were crying. "I know.. I'm sorry," He chuckled softly, coming out as more of a strained voice but you quickly shook your head at his apology, not accepting it one bit as the tears continued to slip from the corners of your eyes.

“Hey hey.. No crying now. It doesn’t suit you,” König muttered in all of his sweetness, bringing a gloved hand up to brush away the few tears that streaked down your cheeks. The roughness of his knuckle was welcomed, leaning into it with a slight giggle because he really had no room to be speaking in such a way when he was covered in bullet wounds and what could very well be some fractured bones.

By this point, everyone else had either left or were stationed at their stretchers to tend to the rest of 141, now leaving you with König who looked very worse for wear. Not only was his hood and balaclava slashed in certain places, it looked splotchy with what was either his blood or someone else's. Whatever the case may be, you straightened yourself out with a sharp inhale and a quick wipe with the collar of your shirt. “Can’t really help it. Had me worried to hell.” You sigh softly as you stood from the gurney, getting to work even when you have the sniffles.

“And refusing help from other medics? What’s the deal about that?” You narrow your puffy eyes at him with a playful smile, earning another meek chuckle from König as he averted his eyes from yours. There was a soft mumble just after your teasing question, turning your head up to König before you started patching him up in certain places. “D’you say something, big guy?” You ask with an eyebrow raised, waiting for him to turn back to you.

When he did turn to you again, you were met with that same tenderness that you’ve been missing. There was a warmth behind his ocean eyes, how they looked over you for a moment, and you could see without having to hear it from him. The implication of how much he cared for you was there, right where his hand reached for yours and squeezed softly like you were something delicate.

“I wanted you to take care of me.”

You had no room to refuse, as if you even would in the first place. There was nothing ingenuine about his words. It was spoken in the roughness of his voice that’s been through more than a couple horrors in a night, but the warmth laid over like the softest blanket on a snowy day. His gaze looked to you like you were about to hang the sun just for him, and maybe you would do it for him in a heartbeat. Maybe you would stay longer, not just be the one to tend to his physical wounds, but to hold him just as he held you in the dead of night on the overused couch.

Maybe you wanted to give more than just the fleeting tenderness of your hand under his jaw. There was so much more you would promise for him, more than just “better circumstances”, more than a couple bullets pulled out of him, more than a singular Hello Kitty bandaid plastered over his nose bridge. There was more to this than taking care of his battle scars, and maybe, just maybe, you were willing to stick around to find out what more that could be.

All it took was a soft smile and a quick squeeze to that larger hand of his, a squeeze that promised more. A promise placed in each other’s hands to whisper into the breath of night where no one else would hear.

“I’ll take care of you.”