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This wasn't a date, no matter what his friends said. They were just teasing him, Fuze was sure.
He had dates before, with his ex, and they all had something in common: they happened in a different place - usually a restaurant - than where they lived. Jäger had invited him to watch a documentary together on his laptop, that wasn't a date… was it? No, no way. Glaz must have been messing with him, and Kapkan was clearly on it too. That or they had appalling standards for what was considered a date, the cheap bastards. Watching TV together wasn't a date, not unless you were either an old married couple, or seeking a flimsy excuse to bone. Neither of those scenarios applied here yet .
If Fuze asked Jäger out he would do it right, take him for dinner at a nice place, go to the cinema, and bring him flowers. Did Jäger even like flowers? Fuze wasn't sure, but in any case this all was just wild suppositions, because they weren't going out. Truth be told, Fuze wasn't sure what they were. After a painfully awkward conversation where they confessed their mutual attraction, things went on as usual. The only key difference was that Jäger asked to watch this documentary together instead of sending Fuze a dozen messages about why he found it interesting, before sending him a link to it. So maybe, just maybe , Glaz was right and this was like some sort of date. The uncertainty was killing him, and Fuze only got more nervous as he approached the Germans' dorms.
He hesitated for a second before knocking on the door, but ultimately decided that if he could survive breaking his engagement, he would be fine through this evening no matter what Jäger had planned. He trusted Jäger’s judgement, probably more than his own at times. Fuze took a deep breath and knocked, getting in return a smothered invitation to come in.
The first thing he noticed upon stepping into the GSG9 common area was a persistent smell of burnt popcorn. Jäger was rifling through the cupboards in the kitchenette, a bowl that smelled of burnt corn laying discarded on top of the microwave.
"Need help?" Fuze asked, eyeing the unpopped and blackened kernels with curiosity. How was that even possible?
"I was…" Jäger sighed frustrated before turning around empty handed. His messy hair was sticking out in odd angles, and Fuze wasn’t sure why that detail was so strangely endearing. "I thought it would be nice to have a popcorn snack for the movie. I imagined the expiration date wasn't important because popcorn is dehydrated already, right? But I was wrong."
His sheepish expression was cute and Fuze didn't know what to say, so in the end he blurted out, "I set our microwave on fire once."
There was a moment of stunned silence, and then Jäger laughed. It was as if the awkward spell had been broken, and the German bombarded him with questions about how the hell that happened. The teasing banter and discussing engineering problems, even if it was about microwaves, felt familiar and comfortable. They got rid of the burnt popcorn, and then Fuze realized there was no one else in the dorms except for them.
"Where is the rest of your team?" It was rare for the dorms of any unit to be this empty, although Fuze was grateful. He was nervous enough as it was, he didn't need the other Germans covertly looking at them the whole time.
"I arranged for all of them to be training," Jäger admitted with a grin. "Monika and Elias mean well but they're too nosy, and Dom would never shut up with the teasing."
That sounded familiar. If they were meeting in the Spetsnaz dorms, Fuze knew his teammates would be doing the same - or worse, trying to give them advice.
"Smart of you," Fuze said in all seriousness, and Jäger beamed at him.
"Do you want to watch it here or in my room ? The bed is big enough for us both to sit, I think, but the couch would be more comfortable. But we'll be interrupted once Dom, Elias and Moni come back."
The German was frowning, as if he wasn't satisfied with any of the options. However, Fuze valued privacy above all, so it was an easy choice for him. "Bedroom."
The room in question was quite similar to his own: small and with minimal decoration, clothes strewn on the floor, and a small bed. Jäger told him to get comfortable on the bed, and when he bent down to retrieve something from the nightstand, Fuze wondered if this was just an elaborate excuse to have sex…
A small plastic bag landed on his lap, and Fuze looked at it, not knowing what to expect. Gummy bears. Oh. He smiled, feeling foolish for his assumptions. Jäger was remarkably direct in his own way, which he truly appreciated, and if his aim had been something other than watching a documentary, he would have said so.
They settled on the bed as best as they could, with Jäger reclining against his chest while he balanced the laptop on his thighs. What this position lacked in comfort, it made up for it thanks to the fact that they were essentially cuddling. The weight and warmth of Jäger’s frame resting against his chest was nice , and Fuze decided it didn't matter if this was a date or not, he loved it all the same.
The documentary was about submarines, a topic he had no idea Jäger was interested in. The engineer was full of surprises. Fuze chewed on the slightly stale gummy bears while watching the screen, or listening to Jäger's occasional tirades when he paused the documentary to explain some details.
“So the first submarine used in combat was during the American Revolutionary War, in the late eighteenth century, but it wouldn’t be until 1902 that the rotating periscope would be introduced, which so many take by granted today. Can you imagine?”
“The name Nautilus is the most popular and used name for submarines throughout history. I understand paying homage to Verne and to the family of molluscs Nautilidae, but surely there’s more sea critters and fictional vessels we could take inspiration from.”
“Did you know that, in clear water, a submerged submarine can be spotted from the air at depths up to 100 feet?”
When talking, Jäger would twist slightly to look at him, and Fuze loved how animated he looked. The screen’s light reflected on Jäger’s face, and he looked otherworldly bathed in the faint bluish glow. Fuze couldn’t stop looking at him. Between that and occasionally paying attention to the film, time flew by and the documentary's end caught Fuze by surprise.
"I hope I didn't bore you," Jäger laughed, stretching his arms. Was that a slight blush Fuze saw appearing on the other’s cheeks? Judging by the way he moved his right shoulder, it was clear it bothered him. Probably from all the turning around. "I know I can get a bit carried away when talking."
"Do you want to watch another one?" Fuze blurted out, unwilling to move just yet.
"Are you sure? I… oh, that's good." Jäger’s doubts were swiftly forgotten when Fuze started massaging his tense shoulders, and the engineer melted under his hands. "I have one about deep sea trenches and its creatures."
"Sounds great to me, solntse ."
If telling Jäger he didn't mind his rants wasn't effective, Fuze would let him know through his actions how he actually liked hearing him info dump. He had sweets, Jäger snuggling up to him, and interesting conversation topics - even if Fuze mostly listened. This truly was one of the best first dates he ever had.