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Ana still smiled over the way Reinhardt had asked her out a few hours earlier. He came into the common room and quickly shooed away Brigitte and one of her students who had been sitting on one of the comfortable sofas before he walked over to Ana and stood there a moment as if to gather himself. He was blushing only a little bit but his ears were flaming red. His hands were neatly folded in front of his belly as he told her he had a question. She put down the newspaper she’d been reading in and lowered her glasses onto her nose. Somehow his ears became even redder.
“I was wondering if you’d like to go out with me. For ice cream and a surprise”, he asked, smiling.
“A surprise?”, she asked back teasingly and sat her reading onto a stand next to the big armchair she had been sitting in.
“A surprise”, he confirmed. “I hope you’ll like it.” How could she say no?
So on the next day, he was awaiting her outside of their station. Blackwatch had sent them to a midsized town in Germany called Augsburg, much to the likings of Reinhardt. Apparently, he grew up rather close to here and seemed to still know some nice spots.
Like the ice cream shop he was taking her to. It was right next to a rather small park, with a duck pond and some benches lying between big, fluffy trees.
“You really picked the right season to take me for a walk”, Ana praised him and hooked her arm into his. Rein looked down on her and smiled, suddenly rising a little in size under the gesture and compliment.
Rather than just crossing through the park, they took the time to walk around it and appreciate the view. It was very nice weather for the beginning of May. A lot of kids were running around or chasing each other on scooters, while their parents laughed and discussed, sitting on blankets in the short grass. Some of them looked up astonished as Reinhardt and Ana passed them. He wanted to pretend like it was because they knew who he was, had heard stories of the Crusader Knight Wilhelm Reinhardt. But in reality, he knew it was probably just because of his size. He held back a dramatic sigh.
As they came to the other side and reached the little shop, Rein held the door for Ana, which opened with a little ‘ding’ and he ducked in after her. The inside looked nice and cozy. In front of the door was the ice cream counter and a small, nice-looking lady greeted them in german. Behind her were shelves against the wall, filled up with glasses and plates. A light around it gave them a glowing touch. On the right were a lot of red sitting benches rowed around black tables. Each table had a menu and a flower pot standing on it.
“What kind of ice cream would you like? Your usual?”, Reinhardt asked, looking down on Ana with a soft expression. She agreed, wondering if he really knew her favourite flavor and if so, where he knew it from. She waited curiously.
“Einmal zwei Kugeln Schokolade in einer Waffel und eimmal zwei Kugeln Pistazie, bitte”, he ordered at the counter.
Much to Ana’s surprise, he actually knew. Of course he paid for both cones and then lead her outside, finally giving her her chocolate ice cream. He had ordered pistachio for himself.
“How did you know that I like this?”, she asked curiously and took the first lick. It was delicious. The perfect amount of cacao and sweetness together. It even had chocolate chips inside, she realized.
“I know many things”, he joked back mysteriously and avoided answering the question.
Reinhardt offered her his arm again and she gladly hooked hers in. He lead her to one of the benches around the duck pond and they sat down to enjoy their ice cream.
“Were the chocolate chips the surprise?”, she joked and turned a little more towards him. He laughed and shook his head, before taking another lick and… CHEWING his ice cream? Could this man actually surprise me anymore?, she asked herself and joined the laughter.
“The surprise comes after the ice”, he replied and pointed out a mama duck with her little ducklings, swimming around the pond.
After they finished their cones, they sat a little longer. Eventually Rein stood up and, the knight in shining armor he was, offered Ana her hand to get up herself. Much to his enjoyment she kept on holding his hand as they walked. Reinhardt started talking about the old days and told her a little about the village he grew up in. He even talked about his mother a little bit and Ana listened attentively.
Ten minutes later Ana couldn’t help but smile, as she guessed where Reinhardt was taking her. And she was right; he had taken her to a flower shop. That he apparently also knew about her
“You are a man of many wonders, Reinhardt”, she giggled. “But now let me surprise you”, she added and entered the shop, leaving the wondering Reinhardt behind before he caught up.
Inside he was the one realizing. The employees here greeted Ana all by name, even in english. How did they know her? It seemed like she was a regular here. It made Rein smile and shake his head. He should’ve guessed.
Ana was talking to a young man sitting behind the cash register. She turned around and waved him over to her. From his eye, the shop seemed very organized. It smelled like rain as he walked over to them. To both sides of him were giant shelves, filled with plants of all sorts up to the last row. The air felt heavier and Reinhardt could see that there was a door that led to the back and had even more flowers, in all colours of the rainbow.
“This, my dear, is Paul. His father owns this lovely shop”, Ana did the introduction. “And this is Reinhardt”, she added and leaned against him, once more hooking her arm around his.
Paul’s face suddenly lit up, as he seemed to recognize Reinhardt. “Is this the Knight with a black thumb?”, he asked and turned back to Ana, excitement on his face.
“Heey”, Rein called out and acted offended, before laughing. He couldn’t deny it. Usually, plants died within a couple of weeks, had they had the unfortune of coming into his care.
Ana and Paul talked a little more, while Reinhardt gently stroked her back and smiled. It was nice to see Ana so into her passion, discussing watering methods and a very specific plant that, for her, seemed to need a little bit more care than it was receiving. Reinhardt had absolutely no idea what the two were talking about and all the strange names made his head spin.
Eventually, they walked into the back, to the colourful flowers Reinhardt had spotted earlier. Paul accompanied them and suggested a few flowers for Ana to pick from. She ended up picking one of those and another one.
“They’ll look lovely in the common room”, she said, fully concentrated on the flowers, and then looked up to Reinhardt, beaming. He couldn’t help but melt a little inside.
On their way back to the register they came across a table that had a lot of cacti. From delicate and tiny, in even tinier pots, to big with three heads and pink flowers coming out of the top. Reinhardt stopped next to them to adore one of the tinier ones. He usually never told anyone, but despite his big size, he had a soft spot for small things.
Ana looked at him for a moment and then reached for the cactus he was looking at.
“You bought me ice cream so I’ll buy you a tiny cactus”, she noted. Reinhardt tried to protest, halfheartedly, but Ana didn’t want to hear any of it. She just pulled him down and gave him a kiss on his cheek, making him blush. Before he could say another thing she was already at the register. She ended up paying only for the cacti because Reinhardt quickly slapped money in front of Paul. Ana playfully rolled her eyes but smiled.
“We should do this more often”, Ana noted softly as the two stepped outside the shop. Reinhardt smiled down on her and agreed. He gave her a kiss on her forehead. ANa closed her eyes and leaned into it.
The two walked back giggling and talking with no end while holding hands. To everyone’s surprise, Reinhardt learned how to take care of his little cactus. It lived for many many more years to come. And he took it with him every time Blackwatch and later Overwatch sent them on new missions. It had a special spot right next to his bed, wherever he was.