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Finally, it was the first free morning for Karl! He wasn't fully free from his work and responsibilities, but at least the morning was completely his own. What a great chance to ask his dearest British friend for a cup of tea!
Karl led Barry to the small room. A room where they could have a small teaparty, talking of recent events, missions and remembering stories. When they finally reached the room, the Prussian officer slipped his hand into the jacket of the uniform, having unbuttoned a few buttons beforehand. With a smooth motion, Karl pulled out a set of keys.
He picked the right key he needed. Barry was completely charmed by these actions. Even if the Prussian might be seen as someone always tense, his actions were always soft. Softer than a feather. Or maybe the Brit was just the only one who saw his moves like this. Anyway, after two clicks, the door opened.
First, what caught the emerald eyes of Barry's, was the small table with four stools around it. They definitely didnt need a third and fourth chair. Karl pointed at the table and grabbed the dirty empty kettle.
“Hier, Barry,” Karl welcomed him. Barry couldnt tell if the officer said it in prussian or it was just his thick prussian accent. “I... I will go and fill the kettle with water...”
Leaving the Brit by himself, Karl grabbed the dark kettle and walked back into the hall, fading in the darkness with the last candle. None of them actually wanted tea. Not like any of them minded a cup of black tea, but it was not the main point.
Prussian officer walked down the hall, his shoes leaving sound of clicks with every step. His, or rather Blücher's, favorite kettle in the hand. Karl's small adventure was interrupted by his own Field Marshall, Blücher! Karl only remembered the owner of this pot and there he is.
Blücher's eyes visibly sparkled when he saw his officer.
“Oh, Officer!" Marshall called, making Karl's head jerk to the source of noise. “Hallo. Schön, dich zu sehen. Ich muss dich um eine Sache bitten”
Karl nodded, listening closely to what Blücher is about to say.
“Ja?”
“So... Ich brauche deine Hilfe...” Help? Blücher looked closely and stern, but not too much. Karl was pretty important to him, to be fair. After a small pause, he continued in the same firm tone. “...beim Waschen der Gardinenstange. In mein Büro.”
The... curtain rod? Wash it?? Seriously??? The frown he always had on his rough face only deepened and this cannot be unnoticed.
“Ich weiß, klingt komisch," Blücher calmed him down. "Aber du muss."
Alright, Herr Feldmarschall. Its just pointless to say no to him. Its better to put his teaparty aside.
"Verstanden..." Karl nodded. He walked back to the small room when he left his dearest friend.
A britishman with curly ginger hair staring down the table with his soft green eyes. Probably, knowing his curious nature, Barry just looked around the room, hoping to find something to look at.
When Karl appeared in the doorframe, he placed the empty kettle on the table.
“Uhm. I got a task... from mein Feldmarschall.” The tone of his words is never too rough or unkind. Even more, it softens—just as his frowned face—around Barry.
“Is that so?” Barry stood up. His head was slightly raised to look up at Karl. Nothing can cover the slightly pink cheeks of the ginger one, but the Prussian has never said anything about it.
“Ja. To wash uh...” Karl looked down, trying o remember the word. His hand reached the bridge of his nose, tensing his head to remember it. Useless...
Seeing Barry's eager face expression, he tried harder. But still, there was just no word like this in the dictionary of the Pruss. Saying it in Prussian instead of English is just silly to him.
“Der Gardinenstange." Of course it didn't change a single thing. Karl sighed sharply and looked around, hoping to find it.
For his sake, the dark brown eyes has found the curtain rod in the room.
“This- this thing. 'm sorry” Barry looked slightly surprised by Karl begging for an excuse. However, the Brit seemed to understand him. He nodded many times quickly and hummed.
“Ohh, yes, the curtain rod!” He enlightened Karl. “Haha, to wash it? Marshall wants you to wash it?"
“Ja,” Karl confirmed. “Ich... I need to take it off somehow in his cabinet..."
The accent was funny and cute to Barry, every word made him smile like an idiot. Blush brushed over his freckled cheeks.
“I see. I can help you with taking it off”
“Oh?” Karl's gaze jumped from the window to his lover. “That... would be nice.”
Karl never admitted it and never could say this out loud, but he loved Barry. A lot. He appreciated him, always when he got a chance he was near the Brit, protecting him from the cannibals or maybe even the French. Prussian officer softened with Barry.
What about Barry himself? He felt the same. It was obvious, but not so much. And unlike his dearest, the Brit has said it out loud to him. It embarrassed both of them, but at least now, they both know their feelings.
After some ten minutes, they ended up trying to take the curtain rod off. Karl, since he was taller, fiddled with the holder that was connected to the wall. He frowned, being focused and clearly unfazed. ‘Couldn't Herr Feldmarschall think of something even stupider...???’ he thought. Karl finally managed to take the holder off the curtain rod and grumbled as the weight of it fell on his hands. Not that it was too heavy, just slightly unexpected. Karl slowly stepped down with the curtain rod in his hands, placing its side on the wooden floor. Barry watched his rough motion with such impressed eyes as if the Prussian just did something impossible.
Barry moved aside to make the way for Karl. Karl walked to the opposite side to do the same thing. When the dusty, iron beam gave in, he sighed sharply. Officer looked at it so annoyed and unhappy, but couldn't do anything about it, since it was an order from the Marshall. Karl sighed again, his signature frown appeared again. His dark brown eyes moved to Barry and visibly softened.
"Err... Could... Do you mind helping me, sir?" Karl asked kindly. It was so interesting to Barry how nice the Prussian officer was around him, when he was strict with everybody else.
Of course he will help! That's what Barry adored to do.
"Sure thing, mate!" Barry nodded. "What i need to do?"
Karl held back a smirk and moved his gaze down to the curtain rod on the floor.
"This... Take the curtain off the... uh... the rod?" New words was always tough for him to remember. Karl looked back, a note of hope appeared in his eyes.
"Understood!" Barry responded in a cheerful tone.
The ginger Brit got to work: he sat down and started slowly taking off the curtain. He was too eager to help his favorite friend. Karl watched his quick motion. It was beautiful to him, but he will never admit it. The beauty of his motions, slightly calloused hands, charmed him, making Karl look almost helpless, staring at this man. Once Barry was done he stood up, removing the strand of grown ginger hair from his forehead, and looked at Karl, smiling.
"Done! What are we doing next? Washing it?" The British accent always got the officer.
"Ja... I need a bucket of water... to wash it. And a rag." Karl nodded, taking off the white gloves. Karl started to walk, when Barry got in the way. Of course it wasn't on purpose, it was just his huge wish to help.
"Let me get it for you! Or we can do it together!" He sounded so sweet.
Karl inhaled and looked around, humming.
"Yeah, together sounds fine."
When the bucket was filled with water, Barry was carrying it while Karl carried two rags and a liquid soap. Karl looked pretty calm, but slightly unhappy. 'Of course he is unhappy,' Barry thought. 'I'd be unhappy too if my general made me wash some dusty iron thing that nobody cares about!' The sapper walked beside his colleague with a heavy bucket in his hands. It wasn't too hard to carry such thing, especially since he was someone who is supposed to build stuff. Barry decided to break the silence, lead by the sound of their steps repeating over and over and noises of water in the bucket.
"So... uh..." Barry hummed. Karl looked at him. It was so usual of him, just to start a conversation without an exact topic. "Ehh... Will we have the teaparty after this?"
Karl nodded.
"I believe yes." He responded softly, moving his gaze from Barry to the hall. He couldn't help but notice how joyful the face of the Brit became.
"Is it a crime that you were the one who Blücher told to wash the curtain rod, but I'm helping you?" Barry asked.
Karl finally betrayed a soft chuckle.
"Nein. After all, I'm going to be the one who is washing it."
Barry looked at him with slightly surprised and happy eyes. He... chuckled? For real? Or is it just Barry who make him feel less tensed???
However, they came back to the Blücher's office. Karl frowned at the sight of the curtain rod laying on the floor. He imagined the amount of the time is going to be wasted. So terrible. But there was nothing he could do about it, so it's better for him to just do it as fast as he can.
Barry placed the bucket on the floor, making sure he didn't spill any water. His green eyes moved from the curtain rod to Karl. He smiled softly, seeing the unhappy look on his sharp face. Karl finally shook his head and approached the curtain roll, dropping a soft 'danke'.
Barry's smile became even more happy and he nodded.
"Alright, mate, I will go now then... search me around that small room if you need anything." He announced tenderly and walked out of the room. Barry would be lying if he said that he didn't feel any guilty for leaving Karl alone to do his work.
Karl was washing the iron beam that held the heavy red curtains in Blücher's office, wiping off the dust and fiddling with the rust. It was a tough work, after all, but it was nothing comparing to what he has seen on the battlefield. He'd rather wash the bloody curtain rod every day than watch others die. It's been around fifteen minutes already. He placed the rag that was damp with soap water aside and took the dry one, wiping off the water. He had to repeat this thing again to have the curtain rod completely clean. He was wiping off the dirt tenderly and carefully, but still having rough moves in his shoulders. Karl had all his pressure on the dry rag, removing the foam and wetness. The annoying sounds of the dry cloth against the iron was the only thing that lead him in this impossible moment. He would rather listen to rambles of the ginger Britishman than this.
However, the ginger Britishman was over here! Standing with a camera, taking pictures of the poor Prussian officer scrub the golden beam and giggling. What the hell? Once Karl even understood what exactly Barry was doing in front of him, he raised his head. Usually kind frown was clearly annoyed, looks like Karl didn't like how Barry entertains himself while his dearest colleague is suffering, surrounded with the scent of soap, dust, rust and sounds of creaking cloth against the iron.
"Oi-!" Barry laughed out loud and lowered the camera. "Hey, Karl! 'm sorry, mate. It is just extremely funny to me... Hahahaha!"
The laugh of this soft and cute ginger guy was at least something soothing in this whole situation. Karl growled and sighed.
"Das isn't funny." He just grumbled and kept washing the curtain rod.
"I'm soooorrryyyyyy!" Barry drawled, sincerely begging for a forgiveness. Karl was just unable to be mad at him. It was really special treatment to Barry, actually. He would be so mad and offended if any of his teammates would do the same as Barry just did.
"It's not a big deal."
Karl finally responded and kept polishing the curtain rod, while Barry was rambling about some stories. Anything, really: things he heard from his mates or the moments he participated in. And Karl clearly did not ask him for that.