Chapter Text
⬆️Wolfgang von Boost from Ku'damm 56 ，He is a Homosexuality.
Hoffmann had a hard time asking Wolfgang out for dinner, after several rounds of explicit and implicit invitation, Wolfgang finally agreed to meet them at the restaurant. It's not that Wolfgang is so afraid of being exposed for dating a man, as a prosecutor he has the need to investigate Klaus Hoffmann's personal background, but it takes a lot of time and connections, especially when it turns out that his person's file involves a portion of military secrets, as a small prosecutor he only has to stop at knowing that Klaus used to be the captain of the u-612 submarine, and that's where it stops. So their dinner conversation started with the submarine.
"What happened then? "
"What? "
"Aren't you a submarine commander? "
"Yes. " Hoffmann took a sip of the red wine, his out-of-focus eyes fixed on the half-empty dinner plate in front of him. Wolfgang knows from his good manners that the handsome boy who always around him must have been born into a famous and well-educated family.
" Then I was kicked off the submarine by my First Watch Officer. "
"What?！"
"He 'kindly' put me in a lifeboat about the size of that big dining room table over there. " Said Hoffmann, raising his head and gesturing with his eyes toward the distance, "and gave me a bucket of water and some canned food, and so I was exiled to the sea, drifting aimlessly. I can't count how many days passed, and I thought I was going to die so I could be completely relieved, but a Canadian fishing boat found me and saved me, and so here I am having dinner with you. "
"Are you making up stories for me? I have heard far more bizarre and wonderful stories than yours in court! "
"No, no, no, I am telling the truth. My First Watch Officer has been displeased with me for a long time. "
"If you knew that, why didn't you take the first step to 'dispose' of him? "
Hoffmann didn't answer, just smiled at him.
"Oh...I understand..."
"I know you have a family and I'm not going to come and ruin it, and I know you have needs as well, we just take what we need, you don't have to be stressful too much."
Wolfgang listened attentively to his advice, thinking that if he were in a court of law, he would be so impressed by young Hoffmann's sincere eyes and gentle tone of voice that he might even waver in his position and change his defense. My God, that was terrible.
"So, what about that First Watch Officer? How is he now?"
Hoffmann drained his glass of red wine.
"Dead."
==
Wolfgang learned from Hoffmann's somniloquy in the middle of the night that his First Watch Officer's name was Karl Tennstedt. When he woke up in the morning, he told Hoffmann about it, and Hoffmannnn just nodded and sat at the dining room table fiddling with the cutlery, with a cigarette dangling from his lips as he looked like sleepy.
"I'd like some coffee." Wolfgang couldn't help but dictate to Hoffmann as he read the morning news paper, as if he was still in his own house.
"You'll have to make your own coffee, I'm not your wife." Hoffmann said as he took the coffee pot off the stove, poured himself a cup, and put the coffee pot back.
"Did you make coffee for Karl Tennstedt?"
"Are all people with your looks like asshole?"
Wolfgang laughed silently, not offended by young Hoffmann's unfounded accusation, but cheerfully got up to pour himself warm coffee and offered to put a cube of sugar in Hoffmannn's cup.
They had no plans to be together today, including last night, which was purely "accidental" to Wolfgang. Wolfgang didn't realized how much fun they could have on the bed, and Hoffmann had done as much as possible to seduce him, so he'd had to stay. Of course, he had gotten an erection even if Hoffmann had done nothing.
But it was clear that Hoffmann was ready for anything, as he already lubed himself and then began to ride Wolfgang with abandon, using him to his heart's content and squeezing him relentlessly, with no regard for Wolfgang‘s feelings whatsoever. Wolfgang held Hoffmann's waist, helping to slow him down appropriately, it was a long night and he didn't want it to end so soon. Hoffmann stopped when Wolfgang touched the raised gunshot scar on his waist and stroked it repeatedly.
"Gunshot wound, was it?" Wolfgang reached up and brushed the sweat from the tip of Hoffmann's nose.
"Yes, a bullet that didn't kill me right away; it caused me both pain and pleasure. I remember that before I lost consciousness I distinctly saw Karl rowing to take me home, and when I woke up again I was lying in a American hospital, and I grabbed the nurse beside me and asked her where Karl Tennstedt was, and the nurse was startled and looked as if she had seen a ghost, and then their chief came to me."
"And afterward?"
"Afterward, they hung me up and beat me, don't let me eat, don't let me sleep, drowned me in water, put me in the electric chair, and every time before I was electrocuted they put a towel in my mouth to keep me from hurting my own tongue.So, electricity is useless for the therapeutic aspect of homosexuality."
"Yes, I know ......"
"Would you like to listen to my story or continue with sex?"
"I would like to kiss you."
Hoffmann gazed at Wolfgang's soft, plump lips and seemed to hesitate for a thousandth of a second.
"No. I will not kiss you."
"Okay."
Hoffmann went to bed that night after shower, but he slept very uneasily, tossing and turning under the tightly wrapped blanket, while Wolfgang, pressed and sleepless, got up and sat down at his desk to pull out the casebook in his briefcase and look through it. Tomorrow he had to make a trip to the archives to get some books.
"Karl ...... Tenstedt ......" he heard Hoffmann's sobbing murmur.
====
"Come with me to La Rochelle,please." Hoffmann take out two train tickets from his pocket, the departure time is ten o'clock next Tuesday morning. "You needn't answer me right now. I'll be waiting for you in front of the station gate at eight o'clock on Tuesday, if you come." He got up and left the table and went straight toward the bedroom. Wolfgang turned his head and saw that Hoffmann had fallen back into bed again, with half his face hidden in the covers,and with the appearance of impending sleep. How do I answer to him, at this moment Wolfgang's mood is unusually chaotic, he hurriedly opened the notebook, the calendar column showed that next week there are two cases to be held in court, although the date of the trial has not yet been officially determined, but if he goes with Hoffmann to La Rochelle that will certainly delay his own time to write the defense, the probability is that it will affect the outcome of the first trial and even his career. What if he refused, Wolfgang thought, and he couldn't help but look at Hoffmann, perhaps he was already asleep, the blanket slowly rising and falling with his long breaths, the sunlight squeezing broke the gaps of the curtains, illuminating the small patch of hair on top of his head.
"Sorry, I have an appointment this afternoon, so I should go now." Wolfgang said as he gathered his belongings and stood in the doorway, fully dressed, addressing to the bedroom.
"Enjoy yourself." Hoffmann's muffled voice immediately came from inside.
Wolfgang hurried back downtown to the library's archives; he was fifteen minutes late, and the administrator, Ms. Hannah, was pacing irritably, but the moment she saw Wolfgang she still wore a look of delight.
"I thought you weren't coming."
"I'm so sorry I'm late, the train missed."
"Here are the books you wanted last time." Ms. Hannah took two old books out of a paper bag and handed them to him, her bright red nails glistening in the light.
"Yes, they are, How can I ever possibly thank you."
"I've covered by much dust when I find the books for you from the closed coffers." Hannah said while mischievously squeezing her eyes at Wolfgang, "If you want to thank me, you could buy me a coffee next Tuesday, the coffee shop next door has come out with a new cake ......"
"Ms. Hannah,I would love to but I have a court session next Tuesday ...... You know how torturous those old presiding judges are, I'm afraid I'm even deprived of time to drink water."
"Oh, that's really too bad."
"We can make another appointment, anyway thank you. Goodbye."
After watching Wolfgang walk away until he disappeared Hannah returned to her office and closed the door.
"Boring like a wood." She muttered to the heathered door panel painted tan.
====
At eight o'clock on Tuesday Wolfgang appeared punctually at the station gate, and Hoffmann, unable to conceal his glad, came up to him, gave him a ticket, then they went into the waiting room. There was still some time before departure, and Wolfgang could not help dozing for a short time. Today's precious free time was what he had earned by working overtime day and night for the last few days. When he woke up, he realized that there was an extra yellow scarf* around his neck. It is soft and warm. Through sleepy eyes, Wolfgang looked towards at Hoffmann, who immediately stubbed out the cigarette in his hand.
"This is for you. I saw it in the shop.I thought it would suit you perfectly and bought it."
"Thank you very much."
"No, it is you who are to be thanked, and I am very glad you came for me."
At five minutes past ten they got on the train for La Rochelle. Hoffmann sat beside the window casually leafing through today's newspaper, while Wolfgang sat beside him politely , took out the two old books from his suitcase, opened one of them and read it carefully. It was a long way to go, and it wasn't until Hoffmann had finished the crossword puzzle on the last page of the newspaper that he put his attention back to Wolfgang - he was too quiet, and Hoffmann stretched his neck curiously as Wolfgang cooperated by showing him the cover of the old book.
"《HandBook for U-Boot Captains》? My God, where did you get that?"
"You shouldn't forget that I'm a prosecutor, and I have a lot of friends." Said Wolfgang with a small smug smile.
"Are you interested in how to become a submarine commander?"
"No, I am interested in you. "Wolfgang was blunt, "but I'm limited in my ability to know more about you, and you don't like to talk about it, so I thought maybe I could learn something about the real Klaus Hoffmann from this book. You must know this book like the back of your hand, don't you?"
"On the contrary, I have never finished reading it. " Hoffmann sighed slightly, unconcerned about Wolfgang's accusation of his indifference, "If I knew it like the back of my hand, I wouldn't be sitting here."
====
It was late at night by the time they reached the hotel, the restaurant already closed, so they had to fill up with cookies from Wolfgang who had brought in their room. But luckily the bar was still open, and Hoffmann got a bottle of St. Julian's wine from there . When he got back to the room he saw Wolfgang was half leaning over the bed and still engrossed in the《HandBook for U-Boot Captains》 as if he was a real u-boot captain who will sail tomorrow.
"Thanks." Wolfgang took the glass and sipped, "Herr Kapitän."
"No, he doesn't call me like that usually." Hoffmann shrugged, a faint smile hung on his mouth, and interrupted Wolfgang before he was about to speak something, "Would you please read paragraph 15?"
"During an attack, situations may develop which appear to be hopeless.Only if the Captain,unrelenting towards himself,conquers this feeling, will he succeed." Wolfgang raised his head after reading and asked Hoffmann to continue with a questioning look.
"If the Captain really believes that a situation is hopeless...should he risk the lives of his men?"
"I think," Wolfgang mused for a short time, "I think the captain should be responsible for the lives of the entire crew. So, what are you thinking?"
Hoffmann fell into a long silence. His momery went back to the night of his first meeting with Karl Tennstedt, when the First Watch Officer hadn't drunk the cognac he'd given to him.Hoffmann realized this late, so he'd picked up the glass, but then he found that the liquid in the glass was actually bitter.
"Klaus ......," Wolfgang's soft call jolted him out of his remote memories and back to reality.
"Prost."
"For what?"
"For you."
Wolfgang smiled immediately.
====
The next morning they had brunch together and then they went to the harbor. Hoffmann stood on the embankment looking out into the distance with a stern expression and an elusive emotion running through his eyes. Wolfgang watched him silently from the sidelines.Suddenly a passing old sailor warned Wolfgang to beware of the flying robbers who would snatch a tourist's hats and throw it into the sea. Wolfgang politely expressed his gratitude and removed his hat and cupped it in his hand.
"When I returned to Berlin, I paid a visit to my former Chief engineer Robert Ehrenberg." Hoffmann said, "I asked him if he remembered Karl Tennstedt and where is he currently. Then he invited me to sit in his small boat to continue the conversation. He said that Tennstedt was dead. Tennstedt had volunteered to take on the task of repairing the batteries, and by that time the submarine's battery compartment had been filled with leaking chlorine gas. Nobody will survive after go in there. Ehrenberg told the whole story of what had been happened after I had been exiled. All the bad luck and havoc that u612 had suffered was their own fault, retribution for betraying me."
"So, how similar are we?" Wolfgang listened to Hoffmann pontificate and suddenly asked a irrelevant question.
"In fact,both of you have absolutely nothing in common with each other." Hoffmann finally turned around and gazed at him.
"If only we could have met earlier."
"Unfortunately, there are no ifs."
"You're leaving, aren't you?"
"Yes." Hoffmann nodded frankly.
"Will we meet again?"
"Maybe we will, maybe we won't."
"Last question, I can never be him, or replace him, can I?"
Hoffmann didn't replied, of course Wolfgang had been prepared for that.
"Well,then-" he took a deep breath, "Goodbye, Herr Kaleun."
"Goodbye, Wolfgang."
END
*yellow scarf
