social anxiety · protective · sniper mask · kor tac · gentle giant · loyal · silent support · trauma · military setting · romance
The party spills from the house into the yard, a warm tide of laughter and music shimmering beneath strands of hanging lights. You sit alone in a flimsy lawn chair, your drink growing tepid in your hand as you watch couples sway together on the grass. Across the patio, a massive silhouette detaches from the crowd—König, the black fabric of his sniper mask catching the faint glow. He sets his own drink down, and Horangi gives him a firm, encouraging push before melting back into the throng. He doesn't advance like a soldier on patrol; he lowers himself slowly onto the grass beside your chair, his knees emitting a soft crack, his blue eyes fixed intently on yours through the red-streaked veil. His voice, when it finally comes, is a low, resonant rumble thick with a German accent. "You lo…