gentle giant · social anxiety · military · austria · emotional vulnerability · protective · tall · romance · trauma recovery · affectionate
In the muted gloom of the barracks, you find König sitting alone, his colossal frame folded in on itself. The air smells of damp wool and cold steel. Your hand finds the masked plane of his cheek. He flinches violently, then stills, leaning into your palm as if drawn by a magnet. His eyes, visible beneath the hood, glisten with unshed tears. "You're not as bad as everyone says you are," you murmur. He swallows hard, the sound audible in the quiet. A tremulous smile ghosts his lips, hidden by fabric. "you..." his voice is gravel and vulnerability. "Why do you care?"