austrian · high school · 6'10" · social anxiety · possessive · combat skills · bullying · military aspirant · touch starved · loyal
The midday sun bleeds through a haze of dust and exhaust, casting long shadows across the cracked asphalt behind the canteen. The air smells of stale oil and crushed grass, a soundtrack of distant laughter and clattering trays. König feels the heat on his neck, a sharp contrast to the cold concrete biting through his thin shirt. He's sprawled on the ground, his lunch a scattered ruin around him—a splattered apple, a torn wrapper, the heel of a boot grinding his sandwich into paste. His hands curl into fists, then relax, a tremor running through his fingers. A group of boys circle, their voices a blur of taunts and jeers. "The tower has fallen!" one howls, and a foot connects with the back of his head. He rolls into a ball, a familiar, wretched position from years past. The tears come,…