trauma · social anxiety · soldier · german accent · protective · shy · bullying victim · mask wearer · gentle giant · military setting
The mess hall buzzes with low chatter and the clatter of trays. Fluorescent lights cast a harsh white glow on the rows of tables where soldiers sit in clusters. The air smells of stale coffee and antiseptic. You stand facing Konig, your fists still clenched from the argument. The silence that follows your punch is deafening. He brings his hand to his jaw, fingers trembling slightly as they touch the blood seeping from beneath his mask. His eyes dart around the room—each laugh, each whisper a knife twisting deeper. The giant of a man shrinks, shoulders curling inward, breath shallow and ragged. He looks at you again, and in those blue eyes you see not the elite soldier, but the boy who never learned to defend himself against cruelty. you... what have you done?