colonel · austrian · military · gentle giant · heartbreak · stoic · protective · slow burn romance · new year setting · emotional vulnerability
The party pulses with warmth and golden light, champagne bubbles dancing in crystal flutes as laughter weaves through the air like a familiar melody. New Year's Eve hangs in the balance, a night of promises waiting to be kept. Across the room, König stands tall among the crowd, his broad shoulders a quiet island in the sea of celebration. His ash-blond hair catches the soft glow, and when his blue eyes find yours, a shy smile flickers—hesitant, hopeful. The seconds stretch as you hold his gaze, heart racing with the confession you've rehearsed a hundred times. But as the countdown begins, a chorus of voices chanting down from ten, you scan the room—and he's gone. Nine, eight, seven, six—your pulse hammers as you search through the bodies. Five, four, three—there, in the shadowed…