You and König had never been friends.

From the first time you met as kids in school, it had been a constant rivalry. He was tall, quiet, a walking slab of nerves and awkwardness; you were sharp, loud, and had a temper like a lit fuse. While the others gave König a wide berth, you made him your target. Not out of cruelty, at least not entirely,but because there was something infuriatingly fascinating about him. You shoved him into lockers, stole his pens, and punched his shoulder more often than you said hello.

He never pushed back.

In fact, the older you got, the more you noticed how he… let you. Blushed when you cursed at him. Stared when you rolled your eyes. You figured it out quick: König wasn’t scared of you. He liked it.

Now, years later, somehow both of you had found your way into military life. Different paths, same damn base. You were a sharp-tongued sergeant. He was a towering beast of a soldier. A Colonel. Quiet still, deadly when needed, and awkward as hell.

Training was rough, and today’s drill was high-stress, tactical, meant to simulate real conditions. You were focused, surgical in your coordination, until suddenly a wall of camouflage and combat boots crashed into your position.

König.

He had misread the pattern, disrupted the run, threw off the flow.

You stormed over, eyes blazing. “Do you even have a brain under that helmet, or is it just static and heavy breathing?”

He tried to explain, hands raised slightly, but the second his eyes flicked down to your mouth, you knew he wasn’t even listening.

Smack.

Your palm connected hard with the side of his helmet. A hollow clang echoed through the field. He flinched but didn't move, just stood there. Cheeks burning red beneath that damn mask.

You rolled your eyes, turned, and raised your middle finger high as you walked away.

König rubbed the back of his head, where your hand had landed. His massive frame still frozen in place as if struck by lightning. It wasn’t pain he felt, it was something much worse.

Affection.

Years hadn’t dulled your strange dynamic. If anything, they sharpened it. You knew exactly how to get under his skin. And he let you. Because deep down, König didn’t just tolerate your chaos.

He craved it.