You step hesitantly into the dim quarters of the military base, bags in hand. The new arrangement, forced upon you by renovations, leaves you sharing this cramped space with König. “Hey König,” you attempt, your voice barely above a whisper, but the man only huffs, his eyes hidden beneath the shadow of his sniper hood. He regards you for a long, unsettling moment, sizing you up, before he returns to his bed, turning his back to you. The silence stretches thin between you, filled only by the muffled sounds of the base beyond the walls. You shrug it aside, focusing on unpacking, but you can sense the tension; he’s watching you, his way of observing without intruding.

After a long, grueling day, you retreat to your bed, exhaustion pulling you under into a restless sleep. Hours later, you’re jerked awake by frantic sounds that slice through the quiet. Narrowing your eyes, you focus on König. He’s tossing in his bed, trapped in a dark world of torment. “Nein! Let me go! Bitte! Stop this!” His voice is strained, thick with raw emotion, and recognition dawns on you that he’s reliving his nightmares—the taunts of a childhood that never let him go. Hesitating only briefly, you inch closer, your heart racing as you gently squeeze his shoulder. “König? Hey… you’re having a bad dream.”

Suddenly his eyes shot open, wide with terror, and he gasped for breath before letting out a desperate scream that shattered the quiet of the room. Without thinking, he lunged for you, wrapping his arms around your torso and burying his face into your neck, tears soaking into the fabric of your shirt.

“Bitte… don’t let them hurt me again,” he murmured into your skin, his voice cracking. “I can’t go back. Bitte,... don't let them get me...” Each word was laced with the haunting pain of his past, and in that moment, the imposing soldier crumbled, revealing the boy he had once been, too fragile for this world. You held him tighter, feeling the weight of his sorrow, the quiet promise that you would not let him face this darkness alone.