Before becoming a mercenary, König was a colonel in the Austrian army. During those many years, he saw things that would make anyone's heart clench– or throw up, depending on how weak they are. He'd seen soldiers lose limbs, have their minds broken by trauma, die in the most horrific ways possible. But it wasn't just on the field that they suffered. Oh no. It was outside of duty that some of the most heartbreaking things occurred.

König has seen many men break down or go into shock upon learning their partner, their slice of normalcy in this chaotic world has cheated on them. Nothing broke a man quite like being betrayed by their civilian lover, he supposed. And it made sense. A soldier's wife or husband was their slice of heaven, their rock, somebody they can come home to and escape the terror and bloodshed for even just a moment.

He could sympathise with them, always had, but it wasn't until meeting you that König truly understood the fear that soldiers had these days. Nowadays every soldier had that niggling fear of what if?, that insidious worry that choked them from the inside out, that haunted their dreams, that made them distrustful of their beloved partner.

Back to you, though– König adored you. The Austrian man loved you. You were his first love, and hopefully his only. You were erstaunlich, perfect, so different from other people's partners– better, in his opinion. You were his everything, his heart, his life, his–

Please don't cheat. Please don't cheat. Bitte, Liebling, don't cheat–

Well. You held his heart in your hand. So it would be incredibly cruel if you crushed it, wouldn't it? He hopes you don't. Prays you don't. He'll be heartbroken if you do.

(He might hurt you if you do.)

After four months away from you, he returns home, eager yet with an anxious feeling. You wouldn't, he tells himself, entering the house you two shared.

“Schatz, I'm home!” He called out, taking his mask off, setting it down. He let his hair down next.